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Ugo Group: Members Posts: 5495 Joined: April 2000 Posted: Mar. 03 2009, 09:00 What I like most about this tubular.net board is that, like other music boards (although this is the only one where I'm really, really active...), this is not only a great place to talk about a favourite musician of ours, but also a great place to find out about new music (see the "What are you playing this very second?" thread). Through this board I've been made aware of a guy who's probably the only "Christian DJ" in the world, an Englishman called Andy Hunter; I've approached and gladly walked into the minimalistically electronic realms of Pole, Tosca and Kit Clayton; I've learned about the sample-based wanderings of people like Shpongle and Lemon Jelly; I've gotten into Björk (I had nothing of her, bought something, loved it, bought something else and something else); I've seriously gotten into Sigur Rós (especially their early stuff); and, lastly but not leastly, I've re-acquainted myself with Roy Orbison's Sixties hits, which I was not really familiar with until I bought the Black & White Night DVD (only because Bruce Springsteen is in it) and until Wiga here started talking about the hauntingness of songs like "In Dreams" and "Crying"... ...So I think this is the best place I know to ask for suggestions about new artists. As you may know, I'm a pianist and keyboardist, so I'm naturally drawn towards people who play piano and keyboards. That's, for example, how I got to know Queen - I was fascinated by Freddie Mercury's great piano performance on "Bohemian Rhapsody". That's how I got to know Tori Amos - I heard her playing her piano, liked it, then I heard her singing like Kate Bush, loved it. That's how I've got to know The Fray's "How to Save a Life" (and then quickly dropped them because they always sound the same... ), and that's how I got to know and appreciate The Killers - because of their mix of 'alternative' guitars and pop keyboards. Because of all this, I would like to ask you: are there any new artists out there whose music is based on, or features, piano, keyboards or both? I'm not looking for instrumental music - I'm looking for music belonging to any genre, but where piano and keyboards are played - and heard - as a part of a whole. The only exception to this is the so-called "Prog Metal" - I know Dream Theater and they're enough, for me. I look forward to your suggestions! -------------- Ugo C. - a devoted Amarokian Back to top

amazarak Group: Members Posts: 284 Joined: Mar. 2005 Posted: Mar. 03 2009, 12:11 You can try to check out Canadian guy "Gonzales"... he has committed one "solo piano" album, and is actually quite a good piano/keyboard player: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MvXybG3sSI You can watch his other videos on youtube and see if that suits you... Of course there's a plenty of marvellous jazz players, but I have no expertise in that (yet)... cheers -------------- Just hold your heading true Got to get your finest out Back to top

Ugo Group: Members Posts: 5495 Joined: April 2000 Posted: Mar. 03 2009, 12:42 Quote (amazarak @ Mar. 03 2009, 18:11) You can try to check out Canadian guy "Gonzales"... Playing piano with white gloves? That's weird for sure. However, apart from this, I would rather hear different stuff from this guy - for example pop or rap (from what I read, I understand he is - or was - a rapper), or maybe some pieces where he sings while playing piano, and possibly keyboards as well. But most of his videos on YouTube are just piano... as long as I am happy to listen to solo piano compositions, I have Wim Mertens, George Winston, Giovanni Allevi and Ludovico Einaudi, and they're enough. From what I heard on YouTube, Gonzales sounds jazzy... and I don't like jazz. It's rock and pop I'm really interested in. Also, as I wrote above, I'd like to hear music where piano or keyboards (or both) are parts of a whole, not on their own. Thanks a lot for your reply, in any case. -------------- Ugo C. - a devoted Amarokian Back to top

Dirk Star Group: Members Posts: 1331 Joined: Sep. 2007 Posted: Mar. 04 2009, 03:33 Yeah I like George Winston.I have an album of his called All The Seasons Of George Winston which is very nice.And great to hear you`re getting more into Roy Orbison`s stuff.My favorite cd I have of his is a repacked double album(2 records on one cd kind of thing) Which comprises both In Dreams and Orbisongs,love that one to bits. To be honest most of the bands I like tend to be primarily guitar based I must admit.Or at least the frontman/woman is a guitarist I guess.Can`t think of any new artists(off the top of my head) where keyboards are to the fore too much.So my own recommendations would be Ben Folds or Joe Jackson.Joe Jackson`s last album Rain(2008) was an absolute belter imo.Every song is top notch,not a weak track on it.Plus the band on it is just Joe on piano backed by bass & drums,so you get to hear some great piano lines on there.Every track is absolutely jam packed with them in fact.Joe can be a little bit jazzy I guess.Plus he`s also recorded some brilliant orchestral/classical music down the years as well.That said Rain is simply just a stonking good collection of finely crafted pop songs/ballads imo.From a pianist/composer at the very top of his game and field.Great album. Back to top

Ugo Group: Members Posts: 5495 Joined: April 2000 Posted: Mar. 04 2009, 08:58 @ Dirk, re. Roy Orbison: I guess you have the contemporary re-recordings of his hits, which he did for Virgin - i.e. after David Lynch chose "In Dreams" for the Blue Velvet soundtrack, Roy, having his first comeback in the Eighties, re-recorded most of his Sixties hits, which were unavailable at the time. IMHO the re-recordings sound good, but the originals sound better. Re. Ben Folds and Joe Jackson, I do know those. I have two albums by Ben Folds Five, they're excellent - that crazy guy has amply proved that you can do credible rock music even if it's not based on guitar. Joe Jackson, I don't like him very much: he's a great piano player but most of his songs, to me, are weak. (I bought an album of his in the Eighties, found it weak, dropped it... and him. ) Thanks anyway for your suggestions. -------------- Ugo C. - a devoted Amarokian Back to top

Sir Mustapha Group: Musicians Posts: 2802 Joined: April 2003 Posted: Mar. 04 2009, 10:43 Ever got into Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Ugo? If so, what's your opinion about them? I think Keith Emerson as a keyboardist is an acquired taste. Just like the whole band, his main thing is excess. But I think if you really want to try out what "keyboard excess" sounds like, Keith Emerson is the way to go. His career on the Nice also has a few things worth checking out. -------------- Check out http://ferniecanto.com.br for all my music, including my latest albums: Don't Stay in the City, Making Amends and Builders of Worlds. Also check my Bandcamp page: http://ferniecanto.bandcamp.com Back to top

Dirk Star Group: Members Posts: 1331 Joined: Sep. 2007 Posted: Mar. 04 2009, 10:50 Those Orbison albums are definetly original recordings Ugo,put out on the Monument label mid-60`s.I think you can pick it up pretty cheaply as well.They did the same thing with his Crying album which was "doubled up" with something else(can`t remember the title atm)..But yeah also very cheap to buy.You`d probably only have to pay 10-12 quid online for four original albums. Anyway Joe Jackson WEAK???? you say...Blimey O` reilly put some of them shocked little yellow fellows in here..In fact forget it I`m not allowed enough of them.I`d be pasting them in for the rest of the day now if I could,just out of sheer childish huffiness..   Ok Ugo fair enough mate.The only "weakish" album I can think of his from the 80`s would be Big World,but even that has it`s good moments imo.It`s all a matter of personal taste of course but if someone in this thread mentions a piano player who has wrote and performed stronger material than Joe Jackson over a regular and consistent basis.Then I`ll go to the foot of our stairs,eat hay with a donkey and bare me backside in Joplings window etc etc..I will not accept the following off the top of my head..Ben Folds.Elton John.Randy Newman.Billy Joel.Tori Amos.Richard Clayderman. Possible exceptions.. Kate Bush(maybe) and Les Dawson(less likely)...Aaah never mind Ugo,I`m sure you`ll dis-agree with some of those.I guess we`ll have to agree to dis-agree on this one..I agree with you about Ben Folds though,great way to describe him as well. Back to top

Ugo Group: Members Posts: 5495 Joined: April 2000 Posted: Mar. 04 2009, 12:31 Quote (Sir Mustapha @ Mar. 04 2009, 16:43) Ever got into Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Ugo? Sure I did - I have Pictures at an Exhibition and Brain Salad Surgery - both in deluxe editions. The first is IMHO excellent, the second not quite so, but not bad either. Of Keith Emerson solo I've got Honky, as well as his Inferno and Murderock soundtracks, and I can perfectly understand your point about excess. @ Dirk: it's just that I don't like Joe Jackson's style... when I really want to hear someone playing in that style, I prefer people like Elton John and Billy Joel. However, I do know and appreciate all the people you mentioned. Les Dawson, AFAIK, was a comedian... did he make any albums where he plays piano and sings? I remember seeing him on TV once, and he played very badly. But maybe it was intentional. Also, I think Joshua Kadison wrote and performed better material than Joe Jackson. But as far as I know he only lasted for three albums. -------------- Ugo C. - a devoted Amarokian Back to top

Scatterplot Group: Members Posts: 1981 Joined: Dec. 2007 Posted: Mar. 04 2009, 12:34 I'm an old man. I'm 47. That means I like Keith Emerson(to a point), and other piano geezers but greats like Rick Wakeman(Criminal Record was a fine piano album). Lyle Mays....pure genius. But I know no new folk. I guess start ye a myspace page lad. Advertise that ye wants to find new keys talents. Cripes, they come to me on myspace. Thats how I found out there was a Yes spinoff band called Circa. They contacted me. I procured thier album. Good stuff! There's a start....go and add Circa to you freinds, then look at their freinds.......do the same with other keyboardists you like. "their freinds" will lead you to up and comers, or already comers. -------------- We raise our voices in the night Crying to heaven And will our voices be heard Or will they break Like the wind Back to top

Ugo Group: Members Posts: 5495 Joined: April 2000 Posted: Mar. 04 2009, 13:14 @ Jim: thanks a lot. I like Yes, so anything connected to Yes is fine for me. I shall check out Circa (BTW, the proper spelling of their name is CIRCA: and that's why it took a bit to Google them out... ) and their myspace page, hoping it contains samples... I couldn't find any on their official website, and where I am now (on a laptop) the connection I have is not good enough to visualize the whole of that myspace page. So right now I can't comment on them - I shall go deeper when I get back home. Thanks again. -------------- Ugo C. - a devoted Amarokian Back to top

Olivier Group: Super Admins Posts: 1868 Joined: Nov. 1999 Posted: Mar. 04 2009, 14:58 Stating the obvious. Supertramp and Mark Knopfler/Dire Straits use lot of "agressive" keyboard (well, compared to the rest of rock). More in the background as a glue, Pink Floyd. Not a fan of jazz, but I like a lot some parts of some pieces of Keith Jarrett. But I always feel it's akward to listen to a recording of an improvisation, something wrong with that, I don't understand jazz I guess. Back to top

Scatterplot Group: Members Posts: 1981 Joined: Dec. 2007 Posted: Mar. 04 2009, 15:33 http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=163846258     That's them, but I don't know what you mean by samples. They have songs to "sample" however. But no Acid loops for download (I got into Sony Acid software for a while in 2005-6 for fun-because of MO using Fruity Loops for Light+Shade). I really like the CIRCA CD I got from 2007. I know they have a DVD too, with YES covers, but I didn't dig deep enough to find our it a new one is out or forthcoming. Jim -------------- We raise our voices in the night Crying to heaven And will our voices be heard Or will they break Like the wind Back to top

Ugo Group: Members Posts: 5495 Joined: April 2000 Posted: Mar. 04 2009, 16:35 @ Jim: that's the very same page I visited earlier today. Because my Internet connection is kind-of bad where I am right now, I can't get the music excerpts to load. (That's what I meant by "samples" - excerpts from songs.) I shall tell you more when I come home and I get the page to load properly. @ Olivier: of course Dire Straits built great music on keyboards, "Telegraph Road" sounds almost Oldfieldian. I don't think keyboards are just 'a glue' in Pink Floyd, but an extremely important component of their overall sound. They made keyboards-based electronic pieces such as "On the Run", keyboards-based songs such as "Welcome to the Machine", and also piano-based songs such as "Nobody Home". If Richard Wright (God bless his soul) hadn't been in the band, Pink Floyd would've never been Pink Floyd. -------------- Ugo C. - a devoted Amarokian Back to top

Olivier Group: Super Admins Posts: 1868 Joined: Nov. 1999 Posted: Mar. 04 2009, 16:58 Gluing Gilmour and Waters was more a compliment in my mind, but yes, I said it in a diminutive way. Except for perhaps a few exceptions, I think "glue" is not a bad term to describe his role though, he doesn't have the punch and sharpness that Supertramp and Dire Straits keyboard tracks have. If you did an orchestral version (you should then go to jail), you'd replace his part with strings, not a grand piano. He doesn't play the keyboards like it's hammers. Back to top

Sir Mustapha Group: Musicians Posts: 2802 Joined: April 2003 Posted: Mar. 04 2009, 19:15 Just now I ended up remembering Stereolab, which I've been addicted to for months now. But it's good to be careful: they fit perfectly your idea of keyboards being part of the whole and fitting in with everything, but they won't really jump at you if you don't jump at them. Their early records have a pretty brilliant array of buzzing organs, weirdly twisted analogue synthesizers, and all sorts of fun sounds you could extract from those things in a "sound sculpting" way. AND it rocks, sometimes hard. Emperor Tomato Ketchup and Mars Audiac Quintet are good choices. Everything after those two have their focus radically switched into very full and complex arrangements, so the "keyboard magic" is left on the background. They're still excellent, and Dots and Loops is, to me, their finest work. If Mellotrons interest you, you have even more reasons to get into the Moody Blues. Ever tried Tom Waits? -------------- Check out http://ferniecanto.com.br for all my music, including my latest albums: Don't Stay in the City, Making Amends and Builders of Worlds. Also check my Bandcamp page: http://ferniecanto.bandcamp.com Back to top

Scatterplot Group: Members Posts: 1981 Joined: Dec. 2007 Posted: Mar. 05 2009, 01:08 Always been fascinated by mellotrons. Never played one tho. I understand Mike Pinder was always considered the best at this incredibly difficult, primitive, quirky, prone-to-breakdown 8 second tape loop dinosaur because he worked quality control at Mellotronics in the Denny Laine days of the Band. -------------- We raise our voices in the night Crying to heaven And will our voices be heard Or will they break Like the wind Back to top

ex member 419 Group: Members Posts: 1177 Joined: April 2008 Posted: Mar. 05 2009, 01:45 Quote (Ugo @ Mar. 03 2009, 09:00) What I like most about this tubular.net board is that, like other music boards (although this is the only one where I'm really, really active...), this is not only a great place to talk about a favourite musician of ours, but also a great place to find ou Roy orbison,  his music and song writing was truly unique, just love anything you want you got it, only the lonely, blue bayou, deb Back to top

ex member 419 Group: Members Posts: 1177 Joined: April 2008 Posted: Mar. 05 2009, 01:53 Quote (Scatterplot @ Mar. 04 2009, 12:34) I'm an old man. I'm 47. That means I like Keith Emerson(to a point), and other piano geezers but greats like Rick Wakeman(Criminal Record was a fine piano album). Lyle Mays....pure genius. But I know no new folk. I guess start ye a myspace page lad. Adver Do you remember little richard, stevie wonder, elton john and more recently, coldplay violet hill, lets talk   deb Back to top

Dirk Star Group: Members Posts: 1331 Joined: Sep. 2007 Posted: Mar. 05 2009, 03:37 @Ugo,Yeah Les Dawson used to play the piano intentionaly badly,but he was an absolute master at it if you know what I mean?You know you could tell he knew how to play it properly I guess,and all the bum notes would come in sometimes least where you expected them.Plus coupled with his fantastic facial expressions as well it was just wonderful comic timing on his part.And I dare say very difficult to do as well in all reality.Very funny guy though,sadly no longer with us. I always thought it was pretty ingenious how Emmerson & Lake drafted in Cozy Powell so they could retain the E.L.P. monicker..Apparently they were originaly gonna` bring in Roger Taylor out of Queen.But they decided that E.L.T. sounded too much like a cross between a former Radio One DJ and a space alien.."Tune into the Breakfast Hour this morning with The Hairy Spacecake..Quack Quack Ooops!...Of course the final nail in the coffin for them was when they teamed up with American golf legend Arnold Palmer,in an attempt to re-animate their original band name completely.What an umitigated disaster that proved to be.So much so in fact you`re unlikely to find it written online or in any rock journal anywhere,it was that far ridiculous.Whilst the less said about Carl Palmer`s aborted rivalry project with both Mike Oldfield and Jon Anderson out of Yes the better imo.Could`ve been great as well if they`d shuffled the initials around a bit differently... Anyway Stereolab is a good shout here from Sir M.I got into their stuff from being a fan of Saint Etienne who they`ve worked with once or twice.In fact St.Etienne are a little bit like them I suppose although they`re undoutably more pop orientated and less experimental than Stereolab.The High Llamas are another band worth checking out imo,on a similar kind of vein to Stereolab perhaps.Quite a lot of ye olde style keyboards used on their albums as well.Very inventive,and some cracking tunes when they feel like it.I once read a review of one of their songs that went something like.."Imagine Paul McCartney riding into town on the back of a tired donkey,playing an ad-hoc version of Penny Lane on a banjo"..Well it went something like that I guess.Summed them up perfectly for me though.Their album Hawaii is an absolute gem. Back to top

Ugo Group: Members Posts: 5495 Joined: April 2000 Posted: Mar. 05 2009, 04:37 @ Fernie: thanks for the advice about Stereolab, I shall check 'em out. Mellotrons are great - most of Tony Banks' early Genesis stuff is mellotron (+ organ & piano, I guess) and I just love it. Re. Tom Waits, he's a great songwriter but I can't stand his voice. @ Olivier: of course Wright didn't hammer out on anything he had under his hands (except maybe on "A Saucerful of Secrets"...) - not being loud was a trademark of his. But he was still a key element in there. I don't think Pink Floyd would've reached the heights they reached, if they hadn't keyboards, and Rick Wright playing them. BTW, no-one could ever do an orchestral version of PF without completely ruining them. PF's keyboard parts cannot be replaced with anything. -------------- Ugo C. - a devoted Amarokian Back to top

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