Optional forms of entertainment

I am continually checking the weather on my iPhone and on the National Weather Service website. I’m not sure why unless it’s to confirm in my own mind that even though it’s officially spring, it’s actually still winter.

I say this because we’re still getting heavy frost in the mornings, below freezing temperatures at night, and even some instances of snow and sleet in the northern parts of the state.

I have gardened a little, probably against the odds of anything growing successfully, but at least that’s also a form of entertainment for me. If we don’t get real spring weather soon, I’ll be shopping around for other forms of entertainment – movies, music CDs, maybe learn to play music on a yamaha mm6 keyboard – who knows?

I just know I want warm weather!

Technorati Tags: entertainment

Live concerts

I’ve been working hard at my job lately. In fact, I don’t think I’ve gone out to see a live band in over six months, which is unusual for me. I’m promising myself right now that I’m going to take at least one weekend a month to see some live music on the local level. Of course, Fleetwood Mac is coming to a big town near me in May, and that would be an awesome concert to attend.

While I do enjoy the local groups (they work hard and are quite talented), a big name like that really gets my attention. Listening to them live, watching them perform on stage, and marveling at the way they utilize their pioneer ddj sx controller would be well worth the ticket price, in my opinion. In fact, a co-worker and I were talking about this amazing concert just a few days ago. Maybe he’ll get tickets for us and ask me to go!

I really want to see and hear the beautiful Stevie Nix.

Technorati Tags: concert,Fleetwood Mac

Let the music flow

I really think everyone needs music in their lives. I know that I love listening to music on my radio, on my iPhone, and even on my computer. I wish I were gifted with the ability to play music on an instrument, the way so many of my family members do. Alas, it’s not in the cards for me, it seems.

However, when I watch my grandkids play a cheap ukulele, I think to myself, “Surely, I can do that, too!” I suppose it’s a matter of getting my hands on one and just trying it out.

Technorati Tags: music,ukulele

Update on Grandson

Recently, my 18 year old grandson went to Boston. (I wrongly reported that he was going to New York City.) He went there to do some tryouts at the Berklee School of Music, playing his fiddle and his banjo for them. I still haven’t heard how it all came out, and I’m not sure he even knows yet if he’s been accepted into the school. He pretty well has his heart set on going there.

He will have to find funding in the form of grants, loans, and possibly scholarships in order to attend the school as I’m sure his parents will not be able to foot the whole bill.

He does some band work and some busking to help keep himself supplied with violin strings and banjo strings, but I don’t think he makes enough to pay tuition or buy materials at such a prestigious school.

Technorati Tags: music,Berklee

Let’s Rock n Roll!

It’s the end of the day and I’m finally taking a break. It won’t be much of one since I have to work in just a few hours. In the meantime, though, I’ve been listening to my favorite classic rock station on the radio all day.

All the groups I love are played on that station – Aerosmith, George Thorogood, The Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac. I love listening to these old rock songs. They seem like real rock n roll to me.

I don’t know if they got their mixers at Musician's Friend or not, but it’s a sure thing they got that kind of quality.

Technorati Tags: music

Local bands

If you aren't taking the time to go see the local bands in your area, you're missing a real treat. By supporting these local musicians, you are guaranteeing that local talent could someday be worldwide talent. These guys need to know that you are the drummers best friend, the guitarists best friend, and the singers best friend when it comes to cheering them on and helping them make a living from their craft.

One of our local blues bands went to the competition in Memphis TN last year and made to the semi-finals. I'm proud to say that the lead guitarist in that band is my nephew! See what a little encouragement can produce?

Technorati Tags: music

CLOVERBLUE BLUES BAND

We are snowed in around here, which means I can't get out and scout for movies right now. However, I still have a plan. Since this blog is about entertainment in general, with movies being the primary focus, I thought it might be nice to share some information about a few local music groups. The first group I'm reviewing is CloverBlue, a local blues band.

CloverBlue was recently at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee, where they made it to the semi-finals against a large number of blues bands from all over. While they didn't make the finals, that doesn't mean they didn't do well. Indeed, they got a lot of exposure at the Challenge which will help them in the future for booking gigs far and wide.

You can follow them on FaceBook by just searching for their name, or go directly to CloverBlue at reverbnation.com. You can also check out their music on their CloverBlue MySpace page and get a good idea about how fantastic this group really is.

I can visualize them playing in great clubs that are filled with antique lighting, real mahogany bars, and great audiences! They are one of my favorite groups to listen to (I have a CD of their work) and they really get the "joint a-jumpin" when they perform live.

Technorati Tags: music,CloverBlue Band

CCR

If you don't know what that means, then you don't know Credence Clearwater Revival. This is an amazing old rock group with songs that I know you recognize. Songs like Looking Out My Back Door, Bad Moon Rising, and Suzy Q. While it may be just my age showing, I'd rather listen to groups like this than to listen to some of the newer stuff that's on the radio. Let those who have an interest in modern couches listen to newer rock music. I'll take my hippie looking furniture and old rock anytime.

Yeah, I admit I'm a bit of a hippie, though Sis says I'm a Renaissance woman and my boss says I'm a country girl/earth mother. I enjoy simpler things and make my own jewelry, soap, and raise my own organic vegetables and herbs.

Maybe I am everything that others say I am. What do you think?

Technorati Tags: CCR,Credence Clearwater Revival,music

Designated driver

I'll be heading out to another club on Friday to see (you guessed it) CloverBlue.  I've invited several people. They had a pretty good crowd last weekend. I hope it's even better this time around.

Yes, I plan to do some dancing again - if anyone asks me to. I'm kind of hoping I can catch a ride down there this time. I don't have my life insurance quote yet, and I don't want to be out drinking and driving, so maybe I can round up a designated driver for the outing.

See, I am firmly opposed to folks getting on the road after drinking alcohol. It's dangerous and it's highly illegal. I've encountered so many who think they are fit to drive and who really aren't.

Technorati Tags: designated driver,CloverBlue Band

CD radio history

Just a bit of history here. Did you know that today, January 28, is the anniversary of the CD being played on the radio? It's true. On this date in 1983 the first CD was played in New Jersey on a radio station - WDHA, 105.5. I thought that was an interesting bit of entertainment history since before that it had been all vinyl or tapes played.

The CD brought about a revolution in music quality and choice. Unlike cassettes, you could easily choose which track to play. Cassettes had to be queued up to the right point before you pushed the play button on the player. Of course, there were singles on cassettes, but the albums were harder to queue. Plus, you had to flip them over to hear the other side. Not sure that was a huge improvement over multi-tracks or vinyl records.

Ok. I still remember 8-tracks and even 4-tracks. Yeah, I'm that old. But, the advantage of those is that you didn't have to flip them over and they would continuously play until you hit "stop" or took them out of the player. I actually liked them better than cassettes because of those reasons, though they were much larger and bulkier when it came to storing them. Cassette tapes were smaller and easier to store and carry. The machines that played them were also smaller. But if a magnet got near them or the multi-track tapes, watch out. You'd lose everything on the tape. A magnet wiped them clean!

We are really in the digital age, you know. I have a new HD television, am shopping for digital cameras (since mine was STOLEN while I was at work!), and am loving my Sony home theater system, which is HD.

So, now we have CDs. They really are an improvement. They're tough, easy to store, and give you an exceptionally clear sound. Yeah, we've come a long way baby!

Technorati Tags: music,cd,radio,cassette,tapes,vinyl

CloverBlue review

I told you the other day about going to see CloverBlue at a local club. Well, I was absolutely not disappointed. The band turned out to be everything I'd hoped it would be - and more. The lead singer has a voice that will make you think Janis Joplin is on stage. The band members are all highly skilled, seasoned musicians who put their soul into what they play.

I have to be honest with you - I could stand more nights out like that anyway. I tend to work and come home day after day without taking much time out for just having fun. So, I'm thinking that if I could earn extra income from home, then I'd have more free time to spend on outside activities such as this. One thing I really lack is a social life. It's high time I got one!

I'll get notifications from the band as to where and when they'll be performing, so I'm sure I'll be enjoying a lot more of them in the days to come.

Technorati Tags: CloverBlue Band,music

CLOVERBLUE BAND

I'm going to be visiting a nearby club tonight to see a fairly new blues band called Cloverblue. I'll let you know what I think of these guys, but I've heard really good things about them.

I'm off work today, so going to see CloverBlue is something I've really been looking forward to for some time. I got the invite on Facebook and RSVP'd that I'd be there. Now, I have to work at 11 A.M. tomorrow which means I won't be able to stay for their whole set, but at least I can get a couple hours of entertainment in before I have to head back home.

If I stay out too long tonight, then it's a sure bet that the best under eye cream in the world won't help me look rested tomorrow!

Technorati Tags: music,CloverBlue Band

THE MUSIC MAN live

I recently attended a high school production of The Music Man. I have to say, the musical was impeccably done at the local high school. The cast included not only students from the high school but students from lower grades as well as other community members.

The songs and the banter that ensue in this delightful musical were as well done as any I've seen. The young people who starred in the production put their whole selves into their roles and made it so entertaining that I found myself tapping my foot and smiling throughout the whole show.

If you're not taking in this kind of entertainment on a regular basis, then you really should scout around your community for it. I think you'll be as pleased and surprised as I was by the abundance of talent available in your own neighborhood!

Van Cliburn

I really don't know why it didn't occur to me before, but I don't have to use my home theater system every time I want to view movies or listen to music. Since I have a laptop, there's no good reason why I can't do these things anywhere! Sheesh! What was I thinking? I wasn't!

Right now I'm listening to the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition CD I have. Not sure where I even got it, but right now I'm hearing Chopan Sonata No. 3 in B Minor, which is pretty lively. I do love listening to great classical music so this piano version is really entertaining.

This talented pianist is a fairly local boy, having been born in Shreveport, Louisiana and beginning his piano career at the tender age of three, when he began taking lessons. He is an extremely gifted individual, of course, but also had an eye for the community.

You can read more about Van Cliburn and his foundation, and even listen to some music, at Van Cliburn Foundation.

Old time rock 'n roll

I have been enjoying listening to a local radio station that plays classic rock music. This station boasts "no obscene lyrics - no foul-mouthed DJs", and they're exactly right. I never hear offensive language or topics at any time.

I am a die-hard classic rock n' roll fan. Give me some Led Zepplin, ZZ Top, Bob Seger, or even Beatles music and I'm happy. I'm an "oldie moldie" myself, so the older rock tunes suit my tastes just fine. I even enjoy tunes that go as far back as Janis Joplin, Strawberry Alarm Clock, and Jefferson Airplane. Who doesn't?

Are the words all pure and innocent? Of course not! ZZ Top's "Tush" sure isn't, but it's not obscene either. This stuff is fun to listen to. I play it loud in my truck when I'm driving alone.

So, what are you listening to?

Blast from the past music

I've found some great music. I think it's great anyway. It's a lot of old songs from groups like Jefferson Airplane, Strawberry Alarm Clock, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Bob Seger. Yeah, can you guess how old I am now, especially with the JA and SAC songs? This is the music I listened to when I was a teen, and I still find it really appealing.

I'm a long way from being a teen anymore, of course, but I still get a kick out of listening to Free Ride, don't you? It's just that kind of old Rock and Roll that sparks my memory of a '57 Chevy or a '64 Mustang, cruising Main Street in the small town where I grew up. It brings back thoughts of friends by the dozen, sitting on car fenders or pickup truck tailgates, talking about school, parents, boyfriends, or girlfriends, and never even considering vandalizing the local stores or committing any act wilder than "peeling out" on the parking lot.

They say you can't go back...but I can. In my mind.

I AM LEGEND

I always love a good sci-fi movie, and I Am Legend is no exception. And, of course, anything starring Will Smith is always intense and real. His own personality flows smoothly into any character he portrays.

At the beginning of the film, we watch a television news interview in which a doctor talks about having developed a vaccine from a virus that will cure cancer. In fact, it has cured cancer in 100% of the human trials. A boon to mankind, or not? It all goes downhill from there when the virus mutates, causing evolutionary de-development in humans, spread by both airborne and contact means, and destroys Manhattan Island through this development. Those who undergo the change become like wild, vicious beasts who are extremely sun-sensitive, become discolored and hairless, and even begin to prey on those citizens who, for some reason, are immune.

Robert Neville (Smith) is an Army research doctor who is the sole healthy survivor and who has chosen to remain in New York to conduct tests to see if he can find a cure for this virus. His core motivation is to save the world although he puts himself at high risk in doing so. A person like that would have sky-high life insurance rates, but his intentions are noble and self-sacrificing.

The action by Smith is great, of course. The CGI is a bit lacking, but it's still frightening enough to make you jump from time to time. I give high points for the "jump factor" in sci-fi, thriller, and mystery movies.

This 2007 film is rated PG-13 for the extreme sci-fi violence which occurs repeatedly at the hands of the "dark seekers" and Smith himself.

Music playing tips

My oldest grandson is pretty adept at playing the fiddle, mandolin, and even ukulele. He's been taking lessons for a couple of years now, is in his school band, and is a member of the local fiddlers association. I love hearing him play Bluegrass Music. He's got a lot of style when he plays - not just good technique. I should really send his mother (my daughter) the information about this newsletter I looked at.

It offers monthly tips to become a better player. There is also basic information for sale about playing all kinds of musical instruments with a Bluegrass flare. What do you think? Would this newsletter be helpful or not?

File sharing becoming legal?

I was reading over at Hollywood Idiocy that apparently the music industry has done a major flip-flop where free music file sharing is concerned. That is, as long as you download the free files from a server they point to where you'll also find advertising to go with it. Truthfully, this is probably the best way to go. After all, we listen to the radio for free and we get the advertising on there, so why should this be a problem for anyone who wants free music for their computer or iPod?

Better to suffer through some ads than to face the kind of charges Jammie Thomas faced. I am hoping they drop this ridiculously large settlement against her, in light of this turnabout. The industry will never see the exorbitant amount of money she is faced with. What was the "jury of her peers" thinking when they allowed this? What was the judge thinking?

According to HollywoodIdiocy, the settlement amounts to

...the equivalent of $9,250 per song for every song she’d allegedly downloaded for free...

How is that fair?

I agree it was wrong to download them from the file sharing sites, but I can't even begin to imagine that this punishment was justified. Maybe with this new idea (which was probably inspired by radio to begin with), people can listen to the individual music they want without having to purchase entire albums, when they only wanted one song. It looks to me like everyone wins this way.

MUSIC I CAN'T STAND

There is some music that I dislike so intensely that I can feel a migraine coming on within the first few bars:

• Minnie Riperton's Loving You
• Paul Anka's Having My Baby
• Bobby Goldsboro's Watching Scotty Grow
• Anything by Guns and Roses
• Anything by William Hung
• Any music played in a car where the bass is deafening, obliterating the actual song itself

Feel free to disagree. It's OK, really. Maybe I'm just too old for some stuff, and other stuff is either just too sappy or just hits notes that pierce my eardrums.