For some reason, this 4th of July got me thinking about how important music is in my ability to access fond memories.

In the morning I put on the Allman Brothers Band: A decade of hits, 1969-1979 for a trip down memory lane, and it was quite effective!

The Allman Brothers and the Grateful Dead remind me the most of my early college days, which is strange because I did not own any of their albums or listen to them all that often back then.

Now I love to listen to them loud and reminisce. I seem to have developed a wild streak in my 50's which I don't remember having in my 20's.....hmmmmm, go figure. Could it be the recent concussion?

Then, in the evening I heard all the old patriotic favorites, God Bless America, Stars & Stripes Forever, all those songs that bring back very early memories. I was reminded of being first string flute in my junior high band, and how much pressure I felt to play my flute solos flawlessly. That tight feeling in my gut returned. Would I be able to play my part correctly?

Music seems to work on our brains much like certain smells. It seems to activate unique parts of the brain that evoke amazingly powerful memories of very specific times and feelings about our lives. I find it quite poignant at times.

There are distant voices calling me,

there is a heart I yearn to have

beating in unison with my own...

up close, in sync... beautiful harmony.

So I will travel to the Great White North...

we will wine and dine 

cram as much living as we can

into the next few days.

There are always the archives...

even I check them out once in a while

just to see where I was

and if I still am.

You'll be fine... trust me.

peace.

...I was born a wrangler and a rambler and I guess I always will"

"Heard It In A Love Song" - The Marshall Tucker Band

No Depression columnist Grant Alden has a great post up on his site about America's long-running romance with the open road and some of the great literature and music inspired by said romance. I can certainly speak to this in my own experience. Some of my favorite songs, movies, and books have centered around road trips (or life lived on the road). Alas, as Alden states, that romance may soon be coming to an end with gas prices at $4 per gallon and rising. If this is what kills cross-country travel, it would be a terrible shame. The road really is the best way to see our great land in all its variety and splendor.

Some of my happiest times have been spent on the road, loaded up with family or friends and a lot of Cd's. I love the sights, sounds, and smells of the road and even the satisfaction of arriving at my destination. I can't count the number of road trips I have been on and I have never regretted one of them. A few years ago my brother rode along with me when I drove cross-country for a move and it is one of my favorite memories. Another great road memory: tearing through western Maryland and Pennsylvania in the dead of night during a freak snowstorm with Diggity Dave on our way to Carl and Shayna's wedding in Pittsburgh. Dave drove, I prayed (under my breath).

For me, no road trip is complete without a wide and varied selection of tunes, especially the all-important road songs.  I have listed some of my favorite road tunes below in no particular order, and I would love to hear what music you find essential to road trips. I don't care what it is, just share what and why. I found that many of my favorites are by the same artists, so I have categorized them accordingly. Also, please note that what is listed is my favorite version of a song, not necessarily the original.

Steve Earle

• "Guitar Town"
• "Someday"
• "I Ain't Ever Satisfied "
• "Nowhere Road"

The Allman Brothers Band

Pretty much their entire catalogue, but the ones that come to mind for our purposes here are:

• "Ramblin' Man"
• "Midnight Rider"
• "Seven Turns"

Reckless Kelly

• "Desolation Angels"
•  "Set Me Free"
• "Vancouver"

"Desolation Angels" has one of my all time favorite opening lyrics:

I saw the same old streets for far too long
I put the rubber on the road
I left it all behind
And now paved with memories
Those streets are long since gone
Rubber on the road & the blood inside

And I've been around this land of opportunity
The road is hard and it don't offer up immunity
I've rode this country hard, from sea to shining sea
I've shared a dance with Lady Liberty

Doesn't that just make you want to gas up and head out?

 Chuck Berry

• "The Promised Land"
• "You Can't Catch Me"
• "Memphis, Tennessee"
• "Little Queenie"
• "No Particular Place to Go"

The Grateful Dead

• "Truckin'"
• "St. Stephen"
• "Friend of the Devil"
• "Alabama Getaway"

John Hiatt

• "Memphis in the Meantime"
• "Drive South"
• "Slow Turning"
• "Walk On"
• "Dust Down a Country Road"
• "Riding with the King"
• "Tennessee Plates"
• "Paper Thin"
• "Child of the Wild Blue Yonder"
• "Crossing Muddy Waters"

Bruce Hornsby

•  "On the Western Skyline"
• "The River Runs Low"
• "The Valley Road"
• "Across the River"

Last Train Home

• "List of Sorrows"
• "Heartache Express"
• "My Sally"
• "Never Been To Memphis"
• "Louisiana"

Bob Dylan

• "Blowin' in the Wind"
• "Highway 61 Revisited"
• "Lilly, Rosemary, and the Jack of Hearts"
• "Tangled Up in Blue"

Tom Waits

• "Lookin' for the Heart of Saturday Night"
• "Heart Attack and Vine"
• "Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis"
• "Ol' 55"

Bruce Springsteen

• "Thunder Road"
• "Born to Run"
• "Promised Land"
• "The River"
• "Cadillac Ranch"
• "State Trooper"
• "Darlington County"

Marshall Crenshaw

• "There She Goes Again"
• "Someplace Where Love Can't Find Me"
• "Whatever Way the Wind Blows"

Ryan Adams

• "Answering Bell"
• "Trains"
• "The Sun Also Sets"

Blue Rodeo

• "Lost Together"
• "5 Days in May"
• "Hasn't Hit Me Yet"

Creedence Clearwater Revival

• "Travellin' Band"
• "Long As I Can See the Light"
• "Who'll Stop the Rain"

Dave Alvin

• "King of California"
• "Long White Cadillac"
• "Rio Grande"
• "Everett Ruess"  

The rest will be random singles:

"There'll Be No Next Time" - Louis Prima

"I Feel Fine Today" - Kevin Welch

"City of New Orleans" - Steve Goodman

"Operator" and "I Have A Name" - Jim Croce

"Pancho and Lefty" - Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson

"Roam" - B-52s

"Train Don't Stop Here Anymore" and "Don't Worry Baby" - Los Lobos

"So Long Baby Goodbye" - The Blasters

"Route 66" - Nat King Cole

"This Big City" - The Derailers

"Willin'" - Little Feat

"On the Road" - Lee Roy Parnell

"Turn the Page" - Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band

"Mama Knows The Highway By Heart" - Hal Ketchum

"Green Grass and High Tides" - The Outlaws

"No Sleep Til Brooklyn" - The Beastie Boys

"Running on Empty" - Jackson Browne

"Solsbury Hill" - Peter Gabriel

"Come Early Morning" and "Tulsa Time" - Don WIlliams

"Moonlight Mile" - Rolling Stones

"King of the Road" - Roger Miller

"America" - Simon and Garfunkel

"Country Road" - James Taylor

"Laid A Highway" - Tift Merritt

Now - if you've made it this far, what are some of your favorite road songs and why? 

Es miembro original y autor de la mitad del repertorio clásico de los Allman Brothers Band. Hacia el 2000 lo expulsaron de la banda via fax debido a los excesos con las drogas. Desde entonces gira en solitario con su banda Great Southern y un repertorio con mucha de la música de los Allman. Y lo mejor, es que aún sabe tocar. ¡Y Dios, cómo toca este hombre! Dickey Betts!!

Esta noche, en Bikini, dentro del 19 festival de guitarra de Barcelona, nos ha dejado asombrados durante unas dos horas y media. Hemos escuchado Blue Sky, una larguísima versión de In Memory of Elisabeth Reed, la magistral Jessica (¿el mejor instrumental del rock?) y Ramblin Man. Todo con una ejecución perfecta y una banda excelente, con gran semblanza a la viejos Allmans y con su hijo como tercer guitarra (aunque hay un abismo) y las colaboraciones de Raimundo Amador y Javier Vargas (impresionantes, aunque me da que Betts ni sabía quienes eran: "Raymond", "Javier", les citaba sin pronunciar sus apellidos). Ha venido gente de toda España (algunos viejos conocidos del foro Azkena), sabiendo lo difícil que será que este hombre vuelva, y estoy convencido que todos hemos flipado. ¡Arrodillense! Es Dickey Betts y Clapton no es Dios!

Dickey Betts en la época Allman: Ramblin' Man y Jessica.

1973:

Laid Back (LP)

Cover Painting: Abdul Mati Klarwein

Photography: Peter Harron & James F Higgins

1974:

The Greg Allman Tour (2 LP)

Design: Richard Mantel for AGI

Photography: Al Clayton

Front Cover Concept: Ira Sokolof & Stephen Saban

1972:

An Anthology (2 LP)

Design: Camouflage Productions

Photography : Stephan Paley

Text: Tony Glover

1974:

Design: Robert Mantel

Photography: Jeff Albertson (front) Cuck Pulin (others)

It's always easier to be away from him, in the long run. Being constantly busy, pausing only to sleep, leaves little time to mope and think of him. I can learn to do this, I can learn to live without him. It's not like he ever hurt me, he's never been anything but a friend to me, so I have no reasons to despise him or throw him out of my life. That is what makes it hard.

The first day back is always the hardest. I got back here and hardly said anything to my roommate. Plugged in my amp and played sliding chords and my injustice of blues until I was exhausted and my fingers were numb. Honestly, if I didn't have my guitars, if I couldn't draw out my frustrations and my joy through my fingers and onto bronze, I would probably have thrown myself out a window by now. I love music, I love everything about music, most every kind of rock, the beats, the hooks, every twang and pluck.

I'm exhausted.

These men were once SEX GODS! But you'll have to wait a few days to experience the mighty MOLLY HATCHET!

However, know this, it is everyones GOD given duty to restore the fat, bewhiskered, tattooed oaf to his RIGHTEOUS status at the head of humanity. First in line for beers, hoors and pies.

But how did this happen first time around. Easy. The world was once run by its rightful RULERS. The Kings ov RAWK. But even within that world there was a hierarchy. One which saw the masters of SOUTHERN BOOGIE King ov Kings.

So, I'm going to be going on a journey through this long forgotten world, to a time where men were men, their feet were a distant memory and their GENITALS, were only seen by the laydz.

It all began with the ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND, a bunch of ne-er do wells from from Macon, Georgia, who in 1971 described by Rolling Stone as "the best damn rock and roll band this country has produced in the past five years." And they were right.

They may have turned out to be a right bunch of SHITS but with a high batting average for DEATH, DRUGS and marriages to CHER, they took BLOOZE RAWK, and spun their own never ending guitar solo out of it. I still recall my first encounter back when I was just a wee babby Mr H, my beer gut something I only dreamt of, and with only the first sprouts of whiskerdom.

In Embra toon, there was a second hand record shop called Ezy Ryder which traded out of a bizarre building, called, appropriately enough, Oddfellows Hall. One half was records, the other a smorgasbord of foul smelling hippy clothes. Don't go looking for it, as with everything, it's now a fuggin theme pub. In those days, I was an apprentice butcher, merrily carving up carcasses and spitting in the pies. The money was shite, but what little I had was spent on the newly discovered RAWK. Best of all, they had a bargain bin where albums long parted from their covers were sold for thruppence ha'penny.

Lurking in the bin one week was a compilation album which ahd two IRON BUTTERFLY tunes on it. Enamoured as I was, after hearing "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" on the radiogram, back when you could do that sort of thing late at night, in the world pre-programming, I plunked down my collection of farthings and scuttled off home.

But what was this? What alien yet divine sound was blasting through my headphones? How could this be? Surely no human hands could conjure up the sheer MAJESTY that was "Black Hearted Woman" by the ALLMAN BROTHER BAND? I was dragged kicking and screaming into the world of SOUTHERN RAWK, and my world was never to be the same again.

My WHISKERS grew two inches overnight, my gut sagged over my belt, my tongue craved whiskey with an E. So, let's BOOGIE!

You can LISTEN to the song here.

You can STEAL the mp3HERE!

You can buy the album that spawned it here.

That is the release date of the much anticipated sequel to the Indiana Jones trilogy, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Like everyone else, I am a huge fan... but I have to add this asterisk.

I wrote my own Indiana Jones screenplay some time ago. I don't know the premise of the new sequel, it doesn't matter... this one would stand on it's own.

Much of the Indiana Jones fervor had died down back when I contemplated my story and I thought I knew why. I had an idea that I wanted to submit to somebody, ANYBODY to keep the franchise going. Not that it needed my help, because fans of the hero have survived nearly two decades awaiting this upcoming adventure. But because I was so enthralled with the character that I didn't want to see him fade into oblivion, I wrote mine.

.
Try as I might I couldn't get anywhere with my idea. Lucasfilms rejected me with the utmost courtesy because my request for a review came unsolicited. I can appreciate that. These days everybody has an idea, everybody has a screenplay and everybody thinks their idea has been plagiarized and wants to sue. I just wanted to give Indy a way out and I think I have succeeded.

I'm glad they finally agreed on a story, but I think mine would be better...

First, I would like to thank Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Harrison Ford for coming together once again for this next (last?) go round with the beloved character of Indiana Jones.

Second, I would like to apologize to Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Harrison Ford for what I am about to do, i.e. publish my own screenplay on this blog.

and now the disclaimer....

________________________________

.

THE FOLLOWING SCREENPLAY IS AN UNAUTHORIZED WORK. IT IS NOT SANCTIONED, APPROVED OR CONDONED BY LUCASFILMS, STEVEN SPIELBERG, GEORGE LUCAS OR HARRISON FORD. IT IS A WORK OF FICTION AND OFFERED FREELY AND WITHOUT COMPENSATION. IT IS INTENDED FOR THE PRIVATE USE OF THE READERS OF THIS BLOG AND ANY UNAUTHORIZED DUPLICATION IS PROHIBITED.

.

_______________________________

That being said....

I offered the following as an introduction on my original screenplay.

.

Introducing Indiana Jones and the Dance of Aldebaran.

This script and its inquiry were rejected by Lucasfilms 3 times without being read. I wrote it on a lark because I believed that the character deserved more than the "grow old and die" ending that was painted for him in the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.

Indy was a hero in a time when the world needed heroes, but that hour never seems to pass for his audience. Larger than life characters need more than to succumb to the frailties of mere mortals. We want them to always be there; ready to emerge once again whenever they are needed. It is my hope that this story will give fans of Indy's the satisfaction of knowing that no matter what, heroes live on.

For continuity it would be helpful if the reader was familiar with the Indiana Jones trilogy as well as the characters from the book, "Lost Horizon" by James Hilton and/or the movie starring Ronald Colman.

.

I will offer Part 1 on Wednesday the 20th (the date of the 20th has been good to me as of late ;-) ) and will continue on with the remainder of the story until it's completion. If you are a fan of the franchise I hope you will feel I have done the character justice. If you are not, my readership has just been knocked down substantially... which usually happens when I do this sort of thing.

I just hope I don't get sued.

peace.

Well, this New Year's Day is AMRFP's 201st entry. It has been a hit and miss affair as far as certain topics are concerned, readers feedback has been sporadic. Amazingly enough... some of my favorites have garnished the fewest hits, while the ones that seemed insignificant blasted the charts! I feel like Tommy Smothers or the court jester under the employment of the king. Can't bite the hand that feeds you, but then again... I don't want to lose my objectivity, that would be blogareer suicide.

My friend, dame... over at "matters of little consequence" recently wrote an interesting post about getting through Christmas. Sad day when the holidays catch us as burdensome rather than what they were intended to be... a time to be with family and friends. Perhaps with a sweetheart lounging on the beach, kissing in broad daylight while the whole world passes by and who's to care? Perfect Christmas time when alligators made of sand greet you instead of snowmen... warm island breezes instead of arctic wind chill... glorious sun instead of overcast skies.

I wish I were there with you still, my fair one... the world could've ended then and I would have been satisfied. Lets keep the mas in Christmas.

Yes, the end of the year... a time to pause and reflect. This blog saw almost double the entries I posted in 2006, perhaps I have become too blabby in my old age...

Some were videos which is a poor substitute for good writing (or bad, depending on your view point) but I thought most of them were relevant to an adjoining topic, I tried to use them sparingly...

But for better or worse, in reverse order from last posted to the first...

scroll back...

peace.

.

1)  Shades of Hemingway/ Medium Exposure  Parts 1-12 and epilogue... a joy for me to write but my hits for December were the lowest since the posting of the original Shades of Hemingway way back last spring.  I should've known better but "I say what the hey... people get that way...  I get that way, too."

2)  Prelude to Shades of Hemingway / Medium Exposure... prophetic introduction but who listens to the voice of reason?

3)  A Holiday Wish... posted on 11-12-07.  Expounding on the frailities of life and it's aftermath

4)  Ode to Daily Readers... I have one or two, perhaps you?  thanks for the encouraging words and frequent flier miles  ;-)

5)  ...underwhelming... one of my favorite recent posts, life is like a box of chock 'o' nuts

6)  SPACE... the final front tear...   The fact that we all need a little space is not wasted here

7)  Love Should (video)... introduced to me by my #1 fan, and she is right (plays into the next entry, rules of engagement )

8)  rules of engagement...  All's fair in love and bologna?  I am a firm believer in love, love above all else... I am a romantic, I make no bones about it

9)  convertible therapy...  Sometimes you just have to go out and burn a little ethanol

10)  A Spiritual Man... my so-so attempt at lyrics, but the inspiration remains true.  My fair one makes me feel like my sins have been atoned for

11)  rude, crude, lewd and socially unacceptable behavior... Love will make you crazy, this is my account of one instance where my emotions got the better of me

12)  Marry Me (video)...  A great song and request.  I posted it for the L&M entry, but it stands alone for it's message... which shot me right through the heart

13)  L&M...  Love set to the tone of Romeo and Juliet, but without the sad ending and the thee, thy, those or what for

14)  Goodbye! ... it's great to be back again... My vacation and the advances I made on finally meeting my true companion

15)  Michelle (video)  these are words that go together well.  Posted for Love is... an entry and inspiration that I am most grateful for

16)  Love is...  This post, above all others... changed my life.  Before... I hoped she did, from this day on... she knew she would.  Glorious

17)  the other life I should have led...  We all wonder what might have been, here are a few of mine

18)  Goodbye freebee T.V... set to the tune of the Stones, Ruby Tuesday

19)  Goodbye Ruby Tuesday (video) for Goodbye freebee T.V. for those of you who couldn't catch the riff

20)  Thank You...  acknowledging the best month ever for AMRFP

21)  Ben & Ted's Abhorrent Misadventure... Alaskan politics at it's finest and who are we kidding? it's the same all over

22)  TMTV (video) information on the misconduct of Senator Ted Stevens

23)  live and let liv tyler... there's just not enough love in the world

24)  Dear Abby, "ma'am" and me...  I love Dear Abby and this was a tribute to her advice column

25)  Dear Abby (video)  self explanatory

26)  The Brave Highway... my life at a crossroads, speed bump ahead

27)  Sunday Morning Coming Down (video)  posted for The Brave Highway

28)  learn to avoid Internet scams!  ...good advice

29)  pass it on... our sometimes not so subtle influences

30)  Amazing Guitar Player (video)  definately lives up to it's hype, this one serves as an inspiration

31)  I Never Thought I'd Live To Be A Hundred (video) posted for Live to be 100 entry

32)  Live to be 100...  live like you weren't dying (for a while)

33)  What If God Surfed the Internet?  ...inspired by damewiggensoflee and written to the tune of One of Us

34)  One of Us (video) ...in case you couldn't catch the riff

35)  I'm Too Sexy for S.W. Airlines... written for the passengers that were asked to leave their flights because of the clothing they wore... was that a threat to national security?

36)  I'm Too Sexy (video) ...in case you couldn't catch the riff

37)  Leave Britney Spears Alone... a parody of Leave Virginia Alone this entry garnished the most hits on this blog EVER in a single day

38)  Leave Virginia Alone (video) ...in case you couldn't catch the riff 

39)  Yikes! discomblogulation... why do we blog?

40)  just another day in paradox... our fine government at work covering up

41)  Just Gimme Some Truth (video) posted for just another day in paradox and expresses my sentiments towards the Bush administration

42)  Hey Jack Karouac (lyrics)... follows the video

41)  Hey Jack Karouac (video) ... in celebration of AMRFP's 10,000th hit

42)  You'll Be in My Heart (video)  ... a promise to a memory

43)  Whispering Pines (video)  ... music from a period in and around the post My First Bicycle

44)  My First Bicycle... a tribute to the memory of my brother-in-law, Bob Henderson

45)  Viva Las Vegas (video) ...follows CD's & Elvis as apropos to the theme

46)  CD's & Elvis... marks the anniversary of Elvis' death and the invention of the Compact Disc

47)  Rehab (video) ... in case you couldn't catch the riff

48)  rehab redux... based on the song by Winehouse, she is one messed up chick

49)  as time goes by (video) ...the fundamental things apply

50)  I'm in repair (video)  ... recovering from a broken romance

51)  new socks... same ol' jaw ...some people can write about anything

52)  bad attitudes, sick bastards and cheaters win... got some flak on this one in my comments section, which was kinda cool

53)  today is the best day ever! woo hoo!  ...and it was until Leave Britney Spears Alone

54)  no time for the blues... or how to recover from them

55)  Gravity (video) precedes no time for the blues

56)  I Believe In You (video)  follows What I Believe and seemed to fit

57)  What I Believe... well, it's about... what I believe

58)  Running on Faith (video) follows Death, where is thy sting?

59)  Death, where is thy sting?  ...written for a friend who lost a loved one

60)  What a great idea!  ...something to make you think about fairness in our government's welfare policy

61)  A Good Line With High Extentions...  a link to another site I enjoy

62)  How come it always parades on my rain?  ...I'd still like to know the answer to that one

63)  7-7-7  (unlucky in love but still willing to gamble)...  title says it all

64)  Don't You Love Me Anymore (video)

65)  It's Over (video)

66)  Life By The Drop (video)

67)  Please Forgive Me (video)

68)  breaking up is hard to do...  painful but true

69)  See SiCKO (b4ubasicko2)... this film makes you think.  Panned by the critics but, you be the judge

70)  Hello Hillary... last attempt to influence the candidate.  Interestingly, though she has never written me, I am on her e-mail list.  ha

71)  and still more pet peeves!  ...gosh, I enjoy complaining

72)  the illegal immigration solution, conclusion... a 3 parter that began last year

73)  Whilst I was away... catching up on the events that were going on that I didn't comment on while I was posting Shades of Hemingway that I might have if I hadn't taken the time to post Shades of Hemingway.  Does that make sense?

74)  Shades of Hemingway... 13 parts and a prologue, lowest read posts of the year... but don't let that stop you ;-)

75)  Ladies and Gentleman, for your listening pleasure...  a tribute to Jesse Winchester

76)  sunrise... sunset and the we in between... reflections on the life we share

77)  Hello Hillary... more questions for the Democratic candidate (unanswered, of course)

78)  Viacom needs a hug... poor major conglomerate needs a little sympathy

79)  Everyday (video)  ... I love this Dave Matthews Band song/video , goes well with respect your elders and admire them... it is the beginning of wisdom

80)  respect your elders and admire them... it is the beginning of wisdom...  which I think is good advice no matter who you are

81)  the definitive 200?  ...lists suck (unless they are mine)

82)  amazing juggling finale... a keeper, I still enjoy watching this one 9 months after the posting

83)  hopeless romantic...  wax on, wax off about me wanting to be

84)  Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman? (video)  works well with  hopeless romantic 

85)  Hello Hillary... more unanswered questions for the Democratic candidate

86)  Comfortably Numb (video)  goes with traffic jam

87)  traffic jam... who hasn't fretted about this?

88)  Save It For A Rainy Day (video)

89)  save it for a rainy day... you better

90)  black and white... oooh, started off innocent enough but boy did I catch the dickens over this one in my comments

91)  undercurrent with my big toe... and you thought my avatar was computer generated

92)  birthdays... na na na na na na... na na

93)  Hello Hillary... more unanswered questions for the Democratic candidate

94)  72 degrees in January... the fear factor

95)  Hello Hillary... more unanswered questions for the Democratic candidate

96)  the best dadgum country song, period!  ... at least, I think so

97)  Hello Hillary... more unanswered questions for the Democratic candidate 

98)  people in the No...  people should know better 

99)  Hello Hillary... first letter to the Democratic candidate

100)  Flowers are better than bullets... remembering the Kent State Massacre

101)  the good ol' days...  weren't always good, tomorrow's not as bad as it seems

102)  Let me call you sweetheart... though this was my first entry in 2006, it re-occurs as one of the most popular topics of the year for this blog.  Great fun for me to write as well as the reflection it creates

.

Looking forward to a full and productive year in 2008.  Thanks to you, faithful reader, for making it all worthwhile.

Keep them comments coming...

peace.

In the early 70's sincerity was still considered a virtue in music, and Richard "Dickey" Betts perfected his craft as an honest, down-home songwriter as co-lead guitarist of the Allman Brothers Band. Betts assumed a larger share of the leadership and songwriting duties in that group after the deaths of Duane Allman and Berry Oakley, and authored many of the Allmans' biggest hits, including 'Blue Sky' and 'Ramblin Man'. Eventually he began to explore his own 40 acres within the southern rock sound, recording Highway Call in 1974 with a band of cohorts that included fiddler Vassar Clements and pianist Chuck Leavell. It's an album short on solos and pretension (except for the blessed 14-minute jam 'Hand Picked', which roils with all the competitive fire of a back porch cutting session) and long on hot licks and southern soul.

At the heart of the album is an obvious yearning for home. This is a six song postcard from the road, written by a man who would rather be in his favorite chair in front of a fire than on stage entertaining 30,000 people (man's gotta do...). "I'm on my way back to Georgia..." goes the opening refrain of the album, and the sincerity of Betts' longing is carried throughout the album. Yet while he pines for home, it's always an upbeat pining - this is the sound of someone who knows the road is leading back to his front door, and it won't be long now.

The country in this album is literal - a vast expanse of trees and animals and land - and Highway Call was obviously created by someone who spent a good deal of time close to the soil. "Let nature sing" croons Betts. By creating such an unaffected expression of love for the the earth, he's done the next best thing.

Listen: Highway Call

we share a common thread...

so nice to see you again, my friend. 

Even with the day to day,

it has been too long in between...

how is the world treating us? 

I am only my words here now, I know...

but here I remain for you to revisit

and claim me as your own.

Is it presumptuous of me to assume you are there? 

To read and re-read what my thoughts lay bare? 

Still... be kind to my prose, my gentle one.

Do not judge my lines too harshly,  

My heart only knows the simpliest of beats

which inspires my words. 

Tis the conveyance of emotion only.  

Oh, the coldness... even here in this tropical clime,

the world can be so unkind. 

Let me be that blanket in your garden,

kneeling beside you...

swoon in my arms, my fair one. 

Feel my caress, these syllables...

Fall into the embrace of my words...

This is my ode to daily readers.  

I dedicate my verse to you,

and as for the love songs we have known

and those that have not favored us.

Songs yet to be written

and those too soon forgotten...

hear them again as if for the first time. 

They still express the sentiment

they inspire those near and far...

other lovers garnish what we have reaped.

You are my reward...

enrich me again,

line by line.

In my early teens, I purchased my first 45 record. It was 'Ramblin' Man' by the Allman Brothers Band. I than bought 'Rock the Boat' by the Hues Corporation. I must've played both of those records a million times.

"So I'd like to know where, you got the notion..."

Or

"Trying to make a living and doing the best I can..."

I mention this because there was a pretty cool record shop on 5th avenue and 12 street (right next to Timboos). 5th avenue wasn't Windsor Terrace but it might as well been. There was so many things going on down there.

But I'm really talking about my lust for music at an early age because of the infamous "8 Track Tapes."

You remember them, right?

We must've had about 20-25 of them that we played in our stereo over and over. My highlight was when my brother brought a portable 8 track player home for me one day for Christmas. It required 10 'D' size batteries but it had a plug that you pulled out and two speakers on the side that were detachable. I would plug it into a street lamp post for the juice.

It was all about the vinyl; 45's, albums, needles, that little yellow piece you would place in the middle of the record that kept the record straight. They were all small but very important accessories to our music pleasure.

What has replaced all of that? i-pod's! Unreal...

*************************

I hope you enjoy the memories.  Feel free to drop me an email with your thoughts, comments or share your memories.  SteveFinamore@yahoo.com

You can also click on the 'comments' link below if you'd like to add anything.

As any writer will tell ya, it is the readers and their enthusiastic response that makes it all worth while, and I am no exception.  For the first 6 months I logged about 500 hits and wondered if there was an audience for me.  (family, friends, my best friend, self promotion and  hits from various libraries and work by yours truly (did I really do that?) to bolster my feeble stats not withstanding)  After making a few ajustments, January blossomed and AMRFP has rolled ever since. 

It is sort of narcissistic to be so concerned over ones own popularitiy and I will take the flack for that.  But like I said in one of my recent posts (Yikes! discomblogulation) why does the blogger blog?  Most of us make our money by other means and get no recognition other than that little stat counter or by the comments you, the reader, submits.  We don't slay dragons or topple dictatorships, we haven't solved world hunger or cured cancer.  Bloggers for the most part are loners, we rant and rave, venting our frustrations to a computer monitor.

We are like the voice crying out in the wilderness, if no one hears us... our words are in vain.  If no one responds to us, our influence is minute.  And if the world turns on uneffected, our efforts will simply die out.  Not that much has changed in the past 18 months (except in my personal life) but then, Rome wasn't built in a day.  When a person starts out with an idea, it is a solitary effort.  When others join in, it becomes a collective... a cyberblog Borg.

Your responses have made me want to try harder.  I know some posts aren't as earth shaking as others... but I'm working on it.  Some have complained of the content in certain posts and I have left those complaints in because they make me want to do better.  I will never intentionally mislead anyone.  I may have an opinion and be the only one that shares that opinion, but I will take responsibility for it and fully respect your right to oppose that view.  That is the advantage of mutual respect and fair play, we can bask in our differences and still be friends... (or at least, be civil towards one another) and perhaps get a good chuckle or two.

Anyway, this is getting rather long and sloppy with sentiment but the bottom line is, I wouldn't continue doing this if not for you guys...

So from the bottom of my heart (where exactly is the bottom? isn't that down around the  intestines? and where does that saying come from?) from the very depths, from the bowels of my very being...

Thank you.

and sincerely... peace.

If you would like to subscribe to the RSS feed for the Tuned In To Music podcasts, please add the entire URL below to your podcast software.

http://www.kmurnane.com/podcasts/titm/tunedintomusic.xml

You can download Music Without Words here

http://www.kmurnane.com/podcasts/titm/TITM013-2007-09-20.mp3

A list of the podcasts in the series can be found by clicking the Podcasts button at the top of this page.

Hopp over dette avsnittet om du ikke er spesielt opptatt av musikk.
Det er en del som har spurt meg om hvorfor vi skal til Macon (ettersom de færreste har hørt om byen). Så jeg tar meg tid til å forsøke og forklare På denne turen gjennom sørstatene har vi vært innom fødeplassen til de fleste populære musikkformene fra forrige århundre. Jazz, Blues, Rock og Country. Alt dette kommer mer eller mindre fra sørstatene og da gjenstår det som simpelthen kalles Sørstatsrock. En sjanger som stjeler hemningsløst fra alle de forannevnte sjangere På slutten av sekstitallet ble denne sjangeren "oppfunnet" av brødrene Allman og resten av bandet deres i nettopp Macon. Bandet het selvfølgelig the Allman Brothers Band. Et annet og kanskje mer kjent band innen sjangeren er Lynyrd Skynyrd. Det var dagens forelesning i musikkhistorie og nå tilbake til reisebrevet.

Macon viste seg å være en koselig liten by (ca. 100-tusen innbyggere) og siden vi ikke hadde planlagt så nøye hvor vi skulle bo tok vi turen ned til turistsenteret. Vi kom frem fem minutter etter stengetid men fikk likevel hjelp til å komme oss til et Best Western-motell med rabatt på kjøpet. Etter innlosjeringen tok jeg en tur ned til kirkegården for å finne gravstedene til Duane Allman (gitaristen) og Berry Oakley (bassisten) fra ... ja, the Allman Brothers Band.

Lina er ikke like levende opptatt av sørstatsrock generelt og Allman spesielt som meg så hun ble igjen på motellet for slappe av ved bassenget. Etterpå forsøkte vi å ta oss en tur ned i byen for å finne en restaurant men det viste seg at det ikke var lett å finne en åpen restaurant etter klokka sju i Macon. Så vi dro opp igjen til motellet og sjekket ut tilbudet i restauranten/baren der. Maten var vel ikke all verden å skryte av men det var en fin bar på en sliten måte. Dama bak disken kunne teksten på alle sangene fra jukeboksen og sa ikke nei til en tequila eller to og visste hva vi ville ha. Tja, det ble i hvert fall koselig sent.

På tirsdag var målet å komme seg til Savannah som er endemålet for turen. På veien ble det mye mat og mange omveier. Vi startet med å besøke Georgia Music Hall of Fame, nede i sentrum av Macon. Lengden på besøket ditt trenger strengt tatt ikke å være lenger det tar å si Georgia Music Hall of Fame. Ikke fordi det er få kjente artister fra Georgia (jeg nevner i fleng: Otis Redding, Ray Charles, R.E.M og selvfølgelig Allman) men fordi det var veldig lite informativt. Etterpå insisterte jeg på brunch på H&H Restaurant. I grunnen bare fordi dama som driver stedet pleide å lage mat for Allman når de turnerte på søttitallet. Hva kan jeg si om maten, en halv fritert kylling med mais, bønner og collard (har ikke helt funnet hva det er men det ser ut som kokt spinat og smaker verre). Med andre ord et realt sørstatmåltid.

Via et par oppslag i reisebiblioteket oppdaget vi, at vi var bare noen å miles unna Juliette som er den nesten forlatte byen som har den opprinnelige "Whistle Stop Cafe" kjent fra bok og film. Dermed ble den den omvei dit for å se hvordan det virkelig så ut. Ettersom brunchen fortsatt lå tungt i magen ble det ingen stekte grønne tomater på oss men en liten dessert hadde vi jo plass til. Resten av turen gikk på kryss og tvers av Interstaten og vi passerte både Dublin og Statesboro før vi kom frem til Savannah. Min tidligere nevnte forkjølelse hadde i løpet av natten nådd orkanstyrke 5 med mulighet for økning. Med andre ord måtte Lina kjøre hele etappen, i tilfelle jeg skulle få et nyseanfall. Hun loset oss trygt inn på the Promenade Hotel, som ligger nede i "gamlebyen", og som vi fikk en god deal på fordi de holder på å pusse opp, uten det ser ut til å berøre oss.

A Laid Back Night

So after taking last year off from seeing them, Lady L and I decided it was time once again to spend an evening with The Allman Brothers Band at Walnut Creek Amphitheater in Raleigh. We were a lil worried because we had some record hot days the days before but the weather actually cooled off a bit and opened up to be a delightful evening.We arrived late so we missed Mofro but from what I heard, they were really good. I can only hope they were better than The Drive By Truckers. Don't get me wrong. They weren't "bad" in a sense. I actually quite liked their music. They really reminded me of those old Georgia bands like The Georgia Satellites and Drivin' N Cryin'. It was just that the vocals had so much southern drawl and the lyrics just weren't doing it for me. I mainly played w/ my buddy's son on the lawn and shot the shit w/ him for most of the set.

Then it was time for the Brothers! Gone was the exciting sound of the voice yelling, "Alright! It's The Allman Brothers Band!". The house lights went down, the band took the stage and they launched right into "Les Brers In A Minor" from
"Eat A Peach". It was absolutely beautiful with Derek Trucks practically being Duane Allman incarnate. Up next was "Statesboro Blues" which was so much fun to hear so early in the set. I knew it was a gonna be a great show but for some reason, felt like it was gonna be different. And different it was...

The show, while very good, was VERY VERY mellow. Lady L. and I sat in our chairs for the duration of the show and just took in every note. Now we had been to shows in the past where we just danced our asses off from opening song to encore. This night was a really "listen" night. I heard the songs in a live setting and actually paid attention to every note and every lyric. It also made me realize just why I love this band so fucking much. Gregg singing "Old Before My Time" off of Hittin' The Note was just gorgeous and to hear those lyrics coming from a man that has seen it all just really made it magical. The only downer for me was their re-arrangement of "Southbound" which I found to be kinda annoying. The "Mountain Jam>Smokestack Lightning>Mountain Jam" closer was really nice with a "Revival" encore which Lady L. was REALLY hoping to hear.

The Brothers are a band that, much like The Grateful Dead, have many sides and many songs. This was a side of them that I had never seen but was really glad to see. It's a pretty powerful thing to be able to play to thousands yet feel like you are the only one being played to. It was almost as if they were in our living room, or back yard, and just letting us listen. The Allman Brothers Band are a band you can listen to and by doing just that, you can fall in love!

The Allman Brothers Band
Raleigh, NC
08/11/2007
Walnut Creek AmphitheaterLes Brers in A Minor
Statesboro Blues
Ain't Wasting Time No More
Woman Across the River
Old Before My Time
Stand Back
Southbound*
The Weight
Dreams
Don't Keep Me Wondering
Melissa
Same Thing >
Drums**>
Mountain Jam>
Smokestack Lightning***>
Mountain Jam

Encore
Revival

*John Neff (Drive By Truckers) on guitar and Duane Trucks on drums
** Oteil on drums
*** JJ Grey (Mofro) on harmonica & vocals on one verse

It must be terribly boring out there...

now are they actually readers or just skimming along the edges? hmm....

peace.

Dear Gregg Allman,Thank you for all the wonderful songs you have written over the years. You songs have been there for me and pulled me from many lows and kept me in many of my highs. I've always been a fan but it seems that as I get older, I understand you more and it's almost as if you are talking to me. It's like you're saying, "Brother Don, it'll be alright my friend. Just smile and live. It's all you can do."

I hope someday to meet you in person and thank you for the beautiful songs you give to us and thanks for the un-ending inspiration that I get from you. I'm sure you hear these things every day but I know as an artist myself that you can NEVER hear that "too much".

Brother Gregg, thank you and I hope you have a happy holiday!

Peace & Music,
Don

The Allman Brothers Band
09/30/05
Raleigh, NC

Hot Lanta
Statesboro
Walk on Gilded Splinters
Whos' Been Talking
Wasted Words
Old Before My time
Woman Across the River
Dreams
Why Has love Got To Feel So Sad
Franlin's Tower
Melissa
Leave My Blues at Home
Jessica
Encore:
Southbound

I though this was a great show. Very "musical". Last year was a very song oriented since Skynyrd was with them but this year was all about the music and their chops. I was really missing some of the more Gregg material but I'll be honest, opening up w/ "Hotlanta", I knew it was gonna be a very jammy night.

"Dreams" was awesome as always but a huge surprise for me was having Oteil step up to the mic and take on the Grateful Dead's "Franklin's Tower". It sounded amazing and definiely had us dancing! They encored with the funkiest "Southbound" I remember them doing. Great show from an amazing band! Can't wait till next year!