LTH rocks the Dinosaur

Great show last night at the Dinosaur BBQ in Syracuse with Last Train Home. Eric, Marty, Dave and the boys put on their usual top-notch show, and Mike, Steve and I had a great time. We also enjoyed our bartender, Miss Bethany, but maybe that's a tale for another time. Nice to talk to Scott and Mary, too.

It was another "It's A Small World" moment as Marty (pictured above, front left) and I figured out that we knew 5 or 6 of the same people from Apopka/Orlando, FL, two of whom included his old band director and my old boss. I can hear that freakin' song in 100 languages in my head right now. Ouch.

Don't forget that LTH will perform their magic at the Rochester Dinosaur tonight. Their road trip then takes them to Chicago for a Friday night gig.

Wander by the LTH website.

Hey, Jeff, need a new guitar?

Eric Clapton offered up 56 guitars at auction on Thursday to benefit the Crossroads Centre in Antigua, an addiction treatment center founded by Clapton. "Blackie," the Strat he played on stage from 1970 to 1985, sold for $959,500. Wow!!

And "Lenny," one of Stevie Ray Vaughan's axes, sold for $623,500. Just incredible.

More info @ stratcollector.com.

It was a great beach party!

Thanks to Pat and everyone at Mac's for sticking us onstage Friday night. We got there and found out it was a Molson Chiller Beach Party, so the staff was dressed in bikinis and other beachwear. Yowza!

Another big thanks to the Molson rep, John, for his t-shirt and cooler giveaways, and lots of festive beads and leis.

We really enjoyed the full light show and the drum riser. Rock on, dudes!

And with the Independence Day weekend coming up, don't forget to start it with us at the Brae Loch Inn in Cazenovia on Friday July 2nd. See you there!

Please, please, please, make Whitney go away

I don't want anymore Whitney Houston CD's. Especially not 1300 copies of it. Make it stop, please ...

Oh, in other news, the RIAA screws up again. First, they file suit against grandmothers and 12-year olds, now they weasel out of a settlement on price gouging by giving away worthless CDs.

Bad news for libraries in Washington, reported on CNN.com.

"Dr. Bob" - hmm, got a nice ring to it, doesn't it?

The University of St. Andrews in Scotland made Bob Dylan an honorary Doctor of Music on Wednesday, in recognition of his "outstanding contribution to musical and literary culture." Rock on, Dr. Bob!!

Dr. Dylan accepts honor

All Songs Considered: Summer Preview 2004

NPR's online music show, All Songs Considered, looked at some of the music that will be released this summer and previewed a bunch of it. There's music from Jonathan Richman, Ray Charles, The Roots, and more. At the site you can hear the entire show, or just listen to individual songs.

All Songs Considered @ npr.org.

Has it really been 20 years?

It doesn't seem that long ago (to me, anyway), but the Detroit Tigers last won the World Series in 1984, so they're commemorating the 20th anniversary of that title this summer.

It was a memorable team featuring the likes of Willie Hernandez, Kirk Gibson, Jack Morris, Lance Parrish, Lou Whitaker, Alan Trammell, Chet Lemon, and manager Sparky Anderson.

After their clinching game vs. the Padres, my friends and I drove into the city and celebrated the victory with thousands of other fans. It's an event I'll never forget. I gave more high fives to strangers that night than any other time in my life. Unbelievable.

The Detroit Free Press tracked down the coaches and players from that team in a "Where are they now?" recap.

Summertime ... when the livin' is easy

It's officially summer, and it seems like summer and music go hand in hand. What are your favorite summer tunes? This page at Boston.com lists some classics, plus a bunch of other user-submitted suggestions.

Summer Tunes @ Boston.com.

Doin' our best to stay up with the latest trends ...

It's always good to know what's happening out there in the world of pop music, and one way we do that is by watching VH1's Top 20 Video Countdown every weekend. It's a good barometer of CD sales, video plays, and other measures of popularity. You'll see everything from superstars to up-and-comers and everything in between. The website is also good, 'cause you can watch all the videos and learn more about each of the artists.

Someday you may see the MEB on this list ...

Top 20 Video Countdown on VH1.com.

Hey, check these guys out - Los Lonely Boys

Hailing from San Angelo, TX, this band of brothers (guitarist Henry Garza, bassist JoJo Garza, and drummer Ringo Garza Jr.) caught the ear and eye of Willie Nelson a few years back. They recorded their CD at Willie's Austin studio, and he even plays on the record.

Their single "Heaven" is a very catchy, upbeat cruising tune with hints of Stevie Ray Vaughn, Los Lobos, and Clapton. Give these guys a listen; I think you'll get hooked.

Video, bio, and other stuff is at VH1.com.

Happy 122nd Birthday, Igor

Born June 17, 1882, Igor Stravinsky was one of the 20th century's greatest and most influential composers. His The Rite of Spring and The Fire Bird Suite are standard pieces in any contemporary classical library.

Sadly, he's no longer around to celebrate the bithday he shares with Barry Manilow, Joe Piscopo, Venus Williams, Greg Kinnear, and M.C. Escher. Wouldn't that be a fun party?

You can read his bio and get a number of links to information about him at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

What was that song again?

Ever hear a song on the radio and don't know who it's by? Or somebody says, "What was that old song that says 'down on the corner'?" Or you want to see how many #1 records Madonna has?

Well, this is the perfect place to find it. Top40db.net is an incredible resource for artists and lyrics, and it doesn't have a bunch of pop-ups or spyware or other stupid crap. You'll want to register to get the most out of it, including chart position, songwriter, and more, but registration is free and simple, so go ahead.

You can search by artist, title, year, phrase, or word, plus they have little trivia and word games every day. It's not flashy, but it's an amazing resource. He's also taking donations to keep the database up-to-date.

I use this site almost daily as I'm doing my Lyric Of The Day, and it's been invaluable.

Top40db.net

Bruce in a museum? Are we really that old?

The Newark Museum is featuring a brand new exhibit entitled Springsteen — Troubadour of the Highway. Running June 17 through August 29, it features photos by Annie Leibovitz, Pamela Springsteen, David Gahr, and more. It focuses on Bruce's continuing themes of cars and the highway, using photos, illustrations, and lyrics to present the information. It really looks fascinating.

Road trip, anyone?

The Newark Museum page about the exhibit.

Free?! And Legal? Like the Olsen Twins?

GarageBand.com has a new "Music Sharing License," where you can download music freely and legally. No problems from the RIAA, no $.99 downloads, just free music. Now there's an idea ...

Oh, and you can get MEB music (for free, of course!) on our Music page.

Wired News talks about GarageBand.com.

Happy Birthday Mary-Kate and Ashley

Happy 18th Birthday to Little Cameron Diaz #1 and Little Cameron Diaz #2.

Ray Charles | 1930-2004

So long, Ray, we'll miss you.

Nice column from the Detroit Free Press' Freep.com.

GN'R plus STP equals ...

Guns N' Roses ruled the 1980s with a mixture of punk and glam rock, while Stone Temple Pilots were one of the top grunge bands of the '90s. Both crumbled under an avalanche of alcohol and drug abuse, but now individual members have recovered and merged to bring back rebellious rock anthems as Velvet Revolver.

Read about Velvet Revolver on CNN.com

One dollar cannolis ovah heah!

Wow, what a great weekend that was!

Friday night at the Brae Loch Inn in Cazenovia was wonderful as usual, with great weather and a beautiful night and lots of party people. Thanks, of course, to Jim and Val (celebrating their 16th anniversary!) for having us, and to Tyler for bring his harp skills.

And Saturday night at the Taste of Syracuse was one to remember. Although we were stuck on a postage stamp-sized stage, the crowd really got into the acoustic(ish) sets we played, and we had a wonderful time. Special thanks to The Italian Chef Pizza (Butternut St. on the Northside) and Carrabba's in Fayetteville for feeding us their wonderful food, and to Brian Bruse and T.J. Sheehan for the adult beverages from Anheuser-Busch.

The 10 best rock bands ever (and we're not listed?!?!)

From Eric Olsen, a regular contributor to MSNBC.com, here is his list.

10. Sly and the Family Stone
9. Bob Marley & The Wailers
8. Pink Floyd
7. Ramones
6. Led Zeppelin
5. Velvet Underground
4. Grateful Dead
3. U2
2. Rolling Stones
1. Beatles

Here is his criteria/reasoning:

First, the winners had to be an actual band, which eliminated most of the first wave rock ‘n’ roll greats of the '50s like Elvis and Chuck Berry, who were essentially solo artists with backup bands, other towering figures like Bob Dylan, and vocal groups. The bands had to be within the greater circle of “rock” music and generate most or all of their own material. I took into account musical and cultural influence, popularity over time (staying power), and the “It’s a Wonderful Life” factor: What damage would be done if the band were to be removed from rock history? — the greater the damage, the greater the band. Removal of any of the above 10 would render rock history unrecognizable.

Do you think he's right on? Or completely nuts? Agree or disagree? Let us know by adding your comments (click the "Comments" link below right).

See the list and his explanation on MSNBC.com

MEB in the Post-Standard

Nice to see that the Syracuse Post-Standard has once again featured the MEB in the Weekend section of the paper. Mike is pictured near the article about the Taste Of Syracuse festival going on tonight and tomorrow. Make sure you pick up a copy of the paper today, since there is a full section on the TOS; maps, entertainment schedule, and more.

We'll be playing 7-10 Saturday night on the West Stage, which is conveniently located next to the beer and wine tasting tents. Is that perfect or what?

Taste of Syracuse info on syracuse.com.

Beatles + Drugs?!? Say it isn't so!

You mean "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" wasn't a nursery rhyme? And "Day Tripper" wasn't about Jack from Three's Company?

Shocking.

OK, maybe not.

Paul tells all on MSNBC.com.

I guess Kool & The Gang is out of a job

Now what kind of crap is this?!?!

'Ladies Night' Discount Axed in N.J. Bars
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - The state's top civil rights official has ruled that taverns cannot offer discounts to women on "ladies nights," agreeing with a man who claimed such gender-based promotions discriminated against men.

Read the full article at MyWay.com

Brae Loch Inn

Hope to see y'all out this Friday night at the Brae Loch.
We party outside if the weather cooperates & then we head inside for Tuaca shots with Jim and Val.
See you there!