A Cornucopia of Tunes!

We are doing a Toys for Tots benefit show tomorrow.  We lined up 7 bands to do Classic American Cover songs.  The song list is quite impressive: Warren Zevon, Grateful Dead, Nirvana, Mountain, Springsteen, The Band, Soundgarden, Lady Gaga, Smashing Pumpkins, Iggy Pop and the Stooges, Dylan, Journey, REM, The Partridge Family, Gnarls Barkley, Creedence Clearwater Revival...


PLUS this Band:  Grand Funk Railroad... our band is playing this one, and I must admit that when I was trying to learn it, this video almost made me want to give up playing electric guitar.  I mean, I know it's only rock and roll, but these guys look so silly, and the whole rock and roll on the road saga is such a cliche, and the spandex and platforms shoes and strutting around is so ridiculous. And the song itself is just such a standard cliche "power-chord"  workout.  My first visceral reaction was to want to put my electric guitar back in it's case.


Anyway, we learned the song, rehearsed it with the band, and it might turn out to be one of the highlights of the night, what with the cowbell and girl backup singers and all.  A very tongue in cheek celebration.  But still, no way we can top this...think real-world Spinal Tap!





We are also doing The Allman Brother's "Whipping Post" and these guys are my rock and roll antidote. These guys made me want to get an electric guitar in the first place. Duane Allman was certainly one of the greatest players of all time and the Brothers were at their peak at this show at the Fillmore East. Breath-takingly awesome!  We're doing this song too.  But frankly our version will be just an "approximation."  Duane was a blues player extra-ordinaire,  and so much more... he loved Jazz and was influenced by John Coltrane and Miles Davis.  The Brothers excelled at real-time improvisation - no flash, no spandex, just supreme musicianship.  Thrilling and totally cool!