Waylon Sings Billy Joe Shaver

Waylon could sing, but mostly he was a mouth piece for B.J.Shaver.

(above for Abraham.)

Waylon would like us to believe that he wrote this. He did not . He "borrowed" it. Note: the baby in the line "my woman's tight with an overdue baby" turned out to be Eddy Shaver. More on Billy Joe and Eddy later.

The Pines

The acoustical guitar belt runs from Texas north through the Heartland to Minnesota. Or at least it used to, then "unplugged" albums came out and the electrified Coasts rediscovered wood. I don't know how stark country is pigeonholed, but The Pines, out of Minneapolis, are the latest practitioners in a long line of low-key north country bluesmen. Writing about The Pines in Rolling Stone, David Fricke called it, "quietly gripping tension". I would like to say it's nice to have 89.3 The Current, a Public Radio station that regularly features quality live music. Also, the Dakota. So...be gripped...but no toe-tapping please.

Ralph Steadman

The old Gonzo is still in there fighting the good fight.

"Mr. Steadman has generously donated 50 limited edition prints of his PLAGUE DEMON to Moonflower Productions International. ALL proceeds from the sale of these prints will benefit the first-ever U.S. production of PLAGUE and the MOONflower, the new-century revision of the acclaimed eco-oratorio penned by Mr. Steadman in 1989, with music composed by Richard Harvey. Presented with the projection of Steadman’s vivid paintings, PLAGUE and the MOONflower illuminates the hapless waste and destruction we fuel with apathy while a sustainable Earth fades from the futures of our children.

THE TIME IS RIGHT for this new-century revision of PLAGUE and the MOONflower to come to the United States, as the prospect of a dying planet thrusts both despair and inspiration upon us, more and more each day." Learn more

The Plague Demon

The Darkness

A23 Fights the Good Fight to THE LINE

From The Light Of the World. As I told him, anyone can fight for the glory of first. It takes a special courage to fight heart and soul, give it everything you have, for the glory of 59th place. Inner glory.

THE LINE

Two men, turning themselves inside out for 59th place.



A lot can be said of a pleasurable Sunday out at the races. Some beers, some kicks. Families and Wives sitting out the rain in the
tents, managing bored kids. Probably dinner somewhere later.

Something to do around the house. A long shower.

All of this life. This regular guy stuff. But, at this moment, right here, all I cared for in the world was to cross the line before that other man.

We had been at war for two miles, breathing like horses. Insane in the mud and regretting every wrong thing I'd ever done:
Imagined music pounding in my head, and bile in my throat.

And the mother***r pipped me at the line. He had it. I didn't.

Akvavit

A couple of days ago the Lighthouse Keeper poached a bottle of the Judge's French wine and stopped over to talk smart. The three of us killed the bottle in short order. (Sweet Carolyn was staying with her parents.) There was a lull and I fetched the cordial glasses and an Aquavit from the freezer. I had three choices, but it seemed like a good time to try the Krogstad, an American entry into the world of Nordic liquors. I received it as a gift from A23 and had been saving it for such an occasion to share with a fellow connoisseur of kerosene. For the unschooled, Aquavit or Akvavit is really a highly refined vodka with herbal favorings - caraway, dill, cumin, anise, etc. It is served at freezer temperature in stemmed shot glasses to keep it cool. It is about 80 proof so you have to treat it with respect. Some, like the Judge, won't drink it at all because, as he says, "it makes people crazy". So, what do we have to lose?

My rankings:

1. Aalborg Jubilaeums (Denmark) Very good, but is hard to find, as apparently the main favoring ingredient is Unobtaina Berries.
2. Linie (Norway) Aged on ships. Over the equator twice. The ship's name will be on the inside of the label. A gimmick for 200 years?
3. O.E. Anderson (Sweden) Lingen berry flavoring?
4. Krogstad (Oregon) Probably not available in the Midwest. Good but a little heavy-handed. Very strong anise/licorice flavor, almost Ouzo. Described by Tim as "What you'd expect from an American distiller. If some favoring is good, twice would be even better." I still quite like it. Maybe could be number three.
5. Aalborg Taffel (Denmark) The one that gave Akvavit it's bad name. Prior to Taffel it called "Akvagodt". But that was back in 1846.

Storm

This may seem amazingly similar to a link posted yesterday on Facebook by Jon Guinea, but...............okay, I did steal it from him - twice. Jon, you are not obligated to listen to it again.

Ska Madness

Reverend Dick, pastor of the Church of the Sweet Ride (might as well suffer), has done it again. He has taken me on a memory trip back to a time I know he cannot recall himself. He posted some Ska, and it took me back to 1963 and the college on the hill. St. Olaf (yes, it's real) had a very strong music department and all the music geeks played the latest hot stuff. Ska was hot. I have a weakness for live performance. In this case the tired old man live, pales before the vibrant young Prince on vinyl. Enjoy yourself, it's later than you think.

Shirley Horn

I love Shirley Horn's tasteful piano and unforced two octave voice. She never spent a note that wasn't necessary and really understood the tension of silence, that sometimes music is quietness. I enjoy the tick-tock of the drum on this one...and of course Miles Davis's trumpet gently floating above it all. It's not elevator music. It requires you to close your eyes and just listen. A killer trio. Her backups were always the best. This album featured Miles Davis, Wynton and Branford Marsalis, and Toots Thieleman among others. She died about 5 years ago.

This is another one for Maria Guadalupe DeReseda, who in moment for rashness 40 years ago ran off with a jazz trumpet player. And worse yet, she married him. No one warned her that jazz players are for flings, not for marrying. The marriage failed after ten years, but in the process he left her with a life love for jazz. After posting the Chet Baker piece and Judi's response, I got a note from Maria, recounting a outing she and David had listening to Miles Davis in a small club for three hours. Three hours of Miles. I hope she was high.

More Trike Stuff

Giorgi Farroni winning the

2009 UCI CP2 World Championships

More than you wanted to know: http://www.trykit.com/

(all pics and links from ongoing CR tricycle discussion.)

Racing Trikes

At first glance these things look innocent enough, like something an old man would take to the grocery store. They're not. Though their heyday was in the 1950s, there are still groups of crazies who race them down the twisting roads of the Alps or on ovals - like steel chariots.

The video is by Paul Patzkowsky of Longmont, CO. The video quality is ..well, not good, as it was the first time the operator had used a video recorder. When Paul leans side-saddle through the turns, we can still get an idea of how wild the ride would be in a race with a number of riders.

The Wild World of Haze Adkins

On April 25, 2005, Elvis Hasil Adkins died at the age of 67. The youngest of 10 children he grew up dirt poor in a tar paper shack. Depressed and hyperactive, he attended school a total of 4 days in his life. Hasil was a one man band who claimed to know 9000 songs, 7000 of which he wrote himself. He was known to exagerate.

"Recurring themes in Adkins' work include love, heartbreak, "hunchin'", police, death, decapitation, hot dogs, aliens, and chickens. Adkins often noted in interviews that his primary heroes and influences were Hank Williams Sr., Jimmie Rodgers, Little Richard, and Col. Harlan Sanders, the inventor of Kentucky Fried Chicken." - Wikipedia.

You might think you're not interested. You're wrong. He might have been one of the giants of rock'n roll. The tubes start off a little bizarre, but that's only fitting. Hang in there. If you aren't completely satisfied we will double your money back (the standard Oakwood guarantee). Many thanks to Rev Dick for the heads up on Haze.

Time well spent,eh?