A smile is a guitar in the hands of Franck Szypura

[caption id="attachment_21842" align="alignleft" width="300"] Franck Szypura[/caption]

Carol Forsloff---The smile draws you in.  The music keeps you.  It's Frank Szypura, a Frenchman of the singular skill of making everyone feel good the instant his face appears, along with the trusty guitar that makes blues the king of music wherever he plays.  An interview with this fine musician gives us some insight on how he came to be the delight he is to fellow musicians and fans alike.

Szypura is French and says he struggles a bit with English.  But his answers in this interview offer the flavor of the man, the tasty flavor that can only come from his own style, so it is left here as he writes in his own English.  That smile remains part of the flow of his language, in the way it spreads to everything he does, including the notes of the guitar.

1. When did you begin to perform music? At what age did you start singing or playing an instrument?

I start to play a guitar in 1997.

2. Did you learn music by having lessons or did you learn on your own?

I learn by myself

3. Who encouraged you the most in learning and performing music?

A friend of mine who took her guitar lessons, encouraged me and showed me one thing,
the pentatonic scale, from here everything is open for me.

4. Have you been primarily a soloist or member of a band?

I Never play in band or made a gig, Hard to find a band to play only improvisations.  LOL

5. Are you a fan of some of the television programs like “The Voice” or “America's (or your country)
Got Talent”or American Idol or any of the other programs that present contests

I like "The Voice" because, is good to judge by the voice that the look of the person!
Voice make the music, not the Look.

6. What motivated you initially to be involved in music?

Maybe the fact to create something artistic without wanting to copy.

7. What are your personal favorite music genres? Who are some of your favorite performers?

Big question.   I'll try to be brief, I love much style of music, Rock, Pop, Funk (old school), Soul, some Few Rap, Classical music, Hard rock, and many others.  But he who rises above all is unquestionably the Blues, it was like a revelation for me.

Before I was listening without really paying attention, as you listen to a song that comes on the radio while doing something else.  Then this friend who was taking guitar lessons and showed me the pentatonic scale, was a fan of Blues, he has made me listen Blues song, Classical Tittles and made ​​me love him as I love him and now even more.

The Blues grabbed me and never let go of me.  everything was said about the Blues for sure! For me, the Blues is more than music, it is a second language. The Blues and guitar are Married, make one! In the Blues The guitar is like a voice. For sure much Music use Guitar but it is often there to support, to the rhythm and let the place to the singer. Sure great rock solo part too!! But he's not like the Blues! A Blues Solo is really Different that a Rock Solo! In how to make and play. It's what I think.

When I take a guitar, and when I play a Blues Impro, often I don't know the backing where I play on.  Or in just  20 seconds, I discover it along the time that I play on it.

Like that the Feel is pure, you see, nothing previous before. I always play like that, and I like to play like that. With a free spirit, free mind.

It's important for improvisation.

I think about nothing, and I play, just play! and nothing else. And let the feel make what he want!
The Blues permits that! As I saw in a comment on my Song "Directly from your heart to your fingers, to our Ears!" and it's so true.

It's why I love the Blues, Don't Follow the standard musical code, or just a little, get on track, but occasionally do not take, without lose them views.
Is like that, that iIdon't like to make cover, just to say "hey you see, I know to play this song"   Because it's not yours.   Ok,  you play on it, but is not yours.

My favourite performer is Stevie Ray Vaughan. He's my maestro! My guitar god! If I play guitar it's because of Him.  The first time I listened to him it was like a slap, that got my attention.  So I said to myself, "Wow!! Ok we can do that with a guitar."

And it was more exciting when I saw Stevie Vaughan  in a video, for the first time. One of my big musical "slap" that I ever had.  It really got my attention.

After Stevie Vaughan my favorites are Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Albert King, Freddie King, David Gilmour and many other blues guitarists . Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Joe Bonamassa in the young generations guitarists are among my favorites.

Mark Knopfler is another favorite.  I discover the guitar world with him when I listen to "Private Investigation of Dire Straits.  It was like a spark in my imagination.

8. Do you compose music?

No, because my musicals knowledges is really limited.
I composed some instrumental songs but nothing extraordinary.

9. Do you have other family members who play music?

Yes.  My Father Played a Diatonic Bandoneon, like in the Argentine Tangos.
Astor Piazzola is his god!

10. Are you active in a music group of any kind?

No.

11. How often do you play music, including for your own recreation?

As often as I can. Every day at this time.

12. What barriers have you found in the music business? What do you think might improve the music business?

Now the music industry is based on the profit over the artistic statement. Let's say the two go together, but the first incentive has become the greatest.  I don't know exactly what can we do to improve the music business, may be post at the right place the good persons!
I am more of an artist than a banker.

13. Are you active in any music organizations such as ASCAP or BMI?

No.

14. Would you encourage a young person starting out to seek music as a career?

I don't know. I don't have the knowledge to do that. But if I could say something, I would tell him to open the right doors, and even if it is good, to be careful.  I would say not to hurry and rush head first into anything.

15. Where do you see the future of music?

I think music will always be present.  It will continue to evolve. Music has always been here, and I think it always will be.

I can't imagine a world without music.

And we can't imagine a world without Franck Szypura and his music.  And you can find him here, like many of his fans, and smile along with Franck.  (http://fandalism.com/skylismo)

 

Jason Yates brings the music dream past personal pain to achievement

Jason Yates, internationally popular musician

Carol Forsloff---For some people music is that arena of discovery, of making new journeys and developing pathways for improving performance and for achieving a level of excellence that brings fellow musicians to look at the achievement as a model for their own. Jason Yates is one of those who offers an example of the best, for that is the level of his skill.

This journalist has known Jason for more than a year, listened to many of his solitary performances, collaborations, original music and productions and has observed how he interacts with fellow performers in a musicians community known as Fandalism. Jason is one of the most respected musicians on the site for his talent and also for his interpersonal relationships. 

An interview with Jason allows that window to the mind and soul of a true artist, one who like many of exceptional talent, knows the meaning and price of the artistry. That price can sometimes be personal pain, the kind that allows a depth of understanding that is forged into the music to communicate to others the feelings many people share. It provides the avenue of communication that enlightens while entertains. Jason Yates is someone who shares his feelings through music and thereby embraces many people with his words and melodies in ways that others might not be able to do because of his life experiences.

The following narrative is a response to questions Jason has answered that allows us to understand the challenges he has faced along his music path and how he has managed to achieve and create great music in spite of early personal pain. It is the mark of the man that he extracts from his experiences the best of learning, that patience and perseverance can make a difference.

My first performance was at the age of 12 in a band of 4 lads, but I first picked a guitar up when I was 5 years old and got hooked. The lead guitarist in the band taught me some chords, and then I taught myself from then on, so I had a little instruction and then continued to teach myself the basics. 

In my early years as a musician I really had to be self motivated, no one seemed to be in the slightest bit interested in my music. Later in life the examples of long-time performers became an inspiration. Gordon Haskell, for example, who has been writing excellent music for years and who falls under the radar a lot has been one of those who has inspired me. 

I have been in various bands over the years as a bass guitarist, rhythm guitarist, lead guitarist and vocalist,.but in recent years I have been a solo performer, which I find very rewarding and far easier to arrange rehearsals. Presently I am rehearsing with my friend Alex for us to perform as a duo. 

With respect to music reality shows, I started watching these type of programs many years ago, but soon felt that it was a cattle market for singers. Most of my friends who are really into music have no time for it and neither do I. I can't help feel that it is more about promoting the presenters more than anything else. 

In childhood I had no natural bond with my mother. She suffered from schizophrenia and rejected me from birth, and I think music became my way to emotionally connect with myself and others. I soon fell in love with beautiful chords and sounds. They made me feel whole. 

I love acoustic music, soft rock, jazz, blues, and classical music genres. I also love Latin American music. In particular I enjoy listening to Justin Currie, a great songwriter who used to front the band, Del Amitri. He is solo now and writes meaningful songs with a passion. I am particularly fond of my songwriting partner, Darcy Jeavons and especially enjoy listening to her singing.

If I am not working on composing a new song, I get “withdrawal” symptoms. It's almost like a drug for me. My late Father and late step mother were both opera singers, so music is virtually in my blood. 

These days I am involved with several groups that involve music uploads, but because there are so many of them my time gets very limited. In fact I can I go through a set of guitar strings in a week. I listen to other music when I can, from some of the groups I am involved with and also a radio channel called AVR from Indiana who is one of my sponsors. 

In todays world of music I think one of the barriers is what I would call a type of “fashion police.” This is where we are told what you should be liking by way of music, and other forms of entertainment, instead of being allowed to make up our own minds. A song with a certain type of beat sells, so we get a proliferation of these types of songs. This might be changing soon, however, because of the many Indie internet radio stations appearing. 

I think the music business would benefit from appreciating the music first and foremost instead of a "package" including age and looks. When I was a kid, music was about the ears. With the ears you can appreciate all good music. With the package you are confined to the package. 

I am with PRS, Performing Rights Society to be part of the traditional music community and protect my work. I would also encourage people with their music but advise them not to pin all their hopes and dreams on it. It's important to be able to earn a living just in case those dreams don't come true. I would also tell them, 'There are some amazingly talented people who are never noticed, so don't think that that couldn't be you too. 

Music will always be here for all of us, and it will change as it has always done. No one can predict the future. We have gone from three generations listening to the same music to music changing every five years or so. Only time will tell where it takes us. 

My goals are simple. I want to get better at what I do. I want to perfect my craft to the best of my ability. I want to connect with people on an emotional, meaningful level, and just try to get my music heard and known. Then perhaps one day one of my music creations might be used for a film or some other great, creative venture. But no matter what,I love what I do.

Find Jason Yates on a variety of music sites like his page on Fandalism and his webpage at jasonmarkyates.com

Earning money in the arts threatened by technology

[caption id="attachment_20704" align="alignleft" width="232"] Frank Sinatra. Could he make it now?[/caption]

Carol Forsloff------Elvis Presley finds his fame at Sun records, after walking in the door of a small studio in the South, as did Johnny Cash, both finding some rejections but also a direction and a world where opportunities were not clouded by massive numbers voting and getting friends to vote as well, which prevents many talented people from ever being heard. This is a problem for musicians that spills over into painting and writing and all the arts.

Earning money in art, writing books and articles and performing music is often thwarted by some of the abuses in technology. Add to this a continuing focus on youth with whole towns who concentrate specifically on “their” particular relative or friend who can vote people in or out of competition. The quality of the performances at times becomes reduced, even with the influx of those who claim talent simply to be part of the community of art. Add to this the reality show entertainment aspect where the ridiculous of someone dressed as a tree with a large megaphone is selected to present based upon the unusual disguise, not the talent of voice or instrument.

One woman said, when asked her interest in Jackie Evancho, whom the judges and audience had ruled especially talented, “She's too young to be that good, so I wouldn't vote for her.” So Evancho did not win first place, nor did Susan Boyle, because there were people who voted in opposition simply to thwart the more serious talents from winning.

Step in a room where, if you are a seasoned artist and someone asks what you do, and you answer you are an artist. You will rapidly learn that nearly everyone around also claims to paint, play music, or write. All of that is good, as these creative avenues are useful in building morale and interpersonal skills. But many of these same people find that with certain technology they can sound as professional as anyone, despite the fact their talent does not rise to the level of the professional who has trained for years. New music software can change the vocal key, timbre, quality of almost anyone, including those who have said they can't sing. Digital technology allows for copying and corrections of artistic work in ways that simulate serious painting, again with limited talent.   And programmed outlines and software can turn out a book in a few hours with all the grammar and spelling errors that could make an English teacher fret.

Writing has its own issues, along with those in art and music. Journalists are confronted with hundreds of thousands of bloggers, many untrained in writing, who have strong political opinions and ideas but lack the knowledge to do comprehensive research and don't look on all sides of an issue in order to write in a fair and balanced way. So the typical reader sees an article online in a format that looks just like their local paper (but often with no contact information) and uses the information as if it were the truth, not an opposing notion by the traditional media. Furthermore that traditional media is often so downgraded by the bloggers, that many people now don't trust anyone except a blogging friend.  So reputable and experienced journalists are losing jobs and income as a result.

The answer to these issues is actually quite simple. If you are ready to “buy”, look for a hands-on demonstration someone can sing or play music with a live performance, even if that's in a living room somewhere. Look at original paintings and the artist in a gallery working on a project. And with news and information, check the background of the writer and find the contact information as well, so you don't end up with the wrong information from a 16-year-old who just knows how to create a great-looking website with technology skills.

The abuses in art, music and writing are established by many people to be barriers for artists who have spent years honing their crafts. But it is the citizenry that supports the mundane, the artificial and the popular friend as opposed to the talented that brings the cultural aspect of the arts to levels of ordinary that do not elevate thinking or interest or abilities.

 

 

Musicians express intimate relationships with their instruments inspecial ways

Yvalain, who loves his guitar

Carol Forsloff---“I love it. It feels close to me, like something I can hug. And because it's small, it makes me feel like I can get my hands around it without any trouble; and I can do so many things. I get a great feeling when I play it and no other instrument is quite like that.”

A musician was overheard recently at a gathering, just before a performance, extolling the benefits of the Washburn travel guitar, an instrument that is about half the size of the ordinary guitar. Her remarks mirror what many musicians feel about their instruments, a connection that is important and described in ways often attributed to living creatures. For to a musician the instrument seems to have the life it gives through the hands that plays it and in some mysterious ways has at times a mind of its own.

Musicians form these relationships that can vary a good deal and are usually not based on any monetary value or whether or not the instrument is rare, according to recently published information.

How musicians appreciate and form a beneficial relationship with their instrument is born out by research done at the University of Finland's Cognitive Brain Research. The findings were published in May in the Journal Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity and the Arts.

These research results revealed, just like the example of the musician in this article's introduction, that many musicians express a close relationship with a musical instrument, many of them saying they feel 'at one' with it. Most of those who showed this type of relationship also express satisfaction and benefit from it and appear to be in a state of intense concentration when playing it.

Gary Bridgewood of renowned London fine stringed instrument dealers, repairers and restorers Bridgewood & Neitzer describes his understanding of the special relationship between a musician and their favorite instrument:

“Finding an instrument that feels and sounds just right, like it’s a part of you, and seems to feel easier for you to play than other instruments can undoubtedly have beneficial effects on your playing and your confidence in playing. This could mean spending a bit more on finding the right instrument. It can also mean that some musicians will feel more comfortable with an instrument that their peers admire and like and sounds great to the audience. If you’re particularly happy and comfortable playing a specific instrument, and playing in a particular venue and atmosphere in my experience you can reach a kind of deep concentration. This can lead to you producing a level of performance and connectivity with your fellow musicians and the audience that is special and would be hard to replicate. A good relationship with a trusted and loved instrument can be an important part of producing good music and good performances.

"Sugar" Hopkins, a music with a passion for his guitar

That special relationship is one expressed by many a musician as a way of sharing what is considered the intimacy that can come from playing and sharing music.  Angelo Marinosci Jr.  does it with his "family photo"-----

Angelo Marinosci Jr's "family" of guitars

Yawroc (Sticky Sugar Hopkins, explains his relationship with his guitar as this:  "Indeed Carol the guitar is an extension of me, Its all me and can say what words just cannot! It can get right to that special place where words cannot.. No song should ever have a lead instrumental in it unless it says more about the subject to which the singing cannot.. It also compliments a beautiful voice The Guitar is me and i know no other instrument that does it for me.. Note the foot carefully placed upon the pot acting as a stomp pedal.."

Robin Rendell who writes and performs folk music on a place called Fandalism says, "My first guitar was an unpredictable instrument purchased for me by my mum and dad from a local junk shop. It was on this guitar I learned to play Red River Valley, taught by my cousin Jack in my aunties’ front room. My first new guitar, also bought for me by my parents, but this time on the never never from a shopping catalogue, was a cherry-with-blonde-sripes ‘f’holed Hoffner. It was on this guitar I wrote my first song, Tell Me, and did my first performances on local church stages. A couple of guitars have come and gone, but a my Boosey & Hawke Jumbo has been my friend for 40 or so years."

Peter Evans speaks fondly of his favorite instrument, saying this:  I bought my first guitar in 1969 with my first week’s wages and taught myself with Bert Weedon’s “Play In A Day” book. I soon disposed of that first guitar, a Spanish B & M, but an absolute dog to play! I bought a Watkins Rapier electric and soon after an EKO acoustic. I worshipped both those guitars but alas I found myself out of work with a wife & two children to support plus a mortgage so those guitars were sold. I returned to playing in 1989 after buying my second son a 3/4 size nylon strung guitar for Christmas. My wife Diane suggested I buy another for myself and in the January 1990 I bought an ’86 Washburn D21 Jumbo Dreadnought. Over the years I’ve amassed 20 guitars, electric & acoustic plus a banjo but I always go back to that Washburn. Most of my recordings are on that old Washburn, it always feels right and is always the first guitar I pick up. I love that old girl."

Guitar owned by Peter Evans, musician on Fandalism

Everyone needs something or someone to love.  Why not that old grand piano or the guitar in the corner just waiting for those hands to make music.

Social networks for musicians: Are they real or what's the deal?

Angelo Marinosci, Jr.--One of the ways to be noticed, in business or the arts, is to join a social network.  But what are the pitfalls and problems in the social networks for musicians and how do these networks influence behavior and interactions while helping people become connected and share their talents?

Eight months ago I was invited (more or less) onto a Social Network for musicians and then another and then another...and so forth.  I'm really not much of a joiner in any regards,  but I found my curiosity paid off to a certain extent.  Before long I was recording some of my favorite cover tunes and then my own material.  The Networks allow all sorts of interaction as well.  There's chatting, commenting, private messages, voting in different forms etc.  For me, the ability to share my music, my guitar playing and singing, and of course, my original material was a nice thing and fairly convenient too.

Regardless of the premise of any Social Network,  be it music, art, photography,  no matter what it's agenda, there are always other forces at work as well.  At some point there may be undercurrents and collision courses and even some head butting.  A Social Network by definition is a diverse glob of people with some commonality but mostly a pluralism that prevails throughout the goings on.  There are other languages, cultures, mores, sexual preferences, big age differences, national character, religions, politics,  rockers, folkies, the list goes on.  The very thing that makes these Social Networks so interesting and inviting also sets up all sorts of chain reactions that are waiting to go off,  some with hair triggers and some with slow fuses.

Even when folks are on their best behavior (according to themselves)  you can see the ripples of different approaches to music, conversation and social norms manifesting themselves.  Much of what Americans think and think of themselves is the result of the intolerant middle-class mindset.  We wear our contradictions like shining badges of courage... always eager to assert what we think, and how we do just about everything.  We're not alone in this regard,  but I'm better qualified to speak about the groups with which I have the most experience.  Personally, I don't really much care how other people live or what their preferences are in most regards and probably only react when I feel the intellectual walls moving in on me. I try to practice the old, Live and let live principle,  but sometimes that gets lost in the fog.

The music I post is for the most part, folk, blues, folk-rock and a touch of country blues. It is for the most part, simply recorded and posted in the most honest and direct form I can manage, and there is little or no use of props, borrowed video material or appropriated photos.  It's me playing and singing into a lens and doing the best I can at entertaining.  I've done fairly well for myself as a gray-haired old beatnik with little or no gimmicks to offer.  I am not naked.   I do not dance naked .  I do not have long, lovely legs, firm young breasts or sexy smiles to offer.  I have just me and my music.  I do have some great looking guitars; and I did have still images of my wife (then my fiancé) from the rear, seated in gentle and delicate nude pose, a visual on a few of my early audio posts but was discouraged from continuing that practice even though the photographic print was exhibition quality.

As part of each and every site that I have posted music there always seems to be  great latitude for what one might find.  The degree of sexuality is stretched to the limits, and though they are not "pornographic" in the strict legal sense, they dance on the outer edge of good taste and often distract from the music content itself.  Perhaps the message is "Hey, if you like big breasts (or buttocks, or long legs or whatever) you'll love my music too!"  Suffice  to say, that seems to blur the messages of most other music on the site and often intensifies the vast differences between some of the cultures represented within the framework of each site.

I'm a painter and a photographer and work in other related fields of art.  I've worked with all sorts of models, nudes, and nudity most of my adult life. This is a very different subject and vehicle.  I really don’t like telling other people how to live their lives or what choices to make or what to watch, look at or read,  but in this case, the use of female sexuality often resembles those hip and kinky calendars they used to give out with wrench sets, or special additions for bathing suits. There have also been mumbles in the hallways that some of the young pretties involved in this claiming that they might be a part of porno-rings or prostitution  or all sorts of colorful other activities.

Personally, I don’t want to research other peoples’ lives.  I have no interest in what they may be doing in front of their cameras, or their boyfriend’s cameraas, or for spare money;  but I do feel that a music site might be better served primarily with music.  This conversation is a lot like the debates about what’s on T.V.   I stopped watching all commercial and cable T.V. about 7 years ago.  If you don’t like what’s on, don’t watch it.  If you don’t like a certain book, don’t read it.  If a movie offends you, don’t go watch it so you can announce how offended you now feel.  The difference in this instance is that on a music site it’s a little bit like being on board the same long distance bus ride and having to ignore what is going on all around you; it’s right there and there’s no place else to go accept off the site completely.

I have no regrets about joining the music sites that I belong to;  but you need to know that a music site is a big blob of people from all over the world, and that’s what you have to survive and adapt to,  true diversity.  Some folks might even have to tolerate you.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Angelo Marinosci is a writer, artist and musician, with experience and talent in all three areas of the arts.  He is one the most active and respected musicians with his sites on Fandalism and on YouTube.  He is known for his acoustic guitar skills and his ability to compose music on the fly.  His opinion, and perspective, have value because of his decades of experience in the arts and his perception of fairness.

Vocalist Nancy Burridge consoles and reminds us of what Feels Like Home

[caption id="attachment_16829" align="alignright" width="259"] Nancy Burridge[/caption]

Carol Forsloff — If a thing of beauty is a joy forever, than we can consider a recent piece of music on Fandalism will be with us for a long time.

Nancy Burridge has a voice that is recognized as special for its beauty. Combine that voice with the instrumental knowledge base of Sticky Sugar Hopkins, Remco Heemskerk,  Dave Rodrieguiz, Fred Jam and Grammy Award winning Master Audio Engineer offering information and support, and the song becomes a top favorite on the international music site, Fandalism. Burridge brings beauty through this song to new heights in a vocal range that stuns the listener.

The song is called Feels Like Home, a music masterpiece that can bring tears to the eyes of anyone who thinks of the essential things of beauty. The offering is especially poignant at a time when many people along the Eastern seaboard of the United States have lost their homes in the devastating Super Storm, Sandy.

The song is a special tapestry that weaves through the mind and gives the listener that moment of reflection, of what home is for each of us, that inside something or that place in our hopes, our dreams or are realities, that always helps us feel loved and safe. Randy Neuman, the writer of the song, gave the world a gift of this music, one that comes wrapped in infinite beauty with the lustrous voice of Nancy Burridge.

It is here for all those who a moment of beauty today, the kind that can be that joy forever.

Listen to the artistry of 'Sugar' music in all its wonderful ways

[caption id="attachment_15096" align="alignleft" width="180"] Sticky Sugar Yawroc[/caption]

Carol Forsloff - Making music for money is difficult these days, as folks all over the world will say.  But find a little "Sugar," and that music he makes promotes the rest of us to appreciate what a fellow can do with modern technology, the Internet and lots of talent with instrument, visuals and voice.

"27 years."  That's how long "Sticky Sugar" Hopkins has been playing.  He goes on to tell us, " I was going to take a degree in music,  but all that fell through. I became a guitarist one day when my father handed me a guitar.  He had got frustrated with stringing. It had nylon strings and a very wide neck. When I played my first electric guitar i just found it so easy to master."

Master is surely what Sticky Sugar is, with videos that have variety, color and musical excitement.  He can play his original music in ways that make folks tap their feet and yell for more.  Or he can take a Beethoven piece and own it, modern style.

Creative folks like Hopkins often find themselves frustrated in a world where anybody can.  And that's the trouble, not everybody can.  Everybody wants to, in some ways, stand out in an artistic way.  It is that rare person, however, whom one finds in unusual ways that generates such excitement that the discovery just must be shared.

I found that Hopkins fellow, who also goes by the name of Yawroc,  on Fandalism on Facebook.  I just looked him up, as I read a couple lines of a post and was curious as many might be, to hear and see videos with a variety of music, all played with distinctive cleverness and style, from blues to rock to that old man Beethoven.  Listen to the mundane become miraculous in the hands of a guitar prince who makes music in ways that many yearn to do and spend a whole life learning and still don't catch up.

That Sugar is in that 40-something age range, which means enough of life's seasoning to write and sing with experience.  Take a life that has had its share of knocks and tears, and you have some of the classic background many of the hard-time, great performing musicians had that spurs energy of tone and rhythm with a voice to match.  Elvis' and Roy Orbison, because of the sensitivity of their voices and their musical styles, are "Sugar's" musical heroes, among others.

Someone who has known Sticky Sugar and his music for a long time has this to say:  "Every once in a while someone comes along who creates an indelible impression in life. Yawroc Sticky Sugar Hopkins is one such person whose musical talent with the guitar creates a whole new dimension in the World of Music. As a brilliant, yet self taught musician, he has evolved through his own vision, creativity and self belief to be an outstanding and incredible artist..

It has been a tough road with many twists and turns and a few pitfalls, yet this guy has never doubted his own ability to succeed in what he does best – play the guitar , write songs and vocalize as the true professional he is. He will tell you that he has molded his style of playing through various great guitarists yet, his own sound is unique and instantly recognizable. As a singer/songwriter he evokes emotion and depth in many of his songs which will blend sweetly into the listener’s mood.

For those of us who have no musical ability there is a need to fill our aspirations through those who are genuinely gifted. Yawroc Sticky Hopkins is a musician who truly inspires with his unique blending of genres. His ability to create a beautiful and haunting ballad, a raw and mind blowing rock number or a melodious and catchy Blues number is what makes him such a versatile and creative musician. The time has come for Yawroc Sticky Hopkins to be recognized for what he is a consummate and total professional on the music scene."

Like this fan who writes so eloquently of Yawroc also Sugar, I have become a devoted one as well of a man with exceptional talent in a world where one has to look under lots of cabbage leaves to find the best.

So come with me and enter the world of wonderful, right at your fingertips, where you can linger awhile, then come back for more, because you'll be wanting more of that "Sugar" for all those better reasons.

Copyright issues and challenges worry musicians on YouTube

[caption id="attachment_14894" align="alignleft" width="300"] Musicians Caravaggio[/caption]

Carol Forsloff - Music Publishing Rights Collecting Society is being challenged by YouTube musicians, as concerns about copyrights continue to grip the up-and-coming talents as well as the old hands of music. What used to be accepted practice is now being carefully reviewed in the new culture of everyone's hand reaching for the pot of gold, and the big boys of the YouTube management not yet forthcoming about what's up.

Most musicians struggle to make a living, if they are pitching at all. Many sit back waiting for that great discovery of their original music or their remake of someone else's material. It is the latter that is now being hammered on YouTube, from various angles. It seems that just about everyone has received a notice of some sort from this ghostly group of individuals who declare they will put an ad on the video, on the side, not necessarily taking down the video itself. Instead the group challenges videos and asserts itself as an organization who will be taking money in representation of copyright owners. On the other hand, there is that gray area, that makes folks wonder if this organization represents anything outside of its own interests.

Only recently has Music Publishing Rights Collecting Society put up a Facebook page. A website is also in that early-creation stage where it is difficult to determine who is involved, how and why.

YouTube "ain't talking," the disgruntled musicians declare, some of whom have had their instrumentals of Beethoven questioned or even the music they use in games. They ask frequently, "What is left in the public domain if an outside group, or just anyone, makes a claim. It's a gold rush with a difference. The problem is that musicians don't harbor that much gold. Even the big guns have to aim higher and higher, taking high-profile ventures, in order to be noticed on the growing stack of wannabes put together with has-beens and the wallflowers waiting to be asked for some time in the dance.

This is what one user responds to the Music Publishing Rights Collecting Society who complains to YouTube about copyright infringement on pieces of music that include Bach and Beethoven: " The Music Publishing Collecting Rights Society is apparently nothing more than a scam. This so called organization that doesn't even have a website or mailing address, has attempted to claim rights on everything from music videos to 'How To Change A Tire' videos. I've won 2 disputes with them without even giving a reason for the dispute. These are simply scammers looking for free advertising." This statement was made about nine months ago.

While frequent assertions about disclaimers and what to say to avoid a copyright issue have been made around the Internet, YouTube is clear about its terms of service. One cannot upload a song, that includes even covers, if the musician cannot substantiate "fair use."  Fair use allows limited use of music material for specific purposes. One of these is education. Journalists are also allowed to use music to illustrate articles or to do reviews. The rest of the folks have to wonder when the copyright police will show up for an arrest. So far folks say it's rare, or never happens; but the threats remain.

Statements such as "I don't own the copyright to this material" essentially red flags a problem to the respective music copyright cops, as the user has already mentioned that the material is copyrighted and is not original. Claiming it is okay because it is a "cover" or an additional rendition of a song done by someone else won't help you, according to YouTube. Yet YouTube's customer service is virtually non-existent, as users continue to remind each other. YouTube also makes it easy to use the videos for almost everything by its share button and the ability of the user to snatch a video and place it almost anywhere.

So the rules are getting thick, thick enough to be causing some consternation in the ranks. But who is that Music Publishing Rights Collecting Society?  There is no completed website or address out there for the organization presently, at least after some search was done recently of the various conversations around the Internet. And the group often backs off when challenged. It remains a mystery among musicians who wonder what's next in the ever-changing landscape of what's fair and what's not.