We have done it. ONCE AND FOR ALL, Rock Town Hall identifies 50 song titles containing each of the 50 US states. And we accomplished this without resorting to gimmicks like John Linnell’s album on the 50 states. Bravo, Townspeople! Follow the hard work that went into this effort following the jump!
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This clip answers a lot of questions. Feel free to use this space to ask the questions that remain.
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Do you partake in gear talk? I don’t. Although I’ve played guitar since I was 16 and have been recording music in studios and at home since I was 17, yet I have almost no interest in nor, more importantly, ability to discuss gear.
That about does it for my interest in guitar and recording gear, the gear I’m most likely to handle. Likewise, I can’t be bothered to talk about stereo stuff. Will it play music? Yes? Great!
I do, however, get a kick out of listening to two drummers talk about their gear. The other night, for instance, I spent about 15 minutes listening to discussion between our band’s drummer, Townsman Sethro, and Billy Ficca, the “wackoid” Television drummer touring with his old bandmate, Richard Lloyd. When I walked over, Sethro told me wide-eyed that Billy was playing the snare he’d used on Marquee Moon! I had to admit, that was pretty cool, but given the chance to open a dialog about the recording techniques employed by producer Andy Johns, I just sat back and listened to them talk about what the snare was made of, what kinds of heads they used – on the bottom as well as the top – and so forth. Drummers have lots of necessary gear, and I think it’s important that a drummer know about that stuff, much more important than it is for a guitarist to be a gearhead, for instance. Plus, you don’t have to understand anything about electronics to at least get the gist of what drummers are talking about when they talk gear. Have you ever heard a bassist go on about his or her gear? No offense, but that may be the gearhead discussion I least want to hear.
Do you talk gear? Do you listen in to gear talk? Do you prefer to talk gear that you know or listen in to discussions over gear you don’t really understand?
This will likely be the most discussed topic EVER on Rock Town Hall, so please be patient if the servers slow down. Thanks!
I don’t have the world’s longest attention span, especially when it comes to rock ‘n roll. I tend to get fidgety during long intros, slow songs, and the like. Sometimes even the opening minute of a generally fine meat-and-potatoes pinky rock song by a band I really like on an album I love tests my patience. For years this was the case with “The Have Nots,” the closing song on X‘s fantastic third album, Under the Big Black Sun. The song was never a needle lifter for me, but if I had to get somewhere while spinning the record, I never felt compelled to listen past the penultimate side 2 song, the energetic “How (I Learned My Lesson).”
Then, one day, my close personal friend, Townsman Andyr, told me how much he loves “The Have Nots.” I’d already spent a few rockin’ nights in the presence of this music lover, and although I knew he shared my love for this album, I had no idea this was his favorite cut on the album!
“Why?” I asked. He told me he liked the way it built up steam. He told me to wait for the verse with the handclaps and to follow the progression of Billy Zoom’s guitar parts. I tried it, and damn if he wasn’t right! I’ve since loved that song too and now consider it one of my favorite songs on that album. However, even knowning the payoff that’s to come, to this day when “The Have Nots” starts off I get a little fidgety. I know the song is a slow burn, but something inside me wants to douse it with lighter fluid.
What’s your favorite slow burn? I don’t necessarily mean a song that’s constructed as a slow burn, such as Otis Redding‘s “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long.” I’m looking for your personal slow burn.
Here’s my last bit of thoughts generated during the long, fun night opening for Richard Lloyd and The Donuts recently. As I watched some Richard Lloyd videos leading up to the show, thought about past live performances I’d seen of his, and then watched him live that night, it occurred to me that his guitar stance in no way supports the cool licks he whips out. He wears his guitar pretty high, which some might argue is automatically uncool. He often holds the neck up, Bill Wyman style, which almost everyone agrees is uncool. What I find is most uncool about the neck pointing up is what it does to the elbows: it crowds them into the check. A cool, rockin’ stage stance should be about expansion, about owning the stage. Cramped elbows do not promote ownership. Check it out.
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Have you ever seen the VH1 Classic show That Metal Show? Every once in a while I’m flipping channels and, although I have almost zero interest in heavy metal music, I stop flipping when this show is on and watch for about 15 minutes. It’s really well done, and I’m envious that Rock Town Hall doesn’t have its own VH1 Classic show on which we could do our thing, discuss our music, with a live audience composed of our Townspeople.
For as little as I know and care about metal, I know even less about the hosts, some guy named Eddie Trunk and his two middle-aged buddies. I know not a thing about these dudes, in fact, but I care about them. They’re funny enough. They’re nerdy, knowledgeable, and opinionated about the music they love. They love the music they love for many of the same reasons, from solid to ridiculous, that we love the music we love. Unlike other, rare rock discussion shows I’ve seen on tv or heard on the radio over the years (eg, that radio show out of Chicago), That Metal Show doesn’t seem to be loaded with stock, publicist-inspired crit-ass kissing. This show seems more natural and sincere.
If you’ve never seen this show, I suggest you check it out. If you have seen it, what do you think?
During the mid 70’s, Randy Hansen played professionally in the Las Vegas style show band called “Kid Chrysler and the Cruisers”. Within the floorshow, individual band members developed impersonations of famous rock stars. Subsequently Hansen created the first Jimi Hendrix Tribute act, for the reason of love, the music and the people he sought after keeping Jimi’s music alive.
Hansen breaks new ground in Rock & Roll’s history in 1975, by pioneering the first Rock Tribute act in the United States and soon spreads though out the world.
In 1978, while further exploring the Hendrix role, Hansen formed “Machine Gun”. A tribute to Jimi Hendrix, with a wig and make-up, the moves perfected and the songs duplicated note for note. As the transition was complete, he went on tour opening shows for another young Northwest band called “Heart”.
