The College Crowd Digs Me

"If you decide to call on me... ask for Mr. Blue." ~ The Fleetwoods ~ It was 1959.  Think about that.  There were no Beatles or Stones.  No Facebook.  No Isis.  And certainly no Pokemon Go.  It was a different time.  Hell, it was a different world!  But love was love.  And a love song was a love song.  Always has been. Now granted, the music might have been a bit more gentle, in nature, back then.  A little more polite.  But  there certainly was no less...yearn in the burn.  Or ache in the break.  It was all there.  The desire and the angst of being in love.  And The Fleetwoods were mapping out musical roads that weren't nearly as defined as they are today.  With a gorgeous melancholy sound,   The Fleetwoods were the only artists to score two #1 hits in 1959. Sure, the times are much different now...no doubt about it.  But love is love and not fade away. GARY TR...

"We shared our hopes, our dreams,  and our goals... and the fundamental roll." ~ Walter Egan ~ The ecstasy and agony of summer break. First hellos and last goodbyes. Worries are small and possibilities are endless. It's when we realize, maybe for the first time, that time is fleeting and completely out of our hands.  Yes, summers are great. I mean, it's summer after all.  But one never forgets that "special" summer. The one you earmarked for permanent memory burn.  The one you protect. When discussing "lost gem" albums, Walter Egan's 1978 offering "Not Shy" certainly falls under that category.  With a distinctive California rock sound, Egan delivers hook after glorious hook of "roll-down-the-windows" summer fun. But he does so while gently reminding us just how confusing and frustrating it all can be.  He's made plenty of good music, both before and since, and his last album "Myth Americ...

"Where would you recommend I take this?" ~ Michael Jan Friedman ~ With nearly 60 books notched on his pencil, many appearing on the New York Times bestseller list, it's safe to say, author Michael Jan Friedman knows his way around the alphabet. Add to the list some television and radio work and you've got yourself a pretty fine box of candy.  Call it good and wake me in the morning. But, for this reader, being handed the heavy baton to carry forward new Star Trek ideas as the writer for the Star Trek: The Next Generation comic book series is the feather.  If there is anything more cool-breeze than being linked to the iconic Star Trek franchise...in a medium that is cool unto itself...the list is short.  Like many fantasy and sci-fi ideas, Michael dreams them in aurora and remembers them in words.  As Pete Townshend once said, "Nothing is everything." MICHAEL JAN FRIEDMAN INTERVIEW  MAY 2016 Casey Chambers:  Michael, ...

As familiar as a Cracker Barrel rocking chair. As satisfying as an extra-long back scratcher. That would be John Prine.  And for nearly 50 years, John has been trying to connect the dot-to-dots of life in song. And he reminds us, with a gentle hand, that feelings are never cheap. Lives are never simple. And a smile goes a long, long way. He's as rare as honesty.  An American treasure, for sure.   He's the "Ferris Bueller" of singer-songwriters.  And though John would be the last one to admit it...he's a righteous dude. This list could easily be filled with another ten songs. And another.  And yet, another still. But for today... 10 UNDERRATED JOHN PRINE GEMS "You'll be waitin' on a phone call at the wrong end of a broom." "Crazy As A Loon" / "Fair & Square" (2005) "One red rose in the Bible pressed between the Holy alphabet." "One Red Rose" / "Storm Windows" (198...

"Save my life... I'm going down for the last time." ~ Head East ~ We've all seen those five-star lists. The critically-acclaimed album this and blah-blah-blah album that.  And I get it.  I appreciate the opinions.  They're fun to read. But sometimes you just have to judge an album on a different scale.  Like how much you actually play it.  And how much you enjoy it. Sometimes...you just have to let your own ears be the judge. So when Roger Boyd's keyboards explode from out of my speakers to kick it in gear...I feel better.  My car drives better. I get better gas mileage.  Pretty simple, really. ROGER BOYD INTERVIEW - APRIL 2016 Roger Boyd Casey Chambers:   "Never Been Any Reason" is the opening track from Head East's debut... "Flat As A Pancake." (1975) And your keyboard really strikes the match for the rest of the album. How did you get your keyboards to sound the way they did? Roger Boyd:  The synthesizer p...