On July 19, 2012 my parents celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary. To celebrate, they decided to go down the Washington side of the gorge to Stevenson, Washington for lunch. They had planned on going to a burger place there that my son had told them about. They didn't find the place though, so went to one of their favorite places in Cascade Locks, Charburger, instead.
This past Saturday, July 28, 2012, my dad celebrated his 82nd birthday. Since it was a Saturday, my parents decided to go to Stevenson again, this time having my son and me go with them. It was a beautiful day for a drive; sunny and not too warm or cold.
We arrived in Stevenson, and my son, who was driving, went right to the burger place we'd been looking for, Little VikingDrive-In; a small, unassuming little place, with friendly people, great food and ice cream.
Though the prices are a bit steep, ( the most expensive item is $13.50 for a BLD burger and fries), you won't leave hungry. "BLD" stands for "Breakfast, lunch, & dinner", and that's just about what this burger has on it. Ham, eggs, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and I can't remember what else is all piled onto a large hamburger and bun, and served with fries.
There are several other offerings on the menu besides burgers and ice cream; for instance, several different side orders, and chicken sandwiches. Besides the variety of ice cream, Little Viking also has soft serve in vanilla, chocolate, and a combination of the two.
We had been joking around while ordering, and the woman behind the counter heard us say something about it being my dad's birthday. She told him everyone gets a free scoop of ice cream on their birthday. None of us had room for ice cream, however, my dad got his free scoop anyway, then decided we all had to help him eat it.
Though the service was a bit slow, (only two people to work the counter, drive thru, and to cook the food), the employees were very friendly, and as I said, the food itself was wonderful.
As we waddled, (at least it felt that way, we were so full), out to the car, we all knew we'd be making another trip to Stevenson sometime in the future.
I absolutely LOVE to play on the computer! It's fun to look things up on the internet, play games, be creative, and of course write blog posts; just don't ask me to explain any of the technical stuff. I have NO idea about most of how a computer works, how to fix things, you name it; thankfully I have a son who's very knowledgeable about these things. Something goes wrong, all I have to do is ask him to fix it for me; or at least figure out what's wrong. Then I can get back to all the fun stuff.
I'm not even sad that I have an older computer; as long as it works, and does what I need it to do, I'm a happy camper. I've had my current computer for six years now and I don't foresee getting a new one any time soon. As long as I'm still having fun, I'll stick with what I've got.
We all have one of those days sometimes. Other times it's one of those weeks. That's been me this week. I'm sure it will pass; all things do in time. For now though, instead of my normal little Muppet like caricature, this is the Muppet I relate to:
You may not recognize the name "Eric Paslay", but it's fairly certain you've heard his music.
While Paslay is new to the public as a singer, as a songwriter he's notched several hits with other artists. For instance, Jake Owen's "Barefoot, Blue Jean Night"; the Eli Young Band's current single, "Even If It Breaks Your Heart"; and Love & Theft's "Angel Eyes". Paslay has also had album cuts by Lady Antebellum.
As a singer, he's released two singles of his own, "Never Really Wanted", and his current single, "If the Fish Don't Bite".
On July 21, 2012, Paslay brought his music to the crowd at Duke's Bar & Grill in Portland, Oregon. Though while talking to the audience, Paslay seemed very laid back; when he played, he gave every song his all. He told those in attendance about how the songs were written; where he grew up, (Texas), and several other things, all while performing with his band. At some point he mentioned things are bigger in Texas, and that he was a leprechaun from that state. This was in reference to his 6' 4" stature and bright red hair.
Though the crowd at Duke's was small for a Saturday night, those in attendance were definitely enjoying themselves and the music Eric Paslay had to offer. Here's hoping this young man sees even more success in the future.
You may not recognize the name, 'D. Vincent Williams'; however if you've been a country music fan for any length of time, you've probably heard his songs.
For example, "I'm Movin' On" by Rascal Flatts:
Or, James Otto's "Just Got Started Lovin' You".
How about "Hands of a Working Man", by Ty Herndon?
D. Vincent Williams had a hand in writing all of these hits, as well as many others, for various country artists.
The evening of July 17, 2012, Williams performed at least part of the above songs, plus others, for the crowd gathered at the Bing Lounge. Even before the show began though, Williams could be found wandering amongst those in attendance. While the audience dined on catered food, Williams made the rounds, introducing himself to each guest; asking names and answering any questions people had.
One person asked what the "D" in his name stood for. I didn't catch the whole conversation, though I did hear that "Vincent" was in tribute to some of his family members. The "D" is for David, which is his first name.
When it was time to start the show, Williams and his band were already onstage and ready to go, instead of waiting in the green room to be introduced. The show itself seemed to be a continuation of what had been going on earlier; with great music thrown into the mix.
To say the least, Williams, (and his band, for that matter), is very warm and personable. Almost from the start it felt as though Williams had been a long-time friend. He talked, joked, and told stories like he'd known everyone there his whole life. As he told the audience at one point, he and the band like to have fun; they check their attitudes at the door.
If song writing weren't enough, Williams is a singer as well; which is why he was at the Bing Lounge. After landing a record deal almost immediately after hitting Nashville, he saw the deal fall through, and turned to songwriting instead. The same thing happened to Williams again a few years later, and he stuck with songwriting after that, until Keith Steagall convinced him to record his own music. Steagall is known for working with some of Nashville's best artists, most notably Alan Jackson.
During his Bing Lounge performance, Williams showcased the vast variety of music he writes and performs regularly. As he explained, he wanted his album to show all sides of him. He wanted each song to be able to stand alone, yet mesh together to make a strong album from start to finish. From the performance given, it's safe to say Williams has achieved, if not exceeded, his goal. As one person said, every song Williams did was a winner; there wasn't one song the person would skip on Williams' new CD.
Though Williams is classified as a country musician, he definitely isn't just a country singer. His songs are tinged with a bit of everything from pop to rhythm and blues; still staying true to the country genre. After a particularly soulful number, KUPL's Danny Dwyer told Williams it was like listening to a mix of Marvin Gaye and Ray Charles.Yet another audience member was reminded of the Charlie Daniels Band while listening to another Williams tune. I found these diverse comparisons interesting, especially since *I* heard a mix of two other artists; The Zac Brown Band and Phil Vassar. Especially Phil, when Williams was playing keyboards. Yet, even with the comparisons, Williams' writing and singing are strong enough to give him his own unique style and sound.
D. Vincent Williams' single that will be released to radio later this month is called, "Down By the River". As with the other tunes, Williams explained how the song came to be written. In addition, he was telling how he wants to have a song that's a classic, like Alabama's "Mountain Music", or "Fishin' in the Dark" by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. He wants to be one of those artists who has a song that's still popular 25 years, or more, from now. I'm thinking his dream might come true from the sounds of "Down By the River".
Of all the shows at the Bing Lounge in the last two years, D. Vincent Williams' performance was definitely one of the best ever. If this man comes anywhere near where you are, go see him, you won't be disappointed!
Those who know me know I have a natural curiosity about almost everything. No matter what it is, if it captures my attention, I want to know more.
Most of the time this means going on the internet, and searching for what I'm looking for; even if it's for no other reason than settling my curiosity. This usually results in searching for something that leads to something else, then something else again; until I've strayed from the original thing I was looking for, yet still connecting everything in the long run anyway. The way I've always described it is, it's like pulling a loose string on a sweater. You start pulling it, and the sweater starts to unravel; the more you pull, the more it's pulling apart. After awhile it becomes more than curiosity; it's also,"how far can I go before I hit a dead end?"
For the most part I can usually find the information I'm looking for on the internet. For other things though, I either don't have good luck, or it's something that I wouldn't be able to find on the internet. Sometimes it's something that needs to be asked of a person specifically. Depending on the subject, I have several people I turn to to satisfy my curiosity; including Earthquake Jake.
To be honest, I think the bulk of my questions go to Jake; sometimes on a daily basis, and more than one at a time. I'd list here the types of things I ask, but the list would be way too long, so I won't. Suffice it to say, I think there are times I'm probably worse than a kid asking questions; and I think Jake would agree.
Like I told him though, in a way I'm just getting him prepared for when Declan gets to that age where everything is, "why"? If Jake can deal with all my questions, I'm sure by the time his son starts asking questions, he'll be well prepared. Heck, at this point it's a possibility Jake will be over qualified! What can I say; I'm always happy to help, even if it means asking millions of questions!
Other than knowing the obvious, she's a country singer, (which is why KUPL was hosting the performance), I'd never heard of Kelleigh Bannen. In addition, I'd had a crazy week or so going on, and hadn't had time to do any research before Bannen performed in the Bing Lounge Thursday, July 12, 2012. In reality, this worked to my advantage, because I went in to the concert with no preconceived ideas.
Unlike most country singer/songwriters, Kelleigh Bannen didn't have to move to Nashville to start her career; she's grown up there. Because of this, she was able to stay close to family while following her dream of becoming a country star.
The crowd in the Bing Lounge that evening was small; though, like any true artist, Bannen played as though the room was packed. She told stories of growing up, the current radio tour she's on, and a lot about herself, in between songs; and of course told about the songs and how they came to be.
Brannen was excited to let everyone know that her single, "Sorry on the Rocks", will be hitting radio stations Monday, July 16, 2012. Bannen also explained that, while singles are released to radio, what matters is if a station "commits" to playing the song. In Bannen's case, KUPL is the first station in the entire United States to commit to playing "Sorry on the Rocks".
After her performance in the Bing Lounge, Kelleigh met with those in the audience, to sign autographs and have photos taken.
While most artists meet people, ask their name, how they liked the show, etc., Bannen took the experience one step further. She took the time to ask people questions about things *she* wanted to know. For instance, Kelleigh asked me what my current favorite songs on the radio were. I told her that was funny, because I'd just posted a couple blog posts about my current top ten favorites. I told her some of them from that list, and let her know I'd be writing a post about her Bing Lounge show as well. It was like talking to someone I'd known forever, rather than someone I knew nothing about before that evening.
I felt bad that not more people were there to hear this talented young woman; those who missed the concert may well have missed an opportunity to see a future country music star.
(Today's KUPL Listener Blog word is in the post below this one.)
By now anyone who listens to country has heard Kenny Chesney's latest single, "Come Over". For those who haven't though, I'll add the video in this post:
I know I'm not the only one who, upon hearing this song for the first time, heard the lyrics differently. There are very few people who *don't* hear "COMB over", instead of "COME over". The fact that Chesney himself is bald just adds to the humor of the mix up. When things get stuck in my head, I have to do something about it; in this case, it was to rewrite "Come Over", to "Comb Over".
As I always do, I worked over each line of the song, trying to come up with a new story, while still keeping the rhythm and rhyme of the original tune. When I had it done, I did what I usually do, sent it to Scott, Jolynn and Jake, from KUPL's "Simon in the Morning" show. By now they've gotten used to my craziness, and take it in stride.
With this rewrite though, Jake emailed me and said once the real song was higher up the charts, he wanted to have the parody done professionally! WOW!!! And that's exactly what happened; when "Come Over" hit the top five of the country charts Jake sent it off to be produced. Before that however, he explained that most parodies don't use every line of the actual song. He edited out some parts, and tweaked a few of the lines, to tighten them up; my first parody co-write! I thought that was really cool!
This morning, I got an email from Jake, with the audio of "Comb Over" attached; the parody had come to life! I loved it, and was thrilled to hear something I'd had a hand in actually being performed. I emailed Jake, thanking him for all his help with "Comb Over", and asked if I could write a post about it. He said of course, then asked if my blog supports audio; bummer, it doesn't, so back to the drawing board I went.
In the meantime, unbeknownst to me, Jake was working up something of his own. This afternoon, I got another email from Jake, with a link to a video he'd made for our parody! Because of that, I'm now able to share with readers Jake's and my song rewrite, "Comb Over". Please let us know what you think!
Much of the country has been feeling the heat of summer over the past week or more, the Pacific Northwest included.
Though this area isn't nearly as bad as anywhere else in the U.S., it's definitely warm; especially for our furry, four legged friends. That's the case with our dog, Phluffernuffer.
Phluffer is an Australian Shepard/Chow mix. She has the face and tail of an Aussie, and the coloring and tons of fur like a Chow.
Because of so much fur, and the heat, we decided it was time to take her to be shaved, and groomed. She's an outdoor dog, so she really needs to be able to stay cool during the summer. We'd done this once before, and she seemed to like it; so we did it again. Honestly, other than her face, and when she "smiles", she doesn't even look like the same dog! Still super adorable though!
We had a bit of a scare after her fur came off though. It seems that all that fur was hiding a rather large growth. We went to the 24 hour vet care, since it was Sunday, and had Phluffer checked. The conclusion was, it's a tumor.
My son and dad took Phluffer to her regular vet on Monday, where the doctor did a biopsy and other stuff and found a second growth. We should have the results of all the tests by Wednesday or Thursday. I'm really hoping the tests come back negative for cancer. Either way though, our "puppy" is going to have to have surgery, to remove the growth and tumor.
Phluffer has had absolutely no health issues in her twelve years of life; and now this. To say the least, I'm a bit out of sorts at the moment. I'm just going to keep praying she'll come through all of this with flying colors.
Oh, Canada! What fun we were to have next month! The perfect month for a birthday celebration in Ottawa, Canada!
Alas, though, it's not to be! I shan't be going the furthest east I've ever been after all; SIGH!!!
Yes, it's true, a friend and I were supposed to go to the Capital Hoedown in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on August 11th to see, and meet, Taylor Swift; the day before my birthday. It was the contest that I'd won from KUPL last April.
Unfortunately, I received a call earlier today, letting me know that Taylor's concert has been cancelled; and things are in the works to get us to another show.
At this time I'm not sure why the August concert was cancelled; or when and where the new concert will be. I'm still excited though; just going to have to wait a bit longer for the big trip.
I'll put another post out whenever I know more about this situation.
Monday wasn't a great day for my son, Josh; he was out mowing the hill next to our house, when he heard a squeak. He looked down to see that the mower had hit a baby bunny.
He stopped the mower immediately, however it was too late. While checking, another baby bunny was trying to escape from where it was. It wasn't hurt, just frightened. Josh picked it up, checking to be sure it was okay.
The bunny was so small, it's little eyes weren't even open yet. Josh took a picture of this little bunny, then gently tucked it back in with the remaining three bunnies that were in the ground.
Once the bunnies were settled again, Josh took a stick to mark the location; then put a string round the burrow. The string was there to see if the mama bunny would come back to the babies. Josh looked on the internet, and found that mama bunnies only check their babies once or twice a day, usually at night. By putting the string around the burrow, if the mama comes back, the string will be moved.
Great news, the mama bunny has been back every night since Monday; so we won't have to bottle feed the babies.
I agree with Josh, it's sad that one of the babies had to die; though it was cool to get such an up close view of them.
In Tuesday's post, I listed five of my ten favorite, current country songs. As with that listing, the second half of my list will be in alphabetical order.
First up in today's post is Due West. I've liked these guys since the first time I heard "Between the Bible and the Belt", and "When the Smoke Clears." Unfortunately, neither song really made it on the radio. The band then went through a label change, and are finally back with a new single, "Things You Can't Do In A Car". I'm really hoping this song is the one that breaks these guys through to the masses. They've got so much talent, and really deserve to be heard more.
The Eli Young Band's "Even if it Breaks Your Heart", is the only song on my list that is actually getting a lot of airplay on the radio. I know it's partly due to the fact this song is following their latest single, "Crazy Girl", which went to #1 on the charts. Even if that weren't the case though, the band's current single is definitely a winner!
It surprises me that the next song on my list hasn't been getting as much radio time as the artist's songs usually do. George Strait is known as "King George" for a reason; he's had over fifty #1 hits during his career; and seems to be a chameleon when it comes to music styles. Yet, his latest offering, "Drinkin' Man", doesn't seem to have really taken off like other Strait tunes. I can't honestly remember hearing this song during peak times for songs in heavy rotation. Let' hope it's just a slow mover, and that Strait continues his string of hits.
The first time I heard Gwen Sebastian's "Met Him in a Motel Room" was live in the Bing Lounge in Portland, Oregon. I liked it then, however really didn't think about it too much. Once I heard it on the radio, (overnights of course), a few times though, it really grew on me. While the delivery of the message is rather convoluted, it's also what makes this song so interesting. It's a tune that needs to be heard more than once, to really understand what it's about. Sebastian does an excellent job singing the song.
The last song on my list is, "Don't Miss Your Life", by Phil Vassar. To me, Vassar has always been one of the most underrated singer/songwriters in country music. Yes, he's had his fair share of hit singles; it just seems to be an extra effort to get Phil's heard on the radio, compared to other artists. "Don't Miss Your Life" is the song that got me putting together this list. So far it's still only played during late nights and early mornings; though, as with other songs I've mentioned, hopefully that will change soon.
And there you have it; my list of my favorite current country songs. I'm sure those of you reading this have your own favorites; I'd love to hear what other listeners are enjoying musically at the moment. Maybe together we can get these songs, and others, the boost they need to be radio hits.
I've come to the conclusion that I'm one of those music lovers who falls between the cracks. I like listening to the radio, so I'm not unaware of what current songs are hits. On the other hand, a lot of my favorite songs tend to be ones that haven't really made it on the charts yet, and sometimes never make it far.
When I really thought about it, my ten current favorite country songs fall into this same pattern. It has me interested to see how they're going to play out over the next few weeks and months. Rather than rank them from one to ten however, I've decided to list my current favorites in alphabetical order, starting with Aaron Lewis.
With his second single, "Endless Summer", Lewis seems to have this year's perfect summer anthem for listeners. So far though, I've really only heard the song in the wee hours of the morning. I'm hoping it takes off though, because it really is a cool song.
To be honest, I'm not always a fan of Carrie Underwood. It's not that I don't like her songs; I just get tired of the repetition of them on the radio. So far I've only heard Underwood's latest single, (the title track to her latest CD), "Blown Away", a couple times, again in the late night/early morning hours. So far it's a favorite with me; only time will tell if I grow tired of it or not.
Chris Young's current single, "Neon", has been getting more airplay than the previous two listings; however, it still hasn't been played so much that I'm tired of it yet. Not sure if Chris will score a #1 with the song though. Doesn't matter to me though, it's still one of my favorite new singles.
Continuing the list alphabetically, the next artist up is Craig Morgan. Morgan's follow up to "This Ole Boy", is the quirky "Corn Star". It's the type of song that catches one's attention, because of the tongue in cheek lyrics and play on words. "Corn Star" is the type of song that makes me smile, because I love puns and the like. However, as with Carrie Underwood's song, time will tell if I grow weary of this tune or not.
Rounding out the first five of my current favorite country songs is, "The Sound of a Million Dreams", by David Nail.
I'm not really a fan of Nail's; his songs are okay, I've just overheard them for the most part. "The Sound of a Million Dreams", strikes a chord with me though. As I wrote in an earlier post, though the song sounds nothing like Billy Joel's "Piano Man", that's the tune I think of when I hear this single. It's one I really hope to hear more of on the radio. It would be a shame for it to not be a hit, in my opinion.
I'll end this post for now, and write about my other five favorite songs in my post for Thursday.
About a week or so ago, my younger niece, her boyfriend, and almost 3 year-old daughter came for a visit from Idaho.
Bella, my niece's daughter goes full tilt most of the time, like any normal toddler. The last time she visited my parents' place, she was fascinated with the piano, and spent most of her time playing on it. This time when she got to their house, it was no different. She remembered the piano and made a beeline for it as soon as she was in the door.
After a little bit, she decided to check other things out, and looked out to see birds on the porch. The birds would swoop down, hop under the bushes and disappear. Bella wanted to know where they were, so I told her they were probably playing hide and seek. After that, every time she'd see a bird, and it would disappear, she'd yell, "seek, seek, birdy, seek!" When they'd come out, she'd yell, "hide birdies!"
During all this a chipmunk decided to show up. Bella didn't know what it was, but figured it was playing hide and seek with the birds. I told her it was a chipmunk, and asked if she could say that. Well, she did her best, for her age, and me, well, I'll never see a "chipmunk" ever again; instead, they will forever more be known as "chigga-munks".
If that weren't enough, a deer decided to show up also. Bella decided she needed to be on the porch for a better look; so out we went. For about 5 minutes or so, Bella and the deer just watched each other, then, they evidently both got bored with staring, because the deer wandered off, and Bella was ready to go in the house.
After that, it was back in the house and the piano. Sometime during the day, my mom had given Bella two Disney books about cats and dogs. Bella went to the piano with her books and started singing about them. My son, Josh, happened to have his camera ready, and shot the cutest video of Bella playing and singing; until she noticed he was there! What a fun day we had!
A few days later, Josh noticed that my parents' waterfall pool had tadpoles in it. Not surprising, since he'd already discovered at least one frog there about a month ago. Evidently there were at least two, since there's plenty of tadpoles now!
Ever the wildlife photographer, Josh decided he needed at least a picture of the tadpoles, and proceeded to try and get some good shots. He then decided to put the lens of his camera into the pond and try videotaping the tadpoles. He got a pretty good video of it, and fortunately didn't hurt his camera!
It's going to be fun when all these little tadpoles grow up to be froggies! It's just too bad we didn't notice them when Bella was here; I'm sure she'd have loved them!
