Sky Saxon Has Died

I love the sound of The Seeds. I'm sorry to learn that their guitar player, Sky Saxon, has died. This song is awesome!

Prince

SUPERBOWL Rehersal07 - Prince

I love most forms of music, and yes, I admit it: I love Prince. This press conference from a couple of years back proves he's still a powerful force in the universe. I've never seen anything like it. He even funks up the NFL network, no less!!

Bumble Bee

Here are two oil paintings of bumble bees I recently completed. They're each four feet by three feet, which makes the tiny little critters very impressive in all of their enlarged glory. It's the same little fellow in each. He still lives in Montreal, where I found him, but I'm sure he's forgotten me. Fickle little creatures, bumble bees.

Watchmen

After watching the new movie Watchmen today, this little bit of hilarity is a perfect counterpoint. The actual movie was great. I love the graphic novel, and the filmmakers did a great job translating it into a compelling flick. I've read and heard several bad reviews, but those critics can bite me. It was an amazing translation of the original story, and the visuals were mind blowing. All of the characters and plot lines were handled with just the right touch. Plus, I loved to see Kelly from The Bad News Bears acting again, as an adult. Of course, he was great in Breaking Away, but his role in Watchmen was just incredible: a Bad News Bear Gone Bad. Really bad. Bad but good. Really good.

Pylon

Another great guitarist is dead, this time of a heart attack. Randy Bewley died at the tender age of 53. As one of the unsung heroes of the Athens, GA, scene, from back when The B-52s and REM got most of the spotlight, Randy took a back seat to many of his contemporaries. It's a shame, because he had a cool, laid back style. This song, Danger, is a good example of his low-fi sound. RIP Mr. Bewley. I'm glad to know Pylon continued to play from the late 70s all the way until recently.

R.I.P. Kelly Groucutt of ELO

I think I'm just going to make this a place where I pay tribute to all of the great musicians who die every week now that everyone I've ever loved to listen to is getting to the age when that kind of thing happens. Every time I look at the news, somebody else who I admire has passed on to Rock & Roll Heaven. For example, the great bass player Kelly Groucutt died of a heart attack on Wednesday night at the tender age of 63. He was merely a babe! Well, when I was in Junior High, listening to my brother's radio show on WMPH-FM, Mount Pleasant High School's radio station (in Delaware), I remember calling him up to request this song, Mr. Blue Sky. It just seemed like such a nice little tune. (Dig the epic ending!) It always reminded me of a Beatles song, but since the Beatles were already done by that point, ELO served as my personal Beatles. Their albums were the soundtrack to my whole Jr. High experience. ELO wasn't exactly the coolest band out there, but I always liked how catchy their songs were ... and still are. Thanks Kelly!

R.I.P. Snooks Eaglin

Snooks died on Wednesday, down in New Orleans, where he made a name for himself as a legend while playing some great music. He has a really awesome guitar style that I've never seen before. Watch that crazy thumb of his! He picks with his thumbnail, which makes his little solos sound wild! RIP Snooks.