Posted on 07/04/2015 11:06:50 AM PDT by Talkwire
That was great!
I wish I could think of something good, the band I play guitar in is booked to play at the local 4th get together and fireworks display, last band before the fireworks. If I didn’t hate Born in the USA so much we could do that one but I get sick of it, can’t Bruce think up another line????
If I had thought of it sooner I could have practiced a little and do a Hendrix style Star Spangled Banner...but I haven’t tried it in 30 years...in fact this is the first time I’ve had a 4th of July gig in probably 20 years...things just never seemed to work out that way...
We’re an American Band maybe???
Just for the hell of it, I did a search for “patriotic rock songs” and most lists included: Jimi Hendricks’ (mangling of) the “Star Spangled Banner”, and, Bruce Springsteen’s (actually anti-American song) “Born in the USA”
Messed up when good-intentioned folks play this crap at patriotic events.
Pretty too!
Back in the USA by Chuck Berry
Not actually a rock song, but a genuinely patriotic one anyhow.
Jay Black was at the San Genaro Feast in New York's Little Italy last fall, or late summer? He didn't sing anything, though. As a guest of Cousin Brucie who was emceeing the live show there, he spoke about the song and why he wrote it. He said he simply got tired of all the negative anti-American BS that was being spewed by entertainers at the time.
I hear ya on brucie ‘;) I only play him in a mocking style.
We’ve covered “An American Band” before and it was well received. I’ve also done Styx’s “Miss America” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYikyYL0S00 - but with a shredding solo instead of synth solo.
Old Glory (a song for Michael) by 10 Pound Test
Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!
Cousin Bruce, I grew up listening to him when WABC was a top40 station. He does an oldies show on satellite.
Yes., that was the show he was doing from the Feast on Mulberry St last Sept. The live group was the Chimes, their big song being "Once In A While".
THE CHIMES - ONCE IN A WHILE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsJ3BX0RLc4
We’ve tinkered with Miss America a few times but never really tried to put it together. We have 3 excellent singers, but I’m not sure we can cover the vocals in that song. Tommy Shaw makes Styx songs pretty tough to cover...The rest would be no big problem, I’d probably have to try and transpose the keyboard part in a couple of places to guitar instead, but I think I could do that...We can do a lot of good stuff with a 3 piece and drum machine, but it’s not easy to cover songs by a 5 piece band with 2 great guitar players and a fabulous keyboard player too plus Tommy Shaw’s vocals...even though JY sang that one, the high harmonies Shaw added are probably beyond our ranges.
Anyway gig went fairly well except that the humidity made my fingertips so soggy I could barely play at all, no such thing as sliding fingers across the frets playing leads, otherwise it was ok, we got some radio publicity, everyone said it sounded great.
There’s one Springsteen song I’d like to do, One Step Up. I’ve worked on it, don’t have it up to speed yet, but I think I might be able to get the guys to put it together.
I’m glad it went well.
In the early 90’s I was in a band with a guitarist who was a big Springsteen fan. So I learned a few of his tunes (not that hard to accomplish). “Born in the USA” (which I hated), “I’m on fire” (which I rather enjoyed although I would usually camp up the vocals), and my favorite: “Pink Cadillac”. That one was my favorite because every time we would launch into the opening riff the girls would go nutty as they sprang out of their chairs and onto the dance floor ;’)
You’re right about Styx tunes and that’s why I only covered a couple of them. I had a double-neck (actually still have it but don’t play it anymore) that I would use on “Crystal Ball” but our cover never had the depth or richness of the keyboards so I usually stuck to beerhall rock standards.
I’ve done “Pink Cadillac” quite a few times, with 3 or 4 bands, same audience response usually. I like “I’m On Fire” pretty well too but never tried it.
Band I’m with played together in the 90’s too, we started on “Renegade” but I had to move out of state for a job. Right now we’re getting into some Gerry Rafferty songs, “Baker Street”, “Right Down the Line” and “Stuck in the Middle” as well as some new Eagles stuff, “New Kid in Town”, “How Long” and maybe another. Can’t remember...
I had a Mosrite Ventures model double neck in the 70’s, loved it but really neck heavy. 12 string over 6. New amp, Fender Pro Jr, did pretty well but thin compared to the 73 Super Reverb...Can’t beat that amp...Got some cool fireworks pictures too.
In many quarters, it already is.
Take the faculty lounge, for example. And PBS wouldn't be caught dead playing "redneck music".
Probably not long now!!
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