I must apologize to all of my followers, you have been erased. Please re sign up so I don't look like some loser with no one reading his blog. Please add comments to my rants, I love the dialogue.
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. The movie is a set up for another movie. The previous Harry Potter movies were stories that could stand all by themselves, this one does not. It has some lessons on Puppy Love that I could relate to. I had no idea what girls were thinking or how I should act when I was in Junior High and High School. I felt bad and yet could relate with Ron Weasly. But the end just kind of leaves you hanging like the Lord of the Rings first two movies. This movie is the first two hours of a longer movie. Twirls will be reserved until I see the end of the movie.
Public Enemies is a good movie, three twirls. It is the life and times of Public Enemy #1 John Dillinger. John is hunted by the bungling Officer Pervis. He has encounters with Baby face Nelson and Frank Nitty the famous Chicago crime boss. The movie is good but I would wait to see it on a Saturday afternoon on TV in about a year. I am sorry I paid to see it on the big screen.
Shaq joins the Cavs. I have heard Shaq being called the "Big Pirogi". Good name. I am not thrilled with this move and neither is my Honey Bunny. How many times have we gone after the big name guy at the end of his career and they have fizzled. Is he going to be a help? Yeah, maybe, I say reluctantly. Twenty minutes a game and some added muscle in the middle, yeah. A huge personality and ego to deal with, yeah. He is likable, yeah. Weak on defense and a lot of foul trouble is what I see, yeah. If someone would get Anderson Varejao on steroids and beef him up a little he could be a help. He has those little wimpy arms. Lift some weights Andy.
Browns. I am still undecided about the Browns. Mangini still has not won me over. He is not a fan friendly kind of guy which is OK if he wins.
Indians after the All Star Break. Bleaugh. Sorry I got to go and clean up this mess before my Honey Bunny gets home. Please send me ways to get puke out of my keyboard.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Jimi Dimora
Jimi Dimora, I come not to praise you but to defend you. Right now you probably feel as though you do not have a friend in the world, well I might not be a close friend but I am willing to defend your right to being innocent until proven guilty. The writers and reporters who used to pretend to be your friend have all turned against you to sell advertising on their second rate newscasts and in the birdcage liner known as the Plain Dealer.
The buzzards in the news media have tried and convicted you already when you have not even been charged with committing a crime yet. They throw in their little disclaimers saying that you have not been named, but they know its you, they have pointed their fingers and have thrown their stones. I thought in America people were tried in courts of law not in a rag newspaper or on channel 19 news.
The FBI supposedly investigated Cuyahoga County Government for a year before it raided offices and homes of public officials. It now has been a year since those raids have taken place and the only sign of Dimoras guilt have been supposed leeks from the FBI to the unscrupulous Plain Dealer that will print any unsubstantiated piece of news that will sell a newspaper. The leeks do not name Jimi Dimora they only refer to Public Official #1 which the Plain Dealer and Channel 19 assume is Jimi Dimora. Jimi if PO#1 is yo so be it but I think you deserve your day in court before you get crucified by the self righteous media.
People claim the FBI is building an ironclad case. The FBI has had two years to build its case. If you have a case, bring it. If you do not have a case, then quit tearing Cuyahoga County apart with innuendo and unsubstantiated accusations.
The FBI seems to be using their tried and true method of building a case by busting a low level crook "A". Crook "A" then cuts a plea deal for a light sentence and turns in Crook "B". Crook "B" then cuts a deal and turns in Crook "C" who has no one dirty to turn in so he turns in an innocent person. No one believes the innocent person is innocent so he goes to prison the longest because he has no one to turn in. Don't believe me? Look at the Mansfield case. The FBI took the word of drug dealers and crooks over innocent people and locked up many innocent people. To hell with justice, conviction rates look good for the FBI.
Mr. Dimora wants a federal investigation into where the the original complaints came from. Jimi feels it could go all the way up to the heads of the Republican party. He feels that the heads of the Republican party want to break up the stronghold the Democrats have in Cuyahoga County so that Ohio will become a solid Red State. This seems a little far fetched until you look at the heads of the GOP. Mitt "I have no perceivable political principal" Romney, Dick "I'll shoot you in the face" Cheney, Mark "to hell with family values" Sanford, Rush "I will lie to make the GOP look good" Limbaugh. Greed heads all of them, willing to do any dastardly deed to turn an election towards the Republicans. With a bunch of Jackals and Scoundrels like that in charge maybe Mr. Dimora's claims are not that far fetched.
Hagen and Jones the other two County Commissioners are separating themselves from the Dimora Plague. But for anything to have passed one of the other Commissioners would have had to vote and or agree with Dimora. Most contracts are awarded to the low bidder in government. Buying one Commissioner does not guarantee you the contract, you need two. And is $19,000 bribe worth losing a $100,000 a year job over? I don't think so.
I have been offered a bribe. When I accepted the bribe I did not know it was a bribe. I thought the contractor was just being a nice guy. He offered me two front row club seats to a Cavaliers Basketball game. The waiter when he came around told us all drinks and food were already paid for. Nice! A week later the contractor was pouring concrete and violating the specifications of the contract. I told the contractor to rip out the concrete and do it according to the specifications.
Contractor: How was the Cavs game?
MC: Great. Remove the concrete.
Contractor: You enjoyed the seats, the beer and food were good?
MC: I don't drink beer but I had a pop. Yep, everything was fine. Remove the concrete and install it according to the specifications.
Contractor: Your an ASSHOLE! You will never go to a Cavs game on me again.
MC: A Cavs game is not worth me losing my job over. I can buy my own Cavs tickets. Quit cheating and do the work right.
So you see that sometimes what is thought to be just a nice gesture on a persons part can turn into a bribe. Is the gesture nice enough to sell your soul for, that's the difference between if it is a bribe or just a nice gesture gone sour. $200 to $300 spent on me is not worth me compromising my principles for or to lose a $55,000 job over.
Did Mr. Dimora force the taxpayers to pay extra money for services rendered that they could have gotten cheaper form someone else? Who was the other Commissioner voting in favor with Mr. Dimora? Are the snitches and crooks telling the truth to the FBI or are they lying to save their own asses? When the Plain Dealer folds will their reporters go to work for the Enquirer or the Star? Which of the following does Rob Frost, head of the Cuyahoga County Republican party enjoy more, Oral sex with an eighteen year old, male hooker or anal sex with a 55 year old man that he truly loves? Yes these questions have to be answered before we start casting stones. So far I have not seen any charges against Jimmy Dimora in a court of law and I think it is wrong that he has already been tried and convicted in the Cleveland media.
The buzzards in the news media have tried and convicted you already when you have not even been charged with committing a crime yet. They throw in their little disclaimers saying that you have not been named, but they know its you, they have pointed their fingers and have thrown their stones. I thought in America people were tried in courts of law not in a rag newspaper or on channel 19 news.
The FBI supposedly investigated Cuyahoga County Government for a year before it raided offices and homes of public officials. It now has been a year since those raids have taken place and the only sign of Dimoras guilt have been supposed leeks from the FBI to the unscrupulous Plain Dealer that will print any unsubstantiated piece of news that will sell a newspaper. The leeks do not name Jimi Dimora they only refer to Public Official #1 which the Plain Dealer and Channel 19 assume is Jimi Dimora. Jimi if PO#1 is yo so be it but I think you deserve your day in court before you get crucified by the self righteous media.
People claim the FBI is building an ironclad case. The FBI has had two years to build its case. If you have a case, bring it. If you do not have a case, then quit tearing Cuyahoga County apart with innuendo and unsubstantiated accusations.
The FBI seems to be using their tried and true method of building a case by busting a low level crook "A". Crook "A" then cuts a plea deal for a light sentence and turns in Crook "B". Crook "B" then cuts a deal and turns in Crook "C" who has no one dirty to turn in so he turns in an innocent person. No one believes the innocent person is innocent so he goes to prison the longest because he has no one to turn in. Don't believe me? Look at the Mansfield case. The FBI took the word of drug dealers and crooks over innocent people and locked up many innocent people. To hell with justice, conviction rates look good for the FBI.
Mr. Dimora wants a federal investigation into where the the original complaints came from. Jimi feels it could go all the way up to the heads of the Republican party. He feels that the heads of the Republican party want to break up the stronghold the Democrats have in Cuyahoga County so that Ohio will become a solid Red State. This seems a little far fetched until you look at the heads of the GOP. Mitt "I have no perceivable political principal" Romney, Dick "I'll shoot you in the face" Cheney, Mark "to hell with family values" Sanford, Rush "I will lie to make the GOP look good" Limbaugh. Greed heads all of them, willing to do any dastardly deed to turn an election towards the Republicans. With a bunch of Jackals and Scoundrels like that in charge maybe Mr. Dimora's claims are not that far fetched.
Hagen and Jones the other two County Commissioners are separating themselves from the Dimora Plague. But for anything to have passed one of the other Commissioners would have had to vote and or agree with Dimora. Most contracts are awarded to the low bidder in government. Buying one Commissioner does not guarantee you the contract, you need two. And is $19,000 bribe worth losing a $100,000 a year job over? I don't think so.
I have been offered a bribe. When I accepted the bribe I did not know it was a bribe. I thought the contractor was just being a nice guy. He offered me two front row club seats to a Cavaliers Basketball game. The waiter when he came around told us all drinks and food were already paid for. Nice! A week later the contractor was pouring concrete and violating the specifications of the contract. I told the contractor to rip out the concrete and do it according to the specifications.
Contractor: How was the Cavs game?
MC: Great. Remove the concrete.
Contractor: You enjoyed the seats, the beer and food were good?
MC: I don't drink beer but I had a pop. Yep, everything was fine. Remove the concrete and install it according to the specifications.
Contractor: Your an ASSHOLE! You will never go to a Cavs game on me again.
MC: A Cavs game is not worth me losing my job over. I can buy my own Cavs tickets. Quit cheating and do the work right.
So you see that sometimes what is thought to be just a nice gesture on a persons part can turn into a bribe. Is the gesture nice enough to sell your soul for, that's the difference between if it is a bribe or just a nice gesture gone sour. $200 to $300 spent on me is not worth me compromising my principles for or to lose a $55,000 job over.
Did Mr. Dimora force the taxpayers to pay extra money for services rendered that they could have gotten cheaper form someone else? Who was the other Commissioner voting in favor with Mr. Dimora? Are the snitches and crooks telling the truth to the FBI or are they lying to save their own asses? When the Plain Dealer folds will their reporters go to work for the Enquirer or the Star? Which of the following does Rob Frost, head of the Cuyahoga County Republican party enjoy more, Oral sex with an eighteen year old, male hooker or anal sex with a 55 year old man that he truly loves? Yes these questions have to be answered before we start casting stones. So far I have not seen any charges against Jimmy Dimora in a court of law and I think it is wrong that he has already been tried and convicted in the Cleveland media.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Gov't Mule Mansfield 7/12/09
Bri Boy and I took a road trip to Mansfield, Ohio to the beautifully renovated Renaissance Theatre, where Government Mule was performing thier power blues rock music for an adoring crowd. Government Mule is made up of Warren Haynes lead guitar and vocals, Matt Abst drums, Danny Louis keyboards and new bass player Jorgen Carlsson.
The band took the stage at 7:30 pm and jumped into a fan favorite "Brand New Angel", Warrens voice is spectacular. "Mr. High and Mighty" is next. Followed by "Bad Man Walking". The Mule pull out a little Jimi Hendrix and play "Little Wing". The fans from Cincinnati, standing next to me, loved "Rocking Horse". The instrumental "Thelonius Beck" was a crowd pleaser. The Mule then moved into "Monkey Hill" with a teaser of the Beatles "Shes So Heavy". They plowed into "Fools Moon". and finish out the opening set an hour and twenty minutes later with "Where Did You Sleep" sliding into "About A Girl" and back into "Where Did You Sleep".
After a 25 minute intermission the band took the stage again with a soulfull version of Procal Harems "A Whiter Shade Of Pale",(One of my all time favorite songs). Danny Louis steps out from behind his keyboards and straps on a guitar to help Warren with "Is It My Body". Then the Mule play a song that they have never performed live before, the bluesy B B King classic "Need Your Love So Bad". A rousing rendition of "Left Coast Groovies" was next with Warren going crazy on the guitar at the end and using the mike stand as a slide then holding the guitar by the strap and kicking the guitar until the notes finally fade away. Matt Abts gave the rest of the band a break and beat up on his drum kit for a while. Matt is a superb drummer. The band comes out and does Warrens tribute to Jerry Garcia "A Patchwork Quilt". I want to cry every time I hear that song. Then they lightened things up with "Slack Jaw Jezebel". Wheres my Mule, Wheres my forty acres, Oh sorry still singing form last night. Yes they did "Mule" then slipped that into "Catfish Blues", which slipped into "Whole Lotta Love" by Led Zepplin and back to "Mule", Whew. The Crowd is in a frenzy and the boys leave the stage waving good bye.
There has to be an encore. Why yes there is. Warren takes the stage solo and performs the Eagles hit "Wasted Time". Bri Boy knew what the song was with the first three notes. The rest of the band joins Warren on stage for the grand finale, Marshal Tuckers "Can't You See". Warren had the crowd singing the chorus while he harmonized over the top of the crowd with the lyrics. The dancing hippie girls are dripping wet and drained after a great show like this. It is 10:39 and the crowd is heading for the parking lots.
Warren has to be the hardest working man in Rock and Roll. Playing with The Mule, The Allman Bros and The Dead. How does he keep it all straight? Matt Abts is one of the best drummers playing today. Danny Louis seems playful with his costume changes but never smiles, wierd. Jorgen Carlsson is a good addition to the band. Andy Hess the old bass player was just, there, he did not add anything to the music like Allen Woody did and now Mr. Carlsson does. I hope Jorgen sticks around for awhile.
The Renaissance Theatre was beautiful. The crowd was friendly and energetic. The sound was great, we were sitting right in front of the speakers and I could still hear once the concert was over. The Mule was excellent. And we had no problems getting to and from the show. This was an overall enjoyable experience. I rate this a 5 twirl show.
The band took the stage at 7:30 pm and jumped into a fan favorite "Brand New Angel", Warrens voice is spectacular. "Mr. High and Mighty" is next. Followed by "Bad Man Walking". The Mule pull out a little Jimi Hendrix and play "Little Wing". The fans from Cincinnati, standing next to me, loved "Rocking Horse". The instrumental "Thelonius Beck" was a crowd pleaser. The Mule then moved into "Monkey Hill" with a teaser of the Beatles "Shes So Heavy". They plowed into "Fools Moon". and finish out the opening set an hour and twenty minutes later with "Where Did You Sleep" sliding into "About A Girl" and back into "Where Did You Sleep".
After a 25 minute intermission the band took the stage again with a soulfull version of Procal Harems "A Whiter Shade Of Pale",(One of my all time favorite songs). Danny Louis steps out from behind his keyboards and straps on a guitar to help Warren with "Is It My Body". Then the Mule play a song that they have never performed live before, the bluesy B B King classic "Need Your Love So Bad". A rousing rendition of "Left Coast Groovies" was next with Warren going crazy on the guitar at the end and using the mike stand as a slide then holding the guitar by the strap and kicking the guitar until the notes finally fade away. Matt Abts gave the rest of the band a break and beat up on his drum kit for a while. Matt is a superb drummer. The band comes out and does Warrens tribute to Jerry Garcia "A Patchwork Quilt". I want to cry every time I hear that song. Then they lightened things up with "Slack Jaw Jezebel". Wheres my Mule, Wheres my forty acres, Oh sorry still singing form last night. Yes they did "Mule" then slipped that into "Catfish Blues", which slipped into "Whole Lotta Love" by Led Zepplin and back to "Mule", Whew. The Crowd is in a frenzy and the boys leave the stage waving good bye.
There has to be an encore. Why yes there is. Warren takes the stage solo and performs the Eagles hit "Wasted Time". Bri Boy knew what the song was with the first three notes. The rest of the band joins Warren on stage for the grand finale, Marshal Tuckers "Can't You See". Warren had the crowd singing the chorus while he harmonized over the top of the crowd with the lyrics. The dancing hippie girls are dripping wet and drained after a great show like this. It is 10:39 and the crowd is heading for the parking lots.
Warren has to be the hardest working man in Rock and Roll. Playing with The Mule, The Allman Bros and The Dead. How does he keep it all straight? Matt Abts is one of the best drummers playing today. Danny Louis seems playful with his costume changes but never smiles, wierd. Jorgen Carlsson is a good addition to the band. Andy Hess the old bass player was just, there, he did not add anything to the music like Allen Woody did and now Mr. Carlsson does. I hope Jorgen sticks around for awhile.
The Renaissance Theatre was beautiful. The crowd was friendly and energetic. The sound was great, we were sitting right in front of the speakers and I could still hear once the concert was over. The Mule was excellent. And we had no problems getting to and from the show. This was an overall enjoyable experience. I rate this a 5 twirl show.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Sarah Palin Quits
Sarah Palin quits her Governors position. Why isn't this shocking news? Because it fits with her "I am going to take my ball and go home" personality. Sarah has always portrayed herself to be prettier, smarter, holier and better than most everyone else. Too bad those traits were only in her mind. When anyone proved that she wasn't as superior in real life as she viewed herself she would whine. Katie Couric treated me unfairly with her questions that I was not smart enough to answer. John McCains people didn't portray me in the right light, it is their fault we lost the election. The republican party wants me to speak at a dinner Ok I'll do it, no I wont, you betcha I will, can't make it, what do you mean they found a different speaker, I AM SARAH PALIN. David Letterman made fun of my family and I want an apology. that apology is not good enough I want a better one. David get on your knees and beg for my forgiveness. Forget it I don't forgive you no matter what you do. Alaska legislature wont back my bad ideas fine I quit.
Rush Limpdick thinks this a good move on Mrs. Palins part. "If anything this woman's M. O. is outside-the-box, not formulaic" Rush said ( I could not find the word Formulaic in the dictionary , Rush just makes up words to sound impressive but I digress) . She is proving she should be inside a box, a padded box. Insane people are not formulistic, their thoughts are helter skelter just like Sarah's thoughts.
Sarah says she did not want to be a lame duck Governor. So don't be a lame duck Governor. Do your job. Get along with the other elected officials and work to pass legislation that is good for the State of Alaska. When the going gets tough Sarah Palin quits. I will say one thing for her no one will be able to pin any of her failed policies on her because from here on out Alaska's problems are not hers any more they are the new governors problems.
Lets review Sarah's qualifications for President.
Beauty Queen; No bearing on Presidential Qualification.
Education; Communications degree. My father would say she might as well get a degree in basket weaving.
Political accomplishments; Mayor of a small town in Alaska, Governor for half a term before she quit. Pretty much has been as useless as tits on a bull.
Gets along well with others, Not.
Family; Hen pecked husband, Unwed teenage pregnant daughter, parade autistic child around for sympathy votes.
If she runs for President you betcha she is not getting my vote. Quitter.
Rush Limpdick thinks this a good move on Mrs. Palins part. "If anything this woman's M. O. is outside-the-box, not formulaic" Rush said ( I could not find the word Formulaic in the dictionary , Rush just makes up words to sound impressive but I digress) . She is proving she should be inside a box, a padded box. Insane people are not formulistic, their thoughts are helter skelter just like Sarah's thoughts.
Sarah says she did not want to be a lame duck Governor. So don't be a lame duck Governor. Do your job. Get along with the other elected officials and work to pass legislation that is good for the State of Alaska. When the going gets tough Sarah Palin quits. I will say one thing for her no one will be able to pin any of her failed policies on her because from here on out Alaska's problems are not hers any more they are the new governors problems.
Lets review Sarah's qualifications for President.
Beauty Queen; No bearing on Presidential Qualification.
Education; Communications degree. My father would say she might as well get a degree in basket weaving.
Political accomplishments; Mayor of a small town in Alaska, Governor for half a term before she quit. Pretty much has been as useless as tits on a bull.
Gets along well with others, Not.
Family; Hen pecked husband, Unwed teenage pregnant daughter, parade autistic child around for sympathy votes.
If she runs for President you betcha she is not getting my vote. Quitter.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Dave Alvin and the Guilty Women, Beachland 7/8/09
I'm not a huge country fan and so I was kind of in the dark when I went to the Beachland Ballroom to see Dave Alvin and the Guilty Women. I was surprised at how good this band was musically and they were the cutest damn band I have seen ever. Dave Alvin, originally of the Blasters, has formed a truly remarkable band of all women. They played music off of their new album entitled "Dave Alvin and the Guilty Women" and did some of the Dave's older material also. The music was folk at times, then switched to Texas swing, bluesy and rockin. Most of the night my toes were tapping. Finishing off the night with a rockin version of "Que Sera Sera". It's not your Doris Day song any more.
I don't know what else these women are guilty of but I can tell you one thing they are guilty of and that is being virtuosos on there respective instruments.
Cindy Cashdoller (her real name) played lap steel guitar and dobro. She could make bluesy soulful sounds and also turn to swing at a drop of a cowboy hat. Cindy is from Austin and has played with Asleep at the Wheel, Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, Marcia Ball and Jorma Kaukenen. A hot blond with a mean slide.
Cristy McWilson seemed to be Dave's favorite woman, as he explains that he knew Christy since she was 11 years old. She seemed a bit shy until she unleashed her roots music vocals that took you back to the hills for a good old stomp in the woods. There was something about Miss McWilson that kept reminding me of the movie "Oh Brother where Art Thou". Maybe it was her hurky jerky way of dancing or just her old timey drawl of her vocals. Christy is from Seattle Washington and has been recording since the 1980's. Oh yeah and she was pretty cute too.
Petite, redhead, Amy Farris, violinist extraordinaire. She could make a song swing with her violin. Sometimes she played soft and sometimes she was rough, but she obviously came to play. This little spitfire gave the band its old time country sound. Hailing from Austin, Texas the little girl with the big violin sound was very easy on the eyes. She has played with some of the greats such as Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Dusty Springfield, Emmy Lou Harris and Neko Case.
On bass was Sarah Brown. She was raised on blues and played with Buddy Guy, Albert Collins, Bill Kircher and Wanda Jackson. Sarah stayed in the background but was always there bringing the band together. She is from Ann Arbor, Michigan but could play with all of these old timey country gals. I would not kick her out of bed for hitting a wrong note, if you know what I mean.
Lisa Pankratz hid behind her drum kit but boy could she play. On a few songs I thought the rest of the band was just going to stop playing and let her go wild. The crowd would have loved it. She kept the blues beats rolling but she could swing when she had to. I would compare her to Led Zepplins Bonneham but it would be an insult to Lisa, because she can play, but she is so much cuter than Bonzo.
Dave Alvin and his baritone voice blended nicely with Chrity McWilson's tenor and Amy Farris' alto vocals. Dave is a guitarist versed in his version of country blues, swing and rock.
The older crowd loved him. When the Beachland puts chairs for people to sit on the crowd seems more subdued. I don't know if it is because the crowd is older or is it because of the chairs. I had a good time and would go back to see this band again.
Eilen Jewell warmed up. She has a haunting voice, very crisp and clear. I think you will be hearing more from her in the near future. Her guitarist, Jerry Miller, was an older gentelman than you would expect to be playing with a younger girl like Miss Jewell, but a very good country guitarist. Her encore was the old English classic "Shakin' All Over", with shakes in my knee bones, a very eerie yet sensuous version. I like her and would go to see her again.
I rate this show 4 twirls with some moth catcher hand moves.
I don't know what else these women are guilty of but I can tell you one thing they are guilty of and that is being virtuosos on there respective instruments.
Cindy Cashdoller (her real name) played lap steel guitar and dobro. She could make bluesy soulful sounds and also turn to swing at a drop of a cowboy hat. Cindy is from Austin and has played with Asleep at the Wheel, Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, Marcia Ball and Jorma Kaukenen. A hot blond with a mean slide.
Cristy McWilson seemed to be Dave's favorite woman, as he explains that he knew Christy since she was 11 years old. She seemed a bit shy until she unleashed her roots music vocals that took you back to the hills for a good old stomp in the woods. There was something about Miss McWilson that kept reminding me of the movie "Oh Brother where Art Thou". Maybe it was her hurky jerky way of dancing or just her old timey drawl of her vocals. Christy is from Seattle Washington and has been recording since the 1980's. Oh yeah and she was pretty cute too.
Petite, redhead, Amy Farris, violinist extraordinaire. She could make a song swing with her violin. Sometimes she played soft and sometimes she was rough, but she obviously came to play. This little spitfire gave the band its old time country sound. Hailing from Austin, Texas the little girl with the big violin sound was very easy on the eyes. She has played with some of the greats such as Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Dusty Springfield, Emmy Lou Harris and Neko Case.
On bass was Sarah Brown. She was raised on blues and played with Buddy Guy, Albert Collins, Bill Kircher and Wanda Jackson. Sarah stayed in the background but was always there bringing the band together. She is from Ann Arbor, Michigan but could play with all of these old timey country gals. I would not kick her out of bed for hitting a wrong note, if you know what I mean.
Lisa Pankratz hid behind her drum kit but boy could she play. On a few songs I thought the rest of the band was just going to stop playing and let her go wild. The crowd would have loved it. She kept the blues beats rolling but she could swing when she had to. I would compare her to Led Zepplins Bonneham but it would be an insult to Lisa, because she can play, but she is so much cuter than Bonzo.
Dave Alvin and his baritone voice blended nicely with Chrity McWilson's tenor and Amy Farris' alto vocals. Dave is a guitarist versed in his version of country blues, swing and rock.
The older crowd loved him. When the Beachland puts chairs for people to sit on the crowd seems more subdued. I don't know if it is because the crowd is older or is it because of the chairs. I had a good time and would go back to see this band again.
Eilen Jewell warmed up. She has a haunting voice, very crisp and clear. I think you will be hearing more from her in the near future. Her guitarist, Jerry Miller, was an older gentelman than you would expect to be playing with a younger girl like Miss Jewell, but a very good country guitarist. Her encore was the old English classic "Shakin' All Over", with shakes in my knee bones, a very eerie yet sensuous version. I like her and would go to see her again.
I rate this show 4 twirls with some moth catcher hand moves.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
What's wrong with the Judicial System?
Here are a few items that just don't make sense to me. A woman tasers a cheer leading coach in Oklahoma. The woman is sentenced to five years in prison. A fireman from Dublin, Ohio, shoots his two dogs because he does not want to pay for kennel fees while he is on vacation. The fireman is sentenced to 90 days in jail, a $4,500.00 fine and the fire department fires him. Donte' Stallworth, wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns drives drunk and kills a human being and he gets 30 days in jail, 2 years of house arrest, (should be called mansion arrest), 8 years of probation, 1,000 hours of community service. While Donte' is on house arrest he will be allowed to play football.
What is wrong with our Judicial System? A man who kills another human being gets 30 days in jail. He gets less time in jail than a man who kills a dog. Less time than a woman who didn't even kill someone. Am I the only one who sees the disparity here.
OK the woman who goes out to intentionally hurt another human being, has no intention of killing the coach, she used a taser only to harm. Five years, seems a bit stiff but OK I can go along with that.
Man kills his own pets. The guy is a jerk. He gets 90 days in jail, a little light of a sentence. I thought it should have been more like 6 months, but I can live with it. Fire Department does right and fires the A-hole.
Now we come to the drunken NFL player. WHAT THE HELL WAS THE JUDGE THINKING? 30 days?? He is under Mansion Arrest and can still travel around the country and stay in swank hotels and get payed millions of dollars. That is some punishment. How come I never got punished like that? This is like telling your kid to go to his room where he has a 42" flat screen with cable, DVD, computer, cell phone and three of his friends waiting. Where is the punishment? Then we wonder why Athletes act like such dick weeds. Put Stallworths ass in jail for at least five years. And if his attorney wants to appeal the sentence put his ass right next to Stallworth's in jail. 30 days is a travesty of justice. I want the Judge put in jail for contempt of humanity.
If Stallworth is allowed to play for the Browns I will be yelling when they announce his name. I wont be yelling yeah. I will be yelling MURDERER.
What is wrong with our Judicial System? A man who kills another human being gets 30 days in jail. He gets less time in jail than a man who kills a dog. Less time than a woman who didn't even kill someone. Am I the only one who sees the disparity here.
OK the woman who goes out to intentionally hurt another human being, has no intention of killing the coach, she used a taser only to harm. Five years, seems a bit stiff but OK I can go along with that.
Man kills his own pets. The guy is a jerk. He gets 90 days in jail, a little light of a sentence. I thought it should have been more like 6 months, but I can live with it. Fire Department does right and fires the A-hole.
Now we come to the drunken NFL player. WHAT THE HELL WAS THE JUDGE THINKING? 30 days?? He is under Mansion Arrest and can still travel around the country and stay in swank hotels and get payed millions of dollars. That is some punishment. How come I never got punished like that? This is like telling your kid to go to his room where he has a 42" flat screen with cable, DVD, computer, cell phone and three of his friends waiting. Where is the punishment? Then we wonder why Athletes act like such dick weeds. Put Stallworths ass in jail for at least five years. And if his attorney wants to appeal the sentence put his ass right next to Stallworth's in jail. 30 days is a travesty of justice. I want the Judge put in jail for contempt of humanity.
If Stallworth is allowed to play for the Browns I will be yelling when they announce his name. I wont be yelling yeah. I will be yelling MURDERER.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Marcia Ball, Beachland Ballroom 6/5/09
It was a cool June evening in Cleveland on Friday night, unless you were at the Beachland Ballroom, then it was a hot Louisiana night. Marcia Ball was in town and she had the Ballroom smoking hot with her Cajun flavored blues and rock. This tall drink of water from Austin Texas is the hottest piano player, playing that New Orleans sound piano, made famous by Professor Longhair. Boy, can she cook on the piano. Her hands look like two spiders crawling around on the keyboard and yes, from the sound you would swear that she has 16 fingers.
Marcia played some of her old classics such as "La Ti Da", "Red Beans and Rice", "Play With Your Poodle", and a show topper Professor Longhairs "Mardis Gras". Hooowe can that girl play piano! And of course since Katrina leveled New Orleans Marcia always does the haunting song "Louisiana".
Much of the night was spent on new material, off of her new CD entitled Peace, Love and BBQ, that was quite good. Off of the new CD she played "Peace, Love and BBQ" a good party song. A song that was darker than most of Marcia's good time music called, "Down in the Neighborhood", about a cheating man, was different for her, I loved it. on the CD "Down in the Neighborhood" doesn't sound as dark as when she played it in concert. Another kind of slow dark song was "Miracle in Knoxville", that poor devil can't ever win. "Married Life" had me dancing, this song is a cooker. Marcia Ball cooks on piano. The bluesy "Falling Back in Love With You" will be a favorite for years to come and showed off some of guitar player Andrew Nafzigel fancy guitar work. "Ride It Out" is a tear jerker song with a funny twist at the end. I will let you hear for yourself what the twist is, it will make you chuckle.
This next paragraph is not good journalism. I tried to find out who the rest of the band were but I can only guess that the band is the same as on the CD without the guest appearances. If anyone wants to correct me I would appreciate the input. Thad Scott on sax was phenomenal, after every one of his solos he drew rousing applause. I did feel bad for the guitar player Andrew Nafzigel , who was also phenomenal, but for some reason did not get the audience recognition that saxophone player Thad Scott received. A fickle crowd I guess. I ran into Uncle Ronny, the drummer from Lude McDude, at the show, he did not care for Marcia Balls drummer Corey Keller. Uncle Ronny felt that he did not add enough highlights to the music. I thought he was OK. Long time bass player Don Bennett was there to hold everyone together and did a superb job. Marcia Ball was excellent on piano, she cooks.
My friend Nee and her friend Laura were in attendance. They were Marcia Ball virgins that seemed to really love the show. They were dancing as much as I was. Mike Sokolowski needs to change the name of his University Inn to Rock Star Foods, he got a plug as to how good his food is from Marcia Ball. Paul Thorn, Marcia Ball, who's next? Rock Music Critic, Greg Cielec, felt that the Beachland should not have put chairs out in a concert seating arrangement. "People should be dancing" Greg thought. I pointed out to Greg that we were probably two of the younger guys at the concert. Chairs were a plus for the older crowd. Marcia definitely drew an older crowd. There was enough room around the sides and the back for dancers like me. My Honey Bunny really enjoyed the show and when she is happy, I am happy. This was a definite Five twirl show. Marcia Ball sure knows how to cook a crowd. Did I mention how good she is on piano.
Marcia played some of her old classics such as "La Ti Da", "Red Beans and Rice", "Play With Your Poodle", and a show topper Professor Longhairs "Mardis Gras". Hooowe can that girl play piano! And of course since Katrina leveled New Orleans Marcia always does the haunting song "Louisiana".
Much of the night was spent on new material, off of her new CD entitled Peace, Love and BBQ, that was quite good. Off of the new CD she played "Peace, Love and BBQ" a good party song. A song that was darker than most of Marcia's good time music called, "Down in the Neighborhood", about a cheating man, was different for her, I loved it. on the CD "Down in the Neighborhood" doesn't sound as dark as when she played it in concert. Another kind of slow dark song was "Miracle in Knoxville", that poor devil can't ever win. "Married Life" had me dancing, this song is a cooker. Marcia Ball cooks on piano. The bluesy "Falling Back in Love With You" will be a favorite for years to come and showed off some of guitar player Andrew Nafzigel fancy guitar work. "Ride It Out" is a tear jerker song with a funny twist at the end. I will let you hear for yourself what the twist is, it will make you chuckle.
This next paragraph is not good journalism. I tried to find out who the rest of the band were but I can only guess that the band is the same as on the CD without the guest appearances. If anyone wants to correct me I would appreciate the input. Thad Scott on sax was phenomenal, after every one of his solos he drew rousing applause. I did feel bad for the guitar player Andrew Nafzigel , who was also phenomenal, but for some reason did not get the audience recognition that saxophone player Thad Scott received. A fickle crowd I guess. I ran into Uncle Ronny, the drummer from Lude McDude, at the show, he did not care for Marcia Balls drummer Corey Keller. Uncle Ronny felt that he did not add enough highlights to the music. I thought he was OK. Long time bass player Don Bennett was there to hold everyone together and did a superb job. Marcia Ball was excellent on piano, she cooks.
My friend Nee and her friend Laura were in attendance. They were Marcia Ball virgins that seemed to really love the show. They were dancing as much as I was. Mike Sokolowski needs to change the name of his University Inn to Rock Star Foods, he got a plug as to how good his food is from Marcia Ball. Paul Thorn, Marcia Ball, who's next? Rock Music Critic, Greg Cielec, felt that the Beachland should not have put chairs out in a concert seating arrangement. "People should be dancing" Greg thought. I pointed out to Greg that we were probably two of the younger guys at the concert. Chairs were a plus for the older crowd. Marcia definitely drew an older crowd. There was enough room around the sides and the back for dancers like me. My Honey Bunny really enjoyed the show and when she is happy, I am happy. This was a definite Five twirl show. Marcia Ball sure knows how to cook a crowd. Did I mention how good she is on piano.
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