Archives” Life’s Soundtrack: New Progressive Rock from Houston – Six Minute Century’s Wasting Time!

Wasting TimeSo the soundtrack for a variety of activities around the house today was a prog/power metal band from Houston,Texas Six Minute Century . The band has been around since 2004 playing mostly locally in Houston. After signing with Nightmare Records in 2008, Six Minute Century released their début album “Time Capsules”. After that release and the positive reviews it received, the band has played many cities in the United States, and been invited to perform  at a variety of festivals including:  Rocklahoma, Rock The Bayou,festival, Nightmare Metal Fest I and II, and ProgPower XI.My soundtrack today was their second release Wasting Time also on Nightmare Record. The album is hot off the presses! The official release was yesterday! It really only took the first couple of songs to decide that this was a band that I was going to like. well actually it was the use of radio reports about the havoc of the Galveston flood that acted as the intro to the song “City of Hope” that did the trick.  It seemed that through the entire album the opening to each song was varied and interesting.! Read More

Flashing Back Again to the Greenwich Village Folk Scene with Carolyn Hester!

SCarolyn Hestero it looks like right now my mind is trapped in the folk revival in Greenwich Village in the 1960s with thoughts of Tom Paxton, Carolyn Hester, Mississippi John Hurt and others. This morning the first song the popped into my head was Tom Paxton’s “I Can’t Help But Wonder Where I’m Bound”. You know at least two or three times a week this song plays in my mind – maybe it’s the line “trying to find what I was meant to do” that does it for me! Anyway, when I search YouTube this morning for the song, this is the version that came up first, featuring Nanci Griffith and Carolyn Hester along with Tom…… Read More

Flashing Back to thoughts of John Hurt, John Sebastian and Fred Neil in the Village!!

So the other day when I was writing about John Sebastian, I mentioned that John played on Fred Neil’s first abum Bleeker & MacDougal. This got me thinking about Fred Neil so here is a repost of a post I did a while back. But first two things the first is on Neil’s album John played harmonica! Secondly, I also mentioned that the Lovin’ Spoonful got their name from Mississippi John Hurt’s song “Coffee Blues” So here it is: Read More

The 28 Day Reading Challenge – Three New Books !!

So I went to the library today, like I need more to read, anyway. I took two books back that I have read Kent Haruf’s Plainsong and Deborah Hick’s The Road Out– two others I did not have time to read Crossroads a book about BLues and Rock music and Chi Marathoning – running what’s running??? Then I checked three out and we'[l see how I do at reading this set of books: Read More

2014 Jazz – Moment to Moment from Pianist Cava Menzies and Trumpeter Nick Phillips

So this morning at Me, Myself , Music and Mysteries I posted three songs that put me in a good mood, and tonight I am listening to an album that puts me in a mellow mood. I want to get home turn the lights out and drift to this wonderful album. Yes, drift to the fine piano of Cava Menzies and the “Chet Baker-esque trumpet of Nick Phillips on their album Moment to Moment. As a matter of fact, I was going to write to you readers if you want an album to settle back with put your feet up and just drift grab this one!! Read More

Morning Music – March 18, 2014 from Jerry Jeff and John Sebastian!!

Hill Country RainOk so when I started this blog, my idea for morning music was to play something that made me happy! Kinda’ a morning pick me up that we all need! So here we go – after reading and listening to both John Sebastian and Jerry Jeff the other day, I started to think about songs that they sing that put me in a good mood! Here’s three of then, two from Jerry Jeff and one from John Sebastian – with Jerry Jeff we’ll dance in the Hill Country Rain and then ride down that road with Curly and Lil because you know – “It’s good times when they get here….” and the John Sebastian is gonna’ painted rainbows all over your blues!! Have a good day y’all!! Read More

2014 “Texassippi” Blues from Jim Suhler – Panther Burn!!

When I first started to listen to Jim Suhler’s latest release Panther Burn, I didn’t think that I had ever hard his guitar or music before. And while I may have never heard his music with his group The Monkey Beats, there’s a good chance I’ve heard his guitar, because since 1999 he has been the lead guitarist for George Thorogood & The Destroyer’s (formerly the Delaware Destroyers, so they are big in the Delaware Valley). In addition, he appeared on Elvin Bishop’s 2008 release The Blues Rolls On, which is included in my music library.And after co-producing Texas-Based Blues Band, Jason Elmore & Hoodoo Witch’ 2010 release entitled Upside Your Head, which received widespread acclaim in the Blues genre, he contributed consulting/performance work on Hoodoo Witch’s second album entitled “Tell You What”, which was released on March 19, 2013 and is also in my library and was reviewed by Me, Myself, Music and Mysteries here (and I do see the name Suhler in the post!) The album was nominated by “Blues Blast” magazine for Best Blues Rock Album. So I missed this Dallas, Texas native even though he has appeared on stage with  Les Paul, James Cotton, Hank Williams,Jr., Duke Robillard, Peter Wolf, Willie Nelson, Irma Thomas, Dr. John, Pinetop Perkins, Lazy Lester, Steve Miller, Elvin Bishop, Son Seals, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Johnny Rivers, Joe Bonamassa, Cross Canadian Ragweed and others Damn I even missed him in 2002, when he fulfilled a lifelong dream by playing two shows with AC/DC during their Stiff Upper Lip Tour,in Helsinki, Finland and Hamburg, Germany.(just kidding) BUT after listening to Panther Burn I will not miss his music anymore!! This may be my favorite blues album of the year! It’s got everything I like good vocals, catchy songs, a little harp from the Thunderbirds Kim Wilson and some mighty good organ from  I believe Tim Alexander?! Until  today I would have said “Across the Brazos” was my favorite track on the album, but today “Leave My Blues Behind” really caught my attention and the musical interplay between the vocals, the organ and Jim’s guitar was just great! While “Between Midnight and Day:, “Dinosaur Wine” and “Worldwide Hoodoo” all made me stop and take notice of them, too!! Hell once again  I am going to say that this album is great first track to the last!!! Jim had a little help from his friends on Panther Burn. Those who made appearances include:Kim Wilson of The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Asleep At The Wheel’s Ray Benson, Carolyn Wonderland and Jason Elmore!! So Check Him, the boys and girl out!! As for me, there’s once again a large back catalog to  check out! I think I’ll start with Tijuana Bible or maybe Bad Juju which was produced by the legendary Jim Gaines!! Links Artist Website MySpace WikipediaI did say my favorite track was “Panther Burn”, right? Because of the great slide guitar.I guess it’s the song that I’m currently listening to, again! Here’s “Panther Burn”! Read More

New Age – Healing Music from Michael Brant DeMaria – The Maiden of Stonehenge!

The Maiden of Stonehenge
Michael Brant DeMaria

So the other day I was browsing through the Zone Music Reporter’s New Age Top 100 Radio Air Play chart and I spotted down at #87 an interesting looking album titled The Maiden of Stonehenge by Michael Brant DeMaria. Not knowing anything more about the album, than that it had both an interesting title and a cool cover (there I go again dating myself). I downloaded it on to the iPhone and gave it a listen. As soon as I heard the flute on the first track “Lost Village” I knew that I was going to like the album and I was very, very correct!! Read More

This Day in Music – March 17, 1944 – “Happy Birthday John B Sebastian!”

J S WoodstockSo what can you say about John Sebastian. He had a great run with the Lovin’ Spoonful lots of great hits  like: “Do You Believe in Magic”, “Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?”, “Nashville Cats” and many more. He also had a good solo career. Yet most younger people know him for one song  the theme song to, “Welcome Back Kotter! “Anyway, two of my favorite John Sebastian albums are his first self-titled solo album and Cheapo-cheapo Productions Presents John Sebastian.  Lots of good stuff on both albums. Some of my favorites from John B Sebastian include: “Red Eye Express”, Magical Connections”, “She’s a Lady” and  “Rainbows All Over Your Blues”. My favorite track on Cheapo- Cheapo is “Younger Generation” a couple of Spoonful songs “Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind” and “Nashville Cats” appear on the album. Visiting Wikipedia I see that John: Read More