Army of Anyone was quite a good CD. The Deleo Bros are awesome. I wish them well.

Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely This cd is a smorgasbord of authentic music styles of past decades. It is wonderfully and whimsically composed and played AND will become a classic. It is light years ahead of their first outing both lyrically and musically. The proggy progressions alone give this CD bonus points for me. I'm an old dinosaur from the 70's, so to me, these guys seem to have dug up a bunch of undiscovered classics. Along with Earl Greyhound there seems to be a revival in a classic vein. Thank God I don't have to listen to the oldies station to hear good music. I am so sick of hearing the same-old same-old. This is NEW old and damn good! Give it time.

On just two listens I'm putting in my vote for album of the year. Raconteurs "Consolers of the Lonely". Kicks major ass. WOW!

Alter Bridge http://www.myspace.com/alterbridge Earl Greyhound http://www.myspace.com/earlgreyhound Thornley http://www.myspace.com/thornicus The Raconteurs http://www.myspace.com/theraconteurs Robert Randolph http://www.myspace.com/robertrandolph Fairfield AD http://www.myspace.com/fairfieldtheband Along with the Foos, Collective Soul, The Mars Volta and others. There is much new music with a very "Classic" feel/spirit. The old music didn't die it is being re-born. It continues in these bands. They've updated the recording but maintained the textures and dynamics of the best of the late 60's 70's (The high water mark for rock music IMHO). These guys are carrying the torch - further. NOT COVER BANDS! Even though they are finding it rough going in today's market, I think some of the song writing competes with the classics in quality. As if they could be long lost music from whom they draw. OUTSTANDING!

Tully looks more like Dana Carvey. No?

Myles is THE best singer in rock music today. I was a Creed hater from the get go. AB is a whole 'nother thing. Mark Tremonti is a consummate professional. Their shows are killer. I've seen them twice, met them once. Very down to earth guys. Myles is adding a blues influence and loosening Tremonti up compositionally to wonderful effect. The rhythm sections is also tight as hell. These guys deserve to be seen in an arena 'cause the music is JUST THAT BIG, but sadly the music biz being what it has become, will keep them in the clubs. I highly recommend them live. They're gonna do some more dates in the US in the spring I believe.

I ALWAYS liked the Cars. I thought they were innovative, deceptively simple and catchy as hell. Very tasty and tight. A bit of a bore live, but incredible radio fare. My fave artist has posted a demo of let The Good Times Roll. I think it captured the spirit of the track using very different instrumentation. Give it a listen: http://www.myspace.com/thornicus My thoughts posted up on another board: "The Cars cover, to me is a like style guide. Y'know when Pixar makes a movie, like the Incredibles, they hire a bunch of artists to just hash out the style/color pallet/shapes etc to determine the look and feel the movie. So everyone is on the same page. LTGTR seems to be like this. Ian can firm up his intent to the band and the producer this way. Although it's really tasty, It's rough in spots and is in need of a really good mix. Hence demo. The solos seem like place holders to be replaced/amped up in the end. They are too understated. I've witnessed many tightly soaring Ian solos and this song needs a stunner. The vocal treatment/performance is "loose passionate". The gind-style guitars churning underneath really propel this track and I love the rhythmic turnaround on the front end. The experimentation with vocal harmonies continues. He's his own best backing vocalist. As I've said, it's gonna MAKE his new sound. I have mentioned before that Ian really needs a good "classic" producer. The original Cars track was produced by Roy Thomas Baker. Exactly who I suggested should helm his new CD. Eliot Easton, the Cars guitarist, was a Berkley School attendee. AND the Cars was a Boston band, of course Ian was still in diapers when this was recorded. The degrees of separation are becoming less and less. I think that Ian is on to my theory. HehHeh. Enter Nick Raskulinecz. Nick Raskulinecz is a student of more classic rock flavors and has helped Dave Grohl to fashion some real gems. I DO believe that we fans are gonna be in for a treat. A more modern sound combined with a classic feel puts Ian in the pocket of where he is most comfortable production wise. His compositions need an engineering/producing hand that understands them and does not try to pigeon-hole them into some sort of moving target marketing." Later

The Cars - Let The Good Times Roll - Ian Thornley - A new demo up on his myspace page. Second song. http://www.myspace.com/thornicus

Another oldie revisited. I painted this on a denim jacket back in the early eighties. I am re-working it digitally. The composition needs a bit of work but it's getting there. Maybe when I retire. Oh yeah... that's right... I forgot I have to work until I'm dead. And some others. http://buk.cgsociety.org/gallery/444894/

Great pix gang. Such a nice little community, spread out all over the world (and generations). Here's to the next gen of Zep fans. Just a regular old boring Christmas. And I LOVE IT!

Chi, That was an awesome review. I got chills when you described the pre-Achillies laser pyramid. I saw the show in MSG weeks later. It took my breath away.

Just to refresh y'alls memories. Me and my sanity. Happy zoo day. See if you don't start out lookin' so good... when you get old you don't look so bad. Nice to see you all. Happy Thanksgiving!

An old bit of writing from 2002 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center Yes + NJPAC = awesome! My wife and I for our second anniversary, treated ourselves to a wonderfully classy evening of Yes. I’m not a critical reviewer of the show from a technical standpoint (there were a few glitches to fulfill those purists among us), but as I’ve read in so many reviews before, Yes touches a part of us spiritually. Looking around at the audience, and how we’ve all grown old, yet still have the privilege of Yes being on stage, Live in 2002, I can’t help but feel blessed. Apart from the some of the synth sounds, to me, none of the compositions seems locked in time. The dynamics, the tension, the interplay between the band members, the relaxed fun that was going on….there’s just nothing like it in all of music. I am aware and listen to a bit of the current music mainstream, with bands that reach for what Yes was. Tool seems to be the only mainstream band, in the sense that they employ long compositions, a tremendous rhythm section, similar dynamics for emotional effect etc. that I could compare in experience. But Yes, with their gentle, sincere spirit, no matter how sappy by todays cynical standards, is a far more unique, uplifting, complex, fulfilling experience. I feel for kids now, not having the exposure to such wise and positive music. I had the opportunity to turn, a friend/musician who is only 26, on to a band he never would have had the chance to see, by todays’ connections. He is a very talented singer songwriter, who although very accomplished compositionally hasn’t been exposed to such as Yes. He had never heard their music and was blown away. From what he heard, that I sent him, Starship Trooper stood out as a favorite. How great was it that they played that? And it was such a loose, fun version. It was also wonderful to be surrounded by such a knowledgeable community of fans, who show rapt enthusiasm at every nuance. Listen, nothing beats the energy of witnessing the band back in its stadium-filling heyday. That excitement of hearing new material for the first time, head full of whatever supposed mind-expanding drug was available, massive avalanches of crescendo after crescendo. But today, with a much-settled soul, a clear head and comfortable seats, I feel gifted by their music. I saw a couple guys that I went to high school with who told me that they had seen the band successively for 28 years. It was great to see them. I had forgotten what big fans they were. My wife betty and I had the pleasure of sitting next to an English couple, John and Joyce, who shared stories of shows “over the pond” back in the day. During Awaken I was totally lost in the moment, tears streaming down my face, convinced that as I die and go to Heaven, this would be the soundtrack that I would hear. I felt numb and I’m sober 8 years. Awaken seems to me, and John concurred, to be a sort of an undiscovered gem, which I never realized until maybe five years ago, what an unbelievably powerful composition it is. I don’t remember it being the centerpiece of their set back in the late 70’s or 80’s. (I don’t actually remember much of anything from those days) I guess that’s why, at 47, to be able to see Yes in all their glory, fat, bald, gray warts and all, yet as brilliant musically as they ever were is something that I could have never imagined. God’s grace is abundant. Thank you John, Joyce and John for great commraderie, and Jon, Steve, Rik, Chris and Alan for sharing your soul.