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KELLY JONES former wife of Alex Jones speaks with John Barbour.
This week we look at the new split that has emerged in the Democratic Party as officials try to make sense of the shocking defeat of Democratic Rep. Joseph Crowley to Progressive Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ; the recent Annapolis shooting; the ongoing fight for Immigration and other topical issues of the day!
This week we look at the new split that has emerged in the Democratic Party as officials try to make sense of the shocking defeat of Democratic Rep. Joseph Crowley to Progressive Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ; the tragic Annapolis shooting; the ongoing fight for Immigration and other topical issues of the day!
Trees need care, but how do you provide the care they need? Tune in this week to hear how NOT to Kill your trees or stress them out! Learn how to care for your trees and what the effect of improper watering does to your trees, the damage of chemical fertilizers, why soil is so important and much more!
Music Artist of the Year and Vocalist
LAURI BONO
“Artist of the Year”
Kal David and Lauri Bono LIVING THE DREAM
Article by Bruce J Maier of www.damngoodtunes.com
We don’t give away a lot of awards here at DGT. This is due to the fact that we talk to hundreds of artists every year and we try to remain un-biased even if we really dig someone’s work. But each year a few are so outstanding that we just can’t ignore their contribution to music and to the arts. And for that reason, Kal David, with Miss Lauri Bono with their totally insane smash album, “Living The Dream” become our Top Artist(s) of the entire year!
To say that Kal David is just a great Blues Guitarist would be a shame, although he is. But then again other Blues guitarists don’t even come close to the wide range of his styles, the colors on his palette if you will. A short while after the fuzzy glow of the British Invasion had subsided a bit, and being a guitar player myself I immediately started listening to BB King, Muddy and one particular English fellow named John Mayall and his band, the Blues Breakers as I was seeking a higher meaning and more depth, feeling, and that elusive element known as “soul “. The Blues Breakers were home to many great guitar players including Jimi Page and Eric Clapton and one very young and talented Kal David, who was with the band touring and making records for some three years. Knowing that tidbit of history will make most reviewers pen a pretty convincing argument that Mr. David is indeed a fine and experienced Blues Guitarist, which as I said earlier – he is. But they’d miss his depth and the mark by a mile!
Kal David is a singer. He is a true vocalist, a professional with way above average vocal chops to be called a Blues singer. Few of the known men and women in the Blues really have much of a great voice at all with certain exceptions. And if asked, they would probably never dispute that claim either. For example, the now very rich and famous icon of Blues-Pop, Sir Eric Clapton who came from the same school of knocks “across the pond “as most of the American Blues legends had done and had to fight his own long battle upward to stardom, but when you talk to people that you think should know their music, they just go on about the old days of Cream and Yardbirds with no talk of the great songs he wrote and sang and earned Grammys on. He too was passed over as a singer by the critics and the media but I’ve always disagreed with that nonsense. Same is true for Kal David, as when I talked to many of my Blues connections and they speak about his guitar playing, saying how great he was on the guitar years back with little mention about his singing and original songs. Now though, I have re-discovered just what a total “all-around “musician he is and I feel he deserves all the same respect as Sir Eric is accustomed to. And I know that’s a big pill to swallow for some of you but it is this writers’ opinion that the world is about to wake up to a living legend of music, not just the Blues. And then, this is where the road starts to really divide and get interesting….
Miss Lauri Bono, music partner for many years to Mr. David is fully featured in this new record of theirs called “ Living The Dream “ and she is one of the most dynamic and amazing female vocalists I’ve heard in decades! You know how it is, with all these reality Talent shows on TV these days, with the seasonal new crop and even some old bloods who come on to compete with their trademark vocal “ gymnastics. These are the girls who sing a hundred notes a measure just to show that they heard Aretha records and they have something to prove, never knowing that as in the guitar like Kal knows how to play, less is always more. Lauri sings in a way that she can sound like soft velvet or turn on the gravel and guts – raising the old goose bumps on your arm and then, she pulls you right back into another soft passage of her angelic flute- like whispers of melody and you just say whoa…..and it’s like something spiritual just happened in front of the whole church-audience….yep, someone got saved! Now I don’t know a great deal about Miss Lauri and her own up-bringing or where she studied music but I know it is a gift. A gift that she has chosen to share with Kal David as they traverse the globe making records playing concerts, television shows and major VIP events. Most acts that consist of two great singers will usually take turns in the spot light but rarely an act like Peaches and Herb, Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway, Barry Gibb and Barbara Streisand – all seventies legends I might add – comes along and makes music history together singing as a real duet. Music, at least Pop and Country music has for the most part missed this element of the male-female duets and the power of two to tell a story. It worked well for Kenny and Dolly on “Islands In The Stream” and also Lionel and Diana with their “Endless Love “, but producers seem to focus differently these days on developing one icon at a time, one song of the week and one flavor of the month than to foster and market the passion and the power of a duet, as evidenced in this incredible new record by Kal David and Lauri Bono and released on Crytone Records.
We’ve been blessed with this magazine because of all the amazing talent and rising stars we’ve been able to meet, interview and review. And there have been hundreds of talented bands and singer-songwriters! There have been Blues artists who are really great at what they do and some of them were already major stars when we met them, and many were on their way to the top but not one of them were anywhere like or on the level of Kal David and Miss Lauri here on their brand new record, “ Living The Dream “ . There’s something so very special about the chemistry between the notes. You can’t just say “Oh Kal is the star here and write a review about him because they are a TEAM. And a team works synergistically toward the greater good of the total performance, the compete record. The members of the team don’t think they are better than the other; they co-exist because of and for each other. Perfect Harmony.
So we give this award whole-heartedly but not lightly. Kal David and Miss Lauri Bono are the most deserving Artists of the year but if we gave awards for best male-female vocal performance, they would win that one too! Every track of Living The Dream is great and I’ve played it over and over for a month now in my car whenever I travel, so I don’t have a favorite because they are all, forgive the pun….damn good tunes !
Entertainment technology engineer, entrepreneur, immersive experience designer and innovator in giant-screen digital cinema
ED LANTZ
Ed Lantz is an entertainment technology engineer, entrepreneur, immersive experience designer and innovator in giant-screen digital cinema. He left aerospace engineering in 1990 to transform old-style planetariums into 360-degree immersive visualization environments, designing over a dozen permanent digital dome theaters worldwide while at Spitz, Inc. including the Library of Alexandria in Egypt, National Space Center in Leicester, UK, the Glasgow Science Center in Glasgow, Scotland and Papalote Museo del Nino in Mexico City. He also led the product development of the SciDome digital planetarium which has sold over 100 units worldwide.
Ed founded Vortex Immersion Media in 2007 to bring VR, immersive and interactive experiences into mainstream arts and entertainment markets. Vortex produces immersive and interactive media experiences for themed entertainment, VR Cinemas and numerous Fortune 500 companies including Condé Nast, EMC2, IBM, Live Nation, Microsoft, NBC Universal, Nestle, NFL, Nike, Nokia, Sprint and Turner Broadcast. The company has produced 360 concert dome venues as large as 60 meters in diameter with capacity of 3,000 people for artists including Scrillix, Diplo and DJ Snake (dot Party for Production Club) and Childish Gambino (Pharos for Live Nation).
Vortex also operates the Vortex Dome, the first commercial immersive media production studio and events venue located in downtown Los Angeles. The Vortex Dome hosts a wide range of arts and entertainment co-productions including live stage shows (Pasión, BollyDoll), fine arts performances (Blue Apple ballet), live concerts (Ceremony with James Hood) in addition to immersive arts educational activities (classes for CalArts, USC and Relativity University).
Ed has published numerous articles in journals and trade publications on immersive media and virtual reality, is a public speaker on panels and keynote talks including at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and is a regular contributor to ACM/SIGGRAPH. Ed’s personal focus is on the unique cognitive properties of next-generation multisensory “sentient” environments, the merging of virtual and real storytelling worlds, and the development of fulldome theaters as next-generation entertainment and performance venues. Ed holds two U.S. patents on immersive theater technologies, was awarded a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering with minor in Quantum Physics and Electromagnetics from Tennessee Tech University, and is a founder of the trade association IMERSA. He co-authored DIGSS 1.1 (Digital Immersive Giant Screen Specifications) in cooperation with the Giant Screen Cinema Association, is a member of ACM/SIGGRAPH and IEEE, co-chaired the VR Villa at SIGGRAPH 2015, is a board delegate on the Producer’s Guild of America’s New Media Council and chairs the Boards of nonprofit organizations c3: Center for Conscious Creativity and is a past board member of Create Now.
Attorney
Ms. Amy F. Odom is the Director of Litigation for the National Veterans Legal Services Program (NVLSP). She is admitted to practice before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims and is a member of the District of Columbia Bar. As Director of Litigation, Ms. Odom represents veterans and survivors before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims and other federal courts and trains, develops, and supervises other NVLSP staff attorneys. Ms. Odom’s practice also involves mentoring and advising pro bono attorneys representing veterans and survivors through NVLSP’s Lawyers Serving Warriors® program, as well as pro bono attorneys representing appellants through the Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program.
Ms. Odom has served as the Treasurer of the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims Bar Association and as Vice Chair of the American Bar Association’s Section of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice Veterans Affairs Committee. She has spoken on matters related to veterans disability benefits on several occasions, including as a panelist with expertise in disability ratings for orthopedic conditions during the Twelfth Judicial Conference of the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, and as an expert on VA benefits for disabilities caused by military sexual trauma during the University of Missouri’s School of Law Veterans Clinic Symposium in 2014. Her publications include contributions to the 2011 and 2012 editions of the Veterans Affairs Chapter of the American Bar Association’s Developments in Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice, as well as to several editions of NVLSP’s Veterans Benefits Manual.
Prior to joining NVLSP in 2008, Ms. Odom served as an attorney-adviser in the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Administrative Law Judges. She is a graduate of the University of Florida Levin College of Law (J.D., cum laude, 2006), where she competed on the school’s moot court team and served as a Public Interest Fellow with the Center for Government Responsibility. Ms. Odom also earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Florida (B.A., Political Science, cum laude, 2003).
Author
JOHN POTASH has been featured on CSPAN’s American History TV and has been interviewed on dozens of radio stations around the U.S. and abroad. His work has also been published in the Baltimore Chronicle, the City Paper, Covert Action Quarterly, Rock Creek Free Press, and Z magazine. He has worked counseling people with mental health issues and addictions for over twenty-five years.
In May 2015, Potash released his book: Drugs as Weapons Against Us: The CIA’s Murderous Targeting of SDS, Panthers, Hendrix, Lennon, Cobain, Tupac and other Activists. Potash completed graduate studies at Columbia University. He published his first book, The FBI War on Tupac Shakur and Black Leaders, in 2007.
Freelance Journalist, Radio Host, Documentary Filmmaker
JP SOTTILE is a freelance journalist, published historian, radio co-host and documentary filmmaker. His credits include a stint on the NewsHour news desk, C-SPAN, and as a newsmagazine producer for ABC affiliate WJLA in Washington. Joseph “JP” Sottile is a two-time Washington Regional Emmy Award Winner. Documentary film credits include: writer, director, producer of The Warning and various production and photography credits on other public interest films. His weekly show, Inside the Headlines w/ The Newsvandal, co-hosted by James Moore, airs every Friday on KRUU-FM in Fairfield, Iowa. He is the Newsvandal.
Multi-instrumentalist,Songwriter,Producer
I A N M C D O N A L D
KING CRIMSON AND FOREIGNER MUSIC LEGEND
FORMS NEW BAND CALLED
HONEY WEST
Ian McDonald is an English multi-instrumental musician, best known as a founding member of progressive rock group King Crimson, formed in 1969, and of the hard rock band Foreigner in 1976. He is also well known as a rock session musician, predominantly as a saxophonist. He also plays keyboards, flute, vibraphone, and guitar.
A British rock giant and an acclaimed and respected member of New York's acting community walk into a recording studio ... and produce one of 2017's strongest and most compelling albums.
This odd couple consists of multi-instrumentalist Ian McDonald, and guitarist and lead vocalist Ted Zurkowski, co-founder of New York's celebrated Shakespeare ensemble, Frog & Peach, and a long-time member of the world-famous Actors Studio. Together, this unlikely new songwriting team conjured the album Bad Old World under the banner of their quartet, HONEY WEST.
Bad Old World is filled with memorable melodies and clever and sophisticated lyrics served on a bed of guitar-driven rock 'n' roll played by top-shelf musicians, including drummer Steve Holley, whose credits include Paul McCartney & Wings and many others, and McDonald's son, Maxwell McDonald, on bass. The album also boasts a guest appearance by Graham Maby (Joe Jackson, They Might Be Giants) on bass ("Brand New Car," "California," "A Girl Called Life"). While it's a modern sound stamped by Ian McDonald's world-class musicianship and production, it also bears an instant familiarity, thanks to a sonic blueprint recalling such Brit-rock titans as The Move and Mott the Hoople.
Representative of the band's distinct sound is Bad Old World's self-deprecating first single, "Dementia," a four-on-the-floor rave-up that melds a driving beat and rampaging guitars with McDonald's signature baritone sax and Zurkowski's unique brand of lyrical mischief.
With a cheeky nod to McDonald's British roots, there also is a helping of sly humor that permeates HONEY WEST: Witness the new video containing the hard-charging "Generationless Man," which pays homage to both the visual style of the Beatles' influential film A Hard Day's Night, and the wackiness of fellow countryman Benny Hill.
As is usually the case in artistic collaborations, the pairing of McDonald and Zurkowski was the result of fate - and, in this case, proximity as well.
HONEY WEST - named in honor and celebration of the proto-feminist 1960s cult TV spy series starring the ever-alluring Anne Francis - was already up and running when the two came together. For McDonald, discovering the scope and breadth of Zurkowski's talents was the catalyst for wanting to create a musical partnership.
BAD OLD WORLD by HONEY WEST is available to purchase at amazon.com
Staff Writer for CityLab
Kriston Capps is a staff writer for CityLab covering housing, architecture, and politics. He previously worked as a senior editor for Architect magazine. He published an article 'This Is Why Puerto Rico Needs Statehood' on September 27, 2017.
President of the National A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum
Ambassador of Cultural Economic Development and Tourism
Randolph's Dream Community Development Corporation,
National A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum,
MUSEUM 44
What is the mission of your organization? The A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum is a 501(c) 3 cultural institution. Our mission is to promote, honor and celebrate the legacy of A. Philip Randolph and contributions made by African Americans to America’s labor movement; with a significant focus on the African American railroad employee. At our facility this celebration begins with the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, as we educate the public about their historic legacy and contributions. The museum exists for the purpose of providing educational and cultural enrichment for all of mankind. All activities, past, present and future, are for the purposes and objectives that are inextricably intertwined — the study, preservation, interpretation, and enjoyment of African American history and culture. The permanent collection displays exhibits which are pertinent to the study of American labor history with a specific focus on the African American contribution to America’s labor history and includes but is not limited to: the Pullman Company, as it relates to African American railroad employee labor history, A. Philip Randolph, the Pullman Porters, the Great Migration, and the American Civil Rights Movement.
