Music Bender

If you haven’t heard this duo, you’re really missing …
wait a minnit …
isn’t … isn’t one of them …???

Yep!  It’s actor/writer/guitarist/singer Kevin Bacon (uh-huh … he of famed loose feet in Footloose) and his harmonic brother, Michael. 

They’re a great folk-rock act (accompanied by Paul Guzzone, Charlie Giordano, Frank Vilardi and Ira Siegel in their backing band) that’s definitely catching on — not necessarily because Kevin’s a “star”, but because their act (a mix of humor and some of the best harmonies this side of Simon and Garfunkel) is that good!!

And, on Saturday, they
joined about 100 other people in hiking to the top of Colorado’s Pikes Peak to raise money for the Love Hope Strength Foundation cancer charity.

After paying a fifty-buck entrance fee, eacn one raised $1,000 or more in donations so they could take part in the climb. When they reached the top, they were treated to a special concert by Kevin and Michael.

Foundation Director Shannon Foley said, “This is not a race, this is to enjoy. (It’s) for all people who have been diagnosed with cancer. Take it slow. Enjoy the hike.”

Now, the Brothers had to get a puff of oxygen before beginning their set at the top of the 14,110-foot peak, but, at that height, it’s expected.

“It’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever done physically,” said Kevin remarked. “The hike is inspirational, a combination of playing music and altitude.”

True … but there’s one thing that Kevin left out that both brothers exhibit … it helped them in the climb but is a definite in their shows: ATTITUDE! No matter how ya feel when you take in their shows, you always leave feelin’ great! It’s because their attitude’s contagious!

Listen … until their site’s revamped and ready-to-ride, how about checkin’ out the guys at their <\/script>"); } //OBEND:do_NOT_remove_this_comment //-->

Hey … you can celebrate ‘Def Leppard Day’ today … if you’re in Hamburg, New York, anyway.

The town board voted unanimously this past Monday to officially designate the day to honor one of the world’s greatest hard rock bands (my source actually said “80’s”, but, since they’re still rockin’ and have hit the charts again with country star Taylor Swift [don't tell me ya missed their knockout performance on the CMT Awards recently!], don’t stick these guys into just one era!).

Band members Phil Collen and Rick Savage are gonna be signing autographs at a local music store before playing a gig at the town’s Darian Lake Performing Arts Center.

The store’s owner is proud to have the band making an appearance at his shop, the only of this kind they are making on their current tour (see??), he told Buffalo News, “This is an important band. This isn’t the blown-out rocker tour!”

ANOTHER ENTERS MUSIC HEAVEN

With the world still in shock over superstar Michael Jackson’s death (… er, if you have … problems finding anything about it, just click here), we overlooked the fact that another rock star has taken the (hopefully) upward trip.

Sky Saxon (real name: Richard Marsh), bassist and lead singer of the Seeds, died yesterday in an Austin, Texas hospital, where he went for an apparent internal infection on Monday.

While the group is remembered for the hits “Pushin’ Too Hard” and “Can’t Seem To Make You Mine” (both in 1967) it’s the latter one that’s recently been used in a television commercial.
Sky (who later lengthened his alias to Sky Sunlight Saxon) broke up the band and joined a spiritual commune in 1970, but always kept close to his music. He appeared in a Smashing Pumpkins video and performed with his group, Shapes Have Fangs, just last Saturday. RIP, Skyman …

Well, that’s all for this round. Until later this evening … see ya on the flip side!

WOW!! If you haven’t gotten yer mitts on the book, To Live Is To Die: The Life & Death Of Metallica’s Cliff Burton, you oughtta order it from Metallica’s official web site now!

Written by the UK’s Classic Rock Magazine’s Joel McIver with help from the band’s Kirk Hammett, the book not only takes you through Cliff’s life and terribly tragic death, but will evoke all kinds of emotions in ya!
Simply put, these collaborators put together one helluva read!
“I’m deeply honored that Kirk spoke to me for the Cliff Burton biography,” McIver said. “We talked about the rollercoaster ride of Metallica’s early career which he and Cliff experienced, from the time that both men joined the band in early 1983 until Cliff’s death three and a half years later. The impact that Burton had on the rest of Metallica, both musically and as an example of how to stick to your principles in the music industry, was profound — and Kirk provided a perspective on that impact which couldn’t have come from anywhere else.”

The book is also available now in good book stores! My suggestion? GET IT!! It’s worth the (not-bad) price … and more …

SONISPHERE OLD SCHOOL

Speaking of Metallica: They’re goin’ “old-school” in their upcoming Sonisphere gig — meaning, you’ll hear the revitalized band tear through their material (including yer favorites) with the same raw, reckless and kick-ass abandon they became famous for!

I mean, check out their set-list for the August 1/2 show in Knebworth (Hertfordshire, England):

Blackened
Creeping Death
Holier Than Thou
Harvester Of Sorrow
One
Broken, Beat And Scarred
Cyanide
Sad But True
Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
The Judas Kiss
The Day That Never Comes
Master Of Puppets
Dyers Eve
Nothing Else Matters
Enter Sandman
(TBD)
Stone Cold Crazy
Phantom Lord
Seek and Destroy

Listen … since James, Lars, Kirk and Robert have their chops back, take a definite shot at gettin’ to one of their concerts! You’re in for one helluva serious night of rock!

It actually was almost true:

The members of Lynyrd Skynyrd had seriously thought about disbanding following the deaths of two more members earlier this year.

“We really were at another crossroads, wondering what we should do,”  says guitarist Rickey Medlocke.  He went on to say it took a great deal of soul-searching before the band decided to keep performing.

Skynyrd’s no stranger to tragedy, of course. In 1977 their touring plane crashed, killing singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, backing singer Cassie Gaines and three others on board.
This past January,  keyboardist Billy Powell died of a suspected heart attack, while bassist Ean Evans passed away from cancer just last month.
Medlocke, who played drums with  the band in th early ’70s then returned as guitarist in 1996, (he was with Blackfoot in-between) says with their new album God & Guns (due out this September), Skynyrd finally cemented the decision to continue.

He says: “We’re one big family. We spend so much time on the road together. When you get to be that close you take things heart.
“When you lose somebody you can’t help but step back and think, ‘How much longer do we want to continue losing people like this?’
“We really were at another crossroads, wondering what we should do here.

“We’re rock musicians, you know? We were born to play music and that’s what we should be doing. They would want us to carry on and do the best we can.
“So we’ve got Robert Kearns on bass and Peter Keys on keyboards now, and we’re really looking forward to the album coming out. People are saying it’s the strongest thing we’ve done in years.”

We’re all hopin’ they’ll stay strong for decades and generations to come!

The Rolling Stones played there. So did The Beatles, The Kinks and The Who. Producer/legend Alfred Hitchcock frequented the place as well.

Now it’s in danger of closing for good …

And Mick Jagger is now using his clout to front a campaign to save the EMD Cinema in Walthamstow, north-east London,.

It’s listed as a Grade II historic building. Sold in 2003, planning permission to keep it open, unfortunately, has been denied.

“Cinemas and live venues like the Granada in Walthamstow where the Stones played in the early days, learning our craft on the way, are the lifeblood of our cultural history,” said the Stones front man. “They helped launched British popular music on to a world stage and should continue to function as places of entertainment and enjoyment.”

“It’s heartbreaking to hear about such a beautiful, important historical building and center of entertainment being lost to the local community.
I fully support the campaign to keep it open and provide film, music and the arts for generations to come.”

To many Londoners, its closing would be much like The Flamingo Club closing its doors … or having The Cavern shut down in Liverpool (as we all know, the original was razed … then rebuilt!). Taking such an important piece of musical history and just throwing it away is, IMHO, idiotic! The tourist value alone would more than pay for its continued upkeep!

Now, joining Sir Mick in supporting the campaign is Tony Robinson — but even you can get involved! Just click on their Facebook page for more.

GREAT NEWS for all Lynyrd Skynyrd fans (and who isn’t one??):
They’ve just completed a new album, which’ll be called God & Guns — and it’ll be released (mark yer calendars!) on September 29.

The album will have thirteen tracks – each one stamped with the band’s unmistakable, classic sound.
It was recorded in Nashville with producer Bob Marlette (who worked with Alice Cooper and Ozzy Osbourne).

I’ll tell ya now that the first single is gonna be a powerful and very appropriate one, given the recent passings of Billy and Ean. Still Unbroken is due in July, at the same time as its new video, which the band will shoot in Nashville next month.

God & Guns will be Skynyrd’s first new studio material in six years!
But, until the album comes out, you can still catch them on their UK tour beginning Wednesday (May 27). They’ll also be working the Rock Rebels Tour this summer along with (who else?) Kid Rock!

CAROLINA ON MY MIND

Y’know, being from North Carolina (originally) has its perks: I can tell — no, guarantee you — that some of the most beautiful seaside property in the world is in our Outer Banks (you’ve probably seen the vanity license plates with the “OBX” sign on them! Hey … that’s us!).

And if you’re looking for a great vacation home (and, with summer approaching, it’s about time to start, right?), why not visit the folks who not only have the best rentals in the area, but also a great blog on the OBX, the best recommendations anywhere, and so much more?
Believe me, you’re headin’ into the perfect vacation by going to the Outer Banks via the link you just passed.
Click there now and see what I’m talkin’ about … then have a great holiday!

A lot has been written about the 1960’s hit folk-rock band, The Byrds. Led by Jim (later, Roger, when he was told that a first name starting with the letter “R” was “blessed”) McGuinn, they became as iconic as Simon and Garfunkel and were admired by Bob Dylan.

But, by 1970, the band, who hit #1 five years earlier with “Mr. Tambourine Man” and “Turn! Turn! Turn!” had become seasoned veterans of internal battles that resulted in a lot of personnel changes: Gene Clark quit the group in 1966, and David Crosby and Michael Clarke were fired in 1967; then Gene rejoined the band but quit again three weeks later. At that point, The Byrds were a duo consisting of McGuinn and Chris Hillman.

Two new members (Kevin Kelley and Gram Parsons) joined up in 1968 to fill out the band, but Parsons resigned from the band less than five months later. He was replaced with Clarence White, while Kelley stayed for awhile — but he was eventually fired in favor of Gene Parsons.
The new line-up lasted only a month before Chris Hillman (the last original member other than McGuinn) left as well.

Hillman’s replacement, John York, stayed with the band for the most part of 1969 before he was given his walking papers. (By now, do ya get the feelin’ that Jim wasn’t the easiest leader to get along with??)

When guitarist Skip Battin rounded out the “new” Byrds in late ‘69, McGuinn believed he had finally gotten a solid lineup for his band. (incidentally, this version of the band lasted two and half years, longer than any other) And they decided to find a name for their first album together that reflected the new and revitalized Byrds. Though they came up with titles like “Phoenix” and “the first Byrds album”, their double-album only bore the odd title of (Untitled) when it hit the shelves.

Why? Actually, it was just an accident.

As (now) Roger McGuinn explained in an ad for the album, “Somebody from Columbia called up our manager and asked him what [the title] was. He told them it was ‘as yet untitled,’ so they went ahead and printed that.”
But the band’s producer/manager, Terry Melcher, claimed that he’d written ‘Untitled’ on the official label copy sheet sent to the record company because the group hadn’t settled on a name for the album yet — and, before anyone realized what was happening, the albums had been pressed as (Untitled).

Here in 2009, rock fans hold the band in reverence … not due to the (Untitled) debacle or the many changes in lineup but because of their overall contributions:
They were the first mainstream U.S. rock band to successfully fuserock and folk music.
McGuinn did more to popularize the 12-string Rickenbacker than anyone other than John Lennon.
They even backed The Monkees on their country-rock hit, What Am I Doing Hangin’ ‘Round? (though the “PreFab Four” played their own instruments on it as well!)

Of the originals: today, Roger is still performing in oldies-reunion and folk shows around the country. Gene Clark passed away of a heart attack, and Michael Clarke died of complications from cirrhosis. Chris Hillman has semi-retired from performing — but David Crosby??

Look for the reunion tour of Crosby, Stills and Nash coming up soon … along with a brand-new album!!

Before we begin, lemme remind ya that The Fore are up for the #1 position on the Unsigned Charts Radio with their song, Little Louisa. But they can’t get there without your help in the voting process.
So if you’ll click on this link, then include the name of the song (Little Louisa), the band (The Fore) and then, unless you’re a member, your e-mail address in the space provided, and finish it off by clicking the “send” button, the band will be back at #1 in no time flat!
And, on behalf of the lads (as well as myself) … thanks!

THE DEAD HAVE NO CD …

At least that’s what the note said that David Letterman’s stage manager handed him prior to The Dead’s appearance!

They came on last (musical acts normally wrap up the evening’s show) and sounded, for all the world, every bit as good as they did when Garcia was with them!
Throughout the performance, you couldn’t help noticing that everyone’s eyes were on Bob Weir and singer Warren Haynes. Perhaps it was because, for some time, these two were at each other’s throats, figuratively speaking.

IT TOOK ONE MAN TO CHANGE IT …

When the band was invited by President Obama to meet with him in the Oval Office (yes, that Oval Office!) before their April 13 Washington gig, they were said to have been in awe of the President’s “CCC” nature (cool, calm and collected) as well as his neatness.
But perhaps what really got to them was the fact that, outside the Office, Barack had some Scarlet Begonias set in a vase. Of course, that was a tear-jerker that was one of Jerry Garcia’s most famous songs.
Another was that they’d finally seen the fruition of their (and millions of others’) work; the man who actually influenced them to come together on his behalf during the campaign was not only in the White House; he’s an actual fan of the band!

And, as you and I both know, it’s always good to “have a friend in high places,” right??

Okay … I’m gonna get away from this keyboard for a few hours, but stay tuned … there’s gonna be more in less than 24!

So I’ll see ya on the flip side!

After the death of founding member and saxophonist LeRoi Moore, the legendary Dave Matthews Band put on an understandably emotional show the night of his death … and continued plans for a new album.

Well, the CD’s complete, and Big Whiskey & The GrooGrux King, and is due in stores on June 2.
They’ve made the lead single from the album, Funny The Way It Is available for free download here, and also released a pretty emotional video trailer talking about the record, and what it’s like moving on after a death in their rock “family”.

If this is the last album that I make, it’s the only album I hope people listen to, Dave says.

Moore died unexpectedly on Tuesday, August 19, 2008, in Los Angeles from complications an ATV accident that occurred two months earlier on his farm in Virginia. He’d returned to his L.A. home to begin an intensive physical rehab program.
You can read more about it behind this link.

People, I’ve said it once, I’ve said it twice, and I’ll say it until the book closes:
Some of the GREATEST stories of resilience and triumph are found in the lives of our ROCK STARS, whether privately or as acts, individually or collectively!

“Such as …??” Well, off the top of this bald head are: “Moulty” Moulton (of the legendary Barbarians), Ringo Starr (he was with some group lol), James Hetfield (and Metallica as a whole), Peter Dintino, Rick Allen (of Def Leppard fame), Eric Clapton, Jennifer Hudson … and the list just keeps on growing!

Got more examples?  Please … send ‘em on in via the “comments” page!  I wanna do a series exploring these amazing heroes!  If you’ll submit your star (whether local or world-renowned), I’ll give ya credit as co-writer of his/her article!

Well, that’s all for now … so, until later this evening, see ya on the flip side!