Hats of to South Carolina

I was hoping the Florida Gators would win their first College World Series Championship. Instead, the South Carolina Gamecocks defended their championship. The SEC is more than football with three teamsi n the FInal Four.

The Gamecocks deserve the kudos. They knocked off top seed Virginia and then knocked off the second seeded Gators to win the championship. They swept the Gators two games to none. South Carolina showed they were number one.

Tak about your power conference South Carolina, Vandy, and Florida were among the last four teams remaining in Omaha.

Brunswick Music Fest Update

A couple of reviews of the 2011 Brunswick Music Fest have been published on the Examiner. The festival was an eclectic mix of music and my page on the Examiner is more blues so the reviews are of the Beaucoup Blue band and the Kelly Bell Band.

Here is the review of "Beaucoup Blue"  They were an eclectic band based on traditional blues but expanded quite a bit into other genres.

A picture of Kelly Bell performig life at the fest whch was too big for the Examiner.


 A bit of foreshadowing on my part as the second review was about the Kelly Bell Band which you can read here.

Most Posts in a Year

Today marks Post 101 for the year the most I have ever put out on this blog in a year. Yes a couple of contests did up the posts, however there still has been a lot to write about. Trust me there is still a lot to write about. I've got more coming up on the Brunswick Music Festival, some more stuff on Black Country Communion. Most likely some sports stuff too along with any other writing detours I take. Also I will continue to write about life and stuff I don't usually write articles about.

Yes life. Sometimes writing is a good escape for a moment. Yes today was one of those really bad mondays in real life. But I can blog about the writing world and the rest of the world...

R.I. P. Clarence Clemons

Sad news today regarding Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's sax player Clarence Clemons he passed away. He died at the age of 69, the cause was related to his recent stroke. He gained fame by performing with Bruce for 40 some years. However, his fame was well deserved as a sax player. He also did sessions for Aretha Franklin and Lady Gaga.


Here he is performing his solo on the Springsteen tune "Jungleland"

The second one is Clarence performing the National Anthem,,,

It is sad when a talent passes away

A look Back at Last Year's Brunswick Music Fest

Last year I covered the 2010 Brunswick Music Fest.

Here is a review I wrote on the festival.

Here is an interview with one of the artists who performed last year Chocolate Thunder. Linda was a lot of fun to interview and she had a lot of energy on stage!

This year the festival has a new line up. All new bands except the Kelly Bell Band, and they are worth seeing again. It will be the third time I have witnessed their show. The first time was at the Western Maryland Blues Fest.

Hope to see you at the Fest!

Brunswick Music Fest Saturday

I published my preview on the Examiner today of the Brunswick Music Fest. If you are looking for something fun to do tomorrow, the Brunswick Blues Fest is the place to go, located in Brunswick, Maryland. My previous post talked about the Woodshedders. I was going to write about the rest of the bands this week, but had some struggles with a platform.

Anyway, the second band is the Kelly Bell Band. This is a band that will get you up and shaking your tail feathers! They describe their sounds at "Phat Blues." Here is a taste of what to expect:

They were last year's headliners, so that says something about this year's lineup!

Up next is Donna Ulisse and the Poor Boys playing bluegrass.

She used to record on Atlantic Records, she tours the U.S. and has tour dates scheduled in Russia.

Philadelphia's Beaucoup Blue Band is next. They play a blues rooted mix of American a music. They have performed with or opened for artists such as  Jimmy Buffett, Jeff Beck, Johny Lang.

The festival ends with the bluegrass of The Fitzmaurice Band. Another band touring nationally, with international dates planned in Canada soon.

 

The Woodshedders to Play the Brunswick Music Fest

The Brunswick Music Fest is happening Saturday in Brunswick, Maryland. Gates open at 11AM and the festival is scheduled to run through 7:30PM. If you need a reason to go early the first band to hit the stage is The Woodshedders who are scheduled to perform 12 to 12:45PM. They perform an eclectic blend of music they call "Indie Roots Americana." It is a blend of country, R&B, old time, blue grass, gypsy jazz, and blues. pretty much all the music which would have passed through Brunswick on a train.

They are a local band hailing from across the river in Harpers Ferry. However, they have played in Charleston (WV), Washington D.C., New York City and more. If you like guitar Dwayne Brooke is considered one of the best and diverse guitarists in the area.

Here is a clip of the band in action:

Congrats to the Dallas Mavericks!

The Dallas Mavericks are the 2011 NBA Champions. The Miami Heat fell short of their goal of an NBA title. Many thought the Heat earned the title last off-season when they signed LeBron James and Chris Bosh to go along with Dwayne Wade.

It was a good series with the under hyped Dallas Mavericks prevailing over the over hyped Miami Heat. Now the NBA goes to their off season which may have labor issues like the NFL. Who knows when the 2011-12 season will start.

LeBron is a great player. He lost some of his followers by just leaving Cleveland. He lost more with the way he left. He may have lost more with the way he was introduced in Miami. Hopefully, he will learn from his experiences. Yes rings help define a players career. However, just because one falls short of a championship doesn't take away from their talents. It is just a missing piece.

Passing it on

Blues is a traditional American music form which has been passed down from one generation to the next. Today, I continued this tradition with my daughter. My daughter is four years old and loves music. I encourage her and my wife and I share our music, the music we like with her. She also hears her own music as she develops her own taste. I support that too and trust me I heard about it when I bought my daughter a Justin Beiber shirt.

Today, I took her to the harmonica workshop. Where she learned a bit about the harmonica and encouraged to learn more. She was also able to watch Joanne Shaw Taylor perform. My daughter loves my guitars. She also loves to hear girls singing on the radio. What better way to introduce my daughter to the blues than with a girl kicking it on the guitar.

I want my daughter to be inspired. I want to keep the music I love alive and I want to share it with my daughter.

On Meeting Paul Reed Smith

At the Western Maryland Blues Fest on Saturday I met most of the performers. I also met a guitar icon in Paul Reed Smith. He graced the stage with Davy Knowles and Backdoor Slam for a couple of songs. After the show I caught up with him backstage before he left.

Paul Reed Smith is more famous for his guitars than his guitar playing. He is the man behind Paul Reed Smith guitars sometimes referred to as PRS guitars. Davy Knowles uses his guitars as does Carlos Santana. I will never have the chance to meet Leo Fender or Orville Gibson. However, tonight I had the honor of meeting Paul Reed Smith even if it was just briefly.It topped off a pretty awesome guitar fan day.

Tomorrow is night one of the Western Maryland Blues Fest

Ana Popovic is the headlining act tomorrow night, the young Yugoslavian blues guitarist. Here is a link to her website. Bonerama is the other national act on the bill Friday evening. Some New Orleans flavored funky blues horns. Here is a link to there site.

Then the regional and local acts get their shots on the big stage including Duffy Kane and Grand Point Station. Should be a great evening. If you are in the area you should stop by. Saturday is loaded with great guitarists.

Post 400

This post commemorates this blog in achieving 400 posts. I guess it is a milestone. However, the next post will be moving towards another milepost. Obviously the amount of posts have increased due to the last two challenges.

The blog will turn four in September. There will be a lot of posts between now and September. There will be things on my mind, updates, shameless self promotion, goofiness and geekiness. New words will be invented as well..such as geekiness.

Well I hope you enjoyed the first 400 or at least found one you enjoyed in the bunch. In the mean time I Bid you good night...