Musician’s Notebook

Whenever you’re starting a band — especially an electric rock band — you undoubtedly think, at some time, of what would happen at a gig if you were either unplugged, your amps fail, or there’s a power outage in the building.

It can be an embarrassing situation — unless you take the advice of Jim (now Roger) McGuinn, leader of the legendary ’60s folk-rock act, The Byrds.

If you’ve heard them, you know they relied heavily on the twelve-string Rickenbacker and very tight harmonies during their early years.
But there was a reason, as McGuinn explained in 1966: Their music was such that, if there was a power outage, they could switch to acoustic and continue the show successfully.

Now, there’s some good advice that comes outta that:

Build strong harmonies. Include adaptable songs in your set — songs that could be played as well on acoustic as they could electric, without losing any of their “punch”. Always … ALWAYS … bring acoustic guitars to your gigs … and invest in an acoustic BASS guitar.
In the event an outage does occur, for whatever the reason, switch to your “acoustic” set while the outage is active. Above all, keep the music going unless or until you’re told otherwise …

From the Eagles to the Beach Boys, we’ve seen how bands can switch from electric to acoustic with no problem (the masters of it, of course, would be Crosby, Stills and Nash).
But, if you want a perfect acoustic song or two, just take some lessons from the legendary folk duo, Chad and Jeremy. These harmonic wonders — still very active today with a new album ARK-eology — have been popular for over forty years and show no signs of stopping!

That’s the beauty of being able to do harmonic double-duty (acoustic or electric): You’re always in-demand!
And here’s hoping that your act will always be, as well!

Okay … one more word: Be sure to check out the new website (which, although not quite finished to my specs, will be for all rock — classic and modern!) at Doc Rock Online.

Well, that’s it for this round, but stay tuned … there’ll be more in less than 24!
So … see ya on the flip side!

Okay … so I couldn’t sleep …

Listen … we’ve got a lot of industrial-strength challenges hittin’ us in the social face, thanks to those wars goin’ on overseas (Iraq? Afghanistan? What’s the difference? Same machine-gun tunes, just different political verses …), prices skyrocketing and political bickerin’ over here. We’ve turned just about everywhere for answers, but there doesn’t seem to be an end to the madness.
Maybe it’s time we took a few “hidden” lessons from the Beatles … and other groups of the Invasion.

For example: John, Paul, George and Ringo were active in search for new and innovative ways to do things. They weren’t satisfied with the “status-quo” or the traditional.
Perhaps our political leaders, worldwide, could combine heads (rather than bash them) and think of other ways of ending the troubles (we’re already doin’ that on the home front, with things like hybrid cars that don’t use as much gas).
Maybe … awww, I know it’s a dream, but … maybe, someday, they’ll think of other ways to end their squabbles rather than point the traditional guns at each other and pulling triggers. That never works in the long run …

They arrived onstage (whether for a gig or an interview) with good-natured spunk. Can you imagine what an upbeat attitude could do on Capitol Hill? Geez … we might get some positive action for the people if they had it.

Of course, before their gigs, they’d rehearse. Think what would happen if the Big Meanies got together somehow and just painted mental pictures of worst-case scenarios, thus “rehearsing” the outcomes. Nobody’d want to go to war …

Then, when they were onstage, the Fab Four would attack each song, playing like they mean it! How often do the politicos (and, here, I mean local as well as in DC!) waffle, or give a vague answer or action?

They had a strong rhythm section in John’s Rickenbacker. It gave a good, solid backing to everything. When you’ve got the people in one steady rhythm, you’re more likely to see something pass … something change …

The guys used a lot of harmony. Man, if there’s one word that’s lacking in this old world of ours, it’s that one! Yet, it lends flavor, tone and beauty to a song; why can’t we use it in our daily lives? All it takes is hearing others’ voices and incorporating them into something that’ll be suitable for everyone to hear.

A good backbeat is necessary to keep tempo. Ringo was the master of this. The backbeat of America is its working class. When you’re listening to them, you’ve got a surefire way of makin’ the right decision.

And they knew when a song was finished. They didn’t drag it onandonandon … they moved on to the next one in their set … and the next … starting, using the qualities I mentioned before, and stopping it. Can’t we do that in our sociopolitical doings?

There are many other lessons we can learn … “hidden” because we’ve been so caught up in the music and individual personalities. We’ll discuss those later.

Until next time, remember to keep your eyes on the skies, your feet on the ground, your heart with the music … and I’ll see ya on the flip side o’thangz …

Y’know, over the past month or so, we’ve talked about how to start a good rock band — and how to get it onstage with good results!
One of the best examples of “how to do it right” comes from the great UK band, THE FORE.

On Sunday, the lads (Spencer Hannabuss, bass/vox; Andrew McCulloch, rhythm; Matt Hardy, lead/vox and new drummer Nathan Persad, also on vocals) played in Market Square in Bromley, Kent. The results were fabulous!

Now, a marketplace isn’t exactly the O2 Arena (though the guys play some large venues as well …), but they remember the first rule of any band:  Play wherever you’ll find an audience. These lads don’t let “ego” rule, or say “Naaaah … it’s too small” when a gig opportunity comes open.
You see, anywhere you play brings two necessary benefits to your band:  Exposure and fan contact! These are gonna be vital to your growth — and it’s something you should always strive for!

Another point:  Stay focused when you’re onstage!  When you’re playing, listen to your instrument! Don’t get so caught up in the fact that you’re onstage that you don’t keep in control of your music.

Matt Hardy is one of the most prolific and studied young guitarists in the UK.  He’s constantly in touch with his guitar licks, all the while providing a vital part of the band’s onstage excitement!
Yes, both can be done at the same time!  It takes two words:  confidence and control. Showing both of those, while being enthused about your music, will take you much farther than you think!

Now, the gig also served as the debut of their new drummer, Nathan Persad. While, on occasion, you might have a new member, it’s always good to intro him or her to the audience before ya play.
But there’s no need to showcase the newbie unless a specific song calls for it.  Better to let that person “blend into” the sound, because, again, you’re promoting your act as a whole.

One more point: Always … always … be “fan-friendly”.  In the pic to your left, you see The Fore posing with some French fans who came to enjoy the show.
There’s an old saying that goes:  Remember who brought you to the dance. These are the people who come to your shows, who buy your CDs, recommend you to others, and otherwise give you some performing “clout”, as it were.
Don’t ever let them down!

Okay … we’re gonna continue this a bit later down the road.  In less than 24, we’re goin’ on an … Invasion! So stay tuned, and …

I’ll see ya on the flip side!

When Buddy, Richie and Bopper left this world on Feb. 3, 1959, it left a void for millions of rock fans around the nation.
We wanted something that had rhythmic kick; by that time, Elvis was Germany-bound and there wasn’t much left.

Meanwhile, college students began picking up on the blues of John Lee Hooker, Leadbelly and especially the Depression-era blues of Woody Guthrie. So they started learning the guitar, a bit of vocals and — though most of them were middle-to-upper class economically — began singing about the hard times and hopes of the common worker. These were the hootenannies and, like skiffle to the Brit parents, American moms and dads thought they were excellent replacements for rock music.

Oh, sure, it caught the attention of kids … for awhile. But it soon became boring — they wanted Presley/Holly/Vincent, not watered-down “folk” music. At this point, enter a group called The Ventures that showed them the further potential of the electric guitar-based group.

At the same time in England, a skiffle group from London that dug the sound of Elvis, the group setup of Buddy and the Crickets and the great lower-string guitar style of American artist Duane Eddy, began putting it all together when they decided to go electric. The Drifters found an exciting young Brit born in Lochnow, India — an accounts clerk named Harry Webb — to front them. Soon, there were name changes and, — in part, because their name was too easily confused with our stateside group, and partly because Harry Webb seemed too “dry” — they became The Shadows with Cliff Richard (this singer sold more records than any other solo white male artist, with the exception of Presley).

A second skiffle group, inspired by what The Shadows had done, began amping up their own act, and changed their name from The Quarrymen to Johnny and the Moondogs, then to the Silver Beetles and, finally, to The Beatles, in honor of Buddy Holly’s Crickets.

While the skiffle was turning into electric rock overseas, the USA was still gettin’ down with Little Richard, Chuck Berry and a young white boy from TV land named Ricky Nelson. The rest of the cool radio dials were still stuck on non-stop pop, doo-wop and the rockabilly crop. The music of Buddy Holly was duplicated by a few (including Bobby Vee, who took Holly’s place at what would’ve been his next stop after the Surf Ballroom, and Tommy Roe, whose Sheila hit in 1962 as a response to Peggy Sue), but no one could bring it to the pinnacle again (maybe that was out of respect to the man).

With Elvis in the Army, the field of solo-rock was wide open. Guys like Sedaka, Fabian, Darin and Nelson filled the gap as best they could, but teens were already in “group-mode,” and, while these guys were great (okay, so Fabian Forte had a little brushin’ up to do) and had a dynamite following, they didn’t last without constant media exposure (that’s where Ricky had the advantage).

Meanwhile, over in England, the skifflers (who were already gaining tremendous popularity; they added wit, new sounds, and movement to their lively acts) were beginning to make the move to electric.

While the new Shadows and Beatles were starting to pick up steam, the London scene saw some amazing action from a four-man group from the Soho district called Johnny Kidd and the Pirates. They were the first blues-rock group to actually pen and perform their own songs, were one of the first to incorporate a gimmick (Johnny’s — Frederick Heath’s — eyepatch, and Pirate costumes), and are still performing today, almost fifty years later!

Okay … the stage was being set: kids all over England were joining groups (in 1962, Liverpool itself had over 1,200 of their teens in rock groups!); the ones who weren’t in one were going wild over their music; they were starting to get managers, demos, recording contracts and A&R (artist and repertoire) to promote them.
Okay … that’s it for this run-through. We’re almost ready for the Invasion itself, so keep it tuned here for the Big Event. While you’re at it, remember to keep your eyes on the skies, your feet on the ground, your heart with the music … and I’ll see ya on the flip side!

… over in England, the big music of the day was trad — sort of a watered-down Dixieland sound. Sure, it was okay to listen to Mr. Acker Bilk and Kenny Ball, etc., if ya just wanted mood music

… but, to the kids,  the stuff just generally sucked! They wanted music with some kick to it … kinda like what they had in America!

Y’see, the hits of the great R&B legends were starting to make their appearance, thanks to sailors who’d dock in places like Liverpool and Bootle. Some of these records were overlooked in the states, thanks in part to the big Elvis boom.

But kids throughout those seaport towns wanted to play that deep, dirty music like John Lee Hooker played it! And, when they finally picked up on Elvis, the fever hit bigtime, as they saw a chance to combine the two sounds!
The concept spread across teenaged England like wildfire — they just had to play that wild American music themselves!

Unh-unh: Their parents and the BBC said “No WAY!” But (as good parents and radio stations often do), they realized the kids had a “thirst” that needed to be “quenched”; it just had to be done their way.

So what they did was go back into their vaults and dust off an old vaudeville sound called “skiffle.” Now, its concept was simple: take an acoustic guitar, build a stand-up bass out of a … tea chest, borrow grandma’s washboard, and they could play whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted! Because it wasn’t amplified, it wouldn’t bother anyone, and besides: it’d give the kids something productive to do.  Geez … skiffle: how could that cause any ruckus?

But putting skiffle in the hands of rock-hungry kids was like giving a pacifier to a crying baby; the kids began to love it. And leading the skiffle charge was a young singer named Lonnie Donegan with My Old Man’s A Dustman and Rock Island Line.  That was followed by the country-skiffle of a youngster named Tommy Hicks (soon known as Tommy Steele) and a group known (at the time) as The Drifters.

Oh … I forgot to define a term used earlier, so let me do that now: “rock-hungry … creative, innovative kids”. That meant … the skiffle scene wasn’t gonna stay acoustic — or quiet — for long! Especially if your group’s called … The Quarrymen ...

Well, that’s it for this stop in our Musical History Tour.  Until tomorrow, remember to keep your eyes on the skies, your feet on the ground, your heart with the music,

and I’ll see ya on the flip side.

Britain’s first rock n’ roll motoring auction, is gonna be held by COYS in London this coming Thursday. It’s where you have a chance to win Rod Stewart’s Ferrari and many other classic rock artist’s guitars!

The famous guitars included a 1952 Gibson Les Paul, which was owned and made famous by cult UK blues legend Duster Bennett, known for his ‘One Man Blues Band’. The guitar has an incredible lineage, being given to him by Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac who in turn got it from Eric Clapton. Legend has it that Clapton received this from the blues king himself, BB King, who got it from Muddy Waters. The guitar was expected to make at least £20,000 at auction.

The guitars went on show with two famous cars, which will be auctioned. A Ferrari Superamerica owned by Rod Stewart, which is estimated at £70,000 to £90,000, and an Aston Martin DB5 from the Robbie Williams video ‘Millennium’ that’s estimated at £135,000 to £155,000.
The COYS ‘Rock Legends’ auction includes some 60 iconic and rare vintage instruments and rock ephemera associated with some of the most famous names from the rock world, including Buddy Holly, George Harrison, The Who and Jimi Hendrix.
Highlights include bizarre Brian Eastwood dreamlike guitar creations, a replica of George Harrison’s famous hand-painted Fender Stratocaster, “Rocky”, and an official Gibson Buddy Holly J45 acoustic reissue, one of only 250 worldwide.

Julius Thurgood, head of COYS Rock department, said “This sale has some incredible guitars but is also accessible for all, with some guitars such as a very rare Buddy Holly reissue estimated at only £1000-£1200. In a year which sees interest rates at just 0.5% and the 50th anniversary of the death of Buddy Holly, this could be a fantastic investment.”

The auction will be held at the Royal Horticultural Halls in Westminster, London on Thursday March 12th.

Now … that’s it for this go-round, but stay tuned: there’s gonna be more in less than 24!
See ya on the flip side …

Okay … before the break, we were talking about how Thaddeus “T-Bone” Walker actually juiced up the new “rock” sound with guitar rather than brass (the flavor of the day).
Then we introed a segment about the instruments themselves, including the eclectic electric guitars created by Adolph Rickenbacker.
Well, in 1945, another great guitarist named Les Paul created the echo delay and multi-tracking and other studio techniques. Shortly after that, singers like Little Walter, Joe Turner and even pop singers like Sinatra were using them! This was a big boost to the new guitar-based sound.

Four years later, the 45 RPM record was introduced by RCA and the first Top 40 radio show was played by KPWH. In 1951 — having caught on to the popularity of the new, bouncy music with its shouters (Joe Turner and Howlin’ Wolf made the gutteral sounds popular) and movers (like Walker) — Cleveland disc jockey Alan Freed started the Moondog Rock’n Roll Party, broadcasting black music to a predominantly white teen audience.

That same year, the record that most critics consider the first actual rock-and-roll record — Ike Turner’s Rocket 88 — was released. Originally credited to Jackie Brenston and the Delta Cats, Brenston was actually the sax-player for Turner (the ‘Cats weren’t a real group) and did the singing.
The song, which was an ode of praise to the Oldsmobile Rocket 88 that debuted two years earlier, actually belonged to Ike.

Now, though Gunter Lee Carr cut a novelty-dance record in 1951 called We’re Gonna Rock, the sound didn’t hit the Billboard charts until two years later, when a former country singer named Bill Haley hit with Crazy, Man, Crazy. The year also saw the beginnings of the Doo-Wop groups … and a firm bridge between African-American streetside harmonies and a largely white fan base.

Okay, Rockaholics … that’s it for this class. Now, since ya don’t have any homework assignments, just be back here next go’round for a new chapter!

Until then, Keep your eyes on the skies, your feet on the ground, your heart with the music … and I’ll see ya on the flip side …

Now, if you remember the last post, we talked about how Rock-n-Roll actually got its start — I mean, from the very granules that created it. In this segment, we’re gonna talk about the instruments themselves.

Actually, before the 20th Century, all instruments were acoustic(no electronic amplification had been invented yet). In 1892, the pop scene became big business when publishers began setting up shop in the Union Square area of NYC — an area they renamed Tin Pan Alley.

Then, in 1907, a dude from Ohio named Thaddeus Cahill invented something called the teleharmonium. Now, this was the first true electronic instrument. Soon, it caught on, and other engineers and musicians began trying to figure out how to adapt this “electronica” to other instruments. Some folks began to see this thing as the wave of the future.

Two famed writers of the time, Ferruccio Busoni and Luigi Russolo, wrote that dissonant, electric sounds and noise from “electric music machines” would produce the music of the Century. Already, drumkits with small “crash” cymbals, snares and huge bass drums were in use. To counter their loudness (as well as that from brass sections), bands needed their acoustic or “box” guitars to be amplified.

Enter a fellow whose name is synonymous with quality and sound: Adolph Rickenbacker. In 1934, he invented what would become the most legendary of electric guitars (the ad you see was from ‘65 with John Lennon, who played it almost exclusively during the Beatles’ early years). As his “electronic guitar” became more popular, the drumkits became a bit smaller over the years to balance out the sound (and to become more portable), and bass guitars began amplification in the early 1950s.

As the electric guitar and organ became more popular, the brass sections of many groups became defunct. For many reasons (including the fuller sound of the new guitar, quicker rehearsals, affordability and lighter travel), groups began to whittle down to the basic four-to-five-man lineup. To compensate further, more harmonies were introduced.

These were exhibited by greats like Buddy Holly, the Everly Brothers and, of course, Elvis. Their part of the story, including their influence, is coming up in the next few segments — so stay tuned!

Until then, Keep your eyes on the skies, your feet on the ground, your heart with the music — and I’ll see ya on the flip side.

Hey … what’s rock-and-roll — any music, for that matter — without the GUITAR?? It’s like sayin’ “What’s my wardrobe without pants?” (but not as embarrassing)
And, especially in the crazy world of retro-rock, you’ve got a load of Fender-benders, Martin-maulers, risky Rickenbackers and Gibsonites makin’ great sounds from their axes. They could make the instrument set the mood, while the singers sang the lyrics. But, of alllllll the songs on times-past’s Top 100 charts, which had the greatest guitar riffs, bridges and fills?

Alright … here’s where you guys get involved: Total Guitar Magazine listed their faves for the nod, and the Relic wants to get a little action from readers (I mean … er, mine, not … not theirs!) on this.
After ya read the following list, how about writing in and lemme know your faves? I’ll tally ‘em up and put ‘em on a new post, okay?
Now … here’s what they came up with:

Top 10 Guitar Solos

1. Led Zeppelin - Stairway to Heaven
2. Van Halen - Eruption
3. Guns N’ Roses - Paradise City
4. The Eagles - Hotel California
5. Metallica - Enter Sandman
6. Cream - Crossroads
7. Jimi Hendrix - Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
8. Ozzy Osbourne - Crazy Train
9. Free - All Right Now
10. Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody

So, whatcha think? Any comments/ideas/additions/coffee?(I-could-use-some)/thoughts/whatever?
Now, remember, we’re talkin’ rock here, not blues or country (though those genres have excellent axemasters, too!). 

Lemme know … and, ’til we return with more this evening,

keep your eyes on the skies, your feet on the ground, your heart with the music …
and I’ll see ya on the flip side …