Noted session keyboardist and producer Barry Beckett, who had worked with some of the biggest and brightest stars in the rock, blues, soul, and country music worlds, passed away on Wednesday, June 10, 2009 in his Hendersonville, Tennessee home following complications from a stroke. Beckett was 66 years old at the time of his death. Beckett made a name for himself during the late-1960s as keyboardist for the legendary Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, known as the "Swampers." Working in the Fame Recording Studio, and later in the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio that was opened by the Swampers, Beckett lent his keyboard skills to recordings by artists as diverse as bluesmen John Hammond, Otis Rush, and Albert King; R&B greats Etta James, Lowell Fulson, and Wilson Pickett; and folk and rock artists such as Odetta and Bob Dylan. During the early-80s, Beckett moved to Nashville and behind the
Mr. Big, the hard rock supergroup that formed in the 1980s and yielded the hits "To Be With You" and "Green Tinted Sixties Mind" has reunited.
The band is comprised of bassist Billy Sheehan (of Talas and David Lee Roth Band fame), guitarist Paul Gilbert (formerly Racer X), drummer Pat Torpey (formerly of The Knack) and singer Eric Martin.
The group debuted with their eponymous album in 1989. This album laid the groundwork for their distinct sound: crunching, shredding guitars, precision-pounded drums, booming bass, and raspy melodic vocals. Soaring choruses combined with crunch delighted fans of the band the world over.
Wait. This sounds like almost every other band that blossomed out of the 80s under the rock/heavy metal genre.
What differentiated Mr. Big from other bands of their time was the fact that all of the members had previous successful careers in
Canadian alt-country rocker Luke Doucet embarks on cross Canada tour in support of his latest outing "Blood's Too Rich".
For alt-country rocker, studio musician and producer Luke Doucet, being on the road since the age of 18 is finally paying off.Doucet and his band The White Falcon have been busy touring all over the U.S. and Canada, opening for both Blue Rodeo and James Blunt in promotion for the now year-old Blood’s Too Rich album.A native of Winnipeg,...
Welcome back! Well, to some of you, anyway. To the rest of you, glad you decided to stop by and I hope that this humble column helps you navigate the stacks of new releases each week. My goal is to point you toward titles of interest and warn you away from those films that seek to do nothing but leech away your time and give you nothing in return.
Full disclosure: I have not seen many of these titles and what follows are not necessarily reviews, but opinions based upon what I know of the titles I pluck from the new release lists that I peruse. The opinions I give based on the new releases are my own, and my recommendations are based on my personal interest. In any case, I hope you enjoy and perhaps find something you like or a title to point me towards.
Friday Night Lights: The Third Season. I love this series. When I first began watching the first season, I was not sure I would. I
But tonight I got to thinking, who really is the best modern day rock band out there? Coldplay? White Stripes? Kings of Leon?
I mean let's face it, we really haven't got that many really great candidates waiting in the wings to assume the throne right now. There certainly isn't any Beatles, Stones, or Who standing in waiting and ready to step up to the plate -- to say nothing of a future Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd.
As far as songwriters go, I likewise can't see the next Dylan, Springsteen, Brian Wilson, or Neil Young anywhere out there on the horizon -- as much as I would really like to. I mean, I like Conor Oberst as much as the next guy, but honestly speaking I just don't see him filling the shoes of Bob or Bruce.
These are different times than the sixties or the seventies were, and I understand that. Believe me, I do.
