"kiss God gave rock n roll to you." Youtube. Web. 13 May 2010. .

This is a music video about a very popular band by the name of Kiss. Kiss is an American hard rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Easily identified by its member's face paint and flamboyant stage outfits. The group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970's on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting, smoking guitars, and pyrotechnics. Kiss has been awarded 24 gold albums to date in the USA. The band has sold over 40 million albums in the United States, and their worldwide sales have exceeded 100 million albums.

I love kiss. I don't really have any of their songs on my ipod, but if they happen to come on the radio I turn it up. I had a lot of fun finding this video. I thought for a media post why not do a music video. So here it is Kiss!

"The Kiss Bio Center." Tripod, Nov 1. Web. 13 May 2010. .

anti rock video

The video I picked is called "Humor of a preacher condemning Rock n' Roll". That's just what the video is. It opens as a preacher appears,

and begins to talk and try to relate to the youth of that time period by saying why they enjoy rock music. It's quite entertaining. But the truth is,

I don't think he was trying to be funny or entertaining. He honestly thought rock and roll music was having a bad effect on the teenagers of that time..

One of the most interesting things i found during studying this topic was how negative the genre was viewed in it's early days.

Rock is still viewed not a very holy pursuit. Even with that being true, they are not preaching about it in churches.. at least not the kind of church I go to.

"Humour of a Preacher Condemning Rock n' Roll."Youtube. Web. 13 May 2010. .

Final Project link

http://gallery.me.com/landon.benson#100007

Elvis Presley

Presley got his first guitar at the age of ten, and had his first taste of musical success by winning a talent show at Humes High School in Memphis. After graduating in 1953, he worked a number of jobs while pursuing his musical dream. He cut his first demo record at what later became known as Sun Studio that year. "That's All Right" was Presley's first single in 1954. Presley began touring, trying to get his first big break. In 1955, Presley began to develop a following with fans being drawn to his unusual musical style, provocative gyrating hips, and good looks. Despite the uprising of his crazy dance moves caused, he also became a popular guest on a number of television variety shows. Soon Presley appeared to be everywhere, on the radio, television, and on screen. His first film, Love Me Tender, was a box office hit. All this was good until August 16, 1977 Elvis Presley died of heart failure. He was 42 years old.

I knew most of this already, before researching that is. What I did find interesting was the fact that it all started at a high school talent show. That kind of inspires me to get off my but and practice to get better at making music of my own.

"Elvis Presley Biography." N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2010. .

Needtobreathe Live Event!

On april twenty fourth, I went to the Needtobreathe concert at Sloss Furnace. Needtobreathe is probably my favorite band. The band plays a different kind of music. They play a combination of Rock and Indie, with a country twist. Needtobreathe is very unique, and that is part of the reason I like them so much. They have everything from Banjos and harmonicas to organs and a rocking choral backing them up. The concert itself was structured with two opening acts. The first act was basically a nobody who liked to whistle. The second act was a little bit better but not as near as entertaining than the main band. Needtobreathe finally rolled out on stage at about eight o'clock, it was an impressive display of lights, sound, and talent! When they got started I counted down how many songs I knew, and I knew most of them, they put on a good show. As a special treat the band turned off their loud amps and climbed offstage onto a platform and did an acoustic set, which made staying until the end worth it.

That concert was the first I have been to in a while. I've been to a bunch but so far I think that was my favorite. I got to go with my family and my girlfriend got to go with us too. It was a long night of fun and excitement. Im glad I got to go, Needtobreathe is an awesome band, check them out!

Rock and Roll

For my topic, Who Really Started Rock 'N' Roll, I read a book entitled, Rock and Roll: Examining Pop Culture. It was a really interesting book. The book itself was broken up into chapters, different ones about separate areas of rock music. It includes a wide spectrum of topics, not just limited to the music itself. Things from drug use by rock musicians to chapters about the effect that the Internet has had on rock music. To give a feel for the way it reads, it states in one chapter, “Rock music is junk food for the soul-a diet of sex, drugs, and non-stop pleasure-seeking which all to often is a deadly poison." (100) The book also lists some things that a reader might not realize. Things such as the genre originated from white musicians imitating African American beats and rhythms. Another interesting fact would be that political rock, rock poking fun at the government, was more common than disco, country rock, and other moneymaking genres. Not only until the 1970s did new genres flourish.

One particularly enjoyable thing about reading this book, was finding out how parents thought rock was destroying control and order within their youth. I got a real kick out of their opinion. They thought because of the suggestive lyrics, the children were being influenced badly. Something that also surprised me was that I, too, was someone who before reading this, didn’t realize who gave Elvis his rhythm, or The Beatles theirs. It was stars like Little Richard, and Chuck Berry who can be credited with this.

Another aspect of this book that I found interesting and clever was the fact that it was not written by one single person. The book is made up of a collection of different articles by different writers. This made the book perfect for my blog. There is an assortment of nineteen different subjects and categories. Each one sure to interest someone.

Origin and Facts of the Guitar

Guitars have been around for a long time. They even date back to the 14^th century. In its earliest form it was given three double courses, pairs, of strings plus a single string, the highest. The guitar is in some cases said to have originated in Spain. It became popular in other countries a few centuries later, and by the late 17^th century a fifth course of strings had been added below the other four. Only until the 18^th century did the guitar take a more modern form of appearance. Guitar makers broadened the body, made it curvier around the waist, thinned the belly, and changed the internal bracing to give us what we have today. “The electric guitar, developed for popular music in the United States in the 1930s, usually has a solid, nonresonant body. The sound of its strings is both amplified and manipulated electronically by the performer. American musician and inventor Les Paul developed prototypes for the solid-bodied electric guitar and popularized the instrument beginning in the 1940s.”

From "Guitar," Microsoft(R) Encarta(R) 96 Encyclopedia

Les Paul died last year.

Being a musician myself, and having learned to play the guitar, I have grown to appreciate more of what went into play with the making of the guitar. Without someone just messing around with wood I would have never gotten to play. I love playing guitar, I myself play a Les Paul, and it looks phenomenal.