January 31, 2012 – 5:35 pm
Hey folks! Long time no blog. As many of you know, this month saw me cramming for NAMM, as well as jumping straight onto a tour (leg 2 of Anthrax/Testament/Death Angel in the US). As I write this, I’m enjoying a rare day off in [...]
By AlexSkolnick
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Tagged 1970s, 70s, 80s, alex skolnick, Bat Out Of Hell, Billy Gibbons, Blue Oyster Cult, Bohemian Rhapsody, Breakdown, Brian May, Buck Dharma, David Gilmour, Don't Take Me Alive, Eddie Van Halen, EVH, Frampton Comes Alive, guitar, Joe Satriani, Larry Carlton, Leslie West, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Meat Loaf, Michael Schenker, Mike Campbell, Mountain, music, Never In My Life, Peter Frampton, pink floyd, Queen, Randy Rhoads, rock, Solo, Steely Dan, Steve Gaines, Todd Rundgren, Tom Petty, van halen, Yngwie Malmsteen, ZZ Top
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January 5, 2012 – 1:53 pm
To kick things off for 2012, I’d like to share some words that I had the honor of contributing to a fascinating book: ‘Murder In The Front Row: Shots From The Bay Area Thrash Metal Epicenter’ (Bazillion Points).
A photographic collection by long time Bay Area metal [...]
By AlexSkolnick
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Tagged alex skolnick, bay area, exodus, guitar, heavy metal, megadeth, metal, metallica, murder in the front row, music, music industry, omni, rock, ruthie's inn, slayer, stone, thrash
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December 25, 2011 – 6:24 pm
Boxing followed by hockey? Skolnick, what’s gotten into you? Aren’t you the guy who wrote ‘It’s A Sports World (I Just Live In It)’ Part I, II and III?
Don’t worry, I haven’t gone ’sports-crazy.’ All will make sense in a moment…
This is [...]
November 28, 2011 – 3:58 pm
Long time readers, especially those who know me as an admitted ‘non-sports fan,’ are probably a bit perplexed to see a boxing photo on this blog. Allow me to explain….
For some time now, I’ve been planning to open this forum to an occasional ‘guest blogger.’ There are several reasons for this. [...]
November 16, 2011 – 8:50 pm
I’ve finally checked out Lou Lou, Loutallica, or whatever you want to call it (actual title: ‘Lulu’)- the ’stranger than fiction’ collaboration between Metallica and Lou Reed. I’ve been hearing what everyone’s been saying about the album- they don’t like it.
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By AlexSkolnick
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Tagged 4:33, Andy Warhol, art, expressionism, heavy metal, John cage, John Lennon, Lars, lars ulrich, lou reed, loutallica, lulu, metal, metal machine music, metallica, music, music industry, Pat Metheny, pop culture, rock, Shepard Fairey, Two virgins, Yoko Ono, zero tolerance for silence
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October 25, 2011 – 6:52 pm
There’s a great book called ‘The War Of Art’ (inspired by the ancient text by Sun Tzu ‘The Art Of War’), which focuses on the challenges of being creative. I first read it a couple years ago and glance at it regularly for inspiration. There are many examples within, including one description of a [...]
October 5, 2011 – 9:19 pm
With the passing of Steve Jobs, we’ve lost one of the great ones.
Like many, I’ve spent thousands of dollars on Apple products and admit occasionally grumbling about the prices, the upgrades, the compatibility of Apple Products etc… But stop [...]
By AlexSkolnick
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Tagged app, appe, computer, digital, ibooks, internet ipad, mac, macbook, music, software, steve jobs, technology
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September 26, 2011 – 2:35 pm
I’m excited to announce a new endeavor- the Skolnick & Broderick Winter Guitar Retreat. It’s a bit like a Summer camp in the winter (which is more conducive to serious music practice). No it’s not ‘cheap,’ but for the price, you get high level lodging, food and other [...]
September 20, 2011 – 9:22 am
The title of this post can be taken two ways. One is musician slang, as in the exclamation of a great performance- a phrase heard in the metal world (‘That was killer, dude’) and the jazz community (‘Man, you cats were killin’). The other is a literal killing- not of a living being, but of [...]
By AlexSkolnick
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Tagged Bob Dylan, cover, Gary Jules, Jimi Hendrix, music, music industry, pop, REM, rock, Tears For Fears, The Kinks, van halen
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September 11, 2011 – 6:44 am
As I trudged up the streets of Manhattan away from the two spheres of smoke, black serpents in the sky, I saw scores of fellow New Yorkers filing out of buildings like one of those school fire drills from my youth. But this was no drill, this was real. We were all grown up now. [...]