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| photo by George A. Paul |
Each January, music industry professionals from around the world descend upon the Anaheim Convention Center in Southern California for the winter NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) Show.
Among the biggest trade shows in America, it features displays of all the
latest music gear and technological advancements, performances by rising
and established performers, fan signings, seminars, demonstrations, retail instrument sales deals and much more.
Held
Jan. 21-24, The NAMM Show drew a record-setting 1,700 exhibitors and
101,000 registrants (16,000 came from 125 different countries) over the course
of the event. There’s such a wide variety of things to see and do that
it’s impossible to do everything. Here is a rundown of what I
experienced.
Thursday, Jan. 21
Many past NAMM attendees can attest that the initial daily Breakfast of Champions Session at the
Hilton Anaheim is a must see because it usually includes top name
musicians live or in conversation with NAMM President/CEO Joe Lamond.
The Day 1 agenda, featuring Graham Nash, St. Vincent and Jake
Shimabukuro, was no exception.
First up was Shimabukuro, the acclaimed ukulele player known for his studio work with Alan Parsons, Ziggy Marley, Bela Fleck and as a frequent tour mate with Jimmy Buffett.
Accompanied
by bassist Nolan Verner, Shimabukuro’s four-song set started with the
title track to last year’s “Travels” CD. Using a mahogany Kamaka tenor
uke, the gorgeous tune started calmly before he got into some intense
strumming. A cover of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” saw the Hawaiian musician progressing from a light to vigorous touch and having fun.
The popular take on George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” – which made Shimabukuro a YouTube sensation in ’06 – was a wonder to behold. The audience applauded halfway through and the pair concluded with an intense jam.
Joining Lamond for a brief chat, Shimabukuro discussed his career and charity endeavors. Citing the benefits of the ukulele, he said it’s tiny, affordable, very
easy to play and fits with the modern lifestyle. “If you want to hike a
trail, you can take it with you. I hear stories about how people
started playing and it changed their lives.”
Of his involvement with the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, Shimabukuro said,
“my heart is totally in music education…music and the arts are like
P.E. for the mind.” The musician also noted that playing an instrument
can help deter kids from drugs and joining gangs.
Annie Clark AKA St. Vincent talked with Lamond about her new signature Ernie Ball Music
Man electric guitar. “I put all of my 20 years’ experience into it. I
always looked at the guitar as a noise generator and explored ways to
use it as a full palate…This is an equal opportunity ergonomic guitar.
I’m a small person,
so it needed to be light. I’m a fan of (early ‘80s New Wave artist)
Klaus Nomi and angular shapes. I wanted it to have tone flexibility and a super-friendly neck to not discourage learning."
She recounted her time growing
up in Dallas and joining The Polyphonic Spree and collaborating with
Sufjan Stevens before branching off to go solo. When asked about
inspirations, Clark cited Nirvana and David Bowie.
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| photo by George A. Paul |
Nash put out a memoir (“Wild Tales: A Rock & Roll Life”) in 2013 and is set to release his first solo album in 14 years (“This Path Tonight”) on April 15 via Blue Castle Records.
With Lamond, the legendary singer/songwriter reminisced about forming The Hollies with childhood friend Alan Clark and moving to California, where he hooked up with David
Crosby and Stephen Stills. “When I first heard us sing together in Joni
Mitchell’s living room, I knew what we had together in one minute: that
vocal sound.” Other topics Nash touched upon were...
Collaborations:
“One simple thing. Music is the most important thing in (CSN’s)
relationship. It’s the essence of what we do…if you show me your best,
I’ll bring it every day.”
recording experience was on mono 2-track.”
Playing Woodstock with Crosby, Stills, Nash (and Young): “A lot of people don’t know that was only our second gig in front of people. And we had the balls to have Joni open for us.”
Making music: “No amount of technology can make a bad song a good one.”
Life and philosophy: “I was fortunate enough to have my parents’ encouragement at a time when people said rock ‘n’ roll wouldn’t last…I’m exactly the same as you. I’m grateful to be a citizen of this country.”
Inside the convention center, I caught the TEC Tracks Sessions keynote with Eddie Kramer.
The legendary producer/engineer/mixer did a frequently humorous audio-visual presentation. It included rare black and white photos from Kramer’s archives about
major recordings that he worked on during the 1960s and ‘70s (Jimi
Hendrix, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, KISS, Frank Zappa).
Kramer
relayed how he started as a tea boy in a British studio and worked in
Pye Studios in 1963, recording The Kinks and Sammy Davis Jr. Moving on
to Olympic Sound Studio was the “beginning of huge innovation and
breaking new ground. Being independent let us be adventurous.”
There were plenty of fascinating stories from Kramer.
He recalled how Hendrix performed “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club” live after getting an advance copy. Members of The Beatles were in the audience and reportedly were
so blown away that they went back into the studio and redid the
guitars. While doing the Fab Four’s “All You Need is Love” single, John
Lennon played acoustic guitar in the control room and Kramer had to find a way to properly record him there.
For
Led Zep’s “Whole Lotta Love,” they cranked the reverb up and left
mistakes in. During “Black Country Woman” (recorded outside of Mick
Jagger’s estate with a mobile studio), the sound of an approaching plane
was left in.
“We’re so obsessed with ProTools and cleanliness. Just let the music flow.”
Among
Kramer’s current projects is building a studio inside Toronto’s famed
El Mocambo nightclub and his Tesla-inspired signature F-pedals,
wirelessly powered through induction.
The Grammy Award-winning
producer/engineer/mixer - whose credits include Wilco, Crowded House,
Dixie Chicks, Tom Petty, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters, Sting and
Jack’s Mannequin – described having to work his way up from the bottom
at The Record Plant at 28 after leaving his career as an engineering
geologist. The advent of MTV and demand for videos led to experience recording and filming concerts for broadcast.
Being hired
for The Police concert film “Synchronicity” resulted in high profile
jobs like assisting Daniel Lanois on Robbie Robertson’s self-titled
CD. Scott said his work ethic revolves around “being intelligent and doing a good job…I try to say ‘yes’ to everything.
After 30+
years in the business, Scott said “I keep working because I love it.
Some artists are picky, but your job is to keep them on task.
“It’s the best job in the world and I’m good at it. I don’t want to retire.”
Friday, Jan. 22
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| photo by George A. Paul |
They used the retro-looking rectangular instruments during a tasty acoustic set. It featured selections from 2015’s “California Hurricane,” including the laid back title track, a bluesy jam bolstered by Sarven’s Manguiat’s slide guitar and the funky, Ben Harper-esque “Hold it Together.”
The Inland Empire Music Award-winning trio drew a good sized crowd and received an enthusiastic reaction – no easy feat. Acclaimed soul pedal steel guitarist Robert Randolph even turned up to jam with them.
Heading
upstairs to the ESP Guitars room, John Jorgenson and Brad Davis did a
35-minute set. The former (pictured below) is best known for high profile stints with Desert Rose Band,
Elton John and The Hellecasters and a Grammy-winning leader among
gypsy jazz guitarists.
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| photo by George A. Paul |
The latter guitarist has worked with Marty Stuart and
Warren Zevon, had a song recorded by Tim McGraw and is widely known for his
flatpicking technique.
They have recorded together and toured with Earl
Scruggs, so there was a friendly rapport while playing Americana and
gypsy jazz-leaning songs on Takamine acoustic guitars.
Standouts included two songs off Jorgenson’s 2015 box set “Divertuoso” -
“Feather” and “Travelin’ Angels” – which finely displayed his
fast-fingered fretwork and breezy folk style.
Just two weeks after the passing of David Bowie, some fans at NAMM were drawn to see
Mike Garson, who did several demonstrations on grand piano in conjunction with Ilio's Synthogy Ivory II Grand Piano virtual instrument.
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| photo by George A. Paul |
The acclaimed keyboardist played on more than a dozen Bowie album from 1973-2010, ranging from "Aladdin Sane" and "Young Americans" to "Earthling" and "Reality," as well as with Smashing Pumpkins and Nine Inch Nails.
Without any fanfare late Friday afternoon, he quietly sat down at the piano and proceeded to do a half hour instrumental jazz set with a standup bassist and trumpeter. Unfortunately, for Bowie enthusiasts, Garson didn't play any of his longtime employer's songs.
Yamaha always dazzles with its special show for instrument dealers and invited guests.
This year’s New Product Happening was held at the Marriott. Everything
kicked off with Caroline Campbell showing off her deft classical and
rock skills using the Yamaha electric violin. Backed by a full band led
by bassist Nathan East, she did some spirited playing on a cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir” that went down a storm.
Next
up was Jon McLaughlin (pictured below). The Indiana singer/songwriter has recorded with
Sara Bareilles, Demi Lovato and Jason Mraz, heard in movies, TV and
Disney’s California Adventure, performed at the Academy Awards and
notched two top 40 adult rock hits.
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| photo by Shalon Goss |
He did two songs on piano from his
latest album “Like Us.” The dramatic, yearning of “Down in History” was compelling, while the effusive, tongue-in-cheek “Don’t Mess with My
Girl” arrived with McLaughlin's lighthearted boxing-themed music video in the
background.
Veteran
smooth jazz keyboardist Bob James appeared via a video to play
alongside the live band.
Following a quick clip introducing RevStar
(Yamaha’s first new electric
guitar model in a decade), Nashville’s Apollo Ltd. impressed mightily
with “March On,” a tune from their debut EP that brought to mind
OneRepublic.
Another song found the alt-dance duo deftly interpolating
ELO’s “Evil Woman” in soulful fashion with the backing band’s female
singers. They played with plenty of spirit and are definitely ones to
watch.
Saturday, Jan. 23
The
Grand Rally for Music Education, held at the Hilton, opened with music
from the Canadian Brass. Incorporating humor into their introductions
and performance, the veteran Grammy and Juno Award-winning music
ensemble did Bach’s “Fugue in G minor” and really got the crowd excited
with a cover of The Beatles’ “Penny Lane.”
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| photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for NAMM |
Weird
Al Yankovic was interviewed by NAMM Foundation Executive Director Mary
Luehrsen. A longtime advocate for music education, Yankovic talked about
how starting accordion
lessons at 7 was hard, but it got him to stand out. “I wanted to rock,”
he said. “Playing accordion warped me, but Mad Magazine finished the
job.”
Citing
Sixties comedy singer/producer Allan Sherman as an early influence, Yankovic “thought
I could do something similar.” While doing a radio show at his San Luis
Obispo, Calif. college, he recorded a parody of The Knack’s “My
Sharona” called "My Bologna" and submitted a tape to KMET FM/LA deejay
Dr. Demento. The song immediately became popular.
“Part
of me knew if I was serious about the accordion, I’d be playing
weddings and Bar Mitzvahs all my life. I tried original songs, but my
twisted self” worked better.
One early song got bootlegged from the Demento show and was being played in New Zealand “way before things went viral.”
Luehrsen
asked how he stays topical with the parodies and Yankovic admitted it’s
“all about finding the sweet spot. It’s always a puzzle to coordinate
everything and make it feel timely.”
He always makes use
of the latest technology. “Doing vocals in analog is something I hope
to never do again. Purists, I’m sorry. You can’t hold onto old business
models.” As an
example, Yankovic mentioned making several music videos for his latest album to put on various online platforms.
Looking back
at the early days of MTV, he said, “it was bad, like guerilla TV. The
VJs stumbled upon their words. They let me do a 4-hour block of anything
I wanted called ‘Al TV.’ You couldn’t do that today.”
Back out on the convention center floor, Mike Elizondo was at the Avid booth for a Pensado’s Place interview. With
production credits ranging from Switchfoot, Carrie Underwood and Alanis
Morissette to Eminem, 50 Cent and Dr. Dre, Elizondo’s appearance drew
an overflow crowd.
He admitted about working
with Underwood, “I was nervous at first because I’d never done country.
She immediately put me at ease and said ‘don’t try.’ Keith Urban was
the same way.”
Stressing the
importance of being a bass player (of which he is also one): “There
would be no rock ‘n’ roll” without them. "They are the bridge between
the harmony and melody.”
Elizondo
told aspiring musicians to “figure out where you excel and make sure
your composition is as strong as it can be before showing it to people.
Your voice shapes you.”
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| photo by Robert Kinsler |
Highlights
included infectious harmonica-laced opener “Ride with Me,” a tight take
on the Everly Brothers’ “Wake Up Little Suzie” (with Jacob wielding a
well-worn Taylor acoustic
guitar), the rockin’ “Done” (a Band Perry hit they co-wrote), The rave
up “Problematic Chemistry,” a frenetic “Oh Melissa” (self-described as
“our acoustic harmonies meet punk”), plus the jaunty “Be My Girl,” which
was punctuated by trumpet and featured on ABC TV’s “Nashville.”
The
big outdoor evening Legends Concert on the Grand Plaza Stage included
several singers who came to fame in the 1960s and ‘70s, performing a
couple songs each. They admitted they didn’t rehearse or sound check, so
things got a bit rough at times. Yet the spirit was still there.
Guitarist Spencer Davis handled lead vocal on his band's “Gimme Some Lovin’”
(originally by Steve Winwood).
Keyboardist
Bill Champlin of Chicago proved the best of the lot while turning in a
soulful cover of George Benson’s “Turn Your Love Around” with assists
from
female backing vocalists. Founding Toto singer Bobby Kimball was quite a
character, doing a grandiose delivery on hits like “Africa” (Dexter
Espinoza handled the verses), “Hold the Line” and an extended “Rosanna,”
where Champlin sat in.
Chuck Negron did admirably on Three Dog Night staples “Mama Told Me Not to Come,” “One” and “Joy to
the World.” Jim Sohns from The Shadows of Night led everyone in an
all-star finale of his 1966 hit “Gloria.”
Later that night, singer/songwriter Will Champlin - who finished in the top 3 during Season 5 of NBC TV singing competition "The Voice" and is the son of Chicago's Bill Champlin - played tracks from his 2014 album "Borrowing Trouble" at the Marriott stage.
Performing solo, he looped added music and vocals to get a "one man band" sound. Folk/blues tune "Heat of Passion" (heard on HBO), found Champlin adding slide guitar and wailing. The stomping "Borrowing Trouble" proved equally intense.
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