What I found in 2013- What I hated in 2013

January 1, 2014January 1, 2014 ~ Cave_Guy ~ 8 Comments

I am not good enough to hear a band and immediately place them in context of music relevance for the year. It takes a while for things to seep down into the cerebral cortex and percolate themselves out.

I will say…, however -This blog has helped me figure things out a little faster- I am more engaged than I used to be.

Here is what happened to me in 2013 as an “out of touch” rock music fan.

I’ll do 5 that caught me and 5 I hated

What I liked:

The Xx– Not a new band, but new to me as I caught the fever- Atmospheric elegant sound. Like getting lost in a really trendy fog and having someone hand you a fantastic drink that quenches the thirst and tickles the soul.

The Black Keys– They went from a band I heard of and thought they were O.K to possibly the most solid rock band of this century- I never hear a bad song from these guys and after repeated listens of their standard hits-they just gain traction.

Arcade Fire-Afterlife– I know-This is arty French hipster self-important pompous drivel—– I know that they stand opposed to everything I love about gritty down to earth rock music. But I love this song- I love it so much that I might be tempted to find a nice puffy shirt and neon pair of kicks to try and comply with their dress code and catch them at a concert this summer. I love it so much that I will try one more time to make it through the whole Reflektor album on Spotify.

Spotify-Yes, I am very late to this party. I am surprised at the amount of music available for nothing on this service. It’s like stealing as it is so much quality for nothing. (kind of like the Cave of Fame blog!)

Wrecking Ball-Miley Cyrus–((((Guilty pleasure alert))))) I hated this song the first time I heard it—-I now secretly love it if my kids turn it up. I thought it was stupid that she was naked on a wrecking ball- I now understand that if you are going to be naked on a wrecking ball—-do it while you are still young! And it plays more like nudity in renaissance art to me now. (I think this Arcade Fire thing has messed up my brain)

But seriously –if Helen Mirron got on a wrecking ball with nothing but her fantastic acting skill and did a photo shoot for Vanity Fair—-all the critics would talk about what a brave and edgy cool-chick she really is—-and would trip over all the compliments that they would throw at her unbridled toes.

What I hated:

Robin-Thicke 1 (Photo credit: jazzuality.com)

Robin Thicke- That blurred lines garbage is still a ripe smell in the air as we hit 2014. Also, don’t forget that he played a major role in the big twerk-off of 2013- Without him providing the “hammer” to Miley’s “nail”—-The whole thing might not have got so insane. I dislike him so much that I was tempted to browse through “Revelations” and check the attributes of the Antichrist….you know….just to rule him out in my mind because I do have some doubts.

Kiss going in the Rock and Roll hall of Fame– I guess they were going to break down the wall at some point to get in. It was only a matter of time before this Cleveland institution that usually gets it right caved in under the force of those boots and rabid fans.

Nostalgia “bait and switch” – Take a band like say “Bon Jovi” with only one original member like say “John Bon Jovi” and sell it like the whole band will be there. Or the R.E.O Speedwagon-Terrible Ted Nugent and Styx –“Mayhem of the Mid-west” tour or whatever it was called. At least Ted Nugent was a standalone product –so that was good. These old bands that dwindle down to one or two and fight over the name to see who has the rights to a half-hearted performance of bygone hits is a bit much. You might as well go see a good cover band.

Losing Lou Reed- This was really sad because even though he was old and not in great shape- I kind of thought he would last forever.

Rush seems to be gaining power and respect. This bugs me because I may have to go back and change my post about being a Rush hater. I am now changing my position from a Rush hater to a Rush “whateverer”. I still reserve the right to dislike music fans that take it as a solid fact that dislike of Rush means no real taste in rock music. (I think my wrecking ball admission is a worse transgression)

Addiction Special! Some great Rock Music.

October 19, 2013February 7, 2015 ~ Cave_Guy ~ 2 Comments

Addiction Special! Some great Rock Music.

Under the Bridge.Red Hot Chili Peppers

Your band is doing great and you are shooting up under a bridge with random junkies you don’t know.

Yeah-addiction is like that. It does not give you anything—it just strings you along and sucks the lifeblood out of you. It leaves you a shell of yourself; any energy that you have will be removed and transferred to it. It is relentless-it is after you and you can’t stop.

But it makes for some great music. Those lucky enough to take it to the edge and escape (warning-results not typical, your battle may not turn into a hit song with an interesting story).

But nevertheless, great song!

She talks to angels.The Black Crowes

“Pain gonna make everything alright”

Watching someone battle their demons can be as bad as being sucked into the vortex of no hope yourself. It goes right to the feeling of helplessness that can drown you as you witness someone else drowning.

Of course each addiction problem is a little different as is each person a unique individual-but….but……but…this strikes so many in similar ways that is easy for the masses to relate, even in the third person scenario.

3.Hurt.Johny Cash

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmVAWKfJ4Go

You get to the end of your run with nothing left to prove and instead of going quietly into that dark night- you decide to take an artistic high dive that will drag us all through the depths of hell with you to show us all that you do not take heaven lightly. You are the Man in Black and this song plays in my head like “Paradise Lost” plays in my soul. I don’t know what else I can say- inspired genius.

4.Joey.Concrete Blond

Here we go with a song about being the enabler in the addiction process. Ah, yes- that volatile mixture of love and addiction. Johnette has the gift of making everything extra real and relevant without making it a cartoon.

5.Back to Black.Amy Winehouse

Wow!-here I am echoing the sentiments of Amy Winehouse about putting together a bunch of depressing songs one after another. “I died a hundred times”-She is not just saying that-she is feeling those words. I don’t care if you accuse me of a stretch with this because I love this song and I don’t love “Rehab”.

Great music lends itself to many different interpretations- Maybe I am still coming down from my last post with Marvin Gaye but this song always cuts me up. The desperation and cry for help that went unheeded is haunting.

What a waste of talent and another sad victim of this disease.

Cheers from the cave…and think I will keep it to just the one pint tonight.

Top of Blogging Mountain?…not yet

August 20, 2013February 8, 2015 ~ Cave_Guy ~ 10 Comments

Here is a new picture of me looking over my backyard or as it is commonly known The Adirondack Park. This is not exactly climbing Mount Fuji or Mount Kilimanjaro as you can just pay the 10 bucks and drive to the top. But the views are amazing nonetheless!

As I close in on one year with this little Rock n’ Roll history blog, I would like to thank all the visitors and followers for making this a rewarding experience. I don’t plan on making big changes as I go forward but I do plan on organizing this site better to reflect a history of all Rock Music.…the good, the bad and the ugly. I am also going to look over past work and fix it or trash it….some of my early writing is embarrassingly bad and even worse…not interesting-, so go back and read those hideous posts now before they are gone.

There are so many good writers and good people out here that I genuinely feel blessed to be counted among you.

Seven Wonders of Rock n’ Roll-complete with helpful map.

August 18, 2013February 7, 2015 ~ Cave_Guy ~ 3 Comments

Seven Wonders of Rock (or my personal Rock n’ Roll bucket list)

This is my best seven. I will attempt to defend my selections. Defend them like an angry dog guarding a shoe-you better bring some treats and a deft touch if you want to pry them away from me!

My goal is to do this whole list. Complete with lots of pictures and insightful writing to share with you all.

1. The Robert Johnson Crossroads, Clarksdale, Mississippi

https://caveoffame.com/2013/05/19/the-seven-wonders-of-rock-n-roll-1-the-crossroads/

The legend of the man who sells his soul in order to play guitar like the devil-this is the genesis of Rock Music. It does not matter if it is true; only that this changed everything.

2.Sun Studio, Memphis, Tennessee

https://caveoffame.com/2013/05/21/the-seven-wonders-of-rock-2-and-3-the-studios/

Johnny Cash, Elvis, Jerry Lee and Carl Perkins– And that just scratches the surface of the greats that scratched history in vinyl right here.

3. Abbey Road Studios, London

https://caveoffame.com/2013/05/21/the-seven-wonders-of-rock-2-and-3-the-studios/

The iconic Album cover of the Beatles walking on that zebra crossing is burned into the consciousness of every true rock fan in the world. Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon being recorded here is enough of a kicker to get this in.

4.Jim Morrison Grave, Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris

https://caveoffame.com/2013/05/25/the-lizard-king-rests-wonder-4/

Has become a pilgrimage for rock music fans. There is a special mystique that summons us here. If you make it to Paris, you have to answer this call.

5. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland, Ohio

https://caveoffame.com/2013/06/06/cleveland-rocks-alan-freed-ian-hunter-me-frozen-like-a-chipmunk/

Yes-this city wanted it more than all the other sexier cities that toyed with the idea. Cleveland made it a reality and made it fit. They also made it work…people care if their favorite band gets in or not. And thankfully unlike the Baseball Hall of Fame-they don’t keep you out for drug use.

6.Woodstock Festival Site, Bethel, N.Y

https://caveoffame.com/2013/07/02/thank-a-hippie-today/

Here is one that I have checked off the list-If you mention this event, everyone knows what you are talking about- Peace, Love and Music. A simple triple threat of power for the soul. This is a great visit with a fine museum and performing arts center on site. And always a few original hippies hanging around (some never left).

7. Red Rocks, Morrison, CO

https://caveoffame.com/2013/07/14/wonder-7-my-band-is-playing-__________-o-k-we-are-something-now/

A true natural wonder set in a mystical place of beauty. The Beatles played here and it did not sell out. Jimi Hendrix played here. It is somewhere that great rock music happens right now! It is where every big name band wants to leave a mark (and maybe record a DVD). I want to go here at least one time a see a show! Yes…bucket worthy.

I created a little map to help me on my quest-

The Defining Beauty of Parody…Thoughts on Spinal Tap and Rock Music

July 20, 2013July 20, 2013 ~ Cave_Guy ~ 8 Comments

Cover of "This is Spinal Tap (Special Edi... — Cover of This is Spinal Tap (Special Edition)

When Spinal Tap was released in 1984, it signaled the end of a golden age in rock music. We did not realize it at the time because we were too busy enjoying it.

Around the corner, Hip hop was a baby and quickly growing and “file sharing” was ready to pounce and dismantle the whole industry. Like the dinosaurs who once wondered what those weird soft squishy things underfoot called mammals were all about.

And what are the chances of a meteor hitting the earth?

Rock music was about to be unceremoniously dethroned.

“These go to 11”

“Why not just make 10 louder and keep that the biggest number?”

“These go to 11”

And

“That is pretty, a real departure from your other stuff”

Thanks, it’s in the sad key of D-minor, I call it “Lick my Love Pump”

Maybe the funniest thing was the bit about books on tape, which was the most perfect joke since it actually happened.

I am not saying “rock is dead” and I am not saying that there is not great music out there today.

I AM NOT EVEN SAYING THAT MUSIC IN MY TIME WAS SOMETHING AND ALL ELSE IS NOTHING.

What I am saying is that once it ruled the earth as the dominant species and that did not last forever. Once we waited in line all night to get tickets to shows, because if we didn’t –we would not get a ticket. There was no V.I.P experience that could be bought by anyone with enough money. There were no rock fantasy camps! Rock music was not a video game where you got to match colors with buttons on a little plastic guitar!!! Guitars were both worshipped and smashed (a fate that has befallen false deities, rambunctious gods and statues of fanatical leaders since the beginning of time!)

“Stonehenge was in danger of being trampled by dwarfs!”

Believe it or not kids-Once we were in a hurry to see stars before they ODed so we could say that we saw them instead of rushing to see them now before they go of natural causes.

“The Puppet Show gets higher billing than us! We are opening for a puppet show”

I am good with YouTube to allow access to any music of any genre at any time. I am good with bringing music with me and listening to anything I want without upsetting anyone else. If I want to crank up Lemmy and the boys doing “Ace of Spades” while mowing the lawn- in this day and age…no one can stop me.

I am also good with Pandora picking music that I don’t like based on music I like. And who can hate being able to make perfect copies of music tracks to enjoy responsibly? I am glad that we are in a different place and have no desire to return to the old days.

We can always learn to sell hats or maybe get reborn with a tour of Japan.

That was the Rock n’ Roll Dream of Spinal Tap

Instead of playing rehashed hits with one or two original members in an obsessive gluttony of nostalgia in front of fans that wish they still could be as stupid as they once were.

“We now begin a new stage in our music development- Enjoy Spinal Tap mach 2! A jazz odyssey”

We all have to grow up and looking back at yourself and having a good laugh is a good place to start.

Thank you to Nigel, Derek, David and a spontaneously combusting drummer for showing us that.

Wonder #7- “My band is playing Red Rocks!!, O.K we are something now!”

July 14, 2013March 7, 2015 ~ Cave_Guy ~ 3 Comments

Wonder #7- “My band is playing __________!!! , O.K we are something now!”

I started this list with a somewhat obscure beginning point for the origin of rock music that is as much a fable as it is truth -The Crossroads in Mississippi. And I am good with that.https://caveoffame.com/2013/02/20/the-devils-music/

I wanted to finish with a music venue that is alive and well and where rock lives right at the moment I hit the publish button.

It has to have 3 things:

1. Credibility from the past- History of Rock music supporting it.

2. Credibility right now-A band practicing in a random garage anywhere in the world might dream that one day they will play there.

3. “It makes me wonder”-It has to be a destination that makes you want to visit and worth the effort no matter if you are a fan or a musician. It holds the weight of true wonder.

There have been many places rock music has been alive…from the to the Royal Albert hall to Budokan and everything in between like: The Hollywood bowl, The Fillmore East, Monterey Fairgrounds, CBGB’s, Central Park, The Hammersmith Odeon/Apollo, Madison square Garden and The Cavern Club in Liverpool- to name a few from a large list.

You can argue if you want but this is my page and I am first to attempt this so I give you:

Wonder of Rock #7 Red Rocks

History:

The Beatles played here in 1964 and it did not sell out!

Jimi Hendrix played here.

This place truly rocks-it has rocks in its name and it is made out of rocks.

Right now:

Rolling Stone just named it best concert venue in the U.S.A

The Rolling Stones have not played here, but they are still going so it could happen.

Robert Plant played here last week.

Wonderness:

This place is friggin’ awesome (O.K I have not got here but that is how it holds in my brain!)

U2 picked this place for a concert movie/album and put it on the map for us non-believers to behold.

There is this whole ancient mystic thing…something that a place holds by itself and can’t be added in by developers.

There is a natural beauty about the setting that would make it a cool place to go even if there was no music.

Daft Punk quickly taking over the summer of 2013

June 15, 2013 ~ Cave_Guy ~ 4 Comments

Get Lucky is everywhere- causing the kids to dance and the old people to turn up the radios in their hover-rounds and move whatever still works.

Call it house or electronic or just very polished and cool dance music– it has that rare “everyone likes” quality. Cool lemonade on a hot day…it’s just what we need in troubled times. Bubbling feel-good funk is infused with Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers getting sucked into this electronic vortex of clean production.

Daft Punk are quirky arty anti-stars- they are true to their vision. This brings in the hipsters and breaks the ice with alternative rockers.

Daft Punk wear those crazy helmets and have no problem translating to the world of animation. Gamers, geeks and nerds can relate.

The techno- freaks in the clubs were already fans and have no reason to abandon their robot heroes.

Even a stodgy old rock n’ roll blogger like myself is able to get infected by these disco man/machine divas of sophisticated swag.

That must tell you something.

I encourage all classic rock fans to give up their preconceived ideas on funk , disco and electronic music and just give in to this one. You are going to be bombarded by it from everywhere anyway so why not just enjoy it? It took a few listens to wear me down, (O.K, more than a few) but it’s got me now.

And for those few die-hards (Ok, more than a few) that will argue Styx “Mr Roboto” as the ultimate rock music techno hit of all time. It is time to abandon all hope and find an 8-track player to install for your camaro ride to hell. It is over for you. You are now officially the burnt toast of a former generation.

Join everyone else and just let go- that is what music can do at its best. What is the worse that can happen?

Wonder #5, Cleveland Rocks! Alan Freed + Ian Hunter + Me-frozen like a chipmunk

June 6, 2013July 24, 2013 ~ Cave_Guy ~ 10 Comments

Wonder #5- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

A city can’t just proclaim itself worthy of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and become the real home of Rock Music and its history…just like that…something out of nothing….Going all Kevin Costner in Field of Dreams-“just build it and they will come”

Can it?

Isn’t the audacity to proclaim yourself something and then go out and do it-the whole point of Rock Music!!!

In 1951, when it did not have a name, this upstart disk jockey Alan Freed on Cleveland WJW radio named Rock and Roll. It may not have been birthed in Cleveland, but that is where it got packaged so it could take over the world. This new name rebranded R&B music and opened the door to all American kids in a big way.

We are not done yet

Cleveland Rocks is a song by Ian Hunter. Ian Hunter is Rock n Roll

Ian Hunter is not just a good Rock musician; he has gone beyond that and become the thing itself. He never got so big that he lost himself and never got so small that he became irrelevant. Endlessly skating away on the thin ice of rock music, day after day and year after year until he has produced an ocean of work. The closest example I can think is George Jones in country music because I would hear that said about him-“George is Country!”

So when Ian Hunter says Cleveland rocks-Cleveland Rocks!

Cleveland is not a glamour city and the same could be said for Liverpool –and if you go deeper, the same for a lot of the cities and places that serve as incubators for the disgruntled youth that gravitate to the outlet of rock music. Cleveland rocks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfwVfEXJhQQ

Now the Chipmunk thing

Mott the Hoople with Ian Hunter put out one of the most iconic songs in Rock music-A David Bowie song known as “All the Young Dudes”. There is a part at the end of the song where he picks out a young dude in the audience and brings him down to the stage. The only criteria for this selection- this young dude in question must be wearing glasses.

I (self proclaimed rock blogger) as a young dude went to see Ian Hunter and had good seats along with the required eye wear (which I have worn my whole life)…And when he got to this part, he pointed me out of the audience and said “You there-with the glasses- I want you” then he smiled a smug smile and kept on rocking.

I, on the other hand was frozen like the proverbial chipmunk in front of a tree. (To my European readers who have never seen this little animal freeze when approached as if that somehow makes them completely invisible and safe, when in fact, it reveals them as cute and funny little creatures…forget Disney Land and shopping at Walmart-for a taste of America-go find yourself a chipmunk!)

Anyway, that was my reaction as I became part of a rock song for one brief shining moment in time while my buddy says to me…”Hey Wayne, he’s pointing to you”.

ian-hunter — Yes- I did a cartoon…caveoffame.com

I am making The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame a Wonder

When you look at the entire list of inductees-this place gets it right most of the time. And this place willed itself into existence from nothing. What more can you ask from Rock n Roll?

The Lizard King rests…Wonder #4

May 25, 2013May 25, 2013 ~ Cave_Guy ~ 9 Comments

Making my way through the Wonders of Rock music I decided I did not want any grave sites but one nudged its way in anyway.

The grave of Jim Morrison in Paris has become a phenomenon. And is Wonder #4

It is not only rock music fans, but all get drawn to a place that holds a strange type of cultural and mystical attraction.

Why some things set fire to the imagination can’t always be explained.

The fascination that the Doors and Jim Morrison continue to hold by casting a spells on fans in different generations is operating on a different plane of consciousness than just good music.

The Doors were the first band that I went back in time to get hooked on.

I did not grow up with them. And I am not alone in this.

Maybe there is something to the 4 year old witnessing death on the highway and feeling the spirit of the Shaman enter his body. (This is in that realm of -did this really happen or did something close to it happen and the memory gets twisted and tweaked over time until the by-product drives you over the edge?… Reaching god-like superstar status just before falling off the face of the earth) I am no psychologist but writing about Jim Morrison makes you think about altered states of mind.

I will suffer Paris to visit this place.

This does not seem like a nice relaxing stroll in a friendly charming city. I see Paris as teeming with tourists combined with local residents that could care less if we tourists help subsidize the quality croissants that they consume and will not help us find. It is going to be a fight through crowds in order to spend about 15 seconds at the resting place of the most romantic and wounded spirit of Rock Music. Rock stars may not go to Paris to die but poets and artists do and Jim Morrison was all of these.

The Seven Wonders of Rock #2 and #3 The Studios

May 21, 2013 ~ Cave_Guy ~ 7 Comments

When picking studios I had two criteria that I had to meet:

They must still exist so you can visit them
They must be steeped in the epic-ness of Rock Music

And I only got seven spots; I don’t have room for a third and better choose carefully!

Here we go:

Sun Studio Memphis, Tennessee

Elvis, Jerry Lee and Johnny- Do I have to go last names?

You can argue that Sam Phillips invented Rock n Roll right here.

Memphis-this is a Rock music town!

And you can visit and take the tour.

I have not been here yet, I need to change that.

Abbey Road Studios, London

Everyone knows the zebra crossing shot of The Beatles. (I need to get in this shot without getting run over!)

The Abbey Road album stands up as an epic swan song by the fab four.

It is also the place where Pink Floyd recorded Dark Side of the Moon.

And London-Another great city of Rock Music!

I have got to start saving those nickels from bottle returns. The Cave guy needs to go on a road trip.

And I am happy to say that the “Wonders” website has been started and I will bring it out when we get all seven.