HURT
**Please note that we will add more images from this show as time permits.
I should have been in Louisville, Kentucky, this night, reporting on my good friends in Stereoside (there’s an interesting story associated with that as well); instead, my friend and fellow shutterbug, Shannon Lindsay from MUEN Magazine, asked whether I would like to cover a band from Virginia called Hurt; of course, I seized the opportunity, we were heading to Johnson City, TN, to a club called Capone’s.
**Please note that we will add more images from this show as time permits.
Megadeth: 2009 Endgame Tour
A few interesting stories came about when I covered the 2009 Megadeth Endgame tour stop in Knoxville, Tennessee, at the well-known Velarium. Megadeth headlined the show, with Machine Head and Suicide Silence as the opening acts.
A few interesting stories came about when I covered the 2009 Megadeth Endgame tour stop in Knoxville, Tennessee, at the well-known Velarium. Megadeth headlined the show, with Machine Head and Suicide Silence as the opening acts.
The Knoxville show was scheduled for November 22, but I rushed to request credentials on the 19th. Usually, you should ask for access at least a week in advance, so I knew I might get turned down. My main contact at Roadrunner Records, Megadeth's label, helped me get approved to cover Megadeth—just in time.
On the day of the show, I got to the venue just in time to cover Megadeth, despite my time constraints. I was disappointed, but I was alright with it.
The press pit usually runs along the stage and is about four feet wide in small clubs, sometimes even less. For Megadeth, though, the center of the pit was filled with some of the band’s equipment, so I couldn’t move around to get different shots. I thought I knew that Dave Mustaine almost always sang facing his left, but I ended up on his right and couldn’t switch sides in time. I made the best of it and, once again, tried not to stress.
There were about four or five photographers in the pit, and I recognized a couple as locals. We each found a small spot to work from, hoping to get the best shots we could. There’s one thing I’ve never understood—it happens at a lot of concerts. Some women feel the urge to pull up their shirts and expose themselves to everyone nearby. This happened to me and one of the local photographers while we waited for the show to start. A young woman behind us tapped the local guy on the shoulder. He turned around, she gave him a big grin and said hello, then did the same to me. I guess she wanted more attention, because she tapped us both again on the shoulder, and when we turned around, she lifted her shirt to her chin with a huge smile. We weren’t shocked or offended; we just laughed loudly and turned back around. Then the show began.
At most events I photographed, the rules were always the same: shoot for three songs, no flash, then you were finished. Usually, someone would lead you off the main floor to leave the venue. Sometimes, you could store your gear in the main office and stay to enjoy the rest of the show. This time, when we were escorted out of the photo pit, none of that happened. Security just let us walk around the edge of the crowd, so I did. I even made my way to the middle of the crowd, on Dave’s left side, and managed to get some better photos. It turned out to be an amazing evening.
Galgano Records Distributors: 1991
We were one of the largest music distributors in the Midwest. Everyone I worked with knew all the artists’ catalog numbers and their labels by heart. We were all good at our jobs.
Galgano Records, 4001 North Ravenswood Avenue,
The last place I remember Galgano Records being located was at 4001 North Ravenswood Avenue in Chicago. Right at the corner of Irving Park Road and Ravenswood Avenue. We occupied the entire first floor, and hardly anyone else used the building. For nostalgia, the first spot I remember was at 4125 West Armitage Avenue back in the 1970s; it was located on a whole city block between Kedvale and Keller on Chicago’s west side. I worked there after school and spent my summers working full-time.
The group I remember best is the one from Ravenswood Avenue. We felt like family. Our company picnics were always held at John Galgano Senior’s summer home in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, and they were big events.
We were one of the largest music distributors in the Midwest. Everyone I worked with knew all the artists’ catalog numbers and their labels by heart. We were all good at our jobs.
We had tons of record release parties, concerts, and promotional vinyl and CD’s weeks before the official release dates. I spent plenty of time backstage, hanging with people from the record label and with band members. It was always business, never any nonsense—I promise (fingers crossed).. These kinds of events inspired me to get into music photography. In fact, my boss’s son, John Galgano Jr., offered to buy me my first camera, a used Pentax Z10n with three lenses, in 1991.
John Galgano Jr.
James Galgano
Maria
Suzie
Doug Morris
Paul
Brian
Paul Steinbrunner: Mr. Rolling Stones Catalog
Jennifer
Rick
John Vaughn
Good News....Bad News and Possibly More Bad News: My Marshall JCM2000 DSL100
Since this was a used piece of gear, and according to the listing on the guitar Center website, it was listed as “Excellent.
First, here’s the good news: my wonderful wife got me an amp head for Christmas. Our way of celebrating the holiday is to pick up to three things we’d like to receive, and then on the big day, we exchange gifts. This way, there’s some element of surprise during the festivities.
So, I selected my three, knowing very well that the odds of actually receiving one of them were slim to none (grin). Come the big day, and there it was — that one gift I thought might be a bit out of reach. It was a Marshall JCM 2000 100-watt amp, which she got at a pretty good deal from Guitar Center (online), Grand Rapids, Iowa. It even came with an ATA flight case. I was speechless, to say the least. This was going to be a perfect match with my Marshall 1960A cabinet.
Since this was a used piece of gear, and according to the listing on the Guitar Center website, it was marked as “Excellent,” the first thing I noticed was a name stenciled on the flight case: Billy Lee Janey. I paused my inspection to Google his name and search social media just to see who he is. I found out Billy Lee Janey is a very accomplished and established touring blues musician from Grand Rapids, Iowa. I spent about an hour watching some videos on YouTube, reading his bio, and checking online reviews. I’ll include his links below.
So I selected my 3, knowing very well the odds of receiving one of the gifts were slim to none (grin). Come the big day, and there it was, that one gift I thought would be a bit out of reach. There it was, a Marshall JCM 2000 100-watt amp. She got a pretty good deal from Guitar Center (online), Grand Rapids, Iowa; it came with an ATA flight case too. I was speechless to say the least. This was going to be a great pairing with my Marshall 1960A cabinet.
Since this was a used piece of gear, and according to the listing on the guitar Center website, it was listed as “Excellent”, First off there was a name stenciled on the flight case was Billy Lee Janey, of course I took a time out from my inspection and had to google his name and search social media to see who he is, found out Billy Lee Janey is a very accomplished and established touring blues musician from Grand Rapids, Iowa. I took the better part of an hour to watch some videos on YouTube and to read his bio and online reviews. I’ll throw his links down below.
Back to my inspection, and to see what bad news is hidden or obvious, my new to me gear showed heavy use of the handle, no biggie and easily replaceable. If anything, it added some character to the piece, may have been heavily toured from its previous life. The serial number on the rear panel shoed it was a 1997 model, Heck, the amp was over 20 years old, the stories it could tell if it could speak.
Next, I removed the aluminum mesh grill on the back to insure all the tubes were intact, and they were, the inside of the chassis was dusty, still, it was used gear, easily remedied. The back panel showed it was missing an 8-ohm jack input. Not a deal breaker, and easily fixable. So, all I was able to see visually was the handle needed replaced and an input jack, I finally plugged in my Gibson Les Paul and powered up the amp, strummed a few notes, damn this thing was loud even at 1, scared the crap out of my dog though.so onto the worldwide web we go.
I went through Marshall amplification for the handle, this saved me from getting a generic or fake part. The 8-ohm jack was a different story, I found a shop in Nashville, Tn. called British Audio, it actually took me 3 times to get the right part, the first 2 times I thought I knew what I was doing, the third and last try I actually called the shop, and they got me the right part, third time was a charm. Very friendly staff Nashville Audio was.
The handle I could easily install, the 8-ohm jack was another story. I called around here in my neck of the woods, and Guitar Pus in Beckley, WV gave me the name Keith fain, a retired gentleman that did work on amps.
Keith and I spoke on the phone for over an hour, discussing everything from music to photography. Keith came across as a real people person as well as very knowledgeable in amp repair. He did tell me that the Marshall JCM 2000 did have some Bios issues and the main circuit board was manufactured thin and the replacement boards were thicker and more reliable. I am hoping my current circuit board was changed out prior to myself or Billy Lee Janey owning this amp model.
Honestly my heart sank when Keith told me of the issues this particular amp had, at this point, I was just a phone call away from getting authorization to return it to Guitar Center. It took another search on the internet for see the cost of a replacement board, and I decided to keep my new to me amp. Clearly GC needs to rate their used stuff better, I would have rated this amp as in “Good” condition, would I have kept it if it was rated as such? Probably so, the fix isn’t too bad. The only big fix would be a new circuit board, that would cost me around $200 - $250, The early “2000s” had a problem with bias drift, a new board would breathe new life into it. It really wasn’t so bad after all, and the not so bad to worse news actually had a silver lining, and as promised I added all relevant links below.
Remodding My 2013 Gibson Les Paul Traditional Part 1 of 3
Well, I decided to do a remod on my 2013 Gibson Les Paul New Traditional, not so much that “I” am going to do the actual work on it (I don’t trust me);
I've decided to give my 2013 Gibson Les Paul New Traditional a little makeover, focusing on some upgrades and style enhancements. While I won't be doing the actual work myself—I trust the experts for that—I plan to replace the bridge, tailpiece, wiring harness with bumblebees, truss rod cover, input jack, 3-way switch, and the speed knobs. You could say I'm gutting it, but I plan to keep the original pickups—a ‘57 Classic and a ‘57 Classic Plus—and make it more reminiscent of a 1950s style Les Paul.
My first step was hunting for the perfect volume and tone knobs—the top hat style with pointers—that would give my Les Paul that classic '50s look. After lots of research and watching countless YouTube videos, I came across companies like Mojo Tone, Trobak, and Jackson Electronic Luthier. But it was a smaller, lesser-known company called Creamtone from Simpsonville, South Carolina, that really caught my eye. A closer look at their website revealed other components I want to include to complete the transformation.
I’ve included links to the other companies I explored for this remod, just in case I decide to go with a different 50s wiring harness. For now, though, I’m sticking with Creamtone. Once I receive the parts and have the work done, I’ll be sure to share my thoughts about the whole experience.
First off, my initial search was for the volume and tone knobs, the top hat version with the pointer set, wanted the '50s” look” to my Les Paul. After conducting extensive research and watching numerous YouTube videos, I discovered companies like Mojo Tone, Trobak, and Jackson Electronic Luthier. But a little-known company called Creamtone out of Simpsonville, South Carolina, caught my attention… further digging on their site, I found other components I wanted to complete my LP’s transformation.
I’ve linked the other companies I had looked at for this remod, just in case I go with another 50s wiring harness. For now, however, I’m going with Creamtone. Once I get the parts and have the work done, I’ll blog about my thoughts on the changeover.
Update 1/16/2022: I just found out through a Gibson Les Paul forum that Creamtone, the company I chose for my 50s wiring harness, has taken down their website. I'm not sure if this is temporary or permanent. I’ll blog about the replacement harness when I know for certain that Creamtone is no longer in business or I decide on an alternative.
Other 1950s Style Wiring Harness:
What Was Once Lost....Is..... Re-bought 40 Years Later
Between seeing the KISS Dynasty tour in ‘79 and my summer job at Chicago fest in ‘81 and ‘82, my interest in making music was rekindled again; I had been taking acoustic guitar lessons off and on since age 13 at the Chicago Boy & Girls Club in the uptown area a couple of years before those events.
My fixation on the Gibson Les Paul is mainly due to Jimmy Page, but I also owe a great deal to Ace Frehley. It was Ace and the Les Paul that sparked my interest in my music journey. I’d have to say, it was between the TV shows “Midnight Special” in 1975. Don Kershner’s Rock Concert in ‘76 on a small black-and-white TV sealed it.
Around the same time, some friends and I hung out at this spot called Biasco Music on 5535 W. Belmont Ave. I had to look that up, but it's restaurant and a parking lot now. We’d smoke some pot, jam to tunes on the record player, and later you’d find us in one of Biasco’s sound booths just messing around on random guitars. That’s where I got my first real guitar—a brown tobacco sunburst 1978 Gibson Les Paul. I know I was high when I bought it because I couldn’t figure out why I had a layaway receipt in my pocket the day after visiting the store. In the end, though, I paid $500 for it, which wasn’t a bad deal considering Gibson only made about 5,000 Les Paul’s that year, and they had a street price of $749. Back then, I was in several bands, each one a close-knit group brought together by our love of music. We’d rock out to the hits of the time, but our original songs always had that punk rock vibe that reflected our energy.
Here’s Eddie(drummer)and I in better times, he’s holding my 1978 Gibson Les Paul
Pictured above is my old ‘78 Gibson Les Paul, along with an Alvarez 12-string acoustic guitar. I traded my fluorescent green Charvel Model 2 guitar to a friend (we swapped back later).
Nearly 40 years after my original guitar was stolen, am I still bitter about it? I was for many years, until I recently contacted the person who took it and shared my feelings. That conversation allowed me to move on; I guess I just needed to hear some kind of explanation for his actions. A couple of factors motivated me to play again. I wanted to return to playing for my own enjoyment, and I have to credit my renewed love for the guitar to a couple of musicians I discovered on YouTube: Dave Simpson and his band, the Dave Simpson Trio from the UK, as well as Jeff Mcerlain, a performer and instructor based in NYC. I'll link their channels below.
So, in late May 2021, I went on Reverb.com and bought a 2003 Epiphone Les Paul Plus Top (pictured below). However, when it arrived, I found that it had a tapered neck, which I felt was too thin for my liking. Despite it being a Gibson brand and a Les Paul, I quickly experienced buyer's remorse and became unhappy with it. It's currently back on Reverb for sale. I realized that if I was going to own a Les Paul, I wanted it to be the real deal.
The search was on. I looked online for another '78 Les Paul and quickly discovered that the prices were far out of my reach. During my search, I also learned about a feature now found in the Gibson line called "weight relief." As a result, I focused my search on finding a model without weight relief and with a beefier neck—at least thicker than the one on the Epiphone I had purchased earlier. That neck was too thin, and I really disliked it.
Over the next few weeks, I explored Guitar Center, Reverb, eBay, and various other sites for reviews and specifications on particular models. Eventually, I narrowed it down to the Gibson Les Paul Traditional model, specifically from the years 2013, 2014, or 2015, which featured a beefier neck. Then, I found it—actually, I found two that met my criteria on eBay, both with 50s-style necks, no weight relief on the body, and both from 2013.
However, there was one small detail: one had a cherry burst body (which I’m not a fan of), while the other had more of a honey burst. Naturally, the honey burst won out, and the images below illustrate why. As a quick side note, a closer inspection of the original box reveals that the color is listed as "Carmel burst," and it is part of the "New Traditional" lineup of the Gibson Les Paul series. Members of the Gibson guitar owners' page on Facebook confirmed this information, so, in retrospect, it’s close enough to honey burst for me.
So, what’s the verdict? Does the Traditional come close to my old '78 Les Paul Standard? I have to say “yes,” it does. The Traditional is more or less the equivalent of the Standard of old. The newer Standard models have chambered bodies, whereas the Traditional and the old Standard are solid. Furthermore, the newer Standards come with a slim 60s-style neck, while the Traditional features a beefier 50s-style neck.
I wanted to mention that I’m getting back into music purely for the enjoyment it brings. I still remember a few things and can navigate the fretboard, but with YouTube, I can easily explore genres I love—specifically blues and punk rock.
Now, regarding a couple of recent developments: some friends and I are toying with the idea of forming a cover band, focusing on punk music. Our main goal is to enjoy playing together, but that’s a topic for another blog post.
Lastly, I have to credit my renewed passion for playing to a few YouTube channels. First, there’s Dave Simpson from the Dave Simpson Trio in the UK, and then NYC instructor and performer Jeff McErlain. Additionally, my enduring love for jazz and blues music shines through in the Jazz and Blues YouTube channel. Months before I decided to get another Les Paul guitar, I was listening to these channels, and they reignited a spark within me as a middle-aged man. I’ve listed their channels below and highly recommend checking them out for a look and a listen.
“When I was young I wanted to play the guitar badly. After years of hard work, practice and determination, I can play the guitar badly”
Some links I found helpful: