File Under: Failure

As some of you readers may be aware. I have been trying to put together the Concert for the County, being a benefit to raise funds for home heating assistance for people Aroostook County. My plan was to have my favorite band, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, headline the show with a very talented local singer, Brian Mosher opening. The idea was to have the concert on September 12 as GPN was going to be at a festival in Fredericton on the 13th.

I hit two hurddles right out of the gate. First, the United Way board was so worried about losing money, that they would only do the project if we raised all money to cover all the expenses first. An undertaking for which they would provide little or no help. Second, the venue was being blocked by an old bitch who was retiring and seemed to think rock and roll had no business in her performing arts center.

So I formed a committee and we set about raising money and finding a way into the optimal venue. All the while I was losing sleep over losing the date. We waited until the "lady" retired and then appealed to someone else who said "yes." However, fund raising had slowed after a great start. I continued to have hope for the project until today, when I received this email:

Sweet People Productions Press Release Grace Potter and the Nocturnals are returning to Maine!! When: September 12th, 2008. Doors open @ 7:30pm Where: Unity Centre For the Performing Arts 42 Depot Street Unity, ME 04988 Tickets: $25 in advance / $30 at the door Supporting Act: TBD This show is all ages!! Tickets are available now at all Bull Moose Music locations, and will be available online soon at www.unitymaine.org/theater/ The Unity Centre is only a 200 seat theater, so don't wait, get your tickets now. You don't get many chances to see a band this good in a venue this intimate. Grace Potter and the Nocturnals "One of the most soulful new bands around." - Bonnie Raitt "This is an amazing band! Keep your eyes on this one." - Taj Mahal Television appearances include: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson Good Morning America This Is Somewhere (Ragged Company/ Hollywood Records) marks the coming of age of the young, Vermont-based rock band Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. To say that this album makes good on the band's immense promise would be an understatement. While these assertions quite naturally invite skepticism, we respond: "just insert and press "play." The album manifests incredible growth in the writing and singing of 24-year-old phenomenon Grace Potter, who has clearly found her true voice in both respects, as well as the instrumental prowess of the band: Potter on the Hammond B3, guitarist Scott Tournet, bassist Bryan Dondero and drummer Matt Burr. On this remarkable record, they make a glorious racket indeed. The band's timeless, organic brand of American rock & roll is fully in evidence throughout This Is Somewhere, starting with "Ah Mary," with its languid verses exploding into arena-scaled choruses in what is clearly a call to action. This heart-pumping rocker sets the stage for a dynamic song cycle that encompasses "Stop the Bus," a churning anthem that recalls Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers circa Damn the Torpedoes, the love-as-war lament "Apologies," the paean to a battered New Orleans "Ain't No Time," the soulful, horn-accented "Mastermind" and the concluding stunner "Big White Gate." Potter's timely and eloquent songs-some of them intensely personal, others politically charged-immediately lodge themselves in the listener's head (pretty much defining the de rigueur term "sticky") and bore in deeper with each successive play. This band has something else going for it - Potter's innate star quality. As critic Jeff Davidson wrote last September in a piece posted on TMZ.com, "...she is easily the most glamorous star to rise from the jam scene, and her million-dollar smile makes her as desirable as any pop songstress. The fact that she's amazingly talented...makes her even sexier." Website: http://www.gracepotterandthenocturnals.com myspace: http://www.myspace.com/gracepotterandthenocturnals Good Morning America appearance on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPYqdGGo9lw Please direct all questions to Erik Thomas of Sweet People Productions Phone - 207 649-2524 email - erik@digitalimageworks.biz

I want to be clear that GPN's people were excellent to work with and patient with a fool who had never done this before. I am also glad that they booked the date in Maine. They are a great band and I can't wait to see them again.

I have read that my generation doesn't know how to handle failure, as we haven't been allowed to fail. I can say that this is my first true, semi-public, failure. I am disappointed to say the least, but I can at least say I tried. My other feeling at this point, with a balloon festival in less then a month, a kitchen remodel to do, and the usual hell breaking loose at work: failure feels like one less fucking thing to do.

File Under: This has all happened before...

File Under: That's a good one.

A father asked his 10-year old son if he knew about the birds and the bees.

'I don't want to know,' the child said, bursting into tears.
'Promise me you won't tell me.'

Confused, the father asked what was wrong.

The boy sobbed, 'When I was six, I got the 'There's no Easter Bunny' speech.

At seven, I got the 'There's no Tooth Fairy' speech.

When I was eight, you hit me with the 'There's no Santa' speech.

If you're going to tell me that grown-ups don't really get laid, I'll have nothing left to live for.'

-and-

Farmers Aren't Stupid -

A Department of Water Resources representative stops at a Texas ranch
and talks with an old rancher. He tells the rancher, I need to inspect
your ranch for your water allocation. The old rancher says, 'Okay, but
don't go in that field over there.' The Water representative says,
'Mister, I have the Authority of the Federal Government with me. See
this card? This card means I am allowed to go WHEREVER I WISH on any
agricultural land. No questions asked or answered. Have I made myself
clear? Do you understand?' The old rancher nods politely and goes about
his chores. Later, the old rancher hears loud screams and spies the
Water Rep running for his life and close behind is the ranch er's bull.
The bull is gaining with every step. The Rep is clearly terrified, so
the old rancher immediately throws down his tools, runs to the fence and
yells at the top of his lungs.............................


'YOUR CARD! SHOW HIM YOUR CARD!'

File Under: Warren answers some fan's questions

I found this at Jambands.com, it's Warren Haynes answering reader questions. I also found this question and answer in the piece.

"I've always been amazed at your ability to assimilate multiple influences into your guitar playing and songwriting process. Your recent live collaborations with Grace Potter seemed to be a great musical marriage ala the current Robert Plant/Alison Krauss project. Do you have any plans to record or tour with Grace in the future? Randy R.

WH- We have no plans but of course I’m open to anything. I like working with Grace and we work well together. I’ve really enjoyed everything we’ve done so far, so I wouldn’t rule out anything."

I think many of us can agree, that we would not want anything ruled out.

File Under: Vimeo now wants to kill the fun and games

Vimeo and its staff are making great strides in the, "We totally suck," department. As if the long load times, or just plain unavailability of the videos they host, wasn't enough suckage. Now they are banning game play videos. Not because of some copyright issues (the game publishers don't really seem to care), but for the fact that game play videos aren't creative enough and tend to be larger files and suck up bandwidth. Now the Vimeo staff will get to decide if you're creative enough, and if your video is just game play, or it's machima.

I wonder when they'll start policing other video types. "The Vimeo staff has determined that the video of your child in the school recital lacks true musicality and we can't dance to it. We have deleted said video and your account, as the other videos pretty much sucked. We are sorry you suck. Thank you. The Vimeo Staff."

Note: I don't upload or even make gameplay videos as I am not even remotely good enough to want to share.

File Under: Cure for the wannas

I am so glad that this guitar costs $3999.00, it keeps me from getting a bad case of the wannas.

File Under: Can't Stand Ranting

This is why I am constantly amused by JJHS.

File Under: He's BACK!

Simon's Cat is back!

Simon's Cat in TV Dinner

File Under: Don't Step on the Grass, Sam

I have always loved this song. When I was younger Steppenwolfe lived in my tape deck and "Don't Step on the Grass, Sam" was one of the songs I heard over and over again, never getting sick of it's funky, subversiveness. This is a rather good Gov't Mule version. Amazing how it's still so apropos. Believe it or not, I don't actually partake of the "noble weed," I just like a lot of the music related to it.

File Under: All Good, Not Really

I did not attend this event, although I did watch certain groups on the iClip webcast. Apprantely I watched some of the better parts. This article kind of rakes the festival over the coals for being generally weak. One of the bands specifically mentioned as not sucking is none other than...say it with me...Grace Potter and the Nocutrnals.

"But not all was lost at All Good. Even some of the more seemingly standard sets were full of energy, especially Friday and Saturday's pre-sundown sets. Equal parts sultry and rocking, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals gave one of the weekend's more fulfilling performances."

File Under: It's Time for Some Campaignin'

Send a JibJab Sendables® eCard Today!

File Under: And the news keeps getting better...

NOT!

There are still rampant fears that more banks could follow IndyMac. One of the things making, even healthy, banks twitchy is fear of a run on the bank. Buckle down boys and girls, it's going to be a bumpy ride.

File Under: The Death of an American Icon

I admit I don't really drink Anheuser-Busch products. They'll do in a pinch, but not likely to reside in my cooler or fridge. I am still severely disappointed in the sale of this great American company and icon to a foreign brewer. It's not xenophobia or fear of globalization. It's just one of those brands that I think of as fundamentaly American and by its loss we are losing yet another piece of our national identity.

I blame stockholders, cause they don't care about anything other than their pocketbooks and look what it has wrought us. A nation in the flails of an economic downturn that may not have a bottom, driven by "profits" at any cost. Except the profits, it turns out, were lies in too many cases.

I feel that this issue with stockholders and boards does tie into the nationalistic ideas of Bud. We tend to view natioanlism with a judgemental eye and history has given us good reason. However, a moderate amout of it is a good thing. It may give people pause, to consider the greater good of their fellow countrymen and women, before their own personal greed, I mean gain.

If we sell off our ownership, where does that leave us? A nation owened by many other nations. It will eventually erode our power to even defend ourselves. I'm obviously beyond beer at this point, but where does the Great American Sell Off end?

File Under: Hope you've been good on YouTube

File Under: Your Piece of Maine

So apparently there was a contest where people submitted videos about their piece of Maine.

Brett Slater was the winner with this here video.

File Under: Clear Spot Episode 9

Another "veritable smorgasbord of music" from your friendly, kick-ass, bassist, Mr. Bryan Dondero. Bryan shows his mellow mood on this one. You can visit his site at http://theclearspot.podhoster.com/ or download it direct by clicking here.

After you listen, you should go to his site and leave him a comment. I would suggest something about not needing to apologize about the time in between podcasts, as we are all aware of how busy he is and marvel at the fact that he has time to do one at all.