Keyboard and vocalist Greg Rolie might be best known for his work with Santana, singing the leads on “Black Magic Woman,” “Oye Como Va,” and “Evil Ways.” Rolie left the San Francisco group at the height of their popularity in 1971, and two years later formed the Jazz Fusion / Progressive Rock outfit Journey. After three albums with poor sales, Columbia Records pressured the band to write radio “friendly” songs and to recruit a traditional, cocksure front-man. Enter vocalist Robert Fleischman, and eventually Steve Perry. With Perry, Journey climbed the charts, establishing themselves as one of the best-selling bands of all time.

“Feeling That Way” is from their 4th album Infinity. It’s the first to feature Perry and was their best-selling album to date. It’s also the first song to feature their duet style, and a song that would often be played in tandem with “Anytime” on radio stations.
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Maybe I was too young to appreciate Journey or maybe I just couldn’t sing well enough to understand what all the fuss was about. Their music felt average and wasn’t at all adventurous. It was for adults who wore blue jeans and white sneakers. It was the mild cheddar of rock.

Of course, I adore these songs now, and have come to appreciate the musicianship, thoughtfulness and arrangements. Their hits have universal appeal and can be recreated in any genre, and although I have never been a fan of “piano rock,” Greg Rolie is a musician that deserves much more praise than he gets, having steered two of the most popular American Rock bands to success.

As many of you may already know, I adore compilation albums, and in the spring of 1993 California Dreaming “The Ultimate Cyberhippy Experience” was handed to me by a FFRR talent scout. It was an electronic, sampledelic nod to Haight-Ashbury and featured an opening track that was hard to ignore. 

“Cantamilla” didn’t conform to much of what was happening in the world of electronic dance music at the time. It was downtempo, mellow and breezy, and far from the 160 beats per minutes found in warehouse raves. Some have even noted it was a precursor to what would now be known as “Trip-Hop.” Whatever its significance, there was nothing like flying through the streets on my bike with those beats pulsing through my headphones.
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Michael Adam Kandel was the creative force behind Tranquility Bass and he passed away in 2015. He was an extremely talented musician, who created without compromise, and his influence on Trip-Hop should not be forgotten.  

There are few musicians whose music has trifled with as many genres as Serge Gainsbourg. From Jazz, Rock n Roll, Reggae, to Electronic, Disco, Pop, Chanson, to New Wave, Funk, Mambo, and Yé-Yé, his influence on modern French music is without question.

“Bonnie and Clyde” was released on Fontana in 1968, just months after Arthur Penn’s film also celebrated the pair of American killers from The Great Depression. It’s an adventurous arrangement that leans lightly against an electric bass and strumming acoustic guitar, while drifting aside circular bowing.
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Serge Gainsbourg left behind a legacy of provocative orchestration, satirical, often humorous motifs, and a legendary impression on how composers approach popular music.

The digitization of the music industry has had its share of positives and negatives. Gone are the days of major label domination, when musicians struggled to find affordable recording studios, and the stage and radio were their only outlets for exposure. Now artists can create professional quality recordings in their living rooms and successfully promote themselves through social media and the inter-webs.

One group that has taken full advantage of this model is Black Moth Super Rainbow. Fronted by Thomas Fec, aka Tobacco, this group of modest musicians have been brilliantly concealing pop music since 2003.

“Windshield Smasher” is from their 2012 crowdfunded album Cobra Juicy and is a gateway drug into their “indietronica” psychedelic wave of eccentricity.

In an industry flooded with mediocrity, Black Moth Super Rainbow has carved a smile into something new and is a group I still frequent.