Jeff McQ

Stuff I Like in Music, and Stuff I Don’t

 basic info, music in general  No Responses »
Oct 022009
 

Okay, so I know a lot about musical taste is subjective–although a lot of what makes music good is actually pretty measurable. As I look for The Oomph in the bands and artists I look at, there are a number of factors that affect how I review them. Like everyone else, there are certain musical styles I personally prefer, and I can’t promise that some genres won’t get reviewed more than others. However, I am going to try to make it so that most styles will get at least some representation here, and to be as fair as possible when reviewing them.

That said…no matter the style, there are some things I think make music good, and things that I think make music suck. Even if you don’t agree with these criteria, at least you’ll have a grid for where I’m coming from.

Here are some things that make me lean toward giving a good review:

  • Original songs–not necessarily songs the band or artist has written (there are great musicians who aren’t songwriters), but songs unique to the act.
  • Innovative sounds–not just random stuff I haven’t heard before, but what I call “controlled creativity”–something new that is still musically appealing.
  • Passion–when the band apparently believes what they are playing and/or singing.
  • Great stage presence–the ability to command and keep the audience’s attention, to engage them.
  • Chemistry–when the bandmates work well together and function as a unit.
  • Raw talent (duh)–when the band/artist is really good at what they do! Few things scratch my musical itch more than hearing a musician who has mastered his/her instrument. I love it.

On the other hand…here are some real musical turn-offs for me:

  • Musical sloppiness. I prefer tight, clean sounds and accurate rhythms, although I respect a level of looseness depending on the genre. But when it’s obvious that the music is unrehearsed, or that the band is a bunch of individuals who aren’t connected with each other, it sends a message that the act doesn’t really care about what it’s doing. And if they don’t care…why should I?
  • Excessive, needless profanity or vile content. I’m a Christian, but I’m not a prude. I respect freedom of speech, and I can even accept some strong content when it makes sense in the context or is important to the message. But when it is apparent that someone is celebrating vileness and calling it “art”–it’s just unnecessary. Express yourself all you want, but I have the right not to listen to it if you want to be crude for crudeness’ sake.
  • Unprofessional conduct. I know this frame’s certain artists’ image and gets some attention, but that kind of crap is not about music–it’s about attention. (Think Kanye.) If you have to make that much of a stink, then maybe you’re not all that talented, and you have to act like a moron to conceal that fact. If you’re a good musician, the music will stand on its own. I can smell B.S. a mile away.

Keep an Eye on This Guy: Josh Blackburn

 artists, concert reviews, people to watch  No Responses »
Oct 012009
 

From my recent article at Examiner.com, with some enhancements…see the YouTube video below!

Listen to him play for a half minute, and you’ll know 32-year-old guitarist Josh Blackburn is not a novice. Listen to him for an hour, and you’ll wonder why he’s doing solo gigs, playing cover songs at the Baker Street Pub, instead of touring the country with a band.

His opening set last night, September 30, at the Baker Street Pub in the Denver Tech Center, showed just how much of a range this guy has. Armed with only an electric guitar, a few effects, a loop pedal, and a surprisingly rich gravelly voice, he played everything from alternative to classic rock to Stevie Ray Vaughn–and Stevie Wonder. (Try to imagine “Superstition” played only on an electric guitar!) Yet he made it all sound believeable, as though there were a full band present.

Several times through the set, Josh wowed the crowd with powerful lead guitar solos, which he played over multiple guitar loops created on the spot. He took numerous requests from the crowd, and turned down a few. “No, no M.C. Hammer,” he said at one point, grinning. “I can’t touch that.”

The audience loved it.

No, Josh Blackburn isn’t a novice. He isn’t even a newcomer–he’s been playing in and around Denver for four years, and before that he played in bands and recorded with industry professionals. He isn’t really starting up; he’s starting over, with a new crowd, making new fans. The good thing (for us) is that Josh is playing fairly steadily these days, so there are a lot of opportunities to catch his act around town. He’s a regular this fall at all the area Baker Street Pub locations (he’s at the Boulder location on 28th Street all this weekend), and numerous other places in the area. Check his MySpace page for his current schedule, then do yourself a favor and go see him play.

Josh Blackburn might not be new to this scene, but he is definitely one to watch.

OOMPH SCALE: 8.5

Where Anyone Can Play the Blues

 great experiences, music in general  No Responses »
Sep 282009
 

This post is adapted from my article on Examiner.com…

If you’ve never been to Beale Street in Memphis, it’s worth a trip to experience it. Several blocks of nightclubs with high-quality blues music and some of the best barbecued ribs you ever ate. It’s almost other-worldly because you can practically feel the history pulsing around you.

And if you’re anything like me, the blues riffs stick in your head for days afterward.

When I found out there was a band named “Roadhouse Joe” doing a “blues jam” at a place called Ziggies on Sunday night with no cover charge, I thought I’d go check it out. Honestly, the place looked like a dive on the outside, and no off-street parking (except at a friendly nearby hair salon, I found out afterward). I parked on the street and walked inside just as the fellas were tuning up.

Moments later, I was carried back to Memphis. Sort of.

Not that it wasn’t good; it was. But first of all, it wasn’t really “Memphis” blues; it was more Chicago style, a little less southern fried. Second, there were no ribs. (That wasn’t the band’s fault–it was a bar, not a grill.) Third, the band kind of hum-hawed around between numbers while they tried to decide what to play next.

But when they played, and when the lead vocalist graveled his way through the words …oOOOH, YEAH…

I don’t spend a lot of time listening to blues music, but I must like the blues a lot. Because when I hear them live, it carries me away someplace. So yeah, these guys held their own, and put me right in the mood.

But the forty-minute set was actually just the warm up. It turns out when they say “blues jam”, they mean it. As Roadhouse Joe played, musicians with guitar cases and gear started piling into the small, dark club, signing up on a sheet in the back. And after the set, the band turned the stage (and their gear) over to the crowd, a few at a time, according to who had signed the list. The new musicians tuned up, introduced themselves to one another, shook hands, picked a key…and played and sang the blues, with every bit as much passion (if not as much polish) as Roadhouse Joe had done.

It made the moment much more powerful to realize that what I’d walked into was an actual blues jam session–that these people hadn’t just come to listen to the blues, but to play them, to own them. This was the place where anyone could play the blues.

Lots of people I grew up around don’t care much for the blues–they think it’s depressing, negative, dark, and all that. But for me–and maybe I’m the guy who just doesn’t catch on–the blues make me happy. And apparently, I’m not the only one, because while these people rail on about the girl that done them wrong, the holes in their pockets, and all that sad stuff…they’re smiling. They’re jumping around the stage, losing themselves in the music. The blues may start from a sad place, but when they work their cathartic magic…they seem to take us to a happier place. It’s kind of like venting, I guess. You might spout and scream and hiss and moan, but you feel a lot better afterward. :)

As I found out later, Ziggies club actually does two open blues jams per week–every Tuesday and Sunday night–hosted by about four different bands through the course of a month. So if you’re in Denver, if you have it in you and you want to be part of the gig…go down there around 7pm and sign up. Ziggies is at 4923 W. 38th Avenue in Denver.

By the way…the blues stayed in my head all the way home.

Some of What You Can Expect on This Here Blog

 basic info, pure narcissism  No Responses »
Sep 232009
 

Three things you should know about me:

  1. Music is my passion.
  2. I am a lifelong student of music (particularly what makes a good song, a good performance, and a good act).
  3. I am a bit of a teacher.

What this all means is that even if you aren’t as into music as I am–and even if you’re not from Denver–you’ll probably learn a little something here and there by reading this blog. Maybe, at the very least, you’ll get an idea of why I’m such a nut when it comes to music.

I am the Denver Local Music Examiner for Examiner.com, and this blog sort of supplements my articles there. So yeah, there will be some coverage of local music here, because here I can share more specific opinions than I can on Examiner. A lot of what I’ll be doing is analyzing bands and performances–the things that make them shine, the things that hold them back.

But this blog won’t limit itself to the Denver music scene; there’s just too much good stuff out there. Lots of potential. I’ll share where I’m finding the good stuff, and what I like about it. You might agree, you might not. I’ll probably spend a lot of time on indie bands and artists, and up-and-coming acts (since you can read about Britney, Kanye and Taylor just about anywhere). But anytime the words “good” and “music” can appear in the same sentence–it’s fair game. :)

I guess what I hope for is not just to entertain the people who are already jazzed about music. (Oh, one other thing you should know–I’m heavy into puns. Get it? Jazzed? Anyhow.) I don’t want to just tell you about what’s good in music; I want to tell you why it’s good–what makes it good. To make you a fan of it, if you aren’t already.

And to any other musicians who come across this blog…I hope it encourages you, shows you what to work on. If you’re a musician and you get critiqued on this blog (yes, I will probably do some negative reviews)…I’ll tell you up front that I’m on your side, that the things I say are to help rather than hurt. (If I really thought you had no potential, I wouldn’t bother mentioning you at all.)

So…that’s what you can expect. Looking forward to the ride…

Concert Review: By All Means Band at the Appaloosa Grill

 bands, concert reviews  No Responses »
Sep 222009
 

This post is an adaptation from my recent article on Examiner.com.

September 17, 2009
Appaloosa Bar and Grill

This past Thursday in downtown Denver, the By All Means Band lit up an otherwise dark stage.

Based in Boulder, Colorado, By All Means calls its sound an Afro-beat/Funk fusion, or “Ghanerican”. Central to the band is drummer Paa Kow, a Ghana native, and three of the other bandmates studied music in Ghana. This is the second incarnation of By All Means, Kow being the only original member. Although they occasionally vocalize, the band focuses mainly on the instruments, with a clear emphasis on drums and percussion.

In the chic Appaloosa Bar and Grill, lit only by ambient room lighting and the street lamps from the windows, the stage sits just inside the front entrance so the music can spill out into the Sixteenth Street Mall. I took a seat inside, out of the way, but in view of the stage.

The band launched into its first set at 10:00 PM with a friendly number, followed by a funky cover of one of those old jazz tunes everyone recognizes but no one really knows.

With the third song, the band came to life.

Seemingly out of nowhere came the catchy opening rock riffs from guitarist Aaron Fichtner–the band’s almost-hidden hunk of dynamite–followed by a powerful blend of African and American rhythms, a strong bass line, and a trombone/saxophone duo fronting the effort. This was the first song where the band showcased the “Afro-beat” part of it’s Afro-funk fusion–complete with a head-turning percussion solo near the end. The results were captivating.

Not too long after, people were crowding the front area, and I was craning my neck to see past them. A few brave souls turned what space there was into a dance floor. Had there been room for it, certainly many more would have been dancing.

Among the few detractions from the performance, the first wasn’t entirely the band’s fault. While the street vibe of the Appaloosa is hip, the venue isn’t very conducive to dance, which this band’s sound definitely invites; so their stage presence was a bit muted because the audience didn’t have enough room. Additionally, I think By All Means would do well to stay away from cover songs, because they have enough clout with their original material to take them places covers just can’t.

That said–should you go see these guys next time they do a show in town?

By all means.

OOMPH scale: 6.5

See where By All Means is playing by visiting their MySpace page.

The OOMPH Scale

 OOMPH Scale  No Responses »
Sep 212009
 

When I review local talent on this blog, quite often you’ll see something like this near the end of the post:

OOMPH Scale: ___

Because the OOMPH is a basically intangible factor, I readily admit this is a subjective scale and not an exact science. The OOMPH Scale is my personal assessment and opinion of the band or artist being reviewed, and shouldn’t be taken as anything other than that. Feel free to disagree. (Although if you do, you’ll be wrong. Just saying.)

I do take the following things into account when determining the OOMPH Scale rating of an act:

  1. Preparedness–Are they organized? Do they know their stuff? Do they conduct themselves as professionals?
  2. Stage presence–Are they interesting? Do they command the audience’s attention, or do they just DEmand it? Are they comfortable performing?
  3. Performance–Do they have command of their instrument(s) and/or voice(s)? Have they owned the material? Do they choose good songs, and play them well?
  4. Passion–Do they care about what they are doing? Do they make me care about it?
  5. Compatibility–If it’s a band, how do the bandmates gel? Are they functioning as a unit? Are they competing, or complementing? If it’s a solo artist, how do they get on with their backup musicians?
  6. Originality–Do they have original material? Is it well-written?

All these things contribute to an artist’s readiness to take it to the next level. But of course, beyond that…the OOMPH is the magic that takes all these other ingredients and makes them more than they are. So there will always be a part of the OOMPH Scale that can’t be based on measured criteria–either they got it or they don’t. Get it?

So…the OOMPH Scale itself:

1-2…………Waste of the cover charge (if any)–stay home.
3-4…………Should not quit their day job.
5…………….Act shows some promise, but needs work.
6-7…………Getting there…worth going to see.
8-9………..Standouts from the crowd…go out of your way to see them.
10………….Sign ’em NOW!

The Obligatory Introductory Post

 basic info  No Responses »
Sep 202009
 

For all who might come across this blog, either directly or by accident…welcome.

The Oomph is a blog dedicated to local and indie musicians, particularly from the Denver area–but since I love music in general, I’ll gladly include others who get my attention. :)

What is the Oomph, you ask? It’s that hard-to-describe extra element that separates the pretty-good from the outstanding. When it comes to local talent, the Oomph is the “it” factor. A local band or artist who has the Oomph is one with the potential to expand beyond the local scene.

An example? Many of you have heard of The Fray. Many non-Denver readers might not know they are from Denver. They began here as a local band. Now they are internationally known.

The Oomph. Get it?

The thing is, Denver talent has lots of Oomph, and that’s what this blog is about. I’m looking for the standouts in the local music scene.

In addition to spotlighting artists, I’ll be reviewing some of the better venues in town–hotspots for finding some of the best talent. Once I find my bearings, I’ll be listing upcoming events containing my picks for possible Oomph sightings. And once in awhile, I’ll even venture out and showcase non-local talent you might not have heard of–but who are especially dripping with Oomph.

I’m glad to have you with me on the hunt. Looking forward to the ride!

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