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Judas Priest guitarist’s final curtain call

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Judas Priest‘s K.K. Downing has finally made his final curtain call after 42 years with the band. He just wrote on his website that he decided to leave the band because of a breakdown in the working relationship between himself, the band and management.

Imagine playing in a band for 40 or more years, touring with and putting up with the same buddies and their little idiosyncrasies? I think that might just do it.

The thing that would bother me the most is performing the same old songs over and over again on tour. To this day I can’t for the life of me figure out how the Stones perform some of their standards after 49 years, 49 years! Some musicians might like to fall into the same old groove, playing a collection of their songs to death, but I certainly couldn’t.

Judas Priest plans on carrying on with their latest tour, Epitaph, even without one of it’s founding members. The band will insert another enthusiastic guitar player into the lineup. He is a 31 year old British born guitarist called Richie Faulkner.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8K7CNzFhnCE

The one song that comes to mind when I hear the name Judas Priest is You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’. It’s really an anthem song and the bands’ most popular tune. When the song first came out the only guy I remember freaking out over it was my good old buddy Barber! He loved playing it on bass and the enthusiasm on his face when he played will be etched in my mind forever.

So Keep on Jammin’ K.K. Downing!




Old school Record show

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Since we’re starting to put our vinyl records collection into a digital format to put on our new iPod, I couldn’t help but notice that there will be a vinyl record show coming up right down the street from us on Sunday March 27 2011. It’s run by The Record Guys and it looks like it will be a blast. This event is in it’s 3rd year I think so they’re not some fly by night operation.

… the show has become a haven for collectors of all ages whose love of Vinyl, CDs, Paper Goods and other music collectables just can’t be quenched.

Just looking at our old record collection brings back such fond memories. We only took a quick look at our collection downstairs and they look to be ok. We have them in these thick old computer boxes that I got when I worked at this computer company called Kortex Computers, and put them on top of an old skid that places them around 8 inches off the ground.

So if your looking for something to do this weekend in the East End of Toronto this weekend then drop me a comment on this post and we’ll head off there for a blast!

Keep on Jammin’

Idiots who talk during concerts

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I recently saw Jeff Tweedy live in the studio on the George stroumboulopoulos show. I honestly didn’t know who he was when we first got the tickets so I went on Youtube to watch him perform and from what I saw the guy looks like he’d be a lot fun live, especially in a small venue. He is also the leader of a band called Wilco.

This one video stood out to me, because as a performer, this is the worst thing that can happen to you when your playing a show. Some drunkin’ asshole talking about God only knows, while your pouring out your heart and soul to people you don’t know and who have paid money to come and see you live on stage. For all you artists out there you know what I mean.

The video below is from one of Jeff Tweedy’s concerts in Lambchop New Zealand. What Jeff Tweedy does in this clip is exactly what all us performer would like to do to those people who talk during shows. So everyone listen up and shut up! (Kiddin’)

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ew3AOlbJXos

Keep on Jammin’

Frank Zappa and the Monkee’s

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Since I was a kid I was glued to the TV when this musical series called The Monkees were on. I was just introduced to the playing guitar in Miss Lord‘s class and I found the Monkees music was so catchy. I thought that the band had to be popular because it was constantly on the radio. Also the band had to of been even cooler because my older brother and sister were listening to them on vinyl albums. Technology back then rocked!

Now being a little more mature, musically that is, when I view a couple of their earlier shows on line I tend to pick up some unexpected treasures in those shows that I wasn’t really aware of back then. To see what I mean read on.

At work I’m always chatting with surgeons that use to play guitar in high school bands and our talks always revolves around obscure musical topics. This one day one of them told me about this particular Monkees episode that had Frank Zappa on it. Then right after saying this, this other surgeon chirped in and said that he was a massive Frank Zappa fan that went to see Zappa plays Zappa last year. Small world eh?

I then said, Really … Frank Zappa on the Monkees? You’ve got to be kiddin’ me. So off we went to a computer, did a quick youtube search and bang, there it was right in front of us.

Frank Zappa in a short clip on the Monkees show..

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOI-SDYGviM&feature=related

Michael Nesmith playing Frank Zappa and Frank Zappa playing Michael Nesmith interviewing each other as the other person, hilarious!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNJy-OgCzB0

Any Zappa fans out there?

Keep on Jammin’

Crocodile Rockin’ crossing sign

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Imagine going on a holiday somewhere down in the southern US and you come across this strange little street sign that warns you of Crocodile crossing or rocking ahead? Well I guess you would say to yourself, now I’ve seen it all!

I guess if you were either a good or casual friend of Sir Elton John, then this would be the perfect gag gift to give him. The only off thing about this sign is that the reptile on it looks half crocodile, half Casper the friendly ghost. Are you supposed to be afraid or happy at the sight of a sign like this?

crocodilerock funny sign

Keep on Jammin’


Clapton auctions guitar’s for charity

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The guitar god, Eric Clapton, auctioned off 70 guitars with the proceeds going towards his favorite charity the Crossroads rehabilitation centre in the Caribbean.

The pre-auction estimates was much lower then the final total (21.5 m).

An instrument that was sold and caught my eye was Eric’s 1948 Gibson L-5P guitar! The final price was $82,000, it more then surpassed the $20,000 pre-auction estimate. Another big ticket guitar was a souped up signature Fender Stratocaster that brought them a nice $51,000.

The charity is definitely a worth while cause and that I am sure the money will be put to good use. Good on you Mr Eric Clapton!

Keep on Jammin’

The real little drummer boy

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There is this kid named Julian Pavone who plays the drums … the only thing is this guy is 6 years old in this video! I read about this kid by browsing through Google News service a couple of minutes ago.

Julian starts off in this video of his with one tough piece to perform on the drums called 50 Ways to Leave your Lover by Paul Simon with one of the best drummers in the world, Steve Gadd. First off playing anything that Steve Gadd does on drums is difficult enough for a grown man but one that is only 6 is very impressive.

The little guy then shows off his talent performing a funky tune called Turn by Chaka Kan and Rufus. Julian then ends the video with Shake your body down by Michael Jackson. I’d love to see what else Julian has in his musical sleeve of songs? Do you think he takes request? How about a little bit of la Villa Strangiato by RUSH from Hemispheres Julian?

Just sit back and watch this kid blow you away.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofkuk1OInxM

Keep on Jammin’

Figuring out how to use my iPod Touch in my car

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i2!RDS Universal FM Transmitter So now that we have an iPOD Touch, I started thinking about how we can use it through our car stereo? Unfortunately our Pontiac Pursuit’s (which is called the G5 in the US) audio system doesn’t come one of those line in inputs, so there goes that idea. The only other option open to us is to get one of those Universal FM Transmitters.

In a nut shell, you plug your music device into the Universal FM transmitter. Then this runs into the power supply in your car, or the old cigarette lighter if you will. Side note: I’ve been smoke free for 5 months! The transmitter connects wirelessly and syncs up to your car FM band thus allowing the iPODs signal to run through the stereo.

The one we picked up is called the i2! RDS FM Transmitter for iPod from Aerielle. We went searching for reviews on FM Transmitters and found this one to be reliable and fairly inexpensive. The best price was through Tiger Direct.

i2! RDS Universal FM Transmitter The i2! is simple to use.

After plugging everything in, you look for the 2 buttons on the front that are stacked together. You hold down both of these buttons at the same time for a couple seconds.  Now you will notice on the very small digital display screen, numbers that represent your FM stations, rolling from lowest to highest. This action is telling you that it is scanning for FM signals/bands that ARE NOT being used.

It will then stop scanning and a number will start flashing. This number represents a station or band width that it can use to send the signal from your device into the stereo. You then press down on one of the 3 per-set buttons near the bottom of the unit to save it in it’s memory.

If i2! displays more flashing numbers after you choose the first band that it shows you, then set them up and remember the station/frequency number so you can use it for another time. This might come in handy if later on down the road, the first station you saved is being taken over by a radio station. Now you can tune your car stereo to that location and begin to use your iPOD!

Damn, I can’t imagine driving without it now!

Keep on Jammin’

So AUX TV can’t play more video’s?

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So the CRTC (Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission) is up to their old crazy ways are they? These people … have to be smokin’ something else other then tobacco. Please just read the below caption.

Three months after the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission told MuchMusic it can’t air fewer music videos than it already does, the same federal agency has denied a request to play more of them on a cable music channel that’s become a launching pad for dozens of independent Canadian artists. Vancouver Sun

This story was in the Vancouver Sun on February 15, 2011. How does a decision like this happen. Who actually calls it? What was their reasoning behind it?

I like watching Aux TV. The amount of indie acts are great and I think this kind of platform is desperately deeded around here. I’ve been watching AUX TV since Oct 2009 and although I’m not a huge dedicated fan, I like the change it brings to my TV entertainment.

Can someone out there tell me how/why the CRTC came to this conclusion?

Keep on Jammin’

Who will make the Rolling Stone’s next cover?

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On the cover of the rollingstone, dr hook and the medicine show On the cover of the Roll~ing Stone … remember that tune made those crazy guys from Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show so famous?

 

Well as it turns out, the Rolling Stone is going to let their faithful readers choose what band, 16 unsigned bands, to be placed on their iconic cover in a 4 round contest.

At the end of the showdown, two of the last remaining acts will perform on stage at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee early this summer.

I can’t even imagine the thrill that will get cha …

Keep on Jammin’

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