Six of Ten: Bob Thompson

My graduation party. June 2008

Anyone that knows me more than to just say hello to knows who Bob is. For those of you that read this and don't know who Bob is, you're about to find out. I was going to save him for the last influence post, but after having dinner with him yesterday, I can't wait that long.

Bob is my favorite person in the world. He's my second-dad, my guitar teacher, my go-to guy to talk about anything with. He's the greatest. I adore that man like you wouldn't believe. Let's put it this way: my mom once said, "If Bob told you to jump off a bridge, you would." I replied, "...Yeah, but Bob would never tell me to jump off a bridge so we don't have to worry about that." I told that to him yesterday over our every-six-weeks-or-so-catch-up-dinner-now-that-I'm-back-in-school dinner. He laughed, and he agreed because he knows it's true.

I met Bob through a mutual friend/guitar player when I was sixteen. I had just finished up lessons with my former teacher Tom. At my last lesson with Tom, he said, "I've taught you everything I can teach you. You gotta go to Bob." Mark (mutual friend/guitar player) was very adamant about me taking lessons with Bob. So I emailed him, told him my shpeel (Berklee, pop/rock/blues lover, Eric Clapton freak, etc...), and shortly after that I began taking lessons with Bob. I had no idea how much impact that one email would have on me.

My first lesson was sometime in May of 2007. I had never met Bob before, I'd only emailed him a few times. The second I walked into his house, it was an instantaneous friendship. A typical guitar lesson is an hour long. My first lesson with Bob was two. My second lesson was three. My third lesson was four. You get the idea. I think the longest lesson I've ever had was six hours. It was a lesson, a clinic, and just some hang time with Bob. It was almost like we'd known each other forever and we were (I should say are) making up for lost time. My friends kind of hated my lessons during the summer because I'd be gone from 4.15 to at least 9.00. Often times I wouldn't pull into my driveway until 10.

Now the entire time wasn't spent playing. Bob and I like to talk a lot. A lot. We talk about everything. It's one of the best and it's probably the most natural friendship I've ever had with anyone. I trust him one hundred percent, which is why I can tell him anything. Not only do we talk a lot, we laugh a lot. Just last night, I set him up perfectly for a joke. It was great. I make fun of him, he makes fun of me. It's all good. He tries to get my going, and sometimes I let him because it's all in good fun.

When I left for school last year, I didn't cry when I said goodbye (temporarily, of course) to anyone. Except for when I said goodbye to Bob. It was heart-wrenching. I get sad just thinking about it. I was sad again when I said goodbye to him in August. It was a different kind of sad, but nonetheless, I was not happy, and it was not easy. I kept prolonging leaving. He could tell, and he didn't try to stop me. I would often play that game with him even in lessons. I love spending time with him. There'd be a lull, I'd quickly glance at the clock, and it would be way too early to call it a night (often times this would be about two and a half hours into a lesson). So I'd ask a question, or say something and we'd start right up again. To this day I still do this with people.

Anyway, back to Bob. Before I met Bob, my friends would ask me what I did with my life before guitar came into the picture. I don't know, really. I did what everyone else did, and I still do, only now guitar takes up much more of my free time. Now my friends ask me who did I have before Bob. And honestly, I don't know. To think about not knowing Bob is very strange to me. He fit right into my life instantly. I can't imagine him not being there. I survived sixteen years without him. It's funny how that happens.

When I would go on vacation, no matter how much fun I was having, part of me couldn't wait to get back home and have a lesson/hang with Bob. We'd play, we'd eat, we'd talk, we'd play, and he became such a part of my routine. He still is. My lessons (up until this summer) were on Mondays. Most kids hate Monday because it's the start of the school week. I loved Mondays (I still do) because it meant that two hours after I got home from high school that I would get ready for my weekly God-knows-how-long lesson.

I've grown exponentially as a musician thanks to Bob. Everything about my skills as a musician are better thanks to him. I don't think I'd be at Berklee if it weren't for him. He (and others) say(s) otherwise, but I don't.

Yesterday my mom said (in reference to me enjoying coming home once in a while), "She gets to see all the people she loves, her mother, her father, her sister, her friends, Bob, and she gets to play her guitar...Let me put that in the correct order: she loves BOB, her guitar, her mother, her father, her sister, and her friends. She won't deny it, either. And we know it's true." It is. For example, I went home for a long weekend in February not to see my parents, but to go out to dinner with Bob.

I would not be the same person had I not met Bob. I can't think of anyone that has had so much of an impact on me so fast. He's one of the greatest people I have ever met, and the person (with the exception of a few high school friends that aren't in Boston) I by far miss the most when I'm not in Maine.

Clearly, I could go on for hours about Bob. I miss him big time when I'm here at Berklee. As much as I love it here, I often catch myself counting down the days (46 or 47) until I get to see Bob again.

What do I do now? I just get lost in my college life, which I love almost as much as Bob.

Five of Ten: Mick Jagger/Keith Richards/The Rolling Stones

The second you see this, you know what comes next. It's arguably the most recognizable band logo of all time.













Keith Richards is the most unlikely guitar hero. Maybe that's why I love him so much. He doesn't play flashy solos, he probably couldn't tell you the modes in a major key, nor does he do anything really esoteric.

That's what makes him so awesome, and that's why I was drawn to him and the Rolling Stones. The music the Rolling Stones created (the songs he and Mick pegged) is pure rock 'n' roll (with the exception of their brief/somewhat disastrous disco phase) with a heavy undertone of blues. The Stones started off as a blues band. They also had a few hits before Satisfaction took over the world.

Enough about their history. There are countless books that have it.

I owe this one to my mom. She was a child of the British Invasion, and loved the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. She got 40 Licks for Christmas one year, and that was my first adventure into possibly the biggest musical influence in my life. I played (and still do play) those CDs for hours. I remember sitting in my bedroom trying to master the solo in Sympathy For The Devil. My friend taught me Brown Sugar when I was 15 and to this day it's my favorite song to play--in or out of Open G tuning.

Let's go back to Keith. I have a 1952 Butterscotch Blonde Fender Telecaster Reissue mainly because of Keith. He played them. I wanted one. Bad. I was in Sam Ash in New York City in April of 2006, tentatively on a mission for a new guitar. And it was definitely going to be a Telecaster. I walked into the main room, and I didn't see anything I liked. So I walked through the door on the right, and right in front of me was a beautiful Telecaster. There was no name on it. I picked it up, and plugged into a Fender amp, strummed an E chord, and knew instantly I had to have it.

My dad came in shortly after, and I said to him, 'I'm not leaving the store without this guitar.'

He laughed, and said, 'Well, happy birthday.' I think I was shocked that he bought me that guitar. He knew I was serious, though--about that guitar and playing guitar in general. I had been playing a Silvertone strat for over two years. I felt like I really earned that guitar. I remember the feeling of pure elation as I walked down the streets of Manhattan carrying my Telecaster in its beautiful tweed case. I felt like a real guitar player that day.

To this day, I often find myself coming up with riffs that Keith himself could have concocted up. Some people say he's lazy. I don't care. He's written some of the greatest guitar hooks ever. Jumpin' Jack Flash, Satisfaction, Honkey Tonk Women, and Gimme Shelter to name a few. Wild Horses is one of my favorite ballad-y songs ever.

I recently purchased a Fulltone OCD, and I discovered that I can pretty much match the sound of any Stones song (with distortion, that is). I had a big grin on my face for the rest of the night after I discovered that.

When people used to ask me who I wanted to sound like, I always responded with, 'Keith Richards and Eric Clapton combined.' I wanted the solos of Eric and the feel and rhythm of Keith. I'm still working on combining the two.

I saw the Stones in January of 2006. I probably had the worst seats in the house, but I didn't really care. I heard all my favorite songs live, and witnessed Mick Jagger in his full-on lunatic stage mode. It was fantastic.

Speaking of Mick Jagger. I really haven't talked much about him.

In another life, Micky Mick and I were married. I'm convinced haha! He is the world's greatest entertainer. The man does not stop for a second on stage. On the Steel Wheels tour, he would run up to four miles a night! His stage presence and sense of performance are second to none. He just keeps going and going and going. I used to blast the Stones and run around my house in a Mick-like fashion. I would also strap on a guitar and play along with what I could. Back then I preferred being Mick to Keith when it came to pretend-performance. I could have more fun with it because I wasn't plugged in.



I can't write this post and not mention what Keith calls "The Ancient Form of Weaving." The Stones have had a few lead players. Brian Jones, who was killed in his pool. Mick Taylor, who was with them when they recorded arguably their best albums (Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers, and Exile On Main Street). And my personal favorite, Ronnie Wood. Keith and Ronnie are the "Weavers." Listen to Beast Of Burden, and you'll know what I mean. The two of 'em flow so effortlessly in and out of each other's playing. If they weren't both married, I'd say they might be a couple themselves. Anytime you see a picture of them, they look like a happy couple.



Charlie Watts, the backbone and the provider of the backbeat, is a human metronome. Like Keith, he's not flashy, but he never misses a beat. I wish I had more to say on Charlie. He's a fighter. I'll leave it at that.



As for Bill Wyman, I really have nothing to say. I don't think leaving the band was a good move on his part, but hey, to each his own. I've also heard from many Rolling Stones fans that it's just not the same without him--live, that is.

Here's something I find a little funny. My senior year, I had a class on Bob Dylan (yes, it was wicked cool). During the first class, my teacher played us two covers of Dylan songs. He doubted that anyone would know who was singing. Well, I knew. I guessed correctly, I should say. The first song didn't take me too long to get--it was Sheryl Crow. Other kids guessed right, too. The second one, however, was not so easy to the rest of the class. They were all like, 'Who IS this?' I sat there, focusing very hard on the CD player, and said, 'Keith. Richards.' My teacher laughed and said "very good!" He was somewhat shocked that I had gotten it right. I was quite impressed with myself, as was the rest of the class.

Anyway. Lately I've been working on some "blues-fusion," mainly Robben Ford songs. While I do enjoy playing that style, I'm not aspiring to have a career in that realm. I'll take what I can from those songs and incorporate it back into straight rock, giving my music (mainly the guitar solos) a bit of a different touch.

Robben Ford, you may be wicked good, but you ain't got nothin' on the Rolling Stones in my book.

Four of Ten: Alicia Keys

My sister asked me last summer if I could have any job in the world right now, what would it be. I said, 'I'd want to be like Alicia Keys.' She said, 'So basically you want to be a rockstar.' I said, 'I just want to go out and do my thing really really good, like Alicia.' She just kind of smirked at me and walked away.

If that question was asked to me again right now, I would probably answer something along those lines.

Alicia Keys inspires me beyond belief. She makes me want to be a better person. Kind of like Oprah, only musical. She's incredibly passionate about her music, and she's smart. She almost went to Columbia, but then opted to pursue a career in music. Maybe that's why I'm so fascinated with Columbia...

Last June, I saw Alicia in concert here in Boston. When I found out she was going to be here, I knew I had to go. Well, there was a slight conflict: my senior class trip. My first thought was to not go to the show, but I couldn't pass up an opportunity to see the one and only Alicia Keys. So then I thought I would just skip my class trip because come on--it's Alicia Keys! I told my friends that, and this conversation went on for a while:

"But, Amy! It's your senior class trip!"
"Yeah, but..It's Alicia Keys! ALICIA KEYS!"

Then I had a brainstorm, and figured out a way to do both. I was able to go on two thirds of my class trip AND (more importantly) go see Alicia Keys.

Why, why was I so determined to see Alicia Keys? I think it's because she's just that damn good. It's not like her last tour was her farewell tour. To my friends, sacrificing a few days with them for a concert was outrageous, and probably would have been held over my head for the rest of my life. For me, had it been necessary, I would have done it. That says something about how much Alicia has influenced me. She's beautiful, smart, talented, and nice. Why wouldn't I want to see her live? Especially with As I Am being such a killer album, I had to hear it live!

Alicia pushes me to my limit. She's definitely not the only person that makes me push myself, but she's one of the bigger influences, especially musically. Although, as soon as you hear my stuff, you'll be like, 'What is she talking about? I don't hear any Alicia Keys in this!' That's because if I were to try and incorporate some of her stuff into my music, it wouldn't make sense.

And if there's one thing I've learned from Alicia Keys, it's to be true to yourself 100% of the time.

1.33 AM

If it weren't 1.33 AM, I would write a more extensive post, but I have to wake up in four and a half hours to go to New York.

I will finish up the seven remaining influences.
I will update you on the status of my band.
I will post songs.
I will show you my pedal board once it's complete.

I will go to bed now.

Three of Ten: U2

Never in my life have I been so influenced by a band so fast.

I went to Dublin last August, and I had been a mild fan of U2 for a long time. I knew of the brilliance of The Joshua Tree album and that they were from Ireland, but that was about it. The second I stepped foot in Dublin, I became consumed by U2. I thought, "Oh, I'm in Ireland. U2's from Ireland. Let's check 'em out."

I was hooked.

I didn't have any of their songs on my iPod at the point. So I YouTubed them like mad whenever I had the chance to. I was so obsessed with them that learned how to play With Or Without You and I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For via YouTube while in Europe. I must have heard half of their catalogue through YouTube on my trip. We left Dublin before we could go see the U2 Wall, but that's okay. I'll go back.

The day after I got home, I went out and bought six of their CDs and played them all the time (The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby, Zooropa, War, All That You Can't Leave Behind, and How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb). Their music covers every single emotion. Their approach is so different than anyone else I listen to.

The Edge is the epitome of less-is-more when it comes to guitar. There are some very guitar-driven songs/albums, but on songs like With Or Without You, he only plays like..three different licks throughout the song. Pride has one of my favorite guitar riffs in it. There's a lot, and then there's a little. I love it. I want to be able to do more with less like Edge can. He's the only guitarist in the band, and while they can overdub in the studio, there's not a whole lot of looping going on live because Edge (and Larry and Adam) can fill a stadium no problem. I could talk about his effects and his tone for hours, but the Edge is a better guitarist than anyone gives him credit for.

Bad is one of my favorite songs by them. It's prosody at it's finest: it sounds like it feels, and it feels like it sounds. It's empty and almost hollow at parts (to me anyway), but it fills you up. When Bono wails "I'm wide awake I'm wide awake wide awake. I'm not sleeping," I get more than shivers down my spine.

A lot of people don't like Bono because they think he's just doing charity work for the attention. Bono doesn't need to do anything for attention. He's done so much to try and help the world, and sometimes a cause need a famous face to get noticed. As for Bono, he doesn't care if the public thinks he's doing it for the attention. He's doing what he wants to do, and trying to make a difference. I have tons of respect for the man. His voice is phenomenal, and he writes lyrics that move me. He uses a lot of cliché rhymes, but he can get away with it. He's also probably the only person that can get away with saying "sexy boots" more than once in a song.

You can't talk about U2 without Larry Mullen. If it weren't for Larry, U2 might not even exist. He posted a sign on a bulletin board at school, and that's how it all began. Larry is definitely the looker of the band. His drumming is so cool. Bullet the Blue Sky, Bad, and Sunday Bloody Sunday all have incredible drumming. He's not crazy like Keith Moon was, nor is he as straight as Charlie Watts. He falls somewhere in between. The sound he gets out of his drums is incredible. The tone is so great.

People sometimes forget about bassists, but Adam Clayton makes sure he's not forgotten. While his bass does lie in the background, on songs like With Or Without You, New Years Day, A Man and A Woman, and Magnificent, the bass is right up in your face. He's so smooth. I hardly get the chance to play bass, but Adam makes me want to get one. I love how Adam is able to make himself heard and at the same time fall back and jam with Larry.

U2 is truly a band. They have never broken up, the line-up hasn't changed, and they don't seem to hate each other. All of the songs are written by U2. It's a democracy, and I like that a lot. Bono may write the lyrics (he puts that in the liner notes), but there would be no lyrics if there was no music. They all need each other.

I haven't written any songs that are really U2esque, but they're in me somewhere. There's no possible way I could ever say that U2 has had no affect on my music because they have. I can feel it. You might not hear it yet, but it's there. The songs are on their way, and they will be coming at you soon. Very, very soon.

Two of Ten: Eric Clapton

I was just talking to someone about Eric Clapton, so I thought now would be a good time to talk about his impact on my life.



There is no possible way I can recount Eric Clapton's life. Read his book. It's a great book.

For a guitarist, I don't have that many guitar-influences (as stated in a previous post). The only one that really comes to mind when I'm asked who I listen to is Eric Clapton. That says something. Most people I know list off players like it's nothing. The only name that drops from my mouth instantly is Eric Clapton.

I didn't start off as a blues player. I started off playing a lot of stuff by the Ramones and AC/DC (Angus Young was probably the first guitarist I ever really paid attention to). I become a Led Head for a while between 8th grade and freshman year. I also was heavy into Nirvana. Then towards the end of my freshman year, I discovered Eric Clapton (and every other band I listen to today really). He was one of my portals. Eric Clapton (and the Rolling Stones, more on them later) showed me the blues. And for the first time, I really listened and felt something.

My whole world changed. I no longer cared for much else but playing guitar and I became infatuated with Eric Clapton. My mom had one of his many best-of CDs. I learned Cocaine, After Midnight, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Sunshine Of Your Love, and Layla shortly after (not necessarily in that order). The first solo I ever remember transcribing by ear was the one in After Midnight.

I was bitten by the Clapton bug. There was no escape. I bought tons of his stuff. I still don't have all of it today--that will change, I promise. Derek and the Dominos, Cream, his solo work, etc...I couldn't, and still can't, get enough of it.

Probably more so than anybody else (again), I want Eric Clapton's career. He's been in so many incredible bands, and up until his solo career, he only sang when he wanted to. He just wanted to play guitar, and look at where that got him. He's the only person in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame three times (Derek and the Dominos, Cream, and solo), and he can go on tour on a moment's notice--with Steve Winwood.

My favorite era of Clapton is with Cream. This past summer I went from being a big Eric Clapton fan to an obsessed Cream/Eric Clapton fan. I learned like..Fifteen Cream songs in a month. I'm So Glad, Badge, Sunshine of Your Love (again), White Room, Crossroads, Born Under A Bad Sign, Politician, Sleepy Time Time, We're Going Wrong, I Feel Free, Spoonful, Sweet Wine, Strange Brew, Tales of Brave Ulysses, Outside Woman Blues. I was consumed by Cream. I still am. I'm listening to the now.

There's something about Eric Clapton's playing that I can't quite articulate, but if you're a fan, you know what I'm talking about. It speaks to me. There's so much passion in it. It can be a driving force or it can be a gentle lullaby. He can do it all like no one else.

I don't think--I know I play the guitar the way I do today because of him. I use so many of his licks every day, you can't even count them. I had a jam tonight, and we played six or seven songs, including two Cream songs. I play at least one Clapton song every day. Be it Bell Bottom Blues, Crossroads, Layla, Forever Man, Cocaine, Badge...You get the idea.

Not a single day goes by that I pick up my guitar and I don't play a Clapton song. He has become such a big part of my life that if I were to not play a song of his, it would be like not drinking water that day.

One of Ten: Tina Fey

(Note: These are in no specific order of influence. Tina Fey is the one that inspired me to do these posts.)


I love my life. I do. I'm incredibly comfortable in my own skin and abilities, but there are some days where I just want to be Tina Fey. She's probably my biggest role model, and easily one of my favorite celebrities. I can't think of anyone I have more respect and admiration for than Tina Fey. She's worked incredibly hard to get to where she is today.

For those of you that don't know Fey so well, here's a recap on her life:

-She graduated from the University of Virginia in 1992 with a BA in Drama
-After graduation, she moved to Chicago to attend classes at Second City. Two years later, she was part of the cast.
-In 1997 she became a writer for Saturday Night Live (SNL), and in 1999 she was the show's first female headwriter
-In 2000 she became a co-anchor on SNL's Weekend Update sketch with Jimmy Fallon. She hosted the segment until 2004
-Not only did she write (one of my favorite movies) "Mean Girls" in 2004, she also starred in it.
-She left SNL in 2006 to write, produce, and star in her own show 30 Rock
-She has seven Emmys, two Golden Globes, 3 SAG Awards. She was one of Barbara Walters' 2008 "10 Most Fascinating People" along with a whole slew of other accolades (including being one of People's 50 Most Beautiful in the World)

Look at that. All of this before she's 40 (she's 38).

Tina Fey is brilliant. She got in from the inside of the business. She went from writing the scripts behind the scenes to being the star of the screen--while still writing the scripts. She's also the producer of 30 Rock.

Two years ago when the Writer's Guild of America went on strike, Tina was out in front of Rockefeller Center picketing with her fellow writers and actors (on a side note, I tried to get my mom to go to New York during the strike so I could go hang out with Tina and the countless other actors and writers. It didn't work).

On top of all of this, Tina is still normal. She handled coming out of the writer's room very gracefully. She went from being moderately famous to one of Barbara Walters' most fascinating people (thanks to the GOP's VP candidate) in what seemed like a matter of minutes.

From SNL to Mean Girls to 30 Rock to being Sarah Palin, Tina Fey's got it all.

Here's a quote from her interview with Vanity Fair:

Everybody wants to be Tina Fey, I tell her. Who do you want to be?

“I don’t want to be somebody else,” she says.

And why would she?

Delay

My apologies. I was without the Internet for a few fantastic days in New York City.

I am going to do a series of posts on people that have influenced me. I used to not want to talk about my influences because the second I talk about how much I love Billy Joel you will immediately hear the influence in my music. I can't hold back any longer. I'm bursting.

So here's a list to satisfy my own needs:

(They're in alphabetical order)

The Beatles
Eric Clapton
Tina Fey
Mick Jagger/Keith Richards/The Rolling Stones
Billy Joel
Alicia Keys
Seinfeld (as in the TV show)
Bob Thompson
U2
The Who

I'll start with those ten. They may change, but that's not likely. If anything, I'll add more.

Anyway, I'm back at Berklee, and there is work to be done and some cleaning to do. In ten short, beautiful days, I will be back in New York City with the Business Club, and I can't wait.

Ten days to accomplish easily twenty days of work. I feel a song coming.

My mind is all over the place these days. More on that later.