Monthly Archives: August, 2013

August 7, 2013 - One of my favorite guitarists right now that is keeping the blues alive, is Joe Bonamassa. Joe loves the blues so much he has formed a non-profit called, "Keeping the Blues Alive", an organization that donates instruments to schools, repairs instruments, and many other projects aimed at teaching young people the great tradition of blues and honoring the American heritage of this great musical genre. They work hard and keeping school musical programs going, at a time when school musical programs are facing cuts and even cancelations. To create buzz and awareness for his organization, he has launched a "Win this Stevie Ray Vaughn Signature Guitar" contest, where anyone can enter to win a fabulous Fender Stratocaster, Stevie's favorite guitar. Stevie Ray Vaughn is a huge inspiration to Joe, as he is to a lot of people, and this is to honor one of the greatest blues guitarists of all times.

Check out the Keeping The Blues Alive Website here, and to enter the contest to win the Stevie Ray Vaughn Signature Stratocaster Guitar, go here. Meanwhile, check out one of the kids his organization is helping, a 16-year-old kid named Tallan Noble Latz playing "The Sky is Crying" below from his YouTube Channel.

August 5, 2013 - The heavy metal thrash band Revocation is thrashing against Fracking on their new album. Read more on JTMP Green here. (photo credit: Revocation)

August 5, 2013 - Musicians have been caught up in crime just like any other group of people, and they have it worse because of their fame and notoriety, so we thought we would post some of the best "Top Musician Criminal" lists people have posted on the Internet. Let us know who you think should have been on this list, or not on this list, and your thoughts on our JTMP Facebook Page.

Rockers In Jail:
http://oldies.about.com/od/oldieshistory/a/rockrollprison.htm
Top 5 Rock Star Criminals:
http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/crossfade/2010/10/top_10_rock_star_criminals.php
Top Ten Rock and Roll Criminals:
http://alancross.squarespace.com/a-journal-of-musical-things/2013/5/10/top-ten-rock-n-roll-criminals.html

Also, there is the "music" category on MugShots.com.  (photo credit: MugShots.com)

August 5, 2013 - JTMP had been dealing with justice issues all last week, and this week we turn our attention to musicians and artists that have been caught up in the justice system. Many musicians have been caught up in the courts over the years, from Paul McCartney in 1980 getting busted with 7.7 ounces of pot in his suitcase in Japan (he served 10 days in jail), to Pete Townshend getting arrested for visiting an illegal porn website on his computer back in 1999. His flat was raided, computers seized, and even though no illegal pornographic pictures were never found on his computer, he agreed to a "police caution" and was placed on a sex offender list for 5 years. He has insisted innocence from the start and has broken his 6-year silence on the incident in his new memoir "Who I Am", and last September talked about it with Daily Mail. He told Daily Mail that the reason he did not go to court and fight for his innocence was the reason many face; he had a half an hour to decide whether to take a "police caution", or go through a lengthy court battle where the prosecution has virtually limitless funds and resources and would most likely win, and your horrible mistake is splayed out for the world to see. He also said he was simply "exhausted" at the time. He decided to take the caution (sort of like taking a plea deal here in America) and put it behind him and move on with his life. What does everyone think? Should people be able to move on with their lives? Start a conversation or join in the JTMP Facebook Page.  (photo credit: Kubackeck/CC)

August 7, 2013 - Tennessee musician Ben Friberg became the first person ever to paddleboard the Florida Straits from US to Cuba. The exhausting 110-mile journey took him 28 hours...whew. His father drove a support boat near him the entire journey. When he departed the US on Thursday he told the press he was "doing this to promote peace and understanding between Cuba and the United States and to promote a healthy lifestyle". Ben hails from Chattanooga, and currently is in a trio playing some awesome jazz. Check out some of his tunes at BenFriberg.com. Read more about the journey on NBC News.com here.  (photo credit: www.benfriberg.com)