Great new walking path in Louisville

The Waterfront Development Corporation has opened the path over the Ohio River via the abandoned Big Four RR bridge. This bridge was built in the 1890s and has been a silent ghost of the days of the robber baron era for many years. The bridge is a wide and comfortable path and can accommodate walkers and cyclists with ease. If you are a cycling enthusiast or just enjoy the historic you will love this path.

A punk fan looks at 50.

So many people my age are content to listen to the same crap they heard in high school. I guess I do to but mostly punk from my college days.
I am looking for the new and interesting bands as well... If my musical tastes stopped in 1981, I would have missed out on so much great tuneage. Yes I love the Clash. Black Flag. Fear. But new stuff comes around all the time. So in the second half century of my life I vow to keep up the search for the most interesting and vital sounds around. Maybe I can start a great punk band when I retire from my day gig. You have to stay young.

Time to move beyond Assault Weapons

In light of the murder of 20 children in Newtown now is the time to ban assault weapons and  large capacity magazines. These serve no purpose for sporting or self defense. We need a realistic view of the Second Amendment. Now is the time.

ThePolkaholics- Still Rule the World!

ThePolkaholics-0674, a photo by PolkaSceneZine (Vera Gavrilovic) on Flickr.

Sitting here eating breakfast and listening to some old Polkaholics. I had forgotten how much fun their tunes are. A mix of punk attitude and polka from Chicago. Keep rockin' it guys!

Back at Ya!

Back at ya!
I have been posting all my stuff on facebook for a while but it has become increasingly boring. As Steely Dan would say, "the dreary architecture of your soul". Still on there, but not the place for music or politics. My friends and old school mates are too conservative and negative about those sort of things. They are stuck in their classic rock and Republicanism. That's ok. Still good people. Anyway, looking forward to firing up the old blogger again!

The Kelly Richey Band - Fast Drivin Mama! Featuring Jyn Yates on Drums!

The Eyes Have It: Farewell to Michelle

The Eyes Have It
Originally uploaded by Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

With great sadness I learned that Michelle Bachmann is out of the race. First Herman Cain, now Michelle. Gone are the comical weekly debates. Gone are the assinine statements and misabuse of the English language. Gone are the "Gotcha" questions and funny mis-facts. Gone are the outrageous claims of this crazy but harmless candidate. Now we are winnowing down the pack to just the serious and boring candidates. This has been a fun season of Republican "eat your young" implosion, and I will relish it for a long time. So goodbye Michelle, and Rick, and Herman. You mad a great summer replacement show, but now it's over.

Henry Rollins - Occupants

Henry Rollins tank - detail
Originally uploaded by giddygirlie

Early 80's punk was like a tornado. It sucked up everything in its vortex. Some people were destroyed. Others were picked up where they stood and spit out, lives forever changed, in a radically different spot. Take the journey of Mike Watt, Bob Mould, Ian MacKaye, Henry Rollins, myself. Henry was sucked into THE vortex. Black Flag. He entered the crucible as a suburban punk like so many of us and was spit out of the beast a full- blown Renaissance Man. Author, writer, photojournalist, humorist, punk. His new book is entitled Occupants, and it is a photo journey across the world with fascinating essays in amongst the pictures. One man's take of this insane world, trying to search for humanity, and seeking an understanding of the people, beyond culture, politics, geography. Henry finds interesting people and places,striking out at the inhumanity and finding the common chord that ties the people together as what we are: fellow occupants of planet earth.
It is tempting for me to see Henry as the Black Flag Henry. Prowling the stage like a dangerous animal. "My War!" Henry of the shirtless, black shorts, vicious early days. "Standing here like a loaded gun, waiting to go off..." The cacophony that was Black Flag stays seared forever in my brain.
Fast forward to the modern Henry. He is an articulate spokesman for we aging punks. We still have the fire, the passion. Passed on to the next generation and those to follow.
Check out Occupants by Henry Rollins. Buy it, borrow it from your library or shoplift it at the Barnes and Noble. Just don't download it on a Kindle. That wouldn't be very punk.