New Tracks in Progress

Hey y'all

A couple of months ago, I posted two new songs on myspace that had only drums and guitar (Cody Dickinson and myself) on myspace just for fun. I now uploaded newer versions of those songs, still unfinished, but you will get to hear how things are shaping up for my new album. We had a jam-packed three days in the studio this past weekend, and made a lot of progress. I will say, that the new album will sound nothing at all like what I have put out before, expect for maybe my voice. If you are hoping for more blues you will be disappointed as there is no blues on this record. Some of you will love it, others will hate it, but it is what it is and will be.

However, I will point out and maybe some of you will catch it, that my songs are usually based on classic R & B structure or old school blues, especially from north MS. That part is still there and always will be, as that is what I have been around and absorbed for years. However, I'd like to be able to produce it as such that more people can get into it and understand the messages I am trying to convey. A lot can be changed with the drums and instruments added. In fact as many of you probably know, most of the music on the radio comes from blues and old school R & B, it's just evolved over the years.

So, enough artist talk. The musicians on these two tracks so far are:

Little Is Known

Cody - drums, synth
Jimbo Mathus - guitar
Justin Showah - bass

and WInn McElroy engineering booth of these...

Nothin' More to Say

Cody - drums, synth
Jimbo - guitar
WInn - bass


go to myspace.com/laolga

The Best Bailout Plan Yet!

This was an email forwarded to me. I think it's a fabulous plan so I thought I would post and share. ;)


Subject: The Birk Economic Recovery Plan



I'm against the $85,000,000,000.00 bailout of AIG.



Instead, I'm in favor of giving $85,000,000,000 to America in

a We Deserve It Dividend.



To make the math simple, let's assume there are 200,000,000

bonafide U.S. Citizens 18+.



Our population is about 301,000,000 +/- counting every man, woman

and child. So 200,000,000 might be a fair stab at adults 18 and up..



So divide 200 million adults 18+ into $85 billon that equals
$425,000.00.



My plan is to give $425,000 to every person 18+ as a

We Deserve It Dividend.



Of course, it would NOT be tax free.

So let's assume a tax rate of 30%.



Every individual 18+ has to pay $127,500.00 in taxes.

That sends $25,500,000,000 right back to Uncle Sam.



But it means that every adult 18+ has $297,500.00 in their pocket.

A husband and wife has $595,000.00.



What would you do with $297,500.00 to $595,000.00 in your family?

Pay off your mortgage - housing crisis solved.

Repay college loans - what a great boost to new grads

Put away money for college - it'll be there

Save in a bank - create money to loan to entrepreneurs.

Buy a new car - create jobs

Invest in the market - capital drives growth

Pay for your parent's medical insurance - health care improves

Enable Deadbeat Dads to co me clean - or else



Remember this is for every adult U S Citizen 18+ including the folks

who lost their jobs at Lehman Brothers and every other company

that is cutting back. And of course, for those serving in our Armed
Forces.



If we're going to re-distribute wealth let's really do it...instead of
trickling out

a puny $1000.00 ( "vote buy" ) economic incentive that is being proposed
by one of our candidates for President.



If we're going to do an $85 billion bailout, let's bail out every adult
U S Citizen 18+!



As for AIG - liquidate it.

Sell off its parts.

Let American General go back to being American General.

Sell off the real estate.

Let the private sector bargain hunters cut it up and clean it up.



Here's my rationale. We deserve it and AIG doesn't.



Sure it's a crazy idea that can "never work."



But can you imagine the Coast-To-Coast Block Party!



How do you spell Economic Boom?



I trust my fellow adult Americans to know how to use the $85 Billion

We Deserve It Dividend more than I do the geniuses at AIG or in
Washington DC.



And remember, The Birk plan only really costs $59.5 Billion because
$25.5 Billion is returned
instantly in taxes to Uncle Sam.


Ahhh...I feel so much better getting that off my chest.

Kindest personal regards,

Birk

T. J. Birkenmeier, A Creative Guy & Citizen of the Republic


PS: Feel free to pass this along to your pals as it's either good for a
laugh

or a tear or a very sobering thought on how to best use $85 Billion!!

________________________________

NOLA meets Gustav

24 hours ago, all the citizens of New Orleans were facing their worst nightmare ever since surviving Katrina: another major hurricane making landfall in our city. This time, it was a he and he was called Gustav. On Saturday night, major Ray Nagin gave a press conference announcing the mandatory evacuation. It scared the crap out of me and I could feel my stomach falling. At the time, Gustav was a category 4 hurricane, killed over 90 people in Cuba and decimated it. He said Gustav was about 900 miles in diameter and was the "storm of the century". I know I was not alone thinking that New Orleans was going to be under water again and totally creamed. It was a horrible, horrible thought that I thought maybe I was dreaming.

I had heard from most of my friends in some way about where they were and if they left. Two friends of ours stayed in town. One was holed up with what he said was "a month worth of food and loads of ammo" with his buddy a few blocks from our house, and the other in Harahan with his family who owns a hardware store out there. They stayed to be part of the first reponse team. Knowing that, I felt a little bit of comfort.

All day yesterday I was glued to my laptop. We are in Memphis and here we do not have fast internet nor cable tv, so finding information was incredibly slow and tedious, especially since there were many people online trying to do the same thing as me. Last night was a long night and restless one. Though I slept, my thoughts were on the storm, on our house and on our city and my dreams reflected my worries.

This morning I awoke and still bleary eyed, opened up my laptop to find out the latest. To my relief, Gustav had weakened to a Category 2 when it hit Cocodrie and quickly went to a category 1 not long after. If it was not for this, we would have likely seem more widespread flooding, more damage and more problems no doubt. By some miracle, the levees held together for the most part in the city and wind damage was reported to be minimal. Power was even on in parts of the city! It was even reported that Houma was spared on the most part so the good news continued. The state and city-wide response and preparation to Gustav has been remarkable. I am wholly blown away by how organized everything has been and I'm sure I am not alone in feeling real elation and pride in our state, state officials, city leaders and police department, national guards and citizens for it.

As far as specific details about our house, I do not know yet, but I do know that our neighborhood for the most part held together, so I feel really good about it. Hey, what's another roof? We've only done it 4 times since Katrina we practically have a routine!

My prayers and thoughts are with Grand Isle, Lafourche and Terrebonne Parish who took a big hit. Plaquemines Parish is having a hard time right now too. Information is still coming in from other towns and Parishes who took a beating and my heart goes out. Somehow, going through this together not only as a city but as a state makes me feel closer to the citizens of Louisiana.

08/08/08

Not sure what all the 8s and 0s would or should mean, but I did notice the date today...

On another note, some sad and annoying news today and yesterday. Annoying news first:

So how on earth could John Edwards have an affair, a love child, use campaign fund to hide his mistress, AND run for president not thinking that all that would come out?? I bet the Demo's are wiping their brows that he did not get the nomination, else the party would be wholly screwed. When they show interview clips of him it is so obvious he liying through his teeth, all the while with a half smile on his face (just don't think I would be smiling about all that, bud). His body language screams it! Do these people ever learn?? I mean come on!

Now sad news: Bernie Mac died last night! Man, that is so so sad. I loved his Bernie Mac show, watched it every night after the news (we don't have cable, at least not until Feb. 2009 when we HAVE to get it as regular t.v "will no longer work" --another government shakedown). Anyhow, that was some tragic piece of news and I wish his family well...

Why I am blogging about the news is news to me, but it's been on my mind this morning over coffee...

Cody and Me

Holy mackerel! Just noticed the last time I blogged was over a month ago...shite!

Yesterday was a really fabulous day for me musically and creatively. I was recording drum tracks for my new album with old friend Cody Dickinson and he blew me away. Even more important though, he was loving the songs so it made the whole day easy and fun. I cannot wait until these tracks are finished! I am really really happy about it and look forward to sharing the new songs soon....at least a few up here. Hell-to-the-yeah!

The Mall

Well, I learned of a new place this past week. It's not really new, but I call it new for me as I never really noticed it before and had never been there before. It is the Oak Hurst shopping mall on Poplar Ave out in east Memphis. Now, I had driven by it before many times on my way to Home Depot or Target or whatever out there so I had seen the sign, however it is rather hidden away so really, I had no idea what was in there. How I ended up going there, was all because of Jimbo. He had to buy a new pair of shoes and he knew about this mall and said he wanted to go there since they would have Chuck Taylor's.

As we pulled into the mall, I had some weird flashbacks, which continued even as we entered the mall from the Dillard's department store. See, growing up in SF area, we had quite a few malls. One in particular which was a definite hot spot through out pre-teen and teen years not to mention the times I was brought there with mom on her missions, was a place called Hillsdale Mall in San Mateo. They had a movie theater there too and a TGI Fridays, which actually used to be a cool place to eat. I had a B-day lunch there for my 15th. Anyhow, Hillsdale had a store called Nordstrom, where I had a summer job in 1989. That summer was a hot one, with Batman being the big movie at the mall, and the music would replay over and over. The big songs were Elvis Costello's "Veronica", Prince's "Batman" song, Paula Abdul, Bobbie Brown, etc. So these songs would play over and over in our department (Brass Plum) and we would be running around for about 8-9 hours. I remember the smells and the sound of the continually running escalator even when the store was closed. We had a big sale that summer, so a couple times we had to stay late to stock and re-tag everything. My mind keeps flashing to the upper parking deck, as that was where I usually parked. I recall the way the sun would shine on my face and head in the morning and how it would glimmer through the trees when I left. There was a little coffee bar on the first floor that I would always get a vanilla almond latte at. They had a big make up counter down there too, and I loved buying when there was a gift-with-purchase, usually with Lancome of Estee Lauder or sometimes Clinique. It was especially rewarding when that summer, I could use my store discount. Later, I also had a Nordstrom store credit card (one of my first credit cards).;

The Hillsdale mall was at that time, and I'm sure many of you can relate, not only a place of work, but a place to hang out with friends outside of school. I suppose that was just the culture then, at least for us in SF Bay Area. And if it wasn't that mall, it was the Stanford Mall (oh yeah, been there a lot too) in Palo Alto.

So on this day at the Oak Hust Mall in Memphis, I was reminded of that time. The last time I set foot in a mall like that was 8-10 years ago. A strangle thing happened to me along the way, I think I became allergic to it, because this time, not only was I overwhelmed in there, but I became really tired (something to do with the smell) and distracted. Maybe it was all the abstract memories hat came back to me too after so long, things, people and places I had not thought about in ages. Belinda Carlisle song "I Get Weak" was playing, so the stage was set. I was overcome with the need to buy some Lancome and get my gift-with-purchase and then I started looking for the coffee bar. Thankfully, I was not alone and left to my own devices! Jimbo got his shoes and we managed to get out of there before too long. I am not planning on going back, but I can say that I have had some unusual memories and dreams all week...

The Three Olgas

So this little story happened quite some years ago...I am going to say maybe even 10 years ago (s*** I am getting old!) and it is a true tale.

One day, I was sitting in the doctors office waiting for my appointment for a physical, which I usually do once a year. To no surprise, I was waiting a while and my designated appointment time came and went. In the waiting room sat two other women; one was hispanic maybe in her 40's and the other was a white eastern-european type in her late 60's. We were all reading and waiting on this day.

At last the exam room door opened and the nurse popped out, and knowing that she was behind schedule, she hurriedly looked at the name on the folder she carried and called, "Olga?". I, having grown up as "Olga", and as the only "Olga" ever at school, after school, sports, work, friends and whatever else you do in daily life, stood up and dropped my magazine on the coffee table. Alas, to my astonishment, the other two women stood up as well, thinking they were the "Olga" that was being called! We all looked at each other so astounded and curious with a "is your name Olga too?" look in our eyes, that even the nurse was taken aback. The nurse regained composure and looked down at the folder again, "Garcia, Olga Garcia". At that, I and the remaining other Olga, sat back down in our chairs half smiling half amazed.

"Wow," I said to Olga, "that was weird. I have never met so many Olgas before."

"Yes, " laughed Olga, "that has never happened to me either."


And so it went.

SXSW and other meandering news...

Heading off to Austin for SXSW tomorrow...

This will be my first time out there and Austin as well, so I am looking forward to the experience! In case you're wondering, my official showcase is March 13 at Fado Patio (214 W. 4th St) at 9pm. The lineup of other bands are mostly from New Orleans, so I am looking forward to sharing a stage with my NOLA peeps.


Spring has sprung down here in Crescent CIty and the last few days have been beautiful. Springtime is really fantastic, lot's of birds and flora and fauna bring the landscape alive with hope and promise. I've been doing a lot of soul searching lately and I feel like I have finally come to terms with myself. There is one final leap of faith I need to take, and have needed to take for quite some time. This may sound a little cryptic, but it has been a personal journey for me and I'll leave it at that.

This April and MAy I am going to record my new EP. Why not an album you ask? Well, because I feel like I don't have an EP yet and gosh darnit, I's gots to have me one! That's all. In fact the hard part is deciding which songs to use, as there are plenty of them stirring around. This next project will be very different from the rest in that the music and content is discussing things that have not been discussed much if at all on my past albums. So, not too many love songs, more about the journey of the soul and coming to terms. Cryptic again? Yeah, I guess...I may have more insight at a later date.

Okay well, got to do some work on the house today. See you in Austin!

Super Weekend

I have wanted to blog before Lundi Gras but seriously was not physically able to do so. I was really not able to do anything, except sit on a lazy boy out on the parade route this weekend. Tonight, I am taking off so I can get up at 6am for Zulu and to march thereafter in a renegade parade I cannot recall the name of right now. The name really doesn't matter, the point is you have to be in costume marching on Fat Tuesday.

As for the Muses experience, I cannot say it enough that it was simply one of the most amazing experiences in my life! There was a complete surreality to the entire ride, which for float 5, was about 7 hours that we were on the move. Count in the pre-party which was another 3 hours, it made a long evening. The pre-party consisted of only the riding ladies, who primped and dressed in their costumes while sipping nectar of the goddesses and champagne. Every float had a headdress of some sort, usually having to do with the theme of the float you were riding. There was a headdress competition, which apparently our float won 3rd place ( I was in the bathroom primping at the time). Who won first, I still do not know. The odd thing about it all though, was that since there was 768 women riding, and in costume, you wouldn't be able to really recognize anybody save for your co-riders who dressed the same as you. I felt like I was a member of some sort of bird flock that was mingling with other bird species, but yet stuck close to the same tribe throughout. It was fantastic thrill when they brought in the floats one by one for us to load on. Each time one would roll by, hundreds of female hollers were unleashed with a wave of sparkly arms and heads raised to welcome the float's arrival.

Once we got on, the immediate task of bead-organizing began. It took a lot longer than you would think. We had so much stuff that is was hard to move around. I resorted to bead surfing during that time in order to move around. The girls I rode next to we all a blast. We shard finger sandwiches and wine and combed through thousands of beads and trinkets while lining up on Tchoup. The parade suddenly pulled together on the corner of Napoleon and Tcoup when they would weave in the bands one by one in between floats. This was so organized it almost seemed like braiding hair. As soon as the bands came in and started playing, the whole thing just kicked up 10 notches and we were suddenly a real full fledged parade taking off.

The ride itself was a surreal experience. I almost felt like I was on some sort of drug, as all time suddenly ceased and you lost track of where you were. One would think that there would be a lot whooping and music on the float itself, but we were all so silent and focused on throwing, that this too, added to the slow-motion effect. In addition, the only real exchange was when you made eye-contact with a parade viewer and threw them something. To see the complete joy and thrill in their eyes was truly moving, and always followed by a "thank you". I heard from a lot of people this weekend that Muses was by far the best parade they had seen.

When we hit Canal I realized I was almost out of goods to throw (which I can hardly believe), so I had to resort to tricks and teasing to string out what was left. The only thing I did not throw, was my Snake-and-Jake's sunglasses and Cruella Deville plush toy (both I found in the throw-back stash). I hated for it to all be over, but I am so so so glad to have had the chance to do it, I am totally hooked now.

Saturday was a big time as well. I had some friends that set up camp on St. Charles, along with a margarita machine and port-a-potty-tent and loads of additional accoutrements. Sunday, I went down to a friend's house on Magazine St. for Thoth. We pulled out the lazy-boys then, and before long I was a renegade rider on Thoth for a little while when they slowed down, opened the side door and yelled, "Climb on!". I was given a tiara and a mask and rolled with them a little while too!

And let's not forget the Super Bowl, which was on during Bacchus. My friend's bar (the Delachaise) had set up a wide screen t.v. on the patio so we could watch in between floats or in between commercials. How about the Giants y'all!!! That was thrilling in and of itself! Lot's of Manning fans down here...

Time to rest up now, get ready for one last hurrah...

Re-Ride!

Due to bad weather, they postponed our ride until tonight! So, not a bad thing really, as it is beautiful today and the crowds will be huge tonight. We follow three other parades, so it will be a massive throw-down to get the big weekend rolling.

We still had our big party last night, amazing turnout (what else can you expect) and fabulous costumes! Our float had a lovely brunch in the afternoon and some great female bonding time. I found out that the wait list to ride in our parade is over 700! That is amazing! Anyhow, more to update later. I need to lay down and get some rest while I can...

We Ride!

Krewe of Muses rolls tonight!

Forecast calls for rain, but at the moment the sun is coming out. Perhaps the Goddesses above are pushing the clouds away so we can parade without bad weather. I'd like to think so. I and the other ladies have a long day ahead. Brunch at noon, pre-party at 2:30, float boarding at 5, line up at 6 and roll at 7. Then we have an after party with entertainment by The Village People. Take a guess what out theme is!

I loaded my extra beads last night, and let me tell you, I have TON OF SH**! My god, there is so much stuff, I am not sure I will be able to throw it all. The float is loaded down pretty good with everyone's stuff. If you can imagine 28 floats loaded similarly, it is no wonder we have the reputation of throwing the most. I am going to post out theme song for the parade, sung to "I Will Survive". It's pretty funny:

It’s Muses Night 2008

Once we were naive
It was our first time
Not doing Mardi Gras the right way
Would have been such a crime
But we had spent so many nights
watching men’s krewes masquerade,
we were afraid
And now we have the best parade!
And so we’re back
For number eight!
We hate to brag about ourselves
But Gambit readers say we’re great
We have even better throws
Tonight should be a stress reliever
The crowds should all be ready for a case of
Disco Muses Night Fever

Go on now – GO, Get on that mask
Hook your harness girl, And be sure to hide that flask.
We’ve spent another year of nights waiting for this one to arrive
Tonight we ride!
COLD or FLOOD, we will survive!
Oh yeah oh…
It’s Muses’ night
As long as you know how to throw you’ll do the Muses right!
‘Cause we know we will delight
And we’re lookin’ out-a-site!
It’s Muses’ night
It’s Muses’ night

It took all the strength we had
Not to fall apart
And each Mardi Gras is mending
some more broken hearts
We’re Disco Muses now
and it’s time to get it on
We took a chance
And we’ll make the whole crowd dance
And they’ll see us –
the Muses krewe
With all our disco Muses riding
And Marva in the shoe
We thought it couldn’t get much better
And the crowds will sure agree
Once they’ve gotten Muses Fever
It’s the best parade they’ll see

Go on now – GO, Get on that mask
Hook your harness girl, And be sure to hide that flask.
We’ve spent another year of nights waiting for this one to arrive
Tonight we ride!
STORM or FLOOD, we will survive!
Oh yeah oh…
It’s Muses’ night
As long as you know how to throw you’ll do the Muses right!
‘Cause we know we will delight
And we’re lookin’ out-a-site!
It’s Muses’ night
It’s Muses’ night
Hey Hey

Whack it!

It's been raining pretty much all week and I've still had this lingering sinus/ear infection/congestion that keeps giving. It's sort of become my own personal whack-a-mole in my head. Every morning I arise and do battle with it (whack with decongestants! whack with antihistamines! whack with antibiotics! whack with emergen-C! etc.). And now, on the eve of parade season, it's still hanging on. I guess it to wants to ride Muses too, and for free (imagine the nerve of that??). SO with any pure luck and divine intervention, it will have gone away before next Wednesday night. Otherwise, I guess I will have to make friends with it somehow...(sigh).


Okay, well today it begins! Tonight the first parades roll down St. Charles Avenue. I have been shut-in all week, so I am going to get my ass out to have some fun, rain or no rain. YES! They are going to roll, no matter what the weather.

The past week especially, I have had several marching bands practice on our street, marching up and down and getting their routine/walk right. It was endearing, really. This morning it was a group of middle schoolers, who I think may be marching tonight. Well, I can hear the siren's announcing the arrival of floats lining up on Tchoup, so I guess I'll go figure out my game plan. YES!!

Neti Pot

Neti Pot. Do you know what that is? Well, it freaked me out at first, just the idea of it...but I broke down and bought one for the sake of my frickin' sinuses which are driving me insane! I have been having allergy crap related sinus boofungoo for way too long I thought I would burst from the pressure. The latest rage (even Oprah had it on her show) is the Neti Pot, where you rinse your sinuses out with saline/salt water. It sort of feels like when you jump into a swimming pool and get water up your nose...not too comfortable, I admit. Plus my nostrils are larger than the spout, so there tends to be flushing every witch way. I realize it sounds gross, but after the 5th time now, I am beginning to feel a little better and getting better at doing it.

If you do a google, you will find several youtube instruction videos on "how to". It really looks ridiculous, and I usually am laughing at myself in the mirror (I find a mirror helps me to figure out what I am doing), but if you have allergies and sinus issues, you may want to try it. If I end up with some sort of miracle recovery, you will hear me taking about the Neti Pot every which way!

Rain and Muses

It's raining in New Orleans. But I would have known that, as my ear started ringing two days before. It's a not-so-new phenomenon for me, really. When I was 13-14 years of age, I went through an entire year of ear ringing that would occur prior to some sort of rain storm. Nowadays, one can explain it as something that has to do with air pressure and allergies...and all that time I thought I had a special gift!

New Orleans is gearing up for the big Mardi Gras celebration (2/5) coming early this year. It's convenient decorating-wise, as people can reuse their christmas tree but decorating them with gold, green and purple accoutrements. It is a lovely sight and one I wish we could participate in, but since we had no christmas tree this year, we also have no mardi gras tree...(sigh). However, I do have mu Muses flag lying from the window to let everyone know that there is a Muse in the house and accounted for. This is a fun time, as all krewe members hang their flags up all over town.

We had the big Muses weekend this past Saturday/Sunday. It is important because it is when we pick up all our goods we plan to throw and get to see the floats. It is also a handy time to find out your position and figure out what all you need, like hooks, cup holders, chairs, etc.. I found out that I am on float 5 passenger side, last person. It is a good spot indeed, as I have plenty of room to move around and house all my beads (and I have a TON of STUFF). The float has two layers, with the first floor having, what I would call, a raised platform on each end of the float. This is where I stand, so I am not under anything and not too high up where I have to watch for tree limbs smacking me in the head. We will have costumes and headdresses, so this position is especially helpful, because knowing me, I'd be running into limbs, roofs and whatever else all night long.

I met a few of the girls the other day at float-viewing and they plan on bringing chairs. They had ridden before and were a wealth of info for me on what to expect. Again, out spot allows for chairs, and since the ride can last 3 hours or more, there may be a need for some rest. Frankly, I'll probaly be too excited to sit, but you never know... And in case you were wondering, we have three bathrooms on the float. Obviously, this is very important.

We are having a float 5 brunch before the parade and a Muses pre-party. In addition, there are a few float meetings and I am really really really excited!

In case you don't know, we roll January 31st at 7pm. If you want me to throw you something, make a sign so I can see you!

Day 6

Days 31, 1, 2, and 3 were good. Days 4 & 5 were a bit sloppier (especially the night of 4). Day 5 and so far 6 are back on. Today is football, so it's gonna be a good one!

I never really cared about a new year starting. It meant I had to reprogram my brain to write the next year, which oft would result in checks and other legal documents I had to rewrite. It also meant a cold winter and holiday blues.

This year is so very different for me. I don't care to be a year older this year, but I was looking forward to having a fresh start. It is the first time since I don't know when, that I really want the clean slate in my life. This year will hold some big changes for me, most especially letting go of old feelings and behavior pattern that I truly have no more use for. It's just different. I am so very thankful of so many things.