The Winds Of Change

The people of this world are so amazing
the issues always hot and close to blazing
a sideways glance reveals the headline news
and slowly turns into our attitudes

Amidst the crime and stealing we endure
to constantly remind ourselves for sure
that life is always forward or it's still
depending on the incline of the hill

Momentum is a thing that we all trust
it's in between and inside all of us
we pass it like a yawn when we sit down
it fuels the humor trapped inside the clown

It holds our heads up high when we lean back
it brings our loved ones home safe from Iraq
when all is lost and drowning in frustration
it births again in forms of inspiration

The mind can suffer terribly sometimes
treading in the currants we defy
flipping in the wind much like a sail
the captain holding steady to post bail

Money is the remedy for all
solutions for this world will rise and fall
temporary sanity is bliss
the past has passed by simply saying "this"

So hold on to this dream inside your heart
hold it like an old man holds a fart
laugh in all directions of the wind
dance and eat and drink start again

;)

your friendly cyber hood
Uncle Samurai

The First Mohican

A mundane existence is usually the result of too much pondering and an over zealous appeal for philosophy. Money is not the solution to my problems. It seems to be the remedy for my solutions. As time keeps ticking I find that a temporary relief of sanity is all I can really ask for.

Many of us sit for long periods of time and wonder about the feelings that life gives us. We wonder what the point of trying to attain happiness is all about if it's just a temporary feeling that passes. And the older we get, the more we have to wonder about. We spend years at school constantly filling up the mind with more information. We pay for it, too. Then we spend even more time trying to rationalize these feelings with others over conversation.

So what is the point here? Why am I writing this down for you to read? Because I can. And that makes me happy. I have answers that will always work for me and I do my best to share them with random people of this earth. With consideration of the effect that it has on others, I sit in a dim lit room and ponder the evidence of my own personal history. I edit my findings, feelings and discoveries and begin the process of what has always been referred to as songwriting. It is simply what I do for a living. It is what I practice. It is, subsequently, for the entire world to enjoy, and in doing so, I have created a hybrid of selfish and generous virtues to live by.

I have been this way for 25 years now. So it is natural for me to be anti social. If one practices everyday for this long, it is inevitable that the results will be close to, or the same as anti social. Artists are logged into the books of history as being this type of person, usually.

This type of anti social behavior must be compared to normal social behavior in order to retain its definition. I define normal social behavior as someone who talks often. As someone who exists primarily as a spoken voice to be heard and acknowledged. Most people that just sit there like an Indian staring at a tree are usually judged as strange, contrived or weird. To speak is to be normal. How can we avoid this with the invention of cell phones? We are expected to speak. Most people don't even realize how much they do until they are standing next to someone that does not. It is what separates us from animals, plants and insects, is it not?

It's more the pace of spoken language that often takes me by surprise. The ability that some people have to rapidly connect their thoughts to their mouths, I find amazing at times. But like I said, it's what you practice everyday that makes you a natural at it. I can always be held accountable for my inability to keep up with the speed of normal paced conversation. But I can not hold people to the fact that they cannot play a series of notes on a guitar as fast as I can.

I find no right or wrong opinion in any of this. Like I also said, remedies are my thing. Not final solutions. What seems important to most people,anyway, is the volley of opinions. Either written or spoken. We have all become acquainted with the on line comment box these days. Those go on forever and usually do not stay focused on original topic of discussion. Then there's all the accidental eaves dropping that we must endure around cell phone users.

In retrospect, music seems to remedy all of this.
And moderation is still the key.

So...

With respect to the last Mohican who sat silently and peacefully, attempting to stare at a tree...I sometimes feel like the first Mohican in a world of loquacious beings.

your friendly cyberhood
Uncle Samurai

Skahoo about Yahoo and The Uptones!

I have been excited about Ska music for quite some time now. The equation of Ska music+crowd=dancing is so very pleasing to me. So my experience is motivated by the joy of this. And it is a privilege to feel like I'm a part of this on going movement of the Ska masses.
How many waves have there been so far? I'm too committed to the music to keep track, actually.
If you want to tell me, I' m sure I will agree. Either way, as a member of the Uptones, you can bet that a couple of us are jumping out of our socks to this:

Yahoo covers the Uptones Ska Shrine Build

It's a Mog Mog Mog world of music!

Music fans/artists/publishers and even nekkid college chicks are enjoying themselves at Mog.com! ( I have no idea who that girl is...ask deadmandeadman at Mog! )
Music+Blog=Mog. Got it? Cool... I work and post music for Mp3 4U, which is really cool, but I have to admit...Mog kicks some major booty for on line music enjoyment!! They have the most amazing library of tunes from frikken EVERYBODY and their grand ma. After downloading the mogomatic player to your computer, you can browse and go bubba bubba buck wiley on some tunes. From Billy Joel to Prince to Fishbone to Carly Simon to Paul Simon to The Fugees and hella other artists from all over the world wide web. And then say what ever you wanna say about it in a blog. It's INSANE, the variety of tunes you can find at Mog.com! They have recently expanded into a bigger site, too. Which is a good sign. In this economic crisis, it's impressive to see any site growing... So...I aint sayin' you need to join or anything...I'm sayin' that I have and it was worth posting this blog about mog!

Your friendly cyberhood
Uncle Samurai

Tattoo blooper

I found this at 100% Accurate Kanji Translation.

Here is a sad story about a man who used the WRONG Japanese kanji symbols for his tattoo design.

About a year ago, one of my Japanese friend told me a sad story about an American she met at a party.

During their conversation, he told her that he came to Japan because he had been interested in traditional Japanese culture for a long time. He also showed her the Japanese symbols tattooed on his arm.

He said the tattoo says "Wind God" in Japanese.

But, she told him the symbols actually mean "Lady" in Japanese, not "Wind God".
He thought he had the CORRECT Japanese symbols, but he did not.

Japanese words for "Wind God" is "Fujin". The symbols he should have used were:

Wind God

But, the actual words he had tattooed on his arm were:

Lady

This means "Lady", but is also pronounced"Fujin".

Apparently, he had used one of the FREE Japanese translation service on the Internet, and typed the word "Fujin". The kanji symbols for "lady" came up. Obviously he did not understand the true meaning of the Kanji symbols.

So...does anybody else have a sad tattoo story? Maybe I'll share mine about a girl who had the words " the path of sanitarium is the right path..."

your friendly cyberhood

Uncle Samurai

Is this a deal or is it a scam?

AT&T to Offer $50 Netbooks

By ConsumerReports.org

AT&T will begin selling netbooks with integrated wireless Internet cards, selling them for as low as $50 — with a data plan contract, of course. The rollout will begin in Atlanta and Philadelphia.

It's getting harder and harder to tell these days what is being offered. Many "deals" are just part of the chumming process that is a required biz tactic for add companies. I hope this deal is real. I think it would be great if lower income folks could log in and make adsense money from google accounts. It looks like the new video phone, too...

Ok...now here is something I hope you'll really like:

Upbeat news flash here!

Your friendly cyberhood

Uncle Samurai

NKorea launches rocket, defying world pressure

SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea defiantly carried out a provocative rocket launch Sunday that the U.S., Japan and other nations suspect was a cover for a test of its long-range missile technology.

Liftoff took place at 11:30 a.m. (0230GMT) Sunday from the coastal Musudan-ri launch pad in northeastern North Korea, the South Korean and U.S. governments said.

Japan immediately called for an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council.

The multistage rocket flew over Japan and landed in the Pacific Ocean, the Japanese broadcaster NHK said, citing its government.

"Our primary concern is to...(continue reading article)

Here is the tape that led up to the North Korea missle launch:
(this excerpt is rated "R" for Really funny and Really profane)



I dunno...NKorea might be a bunch of dicks...
Now here's something that I hope you'll really like:
War Pigs-Cake

your friendly cyberhood
Uncle Samurai

East of the Pond

Back in 2003 I took a trip to London. My first and only, so far, to London. The reason I went was because my girlfriend, at the time, enrolled in school. Before she left, I asked her where WE were gonna live. Next thing I know I'm in London.

I arrived with no real financial plan, except for the obvious Jimi Hendrix fantasy. I would be discovered; I'd get famous; get payed in full and tour the world. Reality had me living there day by day with the support of my family. The back up financial plan. In London they allow you to visit for 6 months without a visa, so i booked my flight for 6 months. It was like lighting a fuse for the end of a relationship. We both knew that at the end of 6 months, I would be going back home. Subsequently putting a not so abrupt end to our relationship.

The 6 months in London were cold. My stay was from October 15th to April 15th. The entire span of winter. Londoners questioned my reason for being there when they found out I was from Califofnia. It snowed during christmas. It wasn't that spectacular, either. It was all black and grey with lots of car oil and soot. And it rained constantly. Great place to be a blues guitarist! And that's what I was. I played twice a week at local venues the entire time I was there. Wrote a few songs and put a cd in a local record store. Sold 3. One to my mother who came for a christmas visit. I also bought one...

I remember the first day that the sky was blue. I was sitting in a chair looking out of the window. In the sky. I was on the plane ride home when this happened. The temperature had the Londers in t shirts and mini skirts that day. And I seem to recall looking down from the plane window thinking, " The sun is out and all those suave London gentlemen are going to have their way with her..."

Back home, I was suddenly single, broke and my truck was not registered. So I did what I always do. I wrote a song about it. It could have been a blues tune, but I didn't want to feel that way in the Califonia sunshine. And I didn't want to lament about breaking up, either....

Instead, I composed a sweet little reggae tune. And instead of feeling sorry for myself, as we tend to do, I went the other way. Acceptance without drama. The Atlantic ocean helped tremendously with the no drama part. But essentially I just wanted to let go with out the grief exchange. And maybe the song would mean something to her and we could just go our seperate ways.

I played the song for her once and she didn't give me the idea that it meant anything to her. Oh well, right? Whatever. Life is like that sometimes. But what the song did do for me was get me into one of the best bands I've ever played in. The Uptones. That song was the easiest audition ever. I gave them a copy and the next thing I know I'm in The Uptones! That part happened in 2005. In 2007 I met the love of my life at an Uptones show.

Now it's 2009 and the song's been recorded and is currently 1 of 15 gr8 tracks available on i tunes!

Listen to " East Of The Pond "

Take me to " East Of The Pond " on i tunes.

Your friendly cyberhood

Uncle Samurai

The Uptones - Skanking Foolz Unite - Reviewed for i tunes by Rob O’ Connor

Upbeat without forcing the party, Berkeley, California’s ska-veterans The Uptones return with their first studio album in decades, nailing down a bottom end that cements the groove with horns that reach for the stratosphere. The years have betrayed them none. Four original members augmented by an additional fantastic four, the eight-piece cruise with neither nostalgia nor a rusted gear. Initially, the studio might not seem the place to capture a definitive live act – their most noted Continue reading ‘The Uptones - Skanking Foolz Unite - Reviewed for i tunes by Rob O’ Connor’

2009 is Skankin' time!

your friendly cyberhood

Uncle Samurai