The College Crowd Digs Me

"Broken neck. Worry, stress and fret. Now, I'm back to steel." ~ Martin Barre ~ Martin Barre carried the guitar torch in the iconic band Jethro Tull for 45 years.  Let that sink in for a moment.  That's like 112 in classic rock years. From the powerful riffs to the more gentler runs, Martin's guitar was the perfect balance of rock thunder and prog folk lightening.  And, together with frontman Ian Anderson's flute-wizardry, they countered and connected in a unique blend of sounds that made us all feel a wee bit like time travelers.  And maybe a little more cognizant of the earthlier delights.  Tull made us feel lighter in spirit.  Fiercer in battle.   Martin Barre played no small part in the fueling and feeding of this machine. After the band broke up in 2014, Martin had earned every right to take a breath from the locomotive.  Instead, he continues to bring the rock...touring all over the orb...performing a healthy mix of Tull ...

Here are 5 songs that were meant to be witnessed.  Something's happening.  Entertaining magic.  Your ears will love it, but your eyes will love it more.  ~Horsehead "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)" - Neil Young & Crazy Horse ("Ragged Glory" tour 1991) I get it. A thousand times five you've heard this song.  But this particular performance is a bookmark.  One of those magical spells when the music and the audience become one. Neil Young and Crazy Horse play it crunchy, ...but this time, it is the collective mind of the rock crowd that carries the freight to a whole other level. In this joyful juxtaposition of Rock...in a little over five minutes, the audience becomes the teacher...leaving Neil Young, wearing his Elvis Presley t-shirt, very little doubt the imprint his rock-n-roll stones have cast. "So What" - Miles Davis (The Robert Herridge Theater, NY - April 2, 1959) I'm still amazed how cool early television could actual...

"Screams in the night...  sirens delight." ~ Blue Oyster Cult ~ Like all great bands and big bad wolves, Blue Oyster Cult will come and blow your house right the fawck down.  They can thunder your windows.  Speedmetal your doors.  But just as likely, they will have already slithered inside.  Slipped through the cracks in the wall.  Lying in wait.  Waiting.  Inside your dark closet.  Behind your bathroom curtain.  Underneath your safe cozy bed.  And it's there where Blue Oyster Cult will bleed you.  They didn't sing so much about the pompatus of love.  Or heaven and hell.  But about reapers and vampires.  Monsters, abductors and screamers. That was their job. Sure, the Boys in the BOC... Joe Bouchard, Eric Bloom, Albert Bouchard, Buck Dharma, Allen Lanier ...could always get right smack in your face.  But they also enjoyed the subtle play and plunder before the confrontation.  They h...

7 Favorite  Books  I  Read  In  2016 Every book is a new book if you haven't read it yet!  And so, let us begin. "Doctor Sleep" - Stephen King (2013) ...I was just sure I knew how "The Redrum Kid" would turn out.  And, honestly, I was expecting King to fuck it up.  I mean, why play Jenga with The Shining anyway.  But I was wrong on both counts.  Now look, I don't know if I'll ever catch-up with the human printing press...but Lordy, ain't it fun trying. "Unbroken" - Laura Hillenbrand (2010) ...Holy Schnikes! How much shit can the human spirit handle?  Page-turning non-fiction about WWII survival and POW brutality.  Truly inspiring and hard to imagine. "Zero Cool" - John Lange (aka Michael Crichton) (1969)...This is pulpish fiction from early Crichton.  A slice of pulp, now and then, is great for occasionally breaking up the more pompous-ass novels that require just a tad more effort....

"Warning... Warning..." ~ Gypsy ~ Gypsy should be a classic rock staple everywhere.  The band had been fine-tuning their musical talents nightly, feasting on overlong house band hours before finally hitting the studio to record their 1970 self-titled debut. By this time, Gypsy was well-oiled and well-tested. And it showed. It was album rock with a shot of prog.  Cosmic vocals and harmonies with hits of jazz-psych.  Together, you have an almost majestic album. The band quickly followed with two more albums of equally enjoyable tracks while touring the world with songs just begging classic rock radio crankage.  By their fourth, and final album, Gypsy was long past frustrated and direction-torn. I was lucky to discover Gypsy while killing time on a recent vinyl-dig.  It was a total blind buy, struck by the beautiful album cover.  As any vinyl enthusiast will quickly tell you, there isn't a much better feeling than dropping the needle on a blin...

"...keep making music with conviction and passion and hope for the best." ~ Bob James ~ The smooth jazz genre has had more than its share of eye-rolling albums that got rushed into stores by maypop musicians hoping to cash in.  All air. No substance. Bob James doesn't play that.  This is the good stuff.  When it comes to smooth jazz...Bob James knows how to ice a cake. Whether solo or surrounded by jazz cronies, Bob has never...ever...kept his Fender Rhodes keyboard on a short leash. Bob James is 76 now.  At least that's what he claims it says on his passport.  He's a multi-Grammy award winner.  And for over 40 years, Bob's success and longevity can be seen and heard, not just from his own albums or the abundant work he's laid down with other artists...but within the hip-hop community, as well.  Yes, Bob James' work has become somewhat of a "go-to sample cabinet" for DJs and hip-hop producers. Bob continues to create inspiring jazz...