At last, my love has come along, My lonely days are over, And life is like a song.

Wikipedia:
Etta James (born Jamesetta Hawkins on January 25, 1938) is an American blues, soul, R&B, rock & roll and jazz singer and songwriter. James is the winner of four Grammys, seventeen Blues Music Awards, and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, the Blues Hall of Fame in 2001, and the Grammy Hall of Fame both in 1999 and 2008. In the 1950s and 60s, she had her biggest success as a blues and R&B singer. She is best known for her 1961 ballad "At Last", which has been classified as a "timeless classic"^{[citation needed]} and has been featured in many movies and television commercials since its release.

"At Last" is a 1941 song written by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren and first performed by Glenn Miller. Although the song was a major hit for Miller, it was largely forgotten until it was covered by blues singer Etta James. James was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999, for her rendition of "At Last".^[1]

The song became James' signature song and was the third in a string of successful songs from her Chess Records debut album At Last!. Upon the song's release in April 1961, it became her second number-two R&B hit and crossed over to pop radio, reaching number forty-seven on the Billboard Hot 100. Despite its rather low pop chart standing, the song is well-known and is still played regularly on oldies radio stations.

That Wikipedia. Fountain of knowledge. I was watching the Wall-E trailer in anticipation of the movie coming out TOMORROW (*fist pump*), and that song was in it. It made me go "Oohh, I want it."

So, guys. What's going on? (I expect you to comment and let me know!) It's been a while since I've given you a show update. For those of you who haven't been able to listen in, we've now taken the show down to a mere ONE HOUR. Crazy, right? Well, we have been talking about doing so for a while with our boss. Not that we don't like talking for two hours, but we've come to the conclusion that two hours is a huge chunk out of your day to ask you to set aside for us. So, in gratitude of your listener/readership, this is our gift, to you. To be able to listen guilt-free because you're only wasting, or may I say...enriching your life, one hour a day.

We keep adding little inconspicuous...additions..(redundancy...-5 points) to the site! We have new friends down there in the "Our Friends" box. Rockwells Coffee Brewery, Andrew Givler (The Givlerator), Merelight Photography Studio, and Abi Vrazo (owner of Merelight).


Oh, new favorite thing. Other then Wikipedia. VITAMIN WATER.



VitaminWater consists of vapor distilled, deionized, and/or reverse osmosis water; crystalline fructose (derived from corn syrup) as a sweetener; citric acid; electrolytes; natural flavors; and vitamins, including Vitamin C, B3, B5, B6, B12, and E. Other ingredients are added according to the flavor and intended purpose of the drink.

The only down side...50 calories per serving, and there's 2.5 servings in a bottle. But totally worth it.

Praise Him all creatures here below.

As I write this, I’m fighting back tears that have been threatening to spill for a few days. Growing pains hurt, and when you’re faced with having to swallow your pride constantly, obey authority, and listen to wise instruction, your heart groans for relief from sinful depravity and the natural want to rebel.

1 Peter 2:21-25

21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us,^[f] leaving us^[g] an example, that you should follow His steps:
22 “ Who committed no sin,
Nor was deceit found in His mouth”;^[h]

23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. 25 For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls

Having gained access to the Holy Place through the Lamb slain, to be greeted by the Body and Blood of Christ, Holy Spirit connecting us to Christ the Word, and the Holy incense of the Universal Church’s prayers being offered up into the presence of the King, with much fear and trepidation we repent and die to sin daily so that we may live unto righteousness.

Blessings are abundant; comfort and relief abound in the arms of the Savior.

Confessions Part 3

I have a confession.

Independent artists, as a whole, bug me.

Wild, right? Apart from a few artists I've interviewed that I've really liked and wished I could do more to help them with their careers, the majority of unsigned artists out there are lazy drama queens. And that applies to both men and women.

So this is a call to arms, ladies and gentlemen. IF you want to be taken seriously, I strongly advise that you take yourself seriously first. First impressions matter. Working hard matters. If you don't have the drive to put yourself out there, no matter what avenue it is, save someone's time and find a new calling. Dreams are great, but if you don't have the passion and want to truly succeed, give up. We won't call you a quitter if you're doing the general public a favor.
If you do have the drive, make yourself stand out in the ever-flowing river of hopeless, one-sided musical endeavors; for the sake of credibility, step outside of the Fall-Out-Boy persona of side-swiped bangs, white belts and insanely stylish Vans; yes it's stylish, but no, it's not original. Remember, there is room outside of the box. Lots of room.

Okay, rant over. :-) Y'all have a fabulous day.

Chocolate

is wonderful.

Tuesday, June 3rd, 2008
Jake Smith (podcast up soon)

"So I figure I can try to give you a little bit about me and the people I associate myself with without paying someone to do it for me. Please keep in mind that I am no more a "bio" writer than I am a piano player. (I play guitar...kind of!) I have seen and been through a lot in recent years, some of which I am almost tired of talking about, and others which I will leave to mystery. I have had my hopes up and seen great promise as well as felt the bottom and actually thought about going back to school. (yes this was a really low time) I have been flattered by kind words some of which I believe to be true. I have played sold out shows in front of a lot of awesome people and have played shows in front of screaming sound men...excuse me audio technicians. I have had my CD in stores, as well as on Ebay for 3 dollars. (which is actually more flattering than you would think) I have been signed to a label and have departed a label all in a years time. And to think, this is only year one. The point of all of that is to say this, WE are just getting started. If you like what you hear then be excited about the future and if for some reason you didn't like it, be excited about the future. I say WE, meaning me and the guys who play with me. We enjoy doing what we do and are blessed and honored to have others enjoy in it with us. I have learned a few things in this first chapter of my career. I can't do it alone. I need anyone and everyone who enjoys the music to support us in any way possible. I can't play without listeners, I can't know joy if I've never known sadness, and I can't know success without remembering just how bad it felt to fail. (over and over again)..." Read More...

Okay, so, I gave the corny analogy about his music yesterday in my blog post, so I won't do any crazy descriptions, but listening to Viking and Jake talk back and forth and hearing his story and what he's all about was (lookout for this descriptive adjective) humbling. He's a down-to-earth, normal guy from New Orleans who puts his pants on one leg at a time, has amazing music (and has only been playing within the last 2-3 years), he's already been in and out of a record label/manger/booking agent, and is able to grasp how one should conduct himself within the music industry. That's it. No bells and whistles. Flat out what it is, and how it should be.
I really respect his attitude about life and his career, in that even though this is his music and career, it's not all about him. He's out there using his gifts to help others and to spread the Word.

I'm not going to go any further because all of his music is pretty self-explanatory. So go listen. :)

Oh, and before I forget, his booking "Man Out Front" manager, JD, was a huge help getting all of this together. Thanks buddy.

www.jakesmithmusic.com

Monday morning!

And not a bad one! Imagine that! *smile*

It started off a bit slow. Don't you love it when you've just put nice, cool, clean sheets on your bed right before you turn in? For some reason I sleep 100% better when I do. Might be because by the time it's time for new sheets, half of my covers have fallen to the floor and the top sheet's all tangled up and a rogue sock is hiding in the foot of the bed.
Anyway, it started off slow because I did not want to get up. But that's okay. I did. So we're good.

Tomorrow on the show, Mr. Jake Smith will be joining us. Viking already called him my new boyfriend because I keep talking about how excited I am about interviewing him. Geez, this feels like a diary entry. "Dear Diary, tomorrow I get to interview Jake Smith..."

Jake's music is a beautiful fusion of rock, soul, and pop, perfectly seasoned with Tony Chachere's creole seasoning (I actually spelled "Chachere's" right...go figure). It's been a while since I've really been excited about someone's music, so give me a break with the funky analogies!

Tune in tomorrow...well...you know the time. Have a great Monday. :-)