So, the official word came down that kids in Calloway County, Kentucky may ONLY go Trick-or-Treating from 6:30p - 8:00p on Halloween.  Last year it was deemed you could only do so on Sat, Nov 1st.  What is wrong with this world... this town?

When I was a kid, you went Trick-or-Treating ON Halloween, no matter what day and there were no "time limits".  It started at dark (or after dinner) and more times than not, finished up by 9p at the latest.  the neighborhoods were full of kids running around with their bags (or pillow cases), and parents were usually close behind.

Why is it that now Trick-or-Treating is restricted?  Where did the fun go?  Where are the parents?  Why aren't the parents enjoying their kids playing dress up?

Really, what are we doing to our kids?

So, we got a TON of stuff going on here at Froggy this wonderful month of October, and a lot of it has to do with the fact that we're giving away a brand new 4 Wheeler!  You can get registered all across Froggyland... in fact, your odds increase by stopping by each location.  You can find a list of places online at www.froggy103.com.

I had a pretty hoppy birthday.  It finished up by spending my evening with the kids at South Marshall Elementary School.  They are a pretty cool bunch over there.  Dustin Harbor and Austin Rentfrow are a couple of good peeps!  (sorry for mis-spelling your names possiblely =D)

Also, I'll be on vacay for a couple of days in the middle of the month.  I'm going to Branson, MO.  Yeah, yeah, I know Branson isn't where all the hip kids go... but I'm just needing to escape for a couple of days.  Plus, Neal McCoy is going to be performing and I've already got tickets for that show!  =D

Later yo!

Has anyone else seen this story?  In short, people in Kristian Bush's home town are upset b/c Sugarland's new album is apparently only available at Wal-Mart.

I first saw the story on Saturday and the first responder (earnhardtfan11050) had it right, in my opinion.  They said "Big Deal, he bought three whole CDs and signed autographs. Sugarland still only sells Live on the Inside at Wal-Mart. Hey Sugarland, if you really cared about the fans and not the money, your CD would be available everywhere."

I will be the first to tell you, I'm NOT a fan of wally world.  I tend to agree with the folks that say they come into towns and destroy all of the small mom & pop businesses.  I do my grocery shopping at Kroger & Save-A-Lot and whatever I can't get there... I go ANYWHERE but the big blue machine.

Sugarland since their debut in 2005 has been on the hot track for stardom.  They've had hit after hit after hit.  Their album sales have always kicked butt and they've made a lot of money.  Sugarland has toured with some of the biggest names in country music and even had their own television special... so WHY do they need to exclusively sell their new album at Wal-Mart?

The only answer is for the money... at least that's all I can think of, and that disappoints me.  Country music has had a special bond with their fans.  What other genre has an event like the CMA Fest (formerly Fan Fest)?  What other style of music has the artists so available to the fans where you can meet your favorite star?  I honestly can't think of any.  A quick example off the top of my head is Darius Rucker.  I've been a HUGE Hootie & The Blowfish fan since "Cracked Rear View" came out... but in the rock/pop world they were in, I rarely got a chance to see them, let alone meet the guys.  Darius is doing his country thing now, and in the year he's been doing it I've seen him twice (going to a 3rd here shortly) and had the opportunity to shake hands with the man, and tell him how much I appreciate him and his music, past and present.  It's a great intimacy that you don't get with a lot of other genres of music, and I think Sugarland might be straying away from it.

I reckon I've gone on too long... just a thought running through my head. 

Okay, I'm gonna be toadily honest... I'm not a fan of Twitter.  Maybe it's b/c I don't understand it, or it seems to intrusive.  Today though, I tweeted for the first time(s).  Mo Skeeter set us up a twitter page (twitter.com/froggy1037) for us at the station. 

So, today I took the leap and started tweeting... and I think it's kind of addictive.  I don't think I need a personal one, but I'll be tweeting like a mad frog when I'm in the studio. (Mon-Fri, 10a-2p)

You can check out our latest tweets on froggy103.com or how ever you twitter... I may (or may not) get the hang of this thing. lol

twitter.com/froggy1037

froggy103.com

So, we're just about 32 days away from Froggy Fest 2009 edition.  This year we have more acts taking the stage than ever before... 6 ACTS!  David Lee Murphy, Jason Meadows, Rick Huckaby, Bomshel, The Carter Twins, and River County.

David Lee Murphy is a country guy that has a great story, coming from just north of Froggyland and having the most played song of 1995.  He transitioned well from a star to a writer, penning songs for Kenny Chesney, Chris Young, Gary Allen and more.

Jason Meadows is a well known name in Froggyland and everyone asked for him back so he came.

Bomshel... I moved to Kentucky from Battle Creek, MI and while I lived in the frigid north for over a year Bomshel was rockin' the station I was at.  Since then I have SO wanted to see them live, and now I get to!  YES!

Huck is a pretty awesome guy, who has made a couple of visits here before and Froggyland reacted pretty well to him.  His show should be pretty sweet.

I've taken some guff for enjoying the Carter Twins.  I know I'm nowhere near the audience that they're aimed at, but I enjoy the songs they have.  "Heart Like Memphis" is a really good song that, I'll admit, I sometimes wake up with it in my head. lol

Finally, River County...  Windy Waters got to hang with these guys and was uber impressed, and I can't wait to see an exciting show... she says they'll blow you out of the water.

I got to thinking about how much of a GREAT value the ticket is this year... 6 acts, $6 bucks.  I did a little searching and if you were to take the lowest cost of all the artists performing seperately across the country, it would add up to about $60!  Heck, for $60 you're getting 10 people in the door on July 4th! lol  How crazy is that?  It's actually pretty cool and it's going to be a fun day of music at Roy Stewart Stadium.  So, make sure you get your tickets... ticket stops are listed online at froggy103.com

Later yo!

Living here in Froggyland there is no end to local and bar scene artists around.  I try not to play favorites, but this time I have to.  I mean, what I'm about to ask you comes not as a Froggy personality, but as a guy who has a friend who is trying to make it in Nashville.

My buddy Adam Thomas is a very talented kid, and we've been friends since Jr. High (some might call it middle school).  He has twice moved to Nashville to work his mojo and fulfill his dream.  He's now in a contest that could help him with that dream of being the next country music up-and-comer.

eventful.com/littlebigtown  That's where I'm asking you to go and vote for The Adam Thomas Band.  Right now he's on about page 7 of the list of artists, but with your help we can get him higher... I'm only looking to get him in the top 4.

I would be so gratefull and so would he and his wife and little kids.  Thanks for checking him out, and voting for him.  Also, if you pass the word around that would be AWESOME.  Here's a link to some of his stuff. 

Thanks again.

Toady

Let me preface my review by telling you I am a HUGE Hootie and the Blowfish fanatic.  I have every album the group has put out... even their less than steller cover album.  That said, here's my thoughts on Darius' album.


HOLY CRAP this is a great album.  I went out and bought this at the Best Buy when I was home in Kansas City and it hasn't left my CD player in my truck since.  I haven't had one of these albums since Miranda Lambert's "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend".  The whole album "Learn to Live" is great, top to bottom!

I was a little worried about Darius coming over to the country genre, but he has done it well, and thankfully he's been working with a lot of great people to help him.  For starters, he's on Keith Urban's record label, he had writing sessions with Brad Paisley, Vince Gill and more. 

As I'm sure you've noticed about every album has between 2-5 singles that come off of them, so that's how I'll break this down.  I'll give you what I think will be the next singles to be released.

Track 2 - "All I Want" (single 2) This track has Brad Paisley playing guitar on it and when you really listen you can hear some Brad riffs.  It's a really fun catchy song about a guy who is telling his (ex) girl is "All I want ...you to leave me... is alone."

Track 8 - "It Won't Be Like This For Long" (single 3)  You can't be a successful country artist and not have daddy/daughter song.  (examples: Rodney Atkins: Come on In, Trace Adkins: You're gonna Miss This, George: I Saw God Today, etc...)  This is a down tempo song that somewhat mirrors Trace's "Miss this".  Dad is not getting any sleep with the new baby, and thinking ahead to kindergarten, dating, wedding, and back to the crib.  I personally am not a big fan of daddy/daughter songs be even this one gives me goosebumps EVERY time I hear it.

Track 7 - "Alright" (single 4)  This is the song that I most often have stuck in my head.  I'll just start humming the chorus, it's just so darn catchy.  It celebrates everything that he has.  "I've got all I need, and that's alright by me."  An uptempo song that will get stuck in your head.

Track 5 - "If I Had Wings"  I don't foresee this being a single, but it is a great song.  It's the song that second most gets stuck in my head.  You have Darius with background vocals by Alison Krause and Vince Gill... how freakin' awesome!  The song has a lot of good vibes and wanting everyone to be a better person.  "Why is there war?  Why is there killing?  Have we forgotten some secret we knew, back when we were just children?"

Go buy  this album, it is so worth the $12 bucks.  Like I said, it hasn't left my CD player.

Holy Cow!  We're less than a week away from Froggy Fest, and to be honest I'm starting to freak out just a little.  The Cash Bash starts at 2pm with Nashville singer/song writer Kendall Marvel and some mystery guests.  The gates open at 5 and the big show starts at 6pm.  Our Froggyland Idol winner Chad Mullins goes on at 6, then Jason Meadows, Tracy Lawrence, and The Charlie Daniels Band!  What a great show.  Not to mention the Knights of Columbus & the American Legion giving away the new Harley Davidson Sportster and Fireworks.

Be sure and join us, this saturday.

Watching my college buddy David Cook royaly kick booty on American Idol tonight. Now, when I heard that they would be rockin' the Diamond I was psyched, and some people found that odd. You see, I've used to be a closet Neil Diamond fan for quite some time. Then, one movie made it okay to say "I like Neil Diamond!" out loud... Saving Silverman. If you haven't seen it, do so... or at least watch the clips below.

I know there are those that will disagree with me *coughSplashcough* but as I see the world through my blue eyes there are 5 Holy Days in Sports.  These are days that really shouldn't have anything planned on them; no weddings, parties, work, or even births.

1. Baseball Opening Day
Sometime way in the future when I have a child, boy or girl, they will celebrate.  Early on they might not understand why dad is taking them out of school, but they'll eventually understand.  They will have baby pictures of them wearing a little Kansas City Royals uniform w/ a baseball glove and everything.  Baseball is America's pastime and every opening day will be spent either in front of a tv or at a ball park watching a game or two.
Origin: I started skipping class every opening day to watch the Royals in Jr. High, and continued it all through my scholastic career.

2. The NFL Draft
I'm a big fan of college football.  I grew up a Nebraska Cornhuskers fan. (Both my parents are from Nebraska)  Watching the NFL draft combines my love of the NFL and college football.  Watching where the players that I've been cheering for for the last 2-4 years having to sit through the waiting process is... amusing.  I'm also amazed that Mel Kiper has built an entire career by scouting the draft for ESPN.
Origin: When we moved when I was in 6th grade my mom told me we could finally get cable.  We moved during spring break and by the time the cable guy got to the house to hook us up... I was watching ESPN in my room.  How cool was that in 6th grade? Yeah!

3. Super Bowl Sunday
It's the mecca of the professional game.  The game is usually entertaining and the commercials keep the non-football public tuning in year after year.  Now if I could get the Chief into one I would be set.
Origin: It's on a Sunday, you don't get much holier than that.  Plus, the late Lamar Hunt, owner of the Kansas City Chiefs, gave this game it's super name.  Go Chiefs!

4. NCAA Tournament (The 1st Weekend)
How many upsets are there going to be?  Will a number 1 team ever lose in the first round?  There's so much basketball going on I'm amazed I ever get any work done.  I love entering pool after pool... and losing pool after pool.  Although the 2 work pools I entered this year I came in 3rd in both.  And the only reason I came in that high was because I was like the only one to pick Kansas to win.
Origin: You might not think it, but Kansas City is a big college basketball town, with it being the home of the Big 8 forever and home to the Big 12 before the southern schools started crying like babies.... (different thought for a different blog.) In Jr. High and High School I would take a little tv with me to school to keep track of what was going on those first two days.  There's just so much drama going on that it's hard not to watch.

5. The NFL Regular Season
Every game matters.  End of story.  When you only play 16 games and half of those are against your division rivals, it all counts.  Browns, Saints and Bengals fans in the 90's know what I'm talking about... and so do current Chiefs fans.  Even though your team starts out 1-3 you still feel that you have a chance to come back and at least be contending for you division.  People didn't come up with the cliches of "Every Game Counts", "Any Given Sunday" or "That's Why They Play The Games on The Field and Not on Paper" for nothing.
Origin: I don't know that there is a game that I religously follow EVERY weekend.  My girlfriend will attest to this as she has gone from "hate" to "okay with" on the topic of football.

Honorable Mention:
NCAA Bowl Week - which in all honesty lasts about 3 weeks now a days, but I love dem bowl games.  Especially when the Cornhuskers are in them.

World Series - I have the rule of cheering for any American League team in the World Series (b/c that's the league of the Royals).  The one exception is the Yankees.  Now if there's ever a Yankees / Cardinals World Series... I'm screwed.

Wrestlemainia - It's a huge event, and it's on a Sunday, but it's Sport Entertainment by title so I'm reluctant to put it in the top 5.  But, I have enjoyed watching the Rock layeth the smack down in the past.  Now if the WWE would drop that stupid John Cena.

That's it folks, a breakdown of the High Holy Days of Sports.  Did I leave out your favorite?  Tell me why I'm wrong... I'm not, but you can try. =D