Davy Knowles

Back in May I wrote that I had my fingers crossed about the possibility of seeing Davy Knowles this summer and guess what - I did!  Now to try to find the words to describe one of the best shows I've ever seen.  I think if my favorite guitarist of all time heard him play, Stevie Ray would agree with me that

Davy Knowles is a legend in the making

If you check out my sidebar you'll see that I first heard his prodigious talent back in August '08 and was immediately aware that I was listening to a superb musician.  Tonight I experienced it firsthand and it blew me away.  Listening to a CD is one thing but seeing it, hearing it and feeling it live in person brings it to a different dimension.  You must make it a priority to check him out for yourself.

Tonight Davy's talent and passion radiated from him along with his evident joy in performing for an appreciative audience.  You could tell he was genjuinely pleased, maybe even a bit taken aback,  by our powerful reaction.  After the show he took the time to sign autograph's and meet people and he had quite a line of fans.


Joe (Rock and Roll Guru) had interviewed Davy earlier in the day and confirmed that he is the authentically nice person he seems to be.  I serioulsy doubt that fame will rob him of that as it does to some musicians.

Joe and Drew

To top off a great night, Joe introduced Drew and I to Davy so I got to shake his hand and say hello.  I admit, it was a thrill.  The kid is adorable and sweet in addition to being a kick ass guitarist.  I also had the pleasure of meeting his manager and hopefully will stay connected with him to keep all of you up to date on when and where to catch Davy and Back Door Slam. 

Get this - he is going on tour with and opening for CHICKENFOOT this Fall.  I know there are some serious Chickenfoot fans that read here.  Let me know what you think of Davy and BDS, I'll be shocked if you don't walk away impressed.

I will never forget this show.  I will never forget the woman who sat next to me who enjoyed the show as much as I did (hello!  I didn't get your name! the pics I took didn't turn out too great).  Lastly,  I will never forget how meeting Davy was a reminder of meeting SVR - both guitar greats.

On a personal note...I fly home to California tomorrow, but next year, I am headed back to Milwaukee for Summerfest.  If you've never been you're missing out!

My first time at SUMMERFEST!

Summerfest is incredible. Its the BIGGEST rock and roll show ANYWHERE and I can imagine spending an entire week there. Too tired to describe it but check out their website to get a feel for it....

Have I mentioned lately how much I LOVE these two women! Just got back from another great performance by two of the queens of rock and roll (imo there are very few women that can claim that title, it belongs to Janis, Chrissie and the Wilson sisters).

Not only was it a great show, but I got to sit between two guys who are passionate about music, Drew (my honey and the reason that I am here in Wisconsin) and Joe, the fantabulously groovy rock and roll writer and blogger extraordinaire.

It was great to meet Joe (aka Rock and Roll Guru). He is exactly the same in person as he is on his blog - full of life, fun, interesting and a down to earth great guy.

Ann and Nancy kicked ass as usual. Those two only get better with age. I love them! Ann's voice is exceptional. She's managed to keep her voice strong all these years. Not a single note was less than perfect. And Nancy is so fun to watch....she plays with her own style and sense of fun. I hope they keep rockin for years to come.

They did one of their new songs during the encore. It hasn't been released yet and I can't remember the name of it, but they dedicated it to "Michael" and I assumed they were referring to Michael Jackson. To read a very moving story about Stevie Wonder's performance and tribute to Michael last night at Summerfest, see Joe's post here.

Tomorrow night its back for more great music, we will be seeing Davy Knowles and Back Door Slam. In fact, I may even get to meet Davy, should I tell him I chose his band as the number one new band of 2008? Can not wait to hear him play/sing.

Summerfest - Heart - Rock and Roll Guru

I'm excited that I will be experiencing Summerfest tomorrow night!  I'll be hearing one of my favorite bands of all time, Heart, AND meeting one of my favorite bloggers of all time, Rock and Roll Guru!  It should be a grand time.

Michael Jackson Died

This news shocks and saddens me. Apparently he had a heart attack. I know some people don't like him, but I have always liked his muisc and think he's one of the most entertaining performers ever. Sad.

I saw him on the "Bad" tour and was mesmerized by his dancing and singing. My sympathies go out to his family and his fans.

George Harrison "Let it Roll"

I received this for review last week and have listened to it over and over since then. In my opinion George's music (from his solo career) was often overlooked because of the huge shadow his former bandmates cast over all he did. Kind of hard to be compete with "Lennon and McCartney". Personally I think George had more talent than Paul any day of the week...but that's my opinion. And although I love John is known for the visionary of world peace, George actually did something to bring awareness to a horrific situation. I admire that. (I love John too...this is not a put down to him at all!)


This CD is excellent. Here is the official description:

George Harrison’s first-ever career-spanning solo hits collection, Let It Roll: Songs by George Harrison. Special packaging includes a 28-page booklet featuring previously unseen and rare photos, and newly-written liner notes by Warren Zanes. The collection’s 19 tracks have been digitally remastered by Giles Martin at EMI’s Abbey Road Studios. “Let It Roll: Songs by George Harrison is a gathering of material that takes us far into the territory that was ultimately a place unique to George Harrison,” writes Warren Zanes in his liner notes essay for the new collection.

Track List:

* Got My Mind Set On You (from Cloud Nine, 1987)
* Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth) (from Living In The Material World, 1972)
* The Ballad Of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll) (from All Things Must Pass, 1970)
* My Sweet Lord (from All Things Must Pass, 1970)
* While My Guitar Gently Weeps (from Concert For Bangladesh Soundtrack, 1971)
* All Things Must Pass (from All Things Must Pass, 1970)
* Any Road (from Brainwashed, 2002)
* This Is Love (from Cloud Nine, 1987)
* All Those Years Ago (from Somewhere In England, 1981)
* Marwa Blues (from Brainwashed, 2002)
* What Is Life (from All Things Must Pass, 1970)
* Rising Sun (from Brainwashed, 2002)
* When We Was Fab (from Cloud Nine, 1987)
* Something (from Concert For Bangladesh Soundtrack, 1971)
* Blow Away (from George Harrison, 1979)
* Cheer Down (from Lethal Weapon 2)
* Here Comes The Sun (from Concert For Bangladesh Soundtrack, 1971)
* I Don't Want To Do It (from Porkys Revenge soundtrack, 1984)
* Isn't It A Pity (from All Things Must Pass, 1970)

Happy Father's Day...

... to all you dad's out there! I did a post on my other blog about my thoughts on fathers. If you don't see your name there, its because I only listed dads that read that blog...but I know many of you who read here are also wonderful fathers and you INSPIRE me!

Happy Birthday to Nils Lofgren!

"1953, Born on this day, Nils Lofgren, guitar, piano, vocals. He joined Neil Young's band at age 17, playing piano on the album After the Gold Rush. From 1971 to 1974 recorded four albums with his own band, Grin. Solo 1976 UK No.8 album, 'Cry Tough'. Joined Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band in 1984. And member of Ringo Starr's All-Starr Band."

Nils has always been my favorite member of the E Street Band because of his talent and also his personality and generostiy.  He's just a  nice guy!

(sorry had to put on word verification due to a spammer)

What is this song really about?

I was listening to a song by U2 today and remembered reading what Bono said the song was about. But I've heard other people explain their ideas on what he was talking about when he wrote it.

The true inspiration for song lyrics are often argued by the listener, and really, we will never know for sure unless we hear it straight from the lips of the songwriter. But its fun to hear opinions.

Here are some songs that people seem to have a hard time agreeing about, do you have an opinion on what they are about or what inspired them?

Achilles's Last Stand, Led Zeppelin

Angie, The Rolling Stones

Radar Love, Golden Earring

Hotel California, The Eagles

Baba O'Reilly, The Who

Where The Streets Have No Name, U2

Hey, what's up with widgets?

None of my widgets on any of my blogs are working....is anyone else having thing problem?

This was fun:

I took this off Facebook where my buddy Pete had tagged me. What you do is, using only song names from ONE ARTIST, answer these questions. Try not to repeat a song title.

Since Pete already used my favorite artist, I will use a different one.

Pick Your Artist: U2

Are you male or female: Wild Irish Rose

Describe yourself: Dreaming with Tears in My Eyes

How do you feel about yourself: Mysterious Ways

Describe where you currently live: In God's Country

If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Van Deimen's Land

Your favorite form of transportation: Fast Cars

Your best friend is: Grace

Your favorite color is: Red light

What's the weather like: It's a Beautiful Day

Favorite time of the day: 11 o'clock Tick Tock

If your life was a TV show, what would it be called: Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses

What is life to you: Everlasting Love

What is the best advice you have to give: Sometimes You Can't Make it on Your Own

If you could change your name, what would it be: Desire

Your favorite food is: Crumbs from Your Table

Thought for the day: Love and Peace or Else

My motto: Walk On

Jeff Buckley CD/DVD "Grace World Tour" Review

On a scale of one to ten, I give a twenty! I listened to the CD on a recent flight and as always, listening to Jeff gives me chills. If you like his music, this is a must have for your collection. The DVD includes 120 minutes of concert footage, a documentary on Jeff and his fans, interviews, etc. I have not watched it all yet because I am savoring it a little bit at a time.

Here is some of the official press release:

Nearly fifteen years ago, the world was introduced to a young singer/songwriter from New York named Jeff Buckley. His debut album Grace became one of the most acclaimed and influential albums of his generation. To promote the album, Jeff and his band embarked a seemingly un-ending tour - taking them all over the globe from 1994 to 1996. Because the album had no "hit single", Jeff was constantly tinkering with his setlists - both on stage and on TV. He therefore performed almost every track from Grace at least once in his many appearances on local broadcasts around the globe. Now, for the fi rst time, the very best of those performances have been tracked down and compiled into the definitive audio/visual document of the Grace world tour.

Bruce at Bonnaroo:

(Thanks, Phil, for sending this link)

Looks like Bruce had a great show last night. For those of you not following his current tour, he's playing "stump the band" with the audience; each night people bring signs with song names on them and he takes a bunch of them and will play a few of the suggestions. Last night the audience convinced him to play "Santa Claus is Coming to Town". The rest of the set list is also included on this link.

Even the Huffington Post had something to say about his performance! This photo is from their site. Their review starts off like this:

MANCHESTER, Tenn. — Bruce Springsteen astonished the Bonnaroo crowd with a passionate three-hour performance, offering sweat and rock 'n' roll to inspire, he said, in "hard times."

The rest can be read here.

Dads and their musical offspring....

Next Sunday (June 21) is Father's Day so Dave White over at About Rock has a list of musician dads and their children who followed in their footsteps. I did notice one missing...Max Weinberg and his son, Jay and also I didn't see Sting and his son Joe Sumner.

Check it out here.

Happy Birthday, Drew!

You may know him better by his avatar of Led Zep or his profile name "drewzepmeister", I know him as a very special friend.  In fact, I think I'll give him a birthday kiss in person.

Chickenfoot is Here!

For the last YEAR the search word "Chickenfoot" had directed more traffic to this site than any other search, so I would just like to take a moment here to personally thank Sammy, Joe, Chad and Michael: Thanks, boys :)

The question is: has anyone heard it yet and what did you think?

My friend Mike gave it a listen and likes it. You can download it for 3.99 at Amazon so I think I will do that.



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Now playing: The Clash - Rock the Casbah
via FoxyTunes

My Goal for Tomorrow:

Update "Gone But Not Forgotten" so that ALL the names are included. Its time consuming but I will feel much better when its done. I am unemployed now so .... other than looking for a job I have all the time in the world!

Wish I had something interesting to write about here....



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Now playing: Alice Cooper - Only Women Bleed
via FoxyTunes

2002, Dee Dee Ramone (Douglas Glenn Colvin), bass guitarist with The Ramones died at his Hollywood, California apartment of a heroin overdose aged 49. He was the group's primary songwriter, penning songs such as 'Rockaway Beach', '53rd & 3rd', and 'Poison Heart'.









1982, Tom Petty, Crosby Stills & Nash, Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, Stevie Nicks and Jackson Browne all appeared at The Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California to a crowd of 85,000 fans.  (I was there!)







1962, the first Beatles recording session took place at Abbey Road studios. The group recorded four tracks, one of which was ‘Love Me Do’, the four musicians received payments for the session of £7.10 ($12.07) each.

For the full list check out This Day in Music

Playing For Change - CD Give Away

I firmly believe that music has the ability to cross boundaries, to unite people for important causes and to bring awareness to issues. I love what Bono says "Music can change the world because music can change people".

I think back to my own childhood when I was introduced to humanitarianism for the first time. I was just a kid but I was deeply impacted by "The Concert for Bangladesh". Prior to George Harrison and Ravi Shankar forcing the world to look at the devastation over there, I had no idea such suffering even existed.

A new project, one that I LOVE, is called "Playing for Change". You may have seen some of the videos on the internet. If not, you are missing out. I have a CD/DVD to give away to the first person who would like it!

Are you going to Bonnaroo?

 Then you need to know about Tweetaroo!


 In support of Fuse Fest: Bonnaroo 2009 Fuse has built “Tweetaroo - Mashing Twitter and Music since 2009.  Its going to be a cool way for everyone who’s attending Bonnaroo to interact.  The Fuse is the only place you will be able to watch the Bonnaroo Festival, it will be on June 20th (the actual concert is June 15 - 19).  I watched it last year and it was the next best thing to being there!


Here is more info from Fuse:

Mashing Twitter and Music since 2009

We've done the legwork and compiled a list of Bonnaroo performers, Fuse favorites, and other music-related Tweeters that we find interesting. Let the artists take you through their journey as they prepare to perform at the biggest music festival in the country.
We're constantly adding bands to the list (feel free to suggest artists we should be following) so check back often. And don't forget to tune in as Fuse brings you FuseFest: Bonnaroo 2009 on June 20th at 9p / 8c.
Create your own customized Tweetaroo lineup!

CSN - Demos

GREAT CD!  I was lucky enough to receive this to review.  Crosby, Stills and Nash have been together for years (never officially broke up as a group).  If you are a fan you will enjoy hearing these demo tracks.  I'm listening to it now and it feels like the summer of 69 hanging out with my older cousins while they listened to their first album.

• Marrakesh Express [1969 Demo]
• Almost Cut My Hair [1969 Demo]
• You Don't Have To Cry [1968 Demo]
• Déjà Vu [1969 Demo]
• Sleep Song [1969 Demo]
• My Love Is A Gentle Thing [1968 Demo]
• Be Yourself [1971 Demo]
• Music Is Love [1970 Demo]
• Singing Call [1970 Demo]
• Long Time Gone [1968 Demo]
• Chicago [1970 Demo]
• Love The One You're With [1970 Demo]

Happy Birthday, Jeff!

I want to wish a very happy birthday to Jeff from Imagine Echoes!!

Jeff is one of the younger generation of classic rock aficionados.  He inspires me with his passion for and knowledge of good music.  I think he would make an excellent music critic for a huge newspaper.  :)