Silver Wings by Merle Haggard

 

 

Tomorrow, it will have been one week since Merle Haggard’s death. I am sure his family are still heart broken and wishing they could have just one more moment with him. My prayers are with them and I hope they find some comfort that he is up rocking and waltzing with all of those who have gone before him.

For me, Haggard is part of a California childhood that is drenched in memories of Hee Haw, Lawerence Welk, Dr. Suess, Days of our Lives, General Hospital, along with so other many memories.

Haggard is one of those musicians that crossed boundaries between rock and country without an apology. He basically dared you to listen to his music without tapping your toes, singing along, or letting a few tear drops fall.

Yes, his family will miss him. However, they have the support, the love, the tears, and the prayers of a million or more fans around the world grieving with them.

Awake the Fire by Forever Still

Because of health and legal stuff, I had to disappear for awhile but I’m back. I’m bruised, broken, and well generally feeling like crap. In other words, not much has changed, oh wait, I did have a surgery that will hopefully prevent a low iron problem. Maybe, if I’m lucky, it’s a female thing okay. Let it go.

I was absolutely depressed in the gutter trying to decide what to do next. Literally. I finally decided that maybe I should check my e-mail and social media accounts. Interesting how you can disappear for a few months and this blog and my Twitter account blow up.

I was responding to messages, writing a post for a different blog, and just generally trying to find a reason to care about anything any more. Then, wham! I find this little jewel from Forever Still.

I have no idea who they are honestly, absolutely none. They followed me on Twitter and messaged me back in wow, uuummmmm let me check, December. Ouch that stings a little on my part.  Anyhow, I checked them out on You Tube and this is the most recent video that I could find.

All I can say is wow. Talk about finding the right song to motivate you into finding your voice and standing on your own two feet. Thanks Forever Still, this was the perfect song to help me get out of my pity party.

 

Shame Shame Shame by Ratt

I know, I know, this is a song about cheating in relationships.  However, today I was goofing off on Facebook when I received a friend request. I accept any and all requests because I’m just that type of person.  Sometimes, little warning bells go off and I check the person’s profile.

This person that added me had some major warning bells. I checked out her profile and sure enough the bells were right. First, the profile was new like it had nothing but some info and a picture. Second, the profile said she worked at Facebook HQ. I started laughing.

I waited about a minute or two and sure enough she sent me a private message that went something like this: Hello Melinda Anderson. My response, Hi. How are you and your family doing? My response, Good, how are you? ALSO Good. I’m Charlson Sherry Ann, form United States of America ,I work for Facebook social Network Inc..and you? My response, I’m from the US. I have my own business that makes no money. I was authorized to contact you by the Facebook Organization and to pass some vital information that can change your life for good which is the reason why i added you. My response, Okay, what’s the info? Before i proceed with the message i will like to know if you have heard about the Facebook online lottery. This is where I started laughing and went off.

This is the second time this year some one has tried to pull this scam on me. It took me like 20 minutes to do some research the first time to learn two things. First, the Facebook lottery is a scam. Second, Facebook employees are not allowed to contact users via private messaging on Facebook. I shared this information via Facebook the first time and this time I shared it on Facebook and my different blogs. Both times, I also shared the so called ‘profile’ of the people involved.

I understand that life out in the wide world is hard and people are trying to find anyway to make some money to survive. However, ripping off other people who work hard for what they have is not the right way to go about it. Especially, since there are people like me who will do the research, report the problem to the authorities, then warn everyone they know via social media. I may not be able to protect everyone but I can protect my small corner of the world.

Three O Clock Blues by BB King

I may not always listen to the blues but when I do…..just kidding. Are you as tired of that stupid commercial as I am? I do listen to the blues occasionally and I do know who BB King is. Unfortunately, this great legend has passed away. So here he is ladies and gentleman the one and only BB King with Three O Clock Blues.

Little Red Wagon by Miranda Lambert

This song is tuck in my head, I only saw the video twice. Just imagine, you are trying to work and you start singing out loud, “You can’t ride in my little Red Wagon.”

I Miss You by Blink 182

Okay, it’s a bit early but the next selection up next is Blink 182 with I Miss You. At one point in time, the boss lady used to have Singstar in the house and she would sing this song over and over. Not very well, I might add. Her favorite lyrics are about the comparison between the spiders eating their victims and indecision to call. Personally, I think she just likes the creepy video but what do I know.

Shadowmaker by Apocalyptica

I have been dying to hear some new stuff from Apocalyptica; even if I can’t actually pronounce the name correctly. Really, I have so I have no idea how this album slipped under my radar.  I have not missed the train entirely, the album Shadowmaker is coming out on April 17th.

I have just finished watching their video Cold Blood and I must say it was worth the wait. Once again, they have combined cellos with a heavy metal edge vibe that is pure ear candy.

I think I will actually pre-order this album.

The Music Industry Killed Itself.

I saw this article on Twitter Music didn’t Kill the Music Industry. The Fans did.. and I read it. This is my response.

There is no TV station, radio station, or music store with in 75 mile radius of where we live that plays, carries, or sells new music that we like. They all play whatever is on the Billboard chart. It is very rare when an artist is on that chart that I or my family actually like. Napster allowed me to download songs that I could not buy because they were unavailable or not sold in the U.S. Now, I have iTunes and I use it on almost a monthly basis.

I disagree that fans expect free music. True fans understand that music like anything else is work for the artist and the artist should be paid.

Fans did not kill the music industry. The major factor that has killed almost every industry in the United State is the economy. I know of several people who are not working at all and cannot find work or those who are working two to three jobs just to afford the basic necessities of life like food, shelter, and clothes.  Currently I am not working and my husband’s job only makes enough to pay the bills.

Personally, I believe the music industry killed itself by allowing shows like American Idol to continue, playing reality tv shows on video music channels, and just generally catering to the various charts. I do not want to listen to mediocre talent that is sexy.

Meatloaf is one of the greatest artist in the world and would have been voted off American Idol because he doesn’t have a six pack of abs. What about Lemmy Kilmister, Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osbourne, I listen to a lot of artists that never would have been on American Idol because they just aren’t sexy. I have tried to support some of the artists that appear on American Idol but I just can’t stand listening to almost 90% of them. For instance, Carrie Underwood’s voice to me sounds like finger nails on a chalk board.

VH1 and MTV rarely play music videos any more. When new videos are played, the music sucks and the videos are even worse. My kids, 18 and 20, would rather spend their money on clothes and video games. If MTV and VH1 want to support reality TV shows, that’s fine with me. However, they should create a separate channel and call it RMTV or RVH1 and go back to music videos and associated shows that support artists. VH1 has taken a step forward with That Metal Show.

How are fans like me to suppose to support the music industry if the music industry is unwilling to support us?