Listening Room Blog

The Latin rock band deSol brings their global music to Ossining Saturday, with a benefit concert at Ossining High School at 7 p.m. The band sings in Spanish and English and sings in styles that will remind listeners of artists like Santana, who blend rock with sounds of salsa and mambo. From the band’s Web site: “A hit on stage and on the radio, deSoL has shared marquees with R.E.M., The Legendary Wailers, Los Lonely Boys, Suzanne Vega, and Widespread Panic. The band has appeared at a number of music festivals including Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, and SXSW.”

Students from the high school will also perform. Tickets are $35 for adults, $15 for students, seniors, Ossining teachers, and $125 for premium package which includes gala post-concert reception & auction at the Ossining Public Library. Proceeds go to Ossining Matters, a not-for-profit education foundation that supports Ossining Schools. See www.ossiningmatters.org for info.  And check out the band on YouTube. chances are you will want to buy a ticket.

It’s got to be frustrating to play guitar behind one of rock’s most noticeable axe men.

That’s been Malcolm Young’s fate for nearly four decades — to play behind kid brother Angus Young with veteran rockers AC-DC.

But don’t think he plays second fiddle, because Malcolm remains one of the band’s main songwriters and his hard-driving rhythms are the foundation for the band’s lengthy success. Angus has often said his big brother is the best guitar player he knows.

Malcolm and Angus Young formed AC-DC in 1973, taking after their big brother George, who had gained acclaim with his band the Easybeats in Australia. The Youngs had left Scotland for Australia when the three aspiring musicians were kids.

Looking for a gimmick and a name, the Young boys had their sister knit a schoolboy uniform for Angus. They took their name from the inscription on the sewing machine — “AC-DC” — because it worked on electric current or battery power.

After original singer Dave Evans left the band, the Youngs brought in Bon Scott, a rough-and-tumble singer who gave the band stage presence and attitude. By 1975 they had their first album, High Voltage, and were on their way to a successful heavy metal career that landed them in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.

AC-DC also had developed their own style, driven by Malcolm’s steady and pulsating rhythm riffs. He was the engine that powered the band, and continues to be.

The band has survived a few setbacks, including the death of Scott in 1980. The Youngs almost called it quits, but instead brought in Brian Johnson and became an international sensation with their next album, Back in Black, a tribute to Scott.

Malcolm also had some personal setbacks. In 1988 AC-DC toured without their rhythm guitarist and co-founder as he sought treatment for his years of alcohol abuse. The band instead toured with Malcolm’s nephew, Stevie.

Now refreshed, Malcolm returned to AC-DC, which has remained one of metal’s biggest draws and most successful bands.

Next time you hear them keep an ear open for him.

(NOTE: This is part of my ongoing series of reports on guitar players who fly under the mainstream radar. Keep checking The Listening Room for future installments of guitar players you should know – JF)

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Fans of Bryan Adams were treated to a close-up acoustic performance by the pop/rock artist at the Performing Arts Center of Purchase College last night. Adams sang hits from his 30-year career, pausing to tell stories about music making and to humor fans shouting their adoration for the still-sexy-at-50 singer. “Honey, you don’t know what you’re saying,” he told one adoring fan.

Adams kicked it off with “Run to You,” a song that helped put him on the map in the early 80s. It was the first of 27 songs during a two-hour show, including hits like “Summer of ‘69” and “(Everything I Do) I Do it for You” and songs from “11,” his most recent album.

He had piano accompaniment on some songs, but mostly it was him, the guitar, a harmonica, and that raspy yet pop-smooth voice that is so familiar from years of air-wave play. The stripped-down performance was part of his Bare Bones Tour. “It’s been a real joy to play the songs simply, as they were written, without the band,” said Adams, a Grammy winner who has sold more then 65 million records.

Adams joked about a tour stop in Fargo, Minn., where a store worker asked if he had been following the Olympics. Adams: Um yeah. Adams was a star attraction, having performed at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

The show felt a bit like VH1 Storytellers and fans were giddy as Adams chatted them up in the 1,371-person venue. One third-row fan asked him to sing his “The Way You Make Me Feel” for his wife of seven years, and Adams obliged.

One happy fan was Diane Staufenberg, a 48-year-old teacher from Holbrook, NY, who has been to nearly 40 Bryan Adams shows since 1981.  The highlight for her was hearing “Vanishing,” which Adams rarely plays live. “I had to squeal there,” she said.

Danielle Collis, 38, of Washington Township, NJ, loved the fan interaction and the small venue. “He’s definitely timeless,” she said of Adams.

For another fan opinion, I turned to Renee Steinberg, 40, of New City. She is a family member who was kind enough to invite me to the show. “He had great energy and his voice sounded amazing,” she said, adding: “I loved every song.”

Singer/songwriter Bryan Adams is preparing for his show at Purchase College tonight, but he also took time out to share some thoughts with music writer Chris Serico of The Journal News.

Adams will be in Purchase as part of his “Bare Bones” tour, which he has described as an acoustic accounting of his 30 years in the music business. We told you about the show earlier here in The Listening Room, and even told you about the ticket-giveaway sponsored by The Journal News.

Anyway, the show is here, and Chris was kind enough to share some nuggets from his interview with Adams.

On fronting his first band:
“When I was 15, I’d joined a cover band who were playing bars. It was as exciting as hell, because I had decided to not be the guitarist in the band which had been my second musical ambition after wanting to be a drummer. I decided because my band hadn’t found a singer, that I would be a lead vocalist. I kind of fancied myself like the lead singer of Deep Purple or something. Because I was underage, I had to be led to the stage by one of the club bouncers, and when the set finished, he had to make sure I got to the dressing room and didn’t hang out in the main bar.”

On his 11th — and maybe last — album:
“In some respects, ‘11’ may be my last ‘album.’ I don’t see the point in albums when you can put out music all the time. It’s the Wild West out there now — the internet has changed everything for songwriters. Then again, I might write a load of songs that deserve to be all together, we’ll see.”

On selling 65 million records and the iTunes era:
“It’s surreal. It’s terrible what has happened to the music world. I don’t understand why the music business hasn’t stood up to the ISP’s who are allowing downloading and putting together a fund for music. It would be so simple, but maybe it needs government intervention.”

On the most surprising country to chart a No. 1 hit:
“Impossible to say. In the 1990s, I had a few international No. 1 records, and I’ve never counted the countries. Certainly what has happened, as a result, is I can do shows anywhere in the world now. We proved that by playing to crowds in the Eastern Europe and Russia, the Middle East, India/Pakistan, Indonesia, Vietnam, Korea, even Boise, Idaho.”

On his move to England:
“One of the reasons I moved to England years ago was I love the football (soccer) here, AND everyone has a good sing-a-long. It’s incredible; 35,000 people and the songs are really rude and funny. It’s one of the few places left in the world where you can truly say exactly what you want, no matter how outrageous or un-PC it is, and no one will bat an eyelid.”

On  the prospect of retiring:
“I go out for a week a month. The rest of the time I’m doing other creative projects and thinking about the next round of shows. Retirement isn’t really a word I understand properly. Well, not yet anyway.”

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In case you missed it, The Journal News’ Peter D. Kramer wrote about the adaptation of Green Day’s “American Idiot” album into a Broadway musical on Tuesday, the day the show opened at the St. James Theater. In the piece, he interviews Tom Kitt of Armonk, who is the show’s musical supervisor, arranger and orchestrator.

Kitt — who won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for drama for the musical “Next to Normal” with lyricist Brian Yorkey — tells Kramer: “My goal from the start is that anything I write still feels like Green Day, not like me. If people suddenly felt that they weren’t hearing Green Day anymore, then it would have been a failure.”

Asked whether “American Idiot” will join the ranks of famous rock operas like “Hair”, Kitt responds: “There are plenty of people who will weigh in on what this means. All you can feel as a creator is your own inspiration and what it feels like to you. To me, ‘American Idiot’ the musical sounds like a special and new thing, unlike anything I’ve ever been part of.”

For more info on “American Idiot” the musical, visit www.americanidiotonbroadway.com.

Festival season is approaching. On the rock scene, that can mean huge fields packed with fans all angling for a view of one of multiple stages, with tents in the background peddling energy drinks and video games. Not so appealing? For a smaller festival scene, check out the ATP (All Tomorrow’s Parties) Festival in Monticello, about 90 minutes north in the Catskills, over Labor Day Weekend.

The third ATP Festival takes place at Kutscher’s Country Club Sept. 3 to 5. The lineup includes punk gurus Iggy & the Stooges, godfathers of grunge Mudhoney, and noisemakers Sonic Youth among other lesser known, but stellar rock bands. In all, there are over 35 acts, plus late-night DJ sets, comedy and movies. Festival goers can buy passes for a day or for the weekend.

For the festival weary, the good news is the venue’s capacity is just under 3,000. The festival is known as a laid-back event where musicians join the crowds checking out the bands. Reviewers also report no lines or beer shortages. Check it out: www.atpfestival.com or the helpful New York FAQs page.

You know you’re off to a good start when your guitar teacher is Dickey Betts, and he gives you Duane Allman’s Fender Stratocaster as a gift.

It also doesn’t hurt when your father is legendary country music singer/songwriter Billy Joe Shaver.

But make no mistake: Eddy Shaver earned his keep, playing alongside his dad and with some of the biggest names in music. He certainly mastered that Stratocaster.

(photo courtesy of billyjoeshaver.com)

Born in Waco, Texas, Eddy Shaver was the only son of Billy Joe Shaver, a rought-and-tumble legendary songwriter whose work has been recorded by the likes of Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings.

According to British newspaper The Independent, Eddy Shaver was just 12 when Betts taught him to play guitar.

“A lot of my playing comes form watching Dickey Betts play,” Shaver once told the newspaper. “He taught me that every note had to have a presence to it.”

At just 13, the younger Shaver went on the road with his dad, largely to tune his father’s guitars, Billy Joe Shaver later said. But Eddy Shaver was off and running.

He formed the Delta Rebels rock band in Memphis, and later joined country star Dwight Yoakam’s band as lead guitarist, and gig that lasted until 1989.

He then teamed with his father, forming the band Shaver — in essence the two Shavers with a host of guest musicians. By then Eddy Shaver had developed a hard-driving guitar style that added a hard edge to his father’s music. They released their first album, Tramp On Your Street, in 1993.

The duo recorded several other albums over the years that followed, including 1999’s Honky Tonk Heroes, featuring Kris Kristoferson, Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. For his part Eddy Shaver had established himself as a premier guitar player, and prepared to release a solo album in 2001.

But he had also inherited some of the hard-living habits that plagued his father’s early career. Eddy Shaver overdosed on heroin on New Year’s Eve in 2000, and died at the age of 38.

Billy Joe Shaver has released some of his son’s work posthumously, and maintains an online tribute page to his son. The obvious tragedy is that Eddy Shaver didn’t make a bigger mark before his death.

The beauty of it is that you can still hear him play — and you should.

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Word today that blues guitar wiz Jonny Lang released Live at the Ryman today, the Grammy winner’s first live album and his sixth overall release.

The Listening Room hasn’t gotten its hands on it yet, but rest assured this should be good stuff. Lang is one of these multi-talented bluesmen who has somehow remained under the mainstream radar — despite having played with the likes of Steve Cropper and Eric Clapton while he was still a teenager and appearing on film with the Blues Brothers.

So capturing his sound live should be quite a treat.

Lang is no stranger to the Listening Room. He was the third guitar player profiled in our weekly Guitar Players You Should Know feature. And with good reason — Lang blessed with both natural talent on guitar and a remarkable soulful voice.

He was something of a prodigy. At just 14 he released an independent label album that featured Cropper and others. He also wowed movie audiences when he performed with Wilson Picket in the feature film Blues Brothers 2000.

Live at the Ryman should be the latest feather in his musical cap. Lang talks about it on his website. The recordings come from the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn., and are from the summer of 2008. We’ll see if we can’t get a review of it up soon.

Meanwhile, Lang is currently on tour, but at this point isn’t scheduled to come any closer to the Big Apple than Clearwater, Fla. So we’ll keep our fingers crossed that he finds his way over.

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I’m not sure how I could’ve missed this, particularly given my love affair with all things guitar.

But miss it I did: It turns out that Aprils is International Guitar month.

(The Journal News/Peter Carr)

Not sure how it came my way, but one quick Google search and there was plenty of confirmation, including this short piece on it from examiner.com, which includes some tidbits about the instrument.

The beauty of it is that we still have time to do something guitary. So, go play or listen to some guitar work of your choice. Doesn’t matter: country, rock, classical, whatever. Appreciate the instrument.

And we’ll see what it brings next year when I can plan for it.

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It has to be over a decade since I last heard The Good Rats, and well over 25 years since I last saw them live, which was at the old Fore n’ Aft in White Plains.

In fact, it’s been so long that it took me a while to recognize them when they popped up on the radio today. The song was “Fireball Express,” off what was probably their most successful album, Tasty, released in 1974.

But there they were, the band that dubs itself “the world’s most famous unknown band.” And it turns out they’ve even reunited.

The Good Rats were part of the Long Island rock club scene in the 1970s, which included Twisted Sister, Zebra and Rat Race Choir. In fact, they were probably the first big name band to come out of it.

The band was formed in 1964 by a group of St. John’s University students, including raspy-voiced singer Peppi Marchello, who would be the band’s mainstay. Signed to a record deal within a few years, they released their debut album, The Good Rats, in 1968.

After a few early lineup changes, the band settled into a lineup that included Peppi’s brother, Mickey Marchello, and guitar player John Gatto — who played a custom cat-shaped “John the Cat” guitar.

The band became known for their rock-jazz sound and on-state antics, which included Peppi Marchello hurling rubber rats into the audience, playing air guitar with a bat and pounding a garbage can with the bat.

While they continued to release albums through 1980, they never achieved wider acclaim, although they retained a large and loyal following. Peppi Marchello continued to perform, including with his son, Gene.

Over the past decade the band has reunited with different lineups, and did so last year as well. It’s kept them in the fold, and certainly they retain enough of a fan base that they popped up on my radio this morning.

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Look for some high-caliber music at 12 Grapes Restaurant in Peekskill tomorrow night, when saxophone player Mark Rivera, a fixture in Billy Joel’s band for nearly three decades, joins Grammy winner Jon Cobert on stage.

Rivera, who has also played with Peter Gabriel, Simon & Garfunkle, Hall and Oates, Ringo Starr and Foreigner, will be a guest of Cobert and his band, the Guise.

Don’t think Cobert isn’t worthy of the trip in his own right. The five-time Grammy winning producer has played keyboards with some pretty notable performers, including John Lennon, Al Green and Bruce Springsteen. So bringing Rivera and Cobert together seems like a sure formula for good music.

Cobert also recently joined forces with Jewel, the Bacon Brothers, Carly Simon, drummer Denny McDermott and Whitney Houston guitarist Ira Siegel in an all-star band. So Cobert is certainly an old hand at playing with some of the best.

As for tomorrow’s show with Rivera, they tell us to expect a collection of “eclectic” rock, with selections from the Beatles, Steely Dan, Leon Russell and, of course, Billy Joel.

The show is at 9:30 p.m. at 12 Grapes, 12 North Division Street in Peekskill.

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The Listening Room is recommending tonight’s acoustic gig by Tim Palmieri, who takes occasional breaks from his duties with The Breakfast and Beatles A-Z — among other projects — to hit the local bars with guitar in hand.

We told you more about Palmieri earlier this month, when he was featured in our “Guitar Players You Should Know” series. Now’s your chace to see him in action, so come join the Listening Room crew at O’Connor’s Public House in Mount Kisco.

Palmieri’s acoustic shows make for a fun night out. He has a list of literally hundreds of both original and cover tunes and gets a kick out of taking requests from the audience. He covers everyone from Elvis to Black Sabbath, and is a true master of the guitar.

He’s recorded a half dozen albums with his jam-based band, The Breakfast, and also fronts Beatles A-Z, a cover band that has covered every single tune from the Fab Four in alphabetical order — twice. Yeah, the man knows how to have fun. Palmieri also plays with Kung Fu, a more recent project that focuses on funk-based covers and originals.

So, seeing him in a smaller venue is kind of a treat.

O’Connor’s Public House is at 222A Main Street in Mount Kisco. The music starts a bit after 9 p.m. So, come meet us there.

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How do you get lost in one of rock’s most famous bands?

That seems to be what’s happened to Nils Lofgren, who is best known these days as the man behind Bruce Springsteen and Steve Van Zandt in the E Street Band.

But don’t look now, because Lofgren could be the band’s most versatile and talented member, with credits that also include extensive time with Neil Young’s Crazy Horse, a tenure in Ringo Starr’s All-Star Band, and more than three dozen solo albums to his credit.

Born in Chicago, Lofgren was just 18 when he joined Crazy Horse, playing guitar and piano and adding vocals to the band’s first album. He went on to tour with Young and appeared on several of his classic albums.

In 1971 he formed Grin, a band that recorded four albums through 1974 and came to include Lofgren’s brother, Tom, as a rhythm guitar player.

With Grin’s demise, Lofgren set out on a solo career, releasing his first album, Nils Lofgren, in 1975. He would continue to put out solo releases at a feverish pace over the years that followed, including his latest. The Loner: Nils Sings Neil, in 2008.

In 1984, Lofgren landed his biggest gig since Crazy Horse, joining Springsteen’s E Street Band when Van Zandt walked away to pursue other projects. Springsteen, who had befriended Lofgren, now reached out to him.

“We jammed for a couple of days,” Lofgren told Fender guitars in an online interview. “And out of respect for Bruce, whom I love and admire, I didn’t want to be there if I wasn’t the right guy. If I was the right guy, I wanted to know, and we went at it pretty hard for two days, and to make another long cool story short, he asked me to join the band. Which was a gift.”

Springsteen broke up the E Street band in 1989, recording on his own for much of the following decade. But when he reunited the group in 1999 he asked Lofgren and Van Zandt to both come on board — where they remain to this day.

Of course, Lofgren continues to do his own thing as well, having reunited with Young on a number of occasions, touring and recording as a solo artist, and even going on the road a few times with Ringo Starr’s All-Star Band.

But no matter where he pops up rest assured he’s earned his keep.

(NOTE: This is part of my ongoing series of reports on guitar players who fly under the mainstream radar. Keep checking The Listening Room for future installments of guitar players you should know – JF)

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If you missed this item, it turns out the Vatican has finally buried the hatchet with the Beatles, overlooking the Fab Four’s un-Christian lifestyle and John Lennon’s comment that the band was bigger  than Jesus.

Well, it’s about time.

Anyway, Listening Room columnist Roberto Parente tipped us off by sending us this piece from the Associated Press.

(Mark Vergari/The Journal News)

Alessandra Rizzo, Associated Press Writer

VATICAN CITY – The Vatican has finally made peace with the Beatles, saying their drug use, “dissolute” lives and even the claim that the band was bigger than Jesus are all in the past — while their music lives on.
Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano paid tribute to the Fab Four in its weekend editions, with two articles and a front-page cartoon reproducing the crosswalk immortalized on the cover of the band’s album “Abbey Road.”
The tribute marked the 40th anniversary of the band’s breakup.
“It’s true, they took drugs; swept up by their success, they lived dissolute and uninhibited lives,” said the paper. “They even said they were more famous than Jesus,” it said, recalling John Lennon’s 1966 comment that outraged many Catholics and others.
“But, listening to their songs, all of this seems distant and meaningless,” L’Osservatore said. “Their beautiful melodies, which changed forever pop music and still give us emotions, live on like precious jewels.”
It is not the first time the Vatican has praised the legendary band from Liverpool.
Two years ago, Vatican media hailed the Beatles’ musical legacy on the 40th anniversary of the “White Album.” And last month the Vatican paper included “Revolver” in its semiserious list of top-10 albums.
Now, L’Osservatore says that the Beatles’ songs have stood the test of time, and that the band remains “the longest-lasting, most consistent and representative phenomenon in the history of pop music.”
Giovanni Maria Vian, the editor in chief of L’Osservatore Romano, said Monday that he loves the Beatles.
He said that at the time of Lennon’s sensational statement, Osservatore “commented that in reality it wasn’t that scandalous, because the fascination with Jesus was so great that it attracted these new heroes of the time.”

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The Listening Room was busy over the weekend scouting out new local music, and we hit the jackpot Sunday at the Ossining Eagles Hall.

Credit local punk rockers Fools On Sunday with putting on a five-band gig at the out-of-the-way venue, providing a cool forum for up-and-coming bands from the Lower Hudson Valley.

If you’ve been reading you’ll recall that we told you about Fools On Sunday in January. The band features 13-year-old drummer/singer Evan Seligman, aka “Johnny Lightning,” and is rounded out by his bassist father, Marc Seligman, and multi-talented veteran guitarist Stuart “Long Johns” Lederer.

Fools hosted the Eagles Hall show and invited some pretty impressive local acts. On the roster, in order of appearance, were Screaming Bastards, Forever Her Nightmare, Big Sister and The Jukebox Romantics, closing out with Fools On Sunday.

It’s hard to dismiss any of the first four bands, but The Listening Room walked away impressed with two in particular.

The Jukebox Romantics could be on the verge of something big. The band has an impressive CD out and just filmed three videos in the Big Apple over the weekend. Fronted by singer Chris Schultz, Jukebox features bassist Michael “Bread” Malarky Stratton and is rounded out by three local musicians — drummer Joe Jacobs from White Plains, and guitar players Seth Delton of Tarrytown and Michael Terry from Dobbs Ferry. Creative songwriting, talented performers and lively stage presence. Keep an eye out for these guys.

Big Sister, based in White Plains, should also have a shot at success in the business. The band features Andy Porta on drums, Seth Nicholson on bass, Rob Peralta on guitar and singer/guitarist Lauren West, who does an impressive job fronting the band. Think of No Doubt with a harder edge. Thumbs up on them.

As for Fools On Sunday, we’re already big fans. The band’s young drummer, who is credited with writing their original material as well, can really play, and has obvious musicial chemistry with his father and rhythm section partner.

And Lederer is simply a top-notch guitarist. As a unit the band has good original material and has fun with their covers, including Skynyrd’s “Free Bird” and The Beatles’ “I Want To Hold Your Hand.”

Our recommendation? You can’t go wrong with any of these bands.

Also, keep on eye on shows at the Eagles Hall. It’s a funky little venue that puts on more shows that most realize, with a penchant for zydeco and Cajun.

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