The Beatles: My Musical Inspiration - 50 Years Later

This Sunday marks the 50^th anniversary of the Beatles’ appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. It’s widely accepted that this performance changed the world of TV and music forever. Anyone old enough to remember it can recall that great moment on a Sunday night in February when 73 million people in the U.S. were introduced to the musical force called the Beatles. For me, it was the beginning of what I consider to be me today.

When Paul McCartney counted out the beginning of All My Loving that historic night, I was 10 years old, sitting on my parents’ bed in their room watching the TV. It was black-and-white, and had one small speaker. I was transfixed; from that time onward, I listened to the radio every minute I could. I had it on while I did my homework, or was just lying on my bed staring into space. 

I was hooked. And why not? To a boy approaching his 11^th birthday, they were heroes – cool, powerful, and they seemed to be having a great time together. Besides that, the music was brilliant. Music critics started opining about their use of unusual chords and transitions, but it was those polished three-part harmonies, generous samplings of R & B classics from American artists, and especially, that youthful energy that captivated me, and millions of others.

For my 11^th birthday, I received my own copy of Meet the Beatles, the first American album. My sitter, a teenage girl who watched us (I have two younger brothers), taught me some basic dance moves to that album for my 7^th grade dance. I remember them playing Beatles songs at the dance, including someone’s joke parody called “I Want to Hold Your Feet.”

I continued to listen to the radio enthusiastically through 1964, 1965, and 1966, hearing Beatles songs as they came out, along with their British Invasion buddies: the Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Animals, the Hollies, the Dave Clark Five, Herman’s Hermits, Gerry and the Pacemakers, The Who, and on and on. But it was in 1967, after the Beatles retired from touring and released the mysterious Strawberry Fields Forever, that Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band appeared. 

That June, my mother, for some reason, brought home a copy of the album. I listened to it over and over and over, as I’m sure millions of other Beatle fans did. I remember sitting directly in front of the Curtis-Mathes wood stereo cabinet and looking at the texture of the speaker grilles and studying the centerfold photo of the four guys with their mustaches. I decided I had to get wire-rimmed glasses like my hero, John Lennon, and by 1968, I had them. Wearing glasses was finally cool!

Sgt. Pepper’s was an experience, from the cough and murmuring of the crowd at the beginning to the long, extended multi-piano chord that concludes A Day in the Life. It was unique, exciting, and monumental. Before long, other bands inserted odd sections and instruments into their music, too.

I used to listen to the album and strum a badminton racquet that was lying around the house. I was a bored clarinetist at the back of the section in the school band. If mom, as an amateur cellist, was the musical inspiration and album bringer, my father was the one who brought the gear. He and mom had separated the previous fall, but one day, when he came to visit us, dad brought me an electric guitar and small amplifier that some guy at work was selling. This was as important, in its own way, as hearing the Beatles on TV in 1964. Suddenly, I could start to play the songs myself! This was a big deal.

 The next spring, I got an acoustic guitar, so I could easily sit in my bedroom and play Beatle songs as much as I wanted. My friend Lisa, who lived next door, was three years younger, but would sunbathe on the other side of the fence and listen to me play. Eventually, we would sing together. Our special song was, I Will, from the The Beatles (White Album).

The energy and amazing changes of 1964’s music lasted, for me, through the White Album in November of 1968, but by 1969, Beatle songs didn’t have the same impact, as times and tastes changed. The whole radio scene was changing. The sense of the four musicians being a unit had long disappeared, as they grew up and became more individuated. I grew up too, although I still played my guitar. I even started to write my own songs, emulating my heroes.

In 1969, I moved to Arizona, and took my guitars with me. In my loneliness, I wrote more songs, and also spent time with a particular girl, listening to Abbey Road, much in the way I had sat alone in front of that stereo in 1967 with Sgt. Pepper.  I tried to form a band with a couple of friends, but, despite acquiring a fantastic Fender amplifier (worth a fortune today, if I still had it), it went nowhere. Then, in the spring, the Beatles broke up, right as I graduated from high school. The world changed again.

Back in California in 1970 and 1971, I bought and listened to John, Paul, and George’s initial solo albums. There was some great material on there (Imagine, Maybe I’m Amazed, My Sweet Lord), but it wasn’t the same. I tried being a solo “Dylan understudy” in San Francisco clubs for a little while, but it was intimidating for an 18-year-old suburbanite, and I quickly let it go, instead pursuing music at San Francisco State University. That lasted one semester. “Sorry, no guitar majors.” I eventually became an English major and graduated, years later.

In 1972, I got the urge to play the electric bass. I’m not sure, looking back, why exactly, but I remember liking the sounds Paul made with his violin-style Hofner. I took the only thing I had of value, my coin collection, and traded it for a green Fender-style bass in a pawn shop in the Tenderloin. Who needed those old coins anyway? 

I didn’t even have an amplifier yet, but I took my new treasure home and plunked away on it, finger style, hoping for something to happen. It wasn’t long before someone broke into my ground-floor apartment and stole my beloved bass. That was the end of that experiment—before it had a chance to develop.

After that, I played guitar occasionally for fun. I recorded some of my songs in 1971 at a friend’s house, and that recording exists today. I took my acoustic guitar to Israel in 1974 and impressed the natives with my rendition of “House of the Rising Sun” and various Beatles tunes, but I left it there when I came home. It needed repairs.

Shortly after I graduated from college, I bought a nice, modestly priced acoustic guitar to replace the one I’d given away five years earlier. I played bluegrass mandolin in a Sunday pickup band in 1980. My first wife and I sang a few times together (she performs wonderfully with a Jazz trio today). But after that, it wasn’t until 2003, as I approached my 50^th birthday, that I decided that it was time to get my bass.

Where do these ideas come from? My younger son was taking guitar lessons, so I was visiting the music store every week. My old longing was rekindled. But now, my coin collection long gone, I mentioned it to my beloved and supportive wife, who said, “Why don’t you just go buy one?” So, there you have it. Mom supplied Sgt. Pepper’s, dad the first guitar, my son inspired me with his guitar lessons, and now, my darling spouse gave me the OK to go get the instrument of my dreams.

I shopped, and found a lovely Fender bass. It has a sunburst finish, with aluminum pick guard, and combines the classic “Precision” body with a “Jazz” neck. Although I was already a guitar player, I decided to take a few bass lessons, to get up to speed. I started weekly lessons with Dennis, a guy about my age with a ponytail who had a lifetime of musical experience. We worked on a variety of songs that I picked, new and old, and I found that playing the bass felt natural. Dennis encouraged me to find other musicians to play with. I now understand the importance of this. Music is much more than lessons. It’s a living thing that happens when people play together.

Thanks to Dennis’ suggestion, and references from the music store, I found three other musicians, and we started our own band! After all these years, I was the bass player in a band. Red Paint lasted for six years, and although we didn’t get rich or famous, we played gigs and even recorded a CD! It was a dream come true. We duplicated the Beatles in being a foursome on guitars, bass and drums. We even played a few Beatles songs – I got to do my version of You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away, a Lennon-penned favorite.

Once again, I don’t know exactly where this urge came from, but it had something to do with a little foldable list of recommended albums that featured the bass. Sgt. Pepper’s was on the list, but I also started listening to some music I hadn’t heard before, including some great Jazz recordings. I became aware of the rich tones of the upright bass on Jazz and some folk and bluegrass albums. Paul Chambers! Ray Brown! I found one of those old-fashioned advertisements on the wall of a music store, with little pull-off tabs at the bottom with the teacher’s name and phone number. I called and set up my first acoustic bass lesson in July of 2004.

Maybe having the cello around the house growing up helped, but I moved over to the upright bass pretty easily. After an enjoyable first lesson using his bass, Damon, my new teacher, took me to a fine old music store in downtown Oakland, where I rented my own big brown bass. What was I thinking? I started on the basic orange book—the Simandl method -- but also fooled around with some Jazz tunes. Damon was the right guy for me – young and helpful and he didn’t treat me like a beginner.

After a year or so of this, I took the summer off to think about it. I decided to continue, and at that point, I traded my loaner for a real bass of my own. It’s a beauty, hand-carved in China and I still play it almost every day.

There’s more still to this story. In 2006, I got to play in a Beatles cover band, Fab Fever. What could be better than that? I was still finding my way on the bass, but we did have a great time while it lasted. Although I left that group to focus my energies on Red Paint, today, I still play with one member of that group, Frank. We’re Two of Us, and as a duo, we run through a range of Beatles songs, and some other fine material. Hey—the Beatles played covers, too. Frank has a rich baritone, so we inevitably sing the Beatles’ songs in a lower key. I still have many friendships from the Fab Fever group, and we’ve played summer outdoor concerts affiliated with the Odd Fellows.

In late 2006, just around the time that my Red Paint group got started, I got a flyer in the mail for the local Adult School. In it, I saw a listing for a community orchestra. I hadn’t thought about that, but why not? I signed up.

On January 2, 2007, I hauled my upright bass to a rehearsal at a private home. It was a week before rehearsals would begin at the school. Not knowing a soul, I stood in the back and tried to play what was on the music. I hit a few notes, and despite my frustration and embarrassment, I enjoyed being with the group. I especially liked the conductor, Josh. With a smile, he came over to talk with me. I apologized for hitting so few notes, and he said, “Well, come on back next week and you can play some more!” I did, and that was the beginning of what’s now a seven-year position in the Castro Valley Adult School Chamber Orchestra. I’m the principal bassist there now. I’ve played three or four concerts a year of the greats – Beethoven, Dvorak, Mozart, and many others. 

From that orchestra connection, I’ve picked up chamber music, playing in small groups, including quarterly weekends locally and two one-week-long summertime visits to the fantastic Humboldt Chamber Music Workshop. There is not much better on this earth than living in the dorms, eating in the cafeteria with your fellow musicians, and playing beautiful music all day and all night. I came home both times from my “grown up music camp” inspired and energized.

Today? I’m a member of Tablues, a blues and R&B band. We played 20 gigs in the second half of last year, and we’ve recorded some nice demos. I’m still with the orchestra. I am playing a Beethoven Septet with a private chamber music group that found me last year to help them with Schubert’s Trout Quintet, which needs a bass! I’ve played the Trout often over the last few years, pleasing musicians who enjoy the deep sound. Most chamber music doesn’t include bass.

Thank you, John, Paul, George and Ringo, for starting me off on my musical path. And also, thanks to Mom, Dad, Cathy, Cameron, Joy, Dennis, Damon, Frank, Josh, Red Paint, Fab Fever, The Castro Valley Chamber Orchestra, Sycamore 129 Blues Band, Tablues, Kenneth, and all my other musical friends and colleagues, who’ve made it possible.

The Back Pages Bring the 1960s to Life

The Back Pages at Maltby's on March 22, 2013, blue-lit

I grew up listening to the radio in the 1960s. It was AM on a tinny little receiver until the last couple of years of the decade, but I ate it up. I listened in the morning and after school and especially at night in my room.

I remember hearing the first Beatle songs on the radio--songs like I Want to Hold Your Hand and She Loves You. I also had records, including Meet the Beatles as an 11th birthday present and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band when my mother brought it home in mid 1967.

But the most important thing was the variety and the familiarity, yet surprise when new songs appeared. That's what you get when you go listen to The Back Pages. This long established San Francisco Bay Area band can knock out a series of Beatles, Rolling Stones, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Yardbards, Van Morrison, and more. And they do a great job of keeping the sound pretty close to the original.

Just tonight I heard them for the second time. Slightly different from the last show, they were lacking their keyboard player and featured a substitute guitarist. Lucky for them, and the audience, it was the highly skilled Bill Zupko filling in. Bill, who plays Beatles and other favorites with Ticket to Ride, knows how to break down a song and learn the parts perfectly, so I heard George Harrison leads played the way George played them.

Getting to hear a variety of this "classical" music is a treat for me, but also means that younger people can get a sense of the excitement of the sound. I never heard these songs done live myself, but with the energy and careful reproduction the band obviously has worked to create, it's a worthwhile experience.

It was made all the better by taking place in Maltby's, a nice restaurant and tavern in Los Altos, California. My lamb sandwich went well with the brown ales available on tap from the friendly bartender. During the evening, small groups jumped onto the small dance floor and shook themselves about to the beat.

There are lots of tribute bands out there, but when you have to reproduce a reasonably close version of songs by a variety of artists, it takes special skill. I've seen several good local groups, but The Back Pages may be the best of the bunch--and they're great guys, too.

The Back Pages play Maltby's again tomorrow night--and are regulars, so you can catch them again soon--if you're in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Ticket to Ride - Live Beatles Music in 2013

Chad waves his hand in encouragement.

Part of the joy of seeing and hearing a band like Ticket to Ride is that they can bring the music you grew up with to life. It's what I absorbed on my six-transistor radio first--and then played a million times on records, cassettes, CDs and now, my iPod.

There is more than one Beatles band in the San Francisco Bay Area--I've heard three good ones already. I had a chance to catch Ticket to Ride tonight in the Kensington Circus pub in Kensington. The place is a family restaurant and bar. It was full of families happily consuming their dinners when my friend Tony and I arrived tonight. The band was just setting up. Finally, halfway through my Vegan plate, they started.

Wow! These guys really work at authenticity. Lead singer and rhythm guitarist Chad Labrosse can hit the high notes that Paul McCartney nails--and only dogs hear. He also has a great stage presence--friendly, into the music. Bill Zupko can play all of George's great leads uncannily perfectly. He sings good backup too, and took a few solos. George Becker stands front and center with his Paul McCartney violin bass and holds down the fort. You need a strong bass to give Beatles songs their vitality and keep them honest. He also got in some fine backups during two and three part harmonies. Drummer Marty Ruiz is solid on the 4/4, conjuring Ringo through the evening. He got some nice solo work in, too. Half hidden behind a column tonight was keyboardist and singer Scott Beyer. Even if you couldn't always see him in his neat shirt and tie and John Lennon glasses, he not only hit the piano and organ parts, but produced electronic clapping, sitars, and whatever else was needed.

The guys did two sets. They started out with Something--a surprisingly subdued intro, in my opinion, but they were just warming us up. The evening moved along quickly, with the lads moving back and forth through the Beatles catalog. I heard music from Meet the Beatles, such as I Saw Her Standing There, through mid-period songs such as Norwegian Wood, for which Chad switched to his acoustic electric guitar. The guys pulled off When I'm 64 off Sgt. Pepper, with a complete clarinet part played exactly by Bill. They did a masterful job of The End - including Bill's sensational picking. It's the end of Abbey Road and also of the group.

A few surprises. They played, all of a sudden, I'm a Believer by the Monkees. Their "encore" and show closer was Journey's Lights, proving that they have the chops to do pretty much whatever they set their considerably talented minds to doing.

I'll definitely go find them  when they play elsewhere. The Kensington Circus gig is regular, so you can catch them there again on March 2.

The Flower Furnace - Hitting My Musical Sweet Spot - Again

Light show and all, the Furnace rocks the Bistro

Today, I read a long article in the November 26, 2012 issue of the New Yorker on the music of the Grateful Dead. In Deadhead - The Afterlife, Nick Paumgarten recalls when he first discovered the band in the 1980s as a teenager. Describing his strong attachment to that period of the Dead's output, he says, "People say that the music you liked when you hit puberty is the stuff that sticks with you." He's so right.

That's why I love the Flower Furnace. Their music, ranging from 1965 to 1975, hits my sweet spot--and a little more. In 1965, I was 12, and glued to the radio, where I absorbed Motown, the British Invasion (led by the Beatles, Stones, Dave Clark 5, the Who) and the American hits by the Beach Boys, Four Seasons, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Paul Revere and the Raiders and many more.

I have what I consider a "phonographic memory" for songs from 1964 to 1968 (and maybe 1969 too)--my middle school and high school years. I know all the words and can nearly always sing along. It does help that I started playing the guitar in 1967 and was actually strumming some of these songs myself, but no other period of my life contains music that affects me this deeply.

Watching and listening to the band at the Bistro in Hayward, California (for the second time -- read my first post here) just reinforced this. How wonderful to be able to absorb the Jefferson Airplane's Somebody to Love -- the Furnace's opener-- LIVE! 1967 is the epicenter of that 60's musical earthquake that happened in San Francisco, and that song is about as emblematic of the way I felt then as it gets.

What about I am the Walrus--the band's finale? Not even the Beatles played that one live! And although the Fleetwood Mac, Peter Frampton and Kansas songs the Furnace knocks off so meticulously are not in my golden period, I owned those vinyl albums too. I just couldn't sing along quite as easily on Saturday.

The Bistro crowd responds to these songs, and cheers the musicians on. Three powerful sets delivered the goods. The show went 20 minutes past midnight, and I'm sure we would all have stayed another couple of hours if they had kept playing.

Happy Birthday Paul McCartney--and Brian Wilson Right Behind

Two of my favorite rock artists--and bass players--commemorate the big 7-Oh this week. Paul McCartney, today, June 18. Brian Wilson's is Wednesday, the 20th. What would the '60s have been without them? We'd be in big treble (that's a joke).

Paul was the first rock artist that I paid attention to that played the bass. Yeah, the Stones had a bass player and the Kinks and, well, even the Kingston Trio had David "Buck" Wheat standing with his upright in the shadows as a fourth member. But Paul is the one who made the most of an impression. He is also wonderfully original in his melodic bass lines, which became even more interesting and complex as the Beatles' compositions developed during the 1960s.

I just heard Good Vibrations tonight on the radio and once again realized how much Brian's bass part moved the song along with its throbbing pulse. We think of Brian as the ultimate harmony vocal composer, but the bass part has to accompany and support a song, and he knows how to do it.

What does it mean when your heros are becoming old guys? One scary thought is in realizing how close behind them I am. They were young men when I was a teenager.

Over the years, both men have experienced phenomenal success but great losses as well--Brian his two brothers, Dennis and Carl, and Paul his two musical partners, John and George. But this year, both men are performing special concerts--Paul's for Her Majesty and Brian on tour -- at long last -- with the remaining Beach Boys. I hope they can keep going for quite a while--because I plan, with their inspiration, to keep on going too.

The Beatles Live on with Drew Harrison and Friends

Last night I had the genuine pleasure of hearing not only Drew Harrison, who channels John Lennon so well with the Sun Kings, but three other gentlemen who do amazing things with Beatle-related sounds. At the intimate Frog and Fiddle in Alameda, California, Joe Orlando, of The Cryers, joined Drew for satisfying John/Paul harmonies on so many favorites. Then, Michael Barrett stepped in with the "George" harmony and guitar parts.

A special bonus came later in the evening, when Richard Cummins, who is to Paul McCartney what Drew is to John, joined the guys for more Beatle moments. Richard, who drove all the way from Vancouver, B.C. in his yellow Dodge Charger for the gig, played post-Beatles Paul first and then provided more samples of Beatles era songs. He can do Paul from Beatles to Wings to today. It was just plain heaven for this lifelong Beatles nut.

These guys showed off a range of talents. I enjoyed hearing Joe's takes on Elvis, Bobby Darin, and his exceptionally lovely Long Way from Anywhere (off James Taylor's Sweet Baby James LP). Michael Barrett played originals on his own, including a special Beatles-related song that included dozens of song references in it. He also did wonders with Peter Gabriel. I was very pleased with Drew's solo version of Nowhere Man, which had an urgent quality it would have possessed if John had produced it himself in 1970. The evening started with Drew's own worthy compositions. These guys are not just copycats.

You can't go wrong playing Beatles songs, and if we get the quality I heard last night, what could be better? And they are fun guys to talk with as well. The Frog and Fiddle is intimate, and offers some tasty and morerately priced African cuisine too from Soleil's African Cuisine.

Accounting for 2011 - Big Growth

The goal with Test Driving Life in 2011 was to post daily. I did that--and somehow, at the beginning two extra posts slipped in, so there were 367 posts last year.

Total Views for the year were 35,091, and the number grew steadily all year, from 647 in January (after practically nothing in December 2010) to 2,312 in July and up to 6,254 in December--the best month of the year.

Test Driving Life is focused on two main subjects, Cars and Music, but the third, category, Miscellaneous, actually had more items.

Cars - 106
Music - 101
Miscellaneous -158
There were two additional stories that were specifically dedicated to both cars and music. Add them all up and you get 367.

My end-of-the-year survey shows that the Miscellaneous subjects included at least 28 categories, from Art to Food to Anniversaries (birth and death), Architecture, Tattoos, Movies, Health, Sports, Travel, Social Issues, the News, and more.

The top 10 stories of the year were:

Audi A2 May Return - Hooray   9/3/11     2,292 views
Ford Pinto Turns 40 - Join the Stampede  6/5/11   1,801 views
My Worklife in a Nutshell  3/25/11   975 views
Bob Dylan is 70 Today -- Really?  5/24/11   942 views
Jack Casady - Bassman Then and Now  6/6/11  691 views
Fiat 500 Brings Cuteness into the Present  8/2/11  644 views
Christina Perri - Jar of Hearts  3/1/11  491 views
George Harrison's Cloud Nine - Post Beatle High Spot  11/10/11  459 views
Paul McCartney Meets a Girl from the Motor Trade  5/6/11  436 views
Three Beatle Weekend  10/10/11   384 views

Of the top 10, three were related to cars, including the top two, which were far ahead of the pack. Of the seven remaining, six involved musicians, of which three were related to the Beatles. Christina Perri was not the only musician from today who was featured in the blog, but is the only one to crack the top 10.

Test Driving Life continues, but may not be daily. Check regularly, though. Thanks.

Two of Us at the Hayward Farmers Market

The Beatles' music lives forever, as shown by the appreciation of the farmer's market shoppers today, who put $93.70 in my music partner Frank's guitar case. As the Beatles duo, Two of Us, we ran through dozens of Fab Four favorites, including everything from Please Please Me to the concluding section of the second side of Abbey Road (by request).

The weather cooperated, with temperatures in the high 50s and no wind, so we weren't uncomfortable. Several of our local friends and fellow musicians dropped by. Gary Howe was good enough to join us on one song.

The beauty of playing in this kind of venue is that you can try out stuff and nobody minds if you screw up. We had plenty of false endings, wrong chords, shaky harmonies, and the like, but we are getting better ("all the time") and are looking forward to another outing in February and next summer.

SPECIAL NOTE:

This post completes a commitment to blog daily in 2011, and is on a theme, music, that was popular as a blog subject. Test Driving Life is about trying everything as a "test drive," but music and cars were the main stars. I'll publish a review of the year of blogging tomorrow, when all the numbers are in. I do know that December 2011 was the most popular month ever for Test Driving Life, with more than 6,000 view. It's amazing what you can do if you put your mind to it.

Thanks to everyone who reads this blog. It will continue, but may not have a daily entry, in 2012. See the Jewish Roots Project for the blog that will be my primary focus next year.

John Lennon - Never Forgotten

John Lennon was murdered in his adopted home of New York City on this day in 1980. I will never forget it. John was my hero and he was cut down senselessly just as he resurfaced from five years of musical exile.

What is it exactly that keeps me memorializing John on this day every year? Is it the shock of his sudden death? After 31 years it still burns, as I imagine, December 7th must to a generation that remembers Pearl Harbor. I don't want to imply that these events are similar or of equal importance (John is famous for saying the Beatles were more popular than Jesus and getting in big trouble for it). But, in my life, safe and protected by those who did fight in WWII, having my hero killed was and is a big deal.

Although I loved (and still love) the Beatles as a group, and believe that their unique chemistry is what made them so great, John still stands out. There was something about his personality that made him the leader of the band--at first. As time went on, various factors caused him to step back while Paul took the controls, but by then the Beatles were becoming four more developed individuals, and John's songs stood out even more.

In the Lennon/McCartney songwriting team, while Paul supplied the sweet, John provided the savory, for a perfect blend--kind of like a chocolate-covered pretzel or a good sweet and sour chicken.

Although I mostly play the bass today--Paul's instrument--I still celebrate John more. His songwriting, singing and guitar playing were special--and his heart was in the right place.

I'll think about John today and, tonight, with my band, Red Paint, will play something in his memory--probably You've Got to Hide Your Love Away--but there are many more. Being in a four-man band helps me preserve the memory of the Beatles, even though they are not heavily represented in our repertoire.

And in 2012, Two of Us, a duo, will continue to celebrate the music of John and the boys. More on this soon.

Rest in Peace, John. We will never forget you or your music.

Birthdays

Yesterday, my fellow employees gathered around a couple of tables filled with cakes, pies and fruit and sang "Happy Birthday" to several colleagues who happened to share November birthdays. They blew out the candles together and the feasting began. Then, we went back to work. We do this every month.

How many million times a day does this ritual play out in homes and offices around the country--or the world? Celebrating birthdays is everywhere--or at least it's all over the U.S., where I live.

Also at work this week, we celebrated a birth, when an employee delivered her first child on 11/11/11--at just a few minutes before 11:11! Two photos of the beautiful boy circulated through our emailboxes.

Today is the birthday of Gordon Lightfoot, one of my favorite singer/songwriter/musicians. I spent an evening with him last week. Here's a case of celebrating the achievement of years. The man is still with us at 73, and although he doesn't sound the same, he is our treasured artist and we celebrate him every time "If You Could Read My Mind" comes on the iPod. There wasn't an empty seat at his concert last week.

The Beatles sang "You say it's your birthday..." on the White Album, and that song gets played a lot, although it is not as ubiquitous as the aforementioned little tune. There are lots of other birthday songs out there.

My wife, stepmom and older son all have birthdays in the next few weeks. That makes the Thanksgiving time especially meaningful. Also, a friend and former boss's birthday is November 27. Jeffrey Thomas, born just 10 days after Gordon Lightfoot in 1938, passed away at only 68. I used to call him on his birthday every year. I miss that--and him.

My most important birthday, I think, so far, was my 50th. That's when I began to take music seriously and got my first bass. I'm hoping -- even planning -- to have many many more.

Three Beatle Weekend

What a musical/Beatle oriented weekend! Saturday night, I watched both parts of the Martin Scorsese special on George Harrison, Living in the Material World. In it, Scorsese features interviews with those who knew and loved him, including the two surviving Beatles, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, as well as both of his wives and his son, Dhani, who resembles his father a lot. Racecar champ Jackie Stewart spoke of George, too. George, besides spiritual activities, was a racing enthusiast. You may not have known that. There was significant footage of conversations with his friend Eric Clapton and fellow musician Tom Petty (from the Traveling Wilburys period).There were many photos I had never seen, and we gain more insight into George's post-Beatle and nonmusical activities.

Sunday, October 9th was what would have been John Lennon's 71st birthday (imagine an elderly John), which I commemorated by playing "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away in front of a party crowd with my band, Red Paint. The 9th was also the day that Paul married his third wife. We'd gotten word of this in the Spring. I wish him happiness, and things appear to be good so far.

Fab Four forever.

Playing Beatles at the Farmer's Market

It's been a while since I put out the guitar case and earned my supper. But that's what happened this morning when my musical friend Frank and I took our Beatles duets to the Hayward Farmers' Market. (The photo is not of us--just representative, although we did have a tent like that and an open guitar case in front.)

Not only did we enjoy ourselves (time flies, mysteriously, when you're playing music live), but we learned which songs will need a bit more attention and which ones are in good shape. At a farmer's market, the crowd tends to be moving, so you attract many visitors, some of whom linger and drop a buck in the pot. Many applauded and waved.

We worked our way through the early catalog--From Me To You, Hard Day's Night, etc. to One After 909 and a few off the White Album and Sgt. Pepper. The music is everlasting and universal. One little girl of about 8, came by with her dollar. It turns out she's a bass player (!) and I gave her my card so she could send me an email. Gotta get them started early.

When you play Beatles material, it keeps the spirit of the band alive. It's something more than catching Hey Jude on your iPod or wearing a John Lennon T-shirt. Not that there's anything wrong with those things, but for me, playing brings the songs to life--even if we have to move some to a lower key to sing them.

Sun Kings Do Beatles Best

I went to see and hear the Sun Kings yesterday at the Lafayette Art & Wine Festival. As I expected, they recreated the Beatles in a way that even Sir Paul can't when he goes on Tour.

There are five members in the Sun Kings, and despite a couple of attempts at early Beatle haircuts and a set or two of round John Lennon glasses, the guys don't try to replicate the look of the Fab Four. But they really do get the sound down perfectly, note for note and vocal nuance for nuance. Whether it's the early Yeah Yeah Yeah sound, the mid period ballads, selections from Sgt. Pepper or, yesterday's show-ender, One after 909, the guys have obviously carefully and meticulously recreated the real deal.

I was standing next to a couple and they were singing along. I joined them. The woman of the couple, like me, knew every word and we sang back and forth through a couple songs.

It was fun, exciting--even a bit emotional to relive that feeling. I also felt a little old, as the vast majority of my fellow audience members looked like they could have gone to high school with me. We love our Beatles, yes we do....

There are tribute and cover bands aplenty out there reproducing the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac, Steely Dan and others, but somehow the Beatles' music represents something that is timeless and monumental. I don't know if there will be bands like the Sun Kings in 50 years when everyone who grew up with them will be gone, but it's possible that the grandchildren of those original fans may still want to hear the authentic sounds of whoever's reproducing this catalog in 2062 for the Beatles Centennial.

The Beatles Live On Forever in their Music

What did you do today? It was Sunday here--and I spent the afternoon on an outdoor stage playing Beatles songs. We even played some songs the Beatles played before they were well known--in Hamburg and Liverpool. The audience enjoyed it and we certainly did too.

Yes, we're men and women in our middle years, who remember the band when they were young and active. But what could be better than getting to do what you always wanted to do--like your heros?

When I was a teenager I listened to the Beatles on the radio and on records. I saw them on the Ed Sullivan Show. When I was 14 I got my first guitar and started playing their songs in my room on my own. I wanted to be in a band but never quite got it together to do it. But now, I have.

What does it mean to perform like your idol? My son dunks the basketball in our driveway and I'm sure he's thinking about Michael Jordan and, especially his favorite--Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers. Same thing.

Today, as I sang "I'm Down" and "Things We Said Today," I'm playing bass and singing--just like Paul McCartney. It's not easy, you know, to do them both, but Paul did. I also sang and played "Think for Yourself"--a George song, I Should Have Known Better--a John Song, and "Matchbox"--a Ringo song. It doesn't get much better than that.

George Harrison - New Bio this Fall

The Beatles franchise will never die, even though two of the four members are long gone. I grew up with and have always loved the Fab Four, so I was happy to hear today that a George Harrison biography will appear on HBO this fall with new images and material, including interviews with the two surviving Beatles--Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.

I loved the Beatles as a group--their interaction and chemistry--even more than them as individuals. Yes, they are my personal heroes, true, but there was "something" (a George Harrison pun) about the four of them together that didn't work with them as single artists. There has been individual greatness from each - All Things Must Pass and Cloud Nine bracket George's career nicely; Ringo had some great 1970's hits (Photograph is my favorite of them); John had made a fine comeback with Double Fantasy before he was murdered in New York in 1980; and Paul, well, he keeps working, although his best material is probably long behind him. Just having him out there performing keeps the Beatles alive today.

I had a George period in 1968 when I selected his Richard Avedon poster for my wall. I was entranced by "Within You, Without You" from Sgt. Pepper's and his mystical qualities at the time.

In a slightly related note: Ron Grill, the lead singer of the Grass Roots, an iconic 1960's pop band, has died. He suffered a fall (no details provided) and was in a coma. He's been replaced in the 2011 touring version of the Grass Roots but it would be a little like seeing the Rolling Stones without Mick Jagger (unimaginable) or Creedence without John Fogerty (this has actually been done). Lots of neat little numbers from the band--Live for Today, Temptation Eyes and Midnight Confession are among my faves.

Gimme a Head with Hair

After looking at a global crisis yesterday, today I turn my attention to a subject dear to my heart--hair.

I grew up in the 1960s, when we all started out with short haircuts and many of us grew substantial manes by the time the folks had cleaned up Yasgur's farm at Woodstock. My goal, at first, was to look like a Beatle, but my kinky Jewish hair looked more like a bush. So, that's what I had. It was long in the early 1970's, but by the end of that decade, it was trimmed way down.

I identified with youth, hippies, musicians, artists, cool people, and so on. I heard the anthem from the musical HAIR in my head, and was waiting for the positives vibes of the Age of Aquarius to begin.

Well, here I am approaching 60, and my hair has thinned a bit and lost a lot of its dark brown color too. As I play rock and roll (and classical) bass now, I'd like to have cool hair, too. I feel like I look like a businessman or a "straight" person now, despite a full (white) beard (that's another story).

The problem is, when it's too short, my hair loses its curl, so it isn't "fun" anymore.

But, at the same time, I don't want to bother with my hair and I really don't think about it much at all, until it's time for a haircut.

What to do about it?

Probably nothing. But I can't forget how much it meant once--as an identity with what I saw as a new way of life, with moving from nerdhood to coolness--with growing up. The symbolic value was more than any other. I didn't need it to keep warm and there was no ceremonial purpose to the longer hair.

Even the members of the Grateful Dead have shorter hair now. So what am I thinking about?

Paul McCartney is 69 Today

I seem to be getting into the famous musician birthday thing lately, but, as they do on KCSM, my local all-Jazz FM station, it gives me a chance to focus on a musical great. And Sir Paul means a lot to me--especially as a Beatle. He, along with John, George and Ringo, were my heroes when I was a teenager, and they influence me today.

Paul was my first major bass influence--and that's my instrument now. I wear my two primary basses on my left arm as part of that enthusiasm, and am a member of both my band, Red Paint, and my community orchestra.

Paul, having started as a guitarist and being also a piano player, is a more melodic bassist than someone who plays it as simply part of the rhythm section. His bass parts often take on a second tune--as in, for example, Something, where, if you tune out George, it's a whole different, low-pitched world. I've noticed that when it's one of Paul's songs and he's singing the lead, the bass part is simpler. When John or George (or even Ringo) is singing it, he often gets much more elaborate.

Paul played with a pick much of the time--I don't--but otherwise he's a big inspiration. I loved his Beatles work best. Something in the chemistry of the group--or maybe his youthful energy. I've bought and listened to later albums--even up to recent CDs like Memory Almost Full, but he no longer makes albums you want to play over and over. He has certainly released a lot of material over the years after his relatively brief Beatles career.

There are the great Paul songs, like Yesterday, Hey Jude and Let it Be, of course, and some favorites of mine. I always liked For No-One, from the middle period. When I'm 64 is catchy and he's the only Beatle who could write it. Best post-Beatle song? Maybe I'm Amazed comes to mind.

I saw Paul and his band--not Wings--play a few years ago and he put on a great show. Many of the numbers were Beatles songs--it was the next best thing to seeing the Fab Four in action. I wish him happiness today and for what I hope will be a very long life--and a great new marriage.

Paul McCartney Meets a Girl from the Motor Trade

Paul's great love was Linda, for 29 years his faithful companion and music partner. Then, he got married ten years later to Heather Mills. We all know how well that turned out.

Now, one of our two remaining Beatles, a musical treasure, is nearly 69 years old, and has become engaged to Nancy Shevell, who's a bit younger and seems, by all accounts to be a fine person. She's a vice president of a motor freight company. She looks great, and doesn't appear to have an agenda.

Strange to think about Paul--one of my idols--as a 21-year-old moptop, then leader of Wings, musician and bassist for half a century, starting out on another life. Paul always looked like the "happy" Beatle, but it seems he has had his share of troubles. His face isn't the same (of course).

As a bassist inspired by him, I wish him well. It's a long and winding road. (sheesh--too corny?)

Beatles Hold Top 5 on 4/4/64 - and Our Hearts Forever

For many baby boomers, spring of 1964 was the beginning of their love for the Beatles. On February 9, they appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show. Zillions watched. Then, on April 4, they held all five of the top five songs on the Billboard Hot 100.

Can't Buy Me Love

Twist and Shout

She Loves You

I Want to Hold Your Hand

Please Please Me

On April 11, the Beatles had 14 songs on the Hot 100--a new record (Elvis had the previous record with 9).

On April 3, 2011, several men with graying hair and carrying guitars, a bass and some well-thumbed music books assembled in the Odd Fellows hall to sing and play Beatles songs for three hours. It felt good, as always. This music will live on forever.

Rain Songs as Spring Begins

With some pretty strong precipitation over the last few days, I'm thinking about some of my favorite rain-themed oldies.

Rain by the Beatles comes to mind first, with John's acerbic commentary and Paul's high bass part. Sweet pre-Pepper Fab Four.

Listen to the Rhythm of the Falling Rain.... by the Cascades--a pretty early sixties song of regret that still gets a lot of (oldies station) airplay.

How I Wish it Would Rain by the Temptations is the old story about how men aren't supposed to cry so to avoid cabin fever, the poor guy wishes it would rain so no one would see his tears when he goes outside.

Who'll Stop the Rain by Creedence Clearwater Revival. Long as he remembers the rain's been pouring down. With John Fogerty it's all symbolic too, of course. It was the late 1960's--nuff said.

The Rain, the Park and Other Things by the Cowsills is a soft psychedelic song by the talented but pop-oriented family group. I loved it, but the "I knew I knew I knew I knew" part was a little annoying.

Box of Rain by the Grateful Dead. I really like this song but don't really understand it. I heard that Phil Lesh wrote it for his dad. It's one of the rare Dead songs by Phil with him singing lead. This link goes to a much later live performance. Oh--I forgot--Happy Birthday Phil! (3/15).

Yellow Balloon by Yellow Balloon. I love this little 1967 pop hit by the mysterious one hit wonders. It contains "it's raining it's pouring" in the middle. With the vocal harmonies and meter changes, it sounds like Brian Wilson could have written and produced it.

There are many more. How about Don't Let the Rain Come Down by the Serendipity Singers? Group folk music at it's most poppy.