Guest blogger Drew Zackary needs a day off. We wonder where he finds time to send us his guitar player's pick each month.
The underground eats the years, breaks all your E strings; spits out death, obscure city workers, and suburban gardeners decades after the cocaine and long hair. . .
I Digress.
Robert Buras. 1975-2007. Found dead in his apartment in Oslo (here's an amazing video of his band with him as the corpse). Lead guitarist for Mudugrada. Lead singer and guitarist for My Midnight Creeps.
I loved Mudurada for years before I understood it. Buras had the secret down. He played his soul through his right hand, man. Typically, when we watch the guitarist on stage, we focus on his orher lefthand. But the soul--the damn soul comes from the right hand.
We can all marvel at the hyper speeds that the best players finger; the frets, pentatonic minor scales forward and backwards they play with their eyes closed. But it's those staccato upstrokes; the hard pounding; the palm mutes; the marathon grooves and chordal structures that never let go of your neck that--that halt the blood and bring it to a boil.
Buras's work combines an deep understanding of American blues, Anglo-American punk, pastoral Bible Belt terror, British pop, early American underground grooves, and the dark, deep desert of European misfortune. This is a hard guitar player pick to write about. Either you understand his references or you remain confused ( was that lick lifted from the stooges? did he switch keys on me during the breakdown? ).
Here is a list of songs to help you get to know Robert Buras. Guitar playing is one thing, but guitar writing is quite another. Mudrugada is one of those bands you play at parties and have people approach sheepishly and ask, "um, this is good...who is this?"
I don't believe in the afterlife. But if I'm wrong, Buras gets a pint from me.
Speaking in Tounges-My Midnight Creeps
Blood Shot Adult Committment-Madrugada
Ramona-Madrugada
Beautyproof-Madrugada
On Your Side-Madrugada
Proxy-Madrugada
Norwegian Hammerworks Corp.-Madrugada
Hard to Come Back-Madrugada
Don't let 'em bring you Down-My Midnight Creeps
The Frontman-Madrugada
Drew Zackary plays guitar for Denver band Dicky Jaguar and the Five Percenters. He also drives an ambulance.
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