December Storms

The holidays are here, and that means "An Acoustic Storm Christmas" will arrive the weekend of 12/24-25. Once again, we'll bring you acoustic rock for the season with Christmas tunes from John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen, the Who, the Moody Blues, the Pretenders and many more. Plus, we've got a special double bill of Yes and ELP in the Eye of The Storm.

Earlier in the month, David Bowie, Eric Clapton and Carole King will get the Storm spotlight in words and music.

Here's a great idea for holiday gift-giving: Acoustic Storm t-shirts, fleeces and hoodies. While you're at it pick up something for yourself! Storm gear is available in lots of styles, colors and sizes for men, women and kids. Just click here to start looking: Storm Gear

EYE OF THE STORM ARTISTS IN DECEMBER:

12/3-12/4 DAVID BOWIE

12/10-12/11 CLAPTON UNPLUGGED

12/17-12/18 CAROLE KING

12/24-12/25 YES and EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER (Acoustic Storm Christmas)

I'd like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude for your support of the show, and sharing our love of the music.

Happy Holidays,

Jeff Parets

November Storms

We've got a fine line-up of Storms rolling your way this month, starting with CSN in The Eye of The Storm. Just ahead of Thanksgiving, our traditional serving of Arlo Guthrie's "Alice's Restaurant" is scheduled for the weekend of Nov. 19-20. The month will wrap up with some Storm theme sets about home, for Thanksgiving weekend.

The Acoustic Storm has a pair of front-row tickets to see singer/songwriter John Prine with special guest Loudon Wainwright III in Phoenix on Saturday evening, November 19th at the Orpheum Theatre.

To register for the tickets, just email the name of your favorite John Prine song to jp@acousticstorm.com. Entries for the random drawing must be submitted by November 12th at midnight (one entry per family). For more info on the concert, visit dannyzeliskopresents.com.

Here's the November line-up on The Acoustic Storm:

11/5-11/6: CROSBY STILLS & NASH

11/12-11/13: BOB SEGER

11/19-11/20: SIMON & GARFUNKEL (plus "Alice’s Restaurant" by Arlo Guthrie)

11/26-11/27: CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL

Celebrating The Acoustic Storm's 13th Anniversary

We've got lots going on this month on The Acoustic Storm, starting with Pink Floyd in the Eye of The Storm the first weekend of the month. Floyd recently launched their re-issue campaign, coining it "Why Pink Floyd." The first album to receive the deluxe treatment was "The Dark Side of the Moon," and on the 10/1-10/2 Acoustic Storm, we'll play the acoustic demo for "Money."

John Lennon would have turned 71 on October 9th, so for the weekend of 10/8-10/9, we'll remember John, both solo and with The Beatles in the Eye of The Storm.

On October 25, The Acoustic Storm will celebrate its 13th anniversary. The Storm first signed on the air on 10/25/98 on 100.7 KSLX in Phoenix. The first song on that Sunday morning was "Here Comes the Sun" by The Beatles. For this year's anniversary edition of The Acoustic Storm, we'll feature Supertramp in the Eye of The Storm, including excerpts from my interview with Supertramp's signature voice and songwriter, Roger Hodgson.

Of course, October also means Halloween, so we'll offer some musical treats with Storm theme sets featuring the Dead, "Werewolves of London," and some Zombies, among others. For the Halloween show, the Doors will go into the Eye of the The Storm.

So here's the October schedule:

10/1-10/2: PINK FLOYD

10/8-9: JOHN LENNON

10/15-16. STEVIE NICKS & FLEETWOOD MAC

10/22-23: SUPERTRAMP (Acoustic Storm 13th anniversary)

10/29-30: DOORS (Halloween theme)

Stormin' Into Fall

George Harrison and Beatles fans are looking forward to the premiere of the Martin Scorcese documentary, "George Harrison: Living in the Material World," which will debut on HBO October 5 and 6, and then will be available on DVD.

The film includes interviews with Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, George Martin, Yoko Ono, Tom Petty, Phil Spector, Monty Python alumni Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, and race-car driver Jackie Stewart.

Get more info on the Harrison documentary and view the trailer at www.georgeharrison.com

Thanks to Dan, jt and Let's Talk Pets for their comments on the August blog. Feel free to post a comment on The Storm here (or Facebook on Acoustic Storm page), and we'll most likely publish it.

September Storms will kick off with the Labor Day Weekend show, featuring some songs that "work" pretty well for the occasion, including music from the Stones, Jackson Browne, Jimmy Buffett, Van Morrison, and of course, Men at Work.

The following weekend, we'll remember the 10th anniversary of 9/11 with special Storm theme sets in honor of the heroes and victims of that tragic day. You'll hear Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, CSNY, Pink Floyd, and Paul Simon, among others.

SEPTEMBER EYE OF THE STORM ARTISTS:

9/3-4: JAMES TAYLOR (some songs for Labor Day Weekend)

9/10-11. STING/POLICE (Theme sets honoring the 10th anniversary of 9/11)

9/17-18. THE WHO

9/-24/25: THE BAND

August on The Acoustic Storm

It was 30 years ago this month that the original Storm signed on the air in Mesa, Arizona. On August 5th, 1981 at 1:07 pm, The Storm at 107 (KSTM-FM) kicked off its six-year run with "Tomorrow Never Knows" by The Beatles. A creative inspiration for The Acoustic Storm, the original Storm played a wide variety of quality album rock. The Storm also featured some of the Phoenix area's best-known air personalities, including Jeff Parets, Mary McCann, Dennis McBroom, Wendy Weston, Andy Olson, Michele Robins, Johnny D, Lee Powell, Marcus Wright and Terry Ward.

Speaking of anniversaries, on the weekend of August 13-14, The Acoustic Storm will remember Woodstock, the three-day music festival that changed the course of rock history in the summer of '69. We'll present a special double bill in the Eye of The Storm with two of Woodstock's biggest stars, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin.

August Storms will also feature Steely Dan, Jackson Browne and the Moody Blues.

Here's the August schedule in the Eye of The Storm:

8/6-87: STEELY DAN

8/13-8/20: JIMI HENDRIX & JANIS JOPLIN (Woodstock Storm)

8/20-8/21: JACKSON BROWNE

8/27-8/28: MOODY BLUES

July Preview

We'll start out July with the All-American Acoustic Storm, featuring U.S. artists the weekend of 7/2-7/3. Michigan's Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band will go into the Eye of The Storm, and we'll traverse the country with music from Springsteen, Hendrix, James Taylor, the Eagles, the Doors, John Mellencamp, Stevie Nicks, and many more.

The following weekend, we've got Heart in the Eye of The Storm with music from Ann and Nancy Wilson's Acoustic Storm Sessions, recorded last July in Los Angeles. You'll hear exclusive versions of "Crazy on You" and "Barracuda" with excerpts from our conversation with the Wilson sisters.

For 7/16-7/17, Ray Davies and the Kinks get the spotlight in the Eye, and we'll play a Storm-theme set in tribute to the first lunar landing on July 20, 1969 with music from the Beatles, the Police, Bowie and more.

During the weekend of 7/23-7/24, we've got the Traveling Wilburys in the Eye of The Storm for our summer travel theme. With an all-star line-up of George Harrison, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne, the Wilburys recorded two albums and left some indelible musical memories. We'll wrap up July with Elton John in the Eye of The Storm.

Keep in mind that you can now purchase Storm music, just click on the Playlist tab on the Acoustic Storm website.

Have a safe & happy 4th of July holiday weekend!

Here's a snapshot of July in the Eye of The Storm:

7/2-7/3: BOB SEGER (All-American Acoustic Storm)

7/9-7/10: HEART (Exclusive acoustic tracks)

7/16-7/17: KINKS

7/23-7/24: TRAVELING WILBURYS (Summer travel theme)

7/30-7/31: ELTON JOHN

Storm Music Finally Available

For years, Acoustic Storm listeners have been asking for an easy way to purchase music they hear on the show, and we've finally made that possible.

The Storm is teaming up with Amazon to provide many of the songs we play each week on the show. Although not every Storm-track is available for purchase, most of what you hear on the program can be found through our links to Amazon, either on CD's, vinyl or mp3's. Plus, everything you buy online during your Amazon session through The Acoustic Storm helps support the radio show.

Just go to the Playlist Page on the Storm website and click on the Amazon links to purchase the best variety of acoustic-rock.

For June, The Acoustic Storm will celebrate Fathers Day and the start of Summer. We'll start the month with some unplugged Southern-rock from the band that took their name from their high school gym teacher. June will wind up with acoustic British-rock from the group that got their moniker from an 18th century agronomist.

Here's the Eye of The Storm schedule for June:

6/4-6/5: LYNYRD SKYNYRD

6/11-6/12: EAGLES

6/18-6/19: ERIC CLAPTON (Fathers Day show)

6/25-6/26: JETHRO TULL

Earlier this year, we started an Acoustic Storm e-Newsletter. Sign up for it on the Contact page of the Storm website.

Tune in to The Storm in June, and thanks for listening!

-Jeff

Acoustic Storm in May

We've got a couple of theme shows for May, starting with the Mothers Day Acoustic Storm, spotlighting The Beatles in the Eye of The Storm 5/7-5/8. On May 28 and 29, we'll salute Memorial Day weekend with Bruce Springsteen as the featured artist.

For Mothers Day weekend. we'll feature special sets of "mom-inspired" tracks, including music from Pink Floyd, CCR, Jethro Tull, Paul Simon and Elvis Costello. The Beatles have several maternally-minded songs, including some material from "The White Album" and "Let it Be," so we'll highlight the Fab Four in the Eye of The Storm.

For Memorial Day weekend, The Acoustic Storm will bring you theme sets to honor the occasion. Bruce Springsteen goes into the Eye of The Storm with his acoustic demo for "Born in the USA," along with live versions of "Born to Run" and "Chimes of Freedom."

Other highlights of The Storm's Memorial Day weekend show include John Lennon on acoustic guitar with "Imagine," Billy Joel's powerful Vietnam Vets tribute "Goodnight Saigon," "Blowin in the Wind" from Bob Dylan's 1975 Rolling Thunder Revue, David Gilmour of Pink Floyd live in Poland with "Wish You Were Here," and excellent harmony vocals from David Crosby & Graham Nash on "My Country 'Tis of Thee."

Here's the May schedule in the Eye of The Storm:

4/30-5/1 TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS

5/7-5/8 BEATLES (Mothers Day theme)

5/14-15 STEVE MILLER

5/21-22 ROLLING STONES

5/28-5/29 BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (Memorial Day weekend)


On a sad note, singer-songwriter Phoebe Snow, who first gained fame with her 1974 self-titled album that featured the hit single "Poetry Man," died April 26 at the age of 60. She had suffered a brain hemorrhage in January of 2010.

The album "Phoebe Snow" turned the singer into a star. She made the cover of Rolling Stone, appeared on"Saturday Night Live" and was nominated for a Grammy as best new artist.

"Phoebe Snow has made it," Stephen Holden wrote in a 1975 review for Rolling Stone. "On a musical level she shows the potential of becoming a great jazz singer. Among confessional pop songwriters she immediately ranks with the finest."

Snow was hard to categorize musically. With her multi-octave range, she combined elements of pop, jazz, blues, gospel and folk. She explained to the New York Times in 2003, "No creative person should ever produce the same thing over and over."

But Snow was never able to duplicate her early commercial success. Her career took a backseat to caring for her daughter, Valerie Rose Laub, born in 1975 with severe brain damage. Her daughter died in 2007. A few months later, Snow started performing again, trying to deal with her loss.

Phoebe Snow was born Phoebe Laub on July 17, 1950, in New York City and grew up in Teaneck, N.J. As a youngster she studied piano, then switched to the guitar. However, taking guitar lessons affected her singing style.

"I finally said, 'I can't play these guitar lines but maybe I can sing them.' I tried to sing the way a guitar sounds and the way a saxophone sounds too."

Original poetry became the basis of her lyrics, and she started playing at New York clubs and signed with Shelter Records in 1974.

Snow moved to Columbia Records in 1976 and earned a second gold record with the album "Second Childhood," but subsequent releases didn't sell as well, and she left the label at the end of the 1970s.

After being quiet most of the 1980s, Snow recorded a comeback album in 1989's "Something Real" for Elektra.

In 1991, she was part of the "New York Soul and Revue," put together by Steely Dan's Donald Fagen.

Snow released a live album in 2008.

In 1998 she told a reporter, "I faded away for a while out of necessity. In hindsight, I missed out on some good or productive years. On the other hand … I really made the only choice I could under the circumstances."

April: Zeppelin's BBC Sessions, Earth Day...

Spring has sprung, and we've got a busy April. First off, it's Fleetwood Mac in the Eye of The Storm with a couple of demos from "Rumours." Next up, we'll celebrate the 40th anniversary of Led Zeppelin's BBC Sessions with some performances from that historic show in April of 1971. The Acoustic Storm's Earth Day show with Bob Dylan is slated for April 16-17, and we'll wrap up the month with Billy Joel in words and music.

We recently started a monthly Acoustic Storm e-Newsletter. Sign up for it on the Contact page of the Storm website.

Here's the April schedule of featured artists on The Acoustic Storm:

4/2-4/3 FLEETWOOD MAC

4/9-10 LED ZEPPELIN

4/16-17 BOB DYLAN (Earth Day theme)

4/23-24 BILLY JOEL

March 2011

The second weekend of the month will provide a new twist on The Who in the Eye of The Storm. For the weekend of 3/12-3/13, we'll explore the acoustic side of The Who's classic 1971 album "Who's Next" with demos and unplugged performances, along with a track from the album itself.

On that same show, we'll play music from some of the artists that are heading into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this month. In order of their appearance on that episode of The Storm, we'll hear from Leon Russell, Neil Diamond, Dr. John and Tom Waits.

We've also got a couple of Irish artists to celebrate St. Patrick's Day in the middle hour of the 3/12-13 Acoustic Storm with Van Morrison and U2.

There's speculation that a Buffalo Springfield reunion may be in the works. Neil Young, Stephen Stills and Richie Furay, the surviving members of the band, reunited onstage for the first time in 42 years last October at Neil's Bridge School benefit concerts in Mountain View, California.

Buffalo Springfield formed in 1966 and broke up less than three years later. Original bassist Bruce Palmer died in 2004, and drummer Dewey Martin passed away in 2009.

The Bridge School shows featured Young, Stills and Furay, along with drummer Joe Vitale and Young's longtime bassist Rick Rosas. Some of the Springfield songs they performed included "For What It's Worth," "Rock N Roll Woman," "Mr. Soul," and "Bluebird."

So we're looking forward to bringing you Buffalo Springfield in the Eye of The Storm the weekend of 3/26-27.

Here's the March schedule of featured artists on The Acoustic Storm:

3/5-3/6 BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND

3/12-13 ACOUSTIC VERSIONS FROM "WHO'S NEXT"

3/19-26 DOOBIE BROTHERS

3/26-27 BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD

Valentines Storm, Harrison, Silver Screen Storm...

We've got some theme shows scheduled for February, starting with the 2/12-2/13 Valentines Acoustic Storm. Heart will get the spotlight in the Eye of The Storm with Ann & Nancy Wilson in words and music, as we'll weave the theme of love throughout the show with music from Eric Clapton, John Lennon, Van Morrison and Leon Russell, among others.

Our other theme show for February is 2/26-2/27, when the Storm will zoom in on acoustic-rock from the movies to celebrate the Oscars, featuring The Doors in the Eye of The Storm. You'll hear music from "The Graduate," "Jerry Maguire," "A Hard Day's Night," "Up in the Air," "Almost Famous" and many more excellent films.

Here's the February schedule for artists in the Eye of The Storm:

2/5-2/6 PINK FLOYD

2/12-13 HEART (Valentines theme)

2/19-26 GEORGE HARRISON & THE BEATLES

2/26-27 DOORS (Movie theme for the Oscars)

Stormin' into 2011

I hope 2011 has been good for you so far. Besides the new year, January brings a new line-up of artists in the Eye of The Storm:

1/1-1/2: ROLLING STONES

1/8-1/9: VAN MORRISON

1/15-1/16: JOHN MELLENCAMP

1/22-1/23: DAVID BOWIE

1/29-1/30: CAROLE KING (40th Anniversary of "Tapestry")

The first week of the new year also brought some sad news. On January 4th, Gerry Rafferty passed away at the age of 63. The singer-songwriter, best known for his solo hit "Baker Street" as well as "Stuck In The Middle With You" with his band Stealers Wheel, was hospitalized in November for liver failure. Rafferty had a #1 album in the U.S. with 1978's "City To City," which featured "Baker Street." "Stuck In The Middle With You" also received new life in the '90s, thanks to its infamous use in Quentin Tarantino's "Reservoir Dogs."

Gerald Rafferty was born on April 16 1947 into a working-class family in Paisley, Scotland. As a teenager he taught himself to play banjo and busked illegally on the London Underground, an experience which inspired "Baker Street." By 1968, he was playing bass in a succession of bands. But Rafferty soon realized that folk music was his first love, and he joined a trio called the Humblebums.

In 1971 Rafferty formed Stealers Wheel with Rab Noakes and his childhood friend Joe Egan. The group’s debut album, released in December 1972, was produced by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, and featured folksy harmonies and strong melody lines.

The album included the quirky "Stuck In The Middle With You," with which Rafferty and Stealers Wheel enjoyed their biggest hit. Although that song enjoyed great chart success in May 1973, it basically turned out to be a one-hit wonder. After a succession of band members joining and leaving — Rafferty himself dropped out for a couple of months before returning to record a follow-up — Stealers Wheel vanished into obscurity.

Although disillusioned and preoccupied with management problems, Rafferty re-emerged five years later with a solo album, "City To City," which sold more than five million copies, and included "Baker Street." When it was released as a single in April 1978, "Baker Street" took off on both sides of the Atlantic, reaching No 3 in Britain and No 2 in the U.S.

"Baker Street" transcended the regular folk genre with its signature saxophone riff played by Raphael Ravenscroft. In fact Rafferty had been planning to sing the melody, but changed his mind. “At the last moment I decided the song needed a wailing, lonely, big-city sound to it,” he said. “The guy who eventually played the solo was a guy called Raphael Ravenscroft. With a name like that, I reckoned he had to be good – and he was.

“It’s every songwriter’s ambition to come up with at least one song in their lifetime that’s regarded as a classic,” he added. “And Baker Street is mine.”