Well, it’s not terrible. I can at least tell you that much. But, then again, I like just about anything T-Bone has done the past few years .

Shows. I’m invited to a lot of live local music shows but I usually opt out as I’m a 90 year old man in a 34 year old man’s body. Tonight though, I not only went to a show but brought my 2 favorite music reviewers with me. 

The show: The Other Bones and Action Camp at The Rock ‘n Art Shop

The reason I was going to the show was to see The Other Bones. I have recently discovered (and really enjoyed) this band from Portland. To get a taste of their music, check out this rooftop performance:

So I thought to myself, the band goes first, so I’ll go see them and come home. I’ll even take the kids so they can enjoy it and then I’ll be home in time for them to go to be on time.

Well that plan went out the window when the show started a little late and the other act went on first. But, even though I still had to leave early to get the kiddos to bed, it was a happy accident. Because now I was introduced to yet another great band.

Action Camp

One guy, one gal. Loopers. pedals. Dual guitar & bass amps. Keys, keys and more keys. The describe their music as Doom-op duo from Pittsburgh, PA and I’m already a fan. Surfy & dark with haunting organ keys (especially found on their song “Seven Days”). 

The upside: they were awesome. The downside: I was only able to stay for a total of 2 1/2 songs. So as soon as I came home I looked them up online. Their latest is an EP called Better Made Fast and it’s available on their bandcamp page

Ali and Max also liked it but alas, we had to part long before the party really got going.

So what I want you take away from this story:

1) I like this band. Check them out, you might like ‘em too!

2) I STILL haven’t seen The Other Bones live (I will eventually)

For more Action Camp
Action Camp on Facebook
Action Camp on Tumblr
Action Camp on Twitter

For more on The Other Bones
The Other Bones on Facebook
The Other Bones Website

Here are 2 bonus shots of my rock show posse

I work in radio, but like anyone in radio, my musical tastes go far beyond the genre borders of the station that I work for. In my case said station is Alternative Rock, a genre that is near and dear to my went-to-high-school-in-the-early-90s heart. But when I’m not working at the station or driving around listening to the station to make sure we’re running smoothly, I enjoy other musical genres, stations and shows.

Two shows have frequently stood out in my mind as being great programs with music that holds my attention and makes me want to hear what they play next….and as you may have already guessed, they’re both non-commercial stations. The other thing that these shows have in common in their airtime of 10AM Sunday mornings.

The first is a mainstay at the stations of MPBN. In Tune By Ten is a music program that is usually aired Mon-Thur at 10PM on MPBN stations. As a parent of 2 little kids, I’m often asleep at that point. So I don’t catch the weeknight version. I DO however catch the Sunday morning edition that starts at 10AM.

Host Sara Willis blends a great mix of Americana, AAA, Alt Country, Jazz, Blues and more into a show that I adore. I only wish I had the caffeine in my system post-10PM to stay up for the weeknight shows. 

For a sampling of In Tune By Ten Sunday Morning, here’s Sara’s playlist for last Sunday’s show.

Son Volt, Emmylou, Ani, Dr. Dog, Chieftains with the Decemberists, Ryan Adams… This is the type of stuff I’m usually listening to when I playing tracks on my iPod while riding my bike to work (I know, I know, I shouldn’t wear an iPod while riding my bicycle). The tunes have a sense of craftsmanship you don’t often hear in modern radio hits (and I say that as a modern radio guy). These artists are the kind that are making what music they want without any plans of being on a Ryan Seacrest show of doing a duet with Miranda Lambert at the next country awards show. It’s honest, not always perfect and pure.

For more information on In Tune By Ten, check out the Facebook page

On a similar musical plain is show #2, Architecture In Sound. Daniel Schwartz hosts this program on WMEB 91.9, the radio station of the University of Maine Orono campus. Dan originally studied with me and I am more than happy to see him doing what he loves with his own show. 

The music is a close relative of In Tune By Ten with more indie-leaning artists but even if the playlists aren’t the same, they share a common thread. Dan mixed Indie, Alternative and Rock tunes with a focus on flashback tracks that have set the foundation for the more modern artists he plays.

A recent playlist can be found here

One reason I connect with both of these programs is the music. When I first started in radio, I did my internship at WXRV 92.5 The River in Haverhill, Mass, where I met Mike Mullaney. Besides considering Mike a mentor of mine in radio, he also did a great job of Music Director for WXRV. Always unique, new artists mixed in with the core roster that makes up the AAA format. Both of the above shows remind me how much I loved interning there. You would here (and meet!) people like Pete Droge, Los Lobos and Lyle Lovett. 

The next time you’re having a late pancake breakfast, drinking your 3rd cup of coffee or (if you’re like me), driving to the dump next Sunday, take a listen to either (or both) of these fine programs. You might discover a new band you never heard of OR hear a tune you had forgotten about. 

…..oh, and listen to my station too (WHSN 89.3 FM **cough, cough**)

I have an idea (that’s never good).

I’ve participated in the Nat’l Multiple Sclerosis Society’s Walk MS event for 9 years. 2012 will be my 10th (I think). A good indicator of how long I’ve been doing the walk is that when I started, I had no kids. Looking at these pics, you can see the infant in the first shot if now 8 years old and in 2nd grade!

I’d like to step up my fundraising this year and I think I finally have an idea on how it can be fun, challenging, and embarrassing for me all at the same time.

We all know that we are more driven to donate if it means someone will look the fool.

It’s no big surprise that I love music. Anyone that knew me in high school to today knows that I love it and live it in many ways. That being said, one way I do NOT live it is that although I have played guitar since college, I do not perform publicly. It actually terrifies me in many ways. I’m a big ham but I always tense up when playing in front of someone.

So here goes…

The 2012 Walk MS is on September 2012. I’m considering doing a song-based kickstarter-inspired fundraising drive. For ever “x” amount of money pledged to my fundraising, I’ll post a video or audio recording of me playing a song. To entice people, the first few will be either easy songs OR ones I really like. The higher the amount, the more hated the song (by me). 

So I ask you…if I did this…

1. Would you pledge me?
2. Would you watch/listen?
3. What song would YOU like to make me perform?

Make comments below and let me know what you think.

deanford:

I love Mark Nason.

I could watch this all day. It’s mesmerizing (as coffee often is).

The other day I “discovered” a great song by Australian export Gotye. He released this tune back last summer. 

It’s a great song. The video is equally superb, reminding me of the Peter Gabriel heyday era of MTV. Then today I see this video:



This group takes one guitar and recreates the whole damn song in one take!
Now, I can play guitar, bass and little of mandolin and even a little lap steel but I can’t write songs. Nor can I take them and create a haunting interpretation that goes beyond the novelty of seeing a bunch of people all play the same instrument at one time.



I’m going to go sit in awe now…

December always seems to be a challenge for me. In 2006, our house was robbed in December. Among other things, the criminals took Christmas presents we had planned on giving family members. In 2009, me, the Wife and both kids were diagnosed with Strep Throat on Christmas Day, which forced us to postpone our Christmas celebrations with family.

And then there’s December 2011.

First, the transmission in my Wife’s car went. This prompted us to get a new car for her the week of Christmas (we hadn’t planned on getting her a new car for at least another 3 or 4 year. Then, because you can’t even make this stuff up, I got in a car accident with my truck ON THE WAY HOME FROM PICKING UP THE WIFE’S CAR FROM THE DEALERSHIP! I spent Christmas amid 4 days of stress, wondering if the insurance company would consider my truck a total loss. Weknew after buying a new car there was no way we could afford to get TWO new cars in the span of one week.

Luckily, the insurance company is fixing my truck. Thank goodness.

But it doesn’t matter. None of it matters. One read of the Bangor Daily News website the day after Christmas put it all in perspective. Car Transmissions don’t matter, a truck accident doesn’t matter. On December 26th, I read a story about a more-tragic-than-words fire in Connecticut. Even today, there is a missing little girl in Waterville whose story has spread across the nation.

“There’s always someone who has it worse than you” is an old saying. But it takes a week like this, with news like that to truly put your tiny (by comparisson) into perspective that reminds you just how blessed you are.

Now that I’m shared what Santa brought me, I give you a cute video 31 years in the making…

Today was not an easy day for me. What started as a hopefully simple fix for my wife’s car turned into a nightmare that won’t end until at least early next week.

But in the middle of this horrendous morning, I met a new faculty member here at Husson University….and it was all through the power of bacon.

It all started (as amazing things often do) with a tweet:

Which of course made me reply with a “WHERE?”

It turns out the candied bacon was served up by Nancy Forster-Holt, the Exec Director of Entrepreneurship and Executive Education (thank goodness she gave me her business card or else I’d never remember her title). Now here’s where it gets really interesting…

She had prepared the candied bacon as a class experience for her students. She had her students use the incredibly popular web series Epic Meal Time as a model to work with in entrepreneurship. How are they working now? What can they look to for their next business step? I thought this was a great way to incorporate classroom material with something that the students are already enjoying outside of class.

That shows great creativity to me. Here is an instructor “taking it to the streets” with her students. People learn so much more when it’s connected to something they relate to. The fact that she went as far as to make the candied bacon is just the bacon icing on the bacon cake.

The discussion turned to social media, back to bacon, to NESCom’s radio & web media departments, back to bacon, the upcoming lunch & learn series she is planning and finally, we talked about bacon.

I love that after 13 years working on this campus, I am continually meeting very cool people. The car is hurtin’ but candied bacon made today just a little bit more tolerable.