Attention Kinks Fans: Amazing Dave Davies Interview Debuts Monday March 31st.

We are taking a break from our semi-regular Sunday series "Ray Davies is the Best Songwriter" to alert Kinks fans to a very cool Dave Davies interview debuting on Monday March 31st at the acclaimed podcast "The One You Feed". Dave gives some candid answers to some very interesting questions certain to be of interest to Kinks fans the world over. 

Once again, heads up Kinks fans, click here to visit The One You Feed for an exceptional Dave Davies interview beginning Monday March 31st.

Click here to visit Ray Davies is the Best Songwriter Exhibit G

Dave Davies is also very talented songwriter in addition to being one of the most distinctive electric guitar players every to strap on the six string. Need proof? Check out this overlooked classic from Dave's 2002 release "Bug".

KISS Kountdown Starts April 1st. Ten Days of Kiss. In the Meantime Enjoy Paul Singing a Folgers Commercial

Love em' or hate em', and here at Pencilstorm we have people on both sides, KISS is finally getting inducted into the rock n roll hall of fame. The ceremony is set for Thursday April 10th, so starting Tuesday April 1st, Pencilstorm is surrendering to a full Kiss take over. Nothing but Kiss stories highlighting the good, the bad, and the ugly for ten straight days. Spread the word fellow members of the KISS Army. And you KISS haters too. Or should I say, Shout it, Shout it, Shout it Out Loud. P.S. submissions welcome. - Colin G.

For a taste of what is to come please click here to enjoy "Kiss Rocks vs Kiss Sucks" by yours truly. 

And without further adieu, here is everybody's favorite Starchild singing a Folgers commercial. (Shout out to Aaron Beck for sharing this)    And below that, a secret bonus track. Paul's vocal timeline on the song "Love Gun"

Ricki C.'s Rock & Roll Videos You Oughta See, part the first: Sparks / "This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us"

(Ricki C.’s Rock & Roll Videos You Oughta See will be a continuing feature in pencilstorm, at least until Ricki gets bored or the readership finds a way to make him stop.  Videos will be mainly little-seen or off-the-beaten-rock-&-roll-path, except for weeks when maybe Bruce Springsteen plays in town and we goose up the juice a little bit to hype the shows. 

Ricki will provide an intro to the videos of not-more-than-500 words, because we all know it’s impossible for Ricki to try to tell a simple story without going off into 10 different tangents and then forgetting altogether what he’s talking about.)

Sparks started life as Halfnelson at the end of the 1960’s in Los Angeles, with brothers Ron & Russell Mael desperately wishing they were, say, Ray & Dave Davies of our Hallowed Kinks, or members of The Who, Pink Floyd or The Creation; wishing they were just about anybody ENGLISH, and nobody who played laid-back, stoned country-rock with patched jeans or downed-out heavy-metal with copious amounts of facial hair.  

They started out with three other L.A. boys (including Earle Mankey, later engineer & producer for The Beach Boys), but by 1973 were safely ensconced in their beloved, adopted England, with three sharply-dressed & coiffed, non-bearded British sidemen, and produced this, their masterpiece – “This Town Ain’t Big Enough For The Both Of Us.”

Reasons They Never Made It In America – Too smart, too pretty, too many lyrics, not enough qualludes, not Kiss enough.  (editor's note: Queen opened for Sparks back in 1973, NOT the other way around.) 

Optional Extra-Credit Additional Viewing – Enter "Sparks" plus “Wonder Girl” on YouTube. 

Hall & Oates Before Journey In The Rock Hall? Really? By Wal Ozello

Okay… it’s time for me to come up for air while editing my second book and address something that’s been bothering me for the past several months.

How the heck are Hall and Oates getting inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame before Journey?

Seriously.

Now I’m sure if Colin was here he’d be arguing that Cheap Trick should be getting in and I’m sure Ricki C. threw up in his mouth a little bit when I mentioned Journey.

But here’s the thing:

Journey falls into the category of “Aren’t they in the Hall of Fame already?” and Hall and Oates falls into the category of “Have they run out of A-list artists so they’re inducting them now?”

We all thought the Rock Hall was coming to their senses last year when they inducted Rush. But inducting Hall & Oates before Journey is evidence that still have their heads up their own ass.

Let me build my case:

Don’t Stop Believin’ is the most downloaded song on iTunes ever. Not last week. Not last month. Not last year.We’re talking the most downloaded song in the history of iTunes.Think about that for a moment.It’s been downloaded more than Stairway To Heaven, I Can’t Get No Satisfaction, Imagine, Hey Jude, Shook Me All Night Long, Beat It, You Really Got Me, Smells Like Teen Spirit, Where The Streets Have No Name, and every other song written – including She’s Gone (which a Hall & Oates’ song).

Anyway You Want It is a turn up the radio song.You know those songs: Tom Sawyer, Born To Run, American Idiot, Push It, Whipping Post, Fight For Your Right To Party, Jack & Diane, and that one song by C&C Music Factory that no one knows the name to but if you heard it you'd recognize it.  These are songs that when they come on your car radio you instantly crank up the volume and start banging on your dashboard to the beat.  Rich Girl  and Kiss Is On My List  are change the channel tunes (those are Hall & Oates songs).

By now you may be preparing the argument that Hall & Oates have talent and that’s what got them into the Rock Hall. Journey has them beat on talent tenfold.

Name one person in modern music that has a better voice than Steve Perry. Okay… for those of you that had the brilliance to respond with Freddie Mercury here’s what Queen guitarist Brian May said, "Perry is a truly luminous singer, in my opinion—a voice in a million." Steve Perry’s nickname is “The Voice.” And if you’re arguing that Daryl Hall has a more bluesy voice than Perry, listen to this video comparison of Steve and Sam Cooke:

But here’s the thing… Steve’s not the only talent in the band. Check out this guitar solo from Neal Schon.

And Jonathan Cain is an amazing keyboardist. Folks, that’s the guy that wrote Faithfully, Don’t Stop Believin’, Who’s Cryin’ Now, and Separate Ways. For a better keyboard player you’d have to probably chose Gregg Rolie – the original Journey keyboard player. Both these guys have more talent in their pinky knuckle than Daryl Hall does in his whole hand when it comes to playing keyboards. Listen to this whole solo – it’s got rock, classical, and blues all mixed in:

Journey has had many extremely talented members weave in and out of their ranks over the years – a total of 13 people. Heck, they were founded by the members of Santana!

Now here’s the thing that I think is the capper: Journey’s music is a soundtrack to our lives. Don’t Stop Believin’ is the most amazing pick me up song. Several national baseball teams have used it as their anthem! Could you imagine Maneater as a baseball song (that’s a Hall & Oates song). More people have danced to Faithfully at their wedding than Sarah Smile (that’s a Hall & Oates song). More people have used Who’s Cryin’ Now or Send Her My Love to get over a bad breakup than any of those Hall & Oates songs. And think about all those people who got laid because of Any Way You Want It or Stone in Love.

Just look at Journey’s discography and you’ll see dozens of songs that last a lifetime. I bet the average person can’t even name five Hall & Oates songs that bring back a vivid memory of their high school years.

One last point. Some people may make the argument that Journey is corporate rock and doesn’t belong in the Rock Hall because they are too commercial. If that’s the case, what are they doing letting in KISS?

To all the members of Journey who got snubbed again this year and their fans, take listen to this song and hope for next year:

Wal Ozello is the author of Assignment 1989: The Time Travel Wars and is the lead singer of the Columbus hairband Armada. He's a resident of Upper Arlington, Ohio and a frequent customer at Colin's Coffee.

Ray Davies is the Best Songwriter. Exhibit G

For this Sunday exhibit of why Ray Davies is the best songwriter the planet Earth has ever produced is the Kinks Klassic "Victoria". The clip is from a Ray solo show in 2010 proving that a song about an English Queen from whenever, released over 40 years ago still sounds great. 

To visit Ray Davies is the best songwriter exhibit F click here

Exhibit E: Victoria

Long ago life was clean
Sex was bad and obscene
And the rich were so mean
Stately homes for the lords
Croquet lawns, village greens
Victoria was my queen
Victoria, victoria, victoria, toria

I was born, lucky me
In a land that I love
Though I am poor, I am free
When I grow I shall fight
For this land I shall die
Let her sun never set
Victoria, victoria, victoria, toria
Victoria, victoria, victoria, toria

Land of hope and gloria
Land of my victoria
Land of hope and gloria
Land of my victoria
Victoria, toria
Victoria, victoria, victoria, toria

Canada to india
Australia to cornwall
Singapore to hong kong
From the west to the east
From the rich to the poor
Victoria loved them all
Victoria, victoria, victoria, toria
Victoria, victoria, victoria

All Things "Superior" For Your Snowy Sunday (featuring a young Owen Gawel) by Colin G.

"Remember that guy Colin Gawel?"

"Uh....sorta, I think."

"You know, the guy from that great book about that band Watershed?"

"Rings a bell." 

"You know the guy. He did that crazy Cheap Trick list where he ranked every song."

"Did he play all the Beatles songs too?"

"No, that's another guy."

"You know Colin Gawel, he's the guy who did that song Superior."

"Oh yeah...."

Below: A young Owen Gawel interviewing me about the writing of Superior. You'll notice when he starts to get bored. And below that, actual proof that sometimes The Lonely Bones can be pretty damn good rock n roll band. From the old CD101 Big Room.