New Bluegrass – Tiger Maple String Band – Coming Home

So last night I was checking out the Roots Music Report for some new music, and there at No 45 sat a band named Tiger Maple String Band. Their name looked interesting. I usually like bands with String Band in their name because that evokes in me thought of old timey music and tthat’s what I heard when I gave their recent release Coming Home a listen. I recognized a couple of old Appalachian standards mixed in with some great instrumentals. I love those instrumentals Here’s what they say about their music – from their website:! Read More

Today and Tomorrow – Birthdays for My Mother-in-Law and Son!

Originally posted Decemeber 20, 2012 – Revised December 19, 2016

December 19th and 20th – Birthdays for Mother-in-Law Ruth Browne and Son Peter Harrison Karn!!

Thirty years ago  my wife and I were sitting at Kennedy Memorial Hospital in Turnersville, NJ waiting for the birth of our third child. Well actually I was waiting, she was laboring! Anyway, we were wondering all day whether Peter would be born on her Mother’s birthday. Alas, Peter did not cooperate. He was born at 3:30 AM on December 20th. So Happy Birthday, Peter, your mom and I are very, very proud of the terrific young man you have become! (An interesting sidelight. Peter was born a day after his grandmother’s birthday, while his daughter Zoe was born a day BEFORE her grandmother’s birthday! Much to the chagrin of my wife!) Read More

Remembering Christmas in Philly with music by Alabama!

Santa climbing the fire ladder into Gimbels

So last week my company had our Christmas luncheon, and my boss asked everyone for Christmas memories. I related a story about seeing Santa come out of a house near my Uncle Ott’s house coming home from church one Christmas Eve. The one I should have told was the memories of going into Philly to shop and see the Christmas displays at Gimbels, Lit Brothers and Wanamakers! For us boomers the Christmas season began in the Delaware Valley when at the end the Thanksgiving Day Parade, Santa made the climb up to whatever floor he was stationed on! Yes, those were the days before the Malls drove customers to the suburbs and my family made the trek to these stores almost every Holiday season and it was magical. The trains, the snow and lights and Santa all made a childs eyes light up! I’m sorry but the Malls don’t even come close to the magic that these stores created! Of course it helped that I was a child!! Read More

Lunchtime Music – Joe Louis Walker – Hellfire

Ok, so the first time I listened to Joe Louis Walker , I really wasn’t that impressed. I even forget the first album I listened to, but the other night I listened to the first few tracks of his latest album Hellfire and I knew that this one was going on the iPod! Not only that but I think it’s one of my favorite blues albums of the YEAR! Evidently the Blues Music Association agrees and has nominated Walker in four categories! They include: B.B King Entertainer Of The Year, Contemporary Blues Album, Contemporary Blues Male Artist and Gibson Guitar and I think the nominations are well deserved. Here’s some other press from his website: Read More

Book 37 of 2012 – Michael Robotham – Say You’re Sorry

The first Michael Robotham book I read was Suspect. I was introduced to one of the best characters in the mystery-thriller genre Joe O’Loughlin, who not only battles wits against the bad guys but also battles Parkinson’s disease. Since that first books I’ve followed all of Joe’s adventures and Book 37 of 2012 Say You’re Sorry  is the fifth book in the series that just keeps getting better. Read More

Life’s Soundtrack – A jazzy day with the pianos of Chick Corea and Bill Evans!

So today was a jazzy kind of day. This afternoon I was doing some writing so I decided to listen to some jazz. I had download a Chick Corea and Gary Burton a while ago, so I decided to start the afternoon with another Chick Corea album. I chose his 2012 release Further Explorations. The album is a two disc tribute to Jazz legend Bill Evans.. On the album, Corea he leads original Evans alumni – bassist Eddie Gomez and the late drummer Paul Motian – on Further Explorations. The album was recorded on May 4-17, 2010, live at the Blue Note in New York City. (2011 marks the 50th anniversary of the release of Evans’ original Explorations LP. Not being a huge fan of either Corea or Evans I didn’t realize that the album was a tribute album to Evans, but I did know that the album evoke the feel of Bill Evans and the second album that I listened to was Bill Evans’ The Complete Vanguard Recording 1961. As I look at the track lists for both albums tonight I see that two of the tracks I listened to “Gloria’s Step” and “Alice in Wonderland” appear on BOTH albums! Well, I’ll be, again, I’m not that familiar with either artist and the music was on in the background so I guess maybe I can be excused for not noticing that they were the same songs on each album! Read More

Exploring Prog Rock – Anubis – A Tower of Silence

Anubis – Neo-Prog – Australia

Yesterday I noted that at number  8 on the ProgArchives list of best albums over the last few years is A Tower Of Silence by the Australian neo-prog band Anubis. I gave it a quick listen and it sounded like something I would like, so I put it on the iPhone and gave it a more thorough listen this morning. I put it on as I was shopping in Target this morning and I really liked what I heard. We had been in the store for about 40 minutes or so we were ready to leave so I thought I’d check as to where I was on the album – I was all the way to track FOUR! I hadn’t noticed that the opening track “The Passing Bell” – was in typical ProgRock fashion was over 17 minutes long! Read More

Exploring ProgRock – The King of Number 33 – DeeExpus

So this evening I decided to check out some newer Prog Rock than early 70s Genesis and Gentle Giant. Now there’s nothing wrong with either of those bands, I just want to check out the new stuff, too. So I went back to the Prog Archives and looked at the list of Best ProgRock albums of 2010-11 and 12, because the album at number 7 King of Number 33 was released in 2012 and is the second release from DeeExpus. Read More