Songfacts Quiz

How many of you look at Songfacts? I do from time to time and just took this quiz over there. If you take it let me know how you do.

I was a bit disappointed with my score:

Final Score: 15
There are holes in your knowledge, but you have a lot of potential.

U2 360 Tour

Well the tour has been underway for almost a month now, slowly making their way across Europe and heading towards .... me! I can't wait for Oct. 25th. This monstrosity of a stage will be interesting to see in person.

Happy Birthday Mick!

I've always liked Mick, there's just something about his cockiness and flamboyancy that makes me smile. From what I understand he's also a brilliant businessman and a devoted father. So I with him a happy 66th and many more to come.

As for the music of the Rolling Stones, they lost me after Tattoo You in '81 but really their best work (imo) was the late 60's - early 70's.

Stevie Ray Vaughan Quote

Stevie Ray died on August 27, 1990. Its hard to believe its been almost 20 years. I was thinking about him today and found a great quote (below) and also ran across a site I had never seen before. Its called Celebrity Rock Guitars and is worth a look, lots of great information and photos.

I've said that playing the blues is like having to be black twice. Stevie Ray Vaughan missed on both counts, but I never noticed.
~B. B. King

Happy Birthday to Carlos Santana

I almost missed his birthday but luckily several other bloggers wrote about i. I just got done watching this video over at Rock and Roll Blog (a great blog to visit).

This is Santana performing at Woodstock and its INSANE how great it is. Carols shreds and Michael Shrieve (who is a baby in this - only 19!) gives one of the best drum solos I've ever seen. No kidding. Plus you gotta love the audience :) for once they show naked guys instead of naked women. I like that for a change.

Freddie Mercury

I flipped on the tube in time to catch the last 30 minutes of a documentary on Freddie Mercury.  It showed the last video he ever recorded, and I don't remember ever having seen it before.  He was very thin and I imagine he was in pain.  I prefer to remember the vibrant, flamboyant man on stage with the remarkable vocals.

His death came as a shock to many only because it came so quickly after he publically announed he had AIDS (less than 24 hours).  There had been rumors for years but he cherished his privacy.  After he died he was criticized by the AIDS community, they said he should have come out sooner it could have brought awareness and funds.  I disagree.  He deserves to keep his health his own business.  Besides, after hid death there was a HUGE tribute concert to Freddie that raised millions of pounds/dollars for AIDS Awareness.


I don't think celebrities owe the media anything.  I respect his right to keep quiet and protect his family from being hounded to death by reporters. 

My frien, Starr, over at "Here Comes A Storm in the Form of a Girl" is raising funds for her annual trek in an AIDS walk.  I didn't even tell her I was going to link to her, but since I can't donate much this year I thought I'd point it out to you in case you wanted to opportunity to sponsor Starr as she walks for an important cause!!!

To donate visit her site or go HERE .

3 Generations of Guitar Virtuosos?

Mad Hatter made a comment on the recent post about the new rock doc called "It Might Get Loud".

He suggested that perhaps Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack White were not necessarily the best three choices to represent "three generations of electric guitar virtuosos".

So my question for you is: Which three would you choose for this film?


BTW, if you haven't checked out Hatter's blog you should. He reviews a lot of interesting music, some popular some obscure. I love his grading scale:

Key To Music Grades
A - You will never be whole without it
B - Highly recommended
C - Flawed, but still pretty good
D - It's your money, not mine
F - Why couldn't this have been burned in Fahrenheit 451?

Gone But Not Forgotten Blog

I finally got around to posting the two deaths that have occured in our music world in 2009. Unfortunately Blogger is not allowing me to pre-date the post so it shows up on top instead of on the bottom of the page. I will try again tomorrow.

It was difficult selecting a photo to represent Michael Jackson. I try to find photos that capture best an image of the artist. Michael's career started at age 5 and going through a total transformation in his looks (nice way of saying it) so I had so many choices. I settled on this one because this is the era that he seemed happy, successful and full of life:

On another matter:

When I started my GBNF blog I included personal thoughts and/or stories on the musicians who meant the most to me. At some point I decided to make the site less emotional and more factual. So I am taking a poll:

Do you like the site as is, or would you like to see my personal thoughts added back?

Thanks!

IT MIGHT GET LOUD - I can't wait for this!

Sony Picture Classics's new Rock and Roll documentary called IT MIGHT GET LOUD. The film "tells the personal stories, in their own words, of three generations of electric guitar virtuosos – The Edge (U2), Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), and Jack White (The White Stripes).

"Rarely can a film penetrate the glamorous surface of rock legends. It Might Get Loud tells the personal stories, in their own words, of three generations of electric guitar virtuosos – The Edge (U2), Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), and Jack White (The White Stripes). It reveals how each developed his unique sound and style of playing favorite instruments, guitars both found and invented. Concentrating on the artist’s musical rebellion, traveling with him to influential locations, provoking rare discussion as to how and why he writes and plays, this film lets you witness intimate moments and hear new music from each artist. The movie revolves around a day when Jimmy Page, Jack White, and The Edge first met and sat down together to share their stories, teach and play."

Bruce Springsteen is Smashingly Brilliant on European Tour:

EUROPEAN TOUR EARNS RAVES AS SPRINGSTEEN HAS NOW SOLD OVER 1.5 MILLION TICKETS IN 2009 - and he just added 25 more new USA dates (see below)

 

Springsteen's European tour has sparked raves; here's what we've read from the European press:

"Monumental."

- Daily Star, UK

"Springsteen proves he's still got what it takes with a monster set that brings Glastonbury's thousands to their feet."

- The Independent, UK

"Springsteen had us from the start...he went as he came: doing exactly the right thing."

- Evening Standard, UK

"The world¹s best."

- VG, Norway

"Springsteen is a volcano. He bursts with an untamable force, three hours of songs that glow like lava."

- Bild Germany

"Springsteen and the E-Street Band staged a musical earthquake tonight."

- Süddeutsche Zeitung Germany

"No one can do what Bruce does - he raises the atmosphere to a brand new level."

- Ilta-Sanomat, Finland

"Thirty songs in and Springsteen, The E Street Band and the audience are all utterly and completely satisfied."

- Salon Seudun Sanomat, Finland

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE LEGENDARY E STREET BAND 2009 US TOUR DATES
August 19 Hartford, CT Comcast Theater (On sale now)
August 22 Mansfield, MA Comcast Center (On sale now)
August 23 Mansfield, MA Comcast Center (On sale now)
August 25 Saratoga Springs, NY Saratoga Performing Arts Center (On sale now)
September 10 Nashville, TN Sommett Center (On sale July 25)
September 12 Tampa, FL Ford Amphitheatre (On sale July 24)
September 13 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Bank Atlantic Center (On sale July 24)
September 16 Greenville, SC Bi-Lo Center (On sale July 31)
September 20 Chicago, IL United Center (On sale August 1)
September 30 East Rutherford, NJ Giants Stadium (Sold out)
October 2 East Rutherford, NJ Giants Stadium (Sold out)
October 3 East Rutherford, NJ Giants Stadium (Sold out)
October 8 East Rutherford, NJ Giants Stadium (On sale now)
October 9 East Rutherford, NJ Giants Stadium (Sold out)
October 13 Philadelphia, PA Spectrum (On sale July 27)
October 14 Philadelphia, PA Spectrum (On sale July 27)
October 25 St. Louis, MO Scottrade Center (On sale August 8)
October 26 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center (On sale August 8)
November 2 Washington, D.C. Verizon Center (On sale TBA)
November 3 Charlotte, NC Time Warner Cable Arena (On sale August 28)
November 7 New York, NY Madison Square Garden (On sale TBA)
November 8 New York, NY Madison Square Garden (On sale TBA)
November 10 Cleveland, OH Quicken Loans Arena (On sale August 22)
November 13 Auburn Hills, MI Palace At Auburn Hills (On sale August 22)

November 15 Milwaukee, WI Bradley Center (On sale August 1)  I'm There!

In a recent cover story, Q Magazine called a Springsteen concert "the greatest show on earth." 'Working on a Dream' (Columbia Records) debuted at #1 in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Holland, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and New Zealand and received exemplary reviews in Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, People, and elsewhere.

thanks to Arbell Camron @ Sony for this info!

The Summer of Love Couple

As we all know, this year is the 40th anniversary of Woodstock, "The Summer of Love".    I'm sure you've noticed the revival of tie-dyed t-shirts and other memorabilia.  There have been documentaries on TV, special CD/DVDs, and lots of articles on blogs, in magazines, etc.

But this story really has little to do with the music and everything to do with the love.  My friend Charlie at Bloggerhythms passed it on to me and I thank him for the idea.  Some of you may recognize this photo of a couple huddled together under a dirty blanket in a sea of people, many that are lying in the mud sleeping.  The photo made the cover of the album and was also used on the movie poster. 

The beautiful thing about it, this couple is STILL together, happily married after 40 years.  There's a bit of irony in that since the "summer of love" didn't exactly promote loyalty and continuity :)  But it did promote love and it warms my heart to see this couple today:

 

Nick and Bobbi Ercoline

read  here for the complete article

Ray Sums Up KMET:

I had a comment on my last post that so perfectly sums up why KMET was special to many of us:

"KMET is heaven."

And it was heaven again for well over 12 hours yesterday on The Sound LA (100.3). Brought back a flood of memories from my SF Valley youth in the late 70s and early 80s. I've seen some people write, "oh, how can you people care so much about an old station of hippy music?!" But, it was so, so much more than just the music. KMET, from the DJs to the music to the listeners, was a state of mind. An intellectual gestalt of the times. The "Finally A KMET Friday" event on The Sound managed to capture that magic in a bottle again. It was special.

Thank you, Ray for stopping by here and adding your comment. Loved it!

KMET Memories!

UPDATE:  this has been the best day of radio in years!  This is so fun and is brining back great memories and a few sad moments (they replayed the announcement of John Lennon's death).  I know from my Facebook messages and comments that other So Cal fans are listening and loving it too.  

ROCK ON KMET!

If you grew up in So Cal in the 70's and listened to rock and roll radio, you are in for a real treat, 
a blast from the past, 
a gathering of the Immoral Minority,  
a time to yell "Whoo-A"
 
because on FRIDAY JULY 10, The Sound (KWWD 100.3),  is doing 

"a one-day revival of KMET complete with the original airchecks and many of the radio personalities from the station's heyday."

Did your car have one of these?  
Mine sure did!

The "Mighty Met" was the best station on at the time and had all the grooviest, coolest DJ's.  Do any of these names ring a bell:

Jeff Gonzer, Cynthia Fox, B. Mitchel Reed, Tom Donahue, Paraquat Kelley, Ace Young, Frazier Smith, Mary Turner, and of course, Jim Ladd (did you know he has a star on the Hollywood walk of Fame - he's the god of all Rock DJ's).  

I will be listening, I am really excited about it.  A slice of my youth served up by current fave station.  All I can say is:

I can't wait for a nostalgic "little bit of heaven, 94.7, KMET - Tweedle Dee"!

HOLY CRAP!

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

I just noticed I have comment moderation on and have 55 comments waiting!  And I thought nobody read here anymore...

Out of the 55, only 4 were from people, the others were SPAM.  But I had meant to turn on word verification, NOT, moderation.

Joni Mitchell - Court and Spark

Image via Wikipedia

I thought a lot about Joni Mitchell as I was driving through the hills and canyons of Los Angeles the other day.

Court and Spark is one of my cherished albums that was worn thin from listening over and over in my early teens. The songs still get to me today, maybe even more because now I have lived through the heartache and messed up relationships.

Something else I love about Joni is that she's an artist.

I am having a hard time blogging lately. I kind of feel like combining all my blogs but that would be weird. I don't think the music people want to hear about my personal life, and the people following the saga of my lie (son in jail, falling in love, unemployed, yadda, yadda) don't necessarily give a rat's ass about classic rock music.

But, to me, I have a hard time separating the two. I must write. I must listen to music. Both make me feel, both are therapeutic, neither are optional.

Help me, I think I'm falling in love again....

We love our loving, but not like we love our freedom....

Didn't it feel good to sit there talking, or to lie there not talking....

Both of us flirtin, and hurtin....

You've had lots of lovely women, now you turn your gaze to me
Weighing my beauty and imperfection to see if I'm worthy

It always seems so righteous at the start, when there's so much laughter and so much spark. When there's so much sweetness in the dark.

his eyes were the color of the sand and the sea.
the more he talked to me, the more he reached me,
but I couldn't let go of LA,
city of the fallen angels....

Joni Mitchell - Court And Spark
Joni Mitchell - Help Me
Joni Mitchell - Car On A Hill

Photos from My Day in LA - Historic Rock Music Sites:

Hollywood Sign

The former Hyatt Hotel (aka Riot Hotel)

Jimi's Star

The Wiltern Theater

The Capitol Records Building\

The Roxy

The Rainbow

The Whiskey

all photos by Drew G.

Los Angeles Rock and Roll Trivia

Spent the day up in LA trying to give Drew the rock and roll tour. I think I could have done a better job if I would have made out a better map...oh well.

How well do you know your LA Rock Trivia?

Do you know what the "Riot Hotel" is?

If so, can you name a few incidents that occured there?

Name three famous nightclubs on Sunset Strip.

Name five rock stars that have a star on the Hollywood "Walk of Fame".

There are two songs inspired by Mulholland Drive - can you name one?

Can you name three people who lived on Laurel Canyon?

Which record company has its home in a tall round building?

How many songs can you name that are about, or mention, Los Angeles, Hollywood, or any of the surrounding areas?

I will have some fun photos and some of the answers later.....