ERIC GIBSON: Up Close And Personal, The Busco-Dome, Churubusco NY, 11/26/2011

The venue is a vintage looking Quonset building with a generous coating of spray-on insulation lining the interior. Tractor sized overhead doors are on each end of the building and a concrete slab serves as a floor. The place looks very much like a WW II truck repair shop. But down towards the north end of the building is a raised platform. On the platform are some decent looking speakers, a couple of stage light fixtures, a stool and a few microphones. A banjo, guitar and mandolin sit waiting in their stands. Rows of folding chairs are lined up facing the stage, seating for a hundred fifty or so lucky music lovers.

The audience arrived in SUVS, cars and pick-up trucks. Pick-ups seemed to dominate. Young folks, families, not-so-young folks and plenty of geezers, like me, filed in. Many of these people are friends and relatives of Eric and the Gibson family. There was a lot of laughing and hugging going on as folks caught up on the news. There were some arrivals that looked a little wary, not quite sure how red-necked this red-neck bunch was going to be. But they didn’t worry too long as good North Country hospitality set everyone at ease. The mood in this rough hewn country concert hall was happily expectant.

Dick Decosse, owner of the world renowned Dick’s Country Store and Music Oasis (Gas, Groceries, Guitars and Guns) as well as the “Busco-Dome” took the stage. Dick is a businessman, musician and songwriter. He’s also a friend and mentor to many musicians including the Gibson Brothers. He stood tall at the microphone and proudly and warmly introduced his friend and star performer Eric Gibson.

Eric took the stage. He seemed a little bit nervous and he soon admitted that he was uncomfortable without his brother Leigh and his other band mates. He briefly explained, as he strapped on his guitar and checked the tuning, that the evening was something of an experiment and that he’d be introducing lots of new songs as well as singing a few GB standards. He then paused and seemed to reach inside himself and find a place where he was immediately calm and grounded.

And then the music started.

One singer and one guitar is a pretty common combination. But when the musician is an artist, when his skills have been honed through study and thought and when experience has brought him to a graceful maturity something quite wonderful can happen. The audience in that big garage on a lonely stretch of North Country road was privileged to be a part of that rare experience. Real music, honest and pure, without gimmicks or affectation filled the hall.

“I Play An Old Guitar” was the opening song which set the tone for the night. Eric delivered this Gibson Brothers staple with confidence and power, totally in his element. Then he quickly followed with “Farm of Yesterday”, his deeply personal anthem to his roots and an intricately crafted melding of melody and lyrics. His musical maturity was never more apparent.

After some friendly banter Eric introduced a new composition. Just after we’d heard a song that showed the best kind of writing and performing, another possible contender for a future “song of the year” award rang out. “They Call It Music” is the perfect title and its lyrical power is very strong. The song tells a simple story and, again, the blend of lyrics and melody are far greater than the separate elements.

Next came another of those personal songs, Eric’s tribute to his grandfather “Arleigh”. A tribute song is only good if it strikes a chord of commonality with the listener and this one meets that difficult standard. The evening flew on. A new song “Chip Upon My Shoulder” was followed by a twenty year old piece “She Paints A Picture” which was inspired by Eric’s wife. Then another new one, a near rocker called “Tailspin” that had a Toby Keith or Trace Adkins feeling. Next a new gentle, sad tune called “If You Love Me You Would Send Me Out To Sea”.

An instrumental treat followed as Eric grabbed the banjo and jumped back to bluegrass with a fine rendition of “Foggy Mountain Breakdown”. That was followed by a lively vocal with banjo accompaniment “Callie’s Reel”. Picking complicated patterns on the banjo is no easy task. Picking those patterns while singing a complex lyric show why Eric is so highly regarded as both a picker and a singer.

Two more new songs, “Of All The Lonely Nights” and “A Truth Too Hard To Tell” should appear on future albums, if not by the Gibson’s then by some other smart recording artist. Next came “Dixie”, Eric’s touching song about Elvis. Hearing the story behind the song was almost as good as the piece itself. “Frozen In Time” followed, a song especially appreciated by the earlier mentioned geezers in the crowd. Then Eric debuted a number called “I’ll Work It Out” that should earn him some product placement cash from the Barlow Knife Company. It too could easily be a hit.

More instrumental music followed as Eric’s son Kelly stepped on stage for a few mandolin solos. Kelly played two original songs, “Phantom Hop” and “Bearded Dragon”, and “Saratoga Racehorse” with his proud dad doing the guitar back-up. Kelly shows a lot of promise and we’ll see more of him as the years go by.

The main show wound up with “I’m A Cowboy”, a touching song about a dad considering the future of his young son. Then Eric belted out “Picker’s Blues” bringing the crowd to a standing ovation.

Eric, on request from some of the audience members, encored his new song “They Call It Music” and then did a Dale Watson tune, “You Are My Friend”. It was a perfect closing to a fine show and drew another well deserved standing ovation.

Could Eric Gibson be a solo performer? Sure. He’s got stage presence, a memorable voice with range and depth and all the skills a musician needs. He writes great songs and “sells” them as well as any performer in the business. But why would he leave one of the finest bluegrass bands working today? With his brother Leigh and the other great musicians in the group there’s every indication that the Gibson Brothers will have a long and satisfying career. An occasional solo show is a good idea, one that brother Leigh might want to consider, not that there would be any rivalry or anything like that. But it would be interesting to see what kind of show Leigh would put together.

Finally, to wrap up this rather long rave review, I’d like Eric to know that the beard isn’t too bad. But I’m still not sold on that jacket.

Music Festival Notes: DC Bluegrass Union April 16, 2011

Not everyone likes Bluegrass music. As one friend said to me “There’s too much twang, too much drawling, too much banjo plinking and too much fiddle droning.” Of course since I consider all those things essential I disagreed with him. So I listen to the Bluegrass station on Sirius Radio, listen to Bluegrass CDs and attend festivals and concerts.

This past Saturday my wife and I attended the Washington DC Bluegrass Union festival which featured our favorite band the Gibson Brothers. In addition to that great group there were several other performers, as is the way of these things. Every group on the program was professional, polished and fun to hear. Chester River Runoff, a local band, started the day off. Then an exciting young family group, featuring three harmonizing sisters, Gold Heart, wowed the crowd with two fine sets. Robin and Linda Williams and Their Fine Band, not strictly a Bluegrass group, entertained with a wide variety of country songs. Wayne Taylor and Appaloosa delivered two solid sets of great songs both vocal and instrumental. Claire Lynch and her band struggled with some sound system issues but overcame those to showcase the reasons why Claire was the IBMA female vocalist of the year at the last awards ceremony. And then the Gibson Brothers band did what they always do. They brought down the house.

Every time I attend a Bluegrass show I come away inspired. I’m inspired by the heights that ordinary folks have achieved by developing some extraordinary talents. I’m inspired by the heartfelt performances of songs that have an emotional and spiritual impact. And I’m inspired especially by the quality of song writing that goes on in the field of Bluegrass music today. So after the show on Saturday, as I was driving back to Dover, I started thinking about how different the Bluegrass business is from all other genres of music.

Due to the relatively small audience for Bluegrass music, compared to Pop or Rap/Hip Hop or popular Country, the genre depends a lot on festivals as a way of maintaining a fan base and reaching new listeners. And Bluegrass Festivals have been around a long time. The first multi-band, multi-day Bluegrass event is believed to have been in Fincastle, VA in August of 1965. That’s a long time before Woodstock. Festivals can be small one day affairs like the Washington event or big multi-day productions like Merlefest, Gettysburg or Grey Fox. But all of these festivals have two common features that make them different from other events that feature many performers, and that is the provision for jam session space and the scheduling of workshops.

Workshops are conducted by established professionals in the Bluegrass genre. They might focus on playing techniques on a particular instrument. Or there may be a session devoted to song writing or harmony singing. I’ve even seen schedules that had workshops dedicated to the business side of the music business. Sometimes the workshops are included in the price of admission or, occasionally, there is a nominal fee. But I know of no other genre of music that provides that type of hands on education to developing musicians. In essence the old pros are educating their future competition.

The Gibson Brothers and Claire Lynch were involved in a vocal workshop on the afternoon of the DC festival. One participant told me that she learned more in that session than she did in three years of voice training at college. She said that the workshop leaders didn’t just tell about the techniques they clearly demonstrated them.

The jam sessions are another excellent feature of the festival scene. On this past Saturday there was some fine picking going on in the hallways and other small rooms outside the main auditorium. From youngsters to senior citizens, from novices to highly skilled professionals there was joyous sound being generated by everyone involved. Fortunate listeners got a little extra entertainment for their ticket dollars.

If you get a chance, attend a Bluegrass festival. You may not like every band or every style of music you hear. When that happens you can get up and wander around the area, browse at vendor booths, listen to jam sessions, peek in at workshops or get a cold drink and a sandwich. You’ll meet interesting and friendly people. And, like me, you might just come away inspired.

HELP MY BROTHER - The Gibson Brothers

A Review from A Different Perspective

Last month I started a review of the great new album “Help My Brother” from The Gibson Brothers. This band is as good as it gets in bluegrass. In fact when it comes to making music that can be appreciated, understood and enjoyed these guys cross the boundaries of genre. The original review was a song by song kind of thing. But today I was listening once again to the album and I decided that I was taking the wrong approach. Besides, Eric Gibson can do a much better job on the track by track insights.

So I thought about this album. Then I thought about how this album fits into the body of work that the brothers have produced and recorded. I thought about how their work fits into the greater body of bluegrass, country music and so called Americana music. That’s a lot of thinking, I know, but I’ve drawn some impressions now that I feel, in my humble poetic heart, should be shared.

One of the finest gifts we have received from the Creator, as humans, is the ability to make music. And the extra blessing that we’ve gotten is the fine folks that make music really, really well. There are all kinds of musicians making all kinds of music. Our tastes are not all the same but most people, when they hear a talented musician doing his or her job in a special way, react very positively. If I hear a fine classical orchestra I feel the power of that art. If I hear an excellent steel drum band the result can be the same. And so it goes. When I hear the new album from The Gibson Brothers I know I’m hearing a real gift, one that is part of the original from the Big Giver.

In my life I’ve dabbled in music. On a couple of occasions I was able to play well enough with some other musicians so that I felt the special joy that comes from the experience. That joy, which is another part of the gift of music, shines like a sunny day in July when Eric and Leigh Gibson and their band start playing. And that joy grabs the hearts of listeners and, for a little while, brings them to a better place. It is no small thing.

The Gibson Brothers know the important stuff, the stuff that needs to be in the music we want to hear. They know we want songs like “Safe Passage”, “Dixie”, “Arleigh”, “Iron and Diamonds” and others that hold the stories of our heritage and the paths we have followed, personally and as a people. They know we need songs of love and emotion like “Talk to Me”, “Just Lovin’ You”, “Forever Never Ends” and so many more that express the universal passions, struggles and joys that most of us share on our journeys. And those inspirational songs that the band does so well “He Can Be Found”, “Singin’ As We Rise”, “The Lighthouse” and dozens of others bring us to a place where we can be reminded of the many important things necessary to our real purpose here in this world. And they also know how to bring fun into every kind of song they perform. It is a joyful noise for sure.

Now I’ve said my piece. “Help My Brother” is a special recording. It has wisdom and joy. It has emotion and humor. It has heritage and spirituality. But mostly it is just excellent music from some wonderful, immensely talented folks; Eric and Leigh Gibson, Mike Barber, Clayton Campbell and Joe Walsh. And just for good measure they’ve brought along Ricky Skaggs, Claire Lynch, Alison Brown and Mike Witcher to add to the joy. Buy it. You’ll be awful glad you did.

Have a fine day.

HELP MY BROTHER: THE GIBSON BROTHERS a review

Help My Brother: The Gibson Brothers
A Review

Most everyone who knows me knows I’m a big fan of The Gibson Brothers, the finest bluegrass band in the business. So it’s hard for me to write an objective review of their new album “Help My Brother” from Compass Records which I received today. Leigh and Eric Gibson, a couple of farm boys from the stony cold country up north between the St. Lawrence River and the Adirondack Mountains of New York have been working in the music business for a long time now. They’ve paid their dues. They’ve matured and improved with each passing year. And this new album is one more step on that road to musical greatness. In fact this album, in my prejudiced opinion, shows every sign that they’ve truly arrived.

Every album that these fellows have released has provided evidence that they were on the way. “Bona Fide”, “A Long Way Back”, “Red Letter Day” all showed their vocal talents and song writing abilities. Then “Iron and Diamonds” raised the bar again with a fine mix of original, classic and cover songs. “Ring the Bell” stepped the level up again with another strong mix of material and a heightened sense of musical confidence. Now “Help My Brother” brings a melding of all the elements that make a superior album: great original songs, a couple of old classics, unparalleled vocal work and an instrumental ensemble that is second to none. The Gibson Brothers may be out front but the entire band is part of a unique, clearly identifiable signature sound.

“Help My Brother” features Eric Gibson on lead and harmony vocals and banjo, Leigh Gibson on lead and harmony vocals and guitars, Clayton Campbell on fiddle, Joe Walsh on mandolin, Mike Barber on upright bass. Guest appearances by Ricky Skaggs doing lead and harmony vocals on one track, Claire Lynch also doing a turn on vocals, Alison Brown on banjo and Mike Witcher on dobro fill out the list of performers.

Before I take a look at a track by track summary I need to heap a little praise on the three Gibson Brothers who don’t share the Gibson name. Mike Barber has been playing bass and sharing in the record producing chores for many years. There is no more musically and rhythmically solid player in the business. Sometimes it seems like the band has an extra guitarist or at other times a drummer when Mike applies his skills. Clayton Campbell, long time fiddle player, brings just the right accents to every song the band plays. His solos grab the listener and draw them into his intricate and seemingly effortless playing. Joe Walsh joined the band shortly before the release of the band’s previous album. He made a smooth entry into the group and now adds a strong new musical dimension with mandolin solos and accompaniment that are innovative and exciting. This band clearly enjoys working together and each musician respects and complements the others. And this album is seamless in that high level of musicianship.

This is running a little long so I’m just going to summarize the first three songs on the album and then finish the rest in a posting in a day or so.

Track 1. Help My Brother – by Leigh Gibson: This is a wonderfully lyrical uplifting, upbeat song that has an old time feel. The vocal harmonies, with Leigh singing lead, are as fine as the brothers have ever done. This one will please the traditional bluegrass fan with its powerful message and great instrumental solos. Particularly fine is the banjo-fiddle give and take.

Track 2. Walking West to Memphis - by Chris Henry: This is another upbeat tune that will be a sure fire hit on the concert stage. It is lively, fun and full of fine harmonies. Leigh’s vocal ability is also showcased here as he uses a considerable amount of his excellent range.

Track 3. Dixie – by Eric Gibson: This song shows the brothers’ willingness to stretch beyond bluegrass while still retaining traditional instrumentation. A tender, beautifully written mini-biography of, and tribute to, Elvis Presley is surprising in the amount of emotion elicited as it asks “would you go back to Dixie”. This one is another example of the mature songwriting skills both Eric and Leigh have developed.

Okay. I’ll continue this in a day or so. Meanwhile order this album from www.compassrecords.com - it’s the best example of what is so exciting, real and just plain fun in bluegrass today. The Gibson Brothers – Help My Brother. Excellent.

Now have a fine day.

Barracuda

Today my dear and long suffering wife needed to go through one of those unpleasant medical experiences that mark the onset of late middle-age. And since she was advised not to drive after the procedure I went along so she wouldn’t have to walk the two or three miles home.

I suppose I could embellish this little article by describing the preparations she endured for the procedure but that would only embarrass her and make you, dear readers, sick to your stomach. Let’s just say it involved copious amounts of laxatives dissolved in vast quantities of Gatorade. It wasn’t pretty. But while she was undergoing intense medical scrutiny this morning I was suffering my own damn self.

The waiting room for designated drivers at the medical facility has a large TV. And this large TV was tuned to one of those early morning quasi-news shows full of talking heads obviously hired for the quality of their dental work and All-American appearances. The ability to read was probably another job requirement although it was clearly at the fifth grade level, or lower.

These vapid smiling hosts and hostettes read some “news” stories with breathless wonderment and glittering smiles whether the story was tragic or comic. They also would occasionally step outside the studio to an area where a small crowd of men, women and children would cheer wildly and hold up cryptic signs. The “interviews” with members of this mindless throng of shivering citizens consisted of three questions: What’s your name? Where are you from? Is it cold enough here for you? Each one of the answers was cheered with wild abandon by the nitwits sharing the sidewalk.

But let’s get back to the “news” stories. There was a story about the medical condition of the recently shot congress-person. This was followed by an interview with one of the late Ronald Reagan’s sons. As I recall it was the son who hadn’t danced in tights and who claims that Mr. Reagan did not have Alzheimer’s during his first term. Apparently the other son, the dancer, claims otherwise and I believe there’s going to be a new reality show coming soon that follows this family feud. I think the title is “Dead Presidents’ Squabbling Middle-Aged Brats” or something similar.

After some local commercials the show resumed with more “new” features. The first item was about who wore what at the latest awards show, where actors with huge egos congratulate themselves on their latest piece of insipid filmmaking and pose on a red carpet showing off outfits that cost enough to feed ten thousand third world children for a month. The morning show hosts were joined by a couple of fashion experts who made catty remarks that thinly veiled their anger at not receiving invitations to the big shindig. One of these experts said that this was only the first show of the awards season, which apparently runs from January to September, and those stars that wore atrociously ugly clothes would have many opportunities for redemption if they could stay out of re-hab long enough.

There were other stories, of course, along with weather reports and really annoying advertisements. But the topper, the big story of the morning, and I’m not making this up, was about a woman who had been attacked by a flying barracuda while kayaking in Florida. Apparently this lady and her gentleman friend were paddling around some swampy areas near an island close to the coast, minding their own business, when a huge barracuda, that nasty shark-like fish with razor sharp teeth and a bad disposition, leapt out of the water and bit her on the side. The bite was terrible. It punctured her body, opening a big hole, breaking ribs and allowing her lung to push out where lungs should not be. Now this is a terrible thing. And the smiling TV personalities interviewing this woman, her boyfriend and the guy who came to their rescue were beside themselves with deeply felt concern, expressed as sincerely as any learning disabled animatron figure can express any emotion. “How did you feel when you realized you had a gaping hole in your side?” he asked the woman. “How did it affect you when you saw the lung poking out of your girlfriend’s side and you knew help was at least a half hour away?” he asked the boyfriend. And on and on the interview went for ten agonizing minutes. Admirably the people being interviewed controlled themselves and kept their answers civil. I would have said “You mindless moron! How did you think I felt? I was bleeding like a pig, my internal organs were on display and we were twenty miles from nowhere? I was scared shitless you idiot!”

When I was imagining that last part of my answer my dear wife appeared. Come to think of it she could have been described with one of those words in that last sentence. Well, we returned to our TV free home to eat and rest. By the way she got a clean bill of health from the colonoscopy.

Have a fine day.

ALL ABOUT BLOGS

Blog must be one of the ugliest words that has ever been birthed by the world of technology. I suppose essay would be too narrow a word for what folks do in a blog. Commentary is a little unwieldy and also not truly accurate. Blogs contain more than opinion and more than description. Miscellanea or miscellanies might work but no one would be able to spell those. So I guess a new word had to be invented. I would have suggested “crappile” or “brainleaks”. Something catchy and descriptive.

I read a few blogs. My daughter Monica writes one that addresses the concerns of parents of gifted children. My cousin’s daughter Marlee writes a very clever blog that is themed for each day of the week. Her dad, my cousin Peter, writes one that deals with big issues like spirituality, politics and the driving habits of Asian women. I also read a few blogs from folks who belong to my online writing group. Most of those are concerned, naturally, with writing and promoting their own work. Some are also more varied than that and are full of odd and arcane thoughts along with a few raving rants.

I have two blogs. One is a poetry blog that has been neglected for some time. Then there’s this thing that you’re reading now. This one hasn’t got much of a theme. Sometimes the postings are humorous. (Hopefully) At other times they are highly opinionated. Actually they’re always highly opinionated. I’ve written about important things and other things that are totally insignificant. I’ve even tried to sneak some poetry in here to raise the cultural level of one or two of my faithful readers. That hasn’t worked.

Some people make money at blogging. Professional bloggers sell subscriptions to their sites and do a lot of promotional stuff all over the internet. Most of those types are political or sports driven. Then there are non-professional sites that place advertising along side their rants and ravings. If they generate enough internet traffic for the advertiser then the company pays a small fee for the ad space. My inquiries to advertisers have been met with raucous chuckles. I guess a blog needs more than seven or eight regular readers to make a buck.

So why do this stuff? Well in some cases we just can’t help ourselves. There are those of us who are compulsive about writing and just vain enough to think that other people need to see what “brainleaks” we’ve had on any given day. Other bloggers are motivated by a cause, like my daughter and her parental concerns or my cousin and his driving need to convert the world to right-wing radicalism. Still others use a blog as a method of sharing useful information. Some are combinations of all those motivations.

My problem is subject matter. Sometimes I want to write a blog but I’m unable to come up with a suitable subject. Bragging about stuff is a big turn off. Racy and suggestive articles tend to lose straight-laced readers. Sports is a boring subject for most rational humans. Too much “Culture” is equally uninteresting. So you see my dilemma. However, today, I’ve solved the problem and filled up the page with this not so clever “crappile”. Have a fine day.

Social Networking and You

“Social networking” is a relatively new phrase and phenomenon. Interaction among people in groups and societies is nothing new of course, but new technologies have made that interaction evolve into something our ancestors wouldn’t recognize. Hell, I don’t even recognize most of it.

I think it was all invented by a couple of college students who were the results of cloning experiments using genetic material from the Adam of personal computing – Bill Gates. These kids, many years ago, discovered that they could make their computers talk to each other. Then they had the brilliant realization that they could use the computers to talk for them as if they were at a party or just goofing in study hall. Then one of them invented the cell phone, which originally was just a phone made out of cells, and then some Japanese guys married the cell phone to a computer, which was the beginning of phone sex. A short time later (all this stuff happened very quickly) Bill Gates called a meeting and told all the inventors and developers and experts that, damn it he was no longer Adam he was now God and he was in charge and he owned all of this crap. And it came to pass that Facebook appeared, supposedly invented by some other incredibly rich clones, but everybody knows it all belongs to Microsoft. Except for the stupid Mac stuff which belongs to Bill Gates’ brother-in-law, Steve Jobs. And isn’t Jobs a weird last name? Makes you think of the Bible and that guy who was swallowed by a whale. Or was that one of the Jonas brothers? I forget. Anyway…

Now that you know the short and complex history of social networking you have, I’m sure, a far greater appreciation of its importance in the course of human events. “In the course of human events” is also a historic phrase, I think, from the drivers’ education manual or some place like that. And since you have this greater appreciation and understanding I expect you to be a lot more serious about how you use the stuff. You shouldn’t waste all your social networking time doing silly apps like “FarmCity”, “Mafia Turf Wars”, “Mother-In-Law Ultimate Fighting” or “Global Terror Featuring Paula Abdul”. Also, unintelligible texting should be limited to situations that are safe and unlikely to disturb other less technologically adept folks. Movie theaters, church services and automobile driving are all places where unintelligible texting is socially acceptable. You shouldn’t text when you’re at a slot machine and you’ve just won a couple thousand pennies which, to your feeble mind, seems like a really big deal. It isn’t a big deal! It’s just twenty bucks or so you dummy. Okay. Sorry, I got a little sidetracked there.

Personally, I don’t text. And I only use social networking to maintain a close and loving relationship with my family, friends and a few bands. My “friend list” is a relatively modest 23,494. Of course some of those people are my wife’s friends because she refuses to do any social networking. Weird isn’t she?

So let me restate my point, in case you didn’t get it. “Social Networking” is a serious responsibility. Always use it wisely. Always use protection.

Thank you and have a fine day.

2011 - NOT JUST ANOTHER YEAR

I’ve made a resolution for this New Year. Usually I don’t make resolutions. My will power and moral fiber are much too weak for those kinds of self-improvement efforts, so I generally resist the peer (wife, doctor, well meaning friends and relatives) pressure that shows up at this time of year. But this year I’ve resolved to re-start blog writing. My writing efforts in the past went more and more into my poetry. I even had a few things published. You all did notice, didn’t you? It was announced on Facebook, for goodness sake, and we all know what a bastion of high cultural standards that is.

The poetry, while satisfying, pays like crap. And I’ve heard that it’s possible to get paid for advertising junk on a blog site if it gets enough readers. So now I’ll be writing stuff here and promoting it blatantly (which sharp readers will know refers to the original name of this page) so that I can sell space to advertisers. If you happen to see ads on the page for dating sites, male enhancement products or plastic surgeons that specialize in tattoo removal then I’d appreciate it if you patronize those businesses. And don’t forget to let them know you learned about them here.

A lot of bloggers are writing articles that review the events of last year or are making up lists of their top twenty songs or other easy stuff to fill up their first postings of 2011. I could do that. But 2010 was just too boring. The events list would look just like most other years:

1. War in the Middle East.
2. Terrorism everywhere
3. Britany Spears
4. Political crap
5. Brad Pitt

Blah, blah, blah.

Since my taste in music would only interest the ten other people in the world who like Bluegrass from northern New York State a list of my favorite songs wouldn’t be a big attention getter.

So my first posting this year will be more cutting edge. It will be devoid of cuteness. Even though it will be poetic in language and mood it will definitely be prose. As I wrote these words I just realized that this is the first posting of the year. So it will be the second posting that has all those other fine qualities. Watch for it. I’m pretty sure I have the will power to write something and stick it up on this site. After all, I got this one finished.

Have a fine day.