i understand that a lot of you don't get him
i can't type anything to change that
i've asked friends - musicians - how it makes them feel
to not get bob dylan
and it frustrates them
because all of our idols revered him
and to not dig dylan
is like not having roots
i got him early
a teenage identity and all that
no one else i hung with was on that band wagon
i went straight from kiss to dylan
i'd read about him in creem and rolling stone
before i really heard him
that's a strange way to discover a musician
his entire career has been on the road
albums done in flashes
then tours
live - he's the farthest thing from note for note
i've seen him brilliant
the ghost
ignoring the black crowd beyond the edge
pushing his band for that moment that elevates
he never talks to the crowd
not a word
but that's not true
i saw him in toronto - at the masonic temple
he came out without a guitar
and was talking up a storm
we were freaking
bob's talking to the audience
it might have been a full moon
not sure what he's doing for his birthday
probably hanging with family
i understand he owns a castle in ireland
that would be a nice place for a picnic
skipping stones across the moat
filling the cauldron's with bourbon
if you search my blog
you'll find a piece i wrote called 'my fishing trip with bob dylan'
it's the best blog i've ever written
happy birthday bob
71
and still on the road
that's gotta count for something
craig
may 24, 2011
red wine and cheesecake
Thursday, 24 May 2012
Friday, 20 April 2012
'My First Cal Experience' by Evan White
My First CAL Experience
I'm a promoter. I book shows for a living...buy a show, sell the tickets, rinse, repeat. Seems pretty formulaic to the average person and for the most part it is. People get all vacant in the eyes when I talk about promoting concerts. One of the neighborhood kids told me recently, "My dad says that your job isn't important." Ouch. Its pretty much true though in the long run though for me promoting shows has always been about passion for the music and also about discovery. Discovering new things is what makes me want to get up in the morning. Music is just in my DNA thanks to mom's record collection and her acoustic guitar.
Most days I'm bidding on comedian X or rock star Y hoping that they will pay attention to my venue while bails of money are thrown at them from all directions. Pick me! Pick me! It's just gotten so strange the way artists roll through Jersey playing 3 or 4 shows at similar venues within 30 minutes of each other. There's nothing special about it anymore and the bidding wars are nuts but I get it. If you're aging rock star Y then why not just take the cash? It's rarely fun to chase the big acts anymore...I've always gotten more enjoyment out of finding new acts, local talent, and figuring out how to give them a real opportunity.
I vaguely remember back in 2008 going to a casino in Connecticut...another scouting trip looking for interesting things to book. Scouring the net one day I found a website. There was a sample CAL radio spot. There was a band or something doing note-for-note rock recitals. This was new and unique so I was determined to check them out. It was four hours away so I dragged my wife along on the basis that a casino was involved. She listens to Top 40 and wasn't looking forward to the 90 minutes she'd have to spend listening to a band play Zeppelin covers before she could park in front of a Roulette table. I insisted. I needed her objectivity.
We sat down with some strangers in an awkward booth and waited. The seats were comped so we made up the difference in overpriced drinks. I've been a closet Zep fanatic since I was fifteen so naturally I was excited at the remote possibility that a band could pull it off. The room exploded when the band took the stage drowning out the hum of the slot machines and from the first note of Black Dog to the last note of When The Levee Breaks Zep IV was flawless. It had all the raw power and emotion, all the chops, the detail...the crowd was loving it. To me there was something really important about what CAL was doing. This is going to be a hit in Jersey. I'm a believer.
Fast forward to the present...a few years and a bunch of shows later...CAL is an established brand in Jersey.
It's March 31, 2012 and I'm standing on the side of the stage holding my acoustic guitar getting ready to play Bron-Yr-Aur with CAL. My stomach is in knots. What am I doing?!
A year ago Craig Martin somehow convinced me to get in on the act for a song. "There's this simple little tune in the middle of the Physical Graffiti album. It'd be perfect for you and might be a good press angle if you played it." Not wanting to look like a chump I agreed to do it with assumption that these were just words that would be forgotten. I was wrong. Craig means what he says...a rare quality these days. I'm rusty but I'll give it a shot.
As it turns out Craig was only half right: Bron-Yr-Aur is a very simple sounding tune but it's tricky little bugger. At least it was for me. It's the sort of perpetual motion piece that if you trip up once and lose momentum in your finger-picking you're gonna crash and burn. Gotta keep it moving. I memorized the tune pretty quickly but when it came time to really polish it up just like the recording I gained a whole new level of respect for the whole CAL army.
Aside from being some of the most downright friendly and talented people I've ever met the CAL folks care deeply about the music and that's the key. Its funny, what I've noticed over the years is that as a listener at a CAL show it's easy to lose track of how hard everyone is actually working...the counting, the dynamics, the layering, harmonies...it's amazing. Takes some serious discipline. They make it look too easy.
In The Light was wrapping up. My nerves were telling that I was completely doomed but in the end I got out there on the stage and played the Zep tune the way I felt it should be played under the CAL banner. The crowd liked it and there was applause. It was a blur and I was eager to get off stage. It was a moment that I won't forget.
Funny how an opportunity given can repay in strange ways. For me it was 2 minutes reliving the glory days.
Evan White
Program Manager
Co-Producer, Sounds of the City
New Jersey Performing Arts Center
Tuesday, 10 April 2012
The Doors
there's an ongoing conversation we have backstage and in vans
about the greatest american band
surely the eagles win
they sold the most albums
they had a long run
they checked us into hotels with them
lots of scandal and infighting to keep us reading
but most of all they wrote songs that made everyone feel like they were in a movie
but aerosmith were the coolest
as far as straight up rock 'n' roll goes
they're the only contenders
get your wings
toys
rocks
draw the line
these are proud moments for america
they were considered the american version of the stones
i never bought that
but steven always looked good in a boa
and the doors
the not so obvious choice
acid fuelled
bourbon soaked
breaking rules and looking like gods in the process
it's not until you step away from the doors
that you realize how amazing they were
while you're listening to them
you're not concerned with lists or technique
instead you're not so gently floating alongside a stream of consciousness
the movie hooked me when it came out
that was point of entry for many of us
it's not cool to admit that
we'd all rather say that we buzzed out to morrison hotel
on the week that it was released
but that's not so
it was the movie
prior to that it was apocalypse now
the movie wouldn't be the same without the doors' music
true confessions
i wore leather pants in the late 80s
we were hipped with a management company
they wanted me to be darker
like jim
darker lyrics
deeper sound
i failed miserably at the task
i left the pants in a dressing room in quebec city
never looked back
i'm too optimistic
i enjoy being around kids
nothing dark there
but i like the doors
i'm drawn to reckless abandonment
crazy artists excite me
pushing the limits of convention is something that appeals to me
i never get to do that in real life
i just like to pretend i do
and that's what the doors did
they let us pretend
they made us go deep
sure sooner or later we'd return before the spin cycle kicked in
but for that flash
we could imagine ourselves as circus performers
we've been performing the la woman album for a few years now
clifton takes the vocal
and coils it around all the seats in the theatre
when we were in melbourne florida
at the king centre
jim's hometown
you could feel an uneasiness before the show
people wondering if this was going to be another bad jim impersonation show
but we dropped oil in the water
the first note from clifton's throat
had them cheering
and grooving
and pretending that they had broken through
and it's been that way ever since
we have the doors show making a big run in the theatres
i urge the intense fan
to bring the questioning fan
and come celebrate the greatest american band's greatest album
it's an album that demands attention
it's blue
avant garde
sexy
it crawls
and attacks
and bites your soul with dark knowledge
christ
there i go again
trying to be like jim
and failing miserably
craig
april 10, 2011 (the nine year anniversary of CAL)
beer with whiskey chasers
about the greatest american band
surely the eagles win
they sold the most albums
they had a long run
they checked us into hotels with them
lots of scandal and infighting to keep us reading
but most of all they wrote songs that made everyone feel like they were in a movie
but aerosmith were the coolest
as far as straight up rock 'n' roll goes
they're the only contenders
get your wings
toys
rocks
draw the line
these are proud moments for america
they were considered the american version of the stones
i never bought that
but steven always looked good in a boa
and the doors
the not so obvious choice
acid fuelled
bourbon soaked
breaking rules and looking like gods in the process
it's not until you step away from the doors
that you realize how amazing they were
while you're listening to them
you're not concerned with lists or technique
instead you're not so gently floating alongside a stream of consciousness
the movie hooked me when it came out
that was point of entry for many of us
it's not cool to admit that
we'd all rather say that we buzzed out to morrison hotel
on the week that it was released
but that's not so
it was the movie
prior to that it was apocalypse now
the movie wouldn't be the same without the doors' music
true confessions
i wore leather pants in the late 80s
we were hipped with a management company
they wanted me to be darker
like jim
darker lyrics
deeper sound
i failed miserably at the task
i left the pants in a dressing room in quebec city
never looked back
i'm too optimistic
i enjoy being around kids
nothing dark there
but i like the doors
i'm drawn to reckless abandonment
crazy artists excite me
pushing the limits of convention is something that appeals to me
i never get to do that in real life
i just like to pretend i do
and that's what the doors did
they let us pretend
they made us go deep
sure sooner or later we'd return before the spin cycle kicked in
but for that flash
we could imagine ourselves as circus performers
we've been performing the la woman album for a few years now
clifton takes the vocal
and coils it around all the seats in the theatre
when we were in melbourne florida
at the king centre
jim's hometown
you could feel an uneasiness before the show
people wondering if this was going to be another bad jim impersonation show
but we dropped oil in the water
the first note from clifton's throat
had them cheering
and grooving
and pretending that they had broken through
and it's been that way ever since
we have the doors show making a big run in the theatres
i urge the intense fan
to bring the questioning fan
and come celebrate the greatest american band's greatest album
it's an album that demands attention
it's blue
avant garde
sexy
it crawls
and attacks
and bites your soul with dark knowledge
christ
there i go again
trying to be like jim
and failing miserably
craig
april 10, 2011 (the nine year anniversary of CAL)
beer with whiskey chasers
Thursday, 29 March 2012
Kids Today
there's no clear answers
i'm quite sure that i'll be messing up my kids
no matter what i do
the mandate is to just be there
as much as possible
let them know i care
and that they're loved
but why oh why
can i not control the music they listen to?
my oldest boy loves weezer and aerosmith and ac/dc
but he's been drifting towards rap and some pop songs
i put the pop station on in the car
he knows all the songs
the little one
he likes anything that pumps
rap
we blast it together
it's fun
but i try to counter it with some beatles
nouns and colours and orchestration
he listens
but if i switch over to a rap song
the change is instant
he likes to rap along
and moves while doing it
my brady daughters have evolved
they're a little bit older
one day the young one loves bon iver
and the pop stuff is forgotten like cotton candy lip gloss
the older one wants something real
and broadway tunes
as long as it's smart
she likes it
but none of them have gone through a zeppelin phase yet
years ago i worked as a journalist
i emailed all the politicians about their music choices
and what that says about their campaigns
the answers were telling
none of them went through a zeppelin phase
consequently none of them are in office today
clearly there is a scientific connection here
based on my collected empirical data
as the founder of a company
i'm always adjusting the rabbit ears
looking for the heir apparent
my kids have been dragged through countless backstages
they've handed musicians guitars at sound checks
they've sat alongside me during radio interviews
they've traveled to florida and taken part in the hard rock live experience
and still they're completely nonplussed
we do art day from time to time
we cover the table in a sheet
dump art supplies
put on Q107
and just make art
the other day my ad for the queen show comes on the radio
i always get excited when my ad comes on
not the boys
the older one continues to paint
without missing a beat
zero acknowledgement
dad's on the radio!
nada
the younger one hesitates for just a second
looks at me out of the corner of his eye for a flash of a second
and goes back to colouring
i have a cool job
but not really
it's just a job to my kids
i'm still a nerd to them
next week we perform sgt pepper with the mississauga symphony
i'm forcing them to go
and i'm going to quiz them on different aspects of the show
that's the plan
it'll work
they'll embrace classic rock
and want to take over my company in 20 years
and keep the spirit and discipline alive
because without the dna factor
it won't work
my reoccurring nightmare
is years from now
after i've been eaten by polar bears
my kids are sitting around a boardroom table
discussing shows
and one of them says 'katy perry had a big album in the 2011'
craig
march 29, 2012
drinking heavily
i'm quite sure that i'll be messing up my kids
no matter what i do
the mandate is to just be there
as much as possible
let them know i care
and that they're loved
but why oh why
can i not control the music they listen to?
my oldest boy loves weezer and aerosmith and ac/dc
but he's been drifting towards rap and some pop songs
i put the pop station on in the car
he knows all the songs
the little one
he likes anything that pumps
rap
we blast it together
it's fun
but i try to counter it with some beatles
nouns and colours and orchestration
he listens
but if i switch over to a rap song
the change is instant
he likes to rap along
and moves while doing it
my brady daughters have evolved
they're a little bit older
one day the young one loves bon iver
and the pop stuff is forgotten like cotton candy lip gloss
the older one wants something real
and broadway tunes
as long as it's smart
she likes it
but none of them have gone through a zeppelin phase yet
years ago i worked as a journalist
i emailed all the politicians about their music choices
and what that says about their campaigns
the answers were telling
none of them went through a zeppelin phase
consequently none of them are in office today
clearly there is a scientific connection here
based on my collected empirical data
as the founder of a company
i'm always adjusting the rabbit ears
looking for the heir apparent
my kids have been dragged through countless backstages
they've handed musicians guitars at sound checks
they've sat alongside me during radio interviews
they've traveled to florida and taken part in the hard rock live experience
and still they're completely nonplussed
we do art day from time to time
we cover the table in a sheet
dump art supplies
put on Q107
and just make art
the other day my ad for the queen show comes on the radio
i always get excited when my ad comes on
not the boys
the older one continues to paint
without missing a beat
zero acknowledgement
dad's on the radio!
nada
the younger one hesitates for just a second
looks at me out of the corner of his eye for a flash of a second
and goes back to colouring
i have a cool job
but not really
it's just a job to my kids
i'm still a nerd to them
next week we perform sgt pepper with the mississauga symphony
i'm forcing them to go
and i'm going to quiz them on different aspects of the show
that's the plan
it'll work
they'll embrace classic rock
and want to take over my company in 20 years
and keep the spirit and discipline alive
because without the dna factor
it won't work
my reoccurring nightmare
is years from now
after i've been eaten by polar bears
my kids are sitting around a boardroom table
discussing shows
and one of them says 'katy perry had a big album in the 2011'
craig
march 29, 2012
drinking heavily
Wednesday, 21 March 2012
Hotel California (reprise)
i like this blog
i wrote it when i first started blogging
it reads nice
and spirits me with the upcoming hotel california show in LA
and for the record
we will be staying in a hotel in california
craig
just back from a heavy night in jersey
we did the hotel california album
tough album
we first took it on 7 years ago
we thought it was going to be campfire songs
but no
the album immediately began kicking our asses
i remember this funny thing one of the cats in the eagles were talking about
they said that they had all the fancy cars
exotic houses
a private jet
tons of drugs
everything they wanted
and then they released hotel california
there's some funny skits by a comedian named bill hicks
he goes on about how all the music we loved
was made by guys fucked up on drugs
now don't get me wrong
i'm not a drug advocate
but this is a valid statement
and i get this sense from the eagles
but
whatever you want to say about them
they made a perfect album
and there's only a handful of artists in the world that can make that claim
hotel california sounds like a sun setting
listen to 'pretty maids all in a row'
it's the joe walsh track
the beauty of this song is the restraint
the song is slow
with a groove that sets slowly
when we do this song live
rob phillips sings with grace
i know we all rush towards 'life in the fast lane' and the title track
but this gem is a song that any serious music lover should seek out
'new kid in town' is a massively complex song
i don't understand how frey got around to writing this song
it twists and turns and there are layer after layer of creamy vocals
i kissed my first girl to this song
i was glad when it won grammy of the year back in 1856
'wasted time' is the song that we relive bad relationships to
this is henley baring it all
the drugs had turned
the money was meaningless
someone - maybe stevie nicks - took his heart from his chest and slap chopped it
(note that stevie nicks wrote 'sara' about henley - the key line "when you build your house - call me)
i can't move when i hear this song
nick hildyard sings it when we perform it
it's strange because nicky owns the zep when he sings it
it's his signature within CAL
but he sings henley perfect
he's able to find the depth of the lyrics and force them into your being
he destroys me when he does 'wasted time' live
bands like the eagles go down with the sun
that's their role
not to overplay
not to overkill
not to over market
but to go down with grace
and soar another day
craig martin
march 20, 2011
11:50 pm - sipping whiskey
i wrote it when i first started blogging
it reads nice
and spirits me with the upcoming hotel california show in LA
and for the record
we will be staying in a hotel in california
craig
just back from a heavy night in jersey
we did the hotel california album
tough album
we first took it on 7 years ago
we thought it was going to be campfire songs
but no
the album immediately began kicking our asses
i remember this funny thing one of the cats in the eagles were talking about
they said that they had all the fancy cars
exotic houses
a private jet
tons of drugs
everything they wanted
and then they released hotel california
there's some funny skits by a comedian named bill hicks
he goes on about how all the music we loved
was made by guys fucked up on drugs
now don't get me wrong
i'm not a drug advocate
but this is a valid statement
and i get this sense from the eagles
but
whatever you want to say about them
they made a perfect album
and there's only a handful of artists in the world that can make that claim
hotel california sounds like a sun setting
listen to 'pretty maids all in a row'
it's the joe walsh track
the beauty of this song is the restraint
the song is slow
with a groove that sets slowly
when we do this song live
rob phillips sings with grace
i know we all rush towards 'life in the fast lane' and the title track
but this gem is a song that any serious music lover should seek out
'new kid in town' is a massively complex song
i don't understand how frey got around to writing this song
it twists and turns and there are layer after layer of creamy vocals
i kissed my first girl to this song
i was glad when it won grammy of the year back in 1856
'wasted time' is the song that we relive bad relationships to
this is henley baring it all
the drugs had turned
the money was meaningless
someone - maybe stevie nicks - took his heart from his chest and slap chopped it
(note that stevie nicks wrote 'sara' about henley - the key line "when you build your house - call me)
i can't move when i hear this song
nick hildyard sings it when we perform it
it's strange because nicky owns the zep when he sings it
it's his signature within CAL
but he sings henley perfect
he's able to find the depth of the lyrics and force them into your being
he destroys me when he does 'wasted time' live
bands like the eagles go down with the sun
that's their role
not to overplay
not to overkill
not to over market
but to go down with grace
and soar another day
craig martin
march 20, 2011
11:50 pm - sipping whiskey
Sunday, 11 March 2012
Bruce Springsteen's 'Wrecking Ball'
i love the album
love it
i feel like it's about time i write a bad review
but i can't
i think that more than any other classic rock artist
bruce has continually moved forward with his songwriting and production
i was tepid devils and dust
and the rising
but magic
working on a dream
and wrecking ball
those are 3 incredible records
he's got a sharp trigger finger on the pulse of the public
he's never forgotten who he is
he's sixty plus
and he's taking his life
and using it as a broadcast beacon
sure he's got a ton of cash and fame etc.
but none of us fans ever saw him embracing the privilege
he's about the art
the writing
he documents
and like i've said in previous blogs
his work is more important to a nation
than anything yeats or keats ever put out
there's this one part in the title song
where he just keeps singing 'hard times come and hard times go'
and at that moment your very own life flashes in front of your eyes
i can't think of any other piece of art that i've had contact with in the past five years
that ignites such a mindset
the performance on fallon was telling
big man free
the logical choice was an entire horn section
the performance showed him fit and ready
new songs
new vision
let's go
a lovely side note to the fallon performance
was seeing cal fan - vanessa - up on stage dancing alongside the entire audience
there was a hey jude vibe to it
if you're not a springsteen fan
this album won't win you over
it's not for you
but for the rest of us
who want a pound of substance in every down beat
bruce delivers again
bring on the tour
the world is a better place with him darting about in it
craig
march 12, 2012
coke and peanuts
ps. i wrote this review for the forum
would love for folks to sign up and join us there!
love it
i feel like it's about time i write a bad review
but i can't
i think that more than any other classic rock artist
bruce has continually moved forward with his songwriting and production
i was tepid devils and dust
and the rising
but magic
working on a dream
and wrecking ball
those are 3 incredible records
he's got a sharp trigger finger on the pulse of the public
he's never forgotten who he is
he's sixty plus
and he's taking his life
and using it as a broadcast beacon
sure he's got a ton of cash and fame etc.
but none of us fans ever saw him embracing the privilege
he's about the art
the writing
he documents
and like i've said in previous blogs
his work is more important to a nation
than anything yeats or keats ever put out
there's this one part in the title song
where he just keeps singing 'hard times come and hard times go'
and at that moment your very own life flashes in front of your eyes
i can't think of any other piece of art that i've had contact with in the past five years
that ignites such a mindset
the performance on fallon was telling
big man free
the logical choice was an entire horn section
the performance showed him fit and ready
new songs
new vision
let's go
a lovely side note to the fallon performance
was seeing cal fan - vanessa - up on stage dancing alongside the entire audience
there was a hey jude vibe to it
if you're not a springsteen fan
this album won't win you over
it's not for you
but for the rest of us
who want a pound of substance in every down beat
bruce delivers again
bring on the tour
the world is a better place with him darting about in it
craig
march 12, 2012
coke and peanuts
ps. i wrote this review for the forum
would love for folks to sign up and join us there!
Sunday, 4 March 2012
Queen
here's a peek at the program copy i wrote for the queen show
at massey hall
in toronto
on saturday april 14
2012
well worth the drive
or the plane ticket
but i digress
please forgive the proper punctuation
and i really didn't mean anything derogatory about coldplay
(that comment was edited out)
Queen. What a perfect name for the band. We've come to just accept Queen. But back in 1973 when they began - they were a left turn for the music business - innovators in silk slacks with an arsenal of layered sounds and songs. Everyone paid attention. And still does. Pull out some of the early albums and listen to the music. It's a bit crazy. Somewhat manic. Frenzied with ports in the storm that soothe. And they were so young. Men in their twenties - putting all of their mojo into the music - as though their lives depended on it. I just don't get that feeling from today's artists. Ya think Coldplay slaves and sweats - foregoing common sense and urgency in order to get a sound that defines greatness? I don't.
Everybody overlooks Freddie's piano playing. He's a genius. We concentrate on his firework vocals and the flash of his personality. But alongside that was a committed musician who spent 10,000 hours honing his craft. The chording on "Bohemian Rhapsody' flows without rules. I've been scouting through old reviews and articles and never once does anyone mention his piano playing. I understand that his ashes were scattered. So next time you hear the lyric "anyway the wind blows" and you're outside and it's a tad breezy - make sure to thank Freddie for his piano playing.
Brian May's guitar sound is a direct result of the life he lives. He's an astrophysicist. It's true. And his guitar playing sounds…cosmic. He plays like he spent his formative years staring at the sky. Once he picked up a guitar, it was as though he used it to talk to the skies. If you look closely at some of the online photos of him - you can see a small satellite lodged in his hair. He's a master musician with the touch of a child. Perfect.
When we first tackled the 'Night at the Opera' album - one word that kept coming up was 'more'. More singers. More guitars. More harmonies. More money. Note for note is expensive when Queen is involved. There have been so many productions and tributes honouring the band, but nothing comes close to what we're about to do. At last count we'll have 44 musicians on stage. This includes a choir. I was a bit frenzied at rehearsals. More. More. Bigger. Thicker. Louder. More. The show at Massey Hall will not only be note for note - cut for cut, it will be perfect. Historic. And at times funny. Because like most British bands - their sense of humour was always in tact.
Classic Albums Live will perform Queen's 'Night at the Opera' at Massey Hall. Now that's what I call a threesome.
at massey hall
in toronto
on saturday april 14
2012
well worth the drive
or the plane ticket
but i digress
please forgive the proper punctuation
and i really didn't mean anything derogatory about coldplay
(that comment was edited out)
Queen. What a perfect name for the band. We've come to just accept Queen. But back in 1973 when they began - they were a left turn for the music business - innovators in silk slacks with an arsenal of layered sounds and songs. Everyone paid attention. And still does. Pull out some of the early albums and listen to the music. It's a bit crazy. Somewhat manic. Frenzied with ports in the storm that soothe. And they were so young. Men in their twenties - putting all of their mojo into the music - as though their lives depended on it. I just don't get that feeling from today's artists. Ya think Coldplay slaves and sweats - foregoing common sense and urgency in order to get a sound that defines greatness? I don't.
Everybody overlooks Freddie's piano playing. He's a genius. We concentrate on his firework vocals and the flash of his personality. But alongside that was a committed musician who spent 10,000 hours honing his craft. The chording on "Bohemian Rhapsody' flows without rules. I've been scouting through old reviews and articles and never once does anyone mention his piano playing. I understand that his ashes were scattered. So next time you hear the lyric "anyway the wind blows" and you're outside and it's a tad breezy - make sure to thank Freddie for his piano playing.
Brian May's guitar sound is a direct result of the life he lives. He's an astrophysicist. It's true. And his guitar playing sounds…cosmic. He plays like he spent his formative years staring at the sky. Once he picked up a guitar, it was as though he used it to talk to the skies. If you look closely at some of the online photos of him - you can see a small satellite lodged in his hair. He's a master musician with the touch of a child. Perfect.
When we first tackled the 'Night at the Opera' album - one word that kept coming up was 'more'. More singers. More guitars. More harmonies. More money. Note for note is expensive when Queen is involved. There have been so many productions and tributes honouring the band, but nothing comes close to what we're about to do. At last count we'll have 44 musicians on stage. This includes a choir. I was a bit frenzied at rehearsals. More. More. Bigger. Thicker. Louder. More. The show at Massey Hall will not only be note for note - cut for cut, it will be perfect. Historic. And at times funny. Because like most British bands - their sense of humour was always in tact.
Classic Albums Live will perform Queen's 'Night at the Opera' at Massey Hall. Now that's what I call a threesome.
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