tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56613022810364106282024-03-07T15:53:59.070-05:00Dig A Hole, Fill It UpBehind the scenes in the mind of a music industry insider.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549357567190213655noreply@blogger.comBlogger70125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661302281036410628.post-53808161414730053462017-10-03T14:54:00.000-05:002017-10-03T14:55:48.939-05:00Me and Tom Petty<br />
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When I was a teenager, my friends and I headed to the downtown record stores to check out the new releases for that week. Some of these were the latest from our favourite band while others were records we had been reading about in Circus Magazine. And, sometimes, we just picked up a record whose jacket looked interesting. The first Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers album fell in to that last category.<br />
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It was the Fall of 1976. The sneer and black leather jacket on the cover said "punk rock." That was good enough for me. When I got the album home "Rockin Around With You" was close enough. Of course "Breakdown" came next and it certainly wasn't punk but, damn, it was great. I was hooked by the songs and Mike Campbell's guitar playing. Of course it was "American Girl" that sealed the deal and Tom Petty was one of mine!<br />
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July 5, 1980 New York City. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers play the Palladium (the Joe Perry Project opened the show). It was the end of my first year at NYU and I was staying in the city to play in Born Ready. This was the first time I saw the band live and it was mind blowing. There were no bells and whistles and no fancy costumes. You couldn't take your eyes off of Tom. This was straight up rock and roll and the energy of the band made the whole thing feel relentless. At the end of the night I was exhausted and inspired.<br />
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It was September 2003 when I took Melanie to see the band for the first time. They played at the Molson Amphitheater in Toronto. Melanie thought that she didn't know any of their songs. Boy, was she wrong. The band was on fire, as usual. Tom was a total shamen that night. It was magic. They could do no wrong.<br />
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July 2014. Career highlight. When you meet your heroes it can go one of two ways. I've been lucky most of the time. I brought CBC to LA to talk to Tom about their latest album and the upcoming tour. Prior to the start of the interview, I got to spend 10 minutes alone with him while we waited for make up to arrive. I got to tell him my story and he smiled appreciatively and talked enthusiastically of the impending re-issue of the expanded Wildflowers. I commended him on never writing any shitty songs. He sniggered and said "Oh, we've written some real stinkers. We just don't play them for anyone."<br />
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This past summer Tom and the troupe pulled in to Toronto on their 40th anniversary tour. The band was excellent, as always but I didn't stay for the whole set. The folks sitting behind me kept talking and it was distracting. And, as much as I love the band, I'd seen them at their best and it felt too much like nostalgia to me. I have no criticisms. I have Top Petty radio programmed in my car.<br />
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I didn't get upset when I heard the news. I sighed and posted a thank you for all of the great songs. Tom Petty never released a bad record. It was a remarkable run. If you haven't already, watch the doc and read the biog. "She was an American Girl, raised on promises" and he delivered on the promises he made in 1976.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549357567190213655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661302281036410628.post-42803451397251094992015-07-28T16:01:00.000-05:002015-07-28T16:01:17.721-05:00Jimmy F'n Page!! What was said in the car?It's been a few years since I posted anything in this blog but the time has come to return with another story. Coincidentally, my previous post was about an encounter with Jeff Beck. This story is about one of his best friends and co-conspirators in the Yardbirds - Jimmy Page.<br />
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Jimmy came to Toronto last week to play selected tracks from the remaining Led Zeppelins re-issues he's been working on for the past few years. Between interviews and at dinner we had a chance to chat and, I'm glad to report, he's a fantastic and engaging person equally interested in the people he is talking to as we are in talking to him. He had fantastic tales to tell with remarkable recall of being a teenager discovering great blues records at house parties attended by the likes of a young Keith Richards and Mick Jaggar among others. Of course we talk guitars and he shared a number of great Zeppelin stories too.<br />
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If you read my Jeff beck piece you'll recall me telling Jeff that watching him smash his guitar in the film Blow Up was my inspiration to picking up the instrument. I told Jimmy the same and he told me a great story about the audience member who was to grab the guitar pieces up off the floor and how he'd get the shit kicked out of him during every take, coming up with his glasses askew.<br />
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It was impossible for me to not geek out and ask some questions that only he could answer. The burning question I had was "Where does the inspiration come from? What was the spark that led to the riff?" When I asked specifically about "The Ocean" he would only acknowledge that the riff had unusual notes but would give me no more. I thought better than to push so I left it alone - until the next day.<br />
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At the end of his CBC interview he told them to play "Achilles Last Stand" because Zeppelin was known for long songs and this was the longest (he said that with a chuckle). Back in the car I decided to try again and asked about the opening notes of the song.<br />
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"It's an unusual sequence of notes," I said.<br />
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"Yes, it is," was his brief reply.<br />
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""So, where does that come from? Are you just noodling around and the note just show up?"<br />
<br />
He turned to me and with a stern voice and arched brow said "Well, maybe, calculated noodling."<br />
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That was it. I was shut down. "Okay. I have nothing else. I am an empty vessel. I will shut up now." But after a few seconds of silence he turned around and put his elbow on the seat back.<br />
<br />
"They are Flamenco chords," he said.<br />
<br />
"What?"<br />
<br />
"They are Flamenco chords where the notes are plucked appegio as opposed to playing the chord."<br />
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That satisfied my curiosity. Jimmy Page wrote songs. He didn't wait for magical inspiration.<br />
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Later that night, during the playback to the music, I sat in the back of the room two seats over from Jimmy. I watched him as he listened and seemed to relive the recording of each song. When it got to "Achilles Last Stand" I started playing air guitar and air drums cause you just can't not. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted Jimmy going the same. We both kept going and going because - well, you just can't not. And, when the song finally ended the audience in the room erupted and Jimmy and I high-fived one another! Holy shit, I can't believe it either! <br />
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Jimmy Fuckin' Page!Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549357567190213655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661302281036410628.post-16472903268676540812010-12-16T13:16:00.003-05:002010-12-16T13:27:52.590-05:00Me and Jeff BeckEarlier this year I had the honor of working with Jeff Beck. As you know from a previous post, I think that Jeff Beck is the greatest guitarist of all-time. We released his latest album, Emotion & Commotion, in April but back in February he came to Toronto for a tour date with Eric Clapton. Hours before the concert, following some interviews about the new record, I got to have a few minutes with Jeff, just shooting the shit. After the concert was over, in a room filled with <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">gawkers</span>, we finished out "talk." It went something like this:<br /><br /><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Pre</span>-concert<br /><br />Me: "I don't want to <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">embarrass</span> you by gushing (Jeff smiles), but you're the reason I started playing guitar."<br /><br />Jeff: "Really?"<br /><br />Me: "Yeah. back when I was growing up they used to play Blow-Up on TV all of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">the</span> time and, even though the movie scared the crap out of me, I would always watch it for that scene in the club where the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">Yardbirds</span> played "Train Kept A Rollin'."<br /><br />Jeff: "But all I do is break my guitar."<br /><br />Me: "Yeah, but it's the way you break that guitar." (we both laugh)<br /><br />Post-concert<br /><br />Me: "That was really great."<br /><br />Jeff: "Yeah. Thanks."<br /><br />Me: "You know, I just wanted to mention that even though you were who inspired me to start playing guitar, I didn't dare try to learn how to play like you."<br /><br />Jeff: (<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">smiling</span> broadly) "Yeah, well, what would have been the point, really."<br /><br />Fuck yeah!! Jeff beck was exactly as I would have hoped he would be - charming, funny, willing to accept the compliment he's heard a million time <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">before</span> and, most importantly, slightly self-<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">effacing</span>. Good times.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549357567190213655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661302281036410628.post-21731835124576541152009-06-26T09:30:00.002-05:002009-06-26T09:50:25.809-05:00Me and Michael JacksonI never met Michael Jackson but I did have a number of Michael <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Jackson</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">experiences</span>.<br /><br />Michael Jackson is only 18 months older than me. When I was in grade school and the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Jackson</span> 5 had their first hit, "I Want You Back," guys like me were labelled jealous by all of the girls that swooned over pictures of him and his brothers. I was already a Stevie Wonder fan so it wasn't a stretch to like the Jackson 5 though I would never admit it to my classmates. And who could resist the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Saturday</span> morning cartoons? Not me. I even liked the ballads though I thought that "Ben" was just plain <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">weird</span>.<br /><br />In college, Michael Jackson's Off the Wall was the record that broke the monotony of Pink Floyd's The Wall (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">hmm</span>, coincidence?). Any party that was in the least bit subdued was sparked to life by "You Better Be <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Startin</span>' Something."<br /><br />I was already working in the music industry when Thriller came out. I was one the the millions watching the Motown 25 Special that night he busted out the moon walk. Everyone, and I <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">mean</span> everyone, was talking about it the next day. When he slid across the stage that night you knew that you were watching one of the most important TV <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">moments</span> in history. I remember sitting in the offices at Chrysalis Records reading the story of how he planned on spending a million dollars to make the video for "Thriller" and thinking that he was insane.<br /><br />Back in Toronto, I saw the Victory tour at the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">CNE</span>. Ask anyone who saw that show and they will tell you that it was one of the most <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">incredible</span> things you could imagine. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Parliament</span>/<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Funkadelic</span> built the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">mothership</span> but Michael and his brothers flew it that night! But no amount of pyrotechnics could over shadow the dancing. The evening was otherworldly.<br /><br />The videos for "Bad" and "Dirty Diana" made Michael look cool.<br /><br />I remember that ABC <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">premiered</span> the video for "Black or White" and Michael started looking freaky. It took a while to appreciate the song but it did eventually sink in. Most of what Michael recorded after "Black or White" was too sappy for me. I hated his duet with <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Janet</span> on "Scream."<br /><br />I always thought that Michael was a good looking guy and never understood why he started with the cosmetic <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">surgery</span>. His troubles with child molestation accusations and random bizarre acts always threatened to take the shine off of his star. feel sorry for him. Maybe because we're of the same generation. If only he had a chance to have a normal life, perhaps he'd be alive today. Perhaps he would have made many more interesting records.<br /><br />I have nothing else to say.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549357567190213655noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661302281036410628.post-81393638230451184912009-04-07T15:31:00.003-05:002009-04-07T15:38:19.662-05:00Jeff Beck is the greatest rock guitarist of all-time<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/a6KnuS7xbGs&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/a6KnuS7xbGs&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />Do not argue. Just let this blow your mind!Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549357567190213655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661302281036410628.post-54826335206853747912009-03-23T09:10:00.003-05:002009-03-23T09:38:33.319-05:00My First Rocket Launch<object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0kGXma9zCw4&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0kGXma9zCw4&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object><br /><br />When I was three, I remember my brother keeping a scrapbook of John Glenn's first orbits in space. For years afterwards I would crack open the yellowed pages of his black covered composition book into which newspaper clippings were heavily glued (he was only eleven at the time after all).<br /><br />When I was seven I built a large model replica of the Saturn Five rocket all by myself. The model, when finished, was about three feet high and all of the stages separated and there was even a lunar module that folded up and tucked inside the final stage.<br /><br />As a family we watched the space flights of Apollo 7, 8, 9, 10 and on that fateful day in July 1969, we sat transfixed in front of our black and white TV at the cottage, transfixed to the ghostly images coming from the moon as Neil Armstrong floated down the LEM's ladder.<br /><br />As I got older, my fascination with space flight never abated. I read Mitchner's Space and Wolf's The Right Stuff. I joined NASA's junior space program that came with a library of books you could fill with stickers that were regularly sent to you. My favourite toy was astronaut Major Matt Mason. I wanted to be the first man on Mars.<br /><br />I've been to he Kennedy Space Centre 3 times. 10 or 15 years ago I had the good fortune of meeting Buzz Aldrin (the second man on the moon) in the green room at the Dini Petty Show and ended up with an autographed photo.<br /><br />The one thing I was missing though was watching a live rocket launch. That finally happened last week.<br /><br />The family and I drove to Florida for a March break vacation. Because we couldn't get in to our rented condo until Monday, the plan was to drive to Titusville (outside the Kennedy Space Center) to arrive Sunday afternoon, tour the Kennedy Space Center on Monday and then drive in to Orlando to set up shop for the week. I knew that there was supposed to be a shuttle launch a few days earlier but I didn't know that it had been delayed because of a hydrogen leak. At dinner on Saturday night, Mason said that his grandfather told him that there was going to be a launch on Sunday. I was stunned. I grabbed the blackberry and googled Nasa and sure enough there it was...7:43pm on Sunday night - the launch of Discovery. The boys had never seen me so excited and I began to obsess for the next 20 some odd hours.<br /><br />We checked into the Super 8 in Titusville around 4pm (we paid $55 for a room that was now going for $135) and the boys had a quick swim before we headed out to pick up a pizza and head down to the Indian River to get a prime spot from which to watch the launch.<br /><br />Though we had to wait over two hours, it was well worth it. I don't know that pictures or video can do it justice but it was great to be able to scratch this off the bucket list. Now Mason says he wants to be the first man on Mars - could happen!Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549357567190213655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661302281036410628.post-8338199362016184272009-03-05T15:07:00.004-05:002009-03-05T15:48:45.227-05:00My first bandI always considered myself musical. I took piano lessons when I was 8 (from the daughter of my mother's best friend who then sent me home with keys drawn on a piece of paper to practise on since we didn't actually own a piano). My mom likes to tell stories about how I banged on pots and pans in lieu of having toys. The first time I actually asked for anything extravagant it was for a banjo after having seen Flats and Scruggs on the Beverly Hillbillies. One day after school, on a whim, I bought a mandolin at a bookstore just because I figured I could figure it out. Now, I didn't say that I was any good at playing any of these but at least I showed some enthusiasm. <br /><br />In the Spring of 1976 I was in the living room of my parents house listening to my favourite album, Cat Steven's Tea For The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Tillerman</span>. My brother played guitar and it just so happened that he had the songbook for the album and it just so happened that the songbook was in the living room. I opened it up and followed along with the songs. When I saw the illustrations of the chords printed above the staffs of music I had an epiphany - "I can do this." With a great deal of that previously mentioned enthusiasm, I <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">leaped</span> to my feet and rushed in to the den to get my brother's Ovation guitar. It is with some <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">embarrassment</span> I tell you that he was in the room with his girlfriend and I saw things that I probably should not have seen. But as a boy on a mission, I ignored the obvious and took the guitar without asking and headed back to the living room. Over the next few hours I was able to learn a couple of songs from Tea For The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Tillerman</span> as well as Simon and Garfunkel's "Sounds of Silence." I was so excited about my new found prowess that within a week I had bought a knockoff Les Paul imitation electric guitar made by Mann.<br /><br />Two weeks later I found myself in a friend's basement auditioning for his band, Phlox. Phlox means flame in Greek. This was the seventies so finding a name with a second meaning was very important. For instance, Rush could mean "hurry" or "unexpected thrill" while <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Rhinegold</span> could mean...<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">something</span> or other. I don't really know what <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Rhinegold</span> means it's just that's the ma,e of Larry <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Gowan's</span> band from the seventies and they used to play the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Piccadilly</span> Tube all of the time. But I digress. Back to Phlox...<br /><br />I wish I could remember the names of the guys in Phlox. But I do remember that Ansley Dunbar was the lead guitarist because Ansley was black and played an upside down white <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Stratocaster</span> just like <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Jimi</span> Hendrix. No, Ansley did not play like Hendrix. When I showed up at the audition I could play exactly five open chords (A, G, C, D and E). That got me through the first few songs but then when we got to "Pinball Wizard," I suddenly had to learn how to cope with barre chords. I didn't want to get kicked out of the band for being inept so I <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">studied</span> Ansley's hands intently and suffered cramps trying to keep up. <br /><br />I went home and spent the next week practising those chords every waking moment and when I came back to the basement seven days later I was ready to move on. Sadly, though, the other guys were ready to move on as well and the band disbanded right there and then before the second rehearsal even began. That's rock and roll, I guess.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549357567190213655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661302281036410628.post-22387064570411762022009-03-02T15:07:00.002-05:002009-03-02T15:46:59.261-05:00My Worst Day Ever - MotorheadToday I name names. i said that I wouldn't but enough people have heard this story that if I tried to fudge it most would figure it out. So, for those of you who haven't heard it, hear it goes...<br /><br />In 1986 (was it really that long ago) I was working for Attic Records and we were about to put out the new <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Motorhead</span> album, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Orgasmatron</span>. I was pretty stoked at the time because <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Motorhead</span> had released one of rock's must-have albums, Ace Of Spades, as well as one of the great live albums of all-time, No Sleep Till <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Hammersmith</span>. Getting to work with a rock legend like Lemmy was sure to be a career highlight. Oh, how right I was.<br /><br />The band pulled in to Toronto as the opening act on the Alice Cooper tour. Though their <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">availability</span> was limited, I managed to arrange a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">pre</span>-taped interview at Q107 and a live interview on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">MuchMusic's</span> Power Hour. I drove up to Maple Leaf Gardens and parked in front of the band's tour bus. The tour manager was right on the ball and within fifteen minutes Lemmy and his mole were in my front seat of my Mazda 626 while <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Philty</span> Phil lounged in the back.<br /><br />As we drove up to the Q107 offices, Lemmy announced that he wanted liquor. I told him I'd get them some once the interview was done. They insisted that I get the Jack Daniels right there and then. I told them that we were running late and I was pretty sure they didn't allow liquor in the studio at Q. Lemmy didn't care. He swore that he wouldn't do the interview unless I got him his drink. I made a deal with them - "Let's go to Q and while you do the interview I'll get the Jack Daniels. as soon as you come out of the studio, it's yours." Either Lemmy or his mole <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">galumphed</span> which I took as "okay."<br /><br />I returned to the studio only to discover that Lemmy and Phil sat in the studio the entire time I was gone, refusing to say a word until I got back with the bottle. Joey Vendetta was doing the interview and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">reluctantly</span> gave each of the guys a taste. When we were done at Q we headed back to my car for the drive to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">MuchMusic</span> studios.<br /><br />The whole way done University Avenue, Lemmy and Phil exchanged the bottle taking long swigs. When we got to Much we were told that they couldn't bring bottle in to the studio. I explained to the producer that they wouldn't talk without the drink and since they were scheduled to go out live as co-hosts it could cause a bit of a problem. The solution was pouring the booze in to two nondescript cups from which the guys would chug throughout the show.<br /><br />If you saw the tape of their interview you'd be able to watch these two rock giants get blitzed over the course of the next hour. The highlight came at the end of the interview. We had a giant <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Orgasmatron</span> poster that the band was to sign for a contest winner. The plan was to hold up the poster and have the guys encourage viewers to write in for the contest. They held up the poster alright but then they started to eat it. No, seriously. Both Lemmy and Phil started to rip chunks off the poster and stuff them down their mouths. The Power Hour ended, mercifully at 5:00pm and we drove back to Maple Leaf Gardens.<br /><br />But, dear reader, the story has not yet ended...<br /><br />After <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Motorhead's</span> set I was to go back to the dressing room and have them sign the poster. I stood at the door and knocked and knocked and knocked. After 15 minutes, the road manager came out and said he'd take the poster in, get the guys to sign it and come right back out. 15 minutes later and nothing. 30 minutes later and still no poster. No one had come in or left the dressing room. Alice Cooper finished his 90 minute set and still nothing. Alice Cooper had taken off the make-up and still no poster.<br /><br />Around 11:30pm the door finally opened and the road manager apologized that the poster still hadn't been signed. He invited me in to try and get it signed myself. When I entered the room I saw the poster on the ground covered in foot prints. I picked it up and in defiance I walked up to each <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">bandmember</span> asking them to sign. I went to Lemmy last and he refused. I was pissed off and couldn't leave the room without Lemmy's signature. That would have been like leaving the Beatles dressing room without Lennon's John Hancock. He tried to walk away but I followed him and reminded him that I got him his liquor when he neither allowed it or deserved it. He took my Sharpie without a word and grudgingly scratch his name in to the poster.<br /><br />A year later I ran in to the road manager at Rock n Roll Heaven. he wasn't with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Motorhead</span> anymore. he apologized to me for the band's behaviour that day. It turns out that as they arrived in the bus Lemmy announced to the band that they would be treating the local promo rep (in this case me) like shit, just for the fun of it. Oh joy! Lucky me!Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549357567190213655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661302281036410628.post-14042265929286174192009-02-17T14:31:00.003-05:002009-02-17T15:18:08.979-05:00Even Worse (pt. 3) - Mouse or Rat, Steve Jones, the endWhen I joined Even Worse, Jack already had a few songs from the previous incarnations of the band and he played them on the piano to show me the chord changes. He played the classics like "Last Night's <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Blimpie</span>" and "Mouse or Rat." I then turned <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">around</span> and taught Tim how to play them on bass and then showed Thurston the chords on guitar. <br /><br />I don't <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">remember</span> the exact date that Even Worse went in to the studio to record the aforementioned "Mouse or Rat" but I do remember that we literally went underground that summer day to lay down the tracks and the studio was both claustrophobic and hot. Oh, yeah, I don't think that Thurston was actually there for the recording so I played both guitar parts. Jack was friends with a great graphics artist (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Sumishta</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Braun</span>) who designed the record sleeve.<br /><br />The last gig I ever played with Even Worse was at Irving Plaza. We played with Adolescent Youth (with members of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Beastie</span> Boys), Heart Attack and Kraut. Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols was doing some recording with Kraut at the time and he planned on joining them on stage that night. Early in the day, while we waited to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">soundcheck</span> I had a little chat with Steve about his days in the Pistols. I was curious as to how a band that claimed to be poor could afford such grand equipment (top of the line guitars and amps) and clothes (leathers from head to toe). He quite matter-of -f<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">actly</span> told me that they stole everything and then went in to some detail about breaking in to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Keith</span> Richards' house and coming out with his guitars (at least that's the way I remember the story - though it could have been a lie). Later that night Jones broke a string on his guitar and leaned in to the mic "Can Steve from Even Worse come to the stage, I need to borrow your guitar." I don't think so!<br /><br />Earlier that night Jack and I got in to an argument about getting paid for the gig. He said that he needed to use the money from the show to pay for the pressings of the "Mouse or Rat" single. I told him that I needed the money to buy food. He gave me an ultimatum. Either I contributed my portion of the gig money or this was the last show I'd play with Even Worse.<br /><br />My last show with Even Worse was a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">doozie</span>. I remember Adolescent Youth playing a punk rock version of the "Can Can" for about 15 minutes with all of the young girls from the hardcore scene up on stage with them. I wore army pants tucked into Wellingtons that were turned over at the top. At one inglorious moment, one of the kids in the audience <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">raised</span> his <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Heineken</span> to salute to me and then turned it upside down and jammed the bottle into my boot. It turns out he hadn't drunk a drop from the bottle. That was the most expensive <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">soaker</span> of my life.<br /><br />Even Worse went on without me. This was Jack's band <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">after all</span>. I went to see them play a couple of times and it was fun to watch my friends rile up the crowd. Thurston and Kim were an amazing couple and I wished I had stayed friends with them over the years. I think that their success has been incredible. I stayed in touch with Kenny for a few years while he began his career and started his family. Tim and I caught up with one another about 13 years ago when, as an A&R exec at Atlantic Records, he signed <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Hootie</span> & The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Blowfish</span>. And finally, there's Jack Rabid. I hadn't spoken to Jack in 25 years and then last year, on the off chance that the Big Takeover still <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">existed</span> I looked him up online. He was good enough to send me a copy of "Mouse or Rat" (which you can try to find online for $150, ha!) and he took the time to correct some details of my story (that remain clear as fuzz to this day).Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549357567190213655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661302281036410628.post-89183927241735637282009-02-12T10:42:00.001-05:002009-02-12T10:46:47.683-05:00What’s My Muthafuckin Name?…SantigoldI thought that the music intelligencia would enjoy this press release we issued today:<br /><br />Change the graffiti on the bathroom wall, get your tattoo fixed, get your t-shirt airbrushed and change the name on your year end list- Santogold is now Santigold. She’s not telling you why, that’s just how it is. No unpronounceable symbol, no numbers where they shouldn’t be, no random capitalization, just plain ass Santigold so remember that.<br /><br />Downtown/Lizard King released Santigold’s self-titled breakthrough CD in April and it instantly became one of 2008’s most acclaimed albums garnering international raves. Critics and radio have championed the record’s standout tracks “L.E.S. Artistes”, “Creator” and her latest single “Shove It”.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/santigold">http://www.myspace.com/santigold</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549357567190213655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661302281036410628.post-12141041288352561882009-02-10T09:37:00.003-05:002009-02-10T16:20:49.554-05:00Chris Brown vs RhiannaI watched the Grammy Awards for the first time in years a couple of nights ago and I planned on writing a post on all of the reasons I thought they were horrible. Yesterday morning, as I drove in to work I heard that Chris Brown may have gotten in to a fight with his girlfriend Rhianna prior to the show and their planned performance slot was filled in last minute by Justin Timberlake with Al Green. Late in the day yesterday I got a a phone call from a reporter from Macleans asking me to comment on the Chris Brown incident.<br /><br />The call from Macleans was the second that I had received in as many work days. Someone called on Friday to ask me to contribute to an article suggesting to BNL's Steven Page how to repair his image. I refused that request outright but somehow felt that commenting on Chris Brown was either not my place or totally necessary. After some hemming and hawing I commented.<br /><br />I start with the fact that I don't really know the facts. I don't read celebrity magazines or gossip columns in newspapers so I don't really find these kinds of stories terribly interesting. But, of course, presuming for a moment that they did get in to a physical fight, what bothers me is how this type of coverage titillates the public and leads to further coverage of downtrodden celebs.<br /><br />My eldest step-son is a devotee to the show Celebrity Rehab. When we asked him why he watched the show he said because it was educational and shows you the effects of drugs and alcohol. That's a reasonable explanation for watching the first episode but not the rest of the season.<br /><br />The problems that celebrities have are the same the rest of the world has but they have to live these problems out in public. What people forget is that celebs are people too. Or, maybe they don't forget that. Maybe they like to hold these people up and then revel in the fall from grace. Maybe seeing celeb's mugshots makes the general public feel better about themselves. They laugh, take about them at the water cooler and Google to their hearts content waiting for the next police report in the entertainment section.<br /><br />The Macleans reporter asked me if I thought that Chris Brown could resuscitate his career after an incident like this. I qualified my answer by saying that, as far as I know, he hasn't yet been charged with anything. Then I told her that I honestly believe that at the end of the day musical artists are judged on the quality of their music not on how they live their lives, good or bad. If Chris Brown makes a great record it will sell and he will be popular. If he makes a bad record no one will care but they'll say Sunday night's incident had a negative impact on his career. If Michael Jackson makes a great album, you can't tell me that it wouldn't sell shit loads.<br /><br />The reporter asked me for an example to illustrate my point. Though I knew it to be true I couldn't really think past Puff daddy and the gun charges. Maybe that wasn't the best example. And then it hit me. Though it's not music related it is an entertainment story that dominated the front pages and cooler talk for ages. basketball star Kobe Bryant is still the most popular player in the game despite the fact that he cheated on his wife and was accused of assault. But he continues to play the game at the highest levels and people admire him for that.<br /><br />Celebrities are not looking to be held up as role models but they are. Yes, they have a certain responsibility to make sure that hey don't tarnish their reputations with ridiculous actions. But we all have the same responsibility. We just don't covered in the press.<br /><br />Read Macleans article here: <a href="http://blog.macleans.ca/2009/02/10/how-do-you-spin-this/">http://blog.macleans.ca/2009/02/10/how-do-you-spin-this/</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549357567190213655noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661302281036410628.post-70093684769238703672009-02-05T14:56:00.003-05:002009-02-05T16:57:47.746-05:00Even Worse (pt. 2) - Rick Rubin, hardcore life and getting it straightThere were only a few places to play in NYC during the hardcore punk era, but Even Worse played most of them. And when we went on "tour" it was to New Jersey. The first gig off of Manhattan that I remember playing was at Maxwell's in Hoboken.<br /><br />The thing I remember most about that night was that it was the show in which we debuted the song "1984". I have no idea how I came up with the riff for the song but it remains one of the best (and certainly one of the most complete) songs I ever wrote. The lyrics were a take on the book which I had just finished reading (in 1982) for the second time. Lots of Big Brother talk and there was a break down in the middle that Kenny, our singer, could improvise. This was always my favourite part because Kenny would come up with some crazy stuff, usually from whatever the headlines in the Post were that day.<br /><br />The song was kind of slow and plodding and the "crowd" (maybe a hundred people) started skanking around in a giant circle in the middle of the dance floor. After watching so many shows with mosh pits filled with flailing arms and legs, it was pretty cool to see the chaos become somewhat organized with a song they had never heard before.<br /><br />Another "memorable" (more on why I have quotes there later) gig was also one of the most infamous. We had a show booked at a giant hall in Garden City, New Jersey. We were the first of three bands on the bill. The headliners were Millions of Dead Cops (MDC) and Hose, Rick Rubin's (yes, that Rick Rubin) band - sort of a kind of Flipper tribute band.<br /><br />Rick lived in the same NYU dorm as Tim, Kenny and I. All of this stuff was before he started Def Jam with Russell Simmons. We all sort of moved in the same circles at the time (Rick Moreno, the front desk clerk at the dorm went on to direct a number of Beastie Boys videos including "Fight For Your Right To Party" - he plays the landlord in the bathrobe) and Rick asked me to join Hose. Now, it wasn't that I was so loyal to Even Worse but I really thought that Hose sucked and I couldn't see myself playing that kind of music. Rick was cool and totally understood. We stayed on friendly terms for years and would catch up every once and a while at a Warner sales convention or when I'd fly to LA for business.<br /><br />Back to Garden City. We were running late and our car got stopped for speeding. We should have turned around right there, but we didn't. When we got to the hall, we set up the gear and took the stage to a sparse crowd of about 50. A couple of songs in to our set a girl hopped up and sat on the edge of the stage. Moments later she lit up a cigarette. There was a faction in the punk scene at the time called 'straight-edge" that didn't condone drinking, smoking or drugs. We didn't call ourselves "straight-edge" but we also didn't condone any of the aforementioned vices. We happen to be playing our yet to be released single "Mouse or Rat" and at the end of the song, Kenny went to kick the cigarette out of the girl's mouth. He missed the cigarette and clocked her right in the face.<br /><br />Though he apologized immediately (by telling her she shouldn't smoke:) the damage was already done. It turns out that she was the Queen of the Jersey City punks and the crowd reaped its revenge by pulling Kenny off stage during the middle section of "1984" and kicking the crap out of him. It should be noted that neither Tim, Jack or myself came to Kenny's rescue (Thurston didn't play this gig with us) but we did play on. Kenny rolled himself back on to the stage and sang the rest of the set sitting on a milk crate behind Jack's drumkit.<br /><br />Now, you'd think that that was enough but it wasn't. After our set (which we recorded) we were in the parking lot outside during Hole's set when the hall doors burst open and the crowd came running out. Somehow the sprinkler system had gone off soaking everyone inside.<br /><br />Now about those quotes around the word "memorable". This story is how I remeber it but last year I got in tuoch with Jack Rabid and in an exchange of e-mails he corrected a few details:<br /><br />"...that other show you mention was at a place called "city gardens" in trenton, whereas the traffic ticket we got was for speeding in connecticut on the way to a show in bridgeport's pogo's or some club in east haven, i can't remember which (we only played the latter once, with vatican commandos, now known as moby's former band if i have that right, and lost generation--or was it reflex from pain? they all started to sound alike apart from c.i.a. who were fantastic).<br /><br />there's a paragraph about even worse in the book "american hardcore," but it's got about 12 factual errors including many missing members, misspelling the names of the members actually noted, and for some reason also includes my real first name which they got wrong as well! (it's paul; they had me as pete). a new edition is coming out and i sent a slew of corrections. i am not confident they will get it right or much care. but we will see."Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549357567190213655noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661302281036410628.post-70509629652556926682009-02-03T15:38:00.003-05:002009-02-03T16:06:29.377-05:00Cheap TrickI just accepted an invitation to join the Cheap Trick group. I'll never forget the first time I ever heard Cheap Trick. I went home that night feeling like I was a member of a secret society.<br /><br />In the summer of 1976 I answered an ad in the Toronto Star in which a exotic Japanese electric guitar was up for sale. It turned out that the seller lived a few blocks from our apartment so I went over to take a look. After ringing the bell, the door opened to the world of Jim Parrott and Dee Dack. Jim and Dee were a husband and wife who's lives were dedicated to rock 'n' roll. For years they had published an underground fanzine called Denim Delinquent and had first hand stories of Iggy Pop and Ray Davies.<br /><br />The guitar was red, ugly and a horror to play but I quickly became friends with Jim and Dee who used their extensive record collection to give me my earliest music education. They introduced me to the Stooges, MC5, Amboy Dukes, Dictators, Blue Oyster Cult and a million other garage bands from the late sixties. In addition to Denim Delinquent they also wrote for Backstage Pass, a magazine published by CPI for its preferred Cheap Thrills ticket holders and handed out at concerts.<br /><br />On a particular evening that summer they asked me to babysit their son Eric while they went to an album launch. It was an uneventful night with Eric who watched TV with me until he fell asleep. Jim and Dee came home around 11 o'clock and he had a white 12" album cover under his arm. I had never seen an album advance before and I was curious as to what this new band sounded like.<br /><br />I remember that the advance folded open and the four band members popped up from the gatefold. From the moment the needle hit the record and the first chords of "ELO Kiddies" came out of the speaker I was hooked. At school the next day I told anyone who's listen about this band Cheap Trick. Once pictures started to show up in magazines I put together homemade buttons that marked me as Toronto's first Cheap Trick uber-fan.<br /><br />A couple of months later, Cheap Trick was on tour with KISS and playing in Southern Ontario. I went to the concert in Kitchener with Jim and Dee who were scheduled to interview Cheap Trick (they already knew Gene Simmons who was a fan of Denim Delinquent). It was the first interview I ever saw with a band. At the end I asked Rick Neilsen if he had any tips for a new guitarist. His suggestion was that I pay attention to how sloppy he was - and play very loud. When I watched him that night, I saw exactly what he meant.<br /><br />Right before In Color came out, Cheap Trick played two nights at the El Mocambo. CHUM FM broadcast one of their six sets. I went to both nights and I don't think they repeated more than two or three songs at those shows. Rick Neilsen ended the first night by jamming his Explorer shaped Hamer guitar in to the ceiling.<br /><br />When their Budokon album became a huge hit I was, of course, repulsed by the screaming little girls. For my money, Cheap Trick was a hard rock band with witty songs and great melodies - not a pop band! But I am nothing if not loyal and I kept going to see Cheap Trick concerts and buying their albums (even though I realized that Dream police was only half good). I didn't really turn my back on them until "The Flame" but then I turned my back on Aerosmith too when they started playing girl ballads.<br /><br />Years later, Cheap Trick put out the album Monsters Under the Bed on Warner and I got to work with the band and I related the above story to them. Rick claims to remember Jim and Dee though he didn't remember my question about playing guitar.<br /><br />Anyway, that's why I joined the Cheap Trick group on Facebook.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549357567190213655noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661302281036410628.post-2169738360507270252009-01-29T12:43:00.002-05:002009-01-29T13:09:49.178-05:00Even Worse (pt. 1) - Thurston MooreOnce upon a time in a band far, far away I played guitar in a little punk rock combo called Even Worse. The singer's name was Kenny Tantrum. The bassist was my college roomate Tim Sommers who went on to work on MTV News, play in Hugo Largo and sign Hootie & The Blowfish to Atlantic Records. The drummer was Jack Rabid, who remains true to his punk roots to this day publishing his long running punkzine The Big Takeover. The other guitarist was a fairly tall fellow named Thurston Moore. You might recognize Thurston as the guitarist songwriter for the extremely popular and influential band Sonic Youth. Our version of Even Worse made one single, "Mouse Or Rat," that you can occasionally find on eBay for about $100US. I'm pretty sure that copies cost that much because it is a limited edition single of a band that Thurston once played in. Truth be told, he's not actually on the record.<br /><br />If you're paying attention you might have noticed that I refereed to "our version of Even Worse." You see this was actually Mach 3 of a band started by Jack Rabid. They got their name the night of their first gig. They opened for a band called The Worse. You figure it out from there. In the summer of 1982 Even Worse Mach 2 had fallen apart and Jack asked Tim to help him keep the band together. Tim had a popular hard core punk radio show on WNYU at the time called "Oi! The Show". What Tim didn't have though was any musical expertise so I offered to teach him how to play bass. From there it only made sense to sign up as the band's new guitarist. Kenny lived in the same dorm as us so he was asked to come try out as the singer.<br /><br />When we all arrived for our first rehearsal, Thurston was there too - invited by Jack to round out the line-up (this was before he was Thurston of Sonic Youth - though he had already started Sonic Youth (more on that in a bit) - this was when he was Thurston, formally of the Glenn Branca Guitar Orchestra). Jack got us started by teaching us some Even Worse songs and then we played a few covers (including Motorhead's "Ace of Spades" which was a big song at the time). What was most curious to me at the time was that Thurston's guitar need to be re-tuned after every song and I had to walk over and do the tuning. The reason for his faulty tuning became clear to me a couple of weeks later when he invited us down to the Mud Club to see Sonic Youth play one of their earliest gigs. I was aghast to discover that his guitar playing consisted of jamming a screwdriver in to the strings and banging them with a drum stick. I figured that his tuning problems were the cost of originality.<br /><br />A few weeks later Even Worse returned to the Mud Club to play our own gig. Halfway through our show Thurston and I were having some fun imitating some of KISS' choreographed moves, swinging our guitars up and down when the stock of his guitar came down "CRACK" on the skull of a skinhead whose smile grew bigger the more blood he sensed falling from the wound. After the show Thurston tried to apologize to the guy who waved him off. If he remembers that night he's got a great story to share with his grand kids. "See this scar? Thurston Moore did this to me before he was ever famous!"Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549357567190213655noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661302281036410628.post-37154745342768844752009-01-09T14:50:00.000-05:002009-01-09T14:51:24.472-05:00The Musical Brain“The Musical Brain” airs on January 31st at 7pm ET on CTV.The documentary is based on the studies of Professor Daniel Levitin, who wrote the best seller This is Your Brain on Music.The show features three artists in different genres, Michael Buble, Wyclef Jean, and Feist. The context focuses on what is happening within the brain when an artist works out different ways of making music. Sting is the “guinea pig” for this show, working one on one with the scientist, having an MRI etc.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549357567190213655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661302281036410628.post-524819810202168322008-10-15T15:40:00.002-05:002008-10-15T15:53:22.653-05:00Totally Not CoolAfter I published my last post about meeting Walt Frazier, I got to thinking about how uncool I have acted when I've met some of my "heros" over the years.<br /><br />My friends and I waited over an hour at the rear entrance to Maple Leaf Gardens for jeff beck to emerge after his Wired concert in '77. We then chased his limo for 15 minutes while it circled the neighbourhood traying to loose us (finally stopping only a block away from the Gardens at the original Four seasons Hotel). Once he stepped out of the car he autographed my ticket stub. As I sat on the subway going home, I stared at the ticket and realized I had nothing to say to him.<br /><br />I met Muhammad Ali at the corner of 53rd and madison, my last week of living in New York. I crossed the street, and stuck out my hand and said "Champ, you're the greatest." He thanked me and shook my hand with his giant maw. When he walked away I had a story to tell people who only smiled kindly and acted like they cared.<br /><br />A few years ago I met Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page in short succession. I figured that as a guitarist I'd have something profound to say or ask. Wrong.<br /><br />Same thing with Stevei Ray Vaughan. I met him in the elevator at the Mayflower Hotel in New York shortly before he became a superstar. Everyone was already talking about him though because of his guitar playing on Bowie Let's Dance album. I'll spare you the boring details one our one way conversation. Needless to say, I'm sure I didn't make an impact.<br /><br />Nor did I make an impact on Zenon Andrusyshyn. The Argo kicker mocked me and my chubbiness as I chawed on an ice cream bar and vowed to be a better football player then he ever was.<br /><br />Glamour, glamour, glamour. That's all my life has been.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549357567190213655noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661302281036410628.post-41301435535236532712008-10-10T10:14:00.002-05:002008-10-10T10:21:35.983-05:00I Met Walt FrazierForget all the rock stars! This is Walt-Freakin-Frazier! I was at the Park Hyatt to pick up Miss Thang and there he was - resplendant in a bight blue suit with a pink cotton shirt festooned with pink satin flames. Clyde still dresses super fly!<br /><br />You see, Walt's the reason I'm a basketball nut. When I was a kid I watched him lead the Knicks to a waold championship. The games were on tape delay in Toronto and my folks let me stay up late to watch the post-11:30pm broadcasts. I drove my mom crazy, anxiously bouncing my basketball against the wall making little black marks that I spent most of the next morning cleaning. When I played hoops, I was always Walt Frazier dishing off a hot pass or driving (my version of driving) down the lane.<br /><br />I took this once in a lifetime opportunity to tell Walt the story. He thanked me with a big smile on his face and then folded himself into a cab to head of to the ACC for his gig as a color analyst with the Knicks. Walt Freaking Frazier. Sweet!Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549357567190213655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661302281036410628.post-36871694838259433092008-10-03T12:20:00.002-05:002008-10-03T12:29:08.898-05:00More AC/DCThere's a new album coming out in a couple of weeks, Black Ice. There has been a lot of anticipation among those of us who have longed for their return to form. Advance word was overwhelming that this new record was going to be a nugget.<br /><br />Well, with the arrival of the first single, Rock N Roll train, came disappointment. This is B level AC/DC at best. XM radio channel 53 is programming all AC/DC all of the time and it not only revs up the engines for one of the world's greatest rock bands but it also shines the klieg lights on some of their duller moments. Certainly RNR Train cannot stand up to anything previous to For Those about To Rock. And then yesterday I heard, for the first time, War Machine and it was aweful. A second listen a few hours later confirmed the worst. And yet, as a diehard fan I STILL hold out hope against hope that the new album will rock.<br /><br />My favourite AC/DC album remains Powerage. maybe it's because it was the first AC/DC album I ever bought (certainly not the first I ever heard) or maybe it's because of all of the records the band ever recorded, it sounds to me like their most diverse without sacrificing the quality of the material.<br /><br />Bob Lefsetz pointed out that the band hasn't had a consistent album since the death of Bon Scott - with rumours of Scott's involvement with Back In Black before his death. Sadly, that seems to be the case. Half of For Those about to Rock is great and after that every album has had one, maybe two, shining lights.<br /><br />AC/DC's coming back on tour and I'll be there. I hope that Black Ice is better than the first two songs suggest.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549357567190213655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661302281036410628.post-4846278347812822232008-01-29T16:00:00.000-05:002008-01-29T16:15:35.756-05:00I Ain't Like It Used To BeThere are two phenomenon that cause me great consternation. On the surface they seem to be polar opposites to one another but is reality they are intertwined.<br /><br />On the one hand we have those music fans that are constantly bemoaning that music just isn't as good as it used to be and that records definitely sounded better in the analog days long before digital.<br /><br />On the other hand we have those grizzled veterans who swear up and down that music is still a vital and exciting part of their life and they discover at least 2 or 3 records a year that come close to changing their lives every bit as much as the first time they heard the Beatles' Revolver.<br /><br />Are either of these people telling the truth? I don't think they are and i think both are.<br /><br />You see, when you're growing up and you're starting your life as a music fan, everything is fresh and new and exciting. Every new record is a profound discovery that seeps in to your soul and enters your bloodstream. In retrospect, how can anything you hear in subsequent eras of your life compare to those first few years of discovery?<br /><br />On the other hand, there are kids today discovering new music for themselves and they are having the same experience as we had oh so many years ago. In a couple of years, they will discover the music that we loved and they will embrace it but it still won't be the same as the records that were recorded for them today by their generation of musicians.<br /><br />No point...just saying.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549357567190213655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661302281036410628.post-84542180563157417962008-01-23T15:42:00.000-05:002008-01-23T16:23:57.090-05:00What ever happened to...The title could apply to any number of artists but in the case of this post I am talking about Wide Mouth Mason and The Soundtrack of Our Lives. before you begin typing away about how both bands still exist and have released new music (I know, I know), please hear me out...<br /><br />In the mid-90's Wide Mouth Mason literally burst out of nowhere - if you consider Saskatoon nowhere. Freshly signed to a major label they toured across Canada as an unknown opening act for Big Sugar. Each night, by the end of their set - after a rousing version of Stevie Wonder's "Satisfaction" and guitarist Shaun Verrault's orthodontic pyrotechnics - the crowd was converted. When their debut came out it was no surprise that it was certified gold in Canada and their touring base was solid. Three guys, one stage, incredible show, awe inspiring sound. I watched them do the same throughout the mid-west of the U.S. In Kentucky, while opening for Kenny Wayne Shepard, I watched as the guys got a standing ovation just for walking through the club after their blistering set.<br /><br />Wide Mouth Mason were a blues-based band. As a classic three piece it made sense. After the first flush of success they settled in for their second album and decided they wanted to reach a pop audience. Their album sales declined. And on the third album as they continued down that path their sales continued to dwindle. You can blame it on many things and there's no definite answer but if a band does something well, why not stick to it, perfect it and let your audience celebrate it. Wide Mouth mason never lost their live edge but their performances suffered from weaker material.<br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1oygBEA0tJA&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1oygBEA0tJA&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><br /><br />As for The Soundtrack of our Lives...their performance 5 years ago at the Opera House in Toronto was a rock and roll epiphany for me. Their command of the stage and dynamic performance revived my faith in rock and roll and kicked my ass into the new millennium. The album Behind The Music was classic mixing The Who, Stones and Pink Floyd into a beautiful stew. the single "Sister Surround" got a ton of airplay and the video was in regular rotation everywhere. Their lead singer wasn't your everyday pretty boy but audiences couldn't take their eyes off of him. The band was poised to be the next big thing. And then they recorded their new album and the music wasn't as vital. Critics panned the record and music fans voted with their wallets. The Soundtrack of Our Lives disappeared off the North American landscape as quickly as they had appeared.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/skB0O6nN98Y&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/skB0O6nN98Y&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><br /><br /><br />It's a shame that Wide Mouth Mason and Soundtrack of Our Lives aren't forces anymore. Their live shows were what put "incendiary" in to rock and roll.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549357567190213655noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661302281036410628.post-91868250291240579482007-12-19T13:59:00.000-05:002007-12-19T14:01:53.299-05:00Bob EganOne of my favourite Canadian musicians isn't Canadian at all. I met Bob Egan when he was a member of Wilco during the Being There years. He lives in Kitchener now and plays with Blue Rodeo. Here is the beginning of Bob's bio:<br /><br />It officially started backstage at the Irving Plaza in New York City when Johnny Cash shook my hand and asked if I was the new steel guitar player in Wilco. "Well, I'm not sure Mr. Cash. I've never played full-time in a band and I have this business back in Chicago. I mean they asked me to join but that's a pretty big step, it is a tough business."<br /><br />He nodded and looked me in the eye, "It can be a hard road but if your heart's in it, it can be a good life."<br /><br />An hour later as I watched Johnny from side stage I had tears in my eyes from the power of his music. Jeff Tweedy turned to me and said "Are you gonna join this fuckin' band now?"<br /><br />A month later I sold my business and got on a tour bus for a 2-year ride. That was a decade ago.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549357567190213655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661302281036410628.post-30626983791044254232007-12-13T10:16:00.000-05:002007-12-13T10:17:19.950-05:00Led Zeppelin Kasmir London 02 Arena<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QZxukPZ0pjA&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QZxukPZ0pjA&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549357567190213655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661302281036410628.post-35118467584506585772007-12-13T10:04:00.000-05:002007-12-13T10:13:54.601-05:00Led Zeppelin at London's O2 ArenaThe hoi paloi were out that night. For the record, I am not a part of the hoi paloi. A colleague of mine watched the concert from the Ertegun box and had this story to tell me.<br /><br />Mick jagger and his girlfriend were also in the ox that night. Like most of the crown, jagger spent a majority of the concert on his feet dancing the night away. Near the end of the concert, Jagger's assistant suggested that he should leave early to miss the crowds coming out of the arena. he agreed and said his good-byes to everyone he knew in the box. he gathered his coat and headed out the door.<br /><br />But before the door closed Zeppelin went into "Kashmir" and the door burst open again. Jagger ran back in, threw down his jacket and reclaimed his position in the box to dance to one more tune. I understand it was a terrific night for everyone.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549357567190213655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661302281036410628.post-78756853781127382472007-11-27T15:56:00.000-05:002007-11-27T16:11:53.576-05:00From Magnificent to Maligned to NostolgiaMy buddy got the recently released Brit Box set from Rhino which, all at once, aged him. "How did the music of my youth suddenly become nostalgia," he asked. he then went on to point out that of the three discs one was jammed full of hits, one had some hits and the third was all filler. Of course filler is only one opinion. When Rhino works on these boxes they are trying to piece together a quintessential snapshot of an era. one man's filler is another man's goldmine.<br /><br />One could argue (and win the argument) that any three set box intended to encapsulate an era would do the same. My era would be mid-seventies hard rock. But after some Ted <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Nugent</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Aerosmith</span>, Kiss, Queen and Thin Lizzy, what's next? I love Judas Priest but someone else might want to hear Black Oak Arkansas. As a fan of seventies rock I had to endure the years that everyone laughed in my face and called it the lost decade of rock and roll. I stayed true to my record collection and a few years ago the seventies finally started to get the recognition it truly deserved.<br /><br />The same can be said of the new wave which seemed so saccharine and plastic not too many years ago has suddenly come back into vogue and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">sacchariney</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">plastically</span>.<br /><br />The nineties are due for a comeback too. For as popular as Nirvana remains, the countless <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">soundalikes</span> are sure to be recognized as the collective saviours of rock and roll and herald the decade as a sort of renaissance.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549357567190213655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5661302281036410628.post-48989729490356517682007-11-20T12:45:00.000-05:002007-11-20T12:58:07.584-05:00Norman MailerI lived in Brooklyn Heights years ago. Norman Mailer lived there too and I would often see him out for a walk on Clark St., shopping at Barnes and Noble or leaning over the railing on the Promandae looking at Manhatten (pre 9/11).<br /><br />I didn't read much mailer, but what I did (Executioner's Song, The Fight) blew my mind. I loved listening to him talk in interviews and always appreciated that he had built a tough guy persona for himself.<br /><br />One of the romantic notions I always talked about while living in new york City was the fact that I was walking the same streets, past the same brownstones as some of the most important writers in history. Norman mailer could be the last literary hero of our times with no one really waiting in the wings.<br /><br />All those time I saw him I never spoke to Norman Mailer.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12549357567190213655noreply@blogger.com0