The Vinyl Dialogues Blog

Stories behind memorable albums of the 1970s as told by the artists

Month: June 2019

Mike DelGuidice and Big Shot bring the Billy Joel big time

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On June 15, 2019

In The Vinyl Dialogues Book

Mike DelGuidice and Big Shot performed Friday, June 14, 2019, at the Ambler Arts and Music Festival in Ambler, Pa. (Photo by Mike Morsch)

Mike DelGuidice and Big Shot performed Friday, June 14, 2019, at the Ambler Arts and Music Festival in Ambler, Pa.
(Photo by Mike Morsch)

From the very first song I heard Mike DelGuidice and his band Big Shot perform at last year’s Ambler Arts and Music Festival, my thought was, “Hey, this guy is pretty good. He really nails those Billy Joel songs.”

Well, that’s because DelGuidice and Big Shot have been performing Billy Joel’s music for nearly two decades. In fact, DelGuidice  is so good that in 2013, Joel hired him to be a backing vocalist and guitarist for Joel’s band. If you do an artist’s songs so well that the artist hires you to help him do his own songs, that’s pretty doggone good. 

But I didn’t know any of that the first time I heard DelGuidice and Big Shot. And I love those moments when I first discover an artist whose work I hadn’t previously known. I research the artist, listen to his/her stuff, become a fan and start to follow them, keeping an eye on the touring schedule to see when they’re coming back to my area.

And Friday, June 14, DelGuidice and Big Shot returned to the Ambler (Pa.) Arts and Music Festival and there we were, The Blonde Accountant and I, in our lawn chairs with the rest of the sinners and saints. To know exactly how big a deal this was, not many artists can get us out of the house on Friday nights. By the end of a long work week, we’re pretty much asleep as soon as dinner is finished.

Mike DelGuidice has been a member of Billy Joel's touring band since 2013. (Photo by Mike Morsch)

Mike DelGuidice has been a member of Billy Joel’s touring band since 2013.
(Photo by Mike Morsch)

But not this time, not when Mike DelGuidice and Big Shot are within shouting distance. And kudos the Ambler Arts and Music Festival braintrust for being savvy enough to recognize that Ambler loved this artist and band the first time they were here.  Bringing them back this year was a no-brainer and if the Ambler poohbahs are smart, they’ve already booked the band for next year.

DelGuidice, a Long Islander like Joel, is the real deal. He still tours with Joel all over the U.S. and world in major arenas and appears with Joel every month at Madison Square Garden in New York. When he’s not doing that, DelGuidice and Big Shot tour the U.S. themselves, bringing Joel’s music to places like Ambler. 

I had this ridiculous thought on the way to the show: What if Billy Joel decided to make an unbilled, surprise walk-on guest appearance with DelGuidice and Big Shot that night? But I quickly dismissed such tomfoolery. The odds of Billy Joel showing up at a local street festival in on a Friday night were lower than Mr. Blutarsky’s grade point average. 

But we didn’t need Billy Joel. Mike DelGudice and Big Shot are very, very good wth Billy Joel covers. For me, though, the highlights of the Ambler show weren’t the Joel tunes. 

DelGudice inserted one of his original songs into the setlist called “Mona Lisa” that is absolutely brilliant. Check out the video online (starring actor-comedian Kevin James of “The King of Queens” fame), which is equally as brilliant. (Shameless Promotion Alert: Buy the CD, download the album, support this artist.)

Mike DelGuidice included one of his songs, "Mona Lisa," in the setlist for this show. (Photo by Mike Morsch)

Mike DelGuidice included one of his songs, “Mona Lisa,” in the setlist for this show.
(Photo by Mike Morsch)

The other highlight for me was DelGuidice’s cover of Aerosmith’s “Dream On,” written by Steve Tyler for the band’s 1973 self-titled debut album “Aerosmith.” I had decided to leave the comfort of my lawn chair and go down to stand in the pit in front of the stage when the band played “Dream On.” It was loud, it rocked and I didn’t fracture a hip while dancing to it. All positive things, by the way. 

The only blemish on an otherwise perfect show — and this is personal and not indicative of the overall performance itself — is that DelGudice and the band ended the evening with a Led Zeppelin song. I am not a Led Zeppelin fan at all. I didn’t like its music growing up in the 1970s — “Stairway to Heaven” is the worst make-out song in the history of make-out songs — and I don’t like it now. In fact, I’m not even familiar enough with Zeppelin’s catalog to report the title of the song that ended the show. Not that DelGuidice and Big Shot didn’t perform it superbly, they did. But that’s the song I can’t identify that I was humming to myself on the way to the car. Thanks, Mike.

The bottom line, though: Go see Mike DelGuidice and Big Shot. Support the music. And support your local music festivals. 

 

Rock royalty David Crosby humble and fun in New Jersey show

By

On June 2, 2019

In The Vinyl Dialogues Book

David Crosby performed Saturday, June 1, at Cooper River Park in Pennsauken, N.J., to kick off the 2019 Camden County summer concert series. (Photo by Mike Morsch)

David Crosby performed Saturday, June 1, at Cooper River Park in Pennsauken, N.J., to kick off the 2019 Camden County summer concert series.
(Photo by Mike Morsch)

David Crosby didn’t end his show Saturday night in Pennsauken, N.J., with a song he had written himself. He ended it with a Neil Young song written for Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.

“This is serious now. I’m gonna ask you to please sing really loud,” said Crosby to the large crowd attending the free concert at Cooper River Park for the kickoff event of the 2019 Camden County summer concert series. “This song is really important right now in America. It’s needs to get sung a whole lot really loud. Some people down there in D.C. need to hear it.”

Crosby — politically active throughout his career — and his Sky Trails Band then offered a spirited version of CSN&Y’s “Ohio,” a protest song and counterculture anthem about the Kent State shootings May 4, 1970. Four unarmed students were killed by Ohio National Guard soldiers during a campus protest against the bombing of Cambodia by the U.S. 

Young saw photos of the incident in Life magazine and decided to write the lyrics to “Ohio.” CSN&Y recorded the song at Record Plant Studios on May 21, 1970. It was released as a single in June 1970, but was banned from some AM radio stations because of the challenge to the Nixon administration in the lyrics.

David Crosby and his son, keyboardist James Raymond. (Photo by Mike Morsch)

David Crosby and his son, keyboardist James Raymond.
(Photo by Mike Morsch)

The crowd in Pennsauken — which included a fair amount of old hippies, although somewhat surprisingly I didn’t smell any weed — obliged Crosby and sang “Ohio” really loud, the culmination of a performance by Crosby and his band that showed that the 77-year-old rocker has still got it and can bring it on any given night.

A founding member of The Byrds and Crosby, Stills and Nash — both groups are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — Crosby co-wrote “Eight Miles High” for The Byrds as well as “Wooden Ships” for CS&N, both of which we heard Saturday night, among many of his other hits. 

He may look like an old hippie himself, with his long, white hair and his droopy drawers that would fall right off if it weren’t for suspenders, but Crosby’s voice is still strong. Our rock royalty heroes are getting old — we are, too, along with them — and some of them don’t have the vocal command they once had. 

Crosby isn’t one of those. He’s still got the pipes, has  surrounded himself with brilliant musicians, including his son James Raymond, and still puts emotion into the old songs as well as freshness into his new songs. 

David Crosby has been indicted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of two bands — The Byrds and Crosby, Still & Nash. (Photo by Mike Morsch)

David Crosby has been indicted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of two bands — The Byrds and Crosby, Still & Nash.
(Photo by Mike Morsch)

He has admitted in the past to being brash, and he’s still got a touch of that, although he copped to being just “silly” these days to the New Jersey crowd. Reports are that Stills, Nash and Young don’t speak to him now, which might not seem all that unusual for a group that has had several internal dust-ups over the years. But Croz was humble on this evening and seemed to genuinely appreciate that the crowd had come out to see him.

As an aside, if you frequent Twitter, you can follow Crosby and maybe even have an exchange with him. He does engage his fans on that social platform, but be forewarned: He doesn’t suffer fools easily. If you ask him a legit question, you likely will get an answer, albeit short and sweet. Likewise, if you tweet something stupid, he’ll call you out. I’ve had a couple of music-related exchanges with him and have managed to stay out of his doghouse.

And kudos to Camden County for kicking off its summer concert series by bringing in a big name. You don’t often see a top tier artist like Crosby for free. Camden County must have shelled out a keg of gold for this show, but it appeared to be greatly appreciated by those in attendance. 

There are few things better than sitting out in a nice park, on a perfect summer evening, and watching one of our generation’s musical icons.

David Crosby has surrounded himself with brilliant musicians, including lead guitarist Jeff Pevar. (Photo by Mike Morsch)

David Crosby has surrounded himself with brilliant musicians, including lead guitarist Jeff Pevar.
(Photo by Mike Morsch)

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