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Endless, what a great Toto song!

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Toto is one of those great bands from the 70’s and 80’s that didn’t get a ton of good reviews. Sure, some of their tunes were down right too pop-ish for some peoples likings but other songs they performed were great! For example there’s Rockmaker, Georgy Porgy, and one of my favorites is Child Anthem. Other bands that fit their genre are Saga and Cerafim.

I recall picking up Toto’s first album and fell in love with it right away. Everything from the arrangements/progressions to the vocals were the kind of style that I would have really enjoyed playing. Too bad back then there wasn’t any musicians living in my home town who wanted to venture off in this musical direction, their loss. In my defense, I remember playing in my first band Deuce that played Toto’s Hold the Line at St. Bernard School way back in 1979?

I vividly recall playing the opening song called Duece, and Brian M singing the words “Get up and get the Hell on out of here!” The kicker is he was looking directly at this nun in the first row, that was way too funny! Way to go Ginchy!

My nephew and I were in a car traveling to my cousin’s house 2 years ago to do some landscaping and gardening, see I’m good at something else too as I said in my last e-mail. He pulled out this new Toto album called Toto’s Greatest Hits Silver Box set. The kid is the Data of the movie trivia and facts world. The guy is just amazing at what he knows about movies, it borderlines on scary actually. Check out his site, he’s working on it just to give you a head up.

The band had put just about the the whole first album on it! I was floored when we put in the stereo. The songs on this CD instantly brought back all those childhood memories, thanx again JC!

Now a days while taking the pooch out for a walk along the Danforth, I listen to this collection on the old iPOD. Over the past couple of hours the one song that gets me going the most called Endless. It’s originally on the Isolation album if anyone if interested. Everything about this one is outstanding, listen for yourself!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HE63SN46AeA

Love ya Live!

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Gibson was Raided for Illegal Wood possession

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Can you believe that some US Federal Institute raided Gibson Guitar’s main manufacturing plants in Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee because of wood that they use in creating the worlds most valuable guitar?

It seems that the Feds believe the wood obtained from India is illegal because Indian law states that wood exported from it’s country must be completely finished before being exported for another countries use. So I guess the wood being exported to Gibson factories was raw wood product or at least that’s what the Feds must think.

Gibson CEO said last week that they will continue their fight against the US Government’s raid, for the second time one in 2 years, in similar charges. The first time the wood in question was imported from Madagascar.

After the raid, the US agents obtained the illegal wood from India and sent all the workers home. What a way to get out of the shop.

While the Justice agents are still contemplating the charges against Gibson Guitars, Gibson is in the process of suing them to retrieve it’s product back so that the plants can resume production.

“Gibson has complied with foreign laws and believes it is innocent of any wrong doing,” Chief Executive Officer Henry Juszkiewicz said in a statement. “We will fight aggressively to prove our innocence.”

Juszkiewicz has stated the company, has and will work in close concert with groups like the Rainforest Alliance to help certify that the wood Gibson uses in it’s highly prized guitar come from ensure its wood imports are from sustainable authorities.

In an affidavit, agent John Rayfield of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said U.S. Customs agents in June detained a shipment of sawn ebony logs from India.

The paperwork accompanying the shipment identified it fraudulently as Indian ebony fingerboards for guitars and it did not say it was going to Gibson, the affidavit said.

In July, agents observed Indian ebony and rosewood delivered to a storage facility for Gibson, according to the affidavit, which asked permission to seize Gibson’s business computers.

Gibson plants also were raided in 2009, when agents confiscated ebony imported from Madagascar.

If your a big lover of Gibson guitars and own one then this long video is something that you might find interesting. Enjoy

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5No0Sk9NIo

Possible Fleetwood Mac Tour!

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Both Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham have both talked on the record about the possibility of the 70’s & 80’s Mega group Fleetwood Mac going out on the road to support a new album in the near future? I missed when they toured in 2009 so hell ya, I’ll go see them! All this is just talk and nothing yet is on the books … they are all just Rumors!
I hate being teased like this. Everywhere I searched, this is all that I come up with.

Anyways, have you heard of these guys before? In all honesty, I still run into some people of my age who have not.

The biggest thing that grabs my attention about the band is their distinctive sound. Not only vocally, way before Lindsey Buckingham showed up in 1975, but it’s after he joined the band when he brought with him his fantastic open tuning guitar style/sound and his unique vocals that drew me in.

I could always figure out anything that was thrown at me but I wasn’t completely satisfied with the Fleetwood Mac songs. I knew deep down inside that I was way off base here.

Open tuning was something I hadn’t heard of at the time so I had to struggle to reproduce a tune, nice try but … The greatest example of this struggle was a song called Never Going Back Again. I played this one in the first position G and D then migrating up the neck to around the 9th to 12th fret area. Some day I just have to start doing some tunes to show you what I mean.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHoxoXw6byM&feature=related

Keep on Jammin’

Brad Delp’s voice on new Boston Album

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The band Boston is set to release their next album and will pay tribute to their iconic lead singer Brad Delp that sadly passed away on March 9th, 2007. This is coming from the people at ultimateclassicrock.com, which I tend to view from time to time. Not much else is said about the album other then that.

Like every Boston fan out there, never hold your breath about the issue date of the bands next album because of the bands agonizingly slow evolution in their recording process. Even though the band states that this album is 85% complete, I still wouldn’t dare to place a wager on the exact date. Does anyone out there recall the band taking 6 years to complete their third album Third Stage? Talk about build up to a product release!

Since Brad Delp’s death, Boston has chosen to use a couple of singers but their recent singer, Tommy DeCarlo, is the one that stuck.

Boston just has that sound that makes you stand up and take notice. Even if you not a fan of the band, I bet that you’d know them after listening to only a few bars of a song.

When my parents bought me a 50 watt 1/2 stack HIWATT (for a good laugh check out the link!) amp, the first song I played on it was Boston’s Don Look Back! I literally didn’t know how powerful it was so after 10 minutes of setting it up, I found the number 9 button on the volume control. It was so loud it work up John Elek down the street, not to mention the cat never came back for 3 days, it was at the foot of my bed, true story. Thank God the windows were open otherwise I don’t know what would have happened. I never went near number 9 again …

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

So when do you think the band’s release date will be?

Keep on Jammin’

On the Hotest Night of the year!

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If anyone out there still considers Canada to be the land of ice, snow and igloos then check this one out! Here in Toronto Canada today the temperature is a cool 38 (C) 100.4 (F) and feels like 49 (C) 120.2 (F). Well folks, sorry to inform you but there are no snowbanks, ice or igloos anywhere to be found in our neighbourhood!

So in honour of all of you out there that have had this train of thought for a while then, this tune is for you! Stay cool out there kidz!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Mwc43Fd9DY&feature=BFa&list=PL1C7D5F83A5E33364&index=13

Keep on Jammin’

The Big Band sound going Indie?

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I love that traditional Big Band sound, the feel, the excitement I get that flows through my veins after listening to a great track. The voluminous of bands like Bassie, Goodman, and Canada’s own Arthur Miller are just some of the bands that I remember listening to as a kid. Along with some RUSH, KISS, Steely Dan, YES, Zeppelin … I really had quite the eclectic musical tastes back when I was a kid. Now a days when I come across something new in the Big Band genre, it always stirs my curiosity.

While reading my biweekly Macleans, I read about this new band conducted by Darcy James Argue called Secret Society. To some out there they might not sound like the classically acknowledged Big Band groove that we have been exposed to from the past but it’s there sitting in the background, right in front of you. The way they put in some techno here and there is quite refreshing.

I hope that at least you will bring your own eclectic musical tastes with you when and if you give the below video a listen to. I like Secret Society here in this particular video but the best way to experience a group like this, in my eyes, are in a venue WITH OUT microphones! If ever had in the past then you know what I mean.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=175ygZD5VzA&feature=related

Keep on Jammin’

Mason Dixon Band at Toronto Ribfest 2011

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In one of my previous posts I told you all about our adventures to The Toronto Ribfest in Centennial Park in Etobicoke and the great food there but I forgot to tell you about this great band that we stumbled upon while waiting in line for some of Bob’s Bloomin’ onions.

The band was called the Mason Dixon band and they were the perfect band to showcase at a venue like this. The singer also said that this was their 8th straight year playing this venue and I’ll soon show you why.

So while waiting in line we heard a band warming up on stage doing a sound check. The guitars sounded great, the drum kit sounded small, (but a talented guy like Domenic or Julian Pavine, on a small kit can make people’s head turn) was ok, then came the sound of a keyboard in Hammond B3 mode. To me one of the greatest sounds that you can hear while a band is warming up is the sound of this thing, it makes the hair on my arms stand up! Then the band started playing.

First tune they performed that afternoon was Kansas Carry On My Wayward Son. The vocals were great, the band was tight, the smell of charcoal ribs, a light breeze blowing through my hair, a perfect sky and with these guys wailing away in the background, priceless!

They then performed a great version of Foreplay/Long Time by Boston, Go Your Own Way (Fleetwood Mac), School (Supertramp) Thinkin’ Of You (Harlequin). The highlight for some people was trying to figure out that this annenna thing was that the lead guitar player/backup singer was playing. This instrument is called the

Then as we were exiting the park we where showered with Raise A Little Hell from Trooper, while watching people walking in, lip singing to the song, what a great way to leave this years event! Wish you we there.

Keep on Jammin’

To the olde boys from Pink Floyd

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It took 29 years and 328 days for the surviving members of Pink Floyd (Roger Waters, David Gilmour and Nick Mason) to perform as a band at a Roger Waters concert at London’s O2 Arena on Thursday May 13th. Man that would have been a great show to witness.

I recall seeing the band in the old CNE (Canadian National Exhibition) in Toronto in the mid 80’s and that show was just plain epic. The band actually went into Quadraphonic Sound that night, holy crap it was just like sitting in someone’s home who had a real kick ass stereo system. An old friend of mine, Ed Myers, had the first Quad Stereo that I ever experienced and for that I thank him!

While Rogers was playing Comfortably Numb that night with his band, David Gilmour joined in with a beautiful black Stratocaster of his and what a sight and sound that must of been. Behind Roger Waters on stage was his trademark white Wall and on the top of that was David Gilmour whaling away singing and playing guitar like only he can. Whenever I jam along with this classic tune or perform it live somewhere, I always have his majestic guitar solo playing in my head way before it should in truth come in. It’s just one of those solo’s that even non guitarists know off by heart.

Then for the last song of the evening Roger Waters, David Gilmour and then bands original drummer Nick Mason gathered on stage and offered the crowd their version of Outside the Wall. Gilmour was on a mandolin, Rogers on trumpet and Nick Mason on tambourine.

I’m not sure how many Pink Floyd fans there are out there, but if you wanted to see the olde boys from Pink Floyd play together again, even if it was for largely symbolic reasons, than this was a show to have seen.

Keep on Jammin’

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!

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’

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