May 31st, 2024 § Comments Off on The George Floyd Protests Aftermath. Los Angeles. May 31, 2020. § permalink
“Meet you at 3rd and Fairfax”!
I heard the protest coming along 3rd street. I jumped on my bicycle and headed towards them only to find people with bats and knives and police with bats and guns committing some serious violence against each other which frightened me to death and I raced home! All night the pops and bangs and helicopters and sirens rang on and on like in a war zone! Crazy scary!
The photos in the video were taken the next morning.
I awoke to complete silence and empty streets. I grabbed my bike and rode around and took snaps. Later the California National Guard and the cleanup crews arrived to clean everything up and erase any memory of the night!
The song “Dear John” was written as a letter to John Lennon in December 1999. I was working with Mick Fleetwood on a project where I had his drum stem and it inspired me to write the music. The words are a letter to John.
The Aftermath of the George Floyd Protests at 3rd & Fairfax, Los Angeles, May 2020.
May 18th, 2024 § Comments Off on Have we been wasting our lives on Social Media? § permalink
@Facebook has been around longer than the most inventive years in Popular Music History, which might have been between “A Hard Day’s Night” by the Beatles in 1964 and “Owner of a Lonely Heart” by Yes in 1984! Have we been wasting our lives on Social Media?
March 11th, 2019 § Comments Off on Remembering 3.11 (Tohoku) § permalink
Eight years after the Tohoku Earthquake tragedy in Japan, “the fourth largest earthquake in history”. Our thoughts are still with the victims, who are still facing the gigantic task of rebuilding their homes. The situation in and around the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant is still critical.
January 18th, 2018 § Comments Off on The Hollywood Sign § permalink
The news about putting another sign on Mount Lee, on the Valley side, made me think of my song from my 1994 album, One Moment in Time –The Hollywood Sign.
June 11th, 2017 § Comments Off on State of Mind – John Jones § permalink
The State of Mind video was filmed in Toronto in June, 1997, and produced by my brother, the late Philip “Pip” Mellows, and his Players Film Company.
Neil Grieve did the final editing in Culver City.
I was filmed on the roof of the old Edge Hotel, playing a guitar I rented from Long & McQuade. The video was shot at various sites around downtown Toronto. During the editing, Neil added some snaps of Beverly Hills.
I wrote State of Mind in August 1992, during the destruction of Iraq. How can anybody live life in a war zone?
The demo was recorded in England in 1992, and in 1996 we overdubbed Richard, and Steve (recorded by Stuart), Michael (at his studio), and then Stuart mixed it at Music Grinder in Hollywood.
State of Mind, written by John Jones.
guitars keys and vocals by John Jones
drums by Steve Ferrone
percussion by Richard Martinez
slide guitar by Michael Thompson
Engineered and Mixed by Stuart Breed and John Jones.
Recorded in Hollywood California, at the treehouse in the Dell, and at the Record Plant. Mixed at the Music Grinder, Hollywood. Mastering by Stephen Marcussen
July 7th, 2016 § Comments Off on Meninos Do Morumbi & Friends for the Grammy’s! § permalink
The Meninos Do Morumbi album is the best album I have ever produced, and one that I am immensely proud of on all levels. The contributions of my music friends to help make this a real work of art can not be overstated!
Richard Martinez, and our benefactor John Tu, who together created the Music is Hope Foundation, with the specific goal of benefitting Meninos Do Morumbi’s dream to become self sufficient, have contributed beyond reproach.
Sometimes timing doesn’t work out. Anyone who has been in the music business for any amount of time will attest to that statement! Our plan was to make great music, and encourage all organizations to visit the school in Brazil, and hire the kids to perform and spread the good cheer of Brazilian music and friendship.
Last year (2015), we tried to enter the Meninos & Friends album in the Grammy’s. For some reason, unbeknowst to us, the Grammy people called us at the last moment, and said we should wait a year, and do it properly! Wow! What can I say? I thought we had enough celebrity and reality to deserve a chance in the contest.
So, here we are. One year later. One year wiser. One or two pounds heavier! Will you please have a listen to this awesome album and do everything you can do to help us get noticed this year?
Thanks!
Meninos Do Morumbi & Friends – Released September 30, 2015
June 8th, 2016 § Comments Off on Don’t Give Up! § permalink
Meninos Do Morumbi & Friends
A year ago today we were finishing off the lovely Peter Gabriel song, Don’t Give Up, featuring Alex Ligertwood and Emily Richards, for the Meninos do Morumbi & Friends album, that also features, Julian Lennon, Richie Kotzen, Alan Frew, Gary O, Terry McDermott, Gary Twinn, Gene Anderson, Barnett O’Hara, and yours truly.
March 11th, 2016 § Comments Off on Remembering Tohoku 3.11 § permalink
Five years after the Tohoku Earthquake tragedy in Japan, “the fourth largest earthquake in history”. Our thoughts are still with the victims, who are still facing the gigantic task of rebuilding their homes.
The situation in and around the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant is as critical as it was in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami. Aerial photos show that very little has changed in four years. Long term solutions for the future are still being formulated.
