Artist description The View -- Howard Fairchild and John Keating & Friends -- a band that (a) serves up social commentary and personal experiences with a heap of melody topped with all the mu-major chords you can eat; (b) specializes in insightful -- only occasionally snide -- lyrics, uptempo rhythms, and chord progressions that leave no doubt about that "confounded bridge"; or (c) boasts guitars and keys, strong vocals and tight backup from some of L.A.'s best session players.

Music Style melodic rock

Musical Influences Donald Fagen, Eric Clapton, Larry Carlton, Greg Mathieson, Chip Davis

Similar Artists Steely Dan, Donald Fagen, Eric Clapton, Mannheim Steamroller, Howard Fairchild, John Keating

Artist History Fairchild & Keating began composing together in college because Becker & Fagen just wouldn't put out enough new material to cover. Various versions of the band: Sierra, Captain Spaulding, Crosswind, THE VIEW. Recently, Keating's holed up in the hills above Santa Cruz after 10 years of learning the blues in Chicago, and you can catch Fairchild ripping up the Santa Clarita Valley with Blues Daddy (featuring the hot Blues Babies) (http://home.earthlink.net/~jimhackett/index.html)

Group Members Howard Fairchild, Guitars, Vocals; John Keating, Keyboards; Guest Vocalists: Al Jacquez and Richard Horne. Recognition for 2 A.M studio performances on the other disks: Bass -- Dr. Bob "Painless" Keating, Bruce Lipscomb; Drums -- Jim Bohn, Mark Keating; Sax -- Pete Zivchak. Other Friends from Point of View include: Reggie McBride, Gary McLaughlin, Henry Newmark, and Peter Snell.

Instruments Lead and Rhythm Guitars (Strats); Keys (Hammond, Rhodes, Sequential, Yamaha. Pay no attention to that Farfisa behind the screen!); Bass, Drums, various acoustic and electric instruments whose tuning moves amazingly with changes in room temperature, and lots of percussion to mask that analog tape hiss.

Albums Point of View, View from the Garage, dejaVIEW (compilation CD), On The Edge of a Dream Fading Fast, and A View of Christmas (Keating's solo instrumental effort).

Additional Info "Point of View" produced by Jack Lancaster (featured on sax; ex-Pacific Drift, Blodwyn Pig, Lancaster's Bombers / Lancaster, and Mick Abrahams Band ) & The View, engineered by Peter Kelsey (engineer for Elton John, Graham Parker, Jean-Luc Ponty, Kenny Loggins...), recorded at the once-fashionable Hit City West; artfully premastered by Avi Kipper late one night at Magnolia Sound, and digitally remastered by Mark at Chicago's Metropolis Mastering [(773) 631-3526]. "From The Garage" (less players, more time and tape, material we really liked) produced and engineered by Keating on a variety of rotating media, digitally remastered by Steve J at Old Plank Studios, Naperville IL [(630)420-0743]. "On The Edge Of A Dream Fading Fast" engineered by Keating, remix by Avi Kipper (mostly). "A View of Christmas" engineered by Keating, digitally mastered at Chicago's Metropolis Mastering.

Location Naperville, IL - USA

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