Rock Hard Times: Just Checking In...

Today In Rock History

April 25th . . . 1918 - Legendary jazz vocalist Ella Fitzgerald is born in Newport News, VA . . . 1923 - Blues guitarist Albert King is born . . . 1933 - Jerry Leiber is born in Baltimore. With Mike Stoller, he’s written witty rock hits like “Yakety Yak” and “Jailhouse Rock” . . . 1945 - Bjorn Ulvaeus of Abba is born in Gothenburg, Sweden . . . 1945 - Stu Cook (Creedence Clearwater Revival) is born this day . . . 1950 - Steve Ferrone, drummer with the Average White Band and Eric Clapton, is born in Brighton, England . . . 1956 - Elvis Presley reaches top of US chart with Heartbreak Hotel, his first No. 1 . . . 1961 - Elvis Presley makes his last stage appearance for nearly eight years at Bloch Arena in Hawaii . . . 1964 - The Beatles have an amazing 14 singles on the American chart . . . 1967 - The Beatles perform “All You Need Is Love” during a global satellite broadcast . . . 1974 - Jim Morrison’s widow, Pam, dies in Hollywood at the age of 27. Police suspect heroin use may have played a part in her death . . . 1977 - Elvis Presley makes his last-known recordings during a live concert at the Saginaw (Mich.) Civic Center . . . 1981 - Wings break up after Denny Laine leaves the band. Paul McCartney says he will carry on as a solo artist . . . 1987 - Crowded House had their biggest U.S. hit when “Don’t Dream It’s Over” peaked at #2; U2 replace Beastie Boys at top of US LP chart with The Joshua Tree . . . 1990 - The Fender Stratocaster on which Jimi Hendrix played “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Woodstock sells at a London auction for $295,000 . . . 1994 - The Eagles played the first of two shows where they recorded their ‘Hell Freezes Over’ album . . . 1994 - A judge sentences Beastie Boy Adam Horowitz to 200 hours’ community service after he beats up a TV cameraman during River Phoenix’s funeral . . . 1994 - A judge determines that Michael Bolton’s “Love Is a Wonderful Thing” sounds a little too similar to the Isley Brothers’ “Love Is a Wonderful Thing.” Ya think? . . . 1997 - Warren Haynes and Allen Woody quit the Allman Brothers Band to tend to their careers as Gov’t Mule . . . 1999 - Funk star Roger Troutman, 47, dies in a hospital in Dayton, Ohio, after being shot several times . . . 2000 - Eric Clapton is reunited on a TV stage in London with his former Derek & the Dominos keyboard player Bobby Whitlock, for their first performance together in 29 years . . . 2002 - Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, the effervescent, sometimes volatile rapping member of the Grammy-winning R&B trio TLC, is killed in a car crash in Honduras . . . 2003 - The late jazz great Nina Simone is laid to rest in Carry-Le-Rouet, France . . . 2004 - Piano man Billy Joel drives his car into a house in Long Island. Nobody is seriously injured. It’s his third car crash in two years . . . 2007 - American singer Bobby “Boris” Pickett died of leukemia at the age of 69. He scored the Halloween anthem ‘The Monster Mash’ in 1962 . . .

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Just Checking In...

Hey all...been a while, I know. After months of computer issues that would drive the most docile human being crazy, I broke down and got a laptop a couple of weeks ago. Guess what? I've already had to perform a system restore on the damn thing. Some people aren't supposed to have nice, new, techie-type things I guess. Pen, paper, and the like still have an appeal after all this. If I could have 5 minutes in a room alone with Bill Gates I guaran-damn-tee I'd come out with a pocketful of that dude's teeth. So how y'all been? Good. Enjoying the weather? Me too. Alright...enough. Let's go...

Can't wait until November 17th. That's when the most anticipated album of the fall (for me anyway) drops...Them Crooked Vultures everybody! Queens Of The Stone Age frontman Josh Homme has recruited old buddy Dave Grohl once again to play the skins, and new old buddy - the legendary John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin) to play bass. They've been on tour all fall already, and a few of my buddies were fortunate enough to catch them in Columbus recently. Some really good tunes from what I've heard, including "Elephants," "No One Loves Me and Neither Do I," and "Dead End Friends." Sounds a great deal like another QOTSA project with Homme clearly out front, but hey, that ain't all bad.
Watched some of The Killers: Live From Royal Albert Hall Friday night on VH1. Yeah, I said VH1 played music Friday night. Right before some damn Ray J show...who the hell is Ray J anyway, and does Flavor Flav & Brett Michaels know this cat is stealing their bitches? Anyhow...I've been riding the fence for a long time concerning The Killers, and I'll have to say I'm officially on board now. Was never a fan of "Mr. Brightside," but I absolutely love "All These things That I've Done." The way they absolutely had that crowd in the palm of their hands was amazing...you could hear the echo of the crowd singing along with every note. The Killers have "it," whatever "it" is.
I'm proud to announce my 10-year old son now knows the power chords to "Seven Nation Army" and is well on his way to being the next Hendrix. It's a very significant moment for a father...kinda ranks up there with learning to walk, first words, killing your first forest-dwelling mammal. Went out and got him a bigger amp with all the cool effects and distortion channels. Next is a slide, a capo, a couple of stomp-boxes...we're (I mean he's) on his way...
Speaking of buying music supplies, if you want to hear the best musicians around all you need to do is go to your local guitar store, even if that means Guitar Center or something. I swear, every time I've taken my kid to look at stuff we end up staying like two hours or better listening to these fellows that seemingly just wander in. My skeptical side thinks they're plants, hired by the store to get people to buy whatever they're playing, but man is it cool. When we're were looking at amps at Guitar Center we sat down beside an older guy playing some rockabilly on a vintage Gibson Les Paul. We tried the same guitar after he left, but of course could not produce anything close to what that guy was playing. As we were leaving we paused to listen to a guy that had brought his kids along just like me. He was cranking out some mean metal licks on a sweet B.C. Rich though, I was just standing there with my jaw open. Man, I wished I'd learned an instrument when I was young.