Mr crafty!

Look at the ice globe I made! How artsy!

What Time IS IT?

One of my favorites is back. With a new name ( The Original 7ven) that I HATE.  Reminds me of something you would order at Perkins.  Not that it matters, We all know its THE TIME!  The new CD, CONDENSATE is killer.  Much better than I thought it could be.  Anyway, I am off to see  Morris, Jesse, Jimmy Jam, Terry, Jellybean and Monte on Saturday night!  Cant wait! I got robbed of seeing them on the last reunion (They broke up 2 days before my show).  I am not gonna miss them this time!

I will write more about this....now check out the clip and put some chili sauce on it!http://www.theoriginal7ven.com/

What Time Is It? Original 7ven Members Talk Reunion: MyFoxTWINCITIES.com

Black Keys

The sun is gonna shine

On my blue guitar someday.  Sonic Blue that is. My new Fender Strat. Love it!

The color looks white in bright light, but in low lighting....the blue shines. Magical! :-)

Elvis In Fresno!

All groomed

My buddy is feeling so much better after having about half of his body weight removed in hair! Doesn't he look so regal!

My Team Is Looking Good!

Frampton Comes Alive 35

I have decided to take the plunge again and see Mr. Frampton.  This will be the 5th time I have seen him live. I have front row tickets for the 4th time. ( yes, I think he might be wondering if I just love his music. trust me, I am not stalking the now hairless Frampton.)

He is hitting the road for the 35th anniversary of the album that everyone that was alive in 1976 owned. Frampton Comes Alive.  For the anniversary, he is performing the album in its entirety and then selections from his career.  3 hours of frampton.  He has a new backing band (along with original bass player from the FCA album, Stanley Sheldon)  that is more energetic and less prone to sticking to the same stale arrangements.  This is the kind of Frampton I like, where he stretches out a little and shows off that great guitar playing that I love.

The clip below is from a show he will appearing on ( if you have direct tv) called the Guitar Center Sessions. Its airing on  6/11 @ 8pm cst.

Dirk- The German Moses!

Check out this funny ( at least I think it is) song about Dallas Mavericks Uber player Dirk Nowitzki.

Laydown - Prince

If you have been watching the NBA playoffs, you have seen this song leading in from the commercials. Its Prince how I like him the best. Playing lots of lead guitar.  There is still some hope for my favorite purple yoda from Minnesota.  Check it out.

RIP .Macho

The most colorful wrestler of my generation has left the planet.  We will miss ya Macho Man! 

Spring is here!

Finally, the sun has appeared. Time to plant some tomatos. Hope to place these on a few nice salads.

"New?" Cars

Slated for a May 10th release. The Cars come back with the first new music since 87. All of the band is back except for bassist Ben Orr ( who passed away in 2000 of pancreatic cancer). This song sounds like its something that could have fit right in on Heartbeat City. Its catchy and totally The Cars.

One More Show.

Now I have 3 shows to see this spring. Daptone records artist Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings. If you love vintage sounding Soul/R&B with a modern twist, you must check out the artists on Daptone.

This will be the first time that I will be seeing Ms. Jones. She is usually referred to as the "Modern Female James Brown". She is gritty and in constant motion when performing. I cant wait. I love this type of music. Its what I grew up on.

Here is a clip of a ballad and how she attacks it. It shows you the emotion she brings to a song. ( Take note youngsters.) Very excited for this show. (Row 6!)

New Foo's.

Check out the Stream of the new CD coming out soon.

Wasting Light by Foo Fighters

Aint No Sunshine.

Before I learned the Original Bill Withers version of this great song. I learned the Michael Jackson verson.

Still Bill

I just finished watching a great documentry about Bill Withers.  Now 72  and without a new piece of music since 1985, is a wonderful examination of what truly makes a man "a success".

For those of you that dont seem to remember Mr. Withers. Check out classics like "Aint No Sunshine" "Use Me" "Lean On Me".  This just scratches the surface. As with any artist worth its salt, its the buried gems that really reel you in as a fan.  Bill has many of these. Do yourself a favor and do some mining!

Back to the documentry. Bill was born in a coal mining camp, a kid with a bad stutter and labeled a failure by his peers. He spent years working on airplanes installing toilets on 747's  and in the military. In fact, by the time he had his first hit he was in his 30's.  This was a man that stumbled onto his fame, but never was intoxicated by it. He remained "Bill".  He also walked away from that fame to continue his life as a man. To be there for his family and also give back to others.  This is not just a movie about past glories, its about aging and perspective on life. I spent equal parts singing and crying while watching.  If you feel like getting to know one of the "real" people in this world you would love to spend a hour or two just listening to his story. This is a movie for you

Still Bill  (2009)

2 "Bucket List" Concerts

The never ending winter tour keeps rolling on for yours truly. The snow that fell around early November is still hanging around in late March. Ick! So, what could possibly grab me by the collar and awake me from this funky zombie like existence?

MUSIC!!!!

I have tickets for 2 shows that are on the list for "I have to see this act before I tip out of the canoe". Yes, both of these acts are old enough to be my Dad, but, they still can deliver the goods.

Jeff Beck- April 17th.

Bob Seger- May 12th

The Darkness Reforms.

Let the cheese flow! hahaha...love this. "New" Music to come this year.

My Son And I Get Upgraded!

As a nice perk, last night my son and I were picked out of the crowd to be upgraded from our regular seats  to  RECLINERS!

We were at our usual dreary Minnesota Twolves game when we were approached by arena officals to see if we would like the upgrade and if we would mind being on the jumbotron to show how we were enjoying the seats.  Being the shrinking violets we are, we almost pulled hamstrings running to the chairs!

It was a great night, I know my son loved it and I wont forget it.

Thin Lizzy - Jailbreak - 05 - Warriors

New Foo Fighters.

Love the lo-fi video of the new single. The new Foo's CD  is coming out in early April. 

Check out the new Doc that is airing on Paldia of LEMMY.  Interesting look at the fella that is driving the limo in this little clip.  For the metal meisters out there ( errr not probably the demographic of the few and loyal that read this thing) he is the lead head of the Uber Metal Group  Motorhead!

My Head Goes "Boom Boom Boom"

Take a slow glance at the above foursome, this is what passes for top notch entertainment in 2011.  Still digesting the "divatastic" slightly bloated over the top " I dont need to know the words , I am Xtina" version of the National Anthem. I was very hesitant to have to look at a plate of rancid Black Eyed Peas.

I can cut Christina some slack, its hard to sing that song in front of a billion people. Never been a fan of her singing all over the note style and having that pass for emotion. She is the one of the main reasons that almost every single woman under the age of 25 sings like that when auditioning for American Idol. Drives me nuts. Even guys are doing that to the point that I can mimic it perfect when they proudly announce they are going to massacre yet another Stevie Wonder song.  Sorry....mini rant finished

Now on to the Village People ( errrr Black Eyed Peas).  I dont consider myself to be a old guy when it comes to music. I can listen to what is considered music that is too young for me and find something that has some merit to it. However. Music to me means that you can sing and perhaps play a instrument.  Yes, the Black Eyed Peas do have Fergie, who is a good singer and Will I.Am. who has some talent when it comes to writing catchprases in songs that stick in your head ( if you want to or not).  However, last nights superbowl show just hammers home how lame music is today. When I have to be entertained by flashing suits, guitar players from the 90's ( please Slash, change your clothes, its not  1992),  Usher dancing like he is on fire and no mic to actually hear him sing or lipsync. I know its the beginning of the end.

Yes, the superbowl is the epitome of cheese. I cant ever say that any of these superbowl shows have made me jump out of my chair and weep with joy after seeing a artist nail it. My beloved Who croaked their way through its greatest CSI hits last year and I sat there wondering "What Now". Well, its 4 people screaming over a preprogrammed track and a tron fest to distract from the fact that these people do nothing!

(Please stay tuned after the superbowl when Glee massacres Michael Jackson's Thriller!)

The ultimate disgusto moment was when the "always available" slash came out of the stage to look like a automatron and play "Sweet Child O' Mine" and have Fergie ape Axl Roses vocal and snake dance.  Axl! Please get your goofy head together and give your REAL guitarist a shot at a REAL Guns and Roses tour.

Enough.....time for me to purge this bad meal. :-)

White Stripes Break Up

Sorry to hear this news. Always liked them.  I will just have to live with the other 500 bands that Jack White is involved with.

One from the little purple guy

My fave song from Purple Rain....angry, angsty....etc...

Bryan Adams. I must apologize.

Its funny, there was a time that I had a cassette tape that I made that had selected songs from Mr. Adams that I would put on and mildly enjoy.  That was around 1984 when I was in full on Michael Jackson/Prince funky mania.  I liked Bryan Adams but he was unfunky and kinda too 'corporate rock" for my young taste.  Then he put out that horrible "everything I do ( I do it for you) from that equally horrible Kev Costner Robin Hood movie. Every housewife and lonely heart bought a bakers dozen of that and at that exact point he lost me. Until now.

I ordered up his first 3 albums ( thats what they called them then) from the library. To my surprise, these are very good and consistant albums. Yes, a couple of the songs have too much cheesy 80's sax on em, but for the most part, they are your above average hook filled rock songs that stick in your head.

So big thumbs up Bry. I am diggin

1.

Has a lot of great songs that used to be played on rock radio. "lonely nights" "dont look now" when you play this you will be surprised how many of these songs trigger a memory. Maybe its just me? hahahha

2.

Lots of songs here. "Cuts Like a Knife" "This Time" Even the gooey "Straight From the Heart". ( dont tell anyone about that)

3

This was the Bry Mans thriller.  Almost every song on this album was a single and a hit. My personal fave is the Tina Turner duet " Its only love".  A smoker, even back when I was wearing purple and squealing like prince .