Weekend Plans

I'll be preaching On Christian Simplicity this Sunday. Saturday finds good friends Eastwood playing at the Sons of Herman, opening for James McMurtry, one of the better Texas singer Songwriters.

I'll likely get up Early Saturday and head down to Cedar Ridge. I love the topography there.

New stuff

One, Jill and I saw UP last weekend. What a delightful movie. Not to show my feminine side, but I actually teared up at one point. I thought it was an extraordinarily touching portrayal of a couple growing old together. It's a lovely and funny story. I loved the Score also.

Two, I of course love local music. I have raved for a long time about Telegraph Canyon and my friend Chris Johnson. He really writes great songs. They have a new cd in the can and Paul Slavens interviews Chris about it. It's really worth listing to the interview. I can't wait to hear the CD. Chris music is very thoughtful and timely, dealing with political social issues, without being pedantic.

One final thought, thanks to Daniel Miller for the recommendation of Meridian Room. Very nice place.

Great morning, went hiking at Cedar Ridge Preserve, was on the trail by 7:15, mostly shady, so it was cool. I saw several painted buntings, and was very pleased I could identify their Call. Sat up on a bluff in the shade, had a cliff bar and water, really nice hike, Saw some meadowlarks too. I sat in journaled in the shade. Later, we're gonna go see Public Enemies at the Angelika, too hot to do anything else

Photo by my friend Bruce Sostek.
What an amazing night of music. Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood sauntered onto the stage at American Airlines Arena in Dallas, Texas as their U.S. tour and launched into Had to Cry Today. I think the real highlight of the evening was a flawless version of Blind Faith era In the Presence of the Lord. If you didn’t think you were in church then you were not paying attention. Winwood’s Hammond B-3 work is simply outstanding.

The acoustic version of Layla with Winwood and Clapton sitting side by side in two chairs, and Winwood taking the last solo was outstanding. Winwood also did a terrific take on Georgia on My Mind. The first set closed out with an homage to old comrade Hendrix with an extended version of "Voodoo Chile". The encore started with Oklahoman JJ Cale’s song, Cocaine. The song really featured, Chris Stainton on piano. I mean he tour up the keys. I gave him a standing O for that one. The evening closed out with Dear Mr. Fantasy
Clapton / Winwood Set List - 23 June 2009
American Airlines Arena, Dallas TX
01. Had To Cry Today
02. Low Down
03. After Midnight
04. Presence of The Lord
05. Sleeping in the Ground
06. Glad
07. Well Alright
08. Tough Luck Blues
09. Pearly Queen
10. No Face, No Name, No Number
11. Forever Man
12. Georgia On My Mind - Steve Winwood solo
13. Driftin' - acoustic
14. How Long Blues
15. Layla - acoustic version
16. Can't Find My Way Home
17. Split Decision
18. Voodoo Chile
Encore:
19. Cocaine
20. Dear Mr. Fantasy
Band Lineup:
Eric Clapton - guitar, vocals
Steve Winwood - vocals, Hammond B3, piano, guitar
Chris Stainton - keyboards
Willie Weeks - bass
Abe Laboriel, Jr. - drums
Michelle John - backing vocals
Sharon White - backing vocals

Felons CD release, Club Dada, friday at 8.

be there.

Navigation

Photo by Patrick Bunce.
http://www.warbirdalley.com/b24.htm
Robert Wilonsky posted a piece on B-24's flying around Dallas.

It made me think about my dad.


Dad was a navigator on a B-24. Navigator's used a sextant to find their way on long distance missions. They didn't have gps. They would use the stars to calculate their position. A mistake mean running out of fuel over the South Pacific. He showed me the diary their co-pilot kept, lots of guys went out into the drink, PBy's would go out looking for these guys, like a needle in a haystack. They all knew that the Japanese didn't really take prisoners, and the oceans were full of sharks, so the idea of going down into the ocean was pretty unpleasant, to say the least.

I suppose when I think about it, my favorite memories of my dad will be looking at the stars. He would point out constellations to me, when I was a kid. Sometimes, I point up to the skies and point out the Pleiades, my favorite constellation. My boys look at me like I'm an alien....actually they smile, knowing it's important to me, but they're not sure why. I think next time I look up at the sky, I'll think about dad. I'll think of him as a young man, sitting looking up at the South Pacific Skies, calculating, trying to figure out how to get across the fast expanse of an ocean, dodge anti-aircraft fire, and hopefully come back with enough fuel to do it again. Well, he did that again and again, those guys all came home because he did his job well

KERA: Commentary: Fathers and Sons (2009-06-19)

KERA: Commentary: Fathers and Sons (2009-06-19)

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