| Tailor-made music rises from basement
EATON RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) -- In the basement of an unassuming white house on the edge of Eaton Rapids works an electric guitar player's savior.
The ping and ting of a Fender would be wimpy and barely audible if not for the box he designs, builds and tunes. He's not a household name, but at 72, Max Butler has built a reputation on that box -- a custom tube amplifier he builds for guitar players lucky enough to find him.
"When I got a chance to use some of his equipment, it just blew me away," said Bill Malone, lead guitar and vocals for the Old Town Blues Band.
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Rock stinks? No, but for Geils, jazz and blues smell sweeter
He's gone from J. to Jay and from rock to jazz and blues. Smoky bars and concert arenas have transformed into jazz haunts and clubs, and leather and jeans have been replaced by a jacket and tie. For Jay Geils, the days of rocking with frontman Peter Wolf and the J. Geils Band are a universe away. These days, it's jazz, blues and swing from the likes of Count Basie and Duke Ellington that make his guitar sing. So, don't expect to hear "Centerfold," "Love Stinks" or "Freeze Frame" - a few of J. Geils' '70s and '80s hits - when the now 60-year-old ex-rock 'n' roller takes the stage tomorrow to kick off the season at Maudslay Arts Center in Newburyport. The reinvented Geils will be flanked by Gerry Beaudoin and their quintet for an evening of seminal jazz in the outdoor amphitheater.
Eaton Rapids man's amps music to a guitarist's ears
Tucked just off the beaten path in Eaton Rapids, Max Butler quietly has been developing a cult following in local music circles. Every now and then, his name shows up in silver script writing on the stage, attached to a key component for any guitar player - the amplifier. The 72-year-old has been making custom amps from his sound-proof basement since 1978. .
Aretha at Fillmore West goes two-disc
Peaches, "Impeach My Bush"; The Adored, "A New Language"; Killing Joke, "Hosannas From the Basement of Hell"; The Working Title, "About Face"; Webb Sisters, "Daylight Crossing." Dirty Pretty Things, "Deadwood"; Dead to Me, "Cuban Ballerina"; Klee, "Honeysuckle"; The Queers, "Love Songs for the Retarded"; Seether, "One Cold Night"; Randall Bramlett, "Rich Some Day"; The Hellacopters, "Rock & Roll Is Dead." Robert Earl Keen Jr., "Live at the Ryman"; John Gorka, "Writing in the Margins"; Lily Allen, "Another Still"; Maria Mena, "Apparently Unaffected"; Jeff Jones, "Biscuits and Gravy"; Youth Group, "Casino Twilight Dogs"; CSS, "Cansei de Ser Sexy." Rap/R&B: Kelis, "Kelis Was Here"; DJ Logic, "Zen of Logic"; Bradford, "Take Heed"; Rhymefest, "Blue Collar"; Baker Bros., "Baker's Dozen"; Qwel, "Dark Day"; Killa Klump, "Get in and Get Out." Boot Camp Clik, "Last Stand"; Pimp C, "Pimpalation"; Southland Gangster, "No Busters Allowed"; Bizzy Bone, "The Midwest Cowboy"; Boondox, "The Harvest"; Khia, "Gangstress." Country/bluegrass: Chris Knight, "Enough Rope"; Michelle Wright, "Everything & More"; Steve Earle, "Live at Montreaux, 2005"; Johnny Cash, "Live in Denmark"; Johnny Bush, "Texas State of Mind"; George Canyon, "Somebody Wrote Love." Jazz: Dr.
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