Friday, January 20, 2012
NorthWest News & Review: Tesla's Frank Hannon Releases "GYPSY HIGHWAY"
NorthWest News & Review: Tesla's Frank Hannon Releases "GYPSY HIGHWAY": Monday, January 16, 2012 Frank Hannon's GYPSY HIGHWAY Headed for GRAMMYs A Review by Steven Masone Frank Hannon of TESLA fam...
NorthWest News & Review: Exploring "The Rogue" Southern Oregon's "Crown Jew...
NorthWest News & Review: Exploring "The Rogue" Southern Oregon's "Crown Jew...: Rogue River - Upper Rogue River Crater Lake National Park to Gold Hill Crater Lake National Park website. The World Famous Rogue Ri...
Exploring "The Rogue" Southern Oregon's "Crown Jewels"
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Ashland Oregon lies 15 miles north of the California border, in the foothills of a snowcapped peak, surrounded by mountains. Southern Oregon University is located there, as well as the world-renowned Shakespeare Festival. Ashland's population is comprised of both lifelong residents, solidly rooted in small-town living, and former metropolitan area residents looking for a more relaxed pace and a better quality of life.
NorthWest News & Review: Tesla's Frank Hannon Releases "GYPSY HIGHWAY"
NorthWest News & Review: Tesla's Frank Hannon Releases "GYPSY HIGHWAY": Monday, January 16, 2012 Frank Hannon's GYPSY HIGHWAY Headed for GRAMMYs A Review by Steven Masone Frank Hannon of TESLA fam...
Tesla's Frank Hannon Releases "GYPSY HIGHWAY"
Monday, January 16, 2012
Frank Hannon's GYPSY HIGHWAY Headed for GRAMMYs
A Review by
Steven Masone
Frank Hannon of TESLA fame breaks out solo with GYPSY HIGHWAY...a collection of acoustic songs written and performed by Frank in studio on every instrument.
Country, Folk, with Southern Delta overtones clearly coming through mandolin, banjo, and echos' of Jethro Tull on flute. Drums, guitar, slide guitar & fretless bass create his own unique sound far from his hard rock platform.As I have written before, I was there at the genesis of TESLA working with Steve Claussman who managed them as "city kid." I was working with Steve Claussman stage producing and packaging another band we cut an album with when we hooked up with Frank and City Kid.
The moment I first heard Frank play the guitar I knew he had that "gift" that would take him to the top. I probably had worked with every top lead guitarist in Sacramento and beyond (Co-produced concert with Al DiMeola and Stanley Clark & Chic Corea circa 1976) so I am not surprised Frank can cross over to any genre and form he wants. He was that good back when he was... 16?
I can't say enough about the preview cuts from GYPSY HIGHWAY. "SWEET SOUTHERN SOUND" is one of my favorites! But they are all great. I could go on and on about where this music takes me...on the road again...down by the bayou...southern sounds with hot licks... and yes, masterful guitar work and impressive stylings on all of the instruments he uses on GYPSY HIGHWAY.
Influences of Bob Dylan, Kris Kristofferson, Lynard Skynard and even early Steve Miller and The Beatles are evident throughout Frank's... 'from the heart'... great solo album.
I really enjoyed his vocals even though I did not have a quality system to hear his depth and timber. I also sensed while his passion was there, I think being in the studio solo caused some detachment of his ability to emote on some songs where in a live performance that synergetic connection with band and audience would remedy that. ( Some Stanislavsky couldn't hurt... lol ) His lyrics have that quality story-telling magic that paint visuals for the listener to take the journey the songs convey. I was pleasantly surprised by his rendition of The Star Spangled Banner recently sung at a Sacramento Kings game. Well done.
From his rich flamenco/spanish guitar work in 'THE HILLS OF CALIFORNIA' accenting south of the border flavor contribution, to the impressive mandolin, banjo and flute throughout. If you listen carefully...you will sense clearly that his solo career is going to be special.
Listen "SWEET SOUTHERN SOUND"
RedHawk Records proudly announces that singer / song-writer Frank Hannon's album GYPSY HIGHWAY has been accepted for consideration in the 54th Annual Grammy Awards!
ENTER HERE TO 'GYPSY HIGHWAY'... BUY IT! http://frankhannon.com/
NorthWest News & Review: Legend Etta James Gone home at 73..."At Last"
NorthWest News & Review: Legend Etta James Gone home at 73..."At Last": Friday, January 20, 2012 Etta James Gone Home at 73.."AT LAST!" -- Etta James, whose assertive, earthy voice lit up such hits as "The Wallfl...
Legend Etta James Gone home at 73..."At Last"
Friday, January 20, 2012
Etta James Gone Home at 73.."AT LAST!"
-- Etta James, whose assertive, earthy voice lit up such hits as "The Wallflower," "Something's Got a Hold on Me" and the wedding favorite "At Last," has died, according to her longtime friend and manager, Lupe De Leon. She was 73.
She died from complications from leukemia with her husband, Artis Mills, and her sons by her side, De Leon said.
She was diagnosed with leukemia in 2010, and also suffered fromdementia and hepatitis C. James died at a hospital in Riverside, California. She would have turned 74 Wednesday.
" This is a tremendous loss for the family, her friends and fans around the world," De Leon said. "She was a true original who could sing it all -- her music defied category.
"I worked with Etta for over 30 years. She was my friend and I will miss her always."
The powerhouse singer, known as "Miss Peaches," lived an eventful life. She first hit the charts as a teenager, taking "The Wallflower (Roll With Me, Henry)" -- an "answer record" to Hank Ballard's "Work With Me, Annie" -- to No. 1 on the R&B charts in 1955. She joined Chess Records in 1960 and had a string of R&B and pop hits, many with lush string arrangements. After a mid-decade fade, she re-emerged in 1967 with a more hard-edged, soulful sound.
Throughout her career, James overcame a heroin addiction, opened for the Rolling Stones, won six Grammys and was voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Despite her ups and downs -- including a number of health problems -- she maintained an optimistic attitude.
"Most of the songs I sing, they have that blue feeling to it. They have that sorry feeling. And I don't know what I'm sorry about," she told CNN's Denise Quan in 2002. "I don't!"
Through it all, she was a spitfire beloved by contemporaries and young up-and-comers.
"Etta James is unmanageable, and I'm the closest thing she's ever had to a manager," Lupe DeLeon, her manager of 30-plus years, told CNN in admiration.
British songstress Adele named James as one of her favorite singers, along with Aretha Franklin.
"If you were to look up the word singer in the dictionary, you'd see their names," Adele said in an interview.
Etta James was born Jamesetta Hawkins in Los Angeles to a teen mother and unknown father. (She suspected her father was the pool player Minnesota Fats.)
Her birth mother initially took little responsibility and James was raised by a series of people, notably a pair of boardinghouse owners. But she was recognized from a young age for her booming voice, showcased in a South Central Los Angeles church.
In 1950, her mother took her to San Francisco, where James formed a group called the Peaches. Singer Johnny Otis, best known for "Willie and the Hand Jive," discovered her and had her sing a song he wrote using Ballard's tune as a model. "The Wallflower," with responses from "Louie Louie" songwriter Richard Berry, made James an R&B star.
Her signing to Chess introduced her to a broader audience, as the record label's co-owner, Leonard Chess, believed she should do pop hits. Among her recordings were "Stormy Weather," the Lena Horne classic originally from 1933; "A Sunday Kind of Love," which dates from 1946; and most notably, "At Last," a 1941 number that was originally a hit for Glenn Miller.
James' version of "At Last" starts out with swooning strings and the singer enters with confident gusto, dazzlingly maintaining a mood of joy and romance. Though the song failed to make the Top 40 upon its 1961 release -- though it did hit the R&B Top 10 -- its emotional punch has long made it a favorite at weddings.
James' career suffered in the mid-'60s when the British Invasion took over the pop charts and as she fought some personal demons. But she got a boost when she started recording at Rick Hall's FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Her hits included the brassy "Tell Mama" and the raw "I'd Rather Go Blind," the latter later notably covered by Rod Stewart.
She entered rehab in the 1970s for her drug problem but re-established herself with live performances and an album produced by noted R&B mastermind Jerry Wexler. After another stint in rehab -- this time at the Betty Ford Clinic -- she made a comeback album, "Seven Year Itch," in 1988.
James mastered a range of styles -- from R&B and soul to jazz and blues -- but she was always one step behind the popular genre of the day, said Michael Coyle, a Colgate University professor who has written about jazz and R&B and reviews records for Cadence Magazine.
"She never really got her moment in the sun," Coyle said.
But James soldiered on, and by the end of her life she had made so much meaningful music that she was considered a living legend. "By the mid-'90s, she's survived so long that people start to look up to her," Coyle said.
James was portrayed by pop star Beyonce in the 2008 film "Cadillac Records," about Chess. After Beyonce sang "At Last" at one of President Barack Obama's 2009 inaugural balls, James lashed out: "I can't stand Beyonce. She had no business up there singing my song that I've been singing forever." She later told the New York Daily News she was joking.
Earlier this year, news reports revealed that the singer's estate was being contested in a legal struggle between her husband, Artis Mills, and son Donto James. (Donto and her other son, Sametto, both played in her band.)
Over the years, James had her share of health problems. In the late 1990s she reportedly weighed more than 400 pounds and required a scooter to get around. In 2003 she had gastric bypass surgery and dropped more than half the weight, according to People magazine.
However, until her latest issues, James maintained a steady touring schedule and appeared full of energy even when sitting down -- as she sometimes did on stage, due to bad knees and her weight battles.
Even while sitting down, James gave it her all on stage, singing as though possessed, caressing every note like a long-lost love. If that seemed a little much to critics, well, the legendary singer had a show to put on, she told Quan.
"They said that Etta James is still vulgar," she said in the 2002 interview. "I said, 'Oh, how dare 'em say I'm still real vulgar! I'm vulgar because I dance in the chair?' What would they want me to do? Want me to just be still or something like that?
"I gotta do something."
"I'll Fly Away"
Thursday, January 19, 2012
NorthWest News & Review: Gov. declares emergency: Severe Oregon Weather, Fl...
NorthWest News & Review: Gov. declares emergency: Severe Oregon Weather, Fl...: Gov. declares emergency: Severe Oregon Weather, Floods by Teresa Blackman Bio | Email | Follow: @ KGWNews Posted on January 19, 2012 at 4...
Gov. declares emergency: Severe Oregon Weather, Floods
Gov. declares emergency: Severe Oregon Weather, Floods
Posted on January 19, 2012 at 4:23 PM
Updated today at 11:22 PM
SALEM -- Governor John Kitzhaber Thursday declared a state of emergency for four Oregon counties,authorizing the use of state resources for the response to flooding and storm damage.
The governor’s initial declaration included Marion, Coos, Benton, and Lincoln counties. Other counties will likely be added later, he said.
Snowmelt has combined with heavy rains to flood communities across Oregon.
The small communities of Scio and Turner were forced to evacuate Thursday morning and Red Cross shelters have been set up across western Oregon.
“The return of severe winter weather has overwhelmed communities across our state,” Governor Kitzhaber said. “My priority is to ensure the safety of all Oregonians and their properties. With this emergency declaration, I have directed all available state resources to help affected counties in any way possible.”
Photos: Flooding in Turner & Scio
By declaring a state of emergency, the governor also directed the Oregon Military Department and Office of Emergency Management to coordinate all requests for state assistance from affected counties.
For a full list of Salem closures, please refer to the City of Salem Website at www.cityofsalem.net
Kitzhaber also encouraged citizens to use extreme caution while driving in affected areas. If you are safe at home, stay there, he said, and avoid putting yourself at risk.
Photos: Marion county flooding
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