It’s time to rank the most popular classic rock music articles for 2013
based on readership page views. In 2013 …Music Journalist Ray Shasho
conducted (31) in-depth interviews with some of the greatest music
legends of our time and reviewed numerous concerts and events around the
Tampa Bay area.
Since joining examiner.com in December of 2010 … Shasho has solely
orchestrated and conducted nearly 100 in-depth interviews with rock
& roll folklore. Ray’s only motivation is a bona fide respect for
the artist and his never-ending compassion for the music.
2013 was another awesome year for classic rock music. The legends
continue to sell-out local venues, draw huge crowds at outdoor music
events, and perform on packed cruise liners sailing the seven seas.
We also say goodbye to these music artists and pioneers in 2013 …Their spirit and music will live-on forever!
Alan Myers, Alan O’ Day, Allen Lanier, Alvin Lee, Andy Johns, Annette
Funicello, Bobby Bland, Bobby Rogers, Chi Cheng, Chris Kelly, Chrissy
Amphlett, Claude Nobs, Cleotha Staples, Clive Burr, Cowboy Jack Clement,
Damon Harris, Dan Toler, Dani Crivelli, Darryl Read, Dean Barlow, Deke
Richards, Dick Dodd, Donald Byrd, Ed Shaughnessy, Eydie Gorme, George
Duke, George Jackson, George Jones, Gordon Stoker, Hugh C. McCracken,
Jack Stokes, Jackie Lomax, Jeff Hanneman, Jerry Steinholtz, Jimmy
Dawkins, Jimmy O’Neill, JJ Cale, Joe Kelley, Joey Covington, John
Wilkinson, Kevin Ayers, Lee Crystal, Leroy Bonner, Lou Reed, Magic Slim,
Mike Shipley, Mindy McCready, Neil Smith, Noel Harrison, Patti Page,
Patty Andrews, Pete Haycock, Peter Banks, Phil Ramone, Ray Dolby, Ray
Manzarek, Ray Price, Reg Presley, Richard Street, Rick Huxley, Ritchie
Havens, Roger Pope, Ronnie Splinter, Shadow Morton, Sid Bernstein, Slim
Whitman, Stanley Knight, Storm Thorgerson, Tony Sheridan, Trevor
Bolder. There was many more music industry professionals that have
left us in 2013 that are not mentioned here … Thank you all for
everlasting music!
As always, I want to thank all the public relation firms, artist
management, concert promoters, and venue staffers that I’ve worked with
throughout the year, but especially to the Examiner.com readers who have
graciously surfed their way to my column. Coming up to start 2014 … An interview with legendary drummer Carmine Appice (Vanilla Fudge, Cactus, Beck, Bogert &Appice) Contact classic rock music journalistRay Shasho at rockraymond.shasho@gmail.com GREAT HOLIDAY GIFT! Purchase Ray’s very special memoir called ‘Check the Gs’ -The True Story of an Eclectic American Family and Their Wacky Family Business … You’ll LIVE IT! Also available for download on NOOK or KINDLE edition for JUST .99 CENTS at amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com-Please support Ray so he can continue to bring you quality classic rock music reporting. “Check the Gs is just a really cool story ... and it’s real. I’d
like to see the kid on the front cover telling his story in a motion
picture, TV sitcom or animated series. The characters in the story
definitely jump out of the book and come to life. Very funny and scary
moments throughout the story and I just love the way Ray timeline’s
historical events during his lifetime. Ray’s love of rock music was
evident throughout the book and it generates extra enthusiasm when I
read his on-line classic rock music column on examiner.com. It’s a
wonderful read for everyone!” …stillerb47@gmail.com
John Mayall
the “Godfather of British Blues” astounded and mesmerized a packed
Municipal Auditorium in downtown Sarasota on Friday night. Mayall
celebrated his 80th birthday with a dynamic and flawless onstage blues
performance.
The doors opened at 6 pm and the evening immediately launched with
John Mayall making an unanticipated preshow appearance to sign
autographs and sell a few CD’s from his never before released Historic Live Shows series. There was also a terrific snack bar at the back of the hall selling beer and Chicago-style hotdogs.
OPENING ACTS: The lights went dim around 7 pm with Magnolia Recording Artists & Sarasota’s own Tucci taking the stage while opening with “High Roller Baby.” Originally hailed as the Toler-Tucci Band and widely known for spotlighting famed guitarist and local hero “Dangerous Dan Toler” (formerly
of The Allman Brothers Band, Gregg Allman Band, Dickey Betts &
Great Southern) who passed away in February of 2013. Tucci undoubtedly
rocked the house with an incredible musical mix of Allman Brothers
-styled Southern Rock, jazz, and blues. The band brought out surprise
guest and local singing sensation Schascle (aka Twinkle) who performed a phenomenal soulful rendition of “Stormy Monday.” Tucci also performed a powerful cover version of “Whipping Post.” The group announced since the passing of their bandmate and mentor Dan Toler … a new mentor emerges with guitarist Larry McCray as he joined them onstage for several songs before his set.
Tucci’s latest CD is entitled Toler Tucci Band – Doc’s Hideaway
Tucci official Facebook page
Toler -Tucci official website Larry McCray and his incredible band smoked a
Sarasota crowd brimming with blues enthusiasts. McCray has all the
necessary ingredients needed to become a legendary performer. McCray’s
phenomenal soulful vocalizations were equally matched by his proficient
guitar playing and songwriting expertise. McCray’s setlist included the
discerning crowd-pleasers … “Last 4 Nickels,”“Don’t Need No Woman,” “Smooth Sailing,” “Never Hurt So Bad,” “Sugar Coated Love,” and “Soul Shine.”“Broken Promises” was
a personal favorite; it had sort of a Van Morrison aura about it. Larry
McCray is a Magnolia Records recording artist and was honored as the
Orville Gibson 2000 Male Blues Guitarist of the Year. Watch for great
things from Larry McCray in the near future including a brand new studio
release.
Larry McCray official website http://larrymccrayband.com/
Larry McCray on Facebook
Larry McCray on Twitter
Larry McCray on Myspace JOHN MAYALL the legendary British Blues trailblazer
began his setlist around 9:30 pm. Mayall nonchalantly helped to setup
his equipment onstage before beginning his set. Mayall is a perfect
exemplification on how to live and act when you hit 80. His performance
and intenseness on Friday night couldn’t be better. Mayall opened with “Checkin’ Up on My Baby” a Sonny Williamson II penned tune and a classic cover from The Bluesbreakers Crusade album which featured Mick Taylor. John Mayall and his incredible band of virtuoso musicians followed with “Oh, Pretty Woman”another Crusade track. The band proceeded with “Dirty Water”a song performed at John’s 70th birthday concert in 2003 which featured Eric Clapton, Mick Taylor and others. “Parchman Farm”a Mose Allison composition about the Mississippi State Penitentiary was performed next followed by “Gimme One More Day.”Mayall resumed his remarkable setlist with the Sonny Landreth penned “Congo Square” and ensued with “Natures’ Disappearing”from the USA Union album
in 1970. Mayall announced to the audience that he wrote the tune
because of deteriorating environmental conditions on the planet …and now
look at it? “All My Life” from the 1990 A Sense of Placerelease was performed next.
As the evening wound down… the audience left their chairs and
enthusiastically crowded in front of the stage. Mayall concluded his set
with a rousing rendition of “Room to Move.”
Mayall returned after a roaring encore and commented that maybe he
should come back to Sarasota more often. Then bass player Greg Rzab
initiated the audience to sing a chorus of “Happy Birthday” to his
favorite bandleader.
John Mayall’s proficient skills for playing keyboard and harp while
singing in-between was incredible, and if you add the fact that he’s
just turned ‘80’into the equation …it’s almost unimaginable. But John
Mayall is an original and a truly remarkable man. Mayall’s voice and
guitar playing were also in supreme form. Guitarist Rocky Athas’ added an exceptional and awe-inspiring performance, while Greg Rzab’s accomplished bass playing and Jay Davenport’s proficient drumming completed an unprecedented musical evening of the blues.
Music promoter Paul Koch (Owner of Magnolia Entertainment) told me
that more shows like this will be coming to Sarasota in the near future.
John Mayall and Pete Seeger
are living music icons that have had immeasurable impacts for
trendsetting and intensifying their musical genres. Both artists are
similarly revered by their peers. The evening was historic and musically
impeccable. The only thing that may have made the evening of greater
significance would have been a surprise appearance by some of John’s
legendary friends from his 70th birthday concert. But that’s okay,
because John will probably be onstage for his 90th birthday too. John Mayall's Setlist at the Municipal Auditorium in Sarasota on 11/29/2013
Checkin’ Up On My Baby
Oh Pretty Woman
Dirty Water
Sum of Something
Parchman Farm
Gimme One More Day
Congo Square
Natures’ Disappearing
All My Life
Room to Move Encore
All Your Love
Contact classic rock music journalist Ray Shasho at rockraymond.shasho@gmail.com Purchase Ray’s very special memoir called ‘Check the Gs’ -The True Story of an Eclectic American Family and Their Wacky Family Business … You’ll LIVE IT! Also available for download on NOOK or KINDLE edition for JUST .99 CENTS at amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com- Please support Ray by purchasing his book so he can continue to bring you quality classic rock music reporting. “Check the Gs is just a really cool story ... and it’s real. I’d
like to see the kid on the front cover telling his story in a motion
picture, TV sitcom or animated series. The characters in the story
definitely jump out of the book and come to life. Very funny and scary
moments throughout the story and I just love the way Ray timeline’s
historical events during his lifetime. Ray’s love of rock music was
evident throughout the book and it generates extra enthusiasm when I
read his on-line classic rock music column on examiner.com. It’s a
wonderful read for everyone!” …stillerb47@gmail.com
British virtuoso guitarist, singer and songwriter Steve Hackett
is a musician’s musician. While Hackett’s musical realm is limitless,
he is widely renowned for his intricate progressive and classical rock
guitar stylings and composition with Genesis.
But over the years, Steve Hackett has affectionately embraced numerous
musical genres while brilliantly composing, arranging, and recording
track after track of pristine musical enchantment.
Steve Hackett’s Genesis Revisited-Genesis Extended will be performing at the newly renovated Capitol Theatre in Clearwater, Florida on Thursday April 3rd 2014 at 7:30 p.m. For tickets visit www.rutheckerdhall.com or call 727-791-7400 for more information. Steve Hackett’s Genesis Revisited-Genesis Extended will also be playing on Friday April 4th at Plaza Live in Orlando and on Saturday April 5th at Parker Playhouse in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Born in Pimlico, London, England, Steve Hackett initially developed a
fondness for classical music. Hackett’s father Peter was a
multi-instrumentalist. Hackett’s earliest band associations were with
Canterbury Glass and Sarabande. His first recording experience
transpired as a member of Quiet World. The group also featured flautist/guitarist John Hackett, his younger brother.
In 1971, Steve Hackett made his studio debut with Genesis on the album Nursery Cryme. The classic lineup became Peter Gabriel (Lead singer), Steve Hackett (Guitarist), Tony Banks (Keyboardist), Mike Rutherford (Bass guitar), and Phil Collins (Drums). Genesis
became touted for their intricate musical arrangements and
instrumentation along with frontman Peter Gabriel’s raconteur theatrical
stage antics. During this time Hackett became an early pioneer for an
electric guitar technique called “tapping” which is more commonly used
on instruments like the Chapman Stick.
The Peter Gabriel Genesis era released albums…From Genesis to Revelation (1969), Trespass (1970), Nursery Cryme (1971), Foxtrot (1972), Selling England by the Pound (1973), The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (1974).
In 1975, Peter Gabriel left Genesis to pursue a solo career. After
auditioning hundreds of singers to replace Gabriel, it was decided to
promote Phil Collins to the new lead singer role. Genesis had been
perceived as Peter Gabriel’s band by many of their fans until the
release of the critically-acclaimed … A Trick of the Tail
album in 1976. The release featured an incredible musical accord
between bandmates and became a masterpiece. Later that year … A Trick of the Tail was succeeded by the Wind & Wuthering album, another exceptional effort by Genesis.
In this interview … Hackett revealed that Disney had a huge influence on Genesis throughout the 70’s. After the Hackett penned “Entangled” lyrics were introduced to Phil Collins, Collins said the song had a Mary Poppins feel to it.
After the Wind &Wuthering album
Steve Hackett departed Genesis.
Some of Steve Hackett’s magical and
memorable moments with Genesis include legendary performances on the
tracks… “Horizons,” “Blood on the Rooftops,”“Firth of Fifth” and “Fountain of Salmacis.” The Phil Collins Genesis era with Steve Hackett released albums…A Trick of the Tail (1976), Wind & Wuthering (1976), Genesis -Spot the Pigeon (EP) (1977). Genesis Live released albums … Genesis Live (1973), Seconds Out (1977), Three Sides Live (1982).
In 1985, Steve Hackett and Steve Howe (Yes, Asia) united to form GTR. The band released their self-titled debut album in 1986 produced by Geoff Downes. The release spawned the hit “When the Heart Rules the Mind” reaching #14 on Billboards’ Hot 100 Singles Chart. GTR disbanded in 1987. GTR released albums …GTR (1986), GTR Live (1997).
Since 1975, Steve Hackett has expeditiously released (25) inspired solo studio albums … Voyage of the Acolyte (1975), Please Don’t Touch (1978),Spectral Mornings (1979), Defector (1980),Cured (1981), Highly Strung (1982), Bay of Kings (1983),Till We Have Faces (1984), Momentum (1988), The Unauthorized Biography (1992),Guitar Noir (1993), Blues with a Feeling (1995),Genesis Revisited (1996), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1997), Darktown (1999),Sketches of Satie (2000), Feedback 86 (2000),Genesis Files (2002), To Watch the Storms (2003), Metamorpheus (2005), Wild Orchids (2006),Tribute (2008), Out of the Tunnels Mouth (2009), Beyond the Shrouded Horizon (2011), Genesis Revisited II (2012).
On March 15th of 2010, Steve Hackett was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis. He joined Phil Collins, Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford onstage but did not perform.
In 2011, Phil Collins announced his retirement from music and
possibly diminished any chance for a full- fledged Genesis reunion.
Recently, I had the rare pleasure of chatting with Steve Hackett
from his home near London, England. Steve and I chatted about the
Genesis Revisited tour, those incredible Genesis days, Squackett with
Chris Squire, solo material, the history behind “Entangled,” and of
course my infamous “Field of Dreams” question. Here’s my interview with
legendary guitarist, singer, songwriter, member of Genesis, GTR,
Squackett, and an incredible solo career … STEVE HACKETT.
Ray Shasho: Hello Steve! Where am I calling you in the UK? Steve Hackett:“Hello Ray, I’m in the outskirts of
London. The weather is quite mild for this time of the year and there
was a nice sunset this evening, so it’s been okay.” Ray Shasho: Steve, you’ve got several ‘Genesis Revisited’
Florida dates coming up in April … including an appearance at the
Capitol Theatre in Clearwater, Plaza Live in Orlando and Parker
Playhouse in Ft Lauderdale. Hopefully you and the band will get to enjoy
the beach and some Florida sunshine during that time. Steve Hackett: “I’m sure we will. I hope we will get a moment to enjoy the beaches because often it’s all work.” Ray Shasho: ‘Genesis Revisited’ is a fairly large production so I can understand why it takes away from the bands R&R time. Steve Hackett: It is a big production; we carry a
bigger production in Europe but it’s more pared down when we’re in the
states and tend to rely on the light show more. Where over here it’s a
light show and LED screens, so it’s slightly different, but at the end
of the day, the music is the star of the show and that’s how I kind of
see it.” Ray Shasho: Do you add an orchestra to the show when you’re doing the European dates? Steve Hackett: “No we don’t have an orchestra on
this one. I was playing with an orchestra the other night, but not with
Genesis material. So, I do get to work with orchestras from time to
time. In Hungary, I was working with some string players. But for my own
stuff …it’s a six piece band.” Ray Shasho: Steve, who is the lead singer for Genesis Revisited? Steve Hackett:“The lead singer with these
particular shows is Nad Sylvan. He’s from Sweden and is one of several
Swedes that I have been working with over the past year. I worked a
little bit with Roine Stolt of The Flower Kings who did a gig guest spot
with us at Royal Albert Hall and he was also a guest on Genesis
Revisited II. Plus there’s Mikael Akerfeldt who was also on the same
album. So that’s gone very well, an awful lot of people were involved in
the studio version of that album. But on the live one, the core band
sometimes gets joined by special guests in different parts of the
world.” Ray Shasho: Have you had anyone from the original Genesis lineup join you onstage? Steve Hackett: “I think the nearest has been Ray Wilson. Ray worked with Genesis on Calling All Stations and
he’s joined us onstage for three or four shows. So that’s getting to be
a regular thing. Its lovely working with him, he’s got a great voice.
So we have a number of guests who seem to be wandering through. The
reinterpretation of this material is somewhat flexible by now. We’re
able to do it as a band and I’ve got two singers within the band … Nad
Sylvan and Gary O’Toole who plays drums with us. So it works out very
well that a number of us sing harmonies and what have you. On my solo
stuff, apart from the Genesis material, I sing the lead vocals myself,
so it’s a kind of shared responsibility.” Ray Shasho: I chatted with Chris Squire after the release of A life Within A Day
the debut album by ‘Squackett,’ an incredible collaboration between you
and Chris. Chris told me … “I have to be honest going into this project
at the beginning; I didn’t really know that Steve sang, so that was a
big plus for me.” Steve Hackett:“Right… we had a good time doing that
and what we decided to do was to be our own lead singers on that. I
sung lead on a number of albums and I know Chris has as well. At times
people might think its Jon Anderson but it’s actually Chris at times. He
has a similarity in a way because they always had a great harmony vocal
sound. Although I know Jon hasn’t worked with them officially for
awhile. Who’s to say how that goes in the future?” Ray Shasho: I had a short discussion with Chris about Jon
being booted out of ‘Yes,’ and I did let him know that I was both
surprised and upset when he was let go. Steve Hackett: “Well who knows … I don’t know what
actually went down. I know that Jon was ill for awhile and I think he’s
doing gigs now for what I’ve gathered. I wouldn’t want to get into that
for whatever issues they have between them. But obviously from a fans
point of view I would say that ‘Yes’ obviously has an extraordinary
history and Jon’s voice was part of that. They’ve had a couple of
singers since then … Benoit David and Jon Davison.” Ray Shasho: The absolute ‘Yes’ aficionado will probably never
watch another ‘Yes’ performance again until Jon Anderson’s return to
the group. Steve Hackett:“I understand that and people often
feel the same way about Genesis. But it could be a very long time
waiting for Peter Gabriel to come back on lead vocals. It’s highly
unlikely that team will ever be put back together again… and with Phil
singing vocals, highly unlikely, not impossible, but extremely
improvable. As much as it would be great to work with either of those
guys, again, I think at the end of the day, the star is the music. When
I’m doing these Genesis shows, which is the emphasis for me over this
period, the response was so great in the rest of Europe and other parts
of the world including Japan that instead of doing that for just a year,
I decided to do it for another year. But I am going to do some solo
material as well to balance that out, because otherwise it is very easy
to become part of a museum. But I’m very proud of all those songs, it’s
just that I feel the need to also write new material.” Ray Shasho: Going back to Squackett’s A life Within A Day … I gave the album (5) Stars before the official release in late May 2012. Steve Hackett:“It was very much put together in
piecemeal as oppose to all in one go. It really took shape over a couple
of years. At times we took things that were potentially going to be
solo material of mine and Chris and combined and altered them. But it
was a very easy writing process with Chris. Out of all the people that
I’ve ever written with, I would say the easiest writing partner I ever
had was Chris. He tends to have the attitude if somebody’s got an idea
with a song; the song just expands in order to incorporate that idea. So
the song gets longer with a new variation. That may sound like a very
simple equation but to me it’s a very good one. Where I find with most
bands and writing partners it will be … my idea is better than yours and
we should do this instead of that and I could see how ‘Yes’ worked in a
way to encompass lots and lots of different ideas and it’s a very good
way of working.” Ray Shasho: I think if you’re having fun during the recording process than you can expect great music. Steve Hackett: “I think enjoying it is part of the
process. Very often just building the cake can take a very long time. By
the time you come to do the icing on the cake, sometimes you can end up
splitting yourself a little bit thin. It’s important to go in fresh. I
think if I did guitar on something for instance, I like to go in fresh.
That’ll be the first thing I do on that particular day. I don’t like to
be building the track all day and then come six o’clock it’s time for me
to finally start putting some guitar on. I like to have both guns
blazing at the beginning of the day.” Ray Shasho: Steve, do you think some of the greatest albums and individual tracks were recorded rather quickly and easily? Steve Hackett: “Absolutely. But it can often be the
case that if you have a band and you’re all playing live together…
that’s one thing. Your level of investment will be very high if you’re
having a band standing around while you’re working out the arrangements.
What tends to make more sense is what we used to call a demo … but now
it’s an updatable piece of software. You update things having gotten the
bones of it down to show people. Often I’ll be showing people things
that have got a finished guitar part on them or finished vocal plot, but
the drums might be the last thing we put on because we may find what
holes we’ve got left is the drum breaks. So I tend to work that way and
tend to record one instrument at a time with a computer sketch, most of
the time I don’t use amplifiers and I just play into the computer. It’s a
more flexible system.”
“As much as I love amplifiers and using them for live albums all the
time, I’ve used Marshall, Roland, Roland Cube, Hiwatt, HH, Fender …and
I’ve been through quite a few.” Ray Shasho: The conventional ways of recording in a studio and the technology has changed immensely. Steve Hackett:“It certainly has. I’ll tell you what
I find interesting is using an amp within a computer. I’m very fond of
my pedals but sometimes we’ll just use something if I want to get a very
distant thin buzzy sound or use something that’s in the computer and
it’s amazingly good. I do have my treasured pedals mind you that do
wonderful things and my Fernandes Burny model guitar which looks like a
Les Paul and has a Floyd Rose tremolo. It’s a really extraordinary
sounding instrument with sustain that goes on forever without the need
of being volume dependent. The Tierney of volume is no longer an issue
for me in getting guitar sounds.” Ray Shasho: Steve, do you alter the electronics of your amplifiers or guitars, or ever build your own equipment? Steve Hackett:“I’ve been involved with guitar
manufacturers from time to time with building guitars to specific
specifications. I just acquired a Jack Dent guitar with P-90 pickup
which is very good. I also acquired a Farida 12 String which was built
to my specifications. In terms of amplifiers I have not been involved
with a signature amp so far, but I interact more and more with people
who seem to want the association. I’m from a world where anyone who
owned a Les Paul or a Marshall Stack had already made it. So from the
teenage view point, that’s how it seemed to me. Maybe it’s the fact that
Everest was there and needed to be climbed. The fact that you already
had the equipment meant you were automatically going to make the assent.
You already made it once you had the equipment.”
“In reality it didn’t quite work out like that because nobody walks
into immediate fame on the world stage. There’s a tremendous benefit for
being the new face on the block. The thing that moves me most is the
passion for music, the challenge is still there and as greater as it
ever was. There’s this thing that I have to face, absolute desire to
want to excel and out do myself and the fear that I might not each time.
Somewhere between the two there’s some kind of chain reaction that gets
setup and if I spend enough time doing it I can disappoint myself from
time to time.” Ray Shasho:You’ve made so many incredible solo albums … I could spend hours discussing each one, but I think Out of the Tunnels Mouth (2009) is one of my favorites. It’s an eclectic musical mix of sheer heaven! Chris Squire was also on that album? Steve Hackett:“I had a good time doing that one.
Chris, Anthony Phillips, Nick Beggs and a number of interesting people
and they all did a wonderful job. I’m actually very proud of that album.
It was a very difficult album to do. I was going through a number of
personal things that made it very difficult to pull off. I was in the
middle of a divorce and a very difficult court case. But in a sense, I
think that’s what made it all the stronger and the fact that there was
so much to fight against. In a way, I went with songs that I knew that
were going to work because the form of those songs were probably less
experimental than I’ve done before. I knew where each of the songs ought
to be heading. I was stockpiling material that I couldn’t release at
the time because it was my right to be able to release albums that were
being challenged in court. In a way it made it more concentrated. Of
course it had something to do with the album title; it all relates to
that … Out of the Tunnels Mouth… out of harm’s way and out of
the lion’s mouth. In many ways it was a miracle that it got done and got
finished. I do think that it is a strong album.” Ray Shasho: So many great tracks on Out of the Tunnels Mouth. A few of my favorite tunes were “Emerald & Ash” and especially “Last Train to Istanbul.” Steve Hackett:“Interesting … I was playing that one
with the Hungarians recently. We play it with the same violinist and
his daughter is playing flute on it. And I was doing some live backwards
guitar stuff. I’ve got a Line 6 device that does backwards guitar
almost in real time. But I work with these reverse repeat echoes and
that’s a very interesting sound. Whenever I play like that it
immediately starts sounding like The Beatles circa Revolver.
But then I use fourth octaves on that and sometimes use either Micro Pog
or another device like Digitech Whammy Pedal II to play an octave
higher than what the guitar plays naturally, then when you play in a
faster type of way and you end up sounding a little bit like the sound
on “Baby You’re a Rich Man.” It’s a very odd sound but a very good one
and something I like very-very much.” Ray Shasho: Steve, did you receive formal musical training growing up? Steve Hackett: “No, I didn’t have any formal
training. My father was able to play a number of musical instruments and
I fell in love with classical music in my teens and I allowed it to
influence me. I like to think I took and still do from classical music
and various techniques, I have made classical albums and recorded seven
different pieces of Bach on different albums and its all music too me.
There’s no need to be either one thing or another. I think you can
operate in all those areas, provided that you love it enough. You don’t
really need someone to grade you and say you’re not doing that properly.
The idea of the mixture of genres has appealed to me greatly, the
mixture of sounds and instruments, two instruments making up a third,
and so on and so forth. There are so many schools of thought and if you
can allow yourself to be totally immersed in each of those schools at
various times, and I think the main thing is to listen which is the best
lesson of all … and to love it. Then you don’t need to judge or be
judged.” Ray Shasho: I believe artists like you are also very gifted
because so many musicians can’t play like you …I play a little guitar
and get very frustrated because I feel there’s always something missing. Steve Hackett: “I think all of us think there’s
something missing with our playing. Approaching it every day to try and
do something that you didn’t do the previous day. I think we all inch
our way forward and imagine other people operate like Gods but I think
it’s much more like worms inching their way forward occasionally out of
the darkness and into the light.” Ray Shasho: I chatted with drummer Jim McCarty of TheYardbirds back in 2011 and he said you were a big Yardbirds fan. Jim also mentioned that your favorite album was the Roger the Engineer album. Steve Hackett: “Yes, Roger the Engineer is a
great album. I love the guitar work on it and sonically the world owes a
tremendous amount to Jeff Beck for having blazed a trail and having
used effects on the guitar as well… like the effect of echoes and the
way guitar production owes so much to him with a great lesson to us all.
There’s no doubt that he’s one of the greats and I’ll always love him
for that.”
“But Jim’s a lovely guy and I enjoyed working with the reformed
Yardbirds when they became Box of Frogs. I played on their second album
and I’ve done things occasionally with Jim and played on his album Sitting On the Top of Time a couple of years back and also jammed with him live on one show with TheYardbirds. So yea, that was great fun.” Ray Shasho: One of my favorite Genesis albums is …A Trick of the Tail (1976)
which was the first release without original frontman Peter Gabriel. I
had surgery and a two week stint in the hospital a few years back and a
song that came into my mind during that time was “Entangled.” Was being
in the hospital the premises of the song? Steve Hackett:“It was really the psychiatrist
couch. Whether you place it in a hospital or somewhere else, it was the
idea of drifting in and out of consciousness. I remember when I first
had the lyric ready and I showed it to Phil who was going to sing it and
he said this has got a Mary Poppins feel to it … Over the Rooftops and Houses.
Indeed, the whole world of Disney cartoons and the attendant music was a
huge influence on Genesis. Certainly throughout the 70’s, beyond that …
possibly less so for them, but then I really shouldn’t comment on what
they did post Gabriel and post me.”
“I loved my time with Genesis and I was a huge fan of what the rest
of the guys came up with. I think they were all very clever writers and
very individual and unique players. It was a great school to be part of.
And to quote Phil, I remember him saying on the very first day that I
met him and we were going to be working together he said we’re bound to
influence each other. I thought it really hadn’t occurred to me because
I’d never worked in a band context before. It was a very different
proposition working with a band that is often very competitive with each
other. But we managed to cooperate sufficiently to come up with a
great bunch of songs between us all which is why I’m still doing this
stuff live, and it’s because I think so much of this group’s written
material which is so damned good. When I first joined the band it was on
the premises that if you wrote a guitar part you were already part of
the writing team, so I joined as a full writer from the word ‘go’ and I
think it was a very healthy way to run a band. You keep everyone happy
and everyone is going to end up being on an economic equilibrium. That
struck me as a very good way to keep a band together and get the best
out of everybody. If you just feel like you’re a hired gun you’re not
necessarily going to give the best of yourself.” Ray Shasho: What was the spark that got you to write “Entangled?” Steve Hackett: “I was thinking on the lines of
Crosby, Stills and Nash and I was thinking of Graham Nash’s voice. Funny
enough, I’ve run into Graham a few times in recent years and very often
in the same place in New York. When I think of harmony I often think of
the sound of his very sweet high voice. I think if a band that has
three part harmony and can have the sweet voice on the top then the
sunshine can really come out of those harmonies. So I was thinking of
that … working a song that was less dependent on the lead singer and
more on a harmony sound. I often still take that approach myself.
“Entangled” is a song that I’m really proud of.” Ray Shasho: Did the lyric or the music come first on “Entangled?” Steve Hackett: “Actually, I think the music came first and the lyric followed.” Ray Shasho: You left the group after the Wind & Wuthering album.
Many of the Genesis die-hard fans became disenchanted with the group
when they became a Pop or Top 40 band. Did you have any idea that the
band was headed in that direction before your departure? Steve Hackett: “It’s difficult to say. Some people
were more pop orientated. I think Tony was starting to head that way. To
my mind it was more important to have the occasional hit single rather
than to have a whole succession of hit singles. I think there’s a
certain price …you end up playing the game where as for instance I had a
hit single with Genesis with “I Know What I Like” and then the next hit
I had was “Cell 151” off my own album Highly Strung and then
the next hit single was “When the Heart Rules the Mind” with GTR. But
since then, I never really have taken the singles market seriously. I
make albums … I’m that kind of animal. I like the musical journey on an
album.” Ray Shasho:Phil Collins made some
Disheartening remarks several years ago saying that there was no longer a
place for him in today’s music. In an interview he stated, “I'm much happier just to write
myself out of the script entirely. I'll go on a mysterious biking
holiday and never return. That would be a great way to end the story,
wouldn't it?" It stirred a huge outpouring of concern from all
of his fans around the world and later Phil responded back saying that
he wasn’t really a basket case. Have you spoken with Phil Collins lately and is he okay? Steve Hackett:“I think he has some health issues.
To be honest I tend to bump into Phil at the occasional function. He had
become extremely withdrawn so I think he attends those functions less,
as far as I know. All I would say as a musician, I’ve always loved him
and he’s a great all rounder. The great thing is we encouraged each
other. I hope he recovers in every sense of the word. He’s given us a
lot of different music over the years and is one of the greats. I’m just
wishing him a lot of luck and love frankly. The drums have been
difficult for him to manage because of his hands. But there may be some
other past there. We have to be adaptable and flexible. To be a
conceptual thinker is terribly important, to think outside the box.” Ray Shasho: Is there a certain period during the day that is better for you to write music? Steve Hackett: “Occasionally I’ve managed to dream
melodies. That always seems like the greatest gift, to wake up with a
song that you remember, or a tune, a riff, a line …anything. It’s a
great thing. I’ve awoken in the middle of the night to write things down
or record them on tape. I’ll gladly give up sleep any night of the week
to come up with something extraordinary like that. It’s the reason I
tend to write first thing in the morning. I tend to get up quite early,
usually by 6 a.m. That’s when I get the pen out, in that first hour when
all around is quiet and before the sun is up … it’s important to me. I
find first thing in the morning that I’m in a semi-dream state.” Ray Shasho:Steve, here’s a question that I
ask everyone that I interview. If you had a ‘Field of Dreams’ wish like
the movie, to play, sing or collaborate with anyone from the past or
present, who would that be? Steve Hackett:“Let’s hope they would all like to
collaborate and teach. I’d love to find out what Tchaikovsky and Paul
Butterfield might come up with between the two of them. Of course
there’s Bach. I think really it’s the meeting point between opposites
that engages me the most. Those contradictions that get resolved in
music are the genuine breakthroughs. I’d just let every one of them
flood through me, the idea that all music is really one cell of
opportunity. If you were to become all of those things at once, that
would be something wouldn’t it? It would be incredible.” Ray Shasho: Steve, thank you so much for
being on the call today … but more importantly for all the great music
you’ve given us and continue to bring. We’ll see you in Florida in
April! Steve Hackett:“It’s been great talking with you
Ray. Good luck with your endeavors and I’ll see you in Clearwater,
Florida soon … all the best.”
Steve Hackett’s Genesis Revisited-Genesis Extended will be performing at the newly renovated Capitol Theatre in Clearwater, Florida on Thursday April 3rd 2014 at 7:30 p.m. For tickets visit www.rutheckerdhall.com or call 727-791-7400 for more information. Steve Hackett’s Genesis Revisited-Genesis Extended will also be playing on Friday April 4th at Plaza Live in Orlando and on Saturday April 5th at Parker Playhouse in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Contact classic rock music journalist Ray Shasho at rockraymond.shasho@gmail.com Purchase Ray’s very special memoir called ‘Check the Gs’ -The True Story of an Eclectic American Family and Their Wacky Family Business … You’ll LIVE IT! Also available for download on NOOK or KINDLE edition for JUST .99 CENTS at amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com- Please support Ray by purchasing his book so he can continue to bring you quality classic rock music reporting. “Check the Gs is just a really cool story ... and it’s real. I’d
like to see the kid on the front cover telling his story in a motion
picture, TV sitcom or animated series. The characters in the story
definitely jump out of the book and come to life. Very funny and scary
moments throughout the story and I just love the way Ray timeline’s
historical events during his lifetime. Ray’s love of rock music was
evident throughout the book and it generates extra enthusiasm when I
read his on-line classic rock music column on examiner.com. It’s a
wonderful read for everyone!” …stillerb47@gmail.com
Billy Gibbons and ZZ Top have essentially pioneered
its own musical genre since the release of their first studio album in 1971. The
band fused hard rock, blues, and Texas boogie into their own unique sound,
style, and live performance. The hard rockin’ power trio of Billy Gibbons
(guitars, vocals), Dusty Hill (bassist and vocalist) and Frank Beard (drums) has
energetically and persistently entertained audiences worldwide for over forty
years.
ZZ Top will be bringing their Texas-style rock &
blues boogie to Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, Florida on December 27th and to
the Hard Rock Live in Orlando on December 29th. Tickets for the
Clearwater show are available at www.rutheckerdhall.com
or by calling 727-791-7400 for more
information. Tickets for the Orlando show are available at www.hardrock.com or call 407-351-(LIVE) 5483.
In 2012, after a nine year hiatus from the recording
studio, ZZ Top released their fifteenth studio album entitled La Futura. The album spotlights many of
the attributes that has distinguished the band as rock music legends.Tracks like “Chartreuse,” “Have a Little Mercy” and “Big Shiny Nine” reminisce tothe Top’s heyday while igniting habitual hot and saucy Texas boogie intoxication.
“Heartache in Blue” is my favorite
track on the album, an exceptional blend of the blues highlighting Gibbons impressive
guitar licks with virtuoso harpistJamesHarman. The track “Flyin High” was
actually requested by longtime ZZ Top fan and NASA astronaut Mike Fossum. It
was played in space on-board the Soyuz spacecraft during its launch to the
International Space Station.
The Best Buy version of the CD includes two bonus
tracks … “Threshold of a Breakdown”
and “Drive by Lover” another
personal favorite and skillfully choired by bassist Dusty Hill.
La Futura is an exhilarating Texas
boogie & blues pilgrimage … ZZ Top style!
BILLY
GIBBONS was born and raised in Houston, Texas. Billy received his first electric guitar
after his thirteenth birthday. Some of his early influences included electric
blues musician and songwriter Jimmy Reed.
While attending Warner Brothers’ art school in
Hollywood, California, Gibbons played with various bands. At 18, he formed the
psychedelic blues-rock group, The Moving Sidewalks, inspired by fellow musician
and friend Rory Erickson of the 13th Floor Elevators. The band
recorded one album entitled Flash (1968).The Moving Sidewalks were …Billy
Gibbons, Tom Moore, Don Summers and Dan Mitchell.
Gibbons became a prominent songwriter with his
penned releases “99th Floor” and “Need Me.” The band performed with The Doors and with
Jimi Hendrix during his first American tour. Gibbons also formed a special
friendship with Hendrix. Hendrix mentioned Billy on The Dick Cavett Show by
stating that Gibbons would be the next big thing as a guitarist. Hendrix gave the
up and coming guitarist a pink Stratocaster.
ZZ
TOP
was formed in Houston, Texas in 1969. After various lineup changes, the classic
line-up of Gibbons, Hill and Beard signed with London Records and recorded
their debut self-titled album in 1971. Early on, Gibbons became the bands
principal songwriter. The group also began a long and rewarding relationship
with manager/producer Bill Ham. In 1972, the band followed up in the studio
with Rio Grande Mud.
The release of their third studio album entitled Tres Hombres (1973) would define ZZ
Top’s perennial sound and style while launching the band into rock stardom,
performing at large arenas and stadiums. Tres
Hombres (Top 10 album) was a brilliant rock & blues statement. The album spawned the bands signature tune “La Grange” (#41 Billboard Hot 100), a song about a bordello near La Grange, Texas.
Other notable tracks were “Jesus Just Left Chicago,”“Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers” and “Waitin’ for the Bus.”
In 1975, ZZ Top released Fandango! (Top 10 album) Half of the tracks were recorded live in
concert and the other half were new studio released songs. ZZ Top was now a top
headlining concert attraction selling-out arenas worldwide. The Fandango tour
consisted of three legs and 55 shows. It began in March of 1975 and ended
February of 1976. Various supporting acts during the tour included KISS, Status
Quo, Peter Frampton, R.E.O. Speedwagon, Aerosmith and Blue Ó¦yster Cult to name
a few. Fandango spawned the hit
single “Tush” (#20 Billboard Hot 100).
Tejas(Spanish
for Texas) was released in 1976. The band signed with Warner Brothers Records
in 1979 and released their sixth studio album entitled Degüello. The album
generated two hit singles … “I Thank You” (#34 hit single) and “Cheap Sunglasses” (#89 hit single). Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill also grew their
chest length beards during this period.
In 1981, they released El Loco
while spawning the singles … “Tube Snake Boogie,” (#4 hit) “Leila” and “Pearl Necklace” (#28 hit).
In 1983, ZZ Top released Eliminatorreaching the Top 10 in the album charts. The album
scored five hit singles … “Gimme All Your Lovin’” (#37 Billboard Hot 100), “Got Me Under Pressure,”“Sharp Dressed Man” (#56 hit), “TV Dinners” (#38 hit) and “Legs”(
#8 Billboard Hot 100). The “Legs” video won the 1984 MTV Video Music Award for Best
Group Video. The Eliminator album
became ZZ Top’s most commercially successful album to date with sales over 10
million copies.
ZZ Top released their ninth studio album entitled Afterburner in 1985. The album became
their highest charting album at #8 in the U.S. The album generated the hit
singles … “Sleeping Bag” (#8 Billboard Hot 100), (#1 Mainstream Rock Tracks),“Velcro Fly” (#35 Billboard Hot 100), “Stages” (#21 hit) and “Rough Boy” (#22
hit).
In 1994, the band signed with RCA Records and
released their 11th studio album entitled Antenna. The single “Pincushion”reached #1 the Mainstream Rock Tracks charts. Billy Gibbons co-produced with
Bill Ham on the album.
Rhythmeen
was
the last album to feature Bill Ham as producer.Rick Rubinshared duties
as producer with Billy Gibbons on La Futura in 2012.
In 2004, ZZ Top was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Keith Richards. ZZ Top has generated 11 gold records, 7 platinum,
13-multi-platinum records, while selling over 25-million units.
The band continues to tour relentlessly and still
packs the house worldwide.
I had the rare opportunity to ask Billy about ZZ
Top’s current tour, the band’s latest studio release, his relationship with
Jimi Hendrix, my infamous “Field of Dreams” wish question, and much-much more.
Here’s my recent interview with legendary guitarist,
singer, songwriter, producer, car customizer and founder of classic rock
legends ZZ Top …BILLY GIBBONS.
Ray
Shasho: Hello Billy! ZZ Top will be performing at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater,
Florida on December 27th and the Tampa Bay area is especially looking
forward to that show. The band will also be in Orlando at Hard Rock Live on the
29th. Where and how will you be celebrating Christmas in 2013?
Billy
Gibbons: “With Miz Gilligan in Florida, well in advance of
December Twenty-Five, in order to get warm, sample the seafood, hit the gaming
tables, seek out Mexican cuisine, go to Versailles for Cuban fare, charter an
afternoon for salt water fishing, take in a night at the dog track, take in a
ball game, take in something frosty around South Beach…basically chillin'
before taking the stage with my pals. An elegant simple scheduling.”
Ray
Shasho: “I saw the band perform for the first time around 1973 at the Baltimore
Civic Center … ZZ Top opened for Earth, Wind and Fire and Uriah Heep. I knew
the band was going places after that performance; I never witnessed a power
trio with so much energy and raw power.
Billy
Gibbons: “That's about as on target as I've ever heard and
right to the point as we, the band, were aimed at free drinks and getting on
the gals. And to accomplish the task, we fired up the tempo, cranked up
the volume, and let it rip. Hard! And it definitely set the tone for
what was to come and what remains as the driving force, even now.”
Ray
Shasho: Why do you think the trio has worked so successfully over the years,
especially with all the bizarre changes in the music industry?
Billy
Gibbons: “Amidst the rampant gallop of attempting to maintain
pace with an increasing speed of change, working within the trio as a base is
just like a pyramid…the 3 sides stand stridently around the constantly shifting
sands. I say, “Three is for me!””
Ray
Shasho: One of my favorite ZZ Top tunes is “Jesus Just Left Chicago” just an
incredible hard-driving blues classic …What is the origin behind that classic
blues/rock song?
Billy
Gibbons: “Jesus Just Left Chicago” is certainly an obtuse
mental visual, particularly placing a fixed location, moving forward from, and
going to. The surreal combination of Jesus, Chicago, and New Orleans, is
a bizarre mix of righteousness, and soulful sin. It's a blend of bluesy
elements stirring up some salient points to ponder.”
Ray
Shasho: I chatted with Norman Greenbaum about “Spirit in the Sky” and the
similarities to Canned Heat’s “On the Road Again,” yet they’re also very
different in their own ways … Was the “La Grange” riff based on John Lee
Hooker’s “Boogie Chillun”?
Billy
Gibbons:“The “La Grange” riff is another interpretation of
one of the cornerstone staples of that splendid American art form, the blues.
There are many ways to chop it, we just got really lucky and landed
something with resonance that lasts and lasts.”
Ray
Shasho:Billy,
here’s a question that I ask everyone that I interview. If you had a
‘Field of Dreams’ wish, like the movie, to play, sing or collaborate with
anyone from the past or present, who would that be? (You can name more
than one person)
Billy
Gibbons:“Ry Cooder. The expressions from that Rylander-man
are many and I know there's somewhere he'd go and that sooner or later, I would
fit in. Ry's range is that wide. I'll call 'im directly and get the ball
rolling.”
Ray
Shasho: The Moving Sidewalks was a cool psychedelic blues band. The band opened
for The Jimi Hendrix Experience, and you developed a special friendship with Hendrix.
Billy
Gibbons: “Yes, and it's fair to tag Jimi Hendrix and
The Experience with threads that tie into psychedelic blues quite
handily. Jimi was always generous in sharing
his curiosity about how certain sounds could be created from an
imaginary idea. We spent many hours comparing pragmatic ways to bring
those vaporous thoughts into tangible, electric form. When Jimi
had no guidebook, he invented one.”
Ray
Shasho: Did Hendrix actually give you a pink Stratocaster?
Billy
Gibbons:“It's the one seen in the famed photo with The
Moving Sidewalks.”
Ray
Shasho: Your latest studio release “La Futura” has gotten rave
reviews and the track “Flyin’ High” was even requested by astronaut Mike Fossum
during a launch to the International Space Station.
Billy
Gibbons:“Wow. Who'da thought writing the
track with my pal, Austin Hanks, would take off from our studio shack
in L A and land a seat in outer space…?!? We just wanted to
create a good Southern rock song. Now it's a stratospheric number.”
Ray
Shasho: After a nine year hiatus from recording, what made this album such a
success?
Billy
Gibbons:“Good material as they say… And the richness
of Rick Rubin standing alongside us and turning us into more of what we already
were. More ZZ with a defiant touch of our raucous and raunchy
beginnings.”
Ray
Shasho: What was it like working with Rick Rubin?
Billy
Gibbons:“Super sounds in the studio, interspersed with
surfin' safaris at Zuma Beach.”
Ray
Shasho: Billy, what factors make a great producer?
Billy
Gibbons:“Patience. We learned it early on. The
studio sessions for "La Futura" left no doubt about Rick's ability to
be in no hurry. The result is the luxury of the band playing a composed
piece in many different ways and going with the flow. It takes time, of
course, yet that again is the value of maintaining a measure of patience to get
there.”
Ray
Shasho: Who are some of the producers that you’ve admired over the years?
Billy
Gibbons:“The staff specialists from Ardent Studios in
Memphis, particularly Joe Hardy who has steadfastly guided us through many
exotic sonic landscapes with an ever escalating expression. G.L.
"G-Mane" Moon in Houston is always lending his talented techniques
with us to bust a move to a higher groove as well.”
Ray
Shasho: Billy, anything you’d like to promote?
Billy
Gibbons: “Hot sauce and barbecue sauce. There's
never enough…!”
Ray
Shasho: I heard you’re quite a chef … what’s your specialty?
Billy
Gibbons: “Mexican cuisine. Guacamole, certainly, which is a
staple compliment to the vast variations found in the many different
regions of the country. Fiery spices make for fierce foods and that,
my friend, is a good thing…!”
Ray
Shasho: Billy, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule
today. More importantly for all the incredible ZZ Top music you’ve given us and
continue to bring into the future. We’ll see you in Florida December 27th
and 29th.
Contact classic rock music journalist Ray Shasho at
rockraymond.shasho@gmail.com
Purchase
Ray’s very special memoir called ‘Check the Gs’ -The
True Story of an Eclectic American Family and Their Wacky Family Business …
You’ll LIVE IT! Also available for download on NOOK or KINDLE edition for JUST
.99 CENTS at amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com - Please support Ray by
purchasing his book so he can continue to bring you quality classic rock music
reporting.
“Check
the Gs is just a really cool story ... and it’s real. I’d like to see the kid
on the front cover telling his story in a motion picture, TV sitcom or animated
series. The characters in the story definitely jump out of the book and come to
life. Very funny and scary moments throughout the story and I just love the way
Ray timeline’s historical events during his lifetime. Ray’s love of rock music
was evident throughout the book and it generates extra enthusiasm when I read
his on-line classic rock music column on examiner.com. It’s a wonderful read
for everyone!”
…stillerb47@gmail.com
