Expandable thoughts...
Not everyone will agree with me, I know that. Making this kind of statement isn't about gaining favor. It's about what is inspiring to the person.
So some might ask me what's so special about being a musician? Simple answer is I connect with it completely.
...
The next more difficult answer is sorting out the details of the issues of my interests.
But the more basic of all of these things comes from the historical point of inspiration...
I was not born being a guitar player...a Bluesman (maybe I was )...a Pop song writer...an entertainer, some might perceive that a person might have some cosmic connection connecting to them from the womb of life but that is not my reason. Virtuosity is not my gift.
Just simple plain ol everyday stuff. Living each day, seeing others as the appear to me and taking inspiration for what it's worth.
Now some don't have it that simple...they try to make it with their own desires ahead of the purpose...Money, Fame, and two handfuls of any number of reason to be successful. For me it has always been about life.
Now really what I started out wanting to say has gotten lost in the babble so I will regroup and focus.
If there was anyone thing and this is strictly material about Rock music/Blues performance is the way it looks to someone who is watching the performance and then about the one who is performing.
The essence of the performance comes from the Artist either with or without a lot of cool gear/equipment...it is like a great coat you wear or a hat or a pair of boots that for a Musician on or off stage the equipment matters significantly.
For me is has first been about the material you are playing and secondly the way you reflect the feel through your gear.
There is power not only in the electricity but in the image of what you do, how the gear you use and how you hold yourself within these props that can make your words and sound more dynamic.
Simple description...A Gibson Les Paul, a Marshall Amp ( or a bunch of them ) and the right kinda of power chords to set the image in the artists center.
It is as important as a Policeman having his uniform...a Scientist having his Laboratory, it matters.
I have read interviews, I won't name names...that doesn't matter but what I have read over the years is some who disclaim the desire or want of specific gear...opting for anything they could put their hands on...no matter the quality. Well it could be true but I call BS only because I have played poorly built and designed gear...once that happens and you have discovered that better gear helps to make you Better in most cases that is where you elevate to. Otherwise the statements become and are hype designed for embellishment of a story...or controversy. Part of the Entertainment business...not part of being a good musician.
So there in lies my infatuation...Good music and lyrics plus killer gear equals the best damn Rock and Roll that can be experienced. Period. Amen!
Reply
Well I did it...it's posted, the new version of 'Good Luck'. Kinda a got crossed up in Robin Trower, Frank Marino of Mahogany Rush...and any number of Wah Wah base driven Boogie Rockers...It was fun to do, give it a listen and remember to turn it up....get gi-ven!
Reply
Greetings...
So I got bit, was watching a current live performance video of Robin Trower playing 'Day Of The Eagle' and I couldn't let it go. Killer song always but heres the deal...
So this morning I was thinking of this song and the Trower track remembering the in a comment I made a week ago about how I loved a good Wah Wah guitar part and thinking of this song...which in it's current form has none.
So this morning I reworked this song and have come up with something interesting.
In the next few days hopefully I can release it, I've got the most of it in the can...just got to tweak of few things and well there you have it.
In the mean time give this a spin...Spoiler alert...( the songs about a Hobo )...and what we do at a train station and along a Rail run. We wave.
2015 version of 'Good Luck' coming soon!
Reply
In threw the out door....
Interesting play on words...kind of like life it's self.
Like it has been said you can either look forward to dying or you can live for today. That actually applies to everything but you have to approach each portion simply one at a time.
In music it's as relative as the life experiences we are all challenged with. No two situations are the same...either you can fold up and go home or you can stick you neck out and step threw the envelope of fear and do what you wanted all along.
Sometimes there is no doing...actually you are doing something but it seems sterile to the path you seem to be going but...in reality there is forward motion...and it is your fate.
As much as anyone individual might think they are not in control the truth is you/me we are at the wheel of destiny. All our thoughts and actions bring us to our place in time.
It's not a prophecy...this is not a religious belief, it's basic math at work...
Jim Dandy from Black Oak Arkansas fame in a lyric wrote and sang...it's the positive and the negative...
The whole of our existence comes down to the decisions that are made for us and the decisions we make for ourselves and which road we choose.
There are so many things to consider but as with all things only one decision can be made.
The normal path is a myth...there in no normal but what is.
In threw the out door... doesn't seem that strange after all now does it?
Reply
Lyrics titled,,,
'NorthernBandit'
Written By: Burt K. Arthur Copyright March 14 2015
Never been to Jacksonville except on vinyl
Where Rock grew from Gospel and Blues
Sometimes slow and methodical
Other times racing like a Shiners dash with the goods
Dreamt about Austin Texas
Where Jimi seemed to have effected them too
Wide open places and red clay roads
With slide guitar oozing out of the radio
Way up in the Northwest
Where all you see are Evergreens
Funk and Soul, Rock and Roll
Never had it's self a better place
I have always wanted to ride the rails
Take a journey to Southern states
I don't take nothing that doesn't belong to me
That's why Rock and Blues are so great
Wanted to travel to the Crossroads
Away cross route 66
Playing Rock and singing Blues
As free as a bird some might say
Now my ideas may be just fanciful
These notions rolling round in my mind
Staring out the window dreaming
With my Ear Goggles on
Never took anything for granted
Being inspired can bring so many things
At times I might feel like a NorthernBandit
but you know that's alright by me
Reply
Good Sunday morning everyone!
First off I want to share this song with you...Listen to it first and then if you so choose please read the following.
I have had the pleasure of being in music a very long time...today it doesn't seem that stress related cause I have been doing this for almost 45 years, it has not always been easy but what I can say is that a man, Songwriter/Singer, Producer and Musician that I was fortunate enough to meet in late 2013, early 2014 over an Internet conversation about music changed up my thoughts about collaboration and Musicianship, His name is Victor Snow of Kansas City Missouri.
At some point I think we can all go back to a point of reference and pick out something that really mattered to us in our life...and what I would tell you that meeting Victor was monumental to me. 'One More Day' is a reflection of life...and I think he understood that. I was fortunate enough to find in him a Producer that picked up on that and with his Musicianship and experience help me make this song the best I have ever created.
Another person who I too met in social media through a website that celebrated the one Bass player I elevate above all others, Jack Bruce, Greatest In The World ( Quote by Leslie West and me ) Singer/Songwriter, Bassist and Composer...Jacks nephew of Dundee, Scotland, Kenneth Bruce, who through a series of chats and posts inspired me to create this song with hopes that he, Ken Bruce might want to play Bass guitar on this recording with Victor and I. Sadly due to issues Ken was not able to perform with us but the song is dedicated to him and as a tribute to his late Uncle Jack Bruce!
Life is too short not to tell someone you appreciate them or that you like them because of who they are to you and what they mean to you in your life so it is with these humble words I say Thank You Victor and Ken and Jack...For without me having had the opportunity of knowing you could I say I would have made it this far otherwise. I am a happy man.
Peace my Brothers. Forever thinking of you!
To all my friends and family, I hope you enjoyed the song listening to it as much as I enjoyed the excitement of recording it. It was inspiring!
Reply
What more can you say when you mention his name in the context of Singer/Songwriter...Artist...Band member of the Hammer of the Gods 'Led Zeppelin'.
But wait...there's more.
He is rather deep in thought about things most of the time...in touch with the universe he is part of. like many great Blues artists drawing from the energy at a given point and time.
I don't want to compare myself to him...there is no comparison to be made...we are all individual in this space and time but...I do draw some similarities with him at least in the way we think about performance in song. Like when recording.
Something I have come to except is that I have certain limitations in what I do...as much as I think I would like to do take after take until it is absolutely right...perfect is not really what creating music is about.
It involves many more humanistic things like emotion, timing, awareness...attitude, all within the context of the written material and the time available to do so.
I have come to understand that it is a 'Feeling' that helps you make the decision to either leave a lyric's vocal performance or to shoot for the sweet spot.
It is kind of like the epiphany Eric Clapton had years ago when he realized you don't have to live the Blues to play the Blues...you just play them...all of our lives are littered with source material for the creation of great Blues songs...and like a great lyric and effort in singing a song does not rely on it being perfect...just real!
One or two takes usually should be it...of course you have to be somewhat in shape before you start recording but true emotion in the song comes from the instant of being inspired.
So in a way I did it didn't I? I made the comparison. Sorry it was not intentional... I only reference my life in music loosely to my peers because they are who have inspired me.
You can read about Robert Planet in the article I posted earlier on FB...check it out...and Keep On Rockin!
Reply
...1964 was a very good year for me, I was 9 or 10 years old...The Beatles, Paul McCartney...and the fact I was left hand set in motion a fate only you could dream about but it became true.
Never one to give in or give up even with the diverse challenges I would face throughout my life...I was bitten by Rock and Roll...the Music of the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's the Past and the Present.
When I was in Junior High School, friends and classmates I knew were in bands and performed...Craig played Drums so cool and Randy and his girlfriend sang duet and play Lennon and McCartney songs and just killed at the talent shows.
I remember going to 'Hard Days Night' by myself at the local theater and walking away feeling even more immersed in the myth of the Big Screen and Popular Music.
I didn't even play an instrument yet...I had 9 volt Transistor Radio and a paper route and one day decided I was going to take my hard earned money and sign up for guitar lessons...well I did and got my very first acoustic guitar and my first lesson, I was so jacked up I could barely keep my feet on the ground but that would be short lived. As a result of my independence movement...I learned immediately that with out asking permission to do so would stifle my interest for another five years...I was made to return the guitar and cancel my lessons...I was crushed but not defeated.
Fast forward to 1973...had entered and left College life the first time, had my own apartment and my college friends ( Musicians ) along with the British Blues Rock scene had incased me in enough amour to go down to the local music store and by my first Electric Bass Guitar.
Through many ups and downs and being kick out of the band I had helped name and played Bass Guitar in 1978 I drove down to the local music store and traded my Ampeg Bass Amp Stack in and got my first Electric Six String guitar...and I have never looked back.
Today I am what most call an 'Instrumentalist' I write, compose and record in the comfort of my home studio. I am a Singer/Songwriter and I love what I have become through music...it has nothing to do with being a Rock Star though very early on, yeah I tried but you know they told me "never quite your day job"...and so I have still been able to enjoy all that I do.
I don't create perfection I create ideas, they are raw...sometimes basic and other times hinting at the potential they could have if I ever the opportunity to be in a real Studio...but enough of that...What I deliver is honest...story driven Rock! Inspired by History and life experiences...my desire is to have people enjoy the passage of these creations.
I will continue on my quest until there is no more time...second to the love for my wife and son, Music is my Soul Hobby...when I don't play, write and imagine what I could do I become a very dull boy.
What I want to do is say thank you for you support...it is appreciated! I love this Classic Blues Rock writer I have become...Peace be with you and good fortune always in your quest in modern music!
Reply
Memories...My friend Glen (Smittty) Smith
I have a lot of great things to be thankful for...I won't go into detail about because...well it's too complicated.
But since my Faceboook pages are Music oriented that's what this is about.
I once had an friend...his name was Glen Smith...as time went along any one who knew him called him 'Smitty'. First time I meet him was in 1971, a few years before I even entertained the thought of playing Bass guitar, I was a senior in high school...living with my father in a 2nd story apartment in PA. Smitty, his wife and their baby girl lived in the apartment just across the hall. I only encounter him once, I think my dad introduced me to them in passing one day. Smitty was a Coasty...United States Coast Guard. But he was a Rocker! I later partied and played music with Glen...even moved to Traverse City Michigan in 1980 thinking we would start a Band.
He also played Bass Guitar and was in a Band...Smitty was a free spirit to some extents...The part that everyone who met him gravitated toward...He always had a smile, genuinely happy to see you and was ready to climb the mountain with you or for you or he'd seemingly want to drag you along and we all got on board with cause he was so much fun!
So the reason I bring this all up is that if you think about the time frame Lynyrd Skynyrd was getting everybody Rockin...
I just finished watching 'Behind the Music' and my emotions got the best of me.
Smitty was the embodiment of a goodtime and so was Lynyrd Skynyrd...To this day I still levitate toward Southern Rock...bands like The Allman Brothers, BlackFoot, Molly Hatchet, The OutLaws...and many more but this is about my old friend.
I can still see him grooving to a good tune stompin his left foot and with his right arm raised on the down beat snappin his fingers like his hitting a drum...he was a little crazy like we all were...we were kindred spirits.
He loved his family, his friends...guitars, amps and drums, he like his music loud and the night to never end and he loved Volkswagons too.
I have tried for many years to find you...
These are my memories Smitty....of you! Miss you Brother!
Reply
The Grand illusion!
So if perception is everything...what is reality?
It is what you perceive. Not everyone's perception is equal to another, one of the many things about being human that baffles the intellect.
Ok...I am being a bit esoteric. The idea of perception is nothing new, the idea of being in a universe and yet not seeing what really is going on is not an issue of ignorance in most cases, it is a case of too much going on around you to be able to filter all that is happening completely.
If you look at every aspect of a life there are so many levels of perception one can get lost in the overload...the goal is to understand what you understand within the context of your life...you are who you are. You can not be anything but unless you decide to change but change will not alter the realities you see unless you become aware of other realities within the changes you have made.
So now I've done it...I have crossed the line and gone into the abyss.
It's like when...let me make an example. A long time ago I was in a traffic accident as a passenger. Like each of our lives full of so many things...riding in a car you are observing what is going on around you like a picture show...a passenger in this envelope of time with wheels and a roadway and your just streaming along watching the scenery when all of a sudden a car comes at you from a different direction and the driver of your vehicle can't react fast enough and in an instance...
Your universe changes dramatically...from peaceful forward motion to blunt force conditions. Time speeds up but it feels like you have slowed down in slow motion and what you have is this suspended kind of feeling about you and your surrounding.
It is because our being can only take on so much information...somehow our being hones in on the most obvious part of the current reality and that is what we perceive.
It is our perception of life that we all have some common ground on...but the level of commonality is something society doesn't measure and recognize with any accuracy, usually as a criticism or judgement. Doctors measure our perception but only when they think we are troubled or are in trouble...rarely when we are 'normal' and usually when they think we are exceptionally perceptive.
Ah…hence The Grand Illusion!
Reply
NorthernBandit / Burt K. Arthur / Mississippi Fats / Blog
Expanable thoughts...
Expandable thoughts... Not everyone will agree with me, I know that. Making this kind of statement isn't about gaining favor. It's about what is inspiring to the person. So some might ask me what's so special about being a musician? Simple answer is I connect with it completely. ... The next more difficult answer is sorting out the details of the issues of my interests. But the more basic of all of these things comes from the historical point of inspiration... I was not born being a guitar player...a Bluesman (maybe I was )...a Pop song writer...an entertainer, some might perceive that a person might have some cosmic connection connecting to them from the womb of life but that is not my reason. Virtuosity is not my gift. Just simple plain ol everyday stuff. Living each day, seeing others as the appear to me and taking inspiration for what it's worth. Now some don't have it that simple...they try to make it with their own desires ahead of the purpose...Money, Fame, and two handfuls of any number of reason to be successful. For me it has always been about life. Now really what I started out wanting to say has gotten lost in the babble so I will regroup and focus. If there was anyone thing and this is strictly material about Rock music/Blues performance is the way it looks to someone who is watching the performance and then about the one who is performing. The essence of the performance comes from the Artist either with or without a lot of cool gear/equipment...it is like a great coat you wear or a hat or a pair of boots that for a Musician on or off stage the equipment matters significantly. For me is has first been about the material you are playing and secondly the way you reflect the feel through your gear. There is power not only in the electricity but in the image of what you do, how the gear you use and how you hold yourself within these props that can make your words and sound more dynamic. Simple description...A Gibson Les Paul, a Marshall Amp ( or a bunch of them ) and the right kinda of power chords to set the image in the artists center. It is as important as a Policeman having his uniform...a Scientist having his Laboratory, it matters. I have read interviews, I won't name names...that doesn't matter but what I have read over the years is some who disclaim the desire or want of specific gear...opting for anything they could put their hands on...no matter the quality. Well it could be true but I call BS only because I have played poorly built and designed gear...once that happens and you have discovered that better gear helps to make you Better in most cases that is where you elevate to. Otherwise the statements become and are hype designed for embellishment of a story...or controversy. Part of the Entertainment business...not part of being a good musician. So there in lies my infatuation...Good music and lyrics plus killer gear equals the best damn Rock and Roll that can be experienced. Period. Amen!
Reply
Ok...so I said soon, I did'nt say how soon!
Well I did it...it's posted, the new version of 'Good Luck'. Kinda a got crossed up in Robin Trower, Frank Marino of Mahogany Rush...and any number of Wah Wah base driven Boogie Rockers...It was fun to do, give it a listen and remember to turn it up....get gi-ven!
Reply
2015 'Good Luck' new version soon...
Greetings... So I got bit, was watching a current live performance video of Robin Trower playing 'Day Of The Eagle' and I couldn't let it go. Killer song always but heres the deal... So this morning I was thinking of this song and the Trower track remembering the in a comment I made a week ago about how I loved a good Wah Wah guitar part and thinking of this song...which in it's current form has none. So this morning I reworked this song and have come up with something interesting. In the next few days hopefully I can release it, I've got the most of it in the can...just got to tweak of few things and well there you have it. In the mean time give this a spin...Spoiler alert...( the songs about a Hobo )...and what we do at a train station and along a Rail run. We wave. 2015 version of 'Good Luck' coming soon!
Reply
Imagine that!
In threw the out door.... Interesting play on words...kind of like life it's self. Like it has been said you can either look forward to dying or you can live for today. That actually applies to everything but you have to approach each portion simply one at a time. In music it's as relative as the life experiences we are all challenged with. No two situations are the same...either you can fold up and go home or you can stick you neck out and step threw the envelope of fear and do what you wanted all along. Sometimes there is no doing...actually you are doing something but it seems sterile to the path you seem to be going but...in reality there is forward motion...and it is your fate. As much as anyone individual might think they are not in control the truth is you/me we are at the wheel of destiny. All our thoughts and actions bring us to our place in time. It's not a prophecy...this is not a religious belief, it's basic math at work... Jim Dandy from Black Oak Arkansas fame in a lyric wrote and sang...it's the positive and the negative... The whole of our existence comes down to the decisions that are made for us and the decisions we make for ourselves and which road we choose. There are so many things to consider but as with all things only one decision can be made. The normal path is a myth...there in no normal but what is. In threw the out door... doesn't seem that strange after all now does it?
Reply
This is who I am!
Lyrics titled,,, 'NorthernBandit' Written By: Burt K. Arthur Copyright March 14 2015 Never been to Jacksonville except on vinyl Where Rock grew from Gospel and Blues Sometimes slow and methodical Other times racing like a Shiners dash with the goods Dreamt about Austin Texas Where Jimi seemed to have effected them too Wide open places and red clay roads With slide guitar oozing out of the radio Way up in the Northwest Where all you see are Evergreens Funk and Soul, Rock and Roll Never had it's self a better place I have always wanted to ride the rails Take a journey to Southern states I don't take nothing that doesn't belong to me That's why Rock and Blues are so great Wanted to travel to the Crossroads Away cross route 66 Playing Rock and singing Blues As free as a bird some might say Now my ideas may be just fanciful These notions rolling round in my mind Staring out the window dreaming With my Ear Goggles on Never took anything for granted Being inspired can bring so many things At times I might feel like a NorthernBandit but you know that's alright by me
Reply
Victor Snow/Singer-Songwriter Musician/Producer
Good Sunday morning everyone! First off I want to share this song with you...Listen to it first and then if you so choose please read the following. I have had the pleasure of being in music a very long time...today it doesn't seem that stress related cause I have been doing this for almost 45 years, it has not always been easy but what I can say is that a man, Songwriter/Singer, Producer and Musician that I was fortunate enough to meet in late 2013, early 2014 over an Internet conversation about music changed up my thoughts about collaboration and Musicianship, His name is Victor Snow of Kansas City Missouri. At some point I think we can all go back to a point of reference and pick out something that really mattered to us in our life...and what I would tell you that meeting Victor was monumental to me. 'One More Day' is a reflection of life...and I think he understood that. I was fortunate enough to find in him a Producer that picked up on that and with his Musicianship and experience help me make this song the best I have ever created. Another person who I too met in social media through a website that celebrated the one Bass player I elevate above all others, Jack Bruce, Greatest In The World ( Quote by Leslie West and me ) Singer/Songwriter, Bassist and Composer...Jacks nephew of Dundee, Scotland, Kenneth Bruce, who through a series of chats and posts inspired me to create this song with hopes that he, Ken Bruce might want to play Bass guitar on this recording with Victor and I. Sadly due to issues Ken was not able to perform with us but the song is dedicated to him and as a tribute to his late Uncle Jack Bruce! Life is too short not to tell someone you appreciate them or that you like them because of who they are to you and what they mean to you in your life so it is with these humble words I say Thank You Victor and Ken and Jack...For without me having had the opportunity of knowing you could I say I would have made it this far otherwise. I am a happy man. Peace my Brothers. Forever thinking of you! To all my friends and family, I hope you enjoyed the song listening to it as much as I enjoyed the excitement of recording it. It was inspiring!
Reply
Robert Plant!
What more can you say when you mention his name in the context of Singer/Songwriter...Artist...Band member of the Hammer of the Gods 'Led Zeppelin'. But wait...there's more. He is rather deep in thought about things most of the time...in touch with the universe he is part of. like many great Blues artists drawing from the energy at a given point and time. I don't want to compare myself to him...there is no comparison to be made...we are all individual in this space and time but...I do draw some similarities with him at least in the way we think about performance in song. Like when recording. Something I have come to except is that I have certain limitations in what I do...as much as I think I would like to do take after take until it is absolutely right...perfect is not really what creating music is about. It involves many more humanistic things like emotion, timing, awareness...attitude, all within the context of the written material and the time available to do so. I have come to understand that it is a 'Feeling' that helps you make the decision to either leave a lyric's vocal performance or to shoot for the sweet spot. It is kind of like the epiphany Eric Clapton had years ago when he realized you don't have to live the Blues to play the Blues...you just play them...all of our lives are littered with source material for the creation of great Blues songs...and like a great lyric and effort in singing a song does not rely on it being perfect...just real! One or two takes usually should be it...of course you have to be somewhat in shape before you start recording but true emotion in the song comes from the instant of being inspired. So in a way I did it didn't I? I made the comparison. Sorry it was not intentional... I only reference my life in music loosely to my peers because they are who have inspired me. You can read about Robert Planet in the article I posted earlier on FB...check it out...and Keep On Rockin!
Reply
Bio...Musical!
...1964 was a very good year for me, I was 9 or 10 years old...The Beatles, Paul McCartney...and the fact I was left hand set in motion a fate only you could dream about but it became true. Never one to give in or give up even with the diverse challenges I would face throughout my life...I was bitten by Rock and Roll...the Music of the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's the Past and the Present. When I was in Junior High School, friends and classmates I knew were in bands and performed...Craig played Drums so cool and Randy and his girlfriend sang duet and play Lennon and McCartney songs and just killed at the talent shows. I remember going to 'Hard Days Night' by myself at the local theater and walking away feeling even more immersed in the myth of the Big Screen and Popular Music. I didn't even play an instrument yet...I had 9 volt Transistor Radio and a paper route and one day decided I was going to take my hard earned money and sign up for guitar lessons...well I did and got my very first acoustic guitar and my first lesson, I was so jacked up I could barely keep my feet on the ground but that would be short lived. As a result of my independence movement...I learned immediately that with out asking permission to do so would stifle my interest for another five years...I was made to return the guitar and cancel my lessons...I was crushed but not defeated. Fast forward to 1973...had entered and left College life the first time, had my own apartment and my college friends ( Musicians ) along with the British Blues Rock scene had incased me in enough amour to go down to the local music store and by my first Electric Bass Guitar. Through many ups and downs and being kick out of the band I had helped name and played Bass Guitar in 1978 I drove down to the local music store and traded my Ampeg Bass Amp Stack in and got my first Electric Six String guitar...and I have never looked back. Today I am what most call an 'Instrumentalist' I write, compose and record in the comfort of my home studio. I am a Singer/Songwriter and I love what I have become through music...it has nothing to do with being a Rock Star though very early on, yeah I tried but you know they told me "never quite your day job"...and so I have still been able to enjoy all that I do. I don't create perfection I create ideas, they are raw...sometimes basic and other times hinting at the potential they could have if I ever the opportunity to be in a real Studio...but enough of that...What I deliver is honest...story driven Rock! Inspired by History and life experiences...my desire is to have people enjoy the passage of these creations. I will continue on my quest until there is no more time...second to the love for my wife and son, Music is my Soul Hobby...when I don't play, write and imagine what I could do I become a very dull boy. What I want to do is say thank you for you support...it is appreciated! I love this Classic Blues Rock writer I have become...Peace be with you and good fortune always in your quest in modern music!
Reply
Memories...Rock and Roll!
Memories...My friend Glen (Smittty) Smith I have a lot of great things to be thankful for...I won't go into detail about because...well it's too complicated. But since my Faceboook pages are Music oriented that's what this is about. I once had an friend...his name was Glen Smith...as time went along any one who knew him called him 'Smitty'. First time I meet him was in 1971, a few years before I even entertained the thought of playing Bass guitar, I was a senior in high school...living with my father in a 2nd story apartment in PA. Smitty, his wife and their baby girl lived in the apartment just across the hall. I only encounter him once, I think my dad introduced me to them in passing one day. Smitty was a Coasty...United States Coast Guard. But he was a Rocker! I later partied and played music with Glen...even moved to Traverse City Michigan in 1980 thinking we would start a Band. He also played Bass Guitar and was in a Band...Smitty was a free spirit to some extents...The part that everyone who met him gravitated toward...He always had a smile, genuinely happy to see you and was ready to climb the mountain with you or for you or he'd seemingly want to drag you along and we all got on board with cause he was so much fun! So the reason I bring this all up is that if you think about the time frame Lynyrd Skynyrd was getting everybody Rockin... I just finished watching 'Behind the Music' and my emotions got the best of me. Smitty was the embodiment of a goodtime and so was Lynyrd Skynyrd...To this day I still levitate toward Southern Rock...bands like The Allman Brothers, BlackFoot, Molly Hatchet, The OutLaws...and many more but this is about my old friend. I can still see him grooving to a good tune stompin his left foot and with his right arm raised on the down beat snappin his fingers like his hitting a drum...he was a little crazy like we all were...we were kindred spirits. He loved his family, his friends...guitars, amps and drums, he like his music loud and the night to never end and he loved Volkswagons too. I have tried for many years to find you... These are my memories Smitty....of you! Miss you Brother!
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As in Music and Life...
The Grand illusion! So if perception is everything...what is reality? It is what you perceive. Not everyone's perception is equal to another, one of the many things about being human that baffles the intellect. Ok...I am being a bit esoteric. The idea of perception is nothing new, the idea of being in a universe and yet not seeing what really is going on is not an issue of ignorance in most cases, it is a case of too much going on around you to be able to filter all that is happening completely. If you look at every aspect of a life there are so many levels of perception one can get lost in the overload...the goal is to understand what you understand within the context of your life...you are who you are. You can not be anything but unless you decide to change but change will not alter the realities you see unless you become aware of other realities within the changes you have made. So now I've done it...I have crossed the line and gone into the abyss. It's like when...let me make an example. A long time ago I was in a traffic accident as a passenger. Like each of our lives full of so many things...riding in a car you are observing what is going on around you like a picture show...a passenger in this envelope of time with wheels and a roadway and your just streaming along watching the scenery when all of a sudden a car comes at you from a different direction and the driver of your vehicle can't react fast enough and in an instance... Your universe changes dramatically...from peaceful forward motion to blunt force conditions. Time speeds up but it feels like you have slowed down in slow motion and what you have is this suspended kind of feeling about you and your surrounding. It is because our being can only take on so much information...somehow our being hones in on the most obvious part of the current reality and that is what we perceive. It is our perception of life that we all have some common ground on...but the level of commonality is something society doesn't measure and recognize with any accuracy, usually as a criticism or judgement. Doctors measure our perception but only when they think we are troubled or are in trouble...rarely when we are 'normal' and usually when they think we are exceptionally perceptive. Ah…hence The Grand Illusion!
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