TimmyB

I like you shainhouse live in Hamilton West where the NDP with David Christopherson running has a good chance of beating out Stan Keyes.

But I'll be voting Liberal and I'll tell you why. Her Excellency the Right Honourable Clarkson, Governor General of Canada will have to decide who gets the first opportunity after the election to attempt to lead this great country if we are in a minority government situation.

The Globe & Mail this week said that Clarkson's handlers have told her that even if the Liberals have a few less seats than the Conservative party (Not the PC anymore everybody, I wish they were) that they have more confidence in the Liberal party under Paul Martin to forming a minority government over Stephen Harper.

This means that even if the Liberals have ten or less seats than the Conservatives then we still might be governed by a Liberal government.

This gives me pause to realize that if I vote NDP in Hamilton and take a seat away from the Liberals then that might contribute to a number too great for the Liberals to take office in a minority situation.

As I believe MarcO said in a post early in this eleciton, if you want to support the NDP or Green party then give them $1.75 after the election, as that's what every party gets for each vote.

Let's not become the "51st state" by allowing the Conservative party to take office. As Michael Moore recently said "Why would you want to?"

JEFF COHEN/LEE'S/HOB PRESENT

JJ CALE

10:00PM HEADLINE SET

LEE'S PALACE -529 BLOOR W

LEGAL AGE 19/NO SMOKING

SUN JUN 27 2004 DRS 8:30PM

Who's coming out to see this amazing songwriter/guitarist with me tonight?

This is the guy that wrote the Eric Clapton hits "After Midnight" and "Cocaine". Clapton has also covered Cale tunes "I'll Make Love To You Anytime" and "Travelin' Light". If you're going to the Clapton show at the Air Canada Centre, or anywhere else for that matter you will really want to go to this show.

Phish covered "After Midnight" at Big Cypress and Widespread Panic are also known to often cover "Travelin' Light". Also Lynyrd Skynyrd and Tom Petty have covered Cale's "Call Me The Breeze".

This past Friday I saw Poco cover two Cale tunes at the Tralf. They were "Cajun Moon and "Magnolia".

Cale has just recently released an album on Sanctuary Records titled "To Tulsa And Back". There was a Cale track from that record on the bonnaroo Music Festival 2004 CD "Sweet Sounds vol. 6" titled "The Problem." It's an anti-Bush song, who is the problem.

Hey Jaimoe, I'm a huge fan of the Who! Let me give you a "six degrees of separation" example of how the Who mixes well with the soft rock or as I would like to call them, California rock bands and sometimes even country rock bands. And I'll give it to you in one degree of separation, The Beach Boys.

The Who, mainly Keith Moon, were influenced by the Beach Boys and even covered songs like "Bucket T" and "Barbara Ann." By the way Keith's all-time favorite song was "Don't Worry Baby."

Not too many bands have been a bigger influence on soft rock or California rock more than the Beach Boys (minus maybe The Beatles). Bands that started the whole California rock or country rock genre like the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, The Flying Burrito Brothes and Love were also an influence on these soft rock groups in the seventies.

Also, that is what is so great about music is the overlapping influence of so many genres that have set out to create some amazing artists and material over the years.

Happy Birthday NewRider, May you have a good show, each and every show.

After I saw America do a post game concert at the Buffalo Bisons game at Dunn Tire Park I ran over to the Erie Basin Marina. At the Marina the WNED Buffalo Niagara Guitar Festival free finale concert was happening.

I caught the end of the Derek Trucks Band set. Unfortunately I couldn't see more of Trucks, but luckily I caught them perform Curtis Mayfield's "Freddie's Dead" (which was weird since I saw Poco perform Mayfield's "Amen" the night before).

Randy Bachman, who I still can't get over how much weight he lost a couple of years ago, came on to close the festival. Bachman's set was a mix of classic Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive tunes. The Guess Who songs were sung well by Bachman's keyboardist/guitarist Colin Arthur Wiebe. The crowd was a mix of bikers and college students and they were quite into the Bachman set.

I had seen Bachman's solo band perform last year at Brock University do a VH1's Storyteller style gig. This show was way less informative and way more rocking.

Here was Randy Bachman's setlist.

Start time 7:38pm

1. Instrumental (I think it was a Stevie Wonder song?)

2. No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature

3. Undone

4. Let It Ride

5. These Eyes

6. Four Wheel Drive

7. Looking Out For #1

8. American Woman

9. Roll On Down The Highway

10. No Time

11. Hey You > Alright Now (Free) > Rockin' Me Baby (Steve Miller Band) > Hey You > Honky Tonk Woman (The Rolling Stones) > Wild Thing (The Troggs, I think) > Hey You > Should I Stay Or Should I Go (?)

12. You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet

Encore 13. Takin Care Of Business

Finish set 8:49pm (Total time 1 hour 10 minutes)

I got tickets to my first Minor League Baseball game not for the baseball but for the music. You see California rockers America were the putting on a post game concert at the Buffalo Bisons game so I got a couple of tickets and went for a fun filled afternoon of baseball and classic rock (not oldies as Gerry Beckley pointed out).

I did not even check to see who the Bisons were playing that day and when I walked into the park I was happy to find out I was seeing the Bisons hosting the Durham Bulls. For those of you who have not seen the greatest sports film of all-time (as voted on in Sports Illustrated a couple of years ago.), the Durham Bulls were the team that was used in the Kevin Costner film Bull Durham. The whole afternoon my buddy Chris and I were quoting the film and enjoying the game (The Bisons won 9-3 by the way).

After the game it took around forty minutes for the stage to get set up and then America took it.

For those that don't know America was a band of three army brats, Dewey Bunnell, Gerry Beckley and Dan Peeks that grew up in England and then released their debut album on Warner Bros. in late 1971 to great success. Their single "A Horse With No Name" overthrew Neil Young's "Heart Of Gold" at the Number one position in the US for two weeks. Which I always found funny as America sounds so much like Neil Young in his Stray Gators formate. America then subsequently were given the Grammy for best new artist in 1972.

A couple of albums later the great Sir George Martin began producing their next four albums. Which helped them to get another number one hit "Sister Golden Hair".

The band has also had hits in "I Need You" (#9), "Ventura Highway" (#8), "Don't Cross The River" (#8), "Tin Man" (#4) and "Lonely People" (#5).

In 1977 Dan Peeks left the band, partially due to him becoming a born again Christain. The band has continued on as a duo ever since.

As the night before when I saw Poco, America for being a band of fifty-somethings was in great vocal form. They performed a greatest hits show and even included a surprise Beatles cover "Nowhere Man", which Gerry introduced as a song by the band that their producer worked with before them.

Unfortunately seeing a band in a minor league baseball park isn't the most ideal venue, though the sound wasn't too terrible.

It was a fun show and after I ran over to catch the end of the Derek Trucks Band and Randy Bachman at the WNED Buffalo Guitar Festival at the Erie Basin Marina.

Here is a setlist of the America concert.

Start time 5:40pm

1. Riverside

2. Ventura Highway

3. You Can Do Magic

4. Don't Cross The River

5. Daisy Jane

6. Company

7. I Need You

8. Nowhere Man

9. Tin Man

10. The Border

11. Woman Tonight

12. Only In Your Heart

13. California Dreamin'

14. Lonely People

15. Survival

16. Hangover

17. Never Be Lonely

18. Sandman

19. Sister Golden Hair

20. A Horse With No Name

Finish time 6:57pm (Total time 1 hour and 17 minutes)

Well last night was the first time I saw Poco. It was also the first time I witnessed a gig at the Tralf. Which coincidently will end up being my last gig at the Tralf, as it is changing ownership.

It was an older, crowd as I expected and there were tables set up throughout the venue, which I did not expect. Rachael and I still scored a decent spot against the wall away from everybody, which was nice.

The band was in great form both vocally and musically. I did not realize that Paul Cotton was such a great guitarist until I witnessed him last night. He had a Eric Clapton quality to his style of playing, which can only be seen live by how he turns his head and doesn't ever look down.

I was happy to hear Poco not only do one song by J.J. Cale, but two! It made me smile as I'll be seeing Cale on Sunday June 27th at Lee's Palace. Poco did Cale tunes "Cajun Moon" and "Magnolia".

The surprise of the night came at the end of one of their newer songs "If Your Heart Needs A Hand" where the band ended the song with Curtis Mayfield & The Impressions "Amen".

Of the three Buffalo Springfield tunes that they are known to often perform I got two. Unfortunately they did not perform the Richie Furay classic "Kind Woman", though the band captivated me enough that I will plan on seeing them again and I hope to get the song the next time. The did perform Furay's "A Child's Claim To Fame" and Neil Young's "On The Way Home" to fittingly close out the show. Before "On The Way Home" Cotton screamed out "Buffalo!" and then paused and said "Springfield!" which made me laugh. Other highlights included the final three numbers before the encore with Rusty Young performing the pedal steel so beautifully. Rachael mentioned how the intrument is one of her favorites and I have to completely agree with her.

Here is the setlist of the show.

Start time: 8:18pm

1. Legend

2. Call It Love

3. Rose Of Cimarron

4. Cajun Moon

5. A Good Feelin' To Know

6. If Your Heart Needs A Hand > Amen

7. Keep On Tryin'

8. Crazy Love

9. Never Loved...Never Hurt Like This

10. Midnight Rain

11. Save A Corner

12. Bad Weather

13. Pickin' Up The Pieces

14. You Better Think Twice

15. A Child's Claim To Fame

16. Magnolia

17. Never Get Enough

18. Indian Summer

19. Ride The Country

20. Heart Of The Night

Encore: 21. On The Way Home

Set ends 10:17pm (Total time 1 hour and 59 minutes)

Unfortunately I'll be missing the moe.down festival again this year. Van Morrison takes precedent over moe.down everyday of the week and twice on Sundays for me. Damn it's been a long time since I've seen Blues Traveler though.

"I wish I was playing Massey Hall right now, instead of being here."

Happy birthday KevO, You and I have never met, but we share a birthday so I hope you had a great day yesterday.

Our birthday is the perfect day to be born, as it's exactly six months from Christmas! The two days a year that you get presents from a bunch of people are divided equally, how cool is that?

Thank you everybody for the birthday wishes and kind words.

I had a great day and will write more about it tomorrow in my Poco review.

I am new to this forum, but must say that you all are great and am enjoying my time on here.

I saw Brian Blade perform early last year with Daniel Lanois and I totally agree with you Velvet, he is so much fun to watch you forget about watching whatever else is going on stage.

Funny thing is I'm going to both, Van Halen and Van Morrison that is.

The difference is I'm going to Halen to relive my youth. And though I listened to Morrison just as long as Halen, Morrisons music speaks to me more as everyday passes. Whether it be his recordings with Them or "Astral Weeks", or his latest recording on Blue Note/EMI Records 200's "What's Wrong With This Picture?", Morrison's music is timeless.

Ah, the bitter irony. Ralph Nader should have really been looking in a mirror when he made that statement, and realize that he one of the main reasons the George W Bush is in office right now.

Please people don't forget to vote stragetically, if you're voting for the NDP and the Green Party in a riding where they have no chance to get in, vote the lesser of two evils and vote Libereal instead of letting the Conservatives take your riding.

When this country develops proportional representation then all of us can stop talking about strategic voting. But until that happens, please do.

Van "The Man" Morrison by the time he comes to the Molson Amphitheatre on Friday September 3rd, it will have been a nine year, two month and nine day gap between that show and his last in Toronto!

I'm very glad to hear that this show on September 3rd is selling well, then maybe Morrison won't think to pass up Southern Ontario for such a long time ever again.

So for all of you people who have never seen Van, I'll tell you now, you're missing out! So go out and get the rest of the lawns and let's make it a sellout!

That looks like a great album Esau, I bet it's not avaliable on CD.

I guess I don't need to do a roll call for this show as Greg is the only one that wants to attend, but he is unable to cross the border.

I'll write a review for it anyway, hopefully the band does a few ol' Buffalo Springfield tunes. I'm especially hoping for "On The Way Home" and "Kind Woman."

I'll be going to this gig. I have never seen J.J. Cale and am very much looking forward to seeing him.

I'll be seeing Poco at the Tralf on the Friday (June 25th). On the Poco album "Crazy Eyes" (Epic/1973) they covered Cale's "Magnolia" which I hope they and Cale do this weekend.

Then I'll be seeing Eric Clapton at the Air Canada Centre (July 7th) and the HSBC Arena (July 9th). I know Clapton will be doing "Cocaine" and I'm assuming Cale will be too. I have also seen Clapton during his last tour do "Travelin' Light" which was great.

It's going to be cool seeing artists sandwiched between such a great songwriter covering his tunes. It happens from time to time with Bob Dylan and Neil Young for me but not too many others.

Cale has been covered by huge jambands like Phish doing "After Midnight" at Big Cypress and Widespread Panic who quite often perform "Travelin' Light". And seeing Cale is a rare treat.

I'm glad I did not do the American Express Front Of The Line or Q107 Q Club presales, as I lined up today and got three tickets in SEC 102 ROW C SEATS 7-9. THIRD ROW!

I can't wait to see Van "The Man" for the first time since 1998. Did anyone else get tickets for the show?

Since the road is Dylan's home, being on the never ending tour and all. I wonder if his diploma for his honorary doctorate in music will end up in a frame on stage?

I say this since Dylan won his academy award for the song "Things Have Changed" in the movie "Wonder Boys", his oscar has been on his amps on stage since the award was handed to him.

There is a reason for everything. I originally could not attend the opener of this tour as I had tickets to see the second day of the Lollapalooza festival. I remember how I felt regret for not being able to see Dylan play at one of baseballs oldest historic ballparks. But since the festival has now been cancelled I'll be definitely hitting up Cooperstown, NY.

21 & OVER/I.D. REQUIRED

POCO

BUFFALO NIAGARA GUITAR FEST SERIES

AT THE TRALF

622 MAIN ST BUFFALO, NY

FRI JUNE 25 2004 8PM

Poco rose out of the ashes of Buffalo Springfield, and were a band that paved the way for country rock. Poco was the band that produced both bassist for The Eagles, Randy Meisner who wrote "Take It To The Limit," and Timothy B Schmit who wrote "I Can't Tell You Why".

Original Springfield member Richie Furay and Springfield late comer Jim Messina (who took over bass for Canadian Bruce Palmer after one too many drug busts had him deported) finished Springfield's final album "Last Time Around" and after decided to start a new band.

They hired Rusty Young on pedal steel for the final Springfield song on the record, the Furay original "Kind Woman". The song is more a Poco song than it is a Buffalo Springfield tune.

Through Rusty, Furay and Messina enlisted Colorado based musicians George Grantham on drums and Randy Meisner on bass.

Meisner left before the band finished their first album in 1969 and was replaced by Timothy B Schmit. Three albums later in 1970 Messina left and was replaced by Paul Cotton on lead guitar. Richie Furay left in 1973 to join the supergroup Souther-Hillman-Furay Band.

Poco always struggled balancing country and rock with country stations saying they were too rock and rock stations saying they were too country.

Ironically enough their most popular material came after they paved the way for likes of The Eagles, America, Firefall and others. Their biggest selling album was 1978's "Legend" hitting No. 14 on the Billboard Album Charts. While two singles off of the album were hits as well Young's "Crazy Love" at No. 17 and Cotton's "Heart Of The Night" at No. 20.

Their current line-up has no former members of Buffalo Springfield (though Rusty still appeared on the final Buffalo Springfield album) and no former bassists in the Eagles. But they are still a great line-up vocally and through their musicianship. The band currently consists of original members Rusty Young and George Grantham with long standing member, since 1970, Paul Cotton and relative newcomer on bass Jack Sundrud.

The show will consist of songs through out their entire discography, including Furay, Messina and Schmit songs. Also there is a possibility of a Buffalo Springfield cover or two.

From www.billboard.com

"With its break-up impending, jam band juggernaut Phish sees its Elektra swan song, "Undermind," enter The Billboard at No. 13. The album, which sold 56,000 copies, bests the band's previous studio set, 2002's "Round Room," which entered at No. 46 and has sold 202,000 copies to date. Though it only peaked at No. 34 on the album tally, the group's best-selling release remains 1994's "Hoist," which has moved 644,000 copies to date."

I guess a bonus DVD was not enough for Phish's final album to crack the Top 10

"Beastie Boys return this week to the No. 1 position on the Billboard 200 with "To the 5 Boroughs." Their lates Capitol set opened with sales of 360,000 copies in the United States, accoring to Nielsen SoundScan.

It's the follow-up to 1998's "Hello Nasty," which also debuted at No. 1, selling 682,000 copies in its opening week. It remained on top for three weeks and has sold 3.8 million to date."

I look forward to seeing the Beastie Boys for the first time!

"Velvet Revolver's RCA set, meanwhile, suffered a 52% slip to 123,000 copies, and tumbles to No. 3 on the chart."

I guess the next time I see Velvet Revolver it will not be at the Kool Haus after sales like this?

"Prince's "Musicology" (NPG/Columbia) falls one position to No. 6."

This Prince album is quite good especially comparing to his last couple of releases. I so look forward to his first gig at the Air Canada Centre in July.

"Moving into the top 10 this week is Los Lonely Boys' self-titled Epic set, which makes a 13-9 jump on a 36% increase to 61,000 copies."

I can not believe how many people are buying the debut album by the Los Lonely Boys? I saw them at the past two Farm Aids and at this years bonnaroo, they felt like a interesting hybrid of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Los Lobos. For them to have a Top 10 debut album is pretty amazing.

The week approaching Father's Day was good to Eric Clapton, whose lates Warner Bros. album "Me and Mr. Johnson," leaps 79-41 o n a 127% sales increase to 31,000 copies. Similarly, the release of a special edition package of 2001's "The Very Best of the Beach Boys" (EMI), which boasts a bonus CD, shoots the title 96-45 on a 133% increase to 28,000 copies."

The highlights of the summer for me will definitely be Eric Clapton at the Air Canada Centre and the HSBC Arena. Also Clapton appears on the new Brian Wilson set that was released this past Tuesday, that also includes a apperance from Sir Paul McCartney.

Hey Hux,

I'll see you down at Cooperstown, NY as I'll be going to the tour opener from Hamilton with my girlfriend. I think I'll go down the night before as to check out the Baseball Hall Of Fame before the gig at one of the worlds oldest ballparks!

from www.billboard.com

Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson will hit the road together this summer, visiting minor league baseball parks across the United States. Kicking off Aug. 6 at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, NY, home to the Baseball Hall of Fame, the the 22 date Bob Dylan show will close Sept. 4 at Community America Ball Park in Kansas City, Kan.

"What we aim to do with this tour is hit the ball out of the park, touch all the bases and get home safetly," quips Dylan in a statement.

Tickets for the first 13 shows go on sale Saturday (June 26) via Ticketmaster, with the balance of the other dates set to go up July 10.

While its not the first time Dylan and Nelson have shared the stage in their storied careers, the Bob Dylan Show outing marks the pair's first tour together. The tour will also feature Austion, Texas-based Western swing act the Hot Club Of Cowtown in the opening slot.

"Having produced several of Bob Dylan's concerts in these types of venues over the years, we found that the special aptmosphere of a minor league ballpark adds a unique element to his already great shows," Jerry Mickelson of tour promoter Jam Productions says. "A complete tour of these ballparks will have fans, young and old, experiencing a great evening of music."

Dylan, who closed out a brief slat of stateside dates at the recent Bonnaroo festival in Manchester, Tenn., is currently on the road in Europe. That touring leg plays Newcastle, England, tomorrow (June 22) and will wrap up July 18 in Portugal.

Having revovered from edoscopic carpal tunnel release surgery, Nelson is slated to appear Thursday (June 24) at a fundraising event for expected Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry in Los Angeles. He'll be back on the road beginning July 3 at Merl Haggard's annual UFO Musiic Fest in Roswell, N.M., and his own Fourth of July Picnic following day in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Bob Dylan Show tour dates are avaliable on www.bobdylan.com

I saw this band a few times. Once opening for Dave Matthews Band at Maple Leaf Gardens in 1998, I also saw them open for Paul Rodger (original lead vocalist for Free and Bad Compan) at the Guvernment and Brother Cane at Lee's Palace.

I have no idea if they are still together or not. I too have their major label debut on Virgin Music Canada in 1997. I also have their debut record (I think) which was self titled and released in 1995.

I did like these guys, and I too haven't listened to them in quite a long time.