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Summary: Go play at a nursing home. Discussion: One of the few useful things I do these days is volunteer at a local nursing home. If you don't already know, the most bored people around live in those places. It is really sad, but the residents make the best of it, as do the all the people who help run the place. Over the last year or so I've seen that there are 2 for-sure ways to make those people happy. The first is my big goofy dog, he was born to get petted. And he second is music. Regarding music....the residents LOVE music. I think it would be very cool for rockers to thump out a few long mellow tunes in a cafeteria full of folks who arrive on walkers or in wheelchairs. A sure bet on a way to spend some quality time cause everybody walks, hobbles or rolls away happy. So, if you have time time and motivation, go play for the old folks. They certainly have the time you will make their day/week/month much brighter. Thanks for your consideration!

Didn't he normally push Joe Bonamassa around? Prerequisite is having seen 'Little Britain' before

Gigolo Aunts You Am I (mid-period stuff is more power poppy) Redd Kross Big Star Cheap Trick Fuzzbubble Hoodoo Gurus The Lemonheads Material Issue The Plimsouls The Pretenders (Sorta) The Shazam Silver Jet Shoes Sloan The Smithereens Squeeze Teenage Fanclub Lots of Todd Rundgren stuff Velvet Crush To name a few in loosely alphabetical order...

Very sweet responses, thanks folks. Even one guy with a git and an amp and a couple hours can pull this off. Just make a call to set up a couple hours some afternoon. An incredible amount of good being accomplished with so little effort. There are not just old people, by the way, some of the residents are younger than me. Last, a few of the residents are musicians themselves, or even taught music. So bring your best. Thanks again.

A friend (jazzer) does this. Recently played at one and, when he was leaving, the director asked if Michael would play one more for a resident that was dying. His favorite song----"You Are My Sunshine". As he played, the normal Pacific NW skies parted, there was a ray of sunshine, the gentleman smiled----And took his last breath as the song ended. Helped him "find the light" indeed! Just do NOT bring THIS guitar..... http://portland.craigslist.org/clk/msg/3723777869.html

Huey Lewis' guitarist is an absolute monster. And of course Dancing on the Ceiling was Steve Lukather. He played on at least a couple Lionel Ritchie albums and pretty much everything else in the 80's that required a cool guitar solo as well. - Austin Didn't Dan Huff do a large number of the cool 80s solos/licks, too?

Is Robin Beck and "The very first time" power pop or just mediocre rubbish? Whatever it is, I like both, the song and the solo. And in any case, it is veeeerrrrrry 80ties.

I like the lead break on Dancing on the ceiling, and practically all the playing on anything by Huey Lewis and the news.. Forexample... I like the blue superstrat on this one!

Lots of Prince and Michael Jackson. The Purple Rain melody was the first my son learned to play at age 6.

Every Matthew Sweet song after and including the Girlfriend album (more or less). - Austin

Love Elliot Easton - great guitarist and composer of cool arse music!

I have a buddy, he's about 55, who makes $50-$100 cash a night playing acoustic guitar at retirement homes (not nursing homes). He just plays olds songs and tells corny jokes... "My family is from Hamilton, and old iron and steel town... my mom irons and my dad steals!"