CMA awards

[Buschman]

Brad Paisley had an amazing tone-Thank you Brad. Could anybody tell what he was playing his metal flake Tele through? Awards were great I thought. The Aussie sounded great on a Strat.

[dartanion]

I watched a little of the show, until my threshold of country cornball was exceeded. I had hoped Brad would use his Wreck, but he had an AC30 and Dr. Z going through 2 Z cabs. Tone was decent, but nothing to write home about. He's a hell of a player, but man, that genre of music is getting worse by the year. Hootie? Country? WTF? He was terrible as a pop singer and worse as a country singer, and he won the New Artist award. Barf!

FWIW, Carrie Underwood knows how to perform live, and look great at the same time

I think Kanye West had a good point. Taylor Swift couldn't sing on key to save her life. Image is everything.

[dano-rator]

Taylor Swift couldn't sing on key to save her life. Image is everything.

My wife and I were just discussing this last night, and I couldn't agree more. I can see the attraction people have to her, but I just can't hear it. She should definitely pre record the vocals on live performances, let 'em work some studio magic, and spare herself and all of us.

[benoit]

I think Kanye West had a good point. Taylor Swift couldn't sing on key to save her life. Image is everything.

As you say, image is everything at the (big V)ideo (little m)usic awards, which is why she won. MTV has never been about the music, not even when it started.

[M Fowler]

Ben,

That is true for about everything in our lives. Talent?, who cares! You hear it all the time, buddy.

[benoit]

Ben,

That is true for about everything in our lives. Talent?, who cares! You hear it all the time, buddy.

True enough. I'm just glad that you can always find a few folks that appreciate doing it right.

[markthompson]

Brad was playing through an earlier reissue handwired Vox AC 30. It is the version "designed" by Tony Bruno. Chad (Brad's guitar/amp tech) told me that Bruno's design was altered by Vox; Brad's was sent to Bruno and substantially reworked.

[lumox0013]

I beleive the saying my grandmother used was if you dont have anything nice to say, dont say anything at all. unless of coarse you have sold millions of albums and are loved by hundreds of thousands of people just for being young,pretty and sassy . jealous much? what happend to people nowadays anyway she's just being herself what does it accomplish to knock her? FWIW I thought brad sounded good but not top form keith was the highlight of the night for me .on a side note I was sadly dissapointed by hte venerable mr. gibbons was hoping for more.

[dartanion]

I beleive the saying my grandmother used was if you dont have anything nice to say, dont say anything at all. unless of coarse you have sold millions of albums and are loved by hundreds of thousands of people just for being young,pretty and sassy . jealous much? what happend to people nowadays anyway she's just being herself what does it accomplish to knock her? FWIW I thought brad sounded good but not top form keith was the highlight of the night for me .on a side note I was sadly dissapointed by hte venerable mr. gibbons was hoping for more.

Jealous? No. It's just a shame that whatever they did in the studio didn't translate well live. Maybe she just couldn't hear the band? I don't know, but she wasn't good. I've seen her do other live TV stuff, and I just don't get the allure on a pure musical level. She just doesn't bring it live. Carrie Underwood brought it, and has brought it on every other occasion I've seen her on TV. I am not a country fan, but I certainly know a good performer when I see one. Hootie? No. Seen him open for the Allman Brothers, not good then, not good now. Brad was pretty darn good. Didn't see Keith, but have seen him before and he is a great player. There were lots of good acts, but lots of cheese too. Just like any of the music awards stuff. I watch mostly for the guitar and musicianship, and there's tons of that, but there are also "stars" that are there purely for image. She presents an image that is marketable right now, will she stay in fad, who knows. She seems like a flavor of the week artist and will be replaced by someone knew in the short attention span that our youth devotes to their idols.

Anyone want to join me in listening to some Johnny Cash

[CapnCrunch]

Anyone want to join me in listening to some Johnny Cash

It's kind of funny you mention the Man In Black. My dad is 76 and has played in country/western bands since he was a young man. He still plays out regularly. Some of my earliest memories are of being in dance halls when he was playing. He can play anything with strings on it. I remember asking him why he never played any Johnny Cash songs and his reponse was, "I don't sing or play songs by a guy who has made a career out of singing out of key". Just struck a chord in light of the above discussion. Now Johnny is an icon, and in many ways is bigger then he ever was in life. Who knows, maybe the same thing will happen to Taylor Swift if she does a little time in San Quentin

[lumox0013]

tolerence may save the human race yet!!!

[dartanion]

tolerence may save the human race yet!!!

Did I sound intolerant?

I choose not to listen to it because it isn't my cup of tea. It's my opinion that Ms. Swift is not a very good performer. Again, just me.

Johnny Cash may have sang out of tune, however he was a GREAT performer and always but 150% into his performances. It may not have been musically perfect material, but Johnny's off key style was a masterpiece. It's like Tom Waits. You love it or you don't get it. I don't get Taylor Swift. Tom Waits is cool stuff.

I understand that Taylor is a role model for young girls, so I think she is doing well there. Much better to follow the path of Taylor than say Britney

Anyway, it's all preferential. Choose what you like yourself. It's always fun to discuss opinions and preferences.

[benoit]

With somebody like Waits or Cash, you gotta remember that perfect pitch doesn't make it music, and lousy pitch doesn't keep it from being music.

[lumox0013]

to each there own! as you say better to go the way of taylor than that of brittany. I for 1 will never agree with the ill manors of kanye. while some artists are more talented than others i have great respect for anyone willing to sit in the hot seat. all opinions are appreciated some have a more elegant way of stating things than others.

[CapnCrunch]

With somebody like Waits or Cash, you gotta remember that perfect pitch doesn't make it music, and lousy pitch doesn't keep it from being music.

I was trying to bring up a similar point in my earlier post. The fact is that Johnny Cash sang off key. Why is he loved and respected despite this fact? My dad is OLD school. He had no respect for Johnny because he was a "druggie and a criminal". Hence, my dad would make fun of his musicianship all day long. Cash stood for something different then the other stars of the day. Some respected him for it, others didn't.

I guess what I'm saying is that an artist must captivate the respect of their audience with either their talent, or with something else. If they don't have loads of talent, and they don't have that "something else", then they don't last long. On the other hand, if people respect an artist for reasons other then their talent, then they will tolerate musical mediocrity. Bob Dylan is a great example of this. He's a genius with lyrics, but sing....not so much. And as a case in point, I'll probably get flamed for calling into question his musical ability by someone who loves him to death.