NAMM 2014 was Intense So much coverage - Coming NOW!!!
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 ZON GUITARS - Our NAMM 2014 design favorite
Although not a stated theme at the show, NAMM instruments had a plethora of natural wood finishes to correspond with a 'green' consciousness and encourage plenty of woodshedding in 2014.
My favorites included Rickenbacker basses, DW drums and the beauty and functionality of ZON Guitars. Why does DRUMline feature guitars as well as drums? Well, drums don't tell the whole story and although there are drum solos, too many at NAMM...drums are not a solo instrument....we need the other stuff too - particularly the BASS guitars in the rhythm section. Besides, ZON wins my design award for looks alone, but their functionality and ease of playing made them 'Best of Show' in my opinion.
Rickenbacker had some absoutely beautiful sustainable wood basses and guitars while DW featured inlaid wood snare drums that were mind boggling in their appearance. We had booth tours of all three and they will be featured below.
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BONZO NAMM JAMM 2014 - RED CARPET
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In the last scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark, the Ark of the Covenant is crated and wheeled into some obscure corner of a vast warehouse. Indiana Jone's last line is 'They don't know what they have there.' Thus the Ark becomes lost once again. Unfortunately much of music's past is becoming lost as time marches on, technology changes and exposure to really good stuff is diminished by the plethora of mediocrity being released in pop culture. There are places, however, where you can discover music's past and learn why appreciating it is the only way to have good music in the future....but like Indiana Jones, you're gonna have to dig a little.
NOTE: All pictures are the LA story unless noted otherwise.
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You'd think AMOEBA MUSIC started in the Haight - Ashbury district of San Francisco during the Summer of Love (1967) when you experience the vibe and visit the store there, but no...it was in Berkeley, CA near the University of California in 1990 that the original store first opened its doors.
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Before STREAMING - DOWNSTREAM, MIDSTREAM and MAINSTREAM
The coolest feature of the store is not that you can find what you expect, but that you are surprised by what you don't expect. For example, I like Paul Rodgers and of course you can find his excellent solo album 'Electric'. AMOEBA, however, also has Paul Rodgers at a live concert in SPAIN and Paul Rodgers singing only Jimi Hendrix tunes. All three CDs now reside in my collection. Shopping there also inspires you to discover other music since the vibe dissolves some of your perceived barriers. I got a Robert Johnson CD and a Louis Armstrong CD. I put them on iTunes and downloaded them to my iPod. It makes for some interesting listening when my iPod selects Alice in Chains and then Louis Armstrong. Yes, I have an iPod...the technology is here and it's cool, but it's a shame if it excludes so much great music from the past. Us old schoolers appreciate the aesthetic of physically selecting, opening and playing records and CDs, something the youth of today may see as an inconvenience. Yet it is similar to reading a book vs. a computer screen. There is a definite pleasure to the human interaction with the art.
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The original AMOEBA MUSIC in Berkeley, CA - since 1990.
AMOEBA's first store in Berkeley was followed by the San Francisco store on Haight Street near Golden Gate Park in 1997 and the Hollywood location on Sunset Boulevard in 2001. The stores also have frequent live performances and publish a newsletter, 'Music We Like' with staff selections and reviews. They also have movies, posters on other merchandise. If you can't make it to one of the California stores, they have free shipping with no minimum purchase which is a fantastic bargain. You can find much more at AMOEBA.COM. (Click the linked picture below to visit AMOEBA web site)
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| AMOEBA MUSIC - San Francisco |
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DRUMline visits with Joe Travers of Zappa Plays Zappa
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| Joe Travers, Scheila Gonzalez, Ben Thomas, Dweezil Zappa at Soundcheck |
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 Dweezil Zappa
Some 50 years ago in 1963, Frank Zappa appeared on the Steve Allen show (the predecessor to The Tonight Show) and played a bicycle with a bow, drumsticks, blowing through the handlebars, etc. Allen joined him as Frank told the show’s band to play non-musical dissonance. ‘They won’t have any trouble with that’ Allen quipped. Zappa was funny, creative, weird but dead serious about getting some interesting sounds. In the 30 years which followed, Zappa completed 56 studio albums, made films, scored countless works for orchestras, operas, quartets – any and every possible combination of people, instruments and sound producing objects. He also left a vast quantity of unreleased material in 'The Vault'. Either you ‘re a ZAPPA fan or you largely missed him the first time around. You’re getting a second chance, as I am, to discover his work. First…Universal is re-releasing those 56 albums. Also, due to the diligent work of ZAPPA Archivist Joe Travers, new works are being released as well. Joe is also the drummer for popular live performances of Franks’s work in ZAPPA PLAYS ZAPPA led by Frank’s son Dweezil.
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| Joe Travers 'Driving the Bus' |
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Performing Zappa material live is a courageous endeavor because it can be terribly complex and the musicians who performed it originally are the best of the best: Ian Underwood, George Duke, Terry Bozzio, Steve Vai and Frank himself among many many others. Undertaking a project like ZAPPA PLAYS ZAPPA is a little crazy. It’s a bit like seeing Michelangelo’s Sisteen Chapel and thinking, ‘I have paint, brushes…let’s build a scaffold and paint!’
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 Vocalist Ben Thomas
Besides the advantageous genetics, Dweezil benefits from the osmotic presence of Frank in his life and simply doesn’t understand the improbability of success. After six years of performances…ZAPPA PLAYS ZAPPA is an established entity having earned its own identity. The show doesn’t try to recreate the original ZAPPA performances but plays to the standards which were originally set. Frank despised bands recreating their recorded performances live. He didn’t consider that music. He performed his music live – musicians playing off of each other – knowing the material of course but putting on a performance. I saw ZPZ on 12-12-12 at The Pageant in St. Louis. Behind The Pageant’s logo on the marquee are the words: JAZZ, BLUES, SWING, ROCK, COUNTRY and for the first time in a dozen years, that’s exactly what I saw. My first ZPZ concert...checked it off the ‘Bucket List’…at a time when I’m yearning to see good music performed well and eager to get into something new. Of course I knew of Frank from the 70’s onward but small town stations didn’t play his music. In college, however, it was 'Zappa This' and 'Zappa That'. I learned a little bit of ZAPPA music since guys I played with dug it but I was more into other things at the time.
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Well, on 12/12/12 a generation later and a time for a new beginning I feel kinda lucky. I can now go to the ZAPPA well and discover something new and reinvigorate my love of music…mainly because ZPZ was so damn good and while doing my research to interview Joe Travers, I discovered so much great Zappa music.
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 Bassist Pete Griffin
The audience covered a pretty diverse demographic with the commonality of coordinated bobbing heads in sync with the band. My only regret was watching the show from the side of the stage – not the ideal mix. The opportunity to watch Joe Travers up close, however, was too tempting. I chose to watch Joe ‘drive the bus’ as he puts it. Joe’s enthusiasm for ZAPPA music and music in general is contagious. I gave him a little tour of the neighborhood including the Chuck Berry statue, Vintage Vinyl and Blueberry Hill – home of Berry’s guitar and St. Louis’s best cheeseburger. ZPZ understands well where good music originated, but with their own unique vision educates and entertains us toward a promising musical future. Whether you know Frank’s music or not: hit your bicycle spokes with sticks, listen to classical music or try something unusual. It will do wonders for your creativity…and if you have the opportunity to see ZPZ…go and Freak Out!
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| Joe Travers immersed in the energy he creates |
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AMPED UP Two Amazing St. Louis Designers give Amps a New Look and Sound
 Bob Friedewald with his Amp Wall
Before the sale of Crate and Ampeg a few years ago, those amps were made in St. Louis, MO at St. Louis Music (SLM). I even have a Crate Blue Voodoo Tube Amp designed by my old college jamming buddy, Obeid Khan. Khan designed some cool tube amps for Crate but with the sale of SLM, he has since designed his own line of amps, 'Reason'.
Bob Friedewald has his own company as well, Bob's Custom Amps, and has designed custom amps for: Billy Gibbons, Kid Rock, Geezer Butler and a long list of professionals. You can see Bob's attention to detail on the cool amp walls he built for The Halo Bar at The Pageant in St. Louis, MO.
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 Amp Wall and Road Case Door - Halo Bar
SLM nurtured some creative talent which remains after its sale, yielding innovative artistic and sonic progress in music.
Check out more of Bob's excellent work at bobscustomamps.com. Whether you want a custom amp, amp wall or refrigerator disguised as an amp, Bob Rules! Also, check out Obeid Khan's tube amp line at reasonamps.com. An excellent and respected guitar player as well as a top flight electrical engineer, Obeid is always chasing a better tone and building it into his amps.
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DRUMline visits with Patricia Walker, author of 'Dance of the Electric Hummingbird', before the Chickenfoot show in St. Louis
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Dance of the Electric Hummingbird by Patricia Walker
Music is transcendent - maybe it puts you in a better mood or reminds you of your past. Good or Bad, music has the power to move us emotionally, spiritually...even into action. In her book 'Dance of the Electric Hummingbird', Patricia Walker chronicles her spiritual journey to self realization sparked by a Sammy Hagar concert in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Walker, not familiar with Hagar at the time, is dramatically and spiritually moved during her visit to Hagar's Cabo Wabo Cantina while on vacation with her husband. Maybe she leaves herself open to inspiration because the fun of being on vacation in a remote location and the power of music causes her to forget the rigors of daily life...being a wife and mother in Colorado. Back in Colorado her life is consumed in the routine of preparing meals and getting the kids off to school...existing but not really living. On her journey, Walker opens herself up to feelings and reinforcing signs that life can be enjoyed as well as lived. Often the signs she receives are birds...symbolizing a spiritual presence accompanying her personal growth. Walker's transformation is extreme and she does encounter cynicism and questions the validity of what she has experienced. Each chapter opens with inspirational quotes which help open the reader's mind to the possibilities being explored...although it's gonna take a journey for anyone to change. One of my favorite quotes from the book is:
'Music is your own experience, your thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out your horn.'
- Charlie Parker
Patricia Walker ultimately acknowledges the signs she repeatedly receives and decides to live a fuller more joyful existence. She doesn't progress in a bubble, however, and invites the reader to discover the possibilities of fulfillment and joy. It's an interesting and inspirational read (available on Amazon.com) and a challenge to live life to the fullest. Hey Patricia, did you know Charlie Parker's nickname is 'Bird'?
Note: Find out more about Patricia on her website: bajarockpat.net
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