Guest Michael Rife
GuestForum Replies Created
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Wow!!! It must have been way cool to sit in and work with John S. Mike.
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Hi Jacki;
I am so sorry for your loss of you Mom. Hold on to the memories of her. I have my own anniversary coming up on March 24. It was one year ago on that date that my Mom passed away. She had Alzheimer’s and the song Wide, Wide Land reminds me of her.
Music can cheer us up, change our attitudes, etc.
Mike
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Hi Rudi;
Not a problem at all. I used to work for corporations and was involved a few times in setting up web sites and interacting with servers. Many things can (and usually do) go wrong with changes even if you test them offsite before going “live”. Once it was over Y2K and that was a huge nothing but another time it involved building a website from scratch and that one had a lot of fits and starts.
Mike
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Usually on the home CD player or in the car CD player. I teach part time at a few universities and need to drive to the city (Boston) and then drive from school to school. During that time Play CDs or listen to the Sirius Beatle channel. Also, I still watch their videos on YouTube on the PC. Mike.
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Hi; My two cents…….
There is not a single thing that makes their music great. It’s a combination for me and in no particular order:
1) Very good on their instruments. When I first saw/heard Johnny B. Good and Lisa’s riff on it, I could not tell a difference between her and Chuck Berry. It sounds like they practice the instruments on songs several times to get the songs note perfect. Also, they are both multi-instrumentalists and seem to take chances, e.g., Mona playing the flute.
2) Extremely tight harmonies. When I first heard their harmonies, I thought that I had not heard anything that good since Phil and Don Everly. And these days each one has the chance to sing multiple different parts, i.e., 4 or more different vocals on songs as in “God Only Knows”. The only songs I have heard that is better in harmonies are some of the early Beatles songs where Paul and John sang together. BTW have you ever heard Paul and George sing a duo……that was pretty good, too. Anyway, Mona and Lisa harmonize so well together.
3) Song construction. The lyrics in their original songs are not as straight forward as we had in the 1960s and later. They will change a word here and there during the bridge or chorus when they repeat it. This causes the listener to listen with great care to each song. Arrangement of other instruments (piano, other strings, etc.) is done with great care. One of their best songs “Still A Friend Of Mine” was recorded using only the piano and other strings and it is this simplicity that makes more of an impact than a full orchestra. It kinda reminds me of Yesterday which was just Paul, his acoustic, and a string quartet. Both of these songs could have accommodated more instruments but each was made better by doing less.
4) They also happen to be very good singers and stay within themselves……Their voices happen to be pleasant to the ear which always helps. By “staying within themselves” it means they have not tried to reach extremely high or extremely low notes.
Well, that’s about it for me…..I’m sure I’ll think of other things after submitting. Mona and Lisa are both extremely talented and I look forward to them doing more great things in the future. Mike.
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In our walk-in closet I already have a Poco wing of shirts, hoodies, etc. Also in there are Buffalo Springfield shirts, Richie Furay shirts, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band shirts, and Pure Praire League shirts…….can ya tell I kinda like country-rock. Now the MLT merch is starting to grow in the closet!!!!
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1. Guitar straps
2. Pics
3. Pens
4. Shirt
5. Hoodie
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Hi all;
Since it is early AM and I am on the PC looking through the topics in the Clubhouse, it has to mean another bout of back problems…..even though, this topic piqued my interest. For me MLT gave me some hope about the state of current music. They really do go back to the 1960s type music and have added their unique blend to it. Having lived through music in the 1960s, 1970s, etc…….it seems like artists were more willing to take chances then and now they are very formulaic. If someone tries a new style these days and it is successful, you can be guaranteed that others will try to copy that style, e.g., Adele.
But, MLT have taken the best from that time period…very strong harmonies, prominent guitars, and once in a while a new twist (flute). It reminds me of the Beatles a bit…..if you listen to the Beatles’ early harmonies (If I Fell, This Boy, etc.), it was really unique for the time and it left me wondering how they did that. The Beatles, mostly tapping into the knowledge of George Martin, used various different instruments in their songs. And, as far as guitars go, the Beatles really had three lead guitarists…..each one with their unique style.
Going over the last 50 years of music……I believe that 1964 to around 1975 was the strongest period…..a renaissance of sorts. It started with the “British Invasion” led by the Beatles (Keith Richards is quoted as saying the Beatles kicked the door down for other groups from England), next came the US response to it by the Byrds and Buffalo Springfield and CSN(Y) among others. Concurrent with the Beatles there was that Dylan guy who was a throw-back to Woody Guthrie and S & G who were innovative. After that a multitude of individual singer-songwriters (JT, Gordon Lightfoot really didn’t catch on until 1970, Joni, Ronstadt, Carly Simon, Paul Simon, Elton John, and others). New innovative bands were still important during this time: LZ (still not my cup of tea), 10cc (really innovative), Queen (ditto), Eagles, Heart, and others. But, by the mid-1970s the renaissance was pretty much complete and disco had taken over and good old RnR was pretty much relegated to stadium rock.
Since the mid to late 1970s, new music did little for me. Once in awhile new artists came along and tried something new…….it seemed to me that female artists were leading things in the mid 1990s for awhile: Jewel, Sixpence None the Richer, Paula Cole, Sheryl Crow, McLachlan, Morissette, and a few others. But, their time of prominence was a little short. Grunge happened in the early 1990s but was only for a while, too. An argument could be made that RnR fans migrated over to country music to a degree: Garth Brooks, Shania Twain, Lonestar.
So, in short, I am glad that MLT is doing updated 1960s music and really enjoy it. There are a couple of others who do some things from the 1960s, but also try to do other time periods and current things as well: Avonlea, Sina’s group, etc.
So, overall I am really glad that MLT is there is go back to the 1960s in part and put their unique style to the 1960s RnR. Mike.
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Hi Tomas;
Yes, I have heard of it. I posted it on the MLT FB fan page the other day. I am so intrigued by this movie. During the trailer they gave the perfect “hook” by having two guys claim to being the real songwriters of the performer’s Beatles songs. During that part of the trailer the camera only shows their feet: one is barefoot and the other has shoes on. Now the natural conclusion is that the barefoot one is Paul and the one in shoes is John. John would be still be around because if there were no Beatles, then he likely would not have been murdered. Still to include this claim by two other guys in the movie is a huge “hook” to bring people into the theatre.
The movie is going to be released on June 28……not sure if that is the release date in England or globally. But, it is a movie I really want to see…….just like Bohemian Rhapsody. Mike.
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Hi Tomas (I tried to find the accent over the “a” but just couldn’t locate it….I apologize);
I found MLT when looking for some Beatles on YouTube. I decided to give them a listen and then just kept looking and playing more of their covers. Their music is so good that I have shared it with others, but they mostly give the same “nice” response. But, a few have given the “wow” response that we had when we first found them. Part of what causes the “nice” response, I believe, is that even before the people have heard MLT’s first notes they have already categorized them as a “cover band”. They could not be more wrong…..MLT plays a few covers from the mid 1960s, but their original music expands on the mid-1960s sound. People should give them a second chance. Mike.
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Hi Tommy!! I know the J series guitars from Gibson are pricey too. Epiphone makes a J series type which are replicas of the Gibson J series and are less expensive. Also, Epiphones are very good solid guitars. They are in the price range you are considering……and they sound just as good as the Gibson Js. I’ve played Epiphones before and they do not disappoint. Some are called Epiphone EJ. Also, some of the Beatles used Epiphones early in their careers. It might be worthwhile for you to consider an Epi EJ (or Epi AJ). Happy hunting!!! Mike.
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That’s a good choice. A couple of other good guitars are the Gibson Hummingbird (kinda pricey) and the Gibson J Series. Both are light guitars and are very forgiving. I also like Martins because of the deeper, mellow sound they have. Gibsons have more of a jangling sound but are still nice to listen to. Mike.
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Thanks Mona!!! You two are so kind and thoughtful to allow us to ask you questions.
I don’t believe players can go wrong with Epiphones, Gibsons, or Martins. As far as your EJ being battered, it just shows that the guitar is getting used well.
Thanks again.. Mike
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Thanks, Howard!! Mike.
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Hi Mona;
Thank you for your thoughtful answer!! You and Lisa are so very kind.
I was not looking for you to say specific songs are one way or the other. I was just wondering if you two experienced the two feelings about songs. There are times when I play that I think, “If I have to play this song one more time, I’ll run screaming from the room!!!!” Other times I actually do look forward to playing certain ones and the songs never get old.
I hope you have a good week and look forward to the next video.
Best;
Mike
