Happy New Year!

.



Happy New Year to everyone from Kevin, Marley the cat, and Nigel!

"This one goes to eleven" folks - so hold on tight. But as always - enjoy the ride as much as possible.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuzpsO4ErOQ


..

Congratulations, Part Deux

.


First the Dayton City Paper and now the Dayton Daily News' "Top Local CDs Of 2010."

Another hearty congratulations to Andrew & the Pretty Punchers!

PLEASE NOTE: if you are unable to read Mr. Thrasher's comments above (click on photo to enlarge), I have tastefully transcribed them for your reading convenience:

"This is the second and final album from this sadly missed crew. Leader Andy Smith's heartfelt lyrics are bolstered by tasteful pedal steel guitar and a muscular backing band that elevates these melancholy songs into dynamic, compelling rockers."

(Don Thrasher, Dayton Daily News)



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Congratulations

.

Ho-hum . . . another year of Andrew & the Pretty Punchers songs and another year of accolades:

http://www.daytoncitypaper.com/?p=2955

But seriously . . . congratulations to the late and truly great Andrew & the Pretty Punchers: Andy Smith, Greg Saluke, Josh Wickersham, Kevin Rogers, and Mike Payne. You fellas did yourselves proud with two brilliant CD releases.

You also set the bar very high with many unforgettable and wildly enthusiastic shows. I do believe that Jimmie's Cornerstone is still recovering from the October 9th CD release party and final show:


A personal thanks to Andrew & the Pretty Punchers for keeping the fire of music burning brightly in the Gem City . . . City 'o Dreams . . . my much beloved Dayton, Ohio.





[the show photo above was taken by Dayton legend and walking, talking definition of a nice guy, the esteemed Mr. Eric Frisbee]

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Christmas Must Be Tonight

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My wish for everyone, everywhere, is peace, understanding, basic human dignity, and a heartfelt compassion for one another.

I dedicate my favorite modern day Christmas song to each of you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8C3rwZneYa8


"Come down to the manger
.And see the little stranger . . .
.How a little baby boy
.Could bring the people so much joy"
.(The Band)

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Three Words: Rock and Roll.

.

Go ahead ladies . . .

Feast your eyes on an up and coming lil' slice o' heaven . . .

That's right . . .

It's Kevin @ eleven.

With only two years to go until "the summer of love" it was time for me to start breaking it down and "honing my craft."

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It Was Thirty Years Ago Today . . . December 8, 1980

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In December 1980 I was 26-years-old. I had very recently received my Master of Library Science degree from Kent State University, and had just a couple of weeks earlier started my first professional position at the public library in Chillicothe, Ohio.

On the night of the 8th, I was drifting in and out of sleep in my efficiency apartment's much too small Murphy bed, with the radio playing softly as usual. I remember the DJ interrupting the song that was playing and saying: "This is so terrible . . . This is so terrible" over and over.

That woke me up.

Then he said something like "I am very sad to report that some idiot has just shot and killed John Lennon." For some reason, I distinctly recall the DJ using the phrase "some idiot."

I still remember how peculiar it felt that something so universally important had just ended at the exact same time that something so personally important, a new career, was just starting for me. Along with sadness, I remember feeling a very odd sense of guilt.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GmVajkqLNU


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Day One

.

I just walked a 1/2 mile through a veritable winter wonderland of verifiable wintry wanderlust to pick up some Chinese.

Food, that is.

On the stroll home - with my bag o' moo goo gai pan goodness, egg roll, and fried rice tucked safely inside my jacket - I was suddenly struck by the realization that *at that exact moment in time* I was considerably cooler than you.

One other thing.

I am sure that many of you (four) are wondering what my fortune cookie said. Well, my fortune cookie did not say anything, but the little piece of paper inside of the cookie had this typed on it:

"You are adventurous and sociable!"

Yeah, yeah . . . so my country is up to its eyeballs in debt to your country - that doesn't give you any right to get all sarcastic on my ass.


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To Whom It May Concern

.
The time has come to ring some changes.

My New Year's resolution has been cast in stone.

Effective January 1, 2011, I will be resigning from my long-held, and very much self-inflicted, honorary position as the Mayor of Loserville.

Too many of my loved ones, relatives, acquaintances, contemporaries, and heroes (both present day and from bygone eras) have passed on.

The time has come to make some lifestyle changes, mostly in the areas of physical and social activity - such as exercise, volunteer work, rekindling friendships, etc.

Preparations (and reparations where applicable) will soon be in place to ensure a smooth transition.

This is for real.


"This old house is tumbling down
.The walls are gone, but the roof is sound . . .
.It's time to ring some changes"
.(Richard Thompson)



. . . (pictured above: the soon-to-be former Mayor of Loserville and Marley)


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Good Kevin, Bad Juan

.

The state of Arizona, Governor Brewer, Sheriff Joe Arpaio, and the rest of the Republican/Tea Party klan can kiss the Irish half of me bloody arse!

"Bad Juan" is always welcome at my front door! And he don't need no stinkin' "papers" to enter neither!

And speaking of "me bloody arse" . . . bottoms up! [glug, glug, glug]

And speaking of "bottoms up" . . . it's time for me and Margarita to hit the sack!

Hasta la freakin' vista, baby!

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"The Best Time To See The Leonid Meteor Shower Is Tonight" (CNN, November 17, 2010

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"I seen a shooting star tonight
And I thought of you . . .
Seen a shooting star tonight, slip away
I guess it's too late to say the things to you
That you needed to hear me say . . .
Seen a shooting star tonight, slip away"
(B. Dylan)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoU70UmwnQs







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In Memory Of My Sister Peggy

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"where'd you go? where'd you go?
i closed my eyes and you was gone"
(andy smith "hide and seek")




[additional photos of Peggy can be seen at the November 24, 2008 blog entry titled "peggy" and the November 16, 2009 entry titled "In Memory"]
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Time & Tom Waits Help Me Kill November

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In many ways the month of November has become my own personal firing squad. But with Tom Waits and time on my side, I will prevail yet again. Come the 30th, with my prey in sight, I will turn the tables and the calendar pages - and just like the year before - I will put November in the crosshairs, and out of my misery once more.

PLEASE NOTE: if you cannot deal with Waits' voice, the video is very evocative and will gently hold your hand throughout the song. And if the visuals are not enough to get you past Waits' raspy growl, the lyrics stand up quite well on their own. They are included in the video. I have also transcribed them below for your convenience and reading pleasure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekb6ALfBiT8


November
(T. Waits)

No shadows
No stars
No moon
No cars
November

It only believes
In a pile of dead leaves
And a moon
That's the color of bone

No prayers for November
To linger longer
Stick your spoon in the wall
We'll slaughter them all

November has tied me
To an old dead tree
Get word to April
To rescue me

November's cold chain
Made of wet boots and rain
And shiny black ravens
On chimney smoke lanes

November
Seems odd
You're my firing squad
November

With my hair slicked back
With carrion shellac
With the blood from a pheasant
And the bone from a hare

Tied to the branches
Of a roebuck stag
Left to wave in the timber
Like a buck shot flag

Go away you rainsnout
Go away, blow your brains out
November



.

Brothers

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My friend Susan's two sons, Aiden and Riley, picking out a pumpkin for Halloween. It looks like little Aiden may already be pointing at his first choice.

I strongly suspect that this photo will be making "Mom" teary-eyed for many years to come.





[click on photo to enlarge]
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Live And Learn

.
I treated myself to breakfast today at a somewhat upscale place called First Watch. I eat there occasionally during the week. On weekends it is usually too crowded, which is why I call it "First Watch, Then Eat" on Saturdays and Sundays. In addition to having incredible delectable omelettes, the restaurant is also within walking distance of my humble abode.

This morning, soon after I arrived, a young guy came in and was seated a couple of tables away from me. This kid looked like a walking and talking version of the standard Deepest East Dayton thug/gangsta/punk - replete with the obligatory sideways baseball cap pulled down low, the "diamond" earrings, the much too large jacket and pants, etc.

Except that this guy came with a couple of extra items: specifically, a very large hot pink "Winnie The Pooh" oversized bag slung across one shoulder and in his other arm: a little baby girl in a carrier.

While I ate breakfast and read my book, I also watched this kid be a perfect parent and father.

He ate with one hand while feeding his baby a bottle with the other. He also stopped eating to hold her when she started to get fussy. He even managed to coax a very successful (and very loud i might add!) burp out of the little gal. After the ceremonial back-patting burp, I saw him do a "diaper check." A few minutes later he took the little one out of her carrier and into the restroom for what I assumed to be a change in under garments.

When I left the young guy was finishing his meal while his little baby girl started to doze off sucking on this hilarious Halloween-inspired vampire-toothed "binky."

Obviously, what I witnessed was not an earth-shattering event, but it sure as hell shot a few holes in one of my not so very well concealed stereotypes.

I do believe that I just lived and learned.

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Goddamn Lazy Kenyan

.
. . . . . (pictured, l to r: goddamn lazy Kenyan with goddamn lazy Grandmother)


The election results don't surprise me in the least.

I mean - Christ almighty!

This Obama fella and his party had 1 year and 9 1/2 months (1/20/09 - 9/2/10) to correct Bush's mistakes, pass & implement new policy, and address social issues.

OK, sure - the Republicans informally and unofficially re-wrote Senate rules by suddenly requiring a 60 vote majority or face a filibuster, but still - what the f*ck?!

Goddamn lazy Kenyan.

.

Locked In Tight

.

"people are crazy, times are strange
.i'm locked in tight, i'm out of range"
.(b. dylan)

.

The Obamacare Death Panels

.

Am I the only one who is surprised that there is nothing in the Republican Party's "Pledge To America" about getting rid of the Obamacare death panels? I thought for sure that would be at the top, or very near the top, of their agenda.

I live in a "55 and over" apartment complex and seeing these men in black suits dragging folks kicking and screaming from their apartments to these long black cars with darkened windows is getting pretty freakin' depressing.

I mean - Christ!

Can't a guy watch a little TV without all of that crap going on in the background?!

.

8-Month-Old Jonathan Hears For The First Time

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It doesn't get much sweeter than this.

I think that my favorite part is when his jaw drops and "Mr. Binky" falls out of his mouth:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTzTt1VnHRM


I cannot even begin to imagine how incredibly satisfied a doctor must feel after providing this treatment.

Hey - maybe I'll send Jonathan a copy of the new Andrew & The Pretty Punchers album to help him celebrate! Eight months without music?! That little guy has some serious dancing and wiggling to get out of his system.

.

.

And So The Tyranny Of Socialism Ends

.

As we gather here on the weekend before this historic election - when the Democratic party will almost certainly relinquish its majority in one (if not both) bodies of our bicameral legislature - several folks (four) have asked for my thoughts. I would like to share those with you now.

What is there to say other than . . . and so the tyranny of socialism ends.

Of course, like most financially comfortable white Americans, I am thrilled . . .

Thrilled that the iron-fisted socialist rule of the last 22 months has finally ceased.

That the iron fist has been unclenched and smelted - and imprisoned no more within the beast-like clench of its own hate - this same hand can now reach out once again and return to us our long lost liberties.

That unbridled tyranny has ceased without need for what surely would have been a hissy-fit fed insurrection that would have left nothing but broken luncheon engagements - and possibly even broken nails - in its wake.

That the yellowy pus of socialism's infection has finally been drained, and that the festering and feverish sore no longer hampers or confines our freedoms with its yellowy festering and feverish-like soreness.

That the key to democracy - the voting booth - has unlocked the shackles that bound each of us these past 22 months.

That "We the people" are free once again to stroll about or peaceably assemble at the outlet malls of our choosing - not with terror in our eyes or trepidation in our step - but unfettered and without fear.

In conclusion, I believe that Martin Luther King, captured this shining moment best when he said many years ago:

"Free at last, free at last . . . thank God almighty, we are free at last."

Thank you . . . and may God bless America.



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"Time to wake up, Esperanza . . . Daddy's home"

.



"One of the 33 miners trapped underground in San Jose mine outside Copiapo has become a father to a daughter named Esperanza, meaning 'hope' in Spanish . . . "


http://uk.news.yahoo.com/4/20100915/twl-ray-of-hope-for-trapped-chilean-mine-41f21e0.html


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Mother Earth Gives Birth!

Hey!

Check out the news from Chile!

Mother Earth is producing this huge litter of very large, bearded babies!

("and here comes number 23 . . . YEP! It's another boy!")








. . . .. . . . .Welcome home to each one of you


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The Complete Kurt Moorman Sessions, Highland Park, Deepest East Dayton

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[as always, click on photos to enlarge]
.

Andrew & the Pretty Punchers . . .

.

"one of Dayton's most beloved acts"
.(Dayton City Paper)

.

from the "Dayton City Paper" . . .

.
"While much of 'No Longer A Lover' continues to uphold the band’s trademarks – soulful deliveries of solid pop craftsmanship – Smith believes that this disc is a significant jump forward for him and the band."

You're damn right!

Thank you Andrew & the Pretty Punchers for the last three years! I am very grateful for all of the wonderful music.

You guys are the best!


Click here for full interview:
http://www.daytoncitypaper.com/?p=1508



.

from "Active Dayton" . . .

.



I will have to check with Andy to see if he really said "rad." :-)

http://www.activedayton.com/music/last-andrew-the-pretty-punchers-show-will-be-rad-966397.html







(photo from the "Kurt Moorman collection")

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"Hat Day" At School

.
Pictured below are my Penny's two oldest grandsons, Keegan and Kade. They were participating in "Hat Day" at their grade school.

Now I ask you. Are those two fine looking young men or what?

And in anticipation of the obvious question from all of the young ladies out there . . . "Yes" - both Keegan and Kade are still single. :-)



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . .Kade



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Keegan




.

I'M A GRANDPA!

.



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Cool Promo Shot For "No Longer A Lover" The New ANDREW AND THE PRETTY PUNCHERS Album

.



[photo taken from the "Kurt Moorman collection"]


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THIS SATURDAY . . . OCTOBER 9th!

.

ANDREW & THE PRETTY PUNCHERS CD release party and *final* show, Saturday, October 9th @ Jimmie's Cornerstone!

YEP! YEP!

.

Stereophonic Headfoams

.


.

Cool Beans . . . Beans Of Coolness

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Airbag Test In Russia

.
This is the funniest damn thing that I have seen in quite awhile. I was pretty much in tears laughing.

Could "Russia's Funniest Home Videos" be coming soon to a TV near us?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGJApB6NxyI



NOTE: I sure am glad that the guy opted *not* to pick up that very large bottle of beer right before he sat down.

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Andrew & the Pretty Punchers CD Release Party and Final Show

.


The day that everyone has been waiting for is upon me- uh, I mean - us.

The time has come to both celebrate and say "goodbye."

I am thrilled, and filled to the brim with pride, to announce that on Saturday, October 9th, Andrew and the Pretty Punchers will be hosting their CD release party. This will also be the band's final show.

The party will be held at Jimmie's Cornerstone at the corner of Brown and Wyoming streets.

The word on the street is that the first *50 people* admitted into the bar will receive a free copy of the new CD "No Longer A Lover" along with their cover charge. But of course, as you know, sometimes the street lies.

One of the opening bands will be Jesse Remnant & the Train Wrecks, a stellar local band that I strongly encourage you to check out. The third group is The Black Who's, a young bunch of energetic upstarts from Brookville.

Please contact me if you cannot make the show, but are interested in a copy of the CD. I'm sure that we can work something out.

See everyone on Saturday, October 9th!













[Editor's note: not pictured in the photo at the top: Kevin Rogers, lead guitarist extraordinaire. Also . . . the guy in the middle isn't in the band. He's just one of these shady promoter-types. The fella goes by the name of Melton, I believe . . . Kyle Melton]
.