Local Music – Page 8

Friday night videos – episode 52

Well, this should be fun. I don’t mind collective bargaining, but now Big Labor is big business. So how do they spend their money? Certainly not on dividends.

Can you say right-to-work? Sure you can.

It’s not big business, but small business that bears the brunt of estate taxes. And they’re back with a vengeance in 2011, as this video from ALG shows.

Obama’s ‘Midterm State of Denial’ is the title of this week’s ‘Freedom Minute.’They always run a little over a minute, don’t they? But that’s okay, I don’t mind.

My friend Jane Van Ryan of API gets the hat tip for this video.

Isn’t government overreach fun? The only good job seems to be a government job.

It was sort of a slow week for videos, but I decided to do this version of FNV because I didn’t want to wait another week or two to spring this on you again. I dig this version of the song.

I’m not going to have a FNV next week (come on, it’s Thanksgiving weekend – you’ll be lucky to get a daily post) so look for the next edition in 2 weeks!

Friday night videos – episode 51

Back to political stuff with this one.

The new big thing is telling the GOP what to do, although I think the voters gave them a pretty good idea. This first one comes from the group Bankrupting America.

And just as a reminder, the Center for Individual Freedom looks at the last two years.Just don’t forget this, new majority!

I really love the Republican Study Committee. They tell it like it is.

So does the Institute for Justice. You know, they use the most egregious examples but I suspect things aren’t all that different here in the People’s Republic of Maryland.

And now for something completely different…

As I say in the description, if you want to drink beer and watch this all day I guess that’s to each his or her own.

Or you could go see a band. This is the local cover band Cherrybud.

With that, another edition of FNV is in the books.

Friday night videos – episode 50

What better way to celebrate half a hundred than kicking out the jams!

Normally I stick to local groups but this is an exception. I dedicate this to all Maryland Democrats and those who voted for them.

I know the song is called ‘Bound for the Floor’ but I always refer to it as the Democrat song.

Another staple of these musical voyages is the Christian metal rockers Not My Own. They get a little more melodic to open this one called ‘Sink or Swim’.

In that same slow-to-fast vein, the Delaware-based band 13:1 plays an old song called ‘Angel’.

A few weeks back I featured a local band called Naylor Mill. This video is from an acoustic show they did about a year ago here in town.

I hope the lady got over her cough…the perils of live music I suppose.

I want to reach back to my own archives and grab a couple gems I think need to be played again. The first one is from Crookedfinger.

The other archive clip (it’s funny I use the term when my Youtube channel is barely a year old, but it is what it is) comes from my friends in Semiblind and their take on ‘Hotel California.’

They’ve been a staple of my ‘Weekend of Local Rock’ series, which sort of gave you the idea I like live music around here.

Finally, I’m debuting this one recorded last month at the Good Beer Festival. Closing out the festival on the main stage was the hard rock of Lower Class Citizens with ‘Keep On’.

This was a little bit different version of the song but it still rocked. And ‘Keep On’ is what this series will do, whether it will be for another 50 episodes or even more.

Weekend of local rock volume 35

By the time you read this, I will be at the Autumn Wine Festival. Unfortunately, their musical lineup this year doesn’t promise to be anywhere near as good as the one at last weekend’s Good Beer Festival.

Let’s start with the program – you can’t tell the players without a program! (Assuming you can read it, of course. Otherwise I took a picture for nothing.)

This means that the first band up was alex&shiloh, who played on the small side stage near the front entrance. Thus people coming in at the beginning were treated to their music.

Unfortunately, as was the case with most of the side stage bands, I didn’t get to hear them either – remember, I was there to work at and coordinate a booth (along with drinking a little beer!)

But I could easily hear the main stage, and first onstage there Saturday was the eclectic sound of Interesting Monsters.

They certainly played with a bit of a twist, although to be honest they weren’t my cup of tea. Not to say they are bad musicians, just not my style.

More to my musical liking – but unfortunately placed on the side stage – was the Davis Holiday Band.

From what I was able to hear during my trips to get a sample splash, they were rocking some good covers. But I know Wes Davis as a talented musician anyway so this wasn’t surprising.

Returning to the main stage, it was another fine band that mixed originals and covers, The Electric Co.

They definitely have their roots in classic rock, to be sure.

A guy whose roots were in some downhome blues completed the side stage bill on Saturday. I think Dr. Greg Belcher, my partner in crime for most of the day, truly enjoyed the sounds of Chris English. He seemed to disappear for an awfully long time…

But the biggest crowds of the weekend came for Saturday’s final act, the well-known party band Love Seed Mama Jump.

Let’s put it this way – if I were in a bar and drinking, I’d hang for them. They like the classic rock found on your ’70’s FM stereo to be sure.

So that concluded the bill on Saturday, and the throngs which showed up had a veritable cornucopia to choose from. Yet it had nothing on Sunday’s lineup for variety.

It started out with songstress Nancy Micciulla; just her and her guitar.

Since she’s a semi-frequent ‘Live Lixx at Six’ guest I have heard her and I knew she could sing. It’s too bad more weren’t listening.

Next up on the main stage: the groove rock of Blackwater.

They seemed like a pretty good way to start the main stage day by giving me a jam band feel.

Back over on the side stage, they had the vocal stylings of Time Police.

What little I heard basically reminded me of a updated, much more hip version of a doowop band – one instrument but three vocalists who could do harmony or rhythm, depending on the song.

Sunday’s biggest crowd didn’t wish to wait around, as many came to see this band.

Chester River Runoff has developed an avid following in these parts by being a solid bluegrass band. Needless to say, it’s not my style but the folks who came to see them surely weren’t disappointed.

The final two bands – well, they were more my style. First was Naylor Mill to close out the side stage (conveniently, the Redskins won just before they were set to play so those who were there were there to listen.)

I actually stuck around to listen to a few songs (and record the video which I debuted last night) so let me tell you these guys are tight and – dare I say it – pop radio-friendly. I should have picked up the CD but didn’t. And the chicks dig ’em.

And most of you should know that I really, really like Lower Class Citizens.

Yes, I do want them to ‘Keep On’ playing that rock n’ roll. If you’ve ever heard them (and if you’re any sort of FNV fan here you have) it’s easy to detect their Led Zeppelin influence. Indeed, they got the Led out for a midset medley of Zeppelin tunes that got a lot of people headbanging. (I was banging my head to the originals they did.)

They provided a fitting end to a great weekend of music that the people who put the Good Beer Festival together would be hard pressed to top (although I bet I could if I tried!) But it was a lot of fun, and good tunage to drink beer to.

Friday night videos episode 48

It’s back again, with something new at the end.

We are coming to an election where the most important number is in doubt: is the unemployment rate really 9.6% as the government says or 10.1% as Gallup postulates? Americans for Limited Government thinks they have an answer.

But the group Bankrupting America says neither figure tells the story.

Maybe one solution would be to stop regulating us to death? Ben Lieberman of the Competitive Enterprise Institute explains on FOX News.

Yet our elected leadership simply doesn’t get it. They create straw men to pass blame to, for one.

Yes, that was recorded at Obama’s Bowie State appearance. Do you think the man has that feeling about someone like moveon.org?

I don’t think Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid gets it either. Ron Futrell of Liberty.org tells the story.

In the most recent Freedom Minute, Renee Giachino describes how liberals are running scared.The guy who should be running scared is Chris Coons; otherwise Delaware voters may be the ones frightened by their tax increases.

I’m still laughing about that one.

I think over the next two weeks I’m going to devote my FNV series to candidate videos – not necessarily the ones done by other media outlets who may or may not have their own agenda, but done by the candidates themselves. Here’s an example from County Executive hopeful Joe Ollinger.

Okay, time to shift gears. Last weekend I was at the Good Beer Festival and I brought my camera. This is an up-and-coming young local band called Naylor Mill. (With a name like that, they have to be local.)

The sound is just a touch overmodulated on the video (it sounded better on my computer before I uploaded it) but you get the idea. In a future FNV episode I’ll feature other stuff from the band.

But for the next couple weeks it’s going to be primarily candidates on themselves.

Friday night videos episode 47

I’m going to warn you now – this may be controversial.

The first video I’m going to feature is in “honor” of the 10-10-10 celebration being promoted by the world’s greenies. It’s been called an “environmental snuff film” and I don’t disagree. But you need to know the mindset of these people.

“No pressure” indeed. These people are mentally ill to think this way. I know that 90% of environmentalists just want clean air and water, and so do I. But I want a balance between our economic interests and way of life too. These people just want their way and don’t care.

Speaking of economic interests – well, where are the jobs, Frank?

Certainly I make no assertion that Frank thinks like those people who did the first video, but he agreed with them when he voted for cap-and-trade. I’m sure he’s just in the 90 percent.

On the other hand, it’s sort of unfortunate that we don’t have our own version of a strong conservative woman in this race. But Frank McCaffrey of Americans for Limited Government takes a look at Maryland LG hopeful Mary Kane in this piece.

But some still don’t get it. I’m not a big fan of ‘gotcha’ journalism, but this guy parrots the line that the wealthy don’t pay their fair share, when in fact they overpay.

And yes, as I’ve explained over the last week in the Daily Times, I support the Fair Tax.

Anyway, as I promised last week, I’m doing two music videos. This week has some heavy subject matter and I need a break, too.

The first one I’ve featured before but I was in the mood for Southern rock, and this is among my most-viewed music videos I’ve done.

The second one comes from the exact same venue (WinterPlace Park) but several months later. Not My Own won the Unicity Festival and hopefully it will take them to bigger and better things.

Usually I feature something heavier from the boys, but as I recall this is one of the first songs I heard out of them and it has a nice sound with the acoustic guitar.

Until next week, that’s a wrap on another edition of FNV. I’m hoping to have more music from this weekend’s Good Beer Festival and its solid lineup.

Weekend of local rock volume 34

I’m sure some people will hate me because I’m not talking politics and others will be unhappy that I slapped 19 pictures up onto a slow-loading post. Well, sometimes you have to be a little different and for the most part this was for a good cause. If I didn’t have the pictures I couldn’t do it justice.

Indeed, I kicked off Bike Week by checking out this second annual gathering of bands for a good cause. These young ladies were some of those representing the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition, which benefitted from the event.

Also helping with the task of selling raffle tickets and drumming up business outside along Philadelphia Avenue were these women on roller skates, the Salisbury Roller Girls.

This nice young lady was the one who sold my raffle ticket. She wasn’t on skates, though.

Nor was Michele Hogsett, who put together this event as someone personally affected by the cause. Michele can feel free to correct me if I’m wrong, but I was told over $700 was raised that night. It definitely had a better crowd than last year’s inaugural event, which was forced to be rescheduled due to the untimely closing of Cowboyz in Ocean City the very day it was originally slated.

By the way, her shirt says ‘Survivor’ and that best explains Michele’s vested interest. She did get the perk of drawing winning raffle tickets.

And yes, there were bands. Now we can get to those who played the tunes in the order shown below (it also has the handy effect of showing the nice prizes they had.)

Nate Clendenen began the show with his solo act. I was a little late so I only caught the last song or so – just long enough to get his picture.

The first female-fronted band of many came up next. Petting Hendrix did a set rich with covers, including a pair from Journey.

Needless to say, things perked up when one of the best blues acts around took the stage – lower case blues nearly set the place on fire.

The smoke had barely cleared when a band with a pair of sassy females in front rocked more classic rock covers – Marla, Kathy, and company from Agent 99 put up a set that got people on the floor.

The boy-girl rotation continued apace because next up was a band with ‘more rock than a crack house’, Fuzzbox Piranha. I enjoyed their song selection in particular.

And what benefit would be complete without my friends from Semiblind? They had a couple new cover songs they were polishing in this set, including the oldie ‘Mustang Sally’.

Yet there were two bands to go. Freshly Squeezed had more of a pop feel to them, perhaps because of the vocals. It made songs a little different but still done well.

But instead of slowing down, the crowd was amped-up by the high-energy heavy metal that Witches Brew put out. No, I don’t see Stevie Nicks covers in their future.

I thought they were a good choice to wrap up the show, although some of the faithful had departed.

But Bike Week wasn’t done. Kim and I happened to check out the proceedings at Perdue Stadium and WinterPlace Park last Saturday; not because we’re avid bikers but because we know people who are and it was an interesting diversion on a Saturday afternoon. We were also treated to a good Alabama-based band called Thunderfoot.

The last five shots are from that show, which featured a number of their original tracks along with covers of bands like Aerosmith, Pink Floyd, and Molly Hatchet. Hey, anyone who starts the show with a few bars of ‘War Pigs’ has my attention and is placed on my ‘like’ list.

I suspect they will return for next year’s Delmarva Bike Week and hopefully add another show or two.

Friday night videos – episode 44

This will be a special election edition of FNV, intended to clean up the ‘Candidate Wednesday’ series, put out some new video of the Wicomico County Council race, and toss out a couple other neat things.

The last video of the ‘Candidate Wednesday’ series is that of District 38A hopeful Julie Brewington, who put together the videos and got Matt Trenka to be host.

It’s special to me because I helped with the production of it, and you’ll notice the line of questioning is a little different thanks to my influence. For example, the Page Elmore question was my idea.

Julie took a lot of time to speak to economic issues and comes across as a friend of business. She understands that backing us out of our doldrums will take private-sector investment, and creating the climate to encourage investment will take acts of government which reduce its scope and influence. It’s a fairly common-sense position and puts her in with the other three Republicans in the race.

The detour into property rights was a bit jarring, but obviously this is a pet issue of hers and reflects recent controversy in Wicomico County over downzoning.

She did have something of a homefield advantage because the interview was done for her website, but I think the line of questioning was pretty good. It’s also one of the most-watched local interviews so she did a good job promoting it as well. We will see if this translates into votes come September.

Last Sunday Chris Lewis held a meet-and-greet event in Sharptown, and three County Council candidates aired their view on property rights. In order they were Matt Holloway, Chris Lewis, and Bob Culver.

It’s interesting to see how candidates answer questions in a freeform format without a time limit. As it turned out this was the lone formal question asked since participants were encouraged to speak one-on-one with candidates.

One of the participants (although he ended up being there late, toward the end of the event) was Mike Ryman, LG candidate for this guy.

I encourage you to check out his website and make an informed decision if you’re a Republican. He’s got my vote.

Finally, some coolness from one of my favorite local bands, Order 6-D6, direct from the revamped Myspace. I’ll leave you with that.

Friday night videos – episode 43

Once again it’s time to see what the world of politics has to offer in the video realm, with a dash of local music thrown in and a bit of news on the tail end to boot.

I’m going to wax philosophical on you to start. One of my favorite books is Atlas Shrugged because I immediately got the point about heavy-handed government involvement in society. So this video appealed to me as well, and even though it’s over two years old I hadn’t seen it until recently.

I didn’t even know there was an Ayn Rand Institute but I do now.

Earlier this week, a special person had a birthday. Yes, Kim turned 39 again – amazing how that works! Oh, and that same day some president did too, which is the subject of this Freedom Minute.But in the spirit of bipartisanship, even Harry Reid doesn’t think all Republican Senators are bad – he really likes two of them in particular. From Americans for Limited Government and their coverage of Netroots Nation came this.

I bet this guy would have fit in quite well at the Netroots Nation. As it was, Rep. Pete Stark of California seemed awful snarky at a recent townhall meeting in his district.

Maybe this is why Frank Kratovil won’t have a townhall meeting? Come on, we’re well-behaved people.

What if the internet was like the old Ma Bell? The Competitive Enterprise Institute has some thoughts.

The internet has gotten along just fine as it stands – if not I wouldn’t be here.

Nor would this music video from Lower Class Citizens, courtesy of “the Prince of the Wind.” Like a few weeks back, this was recorded in some underground bunker but turned out well.

So you got your rock, and I can roll until next time. However, depending on availablility, you may see more videos here on monoblogue.

I haven’t quite decided how best to present these, whether as a once- or twice-a-week separate feature or devote this particular weekly space to them, but I’ve reached agreement with Julie Brewington and Matt Trenka (the moderator) on sharing the videos they have done for Right Coast here on monoblogue. While I have plenty of questions for candidates myself, future efforts of theirs will begin to integrate them and voters will be more informed if these videos are seen on more outlets. It’s a win-win for all of us.

I think these will begin next week – you’ll just have to return often to see what I decide for a regular timeslot.

Friday night videos – episode 42

We’ll see how this week’s episode of FNV flies as I patch together goodies I’ve become aware of.

With tongue strictly in cheek, Andrew Klavan looks at Obama’s “Recovery Summer.”

President Obama can’t catch a break. Even Arizona Governor Jan Brewer has to point out another flaw.

“This is an outrage!” You got that right, Governor. Here’s a look at our porous border through the eyes of hidden cameras.

While we’re at it, let’s look at another issue Obama is on the wrong side of: environmentalism. R.J. Smith and the Center for Private Conservation explains that capitalism tends to be environmentally friendly, despite what some may lead you to believe.

I don’t know if this guy will win a Senate seat, but he has funny videos. Len Britton is running for Senate in Vermont and a couple months back I featured another commercial of his.

Billy is like the rest of us who are furiously bailing. Wonder how that works for bankers and automakers?

Okay, now to the music. This one is loud, this one is hard, this one is Not My Own.

And this one is a wrap until next week.

Friday night videos – episode 40

I always look forward to my occasional forays into the music video scene featuring local bands. There’s a lot to choose from, but it’s not always easy unearthing good local tunes on video.

My first song is an example of this. The video is way dark, but the former ‘Why Cook?’ venue in Long Neck was always a little dark. I guess they’ve opened the place up since it was renovated and renamed.

Anyway, I like the song the band Lime Green did there so I included it. It’s called ‘Don’t Tell Me You Love Me’ but it’s not Night Ranger.

They seem to go with a dark room anyway, given their style of music.

Now I’m not sure why this was done in black and white, perhaps the Permilla Project knows. But they added a horn to their jam tune ‘Black Beans and Rice’ to give it a little spice.

They recorded this in downtown Salisbury at Flavors, which has turned out to be another local (and sometimes crowded) music venue.

Down the road, the local cover band Vivid Season was found covering Prince’s tune ‘Let’s Get Crazy.’

Break Time was the venue for that one. And while Vivid Season rocks hard, the guys of Not My Own get real heavy with this one-two combo of ‘Bleed’ and ‘Believer,’ two of their originals recorded at Circles in Milford, Delaware.

Dig the lighting effects.

Now here’s a video which appears to be one of those recorded during practice, where the take was so good someone produced it and put it on Youtube. It’s quite all right, I like LCC any way I can get them!

Whoever ‘The Prince of the Wind’ is, you have a new subscriber.

You may remember these guys from a few years back, but Halflink recently reformed and is back at a venue near you. All I can say about this song is that it typifies Delmarva in many ways, and the full moon must have been out that night.

Let’s call it a wrap after that!

Friday night videos – episode 37

Once again it’s time for the interesting stuff I run across in the course of a week. Let’s begin with a video you may have already seen. I’m putting it up because it’s a case of a Congressman who thinks he’s above everyone else.

Let’s hope he’s not above his opponent after the votes are counted Election Day. Let’s also hope that the subject of the next video has to turn over her Speaker’s gavel in January. Human Events is moving quickly into the realm of video – this is the first of two I use from them and it features one of my favorite Congressmen, Rep. Mike Pence.

Speaking of slimy and dishonest politicians, the subject of the next video is our very own governor, Martin O’Malley. Bob Ehrlich calls him out on a radio ad the O’Malley campaign recently produced.

The slime theme continues as I turn your attention to the Deepwater Horizon disaster and its handling. First is the assessment of Obama’s performance from a man I respect (and would have voted for had he survived long enough in his Presidential primaries,) Steve Forbes.

That was the second Human Events video. Another video from Americans for Limited Government details the first 45 days after the accident.

I vote for the second option myself. The next one is something a little different, and considering it was forwarded to me from political gadfly Daniel “the Wig Man” Vovak, isn’t something I would have looked for. But this could be a nice little comedy.

Last but not least is the local band Vivid Season and their take on Seether’s ‘Remedy.’ I throw it in because I like the song.

Once again, thanks for following this week’s edition of FNV and it should be back next week!