wish I were ROCKIN' at the Lonestar Rod & Kustom Round Up this weekend in Austin!

Hopefully next year, when I get my first hot rod (the closest I've ever come was a psychedelic yellow '55 Ford F100, purchased during college while I was interning with the Red Lodge, Montana newspaper) , you bet I'm gonna take it down to the Lonestar Rod & Kustom Round Up, held annually in Austin, TX. It's happening this weekend and it's killin' me that I'm not there.

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There are at least four major "inde" events I want to drive to: Paso Robles in California, Billetproof in Northern California, the Heavy Rebel Weekender in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and the Lonestar Round Up. Even without a ride of my own, I do make it to many Goodguys and NSRA events. For sure, later this month, I'll be at Classics & Chrome in Rockford, Illinois.

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I profiled both the Lonestar and Heavy Rebel events in ROCKIN' because I saw them as terrific examples of where hot rod and music culture combine. Many of the photos (here on this blog also) came directly from Steve Wertheimer and the Kontinentals car club's Mr. Beatnik, so thanks once again!

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Here's what Rob Fortier had to say, in part, about the Lonestar event, writing in Custom Rodder:

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"According to the Round Up's "official" itinerary, the event doesn't really kick off until early afternoon on Friday. But being that Austin is a town full of things to be entertained by, many show up early--as early as Wednesday--making a mini-vacation out of it.

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"The show's headquarters is the Continental Club [on South Congress Ave.], owned by Kontinentals Car Club member Steve Wertheimer [pictured in ROCKIN']. And it's at Steve's club that most of the evening festivities center around, including [one year] an outdoor "drive-in" screening of old hot rod flicks across the street at Jo's Coffee. Along with that, another Kontinentals member, Mike Young, has hosted a "free" breakfast cruise at his restaurant, The Hula Hut, on the shores of Lake Austin on Saturday morning.

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"Plus, event credentials (the treasured Lone Star Laminate!) also gets you into the world-famous Stubb's BBQ for Saturday entertainment and cultural dining (you gotta have barbecue at least once in Austin) after the car show . . . but all roads lead back to the Continental Club each evening, one way or another. Both Friday and Saturday found a full lineup of bands on the CC stage until well past midnight, while those opting for an evening under the stars got treated to live music in the parking lot of the Hotel San Jose on Saturday.

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"The [actual] Round Up found itself at a new location [two years ago, in a beautiful park] just outside of the downtown Austin area, which afforded plenty of room, shade trees to relax beneath, and a covered stage for the bands that played from practically the minute the gates opened until they closed. Whether it was Jesse Dayton, James Intveld, or the Paladins, if you weren't busy spending your dough at the various vendors' booths or checking out the vast array of cars, you were most likely kicking back in the bleachers enjoying the music. But, to be honest, it was hard to take your attention off the cars--from finely done mild customs like Lee Pratt's '58 Impala to [perfectly ratted-out rods]--and there was a lot to take a gander at.

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"With two Round Ups under my belt, it's starting to look like driving to number three might be the best bet. I think the old '55 with a hot rod in tow might be the ticket . . . we'll see."

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Amen to that, brother, amen to that. Or as my Mom used to say, "Next year in Jerusalem!"
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ROCKIN' across America with the Four Slicks (those wild and crazy dudes from France)

In late August / early-September, 2006 a French greaser-punk band, The Four Slicks, toured America in a 1963 Ford Falcon Deluxe 4-Door Wagon, making friends all along the way. The schedule called for stops in 17 cities, beginning in Hollywood, CA and ending in Brooklyn, NY.

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Here's their description of the vehicle, and photos, from their website http://fourslicks.free.fr

(unclear where it was initially purchased, but the band notes "Pancho was shipped by boat after the tour to Le Havre, France, and is now zooming around Paris, attracting lots of strange looks.")

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"It was updated with a stock 1967 289 V-8 Motor [with] a 2-barrel Autolite 2100 carb, C-4 three-speed automatic transmission, 5-bolt suspension, 3.20 rear end, and original California plates. Sometimes known as "Pancho.'"

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"Gas mileage was approximately 16 MPG. The car was badly overloaded with us, beer, records we bought, equipment, etc., including shit strapped to the roof, to the point where the rear was really sagging. But the Falcon rolled at 75 mph all day. During the 5,300 mile (8,500 km) tour, we had one major problem: the generator and regulator both fried in Sacramento and had to be replaced. We unfortunately missed the Salt Lake City show because of that--otherwise, we did not miss any shows due to car (or other) problems.

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Meet the band (and, apparently, their own rides in France):

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Charlie (vocals) - 1956 Dodge

Mark (drums) - 1950 Ford

Jon (guitar) - 1963 Ford

Ben (bass) - unclear

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The bandmembers have two EP's, one split 7" (with the Pneumonias), and one CD (on Slick Records, distributed in the US by Rapid Pulse). They are former members of French bands No-Talents, Creteens, Rip Offs, Real Gone Daddies, and the Dragueurs.

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Now, what do they sound like? According to www.nobrainszine.com, "cool, primitive, trashy rock & roll garage punk, like the Cramps meet the Radio Reelers." But a longer, and quite inspired, review appeared at www.geocities.com/nowwave/records/fourslickscd.html, penned by one Lord Rutledge:

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"As much as I love 7" vinyl, there are some bands that just work better for me on CD. A case in point are France's Four Slicks. The group's self-titled CD compiles songs from three vinyl [EP's] plus a split with The Pneumonias--and for me the entire collection is a lot more fun than any of the singles were by themselves. Maybe that's because this is the kind of band I like to listen to while I'm driving. I turn up the volume, roll down my windows, put my foot to the gas pedal, and just let the music rip through me. It's just got that feel, ya know? When you're listening to this shit, life's about open roads and endless possibilities and all the pretty girls who are just dying to ride next to you.

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"There aren't any obvious "hits" that would jump out at you in the single format. But as a whole, this disc totally smokes in the band's patented "garage-punk-meets-greasy-'50s-rock & roll" vein. The charmingly rough-hewn songwriting style of Mr. Jon Von Zelowitz is unmistakable, and songs like "Veronica" may bring to mind long-loved Rip Offs gems from way-back-when. But for the most part, the band is most reminiscent of all the Eisenhower Era hot-rod staples--Chuck Berry, Gene Vincent, Jerry Lee Lewis, Eddie Cochran, et. al. And the cover selections (Junior Gravely and the Rock-a-Tones, Darrell Felts and the Confederates, Gene La Marr and his Blue Flames) demonstrate just how deeply the Four Slicks have delved into the recesses of slick-haired, car-crazed rock & roll.

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"Nowhere on this disc will you notice any attempts at deep meaning or concessions to the past 40 years of musical progress. One song after another blazes by in a flash of revved-up guitars and breakneck drumming--and not one tops the two-minute mark. This dance party's short and sweet, brother!

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"Society's guardians of morality used to call stuff like this "the devil's music." If you like to shake your ass to a rockin' beat, if you dig hot guitar leads, if you're smart enough to know that rock & roll was already as complicated as it would ever need to be by 1957, if you enjoy oldies radio but crave louder guitars and higher-powered drumming, then the Four Slicks are the band for you. This is great, stupid rock & roll, nothing more, nothing less.

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The poster at the top of the blog was done for the band by Chuck Sperry at the Firehouse Kustom Rock Art Company in San Francisco.

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ROCKIN' with Nikki and the Corvettes, out on tour in Europe this early summer

As ROCKIN's esteemed editor, Dennis Pernu, recently put it to me, you'd have to be a MNPLS boy to know that the names both "Nikki" and "Corvette" figured largely in the life of one "Prince."

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Because, Dennis also sent me this alert, published in HARP Magazine this month:

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Fred Mills reporting (edited by Grushkin)

NIKKI CORVETTE & the STINGRAYS GET READY FOR AN APRIL-MAY EUROPEAN TOUR

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"Raise your hand (or pogo in place) if you remember Nikki & the Corvettes, femme-punk/powerpop queens whose 1980 self-titled Bomp! Records debut [shown above--the cartoon art] is as legendary as it is seminal.

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"Without that record, there arguably would have been no Go-Go's, no Bangles, no Donnas (whose song "Gimme My Radio" bore the telling lyric, "I wanna be like Nikki Corvette!" Its hi-nrg but tuneful blend of a myriad of influences--think Ramones on a surfing date at the beach with the Shangri-La's--has [mostly - - my note here] stood the test of time.

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"Nikki came up in the Detroit scene, weaned on MC5 and the Stooges, eventually putting together an all-girl band and releasing her first single (as Nikki Corvette & the Convertibles), the appropriately named "Young and Crazy" in 1978. Soon the band was opening for the likes of the Ramones and hometown heroes the Romantics [whose guitarist, Peter James, became the Corvettes' producer]. A 1980 name change to Nikki and the Corvettes accompanied rising star status on the American new wave scene. As with many bands of the era, however, they eventually slid into obscurity. But those of us who cherished the record never forgot 'em.

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"Nikki got back into the business in 2002, and now fronts the Stingrays, whose 2006 slbum, "Back to Detroit" was issued by Dollar Records. The Corvette's 1980 album was reissued on CD in 2000 with additional singles from the pariod included."

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other worthy discussion:

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from Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide, writing about the Corvettes' CD reissue: "Nikki and the girls storm through 12 quick power poppers about time-honored subjects like boys, cars, and summertime. The backup is closer to the Ramones than to Blondie, the vocals closer to Blondie than the Ramones [but] the songwriting, production, and performance aren't up to the standards of either. Not bad, but on the lightweight side."

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from Sleazegrinder, commenting on Nikki's 2003 single, her first since 1980: "No Corvettes in sight, but this is Nikki's first since she was the reigning, gum-snapping power pop queen of the nu wave scene. There's a signature Corvette sound, which involves a neo-punk guitar chug on the verses and a full-on dreamy chorus, and that's in full effect here, as if rock & roll was just standing around smoking Kools for 23 years, waiting for Nikki's return."

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from www.SonicNet.com: "Did you ever wonder why Riff Randell, the teen-songwriter heroine of the '79 Ramones flick "Rock 'n' Roll High School" didn't start her own group instead of giving her songs to the Ramones? If she had, the result might have resembled Nikki and the Corvettes with their brand of late '70s, early '80s bubblegum punk. Corvette and backup singers Lori Jeri and Sally Dee caked on the bad-girl mascara, but most of their lyrics deal in quaint, romantic sentiments; even the cheekiest song, "Back Seat Love," is more sweet than raunchy."

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from www.epinions.com: "Any fan of the Bangs, Bobbyteens, or Donnas will hear some remarkable coincidences in the Corvettes' sound and lyrics. But who really cares? There's plenty of room in the record collection for girly, sleazy pop music."

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from Caustic Truths! #76: "It's new wave Betty Boop!"

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from VMag: "if you like tunes reminiscent of girl bands of the '50s dabbled with the abruptness of the Ramones, then Nikki & the Corvettes is exactly what you need to pop into the car stereo as you hop onto the highway in the morning."

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from www.uk.real.com: "What makes them so great is their ability to make you feel like you're kicking around on the beach with your friends."

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from www.scrammagazine.com: (I recommend the entire interview):

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NIKKI: "I get stuff in the mail and e-mails from girl bands, bands I've never heard of, saying I'm their biggest influence. These girls weren't even alive when [I put our record] out! The thing I like is that since Bomp! re-released it on CD, it's finally at the right speed--I don't sound like a chipmunk--well, not as much. (laughs).

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BETSY (interviewer): "I grew up with the speeded-up LP version."

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NIKKI: "We were on the road [when the LP came out], and it was too late to do anything about it. I was like, "no way! I'm NOT the Archies!"

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KIM (interviewer): "So what was that you used to do when you saw your album in the record stores?"

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NIKKI: "We put one in front of each row, so all you'd see was our record when you walked in! Uh, that is, the BACK cover facing forward. [We HATED the cartoon of us in the Corvette], which was supposed to be the back."

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There's an excellent interview with Nikki at www.bomp.com/Nikki/html (unfortunately, the link may not be working currently) in which she also noted, "If you look at the original cover, [you'd think] maybe Bomp! just wanted a cartoon band." But every article done on Nikki also is clear that she was--and still is--a stone cold Detroit-raised, L.A.-based rock & roll hellion who could stand up to the likes of Stiv Bators, and who found her own way with escapist, punky pop sound and mixed in everlasting sex appeal. Or, as one fan put it in a review on www.Amazon.com/Nikki-Corvettes/dp/B00004SZGD, "it's perfect for the teenager in all of us and the teenibopper in some of us."

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And if you're not convinced by all of this (whew), try looking up the near-x-rated lyrics to "Darling Nikki," by Prince (thank you, Dennis).

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ROCKIN' (and rollin') with the Buffalo Springfield (part 2: the investigation continues)

One of the fascinating, semi-apocryphal tales told in ROCKIN' is that of how the Buffalo Springfield band found each other on a particular street in Los Angeles, Neil Young and Bruce Palmer going one way (just down from Canada, allegedly headed out of town to San Francisco) and Stephen Stills and Richie Furay either in the opposite lane or across the street . . . or something. See page 97 to refresh your memory of the many versions offered up--much of this courtesy historian Joel Bernstein and the Buffalo Springfield box set which he coordinated.

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Now, we also "know" that the band took their name from the nameplate on the side of a steamroller--made by the Buffalo-Springfield Roller Company--that was "parked on the street outside producer Barry Friedman's house."

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In ROCKIN' I included, as a reference point to only the name itself, an early '20s ad for the Buffalo-Springfield Company, but in no way was it meant to suggest that an early model roller was parked on the street in 1966.

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More likely, it was a mid-'60s roller, and not a steam roller. Ahem.

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Now, I put forth this challenge. Let's see (number one) if someone can determine which member of the band saw that particular roller. And, further (number two), which model roller (and from what manufacturing year) was it.

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Here's some guiding information. The Buffalo-Springfield Roller Company resulted from a merger of the Buffalo Steam Roller Company and the Kelly-Springfield Road Roller Company. These companies were outgrowths of road roller developments of the Buffalo-Pitts Company, manufacturer of threshing machines and steam traction engines in Buffalo, New York, beginning in 1890, and the Ohio-Springfield Kelly Company of Springfield [Ohio] beginning in 1902.

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In 1957, Buffalo-Springfield Roller Company of Springfield, Ohio was purchased by Koehring Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and now operates as a division of that company (one of 14 operating divisions and affiliated companies throughout the world).

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So that would mean that Neil Young (as some tales have it) or another bandmember (or staffer, or friend, or producer) who spied the roller actually saw not an antique as portrayed in the photos above, but more likely a late '50s or early-mid '60s model, such as the "C" Model shown above from an ad.

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Also up for investigation is what the (mid-'60s) nameplate actually looked like. The one shown at the top of this blog may well only apply to the models from the 1920s through the 1940s. Likely by the time Koehring acquired Buffalo-Springfield, the nameplate design had been modernized.

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Just sayin' . . .

ROCKIN' gets four stars ("absolute must") in Hemmings Classic Car mag (May issue)

Associate Editor Craig Fitzgerald at Hemmings Classic Car magazine gave ROCKIN' four stars in the May '07 issue shown here.

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He wrote, among much else, "Each of the 240 pages is packed with incredible full-color artwork, from obscure album covers to period photography to pencil drawings, illustrating the automobile's consisten influence on the American music scene."

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He went on to say that the author, ahem, "aces our coolness litmus test" by including such features as a two-page spread on Gearhead Magazine."

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Fitzgerald wasn't so kind to Darrell Mayabb, who did the cover art, but concluded that the book should be "a definitive guide to building your garage's CD collection." Now that is an interesting perspective.

a ROCKIN' 1970 442 convertible 455 auto 12-bolt, being sold by Biohazard's Billy Graziadei

According to the eBay auction description mid-February (slightly edited) for

item #130078473658:

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"This is a nice car that's 85% restored with all the hard work done. It's owned by Billy Graziadei, guitarist for Biohazard, one of the most well known hardcore bands that put out 10 successful albums and went out on multiple world tours. Billy is now guitarist for his newest project, Suicide City.

With the commitments of being in a band and touring, Billy hasn't found the time to finish the last little details, but a real enthusiast can finish all the small stuff in a weekend or two. I'm a friend helping him sell the car.

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Muscle cars and rock go perfect together. Whether you're a muscle car collector or a hardcore music lover, you can't lose with this 442. Here's the information on this collectible Oldsmobile.

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Sage Autobody in Woodside, Queens [a borough of New York City] restored the body in 2002. It's a straight car that was done nice. There's no rust but it's had some sheetmetal work. The quarters were replaced as well as a door, but the frame and floors are real solid. The original hood was replaced by a fiberglass piece with the correct locking pins.

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The paint is real nice and still looks fresh; it has a nice gloss and shine to it. The chrome also was redone. Some of the trim is still original, and in original condition (good but not perfect). Some of the trim pieces and emblems are not installed yet. The front marker lights were just put back in and still neeed to be hooked up.

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McCoy's Tops in Queens restored the interior in 2002. There are new bucket seat covers, door panels, carpet, and side panels. Aftermarket power windows were installed in the front doors. The center console has a Hurst shifter, and mounted on the tilt column is an Autometer tach. The original radio still resides in the factory location. The power convertible top was also replaced and has a matching boot.

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The 455 is a nice running engine. Billy says it's the orignal engine, but I can't verify that since the power steering bracket blocks the pad where the numbers are. The motor was rebuilt before Billy bought the car in 2000. It was bored .030 with the addition of an Edelbrock intake, Demon carb, headers, HEI distributor, and a MSD 6AL ignition. Backing up the engine is a TH400 tranny and a 12-bolt rear. It's got power steering and disc brakes.This was an air-conditioned car, but during the restoration the A/C and blower motor were removed and then pieces were misplaced after a move to a new home.

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She rides on stock 14" Olds wheels. Over large bumps, with a couple of people riding, the headers will scrape a bit (due to the low profile tires). She does drive well and rides like it should.

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Overall, you're bidding on a decent muscle car with all the hard work done with just a couple of details to finish. The body is straight, the paint is nice, the interior is done, the top is new, and it runs and drives well. Any 442 is a good buy but one that has a top which goes down and has an interesting owner history is even better.

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I've tried to list as much as I know about the car--good and bad. Most important, make sure you have ALL of your money BEFORE bidding. "

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Bidding ended on Valentine's Day, with no winning bid. There were 24 bidders, topping out at $21,100, but the reserve was not met.

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Biohazard was formed in 1988 in Brooklyn, NY. Their original lineup featured guitarist/vocalist Billy Graziadei, bassist/vocalist Evan Seinfeld, guitarist Bobby Hambel (later replaced by Rob Echevarria), and drummer Danny Schuler. They began by opening for local hardcore and thrash bands and gradually built a large following "through their outraged sense of injustice, political awareness, and constant touring" (according to Steve Huey, writing for the All Music Guide). Their live album "No Holds Barred" in particular showcased "the in-concert ferocity for which the group had become revered."

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Billy Graziadei said, in a recent MySpace blog, "I spent most of my life thus far with Biohazard. From the '90s until the early 2000's we toured the world and made some great music! Nine albums and a whole shit-load of stories, memories (good and bad) and made a lot of friends from all over the world. I'll take those times with me to the grave."

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from the ROCKIN' world annals #3: "an irksome moment for The Edge"

Dispatch 03-25-02: Dublin, Ireland, exclusive with photos

from www.showbizireland.com/news/march02/25-u289.shtml

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headline THE EDGE WINS WIFE & LOSES RIDE . . .

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"U2 guitarist The Edge was left red faced on Wednesday night last in Dublin after he left a fashion show he was attending with his fellow band mate Bono.

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After the duo left Dublin Castle where the show was taking place, The Edge walked to the band's hotel, The Clarence, nearby.

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The Edge had parked his vintage green Mercedes outside the hotel, but before he got there the local Dublin council had taken his car away as it was illegally parked.

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ShowBizIreland.com reveals the exclusive pictures of The Edge's car being towed away."

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Happens to the best of us. Unclear about the wife part. Nice car, mate.

ROCKIN' with Kellum Johnson, and recalling how we met, quite out of the blue

Gotta say, one of the trippiest parts of making ROCKIN' was meeting heretofore unknown (to me) but absolutely wonderful, inspiring automotive and rock & roll people, by accident . . . sort of. It's all about the quest and who turns up.
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Meet Kellum Johnson, for instance. But let him tell the story himself, as revealed at www.everything2.com. This is what Kellum wrote [author's note: slightly edited here, for clarity], after the book was published and a box arrived at his door.
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"Okay, okay, okay . . . I've known for a long time that E2 could be a gateway to good things, but OMG! WTF! And other on-line slang as well.
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Alright . . . slow down . . . breathe.
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I got a book in the mail Friday [author's note: this was back at the end of December]. Step back a moment with me, please.
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The time was November of 2004. I had been writing on E2 for less than a month. My work was improving quickly with some very expert guidance from friends. They told me to write about what I like, what I know about. My first writeups were about a favorite animal and a campy album from the '80s. But I'd been reading E2 for years and I'd always admired the essay work. I really wanted to write an essay.
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Saturday afternoon. I came home after a full day at the salon [author's note: Kellum is a highly skilled massage therapist, in private practice]. My housemate was not home, so I flopped down for a nap. Funny, my elderly aunts always extolled the virtues of naps when I was a lad. Never knew what they meant, but as time has moved on, I've been learning just how good a little shuteye in the afternoon can be.
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I awoke around an hour and a half later--a vivid memory in my head bringing a smile to my face. This was a memory of my driving out to my sister's place in Carrollton, Texas as a young man. Roaring down the straight-edge highways in mother's big luxury car, with Freddie Mercury blasting "Mama Mia! Mama Mia! Mama Mia--Figaro!" from the speakers. I thought about those old 8-track tapes and how the 8-track player would change tracks in mid-song.
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I started to write, feverishly. 'Make every word count,' my mentors had told me--both the easiest and hardest advice I'd ever gotten. I polished the essay, I crafted it, lovingly, painstakingly. The next day, after re-reading and re-editing it, I posted the piece
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Allseeingeye wrote to me. Wordnerd wrote to me. I was really touched--this was the first time strangers had ever commented on my work. It felt really great! I was proud, really proud. I felt like a real writer.
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Like that big car blasting through the Texas summers so long ago, the months roared past and I kept on writing. I never forget my little essay; it inspired me to fill a nodeshell or two, and I wound up with a rep in the high teens.
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Then, a couple of months ago, I was snoozing away comfortably on a Saturday morning when my cell phone rang. The voice on the other end was an enthusiastic baritone, with excellent diction. If this is a telemarketer, he's a dead man, I thought.
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"My name is Paul Grushkin, and I'm just finishing a book on rock & roll and the automobile," the man said.
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I was wide awake. Don't say anything stupid . . . don't say anything stupid, I told myself.
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Paul wanted to use my little essay in his new book. What could I say? I said yes. Emphatically. Excitedly. And I did not say anything stupid.
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I did the math. It was 5 am where he was. I'll bet he had been up all night. No wonder he sounded wired.
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I watched on-line for the next few months. I found the book, ROCKIN' DOWN THE HIGHWAY, on amazon.com, available for pre-order. I read about Paul's other work; he'd done quite a beautiful list of rock art books with titles like ART OF MODERN ROCK, TREASURES OF THE HARD ROCK CAFE, and the original ART OF ROCK. So I knew my work would be going into a nice book--a well-designed and interesting book, very likely. But I wasn't prepared for just how good it would be.
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You see, Paul called me again this week [December, 2006], this time sounding much more calm. Plus, he was calling in the afternoon! He needed mailing info.
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The book just arrived. It is magnificent . . . a real piece of art. It boasts brilliant rock photography of stars like Bob Dylan, Snoop Dogg, the Boss, Joni Mitchell, and way too many more to name, running the gamut of cool music from the 1950's on. The pictures blend with album covers, cartoons, notes, quotations, ticket stubs, 45's . . . all sorts of wonderful images, everything laid out beautifully. And of course there are the cars--lots of beautiful hot rods from every generation. And as for the prose, the writing is snappy, mostly by Paul, but also featuring commentary from various car-loving rock & rollers, some famous, some not so famous.
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The book is cool. Cool in the way rock music is cool. Cool in the way cars are cool. Cool in the way only a book about something as cool as rock music and cars can be cool.
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And there, on page 105, is an essay entitled KER. . . CH-U-U-U-KKK. A little fine-tuned for Paul's audience, but those are my words, right there in print! Alongside my prose are photos of 8-track tapes in front of a concert poster with a day-glo dashboard. And, Golden Earring's "Radar Love" nestles up to my work in a sidebar.
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At the bottom of my essay, ---Kellum Johnson. My name, credited in a really great book. How cool is that?"
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note: for more about Kellum's private practice, go to www.kjmassage.com.

ROCKIN' with Calexico, the eclectic Tucson, AZ inde-roots band with an automotive heart

Calexico is a Tucson, AZ-based collective of musicians focused around Joey Burns and John Convertino. They created an eclectic identity through their forays through Southwestern culture, Portuguese 'fado,' Afro-Peruvian music, '50s and '60s jazz, country, and surf music.

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Calexico is named after the border city in Southern California.

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The band originated in 1990 when Burns, who was studying music at the Univ. of California at Irvine met up with Convertino, who was playing drums in Giant Sand. That band moved to Arizona in 1994, and after some evolution became Calexico in 1996. Their debut album was "Spoke," recorded that year--and is the inspiration for the poster second from the top, above. The poster artists were the Factor 27 design collective, headed by Geoff Peveto and Paul Fucik. They used a bicycle chain as part of the art, along with foil. It is now a rare and desirable piece, given the band's popularity.

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Calexico built their inde profile by touring as a support act for bands such as Pavement, Wilco, Iron& Wine, Ozomatli, and Los Lobos. They also have been cheered by crowds at festivals including Bonnaroo, and have collaborated with artists as divergent as Nancy Sinatra and Neko Case. Many of their best CD's are live recordings.

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As you can well see, the band has great affection for automotive art to portray their roots, influences, and discoveries. Their newest gig poster, shown fourth from the top here, was illustrated by Daymon Greulich for a recent Australian appearance. Billy Perkins, based in Austin, handled the poster featuring both Los Loney Boys and Calexico.

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"[Lately] I've been channeling Charlie Watts [drummer for the Rolling Stones] while Joey channels Mike Watt [bassist for the Minutemen]," remarked John Convertino on the band's website http://casadecalexico.com/about/.

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ROCKIN' the airwaves (this time for Subaru) with Sheryl Crow's "Everyday is a Winding Road"

"Everyday is a winding road

I get a little bit closer."

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Sheryl Crow's "Everyday is a Winding Road" is a song off her second album, "Sheryl Crow" (1996). It peaked at #11 on the Billboard "Hot 100" chart that year. Later it was covered by Prince on his 1998 album, "Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic." It's now become one of the more annoying--and therefore successful--radio commercials for an automotive brand, Subaru.

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Radio played a huge role for Subaru in 2006 in order to reinforce positive impressions for its all-wheel-drive models. Tim Bennett, director of advertising for Subaru of America, first met Crow at a Subaru-related cycling event, at a time when their ad agency, DDB, was considering hundreds of songs. Crow's ex-boyfriend, Tour de France legend Lance Armstrong, had appeared in Subaru ads for nearly three years beginning in 2003. For 2006, Subaru had beefed up its radio buy by 10%, including a special focus on Sirius satellite radio, and simultaneously reduced its presence on weekend TV, "when the brand's active owners and target buyers [presumably] were already tooling around in their all-wheel-drive models," according to MediaPost.

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A new breed of corporate consultants had emerged by this time, matching celebrities like Crow with campaigns. When Creative License approached Crow formally, executives went into the pitch knowing she felt strongly about environmental issues. So, they showed her pictures of Subaru's low-waste manufacturing plants and talked about its commitment to "increasing green awareness." That apparently cinched the deal. Now, Subaru has become a prominent sponsor of the PBS television series "Antique Roadshow," part treasure hunt, part history lesson, and part travel adventure--all of which "resonates well" with the Subaru customer, according to their chief marketing officer. No song has yet appeared to underscore this signing . . . yet.

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As discussed at length in ROCKIN' (page 211) automakers have been using rock & roll for many years to promote their product. Certainly one of the most successful campaigns utilized Bob Seger's "Like a Rock," the title track off the "Like a Rock" album (1986). The guitar track was overdubbed by Rick Vito andthat version of the song became a part of popular and advertising culture--promoting Chevy trucks--for more than ten years, one of the longest-running television commercial series in history.

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Actually "Like a Rock" sounded at the time of its release as the most Seger-like effort in some time. He'd been putting quite a distance between albums at that point, as his "The Distance" had been released more than three years before. He'd even fallen a bit out of favor with the public, who now had only memories of "Night Moves," "Stranger in Town," and "Against the Wind." Funny how one song could instantly put him back on top.

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"Like a Rock" was put into gear for Chevy in 1991 and lasted through 2004, replaced by the "An American Revolution" ad campaign. The song apparently--finally--had outlived its usefulness, but as one AutoBlog.com participant put it, "I can't think of a slogan/song that is more intertwined with an automotive product." That is, unless you remember Dinah Shore's "See the USA in Your Chevrolet" from the 1950s.

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Crow is not exactly a gearhead, but supplied one of ROCKIN's best sidebars, "Sheryl Crow on Road Trips" (page 154). She also wrote a fine song in "Steve McQueen."

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Her video for "Steve McQueen" is a classic. You can read about its filming, through the recollections of stunt driver David Kunz, at www.ponysite.de/bullittcrow.htm. Crow rides (or, by extension, stuntpeople ride on her behalf) a motorcycle like the one in "The Great Escape," a GT40 at Willow Springs racetrack to simulate McQueen's work in "Le Mans," and was chased by NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in a "Bullitt" Mustang.

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Crow and Armstrong are no longer an item--though he has been hugely supportive of her battle with breast cancer--but upon winning his sixth Tour, he received a special gift from Crow, an overhauled 1970 GTO. Crow hooked up with Chip Foose, team captain of television's OVERHAULING, and they contrived to steal the car out of Lance's garage for its makeover. The result was a "shocked and dazed world champion."

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You can see more about the GTO segment at http://turbo.discovery.com/overhaulin/episode/season2/episode209/episode209.html.

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There's also a very interesting piece on how pop songs are "repurposed," at http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RepurposedPopSong.

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a ROCKIN' lil' ol' piece of pre-ZZ Top history from the Rev. Billy F Gibbons

Here's a fine and rare oddity for you: the Moving Sidewalks' "Moving Sidewalks" EP which I just picked up from the tremendous music salesgroup, www.eil.com (based in the UK).

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The Moving Sidewalks was Billy F Gibbons' second band (originally called the Coachmen). They released one LP, "Flash," in 1968, along with several singles. Their rarest vinyl, apparently, is this EP, circa early '68: Mutt Records M1030, with four mono tracks. Gibbons, as the picture sleeve indicates, was known then as only "Bill Gibbons."

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Their hit song was "99th Floor," well remembered by those who came of age in Houston during the late '60s. Three songs by the Moving Sidewalks also appear on ZZ Top's "Chrome, Smoke & BBQ" box set (2003).

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Gibbons was raised in Houston, TX, likely born on December 16, 1949, or the same day in 1950, or possibly on March 4, 1950--these dates have all variously surfaced. He grew up in a home that favored both classical and country music, but upon discovering Elvis via his appearance on the Ed Sullivan show, Gibbons was transfixed by rock & roll. It wasn't long before he discovered other early rockers (Little Richard) and bluesmen (Jimmy Reed) via a local radio station. According to his book ROCK & ROLL GEARHEAD (Motorbooks, 2005), he also credits the influential role his family's maid, "Big Stella" Matthews, played in turning him on to all kinds of blues.

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Gibbons received a Gibson Melody Maker electric guitar and a Fender Champ amp for Christmas in 1963. He formed his first band, the Saints, when he was 14. Around 1965-1966, he joined the Coachmen, who specialized in the new West Coast psychedelic sound inspired by the likes of the Jefferson Airplane.

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In GEARHEAD, Gibbons also expounds on how the Moving Sidewalks were blazing hot in their time. They opened for The Jimi Hendrix Experience during the Texas leg of Hendrix's first American tour. At the same time, the legendary Texas psychedelic band, the 13th Floor Elevators (led by Roky Erickson, who is currently making quite a comeback), covered the Gibbons-penned "99th Floor." That song also received attention when it was included--years later--on the "Pebbles, Vol. 2" compilation LP which to this day is an underground classic.

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While the Sidewalks never made a huge impression outside of Texas, Hendrix began endorsing Gibbons as one of his favorite new players. In due course, The Moving Sidewalks folded in 1969, and Gibbons focused on forming a more straight-ahead, boogie/blues-rock power trio. He was fortunate to link up with vocalist/bassist Dusty Hill and drummer Frank Beard, both of whom were alumni of American Blues, the Warlocks, and the Cellar Dwellers. ZZ Top's first concert was in 1970 and their first LP was released in 1971 on London Records. The rest is well-known rock history.

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Of note, looking at the reverse side of the picture sleeve shown here, is the phrase "a band from Texas." This would morph into the well-known tag line for ZZ Top, "a little ol' band from Texas." And, that--so early on--two gearhead aspects were prominently featured: the low-riding Chevy on the front and the sparkplug with "the secret" on the back.

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For an insightful time-trip through Gibbons' musical career, be sure to check out "Chrome, Smoke & BBQ," along with another archival compilation, "Rancho Texicano" (2004). Gibbons himself is a voluble and legendary interview, and Robert Silverstein's "Loaded & Truckin'" is one of the best, seen here at www.mwe3.com/archive/pastfeature/featureZZTop.htm. Also, Willie G. Moseley and Ward Meeker's "Return of the Revvvv," conducted for Vintage Guitar magazine, and accessed at www.vintageguitar.com/artists/details.asp?ID=193, is a classic.

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a ROCKIN' Corvette find at Barry Wickham's archive

Way before CD singles and DVDs, there was the '45 rpm single and the EP (a single-sized vinyl record with more than one track on a side, but generally also playing at '45 rpm). The picture sleeve was a unique feature, and was often used for pure promotions. This one--"Sounds of Corvette"--is unique because it's a one-sided 33 1/3 rpm long-playing record housed in a '45-size picture sleeve. It was unearthed by Barry Wickham who graciously provided many fantastic gems to ROCKIN'.

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Here's what it says on the front of the sleeve of this RCA Victor Custom Records (Chevrolet-label #LO8U-2948) release:

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"Here's an exciting record that brings you an expert's knowledge and the sound of America's sports car in action! Listen as Mr. K.E. Staley, Chevrolet's General Sales Manager, introduces you to the great '61 Corvette. Then, let your imagination go along for a thrilling ride with Zora Arkus-Duntov, world-famous sports car driver and automotive engineer, as he puts the new Corvette through its paces!"

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The back of the sleeve depicts the many options and specs available. It concludes, "whatever you choose, a new avenue of automotive adventure will stretch out before you when you GO CORVETTE!"

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Besides the sleeve's artwork depicting the driver and passenger about to drive off onto a [snow-covered, iced-over lake in summertime], note the passenger's jaunty wave and a-ok sign. And is that Zora in the driver's seat? And what is the equipment the [test engineer's] wearing around his neck?

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And, just to be sure the prospective customer got it right, the label on the record advised, "start at outside of record." This reminds me of the early Victor label that carried some of the first jazz music, which advised consumers that it was "For Dancing."

ROCKIN' with The Hoff's "Jump in My Car," the hit from Down Under

The Hoff made a music comeback at the end of '06, although until recently it wasn't noticed in America. Here's the word from Sony BMG/Australia which got things started stateside:

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"It's 'Hofficial!' Your favorite cult icon wants to take you home! The one and only David Hasselhoff of Bay Watch and Knight Rider fame returns with a cover of the 1975 [Australian] classic "Jump in My Car," and it's a doozy. Recorded in Sydney last year [2005], the Ted Mulry Gang tune has been re-vamped with full Hoff gusto and this music video promises to rock the socks off all his fans."

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In "Jump in My Car," getting big laughs currently on youTube, Hasselhoff again demonstrates his sense of humor and penchant for self-parody. The song apes his performance as Michael Knight in Knight Rider. The car in the video is a black Pontiac Trans Am with a pulsing LED-configured dashboard and an interior similar to that of the television show's K.I.T.T. car (except for the passenger seat now being on the left), including an aptly-timed use of K.I.T.T.'s famed ejection mechanism.

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The video skit involves The Hoff checking out the local talent, then asking one of three girls to 'jump in his car' to take her home. The girl initially demurs, then gets in 'so long as he behaves himself.' But, she tells him that she lives down south 'about 84 miles' and that sets Hasselhoff . . . off. When she refuses to leave the car, he trips the ejector switch and off she goes through the roof.

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In the summer of 2006, anonymous fans of Hasselhoff in the UK launched a tongue-in-cheek website seeking to get The Hoff to number one on the singles charts via a re-release of his 1989 European hit "Looking for Freedom." When "Jump in My Car" debuted in September, the fans re-focused their attention on the new song. Tens of thousands responded, and Hasselhoff gained his highest-ever UK chart entry (#3) on October 8.

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One of the most popular action shows of the early '80s [debuting in 1982], Knight Rider developed a devoted following because of its high-tech premise. Hasselhoff played across from K.I.T.T., an indestructable car with numerous special functions including artificial intelligence. The two roamed the US righting wrongs and stopping improbable criminal plots. Riding the wave of the show's popularity, Hasselhoff released a debut album, "Night Rocker," in 1984 and since then has had huge international appeal as a singer.

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"Everything David Hasselhoff does is in the league of the old Godzilla films," wrote one fan on an Internet blog. "His acting work is fantastically cheesy but also bloody brilliant. It's like a train wreck, 'cause you can't help staring at it."

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side note about the Sony BMG/Australia press release. The phrase "it's a doozy" refers to the celebrated American marque, Duesenberg.

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a ROCKIN' send-up to Deuce Week at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles

This just in from the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles concerning "Deuce Week" just concluded:

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"It was four legendary musicians backed by Jimmie Vaughan's band that took the stage for charity [last Friday night] at the Petersen. As shown in the photo above, Michael Anthony, Billy F Gibbons, Jimmie Vaughan, and Jeff Beck played a set of blues-inspired standards [see set list to left]. The set was part of "Deuce Week," a celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the 1932 Ford. In addition to the notable music contributions each have made, they are also respected hot rod enthusiasts.

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"The Friday celebration, promoted as "the biggest party ever thrown for the Deuce," lived up to the hype. The museum was packed with hundreds of 1932 Ford hot rods, legendary hot rod builders, racers, and automotive aftermarket notables. The Deuce Week celebration allowed the rockers to rub elbows with many industry rollers and all were seen talking hot rods.

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"The night began with an auction of 1932 grille shells that had been customized by notable hot rod builders Barry Lobeck, Pete Chapouris, and Roy Brizio. Bruce Meyer, hot rod collector and the host for the evening, auctioned a signed Fender guitar from each of the rockers and a flamed Yamaha bass from Michael Anthony [of Van Halen]. The auction raised nearly $60,000, benefiting the museum.

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"Playing under a massive banner depicting a 1932 coupe and roadster racing, Gibbons opened the set and was quickly joined by Vaughan, Beck, and Anthony. The concert, held in the museum's 17,280 sq. foot pavillion (located on the open deck of the parking structure) was limited to just 1,200 guests and included a who's who of the custom automotive industry."

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David Myers, general manager of the Petersen, also notes, "Nice 'no-see-um' pickups on BFG's geetar!"

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For an informative and retrospective look at the Deuce, go to curator Leslie Kendall's essay on the Petersen site: www.petersen.org/default.cfm?docid=1051.

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Kathleen Judge's scratchboard art, featured as one of ROCKIN's special commissions

For me, one of the most powerful pieces of art I commissioned for ROCKIN' is Kathleen Judge's take on Bruce Springsteen's "Thunder Road." You can see it on page 143. That would be her perspective (see art here) on what historically has been a man's song, with the essential couplet reading:

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"Well, I got this guitar

And I learned how to make it talk

And my car's out back

If you're ready to take that long walk

From your front porch to my front seat

The door's open but the ride it ain't free."

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Kathleen's lived in Chicago since 1991. She grew up in Detroit (a "typical Motor City child," she says; her Dad worked for Ford). She studied painting and animation at Rhode Island School of Design, and she's now part of a screenprinting collective headed by master screenprinter Steve Walters at Chicago's Screwball Press. Now her work is in demand nationally.

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Judge (she's addressed by both names, interchangeably) is often out on the road serving as merchandise salesperson for musician Neko Case--and she's also done tour and gig posters for Case, as shown here. When at home, she concentrates on illustration often based on her lifelong fascination with industrial landscapes, and on perfecting her scratchboard technique which has some similarities in its end result to woodcut engraving.

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"I got a break because adults showed interest in my work as a kid," Judge told me. "That included my parents and my best friend's mom (who pushed me into taking Saturday art classes at the Center for Creative Studies), and then an awesome high school art teacher, Robert Rathbun. Beyond teaching us art, he shared his experiences as an artist. When he sold a painting, he'd tell us. He spoke about his studies with an old Italian lady in Italy. He basically opened my mind to the idea that an adult still studies and continues to learn, and that an artists doesn't have to be dead to make money.

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"Early on in life I thought everyone could draw (and everyone CAN, by the way)," Judge continued. "I used drawing to avoid doing everything else and as a way to control the world. I could draw places I wanted to go to and I made visual monsters out of people who acted like monsters. [Art for me was] making my own movie, a time machine, an escapist machine . . . art is magical that way.

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"I used to paint but found myself moving steadily into charcoal, monoprints, and scratchboard. I love black and white mediums. I started doing scratchboard in the early '90s. At that time scratchboard was not on masonite but on heavy chipboard, so it was VERY temperamental and greatly affected by changes in weather. I couldn't afford the expensive European-grade type, but in due course Clayboard came out with a product that didn't react to hot or cold temperature changes or moisture content in the air. Lately I've been trying to make my own, and am almost there.

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"When working in scratchboard, you're creating a 'positive,' unlike engraving where you're working backwards (the correct viewpoint emerges when the carving is flipped over and printed with). Scratchboard is coated with white 'clay' with black ink on top. The image is made by using a metal tool to scratch away the black ink.

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"Carving a woodblock for an engraving, in the manner of master artists like Rockwell Kent and Lynd Ward [two book jackets shown here, from an enormous lifetime of work by both], may be more time consuming in the creation stage, but when you're ready to print you can move ahead quickly. With scratchboard, I can create the image relatively easily, in mechanical terms, but when I want to screenprint it I first have to make a film out of the image, then burn it to the screens, and pull each color through the mesh. Laborious! Both of these mediums bring out a certain physicality in the linemaking. Scratchboard gives delicate lines more presence; woodcuts [would] give me bigger, wider, simpler lines.

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"I'm a fan of the '30s and '40s, the WPA period in America. I'm influenced by environment, landscape, and light. I drive a lot--so if you know of any abandoned industrial locations, please drop me a line!

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"I also should say screenprinting artprints and concert posters is an adventure in itself. At Steve Walters' Screwball Academy, people in the collective have wildly different styles. It's great to leave one night, come back the next afternoon, and it's as if elves were working through the early morning hours. Steve himself is one of the great teachers. He can coat a screen with a cigarette dangling in his mouth like a rock star. I can barely coat a screen using both hands and an extra prosthetic (if I had one). He's the most encouraging person I know."

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Gary Houston, who created another full-page illustration for ROCKIN' based on another of Springsteen's songs, "State Trooper" (shown on page 66), also uses scratchboard prominently in his work but also colorizes it.

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Kathleen's other pieces pictured here (just a few selections from her ouvre) include:

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The Drapes concert poster

Division Street CD

The Hideout's block party poster

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The book cover for GOD'S MAN is by Lynd Ward, and the cover for VOYAGING is by Rockwell Kent. If this style of art intrigues you, check out the magnificent ROCKWELL KENT: AN ANTHOLOGY OF HIS WORK (Alfred A. Knopf, 1982).

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You can go to Kathleen Judge's website, www.judgeworks.com and see the process involved, scratchboard to screenprint.

All roads lead to home with this ROCKIN' poster for Dave Matthews by Methane Studios/Atlanta

Methane Studios, based in Atlanta, is the team of Mark McDevitt (pictured here, left) and Robert Lee (right). For the past several years they've handled a great deal of tour and gig-poster work for bands like Dave Matthews, Pearl Jam, Beck, moe., and Wilco.

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The two Ohio-born artists moved down to Georgia in 1992 and opened up their studio in 1998. They began by specializing in screenprinted posters and have subsequently expanded to include CD art, packaging, logo design, T-shirt design, branding, and brochures. Lee also has handled a lot of work for NASCAR licensees.

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Both McDevitt and Lee attended Columbus (OH) College of Art & Design where they majored in illustration. In 2006, they were hired by Sony to design the official poster for the Pearl Jam tour that year. Some of their most spellbinding work has been for Dave Matthews also during that time.

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Here's Robert Lee discussing the Matthews poster for gigs in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara (pictured above):

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"The last leg of the tour was described to me by DMB as "All Roads Lead to Home," so that's the imagery I played with. We did sooooo many different shows for them in all different cities across the nation, so, yeah, they are definitely a traveling band. They have the same kind of following as Phish and other jam bands--a true dedicated audience who follows them from city to city in some cases.

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"Originally I had an electric guitar in the piece, but Dave uses--primarily--an acoustic, so I changed it up a bit. I guess the intertwining roads feel like some of the music jam bands play, with a lot of twists and turns going in different directions but ending up at the same destination.

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"The last show of the tour was Charlottesville, VA, which is Dave's home town. I guess the tour traveled many roads and through many towns but the final destination was always going to be "HOME."

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McDevitt adds, "We have a two-part design process. First, we come up with a concept. Second, we do everything we can to make it look good! For us, it's enjoyable when a good concept turns into a successful design, and especially when the type and illustration work together. With regard to the Dave Matthews pieces, they sometimes ask us for something specific but most of the time they give us free range. I think it helps that they let us do what we're good at and the results have been the proof. We usually provide about 3-4 sketches for them to look at, and most of the time they approve one of those. Once a sketch is approved, it usually takes 4-10 hours to illustrate and design the art. The printing can take 2-3 days depending on the amount of colors and editions of the print. Sometimes it comes right down to the hour--when we personally have to speed over to the venue and make delivery."

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You can see much of Methane's recent work, and learn about their history on their website, www.methanestudios.com. Some gems from their earlier work also were portrayed in my and Dennis King's ART OF MODERN ROCK (Chronicle Books, 2004). In addition, there's a fine interview with McDevitt at www.daveposters.com/articles/int_methane.htm.
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a ROCKIN' north american tour poster for Eric Clapton, by Chuck and Ron at The Firehouse

In blogging about the KUSTOM Magazine piece from Italy on ROCKIN', I began by noting the work of Ron Donovan and Chuck Sperry, the two rock-poster-making partners in The Firehouse, based in San Francisco, who've so greatly affected the work of modern poster makers screenprinting in Europe.

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Here's what they were working on as I was blogging--the 2007 North American tour poster for Eric Clapton. The '40 Ford depicted here is Clapton's own and is shown on page 231 of ROCKIN' (and its construction at Roy Brizio Street Rods is described at greater length in The Rodder's Journal, issue #15). TRJ #23 has a fine article on Clapton's '32 Ford roadster (also shown in ROCKIN').

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This jPeg hardly does the poster justice. According to Chuck, it's a ten color screenprint, featuring silver, gun metal, and metallic blue (with seven additional colors). Nice and big too: 18" x 24". Chuck and Ron are masters of metallic inks.

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You can see more of the Firehouse's recent commissions for Clapton at www.gigposters.com. Click on "designers". For more of Firehouse's great body of work, see ART OF MODERN ROCK (Grushkin and King, Chronicle Books, 2004) or EYESORE: RECENT LITTER FROM THE FIREHOUSE KUSTOM ROCKART COMPANY (Sperry and Donovan, Last Gasp, 2003).

a ROCKIN' Snow Patrol show in SF, featuring their hit "Chasing Cars"

Wasn't there, but read all about it the next day. Snow Patrol, the Scottish-Irish quintet whose mid-tempo ballads have surfaced on prime-time dramas like "Grey's Anatomy," played the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco last night. Aidin Vaziri, the reviewer for the San Francisco Chronicle, said the band "felt a bit like Coldplay, minus a billion dollars."

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What began as an indie act a decade ago has finally come into its own, especially because of the heavily downloaded hit, "Chasing Cars," which includes couplets like:

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"Let's waste time

Chasing cars

Around our heads.

I need your grace

To remind me

To find my own."

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Vaziri then wrote, "Playing in front of its biggest American audience to date, what the band lacked in grace it made up for with goose bumps. Mixing starry-eyed melodies with emotional storm clouds, [some songs] seemed interchangeable, yes, but at the same time evoked the wide-screen grandeur of classic U2. Each song felt massive, and the group's confidence in the material allowed it to toss off "Chasing Cars" midway through the set without fear of clearing the room.

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"If anything," Vaziri continued, "the show felt like a celebration. The dance moves, the bad jokes, the sound of 7,000 voices singing back the words (from "Chasing Cars"), "If I lay here, if I just lay here/Would you lie with me and just forget the world.""

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On the Internet site www.top40.about.com a reviewer notes, ""Chasing Cars" is a beneficiary of the growing tendency of TV series to extend their branding through attachment to songs played on the show. The happy occurance of [the song played on "Grey's Anatomy"] meant it got a boost onto the pop charts and pop radio--and this introduced a effortlessly beautiful true gem of a love song to pop audiences."

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The review continued, "Lead vocalist Gary Lightbody [pictured here] has the perfect instrument to convey the power and emotion of his words. He has strong enough vocal chops to hold his own against the surge of backing guitars, but wisely avoids vocal histrionics that could break the song's spell. It's no surprise that Lightbody has said "Chasing Cars" is 'the most pure and open love song' he has written."

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The phrase "chasing cars" came from Lightbody's father, in reference to a girl Lightbody was infatuated with. "You're like a dog chasing a car," said his dad. "You'll never catch it and you wouldn't know what to do with it if you did."

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On September 13, 2006, the song (the third single from Snow Patrol's fourth album, "Eyes Open," originally released on July 24) finally soared in the digital music charts to become the most downloaded song on the U.S. iTunes music store, just one day after the DVD release of the second season of "Grey's Anatomy."

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After chart rules were changed in January, 2007 to allow all downloaded songs to enter the charts--whether or not there was also a physical copy of the song available--"Chasing Cars" re-entered the chart at number 9. Also of note, the 7" single version of the song plays at 33 rpm instead of the normal 45 rpm (although the fact that the label states '45 rpm' indicates this was a mistake).

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For some excellent back-and-forth discussion about "Chasing Cars," go to the website www.songmeanings.net/lyric.php?lid=3530822107858583922.

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RIDES Mag says . . . ROCKIN' "a brilliant book worth reading and looking at"

RIDES Magazine caught my eye several years ago. It is, as it says on the cover, "the illest car magazine ever." And, in my humble opinion, a more upfront publication than DUB (the two cover much of the same territory--urban whips, rappers, hip-hop, and the shops and streets where this kulture comes alive). It's just that the people at RIDES were, up front, really friendly, really helpful when I got in touch with them quite out of the blue. And I won't forget that, ever.

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Ben Harris, associate publisher, returned all my calls right from the beginning. Editor-in-chief Datwon Thomas immediately gave his blessing for Brian Scotto, executive editor, to do an interview with me. And Lauren Crew, photography director, put me in touch with photogs like Rayon Richards. Their consideration, their encouragement, their understanding of what I was hell-bent on accomplishing--honoring both black and white peoples' shared love for music and cars--felt like family to me, and so I reciprocated in ROCKIN' (see page 215).

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Now RIDES did me a solid, reviewing ROCKIN' in their current issue, "From The Streets," which annually honors the people's side of the equation--but always characteristically, through crews, shops, and whips. I have a nice feeling that many folks who maybe wouldn't have noticed ROCKIN' will now track it down, check it out.

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Snoop Dogg and Bigg Slice love their cars as much as Brian Setzer and Mike Ness love theirs. That's one of the points I was making. And, also, that the history of cars and rock & roll goes square back to the early '50s with Ike Turner and his cousin Jackie Brenston combining to produce "Rocket 88." I myself grew up across the Hudson River from Manhattan, in Englewood, NJ, where my high school--since the late 1800's--has been half black, half white. The first music I turned on to was Motown, riding in the back of the track team bus. The first concerts I went to were indoor track meets in places like the Jersey City Armory, where the schools rooted on their relay teams by singing out like they were in church. It moved me then, it moves me now. It's how I got into Bob Marley, how I got into the Neville Bros.

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Those of us who love music and cars, let me put it this way: we're all in it together. And that's just a natural fact. Or, as Brian Scotto put it, "(it's) what happens when you mix two things that for years have been the voice of the youth. Cars and music share one key thing in common: they allow you to express yourself (word to N.W.A.!) and Grushkin captures that."

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Thanks, RIDES. For real. And especially from the get-go.