Thursday Night Music Club (Return of the Grievous Angel ed.)

If you're a fan of Wilco, Uncle Tupelo, early REM, or any country rock/adult alternative/Americana music, then we're indebted to Gram Parsons. Here he is w/ the super-group The Flying Burrito Brothers "Hot Burrito #1." Enjoy--

OK--one more: "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere."  Good stuff--

What the heck--here's the whole darn thing--so, so good:

Lockerbie, Scotland--"a story beyond tragedy"

(from Jeff Passan @Yahoo)

Passan's piece is probably the best piece of writing I've seen in a while--able to walk the line of memory, reflection without falling into sentimentality.

My reaction to it might be influenced by the still distinct memories I have of walking through the Carnation Mall in Alliance, Ohio in December 1988 when the piped-in mood music was interrupted  by the announcer voice telling us Christmas shoppers that a plane had crashed over Lockerbie, Scotland, and Alliance's own Pete Vulcu, a neighbor during elementary school and later a HS classmate, was among those killed. 

Eventually, of course, we all learned more about Pan Am Flight 103 than we ever thought we would.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/lockerbie--a-story-beyond-tragedy--a-story-of-curling-and-olympic-pride-090727925.html

Thursday Night Music Club (for a special cause ed.)

Matthew Ryan's "An Anthem for the Broken"
(it's a really good PunkRockFolk song--but please see below before clicking on the link)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8x5SoEB-SI&feature=youtu.be

Published on Feb 20, 2014

The LINK to purchase this song will appear early on Wednesday, February 26th when the purchase/donation page goes live!! The price for the single will be set at $1 with the option to contribute more if you can and wish to. I'm sharing this now for you to preview the song and share the vid to raise awareness for our effort to aid John and Amanda Anderson in their fight against the financial weight and stress of John's diagnosis of ALS 3 years ago. ALL MONEY RAISED WILL GO DIRECTLY TO JOHN AND AMANDA ANDERSON (minus the small distribution fees Bandcamp charges).

You can read about John and Amanda's situation right here:
http://www.matthewryanonline.com/home...

An Anthem for the Broken was Produced and Mixed by Kevin Salem
Mastered by Hans DeKline

Written by Matthew Ryan and Arranged by Matthew Ryan, Brian Bequette, Kevin Salem & Brian Fallon

Performed by
Brian Bequette - Bass
Brian Fallon - Electric Guitar
Joe Magistro - Drums
Kevin Salem - Electric Guitar
Matthew Ryan - Vocals
Everyone Available did the Gang Vocals

Here are the words to An Anthem For The Broken:

An anthem for the ones who hurt
Who broke their fists on dreams and dirt
Who climbed the hills and found the sea
Who saw the tops of home and tree
Who never left their hearts in scars
Who caught the fire in the stars
Who held their kids when they were scared
Who found a way from here to there

An anthem for the real reward
The sometimes broke and bent before
Where hope is lost and winter birds
Float from the wires when shots are heard
An anthem for my mother's arms
The bravest walk, the big alarm
The boxers, cops and soldiers too
The ones who need no gratitude

We won't quit...

An anthem for the brotherhood
The light in the dark and the lean for good
The knowing not which way to go
But here but for the grace of the unknown I know
A dollar's not a peace nor end
I'd do it all and all again
An anthem for the broken hearts
That made it worlds from where they'd start

We won't quit...

Is Fracking Safe? (the courts & Exxon CEO say maybe not)

(via Damian Lizzo)

sure starting to feel as if truth, reality catching up to the fracking industry--'bout time; really tired of feeling like we live in a 2nd world country. 

http://thedailyreview.com/news/woman-wins-case-against-chesapeake-jaqueline-place-of-terry-township-to-receive-compensation-for-well-contamination-1.1636832#.Uwg83GQxUfI.twitter

* * *

(Jennifer Krill, via Josh Fox)

fracking is safe, right? Just NIMBY though, OK?

Matt Damon--Education Advocate (yep)

(from the Washington Post)

a brief piece and some videos w/ the actor Matt Damon as he advocates for educators to be involved in educational policy (sad that he has to advocate that). Guess I'll have to go see The Monuments Men now.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/02/08/matt-damon-we-would-never-let-businessmen-design-warheads-why-would-you-cut-out-educators-when-youre-designing-education-policy/

Frackgate? in Ohio? of course.

(via Josh Fox, from Truthout)

you can go to the earliest posts on this here blog re fracking; this latest news from Truthout doesn't surprise me one bit. My wife said something about foxes and hen houses . . .

(just a refresher--the ODNR is responsible for regulating all drilling, incl fracking, in the state of Ohio. Their budget--at least as recently as 2012--was largely based on drilling, permit fees . . . the very thing they are charged w/ regulating)

http://truth-out.org/news/item/21957-frackgate-ohio-regulators-planned-to-subvert-eco-groups-promote-fracking-in-state-parks

Thursday Night Music Club (meet the new Boss . . . ed.)

title track from the new Springsteen (with former RAM's Tom Morello--the working man's friend). Enjoy--

and now for something a little bit funkier, "The E Street Shuffle"--

Help Wanted? (mlb)

(from ESPN)

Tim Byrdak is looking for work, so he made his own ad: 

Reagan or Eisenhower? (and why don't they like Ike?)

(via runtodaylight)

Thursday Night Music Club (enjoy every sandwich ed.)

You've seen Warren Zevon in here before, but it felt like a good time to run him again. Here's his "Lawyers, Guns, and Money." Enjoy--

and "Desperados under the Eaves"--

and, lastly "Keep Me in Your Heart a While"--

Meet the RubberDucks

(from the Akron Rubber Ducks--nee Akron Aeros) Now, if I could only get someone in my family to follow Twitter, I might get a slick Fathers' Day gift . . .

Check out the new uniforms!! From L to R, the alternate, Sunday home, batting practice, home uniform, road uniform... pic.twitter.com/lMJlnSh9vT

Fracking and Birth Defects?

(from The Grist, via Josh Fox)

Are newborns being deformed by fracking pollution? the Grist asks and new Research reveals link: http://grist.org/news/is-fracking-pollution-deforming-babies/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=tweet&utm_campaign=socialflow

* * *

(from NYT) not birth defects; just more good news re the industry . . . and he said, "Why didn't you send me a sign?"

earthquakes in Youngstown . . . tap water igniting . . . chemicals, chemicals, chemicals everywhere & not a drop to drink . . . I'm not sure what it would take at this moment to get the populace's collective attention. But you're here; that's a good start:

]http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/26/us/emissions-of-methane-in-us-exceed-estimates-study-finds.html?_r=0

Thursday Night Music Club (selling out ed.)

Before Bob became a corporate sell-out like everyone else and maker of bad SB commercials, he made some good music. Here he is w/ an early performance of "Like a Rolling Stone"--maybe the most important song in rock and roll history. Enjoy--

 

and here he is on "Most of the Time," one of my favorites from his later period.

NBC Plays Censor @ Olympics

(from Deadspin)

I, like you, probably wouldn't have caught this on my own, but NBC edited the IOC's Chairman's opening remarks re anti-discrimination (something the Russians are struggling w/ right now). Extra layer of chutzpah as the commentators opine about Russia's "oppressive" history during the opening ceremony.

See what they cut out for yourself and then figure out why they felt compelled to do so . . . 

http://deadspin.com/nbc-edits-out-ioc-anti-discrimination-statement-from-op-1518727938