Grand Funk Railroad at the Fair

Grand Funk Railroad is indeed an American Band and they came to Pensacola to help us party it down at the fair.



I think i shouldn't have sat in the second row behind the speakers. My ears did ring a bit. But they mixed in some mellow tunes as well..

Here is a picture of the band..



There was the original drummer who put on a show,,,

It was a show running about 70 minutes packed with many of the groups hits, a great version of the National Anthem and a powerful drum solo.Hits like the locomotion, some kind of wonderful. I'm Your Captain, and We're an American Band were mixed in a nice set that included several other songs like The Devil's Daughter. It was a fun show and the fair was a fun venue. Food, rides and exhibits kept the party going.

Gretna

My last day in New Orleans was quite different from the previous one. Still started with a delicious breakfast this time cooked by my host Eric, who is a writer and long time friend. His energy level did not meet that of the waiter at The Camellia Grill where we had breakfast the day before. However, that waiter could have been a motivational speaker and I don't think many people could match that energy level.

On this day there would be no costumes. A good thing. Another good thing was instead of the scheduled tropical storm we were treated to a beautiful day. We headed out across the Mississippi River to a strip mall to catch a shuttle bus to the last day of the Gretna Heritage Festival.The Festival already had the likes of Chicago, Marcia Ball, Blood Sweat and Tears, and Earth, Wind and Fire. Almost anywhere else it would have been considered a major festival in the New Orleans area my friend told me it was just another weekend.

I was sold on going to the show when my friend told me Tab Benoit was playing. After all Eric had turned me on to Tab on my first trip to New Orleans too many years ago. As a blues fan I don't think it gets much better than listening to the blues on the banks of the Mississippi. If I had a bucket list I would be checking it off.

Tab Benoit on stage,,,



Here is a taste from his set...

They do like their football in NOLA. Tab's set was during the Saints game. Tab had the game on the big screen instead of the band to oblige the fans.

I took in the sights of Gretna, the historic Court House, the Spirit of Louisiana steam train on display, the arts and crafts. I took in the sounds of the other bands playing on the different stages. While the Ben Miller Band was more Americana than blues it was still neat to hear and see Cigar Box guitars and electric spoons played while sitting on a levee.

The day's headliner was ZZ Top.Here the little old band from Texas plays "Catfish Blues" t the festival.

Marie Frank reviewed ZZ Top's September Wolf Trap show for DC Metro Theater Arts and you can read her review of that show here. Since it is on the same tour to get an idea of what I experienced. If you want to read another point of view of my adventure in New Orleans check out my friend Eric's blog here. He calls it "My Year of Mardi Gras" and Eric blogs about almost everything related to New Orleans. Including writers, music, adventures and more.

A view o New Orleans from across the river in Gretna...

That is how I spent the first weekend of October! Good friends, fun times, and then topped with some great music. 

Happy Birthday Bob Weir

The last year I blogged about Bob Weir it was with concern to his health. Today I write to celebrate his 66th birthday. The yen and yang of blogging or just the continuity of a long, strange trip.The longtime Grateful Dead guitarist is a singer, songwriter, and a talented musician. As we celebrate we will look back at his career.

I couldn't pass this up. Warren Haynes was mind blowing this summer paying tribute to Jerry Garcia. If you missed that you can read my review here. Here Warren Haynes trades licks with Bob Weir on the classic "I Know You Rider."

Reflections on the past Bob Weir discusses Jerry Garcia and The Grateful Dead..

Below Bob Weir performs "Lucky Enough" with his band Ratdog...

Bob solo performing "Artificial Flowers"

A live version of "Hell in a Bucket" with the Grateful Dead..

Happy Birthday Bob Weir..enjoy the ride!

Return to New Orleans

No I didn't arrive in New Orleans by train like Arlo Guthrie sings above. I arrived via interstate 10. New Orleans had gone through out a lot since the last time I visited her charms. Battered by hurricanes and dumped on by oil. My life like the city had gone through a bunch of changes as well, some good and some bad. New Orleans didn't need me, but I needed the Big Easy. I missed the feel of a city, live music, arts, and the company of a good friend.

No the city wasn't the ruin of me. It was a needed fix of live music. The first day I had a fabulous breakfast served by a waiter who could pass for an inspirational speaker. I soaked up the sights of this up town area which was quite different from the French Quarter I visited in the past. I topped my visit off with a great day packed with football and music.  Will blog about that later. However, it was safe to say I found my musical fix to stop my withdrawal.

The Shell

I was beach-combing on the northeast coast of Florida. I toyed with the idea of going for a swim but the washed up jellyfish, the semi rough surf, and the rain talked me out of it. However, I ventured out ankle deep. The surf temperature was much warmer than cool rain.

Anyway my eyes caught a perfect conch like shell in the surf and I decided to pick it up. Most shells like that get beat up by the surf before it lands on the beach. I thought I found a nice souvenir. I picked it up out of the water and inspected the perfect shell. As I turned it over I discovered someone else had already found the shell! Inside the shell was a crab of some sort who had made the shell his home.

Times are tough and  didn't want to evict the little fellow for my selfish reasons. So, I set the shell back down in the ocean and went on my way. I don't know how the crab made out. Did he wash ashore or did the tide pull him back out? Did the seagulls and other birds turn him into lunch? I don't know. I do know the crab had his shell to face his adventures in.

Happy Birthday Gibson

Yesterday marked Gibson Guitars turning 211 years old. I was turned onto Gibson Guitars by being a fan of Jimmy Page. However, a lot of my guitar heroes played Gibson at some point in their careers including Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, B.B. King, Angus Young, Duane Allman, Slash and the list could go on.

Eric Clapton discusses a famous Les Paul...

A tour of the Gibson Factory

Here is another video for you guitar geeks like me...

Well I hope Gibson continues to make guitars for years to come. I've been a bit slow on the blogs lately but I will have some new ones coming soon so stay tuned!

Remembering John and John and celebrating Jackson Browne' on their Birthday

October 9 is a good day to be born if you want to be a rocker. I mean it worked for John Lennon, John Entwistle and Jackson Browne.I'll share some music, thoughts and memories.

 I was probably robbed of my chance to see John Lennon when he was shot like a lot of people. The world was robbed of his future songs. Lennon was robbed of his future. We are fortunate as music fans that John Lennon created so many timeless songs with The Beatles and created some solo masterpieces as well.

It is hard to pick favorites, but this one is near the top of my list of his solo songs...

Of course everyone was posting tributes for John today and I found this incredible version of "In My Life" by Keb Mo, it is ear candy enjoy...

It is also John Entwistle's birthday. Entwistle was the bass player for The Who. I did get to see John perform with The Who and I did see the band on the same tour he died on, just a few shows later. Entwistle was able to part of a rhythm section that also included the legendary Keith Moon.

Here is a song John wrote for The Who...

Lastly it is Jackson Browne's birthday who might be running on empty but is still very much alive. I had the chance to review one of his concerts and you can read that review here.Below he performs "Take It Easy" at that show..

Thanks and I hope you enjoy.