Uncle Tom

Tonight I joined a new band. While playing my SG I was thinking about all my inspirations, and all the obvious were there: James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Synyster Gates, Tom Delonge and Billie Joe Armstrong. After I was done practicing I gave my guitar it's weekly cleaning and got to thinking to about 2 years ago when my Uncle Tom came from Arizona to visit my family, he was informed that I was learning to play guitar and asked to hear me play. I got out my cheap & crappy gear and played him the 3 chords I knew. I had heard how good he was but never before heard him play so I handed him over the guitar and he made my horrible gear sound like a top notch setup. He played the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and other guitar legends, after he was finished I was astonished. As a beginning guitarist, to see and hear a great performance like that was obviously a humongous inspiration.


A lot of great artists have named there guitars, there is B.B King's Lucille, Frank Iero's Pansy, Billie Joe Armstrong's Floyd and many others. Tonight, December 17th 2007 I have officially named my guitar Tom. As I think about my new band, I realize that without Uncle Tom's visit that night I would probably have given up guitar. After his visit that special night, I promised myself that I would push myself to become the best guitarist that I could be.


Thanks to My Uncle Tom I have found my interest, the one thing that I am truly gifted in. As I reflect on that wondrous night, I have come to realize that without Tom's visit I would not be half the guitarist I am now and I wouldn't have the skill to be in a band. I consider myself to be a pretty good guitarist for my age, but I am always looking to improve and find ways to become a better guitarist. So Tom if you ever get the chance to read this, I would just like to thank you for helping me find my talent, skill and maybe even career choice if I'm lucky enough.

Nothing else matters but the music, does it still matter?

As you know I am a big fan of Metallica, they won me over with their crushing drums, killer guitar riffs and powerful vocals. In my opinion, this band was one of the best rock/metal bands from 1983-2001. From Kill em' all to Re-Load, but in 2003 they made the greatest mistake of their career. They released an album entitled St. Anger, an album that displays over an hour of horrible white noise. I know that they had about all the problems that a band can have during the recording of St. Anger, their long time bassist Jason Newsted quit the band, lead singer James Hetfield went to rehab for help with his drinking problems, drummer Lars Ulrich had his whole Napster incident and the relationship between the three remaining band members was at an all time low.

Despite the problems and drama, you still need to put forward your best effort to release a great album that people will love to listen to 20 years down the road. St. Anger is the exact opposite, there is no way that I would pass this album down to my kids. However, I would have no problem letting my kids listen to albums such as: The Black Album, Master of Puppets, Ride The Lightning, and Re-Load. St. Anger is by far the worst album of their great, successful career.

After the promoting and touring for the 2003 album, Metallica went back in to the studio with a new approach to recording, a new producer, and new material. I would like to believe that the new record is going to be a great and powerful rock release that will be loved by fans for years to come, but after an album like St. Anger is put out, it is hard to believe that to be true.

I will be buying the new album regardless of what it sounds like, and will likely be seeing Metallica in concert this summer. I have my fingers crossed and am praying that the new album will be better than the last one, hopefully my prayers will be answered and God will let Metallica put out a strong, killer, and ruthless album.

My Christmas List

This is my Christmas list for 2007.

1. Ipod Video

2. Metallica - Kill Em All

Nirvana - Nevermind

These are just a select few of the things on my wish list for this Holiday season. I am hoping that I get the Ipod video, because I have maxed out my 2 gigabyte nano.

Gibson Robot Guitar

Is your guitar always out of tune? Do you hate tuning your guitar and think it is the stupidest thing on the planet? If you answered yes to these questions, then I have found the ultimate guitar for you. On December 7th, Gibson, which is my brand of choice for guitars, will be releasing the Robot guitar. Looking at the instrument, it appears to be a Les Paul with a translucent blue finish. But there is one feature this guitar has that no other guitar in the world has, It tunes its self!! You heard me right, the guitar tunes its self. With this bad boy, tuning will be a thing of the past. To tune this baby all you have to do is pull out a knob that looks like a regular volume or tone knob. With one pull of the knob, your guitar will be tuned up and ready to play in a matter of seconds. Last year, when Fender released the VG Stratocaster, I thought it was the coolest thing out. But now my opinion has changed. Who needs a guitar that has about 10 different sounds? the answer is lazy people who don't want to spend a little time messing around with their amps. This guitar takes tuning which sometimes takes up to 30 seconds, and electronically does it for you in about 5 seconds. Amazing, I am astonished. Maybe I can get my dad to fork me over some cash and buy me one of these bad boys for Christmas. That is highly unlikely. -Sigh- I'm gonna go play my guitar that at I have to tune myself. I hate my life.

Hawthorne Heights Guitarist Casey Calvert Dies at 25

One of the three Hawthorne Heights guitarists, Casey Calvert died in his sleep on Friday night following a show in Detroit. They were scheduled to play a show on Saturday in Washington D.C. Casey was found unconscious in the band's tour bus, and the band was told that he had passed away right before they went to soundcheck. Now, Hawthorne Heights was one of my favorite bands a couple of years ago when The Silence in Black and White was released, but I really haven't listened to them for a while, and couldn't even tell you the name of the last album, but when I heard this news I was devastated, to die that young is a tragedy. This band along with a few others inspired me to play guitar and got me into the whole emo/screamo scene. Casey was a great guitarist and a great guy in general, and hopefully as the band has stated, nothing illegal was involved in his death. I am truly sorry for the band and for Calvert's family. Hopefully, Hawthorne Heights will come back stronger than ever, like Metallica did after Cliff Burton died.

Below is what the band had to say about the loss of their guitarist, Casey Calvert:

Today is probably the worst day ever. Its with our deepest regrets that we have to write this. Casey Calvert passed away in his sleep last night. We found out this afternoon before sound-check. We've spent the entire day trying to come to grips with this and figure out as much as possible. At this time we're not sure what exactly happened. Just last night he was joking around with everyone before he went to bed. We can say with absolute certainty that he was not doing anything illegal. Please, out of respect to Casey and his family, don't contribute or succumb to any gossip you may hear. We don't want his memory to be tainted in the least. Casey was our best friend. He was quirky and awesome and there will truly be no others like him! His loss is unexplainable. As soon as we know more we will let you know.

Sincerely,

Hawthorne Heights

Eron, JT, Micah and Matt

My 5 Favorite Bands

These are the 5 most played artists on my Ipod.

1. Metallica

2. Three Days Grace

3. Linkin Park

4. Avenged Sevenfold

5. A.F.I

I know I'm getting a little emo with A.F.I. But hey, they have some pretty cool guitar lines. Especially on "The Art Of Drowning" album.

Faded Gibson SG

First of all I would like to establish that I have been playing guitar for 2 years and for the first year and a half, all of the guitars I owned and played cost less than $100.00. This May I decided that I was going to save up for a guitar that many of my favorite guitarists play, and in fact my great uncle who is a professional musician plays a custom one. The guitar is a Faded Gibson Sg. Right after school got out in June I asked my mom if I could have a summer job out at the ranch that she manages, hoping that by the end of the summer I would have enough money to afford this beauty.

She agreed and let me work for three long, hot, gruesome months out in the extreme temperatures of the California sun. Finally, at the end of August after three long months of raking crap (literally) I had saved up about $600. The weekend that I got my final paycheck I rushed over to Guitar Center with my dad, tested out the $580.00 guitar and fell in love, the finish is absolutely beautiful, can you say mahogany? The pickups used are Alcino humbuckers that give it a nice, crunchy tone, and the fact that it has an unpolished finish just gives it a better sound and makes the neck feel like butter.

I've had this guitar for about 3 months, and have not had one problem with it. The only thing I might do is put a pair of Seymour Duncan Invaders at the bridge just to get a heavier sound. But trust me, BUY THIS GUITAR. It won't let you down.