new old guy

[drowlins]

fbb's

The Flying Burrito Bros., Hearts and Flowers, Great Speckled bird, Pure Prairie League, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, The Band, Gram Parsons and the Fallen Angel band, Emmylou Harris and the Hot Band, The Eagles (first two albums only), Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, Rodney Crowell, Ricky Skaggs, Ian Tyson, The lovin Spoonful (love "Coconut Grove")..........

 

[dreadnut]

yeah, my first concert was The Grass Roots. Also a big fan of the Association, John B. Sebastian & Lovin Spoonful (anyone have the album "John B. Sebatian, Cheapo Cheapo Productions"?), Eric Burdon & the Animals and basically anyone else from the late 50's, the sixties, and the early 70's up through the era of PPL, NRPS, John Hartford, Dirt Band, Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Amazing Rythym Aces, saw EmmyLou & the Hot Band with Michael Martin Murphy in '77 I believe, Ricky Skaggs was singing backup vocals.

I was stationed on the west coast in the Navy, saw some great concerts for $6.00 at the San Diego Sports Arena, saw two bands together on their first national tour in 1973, Aerosmith opened for ZZ Top. REO & Doobie Bros. were also $6.00 Here's a good one: Ravi Shankar and Robin Trower in Seattle. Saw Led Zeppelin in Seattle for $10.00 on the Physical Graffiti tour in early '75. Later that year saw The Who at Pontiac Silverdome.

Last years (2005) concerts included John Prine, Del McCoury Band, Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, Tom Petty & Heartbreakers / Black Crowes, Randy Travis, Keb Mo.

 

[Squawk]

I used to go to concerts in NYC's Central Park for $1.50 - usually featured better up and coming acts - or those sliding downhill.

I don't remember the year - maybe 1968? - I saw group that was billed as the reincarnation of the Yardbirds - I thought they were kind of noisy and I didn't like the singer. And such a stupid name - Led Zeppelin.

 

[SmithfieldFair]

The beat goes on....

OK, Dred, Drowlins, Squawk -- My track runs more like this....Kingston Trio, New Cristie Minstrels, We Five, The Association, The Byrds, MFQ, Addrissi Brothers, Donovan Leitch, the JSD Band, JF Murphy & Salt (for all you Long Islanders out there), It's a Beautiful Day, Sunshine Company, Sweetwater, Buckingham Nicks (pre-Mac), Fleetwood Mac (Bob Welch/Danny Kirwan era, pre-Buckingham Nicks), Grass Roots, Hamilton Joe Frank & Reynolds (later Dennison), The Youngblood, Lovin' Spoonful, Orleans, Dan Fogleberg, Poco, Jimmie Spheeris, Third World, America, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Loggins & Messina, Cecilio & Kapono, Hall & Oates (Haulin' Oats, Abandoned Luncheonette, Warbabies), Gentle Giant, If, early Genesis, Leo Kotke, Richie Havens, Bruce Cockburn, Little Feat, American Flyer, early Eagles (later band was great, but too slick for my tastes), Jackson Browne (early stuff preferred), Louisiana's LeRoux (early),....and on through the 80's and 90's with VERY LITTLE radio input....working deep within the bowels of the music industry in various capacities, but surfaced long enought to enjoy Police, Squeeze, Men at Work, The Producers, Cyndi Lauper, Talking Heads, King Crimson, Peter Gabriel and others until radio died in the 90's....and now back a bit with Bruce Cockburn, Nickel Creek, Union Station, Dakota Moon...yeah, that's enough, you're right.

 

[West R Lee]

Three Dog Night will be playing right here in my little home town in a couple of weeks. Ah, high school music.

I guess being from here in Texas I grew up on a little different music. Although one of my favorite bands was Pure Prarie League. I was also very much into (and still am) B.W. Stevenson, Steven Fromholz, Rusty Weir, Willis Alan Ramsey. I saw the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band perform in the middle of the woods on a rainy day in around '73. It was at a thing called the Nacogdoches Backwoods Beer Festival, an annual event for a while. I was but a pup then, but had a sister attending college there and she was a very bad influence on me. I do remember the NGDB there though and they were great.

It seems like back then, most of this music was termed "Progressive Country Music". Willie and Waylon were also included. I think I would have to say though that the biggest influence on me back then were CSNY. Still listen to them every chance I get. Though I've always enjoyed what would be termed "rock", my heart will always be in a plain old acoustic guitar and a simple voice.

West

 

[SmithfieldFair]

Westward - Ho!

Hey, West -- Man I remember cruising in Bill Wilson's Malibu after the band got off and listening to Three Dog Night on his brand new 4-track! Ha! Truth. They were here in Baton Rouge a couple months back, as was Chuck Negron - both touting original members of 3 Dog Night. I think Cory Wells & Danny Hutton win out with Mike Allsup and Jimmy Greenspoon in their band and only Floyd Sneed in Chuck's. Ah, the feuding.

I loved Pure Prairie League - our band was famous regionally for our rendition of Amie. A great band and a great song and then I head Craig Lee Fuller when he was the voice of Little Feat for several years. And B.W. Stevenson...man what a voice and what a writer he was.

Hope to see you in a couple of weeks at the Texas Scottish Festival in your neighborhood. Best to you! Dudley-Brian

 

[West R Lee]

This conversation made me think about B.W. and what a loss to music I though and still think he was. Have you ever wondered where music would be if people like Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan were still around? These guys were light years ahead everyone then and sometimes I feel like their music then was light years ahead of anyone now!

The Beatles................................how does such genious come together at one time? What kind of music would they be making now?

Back to pure acoustic.......If you guys have not had the pleasure of seeing Doyle Dykes play, you have to. The man is phenomenon. Since seeing Doyle play, I have become a fanatic about his music.

West

 

[West R Lee]

Dudley,

Was Arlington the first weekend in June. I could look back, but I'm lazy.

And yes, I still play "Amie" from time to time, but PPL played so many good ones......"Angel", "Early Morning Riser"!

West

 

[West R Lee]

My favorite B.W. song was a song called "On My Own". It's one of those timeless songs to me.

West

 

[john_kidder]

Woody Guthrie, Cisco Houston, Jimmy Driftwood, John Jacob Niles, Odetta, Bob Gibson, Leon Bibb, Pete Seeger, Weavers, New Lost City Ramblers Pre-1960); then the new folkies, Baez, Dylan, Ian & Sylvia, Lightfoot, et al; always space for Miles Davis; many crooners and Broadway show stars; and then, the '60s - the Airplane, the Dead, Joplin, Mommas and Poppas,most of Dudley-Brian's picks (what a memory!), and on and on. After the 60s and 70s, not a hell of a lot except for hordes of great singer/songwriters, and some superb pickers like Roy Bookbinder, Kottke, Fahey, etc.

What a long strange trip it's been.

geezer (noun): a man who is (usually) old and/or eccentric

 

[dreadnut]

Feats, don't fail me now! Lowell George, there was a musician. Too bad he liked heroin so much, what a waste. Heard he gave Bonnie Raitt guitar lessons, you can hear it in her style. My band does "Dixie Chicken" at most every gig, I love playing that on my DeArmond (or any of my other guitars for that matter)

In my bluegrass band we do an old song from PPL: "Pickin' to Beat the Devil", it goes over real big. I think that was on "Bustin Out".

I love some of the old New Riders of the Purple Sage stuff where Jerry Garcia was playing pedal steel - their versions of "Hello Mary Lou" and "Truck Drivin' Man" are just killer.

One last note, saw Steppenwolf at the fair a couple years ago, and the years have been good to John Kay! He had a couple of sweet Rickenbackers and I'm happy to report he rocked the place! Nice to see they aren't just some bunch of has-beens, it was a real high energy show.
Their encore was "The Pusher"...

 

[coastie99]

DAMMIT !!!!!!

I'm neither old nor eccentric, so that disqualifies me from Geezer-hood.

 

[coastie99]

Just noticed Drednut's post. Steppenwolf still playing you say !
Well, I didn't know that. I went away from Easy Rider at age 19 mad as hell with those bastard red necks !!

Goddam the pusher man !

I'm going "huh ?' to a lot of acts mentioned in this thread, as of course I would, not being a North American. CSN / CSNY I was a big fan of, and in particular, Neil Young. "Helpless" WOW ! I can just see the big birds.
Neil's "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" album runs "The Band" real close for my #1 spot.

How about Jethro Tull. Were they big with you, or did their "English-ness" not translate well into Americanese ? They still tread the boards in their umpteenth incarnation.

And from out of left field, THE MOTELS, Great epynomous album. Where did Martha Davis go ?

 

[Benee Wafers]

Coastie you're the mother of all geezers !!
Benee

 

[West R Lee]

Coastie,

I've seen your picture my friend and I hate to break it do you, but welcome to Geezerdom.

I was never a huge Tull fan until I saw them many years ago. I truly believe that Ian Anderson might be the most talented all around musician I've ever seen. I mean he played the guitar, fiddle, flute, piano maybe, gosh I can't remember how many instruments he played. But how different can instruments get? I was awestruck at his talent. Jethro Tull played in Shreveport, Louisiana a few months back. I don't know that Ian is still with them as unfortunately, we had plans that night.

The first time I ever heard a Guild guitar was in the mid 70's. I had this high school friend that was extemely talented. He is who I learned the most from. Anyway, I had this Ovation guitar that I thought was the coolest thing around because it was so different....goofy plastic arched back and all. One day James comes in with this very traditional and basic acoustic called a Guild. D-30 as I recall. He would strap a hamonica around his neck and just rip all of this Neil Young, CSNY and Bob Dylan (with a little better voice than Bob). This thing made my Ovation sound like I was playing inside a barrell. It was then that I knew I had to one day have a Guild.

And don't feel bad about getting old. I've always felt like it beats the alternative :!:

West

 

[West R Lee]

I believe it was PPL "Bustin Out" that had all of those songs that I mentioned earlier on it. Seems like they had some obscure guy named Vince or Gill or something that played with them for a while.

West

 

[coastie99]

West, I agree with your comment re. the genius of Ian Anderson. Judging by video evidence, he seems to be a pretty down-to-earth, normal sort of a joker too.
I just noticed in Hans's Guild history, a photo. of Them's guitarist playing a SF 111, so presumably what we hear in "Here Comes The Night" and all, is our favourite brand of guitar.

 

[West R Lee]

Really, that's interesting. Never knew it. I did know he sounded good!

West

 

[coastie99]

West, Tull have just completed an Italian tour, still with Ian Anderson and Martin Barre (a serendipitous name for a guitarist, if ever I heard one !).

I noticed also, that Mick Abrahams is performing in a trio with Clive Bunker and another guy. I'd like to hear them - Mick's a highly under-rated guitarist.

 

[dklsplace]

Ian always reminded me of Peter Schickele (aka PDQ Bach) for some reason.