Nowadays Olive Can't Even Write

Today serves as a very important day for Badfinger fans, as it not only marks the birthday of former frontman Pete Ham, but the day that the blue plaque outside of the High Street Train Station in Swansea, Wales was erected in his honor. This comes three days after the anniversary of his death. Credit: Fin Costello Ham was born in 1947 in Swansea, and formed his first band, The Panthers, around the age of 14. This group ended up going through various names and lineups through the years, and eventually became The Iveys, which eventually turned into Badfinger after they  released their single, " Come and Get It ." They would also sign with Apple Records before the release of their debut album as The Iveys, Maybe Tomorrow . Just three days before his 28th birthday in 1975, he took his own life in his following major financial troubles with Badfinger. He received a call from the US the previous night notifying him that his money had disappeared. With no way to cope with the major...

Today we remember Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett, co-founder and former member of Pink Floyd, who would have been 77 years old today.  Source: The Pink Floyd HyperBase /Aubrey Powell As a musician, Barrett was a rather innovative guitarist before the peak of his decline, known for mixing slide guitar with echo using a lighter and delay pedal to create a lot of the sounds present in Pink Floyd's music. In the same vein, he loved exploring different effects, and playing around with distortion, feedback, and dissonance as well. As a vocalist, he sang with a heavy southern English accent, and was often cited as one of the first to do so in rock music. Many artists, such as Paul McCartney, Marc Bolan, the Flaming Lips, David Bowie, have all cited him as an influence on their work.  Barrett was active as a musician for nine years, from 1963 to 1974 before disappearing from the public eye permanently. According to his sister, Rosemary Breen, he dedicated himself to painting and took ...