Hal Thomspson’s latest release, Rock Guitar & The Mystery of Existence, is neo-classic rock for the 21st century.
While many of the songs in this work may appeal to the masses, its epic style is ideally suited for the more imaginative listener as it wonderfully transitions from heavy to ethereal, sublime to surreal and all points in between. This is mind altering rock that is at once both comical and ominous and sometimes, somehow, it sounds like dreaming.
But to really get into the spirit of this work one must experience it in a live performance because as a modern rock guitar showman, Hal Thompson is incomparable. Ross Vander Werf on bass and keyboards as well as Zach Wessels on drums both handle the demanding backup vocals and the interaction between these three players is in itself a venture into the realm of rock theatre. And as you watch these guys push there talents and technologies to the limit while jamming fantastic medleys of Led Zeppelin, Queen,Pink Floyd and Journey, you realize this is also the greatest tribute band you could ever hear.
The center piece of the performance is the voice, [no doubt years of singing those spot on covers of Led Zeppelin and Journey helped hone this skill] but the guitar is where much of the magic happens on the recordings, but even more so on stage. Chaotic and melodic leads howling and often out of control are played through crazy mutations that transfigure the instrument and the entire work into something new and wonderful. “I was trying for those sounds not yet heard in this world sort of thing,” says Hal. In fact, all of the atmospheric orchestral sections are either Hal’s guitar or his grandmother’s piano strangely fading and echoing into other worldly soundscapes. This new way of playing the technology, as well as some inventions of his own, such as a pendulum tremolo block weighted with a .44 mag bullet which allows slide guitar like full octave bends, were used to achieve a modern version of the classic album rock genre and beyond. Way beyond. All the more amazing is that for this, his second release, Hal had once again single-handedly written, performed and produced the entire work. In the end however, it was decided to feature Tony Santi on drums which, it is said, was a great improvement over the programed rhythm tracks.
For those who crave the stimulation of not always knowing what’s next, there is much fun to be had here as the entire composition has been crafted with many hooks and turns. Inspired by dreaming and its random nature, the author has achieved an unlikely synthesis of sounds and ideas.
According to Hal, “The power of art is that it’s not bound by space or time and you can use technology and words to help the songs create a bizarre convergence of things as absurd as say, pop-culture and rock music with deeper things to wonder about, like philosophy, or science, or the Bible. Hopefully it will give rise to a positive shift in perspective for the listener. At least it’s full of rabbit holes rather than the boring vulgarity so common to the modern genre. I know it’s ridiculous to some and I could play it safe and say I’m joking, as I often am, but it’s all theatre. It’s where we go to experience the altered state, that strange entertainment of knowing someone might fail as he sings and plays his heart out and maybe he’ll say or do something crazy and dangerous and true. In this sense, I know, I am a serious clown.”
So it is rumored. Well then fellow circus goers, what are you waiting for? Play it loud, listen deeply and go along for the ride…just watch out for rabbit holes.
–Corey Griffen