Earlier this week, one of the most famous Rock’n’Roll Fathers Ray Burton, Father of the late Metallica bassist Cliff Burton, sat down with Mark Agnesi to reminisce about Cliff Burton’s musical history and what it means to be the Dad of a child who shows interest in pursuing a career in music.
Burton’s interest in music began at a young age when his father introduced him to classical music, guitar and bass. Burton had a strong interest in rock, classical and eventually heavy metal. Burton began playing the bass at age 13, following the death of his older brother, Scott and practiced up to six hours per day (even after he joined Metallica). Along with classical and jazz, Burton’s other early influences varied from southern rock, country and the blues. Burton often cited Geddy Lee, Geezer Butler, Stanley Clarke, Lemmy Kilmister, Ed King and Phil Lynott as key influences on his style of bass playing.
“Cliff knew what he wanted to do and went out and did it,” says Ray Burton. “How could you not support a child who has that initiative already in their system and wanting to learn an occupation like that? The way he pursued music and the enthusiasm he showed toward the playing, we thought, ‘well, let’s see what happens.’ Then when he came and said, ‘Can you support me for five years?’ not long after that, it was absolute history.”
Burton’s advice to fathers and artists, “It’s a love affair with my child because he wasn’t just a good musician, he was an exceptionable human being. There’s so much great music out there, and it’s to be enjoyed. …Support them. Look at your kids as a treasure that you treat with love. Encourage them as much as you can and help them. Encourage them without being demanding. Allow them to be themselves and be kind to them.”
Burton joined Metallica in 1982 and performed on the band’s first three studio albums: Kill ‘Em All, Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets. He also received a posthumous writing credit for the song “To Live Is to Die” from the band’s fourth studio album, …And Justice for All and was inducted into the Rock the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Metallica on April 4, 2009.
“Words can’t describe how grateful I am that Ray received our own Mark Agnesi to talk about Cliff,” said Cesar Gueikian, Chief Merchant Officer. “First and foremost, Happy Father’s Day, Ray, Cliff will forever be a source of inspiration to all of us Rock ‘n’ Roll dads. I am particularly honored because the Cliff Metallica era had a dramatic influence on me, motivating me to learn how to play guitar from the moment I discovered the Master of Puppets album,” adds Gueikian. “And a big thank you to Metallica for allowing us to use their footage and music to pay tribute to Cliff.”
“Being a father myself, it was an incredible opportunity to sit down with and get insights from another father who not only raised a musical icon, but one of my childhood heroes,” adds Mark Agnesi.
From your favorite casual dive to your neighborhood pub, Seagram’s 7 Crown toasts watering holes across the country for its second annual National Dive Bar Day celebration on July 7. This year, the American whiskey is collaborating with indie rock duo, The Kills, to re-release two songs the band re-mastered for dive bar jukeboxes nationwide. On July 7, dive bar goers can raise a glass to these beloved American institutions while enjoying The Kills’ re-released versions of Blue Moon and Night Train, complimentary to consumers across targeted TouchTunes jukeboxes in honor of National Dive Bar Day.
The re-released versions of Blue Moon and Night Train were re-mastered specifically for TouchTunes dive bar jukeboxes, honoring the laid-back and often historic hidden gems where The Kills got their start. Both songs will also be cut on a limited edition 7″ vinyl record for the very first time in the U.S. and available at events on National Dive Bar Day in these seven cities: Dallas, TX; Denver, CO; Jacksonville, FL; Nashville, TN; New York, NY; Sacramento, CA and Seattle, WA.
“Dive bars are about getting together with friends and enjoying great music over a simple, straightforward drink, like a 7 & 7,” said Diageo Brand Director Jason Sorley. “We’re honored to work with The Kills this National Dive Bar Day to celebrate our favorite dives and shine a light on what makes them so great. We hope everyone will join us in supporting their local hangout on July 7 so that dive bars everywhere can continue to thrive.”
Seagram’s 7 Crown started National Dive Bar Day last year, fittingly taking place on July 7 in honor of the quintessential dive bar drink, the 7 & 7. National Dive Bar Day, which is officially recognized by the National Day Calendar, is part of the brand’s year-round commitment to its Save the Dive Bar initiative.
“We’re thrilled to collaborate with Seagram’s 7 for National Dive Bar Day and give these songs new energy as a toast to dive bars everywhere. Blue Moon and Night Train were written in dive bars, so this seemed like a perfect tribute,” said Alison Mosshart, lead vocalist for The Kills. “There’s such a rich history and feeling of inclusiveness that has always attracted us to these types of places. We’ve seen some of our favorite spots close over the years, which is just another reason why Seagram’s 7’s mission to Save the Dive Bar really hit home,” added lead guitarist for The Kills, Jamie Hince.
While they were recorded several years apart, both Blue Moon and Night Train were produced at Key Club in Benton Harbor, Michigan, where Mosshart and Hince spent time between sessions hitting up the local dive bar scene. Sonically, the two songs are very different, but the re-mastered versions bring them closer together, pairing two moments in time that were instrumental in the band’s growth.
Seagram’s 7 Crown is a carefully blended American whiskey aged in oak with a rich and casual history. The whiskey shares a storied past with dive bars, as both have been an integral part of American drinking culture. To learn more about National Dive Bar Day and the Save the Dive Bar initiative, adults 21 and older can visit seagrams7.com or follow the #NationalDiveBarDay conversation on social media. And, don’t forget to head to your local dive bar on July 7 to responsibly enjoy a 7 & 7 and ensure all our favorite dive bars live to see another day.
SiriusXM announced today that the iconic rock band Phish will launch their own exclusive SiriusXM channel, Phish Radio, on Friday, June 14 on channel 29. The channel will debut with a live broadcast of the band’s three headlining performances from the 2019 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival.
Phish Radio will play music from the band’s extensive career, including their vast catalog of live songs, studio tracks, and musical influences. Listeners will also hear recurring shows hosted by band members, live broadcasts from their 2019 tour as well as exclusive interviews and commentary from each band member.
“My bandmates and I are thrilled to have a home at SiriusXM where Phish fans can hear music from over three decades of us making music together,” said Page McConnell. “We’re excited to make Phish Radio an extension of who we are as a band and a welcome home for fans old and new.”
“We are excited to team up with Phish and bring Phish Radio nationwide to one of the most dedicated and passionate fan bases in music history,” said Steve Blatter, Senior Vice President and General Manager for Music Programming, SiriusXM. “The new music channel, launching live from Bonnaroo, will showcase the band’s wide-ranging library of music, as well as their iconic live performances.”
SiriusXM’s Phish Radio will launch on Friday, June 14 at 12:00 pm ET on SiriusXM channel 29 and on the SiriusXM app.
Phish Radio is an example of SiriusXM music channels created with iconic and leading artists including The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Pearl Jam, Eminem, LL COOL J, Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra.
SiriusXM subscribers are able to listen to Phish Radio on SiriusXM radios, and those with streaming access can listen online, on-the-go with the SiriusXM mobile app and at home on a wide variety of connected devices including smart TVs, Amazon Alexa devices, Apple TV, PlayStation, Roku, Sonos speakers and more. Go to www.SiriusXM.com/streaming to learn more.
SiriusXM’s Jam On channel will continue to be available on the SiriusXM app and on siriusxm.com. Phish Radio will also feature regular programming dedicated to the extended Jam On community.
Renowned guitarist, multi-platinum-selling singer-songwriter, bandleader and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Steve Miller has opened up his voluminous archive of recordings for the first time ever to present a milestone 3CD + DVD box set. WELCOME TO THE VAULT covers Miller’s genre-blurring six-decade career over 52 audio tracks, pairing a number of greatest hits and certifiable rock ‘n roll classics with 38 previously unreleased recordings that span demos, rehearsals, outtakes, vintage concert performances and 5 newly uncovered original Steve Miller Band songs recorded in the 1960s and 1970s.
The accompanying DVD collects 21 live performances, among them legendary rare TV appearances and concert videos.
WELCOME TO THE VAULT is accompanied by a 100-page hardbound book of photos, memorabilia and artifacts from Miller’s personal collection, as well as an exclusive 9,000-word essay by renowned rock journalist David Fricke. Steve Miller Band’s WELCOME TO THE VAULT, also available as a 52-track digital collection, arrives Friday, October 11.
WELCOME TO THE VAULT is heralded by today’s premiere of “Rock’n Me” (Alternate Version 1), a different take of the classic #1 hit from 1976.
Fricke writes in his liner notes: “Miller wrote ‘Rock’n Me’ with a different setting in mind. He was still without a working band when the English prog-rock giants Pink Floyd asked him to be their special guest at a massive festival on July 5th, 1975 at Knebworth, England. Miller called Lonnie Turner, Les Dudek – a guitarist in Boz Scaggs’ band – and Doug Clifford, the former drummer in Creedence Clearwater Revival. They rehearsed for a single afternoon, working up a half-dozen R&B standards, a couple of Miller hits and a surprising debut, ‘The Window,’ an early version of which appears on WELCOME TO THE VAULT.
“‘But I knew what was going to happen,’ Miller says. The Floyd ‘were gonna put me on at sunset. There won’t be any lights, and I’m just chum. I needed a song to rock the whole joint.’ Miller showed ‘Rock’n Me’ to the band at practice; they played it live for the first time in front of 100,000 people at Knebworth. ‘We closed with it, and it killed them,’ Miller says proudly.”
WELCOME TO THE VAULT opens in 1969 with the Steve Miller Band covering Little Walter’s “Blues With a Feeling” at the Fillmore West in San Francisco, a previously unreleased 10-minute blowout unlike anything else in Miller’s official studio or live catalog. Faithful to the form yet undeniably visionary, the track instantly sets the pace for what is to come. A turbulent “Super Shuffle” recorded live at Steve Miller Band’s breakthrough appearance at 1967’s Monterey Pop Festival, is fast followed by such previously unreleased revelations as an early version of “Going to Mexico” (originally found on 1970’s NUMBER 5) as well as solo acoustic takes on BRAVE NEW WORLD’s “Kow Kow Calculator” and “Seasons,” recorded on the road in 1973.
The evolutionary sessions for 1976’s FLY LIKE AN EAGLE and 1977’s BOOK OF DREAMS – Steve Miller Band’s “multi-platinum fusions of crisp funk and blues undercurrents, progressive-rock electronics and hit-single pith,” according to Fricke – are captured via alternate takes including a striking view of “Fly Like an Eagle” as a 12-minute work-in-progress suite. WELCOME TO THE VAULT further includes a number of alternate version of iconic Steve Miller Band tracks mostly recorded prior to their commercial releases, and a recent big band reinterpretation of “Take the Money and Run” featuring fellow Texas guitar hero Jimmie Vaughan recorded live at New York’s Jazz at Lincoln Center, where Miller is involved as a performer, educator and curator focusing on blues music.
Indeed, the blues in all its forms can be heard throughout WELCOME TO THE VAULT, in versions of songs of Willie Dixon, Robert Johnson and Otis Rush, as well as country and R&B variations like Roy Acuff’s “Freight Train Blues” and Mickey and Sylvia’s classic “Love Is Strange.” Miller’s own personal links to the lineage and history of guitar music are also prominently featured, including a 1990 version of Jimmy Reed’s “I Wanna Be Loved,” recorded with his close musical friend and godfather, Les Paul, during the electric guitar pioneer’s famed Monday night residency at New York City’s Fat Tuesday’s.
WELCOME TO THE VAULT closes with a pair of landmark tracks also released here for the first time that include Texas blues guitar legend T-Bone Walker performing his 1952 hit, “Lollie Lou,” on a tape made the year before in the Miller Family living room by Steve’s father George, a passionate jazz and blues fan and home recording enthusiast. The collection finishes more than 60 years later with Miller himself performing “Lollie Lou” at “T-Bone Walker: A Bridge from Blues to Jazz,” the December 2016 tribute concert curated by Miller at Jazz at Lincoln Center.
As if all that weren’t enough, the WELCOME TO THE VAULT DVD features 21 incredible live performances, including rare footage from 1967’s Monterey Pop Festival, a Dutch TV filmed performance of the Fillmore West from 1970, a 43-minute September 1973 concert at New York’s Palace Theater broadcast on Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert (unseen since the ’70s), an ABC In Concert performance with James Cotton (1974), a performance of “Abracadabra” from Michigan’s Pine Knob from that album tour in 1982, and selections from Austin City Limits (2011), as well as Miller’s intimate 1990 performance with Les Paul at New York City’s Fat Tuesday’s.
Long regarded as one of rock’s most dynamic and creative live acts, the Steve Miller Band will team up with Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives for a 36-city U.S. tour. Miller calls it “An Amazing Evening of Original American Music – Classic Rock Meets Classic Country.” The trek gets underway June 13 at Des Moines, Iowa’s Wells Fargo Arena and then travels through a two-night finale at Woodinville, WA’s Chateau Ste. Michelle on August 30 and 31.
STEVE MILLER BAND – WELCOME TO THE VAULT TRACKLISTING
CD 1:
1. Blues with a Feeling (Live) (1969) *
2. Don’t Let Nobody Turn You Around – Alternate Version (1969) *
3. Super Shuffle (Live) (1967) **
4. It Hurts Me Too (Feat. Steve Miller Band) (Live) (1967)
5. Industrial Military Complex Hex – Alternate Version (1970) *
6. Living in the USA (1968)
7. Kow Kow Calculator – Alternate Version (1973) *
8. Going to Mexico – Alternate Version (1966) *
9. Quicksilver Girl – Alternate Version (1968) *
10. Jackson-Kent Blues – Alternate Version (1970) *
11. Crossroads (Live) (1973) *
12. Hesitation Blues (1972) **
13. Seasons – Alternate Version (1973) *
14. Say Wow! (1973) **
15. Never Kill Another Man – Alternate Version (Live) (1971) *
CD 2:
1. The Gangster is Back (Live) (1971)
2. Space Cowboy – Instrumental Version (1969) *
3. Space Cowboy – Alternate Version (Live) (1973) *
4. The Joker (1973)
5. The Lovin’ Cup (1973)
6. Killing Floor (1975) *
7. Evil (Live) (1973)
8. Echoplex Blues (1973) **
9. Rock’n Me – Alternate Version 1 (1976) *
10. Rock’n Me – Alternate Version 2 (1976) *
11. Tain’t it the Truth (1976) *
12. Freight Train Blues (1976) *
13. True Fine Love – Alternate Version (1975) *
14. The Stake – Alternate Version (1976) *
15. My Babe – Alternate Version (1982) *
16. That’s the Way It’s Got to Be (1974) **
17. Double Trouble (1992) *
18. Love is Strange (1974) *
19. All Your Love (I Miss Loving) – Alternate Version (1992) *
CD 3:
1. I Wanna Be Loved (Live) (1990) *
2. Fly Like an Eagle – Alternate Version (1974) *
3. Space Intro (1976)
4. Fly Like an Eagle (1976)
5. The Window – Alternate Version (1974) *
6. Mercury Blues – Alternate Version (1975) *
7. Jet Airliner – Alternate Version (1976) *
8. Take the Money and Run (1976)
9. Dance, Dance, Dance (1976)
10. Swingtown – Alternate Version (1976) *
11. Winter Time (1977)
12. Who Do You Love? (1984)
13. Abracadabra (1982)
14. Macho City – Short Version (1981)
15. Take the Money and Run – Alternate Version (Live) (2016) *
16. Bizzy’s Blue Tango* (2004)
17. Lollie Lou (T-Bone Walker) (Live) (1951) *
18. Lollie Lou (Steve Miller) (Live) (2016) *
* PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED RECORDING
** PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED SONG
DVD:
Monterey International Pop Festival – 1967
– Mercury Blues
– Super Shuffle
The Fillmore West – Dutch TV Show El Dorado (Pik-In) – 1970
– Kow Kow Calculator
– Space Cowboy
Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert – 1973
– Star Spangled Banner
– Living in the USA
– Space Cowboy
– Mary Lou
– Shu Ba Da Du Ma Ma Ma Ma
– The Gangster is Back
– The Joker
– Come on in My Kitchen
– Seasons
– Fly Like an Eagle
– Living in the USA (Reprise)
ABC In Concert with James Cotton – 1974
– Just a Little Bit
Pine Knob, Michigan – 1982
– Abracadabra
Steve Miller and Les Paul at Fat Tuesday’s – 1990
– I Wanna be Loved
– CC Rider
Live from Austin City Limits – 2011
– Fly Like an Eagle
– Living in the USA
An Amazing Evening of Original American Music – Classic Rock Meets Classic Country Featuring Steve Miller Band & Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives
JUNE
13 – Des Moines, IA – Wells Fargo Arena
15 – Tulsa OK – River Spirit Casino – Paradise Cove Margaritaville
16 – Rogers, AR – Walmart AMP
21 – Alton, IL – Liberty Bank Amphitheater Summer Concert Series
22 – Dubuque, IA – America’s River Festival
24 – Grand Rapids, MI – Meijer Gardens
25 – Interlochen, MI – Kresge Auditorium
28 – Rochester, NY – Rochester International Jazz Festival
30 – Sterling Heights, MI – Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill
JULY
1 – Highland Park, IL – Ravinia Festival*
12 – Prior Lake, MN – Lakefront Music Festival
14 – Duluth, MN – Bayfront Festival Park
16 – Kettering, OH – Fraze Pavilion
18 – Baltimore, MD – MECU Pavilion
20 – Lynchburg, VA – Riverfront Park Concert Series
21 – Bensalem PA – Xcite Center at Parx Casino*
24 – New York, NY – Pier 17
25 – Boston, MA – Rockland Trust Bank Pavilion
27 – Rangeley, ME – Rangeley Health & Wellness Pavilion
28 – Kingston, NY – Hutton Brickyards
30 – Selbyville, DE – The Freeman Stage at Bayside
31 – Vienna, VA – Wolf Trap
AUGUST
2 – Mashantucket, CT – The Grand Theater at Foxwoods Casino
3 – Bethlehem, PA – Musikfest
11 – Albuquerque, NM – Sandia Resort and Casino
13 – Denver, CO – The Mission Ballroom
14 – Vail, CO – Gerald R. Ford Amphitheatre
16 – Billings, MT – Cove Creek Outdoor Pavilion
17 – Missoula, MT – Big Sky Brewery
19 – Salt Lake City, UT – Red Butte Garden
21 – Los Angeles, CA – Greek Theatre
22 – Paso Robles, CA – Vina Robles Amphitheatre
24 – Stateline, NV – Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harveys
27 – Salem, OR – Oregon State Fair
28 – Airway Heights, WA – Northern Quest Resort & Casino
30 – Woodinville, WA – Chateau Ste. Michelle
31 – Woodinville, WA – Chateau Ste. Michelle
* Steve Miller Band only
In addition, Miller will continue his exploration of the blues at New York’s Jazz at Lincoln Center with “Cannonball Adderley and The Blues,” a spirited celebration of saxophone legend Cannonball Adderley. Set for Saturday, December 14 at JALC’s Rose Theater, the event will see Miller joined by vocalist Brianna Thomas and the Patrick Bartley Sextet, led by one of NYC’s most acclaimed young saxophonists.
Ever wonder why some old songs sound outdated and others sound like timeless classics? Cheddar explains how the invention of the microphone changed the way vocalists sang love songs.
Bernard “Pretty” Purdie is known as a groove drummer with immaculate timing and makes use of precision half note, backbeats, and grooves. Purdie’s signature sixteenth note hi-hat lick pish-ship, pish-ship, pish-ship is distinct. He often employs a straight eight groove sometimes fusing several influences such as swing, blues and funk. He created the now well-known drum pattern Purdie Half-Time Shuffle that is a blues shuffle variation with the addition of syncopated ghost notes on the snare drum. Variations on this shuffle can be heard on songs such as Led Zeppelin’s “Fool in the Rain”, the Police’s “Walking on the Moon”, and Toto’s “Rosanna” (Rosanna shuffle). Purdie plays the shuffle on Steely Dan’s “Babylon Sisters” and “Home At Last”.
Rockpalast presents for the first time the full-length Soester Concert from 1970, in which Kraftwerk performed as a trio (Ralf Hütter – Hammond-Organ, Klaus Dinger – drums, Florian Schneider-Esleben – flute) and left behind astonished faces. An absolute rarity and a treat for music fans.
Take yourself on a tour of lyric locations in The Beatles songs. From Eleanor Rigby’s gravestone in Liverpool to Abbey Road in North London, see the locations behind The Beatles lyrics throughout England, France, Russia, India, the United States, and more countries, covering 25,510 miles around the world.
Remember when TV stations stopped broadcasting late at night and when they were off the air, they would commonly display a test pattern? I had no idea until now that each of the graphics were testing something.
A new ad for Volkswagen’s I.D. Buzz slated to enter production in 2022 as the long-awaited new version of the VW Microbus. The reference is to their iconic ad from the 60s.
