Moe_Syzlak

Really? I haven't seen them in years, but when I did it was a sausage party. They are kinda proggish, jam band shredders. Tight, but not particularly compelling to my ears.

Live Phish just released 12/30/97 for download. I was at this show and it was one of the better latter day Phish shows I saw. That said, I'll be interested to see how it stands up "on tape." A lot of the fun of the show was stuff you kinda had to be there for.

I love it. It's on my top ten of the year list. Make no mistake though. This is definitely one of those "Supernatural" type albums where an aging icon gets a bunch of young guns to guest on a very accessible album. Still, it's got some great shit going on.

NBC's 2010 line-up: Monday 8:00 Dateline Monday 9:00 Law & Order 10:00 Jay Leno Tuesday 8:00 Dateline Tuesday 9:00 Law & Order: SVU 10:00 Jay Leno Wednesday 8:00 Dateline Wednesday 9:00 Law & Order: Criminal Intent 10:00 Jay Leno Thursday 8:00 Dateline Thursday 9:00 Law & Order: Trial By Jury 10:00 Jay Leno Friday 8:00 Dateline Friday 9:00 Law & Order: Hall Monitor 10:00 Jay Leno

That dude is on crack! Regardless if the Duke/Duquesne game is looked at by the committee several months from now, that has far less immediacy than the ANY college football game. Sure, you can look at the UT/OU game and say it didn't necessarily have the impact that one would expect. But that doesn't mean it didn't have the feel of a national championship playoff as it was happening. That makes EVERY game in college football's regular season feel more significant than any game in the college hoops regular season. And, even with the history of what happened to Texas this year, next year will be

Really? I love Modern Guilt and feel, while there are stronger and weaker tracks, overall it holds my attention throughout. Walls (part of the second half of the album) is my favorite track. I haven't heard the Walkmen album yet. What's it like? I really like the music on The Stand-Ins, but absolutely loathe the singer's vocal style.

Yeah, I'd just turn off the TV then.

The question now becomes: what the hell were you two doing watching Chuck!?!

"Can" or has? At one time, not too long ago, people said the same thing about the existence of the lightning.

And now... A high school kid playing Cliffs of Dover better than Eric Johnson.

That's called "God of the gaps" and I find that to be a particularly dangerous way of thinking. That said, if God does exist, I pray to him that he allow me to be a fly on the wall for a PANTHER/TheMaker meet-up.

Happy Birthday!

By and large I agree with you. But after traveling through a SERIOUS snow storm to get to this show, I have to say it was pretty sweet to see.

The "that's racist" kid in a knit cap from two blocks away is still the "that's racist" kid. If it doesn't fit, you must acquit.

Well I can't play nearly as many of them as used to. But that's kind of my point about Satriani. I don't measure musical talent in finger gymnastics. Anyone can spend hours and hours practicing and get the finger gymnastics down. That sort of feat can be impressive for a short time, but it loses its appeal quickly without something else behind it. That's why I will always separate talent from technical prowess. Now don't get me wrong, Satriani has some talent. Certainly more than me; certainly more than most Guitar Center geeks.

Well that's a little more than I intended to say. He was respected among his peers for sure as having amazing chops and, I believe through Vai's praise, picked up some other notable students. But his first album was released on the brand new Relativity records and I don't believe it had much of a first pressing. He was almost totally unknown in the mainstream, even if you call hardcore guitar magazine-reading geeks "mainstream." I'm sure he would have continued to record and teach had Vai not A) achieved mainstream success and, B ) gave Satriani props whenever he was interviewed (this was not

Let's hope spelling isn't a prerequisite for the afterlife.

Well it sounds like you were reading them circa '89 or so and I am talking circa '86 or so. ETA: From Wikipedia ("so you know it's true," Michael Scott): When his friend and former student Steve Vai gained fame playing with David Lee Roth in 1986, Vai raved about Satriani in several interviews with guitar magazines. In 1987, Satriani's second album Surfing with the Alien produced popular radio hits and was the first all-instrumental release to chart so highly in many years. In 1988 Satriani helped produce the EP The Eyes of Horror for the death metal band Possessed.

Is that EVH? Yikes! To be clear, I was saying Satriani would not have been noticed without the attention paid to Vai (and Vai's subsequent lauding of his teacher), not that David Lee Roth wouldn't have been noticed. Hell I saw the "1984" tour! Jump! (Jump!)

Meh, for insane chops back then, I went for Steve Morse and the Dixie Dregs.

Well that's kind of my point. That sort of acrobatic playing is on display at just about every Guitar Center nationwide. Not to mention YouTube clips (search "amazing guitar" or "fastest guitar solo" and see how many you find). Without the stage that was set by Vai's success, I doubt people would have paid it much mind.

If it is high scoring, I think FL will run away with it. AL has a great defense and their best chance is to keep the score low.

Vai got a lot of pub around being selected by David Lee Roth when he went solo. As for Vai, I'm certainly not saying he is any better. Zappa hired him as "stunt guitar" and I think that pretty much sums up my feelings about him. But hey, different strokes. I don't like those types of players but that doesn't mean others don't. That's what makes music great!

I would argue Vai had a LOT to do with that. Vai was enjoying the biggest mainstream success of his career, seen as being David Lee Roth's "next" Eddie Van Halen. Satriani's Surfing with the Alien came out amidst that interest in Vai. If there wasn't that interest in Vai (and subsequently the guy who teaches Vai), that album would have likely only been heard by a few, if it would have even been made at all.