Back At It

 Admit it. You're still in sweatpants eating Entenmann's crumb coffee cake straight from the box with your hands between zoom meetings. It's ok.  You are all of us. As we take our first tentative steps back into a changing world, here is a smattering of upcoming big-ticket and small venue events that might help bridge the gap between your quarantine couch sitting and the full-tilt social blowout you aren't quite ready for yet.

Uncle Hank is at it once again. Everyone's favorite punk godfather is on tour after being temporarily sidelined by the entertainment venue apocalypse that befell nearly all showmen and the stages that they performed on.  Now he's back at the tip of the spear headlining dates in Europe starting after the new year and in the US this spring.  As avid fans, we advise you to catch one of his hard-hitting stream of consciousness monologues live and up close. You won't be disappointed.  For more on dates and times and to buy tickets go to https://www.henryrollins.com/tour

Did you know that Duran Duran released a new album? Did you also know that it's pretty damn good? Future Past is the band's fifteenth studio album, coming nearly forty years after their debut.  It doesn't matter if you were an out of control screaming Duranie in 1983 clutching your newly purchased albums and dreaming of running away with Simon or if you were one of the Johnny-come-lately fans from the 90s, you will enjoy this new release AND you should jump on the opportunity to see them on their mini-tour of Europe. I had the distinct pleasure of seeing this band at the height of their popularity in New York a total of four times and it was spectacular. And although I'll never be fourteen again, I can try to recapture my youth screaming along with all the other die-hard Duran lovers. Keep an eye out for possible future dates in the US. https://duranduran.com/tour/

Sowing the seeds of love. I've never understood why Tears for Fears isn't included on the "best of" rotating playlist inside of everyone's head.  In 2004 they released Everybody Loves a Happy Ending and I thought for sure that was the last we'd see of Smith and Orzabal. Even the album title sounded like a swan song. Come to find out, after all the hiatuses and unfulfilled wishes the band is releasing The Tipping Point on February 25th, 2022 and they are going to tour in support of it. Music to our ears. http://tearsforfears.com

Think back to a time when we were sure we were coming out of pandemic mode but jumped the gun prematurely and started scheduling all sorts of events and concerts only to have our new plans canceled because wave after wave of new sinister variants, each with whimsical greek names, put us back in our hazmat suits and bunkers. In that brief moment of early hope, the Cruel World festival was born, and then true to its name, it ended up on the trash heap of events that never happened. Well, guess what? Cruel World has risen from the ashes with most of its original lineup intact (only Gary Numan and Marc Almond are gone from the bill). So if you want your dose of Blondie, Bauhaus, Devo, Morrissey, Psychedelic Furs, Violent Femmes, Echo & the Bunnymen, English Beat, Public Image Limited.. etc, etc, etc, then get yourself to Pasadena, California's rescheduled festival. http://cruelworldfest.com

Not ready yet? That's ok too. Netflix & Amazon prime video will be cranking out content until the end of time and we'll be here waiting for you.

An Oscilloscope – A Quick Overview

In this article, we will explain to you what an oscilloscope is, how it works as well as how it can be used.

What it is
An oscilloscope is used to visually represent a waveform for a period using a graph with the two axes. The parallel axis is used to represent time, while the upright axis is used to represent amplitude.

Oscilloscopes are used during music production to assist sound synthesis and dynamics processing. The signal chain of both usages has an oscilloscope placed at the end of the chain. The purpose is to allow it analyze the overall effects of all the plugins that have been placed ahead of it. Generally, Oscilloscope PLUGINS (WIN/MAC/LINUX) despite their frequent usage towards the end of the chain, like other analysis plugins, can be still be inserted anywhere. This will allow you to analyze that point's signal.



Usage Scope
When making music and you place a drum riff in the audio track of a DAW, what you will see is a stationary waveform region or clip. You can read this article to know what a waveform is. This static waveform is a representation of the initial audio when it was being inserted.

When an oscilloscope is finally inserted after every other thing has been placed in a signal chain, the stationary waveform will then be displayed straightaway. You can then see how it was affected by processing and also how it will look after final production.

If you are compressing a drum riff, using an oscilloscope aid in the observation of how the attack time affects each drum's hit initial spike (transient portion). If the attack period is fast, the transient will be squashed; hence, the height of the hit being displayed will decrease. But if a high ratio of compression, fast release time, and low threshold are combined, the height of the hit being displayed will increase because the tail and the hit have been increased.

Oscilloscopes aid in sound designing. It can be used to function as a sort of sonic microscope that the producer can use to observe a waveform's single cycles. With it, direct observation of the slow and low-pass filtration of a wave with rich harmonics as it progressively concludes its sharp corners is possible.



Also, you can observe the modulation of a pulse width when it has been placed on a wave (square). Generally, oscilloscopes have become very important in the understanding of synthesis concepts.

Setting Up Your Oscilloscope
Before you begin to use an oscilloscope, you must know certain things. The measurements given on the parallel axis could vary; it could be time division, samples, or musical values such as note lengths. On the other hand, dB is always the measurement found on the upright axis.

You can alter the axes' scales to allow you to view the waveform better by zooming in or out. The upright axis is usually set so that the display can be maximized. The parallel axis however is the more interesting. You can measure an individual wave cycle closely by zooming in, or you can view the larger waveform by zooming out.

An individual wave cycle's measurement, when used at a certain frequency, remains the same provided it is measured in milliseconds. If it is measured in samples, it indicates that the measurement is dependent on your DAW's sample rate.



One 100Hz wave cycle with a sample of 44,100kHz, in turn, will have a representation of 441 samples. But if this same wave cycle uses a 96kHz sample, it will then have a representation of 960 samples. Therefore, put this into consideration during the configuration of the units on the parallel axis.

Oscilloscopes working in a mode known as "free-running" draw the waveform usually starting from the left and moves to the right. It does this until the display's right-hand corner is hit. This action will then cause it to retrigger/reset thereby starting the plotting processing again.

The trace existing waveform is then overwritten. Consequently, the period the device uses in filling the display might not in perfect synchronization with the frequency of the waveform, this will lead the display to bounce around randomly.

To counter this, most oscilloscopes function in the mode called "classic". In this case, once the level has passed the parallel axis' center point, the device begins to plot from the display's left again. This way, the waveforms can be steadily observed.

Conclusion
Oscilloscopes have proved helpful in music production over the last couple of years. And until something better is invented, they will remain great tools for sound analysis.

The Best Lessons And Classes In Tango Dancing London

Dancing is something that brings people together. We often hear a song and we can't stop ourselves from wanting to dance. That's the beauty of music. The more you dance, the more good you feel about yourself. There are different dancing techniques that people do.

Some dance professionally as well. However, you might not know this, but dancing improves health as well. People burn calories by moving around constantly. Our muscles become stronger and we have fun at the same time. Check out the link for more details http://www.tangotouch.ca/health-benefits-of-tango/.

Nowadays, people are obsessed with tango. The dance comes from Argentina and it's excellent to know it. It will help you understand better the culture of Argentina and why people invented the dance in the first place. It has a specific technique that can be learned by a proper professional tutor.

If you want to learn the technique, then make sure to find an expert that will give you the best lessons there are. This is the only way to learn the routine. Or you can watch tutorials online and practice on them. It's not so difficult to learn. You just have to have the determination and willingness to do so. Here are some facts that come with this form of dancing:



Improves posture
Thanks to computers, we can easily suffer back pain and muscle tension. What's worse, your back can hurt a lot more when you're older. Physical activity helps the body develop better posture and muscle strength. It's good for your health. It is encouraged that people do any kind of physical activity so that their muscles can develop a better form. It's the first step to a healthier lifestyle.

You don't precisely have to go to a gym to obtain all of that. Any form of dancing is just as practical for the body as the rest. Tango dancing can help you achieve that quickly. It also improves coordination and balance. You don't have to endure pain in the back anymore. Just make sure to enroll in a class with a private tutor to learn the technique. Before you know it, you'll dance quite elegantly.

Reduces stress
Not everything in life goes as we plan. Sometimes we have to endure frustration and anxiety because of problems in our lives. It is healthy to learn to channel that stress into something productive. Tango can help with that. Not only will you have fun, but you'll also spend all of that frustration on making yourself feel better.
Dance and music are like chicken soup for the soul. They will help you relax and leave all of your troubles behind. It's better than to keep everything locked up until you finally explode. Tango is the healthiest way to relieve yourself of all that negative energy and start smiling once again. London is filled with passionate tutors, ready to give lessons to eager souls like you. You can learn tango dance in no time.

Improves cardiac health
For those looking to burn a few calories, this dance can be one of the ways to do it. If you don't want to go to sweaty gyms and work out there, then try something a little more creative. Dancing is not as easy as it looks. It requires a lot of muscle movement as well. You can easily get tired of it. A lot of researchers suggest that tango improves cardiac health. How cool is that? You can have fun dancing around and lose a few pounds along the way.

Creative expression
Music and dancing are considered an art form. They help a person express their creativity and emotion by singing or moving around freely in space. Of course, the tango has a specific routine, but that will only help you unleash the inner dancer in you as well. Click here for more.

Maybe tango can be one of your strong suits that enrich your life. If you can't find anything through which you can express what you feel, then try this one. With the right lessons and little time, you can achieve to be a great dancer. You can do it alone or take someone with you to the lessons.

The Top Online Guitar Lessons that You Should Check

If you want to have a great music career, a good place to start is to learn the basics of a guitar. If you want to know the chords and play actual music, you can consider getting a guitar teacher. Read more about guitar chords in this link here.

A great guitar teacher has a lot of ways in helping a student become better. You could learn the basics in just a few hours when you have a teacher compared to doing it on your own. Your progress will be rapid, and you will play the guitar in the right way.

If you are considering getting guitar lessons, then here are some of the best options that you can consider:

Top Online Guitar Lessons in 2019

1. GuitarTricks
GuitarTricks is a fast, fun, and easy way to learn the guitar. They boast a Core Learning System where their students can make music even from the very first day. You can follow a step-by-step system that is organized and has interconnected lessons. Some of the lessons have a lot of guitar tabs, camera angles, jam tracks and a lot of other tools that can help jumpstart your guitar playing.

You can also benefit from the 60-day trial window, accomplished instructors, downloadable videos, and apps for mobiles. You can read more about GuitarTricks in sites such as https://www.bestonlineguitarlessonswizard.com/. These sites can provide a more comprehensive guide about these lessons as well as their pros and cons.

2. TrueFire
TrueFire boasts a lot of guitar styles such as jazz, rock, blues, classical, acoustic and country among others. They have learning paths, courses, lessons, jams, educators and classrooms available for each style.

You can choose an instructor for a private lesson and each of them is well-equipped to teach you with techniques and methods. You can interact with your instructor through a lot of tools that are available as iOS applications such as charts, lesson plans, discussion threads, video messaging, tabs, notations, and jam tracks.

The lessons comprise of 10 modules and they are arranged in chronological order. There's also a feature called “In the Jam” where guitar novices can get into jamming sessions with some of their preferred artists.

Some of the benefits that you can get with TrueFire include affordable membership rates, money-back guarantee, over 140 certified instructors available, and interactive experience through videos.

3. JamPlay
With JamPlay, you can learn beginner, advanced, acoustic, country, blues and a lot of other guitar lessons. There are a lot of guitar lessons published every 30 days and daily lessons are available for every student who wants to learn.

You can join the JamPlay's community where thousands of members can give you encouragement and tips. There's a comprehensive chord library that contains over 950,000 chords. There's a scale library where you can view a comprehensive collection of guitar scales, famous solos, interactive videos, and more. All the lessons are filmed by professionals and all videos are in high resolutions.

You can benefit from live classes, live video chats with your instructors, and the courses which are suitable to all levels of guitar players.

4. Jamorama
This is considered as the social network of guitar novices regardless of their location around the world. You can make collaborations with other expert guitarists, share tips with newfound friends, watch video lessons at your own pace, and a lot more.

Jamorama can show you how learning the guitar doesn't have to be a lonely experience. The social feature can help you get motivated. On top of these, the courses that they are offering are all tested and proven to work for a lot of people. You can enroll in courses such as beginners, fingerstyle, speed picking, learning about chords, and a lot more. Read more about fingerstyle guitar here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fingerstyle_guitar.

You can print a lot of guitar lessons from your course which you can practice at your own convenience. Jamorama can give you a lifetime membership in less than a hundred dollars. You can have a dynamic learning experience with Jamorama compared to other sites.

5. ArtistWorks
ArtistWorks is dedicated to providing every student with interactive and affordable access to guitar lessons all over the world. It can be considered as a one-stop shop where you can play electric guitars, bass, piano, and a lot more. There are specific instructors who can provide you with what you need.

There are schools that focus on a single genre of the type of lesson that you want to learn. You can also gain access to a wide variety of eBooks and gain support from a lot of social media platforms. You can also record your own videos and send it to your instructor for review.

A Lot of Guitar Lessons to Choose From



The sites mentioned above are some of the best ones that offer affordable courses to their students. You have to pick the ones that have a lot of experience teaching beginner students. You can check each website's "About Us" section and courses in order to know more about them.

The Damned Announce Fall 2018 US Tour

The band will be hitting the States for a two-week run beginning in mid October in Boston and wrapping up on November 2nd in Los Angeles. Meet & greets are available for most of the dates. Tickets are available here.

October 17 - Boston, Paradise
October 18 - New York, Irving Plaza
October 19 - Asbury Park, Stone Pony
October 20 - Washington D.C., Black Cat
October 21 - Philadelphia, Theatre Of Living Arts
October 25 - Denver, Gothic Theatre
October 26 - Salt Lake City, The Depot
October 27 - Las Vegas, House Of Blues
October 28 - Tempe, Marquee Theater
October 31 - San Francisco, Regency Ballroom
November 1 - Santa Cruz, The Catalyst
November 2 - Los Angeles, Henry Fonda Theatre

LISTEN NOW: Penny Mob, "21st Century Kids"

This new track from Penny Mob kicks major ass!

First Listen: Chvrches, "Get Out"

First single in two years is a hot one!

Pixies & Weezer To Embark On BEST TOUR EVER This Summer!

Weezer and the Pixies will be co-headlining a massive seven-week tour this summer. Not only that, The Wombats will be opening on the June 23-July 15 dates!

Dates are below. Tickets go on sale on November 10th.

6/23/18 Tampa, FL @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
6/26/18 New Orleans, LA @ Bold Sphere Music at Champions Square
6/27/18 Dallas, TX @ Starplex Pavilion
6/29/18 Houston, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
6/30/18 Austin, TX @ Austin360 Amphitheater
7/6/18 Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
7/7/18 Tinley Park, IL @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
7/8/18 Noblesville, IN @ Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
7/10/18 Burgettstown, PA @ KeyBank Pavilion
7/11/18 Cuyahoga Falls, OH @ Blossom Music Center
7/13/18 Clarkston, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
7/14/18 Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage
7/15/18 Syracuse, NY @ Lakeview Amphitheatre
7/17/18 Mansfield, MA @ Xfinity Center
7/18/18 Wantagh, NY @ Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
7/20/18 Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
7/21/18 Camden, NJ @ BB&T Pavilion
7/22/18 Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live
7/24/18 Raleigh, NC @ Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
7/25/18 Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion
7/27/18 Atlanta, GA @ Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood
7/28/18 Nashville, TN @ Ascend Amphitheater
7/29/18 Rogers, AR @ Walmart AMP
7/31/18 Greenwood Village, CO @ Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre
8/1/18 West Valley City, UT @ USANA Amphitheatre
8/4/18 Auburn, WA @ White River Amphitheatre
8/7/18 Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
8/11/18 Chula Vista, CA @ Mattress Firm Amphitheatre
8/12/18 Phoenix, AZ @ AK-Chin Pavilion

COVER SONG OF THE DAY: Street Joy, "Hot For Teacher"

From 2017, here's Street Joy with their awesome take on the Van Halen classic.

Enjoy!

Black Kids' Rookie Out Today!

Black Kids released Rookie, their first album since 2008's Partie Traumatic. We listened to about half of it so far and love it.

Want to check out Rookie? Pick your poison.

Here's one of our favorites, "In A Song:"