Serendipity

For those of you who might not know the exact definition.
Serendipity is the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for. Got to love the online dictionary.
Anyway, so last night I decide to go out. Usually after work I come home and just go to bed, because I don't get off work till 11:30pm. But last night we finish cleaning up early, it was pay day, the Sun and Moon aligned, hell frozen over, etc, etc. You get the point. So after a quick shower, I go up to the neighborhood bar.
I am not in the bar for two minutes when, I run into Melinda. Melinda is this beautiful redhead woman, who use to bartend at the works. I liked her. She was attractive, honest, and funny. She told me about what she was doing, then gave me her phone number in Jackson.
Serendipity, You go to love it.

HCB 02-21-06

ARTIST SONG ALBUM
Chris Cotton- Black Night- I watched the Devil Die
Watermelon Slim & the Workers- Frisco Line- Watermelon Slim & the Workers
Otis Rush- Gambler's Blues- All Your Love I Miss Loving
Tail Dragger- Tend to Your Business- My Head Is Bald
John Mayer Trio- Another Kind of Green- Try
Thee Shams- No Trust Fund Blues- Sign the Line
Ride the Blinds- Foster City Blues- Start Running
Derek Trucks Band- I'll Find My Way- Songlines
Burnside Exploration- Poor Man's Blues- The Record
Scissormen- Jumper on the Line- Jinx Breakers
Junior Kimbrough- I'm Leaving You Baby- Most Things Haven't Worked Out
Junior Kimbrough- Do the Romp- All Night Long
Junior Kimbrough- Crawling King Snake- Sad Days, Lonely Nights
Junior Kimbrough- I Feel Alright- Meet Me in the City
Buddy Guy- Done Got Old- Sweet Tea
Richard Johnston- Meet Me in the City- Official Bootleg #1
Mark Lanegan- All Night Long- Sunday Nights: Songs of Junior Kimbrough
Johnny Rawls- I Feel So Good- Get Up and Go
Little Milton- Little Blues Bird- Greatest Hits
Wilson Pickett- It's Harder Now- It's Harder Now
Eddie Floyd- Maintence Man- To the Bone
Slick Ballinger- Brotherhood- Rough Mix EP

HCB 02-14-06

THE NOT SO SPECIAL VALENTINE'S DAY EDITION

ARTIST SONG ALBUM
Ray Charles- Drown In My Own Tears- Best of Ray Charles The Atlanitc Years
Solomon Burke- I Got the Blues- Make Do with What You Got
Al Green- My Problem is You-I Can't Stop
Ray Charles- A Fool for You- Best of Ray Charles The Atlanitc Years
Buddy Guy- Baby Please Don't Leave Me- Sweet Tea
Elmore James- The Sky Is Crying- Shake Your Money Maker
Robert Belfour- My Baby's Gone- Big Bad Love
Michael Powers- Can't Quit You Baby- Onyx Root
Sun House- Death Letter Blues- Revisited
R.L. Burnside- Walkin Blues- Acoustic Stories
Lead Belly- Irene- Where Did You Sleep Last Night
Big Joe Williams- Baby Please Don't Go- Highway 49 Revisited
John Lee Hooker- Serves Me Right to be Alone- Very best of John Lee Hooker
Etta James- I'd Rather Go Blind- Best of Etta James
Big Maybelle- Don't Let the Sun See You Crying- The Same Old Story
Otha Turner- Station Blues- Senegal to Senatobia
Otha Turner- Shimmy She Wobble- Everybody Hollerin Goat
Otha Turner- Bounce Ball- Senegal to Senatobia
Otha Turner- My Babe- Everybody Hollerin Goat
Markus James- Goin Home- Nightbird
Afrissippi- Nduumandi/Hands off that Girl- Afrissippi EP
North Mississippi Allstars- Station Blues- Shake Hands with Shorty
B.B. King- How Blues Can You Get- The Blues: B.B. King
Bobby Bland- Who Will the Next Fool Be- Very Best of Bobby Bland
Gary U.S. Bonds- I've Got Dreams to Remember- Back In 20
Little Milton- Baby I love You- Who's Cheating Who
Junior Kimbrough- Burn In Hell- Most Things Haven't Worked Out

Meditation on Valentine's Day

As I have been putting together my set list for HCB today, my special Valentine's Day edition, I can't help but think about this aweful day. I really hate Valentine's Day.
Valentine's Day origin are lost to history. Odds are St. Valentine was two or three people in reality. One Valentine was probably a priest in early Roman. He would marry young couples, even thought the emporer had outlawed marriage for anyone under a specific age(The Emporer thought his army would be better fighters if the young men where not married). Another Valentine was probably an imprisoned christian in Roman. The story goes he fell in love with the daughter of the jailor. His last act was to send her a letter expressing his love, signed "From Your Valentine."
Why do we celebrate this holiday in February? This answer is also lost to us. Some guess that it is the date of Birth or Death of St. Valentine(s). Another theory is that it is a way to Christianize pagan fertilite rituals. February was seen as the beginning of Spring. That must have been nice.
Valentine notes/card showed up as early as 15th century. The populatity of the Holiday increased and by the 18th century is was common in Britian and France to exchange tokens of love and notes on this day. As better printing technology became available, printed cards replace hand written notes.
But it wasn't till the late 20th century that Valentine's Day in the United States, become the day we now celebrate. With a large marketing push from the Greeting Card, Candy and Floral industries. They were later joined by the diamond merchants. To make this day that we are to express our love to your loved ones. Shouldn't we do that every day?
While I know it is a Bull Shit,Hallmark holiday,it just amplifies the feelings of loneliness.So after my show tonight I am get a pint of whiskey and playing my guitar till I fall asleep.

5 Days to Get There

The comic book version of real live events of my friends Chris Reid aka Reid and Brian Floyd aka Floyd. This is a retelling of their road trip to L.A. and it is almost a true story.




















So, Check It Out

Walk the Line

I can't express how much I really liked this movie. It was just released here last weekend and it was awesome. Knowing the story, I really got to watch the preformances of Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon. Both where dynamite, especially Phoenix doing the little nuances that captured John Cash.
And of course the music of The Man in Black himself just provides a great soundtrack to the film.
Stealing alot of the early scenes was the supporting cast as the Sun Records tour. It really makes you think back to those early days of rock. I mean there was once a tour that had Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, and Carl Perkins. That must have been one hell of tour to have seen. Even if you didn't fully understand what you where seeing. I can only wonder, if the next generation of Icons are roaming around the country together and wonder what they could be talking about. Of course in this day and age, of the internet and MTV that would never happen. But some times it is nice to dream about. I wonder if we have lost as much as we have gained with "modern" society. With out the struggles have we become a society of the mediocre....
Anyway its a great movie about love and dreams.

HCB 2-7-06

ARTIST SONG ALBUM
R.L. Burnside- Walkin Blues- First Record
Fred McDowell and Johnny Woods- Red Cross Store- Mama Says I'm Crazy
Furry Lewis- Worried Blues- Good Morning Judge
Joe Callicot- Laughing to keep from Crying- Ain't Gonna Lie to You
J.W. Warren- Rabbit on a Log- Life Ain't Worth Livin
Robert Belfour- You Got Me Crying- Pushin my luck
Robert Cage- Little Eddie Blues- Can See What You're Doing
Robert Randolph- Shake Your Hip- Live At the Wetland
Johnny Winter- Come on in my Kitchen- Best of Johnny Winter
Clarence Gatemouth Brown- The Drifter- Timeless
Lightnin Hopkins- Mojo Hand- Just Pickin
R.L. Burnside- Kindhearted Woman Blues- Acoustic Stories
R.L. Burnside- I love Mississippi/ Goin Away Baby- No Monkey on this Train
R.L. Burnside- Highway 7- Mr. Wizard
R.L. Burnside- Poor Boy- Ass Pocket of Whiskey
R.L. Burnside- Goin Down South- Burnside on Burnside
Burnside Exploration- Poor Man's Blues- The Record
Kenny Brown- Shake'em On Down- Stingray
Duwayne Burnside- Treatin Me So Bad- Under Pressure
Burnside Exploration- All By Myself- The Record
Ride the Blinds- Foster City Blues- Start Running
Thee Shams- No Trust Fund Blues- Sign the Line

Steelers Wins!!!!

Can I pick the winner or what! I am glad Jerome Bettis got a Superbowl win before he retired. First half was really boring, but the second half was pretty exciting! Best play of the game was the reverse pass and the 75 yard return both for Steeler TD.

New Music for IPWology

I have finally updated the music on my Blog. You are currently listening to What Made Milwaukee Famous thanks to Garageband.com. What Made Milwaukee Famous are a small Indie Rock band that I am currently total enamour with. I first saw them on the best music show on TV,
Austin City Limits with Franz Ferdinand. And They Just Rocked!!!! So give a listen.