Dave's List of Most Increditastical Fantabulous Drumming Tracks

(Preface:  I played drums and percussion "professionally" for about fifteen years, many years ago.
 I don't play anymore - can't afford a new set - but I still tap the shit out of my steering wheel, lap,
dashboard, and anything that's not fast enough to run away - when there's a good tune on).

Most Fun-to-Play Drum Tracks:

Track	Performer	Band/Artist	Album
Southbound Suarez	John Bonham	Led Zeppelin	In Through the Out Door
Cinema	Alan White	Yes	90125
Peaches En Regalia	Vinnie Colaiuta	Frank Zappa	Tinsel Town Rebellion
Double Talkin' Jive	Matt Sorum	Guns n' Roses	Use Your Illusion I
Doctor Feelgood	Tommy Lee	Motley Crue	Doctor Feelgood
Dirty Little Thing	Matt Sorum	Velvet Revolver	Contraband
Jessica	Butch Trucks / Jaimo Johannsen	The Allman Brothers Band	Eat a Peach
Crime of the Century	Bob Siebenberg	Supertramp	Crime of The Century
Trampled Under Foot	John Bonham	Led Zeppelin	Physical Graffiti
Greasy Kid Stuff	Chris Frazier	Steve Vai	Passion and Warfare
I'd Love to Change The World	Ric Lee	Ten Years After	A Space In Time

Most Fun-to-Play Percussion Tracks:

Track	Performer	Band/Artist	Album
Oye Como Va?	Michael Shrieve	Santana	Abraxas
Mind Ecology	Zakir Hussein	Shakti with John McLaughlin	Natural Elements

Stinkiest, Drippiest Groove-Oriented

Track	Performer	Band/Artist	Album
Never Alone	Vinnie Colaiuta	Jeff Beck	Emotion and Commotion
The Animal	Chris Frazier	Steve Vai	Passion and Warfare
Can't You Hear Me Knockin?	Charlie Watts	The Rolling Stones	Sticky Fingers
Belief	xx	John Mayer	Continuum

Trickiest to Learn

Track	Performer	Band/Artist	Album
YYZ	Neil Peart	Rush	Moving Pictures
Changes	Alan White	Yes	90125
Space Boogie	Simon Philips	Jeff Beck	There And Back
Windows To The Soul	Mike Mangini	Steve Vai	The Ultra Zone

Most Ass-Kicking, Balls-Through-the-Wall, Drum Snippets (intro or solo)

Track	Performer	Band/Artist	Album
Pick Me, I'm Clean	Vinnie Colaiuta	Frank Zappa	Tinsel Town Rebellion
Over The Mountain	Tommy Aldridge	Ozzy	Diary Of A Madman
Hot For Teacher	Alex Van Halen	Van Halen	1984

Prediction Confliction

It's been a long time since I tried on my alliteration duds, and these two words seemed to fit just about right. So anyhow, as we approach the end of another calendar year (on the Judeo-Christian calendar) I felt it was time to say some stupid things again. Although, this time I'm wrapping it in a blanket of smoked bacon and quasi-intellect to give it that home-cooked goodness.

My Predictions

1. The Anonymous (aka "Wild West Show") Internet will be Dead

What: Eventually, but not that far off, no one will be able to be truly anonymous or impossible to locate when they use the Internet.

When: On or before 2024

Why: The strongest proponents for this are governments and corporations. The only opponents are individuals. Guess who has more money, power, influence and the ability to basically "make it happen"? Lao Tsu (or Sun Tsu?) would've called this an "unstoppable force", but the only potential "immovable objects" are a bunch of people on their couches with a remote control in their hands. I know you're going to say "but, but, people will rise up and ...", and I'll finish that sentence with "...succumb to the boiling frog syndrome". It won't happen abruptly, but gradually over time.  The way all diabolical plans work best.

2. American Domestic Violence will Rise

What: Incidents of Americans attacking other Americans based on religious, ethnic, economic, political and racial differences will rise in frequency.

When: From now through ...?

Why: it was obvious from the most recent election that the public is growing more polarized. It is also apparent that the major press outlets feel they gain from helping to foment this growing divide, possibly from the increased "news" content that is created from the results. Creating news is more appealing than having to wait for it.  I'm not even referencing the recent spate of shootings (Newtown,CT, or the fire-fighters, or the cops in Kansas or Washington State), just general public angst and polarization will be enough to drive this evil crap higher.  Add to that the rising popularity of energy drinks, violence on TV and movies, and you have a little gasoline for the fire.  Enjoy!

3. Electric Vehicles will Finally Take Hold

What: once the right market forces get fully behind it, pure-electric vehicles will become commonplace alongside existing combustion engine and hybrid vehicles. And not just four-wheeled products.

When: On or before 2024

Why: Once the corporate players figure out a good profit angle it will be a no-brainer for shareholders.

4. TV "Reality" Shows will Gain Equal Status with Movies

What:  Award shows will emerge that are devoted entirely to the so-called "reality" shows on cable and satellite TV (okay, they're on the major networks also).  But, more importantly, the public will view them as being of equal "quality" and "value" as cinematic movies and premium cable movies as well.  They will hand out awards that will be of equal status with the Oscar, the Emmy, and the Grammy.

When: Within five (5) years, probably sooner.

Why:  We are becoming dumber by the minute.

We will have to check back in this posting in 10 years to see if I was right. The low-risk aspect of this is I'm guessing nobody will remember this in 2024, an I could be dead and gone anyway.

What do you think?  Am I completely off my rocker?  Post your thoughts in the Comment box below...

And Now, For something completely different...

Stupid Assumptions

After years of watching sci-fi TV shows, movies, etc. it's finally come to a point where even the so-called brightest of our authors and screenwriters are annoying the shit out of me.  Why?  Because the common, no, strike that, not "common", but more accurately, the "only" view they seem to follow is that interplanetary/intergalactic "aliens" will fit the following mold:

• Intelligent
• Two legs and two arms (yes, I've see the others with octopus bodies and heads like bugs)
• Two eyes and a mouth (or three eyes and no mouth)
• Most of them don't have a nose (wtf?)
• Their vision is in the same light spectrum as ours
• Their hearing is in the same frequency range as ours
• They sense heat and cold like we do
• They wear clothing to cover their naughty bits (or don't have any naughty bits)
• They don't smell really bad
• They don't make obnoxious sounds (farting, snoring) all the time
• They don't leave trails wherever they go
• They understand our body language and colloquial aspects

What if?  What if they smell like shit?  What if they ooze from all their pores all the time?  What if they leave a slug trail?  What if they find some of our gestures aggravatingly offensive?  Imagine that some of our common names for things sound like words they use to describe offensive things.  What if they introduce themselves and have names like "fuck" and "c**ksucker"?  Go ahead and smirk and laugh, but what if they sounded so much like that we'd do a double-take?  What if reaching out to offer a handshake is a sign of aggression in their culture?  What if we look like food to them?

What if they like to be naked and they have six 24-inch penises sticking out from all around them?

What if they have eight testicles that hang from beneath their face?

We all know about culture dichotomies like how cows are viewed in America versus India.  How handshakes are viewed in the Middle East, versus Japan or Africa, and how showing the soles of your feet when sitting down is offensive to some cultures, as is offering your left hand to shake (or even wave hello).  So we see cows as a source of milk and food in America.  They exist to provide milk and be slaughtered for beef.  In India they let them walk the streets like we view dogs and cats.  What if aliens view horses and dogs the same way?  What if they view skin tones in that way?  What if brown skin is ok to have around, but pale skin means extra crispy batter coating?  What if?

You're probably snickering.  Most humans would.  That's because we humans know everything.  We can predict everything.  We apply our logic to predict what can be possible beyond what we've experienced.  We are awesome.  That's why we can predict the stock market so well.

My Favorite Tweeters

No, I'm not talking about stereo speakers.  I'm talking about my top list of most interesting or funniest Twitter folks:

Funny

• DoucheF**k (Jason Alan)
• AfroGirl23
• BorowitzReport (Andy Borowitz)
• MommyWantsVodka (Aunt Becky)
• TSAGov
• WillBrimley (fake Wilford Brimley)
• NotGaryBusey (fake Gary Busey)

Educational

• Freakonomics
• RodTrent (Rod Trent)
• JArwidmark (Johan Arwidmark)
• KaraSwisher (Kara Swisher)
• MrCADman (Shaan Hurley)
• JeffHicks (Jeff Hicks)
• Om (Om Malik)
• MaryJoFoley (Mary Jo Foley)
• TechCrunch
• BeersOfTheNight (Lance Martin)

I would have posted a longer list, but a lot of the folks I follow have locked accounts so you wouldn't be able to read their stuff anyway.  If I follow you and left your name off please don't hate me.  Well, go ahead and hate me, but that's a longer list so you'll be standing in a longer line.

Intermission

While I step away for a little while, enjoy this nice performance by Petteri Sariola.  This guy blows me away.  Hit YouTube for more clips of him in various places doing various things.  Amazing.  Enjoy!

Grammy's Get it Right

I was so happy to see Esperanza Spalding win tonight.  Coming from a musical background, ok, a long long time ago, in a galaxy far far away, I can appreciate real talent when I see/hear it.  This past year there have been some amazing new artists coming into the spotlight, and many others still waiting to be discovered by the masses.  Esperanza has now crossed the threshold into the public eye.  Hopefully Tal Wilkenfeld will get her moment soon.  Enjoy…

Esperanza Spalding

Tal Wilkenfeld

Songs I Could Do Without: Forever

The following songs could be locked away in a vault and never played again and I would not miss them one bit.  I've absorbed enough shitty radio heavy-rotation air play in the past 46 years to hold me until the end of time.

• Stairway to Heaven
• Free Bird
• Sweet Home Alabama
• Sharp Dressed Man
• (Don't Fear) The Reaper
• RADAR Love
• Purple Haze
• Brown Sugar
• (You're Messin' With) A Son of a Bitch
• Born to be Wild
• Born in the USA
• Uptown Girls
• Man Eater
• Double Vision
• Wheels In The Sky
• Lick It Up
• Rock and Roll All Night
• Danger Zone

The Day After

Monday.  Bleary-eyed.  Tired.  In desperate need of coffee.  I am glad for one thing however: I had no dog in yesterday's fight.  Being from Virginia, we have NO professional sports franchises whatsoever.  No baseball, football, soccer, hockey, basketball, not even Jai Lai.  Ohio on the other hand has eight (8), yes, EIGHT, professional sports franchises.  Even Missouri, St. Louis to be precise, has two (2).  Compare the demographics and population figures between each of these states and it just seems odd.  I've heard all the rationale, explanations, theories, etc.  But it still is odd, no matter how you slice it.
Some folks here claim the Washington Redskins as their "Virginia team", but that's as disingenuous as calling the New York Giants a real New York team (the Meadowlands stadium sits in New Jersey).  The Redskins play in Maryland, which also has the Baltimore Ravens, and the Orioles, among their list of professional franchises.
So yesterday we had the Steelers and the Packers.  Two teams from places with nothing much left behind from their namesake industries, yet they marched onward and into the record books.  Today is just another Monday for me.  Bleary-eyed.  Tired.  And in desperate need of coffee.

Say What You Want…

I played in rock bands, pop bands, jazz bands, even a sucky-ass country band (as if the pop band wasn't sucky enough) through the 1980's.  It was a crazy, insane wild ride, even for a local band that didn't travel far.  Regrets? Sure. Everyone likes to say they don't have any, but the truth is every human alive would jump at the opportunity to fix something they did wrong in life at least once.  Which brings me to this…

I'm not trying to get preachy or anything.  I don't have any legs to stand on for that sort of ilk.  But from a purely musical perspective, this is a fantastic work of musical construction.  The lyrics are beautiful.  The video is oddly fitting (I could've done without the very end, but the lumps come with the gravy and it actually makes sense if you've known of Ozzy since he left Sabbath).  It's nice and I wanted to plop it down on this page to share with you.  Even if you despise him or just feel indifferent: give this one a watch.  That's not a lot to ask.

Recommended Reading

I have no idea who this guy is, or anything about him.  I know nothing of him whatsoever.  But the book (at only $1.99) is a short and pretty read.  And you can read it on almost anything with the free Kindle Reader app.  Check it out.

My Crappy Virginia Beach Restaurant Rating Guide

These are my ratings for restaurants around Virginia Beach that I have eaten at.  My rating method lumps all these places into one category: "places to eat". Because when I'm hungry, I just really don't give a shit about the ambience.  My only concerns are:

1. Do I feel like beef, chicken, fish, Asian, Mexican, Italian, Indian, Botswanian or whatever
2. Am I dressed appropriate for the place
3. Do I have enough $ to eat there

Establishment	Atmosphere	Prices	Portions	Service	Score
McCormick & Schmicks	9	4	4	8	25
Romano's Macaroni Grill	8	7	8	8	31
Ruth's Chris	7	3	6	8	24
Primo's	6	8	9	9	32
Cheesecake Factory	8	8	8	9	33
P.F. Chang's	9	8	9	8	34
Village Inn (breakfast)	8	9	9	9	35
Panera Bread	5	8	5	5	23
Plaza Azteca (Holland)	6	5	7	4	22
Guadalajara (Town Center)	5	4	3	2	14
Smokey Bones (Town Center)	7	7	7	4	25
Il Guardino	5	3	2	4	14
Max & Erma's	7	7	7	5	26
Bravo's	7	7	7	8	29
Mahi Mah's	8	7	7	7	29
Chipotle	4	8	8	6	26
County Grill	6	9	8	8	31
Firehouse Subs	4	8	8	7	27
Tropical Smoothie (Municipal Center)	5	7	8	9	29
Jason's Deli	6	9	9	5	29
Steinhilber's	10	8	9	10	37
Zia Marie's	9	5	6	9	29

Numbers Aren't Everything: Part 2

I kind of left that previous post half-finished.  I led into it talking about Hampton Roads, which is only one of four main regions in the state (or commonwealth) of Virginia.  The other three are:

• Northern Virginia: composed of Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, Vienna, McLean, Loudown, Falls Church, Manassas and all the other crap around the Southern half of the 495 beltway
• Richmond/ Central: composed of Richmond, Henrico, Chester, Mechanicsville, Petersburg, Hopewell, Colonial Heights, Dinwiddie, Hanover and all the other local places
• West / Blue Ridge: A more dispersed scattering of populated towns like Roanoke, Charlottesville, Blacksburg, Staunton, Waynesboro, and trailers and mountain folk.

Of these, including Hampton Roads, which covers the extreme Southeast corner of the state, none of these is suitable for a professional sports franchise for various reasons.  But most of all due to lack of interest.  Richmond and Northern Va tend to support Washington or Baltimore franchises.  Western region tends to support franchises in the midwest plain states and South.  In fact, many that I know in that area don't pay as much attention to professional sports as they do collegiate sports (and for good reasons, I may add).

So, in short: Virginia has one of the lowest interests in obtaining their own professional franchise identity akin to maybe Idaho, North Dakota or New Mexico.  In fact, I would bet one of those three states gets a pro franchise before Virginia even attempts it again.

When it Comes to Entertainment: Numbers Aren't Everything

I've beaten this horse to death so many times, that it looks like Keith Richards.  But I will beat it again, this time over the head with a lead-filled Excel spreadsheet table and a poison-tipped bar chart.

Topic? Why "Hampton Roads" (Virginia) doesn't have a professional football team.  Heck, professional ANY team.

Based on census figures, Virginia Beach alone, one of six cities making up "Hampton Roads", has more people than St. Louis, Cleveland or Cincinnati.  Combine the metropolitan region into the total numbers, and we move up a bit, outranking even Atlanta, Denver, Baltimore and Charlotte.

But when people say we should have a pro franchise, they're not really looking at the facts as a whole:

• Most people living here were not born here.  This is overwhelmingly a military town.
• A large percentage of people here have lived here less than five years.
• A large portion of sports fans are aligned with their teams from back home.
• A large portion of sports fans don't expect to remain living here more than 5 years.
• All past attempts to secure a franchise have failed.

Nobody is going to drop support for their home team when they have nothing to tie them "here" as local fans.  Once they are committed to supporting Washington, Pittsburgh or Dallas (just happens to be the three predominant fan base groups here), there's no chance they'll change colors to support the Hampton Roads Hacks or whatever they might be called (I can only imagine the dumbest names possible, due to our relative low-ranking stature in the marketing industry).

The only possible scenario would be to move a franchise here, which is not unrealistic.  However, it is improbable and impractical, for all the reasons above.  Given that 95 percent of the pro football fans fall into the "big three" named above (Washington, Dallas and Pittsburgh), if another franchise moved here, it would be ignored.  There isn't enough money or interest to pull one of those three here either.  So based on all the factors presently available, you have to pick a team to root for from another state.  We don't have a single professional Football, Baseball, Basketball or Hockey franchise in this state, much less in Hampton Roads.  Not one.  We've had them in the past.  Even a pro Soccer team, once.  But that was long ago.  Suck it up Virginia: People here don't like homegrown sports.  They prefer them imported.

She Reminds Me of my 4th Grade Teacher

(only much better looking)

Oh yeah, I forgot…

To provide an example of “mean guitar” as it pertains to Brian Setzer.  Enjoy!

Just For Fun

I’ve always like Brian Setzer, just because he refuses to “fit in”.  He also plays a mean guitar.  This is just fun to watch (and I wish I could dance like that)

Impressions from Jay Pharoah

Dipping Back a Little

I played drums throughout much of the 1980's, so it's still something I hold close to my heart.  I have a lot of favorite percussionists, many you've probably heard of, some you may not have.  This is one that that hit me pretty hard because John Bonham was one of my favorites.  This is not just a matter of being a tribute from his son (like Natalie Cole did for her father Nat King Cole).  It's that, plus the fact that he just nailed it.  He f**king nailed it.  Anyone who questioned whether Jason could fill those shoes has to close their mouth and just smile.  It's worth watching.

You can find this among a hundred other fantastic videos on my YouTube channel.

My Favorite Web Sites

I'm a Google Reader JUNKIE.  I may need therapy.  I currently have about 250 feeds arranged into 8 categories of which I scan daily for useful tidbits.  However, I'm becoming less of a fan of RSS skimming and getting back more towards reading the source web sites.  The reason is that RSS feeds generally strip off a lot of the visual appeal of the site itself.  While the textual content is usually intact, the graphics often get skewed, blocked or just don't come through at all.  But more important than graphics and visual layout is the aggregation of information.  Great examples of this are FastCompany and SmashingMagazine.  If you inspect their home pages it should be obvious what you miss by only reading their RSS feeds.  I obviously don't visit nearly as many web sites as I have RSS feeds, but these I try to hit at least every other day if I can.

Note: My criteria for "favorite" is not based on visual appeal or site design.  It's based on useful information and ease of extraction.

FastCompany

Smashing Magazine

NetTuts

LifeHacker

QuickSprout (Neil Patel's blog)

Cool Material

Neatorama