Wow have I got some exciting news to tell you all! The Molly Room and Marshall Amps is bringing out from the U.S of A, the amazing Leon Hendrix. Leon Hendrix, born January 13,1948 is the younger brother of the late American rock guitar legend, Jimi Hendrix, and he and his band are coming down under for the very first time to do three gigs solely in Melbourne including the Chelsea Heights Hotel. Whoop whoop!
Hendrix is bringing the fabulously talented, Micki Free, Grammy award winning guitarist discovered by Gene Simmons of Kiss fame. Free went on to tour the world with Kiss, gigged with The Rolling Stones, Santana, Michael Jackson, Billy Gibson and has been awarded the Native American Music Award five times. Interestingly, his career kicked off at the age of 12 when he saw his legend Jimi Hendrix perform live in Germany and he just flipped when he heard his music. Meeting Leon years later was a karmic connection for they instantly clicked and have been gigging ever since.
I spoke to the guys for some time and found them delightful, enlightened, alive and full of positive uplifting energy. Definitely my kind of people and it was heartening knowing we shared similar philosophies.
Hendrix, an established singer-songwriter in his own right, mixes his originals with versions of Jimi’s classics and throws in personal stories and insights into the mix. Although inspired by the spirit of the music it certainly vibrates in the Hendrix’s DNA, he couldn’t act on it for a long time due to his parenting demands of raising six beautiful children, in turn who have now produced four grand children and three great grand children. A proud father, grandfather and great grandfather, and no doubt the spirit of music will be coursing through their veins too.
Hendrix is on his own journey right now, and is free to create and imbue his personalised magic into writing originals and doing interpretations of his late famous brother’s music as well.
Keeper Of The Flame and Seattle Rain are his two albums and can still be purchased through iTunes, Panther and the Leon Hendrix website. Currently the guys are putting a new album together called The Hendrix/ Free Experience consisting of their originals as well as covering a couple of Jimi’s too.
We spent some time discussing a favourite documentary of both the guys and mine called Ancient Aliens, and Hendrix states his late brother’s songs portrayed lyrics relating to many mystical things regarding this subject. However, most people don’t hear or ‘get it’, due to the powerful guitar playing/riffs they hear when listening to his music. Lets face it; the guy was a guitar legend and swept people away with his magical riffs.
In the song Castles Made of Sand, Jimi sang about a little Indian brave who dreamed of growing up to be a fearless warrior. I was surprised to find myself the main character in the second verse,’ says Leon.
Hendrix has had his fair share of life’s experiences and has been clean from drugs for many years now. He has philosophical thoughts of God, and is one of hundreds of thousands of people who believe aliens live and walk amongst us. Like so many people, he too has seen UFO’s and has friends who have experienced close encounters. When you have travelled the world and seen and experienced many wonderful events, you are going to have an open minded, clear and mature outlook on life.
Hendrix believes life is precious and we should pursue all our dreams because when you do they come true. He knows there is an after life, as life, or energy for a better word, can’t be snuffed out. I was honoured and grateful that he and Free opened up to me and shared their thoughts and philosophies. ‘The universe is a rhythm and sometimes people can be blocked from its flow. Our human species has not even touched the surface of what’s really out there, we haven’t gone beyond TV,’ laughs Hendrix.
‘We are all humans right now with a little bit of God in each of us. We are like babies in kindergarten. Remember that our ancestors went through trials and tribulations before us, and their experiences and knowledge is the culmination of our current generation of humans living today. Our Creator can’t reveal itself to us because we don’t have the mental capacity to deal with it’ he says gently.
Hendrix says music is a spirit and all spirits are bodiless. ‘You got the wind, you got the music, you got love and love has no body. You have emotions of love, anger, hate, and all these emotions are spiritual; so music is one of the most powerful things because you can’t grab onto it, see it, hold onto it, you can only feel and hear it.’ he claims.
Hendrix has been clean for a long time, and says music is more powerful than drugs, because for him, it’s the spirit of love. It is more powerful than addicted behaviour. Humans have a problem with addictive behaviour. ‘Your antennas are blocked if you don’t give up your bad habits. Most people don’t allow themselves the time to tune into and receive their inner wisdom and knowledge because they are so busy working, providing for their families, being distracted that they don’t allow themselves to open up to their own mental capacity and have these experiences. We are not shown or told that it’s a real phenomenon. It’s not their fault as they are lead to believe this from an early age. Its how our current system works.’ He concludes.
I asked the guys if they believed in the power of thoughts creating our own reality. Both say its either a positive or negative life outlook, if you think positive thoughts then you will attract positive experiences into your life.
Hendrix and Free are very “positive energy people” who spread their love and positive energy through their music. Although Hendrix is very hopeful for the future, he feels the worlds changes probably wont happen in his lifetime.
Both Hendrix and Free’s mothers are Cherokee Indian and were naturally bought up in a positive spiritual way, which is the native way. ‘Its just the way we believe in. As Carlos Santana said to me, we try and be in the positive energy and light while we work, play our music and go about our everyday lives. We pray and look to the Great Spirit because that’s just the way it is to us,’ says Free. ‘Music is a gift from God.’
In 2012 Hendrix released his biography entitled Jimi Hendrix – A Brother’s Story. He describes his influence on Jimi growing up in Seattle, and being there as he discovered music for the first time. He writes about Jimi’s early fascination with sound, from his experiments with plucking wires attached to bedposts, to the time he got into trouble for taking apart the new family radio. ‘I was just looking for the music’. Jimi explained.
Leon Hendrix 2014 tour stops in at Chelsea Heights Hotel, Thursday 16th October. Expect to see edgy, blues/mellow rock with a larger than life ‘living Hendrix’ channelling the music magic along with Free doing his wild thing. For tickets and further details visit www.themollyroom.com.au or call the venue on 9773 4453.
TERRI LEE FATOUROS
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