I live in Chicago. NATO is visiting our fair city this weekend. I just thought I’d take a couple moments to share my experiences of this unusual event.

I haven’t been in the heart of anything. No protests. Nothing. I’ve just used the highways in the city a bit

I’ll say this. Traffic is awesomely light. I loved it.

Saturday morning, my wife and I took our kids to see a children’s play in the Lakeview neighborhood. We got there lickity split and found great parking. The two of us also went back into the city to see a very funny play at the Royal George Theater, The Doyle and Debbie Show. It’s like a country duet spinal tap thing. It started slow but won me over. I digress.

Traffic was so light heading into the city on a Saturday night, we were forty minutes early. It was great to move at such a leisurely pace.

Tonight, I went to pick up some stuff I loaned a friend. He lives near Comiskey which isn’t too far from McCormick Place where everything is happening. Traffic was really light. I got hit briefly with a shut down of the highway when someone important must’ve been coming through, but I only saw the tail end of the shut down. Nary a delay.

It was ominous and weird, though to see the cops standing at the overpasses down near the loop. That had the feel of coming right out of the movies. But it was kind of cool. Something’s going on and I’m just touching the periphery.

On the way home I had to pull aside one lane as a white van with a four squad car escort zoomed by. That was kinda cool to see too and didn’t slow me down much.

Bottom line though, NATO really cleared up traffic for me this weekend. So cheers to them for that.

A depiction of a tale from the heretical gospel of Qui Gon, Enormous Jesus heals the walrus man. Mostly with fashion advice.

They’re cutting her down. Where’s that lorax dude?

It was good to jam last night with these musicians I’ve been trying to line up for months and months.

We were in a rehearsal space the drummer rents. Five guys in a small room, but it worked.

Three of these guys are better players than me, which is good for me. That’s how I will get better. There’s nothing like playing with those better than me to get me to see my deficiencies. Last night was a great litmus test.

I don’t know if this band will come together. Guys are so busy with life and one guy has a new job. Two of them play in other bands. It may not be worth their while to get up to speed.

I’m approaching this group as a chance to improve. Ultimately I want to write and perform originals, fronting the deal. That’ll be down the road a little as I need to get recording gear in place to craft originals. There’s a timeline on that happening, so that’s cool. It’s just not today.

One guy called my playing “over the top” which I actually took as a compliment. I stayed in my comfort zone since I was in over my head, but when I was in that zone, I played with passion. I fronted a few songs last night and I’ve started trying to channel Steve Marriott as much as I can.

My band is jammin’ tonight. I cannot wait.

I’m thinking of throwing them a curveball by asking them to give wilco’s “I’ve Got You (It’s the End of the Century)” a go. The Band of Heathens played it Friday night and I’ve had it stuck in my head ever since.

The Band of Heathens was great. Colin left the band in January, but they still have so much talent. They’re song-centric and tight. It’s not really fair to compare what they were before with what they are now, because losing an integral piece changes the dynamic so much. Colin was one of the three songwriters and their multi-instrumentalist. A lot spice that was sprinkled on the songs is gone, but now they’ve got another keyboard player on hand full time. The songs are still interesting. Just different.

The actual first concert I ever went to was Chicago in 1978 in Los Angeles. I was eight years old. My family was visiting my uncle. He thought since we were from Chicago, we’d want to go see a band called “Chicago”. As an eight year old, I thoroughly enjoyed the show, but as an eight year old, I had no real taste in music. My favorite songs back then were “The Monster Mash”, “Wait a Minute Mister Postman” and “Hotel California”. What did I know?

The first concert I ever saw that I wanted to see, and had some semblance of taste for, was Roger Waters’ “Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking” tour in 1984. He had Eric Clapton playing guitar for him at the time. It was awesome, brilliant and I feel fortunate to have caught it. The first half of the show was Roger playing the Pink Floyd hits. The second half was “Pros & Cons” in its entirety with a huge production with sets and three enormous movie screens projecting video accompaniment. Brilliant. Nobody does rock theater better than Roger. Roger was my musical hero in high school. I still love him, but I’m bitter that he hasn’t put out a new album since 1990’s “Amused to Death”. He’s been doing nostalgia for over 20 years. Come on Rog!

The second concert I chose was Iron Maiden on their “Powerslave” tour a few months later. I only mention it because when I saw Roger and I was in the hallway of the stadium, some woman in the crowd pinched my ass. It also occurred at Iron Maiden. No one has since pinched my ass at a concert and I am somewhat sad about that.

A side note to Iron Maiden was that Twisted Sister was opening. Sadly, I did not get to see and make fun of Twisted Sister. My friends and I got to the show late because as 14 year olds, we were dependent upon others for a ride. My friend’s older sister was our ride and wound up costing us time as she and her boyfriend were more worried about doing cocaine before the show.

I’ve never done cocaine. I’ve never had an interest. Perhaps it was these two being poster children for cocaine that swayed me.

Maybe if my friend’s sister had pinched my ass, I’d have thought differently.

The Band of Heathens is playing Chicago tonight.

They are a fantastic outfit from Austin, TX. They began as three singer songwriters attending open mics in Austin. They started backing each other up at these open mics. Eventually they added a rhythm section and voila, the Band of Heathens was born.

Sharing the load brings a great diversity to their albums. Each singer fronts his own songs. They clearly resonate with their common influences the Grateful Dead, Neil Young, the Beatles, Little Feat and the Band.

One of the songwriters left the band a couple months ago. The two that are left are still uber talented. I am very curious to see how the new dynamic will play out. I have a hunch they may actually become a better band through this attrition.

I’ll let you know.

Albert King would’ve been 89 today.

He was the most amazing blues guitar player I’ve ever heard. I saw him live a couple times. I once shook his hand on my way to the men’s room at Blues Etc. in Chicago in 1991. It was massive. My hand was like that of a toddler in his parent’s hand.

Albert King played guitar with a focused fury. He was the king of the bend. He’d hit a note with a massive attack and then bend the shit out of it.

King was left handed. He played a Gibson Flying V upside down. This actually helped his string bending power because it took advantage of the natural direction of the pull of finger muscles that a right handed guitar player doesn’t have.

Without Albert King there would’ve been no Jimi Hendrix.

I’ve been listening to Albert King all day today and I continue to stand in awe. My own guitar playing is like that of a toddler’s compared to this paternal master of the blues.

Check this out…

Sweet baby hamhocks! St Louis style rib goodness.

Just read about Levon Helm, genius drummer/singer/songwriter of the Band, in ill health and in the “final stages of his battle with cancer”.

First off, I’m bummed for Levon. He’s brilliant and the world can use all the brilliance it can get these days.

Secondly, I’m bummed that I never made the trek to one of his Midnight Rambles, the Saturday night music showcase he hosted at his farm for years and years. I always told myself ‘I want to get to one of those’. I haven’t and it sounds like I won’t because he’s cancelled every upcoming appearance.

Thirdly, I bummed that I’ve gotten yet another reminder to not put off until tomorrow what I should do today.

I missed Les Paul’s weekly gigs in Manhattan. Kicked myself.

I’ve got too much of my own personal stuff spinning its wheels right now and I don’t want to kick myself again.