Five Instruments You Didn't Expect to Find in Metal

As I have alluded to before, I am not a pure metalhead, but I am very enthusiastic about particular genres of metal. I don't like more conventional types of music, music that you'd hear every day somewhere. Music is meant to awaken something in you, not simply be background noise. For me, that requires music to almost always be on the more unique and eclectic side. The majority of the music I listen to originates from another continent, and when I speak about some of the bands I enjoy or shows I have been to, it is actually met with a lot of intrigue. People are genuinely surprised to hear about these genres and either learn about new instruments, or hear them in a way they never imagined hearing them before. As such, I want to list five instruments many people wouldn't expect to find in a metal band.

1. Accordion - Yep, the polka instrument. You may remember Steve Urkel with one of these. This one probably is only mildly surprising as punk music is like to feature the accordion on occasion. Still, some people cannot place what they perceive to be a very heavy genre with an instrument like the accordion. There are quite a few folk metal bands that feature the accordion. Want to have a listen? Try Koennin Kuokkamies by Korpiklaani
2. Hurdy Gurdy - This is an instrument many people I talk to have not even heard of. What is a hurdy gurdy? Part violin, part bagpipe, part piano, and part jack-in-the-box. There's a box with a crank that spins a wheel that rubs against strings. Notes are played using keys on the hurdy gurdy while drone strings, strings not touched by the crank operated wheel, emanate a sound similar to that of a bagpipe. It's a very prevalent music in folk metal, so there are quite a few bands to choose from in order to listen to the sound. Eluveitie's Of Fire, Wind, and Wisdom features the hurdy gurdy prominently and is celtic metal at its finest
3. Harp - Quite possibly one of the most tranquil instruments, one often associated with love and poetry, can be found practiced by big hairy man with all sorts of tattoos. It's far from a fixture in metal bands, but the few who do utilize it really pull it off well. It adds a very nice subtle touch to the music. Furor Gallico is one of my favorite bands, and their song Banshee features the harp multiple times throughout the song.
4. Trumpet - You are about to enter the wonderful world of Swing Metal. Diablo Swing Orchestra, an avant garde metal band from Sweden, is one of the most unique bands you'll ever come across. Horns, strings, opera, and metal make for one hell of a dance party. Seriously, I can't listen to this band without wanting to learn how to become a really good swing dancer so I could dress up all fancy and do these amazing routines. Get ready to boogie when you listen to Guerilla Laments.
5. Bagpipes - When people think of bagpipes, they most typically think of Scotland and St. Patrick's Day parades here in America. Elsewhere, though, bagpipes absolutely don't fall into those same stereotypes. Bagpipes are often not given a fair shot by folks; the first thought that comes to mind would be the loud, slow, droning sounds that seem to drag on forever. The upbeat, more intricate melodies rarely get recognized, and when played in conjunction with other instruments, the bagpipes prove to be one of the greatest and most enjoyable instruments out there, in my humble opinion. Again, many bands to choose from on this instrument, but Liam by In Extremo shows off Dr. Pymonte's very nice custom-made pipes.

My Top Five Live Artists

First off, I am deeply apologetic for not writing at all this week; my living arrangement dictated my free time this week, which gave me much less opportunity to write. I plan on writing several post this weekend to make up for it.

Now, for the topic at hand. I've probably seen around 100 concerts in my lifetime with at least a couple hundred bands on my list. Some I've seen only once, some I've seen more than a dozen times. I've seen bands old and new, big and small, at local venues and at festivals. I have danced, photographed, headbanged, and moshed at many an event. I know others who have far more concert experiences than I do and others who have far less. Concerts are experiences that I know I will have many more of, so there's no sense of longing for the past by recounting these events whatsoever. One point of clarification is that this list constitutes solely the bands, not the concert experience on the whole from beginning to end. The distinction is I have seen great bands with lousy openers, or there are some experiences that were absolutely incredible with bands that I love where the band is really just a satisfactory live band. So, without further ado, here are my top 5:

5. Project Pitchfork (seen once) - I saw Project Pitchfork in July 2012 at Amphi Festival over in Germany. They were the musical highlight of the festival for me. The music was phenomenal live, and the visual display was impressive. Peter Stilles had a strong presence on stage, but the clincher here was the assault from the two drum kits on stage. There's no substitute for live drums in my opinion, and they really seemed to understand this. There's no getting around needing to sound good when you perform, and Project Pitchfork had it nailed.

4. Flogging Molly (seen twice) - I've seen Flogging Molly twice, and the biggest thing for me about seeing Flogging Molly for me is no matter how many people are there, they make it feel like a very intimate show. Every member in the band is tremendously talented on their respective instruments, which really shows at their live performances. Their super long version of Black Friday Rule complete with solos has to be among my top live songs. But talent aside, Dave King is what takes their shows from great to outstanding. His conversation between songs is invaluable to the show. I honestly get the vibe that I am going back to Ireland and he is telling me, an old friend, stories whenever he talks between songs. It's a truly wonderful experience.

3. Arkona (seen three times) - First of all, let me just say that the fact that I have seen Arkona three years in a row, all in the United States, is incredible and such a strong testament to Arkona and their dedication to their fans across the globe. That is NOT common amongst bands from Europe and Asia (and not a criticism of those bands whatsoever, the US can make it hell for bands to come perform here). Watching Arkona on stage is a thing of beauty; they perform with such a passion and intensity that few bands can match while also exhibiting the polish of a band that could perform in their sleep, if needed. Most of all, Masha's performance is just sublime. She really just exudes such emotion on stage; one moment it is as if she is sharing some of the beauty and mysticism of the old Russian motherland with you, then the next you have a woman, who must not even weight 100 pounds, possessed with a warrior's ferocity flying around the stage in a blur of blonde hair and wolf pelt. It's an incredible sight to see.

2. Kamelot (seen once) - Admittedly, I was not expecting to be blown away by Kamelot. They are a prime example of a band that I feel drastically outperforms their albums when they play live. The big thing for me on their recorded work is that it just didn't stick out to me, and the drums were too generic sounding on many tracks. That all goes out the window live. Instantly when I see the drum kit after the curtain is pulled back, I feel as though I may be off base with what to expect, and boy was I ever. To start, Tommy Karevik, their new vocalist, is lights out. Normally I am a fan of deeper male voices, but this guy's voice is phenomenal. He's incredibly easy on the eyes for the ladies (and interested men), too. Their performance was bold from beginning to end. You are treated to an incredible drum solo, keyboard solo, and bass solo at various points of the set. I can't include the inclusion of EKLIPSE as part of their merit, as this would go more to the performance on one tour and not to the band overall, but I had to mention their incorporation of those lovely ladies (Helena, if you are reading, will you marry me?) By the end of the night, I had a gleam in my eyes and a grin I could not wipe off my face.

1. Saltatio Mortis (seen once) - Saltatio Mortis might hold this spot for me as long as I live. I saw them in Germany in August 2012 at the Mittelalterlich Phantasie Spectaculum. Being in a foreign country and just looking forward to the experience, I didn't quite know what to expect and didn't even know how the bands or stages would be set up. Well, Saltatio Mortis played numerous sets throughout the day beginning in the daytime and ending with a night session with full pyrotechnics on display. I didn't even get the full experience as I don't understand German at all, so that could only vault them further away from the pack. What to be said about their performance, though? Well, for starters, they all are remarkably talented musicians. The mastery of the bagpipes and shawms is very impressive. It isn't just how they play instruments, though, it's the accompanying dance. They dance quite a bit on stage, and them dancing is not enough, they get the audience dancing with them. You have Alea, a tremendously charismatic presence on stage always getting the crowd involved. That in between his kicks and flips while he doesn't have bagpipes in hand. It's clear that they get out of bed each day and love what they do, and they will always give it their all for the fans. At the particular event I went to, it was pouring rain. Two things stick out. One is Alea returning to the stage, walking to the uncovered part, extending his arms out into the rain and looking into the sky, then saluting the crowd, a group that won't be denied their opportunity to see the band and dance no matter the weather. The second, and this is the coolest thing that I have ever seen at a concert, is when the sound equipment failed due to the water getting through the makeshift water sealants around the extension cord outlets (read duct tape), they just unplug the bagpipes, bring the bass drum with the reed, a bongo drum, and an acoustic guitar down and start playing amongst the crowd in the rain. A lesser band might shrug their shoulders. A more conventional band couldn't simply bring their instruments into the rain and continue the show. They're a rare breed, and not one to pass up should you ever get the opportunity.

So those are my top five. Thoughts? Anyone else have a top five?

Five Handy Photography Sites

Everyone has to learn something from somewhere, right? As someone who has never taken a photography class in his life, I have relied on friends, reading, and trial and error to learn more about different facets of photography. I am further along in some areas than others. To some extent, that is just fine. Typically photographers will have a niche or two, but it is always good to be well versed in all facets. You never know when something will come up, and you don't want to be ill-prepared or ill-informed should that happen. Here are five sites covering a variety of different purposes that I would recommend to people interested in photography.

1. Adorama Learning Center - Adorama is a phenomenal site. Most people will know this site because they are a prominent photography retailer, and certainly they are a good option to purchase from if you are in the market for gear. Fewer people, however, probably know about the learning center. The learning center is a fabulous resource to become better informed on a number of things, including technical aspects of photography, gear, file formats, composition, lighting, and so many other topics. They have both articles and videos submitted by Adorama's team of experts. They cover all different skill levels, so regardless of if you are picking up a camera for the first time or have been shooting for ten years, they will have something new to learn for you.
2. DxOMark - Admittedly, this site might not be for everyone, but if you are a tech junkie, this site is a very thorough and valuable resource. They have very in depth gear reviews and tests alongside a pretty easy to navigate (there are some quirks, but nothing major) site enabling side by side comparisons of up to three items at a time. They have a very large database of quantitative information to go off of; for example, if you are debating between a couple of different lenses, you can put them side by side on the camera you'd be using them with, and it will rate things like sharpness, vignetting, and aberrations so you have some data to help you make your decision. I would never make a purchase without consulting DxOMark first.
3. The Tumblr of Zack Arias - Zack Arias is a professional photographer and author of Photography Q&A. What some people may not realize is the book available in stores all come from questions and answers on this Tumblr page. Zack takes questions from followers and gives candid answers. Sometimes his responses may come off blunt or a tad more forceful than necessary, but the fact of the matter is he knows his stuff and took the time to answer 1500 questions for people. Questions range from lighting to pricing to confidence and everywhere else in between. If you have a photo question, chances are he has answered it before.
4. Flickr - Okay, so putting Flickr on here may seem out of place. Maybe it is, as I couldn't tell you that Flickr is better or worse than other similar photography sites of that category, but I wanted to put a site like Flickr in the list. Why? I have several reasons. Having a site with user uploaded photos with message boards is a good way to see "the average photographer's" artwork and to meet new people. A site like 500px is intimidating because the photography is out of this world good. Flickr still has some high quality work, but there's the average work, or even work that isn't great (such as many of the over the top HDR images found on there). Seeing what others do helps show what things may or may not work, gives you a barometer of your work without pitting your photos up against a site full of phenomenal ones, and the social element is nice to talk photography. It's also a good way to get others to look at your work; if you comment on a photo of someone's chances are that user will look at your profile to see who you are, which means he/she will see your work.
5. Craigslist - Yeah, yeah, I know, why am I putting Craigslist on here? Well, part of photography is buying and selling gear, and if you are comfortable using Craigslist, it's a good resource to do just that. You'll never get fair value trading in gear at a pro shop, and shipping a lens after selling on Amazon presents potential risks on top of the sites taking their cut of commission off the top. As far as buying goes, you never know what gems you'll find listed on here, be it old film equipment, tripods, or a great price on a gently used DSLR. Yes, there are risks involved to purchasing from Craigslist, and I don't recommend it to everyone or for all items, but there is a comfort level in being able to see and test the gear before purchasing it, a luxury you wouldn't have ordering off of eBay, for example. So yes, caution is advised, but it's good to take a peek every once in a while, even if just to compare prices on Craigslist to other online sites.

Feel free to leave other useful sites in the comments of this post!