Close . . .

. . . but no cigar. . . 

We complain the floor's uneven

When we simply don't know how to dance

In a sentimental treason

Each word is charged as every glance



My foes approach and I start singing

How do I defend against my friends?

The treasure buried where I fumbled

The ball into the tiger's den



Maddened fingers spar

With the laughing strings

I was very close but no cigar



We were on the corner with our cup

The lad with light feet made the girl light up

Putting the pep back into the step

Where you would leap is now where I have leapt



I'm an easy victim of nostalgia

I was making friends among the blind

The filament was bright at high noon

Radiating from the signs



Maddened fingers spar

With the laughing strings

It was very close but no cigar



Find the low denominator

With a hundred pairs of eyes

Leaning on an arm that failed us

Against the grain it's common life



I was choking on imagination

Still I know I get the gist

Sifting through a tired memory

In Paris turning with the twist


Close But No Cigar
By OHO [Jay Graboski, David Reeve & Ray Jozwiak]
(rehearsal recording)





What do you think?
Tell me at
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html 

OHO's "Ocean City Ditty," the CD single is now available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/oho4
(and, if you're in town, at Trax On Wax on Frederick Rd. in Catonsville, MD)

My latest solo release, '2014', can be downloaded digitally at:

(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser:  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak4)

Also, be sure to visit:
http://www.rayjozwiak.com

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Frustrating. . .

I try so hard (at least by my standards) to watch the calendars of the few artists that I would like to see when they're in town and wouldnchaknowit when I fall down on the job one of my most favorite-est people sneaks up and comes to down TOMORROW night when I can't even MAKE it and just when I've reconciled myself to the fact that I will have to see some of these performers in venues where I will have to stand but I know I can do it to see a really good act because I have done it when I saw Fishbone (twice, actually) and would do it again to see Fishbone and of course would happily and most certainly stand through a show by Ani DiFranco anyday that is anyday that i CAN make it which is not tomorrow because i CAN'T! 

FRUSTRATING!

What do you think?
Tell me at
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html 

OHO's "Ocean City Ditty," the CD single is now available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/oho4
(and, if you're in town, at Trax On Wax on Frederick Rd. in Catonsville, MD)

My latest solo release, '2014', can be digitally downloaded at:

(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser:  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak4)

Also, be sure to visit:
http://www.rayjozwiak.com

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Balance . . .

It can be rejuvenating to be alone, free from responsibility and not particularly motivated towards anything constructive, particularly after a relatively hectic period. It's like. . . like being. . . seven years old again.  It does however, frequently become boring and/or evokes a certain guilt about not 'really' accomplishing anything.  And then, of course, you begin to miss the people that have gone elsewhere which rendered you alone in the first place.



Balance is best.

What do you think?
Tell me at
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html 

OHO's "Ocean City Ditty," the CD single is now available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/oho4
(and, if you're in town, at Trax On Wax on Frederick Rd. in Catonsville, MD)

My latest solo release, '2014', can be digitally downloaded at:

(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser:  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak4)

Also, be sure to visit:
http://www.rayjozwiak.com

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Symbiosis . . .

To many, a rock does not represent a thing of beauty;  at least not beauty as currently acceptably perceived in our (American) culture. But to the eye of the artist (and to the mind of the philosopher), a rock does indeed possess many qualities that can be termed 'beautiful'.  Glassy, course, fine-grained, hard, strong, solid, dense and majestic are a few characteristics that may be possessed by a rock. The Christian scriptures use the image effectively where it is stated, "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."  A rock evokes strength, conviction and permanence; all qualities of great merit.

A sponge, conversely, is a multi cellular organism with a body full of pores and channels allowing water to circulate through them, consisting of jelly-like membranes sandwiched between two thin layers of cells. A sponge's most recognized and defining quality is its ability to absorb elements from the environment that surrounds it to the advantage of its very self. All known living sponges can remold their bodies, as most types of their cells can move within their bodies and a few can change from one type to another.

A sponge makes its home by attaching itself to a hard surface, such as a rock.  The product of a combination of one hard, impenetrable, immovable, mass surface and one soft, all-absorbent, impressionable and metamorphosing organism existing, thriving and creating as one, in harmony, is a loosely interpreted form of symbiosis. . . 

. . . not unlike what people can do, if they just allow. . .

What do you think?
Tell me at
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html 

OHO's "Ocean City Ditty," the CD single is now available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/oho4
(and, if you're in town, at Trax On Wax on Frederick Rd. in Catonsville, MD)

My latest solo release, '2014', can be downloaded digitally at:

(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser:  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak4)

Also, be sure to visit:
http://www.rayjozwiak.com

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Bits . . .

. . . of information . . .

(from wikipedia.com)
Even after getting the signal converted to bits, it is still difficult to record; the hardest part is finding a scheme that can record the bits fast enough to keep up with the signal. For example, to record two channels of audio at 44.1 kHz sample rate with a 16 bit word size, the recording software has to handle 1,411,200 bits per second.

For optical disc recording technologies such as CDs or DVDs, a laser is used to burn microscopic holes into the dye layer of the medium. A weaker laser is used to read these signals. This works because the metallic substrate of the disc is reflective, and the unburned dye prevents reflection while the holes in the dye permit it, allowing digital data to be represented.

The number of bits used to represent a single audio wave (the word size) directly affects the achievable noise level of a signal recorded with added dither, or the distortion of an undithered signal. The sample rate is even more important a consideration than the word size. If the sample rate is too low, the sampled signal cannot be reconstructed to the original sound signal.


Slough of Despond
By OHO [Jay Graboski, David Reeve & Ray Jozwiak]
(original tracks recorded at Blueball Studio, Stewartstown, PA)




What do you think?
Tell me at
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html 

OHO's "Ocean City Ditty," the CD single is now available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/oho4
(and, if you're in town, at Trax On Wax on Frederick Rd. in Catonsville, MD)

My latest solo release, '2014', can be digitally downloaded at:

(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser:  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak4)

Also, be sure to visit:
http://www.rayjozwiak.com

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Better Late . . .

. . . than never. . .

Tonight, at the Monday Night Songwriters' Showcase (now in its ninth year!) at Brewer's Alley, 124 N. Market St., in beautiful downtown Frederick, MD

All the way from Ashville, NC – NIKKI TALLEY, accompanied by her husband, JASON SHARP! This touring couple has been compared to another husband and wife duo – Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, but Nikki has more power in her voice, and a little more Appalachian in her songs. She plays guitar and clawhammer banjo and has an extra helping of that mysterious quality called charisma; she will hold your attention! Come and give them a listen! http://www.nikkitalley.com/

The piano prelude this Monday is from Brewer’s Alley veteran keyboard maestro ROCKIN’ RAY JOZWIAK (five years and counting) who will be performing his monthly piano workout for our entertainment. You will hear many notes in Ray’s set and some may spill over into someone else's set too! Come early to be sure of good seats (don't forget we start at 7:15 pm now).

Three-song cameos this week are from REID SCHOENFELDER, (doing a rescheduled set from last week), RICK GALLOWAY, and Hagerstown’s gain, Frederick’s loss, DOUG ALAN WILCOX. We'll also be hearing from poet JOHN HOLLY, some songs from TODD C. WALKER, and Roderick Deacey will be singing a bit and reading a poem or two.

MISTER RON GOAD should be back to bang things this week, rested and ready to rock’n’roll, so any performer who would like a little rhythmic reinforcement, please don't hesitate to ask! Do be prepared for the energetic drum break, though, which can extend your songs by several minutes – think Gene Krupa

What do you think?
Tell me at
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html 

OHO's "Ocean City Ditty," the CD single is now available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/oho4
(and, if you're in town, at Trax On Wax on Frederick Rd. in Catonsville, MD)

My latest solo release, '2014', can be digitally downloaded at:

(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser:  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak4)

Also, be sure to visit:
http://www.rayjozwiak.com

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Resurrection. . .

Many Christian ministers do not share things they learned in the seminary about the  'resurrection' passages in the new testament of the Christian bible during their Easter Sunday sermons.  Nor will they share this information on any other of the 52 Sundays of the year.  As a result, some members of the congregation will continue to read the Matthew resurrection story uncritically as factual history.  Conversely, others will us the story to reconfirm their skepticism about the truth in Christian Faith.  Then, there will be those who truly want to believe in something, but are left on their own to figure out what truth and value there may be in the Christian Gospel.

When the four canonical resurrection accounts (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) are compared side by side they cannot be reasonably reconciled.  Nor can any of the versions of the story be connected to any eye witnesses.  The Matthew account was written at least 50-60 years after the death of Jesus. But no one can doubt that within a few years a rapidly growing number of people believed that this man, Jesus, was raised from the dead. 

Did Jesus come back from the dead in real flesh and blood as one could be led to believe from the the resurrection accounts?  These accounts were  written by devout and believing followers who claimed Jesus as their Lord. But it was recorded in a time tested and honored literary tool widely practiced at that time and place.  Technically, mythology is any story or report in which a god is the primary actor.  Mythology will always defy historical analysis.

Truth, value?  Yes.  History?   No!  
(Thanks to both The Rev. Howard Bess,  a retired American Baptist minister, who lives in Palmer, Alaska.  His email address is  hdbss@mtaonline.net) and to John Shelby Spong, retired American Episcopal bishop, religion commentator and author. He calls for a fundamental rethinking of Christian belief away from theism and traditional doctrines. https://johnshelbyspong.com/ )

What do you think?
Tell me at
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html 

OHO's "Ocean City Ditty," the CD single is now available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/oho4
(and, if you're in town, at Trax On Wax on Frederick Rd. in Catonsville, MD)

My latest solo release, '2014', can be digitally downloaded at:

(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser:  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak4)

Also, be sure to visit:
http://www.rayjozwiak.com

Tweet