South of the (Canadian) Border Blues (and Country…)

At the recently concluded 2012 NAMM show in Anaheim a couple of my customers who I also like to think of as friends presented me with copies of their most recent CD’s. I’m sure you know how it often goes with free CD’s given to you. Most of them are lucky to get one listen if you can find the time and even rarer are those that receive a second listening. Well these two CD’s are of such outstanding quality and will take their rightful places in my “top shelf” cd rack for repeated listening that I had to write about them here and hopefully bring them to your attention.

The first is Every Kind of Blue by Tommy Bentz of Brickhouse Music in River Falls WI. More than ably backed by Bill Golden on drums, Clark Thaldorf on bass, the particularly impressive Seth Mulvihill on keyboards, the lovely Jen Burleigh Bentz on backing vocals and Kyle Bonderson on percussion, Tommy proves that he’s well versed in all forms of blues as these tunes are colored perfectly in various forms of funky, jazzy and rocky goodness. Settling into Tommy’s comfortable voice is like kicking back in your favorite old recliner and the angst of being on the road and away from family (a recurring theme) feels palpable. Tommy’s guitar tones range from soulfully sweet to razor ripping, the solos swagger and his slide playing especially stings! This is a sweet little slice of South of the (Canadian) border blues and I highly recommend it! You can visit www.tommybentz.com for more information.

Now on to my friend Jake Miller of Cascio Interstate Music in Milwaukee who presented me with his CD Genevieve by The Plainsmen. For some reason I assumed that Jake was in a jazz band so I popped in the CD and was surprised to discover that he tricked me into listening to an entire CD of both Country AND Western music! And I liked it!! A lot!!! It’s an outstanding release. (I later learned that Jake is in at least 5 bands one of which I’m sure is a jazz band!) This CD is chock full of sublimely beautiful country melodies and themes executed with exemplary musicianship. For more info please visit www.facebook.com/theplainsmen .

Who knew that Wisconsin was such a hotbed of Blues and Country? But these are two top notch releases from South of the (Canadian) Border that I can’t recommend strongly enough. Thanks and happy listening!

County Fairs Rock!

My best musical concert experience so far this year came at our local Sonoma-Marin Fair right here in Petaluma, CA just about a month ago. Granted our favorite little fair is the exception to the norm when booking musical talent. The San Francisco Chronicle rated it’s lineup tops amongst all Bay Area Fairs this year for featuring the following headlining acts.

Wednesday night were local funk legends Tower of Power. According to friends who attended they were soulful as ever and really got the place moving. Thursday night was power popster Rick Springfield (cue Jesse’s Girl!) I hear some of you snickering into your Starbucks but Rick has always been a musician first and has continued to record new material and play live through the years to mostly positive reviews. My wife attended this show with her good friend who is a Rick Maniac and reported that it was the best show she’d ever seen at the fair and she’s seen Cheap Trick and Joan Jett there in previous years so that’s saying something. Friday night was the indomitable Charlie Daniels Band and while I have no first hand reports of the proceedings I’ve never heard of Charlie Daniels putting on a bad show so I’m guessing it was excellent. Which brings us to the main event Saturday night and my review of the current incarnations of Foghat and Blue Oyster Cult. While these bands may only have 4 out of 9 original members they both gave 4 Star performances.

Foghat kicked things off with a set that more or less resembled the following: Road Fever, Take Me To The River (yes they did it first and better if you ask me!) My Babe, Drivin’ Wheel, Stone Blue (my personal fave of the night), Fool For The City, I Just Wanna Make Love To You and of course Slow Ride. Original drummer Roger Earl and longtime bassist Craig MacGregor were joined by hired hands singer/guitarist Charlie Huhn (Victory, Humble Pie, Ted Nugent) and lead/slide guitarist Bryan Basset (Molly Hatchet, Wild Cherry) and delivered a tight, superb sounding set with energy, enthusiasm even breaking into a few bars of Play That Funky Music during band introductions. Foghat summary: Original members 2 of 4. Performance 4 stars out of 4. Total stars = 6 out of 8!

With it starting to get dark I went to get a corn dog and then back to get a good seat for the mighty Blue Oyster Cult. Needless to say they didn’t disappoint. Buck Dharma was a revelation, taking center stage, playing his swiss cheese Steinberger guitar all night and making incredibly fast, fluid, complex guitar runs look deceptively easy. Joined by partner and founding member Eric Bloom on vocals, keyboards and guitar along with sidemen Jules Radino on drums, Richie Castellano on 2nd guitar and the incomparable Rudy Sarzo (Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne, Ronnie Jame Dio, Whitesnake) on bass they absolutely delivered the goods. They played the following set (give or take a tune or two): The Red and The Black, Burning For You, Buck’s Boogie (instrumental), Cities Aflame With Rock N Roll, Godzilla, Don’t Fear The Reaper, Shooting Shark and Hot Rails to Hell.

I found it a bit odd but refreshing to hear them play so many deep cuts and even an instrumental. My only disappointment was in not hearing Take Me Away which surprised me as it’s one of their biggest hits and one of my favorite songs. One particular highlight was during band intro’s when they introduced Rudy, mentioning all of the amazing acts he’s been a part of and playing a snippet of a tune from each band. It was kind of odd seeing LA Sunset Strip Rock God Rudy Sarzo with locks flowing jamming with such a quintessentially buttoned down bunch of close-cropped New Yorkers as BOC butt at least he didn’t lick his bass! BOC Summary: Original members 2 of 5. Performance: 4 stars out of 4. Total stars 6 out of 9! All of this for $15.00?? I can’t wait to see whose playing next year!

What’s your best concert experience of the year so far? Let me know in the below comments section.

Photo Credits: Erum Karim, RiverRatt3, chascar

Punks in Pinstripes?

Whodathunk it? But here’s the living proof. This is Noah Mackey of Indianapolis punk rock band The Involuntarys tearing it up in a Reunion Blues Merino Wool/Leather black and white pinstripe guitar strap. When we first introduced the world’s most comfortable guitar strap a few years ago we really thought that the black and white pinstripe design was going to be most popular with jazz and classical players but it turns out that even punk rockers and indie bands like an occasional touch of pinstriped panache! Noah says the the strap’s leather ends still smell delicious and are so thick and rigid that no straplocks are needed! To hear some serious, stripped down, old school, hardcore, midwestern punk rock and find out more about The Involuntarys visit their Facebook page or their website.

Keep on rockin’ in style and comfort Noah…

We Want Moore…

But unfortunately due to the tragic death of Irish Superstar Guitar legend Gary Moore over the weekend we wont’ be getting any. This is not going to be an obituary. You can get all the pertinents elsewhere if you wish. Rather this is a personal recollection of what the man meant to me and how much he’ll be missed. For my money Gary was the best rock guitarist that the Emerald Isle ever produced along with Rory Gallagher (solo artist, Taste) and Vivian Campbell (Dio, Def Leppard), apologies to The Edge but the whole looping, delay thing never really did it for me. Coincidentally enough all three of these world-class guitar slingers hailed from the same small six county territory of Northern Ireland! I mean what are the odds?

Gary was probably best known for his work with 70′s rock legends Thin Lizzy, in particular the Black Rose album from the late 70′s, and for his more recent blues endeavors, particularly the blockbuster Still Got The Blues album from the early 90′s. But it was his solo 80′s rock records that first captured my imagination. Particularly the Corridors of Power (1982), Victims of the Future (1984) and Wild Frontier (1987) releases. Gary’s playing style combined a ferocious attack with power, fluidity, speed, melody and feeling unmatched by most in the genre except for perhaps, another long time favorite of mine, Herr Michael Schenker (Scorpions, UFO, MSG) .

Unfortunately for us fans of heavy rock guitar playing Gary pretty much stuck with the blues thing for the last 20 years or so and hadn’t shown much interest in getting back to the Hard Rock style (similar to the way Vivian has disowned his Dio years) until just recently. Rumor has it that he had been working on a Celtic Rock album in the vein of Wild Frontiers but now, sadly, we’ll likely never hear the results of that. I must admit that Gary had fallen off of my radar a bit lately until a couple of years ago when my wife gave me the Gary Moore One Night Live In Dublin Tribute to Phil Lynott DVD (video) . This thing knocked me on my ear! Talk about a master class of Gibson/Marshall tone. Not to mention playing that will have knock your block off. If you’re a fan of heavy rock guitar playing and have never seen this DVD it’s a must have. Miraculously this man hadn’t lost a thing over the years and if possible was even getting better. Who does that?? Except for Jeff Beck of course. Anyway this is my favorite song off of the DVD. It was filmed at the Point Theatre in Dublin Ireland on the same night they raised the Phil Lynott statue on Grafton Street. I can’t imagine what it must have felt like to be Irish and in the crowd on this night as just watching the DVD made the hair on this Yanks neck stand on end!! So enjoy and say a small silent thanks and goodbye to a true giant the likes of which may never be seen again Gary Moore/Scott Goram Black Rose RIP Gary you were a BAD MAN!

I Like Jeff Beck.

The one and only Guv'nor in total control

Quite a bit actually. Most around here would probably say that’s a major understatement. You could call me a nutswinging fanboi. I participate quite often in guitar message board chat forums and whenever I comes across a Jeff Beck thread it seems that most criticism of him falls primarily into two categories; lack of quality original compositions and whammy abuse. Well even though I don’t necessarily agree I’m not going to address the songwriting issue at this time but I think that those who say they can’t stand his hyperactivity with the tremolo bar are simply misunderstanding or misinterpreting what he’s trying to accomplish. It’s a well known fact that the Guv’nor is fascinated with Eastern melodies and scales which are quite different and contain more “steps” than our traditional Western scales. Some call these micro-tones. And the most efficient way to replicate these types of melodies on guitar is with a whammy bar. Most people’s ears aren’t accustomed to hearing non-Western music and at first it does just sound like random whamsturbation. It takes time for the ear and brain to recalibrate themselves to comprehend micro-tones. So check out this live performance of Nadia from his 2001 relase You Had It Coming and let me know what you think… Jeff Beck – Nadia Live at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club

On The Road With The RBC!

So recently real life circumstances required me to travel to my hometown of Grand Junction Colorado for a week. About a year ago my good friend, Phil Street, who is also from Grand Junction and was the drummer for my band Crunch here in California moved back to Western Colorado to be closer to his folks.
He’s drumming in a band there called Missy’s End,

R to L Joe, Todd and Phil of Missy's End.

led by a talented singer/songwriter named Joe Davis, and they just happened to have a gig scheduled while I was there and asked me to sit in for a couple of songs. This was the perfect opportunity to give our new Reunion Blues RB Continental case the ultimate road test, by checking it in as baggage with the airlines and letting the handlers do their worst. So I caught the bus from Petaluma

Me and the RBC at the Petaluma Airporter

to the Oakland Airport on a sunny Saturday morning, arrived at the US Airways baggage check in, handed over the company’s Epiphone Dot Studio in the RB Continental case, checked it in and told them to do their worst!

RBC at Oakland Baggage Check-In

I had to make a connection in Phoenix to Grand Junction. The flight to Phoenix was quite turbulent as their were storms lined up the whole way. Then if that wasn’t enough fun, I got to hop on a 2 propeller prop job for the final leg to GJ.
It had been a number of years since I’d had the pleasure to fly on one of those and I’d forgotten just how much “fun” they can be.

Keeping cool on the bouncy prop job

Luckily our pro flight attendant Sandra kept everything calm, cool and under control. Upon landing in Grand Junction all 9 of us intrepid travellers got off the plane and I headed to baggage claim with more than a bit of apprehension. Within a few minutes I saw the RB Continental Case come down the baggage carousel.

RBC arrives GJ baggage carousel

With nervous anticipation I slowly opened the case and voila! There was the Dot in perfect condition. Not a scratch, dent, ding or blemish of any kind. 100% Success!

An Epi Dot without a spot!

Now all I had to do was learn Suffragette City by Friday, play the gig and then see how the axe survived the return trip back to the Bay Area. The gig was at Quincy’s Bar, the only alternative lifestyle bar in Grand Junction, the crowd was probably around 200+ with one of the most interesting mixes of humanity I’ve ever seen.

The one and only Quincy's Bar in GJ.

The people watching was almost as entertaining as the band. We even had a party bus pull up and out came 25 bouncing bachelorettes ready to rock.

Missy's End and yours truly rocking Suffragette City!

So we obliged them and then headed to Todd the bass players house for an after gig party until about 3:45 AM. That’s the latest this old man has been out in quite a few years but we had a blast. The next day I had my good friend and martial arts expert Kerry Wong give the case a good hard karate chop with the guitar in it and yes it survived the Kung Fu test beautifully as well.

RBC passes Kerry's Kung Fu Karate Chop test!

After taking care of all my family business it was time to head home. The return trip was smooth even if I did have to find a way to kill 3.5 hours in the Phoenix Airport (UGH!) . I arrived back in Oakland to find my wife and kids waiting for me (a sight for sore eyes for sure!) and waited for the RB Continental to come down the carousel. When we got home my kids helped me check the guitar and as expected it was in perfect condition. I even stuffed some extra clothes, toiletries, etc… in the accessory pockets of the RBC to save space in my carry on. You can literally pack everything you need for a 1 or 2 night gig in this case and not even need any other luggage. And if your guitar happens to fall off a 3 story building or has to be subjected to the whim and whimsy of airline baggage handlers you can at least have some peace of mind knowing that it’s ensconced safely in a Reunion Blues RB Continental Guitar case. That’s my story and I’m sticking with it! Rock on everyone!

Of Chinese Democracy, The Dream, The Answer & AC/DC

So as you probably know there is an awful lot of hullabaloo on the webbernet and elsewhere these days about the long-awaited, much-anticipated, ridiculously-delayed release of Chinese Democracy, the not-so-new Album from Guns & Roses or NU GNR or The Axl Rose Solo Band or whatever you prefer to call them. Most of the reviews that I’ve read have been positive and I like what little I’ve heard so far. Axl’s voice sounds good (well sounds like Axl anyway), the riffs groove and the songs rock. There’s a touch of an industrial sound here and there and the lead guitars, while stinging and soaring in their own right, are much different from Slash’s bluesy burning which I miss. Other than that some of the material could almost be Use Your Illusion era Guns with Axl attempting his best Freddie Mercury ala November Rain. I’m sure it will sell by the boatload and I’ll probably find it in my Christmas stocking! One certainty is that the live show, with Reunion Blues endorser Richard Fortus (also of Psychedelic Furs fame) laying it down on rhythm guitar amid the musical maelstrom of Axl, Dizzy, Richie, Bumblefoot, Frank, Chris, Tommy and possibly even Buckethead???, will be a spectacle worth beholding. www.myspace.com/gunsnroses

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Richie Rockin

On a less grand scale but no less important, I’d also like to briefly mention another new release by yet another Reunion Blues endorser, a local boy and personal friend Josh Ramos. The CD is called The Dream and it’s a collaboration between Josh and Hugo Valenti. Some of you may remember Josh from his time in The Storm which featured former members of Journey and Santana including Gregg Rolie, Steve Smith and Ross Valory and also the SoCal based hard rock outfit Hardline. Hugo started out fronting Valentine which later became Open Skyz but might be best known for fronting Evolution, the pre-eminent East Coast Journey tribute act. So as you might have guessed buy now, The Dream bears a strong resemblance to Journey in many aspects, but all in a positive way. It’s the best collection of Journey songs from a band not named Journey that you’ll ever hear. The songwriting and arrangements on this album are rock solid and memorable and Hugo is a terrific singer with great range and passion. But the highlight of this cd is Josh’s playing. He really rips it up all over the disc with ferocity, feeling and an innate sense of melody not many possess. The Dream is being released primarily in Europe so it might be a bit hard to find but for fans of outstanding melodic rock guitar playing it’s well worth seeking out. www.myspace.com/ramoshugo

josh-jammin

Josh Jammin

Brett’s Music Bag: You’ve also got to check out The Answer www.myspace.com/theanswerrock. These bad boys from Northern Ireland are really bringing it hard the wayyy old school way. I’ve had their initial release Rise for close to a couple of years now after hearing about them in Classic Rock Magazine. Anyone who caught them on The Late Show with David Letterman recently knows exactly what I’m talking about. The singer Cormac Neeson reminds me of a heavier, more aggressive Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes and the guitarist Paul Mahon is pure Gibson/Marshall hard rock glory. Catch The Answer live in concert opening for AC/DC on their Black Ice world tour. Never toolate indeed…

the-answer-rocks

The Answer Rocks

Speaking of AC/DC, kudos to the Brothers Young & Co. whose Black Ice recently went #1 in 29 countries, shifting 1.5 million units in the first two weeks of release in the US alone and over 5 million copies sold worldwide so far. Brings a tear to a crusty old rocker’s eye. Good on ya mates! www.myspace.com/acdc

Guitar Hero: Help or Hindrance?

brettblogg1

Guitarface by Brett

As a long time proponent/proprietor of old-school 70’s & 80’s style hard rock, it always does my heart good to see and hear my favorite bands and songs resurface in contemporary popular culture– even if it is in a Cadillac commercial! When the Guitar Hero inferno began to rage, I was very excited about two particular aspects of the phenomenon:

the possibility of exposing kids to great classic rock tunes
inspiring a new generation to pick up the instrument and hopefully assisting them in developing the technical skills required to really RAWK!

Based on first-hand observations of my own progeny, I can say that I’m encouraged in-regards to the former and a bit discouraged in regards to the latter.

I can think of very few things that tickle me more than hearing my 6 year old son doing his best Dee Snider, walking around the house singing, We’re Not Gonna Take It or my 11 year old daughter humming China Grove while doing her homework. The flipside to their new interest in dad’s music is that my daughter’s actual guitar hasn’t left its case since she got the game. She asked Santa for a guitar two Christmases ago and while she was never the most dedicated student, she at least practiced regularly and was making some progress. Then she got Guitar Hero about six months ago and it would seem that the allure of the more immediate gratification afforded by the game has supplanted the thrill gained by learning to play music on a stringed guitar.

I do have hopes that once she’s mastered the expert level of the game (and she’s very close) she may want to explore her actual instrument. As for the question of whether the mechanics of playing Guitar Hero assists in developing the physical dexterity necessary to play guitar, it remains to be seen but I do believe that after she beats the top level, the Nirvana of video-game rock, she will be curious to unzip her real guitar again!

Hmm, all this is making me wonder, Reunion Blues bags for game controllers? Might not be a totally ridiculous idea….

BRETT’S MUSIC BAG:
For new bands that are rockin’ the streets the old school way check out End Ever After and Black Tide.

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