The wing nuts on the right, the radical right, the ditto sheep have become totally anti American. They cheer wildly when the United States loses the bid for the Olympics and they boo and criticize our President when he wins the Nobel Peace Award. Love it or leave it you bunch of white, fat cat, rich, lying, sodomites, who are pushing for anarchy. Rush, Beck Hannity and Steele all scream that there is too much government. They wish and pray that the President fails. They side with the French and the post Hitler Germans that say Obama does not deserve the Peace Prize. Russia, Cuba and Africa are all more willing to sit down and talk about peace now than in the past eight years. There has been dialogue between Palestine and Israel. In their hatred of a Black President the Republicans have lost sight of the fact that we are all Americans and should be proud when the world recognizes America for being the greatest nation in the world by honoring our President.
The United States and the world is in an economic crisis and the US getting the Olympics would have been an honor and a positive boost to the economy. The wing nuts on the right cheer the United States failure to land the Olympics. They cheer failure and refuse to get involved in any forms of bipartisan discussions. Disgusting, it turns my stomach to think that these people are even allowed in this country.
The NRA and the Radical Right used their scare tactics on their members in order to make record profits for the gun industry. As soon as Obama was elected the NRA and the radical right started to cry that the Obama regime was going to tax bullets so that people would not be able to afford them. The Administration was going to enact a law that all ammunition was going to have to have to be marked so that it would be traceable, therefor driving up the price and making ammunition unaffordable. The Government has been so busy trying to fix the economy and Health Care that they must have forgot about the bullets. The only thing that has happened is that the Right wing has scared all of the gun owners to go out and buy ammunition which depleted the supply and raised the demand so prices have skyrocketed. If you can even find a load for your gun it has probably doubled in price. In these hard economic times the gun industry is posting record profits thanks to the ditto sheep. Thank you Right wing radical liars for doubling the cost of me killing ground hogs. Hunting season is almost here and the deer should be happy that hunters can not afford to buy ammunition for their guns because of the underhanded tactics of the Right. To take hunting away from the people of the United States is disgusting and a disgrace, the NRA and the Radical Right should be ashamed of themselves. They are not ashamed, they are laughing all the way to the bank. Unamerican Bastards.
So the Republicans laugh and mock our president for winning awards and receiving world wide recognition for doing good. I guess they want a President that is hated and feared around the world. And how did that work out for us in the past? They cheer that a foreign country gets to host the Olympics. The GOP scares their constituents into buying ammunition and guns at higher than market prices, resulting in huge profits for the gun industry, by lying to Americans. They say no to fixing Health Care and lie about death panels. They refuse to even get into talks about how to fix the economy and then cry bipartisanship. And when the GOP was in power lied about weapons of mass destruction so that they could start a war that has cost Trillions of dollars and thousands of American lives and achieved little.
I am glad to say that I belong to the party that has not given up on Health Care reform. Hasn't given up on trying to boost the economy. The party that doesn't have to lie and scare its constituents into voting their way so that they can make the biggest profits while the workers starve. Yes Obama has not fixed all of the problems of the United States but he has only been in office 10 months while the Republicans had 12 years to screw it up. At least Obama doesn't have to lie to the people to get his way. Mr. President, congratulations on your award the true Americans are proud of you.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Farm Aid St Louis 2009
September 29th I get a call from my friend Randy from Buffalo, New York, he has an extra ticket to Farm Aid in St. Louis, Missouri, for Sunday October 4th. I ask my Honey Bunny if I can go she says "sure go". She is the best wife I could ever have. I check plane schedules, too expensive to fly. I decide to drive. Map Quest says it is 9 1/2 hours to get to St. Louis. I know I can shave at least an hour if not an hour and a half off of that time.
Friday Morning I get packed. I load the Avalanches CD player with traveling music, Joe Bonomassa, Dave Matthews, Will kimbrough, Neil Young, Bob Dylan and J. Giels. Between the CD's and XM radio, I should be able to make the trip with my sole still in tact. I take my friend Michael to the airport so that he can catch a flight to Texas then to Albuquerque, New Mexico to meet his wife where they will embark on a two week journey through the western landscape.
12:30 and I am on 71 South towards Columbus. Dark sky's and rain will be my companion for the first two hours of the trip. The music is blaring and I have cookies, peanut butter M & M's, Sour Dough Pretzels and water for nourishment. God help anyone who tries to get in my way now. The sugar buzz alone could kill most mortals. Add in the isolation and I am sure a madness will try and take over along the way.
I set landmarks to break up the trip. One hour to Mansfield. Another hour to I 270. A half hour to I 70. I know these roads well and can coast on auto pilot. Once on I 70 I have only been to Dayton twice in my life and Indianapolis once, after that I was in uncharted territory. Just me and my Biatch, the GPS to guide me. The rest of the trip on I 70 is just a flat out run from Indianapolis to Earth City Missouri. I can't wait to get there where I can blend in with the rest of the crazies and miscreants who have traveled from around the country to save the farmers.
Randy calls me when I am about two hours away from the hotel. He is in Chicago on a layover. He asks whether I am talking to myself yet. I tell him to beware of the bats. The bats are flying around but have not attacked yet. Randy knows Hunter so he could decipher what I was talking about. We should hit the hotel about the same time. I love when a plan comes together. I got to go, my voice is getting raspy from talking and I need it to keep singing.
I am the first to arrive at the hotel of our little foursome. Randy, Dave, Dave's cousin Karen and I will spend the next few days together playing tourist, gamblers, Farm Aid supporters and music fans, while enjoying the surrounds of St Louis, Missouri. I am only able to rest for about 15 minutes before Randy and the others arrive. We go and get some Bar B Que for dinner and head back to the hotel for a drink at the bar. The hotel is filled with many of the technical crew from Farm Aid. The TV crews and lighting personnel that we will meet in the bar will prove to be a wealth of information as far as the venue and schedule of times of the different acts to take the stage. Many of these techies have come from Memphis, Virginia, Maryland and other parts of the United States and are knowledgeable in music and seem stoked to be working the Farm Aid concert.
Saturday we wake late around 8:00. We all had to sleep in after the long day of travel. We have a group meeting in the lobby and decide that since we are in St Louis we need to go and see the Gateway Arch, tourists that we are. We pile in the truck and head East on I 70 to find the Arch. The Biatch is being temperamental and refuses to give me directions. Some day I am going to beat that Biatch like a red headed step child. So while I drive the four of us stare off into the sky until we catch a glimpse of the 640' silver arch. Now we have to figure out which exit to get off at, luckily there are signs that direct us off of the highway. We work our way through a maze of streets and find a parking lot close to the arch and under a highway overpass. No matter what city you go to there are always parking lots under the overpasses of the expressway.
We walk through the park to the Arch and go under the Arch where there is a museum commemorating the westward expansion of the United States. We finally talk Randy into taking the elevator up to the top of the Arch to view the City of St. Louis from the observation deck. We have to get into little cars that look like football helmets. Luckily I get separated from the other three and have to ride with a family that has two children about 9 and 11 years old. The kids do not take up much space, although one of them is kind of freaking out. Listen you little bastard I am not crazy about the confined space either but you do not feel me quivering from fear. Man up. Finally we are at the top.
Jesus Christ, who designed this lookout point a midget. I feel claustrophobic up here, my head almost touches the ceiling. The architect must have thought only gnomes, hobbits, trolls and ferries were going to come up here. The Arch is solid I don't feel it swaying in the wind like I expected it to and the view is pretty. OK we have had enough lets head down. Five grown ups climb into one of the Football helmets for the ride down. Let me explain Dave makes me look small. He is at least an inch taller, with size 17 feet and I can hide in his shadow. Needless to say the four and a half minute ride down was not very comfortable.
We now walk to the river and take a nice paddle wheal boat ride on the Mississippi River. The boat captain gave us a brief history of the river and the founding of St. Louis. A nice and relaxing trip. A bit cold at times but overall enjoyable. I met a veteran Farm Aid concert goer, from Maryland, on the boat. He had been to ten Farm Aid shows already. He plans his vacation around going to the concert every year. How much fun is that.
We now decide to play Lewis and Clark and walk what seems like to Kansas City. Truth be told it is about eight blocks to the Taste of St. Louis. The Taste of St. Louis is a street fair with lots of Bar B Que food, art work, trinkets and music. Admission is free and the food is reasonably priced. We eat ribs, ribs, pulled pork, ribs, pizza, ribs, beer, cheese cake a milk shake with a rolled up cookie in it and ice cream. Whew, lets head for the truck. Did I happen to mention that Dave can eat.
Back at the safe confines of the hotel Randy takes a nap, I stretch my back that is starting to bother me, Dave and Karen fall asleep. Randy wakes up and we go to the pool and swim in the cold pool water. Then hit the bar for a late night soup, salad and a Cuvasier. The techies are just getting in from their long day of setup and practice. We all start extending "howdy doos", "where you froms" and concert stories of days gone past. A schedule now appears out of a brief case that lets me know what times every group will be on stage if every thing runs on time. Randy and I decide we can miss some of the early acts, although Phosphorescent is one of the bands that I wanted to see that I will miss. If we head over to the amphitheatre around 2:30 I should be able to catch Billy Joe Shaver and the rest of the big acts. Thanks fellas for an enlightened enjoyable evening.
Sunday morning we all meet for a big breakfast and to discuss our game plan for the day. Get ready, head over to Harah's Casino for a few hours of gambling and Browns football, then off to the show. The Casino did not have a sports bar to watch the Browns so I headed to the video Poker machine. Three hands and I am up $50. I feel a big win in here today. OK I give back the $50 and the the original $20 that I put into the machine. I check the Browns score they are losing, go figure. I lose another $20. I check the Browns score they are tied. Ok I can live with that. I lose another $20. Thank God it is time to go and meet the others and head to the concert. I can't afford this place. The Browns are winning, hurray.
We get to the concert venue it is what Randy calls a "shed". A steel and concrete amphitheatre with a man made hill for lawn seating. It is not Red Rocks or Blossom Music Center, just a nondescript amphitheatre like many others spread out across the United States. We get to our seats six rows from the stage dead center, Nice. Jamey Johnson is on stage setting up. I don't like the looks of this where is Billy Joe Shaver. I look around and spot a couple that looks as though they have been there for a while and ask, "did Billy Joe Shaver play already?" "Yeah Yeah he's done" they tell me. I am bummed, so bummed, one of the highlights of my day was going to be seeing Billy Joe Shaver live. A living legend and I missed him. How do the Beatles say it "I'm down, I'm really down, I'm down, down on the ground".
Jamey Johnson starts playing and singing which lifts my spirits. Jamey Johnson has a deep voice that reminded me of Bo Cepheus. He reminded Randy of Kris Kristopherson. Country music but a good sound. I can listen to this. Jamey Johnson ends and I go for a walk to check out the vendors selling organic food, locally grown and raised by farmers. I get a pizza and a bottle of water.
Gretchen Wilson is up next, her band takes the stage. Dave and I decide to walk around and people watch and see what we can see. Young people, old people, farmers and city folk all together for a just cause or just to hear good music. Hey, I thought Gretchen Wilson was country? This band is playing "Lunatic Fringe" then they segue into "Rock You Like A Hurricane" by Scorpion. What the F is going on? Gretchen now joins her band and rocks out with "Here for the Party", "There's A Place In Whiskey" with a interlude to "La Grange" by ZZ Top. She ends her set with her big hit "Redneck Woman". All the women are singing along and dancing and having a good time.
Wilco comes out and slams Gretchen Wilson by asking "how many people here are not rednecks?" Over half the crowd applauds. Jeff tweedy the singer for Wilco explains that we are all just people here for a good cause, not just rednecks. Wilco plays a stellar set of music including the songs "Heavy Metal Drummer", "Casino Queen", which is about a casino that is across the Mississippi River in East St. Louis and "Hoodoo Voodoo". Nice guitar action between the two lead guitarists switching back and forth. I can understand why Wilco is making a name for themselves.
I guess I will stick around to hear Jason Mraz. I don't know much about him, lets see what the kids got. What Jason has is a nice kind of island, party sound. He sings a message of love and community and fellowship. I like it. I could do without the lame hand gestures he is trying to get the crowd to do, but I like it. Jason pulls out a nice rendition of "Spirit In The Sky". Much of the crowd is singing along. I like it.
The sun is starting to set when Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds start their set. I don't know who this Tim Reynolds is but I am sure going to find out. Tim can play guitar. Tim and Dave do an acoustic set playing some of Dave's music off of his new album Big Whiskey and the Groo Grux King. "Funny the Way It Is" and "You and Me"Dave Matthews acknowledges that Willie Nelson's guitar is sitting behind him and just has to touch it, with one finger like a naughty little child. When Willie finally joins them on stage the trio performs a moving rendition of "Gravedigger". Dave and Tim finish the set with a great rendition of "Dancing Nancies". Dave is great with his band but he is equally good with Tim Reynolds acoustic. Dave is on the board of Farm Aid and said "The more we get behind things Willie believes in the better we'll be".
John Cougar Mellencamp takes the stage with a full band and rocks out his set. He opens with "Pink Houses", which gets the crowd on their feet. "Paper in Fire" and "Check it out " were very well done with a violin, accordian, two guitarist, a drummer and a bass player plus John. John did two acoustic songs then he brought the whole band back out to rock some more. John brought his 14 year old son out to try out for the band but he is not in the band yet, when they played a finale of "Authority Song". Mellencamp has to be about 60 years old and he still can rock and jump around on stage. Great set. I guess when you only have to fill an hour you might as well fill it with your rockingest, biggest hits.
Neil Young came on stage and said "We want our farms back". Neil Young had his regular band with him. His wife Pegi on backing vocals, Spooner Oldham on keyboards, Rick Rosas on Bass, Ben Kieth on Pedal Steel Guitar. Neil does a mostly acoustic set. He plays "Hold Back The Tears". A very soulful "Sail Away". Pegi's voice is very good tonight. Willie joined Neil and the band for a rousing rendition of "Home Grown". Willie and Neil really seemed to enjoying themselves on that one. Neil ended with "Everyone Knows This Is Nowhere". During the set Neil tore his red T shirt off exposing a green T shirt underneath saying "Family Farms". After Neil's set I went walking around and I heard some younger people talking. "Man when did Neil Young become so angry?" "Yeah, he is a grouchy old guy". I guess they have never believed in, or been involved in, a cause as much as Neil is. Kids, go figure.
Willie Nelson came out and said "Family farmers are the first rung of economics in this country". Yes they are. The salt of the earth. The hard working men and women who make this country great. Speaking of great what a set Willie performs. Willie performed some of his greatest hits like "Whiskey River", "Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys", "On The Road Again", "Always On My Mind". He had his son Lukas join him and take the lead for a blues filled rendition of "Me and Paul" and "Shoe shine Man". Willie had Billy Joe Shaver come on out on stage since he was late and did not perform earlier. Doh! I was bummed out for nothing. Billie Joe Shaver performed with Willie "Just Because You Asked Me To" and "Fast Train To Georgia". Two legends singing together, excellent. I am totally happy or so I thought.
During the set Willie takes off his cowboy hat and frisbees it out into the audience. The hat flutters out over my head then starts back towards the stage. I leap as I high as I can. I must have looked like Shaquille O' Neal going for a rebound. I get my hands on the hat but another fan has a grip on the hat also. I give a tug and fall back into my chair, the hat is mine. A bit beat up from the tussle but mine none the less. The smile on my face has to be from ear to ear. Willie throws out bandannas at every show. I don't know how often he throws out a cowboy hat. Now I wonder if I am on the Farm Aid live broadcast? I will have to buy the DVD when it comes out.
Willie brings his Indian entourage out with any of the performers who want to come out on stage for a bit of gospel music. As a group they perform "I'll Fly Away", a wonderful version of "Amazng Grace" and anyone who is left in the crowd is singing along with "I Saw The Light". Willie was on top of his game all day. Farm Aid brings out the best in him.
A wonderful, wonderful day. Oh except for during the concert I was talking to the people sitting next to Randy and they were from Cincinnati, my Browns lost in overtime. Ahh who cares, Farm Aid was fun and I have Willies hat. I rate this a five twirl show with some moth catcher hand moves thrown in. This is an event I can scratch off of my bucket list. Maybe I will plan my vacation around it.
Monday morning load up the car and fill the CD player with some new CD's. Let's see, how about some Van Morrison, Jerry Garcia Band, Melissa Etheridge, Paul Thorn, Grace Potter and Government Mule. I have eight hours of sunshine, singing and good memories ahead. I have Willies hat on my head and I am off.
If you text the word farmer to 90999 five dollars will be donated to Farm Aid in your name and billed to your phone bill. Please try and help the small family farmer out by buying local produce and meats and donating to Farm Aid.
Friday Morning I get packed. I load the Avalanches CD player with traveling music, Joe Bonomassa, Dave Matthews, Will kimbrough, Neil Young, Bob Dylan and J. Giels. Between the CD's and XM radio, I should be able to make the trip with my sole still in tact. I take my friend Michael to the airport so that he can catch a flight to Texas then to Albuquerque, New Mexico to meet his wife where they will embark on a two week journey through the western landscape.
12:30 and I am on 71 South towards Columbus. Dark sky's and rain will be my companion for the first two hours of the trip. The music is blaring and I have cookies, peanut butter M & M's, Sour Dough Pretzels and water for nourishment. God help anyone who tries to get in my way now. The sugar buzz alone could kill most mortals. Add in the isolation and I am sure a madness will try and take over along the way.
I set landmarks to break up the trip. One hour to Mansfield. Another hour to I 270. A half hour to I 70. I know these roads well and can coast on auto pilot. Once on I 70 I have only been to Dayton twice in my life and Indianapolis once, after that I was in uncharted territory. Just me and my Biatch, the GPS to guide me. The rest of the trip on I 70 is just a flat out run from Indianapolis to Earth City Missouri. I can't wait to get there where I can blend in with the rest of the crazies and miscreants who have traveled from around the country to save the farmers.
Randy calls me when I am about two hours away from the hotel. He is in Chicago on a layover. He asks whether I am talking to myself yet. I tell him to beware of the bats. The bats are flying around but have not attacked yet. Randy knows Hunter so he could decipher what I was talking about. We should hit the hotel about the same time. I love when a plan comes together. I got to go, my voice is getting raspy from talking and I need it to keep singing.
I am the first to arrive at the hotel of our little foursome. Randy, Dave, Dave's cousin Karen and I will spend the next few days together playing tourist, gamblers, Farm Aid supporters and music fans, while enjoying the surrounds of St Louis, Missouri. I am only able to rest for about 15 minutes before Randy and the others arrive. We go and get some Bar B Que for dinner and head back to the hotel for a drink at the bar. The hotel is filled with many of the technical crew from Farm Aid. The TV crews and lighting personnel that we will meet in the bar will prove to be a wealth of information as far as the venue and schedule of times of the different acts to take the stage. Many of these techies have come from Memphis, Virginia, Maryland and other parts of the United States and are knowledgeable in music and seem stoked to be working the Farm Aid concert.
Saturday we wake late around 8:00. We all had to sleep in after the long day of travel. We have a group meeting in the lobby and decide that since we are in St Louis we need to go and see the Gateway Arch, tourists that we are. We pile in the truck and head East on I 70 to find the Arch. The Biatch is being temperamental and refuses to give me directions. Some day I am going to beat that Biatch like a red headed step child. So while I drive the four of us stare off into the sky until we catch a glimpse of the 640' silver arch. Now we have to figure out which exit to get off at, luckily there are signs that direct us off of the highway. We work our way through a maze of streets and find a parking lot close to the arch and under a highway overpass. No matter what city you go to there are always parking lots under the overpasses of the expressway.
We walk through the park to the Arch and go under the Arch where there is a museum commemorating the westward expansion of the United States. We finally talk Randy into taking the elevator up to the top of the Arch to view the City of St. Louis from the observation deck. We have to get into little cars that look like football helmets. Luckily I get separated from the other three and have to ride with a family that has two children about 9 and 11 years old. The kids do not take up much space, although one of them is kind of freaking out. Listen you little bastard I am not crazy about the confined space either but you do not feel me quivering from fear. Man up. Finally we are at the top.
Jesus Christ, who designed this lookout point a midget. I feel claustrophobic up here, my head almost touches the ceiling. The architect must have thought only gnomes, hobbits, trolls and ferries were going to come up here. The Arch is solid I don't feel it swaying in the wind like I expected it to and the view is pretty. OK we have had enough lets head down. Five grown ups climb into one of the Football helmets for the ride down. Let me explain Dave makes me look small. He is at least an inch taller, with size 17 feet and I can hide in his shadow. Needless to say the four and a half minute ride down was not very comfortable.
We now walk to the river and take a nice paddle wheal boat ride on the Mississippi River. The boat captain gave us a brief history of the river and the founding of St. Louis. A nice and relaxing trip. A bit cold at times but overall enjoyable. I met a veteran Farm Aid concert goer, from Maryland, on the boat. He had been to ten Farm Aid shows already. He plans his vacation around going to the concert every year. How much fun is that.
We now decide to play Lewis and Clark and walk what seems like to Kansas City. Truth be told it is about eight blocks to the Taste of St. Louis. The Taste of St. Louis is a street fair with lots of Bar B Que food, art work, trinkets and music. Admission is free and the food is reasonably priced. We eat ribs, ribs, pulled pork, ribs, pizza, ribs, beer, cheese cake a milk shake with a rolled up cookie in it and ice cream. Whew, lets head for the truck. Did I happen to mention that Dave can eat.
Back at the safe confines of the hotel Randy takes a nap, I stretch my back that is starting to bother me, Dave and Karen fall asleep. Randy wakes up and we go to the pool and swim in the cold pool water. Then hit the bar for a late night soup, salad and a Cuvasier. The techies are just getting in from their long day of setup and practice. We all start extending "howdy doos", "where you froms" and concert stories of days gone past. A schedule now appears out of a brief case that lets me know what times every group will be on stage if every thing runs on time. Randy and I decide we can miss some of the early acts, although Phosphorescent is one of the bands that I wanted to see that I will miss. If we head over to the amphitheatre around 2:30 I should be able to catch Billy Joe Shaver and the rest of the big acts. Thanks fellas for an enlightened enjoyable evening.
Sunday morning we all meet for a big breakfast and to discuss our game plan for the day. Get ready, head over to Harah's Casino for a few hours of gambling and Browns football, then off to the show. The Casino did not have a sports bar to watch the Browns so I headed to the video Poker machine. Three hands and I am up $50. I feel a big win in here today. OK I give back the $50 and the the original $20 that I put into the machine. I check the Browns score they are losing, go figure. I lose another $20. I check the Browns score they are tied. Ok I can live with that. I lose another $20. Thank God it is time to go and meet the others and head to the concert. I can't afford this place. The Browns are winning, hurray.
We get to the concert venue it is what Randy calls a "shed". A steel and concrete amphitheatre with a man made hill for lawn seating. It is not Red Rocks or Blossom Music Center, just a nondescript amphitheatre like many others spread out across the United States. We get to our seats six rows from the stage dead center, Nice. Jamey Johnson is on stage setting up. I don't like the looks of this where is Billy Joe Shaver. I look around and spot a couple that looks as though they have been there for a while and ask, "did Billy Joe Shaver play already?" "Yeah Yeah he's done" they tell me. I am bummed, so bummed, one of the highlights of my day was going to be seeing Billy Joe Shaver live. A living legend and I missed him. How do the Beatles say it "I'm down, I'm really down, I'm down, down on the ground".
Jamey Johnson starts playing and singing which lifts my spirits. Jamey Johnson has a deep voice that reminded me of Bo Cepheus. He reminded Randy of Kris Kristopherson. Country music but a good sound. I can listen to this. Jamey Johnson ends and I go for a walk to check out the vendors selling organic food, locally grown and raised by farmers. I get a pizza and a bottle of water.
Gretchen Wilson is up next, her band takes the stage. Dave and I decide to walk around and people watch and see what we can see. Young people, old people, farmers and city folk all together for a just cause or just to hear good music. Hey, I thought Gretchen Wilson was country? This band is playing "Lunatic Fringe" then they segue into "Rock You Like A Hurricane" by Scorpion. What the F is going on? Gretchen now joins her band and rocks out with "Here for the Party", "There's A Place In Whiskey" with a interlude to "La Grange" by ZZ Top. She ends her set with her big hit "Redneck Woman". All the women are singing along and dancing and having a good time.
Wilco comes out and slams Gretchen Wilson by asking "how many people here are not rednecks?" Over half the crowd applauds. Jeff tweedy the singer for Wilco explains that we are all just people here for a good cause, not just rednecks. Wilco plays a stellar set of music including the songs "Heavy Metal Drummer", "Casino Queen", which is about a casino that is across the Mississippi River in East St. Louis and "Hoodoo Voodoo". Nice guitar action between the two lead guitarists switching back and forth. I can understand why Wilco is making a name for themselves.
I guess I will stick around to hear Jason Mraz. I don't know much about him, lets see what the kids got. What Jason has is a nice kind of island, party sound. He sings a message of love and community and fellowship. I like it. I could do without the lame hand gestures he is trying to get the crowd to do, but I like it. Jason pulls out a nice rendition of "Spirit In The Sky". Much of the crowd is singing along. I like it.
The sun is starting to set when Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds start their set. I don't know who this Tim Reynolds is but I am sure going to find out. Tim can play guitar. Tim and Dave do an acoustic set playing some of Dave's music off of his new album Big Whiskey and the Groo Grux King. "Funny the Way It Is" and "You and Me"Dave Matthews acknowledges that Willie Nelson's guitar is sitting behind him and just has to touch it, with one finger like a naughty little child. When Willie finally joins them on stage the trio performs a moving rendition of "Gravedigger". Dave and Tim finish the set with a great rendition of "Dancing Nancies". Dave is great with his band but he is equally good with Tim Reynolds acoustic. Dave is on the board of Farm Aid and said "The more we get behind things Willie believes in the better we'll be".
John Cougar Mellencamp takes the stage with a full band and rocks out his set. He opens with "Pink Houses", which gets the crowd on their feet. "Paper in Fire" and "Check it out " were very well done with a violin, accordian, two guitarist, a drummer and a bass player plus John. John did two acoustic songs then he brought the whole band back out to rock some more. John brought his 14 year old son out to try out for the band but he is not in the band yet, when they played a finale of "Authority Song". Mellencamp has to be about 60 years old and he still can rock and jump around on stage. Great set. I guess when you only have to fill an hour you might as well fill it with your rockingest, biggest hits.
Neil Young came on stage and said "We want our farms back". Neil Young had his regular band with him. His wife Pegi on backing vocals, Spooner Oldham on keyboards, Rick Rosas on Bass, Ben Kieth on Pedal Steel Guitar. Neil does a mostly acoustic set. He plays "Hold Back The Tears". A very soulful "Sail Away". Pegi's voice is very good tonight. Willie joined Neil and the band for a rousing rendition of "Home Grown". Willie and Neil really seemed to enjoying themselves on that one. Neil ended with "Everyone Knows This Is Nowhere". During the set Neil tore his red T shirt off exposing a green T shirt underneath saying "Family Farms". After Neil's set I went walking around and I heard some younger people talking. "Man when did Neil Young become so angry?" "Yeah, he is a grouchy old guy". I guess they have never believed in, or been involved in, a cause as much as Neil is. Kids, go figure.
Willie Nelson came out and said "Family farmers are the first rung of economics in this country". Yes they are. The salt of the earth. The hard working men and women who make this country great. Speaking of great what a set Willie performs. Willie performed some of his greatest hits like "Whiskey River", "Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys", "On The Road Again", "Always On My Mind". He had his son Lukas join him and take the lead for a blues filled rendition of "Me and Paul" and "Shoe shine Man". Willie had Billy Joe Shaver come on out on stage since he was late and did not perform earlier. Doh! I was bummed out for nothing. Billie Joe Shaver performed with Willie "Just Because You Asked Me To" and "Fast Train To Georgia". Two legends singing together, excellent. I am totally happy or so I thought.
During the set Willie takes off his cowboy hat and frisbees it out into the audience. The hat flutters out over my head then starts back towards the stage. I leap as I high as I can. I must have looked like Shaquille O' Neal going for a rebound. I get my hands on the hat but another fan has a grip on the hat also. I give a tug and fall back into my chair, the hat is mine. A bit beat up from the tussle but mine none the less. The smile on my face has to be from ear to ear. Willie throws out bandannas at every show. I don't know how often he throws out a cowboy hat. Now I wonder if I am on the Farm Aid live broadcast? I will have to buy the DVD when it comes out.
Willie brings his Indian entourage out with any of the performers who want to come out on stage for a bit of gospel music. As a group they perform "I'll Fly Away", a wonderful version of "Amazng Grace" and anyone who is left in the crowd is singing along with "I Saw The Light". Willie was on top of his game all day. Farm Aid brings out the best in him.
A wonderful, wonderful day. Oh except for during the concert I was talking to the people sitting next to Randy and they were from Cincinnati, my Browns lost in overtime. Ahh who cares, Farm Aid was fun and I have Willies hat. I rate this a five twirl show with some moth catcher hand moves thrown in. This is an event I can scratch off of my bucket list. Maybe I will plan my vacation around it.
Monday morning load up the car and fill the CD player with some new CD's. Let's see, how about some Van Morrison, Jerry Garcia Band, Melissa Etheridge, Paul Thorn, Grace Potter and Government Mule. I have eight hours of sunshine, singing and good memories ahead. I have Willies hat on my head and I am off.
If you text the word farmer to 90999 five dollars will be donated to Farm Aid in your name and billed to your phone bill. Please try and help the small family farmer out by buying local produce and meats and donating to Farm Aid.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Will Kimbrough Honky Tonk House 9/11/09
Jay and Tammy, the gracious hosts of Honky Tonk House Concerts, are a friendly couple who have opened their house to music lovers for an up close, personal, concert experience. The house is your typical split level home with an attached garage and a family room under the bedrooms. The house could be found in any suburb built in the 1960's. This house is located in Streetsboro, Ohio. We started our experience in the garage and driveway at 7:00PM with a smorgas board of food and BYOB drinks. The food ranged from shrimp, fried Bar B Que chicken wings, macaroni and potato salad to chips and dip. The fans were very knowledgeable in music and a pleasure to talk with.
At around 8:00 the night of Americana music started with a teenage couple who performed 2 original songs. A nice gesture on Jay and Tammy's part to offer support to some local young budding talent.
Then Chris Castle took the stage or should I say the floor there isn't a stage just a few spotlights mounted and pointed at a spot against the wall of the family room. A very homey touch but a bit crowded. Chris is a local Americana/folk singer from Norwalk, Ohio who wears suits, weighs 115 pounds and drives and lives part time in a white cargo van. He is a story teller using song to convey his message. Most of his music was pretty quiet this night. I wish he would have cranked it up a notch and rocked a little. I don't know Chris's music that well and maybe he just has a quiet style. I liked the song "Both Ends of a Gun", a sad song with an up beat tempo. Chris played for about an hour then we all took a short breather outside.
Will Kimbrough the alien, was up next. Will uses a loop where he records a back beat strumming chords on his guitar, then plays a lead guitar over the top of the back beat he just created. Will came right out of the box with one of my favorite songs "Eden Prairie" playing guitar, harmonica and singing, showing why he is a talent that I enjoy seeing over and over again. Will is a great lyricist which is evident in "Nobody From Nowhere", a saying his father used to say. The next three songs are modern Americana music at its finest, "Horseshoe Lake", "Godsend", "Hill Country Girl". Then came a funny little song about a laundry mat "Wash and Fold". "He ain't Right" is a bluesy song with lyrics from Tommy Womack and music by Will Kimbrough. Now Will starts rocking with "Another Train". Will finishes the set with "Three Angels", a new song "Wings" and "Redemption Every Mothers Son". Wow that could have been the whole concert and it was just Will's first set.
During the break I heard one man complain that Will was unplugged and not playing his electric guitar. This idiot actually left the show. Yes, I love to hear Mr. Kimbrough play his electric guitar but to hear him unplugged is still a treat. You would have to be a fool to walk out on Will Kimbrough at any time.
My Honey Bunny and I go and buy an autographed copy of Will Kimbrough's last CD "Daddy for a Second Time". Will is standing around talking to all of us and signing autographs and just having a good time.
Will comes out and jams with his guitar and harmonica on "Piece of Work". He shows off his guitar prowess on "This Modern World". He talks about past friends who get mad and hold grudges then jumps into "I Don't Like It". He has a brief interlude into the old song "Tequila" during the song "Cape Henry". Will slows down for "She came from Philadelphia". He sings about corporate corruption in "Ed McGuire". Then he sings about a 15 year old prostitute who has eyes that look like she is 65, "Rotten Apple of Daddy's Eye", nice slide guitar solo. Will's vocals really shined on "Keep Your Eye On The Road". He gets everyone involved in a sing along in the next two songs"You Made Your Bed" you got to lay in it and "Yo Yo Ma", on both of these songs he was showing off his guitar work with slide and finger pickin. He slows the show down with "Good Night".
Will Kimbrough now brings a local folk artist named Joe Linstrum up to jam with him. Joe shows he can play guitar on Hank Williams "I'll Leave You Now". They then go back and forth exchanging licks on a song, Will called, "Get Rhythm". Joe and Will dig in for "I've Got Love to Spare". I never have seen Joe Linstrum before but I would not hesitate to see him again. The young man can play.
For a finale Will breaks out a banjo and Joe Linstrum is still seated in the spotlight and for a kicker Chris Castle sits off to Wills right with his guitar. Everyone who knows me knows I love a good jam session. The three of them jam out to "Thank God I Don't Have a Gun". They finish the evening with a Tommy Womack song "Vicky Smith". I'm in heaven. There were some magical moments during this jam session.
Will was on top of his game tonight. He talked and joked with the crowd. Played his music with expert precision. Seemed very relaxed and in a good mood. Mr. Kimbrough is always polite and will talk with you if you approach him. Tonight he seemed eager to talk to people. He told some good stories about his life and his music. You got to love an entertainer like this.
It is now after 1:00 AM when they finish. A hat is sitting on the bar and you can throw any amount of money that you think the show is worth into the hat. I tossed in $40 for me and my Honey Bunny. If I wasn't unemployed I would have thrown in more money. Over four hours of music in a small intimate setting where the artist will talk with you and sign autographs. Great!
Tammy and Jay thanks for the experience.
I give the show Five twirls.
Shows are judged on a five twirl system. Moth catcher hand motions count as half a twirl.
At around 8:00 the night of Americana music started with a teenage couple who performed 2 original songs. A nice gesture on Jay and Tammy's part to offer support to some local young budding talent.
Then Chris Castle took the stage or should I say the floor there isn't a stage just a few spotlights mounted and pointed at a spot against the wall of the family room. A very homey touch but a bit crowded. Chris is a local Americana/folk singer from Norwalk, Ohio who wears suits, weighs 115 pounds and drives and lives part time in a white cargo van. He is a story teller using song to convey his message. Most of his music was pretty quiet this night. I wish he would have cranked it up a notch and rocked a little. I don't know Chris's music that well and maybe he just has a quiet style. I liked the song "Both Ends of a Gun", a sad song with an up beat tempo. Chris played for about an hour then we all took a short breather outside.
Will Kimbrough the alien, was up next. Will uses a loop where he records a back beat strumming chords on his guitar, then plays a lead guitar over the top of the back beat he just created. Will came right out of the box with one of my favorite songs "Eden Prairie" playing guitar, harmonica and singing, showing why he is a talent that I enjoy seeing over and over again. Will is a great lyricist which is evident in "Nobody From Nowhere", a saying his father used to say. The next three songs are modern Americana music at its finest, "Horseshoe Lake", "Godsend", "Hill Country Girl". Then came a funny little song about a laundry mat "Wash and Fold". "He ain't Right" is a bluesy song with lyrics from Tommy Womack and music by Will Kimbrough. Now Will starts rocking with "Another Train". Will finishes the set with "Three Angels", a new song "Wings" and "Redemption Every Mothers Son". Wow that could have been the whole concert and it was just Will's first set.
During the break I heard one man complain that Will was unplugged and not playing his electric guitar. This idiot actually left the show. Yes, I love to hear Mr. Kimbrough play his electric guitar but to hear him unplugged is still a treat. You would have to be a fool to walk out on Will Kimbrough at any time.
My Honey Bunny and I go and buy an autographed copy of Will Kimbrough's last CD "Daddy for a Second Time". Will is standing around talking to all of us and signing autographs and just having a good time.
Will comes out and jams with his guitar and harmonica on "Piece of Work". He shows off his guitar prowess on "This Modern World". He talks about past friends who get mad and hold grudges then jumps into "I Don't Like It". He has a brief interlude into the old song "Tequila" during the song "Cape Henry". Will slows down for "She came from Philadelphia". He sings about corporate corruption in "Ed McGuire". Then he sings about a 15 year old prostitute who has eyes that look like she is 65, "Rotten Apple of Daddy's Eye", nice slide guitar solo. Will's vocals really shined on "Keep Your Eye On The Road". He gets everyone involved in a sing along in the next two songs"You Made Your Bed" you got to lay in it and "Yo Yo Ma", on both of these songs he was showing off his guitar work with slide and finger pickin. He slows the show down with "Good Night".
Will Kimbrough now brings a local folk artist named Joe Linstrum up to jam with him. Joe shows he can play guitar on Hank Williams "I'll Leave You Now". They then go back and forth exchanging licks on a song, Will called, "Get Rhythm". Joe and Will dig in for "I've Got Love to Spare". I never have seen Joe Linstrum before but I would not hesitate to see him again. The young man can play.
For a finale Will breaks out a banjo and Joe Linstrum is still seated in the spotlight and for a kicker Chris Castle sits off to Wills right with his guitar. Everyone who knows me knows I love a good jam session. The three of them jam out to "Thank God I Don't Have a Gun". They finish the evening with a Tommy Womack song "Vicky Smith". I'm in heaven. There were some magical moments during this jam session.
Will was on top of his game tonight. He talked and joked with the crowd. Played his music with expert precision. Seemed very relaxed and in a good mood. Mr. Kimbrough is always polite and will talk with you if you approach him. Tonight he seemed eager to talk to people. He told some good stories about his life and his music. You got to love an entertainer like this.
It is now after 1:00 AM when they finish. A hat is sitting on the bar and you can throw any amount of money that you think the show is worth into the hat. I tossed in $40 for me and my Honey Bunny. If I wasn't unemployed I would have thrown in more money. Over four hours of music in a small intimate setting where the artist will talk with you and sign autographs. Great!
Tammy and Jay thanks for the experience.
I give the show Five twirls.
Shows are judged on a five twirl system. Moth catcher hand motions count as half a twirl.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Browns Vs Baltimore 2009
OMG! Are the Browns terrible? Yes. An emphatic YES! Braylon Edwards off sides again. Brandon McDonald too small to cover the big wide receivers again. Elan to slow to help over the top again. Brady Quin with no long passes down field again. A coach who claims to be behind his quarterback, replacing the quarterback mid stream again. No Massaquoi (Massaquoi 1 reception) or Robiski again. No containment by the defense again. Edwards our number one receiver with only three catches again(actually this is an improvement). Me, vomiting by half time again.
While I was vomiting in a trash barrel next to the couch because of the nauseating play of the Browns I heard one of the analyst say "I saw the Browns last week in person and they actually look worse in person than on TV". I am unemployed and having to pay for over priced, premadonna athletes and coaches who would not be in the BCS rankings for the national championship if they played in the NCAA makes me sick. GIVE ME BACK MY MONEY. Boy am I glad I dumped some of my tickets before the season started.
Randy, Mangini was going to be the answer to all of our football problems. You had to have him. You could not wait two or three weeks to talk to Shanahan. Noooo, Mangini is the Man. Randy, Please sell the team. You and your family have tortured us long enough. Next year you are going to have to get the Rolling Stones to play during the game if you want anyone to show up.
Our defense looks as bad as our defensive coordinator. Rob Ryan is a disgusting pig of a human being. This pregnant looking, long haired, autistic, swine of a person could not demand respect from any creature on earth much less a bunch of over paid athletes. If you don't respect yourself how can you expect others to respect you. Rob Ryan, you are disgusting, your father should be ashamed of you. Your own brother was smart enough not to hire you. Randy how could you let this goof into your organization?
Is Daboll calling for little dink and dunk passes or is it that pretty boy Brady Quinn just can't perform at the NFL level. Brady Quinn, Brady Quinn, Notre Dame, Notre Dame, now we see why everyone else passed on this no talent hack. I can't believe that we traded up to grab this guy. Brady do us a favor and go and model underwear. You are not a NFL quarterback.
Mangini replaced almost half of last years team with his own players. Twenty four new players on a 53 man roster. He has no excuses. The players he has are the players who have the character to play for a hard nose coach like Mangini. He brought in old Jets players who were going to nurture the younger players. Doesn't look like his idea worked very well. I told you early on that I was skeptical of Mangini but if he wins I would love him. He ain't winning Lucy.
Bright spots of the game. Harrison can run and catch the ball. Zastudill, the punter, is MVP three weeks in a row. Furrey is a decent number two receiver. Too bad that we do not have a number one or number three receiver to help out. Pittsburgh lost to Cincinnati. The game ended before I totally dehydrated myself.
While I was vomiting in a trash barrel next to the couch because of the nauseating play of the Browns I heard one of the analyst say "I saw the Browns last week in person and they actually look worse in person than on TV". I am unemployed and having to pay for over priced, premadonna athletes and coaches who would not be in the BCS rankings for the national championship if they played in the NCAA makes me sick. GIVE ME BACK MY MONEY. Boy am I glad I dumped some of my tickets before the season started.
Randy, Mangini was going to be the answer to all of our football problems. You had to have him. You could not wait two or three weeks to talk to Shanahan. Noooo, Mangini is the Man. Randy, Please sell the team. You and your family have tortured us long enough. Next year you are going to have to get the Rolling Stones to play during the game if you want anyone to show up.
Our defense looks as bad as our defensive coordinator. Rob Ryan is a disgusting pig of a human being. This pregnant looking, long haired, autistic, swine of a person could not demand respect from any creature on earth much less a bunch of over paid athletes. If you don't respect yourself how can you expect others to respect you. Rob Ryan, you are disgusting, your father should be ashamed of you. Your own brother was smart enough not to hire you. Randy how could you let this goof into your organization?
Is Daboll calling for little dink and dunk passes or is it that pretty boy Brady Quinn just can't perform at the NFL level. Brady Quinn, Brady Quinn, Notre Dame, Notre Dame, now we see why everyone else passed on this no talent hack. I can't believe that we traded up to grab this guy. Brady do us a favor and go and model underwear. You are not a NFL quarterback.
Mangini replaced almost half of last years team with his own players. Twenty four new players on a 53 man roster. He has no excuses. The players he has are the players who have the character to play for a hard nose coach like Mangini. He brought in old Jets players who were going to nurture the younger players. Doesn't look like his idea worked very well. I told you early on that I was skeptical of Mangini but if he wins I would love him. He ain't winning Lucy.
Bright spots of the game. Harrison can run and catch the ball. Zastudill, the punter, is MVP three weeks in a row. Furrey is a decent number two receiver. Too bad that we do not have a number one or number three receiver to help out. Pittsburgh lost to Cincinnati. The game ended before I totally dehydrated myself.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Browns Vs Vikings 2009
Well here we are with a brand new season of the Cleveland Browns. Here are some of my thoughts about the whole Browns experience on game day.
The City of Cleveland needs to enact a law that says, any parking facility that charges $20.00 or more needs to supply 1 porta potty for every 35 spaces in their parking facility. The parking lots and this includes City owned and County owned lots are raping the people on game day. That's fine, it is capitalism at its best, supply and demand economics. But to pay $25.00 and have to smell urine from all of the people peeing between cars or in bushes because there are no bathroom facilities is disgusting. You can't expect people to come downtown and start tailgating at 9:00 AM and not have to relieve nature until they get into the stadium at 12:30. People are publicly urinating all over the parking lots. In the middle ages people did not have lavatory facilities and disease ran rampant. I park in a City of Cleveland Parking lot where the old Naval Reserve station was. I pay $25.00 to park and the closest bathroom is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. C'mon Cleveland lets be a little proactive on this issue. If anyone knows who I should contact on this issue at the City of Cleveland please let me know. I have written the Browns back in April about this very issue, obviously to no avail.
Well the what I like to call the Romeo Mangini era of Browns football has begun. Mangini was going to implement a tougher more disciplined form of football in Cleveland. I still see stupid penalties being made, wide receivers should never be called for off sides that's Romeo Ball. I see a discord between quarterback and receivers, QB's throwing out patterns and wide receivers running in patterns. Dropped passes all over the place, Edwards 1 for 6, Royal 3 for 7, yeash. Where is the discipline? I know it is just one game but it looked a lot like the past nine years.
I am no football genius but when the Browns get to the six yard line and Jamal Lewis smashes for three yards on first down leaving you second and three don't you try that play again in some form or another. Not Mangini, he has no confidence in his offense, he goes to his trick play and lines up in the "wildcat". OK try the "wildcat" once but once it was stuffed so bad don't you go back to regular football. Not our boy Eric he tries it a second time. As soon as I saw Cribs in the back field I started groaning, I knew that the play was going to be stopped. It had no chance of succeeding the first time why would you try it again. How about a role out where the QB can run or pass the ball. How about smashing Jamal Lewis off Tackle again, where he gained three yards before. Dumb, dumb, dumb. Brian Daboll offensive Coordinator could prove to be a problem.
All I have been hearing for two years is Brady Quinn, Brady Quinn, Brady Quinn, Brady Quinn. OK, OK enough already Brady Quinn is no Mark Sanchez. I was a Derek Anderson man myself, but in the preseason I admitted that the team seemed to run smoother with Quinn at QB. How is it that your starting Quarterback is not a captain on your team? The Quarterback needs to be your leader. Quinn does not look for the deep ball. Quinn is dinking and dunking, short passes. Good for a QB rating, terrible for winning games. The defense never got stretched out Sunday, they only had to cover 15 yards from the line of scrimmage. I believe only two balls were thrown and caught longer than 15 yards, disgusting. There were two other pass plays that netted more than 15 yards but they were short passes that Jamal and Furrey then turned into long gains with their running abilities. I heard one guy on the way out of the stadium yelling at people with Quinn jerseys on telling them to take him back to Notre Dame. A little harsh for this early in the season. Just remember that a lot of teams who needed QB's passed on Quinn on draft day.
After the first half of football I thought that the Moral Compass was going to have to eat crow, squawk. HA, Ha I don't have to, Rob Ryan's defense fell apart in the second half. Boy in the first half our defense looked all world, holding Adrien Peterson the best running back in the NFL to just 25 yards rushing, sacking Brett Favre with cornerback blitzes. Wow, I am impressed. But then in the second half Minnesota made some adjustments and the Browns defense made none. Yep the idiot son of Buddy Ryan showed his true self to the world. The Browns defense became the sieve that we have come to know and expect in Cleveland.
Look, I have been saying all along, "if Mangini wins I will love him but, he has done nothing so far to show me that he knows what he is doing". A rookie offensive coordinator, a losing defensive coordinator and a head coach that wants to be Bill Belicheck but does not have the brains. I am expecting a season for disaster. After seeing the first game I am still holding to my 6 and 10 prediction. I also predict that we will see some good football from the Browns but our coaching will end up blowing a few more games for us. Hey we all know the Cleveland Cheer "NEXT YEAR".
The City of Cleveland needs to enact a law that says, any parking facility that charges $20.00 or more needs to supply 1 porta potty for every 35 spaces in their parking facility. The parking lots and this includes City owned and County owned lots are raping the people on game day. That's fine, it is capitalism at its best, supply and demand economics. But to pay $25.00 and have to smell urine from all of the people peeing between cars or in bushes because there are no bathroom facilities is disgusting. You can't expect people to come downtown and start tailgating at 9:00 AM and not have to relieve nature until they get into the stadium at 12:30. People are publicly urinating all over the parking lots. In the middle ages people did not have lavatory facilities and disease ran rampant. I park in a City of Cleveland Parking lot where the old Naval Reserve station was. I pay $25.00 to park and the closest bathroom is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. C'mon Cleveland lets be a little proactive on this issue. If anyone knows who I should contact on this issue at the City of Cleveland please let me know. I have written the Browns back in April about this very issue, obviously to no avail.
Well the what I like to call the Romeo Mangini era of Browns football has begun. Mangini was going to implement a tougher more disciplined form of football in Cleveland. I still see stupid penalties being made, wide receivers should never be called for off sides that's Romeo Ball. I see a discord between quarterback and receivers, QB's throwing out patterns and wide receivers running in patterns. Dropped passes all over the place, Edwards 1 for 6, Royal 3 for 7, yeash. Where is the discipline? I know it is just one game but it looked a lot like the past nine years.
I am no football genius but when the Browns get to the six yard line and Jamal Lewis smashes for three yards on first down leaving you second and three don't you try that play again in some form or another. Not Mangini, he has no confidence in his offense, he goes to his trick play and lines up in the "wildcat". OK try the "wildcat" once but once it was stuffed so bad don't you go back to regular football. Not our boy Eric he tries it a second time. As soon as I saw Cribs in the back field I started groaning, I knew that the play was going to be stopped. It had no chance of succeeding the first time why would you try it again. How about a role out where the QB can run or pass the ball. How about smashing Jamal Lewis off Tackle again, where he gained three yards before. Dumb, dumb, dumb. Brian Daboll offensive Coordinator could prove to be a problem.
All I have been hearing for two years is Brady Quinn, Brady Quinn, Brady Quinn, Brady Quinn. OK, OK enough already Brady Quinn is no Mark Sanchez. I was a Derek Anderson man myself, but in the preseason I admitted that the team seemed to run smoother with Quinn at QB. How is it that your starting Quarterback is not a captain on your team? The Quarterback needs to be your leader. Quinn does not look for the deep ball. Quinn is dinking and dunking, short passes. Good for a QB rating, terrible for winning games. The defense never got stretched out Sunday, they only had to cover 15 yards from the line of scrimmage. I believe only two balls were thrown and caught longer than 15 yards, disgusting. There were two other pass plays that netted more than 15 yards but they were short passes that Jamal and Furrey then turned into long gains with their running abilities. I heard one guy on the way out of the stadium yelling at people with Quinn jerseys on telling them to take him back to Notre Dame. A little harsh for this early in the season. Just remember that a lot of teams who needed QB's passed on Quinn on draft day.
After the first half of football I thought that the Moral Compass was going to have to eat crow, squawk. HA, Ha I don't have to, Rob Ryan's defense fell apart in the second half. Boy in the first half our defense looked all world, holding Adrien Peterson the best running back in the NFL to just 25 yards rushing, sacking Brett Favre with cornerback blitzes. Wow, I am impressed. But then in the second half Minnesota made some adjustments and the Browns defense made none. Yep the idiot son of Buddy Ryan showed his true self to the world. The Browns defense became the sieve that we have come to know and expect in Cleveland.
Look, I have been saying all along, "if Mangini wins I will love him but, he has done nothing so far to show me that he knows what he is doing". A rookie offensive coordinator, a losing defensive coordinator and a head coach that wants to be Bill Belicheck but does not have the brains. I am expecting a season for disaster. After seeing the first game I am still holding to my 6 and 10 prediction. I also predict that we will see some good football from the Browns but our coaching will end up blowing a few more games for us. Hey we all know the Cleveland Cheer "NEXT YEAR".
Monday, September 7, 2009
Todd Rundgren Akron Civic 9/7/09
My friend Pooch took me to the Todd Rundgren "A Wizard A True Star" concert at the Akron Civic Theatre tonight. What a wonderful theatre. The theatre has been reconditioned and looks just beautiful. The first time I ever saw Todd was at the Akron Civic Theatre back in 1974, Todd did most of the A Wizard A True Star album solo, just Todd and a real to real on stage. He just blew me away that night. This show was good but not great.
Todd and part of the band play the first set in front of the stage curtain. Kasim Sulton on bass, Roger Powell on keyboards and Prarie prince on drums. The band is dressed in white T shirts and black pants. The first song is "On the Road to Utopia", Todd sings he is barely audible, the sound is terrible. OK sound men usually take a song or two to get the sound right. Kasim Sulton sings "Libertine", the sound is bad. Roger Powell sings the next song the name might have been "vacant city"? I don't know it. Sound is still bad. "Fist Pump" sounds terrible. "Landslide" is just OK.
First set the sound men screwed up bad. Todd was best when he was the front man with a band behind him. When he tries to be a band and highlight other members of the band it comes off weak. The firsts set was a bunch of Utopia songs that never were my favorites to begin with then throw in a bad sound man and it becomes terrible. Todd has no repartee with the audience. The band just played and sounded bad. Thank God for the break.
The curtain opens with "International Feel" playing. The stage is all in smoke Todd is in an astronauts suit and three keyboard players,Gregg Hawkes, Bobby Strickland who also plays sax and flute and Roger Powell, a drummer Prarie Prince, a bass player Kasim Sulton and a guitarist Jesse Gress, are on platforms at different elevations dressed in all white tuxedos with tails. There is a movie screen above the stage that will show images pertaining to the album or individual songs through out the night. Three keyboardists are on one side of the stage with the rest of the band on the other side of the stage leaving Todd the middle of the stage for his theatrical performance. Remember that AWATS came out about the same time when theatrical performances were the norm for rock bands. Bowie was doing Major Tom and The Spiders From Mars. Genesis was into costume changes in the blink of an eye. Alex Harvey was doing his theatrical performances of his music. Jethro Tull was performing "Thick as a Brick". So this is an old time concert with music and a theatrical performance as well.
Todd tries to sing "Never Never Land" but his microphone is not working. He finally grabs Kasim Sulton's microphone and finishes the song. "Tic Tic Tic" is played but the sound quality is bad. "You Need Your Head" again the microphone keeps cutting out. For "Rock and Roll Pussy" Todd has on a green velvet jogging suit but his pants keep falling down and he keeps struggling to pull them up, it is very distracting. For Todd to be the Wizard of technology that he is, his crew is failing miserably at the technical side of the production.
"Dog Fight Giggle" finally is a song that comes off without a hitch. The screen above the stage is flashing pictures of the right wing and left wing reporters such as Rush Limbaugh, Steven Colbert, John Stewart, Sean Hannity, George W and Obama. I think it is pretty funny.
Todd comes back out on stage in a red velvet smoking jacket, the band misses its cue to start playing and Todd stops them. "Start on my down beat" he tells them. "I thought this is the show we would do last night" he tells the audience. I take it that he is referring to all of the mistakes being made. Mistakes that should have been corrected the night before. A one, two, and they start into "You Don't Have To Camp Around". "Flamingo" has the screen above the stage shooting flamingos out of everywhere. Out of Todd's mouth, big ones, small ones, dancing across the screen. "The Zen Archer" brings Todd back out in a partially uncovered top with gold feathers running down his arms. Another costume malfunction as Todd sings and fixes the medallion on his chest at the same time. "Just Another Onion Head" and "Da Da Dali" have an obese Todd in a ball cap, bow tie and suspenders.
for some reason at this point "When the Shit Hits the Fan/ Sunset Boulevard" and "Le Feel International" are not played. These are the first songs not to be played in order of the album.
"Sometimes I Don't Know What To Feel" is done beautifully. Kasim comes down off of his platform and sings "Does Anybody Love You?". Todd reenters the stage in an orange tux befitting of Bill Murry doing his lounge act on Saturday Night Live. The Medley of songs is a highlight of this concert. Todd's voice is as good as ever. He sings, "I'm So Proud", "Ooh Baby Baby", "La La La Means I Love You" and "Cool Jerk". They ask everyone to dance like cool jerks at the end. "Hungry For Love", has Todd in a chefs outfit with a mustache. "I Don't Want To Tie You Down" has Todd in a red robe on a smoke filled stage, back lit so all you see is his silhouette.
Todd comes out for "Is It My Name" in a silver shiny outfit straps on a Gibson guitar and begins to wail on his guitar. Todd saved the missing songs for this part of the show so that once he strapped on his guitar he could rock out until the end of the show. Here is where he plays "When The Shit Hits The Fan/Sunset Blvd" and "Le Feel International". Wow we are smoking now. The concert is finally in full swing and it is almost over.
The encore of course is the only song left. But first Todd introduces the band and his wardrobe girl Michelle. Michelle Rundgren perhaps? The anthem for any one growing up in the seventies, "Just One Victory" is then played. Of course the guitar tech forgets to bring out Todd's guitar. Michelle has to run off stage a couple of times to try and get Todd's guitar on stage. Todd finishes and exits the stage.
I would not want to be back stage right now. Todd seemed very perturbed when he was exiting the stage. Heads should roll for this show. The sound was bad, miscues from the band and the guitar tech, inexcusable. This show was being filmed for a DVD, what a disaster. There were some highlights but there were a lot of mistakes.
I have to rate this a three twirl show. Sorry Todd I expect more from you. The tickets cost top dollar the show should be top notch. The concept is great and some of the music was performed exquisitly but overall too many distractions from the poor technical quality.
Todd and part of the band play the first set in front of the stage curtain. Kasim Sulton on bass, Roger Powell on keyboards and Prarie prince on drums. The band is dressed in white T shirts and black pants. The first song is "On the Road to Utopia", Todd sings he is barely audible, the sound is terrible. OK sound men usually take a song or two to get the sound right. Kasim Sulton sings "Libertine", the sound is bad. Roger Powell sings the next song the name might have been "vacant city"? I don't know it. Sound is still bad. "Fist Pump" sounds terrible. "Landslide" is just OK.
First set the sound men screwed up bad. Todd was best when he was the front man with a band behind him. When he tries to be a band and highlight other members of the band it comes off weak. The firsts set was a bunch of Utopia songs that never were my favorites to begin with then throw in a bad sound man and it becomes terrible. Todd has no repartee with the audience. The band just played and sounded bad. Thank God for the break.
The curtain opens with "International Feel" playing. The stage is all in smoke Todd is in an astronauts suit and three keyboard players,Gregg Hawkes, Bobby Strickland who also plays sax and flute and Roger Powell, a drummer Prarie Prince, a bass player Kasim Sulton and a guitarist Jesse Gress, are on platforms at different elevations dressed in all white tuxedos with tails. There is a movie screen above the stage that will show images pertaining to the album or individual songs through out the night. Three keyboardists are on one side of the stage with the rest of the band on the other side of the stage leaving Todd the middle of the stage for his theatrical performance. Remember that AWATS came out about the same time when theatrical performances were the norm for rock bands. Bowie was doing Major Tom and The Spiders From Mars. Genesis was into costume changes in the blink of an eye. Alex Harvey was doing his theatrical performances of his music. Jethro Tull was performing "Thick as a Brick". So this is an old time concert with music and a theatrical performance as well.
Todd tries to sing "Never Never Land" but his microphone is not working. He finally grabs Kasim Sulton's microphone and finishes the song. "Tic Tic Tic" is played but the sound quality is bad. "You Need Your Head" again the microphone keeps cutting out. For "Rock and Roll Pussy" Todd has on a green velvet jogging suit but his pants keep falling down and he keeps struggling to pull them up, it is very distracting. For Todd to be the Wizard of technology that he is, his crew is failing miserably at the technical side of the production.
"Dog Fight Giggle" finally is a song that comes off without a hitch. The screen above the stage is flashing pictures of the right wing and left wing reporters such as Rush Limbaugh, Steven Colbert, John Stewart, Sean Hannity, George W and Obama. I think it is pretty funny.
Todd comes back out on stage in a red velvet smoking jacket, the band misses its cue to start playing and Todd stops them. "Start on my down beat" he tells them. "I thought this is the show we would do last night" he tells the audience. I take it that he is referring to all of the mistakes being made. Mistakes that should have been corrected the night before. A one, two, and they start into "You Don't Have To Camp Around". "Flamingo" has the screen above the stage shooting flamingos out of everywhere. Out of Todd's mouth, big ones, small ones, dancing across the screen. "The Zen Archer" brings Todd back out in a partially uncovered top with gold feathers running down his arms. Another costume malfunction as Todd sings and fixes the medallion on his chest at the same time. "Just Another Onion Head" and "Da Da Dali" have an obese Todd in a ball cap, bow tie and suspenders.
for some reason at this point "When the Shit Hits the Fan/ Sunset Boulevard" and "Le Feel International" are not played. These are the first songs not to be played in order of the album.
"Sometimes I Don't Know What To Feel" is done beautifully. Kasim comes down off of his platform and sings "Does Anybody Love You?". Todd reenters the stage in an orange tux befitting of Bill Murry doing his lounge act on Saturday Night Live. The Medley of songs is a highlight of this concert. Todd's voice is as good as ever. He sings, "I'm So Proud", "Ooh Baby Baby", "La La La Means I Love You" and "Cool Jerk". They ask everyone to dance like cool jerks at the end. "Hungry For Love", has Todd in a chefs outfit with a mustache. "I Don't Want To Tie You Down" has Todd in a red robe on a smoke filled stage, back lit so all you see is his silhouette.
Todd comes out for "Is It My Name" in a silver shiny outfit straps on a Gibson guitar and begins to wail on his guitar. Todd saved the missing songs for this part of the show so that once he strapped on his guitar he could rock out until the end of the show. Here is where he plays "When The Shit Hits The Fan/Sunset Blvd" and "Le Feel International". Wow we are smoking now. The concert is finally in full swing and it is almost over.
The encore of course is the only song left. But first Todd introduces the band and his wardrobe girl Michelle. Michelle Rundgren perhaps? The anthem for any one growing up in the seventies, "Just One Victory" is then played. Of course the guitar tech forgets to bring out Todd's guitar. Michelle has to run off stage a couple of times to try and get Todd's guitar on stage. Todd finishes and exits the stage.
I would not want to be back stage right now. Todd seemed very perturbed when he was exiting the stage. Heads should roll for this show. The sound was bad, miscues from the band and the guitar tech, inexcusable. This show was being filmed for a DVD, what a disaster. There were some highlights but there were a lot of mistakes.
I have to rate this a three twirl show. Sorry Todd I expect more from you. The tickets cost top dollar the show should be top notch. The concept is great and some of the music was performed exquisitly but overall too many distractions from the poor technical quality.
Monday, August 24, 2009
I'll Take Jail.
In the past month I have heard of two different people who chose going to jail over paying there fines. I am scratching my head and thinking "what the f*** are you thinking".
When I was 30 years younger I did spend a few days in jail for some minor misdemeanor stuff. I hated it. I was locked in a cell with 10 to 15 other inmates depending who was bailed out or moved to permanent residence. I was scared to death by the big black fellow that everyone in the holding cell deferred to. He liked me and I still did not want to make a long lasting friendship with the man. It was cold at night with only a thin sheet to cover yourself with. The mattress was a 30 year old thin bed roll with lumps the size of your fist. No pillow. The food was miserable tasting, white bread with peanut butter, no jelly, salty chicken noodle soup and watered down Kool Aid. The next day we had Bologna on white bread with butter and watered down Kool Aid. Breakfast was a treat, salty scrambled eggs, burnt toast and watered down orange Kool Aid. You had to get up early or the other inmates would eat your eggs. No TV, just stimulating conversation from the other inmates sitting around a hard picnic table in the center of the cell, telling you how they got screwed by the system or the "man". Not one guilty man in the whole cell. I know I was wronged by the Police Officers who beat me up in order to get me to go to jail. The rest of the guys I think were just lying about their innocence. Except for the big black guy, he said he shot his bitch of a girlfriend and was mad that she did not die. That dude scared me. After three days I had had enough. I shoved my way through some of the other guys, got to a telephone, called my attorney and said "GET ME THE HELL OUT OF HERE".
One of the people I know who has elected to take jail time over paying his fines I will call Clem. Clem was supposed to spend 28 days but only spent a week incarcerated then was let out early. He went back in front of the judge a week later who asked him to pay his fine and Clem refused. The judge told him to take a week and see if he could raise the money. Clem said even if he had the money he would not pay the fines he would rather work off his fines by spending time in jail. When I asked Clem why he doesn't just pay the fines his answer was. " Jail isn't so bad. I get fed, I don't have to do anything and they have cable TV. I get to have smoke breaks outside and when I finally get out I have a bunch of interesting stories to tell my friends. Besides it's a principle thing, I know it costs them more to lock me up than what the amount of the fines are. They are losing money on me". Clem went back to jail and spent the remaining 21 days on a low rent vacation. Semi private room at night and a large living room with couches during the day. It did not cost him a dime. It cost the taxpayers plenty.
The other person who chose jail over paying the fines I will call June. She only had to spend a week incarcerated then she was released early for good behavior. She knows how to work the system. She knew going in that they usually don't make misdemeanor cases spend the full time locked up because of over crowding in the jail system. All she had to do was keep her mouth shut and sit on the couch and watch cable TV and she would be cut loose eventually. One week later, three days early, she was paroled. When I asked her why she took the jail time over paying the fines her response was, "I was laid off from work so I had the free time. I could sit at home and watch TV or I could sit in jail and watch TV. Whats the difference?" Whats the difference? Nothing I guess.
This whole Prisoners Rights bullshit has got to stop. The ACLU has made it so nice in jail that people don't mind going to jail. They would prefer to go to jail than to pay a fine. These country clubs for the wicked are being financed by the honest hard working people of America. Believe me I am all for incarceration for the guilty. Lets go back to the days like when I was in jail where it was not an easy time to spend. Get rid of the couches put back in the wooden benches. Cut out TV completely or turn the TV to the religious channel. No semi private rooms just big holding cells. Make it a punishment to go to jail not a vacation. No smoking in public buildings needs to be enforced so that you can not smoke until you get out of jail. No going outside every fifteen minutes for a smoke break. Lets punish the guilty not just separate them from the rest of society for a short time. P U N I S H, make them miserable so that they do not want to go back to jail ever again. If they are miserable they will reflect on what they did wrong. If they are sitting around watching TV and it is not that much worse than sitting at home they won't learn a thing and they will be back for another vacation in a year or so. The Penal system should penalize wrong doers. The House of Corrections should correct bad behavior.
I heard Clem and June were adding up their Crime and Punishment points to see when they will be able to cash in a one night free coupon. Enough is enough.
When I was 30 years younger I did spend a few days in jail for some minor misdemeanor stuff. I hated it. I was locked in a cell with 10 to 15 other inmates depending who was bailed out or moved to permanent residence. I was scared to death by the big black fellow that everyone in the holding cell deferred to. He liked me and I still did not want to make a long lasting friendship with the man. It was cold at night with only a thin sheet to cover yourself with. The mattress was a 30 year old thin bed roll with lumps the size of your fist. No pillow. The food was miserable tasting, white bread with peanut butter, no jelly, salty chicken noodle soup and watered down Kool Aid. The next day we had Bologna on white bread with butter and watered down Kool Aid. Breakfast was a treat, salty scrambled eggs, burnt toast and watered down orange Kool Aid. You had to get up early or the other inmates would eat your eggs. No TV, just stimulating conversation from the other inmates sitting around a hard picnic table in the center of the cell, telling you how they got screwed by the system or the "man". Not one guilty man in the whole cell. I know I was wronged by the Police Officers who beat me up in order to get me to go to jail. The rest of the guys I think were just lying about their innocence. Except for the big black guy, he said he shot his bitch of a girlfriend and was mad that she did not die. That dude scared me. After three days I had had enough. I shoved my way through some of the other guys, got to a telephone, called my attorney and said "GET ME THE HELL OUT OF HERE".
One of the people I know who has elected to take jail time over paying his fines I will call Clem. Clem was supposed to spend 28 days but only spent a week incarcerated then was let out early. He went back in front of the judge a week later who asked him to pay his fine and Clem refused. The judge told him to take a week and see if he could raise the money. Clem said even if he had the money he would not pay the fines he would rather work off his fines by spending time in jail. When I asked Clem why he doesn't just pay the fines his answer was. " Jail isn't so bad. I get fed, I don't have to do anything and they have cable TV. I get to have smoke breaks outside and when I finally get out I have a bunch of interesting stories to tell my friends. Besides it's a principle thing, I know it costs them more to lock me up than what the amount of the fines are. They are losing money on me". Clem went back to jail and spent the remaining 21 days on a low rent vacation. Semi private room at night and a large living room with couches during the day. It did not cost him a dime. It cost the taxpayers plenty.
The other person who chose jail over paying the fines I will call June. She only had to spend a week incarcerated then she was released early for good behavior. She knows how to work the system. She knew going in that they usually don't make misdemeanor cases spend the full time locked up because of over crowding in the jail system. All she had to do was keep her mouth shut and sit on the couch and watch cable TV and she would be cut loose eventually. One week later, three days early, she was paroled. When I asked her why she took the jail time over paying the fines her response was, "I was laid off from work so I had the free time. I could sit at home and watch TV or I could sit in jail and watch TV. Whats the difference?" Whats the difference? Nothing I guess.
This whole Prisoners Rights bullshit has got to stop. The ACLU has made it so nice in jail that people don't mind going to jail. They would prefer to go to jail than to pay a fine. These country clubs for the wicked are being financed by the honest hard working people of America. Believe me I am all for incarceration for the guilty. Lets go back to the days like when I was in jail where it was not an easy time to spend. Get rid of the couches put back in the wooden benches. Cut out TV completely or turn the TV to the religious channel. No semi private rooms just big holding cells. Make it a punishment to go to jail not a vacation. No smoking in public buildings needs to be enforced so that you can not smoke until you get out of jail. No going outside every fifteen minutes for a smoke break. Lets punish the guilty not just separate them from the rest of society for a short time. P U N I S H, make them miserable so that they do not want to go back to jail ever again. If they are miserable they will reflect on what they did wrong. If they are sitting around watching TV and it is not that much worse than sitting at home they won't learn a thing and they will be back for another vacation in a year or so. The Penal system should penalize wrong doers. The House of Corrections should correct bad behavior.
I heard Clem and June were adding up their Crime and Punishment points to see when they will be able to cash in a one night free coupon. Enough is enough.
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