Embryonic. . .

. . . grand. . .

(from the desk of Mr. Rod Deacey)
     "At Brewer’s Alley Songwriters’ Showcase this Monday, Jan 28, we are delighted to welcome back TOM McBRIDE, who since his last visit has a new CD out, called Morning in Glen Burnie. One track from that CD – But I Don’t Care -- has won Gold in the Adult Contemporary category of the 29th Mid-Atlantic Song Contest, organized as always by the Songwriters Association of Washington (SAW)! We’ll know tonight if he wins any other awards at the MASC Gala! Tom is much in demand around the country these days – his next gigs after Brewer’s are in San Francisco – so come and catch him before he gets too famous! . . .

      The gonzo piano prelude this week is played for us by our favorite classical composer, Rockin’ Ray Jozwiak! Ray usually can’t resist tinkering with those keys as soon as he arrives, around 7:15 pm or so, just to make sure they are all in working order, and he then proceeds to put them through their paces... Without the monthly work-out from Ray, our embryonic piano would soon be soft and flabby, unable to convey the simplest emotion, so we’d like to thank him for keeping it in shape! As per normal, come early to find good seats for the evening and to catch the entire prelude. You can come upstairs at 7:15 pm (maybe 5 minutes or so earlier than that if we’re ready; performers can come up when they arrive). . ."

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Don't. . .

. . . we all have baggage to toss?. . .

Six AM
The buses aren't nearly as crowded
As the night before
Someone said there was
Music and laughter
Behind all the shutters and doors
What was all of it for

Who needs friends
There's barely a minute for breathing
Everyone here works so hard
There's no party
When I reach my doorstep
I struggle to pull out my key
Where's the meaning for me

You see but you're unaware
There's life on the other side

But there's no bridge to cross
I'm looking through the fog
For some way out of here
I've baggage here to
I've baggage here to toss

Bless my soul
I've read about you in the paper
I've seen your picture somewhere
When you speak it's in volumes and volumes
I can't hear a word that you say
Funny it happens that way
I've been told that envy's the thing I've been feeling
For your kind of work and your play
But to tell you the truth
That it's only a wish
For a new kind of day
When worry and fear melt away

Could be
That a day will come
When you just might understand

But there's no bridge to cross
I'm looking through the fog
For some way out of here
I've baggage here to
I've baggage here to toss

I'd like to go away
and go there to stay
But I can't find the way

So it goes
But change never really comes easy
Resistance is felt all around
But inevitably
Something happens
That makes the old ship run aground
We all stare in awe of what's found

Like me
You appear to be
Looking for some meaning here

But there's no bridge to cross
I'm looking through the fog
For some way out of here
I've baggage here to
I've baggage here to
I've baggage here to toss


Baggage
(instrumental version)
©2006 Raymond M. Jozwiak




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ahh. . .

. . . those were the days. . .

". . . My Farfisa Fast Four and Leslie 145 were setup in a prominent location in the den of our apartment for quick and easy access.  Truth is, I'm not sure if I even played once a week at that time. But I was building my vinyl record album collection of my favorite jazz cats during the period and joyfully and effortlessly soaking in their music as often as I could.  My Coltrane, Dolphy, Adderley and McLean collections grew with much less reliance on the old Tull, Gentle Giant and Yes for musical satisfaction.  This too combined with sounds exemplifying the musical tastes of my significant other, sometimes not so willingly or graciously. 

My technique and creativity suffered during this period.  Whenever I played, generally on Sunday afternoons, I ran through the same several bebop arrangements of standards that I had learned from or through my elementary-school friend Bob. I was grateful for Bob's influence which led me into the direction of jazz, that combined with my exposure to a superb collection of jazz, vinyl LPs at the college radio station where I worked during my undergraduate years.

It wasn't until our eldest son, Spencer, was born that I began to crave more music-related activity. . ."

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Shameless. . .

. . . Promotion. . . again. . . XXX. . .

9:00pm until 1:00am-Friday, January 25, 2013
You know what this means! We're back at it again. The boys at Airaid Records are bringing you the wildest night in Baltimore music, SCHLONGTASM: XXX! As always, we'll be at Joe Squared - Station North. As always, the night will feature SCHLONGTASM mainstays El Sledge (+). In addition, we have returning to the stage, Jason and the Butchers and OHO*. And this year we welcome newcomer Hangdog. This year we celebrate the big XXX (30 for the Roman-impaired) of the Schlong (Airaid Records Executive Dan Long).  So you know this is a DON'T MISS!
Joe Squared-Station North
133 West North Avenue  Baltimore, MD 21201
(410) 545-0444
joesquared.com/

*Jay Graboski, David Reeve and Ray Jozwiak
Please visit http://www.ohomusic.com


Slough of Despond by John P. Graboski
Performed by Oho (rehearsal recording)



 
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Genius?. . .

 . . . well maybe. . . but even if NOT. . . certainly one of the most creative, uncompromising, free-thinking artists. . .

 . . . of this (and last) century . . .

(from wikipedia.com)
". . . Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American composer, singer-songwriter, guitarist, recording engineer, music producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed album covers. Zappa produced almost all of the more than 60 albums he released with the band The Mothers of Invention and as a solo artist. While in his teens, he acquired a taste for 20th-century classical composers such as Edgard Varèse, Igor Stravinsky, and Anton Webern along with 1950s rhythm and blues music. He began writing classical music in high school, while at the same time playing drums in rhythm and blues bands; he later switched to electric guitar.

Zappa was a self-taught composer and performer, and his diverse musical influences led him to create music that was often difficult to categorize. His 1966 debut album with the Mothers of Invention, Freak Out!, combined songs in conventional rock and roll format with collective improvisations and studio-generated sound collages. His later albums shared this eclectic and experimental approach, irrespective of whether the fundamental format was rock, jazz or classical. His lyrics—often humorously—reflected his iconoclastic view of established social and political processes, structures and movements. He was a strident critic of mainstream education and organized religion, and a forthright and passionate advocate for freedom of speech, self-education, political participation and the abolition of censorship.

He was a highly productive and prolific artist and gained widespread critical acclaim. He had some commercial success, particularly in Europe, and for most of his career was able to work as an independent artist. He also remains a major influence on musicians and composers. Zappa was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997. Zappa was married to Kathryn J. "Kay" Sherman from 1960 to 1964. In 1967, he married Adelaide Gail Sloatman, with whom he remained until his death from prostate cancer in 1993. They had four children: Moon Unit, Dweezil, Ahmet Emuukha Rodan and Diva Thin Muffin Pigeen. . . "

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What if . . .

. . . your host. . .

was. . .

brusque-  blunt in manner or speech often to the point of ungracious harshness

acerbic-  acid in temper, mood, or tone

abrupt-  unceremoniously curt

curt-  marked by rude or peremptory shortness

gruff-  rough, brusque, or stern in manner, speech, or aspect

. . . would YOU return???

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You can NOW download your
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XXX. . .

XXX. . .

9:00pm until 1:00am-Friday, January 25, 2013
You know what this means! We're back at it again. The boys at Airaid Records are bringing you the wildest night in Baltimore music, SCHLONGTASM: XXX! As always, we'll be at Joe Squared - Station North. As always, the night will feature SCHLONGTASM mainstays El Sledge (+). In addition, we have returning to the stage, Jason and the Butchers and OHO*. And this year we welcome newcomer Hangdog. This year we celebrate the big XXX (30 for the Roman-impaired) of the Schlong (Airaid Records Executive Dan Long).  So you know this is a DON'T MISS!
Joe Squared-Station North
133 West North Avenue  Baltimore, MD 21201
(410) 545-0444
joesquared.com/

*Jay Graboski, David Reeve and Ray Jozwiak
Please visit http://www.ohomusic.com


OUT OF THIN AIR by John P. Graboski
Performed by Oho (rehearsal recording)




What do YOU think?
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newest release:
AMBIENCE & WINE

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