Ahh, the Kinks. Always contrary. Always independent. Always special. The greatest band of its era, save the Fab Four. Ray Davies was an unparalleled songwriter, and his brother Dave and drummer Mick Avory added the perfect musical elements to each track. They broke up in 1996. Or 1997. And, despite periodic rumors of reuniting (they…
Read More Now, THIS is how you do a re-release!Among the music courses I took in college (I was a music minor) was “History of Jazz” and “History of Rock.” Those who know me would think I disliked the former and loved the latter. Actually, the opposite was true – due entirely to each teacher. The man who taught the jazz course (unfortunately, I…
Read More I could title this ‘It’s Only Rock & Roll’ but I won’tSydney Poitier! Christine McVie! Mikhail Gorbachev! Taylor Hawkins! And Chris Barker. You know the first four names: They’re among the famous folk who died in 2022. Chris Barker, thankfully, is still among the living. An award-winning artist and designer, he has created an annual visual salute to the dead since 2016, using The Beatles’ Sgt.…
Read More Our story so far…I was looking for something else and came upon this instead. It’s the bio I wrote for the band Dave and I had in South Florida. He named us The Medicis after the Italian family known for its patronage of the arts (as well as lots of political doings). Using my home “studio” (a primitive…
Read More ‘Official’ bio of The MedicisOne of my sisters left her copy of this album (the American version) at the house when she headed for college (or marriage, depending on which sister it was). Six-year-old me scribbled on it, “The Beatles / A Hard Days Night / Must be havering fun.” Indeed, they must have been havering fun. As a…
Read More 1. A Hard Day’s Night