The Tunnel at The End of The Light

What a blast! (Apologies to those of you out there who don't exactly get excited about all this "what-if-music-talk". I would probably go all glazed over after a few hours of Knitting 101, so I can sympathize. But for now . . . deal with it.)

Believe it or not, I think I have finally come up with the Ultimate Dream Rock 'n Roll Band. It was actually much harder than I originally thought it would be. This became something of a labor of love the likes of which I hadn't accurately predicted when I offhandedly tossed the question out there like some dang fool letting rocks go into one of those fake amusement park ponds.

But, after much deliberation I'm pretty sure that it's finished.

And without any further fanfare, here is the lineup of Ben O's Ultimate Dream Rock 'n Roll Band -

Drums - Neil Peart of RUSH. This guy's nickname is "The Professor" and the truth is that he basically plays every single freakin' song like he's putting on a clinic. The man is simply ultra-amazing. Now I know that RUSH is not exactly mainstream or even likeable by most of you out there, but you have got to do yourself a favor and listen to at least a few of their songs sometime and check out how intense this guy's skills are. No question here - it was Neil from the get go.

Bass - Flea of The Red Hot Chili Peppers. What a cool dude. Even if he couldn't play that good he would still be in the running simply on style points. But, here's the rub . . . he is actually really, really good. I love a bass player that knows when to be the rhythm and when to shine a little bit. He does.

Piano - Dave Brubeck. Two words - "Take Five". Great stuff. He's in the band for his ability and musical sense, but I have to admit that I am also interested in seeing him hang out with all the youngblood after the show. To be a fly on the wall for some of that conversation, huh?

Keyboards - Eddie Van Halen. This one just came to me. He's the perfect keyboard player because if your lead guitarist goes down with the Mumps or Montezuma's Revenge or something like that, he can grab a pick and take off.

Saxophone - Charlie Parker. I like a little sax in my rock song from time to time and this guy can certainly play. Maybe, just maybe he can teach some of the young whipersnappers in the band a little class and culture as well. One can certainly hope.

Rhythm Guitar - The Edge. This was the ultimate "No Brainer". Dave Evans (aka "The Edge") is without a doubt the most musical guy on-stage whenever U2 plays and I want that ability to make the magic happen in my standing guitarist. He really does make it look (and sound) so easy. And he has a cool name . . . that will always get you points in my book.

Lead Guitar - David Gilmour of Pink Floyd. This one was probably the hardest to choose. I wanted to include Stevie Ray Vaughan and then I wanted Joe Satriani and there are even others, but when it came down to it, Dave has to be the man. Just listen to "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" and you will agree with me. This guy is simply a silky smooth lead player with an intensely refined knowledge of all things musical. He plays one of my favorite guitars (the Fender Stratocaster) and he can sing back-up vocals. I actually love his voice. Strangely enough Pink Floyd songs are some of my favorites to sing along with because of where his voice falls on the register. I'm actually listening to him play as I type this out. Great stuff.

Lead Vocals - Sarah McLachlan, Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac and Marvin Gaye. Okay, I cheated a little bit here, but I always knew that I was going to have one of those multi-singer bands ala Chicago or Fleetwood Mac. I like the variety they provide. Sarah, I'm convinced won a poker game with an angel, robbing it of it's voice. I love the emotion she fills her singing with. Beautiful. Christine's songs have always been my favorite Fleetwood Mac songs. She lays it all out there and somehow keeps you guessing just a little bit about how she really feels. If you cry at heartfelt songs, don't play any of her songs on your iPod in public. You'll be sobbing in no time. Marvin Gaye is gonna keep this whole talent-crazy production grounded in what really matters. He sings from some hidden place deep within his soul and he has an unteachable understanding of vocal recording. Listen to some of his better cuts and you can hear him singing multiple tracks masterfully layered over another. If we ever get all these egos in the studio at one time, he can work the board and create some real sonic magic.

Principle Songwriting - Bono, Paul Simon, Sting and that dude from Counting Crows. Not much to say here except that lyrics are extremely important in my opinion and these guys are impeccable in that department. The saddest part is that the writing of intricate, meaningful lyrics is such a lost art these days. (Notice the complete and total lack of any and all boy-band members and/or bubble-gum "look-at-me" pop princesses on the list.)

Pan Flute - Zamfir. What can you say . . . he's the undisputed master of the pan flute.

Now the only thing left to do is name the band. How about "The Tunnel at The End of The Light". Don't ask, I just like the sound of it.


Ben O.

BTW - Please continue to comment on this entire string of thought and if you submitted ideas for your own band, please tell us what you would call them.

BTW2 - Go check out Mark's blog where he is asking the reader a slightly different, yet equally interesting musical question.