Rockin' Blues

Saturday, May 26, 2007

I read the news today oh boy!

I read the News today and i am upset to put it mildy.

The U.S., the world's biggest polluter, did not ratify the Kyoto agreement
through which developed countries agreed to cut emissions
by 5 percent below their 1990 level by 2012.

And Now Bush Administration will not sign
the G8 proposed treaty to cut down
on the emissions by 2050.

They say that if they`ll do what the Europeans
and now Japan propose it will affect the American economy.

Meanwhile the US spents much more than all the European Countries together
in building arms,creating enemies and then fight them.

In a matter of fact they are so obsessed with guns
that they kill each other here at home.

The US doesn`t have national health care system,
something basic in every European country
and infants are dying for luck of basic health care as they do
in third world countries.

Go Figure.

My sister who is guide in Crete
is telling me that the only tourists who want to keep the aircondition on
all the time (Even when the tour busses are stopped or in shade)
are the Americans.

I see it happen all the time here in NYC.

I see busses idling with the engines on for hours, when not even the driver is in.

It`s insane.

They don`t know what they are doing or THEY DON`T CARE.

The Only thing they do care about is when the gas prices are getting high.

We Europeans are used to always pay
much higher prices in gas and oil than the Americans
but we don`t complain.

We just kill the engine when we are not mobile.

Take the subway in the summer months and when the temprature outside
is 80 - 90 degrees F,the cars are so cold you are in a need of a jacket.

This kind of entitlement Americans have is bothersome.

And That`s why they considered arrogant,obnoxious and despised
by the rest of the world.

Friday, May 25, 2007

Tommy Bolin.

I am looking at the February 2007 Guitar Player`s
issue and i see Tommy Bolin on the cover.

One of my favourite guitar players who unfortunately died too young.

My student Gregg is into 70`s Rock and i like showing him
how to play all these licks and songs that he loves but couldn`t
figure them out on the fretboard.

Last night i was showing him two songs from The James Gang
album "Miami" called "Cruisin` Down the Highway" and "Do it"
featuring Tommy Bolin.

I like the sound of the band and I love Tommy`s playing and sound.

If you are into 70`s heavy guitar riffing you can`t go wrong with his playing.

Although Joe Walsh was one of the founding members
and highly responsible for group`s fame,
they couldn`t have done a better choice replacing him with Tommy,
after he left for to form an even more succesful band,
The Eagles.

But Tommy`s playing ,sound and vision was and still is closer to my heart.

Check him out!

Sunday, May 20, 2007

What`s in a name.

The Rolling Stones have a HUGE place in Rock History.

When first heard their name i was too young to know my own
language (Greek) let alone a second one (English).

But I liked it!

I liked the rolling sound of it and to my ears it was more mystical
than the sound of the word The Beatles.

I remember one of my older friends he gave me their
first hits album and i was hooked,to the songs,their sound and image.

What they had in their music that got me so much into them,
was what their name suggested,not when i found out what
it meant from my English language dictionary, but when i finally
discovered where they took their name from!

From a Muddy Waters tune with the same name.

I had no idea who Muddy Waters was but when i realized that he was
a major influence to the music of the band i loved i wanted to
check him out.

The Blues had major influence
not only to the Stones but to every major band that came out of England
in the sixties-early seventies that i liked.

I could imediately trace the blues influences of a band
with my only criteria that i liked it.

Every other band that came from a different place
than the blues never thrilled me.

This past week i was listening to the latest Rolling Stones album
"A Bigger Bang" and although it might not be another
"Let it Bleed", "Sticky Fingers" or "Exile on Main Street"
it is still as good as it gets for them to hold the title
of the best rock band in the world!

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Compass Point.

It has been a year and a half since my first visit to
the Bahamas.

An invitation for a big family reunion party at the famous
Compass Point,
was all i needed for to fly to Nassau again.

Compass point is a really unique place.

Built originally by Mr.Chris Blackwell founder of
Island Records and a big promoter of Reggae
music, as the place where musicians could hung out
between recording sessions at Compass Point Studios,
it was twice destroyed by hurricanes.

The new owners have done a very good job restoring it
and rebuilding it the way it was, but there aren`t any
musicians staying there anymore.

On our second night there i found myself dancing to the songs
of the great Bob Marley,
and later to the songs from the Michael Jackson`s album
"Thriller".

Eddie Van Halen`s amazing solo
on "Beat It" still sound as fresh as it did back in the middle `80`s
when it hit the airways for the first time.

Rock on!