Category: Music

Book Review: Heartbreaker (Mike Campbell Memoir)

While I do like Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, I can’t say I’m a super fan. They’re the kind of band I don’t go and seek out, but don’t turn off when I hear them. Neither did I know much about Mike Campbell, other than the occasional guitar magazine review. Reviews of his memoir have been outstanding though, so I thought I’d give it a shot. I thought it would be an interesting story, and it sure was. The book is engaging and well-written.

Early On

The first the first third of the book goes into his early childhood, which is an interesting look into growing up in Jacksonville at that time. It’s always fun to learn how these kinds of players got their first guitars, and gave a lot of insight into Mike Campbell’s personality and how those threads come through the entire book. Once he goes to the University of Florida in Gainesville and has experience playing in local bands there the book really takes off, and I love hearing about the story of Mudcrutch and how they ground it out on the on the bar circuit was a lot of fun to read. It was really interesting to hear how much Mike attached himself to Tom Petty’s success, and how much he believed in and supported Tom in achieving those dreams. The respect he has for this brother in arms comes through page after page. This theme of respect and effusive praise is a constant. Mike loved the people he played with, and does not hesitate to call them out for their impact on him and contributions to the music.

Early Heartbreakers

The book is so full of humor. I loved the story he told about how, when they were on an early tour in Europe, someone told him that it’s a rock and roll band, and he needed to be more rock and roll and not just stand there and play. He lifted his guitar up and over his head, poked a hole in the ceiling, and a rat fell down on the floor of the stage! Truly a real-life Spinal Tap moment.

The stories of their studio time making Damn the Torpedoes was incredible. I’m surprised the band made it though that period, especially Stan the drummer, who was fired and rehired repeatedly during the process.

I didn’t realize the Heartbreakers were Bob Dylan’s band for a period in the 80s, and the book gave me a whole new level of respect for Dylan. Mike Campbell goes into detail, but it’s inspired me to dig deeper into the Bob Dylan catalog.

Hitting the Big Time

I didn’t realize how much writing Mike Campbell did. He was always writing. Mostly for Tom Petty of course, but there’s a great story about how just as he and his wife were in danger of losing their house, he was connected with Don Henley and brought the song that became “Boys of Summer.” That song saved him financially. Then other circumstances led the Heartbreakers to be Bob Dylan’s band for the Empire Burlesque album and 1986 tours. Mike goes into detail about Dylan, and I found a new level of respect for him as an artist and guitarist. Obviously one of the great lyricists and songwriters of all time, I don’t know that I appreciated how versatile Bob Dylan actually was. It’s a great part of the bookk. There another awesome story about Tom Petty’s Full Moon Fever album, put together with Jeff Lyne. When they submitted it complete to the record company, they didn’t release it because they “didn’t hear a single.” This is the album with “Runnin’ Down A Dream” and “Free Fallin’.” No singles, huh?

Mike Campbell

What this book really reveals is what a cool guy Mike Campbell is. His praise and appreciation for everyone – drummer Stan Lynch, Benmont Tench, his Mudcrutch bandmates, of course Tom Petty. “Famous or not,” he goes out of his way to talk about other musicians’ strengths. One of my favorite quotes in the book, talking about the Mudcrutch reunion, “…what happened with Mudcrutch was never about their talent as musicians.” He’s highlighting how fleeting and difficult success is in the music industry. Being a good musician isn’t enough.

Summary

This is a deep look into an iconic American band and their journey, through the eyes of a kind, thoughtful and interesting guitar player. It’s well-written, engaging, and a fantastic page-turner. One of the best musical memoirs I’ve ever read. A

(Musical) Deep Thoughts

Here is a place to share thoughts and musings about music – little insights that come to me while I’m out running. These are all my thoughts, my words. I will continually update, so check back often!

The title jokingly inspired by the 90s Saturday Night Live “Deep Thoughts” segments.

Music appeals to us all and can touch us deeply because fundamentally music is organized vibrations of air. We are vibration. All matter is vibration, so in a very literal sense, music resonates with the very core of who and what we are.

Pop songs are songs that can be enjoyed on first listen, while doing something else.

The note you’re playing is the present. It adds meaning to the notes you played earlier – that past; and your free will determines the next note you will choose – the future. But all you have is the present, so make it count, make it good.

I think people that like jazz fusion tend to also like sci-fi. They stimulate the same aesthetics.

Don’t play notes trying to fit them into a rhythm, like pouring water into a bowl; play them from the rhythm, like water springing forth from a fountain.

I don’t want to just record myself doing it. I want to actually be able to do it. I want to learn it. Know it. I used to just record bits and pieces until i could stitch together something that sounded good. I’d try to get that one take that was solid. That’s not good enough for me anymore. I want to be able to consistently play whatever it is well, and then record, so what I have on tape is great, not good enough… and then be able to do it live.

I think that a lot of times when white bands perform black music (blues, soul, etc), as good as the music is, they don’t sweat enough when they perform it.

When artists complain about streaming royalties, their real concern is that it completely rewrote the economic landscape of being a professional musician. It’s not that streams are equivalent to radio plays, or how many streams per how many CDs sold… it’s that the entire financial picture of the industry was upended, and the artists are the ones left holding an empty bag.

AI-created art is art… but it’s not the human that is the artist. The computer created the art, the human simply commissioned a work.

A lot of getting better at music is developing a sensitivity to smaller and smaller tolerances. It’s building a finer distinction of pitch, time, rhythm, etc. which leads to more control over smaller and smaller differences.

Album Review: The Archaeoptimist

Spock’s Beard

Released last November, a review is overdue! I’ve liked Spock’s Beard for a while, owning Day for Night and their first album, but I can’t say I’m a super fan. That said, when I saw they were releasing their first album in 7 years, and heard the first track (Invisible), I had to get it. This was the first album I’ve actually preordered in ages. It was pretty fun to swing by Park Avenue CDs and get the disc, then give it that first, loud listen on the drive home. That’s a feeling you can’t get when streaming everything.

The Songs

If you dig incredible keyboard solos, you won’t be disappointed by the album’s opener, Invisibile, featuring dazzling playing by keyboardist Ryo Okumoto. Strong harmonized vocals, thick bass and powerful drumming kick off the 14th studio album by the American progressive rock band. Next the band brings a bit of crunch in Electric Monk, mixing abrupt rhythms and more soaring keys. Like many of their songs, it’s also a lesson in dynamics and arranging, with a quiet reflective bridge highlighting piano and acoustic guitar, only to build up to a guitar-driven climax. Next up is Afourthoughts, my favorite track on the album. The lyrics struck a chord with me, and are featured in an overlapping, call-and-response bridge.

Time before time, it will change your mind
All the thoughts that you thought you thought
It will all amount to nought
It might seem harmless but there’s danger in this enterprise
It will all amount to nought
We tried to tell you but you can’t be taught
We can’t be bought, it will all amount to nought

The bass groove-driven verse serves as a platform for futuristic keyboard and guirar solos, building up energy before dropping down to a quite, acoustic-driven verse. A jazzy piano solo rounds out the bridge and segues to a set of variations on the chorus. The song is a showcase of harmony vocals and interesting arrangemetns.

St. Jerome in the Wilderness is a bit more guitar-driven than the other tracks on the album, although it does feature a beautiful piano, bass, drums & vocal middle section… before launching into a wild guitar solo.

The Archaeoptimist is a 20 minute futuristic tale of a girl and her father trying to find hope in a post-apocalyptic world. Read along in the liner notes, it would make a great short film or TV show.

Next Step concludes the album with more beautiful keys, softer vocals, acoustic guitar and even a bit of flute halfway through. A modern synthesizer solo climaxes to the outtro chorus

Summary

Overall, this is a fantastic modern progressive rock album. The songs are diverse, interesting and incredibly well-executed. It’s inspiring and fun. If you’re a fan of modern progressive rock, do not miss it. A-

Other Notes

The production on the album is modern, and the mix is fantastic. The bass and drums sound wonderful, and the piano and keyboard parts are crisp and clear. The art and packaging is excellent, and thankfully includes the lyrics – which are worth reading through as you listen, particularly for the title track’s complex and interesting story.

All of the music was composed by Ryo Okumoto (keyboards) and Michael Whiteman (acoustic guitar).

Check out the wikipedia page for the album for more information.

Listening To: Eloy

How I Stumbled Upon Them

This is one of those cases where I opened up Youtube and in my feed was album artwork too good to ignore (from the album “Time To Turn.” The name “Eloy” vaguely jogged a memory, so aside from the artwork I had a suspicion they were a progressive band in the vein of Camel or Colliseum. Indeed! And they’re fantastic. Sometimes the Youtube algorithm gets it right, and it’s also a great highlight for how important album artwork is. I would never have gone and searched them out, and if it was just a tiny postage stamp image it would never have caught my eye. I’m glad it caught my eye, because then it caught my ears.

About the Music

Their music is the soundtrack to a movie i totally want to see. It evokes fantasy and science fiction, as the album artwork implies. I love the mix of rock guitar and heavy use of keyboards. They tend to use traditional guitar/bass/drums/keys arrangements in complex, unique and creative ways to bring out the stories they’re telling. Guitars are featured prominently and drive a lot of parts, but this isn’t a “shreddy” band. There are solos, but not overly long ones. It’s really a perfect balance of elements. You won’t hear much of the bagpipes or flute as some prog bands did, but to me it works better. It’s what my ears want to hear (most of the time), and the records sound so full. In a way, perhaps vocally more than anything, they remind me a bit of Jethro Tull.

Their songs are very soundtrack-esque. Listening to Time to Turn the other morning, I could picture an amazing fantasy movie in my head. All of their albums tell a story and take you on a journey. To me, it’s what the best of progressive rock is about.

Time to Turn (1982)

I dug into the catalog a bit over the last few days, and I absolutely love this band. If you like progressive rock that has the feel of an exotic soundtrack, definitely check them out. They have several greatest hits albums, but you might want to just pick and album and get the full experience.

About the Band

Eloy is a German progressive rock band, founded in 1969 by guitarist Frank Bornemann. They never made it big in the states, but they had a long career all the way up to 2023’s Echoes from the Past.

From the wikipedia article about the band: “The name Eloy is based on the futurist race of humans from the book The Time Machine by H. G. Wells (there spelled “Eloi”). Bornemann described the origin of the name of the band thus: “Wells describes in his book the situation of mankind about 800,000 years later, and ‘Eloy’ is a human race in his story.”

Other Recommendations

I listened to the album Ocean all the way through, and highly recommend it

I also listened to Greatest Hits: Vol 1 in order to get a broader view of the band, and I liked everything I heard.

Their second album, “Dawn,” is also excellent:

Album Artwork

As mentioned, the album artwork initially caught my eye. Interestingly, I tend to prefer the UK-exclusive album covers, which are more of a fantasy style. Here are a few highlights:

UK cover by Rodney Matthews
Album Artwork by Winfried Reinbacher
Album Artwork by Walter Seyffer (artistic concept) and Ulli Dinger (photography)
UK Album Cover by Rodney Matthews

Conclusion

If you want a break from typical 4 minute rock songs, but still want to rock – check out Eloy. They’re a guitar-driven band, but not overly guitar-heavy. These aren’t 10 minute guitar solo songs. They’re tightly composed, and they take you on a journey. The guitar playing is fantastic but all the musicians shine.

The next time I go to the Orlando Record Show or Atlantic Sounds you can bet I’ll be digging around for Eloy records.

Listening To: Harry Belafonte

Deep Memories

When I was a young kid, my family would take a lot of camping trips. I remember listening to four distinct 8 tracks and/or cassettes: Kenny Rogers “The Gambler,” John Denver, the Star Wars sound track… and Harry Belafonte. I don’t know how my parents got into him, maybe just the popularity of Calypso in the 60s, but it was in frequent rotation on those trips. When I was about seven years old, maybe a bit younger or older, I remember going somewhere with my mother when we got a flat tire. Some family friends lived not too far way, so we decided to walk to their house to get help. I refused to leave the Harry Belafonte tape in the car, because I didn’t want to lose it or didn’t want someone to steal it. That’s how much it meant to me! I haven’t listened to him much at all since then – almost 50 years.

Recently I was driving home with my son from a father-son trip, and I was looking for something mellow. I remembered listening to Harry Belafonte and put him on. Every hit came right back as if I heard it yesterday. I’ts amazing how deep in my memory those songs go.

Perhaps it was in my had as I recently watched The Greatest Night In Pop – a documentary about the making of We Are The World. I didn’t realize Harry Belafonte was the driver of the whole event.

Two Of My Favorites

No surprises here, the songs I love the most are ones I heard over and over in our Jeep Cherokee in the 70s. My favorite song, the one that got me back to listening to Harry Belafonte, is perhaps his biggest hit: Jamaican Farewell. It’s sad, but hopeful at the same time. Such a beautifully simple melody. It’s also one of those songs that can be done so many different ways, and if you watch a few live versions you can see an incredible spectrum of instrumentation and arrangement.

I always like “Matilda” as well, although I had no idea what the lyrics were about when I was 8 years old. Check out the live version below, it’s a great example of how much you can do with a simple song.

This live version has an incredible vocal choir ending

Live

His live performances are often so much more elaborate than what’s recorded, I wanted to share a couple highlights. As noted above, a song like Jamaican Farewell that’s recorded as a guitar piece can be done with a full band, lots of percussion, harmonized vocals… it’s a whole different experience live.

What an incredible performance – and band!
Fun live version of “Jamaican Farewell”

I recently picked up his Live at Carnegie Hall album ($5 from Bossa N’ Roll Records in Orlando). It’s a great concert – 1959. Two album release, with excellent liner notes that give a bit of background about each song.

Harry Belafonte and the Blues

Did you know he did two blues albums? This one I haven’t explored, but learned about it as I looked up more for this post. It’s fantastic! 1947 from RCA: Belafonte Sings the Blues. Listen to his incredible, smooth vibrato on “A Fool For You.”

Another great album with a more contemporary, “60s” style of blues came out in 64: Ballads, Blues and Boasters. Check out this cover of the delta blues classic John the Revelator:

Learn More

Learn more about Harry Belafonte from his wikipedia page, but here’s a brief summary of his career:

Born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr. March 1, 1927 – April 25, 2023), Harry Belafonte was an American singer, actor, and civil rights activist who popularized calypso music with international audiences in the 1950s and 1960s. Belafonte’s career breakthrough album Calypso (1956) was the first million-selling LP by a single artist.[1]

Belafonte was best known for his recordings of “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)“, “Jump in the Line (Shake, Senora)“, “Jamaica Farewell“, and “Mary’s Boy Child“. He recorded and performed in many genres, including blues, folk, gospel, show tunes, and American standards.[2] He also starred in films such as Carmen Jones (1954), Island in the Sun (1957), Odds Against Tomorrow (1959), Buck and the Preacher (1972), and Uptown Saturday Night (1974). He made his final feature film appearance in Spike Lee‘s BlacKkKlansman (2018).

Harry Belafonte considered the actor, singer, and activist Paul Robeson to be a mentor. Belafonte was also a close confidant of Martin Luther King Jr. during the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s and acted as the American Civil Liberties Union celebrity ambassador for juvenile justice issues.[3] He was also a vocal critic of the policies of the George W. Bush and first Donald Trump administrations.

Belafonte won three Grammy Awards, including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, a Primetime Emmy Award,[4] and a Tony Award. In 1989, he received the Kennedy Center Honors. He was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1994. In 2014, he received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the academy’s 6th Annual Governors Awards[5] and in 2022 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Early Influence category.[6] He is one of the few performers to have received an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony (EGOT), although he won the Oscar in a non-competitive category.

Concert Review: Lari Basilio

The Venue

I bought a ticket to this last minute. It had been on my radar for a while, but I’ve been out to a lot of shows lately and wanted to see if it would work out with the family. I’m not very familiar with her catalog, but I have seen a few Youtube clips and read some interviews. With the okay from the family, and the night clear, I headed out.

She played at a club called The Conduit in Winter Park (Orlando, FL). It was actually a pretty cool metal bar in a strip mall. The back wall was covered in metal tour posters, and there were big banners for bands like Cynic behind the mixing booth. Doors opened at 7pm, and Lari and her band went on at 8pm. She played for about an hour, and then did a 15 minute encore. The sound was decent overall, but a bit loud for the size of the room. I had my medium ear plugs in for most of the night.

I enjoyed this tour poster in particular. Vomiting Rectum is quite the name for a band.

The crowd was pretty good – maybe 50-100 people. Nice mix of age and gender, too. Quite a few couples. A few older guitar-heads like myself. A few young-ish women. Once again I’m encouraged that this type of artist can do successful tour stops in Orlando. The crowd was into it, and she has a pretty vocal fan base here.

The Band and Overall Impressions

For this kind of show, I wasn’t sure if it would be just her playing with tracks, or a full band. Thankfully it was the latter. Her band was great and featured a second guitarist, bassist, and drummer. Everyone got a solo during the set, and made the most of it.

My biggest takeway was that wow, she has one of the most gorgeous guitar tones I’ve ever heard. Clear, sweet, articulate… just incredibly beautiful. She played a couple of her Ibanez signature models through a Laney amp. The second guitarist played a mix of strats and teles, and an Abasi for one song.

Her music reminded me of a mix of Andy Timmons and Steve Vai. Not quite as out there and quirky as Vai, but in that vein. It felt very modern, though. There are certain rhythmic elements common in modern shred that her music consistently featured. In that sense, it reminded me of Plini or Animals as Leaders.

Using the heavy, distorted 7-string Tosin Abasi guitar added some variety. By the end though, as good as it was, the songs did feel very same-y by the end of the night. If you like this kind of melodic shred, you’ll like Lari Basilio. She’s an incredible player, but it’s not the kind of show people who aren’t into this style of music will likely get drawn into. I might have been a bit burned out and tired, to be fair, so that might be a factor in why I wasn’t as into it as some of the other shows I’ve seen recently. Still, she’s an incredible player and it was worth going. I definitely enjoyed it.

Lari and her band tearing it up at The Conduit, Winter Park, FL

Setlist

I’m not super familiar with her music, so I didn’t recognize the songs by name, but Gemini says:

  1. The Way Home
  2. Dear D
  3. Bliss
  4. Not Alone
  5. Alive and Living
  6. Running to the Other Side
  7. Fearless
  8. All to You
  9. Forever
  10. Here for You
  11. New Chapter
  12. Violet
  13. Heartbeat
  14. Far More
  15. Sunny Days
  16. Your Love
  17. Redemption (Encore)
  18. Seasons (Encore)
The Abasi 7-string featured on a heavier song

Check out further

Check out her tour page to see if she’s coming to a town near you.

Here’s a live clip from a few months ago (not the show I saw):

Album Revisited: No Rest for the Wicked

Background

No rest for the wicked was not an album that I listen to it when it was originally released. Of course it was the first Ozzy record with Zach Wylde on guitar and that was a big deal and guitar magazines for the day. I did zee Ozzy and Zack on the No More Tears tour in Chicago. One of the loudest concerts I’ve ever seen, but it was cool. I’m so glad I had the opportunity to see Ozzy live at least once.

I picked this record up at a flea market a little while back, gave it a listen or two, and that was it. There were a few songs I dug, but it wasn’t an album that grabbed me. Fast-forward a couple years and on a whim I put this back in the car CD player and gave it a second chance.

Highlights

While it is a little hit-or-miss, upon revisiting No Rest For The Wicked I like it more than I did initially. There are some great riffs, and a few of the songs hold up well. “Breaking All The Rules” is my favorite track, by far. I just love the riff and overall heaviness, and the vocals and guitar playing (especially the rhythm parts) are strong.

“Miracle Man,” “Bloodbath in Paradise” and “Fire In The Sky” are also strong. The last track on the album, “Hero,” is perhaps an underrated gem in Ozzy’s catalog.

Overall it’s a good-sounding record as well. The mix is good, the guitars are heavy, you can hear the drums, and it sounds very balanced. Nothing is buried. It’s got that sweet spot of late 80s technology and mixing clarity, without the brickwalled modern production that came not too many years later.

Lowlights

The thing I don’t particularly like about the album are the weird little vocal bits on some songs. Ozzy squeaking out “craaaazy!” and “babies!” in “Crazy Babies” is just kind of silly. This was one of the singles from the album, and to me it’s a bit unfortunate. Similar for the “I’ll get you” and “let’s party” at the end of the choruses of “Demon Alcohol.” Not bad songs, and I consider this sort of thing a bad production choice.

Conclusion

It’s a pretty solid album from Ozzy, Zack Wylde, Bob Daisley, Randy Castillo and John Sinclair. More good than bad for sure, although some of the production choices don’t hold up well. If you overlooked this record, do give it a shot!

Concert Review: Sue Foley’s “One Guitar Woman” Show

Background

I wrote about my first time seeing Sue Foley quite a few years ago, so when I saw she was coming to Orlando to do a solo acoustic show, I was definitely interested. While I hadn’t listened to it yet, I had read good reviews of her latest album One Guitar Woman. The album was nominated for a Grammy, and won Acoustic Album of the Year in the 2025 Blues Music Awards.

The Venue

She played at Judson’s Live, which is a small, intimate restaurant-style venue attached to Orlando’s beautiful Dr. Phillips Center. It’s a great place to see an acoustic show like this. Four comfortable chairs per table, and every seat is good. For this kind of show, the sound was super clear but not super loud. It let the nuance of the music come though. It reminds me of concerts I’ve seen at the Old Towne School of Folk Music in Chicago.

I was encouraged to see the place packed, presumably sold out. I sat at a table with one gentleman who had seen Sue Foley 7-8 times, going way back to when she was a teenager; and a father and son. It was a good mix of men and woman, but as with most blues these days, skewed oler.

Setlist and the Music

I didn’t realize how much of an actual show this would be, compared to a more traditional “blues set.” The setlist followed her One Guitar Woman album, and each song was prefaced with interesting and compellingly-told stories of the songs, the women who wrote or performed them, and why she chose them. It was a history lesson as well as a performance. I haven’t seen this type of show in a long time, and reminded me of some of the folk artists I saw in Chicago years ago, like Odetta. I really loved it, and it inspired me to go deeper into the catalogs of the artists she’s representing. Note that she goes into depth on this in the insert of the One Guitar Woman album as well.

She mostly played her nylon string guitar, particularly for the blues, classical and flamenco pieces. Her blues is just so … solid. Precise, but not sterile. When performing solo acoustic, groove is essential, and she has it. For a few songs, notably her tribute to Mother Maybelle Carter entitled “Maybell’s Guitar” was on a steel string acoustic. At the very end of the set she pulled out her iconic pink paisley telecaster “Pinky” and did Hurricane Girl from her latest electric album.

Her bassist joined her for the last third or quarter of the set, which added a bit of sonic variety.

I was particularly impressed with her voice. I know she can sing, but in this kind of venue and this kind of show, it really let the nuance and emotion come through. She’s got a great mix of smooth and grit. No, she’s not an 80 year old black man from the delta, but all of the emotion and power of the songs came though. That’s what a great artist should do – convey the emotion and power of the song, with your unique voice.

As for guitar, her fingerpicking throughout was incredible. As you may or may not know, Sue Foley is an accomplished Flamenco guitarist as well. She played a long version of La Malaguena as a tribute to Charo and absolutely nailed it. I loved the variety – both in guitars and styles, covering blues, country, flamenco and one classical piece. Blues is her home base, and that was most of the set, but the other styles fit right into the show and she performed them well.

I don’t recall the exact order of her set, but she played just about all of the songs on the album:

Summary and More Info

I had a long, stressful week and this was just what I needed. The venue was great, and the music was great. It was inspiring to see such a well-put together show, delivered with passion and excellence. If you get a chance to see Sue Foley live, whether acoustic or electric, go do it.

Check out more at www.suefoley.com and https://shop.suefoley.com/

Here’s a bit of behind the scenes:

And a live clip to give you a taste

Concert Review: North Mississippi All-Stars

February 28, 2026 – at the club Celine, downtown Orlando, FL

Background

I went to this one a bit on a whim. I read a review of drummer Cody Dickinson’s solo album in Blues Music Magazine a few months back – it piqued my interest and I dug both his solo album, and revisiting the couple of North Mississippi All Stars albums I already owned. Their one of those bands I liked, but haven’t followed that closely. I never saw the band before and tickets were less than $30.

Ticket said 7pm, but it’s never clear when the headliner actually starts, nor whether there would be an opening band. I hedged my bets and arrived around 7:10 to find they had already started. The crowd at that point was pretty small, maybe 20 people, but after another 15-20 minutes it really filled up. I was happy for the band, I like to see Orland come out and represent this level of touring artists. I want to make this a city where they can make money doing shows!

I had never seen a show at Celine before, and it was a decent club. The sound was quite good, and easy to see the stage. Parking was also a breeze as the Central Avenue library garage is right around the corner. Easy in, easy out.

Overview

Guitarist Luther Dickinson, drummer/keyboardist Cody Dickinson and bassist Rayfield “Ray Ray” Holloman laid down thick grooves all night, and the crowd was definitely into it. Luther did a number of extended solos, and was a lot more diverse a guitar player than I realized. Cody was killer, and Ray Ray was in the pocket.

The Setlist

I’m not super familiar with their catalog, but I did recognize a few tunes from the new album, including Stay All Night, Pray for Peace, and Preachin’ Blues. After picking up Cody’s solo album and listening to it quite a bit in teh week following the show, they played his song Big City.

I suppose you could say I’m … cautious about AI in general, and very down on it for creating art. However, it does have its uses. Gemini couldn’t find the exact setlist from the Orlando show, but it did give a reasonable summary. This doesn’t 100% match my recollection (missing Big City, for example), but it gives you an idea. NMAS is the kind of band that probably doesn’t keep everything exactly the same every night. Here’s what Gemini says:

Based on shows immediately preceding Orlando (such as the February 26 show in Ponte Vedra Beach), their setlist generally includes the following tracks:

  • Po Black Maddie (R.L. Burnside cover)
  • Skinny Woman (R.L. Burnside cover)
  • Up and Rolling (often includes teases of Jessica or 3rd Stone)
  • Stay All Night (Junior Kimbrough cover)
  • Poor Boy (R.L. Burnside cover)
  • Shake (Yo Mama)
  • K.C. Jones (On the Road Again)
  • Mississippi Bollweevil
  • Set Sail
  • Need to Be Free
  • Prayer for Peace
  • Meet Me in the City (Junior Kimbrough cover)
  • Glory, Glory (Lay My Burden Down)
  • Goin’ Down South / All Night Long / Snake Drive (Medley)

Sources

Luther’s guitar was absolutely a high point. Great slide playing, great melodic sensibility, and a boatload of groove. What else can you ask for?

Electric Washboard

I also enjoyed a few songs when they called “switcheroo” and they each took up different instruments. Ray Ray held down the drums, Luther picked up the bass, and Cody played either keyboards or washboard. Cody sang on a couple of the keyboard-driven tunes, and that added a lot of variety to the trio format. One of the other highlights was Cody not just playing washboard, but playing electric washboard – through a gamut of guitar effects including a wah pedal and phaser. It was a cool, unique pyschadelic effect, and as a drummer he kept it grooving. The crowd loved it, myself including.

Here’s a taste of NMAS live, though not from the Orlando show:

Recommendations

I had a great time, and as usual, I’m glad I went. The venue was solid, and I loved the DIY ethos they displayed. They’re the kind of band that keeps doing it because they love the music, and that shows. I was telling a friend about it, and he recommended their 2019 album Up & Rolling. It’s fantastic. I did pick up their latest, Still Shakin’ as well as Cody Dickinson’s newest solo record Homemade – both of which I dig. Still Shakin’ is pure NMAS, more of what you love about the band, done really well. If you’re a fan of off beat, bluesy rock & roll check out Cody’s album, too. It’s a bit more aggressive and a bit more rock at times, but also very diverse. Very cool album.

NMAS’ latest: Still Shakin’
Cody Dickinson’s Homemade
Highly recommended: Up And Rolling

Concerts of 2024

It’s been a long time, but I’m going to start writing again. Might as well start with some recaps of 2024, including live shows. It’s been a great year for live music. In no particular order, here are some of the highlights of my year:

George Lynch

I’ve been a fan of George Lynch (Dokken, Lynch Mob, KXM, Sweet N Lynch, and many others) since the mid-80s. Dokken was one of my favorite bands as a teenager, and they were a big influence when I first started playing guitar. When I saw he was coming to central Florida, I couldn’t pass up the chance to see a long time hero. He was great! He did a good mix of Dokken and Lynch Mob material, with Lynch Mob being the primary set. The band sounded really good, his singer was outstanding, and the openers AON and a Stones tribute were fun as well. The singer from AON did a few of the Dokken songs with George Lynch. The Mount Dora community center was a great place to see a show, too. Very comfortable, every seat is good and the sound was excellent.

Uriah Heep with Saxon

I’ve been a fan of Uriah Heep for a while, and I had a chance to see them in early 2020. I passed up that show and then covid hit… so when I saw they were coming back to the Plaza I had to go see a legendary band. I like Saxon as well, although Power and Glory is the only record of theirs I own so I’m not super familiar with the catalog. Both bands were good. Saxon brought the old school, classic metal vibe in spades. They did exactly what you expect and want them to do. They sounded fantastic. Heep has such a deep catalog it’s not surprising they played a whole show of hits. Is it just me or does Mick Box remind you a little bit of Jerry Garcia? Nice to see the whole band smiling. It lost a little something live compared to the records, but I still enjoyed it. I had no idea previously, but Rick Wakeman’s son plays keyboards for Uriah Heep. How cool is that?

Joe Satriani / Steve Vai

Continuing the theme of guitar heroes, I had to go see Satch and Vai together. I’ve seen Steve Vai a few times and he’s always incredible. Probably my single favorite guitar player ever. Satch was a big influence when I was a teenager, and I still like his music a lot. His latest album Elephants From Mars is really good. They were fantastic. So much energy, joy and fun. Both bands rocked and grooved, and it was one of my highlights of the year. I hear they’re touring together as a band in 2025 so I can’t wait for that.

Brothers Osbourne

I’m a big fan of the Brothers Osbourne’s “Port Saint Joe” record, and in particular the slow country epic “Weed, Whiskey and Willie.” It’s such a great song. I wasn’t sure what to expect seeing them live, but they blew me away. Great show, excellent performances, and a crowd that was super into it. Highly recommended if they come your way in a venue like House of Blues. I don’t think it would have come across the same in an arena.

The Aristocrats

They put the FUN in FUsioN. Such an incredible group, and I was so heartened to know that an oddball group like this can regularly tour and draw a good crowd in a city like Orlando.

Toronzo Cannon

As the end of the year neared, I actually went to a few shows with family. First, we went to the local blues mecca The Alley in Sanford, FL to see Toronzo Cannon. I used to play with Toronzo at the BLUES, Etc. open mic in Chicago. Every Wednesday for a year and a half, I was there. It was great to see Toronzo with a successful touring career in blues, and I was really happy to be able to see him again. Raw, gut-bucket, real Chicago blues.

Kacey Musgraves

To wrap up the year, we all went to see Kacey Musgraves at the Kia Center (arena). I’ve been a fan of her since her first album. I think she’s a great writer. I’ve been really into her latest album Deeper Well. While I’d probably have preferred to see her in a smaller venue, she did make the most of the arena and put on a great show. Half was on the main stage, and half was on a small acoustic circle in the middle of the floor.

Wrapping Up and Looking Towards 2025

I did see a few other shows this year, but these are the highlights. It was a great year for live music, and in 2025 I’ve already got tickets to see:

  • Kansas at the House of Blues
  • Rick Wakeman at the Plaza (I recently read his biography Grumpy Old Rock Star and it’s fantastic)

The Aristocrats are coming back to Orlando, so while I don’t have tickets, I need to see if the date will work for me, that would be high on my list. They’re incredible.