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Last night at Sarah’s Acoustic Afternoon was a blast!

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Too bad that I didn’t play! I couldn’t play because of this very nagging ear infection that I have been going through the past little while. It’s like being under water and it makes it hard to concentrate on what your playing. Oh well, there’s always next weekend’s Acoustic Afternoon!

I did get down there yesterday afternoon around 5 PM to see an old bass guitar player hero from the past, the great Doug F. His bass chops back in the day was a true inspiration for me as a very young guitar player growing up in Brantford and attending St. Pius X Church.

He was one of those intimidating musicians, in my mind due to my young age at that time, that just had a certain air to him. At first he made me feel not worthy to play in front of because he was so good! I’m sure that most of us out there has had a similar experience when we first start playing?! After getting to know him years later, I quickly found this not to be true at all.

We all sat out on the patio at Sarah’s and the weather could not have been better. Oh ya, some team from Spain won some kinda game? We chatted there for a while and then we decided to head off to our place to sit in our backyard for some more fun in the sun. Our very overly friendly Greek neighbour Nick had his whole clan over again and he asked us over to join them for some great food, (damn those Greek people know how to BBQ) and drinks. After leaving there with around 2-3 days of diners, we came back to our place.

I brought out the my trusty Larrivee and played some background music to go with our conversation. It was perfect!

So that was my day in paradise my with wife and an old guitar hero!

Keep on Jammin’ Doug!




Jeff Healey’s Last Call Jazz CD

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Stony Plain Records released a Jeff Healey’s ” Last Call” Jazz CD on April 6 in U.S.

The ones I like so far are Guitar Duet Stomp (3:35), The Wildcat (2:34)and Hong Kong Blues (3:10).

jeff healey's last call cd Guitar Duet Stomp is the style of guitar playing that I just can’t get enough of.

My best guitar teacher ever, Chris Peterson, introduced me to this enchanting style of playing. The emotions that overwhelms me with this classification of music, is indescribable. One’s fingers literally fly all over the fretboard. Not in that heavy/speed metal guitar styles that we have all become accustomed to, but in a more purer form.

The chord progressions are just heavenly. Really they are, check out this song for yourself and see what I mean. The tempo changes are a nice breather in the song. There is even a little bit of Leon Redbone in there as well.

The Wildcat also holds a similar musical torch to the above one. This time Jeff Healey brings in some hot fiddle player to play on this one. I’ve never had the privilege to play with one so I have a unique interest for this one. The fiddle player is running neck to neck with Jeff on The Wildcat and is playing in hurry! I enjoy the time and chordal change, some people fine this irritating so this is heads up to you folks. Ahhh, LOVE IT!

Last we have Hong Kong Blues. This is a fun but corny kind of song. It’s about a Memphis man that was arrested in Honk Kong. Do I need to say anymore? On this song it’s just Jeff playing acoustics’s on three or maybe more tracks. In the middle of this piece, he gives us this overly sappy part that makes one’s eye’s roll in a humorous way.

Does anyone out there have this CD? Love to hear back from ya.

Keep on Jammin’

Jon Anderson from Yes at Danforth Music Hall

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Jon Anderson, the legendary singer from the greatest progressive Rock band of all time Yes, will be performing at the Danforth Music Hall on March 21st, 2010.

Jon Anderson will bring his melodic vocal tenure in a solo performance, to the same stage that he graced almost 2 years ago to the day.

The Danforth Music Hall is a great place to take in any show. I remember one time that one of my readers gave me a ticket to see Rick Wakeman play there a couple of years ago. It was after I was very sick and I guess the reader wanted to do a good deed at the time and there I was.

So if your a big Jon Anderson or Yes fan, try to get out and see the man with the golden tones! It will be worth the drive.

Keep on Jammin’

The days before digital music

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I remember that good old days before digital music came our way. Listening to music that was on vinyl was more of a religious experience.

Do you remember rummaging through albums in your favorite music store? Flipping from one section to another. Noticing the old one that you already have in your collection at home. Having flashbacks of when you first took the plastic off it, putting it on your turntable and in the back of your mind noticing that you should change your stylist soon?

Now you gently cue up the turntable arm/needle over the part of the record that gives you a couple of seconds to first gently place the cover on it, then grab the album cover and open it up to where the lyrics are. It was like performing a holy sacrament.

Just a side note here: did anyone out there have a scratch on one of their favourite platters of vinyl that skipped during a small portion of a song? The only way to rectify it was to put a penny on the arm and hope for the best. Think of it as an early version of a software patch?!

If your record cover was quite old, it may of had a distinctive scent that reminded you of some special event that took place while listening to it. Mine mostly smelled of spilled beer, ha! Also some of the art work on them were really … well works of art! What was your favorite album cover? I had too many to chose from.

Speaking of works of art, my buddy Jon had this great album from Leon Redbone. I remember hearing it tons of time at his place when he was married. We thought that it was a master piece … but his ex-wife not so much! One day when Jon was practicing with his band, she went ahead and turned it into a popcorn bowl! Does this look familiar Pinhead (you know I love ya brother!)?

I still have this one moment that will etched into my mind forever. When I was in elementary school, we started this Kiss tribute band called Deuce. Kiss had just released this one song Beth, that was on their classic vinyl 1976 record called Destroyer. This tune was played on the piano though and I had only goofed around on this instrument from time to time. That day this song kept playing in my mind over and over again. I just sat there in my desk in a dream state. I could only imagine the keyboard, trying to figure it out in my little brain.

I then literally ran home to the piano and attempted to play it. I was able to get only 1/4 of the way through the song despite working on it all night long. The following day I told my mom that I was sick and that I had to stay home. Sure enough she bought it and I was able to finish figuring it out. The day that I returned to school I played it on the school piano to my buddy’s amazement.

I still get excited about figuring out a song that I have on new CD or one that I’ve found on Youtube but it’s still not the same as the old vinyl record! I’m lost for words on this topic.

Now a days it’s not quite the same. Sure you can go to a record/CD store and peruse through their collections. Talk to others close by about certain bands or other related things but it’s not the same. Most people out there today are just too self absorbed in their own world to even bother … well maybe not everyone, I’ll talk to anybody.

Today the many ways we have to access our favorite music seems sterile to me. You first turn on your computer, go to a site, do a search and then quickly download your favorite tunes. iTunes or iPods, what is your preferred choice of downloading?

Most people I know just get a single tune from a band and that’s it. The old way you were forced to get the entire album and be exposed to some songs that you don’t like at first. After listening to those ones a couple of times, some actually grow on you to become great tunes! Remember all those B side songs?

So am I being too overly dramatic here or do I have a point?

Keep on Jammin’

Simon and Garfunkle in Toronto

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Simon and Garfunkel are going to be playing May 12th, 2010 in Toronto at the Air Canada Centre and I hope to be there! These guys have produced so many great memorable tunes that it’s not funny! Do you plan to go and see them on their up coming tour?

I remember seeing these guys in the late 80’s at the old CNE bandstand and I’ll never forget it. We had concert seating which was like a free for all at the front of the stage. We brought a small blanket and some beverages, if memory serves me correctly. Our piece of the turf was center-right of the stage about 30 feet away.

The place was full of people sprawling out where ever they could with blankets, pick nick baskets full of food and wine. I was totally surprised to see little kids as young as 2-3 years running around everywhere! It had a nice small town fair feel to it.

The best part of that show for me was when they performed Scarborough Fair. For many year I’ve attempted to play this song and it turned out fine but this was the time to see it done right!

Before the song began, I noticed Paul Simon was practicing the beginning of it, so I asked this guy beside us if I could use his binoculars. I watched every single movement of his fingers and I found out that I was doing it ok except for a few parts. When I got home all I did was play the hell out of that song and I finally have it perfect!

So that was my favorite part of the show. Does anyone out there have a neat Simon and Garfunkel moment that they’d like to share with the rest of us?

Keep on Jammin’

The Knack loses Doug Fieger

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Doug Fieger, the lead singer or front man for The Knack, has passed away at the age of 57. This took place in his home in Woodlands Hills. California according to The Detroit News. He was reportedly fighting lung and brain cancer at the time.

Best known for the 1979 #1 smash hit, My Sharona, and my favorite tune that I played with Allen Scott a lot was Good Girl don’t. Sharona was an obsessively catchy track about one of Fieger’s real-life girlfriends, and the bouncy cut off the band’s debut album, Get the Knack, scored another jolt of fame in the mid ’90s when it appeared on the Reality Bites soundtrack.

“Everybody knows they’re going sooner or later. I don’t know any better than anyone else when I’m going. I’ve had 10 great lives. And I expect to have some more. I don’t feel cheated in any way, shape or form.” Doug Fieger

Thanx for the memories Doug Fieger!

Rush performing 2112 Live in 1976

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Rush’s 1976 album titled 2112 was a huge hit in my circle of friends. After listening to it the first time on the radio I had to go out and purchase it! Once I had it in my sweaty little palms I literally ran off to my brother Tim’s stereo a Apollo 861 by Electrohome and began my long journey in trying to reproduce this album on my guitar!

After attempting to reproduce as much as I could all my buddies were lining up for lessons! The learning curve was not that bad for most of my buddies but at times I must admit it was frustrating! During this period I was playing in this band called Deuce with Brian McGlinchy and Eddie Cudek from Gemini. We attempted 2112 and in the bands eye’s it was perfect, as for me well…

Then I joined a band with the great keyboardist Tony F. and guitarist Mike Vantresca? We didn’t have a name but we sure sounded fantastic! I recall trying to play 2112 and with Tony’s magical keyboard sounded quite better then Deuce, sorry guys.

Then after leaving Pylis, I was playing with Domenic Nardone, Eddie Steel and Jon Penrose. I must admit Domenic was outstanding on this tune! It was like Dom was born to play anything that Neil Peart could do.

So I hope that you all enjoy vintage RUSH performing 2112 and I know I’ll be thinking of Domenic on drums whenever I listen to it!

Keep on Jammin’

The Ramones Museum in Berlin looks like fun

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The Ramones are the forefathers of what genre? Some might call them new masters of garage rock minimalism. Others refer to the Ramone’s unique sound as either punk, new wave, power pop, or even surf punk but I just call them a GREAT Rock & Roll band!

So where did this idea for a post come from you say? To be honest with ya I was going through the paper the other day … while waiting in the ER at work as a patient this time around! I threw out my back a little bit while moving a VERY LARGE SET patient in a stretcher to his room. The Star (a big newspaper in Toronto) hands out free papers for patients and friends for free. I found an article in the Travel section. It was about what to do and see in Berlin, if your ever there, then this article about the Ramone’s Museum jumped right off the page at me. Check out the exhibits on the site, their really neat … I think you have to be a die hard Ramones lover to appreciate them.

My God they pulled off some great albums, 24 I think in total! The one’s that I had at one point in my life were Ramones (1976), Rocket to Russia (1977) and End of the Century (1980). I know that it’s hard to picture any of these musical creations in a vinyl collection such as mine but I knew they were a true stand out band that had their eyes wide open about the world in which they/we live in.

Tunes like Hey Ho … Let’s go!, Rock & Roll High School (I fell in love with that little riff just before the chorus, that was my idea of speed guitar soloing!!!), I wanna be sedated, Pet Sematary, Do you remember Rock and Roll Radio and a ship list more!

The thing that ties the Ramones way of life or legend together the most is not a song, album or scandal but the bar that seemed very close to their hearts and that of coarse was CBGB’s in New York city. I just drove by the place in a cab the couple of times that I was in the New York city and that was the closes that I ever got to the place! CBGB’s has such a close relationship with the band that they hold a Joey Ramone memorial ever year for the God father of Punk (or whatever you yourself classify them as being).

I’ve never been to Germany before but has someone out there been to this historic city and went to see the Ramones Museum? Is it worth going to even though you may not be a HUGE Ramones fan? Just wondering!

Keep on Jammin’

The 80’s band DEVO is back touring again!

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DEVO The 1980’s pioneer synth-rock band DEVO, that gave us those red flowerpots (a.k.a. “energy-domes”) that they wore on their heads and their signature phrase Are we not men, we are DEVO is back on tour this year. DEVO stands for (The De-Evolution Band) just in case your wondering!

The only exposure, and greatest memory, of the band was way back when they played Massey Hall in the early 80’s.

My brother took me to a show and we had seats on the first balcony, first row centre/right. It was my first concert that my brother Tim took me to. At one part of the night, there was this guy beside us that was passing around his binoculars. I thought that from our vantage point we didn’t need to use them but when it was passed to me, I said why not! As I placed the spectacles up to my face, smoke was coming out of the right eye lens … do I need to say anymore?

In the middle of the show the lights went down and there was a low repetitive drone sound coming from the band. All you could see on stage was the lights from their amps or on stage computers. This went on for about 2 minutes then in the balcony above us this flash pot went off! It was the lead singer from the band (Mark Mothersbaugh) hanging from a rope with a single spot light on him!

He proceeded down the rope to our balcony. Mark then undid his belt and started whipping members of the audience! They were falling all over the place, wow! Then he went over the first balcony onto the floor and continued whipping more in attendance. I recall seeing this older couple with wild hair, weird clothing and rolling around on the ground like they were having a seizure.

I wish the band well and if you get a chance to see these crazy kidz when they come to your neck of the woods go out and see them! Just watch out for Mark’s belt.

Keep on Jammin’

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