brook adams

I like the early Rolling Stones, they were rowdy and innovative, but the Mick Taylor period is my favorite. I was a teen, discovering music and girls, and guitar just as the Stones were maturing into a great band. Time…

Playing in a band is similar to playing on a sports team. Each member has a particular skill. You have a practice schedule. You have gigs/games. At the gig/game, things don't always go the way they did at practice. The…

When making setlists, I imagine each set as a one act play where each song is a character or an event. In this context, a song has a role and a personality. The opening song is vivacious and engaging. The…

I hated my middle name. So I made sure my kids had NO middle names. When they got old enough to notice these things thaey said; "Dad! why didn't you give us middle names?". You can't win. 

Back in the…

I saw a facebook post today which said... "What about changing the name of the group to ... No Strictly Surf Music Appreciation Society?". Right away I started thinking about what makes a musical genre. I realized that in any…

I watched a bunch of youtube videos about songwriting. They covered a variety of subjects like how to write a hook, how to write a song, things you should do, things you shouldn't do. I'm not a prolific writer, but…

No... I don't mean in this house... This picture exemplifies what I like about Eugene, Oregon. You should google that phrase and be amused. It's cool to live in a town where people do stuff like this... "Like what?"... you…

In the 90s, my wife and I worked at a private school in Arizona. There is a campfire story about an unfortunate student called 'Headmixer Larry'. I love this story, it's many variations, and it's place in the memories of…

Once when I was a kid, my brother and I made a lion's mane out of construction paper and taped it to the dog. Then we got a hula hoop and did a lion-tamer circus act. Our mom was unimpressed. 

…

I have been an afficionado of surf music for 4 or 5 years now. I spent this time becoming familiar with the repertoire, reading about its history, and above all, learning to play it. To play and write music in…

Some bands are famous, we all know about them. Some bands are only known in their locality or genre. This second kind interest me more than the famous ones. A few  of these groups actually make a living at it…

Sometimes a sleeping person's environment influences their dreams. Okay, so my cat jumps up on the bed early in the morning and puts her whiskers in my face so I will get up and feed her. I think this was…