What You'll Find Here: Music, Movies and Me

Since May 1976, I have written in journals. When I have nothing particularly resonant to say about my own inner turmoil, philosophic ramblings, sexual peccadillos or whining on about the state of the world around me...I have always fallen back on reporting the cultural time consumption that takes up in inordinate portion of my daily goings on.

In the 40+ years since my first concerts seeing Children's Symphony presentations on Sundays at the Pasadena Civic or The Hot Jazz Society's monthly Dixieland romps in an old meeting hall on the edge of the L.A. "River" across from Griffith Park, I have been sold heavily on the magic of live music. As Neil Young so aptly put it, "Live music is better bumper stickers should be issued."

Growing up a few orange groves and canyons length away from Hollywood also contributed greatly to my family's addiction to movie going. From the time I was a small there were weekly trips to the drive-in theaters that dotted the landscape, or the local Temple theater for the Saturday matinees. Once in a while we'd drive the 12 miles into Hollywood and see something in one of the magnificent old movie palaces like Grauman's Chinese, the Egyptian, The Pantages or later the Cinerama Dome. My dad loved Westerns and War movies, as if he didn't get enough shoot-'em-up as an L.A. County Sheriff in his day gig, my mom adored musicals and comedies. My brother and I loved them all.

At SDSU, I played in my first gigging band and began booking concerts on campus as part of the well-funded Cultural Arts Board, kindling for my future life in and around music.

So it's not surprising that my first jobs out of college were working in local video rental places (which were all the rage) or managing a couple of Sam Goody record stores in Mall's on the East Coast where we marveled at the new CD format and sold the first home computers and video games (yes Commodore and Pong and Atari).

So these are really just extensions of all of those journal entries talking about the great new movies I was seeing and LPs/CDs I was listening to.

Though iPODS/iPADs, apps, smart phones and downloads now make music and movies accessible in your own pocket, there is still nothing like sitting in front of a stack of speakers with a room full of people swaying to music created before your eyes. Nor is there anything that works quite so well for me to escape the real world and all of it's pressures just outside than two hours in a dark theater, absorbing the stories flickering across that wide screen as they pull you into their world.

But a really good taco runs a close third...

Monday, September 20, 2010

LOVE MINUS ZERO live video

LOVE MINUS ZERO is a band I play in based in the Delaware Valley outside of Wilmington DE/Kennett Square, PA or as Rob likes to say, "bass'd in Centreville, DE in my bass-ment"...

Formed in the spring of 2009 after a Facebook conversation between the popular singer/songwriter, Nik Everett and I, he'd suggested a Dylan cover band was in order. Bassist Rob Grant from the Cameltones saw the post and chimed in. Over the next few months the band formed long distance with planning and song lists and arrangement ideas flowing over 3000 miles of digital space.

The core band consists of Rob Grant (bass/vocals), Vinson Hendrix (drums/lighting director), Marilee Calabrese (keys/vocals/eye candy), Mr. Stevie Hobson (guitar extraordinaire/vocals), and moi (obnoxious frontman/vocals/guitars/harmonica). As often as we can corral her Marilee's daughter the spectabulous Guenevere Finley, joins us on vocals. On the videos from the Tin Angel below you will have the please of hearing the sublime sounds of drummer John DiGiovanni filling in with no rehearsal for Vinnie and nailing the gig.

There are a ton of vids floating out there online so we picked some of our favorites to collect here. Kind of an cornucopia of memories of our first year as a band. Hope you like 'em.

Big thanks to David Saddler for showing up and filming us. You da man, Dave

And real big thanks to His Zimminence, Bob Dylan for being Bob Dylan.

FYI - THERE ARE A BUNCH OF VIDEOS BELOW. Use the > < arrows to scroll thru them. Included is our entire TIN ANGEL set from the 2010 BOB DYLAN BIRTHDAY (EVE) BASH (geaturing special guest Nancy Micciulla) and assorted other goodies.



also check us out and keep in touch for gig info on our Facebook and MySpace pages

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