Life Update: 062510

I know, I haven't been keeping you up to date on a lot of things. I think it's just getting a bit mad over here. So let's start with some fresh stuff:

1. Remember that video I posted for my niece Meagan? (Pictured above... a favorite photo of mine.) It seems that a few things happened. Wet Seal wasn't ready for the idea of social media driving people to the videos in their search for their next model. So, they went through and cut 25 instead and are down to 75. To get to final 25 (of which a winner will be chosen by Wet Seal), Facebook members can vote "once per day per person" at this link. Oddly enough, there is a Megan there... don't be confused. Look for the color photo to the far left about 5 rows from the bottom. It also looks like you might have to click the "Like" above on the page to get the vote to count. I thank all of you that voted and helped her get this far. Voting ends July 5th.
2. Went to help my mother pack for a bit as she moves closer to my sister in Boulder City. Yes, I'm envious. Beautiful town and close to the lake. Her poor dogs were sick the whole time we were packing, so I think we got a lot less done that we should have.
3. One week away from what I've been calling our West Coast tour. Going to see 2 sets of in-laws and then my grandmother, aunts, uncles and cousins in Sacramento before seeing Tracy in Reno and maybe visiting a few northern Nevada landmarks. Oh... and we are taking the dogs. We bought sedatives... for them (sigh.)
4. The next few shows will be pre-recorded for Talking 80s Music to allow me to travel (and not bring a huge collection of gear in tow.) I wound up sending a last minute email to our featured act this week, Jon Astley, and wound up with the best non-interview I've ever done. Might splice it together to put with the text interviews at 80s Music Central. Very nice of him to do that for us.
5. Bark Off. I know, you've seen the commercials and thought... that can't work. We decided to try it out. It took a few times but it definitely calmed the house down. Bella hated it enough to try to chew into it today. No fear we have 3 more ready and waiting.
6. I guess there will be stress involved with going on a stress-relieving (or is it reliving?) trip. I'll just be happy once we are on the road. Should be doing a show live from Coos Bay, Oregon.
   

I'm off to get some more news writing done for this week's show but I hope all is well over there with you.

Help Meagan: Wet Seal 2010

I know. Usually, I say... "hey, look into this band" or "you really ought to look into this." It isn't often that I ask you to view a video on YouTube (despite the fact that I've been posting more and more to the site.)

Recently, my niece Meagan was accepted as one of 100 contestants competing to be a spokesmodel for Wet Seal for 2010. Her chance of getting to the next round entirely depends on how many views her video gets. I don't ask for much but if I can help my niece get to the next phase... I will have done all I can to help her. Help me, help her. View this video. Send it to friends. Ask them to send it along.

The Bella And Tulip Show: BandT Park 2

We figured that it was time to bring in a few guest stars. Most shows have guest stars, right? We just stumbled on two other puggles that look identical (we would lose track of who was who.) Goes to remind us that even though most puggles look similar, there are always anomalies like Bella.

The Bella And Tulip Show: BandT Park

Since I'm going strong, here's our first episode of The Bella And Tulip Show: BandT Park. Who would have thought that documenting the regular goings on at a dog park could rank right up there with cutting your wrists?

David Tennis 053010

Remember when I said earlier that I felt bad about not posting anything recently? Well, I've been taking David out on the tennis court each week and decided to record a little of today's work out with you -- family and friends. It'll be good to give him something to look back on and say "I'm a lot better now, huh?"

Things Taking Shape

I often like to use the word 'projects' when discussing the future. Some of these projects in the past were the newsletter, website, show, blog and other things. Things have been so busy with the new projects that I've neglected you here. So, I'll mention just a few:
1. One of the biggest projects is learning how to use this thing pictured above. It's a fully-loaded 13" Macbook Pro. For someone like me, that has been around and put computers together for well... way too long, it's a major shift. Things aren't were they are supposed to be. You don't remove things the same way. You wind up hunting for items or options that are right in front of your face. It's getting better. Hard to assess the battery life as it keeps running down so much when I'm using it. May be something to address in the future. But, Kerry loves the thing. It requires her not being around to get a few moments alone with it. Yet, I now have a lot of the most important software installed.

2. Been working on taking Talking 80s Music mobile using the aforementioned laptop. The show is hard enough to get through sometimes with the technological unpredictability of using the software and hardware I've been using for the last 3+ years. You may then understand my trepidation... no, fear of changing to something that could be even more unpredictable. It has to be done, though. We'll make the attempt during the episode after this one.

3. Picked up a video recorder a bit ago. Had 3 to 4 ideas for video series that I wanted to create. (Which has me considering placing almost everything I've been doing under the umbrella of a self-formed media group.) I'm expecting the first of these to launch after we convert to mobile.

4. We stopped publication of The 80s Nuts Newsletter after 12+ years. Kind of... You see, spending that long focused on cooking doesn't make you stop watching cooking shows or fiddling around in the kitchen. The passion for the news continues and may not always pop up on the show. So we created a blog (hahaha... kinda fitting isn't it) that will collect all those articles as they get posted. The good thing about it is that when I mention a video coming out... I can show it to you. When a free download is available, you can just click a link to it. It's the step we should have taken 5 years ago.

5. Been spending more time on the tennis court. (For those that know me, you are probably shaking your heads.) I've found a renewed passion for teaching while working with my son. Looking at doing some charity work utilizing these tools and have a few ideas lined up for later this year.

....oh, there are more but I won't bore you with them. I also didn't want to leave you out of the loop so long. Everything is going well over here and I hope all is good there with you.

Saying Goodbye To A Decade's Work

Busy day tomorrow, but I wanted to take a moment and express my thanks to all those that followed the 80s Nuts Newsletter in its more than decade-long journey celebrating the music of a decade. Today, I announced an end to that journey. Not easy.

Maybe it's a sign of O.C.D. but when you start doing something weekly that people enjoy (and in your own head think: depend on and expect), you keep going. My problem is that I create ongoing projects. I do that very well, in fact. But, one has to expect an end in there somewhere. And after more than 520 issues of the newsletter, I'll be putting it to rest on Apr. 23rd.

It's not easy. It's letting go of an obsession for covering the information better and more extensively than anyone else. I also have to re-evaluate 80s Music Central and Talking 80s Music. The latter could still have a purpose as a series focused on specific recording artists each week -- sans the news.

The problem with having so many ongoing projects is that the new ones that I'd like to start are held back. There are a few new video series that I have in my head. I have a few charitable projects that I'd like to launch. Each take time and effort but won't be the same solo effort. Any of these future endeavors will be team Hennessy or nothing. It's going to take some time to adjust as it feels like I'm grieving but I see a bright future ahead.

Time To Make An Adjustment

Got a lot in my head right now. Been looking at my multitude of project ideas and my limited time to implement them. Some of it is because other ideas blossomed and took over big chunks of time. I'm not unhappy about that... and oddly enough, neither is the wife. She turned to me the other day and said, "You are always going to have a hobby." From the statement, it doesn't seem like much but, in the context of the conversation, she understands that I'll always have a project in my head that I want to take to the next step. Like a hobby, it keeps me busy through most of my free time but not enough to ignore family.

So, as I work out the logistics this month, I'll be shutting... well, probably more like changing the door on one of my longest running projects. Passions must continue but the also have to evolve some. We'll see how it all works out shortly.

In This Corner

I was thinking about it yesterday. I was looking at David and thinking about what kind of turbulent love life he's going to lead. The crushes, the cold shoulders, the love notes and the less than amicable partings. They all take you somewhere though.

I say that because we all have a journey to find ourselves. (No, not in that existential or emotional retreating phraseology.) Some of us know early on and are literally blessed with self knowledge. For me, it was coming to terms with who I am, what I want and who I need to surround myself with and put in my corner for the biggest fights of my life. I chased, I flirted, I teased and I begged but, each time a parting came, I discovered a bit more of who I was. I'd look back and wonder, "What the heck was I thinking?" I started to try to make myself happy and not believe my happiness was the water that overflowed from my filling the empty vessel belonging to someone else. You can't go blindly throwing everything you have into a relationship hoping it will yield the same force back. That is... unless you find your cornerman or cornerwoman.

I'm up looking at the clock thinking... 2 years ago today, I made an amazing acceptance. I found an amazing woman. Her heart is open, loving and tender but it's ready to put itself into harms way for a select few. She strives to do better for her family. Her worries of letting people down prods her to go above and beyond. She would give up her own happiness to make her son, her husband or any member her family happy. And... she's much much more.  I can't express everything that she is to me but there is no need to catch overflowing water when your vessel is also being filled. There is also no blindness when you see the active force of love coming back at you. I'm blessed to have found you, sweetheart, and you make me all that I can be.

Only Garth

I know that it looks like I'm starting to promote Las Vegas concerts. You may be partially right there. My wife is a huge fan of Garth Brooks. I'm a fan but never saw him live before. She's such a big fan that she woke me up, from a dead sleep, excited with the news that Brooks would start performing at the Wynn in Las Vegas at the end of last year. We couldn't afford the tickets early on and waited. Our tax return and the timing of our anniversary made tonight's performance a must.

She had the purchase of the tickets all worked out. She would wake up early, set up a few computers and two phones with the intention to get through and get tickets. The excitement faded after a few hours. The venue had just launched their anti-scalping policy which pretty much locked up their servers and phone lines. The phones were busy and the window applet that said she was 'in cue' would just time-out. Frustrated, she told me that she was done and was going to her mother's house to feed the dogs. When she returned, she tried again... and got through. The smile on her face when she came to tell me "Guess what?" had replaced the tears from earlier. We were to go with our friends Jennifer and Ryan (but that is a long story that, to protect the names of the innocent, must be saved for my memoirs -- due out July 26th 2041 via Simon & Schuster.)

Getting the tickets there was a breeze and they even had refreshments if the lines got bad. The solitary guitar sitting on its stand on the stage, viewed when walking into the Encore Theater, tells you right-away that it was going to be an intimate show. It was. As you may know, I'm first and foremost a fan of music history more than a particular artist. Brooks takes you along his personal history and I'm sure more than half of the audience went home to Google the likes of Merle Haggard, George Jones, James Taylor, Simon & Garfunkel, Gladys Knight And The Pips, George Strait, Reba McEntire and Chris LeDoux (among others.) He teased with renditions of those songs -- laying the basis for what would become his own sound. Personal, laugh-out-loud humorous and thoughtful, you get to see a side of Garth that few do. He didn't let fans down that wanted to hear his songs either... you might have thought that from the description. He ripped into several classics, tested himself with a few songs the audience threw at him and brought out his wife Trisha Yearwood for a duet and her own hit single before winding down the show himself.

I have seen a lot of concerts. I don't review them often because the recorded medium and live arena are so different yet many just want to hear 'the hits' played just like on the album. That's not the way to judge a live performance. Of all the shows that I've seen, Garth Brooks' current low-key (a man and his guitar) set was quite possibly the best that I've ever seen. If you weren't a fan, you became one. If you were a fan, you got to know the man. And, I don't think that you can put a price tag on that.

Do You Want Another One? -- Happy Anniversary, Tulip

I figure that it's time to tell a dog story. This one takes us back to just about this moment a whole 365 days ago. It had been an interesting 4 months with our puggle puppy Bella. She was chewing on everything and excreting about anywhere she could. When we went to pick her up for David's birthday, Kerry and I discussed dog names and she said, "I've always wanted to call a dog Tulip." I told her that there was no way I would call a dog that. So, Twilight fan that she was... she had another name set aside. So when we put the puppy in the car, I asked David what he wanted to call her. He asked his mom what she thought was a good name... hence, Bella came into our home and vocabulary.

So it was now 4 months or so later and I'm sitting at work. My friend Corey came up to me out of the blue and asked, "Do you want another one?" Of course, my reaction is, "Another what?" So he goes on to explain that his wife has a bad habit of scanning the LIED Animal Shelter dog listings every night and she found another puggle. I didn't know what to think. If you asked me a year beforehand if I'd wanted even one dog, I'd have said that I didn't have the time, energy or room to devote to one. Now, I was entertaining the idea of a second dog. So, I told him that I'd check it out online and see if it was still there.

Kerry woke up when I got home early the next morning (as I usually do.) I was checking it out online and told her the story. We then both looked online and saw a very small photo. We talked about how another more mature dog could calm Bella down and keep her company when we weren't there. We decided that I'd go to the shelter the following morning and check out the dog just for kicks. I woke up early on March 5th and walked through the area looking at all the dogs. I didn't see this puggle anywhere and was heading back towards the car when I decided to ask someone.

When I asked about the dog, the man at the desk's eyes lit up. "You've come to check her out? She's such a sweetheart. We have no idea why she's been here this long. Here, let me get someone to show you where she is." She was there for well over a month (or about 3 if I remember right.) I guess, there is a viewing area and an area in back where dogs can go potty and sit in the sun a little... so I didn't see her. I used my cellphone and took a few photos of this shy little dog and sent them to Kerry. She quickly responded, "Get her! Get her now!" So, I didn't protest. We went to a little fenced-in grass area to see how she'd get along with me. She kind of kept to herself but was very calm. She would even hide behind the worker's leg. She'd been abandoned and that can't do well in the area of trust. "I'll take her," I said.

I sat there filling out the paperwork at LIED and it really hadn't hit me yet. The same man that called her a 'sweetheart' told me that because she'd been there so long, they'd let her go for... $25. Yes, that's right. After I got my jaw off the floor and handed him the money, he had me resume the paperwork. That's when he said, "You can wait to name her if you want and send the rest of the papers in later." If you know me by now, I don't do well with loose deadlines so I wanted it out of the way. That's when I remembered how Kerry really wanted a dog named Tulip. I started biting my nails. Was I going to break any manly oath that I'd made to myself to not name a dog after a flower and please my wife? You bet.

We were still a little concerned as to if she'd been fixed as she didn't have any scars or stitches but we'd later find out that she just healed really well. We hadn't told David and he was even more excited than before (as he'd been avoiding the little chew-monster Bella.) It was when I raised my voice at Bella, my heart first broke for Tulip. She peed right where she stood. Then she slowly went to the other side of the house. She thought I was upset with her and it worried me that this dog had to have gone through some really hard times. Never again! Never again without a home. Never again not knowing she belonged. I had to work later that night, but all I could think about was her adjusting to her new home. Kerry went shopping for a crate and extras on her way home from work.

So, this dog, that hops on our bed in the morning to snuggle near one of my legs, mini-howls when she's excited (usually around food) or licks me just because my hands are near her, has changed me more than I ever expected. We've always thought of Bella as Kerry's dog, as she follows her wherever she goes and snuggles up with her on the recliner at night. Sure, she's David's dog but emotionally, there is a bond there. And I have my own bond with Tulip. She makes me smile for some of the silliest reasons but she also has a piece of my heart that I will never get back. So, I'm thankful that one year ago today, a friend asked me, "Do you want another one?"

Happy New Year's.. Eve

You didn't think I'd post it in the morning did you. I'll be sleeping til at least noon after drinking strawberry daiquiri's and Arbor Mist Blackberry Merlot tonight with my beautiful wife, obstinate son (cider only), mother-in-law and father-in-law.

It has been quite a year. My wife has headed back to school (yes, she's just now learning how brilliant I know she is) for her next career. Our son got his second set of braces (yes, I had no idea straightening teeth needed more than one set.) Our dogs learned the 'down' command... (as long as I'm holding food.) The show is going great and this week starts its 4th year. I am nowhere closer to completing the book but I'm reading tons of them (so many, that I really need to update the reading list on the site.)

May this new year be the start of something special or a renewal of good things for you and yours!

Christmas 2009

Haven't been posting as much as I'd like but I wanted to wish all of you a very merry Christmas. It's been a great year for our family but I can say that nothing has filled our hearts with as much love as the two little girls you see above (Bella on the left, Tulip to the right.) We've even started taking them to the dog park daily as we do our walking.

Expecting a great day with my side of the family as we kind of gathered with Kerry's side a few days prior. (David had a fever, so I stayed home with him while Kerry was there in our stead.) The best gift we can hope for this holiday is the health of our family.

Oh, Sh...Shampoo

With Thanksgiving only days away, Kerry and I took her mother to Costco to do a little shopping. Found some goodies that we had been wanting to pick up. Anyhow, upon our return, we saw what you see in the above photo... all over the house. Now, Bella (our young little puggle) has had some previous potty training issues in the last year that we've had her but we thought things had massively improved. But, something about this looked strange. This was a big area with a lot of these spots.

So, as we wandered through the house to assess the extent of the damage, we breathed a sigh of relief. Then a little fear set in. Chocolate and dog stomachs don't exactly play well together. Bella had gotten into the pantry and broken into a box of Jello Chocolate Pudding mix. It does seem that the amount of chocolate is small (and most wound up on the carpet) so we may be in the clear. (For some reason Jell-O would not tell us how much cocoa is in a box as it is a proprietary measurement. Yeah, I laughed at that too.) Now, the fun part is trying to clean it up and getting the dog to vomit. I sound excited don't I?

Update: She heaved, she pooped, she barked... and repeated the process all night. Tomorrow will be better, I expect. That is if our nerves hold out.

12 Is A Magic Number

Today my son, David, turned 12. It was at the end of the day that I made one of those mental leaps that leaves me lost in thought for hours on end. I've often told people that my favorite year for music was 1983. I've looked at it over and over again but some of the music just connected for me. That was the year that I turned 12.

What makes it more interesting is that, just the other day, David did something he's never done before. He asked his mom if they could stay in the car to listen to the end of a Taylor Swift song. Usually, he just asks us to turn the music down or off. Now, he's enjoying Swift, Carrie Underwood, Rodney Atkins (especially "Watching You") and a few oldies that we've slipped in.

So, I'd like you to take a moment and do some math for me. When were you 12? How close was that to when you first really started to appreciate music? You see, some people believe 12 is a magic number. But, I wonder if our listening habits finally come into their own. Do we understand the lyrics more? Just thoughts to ponder for the next 12 years or so.

People Waiting For Us

Forever is a big word. I used it twice when I said my vows to my wife because I didn't feel it was big enough. When I married Kerry, I inherited an even larger family than my own. Kind of daunting when you gain 3 father-in-laws that each give you the long stare, considering if you are worthy of their little girl. One of those men was Fred Sicks.

There are always things you hear within a family about how 'so and so' aren't speaking to each other or how 'so and so' weren't the nicest of human beings in their past. Since I didn't have a past with this new family, I didn't have anything to compare the present with. But what I did know is that after a long absence in my wife's life, Fred and his wife Sandy moved to Las Vegas to be closer to his family. Fred had been dealing with type 2 diabetes and heart issues.

The Fred that I knew was jovial, smiled wide when he shook your hand and had a twinkle in his eyes during the holidays. He enjoyed politics and was active in his community. Of course, this is the side I will remember most of him. Fred lost his life yesterday. My promise to watch over his little girl is fresh on my mind. His family is hurting but one thing is assured... he will be one of the people waiting for us, greeting us with a warm smile as we enter heaven.

Walking The Family

Kerry and I have been working on getting more exercise in and have come up with a plan. We are 3 days into our program already. We are walking for 30 minutes around our complex every day. We plan to add 5 minutes every month to build up to 45 minutes a day. The 30 minutes that she walks the dogs in the mornings is too stop-start to get any cardio out of it but we're trying to include the dogs in the walk. Bella has made it through the last two and Tulip made it about 15 minutes before we had to drop her off at home (but did so without delay.)

I keep thinking back to Lora and her late night walks and how it has helped her. I don't have the nights free but currently Kerry and I have daytime together and are using it appropriately. So far so good. I want to stay around as long as I can. B)

Chad Smith's Bombastic Meatbats - Meet The Meatbats

It isn't often that a respected long-time member of a band to start looking for side-projects. It's not often that they release albums by two projects in one year in different genres. One such project, Chad Smith's Bombastic Meatbats, which takes the Red Hot Chili Pepper into the area of jazz. Can a funk drummer make a smooth transition into the technical genre?

If there was a song to lead this set with, it could only be "Need Strange" as it is almost a frenzy of Schroder playing the Peanuts theme and the theme from Sanford and Son. Each instrument has a showcase and there is something more than fusion jazz here. There are many other highlights including the musical journey of "The Battle For Ventura Blvd." with enunciations, lulls and tensions that take you for the ride. "Oh! I Spilled My Beer" touches on some rock guitar in some flourishes but is dominated by a keyboard groove that can be inebriating. "Death Match" starts with a little posturing and a struggle develops midway with a triumphant conclusion. All starts casually with "Night Sweats" with a few nightmarish moments, some relief, tossing and turning and the rhythmic beat of your heart as you awake. Great to see the Latin-feel of "Lola" amongst the set adding to a very diverse album.

Is Meet The Meatbats a casual album for any Red Hot Chili Pepper fan?  No.  This is what I would put in your hands if you told me you wanted to stretch your musical palate.

3 out of 5

Alias - Never Say Never

There are some things that never see the light of day. Artists get funded by a label to record an album and if the label isn't happy with the finished product, it can sit on a shelf gathering dust. This happens. The rise of grunge affected many rock releases in the early 1990s including Alias' Never Say Never which through fan fanaticism and bootleg copies has become a veritable 'holy grail.' So the album finally being released after nearly 18 years is well worth reviewing.

Alias' potency bursts out of the gate with the machismo challenge of "Woman Enough" and passing the torch to the Steve DeMarchi guitar-heavy yet chantable "XTCOI." This really does set an energy level for the release heading into the plaintive "How Much Longer Is Forever" which is one of many stand-out songs on the disc. Instead of just back-to-back rock tracks they interject the feel of a Victorian waltz on the ballad "Give Me A Reason" which also makes the next transition to the swaggering "Wild Wild One" more perceptible. "Pleasure And Pain" starts sultry in a David Coverdale delivery yielding into a few Black Crows-like moments -- vocally, this is a Freddie Curci highlight reel as well as a band that can merge genres and deliver solid songs. I could go through each of these 13 (as well as 4 assorted bonus tracks depending on which version you are purchasing) songs and inundate you with too much information.

What you need to know is Never Say Never is a bold rock album that is as diverse as it is deep. No song sounds alike or dated and each shows Alias as an act in their prime. It's a shame the album didn't get released when it was ready but maybe it took some time for people to recognize a good album for what it is. The only negative to the delay is the lack of a follow-up.

4 out of 5

Master And Servant

I enjoy watching NBC's The Biggest Loser. I'll admit it. I think there is no show like it that at the end of each episode you see someone that has fought to make changes in their health for the better. That being said, trainer Jillian Michaels kicks butt. I currently picked up my DVD of her 30 Day Shred workout and started sweating again. Yesterday, it was the whole family. So, after seeing Jillian talking about her new book about a month ago on a morning show... it wound up on my reading list.

What needs to be said is that Master Your Metabolism isn't a workout. She 2 has books on that already. This one talks about her battle with her weight and clarifies the misunderstanding of 'metabolism.' Think about it for a second. How many friends have you commented about having a 'high metabolism' and that they couldn't put on weight if they tried? We've come to believe that metabolisms are high, low or inbetween but don't talk about the hundreds of hormones in our bodies that affect our metabolisms making them effective, ineffective or stable. This book does just that and a lot of it is what we are feeding ourselves. It does read more like a science text book but well worth pushing through.

After reading the book (and reading certain sections with my wife), we decided to entirely remake our shopping list. We started by pulling foods out of the pantry. We started shopping for items that had fewer ingredients (meaning less preservatives and other byproducts.) We then broke the news to our son that certain ingredients would not be in the house and that if he found an alternative, we'd consider it. So far, we are doing great with the change and feel some of the benefits already. Every great journey begins with a step.

Your First Interview

I can still remember the first time that I filled out an application for a job. I can also remember sitting down with that store's manager for the interview. First impressions really are everything and learning to handle yourself in front of a possible employer is a skill that must be developed. I got that first job. I think Shakey's Pizza really needed me... but I know that I needed them more. I know now that I learned so much from my short time there... much more than how to decorate and bake a good pie.

So, it was time for my son to have that same experience yesterday. His grandmother Sandy (pictured with David above) works at the county wetlands park and they had a need for volunteers. My only words of advice for him were "Listen carefully, answer respectfully and save your questions until asked if you have any." It seems that things went pretty well as he will be starting after he returns from vacation in Washington. It should be interesting to ask him 20 years from now, "What did you learn from your first job?"

A Change Is Gonna Come

So, I am returning from a trip to Mesquite, NV, to celebrate Kerry and my first anniversary. Had a great time. Kerry tried golfing for the first time and may want to continue playing. We'll work on that in the future. Stayed the night at the Casablanca and caught a really bad lounge act called Vision. (Let's correct that... the band were amazing, the vocals weren't.)

During the trip home yesterday, I get a call from work. Kerry and David are in the car and we are going to pick up the girls (Bella and Tulip) from the Petsmart hotel. I am told that my shift at the hotel has been eliminated. Only one of the choices would give me the same day off as Kerry. I'm driving, she's really shaken but writes down all the shifts and we proceed to a parking lot to discuss it. David keeps voicing his concern that 'family dinners' will be affected (as we only get to do that on Sundays and rarely on Saturdays) with tears in his eyes. I turn to him and tell him, "David, a decision has to be made and we don't have time to worry about family dinners." The stress definitely brought the joy of our anniversary to a screeching halt.

The decision (our choice of 6 shifts) was to have Monday and Tuesdays off and move up an hour to a 4pm to midnight shift. The consequences of this are far-reaching and undetermined at this time. The show on Saturdays will probably have to be moved earlier to allow time to edit before work. This also ruins one of my favorite events which is going out to Teri and Lloyd's on Saturdays to see UFC fights. Our family gatherings for birthdays on Sunday nights... are in limbo but could be moved earlier. At least, I'll have Mondays off with the wife and can still pick up my son from school before work. Speaking of that... I gotta take care of that right now. Thanks for letting me vent.

Update: Got to work and found out that all the stress that we went through the day before didn't really matter and that I've been assigned a shift (4pm-midnight Fri-Sat off.) Expecting to hear something new tomorrow as they obviously don't know what they are doing now.

Gary Wright - The Light Of A Million Suns

Gary Wright recently released his follow-up to 1999's Human Love album. Well, two follow-ups, in fact -- The Light Of A Million Suns EP (a 4-track set that includes one re-recording) and, the 6-track instrumental set, Waiting To Catch The Light. Let's take a closer look at Wright's new EP.

The Light Of A Million Suns opens with the explosive hip-hop/soul flavored re-imagining of Wright's 1976 hit, "Love Is Alive," with son Dorian Wright. The song is an absolute gem. I'm not saying the other songs don't hold up. The subtle use of steel drum and pan flute add an island atmosphere to "Little One" yet it retains lyrical depth in dealing with a cycle of isolation. Wright showcases another level of his vocal talents on the energetic and driving "This Heart Might Break Tonight." The Light Of A Million Suns closes with the emotionally aspirant "Hold On." The stark opening, keyboard solo, lush orchestration and anthemic chorus make this very memorable track.

The new version of "Love Is Alive" is a terrific launchpad for Dorian and would alone be well worth the price of purchasing the album. The only questions that Gary Wright's Light Of A Million Suns leaves me with is: "Why doesn't everyone have this in their collection yet?"

4.5 out of 5

Drug Test Me, We Got Another Puggle

After going to the dog park and seeing all these dogs with a compatriot (not a lot of solo dogs), I mentioned to Kerry the idea of a possible second dog. Fast forward to last night, a friend and co-worker comes up to me and says, "Want another puggle?" I had one of those tilt-your-head, raise-your-eyebrow moments. He had recently been down to Lied Animal Shelter and later his wife saw this puggle online at their site.

Well, I told Kerry about it when I got home and we agreed that I'd go check on her today. I got an email from her when I got up this morning saying, "The dog is still there with the number and information." I guess, she was more excited about the puggle than I first thought. Anyhow, went down there and, after a little searching, saw her. A little lighter-haired, bigger and older (she's 3 years old) than Bella. But the whole time I'm there everyone is saying how good a dog she is and how excited they are that she is finally getting a home (she has been there since Jan. 30th.) I sent a photo to Kerry and got a text back saying, "Awww... she's so cute. Get her. Get her NOW!" That I did. And here's a few photos of our two adopted daughters getting to know each other.

Life Update: 030309

Need to start giving you more updates as... ummm, this is the longest I've ever gone without posting anything.

Stress can be infectious. Kerry's family has been going through a lot of it and we've been trying to not bring it home. The only thing that I can do is tell her that we will do all we can to help but, as it is a relationship issue, remind ourselves that it is between two other parties. We hope that things will come to a resolution soon.

Went to Sacramento for my grandmother's 90th birthday. We stayed with my aunt/godmother and were able to introduce my cousins to my wife and son. I need to see them more often. The 1200 miles driving (600 each way) wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. We expect another trip there sometime to really enjoy ourselves (and stop by to see Tracy and Jason in Reno.)

Bella is doing amazingly well. She's now about 7 months old and really likes chewing on things. Everything...flesh, metal, wood, paper, rubber, plastic, wire, fabric. I get a scowl out of the spouse when I call the 'little one' a carpet muncher but... she's been having a lot of fun in our hallway. Often we call her and she comes prancing in with a braid of carpet hanging from her chin.

Been scheduling some great interviews for the show. The best interviews always have 3 key components: knowledge of your subject, good questions and a willing subject.

I'm becoming a bit more cognizant of my time issues and have been starting to get more organized. (I'm a work in progress as time management isn't one of my best skills.) When you have a family, you need to remember those simple projects together mean a lot. On Sunday, we decided to check out a nearby dog park. Bella had a blast and we discovered Italian greyhounds are freaking fast! Bella couldn't keep up with them but she never gave up. Kerry, David and myself plan to take Bella there on Sundays (maybe bring a light lunch with us.)

Life has been good to us. We both have our jobs and we are able to get by during a time that both of our industries are hurt. Our family is amazing, all of them. We celebrate our first anniversary at the end of the month.

Expect posts more often. B)

Last Thoughts Of The Year

I felt it necessary to throw out some last minute thoughts before the lights go out on 2008. It has been an amazing year.

My life changed immensely as I married Kerry and moved to the opposite side of town. I know, the first part is expected to be a big change but I've always loved living on the northwest side of town. On the southeast... it's saving me time and stress getting to work and also saving my spouse some frustration with the freeway. In November we also welcomed in the final member to our quartet, Bella. (She has little respect for her older sibling and I expect David to be sleeping in the kennel soon.)

Our families have also had some big changes. After 7 years of hard work, my brother-in-law Cory has become one of the latest members of S.W.A.T. This increases our concern but also the praise we heap upon him for his contribution to the community and keeping us safe. My sister has taken on an added role in her administrative work for the Marty Hennessy Jr. Tennis Foundation. (I still don't know how she finds the time.) My brother Michael is seeing the release of some films he has worked on and seems to have more direction in a very tough field. Lastly, Matthew has weathered the financial tsunami we are currently amidst amazingly well, as a member of the financial community. What can I say, Hennessys float but don't sink.

Our Web sites remain busy and we celebrated the 100th episode of our talkcast, Talking 80s Music with Martin Hennessy. We had the privilege to talk to a lot of celebrities this year (in and outside of interviews) and find it humbling that a passion could grow into something meaningful for many. We also made lots of friends that show up during the show, online and keeping track of us on Twitter, MySpace and Facebook. Sadly, that affected our frequent posting here on Rantings Of An 80s Nut (a.k.a. MartinHennessy.com) but we are working on that.

Kerry and I have made some resolutions for the new year. Kerry wants to be healthier, more patient and advance a few more belts in Chun Kuk Do (karate... as she plans to punish me for leaving the toilet seat up. Just kidding.) I have several: I am counting down the days until I can take Bella for walks. I need the exercise and that kills two birds. I also am also working to uncomplicate the things that I make complicated, spend more quality time at home and organize my time. I would also like to keep up my reading pace as I finished off 35 very diverse books this year.

More important than introspection and all are my wishes for all of you. Uncertainty is a terrible thing and one thing that you can be sure of are your friends and family. Hold them close in 2009. May the new year be prosperous in your financial, romantic and intellectual endeavours. Have a very happy new year!

Merry Christmas 2008

It just seems that we are getting busier and busier. But Kerry, David, Bella and myself would like to extend our hopes that you have a very merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah, caring Kwanzaa and jolly Festivus.

Guilt Post

Things have been so busy that, yes, time to post has been limited... extremely limited. I'm looking at the date of the last post and feel extremely guilty. The biggest problem is needing to keep my eye on the P.M. (poop machine) that I mentioned previously. Our fear of her possibly getting parvo virus and other things (as she has only just gotten her second vaccination -- vet said outdoor walks/dumps when she is about 6 months old) have changed her dumping schedule and location. This means, watching the little pup with eagle eyes and keeping her on a leash near me when I'm on the computer. So far, so good. It's an adjustment for all of us. I have to say that the last book I finished, How To Raise A Puppy by The Monks Of New Skete, is really helpful... just wish I read it before getting Bella. We did steal a little time to do some Christmas shopping and she went with us to my mother's house for Thanksgiving. I can see that this blog is going to get a lot of puppy love now.

A Week That Has Really Gone To The Dogs

I can tell you that sometimes you don't get to know that you bear the same scars as your spouse until well into your marriage. Mine was Max. Hers was Cassie. I felt that I did something that led to my great dane's death and really never let myself get attached to an animal again. Cassie lived a long life but her passing away in Kerry's arms at the vet about 7 years ago closed that door for her as well. Neither of us needs a pet, right? I mean, we are newlyweds and have a son that makes cat noises about 4 times a day.

It may be for that latter reason that we talked about getting a dog. We made plans to both take the day off work yesterday (Nov. 11th) to take David on a surprise trip to the store to "meet a very special person in his life." Well, that was what we would tell him on the way there. Before that day would come, this would become a week that went to the dogs.

I think that I showed you a picture of the wall at my old home (now endearingly called the rental) with bricks falling over on our side. Part of that was due to the tree roots pushing the intersecting walls apart. The other cause would be the two big dogs the neighbor has that wedge themselves between the tree and the wall and push. I got a call almost a week ago that the neighbor's dog pushed another brick over and was jumping about half-way over the wall. Meaning, I had to confront the neighbor and fix the wall before their dog jumped over and killed the renter's pooch. I told them I'd be over on Sunday.

Sunday arrives and I go on my normal errands with the wife. I really do enjoy grocery shopping with her. It's some one-on-one time that we don't get often and a chance to show our thrifty sides. We are just returning home from the stores (with the plan that I will head over and work on the wall as she takes David and our niece and nephew to Shark Reef) when she gets a call from her sister. Our niece got bit around the eye by their dog. This killed the Shark Reef plans as well as our nephew spending the night (which really depressed David.) Kerry ran to the car to head to their house before going to the hospital. I unpacked the groceries and headed over to the rental. (As this seemed like a sign.)

A pleasant approach wound up bringing the neighbor and renter together in a joint effort to fix the wall. A large old sheet of wood left at the house worked perfectly to prevent further dog pushing. We also mixed up some mortar that I left there at the rental and re-stacked the brick wall. I left listening to the Raiders getting killed on the radio (this is rather expected though.)

Got home. Consoled David and brought him a little lunch. Our niece needed 7 stitches and was rather chipper about the whole ordeal. The sleepover worked out and they went to Shark Reef the following day after Chuck E. Cheese. I used the time to slip over to a pawn shop and purchase our first video camera. (We are calling it our gift to ourselves for Christmas.)

So we woke up this morning, did some shopping and got ready for our purchase. David was floored when we stood in front of a sign that said "Puppy Sale." We chose a beautiful female puggle we named Bella. Took her shopping for some necessities, went home and then went to my mother-in-law's house for a little birthday gathering for David. It was during these trips we discovered that Bella does have kennel cough and I'll be taking her to the vet tomorrow. So, the dog week continues but I have to say that I haven't yacked once cleaning up doo-doo this time around. Here's just a few photos:

My Only Election Post On The Day Of...

I wanted to get this in during the 11th hour. As you can tell, I didn't spend time waxing political during this major election campaign. I do want to take this time to thank all those voting -- no matter what part of the ideological divide you may sit. Yes, it is expected that just under half of the nation will be either celebrating or looking for a recount. But, we have a wonderful country and a system of constituent participation unmatched. I'll just be happy when we can return to dreaded tampon and feminine freshness ads and be done with the phrase "I approve this message."

Through The Glass

I feel pretty bad for going AWOL for so long, so I'm giving you something special. You see, there is a new film coming out (had its premiere last week) named Though The Glass. You might not hear a lot about it but the film has some interesting things going for it. Check out this synopsis:

Jeffrey lives the ultimate bachelor's life going through numerous non-committed relationships, but struggles to excel at work and gain his father's love and acceptance. Jeffrey's life gets even more intriguing when life deals him a card that stops him in his tracks. On a typical day, he returns from work to find a note "take care of your responsibility" left on top of a baby who is abandoned on his doorstep. In nothing short of what is scary, confusing and comedic, he turns to his Nigerian neighbor, Ada who he has a secret crush on, to help him. What happens to the baby? Will Jeffrey break through the glass of his phobia for commitment and keep the baby? Will Jeffrey confess his secret crush on Ada?

Check out the trailer:




It sounds like 3 Men And A Baby but deals with 1 man and his commitment issues. You can find more information about the film at http://www.throughtheglassmovie.com. I know that you must be wondering why I'm excited about a film that seems rather relationship-based. I can only tell you that my brother Michael Hennessy is in the cast. (If you really must know, go to the Cast link at the site and you'll see his picture... you'll notice him in a few spots in the trailer.) I'll be keeping my eye on when it plays here in Vegas.

Going Video? Maybe

I feel bad about going AWOL. I think one of the problems with social networking is that you wind up spreading yourself a little thin at times. You focus on one area but neglect something else. A few months ago, someone listening live to Talking 80s Music was asking me why I didn't have a cam set up (as a lot of audio podcasts have gone on to video.) I told them that I didn't know and would consider it. Picked up a highly rated webcam online and tried to set it up... and it didn't work with Vista x64. Then I went to the New Media Expo and forgot all about the experiment.

That was until I was sitting down in the audience of TWiT Live. Leo was testing out a live video program that lets you record your show live with video and audio at Stickam.com. I talked to one of their people and they gave me a webcam with a few software items. Remembering my past experience with this, it got shelved until last week. After the show, we tried out Stickam and... it worked. It seems the webcam has better drivers than some of the others I had looked at. Looks good. I don't know how the audio will work out but we will see. Essentially, by going to http://www.stickam.com/talking80smusic you can see the live video/audio feed (we'll see if that audio comes through) while recording the show Saturday at noon PST. It also has a second chat room that I will need to keep track of and yes, I'll be looking over my shoulder constantly.

Other than that, more reviews, cleaning and other nonsense getting in the way of my traditional posts. I hope to remedy that as soon as I start figuring out specific days for specific projects. My best wishes go out to all of you.

Vampire Rights Amendment

Been running around with a bunch of projects that don't seem to want resolution. We shall see how that comes about. Moments from now, we will be replacing the water heater (oh, joy!) But, I feel like I went AWOL and wanted to remedy that and share something with ya. How well do you remember School House Rock and the "I'm Just A Bill" episode?






Well, it seems that the promoters for True Blood have paid homage in a little video. Enjoy.





Kerry and Teri had been enjoying Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire Mysteries series for quite some time and from the covers of the books... they looked like really cheesy romance novels. According to them, they definitely made some changes to the source material when adapting it for HBO but I have to say that I'm enjoying it enough to consider reading at least the first one.

Monetize It

I've told you before that the launches of the newsletter, Web site(s) and podcast were labours of love. But after over a decade of working on it, it's time to help it pay back a little. I've been thinking it over for the last few years on finding ways to make what I enjoy so much fiscally solvent.

With the podcast, I started taking in ads a few months ago. At least they are for products that I like and use but we will see if it pays off at the end of the quarter. I'd rather be promoting albums or concert tours.

With the newsletter, you just can't charge people to read news in the information age. Not even worth considering as I've seen others try and disappear. Ad placement could be possible but I'd need to grow the subscriptions a bit more and... I'm just not a 'pat myself on the back' kind of guy.

With the Web site(s), I have a little leeway. But, I don't want to sell sexual enhancement products. (I actually got an email from a company asking me to try and review a certain type of ring. If you see something like that on here in the future, I'll be ready for the white coat with restricted arms.) But, the aim is to promote music and possibly the site(s), podcast or newsletter. This has led me to CafePress.com. I've thought about them before... mainly for some funny t-shirt ideas that I had. Now, I'm considering the use of their site to create custom gear to help promote what we have, grow the brands and pay a bill or two.

Now I just need to come up with a few good slogans for the tees. Stuff like "Over a decade celebrating a decade..." on one side and "80sMusicCentral.com" on the back. Or "Musical neutered? Get longer lasting pleasure with..." on the front and "Talking 80s Music" on the back. Time to brainstorm and come up with a pic or two. Any good ideas?

Not As Part 'A Me

I specifically remember as a child, my mother breaking open packets of Sweet-N-Low in her iced tea. Of course, I was using sugar because it just tasted better. Then there was the day that I saw her switch to NutraSweet. A lot of advances have come in the realm of artificial sweeteners over the last 20 years. We now have Alitame and Sucralose on top of Saccharine, Acesulfame-K and Aspartame. Going on low-carb diets at different times in my life, the latter and Sucralose have been very helpful in cutting our sugar.

But last week, after a long time of looking at too many weird reports on Aspartame (from side-effects, FDA approval and chemical decomposition), I am seeing how long that I can avoid the stuff. Yes, that means reading more labels. The Diet Coke that I have every morning as my form of caffeine is now the Splenda version (or regular Coke at a drive-thru.) I see that most of my intake was coming from beverages. Do I believe all the stuff that I read online? Not really. I wanted to make a change and try something different and see the effect for myself. I do have to say that I'm not eating as much... which is kinda odd.

Racism & Sexism: 2008 Election

As nutty as that t-shirt is, it was the best visual to allow me to address an issue that's been in my head for the last week. You see, the day after the Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin was announced, I saw something that I never really thought I'd see expressed openly. A black co-worker pulled me aside and said: "They just shot themselves in the foot." I said, "What?" He replied, "Foreign countries would see us as weak with a female VP, let alone a possible female President. Heck, most nations right now won't even show up to meetings with Condoleezza Rice because she's a woman." After having him clarify the Rice statement, I asked him, "You really feel that way." He responded, "There is no way that I want an emotional woman at the button."

As you might expect, this floored me. Not just the line of logic but that he had no reservations in saying it. So I said, "That's funny that you mention it now. What would you have done if Hillary was named as the Democratic vice-presidential nominee." He then said, "Well, our family talked about this and we said we couldn't vote for Obama if Clinton was on the ticket."

My jaw dropped open and I'm still left in awe of the exchange but more so that I thought sexism was a dying stereotype. In 12 years we will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment and the 200th anniversary of the movement advocating women's suffrage. Nationwide, it wasn't until 1965's Voting Rights Act that blacks would see the end of most forms of disenfranchisement.

I had another co-worker ask me if I was voting for Obama. When I told him I was a Libertarian and leaning more towards Bob Barr, the response was "You just won't vote for him because he's black." It's a bit sad really when it is believed that the only reason people have to not vote someone into the highest offices in our government is because of color or genitalia. Do I believe that can happen. Well, from conversation #1, we know that someone will use the latter as an excuse not to vote one way.

With that in context, what shook me was how easy it was to be sexist despite having over half our population being women and their voting rights being affirmed nearly a century ago. I just didn't think that it was this prominent. Yes, you still hear cries of racism here and there. Never would I have thought that a presidential election would become a battleground or a momentary resurgence of gender and racial politics.

The Bureau - ...and another thing

Formed in late 1980 by when the original line-up of Northern Soul act Dexy's Midnight Runners split-up, The Bureau would release their self-titled debut album in Canada and Australia in 1981. The band went their separate ways despite scoring a #6 hit in Australia with "Only For Sheep." The album was finally released in the U.K. in 2005 with several reunion gigs following. This led to a little recording by a reunited version of the band (sans drummer Stoker Growcott) that has led to the upcoming release of ...and another thing. (Due out in October 6th in the U.K. but is available for order at www.bureau.org.uk.)

The album leads with "Run Rabbit Run" brass-heavy soul/jazz fusion that sounds like they are really enjoying themselves. The opening reminds me too much of Cyndi Lauper's "She Bop" but it works as a hook for the gravely delivery of a dark narrative about a man and his pet. You can't dismiss the fun funk vibe that comes from "Save Me." There is a lot of James Brown to with track written by vocalist Archie Brown (no relation.) "Chance In A Million" is an emotional and pure piece. An interesting lyrical perspective that is hard to put your finger on with "A Fine Mess Rag" but an energetic rollercoaster ride. "Just A Word" is a great break from the Joe Cocker-esque vocal delivery early on the album although it harkens more toward Rod Stewart. It is a very beautiful use of horns and keyboards. You really start enjoying the instrumental layering and mix by the time "Falling" arrives. The album tracklisting (intentional or not) had "Divided In Two" and "Mad" switched. The former is a striking ballad and the latter is a frenzy of horns, organ, rhythm guitar in polka/country/blues. A strong jazz piano drives the meandering "Flying Lessons." "Nothing's Going To Stand In Our Way" may be the gem of the bunch with a strut that yields to lilting jazz and back in this duet between Pete and Archie. Also notable is the addition of bonus track of the haunting "Keaton's Walk" which was recorded before the group split up in 1982.

On ...and another thing, The Bureau have an amalgam of many different but alluring styles that they make their own. This is an enduring collection. The vocals on the early tracks take some getting used to but are acknowledged as character in the songs as much as Mick Talbot's keyboard delivery but both fuse together upon later impressions. This album is a joy to listen to and heralds the return of Northern Soul with a little more experience behind it.

3.5 out of 5

Classically Martin: Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine

I have to say that the creative name didn't lead me to this band. Often just called Carter USM, the duo of "Jim Bob" Morrison and "Fruitbat" Carter released their first single in 1988 and were kind of an oddity as they merged samples, funk, guitar, keyboards and rap in what is sometimes hard to pin down (Beastie Boys/Bulletboys meets Pet Shop Boys) as anything but alternative rock. I'd urge you to check each of these songs out especially the last couple as you can see their growth as a band. They still kept the need to sabotage their work but that made them a bit more likeable. Even more funny to mention is that they didn't include real drums on any of their songs until 1994... which may have sped up their implosion. Since they have a lot of area to cover, I figured that I'd throw a few different songs up here in order of release.



"Sheriff Fatman" - 1989 (re-issued in 1991)






"Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere" - 1990






"The Only Living Boy In New Cross" - 1992






"The Impossible Dream" - 1992

Swing Out Sister - Beautiful Mess

For a group that surfaced in 1987, Swing Out Sister have never taken much time off. You would discover -- going through their discography -- that they've been pumping out albums every two to three years...until now. Four years after Where Our Love Grows, Swing Out Sister have created their 9th studio album, Beautiful Mess, due out in U.K. stores on Sept. 8th.

The disc grabs your attention early with the teasing and tantalizing groove of the first single "Something Every Day." Right there is ample evidence that Corinne Drewery and Andy Connell aren't falling back on their previous successes. "Time Tracks You Down" is lyrically astute and songbird Drewery gets to stretch her wings on some notes here. Expected as a possible single, "Butterfly," is beautiful and percussion-heavy but repeat listenings wear out the wings. A slight bit more experimentation surfaces in the textures used on "My State Of Mind" but seems to overpower the track. Close your eyes and you can't help but think Motown when hearing the electric "I'd Be Happy" which is a true gem here. "Butterfly Lullaby" (an instrumental interpretation of "Butterfly") is aptly titled and not recommended on long drives but maybe slow dancing. Lush build-up going into "Secret Love (You're Invisible)" as it utilizes the lull created by the former track and makes an abrupt but welcomed jump. Would just love to hear that remixed for the dance floor. "All I Say, All I Do" falls flat a little while "Out There" recaptures the torch with a stark keyboard opening, lightening as the layers build. The title track re-energizes the set as the disc closes. I can't recommend the Little Wizard bonus remixes of "Butterfly" and "Something Every Day" as they just don't add anything positive to the originals.

I specifically recall my father referring to Sade as 'sleepy music' yet, entirely enjoying Anita Baker. Jazz in it's many variations has a wide range of reactions upon a listener. Technically, Swing Out Sister's Beautiful Mess hits all the right notes for this reviewer but I believe it repeats a few of them too often. Far from a mess, the album still shines more than not and fans will receive it with open arms.

3 out of 5

Grimaldi's

Every once in awhile I like to post a little about some restaurants here in town. Today, I wanted to tell you about my favorite place for pizza in Las Vegas. You see, for the longest time, I believed it was Aurelio's (located on Buffalo and Cheyenne.) Great stuff but a co-worker told me about Grimaldi's (9595 S. Eastern). I dismissed it entirely. A few months later he had told me how he came to believe it was the best pizza in town. He went to all the local places to try their food, took notes and rated them according to specific criteria. I never saw the notebook but decided that if he really did his research, I had to give it a try.

A few months ago, I took Kerry and David there as we had to go next door to fill out some insurance information. The detour was a good thing. The pizza was terrific and Kerry likes the caesar salad there (which isn't normal unless it's wrapped up with some chicken.) Anyhow, I had some free time with her today and she's been craving pizza. So we went. David may be upset. He was off horseback riding with my Mom. But, we saved two slices for him. If we are sharing our leftovers with him, we might as well share the word about Grimaldi's with you.

TWiT Face Review Musings

It's been busy and I wanted to at least post something before the week is up. Previously, I mentioned appearing on TWiT with Leo and Amber. It was pretty cool how, something set up like it is in the photo above, looked like it was done in a studio. They were surrounded by these chairs, some lighting and a producer's booth to the far side. Anyhow, someone attending took this photo during the show (I'm in the red shirt with black sleeves kinda in the middle) and shared it with some of the attendees so... why not share it with you.

One thing that I did get from the whole convention was the need to improve my level of contact my 'community.' One step in that direction was setting up the Facebook account. I always figured that having one on MySpace was enough but, logically, there are probably people that feel the same way at Facebook. I was pretty astonished to see how many of you were already there.

Lastly, I have a little bit of work ahead of me here as the new Swing Out Sister album, Beautiful Mess, and the Bureau's ...And Another Thing arrived yesterday. Reviews are an odd part of running 80s Music Central. It's how I started in music journalism at my high school newspaper. I remember cranking out opinion pieces on Nine Inch Nails' Pretty Hate Machine, the B-52's Cosmic Thing, Bell Biv Devoe's Poison, the Thompson Twins' Big Trash and many others. Who would have thought that I'd still be doing that nearly 20 years later. I guess, the highlight of my reviews was when I was contacted in 2002 by some band reps that were trying to push for the release of another single from Def Leppard's X album and wished to use my review as fuel to make it happen. Maybe I better get started on these new ones.

Blackmore's Night - Secret Voyage

Fans of Deep Purple and Rainbow may have had questions as to the disappearance of guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. In 1997, he went into the night... Blackmore's Night and hasn't returned. But what exactly is a return, anyhow, as it seems he's having fun there releasing 6 albums together up to now. Led by singer/songwriter Candice Night, the band have released their seventh disc, Secret Voyage.

Rock, blues and country are an odd lot as they owe a lot to what has come before and even more to cross-pollination. New age music owes a lot to jazz and most music goes back to the days of the traveling minstrel. That is where Blackmore's Night come along and blur some lines between the Renaissance, Greek, rock and pop. The disc begins with a setting provided by the instrumental piece "God Save The Keg." Swept away into expecting much of the same, it is followed by the spellbinding "Locked Within The Crystal Ball." The tantalizing track is a harmonics dynamo built with waves of guitar virtuosity, mesmerizing vocals and a war drum rhythm section keeping the beat. Easy to get dizzy trying to count the instruments used on this outstanding song. It's hard to follow a lead like that but the subdued "Guided Cage" is mystery and beauty wrapped in strings... violin and flamenco. There are moments where you can hear flashes of Kate Bush, Celine Dion and even Sarah Brightman on these tracks. "Rainbow Eyes" is one of those moments and the pairing of this voice and guitar is spectacular. Other strong tracks here include "The Circle," "Sister Gypsy" and "Far And Away." The group does reach another crest with their cover of "Can't Help Falling In Love" (which even out-paces Lick The Tins 1987 version from the Some Kind Of Wonderful soundtrack.) The album closes with the lush "Empty Words" which eerily reconstitutes the refrain used in the album-opener "God Save The Keg."

Secret Voyage is truly a journey into musical forms we don't hear expressed often enough. Some styles do get incorporated into other media forms in light doses but Blackmore's Night has a talent for bringing these themes and sounds from ages past into a context of now. Stellar production and performances here. Secret Voyage is the best kept secret out there... just don't tell them that we spilled the beans.


4 out of 5

New Media Expo 2008 Wrap-Up

Do you remember, many many posts back, my rant about the shabby treatment given to my tech guru Leo Laporte by G4 or even his return? His shows Call For Help and The Screen Savers were my introduction into most of the technological leaps I took in the PC world. I can cite specifics all day but, notably, the icon you see on the site came from a suggestion co-host Amber gave me as a way to inexpensively add graphics to 80sMusicCentral.com. That same $25 that I paid for that picture by Jose Ramos has been used on there, here, Talking80sMusic.com, the podcast and as profile photos.

Anyhow, I go to New Media Expo on Thursday (yesterday) and I first caught an inspiring keynote address by Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV. Very likely that I will go check his shows out later. Then I wandered around and talked to Zune, Blubrry, Podtrac, RawVoice and a few other vendors. That's when I turned down an aisle and saw TWiT Live. You see, the show (This Week in Tech) is Laporte's shows that he does as a video podcast. This one was using a technology called Stickam -- a video version of the technology that I use at Talkshoe allowing a chat room as you record your live show. So I sat there for awhile and found out that they were taking guests... Needless to say, I appeared on the show with Leo and Amber and talked about Talking 80s Music, their influence on me and spoke in defense of 80s music. Very very cool.

Anyhow, I had a great time and took home some goodies and a lot of knowledge on what I should have been focused on and where I'm heading next. I don't think video is coming too soon but we will see. I mean, it was Leo and Amber doing a test podcast called Net @ Nite on Talkshoe that led me there in the first place. I'm holding off on attending tomorrow to focus on the show but think that I found a spark for the gasoline Gary V. threw down in the keynote speech.

A Summer Camp For Pod People

A very quick post, as I gotta get some business cards printed up before work. I took a few days off to attend the New Media Expo (think of it as a podcasters convention.) Some great conference sessions are planned and I have to wiggle room in so I can still attend while doing the newsletter Friday and show on Saturday (the expo runs Thurs. to Sat.) They even have a hands-on audio editing conference that I'm going to that uses the same software (Audacity) that I use for the show. But, hands-on means: bring your laptop. I don't have one, nor really like them. But thankfully, Kerry came up with a good idea of having me borrow one from someone for the day. I have to seriously thank them as well as Kerry's twin sister Kelly (yes, in Japan their names would sound alike) for watching David during Thursday and Friday. Anyhow... off to get business cards made... my printer is ticking me off. More about my issues with them in the future.

Objects In The Rearview Mirror (May Appear Stranger Than They Are)

During the last week, it seems that my visual perspective had changed. I started seeing everyday items, turned them slightly or saw them at a different angle. Suddenly, I viewed more and more items in this slanted and skewed way. So I tried to take a few photos to share them with you. This box of wet wipes sure looks a whole lot like the smallest port-a-potty that I've ever seen.


This one freaked me out a little. I expected that. if I had taken something hallucinogenic, the thing would have started talking. Looks a whole lot like a plastic duck's head with a wide smiling bill. I was told by the wife that in reality it is an extension of her blow dryer, turned upside down.

I wish I had taken more photos for you because there were some oddities. But I'm happy to share what little that I could document with you. Now back to your regular scheduled programming.