I only first discovered this young group of Seattle based reggae musicians in September during the annual Bumbershoot festival held over Labor Day weekend. As a genre, reggae has accepted little adulteration over time. Reggae today sounds very much unchanged from the style of music that Bob Marley brought to the world's attention during the 1970's. Kore Ionz maintains that pureness of genre only allowing a tinge of outside influence. This band generates a very pure reggae sound sprinkled with a speck of hip-hop, a dash of ska and dub, and a small teaspoon of the ukulele laced Polynesian, the music of singer Daniel Pak's native Hawaii. 
I've both procrastinated and agonized over writing this review of former Bad Company lead vocalist and fellow Lee County resident, Brian Howe's, self proclaimed farewell to the world of music. I promised Brian and my readers that I would publish a review of this EP several days ago but unfortunately after listening to these five songs repeatedly I've hesitated out of respect for one of rock 'n roll's finest voices, one that I hold in the same regard as the likes of Sammy Hagar and Chris Cornell. 
Hailing from the same part of the country , I quickly recognize and feel familiar with the Western Maryland vernacular and style utilized by the author, Lisa Proulx, an acquaintance from high school, in her newest book, titled "King of Shadows". How we manage to think, speak and apparently write in this odd mixture of Atlantic coast, southern and Appalachian still perplexes me even after I moved away from the region more than thirty years ago.
Happy Thanksgiving to all during this particularly trying time in history where as a world, we face increased levels of war, faltering major global economies, instability in values, morals and ethics, and a huge level of noncooperation between all levels of society and political affiliation.
Although security appeared en masse to banish inappropriate behavior (come on, we're at an Avenged Sevenfold show), camcorders, and to maintain a tight rein and limit on moshing, I believe that most still enjoyed a very pleasurable and unique experience at this year's 99X-Mas Ball. Whether due to poor marketing or a horrible economy, the crowd appeared more sparse than pevious years as the cavernous Germain Arena remained one third empty throughout the evening. With only VIP parking and no back stage pass, I felt somewhat handicapped in my ability to cover the event.
Over the past 10 years, I've enjoyed many Avenged Sevenfold shows and I've watched them mature over the years from the Warped Tour Orange County hardcore band to the now more technically flowing, tight licked harmonious guitar wielding, lengthy song writing, pictorially graphic, trend setting metalcore favorites. I watched both Atreyu and Avenged Sevenfold emerge almost simutaneously from the Orange County, California metalcore scene and while Atreyu, as accomplished as they are, stagnated, A7X continued to blossom, grow, and flourish. I never tire of watching them play. They produce a high level of energy, backed up with amazingly gifted musicianship and lyrics provoking poweful imagery. 
At 11:15 this morning, the Lee County Courthouse was evacuated when an inmate being transported to trial jumped up and smacked a sprinkler head. This action immediately triggered the fire alarm forcing an evacuation of the entire 10 story building. The damaged sprinkler head instantly flooded the entire courtroom causing an unknown amount of damage to furniture, carpet and fixtures. The Fort Myers Fire Department arrived promptly to reset the alarm and shut off the water supply until a technician could arrive to repair the damaged sprinkler head. The building was repopulated approximately 15 minutes after being evacuated showing a true display of cooperation between all local authorities.
Judge Adams proved that he's no bureaucrat resting on his laurels as he appeared de-robed on the street corner continuing to sign legal motions. While the inmates's prank cost the county unimaginable expense and no doubt additional jail time, Judge Adams earned his share of tax payer's dollars today.
An unlikely chain of events triggered to expose me to the works of 9 year old Kaleb Brown. I met Kaleb's mother, a Fort Myers native and Jacksonville resident, through a friend in Seattle on the other side of the country who dated a friend. Kaleb was diagnosed with Asperger's autism so I must admit I first purchased this book from Amazon for Kindle out of curiosity and to help what I considered a good cause.
Attendance appeared a little light for last night's Music Walk in the downtown Fort Myers River District. This event serves as excellent opportunity to showcase a wide variety of talented musicians, who may otherwise find little exposure in a very competitive industry.
After paying our tab, we strolled leisurely down Main, First, Second, and Hendry Streets observing the varied musical styles and levels of skill and ability.
We enjoyed some delicious pastries from Lush Bakery, and after walking in the unusual November sweltering heat, found air conditioning and some unique drinks at the French Connection Restaurant.
After cooling down a bit, we teamed with more friends to continue experiencing the musical cornucopia. Many were impressed by the skillful, heartfelt blues guitar playing of Mike Imbasciani.
Our sore feet finally persuaded us to stop by the Indigo Room for a couple of tacos before seeking our car in the Harborside parking lot and heading home to rest.
I've never been a giant fan of country music although I do enjoy small doses of John Prine, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, and of course red-eyed Willie. So I felt utter astonishment upon listening to this cleverly produced country EP from Lake Placid, Florida resident, J.J. McCoy.
On Wednesday, I returned to orthopedic surgeon, Edward Dupay, D.O. for a follow up to the surgery performed on me the prior week in which he repaired my broken clavicle with a titanium plate. As you can see in the detailed x-ray, the plate bridges, straightens, and attaches the two pieces of bone. It flows nicely with the curve of the bone and the screws all seem installed correctly at the proper torque. 
In this time of vast global conflict, many original and fitting Veterans Day celebrations occurred but few touched me as deeply as the NCAA Carrier Classic basketball game upon the USS Carl Vinson in which number 1 North Carolina beat Michigan State 67-55.
I remember vividly, the bitter winter day that I left Whidbey Island, Washington, and my bride of less than two years, as part of VAQ-134 to board the ship at Norfolk Naval Base in Virginia. We departed the west coast late on Christmas Day and arrived in Virginia on December 26th. As we attempted to check in to our work station on the ship, we were informed that most crew members were on leave for Christmas and that there was no one available to check us in or no where for us to report for duty. We were ordered to report back on January 2nd. Apparently the east coast and west coast naval commands fell victim to their own lack of proper communication. I always enjoy making lemonade from lemons so I found a ride to the nearest Greyhound station and boarded a bus to Hagerstown, Maryland, a small town in western Maryland where I had spent the majority of my life until that point and where I still had plenty of friends and family.
Today, I had the unique opportunity to preview an album prior to release, Nickelback's "Here and Now". Although I've been labelled a lover of "redneck rock" by my step-son, the talented record producer Nathan Horst, I still possess somewhat of a negative bias toward Nickelback. For those not in the know (including me), I believe that the "redneck rock" genre defines itself by the likes of Kid Rock, Godsmack, Creed, and yes, Nickelback.
Realizing the motive as noble, I still can't help but chuckle at the irony encapsulated by this fundraiser. Southwest Florida's most exclusive and expensive restaurants are holding a fund raiser for the soup kitchen. These establishments probably dispose of more uneaten food in a day than the soup kitchen serves! Donating 50% of the proceeds appears admirable but I'm fairly certain that by serving $40 steaks and $80 bottles of wine, they will still show profit after donation.
Featuring three original members, Jack Blades slapping the bass and belting lead vocals, Kelly Keagy pounding drums and adding additional lead vocals, and Brad Gillis wailing on guitar, as well as recent additions guitarist Tristan and keyboardist Eric Levy, Night Ranger rocked the Cape Coral Coconut Festival held at Sunsplash Family Fun Park.
Brad Gillis's virtuosic guitar playing amazes me. He can easily hold a candle to Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai, or Michael Schenker but for reasons unknown has failed to reach the elitist level of fame. It's mesmerizing to watch Brad play. He knows every heavy metal trick in the book and pulls out all of the stops. His large frame makes the guitar look diminutive and he whips it around like a feather.
Jack Blades also knows how to wow the audience. As the consummate performer, Jack captivates the entire audience with his witty banter and lends the typical high pitched 1980's vocals, although ironically, drummer Kelly Keagy sings lead on the band's biggest hit, "Sister Christian".
Please remember to honor all veterans today, those currently serving and those who have already honored their commitment. A huge responsibility rests upon the shoulders of the young men and women who have taken upon themselves the burden of protecting the freedom and rights of all.
All who have served in any capacity have sacrificed a piece of what they once were and some have given all.
I served in the US Navy during the 1980's when the US military was recognized throughout the earth as a force not to reckon with, primarily due to the excellent leadership of Commander-in-Chief, Ronald Reagan. Enemies cringed at the prospect of tangling with that cowboy! I served on the USS Carl Vinson when now deceased Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi ordered his air force to fire upon two of our jet fighters. We immediately launched a preemptive strike and within minutes those two Libyan jets were blasted from the sky.
Over the years I've softened a bit philosophically and although somewhat more liberal, I realize all the aspects and necessities requiring a strong military presence. It pains me today to walk through any airport and witness the large number of young men and women in fatigues that are missing arms and legs due to explosions in Iraq and Afghanistan. This sight never fails to bring a tear to my eye.
I desire with all my hear that we could end this travesty but the answer is not by weakening our military as we have seen Bill Clinton accomplish and Barrack Obama attempt.
Until mankind finally realizes true world peace as the ultimate solution, we must solidify our place in the world by displaying a powerful military.
God Bless all of those in uniform, past and present, those who gave a little and those who gave it all!
In the late 1960's, Eddie Money (born Edward Joseph Mahoney) resigned from the family business as a NYPD police officer and headed to San Francisco, the land of flower children and hippies to pursue the life of a singer, songwriter, and rock 'n roll star.
After a relatively thorough investigation conducted primarily by pestering a handful of doctors, I opted to have my fractured clavicle surgically repaired. I based this decision on two factors. The first being due to the fact that the broken bones were meshing at an angle of approximately 45 degrees as opposed to flush and causing a protrusion of about an inch and a half from my chest. Cosmetically, this would produce a rather odd effect particularly at the beach or other places where one may find me sans shirt. The other factor stems more from health consciousness realizing that the shortening of my clavicle would cause a slight deformity in the way my shoulder presented itself to the rest of the body and would have an increasing likelihood of causing severe shoulder problems later in life when I'd be less prepared physically to repair and heal from them.
