New Music Page
May 25, 2007
The reviews of the Clark Pauken Ricketts CD "Reactivated" have been fantastic.
Here are a couple. The names have been removed to protect the guilty :-)
Clark, Pauken, and Ricketts, whose intials CPR should not be confused with the Davd Crosby group, get the music breathing (bad pun) on their 11-track instrumental rock fusion guitar-focused record, "Reactivated". The resulting music is a cross between the straight-ahead rock of a trio like Triumph but with the guitar and instrumental kinship with Eric Johnson and Satriani. There's no doubt that the focus of the composition is guitar - that is until you get to the title track where bassist, Molly Pauken, and drummer, Jeff Clark, shine in solo passages that remind us a bit of Peek of Morgenstein. A little Morse/Lee influence is pasted over the following track as "Spastic Bancoustic" delights with it's 2-step lightning acoustic guitar playing and vocal 'doo doos'. .excellent. Where some records are hit and miss in this genre, CPR have certainly hit most cylinders with a heavy hammer. Michael Ricketts is a guitar-hero caliber musician who shows versatility on several six stringed instruments. We hear compositional influences from the Dregs without the modulation complexities - which for a trained musician may be lighter, but for the average music lover is accessible and satisfying. His electric guitar entry, with it's pick percussive intro into the high bend is pitch perfect and dramatic, as is the entire track, in "Hipnotic". It's a cliche, but a guitarist's breaks are only as good as his band - and the playing of Pauken and Clark are proud statements underneath Ricketts guitar exploration, which sounds its best when he's out of his mind in that space that reveals passion within his playing. Great CD and one that should be on the list of all guitar-metal-rock-hero worshippers. Ricketts playing is more substance than flash. .but you can go blind listening anyway.
WOW!! this is what I call a super-band. These are accomplished musicians that put together there talents and blow you away with awesome riffs and incredible arrangements. This CD is the BEST I've heard in many years.
Bravo Clark Pauken Ricketts
The player below will let you sample some of the MP3's as well you can link to GreatIndieMusic. The CD covers link to some of the sites that have the disk.
All the best :-)
Michael D Ricketts
Earbuzz CD Baby Guitar9 Records iTunes
PayPlay.fm
And if you gotta have it now!
January 17, 2007
Wow a whole year has gone by since I updated the site. It has been a year well spent as I just got back from Florida where I attended the mastering of the new CD with Bob Katz. Initially the project was to be called the Ricketts and Clark expedition but when engineer Joe Viers heard the material during the tracking of the drums, he suggested that Molly Pauken play bass on it. Well she did and now the project is called Clark, Pauken, Ricketts. The CD is a mirror image of what has been playing in my head for many years.
It absolutely rocks!
You have my word on it.
Michael D Ricketts
November 3rd, 2005
Jeff came out to for two days of rehearsals in preparation for recording the drum tracks to the new CD. It ended up being a day and a half as we were invited to the Wags & Elliot radio show (QFM96) for an interview on the morning of the first day.
I never knew Jeff had such a great radio voice.
After the radio interview Joe Viers invited us down to the studio to check out Steve Smith cutting some tracks for a new Neil Zaza record. The fire that Steve still plays with after all these years is unbelievable. Both Neil and Steve are just awesome dudes.
Here are two fine drummers, Steve Smith and Jeff Clark.
Jeff drools over Steve's Kit
Checking those cats out was a blast but we had to cut and run as the clock was ticking for our rehearsals.
The New Albany house studio where we hammered out the grooves.
The tunes even got Tyler fired up to play.
Like father like son. (I am so proud!)
Earplugs were not an option but a necessity with a 100 watt Boogie and a 26 inch kick with Jeff's foot in it!
Well the time was well spent as Jeff's drum takes were captured in one or two passes. Combine that with the ears and engineering wizardry of Joe Viers and we were done before we knew it. Steve Smith dropped by and was surprised when he asked Jefj how many tunes we were going to get done that day. Jeff 's reply"all of them!"
Actually we were done in less than 6 hrs.
Some friends stopped by to check it out and shot some pictures while they were there.
Neil and Amber Barnstable.
Joe is the chief engineer at JSR. By far the most gifted Jeff and I have ever worked with. On top of that we made a new friend. What a killer dude! Tony assisted Joe in dialing in Jeff's drum mic's. A great guitarist to boot.
Joe and Tony
Me
Jeff & Mike
Playing with any other drummer, would be like cheating on your wife.
Below are a couple of video links for Bamboo and Majestic in the demo stage.
I was sitting on a beach in Mazatlan with a classical guitar when this one came to me. The live video was shot by Jose Altanaga at the GTE sound stage in Thousand Oaks. The up close video was shot in the New Albany house studio. Jose shot all the video for the lesson clips as well. Special thanks to Jose and Stan Spooner for convincing me to shoot this stuff.
(Lo FI demo version, not from the Clark Pauken Ricketts CD)
Music, Michael D Ricketts, Drums, Jeff Clark, Guitars and Bass, Michael D Ricketts
Guitarwiz Music, BMI
Allot of my tunes start off life as instrumentals. The song "She" that I wrote for my wife for our wedding was one such tune. This is what the instrumental version sound's like. You may recognize the descending guitar line that is common to both tunes. I wrote these drum tracks in Acid for demo purposes. Definitely not a Jeff Clark drum track, but it works to get the idea across.
"Majestic"
(Lo FI demo version, not from the Clark Pauken Ricketts CD)
Music, Guitars, Bass, Drums, Michael D Ricketts
Guitarwiz Music, BMI
Something Extra!
I remember this scene from the movie, "The Right Stuff" where the juke box at Pancho Barnes's bar out in the desert at Muroc is playing this song. I think it was the "The Andrew's Sister's" singing it and the harmony's where just awesome. I picked up my guitar and this is what I came up with. Not sure who wrote this or who the owner is, but the rights belong to whomever they are. Another one where I plugged the Strat into the clean channel and hit the record button. Also recorded at the New Albany house studio.
Guitar, Michael D Ricketts
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