Crabb Updates: Rozanna Pusateri, Dubuque rainfall. Mike Eldred Trio, CCM Redux, CR Drive Ins, Starman

The cycle is complete.  Dennis Pusateri's mom Rozanna has joined the rest of the family. She died Tuesday at age 75 of a short illness but I'm sure a broken heart was the cause too. http://www.broshchapel.com/sitemaker/memsol.cgi?page=profile&section=info&user_id=422135

 Amy Winehouse left her ex husband out of her will but her family and brother will benefit greatly.

http://lahistoriadelamusicarock.tumblr.com/  Rastro's on Tumblr. Thought I'd pass it on for y'all to read.

We started out the month in a two week drought, only to have record rainfall in Dubuque last night. An ungodly 15 inches of the fucking wet shit inundated theKey City and for a time both US 20 and US 151 were under water due to raising water.   Down here in my neck of the woods, I think we got about an inch of it but thankfully the heavy rain crap stayed north and east of here.  However, once again the folks on the North Fork of The Maquoketa are getting fucking tired of this flood shit.  They have had at least a flood for the past three years there.  This is why I hate rain and I hate this state.  Rains too GD fucking much in the summer.

And on a related note, our wonder GOP governor Terry  Branstad vetoed funds for rebuilding Lake Delhi.  This is what you get when you revoted for him.  Sorry kids.

At the end of the month, the ratings jumped twofold with our latest blog on Alternatives and for the first time in two months replaced Rock N Roll N The Brains blog site for the week.  Which gives me hope that you folks out there are catching up on the latest news and views from Da Crabbmeister.  It also ensures us that we will be over 1,000 views for the second straight month. Maybe we are up and coming.  The Alternatives was meant to be a different take on the music that is out there and certainly there's so much to consider for ten spots.  And it's an attempt to get the open minded reader other examples of what's out there besides Smoke On The Water or Sweet Home Anamosa. Money doesn't rule the Crabb Top Ten cuz we don't have money to throw around.  It is me trying to turn people on to something that's new and true to the rock and roll blues style that I grew up listening to. 

When I do a top ten, it's basically songs from cd's or vinyl that I have been playing and I document it.  Is it easier just to name albums rather than songs? Perhaps it is and most of the time the weekly ten doesn't make a lot of waves although the faithful do comment.  But once in a while, I'll post a band or song and it will get back to the guys in that band and they make a comment themselves.  Which is why this can be fun.  I noticed a lotta views came from keywords and one big constant came from Mike Eldred Trio, whose 61 and 49 CD is a must hear, one of the best albums in a dismal, throwaway year.  And I was flattered and very humbled when Mike mentioned my blog in his FB place.  And offered up a T shirt for showing his appreciation.   In an era to which the major labels don't nurture and give a band two or three albums for them to evolve and get better, the majors usually get rid of a band if the record stiffs.  They're too busy looking at the bottom line or screaming for singles or more auto tuner.   I wouldn't say the music scene is dead but it's on life support condition critical.  I used to buy and review about 100 new releases per year, now it's down to around 65 or 70 and most are old classic rock bands that I grew up listening to, or music found in the cheap bins at the local pawnshop.  Back in June, I found a bunch of new releases from the likes of Too Slim & The Tailgators, Jimmie Thackery, Joe Jackson, and  the tribute to Ian Stewart CD and Mike Eldred Trio all in the same day and while all of them were worthwhile, the album I came back to was 61 to 49 from Eldred.

What I came to find that not only this record was excellent, I found myself playing this more than I did than the new Steve Earle, or Hot Tuna or Yes. Although the new George Thorogood album I like, head to head 61 to 49 gets the nod due to Eldred playing some hot blues and varying styles from ZZ Top slow cooker to my favorite song of the album For A Girl which had me thinking Greg Allman was guest singing on that. (Sorry Mike if you're reading this, I ended up getting a Toy Caldwell album that Allman did guest sang on that cd).  And there's not a single throwaway track on it.  Look, it's simple.  I cannot identify and rock out to Bon Iver or whatever Lady Gaga is playing or most of the so called new rock bands out there but it's albums like 61 and 49 by The Mike Eldred Trio that is my type of music.  Some good old rock and roll, some old boogie blues and straight blues played into a nifty album to drive to work to. Or rocking out at home.  Fact of the matter is that 61 and 49, the album will sound good 10 years from now and even 50 if I'm still around.  Here's hoping the general public will play it if they can get a copy.  Try CD Baby or Amazon if you don't have a decent record store around.  Best Buy is bare bones and unreliable.

This month, I made a comment about Collector's Choice Music.  A lot of people out there have had problems getting their order shipped out to them but I'll be happy to say that I ordered four cds from them on the 15th of this month and they shipped two cd's on Saturday and I got the rest yesterday, which was the Fats Domino Fats CD and Hog Heaven which was The Shondells without Tommy James for 5.98.  And I paid them by check.  And once again CC Music came through for me.  But I still think that they will shut down the CCM Music label of reissues since there hasn't been any new reissues since Gordon Anderson left.  I think in terms of getting stuff from Wounded Bird or Ace UK, Collector's Choice Music will still come through.  Your results might vary.

Drive In Trivia:  Cedar Rapids had four of them at one time.  The Twin West on 6th St survived the longest but they were history by around 1987.  In my area we had the Twixt Town Drive In, which actually showed R rated movies in the early 70s before new owners made it more family friendly.  Got to see Up In Smoke out there along with the crappy Looking For Mr. Goodbar in 78.  The Drive In closed around 81 and sat idle for a couple years before developers bought it down in place of a strip mall that gave us the original location of Best Buy (Boooooooooo, Hissssssssssssssssssss).  Half Priced Books is now where the back of the Drive In used to be.  Long time ago, you can actually watch the movie about a few blocks away.  Down the road was the Collins Road Drive In and I used to go there and sat out in the Happy Joe's Parking Lot and watch movies while playing the cassette player around the late 70s.  That too closed around 85.  Final drive in of note was the Cedar Rapids Drive In, nestled over by the K-Mart Parking Lot West.  Not much is known about that drive in and Drive Ins dot com has no information about it.  However, further research showed it opened sometime in 1948 and was the place to go to on the west side before the infamous 1965 Palm Sunday Tornado brought the screen down and they demolished it around 1969.  Some fun trivia that might be worth reading someday.

And finally, congratulations are in order for my chat buddy Starman out in Spokane who is getting married this week to his sweetheart.  I think they have been going together for a few years.  All the best and I miss you and your viewpoints Starman bro while talking tunes on those late Friday Nights into early Saturday Morning. Yes I know, we don't do that anymore.  But we sure had a wonderful time when we did........