NOVEMBER
ROCK REPORT
by
Ross Cat.
SATCH BOOGIE…..Great news for music fans who weren’t fortunate enough to
be part of the “Crowd Chant” this past April at the Center for the Arts
@ University of Buffalo with guitar virtuoso JOE SATRIANI. October 31st
will mark the release of SATRIANI LIVE!! The double-live DVD and accompanying
CD was recorded this past May at the Grove in Anaheim, California.
The “Super Colossal” tour captures SATRIANI and his superlative band drummer
Jeff Campitelli, bassist Dave LaRue, and guitarist Galen Henson in lightning
form. It truly is an amazing treat to see the passionate performer pour
his soul onto the stage through his phenomenal fingertips.
The concert set list covers SATRIANI’S momentous career opening the show
with the title track from the 1989 album “Flying in a Blue Dream”. SATCH
and company really catch a wave with “Cool #9” and “Satch Boogie” from
the monster 1987 release “Surfing With the Alien”. What really sets this
show apart from the other SATRIANI live shows are the additional tracks
from his recent studio album “Super Colossal”. The album title is most
fitting as this stellar collection of songs stand out in the set in a mammoth
way.
If that isn’t enough there is a second DVD with some magnificent behind
the scenes bonus features from the tour. There is pod casts from
the European leg as well as some inspiring footage from the bands visit
to India. SATCH is currently on the road once again through
December with his G3 comrades STEVE VAI and JOHN PETRUCCI as they rock
and roll Latin America and Australia. Visit his website @ www.satriani.com
to order your SATRIANI: Live double disc.
Also, NIGHTLIFE readers who may have missed the SATCH interview can go
back to our webpage @ www.bestofwny.com/nightlife,
scroll down to the April
issue.
BLUES BROTHERS…..There is only one word to describe what happens when you
put two iconic musicians in a recording studio together for the first time,
“Danger”. That is the title to the lead track to the new album “The Road
to Escondido” which features music legends JJ CALE, and the only three
time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee ERIC CLAPTON.
The sleek sounding fourteen track disc which is due out November 7 was
produced and recorded buy the celebrated duo in August 2005. It’s hard
to believe that this recording experience could be a humbling one to someone
like CLAPTON who has enjoyed enormous success with CALE covers, “Cocaine”
and “After Midnight”. The guitar god explains; “This was the
realization of what may have been my last ambition, to work with the man
whose music has inspired me for as long as I can remember, there are not
enough words for me to describe what he represents to me, musically and
personally. I wouldn’t want to embarrass him by going overboard, for he
is truly a humble man…..I think it’s enough to say that we had fun, made
a great record, and I for one already want to make another.
The musical masters also brought along a star-studded cast as they ventured
down “The Road to Escondido”. CALE wrote eleven of the new tracks, CLAPTON
penned “Three Little Girls”, while rising superstar JOHN MAYER wrote the
down and dirty “Hard to Thrill”. Also appearing on the record are guitar
greats DOYLE BRAMHALL II, ALBERT LEE, and guitar legend in the making DEREK
TRUCKS who can be heard sliding across the DEAD like third track “Missing
Person”.
To a man one of the biggest contributions on the album would be from the
late great soul man BILLY PRESTON as he tantalizes the ivories throughout
the record, which has been dedicated to his memory.
To learn more about this amazing musical venture visit JJ CALE @ www.jjcalemusic.com.
Visit ERIC CLAPTON @ www.ericclapton.com.
CLASSIC CARS…..While “You Might Think” that original CARS frontman
RIC OCASK has been sitting by idle while the NEW CARS are out taking a
test “Drive”, you couldn’t be more wrong. The enigmatic artist
has actually been quite busy, earlier this year he released a solo record
to great critical acclaim titled “Nexterday” along with producing
bands the likes of NO DOUBT and WEEZER. Most recently he’s been in the
shop working on the latest classic CARS DVD/CD called THE CARS UNLOCKED:
The
Live Performances.
The double disc was released last Tuesday; it is fully loaded with never
before seen footage of the band as they packed clubs and then arenas worldwide
throughout the seventies and eighties. OCASEK has been hard at work on
putting this footage together for the past three years, long before there
was any talk of reuniting the band with or without him. In a recent interview
OCASEK told the Boston-Herald his reasons for steering clear of a CARS
reunion; “Upon hearing of the prospect of a reunion I knew immediately
that it wasn’t anything I was interested in doing. I had always said that
I didn’t want to be one of those bands that comes back after the fact,
I still stand by that. When we lost BENJAMIN ORR to pancreatic cancer in
2000 I felt that sealed the band’s fate”.
This dual-disc is a must for any CARS fan, packaged in a dazzling foil-embossed
case that includes a 28-page hardbound booklet which was designed by OCASEK.
The DVD includes live performances, interviews, as well as backstage access
with the band. The Live Performances CD contains fourteen live tracks from
the bands chart-topping heyday for your listening pleasure while traveling
in your CARS.
BACK TO THE “GRIND”…..A band that has been sorely missed in the music industry
since the untimely death of singer LAYNE STALEY in 2002 is ALICE IN CHAINS.
The ear-piercing Seattle rockers are back and in full force behind guitarist
JERRY CANTRALL and his guitar-shredding sound.
The band has been out on the road the past month in support of their latest
release The Essential Alice in Chains. The double-disc contains twenty-eight
of the bands most critical cuts, included are remixes, live tracks, as
well as unplugged gems.
The surviving members MIKE INEZ, SEAN KINNEY and JERRY CANTRALL along with
AIC fans have welcomed aboard vocalist WILLIAM DUVALL. When asked if this
tour is a one shot deal CANTRALL explains; “We’re not trying to replace
LAYNE…..We want to play these songs one more time, and if it seems like
the right thing to do, it’ll happen. I don’t know how long it will go or
where it will take us. It’s kind of a tribute to LAYNE and our fans,
the people who love these songs.”
All reports from the road finds the band in exceptional form playing a
blistering set to sold out venues across the States. The tour makes a stop
here in Niagara Falls on Saturday November 4th at the DOME THEATRE.
Sorry fans the show has been sold out so AIC fans that didn’t get tickets
will have to sit home in your “Angry Chair” and enjoy the new ALICE IN
CHAINS Essentials double-disc that night. Visit the bands website @ www.aliceinchains.com. |