Guitars and everything

I have heard this Cure song on XM's First Wave station two days in a row. It has been so long since I've heard this song, it was like hearing it for the first time. The Mr. is not a big fan of this genre...a staple in my youth. Too many keyboards and not enough guitar for his taste, I suppose. Ironically, guess what hooked me in on these most recent listens.

I'm off to dust off the CD and put it in the rotation.

A sad day in the Bay Area rock scene and at our house

Y&T is one of those bands that not everyone is familiar with...but if you are a hard-rock fan from California or know my husband, there is a good chance you've heard of them. The Bay Area band is best know for their 80's hits, Summertime Girls and Mean Streak, but they have been rockin' for over 35 years and my husband is one of their biggest friends. Our running joke is that he is the President of the AZ Chapter of the Y&T Fan Club. He has managed to catch a lot of their shows in small club venues over the years as the band has toured through California, Las Vegas, Utah and Arizona. He even had the opportunity to meet and chat with the bassist, Phil Kennemore, at the Las Vegas airport last December.

Here's a photo of the band at a show in Hollywood last year.

The bass player, Phil, was diagnosed with lung cancer earlier last year, so the band has been touring with a new bass player. Over our visit to NoCal for New Years, we found out the band was holding a benefit concert for Phil at a club just 10 miles from where we were staying. With members of bands like Queensryche, Montrose, Dokken and Greg Kihn playing with Y&T, it was an opportunity that was too good to pass up for my rock lovin' hubby, so we enjoyed rocking in the new year.


Sadly, Phil passed away early yesterday morning. His best friend and band mate, Dave, wrote a touching letter on their website that you can get to from here. His music and talents as a rock guitarist will surely be missed by his fans and our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, children and friends.

An unexpected appearance

This is what happens at our house when you mix a new Y&T album, a Hannah Montana wig and an electric guitar with a boy that still dreams of being a rock star...

Purist or Edgy?

Yesterday on the car radio I heard an alternative rock bank, Seether, cover Careless Whispers. Certainly you know the original by Wham? It hit the top of the U.S.'s Billboard Top 100 in 1984. Let me know what you think of this rock version by voting over on the right.

I figure your vote will fall into one of four categories...

a. You're a purist and messing with Wham's original is pure blasphemy.

b. You can't believe a real rock band would sink so low...they must have lost a bet.

c. You love it! Some rockin' guitar riffs and drums is just what that sappy song needed.

d. You were either born after 1980 or spent much of the 80's secluded on a commune and have never heard this song before today.

An evening spent with parrotheads

We spent last night with old friends enjoying the music of another old friend, Jimmy Buffett. We were grateful he made Arizona an early stop in his SummerZcool tour. It allowed us to enjoy the show on what was practically a balmy night.

It was a typical evening with Jimmy...lots of shark fins, sons of sailors, forty year old pirates, cheeseburgers grilling and volcanos blowing. Definitely a great way to kick off the summer.

Proud Mary

I just got home from the Tina Turner concert. Talk about an inspiration. This woman will be sixty-nine years old next month and she was amazing. Yes...that's right. Sixty-Nine! She's still wearing her high heels and marvelous legs. She was even doing a good job of keeping up with the dancers that are likely a third her age.

Here's what she sang...Steamy Windows / Typical Male / River Deep, Mountain High / What You Get Is What You See / Better Be Good to Me / Acid Queen / What’s Love Got to Do With It / Private Dancer / We Don’t Need Another Hero (intermission) Help / Undercover Agent for the Blues / Let’s Stay Together / I Can’t Stand the Rain / Rolling Stones Medley (Jumping Jack Flash and It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll) / Goldeneye / Addicted to Love / The Best / Proud Mary

Encore: Nutbush City Limits / Be Tender With Me, Baby

Nothing cures "ouch" like some cowbell

Em survived. And for being just a three day work week I must admit to feeling a little haggard by the end. Sheesh. Came home and let loose with a refreshing fermented beverage and this oldie but goodie updated for your viewing pleasure courtesy of this clever fellow named Barrester.

At least it isn't an 8-track

We've bought into the whole MP3 technology, we really have. But I have to confess...I still buy CDs (gasp). Call me old fashioned since I'm certain there were folks still buying LPs when the rest of us had been buying cassette tapes for years and we thought they were were so totally un-hip. Anywho, there are even a few bands that I anxiously await purchasing the new CD on the Tuesday release date. This band is one of them. I've been listening to their latest album released yesterday...on both my CD player and iPod...a lot.

In the meantime, Emily has been enjoying the soundtrack for this movie in anticipation of Friday's premiere.

"That one guitar, felt good in his hands..."

For Steve's birthday I gave him an amplifier. That was my message to him that he should go and by himself an electric guitar. He's been learning on the acoustic guitar for the last couple years and it was time to take the next pivotal step. And so here is my incredibly handsome husband and his new PRS SE Singlecut .


I'll keep you posted on the developments of the band.

Serenade

I don't really have anything to say about this--unless you are interested in the performance going on behind me from the Fair-Headed One and the Curly-Headed One that is their creative interpretation of High School Musical 2s "Fabulous" (although the Curly-Headed One's chorus comes out as "Flab-u-lous" which makes me giggle without fail) and really isn't so much a serenade as it is a pop concert -- I just happened to notice my recent trend and felt that we needed another "seren-" word in a title.

That should be it...unless tomorrow the girls decide to perform a serenata.

Foo Crew

I am a fan of live music. I went to my first concert in 1986...Book of Love opened for Depeche Mode at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, CA. And I’ve been dancing and singing along at shows ever since.

A good live show makes you an even bigger fan of an artist or band. It showcases their musical talent and brings a different edge to familiar songs. Tonight I went to a live show that I would rank in my top 5 favorite concerts. The Foo Fighters. The founder and lead singer, Dave Grohl, once played drums for a little band out of Seattle called Nirvana. I admit to having a crush on the man. My husband is aware of this…so it’s not a deep- forbidden-love kind of crush. Just an innocent appreciation for the guy’s talent (he was a one-man band for the original Foo Fighters album and has fingers in a number of other projects), a knack for being goofy (check out almost any one of their videos…but this one is my favorite) and a self-deprecating take on his own fame. Plus I think he’s pretty cute, especially after a haircut and shave.



Anyhow…tonight was a fantastic show. Dave’s energy was contagious. The other musicians in the band were impressive (Taylor Hawkins on drums...wow!) and they did this amazing acoustic set on a substage in the middle of the arena (now I'm lovin' on their acoustic live album, Skin and Bones). I was a fan before…but I really love them now. It’s 12:41 in the morning, my ears are ringing, my voice is hoarse and I’ll probably be awake for at least another hour while the energy wears down. So tomorrow at 3pm when I’m crashing at work, I’ll just turn on some Echos, Silence, Patience and Grace and rock on.