Michael Perry's Blog, page 21

Dadbod Writer Fitness Influencer

I like to sit and write, so I gotta get up and run.

What I said at the end there, was basically, “Ohmmf Ngsnrx puff mmph gahf, heave.”

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Alma Mater Gratitude

Thank you to UW-Eau Claire for inviting me over for breakfast. I didn’t actually use the teleprompter, but it felt cool to see it there. My gratitude for this institution runs back to 1983 when I showed up as a fresh-scrubbed shy farm boy pre-nursing student (spoke to exactly one other student my entire first semester), and my time there echoes through me today. Afterwards I had good chats with folks ranging from the chancellor to professors to students to the women’s basketball coach to local business owners to the groundskeeper. There are so many folks of good intent and purpose in this world. Working hard. Working toward the same thing from different directions. Against shared obstacles. So much of our distrust and dissension is fomented by people we never meet. I ain’t sayin’ it’s easy. I ain’t sayin’ the problems aren’t real. I’m just saying I was raised by farmers and loggers and truckers, worked as a ranch hand, trained and licensed in a medical profession, and was granted access to whole other beautiful worlds by a liberal arts experience. It’s a mix that multiplies my joy. There are many paths. I know I’m a lucky guy. I talked about volunteer fire departments and read this piece about gratitude. Thank you, folks.

– photo credit Jake Wrasse

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This Week’s Tent Show Radio: Riders In The Sky

Check out Mike (Facebook / Instagram / Twitter) hosting Tent Show Radio (Twitter: @BigBlueTent). This week’s episode features Riders In The Sky (Twittter: @HarmonyRanch)

Regarded as one of the “most historically significant acts in the history of American music” by Billboard magazine, the GRAMMY award-winning quartet of Ranger Doug, Woody Paul, Too Slim, and Joey the Cowpolka King, have kept the heritage of Western music alive as they have entertained audiences across the world for more than 40 years. Riders In The Sky kick off each performance with their trademark greeting, “Mighty fine and a great big Western ‘Howdy,’ all you buckaroos and buckarettes,” their live shows showcase each player’s masterful musicianship with an added dose of broad, quick-witted humor as they pay tribute to the classic cowboy songs of the 1930s and ‘40s.

Since their start in 1977, Riders In The Sky have released more than 40 albums, starred in the anthology television series “Tumbleweed Theater,” wrote and starred in their NPR syndicated radio program “Riders Radio Theater,” hosted their own children’s program on CBS, and have made more than 7,000 appearances all over the world. The Grand Ole Opry and Western Music Hall of Fame inductees have become well-known to new generations for their work with Disney & Pixar, notably their tune “Woody’s Roundup” from Toy Story 2 and the full-length GRAMMY award-winning companion albums for Toy Story 2 and Monsters, Inc.

This episode features recordings from their September 2022 performance under the tent.

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/.

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This Week’s Tent Show Radio: Chris Castino & Chicken Wire Empire

Check out Mike (Facebook / Instagram / Twitter) hosting Tent Show Radio (Twitter: @BigBlueTent). This week’s episode features Chris Castino & Chicken Wire Empire.

While sitting through COVID lockdowns Chris Castino of Minnesota-based rock’n’roll jam band The Big Wu teamed up with Milwaukee-based bluegrass band Chicken Wire Empire to reimagine some of his catalog into impeccably fitting bluegrass tunes. These songs were transformed and resulted in their collaborative album Fresh Pickles. Fresh Pickles is just the beginning of a heartfelt and fulfilling voyage into bluegrass— it features stomping rippers and sweet, harmonic ballads, as well as a taste of genre-shifting psychedelic rides. Always true to the tradition and authentic in presentation, this collaboration is packed with great pickin’ excitement and most importantly joy.

Fresh Pickles is a triumphant musical collaboration that was pulled right out of the ground by its Midwestern roots, from traditional folk to blends of contemporary bluegrass and jammy deliciousness. The joyous album-making process produced many special guest appearances from several GRAMMY-winning artists in the bluegrass and Americana world including Sam Bush, Peter Rowan, Tim O’Brien, Jerry Douglas, Andy Hall, Vince Herman, Nick Forster, Keller Williams, and Adam Greuel. With the help of many of Chris’s lifelong musical heroes, the record has that classic 70’s and 80’s alt-bluegrass sound, while never too far from the traditional bluegrass style that defines the genre.

This episode features recordings from Chris Castino & Chicken Wire Empire’s July 2022 performance under the tent and serves as a special experience for audiences of bluegrass purists and all lovers of great tunes.

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/.

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Just Another Sleek Fitness/Writing Influencer.

People often ask me* “Mike, how do you remain so physically trim and intellectually robust?”

*no they don’t

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Gonna Be On TV in Minnesota (of all places!)

Thank you to Neal Justin for taking the time to interview Mike about his PBS special and write up this gracious piece in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.* Mike will be live on TPT2 Monday, Aug 14 at 7pm. Additional info on air times and places here.

*Note: The La Crosse Pump House event will be Mike as solo humorist. Also, as Mike always says, he is “of and from New Auburn, Wisconsin” and you can still find him in Chippewa County on a regular basis, but he currently receives his mail down the road a few miles in Eau Claire County.

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Order Online, Help Your Local Indie

A reminder that all of Mike’s books (including the newest one, Forty Acres Deep) are available at BookShop.org, where you can order online and still help your local indie.

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Off Road

Guitars back home, quiet in the morning sun. Thanks, band. Thanks, crew. Thanks, audience. It was a good one. Back to books.

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Voice Mail Episode #171 Available To All (Naked Archers?)

This week’s Voice Mail episode is free to all, here’s the link.

Topics addressed: Banjos, naked bow hunters, live shows, and the dangers of self-depreciation.

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This Week’s Tent Show Radio: Pickin’ on Rock

Check out Mike (Facebook / Instagram / Twitter) hosting Tent Show Radio (Twitter: @BigBlueTent). This week’s episode features Big Top Chautauqua’s famed house band, the Blue Canvas Orchestra.

Take a classic rock song, add the Blue Canvas Orchestra, and the result is something that is sure to move an audience. Led by Molly Otis & Ed Willett, Pickin’ on Rock debuted at the tent in the summer of 2022 and immediately became an audience favorite. In this rousing show, classic rock songs are interpreted into the bluegrass and alternative string stylings of the Blue Canvas Orchestra. From Led Zeppelin, Queen, Guns N ’Roses, to Heart, The Beatles, and more. You’ve heard these songs before, but not quite like this.

This episode features: Molly Otis, Ed Willett, Severin Behnen, Randy Wydra, Scott Kirby, Stevie Matier, Nori Schwenzfeier, and Harrison Olk.

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: Pickin’ on Rock appeared first on SneezingCow.com.