Open Mic at St. Luke's Episcopal Church

Howdy there. Quick announcement, I'll be performing at St. Luke's Episcopal Church tonight for the open mic they're having. Hope to see some of you there!

See ya in the next post!

Everybody's Workin' for the Weekend

IT'S FRIDAY!! That means the weekend has arrived! What are y'all doing? Maybe take a long walk on the beach? I'm going to be "working", meaning practicing guitar for a couple of hours. If you guys need a good breakfast, but don't want to go out to eat, try out my mom's awesome homemade pancakes. Here's the recipe:

Serving Size: 6 pancakes.

2 Eggs

1 cup of Milk

1 1/4 cup of Self-Rising Flour

 1 small dash of Vanilla Extract

Cinnamon

1 tsp. of Sugar

1 tbsp. of Melted Butter  

Step 0. Get out a bowl.

Step 1. Crack the eggs and beat them well with a whisk.

Step 2. Measure 1 cup of milk and pour it into the bowl.

Step 3. Stir milk and eggs together with whisk. 

Step 4. Slowly pour a small dash of Vanilla Extract into the bowl.

Step 5. Sprinkle Cinnamon and 1 tsp. of sugar in the batter.

 Step 6. Measure 1 1/4 cup of Self-Rising Flour and dump into the batter.

Step 7. Stir until mixed evenly and there are no lumps.

Step 8. Pour and stir melted butter at the same time into the batter.

Step 9. Turn the griddle, or stove, to medium heat.

Step 10. Let it warm up, then put a light coat of oil on griddle or pan.

Step 11. Wait until air bubbles in the batter pop, then flip the pancakes over.

 See ya in the next post!

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

It's that time of the year again. The time when a group awesome artists are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has been keeping the history of some of the greatest musicians alive since 1983. Some of the artists already inducted include AC/DC, Allman Brothers, B.B. King, and The Beatles. For the Nominees this year, we have Bon Jovi, The Cars, J. Geils Band, Dire Straits, and more. I personally am wondering why Dire Straits hasn't already been inducted into the Hall of Fame. I would have thought that the intro for Money for Nothing and the finger picking in Romeo and Juliet would have been enough. I'm hoping they win this year. Vote for the band that you want to be in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year right here:https://www.rockhall.com/class-2018-nominees

13 Nights of Halloween

We all know the song 12 Days of Christmas, right? Well, I was scrolling through YouTube trying to find something to write about, and I found this: 13 Nights of Halloween!
Here are the lyrics:

On the (insert number 1-13 here) night of Halloween,

three witches gave to me.

1. Some Bones From a Haunted Graveyard.

2. Two Zombie Eyeballs

3. Three Giant Spiders

4. Four Headless Horsemen

5. Five Creepy Dolls

6. Six Vampires Biting

7. Seven Werewolves Howling

8. Eight Mummies Waking

9. Nine Ghosts a Haunting

10. Ten Goblins Glowing

11. Eleven Bats a Flying

12. Twelve Coffins Creaking

13. Thirteen Cauldrons Bubbling

Don't tell all the witches, but I don't know where to put all this stuff. Quick question, what are y'all going to be for Halloween this year? I'm going to be an Unknown Phantom. See y'all tomorrow!

So What's Been Going on Lately?

Good question! I've been learning some new songs, like Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher by Jackie Wilson. I've also been playing basketball with some of my friends. I'm alright with playing defense, but don't do too well with gettin' the ball in the hoop. I'm now doing an open mic night with a friend of mine, Jonathan Cummings, on Tuesdays at NOTES Music Room and Wine Bar!

I've also been taking Ballroom Dance lessons at Fred Astaire Dance Studio. I'm going to their Halloween dance party on October 25th. Speaking of October, on October 23rd, I'm going to be one of the performers at the Saint Luke's Episcopal Church Open Mic in Stuart, FL! Come on over to hear myself and other talented musicians. Show starts at 6:45 PM, and here's the address. 5150 SE Railway Ave, Stuart, FL 34997. That's all for now! Hope to see y'all either at the open mic above or in the next blog tomorrow. See ya!

Barnacle Chronicle is Back!

Hello everyone! The Barnacle Chronicle is back! Every day, I will be posting a blog about my adventures of the day. A lot of things have happened since the last blog. I have a new dog, Bruce.

He's a seven month, 50 pound Lab mix. He's been a real handful for us. Here lately, I've started learning more difficult songs, like Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin. It was very hard to learn at first, but I kept going and now I can do the whole thing. I've been taking voice lessons from a good friend of mine, Michael Robbins. He's really helped me with making my voice clearer and better sounding. Thank you, Michael. That's all for now. See y'all tomorrow on The Barnacle Chronicle!

Pancho and Lefty ~ Townes Van Zandt

About a month ago, I learned a song called Pancho and Lefty, by Townes Van Zandt. It's a pretty odd song when you first hear it. You think "What the heck is this about?" I am going to tell you. First, read the lyrics down below to maybe get just a little bit of the story and meaning. The story is told in more detail after the lyrics.

“Pancho And Lefty”

Verse #1

Living on the road my friend, was gonna keep you free and clean, Now you wear your skin like iron, And your breath’s as hard as kerosene,You weren’t your mama’s only son, But her favorite one it seems, She began to cry when you said goodbye, And sank into your dreams. Pancho was a bandit boys, his horse was fast as polished steel, wore his gun outside his pants, for all the honest world to feel, Pancho met his match ya know, on the borders down in Mexico, nobody heard his dying words, but that's the way it goes.

Chorus

All the Federales say, they could have had him any day, they only let him hang around, out of kindness I suppose.

Verse #2

Lefty can't sing the blues, all night long like he used to, the dust that Pancho bit down south, ended up in Lefty's mouth, the day they laid old Pancho low, Lefty left for Ohio, where he got the bread to go, ain't nobody knows.

Chorus

All the Federales say, they could have had him any day, the only let him slip away, out of kindness I suppose.

Verse #3

Now the poet's sing how Pancho fell, Lefty's livin' in a cheap hotel, the border's quiet and Cleavland's cold, so the story ends we're told, Pancho need's your prayers it's true, save a few for Lefty to, he just did what he had to do, now he's growin' old.

Chorus

All the Federales say, they could have had him any day, they only let him go so wrong, out of kindness I suppose.

Chorus

Yes a few old gray Federales say, they could have had him any day, they only let him go so long, out of kindness I suppose.



My Mom and I and other sources say that the story is one of betrayal. The story is that Pancho was a bandit in Mexico who robed banks and trains. Lefty was his sidekick who helped set the robberies into place. The Federales were the Mexican federal police, who would offer a reward of say 1,500 pesos to whoever finds and brings Pancho to them, most likely a Dead or Alive situation. Lefty looks at the reward and says to himself "You know, I'm kinda tired of being in Pancho's shadow, plus I could do with a bit more money." Pancho and Lefty figure out their next robbery, then Lefty goes to the Federales and says "Hey, if you guys want to catch Pancho, here's where he is going to be." Pancho goes to the robbery and gets caught and hung on a noose. When they put Pancho in his coffin, Lefty said "I'm out of here" and went to Cleavland, Ohio. A long while later, Lefty is an old man, who still has the guilt of betraying his friend and turning him over to the Federales. All in all, it is a very sad story and if you listen to the Townes Van Zandt original version of the song, you can here the sorrow in his voice, almost as if it's Lefty singing the song.

BB King

A great man has left us. On May 14^th, 2015, Riley B. King, BB King, known as the King of the Blues, died at the age of 89 in his home in Las Vegas. 

This man has been a great influence on me, and was one of the men who made me want to play guitar when I was 7.

BB King, was born in 1925 in the Mississippi Delta. When he was about 8 or 9 years old, his mother and father separated. BB went to his Grandmother after his mother died of diabetes. He went to church, and the Reverend came in with an electric guitar. Sometimes, when the Reverend was at BB’s grandma’s house, BB would play that guitar. At twelve years old, he got his first guitar for $15.00. Later on, he played around the Mississippi Delta and became known as the Blues Boy, or BB. He got a band together called the BB King Review, filled with horns, a drummer, a pianist, and another guitarist. 

He made a lot of famous songs, such as “Everyday I Got the Blues”, “The Thrill is Gone”, and “Rock Me Baby”, and has played with many famous people such as Eric Clapton and Carlos Santana.

In 1949, he played at a dance hall with his $30 Gibson. To keep the heat in the hall, there were barrels of kerosene being burned, a common practice at the time. Two men were fighting and toppled a burning barrel over and caught the building on fire. BB rushed outside, and then remembered he had left his guitar in there. He went back in and got the guitar out. He then found out the two men were fighting over a woman named Lucille. He named the guitar he had and all further guitars Lucille to remind him not to fight about women and don’t do anything stupid like going back in a burning building for a guitar. 

In the late 80’s and the 90’s, BB King was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame. On January 4^th, 2013, my mom and I saw him live at the Sunrise Theater in Ft. Pierce Florida. I still have the ticket stubs and some BB King guitar picks from the experience. BB was still touring in early 2015, but had to cancel the rest of his 2015 tour, because he had diabetes and blood pressure problems. Later on, he was in hospice care, which meant that he was tired of all the medication and doctors, and if he’s going to go, he’s going to do it in the comfort of his own home, with the people and things he loved. On the night of May 14^th, 2015, BB King passed away peacefully in his sleep. The thrill is gone, but if there’s a rock and roll Heaven you know they got a Hell of a band, and that band just got a Hell of a lot better.  Thank you BB. Rest in peace, man. Rest in peace.

Seersuckers, Sculptures and the Sculptor

Monday, March 31^st, 2015, 4:00 PM: I was sitting on my stool playing CountryRoads on my guitar, when, suddenly I heard a knock on the front door. My Lands'End Seersucker Suit had arrived. Earlier that month, I had been invited to a performance at the new Geoffrey Smith Gallery. It was a cocktail party, so, I had to get something a bit formal. My dad suggested a Seersucker suit, with a white shirt and black tie. My mom ordered the suit, while my dad and I got the shirt, tie, and dress shoes. The suit arrived, and I put it on to see if it would fit. It was a bit too big, so, dad and I went to Hometown Cleaners andTailors, and asked for it to be altered a little. The tailor, Miss Esther, was a very nice lady and very funny. 

 Tuesday, April 7^th, 2015, 5:15 PM: After a guitar lesson with JonathanCummings, dad and I went back to the tailor to retrieve the suit. It fit perfectly. We took it home, and mom took some pictures of me in the full suit, shirt, tie, and everything, and Rose, my Zager guitar. The next day, I practiced the set-list with just the jacket, to make sure I could still play with the long sleeves on the jacket. Everything was going great.

Thursday, April 9^th, 2015, 4:45 PM, Performance Day: I was getting ready to go perform, putting on my suit, putting Rose in her guitar case, and saying hi to mom. It was only a few yards from our house to the gallery, but, we took the van anyway. We got set up, and then, people came in. I started playing for half an hour, and then stopped. Then, Geoffrey gave a speech about his creations. He was the one that built the big sailfish in the fountain in the middle of downtown Stuart. I played for another half hour, and then, Dad went home with the guitar, and mom and I stayed. There were a couple kids there, and they made their own VIP for kids section in one of the rooms. One of the girls gave me a small box that said “You are a VIP. Please come to the room with the VIP sign.” I went in the room, talked with the kids, and went home. We had awesome rock star pizza, watched Mystery Science Theater 3000: Hobgoblins, and then I went to bed.

Three tunes from the performance:

Volcano

Southern Cross

Odds Are