- Roy Rogers: Sliding into new musical territories
- One of the world's foremost slide guitarists, Roy Rogers, grew up in the Bay Area. As a musician, at 60, he's still growing. After all, in blues circles, 60 means you're still just a kid.
"There's always lots to discover, in anything, especially the blues," Rogers told The Daily News. "Roots music is as deep as you want to delve. It's a never-ending story. It's never a finite thing that you've accomplished. If you think you have, you're sadly mistaken ... or fooling yourself, one of the two. There's always something that you can learn. If you think you've done it all and you're there, then you might as well give it up."
Far from giving it up, Rogers looks forward to playing Redwood City's Club Fox on Saturday. He'll be backed by his band, The Delta Rhythm Kings.
http://www.mercurynews.com/peninsula/ci_17212418?nclick_check=1
- Transcendental Blues and the Girl with a Shoe: An Evening with Roy Rogers & Ray Manzarek.
- It had started raining by the time the house lights went down again, which only added to the intimacy of the room’s ambiance. So, on the evening of a full moon, one of the creators of my favorite Doors song, “Riders On The Storm,” would be taking the stage to the sound of rain.
After brief greetings to the audience, Rogers picked up his guitar and Manzarek took a seat behind his keyboard. There was no hesitation about getting straight to it, and they launched the perfect song to kick things off, “Presidential Boogie.”
Manzarek then conjured up an impromptu “Sacramento Blues,” singing lyrics he most likely made up as he went. It made for a great ice-breaker with the audience as he took a poke at Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and sang about budget woes.
While Rogers changed guitars, opting for his double-necked monster, Manzarek continued with a beautifully light, jazzy piece he dedicated to Gil Evans, who worked closely with Miles Davis at one time.
The mood was light, and the music was crisp and full of purpose. Even though I’ve seen him a few times, Rogers’ speed and style left my mouth hanging open. He worked one end of the guitar while notes he’d just played sustained themselves forever. He successfully filled pockets between notes, creating floating transitions where, only seconds earlier, there was nothing but piano. It was almost as if there were three or four musicians instead of two.
The room maintained a hypnotic silence until Manzarek snapped everybody out of it by suddenly injecting a riff from “Light My Fire.”
“Well, I know you must have some questions,” he said. “I think I see a microphone over there so, let’s go.” [Read More...]
- Rogers, Manzarek team up at Napa Opera House
- One worked with the legendary blues player John Lee Hooker, the other with rock icon Jim Morrison.
While Hooker and Morrison never managed to record together, at least Roy Rogers and Ray Manzarek have. The two musicians with local ties and impressive credentials take the stage together Oct. 23 at the Napa Valley Opera House.
Rogers, the 51-year-old slide guitar wizard with Vallejo roots, and Manzarek, Chicago-bred keyboardist for The Doors, realized about four years ago their styles and mutual appreciation works well on stage and in studio, where they follow "Ballads Before the Rain" with the upcoming release of "Translucent Blues."
"It's a common sharing of intellectual curiosity," said Manzarek of the duo's chemistry. "And what a slide player Roy is. One of the best players around."
Manzarek met Rogers via an introduction by the booking agent who works with both performers.
"He said, 'Why don't you guys get together and play some tunes,'" remembered Manzarek. "And it's worked out fine."
Manzarek, enjoying some of his wife's homemade apple pie early Wednesday morning from their Napa home, said the opera house audience can expect some blues, a "little bit of classical," a little bit of jazz and some Doors songs.
"And, in between, we will tell stories," Manzarek said, laughing that though his brain has "millions of stories" in the files, "they're not all readily recallable. They're piled on top of each other."
He easily recalls those fishing days with his dad in Lake Michigan, his years at De Paul University and then at UCLA where he enrolled in 1960.
"By the time you reach 70, you know how many memories you have in your brain?" Manzarek said.
Fortunately, he has no problems playing and sharing some of the "colorful" tales of Morrison, who died at ...'
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- Ray Manzarek (The Doors) & Roy Rogers: An Evening of Music & Rock & Roll Tales
- Concert impresario Bill Graham would be proud of this one. Swell Productions is psyched to announce for one night only: Ray Manzarek (The Doors) & Roy Rogers: An Evening of Music & Rock & Roll Tales. Sacramento's acclaimed new duo, Electropoetic Coffee (guitarist Ross Hammond and poet/singer NSAA) will open the night.
The legendary co-founder of The Doors, keyboardist and member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Ray Manzarek and the critically acclaimed slide/blues guitarist Roy Rogers have put their artistic minds together and created a captivating new concert experience.
The much emulated keyboard technique of Ray Manzarek and Roy Rogers' solid guitar work carry the day. Amazing new takes on Doors classics like "The Crystal Ship" and "Riders On The Storm", as well as other blues/jazz/classical tracks define the level of musicianship that each of these award winning composers/producers/performers display. Not foreign to the classics, the two visit Eric Satie's "Gnossienne No. 1." Roy is one of the genre's premier slide guitarists, a two time Grammy Award Nominee, and well known for his exciting live performances with John Lee Hooker, Norton Buffalo, and The Delta Rhythm Kings.
What was Jim Morrison really like? The charismatic story-telling Manzarek will share his personal insights and rock n' roll tales as a unique part of this concert! There will be a mic in the aisle for audience questions. A very special evening of music and spoken word.
- Roy Rogers' New Album
- The first studio recording from Roy and the band in 7 years this one is eclectic Americana and contemporary blues recordings at its finest. Edgy guitar tracks, deep grooves, tense rockin' blues and ballads. Surprises include jazz instrumentals....
- Roy Rogers' Split Decision
- There is nothing like a good blues-rock album to get your blood circulating and if it’s good enough it can serve as aphrodisiac. In the case of the first Roy Rogers album with The Delta Rhythm Kings in seven years, all of the above are applicable. [Read More...]
- Roy Rogers' Split Decision
- There is nothing like a good blues-rock album to get your blood circulating and if it’s good enough it can serve as aphrodisiac. In the case of the first Roy Rogers album with The Delta Rhythm Kings in seven years, all of the above are applicable.
Split Decision is well crafted for more than your typical hot blooded blues audience, this has some gripping songwriting and outstanding guitar playing, most notably some blistering slide with both acoustic (“Your Sweet Embrace”) and electric (“Patron Saint of Pain” and several others) that would appeal to a wide array of listeners.
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- Jazz Fest on The Upswing
- NEW ORLEANS — Veterans, lathered in SPF 30, clutching a daily lineup with scribbled priorities and lugging nothing heavier than a folding camp chair, can always spot the newbies. They're the ones with sunburned limbs, stiff footwear and iPods. The common ground? Mile-wide smiles, ringing eardrums and grease-stained T-shirts.
Slide guitar ace Roy Rogers wowed a packed house in the blues tent with new Little Queen Bee and Calm Before the Storm (sung by son Sam), a sizzling version of Robert Johnson's Terraplane Blues and rousing tunes with pianist Marcia Ball.
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