Tuesday, February 27, 2007

The Night I Sang with Brian Wilson

A number of years ago I was down in LA with MuchMusic working on a number of interviews. One day we spent a couple of hours at Madonna's house on Los Feliz tapping her MMVA acceptance speech and then we drove over to Brian Wilson's house to tape an interview about his album Imagination. This isn't a story about that trip.

This story took place a couple of years ago at Massey Hall. Brian Wilson came to Toronto to perform Smile. The atmosphere among Toronto's music intelligentsia was electric. This was the night they had waited most of their lives for. A few months earlier, I sat in Paul Quarrington's home playing him an advance copy of the album. It was slightly surreal given that he was preparing for an interview with the inspiration for Whale Music.

Back to Massey Hall. Brian had agreed to do a few interviews before soundcheck. Among them was 30 minutes spent with Peter Mansbridge taping an interview in the balcony of the hall. If you ever have the chance try to catch Mansbridge One On One with Brian Wilson. It's fascinating.

After all of the interviews were done he headed down to the stage for soundcheck. Rather than running through one of the songs on Smile though, Brian decided to teach the band a new song he had written that morning. The band members gathered around him at the keyboard at the front of the stage and watched his hands as he banged out the chords. They then went off to each of their own instruments and Brian walked from one musician to another describing exactly what he wanted them to play. Over the course of the next 30 minutes the song unfolded itself from Brian Wilson's brain right there on the Massey Hall stage. He had hoped to perform the new composition that night but as suddenly as the music started, union regulations called for a dark stage.

90 minutes later I found myself sitting in Brian's dressing room. There were a bunch of posters I needed him to sign but he was busy working on harmonies for the new song with his assistant. His assistant sang the lead and Brian played piano and worked out the complimentary vocal parts. Between run throughs we chatted about the song and its themes (love, peace, understanding) and then, suddenly, Brian asked me to sing the lead. I was a little shocked. No, change that, I was terrified. He insisted. I protested that I couldn't sing. He assured me that everyone could sing. Reason got the better of me. This would be a great story...The day I sang with Brian Wilson!

They handed me the lyric sheet and Brian counted me in. I missed the cue and we had to start over again. I gave it my best shot. I sang with as much heart as I could muster and then it was over. I waited for the verdict. Brian looked to his assistant and said "He could be a back-up singer." And that was that. I was relegated to the back of the stage by Brian Wilson.

Later that night Brina and his band put on a show that will be talked about for years. Every recognizable face in the Toronto music industry was there. When it ended the ovation was deafening. We went down to the Century Lounge for the meet & greet after the show. Brian sat behind a table, smiled for photos, signed autographs and accepted the universal praise.

I never look at the picture they took of Brian and I together. It just wouldn't do justice to that night I sang with Brian Wilson.

Monday, February 19, 2007

Rick Rubin

Rick Rubin was featured in Time Magazine last week. He produced a bunch of huge records this past year. He ended up winning producer of the Year at the Grammys. Rick Rubin is the producer that is at the top of everyone’s wish list. Here is my Rick Rubin story.

I moved to New York City in 1979 to go to NYU. I lived in the Weinstein dorm on University Place. A year or two later, Rick moved in to start his scholastic career. During my years at NYU I gained a bit of notoriety as the nob who insisted on playing his guitar on the front steps of the dorm. I was mocked mercilessly, especially by Mr. Rick (Menello) the grad student who worked the front desk and lorded over us with his encyclopedic knowledge of film history.

The music scene in New York at the time was a mish mash of many things. There was No Wave and Power Pop and a burgeoning hard core punk scene. I was already recruited to play guitar in Even Worse (with Thurston Moore on rhythm guitar) when Rick came up to me and asked if I would play with his band too. Rick’s band was Hose. I always remembered them as sort of a Flipper tribute band. I didn’t join Hose but there was that memorable night in Garden City New Jersey when Even Worse and Hose opened for Millions of Dead Cops. We got a speeding ticket on the way to the gig. The sprinkler system went off during Hose’s set.

The legend of the Beastie Boys in the dorm were true too. Their first demo tapes were recorded in the dorm by David Hoffert, son of Paul Hoffert of Lighthouse fame. Rick’s dorm room was a mess with music all over the place. For the record, AC/DC was huge for us back then. I don’t know if Rick ever did go to class.

Jump ahead a few years and Rick has started Def Jam with Russell Simmons. The Beastie’s breakthrough, “Fight For Your Right To Party,” was an NYU special with a whole bunch of characters from the dorm showing up including a cameo from the aforementioned Mr. Rick (he plays the landlord towards the end of the video) who directed the video (as well as “No Sleep Till Brooklyn” and the infinitely cool “Goin Back To Cali”).

I next ran in to Rick years later after he had started American Recordings which were then distributed by Warner. We spent some time catching up at one of Warner’s national sales conventions. He was pretty proud that he had kept on some of his friends from our university days.

The last time I spoke to Rick was about eight years ago. I was in LA on a business trip and stopped up at American for a meeting with their international department. I wanted to say “hi” to Rick but he wasn’t in so I left a message with my hotel information. At three in the morning the phone rang in my room. I picked it up and heard Rick on the other end of the line. He said that he was in New York shopping for antiques. It was six am in New York! We talked about work. We talked about family. We talked about music.

Rick’s a good guy. It’s a blast to see him do well. Kind of makes you proud.

Friday, February 16, 2007

Preview Neil Young Live at Massey Hall

We just got in this link to preview the DVD of Neil Young Live at Massey Hall. the CD / DVD comes out on March 13 and is a recording of Neil's Toronto show on January 19, 1971. A lot of the songs he performed on the show were to end up on harvest which was released a year later.

Take a look and enjoy.
http://streamos.wbr.com/wmedia/wbr/neilyoung/massey_hall_promo.wvx

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

You can't keep a good man down

And there's no better man than Billy Talent's drummer, Aaron Solowoniuk. A year ago, Aaron posted an announcement on BT's website that he had been living with MS for a number of years. Anthony Reinhart of the Globe and Mail has written a great piece in today's paper highlighting a sponsorship program Aaron and the band are starting.

Please take some time to read this inspiring story here: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070214.DRUMMER14/TPStory/?query=aaron+solowoniuk

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Prince, as guitar God!

The water cooler talk following the Super Bowl was that Prince's performance was the best thing about the show. he stuck to the hits and might even have made yourself relevant again. One thing’s for certain, if you didn’t know it before, you now know that he is one of the most under-rated guitarists of all time.

In the early 80’s, while going to NYU I tripped over prince while on a walk through Washington Square Park. One afternoon I watched while a roller skater danced to the song “Controversy” over and over again. The sound was so fresh to me. Like nothing I had ever heard before growing up in North Toronto. Coincidentally a few hours later I was in my friend Lori’s dorm room and saw that she had a Controversy poster on the wall. She played the album for me in its entirety and I was hooked.

Through most of the 80’s I was a Prince devotee. His song writing was always special and seemed spontaneous. His concerts were always part carnival (remember him coming out on top of the convertible on the LoveSexy Tour) and part revival (any time he played “Purple Rain”). The movie Purple Rain was a compelling peek at what his life might have sort of been like before hitting it big while the relative flop of Under A Cherry Moon still provided a number of comic gems (“It’s a recow stow!” “Versace or Basuchi, I just don’t know what to wear!”).

By the early 90’s though, his music seemed to become more self-conscious. I’m sure that he was still pushing himself artistically but it wasn’t connecting anymore. I came to work at Warner in 1992 and was thrilled to be working Prince records, but after Gold the whole thing seemed to flicker out.

Through it all though there was one thing you could never come away without be in total all. The guy could play a mother fu—er of a guitar. His slight demeanor and outlandish style had him pegged by macho f—ks as a f-g. But what he really was exhibiting was the strutting cock style that James Brown had delivered in the 60’s. If these morons had closed their eyes and just listened to him play, they would have rushed to the alter. Now, after his performance at the Super Bowl, they know what they’ve missed.

A couple of years ago, when George Harrison was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Prince joined Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty and George’s son on stage for a beautiful rendition of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” Watch and listen to an incredible blues guitarist that you probably never know existed.

http://www.warnerreprise.com/asx/tompetty_ghigentlyweeps_300-v.asx

Thursday, February 8, 2007

AC/DC in the Power Age



I grew up at the north end of Toronto. When I was teen and into rock and roll I would head downtown every Saturday afternoon to check out the new records that had been releasedthat week. I climbed aboard the #53 bus to Finch station and then rode the subway down to Dundas where I'd climb up to the street and head over to Sam the Record Man, A&A's and Jean Machine before walking uptown to stop in at Record on Wheels, the Record peddler and Round Records (?).

One day I walked into the jean machine record section and heard a crunching guitar that became one of many pivotal moments for me. The beat was relentless and the guitar was manic. The voice coming thorough the speakers was the most wonderful sound of fingernails on a chalkboard. I checked the "now playing" stand behind the cashier and immediately went to the racks to retrieve my own copy of AC/DC's Powerage.

As a fledgling young guitar god oh how I worshipped at the alter of Angus Young. Oh those fingers fleet of foot and riffs hard as...well, rock! I was a KISS fan but thought this was more sophisticated. I was an Aerosmith fan and thought that this was easier. AC/DC was about fun. AC/DC was about power. Hell, they even put that in the title.

I bought TNT. I bought Dirty Deeds. I played everything he best I could spending hours repeatingthe riffs on my own Mann electric guitar. And then they came to Toronto. AC/DC headlined at Massey Hall. Bon Scott was still alive then. It was AMAZING!




I took my camera to the show and got some great shots. Someone threw a beachball up on stage with a sign attached that said "We've got the biggest balls of them all." I was pushed up against the stage and lost myself in the electricity coming out of the Marshall stacks. Angus came stomping his duck-walk across the stage and almost crushed my camera. Good times!



I saw AC/DC with Bon Scott one more time, opening for Aerosmith at Buffalo's Memorial Auditorium. Like everyone else, I've seen the band a number of times since with Brian Johnson.





What inspired this posting though was the Juno award nominations announced yesterday. It reminded me of the last time the Junos were held in Toronto. They took place at the Skydome. warner held it's afterparty in the Founder's Lounge at the Skydome. It happened that Angus, Malcolm and Phil Rudd were in town to promote the band's latest release, Stiff Upper Lip. They came to our party and were hounded for hours by industry fans who elbowed each other to have their picture taken with our rock heroes. To their credit, the guys were phenomenally patient.





We had a cover band playing our party and around 1:00am the guys were coerced into taking the stage. Angus sang and played his heart out. Malcom and Phil held down a solid rhythm along with the cover band's bassist playing an upright acoustic. Angus sounded just like Brian or was it Bon? Who cares. It was aural bliss. Everyone rocked to "Back In Black," "Highway to Hell" and "Stiff Upper Lip."



If you live for rock and roll you live for bands like AC/DC!

Wednesday, February 7, 2007

Billy Talent at the ACC!




You can just imagine the pride that fills your heart when you've worked with a band from their can't fill a club days to headlining a sold out hometown show at the big hockey arena. Last Friday Billy Talent headlined at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. It wasn't just one date of an insanely successful Canadian tour - it was their homecoming.

Around 6:00pm that night, Ben and I were backstage walking past the stage entrance. We stopped for a moment and watched the crew make a few last minute lighting adjustments before the doors opened to the fans. Ben looked over and said in hushed awe, "This is what it's all about, isn't it?"

This picture taken by Dustin Rabin says it all. (www.dustinrabin.com)






Thursday, February 1, 2007

On Gene Simmons and commerce

The first time I met KISS was in the fall of 1981. I was at NYU and my roomate had a friend that worked in their management office. One day he got a call to say that the band was taping a promotional video for a new single and we were invited to come down to be a part of the audience. Remember, this is before MTV.

As a longtime member of the KISS army, I was raring' to go. As I've learned since, video shoots involve hours of waiting around with nothing to do. Didn't matter. This was KISS! We were herded into a soundstage that had the band's latest tour set up on it. The anticipation was intense. And then, there they were! In the flesh! But, oh my god!!!

I already knew that Peter Criss was gone and Eric Carr was now the drummer. That wasn't the problem. The problem was Ace had a weird page boy type haircut. Paul's hair was way shorter and he had a purple head band on. And Gene's hair was all matted down and in a pony tail. They looked like a new wave / hard rock disaster. But it was still KISS and I was finally going to meet them.

But wait, first they had to run through the song a few times. the clip was for the track "I" from what I would soon learn was the most horrible Music From The Elder. Paul spent the first 30 minutes teaching Ace the chords since, it seems, he was involved in recording the song. once the taping began you couldn't help but through the devil horns in the air. This was KISS and you want to make a good first impression.

During one of the breaks I mustered up the courage to go over and introduce myself to Gene. He was pleasant - in an arrogant kind of way. When I asked what was left for the band to conquer, he said they were putting together a tour of Russia. When I asked if they were concerned about the audience understanding them he said he didn't care just as long as they dished out the rubles. And then he pretended to flip out some bills "twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two..."

I've got even better KISS stories than that...