ROLLING #1: Mike Love - Permanent Holiday (ACOUSTIC)
Hello, dear Steemit community! This is my first post on music, part of ROLLING, an ongoing series of artists, songs, and albums that have stuck with me and others, but perhaps are not as popular or relevant at the current time.
On this first edition of ROLLING, I would like to present to you this wonderful artist, Mike Love.
Born in Hawaii, Mike Love is a preacher of art, love, and passion for life. His debut album "The Change I'm Seeking" is just wonderful. It's filled with many different types of sounds, not just reggae, but also jazz, pop, and roots. Despite the fact that this rasta warrior's main instrument is the guitar, he is more than a mere axe player. Love is a genius musical composer and arranger, evidenced in the brass sections and the beautiful mix of percussion and bass, which show a degree of music production that's just stellar for a debut album.
Being a guitar player myself, I cannot express anything but admiration for Love's rhythmic and lead playing. He achieves what many of us struggle to do: Playing both rhythms and leads at the same time. That's a skill shared by many great guitarists, including Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Steve Vai.
But Love goes beyond that. In this video, where Love plays an "acoustic" rendition of Permanent Holiday, he breaks the barriers of acoustic and electric guitar playing, creating a unique and mesmerizing experience. Love plays textbook reggae lines and licks, but all of sudden he slips in jazz chords and solos that take you on a journey through a variety of musical genres and influences.
When I say "break the barriers" I truly mean it. Besides being a great instrumentalist and singer, Mike uses a massive pedalboard with loop pedals among many others. The pedals alter the sound of his voice and guitar, but specifically, the loop pedals allow him to repeat a phrase until he decides to stop. This makes it so Mike can multiply himself and deliver a whole new level of performance. Loop pedals are nothing new, but just hear what he does in the following video of him playing Permanent Holiday.
Whether you like reggae or not, you'll find yourself nodding and opening your heart to Love's lyrics, teeming with heartwarming ideas and screams calling for love and justice to become the predominant forces in the universe.
I hope you've enjoyed this edition of ROLLING, you can expect more great music and artists each week.
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I'll see you next week!