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One Soul Thrust / Blog

July 24, 2010? Ride THIS Hog Straight to the Truth!

Nov. 11, 2010- A fitting day for the truth to come out about a “hog wild” of a con- The Ride For The Troops, a fraud which was perpetrated by one of the biggest con artists to hit Canada in a very long time. Today Jag & Salem were interviewed by CTV’s Sean Amato about Karen Otterbier aka “Caron”(and several other aliases) someone who passed herself off as promoter of a show on July 24, 2010 that One Soul Thrust was booked to play with Bernie Marsden and Ale Del Vecchio. This woman has swindled people on both sides of the border and has ruined many a life. The segment will air Friday, Nov. 12 @6:00pm MT and if you want further proof of how big of a scam this was, W5, Canada’s uber-news show will air an expose on Sat. Nov. 13 @ 5:00pm MT. Yes....THE TRUTH PEOPLE! THE TRUTH!!!

From German To English

Here it is rockers. Thanks for asking. Dietrich Gastrock, the writer kindly took the time to do this translation from the original German... ONE SOUL THRUST – does that name make sense – thrust may mean something like a push, a shove, a hit, and also has many technical meanings. Looks like someone really tried to find something to cover the acronym 1ST. AEROSMITH – now, what does that mean – a smith on a cushion? Also doesn't make a lot of sense. Does my statement here now, that 1ST are the new AEROSMITH then make any sense? Let's have a look. AEROSMITH's success – at least in their heydays – was based on the excellence of their top 10 lead guitar player Joe Perry, the charisma and eccentric art of singing of Mr Steven Tyler and some extraordinary songwriting. That was what made them immortal and catapulted them into Rock'n'Roll heaven. AEROSMITH's sound, though, always was somewhat - deliberately (?) - rough and crotchety. By the way: rock isn't dead, she just changed her gender. After all the reviews I have done lately on female artists - Robin Brock, Asaf Avidan, VK Lynne – I have determined that this statement has its merits. Women bring their very own style and freshness into rock, which is not testosterone-heavy, and makes a lot of fun listening to (and, yes, there are great male bands, no doubt). Eventually something other than 'All Night Long' (and even if they use this metaphor, they would do so with tongue in cheek). So, what makes 1ST so great? Firstly, there is a female singer with surely an eccentric style of singing and a voice that covers several octaves, and which pimps even the most mediocre song - Salem Jones is queen! Then there is the band, which plays competently – which is a rather poor description of their performance, but is true. Listening to them is simply a great joy. Their songwriting is – one or two exceptions at the end of the CD – way above average and goes right into your ear and brain from there, without sliding from 'real thing' – which is hard rock – down into the depth of despair called melodic rock. Nevertheless – each song has strong hooklines, and Salem's performance does its share to improve things even further. Sound-wise this is hard rock, yet with a modern touch. Alessandro Del Vecchio provides such a strong and powerful yet clear and differentiated production that sets standards. That's the way rock music should sound nowadays. All future CDs I listen to will be benchmarked using this production – cause it does not just drown the song and sound in simple power riffs and the chaos of 'making everything equal' - loudness. Del V is a member of EDGE OF FOREVER and has, as his MySpace page shows, worked with everybody and his brother – one of the current Producer Top Stars – simply outstanding, what this man delivers here. Even the cover is a great work of art – a very complete package, this CD. So, back to AEROSMITH – I hope I have made clear that all the ingredients are there, and – as far as sound and production are concerned – even more than that. But why AEROSMITH? Well, how many charismatic, extraordinary singers do we have in hard rock apart from Tyler, really? And – songs like "Free Will", "Immortality" or "I Just Realized" would without any doubt fit perfectly on any AEROSMITH album, or – the other way round - I would love to hear something like "Back In The Saddle" from 1ST. OK; you think this may be a bit farfetched? Sure, but if you call yourself 1ST you are reaching high big time anyway, and it is high time that a band steps into Smith's shoes and is successful What I really mean: there is big potential here, and if anyone 1ST could be the one. The name of the game for these guys now is: be successful (with a bit of luck), have your fans' support and that of the media – we in Home Of Rock surely will support 1ST!

Grain
Grain  (about 13 years ago)

I thought an Aerosmith was a dude that made arrow's?

Reclaiming Fire

It's a breach birth for this CD. It's ALL good though! The ride is interesting and the journey continues... Between changing members, a shifted direction in the band and SJ being hit with the flu while tracking vox, we're going back to the drawing board. EVERYTHING that happened rocks for the betterment of 1ST, so don't lose heart Rockers! Even Salem, who believes everything happens for a reason, sees getting the flu as a chance to take the time to explore a different approach to the vox. True to rock form we STILL had the wrap party though, a bbq (thanks to The Fair Lady Lisa who put it all together for us :)) Today we do a photo shoot and then hit the mountains for some much needed communion with The REAL Gods of Rock. Then Ale and Anna spread their wings and fly back to Italy. They have a show with Steve Lukather and Bobby Kimball on Sept. 4 and then some other commitments but we may see them in Canada sooner than later ;) if for no other reason than JUST to taste a root beer float for the second time. Mhuahuahuahua!!! Meanwhile we’ll be prepping for a possibly interesting show this winter- and you’re gonna LOVE that one when it comes to pass- as well as throwing ourselves into the next phase of the CD. Quotes: “Throw some motor oil on that fire!” Todd “Fire? What fire?” Jag “Jag your shirt is on fire” Ale “Who stole the fire? Give it back NOW!” Salem “HA HA HA Canadese PAZZO!!” Anna

Ya Got Nothin' If Ya Don't Have Your Health

Livin’ lifetimes in a day or two.... Vocals rocked late yesterday afternoon after a day of piano tracking. After a morning of moving everything around. Gear can be a curse. Ale tracked some beautiful textures for a left field ballad that may surprise many 1ST fans and then Salem tracked a couple of songs to Ale’s satisfaction. (Which is no easy feat.) This morning saw us parting ways with bassist Kim Lesaca and Anna Portalupi stepping in to be our new official Euro bassist. We may see Anna flying in for a couple of interesting Canadian gigs too. The lady rocks that basso! We’re stoked!! Sad to say that Salem came down with a kicker of a flu while attempting to track this morning so we’re stalled. She’s actually in bed and accused Ale of spiking her watermelon after a rather hallucinatory sleep. She’s taking homeopathic remedies with a disgruntled look on her face since for a musician this is seriously bad timing. The woman lives to sing, perform, write and record so she’s none too happy about this. Send some healing vibes her way please. Quotes: “IP himself??!?!?!?! That’s SO gnarly!!!”- Todd Some secret Italian insult to Ale- Anna “Pisto...what?”- Salem “I keeeeeeel you!” Ale “Do it again.”- Ale “Do what again? I was singing...?”- Salem “No”- Ale “This must be a masterpiece since we’re going through some misery here”- Ale “Time to go shopping”- Jag “I’m going to bed”- Salem

Napolean Solo

Solos done. Some tasty licks Monsieur Jag! Sometimes you walk uphill both ways but eventually you start running and you roll downhill like a big hard rock. Aug. 15 is a major national holiday in Italy so we’re taking tomorrow off to show Ale and Anna around town. (Unfortunately we don’t live deep in Banff National Park’s backcountry. :))) Ale is in the kitchen EVEN AS WE SPEAK. He does that. Just walks out of the studio and proclaims, “And now I am cooooking.” Next thing you know, you’re eating. And eating. And eating. Todd is wisely tearing up P90X in defense. Salem starts vox on Monday and doesn’t work out when she’s tracking but tomorrow morning you’ll find her in the river valley burning it off. More golf for Kim. Jag will just nurse his blistered fingers

Friday The 13th

Apropos to the number of this beast of a day, nothing’s working. And with abandonment seeming to be the theme at the moment, we abandoned the studio... Quotes: “I don’t want to go to the mall”- Todd “I will NEVER want to go the mall”- Salem “Please can we leave this mall. I’m sorry”- Ale Brooding dark silence- Jag “I only swim the butterfly stroke!”- Anna (the prize of the day goes to Anna for bringing some levity to the table) “The gays always fish me”- Ale (Ok...Ale’s a close second on the levity) “Up yours Earl’s”- Salem (no levity here) “Is this restaurant owned by that mall?!?!”- Ale (nor here) “Millimeter”- Jag (glad to see you back Jag) And on a heartfelt serious note.... “What can I do to help?”- Ale (thank you brother, for being a true friend)

It's Now. We Think.

We’ve entered the realm of what-day-what-time is it? Eating late, sleeping at weird times. Always happens. Still up early for the day’s pre-production meetings though. We blame it on the Scorpions. We stayed at that concert right through encore. They rocked so much; just lovin’ what they do and giving giving giving. Great entertainers. We came home and Jag checked online to find out Schencker is 62!! Now that’s one yoga-doin’ wheatgrass-suckin’ meditatin’ rock man! Proof that 60 is the new 30 if you want it to be. Like we tell Ale, it’s time to redefine “vecchia”. With so many people of different ages in the band, people tell us quite often that they think that’s part of the 1ST mandate... So to quote some lyrics for this new album ”squeeze the juice outa your dreams ‘til the skin hangs loose”. That’s li-VING. And numbers are just numbers... Drums sound great. Bass is getting some work and currently Ale is editing rhythm guitar parts and then we start solos. Jag’s been getting his slide chops together for a song Salem wrote about Glenn. (Looks like open Em is the ticket for that one- that’s info for all of our guitar playing friends like Garry, Matt & Sean. You guys know who you are! :)) Salem has ripped out of the studio nearly everyday to use another one for an hour or so to try to learn to sing these songs. Since they’re so new, they aren’t sufficiently vocally routined. (That’s singer-speak dahling...“routining” and “breathing” and “pitching” tally ho!...and for the rest of us that means she doesn’t have half a clue what to sing in them. DON’T TELL HER I SAID THAT!!!) Seriously though, prolific writers have to learn their own material sometimes since they write so much. This CD is way more guitar-oriented so we decided that Ale will lay his B3 parts in Italy since it’ll only be a couple of songs. Apologies to Danny and the good guys at All-Star for not renting their B3 again, but our backs are thanking us since lifting that thing takes 4 or 5 people. (And Jag and Danny had a most interesting and telling conversation about a recent event we all almost worked on together. Sharing info is so tastefully truth-laden isn’t it? And the thought that everyone will be served a generous portion of their own karma, is delicious.) We’re ahead of schedule, loving Lebanese food, feeling the rock, trying to learn another language and Anna is prepping for a gig as Steve Lukather’s bassist in September. Quotes: “Well don’t blame me if I start singing Ina Gadda Da Vida halfway through then!” Salem “A straw for my hummus please.” Ale “Lavastoviglie!” Anna “Dishwasher!” Salem “I hate yogaaaaaaaaaaa!” Todd “I play like Rocco Prestia” Kim “So.You know that Marshall is releasing a Slash signature model eh?” Gee, who would’ve said THAT? “...wait a minute. I don’t know Ina Gadda Da Vida EITHER!!!!” Salem

JCM 800

JCM 800. Thanks Avenue Guitars....you had what we need. No wonder you’re one of Joe Perry’s favourite stores. Jag laid rhythm for three trax yesterday fueled with adrenaline from shopping for that new Marshall no doubt. We ended the day with a long discussion of the state of the business. eg) What happened to guys like ____? One minute making great rock and the next spewing complete schlock....Phil Spector syndrome? (Read: insanity)...well, people take detours all the time. That’s a basic human journey. How many in our biz are fueled by greed? Probably a fair share. Thankfully, Ale’s integrity bottle is still overflowing.....Anna was bass hunting and still is.... cinque corda per favore. Kim is golfing last we heard and tonight we’re taking some time off with Todd to see the Scorpion’s farewell tour show. Full day ahead of guitar trax! \mm/ “I’d rather live a life of debt than produce s**t” Ale “Please do not touch!” Anna “I like the Kerry King model” Everybody “8am tee time!!!!!!” Kim “When’s the bbq?!?!?” Todd

Down A Day Due to Deficient....GEAR?!?!?!

An album is approached with all possible logistical insight and finesse only to find out that it’s a completely independent birthing process; the baby comes when, where and how it wants....Our Jag has been sleeping with not one but TWO Marshalls. It’s true! He got his hands on another one when we weren’t looking! But when we got ready to track his guitars today, no go. We just couldn’t get his sound right. So you realize what this means right? ANOTHER MARSHALL! Ya, tomorrow look out Avenue Guitars cuz here come Mollerup and Del Vecchio. At 10:00am we shop; at noon we rock. Anna and Salem are blazing around town giving each other mobile Italian/English lessons between studio breaks and Anna’s breaks from practicing YYZ. (She taught Salem the Italian word for “difficult”...) Now it’s just this writer’s opinion but there’s a vibe in the air that says not only will 1ST’s guitarist acquire another Marshall tomorrow but Euro bass sensation Anna Protalupi will be shipping some fragile specialty baggage home when she jets at month’s end. Musicians get pretty excited when they’re about to get new gear and everyone is speaking in tongues right now...On a more important front: Ale is FINALLY cooking!! Can’t you just smell the risotto....? Todd, interestingly enough, is showing up late enough today to arrive perfectly in time for dinner. No doubt wearing his tupperware suit, a staple in all musicians’ wardrobes (especially when your producer is from Italy.) WHO’S LUCKIER THAN WE ARE?!?!?!

EditingEditingEditingCOFFEEEditing.....Fasting

Ale's blazing through the drum edits. And the bass ones too. Todd snuck into the studio yesterday and scared the you-know-what out of us. Jag was going for a bat before we realized who it was. LOL. We took a break to buy a couple of things, ended up at a mall and found out that in Italy those monolithic monuments to soul-sucking consumerism and look-at-me-ism are known as "Commercial Centres". Much nicer. Anna’s looking for a G&L bass to take home since our prices here are way better than in Europe. The sched is still good. Guitar strings changed today and guitar tracking tomorrow.Tthe Harley is booked for a brief sojourn to the mountains and Anna was introduced to one of the top 5 restaurants in Canada last night. We’re all fasting today...