Friday, June 27, 2014

Voodoo Brings Octopus Brains to Cat's Art MusikCircus (Updated)

Voodoo Shilton advised us tonight that an octopus has a brain in each of its arms and they can operate independently.  Right away I knew how Voodoo does it:  he has octopus brains in his hands.  It's only a theory but it is suggested by his own evidence.  This is how he plays so quickly, he has little octopus brains in his hands.  Now you know.


Voodoo has the kind of set for which ones store of superlatives is quickly depleted.  Even when he makes a mistake it's cool as he recovers so incredibly well.  The only mistake in music is to stop and, after a technical error, your mind goes into super overdrive to come up with a new course for the starship.  It's very intense as you can't be any more 'in the moment' than that and there is even coolness that comes that way as this is the stuff that comes when you are way out on the edge.

Voodoo has the edge and it's sharp too.  His notes are fast but the precision is stunning.  He doesn't bump other strings and there are no spurious noises so the result is immaculate.  It must present something of a challenge to Voodoo as how can he possibly top himself.  I'm sure he doesn't look at it that way but it's real that the audience knows his work and they keep coming back because it's so extraordinary.  How does one find a new piece that works with this level of material.

We have resolved previously that the music comes from the Necromancer but to know what to do with it you need Voodoo.  His latest and my favorite is "Spin the Compass."  This is his tribute to McLaughlin, de Lucia and DiMeola and he dispatches it brilliantly.  Those three are incredible musicians so Voodoo chose to use a looper and different tone settings on his guitar to emulate three guitars playing together.  Imagine all the wheels turning in your head at the same time to do that.  What Voodoo does is not a copy and that's why I marvel.

And ...

Voodoo introduced the World's Strangest Chord and he learned it from something by, here's a shocker, John McLaughlin.  I haven't asked but I'm curious about whether Voodoo has had formal training in music theory as knowing the World's Strangest Chord is all very well but knowing what to do with it is something else again.  You bet Voodoo knows what to do with it so there's your question:  where did you learn that magic, matey??


Update with Voodoo's answer:

Juan Araneda thanks again man for holding down the fort today! You asked about my formal background, I did study a lot of music theory especially jazz theory in college, as well as taking a few classes in traditional south indian classical music (where I get a few odd scales and things). A lot of course i picked up on my own too. It definitely helps!

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