Merle Haggard is coming in Concert March 6th, 2009
I remember as a child, Sunday was my Mom’s cleaning day. So she would get up, put on a stack of country music records and get busy with the house work. One of her favorite albums was Merle haggard’s “Mama Tried.” I grew up on that music. It’s as home grown as fried chicken and mashed potatoes (And not the instant kind either). In fact when I started playing guitar and learned how to play the entire album just because I wanted to be able to play along with it.
I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing Merle in Concert yet but it looks like I am going this time. He’s 71 and still touring. You can’t say that about many performers. You bet I’m going to do all I can do to be there and sing along with him!! You need to go to, He is a real American Legend! Here’s the ticket info!!
Tickets, priced from $30 to $45 (excluding additional handling and facility fees), go on sale at noon Friday, Jan 23 at The Centre or Roberts Stadium box offices, Ticketmaster outlets. Buy tickets online at www.ticketmaster.com or charge by phone by calling 423-7222 or (270) 926-6661 in Kentucky.
My wife Denise and I were watching TV the other night about a police program that was using a “bait” car. Basically the cops were leaving a running computerized car in a high crime rate neighborhood and waiting for some one to steal it. Once it was taken, the police would activate the car’s computer system to lock the doors and turn the engine off. Capturing the would be thieves red handed. Or do they?? Now, backing up here just a little bit… When I was a “young ‘en” My Grandpa, whom we called “Buzz” used to take us boys fishing. Well, just in case you don’t know anything about fishing, you need at least three things. First off, you need a fishing pole. That holds the fishing line and basically it’s a rod that you cast the line out with. In other words, casting is throwing something out in the general area of where you think there might be fish. Second thing you need is a “hook”. The hook is a tool that is used to grab a hold of and to “pull” something in with it. Third thing you need is bait. Now what is bait? Bait is something the fish like to eat or crave. They don’t usually bite on an empty hook. They need to be “tempted”. So what did us young boys do? We’d “bait” our hooks and cast out were we thought fish might be lurking. Well, the TV show did the same. Except they were using a computerized car for bait and people were the “Fish”. So the took their “bait” car to a poor neighborhood and left it running on the side of the curb. So what do we have here? Let’s see. One, an empty running vehicle left in a poverty stricken area. Two, people that are being tempted. And three, cops in unmarked cars “fishing” and hoping someone will take the bait. And they almost always do. Good or bad, this is a “set up”. The cops aren’t really taking car thieves off of the street. They are searching for weak minded people and tempting them. Would it be any difference if I walked into an AA meeting and threw a full bottle of alcohol out in the middle of them? One of them is bound to get up out of their chair and “go for it”. Why? Because I tempted them, that’s why. It’s human nature. Those poor guys on the street weren’t out looking for a empty car that was left with the motor running. But it was dangled in front of them. So they took it. The were baited and they bit. Plain and simple.
This leads me to another TV show that does the same thing but is much more serious. “To Catch a Predator”. Chris Hanson’s claim to fame. I’m sure you have seen this show too. Now hang on before you lash out at me. Child Molesters need to be taken off of the street. That’s a given. But what about the show? Men show up to a house expecting to find a young girl and out pops Chris Hanson and a film crew. Before you know it, Chris is reading excerpts from chat logs that the guy has carried on over the Internet with the “bait”. But is Chris really taking child molesters off of the street? I say no. He and his staff are preying on lonely men that go from chat room to chat room willing to talk to someone, anyone. Most people know that almost everyone lies or stretches the truth online. They lie about their age, their education, their job positions, the money they make. The list goes on and on. These “sting operations” that Chris does aren’t done in one night. Meaning, they don’t sign on to a chat room that night and ask someone to come and see the decoy. They talk to these guys for weeks at a time. They would lure him back time and time again. They continued to tempt him over and over. Of course, the decoy would but would carry on with him or baiting him as it is known. And really, the decoys are adults disguising themselves as minors. So they are stretching the truth to entrap someone too. Have you ever did a research on the show? Seems there are several lawsuits pertaining to this type of entrapment that they are doing, or should I say “were doing”. The show kept trying to contact one guy that had stopped talking with their decoy after a few weeks. Apparently he got smart, but unfortunately the film crew went to his house to find out why and he committed suicide for them. His family sued, they were paid off and Chris Hanson’s show was canceled. That’s fair enough but he has ruined a lot of lives with the “fishing” he has already done. Wouldn’t it be ironic if someone set Chris Hanson up and busted him for something? He’s only human too you know. He has to have some vices too that no one knows about. I wonder what they are…
Another legendary album that is a must have in your album collection. Orginally released in 1978 and co written with Bernie Taupin who has also written most of Elton John’s hits. This album is supposedly an autobiography of Alice Cooper and some of the people he encountered while he was commited to a New York mental hospital trying to “dry out”. From the opening song “From the Inside” to the closing song “Inmates, We’re All Crazy”, there is not a “filler” throw away song on this album … The music on this album covers all the “Rock” bases. From Alice tipping his hat with the lyrics “we proposed a toast to Jimmy’s ghost” in the song “Serious” to the vietnam veteran that he sings about in “Jackknife Johnny”, “You were washing cars down in Dallas when the holocaust came”. What a great line that is and the song employs a haunting Hammond B3 Organ. Alice doesn’t forget the “soft” tender side of himself either. From the top 10 hit “How You Gonna See Me Now” to the wonderfully written love song about two crazy in love people named “Millie and Billie”. Check out these tender Romeo and Juliet lyrics. “And I liked your late husband Donald, but such torture his memory brings, all sliced up and sealed tight in baggies, guess love makes you do funny things”. Such poetry in motion. Alice has released a shitload of albums but if you don’t have any of his albums and want to buy one, this is the “one” you need to buy. All the others pale in comparasion to this one. If you don’t have it, you are a tool … I rate this album 5 out 5 guitars … enough said.
Hey guys! Wow….2009. Let me 1st say that I hope everyone has a killer 2009! For those of you who don’t know me….My name is Lee Ramirez. I was living in Evansville but as of January ’08 I moved to SW Michigan. I will be entering my mid-life crisis here in January as I celebrate my 40th birthday at the end of the month. I have been playing bass guitar since I was 15 and was fortunate to be a part of the tri-state live band scene from 2003 till early 2008 with a local Evansville band called Akacia. I am married as of July ’08 and have a 10 y/o daughter who is a self-described “mini-me”. I do have a myspace page…..but to be honest…I don’t get on there very often…so if anyone wants to contact me… samoandude@hotmail.com .
At present, I have my one and only bass…..a Spector Rex Brown Signature 4 string with the holoflash finish. I always put GHS Infinity Steel strings on it (….yea….the cool red ones!!). Early on with Akacia, I was using a Peavey BAM210 combo and if needed (which was ALWAYS…lol), an extension cab that was an Ampeg 410HLF. In 2005, Aaron Crosby of Musician’s Den called me at work and let me know I needed to come by the store at lunchtime to check out the Genz Benz stuff they were thinking about carrying. There was a rep there and stuff to demo, so I ran over to see what was up. I talked to the rep for a little while and played thru one of the 212 neodymium cabs and a 600w head that they offered. I liked the sound I was getting, but the line was a bit out of my price range…..needs and wants….every musician’s burden!! So I filled out a comment card and left to go back to work. Low and behold about 3 months later, I get a call at 9am at work…..some guy at Genz Benz tellin me that I won the “Ultimate Bass Rig”. My response? “Ok….who is this really?” I won their 1200w tube hybrid head and 2 410XL cabs. Friggin AWESOME!!! Been my mainstay ever since!!
