J.J. Vicars: News

2009 was a rough year for a lot of folks, and I'm no exception, but as I sit here writing this on December 31st the good stands out and bad becomes "necessary self-correcting measures".

The album I was working on, LONG WAY FROM HOME, was shelved halfway through recording. It sucked and I stewed over it for quite a while, but now that it appears the album will be finished elsewhere with a different rhythm section it looks like I'll have two halves that together will make both an accurate musical diary and an overall top-notch album. The guys on the first half couldn't do what the guys on the second half will do and the guys on the second half couldn't do what the first did. Regardless of any personal differences I stand 120% behind what we recorded.

In February I interviewed vocalist Jill Jones. That article became my first nationally published piece, appearing in Florida-based magazine GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS and may appear again in UK mag BLUES MATTERS. BLUES MATTERS deserves a serious tip of the hat for publishing many of my letters to the editor and getting me back into writing. I don't know what it is that people like so much about my writing but as long as they like it I'll keep doing it. The article avoided the usual Prince gossip that journalists have bugged her with and focused on her actual work as a vocalist, covering all of her albums. Engineer David Rivkin and Grand Royals bandmate Ian Ginsberg both contributed lengthy in-depth quotes. Jill and her manager liked it so much it now appears on much of her promo material. Thanks, Jill! I've been discussing musical collaboration with her and it looks promising.

A few months later I played the only Jerry & J.J. Vicars gig to date. The more both of us get back to our Blues roots the more similarities I hear in our playing. Not surprising, some of the songs he taught me when I first picked up guitar I'm still doing; COMIN' HOME, MEMPHIS, HONKY TONK, CHICKEN SHACK. Don't be surprised if I play all those on my last gig before shuffling off the mortal coil. When we lived in Cincinnati I played bass with his group, Jerry & the Hipswingers. We shot two videos but the one on my YouTube channel from Cincy is my favorite. Once he played on my gig, a private party, nothing special. This time we did a duo gig at Ben's Cafe with Mark Schwarz on bass and Jimmy Mack on drums. Mark recorded it and MP3s are on my website for download. There's also footage from a film crew who were making a documentary about Americans living in Tokyo but I don't know what happened with that. We repeated the show last week by recording his arrangement of Charles Brown's MERRY CHRISTMAS BABY, again with Mark on bass and available on the website.

This year's CD release was LONGHAIRED LEFTOVERS, a collection of leftover songs from Jindaiji Monkey studio. These were done for fun and when an album's worth of material was accumulated it was decided to eventually release it. Since LONG WAY FROM HOME was shelved indefinitely and I needed an '09 release it got bumped up. I made my keyboard debut, Suzi V plays organ on one track and Jeremy Gloff piano on another. I covered his "1987" as a disc-only bonus track. Two other songs feature Jay Lang, the cat from Sheep Dip who gave a teenage J.J.V. a break when no one else would. Jay sent some backing tracks which I put words and melody to. I have a vocal and guitar track on each, all other instruments are him. Jay also helped my writing endeavors by pointing out the famous Hemingway quote, "Show it, don't tell it." Mark Schwarz designed the jacket adding all the background items to a photo he took that includes the Modbird in her early stages.

The best came towards the end. A new venue opened up in Akasaka named Crawfish. Excellent room, fantastic gear (Fender tube amps!) and Carl and Jake are some of the best venue owners I've met. Chiharu Kawai was present for the first show there and filmed four songs which are now on my YouTube channel; WANG DANG DOODLE, STINKY TWINKY and DOWNHOME. Back at the Barge Inn, one of my all-time my favorite venues (in Narita near the airport), manager Bryan Harmon spent quality time with me, Mark and drummer Masaki Shibata fixing up the sound and lights. Our friend Oliver Richter brought out his camera and filmed all three sets, performed in front of a very enthusiastic crowd. Four songs in three videos have been posted to YouTube; TAKE ME ON DOWN TO MEMPHIS/ROCK MY WORLD, J.J.'s BOOGIE and BOOGIE ON DOWN all from the 1st set. Video from the 2nd and 3rd sets is being edited right now. The full unedited audio is available for download on the website, minus the first set.

The Barge Inn gig was the debut of the Modbird, the custom guitar Mark Schwarz built for me. Mark has been building guitars for years, his Rocket Revenger bass is well known around town. This is the first one he built to order and she's a beauty. The body draws its design from the Gibson Moderne and Firebird, though much smaller, and has a Strat bridge. The P-90 from my Les Paul Jr. I had when I was a kid sits in the back position with Fender Fat Strat in front. The pickguard is similar to a Les Paul Jr. A Fender neck does the job for now, until a custom neck is ready. The Modbird is now my main guitar and playing her is not only the most fun I've had on any axe in years she's also a feather in both our caps, the luthier and the player.

But the most lasting impression came from the least likely of sources, the TV. There was a short interview/documentary with an old woman who owns a barber shop under the train tracks near one of the busiest station in Tokyo. Didn't catch the station but it looked like the Shinkansen (bullet train) stops there. She lives in a two-story building ; the barber shop is on the first floor, her residence on the second. Many of her customers have been coming to her for 40 years. Sometimes they fall asleep in the chair. She lets them sleep. She charges customers according to what they can afford and if they're broke doesn't charge them at all. She lives modestly and always has enough. When the interviewer asked for her thoughts on the global economic meltdown she said, "People have been working for the country, money went to the bureaucrats. When they work for PEOPLE money will return to the people and it will get back to normal." Many folks I know back in the U.S. decided not to buy Christmas presents, or only select few, or to make a present to give. To me, that makes it one of the greatest Christmases ever; the crass commercialism normally surrounding the holidaze was dealt a sever blow, the vacuum filled with genuine concern for one another. At least that's how it looks to me. Some say it was a bad year but I disagree; it was a difficult year but that doesn't make it a bad year. People lost a lot of selfishness and remembered what's important.

Been busy filming and editing video over here at Annie Gator Records. Two new playlists are up on the YouTube channel www.youtube.com/user/jjvicars
The first is from 10/22/09 at Crawfish, a new venue in Akasaka. Jin Nagami on bass and Masaki Shibata on drums, filmed bu Chiharu Kawai. WANG DANG DOODLE (Willie Dixon), STINKY TWINKY, DOWNHOME and RAIN KEEPS FALLING all from the forthcoming album FULL THROTTLE.
http://www.youtube.com/user/jjvicars#p/c/2E0E6B7829892B63
The second is from 11/7/09 at the Barge Inn in Narita, three songs in four videos. Masaki Shibata on drums again and Mark Schwarz on bass weilding his infamous Rocket Revenger, filmed by Oliver Richter. This was the debut of the ModBird, the custom guitar built by Mark, and the first time two of his Broken Guitars appeared together onstage. TAKE ME ON DOWN TO MEMPHIS/ROCK MY WORLD and J.J.'s BOOGIE from the SCI-FI DINER album and BOOGIE ON DOWN (Freddie King), the closing number for that set.
http://www.youtube.com/user/jjvicars#p/c/CE1FE6DD33918622
Oliver Richter filmed all three sets from the Barge Inn and there will at least three videos from the 2nd set soon. In the meantime, there's also a video of "1987" from the 3rd set (unedited) on MySpace and YouTube. "!987" is the disc-only bonus track from the new album LONGHAIRD LEFTOVERS www.cdbaby.com/cd/jjvicars1 written by Jeremy Gloff,who also makes a guest appearance playing piano on TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE from the same album. Go to http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/gloff14 for the original "1987".

In '98 I was playing with my dad's Cincinnati-based Jump Blues band Jerry & the Hipswingers. We cut a demo video which sat on the shelf after everyone moved away. Finally I got a copy of the video and was able to convert the file for upload. And now here it is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brUdLHvzkJ0

Not my movie, we're nowhere near ready to start on that. A movie I was an extra in last year is coming out. I'm in the crowd scenes during the concert and I doubt you can see me. But I'm there. http://symbol-movie.jp/

A little bit of web surfing on an otherwise boring, rainy night turned up something very interesting. Houston Jazz sax player extraordanaire is now up and running on the Internet. http://larryslezak.com


Larry was a family friend when yours truly was first getting his musical feet wet. He was already smokin' but every time I heard him he somehow managed to outdo himself. Larry is one of those rare musicians who is constantly honing and refining his craft. While visiting back home last year I had the pleasure of seeing his group at Ovations. It has been 15 or more years since I had heard him and much to my surprise he was even better. I think of Larry every time I hit the books to woodshed.



When I first mentioned bringing Jill Jones to Texas to record a Blues/Jazz/R&B album with real instruments (nothing against her current hit single on the Dance charts, but I'd like to hear her in that setting) Larry was one of the first names I mentioned. Now he's on the web and his site has a ton of content to delight your ears. I now invite those of you outside of Houston to discover a treasure we've known for many, many years.



A little icing on the cake; Larry's son Joe Slezak, my age, is on drums. Joe and I started out on drums about the same time. He took it more naturally than I did and stuck with it. Today he's as solid as they come. Playing drums was fun but I wasn't cut out to be a Jazzer. When I took up Blues/Roots guitar I found my niche at last. There's a couple Jazz flavored numbers on a future CD and I hope to have Larry and Joe on them. Got my fingers crossed.

He was one of the architects of the electric guitar, invented multi-track recording and reverb, pioneered new micing techniques and was one of the hottest Jazz guitarists ever playing elegant, melodic lines at breathtaking speed that seemed to defy the laws of physics. He reinvented music... he reinvented SOUND! He's one of the very few people who really changed the world.

I was working on getting to New York so I could see him at the Iridum. I really wanted to meet him; I'd be happy if he told me to fuck off! LOL He said that kids would be making records in their bedroom just like he did and that's exactly what I've been doing for the last few years (HI-TECH HILLBILLY, HEARTLAND, LONGHAIRED LEFTOVERS). Many times I've sat down at my Zoom 1608CD home studio to record or mix and thought, "I wouldn't be doing this if it weren't for Les Paul. This technology that allows me to realize my ideas wouldn't exist."

When I started making those albums I didn't have much of a catalog, recording studios were prohibitively expensive and getting local musicians to play my music right was a headache (a frustration in babysitting, actually. Recording at home like this helped establish the sound, the style and the body of work. From then on getting gigs and getting musicians to cooperate was much easier.

LONGHAIRED LEFTOVERS is almost done. Today I planned on mixing the last song and getting on with the release. I'm tired of recording at home by myself and plan on selling the studio. Ironic, for me, that Les Paul died just as I was wrapping up this chapter of my recording career. Now I can concentrate on those faster-than-light licks of his. So far I can play one at half speed.

Michael Jackson died today. The official cause was cardiac arrest but I believe it was a case of nothing left ot live for. He was no longer a singer or an entertainer. He was a celebrity, and a charicature of one at that. During his heyday (THRILLER) he crossed boundaries as one of the first black artists (along with Prince) to be a staple of MTV and one the first R&B artists to feature prominent Rock guitarists on chart topping hits. BEAT IT just wouldn't be the same without Eddie Van Halen's infamous solo. Steve Stevens reworked Tommy Bolin's Echoplex tricks into the 'ray gun' effect that became the instrumental crescendo of DIRTY DIANA.



Over the last 15 years he became a running joke. Too much plastic surgery, too much rich celebrity indulgence, too many accusations and lawsuits. Now that he's gone I prefer to remember the popular culture icon of my youth as the groundbreaking entertainer he was 'back in the day' who crossed boundaries that today we can barely imagine existed.



Farrah Fawcett has also passed away today. Another popular culture icon whose name and face were everywhere. I don't often pay attention to the mainstream but when two of the most recognizable names and faces pass on it does remind you of passing eras and your own mortality.

The latest blog has been published. This one is about one of the very few things I enjoy in Tokyo, cafes. Can't wait to see what sort of enlightening response this one elicits. In the last one, about Tokyo's lack of live music, my detractors further emphasized my point by defending the plethora of amatuer noise makers that abound here and calling it music. And they were quite miffed that I didn't include that bunch, further emphasizing why I regard this city as a musical joke.

http://blog.gaijinpot.com/food-and-drink/ex-pat-cafe/2529/#more-2529

Sad news. The legendary Koko Taylor passed away yesterday in Chicago. I had the pleasure of seeing her a couple times and the privilege of meeting her once in '91 when she co-billed with Albert Collins & the Icebreakers. She tore up the stage like nobody's business. That was a singer who belted it out and a performer who grabbed the audience and held them there. Another one who raised the bar and kept it there. Read the full story at http://www.kokotaylor.com/news.html

Mark Schwarz is known as bassist and backing vocalist with Max Blues and J.J.V. The Kent, England native appears on the Max Blues album THE SUITCASE, along with the late drummer Shimpei 'dead eye' Ono, and on the upcoming J.J.V. album LONG WAY FROM HOME with drummer/engineer Bill Concello, also formerly of Max Blues.

The release of LWFH has been pushed back from '09 to '10 and this summer will instead see the release of LONGHAIRED LEFTOVERS, a collection of leftover material from Jindaijii Monkey Studio. LEFTOVERS sees the credentials of Mark Schwarz expand to include photographer and graphic designer.

The front cover shot was taken by Mark and features the J.J. Vicars model Broken Guitar he's currently building. Mark is also designing the CD jacket, adding his ownperverse twist to the infamous J.J.V. sick sense of humor.

Mark- bassist, backing vocalist, luthier, photographer and designer. May da Schwarz be with you!

With LONG WAY FROM HOME delayed until next spring LONGHAIRED LEFTOVERS is being finished for release this summer. "Longhaired" as in 'longhair' music, as opposed to Blues/Roots, and "Leftovers" because it's mostly leftover material from the HI-TECH HILLBILLY and HEARTLAND sessions all recorded at Jindaiji Monkey Studio. Two more tracks, INDIAN SUMMER and RAIN KEEPS FALLING have been posted to the website. These rough mixes will be available for free download until the album is released.

SOUNDS OF YESTERDAY, TODAY -an article written for SparkleFox e-zine- has been published in the new issue. In an assessment of the current dismal state of the music industry several different culprits are described- corporate greed, childish expectations, and the general culture of instant gratification. The article can be read in its entirety here at www.sparklefox.com/advice-music-1.html
The Jill Jones article is on its way next. In it she details the Blues and Jazz she grew up listening to via her mother and grandmother, her start at Motown, her long stint as a session vocalist for the Revolution and her most recent albums TWO and WASTED plus projects in the works. An interesting behind-the-scenes look at the music industry from an artist with a long and impressive resume.

I interviewed Jill Jones for an upcoming article on her. Through the course of the conversation we covered her start at Motown with Teena Marie, her time as a backing vocalist with Prince & the Revolution, her critically-acclaimed solo debut on Paisley Park and why Warner Bros refused to promote it, TWO, WASTED, her MySpace music player, and a few upcoming projects. Very informative and a lot of fun to hang out and talk with such a classy yet downhome lady.

LONGHAIRED LEFTOVERS is being released as free downloads over the next few months. www.jjvicars.com/music-group-140.html These are songs that didn't fit onto any of the other albums so they became their own album. 3 tracks are up already and 6 more will be up before summer. Two songs -THERE SHE GOES AGAIN and MAMA TRAIN- are collaborations with Jay Lang, an old friend who was one of the first people to give me a break when I was a kid.

Hope ya'll enjoy the tunes and I'm anxiously looking forward to returning to Texas where the food is good, the music is rockin', and the people are real!

First, Lux Interior of The Cramps died. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2009/02/cramps-founder.html
Then I clicked a click and learned that Hank Crawford died. http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/music/la-me-hank-crawford5-2009feb05,0,2311187.story?track=rss
Finally, that article mentions that David "Fathead" Newman and Leroy Cooper died. Ray Charles' sax section from the late 50's/early 60's.

This sucks!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qd2M9ynQb5k http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBo4wZmH0UQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKNB7V2UB3c http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoWaJj6lbl8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thpdT7tNeyA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jW3_2rk9BvU

Billy​ Powel​l died of a heart​ attac​k earli​er today​.​ Durin​g their​ three​-​night​ stand​ in Tokyo​ on the '91 Tour I had the pleas​ure of hangi​ng out with Billy​.​ He was warm and frien​dly going​ out of his way to greet​ fans backs​tage and intro​duce himse​lf.​ A real gentl​eman.​ He was also a hellu​va keybo​ardis​t.​ While​ Skyny​rd'​s three​-​guita​r attac​k was tight​er than many of their​ influ​ences​ (I prefe​r their​ versi​on of CROSS​ROADS​ to Cream​'​s)​ Powel​l'​s piano​ added​ an elega​nce that kicke​d them up anoth​er notch​ and set them apart​.​ Anoth​er legen​d gone but not forgo​tten.​

http://www.cmt.com/news/country-music/1603730/lynyrd-skynyrds-billy-powell-dead-at-56.jhtml

Watching the Inauguration was fun. While it was on there was an ongoing conversation on Jeremy Gloff's Facebook page that started with some cracks on The Queen Of Soul (who should be recrowned The Hamhock Of Soul) for looking like a Greenpeace cause, spun off into a hilarious real-time conversation, and ended with a couple of new friends. For an exiled ex-pat it was the party back home that I needed. Thank you Jeremy for being the host and letting me wisecrack all over your page. I hope I didn't wear out my welcome.

More importantly though, I watched the last three presidents as the camera rolled over them and noticed they all looked sick, old and unhealthy as if their time had come to an end. Obama was a vision of fresh energy in contrast. That was when it dawned on me- this is the REAL beginning of the 21st Century.

The seasons have their own rhythms- there is no official "first day of spring", that's our clock-time that we superimpose over the natural rhythms of the world. Just the same, eras have their own natural rhythms. Neither January 1st, 2000 nor January 1st, 2001 was the beginning of the 21st Century. Again, that's our measurements superimposed upon natural rhythms. The Inauguration was the REAL beginning of the 21st Century. The last 8 years were the end of the 20th Century, when all the worst qualities of 20th Century America and its government came to a head and exploded in public. Everything that had been buried behind closed doors became public knowledge. We became a nation bitterly divided and those of us with overseas ties fled the country in self-imposed exile. Yesterday, however, was the beginning of a new era. Obama's speech was excellent, as expected. He spoke in clear, plain language about what _we_ as a country need to do to rebuild and touched on all the points involved including quite a few that appeal to the Right such as hard work and selfless service. He delivered his speech in the captivating and uplifting style of black churches across America- grabbing the audience's attention, reeling them in, bringing the intensity to a simmer, and then "taking it home". Time and again he reiterated that each one of us is responsible for cleaning up this mess and putting the pieces back together. That means ALL of us cooperating with each other, ALL of us building bridges across the divide. The sort of solution offered in Eric Lu & Nick Hanauer' THE TRUE PATRIOT, a book that should be read by Liberals and Conservatives alike.

During recent Blogs I've engaged people on the other side of the political spectrum from me for two reasons. First is that if you only talk to people on your side you only get one side of the story, i.e. circular reasoning. When discussing with the opposing side you have to prove your point. If you're argument holds water you will, if it doesn't you'll learn something new. Therefore you win either way. Second is, during the election I admired both candidates' speeches which put the emphasis on "we the People" and everybody cooperating together as a unified nation. Obama's acceptance speech centered on the UNITED States of America rather than Liberal/Conservative America, Red/Blue states, etc... McCain's campaign slogan was "Country First" and I would have considered him had he not brought along that brainless, wolf-slaughtering Barbie doll Palin. Paris Hilton had a better campaign speech (I'll dig up the link if anyone's interested).

In the spirit of both candidates' noble speeches I took it upon myself to do my part in bridging the divide and deliberately looked at the people that I usually crack on - the conservative religious Right- and asked myself what I admire about them. I strongly suggest that all of you do the same. One thing is all you need, you don't have to agree on everything and you won't, but that one thing _will_ build bridges of understanding. The nation has been bitterly divided for too long. Surprisingly, when I asked myself that question I found a simple easy answer- manners! The American public has become very selfish, childish and irresponsible. People have lost all sense of courtesy, dignity and respect. They've become shallow. What happened to the Golden Rule, "do unto others as you would have them do unto you"? What happened to being considerate of others and treating them the way you want to be treated? And what the happened to taking responsibility for yourself? Where the fuck did all this buck-passing come from???!!! "I can't work because my mother traumatized me when I was three." What abunch of spineless drivel! The religious conservative Right are some of the few people who still practice manners and courtesy so to my Right-leaning friends I want you all to know that I am with you on this one, you have my full support. We'll probably continue to disagree on a lot of other points but let's save that for another day. We have a long road ahead of us.

I encourage everybody on both sides to do the same, find that one thing that you agree with the other side on. One is not too much to ask. I've done it, you can too. The real work starts with us and the bridges start there.

In closing there was one other thing that stuck in my mind during the Inauguration about this being the real beginning of the 21st Century. When they showed the crowd, the newer buildings reminded me of Theed (the capital of Naboo in STAR WARS). And being a comic collector (especially underground stuff) I have to admit that seeing the first black president reminded me of CAMELOT 3000, a 12-issue limited series that came out when I was a kid. Anybody who remembers it will get the connection. Besides, I'm biased, I'm _glad_ we finally got some "pepper" in the White House. We need it!

The years started off on a good note, appearing in the Steve Lukather video EVER CHANGING TIMES. After 25 years I finally made it to MTV. Too bad you can't see my face in the video! That same month was the 2nd Annual J.J. Vicars Birthday Jam at Ben's Cafe. Since I know none of my cheap-ass friends are gonna throw me a party I throw my own every year. Now I get to spend my birthday the way I want to; jamming and partying with my buds. Also at the beginning of the year I had to cancel my Midwest tour, but that turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it led to my trip back to Texas in April.

In early spring there was the "three countries in three weeks" jaunt. Played Saturday night at the Barge Inn near Narita airport then got on a plane for New Delhi, India early Sunday morning. Back to Tokyo the following Saturday then played the Cherry Blossom festival at Atsugi Naval Base on Sunday. Monday, a week later, it was off to Houston, TX for a much needed trip back home.

The trip to Houston was one of the biggest highlights of the year. It had been 7 years since I had been in Texas and 'homesick' doesn't even begin to describe it. All I can say about that is one of the reasons I'm such a big HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY fan is because I identify with Arthur Dent. And Kate Shecter from LONG DARK TEATIME OF THE SOUL. Try being an American looking for a decent pizza in a foreign country and you'll get the idea. Try finding decent Mexican food and you'll go nuts!

In Houston my old friend and former bandleader Kenny Palyola and his wife Kelley were extremely gracious in putting me up and just generally being a big help overall. Words don't begin to describe my gratitude for what they did. And I was not the only guest, had a bit of a family reunion going on at their place. Going out for Mexican food and a Blues jam... it's those simple pleasures I miss the most. Drove out to Austin to visit several more old friends and stayed with my old bandmate, former Cannabis Rex bandleader Todd Moore at his beeeyoootiful place on the river. It was the tranquility I needed while sorting out some head-pounding bureaucracy. I stopped by to see one of my all time favorite guitarists and good friend Don Leady (cut my teeth on the first Tailgators album SWAMP ROCK) and we recorded a guitar boogie duet together. Don also showed me a few guitar moves that I'm still working on. After several failed attempts to contact him I finally got in touch with my tocayo J.J. Barrera (bass, Tailgators) and hung out a bit before heading back to Houston where I went to a Jazz club to see Larry and Joe Slezak. Joe and I are the same age (our musician dads were friends) and started playing around the same time. He stuck with Jazz drumming and I went on to Blues/Roots/Rock guitar which I'm much better suited for. I love Jazz but I'm definitely not a Jazz player! Larry (Joe's dad) was blowing that sax even better than ever! Hard to believe as he was heads and shoulders above the rest 20 years ago, but yes he really has gotten even better since then. The next night I sat in with Kenny P on his gig (I swear his guitarist looks like Tom Waits Jr.) for some more much-needed Texas Blues picking. Food for the soul. Met up with Glen Davis, formerly of FCCJ in Tokyo and now living back home in Tejas, bought a couple hats and then early Monday they practically had to force me on the plane at gunpoint.

July 4th saw another major event, playing the Fourth of July festival at Atsugi with Max Blues and Tara Tinsley. I met Tara two years previous when she played Atsugi during her first trip to Japan. We stayed in touch and I took a few liberties with a demo of her song SWEET MUSIC. For this show Max Blues was already playing so I had them back me during my set, at the end of which I brought out Tara to do SWEET MUSIC (the only time we've played it live together) and Ike & Tina Turner's BABY GET IT ON which her guitarist Dan Quigg joined us for. There was some video shot but the person who did so punked out on me, so it remains buried in his archives. If Tara and/or myself has a big hit record I guarantee it will surface. Nonetheless, we stole the show with our grand finale and later we had some Texas BBQ where Tara failed to understand what a bypass is. I guess she never saw ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS.

Summer saw the start of two very important projects, the LONG WAY FROM HOME album and the first J.J. Vicars signature model guitar made by Broken Guitar (if it's Broken, it's mine!). While I had hoped to have both of these projects finished before year's end the delays have worked out for the best; both are turning out better than anticipated. I had originally wanted Bill Concello to play on the album but wasn't sure if he would be available. As it turns out we're recording at his Sunshine Studio and he's played a vital role as co-producer. Bassist and Broke Guitars honcho Mark Schwarz is playing his Rocket Revenger, and a couple other interesting basses, on the album while building the J.J.V. signature model which will be featured on about half the songs. And yes, the Firebird is also featured on a few. Several local musician friends make guest appearances and other musician friends back in the States, Jeremy Gloff and Glenn Rios, have helped out with the arrangements. To top it all off Colleen Kelley Murray, formerly Mrs. Palyola, has given me permission to use one of her photographs on the front cover. I won't say which one -got to leave a few surprises for when the album comes out- but it was the type of pic I was looking for after my cousin -Electro/Freestyle musician Jason Goldsmith of VA- gave some recommendations regarding the jacket design. Coincidentally, Mark came up with a very similar idea regarding the jacket, although he didn't know what I had planned. That convenient coincidence made it clear what direction to go with the design. As with SCI-FI DINER, great care is being put into the jacket design so that it complements the music on the disc hand-in-glove.

Another highlight was all the new video. Five solo acoustic videos were added to the YouTube page back in January and three from the Christmas gig with Mac "the Knife" Okuyama were added a couple days after the gig, all shot and edited by Chiharu Kawai. In between those Connie 'cricket' Smith of Mississippi did two slide show videos for TAKE ME ON DOWN TO MEMPHIS and ROCK MY WORLD, available on her page.

Yet another interesting development was a new twist on the old Jewish tradition 'keep the money' in the family. My regular bass players being out-of-town during some important gigs led to Suzi V holding down the bottom end. She's like a cross between Keith Ferguson and Poison Ivy and having a female on the stage sure did help attendance. Oliver Richter shot some great pics last time we played at the Barge Inn and they're on the website.

Everybody knows what an important election this was but for me it was important in different ways. First off, as a result of some political Blogging I became acquainted with singer Jill Jones. Most folks remember her from her time with Prince when she appeared in the 1999 video and as the waitress in PURPLE RAIN. Like most I knew little else about her until finding her on MySpace. I vaguely recalled a Paisley Park album from the 80's. After making her acquaintance I found the album on eBay. Anybody who is a fan of Prince's 'glory years' ('80 - '87) would be well off to find a copy of this overlooked gem. In 2001 she did another album, TWO with Chris Bruce. This haunting masterpiece is a feather in both their caps and a little of that influence seeped into one of the tracks on LONG WAY FROM HOME. I'll leave it to you to figure out which one. She also released the download-only album WASTED as The Grand Royals, a guitar & vocal duet. I reviewed both albums on CD Baby and iTunes. Jill's BAD! Via Jill Jones I also became acquainted with musician Jeremy Gloff of Tampa, FL. A helluva songwriter, his album 1987 is a 'must-have' for anyone who was a teenager in the 80's. He uses the writing devices to perfectly capture the mood and feel of the times. I also reviewed this album on both CD Baby and iTunes and have been performing the title song on recent gigs. Outside of my usual Blues/Roots/R&B/Southern Boogie listening TWO and 1987 are the most played albums on my stereo and iPod.

The election was also important to me in that it opened up a whole new dialogue with several right-leaning friends. As someone who usually votes Democratic (lesser of two evils) or Independent I have no problem with right-of-center. It's the Extreme Right (and also the Extreme Left) that I so vehemently despise. I was surprised to learn that there are actually a few Republicans doing something good, like Ron Paul and the current Governor of Ohio. Hard to believe after the last 8 years. This is what makes democracy healthy, the open exchange of ideas. If you live in Indiana my friend Bill Bruton is running for State Senate. His primary goal is defending the Constitution, a worthy goal no matter which party you're aligned with.

Sadly though, politics also severed or injured a few friendships. The funny one was the Canadian guy who wrote back to express his disapproval of my post-election letter to Senator McCain because of the Vietnam war. As an American living abroad it seems that wherever I go I always run into a Canadian who wants to show off how hip he thinks he is on American politics -as if 100% of the population supported the neo-cons and Canada had never done any wrong. Since it's an average of 1 in 10 that means 9 in 10 are cool, but I'm sure they find the 1 to be an embarrassment just as I find the neo-cons an embarrassment.. However, the saddest part about the election is that after Obama won everybody stopped talking about it as if there were no more work to be done. The real work is just beginning.

While on the 'sad' note here's the obituaries; Buddy Miles, Jeff Healy, Bo Diddley, Issac Hayes, Jerry Wexler, Earl Palmer, Bettie Page, and George Carlin. Most were old (80's and 90's) but Carlin's passing bummed me out the most. Forget politicians, George Carlin is my 'public voice' of social commentary. N other single person in the limelight comes as close as him -about 90%- to saying what I want said. The Seven Dirty Words, his take on the 10 Commandments and his later one about how politicians are a product of OUR society... these speak volumes. It seems we need his voice now more than ever yet he's gone. One more reason for me to fire up my engine- most of my heroes are gone, if I don't say and do what I want said and done nobody else will. Last but certainly not least for the obituaries, Tippy the tipped-up cow passed away shortly before summer. Tippy was a good dog... odd, a lot of our pets have the same names as Carlin's pets- Annie, Grannie, and Tippy. He didn't have a Stinky, though.

Back to a happy note, some long lost friends were rediscovered, including former Albert Collins & the Icebreakers bassist Johnny B. Gayden, and there were new friends made such as Tara Tinsley's guitarist Dan Quigg. Jin Nagami filled in on bass for Max Blues during our July 4th gig and became a regular in our 'musicians circle'. In turn there were more musician friends joining the fold as a result. Look for more collaborations in the coming year. And while researching an article for Skynyrd that I'm still working on I became acquainted with Scott Hill (from the FL/GA line) and had a brief exchange with former Honkette JoJo Billingsley. There's also guitarist Tony WIlson of GA who found my site via Steve Moore's Firebird Tribute Site. He sent the Two Wolves story that I posted.

All in all there's been a lot to celebrate in 2008; the videos, the new album, the signature model guitar, trip to India, trip back home to Houston/Austin, July 4th, the election and most of all the people involved in these events- they are what them significant. Hats off to; Kenny Palyola, Colleen Kelley Murray, Joe Slezak, Larry Slezak, Don Leady (and Vicki & Ryan), J.J. Barrera, Todd Moore, Glen Davis,Tara Tinsley, Dan Quigg, Courtney Morrison, Candy Definbaugh, Heather Baxter, Shanti Carter, Bill Concello, Mark Schwarz, Jin Nagami, Sparky, Mac Okuyama, Sugi, Oliver Richter, Bryan Harmon @ the Barge Inn, Paul Perry @ Atsugi Darren Howells @ Blues Matter magazine, Connie 'cricket' Smith, Johnny B. Gayden, Jay Lang, Glenn Rios, Jeremy Gloff, Jill Jones, Howard Glazer, Scott Hill, Tony Wilson and -as usual- the Dagobah Klumps, including our newest addition, Flash. Oh yeah, can't forget Mom & Dad!

Three new video clips have been added to YouTube.
www.youtube.com/user/jjvicars These were shot by Chiharu Kawai at
Dubliners Shinjuku during the Christmas gig with Mac "The Knife"
Okuyama. The songs include THUNDERBIRD, MOVE IT ON OVER, and PLEASE COME HOME FOR CHRISTMAS.

My Christmas present to the world, a story sent to me a couple weeks ago from Tony WIlson of Atlanta, GA.

*One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.

He said, ' My son, the battle is between two ' wolves ' inside us all.

One is Evil. - It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is Good. - It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith. '

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: ' Which wolf wins? '

The old Cherokee simply replied, ' The one you feed. '

From: Black Cat Entertainment-L.A.

Date: Dec 11, 2008 10:23 PM




LOS ANGELES – Bettie Page, the 1950s secretary-turned-model whose controversial photographs in skimpy attire or none at all helped set the stage for the 1960s sexual revolution, died Thursday. She was 85.


Page was placed on life support last week after suffering a heart attack in Los Angeles and never regained consciousness, said her agent, Mark Roesler. He said he and Page's family agreed to remove life support. Before the heart attack, Page had been hospitalized for three weeks with pneumonia.


"She captured the imagination of a generation of men and women with her free spirit and unabashed sensuality," Roesler said. "She is the embodiment of beauty.
"

"I think that she was a remarkable lady, an iconic figure in pop culture who influenced sexuality, taste in fashion, someone who had a tremendous impact on our society," Playboy founder Hugh Hefner told The Associated Press on Thursday. "She was a very dear person.
"

Page mysteriously disappeared from the public eye for decades, during which time she battled mental illness and became a born-again Christian.


After resurfacing in the 1990s, she occasionally granted interviews but refused to allow her picture to be taken.


"I don't want to be photographed in my old age," she told an interviewer in 1998. "I feel the same way with old movie stars. ... It makes me sad. We want to remember them when they were young.
"

The 21st century indeed had people remembering her just as she was. She became the subject of songs, biographies, Web sites, comic books, movies and documentaries. A new generation of fans bought thousands of copies of her photos, and some feminists hailed her as a pioneer of women's liberation.


www.bettiepage.com

The election is over and so is the smearing and mudslinging. Both candidates gave noble and dignified speeches acknowledging each other's accomplishments. It's time for bipartisanship. In this spirit I sent the following e-mail to Senator John McCain via his website. I encourage all Democratic voters to do likewise. We must lead by example. --J.J.V.

Mr. McCain,

As a Democratic voter I want to say that your post-election speech was very noble and dignified and worthy of your history of service to our country. I believe your remarks about the historical significance of the first black President and sympathy for Obama's grandmother are sincere. Plus I was glad you were the Republican candidate. If we were to have another Republican president at this point in time I want it to be you. You are a credit to your party and your country.

You are a true leader and have helped set a new precedent of bipartisanship. I sincerely hope that you continue in politics, especially in regards to the military which is your strong point. I don't know if any other Democratic voters have taken the time to send you any favorable comments but I thought it should be done so I'm doing it. Thank you for your tireless service to this great country and all it stands for. My best wishes to you and your family.

Most Sincerely,

J.J. Vicars
Hard Drivin' Blues, Boogie & Rock 'n' Roll
www.jjvicars.com

I'm flabbergasted. We won!!! Thanks to Jill Jones and Jeremy Gloff for convincing me to vote after I had given up on the whole process in '04. They don't even know they did it. Blog coming soon!

Today is the day. If you don't vote you have no right to
complain. Will your vote be counted? I don't know, it's hard to be
optimistic after the last two elections, but it's better to have an
uncounted vote than to not vote at all. At least then you still have a
right to complain, knowing that you did your part.

On Satur​day night​ at 10:​30 pm Nappy Brown​ died peace​fully​ in his sleep.​ Durin​g his heyda​y,​ in the mid to late 50s, Nappy​ was a proli​fic recor​ding artis​t for Savoy​ Recor​ds.​ He trave​led and perfo​rmed with Jacki​e Wilso​n,​ Ray Charl​es,​ Muddy​ Water​s,​ Littl​e Walte​r,​ Howli​n'​ Wolf,​ Littl​e Richa​rd,​ Screa​min'​ Jay Hawki​ns,​ Eddie​ Clean​head Vinso​n,​ and T-​Bone Walke​r.​ He provi​ded groun​d-​break​ing hit songs​ for other​ artis​ts,​ one of his bigge​st being​ NIGHT TIME IS THE RIGHT TIME​ made famou​s by Ray Charl​es in 1958.​ He​ was activ​e as a perfo​rmer until​ the end, perfo​rming​ until​ his illne​ss was too much.​

The fabulous Earl Palmer passed away yesterday. Palmer played with anybody and everybody in Blues and R&B, from Little Richard to Lightnin' Hopkins. A "legendary sideman", much like bassist James jamerson with Motown, Palmer helped define American music. www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-palmer21-2008sep21,0,78
Here's a pic of Earl at a Deke Dickerson session.