KCTunes.com - Classic Rock Blog

Steve Jobs Remembered (1955-2011)

2011-10-09T15:12:00.000-07:00

Steve Jobs made technology fun. The co-founder of Apple died last Wednesday at the age of fifty-six. He had fought for years against cancer. Mourners gathered outside his house in Palo Alto, California, and Apple stores around the world.

Tim Bajarin is president of Creative Strategies, a high-tech research and consulting company.

TIM BAJARIN: "If you actually look at a tech leader, they’re really happy if they have one hit in their life. Steve Jobs has the Apple II, the Mac, the iPod, the iPhone, the iPad and Pixar.”

Steve Jobs was a college dropout. He was adopted by a machinist and his wife, an accountant. They supported his early interest in electronics.

He and his friend Steve Wozniak started Apple Computer -- now just called Apple -- in nineteen seventy-six. They stayed at the company until nineteen eighty-five. That year, Steve Wozniak returned to college and Steve Jobs left in a dispute with the chief executive.

Mr. Jobs then formed his own company, called NeXT Computer. He rejoined Apple in nineteen ninety-seven after it bought NeXT. He helped remake Apple from a business that was in bad shape then to one of the most valuable companies in the world today.

Steve Wozniak, speaking on CNN, remembered his longtime friend as a "great visionary and leader" and a "marketing genius."

President Obama said in a statement: "By building one of the planet’s most successful companies from his garage, he exemplified the spirit of American ingenuity. By making computers personal and putting the Internet in our pockets, he made the information revolution not only accessible, but intuitive and fun."

David Carroll is a professor at Parsons School of Design in New York City. He says Steve Jobs not only revolutionized technology, he also revolutionized American business.

DAVID CARROLL: “The fact that he was able to redesign American commerce top to bottom and across is really stunning. He probably will be considered an industrial giant on the scale of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, so one of the great[s] of all time.”

Steve Jobs stepped down as Apple's chief executive in August because of his health. He died a day after the company released a new iPhone version that met with limited excitement. Apple's new chief, Tim Cook, will also have to deal with the new Kindle Fire tablet computer from Amazon.com. It costs less than half as much as an iPad but also does less.

If you want more information about Steve Jobs go to:
http://allaboutstevejobs.com/

All Information from Internet.

Clarence Clemons, hospitalized in Florida after a stroke.

2011-06-13T17:32:00.000-07:00

Clarence Clemons, hospitalized in Florida after a stroke, has had two brain surgeries but is "responsive and in stable condition," according the authoritative Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band fan website, backstreets.com.

Also, Carolyn Gusoff of Fox 5 News has reported that Clemons is paralyzed on the left side of his body, though backstreets.com quotes a "close friend" of Clemons as saying: "He was paralyzed on his left side, but now he's squeezing with his left hand."

It was first reported last night on the showbiz411.com that the saxophonist had suffered a stroke at his Florida home and was seriously ill. That news has since been confirmed by several sources.

Showbiz411 added today that members of the E Street Band "were advised to get down to Florida as soon as possible."

Clemons is an original member of the E Street Band, and the oldest member of the band, at 69. He is someone whose importance to the New Jersey rock 'n' roll scene can't be overstated, and who is utterly irreplaceable.

His big, immediately recognizable saxophone wail is one of the cornerstones of the E Street sound. Songs such as "Born to Run," "Badlands" and "Jungleland" wouldn't have sounded remotely the same without him, and his larger-than-life personality always has given him a central role in the theatrics of the band's stage shows.

As a sign of respect, Bruce Springsteen, when introducing the band, always introduces him last. Springsteen also gave him a crucial role in the autobiographical song "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out," singing, about the moment when the E Street Band started to become successful: "When the change was made uptown and the Big Man joined the band/From the coastline to the city all the little pretties raise their hands."

Although the E Street Band is currently on hiatus, Clemons has continued to perform on his own, occasionally, and has been in the news lately after performing on Lady Gaga's new album, "Born This Way."

He was also the subject of a documentary, "Who Do I Think I Am? A Portrait of a Journey," that premiered at the Garden State Film Festival in Asbury Park, in April. The film documented the traveling that Clemons had done in China after Springsteen's "Rising Tour" of 2002-03. "I was kind of looking for myself," Clemons told The Star-Ledger in March. "The tour with Bruce was just so long: It took me out of my body, it took me out of myself. And finding who I am was what this (trip) turned into."

He was still, at the time, undergoing "major, major rehab," he said, from the knee replacement and spinal surgeries he has undergone over the last few years, but was hopeful that the band would tour again in 2012.

In February, Clemons told Rolling Stone magazine that he wanted keep touring with Springsteen as long as possible. "As long as my mouth, hands and brain still work I'll be out there doing it," he said.

Lady Gaga tweeted this morning that “my very close friend + musician on The Edge of Glory, Clarence Clemons is very sick. Can we all make some get well videos?”

Drummer and music industry executive Narada Michael Walden, whom Clemons has called a close friend and spiritual adviser, replied to an e-mail query today about Clemons by responding, “Love and prayers to the Big Man! He is our Hero!”

Clemons’ nephew, saxophonist Jake Clemons, updated his Facebook status today to say: “Please do not lose Hope!”

Added Saturday, June 18, 2011.

Clarence Clemons, the saxophonist in Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, whose jovial onstage manner, soul-rooted style and brotherly relationship with Mr. Springsteen made him one of rock’s most beloved sidemen, died Saturday at a hospital in Palm Beach, Fla. He was 69.

This is a sad day in Rock.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Will the Internet Kill Traditional Car Radio?

2011-03-12T18:55:00.000-08:00

THE Internet’s tentacles seem to have no limit, reaching out and strangling CDs, bookstores, newspapers and magazines. Now it has its sights set on the car radio.

Many people are already accustomed to plugging an iPod into the car to listen to their library of Chet Baker or Arcade Fire tracks rather than CDs. But now there is a new movement that could really threaten traditional broadcast radio: Internet music services like Pandora, Slacker and Last.fm, already popular with computer and smartphone owners, are being tailored by software developers, consumer electronics companies and even automakers to work more seamlessly with car stereo systems. So, while video didn’t end up killing the radio star, this time the Internet might just succeed.

The devices responsible for this trend are smartphones like Apple’s iPhone, RIM’s line of BlackBerrys and phones using the Android software developed by Google. These handsets all have free applications that play customized music channels streamed over the Internet using the phone’s 3G wireless data connection. The services are generally free, although smartphone owners typically pay about $30 a month on top of regular voice service for unlimited data usage.

The attraction is that rather than being shackled to the same old hits from local radio stations, listeners can customize the music channel to suit their tastes. Pandora has about 750,000 songs and 40 million listeners. Put in the name of your favorite artist, say Chairlift, and Pandora creates a station that features Chairlift and similar groups, like Metric.

But using such a service on a phone in the car usually meant looking away from the road to switch channels or skip a song on the phone — a major distraction. So companies are marrying these services to existing in-car controls, essentially making it no different than switching between 1010 WINS and Q104.3.

Alpine, a car stereo maker, for example, offers the $400 Alpine iDA-X305S Digital Media Receiver with Pandora Link. Using a special iPhone-compatible cable, the in-dash receiver lets listeners skip through their customized stations and even give songs a thumbs up or thumbs down by pushing in and turning the receiver’s front dial. The downside is that drivers still have to look down at the stereo’s display to find what can be a needle in a haystack of endless channel choices.

Pioneer recently introduced a more elegant solution that adds voice control to its Pandora option. The AVIC X920BT costs $1,200 (not including the cost of a professional installation), but it throws a lot into one package: a 6.1-inch LCD touch screen, turn-by-turn navigation, AM/FM/CD and carbon-conscious features like an Eco Graph display that tells you how your driving habits are hurting (or helping) the planet. But connect an iPhone to the system using an optional $50 cable and the unit really shines.

Not only will the in-dash display list your iPhone music library, but it also will control an about-to-be-released Pandora app specifically designed to work with the Pioneer system.

During a test drive when I became irritated by a Beyonce song, I simply pushed a “voice” button on the side of the Pioneer display and told the system to “play the Doors.” Within a couple of seconds, the unit began to play songs from the “Soft Parade” album. The sound quality, while not equivalent to a CD, was as good as typical radio reception and better than some satellite radio stations. And when a call came in, the built-in Bluetooth hands-free system automatically muted the music.

I did discover some limitations, however. AT&T’s 3G wireless service is notoriously patchy in New York City, so there were occasional dead spots when the music dropped out as the cellphone searched for a signal. Furthermore, the software will not let you create or add new Pandora stations, a nod to concerns about distracted driving. And the Pioneer and Alpine stereos work only with Pandora on an iPhone. I did try a Bluetooth connected Motorola Droid phone with the Pioneer system, but because it lacked custom software controls, it meant that I had to go back to using the buttons on the phone, a definite distraction and potential hazard.

However, such limitations may soon disappear as automakers integrate streaming Internet services directly into their cars. Ford is one of the first to tether smartphones to its vehicles by allowing compatible apps to connect to its latest version of Sync. The 2011 Fiesta, for example, will allow some Android and BlackBerry applications to use the car’s voice recognition and steering wheel controls. Not surprisingly, one of the first apps is Pandora. In an early demonstration using a Motorola Droid phone, I was able to switch among Pandora stations using my voice, and I could skip songs using the forward button on the steering column. Ford has plans to let even more software developers connect apps to its cars, including programs that play podcasts and read Twitter feeds.

Of course, traditional radio broadcasters have heard the drumbeat of mobile apps. They have responded with their own apps, streaming live broadcasts from thousands of stations to handsets and through them, to cars.

“We’re not trying to dictate where people connect to us,” says Evan Harrison, an executive vice president of Clear Channel Radio. “We need to be everywhere.”

So the company has a popular app of its own called iheartradio. It’s a virtual tuner that allows listeners to choose streams from Clear Channel’s network of over 750 AM and FM stations nationwide. According to Mr. Harrison, the online streams have added 15 percent more listeners to the company’s total audience.

“We are only too well aware of the technology,” says Fred Jacobs, president of Jacobs Media, a 27-year-old radio consulting firm. In a little over a year and a half, Mr. Jacobs has seen a land rush in radio apps. His firm has responded by creating more than 130 iPhone apps for individual radio stations and programs across the country. The separate apps, which the company said have been downloaded by more than 2.5 million listeners, cover stations and shows including C-SPAN Radio, “Loveline With Dr. Drew” and KDRY Christian Radio. Mr. Jacobs says these free applications often include extra features, like photos, and could offer new forms of advertising on a phone or dashboard screen.

“It’s a way for radio to get its portable mojo back,” he says.

Software developers also sense the opportunity. Livio Radio is about to introduce a $4.99 iPhone app that turns the handset into a digital tuner capable of pulling in music from 42,000 AM/FM and Internet-only stations. The company has designed its software to make it easier for drivers to scan stations with a swipe of a finger, although I still had trouble squinting at the iPhone screen.

So is the death of traditional radio ineluctable?

Joe Kennedy, chief executive of Pandora, says he thinks there will be a gradual migration in the car to services like Pandora, but he also says he believes it will not become a mainstream service until all new cars feature systems that can tap into apps. On the other hand, one player in this game of digital musical chairs may soon end up without a seat: Sirius XM Radio. Its satellite radio service is based on a monthly subscription model that few music fans may feel compelled to pay for, given the wider variety of genres available free on the Internet.

Ultimately, the incursion of Internet-based music services and radio station streams may be less about annihilating yet another business model than it is about breaking down barriers. For the first time, small local stations will be able to reach an entire driving nation, so some broadcasters may see their audiences swell as more listeners find them on Internet-connected car radios. In the end, it may simply be a case of radio is dead, long live radio.

A version of this article appeared in print on May 9, 2010, on page AU2 of the New York edition.

Beatle John Lennon Slain; Shot Down Outside New York Apartment.

2010-12-08T19:55:00.000-08:00

Dec. 9, 1980: Former Beatle John Lennon, 40, who led a revolution in popular music that captured the imagination of an entire generation, was shot to death Monday outside his exclusive Manhattan apartment house.

He was rushed to Roosevelt Hospital, less than a mile from the Dakota, the famous apartment building where he lived with his wife, Yoko Ono. Doctors pronounced him dead at the hospital.

Police announced early today that....

Three days before he was gunned down, John Lennon complained about his critics — saying they were just interested in "dead heroes" — and talked optimistically about his family and future, musing that he had "plenty of time" to accomplish some of his life goals.

Lennon's final interview was released to The Associated Press by Rolling Stone on Wednesday, the 30th anniversary of the musician's death. The issue with the full interview will be on magazine stands on Friday. While brief excerpts of Jonathan Cott's interview with Lennon were released for a 1980 Rolling Stone cover story days after Lennon's death, this is the first time the entire interview has been published.

"His words are totally joyous and vibrant and hopeful and subversive and fearless," said Cott in an interview on Tuesday. "He didn't mince words."

Lennon saves some of his harshest words for critics who were perennially disappointed with Lennon's path, in both music and in his life, after leaving the Beatles.

"These critics with the illusions they've created about artists — it's like idol worship," he said. "They only like people when they're on their way up ... I cannot be on the way up again.

"What they want is dead heroes, like Sid Vicious and James Dean. I'm not interested in being a dead (expletive) hero. .. So forget 'em, forget 'em."

He also predicted that Bruce Springsteen, then hailed as rock's bright future, would endure the same critical barbs: "And God help Bruce Springsteen when they decide he's no longer God. ... They'll turn on him, and I hope he survives it."

But Lennon also talked about trying to be a good father to his youngest son, Sean, learning how to relate to a child (he admitted he wasn't good at play) and of his strong bond with wife Yoko Ono: "I've selected to work with ... only two people: Paul McCartney and Yoko Ono. ... That ain't bad picking."

At 40, he was also reflective of what he had accomplished so far in life and exploring life's themes, and remained committed to his goal of peace and love on earth.
"I'm not claiming divinity. I've never claimed purity of soul. I've never claimed to have the answers to life. I only put out songs and answer questions as honestly as I can ... But I still believe in peace, love and understanding."

Cott interviewed Lennon at his apartment and at his record studio. The interview was originally planned for a cover story for Lennon and Ono's upcoming album "Double Fantasy," but in the rush to put out a story after Lennon was shot to death by Mark David Chapman, only snippets were used.

Cott said he never went back to the three hours worth of tapes until a few months ago when he was cleaning out his closet.

"On a strip of magnetic tape, it was sort of a miracle that, first of all, the tape had not degraded after 30 years," he said. "All of this sudden, this guy's voice, totally alive ... just made me feel so inspired that I felt that I should really transcribe the whole thing."

Cott said he was struck by how much he was thinking about his life and mortality.

"There were a lot of strange consideration of where he was and what he felt like sort of in the middle of his journey," Cott said. "I think it was like a mid-life meditation, I was struck by that."
The magazine also included an essay by Ono recalling her final days with her husband.
Ono released a statement Tuesday night in tribute to Lennon.

"On this tragic anniversary please join me in remembering John with deep love and respect," Ono said. "In his short lived life of 40 years, he has given so much to the world. The world was lucky to have known him. We still learn so much from him today. John, I love you!"

Information From Multiple sources on the internet.

Idol Makes It Official: Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler Is In.

2010-09-25T20:58:00.000-07:00

Since this has been kicked around for a while, it should come as no real surprise to hear the official announcement today that confirms the rumors stating that Steven Tyler would be occupying one of the judges seats on the next season of American Idol. Joining him as part of the new panel is Jennifer Lopez, a move that will mark the first time in Idol history when all of the judges are musicians and performers.

This brings Idol back to the original 3-judge line-up that endured for seven seasons before they began to tinker with things by adding a fourth judge in season eight and introducing other new gimmicks like the “judges save.” Both Kara DioGuardi and Ellen DeGeneres will not be returning this season, leaving Randy Jackson as the only original member of the panel.

Departing judge and resident grouch, Simon Cowell, was sometimes criticized for not being a performer, although his personal fortune does speak pretty well of his ability as a talent scout. We may see Tyler cast as a Cowell replacement in the sense that he’s one of those kinds of guys that could come out with just about anything.

The world knows Tyler as the frontman for the legendary Boston rock group Aerosmith, but I think his presence on Idol is going to reveal a new side of the one time “Toxic Twin” that may be a good fit.

Let’s face it, Simon Cowell was great for Idol. Although his shoot-from-the-hip style often came across as a bit too harsh even for a talent show, it’s the kind of thing lot’s of people want to see. Who among us doesn’t slow down for a good look while passing an auto accident on the freeway?

Call it morbid curiosity, human nature or whatever. It is what it is. On the other hand, I don’t dismiss the notion that some people are looking to see how bad it is because they are genuinely concerned for the people involved in the accident. Sometimes the glass is half-full. Anyway, before I wander too far off course, let’s get back to Tyler and American Idol.

Although Twitter is probably not the most scientific of indicators, it’s probably about as close as we’ve come so far to having a sort of instantly-open window into what the public is thinking about a particular subject. You’ve got to think that people tweeting about Tyler signing onto Idol must have at least a passing interest in either the man, the show or perhaps even both.

The quick peek I took at Twitter while the news was breaking indicated that people were split on this one. Some thought it was a terrible idea, while others – some who were admittedly adoring fans of Steven Tyler – think it is going to be great. No real surprise there. These days it seems like we’re further from genuine consensus on anything, including Steven Tyler signing onto American Idol – although this one obviously clocks in as one of the more trivial issues facing mankind today.

That being said (why does everyone seem to be using that line lately?), I’m opting for the wait-and-see approach. I think one of the reasons – perhaps the main reason – Tyler was offered the job was due to the aforementioned “you never know what this guy is going to say” factor. The success of the “New Idol” may be riding on Tyler’s ability to conjure up off-the-wall material to fire at struggling or just plain deranged contestants. That may be a bit too simplistic, but I think few would disagree that a major reason a lot of fans tuned in was to see what Cowell was going to say next.

Aerosmith’s most outspoken member has not come out with a statement or even a tweet regarding today’s announcement thus far. I’ve checked both Joe Perry’s personal website and his Twitter stream and he hasn’t written anything about this yet. I’m guessing he won’t be staying quiet about this too much longer.

What effect this will have on Aerosmith remains – as it has from the start – unclear. Who knows, Tyler on American Idol might actually be entertaining. Although it is a bit strange seeing such a dramatic shift in the show’s key players, and since I feel like I’ve been losing enthusiasm for the show for the past few seasons anyway, maybe this shakeup will end up being a good thing. The people at Fox and 19 Entertainment are surely hoping it will.

Story from: http://www.realrocknews.com/

My Thoughts:

I don't know why Steven would want to do something like this. This just seems strange to me. Is he trying to step away from the band. Wanting to take a break? I have a feeling the Joe Perry is not happy about this. I hope everything works out for one of the Best Rock Band!

In Memoriam: Ronnie James Dio

2010-05-17T16:21:00.000-07:00

One of the truly signature voices of hard rock and heavy metal was silenced yesterday, May 16, when the inimitable Ronnie James Dio passed away from stomach cancer. His enormous voice, which had near perfect pitch and could growl, howl, and moan as well as croon and roar above a band playing at full throttle, was instantly recognizable no matter who he played with. Born in New Hampshire, in 1940, and raised in New York, Dio literally spent his life in rock & roll. He began performing in rock & roll and doo wop groups in the 50s. The recorded evidence is on the single “Lover”/”Conquest,” by Ronnie and the Redcaps issued in 1958! Dio was a multi-instrumentalist, playing bass, guitar, piano, drums, and even trumpet. In 1967 he and his cousin formed the Electric Elves, who later transformed themselves into the hard boogieing party band Elf, in which Dio sang and played bass. The band was discovered by Roger Glover and Ian Paice, who took them on the road to open for Deep Purple. When Ritchie Blackmore left Deep Purple in 1975 to form Rainbow, Elf became his backing band, but shortly thereafter only Dio remained. It was a stormy but creative partnership. Rainbow stormed the charts with tracks that bore Dio’s signature vocal, including the immortal “Man on the Silver Mountain” and “Stargazer.” Dio wrote or co-wrote many of the band’s songs and served as its chief arranger.

Dio left Rainbow in 1978 to front Black Sabbath after Ozzy Osborne left. He recorded two studio albums with the legendary unit, including Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules. Unsatisfied with the band’s direction, Dio left to form his own self-monikered group with Vinny Appice (drums), Jimmy Bain (bass), Vivian Campbell (guitar), and Claude Schnell (keyboards). He wrote, arranged, and sang, and held complete creative control over the band. Given the time period — 1982 — the dawn of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and MTV’s newfound power in breaking acts, the arrival of Dio couldn’t have been better timed. The original band issued four classic albums and a slew of singles, including “Holy Diver” “Sunset Superman,” “All the Fool Sailed Away,” “The Last in Line,” “Rainbow in the Dark,” and others; they sold literally millions of records. The videos for “Rock ‘n’ Roll Children,” “Holy Diver,” and “The Last in Line” helped to define ’80s metal as a prime video medium.

Dio rejoined a new version of Black Sabbath for 1992’s Dehumanizer and left again to perform on his own with a revolving cast of musicians — including Yngwie Malmsteen. Dio reunited with original Black Sabbath members Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler (drummer Bill Ward dropped out early due to “musical differences” and was replaced by Vinny Appice). The band renamed itself Heaven and Hell and recorded the stellar Live from Radio City Music Hall. Released in 2007, it received universal acclaim and sold well. In April of 2009 the band released its lone studio album The Devil You Know. After returning from a long tour, Dio was diagnosed with cancer in November. He aggressively fought it with multiple chemotherapy rounds and other aggressive treatments. His health appeared to be improving at the beginning of the year and Heaven and Hell planned on returning to the stage for a spring and summer tour. Dio’s health took a turn for the worse in the early spring and Heaven and Hell canceled their touring plans just after releasing a split single with Metallica for Record Store Day in April of 2010.

Dio was a true rock & roll icon; his enormous talent as a vocalist and songwriter seemed to refute age rather than be dissipated by it. He will be missed by not only fans of hard rock, but also by those whose respect he gained from over 50 years in the trenches.

May 17th, 2010 | 3:00 pm est | Thom Jurek

2010-03-06T19:45:00.000-08:00

KCTunes.com
The Best Classic Rock from the 60's, 70's & 80's.

KCTunes was started by 1 person in the Kansas City, Missouri Area. When a radio station (KY102 & 99.7KY) closed its doors I needed to do something. I followed these stations from 1977 to September 18, 1997. The Final Song: "Too Many People" by Paul McCartney. KY102 was legendary in the Kansas City & Surrounding area's with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (1995) DJ Max Floyd & company. I remember when the last day came a turned on the radio and they where announcing that this was the last day that KY would be on the air, I was shocked. Classic Rock was still big around here and couldn't believe corporate would be closing it down for a different format.

After time when by and I didn't have a radio station that I liked I decided to start my own station on the Internet. This sounded like a great idea my friends said. So I started KCTunes in June 2008. There are benefits broadcasting on the Internet, there is no censorship (RIGHT NOW). Songs are played as they where intended & written. As of now KCTunes has over 12,000 of the Best Classic Rock Songs in it's catalog to date. More and more are added all the time from purchases, donations or friends private collections. This is just the beginning, I have a lot of idea's for the station that will be added at sometime. Next I am getting the software & hardware for "Live" DJ interaction with the listeners. The station has no commercials just continuous music. The station is fully funded by me & Donations that come in.

This is a project of love from me and my Friends to all the Classic Rock Lovers throught out the World!

Please sign the RUSH for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Petition.

Max Floyd web site: http://www.rockandrollgeneral.com/
KY102 web Sites: http://www.kcconfidential.com/?tag=ky102
http://www.broadcastkc.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=91&Itemid=31

Verne Elliott
KCTunes.com

NFL Ignites Protest with The Who for Superbowl Halftime Show

2010-01-16T17:38:00.000-08:00

Here in the United States the Super Bowl is big. Really big. Dedicated football fans anxiously await the final showdown of the season all year, and even some people who do not normally watch football find themselves in front of a television for the what is usually the most-watched sporting event of the year.
In addition to being a huge draw for sports fans, the Super Bowl also attracts attention by selecting big-name entertainers to perform during game’s half-time break. Sometimes the events that unfold during half-time even eclipse the game itself. Who does not recall the infamous “wardrobe malfunction” from 2004 when Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake entertained the Super Bowl audience? In contrast, who recalls what teams were facing off for that game?

Yes, many football fans will likely have the answer at the ready, but I sure as heck couldn’t tell you unless I looked it up. In case you were wondering it was the New England Patriots and the Carolina Panthers.
With the Super Bowl a little over a month away, controversy has already reared its head. With classic rock group The Who lined up to perform during half-time, some child protection groups are protesting the selection due to an incident from 2003 when the group’s guitarist, Pete Townshend, was caught up in a child pornography scandal.
Townshend was investigated by law enforcement officials in the U.K. after accessing a website that was said to have some connection with child pornography. Townsend claimed it was done solely for research on his book project. The book, entitled A Different Bomb was never published.
Townshend says the book was based on an anti-child pornography essay he posted on his personal website during 2002.
After a four-month investigation, authorities concluded that there was no evidence that Townshend had been in possession of any material relating to child pornography, and it was decided that he should be issued a “caution” instead of facing prosecution. Even so, Townshend was included on the U.K.’s Violent and Sex Offender Register for five years.
A later independent investigation added credibility to Townshend’s version of events, even suggesting that he confessed to something he did not do because of pressure from the publicity that resulted.
Even though there is much doubt surrounding Townshend’s guilt, the National Football League has heard from child advocacy groups like “Child AbuseWatch,” who are pressuring the league to cancel The Who’s scheduled performance.
Another group, “Protect Our Children” has asked federal immigration officials to prevent Townshend from entering the country. The group also stated that the NFL’s choice to invite Townshend to perform was a “a slap in the face to victims of child sexual abuse,” and warned the league that it risked a “breathtakingly ugly” public backlash if the performance goes on as scheduled.
This situation is likely to draw more attention, and kick up more of a ruckus until the NFL decides on a course of action. It will be interesting to see how they ultimately react to a series of events which they clearly didn’t expect. I can’t help wondering if there are one or two lower echelon NFL office staffers muttering “I told you so” under their breath.

Jethro Tull Frontman Chose Flute on Impulse

2009-12-12T20:52:00.000-08:00

While Jethro Tull's music has become synonymous with the flute, frontman Ian Anderson admits it doesn't really fit in with rock 'n' roll. At the same time, he knew he needed to take up some instrument that would give Tull an original sound.

"If I had not taken up the flute, I would have been looking around for something else," he tells Spinner. "I'm not sure what. I've always rather liked the idea of playing the violin. But it's a fiendishly difficult instrument to play and not one that you can make a pleasing sound on without actually playing it for a few years."

While he's now accomplished flautist, Anderson didn't take up the flute until the winter of 1967, just a few months before Tull's first album. When Anderson walked into a music store and saw a flute hanging on a wall, he traded in a guitar for the flute and a microphone.
"It was only because they were both shiny and silver and they looked kind of nice. They were smaller than guitars and easy to carry around," he says. "I had no idea what I was going to do with the flute. It was an impulse buy."After bringing his flute home, Anderson came to regret trading in his guitar.

"[The flute] sat there for about four months before I decided I should try and see what I could do with it," says Anderson, currently touring as a solo act in between Tull tours.
He picked it up again around Christmas 1967 and three months later, he was playing it on stage. Four months after that, the flute appeared on 'This Was.' Through the years, the flute would give Jethro Tull its distinctive sound -- hard rock with a Medieval touch, Led Zeppelin meets the Pied Piper. While other bands would use the flute from time to time, none were identified with the flute like Tull.

"Nobody really did it in a big way," Anderson says. "It was just an occasional little bit of Christmas tree decoration. I think at the time I started playing it, I was putting it right in front, being a real lead instrument in the band."
Anderson isn't surprised the flute is seldom used in rock. According to him, the instrument is difficult to amplify and integrate into rock music -- and too much of it can be annoying. "Altogether, it's really not a suitable instrument for rock music," he says. Still, Anderson used it to drive songs like 'Locomotive Breath,' 'Living in the Past' and 'Thick as a Brick,' helping Tull become one of the top draws of the 70s.
The key to playing flute in rock music? For Anderson, it was to play flute like it wasn't really a flute.

"I started playing the flute in the way other flute players wouldn't," he says. "I began by playing improvised solos, playing the kinds of things I played on the guitar. I didn't learn scales or the niceties of tone and vibrato. I went straight off the deep end, thinking guitar but playing flute."

Metallica joins FBI in hunt for missing student

2009-10-26T13:46:00.000-07:00

It has been more than a week since a 20-year-old college student called her friends at a Metallica concert to say she was outside the arena and would find her own way home. Now the famed heavy-metal rockers are participating in the search for her, adding $50,000 to the reward for information leading to her whereabouts.
While investigators attempt to discover what happened to a young woman described as open, beautiful, artistic and giving, Morgan Harrington’s parents, Dan and Gil Harrington, have been keeping a high public profile, trying to focus attention on the disappearance.
“One word that comes to mind when you think of Morgan is ‘shiny,’ ” Morgan’s mother, Gil Harrington told TODAY’s Amy Robach during a recent interview. “She was beautiful and she was beautiful inside, too. She radiated life.”

Dutiful daughter

Young adults sometimes disappear intentionally, but the Harringtons were uncommonly close to their daughter. A student at Virginia Tech, about 35 miles from her parents, she talked to her father every day and trusted him with her computer passwords and the key to her apartment. She also spoke with her mother daily and frequently returned home to visit.
On Saturday, Oct. 17, Morgan Harrington spent the day at home planning with her mother what she was going to wear at the Metallica concert she planned to attend at the University of Virginia.
Such days were the norm for the family, Gil (pronounced “Jill”) Harrington told Robach.
“It was a regular day for us: got up, made tea, had coffee, chatted some, showed the outfits, showed me how she was going to do her make-up,” the mother recalled.

Morgan went with friends to the concert. Sometime between 8:30 and 9 p.m., she called her friends to say she had gone to the restroom and ended up outside John Paul Jones Arena on the University of Virgina campus in Charlottesville. She told them she wasn’t allowed back in and would find another way home.
The next day, her phone and purse were found in a parking lot near the arena. Morgan, who never went anywhere without her cell phone, hasn’t been seen since.
“We have a purse and we have a cell phone. We have a missing girl,” Lt. Joe Rader of the Virginia State Police, told reporters last week. “We do not know whether if she is alive or has met some ill fate.”

‘Let Morgan go’

Gil Harrington said her daughter normally wouldn’t try to get home from a big event on her own, but added: “Kids are impulsive, especially in that excitement. Perhaps she knew who she could get a ride with. We don’t know. We wish we did know.”
Her parents reported her missing the next day and local and state police along with the FBI have been conducting the search for the 5-foot-6, 120-pound blonde with blue eyes.

“She’s really very a sweet person, kind of an innocent individual who probably is quite trusting,” Dan Harrington told Robach. “She’s quite artistic, loves to read, and, really, over the last six months, Gil and Morgan and I had just a phenomenal relationship. She goes to school only 35 miles from here. We’ve been able to have daily contact with her. She’s a wonderful person.”
The Harringtons also have a 22-year-old son who told his mother that if Morgan were abducted, whoever took her would have no choice but to keep her alive.
“He said, ‘Morgan has a purpose in this world, and Morgan is so special that whoever took her is going to keep her around for a while,’ ” Gil Harrington told Robach. Then, addressing the presumed abductor, she added, “So please let Morgan go. No questions asked. Let her come home to us.”

Robach asked Gil Harrington what she would say to her daughter if Morgan was listening.
Signing her words in American Sign Language, the mother looked in the camera and said, “Morgan, we are trying to shine our heart to you as a beacon to come through wherever you are. Come back home.”
Boosted by the $50,000 pledge from Metallica, there is a $150,000 reward for information that helps find Morgan Harrington. Police ask anyone with information to call 434-352-3467.

By Mike Celizic
TODAYShow.com contributor
updated 2 hours, 34 minutes ago

AC/DC tears up arena with explosive salute

2009-10-19T18:59:00.000-07:00

Never the darlings of the critical establishment, and written off as “caveman rock” by altrock snobs for several decades, AC/DC still managed to become one of the most successful rock bands of all time, selling some 300 million albums since its early ’70s inception.

Sunday evening, several generations of AC/DC fans convened in HSBC Arena to bear witness to the enduring power of the band’s bad boy boogie.

Now with a median age of nearly 60, the Australian band simply tore the place apart with its raunchy take on old school rock ’n’ roll. Louder than one would’ve thought possible, tighter than all get out, and deliciously sleazy, AC/DC pulled songs from every corner of its fabled career, blessed us with a fair bit of its latest album, the visceral smackdown “Black Ice,” and concluded by blasting fully functional cannons at the crowd during its anthemic final encore, “For Those About To Rock (We Salute You).”

The core of the band is, as ever, the twin guitar team of brothers Angus and Malcolm Young. The siblings write the songs, and split the bloody red meat assault of the sonic attack that is the trademark of the band’s sound — Angus, dressed in his school boy’s uniform, handling the molten blues-based guitar solos and bobbing about the stage like a problem child with a few gallons of Jolt cola pumping through his veins, while Malcolm roots the band with the metronomelike precision of his right hand.

The rhythm section of bassist Cliff Williams and drummer Phil Rudd plays a four-on-the-floor rhythm that is deceptively simple. Making this music do the AC/DC version of “swing” is no mean feat, and requires playing absolutely nothing that is not integral to the song.
Atop all of this, singer Brian Johnson howls like a man possessed, his thick Scottish brogue tinting every blues yelp that emanates from his throat with an emphatic fiendishness.
After a fairly naughty animated introductory montage, the band launched into “Rock ’n’ Roll Train,” the opening number from “Black Ice,” and the place just plain exploded. Heavy on the hooks, completely fat-free, and deliciously nasty, this tune is already a hard rock classic.
The band’s first era — prior to the death by alcohol poisoning of original singer Bon Scott —was celebrated early with the swanky strut of “Hell Ain’t A Bad Place To Be,” and then the band started cranking out songs that are rightly considered among the most memorable of the rock era.

“Back In Black” is a sledgehammer to the head, but also lithe and funky; “Thunderstruck,” heard often in this same building as a crowd-pumper during Sabres games, was now an onslaught of molten Angus guitar licks and cranium-rattling drum accents; “Shoot To Thrill” moved with menace, like Led Zeppelin if the band had been a troop of punky teenagers.
If Johnson’s voice has grown a bit thinner with age, he has adjusted to his sightly reduced capabilities, and still sings with soul and muscle.

AC/DC does not sound like a band facing down senior citizenship.
The show, like the band’s music, was bombastic and deliriously over-the-top — explosions, inflatable tattooed women, and enough high voltage amplification to wake the dead, all presented with tongue firmly in cheek and fist raised high.
Hard rock ’n’ roll gets no better than this.

Concert Review

AC/DC

Sunday night in HSBC Arena.

By Jeff Miers
NEWS POP MUSIC CRITIC

Aerosmith's Troubles Continue.

2009-09-29T11:52:00.000-07:00

Joe Perry gave Aerosmith fans a scare last week when he revealed that he and Steven Tyler haven’t spoken since the singer’s stage fall in South Dakota put the brakes on the band’s summer tour. Rumors of an inevitable breakup for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group quickly began circulating, but Perry calmed fans’ fears by telling the Boston Herald that he was disappointed by the tour’s sudden end, but doesn’t think this is the end of Aerosmith.
“Maybe we have three more records in us. Maybe we have five [and] seven years of touring,” Perry told the Herald. Perry added “Aerosmith is taking a breather” and that he hopes the band will reconvene in late spring to begin recording their next album and plot out a tour for next fall. Even though Perry and Tyler haven’t spoken in the last month and a half, Perry doesn’t see the radio silence lasting that much longer. “That day will come. Whether it’s him calling me or me calling him, it will happen,” Perry said.
As for his comments that he and Tyler hadn’t penned a song together in the same room for over a decade, Perry recognized that was partly because they’d outsourced that task to other songwriters. While he said that technique has been successful, Perry noted he fears outside writers deviate from the classic Aerosmith sound (”I Don’t Want to Miss A Thing,” written by Diane Warren, comes to mind). “I don’t mind using outside songwriters but I’d still like to see an Aerosmith where the core of the music comes from the guys in the band,” Perry said.
Aerosmith might be “taking a breather,” but it’s only a short breath: Honolulu’s Star Bulletin reported yesterday that Aerosmith will perform a pair of concerts on October 18th and 20th in Maui as the result of a class action lawsuit decision from a Hawaii concert the band canceled two years ago. Plus, Aerosmith will head to the Middle East for a November 1st show at a Formula One race in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. “We’re getting our visas together and the papers drawn up and everything,” Perry said. “So as far as I’m concerned we’re doing these dates.”

Info from Rolling Stone Online.

The KCTunes Classic Rock Blog Site.

2009-09-28T17:36:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the KCTunes Classic Rock Blog Site. KCTunes is an internet radio station that playes Classic Rock from the 60's, 70's & 80's. This will be where we can but down your experences in the music world. Mostly the Classic Rock Arena. You can post experences in concerts, photos from concerts & photos from the music industry.