Week In Review: Lil Peep, Malcolm Young, The Crabby 2017 Awards

I have no idea what passes for new music or rock and roll or even rap but I do take notes on who passes.  Lil Peep, (Gustav Ahr) died from a drug overdose Thursday Night.  He was 21. An up and coming rapper.  Somewhere out there his mother weeps and has to bury him. Taking about 12 Xanax will put you into the next life. Where ever that may lead. Lil Peep wanted to die, he got his wish.
https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2017/11/17/lil-peep-suicide-cocktail-xanax-cocaine-ecstacy/

Malcolm Young lost his battle with Dementia Friday.  He was 64. He proceeds older brother George into the great beyond. Malcolm will forever be known for giving us those same three chords and turning into AC DC hits and inspiring people to take up the guitar and form AC DC tribute bands.  At least he had a better life and fulfilled his dreams unlike Lil Peep.

Ben Riley-Drummer for Theolonois Monk in the 1960s and played on Sonny Rollins' The Bridge in 1962 passed away on Saturday from a long illness.  He was 84. http://wbgo.org/post/ben-riley-jazz-drummer-who-made-accompaniment-his-art-has-died-84#stream/0

Mel Tillis- Country singer songwriter that wrote a big hit for Webb Pierce (I Ain't Never) and later had hits on his own for Columbia, Kapp, MGM, MCA and Elektra passed away Sunday from respiratory failure. He was 85 https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2017/11/19/country-music-legend-mel-tillis-has-died-85/878704001/

We'll never know what potential Lil Peep would have had in the music business, probably minimal at best, but when you hear the opening riffs of a hard rock song from AC DC, you know it's Malcolm guitar work, for jazz, Ben Riley may have been subtle, but he could find ways to entice you to the beat or just confront you with with a irregular drumming style and the opening lines of Ruby Don't Take Your Love To Town or I Ain't Never coming from the pen and vocals of Mel Tillis.


Iowa may as well be dead.  They played their bowl game two weeks ago and have returned to ineptness in can't catch, can't punt, can't block, can't defend and can't score as Purdue won their first Big Ten away game in quite some time in a 24-15 ass kicking of Iowa, which the game wasn't even that close. Matt Vandenburg looked more like a green freshman off the farm and couldn't catch the ball on special teams and if he did, he would fumble the ball.  Noah Funt did his usual drop as well as four drops from other receivers.  Iowa's Ole Blockers couldn't stop Purdue at Nate Stanley got sacked six times and hurried about 60 times more. Good thing Josh Jackson plays defense, none of the DBs couldn't do that.  So overall yet another team ineptness, from coaches all the way down to players sucked worse than Mount Trashmore in the hot and humid summer.  Next up, is Nebraska and by all means the Corn huskers will be favored to win, even though they are 4-6 and Mike Riley good as gone. They would like to give him a good send off before they give him the pink slip.  As for Iowa, we're stuck with Kirk Ferenez and his dumbass offense coordinator son Bryan with more shitty play calling. Wrestling and basketball is starting up, may as well go root for them.

Up in the fog and rain at Corvallis, Arizona State ran away and hid from the lackluster Oregon State Beavers 40-24, thus earning the Sun Devils a bowl bid, although they might draw the shitty Iowa Hawkeyes in a second tier bowl game.  The 1-10 Beavers did managed to score outside ASU 24-10 in the second half, but by then ASU had a 30-0 lead and could play it safe.  ASU will play Arizona for the Governor's Cup this week.  Oregon State might be able to get Mike Riley back from Nebraska, but they will have their in state game with Oregon, who have underachieved this season.

In Texas, Iowa State beat Baylor 23-13.  Baylor used to be good a couple seasons ago.  This season, they too are 1-10 and a train wreck on the field.

I really had not much to say about the music of 2017.  Never before had I review less albums than I did and at the rate things are going, 2018 will be even less.  When you buy music as I do and scour the dollar bins and cut outs, chances are there will be albums that will be of interest to me enough to review them.  I really do not need to buy anymore albums in this life time.  I know in my collection I wouldn't have time to listen to all of them at least once. But the buyer in me will continue to look for whatever Half Priced Books has in the bargain bins, or whatever the music stores that I go to. Times have changed.  20 years ago, we had plenty of music stores to check out variety, nowadays it's thrift stores and the twice yearly trip to Madison for unknown pleasures.  Which reminds me....it's that time again to pick my favorite places to shop for music, however the list is getting smaller and smaller each year and with the passing of Kirk of Record Collector things are up in the air.  Hopefully they'll remain open.

Best Record Store (Eastern Iowa)

Moondog Music (Dubuque)
Co Op-Records (Moline Ill)
Analog Vault (Cedar Rapids)
Record Collector (Iowa City)
Ragged Records (Davenport)
CDs-4 Change (Dubuque)
Wax Extatic (Marshalltown)
Mohair Pear (Waterloo)

Best Record Store (Madison)

Mad City Music Exchange
Strictly Disc's
Sugar Shack Records
B Sides Music
Resale Records (RIP)

All of these record stores are worth going to, but in terms of affordability and surprises  Moondog Music remains the best of the stores in the latest releases on CD, for those who still buys CDs.  The debut of Analog Vault is that this is Cedar Rapids's only record store in town that sells records, CD's not so much unless they're from local bands.  Ragged Records is the best of the bunch to get actual vinyl records, Bob Herrington does have his own label Cartouche that features local acts, The Dawn's new album was issued through Carthouche.  Technically, Ragged Records still have a fairly decent selection of 45s but the fly in the ointment is that they are not a set price, some are what I call museum pieces, records that cost more than 4 or 5 dollars if you have to get that record at all costs and I have done that a couple times.  Certainly the case is that they need to make a living as well.  However, it does gnaw at me when they're searching EBAY to priced the record at the going rate, and that Leapy Lee 45 that I bought for 4 dollars one day only to find it down the road at the Salvation Army for a quarter.  You pay a price for being dollar foolish. And they still have that Wounded Bird copy of Crazy Horse Loose for 34.99  On a plus side, you can find just about anything in the record bins.

The problem of record collecting remains the un-priced LP or 45, the museum piece that has no price and the owner of the store looking up the price on Ebay.  I love 45s as much as I did 50 years ago when Ben Franklin had them for 9 cents a piece or when Goodwill had them for a nickel or a quarter. Not anymore.  A juke box 45 of Sweet Chile O Mine should not be charged 8 dollars just because it's Guns And Roses or Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana.  Most of them records got their grooves wore off at some old dive bar out in the boonies where good ole boys are pounding on each other for the hell of it.   At least Moondog Music in Dubuque, the records are 50 cents a piece if you buy in bulk, or Mad City Music Exchange where forgotten 45's can be had for a quarter.  And Mad City Music Exchange has never disappointed me in finding 45s of late, especially at their new location on Atwood Drive, it's sad to see them leave the Williamson St. place but the new store is bigger and has more space to go crate digging be it 7 inch or 12.   Strictly Discs still has the biggest selection of vinyl in the basement, that can be a all day event if there weren't parking meters around.  Sugar Shack is more centralized on used albums although the owner will special order albums or make an effort to find them.  B Sides, remains the only record store on State Street and managed to outlive the CD Warehouse or CD's Plus or Disc Go Round, but in the long run the better finds remain at Mad City Music X or Strictly Disc.

Here on my neck of the woods, the new dog in town is Analog Vault, located in New Bo and while they don't have the selection of a Mad City Music X or Moondog Music, it's a comfort fact that they are the only record store in town.  With the future opening and return of The Chrome Horse back to New Bo, things should get better for them.  Record Collector is the sole survivor of the Iowa City Record store years of the 80s and 90s and then they lost their owner Kirk Walther to illness but the new owners will continue to keep that store going. If anything Record Collector still has the best selection of hard to find jazz CDs in the used bins.  For used CDs  it depends on when to go but I had found that Moondog Music continues to find some hard to find cd's for 5.98, and I'm not telling you which ones that I did find fairly cheap.  Usually the turnaround for used stuff Moondog seems to move the used stuff fairly well, they seem to have a new selection every other month I show up there.  CDs 4 Change has tend to overprice some CDs as well, and like Ragged, they don't have them in jewel cases.  Usually stored away and when they're taken out of their protective covers, they tend to get streak scratches on them.   In this day and age of trying to find new music on CD you have to either drive or say the hell with it and go through Amazon.  Best Buy don't have shit, Target has less and Wal Mart is Wal Mart.  In this area Moondog is the best of the bunch.   Unless you're in the Quad Cities, then it's Co-Op Moline.  (The Co Op Davenport Store didn't last a year before closing for good earlier last year).  I've never been to Mohair Pear in Cedar Falls and Wax Xstatic in Marshalltown I just found out, so it might be a trip down HWY 30 west for the first time in about 5 years.

Best Thrift Stores For Used CDs and Records

Half Priced Books (CR-Madison-Des Moines)
Stuff Etc. (CR,IC-Coralville-Davenport-Waterloo)
Sweet Living Antiques (Iowa City)
Housewerks (Iowa City)
St. Vincent De Paul (Williamson St-Madison)
Salvation Army Junk Store (Davenport)
Frugal Muse (Madison)
St. Vincent De Paul (Waterloo)
Goodwill Industries (Various Locations)
Salvation Army (CR, Marion, Moline)
Savers (Madison)
Pre Played (Madison)

As long as Half Priced Books stays in business, nobody is going to unseat them from the number 1 spot of finding CDs.  There are some museum pieces (that Toni Basil best of I found for 25 cents at the pawnshop, they're trying to sell it for 20 dollars!) but for the most part HP Books continues to find imports and cut outs of albums from the past including the Wounded Bird cutouts of bands that only serious audiophiles and music collectors know about.  If certain CDs dont sell, they get knocked into the two dollar bins but overall the past year the Madison dollar bins have become shorter and shorter but the Cedar Rapids store still has six rows of dollar finds ready to be discovered.  And probably the cheapest way to listen to the Eagles Long Road Out Of Eden (they had four copies as of last week...and of course 5 copies of Licensed To Ill).  After that, it's hit and miss if you go to Stuff Etc or Savers.  I tend to have better luck at the Cedar Rapids and Coralville Stuff Etc stores, Davenport and Waterloo' selections suck most of the time.  The Madison St Vincent De Paul on Williamson is famous for their 45's selection, most of it is pop and big bands but this year some record store donated a bunch of scratched up Elvis and Beatles 45s, to which I actually found a couple of Elvis 45s that weren't scratched up to holy hell.   Of note, the St. Vincent on Park Ave in Madison is where you buy by the pound, which I found about 7 45s for a grand total of 25 cents!  It's a very rare occasion when they do have any sort of 45's, I was simply at the right place, right time.

While I have very good luck in finding bargains in Madison and this area, the luck becomes more spotty and less when I go up to Waterloo.  They don't have much for thrift stores and when they do they simply get picked apart by the other bargain hunters out there.  For myself it makes better sense just to drive to Dubuque, for the most part I'll find a few things at Moondog or CD's 4 Change and even the Goodwill will have something of value.  Goodwill remains a hit and miss, and the new trendy Goodwill isn't exactly bargain hunting city. It is a frustrating fact of life when you're trying to find the LPs and CD section, now they have them over in a corner along with dis-guarded tapes and VHS and DVDs as well and usually you had to fight with 2 or 3 other people blocking your way.  It amazes me some of the hunters that tend to be turtle show and analyze each and every rap or country or One Direction CD.  Myself, it takes about 10 minute tops to scour, acknowledge the gospel collection nobody wants, or copies of Cracked Rear View or Monster or Garth Brooks The Hits.

It has been noted that CD donations have gone down a lot the past 10 years and pawn shops don't take much of them in anymore.  Which is why Siegel's Pawn Shop is not on this list.  Since the passing of Bruce Stanley, CDs are not cost effective, especially if most of what Siegel's used to take in looked like they been ran over a 100 times during rush hour on 380.  Even Housewerks has not had the selection that they once did but sometimes they'll have some classic albums, I managed to find Frank Zappa's Chunga's Revenge up there for four dollars.  Sweet Living Antiques remains a crate digger''s paradise.  I should stop in and visit before the snow flies.  The CD stores of a long time ago, The CD Plus stores, The Disc Go Around, the CD Warehouse are gone, not needed anymore.  So which in essence if the CD collector wants anything anymore, the thrift stores are the way to go.   Unless you're lucky to have a Half Priced Bookstore in your area.  Pre Played have really downsized their CD section, in favor of DVDs and Games.   Savers' is Wisconsin's answer to Stuff Etc and I have yet to get lucky in trying to find anything up in their stores.  As for pawnshops around the area, Pawn America when they first opened up, had the largest used CD section anywhere and I spent a couple hours looking through them, that was 7 years ago.  Today, Pawn America does not have a CD section anymore.  The Waterloo and Iowa City Pawn America do have CDs for 50 cents and it won't take a lot to look through their section but once in a while they'll have something of note.  That's where I found a 50 cent copy of Pearl Jam 10 and of  the aforementioned Best Of Toni Basil. In terms of theory, Pawnshops are basically a waste of time for CD buying anymore.

Of course Hastings would be behind Half Priced Books, but they closed their doors last year and are a distant memory.  But I remember them for fun Saturday Nights in Kingman and Lake Havasau City for all the freaks come out and lively up the place.  Plus they always have surprises in the close out bins.

Best Big Box Music Store

Barnes And Noble
Books A Million
Best Buy
Wal Mart
Target
K Mart (if you still have any around)

The most worthless category of the Crabbys. Barnes And Noble might by following Borders in terms of non existent   Target and K Mart simply have stopped selling them except whatever comes out new but it is a waste of time.  Wally World seems to do a better job of new releases than Best Buy but both stores simply just carry the essentials and classic albums and hardly anything more. Books A Million did overtake some of the stores left behind by the Borders closures but Barnes And Noble wins out by a hair. I did note that the East Side Madison BN did have some 3.99 Wounded Bird cut out specials.  Wal Mart might be universally hated but at least they're a bit more trustworthy than Best Buy, who will convince you that streaming is the new way of life for discovering new music.  That new Post Malone album is very good they say. For myself I don't care anyway.

This weekend, was a trip to Waterloo to see what was out there.  Goodwill had everything for a dollar on sale and all places were packed.  The St Vincent De Paul in Waterloo had the best dollar finds, a couple of Beatles Remastered 2009 albums  Sgt. Pepper and Let It Be and both in like new shape despite the digipack packaging.  If anything they might be something of value the next time I need to sell CDs to Half Price Books.  The pawnshops had nothing, and Goodwill Waterloo was too busy.  But I did find three Cds at Goodwill Independence for a dollar, including a John Anderson best of, A Sonny Rollins Remaster and the Rod Stewart Sings the best rock ballads CD which might be worth hearing for a laugh.

Best Music Stores For Instruments

Uncle Ike's Music (Asbury/Dubuque)
965 Guitars (New Bo-CR)
West Music (Marion-Coralville)
Guitar Center (CR-Davenport)
Griggs Music (Davenport)

Uncle Ike's still remains the best place to seek out used drums and cymbals, now that Music Go Round is no longer around the area.  It's pointless to include pawn shops, they always seem to be hit and miss and more misses than hits although I did score a nice Fender Tele at the Maquoketa pawn shop.   For new guitars, Darwin at 965 Music remains the go to guy, he's knows his guitars.  In the old days we used to have Hiltbrunners, Keeney's Music, Carma Lou's House Of Music, 16th Avenue Music, Marion Drum Shop (in 1983 they were the only place that sold Paiste Cymbals), Star's Guitars and The Music Loft but they're now history, The Music Loft closed their doors for good early this year.  For the most part, I give West Music a slight edge over Guitar Center but nowadays music instruments are not what they used to be.   For pawn shops Money and More in Iowa City is worth going to, Siegal's of late have really overpriced some of their used stuff.  Once in a while I'll take note of something but outside of grabbing the Fender Tele, a lotta pawned stuff on guitars are simply junk.

Best Music Place For Jams (Weekly Jams that is)

Checker's Tavern (Cedar Rapids)
Long Branch (Cedar Rapids)
Rumor's Bar (Cedar Rapids)
Parlor City (Cedar Rapids/New Bo)
Stone City General Store (Stone City)
Cooters (Cedar Rapids)
Ramsey's (Marion)
Just Jules (Cedar Rapids)

For myself, Checker's is the runaway favorite with their Wednesday Night Acoustic Showcase.  The owners Pam and PJ have been very friendly and the jammers that do show up I enjoy sharing the stage with.  The Long Branch on Friday Night also has a very relaxed atmosphere and the stage is quite roomy. Rumor's Sunday Jams also bring out the best in musicians and it can be chaotic at times but the hosts do managed to keep things going.  If you play too loud at Parlor City Blues, you do get yelled at so be careful if the DB levels go past 100 DB.   I have to admit I've never been to Stone City General Store for the Sunday Jams but I plan to once the snow and cold hits.  Cooter's rivals both Rumors and Cooters for Sunday Afternoon jams but I have not been a fan of that place.  I've been there four times and four times they had three fights and than a cancellation of a band that another fight broke out.  Mike Williams swears they don't have that many fights, just the only ones I do show up at.   Ramsey's Acoustic Night is Tuesday and Just Jules is Sunday after Rumors, but I have not been to either one.  For a small town, Cedar Rapids does have plenty of places to do jams at.  Artisan Sanctuary has a open mike every other Thursday Nights, F B and Company in Waubeek has one the first Saturday of the month and Whittier has one the second Saturday every month.  It's gets pretty wild in Waubeek as I found out earlier this month.  The Whittier is much more laid back.

Food:

Best Chinese foot

Crossroads Bistro  (C.R)
China Buffet (Plattville)
Benjang Express (CR)
Great Dragon (CR)
Bamboo Garden (Anamosa)
China King (Marion)
Palace Garden (Marion)
Peking Buffet (Coralville)
Panda Express (CR/IC)

It's hard to find decent Chinese food, we used to have plenty of them 2 decades ago but most have fallen by the wayside or Panda Express is where to go.   The Crossroads Bistro by far has the best Chinese menu. Benjing off Kirkwood Blvd, the owner has maintained a very quick and tasty meal if an when I go up there.  The buffets have been hit and miss, the problem has always been if the food remained under the 100 watt lightbulb too long and would dry up.  In this case it's a matter of convenience, The Palace Garden is across from Wal Mart in Marion off the 151/13 interchange. Grat Dynasty in Davenport has had a change of ownership and reviews have been lukewarm.  The Crossroads Bistro has spoiled me with their excellent chinese menu, if I'm undecided on what to get, I take my chances on Panda Express.

Best Pizza Place:

Marco's Pizza (CR)
Leonardo's Pizza (CR)
Ruby's Pizza (CR)
Long Branch (CR)
Naso's Pizza (Marion)
Tomaso's (Marion)
Zoey's (Marion)
Cappy's (CR)
Pagalai's (Iowa City)
Happy Joe's (Anamosa, CR)
Checker's Tavern (CR)
Godfathers' (Anamosa)
Pizza Hut (Maquoketa, Independence)
Pizza Ranch (Various Locations)
Casey's (Various)
Little Caesar's (CR)

The Frog (RIP)

NOTE: The Frog won best pizza place but they have now closed their doors on Jan 20, 2018.  With that in mind, the runner up pizza place would be Marcos.

There are other pizza places that I know about but haven't been there lately (Pizza Daddy, Need Pizza, Aces And Eights) but I do know some of the best pizzas come from regular bars. The Frog on 16th Avenue (used to be Al's Red Frog) remain the best kept secret in town.  I still miss the old Marco's on 1st Avenue and their amazing buffet (the Marco's on Boyson Rd still good but is part of Family Video, where you can get half off movie rentals if you order a large pizza, or something to that effect).  The biggest bitch is that Pizza Hut has closed most of the stores that offer an afternoon pizza buffet and you have to drive to Maquoketa or Independence or Madison for that comfort buffet.  The surprise is the Long Branch Supper Club and their personal pan pizzas for 7.50 a cheap alternative if you don't want to pay 15 dollars for a Festus Special (sirloin and mushrooms) I love Ruby's Pizzeria but their hours always continues to play havoc with me.  They're closed on Sundays and I never get around to their pizza bar in the afternoon.  Naso's remains the best pizza in Marion, Zoey's tends to get all the businesses and praise but Naso's is still the more familiar place for me to go. Tony Nickels has told me of a new pizza place next to Ramsey's that has the best pizza but since they have opened up this late in the year I have to reserve judgement for the next installment of the Crabby's.  For franchise pizza, I still like a Happy Joes pizza, a Godfather's personal pan pizza and out in the boonies, Casey's does the trick.   Caesar's still gets some pizza loving, when I want it quick and not too expensive (under 7 dollars and not the 5 they advertise). If I'm desperate, I'll go with Kwik Star's 4.95 thin crust pizza, which is actually an oversized Tombstone pizza.  As for Papa John's, he can go to hell.

Best Mexican Food

La Casa De Pancho (Maquoketa)
Villa's Patio (Marion)
Si Senor (Mount Vernon)
El Ranchero (Iowa City)
Rudy's Tacos (Davenport-Moline)
Sanchos (Davenport)
Azteca 1-4 (Davenport/Moline)
Los Compades (CR)
Cancun (CR)
Las Hacienda Glorias (CR)
El Dorado (Coralville)
El Ranchero (CR)
El Bajo (CR)
Frito Kaila (Solon)
Ganzo's (Davenport)
Las Palmas (Platteville)
Salsa's (Dubuque)
Los Aztecas (DBQ)
Fiesta Cancun (DBQ)
Pancheros (Various)
Hot Harry's (CR)
Moe's SW Grill (CR)

There are no shortages of Mexican places to eat at.  The question remains which ones are great and which one's will give you Montezuma's Revenge.  Anamosa lost yet another Mexican place downtown and the remaining one La Hacenida I have to order things with cheese sauce rather than their patented "manwhich" tasting sauce on their burrito. The places that wow me the best are the ones that offer Creme De Polo to where De Pancho place in Maquoketa has.  I'm usually never in the neighborhood unless I'm getting the car's oil changed (and other things). Down the road is Obie's Bar but I have to yet to eat there. If I'm on the way to work and need to get in and out quickly, Si Senor in Mount Vernon gets me in and out in a half hour.  Iowa City has plenty of good Mexican but their El Ranchero is usually my choice.  In Davenport Ganzo's gets the slight nod.  For Franchise burritos, it's Pancheros on Kirkwood Blvd, close to work, in and out in 20 minutes most of the time.  Hot Harry's is the alt to Pancheros but they have strange closing hours that make me go to the other places. Moe's I not that high on, but perhaps I'll give them another chance.   As for Taco Bell and Taco John's, you take your chance.

Best Radio Station

What's is playing in the discman

This year I discontinued the best radio stations, since all of the stations still play the same 200 classic rock songs, the new rock and country stations suck and I can't relate to whatever KUNI plays for new music.   I'll listen to Sirius/XM radio when they offer it free during holidays and vacations but even they are stuck on the same songs played over and over.   We used to be enlightened by the radio back in the AM and FM years till Corporations bought everybody out and bean counters replaced the lovers of new music.  It's a shame we'll never return back to those wonder days of anticipating new releases from The Beatles or Led Zeppelin or Elton John.  For the new artist and bands, you're basically on your own.

Thus concludes this year's Crabbys.  We might return again next year.


Sharon Tate would be 74 years old.
Her child would be 48.
J. Sebring,  84
W. Frykowski, 81
A. Folger, 74
S. Parent, 66
Forget Charles Manson.  The fucker died of natural causes Sunday, aged 83.

Week In Review:Pretenders, Mud Games 3

What a difference a week makes.  Last weekend Iowa put 55 points on Ohio State.  This week they couldn't muster 55 yards total offense in a 38-14 blowout loss to Wisconsin in Madison.  If it wasn't for two pick six interceptions by Josh Jackson, Iowa would been shut out.  Wisconsin simply owned the Hawks, manhandled the Hawks and for Nate Stanley's return to Mad City, he simply fell apart.  Of course, the offense line went back to Ole blockers, the WR's and TE's got their glass hands back and it was ugly.  Funny how last week they worked so hard to get back to the good graces of Colin Cowherd, Then Wisconsin comes in and proves that Iowa is still that Fake ID college team.  But at least they beat Ohio State.  To which Ohio State came back a blazing and blew Michigan State out of Columbus 48-3.  Good thing Iowa didn't play them this week, it would have been 96-0.  Ohio State decided to run the ball and they ran it down the Spartans' throat.  Next up for the Buckeyes, Illinois and then back home to face Michigan.  Ohio State still is favored to get into the Championship game and probably will play Wisconsin.  We'll then see if Wisconsin is the real deal or if Ohio State simply had a bad game against Iowa.

What do Iowa State and Arizona State have in common?  They are both fading and are pretenders.  Iowa State offense came back but the defense was AWOL and Oklahoma State outlasted them 49-42 and won on a interception that Iowa State was a touchdown. Sad way to end the game.  Arizona State is now at 500 once again, UCLA won 44-37, spotting a 14-0 ASU lead and chipped away and then battered the ASU Plastic Fork defense, thus proving that the victory over Washington was a fluke.  And probably their bowl game.   Oregon State and Arizona close out the season. A victory over OSU might get them a second tier bowl game but 2 more losses and Todd Graham might be joining Butch Davis, recently jettisoned from Tennessee, in the unemployment line.

And now Sarah Jane Underwood wants you to check out her ass.  EEYAW!

(The 1974 San Francisco/Cleveland Mud Bath-Neil Liefer photo)

I don't care about the NFL anymore and since giving up TV I have not paid attention to the games. The Chargers moved to Los Angeles and still suck.  In the age of field turf and modified grass stadiums, there's hardly anymore games played in the mud like they used to.   However, I decided some hard to find Mud games in the archives and therefore decide to pay tribute to games played on real turf and real mud.

(NFL Archives-Mack Lee Hill slogging through the muck while Ed Budde adjusts his mask and an unknown Chiefs holds the Chargers' linebacker )

1)  Double Dose Of Charger Mud In Your Eye  1964

San Diego 20  Houston 17  10/25/64 (Houston)
San Diego 28  Kansas City 14   11/15/64  (Kansas City)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dR6d_me_gKA&t=9s

(George Blanda)

You have to search the You Tube for the old year in review for the AFL and NFL teams but they are still out there.  On the way to the 1964 AFL Title, San Diego had to go into Houston  to play the Oilers and a hurricane monsoon that almost drowned the players in the second half.  But the legendary George Blanda drove the Oilers down the  Gulf of Jepperson Stadium and was in line for a winning FG, till it sailed a bit wide left and a pissed off George jumping up and down the puddles to complain that the referees blew the call.  A few weeks later, The Chargers went up to Kansas City, a place that they don't won very much up there (just like this year)  but managed to score 4 touchdowns in the second quarter in a steady rain and Lance Alworth had two TDs and 168 yards receiving in a soggy 28-14 victory.  After that, San Diego lost three of their last four games, including a 49-6 Chiefs scalping at home, but still managed to get in the AFL Championship, to which they lost 20-7 to the Buffalo Bills, which is could be consider a mud bowl but not as epic as these two games.  The game forever known as Mike Stratton planting Keith Lincoln six feet into the moon after trying to get a pass over his head.  Lincoln would not be the same again.

(Steven Savioa: Photo)

2)  The Last Mud Game In New England 2006

New York Jets 17 New England 14 (Foxboro) 11/12/06

It's been a known fact that any grass stadium on the East Coast will be subject to the elements of Noreasters and heavy rains and this game was no exception.  Tom Brady was introduced to the Jets defense time after time.  It didn't help things that the FIFA soccer league used Gillette Stadium for soccer games which contributed to the field becoming tough to play.  After the game, The Patriots would rip up the grass and put in field turf, which has now been replaced three times in a decade, most recently the start of the 2017 NFL season. Tom Brady has mentioned he would like to return to a grass field.  But nowadays it's field turf all the way.  Even the grass stadiums don't have much mud anymore, the Dallas/Washington game of two weeks ago proved that.  BTW Brady would return to a grass field, Tampa Bay in 2020 to which he took the Bucs to a Super Bowl Victory.

(Tom Silverstein- Photo)

3)   A Bad Trick Or Treat Game  1994

Green Bay 33 Chicago 6  10/31/94

In 1994 the NFL decided to do a throwback to the old days of old uniforms which worked wonders for teams like San Diego, both the New York Jets and Giants to which both teams would return to their old jerseys.  Some teams were better off leaving them in the past, Chicago and Green Bay had some hideous uniforms and of course those ugly Denver Broncos uniforms from 1960 including the vertical stripes.  On this game Brett Favre and Edgar Bennett had more trouble battling the elements of hard rain and 40 mile an hour winds than the Chicago Defense, Bennett ran for over 100 yards and Favre scored on a 36 yard TD run.  As for the Bears offense, let's just say they got blown away by the elements on that Halloween night. http://www.chicagotribune.com/csac-bt-941031bearspackersgamer-story.html

(Jim Kanicki-Getty Images)

4)  New York Giants  Sinking in the mire 1968-1969

Cleveland 45  New York 10 (12/1/68)
Cleveland 28  New York 17  (11/23/69)

Of course we can always count on Cleveland and Municipal Stadium to give us a double dose of Mudpie action.  But once upon a time, Cleveland had a pretty good football team that played in a stadium by the lake with a field that went uphill.   Of course you could count upon seeing plenty of muddy games in November and December and usually the New York Giants were there on the muddiest of games, (the most mud still remains the 6-2 baseball score Dallas hung on the Brownie) but in 1968 Cleveland hounded Fran Tarkenton all over the field to the point that Fran was replaced by Dick Wood.  The Browns pretty much had things go all their way even before the rains came off the lake and turned the field into muck.  The Browns rubbed the mud in the face of the Giants to the last second TD from Frank Ryan to Tommy McDonald, who managed to do a mud angel in the end zone and jumped on a few Browns in the process.  The 1969 game was a bit more closer although Leroy Kelly scored 3 TDs in the first half, Tarkenton did get the Giants back in the game with 2 TD passes. But Bill Nelsen would throw a 24 yard TD pass to Gary Collins and that was the game.

(Neil Leifer again with the photo credit, 1965 game, Couldn't find any pictures of the 69 game)

5)  Mud Bowl 2  1969

Cleveland 20  Green Bay 7  12/7/69

Two weeks after outlasting New York, Cleveland finally beat the Green Bay Packers after a decade of coming up short and of course they had plenty of help from a gale off the lake and a steady rain.  Bill Nelsen hit Paul Warfield on a amazing TD catch to which Bob Jeter popped him in the face, to which Warfield took exception and was ready to kick Packer ass.  Ernie Kellerman's 40 yard Pick Six sealed the fate of the Packers, although Don Horn did throw a TD pass to Dave Hampton to make the score more closer than it actually was.

6)  Oakland 21  Miami 14  1970 Playoffs


The most famous picture of that game was Big Bad Ben Davidson embracing Bob Griese as he was delivering yet another mud pack to the quarterback.  Heavy rains turned the Oakland field into a quagmire. Willie Brown scored on a 50 yard Pick Six, and Darrell Lamonica threw a 82 yard strike to Rod Sherman to seal the game.  http://www.raiders.com/news/article-1/Greatest-Moments-1970-AFC-Divisional-Playoff/4390c51f-6980-4ab6-a7cc-2aed915d508f

Blaine Nye covered in Cleveland Mud (Photo: SI)
7)  Baseball in the mud  1970

Dallas 6 Cleveland 2 12/12/70

Would you believe Bill Nelsen threw for 239 yards in perhaps the most muddiest game in Cleveland Browns history.  A game of epic mud flattery, everybody who got on the field would have 10 pounds of mud on their jerseys and even both kickers Mike Clark and Don Cockcroft looked like mudders. The Browns had a chance to win this game, but a costly penalty on Gary Collins nullified one TD and on a final drive, Collins fumbled and the Cowboys recovered in the end zone.  In terms of pure mud utopia, this gives a run for the money with the 1965 Green Bay Championship game and the December 15, 1962 13-10 Browns victory at the Rumble in the mud at Kezar Stadium with the 49ers, to which Cleveland would be king of the mud in 1974.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4lDkR8RhnI

8)  Packer Mud Bowl 2 1997

Green Bay 35 San Francisco 14 1/4/97

History has shown that both Green Bay and San Francisco had their share of mud battles, the most notable one was the 13-0 1960 Mud bath that earned the Packers a date with Philadelphia that season. Kezar Stadium gave no favors to the home team and basically hampered their running and passing attack, while Paul Horning and Jim Taylor had no problems running through the muck  Twenty years after the 1965 Packer victory over Cleveland in Lambeau Mud, San Francisco came a calling and Desmond Howard burned them with a 71 yard punt return.  Steve Young got hurt and so Elvis Grabec came in and found himself covered in Lambeau real estate.  Edgar Bennett scored two touchdowns as well.  After that, they replaced the muddy sod with new grass and Carolina got beat 30-13.  Packers went on to beat New England in the super bowl.  However the Super Mud game was GB/SF.

9) San Francisco Mud Misery-Kezar Stadium

Paul Horning (GB)  13  San Francisco 0  1960
Cleveland  13  San Francisco 10 1962

Kezar Stadium has had its share of mud baths.  When the winds blew off the ocean and the rains came, chances are you were going to see plenty of five star mud games.  In the 1960 game, it was all Packers and the running game.  Jim Taylor slugging through the mud for 161 yards, but it was the Paul Horning scoring show, with him scoring a TD, and XP and two FGs.  The 49ers sank in the mud, gaining only 81 total yards.

Two years later. Jim Brown rushed for 135 yards and two TDs as the Browns won this slop fest.  Neither team scored in the second half.  If you love pure mud games, these two are the ones that stand out in Kezar Stadium history.  But rest assured throughout the 60s, plenty of more mud games would come to follow.  Maybe some day I'll continue the five star mud games. The Browns win would be the last game Paul Brown would coach.

(John Brodie finding his way through the Kezar Mud in the 13-0 Packer shut out in 1960 Ray Nisckie looks on as a Packer LB tries to tackle Brodie)

(Cleveland Vs San Francisco  to which they won 13-10 in 1962  Neil Leifer: Photo Credit)

(Fred Waters: Photo Credit)

And we always seem to find pictures of the St Louis Mud Bath at Old Sportsman Park in 1964 to which both St Louis and New York slogged through a 10-10 tie.  Jackie Smith does the zig zag walk in front of a New York defender taking a splash.

(Chicago Tribute Photo  Dick Butkus a true Mud Monster Of The Midway)

(Tribune: Photo)

10)  San Francisco Mud Misery: Wrigley Field 12/12/65

Chicago 61 San Francisco 20


Gale Sayers carved up the 49ers for 6 TDs  Rudy Bukich threw for 3 TDs as Chicago had no problems going up and down the Wrigley Field Mud on a warm December day in 1965.  54 degrees and rain and not snow.  This was Sayers finest game, even the game out of reach he managed to come back in and return a punt 85 yards.  He also scored on two long passes from Bukich, one 80 yards and one 50 yards. The Bears had 584 total yards on offense.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-JIQ-nwao0

(Steelers; photo credit)

BONUS MUD:  Pittsburgh 36 Cleveland 33 2002 playoffs in Pittsburgh 1/5/2003

In the old days of the 1960s, you could count on a mud game when Cleveland played Pittsburgh, be it the mistake by the lake or Pitt Stadium before the Steelers moved to Three Rivers and a carpet of astro turf, but once Three Rivers was deemed obsolete 30 years onward, Pittsburgh moved back to a grass multi use field for both them and the Pitt Panthers, The Rooneys have been very generous in letting other teams use their field. When the old Browns moved to Baltimore and became the Ravens, Cleveland fans had to wait till 1999 for a new version of the Browns and these Browns have never done much in terms of winning.  In fact they only made the playoffs one time and it was held in Pittsburgh.  Just like in the old days of the 1971, 72 and 73 game of mud in your eye, this one featured plenty of mud action, this time from Heinz Field.  The Browns managed to have a 24-7 lead before the Steelers started to come back. Tommy Maddox threw three TD passes and Pitt scored in the final minute on a combination of Maddox passes to Hines Ward and Plaxico Burress.  Chris Furamata scored from the 3 and two point conversion as well. Cleveland ran out of time.  Since then Cleveland has gone south and stayed in the basement for the majority of the past 15 seasons.

And with that, the Mud Games becomes a distant part of the past.  This weekend in a driving rainstorm in Cleveland, Jacksonville beat the Browns 19-7.  Once upon a time it would have been a big mud bowl.  Back in the old days, Cleveland used to be a good team, they're still looking for their first victory this season.

Passings:  Chuck Mosely, original lead singer of Faith No More.  Died of a drug overdose.  He was 57.

Janis Hansen, singer for Sergio Mendes and Brasil 66 (The Look Of Love) died from leukemia on Oct 4.  She was 74.

Next week, we'll try to return to a more musical theme.  I think we got this years Crabby's and the Turkey's of the year next week.  Probably won't be a novel but at least it will get us out of the mud of this blog.   So here's mud in your eye from Jim Bakken in that St Louis/New York Mess of a tie in 1964.

An Muddy Album From The Past: REM-Monster (Concord 1994)

I had an extensive argument with somebody over the value of Monster while comparing it to Automatic For The People, an album that has recently gotten the 25th Anniversary treatment with a blue ray and four other CDs of note.  I tend to think that Automatic was a nice album with some cool songs (Man On The Moon, Drive, Ignoreland although a lot of critics didn't care for that final number).    Monster, was the muddy followup and dammed if I didn't pick a more perfect album about Mud Bowls than this.  I still contend that side 1 still works fairly good, What's The Frequency Kenneth, Crush With Eyeliner, the latter featuring Peter Buck using such a nasty delay that I stole that for a song I did with the Townedgers in 2002.  Star 69 is a nice uptempo modern alternative rock (not punk rock, personal note to Everybody's Dummy).  However there's a complaint to this album is that time has not treated side 2 very well, I still can't get into Tongue, the worst cop of a U2 sound I ever heard (or is that Rolling Stones?)  Let Me In, is a failed salute to Sonic Youth but that misstep is replaced by Circus Envy and ends on a good note with You.  Let's face it, the naysayers will not warm up to Monster, it's the loudness of the recording, or the songs weren't good enough.  But even for a dollar find, I'll still put on Monster when I wanna hear REM go grunge.  But then again I enjoy REM uptempo and rocking, even if the distortion delay gets a bit out of hand.
Grade A-

Final note:  The new Stone Temple Pilots lead singer is Jeffery Adam Gutt, a one time X Factor contestant and has plenty of him doing covers of other people songs on You Tube, Hallelujah for one. His vocals on Plush if its any indication will put STP back into the sound of Core, which despite it's big sales was their least interesting album for me.   We wish Jeffery and STP the best of luck.

Week In Review: Iowa Double Nickles Ohio State, CMA Awards

If you live in Iowa the big story of the week was Iowa going double nickles and destroying Ohio State 55-24 on Saturday before a packed crowd and national television audience. And shocking the hell out of everybody including myself.  We didn't think Iowa could beat the damned Buckeyes much less blow them out of Iowa City.  Amari Hooker, gave the Hawks a quick lead with a pick six and although Ohio State equaled the score and started to flex their muscles, a strange thing happened that would turn the game into Iowa's favor. A 17 all tie and a 3 and 8th, future NFL potential star Nick Boza gave Nate Stanley a head thump and was flagged for targeting and was excused for the rest of the game by the refs.   Next play Stanley throws to Noah Fant for a touchdown and the avalanche started.   J D Barrett started thinking that Josh Jackson was part of the Buckeyes.  Jackson stole three passes from Barrett including a out of this world one handed grab.  And then:  the offense showed up, or rather the offense line finally decided to block people out.  It may have been those big blackout jersey's the Hawkeyes were wearing, but after Bosa's exit, Iowa simply manhandled the Buckeyes. Akem Wadley had 122 yards rushing, Nate Stanley threw for five touchdown passes and Ohio State never did recover except for a dumbass fake punt to which that Iowa punter might be sitting for the rest of the season (or at least the next game) that the next play Ohio State scored.  However Iowa got that TD back late in the game after a 4th interception by Barrett and Iowa was long gone by then.

This victory was very significant.  Nobody ever scored 55 points on a Urban Meyer coached team and Iowa double nickleded Meyer.  Iowa beat a quality team.  Iowa beat Ohio State.  Iowa knocked Ohio State out of the bowl championships and ended Barrett's chances for a Heisman.  But it also made a believer out of Colin Cowherd for a brief moment.  Colin scoffed at the Hawks undefeated season of 2015, called them the Fake ID of college football and pissing off the Hawkeye  fans in the process but in the end all Iowa had to do was beat Michigan State in the Big Ten Championship and Stanford in the Rose bowl, to which the Hawkeyes did not that season.  The 2015 season had plenty of cupcakes and under-performing Big Ten Teams at that time.  Iowa was winning ball games but they were not beating the big teams when given a chance to play on the big stage.  During the game he gave great credit to Nate Stanley and gave his approval by saying Iowa Turned 21 that Saturday and now will be looking for another team to call the Fake ID of college football, with an eye on another big ten team of course (Wisconsin) but rather perhaps another team that more of a fake than the Badgers, Washington comes to mind, maybe Miami.  But for now, since Colin is buying a round of beer for all of us hawkeyes at the Deadwood, I'll take a Schlitz over a Pabst if you don't mind.   Next up, Wisconsin at Madison next Sunday.  The Hawks have to retain the Heartland Trophy and despite what Coherd thinks, Wisconsin is super tough in Madison.  But the Hawkeyes have played their best football in November and with them blowing out the always tough Buckeyes this might inspire them to continue to play their best when it comes down to crunch time.  Beating the Columbus Buckeyes did make them bowl eligible once again.  Side note: The Hawks did defeat Madison in 2015.

The other team I root for, Arizona State won their 600th game on Pat Tillman Tribute Day and outlasted Colorado 41-30, scoring 24 points in the final quarter before a crowd of ghosts. Demario Richard ran for 189 yards, 141 of it in the final quarter including a 80 yard run. ASU had 583 total yards in the game and overpowered Colorado.  Colorado didn't help their causes, WR developed glass hands at the wrong time including two dropped passes in the end zone. UCLA in LA is next on the Sun Devil list.

And Iowa State went to West Virginia and lost 20-16.  The Cyclones had no offense in the first half and WV lead 20-0.  Clones did make a game out of it but it was too little too late. And the offense has quietly gotten back to being nonexistent.  They must improve on that when Oklahoma State comes calling next week.

In the NFL we have C J Beathard, now playing QB for the 49ers.  Last season C J was part of the Iowa squad and was good enough to be drafted by San Francisco to back up Bryan Hoyer.  While there are good feelings about C J being a starter, San Francisco has been bloody awful this season, they have not won a game this season (0-9) and C J has no running backs, no receivers and certainly no offense line whatsoever.  Hoyer was moved out of town, Jimmy Groppaino was traded from New England to be the QB eventually (Hoyer has resigned with New England, so it's was a minor trade of sorts).  But while Groppiano has been on the sidelines, taking notes, C J is out on the field getting killed, getting sacked 5 times and hit him for another 11 times by The Arizona Cardinals.  It's tough to go back to pass and seeing Cardinals greeting you time after time but finally after a late hit the 49ers, who couldn't block or catch for their lives finally had enough and decided to protect their QB with a rumble all their own.  C J did score a touchdown and the admiration of the Cardinals and their coach but it did wounded up in a 20-10 loss.  They might have better luck against the New York Giants next week but CJ will be without his Iowa counterpart George Kittle.

Passings: Roy Halliday, pitcher for Philadelphia and Toronto and won Cy Youngs in both leagues died in a plane crash on Tuesday.  He was 40.

(Glan's Facebook Page Photo)

Penitti "Whitey" Glan, drummer for Mandela and later was part of Lou Reed's Rock And Roll Machine Band died from cancer.  He was 71

Paul Buckmaster, worked with David Bowie, The Rolling Stones and Elton John on arrangements passed away on Wednesday.  He was 71.  I thought his work on Madman Across The Water defined his greater moments, He also gave credibility to Train as well.  http://ultimateclassicrock.com/paul-buckmaster-dead/

Joe Fortunato, (number 31) fabled Chicago Bears linebacker who helped them to a NFL Championship title in 1963 passed away from a short illness on Monday.  He was 87.

It's been one year since the infamous 11/9 elections to which every Republican known to man and a failed reality star became president and already the voters have decided to do something about it.  Too bad they couldn't do it last year and 2014 when I knew if America ignored to vote and stayed home this was going to happen and in our case  Chuck Grassley, Congressman For Life got voted once again and we're still stuck with Joni Do Nothing Ernst Wonderbags. Gas prices have gone up 30 cents again for no real reason and we're at 2.59 a gallon.  But Virginia voters had enough of Fool 45's antics and voted mostly Democrat, including a transgender woman.  The era of Chris Christie is now over in New Jersey as they elected a Democratic Governor.  Here in CR, Monica Vernon won 30 percent of the vote but since it was under 50 percent she'll face a Republican candidate in yet another election in December, to which we'll probably see more anti ads for another month.  The two party system isn't all that great, we slide from the left to the right and back to the left.  But if there's any indication on what's on the horizon, people are getting fed up by the do nothing NRA bought out Repubicants and maybe we the people will get off our asses and actually vote the Koch suckers out. But we're still stuck with Joni till 2020, unless she chokes on a sandwiches or gets struck down by lightning.  Sooner the better.

The CMA Awards of 2017 continue to the be the clusterfuck as the clash of the new rap rock like artists meshed with what's left of the traditional country, if there's any.  Glen Campbell won his first CMA award (posthumously) with a duet with Willie Nelson on Funny How Time Slips Away from Glen's final album Adios. Last time Glen won a CMA was in 1968. And the Osborne Brothers won Video Event Of The Year with It Ain't My Fault.

In terms of theory the CMA 2017 Awards is trying to get away from the Bro Country crapola and good for them although the times have been a changin and not for the good.  Garth Brooks reclaimed Entertainer Of The Year over Luke Bryan. Chris Stapleton won two awards including album of the year and Male Vocalist and fallen angel Taylor Swift got single of the year with Better Man to which Little Big Town sang that song.  Brothers Osborne got Duo Of The Year, Jon Pardi Newcomer of the year and my favorite category Best Instrumentalist: Mac McAnally. He's been taking that award on a regular basis and congrats to him.  While Miranda Lambert didn't have much love where she was nominated at, she still managed to take home Female Country Singer Of The Year, to which she owns Carrie Underwood in that department despite a so so album she put out last year.

But on a good note; Sam Hunt, Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line and Thomas Rhett didn't win a single CMA award. ;)

This week's album reviews:

Walter Becker-11 Tracks Of Whack (Giant 1994)

The reason why Donald Fagen sang on the Steely Dan albums was that Donald had more of a vocal you could relate to, Becker is very eccentric and off the wall for anybody outside of rabid Steely Dan fans to ever care about.  The best way to describe this is Gaucho Gone Gonzo. Very off the wall. Some things do stand out, Junkie Girl including F bomb madness, the repeated tag line of Waterloo and the faux paus reggae of This Moody Bastard.  Becker's weird sense of humor comes into play.  This album does sound like whack.
Grade B-

The Darkness-Pinewood Smile (Cooking Vinyl 2017)

To these ears, The Darkness is the last of the true bands dedicated to the classic rock of the 1970s, AC/DC crossed with Queen and Justin Hawkins' over the top vocals has made these guys my favorite band of the century that uses classic rock as a reference.   The Queen influence is now becoming well known now that the guys have gotten Roger Taylor's son Rufus to play drums and he adds a bit more harder rock to the songs, not that Emily Dolan Davies was no slouch.  While their last album they stretch themselves out to 14 songs, this time they keep it to 10 songs and 35 minutes. Still funny as hell, especially on Solid Gold which might be based on a true story about a Sony A and R dude clueless as hell and All The Pretty Girls which pretty much explains itself. And then they end things by doing a speed metal tag ending to Stampede Of Love.    It's a shame modern rock doesn't give these guys much love.  They're a hell lot more funnier and rocking than Five Finger Death Punch.
Grade B+

Martin Carthy (Fontana 1965)

British folk songs are hard to take if you're not used to hearing them and as much as I tried to get into Richard Dwyer-Bennett's Irish folk songs, I couldn't get past the fourth song before giving up and donating it for a good cause.   Carthy (who did hook up with Steeleye Span and Albion Country Band) recorded this traditional British Folk album with help from Dave Swarbrick (Fairport Convention) and inspired the likes of Richard Thompson and Bob Dylan in the process.  I suppose in 1965 this record would be a bigger deal but 50 years onward it echoes of a distant past.  I tend to fall asleep  if I pay too much attention but I do dig The Two Magicians and The Queen Of Hearts.
Grade B

Archives: The Viola School Ghost Haunt That Didn't Take Place

VIOLA — With Halloween just around the corner, two Linn County women are teaming up to host a haunt-filled fundraiser as part of an effort to fix up the abandoned school building in Viola, an unincorporated community in eastern Linn County.

Heidi Liegl, who purchased the 94-year-old school building in 2015, is partnering with Sarah Hyatt, a paranormal investigator with the International Paranormal Society, to offer nighttime tours of the building from 9 to 10 p.m. Saturday and again on Oct. 29.

Participants must be age 18 or older and sign a waiver. They are invited to bring any paranormal investigation equipment they want, but Hyatt plans to conduct her own investigation with her equipment during the event.

Tickets cost $30 each.

Regardless of whether you choose to believe the old school — built in 1922 and closed in 1998 — is haunted or not, the building itself is certainly creepy.

Nearly all of the windows are shattered.

The names of former students remain visible on strips of masking tape above hooks on the third floor.

Mounds of dirt that blew in over the years combines with broken wood, trash and crumbling plaster and drywall to cover many areas of the building.

A few old shoes are scattered about.

The word “boo” has been spray painted on a window near the cornerstone.

The old stage in the gymnasium has been covered by a wall, but the large red curtains remain in place.

An empty school chair sits alone in the middle of one room.

The concrete floor in the boiler room is cracked into many pieces and a lone desk sits in the corner.

The old vinyl blinds whistle and rattle when the wind blows through.

Yet, in the midst of the destruction, a colorful mural in the foyer remains unharmed by the elements.

“There are a lot of different emotions that are left here,” said Hyatt, who conducted an initial paranormal investigation in late August, at which time she believes two “entities” named Steve and Eddie made contact through a contraption called a ghost box, which Hyatt explains is a modified radio that scans multiple stations each second.

“ ... Almost everyone in the community has been here at one point,” Hyatt said. Also, who didn’t want to run around your school and joke around when the teacher isn’t looking? That’s why they come back.”

Aside from the ghost hunting, Hyatt said she and Liegl have been contacted by community members who would like to see the building restored.

“A lot of people are really eager to share their memories about what the building used to look like, where the classrooms were. And they’re really excited that there’s someone like Heidi to fix it up,” Hyatt said.

Liegl said she paid $10,000 for the school and the four acres it sits on and envisions the building becoming some type of community center. She met Hyatt at the Marion Psychic and Paranormal Expo in August and the idea for offering tours as a fundraiser soon followed.

Liegl said she plans to use money raised from the upcoming tours to remove the rest of the debris in the building. She hopes to continue to raise funds for a new roof, which is estimated to cost $10,000. The existing roof has gaping holes, which is adding to the problems inside the building.

Located about 30 minutes northeast of Cedar Rapids and near the small community of Springville — population 1,000 — the Viola school building has had various owners since it was closed.

The Anamosa School District first sold the building to a private owner, but plans to turn the old school into apartments fell through. The Stone City Art Foundation was the previous owner and officials had expressed interest in creating an artists’ colony.

Hyatt, whose equipment also includes electronic voice phenomena recorders and K-II readers that measure electromagnetic fields, said the goal of the tours isn’t to make believers out of paranormal skeptics. Still, she encourages those who attend to come with an open mind.

“There’s proof of it if you’re open enough to taking it in,” she said.

(original source) 

http://www.thegazette.com/subject/life/people-places/search-for-spirits-during-fundraiser-at-abandoned-linn-county-school-20161019

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Halloween 2017 Pictures Of Co Workers

Winner of the Halloween Contest.