Cliffs Riffs - Stuph n Nonsense

"A  pissing contest , or  pissing match , is a game in which participants compete to see who can  urinate  the highest, the farthest, or the most accurately. [1] Although the practice is often associated with adolescent boys, women have been known to play the game, and there are literary depictions of adults competing in it. Since the 1940s the term has been used as a  slang   idiomatic  phrase describing contests that are "futile or purposeless", especially if waged in a "conspicuously aggressive manner". [2]  As a  metaphor  it is used  figuratively  to characterise  ego -driven battling in a  pejorative  or facetious manner that is often considered vulgar." Wikipedia Ever since the election, I have been doing my concerted best to avoid the news. Each day is a new load of crazy in our effort to make America Great Again. That being said, the Pissing Contest between President Trump and Benevolent Dictator Kim...

Welcome to the World of Emma Loo & Sam. For those of you who might be operating without the aid of coffee right now,  Emma Loo is on the left and the other person is Sam. Let me start with the declaration that I love these two people. Can't say that I know them very well at all - shoot, I can't even say I like or understand all of the music they make. But I love 'em! From the opening notes the first time I experienced their music to the end of the cool show they did last night at the Chaffee Planetarium - they got me. Hook, line, and sinker. How to describe the musical stylings of Emma Loo n Sam? I hate genres, but how about we start with Alt-Synth-Punk-Electro-Folk-Metal-Thrash-Country? That comes close, but I am probably missing - Neo-Chamber-Pop or something else. Pigeon hole musicians, these two ain't. Emma Loo has a wonderful, powerful voice that she LOVES to run through harmonizing/nastisizing effects - to great effect! She ma...

As I have gone on record many times: I LOVE me some interweb. How else would I have been presented an opportunity to hear some  kick-ass musical talent from Chicago? Here is how it went - stumbled upon a former neighbor from HS days. We became FB friends. (Yawn, right?- no biggie there...happens every day.)  Well, one day Marti happened to be talking up her son Collin O'Brien and Low Spark - a band in which he plays the drums. As a hobbyist drummer - DRUMS is a majick trigger word, so I clicked some links. Their music grabbed me instantly and made me smile. Jazz/rock fusion - decidedly uptempo and up-lifting. It put me in mind of music from the past that created a similar vibe: Spyro-Gyra, George Duke, Return to Forever, etc. This picture captures the kind of positive vibe Low Spark brings to their music and performance. L to R - Justin Canavan, guitar,  Doug Ferdinand, keys,  Derek Brown, sax Collin O'Brien, drums Jae ...