Craig Campbell @ Duke's--Portland, Oregon--10-18-12

Craig Campbell made his way back to the Pacific Northwest with a show at Duke's Bar & Grill, In Portland, Oregon,  October 18, 2012.

Lock, Stock & Barrel were orginally scheduled to open for Campbell; though at the last minute local favorite, Kurt Van Meter, filled in for the band instead.

You could tell, even though it was last minute, Van Meter was up to the task, and happy to be there.  He and his band played original songs scattered between cover versions of other tunes.  The whole band was having a great time playing, and joking around with each other on stage.  They fed off each other, and the crowd, and in return the crowd picked up their energy as well.

Towards the end of his set, Van Meter brought Tyler Titus, one of the co-founders of Lock, Stock & Barrel on stage to sing with him.

As it turns out, Titus is leaving Lock, Stock & Barrel, and Portland.  He's heading back to Texas and forming a new band.  This was mentioned on stage, after he and Van Meter sang together.

When Van Meter's set was done, there was a short break while the stage was set for Craig Campbell.   When it was time, B-Dub from KUPL introduced the "Family Man" singer to the audience.

Campbell performed a mix of music from his first CD, as well as new music, and covers of other country songs.

Whether it was tearing through a rocking number; or performing a ballad; Campbell gave each song his all.  Though at times Campbell's voice did get drowned out by the music; during the ballads he shined.

As with Kurt Van Meter, the crowd gathered at Duke's fed off the energy being given from the stage. When Campbell would ask for audience participation, he got plenty of it; which in turn fed his energy level.

Craig Campbell may not be as well known as other country artists; however, don't be fooled, the man has tons of talent, and is very professional at what he does.  He more than proved this at Duke's that night.

Packy Turns the Big 5-0!

April 14, 1962 was an historical day for the Portland Zoo, in Portland, Oregon.  That was the day Belle, an elephant at the zoo, gave birth to a baby boy.

This elephant wasn't any ordinary new addition to the zoo however, this baby was special, not just in Portland, but all over the nation.  This baby was the first Asian elephant to be born in the western hemisphere in 44 years.

From the time news of Belle's impending delivery was made public,  it was the talk of the town and the entire United States.  All types of contests were held, and the hoopla continued through the birth and beyond.

Once the baby pachyderm was born, (weighing in at 225 pounds and 35 inches tall), a name was picked for him from thousands of public entries.  The winning name was "Packy",  submitted by Wayne French of Gresham, Oregon. French won a portable stereo for his contribution.

Another contest winner was Lucille Fraizer of St. Helens, Oregon.  Fraizer wrote a song for the new elephant, that was later recorded by local celebrity, Heck Harper.

Every year since his birth, Packy has had a birthday party held in his honor at the zoo he was born and raised in.  This year is especially important, since Packy turns the big 5-0 in 2012.

A lot has happened in the 50 years since Packy made his debut.  The Portland Zoo was renamed Washington Park Zoo; then renamed it's current title of The Oregon Zoo.

Packy grew up to be one of, if not the, largest Asian elephant in captivity; and also fathered baby elephants of his own.

While the sensationalism surrounding Packy and his birth may have tapered off throughout the U.S. over the years, in Portland, Oregon Packy is still a big deal, and not just in size.

So, here's wishing Packy, the most famous elephant in captivity, a very happy birthday, and many more to come!

Blake Shelton's "Well Lit & Amplified" Tour--March 11, 2012

(Today's word will be in ALL CAPS, BOLD, ITALIC, and STRIKETHROUGH.)


Sunday, March 11, 2012 Blake Shelton brought his "Well Lit & Amplified" tour to the Rose Garden Arena in Portland, Oregon.

Dia Frampton, runner-up on season one of "The Voice", got the music started.

Frampton looked at ease, singing and roaming the stage barefoot. Though at times the music drowned her out, Dia's voice did shine through beautifully for the most part.

After a short break, Justin Moore was next up. It occurred to me that I've always thought Moore sounds quite a bit like Blake Shelton; and now I was seeing them both in the same evening.

Moore rolled out all his hits, as well as covers of others. Like Dia Frampton before him, there were times Moore's voice was overshadowed by the music. For the most part though, his performance was great.

Another short break, and it was time for headliner, Blake Shelton.

The first time I saw Blake Shelton was eleven years ago, at the Ponderosa Lounge in Portland, Oregon. He was a 25 year old kid, with long hair, beautiful blue eyes, and one hit, "Austin". At the time, Blake seemed a bit shy, though he was friendly to everyone who met him that night.

The next time I saw him, the venue was a bit bigger, the Tillamook County Fair, in Tillamook, Oregon. The hair was shorter, the eyes just as blue, and a few more hits under his belt. By then the shyness was mostly gone, but not the friendliness.

Now, there I was in the huge Rose Garden Arena, and the same man was onstage, taking full command of the show, with very little shyness, if any.

Shelton did joke around that he drinks when he's nervous; and proceeded to be "nervous" a lot throughout the concert.

The sound for Shelton's set was really good, whether the song was quiet, or a more rocking one. And Shelton did plenty of both types of music; all the while talking, joking and interacting with the audience. He, and his voice were in excellent form.

It was like having seen a bud come into full bloom. Sometimes artists don't make the transition from small venues to large ones very well; Shelton made it look easy.

From Dia Frampton, to Justin Moore, to Blake Shelton, there wasn't a dull moment from beginning to end. If these three artists weren't enough, the crowd in Portland got another surprise that night.

About half way through his performance, Blake started talking about his wife, Miranda Lambert, and how she and Blake have varying tastes in music. Blake then started singing Lambert's song, "Baggage Claim"; but before going too far, said his wife could do the song better than he could, so she should be the one to do it.

Blake then asked the crowd if they'd like to hear his wife do the song. Of course the entire arena went crazy, screaming and cheering. To be honest, I thought Blake was kidding around, since his set that night had opened with "Baggage Claim" being played over the speakers. Lo and behold though, amidst all the hubbub, who walked out on stage but MIRANDA!

Lambert was as on the spot with her singing as the others had been before her that evening. It was a cool surprise!

After Miranda was done, she left the stage and Blake continued with his songs. Both Dia Frampton and Justin Moore joined Shelton on stage at different times, to perform with him.

The "Well Lit & Amplified" tour is one of the best large venue shows I've seen in awhile. If there's one complaint, it's that Blake didn't do "The Baby", which is one of my favorites of his songs.

I'd say those attending the concert definitely got their money's worth; both in quality, and length. The concert had started at 7:30pm, and didn't end until after 11pm.

I'm fairly sure this post is a bit more rambling than it needs to be. I blame it on a lack of sleep. By the time the concert ended, and I made it home to bed, it was 1am, and I was up for work at 4am.

For anyone looking for a shorter version of what I thought of the concert that night, I'll leave you with the email I sent to Scott, Jolynn and Jake, Monday morning, after the show:

Dia Frampton--Great!
Justin Moore--Great!
Miranda Lambert--Cool!
Blake Shelton--AWESOME!!!
Three hours of sleep--WORTH IT!

KUPL's Honky-Tonk Ho-Ho-Hoedown

Friday, December 9, 2011, KUPL's Honky-Tonk Ho-Ho-Hoedown took over the Roseland Theater.

Before the doors opened to concertgoers, a private VIP party was held for clients and staff of the station.

Once the doors opened to ticket holders, there was a silent auction in the lobby. Up for grabs were prizes ranging from crock pots, to autographed guitars, to ski lift tickets, and everything in between. There was also a raffle for people to have a chance to sit on a couch onstage during the headliners' part of the program.

KUPL's entire air staff was in attendance that night, making their way on stage for announcements, and to introduce the evening's first act, local artist, Kurt Van Meter.

Van Meter, and those backing him, took the stage and did a few cover versions of songs; in addition to Van Meter's single, "Gypsy Road". For a "band" who'd never played together on stage, (the musicians were from other local Portland bands), they got the crowd in a definite party mood.

After Kurt Van Meter, afternoon DJ, TicTak, and "Simon in the Morning" member, Earthquake Jake, came onstage for more announcements and introductions. The original line up was supposed to have Sunny Sweeney take the stage then; instead though, Steel Magnolia was introduced.

When "Steel Magnolia" came on, it was member Joshua Scott Jones, and another guy. Before singing, Josh made the comment that his "partner" had forgotten her wig that evening; (in reference to Meghan Linsley being no where to be found). He then kicked into one of Steel Magnolia's hits, going on to other songs after that. The audience was calling out, "where's Meghan", and "where's the girl" the whole time; yet Jones didn't acknowledge the questions the entire set.

He did keep asking where the fiddle player that had been wandering around backstage was. He wanted the fiddle player from Kurt Van Meter's set to come up and play with him. Yet, when the fiddle player came out, Jones would play songs the guy didn't know. You could tell the fiddle player felt a bit out of place, and eventually wandered backstage again; only to be called back by Jones. This happened a couple more times, until finally Jones broke into a song that Van Meter had done earlier in the evening, Dwight Yokum's "Fast As You". The fiddler played along, exiting the stage as soon as the song ended.

The rest of the Steel Magnolia set was much the same. Jones would stand up once in awhile, from the stool he was sitting on; though he wouldn't go too far before sitting down again. He just seemed really scattered that evening and did mostly songs he'd written, or cover versions of songs. He did a decent job of singing, though the entire set just seemed awkward. Over all, from talking with others in the crowd, it was agreed; something was wrong with Josh. What it was, no one can honestly say; though it was definitely noticeable to the crowd.

After Steel Magnolia, another break with announcements and the like from the KUPL staff, and t-shirts being thrown out to the audience. You could tell everyone on stage was having as great a time as the crowd. They were all laughing, being silly and having fun.

Next up, Sunny Sweeney. Sweeney came on stage, sang her songs that have been played on the radio, and a variety of other songs she's written as well. She seems to have a bit of a sassy attitude and a quick wit.

She had the audience laughing several times with the stories she told about the songs. Most notably was the story of how Christmas songs really don't fit her style of singing. Instead of singing the usual holiday fare, she wrote her own Christmas song. She said it was the true portrayal of her family and how they are when they get together. This included how when her family drinks, eventually they start doing the "Sweeney Sway"; instead of standing straight, they start kind of swaying back and forth. Sweeney said it was a trait of her family. She then launched in to "One More Christmas Beer". It's a similar, yet different take on "Merry Christmas From the Family"; cute song.

With Sunny Sweeney's set done, all the KUPL staff made it to the stage again. In addition to more announcements, t-shirts, etc., it was time for the raffle drawing. Two tickets were drawn, and each winner, and a guest went onstage to sit on the couch for the final act of the night.

Once everything and everyone was in place, it was time for headliners, Montgomery Gentry. The two hit the stage running and never really slowed down all night, except for a couple of songs. For the most part though, their set was high energy and running at full speed. Besides singing, the two were interacting with the audience and the four people on the couch, as well as with each other. You could tell they were happy to be there, and were genuinely having a good time. Their enthusiasm was catching, and though it seemed the crowd couldn't get any rowdier, they did.

Keeping things in a holiday mood, the duo did "Merry Christmas From the Family", though it was mostly Troy, as Eddie had decided to join the four on the couch.


Eddie and T-Roy came, they rocked, and were the perfect capper to an already electric charged evening.

Except for the one slight hiccup in the show, (Steel Magnolia), over all the evening was totally awesome. Time will tell if next year's KUPL holiday show can top 2011's; it's going to be hard for sure!

Extreme Muzik Mafia Tour—9-17-11

September 16-17, 2011 the Xtreme Muzik Weekend hit the Molalla Buckeroo Grounds in Molalla, Oregon.

Gates opened at 5 pm Friday, with local bands, MuchMore Country, Lock, Stock, and Barrel and Crush playing for the crowd.

Saturday, the gates opened at 4 pm. The same three bands rotated playing the Crown Royal Stage, while in the arena the Bi-Mart Monster Truck was giving rides to concert goers, and Metal Mulisha motocross riders were performing tricks on their motorbikes for the crowd.

Several food and beverage vendors were also on hand, making sure no one would go hungry or thirsty.

The excitement of the weekend culminated with the Xtreme Muzik Mafia Tour featuring Gretchen Wilson and Big & Rich.

From the moment the first performer hit the stage, the music was non-stop; with Gretchen, Big & Rich and Cowboy Troy rotating time at the mike to perform.

(Photo courtesy of KD Karin Carroll)

Sometimes when something is billed as “extreme”, or even “big”, it falls short of what’s expected; not in this case.

Not only did Gretchen, Big Kenny and John Rich hit the stage running, they kept the high energy going the entire 90 minutes to two hours that they played. Not only that, you could actually hear the music, and their voices, and understand what was being said. So often that’s not the case at a concert.

Over all, the entire weekend was awesome, and definitely finished on an “Xtreme” high note with the Gretchen Wilson, Big & Rich concert.

Ten Years Ago Today

Some things that happen in a person's life stay with them forever; whether they were directly involved, or not. That's the way I am about 9/11. Even though it's been 10 years, it still feels like it was yesterday. All the emotions, thoughts, everything are as raw now as ten years ago today.

I can't imagine what it's like for those who were directly, or even indirectly involved with the events that day. How raw the feelings and memories must be for them, even now.

The same question is asked every year, "where were you, and what were you doing,when the planes hit the towers"?

I was on my way to work, on the MAX, listening to KUPL. Just three days prior I learned that this really pretty glass building in Portland is the World Trade Center. For some reason I hadn't known that. I'd just always thought of it as the building with the merry-go-round in it.


Ironically, the song, "Only In America" by Brooks & Dunn, finished playing just as Amy King,(the newscaster for KUPL at the time), came on the air saying that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. At the same time, the MAX train I was on had just rounded the corner, and I could see down to where Portland's World Trade Center is. My first thought when I heard Amy say that, and looked toward the Trade Center was, "no it didn't, it looks fine". My naivety showed through at that moment, because I didn't get past Portland having a World Trade Center. I realize now that there are World Trade Centers everywhere.

On that day though, I was confused, because I didn't see any plane that had crashed into the Portland World Trade Center. I couldn't even fathom how it could have happened, since the building isn't that tall, compared to ones around it.

I kept listening to KUPL, with Lee Rogers, Jim E. Chonga, and Amy talking about what had happened. I heard them say it was New York, and finally understood. I also remember them emphasizing that there weren't a lot of clear details at that time, so they didn't want to say the plane crash was more than an accident. Then the second plane hit.

Even then, the Waking Crew stressed that despite what things appeared to be, until they had official word, they were cautioning listeners to not be overly alarmed. I kept thinking how good they were at their jobs, to stay so professional, in light of what was happening.

Throughout the day, I listened to the radio. KUPL had switched to, I think, CNN, and was broadcasting that live. For the most part, once the attacks were over, the broadcasters hashed, and rehashed all that had happened that morning. As new information came in, it was passed on to the public; but most of the day after awhile was just the same soundbites and interviews.

I kept my radio on all day, as there was no TV at work to see what was going on. For me, that was almost worse. As hard as the videos are to watch, hearing voices come out of the radio, talking about all the horrible things that had happened, and not having anything concrete to link them to was unnerving. Yet, I couldn't stop listening. For some reason, I felt that if I just kept listening, suddenly everything would make sense; it didn't, but I kept listening.

I also felt that, even though I wasn't there, I needed to hear someone on the radio say what I was thinking. There was a lot of talk about the buildings collapsing, all the paperwork, smoke, dust, everything filling the streets, etc.; yet no one was saying anything about the PEOPLE. I just kept thinking, "yes, this is REALLY bad, but they were just things, what about the people, why isn't anyone talking about the actual victims?

Finally, at some point during the day there was a soundbite of a woman who said EXACTLY what was going through my head, and how I was feeling. I have no idea who the woman was, she was just another disembodied soundbite, among the many that day; but she was MY soundbite. I latched on to it every time I heard it that day; for some reason it gave me comfort to know someone else out there felt the way I did.

Driving home from work that afternoon, I noticed something different about the traffic on I-205. At first I thought maybe I was imagining things, but eventually realized I really was seeing what I was seeing.

I-205 northbound can be a virtual parking lot most days. Add in a lot of merging traffic, and it can be hectic. On September 11, 2001 however, that wasn't happening. Instead of the usual, "try to cut someone off to get in front of them", and all, drivers were actually being courteous to each other. I remember seeing one car that I'd see almost every day on my way home. The person almost always cut someone off, just to be in front, didn't use their blinker, the whole nine yards. On that day though, this person actually not only used their blinker, they let people merge in front of them. The whole thing was kind of surreal, because so many people were actually being polite on the roadways.

Over the next few days I was either watching TV, or had my radio on, constantly searching for answers. Looking back, I don't know why I felt there had to be instant answers, I know life doesn't work that way; but I wanted them anyway. Ten years later I'm not really sure I have them even now.

I remember a couple days after the attacks, Aaron Tippin released a song, "Where the Stars and Stripes and Eagle Fly". Aaron said he'd had the song for awhile, and felt that it fit the current situation, so he released it. All proceeds from sales of the single went to help victims of the attacks.

In the grand scheme of things, I'm sure that fact is trivial; yet, it's one of the questions I still have in the back of my mind. Why, even though Aaron Tippin's song is still played on the radio, is it pretty much ignored in comparison to other 9/11 songs?

Granted, the three songs that come to mind, Alan Jackson's, "Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning"; Toby Keith's "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue"; and "Have You Forgotten", by Darryl Worley, are all powerful songs. All are deserving of recognition for their remembrance of 9/11.

Also, yes, Toby Keith, and I think Darryl Worley have gone overseas to play for the troops. However, in ten years I've never heard if any of the proceeds from these three songs has gone to help with the events of 9/11. Granted, they could have, and it didn't make the media; however, to me, I would like to know if any has.

Aaron Tippin has also made trips overseas, as well as contributing his song to 9/11; yet, as I stated earlier, his song goes pretty much unnoticed compared to Alan's, Toby's or Darryl's. I guess in the back of my mind there's this little part that's bothered by the fact that three people, even with all they've done good, are still making money off 9/11, from their songs. Yet, the one person who donated his song to the efforts is all but ignored.

I realize, this is a petty thing on my part; it is part of all the feelings I have about 9/11 though, so I'm sharing that as well.

Over all, people gather a lot of experiences during their lifetime; some good, some bad. What happened on 9/11 is something I hope no one ever has to experience again.

My Birthday Boy-(Young Man)

At 8:23 am on August 13, 1986, the world added one more person to its population count.  That’s the day 7 lb. 15-½oz, Joshua Davis Falan was born.

As you can imagine, things were different than they are now.  Weather wise, Oregon and Washington were experiencing a heat wave; unlike the weather we’ve been having this summer. 

The Newberg Hospital in Newberg, Oregon, hadn’t been expanded.  It was still a small hospital with a nursery for the babies that had been born there.  It was small enough that the nurses had a rocking chair in the nursery, and would rock all the babies throughout the day.   That summer the hospital experienced a baby boom the second week of August.  They had nine babies that were born, which was more than they were used to.  Josh was one of those babies.

From the time he was born, we all knew Josh was going to take after his dad as far as his size.  As my mom put it, if Josh had been a puppy, he’d be a Great Dane based on the size of his hands and feet. 

When he was about 2 months old, we found the cutest little one-piece  "tuxedo" sleeper, (well, *I* thought it was cute); it was Josh’s first Halloween “costume”. 

 I’m thinking this may have set the tone for some of the things Josh decided to wear sometimes.  For instance, the following photo shows Josh wearing his new “hat”.  Thankfully his potty training seat was brand new when he did this!

  I’ll fully admit, Josh had his work cut out for him being born to the parents he has.  The kid got a double dose of stubbornness for sure. His sense of humor also came from both his dad and me; though I’ll admit, the more warped part would be my fault. 

We’re talking about a kid who asked lots of questions about everything.   Like when he was 4 years old; it was January, 30 degrees outside, and there was snow on the ground.  It was sun shining though, so Josh wanted to know why he couldn't go swimming in his kiddy pool.  We finally convinced him he could use our “indoor pool”.  He got his swim trunks on and was a happy little camper playing in the “pool”. 

Funny thing was, if he was in his “pool” he HAD to wear his swim trunks, big boys didn’t swim naked according to Josh.  However, when it was time for his bath, he could NOT wear his swim trunks, that would just be silly, that’s what he told us; you don’t wear clothes during your bath, that’s what the washing machine is for. 

We had him convinced for almost a year that we had an “indoor pool”.  Then he realized everyone had one, and his grandparents’  “pool” was much cooler, because it had water jets in it. 

Not Josh's grandparents' actual tub.

 There were a few times when we’d get busted on answering Josh’s questions; like how ice cream is made.  We told him that ice cream comes from white cows that live at the North Pole and eat frozen vanilla beans.  If someone wants a flavor other than vanilla, the cows are fed whatever other things needed to make the ice cream into a different flavor.  For instance, want strawberry ice cream?  Just feed the cows a few strawberries with their vanilla beans.  Mint chocolate chip…add mint leaves and chocolate with the vanilla beans.  We were pretty proud of that one, until we were busted. 

After hearing the explanation, Josh told us we were wrong, and proceeded to tell us how ice cream was made, according to what he saw on Sesame Street.

The learning has gone both ways over the years.  When he was 5, Josh came home from school and told us he'd been learning about "oviparous" creatures.  I had no idea what that was; Josh had to tell me "oviparous" means anything that lays eggs.  I'm not sure I could have even SAID that word when I was 5, let alone know what it meant!

And then there are sunrises; at least that's what the rest of the world calls it when the sun comes up.  For me, a sunrise will forever be "magicking".  That's what Josh told me a sunrise is, because it's easy to make things dark, but it takes magic to make things light.

There are so many other things I could go on about when it comes to Josh, and his childhood, but I won’t.  I’ll just let everyone know that over the years, Josh has turned out to be a fine young man, with good morals, a kind heart, and a wonderful sense of humor.  His random twitching is only occasional now.

As he got older, Josh developed his own personality, likes and tastes, as one should.  He definitely has his opinions on things, and can be very “deep” when it comes to things like politics.  At the same time, he can still be like a little kid.  Over all, it’s a great balance.

One of Josh’s real talents is his natural ability to take photos.  He can just point and shoot a camera, and get some of the most beautiful shots.  A couple of blogs ago I posted one he took of a dragonfly.  I’ve put a few more of my favorites here. I'd put more, however there are just so many they'd take up this whole blog! 

 

 

As I said, these are just a small sample of my favorite photos Josh has taken.  Since this blog is about him today, and it's his birthday, I'll also post one of *his* favorite photos he's taken.  A true combination of two of his passions, rally cars and photography.

  Over all, the past 25 years have been a great adventure watching my “baby” boy grow up into a young man.  There’s been rough spots, like there are in any family; though over all, I wouldn’t change a thing that’s happened, because I sure am proud of  the person who came into the world, and started my life as a mom 25 years ago today. 

Happy 25th birthday Josh!!!

THE NEW BRIDGE

Anyone who lives in Oregon or Washington knows there’s been plenty of talk and planning for a new bridge.  Monday, April 25, 2011, those in charge of the project revealed what the new bridge will look like.

Sighting economic reasons, as well as others, it’s been decided the new bridge will be the same type as the Glenn Jackson Bridge; a low, flat, concrete structure.

On “Simon in the Morning” the next day, Jolynn Winter had the “blues” about the decision.  (For those who haven’t heard her, Jolynn takes current topics and sings bluesy parodies about them.)  Jolynn lamented about the bridge being boring to look at; that a bridge should be something beautiful to see.

 Jolynn’s song put an idea into my head about how to make the bridge beautiful, help the environment, turn negatives into positives and overall create a win-win situation.

Anyone in Oregon and Washington needing to get rid of old paint could take it to designated drop-off areas.  In return for the paint, people would get a tax write-off for their donation.  Since there’s talk of the bridge charging a toll, to help with expenses, each person would also receive a voucher good for a certain amount of toll free passes over the bridge.  The more paint donated, the larger the voucher.

The paint would be used to paint the new bridge.  Those doing the painting would be people sentenced to community service; especially anyone who’s been arrested for tagging and graffiti.  This would allow the person to fulfill their community service, while expressing themselves creatively and legally.  There would be some limits of course.  The artistry would have to be something that would be appealing to the masses. 

To be honest, all of this was off the top of my head, so if it was to happen, it would have to be worked out more.  Then again, that could take another few years.  So for now, that’s all there is…Just a random thought I had and decided to share.  J