Bloggerhythms

The large Texas ego allows the city of Austin to brag that they are the "Live Music Capital of the World." The good news is that their claim may have some merit because the city is home to over two hundred venues featuring live music. I'll be making my first trip to The Lone Star State's capital at the end of October so I'll be able to sample it's vibrant music scene firsthand. In order to psych myself up for the vacation I pulled out one of my very favorite CDs, SDQ '98 , by the late Doug Sahm. Sahm, who hailed from neighboring San Antonio and died at the end of 1999, is missed by anyone who enjoys Country-Rock, Roots Rock or Tex-Mex. He first came to prominence as the leader of the Sir Douglas Quintet in 1965. Oldies fans may remember the band's two big hits "She's About A Mover" and "Mendocino." One of his best known albums, Doug Sahm and Band , was recorded in New York City with both Dr. John and Bob Dylan taking part ...

I love The Beatles, and by inclusion that love extends to Ringo Starr, but a recent news item indicating that he is a probable inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2008 as a solo artist is an honor he is not worthy of on his own. Starr wasn't trying to be modest when he said that he is the luckiest man alive to have been in a band with the other three Beatles. He has always been realistic about his place in their history. While he isn't without talent, I believe there are better singers, composers, and drummers. However the other Beatles always defended him and who am I too argue with those three! John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison all continued to use him at times on their solo albums. He played on McCartney's Flaming Pie CD as late as 1997. I don't believe it is a coincidence that news about Starr's induction into the Hall Of Fame was released at the same time as Photograph: The Very Best Of Ring...

Let me start by getting the only negative out of the way quickly. The name of this band is California Transit Authority. While this really isn't a bad name it may cause some of you to chuckle when you discover the band's leader is former Chicago drummer Danny Seraphine. If he and his new group want to earn some credibility as something more than a tribute band their name isn't going to help. The reason I am making this an issue is because everything else about Full Circle , California Transit Authority's debut album, is a rock-fusion lover's fantasy come true. While nine of the thirteen tracks are covers of Chicago songs they are not retreads of the sappy ballads that oozed from their lifeless torsos in the 80s. Chicago hasn't rocked like CTA does since the Nixon Administration. All of the Chicago songs updated here are from the Terry Kath era. None, with the exception of "Mississippi Delta City Blues," appear on any Chicago album past V an...