Icewind's Ramblings

I didn’t sleep again last night so tonight I will be playing this piece several times I am sure as it takes me to a place where my mind will stop racing in the wind and allow me to a calm place. Here are two pieces of the same John Denver song, the first as originally performed with Mike Taylor as complimenting guitars.   It is just part of a suite of songs called “Season Suite” by John Denver, Mike Taylor & Dick Kniss consisting of: Summer Fall Winter Late Winter, Early Spring (When Everybody Goes to Mexico) Spring They are all beautiful music pieces & were released on the Rocky Mountain High album. Please take the time to listen to both versions as it will be a rewarding experience and we need those in these times . . . The next is the Lee Holdridge version with full orchestral arrangement performed both in a stage setting and also in the Rocky Mountains close to the Maroon Bells in Colorado just outside Aspen. It is a very beautiful piece with three ballerinas...

It’s sad that another one of our musical star’s brightness dimmed and snuffed out.   Another God given talent wasted away by fame and fortune. We have seen it before . . . Whitney’s is another in a long list of stars who seemingly had it all and let it slip away, or in my mind p*ssed it away, such a waste. There will be many others touting her fame and saying it should not have happened but I guess with my age I am getting cynical in looking at those who wasted the talents given them. Some were superstars . . . Michael Jackson, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and who could forget my childhood favorite, Elvis. All great musicians in their own right but in the end . . . sadly druggies who could not function without something to destroy themselves taking away from my memory of most of the great music they made. Elvis had great music and it is hard for me to remember that but always it comes to mind that he died from a drug overdose, same thing for the others. Whitney Houston did ...

I have been off for a couple of days and I thought I would be doing a couple things but I have enjoyed that I have had the time to go through many CD’s and load my music into this computer.   I have spent the last two days listening to about 25 or 30 disc of my favorite music and some I thought I would share with you with the great YouTube recordings out there. No particular order but I found some recordings of my favorite musicians.   Enjoy! The Music is You – John Denver James Taylor - Copperline Joni Mitchell – For Free Postcards from LA – Joshua Kaddison Walk Away Joe – Trisha Yearwood Fishin’ – Reunion show in Cullowhee Long Ago and Far Away – James Taylor John Denver – Eclipse Secret of Life – James Taylor Everyone in his own way need’s to decide how they want to "Enjoy the ride." Operator – Jim Croce & Maury Muehleisen Night Moves – Bob Seger Mail Order Annie – Harry Chapin Against the Wind – Bob Seger Carlene - Phil Vassar I hope ...

We all hear it . . . we see it in the changes as we walk through our daily routines.   Sometimes it subtle when it lasts for several weeks but here in Alaska things seem to be in a much faster progression and sometimes it just jumps out at you. I have been thinking a lot about change lately and what brings on those variances that make up our lives.   Do we bring it on ourselves or by chance did we allow it to just happen unaware that in an instant (or over a longer period) things changed. In my life music has always taken me to many places and in my ipod I have a collection of things that I constantly listen to during my travels or just in my car going between places.   I have certain music that I listen to every morning that hopefully sets the mood of my day and others that I pull up from times gone by that bring back certain memories or events in my life and the music that was associated with those times. Music is dear to us and we tend to hold onto it while techn...

Or The Alaskan Adventure of a Steinway B This is taken from a newspaper notice last week and I thought it may be a fun thing to see some of the unique fun of springtime in Alaska.  I hope you enjoy!  Check out the short video On Monday, April 18th we made a bit of history as Peter Halstead, classical pianist < http://www.pianistlost.com/peter-halstead/ > and I set out with Keith & Deb Essex of Alpine Air, < http://www.alpineairalaska.com /  Mickey Houlihan of Wind Over the Earth Productions plus crew to fulfill Peter’s dream of performing piano upon one of the most remote wilderness peaks on earth. About 40 miles helicopter flight from Girdwood, Alaska we landed upon one of the most incredible sites I have ever seen about 6000 feet in altitude overlooking the Marcus-Baker glacier and icefield, thunder rolling through the mountains as avalanches broke loose in the spring sunshine, no wind at all and about 45 degrees. As the music began we all stood in awed...

Have you seen this yet? Ray Stevens . . . still going strong after so many years. You Betcha! Ice

Friday evening’s long awaited start of the 2010 Winter Olympics had that just right feeling after Beijing ’s spectacle with a “less is more” format.  It worked well and had some pretty interesting things going on showcasing Canada ’s vast and varied lands and people. Paying homage to the First Nation’s people and culture gave a great sense of place and heritage.  The dancers continued to perform during the athletes walk of Nations which lasted over an hour and a half.  They should have won some kind of medal for their endurance. I tend to like the winter Olympics more than the summer games as it is a smaller contingent of athletes and they make their walk on entrance at the beginning of the program so they can watch everything that happens.  The summer game athletes miss the program standing around in a parking lot somewhere while the show goes on.  A little less of the Olympic experience I guess so winter to me is much better. For those watching on televi...

“The music is all around you, all you have to do is listen.” Music plays an important part in many of our lives and sometimes you find the music in the most unexpected places. It may be on a river with the white water rushing around your legs creating sounds that is a joy to many fishermen (or women). It falls upon you walking in the sound of the wind or possibly sitting sharing a bottle of Beringer’s overlooking a beautiful landscape. I found the music tonight in a movie on my television as I put something on to fill the void of dead space noise as I tried to get myself into a bid I was working on. Oddly I stopped and became absorbed in the story before me and the music that filled the room. Here are a couple examples . . . Enjoy! August Rush Opening Scene August playing for the first time. Evan (August) and Louis playing together in the park. Enjoy the music where ever you may find it. Ice

I think that sometimes when you wake up in the morning and hear that first song on the radio or player in your car or home seems to set the mood for the day. That can sometimes be both a blessing and an omen for things to come as music has many meanings and can bring forth several depending on when you might hear it or what happens to you in the short term. Today carried with it a little of both as I jumped into my rig (Alaskan for truck) and headed off to work. Within about ten seconds Jackson Brown’s Running on Empty came on the radio. I smiled thinking about my youth and the excitement from seeing a JB concert live and up close. I have always enjoyed the excitement that the song seemed to bring out in many people. It had enthusiasm and made you tap a toe or get into a rhythm. Another smile came to me. Running on Empty I listened as I made my way to the freeway and just let the music embrace my soul and give me that lift needed to st...

A friend of mine had sent me a couple of CD’s of music and video’s from a concert reunion of some old friends I used to hang out with almost every night when I lived in Atlanta Georgia . They played in many clubs all over the south east and I flew them up to Louisville Kentucky during Derby week for concerts there. The group was called ‘Cullowhee’ named from a small town in the mountains of western North Carolina where most of the members went to college. The guys played together for over 10 years and sadly for many of their friends and fans finally decided to give it up as a full time endeavor in 1985. Friendship lasts forever and from time to time since the group went their different ways the guys have gotten together for several reunion concerts in Atlanta and in North Carolina . The last concert was during the fall at Western Carolina University on September 27, 2008. They have posted some of the songs on YouTube which is great since they ...

My wife and her friend are in the living room this Saturday evening watching Mamma Mia and the competing sounds of music are battling each other as I sit in my office with a DVD of my friends, Cullowhee ’s music on my computer. The sounds of Appalachia and the Mediterranean are mixing into a not so interesting sound. I walked out to grab a snack and the sight of Pierce Brosnan attempting to sing was more than I wanted to see. He was not that great as James Bond but now I think he is reduced in my mind to his role in Dante’s Peak. I’ll stick to my mixture of bluegrass and the varied sounds of my friends. With all that has been going on these last few months it is nice to settle in for a day of music with old friends. From the days of Back Porch Picker , Fishin’, Natural Mountain Woman, to the wonderful sounds of Flute Salad and Bring Back the Magic I am immersed in the river of times past and all of the hope and wonder we all had about the world around us and ...

We have had our share of cold temperatures this season but sometimes it just does not make much sense to me. About a month ago we spent almost three weeks well below zero in the mornings some days over minus twenty five. We have been over that now and the last several weeks it has jumped around from the twenties to back down around zero. A few days ago my icemaker quit working and as I watched the ice container slowly dwindle to nothing I figured it might be time to give it a look. I went into my handyman mode after doing plumbing work for many years so I decided to go through the logical steps to figure out why it was not making ice cubes. I looked underneath the kick plate by the floor to see if there was any buildup of dust that might make things work efficiently as far as it maintaining the proper temperature. It wasn’t too dirty so I next pulled the refrigerator so I could get to things on the back. I checked out the tubing going from the water valve up t...