Seeing and Hearing Them (a)Live by Jim Brazytis

Seeing and Hearing Them (a)Live

Earlier this week, I had the pleasurable audio experience of taking in an acoustic performance featuring Paul Barrère and Fred Tackett at one of Cleveland’s newest concert venues, The Music Box Supper Club. For those not familiar with the duo of Paul and Fred, they are guitarists from the legendary group Little Feat. Even though Little Feat, which was led by its deceased founder and lead singer Lowell George, never achieved mass commercial success, they influenced many artists: from Dave Matthews to Jimmy Buffett to Bob Seger with songs, including “Dixie Chicken,” “Oh Atlanta,” and "Willin.”

The Paul and Fred show was exceptional! As I stated on my Facebook page, “It was like being at the greatest camp fire ever.” But, I couldn’t stop from wondering how great it would have been to see the entire group live fronted by Lowell. Of all the artists who have passed away before their time, Lowell George is one I wish could have seen and heard in concert.

So on my way home, traveling the rock and roll streets of Cleveland, I started to think about what other artists would fall into my category of “I Wish I Could Have Seen and Heard Them (a)Live.” Names and voices streamed through my head … Jim Morrison … David Ruffin … Kurt Cobain. All good - and I’m sure very entertaining – but not at the top of my list. 

So after some thought and scanning my iPod I arrived at the list below. Drum roll please! Presenting the Jim Brazytis list of “I Wish I Could Have Seen and Heard Them (a) Live” artists (in no particular order):

Bob Marley (Bob Marley & The Wailers) – I have seen Bob’s son Ziggy Marley live a few times, and it’s a fantastic reggae experience. That said, the chance to see one of music’s most captivating, transcending artists manning the stage with his dreadlocks flowing would have been better than a Jamaican meat pocket and a Red Stripe.  

Steve Ray Vaughan (Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble) – I still kick myself! November 1989, I had tickets to see Stevie Ray and Jeff Beck in concert at Cleveland’s Public Hall but due to having to pack for a trip the next day I didn’t go. Then in August 1990, Stevie Ray dies in a helicopter crash. What is so sad is that he was just starting to make some of his best music after getting sober. 

Michael Jackson – All I have to say is, “King of Pop!” He might have been strange - to say the least - but he was one hell of an entertainer. Wish I could have been witnessed to his moonwalk. Wooohhooo! 

John Lennon and George Harrison (The Beatles) – Of the four Beatles, the only one I have seen in concert is Ringo Starr. Ringo’s show gave me chills! A “Yellow Submarine” sing-a-long with a real Beatle! What would have been like to see the entire group onstage? And better yet, post-1966 when the music became transformational.

Eazy-E – Okay, this one is generational and has to do with drinking 40s of malt liquor in Cleveland’s Flats. If you weren’t in your late teens in the late 1980s you will probably be shocked that those of us now in our early 40s can still rap along with songs like “We Want Eazy” and “Boyz-n-the-Hood.” One clarification, we have graduated from beers like Olde Engish to craft beers.

Lowell George (Little Feat) – Summed up earlier.

So, as the Rolling Stones said, “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” and since these artists are now jamming alongside the angels, or in some cases demons, I will never get to see them live onstage. But in a nod to Mr. Lennon, I can “Imagine” what it would have been like.

Tim Skipper Returns to Columbus with Copperlily

The last and only time I saw Tim Skipper perform was years ago when his band was opening  for Watershed at the Newport Music Hall in Columbus. For some reason Mike "Biggie" McDermott had a big hard-on for his band and if you have read Hitless Wonder, you know full well that when Biggie gives marching orders, we take them. 

"Biggie, who are these guys? They look like kids. Why are they opening for us at the Newport? We have a list of bands who we owe this gig."

"You'll see, they are going places."

As usual, Biggie was right. The band turned out to be House of Heroes and yes, they were excellent even as teenagers before they went on to do all sorts of cool things.

Anyway, fast forward a zillion years to now and HOH founding member Tim Skipper is rolling through town with his new project, or side project, Copperlily. I don't know much about the band other than Tim and his wife Stephanie met while they were both signed to Gotee records in Nashville. One thing led to another, they got married and started Copperlily. It's a decidedly more low-key affair than House of Heroes, but once again, it seems to me this music is going places. I can only assume they are fans of Richard & Linda Thompson. 

Anyway, keep your eye on Copperlily and if you can make it out to the Rumba Cafe Friday, October 24th, you might see something special. Colin G.

Hi. We are Copperlilly. Tim Skipper (House of Heroes) and Stephanie Skipper (formally Stephanie Smith). We met several years ago while we were both signed to Gotee Records. This is a sneak peak of our brand new musical project! Follow us here, as well as on Facebook and Twitter.

Live in our living room! This song is called "Map to Your Heart" and will be on our first EP, coming soon.

I Went To See Jackson Browne Friday Night: The Rock Show As Bad High School Reunion by Ricki C.

(Warning to readers: Ricki C. is a rather cranky 62 year-old who at times does not seem to
understand the concept of, or is simply incapable of, relaxing and just having a good time.)

I went to see Jackson Browne last Friday.  It was my lovely wife Debbie’s birthday present from me.  In saying that I do not mean to imply I was dragged kicking & screaming to the show.  I like Jackson Browne.  I certainly like him more than, say, The Eagles, whom I consider Money-Grubbing Hackmeisters of the Highest Order, and who should be shipped out on the Japanese Current at our earliest opportunity.

Unlike The Eagles, Jackson Browne still seems to have some grasp on the concept of integrity in music: he records consistently good – if not great, or certainly not surpassing his 1970’s heyday – new records, and tours diligently to support those releases.  He does not – and here I would cite & impugn Kiss, The Who and, though I hate to say it, The Rolling Stones – just deign to go on tour when he needs cocaine cash or a balloon payment is due on his English Manse.  (Or, in Kiss’ case, when the cheerleaders on their Arena Football League team need hairspray & new outfits.)  (And oh yeah, Fleetwood Mac – who will be appearing Sunday evening at Value City Arena and whom I wouldn’t go out in my backyard to see – also belong in this category.)

With regards to integrity, Jackson is most like Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, in that he consistently insists on putting new material into his shows, even when faced with the sad/humbling fact that large segments of his audience have not bought a new release from him since sometime in the 1990's.  (And man, what would I give to be able to see Bruce Springsteen in a venue like the Palace Theater with a stripped-down six-piece E Street Band, where I could sit down and just soak in the music without standing in “pit queues” for upwards of six hours.  Let’s face facts, folks: I’m old, and I gots the bad knees.)    

My problem with these shows is the audience: they obviously WANT to be there, they dropped upwards of $143 for two tickets – plus dinner, parking and, for many, probably babysitters – but then, once they’re at the show it seems all they want to do is shout requests for songs from literally three and four DECADES ago.  (And when did everybody from my rock & roll generation GET SO OLD?  Jesus, there’s more greying, balding heads & pot-bellies than a southern Republican caucus, and these guys are dressed like shit.  This is why I stopped going to my high-school reunions after the 10-year.)

And I know, I know, I know: THEY’RE the audience, they paid their money, they wanna hear the hits.  But Jesus Christ, do they think Jackson Browne is not gonna at least NOD toward his 1970’s material?  If they ever had any respect for Jackson Browne and his music, and his creativity, and his integrity, why can’t they just for an hour or two SHUT THE FUCK UP AND LET THE MAN PLAY HIS SET THE WAY HE WANTS TO?  Do people think that after 40-plus years in rock & roll that Jackson Browne doesn’t know how to pace a set?  (Best audience exchange of the night: a slurring-drunk woman somewhere to our right kept loudly declaiming, “PLAY ‘YOU MUST BE SOMEBODY’S BABY.’” (sic)  After the third or fourth time, a woman behind us yelled, “Jackson, just play the song so she can pass out and shut up.”  Classic.)

Saving grace of the night: Jackson ended the set with – BIG SURPRISE! – “Running On Empty,” but thankfully came nowhere near playing “The Load Out” & “Stay” medley that wore out its welcome as a set-ender somewhere back around the dawn of the 21st century.  And the almost du rigeur encore of the Browne co-penned “Take It Easy” evolved into a heartfelt rendition of “Our Lady Of The Well” – one of Jackson’s seldom-played gems, just as it did on the For Everyman release.  And the last encore was a great cover of Steve Van Zandt’s “I Am A Patriot.”  Jackson Browne closed political, closed on his own terms and did not close pandering to the aging, whiny, petulant segment of his audience.  Thank you, Mr. Browne, from the bottom of my rock & roll heart, for not playing “Stay.” – Ricki C. / April 18th, 2014.

(Sometime later this week, Colin and/or Ricki will be dealing with how 
Cheap Trick handles the “Greying of Rock & Roll” syndrome.)

Click Here to Watch Foo Fighters w/ Rick Nielsen on Letterman.

I have a question and I know you have it too. Why Isn't Cheap Trick in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame? Gheesh. Now it's just getting silly. Anyway, please enjoy this scorching version of the Cheap Trick classic "Stiff Competition" compliments of Foo Fighters and Rick Nielsen as performed on Late Night with David Letterman. The new Foo's show "Sonic Highways" premiers this week on HBO. I will be watching.  -  Colin G.

Rick Nielsen joins Foo Fighters for a cover of Cheap Trick's "Stiff Competition."

Quinn Fallon Makes His Best Record Yet, "Get a New Ghost" by Los Gravediggers - Colin G.

Quinn Fallon has been an integral part of the Columbus music scene for the better part of two decades, as both a club owner and songwriter. The latest release by his band Los Gravediggers, Get a New Ghost, is available this month and the CD release party is Friday October 10th at King 5. Doors at 8 p.m. and Erica Blinn opens the show at 9. Quinn was nice enough to answer a few of my questions while slinging drinks at his kick-ass bar Little Rock. 

Colin G. - You have made good records as a solo artist and as the leader of The X-Rated Cowboys and Los Gravediggers, but the early buzz is that this is your best release and after listening I agree with the hype. Do you feel this is your best work to date and if so, what makes this record different from your past releases? 

Best release?  Hopefully, but it's by far my favorite.  Everything that happened with the Cowboys was very organic and it was exciting to write in a couple of genres that were newer to me.  Then with the first Gravediggers record - which is basically a well-produced publishing demo - I really got to work on my pop smarts and, for the first time ever, was making conscious decisions to make the music as accessible as possible.  Then on this record I threw all that crap out the window.  I really just wrote what I had to write and I did not have to look very far for inspiration.  I don't feel feel like I wrote several of them, they almost occurred to me as opposed to working on them.

C.G. - Andy Harrison and Dan Baird seem to be your personal production team. How did that pairing come together and how do they compliment each other in the studio? 

I have been friends with Andy forever and it was Andy who brought in Dan to work on the second Cowboys' CD, Saddest Day.  I think I pretty much hated him and swore I would never work with him again.  A few months later I started to realize how much better I liked Saddest Day than the first record and steeled myself to work with him again on our third record.  That one was a cake-walk, everyone was done trying to mark their territory, I suppose.

I did not single them out in the credits, but Dan produced a batch by himself, Andy did a batch by himself and then they did five tunes together.  They have a great back & forth and a real easy way of working together, plus they are both killer guitar players.  They also make things pretty relaxed in the studio, which makes it easy to get the right vibe on some songs.  They are a great fit for my stuff.

C.G. - Boy, you have got some heavy hitters on project. Tell the folks about a couple of the players helping out and what it was like to watch them perform on your songs? 

We were very fortunate to have some great players sit in on some of the tunes.  Al Perkins played on a majority of the songs of Get a New Ghost and I believe it was the third time he has done a session for the Gravediggers.  Al played on records from Dylan, the Stones, the Flying Burrito Brothers - of which he was a member - and about 1,000 others, so it was a real honor.

He is an amazing musician and such a gent!  We always have to spend about five minutes yelling curse words and worse before he shows up to record.  He is a devout Christian and will walk out of a session if someone takes the Lord's name in vain. 

Dan brought in Brad Pemburton to play on five tracks.  He is a member of Ryan Adams' band - the Cardinals - and he also plays with Brendan Benson, as well as Bobby Keys. Really cool guy, super-chill and he beats the shit out of his drums!  Fearless.

I snagged the opening spot for Bobby Keys when he played at Woodland's in October, 2012 and got to hang out with him a couple minutes after the show.  I told him we had debuted a song that night that I had stolen from the title of his autobiography called "If Every Night Was a Saturday Night."  He seemed genuinely flattered and said he would be happy to play on it next time I was in Nashville, and much to my surprise he did.

Worth noting that Bobby's band had Brad on drums and Dan on lead vocal & guitar. Yup, they are awesome.

I am very lucky to play with the caliber of guys who are in the Gravediggers.  Matt Mees on drums, Mark Nye on bass, Jake Reis on guitar and occasionally Andy Harrison on guitar as well, but no one's schedule was lining up to cut the final batch of songs cut for the record and I couldn't picture Get a New Ghost without some of these songs on it.

C.G. - Speaking personally, I know you went through the some tough times before recording this album. Do you feel that had an influence on your writing? 

Everything that was happening in my life bled over into the record.  In the span of a short time, I lost my Mom, split with my wife and had to leave our house in Clintonville, all while running a brand-new business.  And this was all on the heels of having lost Andy Davis and my Dad in the two years before that.  Some of these songs I just reached up and snagged out of the ether, as opposed to sitting down and working on.

I coasted quite a while just focusing on the bar and this record, not really facing up to everything that had happened.  I always said the Fallon family motto is "Drink & Repress."

I tried to make sure none of the lyrics came across like journal entries, but yes, there is some really personal stuff on there.

C.G. - What three songs should people make sure to check out on your record? 

"Ain't Gonna Live Forever."  This is important to me as it's a bit of a rallying cry to not cave in no matter how appealing that would be.

"Yesterday's Girl."  This was in the maybe pile and I was nervous to show it to everyone.  It felt unfinished, it was just verse, chorus, verse, chorus, chorus, chorus.  Ridiculous arrangement, but we recorded it just how I wrote it,  It's got this whole Petty vibe and it's really pissed off and fun to listen to, always my favorite combination.

"Wings Made of Whiskey."  No getting around this.  One of the songs of Ghost that directly addresses the end of my marriage.  I feel like I would not have been capable of writing those lyrics a few years back and I like how greasy the band feels.  Kinda reminds me of a Westerberg ballad.  Really pretty if you just want a casual listen, but pretty devastating if you wanna dig deeper.

Colin Gawel started Pencilstorm on a slow morning at Colin's Coffee. You can learn more about him and other Pencilstorm contributors by clicking here.

Watershed Opening For Cheap Trick! House of Blues, Myrtle Beach, S.C., Friday Oct. 3rd

Folks, it's been a long time coming, but the stars have finally aligned and Watershed will be reclaiming their rightful role as the ultimate opening act for Cheap Trick,  Friday October 3rd at the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach, SC. 

If you have a pulse or have read the best selling book Hitless Wonder, I don't have to tell you: Cheap Trick + Watershed + a great venue + the beach = miss this and you are a chump.

Click here for a link to tickets

Click here to read The Complete Cheap Trick Song Rankings which explains why Cheap Trick is America's greatest rock band and why Watershed opening makes the night extra special.           

OK, got your tickets? These two hotels are right by the HOB, on the beach and personally recommended.

Click here for Ocean Creek Resort. Rooms at $100, right on the beach. 

Click here for North Beach Plantation. Rooms around $110

There you go. 

Get busy living or get busy regretting 

See you there. - Colin G.