Jody Whitesides

Tag: Shows

  • Damn I Missed It But We Can Still See It

    Damn I Missed It But We Can Still See It

    missed-surh-ian-thornley

    Don’t you hate it when you’ve missed something awesome? If you’ve been following me for at least the last two months or longer, then you know that I was in Anaheim for the NAMM show in January. The show/convention is so damn large it’s impossible, not virtually but truly impossible, to see everything that goes on. As it turns out, one of my favorite musicians was there and I had no idea. Grrrr. Ian Thornley is a powerhouse of a writer, guitar player and singer. Powerhouse! Not only was Ian there, but he also performed at a private party for an amp manufacturer Suhr. I’ve heard of their amps, though I’ve never played one. A few nights ago as I was prepping the video I released this week as part of the recording process for vocals on a new single – I came across video of Ian’s performance at NAMM. It’s so damn amazing that I had to share it you all.

    So many live performances sound so horrible that live music can often leave a lot to be desired. However, when you watch this, you should be floored by how awesome it sounds. I know I am. It sounds like a freakin’ recording. That’s how tight, how solid, how rich, how in tune these guys are. Remember, this is live, and it’s a band that had one rehearsal (it’s not Ian’s regular band). This is why I love playing with awesome professionals. They make it look and sound easy – and it is if you’re like Ian. There’s a real joy when working with musicians who transcend to this level. I remember my first album and how I wanted to be able to pull it off live – to sound just like the record. Wish that band could have stayed together, they had the calibre.

    Blown Wide Open Performance I Missed

    YouTube player

    Do yourself a favor, go buy his music. Go see him live.

  • Maggie May Cover Of Rod Stewart

    Maggie May Cover Of Rod Stewart

    Maggie May Cover

    I’m not often prone to doing cover songs. Mostly because I’m usually so busy writing and creating new music. However, I’m being asked more often to realize songs by other people. Thus, right now, you get to witness an experiment utilizing the power (or lack thereof) of the internet. I’m posting a video on YouTube of myself doing a Maggie May cover of Rod Stewart with my friend Chris Hellstrom.

    Mind you, be aware neither Chris or I had ever “Jammed” over Skype before. We now know why. It’s not an ideal way to play music live, specifically because of the massive delays between participants. Chris and I did our best to make it work and there are a few stumbles. That’s to be expected when you’re flying blind. There’s so many variables that apparently go into this. Connection speed, something that isn’t as much an issue for me as it was for Chris. I enjoy a speedy 10Mbps up and 50Mbps down. Chris on the other hand not so much. Video obviously adds a lot of data to the bandwidth. I hear there are other things like data packet loss and such. Either way, if Skype really wants to make it’s world domination complete, they will have to figure out how to reduce these delays down to milliseconds. Enjoy our little escapade.

    Since I’m a glutton for punishment, I just made arrangements to do this again with another friend. The twist is next time I’ll be playing guitar and he’ll be singing. My goal is to gather video from both sides so it can be side by side.

    For now, I’d be happy to have you share this barebones rendition of the infamous (well, ok, it’s famous) song written by Rod Stewart called Maggie May.

    Maggie May Rod Stewart

    – Jody

    p.s. – don’t tell Rod I screwed some of it up.

    p.p.s – this was posted before the video went entirely live on YouTube, so you’re an early watcher!

  • Singer Delivers Despite Interuptions

    Here’s an article written about me in the Glendale News-Press a show I played recently. Unfortunately the link directly to the article seems to be shot.

    By Brian McGackin

    Published: Last Updated Tuesday, June 23, 2009 10:15 PM PDT

    Some people were born to perform. They have that spark, that certain extra something that keeps them motivated and moving forward with their dreams no matter what. They can perform anywhere, in front of any crowd. Even when the circumstances aren’t the best, they get up in front of the microphone and do everything they can to keep the fans happy.

    Local singer/songwriter Jody Whitesides was put in a less than optimal situation Thursday night while performing at the Left Coast Wine Bar in Glendale.

    Despite being forced to delay his performance more than an hour, Whitesides was still in high spirits as he checked his levels and joked around with the crowd in the bar’s cramped, upstairs room. He was several songs into his first set when the bar finally turned off the house speakers playing a local radio station, but Whitesides kept playing, and the crowd wasn’t disappointed.

    Opening with an acoustic version of his song “All the Things,” Whitesides created an evening and atmosphere all his own from the very first note. His sound is a mix of folk, blues, rock and soul, with even a twang of country at times, and he wound deftly through original songs and covers. He even had the chance to sing “Happy Birthday” when the manager of the Left Coast Wine Bar interrupted him mid-song to make the request.

    “I’ve never had that happen before,” Whitesides joked after the candles were blown out. Not 20 minutes later, however, he was interrupted again, for the same reason.

    Despite the distractions, he went right back into his song “Tabloid Affair,” one of the many originals that could easily be heard on pop, rock or alternative radio stations tomorrow. Most of the songs played were off of his latest album “Practical Insanity.” Even through all of the setbacks — and despite the fact that there was no advertising for the performance on the Left Coast Wine Bar’s street-side chalkboard — Whitesides drew in more and more fans as the set went on.

    His John Mayer/Lenny Kravitz vibe had everyone in the room nodding or clapping along, especially when he played his newest single, “Hero Unexpected,” and “Thump, Thump, Thump,” another new song.

    After capping off the evening with the rhythmically dynamic “Day of Our Lives,” possibly the best song of the night, Whitesides stuck around to mingle with the crowd.

    “I like to write music, and hopefully other people like to listen to it,” he said.

    With such a wide range of sounds and a large number of quality original songs, it’s hard not to find something to like about Jody Whitesides. If you’re interested in hearing him for yourself, check out his website at www. jodywhitesides.com or buy one of his albums off iTunes or Amazon.com.

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