TOTO AND CSN APPEARING TOGETHER AT HOHENTWIEL FESTIVAL IN GERMANY!

Former members of TOTO will reunite for a one off European tour in support of Mike Porcaro, who is suffering from ALG (Lou Gehrig Disease). The lineup: David Paich, Steve Lukather, Steve Porcaro, Simon Phillips, Joe Williams and special guest Nathan East. At present the dates include shows in Austria, Germany and Denmark.

We’re doubly excited about this since they will be joining Crosby, Stills & Nash at this year’s Hohentwiel Festival in Singen, Germany (July 15 & 16.)

TOTO tour dates at www.toto99.com.

The other day we were discussing with a group of young people (< 25 years) what we consider to be the dismal condition of popular music these days. Astonishingly, we didn't hear the usual "you can't compare it to rock 'n roll forty years ago" or "well, your parents didn't understand Woodstock," or "you need to stop playing stuff from your high school days and tune into what's happening now." Rather, we were pleasantly surprised to discover that a good portion of songs stored in their iPods are actually classics from the 60's and 70's.

Then we posed what we thought to be an impossible question for kids their age: “Who’s your ultimate guitarist from that era?” Out of the blue came, “Louie Shelton.” Swear to God.

After extending our congratulations, we wondered how the heck they came up with Louie Shelton. Had they been spending their spare time reading the liner notes of our vinyl albums?

They obviously know who they’re talking about. Besides being a Platinum Elite Guitarist member, Louie Shelton has an incredible recording career history. Last year he was inducted in to the Musicians Hall of Fame and very recently he gave this interview to All About Jazz.

Regular site visitors know that we like to keep tabs (pun intended) on vintage artists who we think successfully bridge the gap between the baby boomer rock era and Music 2.0.

This week’s “Where Are They Now?” post features ex-Funk Brother and Motown session guitarist Dennis Coffey, otherwise known around here as “Mr. Distortion.” More about Dennis at denniscoffeysite.com

If you’re in the Washington, DC, area tomorrow, October 16th:

“Insights: Exploring the Collections: Country rock pioneer and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Chris Hillman talks about his four-decade career and takes a look at his songs covered by such artists as Sheryl Crow, Tom Petty, EmmyLou Harris and KD Lang. Co-sponsored by the American Folklife Center. No tickets required.”

The event is scheduled for 12 noon in the Mumford Room at the Library of Congress. Details

Chris Rea, singer, songwriter and, in our minds first and foremost, fabulous guitarist, has got a new single coming October 20, the title track packaged in a greatest hits collection Still So Far to Go: The Best of Chris Rea

Rea is best known in the U.S. for his hit single “Fool if You Think It’s Over,” which earned him a Grammy nomination for Song of the Year in 1978. For whatever reasons, he chose not to pursue American audiences and focused on Europe and the U.K., releasing sixteen albums between 1980 and 2000. After his recovery from a serious illness and surgery in 2001, he returned to what he considers his musical roots and has continued to demonstrate this prolific passion for the blues.

Chris Rea also has launched a new official web site and will release a new studio album in 2010. Look for him on his upcoming European tour (we defintely will!) beginning in January.