Christmas is here again and we now look back at the last decade since the Y2K scare that seemed like only yesterday. Each year the debate of what Christmas means and from what folklore it has evolved seems to become fiercer as societies become more educated and splinter from the truly religious aspect to the commercial and every gambit in-between. The reality is that we as a human race have difficulty tolerating others being different. We can’t tolerate those who we don’t understand be it small silly things or large disagreements of “how to live” one’s life “properly.” The most absurd notion occurs when lines are drawn in the sand and those who profess such religious faith that should know better are usually those of the most intransigent minds.  They make those of good faith look horrid. To really follow the handed-down precepts of Jesus is to live with the lepers, the sinners; to forgive those who have sinned against us (remember Judas), to not judge those without judging oneself, and to have compassion and turn the other cheek in the face of fury-to not engage in retribution or revenge. These are the good things, the moral things that should pass on from any cultural “holy” experience that one may believe to be true. Rarely, if ever does that ever take place.

This is one of many reasons people refuse to deify and allow religion into their lives, as the example of those who profess to be shining examples of the “word” act so poorly with such shallowness, that the hypocrisy lingers as the bad taste of wasted words and no deeds ring hollow as this one day of the year approaches. They can’t allow their own pride to take a break even for a mere 24 hours. There are so many of these types of people that just don’t get it and never will. The point is to love and not just on one day out of the year. Love your family, yourself, your neighbors, strangers in need, and remember life is so short and not necessarily precious as one false move and your preciousness becomes a statistic for all eternity. To dance and sing on one day out of the year does not exclude you from being a good person or give you a pass to be a malicious gossip the rest of the 364 days. To be spiteful and hateful and sing and dance as if nothing is wrong is a supreme mistake. Yet this is how life really is when one really looks at our society and where we have taken it through the last 80 years.

I speak from personal experience. My mother died with three of her sisters not communicating with her for over 10 years. Many of my cousins did not attend the funeral services or even acknowledge her death as close as they were to her. The time is long gone and much too late for anyone to make amends with her now buried 10 years, not that she was a saint, not that she wasn’t part of the problem, but the point is that petty issues grow into giant ones not because somehow families hate each other but because love is so strong that their pride gets in the way. Hard-headedness stops them from showing that love and letting human mistakes be just that-human mistakes that from time to time we all make. Casting stones at those when our own closets contain skeletons is truly evil and is wasted time.

I went to the hospital this morning, the day before Christmas Eve, to see someone that I recently connected with on Facebook. I hadn’t seen him in over 15 years. He was a great guy that I worked with back East, now suffering with a deadly form of cancer. We talked and I could see the effect of the chemotherapy that had weaked him. I was glad to see him as it could be the last time that I do, I certainly hope not, but he has an uphill battle and I know if anyone can do it is him. This is the gist of what I’m writing about. Everyone’s day will come, those trials of living will pound you and in the end, is indeed the end. Why make it so hard to live? Why force yourself to not see how human and frail we really are and that time is short? Giving of yourself is what is holy, what is righteous, what is right!

I hope most of you reading this have a special day, a great holiday and a good start for a new beginning. I know of many that will not have that opportunity to enjoy family and close friends and I know of those whose pride have allowed that opportunity to be lost, probably forever……over nothing but misconceived and misdirected anger. Life is not the like the movies with the sun-setting happy ending and all being well. It is tough and hard to swallow at times, but hope is the only answer there is regardless of what you believe and what god you pray to, if at all.

Merry Christmas and in 2010 squeeze as much happiness out of your life that you can……..before you know it, next Christmas will be here-if you’re lucky! Never assume, always give the benefit of the doubt to all in order to live the life of a real human being.

Jock Stewart and The Missing Sea of Fire

 Jock Stewart and The Missing Sea of Fire by Malcolm R. Campbell is a colorful rambling tale rooted in the old Bogart mystery movies or the Mickey Spillane pulp fiction of yesteryears but with more twists than a package of red licorice; with more curves than Lindsey Lohan; with characters as crusty as the pie at the Purple Platter Diner; the plot as thick as the meatloaf entrée they serve there as well. Jock is an old-school journalist whose destiny with danger is encompassed within the present dealing with realities of the digital age and the new blog bites of temptations that the public is now reduced to reading and the art of investigative journalism has taken a back seat – much like the one in an old 1953 Desoto he seduces the mayor’s wife quite often in – to the end of newsprint and its importance in the informational superhighway of sod-busting sycophants. Jock is never at a loss for juicy comebacks and there isn’t a pun that he ever kept to himself save for one instance. The plethora of puns is a panalopy of cross-references with two or three meanings and sometimes none at all but for his current synaptic thought processes. Like the cartoon figure Roger Rabbit he just can’t stop going for that last two notes of “Shave and a Haircut—Two-Bits!”

There are many other points that are subtly made regarding the written word and the growing state of gossipy news taking the forefront of old-style journalism but the book never takes itself so seriously as to not evoke a laugh with a Krispy Kreme Kruller running the show as the flatulent three-ring circus fat-bellied Master of Ceremonies, the big chief of the round robin intertwined plot.

It is a fun and entertaining romp and without giving away any of the plot, the main character of book never appears-that must be a first for any novel. There should be a large warning label on this book: Warning-Those with no sense of humor should avoid reading this book at all costs.

By the way if you’re in the area pick up a half dozen Krispy Kremes and two coffees if you don’t mind, the story is as sweet as those sugary, doughy, and airy treats.

Wherever there’s a story or a wanton woman available-Jock Steward is right as rain on it!

Photo by Nick Oliva © 2009

Last night I bolted forward from my pillow
Suddenly awakened from such a deep sleep
Gasping for breath
I felt a presence, but saw no one
I shouted in vain for someone to show themselves in the dark
The silence was deafening

I fell back asleep after a futile search
An hour later the phone rang
You had left us
The time was exact, the reason for my slumber suddenly ended now clear
Each day has brought me closer to the eternal that you are now
No less love now than ever
Arrivederci Italia
We are here but such a short time
But not for you mother, would I be.

October 1, 1999

Cheap Trick performing the Beatles??? Has the world gone mad? Well, only a little. One must realize that Cheap Trick, formed in 1974, built quite a fan base through its own brand of using power-rock chords that emoted a hard-edge but retained enough melodic themes that attracted those on the outer currents of pop rock and punk rock. Their music does combines the tune- worthy formulaic modes of The Beatles but with an energy that speeds up without bowling over into pure ranting and screaming of those in the punk rock genre of that time. The Los Angeles Times has remarked that “Cheap Trick gained fame by twisting the Beatlesque into something shinier, harder, more American.” Your next question is: What were their biggest hits? A few include the songs “Surrender”, “I Want You to Want Me”, and “Dream Police.”

So it was with ardent curiosity when the available ticket brought me to the Hilton Theater, my favorite venue to see them perform Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band. Having seen Paul McCartney in sold-out arenas four times and never hearing anything as elaborate as a 21 piece orchestra, 6 backup vocalists, a children’s choir, mixed with an old rock bank that I’d thought had hit the old folks home by now, I couldn’t imagine how this escapade could be pulled off credibly. Featured guest artists included Grammy-Award winning vocalist Joan Osborne, Rob Laufer, Bill Lloyd, and Ian Ball all of whom performed in the beginning of the show before Cheap Trick entered the stage through a very clever revolving set that housed the entire orchestra 16 feet up in the air and provided three circular stages underneath them to facilitate the quick turnover to the Sgt. Pepper’s portion. As the curtain rose that set was exposed.

The orchestra opened with an absolutely beautiful symphonic medley of “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” “She Loves You,” “Love Me Do,” and “Please, Please Me.” Ms. Osborne then took the stage and deftly sang “Can’t Buy Me Love,” and the timeless “Long and Winding Road.” The orchestra then took over and performed the classic “Eleanor Rigby.” Let me stop here a moment to comment that in the nineties I lived in Puerto Rico and had the chance to see the Puerto Rican Symphony Orchestra perform Holst’s incredible symphony “The Planets.” That alone was a rare treat unto itself. The most marvelous thing of this show was to watch these players moving and thrusting their bodies into such soulful unpretentious mesmerizations of being one with the vibrations that they perfectly emitted from their instruments, that they naturally drew you into their magical mojo as an unintentional byproduct of their emotionalism and love of their craft exactly as those moments I experienced many years ago.

The engineer’s use of effects to recreate Lennon’s experiment of running his voice through a Leslie speaker for “Across the Universe” with the Las Vegas Children’s Choir was as ethereal as the original. It was truly like “a wind inside a letter box.”

And then the transition occurred and here was Cheap Trick with Rick Nielsen and his baseball cap and striped suit prancing, dancing, and irreverently swinging his guitar to the beginning of that classic album. The album that the Beach Boy’s leader Brian Wilson called the “perfect album,” the same one that he tried to compose first and gave up his quest after hearing what he perceived as the Beatles’- no the world’s – ultimate recording.

I then realized that when I read Geoff Emerick’s name on the roster as Sound Direction and Co-Producer that it all made sense. Those orchestra parts were exactly as George Martin, “the fifth Beatle” had written them in 1967. Every nuance, speck, part and parcel of each tiny inflection of this live sound mimicked that album without exception. And by the way, Mr. Emerick was the engineer for Sgt. Pepper’s back in 1967 so there was the connection to the “how” of this event.

The bonus tracks of “Golden Slumbers,” “Carry That Weight,” “The End” and the show “encore,” “All You Need is Love,” brings the Beatles’ genius and the energy and vivaciousness of the current band playing their hearts out into focus after experiencing the beginnings of their musical careers at the top of the show. It was a wise choice than to end with just the Sgt. Pepper’s songs, as the orchestra was already there for that monumental epic, why not go out with a huge bang from their later material? Good call on the producer’s part although I wish someone had sung “Something” that perfect ode to George’s wife Patti Boyd, instead of Bill Lloyd playing lead guitar on the melody, but that is a minor complaint.

And lest I forget a huge part of this ensemble was Magic Christian, the keyboardist who provided all of McCartney’s piano parts and used his synthesizers perfectly to authenticate each track. Todd Youth on bass enthusiastically played every Mac line note-for-note and the conductor affectionately introduced as “Billy Shears” did an outstanding job putting the orchestra though it’s amazing paces this fine evening.

The most amazing part of the show came when George Harrison’s “Within You, Without You” was performed. An authentic Indian ensemble appeared with Gingger Shankar (Her mother was a classical singer, and her father, L. Subramaniam, is a world renowned violinist) playing the double violin, with two sitar players, and bass and treble Tampura instruments exactly capturing this spiritual encompassment of Mr. Harrison’s experience with the music and religious aura of that nation.

The vocals of Rob Laufer were magically suited to every note of the past and this was more than just a band rehashing an old classic. The entire experience, as exacting as it was, evoked new emotional thrills by the live performances of both a rock band and orchestra blending into a dimension of past time that never was. This was a “what if” had the Beatles kept touring and attempted such an endeavor to achieve such lushness of a tracked album by being backed by a full orchestra and vocalists. It was the concert that never was performed by the seemingly most unlikely band using the most unlikely Beatles album. It worked magnificently!

I ran into people who had seen it more than once and honestly I would have gone back for seconds and thirds myself. I mean when the song Sgt. Pepper’s Reprise kicks in that rooster crowing for that split second, the madness of the orchestra of “Day in the Life” swells and then crescendos to its ultimate conclusion, and then that infamous orchestral down stroke to the tonic note, what more does one want out of a concert? It is real and it is hair-raising. I could go on and on about every small detail and the attentiveness paid to each and every one of them, but my suggestion is if you can go see it-GO! This tour will not last forever, like the original band, like any ephemeral burst of pure creativity, the moment passes quickly. Take the time and listen to what could have been, but was only preserved on tape and disc until now. It’s no cheap trick believe me.

The following is a comment I received on my blog of the Atlantic City Pop Festival’s 40th Anniversary. Please read it and pass it on to whomever you can, and maybe, just maybe ‘Sev’ will get to look at the pictures that he had taken 40 years ago. It is occurrences like this that make writing this blog all worthwhile. I hope by some small chance we could make this Vietnam Veteran’s wish come true. (Note: I did clean up the letter’s punctuation and language a little bit to make it clearer) Sev writes: I remember this festival well…. I went AWOL from Ft Dix for the three days and I didn’t care because I was getting ready to be shipped to Vietnam. I arrived while Chicago (Transit Authority) was playing and they were so good that I thought they were playing a record to warm people up but it was them live!! I pitched myself a tent and went wandering around. During my stay, I kept walking backstage and no one stopped me (it was a different world back then). My highlights were meeting Janis, Grace Slick, Tracy Nelson, & Frank Zappa. When I met Janis I handed her a button that said “Kiss me I’m Italian” she said, “You’re Italian? I Like Italians.” Her guitarist behind her laughed and said “ahhhh you like everybody.” She laughed and kissed me on the head, under my eye, on my cheek and near my mouth. It is something I will never forget as long as I live!! Frank Zappa was so nice, he looked at me and then my army haircut and said, “Hey you look like me when I was a kid.” I took so many pictures but unfortunately I took them with me to Nam and the day I got there someone broke into my locker and ripped me off… I swear I am telling the truth… : ( If someone is reading this and knows of someone that has them or does remember having them PLEASE post them and send them to me. I would really like to have them back … They were of Me & Janis, Me & Grace, Me & Frank, & a few of other stars including Grace & Janis together. Thanks for reading

Pasquale Severino

Trenton, New jersey

IF ANYONE OUT THERE CAN HELP.. SEND ‘SEV’ HIS PICTURES TO THE FOLLOWING EMAIL ADDRESS             MysteryLyricfest@aol.com

A while back, I went to my favorite concert venue, The Las Vegas Hilton, to see the “new” lineup of Starship, AKA Jefferson Starship, and the third generation of Jefferson Airplane.  The Hilton showroom is a wonderful place to see a show as there isn’t a bad seat in the house and the big comfy chairs are a far cry from the seats that barely hold one cheek of your derriere in any other venue, and allow plenty of leg room as well. 

The old Jefferson Airplane in this day and age would probably have been locked up in this Patriot Act paranoia of today.  ‘Got to Revolution’ just wouldn’t go over like the old days…….for shame as the internet and keyboards have taken over from in-body protests and are far less effective……..but I digress.  The addition of Las Vegas’ own Stephanie Calvert (http://stephcalvert.com/) allows the introduction of the more tame Airplane treasure trove of White Rabbit, Somebody to Love, and others that haven’t been heard by myself since I saw them in Santa Cruz at Lorenzi Park in 1994 with Jack Cassady, Craig Chaquico, and other original band members and a young woman that looked a lot like Grace Slick, but wasn’t.  That was also the last time I heard “Hearts” a song that I didn’t hear at the Hilton, perhaps because of copyright reasons, as it is such a beautiful song, one of the Starship’s best written and sung so incredibly well by alumni Marty Balin and the Fender Rhodes repeating an ascending scale that raised your armhairs.

Mickey Thomas’ voice was on pitch considering the high ranges he vaults to and from, but could take a tip from Boz Scaggs and get a steam humidifier tube on his mike stand, as he cracked from time to time due to “Vegas Throat” a malady that affects every singer that comes into town…..but don’t misunderstand me; he performed with full heart and soul and brought you back to yesteryear and the days of ballads mixed with energized rock and roll.

Stephanie Calvert was a delight to hear and see and she’s quite sexy in dress, delivery, and dramatics as she belts out Grace’s legacy without the slightest hesitation. Her latex-laced legs and forceful features grabbed you and forced you to become engaged with her siren-like serenade and the audience loved her.

The band consists of:

Mickey Thomas *Lead Vocals, Guitar – Stephanie Calvert *Vocals – Mark Abrahamian *Lead Guitar, Vocals -Jeff Adams *Bass, Vocals – Phil Bennett *Keyboards, Vocals – Darrell “Pelican” Verdusco *Drums, Vocals

In case you’ve forgotten their hits here are some they performed: “Jane” “No Way Out” “We Built This City” “Sarah” “Nothing Gonna Stop Us Now” “Find Your Way Back” “Stranger” “Laying It On The Line” “It’s Not Over Till It’s Over” and the Elvin Bishop Group’s, “I Fooled Around and Fell in Love,” a song Mr. Thomas carries with him from his time as the lead singer for Elvin Bishop-a trivia fact not well known.

It was a fun 90 minute romp of rock and roll the old fashioned way……with real musicians with everyone’s ‘hearts’ in every song….now if I can just get Mickey Thomas to sing that song……..Hearts Will Be That Way.

It was a rare privilege and honor to be at the “presence” of these incredible intense and dedicated human beings. Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood in concert, this, first time since they combined to form the group “Blind Faith” in the Sixties. The magic was in the air, the ballads and blues graceful and the memories abounded as their humbleness and love for their music overwhelmed everyone. Steve Winwood, a Hammond B-3 (my god -he even used the stops constantly!) a relic long gone for decades. His exquisite guitar playing and beautiful voice, combined with Clapton totally in the pocket of that ‘zone,” was extraordinary, the height of which I’ve seen but few times in the many times I have seen him in concert. His eyes closed or rolled upwards, no need for him to look at his fretboard; his power, speed, and emotion pulsated through every cell and molecule in your body………..Voodoo Chile……….Eric goes outside himself and reincarnates Hendrix, something that he himself said in an interview that he was “afraid” of approaching………he obviously conquered that fear and went beyond……..he “kept on growing.”
“The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys”-acoustic piano solo with Steve was precious beyond words…….the acoustic guitar sets with both legends………just a jewel of time to be treasured. May it’s effect last as long as those memories can.

Clapton / Winwood Set List – 27 June 2009
MGM Grand Arena, Las Vegas, NV

1.  Had To Cry Today
2.  Low Down
3.  After Midnight
4 . Presence of The Lord
5.  Sleeping in the Ground
6 . Glad
7.  Well Alright
8.  Tough Luck Blues
9.  Pearly Queen
10. There’s A River
11. Forever Man
12. Low Spark of High Heeled Boys
Acoustic Set
13. Driftin’
14. How Long Blues
15. Layla – (acoustic version)
16. Can’t Find My Way Home
Back to Ass-Kicking Rock and Roll
17. Split Decision
18. Voodoo Chile

The Encore:
19. Cocaine
20. Dear Mr. Fantasy

Band Lineup:
Eric Clapton – guitar, vocals
Steve Winwood – vocals, Hammond B3, piano, guitar
Chris Stainton – keyboards
Willie Weeks – bass
Abe Laboriel, Jr. – drums

Sharon White – backup vocals
Michelle John – backup vocals

I attended this incredible concert as a young lad and it changed my life for the better. I still have the original mimeographed line-up sheet. My uncle was the Chief of Police for Galloway Township, the place where the show was held, and I had to hear all kinds of shit about “druggie hippies” and the like. Of course, I never did any of those things…I swear (supreme bullshit) Here’s the super line-up courtesy Wikipedia:
American Dream
Aum
Booker T. & The M.G.s
Tim Buckley
Paul Butterfield Blues Band
The Byrds
Canned Heat
The Chambers Brothers
Chicago **Chicago Transit Authority
Joe Cocker
The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown
Credence Clearwater Revival
Dr. John
Cass Elliot
Iron Butterfly
Jefferson Airplane
Janis Joplin
Lighthouse
Little Richard
Lothar and the Hand People
Hugh Masekela
Buddy Miles
Joni Mitchell
Mother Earth
Tracy Nelson
Procol Harum
Buddy Rich
Biff Rose
Santana
Sir Douglas Quintet
Three Dog Night
Edgar Winter
Biff Rose
Frank Zappa

Biff Rose was the MC and filled in for Joni Mitchell when she started to cry and ran off stage in the middle of her 3rd song when the crowd was not paying attention to her performance. It seems she was placed in the rotation directly after Mother Earth featuring Tracy Nelson and the crowd wasn’t ready to hear her mild act.

Crosby, Stills & Nash were originally on the lineup but ended up as a no-show, Nash supposedly had polyps on tonsils (but sang at Woodstock two weeks later). The Chambers Brothers were a last-minute substitute.

Photo by Nick 2008 Acapulco Sunset

WE REMAIN
Nick Oliva © 2009
For a new old friend celebrating 22 years of marriage today 6/3/09
 
A glance of serendipity
But a fleeting moment
And the heart beats with joy
A finding of lifelong treasure
Against the odds
We are together without conditions
 
The muses foretold
This wonderful want
And sealed with love
Each day
Throughout
Life’s alterations
We remain
 
Thank the stars
The Moon
The Gods
The Sun
The Universe
The Wind
No Retrograde can come between us
We’ve weathered the worst
We remain as we are
 
Each day is an unfolding
Two become one
In body, in mind
We cherish the time
We are of one mind
We remain as we were
In love

(from the Associated Press) WICHITA, Kansas — Dr. George Tiller, a Kansas doctor whose clinic received national attention for performing late-term abortions, was shot to death as he entered his Wichita church on Sunday.

“Members of the congregation who were inside the sanctuary at the time of the shooting were being kept inside the church by police,” the Wichita Eagle reported, “and those arriving were being ushered into the parking lot.”

Tiller has been among the few U.S. physicians performing late-term abortion, making him a favored target of anti-abortion protesters. He testified that he and his family have suffered years of harassment and threats. His clinic was the site of the 1991 “Summer of Mercy” protests marked by mass demonstrations and arrests. His clinic was bombed in 1985, and an abortion opponent shot him in both arms in 1993.

Tiller’s clinic also provided group and individual counseling, as well as chaplain and funeral services for people who were grieving.

The anti-abortion group Operation Rescue, which runs a “Tiller Watch” feature on its website, released a statement condemning the shooting. “We are shocked at this morning’s disturbing news that Mr. Tiller was gunned down. Operation Rescue has worked for years through peaceful, legal means, and through the proper channels to see him brought to justice. We denounce vigilantism and the cowardly act that took place this morning. We pray for Mr. Tiller’s family that they will find comfort and healing that can only be found in Jesus Christ.”

President Obama issued the following statement about Dr. George Tiller’s murder:

“I am shocked and outraged by the murder of Dr. George Tiller as he attended church services this morning. However profound our differences as Americans over difficult issues such as abortion, they cannot be resolved by heinous acts of violence.”

MY COMMENT IS AS SUCH:

A rational response?

“We pray for Mr. Tiller’s family that they will find comfort and healing that can only be found in Jesus Christ.”

 For god’s sake, that’s what got him killed! The “killing for Christ” insanity is indoctrinated in humans and manipulated and promoted by right wing broadcasters that seek to viciously stir the pot of less intelligent humans to commit the ultimate acts of violence. They advance a complete circular conundrum of inaness. And why do they do it? They do it for their own personal wealth, ego, and for their ratings sake and then to add complete insult to injury, this “holy house of worship” has the utter balls to put out a statement that says that “healing can only be found in Jesus Christ?” – Excerpt from Nick’s new yet unpublished book, “A Gift”

      The chapter on the Christian Bible proves beyond a shadow of doubt, in laymen’s words that it is a complete fabrication used to empower the Emperors and Kings throughout the centuries.

The Chapter are as follows: 

In the Beginning
The Here and Now School of Philosophy 101
Fear
The Atheists
The Christians/A Personal Cost of Christian Fanaticism-Sexual Abuse
The Real Story of the Christian Bible, or That Black Book You’re Holding Isn’t What You Think It Is
My Near Death Experience
In Conclusion 

 I can only “pray” it gets published quickly