House of Rock and Roll

Retro Bowling Shirts: Bringing Back the Vibe

 

There is something about wearing unique clothing that give off the vibe of a time where things seemed to be slower and where life was a little less complicated and more stable than our own. This was a time where families seemed to spend more time together, change did not happen as fast, and the radio played timeless songs that set up the atmosphere for the rest of the night. Retro bowling shirts brings people back to a more tranquil America where rock and roll first made its appearance and school dances were still a significant event in the young people’s lives.

“Retro (post-1960s) and vintage (pre-1960s) clothing, no matter which way you look at them, will always be in style.” The hard part is not finding an item that you like, the challenge is sometimes choosing the right pieces for yourself and your wardrobe. Some might say that searching for the right clothing piece is worth the time and every minute that you spend looking for it. However, I think that it is even better when you find a comfortable way of buying your favorite styles. When you’re first looking into vintage and retro style clothing, consider the trends. A good way to update your look and add interest is to wear a vintage piece that nods its head towards current fashion trends such as retro bowling shirts. The retro style has made a huge comeback in the fashion industry and now more than ever it has been featured in movies and TV shows. Designers are now looking to the past for inspiration and finding the public loves the vibe that 50’s clothing gives off.

The best bet for vintage clothing is to choose simple basic pieces that anyone needs for the basic building blocks of a retro wardrobe. These pieces include retro bowling shirts that you can see wearing again and again. Retro shirts can bring you back to a time of hot rods, jump and jive, swing dancing, and lounges full of energy. Their loose fit was perfect for the movements bowlers made buying the pizza or rolling strikes, these shirts rarely saw service outside of the hardwood confines of the lanes. Bowling teams wanted similarly colored or styled shirts to adopt a uniform to make bowling appear more like a sport. Retro bowling shirts have a great fit and they come now in different styles and designs. They can be personalized and custom bowling t-shirts make great wear for bowling leagues and bowling gifts. But these styled shirts are making a comeback, for many reasons. Their cut is complimentary for any man’s shape.

The most important thing to remember with any wardrobe is that you’ve got to feel good and after that, looking good is easy. Enjoy the compliments your new pieces bring you, and don’t forget to experiment with different looks. Vintage and retro style clothing can require a touch of confidence. You need to pull off your style with knowledge, flair, and self-esteem.

 

 

Looking Back On Elvis

Although he died in 1977, Elvis Presley still lives on to his legions of fans as “The King of Rock and Roll.” Presley was America’s first real rock star and was one of the country’s most popular entertainers in the mid to latter half of the 20th Century, perhaps eclipsed only by Frank Sinatra. Presley sung the blues and laced it with both gospel and country music elements, leading to his nickname “The Hillbilly Cat.” His voice has been described as having a unique tonality and extraordinary range, giving him the ability to tackle an array of songs and melodies that none of his contemporaries could conquer. In performing his music, Presley exuded sexuality and swagger, becoming a role model for generations of young rebels.

Elvis was born on January 8, 1935, in East Tupelo, Mississippi. He was the son of Gladys and Vernon Presley, a sewing machine operator and a truck driver. Presley’s twin brother Jesse Garon was stillborn, and Elvis grew up as an only child. Presley cut his first recordings–the songs “My Happiness” and “That’s When the Your Heartaches Begin”– in 1953 at Memphis Recording Studios, a sideline record producer Sam Phillips had started at his Sun Records studios, where anyone could record a ten inch album for four dollars. After recording several more songs for Phillips, the record producer is said to have found what he was looking for”a white man with the Negro sound and the Negro feel”. After signing with RCA in 1956 and recording “Heartbreak Hotel” Elvis became a national star. On January 28, 1956, he made his television debut on the Dorsey brothers’ Stage Show, followed by six consecutive appearances. In March, Colonial Thomas Parker became Elvis’ manager. He would receive 25% of Elvis’ earnings through a contract that lasted the singer’s lifetime and beyond.

By the 1960′s Elvis had become a pop culture icon. He toured and played old songs and new hits on the road and in Las Vegas, where he was known for his sartorial splendor and highly electric performances. He started to break all sorts of entertainment records including those for concert attendance, television ratings, and records sales, becoming one of the best-selling artists in music history. Elvis continued to perform until he passed away at age 42 from a combination of obesity, depression and abuse of prescription drugs. Although Elvis has been gone for three decades, his popularity has remained in tact. Thousands make the pilgrimage to Graceland each year to pay tribute to the king of modern rock.

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American Jazz Musician Female Singer Miki Howard is Back With New Album Private Collection

Introduction: After some 25 years, singer and actress Miki Howard continues to resonate passion and soul into music. With many years in the entertainment business, Miki’s latest CD, Private Collection makes the listener think of her and the CD content as similar to a collection of fine, developing wine. Aside from a string of Billboard R&B top rated singles, and success with nominations from Grammies, American Music Awards, Soul Train Music Awards and others, how many singers and actresses could pull off portraying the legendary Billy Holliday? Outside of Diana Ross, Miki Howard did to rave reviews in Spikes Lee’s highly acclaimed, Academy Award nominated 1990 masterpiece, Malcolm X.

Unlike the current ‘Soul Revival’ coming to the forefront from such new artists like, Amy Warehouse, Donnie, Rahassan Paterson, The Brand New Heavies, Gordon Chambers, Anthony Hamilton and others, Miki Howard not only brings a soul element to her vocal depth, but she also embodies jazz, blues and the best of today’s R&B, including the music coming singers likes of Alicia Keys and Fantasia, to name a few. This all stems from Miki’s early roots.

1960s: Born Alicia Michelle Howard in Chicago, Illinois, she is the daughter of gospel singer Josephine Howard of the legendary, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group, The Caravans, and Clay Graham of the Pilgrim Jubilees. During her childhood in Chicago and Detroit, Howard met some of the best singers of the day when they visited her family. “It was nothing for me to see James Cleveland, Billy Preston, and Fats Domino in my house,” she said. “I was surrounded by music every day, so I knew I wanted to sing professionally someday.” Among Howard’s earliest influences were family friends Dinah Washington–to whom she would later be compared–and Aretha Franklin. Howard also counted Nina Simone, Shirley Basely, Lena Horne, and Judy Garland among her favorite vocalists.

1970s: Miki’s family moved to Los Angeles while she was in her early teens. Already aiming at a career in music, the 15-year-old Howard received her first break when she participated in a teen beauty contest. Augie Johnson, leader of the group Side Effect, happened to be in the audience; impressed with Howard’s singing talent, he introduced her to Wayne Henderson, who signed the teenager to a contract with his At Home Productions. Howard also joined the lineup of Side Effect in 1978. For the next couple of years, Howard continued to sing with the group and performed backup vocals as a studio singer for jazz great Stanley Turpentine, Wayne Henderson, Roy Ayers, Grover Washington, Jr., and Philip Bailey. Howard and Johnson also began a personal relationship that produced two children

1980s: Already in demand as a session vocalist, Howard also performed with Side Effect on comic deejay Rick Dees’ singles in the early 1980s, which she credits as the catalyst for her solo career. “It was my experience with Rick that made me want to go solo,” she recounted on the Peak Records website. “We performed at the L.A. Amphitheater and I saw the dressing room marked ‘Star’ and I was jealous and wanted my own room.”

As with so many other solo artist confined to the limitations of being in a group environment, Howard sought a solo recording contract, and around 1985, famed label Atlantic Records gave Miki Howard a life changing opportunity. She recorded her first solo album with Atlantic in 1986, Come Share My Love. Her first hit for Atlantic was the album title track, Billboard R&B top ten single “Come Share My Love, ” which peaked at number five. Miki followed that with her second hit, a remake of Glenn Miller’s 1940 tune “Imagination,” which she had to fight to include in her first album.

Howard’s second solo album, 1988′s Love Confessions, offered two R&B chart hits, the top-five hit “Baby Be Mine,” and the top-ten hit, “That’s What Love Is.” The latter was a duet with Gerald Leveret that reflected a real-life romance between the two singers that lasted until 1990.

Howard’s third solo album, Miki Howard, was released in 1989 and proved her most commercially successful to date. The single “Aren’t Nothing in the World” became Howard’s first number-one hit on the R&B charts, and another song, “Love under New Management,” followed it to number two. Although it was not her biggest hit, “Management” became one of Howard’s signature tunes.

1990s: Howard continued her successful solo career after switching to Giant Records in 1991. Her first single under her new contract, “Aren’t Nobody like You,” became Howard’s second number-one R&B hit. The subsequent album, 1992′s Femme Fatale, featured Howard’s renditions of classic tracks originally performed by Dinah Washington (“This Bitter Earth”) and Billie Holiday (“Good Morning Heartache”).

A casting director saw Miki perform some Billie Holiday tunes at a New York City concert at Radio City Music Hall, and offered her the above referenced role of Holiday in the nightclub scene of director Spike Lee’s 1992 epic film Malcolm X. The following year, Howard recorded an entire album of Holiday songs, titled Miki Sings Billie, including her favorite Billie tune, “Don’t Explain.” Outside of her acclaimed portrayal of Billie Holiday, other film credits have included working with such directors as John Singleton in his 1993 movie Poetic Justice with pop icon Janet Jackson.

After Miki’s relationship with Leveret ended, Miki had a brief marriage that produced another child. By 1993, the singer had finally extricated herself from that marriage, a disastrous marriage that had a damaging effect on her career. As she explained “I don’t want to go into details, but let’s just say events that occurred during that relationship left me with challenges in the industry. For instance, I remember I was about to sign with RCA Records and the deal fell through. That was a crushing blow. With all that was going on in my life at the time, I decided to ‘retire’ for a while to get myself together.”

During this period, Howard moved to Atlanta with her three children, where friends Chaka Khan, Cherelle, and Patti LaBelle comforted her in the aftermath of the divorce. Miki released Live Plus in 1996, and a comeback album of original material, Can’t Count Me Out, in 1997. She also toured in the road company of the Broadway musical Dream girls, playing the role of lead Dream, Deena.

By 1999, Howard was ready to revive her recording career in earnest. Miki says she simply contacted her managers and said, “I need to make a record.” “One of my co-managers at the time had started Peak Records so it was uncanny.” Howard continued, “I got a deal pretty quickly with the new label! Lots of my friends started coming out of the woodwork to give me songs and before we knew it, we had ten ready to go.”

2000s: Howard’s first album of original material in four years, Three Wishes, was released in 2001 to excellent reviews. The album earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Traditional R&B Recording; although she lost out to Gladys Knight in that category, the nomination itself represented an artistic comeback for Howard. After 25 years in the music business, the singer was comfortable with her place in the industry and resigned to the compromises it demanded. In 2001 The Very Best of Miki Howard, including her top R&B hits from the late 1980s and early 1990s, was released on Rhino Records. An album on the Shanachie label, Pillow Talk: Miki Sings the Classics was released in 2006.

Discography: Miki Howard, a kid from the 1960′s, is a woman that has survived the 70′s, 80′s, and 90′s. She is an artist with a persistent fan base, consistently awaiting new releases. The Discography that created her following includes a long list of hits: Come Share My Love 1986, Love Confessions 1987, Miki Howard 1989, Femme Fatale 1992, Miki Sings Billie 1994, Live Plus 1996, Can’t Count Me Out 1997, Three Wishes 2001, The Very Best Of Miki Howard 2001, Pillow Talk: Miki Sings The Classics 2006, and now Private Collection 2008.

Private Collection: Miki’s latest album, which was released in March 2008 on Branicka Records, is already causing a positive buzz. “Private Collection is the kind of record that you .live. to,” says Miki. “You play it in the car, play it while you clean your house, play it at cocktail parties that are the kind of record this is. The five standards that I did on this CD are five of my favorites. The five original co-written songs have a piece of me in them. That’s why I called this work Private Collection.”

Today: Times have changed and so have the opportunities. Recently, Howard signed a contract for a Reality TV show. On April 13th, Miki started a five-month world tour, stretching beyond the US to include Japan and South Africa. These and other changes in her life reflect the evolution of Ms Howard, again, similar to a fine wine, improving with time. Private Collection will not disappoint Miki’s fans, old and new, and will continue to build on the unbelievably solid legacy that is Miki Howard. It becomes obviously clear once one hears her .Private Collection that the best of Miki Howard is still to come.

Miki Howard,R & B,R & B Musician,Soul music,a famous jazz musician

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Back in Time With Counter Clock Records

As we all enjoy the vinyl record revival, there is another aspect to this phenomenon that sometimes gets overlooked: the forgotten 45 rpm records from years past. Sure, there are some mainstream artists, punk rockers and indie musicians who have found this audio medium to their liking, it is a marvelous way to not only give their fans what they want (the music), but also create a collectible as well.

Another medium from the past has gone through some major changes in recent years. Remember when AM radio dominated the air waves? And then another format in the 70′s added even more alternatives for music lovers -FM radio. Now we have satellite radio and another inventive medium, the Internet radio station.

One Internet radio station in particular has been able to combine the aforementioned 45 rpm records and the Internet to form Counter Clock Radio (http://www.live365.com/stations/counter_clock?play) and Counter Clock Records (http://stores.ebay.com/Counter-Clock-Records). The business is the brainchild of the wife and husband team of Jane and Norm Geddis of Mission Viejo, California who have developed a ‘play what we find’ programming style that is very unique and allows their listeners an eclectic array of music genres to listen to. I had the opportunity to speak with the developers of this novel concept, let’s learn more about Counter Clock Records and Counter Clock Radio:

Obviously you have a love for vinyl- what is it about records that make them so appealing to you?

Norm: “They’re round, like wheels. It’s by far the best use of man’s first invention. CD’s never felt quite the same. Downloads are radio plus labor. I’m a decade past being impressed with myself for getting software to work after an evening playing around with my computer.”

Jane: “I like the built-in nostalgia value of vinyl – whether it’s a 1964 Top 40 one-hit wonder or a super rare Private Press Psych LP. It felt like a part of me died and was buried when CD’s became the standard. With downloads, it’s like the moss has grown over the headstones.”

How long have you been online/ selling on ebay and what are your thoughts about the fee changes and the overall operations of this online giant?

Norm: “We started Counter-Clock Records in July of ’07. Or rather, I started selling on eBay about that time, just 45′s that I was done loving on, and then both us created the store and glued these other parts (blog and radio station) to it.”

”As far as those changes everyone talks about, I came into the middle of that and, speaking just for me, I’m a part of Counter-Clock Records. eBay is just the venue, the shopping center where our store is located. No matter where one has their store, there’s not a merchant on this planet, or likely any other, who isn’t complaining about the rents. It’s not a complaint I’m going to pass along to my customers.”

When did you decide to go ‘online’ with the Live365 radio station?

Norm: “The station has been running since March of ’07 which was several months before we opened the store.”

What kind of fan base do you have, what kind of records/music do you play?

Jane: “Our base is our customers who have found our station. The station is very close to exactly how we want it to be, with short music news segments and trivia, so now we have something unique and something we’re proud of. It’s time to let everyone know. We play what we find. I call the programming style Accidental Nostalgia.”

My readers love the “Top 5 vinyl record sales” feature each week. How long have you been doing this? Have you noticed any specific patterns- what sells the best (and who) and what is the most expensive record that you have ever documented on the list?

Norm: “I began the blog about the same time I started the radio station. The “store” so to speak began when I put a few records up on my eBay account in July of last year.”

”The most expensive record I’ve documented was the White Album that sold last week for k, which is saying a lot for vinyl collectibles in this economy. Unfortunately I flubbed that one and it got left off that week’s list. The seller had listed it in “Music Memorabilia” and I keep my eyes on the “Record” category. I also didn’t keep an eye on your blog that week, Robert, or I would have caught it – the problem of selling records and writing about them during the holiday season. So I did a mea culpa entry on that one so it makes it on the Record Store Day year-end list.”

I love listening to the station- your format and genres of music are very eclectic. Where do you get the music and how do you decide what you want to play?

Jane: “We buy collections from individuals, closed record stores, from eBay as well. Mostly the 45′s speak to me. By that I mean that when I look through a stack of records I sense what’s interesting, unusual, weird . . . just enjoyable. Norm has an encyclopedia of music history in his head, but if we just went on that alone we’d sound like tons of other stations. So clairvoyance plays its part.”

Do you have any plans to add DJ’s to the mix?

Jane: “A podcast is in the works. But it may not happen unless the Earth starts spinning slower.”

What are the future plans for the station and Counter Clock Records?

Norm: “Next year is going to be about more of everything. We have lots of inventory to love on and get out there to the world. The backbone of vinyl records is the community record store. The Internet cannot deliver that. Counter Clock Records is something to come home to, but not to replace the chill up your spine dirty tile smell of your record store.”

What do you think of the ‘vinyl revival’ and where do you see vinyl in the next ten years?

Jane: “I think the vinyl revival is great! I also think it was inevitable. Tens of millions of us who love vinyl are either retiring or have more time on our hands, and whether you have a little or a lot of money, there’s something for everyone. Plus, it seems that even though they’re not buying “our music,” young adults and teens are discovering that there is something more to vinyl than the downloads. And getting squeezed in the middle are CD’s. It seemed only a matter of time before these two groups converged and the music market opened up to let us back in.”

Norm: “I’m not a money guru and this isn’t investment advice. However, as my grandmother used to say during tough times, “there’ll always be somebody with money.” And, like during the seventies and early nineties, traditional investments are not attractive. Comic book values skyrocketed in the seventies, as with sports cards in the early nineties. I think it’s about to be vinyl’s day in the sun.”

Do you have a Top Ten list of your favorite 45′s and or favorite recording artists?

Jane: “I’ll do artists-Etta James, Grateful Dead, Joni Mitchell, The Band, Bill Monroe, Renaissance, Mazzy Star, Opal, Joan Armatrading, CSNY.”

Norm: “45′s for me- Mixed Feelings “Sha La La”/”Love Will Find A Way,” Moody Blues “Go Now”/”Lose Your Money,” Small Faces “Itchycoo Park”/”I’m Only Dreaming,” Sandi Sheldon “You’re Gonna Make Me Love You”/”Baby You’re Mine,” Pink Floyd “Point Me At The Sky”/”Careful With That Axe Eugene,” Olivia Tremor Control “California Demise” EP, Hedgehoppers Anonymous “It’s Good News Week”/”Afraid Of Love,” Barbara Lewis “Baby I’m Yours”/”I Say Love,” Denny Laine “It’s So Easy”/Listen To Me”/”I’m Looking For Someone To Love,” The Intruders “Every Day Is A Holiday”/”Old Love” and probably a hundred others.”

So, if you are looking for some great old obscure rock and roll, one-hit wonders and soulful R&B, drop by Counter Clock Radio and Counter Clock Records and give them a spin. Your ears will love what you hear.

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Ryan Adams Tickets-Ryan Adams Steps Back in the Studio

Alt-rock darling Ryan Adams just doesn’t quit! The critical favorite is back in the studio despite his latest effort with his band the Cardinals, Cardinology, being barely a month old! The new material is loosely being titled Dear Impossible, and Adams is working with engineer Noah Goldstein on over a dozen new songs such as “Firefly,” “Please, Hold One” and “Your Name Here.” Adams has described the new material as similar to 2004′s Love Is Hell and wrote on his blog that it is “like a more pop, melodic style.” Adams will finish 2008 with a string of shows with the Cardinals and start a headlining tour in Feb. 2009. Check out http://www.stubhub.com/ryan-adams-tickets for Bryan Adams tickets.

Bryan Adams was born in Jacksonville, NC and raised on the country music of classic artists like Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn and Merle Haggard, although in his teens his discovered punk rock and began playing electric guitar. This explains Adams’ penchant for alt-country music that has burst into the mainstream. Adams formed his first band the Patty Duke Syndrome and relocated to Raleigh, NC with the group when he was 19, but the fledgling musician abandoned the projects in order to expand his musical horizons.

In 1994 Adams left PDS and formed Whiskeytown with guitarists Phil Wandscher and violinist Caitlin Cary. Bassist Steve Grothman and drummer Eric “Skillet” Gilmore completed the lineup and Whiskeytown (they got their name from a local slang word for getting drunk) released their debut album Faithless Street on local label Mood Food. The album was critically lauded and had fans saying it was just what the alt-country genre needed. By the time Whiskeytown signed with major-label Geffen’s imprint Outpost Records and released Stranger’s Almanac in 1997, Adams and Wandscher were the only band members left. For the next two years the lineup varied as Wandscher left and Cary returned among other shifts, and the band’s third album, Pneumonia, was shelved due to label issues. Whiskeytown soon dissolved, leaving Adams to kick off a solo career with a string of solo acoustic tours.

After launching a solo career, Adams stepped in the studio in Nashville with songwriters Gillian Welch and David Rawlings to work of his first record under his own name. The resulting Heartbreaker was issued via pioneering label Bloodshot Records in 2000 and did well in sales, received positive critical reviews and was endorsed by none other than Elton John! After signing with Universal’s new Americana imprint Lost Highway Records, the label rereleased Whiskeytown’s Pneumonia in early 2001 and later that year issued Adam’s sophomore solo effort, Gold. The album veered toward pop and rock reminiscent of the 1970s and its opening track, “New York, New York,” was a popular radio anthem in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks. Hailed music’s “next big thing,” the prolific songwriter set out to work on another album and wound up with enough solid material to produce four albums, but instead Adams stripped down the 60+ songs to just 13 tracks to appear on 2002′s Demolition. In 2003 the concept album Rock N Roll was released along with the double-EP Love Is Hell and Adams embarked on a rampant world tour.

In May 2005 the double-disc Cold Roses signaled the first of three releases for Lost Highway. The melancholic album was followed by Jacksonville City Nights that September, a classic honky-tonk record, and 29 that December. After delivering tracks to fans via his website, Adams released proper albums in the form on 2007′s Easy Tiger and 2008′s Cardinology with the Cardinals. To see Adams when he hits the road next year, get your Ryan Adams tickets soon!

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How To Avoid Back Pain For Life

How to Avoid Back Pain For Life

I didn’t know that back pain was the number 2 neurological ailment in the U.S.

Up to 8 out of 10 folks have a disabling vertebrae disorder during their life. By age 65 only one in twenty people have NO complaints about their back.

So What

Would you spend about five minutes daily at your desk to strengthen the

vertebrae in your spine? It’s easy, takes 20 seconds to learn and is relaxing.

You don’t have to know anatomy to conclude a bad back knocks you out of

the game. Can you remember these four things about your spinal column?

a) Never sleep on your back, always on your side.

b) Soft mattresses are an invitation to back ailment – a hard surface is

good for your back.

c) Smoking reduces the blood circulation to your lower back causing pain. Smoking also causes your spinal discs (shock absorbers) to degenerate. Google it.

d) Lift with your Knees, not back. Pull-in your stomach with each lift.

Inquiring Minds need to know: you own 33 separate vertebrae in your spine.

a) C1-C7 cerebral vertebrae (neck)

b) T1-T12 thoracic vertebrae (middle back)

c) L1-L5 lumbar vertebrae (lower back)

d)   S1-S5 sacral vertebrae (lowest back)

e) CO1-CO4 coccygeal (fused). Small tail-like bone at bottom of spine.

Oh yeah, the #1 neurological ailment for folks is the headache. On April 5, 2010 office building vacancies are at a 16 year high. It gives me back pain and a headache.

Secret 5-Minute Strategy

1. Sit at you computer and pull back your chair.

2. Move forward and begin to ROCK back and forth gently about 6-8

inches. You are relaxing you intervertebral spinal discs (shock-

absorbers). Stop after about one-minute.

3. Now raise your arms vertically (Goal) and continue to rock back and

forth. Stop after about one-minute.

4. Now start a CIRCLING motion with your back. Sway back and forth

in a circle. Left hip forward and around to your right hip, and now

backward moving right-to-left. Roll, not rock and make an elliptical

(egg-like) orbit with your upper body. Stop after one-minute.

5. Continue Rolling your back in a left-to-right circle, but with your

arms raised straight up. Stop after about two-minutes.

Improvise and mix-and-match the Rock and Rolling back motions. Each rotation creates flexibility in your vertebral spine and increases you protection. If you are

presently suffering back pain use your own discretion to decide if you want to

experiment. When in doubt immediately consult your medical professional.

Do You Sway Enough?

You know we specialize in learning, memory and speed reading. We tested a new

principle in long-term memory improvement. Bottom line: students and executives reported that rocking back and forth improved their memory retrieval and speed

reading new knowledge.

Do You Care

We live in the Knowledge Economy and business changes are the currency of success. If you suffer from Information Overload you forfeit your opportunities for promotions in school and your career. In our private study, 80% of CEOs spend almost half their day reading to keep up with changes in their industry and the business world.

If you are searching for a killer position or moving from one organization to another, how you handle knowledge is highly relevant. Major HR departments expect you to be able to stay ahead of the inflow of information in your industry.

How to Swing and Sway for Fun and Money

Let’s be sensible, if you cannot give me a pretty good reason to sway my body during learning, it is too ridiculous to even start, right?

Beta to Alpha

OK, after just 20 seconds of swaying (rocking) your body back and forth while

reading or preparing a presentation, your brainwave electrical rhythms (cycles per second) Change from Beta Hz (Hertz) of 13-40 cycles per second of Alert- Concentration (arousal) – to Alpha brainwaves of 8-13 cycles per second.

Alpha consists of deeply relaxed brainwaves. You are fully awake, but in a state of

Non-Arousal. Walking in a park, meditating, or humming a song are examples of Alpha cps. When your mind and body are synchronized in Alpha you think clearer.

Switching from active Beta to Non-Arousal Alpha relaxes your entire body and makes learning and remembering easier and faster. You lose all distractions and give all your attention span and concentration to what you focus on.

Theta CPS

When you relax too much – with your eyes open, you may experience DayDreaming

and even Road-Hypnosis. Theta cps is 4-7 Hz (cycles per second). When you are

determined to learn new knowledge or put information into long-term memory, you

need Alpha, not Theta or Delta (sleep – ½ to 4 cps).

How to Sway

None of the students or executives got seasick from swaying and rocking; some called it self-hypnosis. It does not interfere with reading after 10 seconds of movement and in fact improves your reading speed up to 30%. Truth.

Your altered state of consciousness to deep relaxation – makes memory repetition easy to concentrate on. It becomes like a song you heard but you find hard to get out of your mind. Do a Mind Experiment, and be your own scientist. Our results indicate an extraordinary improvement is probable. You be the judge, right?

Swaying (rocking) works whether you are standing or sitting. Some folks like to stand up and read to create a variety of experiences.

Please Take Notice: swaying requires no more than a rocking motion of 2-3 inches forward to be effective.

If you read a book and rock 9-10 inches forward you are rocking yourself into

Theta and your eyes begin to close. No good. Just a slight swaying motion back

and forth increase your learning, comprehension and memory.

Last thought: your brain generates up to 10 watts of electrical power. Why not use

swaying to Alpha cps to improve your learning skills and long-term memory. Once you commit to practicing swaying and rocking for 7-21 days – it becomes a habit and goes on autopilot.

Endwords

first, we want to offer you a baby-easy strategy to help your back and vertebrae.

Now you own it if you choose to use it. Second, we want you to test for yourself

the relevancy of Swaying your body to improve your learning skills and memory.

Fact: change is a principle of life and life consists of change.

Would you have a competitive advantage over your peers in school and career

by reading and remembering three (3) books, articles and reports in the time

others can hardly finish one?

Contact us to grab a free speed reading report to release your learning genius.

See ya,

copyright 2010 H. Bernard Wechsler – www.speedlearning.org hbw@speedlearning.org

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The Return Of The Police: Sting, Summers And Copeland Are Back!

The Police reunited for an appearance on the 2007 Grammy Awards Show. Anyone familiar with Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland knew that a Grammy Awards Show would never be reason enough for the original band members to come together and suddenly decide to perform on television. It was obvious that this was some kind of reintroduction to the band. That suspicion was confirmed a day later when a press conference was held in Los Angeles to announce that tickets would soon be available for an upcoming tour. A group known for surprising the media, their fans and sometimes even themselves, had done so handily. It was that way since the beginning.

The original band was formed by Stewart Copeland as a trio that became a foursome sometime in the spring of 1977. By early summer, Strontium 90 appeared on the scene as a reinvented version of the same group. After having undergone some personnel shifts and adjustments, the band members were Sting, Stewart Copeland, Andy Summers and Henry Padovani. As Strontium 90, the band recorded a few demo tracks, played gigs in London and Paris and worked on perfecting their sound. Sometime in the summer of 1977 they began calling themselves The Police, a name originally chosen by Stewart Copeland.

Looking to get their sound on vinyl, The Police tried laying down some studio tracks in late July of 1977 with the help of music producer John Cale, a Welsh musician and one of the founding members of The Velvet Underground. The recording sessions went nowhere and revealed that Henry Padovani lacked the guitar skills needed to keep up with the others. As a result, Padovani left the band in early August. By the fall of 1977, The Police became the threesome of Sting, Summers and Copeland that we know so well. The trio with a unique sound bigger than the band was tailor made for the small clubs and venues of England’s Punk and new wave music scene. As a result, they became popular with British Fans.

After giving the recording studio another try, The Police had better luck. Roxanne was released as a single in early 1978. Can’t Stand Losing You, So Lonely and their first album, Outlandos d’Amour, followed later that year. Through a deal brokered by Stewart Copeland’s brother, Miles, A&M Records signed The Police to a recording contract and released Outlandos d’Amour in the USA.

In 1979, the band toured the USA to support their newly released singles and the first album. The press loved to describe them as three guys from England with bleached blond hair playing rocked up Jamaican Rebel Music driving around the USA in a cannibalized, overdue rental van filled with stolen instruments.

The blond hair was actually the result of a commercial they did to earn some quick money. Afterward, they decided to stay with the look. The trio did drive around from gig to gig in a leased Ford Cargo Van that had seen better days and was long past the original return date. The van contained ‘borrowed’ instruments and equipment. Actually, according to statements made by the band members during that time, they rented the instruments in New York City for a club date and forgot to return them until their tour was finished. It’s said the band made good on the extra charges for the van and instruments.

Their second album, Regatta De Blanc, was released in the fall of 1979. Walking on the Moon and Message in a Bottle received a huge amount of airplay and helped fill most of their shows to overflowing. In November of 1979, I was lucky enough to squeeze into My Father’s Place on Long Island to watch an amazing performance by The Police. The event was simulcast on WLIR, Long Island’s New Music Radio Station at that time. A friend later provided me with an audiocassette of the performance. I wore that cassette out.

The third album by The Police, Zenyatta Mondatta, was released in October of 1980. The record hit number one in the UK and number five in the USA against tough competition which included AC/DC, Pink Floyd, the Rolling Stones, John Lennon, Queen and Bruce Springsteen to name a few. Songs like Driven To Tears and Don’t Stand So Close To Me could be heard playing constantly on the radio. Despite all that radio play, people didn’t tire of their sound and always seemed to want more.

Sting’s newly acquired Star Power as the band front man, an actor and solo musician in his own right gave him a constant edge over Steward Copeland. Copeland was his most vocal critic in the band and the two actually got into fistfights on several occasions. It probably didn’t help that managers, concert promoters, publicity agents and record companies all knew there would be no Police or paycheck without Sting and likely took his side on many issues. That must have driven Copeland nuts. Despite the infighting, the band members were still able to agree enough at that time to get down to business and move the band forward.

In 1981, just one year after their third album was released, their fourth album hit the stores. Ghost in the Machine flew to a ranking of number one in the UK and number two in the USA. Spirits In The Material World, Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic and Invisible Sun captured the imagination of fans and were placed in constant rotation on radio stations from coast to coast in the USA. These songs proved that the band could make occasional changes in their sound without evolving away from their fan base as others had.

In 1983, the band released Synchronicity, their fifth and final album to date. It reached number one in the UK and number one in the USA. The album won the group several Grammy Awards and lots of critical acclaim. Songs like Every Breath You Take, King of Pain and Wrapped Around Your Finger became instant favorites that crossed over musical formats and received a huge amount of airplay. Synchronicity II became a favorite song of rock and new music disc jockeys. Today, that album is considered a classic and much beloved by most fans and music critics.

Without an official announcement and with little fanfare, The Police went their separate ways when the Synchronicity Tour finally ended in the spring of 1984. Because of all the albums sold, concerts performed, airplay received and media attention during that last tour, most fans probably felt the band members were just taking a well-deserved break.

The Police reunited for three concerts that benefited Amnesty International in 1986. Unlike the Beatles, there must have been enough esprit de corps there to occasionally get back together for the right reasons. In 1992 the band members reluctantly performed two songs at Sting’s wedding reception after being pressured to do so by the “A” List of guests. That led nowhere.

In March of 2003, The Police played several songs together during a ceremony for their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The event was broadcast on television. Unlike the charity concerts or spur of the moment wedding gig, the 2003 performance of the reunited band members gave fans reason to hope for more. It didn’t seem strained and even Sting said he was surprised at how easy it was for the guys to perform together again. That gig proved that the band members could play together and still have a good time. That gave fans a reason to hope for more, but in the end it was all up to one band member.

Sting hit it as big without The Police as he did with them. Anyone paying attention to radio, broadcast television or cable during the 1990′s could not escape him. The Soul Cages, Ten Summoner’s Tales, Bring On The Night and other albums brought the S man lots of attention, accolades and money. Few performers create the kind of musical presence that Sting does and that sells well.

I think the defining moment of his fame as a solo performer during the 1980s and 1990s came at one of his concerts. I happened to see a video filmed for some project about the S-man. After finishing the concert, Sting came back stage. It appeared that he had turned in a long performance and already done one or two encores. He looked thin, almost frail, couldn’t catch his breath, was bathed in sweat, had tight fitting clothes on and all but collapsed against a backstage wall. He was wearing at least four or five Cause Ribbons on his lapel and yet couldn’t get anyone to bring him a bottle of cold water. Sting had become a tool used by the entertainment industry as much as a Craftsman of it. Perhaps that is what brought him back to the band that started it all.

Sting says that he woke up one morning and thought that it was time for The Police to reunite. It may be that he was simply tired of constantly facing the music and everything that came with it all by himself. Even as the powerful front man of that legendary band, it wasn’t Sting and the Police. It was just The Police. As a fan, I always thought of the band as one entity, not one person. Maybe that was what Sting wanted after all his individual fame.

Most people probably think that Summers and Copeland were just sitting around waiting for the call from the S-man. Nothing could be further from the truth. Getting past the reality that both may have felt that ship had sailed along time ago, they have had lively and prosperous careers. Beyond his eighteen solo albums, Andy Summers started his career in 1965 and played with Eric Burden and The Animals, Zoot Money’s Big Roll Band, Dantalion’s Chariot and had many other successful collaborations and projects. Stewart Copeland is considered one of the world’s finest drummers and began his career in 1974. Beyond his work with bands like Curved Air, Animal Logic, Oyster Head and Klark Kent, Copeland has had an amazing number of collaborations and proven to be a prolific and very successful soundtrack composer. But just like Sting, it was The Police that probably brought them the kind of attention that lead to bigger and better things.

A press conference held at the famous Whiskey A-Go-Go in Los Angeles the morning after the Grammy Awards told the tale. The Police were back and ready to go on tour. The press event atmosphere was electric and featured Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland playing a set for reporters, invited guests and some lucky fans.

Reporters that were present seemed as surprised and shocked as fans. Most were in awe of what they were seeing, wondered if the reunion would last past the press event and seemed more interested in enjoying the spontaneous show than asking questions. Those that did ask questions kept it unusually light. While it could be that they were just burnt out from the Grammy’s, it was more likely that they weren’t use to dealing with a musically in your face band like The Police. Even Ozzy and his occasional reunions with Black Sabbath couldn’t create the kind of atmosphere The Police could.

Although the new album question is left unanswered at this writing and the future of the band past the tour remains unannounced, there is another question that I think fans would be interested in having answered. If arguments over the music and artistic differences broke them apart so many years ago, what really brought them back together? What made Sting suddenly decide the time was right. What made them all willing to face the same old arguments and pressures all over again? I’m guessing it was Synchronicity. Welcome back guys!

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Tickets – Bringing Back Rock and Roll Rebellion

Black leather, roaring motorcycle engines and uncontrollable youths destroying small-town America have all become a kind of cliché after the release of 1953′s The Wild One, a film that made Marlon Brando a star. “What are you rebelling against?” he was asked in one immortal scene. Then, with just the right disdain: “What have ya got?”

Whether Brando realized it or not at the time, the look and attitude of his character would go on to influence countless generations of rock fans, even inspiring one San Francisco-based group to name themselves after the movie: The Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. The band formed in 1998, borrowing their name from Brando’s motorcycle gang in the movie.

The band came together while two of its members, Robert Turner and Peter Hayes, were still in high school. They loved rock that was loud, noisy but also layered in fuzz, bonding over a shared appreciation for the Jesus and Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine. By 1998, they decided to start playing gigs with drummer Nick Jago. Their unique sound—echoing vocals and fractious rock—immediately started generating a buzz for the trio, and in 2000 they finally signed to a label, releasing a self-titled debut that same year on Virgin.

Tracks like “Red Eyes and Tears,” “Whatever Happened to my Rock and Roll,” “Rifles” and “Spread Your Love” started gaining traction on radio stations, and in short stead, the band had built a decent following. The image on the cover of their first record depicted them hanging out at a street corner dressed in black and looking a little dejected and a bit bored. Call it the myth of rock and roll. Heck, call it whatever you want- it worked.

The band roared back in 2003 with a second helping of their garage rock entitled Take Them on Your Own. But they wanted to branch out and experiment. The sound and fury that announced them on the scene was cleared for a sparer, blues-inspired approach on 2005′s Howl. It put off some fans, to be sure, who simply wanted more of the same. More open-minded listeners found a record that revealed a reinvented band, capable of harboring the same energy and anger that they had in their messy, dark rock and communicating it through more traditional American music.

But the band clearly was still in the throes of an identity crisis. In 2007, they returned to the scene with Baby 81, a record that went back to their noisier brand of rock, though many critics found that the attitude that seemed novel at the start of the decade was coming across hollow now. Perhaps it was the times, or perhaps the band simply undercooked the record.

Regardless, it doesn’t much matter with the BRMC’s newest album coming out. Beat the Devil’s Tattoo is a return to form that’s drawing rave reviews. If you want to see the band perform some of its songs live, get <a rel=”nofollow” onclick=”javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview(‘/outgoing/article_exit_link’);” href=”http://www.stubhub.com/black-rebel-motorcycle-club-tickets/”>Black Rebel Motorcycle Club tickets</a> from StubHub.

 

Tim Young, Bringing New York Rock’n'roll Back to Its Roots

Rocker Tim Young is a veteran to the New York music scene. Influenced over the years by artists of all styles from Marvin Gaye to Jefferson Airplane to Elvis Presley, Young has been writing music for nearly two decades now. He started releasing albums in 2002 with No Stranger, a collection of nine original instrumentals that were self-produced and recorded at his home studio. His 2005 album, Red, was his debut as a singer/songwriter, and now in 2008 he has released his newest album, The Cost, that is a straight up rock ‘n roll record. MusicDish had the chance to speak with Tim in this exclusive interview about his new album, his influences, his future and other related topics.

[MusicDish] When did you begin creating music, and when did you begin to seriously pursue a music career?

[Tim Young] I was a junior at Mansfield State University in Mansfield, PA. Actually, I had accordion lessons when I was a kid from eleven years to fifteen. But at Mansfield I began to write my own songs. Then I was nineteen. Peter, Paul and Mary were the easy ones to pick up then and everybody loved them.

Once I put my first band together, which was the early 80′s, I became serious about my music. My first band, just for the record, was named Signals. Unfortunately there are no recordings of this music. Or maybe that’s a good thing. I did always think I’ve got a bunch of hits in me.

[MusicDish] What were your earliest musical influences?

[Tim Young] Probably Elvis and Elvis clones like Fabian and Bobby Rydell. There was also this guy Buddy Knox who had this record, ‘Party Doll’, which I loved. The Beatles hit when I was fourteen and that was the heyday of great AM radio which was always on the instant I stepped foot into the family car. After I earned my driver’s license and could drive on my own, I would drive as fast as the music would take me and turn it way up. I remember Tommy James’s ‘Hanky Panky’ and Arthur Connolly’s ‘Sweet Soul Music’ being particularly great to drive fast to.

[MusicDish] Do you find that songwriting or lyric writing comes most naturally to you?

[Tim Young] I think they both come naturally to me but both are difficult to get right. I began writing some poetry in high school but I didn’t play guitar then. However, I was encouraged by a few fellow students to go on with my writing. I guess melodies did come kind of easy for me once I had mastered a few chords. It was and still is so fascinating to see and hear the words take on a new life in the context of the music. Plus I had memorized every lyric and melody nuance to every Beatles song that was released. I poured that stuff into my head. I know that helped me in many ways.

The late 60′s and early 70′s brought the counterculture to a head. I mean there was a lot in the air then that one could take to support the habit of writing music and putting words to it. It seemed there was always something that needed to be said. And for me the longer I kept writing the better I became.

[MusicDish] What music do you currently listen to?

[Tim Young] Mostly my own stuff. When I’ve completed a new project I get so much satisfaction in hearing it. It’s like food. I need it to sustain myself. I also listen to artists I find on MySpace and other places I stumble onto on the web. I should probably branch out more with my listening but mostly I’m just disappointed. However, right now I am also pretty hot on Patti Smith after just seeing the brand new doc on her life, which was an excellent film.

[MusicDish] As I listen to ‘The Cost,’ I am clearly reminded of the twangy blues of Elvis, combined with the overwhelming vibe of heartbreak, mastered by Johnny Cash. Would you consider your music to be modeled after them?

[Tim Young] Not consciously. But Johnny Cash is someone I look up to because he was more of a writer than Elvis, and in the past few years before his death, Cash was really reborn again. It’s no secret. Just listen to those last few albums. Stellar performances, in my opinion. And even though he did cover a lot of songs, if you didn’t know you would probably think that Johnny wrote them. That’s the kind of artist I can aspire to. It seems to me that his music was not a part of his life but was his life and in that respect I guess you could say I have modeled myself after Johnny Cash. I also dig the wearing of the black.

[MusicDish] What do you feel is the overall message of your album? Do the themes of pain and loss correspond with personal experiences, and do you feel that the album can serve as therapy for those who also experience similar situations?

[Tim Young] I don’t know if there is a message, but it seems to me as the good stuff and bad stuff comes along it’s better to deal with it somehow rather than sweeping it under the rug. If you lose someone dear to you then howl about it. When things get ugly, move away from them. The individual is responsible for him(her)self. It’s too easy to blame somebody else. When things are great, celebrate. It’s so much more wise, I think, to roll with the punches. Have fun. Not having fun? Get drunk.

I’d have to say that almost all my songs are pretty personal. They all trigger a personal response in me that no one else would know about. I think that happens to everyone – an individual response that lives in the mind. On the other hand, there can be a more shared response between people and that’s what makes a song resonate and become popular. The sharing of the emotions the music allows to come through. There is real power in those kinds of emotional reactions.

I’m certainly no therapist, but I know from experience that the right song at the right moment is capable of lifting spirits and/or putting you in a mood that may somehow alleviate or bring into focus whatever situation one might be going through. I can say without any hesitation or trepidation that this record, ‘The Cost’, makes me feel great, and a big part of that reason is I think it touches on a lot of shared inner emotions.

[MusicDish] Which track is the most meaningful to you? And which do you think will be your biggest hit?

[Tim Young] I go back and forth on this but today I’d have to say the title track, ‘The Cost’, is the most meaningful. I could not have written this song without the amazing relationship I share with my girlfriend. ‘The Cost’ is the worst case scenario. What if things all fell apart? Disaster. I would never want to face that, but what if? Nobody knows.

If ‘The Cost’ was to be the biggest hit… Wow. I could see that. (I think the sleeper hit could be ‘Wishing.’)

[MusicDish] On ‘Drifting Cowboy,’ can you offer some insight as to whether the cowboy is a fictional character, or if he is autobiographical at all?

[Tim Young] I suppose a combination. That word ‘cowboy’ pops up in my songs sometimes. I dig that word because it represents freedom to me. Someone with no ties; whose only possessions are a horse and whatever is in the saddle bags – the ability to just split without notice. Maybe because I’m a city dweller part of me yearns for the openness of what the West used to be – what it meant to head West.

I took the title from the name of Hank Williams’ band, The Drifting Cowboys. By the way, the details listed in the song are facts about Hank: born in Alabama, quit school in Montgomery, played in bars and on the radio, made it big in Nashville.

[MusicDish] How do you feel about the current state of the music industry? Do today’s artists compare with the legends of the past, like Elvis or Johnny? Do you have hope for the future generations of American music?

[Tim Young] I think generally the industry is healthy because there are more artists than ever working and creating new music. I believe the consensus is that the internet has leveled the playing field some. The major labels no longer have the stranglehold on the business they used to.

I still think it’s very difficult to have people pay attention to new artists and part of this is because there are more artists than ever and it’s very difficult to get through most of the muck to find something of value. This has probably always been true, but with the internet it has become so much more obvious.

Great artists are rare. I know there are some out there but I don’t want to be told who they are. Supposedly greatness rises to the surface and if that’s true then I’ll see them when they appear. Today it’s too much of what I call the ‘toothpaste effect’: one brand today, a different brand tomorrow. The music doesn’t stick; it just washes down the drain. Spit out.

Hope doesn’t cost a dime.

[MusicDish] What is the next step in your music career going to be? What can fans expect?

[Tim Young] More music! I’ve never done any kind of major touring and I would like to do that. I want to put out one album a year. Right now I’m in the middle of writing songs for the next record. I want ‘The Cost’ to make a difference in my career so that I can accomplish some of these goals more easily.

My fans can always expect the kind of emotional no holds barred shows that I always deliver, and new songs and ideas are always a part of that. Performing is a high priority.

[MusicDish] Can you speak a bit about your current performance schedule? Where can fans see you live?

[Tim Young] This is an area I need to improve. I don’t have a satisfactory performance line up. Right now I have a solo gig at the Vintage Bar, which is located on the corner of 51st Street and 9th Avenue. I perform there once a month, in about the middle of the month. The dates always change but I always post them on my site and on MySpace. Vintage is a great intimate setting and I love playing there.

My band, which is a duo, with Sand Edwards on drums, is on the lookout for gigs. I wear a lot of hats running this project and sometimes the booking agent hat has a tendency to fall off, but like all the others I pick it right up again.

http://www.timrocksweb.com
http://www.myspace.com/timnycyoung