Maintain Low Tones (A multi-genre coolish vibe.) Voodoo Pop (Play after dark. During a full moon. Preferably in or near a swamp.)
CONCEPT MIXES | COOL AND/OR SPOOKY
CULTURE
Meet The Need, And Funding Will Take Care Of Itself.
A look inside The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham’s strategic planning process Few, if any, non-profit organizations have played a broader role in my hometown’s transformation from a Civil Rights-era battleground to an emergent symbol of the New South than the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham. Created in 1959, the Foundation has used grants from … Read More
Be Careful What You Wish For (Why music is really starting to suck)
Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal reported that the number of albums released globally in 2017 is roughly seven times the amount released in 1960. Which got me thinking, once again, what a horrible state popular music is in these days. Below is a column I wrote on the topic nearly 10 years ago. PART ONE: PRELUDE I used … Read More
15-SECOND SHOCKER: Nick Saban Makes Fun Of Himself!
Brilliant PR move or just plain funny? Both. (This post was originally published in September, 2010 — 9 months after Saban’s first national championship at Alabama) I remember the last time people really hated The Crimson Tide. And not just around the Southeastern Conference, but all over the country. It was about 30 years ago—the … Read More
Can’t We All Just Get Along?
This column was originally published in the January, 2012 issue of B-Metro Magazine. Now seemed like a good time to re-post it. Almost true story: A fine Southern lady and her daughter are taking a cab through New York, when the young girl asks about several brazenly-dressed women standing at a nearby street corner. “Well, sweetheart,” … Read More
Heartland 2017 – Let’s Twist Again
Americana Made Great. #3 in the series. CLICK HERE to Play OR Download the audio file AND the playlist. Click Here for links to all our online mixes.
Choose Your Associates Wisely.
Our web programmer Richard Thomas recently removed himself from consideration for a significant new business opportunity—after receiving a series of abrasive communiqués from the organization’s top executive (a physician). The last of which concluded with a direct order: “From now on, you will refer to me as Dr. [Whatever].” Shortly after that decision, Richard’s partner … Read More
Fifteen Years Ago Today.
I wrote the following email first thing in the morning on September 12, 2001. Hope you find it worthwhile reading. If Jerry Maguire can do it, so can I – – – So here is my personal manifesto: I believe our nation as a whole, and each of us individually, has been given the … Read More
The Rolling Stones – Exile On Main Street (Remastered)
NOTE: The piece below was originally published just after the remastered album’s release in 2010—when I was still writing an online music column for B-Metro Magazine. Hope you enjoy it. I vividly remember where I was, the first time I heard two albums as a child. In fourth grade, maybe fifth, I was in Hal Smyer’s … Read More
Board Out Of His Mind? Not Even For A Minute.
Almost true story: It’s the first day of kindergarten for Brian Giattina’s son, and his turn comes to introduce himself. “I’m Gus. My dad runs a meth lab and an extortion ring.” Horrified, the teacher pulls him aside. “Gus, your father is a good man. Why would you say something like that?” “I didn’t want … Read More