A Gainesville Rocker: 2014

Thursday, November 27, 2014

AC/DC new single off new album!

Also, I can't stop listening to the awesome new single that was released recently off of AC/DC's new album set to come out in the U.S. on December 2nd, 'Rock or Bust'! The title track sounds so cool, have a listen for yourself from their official Vevo page from YouTube! Enjoy!

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Malcolm Gladwell's "The Tipping Point"

In “The Tipping Point,” Malcolm Gladwell paints a unique perspective discussing the topic of trends and how they take off. In his book, he talks about certain products and ideas, and how those trends tend to reach the “tipping point” and sky rocket towards popularity. Gladwell introduces the idea of the “tipping point” by stating it is a very simple idea. The idea, in his words, is to think of things such as “the emergence of fashion trends, the decline in crime waves, the rise in certain sales of books, or even the rise of habits such as teenage smoking,” like epidemics.

One of the first examples Gladwell points out in the beginning of his book is the rise of Hush Puppies shoes. The shoe company, Gladwell says, was on its last leg until they noticed a group of people going to clubs, cafes, or walking the streets of downtown New York. This exposed others to what he puts as the “Hush Puppies virus.” Next, another example he uses in coming out with the same result is the decline in crime in New York City during the mid-1990s. Gladwell notes that the change of behavior among a small group of people, and how that turned into an “infection” and started to spread to other people that fell into similar situations.

Also, a second point with these two examples is that these changes, which were little, ended up having big effects. The drop in crime rate came as a result of incremental changes such as the crack trade leveling off, an older population, and an improving police force, all contributing to make a dramatic effect. As with Hush Puppies, it took a small group of kids in downtown Manhattan to turn the shoes into an international trend. Finally, Gladwell says both trends skyrocketed in a hurry, and didn’t grow incrementally over a small period of time.

These three factors, Gladwell says, can be comparable to a disease moving through a school or workplace, or a sickness occurring during a distinct time of year.

Another point that Gladwell makes when describing trends are the three different types of people that contribute to the popularity of trends; connectors, mavens, and salesmen. Connectors, according to Gladwell, are people who have a special gift for bringing the world together, because they know a variety of different kinds of people. Mavens are known for having copious amounts of information concerning a variety of things, and likes to pass on the word of how to get the good deals on certain products. Finally, salesmen are the people with the persuasion skills to convince others who have no preconceived view, and are essential to “tipping” of the word-of-mouth epidemics that quickly spread. These three types of people combined help add to the notion of how trends quickly take off.

Looking back after examining Gladwell’s take on the rapid takeoff of trends, it’s amazing to think full circle about how certain people and factors can play to the effect by doing small things, that eventually turn out to be major trends.

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Classmate Spotlight Part 2

Hello again!

Hope you enjoyed reading part 1 of my spotlight on some of my band of journalists! Now, it's time to introduce you to three more members of the band.

Let's start off with Jenny Tintner! Jenny and I have worked together in both radio and TV at WUFT, and she's a very talented multimedia journalist. She has a passion for storytelling, as you will see in her blog, and is an absolute great friend to work with!

Next we have Peta-Gay Sheerwood! Peta-Gay has played many different roles all throughout WUFT, from camera operator, to reporter, to weather forecaster! She lives life to the fullest, whether it's trying new foods, listening to good music, traveling various places, or exploring weather events and the changing world of journalism.

Finally we have Emily Braun! Emily is one of the nicest people to work with, period. She has done so much at WUFT, from being a radio news anchor to a television specialty anchor. She also just interned this past summer at the Orlando ABC affiliate, WFTV. Emily definitely has a bright future ahead, and I wish her the absolute best of luck!

Classmate Spotlight Part 1

Getting away for just a minute from the music scene, I would also like to give a shout out to a few people I consider my band of journalists.

First off is Carla Bayron! She's pursuing a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Telecommunication from UF, and aspires to be an anchor/reporter. Carla and I work together at WUFT News, and interned together this past summer at Fox 13 News in Tampa. She's an excellent reporter, a very hard worker, and a pleasure to work with!

Next up, we have Richard Johnson! Richard and I have actually worked together at ESPN 850 WRUF. He has an excellent work ethic, and is an excellent journalist especially when it comes to sports reporting. His work for the Alligator and the Florida Times-Union is some of the best sportswriting, particularly with UF athletics, that I've ever read. A definite read for any Gator sports fan, or sports fan in general for that matter.

Finally, we have Courtney McKenna! I work with her at both WUFT and ESPN 850 WRUF. Courtney, as detailed in her blog, has a lively personality and is one of the sweetest people you'll ever meet! Her goal is to end up on one of the big sports networks.

Have a look at these three and stay tuned for Part 2, where I'll highlight 3 more of my classmates.

Thursday, October 30, 2014

My Resume and Work

Outside of music, my other passion is journalism and being able to tell a story. If you're interested in checking out some of my experience and work, here is a useful link to my resume on my website below!

Zak Dahlheimer's Resume

Thursday, October 23, 2014

London Rock Bar and Club

I also wanted to highlight from another earlier post about London with the Alley Cat Bar and Club, located in the basement of the famous Regent Sounds Studios where I played at an open mic blues jam on Denmark Street just across the street from Wunjo's!

Official Website

YouTube: Video of a blues jam at Alley Cat

Info about Regent Sounds

Link to Earlier Post

London Guitar Shop

Just to highlight from an earlier post about Wunjo's Guitar Shop located on the world-famous Denmark Street in London, England where I bought my blue Hofner Thinline 171 model. Here are some links to get you familiar with the shop!

Official Website

YouTube: Cool video featuring Wunjo's and other guitar shops in London

Link to earlier post on A Gainesville Rocker

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Foo Fighters New Song

Just checked out on Rolling Stone the Foo Fighters new song off their new album 'Something From Nothing'. The band, according to the article, also has an 8 episode music travelogue that's set to premiere tomorrow, October 17th, on HBO called "Sonic Highways". Their new album is set to come out on November 10th. Check it out!

Rolling Stone article

YouTube: Foo Fighters' 'Something From Nothing'

Official Foo Fighters Website

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Nominations for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2015

According to Rolling Stone, 15 artists have been nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2015. The acts include Green Day, Nine Inch Nails, the Smiths, Lou Reed, Sting, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, and Stevie Ray Vaughan among others.

To take a look at the full Rolling Stone article, here's the link:
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/green-day-nine-inch-nails-smiths-nominated-for-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-20141009

To see some of the nominations in action, here a couple videos from YouTube below:

Stevie Ray Vaughan

Nine Inch Nails

AC/DC Releases Single Off New Album "Rock or Bust"

Recently, AC/DC just released a single off of their new album set to come out in December called "Rock or Bust."

The song, "Play Ball," is available to download as a single on iTunes. It's also been featured on the ad on TBS for the Major League Baseball postseason. Here's a link to a YouTube video playing the entire single uploaded by ACDCVevo! Enjoy and rock on!

Thursday, October 2, 2014

Review of Steve Krug's "Don't Make Me Think Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web and Mobile Usability."

Websites are vital, all around in general, in this day and age. They’ve become pretty much our go-to method for either finding general information, conducting extensive research, or to advertise a person or company. A lot about websites has changed, particularly in the last five to ten years. Before, we would see websites cluttered with a vast majority of information. Now with the advent of technology such as tablets and smartphones, everyone seems to be designing their websites to be easy particularly with people who are always on the go. Steve Krug makes a good argument about this overall website design concept in his book, “Don’t Make Me Think Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web (and Mobile) Usability.” Throughout his book, Krug makes a point to teach us how to effectively create and operate a web site that gets the message across, without having to be too complex.

Before the Internet, our main sources for news and information were broadcast mediums such as radio and television, and print mediums like newspapers and magazines. There’s just that thing about growing up with newspapers: anxiously awaiting to read the paper over breakfast when you wake up in the morning, and also getting to read long, in-depth articles. Nowadays, people don’t want to wait until the next morning or a certain time of day to consume their news. With websites, and especially mobile technology, people crave their news and information every second. And they also don’t like to read long pieces as found in the daily paper, but instead they prefer very short pieces. Krug says with people on the go constantly condensing information is key, allowing people to skim websites for particular information and articles. Also, when creating a website, he tells us to “get rid of the question marks.” Instead of making it difficult for the user to decipher where to particularly point out information, put simple key words or phrases as page titles or links.

Krug also points out the importance of each page having a title and each website having a search box. Also, unlike some websites that may have been like this many years ago, websites today don’t need to be cluttered with a bunch of different information on the home page, confusing the user. Remember, make it as easy on the user as possible and try not to make them think. Krug goes on to tell us the “Home” page is the most desirable piece of real estate on a website. He also introduces us to the “Big Bang Theory of Web Design” where the first few seconds someone spends on a website are the most critical. Tag lines are also beneficial to a website because they’re the one place next to the Site ID that explains the website’s purpose and to help ultimately draw in the viewer’s attention.

Ultimately, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Krug’s book on web and mobile usability. It really brings in full circle where we are now when it comes to websites compared to where we were just five to ten years ago. It also provides some very helpful tips for maintaining a successful website. If you’re looking to create and maintain a good, successful website, I would definitely recommend reading Krug’s book first as a good guide to help build the foundation for your site’s success.

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Shows in Gainesville for This Week/Weekend

Gainesville has a lot of shows slated for this weekend! One that looks interesting to me is on this Friday, September 26th at Loosey's on Southwest 1st Avenue. It will feature performances by folk rock band Flat Land, Pseudo Kids, and rock band The Head. The show starts at 9pm.

For more information on this show, as well as others throughout Gainesville this weekend, here's a link to http://gainesvilleshows.com/

AC/DC To Release New Album in December!

Australian rock band (and my personal favorite) AC/DC has announced its release of their new studio album, "Rock or Bust," for this December. It's their first studio album in 6 years since "Black Ice," and will be the first album that won't feature founding member and rhythm guitarist, Malcolm Young.

The band has also announced that Young is retiring from the band, after leaving earlier this year due to an undisclosed illness. For me personally, I'm very sad that Malcolm will not be on the album as he was a major part of the backbone for AC/DC. Although at the same time, I couldn't be happier for my favorite band still continuing on through the adversity to create new awesome music for many fans, like myself.

For more on this story, here's a link to the official press release on the band's website:
http://www.acdc.com/us/news/new-album-out-december-2

As well as an article by Rolling Stone:
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/ac-dc-confirm-rock-or-bust-lp-malcolm-youngs-departure-20140924

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Rock 'N' Roll Adventures in London: Buying a Guitar on the World-Famous Denmark St.

Keeping with my London rock 'n' roll adventures, I fulfilled yet another dream of buying a classic, vintage guitar in London off Denmark Street. The place (pictured above) I bought it from is Wunjo's Guitars. Wunjo's has been on Denmark Street for a while, and the building I was in was where the Kinks used to practice, across the street from where Jimi Hendrix would rehearse, and a couple doors down from where the Rolling Stones would play and perform.

Right below is the beauty I purchased, a 1975 Hofner Thinline 171 Telecaster copy. A genuine German-made guitar that spent it's whole life in the U.K.! It's such a beautiful guitar, and I'm happy I got to christen it at the open blues jam just right across the street. One story that I will never forget!

Rock 'n' Roll Adventures in London: Open Blues Jam On the World-Famous Denmark St.

What an amazing Summer it was for me in Europe. London's music scene is incredible, especially with the world-famous Denmark Street that artists such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Black Sabbath, and the Kinks used to practice and perform back in the day.

I fortunately got to perform at the Alley Cat Bar & Club at an open blues jam on Denmark Street. It's located in the basement of Regent Sound Studios, where the Rolling Stones and Black Sabbath recorded material. It was unique because I had never had an experience of improvising with musicians on stage. Honestly, it was a very fun experience that I will never forget as long as I live and I look forward to finding some jams like that around the Gainesville area.

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Tomorrow, May 2nd, Marks 50th Anniversary of The Beatles' "Beatles' Second Album" Reaching #1 in US and Staying at #1 for 5 Weeks. Enjoy!

Speaking of Clapton, here's a YouTube video of rock trio Cream performing a cover of Robert Johnson's "Crossroads"

Some Shows in Gainesville May 2-3

Lots of music will be showcased in Gainesville this weekend!

One of the acts kicking off the weekend is a tribute band for one of the biggest icons in rock 'n' roll: Eric Clapton.

The Eric Clapton Tribute with Mike Boulware & Friends will be playing at Bo Diddley Community Plaza tomorrow, May 2nd, at 8pm.

To check out more music in Gainesville this weekend: click below! Rock on!

http://gainesvilleshows.com

Monday, April 7, 2014

AC/DC "Let There Be Rock: The Movie" Live from Paris 1979

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

"For Those About to Rock!"

Were the words of one famous Australian hard rock band that's still leaving smiles on many faces today, including mine! Welcome to my new rock blog! This will be a place where you can find out about different rock, blues, and other related music (we don't discriminate) that will be playing throughout many venues in Gainesville, Florida.

This can also be a spot where we might look and examine different subgenres, as well as bands with how they left their mark on rock 'n' roll and other related music, such as blues, jazz, and metal.

A little about me. My name is Zak Dahlheimer. I've been a musician for almost 16 years, but I've been playing the guitar for the past 12 years. Outside of journalism, music is my other passion. I believe it's the universal language that can bring a smile to many, even when times are tough. My favorite genres, as you might be able to tell from reading so far, include rock, blues, and metal. But I like a variety of music, and I believe in trying different forms of music and educating myself as much as I can because I believe you can never get enough of it. Below is me playing a few years ago during a gig, paying tribute to my idol and inspiration for guitar AC/DC's Angus Young.

Well, I hope you enjoy this blog! I look forward to sharing many rocking moments with you throughout Gainesville. I have attached a couple of links to me playing in case you want to get to know me better! Rock on!

2009: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISCzc0bZftY

2010: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IveH8sbFLHQ