Guitar god - Gary Richrath, REO Speedwagon!

If you ask my cousin Alan who was the greatest guitarist of the 1970's in one of the "rocking-est" bands, he will tell you Gary Richrath. Who? Yeah that's what I hear nowadays. Richrath was one of the preeminent rock and roll guitarists of the era. He was the creative and driving force behind the band in the early days.

His main guitar was a Gibson Les Paul Standard. He was great at the pick scratch and had a way of making notes squeal. He presided over 20 million albums sold including 4 gold and 6 platinum.

My introduction to Gary Richrath and REO Speedwagon came when I moved to Florida and lived with my cousins family. Alan and his friends were into Live: You Get What You Play For and You Can Tune a Piano but You Can't Tuna Fish. Gary's frenetic playing style and crazy pick attacks reminded me of no one else. I couldn't peg him style wise, with any other guitarist. REO was purely a rock and roll, party, bar band at that time. Success eluded them though as they labored under such star bands as Journey, Boston and Foreigner. Their turn came in 1981 with the release of Hi Infidelity. Unfortunately as much as I loved the album, it didn't compare with their former recordings. They pretty much sold out with Kevin Cronin assuming the leadership of the band. I think Gary lost heart in the band as it steered towards commercialization. But what do you do? How do you succeed without some form of sell out?

REO Speedwagon remains one of the most popular bands of all time. It's too bad that Gary and Kevin had their differences which led to Gary's departure. I still play Gary's music and in our band we play Roll with the Changes as our tribute to Gary Richrath's rockin' style of electric guitar.

Journey with Night Ranger - Orlando, FL Amway Arena

Last night Cindy and I went to see Night Ranger and Journey at the Amway Arena in Orlando, Fl. The kids bought the tickets for Mother's Day/Birthday. The seats weren't bad. We sat slightly to the left in front of the stage. I figured the sound would be pretty good since it would come straight at us and not bounce around. We sat down with a couple of beers (10 bucks a pop!) and watched the roadies finish getting ready for the show.

It's amazing how the "concert clientele" has changed over the years. Last night in front of us was a dude with his wife and two preteen sons, couples from their late teens to late thirties, a lot of fans my age (or older) and a number of small kids. It was like going to the movies! When I saw Alice Cooper in 1973, there was nothing but teenagers and young adults. The lights went down and everyone lit up! Not anymore, nothing but clean smoke free air! Obviously the groups get older and so do their fans. We saw Night Ranger twice in the early 80's and Journey twice during the same time frame. The arena had the upper bowl blocked off (and parts curtained off) and the area around from the edge of the stage around the back to the other side was blocked off too. The three quarters or so of the lower bowl that the fans sat was pretty much filled up. Not too many empty seats. On each side of the stage were two
enormous video screens. Through my binoculars I could check out the impressive sound equipment and mixing boards on the back of the floor directly in front of the stage. There was also a video camera which I'm sure was going to fill those video screens.

We weren't there more than 20 minutes or so when the lights dimmed and Night Ranger took the stage. Jack Blades on bass, backing and lead vocals, Brad Gillis on guitar, backing vocals, Kelley Keagy on drums, backing and lead vocals, Joel Hoekstra on guitar, backing vocals and Christian Cullen on keyboards and backing vocals.

This is the latest reincarnation of Night Ranger. Blades, Gillis and Keagy were the original founding members along with Jeff Watson on guitars and Alan Fitzgerald on keyboard. This was the lineup for their initial success in 1982 and the one I remember most!

The stage was set with Keagy's drum riser to the right of stage (as opposed to the usual center stage setup). When I first went to a Night Ranger concert, I couldn't figure out the reason for this. It soon became apparent when I realized he also sang lead vocals and he could see the fans (and vice versa). Brad Gillis played to the right, Jack Blades in the center, Joel and Christian were on the left side of the stage.

Brad Gillis played his original red Fender-styled Strat (Fernandes?) with the Floyd Rose tremolo unit, Seymour Duncan pickups and a special wireless unit under the pickguard. The guitar looks beat, but boy, does it sound sweet! Joel Hoekstra played a Gibson Les Paul Standard gold top (also a Flying-V and an acoustic). Jack Blades played what looked like a Hamer bass, white, hollow body with two pickups.

The band played all of their hits including a few from Jack Blades' tour of duty with Damn Yankees. Sing me Away, Eddie's Comin' Out Tonight, When You Close Your Eyes, Don't Tell Me You Love Me, Sister Christian (with Deen Castronovo, Journey's drummer on drums while Kelley sang), and (You Can Still) Rock in America and High Enough and Coming of Age from Damn Yankees.

Brad Gillis is fantastic on guitar. He has always been one of my favorites over the years. I love his aggressive attack! His work with the Floyd Rose is genius! Joel Hoekstra was pretty good also. I was wondering if they were going to play (You Can Still) Rock in America due to Jeff Watson's eight-finger tapping effect during the solo. They did and Joel did a great job with it!

Hats off to Night Ranger! It was great to go back to 1982!



After a half hour or so break, Journey took stage...

Journey was a favorite band of mine back in the late 1970's. Me, my cousin Alan Schroeder and friend Gary Miller discovered Infinity, their first album with Steve Perry, with a little song called "Lights". From that point it was all Journey all the time. I had the pleasure of seeing Journey for the first time with the original line up of Steve Perry, Neil Schon, Ross Valory, Greg Rollie and Aynsley Dunbar. The concert was at the Miami Jai Lai fronton. We sat a few rows back in the center of the stage. Thin Lizzy opened. What a great concert!

Journey this time around has only two of the original members from that time. Neil Schon (guitar) and Ross Valory (bass). Now we have Jonathan Cain, (from the great super group, the Babys) (keyboard, vocals), Deen Castronovo (drums, vocals) and Arnel Pineda (vocals).

Neil Schon was on the right side of the stage. He mainly played a Gibson Neal Schon Signature Les Paul. It's pretty cool with diamond inlays, a Floyd Rose tremolo and Fernandes pickups. He also played a white Fender Stratocaster with a rosewood neck for the song "Lights". Ross Valory, who mainly stayed at center stage in front of the drum riser played a number of different basses. Nothing I could identify. Occasionally Jonathan Cain (keyboards on the left side of the stage) would step out and play rhythm guitar using either a Fender Telecaster, Strat or a Gibson SG Standard. Arnel Pineda was all over the stage when he sang and would disappear when Deen Castronovo sang a couple of Steve Perry's hits.

Journey played through their catalog of hits. They started with Separate Ways and on into Stone In Love, Only The Young, Lights, Wheel In The Sky, Faithfully, Don't Stop Believin', and Anyway You Want It among others. Neil stepped out with a guitar solo or two. The only problem was his playing speed blurred the notes into white noise sometimes. Still, I'm not complaining! Jonathan Cain played some great piano and along with Deen's drumming and Ross's solid bass, the band was as tight as I remember.

They did have an odd turn in the middle of the concert with Neil playing what looked like an electric mandolin and Jonathan playing a harmonica. I thought I was transported back to a Paul Butterfield Blues concert! Arnel Pineda did a good take on the great Steve Perry. I've heard all of the "Journey lite", "Journey tribute" band cracks. It's got to be a difficult turn with Steve Perry's ghost always in the background.

Two hours later it was over. After the concert, Cindy remarked how she missed Steve Perry's heart and soul in the band. She felt she could see Steve coming out of Arnel on some of the songs. I had to agree. Hearing Don't Stop Believin' just wasn't the same. Still it was a great show by both bands and I would recommend to any Night Ranger or Journey fan to go and check them out.

For an evening, Cindy and I felt great! It was wonderful to go back and experience once more the joy and happiness music makes us feel...

The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get!

I was coming home from yoga last night and I plugged in a CD I made a few weeks back. After listening to Ten Years After, Toto and Queen, one of my favorite tracks came on from one of my favorite bands. "Stop" by the James Gang. For some reason, this live guitar sound, to me, is one of the most rockin' around! Joe Walsh plays his Gibson Les Paul Standard gold top through a Vox wah pedal into a Marshall amp.

"Stop, baby can't you see that I can't take it no more..."

Trouble was I couldn't recreate his sound. One day I was messing around and accidentally created that live sound by turning off the speed, delay time and depth of my DOD Stereo Chorus. The sound came out compressed and tight. Sounded exactly like Joe Walsh on the live album! I play the song using my Les Paul into the Vox wah, through the chorus pedal and on into the Marshall.

Joe has had a helluva career from the James Gang, through Barnstorm and on into the Eagles. He is a very talented and versatile musician. Check out his keyboard playing on "Tend My Garden". Maybe someday I'll have the chance to see him live. Until then...

"Stop, if you keep it up I'm gonna go through floor!"

Robin Trower, blues-rock guitarist extraordinaire!

I have loved Robin Trower's guitar sound since the early seventies.

The shimmering, ethereal, sad minor notes! Stereo chorus and phase shifted, heavy feedback sound coming from his Stratocaster through stacks of Marshall's! Sweet!

He's a British guitarist who belonged to Procol Harem back in the 1960's and formed his trio later that decade. I bought "Bridge of Sighs" back when I lived in Connecticut. It was summer in between school.

I would play the album out on the porch in the dark. I would just lay on the couch with headphones on and feel the music swirl within my head. What a rush!

At first I wasn't sure that he was a dude. His name is Robin, hmmm. I thought it would be so cool if he was a chick guitarist. I only thought this because there were no pictures on the album sleeve. Had no clue who he was (or even gender!).

The "Bridge of Sighs" (actually a bridge in Venice Italy and Oxford England) album consisted of songs like "Day of the Eagle", "Lady Love", "Too Rolling Stoned", "In this Place" and the title track. Reg Isador was on drums and the late, great James Dewar handled bass and vocals. His voice was perfect and distinctive for this type of blues-infected rock.

Trower had a number of albums through the seventies, eighties and nineties. He was unfairly pegged as a Hendrix imitator but I think he just took Jimi's music to the next level, maybe even improving on it. Unfortunately he had to live with that ghost!

I saw Robin Trower in Baltimore, Maryland back in the mid-80's. Mountain opened the show and both groups were in rare form. I hope to see him again next month at the House of Blues here in Orlando. I will worm my way up to the front of the stage! I want to know the chords he uses for "Lady Love". I always had trouble with that song. Check into Electric Guitars Rock for more great information.

Ah yes, our group has been together for around six months now. Me on guitar, Scott on drums and Rick on bass.

Our set includes "Wheel in the Sky" by Journey, "No Matter What" and "Baby Blue" by Badfinger, "Fool for the City" by Foghat, "Closer to Home" by Grand Funk Railroad, "Crazy Train" and "I don't Know" by Ozzy, "Smokin',"Piece of Mind" and "More than a Feeling" by Boston, "When I Come Around" and "Holiday" by Green Day, "Love Shack" by the B-52's, "Under my Wheels" by Alice Cooper, "Walk don't Run" by the Ventures, "Pleasant Valley Sunday" by the Monkees, "Funk #49" by James Gang, "Pretty Fly for a White Guy" by Offspring, "Plush" by STP, "Radar Love" by Golden Earring and a bunch more.

Since we don't have a vocalist, I'm elected to fill in until we luck out and get one. I do pretty good on most of the songs, but some I just can't do and play at the same time. Damn. We have a lead on a singer I found through Craig's List. He's around our age and sings some of our set list. He has his own list with a band he was in that recently broke up. Hopefully we'll get together this week and see how it goes. Stay tuned and keep a rockin'!