Look Again, It's Not Bon Jovi

Friday night, Feb. 26, I spent not watching the Winter Olympics; instead I attended a concert/show at the Cascades Casino in Langely, BC with my musician friend Michele Raye. A Bon Jovi tribute band called Blaze Of Glory was playing in the casino theatre. Michele knew a couple of the players, so we payed them a visit.

I thought I was not familiar with Bon Jovi's catalogue beyond hits like "Livin' On A Prayer," "Wanted Dead Or Alive," and "You Give Love A Bad Name." I confess that as the show progressed I recognized more tunes, Bon Jovi has entered my subconscious through osmosis. The band, of course, attempted to "be" Bon Jovi. Lead singer Ted Moore bore a passing resemblance to Jon Bon Jovi and the guitarist, Randy Robertson, dressed like Ritchie Sambora complete with long, black leather coat; black, designer cowboy hat; and requisite Stratocaster. Being a faux Bon Jovi was the task for these guys and, all in all, they pulled it off quite well.

The show was hampered, I thought, by an uneven mix throughout the night. Yes it was a rock show, but the presence of the "ice-pick-through-the-ear-drums" frequencies and overbearing bottom end took away from the band's efforts. Musically the band was precise in recreating Bon Jovi's sound and songs. The talk box was used by Robertson in "Livin' On A Prayer," along with the 12-string acoustic guitar in "Wanted Dead Or Alive." Musical subtleties were lost in the mix, which was unfortunate but did not damper the enthusiasm of the audience. For the most part, the crowd sang along, women danced by themselves and groped at the singer just like a real Bon Jovi show, and after all was sung and done, the band received a standing ovation and returned with an encore.

The Cascades Casino is a smaller casino and therefore does not have the budget for the big name acts. Perusing the upcoming shows revealed tribute bands seem to be the rage there. Up next on the calendar is a Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute followed in the coming weeks by a Rolling Stones tribute and a Patsy Cline tribute. Along with faithful musical recreations, all of the groups, Blaze of Glory included, bore a passing resemblance to the original act. And this is key for audience acceptance. There is a level of authenticity these groups need to achieve in order to maintain the charade. The music is one component of this authenticity, the other is the visual representation. The audience, many of whom might never have the opportunity to hear the original acts in concert, buy into the act based on these authenticity markers and concomitantly do their part to fulfill the fantasy. They cheer, sing, grope, and dance just as if it was the real Bon Jovi on stage and not an impostor. Interesting phenomenon.

So, while other musicians toil away at cover songs in the "old" bars, some manage to capitalize on the success of other groups and take the cover band strategy to a new level. It's not enough to perform songs by other musicians, now actually "being" a famous musical act can be a lucrative gig. It's the cover band on steroids. And kudos to the players for pulling it off. There are not a lot of venues left for cover bands anymore, but for old rockers being someone else can be worthwhile.

Just a small footnote, while searching the Interweb I found a Bon Jovi tribute band based in Dallas, Texas called Blaze Of Glory: The Ultimate Bon Jovi Experience. I am writing about the Vancouver-based band with the same name.

Times Change But They're Still the Same

On Sunday (Feb. 21) I attended an afternoon jam session at the Biltmore Cabaret (don't let the name fool you, it's a hotel tavern) in almost-downtown Vancouver. Ridley Bent, Dustin Bentall (Barney's son), and a couple of other songwriters along with some members of their respective bands took to the stage for an afternoon of musical camaraderie. They each performed five songs, then groups were assembled and the jamming began.

Over the years I have attended and hosted numerous jam sessions. They can be lots of fun or a complete drag, depending on when and where the jam is being held and who is involved. Sunday's performance was interesting for me because of what the bar scene has become. The Biltmore Cabaret is the tavern of a Howard Johnson's hotel. No surprise there. The first difference I noticed was the lack of the "tavern smell" that permeated so many of the places that we used to play. Usually it's a kind of olfactory crucifixion consisting of stale beer and cigarette smoke topped off with a tinge of bathroom odour; instead walking into the place did not assault your senses at all. Anti-smoking rules do work. Who knew? The second was the house PA and lighting system. In our day we carried our own production. These days the venue supplies it. And, the soundman has become the soundwoman, and a good one too.

Another change is the lack of involvement of the club. Today, musicians do their own advertising and many times only play one night or even one set. We played six nights a week for five hours a night, the club or tavern advertised (sort of), there was rarely a cover charge, and we were paid a contracted amount. Today's players negotiate a base rate for the band, if they're lucky, and rely on the door charge which is usually split between several bands. No audience. No money. Tough gig. I think in this way, the change in the scene is not a good thing. It's now more difficult for young musicians to make a living, and they don't get the benefit of 30 hours a week playing together either.

The biggest change, however, is with the music. When I was on the road, we played cover songs. There was not the competition or other choices for the Great Unwashed. There were no sports bars, neighbourhood pubs, or discos. Those venues emerged later. During the 1980s, if folks wanted to go out and dance there was only one choice and that was a live band. We had to play cover songs because that's what the people wanted to hear. They wanted to dance to the songs they heard on the radio. We couldn't play original music. The audience was non-receptive to creativity and club owners frowned on it. Original music sucked, or at least that was the perception. We would sandwich our original material between two cover songs and disguise the fact the song was one of ours. This was because most of our cover tunes were not the hit songs per se, so we could get away with playing material that was somewhat unfamiliar to the audience. To satisfy our musical "Jones" we played the other songs on the same album as a particular hit. We chose songs that we felt were much better than the hit song. In this way, our set list was eclectic enough that slipping in original material would not draw attention from the club owner and we could fool the audience. Isn't that sad? We had to fool the audience in order to play something we wrote.

Today's bar scene is the complete opposite of what we dealt with. And it's the music that does it. Whereas original songs were anathema in our day, today's bar scene thrives on original tunes. You can't be a front man unless you write songs. Being able to sing is not enough anymore. For example, at Sunday's jam Dell Cowsill (son of legendary singer/songwriter Billy Cowsill) took the stage with some of his friends. Dell plays bass with Dustin Bentall and during a lull in the activity had decided he wanted to play something just to have a good time. Cool. He played a couple of Beatles' songs and "Down By the River" by Neil Young. The boys did a great job of faking their way through the songs, it was musical self-indulgence at its finest. Been there, done that...lots. After his short session, Dell came off the stage to chat with some of the players scattered about. They were all laughing about the performance. "Total cheese, man, total cheese," said one. "Hilarious," said another.

To quote Bob Dylan, "The times they are a-changin'" and how they have. Musicians today are not the live jukeboxes they were when I was playing. Original music is seen as something you have to do, especially if you're playing the bar and club scenes. Sure, there are still bar cover bands, I saw one a couple of weeks ago, but audiences have moved from drinking and dancing to drinking and listening. It's the "old" bars that have the cover bands. And no one goes to the "old" bars anymore. The "new" bars have original music of all kinds. It's exciting and it's what people want and expect. Go figure.

At the risk of getting all weepy and sentimental here, just let me say that it's good to see the musical torch passed on to such a willing and able gaggle of young players. The legacy that my generation of musicians left behind can be heard in the songs of Ridley Bent, Dustin Bentall, and Corb Lund. While we may not have been able to play original music, we were able to create a western Canadian prairie sound that was different than what was coming out of central or eastern Canada. I hear Killer Tumbleweeds, Longshot, and Weekend Whiskey Band in the songs of Ridley, Dustin, and Corb. I hear the musical influences that had a hand in sculpting my style and the styles of my compadres being restyled and re-presented by the musicians playing today's country music. These guys are digging Gram Parsons and Hank Williams perhaps more than we ever did. Today's players play original music. And I think it's a good thing and about bloody time.

Get out there and support them.

In Memory of Les Paul

Les Paul died on August 13. To guitarists everywhere it is more than just the passing of an icon and a gifted musician. Without his inventions and innovations, the popular music world might be a different animal. Unable to realize his musical ideas with the technology available, such as having a singer harmonize with his or herself, Les matter-of-factly created the technology to achieve his goals. His invention of multitrack recording and the subsequent ability to overdub, tape echo and its ensuing cadre of kin such as reverb and flanging, and, of course, the development of the electric guitar makes Les one of the most important figures in popular music history.

The duo of Les Paul and Mary Ford were very popular during the 1950s. They frequently appear on live television programs of the day and they had their own radio show. Check the clip below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQZojv_udMU&feature=related

There are hundreds of blogs and tributes to Les Paul. I can't say anything new that hasn't been said before. Consider Les' contribution to popular music and the industry, and his passing is made all the more poignant.

Rest in peace Les Paul.

It was 40 years ago ...

Two anniversaries occur this year. It is the 40th anniversary of the release of the Beatles' Abbey Road and the anniversary of Woodstock. In 1969, I was thirteen and had just begun to play guitar. The Beatles were everywhere and Woodstock was the epitome of hippie-dom. Both seemed intertwined somehow, even though the Beatles had nothing to do with Woodstock. At the time, though, all things counterculture were bound together and represented the best hope for society. And for impressionable teens like myself and my friends, the old authoritarian ways were rapidly becoming "square." The ideology of the counterculture was upending the patriarchal structure of the family and society, and for us it couldn't happen fast enough.

In 1969, the Beatles were still a formidable force in popular music. Abbey Road, while being their last studio album, was not their last album released as Let It Be would follow the next year. It was, however, the swan song of the Fab Four. Knowing the band would not last another year, Abbey Road was the culmination of their career and they delivered an album of songs that were evidence of their musical maturation, sophistication, and hit-making ability. George Martin's impeccable production along with the high-calibre songwriting of Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison symbiotically merged to create a cohesive work that rivalled anything released that year. The Side Two Medley/Suite itself stands as a testament to the songwriting and arranging abilities of Lennon/McCartney/Martin and effectively capped the Beatles' career. "You Never Give Me Your Money," the first song in the medley/suite reveals the friction at the time between Paul and the rest of the group. "Carry That Weight" leaves no doubt as to the cultural baggage that each member would carry for the rest of their lives, and in the case of Lennon and Harrison, beyond.

The album also helped fuel the curious rumour that Paul McCartney had died and was replaced by a fellow named William Campbell, a very convincing sound/look-a-like. Evidence from the cover photo supposedly showed George dressed as a gravedigger, Ringo as a pallbearer, John dressed in white as the priest, and Paul out of step with the others and shoeless as the corpse.
This so-called evidence was added to other evidence from the White Album and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band to prove that Paul had died in an automobile accident. The rumour was so strong that even Paul's statement that he was very much alive was seen as a ploy to make us think he still was. Obviously William Campbell was trying to convince us all that he was Paul by saying Paul was alive.

As with almost all Beatles' albums, virtually every song on Abbey Road has become a classic. "Come Together," "Something" (In the 70s Frank Sinatra claimed "Something" was the best love song written in the last fifty years), and "Here Comes the Sun" have been covered countless times, the melodies firmly embedded in our memories recalling a halcyon time that can never be recaptured. The album cover has been reproduced by the likes of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Simpsons, and this year thousands of fans descended on Abbey Road (the street) to photograph themselves in the famous poses on the cover. And so, after 40 years, Abbey Road remains as one of the best albums ever released and arguably the Beatles' finest album.

The Beatles never played Woodstock, although many wished they would have. On the other hand, The Who, Santana, Janis Joplin, CCR, Canned Heat, Mountain, CS&N, Grateful Dead, Richie Havens, Sly and the Family Stone, and Jimi Hendrix, to name a few, would help move the festival into the ephemeral world of "legendary." Woodstock was never intended to be as large as it was. The promoters of the concert initially prepared for some 100,000 people. Billed as "three days of peace, love, and music," the festival would create superstars and generate urban myths for years to come. Woodstock was not the first music festival either. 1965's Newport Folk Festival (the famous Dylan goes electric one), 1967's Monterey Pop Festival (the one where Hendrix lit his guitar on fire), and 1961's Mariposa Folk Festival in Orillia, Ontario (the first Canadian folk festival) all pre-date Woodstock and all have their place in popular music history. Woodstock is unique because of the sheer number of people that descended on Max Yasgur's farm that summer, the subsequent release of a movie with its never-before-seen "two shot" concert footage, and the three-album soundtrack that pushed the festival into the forefront of the mainstream.

Behind the scenes, though, there was no altruistic underscoring to the festival. It was purely a money-making venture that went awry. It was not intended to be a free concert, that was a result of the legions of fans tearing down the fences and co-opting space. There were three ticket booths and not one ticket was taken. Security was provided by the Hog Farm, a commune headed by Wavy Gravy who famously exclaimed, "My God, we're the cops!" The crowd was cold, hungry, thirsty, and oblivious to all but the present, the here and now. They were communing with each other, with nature, and with music and it felt good. Babies were born and conceived, three people were killed, and a cultural icon rose from the ashes.

Forty years later we have remastered editions of Abbey Road and high-quality DVD versions of the Woodstock film. This December, The Beatles will be represented in the music video game RockBand with their own expansion pack of specially selected songs and plastic instrument/controllers that look like the Rickenbacker and Hofner guitars played by John, Paul, and George. A special remastered box set of the Woodstock soundtrack album and director's cut DVD with additional, never-before-seen footage is slated for release as well. In ten years we will have the fiftieth anniversary, and again, more repackaging for profit.

Sadly, the nostalgia value of these events will outlast their cultural importance as that gets whittled away with every re-release, every remastering, and every repackaging. In time Woodstock will be "that big concert that our grandparents went to...they said it was cool" and Abbey Road will be deconstructed even more than it is now for the "favourite" songs. The cadavers of the unselected ones will languish forgotten, only to reemerge on satellite, cable, or Internet radio now and then.

I still listen to Abbey Road in its entirety, and it still transports me to a warm and fuzzy time. And despite the recontextualization of Boomer culture, I really wouldn't have it any other way. Happy Anniversary Abbey Road and Woodstock. Gimme an F ... Gimme a U ....

Songs To Drive By

While driving back to the Wild West from Calgary, a trip that takes approximately seven and a half hours, I got to thinking about driving songs. As always, I had a collection of six or seven CDs and an MP3 player loaded with 2Gb of songs. It was a beautiful day, no top laid back but the sunshine shining, stereo up loud, open road before me. Perfect.

And so, in no particular order, here are my top ten driving songs:

1. "Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo" Rick Derringer
Great riff, great solo. Singability: 9

2. "Highway Star" Deep Purple
Chunky guitar rhythm keeps the pedal to the metal. Killer solos from Jon Lord and Richie Blackmore. Singability: 6

3. "Roll On Down the Highway" Bachman Turner Overdrive
A song about driving, great final solo. Singability: 9

4. "Rockin' Down the Highway" Doobie Brothers
Another song about driving. Singability: 9

5. "Holiday/Boulevard of Broken Dreams" Green Day
Great melodies. It's fun to scream out the bridge in "Holiday," while pumping one's fist through the open sun roof. Cool guitar loop opens "BOBD"
Singability: 7

6. "Rockshow/Venus and Mars" Wings
Paul McCartney's "other" band. Ergo, awesome.
Singability: 10

7. "Foreplay/Long Time" Boston
Killer guitar sounds. Great melodic solos.
Singability: 8

8. "Green Yellow Red" John Kilzer
Covered by Rosanne Cash, Kilzer's original version rocks with smokin' guitar.
Singability: 8

9. "Get Out of Denver" Bob Seger
Rapidfire lyrics. A crazy fun song.
Singability: 9

10. "Animal" Def Leppard
Great rhythm track. Head-bobber and air drum classic.
Singability: 7

Earth, Wind and Fire Makes Me Happy

I was browsing through my collection of MP3s, playing songs purely based on whether I felt like listening to them or not. Bob Dylan? Don't feel "Bob-ish" right now. Marshall Tucker Band? Oh yeah, "Fire On the Mountain." Lighthouse. Reminds me of my first date (she stood me up). Earth, Wind and Fire. Sweet. "Got To Get You Into My Life" and "Getaway." I then concluded that Earth, Wind and Fire makes me happy.

Earth, Wind and Fire's "happiness" got me thinking about other songs. Some don't make me happy at all, like "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" or "The House of the Rising Sun," or anything by Leonard Cohen. Paul McCartney makes me happy, so does Corb Lund. Sometimes I'm in the mood for "non-happy" songs and will gleefully wallow in musical misery. Sometimes I feel like loud, fast music, sometimes I feel like honky tonk. Sometimes I want the transcendence that is Beethoven's late string quartets.

For the most part, we all have our favourite music, music we like, music we dislike, and music we are ambivalent toward. Some people do not listen to music and proudly wear their musical void like a badge of honour. Some treat listening to music like a vice or an addiction they overcame. "I used to listen to music," they say, "now I have other things to do." Other more important things like watching Dancing With the Stars. I digress.

Trying to pin down what it is that makes a song popular or a "favourite" is akin to nailing Jello to the wall. Studies have been undertaken, theories have been posited, even software has been written that attempts to determine the "hit-ness" of a particular song, but still, the mechanics around musical taste are, for the most part, unknown. Musical taste, like other aesthetic choices, is ephemeral at best.

Listening to music reaps huge rewards. In addition to "happiness," music transports us to far off places, recalls memories long buried, and can help alleviate stress among other things. I feel for those people that do not listen to music and wonder if they are even a tiny bit cognizant of what they are missing. My guess is that they are not. Pity.

Michael Jackson: The Last Time With Feeling

Michael Jackson died today. Already the news channels are clamouring over themselves to get the best story. It reminds me of the hysteria that surrounded the deaths of Elvis Presley and John Lennon. But, love him or hate him, Jackson holds as important a place in popular music history as Presley and Lennon. The phenomenon that was Thriller speaks for itself, especially considering "Beat It" has one of the best guitar solos ever.

While I was never a big MJ fan, I enjoy his hits and I own a copy of Thriller (on vinyl) and I'll confess to being amused by his wacky behaviour. He was an icon and an influence. It's sad that he has passed.

RIP Michael Jackson.