When I started playing music... so many years ago, all I wanted to do was be in a cool band, write my own material, make records and play concerts. The doing was the reward but if I got popular... well, that would be some tasty icing on the cake. A lot of my friends got good gigs playing in cover bands; four sets a night, five nights a week and the pay was good. I never wanted to do that because, if you did, your Fridays and Saturdays were booked so if a great original gig came up, you couldnt do it. had to stay loose... free... unencumbered. A sacrifice, but a necessary one if you wanted to have a shot at the big show. These days, I see a lot of my old friends and fellow soldiers in the Rock n Roll wars sadly regurgitating poor versions of old Eagles songs on street corners... busking. Yeesh, what a drag. I hope that theyre being paid well, but I doubt it. I cant even look at them (let alone listen)... they bum me out. Neil Young said hed rather burn out than fade away... I hear you, Shakey. These guys are fading hard... and it aint pretty. But there are others that keep the flame burning. They are an inspiration to me... to get off my dead ass and jam (if possible). Tonight, I raise my glass to them and say thanks for keeping the dream alive... and I urge anyone curious about good music from my Southern California area to seek them or their groups out. Wonderful and original practitioners of the International Language of Love... and God knows, we need that more than ever these days! The Rogues Gallery: Chris Moore, Carl Jah Haasis, John Curry, Timothy Gaines, David Plenn, Terry Michael Kilgore, Dennis William Walsh, Scott Lasken, Stan Ridgway, Pietra Wexstun, David Jenkins, Andrew Sandoval, Henry Spurgeon, Larry Treadwell, Curt Lichter, Steve Gaghagen, Jay Lansford. Seriously guys... Thank you. As my father, who many of you knew back then, would have said as we were loading the van getting ready for a big night out, Play it pretty! Love, ~ J
Posted on: Mon, 04 Aug 2014 02:30:04 +0000
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