Month: March 2014

Dragon loyalty and thanks for getting me to 500 followers

~ Cave_Guy ~ 9 Comments

dragon-attack

A loyal blogging friend nominated me for the dragon loyalty award and even though I am not going to really do this award to pass it on in the prescribed way –it will generate a post and has already generated a sketch.

I sketched for an hour-just me and my imagination—I wanted to get the feeling of meeting a dragon and then wondering what to do about the slaying part. I don’t wish ill on any creature and even though dragons have a bad reputation—–getting rid of them is always a tricky thing.

I don’t know where it came from and I don’t know if I am up to the task.

And does this dragon really need to go anyway?

Enough about my conflicted soul and back to the award that I am not doing.

Loyalty is a rare and special thing – I am mentioning two bloggers that have been with me through thick and thin.

Mike  http://mikeladano.com/ always drops by and like the friendly neighbor in any good sitcom-the show simply can’t go on without him- so I thank you my friend.

And also http://peacelovegreatcountrymusic.com/ who nominated me for this award-I thank her very much for the support because there was a long time that I was writing and felt I could not write well enough to stay here on WordPress. It is ironic that a country music fan would help keep a rock fan afloat-but she always does.

I don’t think I would have been out here long enough to gather all these followers without a couple good people in my corner. I really mean that.

Now I will do the 7 things about me part.

  1. I listen to hip hop when working out- Biggie for cardio and Slim Shady for weights.
  2. I am fascinated by birds that migrate enough that it affects my driving.
  3. I am not a good driver.
  4. When I look at the stars –I imagine that I am on a big rock hurling through space.
  5. I don’t get “The three Stooges”.
  6. When choosing between cheap beer and no beer- I go thirsty.
  7. Skating in hockey skates is pure joy.

Next post I will be getting back to the music

For now I will leave you with  Queen.Dragon Attack

Cheers from the cave!

Greenland Baby!

~ Cave_Guy ~ 21 Comments

Greenland

Greenland Baby!

Oh sweet mystical frozen land that everyone flies over going to other places!

Oh beautiful Holy Grail of no blogging hits!

You don’t know how one accidental visit can make a guy happy.

I don’t know what brought you to my site and even though I am curious-I am ok with a quick hit and no explanation. It is fine because I have been waiting for you for a long time.

You have made my day! I can see the northern lights dancing in my head right now!

I can hear a polar bear moaning for its mate on an ice floe.

I can almost see a seal popping his head above the waterline to see if I am friend or foe.

I am a friend! I Love you Greenland!

greenland flag

I am not one to brag about this and that on WordPress

I appreciate every single follower and every single like button. They are like little drops of candy from the sky that keep this blogging thing so sweet.  I do have a bunch of followers and a few regular readers but I am not really into throwing a badge up for the numbers. I think that a good honest blog with 10 regular followers and readers that are engaged is a successful blog.

And I also think that most bloggers give up too easy when they don’t see good numbers.

If you enjoy writing and do it on a regular basis-you will find yourself getting better and also find a voice that starts to speak to others. When that starts happening: people will find you.

All us bloggers that people think are good started out as a jumbled mess with 3 or 4 followers and no like buttons. We all get better as we go along.

I  have not been Freshly Pressed

I’d like to think I have been close with maybe a misplaced comma or an image that could have been a bit stronger making the WordPress gurus winch just enough to not check that box. Or they may not even know I am here! Either way-don’t have that badge.

I am an Award agnostic

I love the fact that they engage the whole community spirit of blogging, but I hate the chain-letterness of them.

But Greenland baby- Greenland- all you bloggers that have ever stared at the world map and seen that big white blank island at the top of the world know what I am talking about .

And I hope you can also reach this blogging Nirvana .

It is a beautiful thing.

Let’s play a happy song- some bouncy major chords and a feisty little drum beat.

I like American music and I love Greenland.

Cheers from the cave!

And Qujanaq Greenland! (I hope that means thanks)

Roxy Music- the edge of gay

~ Cave_Guy ~ 8 Comments

Roxy music is a straight band

Roxy music can be enjoyed by discerning heterosexuals all over the world.

It also has a few tags associated with it like Proto Punk? … Really?, Is this art history with you music critics? And sort of gay? – Which is what I will try and write about next-

I think it means if you play “Avalon” at 3 in the afternoon in a random gay bar somewhere in the world- they are not going to throw beer bottles at you.

As a proud straight man that likes women and loves one woman very much, I feel the need to write what nobody else will write. I have loved art and loved great music my entire life-and I have been suspected of being gay because of that for my entire life. This may be just my baby boomer generation that likes to pigeon hole everyone based on the few attributes that they see on the surface. I pray and hope that kids now can let other kids just follow their passions without making general assertions.

Like the stranger that rolls into town in an old west movie who everyone assumes is a gunfighter and wants to give him a try. “I am not pulling out my six shooter to go one on one with other dude —-I am not that cowboy!”

This is going to sound bad and it is going to sound a tad homophobic of me and I want to dispel that. I don’t have a problem with people loving who they want to love. I admit not understanding it completely, but that does not mean that I automatically hate and fear it. When we fear another group and give them a name to remove any connection to us as humans –bad things always happen. Bad things are happening.

It may be a good thing that I only have 10 nor 12 regular readers at the moment.

Music should always bring us together and not separate us-

Roxy music gets forgotten among the great bands of all time. Brian Eno and Brian Ferry have both achieved much success on their own. They are a pop band with clean sophistication. They don’t break up when they go on hiatus-they simply choose to arrange other things in their lives and then rejoin when it is agreeable for them to do so. They don’t try to put out re-heated weak new music, their catalog is good and Avalon is a good place to stop.

From an artistic point of view-this is also one killer album cover

Avalon_album_cover

This one is an old favorite:

I will end this post with a song that went the other way and ended up in the pop world.

There is cross-pollination among music all the time and that is a good thing.

Bronski Beat.Smalltown Boy.

And as always- Cheers from the cave!

Jimi

~ Cave_Guy ~ 8 Comments

fathers-day-2013-fb

This is a picture of me with my son on the site of the original Woodstock stage where Jimi once famously played the Star Spangled Banner. We were swept up in the moment. What better place for a jumping air guitar salute? “None more better place” is the answer.

Starting a series on icons of rock- I am starting with Jimi Hendrix.

There were guitars that screamed and guitars that jangled. And then came Jimi and the guitar would speak clearly of pain and of joy…..huh?….what?

Jimi and the guitar were one-he slept with his guitar because he was his guitar. When he had nothing as a small boy-he had a broom that he pretended was his guitar and it was his only friend.

Like Tom Hanks in Castaway with Wilson-unnatural bond of person to object.

And I forgot to mention-the best rock guitarist ever to walk the face of the earth. Period. No discussion needed.

[Since this is a blog –allow me to go on a bit more]

Especially for you kids that are new to rock music.

Rock is blues based.

This is a basic timeline.jimi-3

For purists only-this can sound a little rough as we cannot go back to the 1930’s and imagine how it would feel.  We can’t walk on those dusty roads and hitch a ride to the next town with 12 cents in our pocket.

Robert Johnson arrived and let the world know that something was going on in the delta. The best blues music is always someone going on a rant with their guitar about how things are in their world. You could say that about the best rock music, the best country music or the best hip hop music.

The truth thrown out there in a compelling way.

T-bone Walker added some fire to the guitar- he started doing things that no one else could.

“They call it stormy Monday, but Tuesday is just as bad.”

There are other songs that I should pick to show off the virtuoso in action—-but this is sooooo smooooooth.  It just dances and tickles the music palette before seeping gently into your soul.

Jimi ran all that energy and inspiration in one big liftoff that reached orbit. We got great guitar players now-we don’t have a name that I can place next .

Jack White is close if you make me force a choice. Close still does not fit. Like a giant stone used in the pyramids-it has to ease in there perfectly. I am still waiting.

And here is where we finish for now.

I am going for less fire and more heart in these tunes and want to end with one of the greats in that next group to follow. SVR spent his whole career chasing down Hendrix-he even carried one of the master’s wah wah pedals on this journey. I am not going to throw a link here-but I do write about a show where I was lucky to catch him with his boots on this pedal early in my blogging days.

Maybe lucky is not the right word- Let’s try blessed.

Gone Country

~ Cave_Guy ~ 5 Comments

Country music that makes me feel better

My last post was very emotional and it took my blog to places that I never take it- The traffic was overwhelming. I went from my usual 10 or 20 visits a day to 2,700 in an afternoon. This is bittersweet because I wrote it for my own sanity. I awoke at 2am, unable to sleep, and it was a post an hour or so later.  I thank those high school kids for lifting me up and giving me the courage to speak my mind.

But I want to get back to the music- I enjoy writing about music.

You have to deal with things – and I am learning you live the best way you can no matter what situation you are in. You have to start up that beat-up pickup truck  of life and just keep driving-a smile on your face and a song on the radio don’t hurt either.

This sounds like country music.

This rock guy will go out of genre  in order to find solace. If you limit music  because of prejudice; you are only hurting yourself. Worse than that-you are closing your mind and that is never a good thing.

Rosanne Cash. Seven Year Ache

I love Rosanne Cash because she is authentic- Authentic to me is a feeling that goes from the heart out into the world with no alteration. Like when you see a coyote on the side of the road just looking back at you with no fear. He is in his time and his place and he could give a damn what you think. And I got to say-he sure looks cool.

Rosanne Cash is an authentic cool heroine in her own right- this women just reeks of suave country sophistication.

Montgomery Gentry.Roll With Me

Maybe this is what would be considered light pop country with more than a splash of holy water gospel, but it makes me feel better. I am not going to search for music that makes me look better-I am going to give you songs that make me feel better!

And this is one.

Hank Williams Jr.Family Tradition

“I have loved some ladies and I have loved Jim Beam and both of them tried to kill me in 1973”

Maybe my favorite line in country music, it never ceases to bring a smile to my face

There is something satisfying about someone admitting that they have lived life with zest the wrong way. Maybe that is because we all make mistakes, so we can all relate. And if someone like  Bocephus can trump you and have fun joking about his-then it makes you feel better about any you have made. This has been going on since the middle ages with court jesters.

Rolling Stones.Memory Motel

This is straight ahead country. It has pickup trucks and drinking. It also has a cheap motel by the ocean and a lady with crooked teeth. What more do you need? I will give you one more…throw in Dave Matthews and make it a buddy song.

Concrete Blond.True

This is a country song trapped in a rock song’s  body.

Again with the pickup trucks-mixed with some cool west coast punk. Punk music and country music are closer than you think.

I feel better—I really do – this one has brought me home.

Thank you Johnette

Oh, what the hell- One more for the road

Bonnie Raitt – This is a “go to” classic. I am not writing-I am just enjoying at this point.

Cheers from the Cave.

And special thanks to http://peacelovegreatcountrymusic.com/2014/03/09/philosophy/  for helping to spur this post.

Spur* get it?

O.K, that was a cheap shot at the genre…:)

Dancing is life

~ Cave_Guy ~ 21 Comments

Dance-1

What if one high school in America held a dance every year to raise money for people around them facing catastrophic medical hardships? I am talking about life altering things like cancer, lost hands and A.L.S; just to name a few-just to get you an idea of the battle that has become the lives of these families.

They call it the Marathon Dance and they dance for 27 hours straight. They also call it “The Greatest Dance on Earth”.

It is both these things.

http://shmd.org/

Here is the magic part- This dance is run by the kids themselves and they are not messing around. They are in the business of lifting desperate people up. They are serious about bringing real changes – they are going after difficult things head on. They are not just saying that we should live better and care more……they are doing it!!!…

I will go on because I have to with this post (it is close to my heart) – These kids are not asking someone in need how they are and adding a polite….”O.K, well if there is anything I can do, just let me know”.

Please don’t do that if you are close to someone facing dark days with these life threatening issues.

Do not do that. Here is how they are: They are in a deep hole-they are suffering emotionally, they are suffering financially—-and they have cancer or A.L.S or cannot use some of their limbs. They are not good- you know it and they know it —-so please —-please—- either pick something and do it for them or leave them alone. (I am not kidding) The last thing they need or anyone in the family next to them needs is another person asking for an update. They are dealing with that 10 or 20 times a day, every day.

If the best you got is “How is your Mom or Dad, or sibling, or [fill in the blank], please tell her or him that we care”. Keep that to yourself. The kid in the house is trying to make it through a school day because he needs to finish and pass the grade. The spouse in this same family is trying to make it through a day of work so he or she can provide some money. It is that simple and that difficult.

O.K, if you are still with me….Let’s get to the good part.

These kids from South Glens Falls High School rock! They take a family and sit them on a couch; let them speak about what is going on and then figure out how to get the resources they need to them. Yes, we are talking about “paper” here. They get the whole community involved – Adults will catch this bug and return every year- Kids and parents of not just the high school but also the middle schools and the grade schools pitch in. And it spreads out from there like a tidal wave of good will. Everyone is dancing. It works on local businesses and even a senator was so moved that she had to make an appearance. This senator was not at the dance to provide help; she was there to see how an organization should be run in order to make it work correctly. Kids get together and put differences aside to all pull on the rope at once—-and mountains are moved!   It is possible to flood a region with good will-I live here and I am not making this up.

My name is Wayne Law, my wife Marie was diagnosed with stage 4 renal cancer in June of last year. We are continuing the fight and are not giving up. Marie is a fighter and she will keep kicking this thing in the ass until she beats it.

I can’t tell you what it means to my wife and family to be chosen as a recipient for this dance. They lifted us up out of the pit we were sinking in. They brought us back to the community and back out into the sunlight.

dance-pan-web

We still have a big struggle ahead. That struggle is eased with the knowledge that bills can be paid. This whole process keeps adding weight and stress on you ‘till you feel like you can’t take anymore and then 800+ kids bring you to a gym and  lift that burden from you by taking it and dancing it away.

Dancing is life.

I am not the same person.

My family is forever grateful for what you did for us.

Thank you Bulldogs of South Glens Falls!

Alternative Rock- Winter games

~ Cave_Guy ~ 5 Comments

Alternative Rock- Winter games

This is how I think of Alternative music: mainstream you >transplanted. You feel the same but something edgy and slightly frightening is going on. You can see a world others can’t.

You are in a different club.

Maybe you start to dress with more swag and maybe you let your mouth form words that seem alien and leave a weird aftertaste.

But I am getting ahead of myself because it might not take.

There is more to being cool than finding a different band  or two, but coming to the Cave for a visit is always a good place to start!

Bronze:

Squeeze.Pulling Muscles from a shell.

I just love this happy song. In fact, I love the whole record.

I am way behind picking my 10 favorite records of all time. {Spoiler Alert} ArgyBargy is one of them.

You could classify this as pop, but wait minute—–pop stations did not and will not play this.

Pop radio did love it when Paul Carrack joined:

This is another great song- just in the other universe.

The Silver:

The Pixies.Where is my mind

They invented grunge as far as I am concerned. I will throw grunge in with alternative because it came from there and returned there after a little brush with mainstream.

The Gold:

New Order. Blue Monday

This one holds up well.

If I did this next week –this list would be different….Hell, if I did this again IN 15 MINUTES –this list would be different.

In fact I am changing the bronze right now.

In the words of Paul Westerberg when I saw him play this as a warm up band for a Tom Petty tour-

“Here’s one more, if anybody cares”

The Replacements.I’ll be you

Would anybody argue if I made this the gold?

And some of us do care Paul.

Cave Olympics-Indie

~ Cave_Guy ~ 4 Comments

olympic-rock-2

Indie Music – The miscellaneous cool file of Rock since…since… The Smiths?

And the only reason this genre goes back this far is they were added in after the fact.

There was no indie music in the early 80’s-all the cool music was thrown into that big “alternative music” pile and sorted out from there.

Listening to this song now-I can see why the indie crowd wants to claim it as their own.

“Hang the D.J- because he does not play anything good.” Is the basic premise of this uplifting little tune.

To get to indie music you have to go under the surface. Like those old movies when you swim underwater to emerge in a secret cave below the depths; another world that only the cool kids know about.

I think of indie music as the new growth of rock music after the big forest fires of excess wiped out all the old guard. The geezers still pretend to hang around with nostalgia tours featuring 2 original members if you are lucky, but it is a joke. Is just a quick stumble from this to the final walk of fame: selling reverse mortgages and walk-in bath tubs to the last few who still remember.

So as I try to finish out my medals category because the stray dogs of this Olympic site are looking at me with an angry growl-I just run out of bones.

Here we go.

The Bronze:

Arctic Monkeys.Do I wanna Know?

The riff is what makes this work. Psychedelic Led Zeppelin with this great high harmony  “Do I wanna know” in the chorus… this puppy works-this puppy will crawl up to you, sneak on the end of the bed and get comfortable in your rock n roll head.

Infectious and Indie.

The Silver:

Silversun Pickups.The Pit

Good Indie music always has this quiet scream to it. It does not yell at you but instead it keeps nudging and nudging until you find yourself getting swept away with it. Silversun getting the Silver [see what I did there?…Do you hipsters?…course you did-you guys are too smart for me]

The Gold:

Bon Iver.Skinny Love

Bon Iver  is French for “Good winter”- This song is so cool that it is below zero cold just like it is going to be again tonight here at the cave.  I don’t know what the French word is for endless brutal winter but I am hearing a ton of non-french words around here to describe it.

I know I have featured this song before….but damn-it is good.

And one more for the road:

The Black Keys may be indie but I can’t call them that anymore because they are too big.1

You can only be indie for a small amount of time- A time when passion for the craft of music does not always equate to success. A time when you do what you love and let the chips fall as they may-a time when struggle is life and life is struggle but so what-Let’s rock anyway.

Cheers from the cave!