Get Mp3's Easily With Mp3 Search Engines

Previously, in order to play your favorite singles and albums, you had to first convert your music compact disk to the mp3 or a similar format in order to play your favorite music on your portable digital player. While that is still the preferred method for most music lovers who like to purchase music CD's and yet play their music on the go in a portable format, there had also been a rise of Internet downloads of music in digitized form in the decade before this, Napster being the most famous and previously notorious example. The music industry has realized the notoriety as well as the potential of digital music. Sales of music CDs have decreased over the years and music lovers would rather get their music online. They also have facilities of sharing their music with their friends through Bluetooth and infrared devices or even emailing mp3 files to each other.
All this is not so bad, considering the rise of Internet radio stations. Instead of relying on a few radio channels in your AM/FM player, you can now listen to music of your choice. Just type in the keywords in your favorite search engine and you are bound to come across one, if not more Internet radio stations, that exclusively play blues music. There are also social networking websites where musicians create their own profiles to upload their music which they allow you to listen online for free or download for a little price per song. Alternative rockers like Radiohead caused a storm by allowing fans to download their new album, In Rainbows, on their website for as much of a price as they wish to for the first week after its release. 66% of downloads in the first week were for free. However, Radiohead did go on to make a very commercially successful album. All this happened in 2005 and since then many artists release their albums and singles on their websites, and on a few reputed websites for a fee like $1 per song.
The concept of free legal music is hard to define. The Internet has paved the way for many unsigned artists to create web pages on websites where they can upload their music and share band activity. In order to become popular, these artists often let you freely download their music and share it with your friends or post in on your blogs etc. However, artists with record deals or major artists like Radiohead, only employ free legal download-able music as a marketing strategy.
This should not disappoint music lovers too much who want cheap music but do not want to resort to piracy. An Internet connection is much more affordable now, as well as, much more accessible. There are websites aplenty who let you legally play your favorite music without letting you download them. However, if you are always hooked to your laptop or net-book or mobile phone, this kind of music listening will certainly satisfy your needs and show respect to the artists.

Music Spotlight: Hayes Carll "KMAG YOYO and Other American Stories"

Hayes Carll is a real gem on the Texas music scene. He has the a voice that reminds me sometimes of Steve Earle and at other times of Hank Williams Sr. And accessibility from your Garth Brooks fans to hipster college kids. This album is Texas through and through, but stands out with it's sad, unique and often funny lyrics. Carll had some success on the Americana scene in 2008 with the song "She Left me for Jesus" (which is funny as hell, no pun intended), but I knew almost nothing about Carll until a few months when a friend introduced me to his stuff, and within the next few weeks I saw him on Austin City Limits and then Jay Leno playing the song "KMAG YOYO" (which stands for 'Kiss my ass guys, you're on your own"). I was sold on that song right then, so I bought the whole album (KMAG YOYO & Other American Stories) last week and it's been on constant circulation since.
The first time I listened to the album all the way through, sans the songs "Stomp and Holler" and "KMAG YOYO", I was a little bored with the album as a whole. But recalling my first listen to The National's "High Violet", (which almost put me to sleep, but every listen after it developed and revealed itself more and more, and now is one of my favorite records) I decided to give "KMAG YOYO" another shot, and I am glad I did. On that second listen the tracks "Another Like You" and "Grateful for Christmas" jumped out at me and sucked me into the stories Carll was singing. Upon each listen another song or two sticks with me when something new or funny reveals itself in the songwriting.
Hayes Carll is Americana through and through. The sound of this album would be ideally enjoyed driving through east Texas with all the windows down. The electric guitar reminds me of a Drive-By Truckers album on songs like "KMAG YOYO" and "Stomp and Holler" while the piano on "Hide Me" could fit in on a Tom Waits album, and when the choir in the background starts humming, expect goosebumps. "Hard Out Here" could be played on the jukebox at a honkey tonk and fit in with that lonesome moan of the slide guitar and the line "I used to have a heart but the highway took it" swaying with a jingle jangle reminiscent of Dylan's "Rainy Day Women 12 & 35″.
The songs are all good, but sometimes they go on just a little too long. "Chances Are" is a "sad country song" in every sense of the word and very upfront, about 2 minutes in to that song my mind starts to wander a little. The same is true with "Grand Parade", not bad by any stretch, just sort of one-dimensional. But maybe I just haven't listened to the album enough yet. Or it could be that there are just songs on "KMAG YOYO (& Other American Stories) that are SO excellent that decent songs lose their luster when places right next to them. Either way, they don't detract from the album as a whole.
Of the excellent songs on the album, the masterpiece is the song "KMAG YOYO". It's a funny, surreal story about a young solider in Afghanistan and his unlikely journey through the military and U.S. government. I laugh out loud a bit every time I hear "slippin' out the back door, gonna join the peace core, tell me I'm a hero so someone else can fight this war". It's bitingly ironic and political, Carll brilliantly lets his sense of humor make a very serious point about the war in Afghanistan. It's pure gold
If you take one thing away from this review, I hope it is: "KMAG YOYO (& Other American Stories)" is worth your time and money (don't illegally download, that is just sleazy). It's early in the year, but as of March 22, "KMAG YOYO (& Other American Stories)" is one of the best albums of the year, as far as this humble blogger is concerned.

Rockabilly's "Mystery Train" Helped Put Elvis On the Map, But Junior Parker Recorded It First

The song "Mystery Train" has become one of the most iconic classics of the rockabilly genre and in fact of all rock and roll. The song has it all: a great, mood-invoking vibe, wonderful driving slap-bass work by Bill Black, one of the most perfect guitar parts ever recorded courtesy of Scotty Moore, and of course Elvis' flawless, raw, powerful vocal delivery. And the song itself is one of those rare gems that stands strong on its own, separate from the performance. But though Elvis and the boys own this song with their amazing performance of it, Elvis didn't write it. So, where did it come from? Well, that gets to the roots of rockabilly!
Elvis recorded the song in late summer of 1955. He was already on the way up and rising fast. The song was recorded in the legendary Memphis Recording Service studios on Union Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee. It was originally released on the equally legendary Sun Records label as the B-side to the song that really put Elvis on the map nationally: the number one country hit "I Forgot to Remember to Forget." Even as the B-side, "Mystery Train" reached number 11.
However, this wasn't the first release the song had seen. The song had been written in 1953 by the bluesman Junior Parker. Studio and Sun Record label owner Sam Phillips is credited as co writer, but it's often difficult to tell with songs written in those days whether anyone besides the musician who is credited really did help write the song or whether there were credited as part of the record deal or other arrangements. In any event, Parker's original recording was released--also on Sun Records--in 1953.
Parker's version is up tempo and in its own right just as great at Elvis'. In it you can really hear how the blues influenced the early rockabilly musicians. Elvis clearly borrowed heavily from these blues players as well as the rhythm and blues music he'd heard so much of growing up. He took that influence and mixed it in with his country roots to become the driving force behind rockabilly music and, for that matter, all of rock and roll.
In my opinion, Elvis' version of "Mystery Train" is the perfect embodiment of the Sun Records rockabilly sound. If someone needed the ultimate example of rockabilly, "Mystery Train" would be one of the songs I would point them too. It totally exemplifies the melding of blues and country music that morphed into rockabilly music. Although the country music world--by all outward appearances--seemed to have had the bigger impact on rockabilly music, this song proves that it would never have happened without great blues and rhythm and blues songs and artists.

Brief History and Background of Synthesizers

Synthesizers are electronic instruments that are capable of producing a wide range of sounds, notes and effects. The sounds can either mimic very closely a real acoustic instrument or create an entirely new timbre. Because of this, synthesizers and electric keyboards are invaluable to bands who like to produce unique and interesting sounds. They are ideal for musicians who have a creative streak and like to experiment with different frequencies notes. They are also great for musicians who want a full band sound but want to play solo. In this way they can create and record all the instruments for their song to play along to on their own. Here is a brief history and background of modern synthesizers.
The very first synthesizer was built back in 1876 by Elisha Gray. However, the early prototypes were very different to what you get today and took many years to make it to the mainstream. It wasn't until 1964 that the first commercial synthesizer was introduced by Robert Moog. The development of synthesizers continued in the 1970s where the public saw the production of small, compact synthesizers that were portable and could synchronize with other electric instruments. During this time, forward-thinking bands were already experimenting with synthesizers to great success. Bands like the Monkees, Rolling Stones, The Doors, The Beatles and more had already started to play around with them and feature them on their albums starting in the 1960s.
While early synthesizers were analog, today they generate sounds through digital techniques. There are many different types of synthesis available as well, which can be a bit confusing if you are not familiar with the instrument. For example, the simplest form of synthesis is the sample-based synthesis. This involves taking a digital recording of an acoustic instrument and manipulating it as you play it back. Then there are more sophisticated forms of synthesis such as physical modelling which involves using a set of algorithms and equations to simulate real instruments.
Another integral part of any synthesizer is the ADSR envelope. This stands for Attack Decay Sustain Release. The ASDR takes into account the change in sound over time that musical instruments produce. For example, the attack and decay will have a significant effect on sonic character of the instrument. The ASDR envelope can be implemented into the synthesizer in a variety of ways such as by a discrete circuit or module or else implemented into the software. Synthesizers also use a variety of different control interfaces. While the most common and popular control is by fingerboards (keyboards), there are other controllers as well such as wind controllers, guitar-style interface, drum pads and music sequencer.

Kamalini Mukherjee Hot