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J. Geils Left Our Planet on April 12, 2017…

An East Coast (US) guitarist has left us on April 12, 2017… J. Geils.

According to Wikipedia… John Warren Geils Jr. – ‘J. Geils’ – grew up in the New York Metropolitan Area, then interested in jazz and blues music. After moving to Massachusetts for his college education, he formed the J. Geils Blues Band while still a student at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. After dropping the word “Blues” from their name, the band released their first album in 1970, performing soul and rhythm & blues-influenced rock music for most of the 1970s, before changing styles to New wave music in the 1980s.

The article from Rolling Stone (below) describes the circumstances and updates of J. Geils death at the age of 71, as of the date of this blog writing…

Take Care and Jam On with the music my fellow musicians!

-Ron
Music Dials

… via Rolling Stone online (by: By Jon Blistein)

“The J. Geils Band released a slew of albums during the Seventies and early Eighties. With vocalist Peter Wolf at the helm, the band became best known for singles like “Centerfold,” “Love Stinks,” “Come Back” and “Freeze-Frame,” which have since become rock radio mainstays.”

Deep Purple Continues to Rock!…

Since its inception in 1968, Deep Purple (the band of course) continues to this day with ‘3’ core original members, inclusive of… Ian Paice on traps, Ian Gillin on vocals, and Roger Glover on Bass. And as of 1994 the wonderful ax-man, Steve Morse, joined the group. Ron Airey has picked up the keyboard duties hence the departure of previous keys man, Jon Lord.

In April (2017) Deep Purple has a brand new album titled Infinite coming out, and they will be touring shortly thereafter, what they’re dubbing, their Long Goodbye Tour.

This video spends some time with Ian Paice and Roger Glover and they further discuss the history of DP and their new projects… and, what could be their last road gig!

Jam On!
-Ron

(video and article via: Society Of Rock .com)

“There’s going to be a day in the not-so-far future when it is going to be ‘the last.’ That’s an emotional strain that I don’t think any one of us are brave enough to say ‘This is the date.’ But we are thinking… not thinking, we are realizing that time is creeping up every day that goes on, those numbers mount up. It’s inevitable…”

Read the rest of the article here –>
societyofrock.com/ian-paice-and-roger-glover-reveal-deep-purple-are-terrified-of-the-future-heres-why/

The Real Truth Behind The Lyrics In “Hotel California”—It’s Not What You Think!

OK, you no doubt find ‘Hotel California’ by the Eagles a very over played song on the airwaves. We’ll anyway, I do! – But, even though this song gets a ton of air play it certainly goes down as one of the top most misunderstood rock lyrical tunes ever…

Anyway, this article mentions a quote from Don Henley that sheds some truth behind the song… check it out.

Jam On!
– Ron

(via: Society of Rock .com)

“On a dark desert highway…” It’s one of the most interpreted songs in the history of rock n’ roll. Classic “Hotel California.” Many people have argued, debated and researched what the true meaning behind this song actually is. A common belief is that the song is about purgatory…

Ed Sheeran’s Song Sued Over ‘Let’s Get It On’…

When you consider most rock and country chords are the same basic 1,3,5 or 1,4,5 structures, it’s a wonder everyone hasn’t sued ‘everyone’!

Now, maybe you hear the ‘very’ similarities to Ed Sheeran’s song, Thinking Out Loud… to that of Marvin Gay’s decades old song, Let’s get it on… but I don’t!

I mean, there are a ton of songs on the marketplace that resemble each other to a certain degree, yet in this case I can’t find a very close resemblance thereof.

Anyway, I feel the poor guy [Ed] is being bothered [again] for no reason what-so-ever. Oh well, when you’re at the top you’re fair game. We’ll see, as it was tossed out the first round…

Jam On!
– Ron

Sergi Alexander/WireImage – via Colin Stutz for billboard.com

… The family of Gaye’s co-writer on the track, Ed Townsend, is pursuing legal action against Sheeran for lifting the the melody, harmony and rhythm from “Let’s Get It On” for his own song.

This is the second such accusation against Sheehan…

Making Your Own Music Video…

Music videos have been around for a few decades now… However, attempts to make your entertainment vids fast and easy continue to earn its stride.

Musical.ly is the first real social network that has reached an audience, young as small humans to the oldest of wisdom-hood.

Potentially, musical.ly will allow the younger and older generations to generate content in ways that they can’t produce as easily on their own. It is democratizing content creation by providing the resources (i.e., filters, control over video speed, access to professional audio) to make fun and entertaining content.

I may not be the best at layin’-down super guitar chops, yet, even I can create something fun without understanding a lot of post-production-editing skills.

You may find this ‘app’ worth looking into if you are considering a quick video about your musician self or with your band.

Jam On!
-Ron

Click the image to visit the https://musical.ly site and grab the App…

A Farewell to Aerosmith…

Recently (as of the date of this blog post) guitarist Joe Perry mentioned that the band, Aerosmith, had been tossing around the idea of reaching a time where a farewell tour was in order.

Wow, can you believe it’s been 47 years at this point? Another rock band legend has reached the proverbial milestone. Like many (considered) old-timer rockers, The Aerosmith boys have apparently found this moment in their career to consider ‘wrapping it up’ for their touring and studio album work.

It also appears that Steven Tyler has started another music genre direction… a solo country singer. Yep believe it or not (or you may already know it by now). Here’s a link to his first (solo) venture into country… (it’s not bad). Maybe it’s also a way for him to save his voice for the fore-see-able future.

Jam On!
-Ron

Go Here to see Steven sing country…

And more on the Aerosmith Farewell Tour…

(via: press release of Aerosmith Farewell Tour from Society of Rock .com)

There are no dates currently in mind for when Aerosmith will hit the road for the final time, and if you’re worried about being able to snag tickets to what’s sure to be one of the greatest farewell tours rock and roll has ever seen, never fear: Steven assures us that while this is the end for Aerosmith, the farewell tour will “probably last forever”.

Johnny Cash and June Carter Walking the Line…

For the first time the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) is dedicating an entire day to the legacies of “The First Family” of Country Music with a curatorial talk, an instrument spotlight, a themed menu at Café Allegro, a MIMQuiz with prizes, and more on June 25.

Johnny Cash and June Carter has provided a great ride for us musicians to enjoy their contribution to music. So many of us have covered a Johnny Cash tune with many musical variances… from rock to punk.

This press release (below) discusses the event that will take place a the MIM in Phoenix and what to expect if you drop by…

(btw… MIM displays more than 6,500 instruments collected from around 200 of the world’s countries and territories).

Jam On!
-Ron

(via: Musical Instrument Museum Organization)

Johnny Cash’s marriage to June Carter Cash represents a union of musical influences that have truly shaped American music for nearly a century. The Carter Family has served as a standard foundation for American folk and country music since their historic recording sessions in Bristol, Tennessee, in 1927. Johnny Cash is one of the most iconic musical personalities…

Prince as a guitar player…

The musician Prince (died April 21, 2016 @ age 57) and was considered one of our greatest modern era rock/pop singer songwriter. He wasn’t necessarily considered a great guitar player. Yet after further research and review of his expansive musical history (even though he left this planet way to early) it proves that Prince was indeed one of the most acclaimed guitarist in this genre.

Prince also had the early insight of recognizing the record industries manipulative ways of cornering the artistic marketplace. He took it upon himself to be one of the leaders in ‘self-published’ works. As such many musicians to follow expanded on this foundation to distribute their music without the record industry strangle hold on the market.

This article spends a good deal of time getting to the point as to why Prince was considered one of the top greatest guitarist of our times…

Jam On!
-Ron

(By Jack Hamilton – via: slate.com)

“Prince may have been the greatest guitarist of the post-Hendrix era and often seemed to carry Hendrix’s aura more intrepidly than anyone, most notably in his incredible versatility.” further noting in this article… “The story goes that sometime during the 1980s, Eric Clapton was asked how it felt to be the best guitar player in the world, and responded, “I don’t know; ask Prince.”…

Read the whole story about why Prince may have been the greatest guitarist since Hendrix, here…

https://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2016/04/28/why_prince_was_the_greatest_guitarist_since_jimi_hendrix.html

Small Faces and Humble Pie front-man, Steve Marriott lives on…

Near the end of January each year marks the birth date of the front-man that was in two legendary rock bands, Small Faces and Humble Pie. It’s Steve Marriott’s birthday… time to share some information about his outstanding contribution to rock n’ roll.

According to Wiki: Stephen Peter “Steve” Marriott (30 January 1947 – 20 April 1991) was an English musician, songwriter and front-man of two notable rock and roll bands, spanning over two decades. Marriott is remembered for his powerful singing voice which belied his small stature, and for his aggressive approach as a guitarist in mod rock bands Small Faces (1965–1969) and Humble Pie (1969–1975 and 1980–1981). Marriott was inducted posthumously into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Marriott died on 20 April 1991 when a fire, thought to have been caused by a cigarette, swept through his 16th century home in Arkesden, Essex. He posthumously received an Ivor Novello Award in 1996 for his Outstanding Contribution to British Music, and was listed in Mojo as one of the top 100 greatest singers of all time!

Not only could he sing with such driving piercing force, his guitar playing was very noteworthy!

Heck, you “don’t need no doctor”… (live ’71)

One of Steve’s most memorable times with Humble Pie (along with the Rockin’ the Fillmore -71 tour) was Woodstock… One can easily see why Marriott is considered one of the best rock front-men on this planet, as the above video provides a flashback for your reference.

Also check out the film release, Humble Pie “The Life & Times Of Steve Marriott” when you get the opportunity.

Jam On!
-Ron

Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airplane died at 74…

We’ve lost another one… Paul Kantner was (of course) founding member of the 60’s psychedelic rock band, Jefferson Airplane. Not sure what comes to your mind, but as a guitar player, I get the feeling of cool ‘riffs’ and ‘hooks’ when I listen to Airplane…

Paul Kantner, among the titans of the San Francisco music scene, passed away (Jan. 28 2016). Kantner was 74 and experienced a cardiac arrest. Paul was inducted in the Rock Hall of Fame in 1996 as a collaborate with the Jefferson Airplane with the 1967 “Surrealistic Pillow” album.

This article from the Chronicle goes into great details on Paul’s background…
Jam On!
-Ron

(credit given: By Aidin Vaziri via San Francisco Chronicle)

As quoted from the article…
“The band was formed in 1965 in a Union Street bar called the Drinking Gourd, when Balin met Mr. Kantner and expressed his interest in creating a “… folk-rock” band. It didn’t take long for the Airplane to attract a sizable local following, enough so that when fledgling promoter Bill Graham opened his legendary Fillmore Auditorium, the Jefferson Airplane served as the first headliner.”

More here…
https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/Jefferson-Airplane-s-Paul-Kantner-dies-at-74-6791483.php?t=b26db710676c5a3c1f&cmpid=fb-premium