Tom Petty: A Real Highwayman's Farewell - by Ricki C.

January 23, 2018 Ricki C.

(editor’s note/reader advisory: Ricki C.’s first blog in awhile on Pencilstorm contains strong language, which, truthfully the Pencisltorm Editorial Board chose not to edit, because we’re all a little afraid of Ricki, so we don’t like to screw with his copy. Consequently, you might wanna keep the kids from reading, or at least monitor the new words they learn.

Also, the Editorial Board HAS detected the vaguely suicidal leanings in the piece, but Ricki is, after all, a West Side Rocker, so we all think he’ll be okay in the long run, but we ARE monitoring the situation.)

It’s not exactly a state secret that I haven’t been writing for Pencilstorm for the last few months. Long story short: my sister Dianne died at the end of November, 2017, after losing a two-year battle with cancer, first slowly, then suddenly (to quote a Watershed tune, I just realized) and I was staying with her at her house in Grove City for her last six weeks while she was in hospice care. I fully realize that thousands, if not millions, of people have lived through that situation: caring for a loved one in hospice, and I'm not presuming to speak for anyone else here, just for myself, but I have to say - it’s not noble, it’s not life-affirming, it doesn’t offer a loving sense of closure, it’s just sad and heartbreaking. (I don’t know how hospice care nurses – all of whom, Mount Carmel nurses in my particular case, were wonderful & caring – do their jobs. I only had to do this once, they do it dozens, if not hundreds, of times.)

Plus Mike Parks – the fucking GENIUS lead guitarist of Colin’s League Bowlers band – lost his bout with stomach cancer a couple of weeks ago.

And right before all that Tom Petty died.

Tom’s back in the news this week, because it seems he didn’t die of heart failure at 66 years old as was initially reported, he died of an accidental opioid-related overdose. Myself, I will turn 66 in 2018, and I’m already on my second cardiac pacemaker (got my first before I turned 50), so I wasn’t all that elated about the “dead of heart failure at 66” news reports about Petty. It’s oddly comforting to me that Tom died of an overdose, and truthfully, I’m not at all sure it was all that accidental. It might be comfortable to his children and loved ones to believe it was an accident, but I like to think that Petty took stock of his situation: “I’m 66, I just finished an extensive Farewell Tour with what I thought was just a bad hip, which now turns out to be a fully broken hip that will pain me for the rest of my life, this just might not be a bad time to check out of this existence for good. I’ve had a long life, I rocked for upwards of 55 of the 66 years I resided on the planet, I made millions of people happy with my rock & roll, in the immortal words of Robert Johnson: I believe it’s time to go.”

I can’t say I blame him.

I consider an overdose death from Tom Petty after a long & fulfilling GENUINE Farewell Tour a more fitting conclusion to a Rock & Roll Life than many other rockers – Gene Simmons of KISS and Don Henley of the fucking Eagles leap immediately to mind – are ever going to attain. And Pete Townshend is NEVER going to leave this mortal coil with as much integrity as Tom Petty did. I find myself wishing at this point that Pete HAD died before he got old. (And just so our loyal readers don’t find that sentiment a little TOO harsh, I might wish it for myself too.)

Mr. Petty, I salute you for a Real Highwayman’s Farewell………

"just junk all all across the horizon, a real highwayman's farewell"

- Bruce Springsteen, 1973

Remembering Glen Campbell - by Scott Carr

August 12, 2017 Scott Carr

(April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017)

On August 8th the world lost another great music legend. Glen Campbell passed away at the age of 81 after a brave battle with Alzheimer's disease.

I'll be the first to admit that I am not a huge fan of country music or a historian on the genre. Growing up I heard a lot of Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Loretta Lynn and others around my house and we were avid watchers of Hee-Haw, so there is some of that in my musical make up.

I was aware of the contributions that Glen Campbell had made over the years on records for The Beach Boys, The Monkees, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and just about anyone you can think of in the 60's and early 70's. He was a very sought after session player and a member of a group of elite players known as The Wrecking Crew. The members of The Wrecking Crew performed on literally hundreds of records over the years. It really is astounding when you look up all the work these guys did, google it.....you will be amazed.

So, I knew Glen was a great talent and recognized as one of top guitarist in the business but his music other than the hits really was not on my radar at all.

My interest in Campbell's music was peaked when it was announced in 2011 that he would be doing one last record called Ghost On The Canvas. The album featured songwriting contributions from the likes of Paul Westerberg (The Replacements) and Robert Pollard (Guided By Voices) and guest musicians including Rick Nielsen from Cheap Trick, Billy Corgan from Smashing Pumpkins, Steve Hunter, Brian Setzer and Jellyfish members Jason Falkner, Roger Manning and Eric Dover. Also around this time it was revealed the Campbell was suffering with Alzheimer's disease and would be embarking on a farewell tour while he was still healthy.

I became really intrigued by all this information and bought Ghost On The Canvas as soon as it hit the shelves. It really is an amazing album. It has been compared to the work that Johnny Cash did with Rick Rubin during his later years. Campbell's 2008 record Meet Glen Campbell featured reworkings of contemporary songs by Foo Fighters, Tom Petty, Green Day, Lou Reed, U2 among others and it helped introduce Glen to a new audience. The idea behind Ghost On The Canvas was to have Glen collaborate with younger musician to create new music as well as include some interesting covers and it came out beautifully. Ghost On The Canvas was intended to be Campbell's last record but he returned to the studio and completed enough material for two subsequent releases: 2013's See You There, and his most recent album Adios, released just two months prior to his passing. Campbell released a total of 64 studio records during his almost six decades in the music business.

I was further drawn into the Campbell story with the release of the 2014 documentary film I'll Be Me. The film chronicles Campbell's 2012 farewell tour and his struggles with Alzheimer's disease. It's a very powerful film and at times tough to watch. It is clear though that Campbell was surrounded by family, friends and fans that adored him. For me the most interesting thing to see in the film was how Glen's memory loss never really affected his ability to perform, he would flub some lyrics here and there but many artists do that who aren't dealing with Alzheimer's. His guitar playing chops

were still incredible and voice strong.

The soundtrack to I'll Be Me features Campbell's very last studio recording, a song called "I'm Not Gonna Miss You."

Glen, you will be missed.

I thought I would wrap up this piece by including some music moments from Glen's most recent works to give you an idea of what he's been up to. If all you know from him is "Southern Nights" and "Rhinestone Cowboy," you may be surprised.

I also included a clip of Alice Cooper talking about Glen right after getting the news of Glen's passing. Apparently Alice and Glen were golfing buddies and had been friends for many years. Alice shares some fond memories of their friendship.

RIP Glen Campbell

Scott Carr is a guitarist who plays in the Columbus, OH bands Radio Tramps andReturning 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.

FOX 10's Matt Rodewald spoke with famed musician Alice Cooper, as news came Tuesday of Glen Campbell's passing. Campbell was 81 years old.

Glen Campbell performs "Sing" from 2008's Meet Glen Campbell

Glen Campbell interpreta "Walls" de Tom Petty en The Chris Isaak Hour (03/12/2009)

"A Better Place" is the second video from Glen Campbell's critically acclaimed album "Ghost On The Canvas." The video features a special guest appearance from Josh Homme (Queens Of The Stone Age, Kyuss, Them Crooked Vultures), and is directed by Kii Arens and Jason Trucco.

The official video for the title track to Glen Campbell's final studio recording: "Ghost On The Canvas". Directed by Kii Arens and Jason Trucco Available everywhere on Surfdog Records!

Hold on Hope by Glen Campbell. From the album, Ghost on the Canvas. Copyright: 2011 Surfdog Records.

Glen Campbell is an American rock and country music singer, guitarist, songwriter, television host, and actor. Most people know him as a singer and aren't aware of what an influential guitar player he was. I decided to make a video of some of my favorite Glen Campell solos from his early days in the 60s to the 2000s.

Glen Campbell - "These Days" Music Video from Meet Glen Campbell

Any Trouble by Glen Campbell. From the album, Ghost on the Canvas. Copyright: 2011 Surfdog Records.

In My Arms by Glen Campbell. From the album, Ghost on the Canvas. Copyright: 2011 Surfdog Records.

Record Store Day 2016 Wrap-Up - by Scott Carr

April 23, 2016 Scott Carr

Record Store Day 2016 is officially in the books. Saturday April 16 was one of the biggest shopping days for the record buying community and vinyl fans were out in full force. On a normal Saturday when you walk into a local indie record shop you will find people calmly milling around digging through bins of records looking for a lost gem and discussing why Pink Floyd's records with Syd Barrett are the only ones that matter. The scene is a little different on Record Store Day. On RSD shops open bright and early and typically have a long line of customers waiting in line to come in and snatch up exclusive limited edition albums released specifically for the event. Some people wait in line all night long. Once the doors open there is a constant stream of people coming through the door all day long. Most shops add additional staff for the day and offer extended hours to handle the additional business.

By all accounts this years RSD was the most successful yet. Local shops reported having huge lines all day long and record sales.

So, you are probably wondering what all the fuss is about surrounding RSD exclusive releases. I have compiled a list of titles that came out on RSD that I think are some of the best. Keep in mind there were probably around 400 releases that were released on RSD and these are just a few that I think are among the best.....

Cheap Trick - At Budokan - The Complete Concert.

Finally available on vinyl for the first time! Cheap Trick's classic Budokan concert in its entirety. This is a release that I have been hoping would happen for awhile now. I actually told someone a few years back that this would be a perfect RSD release and here it is. The Record Store Day Gods were listening, now maybe we will see an official release of the Wicked Lester demos. If you love the original At Budokan, this one is twice as good.

Note - Cheap Trick also released a limited edition 10" record for Record Store Day this year called Found New Parts which is sort of a sequel to their 1980 Found All The Parts. The new ep features songs from the band's latest record Bang Zoom Crazy...Hello along with one exclusive track called "Arabesque." Not as exciting as the Budokan release or even 1980's Found All The Parts, but a must for Cheap Trick fanatics..

Fleetwood Mac - The Alternate Tusk

Just as the title implies, this release is an alternate version of the entire Tusk album from Fleetwood Mac. Previously only available as part of the deluxe box set of Tusk, this is the first stand-alone vinyl version of the alternate version of the album. Of all the Buckingham/Nicks era Fleetwood Mac albums Tusk is without a doubt my favorite and is often considered their masterpiece.

Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers - Kiss My Amps Vol. 2

RSD exclusive release featuring deep cuts, hits, and handpicked covers from Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers. Recorded during their 2013 tour and sounds as good as ever. This release is a follow-up to Petty's 2011 RSD Black Friday release Kiss My Amps Vol. 1 that was recorded during The Heartbreakers 2010 Mojo tour.

Note - Record Store Day also saw a release from Petty's band Mudcrutch. A limited edition single featuring two songs from a new Mudcrutch album that will be released later in the year.

Johnny Thunders and The Heartbreakers - Vive La Revolution: Live Paris 1977 At The Bataclan

Tom Petty's Heartbreakers weren't the only ones with a limited edition release for Record Store Day. Johnny Thunders and The Heartbreakers see the first official release on vinyl of show that was recorded at the last date of their 1977 European tour. The show was to be the soundtrack of a film but the film never got produced. Terry Chimes of The Clash fills in on drums as drummer Jerry Nolan had left The Heartbreakers prior to this show.

(editor's note: The 1970's were definitely the last decade that you could have TWO major bands in the same genre of music with the same name and the situation got settled without lawsuits. You've gotta kinda love that fact.)

Joan Jett & The Blackhearts - Sinner

Joan's 2006 Bob Rock-produced album Sinner released on vinyl for the very first time. Limited edition clear vinyl with a download card featuring bonus material. Most of the songs on this record originally appeared on Joan's Japan-only release Naked in 2004, but many are different mixes. Joan delivers some of her strongest original material in some time and Sinner also features excellent covers of Sweet's "AC/DC" and The Replacements "Androgynous." Joan has done several Record Store Day releases in the past and Sinner is one of her best.

Those are just a few of the official RSD releases that caught my eye this year. It's also worth noting that local Columbus artists were well represented with their own RSD releases, including two new singles on the Lost Weekend Records label from The Electric Hand and Mr. Tiger, and Pat Dull's Break Up Records released their third installment of the Columbus Blood compilation series featuring exclusive tracks from some of the best bands in the city. There was also a new single from The Girls.

Lydia Loveless also made an appearance on a new RSD release. The 12" single for a song called One Voice brings Lydia together with Norah Jones, Aimee Mann, Suzanna Hoffs, Neko Case and Brian May. The song is from an animal welfare documentary called A Dog Named Gucci. Yes, you read that correctly: Lydia Loveless is on a record with Brian May from Queen. That's pretty cool.

Chris goes through many of this year's Record Store Day exclusives.

Provided to YouTube by Sony Music Entertainment Come On, Come On (Live At Budokan: The Complete Concert) · Cheap Trick / 廉價把戲合唱團 BUDOKAN! (30th Anniversary) ℗ 1978 Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment Released on: 2008-11-11 Associated Performer, Producer: Cheap Trick / 廉價把戲合唱團 Guitar: Rick Nielsen Composer, Lyricist: R.

Tusk is the 12th album by the British/American rock band Fleetwood Mac. Released in 1979, it is considered experimental, primarily due to Lindsey Buckingham's sparser songwriting arrangements and the influence of punk rock and New Wave on his production techniques.

Official video for Androgynous. by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts http://www.joanjett.com http://www.facebook.comjoanjettandtheblackhearts https://twitter.com/joanjett Buy on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/joan-jett-the-blackhearts/id916203

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