Without Guile

Dear Friend,

On Saturday May 5, from 10 A.M. to 6 P.M., Beachead Comics, at 1601 Chew Street in Allentown, will proudly participate in Free Comic Book Day. Hundreds of comic books will be given away free of charge. These books would normally sell for $2.25-$5.99 apiece.

Free Comic Book Day is a cooperative event, supported by most of the major comic book publishers, comic book specialty stores and Diamond Comics Distributors. This event celebrates the independent comic book specialty stores, thousands of which exist in North America alone. It is also intended to promote the quality entertainment for all ages that is available in modern comic books and graphic novels.

Comic books are an original American art form, created in the early days of the twentieth century. They are fun to read, featuring a wide range of diverse storylines that capture the imagination of the readers, and have survived: the dominance of radio, the ubiquity of television, the spread of color and sound motion pictures, the rise of videogames, and the Internet. Today, comics are as diverse and varied as television, movies, books or any other medium. So while there are still plenty of comic books that are appropriate entertainment for youngsters, comics are not just for kids any more.

For more information about this event, contact Beachead Comics at 610-437-6372. For more information about comic books and comic book specialty stores, take a look at the Free Comic Book Day website: www.freecomicbookday.com

Thank you,

Beachead Comics
1601 Chew St.
Allentown, PA 18102
(610)437-6372
e-mail: BeachCom@aol.com

website: www.beacheadcomics.com

If you get the chance, send him some business.

My earliest memories of music come from gospel.

You wouldn’t know it by looking at me but I am a farm boy born and raised.

That’s me 3rd from the left. My cousin Leah is sitting next to me on the left and aside of her is my other cousin Rebekah. The blond kid on the end is our neighbour Stevie.

Born in rural Pennsylvania at a time when the snows were deeper and car seats for kids didn’t exist.

I had never known my father and was raised by my grandparents and mother on a dairy farm (in fact I milked cows well into my 16th year).

I will say without a shadow of a doubt it was my grandfather who taught me my most important lessons in life.

I know it sounds trite, but we were poor, dirt poor. So poor, that hunting season often meant we would have our best meals coming up. We made our own maple syrup on a coal fired kitchen stove. For 3 weeks in the fall the smell of maple boiling off would be in my clothes when I went to school.

Sorry, I digress.

As I said my earliest memories of music came from gospel. My grandfather would listen to this radio station WBYO morning, noon, and night. It would drive my grandmother crazy, she was always more contemporary. That radio with the bent antenna would go from the kitchen table, to the barn, and when he had batteries it would ride in the tractor with him.
Looking back I think that old time country, gospel and bluegrass drove me crazy too.
I now have a few years on me and that junk my grandfather used to play has softened my heart. I find myself wishing he were still alive, so I could talk to him about the music he loved so much. And to tell him how I had grown to love it too.

We have or did have a thriving music scene here in Bethlehem.

I am not saying it dried up. I just haven’t been to many bar shows since having our kids.

There was one place I lament losing and that was the 4 G’s on 3rd St.

The 4 G’s owner “Hot Tub” Jerry Green had this ability to get bands that completely rock the house on a consistent basis.

The Crack Babies aka (The Gooniebirds)
Psyclone Rangers
The Cronkites
The Original Sins and this band The Creatures among many others.

I can’t imagine how many hours I had spent there pounding Yuengling Lagers and shooting pool.

This one is for my favourite watering hole that is now gone, but not forgotten.

With that said, I think I will get off the Funk Train and start posting about punk and more rock oriented tunes.

Get ready for a wild ride.

A few nights ago, while multitasking (typing, listening, watching, eating, drinking, thinking, and probably smoking) I was having a back and forth with Fistula when my body had a stroke of sensory overload and quit one of those ‘ing things I was doing.
Unfortunately it was …thinking.

In one reply to a comment Fist made, I had gaffed a reference. When I realized what I had done, I felt ashamed, even dirty.
I had later reply with a convenient cover-up and a joke saying “Open mouth insert keyboard”.

Well my body gave my brain the greenlight to start thinking again, and that’s when it hit me.

I wondered how many of my fellow Moggers had made such gaffs? Blowing the reference, missing the time frame, screwing the genre, or admitted they liked Mi** Ja**. The horror!
I than thought, How many of them are willing to admit it?

So my questions to you are:

Have you ever gaffed a reference?
Are you willing to admit it?
Can you prove it?

Comment with something funny, so we can all laugh at your expense.

Anyway Funky Friday has arrived.

I found this chestnut in a … you guessed it, compilation.

“Rarest Funk 45’s Ever” put out there by Quantic Records.
Buzz over to Jazzman to get the scoop on the song your about to hear. Jazzman has a great site and a fantastic Funk catalogue. If you look at the menu bar at the top you can click on Radio and hear more Funk that hasn’t been played to death.

So now in my best Don Cornelius voice,

It’s time to go down town, with the chocolate sound of “The Shades of Black”

Righteous!

My inbox has 2 messages from trusted Moggers
colizzle and Rawkiddo about Old School Rap.

Being a fan of such music, I can’t sit back without making a contribution. Or posting a trifecta.

“The Incredible Hump” by any other name is “The Incredible Hump” by Sound On Sound Productions.

S.O.S Productions was a contemporary of The Sugar Hill Gang. From what I gather Wonder Mike (Sugarhill Gang) was with S.O.S. before moving on to his more famous crew way back in 1980.

I like this one because of the party lyric style. Rhymes thought of on the spot. I wonder how many takes it took till they were satisfied. I mean seriously, I listen to this and just laugh my ass off.

Enjoy!