Music Is… Imagine that…

Music is…
Noise to some…
Something for filler for others…
And for those like me,
It’s Everything…

Now, … I know I’ve said it many times but I’m to lazy to go back in the archives and count so let’s just say (yer gunna have to trust me on that) I’ve said it many times.

“Could anyone Love Music as much as I?”

I’m pretty sure that is a good possibility.  I believe in the spirit of music as it will continue to heal and bring peace and life to our existence here as well in the spiritual existence.   I’m not going to go into a diatribe of the two sided coin in this writing.  We all know there is Good and Evil.  Some is in the eye of the beholder.  I don’t think a rabbit looks to an eagle as a sign of good in the world.  To the rabbit, The eagle is Death…  However, looking from the Eagles point of survival, it’s a necessary action to do so, and killing is not always evil. (jus’say’n)

So with all the good and not so good out of the way (whew).  Imagine…  Imagine Music…  Sometimes when I practice or even just listening for sound that will flow, I put on a blindfold.  Try it.  it heightens your senses.   It seems to bring more of the feeling and sparks visuals, colors and memories. sometimes all at the same time and that’s when the water starts.  Just when I think I’m about to put my feelings and life with music into words, I write it, look at it and realize that’s not even close.  With Awesome being used so much it’s not awesome anymore.   Spectacular? Euphoric? The best I’ve come up with is “FREEDOM”… It’s so many things at the same time.  As it should be.  The writers emotion combined with the listeners mood or particular time of life.

So I Imagined, and I believe I have it…  Are you Ready…

Music Is…

Think about it… For now… Tomorrow it will all be different… 😉

Peace…

 

King of the World!!!

So dig this… I personally do not care for The Tele… No not the Telecaster,  The Television… Nope, not one little bit.  I encourage folks to either have an entertaining weekend tourchering the old tele in the back yard and possibly turn it in to a Planter or a Cat Box for the outdoor amenities of the household Cat.

Nowadays there are these large and small flat screen tv’s… in this case, one can either drive a 5 lb sledge and possible see the Face of ELVIS appear in the cracking outer glass.  Or re-purpose it into a readable Computer monitor… I’m not going to get into, “well what’s the difference between a TV and A Computer Monitor”?  Don’t be silly I won’t even go there that’s just silly…

So, My digs are a small cottage out back of my sisters house… A fine lil Chanty, more commonly referred to as, “The Love Shack”… True story…  I digress… I step out for some air after hours of trying to clime out of a musical rut.  Beautiful Evening… This was last Friday Eve as I stood there in Awe…

It was Twilight, and it is usually quiet with the exception of my Stereo pretty much lighting up the air all round this end of the block… But I had just reached the end of “Bridge of Sighs” and as I was standing there I heard it,  It was Rock & Roll… Right there from neighbors house, then a muffled undertone.  I walked to the gate and The Kat across the street doing some Bob Seagar some serious Justice. then there was, the Trifecta of sound!  The other side, the house right on the other side of the house in my yard… There was some, Some what??? What is… YEah! Billy Idol!  YEAH!!!!

So I stand on my lil porch, stoop, thing, with the biggest smile a music lover could ever have, and as silly as it sounds, with a tear in my eye for that moment, I was Leo, on the front of the Titanic! With my hands held hi at the top of my voice…

I’M THE KING OF THE WORLD!!!!

Well, at least this lil corner of a cool lil beach town on the Central Coast…

And that’s all I need… 😉

Peace…

Cya on the Radio…

og

Sound of Silence

Greetings and Salutations to all that would read these ramblings of a Reluctant Musician.  As those that read these musings know, I DJ a Radio Show on KYXZ-LP 107.9 FM, Grover Beach California 8pm to Midnight on Saturday Nites.  I also Engineer, and a general pain in the ass for the host of The Rockin’ K’s (Bill Kirkpatrick) oldies show Tuesdays, Noon to 3pm… LoL.. We have a ton of fun…

In Getting ready for my show I’m doing the usual research and deciding just how in depth I’m going to get as there is a message with every show.  I never reveal the message  but I will name a theme, as this weeks theme is Rock Chicks (don’t be offended Girlies, With out Rock Chicks where would we be, and if it’s not PC, then, well, It’s not meant that way, so get over it… hahahahaha) to hear this weeks message, y’all are gonna have to listen 😉

I digress,… as I’m rolling thru tons of music, out of the corner of my eye I see “The Sound of Silence” …. Classic Simon and Garfunkel tune… Great Great song.  This song for me (as many songs do) carry a few different messages.  There’s the overall message of how no, or poor, communication is bringing, not just our nation but, the planet to a bad place.  There must be communication…  However…  In Silence… There is a creative force that is deafening, especially if it comes in the form of a tsunami, all of the sudden heavy metal now.  Or from the distance, from an artificial horizon comes a whisp, simple and flowing, a growing into a symphony of pure bright sound… From Silence…

Then a breath… The sound of an overhead jet plane, gentle tingles from the breeze tickling the wind chimes. The sun on your face as the breeze rolls over your body, and, Freedom… Pure Release, and in another breath, one reaches for the memory and to keep that silent bliss alive…

But it Fades, fades into a humble numb, a melancholy memory of what once was.  Then, from a sheepish grin, an almost sinister one side of the mouth Grin… I can do this again, in a song, “The Deafening Sound of Silence, Take me Home”

So, find your silence.  And whatever color, sound or motion you create from that silence, Bring it out! Sing it out! it’s how we grow as a people. We learn from each other and expand our Love for Life and the reach for Freedom…  What ever it is you bring… Bring it Proud…

Peace & Love…

 

Dig it…

So Dig this, (and yes I talk like that, as well as, when I type, I type almost exactly what is in my head at the time, like now, just ramblinging blah blah STOP! Ok.. wow)  Anyway…

Dig it. I’ve been kinda down.  I suffer from Chronic Pain from a Motorcycle Accident when I was in My 20’s.  and before you go there, this is not an article about pain medication addiction, although that is a big problem, for some reason I have not had to battle with that.  To be very Clear I used to get abundant and copious amounts of pain killers and some good ones.  but I got tired of feeling like shit all the time (on top of still being in pain) and just quit… stopped … no more… ugh…

So, anyway, what I use for pain is CBD and some THC products.  What I have been using more of lately is Music and Sound.  I’ve played different progressions and found that when I have been playing in Dropped ‘D’ on Acoustic Guitar I find my pain has subsided, usually after I’ve played for 20 mins or so.

Lately I’ve been doing this intentionally and I’ve found it to be most relaxing.  I’ve started to record some of these events and will be posting them on I have not done any reading on how sound effects the body (I know weird right, you’d think I’d be all up in that.  well I will be now)…

So if anyone has any info on that please feel free to share in the comments.  I’ll be touching on this again very soon…

That’s it for this week.  I’ve been occupied by pain and a few other issues.

I do have a heads up for next week.  Waiting for a Solid for for sure on the date and time,

On the next OG’s HomeGrown Trax will be Sherell Jane.  Check my facebook for more details and times (click the follow us facebook link top leftish)… I first heard Sherell at a Songwriters at Play in Arroyo Grande and was so impressed I had to get her on the show. She is so cool.  I know you’ll dig it, so Please Stay Tuned…

Peace For Now… and if you are in Pain, do everything ‘Healthy’ you can to get it to stop. Drugs are not always the answer and will almost always cause more problems… Balance…

OG…

 

All I Got…

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Mother of Exiles

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
MOTHER OF EXILES. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

Emma Lazarus

Mostly this blog is related to music, or the mis-adventures thereof.  however there is so much going on, not just here in America, but the world.

I’ve spent most of the day on this article.  However I just deleted 9 paragrphs (I know some folks trip on that I should save stuff) because it was promoting something I’m not about.  Anger… I know I’ve been angry but I’m an “Angry” person…  There is so much happening all over the world and in my life.  I feel all of it and it makes me angry sometimes…  So rather than go off… I remembered this poem I read and where I read it was at the base of a giant Iron / Copper statue. That is one of those memories burned moments…  We were taught this in school (back when school was actually a school, knuckle busting and all).  We were taught that our country’s culture is a mesh of many cultures… I think that’s cool and that’s what I will share… This is very cool…

So dig it… This is what I got this week.  Maybe google Statue of Liberty… It’s a great subject…

Peace…

OG…

More Radio, Chapter One

Last night’s show was a blast… got the phone system working to take live on air phone calls, now this is gonna be fun!

 

Up late,  last night, just thinking about music and everything that goes with it. it’s a pretty awesome thing this music. Thinking about internet radio, Satellite and terrestrial radio.. there seems to be some sort of big competition. Well, I could honestly give a shit about competition, however, one of my missions in life is to preserve and boost Terrestrial Radio…. I love music and what ever way we can get the sound out there is what matters… But… What matters most is the word you send with it. If one has listeners, said listeners enjoy the music and what you have to say… So what are you saying? One does not have to be on any sort of broadcast system to have other listen to the music you play and possibly like your outlook on life.

 

So what is it I have to say?  Stand up straight! Do no harm, bring peace to yourself first as you will not be able to bring peace if you do not know it, Lend a Hand by giving a hand up and not a hand out, this helps no one…  These are the basics of life really…

It’s all about the music…

Y’all do know all the show’s on Excellent Radio have a message. I invite you to listen in find this message of inner peace… Dig this… We all Rock! All of the Broadcasters are in tune and bring it to you every day…

More to come, to be continued…

Peace…

“Excellent Radio is KYXZ-LP (LP is for low power) community radio for SLO County, 5 cities and beyond.  We are located in Grover Beach California… Life is Good….

Local Community Radio & Local Musicians

Having a once a week Radio Show for 4 hours, with 4 to 12 minute songs, is no where near the stress of changing 45’s ever 1:58 to every 2:33 minutes and seconds.  not to mention the talk and all the info that comes with that.  Doing that every day would be  hectic, not saying I wouldn’t love it, however, one can only stand so much hectic… especially at my age… Once a week is fine…

So dig it… Being on the air for 4 hours on a Saturday is both good and well, not bad or even not so bad…  It can be one way or the other. One weekend the phones are off the hook and the next not one request and no email either.  2 weeks ago I had over 400 emails and not one the next…  I also promote getting out of the house, support the local musicians and night spots.  Believe it or not, one can hit the town and not have any adult beverages or what ever else is going on and have an amazing time, Dancing is awesome exercise!   So I do 4 one hour sets and break it up a bit thru the years.  The last hour is usually something freaky weird psychedelic hour, I dig that..

So I’m thinking of the open ( I do something strange for every opening, sound effects and some weirdness ), all while listening to KYXZ-LP. (LP stands for Low Power, we are required to put that in there at least twice an hour).  So I’m groove’n on some cool Jazz and my mind wanders, wow, in College I played in a Jazz Ensemble, it was so fun, really took me back.

Still have no clue what my set themes are going to be. I usually have them all set by Thrus. night, and I just arrange and put them in some semblance of order, for continuity sake of course.  Well, I have the show opening song pretty much set.  Usually start the show with ‘Alright Now’ by Free, and head up in the years from there.

Don’t have a local artist this week so I may have to do myself… I have some old recordings I might be able to pull off. make it a shorty and talk a lot… (Lord knows I’m good at that).

Well, pretty boring read I know but if anyone has any Ideas?  Usually kick starts me, or…  I’ll just pull together a last minute line-up and that usually works out pretty ok and with call in requests.. Boom… I’m good.. 🙂

Y’all be cool…  Just another day in the life of a Reluctant Musician…

Peace…

Reluctant Musician?

What the hell does that mean anyway. I mean, to be reluctant, can one really call themselves a musician.  Sorry, can’t help ya… LoL… Seriously though, I have been a musician for over 50 years.  It goes without saying, I should be pretty ok on what ever instrument I would focus on.  Well, this is not where I am…  I have been offered many positions in the past and somehow wound up finding and excuse not to.

I’m not afraid of being on stage I’ve played for some fairly large crowds, however when friends come by, that have never heard me play before, I do get sweaty palm, twitchy nervous.  it’s weird… I do love music and it is in my life everyday.  I’m a DJ on a local Low-Powered Community Radio Station.  I’m involved with an Oldies Rock Show “The Rockin K Oldies Show”, where I produce and engineer for his show and have my own show on Saturday Nights called “OG’s Saturday Nite”… All DJ’s, at the station, are Volunteers and every one are experts in Radio excpt me.  I’m the Rookie but I have more fun (I think) then any of them…

But this is not about KYXZ-LP 107.9 FM in Grover Beach,  this is about this site.  I feel there are many older dudes and babes out there that have been playing all their lives and just do it because of the sheer love of it.  So maybe, just maybe a few will wonder over and join in.

There will be much here but it’s all pretty much to do with music…

Have fun…

Peace

Where are we now?

In the Beginning… there was a young Ladd, with a pawn shop guitar and a dream…

I’m doing this entry to advise of this blog’s past and future direction…  Nothing has changed but at the same time everything has changed.  I know, don’t try to dazzle you with bewildering mystical words of an alternative universe, so I won’t…

but what I will do is cover some of what I’m doing.  I re-read all of my previous posts and removed almost all of them. still reviewing a few… Yes those were some weird times but it was mostly babble… Not that there’s really anything wrong with babble as it can be humorous.

The Past is the past and the explanation for deleting some of my past posts are purely based on the re-read and finding it either did not make any sense my views have changed or I really don’t think the info was relevant or worth reading…

The direction of this blog from here out is some stories and points of my personal life and also information and reviews on Music.  The Biz, Local Musicians (the struggle is real) Learning, no lessons here but links to who I consider credible and a good choice for what ever level.  There may be some enterprise but I’m not sure yet… Everyone has the proverbial “hand in the cookie jar”.  Might be cool to get a piece of that deal.  However not much on marketing so there will be not of that here… If I do ever do apply any adds or products here they will be fully checked out and used by me and my team…

I will also be updating the info & bio page. In the next day or so I will be publishing the 1st new installment of the Adventures of a Reluctant Musician…

So stay tuned and support your local Musician & Businesses… Mingle with your community.  You Might Make A Friend…

Peace…

Some Things Never Change, but, Some Things Do…

Ya know, I’ve said this a thousand times but I think I really get what I’m saying.  Some things never change… the visions and memories of your life, never change, (unless you are delusional)  those times will be always in the moment.  I don’t know, maybe it’s the way my mind works.  Writing music always puts me in the moment,  for instance Sunset, (yes I’ve posted this tune before but maybe there’s a few new folks that haven’t heard this)  🙂  When I wrote this song, I was in the back yard of a very cool house I lived in with friends in Reno NV.  It was sunset and I was in deep thought, (as I usually am) about a girl I know, then I started thinking of friends and family and life in general.  This is where this song was born, in the things that never change,  Unconditional Love, Cherished memories, Christmas, Calendars and Eggnog…

These things never change, the love and memories.  It’s what makes us who we are, well that and Cheerios…   So what does change, well, there are many things that change, the seasons, the color of my hair when I turned 50 and only getting better!   Car styles… But the true heart never changes.  When one is lonely or scared, where does one go… Back in time to look for happy place, secure, more pleasant times, for sanity.  I was talking with a dear friend on the phone this evening (yes I know, I don’t like phones but for loved ones, I make an exception), I admire this girl very much and is always awesome to be in touch, it brought to mind the things that have manifested in my time.  I’ve truly been blessed and am grateful for this.

Thank you friends for being the awesomeness that you are.  Thanks to God for these blessings…

I have much to say really but my mind is all over the place and for once I’m going to spare you (the reader) this madness of whimsical, but funny, nonsense.  Well I think it’s funny and that’s really all that matters, as I sit here and giggle… 🙂   Good night my many friends.  Take a moment and think of a time where you were whole and free, let this madness that is going on in our world go for a minute or two.  Turn off the TV’s and Computers and take a walk, in a park, on a path in the foothills, anywhere!  Take a breath of that Love and then spread it around a bit.  I think we could use a fresh perspective.

Who knows, it could be contagious…

Peace and Love to you…  Be Well…

OG