"I Want To Sound Just Like Hendrix." Rock Ain't Near Dead, But We Sure Could Use Some New Heroes

I'm guessing that in all his 27 years, Jimi never once said that he'd like to sound just like anyone. I hear many influences in Hendrix's playing - there's his Curtis Mayfield-inspired chordal work, the Albert King bends, even some Wes Montgomery in the mix, but I think we can all agree that in the end, he sounded only like Jimi.

In the last few days I've heard several interesting discussions on the legacy of Hendrix - at a time when we sure could use a few new guitar heroes. I sat enthralled listening to session guitar legend/producer Bob Kulick (KISS, Meatloaf, Lou Reed, Diana Ross) discuss seeing Jimi when he was still Jimmy James at the Cafe Wha? in New York City, and how it changed his life at 15. I heard my pal at 65amps, Dan Boul explain that no matter where you set the knobs on his exquisite rock 'n' roll machines, you can capture tones, but you still not only won't, but shouldn't sound like Hendrix. Then yesterday afternoon I had an interesting discussion concerning the fact of Hendrix's left-handed playing - did it make him unique by its very nature, and difficult for righties to comprehend and co-opt? Did it even make Jimi approach the instrument in a different fashion?

I've also been witness to some great discussions concerning the question as to the current state of rock 'n' roll. For the umpteenth time, some have again even proclaimed rock to be dead.

What with America being up in arms over Miley Cyrus at the VMAs, or the near complete absence of anything on the Billboard charts resembling a true guitar hero, I'm wondering where it's all gone wrong and what if anything can be done - has rock guitar, and by association rock 'n' roll virtually been played out?

Who was the last universally acknowledged guitar hero? I see and hear a lot of guys making great music and playing great guitar, but I can't say that anyone stands poised to be the next Eddie Van Halen. I go to the example of Eddie because I was there - I remember like it was yesterday that day when I heard VH's You Really Got Me, and I knew there was a new sheriff in town. Since then the metal guys, Dimebag Darrell Abbott and Zakk Wylde and shred kings Steve Vai and Joe Satriani all did noble work putting asses in seats, selling guitars and amps, and inspiring their fans, but alas here we sit today waiting for a new savior of sorts.

Lately, I've taken to using the phrase "Rock Ain't Near Dead." Even going to the extreme of capitalization to emphasize my feelings - I've heard more good rock in the last twelve months than I have perhaps in the last ten years.  But as great as that is, I still don't see a beacon shining towards anyone who can up the ante to the point where not just record and ticket sales can increase, and also bolster the sales of shiny new guitars and amps.

Mind you, those guitars and amps have never been better. Whether it's the brilliant work of the boutique amp builder and luthiers, or companies that are both behemoth and ubiquitous (a friend who has worked in music instrument retailing for a great many years just told me that Fender quality control and customer service appears to be better than ever), guitars and amps have never been better built, nor has there ever been more options for the player. Whether you're a metal maven or a blues guru, there are endless and fantastic options.

So - what's the problem?

Well, maybe there isn't one. I know times are tough - I know that Avenged Sevenfold is going to top the Billboard Rock Album charts with 170,000 copies sold in its first week, and that fifteen years ago Queensryche may well have sold 500,000 in a week and not even topped the charts. I realize that the streaming problem is not going away anytime soon and that the artist's share of the pie is dwindling. Guitar and amp sales are down - none of this is great news, but I see this as evolution more than the road to extinction.

The music industry is being reinvented one day at a time - I have spoken with friends in the last week who are starting in-house small batch boutique record labels and management groups, reinventing guitar amps as we know them, and even yes, opening large recording facilities. There's even distant talk of stereo tube components becoming not just available, but affordable, and the concept of music actually sounding good again is very exciting. After a generation of kids thinking that ear buds and mp3s sound like music, I see this in much the same light as the Monsanto vs. organic plight. If you have trouble seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, or you're thinking that light might just be a train, remember where the music industry was just before John, Paul, George, and Ringo became The Beatles.

"If you build it, He will come." Faith is hard to find, and sometimes even harder to hold onto, but it is essential. It's much like the old saying - "Whether you think you can, or can't, you're probably right."

The essence is to never give up, to never quit. Instead of complaining, or bitching about the VMAs, focus on some new piece of music you like, or maybe even go make some of your own. Now is the time for expansion - for reaching out and realizing that it's not up to the world, it's up to you. We can't change the past, and even the future is tenuous, but what we can do is control our own efforts and what comes from us. If there's something you've wanted to do, but haven't had the time, energy, or faith in yourself to step up and do it, now is the time to drop the fears, drop the worries, and to plunge ahead. What is there to lose?

The new Hendrix? Well, he may be just around the next bend, or maybe it's the new Beatles.

In the meantime, I'm watching some new heroes at work - building things, starting things, being willing to go forth boldly into a world that seems unyielding and difficult. Not watching the news, but going forward with their head down and their ears back. Some will succeed and some will fail, but it's important to keep in mind that we can't control results - we can only control our efforts, and how we respond to results. These are the true measure and where we will find growth.

If we are all doing what we can, then the universe can perhaps go with our flow and a new Jimi may be made possible.

But bringing this semi-full circle, it may be best that you not wish to sound "Just like Hendrix." It's great to educate yourself on Hendrix, immerse yourself in his style, and find out how he achieved his sounds - that's certainly a part of becoming a musician. I'm guessing that I could take almost any decent guitar and amp, and come close enough to Jimi's signature sounds and learn all I need to learn about sounding like Hendrix. I'm guessing that would be true for most of us.

The key may be in doing what Hendrix did - he learned his craft, paid his dues, and then he took off in his own direction. Maybe part of the key lies in what we are each bringing to the table. What's your direction?

68-75 - Don't Say I Didn't Tell Ya - Real Rock Played Right

68-75 appears to be the latest rock sensation to emerge from the deep south of America - to be exact they hail from Atlanta, Georgia, which isn't the first city I think of when I think of rock 'n' roll hotbeds, but I will say that when Atlanta unleashes rock on the world it's generally pretty great, and that's certainly the case with this bunch.

Atlanta has been responsible for the birth of such acts as Mother's Finest back in the seventies, The Black Crowes, and The Georgia Satellites in the eighties and nineties, and even my amp building buddies of 65amps (Dan Boul and Peter Stroud of the Sheryl Crow Band) hail from the Georgia capitol - the city seems to reach deep when it does deliver, and 68-75 seem to be the current Kings of the Hill.

Suzanne Sledge is no new kid on the block, in fact, her band's EP Sanctified is a re-release recorded back in 2002 when Sanctified was the band's name. Mind you, Sledge and her axe wielding sidekick, Andrew Cylar haven't lost a step with their latest self-titled EP. The two records could easily have been recorded in the same session - great rock is like that, timeless and immortal. 

Sledge claims as references such acts as Terry Reid, Humble Pie, Stone The Crows, and I can attest that her music sounds as if it would have fit right in on any great seventies compilation. Her soulful singing will grab you by the throat and keep you engaged as Cylar's riffing manages to remind me of a hundred great players without ever stealing a lick - this bunch sounds more like contemporaries than imitators, and that usually separates the wheat from the chafe.

I spoke with Sledge recently from her Atlanta home, and it appears that the band is getting noticed in the UK - my friends at Classic Rock Magazine had the good sense to include the band on their Metamorphosis compilation CD included in their August 2013 issue (Kings of Chaos on the cover). My advice to the band is to get a full length album finished as soon as possible, play as many shows as possible, and get their asses on a boat for next season touring season in Europe and the UK. 

Camel's Back is the band's latest track https://soundcloud.com/6875rocks/camels-back , and it's a classic hard rock stomper that will have you thinking Page and Company as Sledge and Cylar confidently swagger across the grooves. An album full of material couldn't fail - hard rock seems to be regaining ground after a few years in the doldrums and 68-75 fits nicely in my current mix along side such strong contenders as The Temperance Movement, Scorpion Child, The Winery Dogs, Pinnick Gales Pridgen, JD Simo - a great year for hard rock debuts, indeed.

In fact, if were my call to make, I'd partner up 68-75 with a strong producer, go into the studio and re-record both Eps, all the new material they have in the bank and unleash it to the world as a package. I'm a big fan of albums - I know kids are into buying a track here, a track there, but real rock fans buy records. Both of their EPs sound quite like the same band, there's no disguising Sledge and Cylar's product - to have it all in one package would be to have a great package.

Suzanne Sledge is a star you just don't know yet - she eats, sleeps, lives, writes, and sings great rock 'n' roll - I'm not going to get into comparing her to this or that female vocalist, she's her own person, and to hang tags on her would just be me being lazy. If you had heard her at Woodstock in '69, she'd be a famous legend and that's exactly what she should be today.

I haven't mentioned the rhythm section of drummer Matt Kotheimer and bassist Steve McPeeks, but they lay it down in classic fashion - the backbeat is always exactly where you want to find it, and the basslines propel properly - check it out, and see.

All good rock seems to be similar in it's speaking to 'universal struggles, loser's luck, and those rare moments of personal deliverance,' as Sledge says, and I have to agree. There's not much new under the sun, but anytime I hear rock done this well, and with this much talent and passion, I'm hooked. 

There was a time in which this band would have created bidding wars amongst huge labels, and a million bucks may have been spent before the first record's release - these aren't those times, but I still see grand times ahead for 68-75....

Mott The Hoople Enters The Golden Age of Rock 'N' Roll - Is It Time For A Full Reunion?

As the days grow shorter and seasons pass, isn't it a great time to give back to the fans what they have given for so long? Rock 'N' Roll has grown up, and many great bands are reuniting for last go arounds, and the best of them are being inclusionary in bringing back ex-members and giving their fans the gifts of seeing a panoramic glimpse of cherished histories.

Of course, the return of Bill Wyman and Mick Taylor certainly made The Rolling Stones 2013 Tours more interesting for their fans, and the band seemed all smiles during these cameo appearances, as well. Even the famously fractious Eagles are having back ex-multi instrumentalist Bernie Leadon for their 2013 History of the Eagles Tour (and would have included former bassist/vocalist Randy Meisner had he not been of ill-health).

It's always uncomfortable when there are breakups and leavings taken by well loved members of any musical aggregations, but time is a great healer, and I'm one who feels that it's best to forgive, forget, move on, and remember what was good about our past assignations.

No band has ever been more, or better loved by its fans than England's Mott The Hoople - they've not been a band since 1974, but they still are the topic of many daily deposits on Internet fan sites, and lead singer Ian Hunter's website features one of the best behaved and beloved forums on the Web.

Nowadays, these discussions are fiery with opinions on the band's latest reunion tour, a brief five gig affair to be held across England in November 2013. The point of discourse focuses on two members who were notably not invited to the band's first reunion in 2009, and seem to have escaped invite for this sojourn, also.

The members are guitarist Ariel Bender, and keyboard wiz Morgan Fisher - they joined the band late in the group's history, but they were witness to the band's greatest successes and became rock 'n' roll legends during their stay. Bender played his way right out of the band with excessive drinking and a reported inability to get it together in the studio, though few would argue with his amazing performances on both the band's last studio album, The Hoople, or his astonishing performance on the Mott Live record (partially recorded on the first ever rock 'n' roll shows on Broadway in The Big Apple). Fisher brought a polish to the band that was most welcome - again, his performances on the same final two records are held in incredible esteem by the band's loving audience. Bender's extreme histrionics balanced wonderfully with Fisher's grand piano exploits, and Mott The Hoople were set to graduate to Madison Square Garden when frontman Ian Hunter pulled the plug, exiting stage left with ex-Spider From Mars guitarist Mick Ronson, who had briefly emerged as Mott's last guitarist - perhaps saving himself from a lifestyle he found lacking.

The discussions between the fans seem evenly pitched, with some saying that only the original five members should take the stage as Mott, and the other half arguing vociferously that Bender and Fisher have been in exile more than long enough, and are more than deserving of sharing the stage with their fellow Hooples.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Ariel Bender (real name, Luther Grosvenor, though the two will argue with me on even this) in 2012, and he had this to say:

"I think I joined Mott The Hoople at their biggest and most successful time! The band was much more successful when Ariel was in the band! It was never a problem being compared to Mick (Ralphs), as we were friends. Mick couldn't give a damn if people said that Ariel was better, and Ariel couldn't give a damn if people said Mick was better!"

Concerning the 2009 reunion, Bender looked at it rather comically, and philosophically, as he tends to do:

"At first I did not know anything about it, then I thought I would have been included. I was upset at the time, but did not understand that they wanted to do it with the original members. I think it would have made for a better show, more wholesome, to have included the later members. There has been a lot of feedback from fans who were disappointed that Ariel was not included.  

"Ariel always thought that Ian thought that Ariel might steal the show again, hahaha!"

Both Bender and Fisher have stated that they would be very happy to be included in any future reunion shows, but there seems to be a reluctance from the original five members to either include them, or to even say why they would not be included.
I will certainly state that I am not privy to any information concerning the whys, or why nots of this situation, but I must say that as a huge fan of the band for 40 years, I would give my eye teeth to see a full blown reunion involving all surviving members of Mott The Hoople. Their story is one of rock's greatest tales and to see it played out onstage would be a proper cap to their history, and a more than wonderful payoff for their incredibly loyal fans.

The reasons for an incomplete reunion are unknown, and perhaps unknowable. Is it petty, or grand, I cannot say - but, I can say that if there is justice in the universe called rock 'n' roll, a complete reunion including all members that ever tread the boards as a member, and that also includes touring keyboardist Blue Weaver.

I see little chance of one lineup, or another getting short shrift, or any upset as a result of having up these beloved members one more time - Mott fans most generally revere every member - sure, some came to the party early and some late, but all generally agree that the only bad thing that ever came of Mott The Hoople was its end.

As a beaming fan of fifteen, I remember hating hearing that Ralphs had quit the band after falling into bad company, but I was equally thrilled to experience the rock magnificence that Bender/Grosvenor brought. Verden Allen also opted out, and his replacement turned into just another fabulous facet of the diamond in the rough that was Mott when Morgan Fisher signed on.

C'mon fellas - bury the hatchets, put away the past and any continuing pains, and welcome back a couple of guys who also lived through to tell the tale. Perhaps Dale 'Buffin' Griffin can no longer tread the boards, but let's see those boards shine once more with the entire tale of Mott The Hoople.

Can you imagine a better ending than Ralphs and Bender blazing their glories, while Allen's organ grinds and Fisher's piano tinkles? I can't. Not for the life of me.

It was The Golden Age of Rock 'N' Roll. Roll Away The Stone and bring the boys back home.

Scorpion Child - A Most Auspicious Debut

Scorpion Child are having a helluva year - in addition to releasing their first album, the Austin, Texas based riff rockers are getting set to headline a month of tour dates with Mothership, Gypsyhawk, Wilson, and Nuclear Blast label mates Kadavar - just days after completing the Rockstar Mayhem Tour, not to mention a slate of earlier dates with the legendary Clutch. A helluva year.

Everything I read about Scorpion Child focuses on trying to compare the band to this or that seventies sensation, when in fact, what should be talked about is how tight and together this hard rock troop is, and the skill set on display across their debut.

Clearly the instant star is singer Aryn Jonathan Black - and that's not a completely unfair declaration, as the guy has tremendous chops and a very distinctive voice, and he sings like every note may be his last. The rest of the band is razor sharp and on point. This is great album rock with real arrangements that keeps you involved and entertained. They've honed this material to the point where it stands proudly next to any of their distant forefathers first albums. I'm thrilled to hear a debut that rocks with this much confidence. I've been running around a lot lately and spouting out the mantra that 'Rock Ain't Near Dead,' and this is solid evidence. As good a debut as this is, though, it's their next that I can't wait to hear - just a hunch.

These guys are just the next excellent hard rock band in line - instead of trying to draw comparisons, I'll stick to just pointing out that this bunch have to a very large degree mastered the form. Writing great riffs like that of the album's lead single, Polygon of Eyes, is no simple feat - especially 40 years into the topic, but Scorpion Child has two guitarists, lead player Chris Cowart and rhythmist Tom 'The Mole' Frank, who are steeped in the skill. I will say that I hear some Schenker Brother style lockstep Germanic tendencies in the band's insistent riffing, a tendency that agrees with me mightily.

King's Highway opens the album, and while I can't deny that it's a great tune, they may have thrown one of their less derivative tunes on as an opener - they may have squelched some of the Robert Plant/Zeppelin comparisons I'm reading too often. However, again, that's me being too damned picky - any album that starts off this well has a place in my heart, and on my machine. Yeah, there won't be many albums this year that do this music any better.

The aforementioned Polygon of Eyes is one of the best debut singles by a hard rock band I've heard in ages - it's unapologetically hooky and while you have a good idea where it's going, you still can't wait to hear it get there, and when it gets there, you're all smiles. These guys have to be having a lot of fun with this stuff. Drummer Shawn Alvear is a very musical hammer, and bassist Shaun Avants is delightfully nimble fingered - this is a rhythm section that understands that to swing is better than to plod. This struts with a grand swagger.

The swing and swagger continues with The Secret Spot a phalanx of great rock memories come and go across the grooves. Alvear proves the dictum, that 'without a great drummer you're nothing' - he plays with amazing confidence and without fear. He leads the band into Salvation Slave and the band gets slinkier and funkier along with the trademark rock - the guitarists sound huge when they slam chords on the chorus, and when they separate at funky breakpoints they sound like they listen to one another very closely. The solo section/pyschedelic breakdown on the tune's backside works wonderfully. Stunning musical maturity for a debut in 2013.

Liquor is a straight ahead cautionary tale of the bottle, and they sound like they know from where they speak - Black sings with the same conviction I hear in the voice of The Temperance Movement's Phil Campbell. 'Rock Ain't Near Dead, indeed. There are some great young frontmen busting out after decades of shoe staring malcontents too bothered to tune their instruments. Welcome back, hard rock - this is a resurgence that has been mounting a rise on the horizon for the last two years, and it's getting yet stronger with this entry into the sweepstakes.

Things slow down for the pastoral folk/rock of Antioch, until the band take it up a good bit for the choruses. This is where John Barleycorn's ghost resides quite happily. These step ups for the refrains are properly pomp and arena ready. Cowarth slams into his solo with a possessed passion that dynamically fits perfectly. Then it's the soft ride home, and all is well.

In The Arms of Ecstasy is an experimental look at the band's glam side, their trippier side and perhaps serves as a launching point for some future stylistic slides towards a more sophisticated pop exploits. First albums are a great way to exercise out some of a band's more blatant instances of influences on sleeves, and there is definitely some afoot here - to the band's credit it's never theft, but closer to homage.

Paradigm picks up the pace and the band deftly navigates the faster tempo with ease. Black's vocal carries the tune, and I hear a little Clockwork Orange sense of urgency - especially in the dramatic and theatrical guitar breakdown in the tune's midsection. I love when rock gets cinematic, and this is a great example of how cool it can play out.

The album ends with Red Blood (The River Flows), and it's another Aryn Jonathan Black tour de force - the vocal goes from a whisper to a scream several times, and anytime I hear a vocalist evoke memories of Plant and Zander it's a great testament to the abilities of the singer. You have to stick with this one until the end - there are several sections when thing calm down so much you assume they're through, but I get the distinct feeling that with this bunch, you're never quite through. I see three hour shows in their future.

Scorpion Child is a damned good record. Great? Well, I'll leave that up to the individual listener to decide - in any event is a great debut, and should end up in some years end favorites lists for those who still care about well written, well played hard rock. But like I said, it's going to be the second album that I think will come out of this band after a season of touring that they are enjoying - there is no substitute for good seasoning on the road.

Thanks to Scorpion Child, Nuclear Blast Records, and Loana dP Valencia.