Cracker & Camper Van Beethoven - True Grit In Frisco - Gig Report

What a great way to end 2014. There's so much to tell about this show that I'm almost at a loss as to where to begin....

Let's start with the music - that is, after all, why we were all there. This is the tenth annual Christmas thru New Years jaunt through California for this tour, and the capacity crowd at The Independent in San Francisco stated quite loudly that they got it right. Both bands played headline length sets with Cracker opening the show, Camper Van Beethoven closing, then Cracker coming back for a show ending encore, and both put on shows that clearly defined why both are so revered, respected.

James Williamson - Re-Licked - Blazing Some Past Masters (The Great Lost Stooge's Album?)

While on a break from touring this year, the members of the live touring version of The Stooges (James Williamson, Steve McKay, Mike Watt, and drummer Toby Dammit) got together and recorded songs that were originally penned by Iggy Pop and James Williamson in 1973/74 as the follow up to their quintessential album Raw Power. While a number of these tracks have found their way onto inferior sounding bootlegs and unofficial releases over the years, they are never properly recorded since the band didn't have a recording deal at the time. ~ James Williamson's .com

Iggy demurred, so James went ahead and did it - people have long clamored to hear what was left over from the demise of punk rock's original legends, so we are the joyful recipients of what may have been, and it's a great trip.

Paul Raymond - 50 Years On The Boards - The Rock Guitar Daily Interview (Part I)

Paul Raymond is celebrating his golden anniversary as a professional musician, and to do so he's got a brand new career retrospective solo album, Rewind 50, another new UFO album (A Conspiracy of Stars), and tours scheduled with both bands leading well into 2015.

After fifty years on the boards, Raymond shows no signs of slowing down, and in fact, he's playing as well as ever, his singing voice has actually gotten stronger as the years have gone passing by, and he's looking great as he begins his second half century.

I caught up with Paul to discuss Rewind 50, and to catch up with the big end to 2014, so we agreed to stick with the new, and to then pick up this conversation again after the first of the year, at which time we'll focus on his long history with the legendary UFO, MSG, and the many legends attached to those classic rock institutions.

Brian May's Red Special - A Fabulous Book For Every Guitar Fan

Brian May's Red Special: The Story Of The Home-Made Guitar That Rocked Queen And The World is unquestionably the guitar book of the year.

Who knew that Brian May and his father actually built a custom winding machine with which to construct the pickups (later replaced with Burns Tri-Sonics) for the famed Red Special? Or that Brian actually let co-author Simon Bradley, and his longtime guitar technician and right hand man Pete Malandrone dismantle the Red Special for the purpose of photographing and documenting details for this spectacular book?