Please Help

This just in from the Yvonne Kupka trustee: "We've raised $32,000+ for the Yvonne Kupka Medical Fund since Thanksgiving. The goal is $100,000. Please make a donation today to help Doc and Yvonne. Thank you!" http://yvonnekupka.com/

Greg Adams Short Story Replay From last week.

November 2006. Taylor Hicks had won American Idol in May and I got the call to arrange the horns and strings.  A killer section of my favorite guys: Eric Marienthal, Johnnie Bamont and Mark Hollingsworth on saxes. Nick Lane on trombone. And Lee Thornburg and yours truly on trumpets. Okay, so I drive out to the studio in Calabasas to meet with the producers and get the rhythm tracks that I will write to. When I got there they asked me to block my calendar for the next month and be "on call" because this project was going to be released December 12th!! Oh boy...

So I am literally driving out there every other day to get more tracks and consult with the producer what my ideas were on each song before I started writing. This was truly "a work in progress". I'd listen there and by the time I'd walked in the front door of my home there would be mp3s for me to burn on CD and start writing. After the chart was finished, it was off to the copyist to separate into the individual parts for the section. This was crazy but the record company didn't want the Christmas season to be missed with a release by the new Idol winner.

I enjoy a little pressure sometimes when it comes down to a deadline, but I'd never been in this big of a time crunch. So I'd finished the first set of tunes. Three charts for the first session. The tracking dates were still going on and the section was set up in the same studio as the rhythm section. Drums, keys and amps everywhere because they were still recording songs for the CD. Which I still had yet heard to arrange for. At this date, I finally met Taylor...What a nice guy. Truly. Soft-spoken and very humble. And after winning the contest, it could have all gone to his head. But it didn't.

He told me the record company had rented him a house on the beach in Malibu, just over the hill from the studio. Nice digs, but the paparazzi were everywhere and he was kind of a prisoner there. Couldn't go out. Just back and forth from there to the studio. Anyway, the session came off without a hitch and I was now onto my next set of tracks to arrange. Bank and forth. Back and forth to the studio I went...Okay, by now I've rounded third base and I'm headed for home base. Finished the second horn date, (the guys are on fire!) and the strings are done. This has been an exhausting experiment in terror LOL.. but I feel real good about it. But when things are rushed, some things suffer, and it's an extreme disappointment for me not to be able to hear the strings on "Places I've Been". They have disappeared! Oh well. Oh boy. So, nine arrangements later, and one cover of Rod Stewart's "Young Turks" that didn't make the cut, session checks are starting to come in the mail...I get my first payment for my writing. Exciting. It's going to be a very Merry Christmas in the Adams' house. But wait...the payroll company along with some numb-nuts at the record company has made an "executive decision" to withhold taxes of nearly 50% of my writing invoices, as if I was an employee of the record company for yearly wages. What the F%#!? Time to send in Andrea!! It took a little doing, but all's well that ends well. And they quickly re-issued the checks. I wonder if numb-nuts is still at that record company. Hope to work with Taylor again someday.

Check Greg out at www.gregadamsmusic.com or www.eastbaysoul.com.

Tony Adamo's "What Is Hip" is available for download on cdbaby

Although Tony Adamo's new CD "What Is Hip" is not yet available for purchase at your normal retailers, the CD is available for down load at cdbaby (MP3).  The new CD features some heavy hitters backing Adamo up the lineup  Mike Clark (drums), Bill Summers (percussion), Sandy Griffith (background vocals), Eddie Henderson (trumpet), Richie Goods (bass), Neil Larsen (organ) and Jerry Stucker (guitar). Eddie Henderson in the horn section and Doc Kupka (bari sax).  Two of the songs a brand new versions of Tower Of Power classics What Is Hip, and This Time It's Real.

We will let you know when the CD is available for purchase.  To Purchase MP3's now you can  go to http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/tonyadamo3

For more on Tony check him out at his page on Strokeland Records at http://strokeland.com/StrokelandJazz/TonyAdamo/Tracks/TonyAdamo-Tracks.htm

TOP Ten recollections of us who went to TOP Anniversary Fillmore DVD gig By Al Carlos

10. The women were righteous, ready and many in recovery.

9. If you remember being there you weren't really there; Right, Susan Aceves?

8. Wearing sneakers standing for 4 hours, then running to the car after wards, didn't work, cramps in legs.

7. Bad news car was stolen. Good news couldn't afford it anyway.

6. We didn't know that World Famous SF musicians would be there, neither did they.

5. James DeSoto bail bonds across the street from City Jail, gave fans a group rate, if you mentioned AC...

4. Made sure not drink anyone’s soda so you would not get dosed, dosed drinks cost more.

3. Guest list was as thick as Rocco’s medical records

2. Who knew that by the time the DVD actually came out you would be 70?

1. AARP had life counselors available but got slapped around in the parking lot.

Bononia Sound Machine has now signed on with Strokeland Records

Our friends "Bononia Sound Machine" have just signed on with Strokeland Records, and their newest CD "Funky Dreams" can be purchased there.  Here is the link on Strokeland for  Bononia Sound Machine: BSM at Strokeland.
Horn Driven Radio currently has a few BSM songs in its rotation, so check them out here, and buy their new CD at Strokeland.

Updated Play List for 01-07-2011

We just uploaded a new playlist this morning.  Playlist is in Artist order and not in order of Play:

***Bing & The Bingtones/Time Of Our Life
***Bing & The Bingtones/Funk With Me
***Blood Sweat & Tears/Lucretia MacEvil
***Blood Sweat & Tears/Spinning Wheel
***BlowZone/Square Chick
***BlowZone/Not About You
***Bononia Sound Machine/ESP
***Bononia Sound Machine/Get Back
***Bononia Sound Machine/Soap Bubble Funk
***Bull City Syndicate/You Make Me Feel
***Bull City Syndicate/My Baby Loves You
***Chad Rager Groove/St. Bernard
***Chickenhawks/I Got News For You
***Cold Blood/You Got Me Hummin
***Cold Blood/Funky On My Back
***Dave Koz/Faces of the Heart
***Dave Murphy Band/Right This Moment
***Doctor Funk/Can't Fight The Funk
***Doctor Funk/Right Here
***Doctor Funk/Step Up To The Plate
***Down to the Bone/Spiderlegs
***East Bay Soul/East Bay Soul
***East Bay Soul/iHope
***East Bay Soul/Survival Of The Hippest
***Eli Paperboy Reed/I Found You Out
***Eric Bolvin/Rocket Love
***Eric Bolvin/Time Bomb
***Francis Rocco Prestia/Everybody on the Bus
***Freeport/Keep it Up All Alone the Line
***Funk Filharmonik/We Get The Notion
***Funk Filharmonik/If We Make Love 1st (We'll Make Love Last)
***Funk Filharmonik/You Never Left Here
***Gangbuster/Midnight Hour
***Grant Smith And The Power/Keep On Running
***Greg Adams/Smooth Operator
***Greg Adams/'Sup With That
***Here Come the Mummies/Bump
***Here Come The Mummies/Booty
***Himlaväsen/Ain´t No Stoppin´ Now
***Hip Service/Hip2DaFunk
***Horny Funk Brothers/Come Together
***Huey Lewis & the News/Soulsville
***Huey Lewis & the News/Just One More Day
***Huey Lewis & the News/Never Found a Girl
***Jack Mack & The Heart Attack/I Found A Love
***Jack Mack & The Heart Attack/Don't Need No Reason
***Jack Mack & The Heart Attack/Goin' Back To Miami
***Jacob Merlin/Donut
***Jazz Rosco/Party Up
***Jazz Rosco/If You Want Me To Stay
***Jazz Rosco/Hopsctoch
***Jeff Golub/Nikki's Walk
***Jeff Tamelier/East of the Caldecott
***Jon R. Smith/Slow Jams
***Jon R. Smith/Rainy Night In Georgia
***Jules Broussard/Love Won't Let Me Wait
***Jules Broussard/Cajun Moon
***Lighthouse/Pretty Lady
***Lon Bronson/Maybe I'm Amazed
***Lon Bronson All-Star Band/This Story Must Be Told
***Lon Bronson All-Star Band/Tower Of Inspiration
***Luther Kent/I Pity The Fool
***Luther Kent and Trick Bag/Hoochie Coochie Man
***Maceo Parker/Southwick
***Marc Broussard/Love And Happiness
***Marcus Miller/Frankenstein
***Mark Dolin/Can't Stop Thinkin' About Ya
***Mark Dolin/The Parkin' Lot Hang
***Max Carl & Big Dance/Show Me The Money
***Maynard Ferguson/Theme from "Rocky"
***Men From U.N.C.L.E./How Can You Doubt My Love
***MGB-Mic Gillette Band/Moondoggie
***Mi22/Whatever it is
***Mic Gillette/Tell Mama
***Mic Gillette/Open Up The Door
***Michael Grimm/You Can Leave Your Hat On
***Michael Grimm/Sit Down And Shut Up
***Michael Grimm/I've Been Loving You
***Mick Sterling & The Stud Brothers/Jackie Wilson Said
***Mick Sterling & The Stud Brothers/Dig for Me
***Mingo Fishtrap/Dirty Gritty
***Mingo Fishtrap/Booty Patrol
***Mingo Fishtrap/A Bitta Honey
***Molasses/Blisters
***Newtone/In The Beginning
***Nick Lane/Big & Hairy
***Nick Lane,/An Inside Joke
***Nils Gessinger/Jam It Up
***Nils Gessinger/Honkin´ Eddie
***Nils Landgren/Simple Life
***Original Bull Shit Band/Walk The Dinosaur
***Original Bull Shit Band/Lets Get Funked
***Original Bull Shit Band/Bang Bang
***Otis Grand/Finish Line - w/Curtis Salgado
***Otis Redding/Try A Little Tenderness
***Out Of Control/Cardiac Party
***Patrick Allen/You Lit A Fire In Me
***Paul Langille/Bing It On Home To Me
***Players Association/Ride The Groove
***Poncho Sanchez/Shotgun Slim
***Prime Time Funk/Ready And Willing
***Raphael Wressnig & Alex Schultz/Turtle Walk
***ReUnion/Willing to Learn
***Richard Elliot/The Boys From The Bay
***Ridin' Thumb/Believe
***Roger Smith/Fiesta
***Rufus Thomas/Barefootin'
***Ryan Foret and the Foret Tradition/Sweet Soul Music
***Sage/Soul Patrol
***Sage/Nobody Does It Like You
***Sage/Funksway
***Santa Fe & The Fat City Horns/Wishing Well
***Santa Fe & The Fat City Horns/Ain't That Peculiar
***Santa Fe & The Fat City Horns/Livin' For The City
***Scott Martin/Quarter Moon
***Scott Martin/More Today Than Yesterday
***Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings/100 Days
***Shilts/Back On The Hudson
***Shirley Scott & The Soul Saxes/It's Your Thing
***Smokin' With Superman/2 Sweet Fine Hams
***Soulpatrol/Elephant's Foot
***Soulpatrol/Get Up!
***Stefan Redtenbacher/Royal Rooster
***Stefan Redtenbacher/Fred's Haus
***Stephen 'Doc' Kupka/At the End of The Day
***Stephen Ferrone/Pick Up The Pieces
***Strokeland Superband/Kick It Up A Step
***Strokeland Superband/Bumped Up To First Class
***Strokeland Superband/A Jump On The Millennium
***Super Funky Express/Sugar
***Ten Wheel Drive/Tightrope
***The Chops Band/Skatin'
***The J.B.'s/Pass The Peas
***The Maxwell Project/Radiation Funk/Meltdown
***The Mike Reilly Band/Whos Been Sleeping In My Bed
***The Mike Reilly Band/Back To The Basics
***The Sons of Champlin/Welcome To The Dance
***The Sons Of Champlin/Fat City
***The Super Groovers/Super Groover
***The Super Groovers/Seaside Adventures In Hollypool
***Tony Adamo/This Time It's Real
***Tony Adamo/The Way You Do The Things You Do
***Tortilla Factory/"Cookin"
***Tower of Power/What Is Hip?
***Tower Of Power/Pocketful Of Soul
***Tower Of Power/I Like Your Style
***Various/Jimmy Hall w/LA Reflection Section / Higher And Higher
***Various Artists/Don't Turn Your Heater Down
***Whiskey Howl/I'll Go Crazy
***Whiskey Howl/Everythings Gonna Be Alright
***Yoichi Murata/Two Woodpeckers
***Yoichi Murata/Access
***Zen Blues Quartet/What A Life
***Zen Blues Quartet/Powerful Stuff
***Zen Blues Quartet/Messin' With The Kid

TOP Ten TOP tour bus drivers new years do's and don'ts By Al Carlos

10. Get a DRIVERS license, instead of a JIVERS license.

9. Seriously, use the buses horn, not Tommy's.

8. Wearing a Raiders helmet isn't funny after the 15th time.

7. Cruise control doesn’t mean driver can go in the back and make a sandwich while barreling down the freeway.

6. Do not use the bus, to schlep, regular passengers for extra income when the band is performing.

5. No matter how good you become at “Freestyle Rapping" you ain't sitting in.

4. Do not use women’s underwear tossed on stage to make bus cover.

3. If the band doesn’t make the gig, Oakland fans may go over to your house for an explanation.

2. Three words; Map Freaking Quest.

1. Stop spending all the bridge toll money on corn nuts.