You'd think Bruce Sprngsteen and Paul McCartney would be smart enough to know that if there is a curfew that officials have been enforcing pretty seriously, it might be a good idea to start the concert in time for it to be over before the curfew. But, noooo, and of course it's somebody else's problem, not theirs:
Hey, look at some of the "talent" lined up for the Three Rivers Festival:
Oh, and a third-place "American Idol" contestant. Can anbody say Podunk?
Damn. Doc Watson, one of my favorite musicians, has died. Some have called his music "folk" or "roots" or "Americana." I'd probably call it "mountain music," but the labels don't matter. His virtuoso guitar playing and honest, authentic singing combined to make him a unique grand master of American music. I've worn out and replaced a couple of his albums (you remember the limited life of beloved vinyl).
The website DiscoverAmerica.com has a new "theme song for America" called "Land of Dreams" co-written and performed by Rosanne Cash. Does her daddy proud.
I don't get this at all:
A Massachusetts elementary school has dropped plans for students to sing songs at a school presentation after parents objected to a change in the lyrics of a popular patriotic song.
A rock band called Awaken the Dead makes so much noise the neighbors complain? What a shock:
KOKOMO, Ind. (AP) - Members of a rock band are keeping up a fight to practice at their home despite a central Indiana city's 24-hour-a-day noise ordinance.
Earl Scruggs, whose distinctive picking style and association with Lester Flatt cemented bluegrass music's place in popular culture, died Wednesday of natural causes at a Nashville hospital, his son Gary Scruggs said. He was 88.
Everybody is blaming everybody else for the deaths and injuries from the Indiana State Fair stage collapse. This one is getting the most attention right now:
Attorneys for country duo Sugarland said concertgoers were at least partly to blame for injuries suffered in a stage collapse, drawing a sharp reaction from fans Tuesday and prompting the band's manager to issue a statement criticizing the finger-pointing.
Apparently, the General Assembly won't have enough to do in the coming session, so Republican state Sen. Vaneta Becker of Evansville is helping fill the void. A constituent told her of being upset over the "disrespectful" changing of words in the singing of "The Star-Spangled Banner"at a school program. Now Becker has introduced a bill proposing that the state set standards for singing and playing the national anthem. I find myself in rare agreement with the ACLU:
I read an inspiring tidbit somewhere recently about Stevie Ray Vaughan and Buddy Guy. I can't remember where, and I haven't been able to verify it with Google research, but it sounds like the kind of story that should be true even if it isn't. It seems that when Stevie was learning to play the blues, Buddy was one of his major influences -- he listened to his music over and over to get the licks down. Then, Stevie went on to fame and fortune, but Buddy fell on hard times. He was ready to put down his guitar and just quit until . . .
