Apple Patents Tech That Could Stop Amateur Concert Filming

Technology has made a lot of things great and more convenient in recent years. A major example of that would be the smart phone/iPhone. However, like with all things for as many good things there are there are also some downsides. A major downside of having the world in your pocket is that many people use this technology to film concerts rather than actually experience it - some times also getting in the way of other people who actually are trying to enjoy the moment. However, now Apple Inc. has patented new technology that could potentially prevent this from happening.

 

According to 9to5Mac the patent says the technology would:

 

"For example, an infrared emitter can be located in areas where picture or video capture is prohibited, and the emitter can generate infrared signals with encoded data that includes commands to disable the recording functions of devices. An electronic device can then receive the infrared signals, decode the data and temporarily disable the device’s recording function based on the command" 

 

If this technology comes to fruition, it could also prevent people from recording in movie theaters, on or near movie sets, etc. However, it can also provide things as well instead of only taking them away such as displaying information about something you're looking at in a museum or historical site.

 

However, if this does happen it probably won't be for a while as the patent was only just recently filed. Also, Apple often files patents for various technology that never sees the light of day. That said, I wouldn't count on seeing anything like this any time soon unfortunately.

 

Personally, I have two different feelings on this. On the one hand, it would be unfortunate if you couldn't at least snap a few pictures at a show. On the other, it would FINALLY eliminate all those people who just stand there watching the show through their phone screens the whole time rather than actually getting the experience they paid to have. I personally do hope this happens because people who just stand there filming concerts not only get in the way of other people trying to have a good time, but also it kind of steals the energy that an artist/band thrives on. Without crowd energy, it's hard for a musician to really get into what they're doing on stage. It kills the moment. I think this would be a step forward because it could be the start of us putting down our phones and living real life for a change.

Mike Portnoy Rocks a Hello Kitty Toy Drum Kit

Former Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy has been known for being a rather good natured and funny kind of guy. He recently decided to show off his sense of humour as well as his mad drumming skills by doing a silly video (which can be viewed below) of him playing some rock and metal classics on a Hello Kitty toy drum kit.

Portnoy joined forces with Loudwire to do this video. At the beginning of the video, he walks in the room with the kit and jokes around before laying down some Kiss, Rush, and Slayer beats better than most drummers could on a real kit, saying:

"What the fuck, where is my tour manager? I specifically requested the Pokemon kit. I never play Hello Kitty. Obviously the fucking guy did not get the rider. And a single pedal? I'm supposed to be doing Slayer tunes on this thing. But I'm an artist and a professional. I will rise above."

I'm not surprised that Portnoy would pull a stunt like this. He is one of the few people who could get away with getting behind a toy drum kit marketed toward little girls and make it rock so hard that most other drummers would throw up their sticks and quit. Plus, I'm always more impressed by a drummer who can make the most of a minimal kit than anyone behind a 100 piece kit.

5 Songs to Get You Through the Week #79

5 Songs to Get You Through the Week is a feature I run on Young Ears, Fresh Perspective on Sundays/early hours of Monday morning where I pick out 5 tunes that I think are notable and tell you a bit about them. The point is to give you some rocking music to help you deal with your weekday blues. You can either listen to one each day, listen to them all at once, or any other combination that you feel. As long as you can get through the week without the man getting you down, that's all I care about. Without further ado, here are the 5 tracks I've picked out for this week:

1. Beautiful Girls, by Van Halen

This is one of my favorite Van Halen songs of all time. If ever you need a tune to accompany your warm breezy day off in the sun in Summer then this is the one for you. It's bright, catchy, and fun. It's trademark Van Halen with Eddie's signature riffing and soloing, Michael Anthony's sunshine backing vocals, Alex's no frills attached drumming, and David Lee Roth strutting around like the west coast bleach blonde rock god he used to be back in the day.

2. 2000 Man, by Kiss

For one of their last big albums of the original line-up's run, Kiss actually covered The Rolling Stones, though not one of their bigger songs. They also decided to put lead guitarist Ace Frehley at the helm for vocals - which worked out quite well. It's a lot more shiny and driving than the original tune, but honestly I think that's ok because the Spaceman blasts this song into the cosmos here. I'd even venture to say that it beats the original.

3. All My Love, by Led Zeppelin

Although guitarist Jimmy Page kind of just decided to sit back and put his feet up on the table while this album was being written and recorded, his lack of presence by no means makes this tune any less good. It shows that bassist and multi-instrumentalist John Paul Jones could play a wickedly addictive synth and Robert Plant could still write one hell of a good song without Page being all that involved. The fact that All My Love still gets constant radio airplay to this day is a testament to this fact.

4. Girls Got Rhythm, by AC/DC

Highway to Hell was a BIG album for AC/DC. This is where they were in a bit of a transitionary period between the raw rough sounds of their first few albums and the bigger, better, and more polished ones they would have in the future once Brian Johnson replaced Bon Scott as singer. This song in particular shows that you can still cater to the average listener a little without having to compromise on your own sound and sense of artistry too much. AC/DC still got to be AC/DC, but with a little more shine.

5. The Green Manalishi (With the Two Pronged Crown) [live], by Judas Priest

This is a cover of a Fleetwood Mac song that Judas Priest included on their album Hellbent for Leather. The original is absolutely fantastic, but this song from what I can tell is what the song was truly meant to be, even if Peter Green never realized it when he originally penned the tune. It's riffy, it's dark, it's powerful. This live performance of it is even better. It has one of Rob Halford's best vocal performances of all time near the end and the guitar solos are phenomenal.

Iggy Pop Considering Retirement

Proto-punk rocker Iggy Pop has shocked the world in so many different ways in his 4+ decade career, but recently he has given credence to something that is more shocking than any of his other escapades: he is considering retirement.

After recently releasing a new album Post Pop Depression with Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme Pop admitted that doing another album would be a big undertaking for a man of his age (69 years old). He feels he doesn't have a whole lot of energy any more and feels it might be time for him to "step back".

In a recent interview with Classic Rock Magazine, Pop expands on this statement and gives more thought and depth to it, saying:

“There’s a lot of things I can’t do now that I could do when I was 25. But because I was basically kind of a loony, what’s happened with me is that the less I can do, the better off I am! But I can do a music show, and I enjoy that. And I can do an advert, or a part in a film, or a radio show. And I really enjoy those things.”

I can kind of understand Pop's desire to retire, though I'm a little baffled considering there are guys older than him still going strong well into their 70's and beyond. However, I guess it is a little different in his case considering that Pop has always been known for his high energy performances both on stage and on record. It's probably difficult to keep that kind of thing up forever and it would be better to burn out than fade away.

Throwback Thursday: Led Zeppelin IV, by Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin just won a major court case recently regarding alleged plagiarism recently. Their most well known and over played song Stairway to Heaven was accused of being a rip-off of a song called Taurus by the band Spirit. To celebrate this victory, I'm going to do this week's Throwback Thursday about this 1971 monster of a classic album which not only had Stairway on it, but quite a few other well known classics as well.

Led Zeppelin IV has even less of the straight up loud proud outer space blues sound that Led Zeppelin had started with in their first couple of albums. This continues the more straight up rock with moments of folk music interspersed throughout it that Led Zeppelin III had begun to bring on previously. Classic songs like Black Dog, Misty Mountain Hop, Stairway to Heaven, Going to California, When the Levee Breaks, Rock and Roll, etc. still get TONS of radio airplay all the time. That much of an album being broadcast after four decades is definitely a testament to how fantastic and big it truly was.

Stairway to Heaven. It's that one song that always gets requested at a bar band's gig (aside from Free Bird) or people always muck up horribly when dicking around in a guitar shop. People have also over-analyzed the lyrics to death for four decades as well. Over played though it may most certainly be, it has earned it. It's definitely Led Zeppelin's maximum opus. Jimmy Page probably did some of his best writing and guitar work in this song. It seamlessly blends soft acoustic folk with harder hitting electrifying rock n' roll. The beauty part about it is that it starts off with minimal layers, but gradually builds up more and more to the point where it becomes this epic breakdown that carries on until the very end.

Black Dog in my opinion is one of the greatest straight up rock songs Led Zeppelin ever created. From the moment Robert Plant sings that opening line, you know that something awesome is about to happen. The band needless to say does not disappoint. This is rock at its most raw. It's just a few guys going absolutely balls to the wall on their instruments/vocals while keeping things simple in all the best ways; focusing on volume, simplicity, and passion rather than technicality or composition. For the more hard rocking person, this is the tune to go to.

Led Zeppelin IV was where I started when I first started listening to Zeppelin way back in the day. Honestly, I still would have to say that this definitely isn't the worst place to do so. It has tons of their best songs and shows just how versatile they could be during their best years. Whether you like hard rock, folk, or something in between you're bound to find something on this record that suits your fancy. Kind of hard to go wrong with an album where at one point there is a straight up Lord of the Rings reference.

Led Zeppelin IV, by Led Zeppelin receives 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Track List:

1. Black Dog
2. Rock and Roll
3. The Battle of Evermore
4. Stairway to Heaven
5. Misty Mountain Hop
6. Four Sticks
7. Going to California
8. When the Levee Breaks

Buy the album on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Led-Zeppelin-IV/dp/B0011Z5IVE/ref=tmm_msc_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1466758109&sr=8-1

Steve Vai Streams New Song: "Dark Matter"

Guitar god Steve Vai is gearing up for a big 25 year anniversary re-release of his highly praised and celebrated solo album Passion and Warfare. This re-release will not only feature the album itself, but a second CD titled Modern Primitive - an album of material he wrote between his 1984 solo debut Flex-able and Passion and Warfare. To promote it, Vai has already released a rather funky yet very much Steve Vai sounding tune Dark Matter (which can be listened to below).

In a recent interview with Classic Rock Magazine, Vai talks a bit about how he feels about Modern Primitive, saying:

"Performing this record from top to bottom, with some very special surprises in the works, is something I've always dreamed of doing. There are songs here I've never performed before, and I'm delighted that 25 years after its release, I feel as though my guitar chops are as much up to the task as ever before."

Like I said earlier, Dark Matter has a lot of a funky vibe to it - in a rather Jimi Hendrix flavor. However, it isn't too long into the song where you hear the kinds of runs, bends, and harmonies that are trademark 80's/90's Steve Vai sound. However, the modern recording of the song makes it sound less dated. It could easily fit on anything he would put out in this day and age.

Passion and Warfare + Modern Primitive will be released on June 24th.

Dave Mustaine: Nick Menza Tribute Show Won't Happen if Family Doesn't Want It

Former Megadeth drummer Nick Menza sadly passed away at the age of 51 last month during a performance with his band Ohm. His former bandmate and band leader Dave Mustaine wants to have a memorial concert with all former members of Megadeth to raise money for the late drummer's family. However, there is a bit of uncertainty at this point as to whether or not that will happen.

In a recent interview with EonMusic, Mustaine talks about how the family is working on getting their affairs in order so that their kids can have something to live on until they can sustain themselves.

Mustaine says:

“There’s some stuff going on right now where the family is doing a GoFundMe page, and I’m not involved in that. If they need our help they know where we’re at. We love them, and want the best for them. Our involvement is to help Nick’s legacy for his children,” he says. “He’s got artwork. He’s got a lot of music that he’s written outside of Megadeth.

If people really love Nick and want to support him, look at his artwork. Focus on the music he did, Megadeth or otherwise. Nick was a man in transformation – he had a new band, he had a new energy, he had recently finished his biography. He was living life right, working out, mountain biking, going to bed early and getting up early. He was the happiest he’d been in a very long time. Nick just played drums with more passion than his heart could take, and that’s the truth.”

It doesn't sound to me like the family is saying no to the concert just yet, but I could be wrong. Personally I would think they would want all the help they can get financially. Plus, it would be a sucky dick move for them to block what could be the most epic Megadeth concert to ever happen. Can you imagine Marty Friedman playing with Mustaine again for the first time in almost two decades? How rad would that be?