FreddyB

Well, this past Sat night Dawn and I had a choice to make. She had gotten an email offering free tickets to see J Geils Band at Atlantic City, or we could honor our commitment to go see FreddyB locally. Well, since she has not been feeling well for a few days, we opted to stay home. We went to a local country club for a fabulous dinner and were entertained by the strands of classic rock tunes performed by the one and only Freddie B. Now I must admit that I am giving a slanted review of Freddy B as not only is he a performer, but he is also the surgeon that saved my life. He will also be operating on Dawn in Oct. He is a multi talented performer. His guitar playing is great (one would expect from a surgeon), and his music is not overbearing. He even did an Italian song in honor of his mother. He ran the gamut from Billy Joel, Beatles, Stones, Jimmy Buffet, Loggins and Messina, to mention a few. All together it was a great evening out with Dawn and the crowd was one big happy family.

The Rock Royalty Tour

Went to a show at the Keswick that was truely very well named. The Rock Royalty Tour had probably 3 of the main British Invasion bands together in one show. First act was The Spencer Davis Group. Spencer was in great form with his voice still sounding like it did 40 years ago. He was an extremely gracious individual in that after his set, he hung out in the lobby of the Keswick for the remainder of the evening, chatting with fans and signing autographs. The next act were The Yardbirds. The have a talent for getting some great guitarist (past being, Clapton, Beck, and Page) and now Ben King is no exception. Ben is a fantastic guitarist and will help the band in the future. The songs were are done great with a lot of interplay between band members. And the final act were The Zombies. I have to admit that Colin's voice was in rare form and sounding better than ever. Rod was of course on the keyboards, and together they sounded great. I totally enjoyed the entire night, but still cant figure out how, an Iconic song such as "Gimme some Lovin" that is played probably every night of the tour, HOW can the keyboard player mess up the organ intro?????????? Other than that bad note incident, the memories flooded back to the days of my youth and being in a band.

It Snowed last Friday Nite

Dawn and I have been patiently waiting for the Snow to arrive and last Friday it finally did. We took the drive, after a rock start with demands from my job on call pager going off, to the Berks Jazz Fest in Reading PA and walked in on one of the best Snow falls we ever saw. Phoebe Snow was last seen by us as a walk on guest of Bonnie Raitt at the Mann Music Center a few years back, and we both wondered if we would ever get the chance to see her solo. Well lo and behold, she appears as a performer for the Jazz Fest, and I had gotten tickets for Dawn for a Valentines Gift. Even though we were late for the beginning of the show, what we did see was by far, one of the top 10 shows in my opinion we have seen in a looooonnnnngggg time.

Firstly, Phoebe is a funny woman. She, as she put it, "shamelessly promoted" her new album all night. Imagine our disappointment when after the show there was no merchandise available in the lobby. But "shamelessly promote" she did and mostly in a comical way. Next, she is a great story teller. But Most of All, she is a one of a kind vocalist. At 57, to still have control over her 4 octave voice is a feat mastered by only a God-given few. She has such great control over her legatos, as she effortlessly ran through her 4 octave range. Her ability to hold a note is amazing. Rarely, have I seen someone hold a note as long as she did on one song. Then, she has a rare ability, in that when she covered Janis Joplin's "Piece of My Heart", she paid her respect to Janis, all the while making the song truly hers.

The Band was tight as could be. Just drums, guitar bass and keyboard. Phoebe played guitar on one song, but it was her vocals alone, that had the crowd in a frenzy all night long.

We loved the show and will most certainly be picking up the "shamelessly promoted" album for continued enjoyment of this rare and wonderful songbird that is Phoebe Snow.

2009 Beatlefest

Well, gotta tell you, that Dawn and I had a great time this past weekend. We went to our first Beatlefest. We got all the information from my buddy Geno, and decided that we needed to get away and what better place to do so. We had no idea what to expect, even after being told by Geno how things go at these events. We stayed at the Main hotel, which was convenient, but the hotel itself left much to be desired. Even before we checked in I was getting autographs from people like Earl Slick, and Sid Bernstein. The was a sign to us of a great upcoming weekend. We were not disappointed. The only bad thing besides the hotel was that, like an idiot, I left the fest tickets at home. That proved luckily to be only a delay in the festivities. There was a great flea market open all day everyday, a daily puppet show(which was great), seminars with musicians related somehow to the Beatles, and a Sat nite dance. There were people hanging in the lobby(although I swear some of them just lived there) for the entire weekend just playing and singing Beatles songs. There were autograph sessions with all the event guests, including Greg Hawkes from the CARS, Mark and Brett Hudson, Ronnie Spector, various authors and photographers. There was live music going on somewhere and everywhere in the hotel for the entire time we were there. Dawn commented that never before or again will there be a band that has affected so many people that they warrant their own festival on a yearly basis that takes place several times a year in different locations. Not even Elvis or Frank Sinatra could command this type of event on a yearly basis for over 35 years as this one has. We are hooked and will attend again.

WHAT HAPPENED

Well, I would hope that some of you are wondering, "WHAT HAPPENED". There has not been any new activity for a while. Been going thru some stuff, and now there is upcoming major surgery later in Apr. For not maintaining this site, I ask for forgiveness. However I am back and hope to be with a vengeance up to the surgery date of 4/22 and resume again in May. I would however like to start this resurgence with some up coming shows. There will be some more local acts to see this month. I will be seeing both The Absolute Zeros, and Jim Boggia this month. Possibly the Cryers with Chad and Jermey, and upcoming show will include The Legends of Rock live in Asbury Park and possibly STYX (very hopeful on this one). Things will start poppin again as Spring and Summer are approaching and this is building up to be a great concert season yet again this year. Keep coming back for more updates

SUPER BOWL TIME

This weekend is the ever popular SUPERBOWL weekend. We are having the standard gathering of friends coming over to devour a dinning room table full of food along with all the kitchen counterspace being covered as well. I will be blogging during the show as I am not into football. I will update the blog site with reviews of Brian Wilson, Gregg Allman and his son Devon, as well as Igor's egg opening for Project Object, and possibly some others. I will also be talking about the upcoming Beatlefest in Mar in NJ. Dawn and I have never been to one and we are looking forward to it.

Here's hoping you all have a safe and fun Superbowl party and be sure to check out the updates by next week. I will do better at keeping this more current, as I am dealing better with the new work hours.

things to come

Well, my friends, it would seem I have been totally devoid of my duties of keeping you all up to date with the area concert scene. And all for a good reason. I have had my life uprooted in my regular job where after 40 yrs of night work, I now have to work days starting at 5 am. Since I am no spring, or for that matter summer, chicken, it is taking me a while to become accustomed to the difference in schedules. I have great reviews to put up concerning, Brian Wilson, Devon and Gregg Allman, and others, and will do so in the coming days. I totally apologize for the delay and give my word that this is going to change for the better and I will be back to speed in another week or two. This is all in addition to the pending life saving and altering surgery I will be having in the next few months. But more on that Later.

TIME FOR A CHANGE

I cant in good conscience let the events of the past few days go without voicing my opinion. Although I was raised with the credo of don't discuss religion or politics, I do just have to comment. Please bear with me.

I am so relieved that this country will be seeing the change it so desperately needs as a result of the new leaders we have elected. I cant help but remember the feeling of "CAMELOT" that we all felt in the 60's with the Kennedy's, and how similar the feeling are now. If the new president will remain true to the people and not to the power, this country is in for the change of a lifetime. This is what this country needs so badly and it could not have come at a better time. If we can eliminate the waste in spending, curtail the lobbying to a minimum and get away from big business governing, then the "normal citizens" of this country may actually have a chance to live a life instead of a life of work. We should not as a people have to work 3 jobs each and still not have enough money in our pockets to go to the movies, with no time for family and relaxation. It is my hope that this administration will be able to begin to bring about the change that is so overdue to the working class of this country.

If after reading the stories of the "bailout" from the past administration, one can only wonder why not one family has been helped to escape losing their home. How can the banks still be on the brink of collapse with all the monies they were given. When will the average joe be able to live without fear of losing their homes and their jobs. If the government would have taken the "bailout" money and given every US citizen over the age of 18 $500,000.00 dollars, taxed it immediately, we all would have wound up with over $300,000.00 each. To most of us, that would have been enough to pay off our homes, bring ourselves out of debt, buy a new car, and still have some money left over for savings. True, some would squander the money away, but in these depressing times of economic disparity, they would be the exception and not the norm in my opinion. If one choose to to that, then yes, they deserve to lose their home. But the bulk of citizens, I feel, would be prudent enough to know the proper priorities in going forward, realizing that this is a one time deal and if they screw it up this time, its over. This plan would have jump started the economy, saved the banks, and the car companies, and made it a more fair to the working class citizen to be on a level playing ground with the majority of the people of this great country. But that is living in a dream world.

It is my hope that the new administration will bring this country back to the status it so rightfully deserves of being a leader and not a follower. A country that the world can look at as an example of a country of the people and for the people.

Thanks for letting me rave a bit and this ends all future opinions not related to the premise of the purpose of this blog and that is to review concerts in the local area.

What a great New Year's Eve

Well I dont think anyone would have been able to have a greater new years eve than

I dont think anyone could bhave been able to have a greater new years eve than Dawn and I as we went to the Keswick and saw Devon Allman and Hoheytribe, followed by his father Gregg Allman. Devon and I became friends two years ago when he first opened for his father at the KESWICK. When I saw that he was again coming to open for his father again on new years eve, well, I shot him a quick email. As a result, DAWNA AND I, got to go backstaqe during intermission, and met up with Devon. He is a comsumate guitarist, in the vain of, naturally, his father. To hear him, with eyes closed, one might think of early Allman Brothers. This perfomance was scaled down with only Devon, George on bass, and a new drummer of only one week, but I dont recall his name. He did a fantastic job by the way. Anyway, Devon did not disappoint the audience as his fingers slithered with machine-gun speed up and down the neck of his Les Paul. It is a pleasure and an honor to say he is my friend. Dawn was awed by his similarity to his father, as she did not see him on the last trip. She was even star struck when we went back stage to talk with Devon and foundhim sitting with his Father. She at first did not see Gregg, and when she did, she was somewhat at a loss for words for a second. above are two photos of Devon performing that night.

That Lucky Old Sun

Well, I got my first Christmas present early this year. Brian Wilson and the band were at the Keswick in November, and I got to see the entire show. I also got Brian to sign my guitar along with Jeff, and now the entire band as well as B B KING are on one guitar that is hanging in the music room. I cannot begin to explain my feelings as I listened to the live versions of songs I had been listening to for the last few months after buying the album from Brian's webpage. It brought me back to the years when I was learning how to play guitar in my basement with the BEACH BOYS records on the record player. The songs all remind me of a time when Dennis and Carl along with Al and Mike were at Capitol studios. The harmonies and music are spot on ringers of future days gone past.This album is to me so reminiscent of the old surf sounds put out by the Beach Boys of Brian's youth. I always appreciate the perfection that is displayed in the band that Brian has assembled over the years. It is an honor for me to be in the presence of one of the few musical geniuses in the world today. I have and always will love the music that Brian has given us and will always attempt to see him when he is in the area, as it is for him and him alone, that I began an interest in music all those years ago. I can only hope that I will be able to touch 1/1000th the amount of lives that Brian has. I have posted a photo of the Guitar hanging in the music room

Ken Kewder

Well it was a sad day indeed, when Dawn and I went to see the FINAL ROCK SHOW performance of our friend KEN KEWDER. Done at the TIN ANGEL in center city Phila, it was, as it should have been, a complete sell out show. So much so that they were forced to add a second also sold out show. Ken has been on the local music scene for over 30 yrs. Dawn and I cannot believe that he never made it nationally, but we are learning more about that being of his choice recently. Back to the review. Ken is a consummate performer. He grabs the audience into the palm of his hands and then holds them there by the nap of their necks until he wants to discharge them. He has total control over them and we the audience seem to not only allow it, we beg for more. Ken's satirical humor is best when it is a standard of his that the crowd knows and loves, and will interact with the song during the performance. Attached is a sample of this used with Kens permission. He will be sorely missed on the local front, and would have made a great national performer, that would be recognized in the Hall of Fame, in the likes of Warren Zevon. Dawn and I hope to connect with Ken in the coming weeks for a more in depth interview style meeting, and I will attempt to get more info on this great local musician that will be sorely missed for his energetic performances on the local front.

Will Lee

On Sun, since I had to leave the show Sat nite early, I went back to the Keswick to meet up with Will Lee of the Fab Faux. I met up with my friend T Life and his wife Rene, and together we met up with Will after the show. First on the show, from the Cavern to the Rooftop. This show topped, if possible, the previous nights White Album show. The band is just so meticulous in reproducing perfect sounds for each song. As someone who never saw the Beatles live, to me, this is the next best thing. But I Digress. Meeting up with Will I had the chance to ask a few questions for this blog and here they are. When asked who Will had wished he had had a chance to work with FRANK ZAPPA was the reply even before the question had finished being asked. Then when asked who living he would have like to work with, both Stevie Wonder and Bill Withers names came up. Again for those who don't know Will, not only is he David Letterman's bass player, but quite possibly the only living human to have worked with all four of the original Beatles, along with countless other performers,(Jimi Hendrix, Steve Miller, The Rascals, Motown, Sly & the Family Stone) too many to list here. Will is a consummate bassist and multi instrument player. Guitar, Harmonica, piano, violin, trumpet, and French horn are among his talents. It is nice to know that someone who has basically been "to the top" of the music profession is such a down to earth approachable individual. I hope to someday be included in his list of friends, for he surely is one of mine.

Chili Stu

Tonight in seeing the Absolute Zero's there was this opening act called Chili Stu, that Dawn and I had to wait to finish before our host band, the Zero's, came on. What a pleasant surprise. This trio of Keyboard, bass and drums, was all over the place, in a great way, in their music style. I personally think they are of a jazz fusion blend, but it can be seen in so many other genre's. A little bit soul, funk, reggae, rock, and r&b all thrown in a pot and stirred. We never knew what the next songs style was going to be, which we found to be invigorating. Andrew on drums and Luke on keyboard are classically jazz trained and it shows. Jeff on the 5string bass is the funkmister that blends with the others to produce great melodic mixtures of music. Plus Jeff's vocals are spot on. All together a great mix for a trio that will be hard to top in the coming months to the top of the Philly music scene.

The Absolute Zeros

Well busy busy busy was I on Sat. After the Fab Faux show, I went down to center city and saw a Local band called the Absolute Zeros. They had requested to be my friend on myspace and had asked me to come see them and give them a review, and after a few months of playing tag, the nite finally came. The band consists of the following: Kelvin Cochrane - Vocals, Guitar: Sabu Rex - Bongos, Percussion; Steve La Monica - Bass; "Wild" Bill Rose - Drums: Austin - Lead Guitar. Tonight however there were only 4 members, Sabu was not there. Now I had heard of this band from another local performer, Laura Cheadle (who by the way has been previously written about, check her blog out). Well, Dawn and I were pleasantly surprised, not knowing what we were in for. In my opinion, Kevin's voice is a cross between, Joe Cocker and Jonnie Lang. Steve is a fret running bassist, Austin is a great guitarist, and Bill on drums is a sold essential metronome for the band. Their music is a cross between 60's rock like Joe Cocker, to New Orleans style funk like Jon Cleary. It was well worth the wait to see this band and it is great to have become their friends. I will be catching more of them in the future and I am sure, enjoying watching them grow into a major force to promote the "Philly Sound" of today along with other great up and coming local acts.

The Fab Faux

Sat Nite was a great show at the Keswick, the Fab Faux were in town. Now for those who are not familiar with them, They are quite possibly the best Beatles tribute band (in my opinion) around. They don't try to impersonate the Fab Four in looks or clothing, or even instruments, but what is lacking in appearance is more than made up for in sound. They are perfect recreations of the best music by the best ever band that you will find. Dawn and I have heard them several times here at the Keswick, and just closing your eyes, you would think it was 1970 all over again and John Paul George and Ringo were on stage in front of you performing. The Fab Faux performed the ground breaking WHITE ALBUM in its entirety. They had the Creme Tangerine Strings and The Hogshead Horns along with ERIN HILL and ANDY YORK, and as stated above it was performed perfectly. I will have more on the Fab Faux after seeing the second show tomorrow, as they perform from the Cavern to the Rooftop show.

This coming Weekend

This coming weekend I get to see The Fab Faux and The Absolute Zeros. Getting to see Will Lee again is always a pleasure as he is such a great person and not unreachable to the fan. The band is by far the best Beatles tribute going. I have seen others and they can not compare to Will and the gang in the Fab Faux. They recreate the Beatles to a T. If you closed your eyes, you would think that John Paul George and Ringo were really in front of you performing. As for the Absolute Zeros, It has been a while in the making, but Dawn and I will be seeing them at the Tin Angle Sat night after seeing Will and the Gang at the Keswick. I am looking forward to the show as I have heard their music on their MySpace page and enjoy what I have heard. More to come in the next few weeks up to the great one and only Brian Wilson show, that I have been looking forward to for 2 months.

Lindsey Buckingham

Well, Sat night at the Keswick was a night I was looking forward to since I slept thru the Crosby/Nash show eariler in the week. I cannot begin to tell you how disappointed I was in the quality of the show. I had to leave after the 3rd song as the music was just so loud that it was uncomfortable to stay and enjoy the music. I was told that there had been no sound check, and it bothered me that the people working with the band was more concerened about covering the glass partions in the lobby to prevent anyone from looking to the stage (what was that all about) then making the audience happy and acutally lowering the volumn of the music to an acceptable level to prevent a mass exodus. I wish I could have stayed, but I just could not take the assualt on my ears. Very dissapointing night.

The Quarrymen

Well It's been a while but I have a great one for you today. Last week I got to see 3 original members of the Quarrymen. I have a picture of them with a very young John and Paul that I had signed along with the Beatles themed guitar. I have some pics of them and here is one. They sounded great, considering their ages. They played some skiffle and some old rock songs like That will be the Day, Come go with me and Elvis songs along with some of their old original songs done with John and Paul. Enjoy the photo, and remember to support your local venue for classic rock shows.

Peter Tork and the Shoe Suede Blues

This past Fri I had the sad duty to visit with Peter and bassist Arnold Jacks(far right next to the new guys) at a local venue in Philly and relay my condolences for the loss of their band mate and great friend Richard Mikuls. His loss was a great shock to me having just talked with him not long ago on Myspace. I had taken photos and videos of the band in Reading last year and never got around to giving the disk to them. I had emailed Peter and told him I would be visiting them when they came back to town and express my regrets for their loss and also to provide them with the disk of great photos and some video clips for them to watch. I hope they enjoy the effort I put into making the visuals intimate. I was surprised to find that the band had changed up a bit and there is now of course a replacement for Richard on guitar, but also a new drummer. I have taken a photo of them (minus Peter) and will post it later. I hope they continue to make some great music and continue to keep Richards spirit alive with them where ever they go.

Breakfast with the Beatles

Sunday morning Dawn and I went to one of our favorite events, Andre Gardner's remote broadcast of his show Breakfast with the Beatles on the Spirit of Philadelphia. We both look forward to seeing our friend Andre and the remotes are always such a good time. I will say now however, I am a bit disappointed that there was no special guest, as I look forward to getting another Beatles related autograph on the Beatles themed guitar. In the past Andre has always had someone that is somehow related to the Best Band that ever Lived, like May Pang, Pauline Sutcliffe, Denny Laine, and others. But be that as it may the consolation was a limited edition CD filled with interviews Andre has had in the past with guests like Patty Boyd and Olivia Harrison among others. And this time even the food was fantastic. In past cruises, the food left something to desire, but this time it was really good. We brought with us a limited Ringo poster(see Picture) Andre had given us that we had framed and he said he would like to see it. He was giving out more of them on this cruise and wanted to show what it looked like framed. It is always a good time to be with the friends we have made by attending these remotes with Andre and we cant wait till the next one. The only down side of this day was that I received an email from Andre's myspace page the following day that some idiot with no respect for Andre's generosity, actually had placed their free CD up for auction on Ebay. Really no class was used in this cheap action. To think that they had been given a gift and then turned around to try to profit off of it is shameful. We always thought there was a better "class" of people in the crowd the remotes always draws but I guess there is always at least one in every crowd. Hope this is not a sign of the things to come, and that it does not prevent Andre from gracing all the true fans of his work from rewarding us all with more great things in the future. Also see a picture of my long lost brother? that actually sat next to us for the whole cruise.