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Above all else, Jimi Hendrix’s “Band of Gypsys” recordings set my musical soul in stone at a very early age. It all started with the first record titled “Band of Gypsys”. This first album was a collection of songs selected from the Fillmore East concerts on January 1st, 1970.

King Crimson fans will be familiar with this image. This limited edition print, 53/500, was purchased at a KC show at the  Jam Productions, Ltd Chicago's Park West in 2008. The tickets here reflect that I went to all three shows… KC only had a few rehearsals before these first three dates of the tour. With Robert Fripp, Adrian Belew, Tony Levin, Pat Mastelotto and Gavin Harrison on this tour, the musicianship was astonishing. My main takeaway from the shows was this. Yes, all three shows were incredible… That said, the first night, they made a few mistakes. Subtle but they were there. The second night they made ZERO mistakes and were completely locked. The third show, they made no mistakes, were locked AND had fun! To watch a band who plays music with the complexity of theirs go from “almost to perfection in 3 consecutive evenings certainly ratcheted them up an additional notch for this fan!⁠

Pink Floyd at the Milwaukee baseball stadium in ‘87. I remember an overnight camp out for these tickets. I’m happy I had parents that would let me hangout overnight on a city street in a sleeping bag and then take a day off of school for the show... come to think of it, they may not have known... Anyway, good memories of what it used to mean to be a music fan.

DUNAMIS! In Greek this refers to power, moral power and/or excellence of soul. Named by the owner, This amp was a custom piece that I made some years ago. I had already developed the “Formula” amplifier which started as a very very loud 50 watts. The owner of this amp, also has one of the first 50 watt “Formula” amps but was intrigued by my 200 watt dozer model. The end result was an order for a 200 watt amp with the Formula front end. Aside from the insane distortion and touch sensitivity, it is hands down the loudest amp I’ve ever heard. With earplugs in, I’m not able to withstand its fury though the owner plays if flat out with a full 8x12 stack of EVMs! Really fun to have it back in the shop for basic maintenance.

The outdoor venue “Poplar Creek”. I’ve got so many fond memories of those days. This show was of particular interest to me as I was a budding guitarist at the time and couldn’t get enough “guitar heroism”. I went alone to this show as none of my friends would pay the outrageous sum of $20! The Stray Cats opened, which in and of itself was worth the “hefty” price of admission. Brian Setzer stood in front of a line of vintage, blonde Fender Showman heads and cabs. Incredible sounds, stage presence and legitimate musicianship came out of those guys. Then there was Stevie Ray Vaughan… What can I say… Anyone who knows of his work from those days will understand. Young, hungry and baaaaad ass! In the front row, it was so loud that I had to beg a security guard for a pair of earplugs (yes even as a teen I protected my hearing). Yet another adventure which set in stone my life in dedication to music.