No Farner No Funk "or" Funk minus Farner equals Flint

40 Years Ago Today

2009-12-29T13:52:00.001-05:00

40 Years Ago Today In 1969 - Capitol Records releases Grand Funk Railroad's album "Grand Funk" aka "The Red Album"..........and I've been enjoying it ever since. Some say it was the Funk's finest hour

Grand Funk Railroad' s Mark Farner is 60

2008-09-29T10:31:00.004-04:00

Today is Mark's birthday. He turns 60 and it's hard to believe that I have been listening to his music for almost 39 years!

37 Years Ago Tonight

2008-07-09T16:03:00.002-04:00

Grand Funk Railroad aka Mark, Don & Mel rocked New York City's Shea Stadium

Preview: Here, listen to this

2008-05-29T16:55:00.000-04:00

Preview: Here, listen to this

A1 Artist Spotlight .Com » 037 - Mark Farner – From Grand Funk Railroad To The Rock Patriot

2008-05-29T16:54:00.000-04:00

A1 Artist Spotlight .Com » 037 - Mark Farner – From Grand Funk Railroad To The Rock Patriot

Grand Funk Railroad - PostWorthy

2008-05-07T08:43:00.000-04:00

Grand Funk Railroad - PostWorthy

The Day the Music Died — tylerbell.net

2008-04-07T15:46:00.000-04:00

The Day the Music Died — tylerbell.net

AZACAMIS.COM - Grand Funk Railroad - Inside Looking Out 1969

2008-04-07T15:45:00.000-04:00

AZACAMIS.COM - Grand Funk Railroad - Inside Looking Out 1969

The Soundtrack Of My Life - Grand Funk Railroad ~ "Closer To Home "

2008-04-07T15:44:00.000-04:00

The Soundtrack Of My Life - Grand Funk Railroad ~ "Closer To Home "

I'm Your Captain (Closer To Home)

2008-03-31T07:43:00.000-04:00

TwoTonGreenBlog: I'm Your Captain (Closer To Home)

Jock's Random Thoughts: The Greatest of Rock Bands

2008-03-27T08:11:00.000-04:00

Jock's Random Thoughts: The Greatest of Rock Bands

Scarlett Johansson Montage : "I'm Your Captain" : Grand Funk

2008-02-25T12:07:00.001-05:00

YouTube - Scarlett Johansson Montage : "I'm Your Captain" : Grand Funk

Now if they could do just the same thing with Marissa Miller......

E-mail from Doug

2008-02-21T09:50:00.002-05:00

Gary,

hey, i just wanted to send you a note of thanks, albeit belatedly, for the nice blogs you posted on your site. i can't remember if you sent them to me or someone else, but it was very nice to read such kind words. i'm assuming you saw the youtube footage of mark from the farewell concert, which turned out to be this very cool, feel-good kind of event, the likes of which i never saw much in flint. well, at least we know it can happen there now!

i'm getting settled in to el paso. been here a month. living back home with my mom, brother and son. it's like being in a dorm. it's weird after 30 years on my own to move back home, but it's for the right reasons, namely helping her and my family. i am starting to do some freelance stuff for the grand rapids press, el paso times and a site called soultracks.com. i hope to get a blog going here pretty soon. any suggestions on that ... like where i should be posting it, etc.?

Doug

Virtual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

2008-02-08T11:10:00.001-05:00

Farner Fans,

(From the Cleveland Plain Dealer, 2/07/08)

Apparently, this town isn't big enough for two rock 'n' roll halls of fame, even if one of them is only virtual.

WNCX FM/98.5 recently announced plans to launch a Classic Rock Hall of Fame on its Web site. When the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum caught wind of this last week, it fired off a cease-and-desist letter to the local classic-rock radio station.

WNCX began taking votes for inductees Friday, along with suggestions from listeners for another name for its cyber shrine

"They've come up with hundreds and hundreds of names," said Bill Louis, the station's program director and midday disc jockey.

"The average person has put more thought into naming this hall than they have their own children, and we love them for that," Louis said.

Asked when the station hopes to rechristen its pantheon, he replied: "ASAP — if that's not trademarked."

The name "Classic Rock Hall of Fame" was too close for comfort for the Rock Hall.

"The museum must protect our trademark," said Todd Mesek, the Rock Hall's vice president of marketing and communications.

Three years ago, the museum filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against another online enterprise. The Jewish Rock & Roll Hall of Fame regrouped with a "Challah Fame" at www.jewsrock.org, after reaching an out-of-court settlement.

You can vote at www.wncx.com to get your favorite rockers on WNCX's honor roll.

and from me, log in & vote your favorite groups....don't pass 20 though or your vote won't be counted and don't forget GFR on your check list and Mark Farner as your write in. Do it!!

It's Official: Piano Man Plays Shea (but no Grand Funk?!?!)

2008-02-08T09:35:00.001-05:00

It's Official: Piano Man Plays Shea's Last Call (Loge 13)

Joel used to know how to rock somewhat and has a sense of history. If he’s smart, he’ll do a medly of Beatles and maybe bring out some Shea rock veterans like Grand Funk’s Mark Farner to do a 45–minute version of “I'm Your Captain/Closer to Home.”

It has been a rumor for months but now it is official: Billy Joel will perform the last concert in Shea Stadium history.The show will be held July 16, the day after the All-Star game at Yankee Stadium.

Tickets go on sale Feb. 16. Are season ticket holders getting a first chance at seats? Unknown.

The concert is being called: “The Last Play at Shea, From the Beatles to Billy”

We have been celebrating Shea Stadium’ illustrious rock and roll history since the launch of Loge13.com. Ever since the Beatles essentially invented the stadium concert, Shea Stadium has played host to most of rock and roll’s elite. The Stones. The Who. The Police. REM. The Clash. Janis Joplin. Poco. Grand Funk Railroad. We’re talking hallowed ground.

Is Billy Joel the best choice? He is a local boy (although I think he’s a Yankee fan). He will be the only person to ever play both Yankee and Shea Stadiums. However, Joel has mostly hung up his rock & roll shoes the past dozen years. Mets brass better make sure Billy doesn’t just do a set of his latest classical compositions.

Joel used to know how to rock somewhat and has a sense of history. If he’s smart, he’ll do a medly of Beatles and maybe bring out some Shea rock veterans like Grand Funk’s Mark Farner to do a 45–minute version of “Closer to Home.”

32 Years Ago Today/Tonight

2008-01-31T08:01:00.000-05:00

Columbia, SC January 31st, 1975 Gary Eaton 843-871-1560

Thirty two years ago high school buddy David Wooten and I rode a Greyhound bus to Columbia, SC to see Grand Funk. We arrived at the Carolina Coliseum just as Eric Burden was finishing his set. We had no idea how we were getting home but in the 15-20 minutes before GFR hit the stage, David had made arrangements with some people behind us (I think they were in the Navy) to ride home with them. I had two cameras with me, my Canon TL-b and David's Minolta SRT-101. A few songs into the show, I walked down to the floor and shot some photos. Back then we used film, Ektachrome 400 to be specific. It was a great concert, highlights being "I'm Your Captain", "The Railroad" and "We're an American Band". Click on the link above for some more photos.

Shea Funk Railroad

2008-01-29T07:55:00.001-05:00

Even in 1971, Mel and Don made Mark sit in the back seat.

Loge 13: Shea Funk Railroad

Favorite Songs - I'm Your Captain

2008-01-29T07:55:00.000-05:00

One Peculiar Christian ><> ><> ><> ><>: Favorite Songs - #3 of my "Top 5" . . .

Grand Funk Railroad - Inside Looking Out 1969

2008-01-28T07:47:00.000-05:00

Anime and Manga Zone » Blog Archive » Grand Funk Railroad - Inside Looking Out 1969

Those were good days

2008-01-25T08:21:00.001-05:00

To preface a review of Black Mountain’s In The Future with another storm based set up would be redundant, even though the conditions of this evening would deem it mighty appropriate. No matter, all weather analogies shall end with mentioning of the album’s opening track, “Stormy High”, a galloping banger that echos back to Grand Funk Railroad’s “Sin’s A Good Man’s Brother”. It offers up that intoxicating urge to keep your feet firmly planted while nodding your head up and down in unison with every other long hair in the room.

How many copies...................

2008-01-25T07:44:00.000-05:00

Just how many copies of an album do you need? When it comes to Grand Funk Railroad's album "Closer To Home", six??? I bought the original album in 1970, the cassette shortly thereafter. Then, I had to get the 8-Track. I just love how they chopped "Nothing is the Same" in half to fit on channels 1 & 2. When CDs were invented, I bought the CD, then I had to get the "official" release in 1995. I then bought the remastered version in 2002, complete with bonus tracks. I may have another copy laying around somewhere......plus I think I keep a copy in my camera bag next to the wide angle lens....

Doug Pullen gets "Closer To Home"

2008-01-07T08:05:00.001-05:00

That's Doug in the middle, Mark Farner on the left and Mark's longtime friend Mark Bowsher on the right.

I met Doug back in 1996 when GFR played their 10 city mini-tour. We've kept in touch over the years and I talked with him back in November when he told me he was leaving the Flint Journal to go back home. He always kept me up to date about Mark and the other two guys, and sent me an e-mail high 5 when he read my review of Don and Mel's show last November. I will miss reading his stuff, he and I felt very much the same way about the Flint 2 version of Grand Funk. Back in 2001, he was verbally abused by the fans of Don & Mel's new band because he gave a not so glorious review of their show in Detroit. One of the Cyberfunkers even wanted to "hunt him down". He pissed off our favorite drummer at least once or twice. Doug's voice sounds nothing like the way he looked. I pictured someone similar to Jackson Browne but was surprised to find out he looked more like Randy Bachman with a goatee. I never realized until November 2007 that we've experienced the same loss of family members. Both my parents are gone, my younger brother died in 2006 and Tito (our dog) passed in December of 2006 after 17 years. I got divorced in 2003. But, neither of us shared those stories with each other. We just traded little tidbits about Mark and GFR. Doug sent me a newspaper spread the Flint Journal did back in 1996 when the Funk were just starting to tour again. I called him when Mark wanted to use one of my photos, and he was one of the first people I called after I got the phone call from Mark in July of 2006. We could have been best friends I think, if we lived closer to each other, but I was content to just have someone to call when I wanted to chat about GFR. I'll miss him at the Journal but I'm sure we'll talk soon. Best of luck Doug, you deserve it.

G

GFR in Greenville, SC May 25th, 1998

2007-12-13T08:10:00.000-05:00

Grand Funk Railroad
Greenville, South Carolina
May 25th, 1998

I am having a hard time finding the proper way to start this story.  So many
things are going through my mind at this point, I hardly know where to start.

This was my first attempt at being a show coordinator.  To everyone that
attended the Greenville show, I hope I did a worthy job.  Actually, I found it
fairly easy to do.  Where do I find Roadkill a place to eat in Greenville?
Call the Chamber of Commerce.  Where do I find specific directions to the
show?  Access the web site for Freedom Weekend Aloft.  Being show coordinator
does have its advantages.  I will explain them later in my story.

The pre-show get together was scheduled for 2:00 at Bailey's Sports Bar and
Grill.  This meant I needed to leave my house in Summerville, SC by about
10:00.  No problem I thought, I'll have four hours to make it there.  Even if
I get lost, I'll have some extra time to work with.  I kiss my wife goodbye,
and I'm off.  Ninety minutes later, just outside of Columbia, I decide to stop
and get some Chicken McNuggets and a Coke.  After I cut the engine off, anti-
freeze starts spraying everywhere!  I'll get my snack and look at it after it
calms down.  I could not find a leak, but filled the radiator anyway.  Let's
hope this does the trick.  I arrive at Bailey's right at 1:30, park the truck
and the anti-freeze goes haywire again!  This time I found the leak, changed
the hose and went inside to wash my hands.
                                                                      
I am the first one to arrive.  I get a table and proceed to drink a couple of
glasses of iced tea.  Fifteen minutes later, the door opens, and in walks Don
and Sunny!  I JUMP out of my chair and go over and introduce myself.  I
apologize to Don for "acting like a little kid" and then ask them to join me
at the table.  What a thrill!  We talk to each other like we've known each for
years.  Naturally I had a thousand questions to ask him, and naturally, I
forgot most of them.  I asked him about the anthology....it will probably be a
2 CD set, record stores do not want to stock a 4 CD set at this time.  Why not
a Volume 1, and then later a Volume 2, like the Beatles?  "Great idea Gary!"
was Don's reply "I'll pass that along."  When will the set list change?
"Don't really know, but we have quite a few possibilities......."Into The
Sun",  "Nothing Is The Same",  "Winter And My Soul",  "Walk Like A Man",
"Creepin' ",  and  "Stop Looking Back",  just to name a few."    What do the
new songs sound like?  "We have recorded 5 that we really like, two are
ballads, and the other three are rockers, just Mark, Don and Mel on those
three.  Mark wrote the three rockers and the two ballads were written by other
people."  What was playing with Peter Frampton like?  "Peter is a real
perfectionist, his solo on "Time Machine" was done that way.  Slash was a
whole 'nuther story."
                                                                      
Sometime during our conversation Tony Woodall, his wife, and family arrive.
They have two very cute and well behaved daughters.  We order lunch and talk
some more.  I tell Don that I have 6th row seats for the Myrtle Beach show in
June, and ask him to toss me a drumstick after is solo.  He says he will try
to remember.

Crash Test Chris and his wife Susan arrive around 3:30.  Everyone  is having a
great time.  Sunny and Don are such gracious people.  Sunny then starts to
hand out the passes for the meet and greet.  She says it will occur before the
show instead of after.  The band needs to leave early she says.  We all ask
other questions, most of which I can't remember.  I ask Don if he is also a
vegetarian, and he replys, "Only when I'm with Sunny!."

Right before they leave, I get Don, and then Don and Sunny, to pose for a few
photographs in front of my S-10 truck.  I have a home made "GFR" license plate
right below the grill.  I have always wanted to pose Mark, Don, and Mel there.
The pictures turned out great.

We stay at Bailey's until 4:30 or so and then leave for the show.  Since it is
almost 90 degrees outside, we don't want to get there too soon.

Right at 8:00, the members of Foghat come out unannounced and played a very
inspired fifty-five minute set of old and new tunes.  Rod Price was very
impressive on slide guitar, and Tony Stephens on bass rocked!  He is right up
there with Mel Schacher when you think of great bass players.

After Foghat finished, we headed backstage for the meet and greet.  Sunny met
us at the gate and promptly handed me a photo/stage pass.  Wow, I get to watch
part of the show from the sidelines!  I hope I can remember to take pictures
while I am up there.  We meet the band, pose for photos, and get autographs.
I get my copy of the "Radio Sampler" signed by all four, Howard Eddy included.
I tell Howard how much I enjoy his background vocals on "Gimme Shelter".  He
thanks me and leaves to get ready for the show.  Kutch was a gentleman,
forcefully moving things along so the band would not be late.  We finish with
the photographs and head outside.  I thank Kutch for the pass, and he tells me
just to be careful when onstage, "Don't trip any of the guys, please!?"  I
head for my spot.

Right at 9:30 the lights go out and "2001" starts to introduce the band.  Let
me tell you, Mel's bass rumbled the entire stage.  I could feel the floor
vibrate below my feet.  I took some photos but found myself rocking back and
forth to the music.  This was a very cool way to experience a Grand Funk
concert. Midway through "Footstompin' Music" I decide to go around front to
watch the rest of the show.  Stan and Tia Pace are in the front row having the
time of their lives.  "Hearbreaker" and "Paranoid" are incredible as always,
and "Inside Looking Out" drives the crowd wild.

After a very great version of "Shinin' On", the band let's loose with "TNUC".
Little did I know what was to soon follow.  After the song ends, Don gets up
and walks out to the left side of the stage.  He tosses one of his sticks into
the crowd.  He then walks over to the right side of the stage, spots me in the
front row, smiles, and bends down and hands me the other stick!  I was
thrilled, to say the least.

Mark then starts his guitar solo/intro to "Inside Looking Out".  After all
these years he can still play a very fast guitar.  I tried to time the solo
but no luck.  It was definitely longer than past shows.  At one point, Mark
walks in front of the loudspeakers and tip-toes his way out to the edge of the
stage.  He never missed a note.  It was like he was walking on the window
ledge of a skyscraper.  After Mark's harmonica solo he tosses it out into the
crowd.  Who catches it?  None other than Stan Pace!  He is so excited he turns
around towards the crowd and jumps up and down.  I swear he looked like he won
the lottery!

The final song of the evening was "I'm Your Captain".  Mark dedicated it to
all war veterans, especially the Vietnam vets.  This song gives me goose bumps
everytime I hear it.  What an evening!  What a day!

Many thanks to Sunny.  She really works hard for the fans, especially us at
Roadkill.  Thanks also to Kutch.  He has a very demanding job, yet makes
everyone feel at home.  Thanks again for the stage pass, it was a thrill.

Thanks to the Roadkill members that attended the show.  It was a blast.  It
was great to see Crash and his wife, Tony Woodall and his family, and Stan and
Tia Pace.  Hope to see you all in Myrtle Beach.

And many thanks to Mark, Don, Mel, and Howard for taking the time and making
the effort to meet the fans.  We do appreciate this sincerely, thank you guys
again.

Beavis & Butthead see Grand Funk Railroad in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina - June 16th, 1998

2007-12-04T08:00:00.002-05:00

Uh, Beavis......that Grand Funk concert last night in Myrtle Beach was
really cool. Yeah, Butthead...and that Mark Farner dude has some really long
hair! He kicked ass on that guitar! Shut up Beavis, you can't say that on
this website! But, uh yeah....uh, the whole band kicked ass in Myrtle
Beach....huh, uh, huh, uh, huh. Yeah Butthead, Grand Funk is really
cool...heh, heh, heh, heh. I wish they would do a video with chicks and
stuff, that would be cool! heh, heh, heh, heh, heh. Yeah Beavis, that would
be really cool, huh, uh, huh, uh, huh, uh. Shut up Butthead, I'm trying to
listen to "I'm Your Captain" on my cd player. "I'm Your Captain" is cool,
yeah, cool!!! heh, heh, heh, heh.

The Red Album

2007-12-01T16:06:00.000-05:00

Grand Funk Railroad's first "greatest hits" album.....Yep, it's that good. Paranoid, In Need, Winter and My Soul, Mr. Limousine Driver..........it goes on and on. Here is what one gentleman had to say:

My favorite records

By Dana Hatch

blog I e-mail

Grand Funk Railroad, "Grand Funk"

Mark Farner howls over super-heavy bass lines, ripping off one earsplitting solo after another. Everyone's getting on his case—squares, fair-weather friends, highfalootin women—plus his dog's dead and the damn limousine driver won't stop to let the ladies in the back. Frustration, depression, paranoia and alienation—The Funk's finest hour.

Don & Mel aka Grand Funk? November 11th, 2007

2007-11-29T08:24:00.002-05:00

Yep, I saw them. Here is what I remember.

I did get a warm feeling as Don and Mel walked up the stairs to the stage. It is so hard not to like these two guys.

This band, with the exception of Don Brewer, show no real excitement or energy when performing. The only real interaction with the audience from Bruce Kulick was when he was blowing warm air out into the cold air. It was really cold!!!

Mel is Mel, no reason to think he's going to move around anytime soon. I still love the guy.

Bottle Rocket, ok but only works as the opening number because everyone is just excited to see all the guys. It would never fit any where else in the set. Rock and Roll Soul/Footstompin' Music. No real problems here except Max Carl. Face it dude, you'll never approach the vocal abilities of Mark Farner.

Shinin' On............B+, nice guitar, but again Bruce, move around every once in a while. The change from guitar solo to organ solo was botched.

Locomotion, nice job.................but it almost sounded as though they ran Max's voice through some device to make it sound like Mark's vocal on the original studio version.

TNUC, minus the TNU....Don is an amazing drummer and their Rollin' & Thunder percussion number is very nice. They could have left Bruce offstage, because he added nothing to that song.

The Star Spangled Banner....another cover tune for Don and Mel

Inside Looking Out, best song from last night..................but again Bruce, take the double stick tape off the bottom of your shoes!

Some Kind of Wonderful....hey, I got some nice pictures of Don during this song.

I'm Your Captain....Don, Mel and Company played this song with much reserve. It was as if they were telling Mark in some way "Hey, this is your song, thank you for giving it to us. We will take good care of it." It did receive the loudest applause of the night.

Now, Don walks out with the red, white and blue top hat, "We're an American Band". I had had enough. I made a mild obscene gesture, grabbed our chairs and Lynn and I left. Grand Funk Revisited? yep Flint 2? yep Grand Funk Railroad? NO FREAKIN' WAY!!!

Gary Eaton

check out some photos @ : Farner Funk

Capitol Collectors Series

2007-11-28T14:53:00.000-05:00

Red, White & Blue

2007-11-28T14:52:00.001-05:00

That is my photo on the back cover. It was a quick shot taken right after the sound check in Myrtle Beach, SC 2000. Mark and I had a nice conversation before he left for dinner.

Mark Farner & NrG November 13th, 2004

2007-11-28T10:35:00.001-05:00

Donnie Brewer

2007-11-28T09:57:00.001-05:00

What This Will Be......

2007-11-28T09:56:00.000-05:00

I'll type more later..........

Mel Schacher

2007-11-28T09:36:00.001-05:00