The Real Memphis Mike (don't settle for imitations)

I've been playing guitar for a loooooooong time. Almost 35 years. A lot of folks will tell you I'm pretty good. I still think my best playing was when I was 15.  But if there's one thing I have learned, it's that a lot of guitar players sell themselves short. They tend to rely too heavily on effects. Now I'm not putting down the stomp boxes. I own a couple of them (although I rarely use them). It's fun to make some weird noises with them...and sometimes, it's nice to enhance your sound with them. That said, too many pickers hide behind them. A distortion pedal hides a multitude of sins. Throw in a delay, a wah pedal, a chorus, and a few dozen other effects, and your actual playing, your real skill, is hidden behind a wall of noise. QUIT SELLING YOURSELF SHORT! OK, we all wish we could play like Danny Gatton or Joe Pass. They were geniuses. Sadly, a lot of younger guitarists out there probably have no idea who these cats were. So, if you're a guitar...

If you know me, then you know I lost my job January 1 due to county-wide funding cuts.  I had a choice to either transfer to a different site in November or stick it out until the end with my clients, many of whom needed assistance in securing alternate housing. Well, I chose to stick it out with my clients. It seemed like the right thing to do. I figured a position within the agency would open up sooner or later or I'd just find another job.  This turned out to not be the case. I had some money stashed away, so I figured I'd be set for a while. I also was expecting a decent tax return, so I figured it would all work out. Well, the car needed a lot of work, so that got put on the back burner until the income tax return came in. Then the IRS decided to take my tax return and give it to my student loans. Then I got hit with a couple of surprise bills. We all know the story. Life is good at throwing curve balls. Every day, I looked for jobs. I sent resumes, filled ou...

This is one of those times that I'm somewhat embarrassed of America. People killed just because they chose to go to see a movie. If that isn't bad enough, in typical American fashion, we overreact after the fact. Yes, the shootings are a tragedy. A local as well as national tragedy. My heart breaks for the victims and their families. It's something that no one should ever have to go through. While not in any way condoning the actions of James Eagan Holmes, I have to question the failings of our society that led this young man to his actions. For a person to be this obviously disturbed (he allegedly had this in the works for 2 months!) for such a long time, how did no one notice? How did he slip through the cracks? His actions are due to our society's failure to pay attention to each other. I'm not suggesting that we spy on each other (we have things like the Patriot Act for that). I'm saying that we need to take notice of each other more. Say HI to your neigh...

A really nice thing happened to me last week. I was walking down my hill and passed a boy of about 8-10 years of age, pushing his bike up the hill. Out of the blue, he stops and says to me, "I hope you have a REALLY nice day!". This kinda stopped me in my tracks. Most kids nowadays are, as most of us know, little assholes. This kid wasn't. He was genuine. I thanked him and hoped that he too had a good day and enjoyed riding his bike, and we went our separate ways. OK, so this probably wasn't as monumental as you thought it would be...but sometimes it's the little things, the smallest gestures, that make life good. Mind you, this happened almost a week ago...and I'm still smiling from it. I hope that kid knows how contagious his happiness is. I hope YOU catch it too! ******************************************************************************** So, I was looking on Facebook (aka Big Brother) and saw where a neighbor had posted about "woodland critt...

Fads. Trends. Popularity. Says WHO???? Corporations want to rob YOU of your identity. The corporations want to tell YOU what to like...what's "popular"...they want you to think that if YOU dress like/listen to/watch/eat/drink/consume their latest offering, that you too will be popular and beautiful. Horseshit. My dear departed mum always said to me "Be an individual"...and she may be the only person I've ever really listened to. That atrocious outfit that you're wearing...that cost much more than it's worth and was probably stitched together by a child in a sweat shop... why did you buy it? What about it made you think "I should own/wear this"? How about the crap you watch on TV (and yes, it is crap. ALL of it. EVEN Big Bang Theory...which I do enjoy) and the so-called music you listen to. Take a minute and look at how cookie cutter it all is. Mass-manufactured by a corporation for your consumption. We're all becoming a global...