And The Beat Goes On...

To Max, on the anniversary of your passing:

Those of you that have known me through the years, know that I have had several drum heroes.  First there was Ian Paice of Deep Purple, Bill Ward of Black Sabbath. John Bonham gave me inspirational moments, as well. Then the late, great Cozy Powell, who began to mold my style. There was always Tommy Aldridge, just incomparable.  Lately I’ve enjoyed emulating Mark Poiez, and Todd Sucherman. But there was only one drummer that left a permanent rhythm in my soul, one man who really inspired me to play even to this day.

The band was Jesse Bolt, and the drummer was Roy “Max” Hill.

God rest his soul...

I struggle even now to describe what it was that captivated me about his playing. He had power, and chops, but also a simplicity that served the songs so well, never over-playing or dominating the music, but damn, you knew he was there. Always in the pocket and driving the rest of the band, with that huge lightning bolt right behind him, showing his prowess to the crowd.

And there were ALWAYS crowds...
Marty Burns said it best, they were KISS in a club...

Back in the tape-trading days, I snagged a couple of tapes recorded off the sound board from several shows and literally wore them out playing along with headphones on. No telling how much anguish I caused my roommates and neighbors. But I could not stop, I HAD to play those songs. I had no idea I would be called on to do it live in 2014, at a reunion of Jesse Bolt to benefit his family after Max’s tragic passing on January 4th of that year.

Thanks to the kind words of my friends Noble O’Rourke and Marty Burns speaking to the band while they were searching for a drummer, I got the call to audition. I made the cut, and played the show, and have been involved with the band up to the present.  

I was also fortunate to acquire the last kit that Max owned, again through my good friend, Noble. I have taken great care to restore them to their prime, as Max would have had them, with the hope I would one day play them onstage with the band.

I got that opportunity on April 13, 2019. Thanks to the persistence of Rick Haywood, and the support of Rhonda Hudson Jordan and Tommy Sugg, it happened basically in my own backyard in Grifton NC, always a hotbed of Jesse Bolt fans due to their numerous performances back in the day at a local club, the infamous Redneck Saloon.

Which, in fact, was the first place I ever HEARD Jesse Bolt. I say heard, because I was too young to get in, so I stood outside with my ear to the wall, and like a desperate scream, I heard three guitars...

It could not have been more fitting...

I have done my best to help keep the legacy of Max and Jesse Bolt alive, with the support of the band and the diehard fans. 

And Max, I hope I’ve done you proud. ⚡

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000709744524

Max's Premier kit in 2012:

After my upgrade and finally on stage in 2019, the stickers on the bottom of the bass drums say “In Memory Of Roy ‘Max’ Hill.

And the band played on...

The Goal of Life.

Death. Is. Real.

And it is the one thing that makes us all equal.

We, you and me, will die.  Sooner than later.

One of the worst things our churches have done is move the graveyards to the outskirts of town.

What a wake-up call to your soul to walk past your ancestors every Sunday morning on the way to meet your God.

Death was up close and personal.

Now we move it off to the edges of existence 

and act like it is not there.

But it is.

We forget that death makes life worth living.

Memento Mori.

Behold! My phone wallpaper:

Feel free to steal it.

It's a reminder every time I see it that my time is short.
And so is yours. 

So stay calm and Carpe Diem.

Make that call.

Forgive that unforgivable bastard.

They don't deserve it but do it anyway.

Exercise.

Eat the ice cream.

Buy the motorcycle.

Love Your Neighbor.

Let's kick it. 

And BTW, would you like to know when?

Find out here.

Kick It Back In Gear. NOW.

Mid-January 2017.

How are those New Year's resolutions going?  I'm good, and getting better. You can be, too. Don't fall victim to inertia.

"Surprisingly, 75% of resolutions will be continued through the entire first week of January, but only 46% make it past six months. University of Scranton also stated that 39% of people in their twenties will achieve their resolution each year while only 14% of people over 50 years of age will achieve theirs," says the Google machine.

There some great tips here.

Go read it now.  You'll be glad.  Kick it in.

Men Are Still Good (The Batman Suite)

The Red Capes are coming for the ultimate battle! Supes and Batman hold title to the World's Finest superheroes (Sorry Marvel) and they both hold all the characteristics of Barbarian Gents.

However, Batman has always been my ultimate Barbarian Gentleman, and music is such an integral part of the Batman experience.  It often makes him who he is in each incarnation.




The Batman TV show theme song in the 60's would always amp me up for what was about to follow. I could not get enough of the fun, the color, and the daring do-wrongers who always got beat down in the second episode of the week, after the big cliffhanger.  Although tame by today's standards, I was just as concerned about the plight of Gotham City as our heroes.

Why so serious, Adam West?



Moving from the Neal Hefti theme to The Animated Series, the Danny Elfman scores, and more recently The Dark Knight Trilogy by Hans Zimmer, each one sets the mood for the version of the character.

I can still hear what sounds like razor blades scraping on a piano wire in The Dark Knight Joker theme. Yeesh!

Next up, there are already reams written about the New Batman V Superman movie out on 3.25.2016.

So just check this out: Men Are Still Good (The Batman Suite)

No, really, I do like you...

ISTJ PERSONALITY (“THE LOGISTICIAN”)

See Me, Feel Me

My observation is that whenever one person is found adequate to the discharge of a duty... it is worse executed by two persons, and scarcely done at all if three or more are employed therein. -George Washington,  famous ISTJ

The ISTJ personality type is thought to be the most abundant, making up around 13% of the population. Their defining characteristics of integrity, practical logic and tireless dedication to duty make ISTJs a vital core to many families, as well as organizations that uphold traditions, rules and standards, such as law offices, regulatory bodies and military. People with the ISTJ personality type enjoy taking responsibility for their actions, and take pride in the work they do – when working towards a goal, ISTJs hold back none of their time and energy completing each relevant task with accuracy and patience.

ISTJs don't make many assumptions, preferring instead to analyze their surroundings, check their facts and arrive at practical courses of action. ISTJ personalities are no-nonsense, and when they've made a decision, they will relay the facts necessary to achieve their goal, expecting others to grasp the situation immediately and take action. ISTJs have little tolerance for indecisiveness, but lose patience even more quickly if their chosen course is challenged with impractical theories, especially if they ignore key details – if challenges becomes time-consuming debates, ISTJs can become noticeably angry as deadlines tick nearer.

ISTJ personalities adhere to established rules and guidelines regardless of cost, reporting their own mistakes and telling the truth even when the consequences for doing so could be disastrous. To ISTJs, honesty is far more important than emotional considerations, and their blunt approach leaves others with the false impression that ISTJs are cold, or even robotic. People with this type may struggle to express emotion or affection outwardly, but the suggestion that they don't feel, or worse have no personality at all, is deeply hurtful.

Read the rest here:

ISTJ Personality Type

Finally. A Man's Coffee.

    YES. A.MUST.HAVE.

   HIGHLY ADDICTIVE

DEATH WISH COFFEE

IS CREATED BY USING THE STRONGEST COMBINATION OF BEANS AND A PERFECT ROASTING PROCESS.

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• Raise your coffee standards with one sip of these premium, bold beans
• Smooth, never bitter taste with subtle notes of cherry and chocolate
• Kick bad habits with something just as strong, but 100% natural
• We will refund you in full if it’s not the strongest coffee you’ve ever had
• Read all about it: 
• Why Death Wish?

The Edge of Manhood: Chest Hair, Bicycles, and Rock 'N' Roll

1973. 

Coming of age, 12 years old and just discovering the power of music, when, low and behold, Grand Funk unleashed this epic anthem! We all threw our shoulders back, mustered up our adolescent testosterone and swore we would "Walk Like A Man." Having absolutely no idea what that meant, we  strutted, grew our hair, and careened headlong into manhood. Man, I can still feel the wind in my hair on my ten-speed bike.

Grand Funk - Walk Like A Man (You Can Call Me Your Man)

From ultimateclassicrock.com:

‘Walk Like a Man’

From: ‘We’re an American Band’ (1973)

‘Walk Like a Man,' the second single from the band’s career-changing ‘We’re an American Band’ album, captures Grand Funk in transition as they moved from hard-rock crunch to more pop-oriented sounds. The song starts with a choppy riff that gives way to a full swing. From that point out, ‘Walk Like a Man’ is a strutting and swaggering slice of ’70s rock ‘n’ roll. Todd Rundgren’s crisp production helped send the song into the Top 20.

Read More: Top 10 Grand Funk Railroad Songs | http://ultimateclassicrock.com/grand-funk-

‘Walk Like a Man’-songs/?trackback=tsmclip

Rock on, you funkers!

Red is grey, and yellow, white, but we decide which is right...

I had a very intriguing conversation with an old friend today.  Martin Fritz appeared at our office with news that he had finished a book that had been his passion over the last several years.  He was kind enough to favor us with a preview and espouse some of the theory behind the book.  The premise as I understood it was that that man's ability to operate with a sense of a dual morality was the explanation of where we find ourselves today, and where that will take us in the future.

The conversation went quickly deeper than anything we had thought we would be delving into in a normal workday, and he definitely peaked our interest in further discussions.  We have always had thought-provoking conversations with him over the years, but we quickly realized this book had become the denouement of those talks.  I'm looking forward to sinking my teeth into it.

http://youtu.be/bHQG4EJPa-M

See for yourself at: http://www.ourhumanherds.com/

Review: The Masculine Mandate: God's Calling to Men

The Masculine Mandate: God's Calling to Men by Richard D. Phillips
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is a wonderful explanation of what God desires for us as men, fathers, leaders, and Christians. I read it through in two sittings, with numerous highlights.

I have had a strong feeling in my gut over the last few years that making excuses and shirking work in favor of entertainment and other pursuits were taking the place of manly disciplines. Mr. Phillips confirmed that for me and shows us how to get back to when men were men. Some of it is not politically correct, but so what? Throughly enjoyed it.

View all my reviews

We Salute You...

1. in me·mo·ri·am

   ˌin məˈmôrēəm/

   noun

   1. 1.

      an article written in memory of a dead person; an obituary.

      "in memoriam notices in the paper"

   preposition

   1. 1.

      in memory of (a dead person).

      "an openly revolutionary work in memoriam Che Guevara.

      
      

The last few weeks have been kind to the Iudices Barbarorum. First, Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister, bassist/vocalist of Motörhead and the last Roman of rock and roll, died quickly after a cancer diagnosis.  This one hurt.  As he sang in the later live shows, "I don't want to live forever...but apparently I am."  I think we all thought he never had to go.

The best tribute ever follows:

http://www.spin.com/2016/01/lemmy-motorhead-jack-daniels-whiskey-special-edition/

Next year was Alan Rickman, who is best known for his roles in the Harry Potter films, and also as Hans Gruber in Die Hard.

http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/01/alan-rickman-hans-gruber

 Last but not least, Grizzly Adams was definitely a man to be reckoned with.

 Who else hangs around with a bear? And what a beard!

https://youtu.be/8FjeIeUQtT8

Finally, I think Josh Schaffer hit the perfect note in this article:

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/josh-shaffer/article54893045.html

But, but, but...

Why does it have to be so dramatical?

I can't imagine what Jesus thought when almost everyone turned against him, and all he had ever tried to do was spread the truth.

Jesus said there were two things of utmost importance.

Unfortunately, if we are zombified Christians, we aren't equipped to do either.  So, I struggle to think more of others, and less about myself.

Wish me luck.

I Gotta Get Me One Of Those...

Zombie Outbreak Response Vehicle.

More to come, just you wait and see...

Are we the Un-Dead?

Undead: What Zombies Teach Us about Life and Faith

CBN.com - Undead: Revived, Resuscitated, and Reborn is the eye-catching title of an intriguing new book from Abingdon Press. It's a book about zombies, a Christian book about the undead. If that doesn't grab your attention, check your pulse. In it, author Clay Morgan explores death and the supernatural, explaining how faith and the living dead intersect.

Read the rest here.

Beware The Zombie Within...

BY DAN DELZELL, SPECIAL TO CP

June 19, 2013|7:16 am

You have probably noticed the fascination with zombies in American culture today. While zombies are only make-believe, they provide a powerful illustration for the Christian life.

Some people have an "inner zombie," and some people don't. And this might really blow your mind, but the people with the "inner zombie" are the Christians. The people without the "inner zombie" are the unbelievers. Let me explain.  Read more at:

the-inner-zombie-of-the-christian-life

Inspiration...

Wake The Sleeper - Uriah Heep

Wikipedia: Wake the Sleeper is the 21st studio album by the progressive rock band Uriah Heep. It is their first studio album since 1998's Sonic Origami. It is also their first album since 1980's "Conquest" without long-time drummer Lee Kerslake, who had to withdraw from the band due to ill health in 2007, putting an end to the band's longest-lasting lineup (which existed for 21 years).

The Sacred Undead...

My next read, back after a bit with my thoughts:

http://www.amazon.com/Zombie-Christian-Sabrena-Klausman/dp/1632682273/ref=cm_wl_huc_item