It is not a method of stagnant passivity and deadening complacency. The nonviolent resister is just as opposed to the evil that he is standing against as the violent resister but he resists without violence. This method is nonaggressive physically but strongly aggressive spiritually.  Another thing that we had to get over was the fact that the nonviolent resister does not seek to humiliate or defeat the opponent but to win his friendship and understanding…

“The end of violence or the aftermath of violence is bitterness. The aftermath of nonviolence is reconciliation and the creation of a beloved community….

“Then we had to make it clear also that the nonviolent resister seeks to attack the evil system rather than individuals who happen to be caught up in the system…

“Another basic thing we had to get over is that nonviolent resistance is also an internal matter. It not only avoids external violence or external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. And so at the center of our movement stood the philosophy of love. The attitude that the only way to ultimately change humanity and make for the society that we all long for is to keep love at the center of our lives….

“We must continue to move on. Our self—respect is at stake; the prestige of our nation is at stake. Civil rights is an eternal moral issue which may well determine the destiny of our civilization… We must keep moving with wise restraint and love and with proper discipline and dignity…”

excerpted from “The Power of Non-violence”
by Martin Luther King, Jr.
June 4, 1957

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday is an auspicious time to reflect on the legacy, methods and message of one of the greatest revolutionaries of our time as well as to reflect on the mantle that we inherit as aspiring yogis and budding spiritual activists.  The vision of universal brotherhood and sisterhood and freedom and equality for all beings through radical non-violent tactics, grounded in love, is as relevant and necessary today as it was in Gandhi’s and Dr. King’s time and throughout history.   The work did not end with these visionaries meeting their untimely demise.  To the contrary, it is up to us as yogis-in-training and activists to fearlessly dive deep within to explore where slavery still exists in our minds, lives and cultures.

The practices of asana, meditation, japa, satsang and ethical vegetarianism and veganism allow us to delve the depths of the bodies made of food, energy, mind, refined intellect and eventually bliss to root out that which is keeping us from living in joy and cosmic love and to create new pathways and patterns that liberate not only the mind but the heart.   We can all very easily be slave to impulse, desire and cultural conditioning and we can all easily engage in behaviors and attitudes that could facilitate the modern slavery that still exists between races, sexes, religions and even species.  As we awaken to this universal vision, we can begin to skillfully act in the world as agents of change as the greats like Dr. King have.   In fact, we don’t have to wait until we are fully “awakened.”  The time is now.  It is up to us to “keep this movement moving, “as Dr. King implored.

Yoga is about liberation and nothing less.  In our quest for personal liberation and realization, we must be sure to adopt the ethic of non-violence and love that Dr. King utilized.   No revolution, personal, societal or otherwise will impart lasting change if it is based on violence, harming, enmity or hostility as the fruits will be full of violence, harm and instability.  The law of karma is clear.  The project we are engaged in, as my beloved teacher Sharon Gannon says, is to be “liberators of countless beings.”   This is the pledge of the jivanmukta and bodhisattva.  This is the echoing message of Dr. King.

Lokah Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu

Bhakti Groove: Dr. King’s Vision

1. “I Have a Dream (Srikalogy Remix)”  - Skrikalogy | Click to Purchase

2. “Slavery Days”  - Burning Spear | Click to Purchase

3. “400 Years” –  Bob Marley & The Wailers | Click to Purchase

4. “Old Slaves” – Stephen Marley | Click to Purchase

5. “Soul Rebel (Afrodisiac Sound System Remix)” – Bob Marley & The Wailers | Click to Purchase

6. “Mind Control” – Stephen Marley | Click to Purchase

7. “Free Like We Want 2 B” – Ziggy Marley | Click to Purchase

8. “Slave Driver” – Bob Marley & The Wailers | Click to Purchase

9. “Rebel Music” – Bob Marley & The Wailers | Click to Purchase

10. “Soul Rebel” – Bob Marley | Click to Purchase

11. “Keep On Moving” – Bob Marley & The Wailers | Click to Purchase

12. “Stepping Out a Babylon” – Marcia Griffiths | Click to Purchase

13. “We Shall Overcome” – Toots & The Maytals  | Click to Purchase

14. “Can You Feel It (Martin Luther King Mix)” – Mr. Fingers | Click to Purchase

15. “Babylon System” – Bob Marley | Click to Purchase

16. “Amerimacka” – Thievery Corporation | Click to Purchase

17. “Tolerance”  - Michael Franti & Spearhead | Click to Purchase

*****

John Smrtic’s Upcoming Events:

Basking in the Ocean of Bhava

With Shyamdas and Jivamukti Yoga with John Smrtic

March 24 – 31, 2012

Blue Spirit – Nosara, Costa Rica

Equal Vision

Jivamukti Yoga with John Smrtic

January 15, 2012 1-3PM

Yoga Mandali – Saratoga Springs, NY

For more information, visit my website

As the backdrop for the ever-changing cast and scenery, music can always help you find your groove.   For a period of many years, from 1998 through 2006 in fact, a Colorado-based band, The String Cheese Incident, provided the theme music for the play of my life.  From the sacred peaks of Mt. Shasta to the Hollywood Hills in California, the forests of Oregon to the blistering heat of Idaho in the summer, and from Ft. Lauderdale to Buffalo, the “Cheese” provided unparallel inspiration, fun and creativity to my adventure.

A recent unseasonably warm December weekend in New York City allowed me the first opportunity to reunite with the Cheese since the barefoot Colorado mountain boys stopped touring in 2007.  A two night run at the United Palace Theatre, an intimate and fantastically ornate venue all the way up near the George Washington Bridge, proved a perfect fit for the dance-heavy and uplifting experience that only SCI can provide.  Critics may say that the band, as a whole, may not boast the chops of Phish or the technical proficiency of Umphrey’s McGee, but the Cheese experience is positive, transformative, a raucous dance party, and at times, downright ecstatic. Moving from jam to bluegrass to soul to electro and tackling song themes about life, love, seasons and soul, there are few bands, if any, that can kindle the experience of inner bliss outside of the world of kirtan, like SCI can.

So this month’s Bhakti Groove contribution to YOGANONYMOUS is inspired by SCI (and me!) hitting the road again and is a thematic and jamband heavy journey from fall to winter to New Years utilizing the tales of String Cheese, Phish and the Dead, some Bob and Ziggly Marley sprinkled in, a brief appearance by the Stones, the freak-folkish wonder of Akron/Family and some groovy Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong remixes.  It’s sweet to have a soundtrack for the season that also doubles as a great mix to kick out a winter blues bustin’ asana practice to.  So grab your mat, press play and get your bhakti groove on!

Bhakti Groove: Winter Jam

“Restless Wind” – String Cheese Incident | Click to Purchase

“Round The Wheel” – String Cheese Incident ‘Round The Wheel | Click to Purchase

“Cold Rain And Snow” – Grateful Dead | Click to Purchase

“I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm” (Yesking Remix) – Billie Holiday  | Click to Purchase

“Baby, It’s Cold Outside” (King Kooba Remix) – Louis Armstrong & Velma Middleton Holiday | Click to Purchase

“Long Winter” - Ziggy Marley | Click to Purchase

“It’s Ice” – Phish | Click to Purchase

“Weather Report Suite” – Grateful Dead | Click to Purchase

“Light” (Bonus Track Version) – Phish | Click to Purchase

“Winter” – The Rolling Stones | Click to Purchase

“Coming In From The Cold” – Bob Marley & The Wailers | Click to Purchase

“Brand New Start” – String Cheese Incident | Click to Purchase

“Sun Will Shine” (Warmth Of The Sunship Version) – Akron/Family | Click to Purchase

“Last Year” – Akron/Family | Click to Purchase

Happy Holidays!

Darkside is the collaborative project behind 21-year old electronic mastermind, Nicolas Jaar and bassist Dave Harrington. If you haven’t heard Jaar’s solo stuff, I highly reccomend you check out his EP’s Space is Only Noise and Don’t Break My Love. Darkside is Jaar’s signature dizzying, minimal electronica- gone rock with the addition of some seriously funky bass. Check out the EP here!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Looking for some more yoga music? Check out our *free* YOGANONYMIXes

“Don’t Move” is the latest single from elecro-beat engineers Josh Carter and Sarah Barthel, from their new EP, Nightlife. The track transitions through the sounds of horns and keyboards layered on top of a bubbly loop and Barthel’s lyrical hook. Give the song a couple of listens and you will hear the beautiful dimensions of sound and texture, making this a standout track on a standout album. Download the track for free via RCRDLBL.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Looking for some more yoga music? Check out our *free* YOGANONYMIXes

Yoganonymous favorites, Fleet Foxes have posted a new video for one of their best songs off their 2011 LP, Helplessness Blues. The gorgeous tune gets a visual boost from the trippy, animated clip, which was directed by Fleet Foxes frontman Robin Pecknold’s brother Sean Pecknold.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Looking for some more yoga music? Check out our *free* YOGANONYMIXes

Well that pretty much sums it up now, doesn’t it? These two lines from the classic Bob Marley song “One Love” not only sum up the Rasta ideal but also what we are striving for as yogis-in-training. The idea of a supreme absolute truth, the realization of oneness (“One Love, One Heart”), could be said to be the goal of yoga, and is the fundamental idea of Vedanta. Getting together with like-minded truth seekers and the saints, swamis and sadhus, orsatsang, is one of the most important practices in this day and age for achieving yoga. Smarana, or divine remembrance, and continually giving thanks and praises to the Most High may be the quickest way to that realization of our divine heritage.

All yoga practices should cultivate smarana, because after all, if we remembered our divine nature and our connection to the Most High at all times, we wouldn’t need to practice! We would be there. So we know too that our yoga practice is not contained only to a rectangular mat and a physical practice but that it extends into every aspect of our lives. Likewise, to the yogi, remembrance and Thanksgiving is not merely a one day a year event, but a lifestyle and daily practice.

Our Jivamukti Grandguru, the enlightened sage and founder of Ananda Ashram in Monroe, NY, Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati, said that “Yoga is the state where you are missing nothing.” By the practice of thanksgiving, we can approach this state. By reflecting on our blessings, cultivating an attitude of gratitude, giving thanks and blessings and remembering the divine, we put spirituality into action. We begin living yoga. When we engage in these attitudes, behaviors and actions, we begin to feel connected and whole – becoming a holy being. In this state, we feel full and we realize that nothing is missing. It is all here.

So on the Thanksgiving holiday and always, we give thanks and praises to the Most High. We reflect on the lotus feet of our Gurus and teachers and offer salutations for their love and effort, while holding dear the teachings and practices. We thank our families, loved ones, partners and friends for being in our lives and reflecting on the blessings they bring to our lives. We give thanks for this birth, this life, these experiences and opportunities. We strive to express our gratitude and connection to the whole by living a life that causes the least harm to all beings, that is full of joy and compassion and groovy music. Lokah Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu – May all beings everywhere be happy and free and may the thoughts words and actions of my own life, contribute in some way to that happiness and to that freedom for all.

So our special “Give Thanks & Praises Bhakti Groove” playlist highlights Marley’s “One Love” at the beginning and end with Bill Laswell’s ambient translation to take us into savasana. My homeboy DJ Drez, operating under his alias, Sound Ambassador, kicks the mix off Rasta style by calling out the various names of the Most High in different traditions and by reminding us that we see clearly through the heart chakra. Drez returns later on for “Sela” reminding us to “praise the Most High.” The mix then dips into some old school soul digging up Sly Stone and Earth Wind & Fire classics. Nas & Damien Marley bring us in to the reggae section by telling us to “Count Your Blessings.” Marley, Bob that is, then returns on multiple selections to drop the dharma that “no matter what the crisis is, give Jah all your thanks and praises.” David Newman and Prema Hara round out the mix, with the later artist beautifully singing a traditional bhakti yoga invocation of gratitude.

Give Thanks & Praises: An Irie Bhakti Groove Holiday Playlist

~ Total runtime: 1 hour & 22 minutes ~

“Heart Center”- Sound Ambassador  | Click to purchase

“One Love/People Get Ready” - Bob Marley | Click to Purchase

“Gratitude” - Earth, Wind, and Fire | Click to Purchase

“Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)” – Sly & the Family Stone | Click to purchase

“Thank You” - Michael Franti & Spearhead | Click to purchase

“Thank you” (featuring Apani B) – Nujabes | Click to purchase

“So Thank You Music” - The Heavy Pets | Click to purchase

“Gratitude” – Nomak | Click to purchase

“Count Your Blessings” – Nas & Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley | Click to purchase

“Crisis” - Bob Marley & The Wailers | Click to purchase

“Sela” - DJ Drez | Click to purchase

“Put It On” – Bob Marley | Click to purchase

“Thank You” - Burning Spear | Click to purchase

“Thank You Lord” – Bob Marley | Click to purchase

“Give Thanks And Praise” – Bob Marley | Click to purchase

“Thank You” - David Newman | Click to purchase

“Prayers Of Gratitude” – Prema Hara | Click to purchase

“One Love (People Get Ready)” – Bob Marley | Click to purchase

Enjoy!

Hailing from New York City, The Dirty Grand is a three piece live electronic rock band that is sure to get you moving on the floor. Composed of a live drummer, bass player, and electronics programmer, The Dirty Grand takes their influences from artists such as Digitalism, Boys Noize, Soulwax, and Anoraak. The band also features former members of Windish Agency artists, Lou Reed’s touring guitarist, BM Linx, and Puracane…who you may know of from their previous tours with bands such as Freezepop, Depeche Mode, Jane’s Addiction, and more! Luckily for all of you New York City dwellers, The Dirty Grand is playing live and for FREE at Piano’s tomorrow night (11/10/11) at midnight. Below is their debut track, Light Pollution, which takes influences from prog-rockers Pink Floyd (you’ll hear it, we promise) and dance-floor destroyers Digitalism. Go check them out!

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Looking for some more yoga music? Check out our *free* YOGANONYMIXes

Welcome to our “Jam of the Week” – a place to discover new music that you can incorporate into your practice, or just rock out with anytime of the day…

“Diamond Heart” is a beautiful five-minute bonus track off of Active Child’s album, You Are All I See, which will be re-released on November 1. Pat Grossi’s soulful falsetto layered with impeccable electro-dub beats create a truly unique sound that maintains heaviness amongst it’s ethereal vibe. I got the chance to check out their live show during CMJ week here in New York, and have since had the album on repeat. Active Child is currently on tour in the US, and will be supporting M83 when they come back to NYC. (Check out tour dates and more here).

Click here to view the embedded video.

Looking for some more yoga music? Check out our *free* YOGANONYMIXes

David Byrne and Brian Eno’s magical album “Everything that Happens Will Happen Today” is represented by the playlist title track late in class. It’s an uplifting and heartfelt anthem after a sweaty flow brought to you by a diverse range of artists including the downtempo dub of NYC underground legend Bill Laswell and an instrumental track from another group of Big Apple pioneers, The Beastie Boys. Kruder and Dorfmeister stop by to remix some classic Depeche Mode and Stuph’s mellow “Venice Beach Dub” will open your hips on its own.  I have found that dropping Janet Jackson’s “That’s the Way Love Goes” smack dab in the middle of a creative vinyasa sequence adds a little extra hot sauce to class and the final combo of classic Bob Dylan reassurance and Lucinda Williams’ hauntingly elegant “Jackson” closes class in style. Drop it.

One Fine Day

“Awakening” – Urban Nature | Click to Purchase

“Babylon Ghost” – Bill Laswell | Click to Purchase

“Change” – Blind Melon | Click to Purchase

“Barmanu” - Toires | Click to Purchase

“Forelopig Bit” - Lindstron & Prins Thomas | Click to Purchase

“Dramatically Different” - The Beastie Boys | Click to Purchase

“That’s the Way Love Goes” - Janet Jackson | Click to Purchase

“Under African Skies” – Paul Simon | Click to Purchase

“King Tubby’s Moon Dub” – Root Radics | Click to Purchase

“Useless” – Depeche Mode | Click to Purchase

“Venice Beach Dub” – Stuph | Click to Purchase

“One Fine Day” – David Byrne & Brian Eno | Click to Purchase

“The Kids don’t Stand a Chance” – Vampire Weekend | Click to Purchase

“Once Upon a Sea of Blissful Awareness” – Shpongle | Click to Purchase

“Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright” – Bob Dylan | Click to Purchase

“Jackson” - Lucinda Williams | Click to Purchase

Enjoy!

This week, we bring you one of our all-time favorites, Warren Zevon’s Werewolves of London. For those not familiar with Warren Zevon, he was a prominent singer/songwriter in the 1970’s and 1980’s receiving praises from rock “gods” such as Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, and Jackson Browne amongst others. In 2003, Warren Zevon sadly suddenly left us due to peritoneal mesothelioma (a form of cancer associated with exposure to asbestos). Without getting too gloomy here, check out Warren’s Werewolves of London and enjoy your Halloween!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Looking for some more yoga music? Check out our *free* YOGANONYMIXes

In his trademark smooth and emotion-filled voice, Trevor Hall sings:

“Oh my my, be humbler than a blade of grass, be patient and forgiving like the tree. Take no honor for thyself, give honor to all, and chant as we live unceasingly. The time has come to speak of this love, speak of this love, speak of this love.”

Though that was all the confirmation I needed that Trevor wasn’t singing about your typical every day, sensual love, he continued to grab my attention and heart.  Longingly declaring, “As many times as I may be reborn, grant me your steadfast love for thy lotus feet,” he chants “Radhe… Radhe… Radhe… Radhe Radhe Govinda… Radhe Radhe Govinda,” as the track fades to silence.

The hair on my arms stood on end and I repeatedly rewound the track to the beginning of the dub section. Not many musicians can pull that off — a song that is hip, groovy and catchy while being unapologetically spiritual and giving perhaps the most profound yogic teachings. Heck, if it weren’t for the near six minute length of the track, “A Different Hunger” could even be a radio hit with the message, perhaps unbeknownst to those singning along, going mainstream.

The song is from Hall’s recently released album “Everything, Everytime, Everywhere”, a title that refers to one of his Indian teacher’s messages about the nature of the divine in our lives and practices.  And the teaching on the standout track mentioned above comes from “Sri Siksastakam,” the only recorded words (8 verses) left behind by 15th century Bengali saint and Krishna devotee Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.  Sri Chaitanya is considered to be the founder of the modern kirtan movement and was a major proponent of the chanting of the Maha Mantra (Hare Krishna…) and congregational chanting of the names of God as the primary means in this age for crossing over the ocean of birth and death. What Hall does in “A Different Hunger” is give a near direct translation/interpretation of Chaitanya’s following “Siksastakam” verse:

trinad api sunichena
taror api sahishnuna
amanina manadena
kirtaniyah sada harih


“Think yourself lower than the straw in the street, more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige. Be ready to offer all respect to others. In such a state of mind, chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.”

And this is what we as aspiring yogis are talking about — a different hunger — striving for the realization of divine love within and without, perhaps even in the face of what Mother Culture tells us we should be hungering for and after.  As yoga grows in the West, the devotional component, which very well may be the only indispensable component, is becoming not only popular but hip. This bhakti, the yoga of devotion or divine love, as Sri Chaitanya teaches, involves humility, tolerance, the removal of false pride, respect and remembrance of our idea of God by repeating the Holy Names. It is in this bhava, or divine mood or divine sentiment, which we begin to awaken to the nature of the atman (the indwelling divine principle) and the eternal relationship between the atman and the paramatman (the soul and God). This bhava also allows us to enter into all aspects of our lives with the proper attitude, whether making music or enjoying it, working, teaching yoga, practicing asana, eating, or even being with our loved ones and friends. The outcome is that our lives, experiences and relationships begin to take on a transcendental glow as we awaken to and taste the inherent sweetness (the ras, or nectar) in the Names.

“Bhakti Groove” is the name for the music mixes I create for my Jivamukti Yoga classes. The idea is this: let’s celebrate the practice and not make it one more mundane thing in our lives, let’s never forget the need for devotion in our lives and in particular in the asana practice where the ego can be fed or shed, and let’s use the music as another element of practice that can bring focus and energy (with the lyrics at times giving the dharma teachings) and allow us to step into the timeless state (the groove!). To date there are 187 distinct, thematic mixes that span genres and topics and teachings, in addition to mixes that can be used “Anytime” or for “Workshops.” Out of the 200+ Bhakti Groove mixes in circulation, the list of artists that have had an entire mix dedicated to their music from start to finish is both short and impressive: Bob Marley, Jerry Garcia, George Harrison, Gaura Vani, Michael Franti, Thievery Corporation, Pretty Lights Nomak (downtempo hip hop beats from Japan) and DJ Drez.

Add Trevor Hall to that list. His latest album is the epitome of Bhakti Groove. In fact, alongside Stephen Marley’s “Revelation, Pt. I” and Ancient Astronaut’s “Into Bass and Time”, Hall’s “Everything, Everytime, Everywhere” is without a doubt on heavy rotation on the Ipod and in the CD player and by far one of my favorite releases in 2011. It’s not just “A Different Hunger” that stands out.  “The Love Wouldn’t Die” takes Hall into a more serious rock sound for perhaps the first time, while tracks like “Good Rain” and “All I Ever Know” exemplify his unique ability to meld positivity, love and yogic ideals with reggae and folky inspiration, while all the while bringing pop sensibility to the fold without losing integrity or vision. “Fire,” featuring the dancehall stylings of Cherine Andersen, is a head nodding reggae rocker with a clever double entendre about either a fiery female love interest, or MahaMaya, the feminine illusory principle of the universe.

Sprinkle into the Bhakti Groove a few tracks from Hall’s prior releases, and the result is “Bhakti Groove Anytime: A Different Hunger – Trevor Hall.”  The mix is laid out to flow with the energetic arch of a vinyasa class, and each song is selected for the vibration and dharmic gems delivered by Mr. Hall. Note that the last track, “The Mountain” is followed by a few minutes of silence before a beautiful Vedic prayer emerges as a 10 minute hidden track (perfect for moving into svasana). This mix, as is always the goal, is great for a life soundtrack: car ride, kicking around the house, a gathering, and especially the studio. Throw it on for your own practice, or if you use it in a class, I bet that at least one student will ask you, “Who is that musician?!!” 

RADHE RADHE GOVINDA

Bhakti Groove Anytime: A Different Hunger – Trevor Hall

“All I Ever Know” — Everything Everytime Everywhere | Purchase

“Unity (featuring Matisyahu)” — Trevor Hall | Purchase

“Internal Heights” — Trevor Hall | Purchase

“Dr. Suess” — Everything Everytime Everywhere | Purchase

“The Love Wouldn’t Die” — Everything Everytime Everywhere | Purchase

“Fire (featuring Cherine Anderson)” — Everything Everytime Everywhere | Purchase

“Where’s The Love” — Trevor Hall | Purchase

“Different Hunger” — Everything Everytime Everywhere | Purchase

“The Return” — Everything Everytime Everywhere | Purchase

“My Baba (featuring Krishna Das)” — Trevor Hall | Purchase

“The Lime Tree” — Trevor Hall | Purchase

“Good Rain” — Everything Everytime Everywhere | Purchase

“World Keeps Turnin’” — This is Blue | Purchase

“Mirror of the Sky” — This is Blue | Purchase

“Te Amo” — Everything Everytime Everywhere | Purchase

“Who You Gonna Turn To” — Trevor Hall | Purchase

“To Zion” — The Elephant’s Door | Purchase

“The Mountain (with hidden track)” — Everything Everytime Everywhere | Purchase

Click for more yoga music and free yoga playlists!

Here are some of classic rock’s finest moments, all forged in the foundation of rhythm guitar.

10 Greatest-Ever Rhythm Guitarists
(ranking thanks to gibson.com)

10. CHUCK BERRY – John Lennon famously said, “If you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it Chuck Berry.” Berry’s innovative use of double-stops and his newfangled rhythm style comprised the backbone of rock and roll guitar. With an ES-355, or one of its cousins as his instrument of choice, Berry melded country and R&B into swinging, boogie-woogie rhythms that previously were thought to be the sole province of piano players. His distinctive two-string patterns became a template for the likes of Keith Richards and others.

Click here to view the embedded video.

9. ED O’BRIEN – Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood gets more attention, but when it comes to rhythm guitar, Ed O’Brien’s amazing six-string work is just as integral to the band’s sound. “I’ve been heavily influenced by rhythm guitar players like Johnny Marr,” O’Brien told Guitar Player, in 1997. “He was an amazing, brilliant rhythm player, rarely played solos, so full of sounds. I’m nowhere near as technical, but I’m also into sounds, pedals, rhythmic textures and arpeggio stuff. When you get to the point when you understand what rhythm guitar is really doing, you begin to appreciate good rhythm guitar.”

8. JOHN LENNON – Recording engineer Eddie Kramer, who worked with countless guitar greats, once gushed that John Lennon was “a ridiculously good rhythm player.” Lennon himself summed up his six-string gifts, often showcased on an Epiphone Casino to Rolling Stone: “I’m not technically good, but I can make [the guitar] howl and speak,” he said. Lennon went on to compare his approach to that of Richie Havens. “He plays, like, one chord all the time. He plays a pretty funky guitar. But he doesn’t seem to be able to play in the real terms at all. I’m like that. I’m an artist. If you give me a tuba, I’ll bring you something out of it.”

Click here to view the embedded video.

7. JOHNNY RAMONE – The late Johnny Ramone often gets short shrift as a rhythm guitarist, but in fact his rapid, down-stroked “buzz saw” technique had a powerful impact on thrash-metal specialists, including the likes of Kirk Hammett and Dave Mustaine. Even six-string virtuoso Paul Gilbert has cited Ramone as a primary influence. Asked by photographer Robert Jones to name his greatest six-string inspiration, Ramone said, “Jimmy Page, of Led Zeppelin. He’s probably the greatest guitarist who ever lived.”

6. KAKI KING – “There are guitar players who are good, and there are guitar players who are really good. And then there’s Kaki King.” That’s how Dave Grohl once described King, the youngest person ever named a “New Guitar God” by Rolling Stone. The six-string sensation attributes much of her rhythm skills to the fact that she was originally a drummer.  “It has to do with the independence of the hands,” she said, in a 2010 interview. “Because I can do something with one hand while the other is doing something totally different, I can get twice as much done on the guitar. People sometimes see what I’m playing and go, ‘Oh, my God!’ while I’m thinking, ‘Actually it’s not that hard.’ I’m using techniques I learned through playing drums, and transferring that to the guitar.”

5. DAVE MUSTAINE – Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine’s distinctive rhythm style was forged through countless hours of listening to Angus Young, Jimmy Page, Ace Frehley and Michael Schenker. Asked about his current approach to guitar, he told Guitar World, “[Megadeth lead guitarist] Chris [Broderick] does all the work and I have all the fun. But that’s kind of backwards because I’m the one carrying the brunt of the rhythm responsibilities. Chris has a lot of really great abilities as a lead guitarist. I’m more of a utility player, where I play underneath. These days, when it’s time for a solo, I hold the bottom down while Chris plays lead, especially when there’s a difficult guitar rhythm on top, because that’s my strength.”

4. MALCOLM YOUNG - Angus Young once said his older brother, Malcolm, could likely fill his shoes, but he [Angus] could never fill those of Malcolm. Indeed, Malcolm Young’s sensational rhythm work lies at heart of AC/DC’s distinctive sound. Guitar Player once noted that the secret to Malcolm Young’s guitar technique is playing open chords through a series of medium-sized amplifiers set to low volume with little or no gain. The fact that he uses heavy gauge Gibson nickel round-wound strings, in order to produce a thicker sound, is a key factor as well.

3. JIMMY PAGE – Fans who revere Jimmy Page for his breathtaking solos and extraordinary riff-making should add Page’s rhythm playing to that list. Few guitarists have moved more nimbly between earth-shaking power chords and subtle triads and tasteful arpeggios. Much of Page’s magic emanated from the range of dynamics he achieved with various strumming techniques, which he often employed in acoustic settings. Punk guitar maestro Johnny Ramone once revealed he improved his down-stroke picking style by listening over and over to Page’s playing on “Communication Breakdown.”

Click here to view the embedded video.

2. PETE TOWNSHEND – Few musical sounds are more instantly recognizable than Pete Townshend’s revved-up flamenco style or his wind-milled power chords. Townshend spoke about his love of rhythm guitar in a 1980 interview with Sound International. “I wouldn’t object at all to have a [lead] guitar player in The Who so that I could just concentrate on rhythm. I love it. It’s a physical thing. It’s like a dancing thing. There’s a strong syncopation element in it. My style has been formally rhythmic. I laid down the beat and John [Entwistle] and Keith [Moon] worked around it.”

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1. KEITH RICHARDS – Rolling Stones producer Don Was once offered up a terrific assessment of Keith Richards’ greatness as a rhythm player. “[His] rhythm guitar parts are often the melody of the song, just by virtue of the way the Stones write. Normally the rhythm guitar player plays in the holes, where the singer isn’t singing. But in the Stones’ case, Keith is doing what the lead guitar player normally does.” Richards offered these thoughts: “[Rhythm] has always fascinated me. Mainly because I realized after quite a few years that the thing that really intrigued me, that turned me on to playing, was suggested rhythms going on, or a certain tension. Especially in early rock and roll, there’s a tension between the 4/4 beat and the eighths going on with the guitars.”

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Welcome to our “Jam of the Week” – a place to discover new music that you can incorporate into your practice, or just rock out with anytime of the day…

On January On January 31st, the Copenhagen ensemble, The Asteroids Galaxy Tour will release Out of Frequency, their sophomore follow up to their 2009 debut, Fruit. I saw this track off their debut album performed live at the Bowery Ballroom and it blew me away. It is impossible to hear their sunny, brass- laced funky sounds and not want to get up and groove. Nylon Magazine calls it “a swank sound that calls to mind the soulful ‘70s –brassy horns, psychedelic effects, and a healthy dose of Technicolored funk…sunny hits, perfect for daytime dance parties.” Check out the video for The Sun Ain’t Shining No More below.

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Download the first single, “Major” off their new album from the band’s website

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Last night, i got the ultimate pleasure to see the legendary band, Radiohead, live at Roseland Ballroom in NYC and it was nothing short of amazing. In honor of incredible night of magical madness, here is a lovely collaboration from Radiohead’s wiggly front man, Thom Yorke, and the band’s flawless opening act, Four Tet, called Ego.  A while back we featured another one of their beautiful collaborations, Mirror.

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Check out some more Radiohead remixes here

For photos and videos from last night, click here

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