Let’s get something straight here at the beginning of all things. I am not a music historian. I am not an archivist. I am a soul who believes that the essence of music comes from the passion of the person performing it. If a guy is standing on a corner smacking two rocks together, as long as he believes in what he is doing and can put his heart and soul into it, then it’s music. If poetry is all about painting with words, then music is all about making art with sound. Am I going to review pieces from different people? Maybe. Am I going to be all Simon Whatshisass from that show where you become a great musician by standing in line all day and singing to a camera for a couple of minutes and then personally attack them? Absolutely not. What I am going to praise is the effort that each person places by exposing their passions and fears and making themselves vulnerable for all to see as they share their soul through sound, and if they try to do it for any or all of the wrong reasons, I will also be the first in line to rip them a new asshole, per se. What really jazzes me about music is someone who takes a chance to be different. To be an innovator. You want to sound or look like someone else using their formula? Fine; don’t expect me to be impressed.

I grew up on the stage in a family of professional musicians, playing my first paid gig at the age of 8. At last count, I can currently play around thirty something musical instruments, and can’t wait to get my hands on new ones. I’ve played the circuits in Kansas, Arizona, Colorado, Austin TX, Madison WI, and NYC, and have gone on the road more times than I’d care to admit, and quite frankly, goddammit I’m tired……. I’ve been signed with labels from small indies all the way up to CBS Epic, and they all played their part. I’ve always had a rule about music. The second it quits being fun and becomes a business, walk away. They saw to it that I walked away from music because it became something I despised, which was that they made it into a product to be sold and merchandised. No art. No passion. Just like a toy for people’s amusement, making cute noises that would make them coo and giggle. Again, it’s all about how you feel.

Over the life of this esteemed and noble blog, I intend to represent and point out what was and is good about music. How it makes you feel. No technical stuff. Just the raw essence of the art.

Let’s kick things off with the Godmother of Rock herself, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the only woman who could make this heathen shout “Hallelujah!”

CAN I GET A WITNESS?!?