Interview: Greg Lake

Greg Lake first made his mark as a founding member of King Crimson, for which he was lead singer and bass player. During Lake’s tenure, King Crimson released their debut album In the Court of the Crimson King, which is regularly hailed as one of the pioneering works of progressive rock, and included “21st Century Schizoid Man” and the title track. When this original line-up broke up, Lake joined with Keith Emerson and Carl Palmer to form the prog rock supergroup Emerson, Lake & Palmer (often abbreviated ELP), which became one of top bands in the genre. ELP’s albums included Tarkus and Brain Salad Surgery, and their best known songs include “Lucky Man”, “From The Beginning”, and “Karn Evil 9″, all of which were written or co-written by Lake. ELP broke up in 1978, but reunited in the 1990′s and beyond, most recently for a one-off 40th anniversary concert in London in 2010.

Lake is currently on a solo tour called “Songs of a Lifetime”, in which he performs songs and tells stories about his life in music. The following interview took place on 4/24/12 as Lake was on his way to a gig in Alexandria, Virginia, and served as the basis for a preview article for his 5/17/12 concert in Ventura, California.

Photo: Lee Millward

Interview: Jack Casady

Jack Casady played bass guitar for the Sixties band Jefferson Airplane, which is best known for the hits “Somebody To Love” and “White Rabbit”. Their albums Surrealistic Pillow, After Bathing At Baxter’s, Crown of Creation, and Volunteers are amongst the best of the psychedelic rock genre. Casady also played on “Voodoo Chile” with Jimi Hendrix, and “Song With No Words (Tree With No Leaves)” from David Crosby’s first solo album. As the Sixties wound down, Casady and Jefferson Airplane lead guitarist Jorma Kaukonen’s attention shifted to their new band Hot Tuna, which focused on acoustic and electric folk- and blues-based music. (L. Paul Mann photo)

Photos: Experience Hendrix

Photos of Experience Hendrix concert, Arlington Theatre, Santa Barbara on 3/4/10. (L. Paul Mann photos)

Here is a link to my review of this concert.

Concert Review: Experience Hendrix

Review of Experience Hendrix concert at Arlington Theatre, Santa Barbara on 3/4/10.

You’ve got email, from Dick Dale

I emailed Dick Dale the link to my review of his concert at the Ventrua Majestic Theater on 6/14/09. Here is his response, by email:

Advice From Musicians

Songwriters and musicians answer the question: What advice would you give to an aspiring songwriter/musician? Responses from:

Pete Seeger
Sir George Martin
Steve Reich
Jeff Barry
Graham Nash
Fats Domino
Willie Nelson
George Clinton
Wanda Jackson
Jon Anderson
Chuck D
Rickie Lee Jones
Todd Rundgren
Alan Parsons
Mark Volman
Howard Kaylan
Richie Furay
Ted Nugent
Billy Corgan
Peter Buck
Bryan Adams
Maceo Parker
“Weird Al” Yankovic
Abdul “Duke” Fakir
David “Honeyboy” Edwards
Ray Manzarek
John Densmore
Paul Kantner
Jorma Kaukonen
Jack Casady
Martin Gore
Robben Ford
Bob Cowsill
John Cowsill
David Pack
David Lindley
T-Bone Burnett
Johnny Rivers
Gary Brooker
Robin Trower
Garland Jeffreys
Airto Moreira
June Millington
Jean Millington
Jake Shimabukuro
Country Joe McDonald
Jonathan Richman
Van Dyke Parks
Steve Wynn
Tony Kaye
Glen Phillips
Larry Ramos
Jim Yester
Gary Lucas
Charlie Musselwhite
Carl Giammarese
Martha High
Steve Vai
Thurston Moore
Bob Mould
Lou Barlow
Cris Kirkwood
Mike Watt
Will Oldham
Bill Callahan
Buzz Osborne
Dale Crover
Neil Hagerty
Bob Bert
Don Fleming
Ritzy Bryan
Kim Manning
Linnea Vedder
James Jackson Toth
John Doe
Henry Rollins
Jack Grisham
Ron Emory
Joey Burns
Dallas Good
Michael Chapman
Russell Ferrante
Jimmy Haslip
Eddie Tuduri
Brute Force
Mark Tulin
Ian Underwood
Billy Cox
Will Cullen Hart
Scott Spillane
Julian Koster
Bert Lams
Paul Richards
Seymour Duncan
Daniel Levitin
David Freiberg
Steve Young
Justin Roberts
Larkin Grimm
Jason Reeves
Buddy Miller
Black Francis
Alex Ebert
Al Kooper
Jeff Hanneman
Ira Kaplan