Saturday, April 24, 2010

Drill Baby Drill. Is this the best we can think of?

The recent disaster on the Gulf Coast is proof enough to me that offshore drilling is a bad idea. Today the Coast Guard said the rig is still leaking thousands of barrels of oil into the water. Sarah Palin and her screachy "Drill baby drill!" linger in my mind as I watch the video of the disaster. More oil is not the answer. More drilling is not the answer. The wing nuts on the right who deny global warming as fact continue to say we need more oil exploration. More oil exploitation. It is time to move on. Fossil fuels and internal combustion engines are 100 year old technology. Time to move on. No more dead fish washing up on the beach. No more oil on the sand. No more ugly oil rigs on the horizon. Time to move on.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

The Right Ons: Greatest American Rock and Roll Band. From Spain?

You owe it to yourself to give The Right Ons a listen. If you love the gritty American sound of bands like the MC5, Iggy Pop and the whole of 60's garage proto-punk. Singing in fluent, American accented English, they have the feel and grit of a real American band. The riffs are dead on American garage rock. They are currently on tour in the US, kicking out the jams as they used to say in Motown. They have an energy and dynamic that will grab you by the throat. Glad to see these fine Spanish lads keeping the garage rock banner flying.

Friday, April 2, 2010

HullabaLou festival

Looks like an interestingly diverse group of bands for the festival. Ranging from 70s rock to country, bluegrass and soul, only the Kentucky Derby crowd could be more diverse. I would probably stay close to the bluegrass stage for such acts as Ricky Skaggs and Dan Tymenski and the McCoury boys. Dwight Yoakum and Loretta Lynn offer glimpses of what country should be. This is not the Warped Tour or SXSW. No indie or punk. More like mainstream Americana. Not that there is anything wrong with that. See info below for dates and times.

HullabaLou festival at Churchill Downs in Louisville: Three days of Heat and Music










Friday
Saturday Sunday

Grand Stand Stage

Bon Jovi
Dierks Bentley
Train
Electric Touch

4th Street Stage

The O'Jays
Gladys Knight
Chrisette Michele

Hazel Miller
Rick Bartlett’s Rockin’ Soul Revival

Longfield Ave. Stage

Doobie Brothers
B 52s
Blood, Sweat & Tears
Exile

Thumper and the Plaid Rabbits

Backstretch Stage

Colbie Caillat
Gloriana
Sam Bush
Green River Ordinance

J.D. Shelburne

Bluegrass Stage - Paddock

The Travelin' McCourys
with Dan Tyminski
Whiskey Bent Valley Boys
Cumberlands
Brushfire

Grand Stand Stage

Kenny Chesney
Jason Aldean

Sara Evans

4th Street Stage

Al Green
Michael McDonald

Musiq Soulchild
Jimmy Church
Duke Tumatoe and the Power Trio

Longfield Ave. Stage

Huey Lewis and the News
John Kay & Steppenwolf
War

Ben Sollee

Backstretch Stage

Gov't Mule
Joan Osborne

Ben Folds
Villebillies
Brigid Kaelin

Bluegrass Stage - Paddock

Ricky Skaggs
Relic
The Tillers
BlueZenGrass with Special
Guest Phil Leadbetter

Grand Stand Stage

Dave Matthews Band
Zac Brown Band
The Avett Brothers

4th Street Stage

Steve Miller Band
The Black Crowes
Taj Mahal
Terry Adams


Longfield Ave. Stage

Dwight Yoakam
Loretta Lynn
Justin Moore
Stealing Angels

Backstretch Stage

Kansas
38 Special
Taddy Porter
Tonic

Bluegrass Stage - Paddock

Rhonda Vincent
Michael Johnathon
Hog Operation
Kentucky Blue

JUNIOR BROWN OUT ON THE ROAD AGAIN


JUNIOR BROWN @ ANTONE'S
Originally uploaded by Kingsnake
I am excited. Junior Brown is coming to Nashville. I plan on being there. Junior Brown is what country music SHOULD be. Nashville country really blows. Cardboard cutout cowboys who all look and sound the same. Same tire stuff. Same tired recycled 70's rock passed off as country. Not so with Junior. When he picks up his guitsteel, a combo of a lap steel and Telecaster, get ready for some down home picking. Equally adept at surf, blues, rockabilly and country, a Junior Brown show is all about what is great in music. Clever lyrics, virtuoso playing and a humble persona that would make Ernest Tubb proud, Junior makes the audience feel at home. I remember seeing him in Chapel Hill NC back in the 90s. The crowd had college hipsters, old guys wearing overalls and everyone in between rocking the house. He hasn't done a studio album for a while so I hope one is in the works. In the meantime, we can catch him out on the road.

D I Y

Start where you are...
Use what you have...
Become the change that you want to see in the world.

Enough for Everyone's Need, Not for Everyone's Greed...

Live simply so that others may simply live.

Become the Media

Don't listen to the one-sided corporate-owned media. They are not in the business of finding the truth. They are only concerned about making money for themselves and their stock holders. If they do report the truth, it is only because it suits their business plan. A happy accident...
Become the media! Blog it, film it, record it...
You still have credibility... They don't.