Johnny Cash
American V: A Hundred Highways
2006 American Records

Grade: A

Grade: A

http://www.riseagainst.com

Sonic Youth
Rather Ripped
2006 Geffen

Grade: A

Is “good protest song” an oxymoron? This is a question visited by my fellow flakey musician friends when discussing the qualities of grizzled old fossil Neil Young’s new anti-war release After The Garden.

I must confess that I haven’t actually heard After The Garden. I am a part-time Neil Young fan, I listen to Tonight’s The Night , Zuma, and Ragged Glory on a consistent time schedule. Certain selections of his work with Buffalo Springfield like “Mr. Soul” are unappreciated 3-minute masterpieces.

The reasons I like Neil Young are that he continues to change his music in a Sisyphusian quest to evolve, and at his best he is brutally honest. There is no one quintessential Neil Young album.

Honesty is the most important factor to consider when debating the merits of a protest song. What is it about the issue that has the artist pissed off? Is the issue unpopular not only to the artist’s audience, but also among a majority segment of the public? Is the artist speaking from personal experience?

The late 60’s peace and screw generation is revered for their vocal opposition to the Vietnam War. Some old hippy farts have even argued that their music single-handedly stopped the war. What is almost never mentioned in these discussions is the fact that by the time so called protest anthems like “I’d Love To Change The World” and Young’s own “Ohio” were released, the Vietnam War was on the wane and the “Hippy Movement” was deeply engrained into the popular conscious. These songs were commercially successful and resulted in a financial windfall that ushered in the “Arena Rock” era when the former political activist pop stars could snort coke off strippers through $100 bills right next to The Man.

Fast forward to 2006. Modern rock albums like Green Day’s American Idiot have placed the Bush Administration and the Iraq War in an unfavorable light. But the message fell on the deaf ears of greasy faced pre-pubescent girls who just wanted to marry Billy Joe Armstrong.

Teen idol status was never Grandpa Neil’s forte. Poor guy resembles that life-sized Neanderthal Man poster hanging in Ms. Miller’s 6^th grade biology classroom. The airwaves are not filled with modern popular music bequeathing unpopular politics. It’s still a better investment to write a song about your girlfriend’s fine ass.

So why would Neil Young write a new bunch of protest songs?

Simply because that’s what is on his mind right now. All those talking head pundits on both sides of the issue are going to be sorely disappointed a couple of months from now when Young rolls out some new numbers on a totally different subject like the advantages of flossing versus waterpics.

Still, the original question presented remains unanswered. Is there such a thing as a good protest song?

Yes. And the man and his music will be subject of my next overblown, windy manifesto. His name is James McMurtry.

Check out the next issue for an all exclusive Underground Spotlight issue!

Q. How did you come up with the idea to transpose classical onto guitar and invent your own style of guitar playing?

A. The Great Kat is a Juilliard Grad Violin Virtuoso/Winner of The Artists International Competition/Violin Soloist at Carnegie Recital Hall/ “Top 10 Fastest Shredders Of All Time” (Guitar One Magazine). After graduating from Juilliard, where I mastered violin virtuosity with Paganini Caprices, Sarasate, Vivaldi, Bach and other great composers, I decided that CLASSICAL MUSIC WAS DYING and DESPARATELY NEEDED to be RESURRECTED for the MASSES!!!!!

After discovering Heavy Metal and the electric guitar, I decided to take my violin technique on Paganini, Sarasate, Bazzini, Vivaldi and other geniuses and TRANSCRIBE THESE AUTHENTIC SCORES (note for note) and THEREFORE UPDATING Classical Music with Shred Guitar, Violin, Band AND Symphony Orchestra!!!

The Great Kat is ACTUALLY TAKING THESE AUTHENTIC SCORES (NOT just the MELODY) and EDITING, ARRANGING and ORCHESTRATING Classical Masterpieces for the MASSES to KEEP CLASSICAL ALIVE WHILE ENERGIZING and GENIUSIZING YOUR FLACCID BRAINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Q. I've come across a couple other guitarists who claim to play GUITAR SHRED, but it comes nowhere close to what you are capable of doing with the guitar. What do you think of others who are attempting to imitate your style?

A WAIT until EVERY GUITARIST hears THE NEW Great Kat CD featuring THE SHRED VERSION OF PAGANINI’S “CAPRICE #24” on BOTH the GUITAR AND VIOLIN!!!!!!!!!! BOW PEASANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Q. What does the future hold for The Great Kat and her music?

A. The Great Kat's Music is NOW spreading to all aspects of entertainment-TV, MOVIES, DVD and THE INTERNET:

1-The Great Kat performed "The Flight of the Bumble-Bee" and Liszt’s "Hungarian Rhapsody #2" live on May 27, 2006 on NBC TV'S "WEEKEND TODAY IN NY" TV Show and was interviewed by Pat Battle as The "World’s Fastest Female Guitarist"!!

3-THE GREAT KAT’S NEW SHRED/CLASSICAL DVD “EXTREME GUITAR SHRED” is TAKING OVER THE WORLD WITH SHRED INSANITY!!

6 EXTREME GUITAR Music Videos:
-ZAPATEADO-Classical Violin/Guitar Virtuosity Shred version of Pablo de Sarasate’s virtuoso violin piece “Zapateado“.

-TORTURE CHAMBER: Torture Devices and Extreme abuse of INFERIOR MALES!

-CASTRATION-The Great Kat Dominates and controls through castration-eliminates the appendage that make MEN think they are IMPORTANT. WATCH OUT!!

-LIVE IN CHICAGO-The Great Kat Shred Guitar Live with Fans WORSHIPPING and SLAVES SALIVATING and total chaos!

-DOMINATRIX-The Great Kat DOMINATES her slave, humiliates and abuses him! FUN!!!

-WAR- The Great Kat’s response to 9/11. THE WAR ON TERROR HAS BEGUN!!!!

-3 SHRED BONUS FEATURES:
-HOT SHRED BITS-Hot Kat Photos mixed with INSANE GUITAR and VIOLIN Shredding!

-SHRED FAQs-Tidbits and cool stuff on Classical Music mixed with Vivaldi’s Insane Music shredded by The Great Kat!!

-SHRED CREDITS-Credits from the DVD mixed with Wagnerian Opera!

-SHRED ONLINE-Kat web site and contact info

Wagner’s “The Ride of the Valkyries” (From Wagner's Opera "Die Walkure")

Liszt’s “Hungarian Rhapsody #2”

Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons”

Bazzini’s “The Round of the Goblins”

Sarasate’s “Zapateado”

Q. What are you listening to these days?
A. Beethoven, Wagner, Verdi, Bach, Paganini, and The Great Kat’s “WAGNER’S WAR” CD!!!!!!!!

The Great Kat COMPOSED the GENIUS “WAGNER’S WAR” CD, FEATURING WAGNER’S BATTLE CRY TO WAR to CONFRONT THOSE SICK, TERRORISTS BASTARDS who ATTACKED MY CITY-NEW YORK CITY!!!!!!!!!!!!

1. Wagner’s "The Ride Of The Valkyries" (from the Opera "Die Walkure"). This music is THE DEFINITIVE "BATTLE CRY" to WAR, featuring OPERA SINGERS, THE GREAT KAT’S SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA AND SHRED BAND!

2. “War” - HEAVY and BRUTAL GRINDING ODE to WAR!

3. “Terror” - “TERROR! HORROR! MURDER!”!!

4. “Punishment” - PUNISHMENT TO TRAITORS!

5. “Humiliation” - HUMILIATION and REVENGE RIPS through this GUITAR SHREDFEST!

6. Liszt’s “Hungarian Rhapsody #2” - The SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA and SHRED BAND join together in this INSANE version of this famous rhapsody!

7. Sarasate’s “Zapateado” - THE GREAT KAT'S LIGHTNING-FAST GUITAR TECHNIQUE and DEMONIC VIOLIN VIRTUOSITY SHINE on this INCREDIBLE VIRTUOSIC SHOWSTOPPER!

Q. Any words of advise for young musicians who are just starting out?

A. Learn to Read Music and become a VIRTUOSO!!!!!!!!!!!

Q. If you could be anyone in world history besides yourself, who would you be? Why?

A. The Great Kat ALREADY IS THE NEW BEETHOVEN OF THE 21^st CENTURY, RESTORING CLASSICAL MUSIC FOR THE 21^st CENTURY and SINGLE HANDEDLY RESURRECTING BOTH CLASSICAL AND METAL FOR THE MASSES TO WAKE EVERYONE UP AND SPEED UP FOR THIS GLOBAL, FAST-THINKING, FAST-MOVING INTERNET DRIVEN SOCIETY!!!!!!!!!!

-"The Great Kat can outplay just about every guitarist on the planet. She can zoom up and down a fretboard faster than a hungry cheetah on steroids. Her fretboard speed is awesome." - Michael Molenda, Guitar Player Magazine

- “The Great Kat is a force of nature, a performer of such dramatic histrionics and extreme virtuosity that she leaves audiences in awe.” -Tower Records

- “Prepare to be dazzled by guitar and violin pyrotechnics that will blister your fingers (and you aren't even playing!)” - Netflix.com

Q. Is there anything else you'd like to tell us about yourself?

A. The Great Kat is in PRE-PRODUCTION for a SUPER-VIRTUOSO CD, which will feature the FIRST SHREDDING VIOLIN and GUITAR VERSION of PAGANINI’S “CAPRICE #24“, Bach’s Famous “Brandenburg Concerto #3” and THE outrageously fast “FLIGHT OF THE BUMBLE-BEE“!!!!!!!!!! WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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