Spotlight, Stevie Ray Vaughan

I thought to start a guitar players Spotlight thread series, and I think I have to start with Stevie Ray Vaughan, that is my nr.1 player in history and "personal hero". Why is that, I try to explain it here.

Stephen "Stevie" Ray Vaughan also known as SRV, the abbreviation itself become even trademark that many guitar related products hold.

I picked two videos to this spotlight where first one is an interview of great blues player Albert Cummings where he speak of Stevie as his main influence. He had almost same impressions that I had when I started to study SRV playing.



I leave all the birthdate details etc, etc, to Wiki's and others if someone interested, I concentrate in my "spotlight" to my opinion, why this player was so unique, so extraordinary actually, that inspired players generation to come.

Stevie Ray's approach to playing was intense, he played his "number one" '62 modified Fender Stratocaster very thick strings that gave him very "strong" sound and I think not every strings could last in his "treatment" very long anyway.

At this point is good to take other video, which is his performance from El Mocambo gig in 1983 and that year Stevie did his big breakthrough to one of the most memorable guitar players. This is from his early career and there are many "better" quality videos of his playing, but I wanted to pick this, because it shows what stevie had even in early of his career that was noticed a names like Albert King forexample.



Its whole gig and I strongly suggest especially new guitar players or people who dont know Stevie (if there is any, but could be) take that one hour to lay back and watch, listen and learn everything you can. Thanks to internet this is possible today. If I could been there... :/

Like Eric Clapton said on one interview, Stevie seemed never be "lost" anyway, music just flowed continuously from him warying from passionate rage to gently picked stuff that made him one of the most soulful players on earth. That "idea" is way I myself always wanted to apply to my playing and study and trying to apply it most of the time I play.

what comes to his performances, He had an ability to grab the strong attention when he played and tricks like 33:00 felt just everyday "showdowns" with his technique, but try that, Even in easiest leads and then listen how accurate stevie is when he do that.

at the end I want to point out the ending of the 1st part of the gig, that start 41:50. It left me totally speechless first time I seen it, that its not even need explanation. Just watch it to the end :).

for more info

http://www.srvofficial.com/us/home


Hope ya liked this. Now I run out of time
-Emp

Great post Emp! Oh that poor Strat. Third stone from the sun. What an awesome song and Stevie did it right! I never noticed the tremolo arm on his Strat is on the top of the bridge instead of the bottom. I had the pleasure of seeing SRV with Jeff Beck back in the 80's. It was incredible! I'm still sad that he and Jimi left us so early.

i love the concept, but i personally have to commit a little bit of blasphemy and say that i don't agree with your choice of SRV...

first, a bit of subjective opinion. i never got SRV. i love classic guitar rock, but i just never got into SRV. never enjoyed his music at all. i understand and appreciate that it's "good music" but it just never struck an emotional cord with me. or chord. hah.

that being said, the reason i disagree with him as a choice is because... well, he's SRV! everyone knows who he is! he doesn't need a spotlight, he's been in one since he came on the scene!

but don't get me wrong i love the idea, and i do appreciate the fact that, even though i may not care for him, i understand that other people do (and boy, do they!).

alright i'm going to try to think of a good one for you guys.

OKAY questino --- so i really like this idea of a "guitar player spotlight" but this topic is titled with SRV in it. i'm just going to go ahead and act like this is a thread where we can all share spotlights of some of our favorites. not trying to steer this thread away from SRV by any means but i think it would be cool to see other guitarists spotlighted in this manner. maybe this should be a sticky thread or something? i don't know. that being said, i settled with:

another three-named, abbreviated guitarist: ORL aka omar rodriguez-lopez, of at the drive-in and more famously the mars volta. again nothing against SRV, but ORL's music just hits me like a brick to the teeth. it really helps that the bands he's with also speak to me on a level i find personally interesting. both ATDI and mars volta had this crazy feel to both their music and lyrics. ORL is an insane lefty guitarist and his stage persona is on a level of bonkers that matches what he's playing.


-interesting interview about pedal usage, and how being limited can induce creativity (something i believe).


-not my favorite song, but a good intro to ORL. i don't have to point him out, it will be painfully obvious ~30 seconds into this performance.


-this is my favorite ATDI song. it rocks. it's not the best video, ORL is the same lefty on the left side of the screen, and the camera isn't focusing on him BUT i love it because near the 1:00 mark, during the pre-chorus you can hear the absolute typical ORL riff. it's just so out of place and out of key and piercing and it fits the song so beautifully... of course the song is hectic and chaotic and full of fear and dread and the riff just embodies that feeling so well. what i'm trying to say is that, this is not uncommon. this is a typical ORL guitar riff and whenever i hear guitar licks that come near this (i've heard a couple recently but i forgot which bands), i instantly think of ORL.

last one:

-after ATDI, ORL went on with half of ATDI to form the mars volta a band which so many people love, but an equal number of people hate. i love what i've heard from them. this is a long song, but it's epic, and it's one hell of a guitar performance.

Nice one gx,Omar is a great choise and Im one who is "cursed?" or "blessed?" to be those who love mars volta :D.

Yeah, what comes to thread, Ive thought to do a Spotlight thread, but then I know how computers work most of the cases when one thread have many videos, so I thought it would be better to make it a thread series like Spotlight, "name" to ease a load on one thread.

I chose SRV because its my main influence, do he need a "spotlight" or not, I dont mind, but even today there become interviews, tributes and all the stuff like that regarding SRV, so why not one spotlight too eh? :D,

Also been said that it could be same thing than I spoke dozens of people who tell they are a music lovers and listen much music, but they do not know Herbie Hancock. And believe me, 14 grammy awards and other awards gained keyboardist is hell, atleast as well known than SRV, maybe even more, but people do not know him O_O...

Doh well, Thanks for the Omar Spotlight anyway, I really enjoyed this, also I never watched that ATDI video, it was great.

-Emp