Not a Waste of Time

Don Henley lauded as MusiCares Person of the Year (USA TODAY)

For some reason, I'm reminded of being in the car on a dark deserted highway and listening to the radio late on a Saturday night during a lovers call-in hour. And the caller dials in to request 'Wasted Time' by The Eagles. You can hear the hurt in the caller's voice, and they say..."This goes out to ' X '... I want them to know I'm thinking about them and I'm sorry." And you wonder what solace someone could get by calling into a radio show. And what are the odds the person in their thoughts is even listening. But it doesn't matter. Music can soothe you at your darkest times and it can help with life's answers, if only for three and a half minutes. And why is it that being alone on a dark roadway, lyrics just seem to make so much more sense?

If hearing this song doesn't make you feel anything, you must not have been listening...or you don't have a pulse. Regardless of what you think of The Eagles or Don Henley, something resonates with this song that is so rare in music today. I think it is emotion and honesty, not Nickelback kind of emotion, but real emotion. And it makes you feel it in the way only (great) music can.

Beatles Album Trivia

Test your knowledge of Beatles album covers. Sounds easy enough, right?
I assure you, it's not. Let us know how you did.

Play here
Trivia courtesy of classicrock.about.com

He Shall be Levon

Levon Helm, drummer and founding member of The Band, is performing at The Beacon Theater in New York City on March 17 with The Levon Helm Band. The Beacon holds about 2,800 seats and is well known in the music community as the site of a run of Allman Brothers Band dates every spring. Now, Levon hasn't had a radio hit since before the original lineup of The Band played their last concert in 1976 over 30 years ago. In fact, Levon's rare public concerts these days take place at his home in Woodstock, NY where he performs for a handful of paying guests. I wouldn't exactly say he is at the forefront of mainstream music today. Most of the concert goers these days weren't even born in 1976.

Did I mention that Levon sold every ticket in the place in 15 minutes?

The Band's music is timeless, honest, and raw. It is based on a blend of country, blues, and rock & roll that isn't glamorous but it touches a nerve. And clearly, the demand for such an artist, contrary to current radio playlists, hasn't diminished. I'll see you at the show.

UPDATE: Second show added for Friday, March 16th. Click here for details.

Eddie Vedder to Replace Jim Morrison?

Estranged Doors drummer John Densmore says that he would reunite with his former bandmates if Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder agrees to front the group. Densmore says, "I play with Jim. If there's someone of that level, OK. I'm not gonna join them with Ian. That's not to diss Ian, he's a good singer - but he's no Jim Morrison. Eddie Vedder? My God, there's a singer."

Asked if he'd perform with his bandmates if Vedder was on board for shows, the drummer adds, "Probably."

This is probably one of the coolest stories I have read in a long time. Do I think it will actually happen...nope, but I would definitely be there to witness it if it does. Seeing Eddie growl through hits like "L.A. Woman" or "Roadhouse Blues" would be amazing.

Read the article here

Genesi contro La Polizia

Uncut News reports that the reunited Genesis will be performing a free concert in Rome, Italy with 400,000 expected in attendance. That's right...400,000! What other bands are in the 400,000 club? Last week, I gave credit to Crowded House for pulling in an estimated 120,000 in Sydney, and that was their FAREWELL performance in their HOMETOWN. I'm pretty sure Genesis aren't from Italy and they have a full European tour lined up for the summer. All this media hype surrounding the Police reunion and no one is talking about Phil Collins and Genesis. Not to take anything away from Gordon, Andy, and Stewart, I'm absolutely looking forward to their performance on the Grammy's Sunday night, but I'll be watching them wearing a Genesis t-shirt.

Friday Night Videos

Is it a movie?
Is it a music video??
Does it really matter???

From back when MTV was just music television...

Mike + the Mechanics
Silent Running
1985

Inside the Guitarist's Studio

Thank you to the 92 St. Y for posting our comments on last nights event. See it here

UPDATE: Download the entire interview
Source: syntaxera [phantasytour.com boards]

I have seen Trey Anastasio in a live setting many many times, as a member of: Phish, the Trey Anastasio Band, 70 Volt Parade, G.R.A.B., and Phil and Friends. Never have I seen him as I did this evening. Throughout an interview tonight at the 92nd St Y on the Upper East Side of the borough of Manhattan, I witnessed Trey the human being rather than Trey the guitar hero. He came across as a man who is at a significant crossroads in his life. Having recently begun a stint in rehab following an arrest for DUI and possession, Trey reflected on the highs and lows that came along with being a part of the band that Rolling Stone branded the most important band of the 90's. He seemed incredibly humble about how lucky he has been in life, despite his recent difficulties.

Some of the highlights:

He credited the phans with making him realize that he had a problem with drugs and needed help.

He said that being on stage again with Phish would make him the happiest guy in the world. -- this resulted in quite an ovation from the crowd!

He hypothesized about why Phish was able to become so popular in the cultural context of the 90s.

Following the interview tonight, I am excited as I have been, in the years since Phish broke up, about the possibility of a reunion. And what makes me so excited is that Trey doesn't just want it to happen, he needs it to happen.

In honor of Trey's interview tonight, please enjoy this clip of a song containing some of Phish's most personal lyrics:

Purple Rain

I was going to write my own post about how impressed I was with Prince's Superbowl halftime show, but my man Bob Lefsetz, of the Lefsetz Letter, beat me to it. I just got home from watching the Superbowl with some friends and Bob had already sent out his thoughts on how flawlessly the Purple One executed his show on the world's biggest stage. I figured he'd be too flustered by the downpour to pull off much of anything . . . but I was so wrong.

The following is an excerpt from Bob's review:

But today we learned . . . that NOTHING compares with music. No sport, no video game. There IS no competition for the entertainment dollar when music is done right. It hasn’t been done right in a long time. But it was done right tonight. The choice of material, the turquoise outfit, even down to the shoes, and the orange shirt. The ripping guitar solos. The vocals. It was the complete package.

Take a look at Mr. Lefsetz's full review

Supergroup

There are some pairings of musicians that would make music fans salivate. How about seeing Jerry Garcia trade licks with John Coltrane. Or maybe seeing Stevie Wonder harmonizing alongside Ray Charles. Well, tonight I learned of a one-time grouping of musicians that occurred back in 1968 that somehow never hit my radar. Now, I consider myself a fan of music. In fact, I'd say I would pride myself on being ahead of most. But sometimes I am so humbled by my lack of rock history that I sometimes want to hang up my hat.

How could a pairing of members of THE BEATLES (John Lennon), ROLLING STONES (Keith Richards), CREAM (Eric Clapton) AND THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE (Mitch Mitchell) never make it to my consciousness?!? Well, perhaps it is because the audience appears to be so lost in a purple haze that they even forgot it ever happened. Or perhaps it is because the clip was never released until twelve years ago. The story goes like this:

Just after the White Album came out, John Lennon performed "Yer Blues" at The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus with a supergroup dubbed The Dirty Mac, consisting of himself, Eric Clapton on lead guitar, Keith Richards on bass and Mitch Mitchell on drums from The Jimi Hendrix Experience. The recording was never broadcast, and for decades the performance was only available on bootleg, but it finally came out officially on both CD and video in 1995.

FYI: This is John Lennon's first concert before an audience outside of performing with The Beatles. Wow.

Mr. Nice Guy?

Last night I was flipping through the "Music Choice" channels on digital cable (which I highly recommend checking out for those of you who have never made it past HBO-Latino), when I came across a song I hadn't heard since high school. It was Alice Cooper's "Only Women Bleed" -- a stirring rock ballad that would have even the Pope tapping his feet. Maybe it is because the song is the very antithesis of what made Alice so popular (and unpopular) in the 70's, that it is all the more moving. Interestingly, while scanning for the clip online, I came across versions covered by both Tori Amos and Guns 'N Roses -- how is that for an endorsement?

So without further ado, here is the shortened, "tv-friendly" version of Alice's masterpiece. The full-length version is also available online.