Spotlight Licks with Scott Terry: Round 2 the String Bending Edition

We are back with Mr. Scott Terry here in spotlight licks. He is here to show us how to do some awesome, unbelievable bends. Pay close attention and get to bending them strings like you are He-Man or She-Ra!

Way to be a better musician #567- Go See Some Live Music!!!!

One of the things you can do to make yourself a better musician is to of course practice practice practice, but another thing is to go some some live, in person music. Im not talking about watching your favorite band live on a dvd or youtube but physically going out and seeing it happen in real life. Go see some big name national bands and go see some great local music as well. You can see some great music in a coffee shop, restaurant, bar, club, arena, stadium, church and just about any place else. You will learn a ton from seeing your favorite band live. You will see how they perform. Learn some of the stage moves. Listen to the tones and sounds of the amps and guitars. You will even in some cases here your favorite song played a little different live too. Sometimes when a song is done in the studio it is done way different live. Sometimes its better, sometimes not.There are certain bands that are meant to be seen live. Phish is one. They are 1000 times better live than on cd. Godsmack is a band I HATE but will pay to see them any day of the week. They are a completely different animal live. My wife and i had the pleasure of seeing Roger Waters do "The Wall" in concert. It was the single most amazing show I have ever seen. The playing was top notch. The lights and production was top notch and the sound was world class. Watching a master like Roger Waters showed me a whole new way to perform to a crowd. A guy like him can have an audience in the palm of his hand in about 10 seconds. I learned alot about how to interact with a crowd by going and seeing Ozzy. He interacts with the crowd and makes everyone in the audience feel "special." There is also something about being with other people and singing along and dancing to songs that cannot be experienced by listening on an iPod or watching a dvd. There are tons of great local artists who are just as good as any national act too. You can learn alot by watching guys like Riley Williams, Michael Dinkins or TuTu DeVine. So get your butt out of your house and get some concert tickets or go out and see some great local music!

Product Review: MXR Distortion Pedals

This review is done by Rock Bottom Music owner Jonathon Karow.

My quick review on three new MXR pedals at Rock Bottom Music:
Personally I like the MXR 78' Bad Ass Distortion A.K.A. Appetite for Distortion. The MXR Bad Ass Modified O.D. pedal is not bad but sounds a bit "boxy" through my Hot Rod Deluxe. It is a great pedal... just not "my tone". It might make a nice lead boost over and above the tube gain (like a Tube Screamer but voiced differently)? The MXR Full Bore Metal is PERFECT for someone looking for Modern High Gain from Enter Sand Man to full out Death Metal. It is fun to play with but not a necessary "color in my personal Crayon box". I would definitely have one if I were a Metal shred guitarist.

A very cool feature on the Full Bore Metal is the Gate button (Noise Gate). It can be adjusted for the Gate time in the battery compartment. A green LED lights up to visually show the player when the Gate is active.
Come on down to Rock Bottom and test drive them for yourself. The price for these are lower here than any place else...guarenteed!