Reverend J.J. Vicars: News

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.

I was traveling through the urban jungle I call Coruscant -but others call Shibuya, Tokyo- when I found a flock of cell phones poised in the air taking snapshots of this little guy. Contrary to what those fuckwads at ABC News and CNN reported the trains were NOT shut down or delayed, and neither was the station. I keep telling you good folks back home not to believe shit just because "they said so on TV" but nobody listens. No wonder the economy is in the toilet. Coincidentally, I took the 10:15 Limited Express (see pic @ bottom). Here's the story from local English-language news with a couple pics- one of the monkey and one of Shibuya, out on the street, Enjoy, my friends. --J.J.V.

TOKYO (Reuters) - A rogue monkey holed up at a Tokyo train station for more than two hours on Wednesday before giving dozens of net-wielding police officers the slip among crowds of excited children and passersby.

"It's a monkey - it's not like it did anything bad," a police spokesman said, adding that the animal was still on the loose.

The monkey was spotted hopping around by the automatic ticket gates at a train line in Shibuya Station in central Tokyo at about 9:40 a.m. .

It then ran downstairs to the entrance to another line, climbed up and down a pillar and ran around the ticketing machines before taking refuge on top of a train information board for two hours, a spokeswoman for railway operator Tokyu Corp said.

Television footage showed the 60-cm-tall brown monkey sitting calmly on top of the board, blinking and looking down at the crowd.

Around 30 police officers and other officials cleared the area and surrounded the animal with green netting, but at noon it jumped off the information board and escaped through the crowd.

"I've heard of mice before, but nothing like this," said Jiro Umegaki, a spokesman for Tokyo Metro Co Ltd.

(Reporting by Yoko Kubota; Editing by Hugh Lawson)

Jerry Wexler, famed record producer, dies at 91

By HILLEL ITALIE, AP National Writer

NEW YORK - Legendary record producer Jerry Wexler, who helped shape R&B music with influential recordings of Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and other greats, and later made key recordings with the likes of Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson, has died, says his co-author, David Ritz. He was 91.


Ritz, co-author of Wexler's 1993 memoir, "Rhythm and the Blues," said he died at his Sarasota, Fla., home at about 3:45 a.m. Friday. He had been ill for a couple of years with congenital heart disease.

Wexler earned his reputation as a music industry giant while a partner at Atlantic Records. Atlantic provided an outlet for the groundbreaking work of African-American performers in the 1950s and '60s. Later, it was a home to rock icons like Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones. He later helped Dylan win his first Grammy by producing his 1979 "Slow Train Coming" album. Wexler was also instrumental in Duane Allman's transition from studio guitarist at Muscle Shoals to forming the Allman Brothers Band.

Wexler helped boost the careers of both the "King of Soul," Charles, and the "Queen of Soul," Franklin. Wilson Pickett, Solomon Burke and Percy Sledge were among the other R&B greats who benefited from Wexler's deft recording touch. He also produced Dusty Springfield's classic "Dusty in Memphis," considered a masterpiece of "blue-eyed" soul.

Among the standards produced by Wexler: Franklin's "Respect," a dazzling, feminist reworking of an Otis Redding song; Sledge's deep ballad "When A Man Loves A Woman" and Pickett's "In the Midnight Hour," with a horn vamp inspired by Wexler's admittedly rhythmless dancing.

Wexler was named to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.

Soul singer Isaac Hayes died this past weekend in Memphis, TN. He was 65. Go to http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gsCUwiqAHCNIbxD6oePjCg1RToZQD92FOTRO0 for details.

July was an interesting month. On the 4th I played Atsugi with Max Blues backing me after their set. Tara Tinsley kicked off her 2008 Japan Tour on this bill so I brought her up for two numbers at the end of my set. She had sent me a demo of a new song SWEET MUSIC and I was making all kinds of suggestions about what would sound good when I decided to just overdub it myself. Now we got to play it live together. Next was Ike & Tina Turner's BABY GET IT ON, my usual when duetting with a female vocalist. Her guitarist Dan Quigg took over her acoustic for the sake of bringing him onstage but I would have liked to have had him play more. Keep your ears and eyes open, you'll be hearing his name in guitar circles real soon.

All that happened after an eventful evening bringing them in from the airport. The first part was smooth but getting them on a train from Yokohama with all their luggage was something else. When we arrived at Atsugi dripping sweat and exhausted we found out our rooms were someplace else, another event. After checking in and trying to get what little sleep I could everybody and their mother decided to call me. Sometimes I really hate cell phones.

They did their tour up around Sendai -clubs, radio shows, TV and a couple baseball games- and we stayed in touch the whole time. It was interesting seeing all the pictures on MySpace, a couple American kids fresh off the boat getting taste of hardcore Japan. This ex-pat got a few chuckles out of it. The idea of musicians sitting in with the other bands on the bill seemed to pick up, Tara and Dan each made guest appearances. That's always been one of my favorite things about being a musician, jamming with friends.

They came back to Tokyo a couple days early to do some sightseeing before flying home. I picked them up in Shinjuku on Friday evening and we had a very late dinner like only musicians can do. On Saturday Suzi and I took them to Jindaiji, one of the oldest temples in Japan on some very sacred ground. Ate some soba, saw the Botanical Garden and generally enjoyed the scenery. Fortunately the monkeys stayed home that day so nobody got any bony elbows in their ribs. In the evening we went to the hemp restaurant in Shimokitazawa www.new-age-trading.com/EN/for_foreign_visitors.html www.asanomi.jp and then had coffee at Segefredo's. I think that was the first time Dan had real espresso!

The next day we all went out to breakfast and then it was time to put them on the Limousine Bus to the Narita and say 'goodbye'. Our time together was short but well spent, I hope to do a double headline tour with them someday. They're good kids... and excellent musicians. You'll be hearing a lot more about them in the future... but you heard it here first!

www.cdbaby.com/cd/taratinsley2

Pre-production on LONG WAY FROM HOME began today at drummer Bill Concello's Sunshine Studio. Mark "Pookie Bear" Schwarz was on bass. Today we cut pre-production tracks for MAYBE I'LL KNOW YOU, CUTIE PIE, SOLITUDE and JOHN HARDY. The three of us are collectively arranging and producing the album and their input kicked the songs into gear. Bill engineered (with a little help from Mark). Pre-production recordings will be posted to the site as they become available.

While sitting in with Pamela MacCarthy tonight I heard the sad news from Les Coles that George Carlin died. Carlin is one of my three favorite comedians, the other two being Redd Foxx and Tommy Chong, and unfortunately I never got to see him. While everybody has been quoting SEVEN DIRTY WORDS on various blogs my favorites are THE 10 COMMANDMENTS (why 10, why not 9 or 11?) and THE INVISIBLE MAN IN THE SKY. Then again, just about anything from the last 15 years of HBO specials is a favorite.

Carlin tore apart the absurdities of modern life like no one else. He was funny as hell AND he made people think (a seemingly lost art). Why are there ten Commandments? I use to wonder that too!

"Because ten sounds _official_! It's the basis of the decimal system, it's a decade, the Top Ten, the Ten Most Wanted. So that means that having ten commandments was basically a _marketing_ decision!"

I've quoted and parphrased him in many theological debates. I'm sort of an existentialist (no where near an atheist, BTW). When religious folks start flapping their jaws and I tell them I believe in the Force they consider that childish. "That's from STAR WARS!!!" Yes, and it's based on Einstein's work as well, which has been further developed in recent years. There IS an electromagnetic field that binds all of the physical universe together and atoms exist beyond what we know of as Time and Space.

So when the Bible-thumpers start thumping at me that believing in the Force is childish I dip into my Carlin bag and remind them that believing in "an invisible man who lives in the sky, watches you all the time and has a list of ten things he doesn't want you to do" is childish, and furthermore the notion that "if you do any of these things he's going to cast you down into a fiery burning full of pain and misery to suffer for all eternity... but he loves you" is "just plain fuckin' stupid". So what if people are offended? What about me? I'm offended that "organized religion rakes in billions of dollars a year and pays NO TAX" yet they love to get involved with politics. You wanna get into politics? "Pay the entrance fee like everybody else!"

George Carlin was an enormous influence on my own life and work. I would have like to have seen him, and especailly to have met him, but his work lives on. And as long as civilization as we know it exists his work will be there waiting to be discovered by generations to come. Just like Oscar Wilde, Jack Kerouac, Charles Bukowski, Douglas Adams, Lightnin' Hopkins, Howlin' Wolk, Freddie King, Albert Collins, T-Bone Walker, etc...

Tippy the tipped-up cow has permanently tipped. Tippy, whom the instrumental COW TIPPING was named for, passed away at 6:30 this morning, aged 12. Tippy got her nickname by being an overly large Golden Retriever in an overly small house. She would collapse straight down on the floor blocking all traffic and forcing residents to climb over her. This was especially funny when the residents in question were under 5' with short, stubby legs. When she rolled over on her side she resembled a tipped cow. Any hillbilly who has gone cow-tipping will know what that means. She was preceded by Stinky, whom the instrumental STINKY TWINKY was named for, a year and a half ago.

Bo Diddley died today age 79. Another one of the greats, and of the the real originators, has passed on. I saw him back in '96 (?) in Indianapolis. He just had back surgery and had to sit for the entire performance but nobody cared, they were there to see one of the real Rock'n'Roll legends and he gave 'em everything he had. It was a helluva show. He even played a little drums during the last song. Rock on Bo, and thanks for all the music...

Got a few photos from my trip back home to Houston/Austin posted on the site. All the usual suspects that I played with before- Kenny Palyola, Todd Moore, J.J. Barrera and Don Leady. Former FCCJ entertainment director Glen Davis who moved back home last year also makes an appearance. The whole week I felt like Dorothy in The Wizard Of Oz, "...there's no place like home..."

I can't believe it was seven years since I had been back to Texas. It was surreal, most things were exactly the same as I remembered as if it had been sitting there just waiting for me to show up again. One of the highlights was recording a little guitar boogie with Don Leady. I've been listening to the Tailgators since I was 15 and greasing back my hair. Don has been one of my favorite guitarists for as long as I've been playing and I made it a point to look him up when I lived in Austin and stay in touch when I moved away. I originally went to see him for a guitar lesson and he wanted to record together. All I could think was, "this is the coolest." The next evening I caught my old friend Joe Slezak -a Jazz drummer my age that I grew up with- playing at Ovation's with his dad Larry Slezak and Clayton Dyess. Larry still burns something fierce, there ain't another sax player on Earth like him. Clayton, who cut an Ep with my dad back in '84, still sounds as good as ever.

Another high point was sitting in with Kenny Palyola's trio on a gig at Iron Cactus BBQ in Sargeant, TX. www.theironcactusonline.com When I lived in Austin I spent time in Kenny's group and really honed my Blues chops. Most of the material from SCI-FI DINER got its stage-legs while gigging with Kenny & The Bluesmen. We parted ways, and I moved away, but eventually got back in touch. He's got a smokin' trio now, drummer Andy Rogers reminds me of Bill Concello and I swear to God (and three other white men) guitarist Eric Dane is Tom Wait's offspring -he's got the voice and the character. He also _burns_ on the six-string. I played a few tunes with them as a trio until he jumped back on the stage and we finished out the night as a 4-piece. It was like therapy for me. I've played with some good musicians over the years but with Houston Blues cats there's an ethos, an unspoken understanding of how things are done and it's real easy for me to just fall in with those cats and groove. And while the band played the girls partied, which is a whole other story!

I'll be out of town from this weekend until next so if'n ya'll got
anything I need to know tell me right quick. This Saturday we rock the
Barge Inn to its very foundation and after a shower and breakfast I
hop a plane to New Dehli, India. I don't know how often I'll be able
to check my e-mail while I'm there or if my cellphone mail will be
working.

On Saturday the 5th I get back into town and the next day we show
up at Atsugi bright early for soundcheck before playing their Cherry
Blossom Festival. On Monday there will be a huge Do Not Disturb sign
hanging on the door right above Violators Will Be Drawn, Hung,
Quartered & Shot. I'll be catching up on my beauty sleep

First Buddy Miles passed a way in Austin,TX last week then Jeff Healy passed away in Canada this past Sunday. The first time I met Albert Collins, August '88, his bassist Johnny B. Gayden told me about a jam session with him, Albert, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and this blind kid from Canada. Johnny B. plays a little, Albert plays a little, Stevie plays a little, then Jeff plays a little and Stevie throws his hands up in the air hollering,"I give up!"

The Spring 2008 Midwest tour has been cancelled due to slow response from the venues. Having contacted venues throughout Ohio, Indiana and Michigan most did not reply and those that did only sporadically. E-mails were rarely replied to and when they were it was incomplete information at long intervals. Chasing people down on the phone proved equally fruitless. Some venues said they weren't using entertainment anymore and that information had to be dragged out of them after several calls. There were also plans, not discussed publicly, to do some dates with other artists/bands from the region but they ran into the same footdragging headaches.

Only three venues came through in a timely manner; Court Street Grill in Pomeroy, Mudflats in Galena near Columbus, and Fat Fish Blue in Cleveland. The whole experience has put a severe damper on future plans to tour the area - it's impossible to deal with people who cannot or will not respond in a timely and professional manner, especially when setting up a large scale tour from afar. The risk is simply not worth it. Above all else their footdragging response lacked courtesy and professionalism.

There will be one more attempt at touring the region later in the year. If enough venues/dates can be added to the ones already booked then 2-3 weeks up North is possible. If that attempt doesn't work there won't be a third.

Many thanks to all the people who did their best to make the tour happen - Jackie at Court Street Grill; Steve at Fat Fish Blue; Howard Glazer and Pat Jaynes, the hottest guitarists in Detroit; Tara Tinsley for contacting her connections before and after a much needed vacation; and Shanti, Tawnja and Candy for gathering information and delivering packages. It's because of their efforts that a second attempt is being made. Without all that they have done the idea would be scratched altogether.

Click here for pics.
http://picasaweb.google.co.jp/yoshikosfilm/JJBirthdayLiveBenSCafe?authkey=BDUD0TvOSSA