Under the heading, I don't like working on Saturdays, I had to find something to keep me from killing my cow-orkers (nod to Scott Adams)
This saved them all.
~ Hath
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Armed Forces Day
Many events across the United States take place on Armed Forces Day to honor Americans in uniform who served their country in times of war and peace. Those who are honored on this day include people who serve the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard. National Guard and Reserve units may celebrate Armed Forces Day/Week over any period in May because of their unique training schedules. Events and activities may include:
- Multi-service military displays in areas open for the public.
- Various educational activities that teach children about the armed forces.
- “Support the Troops” themed motorcycle rides.
- Large parades and other local celebrations.
Certain types of music are also played at Armed Forces Day events, including at memorials and at cemeteries, as a way to respect those in the armed forces who died for their country. For example, buglers have played a bugle call, known simply as Taps, on Armed Forces Day in recent years. Taps is usually sounded by the United States military at events such as flag ceremonies, memorial services and funerals.
In my hometown, there are rememberance memorials at each of our cemeteries, with many of our local veterans taking part. Today, I'm working all day, but wanted to take a moment to thank the men and women who work selflessly to protect my way of life.
~ Hath
Friday, May 14, 2010
Obie on MMR (again)
They replayed the May 7 Interview, and played "Story of my Life" on PLJ.
I so want to go through the "do not use" boxes....
~ Hath
PS: If you missed the "Only Lonely Soundcheck" from the original airing of this interview, the link is here.
I so want to go through the "do not use" boxes....
~ Hath
PS: If you missed the "Only Lonely Soundcheck" from the original airing of this interview, the link is here.
Norman's Rare Guitars
Norman’s Rare Guitars first opened in 1975. Norman started off in a small location in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles. His amazing collection of hard-to-find vintage guitars, such as, Gibson, Fender, Rickenbacker, Martin, and Gretsch, earned him credibility among collectors, musicians, and many high profile artists and bands. Word began to spread about Norm’s top quality vintage guitars and his expansion began.
Today, Norman’s cult like following frequents his store location in Tarzana, California on Ventura Boulevard. On any given day, you can walk into Norm’s and see some of your favorite musicians and artists rocking out. Norm’s offers lessons, repairs, trade-ins, and written appraisals. Although Norm’s vintage guitars are the main attraction, he also carries an impressive collection of basses, amps, accessories, and clothing. You can purchase Norm’s popular Lucky Brand shirt that appeared in the hit feature film Forgetting Sarah Marshall or the infamous Norman’s Rare Guitars shirt that Nigel wears in the classic rock comedy Spinal Tap.
If you are looking for the perfect gift, guitar players of all ages enjoy drooling over the amazing collection of vintage guitars photographed in the Norman’s Rare Guitars book. The foreword is written by Tom Petty and throughout the pages Norm also shares entertaining stories about growing up in Florida, playing in various bands, and building what is now, his guitar empire.
In this video, Norman is showing off some Sambora memorabilia...
Thanks, H! I love the paisley pants, personally :)
~ Hath
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Great David Article
Not only does the New Jersey native play keyboards in Bon Jovi, one of the most popular rock bands in the world, he's also written the score for a Broadway musical that recently received eight Tony nominations.
"It's killer," Bryan says about "Memphis," a musical he and Joe DiPietro wrote in 1991 about the first white DJ to play music by blacks.
"And my other gig is doing all right, too."
Bryan's other gig brings him and the other members of Bon Jovi to Hersheypark Stadium for a Wednesday night show. The band, which formed in 1983, is touring in support of "Circle," its 12th studio album, which was released last year.
After the Hershey show, the band heads home to New Jersey for three shows at the new Meadowlands Stadium (a fourth show has been scheduled for July).
"It's unbelievable to play a stadium and it's unbelievable to play at home," Bryan says. "We're opening up the new Meadowlands. That's exciting. But anytime you walk onstage, you're not going to give a better or lesser show just because of where you are. You just get up there and kill as hard as you can.
"But I guess the thing for us is that it's the building we drive by. That's where my team plays."
Bryan and singer Jon Bon Jovi have been friends since they were teenagers. They played in bands together while in high school and recorded demos at the Power Station, a New York recording studio owned by the singer's cousin.
Bryan, a classically trained pianist, was in college and pondering attending the Juilliard School when Bon Jovi called and said he had landed a recording contract.
"I flipped the old coin and said, 'You know what, I think a rock band's going to be fun; let me take a shot at this.' I believed in Jon and I believed in what we could accomplish.
"Thank God, I was right."
And how.
Bon Jovi has sold about 120 million albums during its career and has topped the charts with huge hits like "Livin' on a Prayer," "You Give Love a Bad Name," "Bad Medicine," "I'll Be There for You," "It's My Life" and "Who Says You Can't Go Home."
The band has been able to sustain its popularity as both a recording act and as a concert draw throughout its career. In recent years the band has even attracted a following among country music fans through "Can't Go Home," which was recorded with guest vocals by Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland, and the album "Lost Highway," which featured duets with LeAnn Rimes and Big & Rich.
"Circle," however, is a return to rock, though it's a serious album that explores some gritty themes.
"It's a serious time," says Bryan, "and when those songs were written, the world was crashing. It looked like 1932 again, the Great Depression. It was the Great Recession. But, at the end of the day, it still talks about positivism and hope."
He says the band is playing seven songs from "Circle" as part of its 24-song set during its current tour.
Though the band, which also includes guitarist Richie Sambora, drummer Tico Torres and bassist Hugh McDonald, never broke up, it did go on hiatus in the early 1990s.
"We just needed a break," Bryan says. "Everybody's heads were just spinning. And it wasn't like it was years and years and years. It was a year. Everybody was tired and then we got back together and wrote the record 'Keep the Faith' in '92."
During that hiatus, Bryan got together with DiPietro, who wrote the story for "Memphis." The musical bounced around a lot and it took eight years before it landed last October in the Shubert Theater on Broadway.
"It took a long road to get there," Bryan says. "It's a show that educates and entertains. It's about the first white DJ to put African-American music on the radio. It shows what racism is and how stupid it is.
"If you can entertain and still make the world a little better place, why not?"
Bon Jovi: The Circle World Tour
Wed. 6 p.m. $59.50, $95
Hersheypark Stadium, 534-3911
www.hersheyentertainment.com
source
Navigating the Vault
Thanks, Catte, for the play-by-play :)
1) Create an ID and sign in . Once inside the Vault you will see…
2) Click on the “Validate More” button at the top and you will be prompted to insert your CD into the drive or enter your download code. Then you get this screen…
3) Select the album from the menu on the left. Once you do, you get this screen…
4) Click “OK” to validate your CD. It takes a minute, but then this page appears:
The audio tracks that are available are upper left, Gallery is on right. You’ll notice the “Buy Live Tracks” box is empty with a note they will be available May 18. There are, however, some tracks available to stream (Lost Highway, for example, has Whole Lot of Leavin')
Once you’ve unlocked material for a CD, it remains on your screen when you log out/back in.
~ Hath
Review of BONJOVI.COM
Clearly from someone who doesn't spend too much time on the website. I don't find navigating it "with so much ease and simplicity", but hey, that's just me.
source
~ Hath
When you arrive at the main page, you will see a very professionally laid out website. On the left hand side is a flash image which showcases things such as merchandise commemorating their 25th year anniversary. On the far right-hand-side is a Q&A section where you can interact with the managers of the site and get Bon Jovi related questions answered. The main page also features the ability to purchase Bon Jovi MP3's, watch their music videos, purchase merchandise and even sign up for the official Bon Jovi newsletter.
The top of the webpage features a variety of buttons. Once highlighted, drop-down menus appear. These include "Band" which when highlighted, drops down subsections on Bon Jovi as a band, and each individual member of the band also. The "Media" subsection drops down discography, videos, photo galleries and merchandise and the "On The Road" section drops down tour dates, tour community and the ability to purchase tickets.
One of the unique factors of this site is the ability to basically view everything on the main page. Thanks to the handy drop down features, you can simply select and view whichever section you want, instead of having to click on title and navigating your way through countless information just to find the section you want. The website is laid out very professionally, is updated regularly and in general is just a credit to view with so much ease and simplicity, yet full of so much depth.
BonJovi.com is the ultimate source for Bon Jovi news, information, history and tour dates, and for all you women out there, yes, this is the place to go if you want to see pictures of the 1980's heart-throbs past and present. BonJovi.com simply features something for everyone. With 120 million albums world-wide, who are we to argue? The site is simply the perfect Bon Jovi experience.
source
~ Hath
More Idol Yummies
AP had lots of pictures this morning. Thanks Catte for putting a smile in my inbox today.
~ Hath
~ Hath
