I'm an American related to all colors of brethren, Priests and Pastors and Prophets and Reverends, Divided we fall united we stand together man, In this cultural melting pot there's nothing better than, This land of the free and the home of the brave, Populated by ancestors of immigrants and slaves who met early graves, So we could see brighter days and we could proudly praise and raise the stars and stripes as Americans
Hate me Blame me You can't shame me Come and stand with me I'm American
I'm an American born in these states united, Where racial discrimination keeps us so divided, Well we've got free speech so I won't be quiet, We got a lot of problems here man I won't deny it, But ain't another place that I'd rather be, Than in this land of great opportunity, Where we can be anything that we wanna be, So until the day I D-I-E, I stand tall as an American
*****
With "I'm American," the second video from the new album "Southern Born Killers," Stuck Mojo once again takes a stand for pride in country, self-respect and self-reliance. These themes have been a constant throughout the band's career. Following in the footsteps of the wildly successful video for "Open Season," Mojo once again takes a politically incorrect position by not being ashamed of the qualities that have made America great.
You may download the entire "Southern Born Killers" album, for free, at the band's web site StuckMojo . us.
Westminster MD A Month of Sundays 2008 Summer Concert Series
“A MONTH OF SUNDAYS” – 2008 Summer Concert Series
We cordially invite you to join us at 6:45 pm in the Westminster City Park (off Main Street & Longwell Avenue) each Sunday in July for a variety of great music.
We are celebrating our 14th summer of bringing great entertainment to the public!
Food and beverages will be sold.
Concerts are Free and Open to the Public.
Check the attached schedule and come earlier to join in the fun if we're hosting a display of beautiful cars by Free State Corvette Club, Street Cars of Desire, Classic Corvette Club of Maryland, or touring motorcycles by Gold Wing Road Riders Association! Bring your lawn chairs and blankets.
Join us as we host a "Spotlight on Local Talent"...an opportunity for community talent to be featured opening each concert week by singing The National Anthem and performing a song to open our second hour of entertainment after our half-time concert break.
Be sure to come early and receive your free ticket for our "Best Seat in the House" drawing held at the beginning of each concert. You could win special seating for your group to view the concert, a free CD from our host entertainment, a free summer concert series t-shirt, and cold beverages to quench your thirst as you sit back and enjoy the show!
Alcoholic beverages are prohibited in Westminster City Park. Public bathroom facilities are located in the park. Audio and video recording of concert performances is prohibited. No pets are allowed.
In the event of possible bad weather that might be a threat to our weekly performance or questions about the scheduled entertainment, you may telephone Linda Silfee, Concert Event Program Coordinator, at 443-286-2367 for updated information.
While no admission is charged to attend the free Summer Concert Series, we encourage donations of personal care items for all ages (i.e. newly purchased deodorants, toothbrushes & toothpastes, soaps), paper goods (i.e. toilet paper, paper towels), cleaning supplies (i.e. Windex, Formula 409, furniture polish), baby food, diapers or formula will be collected to help the homeless & low-income individuals served by the Human Services Programs, Inc. of Carroll County. Items will be collected at each performance.
(The concert series is presented in joint cooperation with the City of Westminster Recreation Department, the Carroll County Department of Recreation & Parks, and the Human Services Programs of Carroll County, Inc.)
We hope to see you in July at the Westminster City Park for our free summer concert series!
July 6, 2008 – IRON RIDGE – Traditional Bluegrass, Country, Light Gospel
Kicking off our summer concert series is a repeat performance by Iron Ridge, a band dedicated to preserving old-time traditional bluegrass while adding some original and light gospel tunes that will melt your heart. Delight in the awesome picking of Denny Kopp on mandolin & fiddle. Jerry Leitner is a stand-out on rhythm guitar. Max Allison excels as bass player and on vocals in the group’s awesome 4-part harmonies. Listen closely to Jay Mosley’s velvet voice along with his sweet-pickin’ banjo! Jay’s son, Joey, an award-winning musician, is a real delight with his special touch on guitar and vocals. Miss Jen Starsenic adds a fine dimension to the group with her sizzling fiddle. Listen closely as these voices blend in a crisp and clean, tight harmony, while they present a refreshing and professional performance on stage, coupled with superb instrumental work. http://www.ironridgeband.com/
“National Anthem” will be sung by Miss Alexia Mercedes Van Horn, a 20-year old Westminster local talent, who currently attends Towson State University and is also in the process of recording her musical debut CD in Nashville, Tennessee. Our 2nd set will begin with Alexia performing “God Bless America”.
(Join us for a special summer evening in the Westminster City Park as Free State Corvette Club showcase their beautiful cars for our enjoyment…all the while taking advantage of this opportunity to cast a vote for your favorite car and contribute to our charity!)
July 13, 2008 – THE CRAWDADDIES – Cajun, Zydeco, Swing, Roots, Rock & Reggae
This 5-member band, founded in 1995, infuses these sounds of music into an incomparable, groove-laden sound that is unquestionably their own. The eclectic, good-time spirit of their set and twelve years of touring the national festival and college circuits has earned the band a strong following. They have performed locally for Westminster’s Fallfest and the Maryland Wine Festival. Join us to experience the accomplishments of these talented musicians, who along with the use of traditional guitars, keyboards & drums, also perform using an accordion and rubboard. The Crawdaddies have come together to form an extremely unique musical group to present an infectious pulse and high-energy classic cajun/zydeco rhythm with cool swing grooves, country, rock, funk and soul.http://www.thecrawdaddies.com/
“National Anthem” will be sung by Ginger Jefferson, a local talent from Hampstead, who has participated in nine September Song productions and currently sings with “The Candlelighters”, a music ensemble based at the Glyndon Methodist Church. Ginger is a student of vocal coach, Phyllis Rudolph. Our 2nd set will begin with Ginger performing “Amazing Grace”.
(Join in the excitement as Street Cars of Desire will be in the City Park at 5:30 pm displaying their cars for our enjoyment!)
July 20, 2008 Rich Clare – PENTAGON w/ Rico and The Ravens – Rock & Roll, Rhythm & Blues…from then until now! (This concert may last until 9:30 pm.)
Pentagon is a 6-piece show band that plays Rock & Roll and Rhythm & Blues from the time it started until now, showcasing the music from Wilson Picket to Smash Mouth…from Buddy Holly to U2! They will conjure up a memory, make you laugh along the way! Pentagon is best known for their 6-part vocal harmonies and unique brand of humor. The band has performed in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, and Puerto Rico. Pentagon has been a mainstay at Hershey Park Amphitheater for the past 30 years! http://www.richclarepentagonbandfanclub.com/
“National Anthem” will be sung acappella by Jennifer Rose, a well-known entertainer & very dear friend to many of us at our summer concert series through these past years, who is an extremely talented country, rock, pop singer. Our 2nd set will open with Jennifer performing “America the Beautiful”.
(Join in the festivities and be sure to vote for your favorite touring motorcycle as the Gold Wing Road Riders Association will be displaying their bikes at 5:30 pm!)
July 27, 2008 The Van-Dells – Oldies, Rock & Roll Show Group
The Van-Dells are an oldies show group that specializes in 50’s and 60s Rock & Roll and are billed as “the Nation’s #1 Rock & Roll Review!” Back by popular demand for a repeat performance, be entertained by a cross section of oldies combined with a unique blend of comedy, choreography, tight harmonies and costume changes. http://www.van-dells.com/
“National Anthem” will be sung acappella by ONE ACCORD, a 17-voice men’s chorus from Sandy Mount United Methodist Church in Finksburg, who has been singing together for more than 10 years, under the skilled direction of Linda Wheat. Our 2nd set will open with the chorus singing “God Bless America”.
(Join us in the City Park as Classic Corvette Club of Maryland will begin showcasing their cars at 5:30 pm!)
“Teardrop” was released as a single on April 21, 1998 by “Massive Attack.”It first appeared on their album “Messanine.”I had meant to post this on the 10th anniversary of its release and was overtaken by events.I get so annoyed when work gets in the way of art.
Your moment of Zen to Teardrop by Massive Attack. These are fractured images from the Hubble Space Telescope. They are animated in iMovie on a Macbook. The reference to Portishead at the end of the film is an error. But once I posted it, I didn't want to pull the video so the error remains. Sorry.
For fans of the movie, “Pretty in Pink,” there is a YouTube video about “Pretty in Pink,” with Massive Attack’s “Teardrop,” for the soundtrack.Unfortunately I cannot put it on “Kevin Dayhoff Soundtrack” because of the strong language content.Please find it here on Kevin Dayhoff’s Storage Closet:
This is DEFINITELY the last Pretty in Pink video for the time being! I wanted to experiment with using some dialogue from the film in a video, to see if it actually was possible to represent a slash subtext using the actual script. I had to be creative here, but I think it works! The song, whilst not contemporary to the film, works well as a backing track; the footage itself was built around one long, slow clip of James Spader that I'd forgotten to include in the previous videos and I desperately wanted to give a home to! Oh, one thing - there is some *strong* language in this video, because it has dialogue - consider yourself warned!
Dog park not in CarrollCounty budget – but ya don’t mess around with Jim
May 7th, 2008
As if developing the Carroll County Budget is not difficult enough this year, here comes a debate and discussion about a “dog park” that is not even in the budget.
I have often wondered why newspapers print letters to the editor that state things that are not true by most accepted standards…In this case, the item was brought to the commissioners’ attention and they voted it down…
As far as the commentary as to what a paper reports upon and what it does not – that has been an item of discussion since the beginning of newspapers and that debate will continue for eons into the future.
Although I can certainly understand the writer’s frustration, writing so caustically about the paper’s sense of prioritization may very well not be a well-considered strategy.
I suggest that the writer pull out an old copy of the Jim Croce classic, “You Don't Mess Around with Jim” the next time he considers hitting the “send” button.
“You don't tug on Superman's cape/You don't spit into the wind/You don't pull the mask off the ol' Lone Ranger/And you don't mess around with Jim”
On April 28 the Times printed a letter to the editor containing inaccurate information regarding county funding for a dog park in our budget process.
The writer was under the mistaken impression that such an appropriation was supported by the Board of Commissioners. This is actually the direct opposite from the truth.
This was a proposal requested by our Parks and Recreation Department, but not recommended by the Budget Department in the recommended budget. Such items receive a direct appeal to the board from the department head and an up or down vote by the commissioners.
In this case when the Parks and Recreation head made his appeal I told him that I could not support such an appropriation under any circumstances and that I was not persuadable on this point.
On April 16 when the board deliberated and voted on various budget requests all three of us voted not to fund the dog park. There were a number of significant proposals from me that occurred at that meeting. As of the writing of this letter the Times has not reported on the content of this meeting.
For example the Times did not report on my suggestion that we offer tax relief during the meeting. It did not report my request to delete a future position from the CountyAttorney's office and cease having a designated liaison to the General Assembly from the CountyAttorney's office. And the Times hasn't reported that I suggested defunding the position of Planning and Development Policy Coordinator.
I don't blame the letter writer for not knowing the facts on the dog park being voted down. He's obviously using the Times as his primary news source.
Michael D. Zimmer Eldersburg The writer is a member of the CarrollCounty Board of Commissioners.
Ozzy brings us this week’s Thank Goodness It’s Friday
January 11, 2008
It’s been a long week.Turn up the volume and settle back and enjoy.Whatever inference to current events may very well be up to your imagination…“Your lips are so cold I don’t what else to say.”
The light from Obama is a jolt of despair He’s the first black candidate who has a prayer Your levee of tears taught the people you might not come back The Audacious Hope will bring another attack.
Your Billy told you that you’re not supposed to lose to strangers Look in the mirror tell me do you think your life’s in danger here? No more tears
Another vote passes and you lost big time The deadline approacheth and you’re falling behind You see Barack is gaining, will you lose the presidency? You close your eyes as the pressure rises and you run out of money No more tears
So now is it over? Will we just say good-bye? I’d like to move on and make the most of the night Maybe the Senate is not so bad a place Your lips are so cold, what can you do to save face? I never wanted it to end this way, before November Believe me when I say the lesson is one to remember: No more tears
By Jordan Bartel, Times Staff Writer Thursday, November 29, 2007
I've never had fruitcake and lately I was wondering why.
It's been almost ingrained in my mind that I shouldn't try fruitcake or like fruitcake. It's like some kind of holiday taboo treat. You have to keep it on the downlow if you like it and it's popular to make fun of it.
Led Zeppelin, who reformed for a one-off concert at London's O2 arena, were one of the most influential bands of the 20th Century.
Many say Led Zeppelin invented heavy metal, and their sound wafted out of thousands of guitar shops worldwide during the 1970s.
Budding guitarists world try out their skills on Stairway to Heaven - but that is only the tip of the Led Zeppelin story.
Many critics loathed them, but for a generation of fans, their complex sounds and love of mythology gave them an aura which remains undimmed today.
Led Zeppelin split in 1980 and reunions have been rare. But the huge scramble for tickets for their London gig shows they still have a large fanbase. Just what lies behind the Led Zeppelin legend?
IN THE BEGINNING...
Led Zeppelin formed from the ashes of 1960s band The Yardbirds, the one-time home of Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck. Guitarist Jimmy Page joined the group for their final album and stayed with the band as it disintegrated in 1968.
WASHINGTON, Dec 9 (Reuters) - CIA Director Michael Hayden will testify before Congress on Tuesday amid Democratic fury over the spy agency's destruction of videotapes that showed terrorism suspects being interrogated using harsh techniques.
WASHINGTON — Gen. Michael V. Hayden, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, acknowledged Wednesday that the C.I.A. had failed to keep members of Congress fully informed of the facts that the agency had videotaped the interrogations of Al Qaeda detainees and destroyed the tapes three years later.
County commissioners to hold panel on waste recommendations By Carrie Ann Knauer, Times Staff Writer Monday, December 10, 2007
CarrollCounty’s Board of Commissioners has yet to debate among themselves whether they want to go forward with a waste-to-energy incinerator, but they may be watching a debate on the positives and negatives of the technology Thursday.
The commissioners heard two proposals with differing visions of how the county should tackle trash in November, and have been waiting for more information before deciding which plan to go forward with, said Cindy Parr, county director of administrative services.
On Thursday, members of the EAC will be at the commissioners’ meeting to represent their position, and Public Works staff, and representatives from the Northeast Maryland Waste Disposal Authority and Maryland Environmental Services will explain their perspectives.
The plan is to have an interactive discussion, Parr said, where the commissioners can ask their unanswered questions and hear facts and opinions from both sides.
Today Billy Joe MacAllister jumped off the TallahatchieBridge
November 1, 2007
My October 31, 2007 – Wednesday Westminster Eagle column is up on the Westminster Eagle web site and it pertains to one of my favorite forms of literature, Southern Gothic storytelling and one of my favorite songs from my teenage years, “Ode to Billie Joe” by Bobbie Gentry.
I lost most the following paragraphs to my word limit…
Ms. Gentry was born Roberta Streeter in nearby Chickasaw County, Mississippi, on July 27, 1944, where she grew up in severe poverty on her grandparents’ farm.Her grandmother facilitated her exploration of writing and music when she traded a family cow for a piano.At the age of seven, Ms. Streeter – Gentry wrote her first song, “My Dog Sergeant Is a Good Dog.”
When Ms. Gentry first released the song, it was the “B” side of a debut “forty-five” which featured a song, “Mississippi Delta.”Disk jockeys became more intrigued with “Ode to Billy Joe” and started giving it considerable airtime – and it crossed over from country music stations to “Top 40.”It topped the charts for four weeks in August 1967, sold three million copies, and won her three Grammy awards.
The narrator of the story is not identified in Ms. Gentry’s haunting and mysterious tale of a young man who commits suicide.The song comes to mind as Halloween is upon us and thoughts wonder to trick or treating or the community Halloween Parade - and ghost stories.CarrollCounty is awash in ghost stories for your enjoyment.That is of course, if you believe in ghosts.Do you believe in ghosts?
The column started out as an “evergreen,” an obligatory column for a particular seasonal event in the year.
Many of my colleagues who write for newspapers abhor “evergreens,” however I have always seen them as a challenge to come up with a different angle on a perennial topic, in this case, a piece on Halloween.
The piece started out very differently as when I neared deadline I jettisoned the customary tome on ghost stories in CarrollCounty with the standard fare on the origins of Halloween.
I got off on a tangent with a variation on the old “CrybabyBridge” standard and quickly left quite a bit of work on the cutting room floor.To wit, most of the following, along with an additional 400 words were killed off:
As with many of our customs, observances and holidays, Halloween evolved over many centuries as a combination of several non-Christian ancient harvest celebrations and rituals combined with religious celebrations.The roots of Halloween go back as far as the 5th century BC in Celtic Ireland, when October 31 was celebrated as “Samhain,” the Celtic New Year.
For the economic historian, it is widely accepted that Halloween came to America along with the significant Irish wave of immigrants as a result of the economic hardships brought on by the Irish potato famine from 1845 to 1851.
Halloween is upon and thoughts wonder to trick or treating or the community Halloween Parade.
And ghost stories.CarrollCounty is awash in ghost stories for your enjoyment.That is of course, if you believe in ghosts.
Do you believe in ghosts?
Among some of the old favorites in Carroll County are the Ghost of Furnace Hills; the Civil War soldier that roams around in Cockey’s Tavern; the ghost of the old Rebecca at the old jail, which now houses Junction, a drug abuse treatment center; and the headless apparition of Marshall Buell at the old Odd Fellows Hall in Westminster.
It was forty years ago in the late summer of 1967 that we first learned from “Mama” that the nice young preacher, Brother Taylor “said he saw a girl that looked a lot like you up on Choctaw Ridge.And she and Billy Joe was throwing somethin' off the TallahatchieBridge.”
I first heard the song, “Ode to Billy Joe,” by Bobbie Gentry that summer on WCAO on the AM dial of the car radio.It was also in this time period that I became firmly hooked on the existential - “Southern Gothic” genre of storytelling.
Other examples of authors of the Southern gothic genre of writing include William Faulkner, Carson McCullers, Eudora Welty, Truman Capote, and Harper Lee.Tennessee Williams once described the genre as stories that reflect “an intuition of an underlying dreadfulness in modern experience.”
Who can forget: It was the third of June, another sleepy, dusty Delta day…And mama hollered at the back door "y'all remember to wipe your feet."And then she said she got some news this mornin' from Choctaw Ridge.Today Billy Joe MacAllister jumped off the TallahatchieBridge.”
Of course another intriguing feature of the story is that it takes place in CarrollCounty: “And brother said he recollected when he and Tom and Billy Joe put a frog down my back at the CarrollCounty picture show.”
Ms. Gentry has to this day remained circumspect about the haunting and mysterious tale of Mr. MacAllister, but one thing we do know is that the “CarrollCounty” she is referring to in the song is “Carroll County Mississippi.”Come to find out, there are approximately 13 places in the United States called “CarrollCounty.”
The song comes to mind as Halloween is upon us and thoughts wonder to ghost stories.CarrollCounty is awash in ghost stories for your enjoyment.
Halloween ghost stories are fascinating as often they involve aspects of unexplained historical events, enigmatic dialogue, and inexplicable characters.However, over the years, I have become much more enamored with Southern gothic storytelling, which is frequently more creative – and often more disturbing in the manner it which it peels away the layers of a community or society; yet does not tell a reader ‘what to think,’ but nevertheless causes the reader ‘to think.’
Just like Halloween stories, the song’s plot makes known several themes.The first of which is obvious in that just like many popular Carroll County Halloween stories, it reveals a snapshot of life in a particular period in history.
But it is the other prominent theme that is particularly disturbing as it peels away the layers of indifference that contemporary society shows towards our fellow human beings – or in the case of “Ode to Billy Joe,” the loss of life.
In present day CarrollCounty, every other public hearing is “Halloween” as this theme often manifests itself in the cavalier manner in which folks will often engage in character assassination in the pursuit of a particular agenda.
In the song the family of the narrator nonchalantly mentions the gentleman’s death: “Billy Joe never had a lick of sense/ pass the biscuits, please.”Of course the narrator of the story cares: “Mama said to me "Child, what's happened to your appetite?I've been cookin' all morning and you haven't touched a single bite.”Other than that, they may as well been having a dinner conversation about the weather.
Happy Halloween.By all means, please enjoy some of the old favorites in Carroll County like the Ghost of Furnace Hills; the Civil War soldier that roams around in Cockey’s Tavern; the ghost of the old Rebecca at the old jail, and the headless apparition of Marshall Buell at the old Odd Fellows Hall in Westminster.
Better yet, the next chance you get, go to the Carroll County Public Library and re-read Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” or Truman Capote’s “In Cold Blood.”
Or, of course, you can attend a good ole’ CarrollCounty public hearing and really see a modern day horror story unfold in real time - “and watch she and Billy Bob throwing public officials off the Rt. 140 Bridge.”
i have to assume you already know this, but as i too have heard the old adage about what happens when one assumes, i thought i would pass this along.
in reading your boston column (a good one), i noted your reference to the "charlie pass." is that a reference to the kingston trio song 'm.t.a'?
M.T.A. Lyrics
From The Kingston Trio at Large
Date: 07/01/1959
Spoken:
These are the times that try men's souls. In the course of our nation's history, the people of Boston have rallied bravely whenever the rights of men have been threatened. Today, a new crisis has arisen. The Metropolitan Transit Authority, better known as the M.T.A., is attempting to levy a burdensome tax on the population in the form of a subway fare increase. Citizens, hear me out! This could happen to you!
(Eight bar guitar, banjo introduction)
Well, let me tell you of the story of a man named Charley on a tragic and fateful day.
He put ten cents in his pocket, kissed his wife and family, went to ride on the M.T.A.
Chorus:
Well, did he ever return? No, he never returned and
his fate is still unknown.
(What a pity! Poor ole Charlie. Shame and scandal.
He may ride forever. Just like Paul Revere.)
He may ride forever 'neath the streets of Boston.
He's the man who never returned.
Charlie handed in his dime at the Kendall Square Station and he changed for Jamaica Plain.
When he got there the conductor told him, "One more nickel."
Charlie couldn't get off of that train.
(Chorus)
Now, all night long Charlie rides through the station, crying, "What will become of me?!!
How can I afford to see my sister in Chelsea or my cousin in Roxbury?"
(Chorus)
Charlie's wife goes down to the Sculley Square Station every day at quarter past two, And through the open window she hands Charlie a sandwich as the train comes rumblin' through.
(Chorus)
Now, you citizens of Boston, don't you think it's a scandal how the people have to pay and pay?
Fight the fare increase! Vote for George O'Brien!
Get poor Charlie off the M. T. A.
(Chorus)
He's the man who never returned.
He's the man who never returned.
Ain't you Charlie?
Mrs. Owl and I sing this song frequently when we are trying to follow the map or driving direction as we are traveling…We were known to have sung this song several times while we were in Boston…
I'm American by Stuck Mojo
