Rock and Roll Landmarks in L.A.

Part two of my Los Angeles blogs. While having a good time getting lost in Los Angeles, we visited some famous rock and roll landmarks.


The Whisky-A-Go-Go on the corner of Sunset and Clark. Founded in 1964, this establishment was immortalized in the song by the Miracles "Going to a Go Go" (later covered by the Rolling Stones). Arguably, The Whisky was the birthplace of the LA music scene. Southern California rock bands like the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield and Love were regulars there. The Doors was the house band for a while. British rock bands like the Who, Cream, Led Zeppelin, and the Kinks made their first headliners there.

Over the years, diverse acts such as Quiet Riot, the Police, Van Halen, Motley Crue, Blondie, Talking Heads, Patti Smith, the Ramones, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana, Soundgarden and many others played there.




The Rainbow Bar and Grill on the Sunset. Founded in 1972. This restaurant was a popular hangout for many celebrities, rock stars and their groupies. The late John Belushi ate his last meal here.Some notable regulars here were John Lennon, Keith Moon, Led Zeppelin, Grace Slick, Ringo Starr, Janis Joplin, Alice Cooper and Elvis Presley.




The Roxy Theatre on the Sunset (next door to the Rainbow). Founded in 1973. This famous nightclub was the host to so many acts such as-Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Genesis, Neil Young, David Bowie, Nirvana, Motley Crue, Guns n' Roses, Van Morrison, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Frank Zappa, Dire Straits, Them Crooked Vultures, Foo Fighters are among them.




Andaz West Hollywood 8401 Sunset Bvld. Formerly the Continental Hyatt Hotel. The hotel was favored many traveling rock bands like Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones and the Who for it's close proximity for the local nightclubs. Infamous stories of television sets tossed from balconies and motorcycles driven in hallways came from here.

Distrubuted in L.A.

After reading Music Obsessive's post on record labels, I got inspired to do some blogs about the sights in Los Angeles. I know what you're thinking-WTF? When I was there a year ago we visited many of the rock and roll sights including record companies. This two part series will take you on a journey where the music and magic is real. This part is more or less about the record companies we saw...


The distributor for Grateful Dead, Fleetwood Mac, James Taylor, Van Halen, Deep Purple, Jethro Tull, Black Sabbath, Prince, Van Morrison, Doobie Brothers, R.E.M. and others



The distributor for Led Zeppelin, Foreigner, Genesis, Yes, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Rolling Stones, Emerson Lake & Palmer and many others....



Artists like the Eagles, the Doors, MC5, Tim Buckley, Queen, Metallica, Phish, Bob Dylan and many others were talked about behind these doors....



This strange looking building was the headquarters for greats like the Beatles, the Band, Pink Floyd, Bob Segar, Heart, Blondie, Sammy Hagar, Blind Melon and many others!

The Cosmos Rock

This is one of discs I picked out at the library. My first thought when getting this one was, "Yeah, I remember hearing some of this stuff from a movie I saw a while ago" (I had won tickets from a blog) I liked what I heard. My second thought of some the lukewarm reviews I've read on this album.

The naysayers say that original vocalist Freddie Mercury can't be replaced. I'll give them that. Freddie can't be replaced no matter what. I've heard covers of "Somebody to Love" and "Bohemian Rhapsody" and just cringe hearing someone else singing off key to these classics.

Bad Company's vocalist Paul Rodgers isn't by any means a Freddie Mercury. Not even close. It's like comparing apples to oranges. So why try? So I decided to take away the Freddy Mercury Factor and look at it from a different angle. The results surprised me!

My first initial thought was it sounds closer to Bad Company than it does to Queen. Yet, it does retain some of Queen's formula. Think of it as a blending of Queen and Bad Company! Queen Company if you want to call it...

This a diverse album covering a variety of sounds. Tunes like "Small" and "We Believe" reminds me of Bad Co.'s "Seagull" and Firm's "Live in Peace"-complete with killer acoustic guitar by Brian May. "Call Me" reminds me of "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" "Still Burnin'" has got some great harmonics. "C-Lebrity", written by drummer Roger Taylor is a surefire hit. The biggest surprise was "Voodoo" , a blues number. I don't think I ever heard Brain May play the blues before. He pulls it off quite well!

Paul's voice is sharp and soulful as ever. He doesn't sound like he's aged at all! Brian's guitar is more prevalent on this album that many other ones I've heard. It's more free flowing and the solos are a little longer. Rodger drums are sharp as ever!

If you are a Queen and/or Bad Company fan, I recommend getting this album. It may not be as great of a classic album as say, A Night at the Opera or Bad Company's debut, but it sure hold it's own. Just remember, just keep Freddie Mercury out of it.

Back to School

School is now back in session here in Racine after a summer of fun and games. My 13 year old son returns back, now in the 8th grade. My God, time flies! It seems like yesterday he was in the backyard burying his Hot Wheels in the sandbox. Watching him grow has been amazing. Now when I look at him, we see eye to eye. At 5' 11", He's almost as tall as me! No longer a little kid anymore, he's built like linebacker. I keep wondering why he doesn't sign up for football. (He prefers art, music and video games) His wisdom and the way he perceives astonishes me. Sometimes I have to look at him twice and say to myself, "Where did he come up with these thoughts?" He is an observant kid...Gotta love him.

Wind Turbines

I pass by these every time I go Up North to visit my folks. Towering pillars foreboding along side the freeway. Kissing the sky and reaching the heavens-churning slowly almost in a calculated fashion. My mouth is agape with the sheer sight of their size. These are wind turbines of Forward Wind Farm near Byron, Wisconsin on the Fond du Lac and Dodge County borders.

Tall and majestic they are, scaling over 40 stories into air. The blades are 134 ft across. The weight of the rotors are 47 tons. They'll operate in winds starting at 9 mph and they'll cut off at 54 mph. They are designed to withstand winds up to 134 mph. These babies can generate up to 145 megawatts of electricity, that's enough to power up 36,000 residential homes! That's a structure for you! To top it all, there are over 80 turbines in the area! There are over 300 turbines in Wisconsin.

Amazingly it may seem, there is controversy over these giants. residents living in the shadows of the turbines have complained of noise, shadow flicker and maintenance issues. Not to mention an increase in their electric bill. After seeing some videos about their arguments, I'm not so sure I'd want to be living nearby them...

Here's some information, I've researched upon-

http://www.we-energies.com/environmental/bluesky_greenfield.htm
http://www.we-energies.com/home/ByronWind.pdf
http://www.ecw.org/byronwindtour/turbines.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyOImGHyJtQ&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7b4fGoK4Xo

Learning Isn't Hard (When You Got Your Library Card)

While my computer was down, I wasn't exactly idle. I spent some time at the library not only to check in from time to time, but to up pick a few books and pick out a few CD's to rip and burn. Got some good ones too...

Babe Ruth-First Base (upgrade)
Babe Ruth-Amar Caballero
Bad Boy-Best of Bad Boy
Black Crowes-Croweology
Chicago-XXX
Sheryl Crow-Detours
Def Leppard-Songs from the Sparkle Lounge
KISS-Sonic Boom
Matchbox 20-Exile on Mainstream
Pink Floyd-The Wall (upgrade)
Queen & Paul Rodgers-Return of the Champions
Queen & Paul Rodgers-The Cosmos Rocks
Queensryche-American Soldier
Raconteurs-Consolers of the Lonely
REM-Accelerate
UFO-Best of UFO
Neil Young-Chrome Dreams II
Neil Young-Fork in the Road

The books I picked out:

Walk This Way-The Autobiography of Aerosmith by Aerosmith and Stephen Davis
KISS Behind the Mask-The Official Authorized Biography by David Leaf and Ken Sharp
Lynyrd Skynyrd Remembering the Free Birds of Southern Rock by Gene Odom with Frank Dorman

Harley Davidson to Leave Milwaukee?

Say that this isn't so... I picked up the paper this morning, to my disbelief, read in bold headlines that the Harley Davidson plant MAY be leaving Milwaukee---for Kansas City. I was shocked! The rising labor costs may be forcing this world renowned motorcycle company out of state. Not only the loss of 1,360 high paying jobs will be affected, but the loss of tourism as well.

Harley-Davidson means a much to Milwaukee as beer and brats do. A symbol of my state, like cheese and the Green Bay Packers. The loyalty among Wisconsinites towards our culture is great. We are fanatics of what we believe in. We guzzle our beer like water, eat our bratwurst with pure glutton and put cheese on everything we eat. Hell, we even pray to the Packers gods for our wins. Why should we treat Harley-Davidson any differently? Harley Davidson has been an icon in the Wisconsin community for 107 years!

I remember hearing about the 100th Anniversary of Harley Davidson. Literary HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of bikers made a pilgrimage to Milwaukee! Stories of the I-94 Interstate shutting down for a parade of bikers and Bruce Springsteen playing in Milwaukee filled my ears. I could go on and on about these "hogs" featured in countless numbers of Hollywood movies and the celebrities that own them. Goes to show how much of influence of Harleys have on our society!

I don't own a Harley, yet I wish I did. I think it would be fun to take a ride on one of these babies with a lady on the back wrapping her arms around my waist as we ride! Wind flowing through my hair....radio blasting "Born to be Wild".......

Remembering Stevie Ray Vaughan

It was twenty years ago today that the legendary guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan passed away. He was one of the greatest rock and roll blues guitarist ever lived. Never before I've heard such an incredible guitar player. Only a few can match his brilliant style and capture the emotion he had in his playing. He was one of a kind.

Stevie Ray was killed in a helicopter crash nearby Alpine Valley Music Theater in East Troy, WI (which is about a 45 minute drive to the west of Racine) The copter crashed into a nearby ski hill in the dense midnight fog. Also killed in the accident were four members of Eric Clapton's entourage and the pilot. They were heading for Chicago. Details on the crash here.

Earlier in the evening, Stevie Ray jammed to a sold out show with guitar gods that would have scorched the Earth with blistering passion. Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, Buddy Guy and Stevie Ray's brother Jimmie were present on the stage! THAT would be a wonderful sight to see, if I would have went.

Yeah, I was planning on going, but bowed out because I already had spent a bundle on earlier concerts that were at Alpine Valley that same summer. I already had seen Rush, Aerosmith and Robert Plant.

Fortunately and ironically, I had gotten my hands on that final performance. It may not be the best show SRV ever played, but it is worthy of a bootleg. I highly recommend getting this one. Here is the setlist.

1. Testify
2. The House is Rockin'
3. Tightrope
4. Things I Used to Do
5. Let Me Love You Baby
6. Leave My Girl Alone
7. Pride and Joy
8. Wall of Denial
9. Riviera Paradise
10. Superstition
11. Couldn't Stand the Weather
12. Going Down
13. Crossfire
14. Voodoo Chile
15. Sweet Home Chicago
    

Even though I didn't go, I will always remember Stevie Ray for the great guitarist he is and the impact he made in my life.

Back in Business!!!!!!!

Nice comfy chair....check
Cigarettes and ashtray...check
Can of Pepsi....check
Computer plugged in...check
Windows 7 downloaded...check
Firefox running....check
Blogs up and running....check

Well folks, guess what?

I'm back in business!

YEEE HAAAA! The glowing rays are radiating my eyes, soaking them in the afterglow. I'm feeling the warm euphoria flowing inside of me. The withdrawals are receding...The convulsions have stopped. Revival is here!

After three weeks of battling against the Hewitt Peckard technical dummies over imaginary recovery discs, I admitted defeat. Dismayed by the lack of progress, I took my business to Harbor PC in West Racine. A few days later, my computer was fixed. The hard drive was replaced and parts of the motherboard fixed. The computer runs like a champ now. All I have to do now is tweak my Firefox add-ons, get used to Windows 7 and organize my pics.

Now to catch up on the blogs.......

Plan B

My patience has finally ran out of the door! I'm done screwing around with the technical idiots from Hewitt Packard. Done with waiting for "alleged" recovery discs to arrive. DONE! I want my computer back and I want it NOW! The withdrawls are getting serious now...

So I bid my adieu to the Best Buy Geek Squad From Hell and gave the Hewitt Peckhard the bird! Time for Plan B. I got my refunds back and took my business to a local puter geek whom already has what I need. They'll even tweek it for better performance. For a cheaper price too! If it goes well, I should have my computer back on Monday. I have a lot of catching up to do!

Checking in from the Library...(again...)

SIGH! Here I am, checking in from the library....AGAIN! My PC is still down. YUP... It's been a week since I've been able to really sit down and catch with my e-mail, Facebook and the blogs. Time is really limited here at the library. With hope, by Saturday I will.

I know I heard that before. The hard drive in my PC has been replaced and brand new. The issue now is WAITING on the fricking recovery discs! I had ordered these discs LAST Thursday after I had taken my computer to Best Buy to get repaired. So what's taking so damn long? It's the idiots at the God knows where technical support center in India! It has been one hassle after another with these clowns!

First, I called for a rush on the discs. Supposed to be here within two days, NOT five business days!

Two, they sent them to the WRONG address! Luckily, I was able to figure out where they were sent to and retrieve them personally.

Three, the WRONG discs! What I needed where RECOVERY discs, NOT the Windows 7 upgrade!

So now I'm waiting on the recovery discs, they SHOULD be here by Friday. By Saturday, with help from the nice gentleman at Best Buy, I should be good to go... If not, I'm gonna go postal...

Keeping my fingers crossed, because I'm getting tired of waiting in line to use a computer.....

UPDATE!-Went to check on the status on the recovery discs yesterday, come to find out, they were out of stock with "none left" and my order cancelled! Outraged I decided to scrap the HP bullshit and get my computer back from Best Buy. I was gonna let someone fix it. The Geek Squad guy was sympathetic to my situation and CALLED HP tech himself! There WERE discs in stock! They should be here on Tuesday...SIGH! If that doesn't work, it's back to plan B or get a new computer...

My Computer is Down

Here I am, in Best Buy, looking at new computers. Well, my computer is down. I'm probably gonna to get the one I have fixed. The hard drive blew on it. So, it may be a couple of days before I can get online again. What am I gonna do? Damn......

Rodrigo y Gabriela

I listen to most kinds of music, especially the music that has guitar in it. I stumbled across the video while looking for my daily video post for Facebook. I was floored by what I heard! I Googled up Rodrigo y Gabriela and got this link. Quite impressive for a short career so far. Here are they performing "Hanuman" inspired by Carlos Santana.

A Day at the Fair

It's midsummer now. I have been taking advantage of the weekend time to go and do things. This weekend I went to the Racine County Fair in Union Grove. Although it was hot and humid out, I had a great time doing things there like:

Seeing small animals,



Horses...



Cows...




Some old Case Tractors...




Rode on rides...




Ate some delicious cheese curds...




And saw a demolition derby...

Well, I spent a wad of money and got a a little sun burnt. The crowds were a little hectic at times. All in all, I had a great time. I drove home with a smile on my face....looking forward to next year's fair.

Rock and Roll Memorabilia

I confess to being a pack rat sometimes. I tend to save items that are sentimental to me. Like old love letters, newspapers articles, pictures and yes, rock and roll memorabilia. Most of my memorabilia are posters that came with the album. A Rolling Stones poster is one of my prizes, the one found in their Let it Bleed album. I had bought this album at a rummage sale for a quarter-with the poster in it! Talk about luck!



In this picture (l to r, t to b) Pink Floyd DSOTM, Rolling Stones Let it Bleed, Kiss Rock and Roll Over (sticker), Bob Dylan Greatest Hits, Kiss Love Gun (toy), Pink Floyd DSOTM, Styx The Grand Illusion, Grand Funk poster, Kiss Double Platinum

Kiss Alive!

I know some people are gonna crucify me for the album review. I have a confession to make. "I, drewzepmeister, am a KISS fan. I usually listen to a exquisite diet of fine rock and foll. Refined and delicious.The five star course bands like Led Zeppelin and Rush. Once in a while I like sit down and have a Happy Meal. KISS is that Happy Meal.

I know you're thinking "Huh?' Allow me to explain. I think of founding members bassist Gene Simmons and rhythm guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley as the cheeseburger. Gene simply just prods along displaying his power on the bass. He may not be any Chris Squire nor Geddy Lee, but he gets his job done. His bass lines on tunes like"She" and "100,000 Years" were rather impressive" As for Paul Stanley, he knows how to work a crowd into a frenzied mob-belting away tunes like "Strutter" and "C'mon and Love Me" created perfectly for hormone driven 14 year old adolescent boys.

You know when you get your fries hot and fresh from the kitchen? Quite tasty huh? Guitarist Ace Frehley and drummer Peter Criss are the fries. You can't get enough of them. I think these guys are the band's most talented players. Ace was my guitar hero till Jimmy Page came along. Blazing guitars solos everywhere! Peter Criss shines on his skin solo in "100,000 Years" and does excellent work on "Parasite".

The lyrics....ummm,well...Can't say say they write like Bob Dylan or Bruce Springsteen by a long shot. In fact, some of them are quite laughable! Take "Deuce" for example-

Get up

And get your grandma outta here

Pick up

Old Jim is workin' hard this year

Baby

Do the things I says to do

Come on now! These are real heavy lyrics here! NOT! Songwriting isn't one of their stronger points.

This album was the breakthrough that both Kiss and Casablanca Records sorely needed. Casablanca was on the verge of bankruptcy when the album was release. Culled from four different shows across the Midwest in 1975, this album went platinum. "Rock and Roll all Nite" was issued as a single. Kiss went to headlining areas all over the world!

Then there is a rumor that this live album has heavily doctored. This meaning that the live recordings were taken into the the studio and overdubbed. Depending on which Kiss member you talk to, each gives a different story on this. Kinda tarnishes the feeling. Nevertheless, I can still ROCK to this album!

The toy in the Happy Meal? Oh yeah... We all like shiny things! That would be the show itself. Kiss are the masters of showmanship! The costumes and the makeup! Flame throwing, bloodspitting bass players, rocket firing guitars, the pyrotechnics and confetti. What the hell, it's a rock and roll circus! A cheap thrill! What more a 13 year kid can ask for?

As for me, I still enjoy slapping my disc in my car cranking it to ear splitting levels while sitting at a traffic signal-drowning out the guy playing rap next to me....

Riding by the Root

After all the storms that blasted us with tons of rain and the temperatures dropping down to more comfortable levels, I decided it was a good day for a drive. Noticing that the water levels were high, I thought it would a good idea to take some pics of the river that flow through this town. The Root River. Glad I did! There were some flooding in areas, but nothing like what happened two years ago.

The Root River by Linwood Park in Caledonia



The river just north of the Horlick Dam



The Horlick Dam

The river along side Spring Street



Overflowing at Island Park




Into Lake Michigan...

Supernaut At Italian Fest

I knew I would never hear the end it if I told my good friend, Dan Buckley that I missed his show at Italian Fest today. So I went. I was running late this afternoon, so when I got there, I could hear them playing "Paradise City" from Guns n' Roses. Getting stoked about the kind of music that they were playing, I quickly got drinks an sat down on a picnic table.

Dan Buckley and I were good friends from my childhood years. Grew up in the same neighborhood, went the same schools and hung around the same bunch of friends. We shared a mutual interest in music. I remember him playing in various local bands. Somehow we drifted apart. It was only recently we got ahead of each other through Facebook. (Gotta love that site) I quickly learned that was playing bass in a Chicago area band called Supernaut. And they were coming to Racine! So I had to see them and catch up with Dan.

So how good were they? One thing is for sure, they didn't sound cheesy like many other cover bands I've heard. I was quite impressed with these guys! Drummer Micheal Bragg pounded the skins-sweat dripping off his brows- though out Metallica's "Enter Sandman" Dan Buckley, the monster man bassist, thundered his way through Van Halen's "Panama". Chicago raised axeman Dave Uhrich fired away his Joe Satriani like guitar solos all afternoon! I was blown away by his instrumental version of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" That was definably interesting... The charismatic vocalist/guitarist Dan Lenegar growling voice soared to an impressive version of STP's "Vaseline".

The band plowed though numbers from yesterday and today. Revealing "Come Together", "Another Brick in the Wall (part2)", Finger Eleven's "Paralyze" and well as some original pieces.

I did meet with the band after the show. It was great catching up with Dan. Me thinks these guys are gonna go places...

It's Been a Year....

My gosh....I can't believe it's been a year since I started this blog. Time flies... Wanting a more personal approach to my writing outside the JT Irregulars, I started this blog. Never left them , just got a couple of blogs now :) . With a nudge and some assistance from a former girlfriend this blog came into being. It's a been long journey since.
My first blog post was a song/poem that I wrote coming home from a trip to California. Since then, my life has taken many twists and turns. I went from being on cloud nine and fell deep into a hole in my life. Suffered a deep depression with music as being my savior. I managed to crawl out from the abyss and I'm content with the way things are now. (I get a feeling things are going to get better) So this has been a sorta of my diary of things.

All in honesty, I nearly shut down this blog. Yup, I almost did. During my battle with depression I wanted to quit blogging and crawl into a cave. (Or at least try something new) I kept saying to myself, "One more blog" realizing it was both blogging and music that was pulling me through. Kind of glad I didn't stop.

Statically speaking, this blog had it's up and downs. When I started this site had 132 visits in August, then it peaked to 618 last December. It has been declining the last few months, only to rise this month. (Summerfest reviews) I plan to make some changes and advertise my blog on Facebook. If anyone has any ideas or thoughts about my blog feel free to e-mail me.


To conclude this all, I really enjoy writing and I plan to continue. Blogs about music, myself, Racine, my travels, and miscellaneous other things will still prevail here. I may not write everyday. After all, I type notoriously SLOW and it does take up a bit of my time. So please be patient with me.

ABOVE ALL, I want to thank EVERYONE who has read and commented on my site! Without you, this blog would never make it this far. I LOVE YOU ALL! Thanks!

PEACE!

Storms

We've been getting battered by storms all today. Lots of thunder, lightning and rain... Too much...

Auditioning for American Idol

Contradictory to the title, no, I didn't audition for American Idol nor doI ever plan to. A close friend of mine's daughter did. The auditions were held today at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee. This event drew large crowds from all over the region in high hopes and dreams to become the next Idol.


This is their story as it was told to me. On Monday and Tuesday of this week, the hopefuls would to go the Bradley Center with paperwork provided by the AI website. From there they'll get a ticket (free) and wristband.

The next day (today) , they arrived at the Bradley Center at 5:00 AM. Yeah, THAT early! People already out there waiting to get in! The throngs of TV cameras awaited the crowds as they arrived. Former Idol contestants Matt Girard and Danny Gokey greeted an audience of hopeful contestants to a couple of songs while they were in line. My friend described scene "A mob."

8:00 the doors opened to let people in. Nothing to do, but wait and wait and wait.....until your section was called.

This is just a preliminary round. So it's the producers that get to judge the ones being auditioned. So therefore, Randy Jackson, Sir Elton John nor Ellen DeGengeres were not there. The "winners" get to come back in September to try again. It's a long process of elimination...

So how did my friend's daughter do? Well, she sang "Big Girls Don't Cry" by Fergie. Sad to say, she didn't make it to the next round. I HAD my fingers crossed!

I Write Like

Here's something I caught in the JT Irregulars and other various blogs out there. I Write Like. It's kinda neat! Just copy and paste a writing entree and it will get analyzed. The results will display a famous writer similar to yours:

I write like

Margaret Atwood

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

I used my Saturday Morning at the Lake post and got Margaret Atwood. I'm not sure who she is. Funny thing though, the first time I tried this on the JTI site, I got J.R.R. Tolkien. The same blog. Hmmmm... It makes me wonder...

I can see this being used for frivolous things like coupons and shopping lists. What would be the criteria for all this? I wonder of my songs/poems would come out like Bob Dylan or Bruce Springsteen. I doubt it.

A final thought here, my writing is my own...I write just like drewzepmeister:)

Some More Concert Ideas

Summerfest may be over. I had a great time seeing bands like Rush and Yes. I even saw glimpses of the Counting Crows! Summer is far from over... There are a few bands I'd like to see yet, but realistically speaking I can't see them all.

Phish is one band I've always wanted to experience. They're coming to Alpine Valley August 14 and 15. The idea of going to a three hour jam fest sounds grand, but there a few problems though. Tickets, except for the lawn seats, are sold out. Secondly, I'm not too hip on the idea of bringing my 13 year old son to a pot filled haven.


A good friend of mine's son is planning to see KISS at the Marcus Amphitheater on September 2. This one does sound very interesting to me. Well first of all, I admit that I'm a KISS fan and I always wanted to go and see them. The is one show I think my son will enjoy. I'm pretty sure that they'll put out a good show-the lights, the pyrotechnics and theatrics-the whole shebang! The biggest downfall about seeing them is the fact the original drummer Peter Criss and guitarist Ace Frehley had been replaced by others in their same costumes. I have issues about that.



The one show coming up I'm stoked about is.....just announced....Bad Company! Yep, Bad Company with Paul Rodgers is coming to Milwaukee! They are playing at the Potawatomi Casino on October 4th and 5th. Tickets go on sale next month. I've heard reviews and seen some of the set lists. I'll probably end up going this one, never know if Bad Company is going to tour again.

Rustic Picture

Picture taken at Doty, WI near Boulder Lake 7/17/2010

Some Lyrics Going Through My Head....

Pavements may teem
With intense energy
But the city is calm
In this violent sea

I feel the sense of possibilities
I feel the wrench of hard realities
The focus is sharp in the city

----------------------------------------------

But I know a place where we can go
And was away this sin
We'll sit and watch the clouds roll by
And the tall grass wave in the wind
Just lay your head back on the ground
And let your hair spill all around me
Offer up your best defense
But this is the end

------------------------------------------

The strings of love are trying to choke me

You say none are attached but you're trying to joke me

A kiss in the car and a drive in the bed

I want independence from the sexy things you said

But they whisper in my soul

And they really take a hold of me

Lakeside Park

I'm having a good summer so far! Been to Summerfest, the beach, miniature golfing, some fairs, some fireworks and even Up North! Here's one of my favorite summer songs. "Lakeside Park" by Rush.

Midway hawkers calling

'Try your luck with me'

Merry-go-round wheezing

The same old melody

A thousand ten cent wonders

Who could ask for more

A pocketful of silver

The key to heaven's door

Lakeside Park

Willows in the breeze

Lakeside Park

So many memories

Laughing rides

Midway lights

Shining stars on summer nights

Days of barefoot freedom

Racing with the waves

Nights of starlit secrets

Crackling driftwood flames

Drinking by the lighthouse

Smoking on the pier

Still we saw the magic

Was fading every year

Everyone would gather

On the twenty-fourth of May

Sitting in the sand

To watch the fireworks display

Dancing fires on the beach

Singing songs together...

Though it's just a memory

Some memories last forever

So what is your favorite summer song?

Some Thoughts about Summerfest

Another Summerfest has come on gone and I'm glad to have seen Rush and Yes this year. Many great names showed up and sent my head reeling on whom to see. Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Santana, and Rush. That's just at the Marcus Amphitheater. Side stages included Counting Crows, Peter Frampton, Scorpions, Shooting Star, Blue Oyster Cult, Uriah Heep, and many countless others. Yeah, I'd love to go everyday, but it gets expensive...

Ticket prices were $15 per person after 4:oo PM. That's not bad if you're going see the Scorps or something for a day. Summerfest is an eleven day event! That's not including parking ($15), beer ($6.oo a bottle), concert T-shirts ($35), not too mention food, refreshments, rides, etc. Plus the average ticket price for the Marcus was $70.

All that aside, there are a few things I'd like to say:

It still bugs me that bands like Yes, the Scorpions and Counting Crows were shoved to the side stages while American Idol Live and Jason Beiber were playing at the Marcus! From what I was told, the Scorpions were jammed packed like sardines in a can with fans at their stage while the American Idol tickets were trying to sell their tickets as buy one ticket and get one free! While I was watching Yes at the M&I Stage (which was behind the the Marcus) I did not see any fans on the Marcus balconies. BTW, who is Jason Bieber and why does everyone wants to kick his ass?

The cheesy fries from Major Goolsby's are excellent.

It took me over an hour to get out the parking lot both nights there. One night there was a drunk passed out on the ground next to somebody's car. Wondered if he was alive...till he his raised his hand and flipped everybody off. Then I heard the ambulance-probably came for him.

Downtown Milwaukee's traffic was notoriously bad on the way out. Definitely needed more police to direct traffic. I don't know many times I got nearly sideswiped by drunken idiots this year! Next year I'm taking the damn bus!

Did I say the Rush concert was unf@*ckingbelievable? Yes, it was! During the ending of the "Overture" theme flames shot out from the sides of the stage about 50 feet high! I could feel the heat from them!


My son wasn't overly impressed with Yes, yet he took a lot of nice pics of them! I had bought a $200 Sony DSC-W350 camera specially for Summerfest. I wasn't about to bring my good camera in there and create problems with it!



The weather was wonderful-no rain! Yet it was hot and humid inside the Marcus. Took my shirt off.

I could be wrong, but there seemed like a lot more people this year than the last! I tried to find out the official attendence, so far I got nothing...But I'm sure as hell I saw a lot of Rush T-shirts!

All in all, I had a great time! Many memories! Wish I could share them all! Each concert a different vibe...A different story....

Happy Fifth of July!

I know the title sounds strange, but here in Racine, it's the truth! Because the forth landed on a Sunday, the city celebrated it's festivities on the fifth. Heaven forbid if religious ceremonies got in the way....

Anyways, not wanting to put up with the large crowds, I decided to stay close to home this year. I already had more than of enough of crowds and traffic after dealing with two days of Summerfest. So, we went to the zoo. Enough though the Racine Zoo is not as impressive as Milwaukee Zoo or even the San Diego Zoo, it's a work in progress. The price of admission is only six bucks per person. I know it's cheap, but a few years ago it was free. Oh well...


After a quick dinner, we went to watch the fireworks at near by Shoop Park. I wanted to avoid the crowds at the beach. The night was pleasant as we sat on the pier watching the waves. Saw fireflies doing their night watch... A wonderful way to end my two week vacation...

Tomorrow, it's back to reality....bummer....

Rush at Summerfest!

Just got back from another AWESOME night at Summerfest! This time I saw Rush! No words could describe the show I saw! In a word, maybe...Unf*@ckingbelievable! Rush pulled off an almost three and a half hour show. No opening act whatsoever!

After a rather humorous film clip about Rush coming into being (staring the band themselves), the band exploded into "The Spirit of Radio"! This sent a sea of air drummers into a frenzy! The video projections behind the stage displayed not only the band in action, but videos of the songs all well! No detail was left unchecked. The stage set up was an elaborate set up of a time machine like thingy that looked like a cappuccino maker with horns covering the amps. The band plowed though tunes from yesterday and today. Tunes like "Time Stand Still" , "Freewill", "Presto", "Marathon", "Subdivisions", "Working Them Angels" and even a brand new number called "BU2B" were offered the masses with great delight! Then the batteries died on my camera....



The second set started at dusk. The lighting was perfect! A major bummer for my camera with dead batteries... Nevertheless the show must go on! Another video later, the trio slammed the audience with "Tom Sawyer" and the ENTIRE Moving Pictures album! Yup, the full length of "The Camera Eye" included! I was really getting stoked here! Thinking the night just couldn't get any better, it did! I had my shirt off enjoying the summer sweat Having a beer. The Big Bang Fireworks celebrating Summerfest were going off over the lake behind us. Summer just couldn't get any better at this moment!

Rush played the new song "Caravan" before going into the customary drum solo by drummer god Neil Peart. Afterwards, guitarist Alex Lifeson did an acoustic guitar solo that flowed into "Closer to the Heart" To top the night off, the band did a rausous version of "2112"'s "Overture" and "Temples of Syrinx" and ended with "Far Cry" from Snakes and Arrows

For the encore, Rush played "La Villa Strangiato" and a reggae version of "Working Man" The show ended with a hilarious video of a couple of fans sneaking into their dressing room seeking autographs!



As I left the Summerfest grounds and was heading for the Main gates I saw glimpses of Counting Crows finishing of off their show... A Hell of great night!

The set list...

The Spirit Of Radio
Time Stand Still
Presto
Stick It Out
Workin' Them Angels
Leave That Thing Alone (instrumental)
Faithless
BU2B
Freewill
Marathon
Subdivisions

Tom Sawyer
Red Barchetta
YYZ
Limelight
The Camera Eye
The Witch Hunt
Vital Signs
Caravan
Drum Solo
Closer to the Heart
2112-Overture/Temples of Syrinx
Far Cry

La Villa Strangiato
Working Man

Yes at Summerfest-the Review!

I just got back from seeing Yes at Summerfest. Yeah, it's kinda late, but you how it is after a concert.... The typical traffic jams that plague the shows afterwards. This one was no exception. Well maybe, there was this drunk passed out in the parking lot....that's another story.

Anyways, my son, myself and a friend of mine went to Summerfest this afternoon to meet up with some other close friends of mine there. They had plans to go see the Scorpions at another stage. So we chatted for awhile. While waiting for Yes to make their appearance, I ran into some blogger friends of mine Dan and Joe Heuer there. We chatted for awhile before we ran off in different directions.


Yes pulled off an excellent show! They played mostly their classic tunes from their early years. Coming onstage during the show's opener "Firebird Suite", they rocked into the night starting with "Tempus Fugit" from the Drama album. From there, the band forged into more familiar material from earlier days like "Yours is No Disgrace", "And You and I", "Roundabout" and "Starship Trooper" Guitarist Steve Howe had his moment of glory with his acoustical solo "The Clap" The newcomers singer Benoit David and keyboardist Oliver Wakeman shown that they are worthy of being part of the band. Even though Benoit is no Jon Anderson, but he sure sounds a hell like him. Oliver sounded like he learned a few tricks from his father!

Here's a setlist from the show:

1. Firebird Suite
2. Tempus Fugit
3. Yours Is No Disgrace
4. And You And I
5. Perpetual Change
6. Mood for a Day/The Clap
7. I've Seen All Good People
8. Owner of a Lonely Heart
9. Roundabout
10. Starship Trooper

My Best Albums from 1972-1977

Well folks, here it is! My top 25 albums from 1972 - 1977. Sorry it has taken me awhile to get to this, but now that I've got the time you shall have it. A little time on my hands can be a dangerous thing ( j/k).

I was just a young kid at this time riding my bike around a suburban dead end street wearing my bell bottom jeans. Sometimes my friends and I would run off to a near by park to build forts, ride our bikes on trails, play football and go fishing at the reservoir there. So many great childhood memories... not a hair of care in the world...

To me this is one of the golden eras of rock and roll. Looking back at it, the music at the time was beyond spectacular! Seems like all the great bands were all out there and jamming away. Makes me wish that I was older and saw some of these bands in concert. The funny thing though, my folks never listen to this kind of music. They often listen to the likes of country and easy listening. Oliva Newton-John,John Denver and Barry Manilow comes to my mind. I know - YIKES! So folks here is my list....

Led Zeppelin Physical Graffiti-1975 Perhaps you have known this by now, I live, eat, breathe Led Zeppelin. This album however, is my favorite of all time per say. This album covers every corner of Zeppelin- from the hard driving " Custard Pie" to the Middle Eastern tainted "Kashmir". The Celtic influenced "Black Country Woman" and the bar boogie of "Boogie With Stu" are totally mind blowing! I could on and on about this album, but just take my word for it, this album is a must have for any collection!

Pink Floyd The Dark Side of the Moon- 1973
Rock and roll's stereo wet dream! Slap on a pair of headphones, light up a puff and you're gone...This milestone of rock shattered many records including being in the charts longer than any other. Not only that, it opened doors for multi-dimensional tracking. Can't forget about David Gilmour's guitar solos on "Time" and "Money".

Yes Close to the Edge-1972 I was a HUGE Kiss fan when I first heard this album. Boy, was I ever amazed to hear such talent! Never before I considered rock and roll to be a form of art. This album changed my outlook on music as a whole.

Queen A Night at the Opera-1975 One the first albums I've ever bought. What inspired me about this album was the different musical styles that prevailed here. The bone crunching "I'm in Love With My Car", the acoustic folk of "'39", the waltz on "Lazying on a Sunday Afternoon", the opera of "The Prophet's Song"-it's ALL there! Yeah, "Bohemian Rhapsody" is on this album.

Fleetwood Mac Rumours-1977 With their marriages and relationships broken asunder and the drug abuse that was going, it's hard to believe that this album would go anywhere. Somehow this voltile combination made the perfect chemistry for a classic masterpiece. The lyrics about relationships gone bad and perfect harmonies just make it unreal...

Aerosmith Rocks-1976 The nastiest, the grittiest, the baddest assed record around! Aerosmith just pummels your senses to oblivion! This album just drives me wild!

Rolling Stones Exile on Main Street-1972 Probably the most druggist album out there! I've recently bought the reissue and I'm loving it. This album always been so dark and mysterious to me. Every time I listen to it, I keep hearing something new...

Rush 2112-1976 The album that turned me unto Rush. I just love the instrumentation and the imagery of the title track. Yup, the full 20 minutes of it! Led me into me being a full blown loyal Rush fan.

Neil Young Harvest-1972 The ever changing styles of Neil Young never ceases to amaze me! This all out acoustical folk album touches my soul for some reason I can't explain. Maybe it's because of the heart searching lyrics and the compelling melodies.

Kansas Leftoverture-1976 One the first albums in my collection. One of the few band out there that has a violin player. A brave and bold idea that works-bringing in multi-dimensional jams! Complete with heartwarming lyrics! "The Wall" is the most personal song to me.

Boston (s/t)-1976 Arena rock at it's best! There is nothing in the world that could compare to Tom Scholz's distinct guitar sound and Brad Delp's soaring vocals! Selling well over17 million records, this band certainly made it's mark in the rock and roll world!

Heart Dreamboat Annie-1976 I have and always will love Heart. One must think this band is some sort of "chick rock", I dare say NOT! This Zeppelin influenced band has got more balls and creativity than many bands out there!

Deep Purple Machine Head-1972 The driving force on this album is like no other! Ian Gillin's bloodcurdling screams on "Highway Star" and Ritchie Blackmore's virtuosic guitar work on "Space Truckin'" are some great examples on how great this record is. I have to include Jon Lord's Hammond pushing skills are impressive on "Lazy"! A must have for any head banger's collection!

Eagles Their Greatest Hits (1971- 1975) - 1976 I had originally promised that I wouldn't include compilations nor live albums in these best of lists, but I'll make an exception here. It's so hard trying to figure out what's my favorite Eagles album is. This album basically covers my favorite Eagles songs in this time frame. I just LOVE the harmonics, the melodies, and the lyrics of early stuff from the Eagles!

Lynyrd Skynryd Second Helping-1974 It was a toss of a coin between this album and their debut album. Both are absolutely out of this world! Together they would make one hell of an album! This southern fried, triple axe welding, boogie blasting band takes their redneck whisky drinking Confederate flag waving music to the ultimate levels! Makes you wanna grab a beer and boogie all night in the swamp!

Allman Brothers Band Eat a Peach-1972 Speaking of the South... I just LOVE LOVE the Allman Brothers! Recorded around the time of founding member Duane Allman untimely death, the band carried on without him only to lose another brother (Berry Oakley) . Even though the loss was great, the band pulled off some terrific songs like "Blue Sky", "Melissa" and "Trouble Me No More".

Bad Company (s/t)-1974 The bluesy vocals of Paul Rogers and the hard driven guitar work of Mick Jones playing off the incredible rhythm section of Boz Burrell and Simon Kirke were the perfect combination for this band. Tunes like "Ready for Love" and the title track flows easily through my mind.

Bruce Springsteen Born to Run-1974 I just can not believe how inspirational these lyrics on this album! With the exception of Bob Dylan, nobody can write lyrics better than the Boss. When I listen to this album I get a visual landscape of dreams, love, angst, and escape. Besides this album has a special place in my heart.

Bob Dylan Blood on the Tracks-1974 Speaking of Bob Dylan, no album bare one's soul than this album. Dylan was going through a divorce while recording this album. It covers love, loss and anger in inspirational terms.

Blue Oyster Cult Secret Treaties-1974 Blue Oyster Cult was never really consistent album wise. They can create some absolutely incredible songs and some down right shitty tunes. However, this album is the most consistent from them. Tunes like "Astronomy", "Flaming Telepaths" and "Career of Evil" are among their best!


Emerson, Lake and Palmer Brain Salad Surgery-1973 I was really into prog rock for awhile. ELP blew my mind with their over the top keyboards, the smokin' hot drumming of Carl Palmer and Greg Lake's talent for music. The super epic "Karn Evil 9" will always one of my favorites.

Kiss Alive!-1975 Sorry, I HAD to throw this one in! If it wasn't for Kiss, I probably wouldn't be getting rock and roll as much as I would now. They may not be the most talented band out there, but they sure had a flair for showmanship! Besides, they're FUN!

Rainbow Rising-1977 One of the most underrated albums in hard rock! Ritchie Blackmore and the boys formed a supergroup using a wide array of talent. The meandering guitar and ivory interplay really blazes the path here. Ronnie James Dio's voice just gives me the goosebumps on "Stargazer"!

Black Sabbath Sabbath Bloody Sabbath-1973 Sabbath was broadening their horizons with this album, bringing more progressiveness into the fold. Darker lyrics about demons and drug abuse began to reflect thier lifestyle. A get for any metal collector!

Steely Dan Can't Buy a Thrill-1972 I recently got my hands on this album and I was impressed by the talent here. This band seems to go in a wide variety of directions here-jazz, blues and rock! Wish I had gotten my hands on this album sooner!

David Bowie The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust-1972 I never really was a huge fan of David Bowie, but I have deep respect for his music. This critically acclaimed concept album does wonders to my ears!

I know that I may have missed quite a few artists here, but there were SO MANY to choose from at the time frame. Hey, it's one of the best eras of rock and roll!!!!