Just In The Nick Of Time - New Music!

Red River's recording another song, just before the clock strikes twelve on New Year's Eve!

It's a song that I wrote on May 2! Wow - time flies!

This is kind of a "folkie", called "Heartview".

My husband tells me it reminds him of some of the songs from Bob Dylan's "John Wesley Harding" album. I don't actually know......cuz I don't actually know that album. Sorry, I like Bob Dylan, but I'm not a Dyl-addict, like my husband, who insisted on naming our cat "Bob".

Anyway, I'm looking forward to recording my vocals tonight. Then mixing comes tomorrow!

This song is very personal to me, and I'll confess, I spent more time refining this song than I ever have with any of my others. (Frankly, I don't spend a lot of time messing around with songs that I write - which really isn't a good thing.)

Remember, if you join our mailing list, you get a free sneak peak at our latest demos, including "Heartview" and a brand new fresh track, called, "As Best I Can".

Join our mailing list here

And here's wishing everyone a very happy 2009! Let's hope it's better than 2008. Couldn't get much worse.

~~~

Red River Website Enhancements & Features

I've been working on updating Red River's website this weekend, and the big addition is:

• The ability to buy music downloads directly from our site. You can preview any of our songs on our "Music" link. Then, click here to purchase any of your favorites. I will be adding more mp3's for purchase in the near future.
  

• Another nice addition (at least to me) is the home page photo in the upper right-hand corner. My sister, Lissa Willis, is an accomplished photographer, and she was nice enough to send me a whole bunch of her great photos for use on our site. I'll be changing the home page picture from time to time, just because I like all her pictures so much.
  

• The latest feature we've decided to add is a special perk for those who join our mailing list. And that is, a sneak-peak of our newest demos. We've got a lot of new stuff that's not ready for posting on the site just yet, but they're all songs that we're really excited about.
  

• So, if you join our mailing list, we'll send you advanced copies of the songs. Be the first in your neighborhood to own a new Red River song!
  

• Joining our mailing list is really easy. Just enter your email address in the space directlyabove the "Links" tab on our homepage.
  

So, there you have it. The results of my long weekend away from the hustle and bustle of regular life (oh, we also have a song called, "A Regular Life")!

~~~~

The CMA Awards - Sounds Like Heaven in '87

Remember VCR's? Well, of course you do.....unless you were born in 2005. Well, I bring it up because in 1987, I was still working second shift at the hospital, so in order to not miss the CMA awards broadcast, I'd need to set the old VCR timer and find an unused or unneeded tape to pop in. When one works second shift, it always seems like there's a whole bunch of stuff you're missing out on, but that's really just psychological. In actuality, the only show other than the CMA's that I really needed to see was St. Elsewhere.



Perhaps it was because I worked at a hospital, but maybe it was just a good show. St. Elegius - - St. Alexius. Their hospital was way more interesting than mine.

Of course, in 1987, there was the usual political stuff going on; Iran-Contra and negotiations with the Russians; you know, the usual stuff. But what's really important is POP CULTURE!

So, with that in mind, here's a hit song from 1987:



Yes, the world's greatest gift to hairspray, and to leather fringe jackets, Bon Jovi. And that whole flying out over the audience thing is cool! One of my favorite rock songs from the eighties.

Meanwhile, at the movies, we were enjoying:



The best part of the movie, La Bamba, of course, was Esai Morales, (over)playing the role of "Bob".

While there were a lot of memorable movies from 1987, nothing, to me, beats this one:



Starring of course, Patrick Swayze and a pre-cosmetic surgery Jennifer Grey, and of course, Detective Lennie Briscoe himself, Jerry Orbach.

Fred and Ginger be damned. Nobody puts Baby in a corner.

Is it just me, or were the late eighties the nadir of pop culture?

But I digress (as usual). Our main topic is the CMA awards of 1987. So let's kick things off.

The VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR award went to a new pairing in 1987; Ricky Skaggs and Sharon White. Now, not to be a stickler, but honestly, while they happen to be a married couple, Ricky and Sharon didn't record a whole lot of duets throughout the course of their careers. But Ricky happened to be a hot commodity at the time, so therefore, the CMA decided to spread the wealth a bit. So, therefore, we have our vocal duo of the year:



And you gotta love this video. As if they're just sitting around in their living room (note the lovely beige draperies), doing a jam session, with mics and with everyone facing forward, toward that imaginary audience. Cuz I know when I'm sitting around my living room, I always have everyone sitting side-by-side. Just in case there's a camera on us.

That new-fangled award, MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR, was once again bestowed upon Hank Williams, Jr., for a thoroughly forgettable song, My Name Is Bocephus. Seriously, I don't remember this song. Do you?

I guess music videos (in country) were in their infancy back then, and Hank Junior had the market cornered. Cuz really, there's nothing that stands out about this. But you be the judge:

Hank Williams Jr. |MTV Music

The VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR was once again The Judds. As annoying as Naomi could be, with her flouncy red dress, and as dated as the "big hair" is, there's no mistaking that the Judds were icons of the late eighties. And here they are, along with their contingent of sparkly bedazzled fans, doing, "Give A Little Love":



Again, in 1987, Reba McEntire was named FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR. This is kind of a cool video, although chronologically incorrect (it was from 1989), but Reba seems to tend to only allow more recent videos to be posted on the net. And no offense, Reba, but you really should stick with the earlier videos, because curly perms aside, at least you looked "natural" then, if you get my drift.

Here's "Sunday Kind Of Love":



The INSTRUMENTALIST OF THE YEAR again was fiddlin' Johnny Gimble. You know, Johnny goes back a long way. He played with Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, so that's a loooong way back.

Here he is, fiddlin' for Connie Smith, on Pop Goes The Country, starring Ralph Emery, with special guest hosts, Merle Haggard and Bonnie Owens (I just wanted to see how many country music legends I could fit into one sentence).



The HORIZON AWARD in 1987 went to Holly Dunn. Remember Holly Dunn? She was a pretty big deal in the late eighties. I liked her music. Wonder whatever happened to Holly. Well, here's her website: Holly Dunn

Holly is a full-time artist now (and not a "musical artist", but an actual "artist"). Well, good for her! Although, Holly, your website could use some work. Our website looks better than this, and we're nobodies. I'm just saying.

Anyway, enjoy a performance by Holly:



Luckily for me, I can tick off four awards here at one time! Because 1987 was really the year of Randy Travis. How so?

SONG OF THE YEAR - Forever And Ever, Amen - written by Paul Overstreet & Don Schlitz

SINGLE OF THE YEAR - Forever And Ever, Amen

ALBUM OF THE YEAR - Always And Forever

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR - Randy Travis

Here you go!



Isn't this a sweet video? Thanks, Randy Travis.

Well, that only leaves us the main award of the evening, ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR.

Guess who? No, not Randy Travis. It's our old friend, Hank Williams, Junior.

And here he is, with a jumpin' song; one that'll make you get up and dance. Enjoy!



So, you see, Hank wasn't just a one-shot wonder. Oh no. He wasn't just a video star. In 1987, Hank was the entertainer of the year! So, there you go. And thanks, Hank, for keepin' the conservative spirit alive.

HALL OF FAME

Rod Brasfield

Rod Brasfield was a country comedian. It was sort of an expectation, way back when, that country music shows would include comedians. And Rod Brasfield followed in that tradition.

Here he is, with Cousin Minnie Pearl, performing a comedy routine.



I'm thinking, back then, that comedians were a big part of the whole country music entertainment extravaganza. Well, it was a different time. Me, I like country music for the music, but that doesn't negate the importance of these early pioneers, so hats off to Rod Brasfield, for helping to bring country music to the masses.

And there you go. From the ridiculous to the sublime, or vice versa. 1987. A good year for pop culture. Even country music was slowly making its way into the twentieth century.

And again, thank you, Randy Travis.

A Christmas I Remember

I've never been much of a Christmas person. I don't know why that is, exactly. Probably a memory that I've buried. A dysfunctional Christmas really isn't better than no Christmas at all.

I don't dwell on that stuff. Obviously I don't, since I don't remember any of it. All I know is, I never liked Christmas very much.

When I'm listening to Christmas music, which I try to do each year, at least a couple of times, I am taken back to one particular Christmas that I remember. And I don't know why I remember this particular one, but I do, distinctly.

1972. I was seventeen. We'd had the usual Christmas Eve. Did the family thing; then I retreated to my room, with a slamming door (I was seventeen, after all). I'd gotten a couple of record albums from my best friend, Alice, that I was anxious to play.

The fun part about Christmas, for me, back then, was the annual shopping trips that Alice and I embarked upon. We'd take the bus to downtown, and head straight for Cowan Drug. They had a basement gift area that was really cheesy, but the prices were right. We always found just the right gifts for the various members of our families. She had her brother Duane and her sister Betty and her little sister Nancy, to buy for. And of course, her parents, Gus and Gertie. I had my parents, and my brother and his wife, and my sister and her husband, and my little brother and sister, Jay and Lissa. My brother-in-law, Ronnie, always got a kick out of the goofy gift I'd pick out for him. It would be some corny thing, like a fuzzy creature with eyes, glued to a slab of wood, with some dumb saying slapped on the wood; probably something about hunting or something about Texas (he was originally from Fort Worth). You get my drift. The gifts were the best that one could buy, if one only had about $30.00 to spend.......total.

Of course, I'd go by myself to buy Alice's gifts. And her gifts always.....always.... consisted of LP's purchased in the basement of JC Penney's. Funny thing back then, but the choices in music seemed so VAST. Not like now, where you can't even find anything you'd want to buy. I had to think about my choices......and stand there, holding three or four record albums, trying to decide which two I was going to get. (I could only afford two, after all.)

I have no recollection of what I bought for her, but I remember the ones she bought for me. In 1972, it was Johnny Paycheck, "Someone To Give My Love To", and an LP by the Statler Brothers, whose title completely escapes me now, but side one was a weird, really bad band called Lester Moran and the Cadillac Cowboys, doing some Saturday morning radio show; and Side two was the actual Statler Brothers, singing songs like, "When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again." I sat and laughed and laughed at side one. And then side two totally enchanted me.

I know I got on the phone to Alice shortly thereafter, and raved about the gifts. And I marveled at how she knew how good they would be, since, like me, she didn't get to preview the albums before she bought them. I wonder now if the ones I bought for her were as good.

And I thought, then, what a great Christmas. It wasn't really the gifts. It was the friendship.

And I guess that's what Christmas is all about. Making that connection with someone. You can't capture lightening in a bottle. But feel lucky if it happened to you at least once in your life.

Christmas now is just a whole big long list of "have to's". And there's never enough time to accomplish all the "have to's", so one is left feeling inadequate and unfulfilled. (or is that just me?)

So, it's nice to think back to a time when Christmas was special.

Merry Christmas to you. I hope you have one of those "special" Christmasses. If not this year, then maybe one from 1972.

As they always say, Christmas is in your heart.

The Five Days Of Christmas Videos

One of my favorite Christmas songs, sung here by Martina McBride:

The Five Days Of Christmas Videos

Every year, I have to include my favorite cheesy Christmas video (and yes, it was meant to be cheesy).

One of my favorite eighties groups, Hall & Oates, doing Jingle Bell Rock:

The Five Days Of Christmas Videos

Here's something unusual. The (now) elderly Oak Ridge Boys, singing "Winter Wonderland".

Enjoy the pretty purple and pink fake snow, as you listen to this old classic.

Last-Minute Christmas Shopping Is Not A Good Idea

I don't know where the time went this year. One day I was cooking a turkey and mashed potatoes and decorating my table with those festive turkey paper napkins, and the next thing I knew, it was five days before Christmas. How did that happen?

I blame my job. Well, I blame my job for a lot of things, but right now, I'm blaming it for the fact that I still haven't gotten my act together for Christmas.

I kept saying, oh, I have time. I'm sort of a "deadline" person anyway. I can kick out a lot of work, once the snow hits the fan.

Unfortunately, I neglected to factor the Minnesota weather into the mix.

So, here it is, December 20. I awoke to snow falling lightly outside my window. The next time I glanced outside, the "lightly falling snow" had become an angry gnarl of meandering drifts.

My husband doesn't trust my winter driving. Smart man. I don't trust my winter driving, either. I'm like the ninety-year-old four-foot-tall woman, blithely driving 10 miles an hour, while those around me are swerving and angrily switching lanes, and greeting me with those time-honored hand signals.

So, here I was, Saturday morning, loathe to venture any further than a mile from my home. That limited my options. My options were basically Target or the Holiday convenience store.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if you had to do your Christmas shopping at a convenience store?

"Hey Aunt Martha, I got you a carton of cigarettes......oh, and a Powerball ticket."

"Gee, thanks, Mom! A can of Amp and a bag of salt pellets! Just what I wanted!"

"Okay, I'll take one of those Bic lighters....and hmmm, let's see........I guess a tin of Sucrets....and a bag of Cheetos. My dad will love these!"

"Throw in one of those day-old cinnamon rolls. And I guess this copy of People Magazine....Oh good, Tom Cruise is on the cover. That'll bring tons of joy to my uncle, Father Joe. He likes reading about "alternative religions".

"Now, what to get for my mom.......she's so hard to buy for.....I think I'll go with the bottle of Castrol motor oil, a loaf of Wonder Bread, and....boy, it's a toss-up. I wonder if she'd like the giant box of Mike 'n Ikes or the bottle of Beano. What the hey! I'll just get both! It is Christmas, after all."

So, I actually didn't do my Christmas shopping at a convenience store. But Target wasn't much better, to be frank.

I need to make a mental note for 2009. Start shopping early! January would be good.

But don't knock the bag of salt pellets. It's a wise buy. Cuz when you're taking a shower after spending the day running around in 30-below temperatures, that soft water is much appreciated.

The Five Days Of Christmas Videos

Have yourself a YEE-HAW little Christmas!

My Top Discoveries of 2008 - Video Edition

Don't you just love lists? It's a commonly-shared trait among homo sapiens, for some reason. We're drawn to lists. Do you ever not read a list, when you notice it in a magazine or newspaper, no matter how inane it might be?

I don't think a list would even need a category for people to read it. It could be something like:

1. French Toast
2. Magazine Subscription Inserts
3. Running Water
4. Candle Wicks
5. Snow Tires

And people would read it and argue aloud with the choices. "Well, number five for sure, but definitely not number 3!"


So, not to be left out of the list-making extravaganza, here's my list of my top five video discoveries of 2008:

1. Pop Video - Sixties Edition - Groups - TIE!

THE LOVIN' SPOONFUL - DO YOU BELIEVE IN MAGIC



This isn't the original video that I posted earlier this year. That one, alas, has been removed. I love watching the Lovin' Spoonful perform, chiefly because of the raw enthusiasm of the late Zal Yanovsky. Watch his interaction here with John Sebastian. Infectious!

THE HONEYCOMBS - HAVE I THE RIGHT



I don't know what it is about this song, but I love it. And they hardly ever play it on oldies stations, for some reason. The Honeycombs were a British Invasion band who, as far as I know, had just this one hit. And a girl drummer! The most amazing part, of course, is that they were able to play their electric guitars without plugging them in! Ingenious!

2. Pop Video - Sixties Edition - Solo

DEL SHANNON - RUNAWAY



Here is the late Del Shannon, shooting the breeze with the thinner version of Burton Cummings, talking about the creation of his most famous song. And then! The video morphs into one great performance! Amazing what one can do with an A minor and a G and one killer organ solo!

3. Bluegrass Video

RICKY SKAGGS WITH THE DEL MCCOURY BAND - RAWHIDE



I found this video by accident when I was searching for Ricky Skaggs. And I started watching it, and I said, "Hey!" This is cool! So then I watched it again!

4. Country Duet

DAN SEALS & MARIE OSMOND - MEET ME IN MONTANA




I'd forgotten how much I like Dan Seals. And this duet with Marie Osmond is just pretty. I love watching and listening to this song.

5. Pop Culture - American Idol Edition

JASON CASTRO - DAYDREAM



Let's face it. Pretty much everyone gets sucked in by American Idol every season, so why deny it? Jason Castro was my sentimental favorite of the past season, and I still maintain, if he plays his cards right, he can have a nice career in music. I liked this performance a lot, and no, I'm not biased toward John Sebastian.

So, there you go. Argue among yourselves. But this category is so broad, it's basically argument-proof.

And no, there is no new music here, but 2008 was kind of a bummer for new music. When in doubt, therefore, go with something old and something good.

Video Debut - Ring In The Old - 2008

It has become a yearly tradition for me to create a video slideshow to commemorate those who have passed on during the year.

"Ring In The Old" is now new for 2008.

I hope you enjoy it.

More Fun & Games - Create Your Band AND CD Track Listing!

Remember the game from a previous post, in which you can create your own band, album title, and album cover? Here's mine.

Well, here's a variation. This time you can also add the tracks to your CD!

1. Go to Random Page on Wikipedia. The title of the article will be your band name.

2. Click Random Page again. This will be the title of your CD.

3. Click Random Page 12 more times. These will be your track titles.

And just to create the full package, let's include the CD/album cover as well.

4. Click here, and the third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.


My band name: Holwell, Hertfordshire

CD Title: Chamizal Dispute

Track Listing:

1. Vyacheslav Starshinov
2. Thermotunnel Cooling
3. Air Charter Service
4. Fasih Bokhari
5. Brian Bixler
6. Grandy
7. Nicky Henderson
8. Tactical Assault Group
9. Jay Parker
10. Andre Morellet
11. (Heparan Sulfate) - Glocosamine N-sulfotransferase
12. Gacaca Court

Yes, "Chamizal Dispute" is now available at all fine retailers, and online at iTunes and Amazon.com.

Funny story about the track listings. Holwell and I (Hertfordshire) were trying to come up with new songs to put on the album. Well, Holwell (I'll just call him "Frank") said, "Hey! How about we write songs about everyone in this world that we hate?"

So, I said, "Say! That opens up a lot of possibilities!" So, we started making a list of everyone that we hate. The first person who came to mind for me was Brian Bixler. Yea, good old Brian Bixler. Back in high school, he thought it was really funny to spread a rumor around that I was a twin who had died at birth. At first, I couldn't understand why everyone in the hallway would recoil from me, and plaster themselves against the lockers, and scream things, like, "Ooooh, you're not real!" Yea, Brian Bixler was a real funny guy. I saw him a couple of years ago, bagging groceries at the local Shop'n'Cart.

Then, of course, there was Jay Parker. Jay Parker was a guy I dated in college.....for a couple of weeks. Jay Parker stole my identity. He ran up a bunch of credit card charges on a Visa that he signed up for in the name of "J. Hertfordshire". I'm still paying my $10.00 a month to Visa, even after lo these 18 years.

Frank, meanwhile, had his own list. He'd gone to a multi-national high school, since his dad was in the service. And he met up, apparently, with a trio of guys named Vyacheslav Starshinov, Fasih Bokhari, and Andre Morellet. They were, according to Frank, some tough dudes.....well, except for Andre. Vyacheslav was the son of a high-ranking KGB officer, and Fasih had descended from a long line of Iranian religious radicals. Andre, I'm told, like to drink merlot and spout French poetry.

These three guys, according to Frank, made his high school days miserable. They'd lock him in the science lab, and Vyacheslav would interrogate him, insisting that Frank was an undercover agent; while Fasih would scream, "Death to Americans!" while beating his chest. Andre would guard the door, sitting on a high-backed wooden chair, wearing his black turtleneck, reading aloud from the works of Francois Villon.

And don't even get me started on Nicky Henderson!

Of course, after we'd gotten done writing up our lists, the next logical song title for us was "Tactical Assault Team".

The other songs on the CD are, to us, love songs. Especially "Thermotunnel Cooling". That's my favorite.

So, there you have it. The story behind "Chamizal Dispute". I hope that this bit of background information will enhance your listening enjoyment.