My favorite Quicksilver Messenger Service recording is Just For Love. It’s a trippy, surrealistic series of songs that say flower power, Haight-Ashbury and psychedelia to me. I am especially fond of the cover art as displayed in this vinyl fold out image.
Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi, as well as Mick Jagger, BB King, Jeff Beck, Buddy Guy, Warren Haynes, Gary Clark Jr. and many more artists will perform at the White House TONIGHT as part of a celebration of Blues music. Click the link below at 7:20pm EST for live streaming video of the concert at the White House.I recall those halcyon days of pulsating hard rock in 1968 pounded out by the band Blue Cheer. I must admit that I could only tolerate so much of their sound at a time. It’s interesting what the mind rejects but the universe accepts.
Looking back on what Blue Cheer established has helped me to appreciate their role in the annals of rock music. Sprung from the loins of the psychedelic era in San Farncisco, the band is said to have been named after a street brand of LSD and promoted by renowned LSD chemist and former Grateful Dead patron, Owsley Stanley.
Blue Cheer clearly established heavy metal way before it had a moniker.
Vincebus Eruptum, Blue Cheer’s landmark 1968 debut, is widely regarded as ground zero of the heavy metal explosion. The album, featuring the classic Blue Cheer lineup of guitarist Leigh Stephens, bassist/vocalist Dickie Peterson and drummer Paul Whaley, includes the trio’s mind-melting reading of Eddie Cochran’s “Summertime Blues,” which became a Top 20 single.
You can find the mono edition of Vincebus Eruptum at a very cool record emporium, Sundazed Music. Long live Blue Cheer and vinyl!
I was watching the VH1 Classic channel today on cable. The series Metal Evolution produced and hosted by Sam Dunn, metalhead turned anthropologist produced lots of interesting video and interview footage.
My favorite interlude today was the episode ”Early Metal U.S.” which focused on Detroit, Michigan’s influence on metal music, in particular the significance of Alice Cooper.
Alice Cooper was signed by Frank Zappa for his Straight Records label. They produced surreal, experimental rock theater set against one of the tightest sounding rock bands ever. The band consisted of of Vincent Furnier (Alice Cooper) on vocals and harmonica, lead guitarist Glen Buxton, Michael Bruce on rhythm guitar, Dennis Dunaway on bass guitar and drummer Neal Smith. They were a monster of a band you immediately respected.
The recording that set me on my ear with Alice Cooper was Love It To Death. The hit, “I’m Eighteen” epitomized the dichotomy of being at 18 years old, both a boy and a man. I liked the irreverence of the cover photo where Alice Cooper stuck his thumb through the front of his pants to resemble a cock. The album played through so well you ended up loving it to death every time you played it. My second favorite song was the “Ballad of Dwight Frye“, being a melodrama film fan, I thought it was so cool that a band would perform a song about an actor who spent much of his life in an insane asylum. If you contrast Dwight Frye’s actual existence with the character, Renfield that he played in the Universal Studios class, Dracula, art imitated life. Who can forget that the hospital worker says, “He’s crazy” when asked about Renfield’s behavior at the asylum.
Music festivals take on a life of their own. The Vans Warped Tour has been going strong for 17+ years now.
If you have never been to a Vans Warped Tour event try to attend. The energy and the vibe is great to witness first hand. Plan on spending the entire day at a Vans Warped Tour event. I was the “designated Dad” for my son and his friends in 2004 and 2005. The 2004 Vans Warped Tour event we went to took place in the parking lot outside of Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass. The fans moshed and surfed on the asphalt that day. 2004 was the 10th anniversary celebration of Vans Warped Tour.
It’s a wild day. There is a main announcement wall that gives you the schedule of bands to appear on the two main stages and all the alternate stages. I saw some interesting groups such as Bowling for Soup (hung out with them back at their area, they were fun), The Used, New Found Glory (how does that lead singer still have vocal chords left…) and Flogging Molly just to name some of the lineup that day.
The 2005 Vans Warped Tour was held on Randall’s Island just outside New York City. It was a huge dust bowl and you had to protect your eyes/throat from the dust. No matter how much they hosed down the dirt fields there the dust persisted. My favorite Warped Tour 2005 moment was when my son and his friends joined me at the Lordz of Brooklyn show and got me a Lordz t-shirt that was thrown from the stage. The Lordz signed it for me later on at their booth 
My past lineage with the Warped Tour has me excited for the new movie, No Room for Rockstars.
The documentary No Room for Rock Stars has more than 300 hours of film shot during the 2010 tour. The film documents the true stories of modern era rock and roll from every possible angle. From the kids in the van playing parking lots to gain notice, to the veteran stage manager whose life was saved by the tour, to the musician who crosses over to mainstream success while on the road, No Room For Rock Stars is Cinema Vèritè story-telling at its finest. A historical retrospective or concert film this is not.
I am an instructional technologist by trade. My true passion is music and journalism as evidenced by the content of this blog. I constantly seek avenues to combine these interests to become more fully realized. I term this the zen of my existence. ( i.e. cognoscenti).
Moodle, the free, open-source course management solution has revolutionized learning. Today it has 55 million global users. It has successfully disrupted the Learning Management System universe (LMS). I love the fact that it is toppling BlackBoard‘s dominance.
Image via CrunchBase
I wish I taught a music course and used Moodle to manage that learning experience. I am going to accomplish that by building an online music appreciation course with Moodle.
As I work my way along that path I locate subject matter authorities who guide my aspirations. One such individual in the field of software training I am following is William Rice. Bill is a leading authority in instructional design, e-Learning courseware management/development and Moodle consulting. He has written a definitive book series about Moodle for Packt Publishing.
I discovered something very cool while browsing the Barnes & Noble magazine stand today. I happened upon a new music magazine, Guitar Aficionado. I was struck by the photograph of Dhani Harrison on the cover of the Spring 2012 issue. I picked up the magazine and began leafing through the pages.
Being an avid fan of digital publishing I was psyched to see on page four that Guitar Aficionado was available for the iPad and iPhone devices. I took out my iPhone 4s and went looking on Apple’s App Store for the Guitar Aficionado App. I downloaded it and picked up the free issue with Richard Gere on the cover. It was added to my iPhone Newsstand. I knew I had to buy the magazine after that and walked the physical copy to the register.
I love what is happening with the convergence of print media and digital publishing through the iCloud. Publications like Guitar Aficionado are making tremendous strides in allowing readers choice in how they read and experience content.
The more exciting proposition is the added value that Dhani Harrison is bringing to fans of his father’s music. Dhani Harrison, along with the George Harrison Estate and Bandwidth Publishing will soon be making available a new iPad app which will allow Beatles and guitar fans the chance to check out the personal guitar collection of the late George Harrison. The app, The Guitar Collection: George Harrison, will be released through iTunes on February 23, two days before what would have been the former Beatle‘s 69th birthday.
You can get an in-depth preview of the iPad app with Dhani Harrison as your guide through the pages of the latest issue of Guitar Aficiando Magazine. I can tell you first hand its an exciting and informative set of articles. The information is complemented with brilliant color pages and wonderful memories for us all. I am so indebted to Dhani and Olivia Harrison for being so sharing with the world. It is another extension of George’s love to fans living in the material world. 
Watch this video and see how you can touch and interact with George Harrison’s guitar collection. which is absolutely amazing if you ask me
I love how this continues the synergy between The Beatles and Apple through digital technology. Something tells me that George Harrison and Steve Jobs are smiling hugely over this accomplishment.
A unique event takes place next month on March 13, 2012 at Carnegie Hall. 21 artists performing the 21 songs of the first Rolling Stone greatest hits records, Hot Rocks.
This is a novel approach to a benefit concert. This tribute concert, benefiting music & arts programs for underprivileged youth, celebrates the 40th Anniversary of the release of Hot Rocks 1964-1971, the Stones’ highest selling album.
Tickets are still available for this event. Learn more at the mini-site here.
FEATURING
…AND MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED
I was appalled to learn that Sony Music has increased the price of online digital recordings of the late Whitney Houston. The price increases are denoted on Apple iTunes.
I don’t ever remember a record label increasing the price of an artist’s music who has died, especially just 12 hours after her reported death.
I say shame on Sony Music for capitalizing on Whitney Houston’s death to meet the marketplace demand for her online music catalog.
I mean, c’mon, these are the same digital online bits that were available for less prior to Whitney Houston’s death. It’s not like they are starting up a factory to press vinyl or manufacture audio CDs……
I await Sony Music’s official response and justification for profiteering on an artist’s death and the public’s sentiment for Whitney Houston.
This supposed reason doesn’t cut it with me, I call Shenanigans on Sony and Apple
Apple and Sony Music aren’t commenting on the matter, but “one insider close to the situation” suggested to The Guardian that the price hike may have come about after Sony Music realized that the wholesale price of Houston’s album had been incorrect and, once corrected, accounted for the retail price change inside Apple’s music store.
Hope you are too! Bruce Springsteen kicked it off so well with We Take Care of Our Own, didn’t he and the E Street Band, complete with strings?
Rest in Peace, Whitney Houston, we will always love you.
Musicofourheart: Frankie,
You're welcome. Might I suggest an exc...
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