Hey Friends,
With a headline like that, we’ve got a lot to live up to, but I believe we can. We are an eclectic blend of cool music with a variety of DJs, formats and genres. Check out the Breakfast Club with Paul Crutcher weekday mornings from 7 to 10:30 am. This show has news, weather, sports, contests, a bunch of visitors, and great tunes. My show, Dr. Rob’s Retro Show, airs weekdays from 10:30 to 11:30 am and again from 4 to 5 pm. We also have the Rhino Power Hour, Nic Nacs with Nicole, Big Tuna’s Def Metal show 10:30 pm on weekends, Flying V playing folk tunes, Sonrise, the Sports Debate with Elliott Sellars, and much, much more. Feel free to join our facebook group too (Click).

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Note:  My son made this video, and we edited it together. The first few frames are a bit shaky, but it settles quickly. I think you’ll enjoy it.

The years have been good to the piano men.

Sir Elton Hercules John  (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947) is an English singer-songwriter, composer and pianist. In his four-decade career, John has been one of the dominant forces in rock and popular music, especially during the 1970s. He has sold over 200 million records, making him one of the most successful artists of all time. He has more than 50 Top 40 hits including seven consecutive No. 1 U.S. albums, 56 Top 40 singles, 16 Top 10, four No. 2 hits, and nine No. 1 hits. He has won five Grammy awards and one Academy Award

William Martin “Billy” Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American rock musician, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. He released his first hit song, “Piano Man”, in 1973. According to the RIAA, Billy Joel is the sixth best-selling recording artist in the United States. Joel had Top 10 hits in the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s and has 33 Top 40 hits in the United States overall. He is also a six-time Grammy Award winner, a 23-time Grammy nominee and has sold in excess of 150 million albums worldwide. He was inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame (Class of 1992), and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (Class of 1999).

 Read my guest post at What Doest This Song Mean To Me and You.

JUST CLICK ON PIC TO GO THERE.

March 7, 1965 was bloody Sunday in Selma, Alabama.

On February 18, 1965, an Alabama State Trooper, Corporal James Bonard Fowler, shot Jimmie Lee Jackson as he tried to protect his mother and grandfather in a café to which they had fled while being attacked by troopers during a nighttime civil rights demonstration in Marion, county seat of Perry County. Jackson died eight days later, of an infection resulting from the gunshot wound, at Selma’s Good Samaritan Hospital.

In response, James Bevel (Director of Direct Action and Nonviolent Education) called for a march from Selma-to-Montgomery, which occurred on March 7, 1965 when 525 to 600 civil rights marchers headed east out of Selma on U.S. Highway 80.

The March to Montgomery had a significant impact on public opinion. Within five months of the third march, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 on August 6th at a ceremony attended by many civil rights leaders and activists, including Amelia Boynton of Selma. This act prohibited most of the unfair practices used to prevent blacks from registering to vote, and provided for federal registrars to go to Alabama and other states with a history of voting-related discrimination to ensure that the law was implemented. In 1960, there were only 53,336 black voters in Alabama, by 1990 this number had risen to 537,285. In Selma, with more than 7,000 blacks added to the voting rolls Sheriff Jim Clark was voted out of office in 1966 (he later served a prison sentence for drug-smuggling). (MORE)

In March 18 yrs later U2 released Sunday Bloody Sunday about another Bloody Sunday.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFM7Ty1EEvs]

 Give Peace a Chance!

Call me sentimental, but I love holiday traditions.

And seeing TSO each year has become a holiday tradition for my boys and me.  Tonight we watched Trans Siberian Orchestra videos on YouTube for about an hour in preparation for our next TSO roadtrip/pilgrimage extravaganza next week. Thus beginning, at least in my family, the official start of glad tiding (aren’t all tidings glad?) and yule cheer (or Ya’ll cheer – here in SC).

The video below was the choice my boys made for me to post here. So here’s their gift to you.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGrhzCgy_bg]

If you’d like, share your traditional kickoff for the holiday season.  Unless you tell me otherwise, I’ll post them along with your web url below. By the way, I know some say happy holidays, but I prefer Merry Christmas. And this time of year, when somebody wishes me a Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, or Happy Ramadan, I wish them a Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, or Happy Ramadan right back.

While I know all the lyrics to all of Boston’s tunes, I had only seen Boston one other time – in 1976 in Spartanburg SC. Thirty two years later the band has celebrated many successes (such as holding the record for best selling debut album with 17 million) and they’ve seen many challenges, the most difficult has been the loss last year of lead singer Brad Delp last year. 

A die-hard Boston fan,  I must admit I didn’t expect to be blown away because of a few less than stellar reviews. I’m pleased to report that not all reviewers know what they’re talking about. Those few who criticised the new line up were simply wrong. The fans last night, from 9 to 69 years young were on their feet, singing and dancing with cell phones a’swaying. Boston delivered on their promise: “Come on let us give your mind a ride.” [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVjY7262ZR0]While I’m a little saddened because I don’t know when the band out of Boston will tour again. They take infamously long rests between tours. One fact remains: Turn on any classic rock radio station and wait 40 minutes. You’ll hear the DJ say, ”Comin up this hour another hit from Boston.”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViZ7Vf5pr8k]

“You shouldn’t have seen that new Jaws movie,” my mom told me. “Now go back in the ocean and have fun.” What my mom was responding to was my cries that I just saw a group of sharks swimming pretty darn close to where I was riding the waves. 

It took my mom less than five minutes to convince me that I was just letting my imagination get the better of me. 

“You’re right,” I said as I waded back into the ocean, a little embarrassed by my immaturity. I was 12 at the time, and I had just seen the movie Jaws the week before. If I remember correctly, it had taken me a few days just to get back in the bathtub after that movie. I saw sharks everywhere; there were even a couple under my bed.

No sooner was I was back in my wave-riding position, when a lifeguard hopped off his stand blowing his whistle. He was waving frantically for us to come in. Then I noticed about five dorsal fins between me and the shore.  I realized I couldn’t go forward, and I didn’t dare go backward, so I stood there. The lifeguard pushed his white, wooden boat through the breakers; then he began to paddle out to where I was. There was an elderly couple out deeper than me.

Being that I was a boyscout at the time, chock full of courtesy, kindness, bravery, reverence and all the rest, I recall hoping with all my might that he would pick me up first.  But for the longest 3 minutes of my life, I watched as the lifeguard paddled right past me.

What I remember next must be an exaggeration of the facts because I clearly remember walking on water. As soon as I finished watching in disbelief as the lifeguard nearly ran me over, I realized the fins had temporarily vanished.

All I can remember next was seeing my mom’s shocked expression as I shot through the water like a torpedo.

A little while later, maybe 30 minutes or so, I noticed a few policeman running down the dock just beside where we had been swimming.  I later found out a couple of neanderthals had been fishing for sharks with pot roast soaked in blood.

Needless to say dumb and dumber got to spend the night in jail. I, on the other hand, got as much pizza as I could eat from my mom – plus the Eagles’ brand new album “One Of These Nights.”

Whenever I hear Mr. Jaws by Dickie Goddman, it brings me back to my first trip to Myrtle Beach . . . especially tonight just a few hours before I leave to take my 12 and 10 year old sons to Myrtle Beach – 33 years after my close encounter with Mr. Jaws.

We we’re just another band out of

The legendary rock band BOSTON is on tour RIGHT NOW playing venues all across the northern hemisphere. For more than three decades, this rock band has been a perennial fan and rock radio favorite. Tunes like More Than A Feeling, A Man I’ll Never Be, Smokin, Feeling Satisfied, Don’t Look Back, and Peace of Mind are mega-classic hits. Introduced to the nation in the middle of the disco era, BOSTON helped bring grassroots rock and roll back to the forefront of the American music scene. BOSTON’s self-titled first album has sold over 17 million copies holding a record for best selling debut album. http://bandboston.com/”  Last year, the album was ranked 43 in a list of 200 definitive rock albums by the National Association of Record Manufacturers and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Fans young and not-so-young are revving their engines in anticipation for this year’s long awaited classic rock party. Music lovers unindoctrinated to the sound that is BOSTON are in for an unbelievable journey fueled by such standards as Foreplay/longtime, Amanda, and Cool the Engines. Elaborate stage production is a hallmark of Boston, and this year’s tour is no different. Fans will hitch a ride with the band on a spaceship in a journey through time and music.

The current cast of BOSTON is: Michael Sweet, Tommy DeCarlo, Jeff Neal, Kimberley Dahme, Gary Pihl and the main man himself Tom Scholz.

Despite fans’ overwhelming sorrow in the death of Boston long-time lead singer, the incredible Brad Delp in March 2007, Sweek and DeCarlo are filling the bill. While Sweet (Stryper frontman), is a rock veteran, DeCarlo is not only new to Boston, but has never performed in a band before. According to PE.com, Scholtz invited DeCarlo to play in a tribute concert to Delp after hearing DeCarlo’s YouTube  post on his MySpace site.

What Scholtz had to say in an interview with Alan Sculley for The Press-Enterprise: was music to fans ears:

“Some bands don’t like playing their old, or their original songs,” Scholz said in a recent phone interview. “I mean, some of these songs I wrote over 30 years ago. But I guess there’s something wrong with me because I still like them.”

Fans and soon-to-be fans are encouraged to take a trip to the official BOSTON website at http://bandboston.com, Take a spin on the super-cool flying guitar to visit Boston’s news, music, history, and more.  Enjoy the journey accompanined by stunning graphics and awesome sound effects.

Check out this 1976 video of BOSTON playing More than a Feeling followed by a fanvid of BOSTON from June 2008.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcsVPis1iNs] [wpvideo i4kBFE9C]

Date                          City                            Venue   Confirmed*

June 6 2008          Thunder Bay, Ont             Marina Park photos

June 7 2008          Winnipeg, Man                  MTS Center *

June 13 2008        Hinckley, MN                   Grand Casino *

June 14 2008        Sault Sainte Marie, MI      Kewadin Casino *

June 15 2008        Detroit, MI                       DTE Amphitheater *

June 19 2008        Baton Rouge, LA              River Place *

June 20 2008        Kinder, LA                       Grand Casino Coushatta *

June 21 2008        San Antonio, TX               Verizon Amphitheater *

June 22 2008        Houston, TX                     Woodlands *

June 24 2008        Grand Prairie, TX             Nokia Live Theater *

June 25 2008        Oklahoma City, OK         Zoo Amphitheatre *

June 27 2008        Phoenix, AZ                     Dodge Theater *

June 28 2008        Las Vegas, NV               Thomas and Mack *

June 29 2008        Tucson, AZ                    Anselmo Valencia Amphitheater *

July 1 2008           Los Angeles, CA            Gibson Amphitheater *

July 3 2008           Del Mar, CA                  San Diego County Fair/ Grandstand *

July 4 2008          Reno, NV                        Peppermill Hotel Casino-Tuscany Ballroom *

July 5 2008          Kelseyville, CA                Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa – Field *

July 7 2008          Saratoga, CA                   The Mountain Winery sold out

July 8 2008          Saratoga, CA                   The Mountain Winery *

July 10 2008        Seattle, WA                       Marymoor Amphitheatre *

July 11 2008        Boise, ID                           Idaho Center Amphitheatre *

July 12 2008        Wendover, NV                Peppermill Casino *

July 13 2008        Denver, CO                     Red Rocks Amphitheater *

July 16 2008        Mahnomen, MN              Shooting Star Casino *

July 17 2008       Cadott, WI                        Rock Fest *

July 18 2008        Monticello, IA                   Great Jones Fair *

July 19 2008        Kansas City, MO              Ameristar Casino *

July 20 2008        Bloomington, IL                 US Cellular Colliseum *

July 22 2008        Kettering, OH                   Fraze Pavilion *

July 23 2008        Chicago, IL                      Charter One Pavilion *

July 25 2008        St. Louis, MO                  The Family Arena *

July 26 2008        West Bend, WI                Washington County Fair Park (Main Stage) *

July 27 2008        Elizabeth, IN                    Caesar’s Indiana *

July 30 2008        Rama, ON                       Casino Rama Entertainment Center *

Aug 1 2008         Big Flats, NY                    Summer Stage *

Aug 2 2008         Gilford, NH                       US Cellular Pavillion *

Aug 3 2008         Mansfield, MA                   Tweeter Center *

Aug 4 2008         Bethlehem, PA                   Musikfest *

Aug 6 2008         Uncasville, CT                    Mohegan Sun Arena *

Aug 8 2008          Glen Allen, VA                  Innsbrook Pavilion *

Aug 9 2008         Salamanca, NY                  Events Center @ Seneca Allegany *

Aug 10 2008        Holmdel, NJ                      PNC Bank Center *

Aug 12 2008       Wantagh, NY                     Nikon Jones Beach *

Aug 13 2008        Baltimore, MD                   The Pier *

Aug 15 2008        Atlantic City, NJ                Tropicana Casino and Resort *

Aug 16 2008        Roanoke Rapids, NC          Carolina Crossroads Amphitheater *

Aug 17 2008        Atlanta, GA                         Verizon Amphitheater *

Aug 19 2008        Greenville, SC                     Bi-Lo Center *

Aug 21 2008        Hollywood, FL                    Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino *

Aug 22 2008        St. Augustine, FL                 St. Augustine Amphitheatre *

Aug 23 2008        Clearwater, FL                    TBA *

Aug 26 2008         Syracuse, NY                     New York State Fair *

Aug 31 2008         San Juan, PR                      Miguel Agrelot-Colicco de Puerto Rico *