Hi Folks,
I'm not sure who's to blame, maybe Chris Brown for talking me into making an album, or maybe Nils Lofgren for exposing me to such incredible music at an early age, or Tim Foster for giving me my first job as a guitar tech with Neil Young and Crazy Horse. Who wouldn't get hooked! It was while working as a guitar tech that I was endlessly inspired by what I was hearing. A part of my mind couldn't help but wander into thoughts of what my songs might sound like with players like them going for it. So when Chris Brown said, " It's about time you made an album of your own", I took it to heart and we began the long journey collecting willing friends and putting down tracks. I'm forever grateful to all who contributed their time and talents. I'm lucky to have such good and talented friends.
The first guy to rock my soul way back in high school was Nils Lofgren. We were friends from boys' club football, yeah really, and when his band Grin started playing out, I didn't miss a gig. I even started to help drive and lug gear for a while, a precursor to my later career. He defined "Things We Leave Behind" and "Broken Wings" with his guitar. The accordion and vocals on "When The Bells Start Ringing" are mighty sweet. The pedal steel on "Rust and Dust" hits the spot with my melancholy thoughts in the song.
Bill Kirchen is a guy I met a few years later when I was playing in a band, "Aces and Eights", with his wife Louise singing. Much fun out in Marin County, CA., often getting to open for Bill's band "Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen. Bill now has his group "Bill Kirchen and Too Much Fun". His tele put some serious truckabilly punch in "Comes the Hurricane", and pushes the swing of "Purple Heart". Helping that swing was another of my oldest friends, Johnny Castle, playing bass along with Jack O'Dell on drums for "Purple Heart". Both were partners with Bill in the Too Much Fun Band.
I was mesmerized the first time I heard Sarah Harmer sing her songs, and I still am! Her duet even makes me sound good on my Christmas tale "When the Bells Start Ringing".
I've been running into Mickey Rafael for years at the Farm Aid concerts, and have always loved what his harmonica added to a song. Much to my surprise, while visiting Chris Brown, he put a track on my cover of Kris Kristofferson's "Jesus Was A Capricorn". Pretty cool Mickey, Thanks.
I met Matt Johnson while working for Rufus Wainwright's Band. My station was just by his drum riser, and I thought, God I love to get him to play some tracks. Even better, he teamed up with Tony Scheer on bass to lay down the basics of "Rust & Dust" "Comes The Hurricane" and "Things You Leave Behind".
Now Tony, what can I say. He's all over the tracks. Bass and guitar. The most inspired musician I have had the privilege to know. When I heard the guitar chicken pickin' on "Jesus was a Capricorn", I thought, what can't he do? He's a jazz bass player, for Christ sake! Well wait till you hear some of his songs.
Anton Fier came recently to my world. Chris hooked us up, and boy am I glad. He played the drums under the already completed tracks of "Safe In My Arms" and "Broken Wings". Some mean feat, considering my habit of wandering in time and space. And with such a touch!
Luther Wright and the Wrongs were hangin' at Chris' Cat House one day when Chris said, "Let's record 'Jesus Was A Capricorn' with Rocky". I knew I didn't have anything to add to how Kris Kristofferson had done it, but some songs say things worth repeating as much as anybody's willing to listen. There was something right about those Wrongs, so we did it there on the spot, pretty much as a live take, with a few players coming along later to put their two cents in.
I met Jane Scarpantoni on a HOARDE tour. Her cello was intoxicating and her company was even better. Little did I know she is also one of the best string arrangers around. "Broken Wings" got a lot sweeter when she added her cello.
My favorite Sax player, Michael Blake, added the final touch to "Broken Wings" with his fine soprano.
That fiddle on "Purple Heart" and "Boots" is Roland Salterwhite. He's a new friend who sure added the right stuff to those songs.
Lenny Kaye didn't play a note on the album, but he sure did write some. I heard Lenny singing "Things You Leave Behind" at a sound check somewhere in Europe a few years back. I said, "what's that", and he replied, "Oh that's a little country song of mine". He was kind enough to show me how it went, and let me use it. I have to admit that it's my favorite tune on the album.
Now speaking of harmony, there are a few others who lent their voices. I met Diana DeWitt and Gary Pigg during the filming of "Heart Of Gold". It wasn't just their skill in singing that got me, but how much fun they have doing it. It's just a joy to watch them sing, much less on my songs, "Rust & Dust", "Broken Wings", "Purple Heart" and Diana on "Comes The Hurricane".
One of the best things about knowing Chris Brown was meeting his long time musical partner Kate Fenner. She tells the truth with her words and expresses it better than anyone I've heard with her voice. That's her injecting a little soul into "My Nightlife".
I met another of Chris' friends, Rosie Goodman, while sitting in on an album honoring her dad. She returned the favor singing so sweet on "Boots" and joining the crowd on "Jesus Was A Capricorn".
Michael Mazor on drums and Ben Rubin on bass can cover more than a few bases. They were the rhythm section for both "Boots" and "My Nightlife". Jazz players really do know where all the notes are!
I started all this with just Jason Mercer playing his Upright Bass along with me singing "Broken Wings" and "Safe In My Arms". He gave me the bottom to stand on, and little did we know what we had started. He later added his banjo to "Jesus Was A Capricorn".
One more player I met through Chris was Teddy Kumpel. He just jumped in with great country picking on "Boots", and I don't know how many parts he sang on "Jesus Was A Capricorn".
Chris Brown had a little to do with this project. He inspired me to do it, engineered, produced and prodded it along. Chris is first and foremost a musician. When I wandered up to the workshop stage of a HORDE tour, I ran into him plunking away on a Whirly. We started jamming together and I made one of the best friends I have. Chris' love of music comes thru in every note he plays and he'll infect you with it. He sure did it to me. He plays Piano, B-3, Farfisa or Acoustic Guitar somewhere on almost every song. Thanks Chris for being my friend.
Me, I just wrote a few songs and wondered what it would sound like to have great musicians record them. I got lucky.
Hope you enjoy them,
Rocky
Thanks to Henry Diltz's photo, I know that I was at Woodstock.
Spare Change, '73 - my first band.
Last touches on Billy Talbot's rig for Crazy Horse '97.
Sarah Harmer, Rick Rosas and Anthony Crawford at the Dakota
The Dakota Tavern left-to-right: Teddy Kumple, Sarah Harmer, Rick (the bass player) Rosas, Anthony Crawford and Rocky