I Can’t Stop is the latest release from the legendary BoDeans, who started making music together more than 30 years ago. The band will be touring throughout the rest of the year, but in the meantime, frontman Kurt Neumann, multi-instrumentalist Sam Hawksley and drummer Kenny Aronoff will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week.
Neumann: I still love electric guitars. I say that because according to Gene Simmons of Kiss, “it’s a waste of time” for a kid to go buy an electric guitar and play rock ‘n’ roll music, that basically that time has passed. I’m not one who would normally take Gene Simmons serious. But I think I know what he means. So much, if not all, music is done on the computer. Every note perfectly placed in pitch and time. It makes you wonder if the days of rockin’ guitars are numbered? While DJ’s playing pre-recorded music are filling arenas. I mean playing a guitar is not like playing an iPad. You gotta turn the knobs on a guitar for real. Try to get the damn thing in tune. And even then something can be wrong with the neck or frets and still end up sounding out of wack. And then slap a pick up on that sucker and plug it in to a hundred watts of ear-shredding power. Right? I can see why the kids turn to their iPads instead. Much simpler. Much more pleasant and smooth and perfect. However, if you’re a blue-collar kid who’s looking to kick and scream his way out of the dull, mundane, suburban nothingness he was born into, the pleasant, perfect iPad just ain’t gonna cut it. Can you imagine Cobain, or Angus, or Jimmy Crankin an iPad? Pre recorded at 120 bpm? No. I still love electric guitars.
