Friday, May 30, 2014

Jolene again, but for the first time




AS USUAL, IT was a blast Thursday at One's open mic night.

Here's a clip of me, Sam and Savana playing "Jolene." This was the first time we've ever done it together. The day before they said, "We are going to play this at open mic night and you are going to play it with us." Who am I to disagree?

I love the energy. It isn't perfect and sure, we could practice it and hone it and get it down to a cold science, but I like the way it turned out.

Much love to Rock A Bye Johnny B and Will Leffert, Liz Bentley (we did Coldplay's Fix You and she made the hair on my arms stand up) and Korey Haner. And to Steve Rees for keeping the circus under control.

Randi didn't miss a note!
The best part of the night for me was joining my guitar student, Randi Rost, and playing "Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd. This was the first time she's ever played in front of people and she was terrified. But her family showed up to cheer her on and she was flawless ... I stopped playing and let  her carry the guitar part at the end because I was just screwing it up.

I feel like a proud papa when I see my students get the courage to do something they have never done before.

It's a beautiful thing, this music stuff!


Thursday, May 29, 2014

Gone Country? Nope - but it's still all good



BEFORE I DOVE into giving guitar lessons for a living, I generally hated country music.

I think most of today's country is crap. But the more I listen to "classic" and older country, the more I'm appreciating it, and for one reason and one reason only - the guitar.

Yesterday I made a young guy listen and learn a couple of licks from an Alan Jackson song, Chattahoochie. The guitar player on the recording is Brent Mason, and his Telecaster soars throughout this song. A song is only as good as the band that plays it, especially in Nashville, where everybody copies everybody. Mason is one of a million unsung and generally unknown heroes who drive the engine. The songwriters and players never get the love, and that's sad.

Another song that surprises me is by, gasp, Dolly Parton. It's called "Jolene" and it has the coolest acoustic intro. I'm trying to figure it out and it's driving me crazy, so I'm faking it by tapping an open chord and using a capo. Sure, it's cheating, but it's close. I'm not sure who played the guitar on her 1974 recording, but I've seen her play it herself using the finger-style method and she's amazing.

You might even see me do it tonight with the angels (ahem) from Avenue Beat at One Restaurant's open mic night.

Yesterday one of my younger students, Abigail, asked to learn a Luke Bryan song. See the above comment for what I think of stuff like this, but seeing Abigail sing her heart out and realizing the song was easy to play was priceless.

The next thing you know I'll start chickin-pickin or something.

Well. Let's not get carried away.





Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Losing TGIF is no big deal

I NEVER REALLY liked the TGIF restaurant by the Quincy Mall. It was cookie cutter food, expensive, and the service was average. We ate there in December and it wasn't anything special, except for the small portions and big bill.

TGIF closed without warning Monday. That's not kosher, because people are out of work without warning. The explanation from the owners? "Economic conditions."

Economic conditions? If you mean we can go to a locally owned joint like Kelly's or Tiramisu and get twice the meal for the same price or less, well, you are right. And I want to make it very clear this isn't a slam against the staff or anybody who worked at TGIF, but it was a chain restaurant, and it showed.

Chain restaurants can still be good. We recently visited Texas Roadhouse and it was a warm and inviting atmosphere with food that was obviously pre-prepared but still great servings and good prices.

I wonder if this lawsuit had anything to do with the TGIF chain just being sold and "economic conditions."

On the other hand, Chicks On The River across from Clat Adams Park has opened, and I can't wait to go. Chicks has an awesome restaurant in Macomb and we made it a point to eat there almost every time when visiting Emily at Western Illinois University. Sheryl and I were hoping to go last night, but we drove by and the place was packed to the rafters. So we'll wait for the buzz to die down a bit and then check it out.

On the same day TGIF closed, the Mustard Seed announced it was shutting its doors. In the day and age of downloading music and books, retail book stores are becoming an endangered species.

It's the ebb and tide of business in the Q-Town. We know all too well how tough it is to survive and thrive today. We have been fortunate to have a great group of musicians that are loyal customers and that love to tell other musicians about us.

Music in Downtown Quincy
We have also had the help of the Historic Quincy Business District. It has a great website where you can search for downtown locally owned business and a map to help you locate those businesses. We have brochures in our store from HQBD that are even better than the website. HQBD also brings great events to Washington Park and Maine Street that spur growth and engagement with the community and surrounding area.

No, this isn't an ad for the HQBD. We just want to make sure you know there are great people and great tools in Quincy that will help you find and shop and eat and play in your downtown while also supporting local small businesses. Every dollar you spend in a locally owned small business stays in your town and generates six more dollars. When you spend at the big boxes your dollar only generates three dollars in your town. Money spent on the Internet never even reaches your local economy and is a small business killer for many.

For a short article on how buying local boosts our economy, read here.

Ask Sheryl and I for information on helping local musicians and see how much information there is in this town to help you out.



Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Dogs, water and parks

WE TOOK BELLA and Tucker to South Park Monday morning for a Memorial Day creek walk. It did not turn out well.

Lucy, our former Border Collie, loved water and would dive into the spring at South Park by the duck pond. Bella doesn't mind splashing around, but Tucker exhibited most un-Border Collie-like behavior and did not like the water.

Sheryl had Tucker on the leash, but he kept getting tangled up on bushes and side growth. Then Bella decided she was going to scale a sheer limestone wall, and Tucker eagerly followed after slipping his leash.

Then we heard angry shouts of "GO AWAY" and "SHOO." Yup. A couple running through the park with a little dog on a leash were Bella'd and Tucker'd. Our two dogs wouldn't hurt a flea, but they are awful curious and bark loudly when meeting a new friend.

That led to profuse apologies after I clambered out of the creek bed and assured the frightened joggers our dogs had slipped away and were just trying to be friendly. They were kosher about it and that ended our South Park creek experience.

I think we will stick to our cemetery strolls and leashed walks around the block.


Monday, May 26, 2014

Post-Gus blues and Memorial Day gratitude

I DREAD GOING downtown after Gus Macker leaves. There's so much energy and craziness for three days, then it's gone. It makes you feel ... melancholy.

Yup. That is an Alpena Basketball Camp shirt!
We had a great Saturday and Sunday in the store, and I loved walking all of 30 feet to the Dream Court, where I officiated. Yes, I made it to the 8 a.m. game Sunday after going to bed only a few hours earlier. Thank you, Cheeseburgers! We had a great gig at One Restaurant Saturday night, more fun than you should be allowed to have. We'll sleep when we are dead, right, Frank Haxel?

Dream Court is where we take young kids from their regular court and put them on the synthetic surface. We have starting lineups, a big human tunnel and announcers. Gus himself (Scott McNeal) did play by play Saturday and I blew a couple of calls because I was laughing so hard and the whistle was nowhere near my mouth. Big Zach of the national staff was also very good doing play by play, and thanks to David Adam and Bill Shuler for calling a couple of games, too.

On the Dream Court, parents mostly behave and the kids get so wrapped up in the spectacle that they rarely have issues. If they do, they deal with me, and as tired as I was Sunday, that meant the law got laid down and the whistle was blown loudly. And guess what? No major problems and great fun all day, both days.

Sheryl came up with the ingenious idea of charging $2 for using our Second String Music bathroom. There are plenty of portable toilets and a big Washington Park facility, but believe it or not, we had about a dozen people use our bathrooms. We spruced it up and kept it clean, and as opposed to last year, where we got tired of making people mad by telling them they couldn't use it, we had no issues. Turning a negative into a positive. Sheryl has never been in a better mood after a weekend event. We sold a lot of water and soda and a bunch of music gear.

We will be remembering this idea for other big weekend gatherings in Washington Park.


We are closed today to honor and observe Memorial Day. Sleep, hacking the massive weeds in my backyard and doing nothing are on the agenda.

And we will be anxiously awaiting Mackerville again next year.

Friday, May 23, 2014

Waiting out the rain, time for Gus Macker

A LITTLE PATIENCE goes a long way.

We waited out the rain yesterday morning and by 11 a.m., it was nice enough for the first Concert In The Plaza near Seventh and Maine. It was a great turnout and thanks to everybody who showed up, much fun! Here is WGEM's video.

Strumming and humming downtown! Photo by Mike Sorenson.
Across the street from us at Second String Music, Gus Macker setup continues. This is an easy weekend for me - I literally step outside the store doors and right onto the Dream Court, where I will blow the whistle and have a blast Saturday and Sunday.

We do a different level of business when Gus is here, but that's OK. I cannot be impartial about it - I've known Scott McNeal, the founder, for more than 25 years and I worked seven summers for Gus. It can be a challenge for the downtown community when Macker rolls into town. All I know is that we have more fun than should be allowed on the Dream Court.

The addition of registered officials on every court should help, too.

Don't forget - The Cheeseburgers play Saturday night just around the corner from Mackerville at One Restaurant. We woke up before the sun rose this morning and played this morning for the KHQA morning show, and again it was a blast.



So. Have yourself a safe Memorial Day weekend. When it's over, I'm sleeping until Wednesday.

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Who will stop the rain?

THERE MIGHT NOT be a more helpless feeling than having an outdoor event and checking the radar. Those big green blobs moving from the west? Well. It ain't Silly Putty.

We are supposed to have our first Concert in the Plaza at 11 a.m. An hour and 15 minutes to go, and it's not looking good.

There's no cover on the stage, and rain will kill the crowd, though the food vendors could still show up and maybe a few brave souls would venture out. But I'd get hit by lightning if I tried to play, and my strings would get rusty, and I'd shrink.

Excuses, excuses, excuses.

Having been through a million Gus Macker rain delays and seeing storms wash out many an event, I have come to the conclusion that there is nothing you can do.

Except watch this ...


Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Big events in the small towns

THERE ARE SOME important things to remember when we have big events in Quincy. We are showcasing our community and our attitudes, and impressions are very important to visitors.

Last Saturday was the annual Bridge The Gap To Health race on the waterfront. The race and walk came up Maine Street for the first time from the river, and though it closed off downtown and killed our business for the first 90 minutes Saturday morning, Sheryl and I were fine with it. Tons of people on a glorious day taking it all in? Small price to pay.

I love it when somebody from out of town comments about their positive experiences here. Click on this link to read a St. Louis blogger's impressions last Saturday. And good for us in the Q-Town!

This weekend, Gus Macker is back around Washington Park and tons of people will be in town and spending good money here. I will write more about Gus later, and this event has changed a lot over the years, but please put your best foot forward if you are involved with Gus or meet somebody from out of town.

At the end of June, my brother Steve and his son, Riley, from Phoenix, visit Quincy and will be here during the Mid-Summer Arts Faire. We will have a great time.

We have a lot of good things happening in Q-Town, especially downtown. If you are visiting, I hope you have a positive experience here.


Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Learning bad (good) 80s songs




IF YOU GREW up in the early 1980s, and you say you remember it, you are ....
1. Lying.
2. Getting therapy and getting over it, hopefully.
3. Forgiving.

There was a lot of really bad music in the early 1980s, just like there is today. So I'm getting revenge. I am making my guitar students learn Peter Schilling's classic David Bowie ripoff, "Major Tom." I've been forced to learn Taylor Swift and Bruno Mars songs. So we are getting close to even.

Major Tom is so bad, it's good. It's all easy chords, except for one nasty B minor. It's so good, I'm going to play it Thursday at the first Concert In The Plaza. I'm gonna make the girls from Avenue Beat learn it. And I'm going to interrupt their Mid-Summer Arts Faire show and make them play it with me, along with this classic 70s song.

And, at the Maulers show in suburban Coatsburg at the end of June, I'm making the legendary Brien Murphy play it with me.

There. I feel better and have my inner 1980s demon driven out. For now.


Monday, May 19, 2014

Live shows and the best - Secret World



I'VE BEEN WATCHING video concerts and enjoying different bands and the approach to playing in front of people. You can turn it up and put it in their face with a bunch of pyro and bright lights, or you can make a concert an experience.

I guess there is no wrong approach. I like different versions of songs. I do not judge a live recording by how perfect it is, but how much energy it has and how the songs translate.

My favorite by far is Peter Gabriel's Secret World Live. This guy is a genius and I love the way he takes a recorded version of a song and turns into so much more live. I don't remember why I bought the double CD in the mid-1990s, but I started wearing it out I played it so much.

The concert was recorded in Italy in 1993. If you watch, pay attention to the stage setup and the way the musicians interact and move about. And listen closely to the way Gabriel builds his songs - the video on top is "The Blood of Eden," achingly beautiful and soaring at the same time.

It helps to have a great band - bass player Tony Levin is easily one of the best around, maybe THE best. The band careens through songs but never goes off the rails thanks to the brilliant drumming of Manu Katche, and Gabriel combines joyful abandon with his carefully crafted messages. That's right, his songs are messages, and the lyrics powerful.

Look how much fun the band has, and how lost they get in the music with the fans. Rock and roll, after all, cannot be taken seriously. Right?

The more I watch Secret World Live, the more stuff pops out, another mark of a great concert film. It's all fine to have props, but it's how you use them that counts.

So ... I'll watch it again!



Friday, May 16, 2014

New Asia, and going back in time

ASIA HAS RELEASED a new CD called Gravitas. The first song is out and while the video is awful, the song, Valkyrie, is quite good.

Asia was the first band I saw in concert, exactly 32 years ago, and the old Grand Rapids Civic Arena. I'd never seen anything like it - we were up front and the sheer volume, showmanship and spectacle was overwhelming.

Asia's first album was incredible, one great song after another. It was the top-selling album in the U.S. when the band came to Grand Rapids. I still enjoy listening to "One Step Closer" and "Only Time Will Tell," among others. I'd listen to it Time and Time Again, and never get tired of it. I still know most of the words and arrangements.

Then Asia came out with Alpha, and it was ... disappointing. Guitar player Steve Howe seemed to be left out of a lot of songs. You could tell something was wrong. They were supposed to play that summer (I think it was 1983) in Charlevoix, and I got great seats, but they canceled the show. Then John Wetton quit. And that ended my infatuation with the band.

I still bought the next album called Astra. By then, Howe was gone and was strangely replaced by hard rock guitar player Mandy Meyer. Krokus was a very cool early 80s hair metal band ("Eat The Rich is a classic"), but he was out of place in Asia.

They went through a bunch of lineup changes and versions, and became Spinal Tap-like with so many people in and out.

Asia reformed the original lineup in 2006 to positive reviews. I almost got tickets for a show in Chicago, but it was too far. Now they've put out the new CD and have a new guitar player, the awesome Sam Coulson, and I'm intrigued.

I don't know. What do you think about an artist or band who you loved three decades ago, putting out new music? I never buy CDs of newer bands anymore, and I'm reluctant to even part with a few bucks for something I'm not sure I'd like.

I do like the new song though. They are planning a U.S. tour, and if they come anywhere close, I might go.

Maybe I'll give it a chance and buy the new CD.

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Stun buns and Taser tots

THE OWNER OF a downtown Quincy hot dog business was sentenced Wednesday to probation and jail time.

Click here for the Whig story. If you are blocked, click the WGEM story. It doesn't have much info, but the comments are absolutely priceless.

The owner was accused of using a Taser on an unruly customer. I have no sympathy for the intoxicated individuals who were the "victims," and I own a downtown business myself and will do what is necessary to keep it safe. But this gal went too far, and the judge chastised her yesterday for lying on the witness stand during a trial.

I went in there a few times and it was ... OK. Not great, but not bad. I don't see myself going back there in the future for a stun bun and Taser tots. Sorry.

Apparently there is going to be a protest in front of the courthouse and City Hall today about corruption in the courts and at the Quincy Police Department. Really? A political witch hunt about a gal who used a Taser on a drunken customer?

Rats. Guess I will have to stay away from Fifth and Vermont and Eighth and Maine today, as well.







Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Canine alarm clocks

SHERYL HAD TROUBLE sleeping last night due to restless leg, which only occasionally bothers her. So she took a prescribed pill, she has dubbed a "brain wipe," and passed out cold.

She had trouble getting up this morning. So I let her sleep. My banging around to get ready and the loud tree trimming service truck in the alley didn't wake her up. So I checked her breathing. I was going to tell her I was leaving for the store, but instead I left her a note and happily walked downtown - a cool spring morning, perfect for walking.

A few minutes after 10, Sheryl walked into the store.

"As soon as you left, the dogs woke me up," she said.

Bella and Tucker have that wake up power. They'd been walked, treated and told to chill. But the second I left, they ganged up on their sleeping human, jumping on the bed and looking at Sheryl with angelic doggie faces and lolling tongues.

And, of course, as soon as Sheryl left the the house, they started barking at squirrels and humans and cars and leaves blowing across the front lawn.

I wonder if there is a way to market this doggie wake up service?






Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Flower killers arrested

DON'T MESS WITH our flowers downtown, dirtballs.

This is a story of stupid people doing stupid things, and the police catching a break that got the perps caught.

Two weeks ago, Travis Brown and his Historic Business District crew put flowers in numerous sidewalk planters. Most were petunias and geraniums. They put a big geranium right in the middle and small petunias around the sides.

They put considerable time and expense into the project. It made downtown look a lot nicer. There's one right outside Second String Music.

About a week ago, somebody went to the great length and trouble of pulling the flowers out of the beds. In several locations, they simply took great clumps of dirt and threw everything on the sidewalk. For some reason, the large geranium in our bed wasn't touched, but all the smaller ones were ripped out.

Who, or what, would do such a stupid thing?

Travis put the word out he was looking for the flower killers. Turns out that a guy who lives near Eighth and Maine has video cameras pointing to the sidewalk. A Quincy Police officer showed up and looked at the tapes, and noticed somebody pulling flowers out of the bed.

"Hey," the officer said. "I know that guy."

Caught ya, dirtball. And yes, I'm calling you a dirtball. I don't know anything about you, and it's a decidedly un-Christian attitude, but really - killing innocent baby flowers? Really? REALLY?

Turns out they made two arrests, and one of the alleged flower killers was something like 20 years old. If they plead or are found guilty, I hope they are sentenced to community service, which includes cleaning my backyard from massive Bella poo piles.

Or planting flowers downtown, and watering them, and picking weeds, and making sure the video cameras work.

Monday, May 12, 2014

Flying solo

THE CHEESEBURGERS CONTINUE to plug along. We had a blast Saturday night at the Elks Lodge in Quincy. Man, those people know how to have fun! It was worth spending Mother's Day in full recovery mode.

It ain't easy being Cheesey, or on your own!
We aren't as busy this year as we were in 2012 and 2013, and that's just fine with me. So I'm picking up a few solo acoustic shows. I like doing this sort of stuff because it's simple and straight forward, though I do need to practice and get better. I like throwing in original songs and some stuff that's a little different - for the most part, people are just listening and you are background noise.

The first one is Thursday, May 22, at a new weekly event sponsored by the Historic Quincy Business District. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. I am playing at the bank plaza off of Maine street, between Sixth and Seventh. On June 26, I'll be joined by Seven Days Fuller percussionist Paul Wood, which will be a ton of fun.

Geesh - I'd better start practicing now!

Friday, May 9, 2014

Spur of the moment at open mic

YOU KNOW IT'S going to be a good night when you walk up to the corner of Sixth and Hampshire and hear two guys "practicing" their songs on the sidewalk for Open Mic Night.

Sheryl and I headed to One Restaurant last night to soak in the event. Once in a while I like to go and play with guitar students, and for many it's their first time on a stage and a great experience. Plus my girls Sam, Sami and Savana from Avenue Beat were playing. Someday when they are famous, I hope they remember the little people who helped them along the way.

Devonte, left, and Ivan playing old songs with the old guy.
Last night we went just to watch. It turned out to be a rare slow night, so ringmaster Steve Rees invited me to play a couple of songs. Savana graciously allowed me to borrow her Luna guitar, and Steve even had some Second String Music guitar picks handy. Imagine that.

This is the best part. Ivan Yantis and Devonte Clark, the two young guys who were practicing outside, asked if they could play "Saw Her Standing There" by the Beatles. So the three of us, who have never played together, jumped on the stage. Geesh .... what fun! Young people who get it and just want to jam are great things. We played four songs and had a blast.

Toward the end of the night a guy named Ronny got up to sing. He was with a large party of people and admitted he was a karaoke singer, but he plunged ahead with a "really old song" without accompaniment.

The "really old song" was "Turn The Page" by Bob Seger, a Cheeseburger staple. Ronny got started and as soon as I heard it, I borrowed Savana's guitar again, hopped up on the stage and played with him.

Ronny Turns The Page and tears down the house!
The place went nuts and Ronny did a great job. Again, this is two people who have never met, have nothing in common (that we know of) and had no plan whatsoever to get up there together.

What. Great. FUN!

Thanks again to the good folks at One and to Steve Rees for putting up with our craziness. Steve has started a Facebook page for the event. The next time a slow Thursday night rolls around, come on down and hang out - you never know what might happen!


Thursday, May 8, 2014

Coach Douglas - guitar player!

CONGRATS TO THE new Quincy High School boys basketball coach, Andy Douglas. First and foremost, Coach Douglas is a Second String Music customer. Everything else is secondary.

I offer no advice to the new coach, other than to stay away from the holier than thou boosters and to do what you think is right. Also, this whole "understanding Blue Devil basketball tradition" is important but way overrated. Tradition doesn't win games, nor does understanding of tradition. You have to have good players, and good players win games.

Patience, preparation, practice and a fortunate bounce or two helps, and I think Coach Douglas understands that.

Also, keep strumming that guitar, coach!



Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Let's Dance at the recital

EVERY SO OFTEN the Funions rear their ugly head. This was the band I fronted for about 10 years until I joined the Cheeseburgers in 2010. We made three CDs of original music with Alan Lawless at Copper Mine Studio, and I have a lot of great band memories.

On May 17 and 18, Vancil Performing Arts has its annual show at the Morrison Theater inside Quincy Junior High School. This is one of the most beautiful venues in the area, a huge stage and great acoustics. Many of my friends have played shows there, and Emily has performed numerous times on the historic stage.

I have longed to play a show or even a song on that stage .... and now is my chance.

I am joining Vancil's band, Clockwork, to play the Funions song "Let's Dance." One of the Vancil groups has worked up a routine, and this song will kick off the recital. I love the idea of live music and choreography.

We practiced the other day with the gals, and I think it will be very cool.

Let's Dance was recorded in 2003 at Copper Mine, and I wrote it about three years earlier when playing with Lana Hawkins. She wanted a country sounding song, I wanted to rock it out, so I stole the riff from a Zeppelin song and wrote about putting away fear and inhibition to have a good time.

I'm ticking off a Bucket List item, and we're having a blast on the historic Morrison Theater stage. Geesh. How lucky can a guy get?

Thank you, Frank and Cindy, for thinking of me and for bringing the idea to fruition. What fun!

And now I can tell Emily her old man has played on that old stage.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Roofs, cranes and second floor renovations

WE ARE GETTING closer and closer to getting the second floor of Second String Music's building up and running. This morning, the guys from Elam were here bright and early to take an old AC/furnace unit off the second-floor roof and put the new one up there.

Elam has been awesome. They were the only ones to understand what we wanted to do up there and they've been diligent and hard-working. The unit should be hooked up and running today, so with our new bathroom, we are tenant-ready.

If you are looking for great place for your business, call us at Second String Music. We have several interested parties and love breathing life back into this old gal!


Monday, May 5, 2014

The year of turning 50

WE WENT TO a fabulous 50th birthday party for the equally fabulous Kathleen Bursic Saturday night. Wow. I probably should have tucked in my shirt, because it was a high-falooting and very fashionable affair.

They had a photo booth, tons of food and Cheeks McGee as the entertainment. "I just want people to have fun," Kathleen said.

Mission. Accomplished.

This year features the 50th birthday party for my sister-in-law, Stephanie Boyer. Oh, almost forgot - I turn a half century old in November. Think we'll have a bit of a bash for that momentous event?

Sheryl is very good at organizing and arranging parties. It's a pretty simple deal. "We'll have it on this date," she says. "You go to Krazy Cakes in the morning. The rest takes care of itself."

Bring it on, 50. You got nothing on us!


Friday, May 2, 2014

Remembering moms and good things

NINE YEARS AGO Saturday, Virginia Coray Hart passed away. Sheryl lost her mom, Wilma Collins, eight years ago this June. I think Virginia and Wilma were a lot alike.

We both miss our moms like crazy.

My mother was always cheerful and tended to look on the bright side. She went through some really tough times but she was resolute and always looked forward, not back. She had four children in six years, and then we adopted a troubled boy right after the birth of my youngest sister.

How she didn't go crazy, I'll never know.

I'm remembering the good things. She was happiest with a cup of tea and a good book while curled up on the couch. Or with friends and a movie. Or singing to her grandkids and reading them a book before bed.

Still smiling when I think of you, mom.

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Brains and playing guitar

FINALLY, SOMEBODY HAS proved with science what I've known all along - guitar players have more intuition and can read other people's minds.

Check out this article about guitar players, brain activity and the way they learn to play music. It speaks to my heart. I may need to sit down now. Or learn another Pink Floyd song.

"Actually, all it means is that you are not very practical," Sheryl said.

True. But I will take having no common sense and not being practical in exchange for reading my fellow guitar player's mind, disturbing as it might be.