the Rock Report

Its the most absurd thing Ive ever heard.  How can that have happened since we started it?

And that, yardbirds, is the third sentence of an email I received just this morning!  It was from a guy in Nawth Cackalacky (North Carolina, to you purists) who could not beee-lieve that a bunch of English people came over here and changed our music!

Ummmm … NEWS FLASH:  Once before, as I recall, a bunch of English people came over here and changed things.  It was called … the settlement of America (like around, say, 1620 or so??  Got it … pilgrim??).

But I digress (??? I have … never … used that word before in a sentence!  Sumbuddy look it up quick!!).  Yes, the British Invasion took ahold of America (as it did every other country whose name started with a vowel or consonant!). 

Y’see, the Invasion bands hit with something that our rockers were lacking for the most part:  stage presence.  And they weren’t concerned about being formulaic — everything they did emitted spontaniety … excitement … LIFE!

Now, these same qualities … coupled with the strong backbeat, solid rhythm, great harmonies and song structures that made the Invasion famous … are being carried on in the new UK band, The Fore.  You’ve heard me talk about ‘em time and again, and many of you have become solid fans of Matt, Spencer, Si, and …

Nathan.  Now, I’ve talked a bit about the others (Spencer, the most tremendous tailor of tempo and tunes [bass player, vocalist, soon to have a lovely Mrs. by his side], Matt, a man who’s destined to give Clapton a run for his money [lead guitar, vocals; also destined to be a daddy again soon!] and Si, whose drumming would make Ringo jealous [and possibly Dave Clark.  If Dave played drums …]).
But Nathan (their rhythm guitarist/vocalist) adds a versatility, humour and creativity that makes this band the one to watch for in 2010!!  He’s multi-fingered as well as talented, has a voice that some have compared to Elvis, Gene Vincent and Liza Manelli

 NOW to see if he’s really reading this … lol …

(JUST KIDDING, of course!  I’ve also heard from mates in the UK that the pipes are somewhat like The Pirates’ Johnny Kidd).

Already with a great following and reputation (can that be done at the same time??), he and Spencer have also branched out into a new ELO-style venture called The 286 with Nathan “Roy Wood” Persad on the drums (he also plays bass, guitar, bass guitar, cello and stereos when the salesmen aren’t looking).  I’ll have more on them soon. 
No, make that on “The 286“.  I understand Van Morrison doesn’t want his old group promoted anymore …

But, next … the story of the legend of BritBlues … ALEXIS KORNER!  (Now, if ya dig the blues, you’re not gonna want to miss this!!)

So, stay tuned, and I’ll see ya on the flip side!

Man, I dunno about you, but I really admire Bruce Springsteen.  He’s sorta taken center-stage as America’s “working class hero”, and has worked just about every type of gig in his career.

The Boss’ first big gig was years ago when superstar Anne Murray brought him onstage as support act.  Before that, though, he was honestly thinkin’ of packing it in (musically), thanks to a promoter who thought his last name was Springsong.  

Anyway, he’s gonna be playin’ the 25th anniversary concert for the Rock Hall of Fame tonight (Thursday) — three days after the death of his cousin (and assistant road manager) Chris Sullivan. Bruce was to play Kansas City on Monday night but cancelled when Chris was found dead in his hotel room there. According to police, there doesn’t appear to be any foul-play, drugs or whatever involved.
Obviously, we send our heartfelt condolences to Bruce, the team and Chris’ family …

But while Bruce is playing the show, another big star has backed out. Eric Clapton will be recovering at home in England after gall bladder surgery, so he won’t be making his scheduled Friday evening appearance. But another Yardbirds’ mate, Jeff Beck, will take Eric’s place on the bill that night.

Two more hit-makers have also had to take a bite outta their schedule:  Elton John had to cancel both his Sheffield and Newcastle shows due to a serious bout of the flu (I understand they will be rescheduled, though), and Rod Stewart — who was supposed to be on the stateside gabfest The View this past Tuesday — had to cancel due to a viral infection.  He’ll probably pop up on one a bit later (btw, he was dynamite on the new Jay Leno Show recently.  Did an old Four Tops number, (It’s The) Same Old Song.

WAS LED ZEPPELIN TO RE-FORM?

According to the RockFeed, yes!  Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and the late Bonzo Bonham’s son, Jason, were pulling together some material as they tried to decide who would take former lead singer Robert Plant’s place.
Verdict:  Since no one seemed to fit the bill, John went on with the new “supergroup”, Them Crooked Vultures (with Josh Homme and Dave Grohl).  Still, they did try, so, for just a little while, we had some hope …

THE FORE ON NEW BEATNIK GEEK LABEL!

Just got word from the home office that Spencer, Matt, Si and Nathan — collectively known as The Fore — are now one of the anchor signings on the new Beatnik Geek record label! The band is wildly popular throughout the UK and, now officially with the label, their stars are gonna soon be shining here in America as well as they have in Europe!
Keep watching this blog for more frequent updates …

But, for now, we’re gonna take a short break for a few hours’ zzzzz’s, so I’ll see ya tomorrow … on the flip side!

I’ll talk later about my momentary “disappearance”. But, for now, let’s take a serious moment to remember some special people, okay?

First: the folk music world — in fact, anybody who loved the simple-but-soultouching sounds of that genre — is grieving tonight upon hearing that Mary Travers, the blonde beauty who belted out some of the most powerful protest songs of the Sixties with her partners, Paul Stookey and Peter Yarrow, died Wednesday evening of leukemia at age 72.

The Louisville, Kentucky native was considered both the soul and verve of Peter, Paul and Mary, whose songs like Puff, The Magic Dragon, If I Had A Hammer, Blowin’ In The Wind and Leaving On A Jet Plane, became legend. Their take-off of rock music, I Dig Rock and Roll Music (in which they mimic Donovan, Mamas and Papas and even The Beatles) was hilarious, and scored a “direct hit” against censorship.

Though they broke up and reunited many times before, their last performance was just four months ago in Brunswick, New Jersey. In hearing of her death, Peter Yarrow said, “…I do know there will always be a hole in my heart, a place where she will always exist that will never be filled by any other person. However painful her passing is, I am forever grateful for Mary and her place in my life.”
However, Paul Stookey (who was very close to Travers) said, “I am deadened and heartsick beyond words to consider a life without Mary Travers and honored beyond my wildest dreams to have shared her spirit and her career.”

We’re all honored, Paul … and she’ll be missed. But, now, her spirit is blowin’ in the wind …

And one of the most prolific and professional session drummers on planet Earth passed away of stomach cancer on Monday. Now, many statesiders haven’t heard of Bobby Graham, but, as anyone in the UK can tell you, he provided the backbeat of many songs that came out of the British Invasion.

In fact, it’s said that, all told, he played on 15,000 songs, including Dusty Springfield’s “I Only Want To Be With You,” Petula Clark’s “Downtown” and Them’s original “Gloria.” He was 69.

He also provided the solid beat on the Kink’s “You Really Got Me” and “All Day And All Of The Night” (who can forget that dynamic drum bridge?) as well as on some of Herman’s Hermits’ hits.
But he was also drummer on the recordings of the Dave Clark Five (though Dave did play the drums during their live gigs). While, as you’ve read in earlier post, Ron Ryan was responsible for the DC5’s “Tottenham sound”, Graham provided the backbeat to it!
Legend has it that he was also asked to replace Pete Best in the Beatles before Ringo Starr but turned them down.

A dynamic personality as well as drummer, Bobby is going to be seriously missed by his mates and fans around the world … including this balding bird!

VERY SHORT TAKES:

Yes, as with everyone else who ever watched his movies or followed this lanky Texan, I’m very saddened by the death of Patrick Swayze. His devotion to his family, his lovely wife Lisa, his fans and his profession were traits that aren’t often seen these days.

Kanye?? The Prez?? Well, on the one hand, West has gotta start a heavy diet of humble pie. Look … he isn’t as great as he thinks he is (how many others are just as good and top stars as well??), he’ll undoubtedly “fade out” as most hip-hop stars do (check the stats: they’re the quickest to lose their fame, and the field’s wayyy too crowded) and he’s a flesh-and-blood mortal who, with his egoic attitude and choice of genres, has put himself in a very dangerous position!

The President?? Well, lemme ask ya: Does President Obama have the same rights as the rest of us? Though he’s leader of the country, doesn’t he have the right to an opinion? Besides, he was right when he called Kanye a “jackass”. The guys who broke this remark (which was supposed to be off-the-record) on (of all things!) Twitter rather than telling their bosses first should be terminated from their jobs (hey … they broke business etiquette as well as a number of in-house rules at ABC).

I’VE BEEN LATE BECAUSE business has really begun to pick up over here at Rock Central, both with The Fore promos, extra articles up the yingyang, business reviews, the sites … and, of course, regular things like research, cleaning, errands, etc. But stay tuned: I’ve found a way to expedite these things and get more time to keep up yer fave rock blog!
So I’ll be back in less than 24 with more! Until then, I’ll …
see ya on the flip side …

First: I’d be amiss if I didn’t mention the passing of a modern-day cinematic legend.
Patrick Swayze lost his tremendous battle against pancreatic cancer yesterday. While millions of fans are paying their respects on Twitter, Facebook, in emails and call-ins, others are watching their copies of Dirty Dancing and Red Dawn, remembering the man who some had called our generation’s James Dean.
Patrick was an art form in every way, whether in dance, acting or even in his home life. No question that, although we all expected the end to come, we all miss him and are thankful for all that he gave to us through his acting.
RIP, Patrick! You fought a helluva battle and tought all of us how to face life with joy and death with dignity.

THE BEATLES and an amazing Russian Revolution

According to Dr. Yury Pelyushonok, a Canadian-based Doctor of Soviet Studies in Medicine who grew up in the former USSR in the 1960s, the Fab Four were responsible, in part, for bringing an end to the Communists regime!

“The Beatles had this tremendous impact on Soviet kids. The Soviet authorities thought of The Beatles as a secret Cold War weapon,” he said.

“The kids lost their interest in all Soviet unshakable dogmas and ideals, and stopped thinking of an English speaking person as the enemy.”

I’m not surprised — and neither is any other true student of the Fab Four.  After all, they epitomized and put a human face on what Shakespeare said years ago; that “music hath charms to soothe the savage breast.”  These guys inspired a total generation … whether it was in England, the states, France, Germany and around the world!  So their effect on kids in the former USSR doesn’t seem far fetched at all.

ONE MORE THING

Sunday night’s MTV Video Awards were disrupted by the rapper Kenye West, when he interrupted Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech upon winning the top award.
Now, I don’t know much about this guy’s music, but I do know he’s gotta watch himself …

Okay … taking a break here, but I’ll be back in about 12 or slightly more.  Until then, I’ll see ya on the flip side!

It’s “Amazing”, in a way:
After all the bumps, breaks, bruises and bad illnesses that’ve surrounded the recent Aerosmith tour, these cats just keep going!
And now everybody’s wondering: but how much longer??

THE SAGA CONTINUES

The latest of their seemingly-jinxed tour happened earlier today: Their frontman, Steven Tyler was rushed to a hospital in Sturgis, South Dakota (the band was playing at the famed Motorcycle Rally) after he fell off the stage! (Y’see, it’d rained and the stage was slick.)

Ironically, they were playing their hit, Love In An Elevator, when it happened. Now, the sound system went down just minutes before this happened, and Steven was dancing to keep the audience entertained when he fell backwards from the stage.

Guitarist Joe Perry, in announcing that the rest of the show was cancelled, told the crowd that Steven (61) had been “badly hurt.”

More on this as it develops. Still, you’ve gotta admire the band for continuing their tour, even after so many bumps-in-the-road. It’d knock any other band on its keister!!

SOMEWHERE TO RUN TO, BABY

Look for some new gigs and maybe even an album from rock/soul legend Martha Reeves in the near future.
She lost her bid for re-election to the Detroit city council on Tuesday, though five other incumbents got the nod to return.
Between you and me, the lady’s still got that amazing and powerfully-soulful voice — in fact, everything it takes to make a great show! I wouldn’t be surprised if Martha (solo or with a new set of Vandellas) made it back onto the Billboard charts!

THE FORE TO ROCK THE ROX!!
The band’s management has just informed me that The Fore will be playing the great Rox Festival on August 15!
They’ll be sharing the main stage with some of the UK’s finest acts … and the turnout is expected to be tremendous!
And remember: August 15 is also when the Top Ten finalists are named for Indie Artist of the Year — and you can vote ‘em into the top position (right now, they’re at #3, which is great!). Just go here and, once ya click on one of their hits, click “Become A Fan”. It’ll give ‘em five points toward the goal!
‘Nuff said!!!

Okay … that’s it for this edition. Until later this evening, keep your eyes on the skies, your feet on the ground, your heart with the music …
and I’ll see ya on the flip side!

Okay … some of you are wonderin’ what that title means (seein’ as I didn’t explain it in the last post).

Well, it’s simple, really:
For some time now, I’ve been bringin’ the classic-rock news, views and more to yer monitor door … er, screen (hey … at least it rhymed!). But it’s pretty much been lightweight stuff — it didn’t have much of an edge to it.

Well, now, since two of my other blogs have “bellied-up” without lettin’ me know … annnnd since there’s been so much goin’ on in the rock world that — well, it’s just gotten damned ridiculous — I’ve decided to take off the kid-gloves, expand the blog here, and get more into it all.

THEY’RE #3 AND MOVIN’ UP!!

As ya know, The Fore has been nominated for Best Independent Artist of 2009.
Well, this wildly-popular UK band, which serves up the Mersey/dirty-Hamburg beat piping hot in every performance (as well as on their successful CDs), is now at NUMBER 3 and RISING!!

And you can help put them on top!! It’s free-to-do, doesn’t take but a minute — and you’ll hear some of their greatest hits to boot! Just click here, find the song you wanna hear and click it, then click Become A Fan. You’ll not only have that fab Fore music, but you’ll also give ‘em five points toward their goal!
Do it now, okay?? Let’s make these lads #1!!

GRACE UNDER FIRE

Y’know, I usedta have a little respect for the “investigative reporter” Nancy Grace. Now, don’t get me wrong; she’s done a lot of good on her show — when she’s after molesters and predators, and has led the charge on finding missing children.
Ahhhh, but, lately, she’s seemed to be preoccupied with Michael Jackson, and has “weighed in” with allegations, implied or not, about his character. She “unleashes the lawyers” to build “cases” such as his old molestation charge (er, Ms. G? I … think … er, he’s already been found “not guilty”??), drug addiction (which, once hooked, the addict often can’t help alone??) …

But, now, her people are implying that Michael’s home movies with Paris and Prince (and they’re very heartwarming) were staged!! Oh … one “proof” is that little Paris was looking to her left in one shot, rather than at the camera! (WOW!!! Didja happen to notice that, as the camera panned, Prince was standin’ there??)

Look … it’s all for the almighty dollar; you know it, we know it, the world knows it. So, ma’am, in yer own words: GET … A … LIFE!! Forget the verbal autopsy, let Michael rest, and get some credibility back into yer show!! It’s gettin’ stupid!!
Y’see, while you’re pickin’ at the King of Pop, there are scores of young children out there who’ve gone missing. Parents are heartbroken, panicky, stressed beyond measure.
So forget about the “high ratings” crap and get back on track!! Every minute that we wait … with every bit of airtime you’re devoting to tearing Michael down … a child could be coming closer and closer to a very untimely and horrific death.

You wanna “unleash the ‘lawyers’”? Give ‘em something substantial to dig into!

Okay … that’s my two cents. What’s yours??
See ya on the flip side, when …
wait a minnit. Just thought of something ….

(Ms. G., you … do … realize that, by “unleashing” yer lawyer/guests, you’re calling them dogs, right??)

BACK TO ROCK WITH THE NEXT INSTALLMENT, SO STAY TUNED!!

THIS IS A SPECIAL EDITION ROCK REPORT:

Early yesterday, the rock world lost another legend in the form of Gordon Waller, one-half of the famed UK duo, Peter and Gordon.

According to reports, Waller had suffered a massive heart attack Thursday night at his home in Connecticut and died early the next morning at the age of 64.

Along with Peter Asher, he formed one of the two most formidable and popular duos of the British Invasion (the other being Chad Stuart and Jeremy Clyde, aka Chad and Jeremy).  

Born in Braemar, Scotland, Gordon met Peter at London’s Westminister Boarding School. One of his favorite memories was of when the two of them would climb over the school’s spiked wall to play at local clubs without the headmaster’s knowledge.
After graduation, they continued performing, thanks in part to Peter’s sister’s boyfriend (Paul McCartney) who wrote three of their hits: “A World Without Love” (#1, 1964), “I Don’t Want To See You Again” (#16, 1964) and “Woman” (#14, 1966).

All told, the duo scored 14 American chart records, but broke up in 1968 when touring became difficult and hits scarce. Peter became a talent scout for Apple Records and later produced Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor. Gordon appeared as Pharaoh in “Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” in London’s West End and also wrote the score for the James Dean biographical film, “Race With Destiny.”

The two reunited in 2005 for the Mike Smith Tribute (a fundraiser for the crippled organist/vocalist for the Dave Clark Five. Sadly, Mike passed away early in 2008) and played the Buddy Holly Memorial at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa this past February (the 50th anniversary of that fatal plane crash).

They were due to play here in my hometown of Ashland, Kentucky in about a month, and I was planning on interviewing this dynamic duo.

When informed of his partner’s death, Peter Asher issued the following statement:

“Gordon played such a significant role in my life that losing him is hard to comprehend– let alone to tolerate. He was my best friend at school almost half a century ago. He was not only my musical partner but played a key role in my conversion from only a snooty jazz fan to a true rock and roll believer as well. Without Gordon I would never have begun my career in the music business in the first place. Gordon remains one of my very favourite singers of all time and I am still so proud of the work that we did together. I am just a harmony guy and Gordon was the heart and soul of our duo.”

To Gordon’s family, friends and musical partners we send our deepest condolences. Someday, Gord (and to paraphrase a song title), “Someday We Will See You Again”. R.I.P.