Friends

With your friends it is often the little things that make so much difference. Last week I put my ego on the line and sent a blanket notice out to my associates with current e-mails. Just a quick note telling them of an exhibition of my images for 1st Thursday. John Hecth and Larry Pietz came by. Not only where they supportive of the work they each bought photos. It was so gratifying. Being new to this, the validation was wonderful. Thanks to everyone who stopped in! GOOD CHOICE JOHN

BACK

The internet is a wonderful thing, however if you make a mistake the total lack of personal contact can make life hard. The reason this blog disappeared for a while is as simple as an expired e-mail address. Glad to be back with you all!Look for a whole bunch of new photos and stories shortly. Here is a weird little image from downtown Boise.>

The Fall of 55.

As a kid growing up in Boise in the 60�s and 70�s I was vaguely aware of the �Boy�s of Boise� scandal. A local man Seth Randal has decided to take another look at the book and it�s impact. He is looking for photos and home movies from the 50�s. For more info www.fallof55.com.

KDJQ

The first new am radio signal in I�m thinkin� 40 years has come to town. according to IDAHORADIONEWS.COM. 890 AM, KDJQ plays �Vintage Rock and Soul,� with a focus on 50 and 60s R&B and rock hits. If the comments on IDAHORADIONEWS.COM are any indication the station is playing some songs that we haven't heard for a while. Cool.

While I am on the subject of radio. Remember when radio was fun, local, hell! even live? Now, well if you think you are hearing a �live� dj and it is after 10 am, call-No one will answer? Try the web, no response �till the morning. �IM� Yeah, right. OK, Caves and Prater are live at 4:00, but almost always that DJ is long gone by the time he�s �on the air�.

Sometimes they are not even in town!!! A Wall Street Journal article exposed a California based dj that was �Live� in Boise and Salem. BEAM ME to BOISE, Scotty. No Scotty, I meant Salem>>>.

USA Today wrote yesterday (5/12/05) that radio listening is off by 9%. Wonder why the big radio companies haven't blamed illegal downloads, like RIAA has? Blame the same old songs, nothing local and certainly no fun. Maybe KDJQ will be different.

Merritt's-No review

Had a run of bad food and bad service of late. Normally I avoid the negative. If I eat somewhere and the food is bad, I�ll talk about the atmosphere. If the atmosphere is off, there is usually a smiling cook or server to recommend. If everything is bad no review. At the girls suggestion we all went to Merritt's last weekend. Once a long way out of town and the Mecca of late night drunks and smokers, she assured us that it had changed. Remembering, fluffy scones and great breakfast, off we went.

Let�s just say. . . no review.

So, a girl walks into a bar.

If it is at the new Shakers, we've heard that the answer may be that she left without a drink. No Joke. This new bar's name must come from a dance -- not the tool used to make Martinis. Sounds like no onebehind the plank can use a "shaker strainer."

If first you don't. . .

Call this a confirmed rumor. Track trickster Arnel Jones is trying his luck at the �New Riders� bar. That�s the short lived grille almost under the freeway at 16th or 17th and Grove. After the destruction both literally and figuratively of Dino�s, Shorty�s and the Les Bois you gotta� wonder who�s name the liquor license will be in. Good Luck to the banker and the landlord!

Music News or "Sorry for the long post-Didn't have time to write a short 1!"

The good news is I have been a bit busy of late, the bad news, not much time to write. So here is another quick music list.May 20, 21, 22 Eagle Island Experience Festival "Blues Night" - Headliner Too Slim & The Taildraggers.�For more about Too Slim - www.tooslim.org Eagle Island has grown into one of the best fests of the year. With the Sunny Slope Blues Festival gone, make the most of Blues Night.

Wild Rose Manor in Caldwell, ID presents a Summer Concert Series to benefit Hope's Door-a women and children's shelter.� Concerts begin at 4:00 pm and end at 8:00 pm on each date. May 22nd, Billy Mitchell May 29th - Hoochie Coochie Men June 5th - Betty Adams. Other local and regional bands to be announced.� Adults $10.00, 6 - 16 $5.00, and 5 & under are free.� Seating is limited.� For information or ticket sales please call 454-3331.� Located at 5800 Oasis Rd. Caldwell, ID� - Take I-84 and Exit 17 (Sandhollow)

If you haven�t heard Alive After Five is going to have real music this year. Maybe all the bitching we have done has reached the right ears. Mike Bunell from the Record Exchange has taken the reins. There are even-Get This-BLUES bands . . . May 18 -- Pinto Bennett & Friends June 1 -- Almost Dangerous June 8 -- Too Slim & the Trailgraggers July 13 -- Duffy Bishop Alive After Five is held at the Grove every Wednesday through out the summer. It used to be the place to be seen for all the hip business types. Maybe again.

Also, Diminutive Joplin cloner Cyndie Lee will be at Kats House of Blues (downtown Nampa) June 3rd & 4th.

The BBS picnic Is set for July 17th. Whew!

A Walk For Coffee

Dawson Taylor Downtown has been good enough to allow me to exhibit another group of photos. Each was taken within walking distance of the coffee shop. 219 8th street.Hope you can take the time to look at these images.

Bar Death Watch Revenge

Well, not sure if I was wrong or early. A month or so ago, I assessed the downtown Boise bar scene. So far most of my predictions haven�t become true.(see Downtown Bar Death Watch) However, Pablonos did become a Coyote Ugly rip-off called Skakers and I believe the Bucket has dropped late-nights.

With the old Brandos/Manhattan location becomingThe Loft and Shotz/Lipps set to reopen(rumored to combine karaoke and martini�s?) there are going to be a lot of lonely Tuesday night bartenders. Can all of these bars survive? Don�t think so.

New Look :}

O.K. here is the new look :}. Needed to list the old articles and I have added links to my sons site- Idaho Radio News and the Boise Blues Society.

Freak Alley

Down the alley, the Freak Alley. I entered a surprisingly bright world of, sculptures, painters, musicians and poets. Not a freak in sight. The visuals were wonderful, I was particularly taken by the art of Sara Mc Donald. Saratops her friends call her. The diminutive artist was a visual delight herself, dressed to impress with a shock of dark black hair and bright red lace up leather knee-high boots(do they still call them Go-Go boots?)

Her work was a display of paintings and two sculptures. The paintings exihibited a powerful sense of color. From strokes of reds, blacks and blues, babies faces and angel wings appear. Off kilter composition and tight framing add to the erie effect.

One of Sara�s sculptures was of a fetus. It was a bit intense for me. A graphic realization of the a real baby. Using wood, wax and cloth the artist was able to convey this beginning of life quite realistically. This gives the viewer a stark look at their origins.

The Freak Alley Gallery show is a great addition to the downtown art scene. We often discount the work of less mainstream artists. By presenting this powerful and somewhat offbeat art, the Freak Alley gives us all a chance to see art from a distinctively different view than the usual �First Thursday� chardonnay stroll.

WARNING THE PICTURE THAT FOLLOWS IS GRAPHIC!!!!

Club Night Reveiw

�Come one, come all! Tonight is the Gene Harris Jazz Festival Club Night - Come downtown and watch some of your favorite jazz and blues artists.� Nancy McIntosh�s Friday E-mail summed it up perfectly.

What a great night of Jazz. Paul Tillitson was his wiley self. Each year Paul commands the Egyptian stage and plays that unique combination of tradition jazz mixed with humor and funk. This years performance reflected time spent in Sun Valley�s famous Ducthen Room. The nightly work has polished Paul trio�s sound. Without losing his lighter side Paul's gigs now have that certain sophistication of the great club acts.

The most interesting act of the night had to be 11 Eyes at the Easy. The 11� s are fairly normal jazz band. Brassy up front with Trumpet and Sax, with a very solid back line. The guitar player stood out with quick licks and enlightened play. Oh, did I mention the DJ? Mixing, scratching, looping are not your usual jazz fare. Although not entirely original this bunch does have a very new sound. The contrast of the horns with the back scratching was lively. For some it was a little much, but I was somehow reminded the avant guard jazz of the 50�s.

At the Balcony crowd favorite Luther Hughes returned. The bar was jammed with happy faces. This was defiantly the hotspot of the night. The bluesiest band of club night laid down straight forward tunes with class and talent.

Down the street at the Gamekeeper it was standing room only. Charles McPherson and the New Stories Trio were as cool as the other side of the pillow.

Locals like The Frim Fram Four (The Reef and later at Pengillys), the beautiful Cherie Buckner w/Billy Mitchell(Centre on the Grove) and our own BBS Allstars(Bouquet) held their own and a good time was had by ME.

See you next year.

Grape Escape

A great meal can be like a symphony, a harmony of flavors, a jazz ensembleof taste. A recent offer for lunch at the Grape Escape was like that. Randall took us to the �Grape.� The server was quick to the table and told us of the daily special. Not sure what she called it, but here is what it was. Bacon and potatoes in a brie cheese sauce. It was wrapped in panini bread, something of a decadent pot pie, french style. With the subtle flavors of bacon, cheese and potatoes, one flavor often over powers the rest. This dish blended to created a powerful performance. Like a smooth blues trio on a summer night. Encore, Encore.

Pink Pinkies Flapping

Boy am I glad it is spring. No, not just because the of green grass, or the whole April showers-May flowers thing. I like spring because of socks. Actually the lack there of. See I don�t wear em�, socks. So all winter all I hear is �where are your socks? Aren't your ankles cold,� or simply, �are you crazy, it�s ten degrees out?�

However as the temperatures rise, toes sprout like tulips. Moms count piggies as babies grasp their bare little feetzies and squeal. Gentle spring-a time when toes of all shapes and sizes come out to join mine. Spring, when teens display wildly painted nails in thongs (now called flip flops so as to avoid confusion with their under wear.) Old guys, legs as white as fish wear sandals this time of year. Their 10 wrinkled pink pinkies flapping in the wind. All to enjoy the freedom, my digits have had all year.

Let�s hear it for spring and the liberation of all toes. Oh, sweet foot freedom. A declaration to the emancipation all the way to the ankle. Stand united on the liberty of no socks. Enjoy my revolution, winters coming soon.

Pickin' & Grinnin'

Saturday afternoon the NC Double A�s are in town. Gotta' love this young man plying his trade. With a quick smile and quicker fingers he banjoed up a storm. He was making some dough too. Good work if you can get it.

Blues Cliff Note Style

A young friend ask me the other day what some of my favorite blues songs were. Many answers jumped to mind. Mostly they were a bit off the wall. Really what she wanted was some titles she might listen to to get an idea of what blues music was. So if someone who grew up on pop asked you for a couple of Blues tunes to try, what would you say. Remember this is a �primer,� �a starter pack � Here in no particular order is my list for a CD I plan to make. B.B. King-The Thrill is Gone Etta James-At Last Stevie Ray Vaughn-Little Wing Rolling Stones-Little Red Rooster John Lee Hooker-The Healer Buddy Guy Gary Moore-Still Got the Blues Koko Taylor-Born Under a Bad Sign Cream-Born Under a Bad Sign Fat John-Let�sJump Susan Tedeschi-Rock Me Right

What else?

Wednesday with Ken!

Now you can marvel at the piano of Ken Harris every Wednesday evening at the Owhyee Hotel's Gamekeeper Lounge. Ken has the best �boogie woogie� in the biz. Ask him to play his uniquely funkified version of �Here We Have Idaho.�