Matthew Edward Liston

Art by Sharon Wybrants

matthew — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:36:05 +0000

I recently had the opportunity to collaborate on a website and online gallery for artist Sharon Wybrants.

http://www.artbysharonwybrants.com

It was an honor to work with this very talented artist!

The Green Computer: Advanced Power Management

matthew — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:10:59 +0000

Read my latest article on Green Chi Cafe!

Advanced Power Management

Name that tune…

matthew — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:57:46 +0000

Here are a few tracks from my most recent studio project, playing bass for an instructional book/CD package by my friend Burgess Speed. Burgess was my (very patient) editor on last year’s The Total Blues Bassist project, so it was a pleasure to return the favor and help with his CD. It’s called The Beginner’s Guide to Electric Guitar and it’s available through National Guitar Workshop Publications.

I know from personal experience that it’s not easy to write original examples “in the style of” the classics. Burgess did a great job capturing the essence of these examples without ripping them off note for note. See if you can name the tunes; first person to respond correctly (in the Comment section below) gets a gold star!

Listen to The Beginner’s Guide to Electric Guitar.

ps Yes, that is Pete “Cowbell” Sweeney on the drums!

eCycling

matthew — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 16:44:06 +0000

Check out my new article on eCycling your old computer!

One topic I didn’t have space to delve into is your data security when you sell, donate, or recycle an old computer. Even if you’ve deleted your sensitive files (personal information, banking details, embarrassing photos), a clever hacker can recover them from the hard drive. There are only two safe solutions, in my opinion:

1. Remove the hard drive from the computer (and keep or destroy it). Sell/donate the old computer “as is” without a hard drive, or be nice and install a brand new hard drive for the next user (you can get brand new hard drives for under $50 these days).

2. Use a utility to “zero out” the hard drive, completely destroying all existing data. I’ve had good luck with the Linux command ‘dd’, but for true peace of mind, check out applications like DBAN.

Be especially careful if you are donating your computer to a school… kids today are very good at figuring out this stuff!

Dirty Computers!

matthew — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:12:18 +0000

Graphic photos, not for the faint of heart!

What’s the solution? Bust the dust at The Green Computer.

Jamaica!

matthew — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:25:06 +0000

I recently had the the opportunity to play bass for two Jamaican music CDs. Guitar Atlas: Jamaica by Raleigh Green and Drum Atlas: Jamaica by Pete Sweeney are instructional book/CD sets all about the musical history of Jamaica. From mento to dancehall, I really learned a lot of interesting beats and styles for these sessions. Raleigh and Pete were my backing band on the Total Blues Bassist project, so it was cool to return the favor.

Here are a few selected tracks from each CD, for your listening pleasure. Both are available through National Guitar Workshop Publications.

Guitar Atlas: Jamaica by Raleigh Green
Drum Atlas Jamaica by Pete Sweeney

Green Chi Cafe

matthew — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:56:04 +0000

I’ve been writing a Green Computing column for Green Chi Cafe. Check it out!

The Total Blues Bassist

matthew — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 15:46:48 +0000

I am very pleased to announce my new instructional book and CD, The Total Blues Bassist, has been released by National Guitar Workshop/Alfred Publishing. Look for it at your friendly neighborhood music merchant. I also have a few copies available if you contact me directly (support the author!) for $19.95 plus shipping and handling.

Here’s what the experts are saying: “The Total Blues Bassist is a unique and exciting journey through the diverse world of blues bass playing. the blues has influenced countless styles of music–including rock, jazz, pop, and country–and is loved for the depth of feeling it captures. This book will teach you all the basics you need to master the blues, such as left- and right-hand technique, but also advanced concepts like using silence and dynamics to help you create more interesting bass lines. Learn how to lock in with the drummer, guitarist, and singer, and even how to play without a drummer. You will also discover many styles, like Delta blues, Chicago blues, Texas blues, rockabilly, funk, and jazz blues. A CD demonstrating the examples in the book is included.”