A friend or family member invites you over for a drink and suddenly you find yourself surrounded by the uptightest of your loved ones, trapped in an emotional ambush, pinned down with accusations that you, yes you, dear drunkard, are a monstrously diseased person. A person with a problem so horrifically out of control they are forced, yes forced, to confront you and make you change.
Now, there are those who secretly welcome interventions, either out of a selfish craving for attention or a repressed desire to stop drinking. If you are reading this magazine, however, you are most likely neither, and this article is for you.
American pop-rock musician Alex Chilton, best known for his work with the pop-music bands the Box Tops and Big Star, passed away Wednesday at the age of 59. As lead singer for the Box Tops, Chilton enjoyed (at the age of 16) a number-one international hit, "The Letter." In 1971 Chilton joined the power-pop group Big Star and recorded the song "In The Street" for Big Star's first album #1 Record, a track later known as the theme song of That '70s Show. Alex would continue touring and recording as a solo artist from the late-1980s through the 1990s, and also added to his schedule concerts and recordings with the reunited Box Tops and a version of Big Star Alex Chilton was taken to the hospital in New Orleans on March 17, 2010, complaining of health problems, and died the same day of a suspected heart attack. He is survived by his wife, Laura, and son, Timothy.
I've been a craft beer enthusiast for quite some time , and anyone that's visited Jimmy's blog knows of his passion for good brew.
Maybe it's time to advance to the next level.
The Beer Judge Certification Program or BJCP is a non-profit organization formed "to promote beer literacy and the appreciation of real beer, and to recognize beer tasting and evaluation skills." It has been described in the press as a "hands-on ... study program designed to teach aspiring beer enthusiasts about the essence of any kind of beer". The BJCP certifies and ranks beer judges through an examination and monitoring process. The BJCP was founded in 1985, when the first exam was given at the American Homebrewers Association (AHA) annual conference in Estes Park, Colorado. During its formative years, the program was jointly sponsored by the AHA and the Home Wine and Beer Trade Association. Both organizations sanctioned local homebrew competitions, and each had a national competition. Consequently, both were interested in fostering the improvement of judging skills and building up a pool of experienced beer judges. In August, 1995, after a successful ten year history, support was withdrawn by the AHA, which had intentions of starting its own beer judging program. The HWBTA was unable to continue operating the program by itself, so the BJCP was expected to simply fade away. However, a considerable number of judges had been built up by this time, and many of them were quite active. A small number of these activists decided that the program could be operated solely by volunteers from among themselves, and decided to attempt the continuation of the BJCP as an independent entity.
Musician Phil Lesh, best known as bass player and founding member of the Grateful Dead, turns 70 years old today.
One of the strongest intellects and most extraordinary musical talents in rock history, Phil Lesh re-defined what the bass could sound like, and in so doing heavily influenced what the Dead sounded like. Instead of being part of the rhythm section, Phil's bass was a low-end guitar, and his improvised interplay with Garcia and Weir made the Dead the not-quite-rock-band rock band that it was.
After the demise of the Grateful Dead, Lesh continued to perform with the group Phil Lesh and Friends,not a traditional group in that several different lineups of musicians have played under the name, including groups featuring members of Gov't Mule, Phish, Little Feat, and the Zen Tricksters among others. In 2009, Phil Lesh went back on tour with the remaining members of The Grateful Dead and called it The Reunion Tour. Following the 2009 summer tour Lesh proceeded to found a new band with Bob Weir named Furthur, which debuted in September 2009. The latest incarnation of Further is currently on tour, and played a concert event, this past weekend, honoring Phil's birthday.
Not one, but two rants from Drinking With Bob concerning the upcoming U.S. Census.
"they can't even run something a simple as the freaking census, and You Want the Government in Charge of Healthcare???!!!"
"if the government would stop spending OUR MONEY on nonsense this country might have a chance at survival. sad thing is they're not even considering stopping."
I've seldom used this forum to post reviews, butKeep To Movin' -- the latest offering by the Rock/Americana/Alt.Country group Graylight Campfire -- just screams for exception.
They're "Straight-up 3 piece rock and/or roll with a little twang and a positive vibe" and quite possibly the finest musical act to emerge from Fairfield County.
Keep To Movin' is the Stratford, Connecticut band's follow-up to 2008's All Are Welcome Some May Stay and there's no sophmore slump here. The album kicks off with the warm and welcoming "Hello Old Friend", a country rocker that'll have the listener tapping their toes and singing along on the chorus. The toe-tappin' quickly turns to foot-stompin' with the next track "Start All Over". From there the band continues to explore various musical genres, from ska to southern tinged rock-n-blues, and rockers reminiscent of the Stones or Faces. Their playing has a fresh but rootsy feel and there's plenty of twang. The vocal harmonies are also of note. AND these boys can jam. Some of the heavier moments conjure up images of a Yellow Fever-era Hot Tuna. Most of all what makes this album a stand out is the songwriting. Mr. Hogan wrote 5 of the albums tracks, with the remainder penned by/or co written with Brian O'callaghan. On this outing the trio is augmented by guest musicians Scott Camara, "T-Bone" Stone, and Dan Tressler on dobro, keyboards, and fiddle respectively. I know it's only March, but this IS a top ten release for 2010. Buy it.
BONUS Here's a couple of videos of the group performing material featured on this album.
Founding Grateful Dead member Ron McKernan passed away on today's date in 1973.
Starting a rock band was actually Ron McKernan's idea, and he was its first front man, delivering stinging harmonica, keyboards, and beautiful blues vocals in the early years of the Warlocks/Grateful Dead. Nicknamed "Pigpen" for his funky approach to life and sanitation, he was born into a family that was generally conventional, except for the fact that his (Caucasian) father was an R & B disc jockey. And that sound put Pig's life on the rails of the blues from the time he was 12. Liquor, Lightnin' Hopkins, the harmonica and some barbecue - it was an unusual life for a white kid from San Carlos, but it was Pig's life. And the hard-drinkin' blues life began to catch up with Pig by the very early '70s. He played his last show with the band in 1972, and on March 8, 1973, he died of internal hemorrhaging caused by his drinking.
"Pigpen was the only guy in the band who had any talent when we were starting out. He was genuinely talented. He also had no discipline, but he had reams of talent. And he had that magical thing of being able to make stuff up as he went along. He also had great stage presence. The ironic thing was that he hated it - it really meant nothing to him; it wasn't what he liked. We had to browbeat him into being a performer. His best performances were one-on-one, sitting in a room with an acoustic guitar. That's where he was really at home and at his best.
"Out in front of the crowd he could work the band, and he'd really get the audience going. He always had more nerve than I could believe. He'd get the audience on his side, and he'd pick somebody out (like a heckler) and get on them... He was the guy who really sold the band, not me or Weir. Pigpen is what made the band work."
my eyes tequila-tortured 4 days mourning lost another fragment of my own self knowing the same brutal night-sweats & hungers he knew the same cold fist that knocked him down now clutching furiously at my gut
shut my eyes & see him standing spread-legged on the stage of the world the boys prodding him egging him on he telling all he ever knew or cared to know
mike hand cocked like a boxer's head throwed back stale whiskey blues many-peopled destinations neon rainy streets & wilderness of airports thousands maybe millions loved him were fired instantly into forty-five minutes of midnight hour but when he died he was thin, sick, scared and alone
like i said to laird i just hope he didn't hurt too much
"detrimental to baseball," so quoth former Major League Baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn about Jim Bouton's tell-all autobiographyBall Four.
Former Yankee pitcherJim Bouton, who celebrates his 71st birthday today, was ostracized from baseball after writing the controversial book which was a combination diary of his 1969 season and memoir of his years with the New York Yankees, Seattle Pilots, and Houston Astros. Despite its controversy at the time,it is considered to be one of the most important sports books ever written.The book was also the basis for the short-lived 1976 CBS TV show of the same name, which starred Bouton. The TV show was canceled after a few episodes.
Jim Bouton started his major league career in 1962 with the Yankees, where his tenacity earned him the nickname "Bulldog." He also came to be known for his cap flying off his head at the completion of his delivery to the plate, as well as for his uniform number 56, a number usually assigned in spring training to players designated for the minor leagues (Bouton later explained that he had been assigned the number in 1962 when he was promoted to the Yankees, and wanted to keep it as a reminder of how close he had come to not making the ball club. Bouton retired midway through the 1970 season after the Astros sent him down to the minor leagues. He immediately became a local sports anchor for New York station WABC-TV. It was not long after, that a cult audience saw Ball Four as a candid and comic portrayal of the ups and downs of baseball life and Jim Bouton went on the college lecture circuit, delivering humorous talks on his experiences.
You either love or hate Al's Palace, the blog by the outspoken and abrasive Alfred. I recently stumbled upon this "how-to" piece on starting an internet talk show. I'm sure Al could be bigger than Rush in the world of conservative talk radio (albeit internet).
Make sure your broadband or DSL connection is properly set up and maintaining a steady internet connection.
Visit www.shoutcast.com and download theShoutcastsoftware, including Winamp and all plug-ins, and follow the instructions to install and configure it.
Visit www.skype.com and download theSkype software. This is what is known as a Voice Over IP phone and is necessary if you want to take live calls during shows or wish to broadcast over another network.
If you wish to have more than a handful of listeners tune in to your broadcasts, you will have to pay for bandwidth. Visit http://shoutcast.serverroom.us and choose a plan that best suits you. Plans can be purchased to accommodate anywhere from 30 up to "Unlimited" listeners.
Hook up your PC or studio mic, any mixers you may have, and headphones.
Have topics ready. The great thing about Internet radio is that there are no limits to what you can say or do. While copyright guidelines do exist when it comes to playing music, FCC regulations do not pertain to the Internet. Free speech at its best!
If you are recording your broadcast, load up any recording software (Sound Forge, Adobe Audition, etc) and click record.
Ray recently completed his chorale album and tour, is in the midst of a stripped down solo tour, and is working on a new collaboration album of Kinks classics with special guests (a long list of established and new artists from both sides of the Atlantic).
Still, Kinks fans long for the band to reunite. Ray says he is open for a Kinks reunion, but says it’s up to his brother Dave Davies.
"If Ray replies to my emails and addresses the outstanding business and creative issues we have then anything is possible- it is very much up to Ray -
The old tapes are out takes of earlier Kinks albums-RD is thinking of repackaging- and recently he rarely consults me on these issues also – There are NO new recordings of Kinks material-
thanks
Dave Davies – The Kinks"
Personally, I don't see a reunion happening anytime soon.
