Thursday, March 03, 2005

Fifty Years Of Conflict - The DMZ


Hana And I In The DMZ Posted by Hello

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posted by Brian J. Kenny @ 10:26 PM   0 comments

Mingus At The Oven - Pizzeria Bianco


Pizzeria BIanco - The Pie That Launched One Hundred Thousand Words Posted by Hello

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posted by Brian J. Kenny @ 10:21 PM   0 comments

Wherever I Go With My Family


Hana, Aislinn, and I At Bulguksa - Wherever I Go With My Family (Feels A Little Bit LIke Home To Me) Posted by Hello

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posted by Brian J. Kenny @ 10:21 PM   0 comments

Pt Cruising In Arizona


The Great Brendon Flynn and The PT Cruiser.  Posted by Hello

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posted by Brian J. Kenny @ 10:19 PM   2 comments

Lunch at Pane Bianco - More Than Just A Sandwich


Pane Bianco: A Sandwich And A Side OF Truth Posted by Hello

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posted by Brian J. Kenny @ 10:18 PM   0 comments

A Tribute To Bear: Johnny Cash Has His Back


Bear and I Introduce A Song At The Johnny Cash Tribute. Posted by Hello

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posted by Brian J. Kenny @ 10:16 PM   0 comments

Chris Bianco: A True Road Scholar


Chris Bianco: A True Road Scholar Posted by Hello

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posted by Brian J. Kenny @ 10:14 PM   0 comments

A Tribute To Nick Ciampi


Me and Nick Ciampi, the Otisville Sluggers opening for the Holmes Brothers. Posted by Hello

Nick Ciampi and I performed as "The Otisville Sluggers" in Northern California from 2000-2005. The best tribute that I can pay to my dear friend, Uncle Nicky is to say that he is an outstanding man, a great teacher, a great friend, and a better songwriter and performer. One of our greatest prnaks was our contract rider for our performances as the opening act for the Holmes Brothers in 2004.

This document fell into the hands of a local morning radio show and it was read on the air. I was working in an orchard at the time and was checking the olive crop when I was called on my cell phone and asked to comment on the rider. I had forgotten all about it; Nick and I did it as a joke.

Here is the original text

Contract Rider for The Otisville Sluggers
1. Please print artist name as follows: The Otisville Sluggers. Artist will not be responsible for use of any name other than the above mentioned.
2. Presentor agrees to furnish 1 dressing room to accommodate at least 12 persons furnished with reading light & 1 fainting couch, preferably deep red in color and upholstered in velvet or velvet-like material. Presentor will also supply seating for a minimum of 8 persons and 1 Queen sized bed with feather top, Egyptian cotton sheets in Ecru & sateen comforter. Color of comforter is up to presentor’s discretion but MAY NOT be orange or mustard in color. 1 wall calendar must hang on the wall (may not contain photographs of small animals or floral arrangements), area must not be carpeted. One roll of plastic sheeting and two bottles of Johnson’s Baby Oil must also be provided.
3. Presentor agrees to provide 14 marijuana cigarettes of Humboldt County origin. Cigarettes must be Dutch cross cut & hand rolled by virgins with a SAT score of more than 1400. This stipulation will be null & void for performance dates in Oroville, where a substitute may be made for any female under the age of 35 who has completed 11th grade.
4. Presentor will provide one case of Evian bottled water at a temperature of 72 degrees (Fahrenheit) with the lids screwed half way off, 2 bottles of Johnny Walker Red Label, 3 six-packs of Bud Light and one container of pre-sweetened Kool-Aid Brand beverage in either Cherry Hot or Sublime Lime. Food for The Otisville Sluggers will contain one Taco Bell Burrito Supreme without beans, extra sour cream, 2 Wendy’s Double Bacon Cheese Burger Combo Meals (supersized) with Diet Coke and one bottle of Heinz catsup. Band prefers that no vegetarian lasagna be served, and that presentor also provide several packets of Peaches & Cream flavored instant oatmeal as well as a selection of fruits not containing bananas.
5. Presentor will provide 4 packages of fresh, clean Hanes boxer shorts, sized Large.
6. No one, outside of artist is to be admitted to dressing room unless they are wearing pasties and Birkenstock sandals.
7. Please make payment in the following manner: Cash, Food Stamps or Certified check made payable to The Otisville Sluggers Band. During the months of September and November, payment may also be made in five pound blocks of Processed American Cheese.
8. All special requests for songs not seen on artist's current song list must be cleared by Brian Kenny. In the event that artist agrees to perform the special request, presentor must provide a cassette tape and sheet music no later than 45 days from date of the engagement.
_________________________________________PRESENTOR'S SIGNATURE

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posted by Brian J. Kenny @ 10:13 PM   0 comments

A Case Of Psychic Tragedy Narrowly Averted - Merle Haggard Live In Oroville - March 2005


Merle Haggard blends the music of Jimmy Rodgers and Bing Crosby with the literary truth of John Strinbeck and Woody Gutherie Posted by Hello


This originally ran in the Redding Record Searchlight in March of 2005

I road-tripped to the Merle Haggard show at the Feather Falls Casino in Oroville,Ca the other nght. Fortunately, I travelled with a road-wise prophet. The last place I had slept was in Seoul, Korea. It had been 30ish hours since I had last slept when we arrived at the casino, a hideous neon apparition nestled in the foothills of Oroville.

I nearly had a nervous breakdown when we walked into the casino. I was assaulted with "git 'er done" camo flame-adorned NASCAR messages borne by mulleted quarter slot jockies. They looked strangely reptilian to me. I swear that those machines are programmed to play their music interactively with the other machines. There are only two things that sell in this world, hope and fear. The casino plays the shill for both hope and fear; hope that the next hit/pull will bring untold riches and deliverance from the pecuniary constraints of this mortal coil and fear that they will run out of currency before they are able to access that selfsame deliverance.

I took refuge in the restroom where I was hit up for a cigarette by the soundman. "You got a smoke?" he querried. My response was a hybrid meltdown confession/stump speech that culminated with an apology for laying such a heavy trip on an innocent stranger who was just looking for some smoke.

Were it not for the steady hand of my intrepid companion, the poor soundman might have seen me turn into a puddle and slide down the drain that sat in the middle of the concave floor. Thanks for your help road-wise prophet.

Hag saved both of us, though. After skulking through the interminable bowels of the the casino looking for backstage, we found the Hag. We talked music and we talked Sinatra who we all agreed was bigger that all of music. Hag is the embodiment of the intersection of the disparate greats: Bing Crosby and Jimmy Rodgers, Woody Guthrie and Frank Sinatra, John Steinbeck and Bob Wills. His show proved this.

He kicked into "Think I'll Just Stay Here and Drink" with a vengence and didn't let up until he left the stage. Here's a cobbled togather setlist:

Think I'll Just Stay Here and Drink
Silver Wings
Mama Tried
Motorcycle Cowboy
Are the Good Times Really Over/Beneath The Double Eagle
It always will be
I Take A Lot Of Pride in What I Am
Jimmy Rodger's Blues
Buck Owens Impression
Kenny Chesney Impression
Johnny Cash Impression
Folsom Prison Blues
That's The Way Love Goes
Fiddle Jam
Milk Cow Blues
Unforgettable
Pennies from heaven
Fighting side of Me
Rambling Fever
Okie From Muskogee
Misery and gin
Branded man/Lonesome fugitive

"Funny," I thought as I stood in the afterglow of the show, "Hag (like Sinatra)is bigger than all of music too."

And what of his band? In short, they are amazing and humble. Hag pushed them in Oroville. He flew loose and went off the cuff and they were right there with him. After the show they were full of "Just wished you could have seen us on a good night"s and "Yeah, I wish we would have played better"s but they were great.

Mingus didn't rehearse his bands much. Monk didn't care to do anything more than a second take. Hag is the country-western/jazz/pop/be-bop king and his band has his back covered.

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posted by Brian J. Kenny @ 9:43 PM   0 comments

Paying Tribute To Johnny Cash - May 2004


Here I am paying tribute to Johnny Cash at the studios of KFPR in Redding, Ca. Posted by Hello

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posted by Brian J. Kenny @ 9:41 PM   0 comments

David Byrne In Arcata, California - 2004


David Byrne melds the showmanship of James Brown with the power of a Verdi Aria. Posted by Hello

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posted by Brian J. Kenny @ 9:40 PM   0 comments

Wednesday, March 02, 2005

The Home I Never Knew - Portland, Or.


Grandma Kenny's Childhood Home Posted by Hello

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posted by Brian J. Kenny @ 10:24 PM   0 comments