johnlittle.com

Got this from Standard Deluxe today. Keep Loachapoka Weird!

This Saturday night, November 7th, 2009
please join us to welcome
Woody Pines back to Fred’s Pickin’ Parlor in historic down town Loachapoka, Alabama.
Also performing that evening will be special guests
HONKYTONK AMNESIA & GYPSY BLUES BELLYDANCE.
Everything gets going about 7 pm.

DO NOT have that dang-I-should-have-gone feeling about this show!
It’s going to be hot, guaranteed. If you missed Woody and Nathan and Zack last time please take a moment to check out some the new songs from their new album at http://www.myspace.com/woodypines to get the flava. However, please be reminded that there is no substitution for seeing this band live in a venue like FRED’s.
WOODY PINES plays 20′s & 30′s Jump and Jugband Blues / Old Country/ Ragtime/ Jazz on resonator guitar, upright bass, stripped down drum kit & kazoo/harmonica & voice. This venue is absolutely PERFECT for this band (and vice versa)

We are also very excited to welcome HONKY AMNESIA to Fred’s for the first time. Honkytonk Amnesia is the latest outing for local/national/planetary musician extraordinaire Uncle Roy Shultz. For some tunes and a complete bio of this important Auburn Musician please check out http://www.theuncleroyshow.com
Uncle Roy is joined onstage by his son Jonas Schultz on Keys, Country Kenny Brown on Pedal Steel, Guitar, and Willie Austin Gray on Guitar.
Come on Early for a big dose of Hard Country and Hillbilly Boogie!!!

As always, keepin’ the culture fresh is always on the tip for STANDARD DELUXE, FRED’s and PAPA D’s and with that in mind, please help us give a warm welcome to GYPSY BLUES BELLYDANCE Troupe. Gypsy Blues is Auburn’s premiere tribal fusion belly dance company; they are a student performing troupe created by Instructor/Performer Seraphima. Gypsy Blues pulls their inspiration from the Jazz/Blues era of the 1920′s and mixes it with a touch of Southern Charm; Bohemian Style.

STANDARD DELUXE will have a display of Extra-Fine T-Shirts, Posters
and Other Goodies For Sale. Plan to pick up a Gift or Two !

Of course PAPA D’s SUPER GRILLE will be on hand with warm goods for the belly and soul Come Hungry! Brown Bags and SMALL Coolers are welcome.
Band Donation at Door $10.00 / $5.00 with student ID
Fred wants to remind everyone for Safety and Security to Please observe the following. SMOKING OUTSIDE / BEVERAGES INSIDE ONLY,
Thanks in advance for your cooperation with this item.

FRED’s is located in downtown Loachapoka, an easy 5 minute drive from downtown Auburn. Just head west on highway 14, Fred’s is on the right, you can’t miss it. If you need more specific driving directions simply type in Fred’s Feed & Seed in to the google map search box and there you go! PLEASE MIND the HIGHWAY when parking or crossing the road, Highway 14 is a full on 45 m.p.h. highway through town, so please use you best judgment!

COME ON OUT and SUPPORT LIVE MUSIC & CULTURE IN SOUTHEAST ALABAMA. IT’S A GOOD THING FOR YOU, YOUR FRIENDS AND THE COMMUNITY!!!

From Scott Peek:

BLUES and BBQ this Saturday in Waverly Alabama. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10th.
ALL ARE WELCOME to The Annual Waverly Barbeque !
serving BBQ Plates and Stew from 10 am – 3 pm at the Waverly Town Pavilion.
Come See the Renovation (in progress) of The WAVERLY AUDITORIUM, Play Bingo, Live Auction at Noon.

T-SHIRT & POSTER SALE & Laid Back MUSIC In TheYARD at STANDARD DELUXE from 4-8pm featuring LOCAL BLUES / SLIDE GUITARIST MACE GLASSCOCK at 6 pm.

with very Special Guest…from Nothing Personal and various other Bands… WILL DEW Playing sets at 4;30 and at 7;00 pm

Cook Out with PAPA D’s Super Grille & Friends

$5:00-$10:00 BAND DONATION requested at Gate -
ALL are WELCOME / Kids are FREE
Bring Your Friends – Blankets and Lawn Chairs
bring your own picnic / Camping Available
No Dogs Please / No Glass / No Haters Allowed
*******************************************
IN Case Of INCLIMATE WEATHER (WHICH IS LOOKING LIKELY from the Weather Forecast….)
This EVENT is MOVING to FREDS Pickin Parlor in Historic Downtown Loachapoka, Alabama from 6:00-10:00 pm
PLEASE JOIN US ! ! !
Freds is located on Highway 14 outside of Auburn. physical address is 6434 Stage Road , Loachapoka, AL

Thank you Auburn for the Sundown Concert Series at Kiesel Park. County Road 12 was great… homegrown deep south folk music with soul. Alot of dogs were there walking their people. The weather was beautiful…. the rain stayed away from us, knowing how much we’d enjoy the music.

The past week or so was one of the worst that can be had, so Julie, Priscilla and I went to Fred’s in POKA on Saturday just to get out and do something. Thanks to Fred’s Feed & Seed, Standard Deluxe and PaPa D’s grill for hosting The Howdies and putting a smile on our faces.

We saw Revolutionary Road tonight and loved it. Some of my favorite scenes were the ones with Michael Shannon as John Givings, a PhD mathemetician and recently former mental hospital patient who’d received 38 electroshock therapy sessions to treat his insanity, while in reality he was simply a man who was ostracized for speaking the brutally honest truth with no regard for socially imposed inhibitions. I highly recommend the movie.

Ben, Susanna and I saw this at the theatre yesterday, and loved it. Thanks to our soldiers for keeping us free.

We’re moving on October 16… after nearly 5 years in Austin… one of the best places in the country to live… Here’s some of the things I’ll miss the most (notice how most of it involves food and beer):

-> All the Saturday night Boxing and UFC Fight Parties with our good friends
-> the Barton Creek trail
-> 6th Street
-> the best burgers in Austin at Casino el Camino
-> the Warehouse District (and here)
-> Speakeasy
-> the microbrew at The Bitter End
-> the difference between good Mexican food and excellent Mexican food
-> all the University of Texas Longhorns hysteria
-> Chuck and John’s 4 year, every Friday quest to find Austin’s best Chinese Buffet
-> the HUGE beer selection at Grapevine Market and the Whip-Inn
-> Central Market
-> the Alamo Drafthouse Theater
-> the cheesesteak strombolli at Double Dave’s
-> punk, metal, and goth at The Back Room and the Red River District
-> Dick Nichols and Zilker parks
-> Rudy’s, the worst BBQ in Texas
-> the Republic of Texas Bike Rally
-> Leslie

I’m sure I’ll think of more to add later… there’s just so much to love about Austin…

Thanks so much to Rick N. and Yoli for inviting us to Threadgill’s on Friday night to see Todd Snider. He was awesome. Go out of your way to see him perform, if you never have.

lyrics from “an alright guy”
I was hanging around in my house
I had that new book with pictures of Madonna naked
I was checkin’ it out
Just then a friend of mine came through the door
Said she never pegged me for a scumbag before
She said she didn’t ever want to see me any more
And I still don’t know why

I think I’m an alright guy, I think I’m an alright guy
I just want to live until I’ve gotta die
I know I ain’t perfect, but God knows I try
I think I’m an alright guy, I think I’m alright

Thursday night we went to see Zilker Theatre Production’s “The Secret Garden” at Zilker Park. We had to show up really early to get a good spot and were happy to be able to sit near Jenny, Alicia, Natalie, Casey, Nikki, Mike, Darcy, and Jenny’s parents. This was our first visit to the summer series, which is said to be the “longest running outdoor production of its type in the United States.” (This being the 46th year).

Some brought wine and picknick baskets and looked like they were on a first date. Some seemed like local politicians out glad-handing. But if there was any doubt it was OK to be relaxed and casual, the doubt was dispelled when, right there in the middle of us, this bum plopped down on his blanket, took off his sandels, laid back on the incline and went to sleep. Only the occassional ant, mosquito, and passing beauty were able to rouse him.

Guess who the bum was? Me.

“NO! You must stay here and keep me company. Everyone is obliged to do what pleases me, or else I throw a tantrum. ” — Colin to Mary, Act I

I’ve always said that Homer Simpson represents mankind…. today anyway. One of my favorite Simpson scenes involves Bart being held hostage on the top floor of a building. All of Springfield has gathered in to oooo and aaahhh. The police chief, unsuccessful in his hostage negotiations, hands the bullhorn to Homer. Homer looks up with a frightened and anxious look on his face… lifts the bullhorn to his mouth… “Baaaarrrt?” he asks almost mournfully. “Yeah…” calls down Bart. Homer, looking sad and dumbfounded, asks “Do you know where the remote is?”

We spent over 8 years without a television, spring of 1992 to fall of 2000. 1991 to 1992 was my first year of law school, and the television severely interfered with my ability to study. It was difficult to overcome the addiction, but once we finally broke free from the mind-numbing control of the boob-tube, we began to think clearly, engage in long conversations, and to read. I read 5x more classic literature in those 8 years than I ever did in high-school and college…. and I appreciated it.

Earlier this week, I read about a report issued by the University of Wisconsin concerning America’s Most (and least) Literate Cities. 79 of the largest cities in the U.S. were studied in terms of the literacy behaviors of their citizens. (i.e. buying newspapers, buying books, checking materials out of libraries, etc.) I was surprised and disappointed to see that 5 of the 10 cities at the very bottom of the list were in Texas. El Paso came in dead last.

So now here’s my dilemma. I read contracts, memos, law reviews, emails, and other documents all day long at work. For the past few years, I’ve enjoyed coming home and vegging out. But I’m setting a bad example for my kids, and they’d be so much smarter if I could pull out of this “ignorance is bliss” tailspin I’m in. I know what I need to do…. I need to buy a good book, stay away from the computer, get comfortable on the couch in the den, make sure no one turns on the TV, and read for a change.