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Fourth of July Extravaganza with Robert Earl Keen

derrich — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:55:57 +0000

Fourth of July for me and my family usually means a habitual trip to Port Aransas. This year, we’re looking for a bigger piece of sky for our celebration…and we’ve found it!

Despite not being a huge baseball fan, I am guilty of enjoying a San Antonio Missions game every now and then. I’m also a self-proclaimed member of the loyal Texas Country following. Add fireworks and you’ve got ‘the greatest show ever been gave’!

Come cheer on the Missions followed by post-game fireworks and a live concert on the field featuring Texas Country icon Robert Earl Keen. “Play ball!” at 5:05 p.m. on Saturday, July 4 at The Wolff (where’s The Wolff). The Missions take on Northwest Arkansas with the concert and fireworks show to follow immediately afterward. For ticket information, check out the San Antonio Missions website.

The H-E-B Fourth of July Extravaganza is presented by KRAFT and the San Antonio Express-News.

If you want to have even more fun, check out the other activities on the list. Other San Antonio bloggers have provided their take on some of the best activities in the area.

Take a look:

4. Fourth of July Celebration in Luckenbach, TX, by Luis Sandoval Jr.

3. Tubing on the Comal River (New Braunfels, TX), by Jennifer Navarrete

2. Celebration on the River (Kerrville, Texas), by Shelley Cook

1. Aqua Boom Festival on Lake LBJ, by Jessica Young

This blog post is part of the JW San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa “List of the Best Things to do in the Texas Hill Country” Blog Scavenger Hunt. The goal is to compile a list of the best ways to spend this Fourth of July (and any day of the year!) in the Hill Country. Bloggers from San Antonio, Texas and anywhere around the globe are invited to participate and share they favorite thing to do in the Hill Country. To participate and have a link to your blog featured in the JW San Antonio “List of the Best Things to do in the Texas Hill Country” blog post all you have to do is write a blog (length, style and everything else is up to you), include this paragraph at the end of your post and send us a link to it via Twitter at @JWSanAntonio. Visit our blog for more information about the Blog Scavenger Hunt. We can’t wait to read your post! Thank you for helping us discover the Hill Country – the home of the newest and largest JW Marriott Resort, opening January 2010.

Pandora: Streaming Music For Your BlackBerry

derrich — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 00:35:58 +0000

During my regular evening visit to Pandora, I discovered that Pandora Radio is now available for the BlackBerry.

Pandora Radio is your own FREE personalized radio now available to stream music on your BlackBerry. Just start with the name of your favorite artists, songs or classical composers and Pandora will create a “station” that plays their music and more music like it.

The Pandora Radio application is available for the following BlackBerry smartphones (and services): Bold (AT&T), Curve 8310 (AT&T), Curve 8320 (AT&T), Curve 8330 (Verizon), Pearl 8100 (AT&T), Pearl 8120 (AT&T), Pearl 8130 (Sprint & Verizon).

If you already have a Pandora account like I do, just choose the log in option. Your channels will be available through the Pandora Radio app, and you can create new channels from your BlackBerry.

Just visit pandora.com from your BlackBerry browser to download this app. Like most apps with streaming capabilities, you probably want to be sure you have an unlimited data plan.

The Others. There are already a couple of other streaming music apps available for the BlackBerry including nuTsie and Slacker. I haven’t tried either mainly because I’m used to Pandora. But both are free to download…and, of course, you should probably have an unlimited data plan.

Now This Is Happening — Lindsay Lohan Photos Trump $100 Oil

derrich — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 09:26:23 +0000

$100 Oil! C’mon…say it with me! “$100 OIL!!!” The crude (not refined) stuff ended above $100 per barrel yesterday for the first time ever. $100.10 to be exact. It’s up about 4% so far this year. Looks like Trump put that call into OPEC! “Get those prices down…and I mean now!” (6:01). Stockpile speculation on crude oil for March delivery dropped to $99.11 per barrel in after-hours electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange and traded at $99.30 at 1:50 p.m. in Singapore.

Not Jake Shimabukuro

Eat your heart out, Don Ho (R.I.P.). Jake Shimabukuro is better than you at the ukulele. Be sure to check out his recent performance on Conan O’Brien. It’s like Monte Montgomery at chipmunk speed. Pretty cool!

Lindsay Lohan’s mom, Dina, is ok with “LL”s nude photo shoot. The photos in New York Magazine are photographer Bert Stein’s recreation of his legendary 1962 nude shoot with Marilyn Monroe titled “The Last Sitting”. What a relief! I was waiting for Mrs. Lohan’s blessing before I checked those out. And by “those”, I mean her photos. If you’re at work, you might want to wait until you get home to see “those”.

Shaquille O’Neal will return to the hardwood tonight against his old crew, the Lakers. Shaq wasted no time talking Shmaq…calling out everyone from Kobe (of course) to Phil Jackson to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Shaq questioned Kareem’s lack of conversation and attention with regard to his place in the Lakers organization. Hey, Shaq. Hakim (see Game of Death) owns Kazaam.

UGK Rapper Pimp C Found Dead

derrich — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 23:56:35 +0000

Earlier today, I received the news that rapper Pimp C was found dead at the Mondrian Hotel, located in Hollywood after L.A. County Fire responded to a 911 call. They arrived to his sixth floor hotel room to find him dead in bed.

R.I.P. Pimp C — 1973 – 2007

Pimp C, whose real name was Chad Butler, was also a friend. I had the opportunity to develop and maintain The Unofficial UGK Website since 1996. And despite the name, it was considered by UGK fans (and for many years by the group) as the official site. My brother and I attended countless shows with Pimp C & Bun B…otherwise known as the Underground Kingz…and we enjoyed each one like the first. My most recent UGK show was at the SXSW show in Austin, TX on March 15 of this year. This picture (right) of me and C was taken after the show.

While the mainstream music listener knew UGK by their collaboration with Jay-Z on Big Pimpin’, UGK’s truest fans regarded many of their songs as instant classics. In fact, the first song I ever heard by UGK in 1995 was It’s Supposed To Bubble…and I was hooked from then on. While UGK had many fans before me, I quickly made it a point to become a UGK “historian”.

Eventually, I decided to create an account on GeoCities in order to catalog everything I learned about the group. One day, I received a phone call from an unknown number on my cell phone. It was from Pimp C…calling to tell me he’d seen my site, liked the job I did, and wanted to help me make the site “official”. Before Wikipedia, before MySpace…CountryRapTunes (as we called the site) had the story straight from the artist, and it’s still there to this day. Pimp & Bun are without a doubt legends in the “rap game”. While they didn’t achieve the success that most would expect, they paved the way for rappers in the South to break into the mainstream.

My deepest and heart-felt condolences go out to Chad’s family, including Mama Wes…and to Bun B.

The latest report on TMZ.com indicates that Pimp C may have died from natural causes. I’ll report any and all updates on CountryRapTunes.org. If you’re a UGK fan, add your thoughts by clicking here.

ArtistsHouse Music Provides Industry Support & Guidance

derrich — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 06:49:57 +0000

In today’s age of viral marketing, musicians all over have taken advantage of online networking venues such as MySpace and YouTube as a means of music marketing. But these aren’t the only resources for aspiring musicians to take advantage of. Artistshousemusic.org is a non-profit organization funded by the Herb Alpert Foundation that is charged with being an expert resource for musicians, students, industry professionals, and people interested in getting into the music business. Part of its guidance includes information on copyrights, grants, and music education associations. The organization provides access to a wealth of practical resources on professional development and research in music education as well as information on teaching music with the tools of technology.

Pour 5: Live Music In San Antonio! Tonight!

derrich — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 20:53:50 +0000

Take Your Music Events and Promotions From Idea To Reality.

Well, not yet. But soon. Part of the planning for a solid grand opening of Retox Bar is the musical talent. While Austin is known for its great live music…original live music…San Antonio bars seem to thrive when enlisting the services of a lively cover band. Many have a faithful following, which will obviously help bring people to your establishment.

The concern comes after your doors are open. How are we going to set ourselves apart from the rest of the neighborhood bars that feature cover bands? Well, we’ve certainly got some ideas. Weekends will likely continue to feature cover bands. Competing with other bars for prime acts will be a challenge. After Retox Bar up and running, we will have a better idea of which nights need a boost. Its safe to say that Friday and Saturday nights are the busiest followed by Thursday. So, the key will be to establish another night as a special night at your bar. Some do it with cheap drink specials, or open mic night…or some combination.

A few years ago, a local bar featured dodgeball in its parking lot. They had the backing of one of the radio stations. Eventually they were known for selling more Dos Equis than any other bar in the United States. That fad didn’t last beyond that summer, but it was a great idea. For the last few years, a local BBQ restaurant draws its crowd with a Wedensday night music series featuring Texas Country acts, which is extremely popular throughout Texas. Admission is free with a canned good donation to the San Antonio Food Bank. It is consistently packed.

We already know that we will set Retox Bar apart from similar bars in town by adding Texas Country artists to our lineup on occasion, but coming up with a successful “gimmick” like those mentioned above will be something to consider.

How To Prepare For Your Plan.

ASCAP. No, that’s not a derogatory term for someone you can’t stand. It stands for The American Society of Authors, Composers, and Publishers. It’s possible that you need to obtain licensing from ASCAP particularly for cover bands. It’s a good idea to check with your local ASCAP representative to be sure. Any public performances are fair game for fines.
Get Organized. Don’t just mark it on the calendar. Include pricing and a ledger of your expenses related to that event. If it is just a band, your details should be limited. But for an event, it will be more detailed. That should include advertising expenses…as well as a date you plan to begin that advertising.
Budget. Once you have a game plan, be sure to budget for the entire month. If you are running a special promotion, budget for the duration of that promotion. It is easy to rely on the profits from your daily operations to fund your acts and events, but don’t get caught up in that web. Be sure you can pay for everything in the worst case scenario.

We have a couple of things in mind already. But I think I’ll refrain from giving those ideas away…just in case the competition is reading. Speaking of reading, be sure to check out the past posts in the “Pour” series (say that real fast 3 times).

Pour 1 â€” Can I Buy You A Drink?
Pour 2 â€” Realize Your Business Goals. Do Your Research.
Pour 3 â€” Choosing A Name That Sticks.
Pour 4: Getting The Word Out.

Can Someone Tell Me What On Earth Chocolate Rain Is? Tay Zonday Can.

derrich — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 07:20:48 +0000

I know I’ve already posted my video for the week, but I’m cruisin’ around YouTube last night, and I come across this guy named Tay Zonday who sings covers as well as some original stuff. Apparently his videos are gaining more popularity than Chuck Storm videos. He’s got this frightening baritone voice that sounds like he’s reaching beyond the diaphragm…resulting in ruptured alveoli. To top it off, he’s 25…and he looks 15. Hey, Tay. In the words of the late Tupac Shakur, “Got nuthin’ but love for ya. Do ya thang, boi”.

All we need now is to see a Weird Al parody, although some have already beat him to the punch…like this guy.

Check out Tay’s YouTube and MySpace pages.

Stompale Spurs! Rob G Reppin My Block Remix

derrich — Thu, 31 May 2007 04:40:16 +0000

It seems every year, someone remixes a popular rap song to include the Spurs and their quest for the championship. Well, although the Spurs collective effort tonight resulted in a Western Conference Finals Championship, they still have to face either a tough Detroit Pistons team or a young and eager Cleveland Cavaliers team to get its 4th ring in 8 years. Anyway, this year’s song is Reppin’ My Block by Rob G…and the remix is actually done by the original artist instead of some guy in his makeshift garage studio.

Reppin My Block — Spurs remix by Rob G. (Right click, Save Target As to download)

Fingerstyle Guitarists Offer A Unique Style And Unforgettable Performances

derrich — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 11:30:17 +0000

Fingerstyle guitarists are separated by their technique of playing the guitar by plucking the strings with the fingertips as opposed to using a pick. According to acousticfingerstyle.com, it is commonly played on steel string acoustic guitars with 6 or 12 strings and includes chords, arpeggios and other elements such as artificial harmonics, hammering on and pulling off with the fretting hand, using the body of the guitar percussively, and many other techniques. Here are a few fingerstyle guitarists I’ve recently discovered.

Andy McKee
Andy McKee is regarded as one of the most up and coming fingerstyle guitarists. Andy hails from Topeka, Kansas and according to the bio on his website, Andy hopes that “listening to my music is an emotional experience”. Well, it’s certainly beautiful. His unorthodox fingerstyle reminds me of early Monte Montgomery (when he was a one-man show), about whom I posed the question Is Monte Montgomery The Best Guitar Player Ever? Anyway, see Andy’s skills for yourself.

Official Website: andymckee.com

Tommy Emmanuel
Tommy Emmanuel is another fingerstyle guitarist from Austrailia. Although he’s had a long and successful career there, he’s relatively unknown in the United States. He exhibits alot of classical style with a hint of bluegrass at times, especially when he turns on the showmanship. This virtuoso’s main influence is Chet Atkins, as you can tell in this video, with whom he recorded in 1996 on the CD, “The Day the Finger Pickers Took Over the World”, which was nominated for a Grammy award. You can see Tommy in Ft. Worth on June 19, 2007 at Bass Performance Hall and September 13-15, 2007 at the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas.

Video: Since We Met

Official site: tommyemmanuel.com

Andres Segovia
Andres Segovia is regarded by many as the “father of the modern classical guitar movement” according to classicalguitar.net. Whether or not that’s the case, I have always been amazed by the skill and accuracy of classical guitarists. I don’t think Segovia was regarded as a flamenco guitar player, but I’ve always thought of him as that (you guitar purists feel free to correct me). I just find it even more amazing how flamenco guitarists play while simultaneously incorporating finger tapping. Anyway, Segovia discovered early on that piano exercises were beneficial in strengthening the fingers for the guitar. You can see Senior Segovia in action.

Helpful site: Andres Segovia: Wikipedia

Paco de Lucia
Paco de Lucia is considered by most to be a major figure in the New Flamenco Movement with his avant-garde assimilation of other musical styles such as jazz and blues. In a word…well, two…he’s awesome!

Official site: pacodelucia.org

Rev It Up, Florida Style

Is Monte Montgomery The Best Guitar Player Ever?

derrich — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 22:26:15 +0000

Don’t fret! Before you dig your claws into me for writing that title, allow me to posit that my statement is obviously subjective. Hey. He’s amazing, and I thought it was certainly warranted based on what I’ve seen (about a hundred times since 1995 by the way). I’m what they call a “Montiac”.

monÂ·tiÂ·ac (mÄ’ntÄ“-Äk’) – noun
any intemperate or overly zealous or enthusiastic person…when pertaining to Monte Montgomery.

It sounds like a bad thing? Give me a sec. I’m not nearly as devoted as most Montiacs, many of which have seen him about a hundred times this year alone. What makes him so special? Well, he sports a battered Alvarez acoustic, and an ability to confuse even the most avid guitar players with his finger and pick style of play. Oh, and he’s not a bad songwriter either. Unfortunately, he hasn’t attained the commercial notoriety of the greats like Clapton, Hendrix, Beck, Van Halen, Satriani, SRV, Page…the list goes on. While I don’t consider myself a guru or qualify myself as worthy of ranking him up there with those names, I definitely believe he’s deserving of such respect. Have a look at this video. It’s old and poor quality, but in my humble opinion, the best version of Monte’s rendition of Jimi Hendrix’s Little Wing that I could find (my favorite includes his former bass player, Lonnie Trevino, Jr., who actually sang the song and did it absolute justice). While it might be considered taboo for me to say that Monte rips the best version of the song I’ve ever heard period, you can certainly understand why the thought crosses my mind after watching this.

Here’s one more version just for comparison’s sake: Monte Montgomery Little Wing

Read more about Monte on his Official Website and on his fan website, The Full Monte. I’d highly suggest seeing Monte live. You won’t be disappointed.

Thursday, December 28, 2006 – Mucky Duck, Houston, TX
Sunday, December 31, 2006 – Granada Theater, Dallas, TX
Friday, January 12, 2007 – Cactus Cafe, Austin, TX
Thursday, January 18, 2007 – The Knitting Factory, Hollywood, CA

For more dates, click here. By the way, a good starter CD would be Mirror.

Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks The 80s

Robert Earl Keen: Songrwriter…Storyteller

derrich — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 05:51:40 +0000

This weekend, I had the pleasure of seeing one of Texas’ best artists, Robert Earl Keen (REK), at Floore’s Country Store in Helotes, TX. If you’ve never listened to Americana (aka, Texas Country), you’re missing out. Don’t let the word “Country” scare you, especially if you’re not a fan of Country Music. Robert Earl Keen’s music is best described as Jimmy Buffett meets Tom Petty meets Lyle Lovett. The last one comes of no surprise since REK and Lovett were neighbors in College Station, TX while attending Texas A&M University. According to REK’s bio on Wikipedia.org, the two became friends and performed together on the front porch. This eventually grew into inspiration for a song entitled “The Front Porch Song”, which both would add to their repertoire.

Some of REK’s most well-known songs include The Road Goes On Forever (And The Party Never Ends), Gringo Honeymoon; and fittingly enough for the season, Merry Christmas From The Family. There are several others worth mentioning. If I had to recommend one album that offers a good sample, I’d suggest No. 2 Live Dinner.

If you ever have a chance to see him live, do it. You won’t be disappointed. According to his website, he will be appearing in the following cities:

Wednesday, September 20, 2006 – Wormy Dog Saloon, Oklahoma City, OK
Saturday, September 30, 2006 – Bass Performance Hall, Ft. Worth, TX
Sunday, December 31, 2006 – Austin Music Hall, Austin, TX
Monday, January 8, 2007 – Music Fest ’07, Steamboat Springs, CO
Thursday, January 11, 2007 – Grizzly Rose, Denver, CO
Friday, January 12, 2007 – Wheeler Opera House, Aspen, CO

For more dates, click here.

A Musical Prodigy: Amateur By Lasse Gjertsen

derrich — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 15:22:04 +0000

When I created a Music Category for my blog, I didn’t anticipate posting nothing but videos…primarily of Weird Al Yankovic-like parodies and some guy that happened to make a really cool video of himself. By editing a bunch of little frames of himself playing the drums and the piano…well, I suppose anyone can become “a musical prodigy”. I’ve also heard Lasse is a pretty good beatboxer …just maybe not as good as Darren Robinson. Silly Norwegian. Bbbbrrrrrr, STICK ‘EM…HA HA HA, STICK ‘EM!!!

No related posts.

Weird Al Yankovic, What Have You Done?

derrich — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 14:25:57 +0000

Who said Weird Al Yankovic fell off the face of the earth? He was just mustering up his next big hit. Weird Al’s new album, Straight Outta Lynwood, debuted at #10 on the Billboard charts (currently sits at #29). His hit White & Nerdy, which is a parody of Chamillionaire’s hit, Ridin’ Dirty, is apparently the reason for this success. No doubt you’ve already seen the video already. If you haven’t, you’ve been living under a rock (or you’re my dad); it’s pasted all over the Internet.

However, my personal favorite is his version of James Blunt’s, You’re Beautiful. “You’re Pitiful” does not appear on the new album. But you can download it on his website…or here…or you can hear it on Weird Al’s MySpace page. Although he received Blunt’s blessing to do the song, Atlantic Records (James Blunt’s label) refused to allow Weird Al to release the song. Of course, Yankovic is no stranger to opposition from labels. There was that whole Coolio thing with Gangsta’s Paradise. And if I recall correctly, Coolio was the one that wasn’t happy about it.

Weird Al has countless disciples (see YouTube). One of the more recent and more notable in my opinion is The Grey Kid, who ain’t too bad in non-parody format. Along with his buddy, Daniel Stessen, they’ve nailed a parody for Justin Timberlake’s, Bringin’ Sexy Back, with “PaxilBack”. See for yourself.