Some Reviews

Dierks Bentley - Feel That Fire

I am really enjoying this album.  From admiring the beauty in the world to running from the cops, from picking up girls at the honky-tonk to praying for girlfriends past, Dierks covers it all.  I have especially enjoyed the duet with Pattie Griffin on "Beautiful World."  Like Keith Urban, Dierks pushes the limits on country, moving more towards a rock/pop sound.  Two thumbs up.

Keith Urban - Defying Gravity

Some reviews of this album were so-so.  They said he was playing it safe; they said he could do better.  I agree - he could do better musically.  But at this point in his life, who cares?  He wanted to go into the studio, have fun, and let the world know what his life is like.  You get a good picture with this album.  If I need some happy music, this is definitely one of the first albums I go to.  Way to go, KU.

John Mayer - Where the Light Is

I must admit, I wasn't too thrilled the first couple times I listened to this album.  Once I began to listen to it for its musicianship, I started to really enjoy it.  Mayer demonstrates his commanding ability to make his instrument sing.  The boy just likes to play.  That's the kind of thing I like to hear.  My favorite tracks, you ask?  "In Your Atmosphere," "Good Love Is On the Way," and "Neon" definitely make the short list.  Sometimes Mayer rambles too much instead of singing and playing, but that's when I just hit the skip button.

Nickelback - If Today Was Your Last Day (Single)

I've heard this song on the radio a couple times, and I like it.  Call me crazy, but I've liked several Nickelback songs as of late.  This one is no exception.  Take a listen.  You can stream it on their MySpace.  What would you do if this was your last day?

Billy Currington - People Are Crazy (Single)

When you really think about it, people are crazy.  I know I am.  We all do things that we can't explain.  Humans are pretty weird, and Currington witnesses this when he inherits a couple mil from a man he met at a bar.  Granted, he didn't really inherit a million bucks like the song suggests, and I'm sure the songwriters didn't either, but it would be cool if it really happened.  Especially to us.

A Little Catch Up

It's been a while since I've written, and I apologize to the 2.5 people that have ever come across this blog.  Here's what's been going on:

This semester I began an internship (unpaid, of course) with 821 Entertainment.  It has been a lot of fun learning about making movies.  Those guys are a lot of fun with whom to work.  I work there every afternoon answering phones, doing research, running errands, proofing documents, and making copies.

Next on the list has been my paying job.  My boss' daughter tied the knot yesterday afternoon in a beautiful ceremony at Second Presbyterian Church here in Nashville.  That meant that I had to have the farm looking good for hosting friends and family this last week.  It was a busy couple of weeks and months leading up to the date, but it was also nice to have a day off on Saturday.

Between jobs, I had a few classes to attend.  While I am only taking 10 hours of classes (plus 2 hours of internship credit, equalling 12 hours to remain a full-time student), every class has group projects that required meetings whenever there was a free moment.

I have also begun to get something rolling for launching a career as a performer.  I have launched my own website - www.bradleyminnigan.com.  Well, kinda.  Right now it just links to my MySpace page.  I encourage you to go check it out.  There's a link to a free download of a song I wrote and recorded about 4 years ago.  The story behind the song is also on MySpace.  I have plans to have an EP recorded and available for download by the end of the summer or beginning of the fall.  Hopefully, if things go well, I'll also start playing some shows in Nashville and maybe up in Knoxville in the summer and fall.

I have some new music to discuss, but that can wait for a later date.  Come back soon to see my thoughts on KU's Defying Gravity, John Mayer's Where the Light Is, and Dierks Bentley's Feel That Fire.

The Resurrection...of Sorts

For those of you who read this and know much about me, I bought some recording software about 4 years ago - ProTools and the Digi 002 Rack.  Well, I used it best I could, took it to Baylor with me, and then about a year and a half ago, it died.  My "killer rack" just wasn't working.  I was very upset, seeing that my $2,200 investment just went ka-put.  I decided to get it fixed last week, and decided I should plug it in to remind myself just what was going wrong...

I plugged everything up, and TA-DA! it worked!  I was so excited.  So now, I am working on relearning ProTools and such.  It's amazing what I am recalling from my Recording Technologies class.  I am already hearing a difference in the quality of my recording.

Now it is just a matter of time - time to write, time to record.  Life is very busy, but I have managed to get a couple ideas down and started.

I guess there is some money involved too.  I need to upgrade to PT 8 from 6.9.2.  I also would really like a better mic.  I have my eyes on a Shure SM57 - it's in my price range, and it does a good job with guitar amps and vocals, which are what I record the most.  It's a good thing I'm not short on cash...oh wait, I am.

All this to say, please encourage me to keep working on writing (music, not blogs) and recording.

Catch-up Time

So it has been a while since I posted.  I will try to briefly update all the many (few) that read this blog.

First of all, I am scared to death of graduating in August, and here's why: I want to be a rockstar.  I really do.  I want to play guitar for a living.  But at the moment, I am not in a band.  Maybe that is where I need to start.  The second is that if the musician thing doesn't work out, I had planned on working in the music biz.  However, the music industry has gone to ____.  That's just fantastic.  Oh well, here's to Someone else who knows what is going to happen.

I'm sure I had other things I wanted to talk about, but I can only recall one other.  On the way home tonight, the song "Kiss on My List" by Hall & Oates came on the radio.  It has been YEARS since I last heard this song.  I love it.  I admit I just bought and listened to it on iTunes.  If nothing else, go look up the lyrics.  I don't know about you, but I can relate to the chorus: "Your kiss is on my list of the best things in life."  With Single-Awareness Day just around the corner, I'm reminded of how much a kiss can mean.  I'm just going to leave it there.

P.S. Kissing burns lots of calories, so I highly encourage it! :-D

Part One

Here's what I was able to come up with before bed:

Blonde haired beauty

With chameleon eyes

She could light a room

With only her smile

I was a lucky one

To love her a while

(Two more lines here)

If these things could change

I wouldn't do them the same

I should've loved you a little more

I should've held you just a little bit longer

I should've sung you, baby, one more song

But I didn't mean you any harm

Hopefully more will be on the way soon.  I need to call it a night for now.

Clapton: the Autobiography

"Being out on the road for months at a time without any direct affection from another human being was having a pretty detrimental effect on my psyche, causing me to isolate myself in my room.  the contrast between the empty hotel room and the roaring crowd in the auditorium can cause a lot of emotional confusion, too..."

Sometimes stuff like this makes me contemplate whether I actually want to go out on the road.

My Love

If you are reading this, you most likely know how much I love music. Like the dude in Chariots of Fire, when I play (or listen to) music, I feel God's pleasure.

I have been reading Eric Clapton's autobiography for the last week or two, and that has put me into a mood for learning from the legends. I have been listening to more Clapton than normal, along with other blues-rockers. I especially like it because it's not difficult stuff, but it sounds good.

My favorite Christmas present was this: a guitar tab book that came out along with Clapton's autobiography. My brother and sister got it for me, and I love it. It has all the guitar parts tabbed out, and I spent a few hours last night playing through a couple songs.

Merry Christmas, everybody. And have a happy New Year.