Messages From Bruce Kulick - 2012

It saddens me deeply to share with you all the loss of the best friend I ever had. My dog Joe, who I adopted back in 1997 after rescuing him near a busy street in Woodland Hills, couldn't fight the effects of his age anymore and has passed on. I have always dreaded the sad day I knew would eventually come when he couldn't be with me anymore. He lived nearly 17 years, which is over 100 years old if he was human.

He shared so much of my life, and those of my friends who met him knew he was more of a person than a dog to me. My connection to him was incredibly deep as if he knew what I needed, and in return he was number one in my life. Juggling my hectic life with travel and work was a challenge that always involved how Joe's needs would be met, and I was blessed with many wonderful friends who shared their love for him and took care of him when I was away. They all knew how special he was.

His size was small, barely 9 pounds in weight, but he filled a home like a giant. All he wanted to do was share his joy of life with anyone in his presence. I loved our walks, and our meals together. His affection was incredible, and when he was done with his yummy meal he wanted nothing more than to kiss my hands, arms, and feet like he was grooming me. We were family. In my mind I lost my child, my best friend, my soulmate. Not a dog.

I know many of you have followed along with my stories and photos of Joe, sharing with me some of your pets' stories. We all know that the day we say goodbye to that special pet will be difficult, and I am trying to realize that his next journey is just beginning.

Truly Joe must have been some sort of old soul that was meant to be with me through all the ups and downs of my life, and I couldn't have asked for a more perfect animal to share these past 15 years with.

He walked into my life when he was about 2 years old, during a very upside down part of my life. My immediate love and his affection and personality gave me the strength and purpose in life that drives people to do great things. Joe brought that out in me. He gave me purpose, as in "take care of me," and in return his love for me was constant and strong. Knowing how quickly he loved me made all the sacrifices I had to make worth it in spades. I always said, I have no regrets about how I did my best to include him in my life everyday.

I want to thank the good vets that cared for Joe during his life, as I know they loved him. It is amazing how much our pets have similar ailments to us; half the drugs Joe used in his senior years were the same as my late Dad! But what I learned was the love and attention of the pet's owner is so critical in their quality of life. Joe had the best care always, and I was fortunate to be able to give that to him. And in return the love that I received from him was clear to me. We had a bond that can't be described in words.

So I will just end by saying that I might have lost my best friend, but I know he is in a place now where he can run and play like a healthy puppy. I will never forget the love and connection we shared. I was truly blessed to have found him, and I know in the larger picture of life it was no accident that we shared all these years together. My life would not of been the same without him.

God Bless you, Joe, I will never forget you. I hope to see you again.

R.I.P.

Hello, everyone. It's been a while since I got you all up to speed with things going on in the Kulick world. So here's the current news.

Many fans have asked about Joe, my precious dog who will reach 17 years old on June 10th.  For those friends of mine who have met Joe, they know what a special dog he is.  And happily, as a good dog who is just getting really old (kind of like in his 90's in small dog years), he is well aware of the love and devotion I give him. With the help of an excellent vet and his staff, I am happy to say Joe is doing extremely well. For all you dog lovers out there, I love the emails I get about the stories of your special pets.

Honestly, as I have never had a child Joe has certainly become my son.  I have had him since he was 2 years old, so our relationship is nearing 15 years. I found him exploring near a busy street in Woodland Hills.  Dangerous!  Our bond was immediate, but now as an older dog I will tell you all it's not easy to take care of a senior animal.

My girlfriend, Lisa, who is the best Mommy for Joe that I could ever imagine, knows what a burden it can be.  He can't see (cataracts), but he has good energy and gets around amazingly for his age, so he's like a bumper car in the dining room and kitchen just banging into things until I get his attention to play with a bone or out for a walk.

But even the walk to the patio for him to relieve himself every three hours during the night is fine with me.  His quality of life is far better than I could ever imagine at his age, so knowing he appreciates it, he has my devotion. I dread that day when I have to say goodbye to him, but who would imagine he would have surgery a few weeks ago for some nasty skin things, and currently be thriving? My nickname for him was The Kraken (mythical beast from "Clash Of The Titans" movie), but now he's affectionately known as "The Super Kraken" or SK for short.  So that is the update on Joe.  I am truly blessed with him in my life.

As for me, busy as usual with my guitars doing shows with Grand Funk, and soon an exciting Fantasy Camp in LA with Steven Tyler as the featured guest, with a big night rocking at the Playboy Mansion. Details at rockcamp.com. I also have some production work coming up in April with an artist I worked with a few years ago, Derek Ryan. Channel Theory is the name of Derek's band, and it is not straight rock which is why I, along with BK3 producer Jeremy Rubolino, love working with him.  I am sure I will bring some great guitars and amps along for the job.

So all in all the usual for me with my work, and of course there are some other surprises up my sleeve regarding some writing for future projects and sessions that I will share with you all when I am deep in it. Hope your spring is wonderful and thanks for all the support!

The loss of Jim Marshall today saddens me greatly. My love of Marshall amps and the iconic company he created will always be a part of my life. I will never forget the clinic tour I did with him back in the early 90's promoting the 900 series amps, which I still use. His charm and grace in the English way made him unique to me.

Knowing all the lives he changed with his products, and the artists he worked with through the years, made him a giant in the industry of the music business. I know Jim will never be forgotten, and that the legacy of his amps will carry on for generations to come. RIP Jim Marshall. - Bruce Kulick, April 5th, 2012.

Unfortunately we lost another great one over the weekend, legendary guitarist Ronnie Montrose. I was fortunate to meet and jam with him at a Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp back in May of last year. R.I.P. (Photo courtesy Bill Towner/Red Nova Digital)

Very sad to learn Davy Jones of The Monkees has died. I was a big admirer of his, and was fortunate to meet him on several occasions. RIP. (Chiller Theatre Toy, Model & Film Expo 2009)

Hello everyone. I just finished up the Presidents Day Weekend Hollywood Rock N Roll Fantasy Camp, and all I can say is this one shaped up to be one of the most memorable. As you all know, the camp has special guests and there is tons of jamming, rehearsing, and just doing all the things an aspiring musician loves to do. So here's a recap of these 5 busy days.

The camp started on Thursday, and after the counselors did a 2 hour rehearsal for our performance later that night all I could remember was how hard "Roundabout" by Yes is to play! And I was asked to help out on that song as Alan White, who has been with the group since 1973, was also a counselor.  Quite exciting even attempting that masterpiece.

That afternoon I met the campers who would be my band, and we quickly started jamming and getting used to what we would sound like as a band.  They signed up for the recording package, and of course the last night is always at a famous venue, this time the Whisky on Sunset. We started to learn a Wings song that I always loved, and we looked at some bluesy things that could work on as well for the performance.  I had a good feeling about the band from the start.

After the Guitar Center event that night where the counselors jammed on Yes, Led Zep, Free and other bands, I was getting clear thoughts in my mind about what my band could do.  I had the pleasure of being the bass player along with three guitarists, Dave, Bryan, and Martin. With Kyle behind the skins, who was definitely my secret weapon, the band was rounded out by Lisa Symth, our singer, who loves the blues.

Day two I knew Zakk Wylde would be stopping by in the afternoon so my mind immediately went to "Let's learn  "No More Tears by Ozzy."  I didn't care we had no keyboard players, I had three guitarists.  And that bass line is killer.  So we spent the three hour morning rehearsal learning a strong arrangement.  I have met Zakk before, so I was hoping the Ozzy tune would be fun for him.  After lunch he arrived and we blasted out a loud nasty version of the song, and just hearing Mr. Wylde do those powerful leads gave us a huge WOW moment. We took pix and he told us crazy stories.  Naturally we did not forget what he said when he first entered the room, "Hey, what's your band name? Hookers and Blow?"  Well, it stuck!

The rest of day two was spent with us going over the Wings tune "Rockestra" and then learning a really great Humble Pie song called "30 Days In The Hole."  Lisa really had fun with it, and I knew we had another song for our recording/gig. That night was spent at the Gibson Showroom in Beverly Hills.  Felix Cavaliere from the Rascals (Good Lovin', Groovin') was the guest, along with various jamming by campers and counselors. My girl Lisa and I did our version of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" after I picked a nice ES 335 off the wall of the showroom.  It's a jazzy version based on Eric Clapton's live take on the classic Wizard of Oz song.

Day three would be a visit by Steve Vai, and I knew he would love to jam over this Hendrix progression I did with him years ago at a previous camp.  So I taught it to my band, and in no time we were ready for him.   We tightened up the Humble Pie song and the Wings number, then started to look at another song. Lisa picked a blues tune, "King Bee," that I wasn't that familiar with but I loved it.  Naturally we turned into "Queen Bee" appropriately. Steve came in after lunch and we jammed on that Hendrix tune.  He plays guitar like an alien and I have to say he is a very smart and talented man. Both he and Zakk did long Q&A's at a theatre down the block from the rehearsal facility which unfortunately I missed, but I was able to go home to relax a bit from the long 12 hours days.

I was happy my campers were getting the full experience from the special guests, and of course from my very specific direction on all things that make music sound and feel good.  I am strict on the guitarists and make them learn not only how to be better, but WHY what I am showing them makes sense. That night was a visit from Billy Idol's Steve Stevens.  He was running late, so I was asked to speak to the room full of guitarists.  In a short while Steve came and did an amazing clinic, explaining his influences and how he created the prefect parts to some of the Idol hits. Everyone in attendance was very thrilled with the talent that man possesses.  Thank you Steve!

Our Sunday was spent at one of my favorite studios ANYWHERE, Henson in Hollywood, the old A+M studios. It was a full 12 hour day of recording, with a visit from Eddie Kramer as well! I brought some cool gear: my '65 Fender Jazz Bass, my '57 Fender Tweed Champ, my Gibson ES 330 from 1961 in Cherry, and my Reissue '62 SG Custom Shop. My producer from BK3, Jeremy Rubolino, was invited by me to wow my campers as well, as when we do music together I feel I accomplish great things. The campers agreed once we were all done that day.

We cut the Wings song and then went into the Humble Pie tune. Eddie came in and worked with Lisa on the vocals and the band was thrilled.  I have to say, considering none of them really had any studio experience the result was solid and strong enough that I can't wait to share the tracks with my friends.  The recording package does give another element of what it is to be in a rock band, and working at Studio D in Henson, well, it doesn't get much better than that!

The last day included final rehearsals, a visit from Warren Haynes (who jammed on "King Bee" with us on slide - SWEET!), and of course the ending night performances from all the bands at the Whisky. We tightened up our three songs, and head counselor Kip Winger came in to assist on a special treat I worked into for our final minute and a half. I had a great idea to come out of the Humble Pie song and go right into the drum solo from the famous Beatles number "The End" and it worked like a charm. Kip played piano and worked out the vocals with Lisa, while   I had a great time showing Bryan some of those tasty riffs.  The tradeoff solos didn't need to be exact, as I knew the groove and feel of that song from my favorite band would give everyone goosebumps.

We were band 10 of 14 on stage, and Warren Haynes jammed a bit during the middle of the night's groupings. Now I know why he works so much; tasty, talented, and the real deal.  No wonder the Allmans and Gov. Mule do so well! Finally it was time for my band's mini set.  We killed it, and the Beatles part worked like a charm. I was so happy for them all.  Once again, the thrill of being on stage proved to my campers how wonderful it is to be a musician and, with my strict guidance, the way a band can communicate emotions that sometimes only music can deliver.

The camp is so rewarding to me, and I have to admit it makes me realize how fortunate I am to be able to naturally play my instrument.  My love of music and creating and arranging, and having the chance to share that with my campers, certainly gives me supreme satisfaction. It also gives the campers the proper ideals of how to apply discipline to a craft and get the results that makes it all worth while.  Campers take so much information home with them after this experience, but more importantly they get the  feeling of accomplishment that a band that has worked hard as a unit doing something creative gets. It is really a valuable life lesson, and it's such a big part of what the camp is about to me: believing in oneself and doing something that MEANS something.  Music is a gift, but we can all share that feeling no matter how talented you are if you understand how to express yourself.

Thanks to all the people working at the camp (you make the long days easy!), and of course to all the great guests. Thank you also to my band for putting up with my tough love abuse at times, you all mean a lot to me and naturally that hard work really did pay off in the end. Can't wait for the next camp in May!