Floundering Friday...And A Special Gift!

Sparks Of Insanity By Vinny "Bond" Marini Friday, October 24, 2008

WOW long a** day...we are starting to build the mail plan for 2009 and that means numbers, numbers, numbers...figuring out days we will mail based upon past swarm dates for Termites all across the country...they deciding who gets 1 mailing, 2 mailings, 3 mailings or 4 mailings...


Then I have to calculate the types of mailings and the print run splits and work on estimates and send out Requests for Quotations..

And did your head explode yet? LOL

It was chilly and rainy here all day long...yuk...

Finally got home late and had to seal and freeze all the meats I bought at the grocery store yesterday. Got to eat dinner at about 8:30pm and sat down to watch the World Series.

Next thing I knew, my eyes were beginning to flutter and I had not written one word of this post...

So, here is the brilliance you get for today! LOL


Remember...all next week is NEW MUSIC TUNEAGE TUTELAGE!!!!

Come on by and find some new music...maybe you will hear something that causes your auditory senses to tingle and you can put in your case for receiving the CD.

Now I just found out that a couple of the artists are no longer sending out CDs, not sure I will feature them next week or not, but if I do I will alert you to the fact that they will not be available for give-away...but will direct you to a place you can order them.

Am I even making sense today?


Make sure you shoot over to MATT MAN'S and MICKEY-T'S sites to find out how much trouble they got into yesterday as Mickey is visiting Bagwine, OH!


And then finally, today I received a very very cool gift in the mail from my friend LeeLee. It came with a letter in which she writes:

"When we were visiting North Carolina recently, I stopped in a favorite little gift shop in Raleigh. I heard this lovely music playing in the background. Being curious by nature especially about music I like, I asked who the artist was. It sounded like Leo Kotke, but more than anything it sounded very American and very Southern.

He told me it was by a North Carolinian named Etta Baker and he heard the music on NPR (of which I am a fan). He recalled that buying the CD was a help to Music Maker Foundation.

I was intrigued and when I got home I did a little research and found the CD. Knowing you enjoy excellent music and like a story behind the music, I thought this would be something you would enjoy. Ms. Baker certainly is a talent...and I am certainly a fan.

These recordings were made in her living room and in the first song you can hear a bird singing along with her playing. How fantastic."

Well, LeeLee, you are most certainly correct in that I love excellent music and also love the story behind the music and I am THRILLED by this special gift!!!

From the CD, we find out the following:
"Etta Baker of Morgantown, NC was born in 1913 and has been playing guitar since she was 4-years old. She is the premier woman Piedmont blues guitar instrumentalist. Her only contemporary was the late Elizabeth Cotton of Carrboro, NC. Etta maintains a beautiful yard and garden. She is constantly working on new arrangements as she plays guitar everyday. These recordings were made at her home and yes, a finch really did fly in her living room, sat atop the door and performed a wonderful duet" - Tim Duffy.

None other than the brilliant Taj Mahal wrote:
"Possessing a stunning beauty her husband refused to let her travel and perform away from home....This gracious grandmother was the was the source of a great deal of joy and surprise when I found that she still played guitar after I had heard her early recordings in the 60's. One of the signature chords of my vocabulary comes from her version of "Railroad Bill" This was the first guitar picking style that I ever learned."

Ms. Baker recorded a CD with Taj entitled ETTA BAKER in 2004 that I am going to have to track down and appeared on a CD entitled 10 DAYS OUT- BLUES FROM THE BACKROADS, with Kenny Wayne Shepard which also includes a DVD that shows Kenny & Etta playing guitar in her kitchen.

From the sheet that LeeLee included:
Music Maker Relief Foundation strives to help true pioneers and forgotten heroes of Southern music gain recognition and meet their day to day needs. We support the health and well being of these legendary musicians.

I had to share a couple of the songs on this CD (recorded in 1999) with all y'all today. The CD is entitled RAILROAD BILL. The first tune is Ms. Baker along with her friendly finch and is entitled "Carolina Breakdown". Then we will let you hear the title track "Railroad Bill"...and finally, one of my all time favorite tunes which was a staple for the Grateful Dead in concert "Going Down The Road Feeling Bad". The entire CD is filled with gems like these.

March 31, 1913 –September 23, 2006

Hope you ENJOY.....Have a marvelous weekend!







17 Of Your Sparks

  1. leelee Says:
  2. :-) Vinny you are so very welcome my friend. I just KNEW this music would be for you..and thanks to you, it will be enjoyed by your readers who I know wll enjoy Ms. Baker as well.

    Great job with this post...scattered thoughts included..

    Have a great weekend..

    HUGS!!

     
  3. Dana Says:
  4. I am so looking forward to NEW MUSIC TUNEAGE TUTELAGE next week! Well, that and the pics of Matt-Man and Micky-T making out *giggle*

     
  5. LAC Says:
  6. That is beautiful. I can really see myself playing this at work, its so relaxing and beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

     
  7. You know the problem (for me, that is) with hearing wonderful guitar music? It makes me frustrated that I can't play like that! (Can you tell I'm frustrated with my lessons?)

     
  8. Oh wow she is amazing! I am gonna have to get these CD's.

     
  9. ...Man!...Killer tuneage!.......

     
  10. LEELEE: I am so so so so HAPPY you shared this with me...and I got to share it with the guests on The Couch
    HUGS

    DANA: You are one funny girl....Great weekend

    STAR: Isn't it though? I have found a new fav.

    SONGBIRD: Dear, she played for 40 years before recording and 86 years total...do NOT get frustrated...

    STARR: Isn't she though?! I am so thrilled LeeLee shared this...

    PHFRANKIE: Complete agreement Sir...she was a Phenom!

     
  11. have a great weekend bond!

    smiles, bee
    xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

     
  12. Bud Fisher Says:
  13. I am looking forward to next week! Have a great weekend, my friend...

     
  14. TopChamp Says:
  15. I read 'seal' and 'meat' but ommitted the rest of that sentence in a skim-reading disaster! The double-take proper read fixed the issue but for a second I was most concerned about the moral implications of seal meat.

    That's a lovely story - and you are lucky to get a thoughtful gift! I'll have to come back to listen but am most intrigued. Thanks for putting some tunes up as I'm looking forward to hearing this.

     
  16. John Holland Says:
  17. Amazing music.

     
  18. Travis Cody Says:
  19. What wonderful music! Thanks for sharing it, and thanks to LeeLee for turning you on to it.

     
  20. Julie Says:
  21. Awww the birds in the background! Love it!

     
  22. DrillerAA Says:
  23. WOW!! What's not to LOVE about this music? I see putting together an IPod folder of Etta, Chet Atkins, Randy Scruggs, Jerry Reed, B.B. King, Eric Clapton and a little Carlos Santana. I could listen to it forever.

     
  24. Meribah Says:
  25. Nope. The puppy's head didn't explode; she just let all that business talk bounce off her skull, like popcorn, and fall on the floor. LOL :P

     
  26. Vinny, I have a couple of awards for you at my blog for a very special reason. Come see!

     
  27. TopChamp Says:
  28. hello - enjoying the duet - it's cool hearing the bird!

     

Music On The Couch