Ransom Notes

“I’ve said that playing the blues is like having to be black twice. Stevie Ray Vaughan missed on both counts, but I never noticed.”
- B.B. King

HE’S MY PRIDE & JOY (SRV 10/3/1954-8/27/1990)

B.B. King had it right when he declared that, “playing the blues [was] like having to be born black twice.” It’s indeed fact that many of the predominant and principle blues greats were African American…utilizing the genre to exhale the difficulty of oppression and combat with the merciless segregated world. Robert Johnson, (African American Blues legend, 1911-1938) is considered, “The Grandfather of Rock and Roll,” being among the most, if not THE MOST, famous of Delta blues musicians recognized for fueling the transition of traditional blues into the Rock & Roll genre. Other famous notables are Bessie Smith and Nat “King” Cole (the original black voices of blues), as well as African American guitarists’ John Lee Hooker, B.B. King and Buddy Guy to name a few. But Robert Johnson’s music and style, especially for its time, inspired later blues guitar greats who were blind to racial boundaries and submitted to their uncontrollable infatuation with the unique brand. Among superstar musicians Keith Richards and Eric Clapton stands Stevie Ray Vaughan, who further stretched the limitless boundaries of the blues-rock copulation with his “electric blues” method and technique. It has been 19 years to the day that Stevie Ray was taken from us in that horrific plane accident…and guitarists have been submerged in a depression ever since.

Stevie Ray was born in Autumn of 1954 in a Dallas, Texas hospital. His older brother, blues guitarist Jimmy Vaughan would later be the one who gave Stevie his first electric guitar and propelled the rock genius he came to be. Around 1973, when Stevie was 18 years old, he found “a battered 1963 Fender Stratocaster at a music store in Austin.” This would become the infamous SRV Fender that he sported throughout his career and cherished as a father would to a son. After jumping around from various bands in his adolescence, Stevie eventually landed himself with the “Triple Threat Revue (1974),” a rock band out of Austin. The title of this group would soon morph to the ever so famous, “Double Trouble” who rolled with Stevie Ray up until his eventual death.

Stevie’s main spotlight brewed from his performance at the 1982 Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. Here he was viewed by Rock legends Jackson Browne and David Bowie who eventually nurtured Stevie to stardom. David asked SRV to play lead guitar on his then, upcoming album, Let’s Dance, which he gleefully accepted. Jackson Browne offered Stevie and Double Trouble free recording time at his LA studio because he favored the edgy sound of the musician so much. This would be the place where the infamous Double Trouble debut album, Texas Flood would be born after being discovered by legendary music producer John Hammond (Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan). This, along with his next two albums would all reach gold status.

Stevie had a long and rough substance abuse battle which he eventually was able to defeat in the later months of 1986. That year he debuted a live album, clean and sober, called, Live Alive in Austin. The following years would be positive ones for Vaughan, as his talent and fame would rush the world by storm. In 1990, he recorded an album with his older brother Jimmie called, Family Style and followed that up with a multi-venue tour. The completion of this tour was set to end at Alpine Valley in East Troy, Wisconsin, featuring notorious musical guitarists Robert Cray and Eric Clapton. The plan was to travel by helicopter to the final shows in order to avoid unforeseen traffic and delays. The sky was dim, and the fog set in…the weather conditions were undoubtedly dangerous to travel in. There were four helicopters, splitting up the members of the tour and shuttling them to the location. Stevie’s helicopter was carrying himself, the pilot and three members of Eric Clapton’s group; this vehicle never made it to East Troy.

Like the early exit of other guitar gods, Duane Allman and Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray passed away at a young age, and is among one of the all time greatest to have ever shredded on the stage. He was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2000 and became eligible for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2008. We will always remember him for his undoubtedly phenomenal guitar skills and his true blue Rock & Roll demeanor. Let him forever be in your hearts…he was TRULY one of a kind.

“What I am trying to get across to you; is please take care of yourselves and those that you love; because that is what we are here for, that’s all we got, and that is all we can take with us. Are you with me? “
Stevie Ray Vaughan

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Til’ next time…thanks ya’ll.

Jarrod Dicker
JMD

Jason Yarmosky

“Everyone’s mind is in a box. Some of us make more of an effort to think outside of the box. Our bodies are all made up of different textures, which are multi-dimensional. Often times the mind overwhelms the body.”

Such is the philosophy of artist Jason Yarmosky. His latest New York City exhibit opened August 17 at Lasso. Disorienting, a little haunting, and still beautiful, Jason’s work is transcendent. Check out the Lasso website for more!

jasonyarmosky.com

KFC - Jason Yarmosky

“The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs.  There’s also a negative side.”
Hunter S Thompson

Words of wisdom from the Gonzo God himself.  A true revolutionary in political journalism, psychedelics, napalm and the Rock & Roll lifestyle. A man who was cooler than cool, and will be remembered that way throughout eternity, rightfully so…

Let’s get down to bizz-ness.

“The Den” is Thirsty’s newest breeding ground for art & music culture.  I’ll be offering weekly knowledge in the music and art scene, highlighting the big news buzzin’ around the Internet airwaves as well as momentous anniversaries honoring the ghosts of Rock & Roll past.  A one stop chop-shop for interesting content and report that music lovers NEED TO KNOW to keep up with the rapid industry.  If you live, die, eat, breathe, drink & smoke music…then “The Den” is your home away from home. Welcome.

A Sad Lonesome Stroll Down the Trail of Rock & Roll
Lester William Polsfuss, known notoriously as Les Paul, passed away last week after struggling with complications from pneumonia.  He was a young and graceful 94 years old. Arguably the most influential force on Rock and Roll, Les invented the solid-body electric guitar along with many various recording innovations (delay and phasing effects, sound on sound, overdubbing).  His playing style was immaculate as he demonstrated mastery in chording sequences, licks and the now idolized riffs…paving the way for future musicians to build upon his already burly Rock foundation.  He had sold millions of records with his band mate and then wife, Mary Ford as well as scoring 16 top-ten hits with her throughout the 1950′s.

Les Paul’s invention of “The Log” in 1939 was ground breaking, as it introduced one of the first solid-body electric guitars ever created.  At first, it wasn’t appealing to the corporate world, initially being rejected by Gibson Guitar Corp…but once they realized that their competitor, Fender, had a solid body debuting, they ran back to ol’ Les and begged for “The Log.”  When Gibson/Les Paul sales began to decline in the early 1960′s, Gibson Corp took a different route and redesigned the guitar to make it more sleek and fashionable.  This was alien to Les, as he was not notified about the drastic alteration to his innovative rock beauty.  Rumors have tangled about what happened after this “alteration” but in a nutshell, Paul demanded that his name be stripped from the guitar and not used on the new, foreign design.  The reborn Gibson guitar was renamed “Gibson SG (Solid Guitar)” and went on to become successful in its own right.  The turbulence and turmoil between Gibson and Les eventually subsided and Paul began to endorse the company’s product once again.  Their relationship would be life-long and their product…well…their product would be the HAMMER used by many legends to come.

Les was an active musician, performing live late into his glory days, all the way up to his death.  He would frequently play at the Iridium in Brooklyn…two shows on occasional Monday nights.  He was a true lover of his trade and damn good at it too.  I think U2 guitarist, The Edge, says it best…”His [Les] legacy as a musician and inventor will live on and his influence on Rock and Roll will never be forgotten.”  Let’s take a moment and hail the man who made the brand and aided the bands…the one who created the tool that would provide gut wrenching guitar solos and ear blasting licks.  The one who wouldn’t stop, even when his aching elderly body craved some rest.  The one who will go down…as the all time best.

Somewhere there’s music
How near, how far
Somewhere there’s heaven
It’s where you are
-Les Paul and Mary Ford (How High the Moon)

Rest in Peace Les…For a look at some pictures of Les with the musicians hes inspired, check out the slide show at Rolling Stone here.

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Til’ next time…thanks ya’ll.

JMD