This blog spot is the home to my ramblings. I am a free lance writer. Most of my work goes on Associated Content. Sometimes I write what is on my mind, sometimes I plug some of my writing, and sometimes a combination of the two. So, sit back read, enjoy, and we will see where it goes.
Over the past couple of years I have been fortunate enough to review music festivals, concerts, comedians, albums, and movies. Well I can add something new a circus! You can read my review of the World Premiere run of the Big Apple Circus production of Legendariumhere.
Of course it was fun to take my daughter who had a blast...
Here is a preview from last year's circus, this year they have a brand new show..
Check it out when it comes close to you. I will be back soon with another post...
Fantasy Football
It looks like my team is going to lose for a second straight week. So moving right along...
The NFL
Well the Jacksonville Jaguars were able to get their first win this season. It wasn't easy but it was exciting. You can read my recap here. Okay I didn't write a recap for the Sunday night game but wow! The Ravens won that game! I thought the New England Patriots had that game in the bag. Here are highlights from the Jaguars game..
College Football
The Florida Gators shut out Kentucky 38-0 to move to 4-0 and more importantly 3-0 in the SEC. You can read my recap of the Gators-Wildcats game here. Here is the hit of the game..
In a wild game the Miami Hurricanes topped the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in overtime. You can read my recap here. Here are some highlights...
I'll wrap everything up with my new rankings for this week. Alabama is still number one but everything else is pretty much changed. Check it out here.
If you live close to Frederick, Maryland and you are looking for something fun to do with the family you might want to check out Rikki Tikki Tavi which is playing at the Maryland Ensemble Theatre. It is one of their FUN company productions and they always manage to create fun, family friendly productions.You can read my review here.
The puppetry is cool and the kids loved it and the story telling is even better. Then again it is based on a Rudyard Kipling story, so perhaps a really good story helps. Well I am going to keep this post short and sweet but I will be back with something new soon.
If you don't know who Joe Jackson is, you probably know one of his songs. This song was probably his biggest hit..
Anyway he has a new album out which is him covering Duke Ellington and on the tour he blends his new songs with his older material and it works great. You can read my review here.I was able to see him at the Strathmore Concert Hall which is a wonderful place to catch a concert. here is Joe covering Duke Ellington with Iggy Pop...
It was really cool to hear Duke Ellington played side by side with classic pop/rock like this...
Well it was a very busy weekend for me and the early part of this week was used to finish up the honey Do list and write the reviews but it was fun!
It has been 20 years or so since I had seen Sinbad in concert. I remember he was funny then so I jumped at the chance to see him again. After all these years he looks the same and I look like I've aged 20 years but that is a different blog post. The most important think was the comedian was still funny. I respect him for performing his act without any curse words and keeping it clean. A lot of comics don't do that. I will admit I like many of them too but it is cool that Sinbbad can do it his way. It was probably a good thing for this gig since it was part of a 30 year celebration of Grace Covenant Church, which I did not know before hand I new they were sponsoring the show. You can read my review here. As always I try to add something new on my blog so here is a clip of Sinbad on marriage...
There were a couple other bits linked to my review so if you like this you can check it out.
Opening, or to be honest more like they were co-headlining was Israel Houghton and New Breed. They are a very talented contemporary gospel band that blends a lot of musical genres and produces a delightful sound . Here they are performing "Friend of God"...
Thank you Grace Covenant Church for a fun celebration and congratulations on your 30 years. Tomorrow's blog will be about anther concert so stayed tune...
Two years ago today I wrote a post about Jimi Hendrix passing away 40 years ago you can read it here. I still have many of those what if questions. This bog has changed so much in two years mostly with the addition of pictures and videos. The technology has changed. It really makes me wonder how Hendrix could have changed given 42 years of technology in the music world. His guitar playing and musicianship might have improved as well.
Here is his death announcement from ABC News..
I'll mix it up some and add a song or two...here is Hey Joe
I used to like Walter Cronkite here is his announcement..
Hendrix performing "I Don't Live Today"...
It is neat we can use technology to pull up news reports and music from over 40 years ago. I celebrate Hendrix, thank him for influencing so many others, and I thank him for leaving his musical legacy. Here is a link to a review of a Jimi Hendrix tribute concert I watched earlier this year.
I stumbled across this blogfest and decided to join the party. It is pretty simple, straightforward blog..
List your favorite genre of:
Movie
Music
Books
And a guilty pleasure genre from any of the three categories!
My favorite genre of movie: I suppose it would be Gangster/Mobster movies but really anything with action. I think in one of these blogfests I said my favorite movie or actor was Al Pacino and Scarface so I will stay consistent.
and I really liked the TV show The Sopranos...
Music...
Well if you read my blog regularly you know I listen to a lot of music and go to a lot of concerts. In 2012 I have seen concerts in Genres including classic rock, adult contemporary, alt country, jazz, Motown, R&B, country, rock, blues, jam band music, folk, Americana, show tunes, and even Burmese rock. I would have to say it is a toss up between classic rock and blues. I have reached that age that even some of the pop music I listened to as a kid is considered classic rock. Blues has had more staying power as I have aged and to be honest a lot of contemporary blues has a rock edge to it.
I'll stretch it out a bit in clips my favorite guitarist..
I really like the Chicago blues of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and John Lee Hooker was one of my early favorites...
of course my love of music really started with Led Zeppelin...
and after seeing them live a few times the kings of Rock and Roll The Rolling Stones
and to mellow out with Bob Marley and Jimmy Buffett. I have seen Jimmy quite a few times in Bristow, Virginia. I have also traveled to Raleigh, NC and New Orleans to see him.
Books...like movies I like something with action. A good suspense book works too. I really like a book I can easily get into and one I don't want to put down.One of the best books I read in the past few years was "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini.
It is strange I will go a while without reading a book and then I read a lot of books. I go on a tangent. Out of the classic authors I enjoy Ernest Hemingway and my favorite is probably "The Old Man and the Sea."
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Probably between Jimmy Buffett, growing up near the ocean and Hemingway I am drawn to nautical themed adventure books. One of my all time favorites is Peter Benchley who wrote "Jaws."
Here is one of my favorite books from him...
Guilty Pleasures: Pop
If you read my blog you know I have a five year old daughter who has my love for music. She has already shown she is not shy about it. Besides the kid pop groups like The Wiggles and The Fresh Beat Band she likes music sung by girls so I have had my radio taken over..
One of my daughters favorites is Katy Perry and I have to admit I like her songs too,,,
Woot and she is too hot for Sesame Street..
Well I hope you enjoyed the post. Feel free to recommend any books, music, or movies!
Yes it is my weekly football post. I try to cram everything in one post. Those not interested in football don't worry I am working on a bunch of reviews from the weekend and I have a lot of writing projects in the work so there will be non sports posts soon.
Fantasy football
This week it is coming down to Monday Night Football. I am 14 points down but I have two players left and my opponent has one. Hopefully, my team can pull it out. None the less it makes Monday Night Football a bit more important.
NFL
Well, I covered the Jacksonville Jaguars game again this week. They hosted the Houston Texans and lost badly 27-7. You can read my recap on Outside the Redzone here. I am disappointed that Jacksonville didn't get the ball to Justin Blackmon. He didn't catch a pass today and has only three catches on the season. Not what you want from your first round pick. That's a little extra opinion. However, Jacksonville's offense did very little today at all. Here are highlights from that game...
NCAA Football
Moving down a level to college football my rankings for this week are up on Hubpages you can check them out here. Same style rankings I used to do at associated Content just at a new home. This week I have Alabama number one, with LSU moving up to number 2, and FSU making the leap to number three. If you are curious check out the rest of the rankings.
Here is my recap of the Florida-Tennessee game. The Gators have been really strong in the second half the last two weeks. I thought this game would have been closer since Tennessee was off to a good start this year. Here are some highlights from that game..
I also did the recap for Georgia Tech-Virginia football game. You can read it here.Georgia Tech is a good football team. However, Pittsburgh upsetting Virginia Tech does not help the Yellow Jackets out. Here are some highlights...
There is a lot of Southern sports coverage going on at Outside the Redzone, go ahead and like them on facebook if you want too.
Saturday I had the chance to go see the Maryland Ensemble Theatre's production of 39 Steps in Frederick. It was nice to see a show and not have to write a review about it. Don't get me wrong I like writing reviews but it is still nice not too.
Anyway it was a great show. Here is Amanda Gunther's review of the show. As I play it forward a bit and spotlight another writers review. Here is a teaser for the show from YouTube...
Well I have a busy weekend ahead writing about comedy, a play, and football so stayed tuned more blog posts will be coming soon!
Led Zeppelin sure knows how to create a buzz. Their mysterious "Facebook Countdown" ended today.
Here is yesterdays post,,,
Of course having over 6.5 million likes on your Facebook helps. If I started a countdown on my blog visitors would go "Okay that was a waste of time." My friends might say "wow he can count." Anyway, the buzz is about the reunion concert being released as a movie to theaters in October and a DVD in November. Here is the trailer..
The concert was incredible. I know this since it was delivered to me on CD./DVD the day after the reunion. I am sure this version will be even better! Since Jimmy Page has worked on the mastering, plus a chance to see the band on a movie screen..well that hasn't happened since "The Song Remains the Same" Anyway I wrote a song by song review of the reunion concert well five years ago hear is a link to that if you are interested in what I thought.
There was another announcement regarding Led Zeppelin yesterday. They will be honored at this year's Kennedy Center Gala and you can read about them and Buddy Guy here. Anyway, thats all the news here I will leave you with a song..
Saturday was a perfect day to go see The Wizard of Oz at the Arts Barn in Germantown, Maryland. It was cloudy and a thunderstorm was on its way. Thankfully it was a tornado even though the Kat 2nd Stage production did take me along on the Yellow Brick Road to Oz.
It is a family friendly show and a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon or evening or a Sunday afternoon with the family. It is also good theatre and worth the visit if you are in the area. It could be a nice date or just a fun outing. Anyway you can read my review here.
Here is a clip from the original movie back in 1939...
It has been a long time since I've seen a production of The Wizard of Oz and the Arts Barn and Kat 2nd Stage made me glad I went to their production.
It is hard to believe it has been 11 years since the 9.11 attacks in New York City, the Pentagon and Pennsylvania. It is a day that I will always remember. Yes, it did effect me. I had co-workers who volunteered to help at the Pentagon, and I will always remember the smell the next morning. Thankfully, I didn't know anyone who died on that day but I am sure the degree of separation isn't that much.
Last year I wrote about the day after and you can read that blog here. In 2010 I offered this reflection on that day. More reflections from 2009. 2008 I offered this reflection. My first post on the subject I posted in 2007. I never mean to repeat myself and I apologize if some of those posts same to be a bit repetitive. It is important to remember history so it does not repeat it self.
Today it is a beautiful day, much like it was eleven years ago with crystal blue sky. I think this morning it was a bit chillier. The day is almost a complete repeat of 2001 weather wise. Like 2001 I am sitting at home waiting to go to an appointment. In 2011 I was waiting to go car shopping. It is strange how the weather can repeat and even how lives can repeat. So it is important we remember and try to prevent another tragedy from happening.
To the emergency crews and fire departments who responded I thank you. To those crews everywhere thank you. You respond to emergencies everyday and we don't say thank you nearly enough. To those who lost love ones I share your sorrow. I know I don't feel your loss and pain. However, I do offer thoughts and prayers.
Putting all of my football this week in one basket. This post will have my college recaps, my new top 25, my NFL recap and how my Fantasy Football team did week one. If you are looking for other posts from me that are not sports related. Don't worry I will have some soon I promise. I have some theatre posts coming and more so stayed tune.
Well it was my second week of writing on Outside the Redzone. I am covering the Florida Gators this season and here is my recap of their win over Texas A&M. That was a great game as always I try to add a little something more to my blog posts. Here are some highlights from Youtube...
I also did the recap for the Georgia Tech-Presbyterian game which was a mismatch. You can read my recap here. Youtube had some highlights from that game as well so enjoy...
I also covered the Jacksonville Jaguars-Minnesota Vikings NFL game. I thought the Jaguars were going to pull this one out when they scored a touchdown with 20 seconds left. They even made the two point conversion to give them a 23-20 lead. Minnesota tied it up on a 55 yard field goal and went on to win it in overtime. You can read my recap here. Here are highlights from that game from youtube...
My fantasy football team looks like they are going to win this week. They were behind until Sunday nights's game. Now I have a five point lead and two players left. My opponent has no players left. So unless my players give me negative points Monday night I win.
As promise here is my new top 25 for this week. This week had a lot of upsets so there are quite a few changes. You can read it here. Well I am going to get some sleep and hopefully be back tomorrow with a brand new post.
Even though Freddie Mercury passed away too soon he left us a lot of great songs. I wished I would have seen Queen in concert. I first got introduced to Queen by their song "Another One Bites the Dust" when I was a pre-teen child. The summer I went to summer camp and would listen to the rock and roll from the counselors, the good stuff like AC/DC "Dirty Deeds." Funny I liked the song as kid then my step son liked the song as a kid and now my daughter likes it. Take a listen yourself...
Then of course there is "We are the Champions" I think I have heard that one at a sporting event or two...
Of course in college Queen was even more relevant with the cult following of the "Highlander" films. Queen did a soundtrack of sorts for the movie called "It's a Kinda Magic" which has to be one of the better albums ever made...
Thankfully we live in a digital age were music, videos and memories live on. We can still celebrate an artists music and say thanks for the music.
Well my new rankings for this week are up on their new home Hubpages. They changed a little bit this week. You can see if your team is ranked, or how high they are ranked here. If you write on Hubpages or want to check it out what other things I have written their here is my profile page.
Well besides new rankings I am now writing for a site called Outside the Redzone.Right now I am covering Florida Gators and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football. They cover other sports as well so I may end up covering a little more.
Anyway here is my recap of the Florida win over Bowling Green. In the spirit of adding something new here are some highlights from the game.
Well June, July and August are the slow months for most theatre productions. I still was able to get quite a few shows in with the CATF, The Capital Fringe, plus a few off season productions. Music took center stage,
Well now September has rolled back around and the theatre season is here! I scheduled myself pretty light this month. I am only signed up to cover one play, one music concert, and one comedy show. That is scheduled to change it always does. I am also planning to see at least one play that I am not reviewing. Plus I will check out some local musicians as well.
I will also be writing more on sports as the college football season has started. I will be playing fantasy football again this season even though my team doesn't look that great. There will be more movie and music reviews for some of the other sites I just started writing for soon. Plus I have a few things I need to write about.
In other ways stay tuned there will be lots of stuff to blog about in the month ahead. Tuesday's blog will be sports related.
Hal David who added the great lyrics to Burt Bacharach scores to create some of the greatest songs of all time in the 60's and 70's passed away at the sage of 91. Songs like "Do you know the way to San Jose?," "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on my Head," "Close to You" and "What's New Pussycat" to just name a few. You can read his obit from the New York Times.here.
I watched a tribute to him and Burt from the White House on PBS back in May while I was on vacation. I highly recommend it. I enjoyed it with my parents and daughter and it only goes to show great songs can be enjoyed by generations.
Here is a recent celebration:
Bet you didn't know he was one of the song writers for this song...
This song was one of his favorites...
and the World still Needs Love...
Hal David was an incredible writer and he will be missed. Thankfully he left us so many songs may he rest in peace.
Is local live music dying out? Granted Charles Town is not the biggest city in the world but two of the best regional blues guitarists were playing in town. On one street Duffy Kane was playing a set and his set ended around ten I went to another venue and watched Billy Thompson. These shows had no covers associated with them, in other words they were free shows. Even better the shows were at non smoking venues. However, the crowds were sparse. I know maybe it is the holiday weekend, perhaps it is an off night, but then again could it be local music is dying off?
The first musician I saw tonight was Duffy Kane performing with just a bass player, though a local drummer joined in later. Here he is with a full band...
Then I walked over to see Billy Thompson for a bit. Here is a taste..
Thankfully I live in an area that is rich with local talent. I just wish they had more support.
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