Fave Santana vocalist: since they're all kind of interchangeable (isn't that like asking who our favorite Tower of Power trombone player was?), I'll go with the sentimental vote and single out the dude who sang on the "Moonflower" album. That was one of the first rock albums I really, truly bought because I sort of knew what I wanted. I still say the segue between "Carnaval" and "Let the Children Play" is one of the hottest in live recorded Rock history.

Where I stand totally depends on the artist. If I'm not a particular fan, I'm by the bar. If I'm interested, you'll find me by the soundboard, sort of in the middle somewhere. If I'm obsessed, I'll be up front.

Pushing boundaries: I think the Clash had the potential to make some interesting, weird music when they imploded. There's probably a better example, but none come to mind right now.

Critically acclaimed but never heard: Tim Buckley? Until a couple of years ago I could've listed a bunch of VU albums. There's still some Dylan I don't know that's supposed to be Earth-shattering. Townsman cjdawson burned me a Tom Waits sampler that thankfully died in the car stereo after a couple of awful minutes; that's pretty much all I know about him.

I had a Jam T-shirt in college, black with the spraypainted logo in blue and an artsy photo of Paulie whanging a power chord on stage somewhere. I never felt cooler than when some New York hipster passed me in NYC, pointed at my shirt, and said, "greatest band in the fucking WORLD."

Santana Vocalist? They are all pretty much disposable. I only really enjoy parts of the 1st Santana record so by default I have to choose Greg Rolie.

When at a small club I prefer to stand either in the back or in the middle. It depends on the act and my uncontrollable need to "man dance."

Band that backed off from pushing boundries? Soft Machine come to mind.

I have yet to properly hear the band Suicide

Funny you should mention Suicide, Petesecrutz. Although I've long owned an Alan Vega solo album, I had not heard Suicide properly until last month, when I downloaded two of other their best-known songs. I'll try to throw them up for you to hear in the coming days. They're not much different than the Alan Vega album I still own and still kind of like.

Santana vocalist: You mean Santana isn't the singer???

Usually stand to the side if possible. Close but not under the spotlight.

Backed off boundary pushers: The Beach Boys, i.e., SMiLE and possibly beyond.

Critically acclaimed: I have never made it all the way through Trout Mask Replica, but have never made a concerted effort, since its not in my collection.

Shirt: R.E.M. big white T-shirt from Reckoning tour. Made me feel like a cool kid in 1984.

Misread the album question: I've heard parts of Trout Mask Replica but, now that you mention it, I've never heard Plastic Ono Band.

Loophole, I sense the need for a future listening party! Thanks for sharing.

Everlast.

balcony or back. i'm 6'6"

Michael Jackson

I think I have never heard Plastic Ono Band.
probably because it has the word Ono in it.

"Bucky Fellini Age 8" by the Dead Milkmen. I bought it at Skinz on south st in 1987. Wearing it made me feel youthful, homicidal, punk, and in on the joke.

1 Who's your favorite Santana vocalist?

Scaredwiener, did Charo ever sing sing with Santana?

2 Where do you typically prefer to stand at a small club show, up front, in the middle, to the side, in the back, in the next room?

Depends how many people are there. Usually near the bar. Hell, the last small club show I saw was Professor Saturnismine, where I was sitting down on a bench along the wall. Yes, I am old.

3 I'm often struck by where Sly Stone and Public Image Ltd were taking rock 'n roll before they dropped out/retreated, as if they'd flown too close to the sun. You may or may not agree with me, but is there an artist or band you felt was pushing boundaries before suddenly backing off? Artists who suddenly died do not count.

I NEED my boundaries man, don't come any closer. I kinda liked Richard Hell's weird affect/effect, but naturally the drugs took over. I think Dionysius applies more than Icarus in the examples that come to mind.

4 Name a critically acclaimed artist or album you're not sure that you've ever heard. It's OK, I doubt any of us is perfect. (Speaking of which, The Great 48, have you heard the first Plastic Ono Band album yet? If not, we've got to host a listening party on your behalf.)

I don't think I've ever heard any Leonard Cohen - probably have heard those Krautrock bands but damned if I can label any of that stuff by it's designer, it's all Neu to me.

5 What's your favorite rock t-shirt, whether in existence to this day or not? Please tell us what made it special or how it made you feel to wear it.

I loved my Minuetmen " The Roar Of The Masses Might Be Farts" shirt which remains viable as a garment to someone 30 pounds lighter than me at present. Any support I could give that band I was happy to do, I suspect MY wearing it was a form of anti-advertising however.

I don't like Santana. I don't care who sings.

I stand in the middle, but with easy bar access. Up too close is too loud and the kids bouncing off each other is for kids. Besides, up front doesn't have easy access to the bar.

The Sex Pistols. I'd have liked to see what they'd have done after the hype died down.

Not being a big Beatles fan I haven't heard Plastic Ono all the way through, either. I looked up some lists of "essential" albums (I'll decide for myself what's "essential," thank you) and I saw a BBC list with some guy named Scott Walker on it. I don't even know who he is. So I guess if I were British I wouldn't be allowed any bangers with my mash.

I'll go with that old Bruce Springsteen 79 tour jersey shirt. I could go anywhere in that and people would come up and talk to me. Plus, back then I was a skinny kid and that shirt was just perfect for skinny kids.

I only like the instrumental passages in Santana.

Right in the middle: I want to really feel what the band is putting down while still being able to hear everything.

Little Feat. Their first record was amazing greasy bass riffs, out of control slide playing, and heartbreaking ballads that gave the Stones, at their 70s peak, a run for their money. The second, less greasy, more controlled.

Early Prince records.

Rolling Stones Steel Wheels tour. Cool design: an American flag with tongues for stars. Fond memories of camping out for tickets. The show didn't match my expectations, but who cares. I got to see the Stones, with their Ron Wood-era lineup and before they really sunk with Voodoo Lounge. I always felt comfortable wearing it to clubs, no matter how "alternative" the band was.

Who's your favorite Santana vocalist?

In the words of Mr. Zappa "Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar! He's a great player - he should skip getting vocalists and just do instrumentals.

Where do you typically prefer to stand at a small club show?

In the middle back usually. But it depends.

Is there an artist or band you felt was pushing boundaries before suddenly backing off?

The Clash actually. Mick's disco tendencies took over and much of the later stuff doesn't thrill me.

Name a critically acclaimed artist or album you're not sure that you've ever heard.

Like someone else mentioned - Tim Buckley comes to mind. I'm sure there are a ton - I haven't heard much of many artists thrown around here in the halls - just a few songs here and there...

What's your favorite rock t-shirt, whether in existence to this day or not? Please tell us what made it special or how it made you feel to wear it.

My Pylon shirt. Well documented:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/deansabatino/168613749/

I saw Pylon at a small club in New Hope PA. Only the cool kids knew about them...I was way cool.

1. Santana has vocals?

2. Towards the front and towards the middle if I'm interested. If I'm not, I'll be floating around in the back somewhere, probably not mainly looking at the band.

3. A lot of good calls on this one have been made already. I'll add The Feelies, although it's maybe better that they backed off. And also, in a weird way, Dylan.

4. Mockcarr reminds me that I may never have heard Leonard Cohen either, at least not while being aware of it. I have also never heard the "critically lauded" song cycles of Van Dyke Parks, if I've got that name right.

5. Come on now. Quit fishing for compliments. Still, I give in: it's that classic 2007 Rocktown Hall t-shirt in dark olive.

1. I'd say Greg Rollie, except that he had a hand in the Rock Crime of forming Journey. He'd get a pass for quitting Journey, except that that then played a role in foisting Steve Perry on the world, another Rock Crime. Didn't Santana have some wordless guru-centric vocalizing during his jazz phase?

2. If I can both sit and see I'm in heaven. Otherwise, I'm in the back trying (unsuccessfully) to find as spot where short people won't be constantly bumping into me. Don't you love those people who wait for the headliner to start playing before they (inevitably with a girlfriend in tow, dangling by the hand) start threading their way past everyone else to the front?

3. Steve Marriott.

4. I was having trouble thinking of someone, but Scott Walker was a good suggestion.

5. I ordered two Stiff t-shirts direct -- Fuck Art, Let's Dance and If It Ain't Stiff, It Ain't Worth a Fuck. The times I did wear them to shows I got lots of compliments, but they were so incredibly cheaply made they fell apart after a handful of washings. Unplanned obsolescence, just like Stiff itself.

I think Santana's "Black Magic Woman" has held up okay (although I've never heard the Fleetwood Mac original). Did Rollie sing that one. Whoever sang "I'm Winning" is Santana's worst vocalist. Even Rob Thomas doesn't bug me as much.

I'm short, so if it's a band I really like I try and get up front. Also, the balcony at Johnny Brenda's has plenty of good seeing spots if it's a band I don't feel I need to be nose to nose with.

Graham Coxon was well on his way to reinventing rock guitar when he was with Blur. Since going solo, he's become kinda run-of-the-mill. Also, there's a band from D.C. called Beauty Pill that could really take indie rock in a cool direction, but they're kinda slow to release stuff and not a hard-touring outfit.

My blind spots are becoming legendary here at RTH: prime-era Beefheart, Pere Ubu, The Minutement, SST-era Huskers. Don't feel guilty about most of this, due to my dictum, "They have enough fans."

My girlfriend made me a cool Jarvis Cocker t-shirt for my birthday one year. And I think I still have my t-shirt from The Kinks' last U.S. tour. And I'm looking forward to the t-shirt I will buy when Sons and Daughters play Philly in March this year.

I usually stand by the soundboard. The sound the soundman hears is probably your best bet. Not that I've never (literally) backed away from that position after a song or two.

The Beach Boys win the backing-off belt in a landslide.

Don't know where to begin on critical geniuses I haven't heard.Yeah, Leonard Cohen might be it.

All other questions are dunno or N/A.

Who's your favorite Santana vocalist?

Whoever sang "Black Magic Woman" and/or "Oye Come Va". I agree that they've held up over the years, though I know so little about Santana that I'm not even sure who it was, though Greg Rollie sounds plausible. Wasn't he (and Neil Schon, of course) later in Journey, too? I thought he was their original keyboard player, no, but was he also the vocalist before Steve Perry joined?

Where do you typically prefer to stand at a small club show, up front, in the middle, to the side, in the back, in the next room?

It depends on the band, what time I get to the show and how crowded the club is. If it's a band I really love, I'm typically towards the front. However, if it's a band whose material I don't know that well, I typically stand towards the middle or the back. Also, if it's really crowded, sometimes I don't have a choice but to stand or sit (if I can find a seat) in the back.

I'm often struck by where Sly Stone and Public Image Ltd were taking rock 'n roll before they dropped out/retreated, as if they'd flown too close to the sun. You may or may not agree with me, but is there an artist or band you felt was pushing boundaries before suddenly backing off? Artists who suddenly died do not count.

Sure. In fact, I'm hard pressed to think of artists who pushed boundaries who didn't eventually retreat (or retire like Captain Beefheart) in some way or another. What about James Brown? Up to 1975 or so, he was amazing, constantly pushing the boundaries of funk into a harder, deeper, more soulful groove and then, as in the case of so many stars of the '60s and '70s, the '80s happened and he didn't know what to do, though his career was in trouble before that since disco won favor over his harder-edged funk.

Name a critically acclaimed artist or album you're not sure that you've ever heard. It's OK, I doubt any of us is perfect. (Speaking of which, The Great 48, have you heard the first Plastic Ono Band album yet? If not, we've got to host a listening party on your behalf.)

FWIW, I've never heard John's Plastic Ono Band album, either, except for a few songs, though I love Yoko's album of the same name. With that said, I'll give a unique answer hear and say Skip Spence's Oar. I did finally hear the 1st Moby Grape album recently, though, and it's pretty darn good.

Pushing boundaries: I think the Clash had the potential to make some interesting, weird music when they imploded. There's probably a better example, but none come to mind right now.

Huh? Didn't they already do that with Sandinista!> It's hard to imagine them pushing it further than that, especially since they retreated a bit with Combat Rock afterwards. Please explain this answer further.

Oh and I've never listened to Tim Buckley, either.

I looked up some lists of "essential" albums (I'll decide for myself what's "essential," thank you) and I saw a BBC list with some guy named Scott Walker on it. I don't even know who he is. So I guess if I were British I wouldn't be allowed any bangers with my mash.

Despite the fact that he's from Ohio, Scott Walker has always been much more successful and critically respected in the UK, where he's lived for the last 45 years or so. Maybe saying that he was part of The Walker Brothers, who had a huge UK hit in the mid '60s with "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" will jog your memory?

With that said, given what I know about your tastes, 2000 man, I really doubt that he would appeal to you in any of his incarnations. Actually you might like some of his generally derided '70s stuff and the stuff on the Walker Brothers reunion record from 1978 since it has a passing resemblance to Bowie. I say this as a pretty big fan, too.

I had a feeling if I dug a bit, I'd find out he was a Walker Brother. I'm not a big fan of what I've heard by them, but I know they have a pretty dedicated fan base.

Who's your favorite Santana vocalist?

Good joke, wasn't it? I thought so.

Where do you typically prefer to stand at a small club show?

Usually middle-back. I'm often standing next to Andyr and Chickenfrank. I'd hate for the band to see our faces as we gab about the performance.

Is there an artist or band you felt was pushing boundaries before suddenly backing off?

XTC following English Settlement and parts of Mummer. Working within a pretty poppy context, they were doing some weird things under the surface. After they shied away from using real drummers (studio cats like Prarie Prince do not count in their case) they became a good power pop band, at best.

Name a critically acclaimed artist or album you're not sure that you've ever heard.

Townes Van Zandt. I'm really afraid to knowingly hear his music.

What's your favorite rock t-shirt, whether in existence to this day or not? Please tell us what made it special or how it made you feel to wear it.

Probably a yellow shirt with the album cover from the first Clash album imprinted on it. I was a total dork in need of a cooler identity. And way back then I was thin enough to wear a bright yellow shirt.

And way back then I was thin enough to wear a bright yellow shirt.

Yeah, one practically has to be two-dimensional to pull off a yellow T-shirt.