The other day my buddy Robert Baer called me and said that he was playing a gig at M&J Tavern in Bend, Oregon, and would I come video tape the show. We’ve been trying to get together to shoot some video for a while, and one previous attempt just didn’t work out. You know, it was one of those weekends.

Here’s Robert singing his original song FACELESS.

Leave some comments let us know how Robert’s doing, and check out youtube for more of my videos.

Dave spent 9 months wrestling with United Airlines over the damage to his $3500 Taylor Guitar with United stalling and blocking all his attempts. Finally Dave told the final United representative that he was going to write and distribute three songs worldwide about his experience.

Here’s the first video:

This is really a pretty sad commentary on the level of customer service at United Airlines. In Dave’s version of the story he tried to talk to three United employees on the ground in Chicago when the incident happened. Their response was to duck their responsibilities and avoid listening to the complaint.

Dave’s video is fun. It takes a great poke at United Airlines, and they’ve apparently apologized for the incident. Better yet Dave’s music has now come to the attention of a much larger audience with his youtube video going viral in a matter of only 3 days.

As I’ve recently come to appreciate Acoustic Guitars can be highly personal. Musicians take great care of their instruments. The more they play them, the more worn they become, the more they’re cared for. To have one damaged in this manner with complete disregard by a company such as United is a travesty.

Maybe Dave will buy a new (or used) Taylor guitar online. He probably won’t fly United again for a long time.

Kris Allen, the Kid from Arkansas upsets the Rockstar Adam Lambert!

Last night a soft spoken lad from Conway, Arkansas beat out a tall flamboyant kid from San Diego, California to become America’s newest Idol. At least that’s what I heard on the radio this morning because I don’t watch the show. The way the commentators on New Orleans’ WWL radio station were talking the glamrock kid, Adam Lambert, got ripped off in the voting because they thought he was much better than the folksy Kris Allen. The WWL talking heads kept saying that the voting system was rigged and that they needed to come up with a better system.

Ummmm, guys… its a Talent show. The results are completely subjective. If Kris Allen beat Adam Lambert in a vote by the fans then Kris did a better job of it. The name of the show says it all. It’s AMERICAN IDOL not America’s Best Singer.

Congratulations go out to both young men for rising to the top in a highly competitive endeavor. They’ve both got a world of new opportunities out there. For the talking twits on WWL… fortunately I don’t have to listen to them all the time.

On Thursday night we went out to see a local Americana band called “Band of Heathens.” It was a free concert held at the “Whitewater Amphitheater” just on the banks of the Guadelupe River. The crowd was small and friendly. The Shiner Bock was flowing, and the band played on. Check out the video I captured on my little Panasonic still camera.