Protesting Is A Fundamental Constitutional Right
- Details
The following was posted to Boston's Facebook page:
The dual standard for treatment of people according to race by law enforcement has gone on far too long in the US. Most of us know that racial discrimination has existed in our country for hundreds of years, but if it weren’t for cell phone videos and the determined actions of peaceful protestors, most of us would still be unaware of the daily struggle many people live with just to avoid police persecution because of the color of their skin. The mounting abundance of video evidence coupled with a lack of governmental will to hold bad cops responsible for abuse of power, prejudice, and just plain malicious actions, has become overwhelming. My hat is off to everyone who has taken to the streets to make their voices heard.
In no way does this imply that I believe burning down businesses is justified, or that all police are bad. While I understand, and have experienced, the outrage over the reprehensible activities of some bad apples in law enforcement, it is entirely unfair (and ironically discriminatory) to claim “all cops are bad” based on the actions of some. I don’t know the ratio of good cops to malicious ones, but I suspect it is like every other walk of life: there are good people and bad people - some of each become the police you call when you need help fast.
The protestors who have exercised their constitutionally guaranteed right to assemble have done so during an unprecedented pandemic that has killed over 100,000 and is increasing out of control in many states. All of these people have put their health at risk to get your attention.
The deployment of heavily-armed militarized forces by Trump and his henchman William Barr who illegally assaulted peaceful protestors in DC is a deliberate challenge to everything America once stood for. If you haven’t been paying attention, and you think your democracy will always be here, you better wake up. If what’s left of the US is lucky enough to have an election in November, I’d advise you to vote and hope that the election results will be upheld, because right now one man has a choke-hold on the DOJ, FBI, US Military, US Supreme Court, and, through the collective cowardice of the Republican Party, the US Senate. So who is going to stop him when armed troops come to your street like they did in DC?
Tom Scholz
Rockman Invades NAMM 1982
The following was posted to BOSTON's Facebook page January 19, 2020:
Being inducted into the NAMM TECnology Hall of Fame is a huge thrill for me as an engineer/musician. This brings back many memories of the struggle to invent, design, and build the first fully-functional ROCKMAN prototype which led up to the incredible experience of debuting it at the ’82 summer NAMM show in Atlanta.
In 1982 there was no way to practice high-power rock guitar quietly. Even though I had already designed the Power Soak attenuator, it was still too loud to plug your Les Paul into a Marshall stack in the middle of the night, unless you lived alone and a long way from your nearest neighbor. Besides, it just wasn’t the same listening to your power chords at living room volume. What I needed was a way to get that maxed-out overdrive sound in headphones – and not that turned-down amp-in-your-bedroom sound, but huge, total immersion stereo sound that you get on stage with everything on 10. (There was no 11 yet!) And it had to be portable enough to travel without a truck!
SR&D Inducted to the TECnology Hall of Fame
- Details
The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) has revealed the latest entrants into the TECnology Hall of Fame (TECHOF), and Tom Scholz' Scholz Research & Development Rockman is one of them.
From the NAMM press release:
|
Long before the term “project studio” was coined, Tom Scholz (founder of the band Boston) built a basement studio to record his own music, including his band’s debut album. An engineer with a master’s degree from MIT, he created much of his own gear, including what was to become the Scholz Rockman, a pocket-sized box that offered compression, distortion, stereo chorus and delay effects for guitar — effectively becoming a complete studio or pedalboard in a miniature package. Scholz founded Scholz Research & Development to manufacture and market his inventions, including the Power Soak amplifier attenuator, which allowed the recording of amps at lower volumes, along with the popular Rockman, X100, Soloist, Guitar Ace, and Bass Ace. With the Rockman’s headphone amp output, the unit could smoothly function as a direct box, providing players with a great sound that was consistent and simple to achieve — laying down the foundation for a revolution in the way guitarists make music, both live and in the studio. |
1982 Scholz Research & Development Rockman (Tom Scholz)DECARLO: Lightning Strikes Twice
- Details
Tommy DeCarlo's band DECARLO will be releasing their first album Lightning Strikes Twice on January 24, 2020.
As was reported in November 2018, DECARLO signed a record deal with Frontiers Music Srl, which is the same label BOSTON released their album Life, Love & Hope on. The album will feature 12 tracks, including I Think I Fell In Love With You, which is a song Tommy first recorded and released in 2011. Along with Tommy DeCarlo, the band also consists of his son, Tommy DeCarlo Jr. on guitar, Dan Hitz on drums, bassist David Netta and Payton Velligan on keyboard, guitar and vocals.
Track Listing: |
The album is available for preorder via Amazon, iTunes and Google Play Music.
A video for the title track is now available:
What Makes This Song Great? - More Than a Feeling
- Details
Back in 2018, Rick Beato covered Hitch a Ride on his YouTube series "What Makes This Song Great?". In a recent episode, he explores More Than a Feeling.