Hot Ham & Cheese at the Jigsaw

Last night was Hot Ham & Cheese's cd release party at the Jigsaw in Parma. This was my first time seeing the band live and seeing a show at this venue. I have to say I am sorry I waited so long to see the band perform live. They put on a great show! I had not heard any of the songs off of the new cd until last night so I did not bother with trying to write down any set list. We had dinner on the restaurant side of the place first so we missed the opening act. We ventured over part way through the second bands set and I enjoyed what I heard. The two opening bands were Audiblethread and Stone Relied. Sorry to say I am not sure which band went on first. Johnny Mohawk and the Assassins went on after Hot Ham & Cheese. I have heard a lot about them so it was great to finally see them live too. It was worth it. They put on a very high energy set. It was funny to see Johnny Mohawk before the show with his hair down and then seeing it up later in the night. That is one impressive mohawk! We left during Hairwolf's set which was the last one of the night. Not that they were not good, but that we were just tired. I guess I am showing my age.

Another thing that showed my age was when did it become cool to take constant pictures of yourselves at a show? This group of 20 something females kept taking turns standing right in front of the stage, not to take a pic of the band, but to take pics of each other in the crowd. WTF? Thanks for blocking my view so you can not even look at the band...

All in all it was a great night! Now I just have to find out when the next show is.

Tempest at the Beachland...

Last night was the Tempest concert at the Beachland Ballroom. Before the show the wife and I met our friends Jon and George for dinner at the Grovewood Tavern and Wine bar. The food was ok, but nothing spectacular and for the price I am not sure if I will go back there anytime soon to eat. They did have a very good wine and beer list. After dinner it was over to the Beachland for the show which was in the tavern side. It was a beautiful night out so I have no idea why there was not a better turn out for the show. I counted only 16 fans which included the 4 of us. The last time Tempest came through they played the same venue to about as small a crowd. I felt bad for the band, but they took it in stride and still put on a great show. Last night's lineup of Lief, Damien, Adolpho, Michael, and James was different from the one we saw last time. I am not sure how long this lineup has been together but they were as tight as any band I have seen. What a great show! Lief even came out into the audience again and sat on my wife's lap again during a song. He did the same thing last time! After the show the band hung out and chatted with the few fans that stuck around. They are some of the nicest guys you would want to meet and you can tell they really love what they do. The fiddle player Michael Mullen was wearing a Tull tour shirt and chatting with him we found out he is a big Tull fan. We promised to send him some cds in the mail. One down note from talking with him and then Lief was hearing how bad the music industry has got for smaller bands like them. It really is a struggle to make it now. As usual we bought a couple of their cds. We have to support the bands we like or else they will not be around anymore! And Cleveland needs to get out more and support the music scene! So much for the home of Rock 'n Roll...

Musician/Group with the best longevity...

What musician or musical group has stayed relevant that longest? Or put out good music the longest? My first thought was Bruce Springsteen, but I quickly came to my senses. For me his best album still is Born to Run and it has been downhill since. Your choice is allowed to have a slow period in the middle--Mr. Dylan? I am talking about at least a 30 year run of music. So that leaves out a lot of bands/artists.

Ticket prices or concert attendance is irrelevant to the discussion. People paying big bucks to see the Rolling Stones means nothing except people have no clue who to see in concert. If I wanted to see oldies played over and over again I can go to the local bar or Holiday Inn and see a cover band. I want new fresh music that is as vibrant today as the old stuff was. We have a certain breed of people with cash to burn and no idea how to spend it. So they chase the cachet of old names and drive up the ticket prices. They also ruin other sectors of the market—namely collectibles. CCGs, Sports cards, Comic books, etc have be inundated by these people which is driving up the prices and causing companies to flood the market with inferior products to meet the demand. There are dozens and dozens of worthy musical acts to see that are unable to get the necessary exposure because radio stations and venues still think concert goers only want to see the old names.

So who is my choice? I vote for Richard Thompson. I have been listening to his latest cd Sweet Warrior again in the car. It is another outstanding effort by a great musician. I also have been listening to a mix cd my better half put together of his music. The man had it then and still has it now. See some musicians are able to put our great music over a long career. So who do you vote for?

Porcupine Tree...

What a concert! It cost me sleep but it was worth it! It was great seeing the band in top form and also seeing friends. Jon, George, Mike and Gina, Ryan and Jesse, Reed, Brian, plus others I met briefly. PT fans rock! Others will do a full review. Here is one review and the set list. For me either I liked it or I didn't. I liked last night's show! If you have not seen this band what are you waiting for? See them now. Travel if you must. Do it...

To pay or not to pay...

Seeing your favorite band in concert. It is special. Times have changed though. Concert tickets are outrageous. Quality acts are fewer. Quality venues are harder to find. How do you decide to spend your hard earned dollars? Then there is the issue of bands/artists touring with missing members. Or whole missing bands except for one person. For example I admit I am a Jethro Tull fan. Long time fan late to seeing them in concert. Ian Anderson is Tull. Always has been. He is the only original member of the group. Which brings up my problem. Tull is currently touring. But Mr. Anderson for reasons of his own has jettisoned the rest of the band except for Martin Barre. And he even played some dates without Martin. So are fans seeing Tull? Ian had toured without the rest of Tull for some time now. At least he went just by his name on the bill. But now he feels he needs to put the Jethro Tull name on the tickets and yet he has decided the rest of the band is unnecessary now. As a long time fan this is highly disturbing. Tull, Ian Anderson, has refused to come out with new music for years now. But he continues to tour in one capacity or another. The only reason I can see is to milk the fans out of their money. And now to play shows as Tull without any members of the band--he has crossed the line. I will never give him one cent of my money again. It is obvious he is only doing this for the cash and to increase his profit margins he has fired the rest of the band. The sad thing is he does not realize that most of Tull's fans have long ago stopped caring about him. The last several shows I was at I spent the whole time watching the other members of the band. As most of the other people I talked to did as well. Way to go Ian alienating the few remaining fans you had. And it is not like anyone new goes to one of your shows.

As a side note what about other bands? I was a Guns and Roses fan. Do I see GnR in concert now? It is only Axel Rose with no names now. Or do I go see Velvet Revolver which is the rest of the band along with Scott Weiland? Rock and Roll bands have always been fluid with members coming and going. As ticket prices rise when do we say enough is enough? If we are expected to pay top dollar to see a group shouldn't we demand that the group perform? Not have backups or roadies or whomever sub for the members of the group. It is insulting for some bands/artists to think that one name or names is enough to justify paying top dollar to see a concert. And with concerts being the main source of income in the new world order of the music industry maybe it is time that the fans let the artists know what we expect. And if we don't get what we expect they might as well pack up their instruments and go home...