My First Blog Post (maybe?)

originally posted May 2005 to my Windows Live blog

Oops, I stepped in “blog” ??!!

What to BLOG? What to BLOG?

Let’s start with music, since that’s one of my favorite things.  I am going to come out with the "Remember when they didn’t suck?" CD box set.  There are a lot of bands that started out kicking @$$ and ended up lame.  Lot of 70′s-80′s bands died and went to ballad-hell! Need examples?

• Journey
• Heart
• Cheap Trick
• Foreigner
• Chicago (after Terry died, obviously)
• Even Van Halen lost their kick!!!!

I could make the list pretty long, but who would you add?

Stevie Ray never lost it, but we lost him.  Best thing that ever came out of the 80′s.

In the 90′s I was worried I’d be like old people and say there’s no good new music nowadays.  But there was a ton.  Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Metallica, Eric Johnson …the list goes on. One of the best was Stone Temple Pilots.  It was testosterone rock.  Now we have Velvet Revolver, which is ok, but not STP good (yet?).

Kenny Wayne Shepherd, what the hell happened to you?  You could do no wrong….until that last CD which was a total waste of my cash.  Get your old singer back and do what you excel at.  Stop smoking whatever it was that made you do that last CD.

Jonny Lang…one of the few people I’d pay to see right now.  Sings with more soul than anyone I know of, and plays great.

Who is good lately?  Not many I’ve seen.  Jet is retro and catchy.  When they stop making the new good stuff, check out the old stuff.  Find out about the blues.  It’ll move you.

Guitar gods of all time?  The usuals…Hendrix, Van Halen, Page, Vai, Eric Johnson, Clapton (though more for style than technique), ….know who is probably the best Musician?  Dave Gilmour of Pink Floyd.  He is like BB King in that he can convey more with one note than a lot of guys can with a blinding fury of notes.  Music is not all about technique.  It’s about delivering FEELING and EMOTION with your tools.

On the other hand, I’m not interested in 99.9% of "music" by non-musicians – those who don’t master their art, but they look hot or can dance or program a computer and talk smack in trite rhymes.

Sam Phillips is a shining star that few know about. Martinis and Bikinis was incredible! Find out about her.

http://www.bradfordvillebluesclub.com/ is the place to go for the finest music in N. Florida.  Check out local wonder boy Rick Lollar, too.  Amazing!  Go out and support your local bands.  They need it, and you might find a gem!