Thursday, April 8, 2021

JOE MACRE ORIGINAL BASS PLAYER WITH PROG ROCKS 'CRACK THE SKY' RELEASES NEW ALBUM 'BULLET TRAIN' EXCLUSIVE ON INTERVIEWING THE LEGENDS WITH RAY SHASHO-BBS RADIO TV

 

Original 

C R A C K  T H E  S K Y 

Bassist 

JOE MACRE   

Releases New Album 

“Bullet Train”

Special Guest 

on Interviewing the Legends


JOE MACRE INTERVIEW 

CLICK BELOW 

TO LISTEN IN ITS ENTIRETY

Joe Macre is best known as the original bassist for the progressive rock band “Crack The Sky”, whose debut was voted album of the year in Rolling Stone Magazine and is still included in the top 50 progressive rock albums of all time. The new release from Joe Macre is a collection of ten songs written and recorded at Joe Mac’s American Garage. Scheduled to drop March 1, 2021, “Bullet Train” is one of two albums written and recorded by Joe with friends who visited his American Garage studios. Made famous for housing cars, the garage has become a recording studio for musicians all over the world.

This album was written and recorded from 2019 to 2021. Many friends brought their talents to the garage and those shut in during the pandemic were recorded via the internet. The recording was recorded, mixed and mastered by Joe utilizing Pro Tools, of which Joe is an instructor. Visit Joe’s blog at joemacre.com for details on instruments and software incorporated on this album.

Joe Macre was a member of Crack The Sky from 1975–1980 and 2004-2009. Joe has also worked with The B. E. Taylor Group, Wild Cherry, King Friday, Jim Croce, David Sanborn, The Brecker Brothers, Marie Osmond, Grammy Award Artist, Oliver Wakeman (and Eddie Offord Yes), Andy Timmons (Danger Danger), Robert Schindler (Johnny Nash), Madukwu Chinwah (Erikah Badu), Keith Green, Clint Brown, and others. 


Joe’s award-winning Mixing/Composing credits in films and commercials include “Monster in Law,” “House of D” and “Fire Down Below.” Super Bowl Tabasco’s “Mosquito”, Corona’s “Ship in a Bottle”, Nickelodeon, Showtime, Ford, McDonald’s, Corona, Hyundai, and Oprah Winfrey to name a few.

2018 Joe began work on his latest project Joe Mac’s American Garage with the debut album, “Bullet Train” featuring a cast of musicians including Chris Elliott and Jerry Oxendine of 86 Bullets, Pete Hewlett (Billy Joel), Jeff Adams (Facedancer), John Palumbo, Rick Witkowski, Jimmy Griffiths, Bobby Hird and Joey D’Amico (Crack The Sky) and many talented friends who visited Joe’s American Garage Studios.

Joe was inducted into the board of directors for SPARS (Society of Professional Audio Recording Services) with Leslie Ann Jones, Audio Director at Skywalker Sound, Kevin Mills at Larrabee West Studios, Tim Butler at Chicago Recording (CRC), Jeff Greenberg at The Village Recorder and Steve Davis at Crawford Communications Atlanta. Joe is an active member of AES and the American Federation of Musicians.

Joe’s second album entitled “The Dream Is Free” is scheduled for a spring release. Also, tours are currently in the works.

Purchase

BULLET TRAIN

By

JOE MACRE

At amazon.com

and

www.joemacre.com

Song previews: 

Soundcloud.com/joe Macre

 


For more information

about

 JOE MACRE

visit

www.joemacre.com

Facebook.com/joe macre and Facebook/joemacre.com

https://soundcloud.com/cuppajoemusic

Instagram.com/Atomicbass1

Discography:
Joe Macre – Bullet Train (2021)
Joe Mac’s American Garage (2016)
King Friday – Let the song begin (2014)
Crack the Sky – The Machine (2010)
Crack the Sky – All Access DVD (2009)
Crack the Sky – The Sale – (2007)
Crack the Sky – Alive and Kickin’ Ass – (2005)
Crack the Sky – Alive and Kickin – (2005)
The Precious Brothers – The Precious Brothers ‎(2005)
Crack the Sky –Dogs From Japan (2004)
B.E. Taylor Group – Love Won The Fight (1983)
B.E. Taylor Group – Intermission – (1982)
Crack the Sky – Classic Crack – (1980)
Crack the Sky – Live Sky – (1978)
Crack the Sky – Safety in Numbers – (1978)
Crack the Sky – Live on WBAB – (1976)
Crack the Sky – Animal Notes – (1976)
Crack the Sky – Crack the Sky – (1975)










MY NEW BOOK 
IS FINALLY OUT!

ENTITLED

THE ROCK STAR CHRONICLES

SERIES ONE

CHRONICLES, TRUTHS, CONFESSIONS AND WISDOM FROM THE MUSIC LEGENDS THAT SET US FREE




 …Order yours today on 

(Collector edition) Hardcover 

 or E-book

 at bookbaby.com and amazon.com

Featuring over 45 intimate conversations with some of

the greatest rock legends the world will ever know.

CHRIS SQUIRE... DR. JOHN... GREG LAKE... HENRY MCCULLOUGH... JACK BRUCE … JOE LALA…  JOHNNY WINTER... KEITH EMERSON... PAUL KANTNER...  RAY THOMAS... RONNIE MONTROSE... TONY JOE WHITE... DAVID CLAYTON-THOMAS… MIKE LOVE... TOMMY ROE... BARRY HAY... CHRIS THOMPSON... JESSE COLIN YOUNG... JOHN KAY... JULIAN LENNON... MARK LINDSAY... MICKY DOLENZ… PETER RIVERA ...TOMMY JAMES… TODD RUNDGREN... DAVE MASON... EDGAR WINTER... FRANK MARINO... GREGG ROLIE... IAN ANDERSON... JIM “DANDY” MANGRUM... JON ANDERSON... LOU GRAMM... MICK BOX... RANDY BACHMAN… ROBIN TROWER...  ROGER FISHER... STEVE HACKETT... ANNIE HASLAM… ‘MELANIE’ SAFKA... PETULA CLARK... SUZI QUATRO... COLIN BLUNSTONE… DAVE DAVIES... JIM McCARTY... PETE BEST


THE ROCK STAR CHRONICLES

BOOK TRAILER

 

BOOK REVIEW

-By Literary Titan (5) STARS

The Rock Star Chronicles, by Ray Shasho, is a splendid book written by a music enthusiast who has poured their heart and soul into it. It’s a story of a boy who loved rock music, and his obsessive passion of it earned himself the name Rock Raymond. He went to school but instead was schooled in all matters of music while his peers were buried chin-deep in coursework. He then became a radio DJ and has now compiled a book on all interviews he held with Rock gods who raided the airwaves back in the 70s and 80s. It’s a compilation of interviews with outstanding vocalists, legendary guitarists and crazy drummers in the rock music scene. Each interview gives a reader an in-depth view into their personal lives and the philosophies that guide their lives which all serve to humanize these great icons. For readers who are old enough to call themselves baby boomers this book will bring old memories back to life. Millennials, on the other hand, may think of this book as a literal work of the Carpool Karaoke show. 

The Rock Star Chronicles is a book I didn’t know I was waiting for. To come across a book that will talk me into trying something new. One brave enough to incite me to venture into new frontiers. This book made me a believer- I am now a bona fide Rock and Roll music fan. 

Ray Shasho masterfully gets the interviewees talking. He smartly coaxes answers from them with crafty questions designed to get a story rolling out of them. The artists talk about diverse issues ranging from music, politics, and their social engagements. Having been on the music seen all his life, Ray Shasho knows the buttons to press, how to get them comfortable about talking about their lives. 

The book’s cover is befitting of its subject matter with the leather look offering a royal background to the golden letter print. It speaks to how high a level rock music holds in the pecking order- arguably, modern music as we know it has originated from blues and rock music.  The second noteworthy thing is the use of high-definition pictures to reference the musician being interviewed in every sub-chapter. This ensures that the book is for both original rock and roll lovers and aspiring new ones. Together is makes for a refreshing and consistently enjoyable read.

I recommend this book to rock music enthusiasts, aspiring musicians wondering what it takes and all readers curious to learn new things by going back in time. 

https://literarytitan.com/2020/05/03/literary-titan-book-awards-may-2020/   Gold Award Winner


Thursday, April 1, 2021

DON MCLEAN CHATS ABOUT THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF "AMERICAN PIE" EXCLUSIVE ON INTERVIEWING THE LEGENDS WITH RAY SHASHO BBS RADIO TV

 D O N  M C L E A N

Grammy award honoree, Songwriter Hall of Fame member, BBC Lifetime Achievement Award recipient for his smash hit

n   e

 Named by the Recording Industry of America (RIAA) a top 5 song of the 20th Century. 

EXCLUSIVE 

DON MCLEAN INTERVIEW

CLICK BELOW TO LISTEN IN ITS ENTIRETY

This year marks the 50th anniversary release of the iconic song, American Pie. In celebration of this legendary song, Home Free and Don McLean teamed up for a special collaboration which was released on Friday, January 29th.  An official music video will follow on Wednesday, February 3rd, “the day the music died” -- the day Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. Richardson died tragically in an Iowa plane crash -- 62 years ago. 

We’re excited to use this release and this platform to continue to draw awareness to the National Independent Venue Association’s (NIVA) work in raising money for emergency grants for independent music venues and promoters so that 2021 does not become the year the stages died, too.  We’ll be pushing Home Free fans to donate to NIVA and making sure they’re aware that just because The Save Our Stages act passed, that the work is not done.  

Don McLean is a Grammy award honoree, a Songwriter Hall of Fame member, a BBC Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, and his smash hit “American Pie” resides in the Library of Congress National Recording Registry and was named by the Recording Industry of America (RIAA) a top 5 song of the 20th Century. A New York native, Don McLean is one of the most revered and respected songwriters in American history. After paying his dues in the New York club scene in the late ‘60s, he went on to score mega-hits like “Vincent (Starry, Starry Night),” “Castles in the Air” and many more.

His catalog of songs has been recorded by Madonna, Garth Brooks, Josh Groban, Drake, Weird “Al” Yankovic, and countless others. In 2015, one of McLean’s four handwritten manuscripts of the lyrics to “American Pie” was auctioned by Christies, selling for just over $1.2 Million. 2019 honored Don with a star on the Las Vegas Walkway of Stars and his song “And I Love You So” was the theme for Prince Harry and Megan Markle’s wedding. Now in 2020, Don signed a recording contract with Time Life to release his catalog of recordings as well as the highly anticipated new album Still Playin’ Favorites, which was released October 23rd. “American Pie” will be featured in the Avengers Black Widow and the Tom Hanks movie BIOS and much more to be announced. And when you think things are slowing down, not so for Don McLean! 2021 will mark the 50th anniversary of American Pie with a world tour to follow.

AMERICAN 

PIE


by 

HOME FREE 

and

(feat. Don McLean)


available now at amazon.com


For more information

 about

Don  McLean

Visit

www.donmclean.com

Official Website

www.facebook.com/DonMcLean

Facebook

https://twitter.com/donmcleanonline

Twitter

www.instagram.com/thedonmclean

Instagram


Discography

1970 Tapestry

1971 American Pie

1972 Don McLean

1973 Playin' Favorites

1974 Homeless Brother

1977 Prime Time

1978 Chain Lightning

1981 Believers

1987 Love Tracks

1989 For the Memories

1989 And I Love You So

1991 Headroom

1991 Christmas

1995 The River of Love

1997 Christmas Dreams

2001 Sings Marty Robbins

2003 You've Got to Share Songs for Children

2003 The Western Album

2005 Rearview Mirror: An American Musical Journey

2009 Addicted to Black

2018 Botanical Gardens








MY NEW BOOK IS FINALLY OUT!

ENTITLED

THE ROCK STAR CHRONICLES

SERIES ONE



CHRONICLES, TRUTHS, CONFESSIONS AND WISDOM FROM THE MUSIC LEGENDS THAT SET US FREE

 


…Order yours today 

on the collectors edition Hardcover 

or E-book

 at bookbaby.com and amazon.com

Featuring over 45 intimate conversations with some of

the greatest rock legends the world will ever know.

CHRIS SQUIRE... DR. JOHN... GREG LAKE... HENRY MCCULLOUGH... JACK BRUCE … JOE LALA…  JOHNNY WINTER... KEITH EMERSON... PAUL KANTNER...  RAY THOMAS... RONNIE MONTROSE... TONY JOE WHITE... DAVID CLAYTON-THOMAS… MIKE LOVE... TOMMY ROE... BARRY HAY... CHRIS THOMPSON... JESSE COLIN YOUNG... JOHN KAY... JULIAN LENNON... MARK LINDSAY... MICKY DOLENZ… PETER RIVERA ...TOMMY JAMES… TODD RUNDGREN... DAVE MASON... EDGAR WINTER... FRANK MARINO... GREGG ROLIE... IAN ANDERSON... JIM “DANDY” MANGRUM... JON ANDERSON... LOU GRAMM... MICK BOX... RANDY BACHMAN… ROBIN TROWER...  ROGER FISHER... STEVE HACKETT... ANNIE HASLAM… ‘MELANIE’ SAFKA... PETULA CLARK... SUZI QUATRO... COLIN BLUNSTONE… DAVE DAVIES... JIM McCARTY... PETE BEST


THE ROCK STAR CHRONICLES

BOOK TRAILER

 

BOOK REVIEW

-By Literary Titan (5) STARS

The Rock Star Chronicles, by Ray Shasho, is a splendid book written by a music enthusiast who has poured their heart and soul into it. It’s a story of a boy who loved rock music, and his obsessive passion of it earned himself the name Rock Raymond. He went to school but instead was schooled in all matters of music while his peers were buried chin-deep in coursework. He then became a radio DJ and has now compiled a book on all interviews he held with Rock gods who raided the airwaves back in the 70s and 80s. It’s a compilation of interviews with outstanding vocalists, legendary guitarists and crazy drummers in the rock music scene. Each interview gives a reader an in-depth view into their personal lives and the philosophies that guide their lives which all serve to humanize these great icons. For readers who are old enough to call themselves baby boomers this book will bring old memories back to life. Millennials, on the other hand, may think of this book as a literal work of the Carpool Karaoke show. 

The Rock Star Chronicles is a book I didn’t know I was waiting for. To come across a book that will talk me into trying something new. One brave enough to incite me to venture into new frontiers. This book made me a believer- I am now a bona fide Rock and Roll music fan.

 Ray Shasho masterfully gets the interviewees talking. He smartly coaxes answers from them with crafty questions designed to get a story rolling out of them. The artists talk about diverse issues ranging from music, politics, and their social engagements. Having been on the music seen all his life, Ray Shasho knows the buttons to press, how to get them comfortable about talking about their lives. 

The book’s cover is befitting of its subject matter with the leather look offering a royal background to the golden letter print. It speaks to how high a level rock music holds in the pecking order- arguably, modern music as we know it has originated from blues and rock music.  The second noteworthy thing is the use of high-definition pictures to reference the musician being interviewed in every sub-chapter. This ensures that the book is for both original rock and roll lovers and aspiring new ones. Together is makes for a refreshing and consistently enjoyable read.

I recommend this book to rock music enthusiasts, aspiring musicians wondering what it takes and all readers curious to learn new things by going back in time.

 https://literarytitan.com/2020/05/03/literary-titan-book-awards-may-2020/   Gold Award Winner



Wednesday, March 24, 2021

RIC LEE 'TEN YEARS AFTER' DRUMMER RELEASES NEW BOOK AND MUSIC: SPECIAL GUEST ON INTERVIEWING THE LEGENDS WITH RAY SHASHO BBS RADIO TV

 

TEN YEARS AFTER

legendary drummer

R  I  C    L   E   E

NEW MEMOIR

“From Headstocks To Woodstock 

–A Drummer’s Tale”

and Deluxe Version release of 

'A Sting in the Tale'

Exclusive 

RIC LEE INTERVIEW

IN ITS ENTIRELY

CLICK BELOW TO LISTEN

Ric Lee has penned a new memoir called From Headstocks to Woodstock focusing on his long music career, including his adventures with the famous U.K. blues-rock outfit.

The 448-page tome is available now exclusively from Lee's official website, RicLeeTYA.com.

"It was something I'd always wanted to do, and I actually started it more than 10 years ago, but kept stopping and starting for various reasons," Lee explains in a statement. "Then a chance conversation with a friend in Los Angeles persuaded me to get it finished." 

Ten Years After was led by singer guitarist Alvin Lee and had a series of popular albums in the late 1960s and early '70s. In the U.S., the band is best known for their scorching performing of "I'm Going Home" at the 1969 Woodstock Festival and their hit "I'd Love to Change the World," which peaked at #40 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1971. Ric says some of the highlights in the book for him are "[m]y early days in bands in the Mansfield (my hometown) area, my stories about meeting people like Sir David Frost, Muhammad Ali, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Miles Davis and many others, and, of course, playing at Woodstock. "Lee adds that he hopes his memoir will "also be an inspiration to any aspiring young musicians to keep going against all adversity to finally win through."

While Alvin Lee died in 2013 at age 68 from heart surgery complications, Ten Years after has continued on and currently is led by Ric and founding keyboardist Chick Churchill.  The band is working on a new studio effort that's due out later this year and is planning to release a deluxe version of its 2017 album A Sting in the Tale in March.


Order

A Sting

 in the Tale 

(Deluxe Edition)

by

Ten Years After

at amazon.com

For fans of Alvin Lee, Ten Years After, and Classic Rock! Over fifty years since the release of their eponymous debut album in 1967, Ten Years After has returned with a new studio album containing twelve tracks titled “A Sting In The Tale”. This “Deluxe Edition” also contains 4 live tracks from the bands recent tour including an amazing rendition of the smash hit “I’d Love To Change The World”, which remains as relevant today as when first released in 1971. The beginning of their meteoric rise to fame can be pinpointed to their performance at The Woodstock Music and Arts Festival in August 1969. The audience were blown away by the intensity of the band’s performance and their unique combination of Jazz, Blues and Rock, and their enigmatic frontman Alvin Lee. This made them one of the biggest bands of the early 70’s. As well as original members Ric Lee (Drums) and Chick Churchill (Keys), the band now features Bass Icon Colin Hodgkinson (Peter Green, Spencer Davis, Chris Rea) and multi-award winning Guitarist/Vocalist Marcus Bonfanti (Van Morrison, Ginger Baker, Ronnie Wood). The title “A Sting In The Tale” reflects the same sentiment Ric & Chick wished to convey in the 2015 live album “The Name Remains The Same”. Although the band lineup has changed and the music continues to evolve and grow fifty years on, the sound of the band will always be heavily rooted in the way they paved the way during the late sixties and early seventies and will never forget its incredible heritage. This new record is the ‘Sting’ in the continuing Tale of Ten Years After.

also


Order your copy

of Ric’s Memoir

“From HEADSTOCKS 

To WOODSTOCK 

A Drummer’s Tale”

by Ric Lee

at www.ricleetya.com

and amazon.com

Following the Woodstock Festival in August 1969 and the subsequent movie in 1970, Ric's band, Ten Years After, became huge on the world stage. Ric's autobiography charts the journey from the coal mining town of Mansfield in the UK to performing alongside the greats and in some of the biggest venues of the music scene: The Newport Jazz Festival with Led Zeppelin, Jethro Tull, Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention, Miles Davis and The Godfather of Soul, James Brown all became part of Ric's life and enhanced the band's burgeoning worldwide appeal. Other festivals: The Miami, Atlanta and Texas Pop Festivals, 1970's Isle of Wight Festival (with Jimi Hendrix and The Who) and headlining London's Albert Hall, New York's Madison Square Garden and Tokyo's Budokan, further exposed the band's music to a global audience. It's thought that Ric performed to almost 4 million people a year between 1969 and 1975, not including the estimated 300,000 to 500,000 who saw their amazingly powerful performance at Woodstock nearly fifty years ago. A must read for anyone who wants to find out more about the music scene in the mid twentieth century and at a time when revolution in music was in the air.

 For more information

about

 RIC LEE

and

TEN YEAR AFTER

Visit

www.ricleetya.com

Ric Lee Book site

www.ten-years-after.co.uk

Ten Years After official

http://ten-years-after.com/

Ten Years After Page

www.alvinlee.com

Alvin Lee Official

 TEN YEARS AFTER DISCOGRAPHY

Ten Years After 1967

Stonedhenge 1969

Ssssh 1969

Cricklewood Green 1970

Watt 1970

A Space in Time 1971

Alvin Lee and Company 1972

Rock & Roll Music to the World 1972

Positive Vibrations 1974

About Time 1989

Now 2004

 Evolution 2008

A Sting in the Tale 2017






MY NEW BOOK 
IS FINALLY OUT!

ENTITLED

THE ROCK STAR CHRONICLES

SERIES ONE


CHRONICLES, TRUTHS, CONFESSIONS AND WISDOM FROM THE MUSIC LEGENDS THAT SET US FREE




 …Order yours today 

on the collectors edition Hardcover

 or E-book

 at bookbaby.com and amazon.com


Featuring over 45 intimate conversations with some of

the greatest rock legends the world will ever know.

CHRIS SQUIRE... DR. JOHN... GREG LAKE... HENRY MCCULLOUGH... JACK BRUCE … JOE LALA…  JOHNNY WINTER... KEITH EMERSON... PAUL KANTNER...  RAY THOMAS... RONNIE MONTROSE... TONY JOE WHITE... DAVID CLAYTON-THOMAS… MIKE LOVE... TOMMY ROE... BARRY HAY... CHRIS THOMPSON... JESSE COLIN YOUNG... JOHN KAY... JULIAN LENNON... MARK LINDSAY... MICKY DOLENZ… PETER RIVERA ...TOMMY JAMES… TODD RUNDGREN... DAVE MASON... EDGAR WINTER... FRANK MARINO... GREGG ROLIE... IAN ANDERSON... JIM “DANDY” MANGRUM... JON ANDERSON... LOU GRAMM... MICK BOX... RANDY BACHMAN… ROBIN TROWER...  ROGER FISHER... STEVE HACKETT... ANNIE HASLAM… ‘MELANIE’ SAFKA... PETULA CLARK... SUZI QUATRO... COLIN BLUNSTONE… DAVE DAVIES... JIM McCARTY... PETE BEST



THE ROCK STAR CHRONICLES

BOOK TRAILER

 

BOOK REVIEW

-By Literary Titan (5) STARS

The Rock Star Chronicles, by Ray Shasho, is a splendid book written by a music enthusiast who has poured their heart and soul into it. It’s a story of a boy who loved rock music, and his obsessive passion of it earned himself the name Rock Raymond. He went to school but instead was schooled in all matters of music while his peers were buried chin-deep in coursework. He then became a radio DJ and has now compiled a book on all interviews he held with Rock gods who raided the airwaves back in the 70s and 80s. It’s a compilation of interviews with outstanding vocalists, legendary guitarists and crazy drummers in the rock music scene. Each interview gives a reader an in-depth view into their personal lives and the philosophies that guide their lives which all serve to humanize these great icons. For readers who are old enough to call themselves baby boomers this book will bring old memories back to life. Millennials, on the other hand, may think of this book as a literal work of the Carpool Karaoke show. 

The Rock Star Chronicles is a book I didn’t know I was waiting for. To come across a book that will talk me into trying something new. One brave enough to incite me to venture into new frontiers. This book made me a believer- I am now a bona fide Rock and Roll music fan. 

Ray Shasho masterfully gets the interviewees talking. He smartly coaxes answers from them with crafty questions designed to get a story rolling out of them. The artists talk about diverse issues ranging from music, politics, and their social engagements. Having been on the music seen all his life, Ray Shasho knows the buttons to press, how to get them comfortable about talking about their lives. 

The book’s cover is befitting of its subject matter with the leather look offering a royal background to the golden letter print. It speaks to how high a level rock music holds in the pecking order- arguably, modern music as we know it has originated from blues and rock music.  The second noteworthy thing is the use of high-definition pictures to reference the musician being interviewed in every sub-chapter. This ensures that the book is for both original rock and roll lovers and aspiring new ones. Together is makes for a refreshing and consistently enjoyable read.

I recommend this book to rock music enthusiasts, aspiring musicians wondering what it takes and all readers curious to learn new things by going back in time. 

https://literarytitan.com/2020/05/03/literary-titan-book-awards-may-2020/   Gold Award Winner