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THIRD PLACE RANKING BEHIND HOME, WORK

Third place in sports is hard to celebrate, while third place in what passes for normal life is something to cheer for. At least that’s the idea. I celebrate third place in sports, the bronze medal, because only two others took things further. A third place in public life needs gold certification if you decide […]

FOREVER YOUNG LASTS FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS

A song like Forever Young is a nice thing until something sears it right into your brain instead of bouncing off your ear, turning the dial, and moving on. Forever Young is such a song for millions. It’s the song for every parent who has seen their kid move from stage to stage, from rolling […]

PROMOTE AMERICAN FUTURE WITH AN AXE

Without getting into the details, I’ve somehow collected about fifteen axes. I’ve become an axe repository. Along with axes for wood, I’ve found six guitars around the house. I claim one. ‘Why the axes,’ I wonder when I add them all up. Then it came to me. America was built with an axe of one […]

MUSIC, BEER, HELP BRAIN FUNCTION? SCIENCE SAYS YES

If math is the universal language, then music rules the galaxy. Play music and things happen upstairs. What better place to check it out than a visit to Be Brain Fit. They show a lot of mental positives with music. “Like what?” you ask.

PLAYLIST SONG BREAKDOWN: DISCUSS

70’s kids heard classic rock when it was new. And we’ve heard it ever since, song after song after song. Like many 70’s kids I took a guitar lesson and forgot about it. My big song was Down In The Valley. I learned it in Jansen Music in Pony Village, North Bend Oregon. When I […]

MUSIC PLAYS YOUR BRAIN WHEN YOU PLAY MUSIC

Music asks this question: Can you count to four? One. Two. Three. Four. Like that. Over and over the count goes on like a mantra. One Two Three Four Is there anything more?

PORTLAND JAZZ FAN? WHO KNEW

Last night I saw Mel Brown at The Vault and it was stellar. Portland jazz has a new fan. Make that three new fans. Jazz is easy, right? No it’s not. It’s key changes, tempo, and timing. And practice. Mel Brown has been a Portland jazz anchor; his group has a regular gig at the […]

GAGA EFFECT: REDEMPTION, ACCEPTANCE

Gaga Effect? I remember friends from junior high who seemed on a different path than the rest of us. They showed up for a year or two, made best friends with everyone, and held hands with a boy who looked perfect with them. Then they left. Something happened and they packed up and headed out […]

SHAKEY GRAVES INSIDER FUN

    The last time I saw a touring musician’s guitar go wrong it was The Police and Sting broke a base string and replaced it without missing a beat in the song they played. Afterward he joked that a real band would have stopped and corrected the problem before restarting. In the history of […]

Batman Rescue, Or What To Do With A Bat In The House

  Picture yourself and your date out on a most enjoyable night with an invitation to a home cooked dinner. The home in this case was a wonderful West Linn castle abode with a hillside view and an acre of manicured garden in the down sloping backyard. It had a feeling of Xanadu from Citizen […]