Six Albums That Changed My Life - by Scott Carr

The Albums That Changed My Life series on Pencilstorm was conceived and launched by our Virginia correspondent JCE (John Egertson to his friends & family) last November, and will continue as our regular Sunday feature until we run out of submissions. To view the complete series, click on the Music heading on the Pencilstorm home page.

Albums that changed my life? Man, that's a tough one.

I always struggle when it comes to making "best of" lists. I've been a music fan since my pre-teen days and there has been so much music in my life, it's not easy to whittle that down to just a few choices.

Along the way there have been records that have had a bigger impact than others, so here are some that could be considered "life changing"....

KISS - ROCK AND ROLL OVER (1976)

Kiss in the ‘70's without hesitation had the biggest influence on my musical journey.

You could insert any Kiss album from the decade here (yes, even Dynasty) and I would not argue.

Rock And Roll Over for me is Kiss sounding like Kiss. Bare bones, no frills Rock N Roll. I love the songs on this record and Eddie Kramer’s production captures Kiss at their best. Another highlight for me on this record is Ace Frehley’s lead guitar work, amazing! Ace was in top form on this release. I only wish he had been confident enough to supply a lead vocal on the record but in all honesty, I would not change a thing about it. Plus that cover artwork is probably my favorite Kiss album cover of all time.

Rock and Roll Over on most days is my favorite Kiss record. I don't know if I can pick one Kiss album as life-changing but I would just say experiencing Kiss in the ‘70's changed my life forever. According to my mom I first saw Kiss on television on the Midnight Special. She pulled me and my brothers out of our slumber to witness the spectacle, I have no solid memory of that event but I'm told I was present. I do remember seeing Kiss for the first time on the Destroyer tour and from there on the rest is Kisstory.

IRON MAIDEN - IRON MAIDEN (1980)

After Kiss, my next big evolution in music was "metal." Kiss really weren't metal, so I wasn't really sure what "metal" was. I had heard some Sabbath records but Sabbath didn't really feel like my band. I love Sabbath but they felt like they were a generation older than myself. When I was a kid I was told by older kids that Black Sabbath created Heavy Metal and I was like, "Cool."

Seeing Judas Priest open for Kiss on the Dynasty tour really opened my eyes to a new breed of metal that would soon be invading American shores.

In 1980 the New Wave of British Heavy Metal was taking shape and Iron Maiden led the way. I bought their first album just based on the cover artwork alone. The music on the vinyl sounded exactly the way the cover looked. It was heavy and raw. I loved everything about it. This started a new chapter in my musical journey. At that point I started buying all kinds of European metal by bands like Diamond Head, Motorhead, Saxon, Def Leppard and the list went on and on. From 1980 to 1985 or so, I was a total metalhead kid.

RAMONES - RAMONES (1976)

I discovered the first Ramones record from going through my uncle’s record collection. He had moved away and left all his records at my Grandma's house. He said I could go through them and take whatever I wanted. His collection was mostly hippie stoner rock records, which I didn't appreciate at the time. I left lots of cool stuff behind, but I did take all of his Budgie records.

One of the cool records I found in my uncle's collection was the first Ramones record. I had no idea what it was but seeing those four guys leaned up against a brick wall wearing leather jackets and ripped jeans and the bold RAMONES logo above them really caught my attention.

When I put it on the turntable for the first time, I felt like I was listening to something from another planet. I had never heard anything like it before. All the songs were fast and under three minutes long, I think the longest song on the record is maybe two and a half minutes long. Again, another album that sounded exactly how the cover looks. They looked like punks and sounded like punks.

I never became a full fledged punk rocker but this record certainly struck a chord with me and I've been listening to Ramones records for decades now.

CHEAP TRICK - CHEAP TRICK (1977)

Still my favorite Cheap Trick album to this day.

I saw Cheap Trick in 1978 opening for AC/DC and soon started buying their records. At the time I was only aware of In Color and Heaven Tonight.

My first exposure to the band’s debut album was on the soundtrack to the movie Over The Edge. Back in those days there was no quick resource like Wikipedia to look up a band’s discography, so you just kinda discovered things by mistake. In July of 1979 I took my birthday money to the record store to buy some new records and while looking in the Cheap Trick section, I found a copy of their debut album. I clutched onto it like I had found the Holy Grail. I rushed to checkout counter and gave the clerk my birthday money and ran home to put the record on my turntable.

The whole album is perfection. I think it's really the only Cheap Trick studio album that accurately captures their raw power-pop energy. They have other great albums, but this one is their best in my book. Again, like Kiss, you could put any ‘70's Cheap Trick album in this spot and I would not be upset.

THE KNACK - GET THE KNACK (1979)

Just like Cheap Trick's 1977 debut album, Get The Knack is pure power-pop perfection from beginning to end.

The Knack really had their own thing going, they weren't really new wave and they weren't punk but they fell somewhere in the middle of both genres.

This is definitely one of my all-time favorite albums.

I wrote about it in a past Pencil Storm piece and you can check it out here

JELLYFISH - SPILT MILK (1993)

An unlikely masterpiece of an album that came out during the fall of glam metal and the rise of grunge.

Jellyfish were equal parts Queen, Beach Boys, The Beatles and a pinch of The Partridge Family.

During the early ‘90's I was a bit lost musically because everything was changing and I had been knee-deep in the MTV Glam Rock scene. By that time glam metal was becoming pretty disposable and even bands like Guns N Roses seemed like their time had come and gone. I wasn't in tune with the Seattle stuff. I liked the sentiment of it all, but it just really didn't strike a chord within me.

Jellyfish was like breathing new life into my floundering musical journey. Their first album Bellybutton came out in 1990 and spawned a minor hit with the single "Baby's Coming Back." Almost two and half years later the band returned with an album that leaned more towards their Queen influences and is way more adventurous than their debut.

Sadly Jellyfish did not last long after this record. They were gone in a flash but with just two albums they gained a fan base that hopes one day maybe we will see album number three.

So, I think I will leave you with those six uniquely different records. If I look at my choices too long, I will probably rewrite this entire thing. I think that covers the bases pretty well for me, though: Rock, Metal, Punk and Power Pop.

_____________________________

Honorable mention: I don't know if these albums qualify as "life changing" but they are albums that I consider near-perfect ear candy and are go-to albums I listen to when I feel like there is nothing to listen to.….

BLUE OYSTER CULT - FIRE OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN

BILLY SQUIER - DON'T SAY NO

REO SPEEDWAGON - HI INFIDELITY

APRIL WINE - NATURE OF THE BEAST

DEF LEPPARD - HIGH N DRY

ALICE COOPER - FROM THE INSIDE

ENUFF Z NUFF - STRENGTH

THE POSIES - FROSTING ON THE BEATER

QUEEN - A NIGHT AT THE OPERA

THIN LIZZY - BLACK ROSE

Scott Carr is a guitarist who plays in the Columbus, OH  bands Radio Tramps and Returning April.  Scott is also an avid collector of vinyl records and works at Lost Weekend Records. So...if you are looking for Scott....you'll either find him in a dimly lit bar playing his guitar or in a record store digging for the holy grail.

I own no content. Posted for fan based channel for comment and discussion only !

Show de 1980 com Paul Di'anno

Ramones performing blitzkrieg bop at CBGBs circa 1976....

Cheap Trick - He's A Whore - Night Gallery 1977

Мои предыдущие каналы (My previous channels): https://www.youtube.com/user/NoMadU55555/videos https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuK71d5hQd9F5DQLyO_d2aQ/videos

Spilt Milk tour, en vivo en Munich, Alemania 1993

10 Albums That Changed My Life - by Jon Peterson

The 10 Albums That Changed My Life series on Pencilstorm was conceived and launched by our Virginia correspondent JCE (John Egertson to his friends & family) last November, and will continue as our regular Sunday feature until we run out of submissions. To view the complete series, click on the Music heading on the Pencilstorm home page.

10 RECORDS THAT CHANGED MY LIFE - by Jon Peterson

1.    AMERICAN GRAFFITI / (various, 2 LP Soundtrack).

I started collecting records in 7th grade after my brother Jim took me to see the movie.  A total mind-blower in seeing the power, beauty and splendor of ‘first generation rock n roll.’  My life would be forever changed.  Collecting Art Laboe’s OLDIES BUT GOODIES LP collections and seeing the Broadway play GREASE would soon follow.  I was a 98-pound ‘greaser’ in a hair-down-to-the-shoulders world!

2.    JIM CROCE / “You Don’t Mess Around with Jim” 

My brother Jim also gave me his Yahama acoustic guitar around this time, so ‘folk rock’ would be my next step.  And Croce was my man.  Song for song, I’ll take his first three ABC records over many of his peers.  His writing was perfection.  And what colorful characters: folks like Speedball Tucker, Rapid Roy, and a woman who was "built like a 'frigerator with a head"!  With all the lyrics printed on the LP’s inner sleeve, I learned every word, too!

3.    NILSSON / “Son Of Schmilsson”  

Again, my brother Jim’s influence.  He started managing a State College, PA musician named Terry Beard, who was a Harry Nilsson freak, so I started collecting all the Harry LP's I could find.  They all were powerful…but for a 9th grader…singing “I sang my balls off for you, baby” and “You’re breaking my heart, you’re tearing it apart / So ‘fuck you!’ made me feel pretty damn cool.  Beatles in disguise Richie Snare and George Harrysong played on it too!

4.    BEACH BOYS / “Pet Sounds”  

This was it.  The Holy Grail.  I was collecting the early BB’s LPs before this… and PS was not a ‘one listen’ record.  But the more and more I listened, the more I became aware of importance of everything on a record: the writing, arranging, production, playing, singing…and sequencing.  I had an unrequited high school love, too…so PS certainly became my ‘go-to’ pillow to cry on. 

5.   THE WHO / “Who’s Next”  

This was the record that got me out of my oldies and folk rock period…and taught me the difference between rock ‘n’ roll and rock.  Learning about PT’s use of a Lowrey Berkshire Deluxe TBO-1 organ, looped on the intro to ‘Baba O'Reilly’ and juxtaposing that against crashing power chords with Moonie’s pounding rolls taught me there was much more to life than a rushed 'flat four' rhythm. So did driving around with Joe DiLazzaro with quarts of Yuengling singing “Teenage Wasteland!” and “I'm going mobile... beep beep!”

6.    BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN / “Darkness On The Edge Of Town”  

Although I had Bruce’s three LPs before this one ...'Darkness' was my first ‘real time’ Bruce record.  It was also his best, IMHO…because it combined the ‘literate Bruce’ with his ‘inner rocker.’ No more “Mary Queen of Arkansas” and swallowing the dictionary…the string zoom on “Badlands” took things into the stratosphere! In fact, my crew loved this record so much that my buddy Vern Brennan felt compelled to go down to a billboard on the Minersville-Pottsville highway…and spray-paint “Prove It All Night” on it!  I also learned that it was okay to fall in love with a prostitute named Candy. (editor’s note: I discern ZERO evidence in the lyrics of this Springsteen tune that Candy is anything more or less than a lovely young girl, let alone a prostitute. I’m just sayin’.)

7.    ROLLING STONES / “Some Girls” 

Prior to this, I was just a ‘Hot Rocks’ man…much preferring the Beatles, Who and Kinks to Mick & Keith.  But this record was so perfect…how could I not love it?  From a country parody to a Motown cover, to Mick doing his thing as perfectly as it gets…to Keith singing “Gonna find my way to Heaven, 'cuz I did my time in Hell.”  The Stones have been trying to ‘top this one’ for the last 40 years! And I’m still lovin’ it! 

 8.    ELVIS COSTELLO / “This Year’s Model”   

This was another game-changer for me.  After hearing this, I was no longer interested in sensitive singer-songwriters.  I wanted writers who also rocked hard…and sneered!    The sound of those keyboards.  This was ’96 Tears’ on steroids.  I would look away from my more mainstream and folksy-wolksy influences…and never look back.

9.    THE RAMONES / “End of the Century”  

Although I would like to tell you that I was cool enough to have owned the four prior Ramones LPs, this was the first one that I actually bought.  Elvis Costello was my ‘gateway drug’ into Punk…because much of the early punk stuff turned me off: not because it rocked hard…but because it was poorly recorded and/or produced.  With Phil Spector production, this was sonically brilliant.  And with ‘Do You Remember Rock N Roll Radio?’ on it, I finally felt vindicated for loving doo-wop in high school, while everyone else was digging Uriah Heep.

10. THE SPECIALS / “The Specials”  

I guess I bought this record because I saw that it was produced by Elvis Costello, but quickly learned to love it for many other reasons.  It was funny, it was silly, it talked about ‘relationship trouble’…and a world where Black & White musical influences and friendships were forged over pints and fights.  It would also teach me how to love the basics of world-beat music.  From reggae-styling drumming to Rico Rodrigues’ trombone…this LP became my ‘gateway drug’ into ska, reggae, and Afro-pop.  In the years that followed “Club Ska ’67” and Paul Simon’s “Graceland” would move me further along.  When things started getting shittier by the mid-1980s, this was the record that took me underground to expand my musical vocabulary.  

When I re-emerged on January 1, 1991… I now had the ears and a wide enough sphere of influences to start Radio Free Columbus on WCBE and SHAKIN IT RADIO from 2006 to the present. (more at www.shakinitradio.com). 

11. BONUS TRACKS / (boiling under but certainly there!): THE VELVET UNDERGROUND & NICO - “self- titled” /  AL STEWART - “Year Of The Cat” / KINKS - “Something Else” / BILLY JOEL - “Cold Spring Harbor” / JONATHAN RICHMAN &THE MODERN LOVERS - “Jonathan Sings!” / THE JAM - “Setting Sons” / JOE KING CARRASCO & THE CROWNS “Party Weekend.”

What Columbus Means To Me: My History In Ohio's Biggest City - by Jeremy Porter

Jeremy Porter and The Tucos will be performing at the Rumba Cafe in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday, January 19th. Doors 7 pm. Jeremy and the band are on at 8 pm. Colin Gawel and the Bowlers follow. FREE SHOW.

Growing up in northern Michigan, far from Ann Arbor and that great rivalry, Columbus wasn’t even on my radar. We knew about Cincinnati because of WKRP and the stampede at that Who concert, we knew Toledo from M*A*S*H, and we knew that Cleveland was a place, but not Columbus. Then I moved downstate in the fall of `88 and overnight Columbus was a thing to be hated, in November at least. A few years later, the guy who ran our record label turned me onto a band from there called Scrawl, who did a cover of Cheap Trick’s “High Roller” that he knew I’d like, and I’d been hearing about a band called Watershed too, that was supposedly cut from the same cloth as I was, but I didn’t pay that any mind.

October 21, 1995 I was playing in a punk band from Detroit called SlugBug. We had just come off a couple years of playing a ton of shows, a couple Midwest and east coast tours, and a lineup change. We weren’t getting along all that well at the time and it was cold. We drove down to Columbus for a one-off at a place called the High Street Downunder. We thought it had to be a cool place because Scrawl had recently played there. Maybe it was, but you can’t even find it on Google today. I remember I was under the weather, and after load-in I had to go #2 (sorry, TMI) and there was NO WAY I was doing that in the disgusting men’s room, so our bass player’s girlfriend stood watch outside of the much more presentable ladies room for me. If memory serves, we played to a decent crowd but didn’t get paid, the other bands weren’t very nice, and it was a long, cold, depressing drive home though the frozen Ohio night.

September 27, 1997 I became obsessed with Keith Richards and The Stones in the late `80s and by `97 I was all in. I bought tickets in Ann Arbor, but for the Columbus show. I didn’t have to wait on line, because the Detroit show’s tickets had gone on sale an hour earlier. Seventh row center, right between Keith and Mick. I remember the marquee at Taco Bell on High Street said “Free Taco for Mick Jagger” and I loved that. I was feeling great as my wife and I walked across campus into the Horseshoe, and all the way down front. It was a beautiful evening and they were the best band on the planet that night.

November 9, 2003 I was playing in a powerpop band called The OffRamps. We got added to a show at Small’s in Hamtramck, MI being promoted by my friend Brian, supporting a band I really liked from Texas called Grand Champeen. Brian’s band Porchsleeper was playing too, but it was a Sunday night, so it was bound to be a disaster. Still, I was happy to play with both of those bands. A few days before the show a band I’d seen at The Elbow Room in Ypsilanti a couple of times called Two Cow Garage was added to the bill. That really annoyed me. I didn’t really like them much, and I hated the idea of a fourth act being added to a Sunday night show. But Brian said it was kind of a done deal because they were touring with Grand Champeen, so I went along with it….but they were playing first, dammit! After soundcheck their bass player went out of his way to sit next to me at the bar, extend his hand, and introduce himself as Shane. “Goddamnit,” I said to myself, “they’re really nice dudes too.” That was equally annoying. I had to begrudgingly admit that they were good that night, better than I’d given them credit for. Channing, the singer for Grand Champeen, was sick as hell, there was no one there, and it was otherwise a fairly miserable night. A few months later, Two Cow Garage released their second record, The Wall Against Our Back, and I got completely sucked in by the stripped-down production and balls-out execution of amazing songs that just completely resonated with where my musical mindset was at the time.

They’ve put out better records since, but I still have a soft spot for that one, and take some joy in prodding them even today to pull out one of those tunes occasionally (they never do). Over the next 16 years, I’d go see them when they came within an hour of Detroit, eventually weaseling my way onto most of their Detroit shows, and becoming dear friends with Micah and Shane (and Murph, Vanessa, Todd, George, and Jay), and I just think...God I was an asshole back in Hamtramck that November.

June 28, 2012 For a few years I wrote for a now-defunct Detroit blog called Motor City Rocks. I was asked by a friend, Sue Summers, to do a book review for a new book by Watershed’s bassist Joe Oestreich. Sue was an early champion of my music around these parts, she knew Watershed early on, and she’d been telling me I need to hook up with those guys since I’d met her in 1990. The book really connected. The opening scene takes place in Small’s (the same bar we played at with Two Cow Garage nine years earlier), one dude is playing Cheap Trick deep cuts on the jukebox while another is washing down Percocets with PBR. Next thing I know, the protagonist is pulling giant bong hits with the guy who was currently producing our first record at the time. To say the book hit home is an understatement. So on this night, June 28, 2012, Watershed was playing Small’s (same bar, again) after a book reading. I couldn’t make the book reading, but I made the show, met Joe for the first (and only) time, and enjoyed the set.

April 4, 2013 Jeremy Porter and The Tucos play Columbus for the first time, at The Tree Bar, a cool little place down a scary, dark alley that looks more like back-woods Mississippi than the middle of Ohio’s biggest city. I don’t remember much about that night, but I remember Roni was our bartender and had a heavy hand. I know that we’ve played there a bunch and none of the shows were amazing but they were all fun, and there were always good people around.

February 26, 2014 The Tucos opened the first night of Columbus-based singer/songwriter/guitarist Lydia Loveless’ tour for her album Somewhere Else at a sold-out, converted Ponderosa restaurant in Pontiac, MI. Trust me when I say that “The Tucos” and “sold-out” rarely appear in the same sentence, plus I was completely mesmerized by that record, so it was a big deal for us. I said hi to Lydia and we talked about Shane and Micah for a minute, but I kinda hit it off with her guitarist Todd May, who was digging our set, and hit it off even more with her bassist Ben, who was selling merch next to us at the end of the night. We’d play with her again in 2016, when she was supporting Real (my #1 record of this decade so far), again up in Pontiac, and I’ve been completely mentally immersed in her amazing music for five years now.

July 14, 2015 Somehow I was asked to play guitar and lend some backups on two songs Watershed had recorded but not finished for a summer single. On this day I drove out to The Loft in Saline, Michigan (where they’ve done most of their recording) to add my parts over their songs. I came prepared, and Tim Patalan (reference the bong hits above) seemed excited as we tracked. I tried to act cool, but I was just beside myself to do it. The songs, “Best Worst Night” and “Hey Lydia” happen to be my favorite songs they’ve ever done, but I am biased. Damn, that was fun.

July 21, 2015 I was surprised to wake to an email from Colin Gawel - Watershed’s singer/songwriter/guitarist - thanking me for playing on the songs (I’d had no direct contact with the band about the session, and I hadn’t met Colin yet) and complimenting me on my work. I was still in awe that they’d asked, and to this day I’m super proud of it.

September 17, 2015 Another sparsely attended but heavily imbibed show at Tree Bar on the 17th, memorable only because Two Cow’s then drummer Murph and his girlfriend Erin were there.  We traded war stories with him all night, and Erin and I bonded over our love of hair metal, and I told her all about the Saxon concert Gabe and I had just attended two nights prior in Detroit. She requested a W.A.S.P. song during our set, which sadly we couldn’t deliver, and I may or may not have promised to learn “Love Machine” next time through. (Please don’t hold me to it this time!)

September 18, 2015 The next morning The Tucos stopped at Colin’s Coffee for a triple espresso on our way to Louisville. We traded coffees for a record, had a good long chat, mostly about Cheap Trick, and have since become good friends, albeit mostly through email, text, and rock & roll. After that we stopped at The Starliner Diner in Hilliard, strongly suggested by Murph, and that’s been a priority every single time since. Possibly my favorite breakfast spot on Earth.

March 11, 2016 This was the last time we played Columbus, at The Tree Bar, to about five people. We were on a run with a band from Lexington and a band from Cincinnati and I don’t think there was a local on the bill. We ate at a nearby sandwich shop before the show. Our then-bassist Patty and I got tomatoes on ours, drummer Gabe didn’t. Patty and I would spend the next 16 hours climbing over each other in and out of the bathroom of that horrible Motel 6 room. Goddamn tomatoes.

September 7, 2016 My first article for Pencilstorm, the Columbus-based blog that Colin runs, was published. It was a review of a fairly forgettable Ace Frehley concert in the parking lot of a Harley dealer in suburban Detroit. I’ve since written a bunch for the blog, participated in a KISS Non-Makeup-Era Song fantasy album draft, gotten photo passes for a Steve Earle concert, typed up a Grant Hart obituary, and more. It’s a thrill to be on the roster.

December 9, 2017 I played a small, sold-out solo acoustic show with Two Cow Garage’s Micah Schnabel and his partner Vanessa Jean Speckman’s pop-up art show at the AirB&B Loft above PJs Lager House in Corktown, Detroit. We couldn’t find a venue worth doing, and PJ saved the day with a great idea. It’s the only show they’ve had up there, and was the perfect setting. I wanted to bring my little amp up but Micah talked me out of it, and it was the right call. No amps, no PA. Solo acoustic shows can be hit or miss, to put it generously. This was a special night and I was so happy to be a part of it. (photo credit: Marlissa Shwarz, in front of Vanessa Jean Speckman art on the door to the Claddagh Loft at PJ’s Lager House, Detroit, 12/9/2017.)

This coming Saturday, January 19, 2019, we are playing at the Rumba Cafe with Colin Gawel & The League Bowlers. We are on at 8 sharp and it’s pay what you want. That means it’s cheap and you can go to bed early. It’s our first show with our new bass player Bob, who’s never been to Columbus before. I can’t wait for him to meet you all and take him to the Starliner Diner for breakfast. We’ll be avoiding tomatoes. Come and make this our best Columbus show yet. I’ve paid my dues here. Xo

Jeremy Porter lives near Detroit and fronts the rock and roll band Jeremy Porter And The Tucos.     
www.thetucos.com

Follow them on Facebook to read his road blog about their adventures on the dive-bar circuit.
www.facebook.com/jeremyportermusic  

Twitter: @jeremyportermi | Instagram: @onetogive & @jeremyportermusic

www.rockandrollrestrooms.com

F#(K Cancer: The Musical @ Shadowbox Live, January 17th-26th - by Ricki C.

(editor’s note: By the very nature of the show, and the title, this article will contain profanity, so it might not be for the kiddies…….)

First off, a coupla paragraphs of facts, then some of the usual senseless/nonsense Ricki C. commentary……..

Fact: The Shadowbox Live production of Fuck Cancer: The Musical returns beginning this Thursday, January 17th, and continues through Saturday, January 26th, ticket info and all that good stuff found here: Shadowbox Live, Fuck Cancer: The Musical.

Fact: Fuck Cancer: The Musical grew out of an idea by Shadowbox founder & creative mainstay Stev Guyer after he was diagnosed with cancer. There’s a really informative article from Columbus Underground about show author Jimmy Mak and the creation of the musical from when the show debuted last summer linked here, in case you wanna read all about it: Columbus Underground / F#(K Cancer: The Musical. (I LOVE links. As a lazy rock & roll roadie/blogger, they make my job SO much easier.)

Fact: You should go see this show. I will explain why in my commentary.

Commentary: I first heard about this production in a phone call from my good friend & brother in the rock & roll Ed Hamell (aka Hamell On Trial). Sometime in the spring of 2018 Ed phoned to say he was gonna be writing the songs for a musical about people dying of cancer for Shadowbox Live. “A musical about people dying of cancer?” I said to Ed, “That sounds cheery. I think you’re just the man for the job.” Hamell and Shadowbox go way back. In the late 1990’s – YEARS before I became Ed’s road manager in the early days of the 21st century – Shadowbox would book Hamell On Trial into their 2Co’s Cabaret venue on High Street in the Short North.

I have to say, though, at no time in the ten years from 2000-2010 that Ed and I crisscrossed these United States do I remember either of us saying, “You know what would be a KILLER (pun intended) career move? Writing the songs for a musical about people dying of cancer.” But here we are in 2019 and I have to admit, Fuck Cancer: The Musical is a pretty genius idea by both Mak & Hamell, and once the Shadowbox band & actors breathe life into the story and the songs, the whole deal becomes a genuine tour de force.

Full disclosure: At the time Ed and Jimmy were collaborating on the writing of the show, both my beloved sister Dianne and my dear friend Mike Parks – the lead guitarist of Colin Gawel’s band The League Bowlers – had just died of cancer. (My brother had also just then passed away from complications of heart disease.) Given those realities, I can’t really say I was prepared to actually ATTEND the production when it debuted in June, 2018.

In actual fact it took me until late summer 2018, to buck up and go to the show on August 26th, the very last day of the first run of the musical. Ed had come into town to see the show for the first time, to witness the culmination of the songs he had written but had never actually seen staged since the early rehearsals back in April or May.

By the intermission of the show, I truly, truly regretted waiting until the very last day to see Fuck Cancer: The Musical, because it meant I couldn’t go see it again the next day; it really was THAT great, and THAT powerful. Jimmy Mak’s book and Ed’s songs melded into a truly heartfelt, moving story. I fully admit, I was initially concerned that the show might be cloying, or overly sentimental, or – at the other end of the spectrum – too cutting, and therefor painful to watch.

In the end, Fuck Cancer: The Musical was none of those things: it was simply wonderful, and moving, and simultaneously heartfelt AND heartbreaking, in the best possible way.

And the best thing? This Thursday, I get to go see it again. If you haven’t seen the show, I gotta say: GO! If you’ve seen it before I’m betting – like me – you’ll wanna go again. Do it. – Ricki C. / January 14th, 2019.

Shadowbox Live's® original musical celebrates the stories of triumph, the pain of loss, and the hope we find during our battles with our greatest common enemy. Go to www.ShadowboxLive.org for show info!

Ten Albums That Changed My Life - by Pete Vogel

With gratitude to both JCE (whoever that is) and CG, I am happy to share with Pencilstorm readers the top ten albums that changed my life. I could literally write a book on the subject, but I’ll keep it as brief as I can.

The reasons why I’d call these albums “life-changing” is because they helped form my soul during times of inner turmoil and confusion. Being raised Catholic—and attending Catholic schools for twelve years—was often oppressive. Catechism taught us one thing, family dynamics something else, and music became a third teacher.

Mom had a small collection of albums she bought when we were young: they included works by Carole King, Tom Jones, Jim Croce and James Taylor. But two albums she also had—and got the most attention—were The Nutcracker and Jesus Christ Superstar. They enjoyed a ton of spins from all four of us children and to this day I get emotional listening to them. At the time they represented a liberating freedom from the stifling conformity of Sunday mass and a disciplinarian father who reared his children after his role models: Woody Hayes and Bobby Knight. Dad wanted athletes and cheerleaders—I wanted a father who wasn’t a drill sergeant.

Per mother’s request, I took piano lessons in the second grade and hated it: joyless instructor, boring classical pieces and stuffy recitals. But mom purchased Elton John’s Greatest Hits and I didn’t know playing piano could be so much fun. I obviously didn’t have the talent to play like him, but to listen to his joyful glissandos gave me fodder for trying.

My older brother Jim was the braintrust to our siblings’ exposure to new music. He brought home Chicago VI around 4th or 5th grade and we played it nonstop on our record player. Between the vocals, horn section, great guitar riffs and impeccable drumming, I was hooked. I still remember listening to “Feeling Stronger Every Day” for the very first time. Life changing.

Every few months Jim would bring home a new album and expose his sibs to its magic. The next to have such an impact was the debut Boston album. I remember hearing “More Than A Feeling” on the radio and was immediately struck by the acoustic guitar, vocals, harmony guitars & undulating drums. I was hooked from the first stanza. The album was every bit of that and more. ”Foreplay/Long Time” was the first song I ever heard that I considered an anthem.

Around the same time Jim brought home Led Zeppelin IV and that had a similar impact. Who doesn’t remember the first time they heard “Stairway to Heaven”? Every song on that album was a masterpiece.

The next album Jim brought home was Yessongs. It was a live album and too “out there” for my tastes and I didn’t understand the songs at all. Too garish for my tastes. But Q-FM-96 became our favorite radio station at the time and “Roundabout” was on steady rotation. I fell in love with this song and eventually talked Jim into buying Fragile. To this day there is nothing that moves me quite like Yes music. It remains its own genre.

As much as I loved the edgy guitar riffs and powerful drums of Zeppelin and Boston, I always tried to nurture a softer side with my musical tastes. One band that thoroughly watered my soil was Electric Light Orchestra. I remember buying A New World Record at the Ohio State fair and coming home to share the album with my family. It was the first time that I introduced an album to the family, so you can say it was my first official step into autonomy.

But everything changed in 1978. Jim came home from school one day and brought me into the living room. “Listen to this,” he said. He put on Side II of The Kids Are Alright and my music crush became an obsession. “Baba O’Riley” was the song he chose and I was dumbstruck: bass, drums, angry guitar chords and the masculine rage of Roger Daltrey’s vocals. From that day on, I followed The Who like a jealous stalker. I was not right in the head.

It’s hard to say which of the following albums impacted me the most after The Who: there are so many albums that resonated with me that it’s hard to select just one. I’d have to say my tenth pick is actually a toss-up between a host of albums, chief among them: Never Mind the Bollocks (The Sex Pistols); Hemispheres (Rush); Live at Leeds (The Who); Quadrophenia (The Who); Close to the Edge (Yes); Grand Illusion (Styx); Misplaced Childhood (Marillion); Van Halen I (Van Halen); The Wall (Pink Floyd) and Out of the Blue (ELO). These albums transformed my life in ways that I never recovered from, and this is why I still stubbornly pursue a music career well into my fifth decade.

Thanks for reading. Looking forward to others’ posts!

My 2018 Concert Rundown - by Kevin Montavon

Anyone who knows me, even on a casual basis, can tell you what my favorite pastime is. Here's a hint...it starts with "live" and ends with "music." I like, no, I love to go to concerts. Whether the venue is a tiny bar or a massive sports stadium, no matter if the band is an up-and-comer or a certified legend, the motto I live by is "Always go to the show." Or, more practically stated, as I have told many friends, "I don't see every show, but I see every one that I can.”

As an avid concertgoer, I keep track of shows, but only to a degree. I save ticket stubs, but not every concert requires tickets, or in many cases the venue just checks your name off a list. I have heard of people who meticulously keep track of all the shows they see, movies they watch, albums they listen to, etc. But who has time for that? In addition I suspect that the people who do this don't see as many shows as I do.

Enter modern technology. This past year, 2018, was the year I fully embraced the calendar in my phone. I kept track of every show I wanted to see, and if I ended up not going to a particular show, I removed it from the calendar. If I went to a multiple band show and missed any of the acts, I only listed the bands I saw. In the end I was left with an accurate look at a year in the life of a concert addict. Starting with Clutch on New Year's morning (they played Express Live for New Year's Eve 2017, taking the stage at 11:30 p.m. and playing until 1:00 a.m. on January 1st of this year); and ending with Colin Gawel and The Bowlers at the traditional December 23rd Woodlands Tavern gig, this year conveniently held at the easily manageable matinee hour of 4:00 p.m.; it was a typically full year. 

It's always hard for me to choose highlights from a year's worth of shows. For me live music played well is a sublime experience in and of itself. But this year I can easily say that two nights of Pearl Jam in their hometown of Seattle was heads above all other shows, particularly Night Two, which has already attained mythological status among Pearl Jam fanatics. The Missoula, Montana Pearl Jam show a few nights later takes an easy 3rd place spot. Double doses of Clutch (previously mentioned New Year's show and a co-headliner stint at the InkCarceration Festival in Mansfield, Ohio), and Lucero (opening for Frank Turner at Express Live in June...where they performed their entire as-yet-unreleased album as their set; and a headlining show at Skully's later in the year, where they played a request of mine...a song they haven't played in a decade) were fitting, as the albums both bands released in 2018 were my absolute favorite offerings of the year.

The Rumba Cafe remains my favorite venue to see a band, anywhere. And this year at Rumba I was treated to face-melting sets from Dan Baird & Homemade Sin, Drivin' N' Cryin', American Aquarium, Brandy Zdan, and Aaron Lee Tasjan, who was the biggest surprise of the year. I had not seen him previously, and I knew he would be good, but I wasn't prepared for just how mind-blowing of a performer he is. 

There's really far too many highlights to mention. You will also not be shocked to hear that I have zero plans to slow down any time soon. I already have Cher, Nick Mason's Saucerful Of Secrets, Kiss, and Iron Maiden on my calendar for 2019. Can't wait to see what other artists fill in all those other, as yet still blank, boxes. If you see me at a show in the new year, say hello, and let's rock!

Below is a list of all the bands I saw in 2018 (In many cases two or more bands were seen on one bill. This is a list of bands seen in total, and number of times I saw them):

Colin Gawel  (5x)

Pearl Jam  (3x) (click here to jump into Kevin’s excellent Pearl Jam Road Trip blog)

Trash Junkies (3x)

Clutch (2x)

James McMurtry (2x)

Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit  (2x)

Lucero  (2x)

Race Of Devils  (2x)

A Perfect Circle

Aaron Lee Tasjan

Adam Kamm & The One Drops

Alice In Chains

American Aquarium

ASG

Berlin

Black Label Society

Black Spirit Crown

Blackberry Smoke

Bourbon Train

Brandy Zdan

Brett Michaels

Carach Angren

Corey Branan

Corrosion Of Conformity

Dan Baird & Homemade Sin

Dee Snider

Devildriver

Dokken

Don Felder

Drive-By Truckers

Drivin' N' Cryin'

Foghat

Frank Turner

Fu Manchu

Glenn Hughes

Goatwhore

Hall & Oates

Henry Rollins

Hiss Golden Messenger

Jake The Snake Roberts

John Moreland

Kingpin

Lita Ford

Lo-Pan

Magic Dick

Michael Schenker Fest

Moodshifter

Mr. Speed

Orphaned Land

REO Speedwagon

Satyricon

Sevendust

Sheryl Crow

Sleep

Snowblynd

Steve Earle

Styx

SubRosa

Suicidal Tendencies

Terry Davidson & The Gears

The Hold Steady

The Magpie Salute

The Shelter People

The Sword

Tool

Train

Tyr

Warrant

Willie Phoenix

Yes, featuring Anderson, Rabin & Wakeman