I first met Roy McAdams over 40 years ago, probably at the old Driftwood Lounge (where Driftwood Pizza is now). Back then, the Driftwood was a late night hangout for musicians who would stop in to have a cocktail and jam into the very late/very early hours. (The Keys had 24-hour watering holes back then.)

If memory serves me well, I recall walking into the Driftwood when Roy was on stage. Armed with an old Yamaha 12-string guitar, he started playing one of my favorite Dan Fogelberg songs, a Northeastern…

It was a shock last Saturday to wake up to the news of Jimmy Buffett’s passing. This year of 2023 that has seen the passing of way too many music legends has claimed yet another. This one, however, is just a bit closer to home.

I got my first guitar on Christmas Day, 1976 — ironically, Jimmy Buffett’s 30th birthday. In 1977, Buffett became a household name, thanks to “Margaritaville” and the Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes album. Young guitar pickers had a wealth of new songs that made us all…

2023 has claimed yet another music legend — Robbie Robertson, guitarist, songwriter, and erstwhile leader of The Band, has passed away at the age of 80. Robertson was one of the greatest talents to emerge from the early Canadian rock scene, and he leaves behind an incomparable legacy of classic songs and essential recordings.

As just a teenage musician, Robbie was invited to write songs with Toronto rocker Ronnie Hawkins, and also joined the band as its bassist. He soon moved to guitar, and by 1961, all the…

This really should be the Golden Age of Music. Recorded music is so easily available. Nearly any commercial recording is available online as a stream or a download from your favorite music source (now if we can only figure out how the musicians and content creators get paid for it). I have several hundred full albums from my favorite artists available on my iPhone, and I could stream what I don’t have. No, these lossy versions don’t sound as good as the original source, but they sure sound a metric crap-ton…

At the risk of sounding like a grump, I’m going to relate a story that, sadly, happens all too often at concerts these days. Before that happens, here’s a bit about the concert.

It was wonderful. The Doobie Brothers extended their 50th Anniversary Tour and dropped into the Hard Rock Live last Thursday. Sadly, founding Doobie Tom Johnston is recovering from back issues and has had to miss some dates. The rest of the band, including Doobie principals like founder Patrick Simmons, Michael McDonald, and John…

My friend, local musician/singer/songwriter Billy Davidson, recently posted what he called a rant on Facebook. Based on the very pertinent (to musicians) subject matter, I don’t see it as a rant — it’s just a statement on the sad state of affairs for independent musicians. Here’s Billy’s statement:

“Tonight I just spent $70.00 on a new harmonica. I can't sell CDs anymore because there are no more CD players in cars and computers and I don’t have anywhere that I can sell my music. I just bought my daughter a…

(From July, 2022)

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street band are touring again, hitting the road for the first time post-COVID. When tickets for the American leg of the tour finally went on sale, there was quite a bit of negative publicity surrounding the cost of tickets. How could working class hero Springsteen charge ticket prices only the wealthy could afford — in some cases, over $4,500 per ticket?! Even New Jersey Congressman Bill Pascrell Jr. weighed in: “Americans have the right to enjoy some live…

(This was written upon the release of David Crosby's For Free album, which I absolutely love to this day.)

David Crosby is a total jerk. At least that’s what many of his old bandmates say. A founding member of the Byrds as well as Crosby Stills Nash and Young, Crosby has known the heavenly heights of music stardom as well as the hellish lows of serving prison time for drug and gun violations. A case of hepatitis C necessitated a liver transplant in 1994, courtesy of Phil Collins. 

Crosby really pissed off…

I just got back from a week in Music City, USA — Nashville, Tennessee! Every time I go there, I’m able to (ever so briefly) tap into the energy of that town. Everyone who’s anyone has recorded and played in Nashville, and Bob Dylan even named his country-influenced 1969 album Nashville Skyline. Nashville’s lifeblood truly is music, and its energy is palpable everywhere you go. 

The last time I was in Nashville was five years ago, and it’s jaw-droppingly amazing to see how much that town has grown. My first…

I first heard Mark Knopfler the way just about everyone else did, on the Dire Straits song “Sultans of Swing” back in 1978. Upon first impression, and it wasn’t just mine, I wondered who was playing those cool Fender Stratocaster licks on a new Bob Dylan song.

Sadly, I missed my chance to see Dire Straits on their first American tour back when I was in college. (I know, stupid, stupid, stupid!)  But I did follow the group throughout their career, as Knopfler’s songs and the band’s arrangements grew more…