It’s that time again folks, DOGSTAR has a new album out, just released today in fact, and they have set out on another tour. Some of y’all that have been around a while know my history with this band, but for any newcomers, I will tell you right up front, full disclosure, that I am highly biased towards this band.
If you know the name DOGSTAR at all, it’s most likely because of their household name bassist, Mr. Keanu Reeves. And as much as I like Keanu – I mean, who doesn’t? – he’s not the reason I’m a super fan of the band. No, my adoration for them is strictly due to their guitarist/vocalist Bret Domrose. I was the drummer in Bret’s very first band back in the prehistoric days, also known as the 1980’s. He and I struck up a friendship, that turned into a brotherhood, and we wrote songs and played in bands together for a good decade before he went to seek his fortune in LA and became the front man for DOGSTAR. And I’m still his biggest fan. So view everything you read from here on out through that lens.
First off, the venue. I’ve never been to this place before. In fact, I have driven through Rohnert Park many times – roughly 45 minutes north of the Golden Gate Bridge – but I’ve never actually stopped here. It’s very odd to see a casino outside of Reno or Las Vegas, but sure enough it’s an honest to goodness casino! The event space was nice, the staff very friendly and they had a very nice sound system, even if it was a little subdued for my taste. I may be a Boring Old Man, but I still like my rock and roll cranked up a few notches! Nonetheless, I give the venue a thumbs up and would certainly come back for another band, should someone pass through that grabs my attention.
The band started off the set with a song from the new album and were brimming with energy right outta the gate.
I had a chance to run through the new record a couple times on the drive up here, and it’s quite a departure from their last outing. It’s certainly heavier, but not akin to their earlier albums back in the 90’s, it’s more reminiscent of early music by the Cult and the Cure, with a dash of Muse, mixed in with the core DOGSTAR sound, based on a solid power trio.
Their set was a good mix of the new record and their last one, and while slightly rough around the edges they turned out a solid hour-plus set that showcased some really fantastic songwriting and some great performances.
In this day and age, when so many musicians are relying on the latest technology to put on a show, it is really refreshing to see a band just come out and play. No backing tracks, no loops, just 3 guys with stings and skins and good ol’ tube amplifiers making good, memorable music on stage. It was a rock and roll show in its purest form, the way it was intended to be. And I’m here for it. As Mick and the boys so eloquently stated back in the day; I know it’s only rock & roll, but I like it!
They’re heading out to the U.K.and Europe in just a few days, so if any of my rare readers from that part of the world happen to see this – get yourself some tickets! It seems like they’re going to be everywhere, from Ireland to England to Holland and Germany, even Romania if I recall. And I’m probably forgetting a bunch of places you’ll find them. Later this summer they’ll be back in the states for a pretty substantial run as well. Basically, there is no shortage of opportunities to see this band over the next few months.
I’m continually more and more proud of Bret as he’s grown as a musician. He’s not some flashy shredder, and he’s not your typical blues-based guitarist, but over the years he’s developed a style all his own, with a tone to match, and it’s just a joy for me to hear him play. Yeah, I know I’m biased. That’s irrelevant. He is obviously and demonstratively an exceptional guitarist.
BRET!!
In the end I guess this was more of a recap than a review, but I’ve seen them so many times it gets difficult to find new ways to write about them. Bottom line, they’re a solid band, they write good songs, and they have a hell of a guitarist with a great voice. Real guys, with real instruments playing real rock and roll without all the unnecessary frills. Sure, one of them is ultra famous because of his day job, but don’t hold that against them. He’s also a damn fine bass player. And I’ve played with enough lousy ones to know the difference!!
Did I enjoy the show? Yes. Do I think you should go see them if you have the opportunity? Also yes.
At the very least, go listen to their new record, they just put out a gem.
Thank you DOGSTAR for a great evening, and thank you for stopping by
Today I saw an article stating “several artists” have pulled out of performing at America’s 250th celebration, and I gotta say that news just bummed me out.
I’m not bummed because I was going to attend said celebration. Honestly, I don’t even know where it’s being held, or when. I’d imagine it’s on Independence Day somewhere in D.C., but I haven’t looked into it. The artists mentioned by name – Morris Day and the Time and Young MC – aren’t anyone I’d go to see anyway. (I do actually really like MD and the Time’s music, but I’m in the wrong demographic to attend one of their shows I’m afraid). And with this news I’m sure there will be more jumping on (or off, as the case may be) the bandwagon due to some sort of imagined “protest”. I don’t know who is on the lineup, and that’s not what this is about anyway.
No, what steams my beans is that a lot of people these days equate America to Donald Trump, and that if you support America, you are thereby a Trump supporter and therefore you are a Nazi or a fascist or a pedo-apologist or whatever slur these half-wits are slinging these days.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I do not like Donald Trump. I did not ever vote for Donald Trump. I will, quite frankly, be glad when he’s served his term and we no longer have to live in the shadow of “orange man bad”. But here’s the thing – every single president we’ve had in my lifetime has been a disappointment at the very least. They’ve all done questionable things, some very shady and/or outright illegal and in some instances unconstitutional things. This is in no way unique to Trump. But never before have the masses, and especially not the privileged class, essentially turned their backs on our country due to whomever was sitting in the Oval Office. As a teen, I hated Ronald Reagan and his cozy relationship with the “Moral Majority” kooks, not to mention his outright, blatant lies about the whole Iran/Contra crimes. Then his successor GHW Bush came along, and he was worse. I thought Clinton was gonna be great, but it turned out he was a lying degenerate AND he unleashed that harpie Hillary on us, to add insult to injury. Bush Jr. was an imbecile with daddy issues, whose lies led us into a 2 DECADE war, for no justifiable reason, and cost thousands upon thousands of lives, untold billions in treasure, and left lasting wounds upon thousands of service personnel and their families. I personally know a few of those soldiers, and their lives were torn to SHREDS over that middle east bullshizz, and for what?!? Then along comes Obama. I will freely, and regretfully admit, that I bought Obama’s schtick, hook, line and sinker. The first time around. As much as ol’ Billy Clinton disappointed me, I felt utterly betrayed by Obama and could not in good conscience vote for him in his second term. My list of grievances toward him is long and quite frankly I do firmly believe he and his wife set back racial relations in this country by decades. When Trump got elected the first time, I generally thought the American public had lost their flippin’ minds. (Though, in full transparency, even though I didn’t vote for him, I did appreciate the “thumb in the eye” his election gave to “The Establishment”. It was LONG overdue.) He came across as a clown, and a charlatan. Then the wheels really came off with the ascension of Sleepy Joe Biden. His residency was an absolute embarrassment to the office, which undoubtedly set the stage for Trump 2.0. And we can all see how that’s going… And let’s be honest, the players on deck for the next round??? May God have mercy on us…
To be perfectly clear, I have nothing but scorn and loathing for our administrative state, but I love America. I love the American people. I’m proud of many things we’ve done as a nation, despite some of the ugly things done along the way. I do believe the good outweighs the bad. I still believe in the promise of America, what our founding fathers envisioned for their descendants. I also believe we’ve lost our way. But no philanderers, no charlatans, no two-faced, war mongering bastards are going to make me hate my home. I may not respect the man in the office, but I will alway respect the office. A country is its people, its culture, its values. Not its politicians. Politicians, by and large, are narcissistic parasites and should be treated as such.
I can distinctly remember our country’s Bicentennial in 1976. It was very young, and it was a long time ago, but it left a lasting impression on me. It brought our country together. It was a time of celebration and pride in what our forefathers had built. It didn’t matter what color your skin was, it didn’t matter where you or your parents had come from, it didn’t matter WHO WAS PRESIDENT at the time! No, ALL that mattered was that we were Americans in America celebrating 200 years of our homeland’s existence.
Oh, how all that promise, all that hope and determination for a better life has deteriorated in the last 50 years! This, my friends, is what the whole “diversity is our strength” yahoos have wrought upon our country. Are we stronger as a country now than we were 50 years ago? No, no we are not. Has the plethora of hyphens forced upon our people made us more united as a people? No, they have divided us, further and further away from United, with each passing year. Growing up in California, I had friends from all over the world, in every size, shape, color and denomination you can imagine, but you know what we ALL were? American. Not African-American, not Japanese-American, not Mexican-American or Filipino/ Greek/Tongan/Irish/English-American, just American. And even as kids, we knew, KNEW that we were lucky to be here. That our founding was special, it was different. It was unlike anything the world had ever seen, and there was no other country in the world that had what we had. We were GRATEFUL to be in America. And it showed. It felt good. We were all rooting for the same team. We were brethren.
So for me, hearing that some fortunate souls, who have been blessed with fortune and fame, who have achieved their lofty, special station in life, right here in the good ol’ USA are turning their backs to the same country that GAVE them that status, that gave them the opportunity to grab that brass ring, well…it makes me more than a little angry, and very, very sad.
Yes, life in America can be hard. It can be unfair. It can seem like the odds are stacked against you sometimes. But it also holds immense beauty. There are opportunities for anyone that has the guts to step up to the plate and take a swing. There is kindness and empathy and a neverending desire to innovate and to make the world a better place. Our country, our beloved America, is a bountiful place, and should be revered and cherished.
If you turn your back on all that because you don’t like the guy currently sitting in the big chair, or worse, because you are afraid of what theInternet might have to say about you supporting and celebrating your own country, then I’m sorry for you. That is a sad, pathetic excuse for an American.
This coming Independence Day marks 250 years of the greatest experiment in human civilization ever seen, and you are fortunate to be part of it. Show some respect for your ancestors, show some appreciation for the opportunity you have, show some gratitude. If you can’t find something to be proud of as an American, then you aren’t truly an American. I’ve had enough of the celebrity pouting and hissy fits. They should be thanking their lucky stars they get to perform or make art for a living, rather than working double shifts at the local factory, or waiting tables or worse. You were given an opportunity to celebrate your COUNTRY you morons, you weren’t asked to celebrate a single man you most likely disagree with.
For the screeching weasels out there, yes I am proud to be an American and feel extraordinarily lucky to have this country as my home. Nothing you say or do will ever convince me otherwise. If you and your ilk would shut yer yaps for a minute, maybe try to be a productive citizen instead of tearing down everything that hurts your feelings, you might come to find there is plenty to celebrate in our lands.
Ok, that’s enough for tonight. I really try to not rant and rave here, but I’m just sick to death of all the anti-American nonsense being spewed at us left and right, . We will survive Trump. We will survive the next idiot that takes his place. We’re American, that’s what we do. Against all odds, we prevail. Stand up and be proud, your future will be better for it.
This past Sunday, Mother’s Day for us folks here Stateside (I don’t know about other countries, but every one SHOULD celebrate mothers!), our daughter cooked up a little Mother’s Day adventure for us and treated the Mrs. and I to a “Brunch on the Bay” cruise up in San Francisco.
Now, my initial reaction to this news (internally of course, you don’t want to be a wet blanket, especially on Mother’s Day!) was ewww. As mentioned in several other posts on this blog, I’ve come to loathe San Francisco over the last several years. But, I’m a fan of boats, I LOVE the water, and it was a day out of the house with the Mrs. and our kid, so I put on a happy face and decided to just roll with it.
As a kid and well into my 20s, I loved San Francisco. I spent a lot of time there as a youth with my family and have a lot of fond memories of those days. In high school when I was doing my best to be a ne’er-do-well, I used to ditch school and head up to the city just to hang out. When my band started getting gigs up there, we thought we were on top of the world – it was a vastly different scene to the one in San Jose we came up in. We had a number of friends that lived up there and visited often. At one point I even wanted to move there.
Then, sometime around the early 00’s, most likely after the Dot-com Bubble burst, the city went into decline. After the financial crisis of ’06-’08, it got worse. By the time the Plague rolled around in 2020, the city was unrecognizable. And it just kept getting worse from there. To the point of my family deciding a year or so back, that unless there were very critical reasons for traveling to SF, we just weren’t going to anymore. It was vile. All the stories you see about the rampant homeless population, the feces strewn sidewalks, the full throttle degenerate behavior out in the open, the crime, the shockingly crazy people screaming at nothing in the middle of the street… ALL of it was true. Heartbreaking, but true. I remember thinking, they just need to burn this entire city to the ground, it’s beyond hope.
So you can imagine my surprise, my utter SHOCK, when we rolled into the city and it was as if the clock had been rolled back 20 years. Now, granted we were down at the water’s edge in a very tourist-centric area, but a year ago that wouldn’t have made a difference. We had to walk maybe 6 blocks from where we parked to the pier, and I didn’t see a single person sleeping on the sidewalk, much less any shantytowns along the way. I didn’t have to dodge any poop on the sidewalk. I didn’t see a single needle. Nobody asked us for money. I was in utter shock to be honest.
Even after the event on our way back to the highway, there was a noticeable lack of blight. Yes, many, many vacant storefronts – business is still very clearly down – but overall I was very pleasantly surprised at how different the city looked overall. Between the ousting of the loathsome District Attorney, Chesa Boudin a few years ago and that clown of a mayor, London Breed, getting kicked to the curb last year, San Francisco seems to have turned a corner, and I’m really glad to see it.
Of course, there are a lot of areas in the city we didn’t see that day. Some neighborhoods were extremely dingy and dangerous long before the decline that started 20 years ago, and I’m sure they are still as bad if not worse. But a year ago I couldn’t go ANYWHERE in San Francisco without seeing the despair and the filth and the decrepit nature of the place, so I consider it a win for the city.
Now the next time a great band or comic comes through San Francisco I won’t be so reluctant to make the trip. Whatever you’re doing San Francisco, keep up the good work!
I’ve been making a concerted effort to avoid as much of “the news” as possible, but the last couple weeks with elections going on, I couldn’t help myself. I don’t know why I do this to myself. It’s not like my knowing is gonna make anything better or worse, all it does is make the blood boil and take my hope in humanity down a couple notches.
These memes here pretty well sum up my feelings on our current state of affairs. But hey, it’s the weekend and the sun is out, so things could be worse, right? Right!?!?
Best wishes to y’all out there. Stay safe. Practice situational awareness. Start recognizing patterns. Know your exits. Avoid crowds. Make peace, make amends. A troubled soul is a heavy burden to carry around. Do what you can to shed some of that weight while you still can. A grudge holds no value, and regret is far too costly. The world is a crazy place, and it doesn’t seem to be getting any less crazy as the days tick by… Summer is right around the corner and traditionally Summer is when things really let loose. I think this one’s gonna be a doozy.
And to any mothers who unwittingly stumbled across my little space here, Happy Mother’s Day to you. None of us would be here without you all, so blessings to all of you!
Last night I was unwinding after dinner and scrolling through YouTube when I came across a young-ish lady doing a reaction video for the song “Time Stand Still” by Rush. Lately I’ve been getting a kick out of seeing the younger gen’s reaction to classic rock songs, but the ones featuring Rush I find are particularly entertaining. That band seems to absolutely blow the minds of everyone under 40, and it’s fun to see. It reminds me of hearing them for the first time as a kid. I can still remember the first time I heard “Tom Sawyer” – it was the summer between 7th and 8th grade for me – and I was forever changed that day.
Out of curiosity, I clicked on the vid wondering what this youngster was going to think of this particular tune. I’ve watched a number of Rush reaction videos, but I’ve never seen one for that song. I don’t think I’ve even heard that song in a few decades. After the first measure of the song I was transported back in time…
When that record came out, I was 18 or 19, I can’t exactly recall. At the time I was working delivering pizzas (back when that was pretty much the only food you could get delivered to your door!) and just having the time of my life. I had a great group of friends, I was doing exceptionally well with the ladies, my band was picking up steam getting some radio play, a few write ups in the local weekly paper and good gigs, I was going to see other bands play or going out dancing a couple nights a week, going to parties, just living life like only a teenager with no real responsibility can. A lifetime of untold possibilities lay ahead of me. And eating all the pizza my heart desired! My “delivery van” was exactly that – a 1968 Dodge A100 van, with the old dependable slant-6 and 3-on-the- tree which I had outfitted with a cassette deck, a pair of speakers in the front doors and two 6×9 speakers in the back and that setup would sing! But I digress…
Anyhow, back to Rush…
I remember having that album on repeat (it was an “auto-reverse” cassette deck after all!) as I was driving around delivering pies until I nearly wore the cassette out. While no one would argue that was their best record, it was their latest at the time and I was a huge fan of the band so naturally I had to absorb every note, every rhythm, every drum fill. But what I never really paid any attention to was the lyrics.
Side note: I never really pay attention to lyrics. There are exceptions of course, but to my ears singing registers as a type of melodic percussion, like a piano or a xylophone would, and it really doesn’t matter to me WHAT they’re saying. Which is kinda ironic, as I wrote lyrics for my bands for a decade or more and but with rare exception I don’t really care for strictly instrumental music…
Now, this particular “Reactor” was really focused on the lyrics of the song and spoke at great length about them, dissecting the meaning, etc., and I gotta tell ya, the words to that song hit me like a ton of bricks. After the initial flashback I had hearing the music, the words – that I’d never paid any attention to over several hundred plays nearly 40 years ago – it was like my entire adult life flashed before my eyes.
I can understand why they’d be meaningless to a teenager. There is no context, no life experience to give meaning to the words. But as a Boring Old Man?!? Frankly, it was a little overwhelming. If I’m being totally honest and transparent, it made me “feel a certain way” as the kids say. It wasn’t just nostalgia. It made me look at my life through a completely different lens. It hit home. Hard.
Maybe it’s just me. Quite frankly my life has been a shit-show these last few years. Untold stresses, aging and ailing parents, job losses, losing friends to illness, or just distance, becoming more isolated, losing the “fire” that made life exciting and just trying to hold it all together without blowing a gasket… And looking back, wondering what that teenager with the old van and the blaring stereo would think of what “the real world” would turn out to be. Not that it’s been all bad, there have been some good times too. Most of them, at least over the last few years, have been recorded for posterity right here on this blog. It’s been an eye-opening experience, totally unexpected and honestly, not all that welcome.
They say growing old ain’t for sissies and I always took that as meaning when the knees go, and your back hurts and you gotta get up to pee in the middle of the night. But the worst pain? That’s gotta be regret. It’s an absolutely brutal affliction. There’s no turning back the clock and undoing what’s been done, and that’s a hard pill to swallow. And time seems to move faster with each and every passing day. As much as we might wish it were so, time cannot stand still.
Now, thanks to Geddy, Alex, Neil, and some random lady on YouTube I’m in a deeply introspective head space, one that I never would’ve guessed could possibly be brought on by a 40 year old, nearly forgotten song.
Life can be strange sometimes…
I turn my back to the wind To catch my breath, Before I start off again. Driven on Without a moment to spend To pass an evening With a drink and a friend
I let my skin get too thin I’d like to pause, No matter what I pretend Like some pilgrim — Who learns to transcend — Learns to live As if each step was the end
Time stand still — I’m not looking back — But I want to look around me now See more of the people And the places that surround me now
Freeze this moment A little bit longer Make each sensation A little bit stronger Experience slips away…
I turn my face to the sun Close my eyes, Let my defences down — All those wounds That I can’t get unwound
I let my past go too fast No time to pause — If I could slow it all down Like some captain, Whose ship runs aground — I can wait until the tide Comes around
Make each impression A little bit stronger Freeze this motion A little bit longer The innocence slips away…
Summer’s going fast– Nights growing colder Children growing up — old friends growing older Experience slips away…
As my readers know I’m a lifelong music fanatic and to this day I’m still trying to keep my finger on the pulse of the latest and greatest. On the one hand, with the advent of YouTube and Spotify, it’s never been easier to indulge in this practice. On the other hand, using these tools brings so much disappointment, so much faster than before!
Don’t get me wrong, there has always been musical disappointment in my life, this isn’t really anything new. I can remember hearing a song on the radio and being immediately hooked by it. Waiting days to hear it again. Maybe a couple weeks goes by, and a few more listens before you even find out who the artist is, because the DJ finally said the name over the air. Now you’re a few weeks in, you’ve got this great new song stuck in your head, you finally know who the artist/band is, so you head down to your local record store to snatch it up, only to find they don’t have it in stock. Maybe the album hasn’t been released yet, maybe they only had a few copies and it’s sold out so you have to wait a few more weeks. The anticipation builds and builds. You find yourself wishing they’d play it on the radio again, preferably when you’re at home so you can tape it from the radio to have something to tide you over until you can get your paws on the actual album. Then finally, FINALLY, after weeks of waiting and searching and waiting some more you finally find it in a store, slap down your hard-earned cash and now you’ve got your hands on the record. You race home to drop in on your turntable and listen to every song, every note, while devouring the album’s liner notes to find out everything you can about this new band…and after all that, it turns out the song from the radio, the song you love, is the ONLY good song on the record! Ugh! So much build up, so much excitement, and it all comes crashing down… It’s happened to me more than a few times, and the disappointment is great, but at the same time you’ve had an adventure, maybe spent time with your buddies trying to track it down. Maybe you got to talk to the cute girl working at the record store… It was all part of the game. And even if the record kinda sucked, you still had that one great song. The thrill of the hunt and whatnot… And, fortunately, the opposite was often true. You’d hear “that song”, go through all the rigamarole and find out the album is astounding. Sonic euphoria, from start to finish. And those moments my friends, made up for the few clunkers over the years.
But nowadays, things are much different. I still listen to “terrestrial radio” from time to time, but 99.9% of what I hear are the old familiar tunes. It’s been well over a decade since I’ve been turned on to a new band from the radio. I read different blogs that have a focus on music, I read a ton of articles from various musical publications to try and suss out what’s new and exciting. My wife and daughter are both music fans and I always take suggestions from them. And of course there is the almighty algorithm that knows what we’ve listened to before and makes suggestions as to what we might like… Nine times outta ten it’s not something I like, but every once in a while the algorithm strikes gold for me. And lately – say over the last 18 months – I’ve been reading a lot of threads on Reddit that are music-related (Side note – I can’t really “endorse” Reddit, there is so much on there that sickens me, but if you stay away from politics and “social issues”, there is actually a lot of entertaining and/or useful stuff there. All the threads I follow are either music, automotive or local-to-me stuff and I studiously avoid the rest of the bile…). Anyhow, I keep my eyes peeled for new bands that get a lot of notice and once I see a certain band or song mentioned more than a few times, I’ll go check them out for myself.
Now, I recognize that I’m a “boring old man”, and not everything is going to be to my liking. And frankly, being more from the alternative/punk world of music, I know there is going to be a lot of stuff that simply doesn’t do it for me. And that’s fine. But I’m also astute enough (as far as music is concerned at least) to pick up on things that are special, or impressive, or dare I say groundbreaking that leads to my understanding of why a certain artist or band is gaining notoriety.
A great example of this is the band King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. If you were to believe the folks that post on Reddit, they are hands down the greatest band to ever pick up instruments. I have seen dozens upon dozens of posts extolling the virtues of this band, recommending them to anyone that has ears. Seriously, their fan base is RABID and all in. So naturally, I had to check them out. And while the music was not MY thing, I completely understand why a lot of people have gone mildly insane over them. Those guys can play! The music is quirky, kinda jam band meets jazz combo, meets psychedelic, with a little Zappa thrown in. It’s weird, it sounds like nobody else I’ve heard and I totally get it. I just don’t find myself sitting around listening to that style of music. I would however go see them live, I’m sure it’s an experience. And I’m thrilled that such a band exists in a world full of computerized, boring, unadventurous music. I hope that they achieve massive success and have a long, fruitful career. I sincerely mean that, even though I will rarely listen to them.
On the other hand, there is a relatively new band that I swear I see their name daily, a band called Geese. So after seeing them mentioned so many times for several months straight, I decided I needed to check them out. And I’m left shaking my head in disbelief. THIS? This is what has everyone in a tizzy these days? I honestly can’t think of a positive thing to say about them, and yet the “general public” hails them as the greatest band since the Beatles. I simply don’t get it. To me, calling them mediocre would be giving them more credit than they deserve. I went through their Top 10 songs on Spotify, each one of which has well over 5 million streams (one of them was over 20 million!) and I couldn’t get through more than a minute of any of them. Just messy, atonal dreck as far as I’m concerned. And yet, they are massively popular right now.
Then I jumped over to a song by Kendrick Lamar. I’ve known his name for a long time, I’ve heard him featured on other hip-hop artist’s tracks, and to me it was just… M’eh. Not horrible, but nothing special. But again, he’s hugely popular. Most of the kids my wife and daughter teach LOVE him. So anyways, I’m reading this gushing review of this one particular song, how it’s so amazing that the listener (and writer of that piece) is now inspired to seek out music in a whole other genre than hip hop, because this song just broke down barriers and made something completely new and ground breaking. So I’m thinking, OK, he’s been around a while, perhaps he’s grown as an artist, this sounds like something I need to hear. Uh, no. It was so flippin’ boring I couldn’t believe my ears. I’ve heard that “same” track a hundred times, and 20 of them did it better. There was nothing ground breaking. Stylistically it was the same regurgitated, uninspired nonsense that hip hop has devolved into over the last 2 decades. It was the Toyota Corolla of hip hop tracks.
Now, don’t get me wrong. Hip hop is NOT my main thing, I’m not nearly as well versed in that genre as I am in several others, but I do have a fair amount of it in my CD/record collection. I’ve been a drummer for a hip hop group, I’ve done recording sessions for another hip hop group, I would say that yes indeed, this late-50’s Northern Cali Anglo is indeed a fan of hip hop. But a lot of the very popular, successful hip hop artists leave me scratching my head. Jay-Z is arguably the most successful artist in the genre of all time, and I cannot stand his music. (FWIW, I can’t stand his wife’s music either!) I think Tupac is highly overrated. There are a great many artists that have become wildly successful that I think are terrible. This is nothing new. But it got me to thinking, is today’s music so dull because the kids and 20-somethings that are making today’s music had such terrible music to emulate and be inspired by?
I could be wrong, but it seems like the bands of the 60’s took their influences of say, Gene Vincent, Buddy Holly and the like, and pushed the boundaries into something wholly different and dare I say, better. If you listen to early Beatles or the Who, their music isn’t that far removed from “rock around the clock” type of tunes, but by the end of their respective run, they were putting out records that would’ve been unimaginable to Bill Haley and his cohorts. Or take the riff-heavy classic rock of Montrose and Deep Purple, add in some punk ethos and swagger and you get Soundgarden or Alice in Chains. Of course there were always middle-of-the-road bands that did their thing, but weren’t pushing the boundaries – say Foreigner or April Wine for example, but they still had talented musicians and solid songwriting and could put out a good, cheap thrill of a song on the regular. Nowadays, not so much.
I know for a fact that people get caught up in the era of music that defined their teen years. It’s scientifically proven. And I absolutely love the music of my generation, it will always and forever be special to me. But I kept gleaning onto new stuff for decades after my school years and hoped to do so forever, it just seems that music has lost a big part of what made it special over the last decade. Not that I haven’t discovered some great new bands in the last decade, I absolutely have and I am grateful for it! It’s just that the music that is getting so much attention these days would never have even seen the light of day back in the 80’s or 90’s. Musically, we seem to be in the Cream-of-Wheat era… Bland, bland, bland…
Music used to be exciting, sexy, somewhat dangerous maybe, it made you FEEL something. Most of today’s music just makes me feel bored. I’m excited by the fact that post-Covid people seemed to regain some interest in guitars and drums and actual instruments as opposed to computers, but we’ve lost that “it” factor for the most part. I hope this latest generation that is starting to put out records is just another starting point, and we see a resurgence of daring, exciting music. I’m encouraged by a lot of youngsters making “reaction” videos to classic rock and such, they seem genuinely blown away by much of what we took for granted growing up because it was as close as the FM dial on the radio. All day, every day. Will we ever see another band like the Who, or U2, Primus, or 311? Bands that took the past and all their influences, threw it in a blender and came up with something wholly unique and mesmerizing? I certainly hope so! It’s ironic that in an age where recording and releasing music has never been easier, when the Gatekeepers of the past are long gone, that musicianship and songwriting are at such a low point. If nothing else today’s artists need to pick it up to inspire those coming up behind them.
I’m not really sure where I’m going with all this. This piece kinda took a turn, and turned into a tangent with no real direction or resolution. I guess I should just consider it an “old man yells at clouds” post. If you’ve made it this far, I appreciate you. Please leave a comment with a band/artist/song from the last decade that knocked your socks off. I could use some inspiration!
It’s been a minute since our last live music excursion and I’d been sitting on these tickets since October, but finally Monday was the day. And what better way to break the slump than with my favorite live band, Magic City Hippies?
This was our first time at Felton Music Hall, though we’ve driven past it for years, and we’d be happy to go back. Felton is a great little town in the Santa Cruz mountains and I’ll take any excuse to go there! Felton Music Hall is a very cool venue – easy access, nice staff, eclectic patrons and surprisingly great sound. It’s small for a “Hall”, maybe 250 max capacity, but places like that are my absolute favorites for live shows.
The opening band was Supertaste from Brooklyn, NY. I’d only heard one track of theirs previous to the gig and honestly had low expectations, but they were a pretty solid unit. Clearly some guys with some talent and technical skills on their instruments. Overall their sound doesn’t really hit the sweet spot for me, but two of their songs – Power and Supernova – really grabbed me. If you are into dance music made with actual musicians rather than computers and DJs, you can do far worse than giving Supertaste a listen.
Supertaste
For the main event, Magic City Hippies were in OUTSTANDING form. This show was, I believe, the 11th Hippies show I’ve been to and honestly they just keep getting better. I know I haven’t seen everyone, but I’ve been to more than my fair share of live music events and for my money, Magic City Hippies are simply the best live band out there right now. They’ve been touring consistently for a long time now, and it shows. They’re like a well oiled machine, but not in the sense that it is predictable or something. They have a deep catalog by this point to pull from and of course some crowd favorites, but they always seem to change up the arrangements just enough that it always feels fresh. It really is a testament to a solid combination of talent and hard work.
Magic City Hippies lighting up the stage
I really can’t say enough about how good these guys are and at the same time I feel like a broken record because I’ve reviewed them (and gushed over them) many times before on this blog.
So I’ll just leave it at that. Catalog the show for my own records and simply say if you love live music, you owe it to yourself to go see Magic City Hippies. Your ears and your soul will thank you!
Saturday night, Valentine’s Day evening, I finally got my Christmas present, a night of comedy!
We (the Mrs., our daughter, son-in-law and myself) loaded up the cruiser and hit the road for the Golden State Theater in Monterey,CA. The trip is long-ish, about an hour and a half, but I’d take a trip to Monterey over San Francisco any day of the week!
We’ve been to this particular venue a few times, it’s a nice spot, but this was the first time for a comedy show.
The night opened with Kevin Camia, who we’d never heard of. He was actually pretty darn good. He had us laughing right outta the gate and kept it going throughout his entire set. I’d be more than happy to go see him again.
We’d seen a bunch of video clips of Sheng Wang and the Netflix (?) special he did (“Sweet & Juicy”) a few years ago but this was our first time seeing him live on stage. Let me tell you, this show was worth the wait!
His style is so different from his colleagues and it’s really refreshing. He doesn’t use foul language and he totally avoids the typical crass/vulgar/overtly sexual material or decisive political/racial rants that has (unfortunately) become a mainstay in modern comedy. And yet, he had us in stitches the entire time. At times it was hard to catch my breath I was laughing so hard. And he too kept it up for his entire show. No flops, no dead air, just non-stop hilarity from start to finish.
I’m short, it was an outstanding night of comedy, one of the best we’ve ever attended. If you get a chance to see Sheng Wang, do yourself a favor and GO! You will not be disappointed.
And last but not least, a big thank you to my girls for gifting me these tickets for Christmas instead of more “stuff”! This night will be in my memory banks for years to come!
Ok, right off the bat I will freely admit, this content is “stolen” from the interwebs. The term “class act” caught my eye, so I had to check it out. That was a common phrase “back in my day”, but I cannot recall the last time I ever heard it. Maybe because nowadays our society celebrates “CRASS acts”, and not CLASS acts. I’m looking at you Kardashians and “Real Housewives”… Anyhow, I think this list below is a good primer, a blueprint if you will, to direct us to be generally better people. Just imagine what our world would look like if HALF the people did even HALF the things on this list?!?In these days of everyone being out for themselves, a little decency, decorum and yes, class, would go a long way. I wish I could say that I do all these things, but like most of us, I am a work in progress. There are certainly several of these things that are ingrained in me, that I do without even thinking about it, but a number of them I do not, or have not done in a while. Anyhow, without further delay here is a brilliant instructional to being a Class Act. (I give credit to Budget Savvy Travelers @thebstravelers for this content – I don’t know if it is their original work or not, but that is who I lifted it from)
Want to be remembered as a classy SOB? Here are 25 ways to elevate everyday life:
1️⃣ Say hello first – Brighten someone’s day with a warm greeting.
2️⃣ Use and remember names – It shows respect and attentiveness.
3️⃣ Hold doors – Small gestures leave a big impact.
4️⃣ Let people merge in traffic – Courtesy goes a long way. Don’t stress over a few seconds.
5️⃣ Write thank-you notes – Handwritten is classy and memorable.
6️⃣ Don’t bad-mouth others – Integrity speaks louder than gossip.
Color me shocked! I’ve been plucking away at this lil’ ol’ blog of mine since January of 2022 and while I guess you could say my page gets regular views, it’s never been well read or even remotely popular. In 100%, true transparency I will tell you that my daily page views average between 5 and 15. Frankly, sometimes it’s zero. Which considering my lack of consistency in new posts is not at all surprising. If anything, I’m surprised I get THAT many visits.
So you can imagine my surprise when I checked my stats this morning and found that for the first time since I started writing here I surpassed 100 page views in a single day! And almost exclusively from the USA. In the past when I’ve had a spike it turned out most of them were showing up from all over the place, which led me to believe it was either a glitch or someone “phishing” or some such thing. Like, why would anyone in Vietnam or Uzbekistan be interested in what I’m blathering on about?!?
Anyhow, I fully recognize that this is in no way a big deal. I’m not even a small fish in a big pond. More like a single plankton in a global ocean. Nonetheless, I thought it was kinda cool and wanted to document the occasion for myself. If anything this blog is more a “memory-jogger” for myself than anything. But still, I appreciate any and all of you that spend even a moment of your precious time with me.
Have a terrific day, a wonderful weekend and thanks for stopping by!
The Boring Old Man 