Another Guitar Song About a Flying Car
- Kris
- Nov 7, 2013
- 3 min read
For someone who has such an intense love affair with guitars, I certainly don't know that much about the instrument itself. This was most apparent to me after seeing Andy McKee perform in Annapolis at Ram's Head On Stage yesterday, as I sipped my water and watched expert hands accomplish sounds I barely dreamed existed.
Growing up on country music, my ear was always more inclined towards acoustic sounds. When I hit high school and college, I allowed myself to be "plugged in" so to speak, but I kept my appreciation for the more raw instruments. Hours I would spend writing papers and studying for exams to the soundtrack of vibrating strings and piano keys.
I discovered Andy McKee in college, after scouring YouTube upon the realization that there were artists out there who specialized solely on the guitar - songs created from drawing out every nuance of sound possible, both pleasing to the ear and distinguished in musicality.
Andy McKee was my introduction into tapping, a technique in which pressing the string into the fretboard is enough to elicit sound, as opposed to flatpicking and fingerstyle to which I was accustomed. In the first song of the evening, this technique was accompanied by a percussive striking of the wooden body and a pulsing reverberation.
The tunes that followed were quiet and less spine tingling, including an impressively rapid flatpicking number that retained the melodic distinction of the other compositions. It was in these tunes that my mind was allowed to wander, not out of disrespect to the music happening in front of me, but because the melodies evoke emotion so strongly. As McKee played "For My Father" and spoke of the death of his father and the similar moving stories he received on YouTube, I thought of the uncle my family lost recently and reflected on our memories together. I allowed myself to sink back into Lord of the Rings geekdom during the fantastical "Gates of Gnomeria," and "Ouray" painted a vivid picture of a place I'd never been but could perceive anyway. McKee's melodies are thought-provoking in the most emotive of ways.
Andy McKee was quick to make jokes at his own expense in relation to his history with playing (anecdotes about guitar-playing competitions and record labels), as well as the seemingly random thoughts that lead to inspiration. In introducing the song "Keys to the Hovercar," he quipped that it was just another guitar song about a flying car; we must be tired of those!
Ever heard of a Harp Guitar? It looks like something that shouldn't exist or a child's drawing that forgoes normal conventions - it's definitely a shock compared to the typical look of guitars. To me, it just makes beautiful music. My favorite song from McKee, "Into the Ocean," is played upon this Harp Guitar. The sea-like quality of the music speaks to me in particular.
After the Harp Guitar set, McKee previewed some new, engaging songs from an upcoming EP with a tentative December release date. He explained that with EPs he could get his music out there more frequently than with an album. So every couple of months, there should be a new EP. The new songs left me extremely excited for his upcoming music.
Edited April 2016 from post published Nov. 7, 2013 via Wordpress
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