Nayan Bhula, Bach to Rock, & the NRIs

 We all know that B&B is the best place to get individual home music lessons in the DC Metro area. But from time to time, students ask us about group lessons. And when they do, we call our good friend Nayan Bhula. Nayan’s the site director at Bach to Rock, a music school that focuses on giving students ensemble experience. Nayan and Bach to Rock have worked closely with B&B for years now, and we can’t recommend them highly enough. If you’re interested in group lessons, now’s the time to get started. Bach to Rock’s “Bach to School” Open House is August 26 at their Bethesda location. Visit http://www.b2rmusic.com/bethesda-md for more details. 

 But Nayan’s not just some stuffed-shirt administrator calling all the shots. A professional guitarist with nearly 20 years experience, he traveled up and down the East Coast touring with his post-punk band, Gist for over half a decade. And in 2009, wanting to create a more laid-back, acoustic sound, Nayan, a non-resident Indian, formed the NRIs, a six member folk-rock band with a little Indian influence thrown in. Their third album, The Charm was just released last month. You can check it out for free here. And if you dig their style, swing by the Black Cat Backstage on August 27 to see them live and in action. We hope to see you there!

_

-

_

_

The crowd loves the music and Brad Clements is glad to be a part of the performance by Eric Benet and Band.

 Show is July 25, 2012:

Four-time Grammy-nominated singer, Eric Benét is coming to DAR Constitution Hall on July 25 for a performance guaranteed to leave many an audience member speechless. Known for his perfect pitch, this smooth and soulful R&B master will sound even better than usual on Wednesday night because of one thing – his accompaniment! B&B’s own Brad Clements is the trumpeter in Eric’s band for the show, and he’s sure to make the instrumentals as unforgettable as Eric’s velvety vocals.

Brad Clements poses, trumpet in hand, ready for a great night with Eric Benet and Band.

…“He can blow!”

But this won’t be their first gig together. The two originally worked with one another on Tom Joyner’s Fantastic Voyage Cruise in 2011, and they’ve done a few shows together since. Brad, who’s worked with the likes of Chuck Brown, Prince, and Jill Scott, instantly respected Eric for being an original, consistent hard worker with a unique interpretation of song. And on top of all that, Brad added, “He can blow!”

Eric Benet passionate about music, sings along side Brad Clements on trumpet.

Get Your Tickets Before They’re Gone!

But don’t take Brad’s word for it. Come see for yourself. Eric’s performing as a special guest for Ledisi’s Be Good To Yourself Tour. But tickets are going fast. To get yours or for more info, please visit http://www.ticketmaster.com/Ledisi-tickets/artist/1104783

Brad Clements plays his heart out, flanked by Greg Boyer and Brent Birkhead.

“Ledisi … a force certain to bring the house down…”

And by the way, Brad has experience playing with Ledisi too! She’s actually one of his favorite performers to work with, a force certain to bring the house down. You can check her out here.

Beacon Theater before the show, Ledisi with special guests Eric Benet & Band with Brad Clements.

Brad Clements enjoying some down time with Greg Boyer and Brent Birkhead.

Check out Greg Boyer’s performance below!

Four-time Grammy-nominated singer, Eric Benét performs along side trumpeter and B&B Music Lessons co-founder, Brad Clements.

The Wammies 2012 Nominees for 2012 Include B&B Owners

B&B Music Lessons is a local business run by professional musicians.  Brad Clements and Bhagwan Khalsa have been focusing on music education but have managed to maintain their foothold in the local music scene.  

Brad Clements performs with local legend Chuck Brown.  Brad was nominated in the ‘Best Go Go Instrumentalist’ category.  Way to go Brad!

Bhagwan Khalsa performs regularly with the Eric Byrd Trio, which was nominated for the ‘Best Jazz Duo Group’.  Their latest record, Further on Up the Road is a tribute to Ray Charles.  It features the trio with the addition of the Brother Ray Band which includes Brad Clements on trumpet.  The track ‘Mary Ann’ is led by Chuck Brown on guitar and vocals.  This is must listen material!  

http://www.wamadc.com/wama/wammies/wamnominations26.html

Keep the music going fellas!  

It’s not easy to keep a group of jazz musicians together for long periods of time. This is too bad because the beauty of jazz is the interplay between the performers. As musicians grow together, they develop a sixth sense for which direction their band members will go. One group that has been together for over 15 years is the Unified Jazz Ensemble, or UJE.

The UJE is led by Mike Noonan, a versatile musician who can be seen playing the piano, vibraphone or even the trombone. He is joined by bassist John Pineda and drummer Dominic Smith. Their bios speak for themselves:

http://www.unifiedjazz.com/

In addition to being very busy as performing musicians, the UFE is also a group of dedicated educators and have recently teamed up with B&B Music Lessons. Their main goal in any teaching environment is to present jazz in an enlightening and engaging manner. Judging by their accomplishments in the world of pedagogy, they have more than met this goal.

Check out their web site and their music. This is the way a jazz group should sound after having performed together for so many years!

Q. What age is good to start on the guitar?

A.

B&B Guitar Instructor Emmanuel with Femi Kuti

We are thrilled to be working with such a respected and talented musician as Emmanuel.  He can be seen playing guitar here on this video with the legendary Femi Kuti;

I first heard Joan Jett sing “I love Rock ‘n Roll” in the late winter/early spring of 1982. For the last few years I had a portable turntable and a couple of Beatles albums; I loved the music, but around the time I turned eleven I was looking for more. I knew there was something else out there, I had heard of KISS from my older cousin, and there were kids in the halls of school wearing Van Halen t-shirts. Those kids with their black t-shirts and ripped jeans represented cool to me. I knew I was missing out on something big and bad, and I wanted in. My allowance was somewhere around two dollars a week and there was no way my parents would buy me the rock records I craved or the sartorial trappings associated with them. I had to get my hands on a radio and fast. There was an old monophonic transistor radio with a broken plug in the garage, and I convinced my dad to help me fix it. That, as the saying goes, was the beginning of the end.

The epiphany came one afternoon after school before my parents came home from work. I was tuned in to Q107, a D.C. top forty station, and somewhere in between songs by Devo, Styx, and the like, the pounding drums and crunching guitars of the intro to “I love Rock and Roll” hit me like a ton of bricks. I was hooked, even though I didn’t know who Joan Jett was, she was singing directly to me. I was the one standing there by the record machine, and I wished I had a pocket full of change so I could “put another dime in the jukebox, Baby!” This was the music I was looking for: loud, rebellious and fun. My musical tastes have expanded dramatically over the last twenty-seven years, but when it comes to straight forward rock, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts have always been my central reference point. I got my hands on a copy of I Love Rock n Roll sometime in late 82 or early 83, and since then I have never been without the album in one format or another.

The significance of I Love Rock n Roll as part of my musical coming of age makes more sense now, after studying the history of rock and roll. In many ways Joan Jett’s seminal album of the same name represents a homage to the rock and roll that preceded her. There is a direct lineage from the music of Joan Jett & The Blackhearts back to the early years of rock and roll. In the mid 1950s Chuck Berry taught us that all you need are drums, bass, and guitar. Add in some distortion, some screaming vocals invoking the power of rock and roll, turn up the volume, and let it rip. That was Berry’s formula, and it is Joan Jett & The Blackhearts formula, simple, pure, and powerful. The music and attitude of Joan Jett & The Blackhearts is also directly influenced by Elvis’ sneer, you can almost hear it, and Little Richard’s flamboyance.

Joan Jett’s first rock group, Runaways, five teenage rockers blasting out three chord rock, and The Blackhearts owe a direct debt to the girl groups and garage rock of the early sixties. Girl groups like the Shirelles and the Crystals broke down the gender barrier in rock. The music may have been over-produced pop, but it established the iconography of girl groups as a viable and respectable sub-genre of rock. Not just Joan Jett and the Runaways, but the Go-Gos, the Bangles, and multitudinous other girl groups and rock bands fronted by women were following the trail blazed by the girl groups of the early sixties. The influence of the garage bands of the early 60s on the sound of the Runaways and The Blackhearts is undeniable. Just like the Kingsmen, Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs, and ? and the Mysterians, Joan Jett and The Blackhearts sprang from an era of overblown production to reclaim rock for the masses. None of the 60s garage bands were virtuosic musicians and neither are Jett and The Blackhearts but they can, did, and still do one thing really well – they rock. Just like Louie Louie and Wooly Bully all you need to play “I Love Rock and Roll” are a few instruments, some amps, a place to play them loud, and lots of attitude.

Joan Jett and The Blackhearts were also influenced by the glam bands of the 1970s. No one can watch Jett strut her stuff on stage in her black leather clad androgynous glory without thinking back to David Bowie and Gary Glitter. If guys can dress up like girls why can’t girls dress up like guys? But the music of Joan Jett and The Blackhearts does not have the artifice of glam; it is straightforward rock. And this points to the power of I Love Rock ‘n Roll, Jett took what she needed from the 50s, 60s, and 70s and left the pomposity to prog-rock and heavy metal.

“I Love Rock ‘n Roll” is what rock and roll is all about. Sure it is derivative, but it is also moving forward. Can you even imagine bands like L7, Bikini Kill, and the Breeders making it, without Joan Jett coming first? Jett put the riot in riot girls, she showed a new generation that girls can rock. If not for her, women in rock would have been restricted to the pop of Madonna and En Vogue, and for that I am truly thankful.

“I Love Rock ‘n Roll” represents everything I love about rock music, it is three chords of simplistic beauty. Loud and rebellious but fun at the same time, it remains timeless both in its nod to the past and influence on the future of rock music. Like a stripped down, souped up Rocket 88, I Love Rock ‘n Roll will always be my vehicle of choice when the rubber meets the road on the rock and roll highway.

Wow!  We had a ball last night at our teacher party. Everyone showed up and we relaxed with food, wine, friends and great stories.  By the way,  I never knew that Tofurky hot dogs (non-meat) could be so delicious. I also didn’t know that if you were born in Kansas there are only two cities that you would say you’re from.  Hmm, interesting. I could post the two city names here but then it wouldn’t give you something to think about. Well we’re not in Kansas anymore.

I must say that there are certain stereotypes that apply to certain teachers.  For example, guitar teachers seem to bring the best wine. Piano teacher are usually logical.  Bass teachers are very steady, mellow and above all else, consistent.  Horn players are wild, unruly and generally very individualistic in their approach to everything.  Sheesh, this makes for an interesting time when you can get everyone in the same room! That’s what we did last night and it was great fun.

B&B Music Lessons owners relaxing with private music teachers

B&B Music Lessons Pricing:

$45 for 30 minute single lesson

$55 for 45 minute single lesson

$65 for 60 minute single lesson

Policies:

1. PAYMENTS – We do not accept checks at all.  A valid credit or debit card number is required to proceed with lessons.  We keep your credit or debit card number in our secured database. Then, we automatically charge your card 3 days after you have received your invoice.  If you have any issue with your invoice, we will happily resolve the issue before any charges are applied to your account, as long as you contact us within 3 days. Please know that the intention behind our policy is to make paying the bill easier for all of our customers. In fact, we created our current payment policy in response to customer feedback. Our customers really appreciate the added convenience of paying this way.  Our record at the Better Business Bureau is consistent with this claim.

2. CANCELLATIONS – To avoid being charged for a missed scheduled lesson you must notify your music teacher at least 24 hours in advance of the scheduled lesson.  Failure to provide 24 hour notice to cancel will result in a charge for the missed lesson.  This policy helps us to retain the highest quality teachers who have very tight schedules and cannot afford to tolerate last minute cancellations.  We understand that you are extremely busy and that you might need to cancel a lesson, but please remember that we will charge you for any last minute cancellations.

Discounts for Consecutive Lessons:

10% off for two consecutive lessons taught by the same teacher on the same day

15% off for three or more lessons taught by the same teacher on the same day

We had a lot of fun getting together and NOT talking about schedules, lessons and traffic.  We work hard and we play hard too. I grew up with teachers as parents and so having a house full of teachers is the most normal thing in the world for me. Here’s a nice shot of Bhagwan and Phoebe.  I would have never guessed that Phoebe did a lot of “fencing” while in college.  And I’m not talking about stolen jewelry, but rather the combative sport of fencing. The things you learn while hanging around a bunch of private lesson teachers!

Bhagwan and Phoebe compare notes on private piano lessons