Don't trifle with the mountain...

Because it'll always win!

Geeze, Louise, greetings, rockers! I've got myself back in one piece from a wild two day trip out to the untamed wilderness of West Virginia. Well, OK, it wasn't THAT wild, but they sure do make their thunderstorms bigger out there. Plus, those storms have an unusual feature - they like to get stuck on mountaintops where folks are camping, and just hang out. Nifty.

The time - four in the morning. The place - a field near the top of the highest point in the state of West Virginia. Me - an obsessive astronomer geek huddled in my tent, trying to hold it down against the buffeting winds and ten gazillion volts of thunder and lightning, not to mention the drenching rainstorm that usually just adds to the festivities. What was I thinking about? Well, besides the fact that I should really get a will drawn up before I do anything similar again, the MASH episode it reminded me of (there was arterially involved), and the various eloquent phrases to describe the fun-ness of the situation...I was thinking that I've really gotta blog about it. Man, I need some help. (But hey, it ended up being a nice trip - I got to meet some cool folks, see a few stars between the clouds, and was treated to an incredible view from the top of the mountain!)

OK - so what guitar goodies can we get from me gettin' darn near pegged with a lightnin' bolt?

Dangerous tone! Ya gotta have it! A thunderstorm does, and it makes a whole field of geeks stand up and say "Uh-Oh!" Man, check out a few of these tones to see if you would cower in your tent if you heard these coming up the mountain to get ya.

- The break in the guitar solo that Randy Rhoads ripped out in Over the Mountain from Ozzy's Diary of a Madman. Check out 2:52 in this recording to see what I'm talkin' about.

- Hendrix's "Fire" from Atlanta Pop Festival. This is a bootleg recording, but drop me an email, and I'll see what I can do for ya. It just about knocks ya over.

- George Thorogood's searing slide tone on Bad to the Bone. Sure, it's a simple song, but it rocks!

- Bad Horsie by Mr. Steve Vai. Whew, watch out!

- The guitar intro lick to Stray Cat Strut, played by Brian Setzer. Nice!

And there's so many more! Check 'em out. Study them, and find your own. Dial your rig it's scary. Make 'em run for cover!

Rock on!