A Taste for the Blues in Cowtown

I've been looking at the page for the Columbus group, and I thought I'd post a collection of blues music-related links.

Columbus local bluesman, Damian Knapp seems to be a success story. He's won a Columbus Blues Alliance award, and he has a few CDs on the market that appear to be doing well. I like a rather somber acoustic/slide blues tune he does, called "Goin' To Realsville." It's on my MySpace page right now, and Damian has his own MySpace page. Also, I found another page on Damian, indie911. His music is posted on there, and there is a lot of good content.

The Sean Carney Band also has a following in Columbus. He has a voice like Tom Waits and he plays blues guitar like a mf'er. There was a little write-up on Sean in the Columbus Alive.

Dirty Linen has a good page on Events in Ohio.

There is a site for Blues Festivals that has a page on Blues Societies, and on that page, there are links to Ohio blues societies.

You can always check out "The Columbus Dispatch" Weekender page on their website. There are always good blues happenins going on in Columbus.

ColumbusArts is another good place to check for blues events in and around Columbus, for any night.

You can check out the Columbus Alive for any nightlife, concert, and event info. There are restaurant and bar reviews, interviews with chefs, servers, and bartenders. Although, the Alive doesn't necessarily specialize in blues music, it's a great source of info for what's going on in Cowtown.

The Cringe seems to be another great Columbus entertainment-related website. Again, this is not a blues site, but you can find info on events related to all kinds of musical styles here. It's a great site to check out, if you love music.

If you want another place to check out blues events in and around Columbus, then check out BuckeyeBlues.Com. Here, you'll find info on blues festivals, organizations, artists, and fans.

In the Arena District, you have a place called Park Street Tavern, and here you will find great live blues or jazz music just about any night of the week, and the atmosphere is kickin'. Plus, you'll be close to some of the best bars and restaurants in Columbus, and Nationwide Arena, home of the Columbus Blue Jackets (if you're into that kind of thing).

For other music, you can check out the site of the New Basics Brass Band, who have been jamming out brassy funk for years. These guys know how to rock a party with that N'Awlins style white boy funk.

Another band that's been rockin' Cowtown for decades is the Hoodoo Soul Band.

I don't know much about this next band, but Terry Davidson & The Gears have been entertaining all over Columbus for a long time, as well. Check them out.

There is an infamous venue for great blues, located in Grandview. It's a little place on 3rd Street, called The Thirsty Ear. Great place to check out some down-home blues and soul.

“There is no security on this earth, there is only opportunity.” General Douglas MacArthur

i knew i'd find it. i've been trying to think of the exact words of that quote for awhile. there are many ways to say what you said above, but the main point is that with change comes opportunity. i like how general macarthur put that into words, because he included the reality that we sometimes feel the illusion of security when we do things the same way we have always done them. however, there is no security in that. life gives us situations, and it is what we do in those situations that determines our destinies.

another reality is that it is usually action alone that defines us in our own self-perceptions and our 'selves' in the the perceptions of others.

i've sought love and trust and respect from people, based on 'who i am' (as you put it) - based on my own perception of who i am, as a person. other peoples' opinions that have been voiced to me (directly or indirectly) about myself have colored my own self-perceptions also, and have become part of my self-perception. what i've found, in reality, is that people give love and trust and respect based on one's actions - not some illusion of who you are as a person.

life deals your cards, to put it in another way, and it doesn't matter what you've done in the past, how good or bad of a card player you are, or what kind of a history you've had as a person, the only thing that really matters is what you do with that hand - right here. right now.

you'll remember what you made of a situation. other people that were touched by the experience also will remember what you made of that situation. most people won't take the time to analyze your history - where you came from, your childhood, your younger years, your middle years. what they'll remember is that one moment where you shined (or bombed?) and they saw it happen.

you've probably heard the phrase, 'never rest on your laurels'. it means don't hold so much pride in your past achievements that you forget that you are still alive - that life hasn't stopped putting you in challenging situations and opportunities to shine and grow and develop.

life seems crazy and chaotic most of the time, but when you reach the final years of your life i think it will all make sense. you'll look back and say, now i see how i came to be where i am today. this led to that. that led to this. this allowed this to happen. that prevented this from happening. that led to this. the road is much clearer then.

i'm not that old. 36. i just know enough from my own experiences that this is what we can expect when we look back at 40, 50, 60, 70, or more years of life - if we have the ability to recall that far and are cogent enough to synthesize all that information.

i've been in a similar situation as you are in - looking forward to change - to a new job in a new place - possibly a new lifestyle. i know how it can be exciting, scary, hopeful, and sad, all at the same time.

i wish you well.

...and (*clink*)... here's to new beginnings and the possibilities for further adventures.