A blog about Arts & Entertainment, Kern County, and Health & Wellness.
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John McCain should be proud to be associated with Bush: I'm proud of our President! A Couple of Mavericks: Hear the new song and keep an eye on the winning ticket Jimmy Carter denegrates McCain's military service: Alt rock song asks Carter, do you have a soul? Makin' Great Strides: New alt rock song about rise and fall of John Edwards Promises made in the Parking Lot at Trout's: hear/review new Krock (Kern County country rock) song It's Rainin' at my Favorite Honky-tonk: For my friends at Trout's: R.I.P. Vern Never Mind the Bollocks: Here's the Alvis Edgar Wannabes: Our First Single/First Trivia Quest The BLT in BeaTLes: Answer this riddle to win Dr BLT cover of song by Buck's favorite band Dr BLTrivia: Identify what the girl says at the end of the Sour Grapes song! Win free blow-up doll! Sour Grapes and Lemons: Dr BLT featuring mystery female artist August 06 September 06 October 06 November 06 December 06 January 07 February 07 March 07 April 07 May 07 June 07 July 07 August 07 September 07 October 07 November 07 December 07 January 08 February 08 March 08 April 08 May 08 June 08 July 08 August 08 September 08 
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Buck's Red, White and Blue Guitar words and music by Dr BLT copyright 2008 Nu Bako Sound Recordings/KrockeRecords
nothin' helps me celebrate July the 4th as much as Buck's red, white and blue guitar nothin' helps me play my songs with just that special touch like Buck's red, white and blue guitar
I pledge allegiance to that guitar and for the country it stands for I pledge allegiance to the stripes and stars on Buck's red, white and blue guitar
let me have it for a season let me hold it for a spell just to know that Buck Owens played it makes every thing that's gone wrong all turn out well
nothin' helps me celebrate July the 4th as much as Buck's red, white and blue guitar Some of the Bee Gees richest material sprang from their early souls, prior to the disco era they got bloody rich in, and, also, typecast in. One example is I Started a Joke. My cover of the song can be found here:
along with a couple of cuts from my forthcoming CD, From Buck Owens Blvd. to Merle Haggard Drive, including Keepin' Up with the Jones, my tribute to one of Buck's favorite country stars, Mr. George Jones. For more information on that Jones tribute and the other track, visit: Before Buck and before Merle, there was Mr. Lloyd Reading. He's the most accessible living legend from the earliest of the Bakersfield Sound generation. At 89 years of age, he's the man the younger generations of Bakersfield Sound-rooted artists are turning to for mentoring and for inspiration. I hope to interview him for an article I'm calling Reading between the Lines. But, in the meantime, my good friend, and one of Bakersfield Sound's fastest-rising underground underdog stars, Mr. Hank Ray, and myself, would like to introduce him through a song. It's a song we wrote and recorded in a period of about 20 minutes in the BuckarooM. It's for you, Lloyd. You rock! The future of the Bakersfield Sound rests in your guitar-pickin' hands! Catch the lyrics, and watch for more of this living legend at: Bakersfield Sound Underground Someday, I hope to be good enough to write commercial radio jingles for Trout's, maybe even to perform there, but in the meantime, I'm just playing around and dreaming. What you're hearing if you've activated the attached play station is just a sample of what you'll get today, when you go underground. To hear my bakobilly hick hop jingle pretending to be the official jingle advertising today's event's at Trout's, to read the lyrics, and to delightfully discover a link that will give you all the details of today's Bakobilly event at Trout's, go to: http://www.bakersfieldsound... Remember, if you ain't goin' underground, you ain't goin' anywhere! Welcome to today's edition of Bakersfield Sound Trivia Quest. I'm Dr. BLT. I'll be your host. Today, we're projecting into the future of the Bakersfield Sound with the introduction of the future group, Grungedawg Squaredance, and their new song, If Korn went Kountry. Today's Bakersfield Sound trivia quest challenge is to identify each member of this group, Grungedawg Squaredance. The group asked me to write this song for them, and since experimental fusion is something I'm really into, I agreed, at the risk that the experiment would result in one big musical disaster. But that is what experimenting is all about---risk. And now, if you'll take a risk and answer today's challenge, you will run the risk of being our next winner. Ready? Set? Blog n roll! As the local underground music scene goes, t's one of the hottest topics to hit the Streets of Bakersfield in recent days. I'm talking about the Bakersfield Sound generation gap. Up until now, I've been doing my best to put a spotlight on the problem, and the nature of the problem. With the introduction of a brand new rockin' round table discussion today, I've begun to introduce solutions. The one being brought to the table for discussion today is mentoring, and its role in bridging the Bakersfield Sound generation gap. You have to go underground to get in on the discussion, but you might as well, as the Kern country country cognoscente say, "If you ain't goin' underground, you ain't goin' anywhere!" Check it out and be sure to contribute today at: Bakersfield Sound Underground, where the old Bakersfield Sound finds new ground: I recently took the words to that old Little River Band song to heart and decided it was "time for a cool change." So I gathered my wife, my nearly 3-year-old daughter, a stack of my new CDs (The Buck Owens Studios Farewell Session), and headed North to Canada. After landing in Calgary, we headed out the beautiful rocky mountain resort area known as Banff, Alberta. We took some breath-taking sights, ate some great food, heard some great music, and met some great people---big fans, young and old, of the Bakersfield Sound, including a Buck Owens fan who runs a place where tourists can go horse-back-riding, and brand new, newly Bakersfield-Sound-grounded young rock band from Britain. After a couple of days in Banff, we gradually headed to the east of the mid-west, through Swift Current and Medicine Hat, on our way to sunny, snowy city of bridges, known as Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. It's bridges allow city travellers to cross the Saskatchewan river, but, musically, it seems its bridges extend all the way to Bakersfield. My family enjoyed interacting with relatives and my little girl had a chance to meet with relatives she had never seen or met before. She was the life of the party. I enjoyed travelling down memory lane, and I used my new CD as a springboard in which to launch into discussions with people from the streets of Saskatoon about the Bakersfield Sound and where it is going today. It seems that there are a core group of Bakersfield Sound fans of all ages there, and, though I didn't embark upon any scientific surveys or studies, my informal observations, led me to the conclusion that the excitement about the Bakersfield Sound, and where it is headed, is even greater over there, partially because, as we all know, distance---geographical, chronological, or both, often makes the heart grow founder. I went to Saskatoon for family reasons and to share my roots, while fanning the flames of a Bakersfield Sound revival. I found that the flames didn't need to be fanned. Those flames were as alive and well as the Calgary Flames NHL team was when they won the Stanley Cup championship in 2007. Hence, the song you're now hearing (if you've activated the attached play station) was born. Like many of my songs, and my musical endeavors, From the Street of Saskatoon 2 the Streets of Bakersfield, was inspired by the Homer Joy song Buck Owens and Dwight Yoakam put on the charts, and by the town Homer Joy put on the map. Meet me underground tomorrow for a brief article on the subject and a rockin' round table discussion in the comments section. My name is Dr. BLT. I'll be your host. I teach Developmental Psychology at Chapman University on the beautiful campus of College of the Canyons in Valencia, California. I will be applying developmental psychology to the future direction I envision for the Bakersfield Sound movement. It's all about bringing it forward to a new generation. The next generation to accept the call to stand on the shoulders of giants in order to create spectacular music of the future. I call that generation The Coalition of the Willing and Generation Next. BTW, in case you're wondering, that's my daughter in the photo, with her grandpa. She calls me "daddy," and him, "papa." He's my father, and I've learnd a ton from him. We are a family that believes in the profound value of cross-generational mentoring on the matters that matter most in life. I took this photo last week at my parent's home in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
There are right answers, there are wrong answers, and then, there's the best answer. If you feel you have the best answer, post it under the comments section at: Tomorrow, June 25, 2008. You'll win a prize, and you'll win the comforting knowledge that you have significantly contributed to all of our individual and collective funds of knowledge on the relationship between the past, the present and the future of the Bakersfield Sound.
If You Wanna be the Next Buck Owens: You've got to grab the bull by the horns: Contest deadline 6/30
------even if it's an ox. like the one pictured here, that my wife took at a little shop in Banff, Alberta. The deadline for mix tapes or CD-R covers of the song, If You Wanna Be the Next Buck Owens, is June 30, 2008 at 12 midnight. What will the winner of Bakersfield's Next Buck Talent competition win? You'll have to go underground to find the answer to that. And, I'm sure you've heard that if you ain't goin' underground, you ain't goin' anywhere, so check that out via this link: Bakersfield's Next Buck Talent Contest: Bakersfield Sound Underground The thing that scares most people is the idea that you have to sound, or be like Buck to win. You don't. You simply have to convey the spirit, and a modicum of the talent to win. The spirit is that of bold independence, determination, drive and willingness to sing and play outside the box. You can be a band, a solo artist, a dual, a male, or a female to be named Bakersfield's Next Buck. In fact, you don't even have to necessarily sound "country," at least not in the traditional sense. You can add a little alt rock, a little post-punk, a little jazz, a little blues, a little hip or "hick" hop, whatever your thing is. Like the song goes, "Be yourself/be yourself/don't try to be like anybody else." Blog visitors here, at bakotopia.com and at bakersfieldunderground.com will select the winner, so my biases don't have to stand in the way. You simply learn the original Dr. BLTune posted right here (check the play station affixed at the top, left-hand-corner, then either play it safe, but save some bucks (no pun intended) by going to a professional studio where all of the musical instrument tracks have already been recorded and simply pay for the studio time involved in laying down your vocals and mixing them down, or record the song in your own style, and a studio of your own choice (at your own expense) or at no or little expense if at your own personal studio) taking a greater creative risk, and putting more of your personality in the musical interpretation. E-mail me for your own free mp3 copy of the song to practive with, and if you want to do it with pre-recored tracks call Reggie at Bakersfield School of Music and Recording to see if he can squeeze you in before the deadline. Also, e-mail me if you have any further questions. Are you Bakersfield's Next Buck? You won't know until you grab the bull by the horns and go for it. This photo I took is not posted here to necessarily represent my preference. I enjoy both and I need you to help me if I'm ever caught in this jam (pun wholly intended): It's a Saturday night. There's a kick-ass country band playing at Trout's and there's one playing over at the Crystal Palace. The gigs start and end at the same time. You're a die-hard Bakersfield Sound fan. Where do you go? It's time to play blog n roll. When I say, blog n roll, you add your comment, and your concommitant perspective in the comments section below. Ready? Set? BLOG N ROLL! Welcome to Does it Suck, or does it Buck? I'm Dr. BLT, your host, and your vulnerable Krocker (Kern County Country Rocker) putting my redneck on the line by asking for your critique of my songs. If the song sucks, feel free to tell me (hopefully in terms that are both honest and helpful in terms of offering constructive criticism). If it Bucks, that it rocks, and that Buck Owens himself would approve of it. Here's another Trout's Tall Tale told in Song, from a forthcoming collection of such. This one's about not only not kicking a woman when she's down, but actually picking her up by being a true cowboy gentleman. I hope you enjoy it. It's called Cowboy Up 'cause Cowgirl's Down. This is a rough cut recorded in the BuckarooM at my house. Just activate the play button on the attached play station to hear the song. Let me know what you think. You'll find the complete set of lyrics at: They call it laryngitis. That's what I was stricken with after spending a night in Calgary, Alberta at a hotel where too much cold air from the air conditioner blew on me all night long. So I left my voice in Calgary, Alberta, but brought my heart, and my pen with me. This morning, I penned this song about the two towns I consider home. Then I recorded it, with scratchy, scratch vocals. Hence, it is not yet available to be heard. BTW, my mom, Dorothy Julene Thiessen, painted the portrait of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan you see here when you turn the page.
From the Streets of Saskatoon to the Streets of Bakersfield words and music by Dr BLT copyright 2008
from the streets of Saskatoon to the Streets of Bakersfield they keep it real expressin' what they feel from that Homer Joy put on the map to those streets where I grew up in Saskatoon Chorus: they keep on walkin' they keep on movin' groovin' to the B-town Sound some folks in Saskatoon know every Haggard tune the countries are connected by these towns
from the streets of Saskatoon to the Streets of Bakersfield are simple folk hummin' simple songs from the streets of Saskatoon to the streets of Bakersfield the music is the place where they belong (chorus)
at Tramp's they sell Farewell CDs on 2nd Avenue on 2nd Avenue at World Records downtown here in Bakersfield I found that I will never have to lose (chorus) Welcome to Bakersfield Sound Trivia Quest (BSTQ). I'm Dr. BLT. I'll be the host of today's challenge question. You'll choose between two, both located within blocks of one another, in downtown Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The first of these two is pictured here. You'll need to go to http://www.bakersfieldsound... to see the second picture, your second of two choices. And it's just as well. The reason? If you're not going underground, you're not going anywhere! It's good to be back on The Streets of Bakersfield Homer, Buck and Dwight made famous, but I sure had a great time travelling down the highways of mid-western Canada talking to Canadians and tourists from all around the world about the Bakersfield Sound. This picture was taken on the way out of Swift Current, Saskatchewan on the way to Medicine Hat. You can find out more about my recent travels by going underground. Streets of Bakersfield to Highways of Western Canada
Remember, if you're not going underground, you're not going anywhere! Check out the new song featured on the "U.S.eh" edition of the CD here, then head underground for more details, sketchy though they may be. Remember, if you're not going underground, you're not going anywhere.
World Records and Going Underground outlets added to meet increased CD demand since TV-news coverage
I'd like to take a moment to thank all of you for your patience. I'm very aware of the increased demand for the Buck Owens Farewell Session CD since Channel 17 covered the CD release party on Saturday, 6/7/8. We're doing our best to meet the increased demand, and the local record owners are doing their best to accomodate the long lines you've had to stand in for hours in the heat. Oops, that was just the dreamer side of me talking. In reality, I'm not breaking any record sales with record sales yet on this one. But there have been some of you who have asked how they can get a copy before they're sold out, and since it is well known that I have a marked disdain for fame, and tend to fail to post that sort of information, I'm trying to turn over a new leaf here. Pat, who has moved his store, World Records to a brand new location, on 1824 G Street, has graciously agreed to a consignment deal, and the CD is now available there. Interestingly enough, the song The End of the World, which appears on the CD, was written right after the story was broken that the record store, once located on Stockdale Highway and Coffee Road, was closing for good. In addition, Ronald, who runs a place right next door to World Records, over there at 1822 G Street, Going Underground, has also agreed to a consignment deal. Of course, many of you know that the CD is also available at Russo's at the Marketplace, where it was released on 6/7/8, which is also the title of the title track, with the sub-title of Prelude to Farewell. Of course, the CD will be available soon at my website. Presently, only a few of the songs can be purchased, as individual songs. Now I know there's a big dispute right here in Bakersfield over which was the last band/solo artist etc. to record at the old Buck Owens recording studios (known later as Fat Tracks, and then, Pig Studio), and I'm one of the ones being argued about. To set the record straight, the part of this CD that catures my session was recorded on April 2, 2008, when the studio was officially closed. But things were being wrapped up, and, while no other solo arists has thrown his/her hat in the ring, I'm officially stepping out of the argument. Let history decide. I think the whole argument is both humorous, and, a testimony to the remarkable reputation this studio, and its artists have earned. God bless everyone who had the pleasure of recording at the old studio that is now an historic site that folks will be talking about for, years, even, decades to come.
It's not in the lyrics below, and you'll have to listen closely to catch it. Welcome to Bakersfield Sound Trivia Quest meets Trout's Tall Tales Told in song, my new Bakersfield Sound series. I wrote and recorded the first song this morning from the BuckarooM in my house. It's called His Tipsy Toes. Today, your challenge is to correctly identify the words that the short dude in this song is saying behind my back that represent his ultimate nemesis. To activate the song sample, hit the play button on the play station above and wait. The winner gets a free mp3 copy of this Rough Cut from the BuckarooM. Ready? Set! Blog n roll!
His Tipsy Toes words and music by Dr BLT copyright 2008 he's taller when he's standin' on his tipsy toes he's bolder when he drinks, and so he does he's talkin' smack behind my back at Trout's tonight he's tellin' folks I stole his only love
chorus: but tonight his tipsy toes are gonna get stepped on tonight this 5-foot punk is gonna cry he tells me "Pick on someone your own age and size!" But tonight his tipsy toes are gonna fly
he's taller with every drink he pours inside and now he's talkin' smack about my girl and folks, that's just where I draw the line you don't put down a lady in my world
his heels are high on his cowboy boots he's talkin' big and he don't give a hoot no, size doesn't matter to this little man but tonight his tipsy toes just crossed a line in the sand
Trout's CMA's rocked, but what about the elephant in the room?: THE BAKERSFIELD SOUND GENERATION GAP
I thought maybe some of the last bands and artists to have recorded at the old Buck Owens Studios (aka Fat Tracks/Pig Studios) would have showed up to honor the living legends that have contributed, in collosal ways, to the Bakersfield Sound. They were conspicuously absent. I'm sure they were all very busy. I've been busy myself, and haven't always attended functions that have honored the pioneers, the past they represent, and rich heritage. they have brought, and continue to bring, to this community. I was about the youngest one there, with, perhaps one or two exceptions. That's pretty sad. The elephant in the room was the phenomenon I call the Bakersfield Sound generation gap. At least 2 generations were missing in inaction at the 2nd Annual Bakersfield Country Music Awards. The 50 to 100-year-olds put my generation, and younger, to shame, with their heart-felt appreciation for the givers that keep giving, whose legacies are forever etched in stone in the very heart of Bakersfield. I guess old guys do rule (and old gals too). They certainly know how to honor their own. My generation (with notable exceptions) has cut itself off from its roots, and we wonder why a musical identity crisis has ensued. This trend appears even more pronounced in the very town that gave birth to the likes of Homer Joy, Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, Billy Mize, Sonny Langley, Red Simpson, and the many other Bakersfield Sound pioneers, many of who were the honorees of the evening. I'll get off my soapbox now. After all, I live in a glass house (well, at least the windows are glass), and I certainly don't want to come home to find them shattered. 50 Cent, you've got nothing onTerry Keplinger (pictured here), and the Fifty Buck Band. They brought the rafters down at my favorite honky tonk, Trout's on North Chester Avenue, in Bakersfield California as they introduced the 2nd Annual Country Music Awards. bakersfield californian story by Joe Boesen Rockwell was a terrific, affable host, and MC, once again. But the show was all about the honorees, and their legacies, both individually, and collectively, and, in that respect, these kings of Kern County country really shined. FOR THE COMPLETE ARTICLE, visit: After posting your answer in the comments section below, go undergound to find Part II and answer it in the comments section at: The CD released just last night, "The Buck Owens Studios Farewell Session," contains both the mixes that were done at Pig Studios (formerly, informally known as Buck Owens Studios and then Fat Tracks) at the original rough mixes from my own home studio, the BuckarooM. The CD has just become interactive, by allowing you, the listener, to judge between the different mixes in terms of your preferences. You can do that by going underground at Bakersfield Sound Underground: http://www.bakersfieldsound... See you underground! If you ain't goin' underground, you ain't goin' nowhere! The CD release of The Buck Owens Studios Farewell Session went on without a hitch. The attendees (I wouldn't exactly call them a crowd) seemed very enthusiastic, often moving to the music (one gentleman was busted breaking out into a very unique dance), and they didn't seem to experience channel 17's news coverage as an interruption, but, rather, as something else to focus their attention on. What up, cowboy? What up, cowgirl? Welcome to my new series---one that gives you an up close and personal look at the burgeoning underground "hick" hop scene, both here in Bakersfield, and abroad. I'm your host, Dr. BLT. As anothere beloved blogger here recently put it: "Study this face." I met him at his day job at Office Depot on Rosedale Highway. That's why he's not all pimped out in terms of his attire and overall look. As for the question I've presented in the subject line above, I'm going to have to keep you guessing. He's gone underground. He's mixing up the genres. He's got a new CD coming out later this year. Watch for more on the guy I call Rappin' Rodeo Joe, at the Bako blogs and at: And remember: If you're not going underground, you're not going anywhere! If you've been gone underground these days, you'll realize that Homer Joy is still making the independent country music charts, and you'll know that both the Bakobilly TM and the KROCK TM (Kern Co |
