Z to A: Asia

No, not Asia the continent. Another great band from the 80's.

Hope you enjoy these two videos and the blog will be back to regular programming tomorrow.

Z to A: Beau Torbert

It looks like Beau Torbert has retired from baseball after being cut by the Atlanta Braves after Spring Training. He had a great run in Independent Ball. He did reach AAA as a member of the Astros organization. However being cut by the Tigers and Braves recently and continuing to grow older appear to have dampened Beau's baseball dreams. I wish him success in his next venture whatever that may be.

Z to A: Cole

There is a new musical about Nat King Cole by the Penumbra Theatre called "I Wish You Love." It made it's World Debut on April 21, 2011. It will be making a short stay at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. opening on June 11, 2011 and running through June 19, 2011.

Stayed tuned to the blog as I mightr be covering this for a new writing venture...

Z to A: Devon Allman's Honeytribe

Devon Allman and his band Honeytribe will be playing the Western Maryland Blues Festival next Saturday at 1PM. If you like Blues, Southern Rock, and Jam Rock then this band is not one to miss. I did catch the band down at Wanee and they put on a heck of a show.

Z to A Challenge: Ernie Hawkins

Since, the June festivals are around the corner and I need to catch up with a few blogs I thought I would promote some of the artist performing. Next Sunday Ernie Hawkins will be performing for free at the Western Maryland Blues Fest in Hagerstown, Maryland. He will be performing 2PM-3:15PM at the City Park.He will also be conducting a free workshop from 12-12:45.

More info on Ernie Hawkins can be found here.  More information on the Western Maryland Blues Fest can be found on my Examiner article.

Z to A: Family Fun

I do a lot. Work, write, and then I do a few things just for me. So, when it is family time I try to go out. Most Tuesdays I go to family day at the Chick. Saturdays I watch movies with my daughter at the Opera House. I am trying to do more with my teenage son. My wife too! Sometimes she benefits from a cool writing assignment.

Today has been work, then the gym, then two hours at the Chick. Saturday two movies at the Opera House. Sometime this weekend I will probably go the Festival around the corner.

Busy, busy, busy

Z to A:Gym

Went to the gym today. So, I am up to three weeks in a row going to the gym twice a week. Still, have a long way to go to get n shape. Plus I have gained back a few extra pounds.

Z to A: Hagerstown Blues

It is time to get ready for the Western Maryland Blues Fest in Hagerstown. It starts Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday of next week. Here is an article I published on the Examiner previewing the festival.

Joanne Shaw Taylor will be playing Sunday in City Park.

Davy Knowles will highlight Saturday. Lots of good guitarists will be at the festival.

Z to A: Ice, Ice Baby is it better than

Is Ice, Ice Baby better than..

This song?


Funny SNL comment back in the day when Vanilla Ice was on the show, on the weekend update they played under pressure and said who knew 10 years later it would be a hit.

Z to A: Jiffy Lube Live

Jiffy Lube Live, which used to be Nissan Pavilion, is a 25,000 seat amphitheater in Bristow, Virginia.  Bristow is a suburb of Washington. Anyway, they have been making news for banning tailgating. As a fan of Jimmy Buffett I don't like this since a major part of the experience is the parking lot. No, tailgating is not all about getting drunk. When I see Jimmy Buffett is it usually something to do to celebrate my wife's birthday. I definitely meet up with old friends and make new ones in the parking lot. I've shared some great grilled meals in the parking lot. We have discovered a wonderful BBQ place on the way. A place we would pick up a rack of ribs, some pulled pork, and all the sides. More than drinking, it is the added social aspect of the concert. Now, apparently it is no more.

Z to A: Kansas

Kansas the state, no. Kansas the band yes! All we are is Dust in the Wind..the song is a classic.

Z to A: Lightning

There was a lot of lightning around today and tonight. A lot of rain and downpours too. I think we are in monsoon season as this is the third straight month we have had above average rain. Last month we had 8 inches.
The rivers and creeks have been flooding. I live on a hill (okay the locals call it the Mountain) so I am pretty safe from flooding. However, there are a few streams running across the roads.

However, the topic is lightning. I like to watch the lightning when it is still coming down but the rains have stopped. It is an impressive show.Nature can wow us from time to time.

Z to A:Miami Heat

I know the Miami Heat are only down one game. However, what happens if they fail to make it to the NBA Finals. The team which was built for a championship could come up short. Lebron James is a great basketball player with tremendous physical assets. Would he fall a bit farther from greatness? Would people in Cleveland celebrate his failure?  Yes it is only one loss so far but Miami has to be feeling the Heat.

Okay, the Heat must have read my blog since they won tonight.

Z to A: New River

The New River Gorge is a scenic place in West Virginia. It is also home to some of the best White Water rafting in the East. It is a favorite destination for me. Here is an article highlighting some of the best White Water rafting spots in West Virginia.

Here is a video from youtube to show what I mean.

West Virginia is really wild and wonderful.

Z to A: Okra

Why is it I only like okra mixed in a bowl of gumbo? Is okra a vegetable to be picky about? Maybe, my wife only likes it extra crispy. Of course she is talking about fried okra.

But believe it not okra is big. There are a ton of videos on okra on youtube. Here is one for all you gardeners out there.

I know my dad grows it and his dad grew it. I know my Uncle grows it. I grow a ton of weeds, trees and really tall grass. Yes it is late at night. I spent way too much time on the highway and I might be a little goofy .

Z to A: Poetry

In the A to Z Challenge I used poetry for P as well. I am still at it, I have some new poems I have published since the last challenge. I think they are getting better.

Old River , just to make clear I didn't redo song lyrics written by someone elese, I  just wrote a poem on the same river.

How Do You Keep The Flame Alive? It has been a sad month for some of my friends. One friend's wife died of cancer and one friend's mom died on Mother's Day. So, death was on my mind and the thoughts of keeping the flame of someone specials love after they die alive was the subject matter.

If you like my poetry I have signed up to write a couple more soon. If you don't like them, well at least I warned you. 

Z to A:quit

Blogger Quit working!  Have no fear the blog will go on. I'm note done writing. I have not quit yet.

Z to A: Rock Festival

The M3 Rock Festival is this Friday and Saturday at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. I have tall the details in this preview article here.

I thought I would throw in a few videos on here since I couldn't on the preview. Friday's headliner is Kix. Here is their hit "Don't Close Your Eyes."

Here they are at last year's festival! 

Saturday's headliner is Whitesnake! 

Wow! That video brings back memories and probably dates me a bit. Well if you are nearby and looking for something to do check out the festival!

Z to A: Shepherdstown

Shepherdstown is a town I same to be hanging out in more. Sure it is a small college town.However, it also has a bit of night life, restaurants and pubs. Some more appealing to yuppies or boomers with money. I don't really venture to them, I prefer the hidden gems.

In the Fall, Shepherd usually fields a highly ranked division 2 football team. It's not the NFL or the BCS, however it is competitive, entertaining football at an affordable price. The University also attracts various cultural events as well.

Usually, I spend a Saturday watching movies with my daughter at the Opera House. After the movies we walk the town, pet every dog, and maybe grab lunch at a local eatery. I even spent Valentine's Day in the town dinner and a movie.

Z to A: Tragic Days

These are tragic days for some of my friends. On Mother's Day the mother of friend I worked with at Hope Alive passed away. Tonight a friend of mine who is pretty involved with the blues scene in my area, well his wife lost her battle with cancer.

Strange how sad news comes in bunches sometimes. At least they are in peace and not suffering anymore. I can only imagine how hard is to lose a parent or a spouse. I know it isn't easy. Hopefully, it will be a while before I have to go through this kind of ordeal.

Z to A: Victory

I played my stepson in basketball today he won the first game. We played a second game. Some how I was still standing, wheezing, sweating, showing all the reasons this now 40 year old should have used his gym membership last year. We were playing to 21. In the second game I fell behind 10-2. I stormed back and grabbed victory.

Yes I am tired. Yes I am sore and will be more sore tomorrow. However, I snicker a little bit on the inside when he tells me about his blisters and how he is sore too. It is true misery enjoys company. It was so much easier to get the victory when he wasn't as tall as me(if not taller.) Granted I was probably in better shape back then. But a victory is sweet especially when it was the last game...

Z to A: U.S. Royalty

In late March, late April I discovered a band called U.S. Royalty out of Washington, D.C.. I had the opportunity to sit down with them in a China Town Coffee house. The band reminds me a bit of Carbon Leaf, with influences of the Doors, and Fleetwood Mac. However, their sound is quite unique and original. Attached is their first single off their new album.

If you are interested about this band you can read their interview here.

Z to A: Wanee Part 2

I'm still swamped. However, I did get the main Wanee Review published that I talked about with the first Wanee post in the last challenge. I was also able to publish a review of Robert Plant and his Band of Joy performing at Wanee. You can read that review here. I hope to publish some more soon.

However, I am also working on some other writing assignments including two interviews and an album review. So, we will see what I can get done. Here is a picture of Robert Plant in action. Patty Griffin is playing guitar in the picture as well. On Mandolin is Darrell Scott.

Z to A: X

X is great
Talk about your exes and you can get in trouble
You can't have an ax to grind without an X.
X marks the spot, but I still haven't found the treasure.
You can't fix it without an X. Can't send a fax without an X.
However, with out X there would be no tax.
Sadly with no X there would not be a sax.
X-rated could be too revealing.
I could go on about X but I could get in trouble...

Z to A: Yngwie Malmsteen

Back in December I had the privilege to interview Yngwie Malmsteen. I know I blogged about it when it happened. However, I thought I would dust off the topic again since we are on Y. Yngwie fits Y perfectly. It was a lot of work to get the interview but in the end it was worth it. Plus it is really cool since I have an interest in guitars to talk to a very talented guitarist.

Here is a link to the interview. I also reviewed his latest album here. It is moments like that which make what I do worth while. Fun, cool (at least to me) and something worth while are going to be the driving forces in my writing for the rest of the year. There are things out there that have zapped a lot of the fun out of it lately. However, I never was big into the page view chasing. It was nice when they were there. I did like the extra money.

Any way stay tuned I have some really cool things in the work!

Z to A: Zapped!

Day one of the challenge and I am already behind. Zapped! My internet provider had an outage yesterday. A part time writer's worst nightmare in this digital age. Supposedly it was throughout my region of the state. The bummer, was I lost an opportunity to write an article now gone since I missed the deadline. I also lost the opportunity to write what I wanted to catch up on as well. Oh yes it started me off behind in this challenge.

Taking a break from writing a new article now to write the blogs. I am pretty zapped waiting for my second wind. Long day at work. Then errands. Then spending four hours at Chick-fil-a will zap that energy away.

I might be zapped for a while. However, it is not all bad. I got the negativity out in the first paragraph. The article I am writing is something I enjoy. I'm interviewing a band this week which will be of interest to 80's Hair Metal fans. I may go to a circus tomorrow. I have a road trip planned for the weekend. So, zapped I will be.

A to Z: Zippity Do Dah

Zippity Do Dah it is going to be a sunshiny day. Okay not really 50% chance of showers. However, we are going to make it into a fabulous Zippity Do Dah day with plenty of Fun shine! My little girl loves cows, so we are going to see some today. She might even get to feed some! Of course she will be able to pet them.

There will be other animals like chicks, pigs, and maybe some surprises. Plus there will be some hayrides. So, it should be a fantastic day for her. Then I am planning to go to a blues jam with my wife later on in the day with my wife. It should be a fun, fun ,day.

A to Z: Yesterday

Yesterday was a busy day. I spent the entire day from 10:30AM to 10:30 PM with my daughter. We saw two movies, Charlotte's Web 2 and the 1994 Lassie movie at the opera house. Then we wondered  through Shepherdstown. She had a wonderful time. Then we topped the day off with a trip to Chick-fil-a, where she got dinner and was able to play for a few hours in the playground. Today I am planning to take her to a farm to pet cows, feed them, and go on hay rides. She really missed me when I went away to Florida so trying to spend some quality time.

A to Z: X Book

Another x-girlfriend became my friend on facebook today. I say another because I  am already friends with another x. I didn't recognize the name and I was surfing on my smart phone. I said Okay, if I knew who it was I may not have. It is just strange thing with facebook. Me, thinking about denying them is no reflection against them. To be honest I really don't know them. They same happy and life appears to be good for them. Which is all great. Then it made me think of people I have denied on facebook, I felt a little guilty.It is like  I won't be friends with you but I will be friends with my X's. Life in this cyber world we live in.