Nashville is on the steroid juice when it comes to drinking, live country music, party buses, cut-off jeans, cowboy boots and hats, and roof-top bars. I just wasn’t expecting art in my coffee. Yet, plenty of caffeine is a requirement for this Baby Boomer to keep on rockin’ in this town. Whoa!! It’s fun. It’s overload. It’s draining. But it’s a hoot!
– “Johnny” Jet Cannon
Many Buzzed Boomers are mourning the recent loss of ZZ Top bass player Dusty Hill. He passed away July 27th in Houston at age 72.
ZZ Top started in 1969 and with Billy Gibbons on guitar and Frank Beard on drums the power trio played on for over 50 years. Very, very few bands make it that long with the same lineup.
Dusty started out playing the cello but picked up the bass at age 13 and learned to play on stage; embarrassment being a motivator to learn his new instrument. We saw ZZ Top in 1973 and most recently in 2019 and they hadn’t lost a beat. Check out the ZZ Top rockumentary on Netflix. Among other credits, Dusty appeared in Back to the Future Part III, Deadwood, and The Drew Carey Show.
Joseph Michael Hill and ZZ Top were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. Per Dusty’s wishes, guitar tech Elwood Francis will play bass for the band.
Rest In Peace Dusty.
– Jet Cannon
Photos nbcnews.com and ultimateclassicrock.com
As music festivals go, Watershed is right up there among the great ones mixing partying, country music, and spectacular scenery. The Gorge Amphitheatre sits high above the mighty Columbia River in George, Washington. Add theme-based, colorful camping and country music stars like Tim McGraw and you have the ingredients for three days of serious fun. This year the event runs from July 30- August 1 and a few tickets may still be available, probably due to pandemic concerns. Normally Watershed is sold out.
If country music isn’t your cup of tea, check out georgeamphitheatre.com for tickets to acts like Phish, Dave Matthews, Tame Impala, and KISS.
– Jet Cannon
Our visit to Baby Boomers Mike and Karin’s Happy Place began with a mini live rock and roll concert in their neighbor Dave’s man cave. Dave’s a musical entertainment czar and he’s got the photos and rock posters in his cave to prove it. Welcome to Crescent Bar!
Mike and Karin’s condo overlooks the mighty Columbia River and surfing behind their Centurian Surf boat is a popular activity. And so is golf. And so is ripping around the community in golf carts to visit with other happy folks enjoying the summer. Whether behind the wheel of the boat, his cart, his truck or just sipping from his WSU Cougar coffee cup, Mike was in the zone. Karin will surf your doors off and is the reigning community midnight golf champion. Mike is the reigning champion mixer of the perfect Manhattan cocktail and he insists on making his own Bloody Mary’s, not trusting his inexperienced guests to do it properly. That last part is not entirely true.
Visiting on July Fourth meant being able to enjoy a golf cart parade in the morning and spectacular fireworks in the evening. Crescent Bar is hopping!
We were fortunate to partake in the summertime fun in a truly Happy Place with such great hosts. There are vacation rentals available and a limited number of RV spots. Google “Crescent Bar rentals” for various options.
– Jet Cannon and Hunter S.
AARP Magazine ran a fun article noting that MTV turned 40. “MTV forced established acts to think visually or risk disappearing; a song was no longer just a song, to be interpreted by a listener’s imagination, but the basis of a micro-movie in which performers would be judged by their hair, dancing, clothes, and shooting locale. No surprise that MTV helped popularize a new wave of image-conscious artists who eagerly embraced this star-making medium.” Let’s review a few. Michael Jackson, of course. Cyndi Lauper, Culture Club, Robert Palmer, The Police, Madonna, Bruce, Bowie, The Bangles, Devo, A-ha, Wham!, Big Country, Whitney, Salt-N-Pepa, Billy Idol, Van Halen, Eurythmics, Billy Joel, Prince, Pat Benatar, ZZ Top, Huey Lewis, and Janet Jackson.
I would argue that the music suffered a bit compared to music from the 70’s but I’d also have to admit that the visual art created was really quite amazing.
– Jet Cannon
Your favorite music via state-of-the-art headphones is tough to beat. Combine audio excellence with iconic design and you have Jimi Hendrix V-MODA headphones.
“V-MODA is proud to present the first collaboration in our Artist Series, which features guitar icon Jimi Hendrix.
Hailing from the Pacific Northwest region of the United States, Jimi Hendrix rose from humble beginnings to become oneof the most influential and respected musicians of all time. Often called an “electric alchemist,” he launched guitar playing into a new era with his innovative musical style and pioneering use of tone-altering effects like fuzz, wah, phasing, and more.
Featuring powerful 50mm dual‑diaphragm drivers with CCAW voice coils engineered in Japan, Crossfade 2 Wireless produces audio that can please even the most discerning sound engineer, with a clean, deep bass, vivid mids and a wide 3D soundstage. Experience your music as if you were really there for 14 wireless hours on a single charge, and in certified Hi‑Res Audio when wired.
Check them out at v-moda.com
– Jet Cannon
Per Guitar World magazine, https://www.guitarworld.com/news/jimi-hendrix-bobblehead, Jimi Hendrix fans will be happy to learn about some new Jimi paraphenalia.
As the greatest electric guitar player who has ever lived, there exists a wealth of merchandise associated with Jimi Hendrix. And now, his estate has made that merch pool even bigger by partnering with Kollectico for a brand-new bobblehead figure.
Commemorating Hendrix’s 1967 performance at the Monterey Pop Festival – which he concluded by dousing his Fender Stratocaster in lighter fluid and setting it on fire – the “Live at Monterey” bobbleheads are officially licensed, hand-sculpted and painted and come in collector’s boxes.
The bobblehead’s pose appears to be modeled on an iconic photograph taken by then 17-year-old Ed Caraeff.
The “Live at Monterey” bobblehead – of which only 1,967 will be made – is set to ship in August 2021. For more information, head to Kollectico.com. We found the opportunity to order at bobbleheadboss.com. $49.95. We’re not bobblehead collectors so we have no idea if the limited production will add to the value over time. Regardless, it’s kind of fun.
– Jet Cannon
Was it the drugs? Something in the water?
1970’s Best Rock Albums
1971’s Best Rock Albums
1972’s Best Rock Albums
1973’s Best Rock Albums
Per wpdh.com, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, whose judgement in admission selection some, like me, have questioned over the years, has a new greatest all-time list of classic rock songs. Here are the top 10 songs:
For the record, Stairway to Heaven was number 154.
Read More: There’s a New ‘Number One’ Classic Rock Song of All Time | https://wpdh.com/theres-a-new-number-one-classic-rock-song-of-all-time/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral
Great songs are in the ear of the beholder so we can make our own list. Some of my picks would probably get me laughed off the school playground so I’m keeping my list private.
– Jet Cannon
That’s not true. No word on a Spinal Tap tour. But according to ultimateclassicrock.com, many bands are restless after Covid Cabin Fever. Acts you may remember include the Stones, Alice Cooper, Def Leppard, Doobie Brothers, The Eagles, Motley Crue/Poison/Joan Jett, Chicago/Rick Springfield, Rod Stewart, Journey, Foreigner, Metallica, Cheap Trick, Pearl Jam, Bon Jovi, Green Day/Fall Out Boy/Weezer, Elton, Guns N. Roses (with Slash and Duff), Kiss, Ozzy, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Ringo (with Steve Lukather and Gregg Rolie), Aerosmith, Black Crowes, Styx, Sammy Hagar/Whitesnake/Night Ranger, Grand Funk, ZZ Top and The Who to name a few. Check the InterWeb for dates near you.
– Jet Cannon
Noted Buzzed Boomer contributor, Old Man Wrong, will drop into Seattle today from the Bay Area to share his expertise in catching a Buzz in multiple ways. Faithful readers may remember OMW’s posts on the art of cooking steak, popcorn, and….. Brussel Sprouts. He also knows a bit about fitness.
An open water swimmer, OMW will first brave the brisk waters of Puget Sound to fire up those exercise endorphins. Brrrr! I’ll be doing some beer can curls from the safety of the beach.
Next, we will visit B & E Meats, established in 1958 by Bob and Earl Green, where OMW will select the proper steak for pan searing and grilling later in the evening. Yum.
Finally, a stop is planned at the Tin Room Bar for a classic, poured-at-the-table, dry gin Martini. “Quite simply, no other drink even comes up to its knees.” Further quoting Jay Jacobs in A Great And Sudden Glory, we shall “stoop to pay obeisance to this wonder. The pursed lips draw off a modicum of the only liquid to which the adjective “brittle” can be applied. The taste buds undergo extreme arousal, and a great and sudden glory is experienced in the general vicinity of the pharynx. With startling clarity the drink seems to irradiate its own descent through darkness from gullet to gut.” Queue Frank Sinatra.
We will look forward to some of OMW’s takeaways from this quick trip to the Pacific Northwest in a future post. Meanwhile, cheers!
– Jet Cannon
Buzzed Boomer’s At-Large Contributor, Hunter S., suggested recently that Buzzed is too focused on sex and drugs and not enough on rock and roll. So today, we will note some classic rock and roll birthdays this May 17th.
Taj Mahal – 79 years old today
Bill Bruford – Yes and King Crimson drummer – 72
Paul Di’Anno -Iron Maiden lead singer -63
Trent Reznor – Nine Inch Nails lead singer – 56
Others with birthdays in May:
Frankie Valli – 87
Bob Dylan – 80
Pete Townshend – 76
John Fogerty – 76
Stevie Nicks – 73
Rick Wakeman – 72
Bernie Taupin – 71
Feel better? Maybe I will after my nap.
– Jet Cannon
Cartoon courtesy of cartoonstock.com
Baby Boomers lived through the creative blossoming of fine music. In 1973 alone, many amazing classic albums were released including Dark Side of the Moon, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Houses of the Holy, Quadrophenia, The Wild the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle, Band on the Run, Pronounced Let-Nerd Sin-Nerd, Aladdin Sane, For Everyman, and Mott to name just a few.
Throughout this prolific era, I rarely heard the lyrics correctly and usually didn’t really get the intended message or symbolism involved. For example all the references to “rockin’ all night” I assumed meant we’d be listening to music all night.
The band Steel Panther solves all that. Warning: their music is beyond explicit. It’s politically, and in all other ways, incorrect. They pretty much just come right out and say what they mean without symbolism. And they’re funny. Which I also appreciate. Per Wikipedia, “”Steel Panther is mostly known for its profane and humorous lyrics, as well as exaggerated on-stage pastiche of the stereotypical “glam metal” lifestyle.”” No question what they’re singing about. Their recent release “F*** 2020”…..Well the message is clear.
If you’re not easily offended and you enjoy humorous rock and roll, a la Spinal Tap, check them out.
– Jet Cannon
