Recent content by Peter Rofe

//USE HEADPHONES// Huey Lewis said, “We'd heard that Cleveland was this great Rock & Roll town, and we're from San Francisco - how can Cleveland be anything? We went to play in Cleveland’s Agora Ballroom and had this amazing gig. On the bus out of town, I was looking at the skyline of Cleveland...

USE HEADPHONES The lyrics to 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' are difficult to understand because of Kurt Cobain's slurred, guttural voice. It's the ‘Louie, Louie’ of the nineties. The title comes from Cobain’s girlfriend and her friend who saw a can of deodorant named Teen Spirit while shopping. "We...

John Lennon discovered that English teachers were giving students Beatles lyrics to analyze. While on LSD he wrote ‘Walrus’ using nonsense lyrics, and said, “Let them work that one out.” The BBC banned the song because of the line "you've been a naughty girl, you let your knickers down”, as well...

Hey, thank you for sharing!!

Sting wrote this song after going through an ugly divorce saying, “I think it’s a nasty little song, really rather evil. It’s about jealousy and surveillance and ownership.” Some people view the song more positively, he said: “One couple told me, ‘We love that song; it was the main song played...

The LA Phil returned to live performances in July, 2021. I am very busy concertizing, but I made time to transcribe more of my favorite rock tunes. Here’s the latest. You can check out my previous videos here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCol7e7DslEFPc-h6EFIYw6A

In 1969 LSD advocate Dr. Timothy Leary announced his candidacy for Governor of California against the incumbent Ronald Reagan. Leary’s campaign slogan was “Come together, join the party”. He asked John Lennon to write the campaign song. A few months later the campaign ended when Leary was jailed...

Check out my other covers here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCol7e7DslEFPc-h6EFIYw6A

Scarborough Fair is an English folk song that dates back to the Middle Ages (obviously, not written by Paul Simon). A woman leaves her lover for the delights of the fair in Scarborough, England. The heartbroken man sips on a witch's brew - parsley to be rid of bitterness, sage to gain strength...

Thanks for the feedback. I'm not a singer, but I thought that learning to sing while playing would make me a better musician. The most difficult part for me is not doing two different musical lines at the same time; it's that intonation is a moving target in both the voice and the bass.

While I’m waiting for live performances to resume at the LA Phil, I have transcribed some of my favorite rock tunes for double bass and voice. Throw on some headphones; I hope you enjoy it. Part 2: ‘Blackbird’ by the Beatles was inspired by Bach's Bourée in E minor for lute. McCartney did a...

Hi Casey, I'm Leo's dad Peter Rofé. I just joined TalkBass so I didn't see this post until now. Thanks for the positive feedback! My bass is a George Panormo made in London in 1820. I do use Kaplan heavy gauge strings, as do some of my colleagues in the LA Phil; it really depends on the...