CD Review-Red Hot Chili Pepper's: I'm With You

From Fuzz to Funk. The Red Hot Chili Pepper's still make me want to dance naked!

The opening chords of Monarchy of Roses the opening track off the Red Hot Chili Pepper's 10th studio album I'm With You sound like they are being broadcast through an old beat up transistor radio until it jumps into a funky dance groove reminiscent of One Hot Minute.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers then spend the next 59 minutes going back and fourth from Fuzz to Funk to just plain silliness. Would you want your Red Hot's delivered any other way?

Rick Rubin is back producing his 6th Red Hot's album. And of course we are all waiting to see if new comer Josh Klinghoffer can come anywhere close to filling John Frusciante's shoe's. But come on let's be realistic. No one will ever take the place of Frusciante. Die hard Red Hot fans should know and accept this undeniable fact. The best we can hope for is that Klinghoffer does not come along and try and be Frusciante and that he brings his own element to a sound that is already very well developed.

By the time we reach the half way point of Did I Let You Know complete with trumpet solo and wavy guitar solo your so lost in the Red Hot's rhythm section of Flea and Chad Smith you forget all about the razor's edge guitar solo's that once cut through the Red Hot's songs on previous albums. Like a boxer Klinghoffer waits until Goodbye Hooray to show he can unleash his fury and go toe to toe cutting and shredding on par with the legend of Frusciante.

Is it Californication? No. Is it Blood Sugar Sex Magik? Hell no. Is it the next logical step in the long and winding road that is The Red Hot Chili Peppers? Yes! Will they go on tour and shred these songs and many more? Of course, they've been doing this since 1984.

Track Listing for I'm With You:

1. "Monarchy of Roses" 4:11
2. "Factory of Faith" 4:20
3. "Brendan's Death Song" 5:38
4. "Ethiopia" 3:50
5. "Annie Wants a Baby" 3:40
6. "Look Around" 3:28
7. "The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie" 4:42
8. "Did I Let You Know" 4:21
9. "Goodbye Hooray" 3:52
10. "Happiness Loves Company" 3:33
11. "Police Station" 5:35
12. "Even You Brutus?" 4:01
13. "Meet Me at the Corner" 4:21
14. "Dance, Dance, Dance" 3:45

The Abby Roadies, Live at Fishlips Bar

When I was in young I used to get home from school everyday at about 2:30 in the afternoon. My brother would get home from High School at about 3:30. So this meant after I put away my stuff and got settled I had about 45 to 30 minutes alone with his stereo and his record collection.

There was some Santana, Moonflower was my favorite. War-The World Is A Ghetto. Then there was The Beatles and my favorite Beatles record was Abby Road, my favorite song Maxwell's Silver Hammer. Over the years every song on this record would take it's turn as being my favorite song of the album or the moment and The Beatles of course as with every other red blooded American would over the years accompany me as I grew up and tested the boundaries of life and reality.

So you can only imagine my excitement about a month ago when I saw a flyer on the Fishlips bathroom wall for The Abby Roadies Beatles Tribute Band: Performing Abby Road in it's entirety and other Beatles selections. I did all I could to get to Fishlips on time last night but as luck would have it. I missed the first two songs and showed up just as Maxwell's Silver Hammer was serenading the Bakersfield night air.

The Abby Roadies pretty much being a Bakersfield All Star band tore through the rest of Abby Road and worked the crowd into a sweaty dancing frenzy by the end of the night. The Abby Road stuff was received in awe as most of the bars patrons sat at their tables with band friends and random shiny happy people milling about the front of the stage swaying to and fro singing along.

The party really started when Abby Road was done and the band returned from their break and sprent the rest of the night ripping through everyone's favorite Beatles tunes: Paperback Writer, Help, Sargent Pepper, Twist and Shout just to name a few. I was in Beatles heaven for about 45 minutes last night as time stood still and I along with a bar full of Bakotopians sang and danced our asses off! It was great to relive those childhood memories of first falling in love with the Beatles it was good to be out and having a good time.

When live music is done right it makes time stand still and you forget all about the world outside. You forget all about your bills, your job, your struggles and all the other ruckus of the daily grind and you just get lost. I want to thank the Abby Roadies for helping us all get a little lost last night. Hope you guys find your way back to a bar soon because I can't wait to do it again.

The Abby Roadies are:
Chris Carton
Joey Romley
Tyler Evans
Therese Muller
Nick Romero
Paul Jacob Cartwright
Rob Ruiz

Here is the incredible setlist:

First Set
Abby Road-
Side 1
Come Together
Something
Maxwell's Silver Hammer
Oh Darling
Octopus's Garden
I Want You
Side 2 (they even took a little pause here to recreate having to get up and turn the album over)
Here Comes The Sun
Because
You Never Give Me Your Money
Sun King
Mean Mr Mustard
Polythene Pam
She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
Golden Slumbers
Carry That Weight
The End
Her Majesty

Second Set
I Should Have Known Better
Wait
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
Lady Madonna
She Said She Said
Please Please Me
Fool on the Hill
Abbey Road (17 songs)
Dear Prudence
Paperback Writer
Drive My Car
This Boy
Help!
A Hard Day’s Night
If I Fell
Can’t Buy Me Love
And I Love Her
Sgt. Pepper
With a Little Help From My Friends
Lucy
Getting Better
Don’t Let Me Down
Michelle
We Can Work it Out
Eleanor Rigby
Tomorrow Never Knows
Twist and Shout
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Yesterday
All My Loving
Rocky Raccoon
Birthday (Thank you Amy!)
Ticket to Ride
Taxman
Strawberry Fields Forever
Penny Lane
A Day in the Life
Revolution
Helter Skelter
All You Need is Love
Got to Get You Into My Life
I Am the Walrus
Hello Goodbye
Day Tripper
Eight Days a Week
I Wanna Hold Your Hand
Hey Jude

So, it's been about a year...

....and what have I learned since that day I fell and could not get up?

I've learned there is a lot wonderful people in my life who love me and will give me all the support I need to succeed. I've learned the only thing holding me back from accomplishing what I have yet to accomplish is my own mind. I've learned my heart is strong though it was once very week. I've learned I can walk a mile sometimes two or three. I can workout and push my limits past what I once thought possible. I've learned I can eat healthy food and still enjoy it. I've learned to love myself and try to change the things about me I haven't liked in the past.

Am I done learning? Never! The day we stop learning is the day we die. I know I still don't have all the answers yet, but at least I've started asking questions and the only place I'm looking for answers is within myself

I've come a long way in a year and I can't wait to see where this determination will take me in another years time. I hope everyone who's on board sticks around to see where we are a year from now because we all know where I was a year ago.

So, I'm just going to keep doing what I've been doing and see where this roller coaster ride called life takes me. Don't worry, you know wherever I go. If I don't blog it, I'll Instgram it and if I don't Facebook it you sure as hell know I'ma Tweet that shit!!!

Thanks everyone, I love you all!!!


Desparation
Dislocation
Separation
Condemnation
Revelation
In temptation
Isolation
Desolation
Let it go!!!!!! I'm wide awake....I'm not sleeping....oh no....