A Dream Realized

"Rooted Time" is Finally Available on Vinyl and CD

When Oly Betancourt and I first started writing the material for Rooted Time back in 2014, we spent three long years experimenting, correcting, and chasing a very specific sonic ghost; the rich, eclectic, and warm atmosphere of the 1970s. We wanted to capture a vibe, to be honest.

Holding a finished album in your hands is a feeling that no digital streaming platform can ever replace. That's why I am so incredibly proud to tell you that Rooted Time is now available worldwide in physical format on both Vinyl and Deluxe CD.

Thanks to our collaboration with the UK-based platform elasticStage, we were able to make this happen without compromising a single ounce of quality. I played vocals, bass, drums, and lead guitar tracks, Oly made great crafted lyrics, and even the rare acoustic tones of the double bass (I played it) and the Appalachian dulcimer have been preserved exactly as we intended them to sound in the studio in Pancha. And I also played accoustic double bass in Sammy.

To make this edition truly special for those who have supported us since the beginning, we curated a 10-page collectible booklet included with both formats. It contains our biographies, recording anecdotes, and visual concepts that explain the "why" behind this album.

Thank you for listening, for reading, and for keeping independent physical music alive. Head over to our official store to order your copy today.

Right now!!!!

Click the image

My album in the vinyl

Finally, my album as guitarist and singer in Vassy Courtes is in vinyl version!

Goodbye Reverbnation

Hey everyone! Writing this post today to share an important decision regarding how we distribute our music online.

As many of you know, for years (and especially since the release of our album Rooted Time), we used Reverbnation as our main platform. However, they recently changed their policies in a way that we find deeply unfair to independent artists because they went from charging a small commission per song sold to demanding flat fees for every single release.

Faced with these new rules that only aim to squeeze indie musicians, we have decided to completely delete our Reverbnation profile. We refuse to support platforms that place financial hurdles in the way of independent rock.

The great news is that we already have a new and much better home: Bandcamp.

Bandcamp is an amazing space that truly respects creators and offers a fantastic experience for listeners. From now on, our entire catalog—including Rooted Time—is available there directly and transparently.

Check out our new headquarters here: Vassy Courtes.

We invite you to follow us into this new chapter. Your direct support is what keeps us loud and allows us to create music on our own terms. See you on Bandcamp!

Messy Blues

Strat Single Coils

The Fender Stratocaster and the uncomfortable truth about single coil pickups

(With references that matter)

The Fender Stratocaster is not a guitar that caters to the player, and it never was, because it wasn't created to inflate egos or mask technical shortcomings. Its original design embodies a technical manifesto that states the Fender Stratocaster doesn't correct, it responds. And at the heart of that philosophy are the single-coil pickups.

These single-coil pickups are electric guitar microphones that use a single coil of wire around magnets to convert the vibration of the strings into an electrical signal, producing a bright, clear sound with defined treble and attack. One characteristic of these pickups is that, while very accurate, they can sometimes generate noise (hum) from external interference, a characteristic of Stratocasters (and Telecasters, it should be noted).

Its construction consists of a copper wire wound around magnetic poles (generally 6 for the 6 strings). Its sound is bright and clear, with a predominance of treble and a very articulate attack. The noise (hum) mentioned above is due to the fact that these single-coil pickups are susceptible to electromagnetic interference when not being played, which is part of their distinctive characteristic.

Single-coil pickups can be punishing for many guitarists with poor fingering or bad playing habits (the common habit of using only three fingers for guitar solos) because they don't enhance, protect, or forgive. They have a bad reputation among those seeking absolute control and are accused of being noisy, thin, and unstable. So the problem isn't the noise, it's the exposure.

A Stratocaster guitar with three single-coil pickups translates the actual attack of the right hand and makes the difference between intention and routine audible because it makes dynamics part of the performance.

Guitarists like Jeff Beck could go from a soft, almost whispery sound to a loud and powerful one without touching a pedal. Beyond the skill of guitarists of that caliber (or demonstrating it through a Stratocaster with single-coil pickups), the technical virtue of having a clear and realistic sound opens the door to understanding the rest of the equipment and, of course, the guitarist's true creative side.

The famous loud-hum sound of Stratocasters is part of the equation. Jimi Hendrix created his style, unsurpassed to this day, thanks to the clean sound of single-coil pickups. The feedback sound that surrounds his legend (see the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival and Woodstock concerts) arose accidentally precisely because single-coil pickups are the only ones that, without distortion or additional effects, bounce back from the source. This is due to the clarity and true-to-life reproduction of what the guitarist plays using an original pre-CBS Fender Stratocaster (without humbuckers ).

Completely eliminating the original Stratocaster sound often means eliminating the true dimension of playability. The original Strat isn't meant to be quiet; it was designed for clarity, not fantasy . It's honest because it was created to meet the needs of the accomplished musician.

But this isn't a Stratocaster versus humbucker war because it's not about moral or technical superiority. It's about language.

The humbucker tends to unify, sustain, and round out the sound, while the single coil tends to separate, articulate, and create spaces. Just listen to guitarists like Rory Gallagher, Yngwie Malmsteen, and Ritchie Blackmore to realize this. These three focus on clarity, including imperfections, while guitarists like Angus Young, Ace Frehley and Slash, to name a few, rely heavily on the robust sound of Gibson guitars, which cover up many mistakes, but also many melodic details.

It should be noted that Jimmy Page primarily uses Fender Telecaster guitars. His association with Gibson Les Pauls is somewhat accidental, as he used them on his North American tours while fronting Led Zeppelin.

Guitarists like David Gilmour, even with walls of effects, never lose definition. Every note has its place, timing, and dimension because the Stratocaster doesn't just organize the sound; it pushes it to project it realistically. Another purist (who actually switched from Les Paul and SG to Stratocaster) is Eric Clapton, who uses his own effects system via a switch that controls his Twin Reverb (Fender), Marshall Plexi, Orange 100, and Vox amplifiers. Eric is one of the guitarists who best controls his sound, going from soft to virtuosic without faking mistakes (and I challenge anyone to show me a single mistake Clapton makes).

In harmonically complex contexts such as progressive rock, jazz, jazz-rock, and modal music, the clarity of single-coil pickups is essential. Let's take a closer look at the pairings between rock bands and symphony orchestras.

Metallica had to use resonance suppressors on their Eagle and Gibson guitars, while, using Stratocaster, Kirk Hammett's guitar was connected in direct line to the overall system.

At the Jon Lord tribute concert (April 4, 2014), the front guitarists—except for Steve Morse—had sound problems because the backline was set up for guitars with humbuckers. In contrast, Yngwie Malmsteen shone brightest with a symphony orchestra thanks to his ever-present, self-modified Fender Stratocaster.

Humbucker configuration : The tamed Strat

It's no coincidence that many guitarists try to fix the Stratocaster by using noiseless pickups, always-on compressors, permanent boosters, and gains that eliminate the attack, but what they're really trying to do is reduce the demands placed on it. To make it more predictable, more docile, and less revealing.

But guitarists like Ritchie Blackmore understand a key point, the Strat isn't meant to protect you, but to confront you. When it's tamed too much, it ceases to be a Strat and becomes an object of pretension.

The Strat as an instrument of maturity

The Stratocaster does not appeal to the impatient guitarist because it demands volume control, attention to silence, rhythmic precision, and spatial awareness.

That's why many musicians return to it after years. And it's not about nostalgia; it's actually a reckoning. An uncomfortable truth is that the Strat doesn't accompany you, it observes you, and it's worth stating bluntly that a Stratocaster with single coils doesn't make you sound better, it forces you to be better. It gives you back exactly what you give it. No more, no less. And in an age obsessed with automatic correction, that mirror is uncomfortable but necessary.

The music that endures isn't necessarily the most perfect; it's the music that dares to speak the truth. And in that sense, in the humble opinion of this writer, the Fender Stratocaster is the most honest guitar in the world.

That's all folks

Messy Blues

Rooted Time in SoundCloud

Rooted Time is also available in SoundCloud

Vassy Courtes · 01 - In fire and gasoline 2026

Rooted Time; 2026 Re-Issued

The album "Rooted Time" was the result of several things. From failed recording sessions far from home, manuscripts, and many postponed songs, to rescuing songs we had written years before. Although it's true that we wrote the best songs specifically for the album.

Technically speaking, "Rooted Time" began recording in January 2012 (fourteen years ago), although two songs released that same year ("The First Time" and "Moonlight") were reworked versions of songs I had previously recorded as a solo artist (in the versions included on "Rooted Time," the guitars and vocals were re-recorded, and Oly Betancourt recorded the piano and organ tracks).

The album took virtually five years to complete for many reasons, but especially because, after failing to find musicians who knew how to work in a recording studio, I had to record all the bass and drum tracks myself, in addition to the vocals and guitars. Giving credit, of course, to Oly Betancourt for the keyboard tracks and some acoustic guitars, and to Clarisse Hömmz, who recorded the drum track on "Spoiling Myself."

However, even upon its release (July 20, 2017), "Rooted Time" wasn't a polished work due to several errors, some grammatical (since my native language is NOT English), and also because the recording was made to be transcribed to CD format, and I didn't think to make the necessary corrections for its digital conversion. For this reason, the sound was quadraphonic, and some tracks were lost when played online.

Yesterday, December 31st, we finally finished making the corrections we had planned for eight years and which, for one reason or another, we had been unnecessarily postponing.

No, not everything could be fixed. In "The First Time," I say a line that doesn't exist in English: "You met my better friends..." and it should be "You met my best friends..." but I would have had to re-record the entire vocal track. But now the album is in its most acceptable version and no longer sounds like a demo.

With or without mistakes, this album is the result of a lot of hard work from Oly Betancourt and me, and we both endured many humiliations before we could even begin recording. And, by the way, NO ONE—except for Los Aldeanos—helped us. The album represented many sleepless nights, many cold meals, many frustrations, and so much more. Of course, a great sense of satisfaction in the end.

I'm not looking for a relationship on social media, and I only support your work as colleagues, I think I deserve at least a listen to my songs.

Thank you and Happy New Year 2026

Finally! My First Book in English!

How to Deal With Idiots

Finally, and after much time and effort, my first book in English is now available on Amazon. Despite the challenging title, it's actually a way of suggesting the use of Stoicism to confront a world full of nonsense and arrogant people.

Of course, there's no general rule for dealing with narcissists and idiots; often, we tend to self-sabotage with misguided attitudes. In other words, sometimes we're the idiot. That's why my book addresses the topic from all angles of the dynamics of dealing with narcissistic (idiotic) people.

Of course, in this book, I suggest qualified authors and the idea of ​​consulting more sources on Stoicism, but what might make my work special is that I address several points, such as the age of stupidity (making fair reference to Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Carlo Cipolla) derived from the misuse of technological trends such as social media, Artificial Intelligence, broadcasting platforms, and everything that all of the above entails.

I also mention topics such as the practical application of Neuro-Linguistic Programming and controversial topics such as Universe 25 (a laboratory experiment conducted by ethologist John B. Calhoun) to illustrate the direction our society is taking.

Please read the book, and I hope you like it!

Messy Blues

Taken Seriously The Guitar

Why should every guitarist learn to read sheet music?

If you play guitar—whether rock, jazz, classical, or popular—you've probably gotten a long way with tablature, YouTube tutorial videos, or listening by ear. But what if I told you that mastering sheet music reading can be the leap forward your technique and creativity need?

1. Unlimited musical freedom

Tabs tell you where to place your fingers; sheet music tells you what you're playing (notes, rhythms, dynamics). Learning to read music allows you to:

-Access a broader universe: from classical pieces to complex jazz arrangements that don't always have tabs.

-Communicate with other musicians: In a band or studio session, the universal language is the score.

2. Better technique and understanding

Reading sheet music isn't just for classical guitarists. Even guitarists like Jimi Hendrix Hendrix , Pat Metheny or Eric Clapton have theoretical training.

Benefits:

-You understand the structure of what you play: scales, chords, and progressions cease to be patterns and become conscious ideas.

-You develop your ear: associating written notes with sounds sharpens your musical perception.

3. Professionalism and opportunities

If you dream of playing in orchestras, recording for other artists, or teaching, reading is essential.

Many auditions require:

-Flexibility to interpret pieces at first sight.

-Ability to analyze own or other people's scores.

4. Why learn in a school?

Although the Internet is full of resources, a school or academy offers:

-Structured methods: avoid theoretical gaps that later limit your progress.

-Teacher feedback: correcting bad habits (posture, rhythm, fingering) is key.

-Networking: playing with other musicians accelerates your learning.  

Conclusion: Invest in your art

Reading sheet music isn't boring or old-fashioned; it's a tool that will make you more versatile, precise, and musically free. After all, it's better to read the actual notes of the Hotel California introduction than to learn it from uncertain tablature. If you want to take your guitar playing seriously—whatever your style is—consider enrolling in a reputable school. Your future self will thank you.

That's all

Messy Blues

Modes, Scales and Russian and German Gals

Modes and scales

A few days ago I had a couple of side conversations about guitar solos and how to do them. One was a German language teacher girl who also plays piano and the other was a Russian lieutenant, also a girl, with whom I became friends when she was here in Mexico invited by the government and I served as a "liaison" for the language (although by my Russian language level it was the same as if they had called Masha and The Bear or Mickey Mouse, hahaha). But, well, the thing is that I became friends with the lieutenant partly because... that's how I am (Hahaha) and partly because she also plays piano and guitar.

Both have bought my album, Rooted Time, and the German one asked me if I used any other scales apart from the well-known pentatonic scale and the Russian lieutenant asked me almost the same thing but she focused on harmonization based on the modes and their starting point.

I noticed that one of them, the German gal, confused scales with modes because she mentioned two songs in particular: "Spoiling Myself" and "Behind The Storm" in which I didn't use pentatonic scales (five notes) but diatonic ones (seven notes -Dorian Mode in the first one and Harmonic Minor in the other-) and I explained to her the same thing as I did to the lieutenant: Scales and Modes are two different things.

In colloquial terms, many guitarists like to name scales and call them "Exotic", "Arabic", "Hungarian" and weird names like that but in reality they are simply diatonic scales altered according to the way musical cultures use them in different countries. But in reality there are only two types of scales: diatonic and pentatonic.  The modes are the ones that change and there are seven of them: Ionian mode, Dorian mode, Phrygian mode, Lydian mode, Mixolydian mode, Aeolian mode and Locrian mode.

The other "Scales" that many publish to make courses and publish videos on YouTube, are actually fashions created by commercial guitarists who decided to call themselves "Masters" so they can sell their courses. In any case, the harmonic principles of a musical piece are determined by the type of piece and the construction of chords and sequences that indicate the alteration at the beginning of a score.

It is funny that they want to create a world of scales on something as basic as two scales and seven modes. But that's how business works. Right?.

Messy Blues

Истины, О Которых Не Говорят

«Ненависть множества невежественных людей — это цена не быть одним из них».

Olavo de Carvaloh (Олаво из Карвало)