Battle of the Bands: Rocktober,Beatles and more!

Well it is October again. Like I did last year I will theme it to "Rocktober." I heard some radio station call October that many years ago and I like it. I'm sure with November and December my blog will continue with the themes.



Who better to kick off Rocktobermania (yeah, I just made that word up) with than the Beatles. I think "Helter Skelter" is one Beatles song that really rocks!

The Song: Helter Skelter

The Beatles on Vinyl. A classic band played in a classic manner. 

Contender One: Aerosmith

Contender Two: Motley Crue

Welcome to my Rocktober party! I am kicking it off in style with the Beatles, Aerosmith and Motley Crue. Your vote decides who wins! Vote for Aerosmith or Motley Crue in the comments. Stay tuned for more Rocktober posts!

September Reads:'Cane Mutiny

September marks the change from Summer to football season in the South. This time my reading list changed with the football season. More than likely I found a book related to football that caught my interest in a second hand store. The book I found was 'Cane Mutiny by Bruce Feldman. It is the second football related book I have read this year. The first one was Tim Tebow's Through My Eyes. I shared my thoughts on that book in this post. The books couldn't have been more different.

'Cane Mutiny was about the glory years of the Miami Hurricanes. The Hurricanes were exciting and brought a bad boy attitude to the game. Were they that bad or were they just misunderstood? Award winning author Bruce Feldman certainly presents a different perception.

I found the beginning of the book to be intriguing about the racial integration of college football at Miami in the South. Especially with some of the racial tensions and problems today. It lined up well with the Martin Luther King Jr biography I read this summer. History can fill in some of the gaps and help provide another perspective.



If you are a football fan it is a good read. Obviously Hurricane fans would enjoy it but I enjoyed reading it and the U is not my team.

I think Miami has an awesome Coach now and a good start this season. They could be on their way for more glory days.

Battle of the Bands results: A Tie

I was out of town due to a family emergency. So my last few posts have been done via the phone. I put my results on hold. I could cast a deciding vote, but I picked the songs. I like my audience to pick the winners.

The vote were down. Just a half dozen votes. So your vote really does matter here! Sometimes it can stop a shutout and sometimes it can decide the winner. I might revisit the song with different contenders to see if we can find a winner. However, October is my Rocktober so the songs might rock a bit more!



It was a bird fight in my Battle.

The Black Crowes had no remedy..

The Byrds sounded like they were Eight Miles High..

and no one was Willin' to be the winner..

Maybe I'll have a winner on my next battle in a couple of days!

R.I.P Arnold Palmer

One of the world's greatest golfers has passed away at the age of 87. Arnold Palmer the seven time majors winning golfer and one of the first members of the World Golf Hall of Fame is the beloved golfer who passed away.

His game was peaking when television was becoming more popular.

 Here are some highlights....

Do you have any memories of Arnold Palmer? Feel free to share in the comments.

R.I.P Buckwheat Zydeco

Stanley Dural Jr better known as Buckwheat Zydeco has passed away at the age of 68. The bandleader, accordionist, and one of the biggest names in current zydeco music lost his battle with cancer.

I had the opportunity to experience Buckwheat Zydeco live and in person. The best way to appreciate his legacy and music is through the nusic.

"Tee Nah Nah"

Hey Ma...

Zydeco will live on but Buckwheat Zydeco will certainly be missed.

Celebrating Jaco Pastorius

Today September 21, 2016 is the 29th anniversay of the dkeath of Jaco Pastorious. He was a very talented and legendary bass player. I invite you to check out the tribute I published here last year as well. That post features some tasty treats for your ears. I would link it but I am posting from my phone.

This year I will do the same with some different videos to continue the celebration.

Up first, is a solo track called "Dolphin Dance"...

Next up is "Third Stone from the Sun" performed with Weather Report

Next up Jaco with Pat Metheny on a tune called "Bright Sized Life"...

Finally Jaco with Joni Mitchell..

That was Don Juan's Wreckless Daughter. I hope you enjoyed the tunes and thanks for visiting.

Happy Birthday Jimmy Fallon!

Today is Jimmy Fallon's 42nd birthday. Fallon is the latest host of The Tonight Show. The newest generation. Steve Allen, Jack Paar, Johnny Carson, Jay Leno, and Conan O'Brien proceeded him.

He has his own style.

Okay I got the politicalness out of the way.

He has talent in his musical skits. What do you think of him? Does he fit well for the show? How does he compare with the other hosts?

Happy 69th Birthday to US Air Force

Today September 18, 2016 the United States Air Force celebrates  it's 69th birthday.

Below is an impressive view of some Air Force equipment...

Here is a Flash Mob featuring the Air Force Band..

The Thunderbirds..

To the Air Force I say Happy Birthday.

To the men and woman who have or are now serving in the Air Force I thank you for your service.

R.I.P Edward Albee

Edward Albee, the three time Pulitzer Prize winning playwright, passed away at the age of 88 on Friday.

Here is Albee's first play The Zoo Story which was written in 1958. This production is from Bucknell University in 2011.

Here is a trailer for his most famous play Whose Afraid of Virginia Woolf....

Albee's career stretched six decades and he wrote over thirty plays. His career was punctuated with three Drama Desk Awards, six Tony Awards and the previously mentioned Pulitzer Prize Awards.

His legacy will live on in future productions of his plays. He will be missed.

Battle of the Bands: Willin'

Last week  I went to the sold out Miranda Lambert concert and for the first song of her encore she covered Little Feat's Willin.' I was surprised to see her cover Little Feat! Can never get enough Little Feet. Well, I am a little late to the party but it is still the 15th in my neck of the woods and I'm still Willin' so come on listen and vote.

If you don't know the routine. Here it is I pick a song and share a video with the original artist or someone who made the song famous. Then I pick two contenders to battle it out to see whose cover is best. Who decides the winner? You do when you vote in the comments.

If you like these battles. Check out the other ones going on. This site has the most up to date list of Battles.

The Song Willin' by Little Feat

Contestant One: The Black Crowes

Contestant Two: The Byrds

I am glad you joined me on this Battle. Vote in the comments and we will see who wins. The Black Crowes or The Byrds. I'll be back on the 21st with results. 

Books: Mario Puzo Omerta

 Published after his death Omerta is a Mafia novel by Mario Puzo the author of The Godfather.  I just finished reading this novel tonight.

Apparently this book had some mixed reviews. Maybe it wasn't as good as some of his other works. I enjoyed it.

The book was filled with twists. Several of the characters were developed in depth. The good guys weren't so good and the bad guys weren't as bad. Of course the book contained the expected of Gangster ruthlessness.

Have you read any of his works? have you read this book, if so what did you think? What is your favorite Mafia/Gangster book?

9.11 15 years later

I try to blog about 9.11, the events that happened on September 11, 2001, and what has become known as Patriot Day. It is one of the worse things to happen in my country during my lifetime. I don't think it is something that should be forgotten.

My 9.11 experience could have been a lot different. I was suppose to be at work that day less than 2 miles from where the plane hit the Pentagon. Instead I was at my apartment about halfway between where the airplane at the Pentagon hit (72 miles away) and the Pennsylvania crash (100 miles away).
So, yes if I had been at work it would have been different with a plane crashing less than 2 miles away from me.

I was having car problems and was looking for a replacement car so I had scheduled the time off. A curse at the time I'm sure, but as it turned out a blessing as well.

In my opinion the biggest positive from the tragic event was how the country came together. Now it feels like we are so divided. Some of that could be due to the upcoming election. I hope we become more united.

The events did put the fireman, police, and first responders in the spotlight. Especially in New York. They deserved it. They worked hard and they were heroes. Like I said I remember 9.11 and I'm not planning to forget it.

50 Years of Star Trek

My blog sometimes resembles Star Trek. On a long mission, to explore strange new corners of the blogosphere, to seek out new life and new civilizations, and boldly go where no blogger has gone before or something like that.

Anyway 50 years ago Star Trek first aired. 50 years later I am still going to see their movies.

I don't know if I would call myself a "trekkie" but it was a show I enjoyed watching when I was a kid. I have watched most of the movies,  I think.

How about you are you a "Trekkie"? Do you have a favorite episode? Like always feel free to share in the comments.

The opening of the first show..

I'll be back soon with a new post. Phasers are on, be careful out there, I think I am being beamed out into the blogosphere.

Battle of the Bands: Montrose Best Rocking

Last time I had a shut out on Battles of the Bands. When I pieced my latest Battle together I thought this could be a shut out. It wasn't. It was a close battle. Montrose edged out Lemmy and Johnny 6 to 4.

We celebrate champions with their music! Click play and enjoy.

They were a Bad Motor Scooter...

"Rock Candy"..

"I Got the Fire"

On the 15th I'll be bck with another Battle so stay tuned!

Blog Update: Record Setting Month

It was a strange month for my blog. It went to worse month in four years in June for page views. Then in August I had the highest page views ever topping 3K for the month. I don't know the rhyme or reason. I am happy 800 people bother to visit my blog or 3K.

I like the page views. It is kind of kick "oh wow" I got three page views or whatever. My most successful posts are often surprises. I don't make money on my blog. I have attempted, but have pretty much given up hope.

To me is the comments are what's important to me. Especially the ones that hit how I feel, or suggest a new movie, book, or artist to check out. I'm probably pretty poor a responding to them. I have faults as a blogger. I have faults as a person too. I thank my followers for sticking with me.

On the flip side. I have used comments as inspirations for some of my Battle of the Bands post. I find I'm better with the comments when it relates to a bloghop of sorts. The April A to Z madness is  always fun.

September should be fun. I have a results post coming, anothet battle, and who knows what else. So thanks for reading and come back soon.

Fantasy Football Draft

Last year my draft was auto drafted since I had a work conflict. This year I drafted my players. I don't know if I did much better drafting my  team by myself. Picking out of the #11 slot (yuck) I managed to put together a solid team. The experts graded my draft a solid B and predicted me to make the playoffs with a 10-4 record.

I'll make some roster moves as the season goes on, I always do. It is all for fun anyhow. Maybe a little bragging right here or there. It's a way to keep in touch with some old friends and meet a few more. I don't think any of them live near me.

Do you play fantasy football? How do you think your team is going to do?