The G-Sphere Sounding Booth

reflections, ruminations, ramblings and rants on music, books, beer, politics, technology, media, family, etc, etc. from a retired old man, music collector, librarian, political observer, technology geek, veteran, history buff, beer enthusiast, sci-fi fan, obsessive mixtaper and former DJ. I've also gathered writings from the past several years posted in various social media platforms. This blog has become an editing tool for my writings and everything here is a work in progress.

Sunday, March 31, 2019

Million Dollar Quartet

Last night Becky and I saw The Million Dollar Quartet stage show at the Shea's 710 Theater. Of course the Million Dollar Quartet was from one brief day in 1956 when four musicians on the edge of stardom met in a recording studio and created magic. Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash. This was a great show that was locally produced and based on a book about the events of that day. The actors were wonderful and each played these iconic characters very well. The musicians created the sound of a jam session and the set design was great. It was a wonderful performance, we had great seats and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

We did have a funny experience before the show. When Becky got the tickets we assumed the show was at Shea's Buffalo Theater. We showed our tickets at the entrance and then an usher guided us to our seats just a few rows from the stage and we marveled at the great seats. She also handed us a program for the show Rent. We sat there thinking something might be wrong if we got the wrong program. Fortunately we arrived at the theater about twenty minutes early and the theater was filling up. Then another couple was being shown to their seats and the usher, a different person than the one who seated us, asked to see our tickets. She looked and said that we were in the wrong theater. These seats were for the performance of Rent and our tickets were for The Million Dollar Quartet which was down the street at the other Shea's theater... Shea's 710 which was located at 710 Main Street in the former Studio Arena Theater. OMG, we had to leave our seats and make our way out of the theater, walk down the block in the rain to the other theater. We got there just in time for the show to start. We had great seats there too.

Before the show we had a nice dinner at the Marble & Rye restaurant a couple of blocks away.

Wednesday, March 27, 2019

Hemptails - Glass of Beer

Hemptails Citrus Gold from Rock Wall Brewing. I will try any beer. I usually don't like coffee in my beers but will at least taste one. I picked up a can of this hemp beer at Wegman's. I really like to get the mixed 6 packs you put together yourself.

However, this was terrible and was one of the few times I poured myself a pint glass and could not finish it. Down the drain it went. I certainly have nothing against hemp but now I know I just don't want it in my beer.

It tasted awful and got worse the more you had of it. This beer certainly had the aroma of hemp right away but then the taste became a flavor of rubbing alcohol. Somehow it also tasted syrupy sweet. It also has a 8% ABV.

I should also mention that Rock Wall Brewing is a part of Genesee Brewing out of Rochester NY and is their craft beer branch of the company.

Thursday, March 21, 2019

Stratus - Evenings

Evenings - Set 6 - Stratus
2 hours 5 minutes

Gabrieli: Ganzon in Double Echo / Canadian Brass
Handel: Fireworks Music Suite in D Major / Bohdan Warchal
Handel: Water Music / Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Scarlatti: Tigrane, Aria / Elizabeth Watts & The English Consort
Mozart: Symphony No. 39 in E Flat Menuetto / Berliner Phhiharmoniker
Andante / James Weaver
Chopin: 19 Noctumes / Artu Rubinstein
Bach: Aria, St John's Passion /
Brahms: Selig sind, die da Leid tragen / Laurence Equilbey
Seven Years In Tibet / John Williams
Andalusian Dream / Suzanne Ciani
Promise In The Morning / Jon Mark
Stratus / Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith
Heroin / Maya Beiser
Videt Miraculum / ORA and Suzi Digby
Goldberg Variationa Aria / Yo Yo Ma
Bach: Concerto No. 1 in F Major / Oliver Dohnanyi
Handel: Serse / Reginald Kilbey & His Strings
Mozart: Concerto in D for Horn & Orchestra / Michael Thompson
Bach: Prelude and Fugue in C Sharp Minor / Walter Giseking
Mozart: La clemenza di Tito / Joyce DiDonato
Healah Dancing / Keaton Henson

Tuesday, March 19, 2019

Ascent - Evenings

Evenings - Set 5 - Ascent
2 hours 6 minutes

Bach: Air from Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major /
Bach: Chorale, St. John Passion /
VivaldiL Concerto in D Minor for Two Violas / Apollo's Fire
Handel: Water Music Suite No. 2 in D Major / Bohdan Warchal
Missa Credo / Cut Circle
Handel: Messiah, Part One / Andrew Davis
Dvorak: Eia mater fons amorisv/ Jiri Belohlavek
Mozart: Allegro ma non troppo / Emerson String Quartet
Chopin: 19 Noctumes / Artur Rubinstein
Cinema Pardiso / Ennio Morricone
Ending (Ascent) / Brian Eno
Rachmaninov: Vespers, Op. 37 / Irina Arkhipova
Mozart: Violin Sonata No. 30 / Jean-Pierre Rampal
Vivaldi:Symphony No. 2 Allegro moderato / Berliner Philharmoniker
Oboe Concerto in D, Allegro / Douglas Boyd
Non so qual piu Aria / Elizabeth Watts & The English Consort
Samson: How Willing My Paternal Love / King's Consort
Chopin: Nocturne in C Sharp Minor / Olafur Armalds
Piano Trio II, Andante / Lincoln Trio
Bach: Concerto No. 4 in G Major / Oliver Dohnanyi
Schoenberg: Drei Volksliedsatze / Laurence Equibey
Strombili / Suzanne Ciani
Tallis Canon / ORA and Suzi Digby
Hide and Seek / Maya Beiser

Monday, March 18, 2019

Becky's Shadow

Becky’s shadow on the wall. A brief moment of reflective light from the setting sun passing through the house from the dining room back window to Becky sitting on the couch in the living room. The changing image only lasted a few minutes as the bright sun went down. The photos are about a minute apart and the one on top was first while the sun was brighter. The sun was dropping and the light fading for the left photo. The light fixture in the photos was at the other end of the house.

Sunday, March 17, 2019

Under the Big Black Sun

Under the Big Black Sun: A Personal History of L.A. Punk by John Doe, 2016

Read this book during the first few weeks of March in 2019.

This was a very fun read about that crazy punk music scene in Los Angeles during the years of 1977 through 1982 written by John Doe of the band X and music journalist Tom DeSavia. There are also contributions from other band members such as Exene Cervenka from X, Henry Rollins from Black Flag, Mike Watt from The Minutemen, Jane Wiedlin and Charlotte Caffrey from The Go-Go's, Dave Alvin from The Blasters and many more. The book really does paint a very indepth picture of the scene. Maybe it's not the definitive documentation of the L.A. punk scene but it is certainly entertaining.