BELLA DONNA In 1976 when the album Rumors came out, I was blown away. I listened to this album non stop for at least a year. I must admit I was a huge Fleetwood Mac fan before that album came out but this was different. Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing the […]
BOSTON And so the debate continues. The release of their first album in 1976 (Boston) is one of the best selling debut albums ever made with over 17 million copies sold. At that time disco may have been king but the bands guitar harmonies and solos soon made royalty. Only Guns N’ Roses had out-sold […]
The second annual Horton’s Hayride was hosted at the Port of Los Angeles, in San Pedro, California. The atmosphere of the show was geared towards the lovers of all things fast and loud. Classic cars,completed with a best in show competition, which Jim himself presented the trophy and prize money of $400 for first place. […]
VAN HALEN As it turns out, the rumors of Van Halen’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. Was it only just several weeks ago that naysayers were populating what passes for the modern-day town square — Twitter, Facebook and the comments sections of popular rock websites — pronouncing all kinds of gloom and doom about Van […]
KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD I must admit when I first heard Kenny Wayne was opening for Van Halen I was a little perplexed. But his set was electric and on point. The blues were alive that night and it was a perfect segue to Van Halen who was headlining the evening. I didn’t think the die […]
BRIAN WILSON If you were a beach bum in the 60s’ the one thing that you would assured of is that The Beach Boys could be heard blaring from every woodie parked within a mile of the coast line. The Beach Boys defined an entire culture and it wasn’t long before it reached the shores […]
KANSAS Many years ago when I first heard Kansas I was immediately drawn to their music for their sheer musicianship. The beauty of their arrangements, the vocals, the songwriting, all were amazing. I remember the last time I saw this band live was at Roosevelt Stadium in NJ in the late 70’s. I was blown away […]
I didn’t know what to expect when I showed up on assignment to cover Mindi’s show at the Del Mar Fair. My first reaction was, I must say, surprised. First off, as truth in advertising may require, I’m not much of a smooth jazz fan. However, when Mindi came out with her band, “The Boneshakers” […]
June is upon us once again, the sun is shining, the smell on sunscreen is the air, and so are the sounds of the hustle and bustle emulating from the Del Mar Fairgrounds. On June 5th, the fair festivities at the Del Mar Fairgrounds began once again, this summer’s fair theme is ‘A Fair to […]
RIDIN SOUTH Mike Reilly remembers his first Rock album – THE ALLMAN BAND (’69). And he remembers when, the following year, he bought an album that totally changed his life – Freddy King’s Getting Ready. Mike, now thirteen, was ready-ready to play the Blues. Mike was sitting in with the likes of JOE COCKER and […]