The College Crowd Digs Me

" I'm gonna burn right up... like a two dollar pistol. Like a rocket shot to the sun ." The Godz The Godz were a hardworking late 70's rock band from Ohio who toured with groups like Kiss and Cheap Trick ...but could never reach that level of success themselves. In fact, The Godz ...initially became a verbal punching bag for many music critics. Spinning the disc today...I find their criticsm unfair and totally missing the point. The Godz played with a ballsy hell-raising...fun-lovin' attitude. Blending a touch of southern tang...reminiscent of vintage Black Oak Arkansas mixed with Grand Funk ... The Godz created solid guitar churning rock. Their self-titled debut is filled with 7 tracks ...many begging to be rediscovered. The biggest surprise is the tasty cover of Golden Earring's ... "Candy's Going Bad" . I never cared that much for Earring's version...but The Godz own it. "Go Away" and "Guaranteed" are strong...

"You criticize most everyone... Yeah...but what have you got to show? At least the ones you're putting down... got up to have a go." Steve Forbert Steve Forbert is one of those rare singer-songwriters. The kind that can literally break your heart one minute...and put it all back together the next. One of my favorite artists... Forbert has been "howling out words and banging out chords" for over 30 years. Forbert delivers his songs with a unique and wonderful stutter-step style ...allowing his thoughtful words to carry the weight they deserve. Nice. From start to finish... "Little Stevie Orbit" (1980) jumps out of the speakers with a rousing confidence. Each song is filled with uncanny observations and worldly wisdom that will have listeners nodding their heads with understanding. Track 4 :-->"Laughter Lou" is a great song about critics who constantly wallow in the negative. You know the ones. Always pointing out the flaws. No...

"The constant sound of aching sorrow. But there's always tomorrow. There's always a freeze That'll bring you to your knees." Kirk Rundstrom NO SPOILERS: Country music ambassador Ralph Emery has been associated with this genre ever since he was an all-night DJ at WSM AM radio in Nashville during the late 1950s. I first became a fan of Ralph Emery when he was hosting the country television talk show... "Nashville Now" (1983-1993). Admittedly...it was Ralph's sidekick... 'Shotgun Red' ...that first caught my attention. But Ralph's relaxing...down-to-earth...style won me over. Ralph & Shotgun Red For over fifty years... Ralph Emery ...has rubbed shoulders and befriended hundreds of country music stars. Many just trying to get their cowboy boots in the door...only later to become country legends themselves. Ralph & Shotgun on Nashville Now - Last Show! "The View From Nashville" (1998) is filled with funny stories .....

"Does your momma know you're wild? A delinquent juvenile. I bet she'll disapprove... of the way that you move. Does your momma know you're wild?" Rick Derringer Derringer is...of course... Rick Derringer. And having one of the coolest names in rock n roll...I was hoping for Derringer to cut loose. Burn some rocks. A little guitar brashness ...ala "...Hoochie-Coo" , perhaps. However... RD caught me a little off-guard by deciding to park in the Power Pop garage with "If I Weren't So Romantic..." . But once I discovered where his keys were hanging. ..this LP became much more approachable. The title track is a slow acoustical number with some odd lyrics...but RD sells the song like a silver-tongued aluminum hack. "Sleepless" ...(a Patti Smith cover) is very good. And "Lawyers, Guns and Money" (a Warren Zevon cover) stays faithful...but left me wanting to shuffle through my 'Pod to hear the original. ...

"When I first came down to Wichita town... Had a pocketful of Mexican smoke. Well, I sold it to a man I did not know... 'Cause I was hungry and I was broke ." Jerry Hahn Brotherhood Recognized by Rolling Stone as one of the 3 or 4 best jazz guitarists, Jerry Hahn has enjoyed a full eclectic career.  What drew my attention, initially, to this ambassador of rock-blues-jazz fusion...was his fantastic, but almost forgotten, classic rock gem ... "The Jerry Hahn Brotherhood" (1970).   I'll describe the album in more detail later. But first... Jerry Hahn was performing at Hotel Old Town in Wichita, KS recently (July 2008)... Hotel Old Town - Wichita KS ...when he graciously sat down and allowed me to pick his memories. Jumping from one topic to another... Hahn shared his thoughts and opinions. The following is an excerpt: Casey: Well, back in the '60s...before you began teaching at Wichita State University ...you were out in San Francisco ...

"But I know I have found only one way to heaven. Don't stop 'til 7 come 11." Rex I've had my Amazon Kindle for about a month now...and love it. The Kindle , for lack of a better definition...is an e-book reader on steroids. A plethora of positive reviews can be read at Amazon ...and I encourage you to do so. In the meantime...here are just a few of the Kindle features I've come to love. Very easy on the eyes. NO GLARE! The Font Size can be quickly adjusted. Great for when your eyes get tired. Books...Newspapers...Magazines...RSS Feeds can be downloaded wirelessly to your Kindle in less than a minute. I'm not exaggerating! Built-in Dictionary to instantly look up words that trip you. No more writing the word down to look up later. Very Nice! Easily highlight whatever your reading . Great for when finding an interesting thought or point. Your highlight will stay with the book indefinitely. Any material on your Kindle can be searched!! If it'...

"Oh, I could be a hero. I could be a lover of a thousand movie queens. I could be a hero. I could be anything. Caught in the sunrise... And I'm blinded by the light." Crack The Sky NO SPOILERS: "Batman One" (1996) a Graphic Novel...is more a character study into the two "new guys" on the block...Batman and Jim Gordon. Each trying to mead out justice on their own terms. This is a Batman tale from his earliest beginnings as a crime fighter in the fictional Gotham City. Batman is athletic, to be sure, but still a little rough around the edges. Certainly not yet the whiz-bang he would grow into. A super-hero work in progress. Surprisingly ...and pleasingly so...it is the plot surrounding a young Jim Gordon (way before becoming Gotham's police commisioner ) that will hold your attention. Gordon is flawed but much cooler than expected. And truly not one to trifle with. Legendary Frank Miller's writing is dead on the money as usual. And...