Yep, I've gotten a little of my mojo back. I've got a new story nearly ready for you called "Last Call". I've taken a page out of Catte Sambora's book and posted a teaser for you. It should be ready in a week or so, and you'll get a post weekly until it's complete.
On bonjovi.com, there is a new batch of photographs up for sale from tour photographer David Bergman. The snaps are from New York this fall. You can purchase them from the website, and preview them below :)
Please rise, for the singing of our national anthem...
PUPPYVILLE!
Yep,I'm lost in PuppyVille. I stumbled across a boatload of bootlegs from way back when, and have been lost in the magic of what I missed out on by being a tween in the 80's. I have a bunch of goodies for you, and really all I can say is, I wish I was older back then, and could have seen them live when they were just coming into their own.
Yes, yes, they toured before 1987, I'm well aware of that, it's just that once Slippery hit and became HUGE, that's really when, in my opinion, they became BON JOVI, in all capital letters ;)
Up first, August 14th, 1986: Osaka Japan. Wanted opened the Encore of this show. The sound on this one is a bit hollow, and goes wonky loud and muted (I wonder where the recorder was standing) but you don't get all the crowd noise.
Second, Liverpool, November 20. Much better sound on this one, though in Jon's voice, you can hear the strain on some of the "should be stronger" notes. Makes me want to fetch him a nice hot cup of tea with honey. Maybe hold the tea :)
And because people ROCK, we can see a performance from back in the day, here. Thanks PabloBonJovi!!
Detroit, May 26 1987, Joe Luis Arena
I have the audio boot for this show, but the tracks are cut up all messy. Halfway through the song, there's a track cut. I'm going to have to paste it all together and re-cut it, but it's WAY down the list of things to get done.
Now, there's no rhyme or reason to the puppy versions I picked for this week -- these are just the ones I was listening to lately.
Singer Jon Bon Jovi, 48, laughs when he's called a sex symbol, because according to his wife, it's the furthest thing from the hard rockin' truth.
"My wife thinks I'm fat and old," he laughed with "Extra" in an exclusive interview, right before he took the 2010 American Music Awards stage Sunday. "But hey, for an old man who has no plastic surgery, still has all his own hair and wears a 30-inch waist, I'm doing okay!"
What does he find sexy? "In a woman? Independence, intelligence, a world view of things, but open-minded and then funny, of course!"
The rocker loves that his ultimate CD collection has debuted at #1 around the world. "It's great because there's a generation of fans who have been there with us from the beginning and then there's a young generation that may be seeing us for the first time."
A couple of JBJ Soul Foundation items to point you to:
First John Shultz describes a visit from JonBon to Hopeworks and the CRIB, which the JBJ Soul Foundation helped make possible. Jon took the time to chat with some of the Hopeworks youth. When asked what it took to "get into" the music business, Jon had this to say (paraphrased by Mr. Shultz):
...it takes the same steps that are necessary in order to be great in any activity: practice and dedication. He said that he practices playing the guitar and singing everyday and that that is what needs to be done for anything you want to excel at in life. You might catch a lucky break, but that’s only going to happen if you are out there trying to make it happen. Nobody becomes a great singer or scientist, DJ or dentist by sitting at home and not participating in that activity. You have to put in the effort and energy needed to achieve the results and consequences you are looking for.
Second, if you haven't had a chance to check out the video at the JBJ Soul Foundation, check it out. If you need you spritis lifted, this will do it for you.
Finally, Jon checked on the progress of a LEED-Certified apartment building in Center City Philadelphia. The JBJSF joined Project H.O.M.E. and Bethesda Project in building these apartments to serve as housing for formerly homeless men and women.
We talked about this back in January, but today on Ellen, Jon talked a little bit about the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Kitchen, a restaurant for those who can't afford to take their families out to eat.
Located in Red Bank, presently in a soup kitchen called "Lunch Break", there are no prices on the menus, and a rock star's dad whipping up the vittles. Dorothea and Stephanie also work in the restaurant, and Jon claims to wash dishes when he's in town.
If you can pay, you pay. If you can't you volunteer. Sounds like a great program to me...
Early acclaim has greeted singer/violinist Lorenza Ponce’s sultry rock/Americana collection, ‘Soul Shifter.’ In his BLOGCRITICS review, which also ran via NO DEPRESSION, respected writer Jack Goodstein praised, “Ponce’s first foray into rock is riddled with successes and filled with promise for the future.” Saturation tour press ran in support of Ponce’s recent headlining dates – THE ALBANY TIMES UNION raved, “Let's just make this perfectly clear: Lorenza Ponce is a big deal.” ‘Soul Shifter’ is “glorious.” Remarking on Ponce’s unique background as a self-professed ‘rock-girl side person’ for such superstars as Sheryl Crow and as violinist for Bon Jovi and others, THE TIMES HERALD-RECORD noted, “Not every girl can say that rocker Sheryl Crow bought her first pair of leather pants!” Ponce will open for Bon Jovi at the kick-off of the 2011 U.S. leg of the band’s tour, February 9th at Penn State. She will also open for them March 4th at Mohegan Sun.
Featuring her ethereal vocals and blues violin, Ponce’s album charts a path out of the shadows and into the spotlight for a talented artist with a storied career as a performer and as a string arranger -- her credits include such notable tracks as Dixie Chicks ‘Landslide’, Sheryl Crow’s ‘Mother Nature’s Son’ and ‘It’s Only Love’, Bon Jovi’s MTV Unplugged ‘Living on a Prayer’ and more. Her extraordinary list of projects can be seen via ALL MUSIC: http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:a9fqxqrgldhe~T4.
