April 2009 Archives

By Clarence Yu AFTER almost 45 years of wowing audiences and guitar freaks, and influencing a good generation or two of excellent guitar players, Jeff Beck has been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Finally. The legendary guitarist started his career playing with the Yardbirds, the band that was home to the great British “triumvirate” of guitar gods--Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Beck. From then on, the guitarist went on to revolutionize guitar playing with his innovative “flash” style of playing, partnering with a wide variety of artists such as Rod Stewart, Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones, and influencing the likes of Joe Perry and countless jazz, heavy metal and rock musicians. The guitarist was also one of the first artists to achieve commercial success in an instrumental format with the 1975 album Blow By Blow, widely regarded as one of his finest works; it also paved the way for other instrumentalists such as Joe Satriani to achieve the same success with his Surfing with the Alien. Beck was inducted alongside other artists such as Run DMC, Metallica, and the legendary Bobby Womack (who wrote an early ‘60’s Rolling Stones hit, “It’s All Over Now”). Beck has also won four Grammy Awards, has garnered massive critical acclaim, and is still actively touring as a solo artist. One wonders why the Hall of Fame only regarded him eligible now, but no one seems to be complaining, judging by the number of peers and guitar heroes who joined him onstage for a jam of “Train Kept A Rollin’,” a staple rock classic popularized by the Yardbirds in the ’60’s and Aerosmith in the 70’s. Check this out, and play Name the Guitar Hero:

By Clarence Yu AS reported on Rolling Stone Magazine, the long-awaited new album from Aerosmith has been delayed yet again. The band is citing several "health problems" as the reason for this delay. In lieu of releasing the new album, the Bad Boys from Boston are gearing up for a US summer tour with fellow veteran rockers ZZ Top, after which the band will either resume production or release the album. Hardcore Aerosmith fans might be disappointed at these turn of events, as the band has not released a full album of new material since 2001's Just Push Play. However, they may be in for a treat, as the prospect of seeing them co-headline with the great ZZ Top is quite exciting. Both bands straddle the same rock/bluesy genre, and have always been respected for both their image and their musical output and creativity. Similarly, both rock bands have touched on the disco/rap genre, with "Legs" from ZZ Top and "Walk This Way" from Aerosmith scoring big on the contemporary scene. Wouldn’t it be great to see both bands on stage jamming both songs as an encore? One can only hope. The good news is that Aerosmith is still keeping Brendan O' Brien on board for producing duties. O' Brien has proven to be the en vogue rock producer of the moment, and it's not just a fad: he’s worked his way up the hard way, producing Pearl Jam in the 90's and serving as engineer on several landmark records such as, coincidentally, Aerosmith's 1994 release Get A Grip. Currently, his work on AC/DC's Black Ice and Bruce Springsteen's Working On A Dream has reinvigorated both artists and have put them back on top at the cream of the crop. It almost seems that O' Brien has somehow replaced the late, great Bruce Fairbairn as THE eminent rock producer (Bon Jovi, Van Halen, Aerosmith). At any rate, whenever Aerosmith releases the new album, it should be worth the wait, and should usher in a new era in the band's long and storied career. Eight years without any new release is the longest dormant time that Aerosmith has ever had now.

By Anna Valmero INQUIRER.net Mr. "Pure Energy" Gary Valenciano and ten of Korea’s special artists performed in a one-night benefit concert Friday at the Cultural Center of the Philippines to help raise funds for Filipino street children. About 246,000 children under 18-years old are roaming the streets, of which 50,000 are highly visible street children, based on 2000 statistics of the United Nations' Children's Fund. “Children living on the streets of the Philippines are the most resilient, resourceful and determined children there are. But they also live in circumstances that leave them open to abuse of their rights and risks to their lives,” said Vanessa Tobin, UNICEF Representative. “This is an opportunity for us to raise funds for the country’s street children and have a platform from which to promote our advocacy for children’s rights,” said Tobin. The “Beautiful Children Concert” aimed to inspire its audience by showcasing how pure talent and belief in oneself can break barriers. True to its objective, the concert featured San Jae Lee, a visually impaired clarinetist; Hee Ah Lee, a pianist who plays the piano using only four fingers, and Philippine soprano Alexis Edralin, a survivor of acute myelogenous leukemia or cancer of the blood. Also showcasing their talents at the concert were the Beautiful Mind Charity Trio composed of cellist Il Hwan Bai, guitarist Jung Shil Suh and violinist Geenie Jung, the Clarion Chamber Ensemble, pianist Hye Young Park, and crossover artist Kyul. Now on his tenth year as UNICEF ambassador, Valenciano said: “My vision as an ambassador for UNICEF for the next 10 years is hopefully to encourage efforts to know more about UNICEF and unite our efforts for the rights of all children. We have seen great progress and I’m sure together we can achieve a lot for children here in the Philippines. I feel that is what I will be carrying out in the years to come.” Valenciano said he believes in the power of music to bring his message of strength to young people. Filipina Edralin said as survivor of cancer, she wants to use her “second life” to inspire hope and help people, especially Filipino children. Tobin thanked the Korean Embassy, United Korean Community Association of the Philippines and Korean NGO Beautiful Mind Charity for sponsoring the concert, adding 2009 marks the 60th year of friendship between the Philippines and Korea. All proceeds of the Beautiful Children Concert will be go to the child protection program of UNICEF Philippines. (Photos by author)

YOU might be wondering how that blog title relates to music. But that was the same question posed by band members of this new Supergroup, called Chickenfoot. A side project of former Van Halen members Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith and (okay I didn't believe this until I read it), guitar god Joe Satriani. I've already heard two songs from their still unreleased album. Verdict? Imagine Hagar's familiar falsetto screams and wails amid the rockin' riffs of Joesat, Michael Anthony and Smith. (Okay, I must admit I thought I was listening to a VH song). I've heard "Soap on a Rope" and "Down the Drain." The "uuuhs" and the melodies do remind me of Van Halen, perhaps especially with Hagar on vocals. Now, how do you take a band whose name sounds like a joke, seriously?  Well, they're not. 

It's a silly name for a band -- and album -- that kicks a donkey's a^& six ways to Sunday and back again. Maybe that's because long before the four men who comprise Chickenfoot came together they already filled the pages of rock history with enough individual mind-blowing chapters to boggle the mind. The news that they've pooled their inordinate talents to one collective whole quickly spread across the Internet last year (and perhaps that crazy name helped just a little). The fact that they've succeeded artistically beyond anyone's wildest dreams (except perhaps their own) is all the more reason to celebrate.

In any case, this is a band that you wouldn't want to miss.