Remembering Brad Delp - 10 Years (aka: the man with the golden voice)

Celebrating iconic vocalist Brad Delp today (Mar 09, 2007). Can't believe he's been gone for ten years. His death came as such a surprise. I saw Boston in concert four times prior to his death. 

And even though he was losing a bit of his range, he still belted out 'More Than A Feeling', 'Don't Look Back', 'Rock And Roll Band', 'Smokin', 'Piece Of Mind'...the list goes on. Loved this guy and he lives on through the music.

Brad Delp - 'More Than A Feeling' [Vocals Only]

Happy 69th Tony Iommi (aka: the father of heavy metal)

Happy 69th birthday to Tony Iommi. The father of all that is heavy and the creator of Heavy Metal guitar. He's given us so many incredible riffs for 47 years (self-titled debut was released Feb 13, 1970). How insane is that? I don't know what "heavy" would even mean if it weren't for this legend right here.

Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath (1970)

Dio Sabbath - Heaven & Hell - Live solo (2009)

Remembering Gary Moore - A Concert Memory (May 7, 1984)

Remembering Gary Moore today on the 5th anniversary of his passing.

Hard to believe Gary's been gone for five years already.  I listen to his music constantly.  I always felt he was such an underrated artist.  The guy could play circles around other guitar players without breaking a sweat.

First time I heard Moore perform was on Thin Lizzy's 'Black Rose: A Rock Legend' (1979).  The melodies on this album (i.e. Waiting For An Alibi and Do Anything You Want To) are brilliant, but so are the many albums Gary released over the years.

I had the pleasure of seeing Gary perform live once in my life (so damn thankful) when his solo band was touring the US for one of my favorite albums Victims of the Future (1983). First of all, this album has so many blazing guitar solos and I wore out my vinyl copy in less than a month (title track groove alone was worn down first - to this day I can never get enough of that song.).  And how can you go wrong when your band also includes Ian Paice (Deep Purple), Neil Carter (UFO) and Neil Murray (Whitesnake)?  And I couldn't get over the guitar solo in the The Yardbirds cover Shapes Of Things.  If you haven't heard it then go do that right now. 

Rush was touring in support of their album Grace Under Pressure in 1984 and kicked off that tour in my hometown of Albuquerque, NM (the band had a small history of starting their tours off here). No complaints here, especially since I'm a Rush fanatic. Anyway, Gary and band opened for Rush on select dates and ABQ was one of them.  I couldn't tell you who I was more excited to see at that point. Nobody I hung out with in high school was into Gary Moore as I was. Anytime I would play Victims of the Future cassette (or 1982's Corridors of Power for that matter) on my boombox on the bus [sidebar: I was the DJ on my bus...haha] or at school in the hallway)....nothing. What? Ugh!  I digress.

Opening day of the tour:  May 7th, 1984 - the day had arrived <cue choir angels>  The venue was Tingley Coliseum (where all the concerts took place because it was the largest venue we had at the time). It was built for rodeos and the place always smelled like horseshit (literally).  Aside from that, the sound was always horrible.  Obviously not built for concerts, but again, the only place in town for the big tours to perform. Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful to this day for ol' Tingley because without that place I wouldn't have seen so many amazing concerts.

Majority of the concerts held at Tingley were GA (General Admission).  When buying a ticket you chose either the seated section or the floor.  I always chose the floor. Those were the first to sell out first because everyone and their brother wanted to be as close to the stage as possible (including yours truly). So this meant showing up at the venue four hours before the gates/doors opened (2:00 PM since doors normally opened at 6:00 PM). Could have been a problem for me on this day because it was a Monday and I was still in class at that time....ahem....supposed to be in class at that time.  I caught a ride with a few of my fellow Rush buddies, arrived at Tingley 1:45 PM and there were maybe six or seven people in line. YES!

Stood/sat in line talking to others for a few hours about what else? Rush, Gary Moore, Thin Lizzy and every other band under the sun. The line grew in length until you couldn't see the end of it...perfect.  Gates opened, which led to the front of the venue, and everyone would fuckin' run to form another line in front of the doors of the venue (always hated that).  Needless to say, I was always capable of running fast and more or less had been able to secure the same spot in line with my friends.

Doors open.....quick glance at the tour t-shirts as I ran by....down the corridor, onto the floor, ticket ripped (always hated that too and told the person ripping tickets to rip where I wanted so the ticket wasn't destroyed. I got lucky nine times out of ten and still have 97% of my ticket stubs intact) and straight for the barricade...front and center of the stage.  SAFE!  Again, spoke to all the people around me about Rush, Gary Moore, Thin Lizzy and every band out there.

Show started at 8:00 PM, lights go off, surge of the crowd pushed forward....Gary Moore hit the stage. HOLY SHIT!!  GARY FUCKIN' MOORE!!! He was maybe three feet right in front of me.  HOLY SHIT!! I held my ground best I could (I was maybe 120 lbs and 5ft 10in) and held onto the barricade with all my might to not lose my place.  I was resilient (as I was in the majority of the shows I attended) and able to keep my spot for the entire show (Rush included).  I headbanged to every song.  Sang as loud as I could. Thrust my fist in the air the entire set (with the other hand gripping onto the barricade for dear life).  GARY FUCKIN' MOORE!!

What a setlist.....

• Don't Take Me For A Loser
• Shapes Of Things (Yardbirds cover) - guitar solo is phenomenal
• Murder In The Skies
• Victims Of The Future - my favorite GM song...period!
• Empty Rooms
• Intro/White Knuckles/End Of The World - epic guitar solo
• Rockin' Every Night

His band was tight as hell too, I had hoped Ian Paice and Neil Murray were part of the touring lineup, but that wasn't the case. Still saw Neil Carter and Bobby Chouinard (RIP...who also played in Billy Squire's band).

• Gary Moore - guitar, vocals
• Neil Carter - guitar, vocals, keyboard
• Bobby Chouinard - drums
• Graig Gruber - bass

After seeing Gary Moore perform live for 50 minutes straight, I knew this guy had some goddamn magic that no other guitarist possessed (even to this day).  Not that I didn't think he was 'the shit' already, but seeing him live cemented it all for me.  I watched Gary play every square inch of that guitar.  He didn't move around the stage too much since he was the vocalist. So he remained close to the mic and guitar pedal effects. Not a problem for me....at all.

In my mind and after a few discussions with the crowd around me, Rush had one hell of a show to follow. Especially since Rush was moving more towards keyboard oriented songs and less guitar. 

But, not to worry....Rush killed it.  But Gary crushed it.

Thank you, Gary.  Your music lives on forever.  A concert memory I'll never forget.

Turn it up!!

Glenn Frey Was Here OR Death Can Take a Holiday

Grim Reaper -

I realize death doesn't take a holiday, but late last year you took Scott Weiland and Lemmy Kilmister.

We're barely three weeks into the new year and you've taken so many already:

• Nick Caldwell, singer (The Whispers)
• Angus Scrimm, Actor 
• David Bowie
• Alan Rickman
• Dan Haggerty
• Dallas Taylor, Drummer (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young)
• Mike Sharpe, Pro wrestler
• Dale Griffin, Drummer (Mott the Hoople)
• Mic Gillette, Brass player (Tower of Power)
• Blowfly, American musician and producer

Then today you feel the need to take Glenn Frey. Fuckin' really? Bowie and Rickman weren't enough this year, huh?  Blue Oyster Cult said, "Don't fear the reaper", but I don't fear you.  I just wanna kick YOUR ass...and cancer's too while I'm at it.

Gutted...bugged...pissed...sad....mad & stunned.

Do everyone a favor.  Go away for the rest of the year and take that vacation.  Families, friends, and fans are grieving every day or every other day because of you.

Go now! GO NOW!!

My condolences to Glenn's family and friends.  And too all the fans as well.  He was a class act and no other like him. One less legend among us.

Take it easy one last time standing on that corner in Winslow, Arizona.  Your music lives on forever.

Rest In Peace.

“It’s Your World Now”

Written by Glenn Frey and Jack Tempchin
[From Eagles’ 'Long Road Out of Eden' album]

A perfect day, the sun is sinkin’ low
As evening falls, the gentle breezes blow
The time we shared went by so fast
Just like a dream, we knew it couldn’t last
But I’d do it all again
If I could, somehow
But I must be leavin’ soon
It’s your world now
It’s your world now
My race is run
I’m moving on
Like the setting sun
No sad goodbyes
No tears allowed
You’ll be alright
It’s your world now
Even when we are apart
You’ll always be in my heart
When dark clouds appear in the sky
Remember true love never dies
But first a kiss, one glass of wine
Just one more dance while there’s still time
My one last wish: someday, you’ll see
How hard I tried and how much you meant to me
It’s your world now
Use well your time
Be part of something good
Leave something good behind
The curtain falls
I take my bow
That’s how it’s meant to be
It’s your world now
It’s your world now
It’s your world now

Ground control to Major Tom.......

First and foremost I want to say one thing - "FUCK YOU CANCER!!"

I'm not even close to getting over the death of Lemmy and now we lose Bowie too?

I spent the entire day listening to the David Bowie albums I love ('Space Oddity', 'Hunky Dory', 'Aladdin Sane', 'Diamond Dogs', 'The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars', 'Young Americans', and 'Station To Station').  He released over twenty albums in his career and I know I own more than half.

As a kid, everytime I turned on the radio in the 70s I would always hear at least one or two Bowie tunes in a one hour span.  If it wasn't Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, the Stones, the Eagles, Elton John or Paul McCartney jamming the airwaves, it was Bowie - "Space Oddity", "Rebel Rebel", "Suffragette City", "Changes", "Fame" "Golden Years", "Young Americans", and "Heroes".  And those songs stuck in my head forever.

I grew up on Hard Rock (Sabbath, Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Purple), but I also had a huge helping of the Beatles, Elton John, T.Rex, the Sweet, KISS, the Rolling Stones and David Bowie.  I was a kid. There was zero difference to me between rock, hard rock, glam, contemporary rock and all that.  If I liked what I heard, then that was it.  Sold. Done.

There was hardly any part of pop culture that he didn't touch. From music, to fashion, and movies. Bowie transcended a lot of people in many ways.  I'm sure more than anything I've ever experienced. But he's always been a part of this world creating art and never apologizing to anyone.  During a 1997 concert on his 50th birthday in Madison Square Garden he said, "I don't know where I'm going from here, but I promise it won't be boring." That has become a very infamous quote over the years and it has always held true from day one.  It has never been boring....ever.

I read through a number of online articles today and the one that spoke to me the most was from long time friend/producer Tony Visconti.

Tony Visconti via his Facebook page:
"Most of the album's lyrics were confirmed to be foretelling Bowie's eventual death from his secret 18-month long battle with liver cancer, ultimately revealing that Bowie had actually planned for the album to be his swan song or "parting gift" for his fans.  He always did what he wanted to do. And he wanted to do it his way and he wanted to do it the best way. His death was no different from his life - a work of Art. He made Blackstar for us, his parting gift. I knew for a year this was the way it would be. I wasn't, however, prepared for it. He was an extraordinary man, full of love and life. He will always be with us. For now, it is appropriate to cry." 

Now that hit me between the eyes.

I had the opportunity to see David Bowie perform one time in my life on the Glass Spider tour (Aug 12, 1987 @ Mile High Stadium - Denver, CO).  The setlist was not only amazing, but the tour featured guitarists Peter Frampton and Charlie Sexton (alongside Bowie main man Carlos Alomar). Yeah, three goddamn guitar players on that stage (four including Bowie when he strapped one on).  I was in pure fuckin' heaven for three hours.  I never thought I'd ever see Ziggy Stardust perform live in my life. And here I was in my early 20s soaking up so much greatness in one night.

We lost a pioneer and an artist in every sense of the word. It feels like one precise color was removed from the world.

He was an artist, a rebel, Ziggy, Starman and now he's home.

Rest In Peace, David Bowie.

"I'm feeling very still
And I think my spaceship knows which way to go
Tell my wife I love her very much, she knows
Ground Control to Major Tom"

Lemmy Kilmister Laid To Rest Today

Finished watching the memorial service for Lemmy Kilmister about an hour ago (live stream off Motörhead's YouTube page).

First and foremost, it was one of the most amazing tributes I've witnessed.  I didn't know if this was going to be a train wreck or not.  And so very glad it wasn't.

Lots of people in attendance and many had their chance to say a few words or share stories and jokes regarding their time with Lemmy.  Lem's son Paul gave a heartwarming eulogy at the very beginning of the service. Then it was one after another....Motörhead's drummer Mikkey Dee, guitarist Bob Kulick, Slim Jim from The Head Cats, Lemmy's personal assistant Ian, a European publicist, Lemmy's buddy Scotty, girlfriend Cheryl, a German promoter, journalist Steffan Chirazi, drummer Matt Sorum, Slash, Motörhead's stage Manager Roger, Ugly Kid Joe vocalist Whitfield Crane, Alice In Chains bassist Mike Inez, Rob Halford, Scott Ian, wrestler Triple H, Robert Trujillo, Lars Ulrich, and finally Dave Grohl.

All had very touching, warm, endearing, funny stories to tell.  Some short, some very long.  And the video/sound feed cut off during the early part of Dave Grohl's portion when he was talking about the first time he introduced himself to Lemmy outside the Rainbow Bar.  It cut off right as Dave was to tell everyone the first words Lem ever said to him.  Well, I found out later Lemmy said, "Sorry about Kurt". Dave also had an autographed photo of Little Richard he wanted to give Lem for his birthday last month and never had a chance to do so.

If you're not familiar with Motörhead's music, then do yourself a favor and go to YouTube, Spotify, iTunes, Amazon and start now.  It's never too late to get into this band.  And if you've never watched the Lemmy movie '49% Motherfucker. 51% Son Of A Bitch' then check that out as well because you won't be disappointed.  And there are a ton of Motörhead concerts on YouTube and documentaries as well.  All fun to watch.  The movie will prove how intelligent and remarkable Lemmy truly was.

Rock In Peace, Lemmy.

Born To Lose / Live To Win

Motörhead Forever!

Remembering Steve Clark

Celebrating Steamin' Steve Clark [Def Leppard guitarist] who passed 25 years ago today. 

First time I heard a Def Leppard song was in 1980.  Our local Rock radio station (94 Rock) played "Wasted" oif their debut album 'On Through The Night'.  Holy shit!  Love at first listen.  And the first time I saw Def Leppard perform live was April 12, 1983 in Albuquerque, NM. They opened for Billy Squier in support of "Pyromania". The "Photograph" and "Rock Of Ages" videos were all over MTV every thirty minutes.  Needless to say, the audience was there to see Def Leppard.  And as expected, Def Lep blew ol' Billy out of the water. Then three quarters of the audience exited the venue soon after their set ended. Gee, surprise....surprise.

I had witnessed greatness in the form of Steve Clark that evening.  He was better 'live' than anything I ever heard him play on their first two releases ('On Through The Night' and 'High n' Dry'....hands down, my favorites).  The songs had so much more punch and he just plain played his fuckin' ass off.  I would never hear "Wasted" or "Lady Strange" played the way I heard them that night ever again. Etched in my memory forever.

I saw Steve one more time on the Hysteria tour (Feb 14, 1988) where they set up the stage "in-the-round" and both Tesla and Great White opened.  I was a fan of 'Hysteria' but it was way too over-produced for my taste.  The tune "Gods Of War" was (still is) my favorite track by far. I was just excited to see Steve perform again.  I wasn't disappointed by his performance, but there was way too many other things going on by way of pre-recorded synth sounds, and Rick Allen's electronic drum kit had every bell and whistle on it since this was his first tour after losing an arm to a car accident.  Steve wasn't flashy like the others running around hamming it up. But he had his moments where he killed it and stole the spotlight from the others.

I was equally touched in 1991 when Tesla's released the 'Psychotic Supper' album and it included the track, "Song and Emotion" written about their ex-tourmate, Steve.  Then in 1992, Def Leppard released their first album without Steve entitled, 'Adrenalize' which included a tribute to Steve by way of "White Lightning".  Amazing songs.

There's always a smile on my face when one of his tunes hits the radio or my iPod.  Whether it's, "Bringin' On The Heartbreak/Switch 625", "Rocket", "Photograph"....or whatever, I stop in my tracks and just thankful his music lives on.

I checked out Def Leppard last Summer (Sept 25, 2015) and they had a ton of photos of Steve flashing up on the screens and onstage celebrating him on a number of songs.  Now THAT wasn't something I was expecting and it made that concert even more memorable. 


Long live Steamin' Steve Clark.