In pursuit and appreciation of guitar excellence — Pronounced “Guitar-eh-tay”
A message from Alan Barry, maker of Guitarete —
May 24, 2022
It has been a while since Guitarete has been at its most active, which is not to say that it has ever been super-active.
Yet!
Maybe?
My original idea to create something like Guitarete goes back a l o o o o n g time. I guess you’re supposed to have a plan for creating a web site or blog or whatever this is. I’ve tried to have this plan or that plan for Guitarete, and, for this reason or that, I haven’t flowed with any them. They’re overwhelming. Or, they’re too restrictive. Or, they’re overwhelming by being restrictive. Not that there’s anything wrong with having a plan. In some cases, a good plan works for me. But, for whatever reason, not in this one.
Yet!
Maybe?
I don’t know. So, instead of having a plan, I’m just going to do whatever, . . . ya know, stuff . . . on Guitarete.
This much I know: There is a ton of interesting stuff about music made with guitars, and playing guitar, and people who play guitar, and guitars themselves, and guitar-adjacent gadgets. I like a huge amount of this stuff. And, for that reason, I will pick stuff I like and write a little about it, or maybe write a lot about it.
Not that I think everything in music must revolve around the guitar or be all guitar-forward, all the time. Guitar minimalism, guitar mediumism, and guitar maximalism all have places in my world. And, plenty of great music doesn’t include any guitar. But, of course, Guitarete’s niche—a niche isn’t quite a plan, right?—centers around the abundance and variety of music that does involve guitars.
The vast majority of the articles currently up on Guitarete are a few years old. I’ve started to think of them as “legacy content,” which sounds a little grandiose to me. But, whatever. I think the reason I’m thinking of the older stuff as “legacy” is that I have in mind a new generation of Guitarete articles. Which also sounds grandiose. Especially since there’s nothing recent posted. Update! A new post! It’s about the recent closing of the 55 Bar, so it’s not the happiest post, but it is, nonetheless, a new post.
Yet!
Maybe?
Probably soon.
I think . . . .
If you’ve happened upon Guitarete in its current state, I hope you dig something you’ve read. And, I hope you bookmark the site with the hope that you’ll find some other cool thing upon returning. If you want to say “hello,” I’ll be happy to hear from you.
— Alan Barry
Latest posts
- Remembering the 55 Bar, an NYC jazz oasisSome thoughts about the 55 Bar and its closing, with a gallery of pictures.
- Insight into John Frusciante’s practice and process on the RA Exchange podcastThe announcement of John Frusciante rejoining the Red Hot Chili Peppers was one of the more interesting guitar universe surprises … Read more
- Pearl Jam—“Quick Escape”The release of Pearl Jam’s Gigaton is right around the corner (March 27, 2020), and they have now dropped a … Read more
- Los Bitchos’s “instrumental psychedelic sunshine Cumbia”The London-based instrumental quintet Los Bitchos–the name sounds like mangled Spanglish, and subtracting one letter turns it into a decidedly … Read more
- Russian Circles, Blood Year (2019)–Preview ReviewAre you lost on a howling, desolate, icy tundra, not knowing where you are, or even if you’re near anywhere, … Read more
- Joni Mitchell and Pat Metheny, “Furry Sings the Blues,” from Shadows and Light (1980)–Part 2Pat Metheny’s presence in Joni Mitchell’s touring band is one among his rare appearances as a sideman to an artist … Read more
- Joni Mitchell and Pat Metheny, “Furry Sings the Blues,” from Shadows and Light (1980)–Part 1Joni Mitchell’s “Shadows and Light” is a brilliant performance document that brings together stage translations of the singer/songwriter/guitarist’s mid-70s period. … Read more
- Jefferson Starship’s “Jane,” from Freedom at Point Zero” (1979)Say what you must about the group that shapeshifted from the band that made “Somebody to Love” to the band … Read more
- 5 Scott Henderson Tracks That Are Really, Really GoodAhead of the release of People Mover, I listened to a lot of Scott Henderson’s earlier music, getting excited to … Read more
- New info on upcoming Scott Henderson album, People Mover!On June 19, Glass Onyon PR issued a press release giving details of People Mover, Scott Henderson’s soon-to-be-released follow up … Read more
- Middle Kids–“Real Thing, from New Songs for Old Problems (2019)“Real Thing” is the super-hooky single from the latest EP by Australian band Middle Kids. Released a couple of months … Read more
- Baroness Plays Small Gigs Ahead of Gold & GreyIn the week before Gold & Grey dropped, on June 14, Baroness played a series of small gigs, including an … Read more
- 2019 Brooklyn Stompbox Exhibit Was a Pedal Fiend’s DelightAt the June 8th and 9th 2019 Brooklyn Stompbox Exhibit, musicians of all types who are pedal enthusiasts found a … Read more
- Allan Holdsworth—Warsaw Summer Jazz Days ‘98Don’t let the wAcka-jaWaKa lettering on the cover throw you off! Warsaw Summer Jazz Days ’98 (Manifesto, 2019) is a … Read more
- Gilad Hekselman—“Stumble,” from Ask for Chaos (2018)In under one year, New York-based jazz guitarist Gilad Hekselman has released two strong collections as the primary artist: Ask … Read more
- Baroness–“Seasons,” from Gold & Grey (2019)The music of Baroness centers on guitarist/vocalist/songwriter/visual artist John Baizley, who is one of those people who can smile and … Read more
- Stray Cats–“Rock This Town,” from Built for Speed (1982)The Stray Cats breakout track and video hit may well be the defining track of the first wave of retro … Read more
- Typical Sisters — Hungry GhostOn Hungry Ghost, released March 2019, Typical Sisters explores avenues for creating urgency beyond of the borders of well-defined genres. … Read more
- Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival returns in 2019!With the announcement that Eric Clapton is again firing up the Crossroads Guitar Festival in 2019, it’s worth taking a … Read more
- Play It Loud @ the Met! 4/8/2019 to 10/1/2019Happily and unsurprisingly, there will be plenty on display to fascinate and inspire guitarists and fellow travelers at the Metropolitan … Read more
- Afro-Polka All-Stars—55 Bar, December 30, 2018Featuring guitarists Sheryl Bailey and Anders Nilsson Drummer/composer/world-music explorer Maciek Schejbal’s Afro-Polka project is based on the inspired, if unlikely, … Read more
- Oz Noy Quartet – 55 Bar, December 25, 2018Oz Noy has said of his music, “It’s jazz, it just doesn’t sound like it.” On his recent quartet gig … Read more
- Jacky Vincent–Life Imitating Art: High-Speed Guitar Engine Meets Synths & BeatsTimes not recommended for listening to Jacky Vincent’s Life Imitating Art: basically anytime you want to chill. It’s not that … Read more
- The Posies–Solid StatesSomeone once told me a story about a bunch of college friends who had an inside joke around the line … Read more
- Harriet Tubman, featuring Brandon Ross, at the Jazz-Rock-Funk Throwdown, June 2018Harriet Tubman’s music was nearly entirely new to me. Before the Alternative Guitar Summit, I checked out a few tracks … Read more
- Adam Rogers at the Jazz-Rock-Funk Throwdown, June 2018Leading the trio known as DICE, guitarist Adam Rogers drew material from the group’s eponymous album for the second set … Read more
- Dave Fiuczynski at the Jazz-Rock-Funk Throwdown, June 2018Dave Fiuczynski plays a lot of notes—in the sense that is usually meant and in another sense that is decidedly … Read more
- Jazz-Rock-Funk Thowdown at the Alternative Guitar Summit, June 2018The Alternative Guitar Summit announces itself as “a yearly festival of daring, inventive players who emphasize new and unusual approaches to … Read more
- Words to live by from Eddie Vedder“Actually, you know what? If someone wants to have something in their hands that wants to make ’em feel really … Read more
- Five Times Alex Skolnick Played on Someone Else’s AlbumAlex Skolnick’s eclecticism is well-known. Recent projects in which he is a leader or principal player include his eponymous improvisational … Read more