RIP Rick Wright

Sad news indeed.

Pink Floyd member Richard Wright dies at age 65
Sept. 15, 2008, 11:47 AM EST
LONDON (AP) -- A Pink Floyd spokesman says founding member Richard Wright has died. He was 65.

Wright died Monday after a battle with cancer at his home in Britain. His family did not want to give more details about his death. The spokesman is Doug Wright, who is not related to the artist.

Richard Wright met Pink Floyd members Roger Waters and Nick Mason at college and joined their early band Sigma 6.

Sigma 6 eventually became Pink Floyd and Wright wrote and sang some of the band's key songs. He wrote "The Great Gig In The Sky" and "Us And Them" from Pink Floyd's 1973 "The Dark Side of the Moon."

He left the group in the early 1980s to form his own band but rejoined Pink Floyd for their 1987 album "A Momentary Lapse of Reason."

Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Family Matters

There's been some musical stuff going on in my life lately, but I just haven't felt compelled to write, ya know? This, on the other hand, I had to share.

My step brother Dave is in Machine Head, heaviest of the heavy metal out there, as far as I am concerned. I have seen Dave play since he was 14 years old, here in San Antonio with SA Slayer, thru his time with Sacred Reich, and for the last 13 years, with MH. To my memory, this year was the first time my father- Dave's step dad- has EVER gone to see what it is Dave does, where he does it.
Mary, Dave's mom, my step mom, recently left this world, and left a big dent when she did. Her face was almost as well known in MH circles as Dave's. I even watched people on the streets recognise her, ask for autographs and to take pictures with her. I don't think though that dad will ever get quite the recognition Mary did, but at least now he knows why she came out. Dave's band mates, their crew, and the whole general bunch at the amphitheatre where they were playing this last Saturday were so cool with dad. He was very frustrated by how long it took us to get to the band's bus, but understood once he saw what it was like on the Jagermeister side of the tour
(Rockstar Mayhew tour.)

As we were leaving, dad called the whole thing a huge circus- I told him it was more like three all at once- two stages where we were, one more over the hill, and all the crew, techs, vendors, security and go-fers, the tents, the sideshows, and after a few hours, somewhere around 15000 fans.
Nuts.

It was a blast to get dad out there finally, and good for all of us to spend a little time together again. Mary WAS there, even if her body is gone. She lives in our heads and hearts, and inspires her son at every gig he plays, just like she did standing back by the sound booth every gig she could.

Birthday Wish

Happy Birthday, Robbie Robertson. Songwriter, movie score artist, sometimes actour, the everyman scholar. What a unique life you've lived. I am glad to have been privy to some of what you are.

Some Del Castillo Days

It's been a good long while since I sat down and wrote about these guys, and it's too bloody hot outside to be doing much else. On the desk in front of me are nine CDs of pictures from the Whitewater gig and about 8 or 9 rolls need to go in for developing from the gig at Sam's here in town ;ast weekend. The spirit within the band has just been so high lately it is difficult to catch in words. There is a level of happiness among the guys that is contagious. One of the reasons if Rick's pending marriage; I've hestitated writing about it, as it is no one else's business, and he himself has not chosen to annouce it. Rick is a very friendly guy off stage, but intensely private. Let me just say that I have seen these two together for about two years now, and this is a good thing for both of them. It can be a hard wait for the right one, but the near constant smile on his face these days tells me the wwait was worth it for him. Congratulations, my brother.

The first gig was at a lovely place out near Canyon Lake, north of San Antonio. I wasn't sure about the gig, but looked up the place and figured it would be worth the trip. I am really glad I went- it ended up not being quite as hot as I expected, the crowd was mostly newbies and a wide range of ages, and Melo was back! I was surprised to hear Melo was sitting in for the evening- it is apparently not a permanant thing, but Mike likes the interplay with a percussionist, and he and Melo just fit together. http://www.whitewaterrocks.com/

Whitewater has a stage area that can hold Lyle Lovett and his big band, with about 3000 capacity for the audience. DC however played the smaller stage, which was behind the "skybox" seating. It was an advantage in my book as we got more shade more quickly, making the whole event more tolerable to me. I was sorry that more people hadn't bought tickets, so the guys could play the big place, but the intimate setting ended up being a great thing. Lots of new fans by the end of the evening!

(figured nearly a year later it was time to publish this! ;p )

The Black Cab Sessions

www.blackcabsessions.com

The advent of smaller and more portable technology has given birth to a fun, wild, offbeat method of listening to new music: the Black Cab Sessions. For those who haven't been to London, the black cab is as common, or nearly so anyway, as pigeons in Trafalgar Square. Some unique thinking people in the UK have decided to do something unusual in one- record a single song by as many or as few musicians and in one case, poet, as they can stuff in the cab and still have room for driver and sound and camera person.

The result is a fascinating view not only of the music and musicians, but of London as well. Were it not that I understand where technology had to get to, I would be asking "Why didn't someone come up with this before?!"

They've become a non-profit hit on YouTube and at the above website, with performances from people like the Kooks, Spoon, and Death Cab for Cutie.

What a fun and unique perspective. Cheers, folks!