Trying this again

So... it's been a while. I'm going to try this again. Not sure how often I'll be posting... it probably will be when the muse strikes me, so make sure to check back. I'll mention it on my Twitter feed as well (@JerseyGeekDad76 for those of you who are interested) so feel free to follow me there too.

Anyway... it's that time of year again. The time of year when the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame announces its latest nominees. This is a subject that tends to give me agita because of the iconic bands that are not yet in there. However, 2 glaring omissions will FINALLY get voted in: Deep Purple & KISS!! Deep Purple was nominated last year but did not get voted in... here's to that changing this year. I also think its absolutely ridiculous that it has taken this long to get KISS, one of the most widely known American rock bands EVER, on the ballot. There are some interesting bands on the list this year too...

• The Zombies- fantastic band from the 1960s, responsible for such hits as "She's Not There", "Time Of the Season", & "Tell Her No"
• Nirvana- hardly seems possible but yes... it's been 25 years
• Hall & Oates- I won't lie... I love these guys
• Linda Ronstadt
• Yes- '70s program rock legends
• Cat Stevens
• LL Cool J- always been a fan

That's not the entire list, but the rest are equally as varied. Very interested to see who gets in this year. One of my all-time favorites got in last year... RUSH!!!! It was especially cool to see Dave Grohl & Taylor Hawkins from Foo Fighters induct them. They are obviously huge fans & it showed!

So that's all for now from me. In the immortal words of Ben Folds, "If you're feeling small & you can't draw a crowd, draw dicks on the wall."  \m/ (><) \m/

Back from the great beyond...

OK... so I've sort of been MIA for a while now. Things have been crazy in the Music Guy household. Things have settled down now though, so I've decided it's time to get back to the blog.

A couple of things to be mentioned today. First off... the music world lost one of the truly great vocalists in pop music history this week with passing of Johnny Maestro. Johnny was only 70 years old when he succumbed to his battle with cancer earlier this week. He gave us such hits as "Sixteen Candles" (as a member of legendary doo wop group The Crests), "Worst That Could Happen" & "You'll Never Walk Alone". I have always been a HUGE fan of his voice & am truly saddened that we have lost this great talent.

Secondly, I am back in the playing world again, playing drums & singing with the rock cover band One flight Up. If you're in the New Jersey area, we are going to be hitting the clubs soon. I will be announcing gigs here as they come up. Hope to see you all there!!

For now, I'm off, but I will be back tomorrow.

WELCOME BACK DMB!!!!

This one is going to be a short one, but definitely worth your while. You all need to go out RIGHT NOW & pick up "Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King" by the Dave Matthews Band. OMG It is a phenomenal album. There is not a bad track on there... standouts are the single "Funny the Way It Is" & "Why I Am".

Also, definitely check out Green Day's "21st CenturyBreakdown" & Eminem's "Relapse". Both are incredible new releases by very talented artists. Green Day continues to push the envelope as they did on their last release "American Idiot". Slim Shady has released his darkest album EVER... making his sophomore release "The Marshall Mathers LP" seem like a Jonas Brothers album!!

On a personal note, I'm finally playing full-time with a yet to be named band. They were previously playing under the name Attractive Nuisance. I will keep you all posted.

I'm off to bed. Have a great night. Keep on rockin' in the free world, cats & kittens.

Check this dude out!!

I saw Ray LaMontagne on Saturday Night Live last night (it was a repeat & I had missed it the first time). Just reminded me how damn good that guy is!! Such a soulful voice... you all NEED to check him out if you haven't yet.

Checking out for now... keep rocking kids.

New Band Alert

I recently heard a band called Cage the Elephant on Matt Pinfield's morning show on 101.9 FM (New York). They're going to be playing the All Points West festival out here in Jersey in August. I think you all should check them out. VERY cool stuff...

That's all for now cats & kittens. Remember, when life gives you lemons... ya paint that sh*t gold!! (nod to Atmosphere... check him out if you haven't yet)

a couple of quickies

2 quick things for today. First... as a faithful American Idol watcher, I have to ask: What the hell show is America watching?!? I realize that Matt Giraud had a rough night last night... but Lil Rounds has been consistently off-key every week, & yet she did not get the lowest amount of votes!! I just don't get it. If someone can offer some insight, I would really appreciate it

One other thing... in my last post I congratulated Metallica on their induction into the Rock Hall of Fame. I would be remiss if I did not also congratulate 2 other mega-heavyweights who were also inducted this year: Jeff Beck & Run DMC. Both very deserving artists... keep up the good work!!

Until next time cats & kittens... keep on rockin'!!

OK...

So... yes I know it has been quite a long time since my last post. Things have been a bit hectic to say the least in the life of Mike the Music Guy. The economy resulted in me getting laid off twice in the latter half of 2008... so this blog kind of had to take a back seat. Anywho... things are back in order for the most part... so I'm back!!

I felt the need to post this, & I'm sure I'm not alone on this one... CONGRATS TO THE MIGHTY METALLICA!!!! James, Lars & the boys were recently inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. It's about time!!!! This band was a pioneer of thrash metal & continue to be quite good at what they do. Minor speed bumps (S & M anyone?) aside, Metallica is a true monster of rock. They have seen their share of tragedies as a band & still continue to crank incredible music. I recently got a copy of Death Magnetic & it's good to hear them truly back to form.

On a final note... I'm also finally playing in a band again!! I will be posting info on here once we start playing. If you come check us out, stop up & say hi!! Make sure you tell me you read my blog... I will buy you a beer!! *lol*

Happy Easter to all of you who celebrate it!! And to all... For those about to rock, I SALUTE YOU!!!! Later gators!

Speaking from a songwriting point of view...

OK... so I know I'm going to get a load of crap for this one, but I'm putting it out there anyway. I was flipping through the internet & noticed how badly Phil Collins get nailed in his recent divorce. I got to thinking about him & his music.

PHIL COLLINS IS ONE OF THE MORE UNDERRATED SONGWRITERS EVER!!!! There... I said it... let the verbal abuse begin. *lol*

Seriously though... I realize he's long been the butt of jokes from those who are "too cool" to dig his music. I realize he has also long been blamed for the eventual downfall of Genesis. However, what all of these people fail to realize is that the man is responsible for some of the greatest pop songs ever written. He is an expert at writing melodies that stick in your head for days. His lyrics, while often venturing into "silly love song" territory, are at the same-time well-crafted & simple, usually saying the things many of us are thinking but don't have the eloquence to put out there like he does.

I highly recommend his recent album "Testify". While there are a few throw-away tracks (let's face it... there are very few songwriters or artists that release an album that doesn't have one bad track), there are SEVERAL standouts, including "Can't Stop Loving You" & "The Least You Can Do". If you like Phil, leave me a comment & back me up here!! If you hate him, let's try to keep the 4-letter words to a minimum OK? *lol*

Well... that's all I've got to say about that. Until next time... you can still rock in america, so let's do it until they tell us we can't.

Hall of What??

OK... so I know it's been a while since I've posted. Things have been a bit hectic & I apologize.

I was listening to Opie & Anthony on Tuesday morning (as I do most mornings) & they got to talking about some of the artists that are not yet inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, even though they are eligible. For the record, I would like to mention how old it made me feel (today is my 32nd b-day, by the way, so I'm not really THAT old *lol*) that bands like Motley frigging Crue are eligible for the HOF!!! HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?!?!? Sorry about that...

So I got to thinking about this. Not because I think the mighty Crue should necessarily be in the HOF, but there are quite a number of bands that should be that aren't, & quite a few that are that shouldn't be. For example, can someone explain to me why The Dave Clark Five is in but Chicago isn't? Or why Leonard Cohen is but Ozzy is not in as a solo artist?? These seem like major injustices to me, as well as the fact that Stevie Ray Vaughan is not in. Those all seem like no-brainers to me, but maybe I'm just being naive here. I'd also like to know why the hell rap pioneers Run DMC & the Beastie Boys are not in yet. Once again... INJUSTICE!!

So... I'd like to know who YOU think should be in & who shouldn't be. You can go to Future Rock Hall to see who's not there yet, & Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's official site to see already is. By the way, in all of my ranting, I would like to say I'm glad that the HOF did recognize 2 artists that should DEFINITELY be in: Frank Zappa & Steely Dan.

Well... that's all for now. I look forward to seeing what you all think about this. Feel free to post often. Until next time... as the Doobie Bros. said: "Music is the doctor makes you feel like you want to... Music is the doctor of my soul." Later, cats & kittens.

Recommendations

OK... I know I just posted last night, but I just had to make 2 recommendations for you before I forgot them. First... I was reading this month's Blender this morning. Each month they focus on the entire catalog of an artist, suggesting which albums are must-haves, which might be worth checking out & which are really for true fans only. This month's was one I think EVERYONE should check out at least once in their lives... FUNKADELIC. Funkadelic is one of 2 projects of George Clinton, the true master of "interplanetary funksmanship", the other, of course, being Parliament. I HIGHLY recommend checking out some Funkadelic or Parliament. VERY funky, very odd, ridiculously fun.

My other one is the song "Everything You're Breathing For" by the Parlor Mob. I heard it this morning on one of my cable provider's music stations & it's everything Led Zeppelin would sound like if they were a new band. I was definitely digging this & am downloading the entire album, And You Were a Crow, as we speak.

OK... until next time.