what are you doing for the next 3 hours?  

This is kind of a crappy video, but I’m just blown away at this story about the return of Duke Ellington at Newport Jazz.  Power of pure music!

The man….

Folks talk about rock these days, “indie rock”, “folk” something or others, but this is what “rock” is.  This music I’m making, something in-between “indie” and “folk” and “rock” feels like a soggy biscuit when I watch this, as well as most of the music of late, falsetto covered in indie beards, my friends I guess…”what’s happened to music” me thinks when me watches a performance so raw and from the heart, so full of life.

Wondering which weapon to use when your neighbor finally turns into a zombie?  Did your partner roll over this Mother’s Day, the usual morning breath actually revealed…A ZOMBIE?!!!!  2012 is near, and the Zombie Preparedness Initiative” is here to help! Join the forum and start reading, I didn’t.

http://ww2.zombieinitiative.org/

Possibly the best band in the world: Taraf de Haidouks.  And possibly the best movie in the world: Latcho Drom (VHS only!)

John Hartford, if you don’t know this, is a.) dead, b.) was nothing short of a genius.  I wanted to give my daughter the middle name “Hartford” in tribute (instead she ended up with another deceased hero of mine “Fahey”).  If you don’t know his music, explore the videos.  He was also a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River.  Buy the records “Mark Twang” or “Steam Powered Aereo-Plain” if he turns your crank.  The name of my Tumblr comes from a quote from him.  I recently got to play one of his banjo’s for sale, but I didn’t have the $10K to buy it, dang it.

SALLIE FORD AND THE SOUND OUTSIDE

My friend Annalisa would talk about this band endlessly, and I really never took notice until Sallie walked up to me at a happy hour concert and gave their EP.  I was struck by her quirky personality in the 3 minuets we spoke, left the bar, popped the CD in the car stereo and have been a huge fan ever since.  Her voice is timeless, the band is raw and perfect, the songs are unbelievably catchy hits. Go buy the EP now, it’s $5.00 on iTunes, $7.00 and handmade by the band so when they blow up you’ll have a collectors item.  Yet another great Portland band.

http://www.sallieford.com/

Was talking with my family today, well, about family.  My daughter always asks me questions, “about when you were young” and I thought back to the time where I met “Evil Knievel”, the great motorcycle stuntman who’s Underroos were a constant (washed of course, or were they?).   To the point, I met him via my uncle Roxy, who was legend around my home.  Not only was he a C.H.I.P. while that show was on the air, but also friends to the stars whenever a motorcycle was used on film or TV it seemed.   He was also an anouncer for flat track motorcycle racing, a type of cycle racing that isn’t as popular these days.  He’s also in the Motorcycle Hall of Fame, which I didn’t know until Google filled me in about 3 seconds ago:
http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffame/hofbiopage.asp?id=262

That is my cousin Tommy in the photo grinding it out on the flat track. He also doubled for stars in film when they needed a nut on a bike.  He was in “Laugh In”, and here is a “real art house” film where he doubled for Robert Redford, see him in action:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=992240034315232861#

They are legends in my mind, the ones you hang on every word when they finally come to visit.  I miss them both dearly, and I hope they weren’t watching from that big dirt bike in the sky when I dumped my Suzuki into the street at 15mphs, smashing my leg into a “million tiny little pieces” a few years ago…they liked riding Triumphs and B.S.A.s, a-hum.