R.I.P Lemmy Kilmister

Lemmy Kilmister the frontman, vocalist, bassist for Motorhead passed away this week at the age of 70.

Before Motorhead Lemmy was in Hawkwind...

                                                    "Silver Machine"

Of course Motorhead is where mst of his legendary career was made.

"Ace of Spades" this Motorhead cover with Dave Grohl and Slash...

A little acoustic Motorhead...

This is a post from Lemmy earlier this month...

Lemmy Kilmister Motörhead with David Moya and 6 others.

December 6 at 10:40am ·

It’s when you get to 60 when everything starts to go pear-shaped. Everyone thinks that becoming an older guy is easy, but you never consider it fully. It comes as quite a shock. But the thing is, I don’t want to give in to it.
“I’m sick of the f–king, ‘Are you going to die?’ line of questioning, It’s getting really old, that question. I’m alright. I’m going out there and doing my best. I have good days and bad days, but mostly I’ve been doing alright. The last tour of the States was very good.

Cancer sucks! May he rest in peace and rock out on the other side!

Meadowlark Lemon R.I.P

Basketball Hall of Famer and Harlem Globetrotter Meadowlark Lemon has passed away t the age of 83. He was nicknamed "he Clown Prince of Basketball."

Here he is in the act in 1977...

Here is a history on him...

Basketball played an important role in his life. However he was more than a player, athlete and entertainer. He was a family man. He was a minister and a motivational speaker. He will be missed by his fans and family.

2016 Wanee Festival Lineup Part 4: Dead, Hippies and Headliners

Wanee Music Festival is set for April 14, 15 and 16 of 2016. It will be the second Wanee Festival without The Allman Brother Band but this festival has a fantastic lineup. This year I will be doing them as a series. This is part four of that series you can read part one here, part two here and part three here.

There is a Grateful Dead connection at this year's Wanee Festival. There is also a headliner and some hippies.

Billy & The Kids

You will feel the vibe of the Grateful Dead when Bill Kreutzmann takes the stage at Wanee with his band Billy & The Kids. Bill is one of the drummers with the Grateful Dead.

Here is Billy & The Kids with Warren Haynes who will be at Wanee performing As My Guitar Gently Weeps"

Bill will have lots of friends at Wanee including Dead & Company members Bruce Hornsby and Oteil Burbridge. There will be guests and jams but they will be surprises!

Bruce Hornsby

Bruce Hornsby has played with the Grateful Dead many times and was a member of Dead and Company. Bruce will be playing with his band the Noisemakers but there will be room for a guest or two. Hornsby has won three Grammy Awards for his music and has released over eight albums and has had a career stretching four decades.

Electric Hot Tuna

Jack Cassidy and Jorma Kaukonen are a treat to see anytime. Add in the talents of Steve Kimock and you have an epic show in store. Steve Kimock has Grateful Dead connections as a member of Ratdog, The Other Ones, Phil Lesh and Friends and Rhythm Devils. He is scheduled to play with Hot Tuna but I wouldn't be surprised if he jammed with others as well.

Hot Tuna with pin off roots to Jefferson Airplane have released seven studio albums and several live ones. Playing blues covers and originals Hot Tuna will certainly entertain. The legendary bassist of Jack Cassidy and the master guitar work of Jorma Kaukonen sets this group as a must see band at Wanee.

"Hesitation Blues"

Widespread Panic

Widespread Panic are picked to headline Wanee. Killer lights and super jam band music and Widespread Panic is an easy choice.

"Ride Me High"

These bands will certainly highlight Wanee Festival 2016.

R.I.P. Dave Henderson

David Henderson was an outfielder in the Major Leagues for 14 years. Most of those years were spent with the Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics. He also spent some time with the San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox and Kansas City Royals. David went to four World Series and was on the winning team once. He was an All-Star in 1991.

Here is his big hit in the 1986 ALCS...

He died of a heart attack at the age of 57. He will be missed by his family and fans.

Battle of the Band Results: Runaway Loose Cattle

Tardy again! I do apologize if I missed your battle this go around. I will visit your results and battles. I'll do that because I really do enjoy all the other battles. Plugging off the computer more than plugging on lately.

Also thanks everyone for letting me know about the Captcha thing. I tried to fix it but  I think that was a fail. So I have gone to moderating the comments to see if that resolves it.

Loose Cattle were the winners almost by shut out. There was one saving grace. Maybe for New Year's I will try for a more competitive battle.

Here is some more Loose Cattle..."Tenth Grade"

Here they cover "Gasoline and Matches" by Buddy and Julie Miller. I have to say the winners have great taste in music..

Well I hope everyone enjoys the Holidays! I will have a new battle January 1.

2016 Wanee Festival Lineup Part 3: An Allman Connection

Wanee Music Festival is set for April 14, 15 and 16 of 2016. It will be the second Wanee Festival without The Allman Brother Band but this festival has a fantastic lineup. This year I will be doing them as a series. It look like it might be a six part series but that could change. This is part three of that series you can read part one here and part two here. As I mentioned before this is the second festival without the Allman Brothers Band. However there are still some bands with Allman Brothers Band connections.

Devon Allman

Above is a picture of Devon Allman performing at the 2011 Wanee Festival. Devon is Gregg Allman's son and is a suburb musician in his own right. Devon was a founder of Honeytribe and The Royal Southern Brotherhood. Currently he is touring in support of a solo album.

Below is "Ragged and Dirty"...

Oteil and Friends

Oteil Burbridge was the bassist for The Allman Brothers Band for over 17 years, a founding member of The Aquarium Rescue Unit and most recently part of The Dead & Company Band. The two-time Grammy Award winning bassists will be performing at Wanee with his friends.

Below is Oteil with the Peacemakers...

JAIMOE'S JASSSZ BAND

Jaimoe was a drummer and founding member of the Allman Brothers Band. He will be at Wanee behind his kit leading his jazz influenced band..

"Can't Loose What You Never Had"

Two Servings of Warren Haynes

Warren Haynes served as a guitarist in the Allman Brothers Band for several years. He will be performing solo and with his group Gov't Mule

Warren Haynes with "Coal Tattoo"

Gov't Mule "Banks of the Deep End"

Gregg Allman

Greg Allman is an Allman Brother, a founding member, a keyboardist/organ master, and vocalist. Yes he is playing as his own band but there will be plenty of surprises at Wanee.

"Come and Go Blues"

Thanks for visiting please come back soon! I will be back with a new post soon.

2016 Wanee Festival Lineup Part 2: Kung Fu, Conspirator, Soulive and Tribal Seeds

Wanee Music Festival is set for April 14, 15 and 16 of 2016. It will be the second Wanee Festival without the Allman Brother Bands but this festival has a fantastic lineup. This year I will be doing them as a series. It look like it might be a six part series but that could change. This part two of that series you can read part one here.



Kung Fu

Kung Fu will be kicking it at Wanee in 2016. This New England funk band fuses elements of old school funk with modern electronic dance music style to create a sound all their own.

Here they are with "Chin Music"...

Soulive

 Soulive is a funk/jazz outfit originating from Woodstock, New York. I mentioned this group while writing about Nigel Hall in part one of this series. The group has released over 10 albums. The band has played several festivals and has opened for big name bands such as the Dave Matthews Band and the Rolling Stones.

Below the band performs "El Ron"..

Tribal Seeds

Tribal Seeds will be bringing their Reggae vibes from San Diego to the festival. The band has one two iTune Music Awards and a San Diego Area Music Award. They have also had an album top the Reggae charts.

Here is a taste of Tribal Seeds..."The Garden"

Conspirator

Conspirator will bring their electronic sound to Wanee. The group features the bassist and keyboardists from The Disco Biscuits and a DJ.

Here is a sample.."Retrograde"

Stay tuned I will be back soon with part three of this series and I will have a new post soon!

Battle of the Bands: Christmas Cookies

Hard to believe it is the 15th already. It is time for another Battle of the Bands battle. Again I am going with a Holiday theme.

To get in the Holiday spirit I picked a yummy song "Christmas Cookies." The rules are simple I pick a song and present a couple of bands battling it out with the song. You pick the one you like best by casting your vote in the comments. The whys and other comments are always welcomed.


Please check out the other battles:

 list of Battle of the Bands participants..

 I snagged it from STMcC Presents 'Battle of the Bands': 

@ ‘FAR AWAY SERIES’ by clicking HERE.
@ ‘TOSSING IT OUT’ by clicking HERE.
@ ‘YOUR DAILY DOSE’ by clicking HERE.
@ 'BOOK LOVER' by clicking HERE.
@ 'MIKE'S RAMBLINGS' by clicking HERE.
@ 'CURIOUS AS A CATHY' by clicking HERE.
@ 'THE SOUND OF ONE HAND TYPING' by clicking HERE.
@ 'DCRELIEF - BATTLE OF THE BANDS' by clicking HERE.
@ 'THE DOGLADY'S DEN' by clicking HERE.
@ 'CHERDO ON THE FLIPSIDE' by clicking HERE. 
@ 'ANGELS BARK' by clicking HERE.
@ 'JINGLE JANGLE JUNGLE' by clicking HERE.
@ 'JANIE JUNEBUG, RIGHTING & EDITING' by clicking HERE.
@ 'J.A. SCOTT' by clicking HERE.
@ 'NOVELBREWS' by clicking HERE.
@ 'QUIET LAUGHTER' by clicking HERE.
@ 'BE REINVINTAGED' by clicking HERE

This time around the song is George Strait's "Christmas Cookies"

Contestant One: Scott McCreery

Contestant Two: Loose Cattle

Wishing you Wonderful Holidays! Please vote and come back the results will be up soon and I will have more posts.

2016 Wanee Festival Lineup Part 1: Two artists with a debut album, BIg Something and a regular

Wanee Music Festival is set for April 14, 15 and 16 of 2016. It will be the second Wanee Festival without the Allman Brother Bands but this festival has a fantastic lineup. There will be a helping of Allman flavored bands with Greg and Devon. Most years I blog about Wanee's lineups. This year I will be doing them as a series. It look like it might be a six part series but that could change.

Nigel Hall

Fresh with a new album Ladies & Gentleman Nigel Hall is ready to dazzle the ivories and sing his soul and get the funk out at Wanee! He has collaborated with a lot of artists who are appearing at Wanee such as Warren Haynes, Soulive and Oteil Burbridge. I wouldn't be surprised to see a surprise guest in his set or a Nigel guesting with other artists during the festival.

Here is a taste of his music "Lay Away"..

Madisen Ward and The Mama Bear

You don't always hear or see a musical duo of a mother and son. If you journey to Live Oak, Florida this Spring for Wanee you will have the chance to see one when Madisen Ward and The Mama Bear hit the stage. The duo has been featured on NPR and have released their debut album "Skeleton Crew." Below they perform "Silent Movies"...

Big Something

Big Something has released three albums. There first one in 2010 was proclaimed the album of the year from the Homegrown Music Network. Their second album claimed album of the year awards from Homegrown Music Network,  Endless Boundaries Radio and Angelica Music. The group has opened for groups as diverse as The B52s, Galactic, and The Robert Randolph and the Family Band. Big Something is turning into something big!

Here they perform "The Undertow"...

Bobby Lee Rodgers Trio

Bobby Lee Rodgers performed in a band called The Codetalkers which featured Bruce Hampton. Bobby Lee Rodgers went solo in 2009 and he hasn't forgotten his jazz roots. He is a regular at The Wanee Festival and plenty of his fans will be there!

Below he performs "Mr. P.C."..

Remembering Sam Cooke

On this date the great Sam Cooke passed away in 1964 at the age of 33. I celebrated his birthday in January of 2013 with a little tribute. Any reason is a super reason to share his music.

Let's start.. "Having a Party"

"Chain Gang"..

"Bring it on home to me"...

I hope you enjoyed and I will be back soon!

Robert was a great guy. My condolences to his family, loved ones and closer friends. We shared a brotherhood through a fraternity. We went to school in different years. However, every time we met he treated me as a real brother. To those closer to him I know the loss is immense.

R.I.P John Trudell

John Trudell was an Native American, activist, poet, musician, and artist who passed away yesterday. He became known due to the take over of Alcatraz in 1969.

He served the United States in Vietnam before returning and being involved in Native American activism.

He was married but his family including three children perished in a fire while he was away. After that he turned to his more creative side.

                                                        "Rich Man's War"

                                                 Here he discusses "Drunkin' Indians"..

Here is another song called "Beauty in a Fade"...

                                               

                                                                  

                                                           May John rest in peace

John Lennon: 3 years later

35 years ago peace wasn't given a chance as four bullets penetrated the back of John Lennon. 10 minutes later Mr. Lennon was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

                                                "Give Peace a Chance"

 

Thirty five years later there is no peace. Sometimes it is hard to "Imagine"..

Maybe it is "Instant Karma"

Maybe someday we will find peace

The Grinch Made Me Late: BOTB Results

The Grinch didn't really make me late with Battle of the Bands results. As blogger I just had other things to blog about that were important to me. Which is better than the alternative of having nothing to blog about. I was going to blog the results last night but after a late dinner I didn't even turn on the computer. Anyway I apologize for being late.



The majority of the voters thought Jim Carey should stick to comedy and acting and leave the singing to professionals like Straight No Chaser. The final tally was 12-3.

More from Straight No Chaser...

Another Christmas song called "12 Days"...

"All About that Bass"

Here is a fun version of "You Lost that Loving Feeling"..

Just one week until the next Battle of the Bands. I hope to see you soon with a new post!

Pearl Harbor Day

If you are looking for the resilts of the Battle of the Bands contest I will have a post up on that tonight or tomorrow. Today is Pearl Harbor Day so I wanted to blog about that. It is a day that should be remembered. Over 2400 people died in that attack.

Here Veterans, survivors of that attack ring a bell to remember thise who did not survive..

Footage from the actual attack...

Aerial view of the base from last year..

To those who served in World War II thank you. May we always remember this day and hopefully lessons learned from that war.

Farewell Ken Beatrice!

I've spent enough time listening to sports radio over the years. The personality that hooked me on sports radio was Ken Beatrice.




Ken Beatrice picture from the Washington Post.

Ken was a radio personality in the Washington D.C. area for over 20 years. His show was among the very first sports radio shows I listened to in my early teens. Ah to here him say "You're next" as he took sports questions from callers. Sure, he might talk over a caller. He might repeat something over and over to drive his point home. It was all part of his style. Ken Beatrice entertained.

Here is part one of a three part career spanning interview..

Here is a tribute to Ken when he retired in 2000 from The Washington City Paper. The article is fitting for a second read with his passing.

He was a sports talk innovator, pioneer, and one of the best sports show host I have listened to in my life time. No one in my opinion has come close.

Prayers and thoughts to his family  and may he rest in peace.

Remembring Randy Rhoads on his birthday!

Randy Rhoads died way too soon! He died at the age of 25 due to an airplane crash. He is listed among the top 100 guitarists of All-Time according to Rolling Stone Magazine. Guitar World magazine listed him as the number four greatest heavy metal guitarist of all time.

Here is below with Ozzy Osbourne "I Don't Know"...

Here is "Laughing Gas" when Randy was with Quit Riot

                                             Ozzy on Randy...

                                             "Mr. Crawley"...

                                                                        "Crazy Train"

                                                                                

I hope you enjoyed my tribute to Randy Rhoads and I will be back soon with a new post!

Happy Birthday Walt Disney!

Walt Disney would have turned 114 today. He passed away in 1966 but his family turns quite a profit. Obviously there are the theme parks, the movies, and the toys.

"When You Wish Upon a Star"..

Here are some success tips..

A tour through time featuring Disneyland...

A time travelling video, some positive tips for success, and a familiar tune. I hope you enjoyed and I will be back soon with a new post!

R.I.P Scott Weiland

His career flirted with fame and trouble. In the end it appears the trouble side took Scott Weiland's life at the age of 18. Below Scott fronting The Doors below...

Scott's claim to fame came fronting the Stone Temple Pilots...

He also fronted theSupergroup Velvet Revolver..

He was touring with his band when he passed away...

His band was called the Wildabouts. He will be missed.

355 is more than enough!

I put this out as my Facebook status this morning:

355 mass shootings this year enough is enough. If you have a mental illness seek help. If you hate people because they have a different skin color, a different political view, a different religion, whatever the difference put your hatred down. Talk to them, you might make a friend we can coexist. Whatever it is that makes you want to shoot people, we can work it out. Before you pull the trigger think! Help is available. Even in this world there is love and peace.

What made me decide to write that status? Well if you heard the news yesterday you are aware of the mass shooting in San Bernardino, California. It ended up with 14 people killed and 17 injured. Here is a link from CNN.

On the East Coast in Georgia there was another shooting killing one and injuring three. You can read about that here.

Enough is enough! If you have a mental illness there is help available please seek it! If you hate people because they are different and you want to shoot them, throw your hatred down. You can overcome our hate! People can coexist. Whatever makes you feel like shooting people we can work it out.

Peace, love, understanding still have a lot of power.

Battle of the Bands: You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. I saw white stuff blowing across the road and huge drifts. I took a picture of it..



I guess winter is here! To get in the Holiday spirit I picked a joyful classic "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch." The rules are simple I pick a song and present a couple of bands battling it out with the song. You pick the one you like best by casting your vote in the comments. The why's and other comments are always welcomed.

Please check out the other battles:

 list of Battle of the Bands participants..

 I snagged it from STMcC Presents 'Battle of the Bands': 

@ ‘FAR AWAY SERIES’ by clicking HERE.
@ ‘TOSSING IT OUT’ by clicking HERE.
@ ‘YOUR DAILY DOSE’ by clicking HERE.
@ 'BOOK LOVER' by clicking HERE.
@ 'CURIOUS AS A CATHY' by clicking HERE.
@ 'THE SOUND OF ONE HAND TYPING' by clicking HERE.
@ 'DCRELIEF - BATTLE OF THE BANDS' by clicking HERE.
@ 'THIS BELLE ROCKS' by clicking HERE.
@ 'THE DOGLADY'S DEN' by clicking HERE.
@ 'CHERDO ON THE FLIPSIDE' by clicking HERE. 
@ 'ANGELS BARK' by clicking HERE.
@ 'JINGLE JANGLE JUNGLE' by clicking HERE.
@ 'WOMEN: WE SHALL OVERCOME' by clicking HERE.
@ 'J.A. SCOTT' by clicking HERE.
@ 'NOVELBREWS' by clicking HERE. 
@ 'HOLLI'S HOOTS AND HOLLERS' by clicking HERE. 
@ 'QUIET LAUGHTER' by clicking HERE. 

It's a win win really. They get another visit and they treat you with some more battles featuring cool songs, musicians and bands!

The original from 1966..

Fun facts it was originally sung by Thurl Ravenscroft, who was the voice for Tony The Tiger. The song was written by Dr. Suess and Albert Hague.

Challenger One: Jim Carrey

Challenger Two: Straight No Chaser

Vote in the comments! I'll be back soon with a new post. Now I don't know about Sea-sick crocodiles but me and Santa Gator have a lot of work to do before Christmas..

Happy 180th Mark Twain!

Today marks Mark Twain's 180th birthday. He passed away in The Ad1910. Most famous for his novels The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. He wrote a total of 11 novels, some non-fiction and several short stories.

Here are some fast facts on Mark Twain from The History Channel...

Here are some great quotes...

What is your favorite book or story by Mark Twain? Feel free to leave your favorites in the comments.

Strange world: Is Goat Man Real?

Rumor has it a creature half goat, half man who may have originated from Maryland as been reported in three different states. You can read the story here. Is it real?

Here is a story about it..

More...

Is it a freak of science? Is it a demon from hell? Is it an Alien? Is it all just a figment of someone's imagination?

I don't know. I doubt it because I've never seen it. Which could be considered a weak argument. However, I really don't care. There are so many other concerns in my world that goatman is on the bottom. That could change if I met him. Of course I heard goats are good at cutting grass, where was he last week when I cut my grass?

Oh well I will be back soon with a new post..

Martial Arts: Remembering Bruce Lee

This morning I celebrated the birthday of Jimi Hendrix an tonight I celebrate the birthday of Bruce Lee. Like Hendrix, Lee also died too soon at the age of 32. Time Magazine list Bruce Lee among the 100 most influential people of he 20th century. More than likely any martial arts star in Hollywood owes a little something to Bruce Lee.

Here is a list of the Top 10 Bruce Lee films?

Do you agree with the list? Any that belong that were omitted?

Jackie Chan shares a story about Bruce Lee...

Do you have any Bruce Lee stories or memories?

I'll be back soon with something new!