Concert Update - John Prine

Last Friday evening I had the privilege and pleasure of seeing John Prine. Prine is an American country/folk singer-songwriter who has a lengthy discography and won Artist of the Year in 2005. He is hailed as one of the great singer-songwriters in American music history and is known for his humor and great story telling, particularly through song.

The evening began with some BBQ at Bandana's, which was awesome. We then went down to the TouHill Performing Arts Center located on the University of Missouri Saint Louis campus. The opening act was a very talented girl named Carrie Rodriguez. She had a beautiful, yet edgy voice and was unique in that she played the tenor guitar (4 strings) as well as the fiddle. I had never seen an artist who sang and played fiddle at the same time with the fiddle being the main instrument. It was pretty awesome. She got a nice ovation at the end of her 30 minutes set. After a fairly long intermission, the energy began to escalate as the crowd of about 2500 anxiously awaited the legend.

Finally, Prine and his two backup musicians (upright base and guitar/mandolin/harmonica) entered stage left to a very warm standing ovation. They then launched into a wonderful set of songs that lasted nearly two hours. I was really happy that Prine played my favorite song of his, Long Monday. It isn't one of his more popular tunes and it is pretty much 50/50 chance of him playing it live. After about nine songs, his accompanying musicians exited the stage and John played about 4 or 5 songs by himself. He was rejoined by his band mates to close out the evening with a couple more songs. There was of course an encore, during which Carrie Rodriguez was brought out to join the band. They closed with the wonderful piece Paradise which sounded awesome with the three part harmony and fiddle.

This was one of my all time favorite concerts. One left this concert feeling as though they had seen a close friend performing some good music. The atmosphere was so intimate and pleasant. I highly recommend seeing John Prine whether you know his music or not. You will not be disappointed.

What Is Big, Green, and Happy?

Oh my goodness. I have found my new favorite song.

John Prine Tonight!!!

I am VERY excited about seeing music legend John Prine tonight. I'll give a concert update sometime next week. If you haven't heard John Prine, go get some of his music! Now!

Bizkit The Sleepwalking Dog

Here is some humor for the week. This is incredible.

NYC Official: Ban Japanese 'Rape' Video Game

Associated Press - Anti-violence advocates in New York City are taking a stand against a video game in which players stalk and rape a mother and her two daughters.

Amazon and eBay have already banned the sale of the game, called RapeLay. But City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said Monday that the game is available from other online sellers.

One of them, called jbdoujinshop.ecrater.com, says in an e-mail it has taken the game off its site as of Monday.

Quinn and the New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault called on all U.S. video game distributors to refrain from selling Rapelay.

RapeLay is made by a company called Illusion, based in Yokohama, Japan.

The company has not immediately responded to an e-mail seeking comment.

WTH!?!?!?!

FBI Rescues Children From Prostitution

WASHINGTON — The FBI has rescued more than 45 suspected teenage prostitutes, some as young as 13, in a nationwide sweep to remove kids from the illegal sex trade and punish their accused pimps.

Over a three-night initiative called Operation Cross Country, federal agents working with local law enforcement also arrested more than 50 alleged pimps, according to preliminary bureau data.

The teenage prostitutes found in the investigation ranged in age from 13 to 17.

It is amazing to think that this abomination occurs around the world, much less in the United States! I recently had a conversation with a 12 year old who couldn't believe that children are forced into prostitution. It was news to him and he was shocked and disgusted by it. Wouldn't it be great if we could raise a generation of young men and women who were determined to be involved in putting a stop to this absurdity?

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry on Grownups and Numbers

"When you tell [the grownups] that you have made a new friend, they never ask you any questions about essential matters. They never say to you,

'What does his voice sound like? What games does he love best? Does he collect butterflies?'

Instead, they demand:

'How old is he? How many brothers has he? How much does he weigh? How much money does his father make?'

Only from these figures do they think they have learned anything about him.

If you were to say to the grown-ups:

'I saw a beautiful house made of rosy brick, with geraniums in the windows and doves on the roof,'

they would not be able to get any idea of that house at all. You would have to say to them:

'I saw a house that cost 100,000 francs'

Then they would exclaim: 'Oh, what a pretty house that is!'"