Welcome to episode# 37 of The Tour Bus Music Show. On this episode we will be doing something a little different. We will be featuring the “rebirth” of a band that was very influential on me, T. Mic, years ago when I was just an aspiring musician. The band we will be featuring is a group of musicians that were known around the southern United States and the original line up of Lillian Axe. But this is not the Lillian Axe that released records worldwide, performing in music videos on MTV and toured extensively throughout the 80’s and nineties. This is also not the current ass-kicking group of musicians that are known as the Lillian Axe of today. No, this was the original, hard rocking, take no prisoners, metal in your face 4 man group of Johnny Vines (vocals), Steve Blaze (guitar), Michael Maxx (bass) and Danny King (drums). As a phoenix reborn from the ashes of yesterday the reformed group now known as Circle of Light has recorded and released its current CD “Rebirth”. The album is comprised of 11 tracks of the band’s music from the early days. What is ironic about the album is even though the music was written 25+ years ago it sounds as fresh and timeless as if it were written in the modern rock era. The album was released on August 28^, 2012 on CME Records.

The interview that we did with the group was done right after the CD release party at The Howlin’ Wolf in New Orleans on August 11, 2012where they performed a scorching show to a packed house. We covered the performance there as well as having the privilege to see the group in its debut performance ironically opening for Lillian Axe at Fire in Jackson Mississippi a few months before. It was surreal to see a band that had not taken the stage together since the mid 1980’s come out not only sounding as good as they did back in the day, but even better with their audience singing along to every lyric even though they hadn’t heard these songs in over two decades…amazing. Both times we saw the group the completely obliterated the audience with their energy. pounding riffs, scorching solos, and a rhythm section that could give a fleet of pile drivers and jackhammers run for their money. Along with the interview we feature four cuts off of the album in a show that comes in at just over 40 minutes.

This has been a reunion a long time coming with fans waiting in the wings for it to happen. They played the anthems that rocked a generation of young southern fans in the eighties and all the while infecting the modern youth with nothing less than pure heavy metal made up of sweat, rock and 180 proof steel string poison.  Sufficient to say “The Boys Are Back In Town” and hopefully won’t be going away anytime soon!

Check Them Out At: http://www.reverbnation.com/circleoflight

You can purchase their new album: Circle Of Light – Rebirth through Amazon by clicking on the links below:

CD - Click Here To Buy The CD Version!

MP3 Album - Click Here To Buy The MP3 Version!

I'm Ana of My Symphony Of Life and welcome to another show! We have three featured guests! Dianne De Las Casas, Claudette Chenevert and Mari McCarthy.

Here's some information about my guests:

Dianne De Las Casas, Touring internationally, author and award-winning Storyteller sizzles on stage with "traditional folklore gone fun!" Audiences don't just listen – they sing, clap, dance, chant, and roar with laughter. Dianne adapts traditional folklore, adding fun audience participation, song, and of course, humor. A dramatic storyteller, she does not stay still! Her website is www.storyconnection.net/. She's also going to share with us

Ma Farmer’s Sweet Potato Pie

Claudette Chenevert first appeared on Episode# 009. Claudette Chenevert of The Step Mom Coach. She's a Stepfamily Relationship Coach, helping women transition from Surviving to THRIVING one STEP at a time. Her website is http://www.stepmomcoach.com.

McCarthy founder and author of Create Write Now. She has an interactive website which provides great tips and ideas for all of us who journal. She's going to talk about “_________”. She's providing journaling prompts, tips and answers your questions! Visit her website is www.createwritenow.com.

Fall is in the air, around us, full of bountiful color, scents and sights of a new season and I welcome the new season and what it has in store for me. Let's begin the new season of life with an open mind, a positive outlook and refreshed renewal for what the new season may bring us. Thank you for allowing me to be part of your journey! It's with this new journey that we may form friendships! If you have a topic that you'd like to hear more about or you know someone that I should talk to here on My Symphony Of Life, let me know. Your comments are music to my ears and I do value what you have to say!

I hope that you enjoyed our last guests. Just a recap Kid Chef Eliana She shared her Pastalaya receipe. Her website is http://kidchefeliana.com/

Mari McCarthy founder and author of Create Write Now. She talked about Building Personal Power with Journaling. Her website http://www.createwritenow.com/

Shaun Hughley A believer in alternative healing and all thing natural, Shaun along with her daughter, London...started making her own bath and body products. Her website is http://bseen1.wix.com/diva-girlz-boutique!

Welcome back to another episode of The Tour Bus Music Show. On this episode we will be featuring Uncrowned. Based out of Atlanta, GA the band has faced down and beaten challenges in its 10+ years together that would have most bands running for the way out as we will discuss in the show. They have practically lived on the road touring their show through the United States many times over. The ethic that keeps them moving, Party hard and work even harder! The band's line up is:

Stephen Bazzell - Lead Vocals

Jack Andrad - Guitars/Vocals

Stuart Clark - Bass/Vocals

Scott Sellers - Drums

They have captured the attention of magazines, the press, terrestrial and satellite radio with their music being played in heavy rotation in several national markets. The band was featured in an 8 page article in Spin magazine. Uncrowned was the 14th most requested band overall on Sirius Octane for the first half of 2008 and was featured in an on-air interview with Octane that same year. They have had multiple tracks featured on MTV's Real World, Parental Control and other network shows. Their music has been featured in video games and in a rather extreme nod to their notoriety, they became only the second unsigned band in Hard Rock Cafe's history to have an instrument featured in their memorabilia collection, This is but a few of the accomplishments by a groups whose list of accolades continues to go on and on. In this episode Jack, the guitarist for the group and T. Mic discuss the history of the group, some more of their achievements, stories from the group's time together and some of the more extreme challenges the group has faced and persevered over. Please join us for the show by listening to the podcast! Check them out at www.uncrowned.com.

I'm Ana of My Symphony Of Life and welcome back to another show.

For this show I have three guests! We have Kid Chef Eliana, Mari McCarthy and Shaun Hughley.

Here's some information about my guests:

Kid Chef Eliana grew up in a family of cooks. With grandparents from the Philippines, Cajun Louisiana, Cuba, and Honduras, the recipes in Eliana Cooks! reflect her international heritage and love of food from around the world. She also shares some family favorites. Her website is http://kidchefeliana.com/

Mari McCarthy founder and author of Create Write Now. She has an interactive website which provides great tips and ideas for all of us who journal.  Mari is going to talk about Building Personal Power with Journaling. She’s also going to provide journaling prompts as well. Her website http://www.createwritenow.com/

Shaun Hughley

A believer in alternative healing and all thing natural, Shaun along with her daughter, London...started making her own bath and body products when she became concerned about toxins used in many skin care products, especially those for children and babies. Her website is http://bseen1.wix.com/diva-girlz-boutique#!

A question that I get here at My Symphony Of Life…
What is Podcasting? Is it like a like a green pod with casting around it?
No, Wikipedia says it best! A podcast is a type of digital media consisting of an episodic series of audio, video, PDF, or ePub files subscribed to and downloaded through web syndication or streamed online to a computer or mobile device. The word is a neologism derived from “broadcast” and “pod” from the success of the iPod, as podcasts are often listened to on portable media players. href=”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcast”>

A little bit about us: Here at Global Stage Media aka Audios Maximus Network we’re a web-based media company producing a variety of audio and video shows ranging from music & entertainment shows to talk, news, interview and travel shows that was founded in June 2010. Our shows are released in pre-recorded format with live streaming shows coming in 2012. The name, while appearing to be scientific name (more informally it is also called a Latin name), actually is derived from the original idea of producing audio podcasts (thus “audios”) and in honor of our dear, departed English Springer Max (Maximus). Our vision, however, is to create on of the first full time 24/7 live streaming and downloadable webcast networks providing audio & video shows of all types and films, produced by a wide variety of content producers and independent filmmakers. Imagine, great content, real entertainment, on-demand, anywhere, anytime. In our minds, very cool. In yours, we hope you feel the same. Join The Nation!

1. Research – While I’m out scouting my next guest, I learn about them by looking over their website, looking into their services they offer, I read their blogs, I comment on their posts and I “LIKE” their Facebook Page to connect with them and their community. I join their community because after I interview them, I put their post on their page and I’m able to share their interview. I'm able to build a relationship with them after each show.

2. Come From The Heart – Hold a conversation of what your passionate about. Think of it as talking to your friend. It’s a warm conversation based on a particular topic in the conversation it can make you laugh, it can make you smile, it helps you gain knowledge and it can make you sad. When taking it in content of talking to a long lost distance friend there so much to catch up with. When interviewing someone we hear what our guests are interested in and care about. We hear the passion and the excitement when they talk about themselves and what their most passionate about.

3. Human Connection – Be a voice that stands by your mission. Have a wealth of knowledge in that specific niche’ to share with others so that they can find something that they relate to, what they care about and mostly value in their life.

4. Featured Guests Have featured guests who are of influence. You want to listen to your community in meeting their needs by having content that matters to them. Find guests in the specific niche’/specialty who’ll be able to discuss about a particular topic your community is asking for.

5. Podcasting is a way of life - You can grow as a person in your life. How? Podcasting offers topics that allow you to grow, learn and enrich your spirit with education and knowledge. Podcasting is great for your business because you’ll be able to reach others on a different platform than blogging. It gives your business more exposure to reaching the US and international countries as well.

Pastalaya Serves 6-8

(pos-tuh-LIE-yah)

Ingredients

16 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed

1 lb. andouille or smoked sausage, cut into 1/2-inch rounds

2 tbsp. butter

2 c. trinity

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 c.tomatoes, diced

1 c. chicken broth

2 tbsp. Creole seasoning

1 lb. linguine pasta, cooked according to package directions

2 stalks green onions, chopped

Salt to taste

Directions

1. In a large pot, brown chicken and sausage in butter. Remove from pot and set aside.

2. Add trinity to pot and sauté until softened.

3. Stir in garlic, tomatoes, chicken broth, and Creole seasoning.

4. Return meat to pot and bring to boil.

5. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

6. Add cooked pasta and green onions to pot. Combine thoroughly.

7. Add additional Creole seasoning and salt to taste.

Welcome everyone around the world back to this episode of The Tour Bus Music Show. I’m T. Mic and I’ll be your host as we once again take this journey into the world of rock music. In this episode we’ll be sitting down for and interview and some great music with Digital Summer. Digital Summer (www.digitalsummer.net) hails from Phoenix, Arizona and has been a great example of what a band can accomplish when determination, passion and a plan can do to drive a band’s success in today’s music industry. Regular rotation of their music on major market terrestrial radio, and on Sirius Satellite Radio’s Octane 20, becoming one of the top drawing unsigned acts in the southwest and sharing the stage with major acts such as Alice In Chains, Godsmack, Deftones, Sevendust, Disturbed, Five Finger Death Punch and the list goes on. Add to that their unique way of balancing a successful music career and professional personal careers concurrently makes this band a unique and exceptional talent as well. The band has released four independent albums since 2007

·        Cause and Effect in 2007

·        Hollow in 2008

·        Counting The Hours in 2010

·        And their most recent  album Breaking Point in 2012

Their sound is edgy, modern and continues to draw a growing legion of fans everywhere they go. In this show we’ll delve into the history of the group, talk about the members and their passion for music that has brought them to where they are, their experiences, what is currently going on with the band and talk about what’s next for them in the group’s future. We’ll also feature tracks from their past four album releases.

Before we get to the interview I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge our growing nation of listeners. We have been watching closely as new listeners continue to find and subscribe to the Tour Bus Music Show. I wanted to share a warm welcome to all of you and thank you for tuning in. We would love to hear from you and what you think of the show and if you have suggestions on whom you would like to hear on the show. Let us know about your favorite bands and artists and a little about yourself, we would love to get to know you. You can leave your comments on our site at www.amnpodcast.com, www.thetourbusmusicshow.com or you can register on our new forum at www.audiosmaximus.com and talk to other Audios Maximus Nation listeners & viewers at www.audiosmaximus.com/forum.  Welcome to the nation!

Please listen to the podcast for our interview with Digital Summer!

You can also check out everything else that is going on at Audios Maximus.com and all of our other shows as well. Thanks again for listening! 

I'm Ana of My Symphony Of Life. Welcome back to another show! We have a packed show for you with 4 guests. On this show my featured guests are Claire Mitchell of The Girl Means Business, Mari McCarthy of Create Write Now, Libby Quintana, she holds the position of Publicity Chair of  Women's Council of Greater Baton Rouge, Carolee Laffoon and  Peggy Bueche are both a Heal Your Life Workshop Facilitators and Personal Life Coaches.

Claire Mitchell of The Girl Means Business is from Darlington, United Kingdom

The Girl Means Business was created to inform and inspire, to show that there is a better way to do things.  Claire has also developed a number of coaching programs and training workshops to help you be the best that you can be, and help you create an amazing business. Her website is  www.thegirlsmeanbusiness.com

 

Mari McCarthy founder and author of Create Write Now. She has an interactive website which provides great tips and ideas for all of us who journal.  Mari is going to talk about Building Personal Power with Journaling. She's also going to provide journaling prompts as well. Her website http://www.createwritenow.com/

 

Libby Quintana,  holds the position of Publicity Chair of  Women's Council of Greater Baton Rouge. We're going to learn more about the council, how to get involved with like minded individuals. They're having an exciting event! Women's Council Of Greater Baton Rouge Present's Women! WOMEN'S WEEK- a week long celebration. You can find them online at wcgbr.com.

 

Carolee Laffoon and Peggy Bueche are both Heal Your Life Workshop Facilitators and Personal Life Coaches based on the philosophy of Louise Hayes. Carolee's website is http://caroleelaffoon.com/ and Peggy's website is http://www.healyourbodymindandspirit.com/

There's nothing more wonderful than sitting around a table with family and friends enjoying a good meal. It's the conversations around the table that is most remembered as well as the food. My featured guest is Peggy Sweeney-McDonald. She's the President of Superstar Events-LA. Peggy is also the Creator and Producer of the unique, theatrical, monologue event, "Meanwhile, Back At Cafe Du Monde..."  “Meanwhile, Back At Cafe Du Monde is a book as well with 67 personalities sharing recipes and stories. You can also connect with her online at www.meanwhileatcafedumonde.com and her Facebook Page http://www.facebook.com/MeanwhileBackatCafeDuMonde?ref=ts

On this episode of The Tour Bus Music Show we take the bus across the Pacific to Japan where Anime rules as one of the most popular forms of video entertainment. Where there is Anime there is the music behind it. Enter Animetal USA. This group is comprised of four of the world’s top rock musicians.

Mike Vescera as METAL-RIDER - Vocals

Chris Impellitteri as SPEED KING - Guitar

Rudy Sarzo as STORM BRINGER – Bass Guitar

Jon Dette as TANK – Drums & Percussion

Animetal USA’s Debut self-titled album has already been gold-certified in Japan (since its October 12^th 2011 release), and hitting the #1 spot on Amazon's Hard Rock Heavy Metal chart and #2 on Amazon's Anime chart in Japan (within the first 24 hours of the announcement of ANIMETAL USA).

The group has also since released its second album simply entitled “W” in summer of 2012.

In this interview T. Mic speaks with returning Tour Bus Music Show Guest, Rudy Sarzo about the story of the group and how it is making a name for itself not only in Japanese Anime culture but also is now developing a loyal following around the world. They will also discuss the challenges of creating this group and developing their look and technical sound.

We’ll feature two of the group’s tracks in this show: Mazinger Melody and Pegasus Fantasy.

You can find out more information of the group, their album releases and upcoming tour on their website at: www.animetalusa.com

We hope you enjoy the show!

I'm Ana of My Symphony Of Life. Thank you for joining me on another show!

Today my featured guest is Kathy Pickus of Dot Girl Products www.dotgirlproducts.com. This was started by two sisters Kathy Pickus and Terri Goodwin. It is their goal at Dot Girl Products is that every girl has a positive first period experience and an empowered first step to womanhood.

Mari Mccarthy is an author and founder of Create Write Now. Her website is www.createwritenow.com. She's encouraging everyone to “Write On”. She's also going to provide journaling tips and prompts.

Sarah Parker is the author and founder of two blog's: The Fit Cookie is about her love of baking, her passion on  fitness and nutrition. That website is www.thefitcookie.com. Her other blog is Fit Betty is a blog dedicated to fitness, nutrition and workout fashion and the website is www.fitbetty.com. She's also going to share a Spicy Taco Bowl.

I'm going to share some wonderful resources for those who have tweens and teens. There are wonderful websites out there for those girls and boys in those age brackets.

Breast Health Guide for Girls.   http://www.takingcareofyourgirls.com

Girlshealth.gov was created to help girls (ages 10 to 16) learn about health, growing up, and issues they may face. The website also provides information to parents and educators to help them teach girls about healthy living.

New Moon is a place where girls connect & support each other while creating poetry, artwork, stories, videos, and more. All fully moderated and proven to build confidence and healthy online behavior. https://www.newmoon.com/

Girl Zone is a unique website for teen girls with tons of cool info everything a girl needs to know. Check us out at www.girlzone.com.

Best Bones Forever http://www.bestbonesforever.gov/

Take advantage of these free Best Bones Forever!® tools and resources:

•             List of foods with calcium and vitamin D.

•             Print recipes!

•             Download a bone-healthy grocery list.

•             Learn activities you can do as a family to help your daughter build strong bones.

 

My Plate Builds the Best Bones Forever!

The USDA announced a new, simpler way of looking at your daily diet—a plate. ChooseMyPlate.gov is a color-coded, kid-friendly way to ensure you’re getting the right amount of the right kinds of foods—including calcium!

 Bone-Building Foods  more ways to build your best bones forever, including great recipes with calcium and fun ideas to get active with your family this summer, check out www.bestbonesforever.gov/parents.

Teens Health covers hygene basics including topics such as oily hair, and body image

http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_body/#cat20449

Common Sense Media http://www.commonsensemedia.org/advice-for-parents/boys-and-body-image-tips

For those of you who live in the Baton Rouge, LA surrounding area they do have at Woman's hospital Body Basics for Girls and Boys

Learning how their bodies grow, what changes to expect during puberty, and how to take care of themselves are valuable lessons for preteens.

On Barkussions I'm also going to share a craft project no sew tied blanket for your dog. Tools: 2 different materials, ruler/measuring tape, and scissors.

Note: Your going to need material that is sturdy in strength to resist scratching and pawing from your dog. The material I'm using is a fleece material Your going to need one printed material and one solid color material.

Step one- measure your dog- you want the material fit your dog. However, make sure that you have six inches around the fabric for those pups who like to stretch! Bella loves to stretch out on her blankie.

Step two- cut all four corners 2 inches in length and 3 inches in width. Before you cut make sure the edges line up so that you get a clean cut with the top and bottom layer. When you cut all four corners your material is going to look like a cross.

Step three- Cut the rest of the material remember to make sure that all four edges line up for a clean cut with the top and bottom layer. Your going to cut 1 1/2 inches in length and then cut about an inch and half between the cuts.

Step four-Tie all the edges together in a double knot.

Step five-Take a picture of your dog and the new blanket you made for him or her. Check out Bella's pictures below:

Spicy Taco Bowl with Black Rice                                

Recipe type: Entree

Serves: 4-6

Gluten-free; Free of: nuts, soy, dairy, eggs, corn,

Ingredients

•             1 cup black rice

•             2 cups water

•             1 teaspoon olive oil

•             1 medium onion, diced

•             1 large bell pepper, diced

•             2 cloves garlic, crushed

•             1-1/4 pound (20 ounces) extra lean (96-97% lean) ground turkey or beef

•             1-1/2 tablespoons cumin

•             2 teaspoons chili powder

•             1 teaspoon onion powder

•             1 teaspoon garlic powder

•             1-2 teaspoons hot sauce

•             1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning

•             1/2-1 teaspoon powdered chipotle chili

•             Toppings: Tomato, Avocado, Cilantro, Black beans

Instructions

1.            In a small saucepan, heat 2 cups water. Once the water is boiling, stir in 1 cup black rice and bring back to a simmer. Reduce heat, cover, and cook for 40 minutes.

2.            While the rice is cooking, heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet and saute the diced onion and pepper, and the garlic.

3.            When the onions and peppers are slightly soft, add the ground turkey (or beef) to the skillet and break up as you cook.

4.            While the turkey is cooking, add in the seasonings and stir to mix well. You can add more or less of the spices/seasonings depending on your taste.

5.            When the black rice has finished cooking, fluff with a fork and set aside.

6.            To assemble the taco bowl: place 1/2 cup rice in a bowl, top with 1/2-3/4 cup taco meat, then add avocado, tomato, ad cilantro on top. Enjoy!

Notes

For grain-free: use black beans instead of rice For paleo: use veggies instead of rice

Recipe by The Fit Cookie at http://thefitcookie.com/2012/08/19/spicy-taco-bowl-with-black-rice/

On this episode of the Tour Bus Music Show: Raw Rock Power is what powers this bus and let me tell you that after today’s show the tank is full and the bus is ready to roll. This T.Mic of The Tour Bus Music Show and our featured guest is no stranger to the Audios Maximus Network. We first interviewed him back on The Tour Bus Music Show – Episode# 7, he returned for the 2010 year end special. Heaven Below, is Fronted by Patrick Kennison on lead vocals & guitar, lead guitarist Jesse "Bawls" Billson, and rounded out by rhythm section John Younger on bass guitar & Aaron Rossi on drums, the band and their music has become a force to be reckoned with in the rock scene. Of course tonight’s featured guest is Patrick Kennison of Heaven Below!

Heaven Below has to its credit: Number 1 in sales at tradebit.com, top 10 on Amazon.com New Hard Rock Release Chart, Top 20 on Music Choice." These types of recognitions are typical of veteran rock bands, but Heaven Below has already taken home these honors in the short time this Los Angeles based unit has been together. "When Daylight Dies" took the radio airwaves by storm in 2010 with syndicated radio shows such as Hard Drive and The Rock 30 were spinning the Ben Moody (Evanescence) and has since been played on 50+ radio stations across the country. Press outlets such as Hard Rock Haven have hailed Heaven Below as "the next Guns N' Roses". The New York Examiner referred to their live performances as "unbridled balls to the wall ferocity". With the buzz and momentum of the band growing, the opportunity to tour and spread the word beyond radio and internet hype has been inevitable. The band has put 4 successful club tours under it's belt, sharing the stage with major artists such as Buckcherry & Avenged Sevenfold along the way. Since the release of their most recent album “Falling From Zero” the band has had some great opportunities that have presented themselves to bring their music to an even wider audience (more details on this coming soon) as well as pairing up to perform with great bands such as Queensryche , Steel Panther, Lynch Mob and many others.

Patrick shares with us on this episode what has been happening with the band, talks about the new album and some of the stories behind the music on their new album. Yes, Heaven below is going places and at a break-neck pace to be sure. They are also an exceptional rock act to see live. If they are coming anywhere near your town they are definitely a band to make the trip to see. In the meantime be sure to check out their album “ Falling From Zero” which is packed with some great tracks and a few surprises (but you will have to listen to the album to find them).  You can find out more information on Heaven Below at www.heavenbelow.com and remember you can also hear our previous interview with Patrick and Jesse on Episode# 7 of The Tour Bus Music Show at www.audiosmaximus.com & www.amnpodcast.com or at www.thetourbusmusicshow.com. You can also subscribe to and hear The Tour Bus Music Show at iTunes and on Stitcher Smart Radio at: www.stitcher.com/thetourbusmusicshow. 

Blues… It’s roots go back to the Mississippi Delta. It has told the stories of heartache as well as life’s pleasure and pain. It’s notes forged from the soul. It’s music has been grinded out of beat up acoustic guitars on front porches on hot southern nights and burned out of electric guitars, piano’s and blues harps in dark juke joints from St. Louis To Chicago. But on today’s show we’re goin’ to Baton Rouge, LA to sit down and talk to a modern bluesman who won Guitar Center's 2011 "King Of The Blues" competition, Jonathon "Boogie" Long. In an interview that runs almost one hour we'll dig into Boogie's story of how his life has been shaped by the blues and has recently come to be one of the hottest young blues players in the South. We'll also feature 3 cut's off of his soon to be released, self-titled album, Jonathon "Boogie" Long and The Blues Revolution.

The tracks we will be featuring are:

Blues Revolution

Bad Karma

Bad Day

The interview was recorded in early summer of 2012 shortly after the Baton Rouge Blues Festival. 

We welcome you to join us for an interesting interview with a very dedicated and talented guitarist & vocalist and some great blues music.

You can find out more about Jonathon "Boogie" Long at: http://jonathonboogielong.com/

Some great upcoming dates to catch Boogie performing at are:

Live After 5  - Downtown Baton Rouge - 9/21/2012

Homegrown Harvest Music and Arts Festival - New Orleans - 9/23/2012 5:15pm

Knuckleheads - Kansas City, Missouri - 9/28/2012

Jammin in JC Blues Fest - Junction City, Kansas - 9/29/2012

Sunday in the Park - Downtown Baton Rouge 11/4/2012

My featured guests for this eposode are:

Sarah Parker is the author and founder of two blog's: The Fit Cookie is about her love of baking, her passion on fitness and nutrition. That website is www.thefitcookie.com. Her other blog is Fit Betty is a blog dedicated to fitness, nutrition and workout fashion and the website is www.fitbetty.com. She's also going to share a No-Bake Coconut Macaroons recipe with us!

Karen Duggan of Playful Planet. Playful Planet is encouraging family time and connecting kids with nature; with the end goal of ensuring that our kids inherit a healthy planet. Playful Planet the multi-award-winning program Storyland Yoga: Interactive Family Fun. The website for Playful Planet is www.PlayfulPlanet.com.

Mari McCarthy founder and author of Create Write Now. She has an interactive website which provides great tips and ideas for all of us who journal. She's going to talk about “Reasons Why We Can't Journal”. For journaling prompts and tips visit her website is www.createwritenow.com.

Product Reviews that I use myself and I'll go into detail about them later in the show. The products I'm going to talk about is Whole Foods 365 Daily Facial Cleanser, Spring Valley Vitamin E and Garnier Fructis Style Curl Shaping Spray Gel, and my last product was given to me for review- Juice Beauty Green Apple Peel Sensitive.

Step N 2 Mom

Ana's two week talk in regard to the step kids and other parent's having businesses.

The Fit Cookie with Sarah Parker featured recipe:

No-Bake Coconut Macaroons

Paleo, Allergy-friendly, gluten-free, vegetarian, quick and easy

Makes 12-15

1 cup unsweetened coconut, finely shredded

3-4 tablespoons coconut cream*

2 Tablespoons raw, unfiltered honey*

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

 

1. In a medium sized bowl, mix by hand the coconut, coconut cream, honey, vanilla, and chocolate chips (if using).

2. Mix together until well blended.

3. Pinch off some of the "dough" and roll into 1-inch balls. The dough will still be soft at this point.

4. Place on a lined cookie sheet and chill until firm.

5. Enjoy!

 

*For coconut cream, chill an unopened and unshaken can of full-fat coconut milk in the fridge. After a couple hours, the thick coconut cream should have separated from the liquid and solidified on the top of the can. Open the can and scoop out the cream off the top.

 

* If your honey is not thick, use a little less coconut cream

 

*If you want more coconut flavor, you can add 1/4 teaspoon coconut extract as well. You could even try other flavor extracts, such as almond or orange.

We’ve got a great podcast show for you today. But it’s not for the timid, we’ve got Rana Freilich (Rana Frellich) and James Robinson from the New Zealand (by way of Texas) hard rock band Legacy Of Disorder. Legacy of Disorder wrapped their tour with shock rockers GWAR at the end of April and immediately hit the road again, this time touring with Fear Factory throughout May of 2012. Their sophomore album is titled “Last Man Standing” was produced by Sterling Winfield (Pantera, Damageplan and Hell Yeah) and hit the #1 position on the Most Added Record on CMJ’s Metal Radio Chart this past spring!

To explain what this means I’ll quote a recent press release: The band scored 55 new adds, which means that in a week-long span, Legacy of Disorder impacted their album, 'Last Man Standing,' at radio, and more college stations reported it in their top five official adds than any other record added to new rotation. To put it in perspective, this is difficult for a well-established band to do, much less an up-and-coming one!

The bands lineup is:

·         James Robinson – Vocals

·         Rana Frellich – Guitars

·         Jason Keill – Bass

·         Matt Thompson – Drum

The band has been on a break-neck tour schedule for the earlier part of this year and has quite a bit more planned for later in 2012. In this podcast interview, T. Mic talks with Rana and James about the history of the band, the production of their newest album and digs in deep to really find out what makes this band tick, We talk about their recent tours with GWAR and Fear Factory and we take a look ahead at what in the near future for this hard rocking band from New Zealand.

We’ll also feature several tracks from their album “Last Man Standing” that is due to be released to the public in August 2012 including Last Man Standing, Treading The Tainted Path, Break and Hell Tonight.

The Full Track Listing For “Last Man Standing” is:

1.    Thorns

2.    Punish All

3.    March To The Death

4.    Last Man Standing

5.    Treading The Tainted Path

6.    Break

7.    Hell Tonight

8.    Impaler

9.    Warrior Gene

10. Came To Fight

It’s very easy to search for information on Legacy Of Disorder’s tour schedule, other interviews and news on the band; but for your convenience, we have provided links to the band’s sites below:

Legacy Of Disorder Official Web Site

Legacy Of Disorder Merchandise

Facebook
Reverbnation
Myspace
Youtube
Twitter

For over two decades now it has at times not so quietly slumbered. The old, faded buildings now standing in silent vigil as if remembering a time when their colors were bright & fresh; when were surrounded in laughter and the smiling faces of adults and children alike. The grass grows tall here and the structures that remain are entangled with a variety of plants that now call them home. A place where the sounds of a merry go round, trains and other rides are replaced by the sounds of crickets at dusk, rain drops falling to the ground from tattered roofs and the occasional sounds of frogs & other creatures that now call the park home, But that my friends is not where the story begins or ends. No, this story starts with a man named Alfred G. Caplin...

 

Al Capp

He was born September 28, 1909 in New Haven, Connecticut of Russian Jewish heritage, Al Capp, as he came to be known, was the eldest child of Latvian immigrants Otto Philip and Matilda (Davidson) Caplin whose families had migrated to New Haven in the 1880s. At the young age of nine, Al lost his left leg in a trolley accident. Although shaken by the loss of his leg, Al refused to let the accident stop him and continuously acknowledged the disability the rest of his life, although usually in a humorous way. At  23, Al had moved to New York and became what was possibly the youngest syndicated cartoonist up until that time.

 

On August 13, 1934 Al Capp launched what was to be by far his most well known creation, the comic strip Li'l Abner with eight newspapers and became an instant success. Amongst the contributions of the strip was the now traditional Sadie Hawkins Dances at schools and colleges across the nation, that are based off the strips Sadie Hawkins race where the girls chase the guys! While on the surface the strip was funny and amusing, it was Capp's underlying satiric messages on society, parodies of the corporate giants of the day, celebrities and fellow cartoonists that gave the strip its long lived popularity. Another popular creation of Capp’s was the creatures known as the shmoos. (By the way, if you are unaware of what a shmoo is, you probably aren’t alone as the real meaning of what a shmoo represents in the strip is still being debated to this day.) Superficially, the shmoo was a creature that lived to serve humanity to the point of self-sacrifice and was ever abundant. The creature showed if nothing else that we should accept what is given to us and just be happy.

Yet it would be the Li'l Abner strip that featured characters from the fictional town of Dogpatch and whose lives centered on the adventures of the main character, Li'l Abner. A handsome and strong, if not very bright young man that was raised to be honest and brave except in the face of his girlfriend Daisy Mae, but it was the location that would bring the comic strip to life in a small community now called Marble Falls near Harrison, Arkansas on Highway 7.

 

The Location

It should be noted though that it was the landscape of Dogpatch, not the characters that drew in a real estate broker named O.J. Snow, who had been considering opening a rustic themed amusement park in the Ozarks.

    

But the area that would become Dogpatch had quite a bit of history to it long before Mr. Snow came a knockin’. Let go back a bit to the 1830’s to when the Washington Monument was being planned. You see funds were short to build and complete the monument and a call went out to the States and Territories to donate commemorative stones that could be fitted into the interior walls. Arkansas was one of many places to answer the call.  Mr. Peter Beller moved to Arkansas from Alabama in 1833. In 1834 he and the three of the Harp Brothers dug a 4' X 3' X 2' block of marble out of the hillside across from Dogpatch to contribute to the Washington Monument. The stone was hauled on a sled by a team of twenty oxen for approximately sixty miles across the Ozark and Boston Mountains to the Arkansas River. From there it was loaded on to a barge and was then sent to New Orleans. From there it was loaded onto a ship bound for the Potomac Basin.

Sometime later, a second stone from the very same hillside was donated by freemasons from the area who wished the donation to honor the fact that George Washington was himself a master mason.

Going back to Mr. Beller, sometime around 1840 he acquired the land that included nearby Marble Falls and built a mill there. For a time, Mr. Beller’s Mill steadily continued to grow successfully until the start of the civil war. Years later in 1870 a gentleman with the name of Willcockson built another mill here, and the town, which would bear his name for a time grew an the prosperity of the mineral waters and healing springs that it became known for. But like all good things that too came to an end in the early 20^th century. With the advances in medicine that inevitably came the town’s popularity dwindled. Then came Albert Raney Sr. He and his sons bought the land and changed the name to Marble Falls, he diverted the cold mountain spring water that the town was once so popular for into a trout hatchery, which they owned and operated for several decades.

The Great Idea

Now fast forward to 1966, the elderly Albert Raney Sr. listed his family's trout farm and surrounding land featuring its own canyon, a 55-foot waterfall and an adjacent (and already in operation) public touring cave named Mystic Caverns for sale. It was Snow who, after viewing the property, envisioned the Dogpatch themed park using the existing features of the property to imitate locations featured in the comic strip such as  Onneccessary Mountain, the Bottomless Canyon, and Kissin' Rock, (handy to Suicide Cliff), West Po'k Chop Railroad, and the General Jubilation T. Cornpone memorial statue (the last of these three were built on site in amazing detail to look just as they appeared in the strip.

 

Presenting The Great Idea To Al Capp

Snow, with other business Leaders from the area formed Recreation Enterprises, Inc. or (REI) and set off to propose the grand plan of the park to Dogpatch creator, Al Capp.

 

Capp, who had turned down previous proposals for such ventures, was inspired by the plan and shared Snows vision for the park. He ultimately approved the idea and became a partner in the project. By this time, Li'l Abner had inspired two film adaptations, a Broadway musical and had gained millions of readers so it seemed the perfect venue to compete in the theme park business. The over 800 acre theme park was set to not only be a reality, but in the minds of its creators, had the capability to become a major player in the theme park community.

 

Both Al Capp and his wife made a three day trip to the Arkansas site for the ground breaking ceremony which took place on Tuesday, October 3, 1967.  An interesting fact is that even before the groundbreaking, there were already a few attractions operating on the site such as trout fishing, a boat dock, an operating stage coach & trail ride, a honey shop and arts & crafts. 

 

A mere 7 months later on May 17, 1968, Al Capp was back on the site to deliver the dedication speech of Dogpatch USA. At first the park was begrudging supported by the local Arkansas residents of what was for a time called Dogpatch, Arkansas and resisted the park as a daunting reminder of the “hillbilly” stigma that still hung over the residents of the Ozark town, but at the same time they welcomed the hopeful influx of tourism dollars the park would bring to their below median income community.

 

 

Opening Day

Standing before a crowd of about 2,000 visitors on May 17, 1968, Al Capp uncovered the centerpiece of the park, the giant statue depicting the civil war hero of Dogpatch, Jubilation T. Cornpone, The park admitted a whopping 8000 people its opening day with an admission price of only $1.50 for adults and $0.75 for children.

 

Little did anyone realize at the time that by1993 through a combination of fate, nature, and unforeseen circumstances, Dogpatch USA would be gone...but not forgotten.

 

The parks design had been agreed upon by both O.J. Snow and Al Capp to hold true to the theme of the strip it was based on. Mr. Capp did not want the park full of monster; behemoth rides the zoomed around everywhere.

 

Although competing in the same market, the park had almost the opposite focus of the Disney parks in that where Disney was always focused on exemplifying the innovations and latest technology, Dogpatch USA represented the simplicity of life and beauty of nature. Although the park had some rides geared to pull in the “roller coaster” crowd, most of the attraction of the park was geared around actually spending time with your family and enjoying a leisurely vacation.

 

The Attractions

Now, taking a virtual stroll back in time to the park let’s take a look at some of the attractions, shall we…

 

One of the parks most loved attractions was the trout pond which carried forward the legacy of the land’s previous purpose. It was where visitors could cast a line in the always overstocked pond and for a fee, have their catch cleaned and cooked for them while they sat enjoying the parks surroundings.

 

Dogpatch Caverns which had been around previous to the parks creation under the name Mystic Caverns. A second cavern was discovered by accident while renovating the original cave and was planned to be called “Old Man Moses Cave”. It has, since the parks' closure been called Crystal Dome. The caves hold the distinction to be the only attraction which has operated both before and after the park closed.

 

The Frustratin' Flyer was a steel "Monster Mouse" coaster created by Herschell. It was installed in 1968 for the park's debut and it operated until 1991. A later victim of the failing park the Frustratin’ Flyer was sold between 1991 and 1992 season.

 

Earthquake McGoon’s Brain Rattler  was a toboggan roller coaster that was manufactured by Chance Rides. The ride is believed to have been part of the park when it was opened in 1968. In early brochures it was depicted as being a track wrapped around an enormous tree, but the ride was actually made of metal. At some point in the 1970's the ride was closed, possibly due to maintenance problems. It did not reopen until the park was sold to Ozark Family Entertainment in 1981, and was believed to be in service for the remainder of the park's life. One of the few rides to survive the closing of the park the ride is still in operation under the moniker of The Wild & Wooly Toboggan at Little Amerricka amusement park in Marshall, Wisconsin.

The Funicular Tram, referred to as the "decliner inliner", the tram was used to transport visitors from the parking lot into the park below. It was purchased from an unknown manufacturer in Switzerland and shipped to Dogpatch USA at a cost of a quarter of a million dollars. It was installed in 1970 and opened at the beginning of the 1971 season, it could transport as many as 1,700 guests per hour. As passengers descended into the Dogpatch USA valley they were given a short story about the park over the tram's PA. The tram remained in service until 1992 when the park eliminated general admission, and has the distinction of being the only ride that remains in the park, although it’s remains lies in somewhat less than working condition.

The newcomer to the park was Li'l Abner's Space Rocket - The ride was added sometime prior to 1978 but in sharp contrast to the rustic theme of the park, it never quite fit in with its surroundings, its addition has been thought to signal the beginning of the end of the park. The ride, prominently displayed on brochures from the era, was removed when the park closed in 1993 and its whereabouts have since vanished into the winds of time.

The Trash Eaters also bear mentioning, though not really an attraction - The park had trash cans equipped with huge animal heads that "ate" (or rather sucked) the trash out of patrons hands and into their mouths. The heads were shaped like goats, pigs, and even razorbacks and the unusual design encouraged patrons to properly dispose of their trash by making it a fun experience. The trash eaters used a unique & unusual design in their operation. You see, there was a blower motor inside the trash eater "house". The inside of the "house" was sealed so that when the door was shut, a vacuum was created which sucked trash into the trash eater's mouth. The trash then hit a stop and fell into the trashcan located inside the trash eater "house". Several of the trash eaters still stand in silent vigil to this day, but for how much longer...no one knows.

Right out of the comic strip came the Kissin’ Rocks. They were a natural landmark in the Dogpatch comics & came to mirror the comic in real life. The real life park icon is made of granite & was one of the most photographed areas on the property. After uncounted kisses caught on film it still stands today as a testament to this once great park that remains in a special part of so many peoples' memories.

The West Po’k Chop Speshul  was the miniature train that ran on this line at Dogpatch USA departed from the depot station and ran along the outskirts of the town. The tracks crossed over a bridge overlooking Marble Falls, known as “The Bottomless Canyon”. The train went through a tunnel and then circled through the valley of the Shmoo’ & then returned to the depot by the same route. The train made one stop on the return trip, near “The Brainrattler” ride, allowing passengers to wander that section for a few minutes. Normally there was only one train in operation, but there were two locomotives available during peak capacities in the park. The whereabouts of the train are clouded in mystery. At some point after the park closed passerby’s spotted the engine being loaded up on to the back of a trailer. Weather it was stolen or saved remains to be seen. One can only hope for the latter.

Other Rides In The Park Included The Wolf Island Paddle Boats, The Boat Train ride (replaced in 1988 by bumper boats), The Helicopters (kiddie ride), Ole' 99 (which was a kiddie train ride), The Wild Water Rampage, Yo-Yo ride, The Paratrooper ride, The well-known Scrambler ride, The Merry-go-round, The Antique Cars, General Bullmoose's Gravity House (a blacklight maze, fun house), The Shooting Gallery, Hairless Joe and Lonesome Polecat's Kickapoo Joy Juice Barrel Ride (which was a Rotor ride) replaced by a children's play area in 1988, Sky Driver (which replaced the Brain Rattler in 1989), The Wheel of Misfortune (a Round Up, spinning ride, Wheel of Fortune spinner theme-decor)

The Beginning of the end actually came at the end of the first season; the park had over 300,000 visitors and made a comfortable net profit at the time of $100,000. Rumored disputes of O.J.Snow and the other investors over distribution of profits from the park led Snow at first and eventually the majority of other investors in the park into selling their shares to Jess Odom.

 

Al Capp, who was at first hesitant about Odom’s new role in the development of the park apparently put his fears to rest at some point and signed a substantial agreement giving Odom license to use the Li'l Abner themes and likenesses in franchising agreements that could span decades had with an equally substantial share of gross proceeds going to Capp.

 

Odom had plans to invest millions in the development of the Dogpatch USA park as well as develop a new sister park called Marble Falls Resort and Convention Center. Which would have three ski slopes, an indoor ice rink, and an amphitheater which would feature various music and theatrical events. This remarkable idea may have worked if not for a series of unusual and foreboding weather events that caused a delayed opening to the resort. In another turn of unfortunate events a mild winter brought an early close to the first season. This combined with countrywide climbing oil & gas prices that was affecting tourism coupled with rising costs of operating the parks led to spiral into debt that the parks would never recover from.

 

In a bizarre sense of irony Dogpatch USA itself was profitable for all but two years of its operation. However, other local attractions such as Silver Dollar City which had more elaborate rides and attractions began to win over many of the parks paying customers.

 

Al Capp Retires

The parks, already suffering from lower attendance then received what was possibly the most significant factor in the imminent demise of the park. The retirement of Al Capp from producing the popular comic strip in 1977.

 

 Without the national exposure from the comic strip, the Dogpatch/ Li'l Abner began to fade from the public eye and their memory. The effect of his announcement however, did not have an immediate impact on the park nor did anyone see the gathering storm clouds As a matter of fact and in sharp contrast to the announcement, 1977 had recorded numbers of visitors as well as record sales per visitor to the park.

 

Musical (Chair) Owners

Then, almost in no time at all came rapid successions in ownership. With every new owner came various enthusiastic plans to change and revitalize the park. However, despite the bright future that each new owner promised Dogpatch USA filed bankruptcy in 1980. The park was never the same after the Bankruptcy, but, they lingered on and the parks then began their slow decline into obscurity. Instead of upgrades and renovations, the management began cutting costs by focusing on arts/crafts and charging for individual rides scratching desperately for every penny that could be earned. Intentional cost saving measures aside, the final death nail came as the L'il Abner/Dogpatch brand was removed from the park altogether referring to itself as Dogpatch, Arkansas. The park like so many before, although seemingly successful alone, could not bear the additional burden of supporting its failing sister site Marble Falls Resort and Convention Center. Struggling under massive financial pressures in 1993...the parks closed.

 

Decay

In the years that followed the park changed ownership, bits and pieces of what remained began to disappear and although ideas abounded and rumors swirled about the park being reopened, it being converted to a movie ranch, an eco-tourism hub and about a thousand other ideas none of which materialized. Instead year after year, new weeds would break their way through the seams in the concrete, vines would climb a little higher on the old decaying buildings, the grass would grow a little higher and the once meticulously maintained landscape would fade from view as Mother Nature began to reclaim her own. Gone were the sounds of children and their laughter. The only occasional tourist that the park would see were those either looking to document the withered remains of the park or worse, those that would raid it for whatever scraps of the park that weren’t nailed down, and for that matter some that were. Yes the park had been rapidly losing its battle with time, the elements, and those who would have no purpose other than to destroy what was left of this once beautiful theme park.

 

The Shakeup

You would think then, in consideration of all that had happened to it so far, that the park would then quietly fade off into history But no, as if to add insult to injury, a 2005 accident ended in a judge rendering a judgment in favor of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit, a 17-year-old named Pruett Nance and his father. The young Mr. Nance was riding his ATV onto the property and claimed he had permission to be there by the property owners when he ran into a steel cable nearly decapitated himself. The owners at the time claimed the cable was stretched between two trees to thwart trespassers.  In a lawsuit filed by the Nance’s it was claimed that the cable was put with the knowledge it would cause harm. In a battle that lasted all the way to the Supreme Court, the Nance Family received a judgment in favor of Pruett Nance and according to various sources he was given the deed to Dogpatch and became one of its youngest owners when the owners could not, or would not pay the judgment which ranged from $650,000 to $700,000.

 

More Bad News

Bad luck would continue to plague the area when four years later more trouble would come to Marble Falls (who had changed its name from formally from Dogpatch in 1997) in the form of wastewater issues.  In January 2009 a waste sewage lift station, which was installed during the creation of Dogpatch USA back in 1968, ceased to function due to an ice storm which in turn caused sewage to over flow into nearby Mill Creek. Mill Creek fed into the Buffalo National River which resulted in direct contamination of the Buffalo National River with raw sewage flowing from Marble Falls. The community supported by the massive system is only about 100 users. Because of this the Arkansas Department of environmental quality left the Marble Falls Sewage Improvement District two options,

 

1.)  Fight the case in court ,which they would almost certainly lose or,

2.)  Build a new sewage treatment facility which would cost a total of over $1,000,000 which would still only serve 100 users. This translates into a cost of $10,000 per user. I don't know about you, but I would have just a little bit of a problem with that.

 

The Undiscovered Future…

Fast forward to present times in 2012. The park now not in the hands of a corporation or business man, but in the hands of a young man who has a lot of ideas for the future of the land that the remains of the park reside on. What is in the future for Dogpatch USA? A new Amusement Park? A restored version of Dogpatch? A RV Campground? A Camp for Youth? Whatever it may become of it in the future, hopefully it is in better hands now than it has been in a long time. With the imagination of youth and perhaps some financial backing, history may turn into the future for this ole' dog...

 

You can listen to this show Echoes Of Laughter as well as other AMN Shows on our website at: www,audiosmaximus.com, on iTunes and Stitcher Smart Radio. Once again, this show is brought to you in part by Amazon.com. Please help support Echoes Of Laughter and our other shows by visiting audiosmaximus.com and clicking The Swagus Maximus Store Link or by clicking on our Amazon Affiliate Link. The products you purchase cost you no more than they do normally but we are paid a small commission that helps to pay for our shows. Thank You Again For Your Support! Until Next Time...Remember The Laughter!

 

 

This episode of Echoes Of Laughter is brought to you in part by Amazon.com. Please help support Echoes Of Laughter and our other shows by visiting audiosmaximus.com and clicking The Swagus Maximus Store Link or by clicking on our Amazon Affiliate Link. The products you purchase cost you no more than they do normally but we are paid a small commission that helps to pay for the cost of producing our shows. Thank You All For Your Support!

 

 

Script Written By: Kenny Fairchild & T. Michael Fairchild

 

Rides info per http://www.abandonedok.com/dogpatch-u-s-a/

 

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogpatch_USA#Attractions

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li%27l_Abner#Dogpatch

http://users.aristotle.net/~russjohn/attractions/dogpatch.html

http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?search=1&entryID=2302#

http://www.abandonedok.com/dogpatch-u-s-a/

http://www.undergroundozarks.com/dogpatch.html

Please join me in welcoming my featured guests! My featured guests are no strangers to Audios Maximus Network:

• Emily Gamez is going to discus the “must-have” products to have for going back to school.

• Mari McCarthy founder and author of Create Write Now is going to talk about what Journaling really is, a Journaling Practice and how to get started and that applies to newbies and experienced journal writers then end with 3 of Mari's most musefull journaling tips. Her website is www.createwritenow.com

• Dr. Nick of Resetting The Default goes through Bullying. His website is www.nickabraham.net .

I'm going to discuss having back to school routine for your kids (Clothes, School Supplies, Morning Routine, Homework, Family Calender, and Bed Time). My website is www.mysymphonyoflife.com. Hear me on Stitcher Smart Radio at: www,stitcher.com/mysymphonyoflife. You can also help support My Symphony Of Life by visiting our sponsor at: www.audible.com/mysymphonyoflife and getting a free 30 day trial and a free audiobook as well. Thank you for listening!

Ana

I'm Ana of Personalities and today my featured guest is Mari McCarthy. Mari McCarthy is a Jounaling Expert, Teacher, Founder, Singer and Author of Create Write Now. Her informational website about journaling for the health of it is at www.creatwritenow.com – The Journaling Solutions Center. Join with me in welcoming back Mari McCarthy.

Mari McCarthy has been our guest before and was featured on My Symphony Of Life podcast episode 13. We do encourage you to go back to episode 13 on My Symphony Of Life to listen to the show. Mari McCarthy offers several Journaling Services for Self-Discover & Personal Growth. You can start your jounaling jump start session by scheduling a session with Mari McCarthy. If your not sure about journaling, journaling jump start session with Mari McCarthy will help you grow and develop more in your personal life.

Journaling is the ultimate self healing and life management tool. She's available Monday- Friday through Skype and she'llgo into how journaling can help your life. Don't forget to sign up for her newsletter! Sign up for her email newsletter & you could win an ebook! Mari McCarthy offer's journaling tips for all of you jwriters out there! She does have a store in which you can purchase her products.

She's written several ebooks such as Start Journaling and Change Your Life in 7 Days, Pay Yourself First, and 53 Weekly Writing Retreats: How To Use Your Journal To Get Healthy Now.

She also offers a forum for all of us writers to gather and meet fellow writers as well. It has been a pleasure to talk to Mari McCarthy. I've learned a lot from her as an avid writer myself.

Welcome to Episode# 30 of The Tour Bus Music Show. I'm T. Mic of The Tour Bus Music Show. Welcome to our 5^th season here at Audios Maximus Network. We’re back from our season break and we have a lot of great things that have been happening that I want to share with you.

First off our shows are now easier than ever to listen to wherever you are. As of  July 12, 2012, This show: The Tour Bus Music Show as well as our other shows My Symphony Of Life  , Dr. Nick – Resetting The Default, Echoes Of Laughter, The WhimsiMagical Mousecast and Personalities are now available on Stitcher Smart Radio.

Now you can easily listen to all of AMN Shows on your iPhone, iPod touch, Android smart phone, iPad, Android tablet, Kindle Fire, and on your laptop or PC with the Stitcher streaming app. You can also listen on all new Ford, GM car radios. For those who are not familiar with Stitcher. Stitcher is the leader in Internet Radio for the world beyond music. They deliver the latest news, politics, sports, business and entertainment on-demand to listeners on their mobile phones. Don’t have Stitcher? Download it for free today at Stitcher.Com and in the app stores. Stitcher Smart Radio – The Smarter Way to listen to radio.

AMN is also now part of The International Association of Internet Broadcasters (IAIB) -- they are the principal voluntary trade organization representing the interests of Internet broadcast professionals throughout the world. They are considered the most prominent and effective voice of internet broadcasting and helps set the quality standards for today’s professional podcasters and networks for you the listeners. You can find out more about them at: http://www.ibroadcastnetwork.org/

Today’s show is brought to you by Limos.Com Limos.com can help you find the right limo or other chauffeured transportation for your event. Whether you are going to the airport, planning a wedding or prom, or headed out for a night on the town that you won’t soon forget, it is important that you get the best vehicle and service for your money. Go to Limos.Com today to get roll that will make your rock.

I would also like to thank our listeners who continue to support The Tour Bus Music Show through their donations and purchasing through our affiliates at The Tour Bus Music Show .Com. your support helps to keep us bring great shows to you month after month. Thank You All!

Have you been by our websites lately? Please come by for a visit to our network website at www.audiosmaximus.com. Coinciding with the launch of season #5 we've redesigned and upgraded our websites, logos, badges and we have QR codes available for you to make it even easier to find and download your favorite episodes of The Tour Bus Music Show, Echoes of Laughter and Dr. Nick, Resetting the Default… and more will be on the way soon. You can also visit some of our other sites such as: www.mysymphonyoflife.com  and www.thewhimsimagicalmousecast.com with even more coming soon.

For 30 years the juggernaut of metal bands, Anthrax has pushed through the changing tides of the music industry, changing trends in music, economic turbulence and about a hundred other things that have smashed other bands to pieces. Despite the odds the band has continued to not only rock their original fans year after year but continue to gain new ones every day. Original and current lead vocalist for Anthrax, Joey Belladonna joins us to talk about the band, their current tour, their most recent release, Worship Music. We’ll talk on the reunion of Joey with the band for the Big 4 Concerts and how it has led them to where they are now. We’ll also feature 4 songs from their Worship Music Album. One more cool coincidence…30+ Years Of Anthrax on the 30^th Episode Of The Tour Bus Music Show, very cool indeed.

Anthrax Is:

Joey Belladonna – Vocals

Charlie Benante – Drums

Frank Bello - Bass

Rob Caggiano – Guitars

Scott Ian - Guitars

 

Worship Music Tracks:

1.    Worship

2.    Earth On Hell

3.    The Devil You Know

4.    Fight ‘Em ‘Til You Can’t

5.    I’m Alive

6.    In The End

7.    The Giant

8.    Judas Priest

9.    Crawl

10. The Constant

11. Revolution Screams

You can find out more information about Anthrax, News On The Band, Tour Dates And Releases At : www.anthrax.com

Welcome to our 5^th season here at Audios Maximus Network. Wow! We just came back from our season break and we have a lot of wonderful news to share with you.... where to begin...

Our shows are now easier than ever to listen to wherever you are. As of  July 12, 2012, This show: My Symphony Of Life  as well as our other shows The Tour Bus Music Show, Dr. Nick – Resetting The Default, Echoes Of Laughter, The WhimsiMagical Mousecast and Personalities are now available on Stitcher Smart Radio.

Now you can easily listen to Audios Maximus Network Shows on your iPhone, iPod touch, Android smart phone, iPad, Android tablet, Kindle Fire, and on your laptop or PC with the Stitcher streaming app. You can also listen on all new Ford, GM car radios. For those who are not familiar with Stitcher.

Stitcher is the leader in Internet Radio for the world beyond music. They deliver the latest news, politics, sports, business and entertainment on-demand to listeners on their mobile phones. Don’t have Stitcher? Download it for free today at Stitcher.Com and in the app stores. Stitcher Smart Radio – The Smarter Way to listen to radio.

We are also now part of The International Association of Internet Broadcasters (IAIB) -- they are the principal voluntary trade organization representing the interests of Internet broadcast professionals throughout the world. They are considered the most prominent and effective voice of internet broadcasting and helps set the quality standards for today’s professional podcasters and networks for you the listeners. You can find out more about them at: http://www.ibroadcastnetwork.org/

Today’s show is brought to you by Audible.Com – get a FREE audio book download at www.audibletrial.com/mysymphonyoflife. Audible.Com offers over 100,000 titles to choose from for your iPhone, Android, Kindle or MP3 player

I would like to thank our listeners who continue to support My Symphony of Life through their donations and purchasing through our affiliates at My Symphony of Life .Com. your support helps to keep us bring great shows to you month after month. Thank You All!

Have you been by our websites lately? Please come by for a visit to our network website at www.audiosmaximus.com. Coinciding with the launch of season #5 we've redesigned and upgraded our websites, logos, badges and we have QR codes available for you to make it even easier to find and download your favorite episodes of The Tour Bus Music Show, Echoes of Laughter and Dr. Nick, Resetting the Default… and more will be on the way soon. You can also visit some of our other sites such as: www.mysymphonyoflife.com, www.thetourbusmusicshow.com and www.thewhimsimagicalmousecast.com with even more coming soon.

In other news, I recently was let go from my job as of July 13th. In the past this would have been a massive blow, but my way of looking at things has greatly changed in the past several months. Why you might ask? You see, I've been reading and listening to quite a few books in the past few months that have affected my way of thinking and how I view situations that happen. For those of you who are going through similar challenges in life, I would recommend reading or listening to some of these books as well such as:

·The Magic Of Thinking Big - David J. Schwartz

·No More Monday's Dan Miller

·The Millionaire Fastline by MJ DeMarco

·Always know what to say – Easy ways to approach and talk to
anyone Peter W. Murphay

·The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur Mike Michalicz

·Think and Grow Rich Napoleon Hill

·Project Future: The inside Story Behind the creation of Disney World- Chad Denver Emerson

My mindset lately has been focused on Audios Maximus Network and taking it to a new level for all of our listeners and viewers. But until the network is able to sustain our full time efforts, I'm going to search for new employment. That being said, I am open to new opportunities in the Baton Rouge, LA area. So anyone looking for an enthusiastic, multi-faceted and talented team member please keep me in mind.

It looks as though that there’s going to be a Bloggy Conference coming up in the next few months. This conference is going to be held in the Hyatt Regency hotel in Cincinnati, OH. This Bloggy Conference: The women in social media event is presented by Bloggy Moms.

So, the Bloggy Conference is being held September 27-29, 2012. This will be my first Blog Conference so I’m really excited because it would give me the opportunity to go to meet people, talk with other Bloggers, share news about our network, and I’ll also be able to bring news to our community. If you’d like to SPONSOR me Ana- My Symphony Of Life-Podcast & Blogging Personality, please go to our home website at Audios Maximus Network www.audiosmaximus.com and click on the Donate button.

When you SPONSOR me not only will readers of my blog read about my experience but it will also be heard on our podcast that are available to download at www.audiosmaximus.com. When you do SPONSOR My Symphony Of Life your company/business will be heard on our podcasts as well as read by our readers about your products and know more about your company to grow your brand. I will promote and mention our SPONSORS on both medias. If your a company who’d like to SPONSOR me, I can wear clothing, bring totes or purses to brand your company.

All of our shows are currently available for free by individual download or subscription through several hundred podcast directories including iTunes, Zune, and Blackberry. We are currently heard in all 50 states (U.S.A.) and 82 other countries abroad. Our demographic covers all races and ages but primarily focusing on male and females, ages 15 through 55 years old. Bloggy Conference ’12 Full Conference Pass is: $250 not including traveling to Ohio from Louisiana. Thank you so much for those who will SPONSOR me to go to the Bloggy Conference. Remember to visit Audios Maximus to SPONSOR/DONATE: www.audiosmaximus.com.

Note that if you’d like to DONATE to our podcast network itself, please visit our home page at Audios Maximus Network: www.audiosmaximus.com.

Thank you,
Ana- My Symphony Of Life-Podcast & Blogging Personality

On this show we're featuring bloggers here in the Louisiana area! The first interview is going to be with Maria Sinclair, she's the founder and author of       Blogging, Babies & the Bayou. Blogging, Babies & the Bayou is your source for online daily deals, freebies, coupons, product reviews and    giveaways. Maria's website is http://bloggingbabiesandthebayou.wordpress.com

The second interview is going to be with Sarah Barnett. Sarah is the founder and author of Think Twice Style. She likes mixing basic items with eclectic finds that are usually from thrift shops.  Sarah's website is http://thinktwicestyle.blogspot.com/

We’ll also have another beauty feature by a recurring guest on the show, Emily Gamez

Lately I’ve been listening to The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz which has had a profound impact on how I am able to think about the present and act accordingly to make a huge impact on my future. This is just one of more than 100,000 books available and you can get this book for FREE or any other book you wish by trying Audible.Com.

To download your free audiobook today go to www.audible.com/mysymphonyoflife. Again that’s www.audible.com/mysymphonyoflife for your FREE audiobook.

If you missed season 4, our guests have included –

·Episode# 15  – Interview With Carrie Heyes a children’s poet. She writes whimsical poems that lend themselves to catchy phrases and silly but thoughtful ideas.

·Episode# 16 – An Interview With Penny Pinchin’ Mom – Tracie Forbes, Spring Fashions, Nail Tips, Journaling, Writing Prompts and Coupon Tips

·Episode# 17 – Interview With Author, Clothing Designer and Successful Female Entrepreneur Gretchen Baker

·Episode 18 – My Symphony Of Life – 018 – Interview With Johanna Cook Of Momma Cuisine.Com

·Episode# 19 – Interview with Leslie Grinnell Of Eddies Wheels (Mobility Carts For Disabled Animals)

·Episode# 20 – Interview With Multi-Passionate Entrepreneur Sharon Nicholas

·Episode #21 – HELP! I’ve Been Zentangled! 

If you connect with our past guests, let them know that you heard their interview on Audios Maximus Network. That way they'll know how you've found them if you connect with them on their social media pages/websites, etc. Thank you again for joining us on My Symphony of Life. 

Please scroll down to the end of this post to hear the podcast!

On this episode of The Tour Bus Music Show T. Mic talks with Steven “Ven” Berez, lead vocalist and founder of Los Angeles’s own, Venrez. In their discussion Ven shares the story of the inception of the band and its evolution into its current line up. He also shares about the back to the roots way that the band recorded their newest full length album “Sell The Lie”.  The band recorded the entire album in just matter of days using the tried and true method of recording the band live and tracking most all tracks at once, with the exception of vocals. Laced throughout the interview we feature several songs from “Sell The Lie”Including “Karma”, the title track “Sell The Lie”,  a haunting cover of Steve Winwood’s “Can’t Find My Way Home”, and “My Only Light” (the c;ip featured in the beginning of the interview is “Melting”).  Ven gives us a behind the scences look at their recent tour with Fuel and talks about their upcoming tour dates in June 2012 with the legendary shock-rocker, Alice Cooper. Their  current  tour schedule is listed below:

Current Tour Schedule As Of June 10, 2012
VENREZ in Charleston, SC	North Charleston, South Carolina	With Alice Cooper
Monday,  June 11, 2012 at 8:00pm	North Charleston Coliseum & Performing Arts Center
VENREZ in Knoxville, TN	Knoxville, Tennessee	With Alice Cooper
Tuesday, June 12, 2012 at 8:00pm	Tennessee Theatre
VENREZ in Dayton, OH	Kettering, Ohio	With Alice Cooper
Wednesday, June 13, 2012 at 6:30pm	Fraze Pavilion
VENREZ in Kansas City, MO	Kansas City, Missouri	With Alice Cooper
Friday, June 15, 2012 at 7:00pm	The Midland
VENREZ in St. Louis, MO	Saint Louis, Missouri	With Alice Cooper
Saturday, June 16, 2012 at 7:00pm	The Pageant
VENREZ in Burlington, IA	Burlington, Iowa	With Alice Cooper
Sunday, June 17, 2012 at 5:00pm	Burlington Steamboat Days
VENREZ in Louisville, KY	Louisville, Kentucky	With Alice Cooper
Tuesday, June 19, 2012 at 7:00pm	Iroquois Amphitheater
VENREZ in Raleigh, NC	Raleigh, North Carolina
Friday, June 22, 2012 at 7:30pm	Raleigh Downtown Ampitheater
VENREZ in New Haven, CT	New Haven, Connecticut	With Fuel
Saturday, June 23, 2012 at 7:00pm	Toad's Place
VENREZ in Hampton Beach, NH	Hampton Beach, New Hampshire	With Fuel
Sunday, June 24, 2012 at 7:00pm	Wally's Pub
VENREZ in Uncasville, CT	Uncasville, Connecticut	Acoustic Show
Friday, June 29, 2012 at 7:00pm	Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville CT
VENREZ in Rochester, NY	Rochester, New York	With Fuel
Saturday, June 30, 2012 at 5:30pm	Main Street Armory
Venrez Live with Junkyard!!!	West Hollywood, California	With Junkyard
Saturday, July 28, 2012 at 12:30am	The Whiskey
VENREZ in Weed, CA	Weed, California
Sunday, August 5, 2012	4&20 Blackbird Music Festival

 

After the tours Venrez still has quite a bit going on throughout 2012. The band is already well into recording their next album and more tours are being planned as we speak. Listening to the album previous to the interview “Sell The Lie” while being reminecient of the kind of straight forward music that has  always been great to listen to when you just want to rock, it also has traces of influences of great rock bands such as the Rolling Stones and Alice In Chains .  In the end, the album sounds great and serves as a reminder that rock is alive and well in 2012. You can check out the bands news, touring schedules and purchase Venrez’s album “Sell The Lie” and some merch to boot at their web site: www.venreztheband.com

Please scroll to the bottom of this post to hear the podcast!

This is Ana of My Symphony Of Life and today on this show we're going to talk about a new hobby of mine that I recently discovered called Zentangle. Some people also call is Zendoodle- inspired drawings. 

Many of you know I enjoy arts, crafts, drawing and creative writing. I've enjoyed those types of hobbies since the age of 16. 

I remember being in my room crafting my hand writing, practicing different writing fonts, making it unique and writing in different styles. I also, remember drawing and doodling on paper, cardstock and on my notebooks.With that being said, I'm happy to talk to you today about Zentangle.  

Zentangle was founded by the renowned calligrapher, Maria Thomas and her husband Rick Roberts.

The term 'Zentangle' was brought together by Maria Thomas and Rick Roberts when Maria, a calligraphic artist, found that she was creating designs while her mind entered a meditative state. They then created a library of tangles and set out to transform Zentangle into a business. It has grown from there and has brought many creative minds together.

Almost anyone can do this. Almost anyone can use it to create beautiful images. 

The Zentangle method is enjoyed all over this world across a wide range of skills, interests and ages.

You can Zentangle by yourself or in groups. Try putting meditative music on while Zentangling and let your creative mind set free. Watch as your hand movements of the different patterns work together to create a unique piece of art.

I ran across Zentangle about a month ago online I saw the images and then saw them on YouTube. I watched some videos and there are great examples out there. Since finding Zentangle I found it to be fun, creative, whimsical and relaxing.  I'm also more aware of different types of patterns and see how I can incorporate designs into Zentangles. Zentangle is a method of creating unique, inspiring, beautiful images from repetitive patterns. It becomes a beautiful art form! That's why I enjoy it so much... I love being creative!

How to Zentangle:

Zentangles or Zendoodles, the terms are pretty much interchangeable, are abstract drawings created with pen and ink. These drawings are created from sections of patterns, often called 'tangles', which are, in turn, built with small repetitive strokes. The wonderful thing about Zentangling is that anyone can do it. You don't have to be an artist; all you need is to be able to hold a pen. 

Zentangles are not restricted to a certain size. I will post some pictures of my Zentangles.

Inspiration comes from all around you, nature, patterns you see and fabric/decor. It's important to practice the different patterns so you get used to the patterns. You can Zentangle anywhere or anytime. Perhaps you can Zentangle in the morning, perhaps on break or lunch and you can create Zentangles. 

At http://www.zentangle.com offers a Zentangle kit that you can purchase. If you’re going to start Zentangle then it's important to have the proper tools to create a beautiful piece of art.

- 34 Tiles

- 2 Pens- Sakura Pigma Micron 01 Pens. These pens dry quickly and are waterproof.

- 2 Soft pencils for drawing strings and for shading.

- 1 German Kum pencil sharpener 

- 1 Instructional booklet 

- 1 Companion DVD.

For those who are interested in becoming a Certified Zentangle Teacher (like I am) they offer seminars. There are two coming up this year and their filling up fast! The reason I know this is because I was interested in seeing what the cost was to become a CZT and when the classes are available.

I would still be interested in becoming a CZT but I don't think I'll be able to make the seminars this year. Ever since finding Zentangle, learning about this craft, I now have a new passion I want to let others know about and I'd be so excited to do/share and learn more at the Certified Zentangle Teacher seminars. It's all I talk about! I enjoy teaching others and I'm excited about it! For me to go to the CZT the total registration cost is $ 1,275.00

The Zentangle website states:

(1) This price includes all class materials, food, taxes and gratuities. Other than your transportation costs, there are no hidden or surprise fees.

(2) In anticipation that attendees will graduate, you can buy Zentangle products at seminar at CZT rates. For many products this is as much as 50% off. 

The next Certified Zentangle Teacher Training Seminar is August 12-2012 - August-15-2012 (I believe it might be booked up). However, the next Certified Zentangle Teacher Training Seminar held at the Hotel Providence, Sunday through Wednesday, September 23 - 26, 2012, in Providence, Rhode Island, USA.

Speaking of teachers, if you go on their website www.zentangle.com. click on learn, and then click on Certified Teachers. There you can see the listing for all CZT throughout the US and other countries.

For those local here in Louisiana, there's only 2 CZT Kathy Redmon of Prairieville and Marion “Mickey” and Howard Weisten of Covington.

Since we're still on the subject of teacher's, they do have classes available. You can go on the Zentangle website and get in contact with the Zentangle teacher in your area to see when the next class is. 

Here are some great website resources:

http://www.zentangle.com - Rick and Maria's site

http://www.tanglepatterns.com - they have great patterns!

Please visit my blog at http://www.mysymphonyoflife.com to see some of the one's I've been working on.

I hope to hear about your experience about Zentangle and see your pictures!

Our featured guest on this show is Sharon Nicholas. We’re going to speak with her on her history, how she got her start and the passion she has the fuels her company forward.  Sharon’s a mom, a writer and a multi-passionate entrepreneur with many projects to run.

She’s working on several projects as listed below:

* She’s Fashion Week Marketing at Fashion Week- Charlotte International Fashion Week

* She’s the Lustre Magazine Owner and Editor in Chief- A NEW lifestyle magazine focused on all cutting edge topics. Entertainment, Lifestyle, Fashion, Wellness, Social Media, Trends and Technology

* President at Sharon Nicholas Enterprises- social Media Management and Marketing. Writing & Promotion for your career.
* Promotion for Small to Medium Businesses
* Professional Management of Social Media and Marketing
* Promoting Authors

* Owner at Divas Social-Strategic Marketing Programs & Custom Designed Social Media Management.

She’s also the Website Owner - Writer at MomsIndulgence.com, Writer on women's topics on health and wellness. www.momsindulgence.com devoted to helping moms live their best lives while being moms

She offers several services in which you can use for business. She’s owns a social media marketing firm which does specializes in strategic Social Media Coaching, branding and events. This service is for small and medium companies.

Her websites are:

www.sharonnicholas.com

www.facebook.com/DivasSocialMedia

www.twitter.com/DivasSocial

www.momsindulgence.com

To stay connected with her, she can also be found at:

www.twitter.com/sharonnicholas

T. Mic and I interviewed the members of Wheeler Brothers outside in Gonzales, LA. It was a beautiful Saturday morning and we were outside on the patio of a coffee shop, sitting around a table chit chatting like we’ve known them for years. They are a wonderful, talented and personable group. The five-piece act composed of Austin natives combines the gutsy indie vibe of the modern central Texas music scene with the longing strains of time-honored Texas folk. Brothers Nolan, Tyler and Patrick Wheeler met Danny Matthews at LSU where they spent their afternoons picking guitars and swapping stories in the bar rooms of Baton Rouge and New Orleans. When the brothers went back home, that’s when they added the rest of the band.

 

In this episode we go into detail with the guys about what makes the band tick and what goes into in creating the unique Wheeler Brothers sound. We’ll also play several tracks from their album Portraits.  

 

The Wheeler Brothers Band Is:

Nolan Wheeler – Guitar/Piano/Vocals
Danny Matthews – Guitar/Vocals
A.J Molyneaux – Lap Steel/Guitar/Vocals
Tyler Wheeler – Bass Guitar
Patrick Wheeler – Drums

 

The Wheeler Brothers are touring! Here’s a list until the end of June:

 

Jun 01Doug Fir Lounge
Portland, OR

Jun 02 Treehouse Cafe
Bainbridge Island, WA 

 

Jun 05 Pink Garter Theatre
Jackson Hole, WY

Jun 07Hi-Dive
Denver, CO

Jun 08 Longmont Downtown Concert Series
Longmont, CO

 

Jun 09 Golden Light Cantina
Amarillo, TX

 

Jun 13 KGSR's Blues on the Green
Austin, TX

 

 Jun 16 Century Center Plaza
Bend, OR

Jun 28 Unplugged at the Grove
Austin, TX 

 

Jun 29 Angel's Ice House
Spicewood, TX

 

Stay connected with the Wheeler Brothers:

Website: http://wheelerbrothersmusic.com

Facebook: http://wheelerbrothersmusic.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/wheelerbrothers

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/WheelerBrothersMusic

The Audios Maximus Team would like to take the time to thank “Wheeler Brothers” for joining us here on The Tour Bus Music Show!

Today our featured guest on The Tour Bus Music Show is Alexis Brown and Jason White from Knoxville, Tennessee’s Straight Line Stitch. In this interview T. Mic and Ana discuss with Alexis and Jason everything you want to about the band. From it’s inception to their extensive & rigorous touring schedule and their newest album, The Fight Of Our Lives. We go behind the scenes and talk about the bands creative process in crafting their dynamic songs. We also get a peek at the the personal lives of Alexis and Jason’ life off the road.

This hard working band has worked their way through the battlefield of night clubs, theaters, major concerts, and the rigors of the road to gain the respect of rock fans across the country and fans from around the world. They have shared the stage with some of rocks greatest acts and dominated on headlining shows all over the U.S.

The line up of Straight Line Stich is: Alexis Brown - Vocals, Seth Thacker - Guitar, Jason White - Bass, Kanky Lora - Drums, Kris Norris - Guitar

Kick Back and Get ready To Rock!

You can connect with Straight Line Stitch At:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/straightlinestitch
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/straightlinestitch
Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/straightlinestitchofficial


They may be coming to your town. Tour Schedule:

• Friday May 18

Inner Circle Entertainment Complex  Cincinnati, OH | 8:00PM

• Saturday May 19

Sarge's Tap Danville, IL | 4:30PM

• Sunday May 27

Southport Hall Jefferson, LA | 8:00PM

Tuesday May 29

World Famous Celtic Irish Pub Pascagoula, MS | 8:00PM

• Tuesday  June 5

Dirty Dog Bar Austin, TX | 7:00PM  

My Symphony Of Life 19

My featured guest on this show is Leslie Grinnell of Eddie’s Wheels (www.eddieswheels.com). This episode is in memory of Daisy and you’ll hear more about her in this show. Many of you know that I love animals. With that being said, I’m an animal Advocate. I’m always staying updated to what’s going on with animals. Over the past 20 years, Leslie has personally cared for a succession of disabled dogs including Buddha, Hardy (a Doberman with Wobblers), Autumn (a Dobe with spondylosis), Toby (Rotti mix with torn ACLs), Nick (boxer with spinal fracture), and Nelix (a 3 legged cat). Founder, Eddie built his first dog cart for Buddha, his companion Doberman in 1989.  A mechanical engineer by trade, he brings his lifetime experience as mechanical designer, welder and inventor to the task of designing mobility cart that supports pets in a bio-mechanically sound way.

What they offer:

Standard Rear Wheel Cart-

 For pets with normal strength in their front legs and shoulders,  who need assistance in the rear

 Carts are sized by dog’s weight, age, activity level, and exercise terrain

 Optional stirrups available for dogs with neurological deficits that cause foot dragging or knuckling

Neutral-Balanced Carts-

• For dogs with forelimb or shoulder pain or weakness, wobblers syndrome, degenerative myelopathy, elbow dysplasia, hyper-extension of the carpus

• By moving the wheels slightly forward and using an adjustable support strap under the chest, the yoke will rise slightly off the shoulders, making the cart weightless for the animal.

Fully Counterbalanced Carts

• All standard carts can be upgraded to counterbalanced by the acquisition of new axles, brace bars and a support strap.

• For pets with serious forelimb deficits will remove up to 40% of the weight borne on the front legs.   For dogs with advanced DM,  cervical IVDD, osteo-arthritis.

The Variable Balance Cart

• The full counterbalance position, with the wheels all the way toward the center of the cart, will take up to 40% of the dog’s weight off the front legs.

• As the wheel is shifted further back, the dog bears a larger percentage of its own weight on his front legs. At the standard position, about 5% of the dog’s weight is added to front legs, making the cart track perfectly with the dog’s forward motion.

• Appropriate for dogs recovering strength in the forelimbs following surgery or FCE, or dogs with degenerative myelopathy, taking the place of upgrades.

Removable Saddle Option

The removable saddle option is available for dogs for which lifting the dog into a cart is difficult or painful.

• Giant dogs such as Great Danes, Giant Mastiffs etc.

• Dogs with weak or painful forelimbs

• Clinic carts – removable saddles can be reversed to use for males and females

They also offer Hospital Equipment.

In the ten years that Eddie’s Wheels has been building custom mobility carts for disabled animals, we have personally evaluated, measured and fitted hundreds of disabled animals for their carts.  We have noticed the dramatic change that occurs when an animal is properly supported on its pelvic floor in a healthy normal stance.

I hope that you’ve enjoyed My Symphony Of Life- Pet’s - Barkussions.

In this episode The Tour Bus Music Show is stopping by the “Jazz Lounge” with an interview and music with the extraordinary Matt Cusson.

Matt is the keyboardist for Brian McKnight and is an award-winning singer/songwriter and pianist in his own right. Ana and I sit down to talk with this gifted self-taught musician and get a picture of the man behind the music. We’ll also talk about his musical influences, such as Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, Djavan, Miles Davis, and John Mayer, just to name a few.

A few interesting facts about Matt:

• In 2009 Matt won (by unanimous vote) the John Lennon Songwriting Contest's top annual prize - the Maxell Song of the Year - for his jazz ballad "One of Those Nights".
• 3 time winner of the amateur night competition at the legendary Apollo Theater
• That song won the Billboard Songwriting Award in the Best Jazz Song category, and came in second in the International Songwriting Competition.
• He’s also performed with, including Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, the Roots, Babyface, and Javier Colon.
• He’s performed with Brian McKnight on "Live with Regis and Kelly"
• He was a featured performer on the international "Michael Jackson - Man In The Mirror" tour in 2010.
• Perhaps more inspiring is his constant effort to share his talent by supporting various charities, such as the Susan G. Komen Foundation, Songs of Love, Defenders for Children, Hillcrest Educational Center and Community Resources for People With Autism, as well as his local food pantry.

We hope that you enjoy the show as much as we’ve enjoyed talking with Matt.

You can finds out more information about Matt Cusson at: http://www.mattcusson.com/ and http://www.reverbnation.com/mattcusson

Please join me in welcoming Johanna Cook to the show! We’re going to talk to her to find out about her love of cooking. Johanna is showing us busy moms that with just a few basic skills and simple ingredients, making great meals for your family and friends IS possible everyday of the week! You can visit her website at www.mommacuisine.com.

On upcoming My Symphony Of Life Episodes

we will be bringing you more interviews on:

• Entrepreneurs/Mompreneurs

• Authors

• Cooking

• Crafts

• Parenting

• Wellness/Beauty

• Reviews

We will also provide additional content around the holidays to help make them all that more special.

All of our writing, poetry and journaling tips will be provided for you on our blog at www.mysymphonyoflife.com and www.audiosmaximus.com.

Our website has received a bit of a facelift and are currently making even more upgrades for you, our viewers and listeners conveinence. It's is back up and available for you at: www.mysymphonyoflife.com

Thank you so much for listening to our podcasts and reading our blogs! We value you all and are happy you have become a part of “The Nation”!

Today we have the pleasure of speaking to Gretchen Baker who’s the co owner of Baby Gassy Gooma, Gooma Models and Fashion Friends Club

She’s also an author, clothing designer, doll maker and a successful female entrepreneur. I like Gretchen’s quote "Our mistakes, our failures, our poor choices don’t have to keep us from our God-given destiny. It’s not about how you've started, it’s about how you finish". We’ll hear more about this from Gretchen.

We have an announcement to make in regard to My Symphony Of Life. T.Mic and I have been thinking about the direction that we would like to take in regard to this podcast. There are several formats that have been on our mind. I understand that previous posts have been quite long to listen to. You see the average person has a span of approx. 30 minutes of driving to and from work in which a podcast can be heard. With that of course it can be heard once you get into work. We’ve decided to break the podcast into different sections which will start with this podcast. With that in mind will bring you a weekly podcast which will be broken down in segments. These segments will be broken down by You Being The Conductor You Were Meant Be In Your Life!

Be the conductor you were meant to be in your life by learning with the content that we share with you. We are on this journey with you and in such we shall provide creativity, connection, and a way to empower yourself in strength, growth, knowledge and motivation that will help you in all areas of your life. Let’s take these steps together.

Note one- Interviews that will be held with authors, life coaches, professional bloggers, and mompreneur’s.

Note two- Cooking- talking with those who have a passion of sharing their love of food including sharing tid bits for your kitchen that are must haves!

Note three-Crafts- We’ll share craft ideas as well as video’s on our blog also.

Note four-Parenting- explores the issues of parenting including being a step-mom to journey of single parenting.

Note five- Reviews- Here we’ll talk about products, items, book and movie previews. Not only can people read the post on our website but new customers can also hear about it as well to grow your brand in other media.

On a side note our writing, poetry and journaling segments will be only available on our website.

Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to our podcast as well as reading our blog. Thank you again Gretchen Blank for taking the time to talk to us here on My Symphony Of Life podcast.

Until next time, be the conductor you were meant to be in your life

Ana

On this episode of The Tour Bus Music Show we have the pleasure of talking to Singer/Songwriter and the “Original Freedom Child” Misty Gonzales. Her latest cd is “Rock and Roll Freedom Show”. Her music has been heard on television shows such as the Nickelodeon Network - "Degrassi", MTV - “The Hills” and “Tough Love”. Her songs can also be heard in films such as Universal - “Bring It On 5 Fight to the Finish” - Gatlin Films - "Beauty 24".

She’s also a Partner of FREEDOM CHILD ENTERTAINMENT This company is an independent record label, a partnership between media mogul Tom Wilson and Singer/Songwriter Misty Gonzales. They are involved in various charities around the world. Speaking of her travels, we’ll go in depth of her 2^nd trip to Haiti, how she and Tom Wilson are making a great contribution to the youth there with their “Freedom To Dream” project and her experiences during the trip. We will also be going behind the scenes in her musical career on how she has become such a powerful force in independent music. We'll talk about her Rock N Roll Freedom Show and the experience of attending one of these live shows.

She enjoy’s hearing from all of her freedom children at her website: http://www.mistyfreechild.com/. You can also find Rock & Roll Freedom Show on iTunes - http://smarturl.it/MistyGonzales. Thank you so much for listening to the Tour Bus Music Show!

In this episode of The Tour Bus Music Show we sit down with Ekotren Guitarist Keith Finnell. Along with featuring four rocking songs from Ekotren, Keith takes us on a journey from the beginnings of the band to present and talks with us about their growing pains touring, recording experiences, and how the band keeps churning out great music despite that challenges of the modern recording industry and the lackluster economy that all bands are dealing with these days.

Listening to the band's music on ReverbNation is what first called our attention to them. Their playing style along with the voracity of their music grabs you by the bawls and starts slamming your head against the stage. That being said there is also quite a bit of diversity within the songs themselves. One minute you are listening to pounding hurricane of hard rock and the next you are in the eye of the storm with acoustic guitars and pristine harmony vocals and then it takes off into a grandiose mix of powerful chords and melodies and then before you get your bearings it's back to ripping you head off with the pounding drum and guitar assault.

The band has been touring in recent times with groups such as Staind, Chevelle, ill nino, (hed) pe, Powerman 5000, Straight Line Stitch, and Diecast. Their most recent release, The Dead Of Night was produced by Paul Trust and achieved an overall tighter, aggressive, and professionally produced album than it's predecessor. That being said, 2008's Light the Fire was and remains a very good album in it's own right.

We hope you enjoy the interview. You can find more information about Ekotren and purchase their swag by visiting the links below and the ones mentioned in the podcast.

http://www.reverbnation.com/ekotren

http://www.facebook.com/EkoTren

http://www.myspace.com/ekotren

http://www.last.fm/music/Ekotren

http://www.amazon.com/Ekotren/e/B001LH3WYM

This is Ana of My Symphony Of Life if you the woman of the home you know how important it is to stay on a budget. There are wonderful tools out there that we can use in order for us to save money.  My featured guest is helping others where Pinchin’ Pennies is  a way of life. Join me in welcoming Tracie Forbes- Penny Pinchin’ Mom.  We’re going to discuss the journal and poetry prompts that I provided you on the last episode. I’m also, going to read you a new poem. I hope that you like it. I’m going to talk about these prompts and share my answers to these questions. Many of you follow me on Pinterest and nail flaire is one of my boards on there. With that being said, this is about nail polish trends - spring 2012.

This spring brings creamy undertones and opacity. If you like painting your nails… Keep an eye out for these colors!

Pistachio

Nude

Copper Effect

Tea w/ the queen- dusky hue

Polka dot’s variety of colors

Checkered

Vibrant red orange

I'm also going to discuss spring color which is in reference to my Pinterest board- Fashionisha Flavor. This spring brings cheerful color blocking, neon colors, metallic, hot yellow...speaking of hot yellow I'll share my thrifty find with you. There's going to be bold prints as well as oranges/tangerines colors to keep a look out for.

I have two clothing items... ultimate favorite is the office shorts with the matching jacket as well as flirty style skirts.

 

Additional money saving/coupon information.

If you’d like to get a preview of coupons via email go to www.sundaycouponreview.

It gives you the opportunity to see if you want to get a newspaper on Sunday or not. It gives you a chance to see what coupons will be coming out. These site’s may offer a service fee. However, these are great site to look into!

www.thecouponclippers.com

www.couponsthingsbydede.com

www.thecouponmaster.com.

There’s also printable coupons at:

www.coolsavings.com

www.coupons.com

www.redplum.com

Other resources:

All You magazine has coupons as well.

On this episode of The WhimsiMagical Mousecast we tell the first of what will be a four part series on the history of EPCOT. How it was meant to be the cornerstone of the modern day Walt Disney World and how it came to be not the EPCOT Walt envisioned but did become the theme park that we all know and love today. Would the original EPCOT idea made a difference in the Walt Disney World that we know today? Most certainly it would have. It may have even had an impact on the cities we live in today by it's example of innovative infrastructure, transportation, layout and efficiency. We'll also explore how the present day site was chosen and the creative way the Disney company approached purchasing the land at cost effective prices by retaining the secrecy of the company's involvement.

With Ana joining us, we'll then journey back to the present and discuss the International Flower and Garden Festival that is currently happening in, of course, Epcot. We'll tell you about some of the events going on and why you should make a point of making a trip to experience this unique tribute to creativity and nature (with some great events and concerts thrown in to boot.

In this episode we'll talk about the current pet care options inside of Walt Disney World and we'll also advise you of current and near future attraction closures and refurbishments. Please join us for this episode as we continue to explore the whimsical and magical place that is Walt Disney World.

For the current operating hours and attraction closures & refurbishment schedules to WDW please visit this link:

http://www.thewhimsimagicalmousecast.com/wdwcalendarapril2012

For current ticket pricing please visit the following link:

http://www.thewhimsimagicalmousecast.com/wdwtickets

To book your next trip to “The Happiest Place On Earth” please visit the following link:

http://www.thewhimsimagicalmousecast.com/wdwvacationplanning

To order the official Walt Disney World Vacation Planning DVD please visit the following link:

http://www.thewhimsimagicalmousecast.com/wdwdvd

This episode on The Tour Bus Music Show we have a special treat for all of you. A artist whose voice is seductive, sultry, and has the sound of many years of experience that can be deceiving if you have never heard her before. She is just as attractive as she is talented and brings both to bear in her performances. Our featured artist to day is Lauren Light. She hails from Lexington, North Carolina and has been featured on television, and has making a huge splash into the music scene this year from winning Kernersville Idol, being a Nominee in the Carolina Music Awards 2011 for Rock Female, and getting runner up for “Go Triads” Best New Act. She just recently opend for Dia Frampton and has already been tapped for licencing her music for commercials.

We ran across her on Reverb Nation while scouting new independent talent for the show. When we first heard her voice, we were blown away and immediately wanted to bring this new talent to all of you. On this episode we talk to Lauren about her about a variety of topics relating to her about her music and her unique approch to getting into the music business. While we won't say too much about her approch here, it is something that new musicians especially should listen to. She is soon to start recording her first full length album and with the talent, drive and intelligence that she posesses it will make for a lethal one-two punch that is bound to create a bright and busy future for Lauren and her band.

You can find out more about Lauren Light, her music, upcoming tours and her music at her website at: http://www.laurenlight.com. Also be sure to check out this blog at http://www.audiosmaximus.com to see a few of Lauren's Videos!

My Symphony Of Life episode 15 is dedicated to Claire Johnson. Claire Johnson was the wife of DJ. Knuckles aka Vance Gardner.

Our featured guest is Carrie Heyes. Carrie Heyes is a children’s poet. Her most recent book is called Duck... duck... Moose! She writes whimsical poems that lend themselves to catchy phrases and silly but thoughtful ideas. She’s a podcaster at Carrie Heyes Doopod: poetry for kids which can be found on iTunes, she’s also the founder/owner of her website www.carrieheyes.com. I’ll discuss 2011 year in review. We’ve had wonderful guests on our show. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed talking to all of our guests. I hope you have learned as much from them as I did! I have journaling prompts as well as poetry prompts for you as well

1. Where do you want to be 6 months from now?

2. Are you creating this opportunity for yourself/What tools are you using to get there?

3. Close your eyes and focus on one of the people that you hold dear to your heart, who is it and how have they provided inspiration in your life?

Poetry Prompts

1. Write a poem about your favorite state that you’ve visited. Think about what excites you about that state and why it’s meaningful to you.

2. List 5 of your talents and passions you have in life and write poetry based on your list. Write about your true self!

3. List pet’s you might have had in your life and write about the connection you’ve had with each of them. What made the connection unique?

I look forward to hearing from you and responses to these prompts. Again, I’ll share mine with you on the next show. If you have any questions regarding journaling you can always email me at admin@audismaximus.com.

If you’d like me to share your journaling and poetry writing’s on the next podcast, let me know and I’ll get that on the next show!

For the next show our featured guest will be Tracy- Penny Pinching Mom! Stay tuned!