BruceM

Bump... We're getting closer every day....

That's new BOC to me. I cut my teeth on the first 3 albums, and when this song came out, I was all like, WTF, dude? That was around the time when many of my favorite bands got ruined by success, or writing songs that had mass appeal: Journey, REO and Styx, to name a few. Of course, I like most of those old albums now, but still like their first ones best. And I did see BOC multiple times, even after they "sold out." First time, Dec. '73. Last time, May (I think?) 1989 in Munich. That show was complete with a Godzilla head which spit a little fire. haha.

Glad to hear you're recovering well! This happened recently to a drummer friend of mine. As a result of a conversation we had during a practice in my basement, he requested a blood calcium test from his doctor, and within a few weeks he had undergone a quadruple bypass. That was in early June, and he's back to drumming in the basement again, and will participate onstage at my upcoming birthday party. He is only 58, btw. He "feels lucky" as he truly was a heart attack waiting to happen due to his blockage, which was nearly 100% in two different arteries. I personally had what I thought was a heart attack scare about 18 months ago. It turned out to be a high blood pressure incident, and all the tests done on my heart and arteries came back okay for a guy of my age, 70. Your advice to get checked is spot on.

I've got lots of her music and have been doing a deep dive. This is one my favorite covers of hers:

You haven't seen my latest driver's license pic.

It's that time of the century, where I celebrate another decade on the planet. I'd love to see some out-of-town guests show up for this one. Fifty and Sixty were awesome parties, and Seventy will be no exception. This one takes place on a Saturday afternoon, Oct. 24, with an after party at the 4-3-2-1 Club. Anyone want to make a road trip, or fly in?

I bought a Guild Travel Mahogany Mini Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar from Musician's Friend SDOD a couple of years ago. I leave it sitting out in my living room and everyone that visits likes to pick it up. They're around $250 online, but I got mine for half that because it was the SDOD. I'll take it outside when my young neighbor girls want to strum a bit (they're in the 5-8 age range), and it works great for their small hands.

I'm so sorry to hear this news. Rest in Peace, friend.

RIP. I used to play Chicago songs on baritone horn in pep band in High School. Soundtrack of my youth.

I'm so glad I got to meet you guys in Seattle in what, the summer of 2010? Thanks for posting the goofball pic of us, Peso; I immediately was going to look for that one. RIP, Johnny. I already miss your recommendations on stereo equipment. The receiver I'm using right now was one of your recommendations here on this board, many years ago.

There's a guy in Tomah, Wisconsin, Barry Clark, who claims to be the biggest Hofner dealer in the USA. I bought a cheapo Club from a guy in my neighborhood about 6 years ago. I liked it well enough for what it was, but ended up selling it to my brother's neighbor, a 13 year old boy. The guitar fit his hands well as he was learning. I then began to see Barry Clark's instruments on Reverb, he's got a large Reverb store with lots of instruments listed. Fast forward to 2 years ago, and I decided to stop in to his store, which was a converted house-turned-music-store on the main drag of Tomah. I used to hang out in Tomah occasionally because I'd ride the nearby Elroy-Sparta bike trail twice a year throughout the 80s and 90s, and there was a good supper club there. It was a weird stop because I was road weary after a 5 hour drive from my parents place in central IL. Barry is in his 80s now, and it took him awhile to figure out why I was there. I ended up buying a Club 500/2 bass, which is the mid-line single cut. I still have the bass, and I like it quite a bit. Barry did not have adequate time to set up the guitar, and I didn't check it well before I left. The bridge was messed up and needed a replacement part, so I stopped in on my next trip. He did the work in the week I was traveling, and restrung the guitar with round wound strings, which he insisted were required for rock music. I like the round wound sound better. He was right. Weird things about his shop and the trip: His wife suffers dementia and wanders around the store. She was confused by me. I had just spent time with my Dad, who suffered dementia as well, so I told them their apologies for her behavior were not necessary. He's got a large garage type warehouse where he houses inventory, and was bragging about a shipment of 300 Hofners he was about to receive from Germany. He's got some really nice instruments there. Look up Barry Clark guitars on reverb. He's from England, and he recorded his first album at Abby Road Studios somewhere around 1969. He was quite proud of that, and pulled out his photo album to show me pics. I had been there a half hour by then and was ready to leave, so I didn't stay long Barry was the lead guitarist. What's the name of his band, you might ask? None other than the legendary Pussy. Yup, you heard that right. Pussy. Enough said. Here's some classic Pussy music:

Well that was fun watching Billy Corgan interview himself. RIP, JD. you were responsible for much of the soundtrack of my youth, and hence my life.

If I didn't already have a red one, this one would be mine! GLWTS

Yeah, I know, but if you don't ask... Any other Hamer baritone model would also suffice. Or, how about some nice pics of Hamer baritone guitars.