Happy Birthday Trey Anastasio!

Today is Trey Anastasio's 51st birthday! Trey is the guitarist, vocalist, songwriter for the popular jam band Phish. Most recently he was tabbed to replace Jerry Garcia in The Grateful Dead Fare Thee Well shows.

Here is Trey with Bruce Hornsby and the surviving core members of the Grateful Dead..

A solo song "Sometime after Sunset"..

My birthday celebration of Trey Anastasio would not be complete without some Phish. Below is Phish with Farm House..

Are you a Phish fan? If so what is your favorite song? Please feel free to share in the comments.
I will be back tomorrow with a new Battle of the Bands so stay tuned.

Fantasy Football Update

After three weeks of the NFL season I thought I would share an update on my fantasy football team. Week one I opened up with a huge win having the biggest blowout of the season. I followed that up with a solid win in week two.

Last week I had a big lead 50 points going into Monday night''s game. Then like a Hail Mary completion as time expires my team lost despite scoring the second highest point total of the season.

This week coming up I had to make adjustments. Since the New England Patriots have a week off I lost two starters. Tom Brady and the kicker. Last week I picked up Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles. He is a starting quarterback and ac couple of starters had gone down for injuries. I picked him up mainly to take another starter off the board. This week I will turn to him. This week I picked up Chicago Bears kicker Robbie Gould as a replacement.

I am also starting Jacksonville WR Allen Hurns this week another pick up. So far  this season I have picked up Bortles, Hurns and Gould. I gave up David Cobb who is on injured reserves, Robert Griffin III who isn't starting, and Charles Johnson who hasn't been very productive.

As different players become available I will certainly look for an upgrade or two.

How is your team doing?

Miles Davis 24 years gone

Miles Davis was a trumpeter and jazz composer. His music was influential in many jazz styles. He passed away on this date in 1991 at the age of 65.

Here he is with "So What"...

Miles was a 9-time Grammy Award winning artist and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Here he is with "Blue in Green"...

Miles performing "Burn"...

What are your thoughts, memories of Miles Davis? What are your favorite songs he performed or favorite albums? Feel free to share in the comments.

I will be back soon with a new post!

Super Moon Eclipse and all I got is Rain

Sure I have a total eclipse of the moon. They are called clouds which are dropping at a steady rhythm rain drops. Even a few rumbles of thunder.

I can't seen the moon nor could I witness the lunar eclipse. Billed as a once in a generation event.
Did anyone have better luck? Where you able to see the eclipse?

Here is a picture from the Telegraph...



Credit Dan Wooler please check out the article here.

Please feel free to share your thoughts on the eclipse in the comments. I will be back soon with something new.

Celebrating George Gershwin on his birthday!

George Gershwin was a composer of show tunes and classics. As a musician he was a pianist as well. He died too young at the age of 38.


Here he is with "Someone to Watch Over, Me"..

I featured his composition "Summertime" in one of my recent Battle of the Bands which you can revisit here. Below is a version of "Rhapsody in Blue"..

Years after his death his legacy lives on in Broadway Shows and by artists around the world!

Happy Birthday! Michael Douglas

 I can't believe Michael Douglas is 71 today, but then again I have trouble coping with how old I am. He was the star of some memorable movies in my younger days like "Basic Instinct" and "Disclosure" for example.

The awards he has racked up is most impressive. The list includes two Academy Awards, five Golden Globes, and an Emmy.

Here he discusses one of his latest films "Ant-Man"...

A trailer for "Basic Instinct"...

A scene from "Disclosure"...

A scene from "Wall Street"...

What is your favorite Michael Douglas film? Feel free to share in the comments. I will be back soon with a new post.

World Peace Day

Today is World Peace Day. I read the question on Facebook "is the day still needed?" Feel free to voice your opinion in the comments. My answer is yes.

As sung by John Lennon and The Plastic Ono Band..

Certainly we need Peace between countries, religious groups, and we need terrorists groups to dissolve.  I spoke to a military veteran whose opinions I respected and he stated that "war is the failure diplomacy."

John Lennon "Imagine"...

Peace between other nations would be cool! However we need peace at home too.

We need peace from the senseless violence. We need to stop the shootings at churches, schools, movie theaters and our neighborhoods.

We need peace in our homes. (and homes for those without homes but that's another topic.) We need peace between neighbors. Peace between citizens and police.

Just look at the headlines and it is easy to see where we need peace.

Really "What's So Funny About Peace, Love and Understanding"...

R.I.P. Yogi Berra

Yogi Berra one of the best catchers in baseball history passed away yesterday at the age of 90. Among his quotable quotes he once said "It ain't over 'til it's over" well today it is over.

A mini biography of the New York Yankee great..

The Hall of Fame catcher was a World War II veteran. So even without his incredible baseball career his passing would be worth a moment to reflect on.

He was involved in 21 World Series as a player, coach or manager during his career and wound up on the winning side 13 times. In addition to being inducted into the Hall of Fame he was also selected for the All-Century team in 1999.

Celebration of his 90th birthday earlier this year..

His jersey number retired by the New York Yankees. He was a three time American League MVP and an All-Star selection 18 times.

His wit will be missed, gratitude for his military services always extended, and his place in baseball history unmatched. I hope he rests in peace and I am glad he enjoyed a long life.

Happy Birthday Joan Jett

Today is the Godmother of Punk's birthday and we wish Joan Jett a happy birthday. We will celebrate her birthday by celebrating her career in music.

Let's start with The Runaways and a bomb, a "Cherry Bomb"..

Over the years she developed a "Bad Reputation"...

As far as loving you well she sings "I Hate Myself for Loving You"

\Bur she really loves rock and roll..

Well I wish her a happy birthday and I will be back soon with a new post!

Tribute to Jaco Pastorious

Jaco Pastorious passed away 28 years ago from a brain hemorrhage while he was in a coma. Something caused by an altercation with a bouncer. Mostly known as a jazz bassist he is best known for his work in Weather Report and with Pat Metheny and Joni Mitchell.

Here is a bass solo called "Portraits of Tracy" to start off the tribute...

Anyone who follows may have noticed I have a lot of respect for Joni Mitchell so this is probably a great time to visit their catalog together...the tune is "Coyote"

Here he is with Pat Metheny.."All The Things You Are",,

Have to include something from Weather Report..."A Remark You Made"

Celebrating the short lived life and career of Jaco Pastorious...

Battle of the Bands: Keith Urban wins

 Keith Urban won my Battle of the Bands contest against Lisa Loeb. Even with the help of a tasty guitar solo by Dweezil Zappa the final score was 12-1.  I was going for contrast and I think I achieved that with the artists I selected. Lisa Loeb came across with a weak voice that to some sounded amateurish so in someway Loeb beat herself. In the end the voters voted to "Keep on Loving You" Keith Urban as the cover came from REO Speedwagon's catalog.




The Battles of the Bands will continue in October, which is often referred to as Rocktober so stay tuned for more battles starting October 1st. In the meantime we will celbrate KEith Urban's victory with more Keith Urban tunes.

It has been "A Long Hot Summer"...

"Sweet Thing"..

I'll end with his latest single "John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16"

See you soon with a new post!

Another Sunday, Another Southern Church, Another Shooting

This time the shooting was in Selma, Alabama. A town rich in civil rights history. In this shooting one could not play a race card, However, it is still a tragedy that I am sure rips through a community.

A Pastor's reaction...

 I think this shooting happened because someone was hurting. Call it what you will mental illness, mentally disturbed, or heartbroken. I call it someone was hurting and they lashed out. A lot of people in this world are hurting.

I am not saying this wasn't a crime. I am not saying the person deserves mercy. I am just stating a fact it appears the shooter was hurting. I am also sharing the fact that a lot of people in this world are hurting.

I don't know maybe if this person had someone to talk to this shooting wouldn't have happened. Lots of people hurt. We call the medical condition sometimes depression. This world isn't easy to live in, It is a world full of pressure and things that can hurt us mentally.

I bring this up because it can lead to shootings like this. More commonly it can lead to suicide and September is suicide prevention month (or at least I read that on Facebook,)

Relationships they hurt, finances and financial pressures can hurt, politics, religion, peer pressure and peers they all can hurt. Even simple low self esteem can make life tough. You are very lucky if you have gone through live with no hurt. I've felt hurt. Haven't wanted to shoot people or commit suicide but I've been hurting on the inside,

I admit the hurt. Not to show I am weak but to show compassion and understanding. I could have picked another music or sports topic to write about. However, I thought in light of this shooting which I am sure caused more to hurt that it was time to write about hurt.

Maybe if we discussed hurt more often we could overcome it. Maybe we could stop a shooting, a suicide, or some other act of violence. Maybe we get someone over their hurt enough to stop something bad. Maybe we can stop and realize the world is a hurtful place enough and maybe we could make it better.Maybe we can start a conversation and find some hope.

Jimi Hendrix: 45 years gone

45 years ago today a talented and very gifted guitarist passed away at the young age of 27. They called him Jimi Hendrix. Through his short career he left behind a legacy that has continued to gather fans and his place as a rock legend has been cemented.

The album that really sold me on Jimi Hendrix was given to me by an art professor when I was spinning tunes at a college radio station, It was his Blues album.

Here is Jimi unplugged....

Might not be my favorite album by the guitarist but it is the one that elevated him among my favorite guitarists, Of course everyone knows Jimi could rock. Here he is with "Purple Haze"..

Here he is with "Dolly Dagger"..

What is your favorite Jimi Hendrix song, album, memory? Feel free to share in the comments. I will be back soon with a new post.

Happy Birthday to the Late B.B. King

I'm playing catch up trying to catch up and vote in the Battle of the Bands. Work and a sick child is kind of slowing me down in that department. Of course I wanted to celebrate BB King's birthday but I have posted quite a bit about him this year with his passing.

I wanted to post something new on the subject and here it is. Memphis dedicated a street to the late blues great today calling it B.B. King Boulevard. You can read more about that here.

I guess in spirit you could go "Riding With the King"

"King of the Blues" with John Mayer..
  

"The Thrill is Gone" featuring Tracy Chapman...

On the songs I went with special guests to make it a little different. B.B, King is certainly missed and a his birthday is a great excuse to celebrate his music. I will be back soon with a new post!

Battle of the Bands: Keep on Loving You

Gary Richrath a guitarist and songwriter for REO Speedwagon and the man behind some of their best known songs has passed away. I am paying tribute to him today by featuring an REO Song in my battle of the bands contest.



Please check out the other battles:

The 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. 


Some great stuff linked above! Anyway I pit two versions of the songs together and you vote by your comments. I will be back six days later with the winner on September 21.

The source and not in the contest..

REO Speedwagon and "Keep on Loving You"

Below are the ones you are voting on.

Lisa Loeb with Dweezil Zappa..

Contestant two Keith Urban...

I know you all hate live versions for this contest, but he at least they are short, So who are you going to vote for the extremely popular country star in Keith Urban or the alt pairing of Lisa Loeb and Dweezil Zappa?

Enjoy and I will be back next month for another Battle of the Bands!

R.I.P. Moses Malone

NBA Hall of Famer Moses Malone past away at the age of 60. He was the leagues MVP three times. In 1983 he led the Philadelphia 76ers to the championship and was the finals MVP. He was a 13-time all-star and his jersey has been retired by the Houston Rockets.

Here are highlights from one of his biggest games..

The news from ESPN Sportscenter...

Highlights from Game 3 of the NBA Finals in 1983 that he won..

Mose Malone had a great career playing for the Buffalo Braves, Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers, Washington Bullets, Atlanta Hawks and San Antonio Spurs. We thank him for the memories on the court and he will be missed by his fans, friends and family.

9/11/2001

Hard to believe it has been 14 years since the 9.11 terrorist attacks. When I first started blogging I wrote about the attacks each year for a while. I had hope to continue to do that each year. However, I slacked off or live got in the way a bit. It will always be a day that I will remember.

How could one forget four planes being hijacked and crashed? Who could forget the towers falling? Who could forget 2996 deaths? It is an event that should never be forgotten.

Here is a video. Warning skip if you don't want to see it again.

There are so many negatives about the attack. One positive was the attack brought the country together. Something that the country has same to be splitting apart lately. Perhaps it is a good thing to reflect back on what brought us together.

Please remember the victims, the volunteers, the firemen and police officers today. May we never have a tragedy like this again.

Fantasy Football: The Undrafted

The fantasy football league that I participate had their draft yesterday. Unfortunately I was at work. My undrafted team didn't turn out too badly. Blaring weakness were Wide Receivers and besides one beastly running back I am thin there too.

I'm solid at quarterback. My strength is tight ends. I have a trio that I hope will keep me in the match ups.

Yahoo! graded my draft as a B-. As the season moves on I am sure I will make some moves. I have one pending as we speak. Should be a challenge this year.

Anyone else play fantasy football? How was your draft? Do you like your team?

Is everyone ready for some football?

RIP Martin Milner

Martin Milner the actor best known for his roles in the television hits Route 66 and Adam 12 has passed away at the age of 83.

Trailer for Adam 12..

Route 66  a clip from that show...

He was an actor in films, television, the stage and radio, A combination that would be hard to find in today's entertainment era.

For the ladies here are some of his romantic scenes....

For the guys I present you a brawl scene...

The world lost a talent, thanks for the memories and  may you rest in peace.

I will be back soon with a new post.

Happy Birthday Pink!

Today Pink celebrates a birthday and we celebrate her music on my blog. Pink was a contestant on one of my Battle of the Bands contest you can relive that battle here.

You've certainly heard this song..."Just Give Me A Reason"

Here she is with "So What"...

"Raise Your Glass" to her for her birthday...

I will wrap it up with "Try"..

Do you have a favorite Pink song? What do you think of her as an artist? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments. I'll be back soon with a new post!

The Doors Winner of the Battle of the Bands

In a close Battle of the Bands The Doors edged out The Shadow of the Knight 8 to 6.  The song was "Gloria" by Them featuring Van Morrison. When I saw the votes were keeping it close I was hoping The Shadow of the Knight would pull it out since I have never blogged about them.

Here is a live version of The Doors performing "Gloria",,,

The WASP....spinning another song on "Texas Radio and the Big Beat"

"Riders on the Storm"...

Hope everything is fine on "Love Street"..

I'll be back soon with a new post. On the 15th I will have a new Battle of the Band. For now the music is over..

Celebrating Jimmy Reed

Today is the late great Jimmy Reed's birthday!

Look at the "Bright Lights, Big City"...

If you don't recognize his name you certainly have heard the songs. "Big Boss Mam"

:Honest I Do"..

Thanks for tuning in Stop bye tomorrow for the results of the Battle of the Band. Still time to vote here. Thanks hope you enjoyed your visit!

Happy Birthday Freddie Mercury!

There was only one Freddie Mercury and today I celebrate the late singer's birthday.

Here he is with "Living on my Own"..

as an adult one of my favorite songs has become "Pressure" with David Bowie...

Another solo track "Mr. Bad Guy"...

But then again "Who Wants to Live Forever"

Freddie Mercury was easily one of the best front men of all time. The music world lost a legend. Thanks for visiting and I will be back soon with a new post!

Happy Birthday Beyonce Knowles

Yes you have heard of Beyonce Knowles. She is a pop star with several hits. It is hard to believe she is just turning 34 as she sames to have been around for a while. Today we are celebrating her birthday by celebrating her music. We started with "Single Ladies."

Up next is "Baby Boy" featuring Sean Paul...

Here she is with "Irreplaceable"...

Here she is with Jay Z with "Crazy in Love"..

Thanks for visiting and I will be back with a new post soon! 

My First Unfriended

I unfriended someone today from Facebook. It had nothing to do with the political correct world we live in today. Nothing to do with a flag or people being shot. No this person would have been unfriended from me if he would have posted the crap he posted earlier.

It was vulgar and crude. It was blatantly racist. His comments didn't belong on facebook at all. Certainly not on my page.

It was a meme about black and white
relationships. Not only was it racist it degraded woman as well.

Why do I care? I am not in a mixed race relationship. I care because I have friends who are in mixed raced relationships that have treated me like family. I care because my daughter was taken care of by a mixed race couple for the first six years of her life. They treated her, my wife and me as family. Not that it matters they were Burmese and white.

It matters because one day my daughter will be in a relationship. I hope the person she is with treats her like family.

So my feed wasn't the place for that crap. The person I had never met so it wasn't a big loss. Plus I am comfortable with me, myself and I.

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While you are on my blog please keep me and my friend in mind while you are using cookies..



What you do with cookies is your business we are all consenting adults here. I love cookies. I love European cookies. If you want to send me cookies I will provide you with a mailing address just ask.

Cookie Monster's best bites...

 I do ask that you don't put fruit in the cookies. Maybe raisins . Anything else you are pushing it. I went to church once and I was trying to eat this chocolate chip cookie that someone ruined by drizzling some sort of raspberry sauce in them. To this day I still believe it was an act of the devil.

At my blog we support cookies! We eat them up! We fully support free trade of cookies. As blogger pointed out it is my responsibility to give my visitors information on cookies and how they might be used.  I believe I have to my best of my ability. I am a law abiding blogger. Again if you want to send me cookies I will let you know the shipping address!

If you want to share more information for my readers on cookies please feel free to share in the comments. Share your favorites, share your recipes, share your support for the used cookies!

Remember a delicious cookie is a terrible thing to waste..

  

Battle of the Bands: Gloria

I'm back for another Battle of the Bands. I decided to change gears this time around and go for some classic rock and roll,

Please check out the other battles:

The 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. 

I pit two versions of the songs together and you vote by your comments. I will be back six days later with the winner on September 7.

I found my inspiration from yesterday being Van Morrison's birthday so I decided to stay with him or in this case Them.

Here is the original "Gloria"

Challenger One: The Doors 

Challenger Two: The Shadows of Knight

A song by a legendary artist Van Morrison with the band Them gives a great song for the battle. Then we have contestant one another Morrison, Jim and The Doors against a classic, perhaps forgotten band called The Shadows of Knight. I wonder who you will vote for in the comments.