I walked into The Players Club Friday night and was pleasently surprised to see a familiar cast of players in an unfamiliar place.

    Smiling Dogs, last night, consisted of some good players including Poppa G on bass, Henning on drums, Bill Marino on guitar, Tim Dorsey on keys, Jeannie B on vocals and a harp player whose name I missed. Rob Lepano also stood in for some vocals.  I expect some collaboration of those players will be gigging again soon. I'm just not sure who the regulars are. They put together a couple of good sets and Ms. Jeannie has a good sound. It was a good show and I'd go see them again, for sure.

   As for The Players Club, we were somewhat entertained by the barmaid last night. Not only were all our wallets emptied but it was done as obviously as I've ever seen. She tended bar like she had a loanshark waiting for her at home with a legbreaker by his side. It was some cheesy going's-on behind the bar. We had to laugh when we exchanged stories. But if you ever have to go there I suggest you either bring your own booze or do your drinking before you arrive and order water. You'll need a small bank roll for the water too.  As soon as the band wrapped we spit for atm's and other friendlier destinations.

   Sorry, but consider yourselves warned.

    I try to limit my range of interest to Long Island. There is enough going on around here to keep me busy...more than enough. I do try to stay with certain musicians though. So if they wander outside of  Lawn Giland I will stick with them to a point.

   This weekend the velvety blusicious Franny Mae (w/ Tommy T-Bone) is up in freaking Pleasentville.  If you find yourself up there this weekend be sure to hitch your horse and go in for a few belts. (kidding, Franny, Lucy's sounds happenin)

   On a more cosmopolitan note Nicole Hart and NRG are in NYC. Check that one out too. Some lovely players branching out. God bless them and their efforts to find life outside of our tropical paradise.

    As for the "here and tonight" I just heard that Mr Poppa G is playing with Smiling Dogs (don't try googling it. I had no luck) at The Players Club in Copaigue. Merrick Rd, south side. Mr. G describes himself as shy when it comes to promotion. I had to find the gig by luck. Hey Glen, come out of that shell. People want to hear you play.

    Keep me posted ya'll. I appreciate all the help I can get when it comes to keeping up with this sh!+.

   Have a great weekend.

bill

    Thanks to friends and acquaintences I got to sit in and listen to some studio stuff (EKO Studios, Commack)with Mark Klein (LI Blues Warehouse). Mark had Blue Ruin in and I was fortunate enough to hear about it from Suzi Smith who got me a seat for a listen.

   Blue Ruin is a collaboration of guys who played with Little Buster. Scott Ross, Alan Levi, Bobby Schlessenger and Frank Anstice. I hope I got those names right. I wrote it on a paper plate. I guess I'm not much of a reporter

   Blue Ruin was tight. Being a sucker for a 6-string I dug the stuff they did. I have to say though that the keyboards (Schlessenger) stole a lot of my attention. The stuff was original. I think I heard Stevie Cochrane helped write or even wrote one of them.  It was all good. These guys were discussing their musical "schooling" and upbringing and the lists of names they play(ed) with besides Little Buster is a who's who of Long Island performers. They have a gig coming up at Bobbique and they will be on The Long Island Blues Warehouse this Sunday evening. Check that out and stay tuned here for their gig dates.

    Being Wednesday, I got to go out afterwards and, of course, I headed  to Lefty's where I got another pleasent surprise.

I walked in and saw John Judd playing with some of his Thursday night jammers. I have been hearing so much of JJ of late and I have been pleading with Mrs. B to help me cut loose a Thursday so I can go to ETQuiggs for a jam. It's actually about scheduling as well. I have worked out my sched. to allow Wednesdays. Other weeknights are really hard to work out. All the more reason to be grateful to hear Judd and co. last night.

   To be honest he was a perfect follow-up after Scott Ross. He was another talented axe wielder. The Wednesday night jam at Lefty's just gets better and better. Blue Matter  is always good and the guests make it interesting every week.  I am bumming that it is Thursday and I'm not there right now.

   Well, I'll  be seeing what I can do to make something happen for me tonight. It's a longshot but if you get a chance go check them out. It's in Bellmore.

   I'll be back soon with some stuff for the weekend. Thanks for hanging out.

bill

    I'm not sure if I got the heavy stuff out of my system but I wanted to get some information out for any weekday music-goers.

   There are some serious jams out there and tonight is a good night. The usuals are always fun; Lefty's and Buchmann's for instance. Paula Jeans in Setauket has Sam Taylor pretty often and tonight they have Stevie Cochrane with him. Thats a good show. Reflections in Rockville Center is good. I like that these jams span a good distance too. Not much conflict there. On a weeknight one might not go as far as a weekend.

   So chek out a local jam, get out for a midweek break and recreate. It might help you avoid the mind-numbing bouts of introspection that occur with too much seriousness and concern...as in my recent state. I need some blues!

   Hope to see you out there.

bill

   I wanted to talk about something topical, like my cat, Ricky. He is so enamored with spring that he can't get off the window sill where he sat all day smelling the air. My thoughts went somewhere very different.

   Lately, I am so pre-occupied with life (as we all are) and the mundane aspects of getting through the work week that I have little time to spend  thinking creatively. I crave creative thinking because so many aspects of life are mysterious to me. Why we are here is one issue. Why people are so inclined to limit thought and accept convention is another. Why people accept "packages of ideas" (party platforms for one) and religious doctrines and let those dictate their every thought is another biggie. There is not enough questioned.

   Anyway, as a "cabinet maker I think creatively in my work to overcome challenges but they are challenges of design, material and production limitations. I create in a visual and physical sense. The process of thinking "around" obstacles is vital. It has taught me to use "urgent problem solving" to overcome the intangible issues as well. These things haunt me. The people in my life that have left early, for instance, have created disturbances... , for lack of a better description. Questions remain. The emotions related to the provocative thoughts, by way of the people who opened them up to me, remain which makes it a tougher process to get through but more important.

   So, all the days topics, peoples inputs, random thoughts, they all inhabit the day and what is left at night is all I have to work with.

   With that I try to "solve" and share some ideas. I find that music naturally travels the paths to the doors of my notions. I use that. I try to let it take me through those doors where I can answer or at least describe the struggles that I feel and others may share. People expressing themselves through music are saying things that words don't fully describe. The more who I hear, and the more I get to share with, the better chance I have of putting together some puzzles of understanding and peace maybe.

   So I hope I didn't bore you to tears. Sometimes I just have to write what I am thinking. I can't edit too much or I may have nothing to say.

   I'll get back to the specifics of music soon..as the weekend approaches. I enjoy that but  I have these days to spend with the fodder that motivates me and I think others. I hope so anyway.

   Thanks very much for listening.

bill

    Monday brings so many things that the weekend hides so well.

   Amazing how good one can get over the weekend at avoidance of "things disturbing" and this week brings those challenges.

   Is anyone else standing at the foot of a mountain looking up, neck straining at the enormity of the beast before you? Geez, I've barely finished my coffee and its all here already. I will not bore you with details but the tasks and the costs far outweigh the time allowed and I need to get creative under my work hat. Hence, I digitize some Hendrix and dive into the "matrix" so I can get to some of the more abstract places. Only there I could ever find such uknown answers even if those answers are just ways to cope or to see in a different light.

    Oh well, off I go. Have a good week, good luck and let me know where the good music is. I'll let you know what I find.

   Thanks for stopping by on a Monday.

bill

   

      As for Saturday night, I was on the phone while leaving the house talking with friends about the goings-on. I was heading up to Buchmann's Grille for the Pam Betti & Dirty Love show while others were either in Nassau looking for a show or stuck home with kids. Franny Mae for one was going to come out but she had to sit it out. I enjoy her vocals and was hopeful that I could get her there for a cameo. I was also hoping to get Suzi Smith out but she's a bit under the weather.  Cest la vive.

   I ended up enjoying the hell out of the show at Buchmanns but doing so alone...which ain't that unusual. I'm lucky to be able to get out at all some times and it was a good one. Pam Betti is always fun, Dirty Love does some good stuff behind her and as instrumental pieces and there were some good guests jumping in last night. Steve Interrante blew some sax and he gets it done. Frank LaTorre (spelling?) stood in with his harp, guitar and some vocals...all good. They mixed it up well last night. The stuff from the new CD sounded great and they played some even newer stuff too. Thank god because I see them a lot ( they are busy) and it hasn't gotten old.

   I regret not getting to The Viking for C & B on the way home last night but it was too late and I could not have had another drink. I hear so much about those guys and wanted to catch them. It's been a while since I saw/heard them. Look them up. It is worth it.

   I'll be back soon...thanks for stopping by. I'll be back soon with some stuff for the week ahead.

bill  

    Not to bore you with the details of my home-life but, again, I was challenged to get out of the house at a decent hour by most standards...apparently.

   I waltzed out the door a little after 11 and I was not thrilled about having to drive to either Oceanside or Lynbrook so I opted for Merrick. All good shows. I did realize it was late and I would miss most of any show I got to but by the time I found Jessie's Roadhouse (Lipsmacking Roadhouse at that) it was more like midnight. The show was pretty much over. One player had his instrument slung over his shoulder. The place was sparsely populated and the stage was vacated. I pondered the situation and floated out the door to call my small army of fellow music goers. I was out on a busy Friday night and I was not going to give up.

   I got word that some friends were checking out another friends band at Cherrywood Cafe in Wantagh. I didn't want to head further west at that hour..leaving myself a dangerous trek home and for apparently not much show left at that hour. So I got to Cherrywood and found The Usual Suspects. That was the band. The friends were not there. It was late, I was now feeling the dread of having blown my night. Not to insult The Usual Suspects. They had some decent pieces and a vocalist, Rachael, with the makings of a nice instrument. There was a male vocalist also and he didn't suck either. Bill, the drummer sounded good too. They weren't the blues though. No one stepped up and told me anything...so to speak.

    With my tail between my legs I departed and figured I'd save my "expressions" for Saturday night hopefully. In retrospect I shoulda gone a little further west to Nicole Hart or Godfrey Townsend shows. I heard the Townsend show went "all night". That pissed me off when I heard that today.

   I guess I got used to blues shows going late. Thats one of the core reasons why I feel part of the blues...that and all the sh&+ inside that echoes everytime I hear a lament. Anyway, I am glad there is so much to choose from around here. Tonight is another night.

   Have a blast and if you are out, it's late, and there is no sign the show is ending feel free to send me a text.

   Thanks for stopping by...happy music this weekend.

bill

  

    I know it is Thursday and I have so much to post for a busy few days coming up.

    I have to say here that my chore of keeping my music loving public up to date on the current fare has been obfuscated (good one, eh?) by my recent computer problems and the tech-opera continues.

   Get this. I saved my files, data and personal stuff (even my music) on a flash drive thing while my computer was "fixed". I got my beloved machine back today and found out that I got a malfunction on the flash drive. I could not extract the data. The teck support "geeks" even had the gonads to tell me I should have backed that up with something. I told them that if I used one more device I would have had one more problem. I only used the amount of devices I could afford to have fail. They didn't get it.

   I now have to send the SanDisc thing to Florida for data extraction (I was assured it is not painful and there won't be any scars) but yes, this costs money. In the last week I had my computer catch a virus (and my daughters), my cell phone got a static burn and erased my data and now my disc drive thing got a static shock of some kind and failed.

   Has anyone ever heard of Mercury in retrograde? I have a friend who said that is happening now and it may explain my recent technological woes. I wonder if that could explain my recent financial situation as well. Hmm...Maybe I should see if my wallet has any burn marks or better yet, if my bank atm card has been exposed to static(there WAS that hot redhead who rubbed up against me a week or two ago at King Kullen). Apparently static is running wild and it is taking me down. Anyone who knows a defense against static or anything about Mercury being in a harmful state please let me know.

   As for my escape, Lefty's last night was a real jamful. There were most of the regs there and at one point I think they were all up playing at once.  Somehow it went well. Superstitious was the highlight jam with Rob Lepano on vocals, Tim Dorsey on keys, Johnny Kola, Arty Panico and Ray Wade on tree-felling tools, Ms. Kelly on bass, Raph Santiago banging drums, who else...there were 5 or 6 others up there and it was kickin...as they say somewhere. I love that so many good players take advantage of it and also that there is kindness enough for the less advanced to get up and work things out every week. Some, most, are stepping it up and growing hormones up there. Great to see. As a matter of fact the crowd is getting pretty hormonal too. You know who you are...hehehe. Gotta love the em there.

   So check out all the great stuff this week and let me know how it all goes. In the meantime I will try to rid my life of static and get back to the business of searching for meaning in the world of Long Island music and the people who show up to witness it.

   Thanks for stopping by.

bill

   My brain is straining to stay within the confines of my skull and it is taking slow breathing and other forms of therapy (food for one) to keep myself calm in the face of my computer issues. I have posted 3 times today only to lose the post in transition due to computer crashes. I have other things I have to do and each successive effort comes out angrier and angrier. (at least to me).

     First of all  I would love to remind ya'll about the Tuesday night jams and about the Tennessee Jacks shows (tonight it is Tommy Keys). They have had really good players there.

   Also there are lots of good shows this weekend...including an appearance or two of Stevie Cochrane (during the week and weekend I believe) and the CD Release/ Birthday party with Pamela Betti and Dirty Love. Always a party with those folks and thats a CD I am enjoying. I'll put another cut or two on here this week for your listening enjoyment.

   I have another few new ideas for your entertainment. One is some podcasting. I may show up at a show soon with a camera guy to capture a video event or two. The relative ease with which one can distribute on that network is intriguing. I also want to offer some artwork by some local artists. I may start up another page for that. Waddauthink? Any contributors out there?

   Anyway, gotta go before I crash. Thanks for being here, really.

   If anyone was trying to get to my site last evening they were thwarted by my web-hosting service, Earthlink, who had a technical glitch and prevented access to sites. I noticed around 7 pm and was panicing until I was finally able to leave the house after 11:00. I called them, of course, and they offerred a fairly sincere apology. That and my virus situation has heightened my cynicism about the industry and the technology. I still believe that virus proliferatioin is entirely deliberate and fueled by commercialism. I also believe the technology is treated rather carelessly by some of the commercial enterprises like Earthlink and AOL too. They claim to have virus protection built in to their software. My child who uses a kid-safe site also got a virus. What is with that?

I will be looking to voice these concerns somewhere, somehow. Anyone who feels equally pissed off is free to join me.

   I finally did get out last night after plans for an earlier social event failed to work out. I was lucky enough to catch Pamela Betti & Dirty Love at Toomey's in Amityville. I haven't seen them in a while and they are always fun. Last night was no exception.

   There was a good crowd there and across the street at Giacomo Jacks for Grand Blvd. This is a new "neighborhood" for me. I like the location for nassau and suffolk types and thats where I "grew up" more or less. ( Massapequa to be exact). I always feel like I understand the people or feel comfortable in their surrounds. As for last night and recently, the music has been really good and I am glad for the "new" scenery.

   Pamela, Bill Marino, Rich Theil and Mike Scalzo were sounding pretty tight. They have a quasi-star quality about them and her voice in a room so "casual" stands out...or sort of has a glimmer... in an audio sense. They just lit the place nicely.

   There were a few notable musicians in the crowd apparently and Jay Sharkey got up and vocalized a few tunes. It was really nice to hear a confident male voice and his choice of songs was rich. Dylan was nice to hear. That was a treat. The whole night was a treat.

   I ran over to catch some of Grand Blvd. and they were musically impressive for the two songs I heard. Good vocals by drummer, Bruce, and good harmony by the band. They were tight too but the place was so packed it was hard to get comfortable. I need to hear more of that.

    It is a mellow Sunday. I dream of catching a jam, like the one at the Oasis, but it's a longshot. If anyone else I know is considering it give a call. With a little pursuasion I could make it a reality. You?

   Thanks for stopping bye and thanks for the cool music.  I needed it!!

bill

    I don't know about you but I was bummed by last night's "snow-in". Cancelled shows seem sinful somehow. We ended up having some family moments though. We lit a fire in the fireplace and the kids torched some marshmallows.  Yeehaa! They like seeing me panic as they run through the house with a flaming, dripping ball on a stick. We had some fun and the house absorbed the abuse.

   As for tonight there are plenty of good shows out there and although I have a houseparty to get to I may get somewhere late. I still need a sitter though. How I look forward to a few years from now when I no longer need a teenager to gain freedom from my house. Mrs. Bilf has a horrible work schedule so I depend on others.

   I hope ya'll are enjoying the music playing. Gio is such a sweet vocalist. She and the other local artists are apparently selling some CD's through my humble site. I heard again that someone bought a CD. In fact, when I reach a certain level of traffic here I will be upgrading my site to have the capability of selling CD's and maybe other stuff. I need to find a way to add to the income side of my financial statements. Stay tuned.

 Thanks so much for stopping by. I look forward to getting out and seeing some of you soon.

bill

   I'm still trying to recover all the details from last night at Lefty's. So many "worlds" of people collided there last night. It was hard to fathom certain people talking, and getting along, with certain people. "Incongruous pairings in a crowded room of people" best describes what I kept feeling.

   There was a good crowd of the familiar faces last night. Charlie (?) on keyboards with a clever trio did some Rush, Jethro Tull (maybe) type stuff...it was probably original and sounded good. I'll post the names if and when I get them.

   Johnny Kola sat in and held together a few collaborations, Ms. Slim-ass, black hair(name?) on vocals got up and worked out a few....and while I work on any other faces or names I may have seen let me mention Blue Matter. They were all over everything, hosting so very nicely and doing their own stuff that I love so well. The "oddity" was the inclusion of JUICE. They are not all that unfamiliar by name; Poppa G, Tim Dorsey, Billy Klinghart, Giovanni vonEssen (Shenole Latimer was not there) but hearing them there at Lefty's and seeing them with Arty Panico and Rob of Lefty's on vocals and in the setting of my current musical acquaintences was quite...alarming.  JUICE has written a few really good pieces (Taxi for one, which they did last night) and with Gio on vocals they were and still are a special collaboration.

   There was also a really good crowd there last night. It was a Wednesday I will remember for a long time...for personal reasons I guess. I do enjoy passing on those personal observations, though, so maybe you can enjoy the palatable jazz and soul sounds of JUICE as much as I do. I also enjoy passing on the experiences of good company as well. It is always a particularly unpretentious and affable group of people there and with so many of them there it was very enjoyable. Just for the record, that is the kind of night I look for every time I go out for a jam or a general night of music.

   I will now go about posting stuff for the coming busy weekend.

   Thanks to all the musicians who got up and jammed last night and for the friends and people at Lefty's.

   See ya'll very soon I hope.

bill

    It is by no means official but some (maybe most) of the players from Juice may be converging at Lefty's tonight. My friend Gio vonEssen, whom I mention quite often here, is coming down for a belt or two and Tim Dorsey is heading down. That leaves Poppa G, Billy Klinghart and Shenole Latimer. Fingers are crossed for  a mini reunion. Juice is a short-lived funk/jazz band that was gigging pretty regular a year or two ago and sort of drifted apart for various reasons. Now Gio is moving so it will be rare, at best, to hear them play. They made some nifty songs together: Taxi, December Dreams to name a few.

   I also hear that Kerry Kearney is playing tonight at Brickhouse Brewery. I should have mentioned that earlier, sorry KK. I did hear about that before today. Thats a good one too.

   I have been a bit lax in my blogging responsibilities this week It is a busy week with St.Pats day coming...lots af gigs this weekend and I should post earlier. I will do that very soon.

   In the meantime enjoy a jam this week and keep me posted as many are doing. Thanks.

bill

    My friend, you-know-who, suggested that I mention or add the date whenever I post. Apparently it is not always easy to follow the events discussed without a reference to the day. No problem. It is easier sometimes to just state the day rather then think up a pithy title for every post. Sometimes the posts are just observations that pass through the chasm I call my mind. It's kinda working out for me. Thanks Franny.

   As for this week and the coming days I might mention again that Tuesday is Bluesday in some parts. Note the Tuesday jams and they are good ones. Ralpie Santiago has some good company tonight in Glen Cove I hear. The Courthouse is always good...so is Jim Moran for that matter and there is the newly discovered Tennessee Jacks jam in Islip (or is that E Islip).

    It IS also the eve of Wednseday which, for me, will be jamalama night. I may even see Gio von Essen out and about this Wed. night... before she splits for Europe.  My friend and jazz singer is moving to freaking Paris. She swears she will not be a stranger to Long Island though. Have you heard her CD yet? It is a sweet thing. I'm enjoyng it.

    So I hope to get out this weekend for some fun stuff. Saturday night might be a challenge due to some social plans but there are a few nights to hope for. Keep me posted, music people. I'll be putting up some stuff about the weekend in the next day or so and I like to list all the stuff I know and/or love...even stuff I want to know and love and have heard something about.

   Does that make sense? In other words, keep me posted. Thanks for stopping bye.

bill

 

   The difficulties started at home. I was supposed to get out at a decent time last night. I had assurances that the sitter would be available.

   There were quite a few shows to see but two of them were literally across the street from each other. Brickhouse Brewery and Bobbique. I thought it was a Saturday night that I could actually catch two shows.

   Not so fast.

   I ended up stranded at home until midnight!!! I was crazy with frustration...pacing the kitchen, fed up with the computer and its issues, wanting to scream at "destiny", "fate", whomever was pulling my strings. I was even practicing  talking sternly at whoever that is while driving out to Patchogue. The words fell on a foggy windshield and barely defrosted a patch...but I was starting to feel better.

  Knowing O'Zone would be a later show I stuck my nose in on MISbHAVIN at Bobbique. I only heard 2 or 3 songs but they rocked me. I have to say. I dug Danny Keane's keys and vocals and Pat Hunters vocals and Donnie Celenza's guitar. It was a damn good flavor and presentation of blues. Pat Hunter has a soulful reverberation. A good instrument of a voice. Danny K has been vocalizing a lot since I have seen him last. He has a singing style that is coming into his own. Unique and creative. Donnie C keeps any vibe going with his guitar and brings it to his own place.  They were a good team...equal parts of good stuff..all entertaining. Catch that act when you can!

   I ran across the street as soon as they said good-night and caught a whole set of O'Zone at The Brickhouse.

   O'Zone is funk for the most part but Butch, lead singer, is also R & B and a smooth operator. Good vocalist and the band has good pieces. They are sounding tight these days. They did a lot of James Brown with some keyboard work from Tim Dorsey. Steve Interrante sat in on sax last night too. That was a treat. A good addition. They make for a fun night of good music. It could have been an amazing night if I had more of it.

   Catch a jam, like the Oasis, or The Blues Warehouse tonight on radio and feel free to keep me posted on anything else exciting out there. Thanks for stopping bye.

bill

    Being self employed the work week is a little unconventional as I have to work in so many social tasks and child rearing chores with my work day. That being said there is still the relief associated with the weekend. If not from actual long workday and commuting hours I am fatigued by the pressure to work long days and cannot. The weekend brings relief from the process of multitasking and juggling. My arms get tired. Bring on the escape and relief.

    Mrs. Bilf has a rotating schedule too so this week she had her Saturday(so to speak) night last night. We had a little time to explore so we tried the jam at Giacomo Jacks which is not that far for a Thursday night. I have heard DonnieCelenza and he is always good...never been to Giacomo's so it was a good thing to try.

    On a dark night the place is tucked away and a little hard to see from the street. Once located and breached it was a typical setting , albeit nautical and flavored with years of souveniered memories. It was a nice setting. I'd have to see the place with a full crowd to know how it is for listening. They had a temporary barrier up to close off an outside area so we were confined to the bar and couldn't see whether Donnie C was playing the piano or his guitar. All I could see was his head...and it's not fair for a guy our age to have so much freaking hair. That was a little intimidating. But the guy can play. He is one of those players that exhibits creativity in his every effort. It never sounds like a cover to me when he is playing a lead. I heard Stevie Cochrane sits in there on occasion too. I wish we could have hung out later but I was lucky to catch a Thursday night anywhere and now I know where the place is.

   Tonight they have Pam Betti & Dirty Love at Giacomo's. I bet it is a different looking place with a weekend crowd. Oh well...I'm still not sure what's in store for me this weekend but there's plenty going on. Take your pick and find a way to enjoy yourselves this weekend.

bill

   I would call it cloud nine but I want my own cloud. ok? On Thursdays I am always partly cloudy at least...and I welcome it. It is a badge I wear proudly representing me living my life in a way I feel is sometimes necessary.

   Last night at Lefty's was a nice night of music and jam. Some notable jammers were Mark T of Rockslide and Josh of Jack of Diamonds...both good axemen and they mixed it up, even including a version of Hey Joe. I love that song especially with able 6-stringers. Arty Panico, Ray Wade, Ralph Santiago, Kelly (bass) and Charlie on keys finished off the cast. Oh, there was another drummer, a good one...didn't get the name.

   As a matter of fact Mark of Rockslide put out an APB for another capable lead guitar-man for his Rockslide. Look them up...good bunch of fellas.

   Hey...good weekend coming up. Lots of stuff and I plan on getting somewhere, somehow. I hope to see you all out there.

bill

   Before coming on to post some thoughts today I did a quick search on some blues society sites. They are really helpful for finding not only shows to see but for locations of venues and biographies of musicians. Thank you to those people for their work. Check my Helpful Links page for links to the Blues and other sites.

   One thing I did see today is that Tennessee Jacks in E. Islip has great blues on Tuesday nights. They call it Bluesday (clever or what). Tonight is Bennett Harris and the names vary so check it out every Tuesday. It is south of Sunrise Hwy, north of Union Blvd...east of Rte. 111.

   I have been so busy trying to restore my comptuer to use-ability after purging it of the dreaded "backdoor trojan". Just the name gives me the willies. Not funny!!! Who, in the lowest of the low places on this dirtball we call earth, spends their lives thinking this crap up...ways to sabatoge computers? Does this not make you crazy??!!

   It has to be conspiratorial with the Anti-virus companies like Symantec and Mcafee, right? It is like the monopoly insurance companies have created . These freaking companies are making a living on the hackers and it is no small business. Tell me the hackers aren't living in freaking Tahiti with a private plane to take them back and forth. If I was a hacker I would be...given how bad the big companies would need me to stay in business. Is someone looking into this?

   I don't have time. I'm still trying to figure out how to pay the mortgage and taxes, LIPA, heating oil and cable here on Long Island and still enjoy life. Lottery has proven unreliable. One of the factors that enables this situation of constant virus attack has to be our distraction with financial obligation in this society.  Who has time??!!    

   And, frankly, it is harmful to us spiritually to be so burdened with obligation. There is a great case to be made for a modest life and I work hard at finding a modest level...it is just so hard here on Long Island to maintain that. One hard financial hit and the house crumbles...or shakes pretty bad. That's where blues and the arts comes in for me. I need to stablize fairly often with escapes from material world and material thought. When that is threatened by my computer being attacked I get pissed off. Is anyone scared yet?

   Oh well, I needed to rant. I can't afford a new computer right now and I am growing more insane every day with the weird sh&+ happening with my Gateway. How's that for a plug? lol

   Thanks for putting up with my complaint but maybe we can generate some noise about the issue of computer hacking. Anyone else care?

bill

   There were a few events last night that I wanted to see/hear and since two of them were fairly close I tried to get to those. Unfortunately, as often happens, I was having a good time at Lefty's catching T-Bone & Franny Mae that I spent too much time and by the time I got to The Viking to see The Dare Ya Band I was toast. It's been a busy week.

   T-Bone and Franny are always entertaining and Ms. Franny's voice is always nice on the ears. Tommy T-Bone can play too so they entertain me pretty much every time.

   As for The Dare Ya Band...I'm sorry I didn't catch more. I got there at the end of a set and I think that was about it for me there. I really like those guys though. They are a creative bunch with really good players...vocals, strings, writing...all good. Too bad every night isn't a headline night. It would be easier to see all the good acts without having to race around Long Island.

   Don't forget today there is the Harp event at Buchmann's. Great cast heading up there I heard.

   Thanks again for checking out the foolery this weekend.

bill

   What did God do on the 6th day? I forget. Mike, help me out here. My friend Mike from Blue Parrot and Lefty's is knowledgable of theologies and we have begun arguing over some way-too-heady issues at way too late at night and it has to stop, at least at that hour, but for the sake of very entertaining conversation I though he might know the schedule of creation. I'll pass it on if he does.

   As for the mundane issues of life here on earth and music I wanted to pass on a note to the band.

   Last night I ended up going it alone after Ms. Foolery got hit with fatigue and was overcome with the gravitational pull of the king size bed. I figured I'd run up to Rockafella's...a place I had never seen to hear Pam Betti and Dirty Love...a band I like to see/hear.

   So I got there and I liked the layout of the place. There was ample room to see the band. The light sucked but that can be fixed. The band sounded good...Pam was gutting one out when I finally sat down and then my phone rang. My vunderchild called and needed to be rescued from a bad sleepover situation. Damn. Hey, I gotta-do-what-I-gotta-do. I wanted to apologize to PB &DL but they were still making music when I bolted. Sorry guys. I was looking forward to a nice hang out with ya'll.

   Maybe tonight I'll get some listening time in because I got cut off last night. There's much to see tonight. Hmmm...

   I hope to see you all out somewhere. Thanks again for stopping bye.

bill

   G'day music lovers. I'm a little chipper today. Could be because I got an extra jam last night and I have a little time today to blog.

   I had to run out last night for an errand or two and I got a hall pass to stick my nose in at a jam. I am fairly close to Bohemia/Islandia so I  tossed a few at Pub 454 and caught some Josie Wales, Johhny Anderson, Poppa G and a fine drummer who's name I failed to get. Sorry.    Joe, my friend with the trumpet (e-mail me with name help here guys. Thanks) stepped up and layed a few mellow notes. (Funky)Tim Dorsey also showed up and set up a keyboard in record time and did a nice job with some keys.

   It is a good size room, not a bad location and they made some nice music. It is a funny dynamic with two lead guitar types battling for song choice though. I had to chuckle but I liked what came out so it was just funny and a good jam. I like the jazzy element. Jazz always makes for more creative sound. It is a perfect mix for me; rock, blues, jazz. I see it as perfectly harmonious a blend...at least with Poppa G and co. making the mix. That is definitely one of Poppa's strengths.

   Speaking of Poppa G he co-wrote the song playing here from Giovanni's new CD, EssenTially Me. It is some nice listening from the really soulful jazz vocalist, Giovanni von Essen. I'll be playing more of it but ask Poppa G or go to Gio's site for a CD.

   AND , more on Poppa G...he is substitute-hosting an acoustic-type Happy Hour at Lefty's today, 5 to 8 pm. Go check that out and have a nice Happy Hour. I will be out this weekend but I do not know what night(s) yet. I hope to see you all.  Have fun.

bill

   An excellent night at Lefty's last night was a welcome event. It was one of those nights when a lot of friends and players show up at the same time...after weeks of not many of them showing up. Must be something in the stars.. because it was typically atypical.

   Poppa G is always welcome, Suzi Smith belted some out and she was real bluesy. I loved it. Tim Dorsey showed with his new keyboard rig and never got to sit in. It was good to see Timmy Tim Tim though as well as some of my "nights out for Blues" friends.

   I know it's late but there is a good new jam at Pub 454 in Bohemia tonight (and a reg Thurs thing now) with Poppa G, Johnny Anderson, Chris(py) Laybourne and Josie Wales and if there's anyway I can get out I'm going to run over there for one or two.

   This weekend has lots of good stuff and I am lickin my chops hoping to get to some of them. What really blows my mind is that I have a 8am soccer game on Sunday. Can you imagine? I really want to know what soul with no life planned that one. Even my child rolled her eyeballs when we heard that one.

   Oh well, it's all for the love of the game. Right?!

   Have fun out there people and let me know what I missed. I can take it.

bill