This is a review I never thought I’d be writing. I had assumed, along with just about everyone, that with the passing of Neil “The Professor” Peart in 2020 that the days of RUSH on stage were over forever.
Imagine my surprise when I heard they were hitting the road again.
Now, I have seen RUSH 3 times prior to this engagement, and I considered myself fortunate to have been there, but I did not realize the last time I’d seen them I was saying goodbye, so to speak. I wasn’t ready for there to be no more RUSH.
And while I had always considered myself a fan of RUSH, taking into account what I’ve learned in the lead-up to this show, I may have to downgrade myself to merely an appreciator of the band. Their die-hard fans are so off the hook with their granular knowledge of the band and their music, I don’t think I qualify as a fan in this day and age. Nonetheless, I was very excited to see this new version of the band and to put a final bow of the present of RUSH’s live music experience.
I’ll admit right up front that I was skeptical when they announced Anika Nilles as Neil’s understudy. I was familiar with her work prior to RUSH, and while she’s extremely proficient and talented technically, I had my doubts as to whether she could fill the absurdly enormous shoes Neil left behind.
While I can’t really say Neil was a direct influence on my playing as a drummer, I am, and have always been, a great admirer of his. And I regard him with the utmost respect as a musician, a lyricist and simply as a man. He was not only wildly skilled on the technical side, he was also a very “musical” drummer – his drum parts were always so much more than simply a beat. And on top of all that, he was incredibly powerful. Not just loud, powerful. He played with an authority, a conviction that absolutely did influence me directly. And based on the interviews I’ve read over the years, and what everyone said about him after his passing, and in the recent documentary that was released about him, he just came off as the genuine article. A serious man, with a serious work ethic but also a great sense of wonder and a desire to learn. And a goofy sense of humor as the cherry on top. So like I said, massive shoes to fill for this young lady.
I did not honestly expect that I would be able to get tickets to this show, nor did I expect the Mrs. to be enthusiastic about attending, but much to my surprise, both items worked out better than anticipated. The Mrs. has seen them once before, and it was before she and I were an item, so tonight was her first show with RUSH in nearly 40 years!
The SAP Center, home of the San Jose Sharks hockey team is a pretty decent place to see shows. Generally speaking I try to avoid arenas and stadiums, but every now and again, you have no other choice. I’ve been to probably a dozen or so concerts and other events at SAP (though it’s changed names so many times since it was built, who knows what it was called for all the others… We locals refer to it as the Shark Tank. Not that I’ve ever seen a hockey game there. But I digress.) I’ve seen The Who, the Rolling Stones, Imagine Dragons, Parliament Funkadelic, Duran Duran, and RUSH there before (amongst others I can’t recall) so there was no mystery or anything new and exciting about the venue. The good points for me are that it’s close to home. And generally speaking it’s easy to find a parking spot, though what they charge for parking is borderline criminal. It is what it is.
Shameful…
The show’s start time was listed as 7:30pm, which honestly is awesome for us old geezers, especially on a school night. (If I haven’t mentioned it before, the Mrs. is a school teacher, this isn’t simply a turn of phrase!) But it didn’t exactly start on time, and they played a full set, took an intermission, and came back for another full set, followed by an encore! An early night was not in the cards!
Overall, the show was fantastic. The band played a bit of everything from throughout their career, but thankfully they seemed to lean heavily towards the classic RUSH era – 2112, Moving Pictures, A Farewell to Kings, Permanent Waves, Hemispheres… It was a great selection of music, and performed extremely well. Geddy and Alex both seemed to be having the time of their lives, and you would never guess both these guys are now in their mid-70’s by the sound and energy coming off the stage! Honestly, they played every bit as well last night as they did the first time I saw them back around ’87 or so. It was an inspiration!
The lighting and the artistic visuals were all top notch, not that I’d expect anything less from a RUSH show!
As for Anika on drums… She nailed it. Her playing was absolutely precise and you could see from the very first note, that she was completely locked in, 100% concentration. There was no room for fun, she was at work, and work she did! Was her performance as good as Neil? No. There is a difference when playing a part you personally brought forth from the Ether and playing a part you’ve memorized. She played everything nearly as close to note-for-note as any human could. It was dang near perfect. I could find no fault in her playing whatsoever. But despite that, it just wasn’t quite the same. Neil would add to the magic of what was on the records, Anika played what was on the records, pretty much exactly as they were recorded. Which is highly impressive, don’t get me wrong. Those are some of the most difficult drum parts ever conceived, and she executed them like an absolute, stone cold professional. She truly was great. But no, it’s not the same. It was however, better than I anticipated, and undoubtedly better than I could do in her shoes!
The one and only thing that besmirched the evening was the sound system. It was, if I may be so bold, atrocious. Seriously, the WORST sound I’ve ever experienced at a RUSH show. The first few songs or so were positively excruciating. They had the kick drum turned up so high in the mix that it felt like getting punched in the chest by a heavy-weight boxer with each and every bass drum note. Seriously, it was painful. The first 20 minutes felt like a physical assault. And to make matters worse, the drum mix overall was just lousy. There was good definition when she played the high pitched concert toms, but the moment she dropped to the lower pitches, it just turned into auditory mud. Which is a shame really, here she is, giving these ultra complex parts her all, and the audio guys are asleep at the wheel. There were other problems here and there when Geddy would swap to a new bass – one Fender Precision in particular just sounded god-awful. Not sure if the bass itself was having severe problems or if it was the Front of House mix, but it was in the Top 3 worst basses I’ve ever heard at a live show. Thank goodness he only played it on one song! And the overall muddiness had a tendency to swallow the guitar here and there.
Someone here should be fired…
But like I said, overall it was a great show. The Mrs. and I were very glad we went, we were very impressed with the playing, the energy and just the overall vibe of the show. In all likelihood, it will be the last RUSH show of my lifetime, and I’m perfectly OK with that. Nothing wrong with going out on a high note! I’m grateful that Alex and Geddy persevered and gave it another go-round. It was clear watching the crowd that this music means a great deal to a great many fans, and this show was a real cathartic experience for a lot of people. While I’m sure they both had some self-serving reasons for embarking on this tour, the impression for me was that this was a big Thank You gift to the throngs of fans they have all around the world, as well as a fond farewell and a celebration of The Professor. And I’m grateful that I could be part of it.
I don’t know how much longer the tour is continuing, but if you like RUSH even a little, it’s worth your while to check out what could possibly be the very last time they grace the stage!
Yesterday was the 35th anniversary of my marriage to the Mrs.
Thirty Five Years.
It’s hard to believe. And something to be proud of. According to the Interwebs, the average length of marriage in the US before divorce is 8 years. The average length of marriage in the US before the death of a spouse is 19 years.
Not to brag, but for the first time in my life I genuinely feel like I’ve beaten the odds on something!
It’s all the more shocking when you consider that we were both 20 years old when we first started seeing each other… We’ve spent nearly twice the amount of years together than we’d been alive before we got together. It doesn’t seem possible sometimes.
It hasn’t always been easy. We’ve been through richer and poorer. We’ve been through sickness and health. We’ve been through better and worse. We’ve been through a lot in our lives together. Everything you can imagine life throwing at you. And still, somehow, we prevail.
Sometimes (especially over the last decade) I’ve felt like I got a raw deal from life. That I’m a magnet for bad luck. That every important decision I’ve ever made has been wrong. But in this regard, I couldn’t have been luckier.
Nobody, outside maybe a professional stand-up comic, makes me laugh like the Mrs. does. Nobody else shares my weird music tastes. Nobody gets me the way she gets me. And that is something special, something to celebrate.
Not many people get to spend their entire adult lives with their best friend, and I feel extremely fortunate to have been one of the lucky ones that has. And God willing, if we make it to the ripe old age of 73, I’ll be back here celebrating our 50th!
If you have someone close to you, take a minute and tell them you love them. Time flies, and nobody knows what tomorrow will bring. Celebrate your connection. It’s something special!
Ok kids, this one was a show for the ages. I don’t even know where to start… I suppose a little background is in order, to explain my pre-conceived expectations and bias!
If you’ve never heard of BEAT, you’re not alone. And it was a curious choice of a name, considering we have The English Beat, aka The Beat AND The Paul Collins Beat, aka The Beat… and then along comes a Supergroup to end all supergroups, calling themselves BEAT. Whatever, they could have called themselves anything, and still outshine any 4 piece band on the planet.
BEAT is the brainchild(?) of guitar maestro Adrian Belew and bass virtuoso Tony Levin. As they describe it on their website BEAT is “a creative reinterpretation of the music of KING CRIMSON including the iconic albums, Discipline, Beat, and Three Of A Perfect Pair, and beyond.“
When I was a young’in coming up, I first heard King Crimson around 1982 and I was absolutely blown away. They were so completely weird, yet technical and futuristic that I couldn’t help but go bananas for them. At the time, I had NO idea of their pedigree, I didn’t know they’d already been around my entire life, I had no idea they had released half a dozen albums before I ever heard of them… I just thought they were another New Wave band and I was all in. (Remember, this was more than a decade before the interwebs, and being able to find out everything about anything with a couple mouse clicks…) Their drummer at the time, Bill Bruford, became a big influence on me and I was totally obsessed by Tony Levin on this new fangled instrument called the Chapman Stick. They were like aliens compared to the music that was on the radio in the day, and if you met somebody that was into King Crimson, you knew you had found one of your kind. They were undoubtedly NOT for everyone.
Long story short, I’ve gone down the King Crimson rabbit hole, discovered the many variations of the band and their music, the lineup changes, etc., and for me that Classic 80s lineup of Belew, Levin, Robert Fripp and Bill Bruford was the pinnacle of the group. But sadly, I was too young in this era to have seen them play live and figured that ship had sailed.
Then a couple years ago I found out about BEAT, a group put together by Adrian and Tony featuring Steve Vai in place of Robert Fripp and Danny Carey (from TOOL) on drums, playing my favorite generation of King Crimson music. Unfortunately when I found out about them, I couldn’t make the show. I don’t recall why, I’d either already missed them coming through my area or I didn’t have the scratch for the tickets or maybe had tickets to another show that same week…I don’t recall. Nonetheless, I was bummed. Again, I figured that ship had also sailed, it would be a one-off, and I’d missed my chance to see Adrian Belew, one of my “bucket list” artists.
But a few weeks ago, much to my joy and amazement, I heard they were making another round, only this time with my all time drumming hero, Terry Bozzio, on the drum throne! So this time, there was NO WAY I was missing the show!
Now that’s what I call a tool kit!
I have seen Terry Bozzio play a few times and he’s mesmerizing. I also met him a number of years ago, and he was just a fantastic guy. And I couldn’t wait to see how one of my heroes interpreted the work of another one of my heroes, Mr. Bruford! I’ve seen Steve Vai live before and he too was out of this world. If anyone can fill in for the genius of Robert Fripp, Steve is the guy. And I once saw Tony Levin when he was playing bass for Peter Gabriel many moons ago, but the bass in Gabriel’s music is nowhere near as tantalizing as his work with King Crimson. And as I mentioned, Adrian Belew has been a bucket list artist for me for decades. Between his work with King Crimson, Frank Zappa, David Bowie, Talking Heads, Nine Inch Nails and The Bears, he’s been a favorite of mine as a guitarist for 4 decades. The very idea of these four together on stage gave me a level of fevered anticipation that I haven’t felt since I was a teenager just discovering live music.
The Quarry Amphitheatre is a new venue for me, despite being around some 50 years. Evidently they did a major renovation of the place in 2017 and started hosting rock shows there, but honestly I’d never heard of the place until this show came along. Located on the UC Santa Cruz campus, which is only about 20 miles from home. It’s been dubbed “Red Rocks in the Redwoods”, but since I’ve never had the pleasure of attending a show at Red Rocks, I can’t compare it myself. (A Red Rocks show is another Bucket List item for me though!).
The venue was cool. Parking was a bit of a walk, but I’ve had worse. (Looking at you, Shoreline Amphitheatre!). But the staff was pretty easy going and once I found the entrance, it was a breeze. Nothing but Porta Potties though, so the ladies might be less than thrilled. But generally speaking, not too shabby. It’s definitely got a vibe to it. Kinda like the Greek Theater at UC Berkeley, but more natural and a bit smaller.
A beautiful venue on a beautiful Fall night.
No opening band tonight, it was straight to business. And let’s be honest, who could open for this collection of living legends?!?
The Man, the Myth, the Maestro
The band came on stage (promptly at 8pm, like true professionals) and right off the bat, they were firing on all cylinders. To be honest, it was a little overwhelming. So many awesome things happening at once, it was hard to decide where to look! Adrian, Tony and Steve were all in suits, like the old days, and they just ripped out one barn burner after another for about 25 minutes straight. And Terry? My goodness. I haven’t seen him play with such power and intensity since I last saw him play with Missing Persons. It was, to put it mildly, awesome.
My All-time Hero, Mr. Bozzio
They slowed things down at the 25 minute mark, with a newly written song, performed for the first time evidently. Then into an unhinged instrumental section , that started with what sounded like sound effects from an old Sci-Fi movie – played on guitar, mind you which somehow turned into a wild, syncopated guitar jam that I simply don’t have the vocabulary to describe. And then at the 48 minute mark, they broke for an intermission. Thank goodness for that, my brain needed some time to catch up with what it has just witnessed. It’s times like this I wish I were a better writer, as I have no words…
A Sorcerer in a Zoot Suit!
After the intermission they came back for another hour of non-stop, master class level virtuosity that was mind boggling. They played a selection of classics, some improvisational instrumentals and next to last, played my absolute favorite King Crimson song Elephant Talk. And then an encore on top of everything else. What a night! I’ve now seen things I can’t even describe. I’ve heard sounds from guitars that have no business coming from a guitar. I’m flabbergasted. Awestruck. Bewildered. And I couldn’t be happier.
Upright bass, electric bass, Chapman Stick and Synthesizer, Tony covered a LOT of ground
I started seeing “real” bands play shows at the ripe old age of 14, and in the years between then and now, I estimate I’ve seen between 450-500 concerts, from small clubs to massive arenas and I can say without hesitation that from a strictly musical standpoint, tonight was the best concert I’ve ever witnessed. It wasn’t flashy, there wasn’t some crazy light show, no video screens, no pyrotechnics. Just pure mastery from each and every musician on stage. It was a night I’ll not soon forget. As it turns out, tonight was the very first night of the tour, which means not only will it continue to get better (which I can’t really even fathom) but it means you still have a chance to see them! They are on the road through December 3rd, traveling Coast-to-Coast. If you love music, if you appreciate true mastery of instruments at the highest level, you owe it to yourself to see BEAT. Let’s face it, these guys are no Spring Chickens – Steve Vai is the youngest of the group and he’s eligible to collect Social Security benefits! These guys won’t be around forever, and while I’m not gonna say there are no up-and-comers that may be great players, there is nobody that matches the caliber of these guys when they are together in a group. It’s literally a once in a lifetime experience.
Mr. Belew, Mr. Levin, Mr. Vai and last but certainly not least Mr. Bozzio, THANK YOU for an absolutely unforgettable night of auditory magic. It was beyond delightful and a dream come true for this music lover.
Just happened upon this today by random chance, and thought it was quite insightful. Thought I should share….
Personally, I think a few of those attributes fit me, I’m certainly not just one. But at this ripe old age, I’ve seen enough to know this is a pretty accurate description of a lot of folks and their personalities/behaviors.
That’s about it. That’s all I’ve got today.
I’m on the downhill slide towards the end of my 4th week on the new job. It’s hard to believe. Time is just flying. But so far, so good. I’ve met some really good people, a few really nice dogs and I get to see wild turkeys almost every morning when I drive in to the site. And as crazy as it sounds, that’s a huge deal to me! I must be getting old, I’ve developed quite a fascination with birds over the last several years. My wife loves Hummingbirds and Crows, but for me it’s all about Pelicans and Wild Turkeys. Who knows why?!?
The Mrs. introduced me to Aneesa Strings some time ago, and I thought she was cool – I mean, who doesn’t dig a woman with an upright bass and a great voice? But honestly, it didn’t exactly knock me out. Not in the way that I’d actively seek out her music, it was just a little too much on the tame side for my tastes.
So when she told me Aneesa was coming to town and she wanted to go see her, I figured, m’eh, why not? It was a Friday night show at Yoshi’s, a club we’ve been to many times and despite being located in Oakland, it’s a spot we really, really like.
We decided to make a night of it and made reservations at the restaurant that’s attached to the club – or is it the club that is attached to the restaurant? Anyhow, we’d always wanted to try the food there – a Japanese -Fusion menu – but every time we’d been there in the past we were running up there after work and never had time to make it to dinner before the show. But this time around it was a late show, we’d made reservations at 7:45, and figured we’d have just enough time to eat before her set.
Let me tell you, we were FOOLS for not eating there in the past! Goodness me, the food was absolutely spectacular! I won’t go into all the details as I’m not a “foodie” and this is a concert review, but I will say I had a pork chop that was hands down the best pork chop I’ve ever eaten in my entire life. And I’m no stranger to pork chops… But seriously, everything we had was delicious and the pork chop was out of this world. I’d eat another one right now if I could!!
Aneesa was accompanied by a drummer, keyboard player and a guitar player, a relatively standard jazz band setup. The show started off a little slow frankly, and after the first song I was thinking to myself “I might be a little too tired to sit through an hour of this“, but very quickly things started to heat up.
I’m not gonna pretend to know what songs she played, old or new, I’m not at all familiar with her catalog of work. What I will say though, is that she was a phenomenal artist. Her voice was smooth as glass – at times – and sometimes gritty, when it was called for. Her bass playing was absolutely on point, it was plainly obvious that she and the upright bass were dear old friends. And midway through the set, she switched it up and picked up an electric fretless Fender Jazz bass, and that’s when things really started cookin’!
One particular highlight was her rendition of Sade’s Ordinary Love, which is a song I (and millions of others) love. I have never heard anyone cover Sade and sound good. Never, that is, until Aneesa. She not only did the song justice, she put just enough of a twist on it to make it her own and I was completely taken in by her version. To be able to hold down that impeccable bass groove – if you know you know – AND sing that song, with that depth of soul, beauty and conviction is beyond impressive.
And speaking of impressive, her band was on fire! We were seated about 8 feet from the drummer, who was right up at the front of the stage, and I was able to see every stroke, every kick drum beat, and as a somewhat snobby drummer myself, I just gotta say WOW. He was so fluid and yet solid as a rock. He played so many parts that straight up surprised me, and yet fit the songs perfectly. That’s how I judge a drummer; if I can predict what they’re gonna play before they play it? M’eh. But this guy took all kinds of turns I never expected, while staying completely in the pocket and just grooving. It was very inspiring. Her guitarist was very much in the background, both literally and musically, but he too was great. I don’t know a lot of jazz players, but his playing reminded me of Larry Carlton. Not at all overbearing, just the right amount of spice to compliment the flavor of the songs. Same with the keys, he took a few solos letting us know he had some chops, but for the most part he played in a supporting role, filling in the overall sound. But as an ensemble, she couldn’t have asked for a better band. They played flawlessly – to my ears anyway – never overshadowed the primary artist, and just helped weave a beautiful, sonic tapestry.
Then for the cherry on top, she finished the show with what was perhaps the most unbelievable “mash-up” I’ve ever witnessed as her encore. She launched into a slightly down tempo, gritty, funky version of Come Together by the Beatles, which wove its way into Blackstreet’s No Diggity, incorporated a few bars from a Biggie Smalls track (I don’t recall the particular song title, but it was immediately recognizable) and back to the Beatles. Now, I’m not really a fan of the Beatles, and I’m absolutely not a fan of Blackstreet nor partial to Biggie, but I gotta admit, the musical acrobatics, the sleekness of which they melded the three songs into one, was certainly one of the most memorable moments I’ve seen on stage in a long time. It was a stellar end to an incredible show.
All things considered, I couldn’t have enjoyed the night more. Excellent food, a great vibe and amazing artistry.
Thank you Aneesa for a night full of “WOW!”, and props to your band for playing their hearts out. I’ve seen literally hundreds of shows over the last 40+ years, and last night’s show at Yoshi’s is gonna live in my personal Hall of Fame! It just goes to show, sometimes when you step outside your comfort zone and open your mind and your ears, you get to witness magic. And last night was absolutely magical for myself and the Mrs!
Today was my last day at my “new” job. Although I didn’t plan it out this way, my last day is EXACTLY one year apart from my first day at this place – August 28, 2025 to August 28, 2026.
I have never, and I do mean never, held a job as an adult for this short amount of time before, and I feel kinda weird about it. Even my last “temporary” job, that was supposed to be a 3 – 6 month gig, turned into a year and 5 months… But I guess this is the world we live in nowadays. I’d estimate my average tenure at a job is 6 years, and I’d fully intended to stay at this one until I hit retirement age – which would be somewhere around 10 years – and I missed that mark by a WIDE margin. But if I’ve learned anything in my work life, it’s that staying for the sake of staying and hoping things improve is a mistake. In those situations the juice is never worth the squeeze.
I knew coming in that it was gonna be hard here. And it was. Much harder than I anticipated in fact. But it was also fun. I had a great boss that “got it” and knew what we were up against – years of neglect and a constant churn of staff, and the place was nearly off the rails. But we were all on the same page, we had assembled a great new team and we were crushing it daily and turning this place around. We were making an impact and every metric pointed to us moving in the right direction. So much so, that the ownership decided to pull the plug on the existing management team and “self manage” the operation. They pulled the rug out from under us with 29 days notice, sent my great boss to another property and installed a new one from their internal team, who promptly let go of some of our great team and imposed his will on every aspect of the operation, while placing undue blame on the rest of us that had pulled this place outta the sewer and made it profitable and an exciting place to be. He not only let the wind out of our sails, he sucked the very life outta the place. In three short months, he undid what we’d spent 8 months building and I reached the conclusion that the fork in the road I’d been forced into, was NOT the path I wanted to be on.
As luck (?) would have it, two days after I’d decided that it was time to pack it in at this place, I got a call from an old boss of mine. He was in a new facility and needed somebody with my particular skill set. A round of interviews were set in motion, I had to go through background checks, fingerprinting, drug screen and all that good stuff, and I dropped my notice of resignation on the new boss’s desk.
I’m leaving behind some really great people; colleagues that I hope to stay in touch with for the long haul, a couple guys that I hired that I really, really like and an absolutely gorgeous building, but I knew I would come to despise the place if I stayed there. Simple as that. But I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in months, my diet and exercise routine has gone to hell and I’m constantly stressed. That’s no way to live, and I’m too old to go down that path again.
So the new gig starts Monday. I’m quite anxious about it honestly as I swore I’d never go back into the “healthcare adjacent” field after my experiences during The Plague, but they kinda made me an offer I couldn’t refuse… I always had a good rapport with this former boss I’ll be working with, two of the guys on my team there are guys that I personally hired at other facilities in the past and they’re both outstanding at what they do. My daily commute will be less than half of what it is at my current place, I’ll get my.preferred health benefits package back (that was ALSO snatched away during the management transition at the current job) and my paychecks will be a bit fatter. On paper it’s a no-brainer. I just need to get myself back into the mindset of bureaucracy and endless regulations. I ain’t skeered of it – I spent 17 years of my life in that world – but I’ve been out of it for 2 1/2 years now, and it’s absolutely gonna be an adjustment to pick up where I left off.
Things might get a little (more) quiet on these pages as I re-adjust to my new reality, but I’ll be back, and better than ever I expect.
And for the sake of my diminishing memory banks, I’m gonna add some behind the scenes pics from this place with the hope that, in time, I’ll come to remember it fondly…
This weekend the Mrs and I headed South to visit some of our oldest friends.
Our destination was Templeton, CA located in San Luis Obispo (SLO) County, which is commonly referred to as the “Central Coast” region of California. A region near and dear to my heart.
I have a lot of great memories of this area, going all the way back to childhood, and new adventures in my teens there and we’ve visited consistently our entire married lives. A home away from home, if you will.
SLO County is a curious and interesting place. It’s equally well known for agriculture, surf culture, ranching and equestrian pursuits and wine making. An odd combination to be sure.
Our friends live just 5 miles off the 101 Highway, and yet from the freeway exit to their driveway, it’s like a completely different world. You drive through the usual commercial zone right off the 101 with supermarkets and the usual assortment of shops and such, hook a left on a two lane road and before you know it, you’re in the middle of nowhere.
Our friends have a great little place up towards the hills and keep a small barn with a few livestock animals – a goat, a sheep and some chickens – and a barn cat, of course. As well as those critters that nature brings through daily. In fact, we woke up to a family of California Quail making their way up the driveway in the morning and one of the most amazing displays of a contingent of Dragonflies I’ve ever witnessed.
It was SOOO quiet and peaceful up there. Utterly different from what we’re used to at home. Just delightful, honestly.
We rolled in early Saturday evening and had a really nice dinner with our friends, just catching up and listening to some old records (vinyl of course!) and then we set out for our event, the “California Mid State Fair”, held at the Paso Robles Event Center.
Now, the Mrs and I are not what you’d call “event” people. Yes, we go to a lot of concerts, more than a few comedy shows and soccer games and our local Farmers markets, but outside of those things, we aren’t into crowds, we don’t generally attend fairs or carnivals or things that happen with thousands of people crammed into a centralized location. And quite frankly when our friends invited us to come down for the Fair, we weren’t too excited about the idea. But they were excited for it and we decided to just jump in with both feet and see how they do things on the Central Coast.
Let me tell you, the difference between the SLO County experience and what you’d find in Santa Clara County (our home region) are night and day! Yes, it was crowded, and even at night it was still pretty darn warm, and everywhere you turned there was alcohol for sale. At home, this would be a recipe for disaster. Down there? We had a great time! Everyone was polite, friendly even. No screaming, spoiled children. No roving gangs of *youths* looking for trouble. No drunken louts getting into fights. It was like stepping back in time a few decades. We stepped back into “real America” and it was actually quite refreshing and wonderful!
We spent a lot of time going through the stalls of livestock brought in by the FFA (Future Farmers of America) and the 4-H kids. The cattle and hogs, goats and sheep were all seemingly well cared for and the caretakers all in good spirits. Additionally, they had a good number of other things on display, from Art to flower arrangements, leather work and textiles. Kinda all the basics you need to get by in this world, without tech and computers mucking it all up. Just people doing what they do when left to their own devices without the electronic leashes everyone is tethered to these days. It took me back to a simpler, and yes, I’ll say it, a BETTER time. A time in history, not that long ago, that I greatly miss.
We took a break from all the walking, grabbed some adult beverages and took in a fun band for a while – Dante Marsh & the Vibesetters – playing a cool mix of funky, soulful, island influenced jams. Lots of folks, from tiny kids to great-great- grandmas, were up on their feet dancing and just having a good ‘ol time.
All in all, it was just a wonderful event and it renewed some hope for the state of the world for me. I enjoyed the festivities much more than I thought I would and I’d absolutely go back next year.
The next morning we were moving kinda slow (no pun intended) and had a lovely, leisurely breakfast on the deck, listening to some Jimmy Cliff and Beatles records and just taking it all in. We had to be back on the road by 11am, so there wasn’t much time to dilly-dally unfortunately. Nonetheless, we left refreshed and grateful for the quick respite and the unexpected outing we had at the Fair. All things considered, it was a great weekend!
A big thanks to D & M for their hospitality and for the invite to an event we would have NEVER attended on our own volition, it was really wonderful and well worth the drive!
And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand. Matthew 12:25
As anyone that has read my blog will likely notice, I am not what you’d call a religious person. I was raised in a pretty strict Christian household and attended church regularly my entire life up until I hit my 20’s, but since then The Church (not the band, but the institution) and I have had a complicated relationship. Nonetheless, when I started thinking about what to write as our nation’s Independence Day celebration came upon us, my mind kept going back to that biblical verse.
And I’m not gonna lie, I had to look it up. My days of Bible verse memorization are long behind me…
You may recognize the words, often attributed to Abraham Lincoln, but he cribbed ’em from the Bible. When Lincoln used them, he was speaking on the topic of the Civil War and slavery, but the sentiment is every bit as valid today, if not moreso, than it was then.
We as a nation ARE divided. More than ever before. It’s no longer a North vs. South, Red vs. Blue or Black vs. White situation. It isn’t a binary thing. We’re so far beyond the binary, the very concept seems quaint by comparison.
No, the fracture is much deeper than that. Much more widespread. Far more insidious. And the fractured (We the People) seem to be reveling in it!
The United States is not a sports league. If you’re looking at your fellow countrymen as “the enemy”, you’ve been hoodwinked my friend. For the last several decades we’ve been drenched in the whole diversity hogwash, and it is eroding our foundation as a nation. We were sold on the lie that Globalism is the way of the future, that we’re all the same… But how is that working out for the rank and file amongst us?
Diversity has its merits, I’m not going to deny that. Humans have the capacity to see things from different view points and to reach different conclusions based on those view points. That we as US citizens have the right to speak out about those view points is a wonderful thing. I’ve been around the block enough times that I am acutely aware that something that never occurred to me might be plainly obvious to someone else, and vice versa. All that being said however, the important thing is that we, as Americans, should be in favor of the things that make America stronger as a nation and her people more prosperous. And I don’t mean prosperous in a strictly monetary fashion, but in the growth of knowledge, of innovation, of a shared spirit of community. Now, I’m no expert on politics, socio-economics, or anything really, but my eyes and ears have brought me to the conclusion that the almighty Diversity has been nothing but devisive, and literally nothing about it over the last two decades has strengthened our nation. On the contrary, I’ve never seen more angry citizens than in the last decade. I’ve never felt less unified with my compatriots, and likey they with me.
We have been bamboozled, folks. Our generosity as a nation and our compassion as a people has been subverted for less than altruistic reasons. I’m not gonna pretend to know the why’s and wherefor’s of it all. I’m sure somebody, somewhere can tell us why we as a nation have been compelled to do the things we have done, but that’s not me. I can say for certain it wasn’t one thing. There wasn’t a flick of the switch and suddenly everything went sideways. No, this was planned, it was schemed, this is all by design, but with a slurry of unintended consequences as a bonus prize. All I know is the America I lived in, the America I cherish, has all but disappeared over the last decade. Not too long ago I ran across the phrase “suicidal empathy”, and that hit me like a cast iron skillet upside the head. I think that is a big part of the problem. Things here, post-WWII, were pretty darn good for the most part. And being a generous people, we set out to help. We Americans didn’t want to see children starving in famine ravaged countries. We didn’t want to see other nations stomped under the boot of communism. We didn’t want plagues running rampant when simple things like plumbing could make a huge difference. We wanted prosperity for others. Success wasn’t viewed as a zero-sum game.
That doesn’t appear to be the case anymore.
Now we have foreign born people making their way here, and defrauding our “safety net” programs, to the tune of billions of dollars. We have outsiders making their way into our institutions, whether they be education, government or the public sector, and demanding things that are not only un-American but quite simply, unreasonable. We are still sending millions of dollars to the Taliban for cryin’ out loud! The same people we spent 2 decades engaged in a war with, handed over millions of dollars worth of military hardware to and spent untold blood and treasure trying to defeat. We have state legislatures making laws they know good and well are in direct defiance of Constitutional law and pass them anyway, then spend millions of OUR tax dollars fighting for these laws in court. Why, may I ask? What possible good can this do for your average US citizen? Why do we put up with it? Why do we keep the same flippin’ lunatics in office, when CLEARLY they are not proficient at their jobs? How is it possible that things turn around from here?
“When you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing – When you see that money is flowing to those who deal, not in goods, but in favors – When you see that men get richer by graft and by pull than by work, and your laws don’t protect you against them, but protect them against you – When you see corruption being rewarded and honesty becoming a self-sacrifice – You may know that your society is doomed.” —Ann Rand
Somehow, over the last few decades, the American spirit has been replaced by a cynical, mean spirited shadow of its former self. Everywhere you turn, there’s a grift, a scam, a manipulation. Nobody trusts anything anymore. Not the government, not the police, not the news media, not even their own neighbors in a lot of cases. And why would they? Instead of a common goal, instead of a common culture, we’re being torn apart by these vultures. These vampires. You’ll often hear the phrase “a high trust society” these days. But you know when you never heard that phrase? When we actually had one! The reason it’s talked about so often is because it’s gone, for the most part. When you’re only out for yourself or at best your particular “tribe”, you tend to think everybody else is too, which leads either to battle or isolation. Neither of which are good for the citizens of a nation.
Undoubtedly, politics becoming a full time job was a major mistake. Allowing our legislature to make the rules for themselves was a huge mistake. Allowing essentially unrestricted money into political campaigns is a MASSIVE problem. The idea of checks and balances written into our founding documents was inspired, but clearly didn’t go far enough. The idea used to be that service to one’s country was an honor and a privilege, but the privilege part of it came from being entrusted by your fellow citizens to represent them, not flying around in private jets, not attending “galas” where your night on the town costs more than one of your represented peasants will pay for a year’s rent. Privilege shouldn’t be cocktail parties, “campaign donations”, and insider trading secrets. Our so-called leaders, the majority of whom become millionaires while “serving”, should not be living so high on the hog while the rest of us see the value of our labor siphoned off to support the “underprivileged”, the “underrepresented”. Not to mention foreign nations. I got news for all those nitwits – we’re ALL under represented!! And whatever we have left over continues losing buying power year after year. Our largest growth industries in the US should not be government jobs and healthcare!
As an aside, for those of you in the back row – the ballooning health care industry is BECAUSE our environment is being routinely poisoned, pharmaceutical “remedies” don’t actually cure anything and often cause even more damage than what you started with, and our food supply contains very little actual FOOD. Which is peculiar if you think about it. Isn’t it the GOVERNMENT’S JOB to regulate pollution and drugs and the food supply? And with there being so many new jobs in the government sector, shouldn’t those things be well taken care of? And yet…
But by all means, let’s riot over what’s going on in the middle east, or for disallowing mentally ill men playing make-believe to compete in athletics against females, or I dunno, a murderer being sent to prison for… murder?!? Good grief. The priorities of our people have gone positively bananas. We have utterly lost the common ground. It seems as though it no longer exists.
Recently I (unfortunately) watched a video clip by some young lady – college aged by the look of it – bemoaning the recent trotting out, once again by the Dem party, the ol’ “Big Tent” schtick. And she went on a tirade about how she doesn’t WANT to be in the Big Tent so long as Palestine, transgenders, college loans, undocumented people, stolen land, patriarchy, blah, blah, flippin’ blah… You know the routine. She went on for several minutes about everything wrong in her view of the world, blamed it on everyone else, offering no solution whatsoever, no substance whatsoever. Her words were nothing but a litany of politically correct buzz words. The whole scene was, quite frankly, meaningless. And yet, she was so earnest and emotional about it. She was SERIOUS. But she had nothing of value to offer anyone. And we’re supposed to be sad or demoralized because she doesn’t want to be included in the Big Tent?!? Uh, nope. If you’re so miserable here you think COMMUNISM is the answer, you’ve clearly got a screw loose. We don’t need, or have any use for, that kind of energy in these parts. And the saddest thing of it all, is that you could most likely go out to your favorite social media site and find a hundred videos just like that one in a matter of minutes. This is the result of “the long march through our institutions” coupled with social media. And it’s a recipe for disaster.
As a nation, we have lost the plot.
We are America, we are not the savior of the world. Other countries’ problems are just that, other countries’ problems. It’s not like the information and the technology isn’t out there for anyone with a room temp or better IQ, to solve some problems. We’ve got plenty right here at home that need some serious attention, and aren’t getting it.
I have said many times on this blog and IRL, that I love my country and I loathe my government. That’s every bit as true today as it’s ever been. Even on this special occasion. That is not by any means a contrary opinion these days. And while I absolutely consider myself to be an optimist, I find myself feeling like more of an accelerationist, in that I wish the entire facade would just come crashing down, so we could pick up the pieces and start all over again.
We had a strong start, but made some poor choices along the way. As Bugs Bunny used to say, “we should’a turned left at Albuquerque”, so to speak.
The government’s job isn’t to support YOU or your pet causes, it is to PROTECT its citizens. Full stop. And from where I’m sitting, they have been doing a piss poor job of it. From my perspective, jaded as it may be, they (.gov) have been far too nice about the things that simply aren’t that important in the big scheme of things, far too lenient towards those that would cause us the most damage and far too blasé toward what matters most here, the American people.
But as I have also said many a time, America is her people, NOT her government. And though we’ve been deluged with Nons lately, I know for a fact there are plenty of good, solid Americans still out there. And I do not mean that in a racial sense. Sure, it was Euros that started the ball rolling, but being American -at least to me- is all about what’s inside. It has nothing at all to do with your wrapper. The American spirit is still alive and well, I still see glimpses of it every day. It’s been getting shoved aside, threatened with “cancellation” and bullied relentlessly for the last decade or so, but it’s still there. Maybe on this auspicious occasion, we should all take a look inside and find the remnants of that spirit , take it out, dust it off and try it on for size. I think you’ll find that it fits like a glove and can be very comforting. The spirit that tells you, “yes, you can”. The spirit that guides us to think big, to become better versions of ourselves. The spirit of self-determination, not grovelling to Uncle Sam to coddle you and make everything safe and easy, so you can coast through life on auto pilot without being offended or left out or treated in a way you believe is beneath you simply because you exist.
Listen, I’m not some rose-colored glasses, pie in the sky, rah rah Patriot. I see the homeless encampments, the litter and graffiti, the drugged out whack-a-doos begging for money. I read the police blotters in our local papers, I see the government crime stats. I keep abreast of what the crooks in Sacramento and D.C. are up to (most of it bad). In addition to being an optimist, I’m also a realist and a pragmatist. I can see how far off course we are, I can see the division, I see the rot. I KNOW that some hard choices need to be made. I understand that not everyone is going to like everything. That is simply a reality, it’s not a personal attack against you. I see the charlatans and the grifters out there stirring the pot, trying to profit off the misery and/or misfortune of others. I see the same clips you all do, of people out in public losing their minds over the most trivial things. The wanton destruction of property. The smash and grabs. All flavors of reprobate and degenerate behavior. And these things get to me. It’s demoralizing. It’s beyond sad. It is heartbreaking.
But I also see the random stranger holding a door for someone. I see the stranger picking up the item the senior citizen dropped at the grocery store. I see the volunteers at the per shelters and the volunteer docents at the museums and the state parks. The neighbors bringing a meal to the new parents that just brought a baby home. The churches that let the unhoused park for the night in their parking lot so they don’t get harassed. The Amish building shelters for those that lost everything in floods. And more. So much more. Kids playing soccer in the park. The local minor league baseball team. The college radio station. That one little hole in the wall restaurant that makes the best whatever you’ve ever eaten in your life. The Christmas fairs, farmer’s markets and the downtown parades with the local high school marching bands.
And yes, fireworks on the Fourth of July.
That’s my America. That’s the world I want to continue to live in, the country I want my daughter to grow old in, the homeland we want to leave behind for our someday grandchildren. That is the America worth saving. That is the America you can be proud of. Is it perfect? No. Is anything perfect? Also no. But is it 1000x better than what the “democratic socialists” AKA communists, have in mind for us if they get their hands on the reigns of power. I look at socialism the same way I look at labor unions – unfavourably and with great disdain. We don’t need socialism to make the US a better place, in fact it would make things considerably worse. No, what we need is a re-prioritization of the needs of Americans. And I do emphasize NEEDS, not wants. I want plenty of stuff – a million dollars and huge pectoral muscles would be a great start…but what I need is clean, healthy food and water, a roof over my head and the freedom to forge my own path. That’s all anybody really needs to get by in this life. Of course a stable economy and a massively reduced tax burden would also be very welcome by me and a few hundred million other citizens.
Whining, complaining and throwing tantrums isn’t what made this country what it was. Vision, determination and more than a little grit did. This Independence Day, take just a moment to recognize that. Two Hundred Fifty years is nothing to sneeze at. Find that thing, whatever it is to you, to be grateful for as an American. We can get back to fixin’ the problems tomorrow. With a little reflection, you just might come up with a great idea! And with a dash of determination and good ol’ American grit maybe you can turn those ideas into reality.
What we need in these United States is a renewed sense of UNITY. That is one ingredient that has been sorely lacking for a long time now, and that is what is going to help us right this ship. Maybe it’s time to look up from our screens, get outside, talk to some people in the real world. You might be amazed to find that we all have a LOT more in common than we realize. And that commonality, that sense of community is what is going to take us to where we need to be. That is how we get that domestic tranquility that our founders envisioned. Not that long ago we could disagree with each other, we could discuss our differences rationally, and still be friends and united as Americans. We need to get back to that. A good idea, a good plan is self-evident. If your ideas need to be screamed into someone’s face, if you need to burn down a building or deface a public monument to make your point, then I’m sorry to say, your idea sucks. It’s time to rethink your position. And I get it, our current president is very decisive himself, a braggart and clearly an egomaniac. But our president isn’t our country, our heritage, or our homeland. Presidents and governors and assembly members, et al, come and go. We’ve had hundreds of them and we’re still standing. Beaten and bruised sometimes, sure, but we live to fight another day. Don’t let your loathing of one guy, or one party or one policy diminish what our forefathers risked their very lives to build. Not everyone is a leader, a genius or a visionary but no matter who you are as an American, you have a part to play in our success. Remember that.
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
Happy Birthday America. And Happy Independence Day to all my fellow Americans.
I’m sure most everyone that grew up in “The West” is familiar with the Foreign Exchange Student program. I’m not sure if that is still a thing, but I was certainly very familiar with it coming up through the 70s and 80s. My high school in particular had a good number of Exchange Students – primarily from Germany and Australia as I recall. In fact, my wife had one living with her for a year of High School, which I had completely forgotten about until I started writing this…
Anyhow, I’ve been seeing a lot of news stories and YouTube videos lately about Foreigners who’ve traveled to the US for the World Cup matches absolutely raving about how wonderful the US is, and several stating either they don’t want to go back home or they can’t wait to come back to the US, and that got me thinking…
I know, dangerous, right?!?
We (The West) should implement a Foreign Exchange program for citizens!
Think about it – we (US citizens) could welcome in/sponsor a foreign citizen as our guest, for a pre-determined amount of time, and let them test the waters and see how they like it. In return, we send one of our dissatisfied citizens off to a country they’re convinced is better than the US, and let them see how they like it. I hear Venezuela is nice this time of year…
After the pre-determined time, the visitor goes back home OR they decide they want to stay and get a fast track to a green card and eventually citizenship. With a positive referral from their Host, of course. The dissatisfied can stay in their new found Utopia, or they come to the conclusion that the US isn’t the racist fascist oligarchy dictatorship where white supremacists run rampant over everyone and everything in their greedy bloodlust…and come home with a new found appreciation for what we have here. The bottom line is, we NEED more people here that appreciate what we are blessed with.
If anything, I would think the whole “open borders, no person is illegal” contingent would welcome such a program.
Sponsorship would help with vetting, decrease dependency on welfare and NGO participation, lead to a quicker assimilation and reduce the number of “randoms” that show up uninvited. And the Hosts would have some skin in the game, so to speak. If you want foreign born people here, you should be willing to shoulder a bit of the weight, not just shout slogans and demand everybody chip in for what you want.
Obviously, there are a zillion details that would need to be worked out, but I think it could be a better way of doing things than the way they are done now.
Don’t get me wrong, I know such a thing is an absolute pipe dream and would never actually come to fruition. I just got to thinking about all these folks that have traveled here over the last month, seeing our wonderful country for the first time, and being astounded by what they’ve witnessed. It’s a refreshing change from the scoundrels that make their way here by hook and by crook, then spend the rest of their lives telling us how terrible we are and how we need to assimilate to their culture(s) rather than the other way around.
Look, I know the US is FAR from perfect. The lunatics have been running the asylum for way too long. (ESPECIALLY in my home state of California!!). Nevertheless, the US is an amazing place, full of untold possibilities, despite our current state of affairs and our so-called “problematic” history. I have loathed my government for decades, but I love my country and my countrymen. And I appreciate all those folks putting themselves out there, sharing their fantastic experiences while traveling throughout our country for the first time. It’s a nice reminder for us. We are fortunate to be here. I for one am eternally grateful to be an American, and I welcome those with a true American spirit, wherever they come from.
Well, that’s enough blathering for today. Sometimes I just gotta get these weird thoughts outta my head.
This morning I was scrolling through my feed on Reddit and came across an interesting topic. The question was “What is the Greatest American Band?”
Wow. That’s a head-scratcher! Lots of comments, and things got a little snarky, as Reddit often does. Nonetheless, a lot of people made good cases for a variety of bands – some bands I hadn’t even thought of. But it got me thinking, how does one “rank” such a thing? The number of songs and/or albums on the charts? The amount of radio play? Record sales numbers? Duration of the band? Cultural significance? Innovation? Influence on artists that came later? All valid touch points to be sure, but what makes them great? And of all the greats, who is the greatest?
For example, the Grateful Dead were mentioned by a LOT of people. Now, I’m not a huge fan of them, but I grew up with them as a constant feature on FM radio. And I did see them live at least half a dozen times, quite possibly more, and Dead shows were unlike anything I’d seen before, or since. There is a small army of people whose lives revolved around that band, some of them for decades. Their music is drawn from folk, bluegrass, C&W, jazz and rock and roll- all very American stuff. Their cultural significance cannot not be overstated. That being said, their albums didn’t make much of a mark on the charts. You didn’t see them on variety shows or American Bandstand or the like. They got on MTV very, very late into their career. A strong contender, but are they the Greatest American Band?
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were another widely recognized band up for consideration. Their music, from beginning to end just oozed Americana. Honestly, these guys tick a LOT of boxes. Longevity? From the late 70’s through 2017. Albums and singles on the charts? Check. MTV video awards? Check. Influence? Absolutely, undoubtedly. Radio play and MTV? Every day for decades. Influential? Check. Die-hard fans? Yep. Heck, they even got a star on Hollywood Boulevard! As a fan of theirs since the very beginning, I’d certainly lean their direction in voting them in for the Greatest American Band.
But then somebody brought up Van Halen… OK, stop the presses. While Van Halen didn’t exactly tear up the charts with their albums, you couldn’t listen to rock radio from 1977 until… yesterday? without hearing a Van Halen song. David Lee Roth, while not the world’s strongest vocalist, is widely considered to be one of the greatest showmen to ever grace a stage. He was kinda the standard by which all others were judged for a very long time. And Eddie? Good grief, the man REDEFINED rock guitar and inspired tens-of-thousands of kids to beg their parents for a guitar. His innovation with the guitar hardware even, is unparalleled. He became a living legend with the release of their DEBUT album, and then kept getting better! One could argue the entire “hair metal” genre wouldn’t have even existed were it not for the influence of early Van Halen. And while you might think the world would be a better place without hair metal, that is a magnitude of influence unmatched in rock and roll. The kind of influence that might garner the title of Greatest American Band.
Then there were dozens of others, from the Beach Boys (whom I LOVE) to the Eagles (whom I generally loathe) to Lynyrd Skynyrd (I like a lot of their stuff but wouldn’t say I love any of it) and a bunch more that all had some outstanding qualities, but I would never have considered the greatest… Credence Clearwater Revival, the Doors, both the Allman AND Doobie Brothers, R.E.M., the Ramones…it was an impressive list of impressive bands, to say the least.
I guess when you boil it all down, there really is no “greatest band”, American or otherwise. It’s really subjective and in the ear of the beholder. But what I can say, with all sincerity, is that we Americans have been absolutely blessed with a plethora of amazing, supremely talented bands and decades of awesome music. Our country has produced some of the most innovative bands the world has ever known. And we often take that for granted.
For the record, the very first band that popped into my head when I first read the question was Stone Temple Pilots… Ok, I hadn’t had my morning coffee yet, so cut me some slack. I hadn’t taken all the touch points into account. After more consideration (and caffeine!) I came to the realization that STP might possibly be my favorite American band, but they had stood on the shoulders of Giants, who certainly would be worthy of the title more than them. But after careful consideration I have come to the conclusion that there really is no such thing as a Greatest when it comes to music. But as long as musicians are out there trying to be the greatest, all of us with ears to listen are the true winners!
Thanks for stopping by! Now, go listen to something!!
