New Music

My favorite music has been the music that's been with me most of my life. I think it's that way with most people. Your life is bascially a soundtrack and each one of us has a different music score for our lives. I already know the songs I want played at my service and for the sake of full disclosure, one has been added recently. Favorite song memories that were formed in childhood and beyond corresponded with what you were doing and where you were more than the calendar itself. For me, it started with guys like Hank Williams, Eddy Arnold, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, Perry Como, and then morphed to The Beatles, Stones, Moody Blues, Led Zeppelin, Who, Chicago, Mahavishnu Orchestra, yadda yadda. I know exactly where I was when I first heard Robin Trower or Queen, or the Alan Parsons Project. I have not kept up much on today's music, most of it has little appeal to me. After having raised an 18 year old daughter, who played the music loud every day (I wonder where she got that?), I must admit a couple of the things she listened to turned my head. One was Coldplay.

"A Rush of Blood to The Head" was the one that was played to death in this house. To me, it had a certain Pink Floyd feel, although sometimes Chris Martin is hard to take. Apparently, the new record has some reviewers pretty fired up.

Here's one from the London Sun.

Rolling Stone checks in

It's called "Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends". OK. Sounds interesting. I know that these guys are perfectionists about their music and apparently aren't fueled by booze and drugs (which almost makes me not trust them). I know the lead singer is Gwyneth Paltrow's old man (which wouldn't be a bad job, I guess), I like the song that I see in the iTunes video ( you mean advertising works? nah..) and so I am awaiting a new piece of music. How so very 2008 of me.

So, How Ya Doin?

Stuff that is racing through my head:

What is up with Mutt Lange? He cheats on this:

With this?

Something doesn't add up. Either she's not performing her wifely duties or he is an absolute idiot, I am not sure. Didn't Sara Evans husband do the same thing? That's kinda weird, no?
Wha? Color me crazy.

There is a new TV commercial for Dockers and I swore it was Grace Slick singing. It just sounded like Grace but I found out that it was a great old song that I never heard of. Marlena Shaw is the name of the singer and here is the song in it's entirety, it's called "California Soul" and if I ever get to California, I'll put in my Ipod




Pat Boone is my guest on Route 66 this week. I talked to him today. Yes, I know he ripped off a lot of black artists but as he put it today, he brought a lot of attention to the music of Fats Domino and others. He also said to me, "what would you do?" He said they wrote these great songs and asked him to sing them. He happened to be THE guy and he says it's all the work of God. Nothing more. I admire a man who has been married to the same woman for 55 years and who is still alive and kicking today. He is launching this campaign to get him into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame even though I pointed out that Chicago is not in but Madonna is. The interview will run on Saturday night. Nice cat, very sincere and well blessed.

I said from the beginning it would be the Spurs and the Pistons in the Finals. I'm still sticking with that. By the way, I can comb and wash my hair with my right arm. Still can't drive, though. The Metrolink is an adventure everyday, you never know who you'll see.

From Rags To Riches

Thanks, Steve.

Photo by Davis Turner

Amateur singer gets more than a feeling from Boston

By Marco R. della Cava, USA TODAY

See how this rock 'n' roll fantasy sounds: One day you're trying to get Home Depot shoppers to apply for in-store credit. The next you're rehearsing with Boston and getting ready for a national summer tour."I never could have dreamed this," says Tommy DeCarlo, 43, Boston's new Brad Delp-channeling frontman, who is taking leave from his credit manager job at a Charlotte Home Depot to perform with the band. "That first gig is going to be something."

Bands ranging from AC/DC to Lynyrd Skynyrd have found new singers in the wake of tragedy (Delp committed suicide last year), inevitably choosing road-tested replacements. DeCarlo's rocking Cinderella tale includes the fact that he never has even been in a band. "I did sing After the Lovin' at my grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary," says the affable DeCarlo, who is married and has two teenagers. "I think they enjoyed it."

All Boston founder Tom Scholz knows is he can't believe his ears. "During rehearsals, it can get downright eerie," he says. "I forget it's not Brad. It makes me feel like someone was at work up there."In tribute to Delp, DeCarlo posted MP3 files of himself singing Boston over a karaoke soundtrack on his MySpace page. (He had hocked his prized keyboard in 2006 to buy his kids' Christmas gifts.) An impressed visitor to his page urged him to contact Boston management and offered up an old e-mail address. Doubtful but with nothing to lose, DeCarlo sent off a note with a link. Destiny intervened.

"My wife was at her computer playing our tunes, and I asked her whether it was us playing live," Scholz says. "She said, 'It's some guy in North Carolina singing your songs.' I said, 'I know Brad's voice, and that's Brad.' She turned it up, and only when I heard the backing track did I know it wasn't us."Scholz flew DeCarlo and his family up for an audition, which led to a Delp tribute show and the tour invite. DeCarlo and the band's other new member, Stryper frontman Michael Sweet, will appear on Boston's next album in early 2009.Finding a new band member online "could happen more and more, because you no longer have to be anywhere specific to audition," says Howard Kramer, curatorial director of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. "Journey just found their new lead singer (Arnel Pineda) in a Filipino cover band that put their stuff on YouTube."Even if DeCarlo's Boston idyll proves short-lived, he's unlikely to forget this summer. His colleagues won't let him."It's like we've got our own American Idol winner right here in our store," says DeCarlo's manager, Mark Ortiz. "When he plays nearby, we'll all be there, orange aprons on."

Amateur singer gets more than a feeling from BostonBy Marco R. della Cava, USA TODAY See how this rock 'n' roll fantasy sounds: One day you're trying to get Home Depot shoppers to apply for in-store credit. The next you're rehearsing with Boston and getting ready for a national summer tour."I never could have dreamed this," says Tommy DeCarlo, 43, Boston's new Brad Delp-channeling frontman, who is taking leave from his credit manager job at a Charlotte Home Depot to perform with the band. "That first gig is going to be something."Bands ranging from AC/DC to Lynyrd Skynyrd have found new singers in the wake of tragedy (Delp committed suicide last year), inevitably choosing road-tested replacements. DeCarlo's rocking Cinderella tale includes the fact that he never has even been in a band. "I did sing After the Lovin' at my grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary," says the affable DeCarlo, who is married and has two teenagers. "I think they enjoyed it."All Boston founder Tom Scholz knows is he can't believe his ears. "During rehearsals, it can get downright eerie," he says. "I forget it's not Brad. It makes me feel like someone was at work up there."In tribute to Delp, DeCarlo posted MP3 files of himself singing Boston over a karaoke soundtrack on his MySpace page. (He had hocked his prized keyboard in 2006 to buy his kids' Christmas gifts.) An impressed visitor to his page urged him to contact Boston management and offered up an old e-mail address. Doubtful but with nothing to lose, DeCarlo sent off a note with a link. Destiny intervened."My wife was at her computer playing our tunes, and I asked her whether it was us playing live," Scholz says. "She said, 'It's some guy in North Carolina singing your songs.' I said, 'I know Brad's voice, and that's Brad.' She turned it up, and only when I heard the backing track did I know it wasn't us."Scholz flew DeCarlo and his family up for an audition, which led to a Delp tribute show and the tour invite. DeCarlo and the band's other new member, Stryper frontman Michael Sweet, will appear on Boston's next album in early 2009.Finding a new band member online "could happen more and more, because you no longer have to be anywhere specific to audition," says Howard Kramer, curatorial director of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. "Journey just found their new lead singer (Arnel Pineda) in a Filipino cover band that put their stuff on YouTube."Even if DeCarlo's Boston idyll proves short-lived, he's unlikely to forget this summer. His colleagues won't let him."It's like we've got our own American Idol winner right here in our store," says DeCarlo's manager, Mark Ortiz. "When he plays nearby, we'll all be there, orange aprons on."

They play July 25th at the Family Arena in St. Louis

Junk in my Trunk

There's been a big kerfuffle in St. Louis about Phyllis Schlafly getting an honorary degree at Washington University in St. Louis. The commencement was yesterday morning. As she received her degree, a number of the student body and the faculty turned their backs on her. As well they should, if they don't agree with her and her stance on women's issues. My only beef is why they invited Chris "Spitball" Matthews to be the commencement speaker. Never has anyone been so unqualified.

I nailed the show tonight. I felt better about this one than I have any I can remember. It felt really good in the studio. It was uptempo, it flowed and I got some great calls and emails from around the country. It's amazing to know that people listen in Texas, Tennessee, Indiana, etc. It's sometimes hard when you don't do it everyday but this one was on the money. I 'll give myself a B+. I played "I'm Your Puppet" by James and Bobby Purify, come to find out that there is no "Bobby" Purify, it was two different guys named neither Bobby or Purify.