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In a recent article in the Bakersfield Californian by columnist Robert Price, entitled: Guitar Hero is a blast, but does it foster learning?, Price wonders whether the popular video game will help kids learn music. I just wanted to weigh in with my own 2 cents on the matter.

I recently saw that Slash, the top-hatted guitarist formerly of Guns & Roses, and now Velvet Revolver, was featured in the new version. He was also an avid player, but felt that his own extensive guitar chops didn't necessarily give him any advantage. Even when he was playing songs he himself wrote and played on.

So, I guess that Guitar Hero would be a way to get a little better coordination, improve your manual dexterity, and maybe even get you more physically involved, which would be good exercise, but to really master a musical instrument, you would have to go beyond. But if it gets kids interested in music, I am all for it.

The other interesting story about Guitar Hero was that they were being sued by The Romantics because they thought the version of "What I Like About You" sounded TOO much like them. One can only wonder how that case will play out.

Speaking of musical toys, I saw one the other day in Albertson's grocery store that was a digital drum set, game where you had to hit the pads in rhythm with flashing lights. I was tempted to buy it myself, if only it had MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) output. It was only $14.95! It is right over the frozen food thingie.

Finally, on TV I saw an infomercial that had this piano that rolled out like a little black and white red carpet. The keyboard could be rolled up like a carpet, and there was a small box containing the electronics. It could be hooked up to speakers (sold seperately) or else you could listen on headphones. It was touted as an excellent instrument to enable kids to practice piano, and was reasonably priced. Don't think it will replace real instruments in all situations, but for a learning tool, it looked like it had a lot of potential. It's called the roll-out piano. It is one of those, not sold in stores, as seen on TV, kind of things, but still, at the risk of being accused of shilling for Giovanni, you can check it on the web at www.buythepiano.com

Caveat Emptor!!!

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I saw Wayne “The Train” Hancock at Fishlips last Wednesday, and it was the second time I had the pleasure of hearing his excellent show. The last time an over enthusiastic fan had to be ejected by bar owner Kipp Sullivan, but though there were enthusiastic fans this time around, they confined their adulation to bowing down like Garth and another Wayne (we are not worthy!) or lighting lighters like in stadium rock shows.

I sat quietly in back, just listening intently. I might have appeared to be asleep, but sometimes I would just drift in and out of consciousness, lost in the music. In addition to Wayne’s warblin’, I especially enjoyed the guitar stylings of Eddie Biebel on lead guitar and the rhythm slappin' Huckleberry Johnson on Standup Bass. Wayne would set the tempo on his guitar, swingin’ steady like a crazy windmill, and sing, yodel, and sing some more. If you closed your eyes, you could easily imagine you were hearing Hank Williams Sr.

There was a big producer in Nashville who decreed that country singers would no longer be allowed to sound like Hank, with that nasal, twangy sound. Jimmy Bowen was his name, and I think it was a shame what he did. Thanks Goodness we have mavericks like Wayne Hancock to uphold the traditional country sound. In my opinion, the sound we are hearing out of Nashville these days is totally watered down. People like Wayne, Hank III, and Dwight might be shut out, but they should wear the scorn of Nashville as a badge of honor.

Wayne Hancock also upholds the tradition of Hillbilly Swing, which melded the rhythms of the Swing Era, such as when Lester Young played tenor with Count Basie, with country music. Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys come to mind, but in a lot of ways Lefty Frizzell, and oh yes, Hank Williams Sr. were also in that bag.

Though the roots of his music go way back, there is something urgent and vital about his music. Not just a retro revivalist, his music resonates in the here and now as well. Some of the tunes Wayne did were actually jazz tunes that harkened back to that time, like his swingin’ version of “If You’re a Viper.” In between there were also Cajun tunes, lots of tunes about Texas--like “Shootin’ Star from Texas”--Oklahoma, and Kansas City. Topics like Catfish, Johnny Law, “The Road,” and of course, heartbreak and loneliness, round out his repertoire.

If he ever comes back to Bakersfield, don’t you dare miss him.

PS: I tried to win a cool black Epiphone guitar that they raffled off to benefit a charity that provides for soldiers stationed in Iraq. I didn’t win, but Wayne autographed it for the lucky lady who did. The guitar was provided at a huge discount by The Music Zone, located at 2808 Chester Avenue. I just wanted to make sure they got credit because one of the owners, Wayland Peddy, is a friend. Wayne’s girlfriend, Gina Galina, was also entered in the contest, and even though she drew the winning ticket, she didn’t win either.

The last time she and Wayne came through Bakersfield, she also sang, but this time she declined the invitation. I heard she hurt her finger, but it must have healed by now. Hope she is OK. I was hoping that she would sing. Wayne made her choose the last song, and it was “California Blues.”