I think Ringo is onto something.

Very funny.  Very funny.  Who's the wise guy that signed my email up for Smooth Jazz holiday concert announcements?  It's just rubbing my nose in my 2002 musical venture, "A Smooth Jazz Arbor Day: The Brass Wind in the Trees" when I rented out the Chicago Theater and wound up having to take out a second mortgage when gate receipts were non-existent.  I still believe going green and going smooth are the future!  It's a curse to be a genius ahead of his time.

Now look what two emails showed up in my inbox yesterday!

Dave Koz and Friends
The Chicago Theatre • December 6

Presale: Wed., 9/24 at 10AM – Fri., 9/26 at 10PM
USE CODE: HCKOZ

Dave Koz and Friends are making a stop at The Chicago Theatre on December 6th to celebrate A Smooth Jazz Christmas

Kenny G
The Chicago Theatre • December 7

PRESALE: Wed., 9/24 at 10AM – Fri., 9/26 at 10PM
USE CODE: HCKNYG

Prepare for a magical holiday experience with Kenny G, the world's most renowned saxophonist. Expect to hear his biggest hits along with all the holiday classics from the Grammy® award winner here at The Chicago Theatre on December 7th.

Mellow holidays are my niche!  I guess I'll have to kick it up a noche for my "Groundhog Day: A Clavinet Sees Its Shadow" spectacular

I had to do a double take this morning.  I flipped on the tv and it was on NBC where the Today show was having a "Footloose" reunion talking to Kevin Bacon, Lori Singer, and John whatz his name from "Third Rock From the Sun". 

It was such a momentous event both Matt and Meredith were interviewing them.  Lori Singer was going on and on about how important the message of freedom from Footloose was and how there's even a town in Texas that recently banned dancing.

I had to check my coffee to see if someone spiked it with mescaline.  WTF?? Footloose has never been relevant except as something to make fun of.  Back in high school.

They closed by mentioning it was the 24th anniversary of Footloose bringing Kenny Loggins out who was gonna do the song.  Ahhh!!!  I had to turn it off there before the hideous strains of Footloose got embedded in my skull.

I can't wait to see how they celebrate the 25th anniversary.

Well, it's never time to stop drinking, but in terms of driveway drinking I arbitrarily decided Labor Day weekend would mark the end of the driveway drinking season.  I will also use that stopping point as the end of the musical year allowing me to do a top ten list of best albums as determined by me released between 9/07 and 8/08.  Here they are...

1. Mark McKinney "Get It On" - damn good, fun tunes perfect for the driveway or anywhere you wanna tap your foot with a smile on your face.
2. Sonny Landreth "From the Reach" - this album is awesome and I was skeptical when I first heard it would be a record full of guests sitting in.  Those often turn out to be incoherent messes, but Sonny had solid songs and he took the lead in everything with the various guests, Clapton, Knopfler, Dr. John, Eric Johnson and more just putting their own nuances to be icing on the cake of a kick ass record.
3. Hayes Carll "Trouble In Mind" - Awesome songwriting, killer mojo.  A disc to listen to again and again.
4. Dan Baird & Homemade Sin "Homemade Sin" - It's been too damn long since Dan graced us with a record, since 1996.  This is a fun rockin' record that reminds us there are still those in touch with what rock and roll is all about.
5. Ryan Bingham "Mescalito" - his gravely voice and poetic lines bring the listener on a hypnotic journey through the outskirts of Texas.  And that ain't a bad thing
6. Ralston Bowles "Texas Motel" - Great songwriting.  On more than one occasion I felt like the dude's songs were striking a chord very close to home.  "Son of Mine" is cool to listen to as I hold my newborn boy.  "Velvet Elvis" is cool to listen to as I admire my own velvet elvis painting.  It's like he's writing about me!
7. The Band of Heathens "The Band of Heathens" - A cool concept.  Three frontmen taking turns backing each other up, contributing tunes and fronting the band.  Excellent songs abound.  It's like that synergy idea or somethin'.
8. James McMurtry "Just Us Kids" - No one paints a musical picture quite like James.  Characters working their way out of the morase everywhere you turn.
9. The Drive-By Truckers "Brighter Than Creations Dark" -  DBT is a cool band.  They got cool tunes and give their all, as I can personally testify seeing them play a 3 hour set earlier this year.  The caveat with DBT for me is that even reading along with the words, I don't always know what they heck they're singing about.  Maybe I'm dumb. I still like the record though
10. Jackie Greene "Giving Up the Ghost" - Jackie's got some catchy tunes.  Good beat. I can dance to 'em.  I'll give him a ten on my top ten list.

Buffalo Grove police are missing their beer goggles.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-il-gogglesmissing,0,745209.story

On the bright side, the police aren't waking up sorely disappointed in the morning since they've been gone.

Show tomorrow!  Come on out.  We had our last rehearsal last night.  We're ready to rock the house.  Homestead, Oak Lawn, 8PM

Lastly, happy birthday to Rick Price.  The Georgia Satellites are at the very foundation of rock that The Driveway Drinkers are built upon.  Have a good 'un, Rick.

I've been watching lots of Olympics this week.  It's kept us away from kid's shows for the most part, which is a vacation for my brain.  I usually keep myself sane by changing the words to kid's show songs all day long.  "Clifford needed an enema, so he chose one for his one" is just one example I sing quiet enough so the kids don't hear.  They aren't really funny, but they do help keep me sane.

Anyway, the Olympics have been a welcome break.  I haven't watched a lot of the swimming even though we've been dominating because it doesn't translate well to TV.  I can't really see what they're doing.  I also stay away from wrestling because it's too much groping testosterone for me.  But volleyball has been really cool.  Never watched much of that before.  I especially dig Dalhauser on the US beach volleyball team.  He's a monster out there.  It was cool to see the Georgia women beat the Russian women, too.  Take that Putin! 

We've watched a bunch of equestrian because my daughter is obsessed with horses these days.  We watched a little online one day and the next day the same thing was on TV.  My daughter didn't notice, but I was amazing her by predicting what was going to happen seconds before it happened.

The goofiest sport has got to be handball.  I was expecting it to be like the handball you play on a raquetball court.  It's more like field hockey or soccer with an eight inch ball.  And the scores pile up like arena football because it's almost impossible to defend.  Goofy ass sport, I tell ya.

When I was little I couldn't stand the Olympics because it pre-empted so many of the shows I wanted to watch, but now pre-empting is one of the things I love about it.  No giant doggie enemas for a couple weeks.

Here's a good article about cheap regional beers.  And there's a link there to a good Pabst story as well.  PBR is working on taking over one swill brand at a time.

http://www.salon.com/mwt/food/eat_drink/2008/08/11/cheap_beer/index.html

When my wife put my five year old daughter to bed tonight, she said to her, "I love you".  My daughter replied with, "I love you, too.... electric boogaloo... I learned that from dad."

It's nice to see traditions that successfully pass to the next generation.

Speaking of boogaloos, remember to boogaloo on over to the Homestead Barr at Southwest Highway and Central in Oak Lawn, this Saturday night for three hours of rockin' from the band.  Mayhem starts at 8PM. 

Here's a clip from the solo acoustic set at the Underground Lounge on July 30th.  It was a lot of fun and the other performers on the bill were all kick butt.  They set the bar so high, I just said, "ah what the hell" went up and had a good time.

Make sure to come out to Homestead Barr in Oak Lawn on the 16th to hear the full band, electrified version of this little ditty, The Night Is Young.

This is what happens when driveway drinking and sports meet.  You have been warned.