Main Stage

Say When

Posted by cdm

Nov 012011

I recently saw this clip from Billy Connelly’s tour of Route 66, in which he stops by a guitar collector’s house. The guys had 50 Fender Coronados and 3 rooms filled with pedal steels and lap steels. (Oddly, I don’t recall seeing Strats, Teles, Les Pauls, etc. Perhaps he only had the budget for the second-tier collectables?)

On the one hand, I understand this to a degree because I can look at guitars all day. On the other hand, the only thing that really separates this guy from someone on one of those hoarders shows is resale value.

So when does enthusiasm cross over into OCD territory? Personally, I have 6 electric guitars, but they are all different styles and makes. And even though I have somewhere around 1000 cds and about 500 albums, I’ve never felt the need to have the entire catalog of any artist except in cases where they’ve only released a small amount of recordings.

Maybe this is all just a justification on my part (and maybe if I hit the lottery I’d ratchet things up a few notches) but right now, I feel like I’m still on the healthy side of my obsession.

I know some of you have massive collections of music (I’m thinking of a Sinatra-loving Townsman in particular), and I’m guessing that there are some folks on here who have impressive arsenals of guitars.

So how much is too much? And how close are you to crossing the line? (The guy in the clip says that he’s built additions to his house to accommodate his collection.)

Heart Breaker

Posted by ladymisskirroyale

Nov 012011

NOT the Fake Robert Plant.

Last night, Mr. Royale and I joined some friends to hear a couple of tribute bands. First up, a Rolling Stones cover band with a very spry Jagger impersonator. Then, the Led Zeppelin tribute band.

In general, I’m not a big fan of tribute bands but in the case of these bands, for which I am highly unlikely to fork over big bucks to see the remaining members totter around and play their hits from 30 or 40 years ago, this was something entertaining to do. Eighteen dollars seemed a decent price to pay to listen to some renditions of music I enjoy.

I have to admit I haven’t been to see a tribute band since, say, 1981, when I went with a friend to Arizona State University to hear whatever was the touring version of the “Beatles.” So I assumed that the gig would include some guys dressed up and aping the mannerisms of their chosen band.

Instead, we were treated to the oddist mixture of spectacle and fakery. The members were dressed up to look like the original musicians, circa 1974 or so: long-haired wigs, unbuttoned polyester shirts or suits, turquoise jewelry. And they played instruments (to my untrained eye) that also resembled those of Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham. But it was the lead singer who broke my heart. While he wore the long, blond locks and the tight, tight jeans of Robert Plant, and sang with an impressive range of vocal technique, when he opened his mouth to talk, he lost me. I believe we were listening to the Joey Buttafuoco Robert Plant. Although he professed to be Robert Plant, that accent, most notable when pronouncing the /r/ sound, was just too distracting. Mr. Royale, being kinder than me, believes that it was his English accent. Ha! And then the moves. Mr. “Plant” had only four: the “Stretch the Microphone Chord Over the Head,” the “Lemon Thrust,” the “Hair Toss” and the “Modified Rock Iwo Jima.” It was tiring and lacked any sense of sex appeal.

Granted, I’ve been a few times to see a local ’80s cover band. That band seemed to not take themselves very seriously, and in spite of their Worst-of-the-1980s’ fashion stylings, were highly enjoyable.

Please help me here. How important is it for the tribute musicians to look and sound like the originals? Are you able to get past the imperfections of appearance or mannerisms in the show? Is it really only the sound that matters? What is the difference between a cover band and a tribute band?

This Is Your Rock Town Hall

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Nov 012011

You KNOW what I’m talking about!

If you’ve already got Back Office privileges and can initiate threads, by all means use your privileges! If you’d like to acquire such privileges, let us know. If you’ve got a comment that needs to be made, what are you waiting for? If you’re just dropping in and find yourself feeling the need to scat, don’t hesitate to register and post your thoughts. The world of intelligent rock discussion benefits from your participation. If nothing else, your own Mr. Moderator gets a day off from himself. It’s a good thing for you as well as me!

The Greatest Add-On Instrument in Rock?

Posted by machinery

Oct 292011

I can’t think of an instrument that makes me smile more than the pedal steel guitar. Every time it makes an appearance in a song I instantly like that song. It makes ordinary country songs totally likable…and makes country wannabe songs totally like\able too. The tone, the vibe…oh yeah, baby. Everyone from the Beatles, Stones, Byrds, Zepp, Neil Young — even the Monkees — have benefited from this ace-in-the-hole add-on.

I never have the same feeling about any other instrument. I never get that head-bobbing smile say, when a sax comes in…or when vibes come in. Even my beloved Farfisa can’t top it. For this reason I vote the pedal steel as The Greatest Add-On Instrument in Rock.

Can I get an Amen…a list of fave pedal steel songs…or I challenge you to top this greatest of instruments!

Rock Town Hall’s Saturday Night Shut-In: ROCKTOBER Comes to a Sobering Crash as Mr. Moderator Contemplates What’s Really Scary

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Oct 292011

Sounds of the Hall in roughly 33 1/3 minutes!

In this week’s Mischief Night Eve edition of Saturday Night Shut-In Mr. Moderator brings ROCKTOBER to a sobering crash, as he contemplates what’s really scary. It’s actually pretty simple. Some bone-chilling tunes will be broadcast, but probably not the kind you want to hear during this fun holiday time!

[audio:https://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/RTH-Saturday-Night-Shut-In-51.mp3|titles=RTH Saturday Night Shut-In, episode 51]

[Note: The Rock Town Hall feed will enable you to easily download Saturday Night Shut-In episodes to your digital music player. In fact, you can even set your iTunes to search for an automatic download of each week’s podcast.]

Hey Man, Where Do Keith Emerson and The Nice Get Off Criticizing American Violence?

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Oct 292011

Don’t you just hate it when rockers feel the need to inject their political views instrumental versions of songs from West Side Story? Stick around ’til the end—and don’t miss the go-go girls practicing their dance steps during the hosts’ set up for this performance, before any music is playing!

What’s the most unexpected political comment you’ve heard from a rock ‘n roll musician?

Rock ‘n Roll Mischief Night

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Oct 282011

Tools of the trade!

Do The Kidz still go out the night before Halloween and wreak mild havoc for Mischief Night? Remember that? Kids would rub eggs on car windows, put toilet paper on neighbors’ bushes, and so forth. I assume Mischief Night was “celebrated” all across America. (Now that I think of it, I have no idea what our ex-US Townspeople do for Halloween, if anything.)

I was a goody-two shoes as a kid and only went out for Mischief Night one time. I took my little brother, who was way more badass than I’d ever be, even when he was 7, down the street from us, where I went to catch my bus to school each morning. First we broke eggs on some guy’s car window and rubbed them across the glass. That was fun. Then I had the bright idea of placing an empty beer bottle on the side of the road right in the middle of the road, where an unsuspecting car was likely to run over it. Then I had the even brighter idea of convincing my brother that we should sit back from the road, beside a shrub, and wait for the sparks to fly, so to speak. Within a minute I got my wish. A car ran smack over the bottle, which shattered. I’d never felt so mischievous in my life! I thought I could get used to this way of living.

Then, what I did not wish for or ever stop to consider happened: the driver slammed on the breaks, pulled over, and quickly spotted my brother and I giggling in the bushes. We tried to run, but he got us. He gave us a wicked tongue lashing and threatened to tell our Mom. Luckily his tire did not suffer a flat, and he took mercy on us. That was the first and last time I would celebrate Mischief Night.

Anyhow, I was wondering what a Rock ‘n Roll Mischief Night might look like. What mischief could rock nerds like ourselves create if we decided to hit our local clubs and record stores and music stores and friends’ music collections? Based on my history with this holiday, I would be wise to sit this one out, but tell me what I may be missing. Feel free, too, to share your personal stories of Mischief Night, which I hope you’ve moved past celebrating.

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