Today MSN posted a list of "Ten Artists Who Should Stop Making Records" and here are my comments/rebuttals:

Madonna: Never liked her, ever.  Always thought she embodied the worst attributes of style over music substance.  Yet, inexplicibly, she remains one of Music's most famous women. Never liked the music... dug the lingerie, though!

Black Crowes: WTF!!! LOVED the live album then went to their concert which was nothing like it!  Instead I got 20-minute versions of every song that made me tune out after 10.  They have done some brilliant albums, most notably 2002's "Lions!"  This new one is just OK but I have hopes that they'll come back with a better one, so it's a bit premature to write them off just yet.

The Who: Should have hung 'em up years ago although Pete Townsend can probably still muster a good solo album.  Roger Daltrey has no voice anymore and should stick to acting. Didn't even bother with the last album, as big a fan as I am.  IMHO the real Who died with Keith Moon, even though John Entwistle is one of my bass idols and "Live at Leeds" changed my thinking about bass forever.  I saw them in '81 with Kenney Jones and was so disappointed.  As discussed in my previous post Pete will probably live to be 100 because he wrote "I hope I die before I get old!" But please, PLEASE stop guys! 

Ray Davies: I was never a big Kinks fan but they did some brilliant records and I think he's still coherent and moviated enough to put together some good songs.  He deserves the benefit of the doubt.

Joni Mitchell:  IMHO her last "great" album was 1983's "Wild Things Run Fast" but it's been down hill since then.  "Dog Eat Dog," an ill-advised collaboration with techno rocker Thomas Dolby, really sucked.  "Chalk Mark in a Rainstorm" was somewhat of a return to form and my (musician) wife likes "Both Sides Now" a lot more than I do.  "Taming the Tiger" sounded like 4-track demos she did at home; probably was.  We both are hoping she has one more great disc left in her. It could happen!

Bryan Adams:  Never had enough stature to make the list.  Made some decent albums in the Eighties and has sucked ever since.

Rolling Stones: It's always an agrument as to what their last "great" album was.  Some people say "Tattoo You."  I say "Some Girls." You can pretty much keep anything they've done since then although there have been good tracks here and there.  But seeing as four of the five highest-grossing tours in history have been Stones tours, including the last one they have earned the right to keep on even if their best records are long behind them.  They still kick ass live!

Elton John: Still a big draw live, I think the old queen still has one more great album left in him.  "Candle in the Wind" at Princess Diana's funeral earned him a place in history and remains the biggest-selling single of all time. I'm still waiting for that masterpice, though.  I bet he gives us one too!

Carly Simon: Ick, too much work on the face sweetie!  She mattered once but hasn't been relevant since her duet of "Mockingbird" with then-husband James Taylor, who just released that excreable album of covers.  Speaking of James, I just saw him live and was SO PISSED that he took "Fire and Rain" out of his set to do songs like "Oh What a Beautiful Morning" from "Oklamoma!" But I digress. She should hang 'em up and go live on her Daddy's millions.  She doesn't need to work - please don't!!!

Def Leppard: Never liked them; always thought of them as lightweight, pretty-boy Metal wannabes.  Give me the real thing - give me Black Sabbath or Metallica or Lemmy and Motorhead, who still kick ass.

...and PUHLEEEEEEEEZE no Led Zep reunion!!!

I'm a bit bleary this morning... didn't sleep real well last night.  But that isn't such a bad thing because I got to see an early-morning showing of the Who's rockumentary "The Kids Are Alright;" one of the best Rock movies ever made featuring one of  Rock's greatest bands.

Although I hadn't seen this movie for at least twenty years I am well familiar with it.  When it was first released back in the Seventies I was working at the Balcony Theater (years before it became IMAC), which showed mostly Rock movies in those days.  So, I got to see the movie at least fifty times and never tired of it.  Quite the contrary, I went to school on it the way I did all the other Rock movies of that era - "Woodstock," "Rust Never Sleeps," "Monterey Pop," "The Last Waltz," "Gimme Shelter," "Jimi Plays Berkeley," etc. etc.

Back in those days, when I had only been playing five or six years, a lot of what these guys did was indecipherable to me.  I just had no idea how they got those incredible sounds!  In some ways, my lack of knowledge made it seem that much more magical to me.  In those days, I wanted to be a "B.F.R.S. (Big Fucking Rock Star)" so badly.  I thought it would validate me as a person somehow.  I thought if people loved me it would bestow a measure of revenge on the snooty-ass, Disco Duck, too-good-for-everybody Gold Coast women at C.W. Post who wouldn't give me the time of day.  "I'll show them ALL when I become a huge superstar!" I used to tell myself.

Fast forward thirty years and now I'm a hard-bitten, seasoned old rocker.  Miraculously, I'm still here after all this time and I've earned the right to be after so many years of heartaches, disappointments, betrayals, ripoffs, bullshit and paying my dues. 

Stardom has eluded me but maybe that's not such a bad thing.  In hindsight it probably would have destroyed me and I certainly wouldn't be writing at this advanced age I never thought I'd get to! I've found my validation in other things - as a husband, a father, a professional; in the love I share with my family and friends; in church and in so many other things.

I have the music in its proper perspective now.  It's not the be-all-and-end-all anymore, which means I can enjoy it more and appreciate it for what it is.  I do it for the right reasons now - because it makes me whole and because NOT doing it isn't an option. 

I appreciate the music, enjoy it (mostly). but most importantly I respect the privilege of doing it.  Not many 52-year-old guys can still say they play in a Rock band!  You'ld be surprised how many guys my age come up and tell me they wish they could be doing what I do.  When I ask, "Well why dontcha?" I get these blank stares but that's another discussion for another time.  Suffice it to say I'm well aware that I get to do what everybody who plays Guitar Hero, or Rock band, or sings Karaoke WISHES they could do, for real!  That alone gives me a TREMENDOUS amount of validation!

Last night Madame and I were listening to WFUV and they played tracks from Glen Campbell's new disc, which of course they followed up with one of his classic tracks.  Halfway through "Wichita Lineman" I broke into tears and sobbed, "I just want to do ONE record that good! Just one!"  That is my motivation and my dream.  Everything else is just, well... everything else.  That is why I keep on at an age when I'm supposedly too old to be doing this. But the day I stop trying is the day they cart away my cold, dead carcass.  God help me - I'm a rocker for life!

Which brings us back to the 3AM showing of "The Kids Are Alright."  I totally understand everything the band is doing musically now.  I've played and/or sung most of the songs; copped John Entwistle's sound; know all the chords, moves and nuances. And you know what?  All my knowledge makes them no less amazing. The magic is in the interplay of the members of a great Rock band.  I get it now.  

It's also sobering to consider that two of the four members are no longer with us.  Pete Townsend - the man who wrote, "I hope I die before I get old" - will probably live to be 100.  God has an ironic sense of humor that way. 

Peace.

I hate going to fucking concerts.  That may seem a strange thing to read from a rabid music fan and practitioner like myself but it's true. 

The Fascists have taken over the concert business!  All the bean counters and insurance companies and greedy businessmen have made going to see any major band an ordeal for the average music fan.

I remember what concertgoing used to be like back in the Seventies.  The long-since-razed Commack Arena used to have some classic Rock shows.  Tickets were $7.50, seating was General Admission.  The doors opened two hours before the show but the Security didn't get there until an hour before the show so you could bring cases of beer in if you wanted to. 

We used to take turns being the "advance scouts" for shows.  Our mission: bring the beer and stake out the seats.  Commack Arena was basically a Hockey rink with 1/2" plywood over the ice and folding chairs over that.  Even in the Summer if you didn't bring a sweater you'd freeze your ass off.  You had to be careful if you were on the Advance Team because if you partied too hard you could be toasted by the time the show started and pass out halfway through.

Back in the day you could smoke what you liked at shows, drink as long as you were somewhat discreet (i.e., plastic cups) and party as much as you pleased.  We saw some amazing shows and nothing bad ever really happened, other than getting too drunk and praising the Porcelain Princess.

Back in those days if you had told me you couldn't smoke at shows, you'd pay $100 for a ticket and have to endure a body cavity search to get into a concert I'd have told you that I'd stop going and I would have meant it.

The worst example of how crappy the concertgoing experience has become has to be Jones Beach.  Even as late as the Eighties, it was the best place in the universe to see a concert. Tickets were reasonable and you could go to the box office and circumvent Ticketron. They had a bar and treated you like a grownup.  The acoustics were fabulous, before they put up that fucking Upper Deck and ruined it.  Getting into the show was hassle-free and you could bring anything you wanted in your pockets.  You used to even be able to bring in your own food and beverages!

Contrast that to last night's Rush show.  Tickets were $80. and you had to spend half a Saturday morning months in advance screwing around on the Ticketmiser site just to get them. The good seats are always skimmed off so most of the time you either get the back of the floor which isn't worth the higher price or the second-tier mezzanine.  And the thing that REALLY PISSES ME OFF is they keep those seats for guests and often there's a couple rows of prime seats sitting empty.

You get to the parking lot and the Park Police are on the prowl, just waiting to slap unwary tailgaters with a nice fat ticket for bringing beer into the park. Then you practicially have to subject yourself to a full body-cavity search before going through the turnstiles. I want to say now and for the record FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU to every one of you douche bags who works for Live Nation. You've ruined Jones Beach Theater and YOU SUCK!!!

Standing in the line, I always address my transgressor in a gay-sounding voice; telling him he's cute and that this is my favorite part of the night.  This ruse practically guarantees me a quick, unmolested passage.  Try it, guys - it works!

Once inside, it's off to the overpriced, crappy concession stands.  Beer? Liquor? Forget it. Good eats? No way - just the usual low-quality, high-priced Aramark-quality food.  You can't bring in your own food anymore so you're fucked, which makes the pre-show tailgating even more important. 

It's bad enough they soak you for $5 for a lousy bottle of Dasani water, but last night at Rush was the final indignity.  Proportedly "At the request of the band" (BULLSHIT!!!), the drinks have to be poured into a plastic cup.  Greedy scumwads that they are, the real reason is that if you spill the drink while trying to get to your seat, or it gets kicked over, or your soda goes flat halfway through the show they hope you'll buy another one. 

Used to be that Jones Beach had the best acoustics of any venue around. No more. Ever since they added that upper deck the middle mezzanine sections are subjected to slapback from the walls of the Luxury Boxes, ruining the sound. 

I remember Newsday doing a story on how it was build by crooked contractors with substandard materials, although it was later pronounced "safe." By whom, I wonder.  I hope that fucking thing falls down in a winter storm some year and is never rebuilt.

Speaking of VIP sections, any time you go to the bathroom in the Upper Mezzanine sections you have to get the evil eye from bouncers who treat you like you're gonna break in and steal somebody's caviar or something.  Plus there's no smoking in the seats now.  They'll look the other way for an occasional doobie but if someone complains you'll be 86'ed.  Note to all you militant non-smokers: calm the fuck down, it's a Rock concert for chrissake!

For the past five or six years now, every time I go see a concert at Jones Beach I swear to myself it's going to be the last time.  But like a woman who keeps doing you wrong and you keep coming back for more, I love the music and most of the time the bands I want to see only are playing there.

So after this start-to-finish fucking; this greedy "Give us all your money and shut the fuck up" concertgoing experience; the promoter has the unbelievable gall to post people at the exits.  They thank you for coming and tell you to drive home safe.  All nicey-nice like they give a flying fuck. To which I reply by screaming,

LIVE NATION SUCKS!!!!

Hi Everybody,

I can't listen to WFAN anymore, the way Met fans have been whining and kvetching and crying for Willie's head on a platter.  Guys, CALM DOWN!!! There's a LOT of baseball left and the Mets will right the ship.  Willie has done a good job overall.  Give him a chance.

CALM DOWN! Stop screaming for Willie's head.

OK, you can certainly understand why the Shea Faithful have been cranky, what with the collapse last year and the poor start this year.  I mean, I get it that Willie used up all his goodwill with Met fans last year so he gets no slack this year.  Fair enough. But you have to remember the injuries have really killed the team.  The worst to me is Moises Alou, who is really the key to their offense.  Let's face it, the Mets are just a different team when he's not in the lineup.  Plus 2/5 of the starting rotation has been on the DL.  They've had to stay in the hunt trotting ancient retreads and guys from AA ball out there every fourth and fifth day. 

Fortunately for the Mets, Johan Santana has been as advertised. Even if his stuff isn't as dominant as it once was, he's still a firey competitor and a guy who finds a way to win, especially at time when the team really needed one.  He cost a fortune but he's everything you want in an ace.

Maine has been solid but Pelfrey has been struggling and Ollie Perez just looks lost out there.  Perez is the guy who should be sent down but they don't have options on him.  Pelfrey does, but he seems like he might right himself.  Let's hope so.

Luckily for the Mets, Johan Santana's been as advertised.

Cheer up though Met fans, help is on the way - help in the form of one Pedro Martinez, who is coming back and taking his spot in the rotation.  Look for a fresh Pedro to rack up some wins. Though not the pitcher he once was, he has a lot of grit and another guy who finds a way to beat you.  Plus we still get to look forward to seeing a rested El Duque who this year won't have to face the playoffs with 165 innings on his arm (43 or so he claims).

Calm Down Met fans, help is on the way!

I think the most upsetting thing about the bad start is listening to Met fans on WFAN.  The kvetching, the complaining, the bitching! The worst thing I could ever say about you is you're starting to sound like YANKEE FANS!  Used to be, it was Yankee fans who felt anything less than a championship was a failed year while Met fans were more well-adjusted.  But, for some reason Met fans feel a strange sense of entitlement to be in the playoffs this year after the last-day collapse last year.  As if, "We were cheated out of it last year so we deserve it this year." Guys, it doesn't work that way. This team will have to win on its own merits. Quit whining and thank the baseball gods you're not a Cubs or a Rays or a Nationals fan.  You've got plenty to cheer about.

The feeling here is that Mets will right the ship and will be Amazin' once again very soon.

What more can I say about the national embarassment that is our President? For seven years now it's been one thing after another with this guy.  Although I spent most of 2004-2007 in a deep pit of political frustration and anger, by last summer I finally reached outrage fatigue and resignation.  The painful realization came that nobody in Congress will take him on and they're going to let him run out the clock on what hopefully will be the last Republican presidency for a while.  Boy, has he done plenty to destroy their brand! As one exasparated Republican Congressman recently put it, "If the Republican Party were a consumer product they'd be taking it off she shelves right now!"

It's pretty much gotten to the point where like everybody else in the world, I'm counting off the days until this idiot rides off into the sunset to his Crawford ranch or wherever else he's gonna go.  Preferably Hell.

I love this shot, he's the REAL LIFE "Mr. Potato Head!"

Joke though he may be, the President seems to be the only person not in on it. Unfathomably, he continues to believe that he matters.  So what does he do? He goes to Israel's 60th Anniversary celebrations and tosses political darts at the Democrats, saying they want to "appease" terrorists the way Neville Chamberlain appeased Hitler.  Ham-handed cheap shots like that just underscore how after more than seven years of on-the-job-training as President, real statesmanship still evades him.  While other men have grown in the job, he has regressed.

Who's done more to destabilize the Middle East than this guy?

The President and Secretary Rice are still going around saying that they are going to broker peace in the Middle East before the end of the year.  Good luck with that! Going around saying a thing doesn't make it so, but the President really believes it! As his delusions grow, he daily becomes more petulant and defiant to his opposition.  There have been plenty of attempts at deconstructing his obvious narcissism and lack of empathy, so I won't repeat them here.  Recently when asked whether he thought the next President would try to wind down the war he sneered, "Well there's still nine more months in MY Presidency."  ARAUGH! Don't remind me!

Oh God!!! Is it 1/20/09 yet?

Uh hello? Can you say "Lame Duck?"  How about just "Lame" then?

Well Gang,

The chickens are finally coming home to roost.  No matter who the next President is going to be, he or she is going to have to clean up an ungodly mess after eight years of Dumbass - the war, no credibility abroad, but worst of all is this disaster of an economy they’ll be leaving behind. 

The trillion dollars Bush and his cronies siphoned out of the Treasury for their war has basically bankrupted America.  The economy is a lot worse than they’re saying.  Most people don’t realize that the Federal Government just funneled ANOTHER TRILLION dollars into the economy over just the past year to prop it up.  Intellectually dishonest to the end, the Bushies will do anything just to keep it from imploding on their watch. If forestalling the collapse makes it that much worse... well, that won’t be their problem will it?

Nevertheless, the bad news and frightening indicators have been slowly oozing out.  Most alarming of these to me was that the economy hemmoraged 80,000 jobs last month (March ’08).  Think of a single job loss as someone’s family wondering where their next paycheck is coming from, and suddenly what was just a number becomes something all too real. 

Plus as the Malling and Wal-Marting of America continues, more and more small businesses will disappear. The storefronts of Main Street America will languish vacant and more towns will die.

I got the chance to view too much of that that a couple of weekends ago when Terri and I drove through Western NY. As we drove and danced with the Pennsylvania border, there were some pretty bleak landscapes - Rust Belt as far as the eye can see. So many dying downtowns; so many abandoned homes and buildings. "Where did all the families go?" I wondered.  Away from my Suburban La-La Land, I caught a glimpse of what America used to be and what it isn’t anymore.

I have to roll my eyes whenever I hear Hillary or Obama talking about Universal Health Care.  It’s a pipe dream - there’s no money for it.  One day soon the U.S. Government will wake up and find there’s no buyers for its junk paper.  I’ve been predicting sometime around early 2010.

I don’t know whether the Bushies were smart enough to run the economy aground and bankrupt the Treasury deliberately.  Maybe they just thought they had a license to print money and kept funneling it to their corporate benefactors.

Regardless, the unfortunate by-product of a bankrupt American Government may be it will be forced to end many entitlement programs altogether like Medicaid and HEAP and maybe Welfare too.  This would suit the GOP just fine. 

By the way, I never want to hear any Republican use the phrase "Tax and Spend Democrats" ever again! They have bludgeoned the economy with their war far worse than any Welfare State could have.

I saw something on CNN that scared the bejeezus out of me.  This woman who was living the Ameican Dream suddenly got laid off from her $80,000 a year job and the roof fell in on her financially.  She couldn’t get another job and her bills went into collection.  Her husband couldn’t deal with the financial stress and left her, and suddenly she’s out of her home. Then of course they follow it with a segment on Atlanta Sheriffs putting people out of their houses.  Mortifying.

I don’t usually worry about that kind of stuff that much but it’s pretty sobering to contemplate that everything you have can all go away that fast.  As my old bud G.H. used to say, "Life can fall on you like a house!"

Alas, I foresee the day when we all may have to learn to live with much less.  Maybe that won’t be such a bad thing. 

Dear friends, remove your hats and pay homage at the passing of yet another Rock and Roll great, Buddy Miles.  He had such a profound impact on Rock music and was one of those journeyman guys like Billy Preston and Nicky Hopkins who was well known to fans but underappreciated.

Like most people I became aware of Buddy Miles through Jimi Hendrix' immortal "Band of Gypsies" album. Who could deny the impact Buddy had on the album with his propulsive drumming ("Machine Gun") and soulful vocals ("Them Changes," "We Got to Live Together").  He brought considerable musical and vocal firepower to the "improvised" sequences, like during "Who Knows?"  He adds that vocal solo in the breakdown that you either love or hate.  Jimi hated it.  I happen to love it.

Buddy Miles' (c) career was a lot  more than just playing with Hendrix.

In 1968 Jimi had decided he wanted to expand beyond the limitations of the Jimi Hendrix Experience and jammed with a different people in '68 and '69 before eventually evolving into Band of Gypsies with Jimi, Billy and Buddy.  Their most famous gigs of course were four shows at the Fillmore East 12/31/69 - 1/1/70; the recordings of which became the "Band of Gypsies" album.  Some have called the band the "First Black Supergroup" and you could make a case.

Buddy also was on stage for one of Jimi's most spectular failures - an abortive set at Madison Square Garden at which he put his guitar down and sat down on the stage; talking gibberish and looking bewildered.  Don't know what he took that night but it was bad, whatever it was.  Or maybe it was too good.  The band dissolved shortly thereafter and Jimi replaced Buddy by bringing back Mitch Mitchell.

Although playing on an immortal album with Jimi Hendrix is a great claim to fame to have, Buddy  Miles' career was so much more.  Buddy cut his teeth as a sideman to the great Wilson Pickett and the Delfonics. Later on he was spotted by guitarist Mike Bloomfield, with whom he formed the Electric Flag.  They released two great albums, "A Long Time Comin'" and "An American Music Band." But at the end of the day the band proved too small to contain so many talented people and so many egos.  Buddy split and formed his own band, the Buddy Miles Express.

Doesn't this picture just scream "Seventies Afro-Soul?"

The "Them Changes" album charted and did well, with the title cut becoming a minor hit "and getting airplay.  Subsequent albums didn't do as well.  Buddy went on to perform with Carlos Santana (Santana/Miles Live!; Freedom).  He also earned his Jazz bona fides, playing with artists like John McLaughlin. In the Eighties he gained a notoriety as a session artist and was lead singer for the "California Raisins" commercials.  He was seemingly omnipresent as a session man in the studio and a sideman in concert, where he would always get a feature spot. 

Buddy in later years.

So gang, get out those old "Band of Gypsies," or "Santana/Miles Live!" or "Them Changes" LPs and play them today.  Another one of the immortals has gone to Rock and Roll Heaven.  Rest in peace Buddy, and thank you for all the great music.

Peace.

So - the Giants are the NFL Super Bowl champions!  As a fan of course I claim my little part of the reflected glory with "my" team winning the championship.  But more than that, the story line of the Giants was really inspiring.  From 0-2 to 10-6; a wild card berth to the Super Bowl. Fantastic.

Conrats Eli, you shut up all the doubters!

I have to admit here, I was a doubter all along.  I predicted the Giants would to 9-7 and go "one and done" in the playoffs, as they'd done the previous two years.  I was rooting for Coughlin to be fired and the Giants to replace him with Bill Cowher. Shows you what I know!!!

Congratulations to Eli and the Giants - they shut up all the naysayers.  Everybody predicted they'd implode.  A just-retired Tiki Barber took cheap shots at Eli and the coach.  You need to shut up now - they won the Super Bowl without YOU, sucka!  Only Terry Bradshaw saw the light and predicted a win when all the genius "experts" were predicting a Patriots win. 

Eat your heart out, you blowhard. No ring for YOU!!!

The Giants get kudos for sticking together and knowing that any voice outside the locker room was irrelevant.  They believed in themselves and they stood by their guy Eli.  Their faith in him was rewarded.  Coach Coughlin made some adjustments that gave the players a voice in team decisions and allowed them to police themselves.  Football is the ultimate team game and it took every man on that team to step up, so "Bravo" to you all! 

Eli Manning was especially graceful under pressure.  For much of the season there were many Giants fans who wanted to ditch him.  "He can't take them to the Promised Land," they'd moan on ESPN.  "He's a bust," they'd whine on WFAN. 

Well Eli, you showed them all.  Your teammates believed in you and you took them to the championship.  I'd even say that I found you inspirational.  Seeing you succeed reminds me not to listen to the naysayers in my own life when trying to pursue my own dreams.    

Let's give Tom Brady his due as one of the all-time greats.

For their part, let's give the Patriots their due too.  Seriously, that Brady-led offense is one for the ages.  I really do think that when it's all said and done Brady will have the most super bowl rings and will be considered the greatest QB ever.  And what can you say about that defense? I'm almost sorry for Junior Seau, a Hall of Famer by anyone's standards, not getting his Super Bowl ring. Almost.  Well, maybe I would have been if the Patriots had lost to the Cowboys.

To be the best you have to beat the best.  The Giants beat the Bucs, the Cowboys, the Packers and the Patriots; all on the road.  They beat all the best opponents, so I think you can say the best team won.  Congratulations guys, you showed what sticking together and teamwork are all about. Well done!

The Giants needed every man on their roster to help win the championship.  The playoff win over the Cowboys was especially satisfying.

You know what folks? It doesn't suck to be me.  Although I still am among the "working wounded" who never quit their day job, every so often there are times when I gotta take a step back and appreciate still being able to do my thing musically.  Over the years  many people have told me how lucky they think I am because I get to play as actively as I do (as much as anybody can without being a full-timer!) but they don't always understand that I pay a price, too.

Now, anybody who plays seriously can tell you that trying to keep a band together and working can really be an ordeal.  You have to deal with flaky band members, drunks at gigs, slimy club owners and lots of big egos across the board.  Many times over the years I've asked myself why I still want to do it.

But every once in a while you get a weekend like the one I just had, where "Jupiter aligns with Mars" and everything goes really well.  Last weekend was one of those.

Mark, Rich and John from Rockslide in front of Meehan's before the gig.

I'd been looking forward to playing Meehan's of Huntington since the date was booked.  It's been more than three years since Rockslide played my hometown and we were wayyyyy overdue.  The last time was in '03 when we played The Veranda during Fall Festival and the entire weekend was washed out by torrential rains. So, I was itching to do my thing in front of the hometown folks.

I'm happy to say, the date was not a disappointment.  We played to a packed house and we rocked it!  A lot of my hometown friends and family came out to see the band and a fabulous time was had by all.  The best part was all the girls half my age dancing in front of the stage, having a great time and looking at us as though we were actually cool instead of some old geezers  (or so I like to think).  Now I know who I'm going home to but it was just a nice validation to see folks young and older getting down to what we were playing.  A lot of kids play "Guitar Hero" but they'll never know what the real thing is like.

Hey, great to see YOU TOO!!!

I was still basking in the afterglow of that gig the next day, when I got to play "Rock Star," shooting a video with The John Sullivan Brigade.  Sully had secured a school auditorium and moved the band's gear over there for the shoot.  I don't know how we came to play in this particular place - I think Sully belongs to the church or something.

There was no audience but it was still a lot of fun playing on the old stage.  My first paying gig in a Rock band was at my old elementary school, St. Pius X.  Without waxing too nostalgic (OK I am already) we played the Seventh Grade Spring Dance and totally rocked it.  When you get a chance to rock your old school you don't forget!

Back to the present, the building we played in was from the same period (late Fifties) and had a definite similarity to the old alma mater.  So, playing in this Camelot-era auditorium brought back some fun memories.

The old Catholic school stage brought back some fun memories!

We played a bunch of songs and got cameras shoved into our face, which really was cool.  Playing with the Sullivan band the past year I have had some great experiences and this was yet another one.

Russ Rogers and I enjoy what he called, "A Metal moment!"

It's times like this that make everything else worth it.  Very cool.