Big Leather Couch

Five On Friday - Happy Anniversary!

2012-01-20T00:01:00.000-06:00

Ioannis Alexandres Veliotes (December 28, 1921 – January 17, 2012), better known as Johnny Otis, was an American singer, musician, talent scout, disc jockey, composer, arranger, recording artist, record producer, vibraphonist, drummer, percussionist, bandleader, and impresario. Born in Vallejo, California, he is commonly referred to as the "Godfather of Rhythm and Blues".

Be Back Soon

2012-01-13T08:36:00.000-06:00

With the IBC coming up, there is a ton of music to be loaded from the entrants, 6 more sponsorship ads to record, some technical tests needing to be run and a lot of organization still to be done.

Add to this it is the busy time of year at work, it is time for me to take a short break.

Be back the week of February 6th!

Hope y'all come listen to the IBC broadcasts. Check out the schedule on the IBC page at Music On The Couch.

GO GIANTS!

Monday and a new week begins...

2012-01-09T00:01:00.001-06:00

The trip to SoCal went well. The press approvals were on time and we only had one night where we were at the plant until after 10pm.

Got to hook up with my fraternity brother Jaime and his girlfriend Christa on Friday. We had a small lunch right near the water and then - as happened last June when I last saw them - some door staining took place!

It was just odd that every time I come it happens. Good thing someone else was there as his doors are heavier than anything!

Then we went to a great dinner on the Redondo Beach Pier at Kincaid's. Had a roasted sirloin that was bursting with flavor and maybe - yes maybe - the BEST Clam Chowder I had ever tasted. That is saying a lot for a boy who grew up in the NY and New England region.

Then on Saturday I flew home. Nancy had taken me to the airport, so she was coming to pick me up. Before I left town, I thought to myself that it would be a good idea to stop at Uncle Lou's for some of his famous fried chicken. I never mentioned it to Nancy and it slipped my mind.

When she pulled up in the car, after a kiss, she turns to me and says "Why don't you order a full chicken from Uncle Lou's?"

Did I marry the right woman or what?

Well, in the end, it would have taken too long from a whole chicken so we grabbed a 7 piece meal, a sausage and cheese plate, a bottle of Corruption (Lou's special spice) and headed home.

Spent yesterday watching my Giants put a whooping on the Falcons. Next stop is Green Bay and as a fan I believe my team can win.

As someone who had 4 Packer players (Rogers, Jennings, Crosby and Finley) all season and picked up Driver and Flynn late I know how strong that team is!

Yes, we had Flynn stating in game 17 when they benched Rogers. Sure we were nervous and damn right we were surprised when Flynn threw for six TDs.

Dean and I won our Super Bowl in that league which is ahem a pay for play league. My two freebie leagues on ESPN with Jayman and with Brad, I came in 2nd in one and 4th in the other, so a decent season as far as fantasy is concerned.

Tonight begins my International Blues Challenge coverage with the first of three shows with past winners.

Tonight, Sean Carney and the band Trampled Under Foot (who are siblings!).

Then the week Jan 31 - Feb 4. Seems like it is coming fast. This week I need to go down and run a test show for the Hot Spot I am purchasing. I was told it would be better to supply my own wireless. No biggie.

I have been busy recording the ads I had left. Over all, for the first year, I did well enough to cover expenses with some left over. But there are still many spots which were made available. Next year.

I did miss one thing in Memphis while I was gone...ELVIS WEEK!

I might have to make up for missing this past Friday's Five On Friday...or maybe some form of it all...now the wheels are turning. hummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Hey, did oyu notice, this turned into a real blog post! LOLOL

A New Year

2012-01-04T00:01:00.002-06:00

Welcome to 2012!

Let's catch up with the last two weeks.

Recovered all the music I could - yet lost about 1,800 songs. Most were live concerts I had traded with other Dead Heads and the like. I can get some back, but not all.

Bought a new external hard drive and iTunes now resides there and is working just fine.

Burned 10 DVDs as a tertiary backup to my music.

Had a great Christmas Eve with Nancy...enjoying some fish (not 7 different fishes though). We had baked clams, and mussels fra diavolo and scallops...and Nancy had a Lobster tail (I am allergic)

Christmas Day was cool...after the boys left to go be with their dad, we lounged in the bed watching movies all day.

New Years Eve we almost went out to see some friends play music, but at the last second decided to stay in and make dinner and have cocktails and champagne.

I flew to SoCal yesterday on business and will be here until Saturday. MUCH warmer here than at hoe, so that is a good thing.

Getting geared up for the International Blues Challenge in 3 weeks. Bought the new mixer with USB capabilities and it is working nicely.

So much to do before they happen...think I will get it all together.

Next three shows on Music On The Couch are past IBC winners...come join us!

Five On Friday - Standards

2011-12-30T00:01:00.003-06:00

Check out the other participants by clicking on the link to the left...and join in!

You can register for free at playlist.com and type in a band name and BAM the song will be there to assist in building your playlist.

Travis lays out some guidelines for this meme and they go like this:

1. Grab the banner, make your post title Five on Friday, and be sure to link back here.

2. Go to Playlist.com to make your play list of five songs. Choose a particular theme to share with us. You can simply post the play list, or you can add a little summary about what you are sharing.

3. No tags, but feel free to invite your friends to play along if they need a post topic on a Friday.

Last Five On Friday for 2011. I am so glad Travis came up with this fun idea. I have been exposed to music I would not have heard...followed Progressions that were amazingly well thought out...every Friday a group of people spend time to put together their sets hoping to share, hoping to entertain and they always do.

As I mentioned the other day, I had a fatal hard drive crash. Well I was able to retrieve 48+GB from my deleted files thanks to the wonderful Data Rescue 3.

Yesterday I purchased a new 1TB external hard drive and created a new iTunes Library. Then I brought all the files which were recovered over into that library.

There were a lot of files which were corrupt. Bits and pieces of songs and podcasts. Those got trashed.

The library was about 1,800 songs short of where I was before the crash. I found a huge portion of that loss was the music I had digitized from cassette from the Warner-Chappelle collection I had copied from a friend back in the early 90's. It was a 20 CD collection of music from the Warner-Chappelle Publishing. So many great songs from the 20's to the early 90's were included.

I have spoken to a friend who is going to try and get me the collection to reburn. I am hopeful...

So many of those songs were what I call Standards. The great music of Ella, Frank, Dean, Robert, Duke, Patti, classic show tunes. So today, five of those songs I know are no longer residing in my iTunes...

It could have been much worse, so I am thankful I was able to save so much. Now a little prayer the collection can be sent to me and I will be closer to normal.

BACK-UP your valuable data...music, photos, etc. I am already burning DVDs of playlists as a tertiary backup and looking into using the iCloud to ensure nothing is ever lost again.

Have a safe, healthy New Year. Rememebr, New Year's Eve is Amateur Night...be careful.

Tipsy Tow offered by AAA: You don't have to be a AAA member, from 6pm-6am on New Year's Eve/Day they will take your drunk self and your car home for FREE.

Save this number... 1-800-222-4357

Off to California on business next week. Will check in when I can.

ENJOY!

Joy to Despair

2011-12-27T00:01:00.002-06:00

A few weeks ago, due to a lack of available space on my MAC, I decided to make some changes. I bought a smaller (300GB) External Hard Drive to use with Time Machine when backing up my hard drive.

Then I took my 1TB Eternal Hard Drive and reformatted it and moved my iTunes files over there. It freed up about 50GB of space and my plan was/is to move my iPhoto files there also, opening up another 40GB or so.

Before I deleted the iTunes files from my hard drive I made sure everything worked correctly. I added new files to the library. I transferred songs to my iTouch...everything was just fine.

Once I got through the holidays I would also burn each playlist (by genre) to DVDs as a tertiary backup.

Christmas morning I went in to send the Christmas playlist to the sound system. Ummm...iTunes Library can not be found...

WHAT?

Open the external hard drive and I can see them there, but iTunes is not opening

Let the day go to enjoy the holiday and Monday morning I go in and restart the computer When I do, the External Hard Drive does not appear on the desktop.

I go and run Data Rescue 3 and it tells me no files can be found! OH CRAP!

Well, then I go and use the Deleted Files function of DR3 and as I write this 48.9GB of audio data is being recovered. A process that will still take 12 hours (been running for about 5).

So, that is the size of my iTunes library (7,600+ tunes), so the data is being recovered, but looking at it before recovering a bunch of file names are all comfuzzled.

Until this process is done, I will not know what I may have lost. 80% of the music is still available to me...where I am concerned are the cassettes I digitized with the Warner-Chappelle Collection on them. 25 90-minute cassettes covering that publishing house's music from the 20's to the 90's.

AND all my live concerts. they may e missing, but since it says 48.9GB and I KNOW that was the size of the library, I am hopeful.

I will let you know. By the time many of you read this, the scan will be completed and I will have an idea of how much has been saved.

SO, how was your Christmas weekend?

Twas the nights before Christmas

2011-12-21T00:01:00.002-06:00

And it is almost here

Shopping is complete - wait, are you kidding me? No last minute trips to the mall on Christmas Eve to run over little blue-haired ladies and to curse at a**-hats in the parking lot?

How can this be the season of joy without those things?

Dang internets...taking away all my fun as I scroll the pages on my computer clicking BUY BUY BUY.

But in the same vein, the internets are laughing at me, as the money is not coming out of my pocket...heck, it is all virtual, right? RIGHT? RIGHT???

We will be staying home this holiday. Going to miss the family at this time of year, but will be trying to get them all to Memphis for Christmas 2012...now to build that guest house on the back 40. WAIT!? We have a back 40? Well, no and even if we did, probably would not be building a guest house on it.

Nancy is away until late Thursday, early Friday. I have off Friday and Monday., then work Tues, Wed, and Thursday. Then off Friday and Monday and then winging my way to California on the 3rd.

Dang Phfrankie, why are you so dang far from Long Beach!

See now, I think this would be a cool Christmas one year...

Five On Friday - 5 Degrees Of Progression-2012

2011-12-16T00:01:00.005-06:00

From Travis: This time around, I've suggested three possible avenues to take in building your Set. Ready?

This one is "easy". Just come up with whatever strikes your fancy.
Define 2011 with a progression that reflects how your year went.
Set the stage for what you expect in 2012.

If you'd like to join in, here are the guidelines:

1. Grab the banner, make your post title Five on Friday, and be sure to link back here.
2. Go to Playlist.com to make your Set of five songs. You may choose a particular theme to share with us, or post random tunes if that's your vibe for the day. You can simply post the Set, or you can add a little summary about what you are sharing.
2a. Don't feel restricted by the tracks listed on Playlist.com. And don't be discouraged if the Embed code won't work. You're welcome to use any type of media to share your Sets.
3. Be sure to sign Mr Linky so everyone can visit your Set.
4. No tags, but feel free to invite your friends to play along if they need a post topic on a Friday.

Hummm...I have been thinking about this for a couple of weeks and could not decide which of the three Progressions I was going to use. The today I decided to go with the third choice - Set the stage for what you expect in 2012

So, here goes...

HAVE A GRAND WEEKEND

ENJOY....

In February, I am broadcasting from Beale Street for the International Blues Challenge. 5 days, 9 shows, 26 hours live and all become podcasts...I will be "Walking In Memphis"
I go to work every day and feel under-appreciated by my firm. I am on-site at a client's location and the client loves me. My company, not so much...key line from the song; "And if your train’s on time, You can get to work by nine, And start your slaving job to get your pay" - Yup I am "Taking Care Of Business"
Planning on taking Nancy to New York this summer. We had hoped to do it last year, but it did not work. So, this summer...I am real hopeful. So of course, "New York, New York"
Music On The Couch is becoming more and more my passion. Each Monday, I have two guests and hopefully, my questions give them "Something To Talk About"
And finally, the year would not be complete with Nancy in my life - "My Girl"

Five On Friday - Still Miss John

2011-12-09T09:09:00.000-06:00

I sat there with my jaw open...just shaking my head.

31 years ago. A brilliant songwriter, musician, vocalist, father, husband, friend, seeker of peace was gunned down in front of his home at the Dakota in Manhattan.

What kind of music would he be making today? Would he even still be making music? Would he have taken the roll Bono and Bob Geldoff have taken in trying to help citizens of our world who are in need?

All things we will never know because of a deranged individual and John's love of the world which caused him to never have any security around him...how the times have changed, and not for the better.

Six from John...Five On Friday and one additional for the world.

HAVE A GRAND WEEKEND!

ENJOY!

SHEER BRILLIANCE!

A Man Finally Gets His Reward

2011-12-07T00:01:00.003-06:00

The Baseball Hall Of fame recently restructured their method of inducting players who are no longer eligible to be voted upon by the Baseball Writers Association of America.

The Hall announced a new Veterans Committee voting process on June 26, 2010, effective with the 2011 election process. The two biggest changes are:

Managers, umpires, executives, and players will now be considered on a single ballot.
Living Hall of Fame members will no longer constitute a single electoral body. Instead, separate subcommittees will be created to vote on individuals from different eras of baseball.

Candidates will be classified by the era in which they made their greatest contributions:

Pre-Integration (1871–1946)
Golden (1947–1972)
Expansion (1973 and later)

Candidates from each era will be considered every third year, starting with the Expansion Era in the 2011 election, followed by the Golden Era and then by the Pre-Integration Era.

From the official website: The Golden Era Committee shall consist of 16 members, comprised of members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, executives, and veteran media members. The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc. shall act as the non-voting chairman of the committee and shall act as non-voting Secretary of the Committee.

This year, the 16-member Golden Era Committee was comprised of Hall of Fame members Hank Aaron, Pat Gillick, Al Kaline, Ralph Kiner, Tommy Lasorda, Juan Marichal, Brooks Robinson and Billy Williams; major league executives Paul Beeston (Blue Jays), Bill DeWitt (Cardinals), Roland Hemond (Diamondbacks), Gene Michael (Yankees) and Al Rosen (retired); and veteran media members Dick Kaegel, Jack O'Connell and Dave Van Dyck. Hall of Fame Chairman of the Board Jane Forbes Clark served as the non-voting chairman of the Golden Era Committee.

After years of being overlooked by the old "Old-Timers" Committee, which appears to have been run with a "you help my guy, I'll help your guy" attitude, Ron Santo has been elected for entry.

This is very good and long overdue news. It is also very sad, because after years of battling illnesses, including amputation of both his legs, from complications of diabetes, Ron Santo passed a year ago this week.

I am good friends with one of Ron's best friends. I have met Ron and been in the broadcast booth at Wrigley through Gary.

I was on a road trip to North Carolina to a baseball camp with Matt when he was about 13 -14 one year when the "Old Timer's committee" made their announcement and Ron was not elected. I called Gary from my cell to bitch about it and he happened to be with Ron in Arizona at Ron's winter home. I told Gary about the trip Matt and I wee on.

Ron took the phone and we spoke for a few minutes then asked to speak with Matt "Hear he is going to a baseball camp". I handed the phone to Matt and he and Ron Santo spoke for about 25-30 minutes about baseball with Ron asking questions about Matt's play behind the plate and situations.

Now Matt did not know who Ron was other than a baseball player, but he looked him up after that and Ron sent an autographed ball to Matt soon after.

He stayed 'in the game as a Cubs broadcaster and was truly beloved on the ~~South~~ North Side and beyond.

The man deserved to have the honor when he was alive.

But, think if you asked him about his legacy, he might want it to be about the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's annual Ron Santo Walk to Cure Diabetes in Chicago, which he was a big part of supporting from 1974 until his death, and raised over $60 million for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). In 2002, Santo was named the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's "Person of the Year". Santo also inspired Bill Holden to walk 2,100 miles from Arizona to Chicago, to raise $250,000 for diabetes research.

But for the record and to back up my claim...

This is the baseball player Ron Santo:

Santo was a nine-time National League All-Star
Led the league in walks four times, in on base percentage twice and in triples once. He hit for a .300 average and hit 30 home runs four times each,
s the only third baseman in major league history to post eight consecutive seasons with 90 RBI (1963–1970).
Won five consecutive Gold Glove Awards for fielding excellence (1964–1968)
He set or tied National League records by leading the league's third basemen in total chances eight times, in games, putouts and assists seven times each, and in double plays six times.
From 1966 to 1974 he held the National League record for assists in a single season. Set National League records for career assists (4,532), total chances (6,777) and double plays (389) at third base (all of which were eventually broken by Mike Schmidt)
National League total of 2,102 games at third base fell 52 short of Eddie Mathews' league record, and he then ranked sixth in National League history in putouts (1,930) and ninth in fielding percentage (.954)
Santo led the league in double plays six times (1961, '64, '66–'68, '71), tying the major league record held by Heinie Groh (Schmidt also later tied this record)
He led the National League in total chances every season from 1961 through 1968.
He appeared at third base in every Cubs game from April 19, 1964 through May 31, 1966, establishing a league record with 364 consecutive games at the position
His 164 games at third base in 1965 remain the major league record.

Monday and a new week begins...

2011-12-05T09:26:00.002-06:00

John got it correct

All songs by JERRY GOFFIN AND CAROLE KING

Thanks for playing

See ya tomorrow

Five On Friday - What Is The Theme?

2011-12-02T00:01:00.002-06:00

This one is "easy". Just come up with whatever strikes your fancy.
Define 2011 with a progression that reflects how your year went.
Set the stage for what you expect in 2012.

Sounds like a fun time and we are doing it on December 16th, so look out for it.

This week, I decided to resurrect one of my versions of Five On Friday, What Is The Theme.

So, here goes...On Monday I will let y'all know if someone guessed the answer.

Playlist was not cooperating in getting me two of the songs I needed, so you get 3 audio and 2 video clues...

Oh and FYI...back is feeling much better, thanks for your kind words. Work, however, has been a bear this week with long hours and then home at night with work to do for the International Blues Challenge shows. Lot's of communications and all. Good news is the sponsorships are heating up. Check out the group of sponsors listed on the IBC page over at Music On The Couch.

OK, on to the music...

HAVE A GRAND WEEKEND...

ENJOY...

Happy Tuesday

2011-11-29T00:01:00.003-06:00

Hey y'all

Hope y'all had a great Thanksgiving and that you got to spend time with family and friends.

We had a wonderful meal with Nancy's family and then I spent the rest of the weekend lying flat on my back.

Just as we were leaving to go to dinner, I twisted my lower back. Did not feel like anything serious at first, but slowly it tightened up.

Iced it the first 48 and then used heat the rest of the weekend along with my TENS unit got me to the point where I could get to work today and visit my Chiropractor.

Still real sore and I know it will mean I will probably stand up for most of Music On The Couch this evening.

The weather is not helping as it has been chilly and rainy for the past 5 days...sun is supposed to shine tomorrow...but still chilly.

Hope you are all well and I will write more tomorrow.

Five On Friday - Times are a changin'

2011-11-18T00:01:00.012-06:00

The times they are a changin'

I was sitting here at lunch yesterday (or today as I type this - yesterday as you read it), and going through my sidebar, looking at the blogs I have tended to ignore lately as my time is so limited and realized how many of them are static...

It made me think back to a short two years ago when every single one of them had content updated daily.

Now, these people are on Facebook and Twitter and all their content goes there...the instant (or almost instant) gratification of those two mediums.

No more thought out posts about their lives or their world, which allowed us all to become closer to each other.

We shared good times and bad...shared world events and local items of interest.

The times they are a changin'

Sure those things are still shared, but in short blasts 140 - 200 characters... sometimes it feels so superficial...

Remember when blogging was a HUGE deal..."WOW...I have friends all over the world, look at my map, see where they come from to read what I have to say"

There were cool events like the Bestest Blog Carnival, Creative Photo Contests, daily memes like Wordless Wednesday and others...many blogs all with the same themes on the same days.

We still have Blogblast For Peace, because Mimi is a strong woman and has a cause she loves - as do many of us.

And, of course, then it also hit me. Look at this place. Two posts a week, when for the first 4 plus years it was 5 a week..one every weekday - without fail. Then Music On the Couch came along and that began to take my time.

The times they are a changin'

Now, I am on Facebook and do use Twitter, but not all day every day. If you can only be on Twitter every hour or two during the day, it loses meaning as you can not track all the 140 word blasts being sent throughout the world.

I saw that Mick stated on his blog that "The significance of this blog is rapidly waning."

I feel the same about The Big Leather Couch...but in other ways I can not let go. This place has been such a part of my life for 5 years and 8 months.

Can I just put it to rest? I don't think I can...but maybe at some point it will happen.

The times they are a changin'

Is part of it that I feel I might lose touch with some people? Hell, some came to my wedding; Mick, Phfrankie...and it was the first time we had ever met in person. Some are long time friends who I would do anything for; Songbird, Travis, Julie...and I have never met them AT ALL!

Is that my fear?

Some people, well I have just lost touch with them because they stopped blogging or coming here on the few days I do post...do I miss them? Honestly, not all, but some I do miss.

LOL. So I just stopped writing and clicked on Maggie Moo's old site. She started a new blog a time ago and I can not remember the url and it was one I never put on my sidebar. And what do I find, but a post from 3 weeks ago stating she is now engaged. WONDERFUL news for a special person. (HA I just figured out the new url and went over and read some posts).

The times they are a changin'

So there you have it...I miss the old blogging days, but they are never coming back...I miss some of the old gang...I am not sure if The Big Leather Couch means anything any longer, but I can not let it go...

So, for now...you are stuck with me

And that leads me to my set for today...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!!

2011-11-17T00:01:00.000-06:00

(Side note: to those who I mentioned there was a post today, that will be tomorrow)

TODAY IS ABOUT DAD VINCE!

81 years young today!

Keep rolling dad...love you and we are so lucky you are still as youthful and fun as you are

And I hope I did as good a job with Matt as you did (with mom's help) with us.

These are from the cruise we took last year (next week) to celebrate Dad Vince's 80th!

With his bride of 56 years

With his grand-kids

The kooky Marini/Clifford Clan

Monday and a new week begins...

2011-11-14T00:01:00.004-06:00

At the suggestion of my friend Gary, I picked up the new Stephen King novel 11/22/63. I have read the first 30 pages and it has grabbed me already. The sign of a good novel.

The premise behind the novel is 'what if J.F.K. had not died on that fateful day.

This stuff is good!

I am planning on reading some more after I finish this post. Well, that is until the Giants-49'ers game begins.

It is one windy day here. Almost all the leaves have been blown off their branches in the last 16 hours or so. Nice thing is, it is not cold. It is actually a beautiful day - 72 degrees, wind speed of 21+/mph with gusts to 40.

Had the house to ourselves from about 1pm until 11pm on Saturday. Did a quick trip to the store and then Nancy and I got to spend the day just relaxing and enjoying each other. Friday was the 'official' anniversary of our first date trip to the zoo, so we made dinner here and caught up on American Horror Story on TiVo!

LOL, remember, Nancy bought me the firs season of Dexter for our first Valentine's Day! We dig the unexpected and spooky.

Dinner was Spaghetti with clam sauce and sauteed Scallops on top. Had about 5 lbs of Little Neck Clams I steamed open in the clam sauce made with clam juice, minced clams, garlic, white white, basil, heavy cream and some crushed red pepper. One pound of scallops were sauteed in a mixture of butter and olive oil until they had were browned on both sides, then drizzled with fresh lemon.

Add some crusty Italian bread spread with roasted garlic and some freshly grated Parmesan Reggiano and heated in the over wrapped in some foil.

Yeah baby....delicious!

Tonight I host Suzanne Forschino and Sly Geralds, the creative force behind the F&G Band Featuring Edlene Hart a funky R&B/Blues band from the New York area.

Suzanne and Sly write the music, Sly plays bass and Suzanne's husband plays drums. Edlene hart has a kick your butt voice!

Then Music On the Couch stretches further than ever before, all the way to Australia where Anni Piper will join me.

It will be 2pm on Tuesday for Anni when we discuss her three albums and how she plans to take on the USA with her music.

Hope you can join us LIVE or even on the podcast anytime afterward.

Last week's show is at #12 for the week as of Sunday.

Five On Friday - Veteran's Day 2011

2011-11-11T00:01:00.000-06:00

Veteran's Day...Thank you to all who have served our country since 1776. Our freedoms and rights are secured by these brave men and women...

Five songs, which salute our boys or make you think of the military

Please do not look for the 'let's write a song that is about kicking a**' and make a million dollars. No Toby Keith here....sorry

And finally...as always THANK YOU DAD (Korea) and THANK YOU Grandpa (WW1), I still have the flag that draped his coffin.

Peace Globes Galore - SPEAK up!

2011-11-08T00:10:00.007-06:00

Peace Globes Galore this past Friday...So many I have not gotten to all but hope to complete the journey over the next couple of weeks.

Trying to keep up here as I get more and more involved with the International Blues Challenge shows coming up Jan 31-Feb 4 on Music On The Couch.

Every day I am in touch with another band or solo/duo act from around the world and they are showing a huge enthusiasm regarding the shows and the opportunity to speak to their fans who can not make the trip to Memphis.

Sorry state of affairs at Penn State. Really sad that Joe Paterno's career might come to an end because he went to the Athletic Director and not the police. Anyone who knew and said nothing need to be charged with an accessory crime in this horrid affair.

Does anyone care if the NBA does not have a season? Not me...

To steal Jayman's line...Houston Nutt went from being a Quarterback killer to a Program Killer...bye bye Nuttsy, glad we can move on without you...

Anyone else think the Patriots have seen better days and that the defensive genius, Bill Belichick has lost some of his powers? Their defense is a shambles and Mr. Brady seems to have lost his luster..

On his AFTERNOON TIME WASTERS yesterday, Brother Richard links to a site where they prove there are only 13 different movie poster themes ...ever! Kind of interesting when you see the list.

Hoping to see Tower heist this week. I liked the trailer and even though some say there are holes in the plot, I also need to support my Fraternity brother James (as he is listed), who was First Assistant Director on the flick. Have you seen it? Are you interested in seeing it?

OK, I hope you can watch this, because it is brilliant!

Enjoy your day....

Dona Nobis Pacem

2011-11-04T00:01:00.002-05:00

We will be back with Five On Friday next week

This week, we celebrate BlogBlast For Peace 2011.

The FIFTH ANNIVERSAY of this great event begun by our dear friend MIMI of "Mimi Writes".

Ah that FIRST YEAR there were a few hundred tops...we were all unsure where it would go.

That Christmas, Mimi asked us to post a Peace Globe to celebrate the holiday and a few more joined in.

Then we flew globes in June of 2007 and the word was getting out there.

On the First Anniversary the group had grown and Mimi was receiving Globes from other countries, but the cause was still gaining its momentum.

It was still all about Bloggers...the other social media had not taken hold of the world yet. As you can see, it was more than a once a year event at that time, but eventually Mimi and the core of her group came to the realization that once a year would bring in more participants...

Second Anniversary and the world was taking notice. Peace Globes from around the globe were flown in honor of a simple thought - Peace For All.

On the Third Anniversary, I celebrated 27 World Championships and a hope for World Peace along with thousands of others...it was now a true movement and that year The Peace Globe Worker Bees were born with a simple purpose to aid anyone who needed assistance in constructing their peace globe. The lack of an art program was no longer an obstacle in joining.

Last year we had covered the globe and the movement took to Facebook and even more people pushed the movement forward. Peace Globes were seen by hundreds of thousands of people. There was coverage on web sites dedicated to Peace in the world and those outside the movement were taking notice.

Now, five years after it has begun, there are peace globes from all 50 states, from 55 countries and maybe even more once the sun sets around the world today.

This year, Nancy and I are expressing our hope for Peace for those who no longer can do so.

Those who serve our Country and other Countries around the world in the name of Peace who never make it home, those who live in war ravaged countries who have no way to avoid the horrors of war. Those who die of starvation due to the inability to get them the bare essentials needed to live.

Keep the movement growing. If you have never Blogged For Peace, think of joining next year. If you know someone in the media, mention this movement to them. Wouldn't it be amazing to see a story on this movement on the news some day?

Wouldn't it be even more amazing if we shut the movement down because the world is AT PEACE?!!!!!!

May you and yours never have to be destroyed by the evils of war...

Live in Peace Always

Nancy & Vinny

3 Days Until Peace

2011-11-02T00:10:00.002-05:00

If you have been around for a while, you know how I was impacted by the murderous assaults on NY, and Washington and in the air over Pennsylvania 10 years ago this past September.

You might also know that, to this day, I have had a very rough time even viewing images from that day.

That said, Dad Vince sent me the link to this video yesterday and I forced myself to sit and watch all 11 minutes.

It is a story I had never heard before.

The story of more heroes of the day.

Heroes that were not at Ground Zero...but heroes who heeded a call for help from the thousands stranded in lower Manhattan.

So many of the pictures show people walking north to mid-town Manhattan...but there were thousands, tens of thousands who could only go South and South led them to NY Harbor...

With Friday being BlogBlast For Peace...let us hope and pray this story NEVER has to be told again.

Grab some tissues - be prepared -

"Never Go Through Life Saying I Should Have...If You Want To Do Something...Do It"

WATCH!

Monday and a new week begins...

2011-10-31T00:01:00.002-05:00

CRASH - the sound of my last Survivor Pool pick - Thanks a whole bunch New Orleans, looking like you never played a football game together before...

I had a procedure on Friday. Been having them since I was 40 years old. The procedure today is nothing. Anesthesiologist inserts the meds, she says take a deep breath and the next thing I hear is "He looks rested"...I am about to say, "Um no, please do not start, I am awake", when I realize I am back in the recovery area.

For my first one ever, the doctor told me I could watch the TV above my head if I wanted to see what he was doing. Needless to say, I explained to him in just a few words that I was not interested.

The prep is the b**ch...the no eating the day before...the drinking the solution...nope....that is the PITA

Anyway it seems everything is fine with that.

But I also strained my left bicep and pretty much lost the full use of my left arm over the weekend. I am doing some exercises and combining heat and cold and salve.

So, overall a real uneventful weekend.

FRIDAY is BLOGBLAST FOR PEACE - plan your globe, fly your globe...help spread the word

Today is Halloween! Unfortunately, it is not going to be as big a day as normal with the occurrences of the weekend and the fact that I am psyched for Music On The Couch this evening.

Two spectacular female voices join me tonight. Sunday wilde is from Northern Ontario Canada and is a barrel-house, blues steaming piano playing singer who can rip it up with the best of them.

Kelly Carvin is a young woman who my son Matt mentioned to me and then, before I could reach out, I heard from her manager asking if I wanted to book her.

Kismet

Kelly is from New Jersey ad has the soul of someone brought up with 60's rock, soul and blues - yet she is only in her twenties!

Halloween treats for my guests who come sit on The Couch...and maybe a trick or two!

Five On Friday - 1965

2011-10-28T00:10:00.001-05:00

Monday and a new week begins...

2011-10-24T00:10:00.000-05:00

Wow! He is actually getting a Monday blog done.

Well, this weekend did not turn out as we planned, but isn't that life in a nutshell?

Trip to Chicago went well, with no issues, so that was a good thing. Thought I would be able to catch up with a Fraternity brother who lives there, but the schedule did not allow it. But then again it was a business and not a personal trip.

Just a little over a week until BlogBlast For Peace 2011 hits the bloggosphere and now Facebook. It will be interesting to see how many people participate. There have been a number of good things going on with the movement gaining some additional speed.

If you are interested, go check out Mimi at Mimi Writes for all the scoop.

If you do not know Mimi, you need to go and learn. What a wonderful soul. She puts more effort into this movement than most people put into their real-world jobs, and she holds down a job in, what I consider, the most important profession on earth.

Tonight, I will be sitting on Music On The Couch with Mr. Tom Hambridge whose career resume is incredibly diverse and full. Musician, writer, prodcer, heis the recipient of multiple Grammy Nominations and won last year for his work on Buddy Guy's album Living Proof. He has been nominated and won Blues Music Awards, he has written songs for Buddy Guy, Billy Ray Cyrus, Taylor Hicks, Delbert McClinton, George Thorogood and so many more. His new album BOOM! is a collect of great rock and roll songs of which he wrote or co-wrote them all.

Then the band Truth and Salvage Company will sit with me and talk about their journey as a band with 4, count them 4, vocal talents. They bring a warmth through the vocals to their Rock and Roll / Southern rock sound.

Should be a fun show!

How was your weekend?

Five On Friday - Cities

2011-10-21T00:01:00.001-05:00

Hey Y'all

2011-10-19T00:01:00.000-05:00

I keep trying to get back into blogging here and getting to your sites to read, and things just keep getting in the way.

There was a time when anything else took a back seat to The Big Leather Couch, but with the show and personal life issues, it now seems to have reversed.

Last week, my work laptop was infected with a virus and had to be sent back to Chicago to be repaired. That took three days out of my normal routine.

I ended up home for two of them as I could at least access my web mail account and continue to service my clients.

The show is really picking up steam lately, and I am currently booked until the last week of 2011. A great thing to be sure, but the constant interaction with musicians and their agents and media people is time consuming indeed.

Add to that the shows that will air during the International Blues Challenge here in Memphis from Jan 31 through February 4 are really keeping me busy.

As acts are winning their local competitions, they are reaching out to me for information on how they can be a guest during their time in Memphis and sending me music I will be able to use during the shows.

Keeping track of it all and beginning to build show outlines is CA-Razy! Add to that working on getting sponsors is very time consuming.

Luckily a few friends have given me inroads to instrument manufacturers that they are endorsing and my string of emails to any company involved in the music business have resulted in a number of contracts already signed.

At this point it looks like all my expenses are covered, so anything further becomes profit.

And profit is good.

BlogBlast For Peace is November 4th and I am working on my Peace Globe and the post for that day as I am 1,000,000% behind this social event.

I leave for Chicago this morning at like 7am, so it will be a long day for me. I am there through Friday evening.

I do realize that, with the absence of regular posts, I have lost most of my readers, but when I began this journey almost 6 years ago, it was for me more than anything.

I want to continue to use the Big Leather Couch as an outlet for things non-music related, so I am not going anywhere.

Hopefully, even if my posts are not the 5 days a week as they were for the first four plus years, I will still find that my words are welcome in the bloggosphere.

So, what have you been up to?

Five On Frday - Peace Edition

2011-10-14T07:59:00.000-05:00

Yes, we are only a few short weeks from a day when the Bloggosphere and Facebook will be covered in Peace Globes designed by ordinary people from around the world.

It all began with a bowl of marbles on a piano and a young woman whose love for her grandpa made the spark of light go off in her head.

Mimi of "Mimi Writes" is the founder of the Peace Globe Movement, but it is the thousands of people who heard her call who keep it alive and growing each year.

For a while now, many have been posting their reasons for Peace. Over 100 days and 100 reasons.

I have been lax on joining them, but know that this movement is close to my heart.

Next week, I will share what has been keeping me from posting here on The Couch, but for today I combine the final countdown to BlogBlast For Peace with the wonderful weekly meme conceived by good friend Travis of "Trav's Thoughts, his Five On Friday Musical meme.

Following are five songs I have used for BlogBlast For Peace since its inception.

Joining this movement is simple...grab a template over at the OFFICIAL PEACE GLOBE SITE and join in the movement.

Thanks for continuing to bear with me as I try and get back to this medium...

HAVE A GRAND PEACEFUL WEEKEND!

Five On Friday - King Biscuit Headliners

2011-10-07T00:01:00.002-05:00

2011-10-05T00:10:00.000-05:00

What is going on these days?

The hate is just flowing more and more.

"He raised the deficit more than anyone in history"

"She was guilty and should be in jail"

The constant reference to Hitler when talking about anyone with whom who you might disagree.

Well, it will all end next November, well that is what many think. Their brains must be mushy from all the hate because, until we ALL stop the crap...the hate will build.

30 DAYS UNTIL THE BLOGBLAST FOR PEACE!!!

Yes, it is getting close and I have been remiss in talking about it here. This has been a cause close to my heart since our wonderful MIMI saw those blue marbles in the bowl on the piano.

Peace soothes the soul and helps reduce the amount of hate in the world.

They saw 'music soothes the savage beast' and that is totally true, but I believe PEACE soothes the beast even quicker.

Anyone looking for assistance with their Peace Globe can write me and I will do my darndest!

Want to know more about this worldwide event? Check out the site by clicking on the purty picture!

Off to Helena, so no post tomorrow, but I will plan one for Friday...wnder what the subject will be?????

Monday and a new week begins...

2011-10-03T00:10:00.001-05:00

End of quarter was difficult and had me tied up most of the week causing me to miss Five on Friday.

I should have one this week, but I had to pre-plan it as this is the week of the King Biscuit Blues Festival. The granddaddy of them all.

The lineup is impressive once again. Goon, check it out! What do you think?

Nancy and I leave early Thursday for the 90 minute trip. OH, and we have press passes this year, so we will be up closer to the main stage for photo ops.

I will be posting pictorials over at American Blues News on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Hope you check them out.

Two fine "Musicians You Should Know" this evening on Music On The Couch. Nik West is a fantastic R&B artist who is a skilled bass guitar player. Darren J Fallas leads a fine band here in Memphis and is also the president of the Memphis Blues Society.

Come hand out in the chat room at 9pm central.

Bought a reconditioned phone and received it on Friday. SO I am back in touch with the world.

Was strange not having a phone. The day I went out to see if I could buy one here in town, the company I was guided to had closed their doors and moved. I was not sure where the address was and had to go back to the office to get online to see a map, instead of pulling one up on the phone - which of course I did not have!

How our lives have changed!

Wordy Wednesday

2011-09-28T00:10:00.008-05:00

So, if the day I did the "Where's Vinbo" post had not begun the mystery of the web page, I might use that theme again...but

NAH!

So, where they heck-a-doodle have I been?

Friday got home from work and had promised Webb Dalton, who appeared on the show two weeks prior I would come out and see him play. That afternoon, I heard from Victor Wainwright who asked if I was available to come out and listen to Nick Black, who has been Victor's guitar player on the road. Nick was with his own band and they play more of a Stax/neo-R&B sound.

Nancy agreed to join me so out we went. Nick was fantastic and is booked for the show on November 7th already. Then we went and saw Webb and had a good time there.

Saturday - well, you see , for 10 years Nancy owned her own company. She still had ALL the employee and business records in 6 LARGE boxes. So, seeing as we live in the county, we decided to burn it all due to the bank numbers and employee confidential information.

Five hours of burning on Saturday got me 1/2 way through.

Saturday night - well, you see a few weeks back I made a promise to Nancy that the next time we went out it would be to the movies. She called me on this on Friday so I told her to pick a movie - even a chick-flick if she wanted.

She chose The Help, so that was Saturday night. the movie was very good indeed. A tough story to tell, but it was done very well with great acting.

Sunday was more burning and filling in the hole from the second repair to the water pipe and watching some football games.

Monday, I got home and had my cell phone in my hand and as I reached for my mug of juice the phone slid out and landed perfectly in the mug! I immediately removed it stripped out the battery and dried it off.

YES! I now know I should have put it in rice - anyway I did not and yesterday it was still not working. My upgrade is not for another 8 months, so a new phone is way too expensive.

The phone was put into rice in the morning and hopefully this morning it will be working...if not, I need to find a reconditioned one to keep me connected...

The show Monday was fantastic...check it out if you have not already...think you will enjoy.

So..now, sorry you asked?!?!!?

Oh, right, you didn't ask!

Oh well...

Five On Friday - TV TIME!

2011-09-23T00:10:00.001-05:00

The Addams Family: Theme by Vic Mizzy
Based on the original Goth cartoons by Charles Addams that ran for decades in the New Yorker magazine, The Addams Family television sitcom portrayed a monster family whose moribund physical appearances were counteracted by each family member's exuberance for passion and adventure.
First Telecast: September 18, 1964
Last Telecast: September 2, 1966
Original Network: ABC
Number of Seasons: 2
Number of Episodes: 64

The Andy Griffith Show: Theme "The Fishing Hole" by Earle Hagen
Since its network debut in 1960, The Andy Griffith Show has been a viewer favorite thanks to its folksy, nostalgic charm and memorable cast, both of which shine in this set featuring the series' debut season. It originally spun off from an episode of Make Room for Daddy.
First Telecast: October 3, 1960
Last Telecast: September 16, 1968
Original Network: CBS
Number of Seasons: 8
Number of Episodes: 249

Green Acres - Theme:No writer, sung by Eddie Alpert and Zza Zza Gabor
New York lawyer Oliver Wendell Douglas longs for a simpler way of life. So he buys a farm, sight unseen, and moves there to live off the land, much to the chagrin of his socialite wife, Lisa. The collision of small-town life and Lisa's sophisticated ways - she insists on wearing full-length gowns and ostentatious jewelry, even on the farm - provide much of the humor in the show. First Telecast: September 15, 1965
Last Telecast: September 7, 1971
Original Network: CBS
Number of Seasons: 6
Number of Episodes: 170

Beverly Hillbillies - Theme: "The Ballad of Jed Clampett" by Paul Henning
The story of poor Ozark mountaineer Jed Clampett and his kin, striking it rich with oil and headin' for Beverly Hills, California. Join the feistiest Granny of them all, wise Uncle Jed, his critter-loving daughter Elly May and love-crazy Cousin Jethro in their unrefined, legendary quest for an idyllic West Coast existence. First Telecast: September 26, 1962
Last Telecast: September 7, 1971
Original Network: CBS
Number of Seasons: 9
Number of Episodes: 274

Mr. Ed - Theme: Jay Livingston
Mister Ed belonged to Wilbur Post played by Alan Young, a young architect who had decided to move out of the city to get a little closer to nature. The rambling country home he and his wife decided upon came complete with a barn that doubled as Wilbur's office and a very talkative palomino named Ed. Problem was Ed didn't care to talk to just anyone, in fact he would only talk to Wilbur (the first human he'd ever met worth talking to).

First Telecast: January 5, 1961
Last Telecast: February 6, 1966
Original Network: CBS
Number of Seasons: 6
Number of Episodes: 143

Actually did not realize until I put this list together that CBS had been the original network for 4 of the 5 shows. Pretty impressive I say!

HAVE A GRAND WEEKEND!

ENJOY!

DENTIST - A MEMORY...

2011-09-22T00:01:00.001-05:00

Dentist appointment today - so I flashed back and will share via the
WAY-BACK MACHINE, A post as originally shared on 08/17/07:

All ya'all know we broke a tooth on Sunday...who knew you shouldn't use 60# test to floss with...sheesh, we live in the South now and fishing line is much less expensive than dental floss down here.

The tooth was like one of those Hollywood sets where the houses are just a flat surface with nothing behind them...SO, we needed to find a dentist and deal with the cost...

After some investigation we began making some calls. Who used our insurance, who dealt with our dental credit...in Memphis, we could not find one who took both so we began taking notes and trying to decide what was better, out of network or pay out of my pocket....

We called one office and spoke with the woman who answered the phone. Ms. K. was very sweet and welcoming and assured this big dentist phobic that they would care for me with kid-gloves.

Her caring nature made the decision for us and we made an appointment after confirming that nitrous would be available...

So, the next morning we walk into the office and are confronted with a sign on the wall which stated "WE CATER TO COWARDS" AH! we are home....LOL

Walking up to the window Ms. K. smiles and says "Morning Vince, please fill out the paperwork." Without me having to say a word! OK, we are feeling even better...not like other Doctor or Dentist offices we have been in where they barely look at you when you come in for a visit...

We fill out the paperwork and hand it in and within 2 minutes the door opens and we are welcomed by the Dr. P's assistant Ms. M.L. with a smile and a chuckle..."So, you are not a fan of the dentist." she says...

"No ma'am, I am not." we reply. Truth is we would rather her just chop my thumbs off with a rusty 200 year old axe then sit in a dentist's chair...

So, she grabs me by the hair and drags me down the hall kicking and screaming "I WANT MY MOMMY!"

"Well we will take good care of you, you want the nitrous correct?"

"Yes ma'am I do." And some quaaludes and maybe a liter of Gentleman Jack too...ya got that here?

We go into the room and we take a seat. We chat for a few minutes as she asks where we are from - well yes dear readers, we still have our Northern accent so we get asked that question often..can you believe it? bwahahahahahaahahahahahaha

In walks Dr. P. an older man (hell, he is probably our age LOL) and we shake hands and he asks where we are from, how long we have been in Memphis and Ms. M.L. mentions that they have a 'coward' in the chair and after looking around wondering who she means, we realize it is us and yes, we immediately agree.

Dr. P. assures us we are in good hands and then says "Let's take a look."

Into the mouth goes that little mirror and we hear him say "OH!"

Crap...what does he see? Are there little germy monsters building homes where my tooth was? Will my whole mouth have to be fumigated? Will all my teeth fall out?

"Almost nothing left there." he says.

We use our Hollywood lot analogy and he laughs and says, "Yeah, that is just about it!"

Make them like you and they have a harder time hating you and using the non-sterilized instruments...

Time to take an x-ray and Ms. M.L. takes care of that chore.

Then she straps the gas mask on and says "I will set it at our normal level and let's see how you do."

Immediately the words spill from our mouth (which hurts like hell at this point) "Crank it M.L., I can take it, believe me" Then we sigh and say "ARGGGG"

"What is wrong?"

"I forgot my musiccccccccccccccccccccc!" How the hell could we do that! The Allman Brothers "EAT A PEACH" was right next to my keys on my counter...

"Oh, sorry, we have a CD player, but only classic music."

Ummmm no that will NOT do...suck it up you wimp, you have the gas flowing and you already took 4 HUGE hits and can feel it coming on...

We close our eyes and begin to breathe deeply. Ever have nitrous?

It starts slowly and you begin to feel a numbness...almost like your whole body is on Novocaine...and things get intensified....but you really do not care what is going on around you.

THE COUCH BACKSTORY:...as a kid (8-10 years old), we went to the dentist one day. And he kicked the gas in and gave us a shot of novacaine. We were out of it for sure and began to 'hallucinate'...we were outside a pyramid (NO MO, we were not with you and Gram in Egypt!) then a doorway opens and we step into the pyramid.

As we step inside, the door closes behind us and it gets darker, but not pitch black...In the center of the pyramid is two gear wheels slowly turning. As we stand there watching a tooth begins to extend out of our mouth...stretching longer and longer, until it gets caught in the gear wheels and we feel it pull out of my mouth.

At that point, my eyes open in the chair and there is the dentist holding a tooth in a pair of clamps! Never ever forget that day....very weird...

OK, back to Wednesday...Dr. P then comes back and proceeds to give me two shots of novacaine...one in the roof of my mouth..man those do hurt....

He then says, "Looking at the x-ray, well it looks like that tooth has two root canals." AND IT HITS ME!

In NJ we used a hack for a while and we remember he did a root canal and then it still hurt and he told us we needed a second one done....SO it was THAT tooth!

We discuss the cost of the treatment and it is doable so we say "Rock and Roll", though it was probably not that clear as our mouth is numb and the gas is doing it's job....

He begins working and - as we always do - our eyes close..we do NOT like to watch...nope...no...no... remember "We Cater To Cowards".....

The work begins and as he begins to drill, our eyes open.... hummmmm it hurts...can feel pain...so we get Ms. M.L.'s attention and with my hand indicate "TURN THAT SUCKER UP!" and she smiles and boosts the flow of gas a bit more....

Breathe deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep ..... fuzzy....fuzzy...fuzzier.....total fuzz....

"Hummmmm" says Dr. P and of course, we look up...

What the heck can be wrong NOW?!?!?

"It seems there is only one root canal here and the other hole was an attempt to get the root, but was not successful, so that is good news for you..."

FREAKING NJ HACK DOG BREATHE LOSER PIECE OF ....

Eyes close again...breathe deep... see, if you just breathe through your nose, you stay in the fuzz zone, but if you begin to breathe through your mouth the fuzziness begins to clear as more oxygen gets into your system and overrides the nitrous....

They are working...we are missing our music..the music on the radio is vanilla pop rock- ugh ...but with the gas it has become a beating echoing...mass of noise...

We hear Ms. M.L. say "He is a good patient."

"Yes he is." answers Dr. P

We smile - well as much as one can smile with two hands shoved into your mouth and a drill moving in and out, but we tap the gas mask and mumble "Gib me dis anb I be da bestest padtent in da worlb"

They both laugh...

Well, we are now to a point where he has completed getting the tooth out and doing whatever else he needed to do....Chase the germies out of their homes?...rebuild my whole jaw from the hack?....install a tiny microchip that will allow the government to track my every move?

They begin to take casts for the crown...OH yeah... needed a post since there was nothing left of the tooth....and of course Mr. Tongue just neeeeeds to touch it... YUKKERS....

Was that a microchip we felt? Wait, are we getting signals from Pluto? Nah, Pluto ain't even a planet anymore...just use more of the gas......suck deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep

Ms. M.L. takes the cast and is being a little jokester...well maybe she was...or was it the gas?

Hello...Hello...who is in my head? Wait, no way...that can't be Dick Cheney, but hell it sounds like him...DICK, YOU DICK...GET OUT!

damn....suck deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeper

The cast is made and Ms. M.L. says to sit tight and enjoy the ride...OH, we are doing that...yes we are...no more drilling and just us and our best friend the nitrous....well and Dick...he will not leave now..seems he likes it in my head.... damn...

They put the temp crown in...make some adjustments and then Dr. P says, "Well, we don't have to charge you for the second root canal, so it saves you money" (we think he said $30,000,000,000,000,0000.00, but maybe it was only $300.00 and the other number was Dick adding up the national debt...)...damn suck some more quick, maybe he will get the hell out...

We respond with "Well dats bgoob, youb didbn't eben hab to tell me." "

And Dr. P says, "We don't roll that way here in our hood dude, so chill and be excellent"

Wait, who is this guy, George Carlin in "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure"?

Then finally, Ms. M.L. blows the whole darn thing and utters the most disgusting words we have ever heard in our life....

"OK, I have to turn the gas off, just sit there and breathe the pure oxygen for a few minutes..."

BUT BUT BUT, WE THOUGHT YOU LIKED US...WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU...DON'T YOU SEE WE ARE HAVING FUN HERE! (Well all except Dick who is now trying to convince us to go hunting with him....ummmm no thanks Dick!)

Finally...time to leave.... Dr. P says good bye and we shake hands.. Ms. M.L. turns and says "Bring the CD when you come back now..."

Ms. K. at the desk gives us an emergency number and tells us SHE answers the line and not some service and would we like to go out sometime...(ummm well, maybe the gas wasn't totally out of our system and we imagined that last part)...

All in all, one of the most excellent (George? Where are you George - are you in there with Dick..now that would be a scary twosome...Cheney and Carlin...) dentist visits we have ever had...

We leave and head to the office and pretty much realize that ain't happening..so head home and slept the afternoon. woke up for a while, and then crashed again...

So, if you are looking for a dentist in the Memphis area...let us know and we will turn you on to Dr. P, Ms. K. and Ms. M.L. (oh let's not forget the hygienist who will be cleaning our teeth in two weeks, - with the nitrous of course - we told you C-O-W-A-R-D!), Ms. M.....

This is a real find for us and we thank them for their skills and caring...

Yeah, we did tell them we would be writing about this and Dr. P made sure he got THE COUCH'S address...

so..everyone all at once

HI DR. P....HI MS K. .....HI MS. M.L. .....HI MS. M.!!!!!!!!!

See all ya'll on the 30th for my next appointment!

The Master...Mr. Spike Jones
"All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth"

Working Wednesday

2011-09-21T00:10:00.005-05:00

Working hard on putting together the shows for the International Blues Challenge (Jan 31 - Feb 1-4) here in Memphis.

As I have said, I have one package booked and inquiries from others on some of the smaller packages.

Lots of work to be done.

I decided to go from a collage to a slideshow for the guest photos and am getting more in every day.

This is where it stands so far...whatta ya think?

Dealing with musicians is not always easy! LOL I had one person write to tell me they were too busy, but I could use the attached PR photos. Honestly, it would have taken less time to print out my sign shoot the pic and send it!

But I do love musicians...yes I do!

Another dentist appointment tomorrow...nitrous here I come!

Y'all have a darn fine day!

Monday and a new week begins...

2011-09-19T00:10:00.002-05:00

Ever have one of those weekends...Not that it is a bad weekend...or an especially good weekend...not a weekend where you worked the entire time...not one of those weekends where you did absolutely nothing?

Yeah...I had one of those this weekend. Woke up TOO early on Saturday and took care of some business for MUSIC ON THE COUCH

BLATANT COMMERCIAL PLUG

Tonight's show comes to us with the assistance of good friend Julie who saw The Brighter Side Band at a Blues Fest in Canton.

She called me during their set to give me a cell-cert (which never really work, but we all love them anyway!) and after listening to some of their music on line I realized they were "Musicians You Should Know".

Then I sit with Rich deCicco who is the front man for the group The Ladies Of Sport out of Brooklyn NY. Their blend of pop-rock is cool and I hope you enjoy them also.

Now, I know this is week one of the Fall TV Season...and of course there is Monday Night Football...so aren't you so dang lucky that you can download the podcast after it ends and listen any time you want! You can even listen in parts if you choose!

END BLATANT PLUG

With Nancy having been gone the entire week and having long days, we opted not to drive the 2 hours to Greeenville, MS for the Blues Fest there. It is a great time and we knew a few people playing, but Helena and The Biscuit is just a couple of weeks away, October 6, 7, and 8.

The lineup is stellar once again with Buddy Guy, Delbert McClinton and Keb Mo headlining the three days. The cool part of this festival is the two second stages, which are free to attend. One is now called The Rising Biscuit stage where up and coming bands get the chance to show off their stuff. One of our past Couch-sitters, Cee Cee James is getting her shot on that stage. On the Lockwood-Stackhouse Stage, we will get to see friends Papa Don McMinn and Nightrain, The Wampus Cats, Andy Coates,
On the main stage, Lionel Young Band gets to perform as part of their winning the 2011 International Blues Challenge, along with Reba Russell and Room Full of Blues with James Cotton.

So many great bands are going to be there, the difficult part is deciding who to see and who to miss...

Digging my Fantasy football teams so far. This week's games are not all decided, but so far I like the distribution of points I am getting from the players on the teams. The money league is looking sweet.

Thanks y'all for coming!

Five On Friday -

2011-09-16T00:10:00.000-05:00

Blogger trying to tell me something? Yesterday my header disappeared!

I see it in the correct place in the html code, but it is not showing up.

Now, maybe by the time you read this it will be back and it was a problem between photobucket and blogger, but I do not think so as other things linked at photobucket appear to be here.

WHAT IS GOING ON?????

Well, anyway...TIME FOR FIVE ON FRIDAY!

The rest is history..with band fights, Young in and out of the band...lots of tension...but when they did it (and still do it at times), the sounds they make are so very special. And special deserves an extra track...so 6 this Friday

ENJOY!

HAVE A GRAND WEEKEND!

Tuesday Notes...

2011-09-13T00:10:00.003-05:00

So, how was your weekend?

Mine was not bad as far as the days leading up to the 11th is concerned. I always feel off for the 4-5 days prior to the 11th.

This year was a tad more nerve-wracking, as Nancy was scheduled to fly to Dallas on Sunday.

Took her to the airport around 11:30am and as expected, there was a security checkpoint as soon as you hit the airport grounds.

We were one of the cars selected to be pulled over and have them inspect the outside of the car by using one of those mirrors on wheels and also bomb-sniffing dogs.

Of course we passed, and when I dropped Nancy at the terminal, there were two police officers and a dog at each entry point.

Nancy did say that inside the terminal, it was quiet and uneventful.

While waiting for the dog to circle the car, I chatted with one of the security personnel who said "This is the safest day of the year to fly, there are over 50,000 additional people on duty today throughout the USA."

Made me feel a bit better and after thinking about it, he is probably correct.

I do love the memorial they opened at Ground Zero. It might even give me the inventive to travel to the spot so many were murdered when we visit next summer.

Watched the closing episode of Entourage and will miss this program. It was a fun watch with cool characters...now for the movie!

Tony Romo seems to fall down if a defensive player breathes on him. there were three times in the game on Sunday where he fell without really being hit.

Major League Baseball made a huge PR mistake not allowing the NY Mets to wear hats from the NYPD, NYFD and NY/NJPA at the Sunday game. the league told them they would face a heavy fine if they did so. Wish the team had balls and had worn them and let MLB fine them...can you say PR disaster?

If you did not catch the show last night, hope you check it out in the podcast.

Ten years...

2011-09-11T00:10:00.003-05:00

This year we fly our Peace Globes in memory of all who perished

THIS POST WAS FIRST PUBLISHED ON 9/11/2006
and has been repeated each year since then.

A Beautiful sight...

The sky was bright blue that morning. (As it is today in New York...exactly the same in fact) The train ride from Princeton Junction train station to New York Penn Station was uneventful.

As usual, I slept most of the ride.

Walking through Penn Station, I noticed a crowd and stopped to investigate. It seemed there were some NY Rangers in the Rotunda signing autographs and building excitement for their upcoming season.

I grabbed my cell phone and tried to call my friend Bob, a huge Ranger fan, but was unable to reach him, so I walked out into the warm sunny day and began my usual trek up 7th Avenue toward 7th and 43rd where I was working at Juno Online.

Reaching the building, just off of Times Square, I stopped at the third floor cafeteria to pick up my roll and Pepsi and then rode the elevator up to my floor.

We had just moved from across the street, as Juno got ready to merge with Netzero, which would signal the end of my 6-month tenure with the company.

Sitting down in my cubicle, I turned on my radio to The Howard Stern Show and ate my roll as I laughed at some bit they were doing.

At about 8:55am, Robin Quivers, Howard’s sidekick, stopped the conversation and said “Hey Howard, a plane just hit the North World Trade Center Building” - It hit at 8:46:26 am…

As most of us did, they assumed it was some small private plane that had made an error. Then, everything changed…

Reports that another plane had hit the other tower. People were arriving and some began to gather at my cubicle and we listened. The radio I had also picked up TV frequencies, so we switched over to WABC-TV in New York and their reports made us realize something very bad was happening.

All of a sudden, I realized about 25 people were crowded around...all straining to hear and then began to scatter to make phone calls to friends and loved ones to see if the could get more info. We heard reports of planes hitting buildings in Washington and that the Washington Monument might have collapsed…so many stories…none confirmed.

About 9:30 or so, we headed downstairs to a pub located next door to watch the TV and find out what was really going on.

As WE were watching the TV, at 9:59:04 am, we watched in horror as the South Tower collapsed before our eyes. A half hour later at 10:28:25, the North Tower also collapsed. We were standing there, crying, hugging each other, and wondering what we were going to do. I tried my cell phone, but it was useless…the major cell towers for NY were located at the top of the two beautiful buildings that I just witnessed disappear.

With two other people, I headed upstairs to our old offices to help one of the ladies get some things. When we got off the elevator, I turned to my right and looked out the window. Where, in the past, I could see two towers, all I saw was smoke and then it hit me…they were gone and so were so many people.

We hurried out and I said I needed to go…to where I was not sure, but my only thoughts were, if this was a terrorist attack, where else but Times Square is the "decadence of New York" more prevalent, with it’s billboards and theaters and so many people.

Heading uptown, I once again thought of my friend Bob, who lived in the upper 80’s on the east side. Maybe he was at his apartment and I could go there.

The news had said no trains were running, so there was no way to get home. As I walked, thousands of other people walked with me…dazed looks in their eyes…did I look the same to them I wondered?

I didn’t have Bob’s home number and I kept trying his cell to no avail. I found a phone book and ripped the page out that listed his last name and as I walked I stopped at phone booths on the street, trying to find the right number. Mostly I got answering machines, none were his.

At one point a woman answered the phone and I asked for Bob and she started to wail asking if I knew her brother and he worked at the WTC and did I know if he were all right. My blood went cold, knowing it was not my friend’s home, but that I had put myself in a spot where I was listening to the sister of someone who might have just perished.

That was the last call I made.

I kept walking, now sure I would never find his apartment, but I didn’t really know what I was doing anyway.

Sirens were constant…fire trucks, ambulance, police cars sped by heading down toward the devastation.

Don’t turn around and look, if you do you will see the plume of smoke again...just keep heading north.

But eventually, I knew I had to head back toward Penn Station…it would be my only way home. I looked up and realized I was on 97th street and Third Avenue. I had walked 50+ blocks uptown and 6 blocks across town…in Manhattan that equates to about 3 –3.5 miles (20 city blocks to a mile, plus the cross-town avenue blocks).

I turned around... but stared at the sidewalk in front of me…never looking up…not wanting to see that plume of smoke I knew was there in place of those two majestic towers.

That was when I heard a sound I would hear over and over for the rest of that day…Two Navy jets blasted overhead. I heard a radio from a car saying that jets were circling Manhattan, making sure no other planes got close.

So, I walked…and kept walking…hearing the reports from radios…stopping to look at TV’s in bars…not really understanding or wanting to at that moment.

I walked all the way to 34th and 7th, where my morning had begun. Another 4 miles or so…how long did it take me? To this day, I am not sure.

Then I looked and there were thousands all around Penn Station. They were lined up…waiting to be told when they could go inside and get on trains to get home. THOUSANDS, but you could hear a pin drop except for the sirens and the planes overhead. When a plane flew overhead, faces would look up…staring…but no one talked.

People with bullhorns were saying things like “No trains would be running until they had walked the miles of tracks under the Hudson River" to ensure there were no bombs placed there.

And when the lines began to move, we shuffled forward a few inches and then stopped…a few inches…stop.

I then realized, I was inside Penn Station and an announcement was made for a Trenton train…the line I ride. I was pushed along with the crowd, but when I got downstairs, there were people hanging out the doors...it looked to me like one of those trains you see in India with people hanging off every inch.

Today - Until We Rebuild

I moved back upstairs and saw a posting for another train I could take and made my way to that platform.

I am not sure how, but I ended up getting a seat and I flopped into it. My head was down…I didn’t want to look at anyone and I was not the only person like that. When I did look up, all you could see were the tops of heads.

There was a spot next to me and a body flopped down. I sensed something strange and looked out of the corner of my eye. The man who was next to me was covered in soot.

His entire suit and head, only his face was cleaned off and even then, it was still dirty.

I whispered, “Are you OK?” but did not get a response, so I just put my head back down and stared at my feet.

When the train finally pulled out there was not a millimeter of space left, the aisle jammed with bodies.

The train went into the tunnel under the Hudson and as we came out on the New Jersey side, all heads turned to look toward Manhattan. I didn’t want to, I am not sure anyone did, but we were all unable to stop ourselves.

This was not like when you slow down in a car to look at an accident…it was more like pausing to pay respect to an old friend.

That huge plume of smoke was still there…black and grey and white...all mixed together…rising high above a city I have always felt I was a part of and now, a part of me was gone.

I had been up in the Towers more times then I can count. Showing friends from out of town…taking pictures of the city…eating at Windows On The World…and I would never be doing that again.

And the people…the thousands of people who worked there...what had happened to them? The firefighters…the police…the Port Authority personnel…the emergency responders…my brain went into overload again and all I could do was stare.

When the train finally arrived at Princeton Junction, I made my way to my car and somehow drove home.

I watched the TV that day and then the next and then could no longer watch. To this day, if an image of the towers from that day come on…the one’s with the smoke and fire or after the collapse, I turn away.

Recently I had to take Path into Manhattan from New Jersey and when the train came out of the tunnel, we were in the hole that is still there. I closed my eyes…not able to look.

I have never been down there like so many. I just can’t go.

Over the next couple of weeks, as we returned to work, each morning and evening, I would pass cars which had not moved in the parking lots of the train station. Princeton Junction is a huge stop for many people in central NJ to take the train into New York. These were cars whose owners would never return for them.

Slowly they disappeared. Slowly life began again. But life in Manhattan, and the rest of the US has never been the same.

Years of working in Manhattan, I never heard a siren…never noticed a fire truck…

Now...I hear them blocks away…I know I always will.

Of course New Yorkers were not the only victims that day.

The Pentagon…

The people on those four flights…

Everyone who had a friend or a family member or a co-worker who is no longer with us...

I knew a few people who worked down there. They are still with us thank God.

E, a secret service agent, who worked in a building across the street, said to me one day “The horror I witnessed will never go away”.

My brother-in-law, Kevin worked a few blocks away from Ground Zero.

When they left their building a wheel and strut from one of the planes was in the street outside their door.

It is ~~five~~ ~~six~~ ~~seven~~ ~~eight~~ ~~nine~~ TEN years later.

Our world is so much different.

The people ultimately responsible are still out there somewhere, and even if we eventually capture them, there are others waiting to take their place...We must all realize our world will never ever be the same...but we can all work to make it better.

Today, stop at some point and say a silent prayer for the 2,900 plus people who were murdered in cold blood that day.

They were not fighting a war…they were living their lives.

I truly wanted to include a list of all of those who were murdered that day...but the size is overwhelming blogger, so instead, I ask you to visit this site archived by CNN. It is a wonderful tribute to those who we lost that day. Find it here.

Each year I have watched the reading of the names. I am compelled to do so.

OH and I support the building of the Mosque in downtown Manhattan...because I live in a country where all religions and races and genders are honored with equality. We can not pick and choose who is covered by our Bill Of Rights.

I always felt this picture needed to be manipulated so that the flag
was the center of what you see, so I did so in photoshop.

And the license plate from NJ. I had this plate since 1997, but on September 11, 2001 it took on a special meaning when I finally returned from the City and looked at it.

Since that day, it has stood for
Remember
Forever
911
Terrorism

Five On Friday - San Francisco Sound

2011-09-09T00:01:00.002-05:00

2011-09-08T00:10:00.002-05:00

SO glad I found the answer to my problem, and it did not appear to be caused by the spam comments....BUT, I think I am going to keep moderation on for a little while longer. Hopefully that will reduce the amount of spam comments I have to chase and delete.

I have been very remiss in helping to promote this year's Blogblast For Peace - November 4, 2011.

Many are listing their top 100 reasons to Blog for Peace, one per day...not one post from me. I am a bad PeaceGlobe Worker Bee indeed.

Do you post for BlogBlast either on your blog or on Facebook? If not, why I ask?

There are more and more people joining every day and, I believe, Mimi finally closed out the last two states here in the US. Al 50 represented!

Travis is doing a hell of a job listing his reasons. I am a bad PeaceGlobe Worker Bee indeed.

I have one big reason for participating...

I BELIEVE IT COULD WORK AND THAT OUR FUTURE GENERATIONS COULD POSSIBLY LIVE WITHOUT WAR!

Mimi has also put together a badge for this coming Sunday. I promised I would add it to the post I repeat each year. This is always such a tough week leading up to the day.

And due to business, my bride Nancy will be flying Sunday. that will also get into my head as we get closer to the day.

Here is the badge if you would like to participate...

Happy Anniversary Baby!

2011-09-05T00:01:00.002-05:00

TWO YEARS TODAY
When asked if I took you as my wife...
I responded "I ABSOLUTELY DO!"
and nothing has changed

Love You!

Blog Fixed...finally

2011-09-02T17:00:00.000-05:00

Two posts in one day. Do not think I ever did that over her before!

But wanted to shout that IT IS FIXED!

AND, you will not believe what it ended up being!

Travis was almost correct. On the posts that had no sidebar, I had never closed the div code at the end of the post...you know /div inserted into the two arrowheads. And the WOO HOO Five on Friday post player was also interfering, so I had to pull it off.

Once I did those things, Everything is back to normal!

If you came by on Friday afternoon, this place might have looked all jumbled up as I kept throwing p new templates trying to find one that would fit my header...that is not easy any longer, so once I figured out the errors in the code, I decided to stick with this format for all the pages.

phew...

Once again...Enjoy your holiday weekend

Five On Friday - Fudgie!

2011-09-02T09:43:00.000-05:00

Stein and Bogert played in a local band called Rick Martin & The Showmen and were so impressed by the sound of The Rascals (swinging and floods of organ) that they decided to form their own band with Martell and Rick Martin's drummer, Joey Brennan.

Originally calling themselves The Pigeons, they changed the name to Vanilla Fudge in 1966, after the replacement of Brennan by Appice.

The group was then "discovered" and managed by reputed Luchese crime-family member, Phillip Basile, who operated several famous L.I. clubs – the Action House, Speaks, Channel 80, Industry – three of which were the same club (on Austin Boulevard, in Island Park, New York) with different names.

They had a number of popular songs, their biggest being their hit cover of "You Keep Me Hangin' On", a slowed-down, hard rocking version of the song originally recorded by The Supremes. This version also featured Appice's energetic drumming. The members of Vanilla Fudge were great admirers of The Beatles, and covered several of their songs including "Ticket to Ride", as well as "Eleanor Rigby". The self-titled debut album quotes "Strawberry Fields Forever" at the end, with the line "there's nothing to get hung about".

Their rendition of "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" was featured in the 2007 film Zodiac.

On March 14, 1970, Vanilla Fudge played a farewell concert at the Phil Basille's Action House. After that, Bogert & Appice departed to form another group, Cactus (In 1972, they left Cactus and formed Beck, Bogert & Appice with guitarist Jeff Beck).

Stein, left on his own, tried to keep the group going with two new players, Sal D'Nofrio (bass) and Jimmy Galuzzi (drums) (both of whom had been members of a Poughkeepsie, New York group known as 'Dino & The Cavemen'). But when nothing came from this, Stein ended up forming a new group, Boomerang, instead with Galuzzi.

In 1991 Appice revived the Vanilla Fudge name for a tour with former Ted Nugent's player Derek St. Holmes (guitar, vocals), Martin Gerschwitz (keyboards, vocals) and Tom Croucier (bass, vocals), which resulted in the album The Best of Vanilla Fudge – Live.

In 2005, Vanilla Fudge reformed with all the original members for a tour with members of The Doors (now touring as Riders On The Storm) and Steppenwolf. Pascali returned in place of Stein for some 2005 and 2006 shows before leaving to join the New Rascals.

In the summer of 2007 HBO's final episode of The Sopranos featured "You Keep Me Hangin' On" (this version included Pascali's lead vocals) as a theme for their cliff hanger, it was a featured soundtrack in three places of the episode.

They were inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame on October 15, 2006, along with Billy Joel and Joan Jett. Fellow Long Islander Felix Cavaliere inducted them into the hall.

In the spring of 2011, Vanilla Fudge embarked on what was announced as their farewell tour. The lineup for the tour was: Carmine Appice, Mark Stein, Vince Martell and Pete Bremy(bass).

On March 29, 2011, the band appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and performed "You Keep Me Hangin' On".

I dug em then...I still dig their original recordings...Now I am sharing with you....this will not be a hit set with everyone, that I already know! bwahahahahahahaaaaaa, plus Playlist did not have a great choice and I didn't have the time to put my own together...

HAVE A GRAND WEEKEND...I will as Nancy and I celebrate our 2nd Anniversary. Saturday, out for dinner at Fleming's Steak and then Sunday a Redbirds game with fireworks, Monday a party with neighbors!

Stay safe during the long holiday weekend.ENJOY...

2011-08-31T22:01:00.000-05:00

Had a great visit with Brother Richard, his wife Cindy and my niece Adele as they came through from San Antonio to Spartanburg, SC, as Adele begins her freshman year at Wofford College.

They were only here for a few short hours and then to sleep, but it is always great when family is close.

Irene may be gone, but those in the northeast are still having to put up with her results.
The flooding is dramatic and will impact the area for some years to come. The Passiac River has devastated some areas including Paterson and Fairfield.

This is Fairfield, NJ yesterday afternoon.

Who is going to pay for all this? NJ Governor Christie ran on the teabagger platform of shrinking the federal government. I am thinking he hopes they did not start yet as it will take billions to get his state back on track.

It is amazing that you can read the remarks on just about any story on Yahoo and people will blame whatever it is on "Barry". The disrespect never ends. If you are not happy with the man, vote against him next election...BUT, remember that no on could have taken over this country when he did and achieved anything more than he did.

Heck-a-doodle, think about the billions more that would have gone to the crooks in the financial sector if their buddies had been in power!OK, I am done with that

Two weeks until Sons Of Anarchy comes back on! Even with The Hoff guesting as a porno star, I am still excited by the prospects for this season. Love the show!

And Boardwalk Empire! Steve Buscemi as Enoch "Nucky" Thompson is one of the best characters on television.

Leaving work early today for the dentist. HATE HATE HATE the dentist...but for a few hours I will have a broken tooth fixed, some decay on my gums scraped and a tank of nitrious inhaled!

Remember how much I hate the dentist? No, well here ya go! Taking Friday off, so a four day weekend beckons...

Five On Friday tomorrow!

That band above gets stronger - RIP Honeyboy

2011-08-30T00:10:00.002-05:00

Yesterday morning at 3:00am, Mr. David "Honeyboy" Edwards took a final peaceful breath and left the mortal world to join that great band of musicians in Heaven. He was 96 years old and played shows until just a few weeks back when he announced his retirement from live performing.

This from his bio:

Edwards was born in Shaw, Mississippi. Edwards was 14 years old when he left home to travel with bluesman Big Joe Williams, beginning the life as an itinerant musician which he lead throughout the 1930s and 1940s. He performed with and was a friend of iconoclastic blues musician Robert Johnson.

Honeyboy was present on the night Johnson drank poisoned whiskey which killed him, and his story has become the definitive version of Johnson's demise. Edwards knew and played with many of the leading bluesmen in the Mississippi Delta: Charley Patton, Tommy Johnson, and Johnny Shines.

He described the itinerant bluesman's life:
“ On Saturday, somebody like me or Robert Johnson would go into one of these little towns, play for nickels and dimes. And sometimes, you know, you could be playin' and have such a big crowd that it would block the whole street. Then the police would come around, and then I'd go to another town and where I could play at. But most of the time, they would let you play. Then sometimes the man who owned a country store would give us something like a couple of dollars to play on a Saturday afternoon.

We could hitchhike, transfer from truck to truck, or if we couldn't catch one of them, we'd go to the train yard, 'cause the railroad was all through that part of the country then...we might hop a freight, go to St. Louis or Chicago. Or we might hear about where a job was paying off - a highway crew, a railroad job, a levee camp there along the river, or some place in the country where a lot of people were workin' on a farm. You could go there and play and everybody would hand you some money. I didn't have a special place then. Anywhere was home. Where I do good, I stay. When it gets bad and dull, I'm gone.

A set from the Great Honeyboy Edwards...Enjoy!

David "Honeyboy" Edwards
June 28, 1915- August 29, 2011

Monday and a new week begins...

2011-08-29T00:10:00.004-05:00

Spent time this weekend going through the template code and not finding a problem.

Interesting that the home page is messed up as are the posts from Wednesday 8/12, Friday 8/13. Then the posts from Monday 8/22 and Wednesday 8/24 are fine, but Thursday 8/25 is messed up.

I can only come up with one thing in common from the 8/12 post and the 8/25 post and that is, on both of those days I got a long anonymous comment in Russian (it looked like Russian!).

Most of my anonymous comments never get published, as either Blogger catches them or I do. Unfortunately, without comment moderation, these two did get by and they were very long.

I do not know for sure, but it is the only common theme to the breakdown of the template.

It might be time to just select another template, but first, I am turning comment moderation back on (it is set for comments on posts 5 days old or more). Well either that or turning on word verification and I am not sure which I dislike the most.

Comment moderation puts it on me...Word verification puts it on you. SO since it is my blog, comment moderation it is...sorry bout the fact that your brilliant wit will not be immediately available for the world to read! LOL

That does not fix the front page problem, so I am looking to maybe redo the template and see if I can repair the whole thing.

I am also drafting a new look for www.musiconthecouch.com as it no longer follows the brand standards set for the show on the other media platforms. So much to do...

No show the next two weeks. Tonight my brother, SIL and niece come through Memphis on their way to Wofford College, where Adele will be studying this year. Then next week is Labor Day. But the calendar for the next few months is filling up and then, before you know it, we will have a week-long series of shows for the IBC.

Congrats to the team from Huntington Beach, CA who took home the crown of Little League World Champions for 2011. A great final game against the team from Japan.

See y'all tomorrow.

Thursday Thoughts

2011-08-25T00:10:00.004-05:00

So, I can not figure this out.. the main page is screwed up as are last Wednesday and Friday. Last Tuesday is fine as is yesterday's post. I guess we will find out if today's post is also screwy...

Jay suggested it might be one of my widgets. Well, I have not added anything new....

I thought maybe it was that big WHERE's VINBO picture, but that day is fine and even when I delete it, the same days are screwed.

So, we will keep trying to fix it for you 3 people!

Glad the earthquake yesterday did not cause even more damage or deaths. For all you Californians, see...our buildings are not earthquake ready - for the most part - and the infrastructure is certainly not.

So there was some damage to one of the iconic monuments in Washington. A crack was detected in the Washington Monument. The crack in one of the stones in the monument's pyramidium -- the pyramid shape at the very top.

Man, I had a great time Monday night with Cee Cee James and the guys from Mighty Mojo Prophets...fun, interesting and some damn fine music.

BUT...more technical bite my ass stuff...since moving into the new office, I sound hollow. I need to get some coverings on the wall around me...maybe turn away from the wall...

Looks like Irene is gonna go party in the Carolinas. Hope she decides that it is not polite to screw with people and does not cause any major damage or deaths.

I am really enjoying the final season of Entourage...bringing in Dice Clay to play a total a**hat was interesting casting...oh wait, he is a a**hat in real life - perfect casting!

So, I think I am in like 200 fantasy football leagues this year! Let's see...my main one (Phone Calls From Church league), Jay's league, Brad's league and then the three picks in my Survivor Contest...my Sunday mornings will be busy!

Only hope I do better than Fantasy Baseball where I totally sucked the big one this year!

See, now aren't ya glad you came by?

bwahahahahahahaaaaaa

Wondering on Wednesday

2011-08-24T00:01:00.000-05:00

Is Blogger trying to tell me something?

It appears The Couch is broken. The right sidebar went to the bottom after my post last Wednesday.

Dianne sent me an email today telling me her virus software tells her that The Couch is full of malware

I get like 4 comments on any post

I have no idea what happened to the site and am seriously wondering if it is time to shut it down

Did this happen because I have not been posting the 100 reasons to blog for peace?

I guess I get to spend some time over the next week to figure this out

Does it look broken to you too?

Monday And A New Week Begins

2011-08-22T00:10:00.037-05:00

Had a busy weekend getting information out to different groups regarding the International Blues Challenge.

Need to alert the Blues Societies to get word out about the broadcasts and to ensure the acts who win their way to Memphis know to come and visit.

Need to get sponsorships! Different emails to agents and mangers, record companies, promotional firms and retail outlets.

Looking for friends to make suggestions. If you know of someone who might benefit from having ads run during the 26 live hours and then forever in the podcasts, please have them email me at sponsorship@musiconthecouch.com

Already booked one sponsor at the highest level available which took a little pressure off. At least I can pay for part of the gig!

Do you think Derek Jeter got that memo that said he was washed up? In the last month he is hitting .371 with 20 runs scored and 21 RBIs. His season average is up to .291 - yup washed up!

Is the NFL planning on going to a flag-football concept? That hit Ndamukong Suh is being fined for was NOT worth fining over. Good gosh...the game is supposed to have a little roughness to it. He slammed the runner down, but if they were calling it then, like they are now, Lawrence Taylor, Gene Upshaw, Mike Ditka and so many others would not be names you know today.

Tonight a wonderful singer named Cee Cee James joins me on Music On The Couch. Besides her talent, this woman is a wonderful human. She is involved with a project called Never Forgotten, for which she contributed the song "Someday I'll Be Goin' Home"

The compilation will be released on September 1st and 100% of CD and Downloads will be given to the following 4 organizations: 9/11 Families For A Secure America, Operation Troop Aid, Landstuhl Hospital Care Project and The Wounded Warrior Project.

We will get to hear the song Cee Cee contributed along with cuts from her album Low Down Where the Snakes Crawl.

Also tonight the west-coast blues, swing sound of The Mighty Mojo Projects.

Hope y'all can come and listen

HEY A HAPPY FREAKIN BIRTHDAY
TO THE ONE AND ONLY MICKEY-T!!!!!

The man is a mighty fine carpenter, boatsman, funny guy and all around super human being. Let him know he is special and stop by his site and say Happy Birthday!

Buon Compleanno Amico

Five On Friday - WOOOO HOOO

2011-08-19T00:10:00.008-05:00

Check out the other participants by clicking on the link to the left...and join in!

You can register for free at playlist.com and type in a band name and BAM the song will be there to assist in building your playlist.

Travis lays out some guidelines for this meme and they go like this:

1. Grab the banner, make your post title Five on Friday, and be sure to link back here.

2. Go to Playlist.com to make your play list of five songs. Choose a particular theme to share with us. You can simply post the play list, or you can add a little summary about what you are sharing.

3. I don't know how to make a specific linky, so be sure to leave me a comment to let me know that you participated.

4. No tags, but feel free to invite your friends to play along if they need a post topic on a Friday.

My theme for this week.... WOOO HOO..it is happening!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - August 17, 2011

Music On The Couch is thrilled to announce it has reached an agreement with The Blues Foundation, to be the conduit to millions of blues fans worldwide during the 2012 International Blues Challenge.

Music On The Couch is a weekly Podcast hosted on BlogTalk Radio, featuring interviews with independent and small label musicians. Blues is the major focus of the show and in the last year we have presented over 50 artists and bands in the blues genre to our audience. The show consistently ranks in the top 15 music shows on BlogTalk Radio (out of 4,900+ music shows) and has had over 18,000 listens since February 2010.

The Blues Foundation is Memphis-based, but world-renown as THE organization dedicated to preserving our blues music history, celebrating recording and performance excellence, supporting blues education and ensuring the future of this uniquely American art form. Founded in 1980, The Blues Foundation has 4500 individual members and 195 affiliated local blues societies representing another 50,000 fans and professionals around the world.

The International Blues Challenge represents an international search by The Blues Foundation and its Affiliated Organizations (mostly blues societies) for the Blues Band and Solo/Duo Blues Act ready to perform on a national stage, but just need that extra break. Each Affiliate of The Blues Foundation has the right to send a band and solo/duo act to represent the organization at the IBC Semi-Finals on Beale Street in Memphis, TN.

Last year, Music On The Couch conducted interviews with 6 acts prior to their arrival in Memphis and held the first interview with 2011 band winners, The Lionel Young Band. These shows averaged over 500 listens each.

This year Music On The Couch will be located ON world-famous Beale Street, right in the middle of the action, with 26 hours of live broadcasts which all become archived podcasts, allowing blues fans worldwide the opportunity to experience the excitement of the IBC.

The shows plan to be jam-packed; containing interviews with competing musicians, Blues Foundation officials and affiliate volunteers. In addition all competing musicians will be asked to supply music that will be played between the live interviews.

Sponsorship opportunities are available and information can be requested by emailing sponsorship@musiconthecouch.com.

For more information on the broadcasts, please email 2012IBC@musiconthecouch.com.

Sharing This with your members and fans IS encouraged!

Been working on this for a few months. NOW...sponsorship! So, if you know anyone who might be interested in getting involved for not a ton of money, they can use that email address above.

But..the theme...YUP, I am happy! And these songs always put a smile on my face - song that, if I am in the car alone, I will sing like a banshee...you know, that guy you see driving down the road who looks like a goof ball giving himself a concert! Yup...me!

ENJOY

HAVE A GRAND WEEKEND!

Sorry, music player had to be deleted as it was impacting the page layout...

Wordy Wednesday

2011-08-17T00:01:00.002-05:00

Strange how I sit here trying to decide what to write about and wondering if anyone will even read it.

I asked the other day if you are receiving the weekly newsletter and no one answered, so I guess it is unimportant.

BUT, if you want to receive it, let me know.

Congrats to Jim Thome for reaching 600 Home Runs. A huge accomplishment, even if the home run records are now tainted by the roid-cheaters. 8 people have reached 600, but only 5 of them did it honestly, so to me, it is a HUGE deal.

Thome is said to be one of the special guys in the game...

Heat wave seems to have broken here...back to high 80's instead of those 100 degree days!

It is getting to that time of year again...the fugliness of our politics is rearing its ugly head and we will all be subjected to nastiness, vitriol and lies...

YAY for us!

Read the new book by Brad Thor entitled Full Black. This guy has a writing style I love and comes up with real life scenarios we all need to be concerned over.

The book begins with a killing on page one and does not stop until the final period. If you enjoy thrillers, this is one to buy!

Enough words for today

Where's VinBo?

2011-08-15T00:01:00.003-05:00

Or I guess, more precisely, WHERE HAS VINBO BEEN?

Well, it has been a crazy two weeks around these here parts.

Nancy was traveling...
We had a little teenager incident...
I had a crazed two weeks at work...
There were two meetings about Music On The Couch (Announcement soon)...
We had a water leak in the front yard that required digging and fixing a PVC pipe to stop the flow of water into the ground...
There was a leak in the sewage line right where the main came into our line - fixed on their dime...
Oh and somewhere along the line, I MIGHT have torn a tendon in my right index finger!

On the last, the finger has been swollen for a while, but became more so two weeks ago. In addition, it kept almost locking up, sort of like Trigger Finger, but luckily not. I visited a hand specialist and received a cortisone shot.

After the initial pain and fire of the shot, the finger seems to have settled down for the time being.

So, even with all that has kept me from posting here, it could have been much worse.

Nancy came home...
The teenager situation has calmed down...
Work...well...never mind on this one
Meetings...could be very good news - resulting in more time and effort on my part, but in a good way
Water leak - fixed with minimal expense, no plumbers needed
Sewage leak - could have been on our dime and that is minimum a grand
Finger - working so I can type

So, you see, there is always a sunbeam behind the clouds!

What have you been up to? Well, I have been able to follow y'all, so I kinda know...but maybe there is something new.

I have a few subjects that I will be writing about over the next few weeks, so there will be content!

Great show tonight with Sheri Miller and Brad Webb...Hope y'all can tune in!

OH and a question...Are you receiving the Newsletter that are going out? A quick check of your spam might find them. Add a new email address to your book, so they get delivered..they come from newsletter@musiconthecouch.com

Hope you get them!

Finally...Did you find VinBo in the picture? He IS in there! Clickie to Biggie to help! LOL

Five On Friday - Blues Legends

2011-08-12T00:01:00.003-05:00

BE BACK SOON

2011-08-08T11:09:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the absence here and on your blogs. Hoping by end of this week I can get back to posting and enjoying y'all

Be back on Friday...

2011-08-02T16:28:00.000-05:00

Five On Friday - Baseball

2011-07-29T00:01:00.001-05:00

ENJOY

HAVE A GRAND WEEKEND!

NOTE: FIXED "Centerfield"

Wordless Wednesday

2011-07-27T00:02:00.003-05:00

~~Their~~ THEY'RE Coming In!

Monday and a new week begins

2011-07-25T09:03:00.001-05:00

THANKS AGAIN BLOGGER FOR NOT POSTING!

Spent the weekend meeting a blogger friend for the first time which was way cool...It was great to meet Ms. Dana!!

We also began dismantling Peter's room - as he has moved into the larger bedroom - so we can make it an office for Nancy and I.

Right now, both the desks are upstairs and it is out of the way and makes it difficult for Nancy during the day and for me on the weekends.

With the office downstairs, we will both be more productive.

Hopefully, it will all be set up by this weekend.

THIS IS SO GOING TO BE INCREDIBLE
AND IT STARTS TODAY!
2pm Eastern, 1pm Central, 11am Pacific

CLICK ON THE BANNER TO CHECK IT OUT

My fraternity brother Jaime was/is Assistant Director on the project.
When I was in LA last month, he let me read the treatment.
This is a brand new concept and is groundbreaking!

Five On Friday - Lena Horne

2011-07-22T00:10:00.020-05:00

Check out the other participants by clicking on the link to the left...and join in!

You can register for free at playlist.com and type in a band name and BAM the song will be there to assist in building your playlist.

Travis lays out some guidelines for this meme and they go like this:

1. Grab the banner, make your post title Five on Friday, and be sure to link back here.

2. Go to Playlist.com to make your play list of five songs. Choose a particular theme to share with us. You can simply post the play list, or you can add a little summary about what you are sharing.

3. I don't know how to make a specific linky, so be sure to leave me a comment to let me know that you participated.

4. No tags, but feel free to invite your friends to play along if they need a post topic on a Friday.

ah...what oh what can the subject of this week's Five On Friday? If you saw yesterdays post, you know my brain is shriveled this week and not quite functioning...

So, I sit here at 6:15pm on Thursday evening and normally this post would have been completed at lunchtime.

I grab my iTouch, set it to artists, flick my finger along the edge causing them to scroll, not looking at the screen, two flicks, three and place my finger on the screen without looking and up pops LENA HORNE.

I have always enjoyed her music (thus the couple of songs in my collection), but not a ton to just tell you about this remarkable and talented woman. So, I give you an edited timeline found on the Lena Horne Tribute Site:

1917...... Lena Mary Calhoun Horne was born on June 30, 1917 in Brooklyn, New York in a small Jewish Hospital. Her parents were Edna Scottron Horne and Edwin "Teddy" Horne.

1919...... October 1919, Lena Horne was the youngest member of the NAACP. Lena's photo appeared in the October 1919 issue of the NAACP Branch Bulletin.

1920....... Lena's parents divorced, when she was three. Due to her mother traveling, Lena grew up in numerous places like Brooklyn, Bronx, Georgia and Miami.

1933....... Sixteen year old Lena starred in a Charity Show. She played the role of the bride in "Marriage via Contract" with the Junior Theatre Guild.

1935...... Join "Noble Sissle Society Orchestra" as a singer and she had a tap dance routine. She went by the name Helena Horne.

1940-41.. Lena went to work at the Cafe Society Nightclub. Barney Josephson wanted Lena to sing a Blues number during her set. Having a Jazz background and not Blues, Lena went to visit Billie Holiday backstage at the Kelly's Stable Nightclub. Lena & Billie became friends after the first meeting. Lena was also dating Boxing Legend Joe Louis. Also, during this time Lena meets her mentor and bestfriend Billy Strayhorn.

1942..... Lena moved to Hollywood. Lena signed a 7 year contact with MGM Studios, she was the highest paid black actor at the time. MGM studios pointed Max Factors himself to create a make-up for Lena that would make her look darker it was called "Light Egyptian". Lena's career took off with her triumphant appearance at the Savoy Plaza Hotel nightclub engagement in New York City. She was featured in Life magazine as a provocative new singing star.

1947..... A Blacklist was started in Hollywood - A large group of movie executives announced that Communists and other subversives would never "knowingly" be employed in Hollywood again. Lena was listed for her support of the Hollywood Independent Citizens Committee, the Joint Anti-Fascist Committee and W.E.B. DuBois and Paul Robeson's Council on African Affairs. Lena was considered, if not a Communist, as least prematurely anti-Fascist.

1957..... Lena gets her name cleared from the Hollywood Blacklist, with help from George Sokolsky. She was then able to work on television & movies again. Lena also began working in Las Vegas at the Sands. Lena starred in the play Jamaica on Broadway. Lena was making the TV circuit on shows like the Perry Como Show, What's My Line, Tonight Show with Steve Allen and etc.

1963..... Lena temporarily retires from performing and becomes deeply involved in the Civil Rights Movement. Lena also meets Medgar Evers in Jackson, Mississippi,a week before he was murdered. She participated in the March on Washington and performed at rallies throughout the country for the National Council for Negro Women.

1969..... Lena stars in her first US Special - Monsanto Night Presents Lena Horne.

1999...... Lena made her last Major Public appearance at an all-star salute in her honor at New York's Avery Fisher Hall.

2005...... Lena was one of the legends honored at the Oprah's Winfrey's Legend Weekend. Lena was unable to attend the three day event.

2007..... At 90 years old Lena is completely retired from show business and doesn't do any interviews or public appearance. She lives in the Upper East Side of New York City.

2010..... May 9th - Lena Horne passed away at the age of 92 at New York Presbysterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

Quite a talent...Quite a life...Quite a woman...

Lena Mary Calhoun Horne

(June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010)

Thursday Can't Think

2011-07-21T00:10:00.002-05:00

This is my brain:

This is my brain this week:

Any questions why I can't post?

Monday and a new week begins

2011-07-18T00:10:00.003-05:00

So, how was your weekend? We had a great one.

Thursday evening, Nancy and I got in the rental and headed to Baton Rouge. Nancy had a presentation on Friday evening with a nice size client and I decided to tag along.

We arrived about 11pm and settled in at the hotel. On Friday, Nancy prepped for the meeting and I got to relax and hang out. Unfortunately it was an overcast day, so it wasn't a pool day.

Nancy's meeting went great. In fact, so good she was not done until after 9pm and she had arranged a meal to feed the participants (I got my own and had it at the hotel), so with an early departure planned, we didn't experience Baton Rouge.

All go biggie by clickie...

Saturday we were up and out on the road heading for Highway 61 out of baton Rouge North. This is called the Blues Highway once you get into Mississippi. It is a long stretch of blacktop used by the blues artists who were able to get off the plantations and head north to Memphis and possible fame.

Six plus hours later - after a stop in Natchez, MS for lunch we arrived at Hopson Plantation and the Shack Up Inn in Clarksdale, MS.

The Shack Up is for those who are not looking for room service and gourmet dining, but it is an experience that really should not be missed.

There are 10 shacks on the property that range in size from small to medium. There is also 10 rooms in an old grain building that are considered the more 'upscale' accommodations on the property. We had tried to get the Pinetop Shack or another...but they were all booked, so we were placed in Bin #6! up the circular stairs in the silo to our room. The room was spotless and very comfortable indeed.

That evening we drove a few miles to Ground Zero Blues Club and partied with the Reba Russell Band and some other friends including Victor Wainwright and Jay Moore.

On Sunday, we took our time and left and finished the last 90 minutes to home.

A cool weekend made even better with my darlin' Nancy.

RYAN MICHAELS
and
VINCENT HAYES
SIT ON
THE COUCH

Ryan Michaels has been immersed in music since he was a child, his family having owned an instrument store in the San Francisco Bay area.

He moved to Nashville with his band; drummer Andy Calmes, bassist Matthew Heath Harper, guitarists Steve Cunningham and Josh Sulfaro, and Peter Spero on keys and have released their debut album Life Is For The Living.

What is next for this group of skilled musicians? I will chat with Ryan and find out more. We will also listen to cuts from the album.

Then, Vincent Hayes, guitarist and leader of the Vincent Hayes Project will take a seat on The Couch.

The band were nominated for the 2011 Blues Music Awards for Best New Artist Debut category. Their album Reclamation is being honored from all corners.

The album is a collection of songs borne out of the decline of the area (West Michigan) which the band calls home. Begun in 2008 as a trio the band has grown in numbers and in skills and now includes, Hayes, David Alves - Bass, Donny Hugley - Percussion, Steve "Doc" Yankee - Piano, Christian Van Antwerpen - Hammond B3.

Vincent's guitar work will make you stop and listen. Clean licks while causing the fretboard to smoke.

Vincent will be calling in and we will find out more of his history and where the band is heading today and tomorrow, while catching tunes from Reclamation.

Join Me As I Introduce You to Musicians You Should Know

Five On Friday - Rufus Thomas

2011-07-15T00:10:00.003-05:00

Is that you Herb?

2011-07-13T00:10:00.003-05:00

Well, some words. This past winter, Nancy and I bought an AeroGarden. It allowed us to start growing herbs.

All honesty, a few messed up big time and we bought more to replace them. But by the spring, we had 2 healthy basil plants, one thyme, one sage, one mint, one Italian parsley and one very sickly oregano plant. Well, they have thrived outside - the oregano plant has turned into a monster! - and now we are never without fresh herbs while cooking.

We did get another oregano plant and some pineapple sage from the store, and that is also keeping us supplied

Nancy has always had this terrific basil plant - heck, bush, some sage and some chives she has transported for a number of years, so we are pretty much set.

Next spring vegetables! Peppers! Plum tomatoes! Cucumbers! Squash! Eggplant! and probably a few more items

Check em out...(clickie to biggie)

Monday and a new week begins

2011-07-11T00:02:00.006-05:00

It was a beautiful thing to watch and I mean even if you hate the New York Yankees - for whatever reason you hate a team...

The Captain is different. Even people who root against the Yankees, find they can not root against Derek Jeter. He has done it correctly from the beginning. He knows the history of the game. He knows the history of the Yankees. Even though he grew up in Michigan, he was a Yankee fan through and through.

He has spent his entire career with the Yankees even with other teams courting him during free-agency and even after the Yankees turned their last negotiation into a sideshow, proving the kids are their father's sons.

All season they - those out there who write or have a voice via a TV or radio show or even a phone to call one of the aforementioned - have said he was done...toast. .250 batting average...no power (when did Jeter ever really have power?).

Friday night the game was rained out. It seemed fitting that Derek Jeter would hit the milestone on a bright sunny day in the Bronx.

Saturday in his first at bat he hit a rope to left field for hit 2,999. It was an 8 pitch at bat during which Jeter battled on every pitch. He later said david Price, the Rays pitcher, could have thrown the ball in the dugout and Derek would have sung he was that anxious.

Then in the third inning with 48,000+ standing in the stands, Jeter and Price battled again and again on the 8th pitch the ball took off into the sky and did not fall until it landed some 420 feet away in the hands of Christian Lopez in the left field stands (more on him in a moment).

Derek decided the day was going pretty darn good and ended up with 5 hits in 5 at bats. He stole a base and his last hit drove in the game winning run. One black mark on the day was Jeter being thrown out attempting his second steal of the day.

So...in the end...think about it, because on this day the NUMBER 2 RULED!

#2 - Jeter's uniform number

#2 - second at bat on the day in which he hit his 3,000th hit

#2 - second player to hit a home run while getting his 3,000th hit (Wade Boggs)

#2 - second player to get 5 hits on the day he got his 3,000th hit (Craig Biggio)

#2 - it was EXACTLY 2:00pm when Derek Jeter hit his 3,000th hit

Now Christian Lopez...this young man had the ball in his hands. The Yankee officials moved him into the bowels of the stadium. THey asked, what do you want for the ball? His response, "I don't know. I would like to give the ball to Derek." Yankee brass said sure. Then Lopez spoke up and oyu know the officials began to get nervous..."Can I get a jersey, a couple of signed balls and bats too?" Taking a deep breath and realizing Lopez was not going to write a 6-figure number on a sheet of paper or walk out with the ball and sell it to the highest bidder, the Yankee brass then did the right thing. They ponied up the swag Lopez asked for and then handed him tickets for every game for the rest of 2011, plus he will get seats at any post season - including World Series - games the Yankees play in.

And he got to meet Derek Jeter and hand the ball to the only man who should hold it.

Nicely done Mr. Lopez.

Please check your spam as I am now sending mail via newsletter@musiconthecouch.com - THANKS!

CHARLOTTE SABINA
and
LISA SHEPARD
SIT ON
THE COUCH

Tonight - 9:00pm Central

Charlotte Sabina has been playing piano for three years and guitar for two. After singing an original song at a school event, her teachers all encouraged Charlotte to continue her pursuit of music. Last fall she was asked to be a part of an interactive piece by Tino Sehgal at the Guggenheim Museum in Manhattan.

Then, for her birthday, her parents surprised her with time in a recording studio with producer/guitarist Jeffrey Lee Campbell (Jon Bon Jovi, Sting, Aretha Franklin, Michael Bublé). And she now has four pop songs under her belt, (“Green,” “Moonlight,” the girl-rock anthem “Not the Girl,” and her second, tear-jerking dedication to her brother, “Partner in Crime” ). Sabina is deserving of the sort of buzz that launched artists such as Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber and Miranda Lambert. All the money Charlotte is making by the release of her music is being given to Doctors Without Borders.

Pretty grown-up for a ten year old!

Lisa Shepard was born in Houston, TX and her parents immediately began surrounding her with music, taking her to concerts as early as 7 years old. Her mom was friends with Elvis Presley, George Jones, and rockabilly pioneer Tommy Sands, whose fan club she ran. Lisa then took those roots and discovered the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Janis Joplin, and the Eagles, and at age nine she started guitar lessons. By age 16, however, her attention had turned toward a different type of stage, and she decided to pursue a theatrical career.

In 1988 Lisa moved to L.A. and began a life as a playwright and theater director. Within 6 years her life had taken a number of turns and twists and Lisa moved on in her life. It was 20 years later, in 2008 when music and Lisa Shepard began their romance once again and Lisa shared One-Track Mind, a collection of 10 originals that caught the attention of blues and alt. country radio stations.

Now Lisa is out with her sophomore effort, Neon Lights and she will be joining me to discuss the road she has followed and where she is heading.

We will take your calls and questions for both guests at 1.347.633.9400.

The live interactive chat room opens 20 minutes before show time. Follow this link HERE and click on the Chat Now icon. Come hang with the fans and musicians who visit each week.

Remember, unless you take the two minutes to register, you will not have full chat room features, but you will still hear the show.

So tune in on Monday evening or remember, you can always listen anytime after the show ends from the player HERE or check out Music On The Couch for additional artist information, and show recaps.

You can download to your iTunes and even subscribe to the show for weekly automatic downloads, from my Tunes page.

Join Me As I Introduce You to Musicians You Should Know

Five On Friday - New Riders Of The Purple Sage

2011-07-08T00:02:00.001-05:00

Check out the other participants by clicking on the link to the left...and join in!

You can register for free at playlist.com and type in a band name and BAM the song will be there to assist in building your playlist.

Travis lays out some guidelines for this meme and they go like this:

1. Grab the banner, make your post title Five on Friday, and be sure to link back here.

2. Go to Playlist.com to make your play list of five songs. Choose a particular theme to share with us. You can simply post the play list, or you can add a little summary about what you are sharing.

3. I don't know how to make a specific linky, so be sure to leave me a comment to let me know that you participated.

4. No tags, but feel free to invite your friends to play along if they need a post topic on a Friday.

Continuing with our look at different bands...oh, you didn't know I was doing that? Well, actually neither did I until I realized I sorta was!

New Riders Of the Purple Sage...The roots of the New Riders can be traced back to the early 1960s folk/bohemian/beatnik scene in San Francisco, where future Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia, often played gigs with like-minded guitarist David Nelson. The young John Dawson, also known as "Marmaduke", from a well-to-do family centered in Millbrook, New York, also played some concerts with Garcia, Nelson, and their compatriots while visiting relatives on summer vacation.

In addition to Nelson, Dawson (on acoustic guitar), and Garcia (continuing to play pedal steel), the original line-up of the band that came to be known as the New Riders of the Purple Sage (a nod to the Zane Grey classic and an obscure western swing combo from the 1940s) consisted of Robert Hunter on electric bass and Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart. Hunter was soon replaced by Bob Matthews, before Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead was named bassist.

After a few warmup gigs throughout the Bay Area in 1969, the New Riders (for all intents and purposes Dawson and Nelson) began to tour in May 1970 as opening act with the Grateful Dead. This relationship continued on a regular basis until December 1971. Throughout much of 1970, the Dead would open with an acoustic set that often included Dawson and Nelson before segueing into the New Riders and then the electric Dead.

By the time the New Riders recorded their first album in late 1970, change was in the air. Dave Torbert then replaced Lesh. After Hart went on sabbatical from music in early 1971, Spencer Dryden (from Jefferson Airplane) began a ten-year relationship with the group as their drummer, and eventually manager. The first album, eponymously titled, was released on Columbia Records in late 1971 and was a moderate success. Featuring all Dawson songs, the record was driven by Garcia's pedal-steel playing.

There is a great bio on the band's website.

These are some of my favorites from the earlier days of the band...

ENJOY

HAVE A GRAND WEEKEND!

Thursday Tidbits....

2011-07-07T00:02:00.000-05:00

Stopping by to say HI

About to head off to my biggie meeting.

Thanks for all the good thoughts y'all sent my way

Will let you know how it all came out.

Finally finished all the billing for June at work...I used to be a print expert..I am now an accountant...yay me pffffffffffffffffffffffffffft

And just because it is Thursday...

Wordy Wednesday

2011-07-06T00:02:00.004-05:00

So, how was your holiday weekend?

Ours had highs and lows...

The highs...Nancy and I together all weekend...

Went to a great Farmer's market early in the morning and got some fresh milk, eggs and veggies...

spent Saturday night with her family and some good food and company.

Sunday, we hung out and drank daiquiris all day and caught a real good buzz...

Monday was a sort of work day...her getting ready for the trip she in on right now, me revamping some things for Music On The Couch

The real low of the weekend was having to send Nancy's 10-year old Lab, Alice over the Rainbow Bridge. She has has a skin infection and recently it caused her to scratch almost constantly. This led to lesions on her skin, balls of hair everywhere and a dog that was not happy. Then a tumor appeared and in the last couple of weeks it exploded into an infection.

Brought her to the vet and asked him about her quality of life and he told us she had none (What we expected). So, we hugged her goodbye and told her what a great dog and friend she had been and said our goodbyes. Neither of us could stay as they sent her on her way across the bridge, but at least now she is romping around without the constant scratching and pain.

As far as Music On the Couch, I am retiring the musiconthecouch@yahoo email and now have vinnybond@musiconthecouch.com and showbookings@musiconthecouch.com

I also signed up for Mailchimp.com so the email newsletters I send out will have a totally different look, much more professional.

Have a big meeting tomorrow night that will hopefully result in a big announcement soon.

That is all...

Five On Friday - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

2011-07-01T00:02:00.002-05:00

Check out the other participants by clicking on the link to the left...and join in!

You can register for free at playlist.com and type in a band name and BAM the song will be there to assist in building your playlist.

Travis lays out some guidelines for this meme and they go like this:

1. Grab the banner, make your post title Five on Friday, and be sure to link back here.

2. Go to Playlist.com to make your play list of five songs. Choose a particular theme to share with us. You can simply post the play list, or you can add a little summary about what you are sharing.

3. I don't know how to make a specific linky, so be sure to leave me a comment to let me know that you participated.

4. No tags, but feel free to invite your friends to play along if they need a post topic on a Friday.

So, today I share five from the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Often cited as a catalyst for an entire movement in Country Rock and American Roots Music, the band to add to their legendary status.

Their groundbreaking "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" album has been inducted into the U.S. Library of Congress as well as the Grammy Hall of Fame. The band's recording of "Mr. Bojangles" was also inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2010.

Founded in Long Beach, CA in 1966 the band has gone through many lineups, but the constants have been singer-guitarist Jeff Hanna and drummer Jimmie Fadden. Multi-instrumentalist John McEuen was with the band from 1966 to 1986 and returned during 2001. Keyboardist Bob Carpenter joined the band in 1977 and that is the current lineup today. There was a period of time from 1976 to 1981 when the band performed and recorded as The Dirt Band.

past members include:
Ralph Barr, Merel Bregante, Jackson Browne, John Cable, Jackie Clark, Chris Darrow, Michael Gardner, Al Garth, Richard Hathaway, Jimmy Ibbotson, Bruce Kunkel, Bernie Leadon, Vic Mastrianni and Les Thompson.

The band's honors include:
1984 — CMA Nomination for Instrumental Group of the Year
1985 — CMA Nomination for Instrumental Group of the Year; ACM Nomination for Vocal Group of the Year
1986 — CMA Nomination for Vocal Group of the Year
1988 — CMA Nomination for Vocal Group of the Year
1989 — CMA award for Album Of The Year; Grammy award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals; Grammy award for Best Bluegrass Recording; Grammy award for Co-producing Best Country Instrumental
2002 — Grammy nominations for Best Country Vocal Performance - Duo or Group and Best Country Collaboration with Vocals
2003 — CMA nomination for Vocal Event of the Year (NGDB with Johnny Cash); IBMA award for Best Recorded Event
2005 — Grammy award for Best Country Instrumental (NGDB with Earl Scruggs, Randy Scruggs, Jerry Douglas and Vassar Clements)

These are five of my favorites. Their version of "Will The Circle be Unbroken" is brilliant in my opinion, but it was not to be found on playlist.com
They put back the feature to turn off auto-start...YEA!

Have a safe Fourth Of July Holiday!

ENJOY!

Thursday Tidbits....

2011-06-30T00:02:00.013-05:00

End of quarter is kicking my tail. Especially since 57 invoices came in wrong and have to be redone by the vendor. That is what happens when you follow a calendar with quantities and not the purchase orders you were supplied...

Freakin great!

Matt is leaving (or has left depending upon when you read this)...our trip to NYC is canceled for this year. Life happened and there is nothing we can do about it...

BUT, I think I will travel with Nancy on a trip to Louisiana this month and then we will take the weekend and hit the beach down on the Gulf. Not the ocean at all, but it is salt water and sand and sun...

Both my fantasy baseball teams have under-performed this year so far, but I have made some strategic moves the last week and I think they will help to get me moving upward in the standings.

Music On The Couch for this week with guests Elam McKnight and Bob Bogdal of Big Black Hand and Al Stone is up to # 9 out of 4700+ music shows on BTR...Yeah baby.

What? You did not listen or download it yet...what are you waiting for? Download it - check out these musicians you should know and you can help get the show to #1!!!!

Tomorrow is Five On Friday Day... wondering what I should do it on. Any suggestions?

Just received a email with some sad news. Nate was married to one of my cousins. They were about 6 years older than I was (and I guess they still are, well...) They divorced years ago but Nate and I continued to talk...until we drifted apart. He was a decent drummer as I remember. Well, the email was of a Memorial Jam Session at a place called FishTales in Ft. Lauderdale, FL that took place last April as it seems Nate (or Nathan as he is listed in the piece), had passed away the week prior to this jam.

Always thought about him from time to time and wondered what he was up to, but never found any information.

Sad he has gone on, he was definitely a cool guy with a kind soul and he looked out for the wild 16 year old I was back then.

Rest well Nate...

Wordy Wednesday

2011-06-29T00:02:00.003-05:00

Where the heck has Vinny been? Have not seen hide nor hair of him in about 4 days...maybe you did not notice, but in case you did...
(pssst all photos go biggie by clickie)

Well kiddies...On Thursday night, Matt and I headed about 10 miles away to Hernando, MS to watch Eric Hughes Band playing a free show on the green in town...beautiful night sitting under the open skies.

I took Friday off to spend some time with Matt and work on getting prepared for our Grillin' and Chillin' get-together on Sunday.

Saturday was a day of food purchase and preparation...and cleaning the house. Cooked 24 chicken thighs and 36 chicken wings and 18 hot Italian sausages with onions, red peppers and green peppers as the main courses. So, off to Costco to get the chicken (already had the sausage). Got home, mixed up some sweet paprika, ancho chili powder, salt and pepper and rubbed that into the chicken nice and good - pulled back the skin on the thighs and rubbed the meat too..

Cut all the peppers and onions for the sausage and peppers..and then made the sauce to baste the chicken.

That consisted of ketchup, tomato paste, juice from some oranges and a lemon, onions, garlic, ancho chilis, and some frozen red sweet cherries. Into the pot and let it cook down and then grabbed the submersible mixer and made it nice and smooth...let it rest overnight.

Made a big ole batch of macaroni salad and then relaxed for the evening as we watched a movie.

Sunday, bright and early, put the sausage and peppers together and put it in the oven to cook slowly. got the chicken on the grill, getting them all nice and brown and then layering on the basting sauce while the grill was on low and let it sink in. Then it all went into the oven with the sausage and peppers to just marinate and cook slowly.

Made some delicious dips for the chips and pretzels and a great sangria that was enjoyed by all who indulged.

As always, putting it all together and sharing the experience with Nancy was just the best.

Ended up being a great time for all except for the arrival of a mass of flies at one point. They were obnoxious to say the least, but some more protein on the plate never hurt a soul!

Matt was a huge help and had a grand time talking to friends and the musicians who all flocked to have a good meal.

Party broke up around 10:30, then clean up and much needed sleep.

Get shots early on and then I get into the party and the camera is forgotten...missed some late arrivals, Eric and Donna and Jack and "Sweet T" and Pete was there early, but left before the camera even came out!

On Monday, it was finish clean-up and relax after a busy three days.

Tuesday, back to work - ugh...

So, what was your weekend like?

Want some delicious chicken? There is left-overs!

Matt leaves tomorrow to go home and I hate it, because as he said on Monday "Dad, just hanging and watching a movie like old times is good enough for me."

Though...tonight we head to Beale for Bike Night and to let him see the fantastic Brandon Santini play live again. You see, when Matt was here 3 years ago we saw Brandon for the first time and Matt has been a fan ever since.

If you have a child living at home, give them a hug, because before you know it, they will not be living there and you will MISS THEM!

But you will never miss...these guys...

2011-06-24T00:02:00.000-05:00

Rescue (1983)

Clarence Clemons

Hero (1985)
A Night With Mr. C (1989)
Peacemaker (1995)

Aja and the Big Man

Get It On (1995)

Clarence Clemons & Temple of Soul

Live in Asbury Park (2002)
Live in Asbury Park, Vol. 2 (2004)
Brothers in Arms (2008)

Bruce Springsteen

Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. (1973)
The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle (1973)
Born to Run (1975)
Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978)
The River (1980)
Born in the U.S.A. (1984)
Live/1975–85 (1986)
Tunnel of Love (1987)
Chimes Of Freedom (1988)
Greatest Hits (1995)
Blood Brothers (1996)
Tracks (1998)
18 Tracks (1999)
Live in New York City (2001)
The Rising (2002)
The Essential Bruce Springsteen (2003)
Hammersmith Odeon London '75 (2006)
Magic (2007)
Magic Tour Highlights (2008)
Working on a Dream (2009)
The Promise (2010)

Gary U.S. Bonds

Dedication (1981)
On the Line (1982)

Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band

Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band (1990)

Zucchero

Blues (1987)
Oro incenso e birra (1989)
Zucchero (1991)
Diamante (1994)
Spirito Divino (1995)

Selected Others

Dan Hartman: Images (1976)
Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes: I Don’t Wanna Go Home (1976)
Pezband: Pezband (1977)
Ronnie Spector & The E Street Band: "Say Goodbye To Hollywood" / "Baby, Please Don't Go" (1977)
Scarlet Rivera: Scarlet Rivera (1977)
Intergalactic Touring Band: Intergalactic Touring Band (1977)
Carlene Carter: Two Sides to Every Woman (1979)
Janis Ian: Night Rains (1979)
Musicians United for Safe Energy: No Nukes (1979)
Michael Stanley Band: Heartland (1980)
Joan Armatrading: Me Myself I (1980)
Various artists: In Harmony 2 (1981)
Greg Lake: Greg Lake (1981)
Schwartz: Schwartz (1981)
Blue Steel: Nothing But Time (1981)
Little Steven & The Disciples Of Soul: Men Without Women (1982)
Ian Hunter: All of the Good Ones Are Taken (1983)
Silver Condor: Trouble At Home (1983)
Michael Stanley: Poor Side of Town (1984)
Aretha Franklin: Who's Zoomin' Who? (1985)
Twisted Sister: Come Out and Play (1985)
Soundtrack: Porky's Revenge (1985)
Artists United Against Apartheid: Sun City (1986)
Jersey Artists For Mankind: "We've Got The Love" / "Save Love, Save Life" (1986)
Gloria Estefan: Let It Loose (1987)
Various artists: A Very Special Christmas (1987)
Narada Michael Walden: Divine Emotions (1988)
The Four Tops: Indestructible (1988)
Todd Rundgren: Nearly Human (1989)
Soundtrack: Home Alone 2 (soundtrack) (1992)
Lisa Stansfield et al.: Swing – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1999)
Joe Cocker: Unchain My Heart (1990)
Nils Lofgren: Silver Lining (1991)
Alvin Lee: Zoom (1992)
Roy Orbison: King of Hearts (1992)
Jim Carroll: A World Without Gravity: Best of The Jim Carroll Band (1993)
Dave Koz: Lucky Man (1993)
Great White: Sail Away (1994)
Luther Vandross: This is Christmas (1995)
Craig and Co.: My Newish Jewish Discovery (1997)
Various artists: Humanary Stew – A Tribute to Alice Cooper (1999)
Nick Clemons Band: In the Sunlight (2001)
Creation: World Without Windows (2005)
Tyrone Ashley’s Funky Music Machine: Let Me Be Your Man (2007)
Stormin' Norman & Friends: Asbury Park — Then And Now (2008)
Lady Gaga: Born This Way (2011)

Five to honor him. Three with others and my favorite two songs from the E Street band...

ENJOY!

HAVE A GRAND WEEKEND!

Clarence Anicholas Clemons, Jr.
(January 11, 1942 – June 18, 2011)

Big Leather Couch

Five On Friday - Happy Anniversary!

Be Back Soon

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A New Year

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Five On Friday - 5 Degrees Of Progression-2012

Five On Friday - Still Miss John

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Five On Friday - What Is The Theme?

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Five On Friday - Times are a changin'

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Five On Friday - Veteran's Day 2011

Peace Globes Galore - SPEAK up!

Dona Nobis Pacem

3 Days Until Peace

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Five On Friday - 1965

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Five On Friday - Cities

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Wordy Wednesday

Five On Friday - TV TIME!

DENTIST - A MEMORY...

Working Wednesday

Monday and a new week begins...

Five On Friday -

Tuesday Notes...

Ten years...

Five On Friday - San Francisco Sound

Happy Anniversary Baby!

Blog Fixed...finally

Five On Friday - Fudgie!

That band above gets stronger - RIP Honeyboy

Monday and a new week begins...

Thursday Thoughts

Wondering on Wednesday

Monday And A New Week Begins

Five On Friday - WOOOO HOOO

Wordy Wednesday

Where's VinBo?

Five On Friday - Blues Legends

BE BACK SOON

Be back on Friday...

Five On Friday - Baseball

Wordless Wednesday

Monday and a new week begins

Five On Friday - Lena Horne

Thursday Can't Think

Monday and a new week begins

Five On Friday - Rufus Thomas

Is that you Herb?

Monday and a new week begins

CHARLOTTE SABINAandLISA SHEPARDSIT ONTHE COUCHTonight - 9:00pm Central

Five On Friday - New Riders Of The Purple Sage

Thursday Tidbits....

Wordy Wednesday

Five On Friday - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

Thursday Tidbits....

Wordy Wednesday

CHARLOTTE SABINA
and
LISA SHEPARD
SIT ON
THE COUCH

Tonight - 9:00pm Central