Great Guitar Solos – BB King

You thought I was just gonna skip over the Blues?

Really?

Come on. I play guitar. Skipping over the Blues is an actual crime, and I’m not looking to go to guitar jail any time soon.

So here’s one of the greatest Blues guitarists of all time, BB King, playing great Blues guitar. Unfortunately, the sound mix here is pretty crap, so you’ll basically just hear BB King and the drums, with the keys adding just some atmosphere that makes it hard to tell what the music itself is, and whether it’s in major or minor… plus, the bass guitar is non-existent.

But don’t let that kill your enjoyment of one of BB King’s amazing guitar performances. Sit back, relax, and enjoy:

Great Guitar Solos – Orianthi Plays Voodoo Child (Slight Return)

Just to prove that I’m not inherently anti-shredding, I present to you Orianthi. She is a mind-blowing guitarist and a great singer. I’ve been a big fan of her work even when she’s played with artists whose music I don’t listen to so much.

Here, she plays the late, great Jimi Hendrix’s Voodoo Child (Slight Return). She only sings the first verse, not the second, but that doesn’t bother me at all because this is all about the guitar, here. The solo is the entire thing. Also, this is a live video, so definitely watch to see her play.

Enjoy.

Great Guitar Solos – Porcupine Tree’s Shesmovedon

Here’s a band that was popular in the 90s, often considered the logical progression of what Pink Floyd started. Sadly, they seem to be relative unknowns today, including the amazing musician, composer, singer, and guitarist Steven Wilson. You’ll be seeing Porcupine Tree and Steven Wilson (with his solo work and other projects) relatively often in this series, because I’m such a huge fan.

Porcupine Tree was even more the quintessential angsty teenage band than Nirvana. Hell, they have an entire album, called Fear of a Blank Planet, that is literally about “two typical neurobehavioural developmental disorders affecting teenagers in the 21st century: bipolar disorder and attention deficit disorder, and also with other common behaviour tendencies of youth like escapism through prescription drugs, social alienation caused by technology, and a feeling of vacuity—a product of information overload by the mass media.” So it’s kind of funny that I discovered, and fell in love with, their music when I was already well into “adulthood”.

Anyways… this one doesn’t come from Fear of a Blank Planet, but from their album Lightbulb Sun. The lyrics are almost sort of nice guy bemoaning, sadly. They’re basically the dude (not necessarily Steven Wilson himself, as the vast majority of his albums are concept albums, so they tell stories with characters) bemoaning the loss of a girlfriend who he thinks was just using him. The lyrics are… fine… but the guitar solo is what makes this song. It’s so powerful, and I adore it.

As usual, there’s no video to this one, just audio. The solo starts at 3:25 and ends at 5:05.

Enjoy.

#BlackLivesMatter Keith Lamont Scott

This… I…

On Tuesday, September 20th, Keith Lamont Scott was murdered by police by his car near his apartment. This sparked protests (here’s a reminder before anyone starts bemoaning riots).

Police insist he had a gun. His family says he had a book he was reading in his car waiting for a family member to return home from school. Based on their history in these cases, I do not believe the cops. Keith’s family also says he was disabled.

Keith Lamont Scott, right, with his wife and son

Keith Lamont Scott, right, with his wife and son

His family has a GoFundMe. If you can afford to, please donate. If you can’t, please share. Thank you.