No offense intended but is there any reason to quote the entire article especially when yours is only the second post in the thread? I mean it's not like anything is different now that you're Desperado instead of icanquityoubabe.

Brian Wilson Jonathan Cohen, N.Y. After issuing his recent work on Rhino and Nonesuch, Beach Boys principal Brian Wilson has returned to Capitol Records for the release of his next album, "That Lucky Old Sun." The set is due Sept. 2. "That Lucky Old Sun," which centers around the Southern California of Wilson's youth, was premiered last September at London's Royal Festival Hall. The work comprises 11 new songs plus four spoken narratives written by longtime collaborator Van Dyke Parks and a vocal excerpt. To read the remainder of the article click here.

Escovedo Ready To Rock On 'Real Animal' Alejandro Escovedo Gary Graff, Detroit On his upcoming album, "Real Animal," veteran singer/songwriter Alejandro Escovedo got to do something he hasn't done since his days in Rank & File and the True Believers. "I finally got to make a rock'n'roll record; I don't feel I've done that as a solo artist," Escovedo, who's been putting out albums on his own since 1992 -- save for the 1997 rock side trip in Buick Mackane -- tells Billboard.com. "I've always claimed that I was borne of rock'n'roll and that I was essentially a rocker, but I think that I've never really just made a rock album." Click here to read the rest of the article.

Even for free, I wouldn't wanna see a facsimile of the Marshall Tucker Band, or any band for that matter I don't care how good they supposedly are. Let the Caldwell brothers rest in peace.

I'm sure Dickey Betts will be worth seeing, I'm just not too fond of artists that play the exact same setlist night in and night out (apparently Dickey's been doing the same one for several tours now). Molly Hatchet's original lead singer, Danny Joe Brown died several years ago. The only original member currently in the band is guitarist Dave Hlubek. The only original member of the Marshall Tucker Band is Gray. They played my area not too long ago but I'll be damned if I was going to pay $30 to see what is essentially a cover band, I don't care how good they supposedly are. They should have retired the name when Toy Caldwell died. Blackfoot has also toured in recent years without Rickey Medlocke (who's now in the band that refers to themselves as Lynyrd Skynyrd). No Medlocke, no Blackfoot. I feel the same way about Foghat who continue to tour despite the death of "Lonesome" Dave Peverett (guitarist Rod Price also passed away a few years ago). No "Lonesome" Dave, no Foghat. Again, that's why so many of those nostalgia shows are free. Sometimes (as in the case of Molly Hatchet a few years ago) there's not even one original member of the band in the lineup. I don't wanna see that, even for free as it's nothing more than a cover band cashing in on the name. That's not only a rip-off to fans who think they're seeing the real thing but is an insult to the memory of the original band members.

Other than Dickey, I'd say the concerts are free for a reason (then again I've read they he's been playing the same exact setlist for several years now). As for Hatchet, I think there's only one original member in the band (same for Tucker). For years they toured with no original members. Like I said, it's free for a reason...

I'm kinda of anti-cellphone myself and still don't take it into clubs, theatres, etc. unless I know there's an instance where someone needs to reach me. Still, my mind was changed about their convenience when I saw a story on CNN a few years ago about a canoeist that had their life saved because they had their cellphone on them. If my child was in a life threatening situation I would feel the same way too. Back to the discussion at hand, I also recently saw a piece on another locally oriented PBS show called Folkways about a naturalist that runs a camp in Western NC called Turtle Island. If you're interested in that sort of thing, it is very well worth checking out. If we are ever reduced to no electricity folks like Eustace Conway (who runs the camp) will already be prepared since he's been living outdoors and without electricity for the vast majority of his life. Eustace Turtle Island Preserve

I love that one as well. It was a nice flashback to the beginnings of Skynyrd since it was pretty much one of the very first lineups of the band. If you haven't heard either of the records below (both of which include One More Time) they make a very welcome additions to any Skynyrd collection. The first one is the album One More Time was originally scheduled to appear on.

Maybe it's just me but I hear absolutely no similarity whatsoever between Brian Johnson's vocals on Back In Black and Plant's on Black Dog. The only thing they have in common is the word "black".

Thanks for the report. I wanted to see the Police back in '85 when they hit Greensboro on the Synchronicity Tour but I couldn't find anyone to go with me so I caught them in Charlotte this past fall on their reunion tour. It was very good and I enjoyed it immensely but I'm not so sure I'd be willing to drop $90 on seats in the nosebleed section again. And you're right about Stewart Copeland, he kicked ass all night long.

Or the intro to Travelin' Man. I also love Leon's howl on Workin' For MCA. This is the post-crash version of Skynyrd but it's still got Leon playing bass: Travelin' Man

It's all this guy's fault.

More food for thought: You can read more about it here.

While some of those photos are understandably too gruesome to be shown on television it's amazing how sanitized this current war is when it comes to television coverage.

How is that? Nothing the matter with Rush these days but All the World's A Stage captures them in their prime. Oh, and funny how you'd make a crack about the Drive-By Truckers' audience having mullets (which is a crock of shit if I've ever heard it) when Rush's audience was once full of them, including the band members themselves.

Click here for the list.

I mentioned Bob Dylan but when I did, I made sure to specify him as an artist. In the context of discussing great American music I see no harm whatsover in mentioning him (as well as other artists) in the same breath as bands. In that context, it's all about great American music, not just singling out bands and artists. It may be worth pointing out that throughout his career Dylan has made a point of being backed by some great American bands such as The Band, the Grateful Dead and Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers.

I don't think anyone's saying anything is Brian's "fault", just that they have a preference when it comes to the material. "I'm sick to death of people saying we've made 11 albums that sounds exactly the same. In fact, we've made 12 albums that sound exactly the same." - Angus Young

This is a bit off-topic since the article seems to be dealing with city life but I recently saw an episode of Exploring North Carolina on our local PBS affiliate that focused on the subject of how many of today's children are afraid of nature. This wasn't just one person's standpoint as several people were interviewed who said it is an alarming statistic. There is even a retreat kids can attend up in the NC mountains where they are encouraged to reconnect with nature. Here's a program description from WUNC's website: http://www.unctv.org/exploringNC/episode410.html Episode 410 Logos vs. Leaves What makes a child explore, grow and blossom? When and where do they learn to take chances? Have they learned to fear the wrong things? Have we taught them to feel safer in gated communities, and in lighted shopping malls? Today, children can play games with virtual friends, in virtual forests, on a computer. Conversations take place on a cell phone, and friends are seen in Facebook, and not in a tree house. Children know more corporate logos than leaves, more product jingles than bird sounds, and catch more computer viruses than fish. Exploring North Carolina examines American children's need for more time in wild, wide open spaces and with educators, scientists, and children as our guide, the episode demonstrates why children may be better off knowing more leaves than logos.

Depends on which eras you're talking about. Back in the 70s it would have been neck and neck for me. These days, I'd take Aerosmith over the band that continues to call themselves Lynyrd Skynyrd. Even though I'm not so fond of Aerosmith's newer records, they at least still have all of their original members. Can't say I agree with the statement that Aerosmith is second only to Led Zeppelin, that would be assuming everyone here's favorite band is Zep but they're not mine. My favorite band/artist would be the Beatles. Just because I post at a Led Zeppelin message board doesn't mean they're my favorite.

As I understand it, North America isn't part of the equation, it's America so that excludes Canadian artists such Neil. Not sure whether to consider The Band American or Canadian as all of the members except for Levon Helm hailed from Canada. Even if they are officially considered Canadian the music they made definitely had it's roots in American musical styles.

Besides their "issues", I'd say Boston's biggest problem was making the exact same album over and over again. Aerosmith made not have made a thoroughly decent album since Rocks but they've never made the same album twice. Boston also painted themselves into a corner by being such a overly polished studio band, they never could pull off that sound live. How did Motley Crue, Ratt and the other "hair" bands of the 80s influence "pop culture"? I think Aerosmith influenced a lot of artists, and not just in the "hair" metal category. In that category I'd say look no further than Cinderella for a band that was heavily influenced by Aerosmith but they weren't the one by far. Tyler's scarves are a huge part of their "signature" look.

Even if I distinguished Aerosmith as an American "hard rock" band I still wouldn't put 'em near the top, that honor would go to Pearl Jam. Don't get me wrong though, I'm definitely an Aerosmith fan but they dropped the ball long ago. To my ears Pearl Jam have been much more consistent throughout their career. In the "rootsy" category Los Lobos definitely deserve a mention alongside Dylan, CCR, the Grateful Dead, the Neville Brothers, the Band, etc. As far as "alternative" is concerned, R.E.M. stands head and shoulders above the rest. Though an argument could be made that Pearl Jam also fall into that category. Thus is the trouble with labeling music to start with. I'm a fan of them all.

From RollingStone.com: Kid Rock, Peter Wolf, Lynyrd Skynyrd Raise the Roof at the Garden Last night at Madison Square Garden, Kid Rock brought his Rock and Roll Revival Tour north of the Mason-Dixon for a crowd-pleasing review that included guests Peter Wolf, Reverend Run and Lynyrd Skynyrd, who were playing the Garden for the first time in their forty year career. Click below for photos and stories from last night’s gig. • Kid Rock, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Peter Wolf Lead Rock and Roll Revival Tour at Madison Square Garden