I don’t have to be anywhere. Being somewhere is dangerous, though being randomly somewhere still means the odds are in my favor. I’m reminded I’m hungry. Should I go out, take out, eat in, all in one fell swoop? Perhaps I should eat my safe food, prepared by my safe washed hands. I look in […]
That’s a quote from a John Lennon song written in 1976. The title is actually Nobody Told Me. The first refrain of the song goes: Nobody told me there’d be days like these. Nobody told me there’d be days like these. Nobody told me there’d be days like these. Strange days indeed. Most peculiar Mama. […]
The essence of the blues is in the people who create this beloved music. The men and women who feel it in the depths of their souls. Those who channel it through the pain of living and who transform that pain into something that makes us want to cry and to laugh and to enjoy […]
In Part One of this series, we took a look a the origins and early history of the blues. This time around, I want to deepen our understanding of the different styles of this music. There are many more branches on the blues tree than I would have guessed. Although its roots were widespread around […]
The global phenomenon that is music takes many forms. The origins stem from multiple cultures across the planet. Their evolution is never-ending with new variations limited only by imagination, which never seems exhausted. The genres remain, though, their boundaries mostly honored by those composers and musicians who love the tradition in which they have trained. […]
Since it was introduced in the United States in 1971, the ancient healing practice of acupuncture has enjoyed a surge in popularity with Americans. It is primarily considered an alternative form of treatment, but its widening acceptance seems to be lending it more and more credibility. Is acupuncture a healing art or legitimate science? Many […]
It’s that wonderful time of the year again! While there’s reason for stress, amplified loneliness, or reflection on the negative, there’s ample stimuli to bring us feelings of love, joy and excitement. Almost all of the positive arises from the colorful traditions dating back centuries ago in countries we may never have visited. We are […]
In the midst of maintaining this blog, working on another novel, doing a little freelance work and composing as well as playing music, I wrote a short memoirish piece for a book that has just been released–What Happened to the Hippies? Voices and Perspectives. I’m one of many contributors. The author who created it and […]
Scanning the landscape of television across the many networks available to us, we find tremendous choices in numerous genres. The writing and special effects are stellar in so many of these shows. In this post, I’ll acknowledge those that demonstrate the greatest imagination. There are many to choose from, but I’m going to try to […]
Cochranton, Pennsylvania is a borough in the hilly rural area between Pittsburgh and Erie. It was founded in 1855, named for Thomas Cochran. It’s in farming country, with a population of around 1200. As it is in so many small towns across America now, many of the storefronts on its main street are long empty. […]