Ahh.. the road less traveled. That was website chick Jayne d’Arcy’s idea. When I first saw that, for some reason it made me a bit uneasy. It is probably true though. I have met a lot of folks in this life and most have followed a different path.
First time blogger long time observer.
Why am I doing a blog? Two reasons, first shameless self promotion. I have my debut C.D., Trouble Ain’t Over, scheduled to be released any day now. It will be available for mail order here and also on cdbaby.com as well as all the pay-per download sources.
Second reason, I have been described as opinionated. I am also curious. So I will be spouting about things I know a little about (music, music business, books, culture, baseball, etc.) and things I wonder about (politics, spirituality, weather, music, music business, books culture, baseball, etc.) Any topic is fair game. Any input is welcomed. Any comments should be presented with good taste in mind. Common sense is the common ground.
A little about me. I am 42 year old songwriter, singer, guitarist. I am a recovering alcoholic, and have recently been diagnosed with M.S. I am a veteran musician. I have toured mostly the U.S. extensively, playing the smallest dives to arenas. I run a music publishing company for Bill Dees. Bill is a well known and highly successful songwriter. I have also co-produced two C.D.s of Bill’s, Saturday Night At The Movies, and the 2006 release Castin’ My Spell. Definitely check this guy out, he is a true American original.
I am spending most of my time lately writing songs and recording in our little studio nestled in the Ozarks. I am living in the studio at present and I am experimenting a little, no T.V. It seems to help productivity. My leisure time consists of reading and I have become an avid shortwave radio listener. I can’t get enough of Radio Havana.
Books I’ve been reading:
Historical Baseball Abstract by Bill James: I just started this one, it’s a thick book. I am sort of a statistics geek and I think that most people who read this book fall into that category. It is highly entertaining though, if you are a baseball fan with some time don’t be intimidated.
Red A Baseball Life by Red Schoendienst, with Robert Rains: Continuing the baseball theme. I am a lifelong Cardinals fan so this is a no brainer for me. There is an underlying theme of “these kids these days” in this book that would probably lose anyone under my age rather quickly. I think that anyone who lived through the depression era, W.W.2 gets a free pass on that kind of stuff. There is a great life lesson in the redheads model of consistency.
Jaco (The Extrordinary and Tragic Life of Jaco Pastorius “The Worlds Greatest Bass Player”) by Bill Milkowski: I just finished this one and it was tough for me. That is by no means a comment on Milkowski’s work.
I am a huge fan of Jaco. I think he was one of a handful of musicians that changed the language. He redefined his instrument.
I was really struck by the first hand accounts of those who were around him, the bewilderment and pain they obviously felt. Having spent a great amount of time self destructing it hit close to home.
In my C.D. changer:
Mahavishnu Orchestra, Birds Of Fire: Fusion is often disregarded but, this was a powerhouse band at the top of their game.
Motorhead, Ace Of Spades: A post-punk classic, good for open roads bad for traffic. How could you not love the adorable Lemmy.
Dr. John, Creole Moon: Not my favorite Dr. John record. Pretty slick funk grooves and not enough piano solos for my tastes.
Jimi Hendrix, Axis: Bold As Love: Just as the axis, he knows everything.
Rory Gallagher, Live In Europe, and Calling Card: I never figured out why Rory wasn’t bigger than he was. Good writer, singer, and player. I’ve heard that Dylan sometimes plays “I Coulda Had Religion”.
James “Blood” Ulmer, Memphis Blood: This fascinates me. There is not a lot of current blues stuff that really turns my crank. But I love this guy. More on “Blood” later.
I raided my little brothers music collection before he was Alabamy bound, normally not as retro.
All for now.
Related posts
Tags: Bill James, Jaco Pastorius
Jayne d'Arcy wrote,
Hey Jack! I’m here to leave your first comment. I can recall you talking about Jaco Pastorius when we were kids. The reason I recall this is I always loved the sound of his name.
Link | July 6th, 2006 at 6:56 pm
Shirley wrote,
Jack: Yes, you are erudite. It can’t just be the coffee. My Doc says that even with Decaf you get a good dose of caffeine. Recently there has been some new medical news that decaf is actually good for you. I forget exactly why….but it’s good for me. A really good blog, and quite literate.
Link | July 12th, 2006 at 9:03 pm