Recently in Music Category

After an outstanding dinner at Liuzza's on a cold and rainy night in New Orleans, we went to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert at the New Orleans Arena.

First, Liuzza's: Patsy had a shrimp remoulade po-boy that she is still raving about this morning. I had a very messy, quite delicious roast beef po-boy. Pure heaven. I miss New Orleans food, particularly the po-boys, and especially Liuzza's. What we get on the NorthShore just isn't the same.

About TSO: We've seen them three years in a row now. I can't say that they get better every year but they surely get bigger every year. This is an enormous production. Love the HD flat screens but could probably do without the flames and the blinding lights and maybe they could cut down on the narration and chit chat a little. Would also like to see them do a better job getting the music mixes right (Leads a little more in the foreground, singer's microphone turned down a little, etc). It was still a great show. We had decent seats last night except for having a stairway between us and the stage. The audience's constant traipsing back and forth on the stairs blocked our view too much of the night to suit me. My sister had better seats in the same section. The stairs were behind her in relation to the stage. It was all Christmas music and Night Castle music this year. No covers, no special guests. Catch them if you can.

Tidbit: New Orleans needs a better concert venue, one that is big enough to attract the good shows but not so big that it swallows them (SuperDome), one that is also built for great sound and where all of the seats face the stage.

Tidbit: Speaking of New Orleans and today's QOTD, ESPN's Wright Thompson wrote a lovely tribute to New Orleans and the Saints. Fabulous read.

Tidbit: Laugh of the day for NFL fans comes courtesy of Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:

The Cowboys are the league's top TV draw, so the NFL schedules good opponents for Dallas in December.

The NFL schedule burdened the Cowboys with the Chargers, Saints, Redskins, and Eagles this year for their last four games. The Chargers, Redskins, and Saints were all 8-8 last year and the Eagles were 9-6-1. The NFL couldn't have been neutral? I know, I know. Neutral is anti-Cowboys, too.

Tidbit: For all of their own missteps and considerable political opposition, the greens still have one overpowering argument. They should stick to it.

5 song iTune shuffle:

1. A Rush Of Blood To The Head 5:51 Coldplay A Rush Of Blood To The Head
2. Everlasting Cocksucker 5:14 Marilyn Manson Smells Like Children
3. Pinion 13 Nine Inch Nails Broken
4. I'm Not The Man 3:46 10,000 Maniacs MTV Unplugged
5. Suicide Solution 4:20 Ozzy Osbourne Blizzard Of Ozz

Quote of the Day

The soul of New Orleans is in a trumpet and a low-ceilinged bar. It's in the free red beans in the back. It's in the art hanging near the food that has two dogs howling at a New Orleans Saints moon. It's in the voice of Kermit Ruffins, two hours into his standing Thursday night gig at a packed club hidden in the neighborhood behind the French Quarter, the place weathered and peeling like the side of a workingman's boat.

Wright Thompson, ESPN.com

Blog of the day is here.

Quote from said blog: "At 8-5 the Cowboys are in serious trouble."

I'm just not getting all of the doom and gloom coming out of Dallas about the Cowboys. Their fate is in their hands. What more could a fan ask for? -Rob

Wandering around on YouTube, looking for something else, I stumbled upon a fabulous live rendition of Foghat performing Drivin' Wheel. Foghat came over in the British Invasion (Wikipedia describes it as the period from 1964-1966 but I think it's more like 1964-1973) and Drivin' Wheel is one of my faves of theirs. Lead singer, Lonesome Dave, died of cancer in 2000. The video says it's from a concert some 4 months before he succumbed to it. He looks very gaunt in this although the man could still rock. Lead guitarist, Rod Price, not in the video although the lead guitarist does look quite a bit like him, died of a heart attack some years later. I miss them. I went to many rock concerts at The Warehouse and Municipal Auditorium in New Orleans. Foghat were regulars at the Warehouse but they played the Auditorium at least once because I remember sitting in the balcony when they played Drivin' Wheel. I don't know how many times I saw them overall but it was surely more than I saw any other British rock band. They were always, always a good time. Go Foghat.

About former Saints first round pick, Ricky Williams: It appears old Ricky still has some life in his legs. He had a whale of a game last night. Hard to believe he came out the same year as the now washed-up Edgerrin James and a year before the now washed-up Deuce McAllister. Actually, Deuce and Edge were washed up last year or even the year before. I know Ricky hasn't played the whole time and the hits haven't accumulated as much on him as those two but he's still running very well at 32. Good for him. The Saints gave up a lot when they traded for him but got a lot in return when they traded him away. His slate is clean with me and I wish him well.

5 song iTune shuffle:

1. Maggie May 5:45 Rod Stewart Unplugged... And Seated (LIVE)
2. I Dont Want To Go On Without You (Alternate Edit) 3:24 Nazareth Play 'N' The Game
3. A Hole To Hide In 46 Foghat Foghat
4. Tennessee Pusher 5:31 Old Crow Medicine Show Tennessee Pusher
5. Mother And Son 0:41 Trans-Siberian Orchestra Night Castle (Amazon MP3 Exclusive Version)

Quote of the Day

Powerful love, steady roll, move my body and it rocked my soul
Let me ride, let me slide, got that lovin' feelin', way down inside

Foghat, Drivin' Wheel

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "The collection, which was originally issued in 1989, includes all of FOGHAT's hits and rock radio standards, including such anthems as "Slow Ride," "I Just Want to Make Love to You," "Fool for the City," "Drivin' Wheel," and "Ride, Ride, Ride," among others."

I agree with the New York Daily News. There's NO CRYING IN FOOTBALL. Rex Ryan is living, breathing testament to the old adage that the fruit doesn't fall far from the tree. His dad, Buddy, was a loudmouth braggart and a pretty decent defensive coordinator but a lousy head coach. Rex is stepping into that tradition quite nicely but I don't think Buddy would have cried in a player's meeting. They're in new territory now. Jets fans are beside themselves. Some say he should Man Up. Others want everyone to leave him alone. If I gave much of a rat's a$$, you'd have to put me squarely in the first category. As Craig Ferguson would say, "What a douche".

PSA for new drivers to Louisiana: Yield signs and Stop signs are reversed here. We stop at Yield signs and we slow down and roll through Stop signs. Get with the program or move along. Actually, move along either way. I'd rather the signs were observed properly.

5 song iTune shuffle:

1. Things I'd Like To Say 2:22 New Colony Six Rock 'n Roll Relix 1968-1969
2. Sweet Wine Of Love 2:56 Robin Trower Essential
3. Black Sabbath 6:21 Black Sabbath We Sold Our Soul For Rock 'N' Roll
4. Bella Linda (Single Version) 2:59 The Grass Roots 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best Of The Grass Roots
5. Die Hard The Hunter 6:16 Def Leppard Pyromania

About today's QOTD: I was never her biggest fan but I have always loved that song and she always gave her audience their money's worth. I don't think she sang anything the same way twice and that was in the days of rampant lip-synching on TV. I never saw her do it. On stage, she was always live and always on. There is no one like her today.

Quote of the Day

You say that it's over, baby, no
You say that it's over now
But still you hang around me, come on
Won't you move over

Janis Joplin, Move Over

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "And the Buccaneers just didn't have enough to go around. Not enough playmakers. Not enough experience. You can point the finger at the offense, the defense, the coaches or at the officiating, but the fact remains: When the game was on the line, the Bucs simply didn't get it done."

I'm expecting a charged-up Bucs team Sunday at home against the Saints and a very physical game. -Rob

Very tough game for the Saints today in the SuperDome. Carolina has been their nemesis pretty much since they've been in the NFL. Jake Delhomme very generously throws interceptions to just about everyone ... except the Saints. This game will give me a better barometer of where they are than any game they've played so far. The formula hasn't changed here in several years. If they take care of the ball, they'll take care of the Panthers. One more thing:

On the upcoming 40th anniversary of Sesame Street, I am reminded of their silly decision to change probably their most beloved character, Cookie Monster. Don't do that again.

My ambivalence to capital punishment stems from A) because of appeals, it is probably cheaper to keep people in jail for the rest of their lives than it is to execute and I think life imprisonment is strong punishment and B) this guy. I just do not care one way or the other.

Premiering a new CrabAppleLane Blog daily feature this morning.

5 song iTune shuffle for November 8, 2009:

1. Scotch & Chocolate 38 Nickel Creek Why Should The Fire Die? Country 1


2. Before The Beginning 3:26 Fleetwood Mac Then Play On Blues


3. Hey You 4:39 Pink Floyd Pulse [Live] [Disc 1] Rock


4. Lazy 7:23 Deep Purple Machine Head 25th Anniversary Edition [Disc 2] Rock


5. I'm So Excited 5:39 The Pointer Sisters Working Girl Soundtrack

Speaking of iTunes, below is the most-played song in my iTunes library. It's a song by former U.S. Marine, Elijah Bossenbroek. I like a lot of his stuff but this one is my favorite. It's called The Calm Before. Enjoy.

About today's QOTD: Yes.

We bought or were given a bird feeder about a year after we moved in. It was painted nicely and said "Seed for a song" on the sides. It was similar to the one pictured only it was built by a much better carpenter than I, the worst carpenter you know. It quickly became the CrabAppleLane backyard birds' favorite. They seem to like the openness of it. That first one was repaired several times before it gave way to the second feeder for this location, one very similar to this one because it was also built by me. That one was also repaired several times before I decided on this third one. I cobbled this one together this morning in about 30 minutes in my garage. It looks it but I don't think the birds will mind one bit.

CrabAppleLane Bird Feeder - November 8, 2009

Quote of the Day

The Cowboys stand for everything that's wrong with the NFL.

John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens Head Coach

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "While the UK initially appeared to have been ignored - its homepage featured Wallace and Gromit celebrating their 20th birthday instead - it has now been brought in from the cold, with a doodle of the Cookie Monster having apparently taken a bite out of a Google logo. (Made out of cookies, naturally.)"

Not an authority on him but I'm very surprised I had never seen this. WOW. Damn, Jimi.

Mark Knopfler's Get Lucky arrived here yesterday. Except for the bluesy, jazzy third track You Can't Beat The House, this release has a great Celtic flavor to it. I'm particularly fond of the last track, Piper To The End. It reminds me a great deal of his music from Local Hero. I hope to have a listen on the living room stereo this afternoon. The computer speakers and the truck stereo both do a decent job but this CD deserves better. After one pass-through, I'm pretty excited about what I've heard. I hope three or four of the songs from this CD find their way into his live show permanently. It's one of his best.

For my friend, Dave, and ALL of my Minnesota cousins:

GEAUX Twins

About today's QOTD: Some day, I might understand why sportswriters still bother to talk to football coaches.

Quote of the Day

If Kevin starts the game, then he's our quarterback.

Marty Mornhinweg, Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "He may have lost interest in pop songwriting, but Knopfler's muse hasn't abandoned him. Always one of rock's sharper yarn-spinners, he's deepened and refined his storytelling since kicking off his solo career with 1996's Golden Heart; as he's drained his arrangements of what little flash they ever had, he's introduced his listeners to an ever-more interesting cast of characters, training his focus on everyone from McDonald's founder Ray Kroc to an organ grinder along the way."

The article in The Guardian has too many delicious elements not to comment on it. First, you have a rock concert tour sponsored by, promoted by, and financed by Guinness Beer. I think the Black Eyed Peas are rockers. I'm not even sure. Then, you have a tour stop where you're not allowed to sell or promote your product where the overwhelming majority of the population is not allowed by law to consume it anyway. Then, you have a country forbidding the concert to be attended by the majority of the population on religious grounds but then deciding it will be OK because they need/want the money. And, finally, you have the lady lumps. No story is complete without lady lumps, I say.

2 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

The Malaysian government seem to have rediscovered its affection for Black Eyed Peas, reversing a ban on Muslims attending the group's forthcoming concert. Officials did not give the reason for their change of heart.

Sean Michaels, The Guardian

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "The Black Eyed Peas will be performing a FREE show as part of the NFL Kickoff celebration in Pittsburgh, PA Thursday Sept 10th, 2009 in Point State Park!"

Interesting to see that Robert Plant won five Grammy Awards with Alison Krauss. He only won one with Led Zeppelin and that was a "Lifetime Achievement" award. The Grammy Awards and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame are both a big joke. Speaking of Plant and Krauss, one of their concerts was broadcast not long ago with interviews of the two interspersed throughout. They covered some Led Zeppelin tunes and some tunes Krauss did with Union Station along with songs off of their record together. Just fantastic even though I thought the lead guitarist tried a little too hard.

QOTD inspired by The Nightfly. FWIW, I have five versions of Romeo and Juliet in my iTunes library. It is on Making Movies, Alchemy, On The Night, Real Live Roadrunning, and I also have a live version from the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville that I downloaded. The last one is my favorite. When I saw him, he played it on that famous National Steel Guitar shown on the Brothers In Arms Album Cover. It's his signature song now. He plays it at every show.

13 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

And I can't do the talk
Like they talking on the tv
And I can't do a love song
Like the way it's meant to be
I can't do everything
But I'll do anything for you
And I can't do anything
Except be in love with you

Mark Knopfler/Dire Straits, Romeo and Juliet

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Two million people watched the Grammy Awards on Feb. 8. And then, a lot of them ran out and bought music immediately afterward."

Woodstock turned 40 this past week. I was 12 and had been to a few concerts but, even then, I didn't much care for outdoor concerts. Still don't. The long lines, the inadequate facilities, the heat, the rain, the terrible sound, the high ticket price ($8 per day), and only a handful of bands that I'd want to see all add up to Woodstock not being my cup of tea. About the bands: Alvin Lee, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Credence Clearwater Revival, and Crosby, Stills, and Nash, yes. Richie Havens, Ravi Shankar, and The Grateful Dead, not so much. Also, $8 doesn't seem like much but most outdoor concerts then were free. I was paying $2 for concert tickets to see two or three bands at The Warehouse in the early 70s. Unlike most of the attendees, I would have had to have a ticket. I would have never climbed a fence or crashed a gate. Besides, 4 or 5 hours of loud rock music, with 30-40 minutes between acts, is pretty much my limit. All day for $8 is no bargain. Pretty good movie and album, though.

24 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

I'm going on down to Yasgur's farm
I'm going to join in a rock n roll band
I'm going to camp out on the land
I'm going to try and get my soul free

Joni Mitchell, Woodstock

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "40 Anos do Woodstock"

Some famous pictures from Woodstock. Nice to see again. -Rob

The New York Times talks about "When Auto Plants Close". Communities have ordinances against residential blight. I don't know why it shouldn't apply to commercial property. If the owners are not maintaining the building, the windows are broken and the weeds are overgrown, and it's becoming a hazard and eyesore, clean it up or demolish it if it's been unoccupied too long and charge the owner or add it to his tax bill. If the owner can't or won't pay it, it goes to into the courthouse records where it will be paid at point of sale by the buyer or seller ... with interest. If the bill is still unresolved over a period of time, seize it. Not particularly business-friendly, I know, but blight is not community-friendly.

It Might Get Loud is due out in theaters August 27. IMDb describes it as "A documentary on the electric guitar from the point of view of three significant rock musicians: the Edge, Jimmy Page and Jack White." Pretty sure those aren't the three I would have chosen but I'm not going to quibble about that. The trailer has been out on TV for about a week now. Despite the cool title, this film looks like a typical low-key documentary. I don't think it will have much of a theater run.

About today's QOTD: Knothole gangs are one of the most endearing legacies of baseball's rich history. What a lovely way to pay tribute.

37 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

In loving memory of my mother, who loved to watch from her seat with the Knothole Gang at Sportsman's Park.

Jeanne Timmermann, Stan Musial's Baseball-Reference.com Page's Sponsor

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Upon its Spring release I read a less than flattering review of the Emmylou Harris/Mark Knopfler duets album All The Roadrunning. If I could remember the source of the review I would link it here for your perusal. Thank ye gods I listened my gut and not the critic, as it's about as good an album as I expected it to be."

Mark Knopfler's Get Lucky is set to be released September 15. At one time, it was not unusual for artists to release an album of original material almost every year. Led Zeppelin released 7 albums from 1968 to 1977 and were pretty much done. Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, The Who, Rolling Stones, and Dire Straits, Knopfler's former band, did pretty much the same during their heyday. Very few artists, if any, are still doing that these days but Knopfler is putting them out about every other year and that's fine by his fans. We don't have to wait 4-5-6+ years for new offerings. I put it on order Friday. I don't need to hear any samples from his CDs before purchasing. He hasn't disappointed yet.

Went to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince yesterday afternoon. Matinee tickets were $7/ea + $3 service charge for online purchase. We get the Number 2 concession special, which is a bucket of popcorn and two large drinks. With tax, that was $16+. A matinee for two with concessions used to be about $10. We're out $33 before we sit down these days. Enough of that. The first movie wasn't as good as its book counterpart. The 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th movies were actually better than their books in my opinion. Spoiler info below the jump. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is next, will be in two parts, and will have to be unbelievable to live up to the expectations it has.

We get free samples of various products in the mail. They come to us unsolicited. One of the more common samples we get is deodorant. I don't know what they're trying to tell me but I will tell my four readers here that I have that part of my life covered. I don't mind giving these products a whirl on nights or weekends when I'm not working. There are some on the market that burn my armpits but only about an hour after the application. That's about how long it takes to fully absorb. It's unpleasant when that happens and I don't ever want to experience that reaction when I'm stuck at work where I'd have limited options to deal with it. Anyway, I received a sample of Degree Men Cool Rush in the mail a couple of weeks ago and I've been using it at night and on weekends. I really like it and Patsy really likes it. They have a new customer. Score one for junk mail.

A couple of fights broke out yesterday, Day 2, at Saints training camp. It's hot, it's physical, and those guys are competing for jobs that pay very well. Fights are expected but it usually takes a little longer than two days. Three, at least.

About today's QOTD: It reminded me of Kem's lovely tribute to The C. F. Martin Guitar Company.

I offer one from the yard on this rainy CrabAppleLane Sunday.

CrabAppleLane Sunday - August 2, 2009 - ½" of rain

39 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

One day there was this Fender Stratocaster in the window, and it was just a thing of magic. It was literally nose to the window. I think I was still in short trousers, and that's it, a little boy coming home from school, being completely fascinated by it. I still cross the road now to look into a guitar shop.

Mark Knopfler

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Get ready for the last of Harry Potter."

I link to my blogger friend, Fi, quite a bit. She resides in New Zealand with her other harf and Miss 8.8, their lovely daughter. I wonder why "Zealand" doesn't pass my spellchecker. Well, didn't. Her musings and picturesque images from the gorgeous New Zealand countryside are always delightful.

I also link to the New Zealand Herald, which is my favorite non-US newspaper, because it has articles like this one ... from tomorrow.

Also from New Zealand, the Mutton Birds are a band that never quite made it. Not sure why. They do a rousing rendition of Blue Oyster Cult's Don't Fear the Reaper for the soundtrack of the movie, The Frighteners. The video below is one of their original songs. It's called A Thing Well Made. Very unusual on many levels. I like it a lot.

And, finally, another connection between a blogger friend and New Zealand. Check out What's A Delmer Look Like? from Friday. Never heard of All Left Out either but I like the YouTube clip posted there. I hope they make it. They're living the rock n roll dream, paying their dues touring America in a van.

New Zealand is high on my list of places to visit when I retire or hit the Powerball.

And, now, for something completely different: No baseball to watch today. LSU took care of Rice yesterday and the Tigers are heading to Omaha. They'll play the winner of today's rubber game between Virginia and Ole Miss. They know nothing about Virginia but they are familiar with the very tough Rebels. They won two of three from Ole Miss at the Box earlier this year, which means absolutely nothing now. It goes without saying that Omaha is pleased with LSU's presence in the tournament. The Tiger faithful will be there in force pouring money into local coffers. Tiger fans will outnumber the rest. They always do.

Today's QOTD describes the scene yesterday when Rice's Anthony Rendon went down with an injury. I mentioned him yesterday, which was his 19th birthday. I'm sure he'll never forget it. He's a terrific kid. He came back out to the dugout on crutches with his ankle heavily bandaged and cheered his team on. The constant smile on his face didn't go away even then. Get well soon, Anthony. I'm delighted I got to see you play.

I offer one from the CrabAppleLane back deck on this glorious Sunday.

CrabAppleLane Tomatoes - June 7, 2009 I guess you'd call these vine-ripened tomatoes. They fell off of the bush on their own. They're a variety of tomatoes called Celebrity. They're what's for dinner.

Quote of the Day

The Owls were dealt a huge blow in the top of the second. National Freshman of the Year Anthony Rendon was injured chasing down a foul on the left side. He got tangled up with shortstop Rick Hague who was also attempting to make a play on the ball. The two Owls collided and Rendon went down. He had to be carried off the field by teammates Mark Haynes and Andrew Benak.

Houston Chronicle

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Tomato Kurma"

Looks good but I have no idea what some of those ingredients are or what flavor they add. -Rob

I've spent the better part of the morning procrastinating from yardwork because it is HOT outside. It's humid, too. Besides the discomfort, those conditions tend to make the insects active. CrabAppleLane has way more than its share of insects.

A tip of the cap to the Mississippi State Bulldogs for a great win last night against second-ranked LSU. They have a young team and have eben eliminated from the postseason but they're giving everything against LSU. The Tigers, also very young, have only one thing on their mind. Staying in the top eight so they can get a home regional and beyond that, a home super-regional if they advance. They need to win today and win a game or two next week in the SEC tournament to assure themselves of it.

Speaking of procrastination, I don't know what made me look for Chris Rea at YouTube (Your ultimate procrastination destination) but I'm kinda glad I did. I have the CD but the live performance has a really good feel to it. Enjoy.

117 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

This aint no technological breakdown
Oh no
This is the road to Hell

Chris Rea, Road to Hell

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "13. LSU"

Watch them this year. -Rob