Here's a nice little jam. Neal Schon, Steve Smith, Ricky Phillips and Ed Roth April 26, 2012 rehearsal at The Plant in Sausalito, CA for the Ronnie Montrose Tribute Concert on April 27, 2012 at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco, CA.

Check it!!

Deep Purple live in 1999 taken from TOTAL ABANDON AUSTRALIA '99 featuring Jon Lord

My goosebumps got goosebumps ffs!!

I just ordered this dvd. Hooooleeee shit maaaaan!

Ever since my father took me to see them in 1973 in Copenhagen, at the impressionable age of 9, Deep Purple has been the most constant, continuous and inspiring musical presence in my life. They have meant more to me than any other band in existence, and have had an enormous part in shaping who I am. So obviously I’m beyond bummed, saddened and devastated by today’s news of the untimely passing of keyboardist Jon Lord.

We can all be guilty of lightly throwing adjectives like “unique,” “one-of-a-kind” and “pioneering” around when we want to describe our heroes and the people who’ve moved us, but there are no more fitting words than those right now and there simply was no musician like Jon Lord in the history of hard rock. Nobody. Period.

There was nobody that played like him. There was nobody that sounded like him. There was nobody that wrote like him. There was nobody that looked like him. There was nobody more articulate, gentlemanly, warm, or fucking cooler that ever played keyboards or got anywhere near a keyboard. What he did was all his own. Including obviously his unique sound. Whatever it was he did with that Hammond organ, the way the Leslie distorted what he was playing and pushed it to some unheard of place, the way he attacked it while he was throwing it around, and whatever the fuck else it was that was going down between Jon and “The Beast”, as he called his organ, it was unlike anything before, during or after. That simple.

Deep Purple of course was also an entity all their own, always unpredictable, often impulsive, never repetitive and most of the time, other worldly. I had the good fortune of seeing them three times in Copenhagen between ’73 and ’75, numerous times again on the reunion runs in ’85 and ’87. We even played a couple of gigs in Germany with them in the summer of ’87 and needless to say, every time was an experience that had a major impact on me. Seeing Jon on stage right playing the riffs, the colorings, the textures, the next level solos, intros, outros, blues bits, classical pieces and whatever else came into his head each night AND on top of that keeping up with Ritchie Blackmore song after song, night after night, was the sign of the master of his craft . . . the most accomplished, original and unique hard rock keyboardist that ever walked this planet.

In 1992 when we played Munich on the Black Album tour, Jon Lord and lead singer, Ian Gillan came down to the show and stood in the snake pit the whole time. I was in heaven. Performing in front of members of the band that had meant more to me than anything in my life was a dream come true. And when I got a signed note after the show that they had had to leave and get back to their milk and cookies and be ready for the recording sessions the next day, I was simply beyond psyched. My hero(es) in the fuckin snake pit.!!!!! “Look Mom, on top of the fuckin world!!”

….Full circle for the impressionable 9 year old from KB Hallen in Copenhagen in February ’73.

Rest in peace Jon and THANK YOU for everything,

Lars

- nicely said.

GTFO!!

Crazy stuff going on there!

Whooznxt support stinks!

The contest is great and there are many talented entries.

We are having trouble with Whooznxt support.

My son's video for the Satriani Master Class contest "The Golden Room" had problems due to copyright infringement - YouTube actually labels the artist as "Joe Satriani" on his page because the content matched so closely. You can see it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DKM4Pqyjo8

Though you can play the video from the http://Satriani.whooznxt.com site (he's number 22 on the list right now) THEY ARE NOT COUNTING ANY YouTube SUBSCRIPTIONS on his account!!!

We have tried to contact Whooznxt several times with NO response.

Hey Joe,

There's this crazy show here in Holland called 'Fans' which is all about deranged fans who are really devoted to their idol or that band they idolize. They go really far and it makes me laugh every time. However tonight I could sympathize with them because here I was left standing again together with just five other people at the back exit of the Heineken Music Hall, just in time to wave goodbye when the white van left in a hurry. I don't know. Just trying to get da masters' signature on my custom chromed guitar...Same thing in Tilburg in 2010... Am I taking this too seriously?

Something for ALL to think about ~

I'd like to preface this long tweet by saying that my passion comes from my deepest sympathy and shared sorrow with yesterday's victims and with the utmost respect for the people and the police/fire/medical/political forces of Aurora and all who seek to comfort and aid these victims.

This morning, I made a comment about how I do not understand people who support public ownership of assault style weapons like the AR-15 used in the Colorado massacre. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AR-15

That comment, has of course, inspired a lot of feedback. There have been many tweets of agreement and sympathy but many, many more that have been challenging at the least, hostile and vitriolic at the worst.

Clearly, the angry, threatened and threatening, hostile comments are coming from gun owners and gun advocates. Despite these massacres recurring and despite the 100,000 Americans that die every year due to domestic gun violence - these people see no value to even considering some kind of control as to what kinds of weapons are put in civilian hands.

Many of them cite patriotism as their reason - true patriots support the Constitution adamantly and wholly. Constitution says citizens have the right to bear arms in order to maintain organized militias. I'm no constitutional scholar so here it is from the document itself:

As passed by the Congress: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." As ratified by the States and authenticated by Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of State: "A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."

So the patriots are correct, gun ownership is in the constitution - if you're in a well-regulated militia. Let's see what no less a statesman than Alexander Hamilton had to say about a militia:

"A tolerable expertness in military movements is a business that requires time and practice. It is not a day, or even a week, that will suffice for the attainment of it. To oblige the great body of the yeomanry, and of the other classes of the citizens, to be under arms for the purpose of going through military exercises and evolutions, as often as might be necessary to acquire the degree of perfection which would entitle them to the character of a well-regulated militia, would be a real grievance to the people, and a serious public inconvenience and loss."

Or from Merriam-Webster dictionary: Definition of MILITIA 1 a : a part of the organized armed forces of a country liable to call only in emergency b : a body of citizens organized for military service 2 : the whole body of able-bodied male citizens declared by law as being subject to call to military service

The advocates of guns who claim patriotism and the rights of the 2nd Amendment - are they in well-regulated militias? For the vast majority - the answer is no.

Then I get messages from seemingly decent and intelligent people who offer things like: @BrooklynAvi: Guns should only be banned if violent crimes committed with tomatoes means we should ban tomatoes. OR @nysportsguys1: Drunk drivers kill, should we ban fast cars?

I'm hoping that right after they hit send, they take a deep breath and realize that those arguments are completely specious. I believe tomatoes and cars have purposes other than killing. What purpose does an AR-15 serve to a sportsman that a more standard hunting rifle does not serve? Let's see - does it fire more rounds without reload? Yes. Does it fire farther and more accurately? Yes. Does it accommodate a more lethal payload? Yes. So basically, the purpose of an assault style weapon is to kill more stuff, more fully, faster and from further away. To achieve maximum lethality. Hardly the primary purpose of tomatoes and sports cars.

Then there are the tweets from the extreme right - these are the folk who believe our government has been corrupted and stolen and that the forces of evil are at play, planning to take over this nation and these folk are going to fight back and take a stand. And any moron like me who doesn't see it should... a. be labeled a moron b. shut the fuck up c. be removed

And amazingly, I have some minor agreement with these folks. I believe there are evil forces at play in our government. But I call them corporatists. I call them absolutists. I call them the kind of ideologues from both sides, but mostly from the far right who swear allegiance to unelected officials that regardless of national need or global conditions, are never to levy a tax. That they are never to compromise or seek solutions with the other side. That are to obstruct every possible act of governance, even the ones they support or initiate. Whose political and social goal is to marginalize the other side, vilify and isolate them with the hope that they will surrender, go away or die out.

Then there are the folks who write that if everyone in Colorado had a weapon, this maniac would have been stopped. Perhaps. But I do believe that the element of surprise, tear gas and head to toe kevlar protection might have given him a distinct edge. Not only that, but a crowd of people firing away in a chaotic arena without training or planning - I tend to think that scenario could produce even more victims.

Lastly, there are these well-intended realists that say that people like this evil animal would get these weapons even if we regulated them. And they may be right. But he wouldn't have strolled down the road to Kmart and picked them up. Regulated, he would have had to go to illegal sources - sources that could possibly be traced, watched, overseen. Or he would have to go deeper online and those transactions could be monitored. "Hm, some guy in Aurora is buying guns, tons of ammo and kevlar - plus bomb-making ingredients and tear gas. Maybe we should check that out."

But that won't happen as long as all that activity is legal and unrestricted.

I have been reading on and off as advocates for these weapons make their excuses all day long. Guns don't kill - people do. Well if that's correct, I go with @BrooklynAvi, let them kill with tomatoes. Let them bring baseball bats, knives, even machetes --- a mob can deal with that.

There is no excuse for the propagation of these weapons. They are not guaranteed or protected by our constitution. If they were, then we could all run out and purchase a tank, a grenade launcher, a bazooka, a SCUD missile and a nuclear warhead. We could stockpile napalm and chemical weapons and bomb-making materials in our cellars under our guise of being a militia.

These weapons are military weapons. They belong in accountable hands, controlled hands and trained hands. They should not be in the hands of private citizens to be used against police, neighborhood intruders or people who don't agree with you. These are the weapons that maniacs acquire to wreak murder and mayhem on innocents. They are not the same as handguns to help homeowners protect themselves from intruders. They are not the same as hunting rifles or sporting rifles. These weapons are designed for harm and death on big scales.

SO WHY DO YOU CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THEM? WHY DO YOU NOT, AT LEAST, AGREE TO SIT WITH REASONABLE PEOPLE FROM BOTH SIDES AND ASK HARD QUESTIONS AND LOOK AT HARD STATISTICS AND POSSIBLY MAKE SOME COMPROMISES FOR THE GREATER GOOD? SO THAT MOTHERS AND FATHERS AND CHILDREN ARE NOT SLAUGHTERED QUITE SO EASILY BY THESE MONSTERS? HOW CAN IT HURT TO STOP DEFENDING THESE THINGS AND AT LEAST CONSIDER HOW WE CAN ALL WORK TO TRY TO PREVENT ANOTHER DAY LIKE YESTERDAY?

We will not prevent every tragedy. We cannot stop every maniac. But we certainly have done ourselves no good by allowing these particular weapons to be acquired freely by just about anyone.

I'll say it plainly - if someone wants these weapons, they intend to use them. And if they are willing to force others to "pry it from my cold, dead hand", then they are probably planning on using them on people.

So, sorry those of you who tell me I'm an actor, or a has-been or an idiot or a commie or a liberal and that I should shut up. You can not watch my stuff, you can unfollow and you can call me all the names you like. I may even share some of them with my global audience so everyone can get a little taste of who you are.

In conclusion, whoever you are and wherever you stand on this issue, I hope you have the joy of family with you today. Hold onto them and love them as best you can. Tell them what they mean to you. Yesterday, a whole bunch of them went to the movies and tonight their families are without them. Every day is precious. Every life is precious. Take care. Be well. Be safe. God bless.

Since the last year i was following your G3 tour, and i'm hoping (god, will be awesome) if you come to Colombia in the South america's tour. i saw your "i just wanna rock" dvd last night i can imagine you playing here with the great vai.

Michelle, i can see how strongly you feel about this. i feel for those people in Colorado too. whether you like it or not, the militia is every able-bodied person of age. that is how it was when they wrote our Constitution. all the citizens were expected to provide their own arms and defend the nation. it seems to me that when people form militias and practice so they can actually do the job, certain people tend to get worried and upset, and try to stop the militias from organizing. the whole purpose of an armed public is to protect us from the rule makers, the government. that is a tough job now that we have a standing army, but nonetheless that is what the militia is for. the other thing is, that the bill of rights is not a list of rights granted to us by the government, it is a list of natural rights that every person has, given to him by his creator. there are a lot more people alive because of guns then there are dead because of them. there certainly are not 100,000 deaths from gun violence each year. tragedies like this happen in spite of laws against gun ownership. i do agree with you that in a crowded theater, with no clear target, it would have been difficult for armed citizens to stop this guy. i am sure there were warning signs that this guy was not right in the head. now as far as the weapon he used, there are probably hundreds of different guns that fire the same cartridges that he used. there is nothing more powerful about that gun than the others. the highest crime rates are where the guns have been taken from the people. if the people of this country want to dis-arm the public, they can make a constitutional amendment and do it the right way. i doubt if that will happen in my lifetime. it is more likely that the government will try to 'protect us from ourselves'

Dave, we're going to have to agree to disagree, especially ~

" there is nothing more powerful about that gun than the others"

Really?? So that makes it better or okay how?

" the highest crime rates are where the guns have been taken from the people. if the people of this country want to dis-arm the public, they can make a constitutional amendment and do it the right way. i doubt if that will happen in my lifetime. it is more likely that the government will try to 'protect us from ourselves' "

Have you met the public? Who are the people taking their guns? Name names and agencies. The people taking guns are the very same people that also take your tv, jewelry, electronics, and illusion of being safe because you own a gun. There is NO NEED for a public citizen to own a semi-automatic weapon. NONE. If you can't defend yourself and your family with a pistol or hunting rifle, then that's just to bad.

I don't want to take your guns! I want you to be mentally stable and trained to use it. I want you to have to fill out 22 gaddamn pages of information and have a double and even triple background check to be able to own one. I want every gun owner to have gun safes and gun locks.

I wanna live in a world where fucktards can't use semi-automatic weapons because they're to much of a coward to deal with LIFE and the blows that come with it!

The Constitution was NOT written for the year 2012!

If that were the case, then the crazy motherf**ker who shot unsuspecting unarmed men, women, and children in a dark movie theater was in the right. I mean, he felt threatened by something (LIFE), and he felt he had the right to defend himself , right? That's the meaning of it all, right? No matter what the mental status of the gun owner, they have the right to own the highest caliber weapon available. It's the AMERICAN WAY!

And btw, I didn't write the article, but I strongly agree with it.

So, just what is the "right way" to make a constitutional amendment?

Agree to disagree. No disrespect. I'd just really like to understand the reason to defend this insanity. Is it the lies and deception through the NRA, or peoples OWN thoughts on this subject that get things so skewed?