Ron Campbell Pt2

Went to the opening of WMGK’s Rock Art Show and was lucky enough to get Ron Campbell to autograph all the items I had brought for him. They include 3 Yellow Submarine McFarland figures, a copy of the Yellow submarine DVD in which he drew a Blue Meanine complete with machine gun, and the final one is a cell of the Sea of Holes fromt he acutal movie The Yellow Submarine where he drew both the cartoon show and the movie version of John on the back and dedicated it to my wife Dawn.

The British Invasion Tribute

Well, Lee and Robert, I will do my best. First let me say that I had done an interview with the band after their show at the theater where the BLOB was filmed, but I lost the paperwork. So I will do the best I can to recreate it. OK here we go. The band is made up of 4 talented and extremely pleasant musicians. Lee on lead guitar, Robert on bass, Mick on keyboards and Jeff on drums. They all enjoy the music of the period of the British Invasion, but did not want to become another Beatle tribute band. They instead decided to pay homage to all the great bands of the era. And let me say they do it dead on. They run the gamut from Moody Blues, Animals, Stones, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Kinks and more. All members of the band were influenced by the Beatles, and to honor them, they did their last set by playing the entire Sgt Pepper album non-stop. Musically, they perform note for note, and vocally, they manage, for the most part, 4 part harmony that is a pleasure to hear. But if this were not enough, they also do a set paying homage to all the US bands of the same era. Beach Boys, Simon and Garfunkel, Tommy James, Turtles, Monkeys, and more. The entire show is like stepping into Mr. Peabody’s time machine and stepping out into 1969 all over again. Having been there in person the first time, this writer will attest that the band has all the music of the time down pat and performs each song with the reverence it deserves. I strongly recommend this band to anyone who likes classic rock music and has not seen them. Visit their website, http://thebritishinvasiontribute.com, and find out where they are playing near you and go and see them. But be warned, be prepared to be taken back to a time when music was really meaningful and true, and times were not so bad as they are today. The British Invasion Tribute, has the ability to transport us all to a much simpler time, even if for only a few hours.

Zappa plays Zappa

Ahhh FRANK. To say that Frank was a great musician, is like saying that an eagle is a bird. Frank was so far ahead of his time, surrounded himself with world class musicians, and took on the role of teacher of music from the beginning. And following in his fathers footsteps, Dweezil does not disappoint. From the time I saw him on USA network with his brother Ahmet, I new what a fantastic guitarist he was. Does his father proud he does. The Zappa plays Zappa show has been in the Phila area before, but I could never get to it. Then as luck would have it, it came to the Keswick, and I was lucky enough to work the show. First let me state that the choice of Ben Thomas as lead singer is a stroke of genius. He does, from a distance, look like Frank, but also has a similar vocal sound as Frank that is errie. The band is as talanted as any that Frank himself would be in, with most members being multi-instrumentlists. Then there is Dweezil. In my opinion, an underrated guitarist. The band played the entire Apostrophe album and Yellow Snow brought me back to the old days. After the show was over, I managed to get Ben, Saxophonist Scheila Gonzalez and Dweezil to sign a set list. I highly recommend seeing this show as it is a testement to the genius of Frank

Jimi tribute

Sat nite Dawn and I attended the Jimi Hendrix Tribute in Atlantic City. WOW what a show. Guests included, Brad Whitford, Jonny Lang, Kenny Wanye Shepard, Billy Cox, Eric Johnson, Mato Nanji, Members of Double Trouble (SRV band) and more. It was truely an experienced event. Being a parttime guitarist, I could appreciate the talent on stage perhaps a bit more than the non musician. The ability to do some of the things I witnessed, would have made Jimi proud. Of course, Jonny is Dawns favorite guitarist but after witnessing KW Sheppard, she could possibly be correct in the statement that he is better than Jonny. I would tend to agree, but i have to take into account the differences in their playing styles, and that point alone makes me wonder who would win in a play off. But I digress/. The show was infused with both charted hits and back room rarities from the Holy One himself, which was great to hear. The diveristy and the genius of the Legend of Jimi Hendrix was not forgotten for one moment during the show. Some talked of his company, while others commented on his influence. It was good to see all players get their chance to showcase their affection thru their solo’s, which for the most part, were spot on to the originial, while some were, as strange as it may sound, BETTER. A new found respect for both KW Sheppard, and Eric Johnson and their talant. All in all a great night where after the show, we got to meet Billy and have the pleasure of getting to chat with him, an autograph and a picture. And to think, Dawn didn’t really want to go when I first got the tickets. Now its one of the many great shows we have seen, that will not be forgotten very soon.

Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp

Today I had my singing debut on WMGK in Phila, in a contest to win a weekend at the PHILA Rock and ROll Fantasy Camp weekend at the end of Oct 2010. The day started out good with me getting up and working from home before going to the radio station. Then I hit traffic on the way to the station, and the shows producer must have called me 10 times in 15 min. I was being told I was risking being disqualified for not showing up on time. I did finally make it to the station with seconds to spare. You can hear DeBella mention that on the clip. I was the first contestant for the contest. I had no time for any rehersal with the intern drummer, or to go over the song. Good thing I practiced yesterday. Any, as heard on the clip, I get introduced, asked if we rehearsed, then its off to the song. Please text MGKMGK and cast a vote for Rick Sutcliffe to win. Im am attempting to attach a clip of the song to this post.

Rock Con

Well its my birthday and as a gift to myself, Dawn and I attended the Rock Con in the Meadowlands in New Jersey. We started the day off in Dorney Park with our friends from WMGK and then headed up to the Rock Con. It was billed as the place to go to hang out with your favorite Rock stars, chat, get autographs, screen movies, listen to jamsessions and visit the worlds largest rock and rock memoriabila flea market. Well, since we all know that I collect autographs, you know I was in heaven. Friday show was to start at 5, (we got the VIP package with 1 hr advance for all sessions), but since I forgot the damn tickets, I didnt get in till close to 6 the normal time. I took a guitar into the meet and greet room, and the first person I see is Billy Hiche from Dino, Desi, and Billy. We chat for a min, and I ask for an autograph to which Billy replies, Sure, $10. WHAT THE $&*)????? I had no clue that there was going to be a charge for autographs, and had I known, I would not have brought so many guitars (7 total). With a supposed 100 artists in attendance, that comes to $1000. Then I asked if I could take a picture to which Billy replies, Sure $10. WTF???? I am using my own camera and he wants me to pay him. Well, all this money has put an instant damper on my fun for the weekend.

Devon Allman and Honeytribe

Another great evening was had at The North Star in Fairmont section of Philly, when Devon was in town to perform. His band is tight and although now down to a trio, still has the roughness and brute force of days gone by with 5 members(as when he played the Kewsick opening for Dad). He did 4 new songs on the forcoming album, and a few others. He covered Dad’s Midnight Rider which is always a thrill to hear. For an encore, he teased the crowd with snippets of 15 classic rock songs, before settleing in on another cover from Dad. The gamet of choices were from Led Zepplin Stairway to Heaven to Iron Butterfly InAGaddadeVida.

Ringo Starr All Star Band

Had the please of seeing our second Ringo All Star show this year at lancaster American Music Theater a mere day before his birthday. I must say that seeiing this show always amazes me in that these are just like seeing 8 concerts in one. This year the inclusion of Rick Derringer along with Gary Wright, and the rest, was a welcome sight indeed. Edgar Winter once again did not fail as the musical director, and his talent as a musician was again clearly evident and unparralled. Rick Derringer graced the crowd with the lost verse of Hang on Sloopy, which was a real treat. Edgar of course was great on Frankenstein. This year also there were Richard Page from Mister Mister who sang Broken Wings and Kyrie. Such an amazing voice, it sent chills up my spine. Then there was Wally Palmer from the Romantics singing What I like about You. A great performance with the talanted back up band. Rick Derringer’s guitar solo at the end of Rock and Roll Hootiche Koo was electrifying and all of 3 min long if not longer. Gary Wright of course did Dream Weaver which I love, and then there were several Beatles songs. Rounding out the night was the man himself, Ringo, doing some of his classics along with some off his new CD. All in all another stellar performance by the “funny one”, and another memorable evening to be enjoyed in future reflections.

The Neville Brothers

Well, last night was Mardi Gras night at my venue. The opening act was Dr. John in all his Hammond B-3 glory complete with the Skull and Candle on top. He of course got up several times during his set and showed off his infamous (Nu Orlons style) strut, complete with the dropped shoulder. His set was a great pre-cursor for the main act of the 4 Neville Brothers.

Having never seen the Brothers before, I could only go by what I had been told by my fellow ushers. I knew they were a good musical family, but most of my personal knowledge was of Aaron. Imagine my delight when they came on and far exceeded my expectations. To showcase that much talent in one family is a rarity.

Cyril Neville has a tremendous voice and is an exceptional percussionist, coupled with his New Orleans/Reggae twist on presentation, made his performance stellar. I was impressed that he did more lead singing then Aaron. Next up was Charles. What a talent on the SAXophone. From low to high, soft to N.O. funky/gritty, Charles can and did it all. Also joining his brothers in vocals and cowbell, his voice helped to forge the 4 part harmony we all enjoyed so much. Then there is Art. Hands down one of the top Hammond B-3 players I have had the pleasure to hear/see in person. His mastery of the ivories leaves nothing to be desired. Also joining his brothers in vocals and taking the lead on some, the blend again was completed. And Finally there is Aaron. What else is there to say. I did not have the honor of hearing his “Tell it like it is” signature song, but how shocked was I to hear him doing “Sara Smile”. With all 4 talented brothers, the slightly less then capacity crowd was magically transported to New Orleans’ French Quarter and the fabulous Funk/Jazz that only comes from there, if only for a brief moment, But it was moment enough to remember forever.

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.