What DOES One Do With Good Ol' Boys Like Me?

It has been brought to my attention that we as a people need to perform more Don Williams songs. I am in a little over my head with this one, but it is my favorite. This is a shout out to our old college friend, Ellen...'member...'member...Ellen?...She was awesome! She introduced me to this song so many years ago. (She did a great version of this song, I can't believe i never archived a copy of her singing it.) Bad archivist...naughty, naughty archivist!

I had to edit out some false starts, and when i rendered the final edit, my editing software formatted it in this odd version. I tried to fix it, but this is it I guess.

After you endure my rather hamfisted and oddly jaunty rendition of this song, check out this guy's version at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ix_E_DENLOY

he is just great!

I Can't Believe I Am Doing This....

But here is my addition to the Blogapaloosa. (decidedly second stage.) (I can't believe i am following Mary's heartfelt rendition of a Haggard song with some snarky one hit wonder twofer) I did much better vocally than i thought i would, but I thought ultimately my performance needed something more so I threw in a patented 'Suzanna Hoff' side glance at the end to give you folks a little more incentive to watch the entire video.

Big City

Iris Dement covered this Merle Haggard song, so, of course, I had to learn it.

Oh Sweet Mystery of Life At Last I've Found You . . .

I have a new man in my life, as as you can see, he's quite a looker. His name is Iain Alvarez. I won't lie to you--it was his stunning good looks that drew me to him in the first place. But we've been shacked up together for over a week, and we're making beautiful music together . . . Well, More him than me, of course. But I'm happy to ride his coat-tails.

The State of Things in Lakeland

Dogs, Foo Fighters, and lounging.



(The sound is subpar on my camera -- turn it all the way up!)

X-Mas in Michigan

Anyone remember the "nephews in a box?" Look at them now.

Kyle was a drummer in the high school jazz band and now plays a variety of intstruments. Next fall he plans to go to college on the west side of the state, near Lake Michigan.


Zachary is now too long for the frame. He's grown 6 inches since school started this fall. I remember Christmases when we begged them to go back to sleep. This year I'd finished my third cup of coffee before we were able to roust Zak. He's a sophomore in high school with interests in video games, tennis and he's about to venture into creative writing.


Ray and Carol: Still cute after all these years. This is Carol's last Christmas of her 70's. They are making noises about staying in the sub-tropics for future holidays.

But can he bring it on with this axe?

Consider Yerself broughtnened'El Jeffe

WARNING: Do NOT Ask Jefe to "Bring It" Unless One is Fully Prepared to Have it "Brung!"

First Single From "V-The Musical"

HIA video exclusive!!!
We at HIAnews have secured the first recording of "Science Lady" from the brilliant rock opera based on the sad-ass TV movie "V"! This reporter was able to sneak in two cameramen undetected to record Jefe and Roxy during a rare performance, and then immediately hand the raw footage over to an esteemed music video director (do the words "Rhinestone Cowboy" ring any bells?) to do with it what he wished.

The video has certain 'experimental' elements but what can I say, the director had a vision. Shame it wasn't 20/20, perhaps then he could have seen the errors of his ways. Let this be a lesson to all future videographers ...STORYBOARD, STORYBOARD, STORYBOARD!!! Be that as it may, this is a great song that deserves to be heard as soon as possible and not left languishing until a future undetermined date when it will be buried somewhere in a two album Broadway cast recording with all the other songs from the musical, like "Standing With My Gun of Freedom Pointed at the Spaceship of Fascism (Volume One Part Two)

Second in a Series of "Sweet" Videos

Extemporaneous Sweet Jane

As the videographer (and the oaf that unplugged Roxy's guitar in midperformance) I fully appreciate that this is a flawed document. However, I also appreciate this flawed document because it (dare I say) flawlessly echoes the ragged but right sensibilities expressed via the improvised lyrics of our Jefe.
Roxy's guitar playing (when heard) (again, I apologize for my part in that snafu) coupled with her and Mary's backing vocals allows this song to build and deepen, thus offering the ideal underpinning for his musings. Erica's egg shaking abilities are on par with that of the octo-mom's and lends a nuanced subtlety to the performance that is only topped by the page turning of one Katy! some could argue that my inadvertent unplugging of the electric guitar (really...what part of SORRY don't you people understand!!!) imbues the performance with a dynamic range that it otherwise would be lacking.
You're welcome.

Side Project Assuages Grief, Sense of Betrayal Felt by 'Trainablez' Fans

Imagine a 'Guns and Roses' composed soley of 5 Axl Roses and you can get some idea of how long one will have to wait to hear any new music from the 'Trainablez'. That is why Roxy and Jeff have offered up this "video single" the A side is a Jefe original, while the B side is a 'Decemberist' cover.

A SIDE


B SIDE

Photos of Vermillion Folk Singer Surface

Photos of Vermillion Folk singer, Renee Roxanne Abeln, surfaced earlier this week. Apparently they were taken at a West River wedding held sometime earlier in the month. She performs with accompianist, Jefe, captivates the crowd with her impish grin, and is helped by one of her handlers to prepare for the performance.