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"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side." Dr. Hunter S. Thompson  "It's a tough job, but somebody has to do it." David Stanowski To find older articles; use Search or Site Map |
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Sunday 20 July 2008
Silver Wings Band Valentine Cruise! Come Sail With Us On The Carnival Conquest for 7 nights Feb. 8th – 15th, 2009 Departing from Galveston with 3 ports of call. Montego Bay, Jamaica, Grand Cayman & Cozumel, Mexico. What better way to spend Valentines Day with your Sweetie!! Special Group rates are as follows: Inside Cabin for 1st & 2nd person $645.29 each Ocean View Cabin 1st & 2nd person $765.29 each Balcony Cabin 1st & 2nd person $935.29 each Suites and 3rd & 4th person rates available. There is a $50.00 per person deposit due at time of booking. Payment Plans Available and final payment is due 11/18/08. If you are interested, have any questions or would like to set up payments, please call Jodi or Rod at 281-333-4812. **Passports are recommended, but Will Not be Required for this Cruise. You will only need a Drivers License or State ID and Certified Birth Certificate. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
And now a word from our sponsor  First Annual GEDP Economic Outlook Conference 
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Thursday 10 July 2008
Patrice Pike Returns! After the blowout performance of the Patrice Pike Band on July 4th, Captain Jack's couldn't wait to bring her back to town! After intense negotiations, a special deal was struck, so Galveston will be blessed by the dynamic duo of Patrice Pike and Matthew Johnson beginning tonight, and for the next three Thursdays! Don't forget: Top 3 Reasons to Enjoy the
Patrice Pike
1. Austin Chronicle 2006-2007 Musician of the Year, Best Rock Band, Best Female Vocals, Best New Song, Texas Music Hall of Fame Inductee. 2. Patrice founded the Grace Foundation of Austin which funds education and wellness for survivors of childhood homelessness. 3. "She's just so intelligent, confident, and effortlessly cool that she commands a special kind of respect that comes not just from her musical capacity, but her big devoted heart as well." MSN.com. Don't miss Patrice at Captain Jack's tonight 6-10 pm; no cover. Then again on the 17th, 24th and 31st. PatricePike.com MySpace ReverbNation The Grace Foundation |
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Monday
23 June 2008
Nash's Bait Camp Grand Re-Opening! Good news! All of the bureaucratic red tape has been cut, and Nash's will remain in the family! Come on out an celebrate their re-opening under the leadership of Meghann Nash this Sunday, 29 June! Entertainment will be provided by Tomz Katz from 3-7 pm! It is good to see that this Galveston icon will be offering weekend entertainment for years to come! |
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Monday 02 June 2008
The Skip Devlin Reunion Tour! Where has Skip been these last few months? As some of you have heard, he has been afflicted by a run of bad luck this year! Part of his troubles included the dissolution of Galveston's premier Blues trio, The Skip Devlin Band. Well as the story goes, as Skip was looking for his way out of this wilderness of woes, he had a head-on collision with a deer, on his Harley! There are two ways to look at this last event. A pessimist would say that Skip's luck is still running against him. An optimist would argue that it was Skip's good luck that he killed the deer, but he "only" suffered a broken leg! Count me in the latter group. Ever since his "date with destiny" brought him together with the deer, a series of events brought the band back together for a summer reunion tour! That's right, for five dates, and five dates only, you can catch "the boys" playing their version of mind-expanding Blues exclusively at The Spot this season! Their first gig is this Sunday, 08 June, 3-7 pm; don't miss it!!!  Pssst. Don't tell anyone, but Skip is currently working on a secret new project! If there are any Latin percussionists who would like to know more, call Skip at 409-789-6752! |
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Monday 26 May 2008
T.P. Escapes! The saga continues! This incredible story began sometime back in 2005. My old buddy T.P. Catron just disappeared off the face of the Earth, and many thought the cannibals in the Uncivilized Territory had gotten him. After months of searching, we found out that Tim had been struck by lightening! That whole amazing story of wandering the globe in search the way back to his music, and the path back to Galveston were well chronicled in Tim Paul Returns. After that adventure, T.P. was back in Galveston leading T.P. and the Emergency in a blitzkrieg of Rock & Roll across the Island. However, it wasn't long after that when T.P. had a vision. He created a new kind of Rock & Roll band; a band that could utilize all of his talent and showmanship. Kowboy was born that Summer of 2006. T.P. always says that he was born under a bad sign, and his luck sure turned sour again! Just as Kowboy was taking Southeast Texas by storm, he was kidnapped by a contingent of Yankee cavalry. After that T.P. was lost again. We couldn't find him. What the Yankees wanted with this loyal Texan is anybody's guess. A few weeks ago, I received a cryptic coded email from someone claiming to be Tim. He said that he had escaped from the place in New Jersey where the Yankees had been holding him. And then, just like a line out of the movie The Blues Brothers, he said, "I'm putting the band back together!" Yes, it's true! Kowboy will be back at the Spot on 29 June, and then again in August, September, and October. Don't miss it! |
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I first held forth on the prolific creations of my good friend, and local Renaissance Man, George Douglas Lee, on this Blog, back in October of 2005. Many things have happened to "the Man of Steel" since then! The breath and quality of his creations remain utterly amazing for anyone, let alone a man who barely clings to life, and rarely passes the most basic tests of sanity.  At that time, George was off for his bi-yearly "tune up" at the The Texas State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Back in those days, George was surviving on lobotomies and high colonics, and his most serious diagnosis was that he was "full of shit". Since then, readers of his column, "One Day in a Row", are well aware of the fact that the medical doctors of Southeast Texas are no longer satisfied to do the simple things to George that the staff at The Texas State Hospital for the Criminally Insane regularly subjected him to.  Now George has become a self-described "human specimen", as the doctors have in essence forced him to "donate his body to science". The experimentation on poor George, for their curiosity and profit has reached absurd extremes. His time booked into medical facilities has thwarted his efforts to form a new Rock and Roll band, as other musicians are loath to practice in hospital rooms. This lack of connection with other musicians necessitated his most recent musical project, "A Simple Time and Place"; a CD where George played all the instruments and fused them together with his computer software! This is a process that George likes to call, "playing with himself"!  It is always amusing when George goes off on one of his rants about the derivative and simplistic quality of most of the music being created today. He is especially critical of the unsophisticated lyrics. George has every right to be put off by many song writers, because you will notice, in this recent composition, and in his earlier efforts that he takes great care to craft poetic lyrics that always tell a story. The story may not make sense to us mere mortals; but there is always a story in there somewhere. What else has our local Renaissance Man be up to in recent weeks? I just had a chance to screen George's first movie, "Laughing Boy", that was based on his play of the same name. This autobiographical effort gives anthropologists a new glimpse into what makes George tick. It's an adult look into George's life that is not intended to be viewed by "sensitive audiences".  His new play, "The Boys from Branson", is an hysterical look at our recent dealings with the two unnamed characters who blew into town with grand plans of transforming Galveston into a tourist mecca for their "Ocean Opry". This should be a big hit when it is produced for the stage! George was also recently commissioned to do a portrait of local band leader Frank Incaprera, that now hangs in City Hall! In addition, George just completed the art work for Thrill Hill & the Real Deal's, self-titled CD, that was featured in the previous post on this Blog. Future projects include a new column on Galveston politics, for The Wizard, and an effort to write "THE BOOK" as described in my recent marketing plan for the City. Many people ask why such a man, who wears so many hats as artist, play write, screenwriter, song writer, musician, columnist, comedian, actor, male stripper, philanthropist, retailer, historian, explorer, Shaman, novelist, and panhandler would choose to live on this large sandbar in the Gulf of Mexico. The answer is quite simple; George is a BOI, and no matter how hard he tries to leave, he always returns like a homing pigeon. Unfortuneately, this makes him the biggest fish in this little pond, so he doesn't get the respect that he so richly deserves! It would certainly help a lot if people would start greeting George properly when they see him. If you encounter George tooling around town in his Mustang convertible, a simple wave would suffice instead of giving him "the bird" that so many insist on using. This is just not right! Also, if you're walking down the street, and see George approaching, don't pretend you don't see him, and then skulk off to the other side of the street. Walk up to George, greet him like the Southern gentleman that he is, and engage him in conversation. This man is a veritable fountain of information and opinions. Some of his favorite topics are: music, art, comedy, the theater, movies, Formosan termites, Parrot Heads, parking meters on The Seawall, high colonics, roll-your-own-cigarettes, Carpetbaggers, The Texas State Hospital, Scalawags, illegal immigrants, Yankees, The Uncivilized Territories, bungee jumping, Liberals, cross dressing, Hollywood, Austin, psychedelic drugs, Republicans, Communists, Galveston politics, quotas, the decline and fall of the American people, and Bill & Hillary. So now you don't have to be intimidated when you have an encounter with George, just bring up one of these topics, and you will be on your way to a lively and enlightening conversation. I love discussing these things with him!  Links to George: My Space CD Baby George Douglas Lee George Laughing Boy Portrait of Frank Incaprera One Day in a Row George On Stage |
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Saturday 15 December 2007
Led Zeppelin Reunion!  Some may have thought that I was a bit lax, when I didn't post anything on the reunion the next day. The LZ Reunion played to an international crowd at O2 Arena, in London, on Monday the 10th. The band hasn't played a concert since 1980 when drummer John Bonham died, but they were ready to go on Monday with Jason Bonham filling in for his Dad! Set List: Good Times Bad Times Ramble On Black Dog In My Time of Dying For Your Life Trampled Under Foot Nobody's Fault But Mine No Quarter Since I've Been Loving You Dazed and Confused Stairway to Heaven The Song Remains the Same Misty Mountain Hop Kashmir Encore: Whole Lotta Love Rock and Roll I hesitated to post for two reasons. First, it's hard for me to find the words to write about one of the greatest bands of all time. What more can you say that hasn't already been said. How many times can you say awesome? Zeppelin is right at the top of my list of "Bands That Changed The World"; and they certainly did change my world! I noted in my 26 November posting, about Jeff Beck, that three of the greatest guitar players in history had come out of the Yardbirds, but that Jimmy Page was my favorite. At 63, he can still let it rip like no one else! I also noted how much we owe to the British Invasion of 1964, that "saved American Rock & Roll from its dominance by the choreographed vocalists of the early 1960's"! I am so glad that the three remaining members of the band have not "mellowed" one bit! The last thing that we need to see is another Blues Rocker who starts writing songs like "Wonderful Tonight". The only way to go out is in a blaze of glory with the amps on full volume! Once you have played music like the LZ, if you ever have the urge to pick up an acoustic guitar, and start playing at a coffee house; it's time to crawl out on a high ledge, and put yourself out of your misery! The second reason that I hesitated to post about the reunion was that I was waiting for people to put up some good videos, which are shown below. I have always noted in the past that Led Zeppelin music is a great antidote for the depression that creeps in this time of year from the never-ending drone of Christmas music. In the end, you just can't describe the Zeppelin in mere words, so just listen! Enjoy! Zeppelin's Rocking Return (WSJ) Led Zeppelin Finds Its Old Power (NYT) Led Zeppelin rocks again in London (LAT) Led Zeppelin Official Site Every concert set list from every Zep live show, ever Reunion Announcement Wikipedia entry  |
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Monday 12 November 2007
Hurricane Zero! What happens, in Galveston, when we aren't having a hurricane, so there isn't any wind? Well, I was sitting in my office, here at Galveston Music Scene, last Thursday, when I heard a strange scrapping noise, and then a thud! I looked out of our 2nd-floor window to find that a tree had fallen on our car!  Was it the 3 mph wind that had blown it over, or was it the melting ice cap at the North Pole? The leaves on our tree must have changed the Sun Spot cycle, and increased the surface temperature on the Sun, which lead to Global Warming! I took a minute to cope with the wave of remorse and guilt that swept over me, because I knew that if I had just installed those $300,000 solar panels on the roof, this never would have happened!! But then my guilt turned to anger as I realized that if that tree-hugger, AlGore, had been hugging my tree, like he was supposed to be doing; it couldn't have fallen on our car!  Where was AlGore when I needed him; flying around in his private jet?  In the 1970's they told me that my carbon footprint was going to cause a new Ice Age! I'm so confused!  If a tree falls in your back yard, and AlGore isn't there to stop it, is a new Ice Age coming?   |
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Thursday
05 July 2007
Galveston Grilling! It is that time of year to fire up the backyard BBQ grills. Some of the folks in Galveston already got their free grills from Walmart! You can also get them at several other stores!!  You can cook your entire meal, at the same time, on this beauty, and the deluxe model even includes an upper warming rack! Just make sure that you get a metal one; the plastic models do not hold up well. They also make the food taste funny. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
And now a word from our sponsor  Join the Galveston Junior League Smooth Tony's 
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Wednesday
20 June 2007
Playa Cofi Jukebox! This is a free jukebox that has play lists that include the top 100 hits for every year from 1955 to 1982! Just select the year, click on the link, and the top 100 will play in random order until you tell it to stop! Click here to go to the jukebox. |
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Thursday 31 May 2007
Galveston: Birthplace of Rock 'n' Roll! by Gordon Haire  Roy Brown wrote, arranged, and
performed "Good Rockin' Tonight,"
arguably
the first true Rock 'n' Roll song, on The Island in 1947. "Good Rockin'
Tonight" was the second Elvis Presley song for Sun Records, in 1954,
and
has since been covered by Pat Boone, James Brown, and Kevin DuBrow."Rockin' at Midnight," Brown's sequel to "Good Rockin' Tonight," was a top 30's hit in the 1980's by Robert Plant and the Honeydrippers. In the book, "Island of Color: Where Juneteenth Started" by Izola Ethel Fedford Collins, some old time local jazz musicians claim that Bill Haley stole "Rock Around The Clock" from Brown. "Good Rockin' Tonight" was performed at the KGBC studio in the Commerce Building, 2102 Strand.  In "Unsung Heroes Of Rock 'n'
Roll," Nick Tosches writes: From
Shreveport, he went to Galveston, Texas, where he wrote the song that
made him famous. "I think we had the first black group on radio in that
area," he says... But I wrote a tune called 'Good Rockin' Tonight.' We
added a trumpet player to the group. His name was Wilbert Brown, and
when we did our radio show on KGBC he sang 'Good Rockin' Tonight.' " One fateful day, Wilbert fell sick and Roy sang the song. The audience loved the way Roy sang it, and it became a local hit. While in Galveston, he made his first record, for Gold Star.  Brown fled Galveston after he was
caught having sex with the girlfriend of the club owner he was working
for. In New Orleans he ran into Cecil Gant, a fellow unsung-hero-to-be.
Gant heard Brown's "Good Rockin' Tonight" and brought him to Jules
Braun, who owned DeLuxe Records. Brown's first DeLuxe release, "Good
Rockin' Tonight," was issued in September 1947.According to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, Brown offered the song to Wynonie Harris, who turned it down, but changed his mind after Brown's record became a local hit in New Orleans. Harris recorded his version of "Good Rockin' Tonight" in December that year, and released it in February 1948. Harris' version was much wilder, and was a #1 R&B hit that remained on the chart for half a year, while Brown's original version charted for just one week in 1948, and only after Harris' recording was a hit. The song's success jump-started Brown's career, which included two #1 R&B hits. In 1949, he released "Rockin' at Midnight", a sequel to "Good Rockin' Tonight", which might be thought of as "Good Rocking Tonight part II", because it included updates on the same characters as the original. It reached #2 on the R&B chart, where it remained for a month. Harris' version started a craze of using gospel style backbeats in blues and rhythm and blues records, and that craze led to rock and roll. There are a few other contenders for the title of the "Birthplace of Rock 'n' Roll," but Galveston Island's claim to fame trumps them all. Our strongest competitor for the Title is also the least known; Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The University of Southern Missippi study states that the songs "Barbecue Bust", and "Dangerous Woman", recorded in Hattiesburg, in 1936, by the Mississippi Jook Band, qualify as the first Rock 'n' Roll tunes. Blind Roosevelt Graves did the vocals and played guitar and his brother Uaroy Graves played the tambourine and kazoo. They were joined for the recording session by Cooney Vaughn on piano. USM cites the "Rolling Stone" history, "The Graves brothers of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, who recorded 'rocking and reeling' spirituals for Paramount in 1929, made several blues records as the Mississippi Jook Band in 1936. Their 'Barbecue Bust' and 'Dangerous Woman' featured fully formed rock & roll guitar riffs and a stomping rock & roll beat." Although the tunes contained some Rock 'n' Roll features, they were still Rhythm & Blues songs with no direct historical links to Rock 'n' Roll. The other would-be contenders, compared to Galveston, are Johnny-come-latelys. The Island's claim to the title predates all other competitors. The next least known contender is Wildwood, New Jersey. According to Gary Corsair, a senior writer with the "Daily Sun", "Wildwood city fathers are so certain of their place in rock 'n' roll history that they have erected an historical marker on the site of the HofBrau Hotel, at Oak and Atlantic avenues, where Haley performed each summer from 1950 to 1955, and where he (Bill Haley) and the Comets allegedly first performed 'Rock Around the Clock.' " Of course, Haley was a white guy introducing black sounds to middle class white kids. Besides, "Good Rockin' Tonight" predates "Rock Around the Clock" by several years. The best known contender for the Birthplace of Rock 'n' Roll title is the home of the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland, Ohio. It was in that city that local record store owner Leo Mintz recommended that Alan Freed play rhythm and blues tunes at WJW radio in the summer of 1951. Freed, who called himself Moondog, is credited with coining the term "Rock 'n' Roll." Cleveland is undoubtedly the home of the first Rock 'n' Roll concert; the Moondog Coronation Ball at the Cleveland Arena March 21, 1952. Alan Freed, host of the Moondog's Rock 'n' Roll Party on WJW, was the concert's promoter. Now, we get to the most pretentious pretender to the throne, Memphis, Tennessee. I'm not saying that Memphis and Sun Studios weren't the most important places in the history of Rock 'n' Roll. No one in their right mind would do that. There is no doubt that Memphis is the place from which Rock 'n' Roll burst forth onto an unsuspecting world. Elvis, recorded "That's All Right Mama" at Sun Studios on July 5, 1954. Rolling Stone magazine makes the dubious claim that "That's All Right Mama" was the first rock 'n' roll record. We have already pointed out that "Good Rockin' Tonight" deserves that title. As earlier stated, it was Elvis' second Sun release. Elvis probably performed "Good Rockin' Tonight," when he appeared at the Galveston City Coliseum January 19, 1956. Former Galveston cop, Oscar Eklund told me that, prior to his act, Elvis was caught in the back seat of his Cadillac convertible with a 14-year-old girl. Oscar suspected that the police commissioner Walter Johnston got paid off, because Elvis was allowed to perform, then given a police escort over the causeway, and told never to set foot on The Island again. Are there any Roy Brown historical markers or monuments? Do any streets or buildings bear Brown's name? Is anyone beside yours truly proclaiming that The Island is the Birthplace of Rock 'n' Roll, and that radio station KGBC was the first white station to air the first Rock 'n' Roll song? Does anybody even know his name? I never heard of him before I accidentally discovered him while researching something else on the Internet. What in hell is wrong with the people who are paid good money to promote The Island? We need to celebrate, promote, encourage and support our local musicians, actors, dancers, artists and writers. Roy Brown and The Island's Rock 'n' Roll legacy has been ignored. Mrs. Collins, in her book, at least preserves some of the history of jazz in Galveston. The Galveston Island Jazz Ambassadors keep that legacy alive, and receive a pittance from the city fathers and mothers to help them do so. Of course, Rock 'n' Roll is alive and well on Galveston Island, with the energetic live music scene at our bars and nightclubs. We need to keep this talent on Galveston Island. Editor's Note: This article, by Gordon Haire, was first published in the The Galveston Wizard. He plans to present this story to the Galveston City Council and The Park Board, in the hopes that they will issue a proclamation declaring that Galveston is The Birthplace of Rock and Roll! You can add your support to this effort, too!  GOOD ROCKIN' TONIGHT by Roy Brown I heard the news, there's good rockin' tonight Gonna hold my baby as tight as I can Tonight she'll know I'm a mighty man I heard the news, there's good rockin' tonight Oh, lead me in the alley behind the barn Don't be afraid, I'll do you no harm Baby, bring my rockin' shoes 'Cause tonight I'm gonna rock away all my blues Have you heard the news, there's good rockin' tonight Well, Elder Brown, Deacon Jones, They've left their happy home They'll be there, just you wait and see A-jumpin' and a-stompin' at the jubilee Hey man, there's good rockin' tonight Sweet Lorraine, Sioux City Sue, Sweet Georgia Brown, Caledonia, too They'll be there jumpin' like mad Hey, sister, ain't you glad We got the news there's good rockin' tonight  Is Your Money Safe? Are Stocks Cheap? Expected Returns Sounds Familiar! Texas Tax-Deed Auctions! Home Builders Median Income Retail Sales Galveston Retail Sales Galveston Total Sales Retail Sales to Tourists The Galveston Real Estate Market Vacation Homes Galveston Employment Is There a "Boom" in Galveston? Ease of Doing Business Galveston Retail Sales Per Capita Led Zeppelin Reunion The Unholy Alliance Downtown Parking Meters: a Solution A Marketing Plan for the City of Galveston Galveston: Recession 2008? The Stock Market: The Beginning, or the End? Downtown Galveston: Under New Management? Do You Want to Know? Four Days in March |
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