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Anamanaguchi – “Mermaid” / Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World – [music video] from Steven Grant on Vimeo.
Steven Grant is a video maker who is also a fan of Anamanaguchi and he said “hey, why not make a new video for one of my favorite songs, using a film I like?” That’s what Grant did when he pieced together elements of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and placed Anamanaguchi’s “Mermaid” over it with great results.
Monster Violence – In The Cleft (Official Video) from Monster Violence on Vimeo.
This is a new band to my ears called Monster Violence, and the duo (Dr. Byte und Mega Hurtz) are about to release a new EP (their second) in the next few weeks. “In The Cleft” is their first music video, and it looks like they know and enjoy what they’re doing.
In jazz, there are guitarists who come from nowhere and stay in the background, while others seem to be celebrated at the point of entry. There are some who manage to balance those by simply making music for themselves, without interference. Maybe this is why Mike Rood‘s album is called The Desert And The City (self-released), as it’s a mixture of the yin and yang, the expected and the unexpected, the heat and the cool. Or is it that the flipsides of the same coin simply cease to exist?
Whatever the reason is behind the title, Rood is a guitarist whose light subtle playing is enticing to the ear, a mere way for you to pay attention as he goes through some brilliant playing without jumping off the edge of the world. I am reminded not so much by particular guitarists, but a time when guitarists were willing to play like this, without the thrills but with the same precision as those who always use their 6-string for the kill. The 13-minute “Atonement” is a prayer in itself, not quiet by any means but a mere whisper may wreck the feeling of what was going on in the studio. Rood fills in all of the right areas when need be, even as saxophonist Mike Bjella plays and adds to Rood’s melodies in the background, and one never outdoes the other, it’s a perfect harmony that sounds like a group without egos.
If there’s something to be amazed about, it’s looking at the photos and realizing how young Rood is. His bio says he was self-taught for years before taking some tutelage from well known guitarists. He knows how to play by the book but also how to play without a net, which must result in some incredible improvisation in a live setting.
No need for guitar heroism here, this is just simply someone who knows how and loves to play, you can hear it in every note, every piece of silence between chords, and everything that shows Rood is someone who appreciates the act of playing guitar. Simple as it sounds, and simple as his music may be, there’s a lot more going on. Those who hear it will know how well this guy can play. An artist to look out for in the coming years.
