Big Leather Couch

End of quarter was difficult and had me tied up most of the week causing me to miss Five on Friday.

I should have one this week, but I had to pre-plan it as this is the week of the King Biscuit Blues Festival. The granddaddy of them all.

The lineup is impressive once again. Goon, check it out! What do you think?

Nancy and I leave early Thursday for the 90 minute trip. OH, and we have press passes this year, so we will be up closer to the main stage for photo ops.

I will be posting pictorials over at American Blues News on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Hope you check them out.

Two fine "Musicians You Should Know" this evening on Music On The Couch. Nik West is a fantastic R&B artist who is a skilled bass guitar player. Darren J Fallas leads a fine band here in Memphis and is also the president of the Memphis Blues Society.

Come hand out in the chat room at 9pm central.

Bought a reconditioned phone and received it on Friday. SO I am back in touch with the world.

Was strange not having a phone. The day I went out to see if I could buy one here in town, the company I was guided to had closed their doors and moved. I was not sure where the address was and had to go back to the office to get online to see a map, instead of pulling one up on the phone - which of course I did not have!

How our lives have changed!

So, how was your weekend? We had a great one.

Thursday evening, Nancy and I got in the rental and headed to Baton Rouge. Nancy had a presentation on Friday evening with a nice size client and I decided to tag along.

We arrived about 11pm and settled in at the hotel. On Friday, Nancy prepped for the meeting and I got to relax and hang out. Unfortunately it was an overcast day, so it wasn't a pool day.

Nancy's meeting went great. In fact, so good she was not done until after 9pm and she had arranged a meal to feed the participants (I got my own and had it at the hotel), so with an early departure planned, we didn't experience Baton Rouge.

All go biggie by clickie...

Saturday we were up and out on the road heading for Highway 61 out of baton Rouge North. This is called the Blues Highway once you get into Mississippi. It is a long stretch of blacktop used by the blues artists who were able to get off the plantations and head north to Memphis and possible fame.

Six plus hours later - after a stop in Natchez, MS for lunch we arrived at Hopson Plantation and the Shack Up Inn in Clarksdale, MS.

The Shack Up is for those who are not looking for room service and gourmet dining, but it is an experience that really should not be missed.

There are 10 shacks on the property that range in size from small to medium. There is also 10 rooms in an old grain building that are considered the more 'upscale' accommodations on the property. We had tried to get the Pinetop Shack or another...but they were all booked, so we were placed in Bin #6!  up the circular stairs in the silo to our room.  The room was spotless and very comfortable indeed.

That evening we drove a few miles to Ground Zero Blues Club and partied with the Reba Russell Band and some other friends including Victor Wainwright and Jay Moore.

On Sunday, we took our time and left and finished the last 90 minutes to home.







A cool weekend made even better with my darlin' Nancy.

RYAN MICHAELS
and
VINCENT HAYES
SIT ON
THE COUCH

Ryan Michaels has been immersed in music since he was a child, his family having owned an instrument store in the San Francisco Bay area.

He moved to Nashville with his band; drummer Andy Calmes, bassist Matthew Heath Harper, guitarists Steve Cunningham and Josh Sulfaro, and Peter Spero on keys and have released their debut album Life Is For The Living.

What is next for this group of skilled musicians? I will chat with Ryan and find out more. We will also listen to cuts from the album.

Then, Vincent Hayes, guitarist and leader of the Vincent Hayes Project will take a seat on The Couch.

The band were nominated for the 2011 Blues Music Awards for Best New Artist Debut category. Their album Reclamation is being honored from all corners.

The album is a collection of songs borne out of the decline of the area (West Michigan) which the band calls home. Begun in 2008 as a trio the band has grown in numbers and in skills and now includes, Hayes, David Alves - Bass, Donny Hugley - Percussion, Steve "Doc" Yankee - Piano, Christian Van Antwerpen - Hammond B3.

Vincent's guitar work will make you stop and listen. Clean licks while causing the fretboard to smoke.

Vincent will be calling in and we will find out more of his history and where the band is heading today and tomorrow, while catching tunes from Reclamation.

The weekend was a semi-loss. On Friday I woke with a sore back. Friday night was one of those nights where I was just uncomfortable all night. I used ice and my T.E.N.S Machine. Right before bed I took a muscle relaxer.

Saturday I woke feeling better and Nancy and I headed out to Costco for some items. As we walked in the door, I began to feel queasy. Within 5 minutes I was sitting on some backyard furniture in a cold sweat and having chills.

That passed in five minutes of so, and we finished our shopping and headed home. I then laid down and slept for a couple of hours.

Sunday was not as bad, but I was exhausted all day long...crappy weekend!

Watching the NCAA March Madness Selection show and you can tell so much about a coach and their program by the way teams react to their selection. Some schools cheer and applaud as they should. Others react like a bunch of caged nutcases. Screaming and making stupid faces and hand signs.

Accept your accolades, do it with CLASS - DIGNITY - RESPECT and remember your mommas are watching.

Do you play in pools? Fill out your bracket? I play in tool pools. One is the Jay and Doc's Blogger-Twitter Pool, which is just for fun and free, so if you are into it, check out the site and send an email to the guys and they will let you in.

The other is a pool that benefits Matt's old HS Baseball team. We have been running this pool for 6 years or so and it gets a lot of real good pickers. Half the money collected goes to the team and the rest is given to first, second and third place finishers. Cost is $10 an entry. If you are into playing that pool, send me an email or leave a note in comments.

Does Greg Gumbel not understand the delay on TV?  Every time a camera shows a school waiting for their name to be called  he does the same thing "waiting for their name to be called.....(team reacts)...there it is!  (laugh).

This week:
CHINUA HAWK
and
jsin
SIT ON
THE COUCH

Chinua (Shin-wa) Hawk might not be a name you recognize, but he has been performing his music around the world for over 10 years and has worked with some of the biggest names in the business.

Chinua has performed with Celine Dion, written songs with and performed backing vocals on Wyclef Jean’s CD “The Preachers Son”. He has also worked in the studio with Kanye West and Talib Kweli "Just to Get by".

Chinua’s work has been used on the T.V. show “Joan of Arcadia” , the movie “First Sunday”, and Dave Chapelle's " Block Party."

I get to sit with Chinua and discuss his youth and where he is moving toward today. We will also hear music from his latest release, "Sunflower: Revisited" and find out how his college tour is going.

Then from Toronto, Canada, jsin will sit on The Couch.

The Montreal native released "Born" in late 2009. It draws from a diverse selection of musical genres including electronica, trip-hop, punk and pop, while staying firmly rooted in the grit, guts, and glory of one of early Guns N’ Roses. Coupled with producer Vikas Kohli, the partnership has produced an album that refuses to stay within a narrow definition of rock.

How did jsin get to where he is today; working on his second album, acting in films and taking vocal lessons to expand his range? We will ask those and other questions and listen to music from "Born".

Please join me as I sit with Chinua and jsin and introduce y'all to musicians you should know.

We will take your calls and questions for both guests at 1.347.633.9400.

The live interactive chat room opens 20 minutes before show time. Follow this link HERE and click on the Chat Now icon. Come hang with the fans and musicians who visit each week.

Remember, unless you take the two minutes to register, you will not be able to participate in the chat room or send me questions to ask our guests, but you will still hear the show.

So tune in on Monday evening or remember, you can always listen anytime after the show ends from the player HERE or check out Music On The Couch for additional artist information, and show recaps.

You can download to your iTunes and even subscribe to the show for weekly automatic downloads, from my iTunes page.

How was your weekend?

What did you do?

Saturday was baseball and then helping Nancy prepare for her business trip. I also made a nice London Broil which I had marinated in my Vacuum Sealer marinading dish. It sucks open the pores of the meat to allow the marinade to be drawn in. A few cycles on the machine is like marinading for 24-48 hours.

Sunday began with a trip to the emergency walk-in clinic with Peter who was suffering a sore throat. After a three hour wait, we ruled out strep, but went on antibiotics for 10 days.

Nancy left on her trip and will be coming back on Friday. This will get more frequent in the future, but that is another story for another time.

Edwin Donald "Duke" Snider
(September 19, 1926 - February 27, 2011)

There was some sad news, as it was announced yesterday that Hall of Fame outfielder Duke Snider has died. He was 84.

From BEN WALKER, AP Baseball Writer
The former Brooklyn Dodgers star died early Sunday of what the family called natural causes at the Valle Vista Convalescent Hospital in Escondido, California.

Snider was part of the charmed "Boys of Summer" with the Dodgers in the late 1940s and 1950s. He helped lead Brooklyn to its only World Series championship in 1955.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum announced his death on behalf of the family.

Snider was part of the charmed “Boys of Summer” with the Dodgers in the late 1940s and 1950s. He helped lead Brooklyn to its only World Series championship in 1955. Snider also won a crown with the Dodgers in Los Angeles in 1959.

Snider hit 407 career home runs.

By the time the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles (before the 1958 season), I was not old enough to know about the team. I do know he was beloved in New York and in the coming days there will be an outpouring of sadness from fans of a certain age.

He was a center fielder and left handed hitter and played for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers from 1947-1962. He then came back to New York to play for the NY Mets in 1963 and finally, to the horror of many Dodger fans he played his final season for the San Francisco Giants.

MUSIC ON THE COUCH

MONDAY, February 28, 2011
10pm Eastern; 9pm Central; 8pm Mountain; 7pm Pacific

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This week:
IBC Finalist
STEVIE J
and
GREG SUSORENY
SIT ON
THE COUCH

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A new feature is up over at American Blues News entitled "Do You Hear What I Hear". There are four features on musicians under the age of 30. And we are working on another slection of musicians for a couple of weeks from now.

I was lucky enough to get to chat with Greg Gumpel who is the guitarist for the band Victor Wainwright & The Wildroots. I have known Greg for about a year and he gave me a deeper insight into why he does what he does in life. Hope you take the time to read the article on Greg and the others over there.

This evening on Musis On The Couch I get to sit with Mr. Paul Thorn, a great singer songwriting guitarist from Tupelo, MS and Ms. Kelly Richey from Cincinnati, OH who is a powerful rocker on stage, but off has a whole other world she is involved in.


Hope you find the time to come on over and listen live or to check out the archives anytime after the show ends.American

Spent all day Sunday doing holiday fudge. Once again, I set up each batch by measuring out all the ingredients and lining them all up so Nancy only had to make the batches. House smelled so good all day.

At the same time, I did our Christmas Cards. Got the photos printed and inserted into the cards. Got the address labels printed...began signing the cards.

Perfect day for it since it was about 29 degrees out with high high winds making it feel somewhere in the teens...goodness gracious, I moved south to get away from this stuff...we even had some snow flurries ....smoe...nothing that even stayed, but IT SNOWED!

What did you do this weekend?

• Friday afternoon - Had my first feature published on AMERICAN BLUES NEWS where they used my review of Barbara Blue's new album "Royal Blue", which you can find HERE. This week my three day review of the Arkansas Heritage and Blues Festival (now the King Biscuit Heritage and Blues Festival). I hope to be a regular contributor there.
• Friday night - big Yankee comeback
• Saturday - big Yankee stumble
• Sunday - NY Giants win
• Doc's Blog and Twitter League - win 2 - 4- 0 (yeah, not so good here)
• Jay's Open Bar League - loss - 3 -3
• ABL Fantasy League - loss - 4 - 2 (thanks Phillip Rivers and your -3 points)
• King Of The Hill Survivor League - win - 1 out of 3 of our "teams" left - 27 out of 126 teams left
• Phone Calls From Church League - TBD, we are up by 9 points. This league is a scoring only league. You score, you get 6 pts. Def gets a point for Ints and sacks. So a running back can get 200yds and not cross the goal line...you get ZIP.  It is also the only money league I play and have played for 9 years. 

• Huge Game Tonight - Pettitte v Lee - The Ballpark in the Bronx

• MNF - The NFL decided to give us Tennessee v Jacksonville - snorrrrrrrrrrrre

• Music On The Couch -  Rob Drabkin a singer-songwriter who is making waves out of Denver with his infectious rock and pop and the band Tin Pan...a very cool swing, jazz, blues band out of New York City.

Yeah, I know I end up losing out on the live audience, but I hope y'all download and listen.   Some big shows coming up over the next few weeks.

Hope y'all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and a nice weekend. Did you participate in the craziness that is the Friday after Thanksgiving? Wake at 4:00am and run out to the stores and buy all your holiday gifts?

That is koo-koo crazy in my mind, but I know enough people who do it.

We had a real nice dinner on Thursday with Nancy's family and then came home with some ham and turkey, so a nice turkey sandwich was available!

On Friday we were able to get all the left-overs from our garage sale to Goodwill. Took us two trips with the SUV and my car. This allowed my car to finally get into the garage. This is nice as the last week or so the windows have been all frosted over in the morning.

Then we headed off and did some grocery shopping in anticipation of filling the new freezer. We made a list of ingredients that we needed for 6 main courses to be prepared.

With Nancy beginning work again, we decided to do an all-day cook and freeze a bunch of meals to use over the next month.

On Saturday, we woke slowly and then Nancy decided she wanted to clean the house as I cooked, thus killing two birds with one stone.

I photographed throughout the day and will be presenting that over at MANGIA Y'ALL over the next couple of weeks...

You know... MANGIA Y'ALL, that web site I have been ignoring...

In the end, I prepared: Pork Chops with Mustard Sauce - 9 portions, Beefy Mac - 6 portions, Stuffed Flank Steak - 6 portions, Beef & Spinach Patties - 4 portions; Chicken in Sherry Cream Sauce - 4 portions and overnight in the crock pot, I prepared a Asian Pot Roast in Sesame Soy Sauce - 6 portions.

Ended up with about 35 portions worth of main courses. Took about 6.5 hours in total, including clean-up - well not counting the overnight cooking of the pot roast. And when I vacuum sealed them I left the option for Nancy and I to each have a different entree...and all we need to do is whip up some side dishes.

Today, we are serving dinner over at MANGIA Y'ALL for the first time in a while. this is not from this weekend, but from one of our most recent cooking journeys...

I always try and remember to photograph when we cook, but sometimes I forget to take pictures at the end - and then I can't use the whole thing! LOL

Today's meal is a Pot Roast made in a clay pot. I have had the clay pot for years but never reached for it when cooking. A few weeks back we made a Orange Chicken in the clay pot and it was fantastic.

The next week we tried the pot roast...

Today - a new post:
Clay Pot Pot Roast
Come take a seat at the table

Minutia alert...Took Friday off and spent all day finishing up the prep for the garage sale. I put signs up at the two main intersections to our community. Big and hot pinks they were sure to catch your eye.

Saturday the alarms went off before the sun was up and it was way cold at 6:00am. We pulled all the boxes and buckets out of the garage and set the big stuff out. Our ad and the signs all said 7:00am start, but as we expected the first people began showing up at 6:30am.

The stream of cars seriously continued for the next 6 hours. There was always someone walking though the aisles of items. Our sister in law also took a drive up from her home and it was nice to visit with her and she also sold a few items.

We did get rid of all the big items, which I felt was important. My bed - gone! The Soloflex Machine (aka big heavy clothes rack) - gone! The many drums and cymbals - gone!

We were all cleaned up by 4:30pm and now all we need to do is bring the left-over items down to Goodwill.

Both Nancy and I were exhausted and had some pizza and were asleep by 9:30pm.

Yesterday we just lounged around the house and watched some football and a movie and just enjoyed each others company.

Last night we ate some hamburger steaks in an onion sauce and creamed spinach.

Oh yeah, I have two CDs I will do reviews on this week. One I am having a real problem with - see I really dislike the CD...but I know it is music that some of my readers enjoy.

And that is really all I have...How is that for a true minutia post???

Well, we went...decided at about 11:00am to just do it. I left work a short time later an got some last minute items out of the way and then Nancy arrived shortly before 5:00pm. As she pulled up, the line of thunderstorms and lightening that was bearing down on us hit.

We waited it out and left to a light rain. About a half hour out we were in a pretty good downpour that lasted about 45 minutes. Then some drizzles here and there...BUT...ahead in the distance, you could see where the clouds ended and a clear sky appeared.

Now, I have sen this before, but rarely gotten to that spot - it is so much further away than it appears. But this time we actually succeeded in coming out of the clouds and had some clear skies until the sun went down.

we arrived in Lexington around 1:00am (six hour drive - we go over the time zone line and lose an hour) and went right to the motel.

The next morning we were over at 'Bliss Manor' and Nancy and I spent a few hours acting as sous chefs for our incredible host and hostess.

We went back to the motel, freshened up and headed back and assisted with last minute preparations of food. The guest were flowing in...the alcohol was flowing and once all the food was on the table we had a fantastic time.

Most of the bloggers who were there are not on my blog roll. I did know of some from seeing them around. In the beginning I was just introducing myself as Vinny, and then began to add 'Yoursbond / Bond from Big Leather Couch..ya know the little three year old in the baseball uniform", and that jogged recognition.

It was a real fun time and the food was freakin incredible and the favors were real nice and I will have some pictures in a day or so.

I have been told there is a flickr site with pictures, and when I go over there, I will borrow a few for here.

THANKS TURNBABY from"And As The World Turns" and BRAD from "Pointless Drivel" for a wonderful weekend.

We were over Sunday morning for a bit and then headed out and got back to Memphis around 5:00pm.

Today, we are featuring a band we originally heard over at JOHN H's "Vioces To Hear" site and shortly thereafter they came up on my recommended list from the PR firm who sends me these artists.

Brother Joscephus and the Love Revival Revolution Orchestra are an 11-piece explosion of love and righteousness specializing in Groovy New Orleans-inspired Roots Rock/Soul with a Gospel feel.

This is real upbeat, positive-message music based in the soulful sounds of N'awlins in the spirit of Dr. John and the Neville's...

From their bio we learn:
BroJo blends together the perfect gumbo of New Orleans party music, Soul in the style of Ray Charles and Al Green, a good helping of jam-bandy Roots Rock and a righteous splash of good, upbeat (non-religious) Gospel.

Brother Joscephus and the Love Revival Revolution Orchestra is a family-friendly act with an incredibly broad range of appeal. The music legitimately hits home with all age groups from 5 to 105. BroJo fits in perfectly at outdoor festivals, sit-down theaters or the most raucous of roadhouses.

Each BroJo tune has been meticulously arranged for the Love Revival Revolution Orchestra: The three-piece horn section (the Shepherds of the Wind), the gospel choir (the Voices of Reason), and the most righteous rhythm section (the Guardians of the Groove) lay it down for Brother Joscephus to sing about the pain, joy and wisdom that is in his heart.

The core group is eleven pieces, but the Revolution been known to expand to over sixteen (adding additional members to the gospel choir, mandolin, percussion, etc.) and can also play a stripped-down version with as little as four brothers and sisters of the Revolution.

But a Brother Joscephus show is more than just the music - there is also an emphasis on spectacle and pageantry. The band is decked out in their finest whites (accented with the appropriate gold, purple and green of Mardi Gras). They break out parasols, march through the audience and throw out hundred of mardi gras beads over the course of a show.

When the band starts vibing with the audience you can't help but have a good time - it's undeniable!

Brother Joscephus' message is one of righteousness: spread as much love as possible around, regardless of your individual beliefs, race, age, sex, sexual orientation or whatever it is you're into. Long as you're not hurting anyone, BroJo has much love for you and encourages you to fill the space with whatever love you got. That's what the Love Revival Revolution is all about.

We sent Brother Joscephus some questions via email and he was kind enough to respond:

Who is in your ultimate super group?

Good question! Electric Guitar – David Gilmore & Mark Knofler, Bass – Paul McCartney, Keyboard – Professor Longhair, Drums – Johnny Vidacovich. Then give me Ribirth Brass Band for a horn section and the Harlem Gospel Choir and we should be all set.

What's the song you're most proud of writing?

The song that really galvanized the entire Brother Joscephus concept for me was the first song on our debut CD, “A Child Shall Lead” – I think it really sums up a lot of the philosophy and political ideology of the entire Love Revival Revolution movement. Plus it’s a total upbeat gospel-style rocker. And it was inspired by the birth of my niece, Parker who was born 2 days before I wrote the song. So all tolled, yeah – that’s a good one.

What was the first album you ever bought?

Elton John’s Greatest Hits. The Beatles, Elton John and Billy Joel gave me my first lesson in music at a very early age.

Do you support any specific charities and how do you give back as an artist?

Yes! The Love Revival Revolution is all about the support. We recently played a benefit show during Mardi Gras that raised money for the Tipitina’s Foundation and Sweet Home New Orleans – both New Orleans charities that provide support for the rebuilding of New Orleans, families affected by Katrina and local New Orleans musicians.

Do you like to cook?

Love to cook. Serious cook, although I don’t have much time for it anymore. Before BroJo took off I was very close to opening a restaurant and Executive Chef-ing the place. The concept was small plate global dining. I designed the whole menu and was working on honing the recipes for several months before I realized running a 12-piece Orchestra and executive chef-ing a new restaurant were probably mutually exclusive endeavors!

Do you follow any sports, if so, which ones?

Big sports fan. I am actually commissioner of 3 fantasy leagues (football, baseball and golf). I’m an avid follower of those sports. Fantasy sports is a passion I’ve been involved with for a very long time. I started one of the first fantasy baseball leagues ever in 1986, believe it or not. Fantasy sports is great, but I find it does diminish devotion to any one particular team as you tend to root for whichever players are on your fantasy team. That being said, I’m a big New York Yankee fan, and for some reason I also do greatly dig the Cleveland Browns.

Thank you Brother Joscephus...and after learning you are a Yankee Fan, let me say you music is the best ever created by anyone anywhere!

But seriously, this is some real fun, enjoyable get out of your seat and shake what the good lord gave ya music.

Because this group is such a visual as much as a aural experience, we break format and will include a video from youtube and also a normal audio cut.

Check out their website HERE; myspace page HERE; facebook page HERE and album sales HERE.

The video cut is for "A Child Shall Leave" and the audio cut is entitled "Bon Temps Roulez"

Then remember to leave a comment and vote in the poll - THANKS!

ENJOY....

Check out "Looking At The Sky Friday" participants by clicking on the banner above and heading over to Crazy Working Mom's site.

This one is also from my trip south to assist Nancy when she forgot something on her business trip about a month or so ago.

Cruising down I78 South...I turn my head to see the sky off to my left.

Grab the cell phone and clickity click and this is what I got.

I love the swirls of the clouds along the horizon...the sweeping segment of cloud coming into the photo right to left...and above all the nastiness, the blue sky calls out that better days are ahead.

All I did was crop out some of the bottom of the original to focus in on the clouds.

Looks like next week I get to place an order.... WOOOO!

Oh this gets much bigger by clickity clicking.

Thanks to everyone who went over and visited HOPE RADIO , and hopefully you were able to assist in their efforts.

ALso, I know a bunch went over and signed the petition to ensure the passage of the BREAST CANCER PATIENT PROTECTION ACT. If you haven't, take a few minutes and do so now...

IT'S THE WEEKEND!

Fire up the grill...crack open some cold brewskis...char some animal flesh and have a grand time!

Because, even though the calendar might not be saying it yet, it is officially right around the corner....yes kiddies...SUMMERTIME!!!!!!!!

SO..for the weekend...and for the summer...Man, I could have made this a 1-2 block of just songs with SUMMER in the title. What is your favorite SUMMER song and which is what song reminds you of SUMMER most?

Summertime - Janis Joplin & the Kozmic Blues Band
(Live - Amsterdam, The Netherlands - 04/01/69)
Summer Wind - Frank Sinatra
Boys Of Summer - Don Henley
Summer of '69 - Bryan Adams

ENJOY.......