jeffreyjoemusic

I think its possible that Michael Schenker is a little frustrated with the level of fame that the Scorpions achieved. And in some ways, rightfully so.  Yes, Ulrich Roth, Matthias Jabs, and Paul Raymond are/were all fantastic guitarists in their own ways. But MS stood apart from the entire pack of Metal/Hard Rock players from then and now. Hes still more fluid, more energetic, more melodic, more rhythmic, more intense, more powerful than most. Yes the others have their strengths and magic as well. Its just that Michaels magic went unnoticed compared to the Scorpions (Michaels brothers band) and the remaining metal/ hard rock field.  I dont agree with Michael when he says that the Scorpions career was largely based off of what he was doing. Anyone can see the influence he had on Love Drive. But the Scorpions sound also changed immediately once Uli left or when Matthias joined up. I think a big part of what propelled the Scorpions (regardless of what Michael says about his in...

I went to see Dirty Honey at the Catalyst (not in the desert) this past Halloween. Of course, there were some other requirements upon the day which made arrival at the show run a tad-smidge late. I think we walked in sometime around 9pm. There had been a warmup band, which we totally missed. But upon our arrival and entrance to the venue, the floor was nearly entirely empty. There was a small gaggle of fans near the front of the stage, but plenty of room for us to squeeze right in.  The band was flawless. Nothing out of place. Sound, lights, gear, performance, costumes, hair, muscles, all in perfect form.  Yet something was still off. The crowd was odd: a strange sort of off-beat set of somebodies, people I did not quite recognize, except if perhaps they came from an underground office space somewheres. Furthermore, the Catalyst never even came close to filling beyond 25% of its capacity. During the show, I caught a guitar pick, a drum stick, and a paper airplane setlist throw...

I knew Rusty Zinn through a family member and saw many of his live shows as a result. I always marveled at Rustys ability to pretty much never play the same lick twice during a live performance. His mental musical library must be like some sort of Manhattan high-rise office building. Wtf is that?  I consider myself to be a reasonable writer and have noticed that I am good at choosing interesting, cool words and can build many different-styled sentence structures. Furthermore, I can carry through interesting viewpoints and ideas in any given note I write. However, I am NOT the Rusty Zinn of writing: Rusty is a powerhouse. I thought about this recently and realized that Rusty Zinn is rather magical on guitar. His brain is truly organized in a superior way where he is able to put together complicated and delightful strings of colorful musical phrases, ones that seem to have no end. And while hes playing the Blues, everything that he comes up with is steeped in tradition, like hes neve...

What Iggy Pop and Rudy Sarzo taught me about fashion is that fashion is superfluous when one is as fit as a fiddle.

I know a lot has already been said about what makes for good rock music, especially when it comes to what sets it apart from other musical forms. But I guess Im feeling bold and want to add my little bit to the pile. Rock and Roll has always carried an anti-establishment message, even just the sound of it was a breakaway from the novocain-induced tones of 1950s popular music, and I think this is what works most for me. I think its ultimately American in its striving for supreme individuality, its simultaneous juxtaposed communalism, and its departure from accepted practice. Elvis gyrated and the cameras (exclusively operated by men) could not help but tilt into The Kings throbbing lap in spite of the producers shrieking demands to not. Punk Rocks diving-crashing-cutting-punching cavort has always angled toward something beyond jobs, houses, babies, and groceries. I think, in spite of how captivating security and comfort can be, there is always a wildcat in us desperately wanting to tea...