Posts by Mark Hoffman

    Ad made a referance to Joe Bonamassa's new release "Driving into the Daylight" earlier on- Now that it has been out for a while, I was wondering what all of us BCC fans thought of it. I think the song selection was very interesting, and the 4 Bonamassa tracks are ok, my favorite being "Dislocated Boy"- nice groove, killer soloing. His songwriting is ok- but almost all the solo"s are exceptional through out. Gotta mention the teamwork with Kevin Shirly once again- fantastic. I guess I can't blame him for trying to maintain the focus on his solo career- and I'm grateful that he can keep the pace that he does, one of the hardest working guitarists out there (probably THE hardest). I think the only thing that could satisfy us BCC fans is if the third Release takes the band to the next level in sales and popularity such that Joe just can't deny the fans a full blown tour. Anything short of that, Joe can't afford not to keep his solo career a priority. He is getting more popular all over the world as time goes on. I fear that some day, even less time is dedicated to the BCC project. Let's just hope for some outstanding sales this time around- and maybe an invite on a large tour that they just can not refuse..

    Hey Grace! Les Dudek's showing up out by you this summer- he'll be over at Sellersville Theater in Sellerville Pa. the 18th of June- Hope to catch em' in Cleveland the 27th.

    Just scanning channels on TV- came across a show on TNT network that had Glenn's version on "Nights in White Satin" playing in the background- It inspired me to log on to the site and say "Hi"- it's been a while since I've checked in. Hope everybody had a Merry Christmas- and wishing you all a happy new year. I'm still sitting in a tore up house waiting on insurance money to finish the rest of the repairs from the storm "Ike".

    Hey Trapezoid! Didn't Trapeze play in Pekin back in 73' Or was it in Peoria/Chili at what is now 3 Sister's Park (or something like that )- probably both! I graduated High School in Henry Ill. and went on to ISU. I could never become a Cub fan.. enjoyed going to Wrigley all the time- but remained a Pirate fan until moving to Houston. I took my 2 year old son to an Astro game at the dome in 1993 where we met Jeff Bagwell after a game - the both of us have been Astro fans ever since!

    Mark

    Hi All! Thanks for your well wishes and prayers. I have reluctantly had to come back to work- so I at least have internet access! I am just totally over whelmed with the work ahead to get my home back to normal. I am working nights- and there sure isn't much I can do at home at night! Well...there has been a little beer drinking :) Still no power, we do have water now- but the lift station is full at the end of my neighborhood! (a stinky situation developing down there :) I had a tree go through my kitchen/dinette area, and unfortunetely -my computer room. Two huge pine trees were up-rooted by what we believe to be a tornado. It happened before the main storm hit. I pulled all 5 of my machines out before the ceiling fell in- My Glenn audio collection was in a rack mounted high on the wall right next to two of Fin Costello's shots of Mel in 72'- and the Trapeze poster that Bobby referred to- were all on one of the two walls that were'nt soaked. I hauled all my guitars out to the neighbors, and my Beatle collection was mostly in my bedroom, which only got water damage on the floor/carpet- so I'm doing good! I did loose some of my Kiss memorabealia- and the cards were damaged on my Black Sabbath/Ozzy matchbox car collection, but that's pretty good concidering how much junk/collectables I have in that house!

    It's amazing how well people all unite and work together to survive these things- I've got some great neighbors. We've been eating well, drinking well and working hard. I'll bet Ken and Carolyn had experienced the same thing- life is good!

    Thanks Again everyone!

    Mark

    Hey Bill- Good discription of the experience- I too am a huge fan of Franks. Good friend Bobby Gervais and I went up to a rare gig in Austin at Antone's last year. A must see for any Guitar fan, Rock, Blues and a bit psychadelic- definetely jammin'! I've seen him at least 4 or 5 times over the years- the first was the Mahogany Rush IV tour which one of my all -time favorite live albums was recorded. I rank that album right up there with "Burning Japan Live". That was the tour he was opening for Foreigner and Ted Nugent. Where the Nuge chalenged him and got blown away in a guitar dual!

    Mark

    Hi all...

    Interesting news!

    http://rock.feverfest.com/

    ROCKLAHOMA OPENS WEDNESDAY FOR BENEFIT PERFORMANCES

    PRYOR, OK - Due to the massive tornado that hit the town of Picher, OK members of the Rock community have banded together to play a benefit concert Wednesday, July 9th at Rocklahoma. Proceeds are to benefit the victims of a deadly tornado that caused severe damage to this Northeastern Oklahoma town.

    Picher, OK at one time with a population of 1,600 was severely affected by a F4 Tornado on May 10, 2008. "There were seven casualties in Picher alone with tornado winds estimated at 165 to 175 miles per hour. The twister was a mile wide at its widest point," National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Teague said. A total of 114 homes were leveled by this deadly tornado.

    Dave Giencke, Director of Operations had this to say, "We at Rocklahoma want to give back to our neighboring community of Picher and help the residents rebuild their lives!"

    Admission to Wednesday is open to the general public at a charge of just twenty-five dollars per person. Anyone who has purchased three-day General Admission or V.I.P. tickets to Rocklahoma will be admitted free of charge. Also on Wednesday, Rocklahoma is offering free admission to all active members of the Armed Forces.

    Headlining Wednesday Night will be multi-platinum recording artist RATT, featuring original members Stephen Pearcy, Warren DeMartini, Bobby Blotzer along with Robbie Crane and John Corabi. Also appearing on stage Wednesday Night will be Jackyl and Firehouse.

    Playing on the side stage that evening will be Lure, Down Tread, Jaded and local band Pedal Point.

    Wednesday during the day, Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp ™ takes over for over one hundred rock enthusiasts. Camp members will be able to jam with some of rocks' top musicians. This one of a kind event will feature the following counselors: Gilby Clarke (Guns and Roses), Mark Hudson (Writer and Producer for Aerosmith), Eliot Easton (The Cars), Kip Winger (Winger), Mark Slaughter (Slaughter), David Ellefson (Megadeth), Chris Slade (AC/DC), Earl Slick (David Bowie/John Lennon), Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple). The Camp Counselors will be performing an All Star Jam just prior to Jackyl's performance.

    For the first time in its history, Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp ™ is going On Tour for an exciting series of special one-day camps in cities all across the country. Beginning July 9th at Rocklahoma! The package includes full festival passes. This means that now, for a fraction of the time and money it typically costs to "live the dream," rock enthusiasts of all ages, backgrounds and skill levels can enjoy the once in a lifetime experience of going from the audience to the stage, meeting, jamming, rehearsing, and performing live on stage and sharing the limelight with these living legends.

    For more information about Rocklahoma or Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp™, go online to http://rock.feverfest.com/.

    At Midnight, for the entire Rocklahoma audience, there will be a special screening of "Heavy Metal in Baghdad", a documentary film, which premiered at this year's Berlin Film Festival, which gives a harrowing glimpse of their everyday life in a city torn apart by war.

    Directed by Eddy Moretti and Suroosh Alvi, with Spike Jonze sporting an executive producer credit, this feature follows the four young musicians' desperate struggle to make the music they love, from the toppling of Saddam Hussein in 2003 to the present day.

    As reported by CNN, "As the band struggles to overcome roadblocks, curfews and power cuts just to get to rehearsal, this portrayal of four regular guys surrounded by violence and chaos is a striking picture of a city's populace caught, quite literally, in the crossfire."

    "Nobody could live under the same circumstances that an Iraqi could live in," says bassist Firas. "You have to deal with death and fear every day," adds singer Faisal.

    That fear is reflected in their music. There's little room for allegory in their songs, "Massacre," "Between the Ashes" and "Orphan Child": These titles reflect the band's everyday existence.

    Over 100 bands will be performing on three giant stages over the five days. Rocklahoma's current lineup on the main stage is:

    Wednesday: RATT, Jackyl, All Star Fantasy Camp, Firehouse, Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp Jam,

    Thursday: Bret Michaels, Sebastian Bach, Dokken, LA Guns featuring Tracii Guns, Enuf Z Nuff, Vain, House of Lords and Jet Boy.

    Friday: Triumph, Extreme, Lita Ford, Night Ranger, Living Colour, Kingdom Come, Armored Saint and XYZ.

    Saturday: Cinderella, Warrant, Kix, Lynch Mob, Trixter, Black N Blue, Tora Tora, Every Mother's Nightmare and Pretty Boy Floyd.

    Sunday: Queensryche performing Operation: Mindcrime 1, Tesla, Ace Frehley, Steelheart, UFO, Zebra, and Axe

    The current lineup is subject to change.

    An additional sixty bands are going to be playing on two giant side stages courtesy of Retrospect Records and Tri-Label Group.

    Rocklahoma is the world's largest Rock Festival of its type featuring bands from the eighties. Attendance for the upcoming festival has sold tickets in all fifty states and every continent in the world with Antarctica being the only exception.

    Located four miles north of Pryor, OK, off Highway 69, the Catch the Fever facilities include over 6,200 assigned and numbered seats, as well as general admission on the lawn for over 50,000 people. The grounds also feature over 4,000 campsites, on-site parking, bathroom facilities, a convenience store and overnight security provided by Mayes County Sheriff's Department. Rocklahoma features a Picture Alley that allows anyone in attendance to approach the stage during any performance and take photographs of a favorite artist at close range.

    Discounted General Admission and V.I.P. Tickets to Rocklahoma are available through Tuesday, May 27th by calling toll free 866-310-2288.

    Wow! Haven't logged on in a few days I guess.. What a surprise! I guess this is bitter-sweet in a way. Fedor- above all- I wish you and your family the best- but I am counting on your presence here in the forum- at least as much as prior to the change. Maybe now your available time will be put even more towards comments and insites right here. Your contributions hold heavy merits! Your love, dedication and hard work was (and is) very obvious to us all. Thank you so much! And the Tourograpghy is still your baby right? Life keeps changing and we must all adjust! I have to be honest- I have not had time to frequent both sites (to my liking) for quite some time- this way we are all united in a Glenn Hughes kinda way! This is a positive for sure- and another positive is that Dave has agreed to take the helm. I think Dave's work has been amazing- there is no one better suited for the job. As a fan- what makes these sites valid and real is the realationship the webmaster has with the artist- that (to me) is just as important as the technical abilities of the webmaster. Fedor your relationship with Glenn has benifited us all so much. We are fortunate- we have had, and have it all, we all know that both Dave and Glenn are as committed -as could be , to making the communications of an Artist and fans a success.

    Thanks to Fedor, Dave and Shirean (you've earned it), and lastly to Glenn for establishing these relationships for the benefit of your fans... we're all a happy "Funky" family here on the web- and hopefully we'll all be out on the road with a "never-ending" tour ahead of us!

    Mark

    Yea Todd! Bought it Tuesday- Pretty much sounds like the original Asia.... Wetton still has the voice! And the production, as it was in the old days- sounds cutting edge.

    Those that are interested- I'm assuming it's national Best Buy has it through today for onlt $9.99.

    M.

    Glad you caught him this time Bill! I guess you remember our previous dicussions about Robin- Susan! You missed a great show! Robin coming to town is close to being like Big Daddy coming to Houston for me- I never miss his shows unless I absolutely have to work! But of course I didn't follow Robin all over Texas- as I have been known to do for Glenn! Yes, if you were to brouse the forum over at the community at Trowerpower.com you would find a lot of info about the tours (and my little blurb). You would also find that the set list was pretty much the same here in Houston. "Hannah" was a surprise for me- I deliberately did not seek out the setlist prior to the show. I was very surprised about the closing oncore: The beautiful "Another Time Another Place"- and even more surprised when I saw the T-Shirts being sold with the words "Farewell Tour" on the back... oh, it did say "first" farewell tour! Don't be surprised if you see a smaller scale tour featuring Jack Bruce in the future. The new album is the best work done by these two- but I would prefer hearing Davey with Robin than any other living Trower vocalist!

    Happy Birthday Mr. Galley! Looks like a wonderful gathering! We can all feel the love just by viewing the photos- and we are sending you more in these posts! I can't log on to your myspace page at work- so this will have to do!

    Best wishes- Mark (another Texan!) well, I got here as soon as I could....