The major problem with the 80's has its root in the mid to late 70's when commercial radio and the mainstream rock media ( Rolling Stone ) rejected all things punk, post-punk or indie. None of the first generation American punk bands (class of '75) or UK punk bands (class of '77) were played on the ...

I lived in the NYC area and the commercial FM stations had the most conservative playlists when compared with other cities. "Closer To The Heart" got some airplay but in my high school Rush had a cult following. All that changed with "Spirit of The Radio", so much that many of th...

When it comes to rock history the 60's and 70's are considered the high point. The 80's are controversial. A large percentage of bands and artists FM airplay and MTV videos in that decade are forgotten and for good reason. If I never hear another Men Without Hats or Men At Work song again my life wi...

Rush may have been considered a Zep rip-off in their early years mainly based on Geddy Lee's Plant-like shrieking but it wasn't long before they came into their own, especially by the time of 2112 . The fact that it took the music press and the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame so long to come around only ...

The Sex Pistols really only had one proper studio album. But it was a great album. The problem with them, IMO, is Sid Vicious and Malcolm McLaren. The Sex Pistols really didn't get any airplay in the US in the 70's. The Clash got some with London Calling which was released at the very end of the dec...

Interesting Concept. 1) ELO -- They had a great run but I can't put them in the first tier. They were more gold than platinum. Total ear candy. 2) Blue Oyster Cult 3) The Outlaws -- not as popular as Skynyrd, not as respected as The Allmans and, when all was said and done, not even as popular as ZZ ...

Tough to limit it to ten, but I'll try. No particular order 1: Drive By Truckers -- their site, they get to be number one. 2: The Rolling Stones 3: The Velvet Underground 4: Neil Young and Crazy Horse 5: Buddy Holly 6: Echo and The Bunnymen 7: The Gun Club 8: Waylon Jennings 9: Hank Williams 10: Th...

Great day all around. We didn't get around to having a pinball tournament. I know by now that nothing ruins a party more than a host who insists on pushing their agenda when people are having a good time. So I knew better than to try and start up the tournament when everyone was having a good time s...

The encore was one for the ages.

Wow, I have one with an autograph! Must be worth three grand.

The prize for the high score at the pinball tournament is the Jersey Indie Rock Heritage Pack. It includes: The Misfits Static Age vinyl: Our rock music scene in NJ began in the late 1970's with two clubs: The Dirt Club in Bloomfield and Maxwell's in Hoboken. The three bands whose record releases pu...

I got a few things out of high school. 1) Learned how to write an essay 2) Found friends who were interested in forming a band 3) Learned fencing in gym class. Never did it after high school but it was a pretty cool thing to have tried. 4) Found guys who were interested in forming a basketball leagu...

HERE ARE THE DETAILS FOR THE SILVERBALL MUSEUM PRE-PARTY AND PINBALL TOURNAMENT Time -- 1:00 to 4:00 PM Admission -- $20.00 -- The admission price includes a wrist band that allows you to play unlimited pinball all afternoon. It also includes use of the party space. It also includes a $5.00 "Pl...

I don't share the notion that American high schools are traumatizing for creative and artistic sorts. Middle school, maybe. More bullying among boys of that age group. I guess the original idea for this thread is was what high school might have been like for Cooley and Hood. I think that by the time...

Coming from a very large NJ high school I didn't have opportunities to play sports. With 4,000 kids in the high school and only 15 spots on the varsity hoops team, another 15 on the JV and another 15 on the freshman squad you had to be pretty good to make it even as a bench player. I was a good intr...

I went to a large high school with over 1,000 students in my graduating class. We had a group of 30 to 40 kids who were into punk rock and other non-commercial music so I never had trouble finding people who wanted to catch The Clash, The Jam, Echo and The Bunnymen, Black Flag or The Cramps. But the...

Band relationships are almost as complex as family relationships. It is never just one single issue that causes a divorce or estrangement. Sure, the drinking was part of it. But Jason being so much younger than Patterson and Cooley was probably another issue. Cooley, Hood and Morgan were starting fa...

BigTom wrote:John and I are in.

Cool. Make sure you stop by The Silver Ball Museum for the pinball tournament.

[ I think the reason Gold got the bad rap it did was because so many thought he was capable of something better, especially given that so many of the songs he was performing on the tour for Heartbreaker didn't end up on it. That, and it was highly derivative in places but then again, a whole lot of...

I don't think it's unfair at all, at least for the most part. I think most of us would still think she was a mediocre singer/songwriter if she was a still a Trucker. RevMatt doesn't count, though, as I believe if he's (not so) secretly in love with her. I'm old enough to be her Dad. Not going in th...

I'll have more info about the pinball tourney in the coming week. I am putting together a Jersey music scene sampler as one of the prizes. A basket with vinyl and cd's of current NJ artists. So far I have cd's from The Smithereens ( The Smithereens Play Tommy , Tara Elliott and The Red Velvets. I am...

"Tight" has never been what appealed to me about this great band. That reckless abandon with a little bit of slop in the sound is what I love and have always loved. My thoughts exactly. As for everybody's personal life, I hope they all find what they are looking for. It is hard to keep a ...

His book, Shot in The Heart is one of the best memoirs I've read.

Anyone else notice the "skunk" odor in the club? First noticed it early on in the show (I was in the first balcony next to Bill in CT... Then, not as strong, about mid-show... That was me. I ate a bunch of German sausage and Amish sour kraut on the way to the gig. My bad. Don't blame Worl...

Zip City wrote:Shortest headlining act I ever saw was Mavis Staples, which was one hour without an opener

When I was in high school I caught Johnny Thunders at The Show Place in Dover, NJ. He played one song and left.

Neff quit on Facebook less than 48 hours before a New Years Eve run. That is about as unprofessional as a musician can get. He did it with the intention of burning those bridges forever. Shonna left under different circumstances. She didn't walk out on the band. I think it is far more likely that sh...

When I talked with Blake he said they have around 20 to 25 songs they play and they try to rotate them. As for the length of the set, that is determined by the venue. Every time I've seen them there have been three to four bands on the bill. If The Glory Fires are headlining they will get an hour in...

We were in Lancaster when the sad news came out. Patterson dedicated the set to Ben and went right into "After The Scene Dies". It was a great show.

On my way to Lancaster.

This song is reflective of the direction Patterson Hood has been going these past couple years. He cut his teeth writing songs about dysfunctional and sometimes violent relationships. ("Runaway Train", "Feb 14", "Why Henry Drinks") Around the time of Heat Lightning Patt...