Zeppo, MT

Pete is in business as The Stringed Instrument Division. The retail outlet, repair delivery and pick-up are in the building with Mcat. Pete can fix about anything, and the store is a museum-like collection of instruments from worldwide sources.


Hours are M-F, 10a-2p.







These guys have practiced until they can make music blind-folded and handcuffed. There is a sense of history here, because the roots of the music are deep. This is a terrific band with a strong leader, and when Ruthie is added...





dynamite!

I am, as you can probably tell, madly in love with Ruthie, but she doesn't meet my minimum age requirement, which I recently set at 40. To be fair, written requests for exceptions are being accepted. I fall in love a few times a day. It's easy to do in Missoula.

Ruthie torches the club, April 26

Two of my favorite people singing with one of my favorite bands, as Zeppo plays the Union Club, Saturday, April 26.

Chuck Lester with about half a century of rhythm and blues experience.

Ruthie Dada with a natural genius and a ton of youthful enthusiasm.




An extended archive of Zeppo and all its members can be found here.

This Sunday's sermon

This is a day given over to sermons and sermonizing, and I'm going to leap right in.

There are people in this world who pretend to be what they are not. They are called hypocrites, and they've been around since homo sapiens learned to talk. A bunch of them currently run this country, but we don't have space here for all that. A lot of people are talking religion these days, and many of them are hypocrites. A lot of people say they are so pure Jesus is going to come take them away to heaven any day now, and I wish he would. Then the rest of us could start cleaning up the mess they've made. I will be proud to remain with the "left behind."

This just in: Christians invade and loot Eden.

Christian troops continue to rampage in Eden, causing millions in damage and scores of deaths every day. Over 1,000,000 peaceful residents have been killed. They call it collateral damage, which means it is incidental to the goal of bringing democracy and Christianity to the heathen. 2,000,000 more citizens have been forced out of their homeland to become refugees in neighboring countries. Another 2,000,000 are homeless, living in ruins, tents, caves and fields.

The big news is no one seems to give a shit. In addition to hypocrites, we are surrounded by sleepwalkers. You know the people, who think they are getting the truth from network television. I don't see much difference in television news, with few exceptions. NBC did a pro-nuclear news piece, with no disclaimer pointing out that NBC is owned by GE, the world's largest developer of nuclear energy. Fox makes me sputter with their blatant neo-con propaganda and name-calling. As soon as Fox leaped past CNN, in the ratings, CNN began to copy Fox in fluffy, bombastic style.

When it comes to news, my heroes are Amy Goodwin, Bill Moyer, Bill Maher, Walter Cronkite and some others. Cronkite went to Vietnam to see what the hell was really going on over there. He came back and told most Americans the truth for the first time. The warmakers covered their bases better this time, taking almost complete control of the media, before starting their latest catastrophe.

Back to the key word we started with, hypocrites. The religious leaders of our time are every bit as corrupt as those Jesus dealt with. Jesus said they only pretended to be holy, while being consumed by base passions. He called the priests soul-eating wolves. He said they cared more about appearances than reality. He likened them to white-washed tombs full of dead bones and rotten meat.

Nothing has changed; progress is an illusion.

Sermonizing leads to guilt and shame, neither of which is a good thing. I want mine to lead to awakening. Wake up! Consider the beauty all around you. It reminds me of the 60s, full of hope, ingenious creativity everywhere and drop-dead gorgeous women.

Speaking of shame, if you live in Missoula and you are not a member or volunteer of MAM (Missoula Art Museum), shame on you.

Once again, shout out: live and local. Add a toast of local brew, and remember to give thanks for all you receive. That's today's sermon.

Wolf Redboy plays another benefit

And this time in high heels.











For more of the UC events on Wednesday, April 23, check the flickr gallery.







Amanda is ready for the sound check long before anyone else, but is patient, and anchors the band to the task at hand.

Bob Wire gets serious at the Union Club

Give a shout out, "Live and local." Pass it on.





A ballad for slow dancing, yes, they do that. Next, comes a really good Johnny Cash and a passable Elvis. There's a parody of a serious country song and a homemade tune with the funniest lyrics you'll hear this year. A month ago, Bob celebrated his CD release at the club, giving away thumb-drives, with all his songs, and other prizes. The CD was on sale then and again Saturday.

Be sure to read his column on New West. It is rib-tickling stuff, too.

Bob and his friends return to the Union Club on Friday, May 16.

Buy the CDs: American Piehole and Sentimental Breakdown.

Inhumans at the Badlander, helping Poverello

Austin and Kyle front the Inhumans at the Badlander, last Friday. They were the final act of the Poverello Benefit. Wow! Philosophical, existential, funnier than hell, and you can dance to it. See them every time you can.

Badlander benefits Poverello

Wolf Redboy and Amanda play during the Poverello Benefit at the Badlander. He loves the spotlight, while Amanda stands coolly in the shadows.

New Friends

The high point of the PBR series for me was making new friends. Here is Andrea Harsell, who mc'd the proceedings. She was the spark plug keeping the colossus moving, and anybody who ever handled logistics for an affair like this can understand how hard she worked to keep it running.
It was at that first PBR, I met Wolf Redboy and Amanda. Wolf writes his own material and delivers it with a soaring, swooping almost-operatic style.

Andrea is one of those Missoula women, who is beyond being just a talent, but is a force of nature. She gave a concert in the theater, at the 515, one week after it closed.

PBR, Week 1, January 31, continued

Here we have a British-style, guitar, super-group. The Hermans have the musical chops and showmanship to keep that from being an overstatement. Think Clapton, Beck and Winwood or a similar combination. The above photo appeared in the Missoulian, without the photo credit I was promised. I now embed my copyright in every image (at least when I remember to).



'Ello adds an English accent to the anguish of Michael Stipe, with an echo of psychedelia. They had the audacity to perform a Doors' song and improve on the original.

There's a great slogan: Live and Local. And so it was at PBR.

After 'Ello, Luau Cinder, who termed their music dub/funk, took a turn.

This t-shirt classic advocates closing the School of the Americas, which teaches torture techniques to foreign police and military. The department of propaganda changed its name to Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Kick-ass Training, or some such a few years ago.

No one can mention the count, without mentioning he once played with the International Playboys, a prestigious Missoula band. They broke up just after I arrived here, and I didn't make it to the farewell performance. I did buy one of their CDs, and maybe I should buy the other before I start judging, but I like every band I've heard so far with an IP alumnae better than I like what I heard on that CD.