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Classic Rock News, Reviews And Interviews
October 21, 2013
Review: ZZ Top at Tulsa Hard Rock, Catoosa, OK
Photos & Story by Scott A. Smith
Lengthy, fuzzy beards? Check.
Sequined, south-of-the-border jackets? Check. 
Cool-as-the-breeze sunglasses? Check.
Loud, purple-colored guitars? Yep, ZZ Top still has these and quite a bit more.
ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons (guitar, vocals), Dusty Hill (bass,vocals) and Frank Beard (drums, vocals) remain rock music’s sharp-dressed men, and more importantly, they continue to be a sonic force to be reckoned with under the stage lights.
The “Little Ol’ Band from Texas” fired up a hit-single-friendly set list for a capacity audience on Oct. 18 at The Joint inside the Tulsa Hard Rock in Catoosa, Okla., proving to be a willing-and-able unit bent on delivering the musical goods.
Within seconds of the house lights darkening, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band infused grit into the night-opener, “Got Me Under Pressure,” with Gibbons’ six-string picking staking claim to the sound system’s mid-range frequencies.
The song’s bouncy rhythms and side-stepping arrangement immediately put band and spectators in an easy-going mood.… Continue reading
October 20, 2013
Interview with Jay and the Americans
By Isaac Rodriguez
Rock Legends Photographers
Q: What music or musician did you listen to that inspired you as an artist?
A: [Sandy] He and I (referring to Howie) — we saw a television show called the Frankie Lane show and a group called Frankie Lymon and the teenagers came on and played “Why Do Fools Fall in Love.” We got impressed with that and then we saw the Everly Brothers on television and we decided we wanted to do that too.
[Sandy] Howie you tell him who inspired you?
[Howie] To be a singer?
[RLP] Just to be an artist in general.
[Howie] Honestly, Mario Lanza. He was a star in the movies in the 50′s, he was like an opera singer. Mario Lanza was an operatic singer. When I went to Radio City Music Hall and see whatever movie was there, there he was. So I would say WOW!… Continue reading
October 19, 2013
Ambrosia Concert Tour 2013
By Michael Yanko, Rina Marie Braley-Yanko and Isaac Rodriguez
Rock Legends Photographers
As a company we have been blessed to capture images of three performances by progressive rock band Ambrosia this year. Our south Florida photographer Isaac Rodriguez captured two of them and we were able to capture the third show on October 13th at the Largo Cultural Center.
Meeting the band was like meeting a bunch of new friends! There were all very nice, easy to talk to, and seemed like regular guys that you might find in your local bowling league.
Once they changed clothes and hit the stage it was immediately obvious why this band still has a strong following. Boasting three original members including Burleigh Drummond (drums, vocals), Joe Puerta (bass, vocals) and Christopher North (keyboards, vocals), Ambrosia was also joined by brilliant lead vocalist Ken Stacey, Burliegh’s wife Mary Harris (keyboards, vocals), Doug Jackson (guitar, vocals) and Alan Tilles (saxophone).… Continue reading
October 16, 2013
Bon Jovi Surprises Super-Fan at Vegas Wedding
Jon Bon Jovi is making headlines not for his band’s music nor for the recent issues with now ex-lead guitarist Richie Sambora. Instead, it was an incredible act of kindness on the 51-year-old Jersey native’s part that put him back in the news.
This past Saturday, Oct. 12, Bon Jovi took a trip out to Las Vegas to deliver a well-intentioned shot to the heart of super-fan Branka Delic, a 34-year-old Australian woman who was in Sin City to wed fiancé Gonzalo Cladera. If you’re wondering how and why he ended up at her wedding, it turns out that she caught Bon Jovi’s attention through the use of social media and a website created solely for this purpose. 
Delic’s site features a plea to the frontman, who was, as luck would have it, performing in Vegas that same night during his Because We Can tour:
“She might not be marrying Bon Jovi, but the next best option is for her to walk down the same aisle he did 20 good strong years ago so the stage has been set… The Graceland Chapel, Las Vegas Nevada.”
“In Branka’s mind, the wedding gods have come together because JBJ is performing at MGM Grand that same night.… Continue reading
October 14, 2013
Review: Gregg Rolie, Second Street Theater, Fort Smith AR
Photo & Story by Scott A. Smith
The singing co-founder of Santana and Journey remains full of musical muscle these days.
At 66, Gregg Rolie still possesses that wonderfully haunting vocal quality that first ushered the studio version of Santana’s “Black Magic Woman” and Journey’s early, prog-rock work into pop culture’s VIP section. It’s no surprise that the vocalist-keyboardist is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the original Santana band, but it’s downright startling how commanding and inspired Rolie’s singing pipes have remained.
Proof that Rolie’s vocal and piano-playing skills haven’t wilted from Father Time’s on-going march was witnessed by an appreciative crowd on Oct. 11 inside the UAFS at Second Street theater in Fort Smith, Ark. Rolie and fellow Austin, Texas resident Alan Haynes (guitar) performed choice, stripped-down cuts from the catalogs of Santana and Journey, as well as recent and soon-to-be-released material they’ve created under the Gregg Rolie Band moniker.… Continue reading
