CALLING FROM A STAR: NEW AUTOBIOGRAPHY FROM GUITARIST MERRELL FANKHAUSER

 

Merrell Fankhauser has led one of the most diverse and interesting careers in music. He was born in Louisville, Kentucky, and moved to California when he was 13 years old. Merrell went on to become one of the innovators of surf music and psychedelic folk rock. His travels from Hollywood to his 15-year jungle experience on the island of Maui have been documented in numerous music books and magazines in the United States and Europe.

Merrell has gained legendary international status throughout the field of rock music; his credits include over 400 songs published and released. He is a 2011 Grammy nominee and multi-talented singer/songwriter and unique guitar player whose sound has delighted listeners for over 50 years.

This extraordinary autobiography tells a unique story of one of the founding fathers of surf rock, who went on to play in a succession of progressive and psychedelic bands and to meet some of the greatest names in the business, including Captain Beefheart, John Lennon, The Beach Boys, Jan and Dean, Willie Nelson… and there is even a run in with the notorious Manson family.

“I started the book in 1990 after years of friends and fans telling me I've had such an adventurous life that most Rock Stars don't have.. Playing with so many music icons, moving to Maui searching for the Lost Continent of MU, and now over 400 songs published...! I kept trying to finish the book but because of my live playing schedule, writing, recording and doing a regular TV show, California Music 1990 - 1995, Tiki Lounge 2001 - to now it took years to finish!” - Merrell Fankhauser

Merrell Fankhauser is considered one of the main innovators of surf music and psychedelic folk rock, and is widely known as the leader of the instrumental surf group The Impacts who had the international hit “Wipeout”.

He has presented a number of television programs over the years including 'California Music', 'Route 66 TV Live', and in 2001 he began hosting a music show called 'Tiki Lounge' that airs on the California Central Coast, Southern California, Hawaii and parts of the East Coast.

Official website:
http://www.merrellfankhauser.com/

VERNOR'S GINGER ALE COLLECTOR CLUB NEW WEBSITE!

Vernor's Ginger Ale Collector's Club

I thought my readers might be interested in the Vernor's Club website. You'll find Vernor's history and lots of photos of great Vernor's advertising. 

Check it out at Vernor's Ginger Ale Collector's Club Memorabilia

THE HISTORY OF VERNORS WITH A LOT OF PICTURES TOO ON RK

DETROIT MASONIC TEMPLE PAYS OFF ELECTRIC BILL!!

Great news the Masonic caught up on their huge utility bills and with the help of a great team they are booking gigs and rolling right along! Not quite ready to announce this just yet but Dennis Thompson and I have joined forces and booked July 25, 2015 for a special one night only show....Machinegun Thompson's Detroit Special Forces is the tentative title and our line up is coming together nicely.....stay tuned for more on that...

Here is the Masonic Update from the Free Press....

The lights will stay on at the Detroit Masonic Temple.

As of last month, the landmark, which had owed hundreds of thousands of dollars to DTE Energy, is current on its gas and electric bills.

"We want the resilient people of Detroit to know that the Temple is here to stay," Bradley Dizik, special adviser to the Detroit Masonic Temple board of directors, said in an e-mail. "We accomplished this monumental feat by channeling Detroit's scrappy spirit to defend one of its most cherished institutions."

Scott Simons, a spokesman for DTE Energy, confirmed that the Masonic gas and electric bills are up to date.

The change marks a remarkable turnaround for the venerable venue on Temple Street near Cass Avenue that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is touted as the largest Masonic temple in the world. It also has a rich musical history, having hosted acts that included the Rolling Stones, the Who and MC5.

DTE Energy had threatened to shut off the Masonic's gas and electric service in August 2012, and the Masonic owed as much as $427,579 in gas and electric bills in May 2013.

REGGAE ARTISTS HONOR BOB MARLEY FOR 70TH BIRTHDAY!1

Hey Kim,

In honor of Bob Marley's would-be 70th birthday today, I have a handful of reggae artists I thought you might consider checking out.


Each link below provides links to streaming and downloadable music, would love to hear if you're interested in anyone!
 

Selasee Atiase & Fafa Family - The Highlife Soul of Reggae: Selasee & Fafa Family Dig at the Roots, Ghanaian Style, on Time for Peace - 02/02/2015 - Release
Ghana. A proud kingdom that’s flourished in the decades since independence. It’s the home of highlife, the musical style that spread all across Anglophone West Africa before taking a turn for the global. And highlife, sweetly blended with reggae and soul, is the root of Time for Peace, the new album by Selasee & Fafa Family.

Play - Download Album

 

Jah9 - Jazz on Dub, Jah9 Coming to Brooklyn Feb 6th - 02/06/2015 - Brooklyn, NY
hen Jah9 sings, hearts and minds awaken. Old school blues with lyrical prowess, in a rich imaginative blend of vocal clarity and complexity. She sings with a voice that belies the dimensions of her physical body, from a soul much older than its current vessel. Her philosophy is profoundly spiritual, and her style is Jazz on Dub.
Play - Download Album

 

TreeHouse! - Reggae Jam Rock Group TreeHouse! On Tour with New Album - 03/10/2015 - Release

The Myrtle Beach, South Carolina reggae jam rock trio, TreeHouse! explores new depths of rhythms, themes and other elements in their third studio album, Lifted, set to release March 10th, 2015. The band is set to tour most 2015 throughout the East Coast, and Mid-Atlantic, performing hundreds of shows a year.

Play - Download Album

 

Dubbest - The Young Sound of American Reggae, Dubbest Coming to Miami March 15th - 03/15/2015 - Miami, FL

Dubbest might still be young and still growing, but there’s a wise, musical head on those shoulders. And a vision for the future of American reggae. “We change the set list and jam on stage,” MacKenzie says. “We touch the roots side of reggae more than many American bands, but we like to explore, too. It’s high energy.
Play - Download Album

GROVER WASHINGTON JR HAS A NEW RELEASE

Audio Fidelity To Release Jazz Legend Grover Washington, Jr.'s Double-Grammy Award Winning Album “Winelight” on 5.1 Hybrid SACD

“Among the most beautiful jazz albums ever made.. from one of the smooth jazz pioneers!”

Camarillo, CA – Jazz aficionados and high end audio enthusiasts alike are excited about the forthcoming release of jazz legend Grover Washington, Jr.'s “Winelight” album on 5.1 Hybrid SACD from Audio Fidelity in association with ETrain Records. With “Winelight”, Grover Washington, Jr. produced a magical collection of jazz and soul with a touch of pop. He set the standard for the smooth jazz genre - the band is tight, the solos terrific and the arrangements understated and tasteful. The 1980 double-Grammy award winning album was Washington's most successful album and remains one of the smooth jazz masterpieces.

Top to bottom “Winelight” is superb, masterfully recorded and perhaps best-known for the hit “Just the Two of Us” sung by Bill Withers, but it is the five instrumental tracks that find Grover Washington, Jr. (on soprano, alto, and tenor) really stretching out. He was joined by percussionist (and producer) Ralph MacDonald and also the incomparable Steve Gadd (drums) and Eric Gale (guitar).

Grover Washington, Jr., had long been one of the leaders in what could be called rhythm & jazz, essentially R&B-influenced jazz. The music world lost a great musician when the late Grover Washington Jr. passed away in 1999. Fortunately, he left so many classic albums to cherish and “Winelight” is one of those time-honored works that must be included in any worthy music collection.

Tracks:

Winelight

Let It Flow (For “Dr. J”)

In the Name of Love

Take Me There

Just the Two of Us

Make Me a Memory (Sad Samba)

Album and Surround Sound Remix Produced by Ralph MacDonald
Surround Sound Remix Engineered & Mixed by Elliot Scheiner
Stereo mix mastered for this release by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio

For more information: https://audiofidelity.net/product/grover-washington-jr-winelight

NEW JIMMY HOFFA DOCUMENTARY

Al Profit Bradley is part of a new documentary premiering this week....story from THE FREEP today.

One of the great mysteries of the 20th century is explored in "Killing Jimmy Hoffa," a documentary screening today through Thursday at Emagine Royal Oak.

The movie focuses on the possible fate of the controversial labor legend, who disappeared in 1975 from the parking lot of the old Machus Red Fox restaurant in Bloomfield Hills.

The movie is a collaboration between Alan Bradley, a.k.a. Al Profit, a local filmmaker known for crime-themed documentaries, and Scott Burnstein, an Oakland Press reporter and author of several books about the Detroit Mafia.

Using photos, film clips and interviews with experts on the case ranging from journalists (including former Detroit Free Press writer David Ashenfelter) to former FBI agents, the documentary explores the most likely theories on what specifically happened to Hoffa. READ FULL STORY HERE

FULL MOON FEBRUARY 2015

The exact time of the next full moon is:

Wednesday * 4th February 2015 * 12:08:54 am

Central European Time (CET)

Moon sign: Leo 14° 04'

Here you find this time converted into different timezones for other cities:

WELLINGTON = Wednesday * 4th February 2015 * 12:08:54 pm (NZDT)

SYDNEY = Wednesday * 4th February 2015 * 10:08:54 am (AEDT)

TOKYO = Wednesday * 4th February 2015 * 08:08:54 am (JST)

BEIJING = Wednesday * 4th February 2015 * 07:08:54 am (CST)

BANGKOK = Wednesday * 4th February 2015 * 06:08:54 am (ICT)

DELHI = Wednesday * 4th February 2015 * 04:38:54 am (IST)

DUBAI = Wednesday * 4th February 2015 * 03:08:54 am (GST)

MOSCOW = Wednesday * 4th February 2015 * 02:08:54 am (MSK)

BERLIN = Wednesday * 4th February 2015 * 12:08:54 am (CET)

LAGOS = Wednesday * 4th February 2015 * 12:08:54 am (WAT)

LONDON = Tuesday * 3rd February 2015 * 11:08:54 pm (GMT)

RIO = Tuesday * 3rd February 2015 * 09:08:54 pm (BRST)

SANTIAGO = Tuesday * 3rd February 2015 * 08:08:54 pm (CLST)

NEW YORK = Tuesday * 3rd February 2015 * 06:08:54 pm (EST)

MEXICO CITY = Tuesday * 3rd February 2015 * 05:08:54 pm (CST)

CALGARY = Tuesday * 3rd February 2015 * 04:08:54 pm (MST)

LOS ANGELES = Tuesday * 3rd February 2015 * 03:08:54 pm (PST)

ANCHORAGE = Tuesday * 3rd February 2015 * 02:08:54 pm (AKST)

HONOLULU = Tuesday * 3rd February 2015 * 01:08:54 pm (HAST)