Re:Article Picked Up

An article I wrote on Helium was picked up by Jamaica Resources. It's a neat little honor, plus an extra $28 is nice. I've kind of fallen off the map as a writer this month. However, life happens. I'm sure at some point I will have another writing frenzy.

Winter is winding down and so is ski season, which pulled me away a bit this month. Of course my new daughter has drawn me away from skiing as much as I normally ski during a winter.

However, last week whole I was scraping the ice off of my car from another ice storm, I was reminded spring will soon be here as I saw a Robin in the snow in ice.

Alison Krauss/Robert Plant Tour dates

A second leg of U.S. Tour dates has been announced! They will also be playing at the New Orleans Heritage and Jazz Festival. If you are a music lover I highly recommend that festival. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss will play Bonnaroo. I know the die hard Led Zeppelin fans are disappointed since it was rumored Led Zeppelin would be headlining the festival.

Here is a link for tour dates: Link

I am really looking forward to the tour. I like both artists a lot. I am also really impressed by T-Bone Burnett.

40 Years David Gilmour Replaces Syd Barrett in Pink Floyd

I heard on radio station 94.7 The Globe, on this date in 1968 David Gilmour permanently replaced Syd Barrett in Pink Floyd. I couldn't find anything on the web to support this. I did find January and March mentioned. However, it did feel like a great topic to ramble on.

Maybe it was best for Syd Barrett to leave the band. Some reports I have read suggest he wasn't the recluse he has painted out to be and in his later years lived a more normal life. Perhaps the rock and roll live of the late sixties wasn't for him. Sure the youth, the drugs, his mental state probably played to his demise as a guitarist.

What if he would have stayed on with Pink Floyd? How different would they have been? Barrett was a songwriter and contributor in the beginning, then the songwriting fell on Roger Waters. Would there have been more conflicts in Pink Floyd? Would Floyd have broken up sooner? Know one really knows.

We do know he influenced "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" and influenced the characters in "The Wall."

Can Music Change The World?

Neil Young said somewhere lately that music can't change the world and that time has passed. I disagree with Neil Young. However, I think it is harder now for musicians to speak out. You speak out now and the public might not hear from you for a while. Dixie Chicks come to mind.
One day they are on top of the Country world and the next day their careers are in a nose dive.

I think music can and does change the world. The save our planet concert same to have an impact. Music festivals have often raised money for charities. Special albums have been made to support special causes.

Changes aren't always made though. The Tibetan Freedom Festivals, they raised awareness and money. Still today China occupies Tibet. Eric Clapton has had some successful Crossroads Festivals. Funding his tropical rehab center. Which is fine. It's just a charity I'm not going to jump on the bandwagon for, since I'm not a wealthy, drug addict. If it was supporting a rehab center for folks who might not be able to afford it, well then why not support it. But who knows, maybe it will help some rising star to turn their life around and change the world. I'm for it, if it can do that.

The thing is musicians can draw in the crowds and raise money and awareness. They can still change the world. It's just one small step at a time.

Super Bowl Thoughts

The New York Giants ended up being the best road team in the NFL, their only loss on the road came in week 1 against the Cowboys.

Eli had a great run thru the playoffs, he showed what he was capable of on the way to being named the Super Bowl MVP. Unfortunately, he did not show these skills when he was the starter on my fantasy football team.

The Patriots showed the world it is hard to go undefeated. Perhaps that is why no team since the 1972 Dolphins have gone undefeated. How quickly a great season ends in disappointment.

Spygate? Who cares? All the pro teams watch each other. In the preseason lots of teams don't show anything on purpose. In the NFL the other team is going to know what you do. The team that has the best game plan, is best prepared, and executes the best is going to win more often then not. A great bounce, a little luck also helps.

Football season ends, the draft will soon be here to make us interested in all our teams once again. Now it's time to watch the playoff races in the NBA and NHL. Spring training is getting closer in baseball. Maybe by September the Redskins will have a new coach.

Mardi Gras and the Workplace

It's Fat Tuesday and no one is celebrating Mardi Gras at work! No office mates wearing colorful beads. No announcement of a Mardi Gras parade. No mention of it all! Granted my office isn't in New Orleans, but a little something to get in the mood. Perhaps management could dress up in some costumes and march around the cubicles. They could throw out some beads and candy! Oh, well I dropped the ball myself. I was going to bring in some donuts but I was running late.
Well, I suppose there won't be any Mardi Gras Celebration at work today.

RE:Jimmy Page Says He Wants A Led Zeppelin World Tour

Jimmy Page stated in Japan he wanted Led Zeppelin to do a world tour. Of course he does! It's not like Jimmy Page has released a lot of new material lately. In the 90's it was the Page/Plant tours. Then he ended the 90's out with a live recording and tour with the Black Crowes doing mainly Led Zeppelin songs. Recently he appeared on a Jerry Lee Lewis album. Guess what? They did a cover of "Rock and Roll." Now Zeppelin are promoting their latest greatest hits collection "Mother Ship" and an updated "The Song Remains The Same."

If Led Zeppelin goes on a world tour, Page, Plant and Jones will make a lot of money. If Jimmy can keep the rumors flying about a possible tour it keeps the interest in Zeppelin high and helps increase their sales.

Then there is Robert Plant. He has a small world tour of his own brewing with Alison Krauss. The CD is selling nicely. The songs are covers, but they are new to him. They are new arrangements and it keeps with Robert's pursuit to move forward. Previous to this project, he had perhaps his best release with "Mighty Rearanger." The Strange Sensation band was giving Robert a push, to produce music which captured the essence of Zeppelin yet with a new band, without the pressure of the dinosaur. He could still push the envelope.

If they regroup, I think in Plant's mind their would have to be new material. Could these old mates regroup and move the old dinosaur to newer ground? Or would Plant become one of those singers he sang against in Tin Pan Alley"?