Progressive & Psychedelic Cafe...

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Comment by Bob "Stormcrow" Sanders on June 16, 2009 at 10:07pm

Thanks for the comments, folks! Stop by anytime you can. My computer was down for a week! BIG HEADACHE! But I'm back now - rebuilding!
Peace,
Bob

Comment by Tina on June 13, 2009 at 11:42pm

Hey Bob. Im just stopping by for a bit but I'll be back. I just want to let you know that people are here even if we dont write anything. Dont give up.

Comment by Sue Rarick on June 12, 2009 at 7:49am

I just found 2 old (ancient) songs I recorded many years ago. I thought it would be fun to post them..... They pretty much fit this group. They are Crossroader Blues and Spoonful

Comment by Rocky on June 10, 2009 at 4:17pm

Great group. I'll be back to read the comments but I'm on the run right now.

Comment by Bob "Stormcrow" Sanders on June 7, 2009 at 9:51am

Oops! In my comment on the Airplane - I meant "late 60's", not "70's".

Comment by Bob "Stormcrow" Sanders on June 7, 2009 at 6:26am

Here's some thoughts on a couple of "lost" recordings.

1. "Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus" - Spirit. Released in 1970 just before the original line-up began to come apart. (Bassist Mark Andes would eventually go on to work with Heart.) Spirit was an incredibly innovative group - often overlooked and under-rated - combining rock, pop, and jazz. One of the first bands to exhibit an environmental awareness as exemplified in their "hit" "Nature's Way".

2. "Bless Its Pointed Little Head" - Jefferson Airplane. One of the great live recordings from the late 70's. Pre-Woodstock, recorded at the Fillmore(s) at a time when they were at their most powerful. I had the good fortune of witnessing a show at the Fillmore East at this time. Also on the bill that night - Joe Cocker and the Grease Band.

Comment by LYLE SANDERS on June 7, 2009 at 12:14am

For me, the quintessential representative of Psychedelic Rock would be Jimi Hendrix.

Comment by Pixie Bavle-Nolin on June 4, 2009 at 2:18am

Hi Lyle, welcome to the group. As you can see, we have a great new administrator who I think is going to be great for this group.

Please post your comments and questions. We like all the activity.

Again, welcome to the group.

Comment by Bob "Stormcrow" Sanders on June 3, 2009 at 8:11am

All right! Let's get the party started! I want to talk a little about (1.) the subject of this group and then (2.) some of my thoughts on genre "labels".
1. The terms "Progressive" & "Psychedelic" of course derive from the musical revolution of the late 60's and early 70's. Remember? Sure you do! One of the most characteristic features of this music was that the songs frequently broke the "3 minute barrier" - a restriction that had more to do with the juke-box business than any artistic considerations. Juke boxes made money per play. The shorter the songs, the more profit. The Doors' "Light My Fire" was edited to fit, for example. The first long song to be accepted (to the best of my recollection) was "Hey, Jude" by the Beatles - they had clout. Today, in the iPod age, juke boxes are mostly seen in bars and are essentially coin-op iPods anyway. But in the 50's and 60's they were important. AM radio was terrible and stereo didn't exist - remember Phonographs? People would go to "juke joints" to dance and socialize.
But enough "ancient history". I'm curious to know how this music entertained you and influenced you and what music from that era STILL intrigues you. And what of current styles that owe much to this "progressive" tradition? Jam Bands, for instance, that owe much to groups like The Grateful Dead and the Allman Brothers. Wide Spread Panic, The Codetalkers, etc.
2. Genre labels: People always ask me - "What kind of music do you play?" I'm always at a loss. I'm just another fool with a guitar. I usually optimistically reply - "The kind you're gonna like!" Sometimes that works. But, clearly, most labels are created by people who market music not by the people who create the music. (A current genre, "Americana", is an exception. We'll discuss that another day.) The first time I heard the term "Folk Rock" was from "The Midnight Muse" a folk music show broadcast by WCTC out of New Brunswick, NJ. They needed something to call "electrified" folk music - Bob Dylan's "Highway 61" and Paul Simon's "Sounds of Silence" and others like that. Led Zep NEVER called themselves "Heavy Metal". That term came from "Heavy" by Iron Butterfly. Remember Iron Butteryfly? Yikes! "In a Gadda-da-zilla"! Psychedelic certainly but oh so silly! Inescapable in the summer of 69 and way beyond the 3 minute barrier. (Self indulgence should be grounds for the revocation of one's artistic licence.)
The proliferation of genre labels continues. "New Grass" or "Progressive Blue Grass" for the mingling of jazz with blue grass as presented by David Grisman and Bela Flek, for instance.

Anyway, that's my rant for today.
What do YOU think?
Peace,
da' Crow

Comment by Tina on June 3, 2009 at 2:59am

Bob Stromcrow, Congratulations on becoming the adminster

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