With the possible exception of the eccentric John Fahey and the recently deceased Jack Rose, there really is no peer to the freight-train finger pickin’ that Leo Kotke has mastered over the course of decades of 12 string improvisations.  Full of syncopation, interweaving melodies and a down home, warm-as-apple-pie vibe, Leo Kotke’s guitar work is instantly recognizable.  With an tour approaching in early ‘10 as well as an upcoming performance on Garrison Keilor’s beloved Prairie Home Companion, Kotke is hardly slowing down after decades of the fastest folk guitar playing around.  Enjoy this youtube video and don’t miss the exclusive shots of Leo Kotke that Backstage Gallery is famous for.

Currently at The Brooklyn Museum through January 31, 2010. For local music and photography fans or if you are visiting the Brooklyn/NYC area, this is a must see, curated by Gail Buckland. In addition to the sweeping collection of photos of all styles and from all genres of Rock (loved Herb Greene’s 1967 photo of Jerry Garcia and Mountain Girl, Jim Marshall’s shot of Johnny Cash giving the finger during a performance at San Quentin and a beautiful photo of the White Stripes in London by Kevin Westenberg), there is a great collection of the photos that became iconic album covers, including the controversial cover shot for Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy, and an exhibit of original album covers (I wish I still had mine)! A few juicy music video clips, early Bowie among them, rounds out the thoroughly entertaining experience.

Just in time for the holidays, Backstage Gallery is offering exciting savings on some of our choicest frames. The sale begins today, Monday, 12/7/09 and runs through 12/25/09. The discount includes the new Spotlight Collection of limited edition, framed, multi-image art pieces.

Tom Petty’s new Live Anthology quadruple CD box set, a 30 year retrospective of concert recordings from Philadelphia’s wonder, was quickly followed up by a wonderful new interview with Rolling Stone.  In the lengthy interview, Petty looks back to the ideas that originally inspired him.

“I wanted something that fell between the Beatles and the Stones, more of an organic music than the Beatles,” Petty says about his songwriting style, which perhaps more than any other performer, does not sound like it comes from any decade or period of rock.  The timeless appeal of Petty’s aesthetic has continued to inspire new performers, especially the up and coming Philadelphian Kurt Vile.  The Rolling Stone interview finds Tom Petty reminisces on the incredible amount of legendary performers that he’s spent time with, that he’s learned from and that he was honored to share the stage with.  As with all the greats, Backstage Gallery has dozens of exclusive photos commemorating Tom Petty’s Legacy.

If you think it’s too early to start planning your vacation time next summer, you’re not as proactive as U2.  “The 26-year-old rumor has finally come true. At last, the biggest band in the world are going to play the best festival in the world,” said Glastonbury organizer Michael Eavis.  The 40th anniversary of the Glastonbury festival, to commence on June 25th, comes just a few days before U2 plans to embark on their 360° tour of North America.  The festival will host U2 in the its trademark Glass Pyramid.

To look at Glastonbury roots in the late ’60s, with early performances from Hawkwind, Terry Reid and Fairport Convention (all of which are wonderfully documented in the notorious Glastonbury Fayre documentary) one would never expect that the festival would still be thriving today at the forefront of the summer concert circuit.  At the same time, few likely guessed how massively successful U2 would become when they emerged in the early ’80s.  In addition to recent photos of the supergroup, Backstage Gallery has some choice shots of Bono in the salad days of 1983.  Living proof that hair may change but that greatness never can!

2009 has proved to be another record breaking year for the Beatles.  With the recent best-selling video game  The Beatles: Rock Band, the four lads from Liverpool proved that they are still number one, even with today’s young, tech-savvy generation.

Another confirmation came on Thankgsgiving evening with ABC’s nationally broadcast, prime-time footage of Paul McCartney’s performance from this June at Shae Stadium in New York City.  What better way was there to celebrate Thanksgiving evening with the family than watching the most beloved band of the 20th century?

And what better way is there to kick off Black Friday than by taking a look through Backstage Gallery’s massive collection of exclusive, never-before-seen Beatles photographs with a variety of high-quality framing techniques.  Unlike almost any present out there, a framed portrait of The Beatles can make a great gift for any member of the family - mom, son or grandma!  Happy holidays from all of us at Backstage Gallery!

The best rock is like the best love – unpredictable, crazy and full of heated moments, both good and bad.  Aerosmith recently proved that “the best part of breaking up is when you’re making up” with the near loss of singer Steven Tyler.  Earlier this month, lead guitarist Joe Perry began inflammatory rumors that Tyler had quit Aerosmith after Tyler walked out on a concert in Abu Dhabi.  Rumors circulated like crazy.  But when Steven Tyler appeared along with the band at a New York City concert last week, he reassured fans, saying, “I just want New York to know I am not leaving Aerosmith.”

Despite rumored disagreements about the musical future of the band, no other resolution was possible.  With 40 years of sold-out concerts, how could Aerosmith dissapoint now?  Above is a photograph of Tyler Perry in 1977, one of the many never-before-seen shots that Backstage Gallery has to offer.

When folk fans freaked out in the late 1960s as Bob Dylan was beginning to release and perform electric music, nobody could’ve ever guessed where Dylan would be today: wandering around a party with straight, long hair while singing an accordion-accompanied rendition of “Must Be Santa“.  Even for fans who watched the legend through his Christian rebirth phase in the 1980s couldn’t have seen this one coming.  This brand new music video is a curve ball from the king of curve balls, and a lighthearted one at that.  The single is only one Chrismas standard on Dylan’s new album, Christmas in the Heart, the proceeds of which will be donated to fight against world hunger.  You can view the music video here.  Above is a portrait from a very different era of Dylan, 1974.  This photo is only one of 184 rare photos of Bob Dylan exclusive to Backstage Gallery, in addition to a beautifully printed, limited edition frame in our Spotlight Collection.

Most think of the blues as something for the run down, the recently dumped or the recently jobless.  The Legendary Ryhthm and Blues Cruise proves that all wrong.  The twice-annual, week long cruise filled with performances from the finest blues musicians is in fact the best medicine to drive the blues away!

Next January’s Cruise, travelling from Florida through Aruba, Curacao and Half Moon Cay, is slated to feature performances from Taj Mahal, Johnny Winter and Keb Mo, among many others.  All of the performers are joining the Blues Cruise only after years of pickin’ at America’s best clubs.  Here at Backstage, we’ve got dynamite photos old and new from participating blues legends like Junior Walker, Taj Mahal, Tommy Castro and others.  It’s also been our honor to participate in past cruises and display work on the ships from our photographers Robert Whitall and Shirley Mae Owens.  Chances are we’ve got photos of your favorite blues picker – you’d be surprised what turns up when searching through Backstage’s massive archives.