Sad night in St. Louis

I AM SADDENED and shocked about what happened in Ferguson, or north St. Louis, last night.

All we know is a black and unarmed teen was shot and killed by a police officer. Then it all broke down and there was widespread looting and lawlessness.

The media coverage has ranged from chaotic to balanced. CNN seems to have the best grasp on what's happening, as do local outlets.

If covering crime and courts for 12 years taught me anything, it's that there is always more to the story, there's always two sides, and it takes time to figure things out.

A young man was shot to death, and that's the real tragedy of all this, but another thing I detest is the national bandwagon effect.

Stay home, Al Sharpton. Stay home, Trayvon Martin attorney. Let the good people of Ferguson get this figured out. And yes, there are good people there.

A sad night. Now let cooler heads prevail, along with peace and a coming together for a torn community.

Let's Play!

FELLOW PEPPER SPRAYER Tim Smith and I are playing in Washington Park today from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. or so. The rain has moved out and though it's a bit soggy, we are good to go.

I do love gigs where I have to cross the street to play.

The Butcher Block just showed up, so come on over and hang out with us! It's cool and breezy in the park.

The weather did create a bit of havoc yesterday, click here for my Whig blog. I'm gonna give big Tim some love here - his band, Vertigo, was supposed to play last night at the Knights of Columbus Barbecue. When it got called off due to the steady day-long rain, Tim came down to Open Mic Night at One Restaurant and played a couple of songs.

He loves to play music. That's why I love to play music with him!

More KHQA love, and another insane weekend

RAJAH MAPLES DID a great job on her KHQA story about our building. It airs Monday, Aug. 11, at 6 p.m. Here is the YouTube clip.

The local media has been very kind to us and we appreciate the interest in our beautiful Fifth and Maine building, home of Second String Music.  We have a donation jar on the counter for the "Elevator Restoration Fund". Any ideas on how to raise the money for this huge project are appreciated.

Having yet to recover from last weekend, we get ready for another wild ride. Tonight I'm hosting open mic at One Restaurant, Tim Smith and I are playing Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Washington Park as part of Blues In The District Friday, and the sidewalk opens early Friday afternoon for Blues In the District.

Then comes Saturday's Cheeseburger show at the Party Cove on Mark Twain Lake near Monroe City. We are taking the Eleven party bus, and captain Dale Steinkamp has promised us a wild time before we even get to the gig! Call the store if you want to join us on the bus. $7 donation for the ride but well worth it to party with The Cheeseburgers on the way to the gig.

To top it off, Sheryl and I are going to try our best to see our buddy Rockin' Jake at the Club Tavern on Sunday night .... if we are still conscious.

So come out and support your local musicians and have a great weekend.

Here comes the dogs, and the days

IT'S A SURE sign summer is slipping away from us - the annual Knights of Columbus Barbecue takes place this weekend on South 36th Street.

Because it's tradition and there's beer and food, and carnival rides, and live music, the BBQ is always a hit. I've played there the last two years and it can be a lot of fun.

Thursday nights have grown more popular in recent years. Pepper Sprayers Justin Sievert, Adam Yates and Tim Smith play in the band Vertigo, and they have a show at the BBQ Thursday night.

School starts in less than two weeks - way too early. So enjoy the last dog days of summer. We have dog days every day at Second String Music, and it's all good!

Holding On To The 40s

IN MY YOUNGER years, a long long LONG time ago, I could shrug off a day of fun and a night of revelry without problem.

Ahhh. The Younger Years. Hold on to them and don't blink.

Anyway, getting old reared its ugly head Saturday night at my Uncle Peter's place, when I fell asleep in mid-strum playing guitar. Two hours of sleep after a Cheeseburger show and spending an afternoon in the sun with lemonade is to blame.

Sunday night it was the same thing. After hanging out at Spirit Knob Winery and having a wonderful time with Sheryl, we invited our friends Nick and Lori over with their grandson Cole to grill and cap a great weekend. By 9:30, my ugly mug was disappearing behind a giant yawn. They are great company and we had a lot of fun, but I was dead to the world by 10.

"You, my friend," said my wise Uncle Peter, "are getting older."

Right. I get that. So why don't I take better care of myself and maybe sneak a nap in, or drink one less beverage, or splash cold water on my face?

I'm not that smart, I guess.

Bring it on, old age. I turn 50 in less than three months.

As Frank Haxel likes to put it, "We'll sleep when we are dead."

Hurricane Weekend recovery

Sunset over Lake Michigan, photo taken by Tim Smith from my uncle's porch.

I CALL IT the "Rock and Roll Bus." Every time we play, it takes longer and longer to recover.

Throw in a trip to Lake Michigan and hanging with the Avenue Beat girls? Well.

That's like being run over by 11 buses. It's a Hurricane Weekend. And we only have a few days to recover.

It started Friday night with a righteous gig at Spirit Knob Winery with The Cheeseburgers. What a beautiful setting - the sun behind us disappearing, and the wine working wonders. A ton of people showed up and once they started dancing, well ...

More Fun Than You Should Be Allowed To Have.

So much beach and sun ... so little time!

After two hours of sleep, I jumped on Tim Smith's plane with Frank Haxel and Adam Yates, and we flew up to my uncle Peter's place near Holland, Mich. My old buddy David Wilkins picked us up at Tulip City Airport and off we went. It's just a little slice of heaven, a big house on the wooded sand dune with a spacious beach down below. Sugar cane sand, lapping water, two coolers full of ice and lemonade, good company, 85 degrees and sunny .... gosh. I guess it was OK. GUH.

The best part about being on the beach is the fact time doesn't exist. There is no deadline, no reason to do anything. Except get another beer, play volleyball, jump in the water or just sit there in a daze.

But by Saturday night, my dead self arose and I hit the wall. It's too bad. We got the guitars out and had a lot of fun, until I fell asleep mid-strum.

It's nothing sleeping on the beach didn't cure.

Speaking of sleeping on the beach, that's what Frank did. He never made it into the tent. Tim did the same thing for a while, too. We woke them up and they didn't want to leave.

But leave we did, after more gracious hospitality from my uncle Peter and aunt Helen. It takes a little more than two hours to fly from Quincy to Holland, as opposed to seven and a half by car. And I wept bittery when I noticed we were avoiding heavy traffic on I-80/94. Looks beautiful from the air, all those cars and trucks inching along.

We got home just in time to make it back out to Spirit Knob and hang out with the Avenue Beat gals. The were in the south stage out of the sun, and again, it was just gorgeous in the shade, sipping wine and appreciating three 16 year old girls who can sing, play and have too much fun. Big thanks to Adam, who did sound, and Frank, who helped tear down but didn't find my glasses in time.

Right. My glasses. They are still up there somewhere, in the blue case, hopefully saved by somebody. Today is national Hug A Dumb Ass day. The line is pretty big in front of me. Have patience.

So it's Monday morning and the rock and roll bus is still leaving marks, but we are getting better. And guess what? We are helping out with Avenue Beat Wednesday night at One Restaurant, I'm hosting One's Open Mic Night Thursday, Blues In The District Is Friday and the Cheeseburgers head to Monroe City Saturday night to play at the Party Cove. Oh, and there's a rock and roll bus heading to Monroe City for real, too.

Where do all these buses come from, anyway?

Here's a YouTube clip of Adam and I playing with Avenue Beat and trying to stay out of the way.

Have a great week!