Michael Perry's Blog, page 18
November 5, 2023
Free Episode: Voice Mail #184: “I’m With the Band”
Howdy folks:
Welcome to Michael Perry’s Voice Mail, episode 184. This one’s available to free and paid subscribers alike. Click here to listen.
In today’s episode I talk about how a writer winds up with a band and how the writer’s wife has one very important rule about that and how being in a band has become one of my dearest joys, even as I know that my main job is still to write words meant to make their own music. Other details include how members of my band have won Grammys, played on The Tonight Show, and can invoke the Ottoman Empire. Whereas I know four or five chords and two rhythms.
This episode’s marginalia is kinda stretching the definition of marginalia but seems suitable to the occasion.
The band in question and I will be playing in Minneapolis Sunday November 12th. Details here.
Long Beds music here.
And here we are gettin’ after it:
Above all, thank you. This little podcast continues to grow, and has turned into a nice way to share news and stories and behind-the-scenes bits we don’t put out there on the other socials (that’s what my kids call it—the “socials”).
If you’d like to receive all episodes, click this link (it says “Subscribe Now” but you won’t actually be subscribed until you review your options and confirm):
Okey-doke. Thanks, folks. Photos below. You maybe figured that out.
See y’down the road,
Mike
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Packers Good Luck Koozie
It’s been a while since the Packers have scored a touchdown in the first half. Apparently, the Green and Gold needed a lucky Sneezing Cow Koozie in the house. Grab yours here.
Photo credit Craig Aasen.
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November 3, 2023
Swamped But…
Swamped to a depth I’ve not been swamped in quite some time, so things have gone a tad quiet but we do have some fun out there, in this case thanks to @thehookmpls @valleybookseller and @pamelaklingerhorn1 and the audience who gave us their evening. See y’down the road!
Photos: Melanie Leslie, Pamela Klinger-Horn
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This Week’s Tent Show Radio: The Music of Riverpants
Check out Mike (Facebook / Instagram / Twitter) hosting Tent Show Radio (@BigBlueTent). This week’s episode features Big Top’s famed house-band, the Blue Canvas Orchestra.
During intermission Michael Perry shares a humorous or heartfelt (or both) story drawn from his beloved books and offbeat life experiences.
After more than a decade, audiences “fishing” for a good time and wanting to “reel” with “lunker” laughs, celebrated the return of one of Big Top Chautauqua’s most beloved original productions. In the summer of 2022, Big Top’s famed house-band the Blue Canvas Orchestra delighted audiences in the triumphant revival of Riverpants, the musical comedy revue written by Warren Nelson. Having originally debuted during the summer of 2003, this knee slappin’ musical is full of hearty fishing songs, mirthful interludes, energetic musical numbers and classic bits & skits.
Warren Nelson’s Anglin’ Wayne guided the audience on his top fishing tips & trips, Jack Gunderson, Liz Woodworth, & Tom Mitchell shined as Midwest Folk characters Ole Lena, and Sven, and Ed Willet, Severin Behnen, Phil Anich, Otis McLennon, Betty Ferris, Randy Sabien, and Billy Knoblauch were on hand for additional hijinks and to provide the driving music behind the production.
Follow this link for all the available viewing options.
Stream it here along with other Tent Show Radio episodes.
Tent show Radio is broadcast each week on many fine independent stations, which can be found here: https://sneezingcow.com/ten-show-radio-stations/.
The post This Week’s Tent Show Radio: The Music of Riverpants appeared first on SneezingCow.com.
October 27, 2023
This Week’s Tent Show Radio: Heavy Gus and Sasha Mercedes
Check out Mike (Facebook / Instagram / Twitter) hosting Tent Show Radio (@BigBlueTent). This week’s episode features Heavy Gus and Sasha Mercedes.
During intermission Michael Perry shares a humorous or heartfelt (or both) story drawn from his beloved books and offbeat life experiences.
Born of the stark beauty and bittersweet desolation of the high desert, California trio Heavy Gus blurs the lines between grungy garage band fare, hazy surf, and dreamy indie rock on their captivating full-length debut, Notions. Bristling with live-wire electricity, the collection is lean and spare, fueled by distorted guitars and a driving rhythm section, and the performances are loose and organic to match, captured spontaneously in the moment with little room for overthinking or second-guessing. While all three bandmates come to Heavy Gus from very different worlds—Ulvang from The Lumineers, drummer Ryan Dobrowski from Blind Pilot, and singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Dorota Szuta from an unlikely combination of marine science and music—they fit together like puzzle pieces here, bound by the kind of love and trust that can only grow from years of deep kinship. The result is a record all about distance and connection from a band built on intimacy and personal chemistry, a mesmerizing debut that calls to mind everything from Meat Puppets and The Breeders to Yo La Tengo and Acetone in its artful balance of hope and fatalism, loneliness and desire, strength and vulnerability.
Originally hailing from the rugged shores of Lake Superior, Sasha Mercedes writes image-provoking songs and delivers them with passion and conviction. Her powerful voice turns heads, as she beats on her guitar, brow furrowed and snarling! Mercedes has released five Americana solo albums, and though there will always be a soft spot in her heart for singer-songwriter stylings, Mercedes hasn’t been tethered to any genre. She was the front-woman for Twin Cities-based rock band, Hot Pink Hangover, as well as the hook writer and fellow performer in Minneapolis hip hop trio, Channeling Grey. She has traveled the world making music and drawing inspiration out of every experience, which is evident in the lyrics of her brilliantly crafted compositions. She has shared the stage with TLC, Badflower, Dar Williams, Don Mclean, Tracy Bonham, Guy Davis, Pete Seeger, and others. She may seem hard on the outside, but Mercedes has always believed that rugged shores can polish even the roughest of stones.
This episode features recordings from both artists 2022 performances at Big Top Chautauqua.
Follow this link for all the available viewing options.
Stream it here along with other Tent Show Radio episodes.
Tent show Radio is broadcast each week on many fine independent stations, which can be found here: https://sneezingcow.com/ten-show-radio-stations/.
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October 24, 2023
Fine dining
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October 21, 2023
Sasquatchie Selfie
Sasquatch, or me testing the new trail cam while doing hill sprints at dusk?
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October 20, 2023
This Week’s Tent Show Radio: The Greatest Piano Men
Check out Mike (Facebook / Instagram / Twitter) hosting Tent Show Radio (@BigBlueTent). This week’s episode features “The Greatest Piano Men.”
During intermission Michael Perry shares a humorous or heartfelt (or both) story drawn from his beloved books and offbeat life experiences.
Created and produced by Donnie Kehr, best known for his originated roles in Broadway’s Jersey Boys and Billy Elliot, The Greatest Piano Men is an electrifying production that celebrates the world’s greatest piano icons and showmen in music history – from the 50s and 60s hits of Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Ray Charles to the 70s and 80s hits of Stevie Wonder, Elton John, and Billy Joel – and even the legendary works of Beethoven and Liberace. “The Greatest Piano Men” features Pete Peterkin – a singer, actor, dancer, comic, master impressionist, and multi-instrumentalist, best known for his appearance on Season 4 of “America’s Got Talent,” Bill Conners – the gold standard when it comes to impersonating Sir Elton John, perfectly captures the voice, mannerisms, and fabulous showmanship of the rock icon, as well as David K. Maiocco – award-winning musical director, pianist, and actor, considered one of the most well recognized Liberace tribute artists.
This electrifying music celebration features a rockin’ 8-piece band, sensational back-up vocalists, and captivating multimedia storytelling, as The Greatest Piano Men bring along 25 hit songs including, “Good Golly Miss Molly,” “Superstition,” “I’m Still Standing,” “Hit the Road Jack,” “New York State of Mind,” and many more!
This episode features recordings from The Greatest Piano Men’s 2022 performance at Big Top Chautauqua.
Follow this link for all the available viewing options.
Stream it here along with other Tent Show Radio episodes.
Tent show Radio is broadcast each week on many fine independent stations, which can be found here: https://sneezingcow.com/ten-show-radio-stations/.
The post This Week’s Tent Show Radio: The Greatest Piano Men appeared first on SneezingCow.com.
October 16, 2023
Michael Perry Returns to the “Banker with a Beer” Podcast
It’s irony in a koozie: Teetotaler Michael Perry returns to the “Banker with a Beer” podcast (homepage here, archived podcast here).
This week’s beverage of choice: Guinness Non-Alcoholic. Hear what Scott and Jerry (actual beer drinkers) have to say…
Thanks to Jerry and Scott for a wide-ranging discussion including the real life origins of Mike’s new book Forty Acres Deep, the prevalence of mental illness in the farming community, the challenges and opportunities of self-publishing, Mike’s live humor shows, Mike’s band the Long Beds, and how he keeps his publishing business local.
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October 13, 2023
This Week’s Tent Show Radio: Larry McCray and Phil Anich & Friends
Check out Mike (Facebook / Instagram / Twitter) hosting Tent Show Radio (@BigBlueTent). This week’s episode features Larry McCray and Phil Anich & Friends.
For more than 30 years, rust belt blues shouter and guitar slinger Larry McCray’s greatness has been hiding in plain sight. A native of Magnolia Arkansas, Larry McCray discovered his love of music at a young age through his sister Clara, who introduced him to the guitar and the transformative music of Blues legends like B.B. King. After moving to Michigan at 12, he spent his teen years harnessing his guitar skills, adding rock riffs to the traditional blues style he loved. After high school, he began playing the local circuit, and by the late 80’s he attracted the notice of Virgin Records and was signed as the inaugural artist to their blues label Point Blank Records.
In 1990, McCray released his critically acclaimed debut album, aptly named — Ambition. A stunning debut, the record was a convincing hybrid of blues, rock, and soul, with McCray combining the interrelated idioms in sizzling fashion. Throughout the 1990’s, he continued to help define blues rock, releasing several albums including 1993’s Delta Hurricane, and 1998’s Born to Play the Blues. After starting his own record label, Magnolia Records, the bluesman remained active throughout the 2000’s, releasing 2001’s Believe It and Blues Is My Business, 2006’s Live on Interstate 75, and his self-titled album “Larry McCray” in 2007. He toured extensively, playing with blues greats like B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, Keb’ Mo and Joe Bonamassa, and worked with rock legends like the Allman Brothers, Levon Helm, Chris Robinson, Dickie Betts and countless others. Somewhere along the way, though, his path to the top of the blues world was derailed. During the recording process of his latest release, McCray felt “reborn” as he developed a newfound drive and passions for his career. In 2021, McCray released his first original material in nearly 15 years, “Blues Without You,” an album that showcases his power as an instrumentalist and a vocalist. The 12-track record, produced by Joe Bonamassa’s Keeping the Blues Alive label, garnered McCray even more critical acclaim with Blues Rock Reviews calling it “the record of a lifetime and the best project of his career.”
Born and raised on the shores of Lake Superior, Phil Anich served as Big Top Chautauqua’s Operations Manager for nearly 30 years. A performer for most of his life, in the 1980’s along with other local artists he began singing in shows written by Warren Nelson & Betty Ferris about the history of the local Lake Superior region. This group would go on to become Big Top’s famed house band the Blue Canvas Orchestra. Every summer since Big Top’s founding in 1986, the Blue Canvas Orchestra have continued to write and perform in original shows that have often celebrated the history, environment, and cultures of the local region. Since then, Phil Anich has continued to perform in shows at Big Top including Riding The Wind, Big Top Does The Beatles, Wild Woods & Waters, and most recently In Spite of Ourselves: The Music of John Prine & Nanci Griffith. During the 2022 summer season, Phil Anich performed under the tent with Dale Engquist, Brian Russ, and Mason Pavel, as Phil Anich & Friends opened for legendary country swing band Asleep At The Wheel.
This episode features recordings from each artists’ August 2022 performances at Big Top Chautauqua.
During intermission Michael Perry shares a humorous or heartfelt (or both) story drawn from his beloved books and offbeat life experiences.
Follow this link for all the available viewing options.
Stream it here along with other Tent Show Radio episodes.
Tent show Radio is broadcast each week on many fine independent stations, which can be found here: https://sneezingcow.com/ten-show-radio-stations/.
The post This Week’s Tent Show Radio: Larry McCray and Phil Anich & Friends appeared first on SneezingCow.com.
