As far as music and chord progressions go, “Pressure” is one of my favorite Billy Joel songs. The synthesizer melody line appeals to me. And his slightly off-the-beat lyrics fit the music very nicely. Being a keyboard player, Billy Joel was certainly on my radar. But it appears he doesn’t fully understand (and maybe doesn’t even care about) the pressure force he’ll face one … The rest of the story…
Whether you’re happy or not, have you spent any time, lately, making melody in your heart? And have you sung with grace in your heart? Not just to hear your voice. But because you love your Creator. You don’t have to feel bad if your answer is no. But you really should consider adding melody and grace to your routine. There’s no rule about … The rest of the story…
Way back in ’92-’93 I made the songwriters-in-the-round circuit in Nashville. Yeah, the one in Tennessee. And about 10 years ago, I shared a quick story about one of those nights when I sang a roses song. This is how I described it… ~I was almost always the only keyboard player on showcase nights. One of those nights I took an offbeat song with … The rest of the story…
It’s not what you know, but who you know. And that’s always been true. But probably not like most people in the world think about it. But if you take the sum total of what most people in the world believe and put it in a basket, you’d still have lots of room left for eggs. Or bread. Or even flowers and berries. Whatever … The rest of the story…
Kindness and grace are two qualities you’ll find in the best friend you’ll ever have. They’re not the only qualities, of course. But they assure you’ll sit in the most special, heavenly place. And that doesn’t interest you, then I feel sorry for you. And you can stumble off to some other temporary fix or empty promise. But maybe you could use some kindness … The rest of the story…
Lots of people love to share what their superpower is. And many are doing that for fun. I get it. But, for a growing number of people (probably Marvel movie addicts) having a superpower isn’t just a funny thing to say. Because they believe that somehow, some way, some day, humans will figure out how to do it. But humans will never get there. … The rest of the story…
In case you missed it, I talked about Elton John’s album, Honky Chateau, in my last post. And I mentioned how it was such an entertaining part of one of my early road trips. Well, a reader (and good friend), Greg, wrote a note to me about his memory of that album. And then he mentioned Elton’s next one, “Don’t Shoot Me, I’m Only … The rest of the story…
At the end of the summer, in 1972, I drove my ’65 Plymouth Fury back to Texas from Kansas. And a lot of the drive was on highways 69 and 75 through Kansas, into Oklahoma, and then from Tulsa, Oklahoma on down to Houston. It was a long, 12 to 14 hour drive. And I passed the time listening to Honky Chateau, Harvest, and … The rest of the story…
Tanzanite, turquoise, and zircon. Those are the accepted birthstones for December. And it’s also typically accepted that each one is a certain shade, or shades of blue. Of course, I’ve made no secret of the fact that blue is my favorite color. But right now I wanna wax poetically and philosophically on zircon crystals. And their implications for nuclear waste containment. Zircon crystals and … The rest of the story…
When it’s time for bed, there’s nothing more effective to get little kids to sleep than bedtime stories and lullaby songs. Unless, of course, your little kids are intergalactic aliens with no respect for authority. Then, all bets are off. And you’d better get your force field up and your lightsaber ready. But little Bedtime Buckaroos are able to understand why it’s time for … The rest of the story…