Comments

• brainstrm (15 Apr 2006 14:18)

  Rickey Medlocke rules ! I love this guy - he has always been one of my favorite players . He is every bit as wild onstage as he was when I first saw him with Blackfoot in 1977 . I've seen him several times over the years with Blackfoot and he always rips ! This was the first time I've seen him live with Skynyrd , and even better - I got to talk with him during Blackland's sound check ! Too cool !

• dsstrlght (15 Apr 2006 19:28)

  So cool that you got to talk to him! I bet you had a great time and am glad it all came together.

• charlie8j (16 Apr 2006 6:59)

  this shot was my last shot left....glad i was able to get a good one since they ran us off from the fence right that second !!

• emossuck (18 Apr 2006 15:55)

  awsome he looks like someone i know......can't quit think who.....D:

• brainstrm (19 Apr 2006 19:35)

  hahaha do you mean this guy ? 8 ) 8 ) 8 )
  
  
  
  
  Rickey Medlocke has been very influential to me and to a lot of other players too . The Ted Nugent / Black Oak Arkansas / Blackfoot show I saw in 1977 left an indelible impression on me ! Having 3 bands playing that night put Blackfoot's gear all the way to the front of the stage , so I was hearing and seeing these songs for the first time ever - at very close range . The backline of Marshall amps was maybe 15 feet away and the drumkit was even closer - I was getting the real sound from the stage rather than the PA sound - wow ! It's still one of the best shows I've ever seen . Everyone in that band was really good , especially Medlocke and the late Jakson Spires , one of the all time great rock drummers . Greg T. Walker and Charlie Hargrett were also very solid players . Seeing them debut "Road Fever" and "Highway Song" live 2 weeks before the "Strikes" album was released was an incredible experience !
  Hearing those Marshall amps at ground zero sold me on them for good - I got my first 100 - watter soon after and they are still my favorite amps . Of course seeing the way Rickey Medlocke handled the Explorer showed me the light of pointy guitars , and started my quest of putting the perfect parts together to make the killer-est one I could build . [ link ] Thankya !
  \m/. .\m/

• charlie8j (20 Apr 2006 5:16)

  it is so strange the way he pulls his strap over the end of the explorer...i guess it helps him keep it where he wants it ???

• brainstrm (20 Apr 2006 13:19)

  Yes as I recall he did it back then too - it looks like he has also moved the strap pin about 4 inches up the wing . Either would make it hang differently - the higher strap pin would affect the balance , having it over the wing would tip it toward him a little . Some guitars are neck - heavy , especially bass guitars , so many players move the strap pins around to help the balance . This is why some basses like the Rickenbacker 4000's [ link ] the Pedulla Buzz [ link ] and my Daion [ link ] have an extended upper horn - it moves the center of gravity more to the middle , giving better balance .
  
  
  

• brainstrm (20 Apr 2006 15:39)

  The Blackfoot "Strikes" opening set was overwhelming - we still talk about that show 30 years later ! I was there with my bandmates and of course we spent the break between bands going on about their massive sound and how to get it ourselves .
  Black Oak Arkansas had dropped the "Arkansas" and gone for a bigger slicker sound the tour before , with the new guitarists doubling on keyboards and horns , 3 - part guitar harmonies with E-Bows , an all around highly impressive show , but nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to experience this time around . Black Oak had a 90 pound 5 foot secret weapon - Shawn Lane . He hit that first song with the speed and grace of Yngwie Malmsteen and Michael Angelo Batio combined and never let up . Absolutely spectacular playing - I've never seen anything like it before or since . Of course Angelo and Malmsteen are super-fast , but Shawn Lane was 14 then ! This was 1977 - I hadn't even seen Van Halen live yet , and when I did , it was sort of anticlimactic after that !
  I got to meet Shawn Lane and the rest of that Black Oak lineup at another gig - he was 15 by then . I talked with him again when he was a judge at the Memphis guitar competition ( they made him judge because he kept winning it ! ) He was always cool and took time to talk guitars , and he remembered our talk from the Black Oak show . ( I bet he did - we heard them talking through the dressing room window and I climbed up with a bandmate to say hi ! ) Nice guy , incredible player - I was sad to see him go . Here's the Shawn Lane [ link ] at Wikipedia !
  \m/. .\m/

• dsstrlght (21 Apr 2006 13:29)

  I'm so glad you got to see that one. The great concerts you've gotten to see really stay with you and you learn so much from them.

• brainstrm (21 Apr 2006 17:20)

  Me too ! Back then we didn't have instructional videos , guitar magazines with whole songs in tab , or the internet . When I went to a show like that , I was paying serious attention - down front or using binoculars to pick up all the technique I could . Those were my guitar / bass / drum lessons and I had some of the best teachers in the world - Ted Nugent , Eddie Van Halen , Glenn Tipton & KK Downing of Judas Priest , Rickey Medlocke , Shawn Lane , later on Vai , Angelo , Yngwie - I learned a lot from those guys and too many others to list . Something I frequently hear regarding my songs is " this song sounds like (whoever) " and I'm sure that is true considering how extensively I have studied their styles and technique . Not a problem - I consider that a huge complement .

• brainstrm (21 Apr 2006 19:57)

  Minor date correction - oops - this picture is labeled "May 1978" on the back - that means the previous Black Oak (3-guitar lineup) / Ted Nugent show was 1977 ...
  This is from the Black Oak headline show where I met them after - I have some better shots I'll post eventually if I can find them !
  Jimmy Henderson ( left , black guitar ) , Shawn Lane ( right , sunburst guitar )
  
  

• brainstrm (21 Apr 2006 20:23)

  I also got to hang out with the late great Jakson Spires a bit - he brought the Southern Rock Allstars to the 3614 studio a few times to rehearse and record some overdubs for one of their albums . Jakson was a really nice guy . He came in while I was mixing "Live and Learn" , one of the early Project : Brainstorm songs and was very complimentary about the song (and my drumming even) which made my day - in a permanent way !
  This is from an earlier SRA show , the first time I met him and Greg T. Walker . I've met 75% of the original Blackfoot members now - maybe I can run across Charlie Hargrett someday and make it 100%!
  ( L to R : )
  Me , Jakson Spires , Jamie C. , Greg T. Walker
  
  

• dsstrlght (22 Apr 2006 16:14)

  These are great! Yes, you were smart to learn from the best and take that opportunity to watch and learn, not just pay your money and be too smashed to even remember the show later like a lot of the audience. Always a wonderful experience to get to meet people like that and have them say good things. Too bad they didn't allow cameras at the Yngwie show or we'd have had a great one with Allan Holdsworth. I enjoyed watching you guys talking.

• brainstrm (25 Apr 2006 0:28)

  Meeting Allan Holdsworth was very cool ! I have heard Shawn Lane , Eddie Van Halen , and many others cite him as an influence and I've always thought he was an extremely impressive player so I'm glad we got to meet him . It made for an interesting evening overall - Yngwie knew Holdsworth was there , so I'm sure he was probably showing off even more than usual !
  Only in LA are you going to have someone ask to sit with you , saying " I have this hot guitar player with me - can we sit here ? " and his compadre is Allan Holdsworth - wow ! He sat next to me for most of the show , and afterward we talked for a while about guitars , woods etc - Carvin makes his "Fatboy" signature model , a very unique guitar , and it was really cool talking about that with him . We also talked about other instruments I've seen him with over the years like the Synthaxe , Steinberger , and Ibanez . Quite the interesting fellow - I'd love to see him play live sometime ! His technique is incredible ! Against the Clock : The Best of Allan Holdsworth CD page with audio clips

• brainstrm (25 Apr 2006 2:06)

  And yes since you mention it - it has always been important to me to retain as much as possible from the concerts I've seen . As I say , those are / were my guitar / bass / drum lessons ! I wasn't just learning guitar at those shows , I was watching everyone in the band and applying as much as I could to my own technique . Seeing Kerry Livgren playing guitar and keyboards with Kansas was definitely influential to me [ link ] and of course seeing ( Deep Purple keyboardist ) Jon Lord at an early Whitesnake show didn't hurt ! I also learned a lot from bass players like Geddy Lee and Steve Harris . I saw Mother's Finest several times - they are one of the most versatile bands I've ever seen and their bass player "Wizzard" was a monster player ! Jakson Spires for sure will always be an inspiration - he was an incredibly powerful player but still played with a lot of finesse (his "Indian name" was "Thunder Foot" ! ) I've seen a lot of other serious drummers like Neil Peart , Vinnie Paul , and Scott Travis . The original Iron Maiden drummer Clive Burr was another standout and very impressive to see . I learned a lot from all those guys from keeping the beat while twirling sticks ( Tommy Lee ) to odd time signatures ( Mike Portnoy.) I've been to so many shows it's hard to list everyone who has made an impression on me but it looks like I'll keep adding to the list here so no-one feels neglected ! hahaha 8 )
  Being sober and paying attention at 30 years worth of concerts has been a huge factor in my playing , every bit as much as all my research and practice time . Closely watching all those killer musicians play , observing their technique and gear , and most importantly the way they interact as a band has helped me vastly in my musical development . It has made it possible for me to interact musically on a much deeper level within my bands , to better understand and communicate each others' parts since I am able to play the other instruments also , not just guitar .
  \m/. .\m/

• dsstrlght (25 Apr 2006 18:18)

  You've got the ability to be extremely attentively focused, and the mind to remember and use it all. It has served you well.

• emossuck (27 Apr 2006 19:57)

  niiiiiiiiice D:
  thats the best way, if your motivated enough. XD I need to get to shows DDD:
  yes....
  ps nice hair xD

• brainstrm (28 Apr 2006 2:33)

  I'm pretty motivated as far as being very fixated on the music , be that playing a gig , recording , or learning stuff from shows !
  Unfortunately these days concerts can be very dangerous - I frequently see the opposite extreme as far as mosh pits and crowd surfing , which have nothing to do with the music and everything to do with using the show as an excuse for aggression and misbehavior . This has always been the case to some degree - at my first Ted Nugent show in 1977 the whole crowd down front was pushing from side to side , and I was moving a good 10 feet back and forth with my feet off the floor , held up by the crush of crowd ! I was very close to the front at a Ratt show in the 80s when the crowd broke the barricade during the break and people were being pushed under the stage . It was an extremely dangerous situation - had the stage given way from those thousands of people suddenly shoving forward , lots of people would have been seriously hurt . They had to delay the show for a while as they repaired the barricade , which was an absolute necessity for keeping a 5-foot or so path between crowd and stage . This walkway gives space to move injured people away as well as keeping the crowd from interfering with the gear or climbing onto the stage . It took about an hour , most of it spent attempting to talk the crowd into moving back to give room - they said they would cancel the show if everyone didn't move back and sit down on the floor , and it still took over 30 minutes to accomplish this . Had the barricade failed with the show going on , I have no doubt there would have been serious injuries or worse . I've even been hit in the head with a plastic whiskey bottle thrown from the higher seats - fortunately it was plastic - a glass one would really hurt !
  I've been lucky about that stuff at the last two shows I've seen ( Steve Vai and Yngwie Malmsteen ! ) Gigs like theirs have a higher percentage of guys like me who are there purely to focus on the music and the musicians and learn from the experience , not get plastered and be mindlessly dangerous to anyone within reach . It was a refreshing change from the generally anti-social purposefully rude behavior I've been experiencing at most shows I've seen over the past few years !

• dsstrlght (10 Jun 2006 20:28)

  Guess we just have really good luck at all the shows we go to. Everyone was cool at the Powerline gig. Ok so that was just a sports bar gig but that was such a friendly bunch!

• brainstrm (19 Jun 2006 7:09)

  hahahaha yes 8 )
  Of course I don't mean to infer that 100% of the crowd is rude at large concerts - but at most shows I do encounter some sort of rude / dangerous behavior . Didn't mean to get off on a rant there ! 8 )

• charlie8j (14 Aug 2006 9:52)

  remember the unseen mosh pit ???? AHHHH, RUN !!!! (giggle)

• dsstrlght (11 Jan 2007 18:18)

  Haha and then there was the show we went to in October in the rain! Hyundai Pavillion in Irvine with a steady mist the whole time. I loved being the four legged blanket monster. Hey, we stayed warm and dry and had a good time.

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