RJMJR website

Check it out...http://rogerjosephmanningjr.com

I guess he also has a solo album he put together from over 20 years worth of stuff called Solid State Warrior. Go up to the right hand corner to access it. It's .wma files that allow you to listen to it 3 times before you have to buy the track.

Oh yeah, there's a list of all the work he's done as well as a history of sorts.

OK...I've now poked around the website even more and have found a couple intriguing things. First thing is that Eric Dover has a band he calls Sextus. He uses that as his moniker a la Ziggy Stardust. Dunno if it's any good or not, you can find his crappy website at www.sextus.com

A couple of years ago I was hanging out with the drummer from Imperial Drag, Eric Skodis. I asked him what happened and he basically said the 2nd album was pretty much finished when Sony pulled the plug on them because Dover went off the deep end. They were put into band counseling and everyone went their separate ways. He said Roger had the demos for the second album but he didn't have any copies. Years later, it looks as if Roger is finally has released these demos (which I've heard a couple of, but not all) at http://www.arsdivina.com/ImperialDrag/

Be aware this is a new file download network called "Weed" and after three listens you will have to pay for it.

Beck’s “Guero” album-the 2nd listening

A few weeks ago, I picked up Beck's "Guero." It was hailed by many critics as a throwback to his 1996 album "Odelay." On my website, I confessed that it was good, but it didn't jump out at me, but it would take me a couple of spins to get into it. Well, I took it for a second spin, and it totally sucked me in.

It's a great album. Like "Odelay," it is peppered with well-conceived samples and stellar production from The Dust Brothers. Unlike "Odelay," he has a wider array of guest musicians helping him out. Not just his normal back-up band (featuring, among others, keyboard whiz Roger Manning, Jr. from Jellyfish), but Jack White of the White Stripes and multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Petra Haden (who did an all a capella version of "The Who Sell Out" earlier this year) come in and lend a hand. The results are as sprawling as "Odelay" is, from the catchy pop of "Girl" and the funky electronica of "Hell Yes" to the earthy, late night cool of "Black Tambourine. The strongest cut on the album is "Rental Car," simply because it's a whirling dervish of a song that is more befitting of a listen rather than a spewing of copy here.

That's the odd thing that I've noticed about Beck more than any other artist. Each one of his albums has needed to grow on me, but when they do, they hook into me pretty deeply. Turns out "Guero" is no exception.