Saturday, November 27, 2010

Happy Birthday: Jimi Hendrix & Maximus Parthas

Jimi Hendrix
(November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970)

James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix is widely considered the greatest electric guitarist in the history of rock music, and one of the most influential musicians of his era across a range of genres. After initial success in Europe, he achieved fame in the United States following his 1967 performance at the Monterey Pop Festival. Later, Hendrix headlined the iconic 1969 Woodstock Festival and the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival.

Hendrix often favored raw overdriven amplifiers with high gain and treble and helped develop the previously undesirable technique of guitar amplifier feedback. He popularized use of the wah-wah pedal in mainstream rock which he often used to deliver an exaggerated pitch in his solos, particularly with high bends and use of legato. He was influenced by Blues artists such as B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Albert King and Elmore James, Rhythm and Blues and Soul guitarists Curtis Mayfield, Steve Cropper, as well as by Funk and some modern Jazz. As a record producer, Hendrix also broke new ground in using the recording studio as an extension of his musical ideas. He was one of the first to experiment with stereophonic phasing effects for rock recording.





Maximus Parthas

It's a great honor to personally know and befriend Maximus Parthas, who dubs himself as a "word warrior". Seeing him in action makes it more understandable why he calls himself that because he's an outstanding poet and activist. Out of the tremendous respect I have for him and his wife Tribal Raine, who's also an incredible poet, I can't use the "and the rest is history" statement because they both continue to make history. As a team, they both head Maximum Impact Poetry and Prysmatic Dreams, which are outlets for both established and upcoming poets, musicians, singers and MC's who work hand and hand with them to help spread messages of change, social issues, love and spirituality.

From their website MaximumImpactPoetry.com you can catch The Session Live!, a live video stream of the whole Prysmatic Dreams crew performing at the Art Bar in Columbus, SC. You can also hear streaming music and poetry, as well as purchase various projects. Here's another chance for you to support indie artists and help with a huge movement that supports us. Here are a couple of my favorite pieces from Max. The second video is when he and Tribal came to visit Houston. Enjoy!



No comments:

Post a Comment