Mas Musica ...........

Taylor Hawkins - played for the Foo Fighters. Evidently was not only considered one of the top players, but also had a killer voice and easily could have fronted his own band.

I’ve never been a big fan of the Foo - they have a couple of tunes I like.

But their front man Dave Grohl (formerly the drummer for Nirvana, who I really dislike) sings almost every song like he’s REALLY pissed off at the world and everything in it.

Hawkins was also evidently very popular and well liked within the music community and industry.

The New York Post is reporting the death as an accidental overdose. Weed, anti-depressants, opioids and heroin were among the 10 illegal substances found in his urinalysis.

Slash and his band with Myles Kennedy on lead vocals did an excellent tribute to him in their last show of their current tour.

The ballad “Starlight”, which Slash announced was a song they rarely perform live was dedicated to Hawkins.

It is available on YouTube and is well worth the five minutes to check it out.

He was only 50 years old. RIP, Taylor.

GO DODGERS!!!

Back in the mid-70’s, a little progressive rock group out of England called Genesis lost their lead singer and promoted their drummer, Phil Collins to be their new front man.

In 1975, they recorded a double live album in France with all of the original members sans Peter Gabriel, who left for a solo career. It was Collins first tour as their lead voice.

It has always been one of my favourite double albums - I still have it on both cassette, which I’m sure sounds like dog poop as well as CD.

I still know every lyric as well as bass note for note because I studied and played it constantly even though I knew no band I was ever in could or would consider covering any of its tunes.

Last night, Steve Hackett, their original guitarist brought his band to town and played the intimate Taft Theater, which seats around 1,500.

In addition to five or six of his solo works, he and his assembled band played the entire Seconds Out album note for note to wrap up a three hour plus show.

I had seen Genesis a number of times in the late 70’s / early 80’s and while I was a fan, we didn’t really sit and watch shows back then as teenagers like we do now.

A Friday or Saturday night concert was just “something to do” for six or seven bucks and we spent a good deal of each show walking around, meeting up with other friends, drinking and smoking weed.

My memories of these shows has obviously faded as the years have past and while I had seen Genesis do a good number of the songs included on Seconds Out, one of my favs, the epic 28 + minute Supper’s Ready I had never seen. Until last night. And it was SUPERB!!!

I’m not sure where Hackett picked these guys up, but the band he assembled was aces.

From the keyboardist who mimicked Tony Banks pretty much note for note to the singer, who admittedly was a bit scary to look out (think Geddy Lee playing a Walking Dead zombie), but had a voice that if you closed your eyes you’d swear was Collins in his heyday.

Bass and drums were also more than covered, although the bass player also covered some backing guitar parts which left the the keyboardist to then cover the bass at times.

I almost felt like jumping up there myself and letting them know “I got this”.

As an added bonus, Hackett also had one other member who played keys, sax, flute, fife and percussion - this dude was right in front of our second row seats and was flat out amazing.

A most enjoyable concert and best of all - NO masks or pre-entry Covid testing.

GO DODGERS!!!

Caught Cheap Trick and Rod Stewart at our local venue Riverbend last night. Damn good show for a bunch of old skins.

Cheap Trick did around 90 minutes of all of their hits and while Robin Zander can still hit most of the high notes, he also had some help on vocals with other band members.

Their sound was not very good from where we were sitting on the lawn and sounded a bit muffled and distorted at times, but they were still fairly enjoyable.

Rod came out shortly thereafter and started with the Robert Palmer tune “Addicted to Love”, complete with three SMOKIN’ hot blonde backup singers.

He did just over two hours himself and for a dude that’s 77 years old, he can still run around and rock with the best of them.

His voice sounded like he was still in his 20’s and he stayed with his catalog of hits throughout the show.

The three ladies also got to showcase their vocal talents with “Call Me” by Blondie and another song which I knew but can’t remember today - I had a few beers and the smoke was flowing freely out on the lawn.

Just remembered - the other tune was Hot Stuff by Donna Summer.

Best part about it was the tix were free!

GO DODGERS!!!

Great double bill with a third “guest” musician last night at the new Promowest Ovation Arena in Newport, KY (just across the river from downtown Cincinnati).

Jade Jackson started the night off with just a Telecaster and her voice for five or six tunes.

Very cute and petite with a voice somewhere between Sheryl Crow and Pat Benatar.

VERY strong and enjoyable for an artist we had never even heard of.

The opener was Switchfoot, a 90’s band that I didn’t think I knew a single song by, but turned out that I did know several - I just didn’t know they were by this band.

A nearly two hour set by them was one of the best we’d seen this year and even the 10 - 12 songs we didn’t know rocked our world.

We even wondered if the headliner would be able to top their set. They did.

Collective Soul hit the stage for nearly another two hours of hit after hit.

Ed Roland’s falsetto was just as strong as his full voice as he poured through their catalog, playing both guitar on most and even piano on a couple of tunes.

The two or three unheard songs from their upcoming release were also very good and crowd pleasing.

The night ended with them leaving the stage while the audience sang the last line of “Run” over and over.

The venue itself is brand new and this was one of the first shows there. It has an open floor area which is general admission, however there is no seating there.

So, we ended up standing at the front center of the stage for four hours plus - the only downside.

There is also GA seating in a balcony that runs the entire rear perimeter of the venue. But we like to be as close as possible, so . . .

Just saw the video for the Whitesnake 80’s hit “Still of the Night”. A great song then and still.

But damn - Tawny Kitaen was SO FREAKING HOT!!! And Coverdale was nailing her on a daily basis.

I wonder if that was before or after Seinfeld and she made the “beast with two backs”?

GO DODGERS!!!

GREAT harmonies, songwriting and a WAY underrated guitarist in Lindsay Buckingham. Dude can flat out shred.

Don’t think I ever got to see them live - although it was the 80’s and I may just not remember. Have to check my ticket stub board and see.

GO DODGERS!!!

I think we ALL did. Have it on LP, cassette and CD.

The album still plays good, but the cassette is shot, much like the other 175 + I’m still hanging onto, for some odd reason.

GO DODGERS!!!