A P&F Xmas Hike

Thursday Morning Hike ~ just under 3 hours 9 a.m.- Noon ~ Air Temp: upper 60's to about 71°

It occurred to me that it's been way too freakin' long since I've been on a proper hike. I kinda sorta hike all the time, well I do sometimes, on my way back from running; I run out, hike back. That's not really on a true hiking trail, though. It's nice, it's a trail, but not a narrow footpath meant for hiking. So I had decided that this morning I'd head out for a proper hike on a proper hiking trail. Okay, well, since this here's the Lowcountry of South Carolina there are no proper hiking trails according to me, Mr. Mountain Man, so I decided I'd do what I could.

I drove outta town up towards to the town of Moncks Corner and near there is the Palmetto Trail, a soon-to-be 425 mile trail from the sea to the mountains. I didn't conquer all 425 miles today, only a few hours worth, but it was great to be out there. From the parking area, I headed north to the edge of a giant reservoir -- Lake Moultrie. Backtracking, I headed down on the Swamp Fox section of the trail into the Francis Marion National Forest. Not exactly a mountainous area, not even hilly, but the pines make it pretty enjoyable. The peacefulness was intoxicatingly mad... so at some point I took out my mp3 player and listened to some tunes. Music on a hike? What am I? Mad? Hey, sometimes music can enhance certain things, like a Playing In The Band Reprise at just the perfect time! Or some P&F on a stroll in the forest. Besides, ain't exactly like I had to be on the lookout for a grizzly bear.

Anyway, mayhaps it twas't the best hike on an amazingly scenic trail, but it felt great to get out there. Normally, t-shirt weather in November would make me want to migrate to Antarctica but it was actually kind of nice. I'm sure it won't stay like this but hmmm, maybe some somewhat warm-weather vacations in cold-weather months might be nice someday.

In any case -- a very cool hike. It's not the exercise that's great for the heart but I'm glad I got out there! And maybe someday I'll actually join the 21st Century and get a digital camera so's I can take and add some pictures of my own. For now -- Google it.

Trail Tunes, Part 1:

100 Days of the Dead Day 51

Phil Lesh & Friends
November 13, 1999
the former Brendan Byrne Arena
East Rutherford, New Jersey
(Continental Airlines Arena, The Meadowlands)
Phil
Warren Haynes (guitar)
Derek Trucks (guitar)
Rob Barraco (keys)
John Molo (drums)

Jam-> The Wheel Jam-> Jam-> Get Together, Dear Mr. Fantasy,
Cryptical Envelopment-> The Other One-> Days Between->
Blue Train-> The Other One-> Cryptical Envelopment,
Help On The Way-> Slipknot-> Franklin's Tower

(Bob Dylan headlined)

It's pretty interesting right off the top of the show to have like 20 minutes of a tuning jam. Well, they probably got most of the tuning done right away and then they just jammed. Not a sing lyric for well over 20 minutes. That's pretty freakin' cool.

The Wheel Jam? At times I thought someone musta been tripping to name it that because maybe I hear hints of The Wheel a couple times near the beginning but for the most part it's just a great jam without there being anything Wheel about it.

The Youngbloods' Get Together. Odd, at first, to hear Phil singing this but I warmed up to it. The music is outstanding. It's definitely not like a Get Together that most people've heard on the radio a hundred times.

Dear Mr. Fantasy, sung by Warren... ummm, well, it's better than by Brent, I think. Not that there's anything wrong with the Grateful Dead and Brent singing this great song... but Warren Haynes & Friends here might have the edge. So nice.

Nicer is hearing the first notes of Cryptical. But Phil singing Bobby? What the??!!? That ain't right. It's not bad, I like it... but... I dunno, just after hearing around 42,000 Other Ones through the years (give or take a few,) hearing Phil sing it is a little strange. The way these guys jams, though, more than makes up for that. Perfection.

Not true with the next song. I don't believe Jerry's songs were untouchable but Days Between sung by Phil? Eh. It's such a gorgeous song... and Phil's voice... eh. Whatever. I didn't hate it... just... eh. I wonder if Warren's ever sung it. I wonder if they tried it out for Warren. Maybe it was too personal for Phil (him being so close to Jerry and Days Between being one of Jerry's last songs) and he really wanted to sing it to help keep Jerry alive. Yeah... that's the answer. Nice call, Phil. (That sounds so sarcastic in my head but I swear it's not!)

Actually, on my second listen of this show now, I like it more. That tends to happen sometimes with stuff. It's really not bad and Phil does a nice job. You can tell he really cares about doing the song justice and honoring Jerry.

A nice little bit of Coltrane is thrown in there before a quick O1 ending into Cryptical again. What a great bit of music and so beautiful at times. Who needs to listen to John Coltrane when you've got Phil Lesh & Friends?! Is this what the Grateful Dead would have possibly progressed into? I want to sound like I'm denigrating their music but this is leaps and bounds beyond 1995 Grateful Dead. Who knows.

I can only imagine the 16-minute Help->Slip->Frank had the fans dancing like crazy. It's really nice but not ultra-magical and I'm not gonna make any comparison to the Grateful Dead here. Just... not bad and fun. This I can say for sure -- being there I woulda loved every second of this show!

Sound quality isn't bad. Vocals/instrumentation aren't too distant or thin and are pretty clear sounding. It's not a bad source for an arena and microphone's hidden in a hat!

Source: Audience Master DAT> CDR> FLAC Audio Quality:

P&F 11/13/99 @ Archive.org: Audience source for your Downloading/Listening Pleasure

Some Miles for the Morning Miles

I'm so far behind today. Kinda blissfully lost... and it's not weird... and it's a pretty good and really nice thing!

2nd order of business...

Where's the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Hospital?

Perhaps in the hamlet of Montrose in Westchester County, New York, not too far north of the City? That's one FDR Hospital.

Could there be another in a place called Banská Bystrica?

Where?

Banská Bystrica, Slovakia.

Pretty cool. I'm not sure why... but pretty cool. On the other hand, is this American colonization? U.S. Out Of Everywhere!!! NOW!!! (???) Should the "evil empire" keep to themselves?

Anyway... I had a great time on the trail this morning!!

Monday Morning Hike... just over 2½ hours

At 3 in the morning when there's daylight in the sky and you've just woken up, what to do? Wait... if it's 3 in the morning, is it still daylight? Hmmmm... ponder ponder ponder... I s'pose because 24 hours constitutes a day and 3 in the morning is part of the day, then light in the sky at 3 a.m. can surely be daylight... right?

Anyway... METS WIN!!! Great game on ESPN last night/yesterday evening. Immediately after I crashed, just after 8 p.m. and I was sleepin' like a baby. Woke up at like 3 a.m. and thought, Hey, How About A Hike? I mean seriously, just because it's 3 in the morning, why's that a dumb time to go for a hike!? It's not dumb, is it? Perfectly logical... right? Not like it was dark. So I went for a hike.

And a great hike it was. Okay, so it wasn't in the Sierra Nevada or the Rocky Mountains, or even in the Appalachians, but with my boots going one step in front of the other on a trail, it was a pretty good hike!

I love that I've got a trail right down at the end of my road. It's not necessarily in the wilderness since it's right here on the edge of town... and since it's some sort of old, abandoned dirt road, it's not truly a hiking trail... but it meanders across fields of tundra, through stands of trees, along a few streams, up and down a few gentle slopes... and so it works for a hike of a few hours without having to drive anywhere! For me it's practically heaven-sent!

I headed on out for... geez, I forget exactly how long now... at least 2½ hours, upwards of 3 so not that long but not a brief stroll either. Not a soul to be seen and other than my boots on the ground, not an artificial man-made sound to be heard... until I played some music, that is. Big, grand, breathtaking hikes usually mean no music... but with this local trail -- that I've been on a couple hundred times due to not only hiking on it but running on it, too -- music helps make it better. It's nice to be out there to think, to get some fresh air, to get some light exercise... but also nice to enjoy some tunes!

And this album was my 40 minutes of Trail Tunes...
	Miles Davis In A Silent Way 1969
Shhh / Peaceful In A Silent Way / It's About That Time

I definitely don't listen to jazz enough. I definitely need more Miles Davis in my musical diet! It's just that certain music, like jazz and reggae, is not good for running. But now that it's hiking season, I can have more time to Press Play on great stuff like this.

One of the best aspects to this, at least in this Deadhead's opinion, is how much In A Silent Way resembles Space from a Grateful Dead show. It's no wonder Phil Lesh, or someone in Phil & Friends, decided to incorporate that into a show a time or two (I forget when but I'll make it a point to try to listen to it eventually which means it'll get mentioned here.)

The music throughout these 40 or so minutes is nothing less than great. I could sit for hours with this on Repeat. Since I am not a musician nor do I know much about jazz -- I only know what I like -- I'll let the following review speak volumes about this album...

Recording in February 1969, Miles Davis seemed to pick up the vibe of what was going to go down that crazy summer. It was a tumultuous time as the sixties came to a close. First came the Manson Family, then the murder during the Stones' Altamont show overshadowing the na've utopia of Woodstock. With In a Silent Way Davis seemed to sum up the dying of the light as the war and violence took over from love and peace. Certainly his most somber record since Kind of Blue , it was a reflective record that would bridge the gap from one of the greatest quintets in jazz history to the most controversial era of Miles Davis' work. In a Silent Way is a foreboding and deeply meditative record that has an almost spiritual quality. Following on his first real plunge into jazz-rock fusion on Filles de Kilimanjaro , the quintet's last record, In a Silent Way was a real head twister. Following Filles' blues- rock-jazz ideology, Davis really pulled together the methods that he began with on the previous release. But the change was the low-lying, almost silent feel. Gone were the funky up-tempo tracks, replaced with two long tracks with sparse arrangements that relied more on atmosphere than any of Miles' earlier records. Holding onto Tony Williams, Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter from the quintet, Miles added future fusion gods Chick Corea and John McLaughlin, as well as Dave Holland (filling Ron Carter's shoes on bass) and organist/pianist/composer Joe Zawinul. In a Silent Way tackles the tone palette of Kind of Blue , setting into an electric fusion. Opening with the subtle and quiet “Shhh/Peaceful,” the record begins a soothing adventure, led by Zawinul's trippy drops of organ. Slowly the track picks up with Williams doing double time on the hi-hat throughout. But McLaughlin is the major soloist, and what would become his signature guitar chops softly intertwine throughout. Finally Miles and Wayne take the stage and fill the holes in with killer solos that rival some their best work from Miles Smiles and Nefertiti. But the B-side with “In a Silent Way/It's About that Time” opens with silence and Williams continuing where he left off - a continuing groove would be played to dreadful bore on On the Corner three years later. The track really shifts as the jam of “It's About that Time” takes off and builds into some classic Davis/Shorter playing that really lays out what is about to come on Bitches Brew. The tracks eases off again and goes back into “In a Silent Way.” Without hearing this overlooked gem, many fans of jazz have missed out on one of the genre's most original and all-encompassing works. The record has recently gotten the full treatment with Columbia/ Legacy's Complete Sessions box set and it continues to prove how vital it is to the Davis catalogue. The record is an essential piece to understanding Miles and where jazz was heading. Its mix of rock and fusion point to Remembering Jack Johnson (rock) and Bitches Brew (fusion). Two important notes are the emergence of Joe Zawinul and the editing and production of Teo Macero who would both be focal points in the movement of Miles' music. Zawinul's presence on organ gives the record its otherworldly feel, but the groove and layout of the record are credited much to Macero's time at the knobs. His splicing and rearranging would become instrumental in the emergence of Miles' sound especially on Bitches Brew and On the Corner. Building and peaking the long tracks so that their flow was consistent and maintained the ideology of the piece. In a Silent Way is a one of kind record that mixed the late-'60s pop and underground movement into the jazz realm. On this record Miles began to hook into the late '60s sounds that flowed from the jam bands in San Francisco. No more is that more evident that in the otherworld-like organ of Zawinul. Starting with Filles the groove of Jimi Hendrix really started to take shape in the work that Miles began 1968. This is best shown on disc one of the Complete Sessions. The opener ”Mademoiselle Mabry (Miss Mabry)” has its foundation based on Hendrix's “The Wind Cries Mary.” Through Macero's production and Miles utilizing the same musicians would bare similar but ever- evolving grooves with each release. They would never make a record like it again, an absolutely timeless work that proves that Miles Davis and crew were some of the most innovative thinkers in modern music. by Trevor MacLaren, All About Jazz

find a dload @ Jazz Archives

Not quite a date with Botticelli's niece... but still pretty cool

Tis a strange thing not knowing what's happened in the world over the past half a day. Half day? Half a day? I must've been absent that day.

Since 9/11, it's seemingly been a part of me to know what's big in the news. I don't know why this is. If I'm home and not reading or listening to music or watching a movie or The Office or The Simpsons or whatever (which isn't often) then the news is on. When I'm here on the internet -- the news is on... actually not always, like now; sometimes I like the silence to help me get the thoughts through the fingers and onto the screen without distraction.

But in general, no matter what my situation is (working, traveling, whatever,) I want to have a news source in my hands, in my ears, in my eyes, something, to know if a nuclear war has started... or, since that's highly unlikely, if a terrorist attack has happened, something that's going to change the world in some rather significant way. Obviously, considering there've only been a few such events since and including 9/11, this tremendous "need to know" isn't that that important. Still, I want to be a person who is aware of what's going on in the news, things that affect us on a national level, things that affect human beings on an widespread level in Costa Rica or Brazil or Romania or Iran or Myanmar or anywhere.

Most often, what can I do about it? Nothing. So what does it matter if I know? And if a terrorist attack happened, wouldn't you somehow know anyway? Not necessarily.

This afternoon I watched the Cubbies on ESPN. Good game, an exciting comeback win for the Cubs. While I watched, I made some hamburgers to put in the freezer (a lot more work than just forming patties what with the ground up walnuts and steel cut oats mixed with dried parsley and black pepper and red pepper flakes, an egg with some Worcestershire sauce and milk, plus the super-minced onion and garlic with olive oil ... ohhh yeah, that's the good stuff. I had one hot off the grill (no ketchup, just onion and lettuce) and even after being frozen, they ain't bad.)

Anyway.... wow, talk about being distracted, I don't need the TV on for that! Anyway... watched the game, made burgers, grabbed a needle and thread and sewed a small hole in some shorts, more watching the game, yada yada yada... hopped in the truck and drove an hour and 15 minutes out to Chena River Rec Area, hiked for 3 hours, drove the hour and 15 minutes back, showered and here I be. Now it's just after 1 in the morning and I haven't had the news on since around 2:30 in the afternoon. What's happened in the world since then? Nothing, I hope. Sure, lots and lots of stuff has happened (something bad happens just about everywhere and all the time) but nothing major, I hope. The world could be on fire or taken over by Tim Burton's attackers from Mars, for all I know.

Being out of the news loop for so long (close to a half a day... or a half day) somewhat bothers me. How do people live their lives not giving a damn at all about the world around them? Talk about crap that boggles my mind. People live their lives so self-absorbed -- they could tell you who won American Idol or the plot twists in Lost (holy crap, there are fan sites galore for that show) but which senior U.S. senator was recently diagnosed with cancer, or which nation Iran wants to wipe off the face of the Earth, or the name of the country that is so tremendously suffering because their "government" doesn't want outsiders to help victims of a horrible cyclone that struck there, these things, important things, real things, they have no clue about.

Wow, the rants they are in me! I wasn't expecting all of this to come out of my head tonight. People just perplex me more than than they please me.

Interestingly, I fully support a person's right to be ignorant and uncaring and so wicked self-absorbed that they don't even know who their own mayor is ... but that just doesn't seem right to me.

Anyway... I had a GREAT hike tonight... last night, technically, but I'm still awake and I only got back to my house an hour and a half ago... so it feels like tonight still. Anyway, it was a good day off from work! I don't put in a bazillion hours a week (44 on average) and sometimes work consists of sitting and watching Baywatch while waiting for a call... but a lot of the time it's quite taxing and so having a good amount of time off (36 hours) between shifts, that's pretty sweet. Love the time to rest and/or seek out something nice to do like... like go for a hike in the wilderness! Great way to forget all about the crap in the world and enjoy life for awhile!!

Tuesday Night Hike

It was a good thing, nay, a very good thing that I packed me some stuff one should take along on a day hike. This was my second trip out to Angel Rocks this year and holy smoked salmon, Smokey The Bear, as the sun dipped further and further below the horizon, so did the temperature.

I pulled into the parking lot at just about 8:00 p.m. and within a minute or two I was at the trailhead and on my way. The weather was gorgeous -- mid-50's and a partially cloudy sky. The stroll up to Angel Rocks allowed the sun to hit me just as it was sliding down below the horizon. In my long-sleeve hiking shirt, the rays of sun warmed me right up. On down the trail I went. After a good 45 minutes or an hour or so of hiking, I made my turn around in the hot springs parking lot. The sun by now was well below the horizon... well below according to how far it dips below the horizon this time of year at such a northern latitude. Sunset: yes. Darkness: no. Warmth of the day going bye bye: yes. A frigid "night" approaching: fast!

In no time at all I went from being a little bit warm in long-sleeves to needing a light fleece jacket. Some mighta gone with hat and gloves, too but me no wimp, me man, me take it! I did have hat and gloves in my backpack, just in case, as well as the zip-on pants legs of my hiking shorts and thermal underwear if need be. One twisted ankle could have stranded me out there overnight. I'm not sure if there's cell phone reception out there but oh wait, I don't have a cell phone anyway! Actually I do have one for work which isn't mine but it's in my possession; I could have brought that for a just in case moment but carrying a cell phone hiking I'm generally against, unless it's up Mt. Hood or something where you could get reception in the event of impending tragedy. Then again, that's not exactly hiking, that's mountaineering. Tonight out along the Chena River was just hiking. Still... emergencies could arise. Ugh... I'm getting myself into the cell phone while hiking debate. Don't wanna go there now.

Coldness set in and at one point on the way back down the trail, when I stopped to grab a granola bar (and have some water) I checked the tiny little thermometer keychain dealie on my backpack -- 36° (about 2 C.) I was so surprised. Low 40's is what I was thinkin -- not mid-30's. Mannn... wow. That's just like 50 or 60 miles east of Fairbanks. I'm not surprised now, after the fact -- it gets that cold at night here, even this close to June. It's just something I haven't totally gotten used to yet. Ooops, using the word "yet" kinda makes it seem like I probably will get use to it as more years here go by... but I'm not so sure that's gonna happen. My mind is often elsewhere, meaning not in Alaska but in New England or Jersey or somewhere else Outside. Maybe I won't even be here this coming winter? Don't know.

Anyway....... the cold on the trail made it interesting. While I had my fleece jacket on combined with warmth generated from hiking, my legs in shorts did just fine. I resisted the gloves so my fingers were chilly, my face was nearing freezing, but for the most part -- energizing and refreshing, that's what it was! I was alive!!!

Hell yeah!

I don't know how I did it but my time on the trail was just about at 3 hours even. After an hour+ drive back and another listen to the music below, here I am at like 2 something in the morning. Sleep soon? Not sure. All I know is my dog's happy I'm home and now sleeping on the floor a few feet away, Nelson, Constanten and Flast are once again coming out of the speakers, and life ain't too bad at this moment.

Hopefully the world around me is still there. I'll get the news on soon.

Tunes...
	Dead Ringers 1993

256 kbps
	Dead Ringers (1993) - Part 1 Dead Ringers (1993) - Part Two

if you want, you can click to listen and/or dload @ 128 kbps
	Deep Elem Blues
	--Great American Music Hall, Dec 1992
	Mountains Of The Moon
	--The Wetlands, NYC, May 1993
	Rosa Lee McFall
	--Lone Star Roadhouse, NYC, May '93
	Slidin' Delta
	--The Rafters, Crested Butte, Colorado, Feb 93
	Cumberland Blues
	--Garton's Saloon, Vail, Colorado, Feb 93
	Truckin'
	--Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, British Columbia, Feb 93
	When I Paint My Masterpiece
	--The Rafters, Crested Butte, Colorado, Feb 93
	Deal
	--Garton's Saloon, Vail, Colorado, Feb 93
	Dark Star
	--La Luna, Portland, Oregon, Feb 93
	Gotta Serve Somebody
	--La Luna, Portland, Oregon, Feb 93
	Knockin' On Heaven's Door
	--Oregon County Fair, Veneta, Oregon, July 1992

The question is -- why? Why not just listen to the real thing? My answer yet again (as I have asked this question before to albums kinda like this) -- curiosity.

from inside the liner notes...

Dead Ringers Got It Covered

How do you explain it when a bunch of San Francisco musicians get together and perform sets that predominantly feature Grateful Dead cover material? Well, there's no explaining it... but people love it!

In an era when more bands are trying to shake the "tribute band" stigma, Dead Ringers are breathing new life into some of the greatest music that has emerged from the psychedelic scene. The band's nucleus consists of Barry Flast (Kingfish), Tom Constanten (Grateful Dead), and David Nelson (New Riders, Acoustic Garcia).

With regard to the choice of material they've selected to perform, the original idea was to try to stick to the Golden Age material from Workingman's Dead, Aoxomoxoa and earlier, since TC and Nelson were on those records.

TC remarks, "We didn't learn it from the sheet music and off a record. We were in there when it was being constructed and when it was built, and furthermore, we know who we are, we don't have anything to prove. We don't have to play like somebody."

Very cool bunch of tunes! Knockin' appears to be an Aud or a Matrix source but it's inclusion is worth it -- a tribute to Bill Graham who died tragically the previous Fall.

Cumberland is pretty smokin', it was a first set closer and you could tell that wanted to go out on a rockin' note.

Truckin' might be the stand-out tune, at least for me. It's the longest song here and they head off into some pretty nice jam land.

Other musicians include: Brian Godchaux, fiddle on Deep Elem Blues and Barry Sless on lead guitar and pedal steel throughout the whole disc. Many know Sless from Phil Lesh & Friends as well as the David Nelson Band. Great guitar player who adds so nicely on Deal and his pedal steel is just beautiful on so many songs here.

TOM CONSTANTEN (Piano/Vocals), was the keyboardist with the Grateful Dead from 1968 till 1970, contributing some classic tracks to "Anthem of the Sun", "Aoxomoxoa", and "Live Dead" before leaving to pursue a solo career (which included: albums with the Incredible String Band and Moby Grape; live shows with Robert Hunter, Janis Joplin, Zero, David Crosby & Stephen Stills, Dan Hicks, John Handy, and many others; four solo C.D.'s... "Nightfall of Diamonds" on Relix Records being the most recent).

BARRY FLAST (Lead Vocals, Keyboards, Acoustic Guitar) was one of the original keyboardists of Kingfish (replaced by non-keyboardist Bobby Weir in 1975), rejoined the band in '77 just in time to help record and tour behind their second album "Live 'N Kicking", then left again, rejoining a third time in '80 only to watch what was left of Kingfish evolve into Bobby and the Midnites! Barry was then the driving force in re-organizing the group with Matt Kelly after the untimely death of founder Dave Torbert in 1983. he has contributed vocals and/or keyboards to four of the five albums Kingfish has released, and has worked as a session player with Jerry Garcia, Poco, Paul Stookey (Peter, Paul & Mary), Country Joe McDonald, Kim Carnes, Garth Hudson & many others; his songs have been recorded by artists like Bob Weir, Janis Joplin & Paul Butterfield, Paul Stookey (to name a few); and he's performed with Country Joe and the Fish, Bob Weir, Maria Muldaur, Hot Tuna, Rick Danko, Papa John Creach, John Cipollina, George Thorogood, etc.

DAVID NELSON (Acoustic & Electric Guitar, Mandolin, Lead Vocals) goes back in Dead history further than anyone on the planet. David, Jerry Garcia, and Robert Hunter made up the Wildwood Boys, a 1962 bluegrass group that was the seed that eventually flowered into the Grateful Dead. In 1967, David, along with John Dawson and Dave "Pre-Kingfish" Torbert formed The New Riders and continued with them until 1983 (along the way, he sang the lead vocal on their biggest hit "Panama Red"). His trademark guitar work was showcased on Grateful Dead albums "American Beauty", "Workingman's Dead", and "Aoxomoxoa". In the mid-80's, he appeared once again with Jerry Garcia in the "Almost Acoustic" Band and broke house attendance records at the Lunt-Fontaine Theatre on Broadway in New York City (and was captured on C.D. and released a few years ago!)

The Ballad of Zoooma The Hiker

One Friday Zoooma had off from work.
He decided, Hey Man, Chop Some Wood;
You Ran Low This Winter, For Next Winter Get Prepared.

So on a day off from work, Zoooma worked.

What's up with that... man?

During a brief pause to rest his weary arms,
all that splittin, and ax swingin, you know,
it makes a person kinda tired,
Zoooma's sittin down on a log,
and after grabbin' his bottle of water,
over walks Cassidy the K9 to say
Hi Man, Pet Me a Bit While You Ain't Busy.

So after some pettin and some drinkin of that water
and some rest that was oh so surely needed,
Zoooma said to himself,
he said Self, You Done In The Past Hour
More Than You Thought You'd Do Before September!
Way To Go -- Now Go On, Go Do Something Fun.

So Zoooma said back to himself,
he said Hey Man, You're Right,
Damn Straight, Biotche, I'm Outta Here!

So the day, or actually just an hour,
of gettin a head start on next winter's wood supply,
with a smile that came to an end.
Productive it was but now twas time
to lace up them hiking boots and head on out
for some of that real wilderness enjoyment.

This is, after all,
A-freakin'-laska, right?

So a hikin Zoooma went
and a hikin' Zoooma he did enjoy.

And that there be The Ballad of Zoooma The Hiker.

Or in other words... words that aren't coming from the folk singer in me... man, what a great day! Well, at least a great evening.

I don't know what possessed me to chop wood when normally I wouldn't start that job until the last minute almost, September 1st at the earliest. But I chopped. One tree on the property was down from last Fall so I started there. Some chainsaw work later, I was ready to split logs. Swinging that ax over and over and over is just not fun. Hey, but the more I do now, the less work when the weather turns cold again in a few weeks... no, no, no, we've got at least three months of spring & summer left before that happens.

At some point, though, I had decided I'd had enough; I was going hiking.

Easily I could have taken off on local trails and paths along the river here in town. I kinda wanted more so I headed east, about 60 miles down the Chena Hot Springs Road to Chena River Recreation Area. There's a great trailhead there. A person can so easily wander off into the wilderness... and never be heard from again... or enjoy a nice hike. Either/or. I chose the latter... obviously or I guess I wouldn't be typing this.

In the parking lot I hopped out from behind the wheel at just before 8 p.m.

Angel Rocks was my main destination, a relatively short hike away (about an hour.) Through the evergreens and over the rocky ground, with the Chena River rushing nearby, I made my way up through the lower hills to this cool spot where giant slabs of granite rise from the ground like kings.

There's another trail here, saved for another day, that heads off to a spot (The Tors) where the rocks are just like this but even bigger, like buses, no... like... what's bigger than a bus? Like a ferry so we're talkin massive here.

Anyway, this time it was just the Angel Rocks for me. Since that would have been a tiny hike for a long round-trip drive, I wanted to walk on some more and stay out there on the trail awhile.

A couple hours further is the Chena Hot Springs Resort so in that direction I headed. Turned around before I got that far but along the ridge and through the trees, what a great trail it is to be hiking on.

Unfortunately no music. Locally around Fairbanks I feel more confident that I can hike with music while not listening for bear activity. Out here I probably could have because while I'm up on a mountain ridge, bears are down near the river... usually... but there's no guarantee of that. A bear attack is so unlikely but it could happen. While I'm at peace with dying... my dog would wonder what happened to me so that would suck. So no music sometimes. That's okay. On a trail that not so spectacular and I'm just there for exercise and to enjoy being outside and moving, music helps make that time better. But when I've got a great hike like this, no music is perfect!

Anyway, that was just sweet. To get there and back it was nearly 3 hours of driving for only a couple hours of hiking, but absolutely worth every cent in gas money. Interestingly I could have stayed all night with there being daylight at midnight and 2 am and 4 am... but with work tomorrow which is now today, essentially, for more people it's now Saturday, I could not stay... not that I brought enough gear with me anyhow. So back I am, pulled into my driveway around 11:30, showered and now pondering some sleep.

An hour of chopping wood is a LOT of work and I now know -- never do that before hiking! That combined with the hike has got me now feeling like perhaps I should've stayed the night at the hot springs to soak my bones in the soothing waters. Ahhh well, Say Goodbye To Chena Hot Springs, say hello, Mr. Advil.

Driving tunes & my album of the day...

	Billy Joel Songs In The Attic recorded in 1980, released in 81
Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway) Summer, Highland Falls Streetlife Serenader Los Angelenos She's Got A Way Everybody Loves You Now Say Goodbye To Hollywood Captain Jack You're My Home The Ballad Of Billy The Kid I've Loved These Days

Been a freakin' long time since I've listened to Billy Joel. Freakin' long. I originally thought this was a studio album that I'd use for running but nope, a live album culled from performances in 1980. Apparently Mr. Billy wanted to re-introduce his newfound fans to some of his older material (but performed by his current band) and that's the basis for this collection.

I've never heard many of these tunes so that was a new experience. Others I dig like Say Goodbye To Hollywood and Miami 2017... although Miami 2017 is sort of a sad one now, even though it's got such a great (musical) feel to it; Billy played that after 9/11...

"Seen the lights go out on Broadway
I saw the Empire State laid low
And life went on beyond the Palisades"

"I seen the lights go out on Broadway
I saw the ruins at my feet"

Some lines that have gained a new emotion meaning to Billy Joel and to so many.

Pretty good album, though. Soft rock's not my thing but it's not all soft rock... this is New York rockin', in a way, okay, not like The Ramones NY rockin... but still, this is classic rock that the best classic rock radio stations in the country loved playing... and hopefully still do if they've got any soul.

find a dload @ Gustavoeo

How about a Video?!
Billy Joel & Marlee Matlin (with Oscar The Grouch)
from 1988 -- "Just The Way You Are"

It's Beginning To Feel A Lot Like Springtime... Monk Is In The Air

First Hike of The Year... Finally!

I have a label for hiking and I could easily click it to find out when my most recent hike was... but I ain't gonna, would depress me too much. Well, probably not depress me but I'm still not gonna find out -- just gonna look ahead.

It's been awhile... I'm pretty certain, Jane Curtain, that it was last year. Again, not gonna think about it -- just gonna look ahead.

Twas a fine day, a fine day indeed. Beautiful sweatshirt weather tonight. With temps in the mid-50's, it's sweatshirt weather for some people all day long. I love this!

Had another outdoor backyard hamburger and hot dog hoedown to go to this evening... actually this was hamburgers, moose burgers, hot dogs, and reindeer sausage. It was a local Habitat for Humanity group outing to get to know others who will work on projects this summer here in Fairbanks and also in a couple remote villages in the bush. When people have homes that are so run-down, it's nice to get them into something that doesn't give them worries all the time. I feel like I'm the odd man out, in a way, not being someone in construction full time like most of these people. Ahh, no worries, I know my way around a hammer and nails just fine. Home repairs I am quite able to get accomplished with having to dial the phone for someone to come do it for me, thanks. I might not have the technical expertise that many Habitat volunteers appear to have, but I love lending a hand in whatever way I can.

The hamburger hoedown wasn't a beer party version that could last quite a few hours into the night so I was outta there before it got too late. The plan was to hit the trail but not for a run... for my first hike o' the year, baby!

I had my mp3 player loaded and ready to play some tunes... this post was almost gonna be titled -- Almost Went Hiking with Thelonious in San Francisco. I've heard of a lot of bear activity lately... being Spring they're eagerly looking for food. I didn't want to be food... so I paid music-less close attention as I wandered along a stretch of the Chena River. My first hike wasn't long, about an hour and a half and wouldn't ya know it, within 30 minutes, a wicked smell arose from the brush... something rotting... something that not too long ago lived and breathed and walked along just as surely as I was. The carcass I never saw but probably a young moose that became dinner for a grizzly and her cubs. Good idea to go music-less. I'd hate to be dessert!

After awhile I turned around and headed back, my feet clearly feeling two or three spots where I'm not used to such an outing in my hiking boots. Running shoes my feet are perfectly used to... but this is new, at least new right at the moment. Now, if I can work more hikes into my week, my feet will adjust and I'll be good to go for the summer!

I love that this far north in the hemisphere one can, as I did tonight, set out on a 90-minute hike at 10 o'clock at night and be back before dark. That's just sweet.

These almost were my trail tunes...

The other day Sugar Mag, who might be the nicest person on this whole interweb dealie... or maybe in the world! put up a cool post with some jazz videos -- Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Wynton Marsalis, and Louis Armstrong with Johnny Cash -- and that post inspired me to start listening to more jazz... daddy-o. There's so much that I'd love to get into my ears... so little time. This one's been sitting and waiting for me to Press Play... so this, and only this, is what I'll be doing as soon as I click Publish.

	Thelonious Monk Alone In San Francisco 1959
Blue Monk Ruby, My Dear Round Lights Everything Happens To Me You Took The Words Right Out Of My Heart Bluehawk Pannonica Remember There's Danger In Your Eyes, Cherie (Take 2) There's Danger In Your Eyes, Cherie (Take 1) Reflections

Solo piano is something I don't think I have ever listened to before this album. I started listening a little bit before Publishing this post and right off the top, Blue Monk is so beautiful... it's really taking me back in time, quite awhile ago, to when I was just a wee little Zoooma child... I'm remembering visits to my Godfather's in Hartsdale, Westchester County, New York, about an hour drive from where I grew up in northern New Jersey.

There in my "Uncle" Frank and "Aunt" Muriel's apartment, during dinner and after when they played bridge and had espresso with my parents, there'd be some quiet background music, from a radio station that played music just like this. Wow. Just wow. I'm so glad I decided to give this a spin! I love remembering Frank & Muriel back in New York. Spent every Christmas with them on the Hudson... but that's a whole nother remembrance for a whole nother day. For now this is just a slice of heaven!

here's the liner notes, from The Thelonious Monk Website:

This is an album created, you might say, by stripping things down to the essentials: a bare hall, recording equipment and one highly talented musician. When that musician is THELONIOUS MONK, it should not be at all surprising that the result is as intriguing and challenging a program as you could hope to get from any jazz combination of any size.

This remarkably creative pianist has often been considered "alone" (sometimes correctly, sometimes not) during the course of a still-expanding career that spans all of modern jazz. Ihelonious was of course a focal point of the "be-bop" revolution of the very early 1940s and he has remained a major force ever since, both through his own work and by his influence on others. There were years when much of the public, most critics and even some musicians left Monk alone, either admitting that he baffled them or claiming that he was merely an over-legendized eccentric. But by the late 1950s, there was widespread recognition of his unique talents (for examples: first place among pianists in the Down Beat Critics Poll and second in their Readers Poll in both 1958 and 1959), and he remained musically alone only in the sense that so highly personal an artist and composer must always remain somewhat apart and totally understandable only (if to anyone) to himself.

Being "alone" in the specific sense of recording by himself is of course a somewhat different matter, but not too different This is Monk's second album of this kind; the first ("Thelonious Himself" -- RLP 12-235) having been recorded two and a half years earlier, before the current acceptance of Monk began to take hold. In the notes to that LP, I commented that it is not always easy for other musicians, no matter how skilled or sympathetic, to "grasp fully or execute perfectly the intricate and demanding patterns that Monk's mind can evolve," so that one special attraction of a solo album is that it presents the pianist in a self-sufficient vein, offering an opportunity "to hear Thelonious as he thinks and sounds when he has chosen to be, temporarily, complete in himself." All this certainly still holds true for 1959 solo Monk, particularly since his now being a much bigger name than he was early in 1957 is both less surprising and less distracting to Thelonious than it is to just about anyone else. Actually, circumstances combined to add several extra degrees of aloneness to this recording, and to make it perhaps an even more striking example of an artist looking into the depths of himself. Monk was making his first visit to San Francisco (a second solo album had been planned for some time; the coincidence that Thelonious and this writer were both in the West Coast city at the same time brought it into being there). In a long, empty meeting hall - acoustically quite good, but rather bizarre-looking, with Monk sitting onstage with banks of ancient, ornate chandeliers for background. In a strange city - when photographer Bill Claxton drove him to various landmarks (including the cable-car setting of the cover photo) during a break in the session, it was Monk's first real view of San Francisco. And, although personal matters generally don't belong in liner notes, it might also be relevant that Thelonious had just had to leave his wife behind in Los Angeles, recuperating from major surgery; and that the first recording session came the afternoon after the opening night of his engagement at the Black Hawk - when, due to varied confusions not of his making, Thelonious had been the only member of his quartet on hand for the first two sets.

To what extent all these varieties of aloneness are reflected on the LP is an open question. What is clear is that Monk is in a predominately lyrical and introspective mood, with quiet emphasis on the blues and also with flashes of his characteristic wry humor. Some of the selections make for interesting comparison with previous recorded versions: Pannonica is now less 'tough', more richly a ballad than in the original quintet version on "Brilliant Corners" (RLP 12-226); Blue Monk is more subdued than in the on-the-job quartet effort on "Thelonious in Action" (RLP 12-262). The latter is one of three blues included here, the other two being new ones: Bluehawk, and Round Lights - this last in honor of those chandeliers! Ruby, My Dear has always been a ballad (he had most recently recorded it with Coleman Hawkins on "Monk's Music"--RLP 12-242), but seems still deeper and firmer as a solo.

The other of his own tunes is the appropriately-titled Reflections; and then there are four standards, two of which (Everything Happens and You Took the Words) are old favorites of Monk's, the sort he often plays solo at the start of a set in a club. Remember is a rather affectionate analysis of the Irving Berlin warhorse. But There's Danger in Your Eyes, Cherie, a 1929 number associated with Harry Richman, is something else again, an unplanned-for and unlikely inclusion. Thelonious came across it while leafing through a folio of old standards, recalled it, and proceeded to have a ball with it, exploring it in search of Monk-ish chords, and generally justifying his comment that "they won't be expecting something like this from me."

find a dload @ Jazz à Gogo

How about a Video?!
(nothing here this time)

Cold Floyd

· Short Hike --- 1 hour 26 minutes
· Temperature: 10ºF (-12ºC)
· Trail Time in November: 8 hours 24 minutes

____(starting Oct. 1)
· Weight Loss Goal -- 24 pounds (11 kg)
__________· So Far -- 7 lb.

There's no way this month I can match my trail time from October. That's just the darn problem with living here, well, at least it's sort of a problem for me.

I want to hike. 10 degrees is just at the beginning of being on the bad side for hiking. Although today it was a pleasant 10 degrees, yes, pleasant -- overcast, lightly snowing, no wind to speak of. That's pretty nice. But still cold. It's easy to bundle up, no worries there. Carrying a balaclava in case my face is gonna freeze and fall off, not so swell.

Now, if I decide to shift my life a few miles east and south of here, say, to New England, I'd be able to hike nearly all throughout the winter without the threat of freezing my nads off. I'm stubborn, though. I want to be as far away from that piece of crap America as possible. I love this country but I don't want to see starbucks and walmarts every 100 feet. I don't want to see the goddamn suburban sprawl raping every stand of woodlands and every acre of farmland so developers can put up cookie cutter sprawdivisions that make me want to puke and then burn them all down.

Fairbanks ain't paradise but there's no town further from the Lower 48 that one can drive to on paved road.

Anyway... short hike about 12 hours ago. Nice, snowy afternoon. And some music that made me want to dose.

Weird, wild stuff...

Pink Floyd

The Piper At
The Gates Of Dawn

1967

[2007 Remastered
mono and stereo versions]

Astronomy Domine
Lucifer Sam
Matilda Mother
Pow R. Toc H.
Take Up Thy Stethoscope And Walk
Interstellar Overdrive
The Gnome
Chapter 24
The Scarecrow
Bike

How can anybody legitimately use words to describe this music? It's been over a decade since I last heard this stuff and back then it was a favorite for... uhh, well, for when tripping on acid to be perfectly blunt. Without a doubt Syd Barrett was at many points during conception and production of this album also under the influence. Back there in a University of Utah dorm suite and later in rented houses off-campus, this was a popular bunch of songs to play, oh, an hour or so after munching on a few tabs of LSD. Settle in for the night and just trip away to psychedelic Floyd, amongst other stuff. I tell ya, tripping wasn't a time for Jimmy Buffett, Springsteen or The Cure. Music like that woulda made no sense on acid. This debut album from Floyd almost doesn't make any sense sober... ahhh, but when tripping that's a whole 'nother story!

Fast forward to November of 2007 -- when listening without chemical aid, some of this does makes sense. Interstellar Overdrive, in particular, makes perfect sense to me. It's a total combination of a Grateful Dead jam that's left the bounds of whatever song it's following, like a post-Estimated jam before Drums. That sound combined with Space is what the 9 and a half minute Interstellar Overdrive is. Just amazing.

Other tunes on here are quite literally insane. Pow R Toc H, The Gnome, and Bike especially just make me scratch my head and not because of dandruff or fleas... I got rid of those. The Scarecrow and Take Up Stethoscope also qualify for pretty weird.

The recent remastering, especially on the stereo version, is freakin' sweet. I'm almost never struck by improved sound but here it's fairly significant. Unless the Soviet underground kidnaps me to do LSD testing on me, those days are way behind me... so I'll never experience this again like have in the past. That doesn't mean I'm not going to explore this album some more in the future. Weird wild stuff but that's part of what makes it so interesting and worth listening to!

320 kbps dload @ The-Roadhouse

Also, 5 more from
the Janis album
Pearl...

Me and Bobby McGee

A Woman Left Lonely
Move Over
Trust Me
Buried Alive In The Blues

Chena to L.A. GD

· Hiking Time --- 2 hours 17 minutes
· Temperature: 21ºF (-6ºC)
· Trail Time in November: 3 hours 21 minutes

____(starting Oct. 1)
· Weight Loss Goal -- 24 pounds (11 kg)
__________· So Far -- 7 lb.

Saturday again? For real? Or for fake? Is all of this life just a dream? This week has flown by. Spent last night out at Chena Hot Springs. I was the third wheel. Yay. It wasn't that bad, they're good friends o' mine. Mike, my former EMT partner, and his wife, Julie, went along. Actually I was the invited one so twas I who was doing the going along. Apparently there was supposed to be a fourth person but she canceled. I've got the feeling they were setting me up with someone... and they'll keep trying. That's not something I particularly care for... but then again, if I knew who it was and she's rather good looking, then I could decide whether to make it easy for them. Unfortunately I have no clue so I've gotta play this hand carefully. Anyway, the swimming was nice. But I don't think I really did any swimming. In the pool at Chena, it's more like a lounging. Lazing and lounging. Loved it! Woulda been better if it was a cloudless night and the Northern Lights danced overhead... but ya can't have everything. Oh well. It's definitely a freakin' cool place to be when the lights are flashing across the Heavens. These great hot springs are right down the road, sort of... about 60 miles east of Fairbanks down a dead-end road into the wilderness. So accessible they are but I haven't been there in months. Should really get out there more often. Sooooooooo relaxing just soaking in the hot mineral waters. Oh yeah.... niiiice!

This morning the drive back to town was in near white-out conditions. The snow wasn't coming down at an enormous pace but holy cow, the wind blowin' it around like mad made the drive back sooooo long.

I had my mind made up that as soon as I got back, I'd gear up and hit the trail almost immediately. And a fan-freakin'-tastic hike it was. Okay, there wasn't anything really that amazing about it. But how dang sweet, yet again, to be puttin' one foot in front of the other, gettin' some exercise on a snowy trail, through a snowy landscape, cool air on my face, warm fingers in gloves, warm head under fleece cap. For some of the hike, the peacefulness without music was so intense. In the falling snow, not a sound could be heard. At other times GD tunes filled my ears and made this stroll a slice of Heaven on Earth. Yeah... sweeeet!

Hiking Music...
actually just Set 2 on the trail...
but I've now listened to this show
twice in the past few days...
and a third time right now.

Grateful Dead -- 12/16/94
L.A. Sports Arena
Los Angeles, California

1st Set

Hell In A Bucket, Cold Rain And Snow,
Minglewood Blues, So Many Roads,
Childhood's End, Eternity -> Don't Ease Me In

2nd Set

Eyes Of The World, Samba In The Rain,
Estimated Prophet -> Jam -> He's Gone ->
Drums -> Space -> The Other One ->
Wharf Rat -> Good Lovin'

Encore

Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds

*Almost the whole show with Branford Marsalis!*

What a three week span,
from the end of November through mid-December:

Salt Lake-> Denver and back.
Salt Lake-> Oakland and back.
Salt Lake-> Los Angeles and back.

From what I remember of it, that was pretty tiring with a lot of gas money spent but a whole bunch of Dead shows seen. All worth it!

At the time I was not working -- slumming it, sort of. I was all set to start work right after Christmas up at Park City. My mailorder tickets were in hand and all I needed was to find some people to go to some shows. Somehow I convinced my faithful tour buddies Jennamarie and April to head down to LaLaLand for a few days. One problem for them was they were both enrolled at the U (the University of Utah) that semester. Usually it takes no effort to get them to go but this time I had to really really really twist their arms... but they gave in. The middle two L.A. shows were doable for them, on a Friday and a Sunday, provided we leave right after the Sunday show. That following Monday morning they had to get to class without fail -- finals were starting! For that, I commend them even to this day. What a tight squeeze but my girls said what the heck and off we were!

From Salt Lake City to the heart of Los Angeles it's about 700 miles if I remember correctly. In a normal vehicle that would be a fairly easy 10 hour trip. Going by old VW bus it took slightly longer, more like 12-13 hours... it was a haul! Sometime in the afternoon on Thursday we left and headed for I-15 -- Provo, Cedar City, Las Vegas, and the burning shores of California beyond. We didn't get quite that far before ending the first half of the journey about an hour south of Vegas. In the small casino town of Primm, Nevada we got a room for the night. Now if only memory recall was better this many years later. Not even the name of the casino where we stopped can I remember. My mind is just a blank on that night. The next morning I remember we got breakfast in the casino -- but not one of those $1.99 buffet deals, no, we sat down and ordered, a good yummy breakfast to hold us over until parking lot chow at the arena later on.

Cruisin' through the Mojave from Nevada to SoCal is always a breeze and I remember flyin' right down to the beach for our very first stop (other than gettin' gas somewhere along the four hour or so drive from Primm.) Cowboy Chris at the wheel, the bus to LaLaLand... and when we arrived near the coast, I had no idea where to go but I knew the ocean was west, yes, west indeed. So west I went and we landed, I don't remember where, Hermosa or Redondo Beach, down that way, kinda south of the arena but hey, we had the afternoon to kill, no worries! I think I decided to find our way on up to Venice Beach where I'd been before but Jennamarie and April hadn't been -- a cooler spot to waste a few hours doin' basically nothing. As evening approached we busted out the Rand McNally road atlas and figured out how to get to the arena for the show.

So easy it was to get in and parked, I recall that clearly. Same ol' deal for the same ol' band -- same ol' parking lot scene! Ahhhhhhh.... home, in a way! The previous December I had made a similar trip down to SoCal which included San Diego shows, so this was my second time here at this joint. Eventually we made our way inside, probably soaking up the lot atmosphere as much as we could before closin' up the bus, gettin' tix in order, etc. I do remember where we sat for this one. The GD Mailorder folks gave me some pretty nice seats, about mid-court back from the stage and like, I dunno, seven or eight rows up from the floor. Jerry side.

And the show itself? I'm messed up because all these years later, without seein' a setlist it's really difficult for me to give details of a show I was at. Perhaps that's normal? I dunno, but what I do remember about this show -- Branford!!! When he walked out on stage I think my level of bliss just exploded. It hadn't even crossed my mind, I know that. The previous December he played with the Dead here, the SECOND time I got to see him up there with Jerry and the boys. Now a third time? Wow... just foolish to even try to put in words how great that was.

Bucket opened the proceedings on such a high note. This is the quintessential way to open a show in the 1990's, I tell ya what. The place was absolutely rockin'! Flawless and with Branford adding to the sound... YEAH! Jerry was right on with the whole band really kickin' the crap out of this nights opening song.

I don't necessarily like that they didn't go straight into the next tune, Cold Rain and Snow. Instead of segue and just a ton of non-stop dancin', we got a breather before those familiar notes started up a minute or so later. Not bad that was but the Minglewood that followed seemed to kick the show up a notch. Branford stepped up to the plate and belted that song out of the park, baby. The crowd was soooooo into it, so into his bein' up there; what a freakin' treat and a half! And according to Bobby, "these Southland Fillies start lookin' good" 'cause ya know it's "T right here in L.A. now, where the little girls know what to do."

What came next was... once again I'm at a loss for words. New tune So Many Roads wasn't exactly lyrically perfect by Jerry, it's really nice ... but oh my God, the emotion at the end, sittin' here now listening for the third time since that night ....... I can't describe it. Unbelievable. Brought the crowd to its knees. Moments like that seem to multiply the impact of Jerry's early departure from our lives. He left way too soon when he still had so many So Many Roads to sing. Not many would be like this one, that's for sure. Without a doubt that was the high point of this show. Wow.

A couple more relatively new songs came next, the better of the two (with all due respect to Phil) being Eternity. At twelve minutes long, the band really gets to open up here and jam. It's a subdued jam and remains within the bounds of the song, but still, and especially with Branford, just gorgeous!

Don't Ease was lyrically a little sloppy but brought us to Halftime on a nice high note. It might have been brief but yet again, Branford shined! Not a bad first set. Not bad at all. What would Set 2 have in store for us?

EYES!!! 21 minutes of juicy Eyes goodness! Branford knew this song well as he's done it before with the Dead. Beautifully played on this night, with his sax filling in an extra sound that's not usually there. In addition, Jerry was mostly right on perfect and so this was just delicious! But once again they didn't transition into the next song. Ugh! Oh well, still just awesomely played!

After a decent Samba (always great for dancin' I think) came the best SoCal song, Estimated! Bobby entertained on this one, doing his patented front-of-the-stage lunges towards the audience. The crowd always gets a kick out of Bobby's antics. Silly Rockstar wannabe! Estimated steamrolls forward until they blow it clear out of the sky and trudge into an this incredible Jam that just teeters teeters teeters on the edge of complete chaos. Holy crap! Absolutely amazing how they didn't just give up and decide to bring it to an end, letting the guys on drums take it from there. Nope, they somehow were able to pull He's Gone out of it. Another total Wow moment! Not quite as Wow as the end of So Many Roads... but wow!

He's Gone moved into a pretty cool session from Billy and Mickey on Drums... but Space with Branford, that was something to look forward to! And it did not fail to impress, that's for sure. At the end of Mickey playin' with all his toys, a little bit of sax was the first sound I heard with everyone else following. Together they formed... formed what? All there is is this huge amalgamation of sounds, going any which way, doing anything at all. Then when the drummers come back out, time to start listening intently for what'll come next -- The Other One. Mmmmm! It's compact and to the point but oh so nice... and it's criminal, just downright criminal that there is no Soundboard of this show in circulation. I'm seriously thinking someone needs to be banished from this planet for that. Criminal!

Fortunately, a (mostly) well done Wharf Rat helps ease the mind as this show slides ahead into the final few songs. More mmmmm for this one. Musically perfect at times and lyrically it has some really nice emotion. Jerry most definitely pleased the crowd with that one. Good Lovin' then closes out the set with Bob Weird at the mic, hamming it up a little, givin' us a little screamage. It was way too short, though. I mean, it wraps up this LaLaLand wing ding on a nice note and all, but I don't think anyone really wanted it to end!

"Hey, let's hear it for Branford Marsalis, alright?!" Yes, Phil, a big hand for Branford! Believe me, we appreciated him bein' there! The encore, on the other hand... not the best. Did Jerry need a new prescription for his eyeglasses 'cause it appears he had a terrible time reading the LSD lyrics off the teleprompter. The band sounded great on it but lyrically -- sloppy. Oh well. Still, thank you, for an excellent night in L.A.!

Whew. Yeah. Walkin' out of the Sports Arena I remember well because of Branford and the incredible high I was on after seein' that show, my third show with him. Not as outstanding as 9/10/91 back in New York, but still freakin' sweet. The whole lot, it seemed, from car to car, from Head to Head, was so alive with such an electricity!!! And then holy cow, out of the blue, I run into two friends of mine from the [San Fernando] Valley, a couple guys who I had met on tour years before... but sadly for the life of me, their names I cannot remember now. We had been hangin' out for well over and hour and didn't have much time left because the arena security started ushering the leftover straglers out of the lot. Since me and my two friends I was with had no plans at all, the friends I ran into said to follow them back to their place. Hey, what the hell, right?! We were in SoCal, after seein' the Dead, high as a kite on such a great show, nothing to do with the whole next day free, free to do anything at all and no show that night either, anything was possible! So off we went into the night and into the hills. What I thought would be a place to throw down a sleeping bag on a living room or basement floor turned into hippies, heads, and others practically raging until dawn. This house wasn't just a home for sleepin' and goin' to the bathroom, this was a San Fernando Valley party spot. With a ton of people in and out all night long, lots to drink and various other assorted party favors, that was an interesting night to say the least. What I thought would be a fun following day hangin' out around L.A., doin' whatever, seein' whatever, turned into sleeping until noon before finally heading out. Half a day shot but a damn fun time it was, much of which included the unknowing of what was next. One of the many incredible parts of this, and yeah, I'm really gonna (sort of) bust out a much-used term -- one of the many incredible parts of this Long, Strange Trip.

One final thought -- it's so rare that I listen to a show I was fortunate to be at. Listening to such a show, at least this time I know for sure, it really helped bring me back and able to feel a lot of what I had forgotten... or more accurately, a lot of what had melted into one huge memory of Dead bliss. All the shows combined, they've melted into a dream, it seems... but then there's a time like today when I'm able to separate and experience it again, sort of. Very cool.

Sound Quality: above average Audience recording.
No flaws to note. Crowd noise at a minimum.

12/16/94 L.A.
is over @ Archive.org
for listening & downloading.