30 DSC Day 30

Your Favorite Song At This Time Of Last Year

“Dine, Dine My Darling”

Alkaline Trio

This Addiction (2010)

What a great way to end these thirty days! This is a great song about a person’s last wish to spend their evening with their significant other and enjoy each other before he dies knowing that if this happens, he’ll die happy.

It’s the sweetest Alkaline Trio song I’ve ever heard and they did it well. It’s sweet, but not nauseatingly so.

-Pappy


XXX---XXX

This post was brought to you by SixStrings.de, a German music-lessons website that offers high-quality lessons in the German language. I hear this is fairly rare, so if it helps a guitarist learn more with greater speed I am all for promoting it! Check them out!

30 DSC Day 29

A Song From Your Childhood

“You Give Love a Bad Name”

Bon Jovi

Slippery When Wet (1986)

This is the first song I ever remember listening to. I remember sitting in the front passenger seat as a four year old (try doing that now) and loving this song right off the bat. I’d ask my dad to play it again once it was done. Over and over and over and over. I can still remember driving down the streets in our neighborhood listening to this song.

It’s still a great song and I love it. It’s like my whole youth consisted of this song until my mom commandeered the tape deck and started playing Rod Stewart.

-Pappy


XXX---XXX

This post is brought to you by Guitar Noize!  Guitar Noize is one of my favorite blogs. It's also one of the biggest guitar blogs out there offering readers news, reviews, giveaways, lessons, press releases, interviews, an ebook on expanding your skills and it's all wrapped up in a slick page design (seriously, guitar cords as borders? That's awesome). Check them out, put them in your RSS reader (like Google Reader) so you can read all the posts and stay up to date in the world of guitar.

30 DSC Day 28

A Song That Makes You Feel Guilty

“Hallelujah”

John Cale

Fragments of a Rainy Season (1992)

I dare anyone to listen to this song and NOT feel guilty about something. It's a powerful song - a truly remarkable track that has an insane amount of ability to reach into your soul and just start messing with everything inside it. It's amazing.

-Pappy


XXX---XXX

This post is brought to you by Pro Tone Pedals!  Pro Tone Pedals make some of the most unique sounding and looking pedals I've ever seen in my life. His pedals will always stand out on a pedal board and when you click them on, there's going to be heads turning. They make high-quality, investment-grade pedals that have amazing sounds to match their amazing looks. Check out their site and take a look at the videos, listen to the sound samples and see what Pro Tone can offer you!

30 DSC Day 27

A Song That You Wish You Could Play

“Icky Thump”

The White Stripes

Icky Thump (2007)

Jack White OWNS his guitar. It doesn’t have to be conventional playing, you can just watch him dominate the instrument and abuse it so much it HAS to do what he wants. He demonstrates it in this song as well as every other WS song and even blends the guitar with playing the keys. Honestly, I didn’t even know it was a keyboard I was listening to until I saw them do it on a live recording. If you just listen to it, there’s very little difference between the keyboard and the far-beyond-fuzzed-out licks that you yourself may have a tricky time pulling the two apart.

This was the first song that really made me pay attention to the White Stripes. Of course I had heard “Seven Nation Army” but I wasn’t in a place where I could appreciate it. Then I heard this on the radio and it was just OK to me until that huge guitar riff came in after the verse and it changed me. It reminded me of what I thought Led Zeppelin sounded like (having not listened to LZ very much at all beforehand) and it made me want all of the White Stripes stuff, but also all of Led Zeppelin’s stuff. It gave me a new found respect for classic rock. I wanted to play my power chords less and great big overdriven open chords more.

It was like this song turned on a light in my head illuminating a whole other section of my appreciative brain.

-Pappy


XXX---XXX

This post has been brought to you by ModKitsDIY.com. They provide kits for building your own pedals or amps and they come with clear and easy-to-follow instructions. If you do happen to get stuck, they're always there to contact and walk you through whatever trouble you may be having. Save yourself some money on your next pedal or amp by building it yourself with a kit from these fine folks.

30 DSC Day 26

A Song You Can Play On An Instrument

“Halloween”

The Misfits

Collection II (1995)

I love the Misfits. I grew up loving horror movies, sneaking them whenever I could get them past my parents, I loved loud music, I loved music that sounded like I could make myself, given the opportunity. I loved the fact that the Misfits would scrimp and save in high school to go into a studio and record a song or two to sell. I loved EVERYTHING about them. They are who I look to when I dream of my own band. They were a self-reliant force to be reckoned with that has become something less important thanks to the handy work of bassist Jerry Only.

They should have quit after Famous Monsters, or gotten over themselves and brought Danzig back into the fold.

I learned Halloween because… well, I HAD to. So many great bands covered it from Alkaline Trio to the Dropkick Murphys to AFI and I felt like I was missing out on something and sure enough I was. It’s an easy song to learn and because of its ease, it’s also easy to tweak and make into your own.

It’s cool stuff.

Alfalfasprout 69 from Six String Bliss and I even recorded the song. I took the guitar, he took the vocals. We liked the slow moodiness of Alkaline Trio’s version but wanted there to be guitar instead so we drenched the track with reverb, delay and I think I even added some chorus to it and he laid down some beautifully fitting vocals and viola! We had a track!

I’ll tell you what, I’ll do you one better than talking about it. I’ll let you listen to it.

11 Halloween by Fifth Fret

-Pappy


XXX---XXX

This post is brought to you by Flatline Guitars, a small guitar company that dedicate themselves to making the absolute best guitar possible and delivering amazing tone, amazing feel for an attainable price. I have a Delta 90, myself and it's quickly rising to "#1" status! Click the above link to find out more!

30 DSC Day 25

A Song That Makes You Laugh

“Mr. Policeman”

Brad Paisley

5^th Gear (2007)

Brad Paisley is not only a flat-out amazing guitar player, but he can write one hell of a song and while the more humorous ones wear out on me pretty quickly, Mr. Policeman will stay in the rotation because of the excellent playing in it. So even when the lyrics get tiresome (which hasn’t happened yet), the song can still be enjoyed because of the amazing playing.

Seriously, if you haven’t checked out Brad Paisley because you think you don’t like Country, you should indulge me and look for some videos of him on YouTube. The guy’s a monster and deserves his moniker “Van Halen on corn bread.”

-Pappy


XXX---XXX

This post was brought to you by Shanghai Music & Sound! It's a great shop where you can get all sorts of gear from your favorite companies at great prices. The website needs updating so call or email to find out if they have specifically what you want or if they can order it for you and if SO, how much it is. A lot of music companies are adopting MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) so you have to call or email to get the REAL price.

30 DSC Day 24

A Song You Want To Play At Your Funeral

“Close to Me”

The Get Up Kids

Eudora (2001)

I’ve been to exactly one funeral in my life. I don’t think I’m going to invited to too many (I base this on the fact I haven’t been invited to many weddings either) but the one I went to played “Wind Beneath My Wings.”

It was awful.

Oh, the relatives insisted it was a great song, but way to kill a song for someone who just thought it was a good one. Now I can’t listen to it without thinking of dead people.

But it was sentimental for the important parties and that’s all that really matters. I was just some kid in the seats.

For my funeral though, I want something a little more upbeat. A funeral to me is a celebration of someone’s life. There will be black suits, but only because they look good. If they played this song, it would be great. It’s got a fun beat, it’s got a morose tone to the lyrics and still a sense of hope. That would be a good exit song.

But here’s what I REALLY want to happen: I saw on a soap opera years ago when one of the characters died, the funeral-goers locked themselves in a bar and they each took turns standing up and telling stories about the deceased. They were drinking and telling great stories and while they may have been bummed that their friend was dead (who woudn’t be?) they were remembering the GOOD times and building on them with this meeting. They were sharing these stories that may have gone unknown to everyone else.

If this happened when I died with a jukebox in the corner playing all my favorite stuff, I would consider that a win.

Bonus points if they wear mourning bands on their arms.

-Pappy


XXX---XXX

This post was brought to you by SixStrings.de, a German music-lessons website that offers high-quality lessons in the German language. I hear this is fairly rare, so if it helps a guitarist learn more with greater speed I am all for promoting it! Check them out!

30 DSC Day 23

A Song You Want To Play At Your Wedding

“Sunglasses at Night”

Corey Hart

First Offense (1984)

I didn’t have a real wedding, just a courtroom affair but if I DID have a wedding, this song would be played. A lot of songs remind me of my wife, but this song is special. We were driving home one night while we were still dating and even though it was night, I put on my sunglasses (for what reason, I don’t know) and my wife started singing the song. I had never heard it, but that wasn’t the big deal here, I had never heard her sing (she says she can’t sing) and there was always the fact that she, a person who doesn’t like music, knows a song that I don’t.

It blew my mind.

Not fifteen seconds go by and guess what comes on the radio?

It was fate, I tell you.

-Pappy


XXX---XXX

This post is brought to you by Guitar Noize!  Guitar Noize is one of my favorite blogs. It's also one of the biggest guitar blogs out there offering readers news, reviews, giveaways, lessons, press releases, interviews, an ebook on expanding your skills and it's all wrapped up in a slick page design (seriously, guitar cords as borders? That's awesome). Check them out, put them in your RSS reader (like Google Reader) so you can read all the posts and stay up to date in the world of guitar.

30 DSC Day 22

A Song You Listen To When You’re Sad

“Tiki God”

Presidents of the United States of America

II (1996)

Look, if there is ONE band in this world that is only interested in making music with a happy beat and bringing your spirits up (regardless of sometimes dark lyrical content that is overshadowed by the happy mood of the song), it’s the Presidents of the United States of America (is everyone OK with shortening that to PUSA now?).

It’s not just my love of tikis that make me like this song, there’s just a general positivity evident throughout the band’s catalogue and this song as well. So this song perks me right up whenever I’m bummed out and WANT to be brought out of the funk. Sometimes you just want to stay sad for a while, you know?

But when you want to be cheered up, PUSA will do it for you.

-Pappy


XXX---XXX

This post is brought to you by Pro Tone Pedals!  Pro Tone Pedals make some of the most unique sounding and looking pedals I've ever seen in my life. His pedals will always stand out on a pedal board and when you click them on, there's going to be heads turning. They make high-quality, investment-grade pedals that have amazing sounds to match their amazing looks. Check out their site and take a look at the videos, listen to the sound samples and see what Pro Tone can offer you!

30 DSC Day 21

A Song To Listen To When You’re Happy

“Don’t Pay The Ferryman”

Chris de Burgh

The Getaway (1982)

I was riding home from school with a friend and her dad asked if I liked Meatloaf. Of course I like Meatloaf. Big operatic rock songs, how can anyone NOT like Meatloaf? “Well,” he says “Check this out.” Then he played two Chris de Burgh songs, “Spanish Train,” a song about God and Satan betting for the souls of the dead, Satan cheating the whole time and God not being hip to it and trying to beat him fair and square. Talk about a good story. I thought that this song should have been on a Meatloaf album. I think it fits with the cover art of Bat Out of Hell a LOT better than “Paradise By The Dashboard Light.”

The next song he played was called “Don’t Pay The Ferryman,” a song about getting to the boat to cross the river Styx. The ferryman demands payment before the boat arrives on the other side while voices come to the passenger saying “don’t do it.”

It’s a good song! I don’t know why I listen to it when I’m happy though. I guess because it’s got a fast beat and isn’t depressing (to me) and I really like de Burgh’s singing style. Stellar stuff.

-Pappy


XXX---XXX

This post has been brought to you by ModKitsDIY.com. They provide kits for building your own pedals or amps and they come with clear and easy-to-follow instructions. If you do happen to get stuck, they're always there to contact and walk you through whatever trouble you may be having. Save yourself some money on your next pedal or amp by building it yourself with a kit from these fine folks.

Congratulations!

Psst...  Hey guys (universal sense).  Want to know something cool?

Of course you do.

Right now close friend to the Fifth Fret, good-guy and a personal buddy of mine, Skinny Jim Rotramel is

                                                                                                        
                                                                                                             

                                                                                                                   

GETTING MARRIED!

That's right, rockabilly cat Skinny Jim of Skinny Jim and the Number Nine Blacktops who gave us an interview,  and released the album Daredevil Action, and who ranks in my Top Five Kings of Tone, is finally settling down with the lovely love of his life, Natalie and we here at the Fifth Fret say Mozel Tov!  Congratulations!  We wish you all the best in your married life!  I can't speak for everyone else on the Fifth Fret staff, but I've been happily married to my best friend for seven years now and even though there have been some rough patches, for the vast majority of it, it's been nice knowing I have my best friend by my side to help, encourage, share and experience life with me.  

Being married is like watching the show Arrested Development: you have to start at the beginning and it is full of callbacks to previous scenarios.  It's also one of the best things you can possibly watch.

That's marriage.

Congratulations, kids!  I'm so happy for you!

Sincerely,

Pappy

30 DSC Day 20

A Song You Listen To When You’re Angry

“Silenced”

Mudvayne

The End of All Things to Come (2002)

I don’t get too angry most of the time. I wouldn’t say I’m a calm person by any means, but when things happen as they often do, I attack it logically, not emotionally. If it’s something that can’t be fixed, there’s not really a reason to be upset about it (unless it’s something big) and if it’s something that CAN be fixed, you just get to work fixing it and trying to ammend your or someone else’s error.

My problem – what really pisses me off – is when I figure out a solution for something only to be ignored for WHATEVER reason. It bugs me big time. Or when I’m working on something and realize that the way I’m doing it (whatever it is) is too long and inefficient and I can think of a better way and someone says “this is how it’s always been done…” I hate working hard (honestly, who likes working hard?) and if I can do it better, faster, easier, why should I be stalled from changing it? It makes me feel as if I’m not being considered a part of the team, like I’m just a worker bee who’s inputs should be on a small scale – let the big bees who aren’t doing the work figure out the best way to do the job.

Yeah right.

-Pappy


XXX---XXX

This post is brought to you by Flatline Guitars, a small guitar company that dedicate themselves to making the absolute best guitar possible and delivering amazing tone, amazing feel for an attainable price. I have a Delta 90, myself and it's quickly rising to "#1" status! Click the above link to find out more!

30 DSC Day 19

A Song From Your Favorite Album

“Chillout Tent”

The Hold Steady

Boys And Girls In America (2006)

The Hold Steady is… it’s an acquired taste. The music isn’t in line with what’s popular today, there’s a lot to the music itself and the singer has a very unique styling where he’s singing, but also kind of talking the words and it sounds like he’s in his own world musically. His world and the band’s blend quite nicely though but in the end, the Hold Steady just sounds different than what you hear most of the time.

Personally, I think if the Counting Crows, Marc Cohn and Led Zeppelin were to make a super group, it would probably be the Hold Steady. There’s huge guitar riffs, intricate piano work, and introspective lyrics.

Anyhoo, the first Hold Steady song I heard was “Chips Ahoy!” which automatically got a thumbs-up from me for the title, but I did NOT like the song itself. I didn’t like the structure or singing style. But over the next month or so, the hook would drift in and out of my head and after a while I wanted to hear it again and when I was able to, I realized it wasn’t so bad and then it was a rapid trip to getting the album and declaring it my favorite album ever.

There’s just something about it that really connects with me and I can’t put my finger on it. Perhaps it’s the fact that the characters in the songs don’t seem to have the best lives, but they’re making the most out of them. That kind of stuff connects with me.

Whatever the reason, I love the album.

“Chillout Tent” is a standout track featuring THREE voices, two first-person characters and a narrator. The narrator (the singer) sets up the scene and explains how the characters wound up in the chillout tent at a festival and then the character takes over singing about what happened to them afterward. I had never heard a song with three dedicated singers playing different parts before and it was fun for me. It also has a pretty cool hook.

-Pappy


XXX---XXX

This post was brought to you by Shanghai Music & Sound! It's a great shop where you can get all sorts of gear from your favorite companies at great prices. The website needs updating so call or email to find out if they have specifically what you want or if they can order it for you and if SO, how much it is. A lot of music companies are adopting MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) so you have to call or email to get the REAL price.

30 DSC Day 18

A Song You Wish You Heard On The Radio

“Mother”

Danzig

Danzig (1988)

Like I said yesterday, I listen to a lot of pop radio on a non-voluntary basis. While I ocassionally hear some rock songs that happen to be popular at the time, I think there can be more. After all, I really don’t think playing popular songs is the only goal of pop radio. I think it’s a conspiracy to MAKE a song popular by shoving it down our throats three times and hour. Perhaps pop radio needs to be tweaked a little. Why can’t it contain popular songs from a wider spectrum of time, or just good songs? Why not try to flex those FM muscles and resurrect a song from the current niche-appreciated grave and put it back on the charts?

I would like to see that!

And I’d like it to start with “Mother.” Mother is arguably the biggest song that Danzig has done, being popular on a large scale and it’s probably the ONLY option you’ll get if you call an FM rock station and request the Misfits/Samhain/Danzig. Perhaps they’ll reach a LITTLE deeper and pull out “Twist of Cain.”

But honestly, why is it just the rockers who get to hear this stuff? Is it not GOOD enough o be on pop radio? Do people think that listeners would change the station before the ending of the song?

I don’t. I think it has every element to be on pop radio while still retaining a sound that make it unique in the landscape. It’s got a great beat, you can sing along with it, it’s fun to drive to, you can hear the words, and it clocks in at only 3:24 which is fine for pop radio!

It would work.

-Pappy


XXX---XXX

This post was brought to you by SixStrings.de, a German music-lessons website that offers high-quality lessons in the German language. I hear this is fairly rare, so if it helps a guitarist learn more with greater speed I am all for promoting it! Check them out!

30 DSC Day 17

A Song That You Hear Often On The Radio

“We R Who We R”

Ke$ha

Cannibal (2010)

My wife listens to a lot of pop radio when she’s driving the car and, as a result, I’m kind of hip to what is popular. While the vast majority of it strikes me in no way, I really like Kesha. She has said in the past that her albums are about being young and having fun and specifically going against the pretentious nature of music where pop is taken seriously.

Of course pop isn’t serious. It’s pop music! If you want serious and meaningful, dig a little deeper, everyone.

I like how everything is out in the open with her and she does stupid things but she seems to be doing it specifically to entertain those around her and herself.

She also writes the songs. Look, I don’t care what kind of music you make, if you write your own songs, you already have a ton more respect from me than anyone else – regardless of the quality band/singer/artist/whatever is they don’t write their own stuff. It bugs me that it’s OK for someone else to write a song that makes someone famous or makes them a ton of money and they didn’t even put in the work to write the song!

My caveat about that is that cover bands are still cool. They’re not trying to pass off anything as their originals.

So, yeah! Kesha is awesome. To me, anyway. My three-year-old also really likes her, and I don’t necessarily know what to make of that. She’s not anywhere near the age bracket where the actions sung about would be OK with me. But she’s also three, so there’s plenty of time for her to forget the music and for multiple rounds of pop stars to commandeer the radio with their songs.

-Pappy


XXX---XXX

This post is brought to you by Guitar Noize!  Guitar Noize is one of my favorite blogs. It's also one of the biggest guitar blogs out there offering readers news, reviews, giveaways, lessons, press releases, interviews, an ebook on expanding your skills and it's all wrapped up in a slick page design (seriously, guitar cords as borders? That's awesome). Check them out, put them in your RSS reader (like Google Reader) so you can read all the posts and stay up to date in the world of guitar.

30 DSC Day 16

A Song You Used To Love But Now Hate

“Always”

Bon Jovi

Cross Road (1994)

This is the first CD I ever bought and I loved this song. The whole CD was good (as a Greatest Hits album with a few new songs and takes, how could it be BAD?) and this song stood out. Perhaps I played it out, but I don’t like it anymore. Especially considering that I still like one of the other new tracks from that album (“Someday I’ll Be Saturday Night”).

-Pappy


XXX---XXX

This post is brought to you by Pro Tone Pedals!  Pro Tone Pedals make some of the most unique sounding and looking pedals I've ever seen in my life. His pedals will always stand out on a pedal board and when you click them on, there's going to be heads turning. They make high-quality, investment-grade pedals that have amazing sounds to match their amazing looks. Check out their site and take a look at the videos, listen to the sound samples and see what Pro Tone can offer you!

30 DSC Day 15

A Song That Describes You

“Mr. Chainsaw”

Alkaline Trio

From Here to Infirmary (2001)

“In case you’re wondering we’re singing about growing up. About giving up and giving in.”

Those are the last lines from the song “Mr. Chainsaw,” a great song that uses violent imagery to describe losing your innocence, giving up on your dreams, giving in to adulthood and basically selling out. It’s a painful song to listen to sometimes, but every adult knows that there are things you HAVE to do, and they don’t necessarily line up with things you WANT to do and even if you could line them up, when you first hatched your dreams, you were probably only thinking of yourself and as an adult you’re probably thinking about how the pursuit of these dreams will affect those around you. Maybe you want something MORE.

Still, buried dreams are painful, regardless of why you gave up on them. There’s a feeling of lost potential. Where I wanted to be in a band and make a living that way more than anything in the world, I want to be a good father and husband more – I want to be around them more. I’ve made my decision and now my dreams are on a far smaller scale. Right now, I’m fine with recording songs for myself or the release on Six String Bliss albums or outro tracks for episodes and maybe one day I’ll retire and start a band and tour locally, say, within the confines of a state, but I’ll never be in a guitar magazine for an album that’s critically acclaimed or have a roadie or a room filled with stacked guitars that I got from my worldwide travels or buy a hangar in the Bay Area to do with what I will.

I’m OK with this. But the fact I had to choose made this song perfect for me.

-Pappy


XXX---XXX

This post has been brought to you by ModKitsDIY.com. They provide kits for building your own pedals or amps and they come with clear and easy-to-follow instructions. If you do happen to get stuck, they're always there to contact and walk you through whatever trouble you may be having. Save yourself some money on your next pedal or amp by building it yourself with a kit from these fine folks.

30 DSC Day 14

A Song That No One Would Expect You To Love:

“Happy Boys & Girls”
Aqua
Aquarium (1997)

I really like Aqua. Well, I like their faster stuff. I know it’s not really fair to expect or want a band to be a one-note band and play nothing but similar songs, but I can’t help it in this case. Their music is light, happy, and puts me in a good mood and sometimes, that’s all we really want on the drive home.

-Pappy

XXX---XXX

This post is brought to you by Flatline Guitars, a small guitar company that dedicate themselves to making the absolute best guitar possible and delivering amazing tone, amazing feel for an attainable price. I have a Delta 90, myself and it's quickly rising to "#1" status! Click the above link to find out more!