Conference napalm::heavy_metal

    I heard about this kid on HBB this weekend.  I forget what they said
    about him, I just caught the part about him being seventeen and playing
    guitar, I think they might of said he was in the process of forming a
    band with Ted Nugent, the guy the Styx and someone else. Correct me If
    I'm wrong. - Kim

    
    	Note 360 is for "Damn Yankees", but there are already 2
    	guitarists in the band.
    
    	I don't know, maybe they are considering a third.
    
    							GTI
    

    
    	I just looked at the base note, and I said he was from
    	"Connecticut, MA".
    
    	That doesn't make a whole lot of sense, does it?
    
    	He's from Connecticut, USA.
    
    							GTI
    

    Blues plays Guitar and doesn't read or write music.
    AWWWWWWWWWWRIGHT!

    
    	BTW, the name of the album is "Never Look Back".
    
    
    							GTI
    

This 'Blues' dude is one of those guys on albums produced by Guitar magazine.
Can he play ??

    
    	If you didn't know who it was, you'd think it was Satriani.
    
    	IMO, of course ... but he's real good.
    
    							GTI
    

    
    I'll second GTI's opinion....ACK! 8^)
    
    Blues is really good.  I heard the CD last night,  I'm not big
    on songs without words but this would be well worth the price of
    the CD.  
    
    Renee

    
    	He does a great instrumental version of Joe Walsh's "Funk
    	49" ... this kid wails!!
    
    							GTI
    

    
    He does do a great version of that!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    
    We were listening to it at the store last night 4 different people
    asked who it was and where the could find the CD.   Think we can
    get a cut in the royalties??
    
    Renee

    Hmmm ... looks like I'll have to pick it up tomorrow !
    
    
    				Scary

    
    
    	Scary....
    
    	can I borrow your blues CD.
    
    	M
    	 B

    Sure ... bring the RG570 back to my hut and I'll turn it over to you.
    
    
    
    				Scary

    I picked up this tape a couple days ago.  SUPERB!!  Finally, a new,
    young guitarist with FEELING!  This kid isn't just a speedster.
    
    He states his main influences as Beck, Hendrix, and especially Van
    Halen.  Funny, I hear more Beck than VH in his music.  Reminds me
    a lot of Satriani, too.  He combines dexterity and technique with a
    LOT of feeling ala Satch.  
    
    I won't get sick of this one for a LONG time.
    
    Steve
    
    P.S.   You're right Shawn, Funk 49 really cooks!!

    
    	At least I'm not the only one who's bought this album ...
    	and likes it, for that matter!!
    
    							GTI
    

    You need to check out CVG::GUITAR, there's quite a bit of discussion
    going on there about this kid ...
    
    
    
    				Scary

    
                 <<< CVG::WORK3:[NOTES$LIBRARY]GUITAR.NOTE;2 >>>
                              -<  Guitar Notes  >-
================================================================================
Note 1749.32                     Blues Saraceno                         32 of 32
CSC32::H_SO "If you like the shoe, then wear it!"    31 lines  13-APR-1990 00:27
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    
    Haven't been able to reply to this note; too devastated! 
    
    Blues Saraceno....One word, WOW!!!!!!!!!  Hey, Scary!  Does this guy
    own one of your patented convertible Ibanez'? ;-)
    
    Borrowed the tape from Greg last Fri, played it as many times as 
    possible on my way to Denver, bought the CD there, and have not stopped
    playing the CD since!
    
    "Before the Storm"  Awesome song!  Got our bassist hooked on the 
    slapping part!
    
    "Frazin'" Perfect song for cruisin' around town, no where really to 
    go!  Sunroof comes out in matter of seconds, smiles come out to every
    chic driving by!
    
    "Never Look Back"  I love the way he throw a HARD curve at you in the 
    beginning!  That clean, tasty lick *right* after a blazin' intro! 
    
    "Remember When" Kicking back after work with a beer in my hand,
    relaxing, letting the notes and the beers drift me away...
    
    I love the boogie-woogie swing feel of his songs!  That ZZ Top-ish,
    Aerosmith-ish sound!  I tend to disagree with the early statement that
    he sounds like Satch.  To me, Satch is more modern type player where
    as Blues is more old time rock genre, IMHO of course.  He does have a 
    lot of "feel" in his playing, way beyond what his age would suggest!
    
    This album has been one major factor in gettin' my portable CD player fixed
    so I can listen to it EVERYWHERE I go!!!!!
    
    I can't believe this guy is only 17 does what he does!
    
    J-Dot Who_promtly_went_home_and_cried...
    

    I've slacked off from playing this CD as much as I did when I first got
    it, but this one and "Flying In A Blue Dream" by Satriani get a lap or
    2 every day.  Something about an Ibanez ... guess I better get one !
    (Practice more ?  Naahh ... buy more stuff, optical illusion)
    
    
    				Scary

    
    	Well, I listened again, and I finally know a few of the
    	song titles:
    
    	Full Tank, The Shakes, Funk 49, Jay Walkin'
    
    	are my favorites.  This guy wails!!
    
    	He lists Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen as
    	influences.
    
    							GTI
    

    What band does he playing for now or he still on his own?
    
       Kham

    Still on his own as far as I know.  Anyone know if he's gonna put out
    another album?  Seemed like his first one did reasonably well.
    
    gh

    Hey Shawn, did you pick up Blues latest release yet?  If so,
    does it compare to the first one?
    
    
    Steve

    
    	I didn't know he had one!!
    
    	What's it called?
    
    	[I'll probably wait until next week and get this one and the
    	new Satriani.]
    
    							GTI

    
    
    I don't remember the title, but I saw it about a month back
    at Tower Records in Boston.
    
    
    Steve

    It's called "Plaid", I've never seen it in a store though...
    
    gh

    I have it, I was a bit dissapointed on the first two listens.
    
    But one tune (don't remember which) really caught my ear, and I fully
    believe that I could end up liking this one, although not as much as
    the first one.
    
    "The Shakes" is by far, his best effort IMHO.

    
    	"Hairpick" is apparently out now, because there was a review
    	of it in "Car Stereo Review".
    
    							GTI
    

    re: .-1
    
    Record companies send advance copies out to magazines for review.
    
    I read a review of the new Dregs album months before it became
    available in stores.
    
    	db
    
    p.s. The Dregs album was delayed because the CD factor ran out of
    	plastic.  Fortunately, word got out and folks volunteered their
        old Satriani CDs for recycling into Dregs albums.

    
    	I think you're right, Dave ... I didn't see the album when I
    	went to Strawberries.
    
    	Maybe they just didn't have any ... not sure yet.
    
    							GTI

    
    	Finally!!
    
    	Picked up "Hairpick" at the Auburn [MA] Strawberries on Saturday
    	night.  And, in a word, "WOW!!".
    
    	This is an amazing album ... he never lets up, not even for 1
    	song.
    
    	"Stinky Kitty" starts the album off, and towards the end he goes
    	into a Michelangelo [Nitro] bit that'll blow you away.
    
    	"Chewing on Crayons" features Dweezil Zappa on co-lead guitar.
    	I don't know enough about Dweezil's playing to be able to dist-
    	inguish who was playing where, but I couldn't tell when it wasn't
    	Blues who was playing ... so either Dweezil is that good or he
    	didn't really play too much of the lead after all.
    
    	"Bouree" is a classical piece, but I'm not sure who wrote it
    	originally [I forget].
    
    	Run, don't walk, to your nearest music store and buy this album.
    	IMO, it is the definitive guitar instrumental album.  This kid,
    	at 22 and on his 3rd solo effort, is twice as good as Satriani,
    	four times as good as Morse, and Guy-Mann Dude shouldn't even be
    	listed on the same page.
    
    							GTI

    Is this a new release?
    

    notice he said twice as good as Satch and *4 TIMES* as good as Morse.

    
    	RE: Greg
    
    	Yes, released within the last month.
    
    							GTI

    >notice he said twice as good as Satch and *4 TIMES* as good as Morse.
    
    I did notice that.  I was ready to go out and buy the album, but when
    I read that statement it became clear that I could not attach any
    credibility to his review.
    
    I'm certainly not going to buy it on the basis of this review.
    
    	db

    Shawn should write reviews for the Boston Phoenix.  He's so dead-on
    accurate it's scary!

    
    A recent guitar rag posted that he recorded this one
    in his living room with the help of his dad!
    
    I'll check this one out...
    
    
    Kev --
    

    I saw a seminar with him a couple of years ago, right before his second
    album came out, and he said at that time that the record company had
    bought him some recording gear and given him free reign to make the
    album.  Said he'd set it up in his bedroom and had people come in and
    play for it (all real musicians, apparently).  
    
    FWIW, he seemed like a really nice guy.  Honest and not much of an ego.
    
    Greg

                              [Blues Saraceno]

Blue Saraceno's career started at a very early age and has been gaining
momentum ever since.

At age 16, Blues' very special talent on the guitar was acknowledged when
his self-produced demo tape was selected out of thousands of others by the
new label "Guitar Recordings." This landed him his first record contract,
and it was not long after that he began work on a collaboration with
Michael Bolton which eventually ended up on Cher's album "Heart of Stone."

Blues has played alongside guitar legend Les Paul and has recorded with
varied artists, including Charlie Watts (Rolling Stones), Simon Phillips
(The Who, Jeff Beck), Kingdom Come, Eric Carmen, Lita Ford and Dweezil
Zappa.

Released two weeks after his seventeenth birthday, Blues' first album
"Never Look Back" was met with an overwhelming amount of critical acclaim
that branded him as a guitar prodigy and opened up a world of
opportunities, such as being asked to do the title track of Taylor Daynes'
"Can't Fight Fate." Blues was invited to tour on the Jack Bruce and Ginger
Baker "Reunion Tour", which led to a world tour with Joe Cocker and the
Neville Brothers.

At age 19, Blues released his eagerly awaited follow-up album "Plaid" which
was met with the same critical sincerity as "Never Look Back." It brought
aboard a barrage of new fans such as Pantera's Dimond Darrel, who was so
taken by Blues' record that he had the album's Scottish green cover art
tatooed on his leg. It was about this time that Yamaha issued the "Blues
Saraceno" Signature Guitar Model featuring his trademark plaid graphics.
Other companies such as Seymour Duncan Pick Ups quickly followed suit.
Blues continued to tour the U.S. and Japan with Jack Bruce and Simon
Phillips.

Upon hearing the "Plaid" record, the band Poison asked Blues to join them
on a tour of South America. After the tour Blues became a permanent member
of the band, which thereafter sold over 18 million records worldwide.

Blues is now 22 and has released his third record for Guitar Recordings
called "Hairpick." The album was recorded entirely by Blues in his home
studio and features avant-garde drummer Josh Freese and guitar virtuoso
Dweezil Zappa.

"Hairpick." contains ten tasty new tracks that allow Blues to live up to
his reputation.

    I saw Blues play live after the release of his first album.  I gotta
    admit, after all the buzz about his playing, I was rather underwhelmed
    at his show.
    
    Trivia -- what is Blues' favorite song of all time?
    
    
    "Rock n Roll Hoochie Coo" by Rick Derringer
    

    Funk 49?

    I saw him give a demo at Daddy's Junky Music in Nashua and was also
    pleased to see Joe Franco (ex-drummer of "Good Rats") playing the
    drums (as he did on the album).
    
    Gee... I thought he was abfab.  Especially when he plays funky.
    
    I think "The Shake" is about the most impressive thing I've ever
    heard from a newcomer in many years.   I love the playing on that tune.