Soul of Lee's Basement ( #BOTB )

     When my family first went to Maryville Tennessee I figured it was more like a vacation except that my father had to go to work every day.  It was a vacation for the rest of us though.  My parents and four siblings were staying in our travel trailer parked at a mobile home park.  Each day after my father went to work, my mother took the rest of us to some nearby tourist attraction--and there were many!  We all fell in love with the area.  By  mid-August it was decided that we would move here.  My parents put our Indiana house up for sale and by September we were settled in our new home in East Tennessee.

     The house we decided on was a nice sized recently built brick house on a very large lot. Of particular appeal to all of us was the large finished half basement that had a large open area with a fireplace, a sort of alcove with small closet, and a laundry room with a bathroom.  My father saw a good space for practicing our juggling act.  I envisioned a retreat where I could listen to music.  There was something for everyone, but I felt like it was mostly my domain.  Eventually those in my circle of friends would call it Lee's Basement.

       When our family made the move to Maryville, my record collection was likely not much more than 20 records if that many.  I treasured each and every one of them and played them often.  My sister also had her records, but she didn't take collecting as serious as I did.  My records were usually in better shape than hers and always inside their proper dustcovers. I occasionally listened to her records and enjoyed them, but we had distinct inclinations to like different types of music.

        Each Christmas my mother would take an album wish list from each of us and that would be another 20 or so albums in the house.  There would be my Kinks album versus her Bobby Vinton or my Beach Boys against her Diane Renay (anyone remember her?  "Navy Blue"?).  When she got over Beatlemania and stopped being interested in Beatles records is when they caught my attention an I started listening.

        My sister had her music and I had mine even though I really did like a lot of what she was listening to.  I like music and that's why I do this thing...

       

Battle of the Bands

        Battle of the Bands is the blogging event started by Far Away Series and now hosted by StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands.   This event happens each month on the 15th and on some there is also a Battle on the 1st of the month.  My blog is one of those with a second Battle excepting over these summer months.   The premise is simple:  Listen to the songs presented below and then in the comments vote for your favorite and tell us why you liked it.  Then visit the links listed near the bottom of this post for more Battle action.

A Little Bit of Soul

       Both my sister and I leaned heavily in the direction of the rock or pop genres, but some of the R & B groups caught our attention.  We both started listening to the Motown artists, but Joy had already been a fan of the NYC group Little Anthony and the Imperials for a couple years.  I also liked their hits that were often played on the Chicago station we listened to when we were still in Northern Indiana.  Joy probably liked having their songs as a background to young teenage angst.  I just liked their sound, but I could understand how some of their songs could set a mood for reflection or whatever.

      The Four Tops had released several hits before they really registered with me, but soon they caught my attention with their edgier sound.  They seemed more like a group for action rather than reflection and being moody.  Of course Joy liked those Four Tops songs, but I'm pretty sure she would have rather listened to Little Anthony if the choice were hers for music to set her mood and I think that would be the case even now. 

        Has my musical tasted changed over the years as I've become older and more reflective?  Back in the late sixties in my basement, my go to music would have been Four Tops over Little Anthony.  Where am I now?  That's not only for you to find out when I post my results for this Battle, but also for you to decide which you prefer.  Listen and remember.  And then, please vote...

       

Little Anthony & the Imperials   "Hurt So Bad"  (1964)

Four Tops   "Reach Out I'll Be There"  (1966)

Time to Vote!

           Do these songs bring back memories for you?  Which do you like best?.  Just listen and have fun.  Hopefully you have an opinion of some kind.  You don't have to know about music to have an opinion since it all comes down to your own personal taste.

        Please vote on your favorite by letting us know your choice in the comment section and tell us why you prefer the version you chose. Then after you've finished here, please visit the other blogs listed below who may or may not be participating this time around. And if you've put up your own BOTB contest let us know that as well so we can vote on yours. I don't know if anyone else will be doing a Battle this time around, but you can still check out these sites.


Here are some other places where you might find BOTB posts:

 StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands

'Curious as a Cathy'

Sound of One Hand Typing

Jingle, Jangle, Jungle 

Landmark Sounds (Diedre Knight)

BATTLE OF THE BANDS BY DEBBIE D

Stine Writing

Results coming on Monday October 9th

Time to Face the Juggling Music ( #BOTB Results )

  Sitting on the edge of your seat, the music starts to play.  Let the juggling begin!  Or at least the blogging. Let the blogging about juggling begin! Yay!...

Battle of the Bands Results

The Real Juggling Music

       My most recent post featured a Battle of the Bands segment with Xavier Cugat's "El Cumbanchero" going head to head with "This Could Be the Start of Something Big" by Les Brown and his Band Renown.  These were both songs that my father had chosen as part of the music backing our family juggling act and for this Battle I used two of the actual recordings we often used.  

       Let me set the scenario up with a description of how the songs were used in the act. Sometimes my family did a whole show where my father did some comedy, my mother or sister would do an acrobatic dance specialty, and then we closed the show with the entire family doing a fast paced juggling routine. That latter portion was what my father called "The Big Act" and often we were hired to perform that act in a show that included other acts.

       We opened the Big Act with the entire family entering the stage while juggling to the song "This Could Be the Start of Something Big" as played by Les Brown & His Band Renown.  Only recently did the significance of this song choice occur to me.  My father probably purposely used a song with this title to open the Big Act, or maybe he just used it because it was popular at the time.

         Our closing used various recorded versions of "El Cumbanchero" that was Cugat's version for a few years until we discovered a version by The Pepper Pots which had a lengthy percussion part that made for an exciting climax to the act.

       As many agreed in the post comments, "El Cumbanchero" is the better juggling song.  In fact, it's among the most commonly used songs by jugglers and other performers--or at least back in our day it was. My parents had been using "El Cumbanchero" in their act even before my sister and I joined. "Something Big" was added when we joined after 1960.  The song is not the greatest for juggling, but it made for a nice opening.  

         "Something Big" was written by the great Steve Allen who has written a ton of songs over the years.  Allen was one of my childhood heroes--a likeable personality who did some creative stuff on his TV shows.  That's pretty much why I'm going to give my vote to Allen's song in this Battle, but if I were picking out music for juggling then I'd probably cede to that Latin sound.

Final Vote Tally

Xavier Cugat       7 votes

Les Brown           4 votes

Next Battle on Sunday October 1st

The Real Juggling Music ( #BOTB )

    The basement at my parents' Maryville TN house was, to me, my music room.  But it was very likely that my father saw the basement as a space to practice our juggling act.  Either way, the music was there...

Battle of the Bands

        Battle of the Bands is the blogging event started by Far Away Series and now hosted by StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands.   This event happens each month on the 15th and on some there is also a Battle on the 1st of the month.  My blog is one of those with a second Battle excepting over these summer months.   The premise is simple:  Listen to the songs presented below and then in the comments vote for your favorite and tell us why you liked it.  Then visit the links listed near the bottom of this post for more Battle action.

Juggling Music

        My previous Battle centered around my attempt to introduce some rock music into the practice session.  My father wanted the same music we used for performance.  If we didn't have an actual band to back us up then we had prerecorded music on reel-to-reel.  Here are a couple of the actual recordings we used during our act.  Which one do you like best?

Xavier Cugat   "El Cumbanchero"   (1961)

Les Brown  "This Could Be the Start of Something Big"  (1956)

Time to Vote!

           At least you don't have to juggle while listening to these.  Just listen and have fun.  Hopefully you have an opinion of some kind.  You don't have to know about music to have an opinion since it all comes down to your own personal taste.

        Please vote on your favorite by letting us know your choice in the comment section and tell us why you prefer the version you chose. Then after you've finished here, please visit the other blogs listed below who may or may not be participating this time around. And if you've put up your own BOTB contest let us know that as well so we can vote on yours. I don't know if anyone else will be doing a Battle this time around, but you can still check out these sites.


Here are some other places where you might find BOTB posts:

 StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands

  'MIKE'S RAMBLINGS'

'Curious as a Cathy'

Sound of One Hand Typing

Jingle, Jangle, Jungle 

Landmark Sounds (Diedre Knight)

BATTLE OF THE BANDS BY DEBBIE D

Stine Writing

Results coming on Friday September 22

A Well-Deserved Outcome ( #BOTB Results )

       There are some things I want that I might not get and there are some things that I don't particularly want but end up getting anyway.  And then there are some things that I usually don't want but I'm happy to get because it just seems like the way things should be...

Battle of the Bands Results

The Notorious Record Toss

      My recent Battle centered around an incident from my early college years when I was still working with my family's juggling act.  We would have regular practice sessions where we would run through our routine several times to keep in shape.  One evening I put on a cut from one of my favorite rock albums to switch things up.  My father was infuriated with my song choice and ripped the LP off the turntable and sailed it across the room like a frisbee. The  mission of the Battle was to figure out which cuts from albums by Santana and Cream angered him so and which was--well, kind of--okay.

       Usually our goal is to avoid a complete shut out, but in the case of this Battle an obliteration of the opponent proves a point.  My father could not tolerate the Cream song "Rollin' and Tumlin'".   I never liked it much either, but I was not happy about my father throwing my record.  It survived and I still have it in my vinyl collection.  But I still don't like that particular song.  And it seems that the majority of voters agreed.  A few of you did like it, but not enough to vote for it.

         The consensus among all voters including me is that Santana's "Soul Sacrifice" was the superior recording.  With the drumming and fast-paced rhythms the song makes for outstanding juggling music. It was similar to some of the Latin music that we already used in our act so Santana was a natural for our practice session for at least one run through.   My father wasn't going to be updating the act with any rock music.

         At least I tried to contribute.  

Final Vote Tally

Cream           0

Santana       13

Yay!

???????

     Maybe I'll do another Battle on Friday the 15th  There is more to the juggling rehearsal story.

         

Still Going! ( #IWSG )

 

         Gosh!  We've been at this blogging thing a while now haven't we.  I started up my blog in 2009 and not long after that I joined in with Alex and the crowd doing The Insecure Writer's Support Group. Yes, still plugging away at it...

The Insecure Writer's Support Group

Join us on the first Wednesday of each month in Alex J. Cavanaugh's Insecure Writer's Support Group--a forum of writers who gather to talk about writing and the writer's life. For a complete list of participants visit Alex's Blog. 
     The co-hosts for theSeptember 6 posting of the IWSG are Sonia Dogra, J Lenni Dorner, Pat Garcia, Sarah - The Faux Fountain Pen, and Meka James.

September 6 question - The IWSG celebrates 12 years today! When did you discover the IWSG, how do you connect, and how has it helped you?

          I've been here from the beginning.  Since Alex had been one of my earliest  blogging buddies and had been such a big part of helping me get the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge off the ground, when he started #IWSG I was more than willing to get on board.  I don't remember missing any posts, but I've always been here in spirit at least.  And my memory seems to be a bit faulty at times.  I do know that I found IWSG through my association Alex and I've been around since then.

         Congratulations for making this thing grow like it has over that past decade plus.  May there many productive years ahead.

         For me it's good to stay in touch with the community in which I've been a part of since my blogging beginnings.  IWSG is a great way to do it.  These days I don't spend as much time on computer as I did when my old computer was operational.  These days I have to share a computer.

        Besides, to a great extent I cut way back on my writing a few years ago. Not due to any insecurity in regard to writing, but mostly a change in the focus of my life.  Writing remains somewhere in my future I'm fairly certain, but for present I'm diverted.  

         Whatever it is, it's all fine with me.

         And IWSG--I plan to stick around.

       Hope you can take a listen to my current Battle of the Bands post and read about some music that my father truly abhorred.  See what other readers think about my "juggling music".   

        

       

Basement Juggling Rehearsal Hall ( #BOTB )

      Time for another visit to the past.  We all have songs that carry us to another time in our lives.  Here a couple more songs for my Songs from Lee's Basement series...

      In the summer of 1966 my family made a trial visit to Maryville TN where the company my father worked for had a big job.  Before summer had ended we all had made up our minds that this is the place we wanted to be.  Northern Indiana had been okay, but East Tennessee seemed like paradise in comparison.  In time for the beginning of a new school year, we had moved into our new house.

       What we called "the basement" was actually a daylight basement--a windowed room but half underground.  There was a back door that provided an alternate entryway from the backyard.  The basement was finished with a very nice large fireplace.  We didn't have much furniture at first.  Since the room was L shaped we had a couple of old plush chairs and a stereo in the small side of the L. That's where I'd often hang out and listen to my record albums. 

        The larger part of the room we used as our juggling rehearsal hall.  Since my family was still a working professional juggling act, we needed to practice regularly so to stay in top form. The presence of this space was likely a big selling point to my father since in previous homes we had to practice in a family room or a living room.  This basement rehearsal space was a dream for my father.

       Now me being a teenager into music my father didn't always approve of came into to frequent conflict.  My dad had his old school juggling music that we had always used.  I'd heard it all my life so I was used to it, but still I thought an update in music for rehearsal at least might inject a spark of something while I shared some of my music with the family.

      During our shows as well as in practice sessions, my father put me in charge of playing the music.  One particular evening I tested out two selections from two of my favorite albums at that time.  One song sent my father into a rage (he could be like that) and he snatched the record off the turntable and to my horror he sailed the vinyl disc across the room. I was furious. Fortunately the record was not damaged.

       Next I put on another selection from a different album.  This time we kept on juggling.  He was okay with this song.  It was more to his liking.  Not that he wanted to use it for our act or that he even wanted to hear it again.  It just didn't send him into a rage like the first song did.

         Which brings us to another...

      

Battle of the Bands

        Battle of the Bands is the blogging event started by Far Away Series and now hosted by StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands.   This event happens each month on the 15th and on some there is also a Battle on the 1st of the month.  My blog is one of those with a second Battle excepting over these summer months.   The premise is simple:  Listen to the songs presented below and then in the comments vote for your favorite and tell us why you liked it.  Then visit the links listed near the bottom of this post for more Battle action.

Basement Juggling Songs

       Keeping in mind the story I told above, I present to you the two songs I played for my father as possible juggling songs.  After listening to each, please vote for your personal favorite and tell us why you voted that way.  Then, can you guess which of these song enraged my father so?

         

Cream  "Rollin' and Tumblin'   (1966)

(

Santana   "Soul Sacrifice"  (1969)

Time to Vote!

           Nothing to get upset about here I hope.  Just tell us what you think of these songs.   Hopefully you have an opinion of some kind.  You don't have to know about music to have an opinion since it all comes down to your own personal taste.

        Please vote on your favorite by letting us know your choice in the comment section and tell us why you prefer the version you chose. Then after you've finished here, please visit the other blogs listed below who may or may not be participating this time around. And if you've put up your own BOTB contest let us know that as well so we can vote on yours. I don't know if anyone else will be doing a Battle this time around, but you can still check out these sites.


Here are some other places where you might find BOTB posts:

 StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands

  'MIKE'S RAMBLINGS'

'Curious as a Cathy'

Sound of One Hand Typing

Jingle, Jangle, Jungle 

Landmark Sounds (Diedre Knight)

BATTLE OF THE BANDS BY DEBBIE D

Stine Writing

Results coming on Friday Sept 8 

 

          Also there will be a post for #IWSG on Wed the 6th.   

Whirlwinds and Hurricanes ( #BOTB Results )

 

    California is still here despite all the hype giving us expectations of doom.  Maybe still being here is the biggest doomsday scenario.

       On the day of my most recent Battle of the Bands posting, I embarked upon four days of a whirlwind trip that covered over 1000 miles and three states.  It was somewhat unexpected for me, but I took on the role of chief driver and tour planner.  It was hot, but that's Las Vegas in the summer.  I hadn't been to Vegas in several years--November 2015 it had been.  

       With the coming of COVID went the departure of the famous Vegas buffets.  I suspected this was the case but my party still had expectations of dining at the buffet at the Mandalay Bay, where we had eaten often in the past. The buffet was gone so we settled for some bad over-priced Mexican food.

      That was basically the story of the trip.  Restaurants there are way high-priced and often not that great of quality.  But that seems to be the case everywhere these days.  Since we hadn't made any reservations like I normally would have (that's another story that I won't go into here), I got a room at Harrah's for the same low price I had paid last time I was there.  Oh, except for the $45 resort fee and $18 parking.  Vegas nickels and dimes the visitor every chance it gets and that's not even mentioning the gambling.  At least my wife came out ahead $135 on the slot machines.  She's usually pretty lucky like that.

     The next morning we were anxious to get back home to Los Angeles (which seems strange, but it's home and not Las Vegas).  This was a long desert journey with a side trip to Hoover Dam.  We didn't take any tours but we walked across the dam in the 112 degree heat.  Then it was homeward.  I filled up before I left Arizona and paid $2 less per gallon than I would the next day in Los Angeles.  

     Friday as I was looking up an address where I was going to drop off my wife's cousin who had come to visit us from Ecuador, hence our road trip of the previous days, I received an alarm message about an impending hurricane.  What?  California doesn't get hurricanes, or at least I thought, but there it was all over the news.  This past weekend the hurricane came and went.  It was what we used to call back East a "rain storm".  I guess there were some problematic areas with flooding and such, but where I live it just rained and that was good news for my lawn. 

       Oh, then there was the earthquake in the middle of the hurricane.  You might have heard about it. It was a 5 or so on the Richter scale with no real significant damage. We are always expecting earthquakes out here in Southern California, but never hurricanes.  Guess we're trying to keep up with Florida.

      And now....

Battle of the Bands Results

       This Battle had a small turnout with a very decisive outcome.  And really, this one did not turn out like I anticipated.  I figured The Band probably had more of a fan base and Crazy Horse would be too nasally or country or whatever.  For me, Crazy Horse being a particular longtime favorite my vote goes to their song, but listening to this Band cut after many years gave me a new appreciation for it.

Final Vote Tally

The Band             1 vote

Crazy Horse         9 votes

Next Battle on Friday September 1

        I'll be continuing with my series of "Songs from Lee's Basement" and hopefully will have some pictures I took back in those days.

Songs from Lee's Basement ( #BOTB )

 

      When I contemplate past days, my thoughts frequently go to my parents' basement--or as my friends might have called "Lee's Basement".  It was the end of the sixties and a dawning of a new decade.  The seventies started my foray into adult life.  What times we had!

       With some inspiration from Stephen T McCarthy's Silver Dollar Saloon Song Challenge, I decided to do something similar but using songs frequently heard when the basement at my parents' house was a party place to be in Maryville Tennessee.  That basement was a comfortable and safe place for my friends to gather in my young adult days.  I lived at home during my college years until I moved out at the end of 1974.  My parents allowed me pretty free reign of their basement at that time.  We were generally well behaved and didn't stir up much of a ruckus. My stereo was usually spinning sound and I was the house DJ.

       Record collecting had been my passion since 1964 when I was in 8th grade.  The collection grew slowly in those days, but after high school and I began working then some of my money would go into regular vinyl purchases.  When I started hosting parties my record collection had grown to a modest size, but was nevertheless pretty eclectic.  I tried to pursue records that not everyone else might already have and still be appealing to many ears.  There was always plenty to choose from.

        When thinking back on those days and nights listening to music in that basement, my memories take me to The Beatles, Cream, Iron Butterfly, and so many other groups that emerged in the late sixties with sounds that were often radical and musically exciting.  A typical evening in Lee's Basement might include some classical and jazz as well as mainstays such as Jethro Tull, Neil Young, or Jefferson Starship.  We all loved music and maybe my picks for the turntable weren't everyone else's first choices, I was the master of the music of my domain and rarely did I hear any complaints about my music choices.

        So now, with a trip down memory lane, we embark on another..,      

Battle of the Bands

        Battle of the Bands is the blogging event started by Far Away Series and now hosted by StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands.   This event happens each month on the 15th and on some there is also a Battle on the 1st of the month.  My blog is one of those with a second Battle excepting over these summer months.   The premise is simple:  Listen to the songs presented below and then in the comments vote for your favorite and tell us why you liked it.  Then visit the links listed near the bottom of this post for more Battle action.

Songs from Lee's Basement

       In this Battle I will offer up two bands that got frequent play in the early seventies on my basement turntable.  Both artists are some early examples of the Americana rock genre, but the greater commonality that they share is that they were both back-up bands for some notable artists who are known for being singer songwriters and later both bands recorded and toured as their own bands.

      Here they are---take a listen and decide which recording you enjoy the most...

          

The Band   "When I Paint My Masterpiece"  (1971)

        Before going out on their own, this band--The Band--was the back-up group for Bob Dylan.  They recorded a few Dylan songs as well as many written by their members, primarily Robbie Robertson, who recently passed away at age 80.  In this Battle we have The Band performing their rendition of Bob Dylan's "When I Paint My Masterpiece"...

Crazy Horse   "Dance, Dance, Dance"   (1971)

        In 1968 L.A. group the Rockets released an interesting album that never really made much of a splash on the music scene and they reorganized into Neil Young's back-up band Crazy Horse.  Over the ensuing decades they went through a number of incarnations as Young's backing group as well as a band recording and touring on their own.   In their debut album, 1971's self-titled release Crazy Horse, they included the Neil Young song "Dance, Dance, Dance".  The band's line-up at this time also included Nils Lofgren before he moved on to his own solo work and eventually as part of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band.   How does the Crazy Horse song stack up against The Band's song?  You decide...

Time to Vote!

           You might remember these songs--or not.  Either way you might or might not like them.  Hopefully you have an opinion of some kind.  You don't have to know about music to have an opinion since it all comes down to your own personal taste.

        Please vote on your favorite by letting us know your choice in the comment section and tell us why you prefer the version you chose. Then after you've finished here, please visit the other blogs listed below who may or may not be participating this time around. And if you've put up your own BOTB contest let us know that as well so we can vote on yours. I don't know if anyone else will be doing a Battle this time around, but you can still check out these sites.


Here are some other places where you might find BOTB posts:

 StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands

  'MIKE'S RAMBLINGS'

'Curious as a Cathy'

Sound of One Hand Typing

Jingle, Jangle, Jungle 

Landmark Sounds (Diedre Knight)

BATTLE OF THE BANDS BY DEBBIE D

Stine Writing

Next Battle on Friday September 1st

   

           There should be some results of the current Battle coming in a week or so, but the next Battle will come as long as life continues as expected.   I'm going to continue with the Songs from Lee's Basement theme.  I got some doozies ahead.  And songs that mean a lot to me.   See ya!

The Eyes Have It ( #BOTB Results )

     I'm not late.  I'm just not posting this when I originally suggested I would.  It's summer.  It's hot.  I guess it doesn't matter that much.  But at least here I am now with...

Battle of the Bands Results

     My most recent Battle put "Girl with No Eyes" by It's a Beautiful Day up against the song "Lost a Number" by Nils Lofgren and Grin.  Both songs come from the amazingly musically diverse period spanning the latter sixties to the early seventies. Some of my most favorite music comes from this era and these songs, while quite different in sound, represent some of the best music in my opinion. 

      Having played violin I was drawn to It's a Beautiful Day since it's principal artist was vocalist/violinist David Laflamme.  Their first two albums got a lot of play back in the days when many of my friends would congregate in my parents' basement rec room.  However an even bigger favorite amongst most of our circle was Nils Lofgren and Grin.  Their second album was oft requested for a spin on my turntable with "Lost a Number" being a particular favorite.

      Even though Beautiful Day featured the violin as well as some really fine songs, my personal favorite between the artists was Lofgren and his group.  I thought they recorded some excellent songs that were very accessible to music fans.  Unfortunately, Nils and his groups didn't have quite the commercial success I would have anticipated, but still they managed to put out some excellent albums before Nils went on to become part of Bruce Springsteen's band.

      In this Battle my vote goes to "Lost a Number" by Grin and that was what the majority agreed with.  It was a pretty close race nonetheless.  

Final Vote Tally

It's a Beautiful Day       6 votes

Nils Lofgren & Grin       9 votes

Next Battle on Tuesday August 15th

         Yeah, I'm still planning to do this one.  But you know what they say about mice and men and whatever.