ABOUT RAR: For those of
you new to this site, "RAR" is Rick Alan Rice, the publisher
of the RARWRITER Publishing Group websites.
Use this link to visit the
RAR music page, which features original music
compositions and other.
ATWOOD - "A Toiler's Weird Odyssey of Deliverance"-AVAILABLE
NOW FOR KINDLE (INCLUDING KINDLE COMPUTER APPS) FROM
AMAZON.COM.Use
this link.
CCJ Publisher Rick Alan Rice dissects
the building of America in a trilogy of novels
collectively calledATWOOD. Book One explores
the development of the American West through the
lens of public policy, land planning, municipal
development, and governance as it played out in one
of the new counties of Kansas in the latter half of
the 19th Century. The novel focuses on the religious
and cultural traditions that imbued the American
Midwest with a special character that continues to
have a profound effect on American politics to this
day. Book One creates an understanding about
America's cultural foundations that is further
explored in books two and three that further trace
the historical-cultural-spiritual development of one
isolated county on the Great Plains that stands as
an icon in the development of a certain brand of
American character. That's the serious stuff viewed
from high altitude. The story itself gets down and
dirty with the supernatural, which inATWOOD
- A Toiler's Weird Odyssey of Deliveranceis the
outfall of misfires in human interactions, from the
monumental to the sublime.The
book features the epic poem"The
Toiler"as
well as artwork by New Mexico artist Richard
Padilla.
Elmore Leonard
Meets Larry McMurtry
Western Crime
Novel
I am offering another
novel through Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing service.
Cooksin is the story of a criminal syndicate that sets its
sights on a ranching/farming community in Weld County, Colorado,
1950. The perpetrators of the criminal enterprise steal farm
equipment, slaughter cattle, and rob the personal property of
individuals whose assets have been inventoried in advance and
distributed through a vast system of illegal commerce.
It is a ripping good yarn, filled
with suspense and intrigue. This was designed intentionally to
pay homage to the type of creative works being produced in 1950,
when the story is set. Richard Padilla
has done his usually brilliant work in capturing the look and feel of
a certain type of crime fiction being produced in that era. The
whole thing has the feel of those black & white films you see on
Turner Movie Classics, and the writing will remind you a little
of Elmore Leonard, whose earliest works were westerns.
Use this link.
EXPLORE THE KINDLE
BOOK LIBRARY
If you have not explored the books
available from Amazon.com's Kindle Publishing
division you would do yourself a favor to do so. You
will find classic literature there, as well as tons
of privately published books of every kind. A lot of
it is awful, like a lot of traditionally published
books are awful, but some are truly classics. You
can get the entire collection of Shakespeare's works
for two bucks.
Amazon is the largest,
but far from the only digital publisher. You can
find similar treasure troves atNOOK
Press(the
Barnes & Noble site),Lulu,
and others.
Dominic Howard
Muse's
Unheralded Powerhouse
There
are essentially four types of drummers in the pop world of
today: the groove guys, the
bombasts, the
virtuosos, and the
melodists. Players are going
to have elements of all of those types within their tricks bags
but they are also going to have individual personalities that
will make one of those styles their natural forté, and the thing
they are as a player. READ MORE
The groove guys would be typified
by someone like Ringo Starr.
Ringo was never the greatest drummer in the world, but he has
had an uncanny knack for playing the right thing for the song at
precisely the right time. Anyone who has ever tried to cover
Beatles tunes knows that you can futz the bass and guitar parts
just a bit, but to achieve The Beatles
sound you absolutely must get the drum parts right: Ringo's
parts. They are simple, but they are signature. His beats are
the heart triggers in The Beatles' songs, the points of
expression that signal how we should understand the emotions in
what we are hearing. Ringo has a way of playing that provides
confirmation to the listener's instinctual responses to the
music.
The bombast types would be
typified by the immensely talented
Keith Moon (The Who) and
John Bonham (Led Zeppelin). Or, these days would
include Travis Barker
(Blink-182), Taylor Hawkins
(Foo Fighters), and Mike Portnoy
(Dream Theater). I find the latter two somewhat enigmatic.
Portnoy is a particularly likeable character and he knows a lot
about what to play, and has a lot of ideas, but as a metonome he
is a little shaky. Watch any of his live performance videos and
you will see Portnoy playing sort of brilliantly, but often
missing the beat while doing fills. Even worse is Hawkins, who
owns all the power of a hurricane, but seems never to play the
interesting thing, and often seems to miss the moment with bad
timing. My theory about him is that
Dave Grohl, who is a bombastic drummer himself,
didn't want a drummer in the Foo
Fighters who was better than him, so he chose
Hawkins. The Foo Fighters' music is incredibly dumb, in terms of
what it requires from its musicians, and Grohl on guitar and
Hawkins on drums get over just by being loud. That works for
their fans.
The virtuoso types are few, but a
guy like Terry Bozio would
fit that category. Bozio would add to any piece of music he
performed, and he would be meter perfect while having a lot
going on.
The melodists would be typified
by a Stewart Copeland (The
Police). Copeland was too cute in about a hundred ways, always
tinkering from the edges of The Police sound, more of a
percussionist than a groove guy. When he was called upon to
groove, he was without muscle, or passion, or something. He
played like a tap dancer or a soft shoe guy, and seemed a lot
precious, as his type often do.
The whole purpose of that long
introduction is to pay tribute to a standout drummer of our day
whose role in the most high-profile band
Muse has somehow never made him
a household name. That is Dominic
Howard, who personality-wise seems most
un-drummer-like. Perhaps that is why he does what he does so
expertly. Listen closely to the next Muse tune you hear. The
drumming is perfect. Howard plays like one of those evolved
beings who has merged all four of the typical drummer types into
one single personality. Coupled with extraordinary bassist
Christopher Wolstenholme, Dom
Howard drives through songs with an attack that is a part of the
melody in the same way that Ginger
Baker did with Creme.
Howard nails the groove, and he provides an emotional power that
lifts the whole act, and he does it all with perfect precision
in his meter. It is interesting to note that his rhythm mate
Wolstenholme is actually a drummer himself, which probably
accounts for the incredibly rhythmic style with which he plays
bass. He, like Howard, has an impeccably metonomic sense of
time. Dominic Howard is also a keyboard player, which helps
explain his musicality as a drummer.
- RAR
Being Smart Helps
Check out this interview that
Dominic Howard did with a music reporter in Amsterdam. He is
smart, charming, apparently without ego; sort of a breath of
fresh air. It is must-watch stuff for a Muse fan (like myself).
Intimate Muse
It is one thing to watch Muse do a
stadium show, with its massive stage sets and graphic
presentations. It is big and impressive. Check out this video
below, if you haven't already, of the band playing in an
intimate studio setting. They have talent that is equaled by
very few other bands on this planet. In fact, I cannot off the
top of my head think who their peers must be. Just try to
imagine getting your guys together for a little jam session in
your garage and doing anything even remotely resembling this
level of performance.
Matthew Bellamy Interview with Dom Howard
This is a lark-about interview,
sort of goofy and fun, having very little to do with music or
anything else. Charming though.
Christopher Wolstenholme
Interview
Muse has been a big star in the
pop music firmament for two decades, which is a pretty amazing
accomplishment. It makes the degree of humility and charm
displayed by the band's members all the more noticeable,
particularly as they live in a world of big egos and annoying
self promoters. The Muse personnel's personal ethos translates
directly into their music, which is pretty feely stuff for
something so big. Check out bassist Wolstenholme talking about
the life he has experienced, including sharing his iPod with his
kids.