Happy Independence Day!

What a day on tap for Oscoda! There is perfect weather afoot today for beach or BBQ or trail time, the Oscoda Beach and pier have events planned (and tasty ice cream places near the beach), and of course the BEST fireworks show in northeast Michigan.

Here's a little clip Johnny has been running every year on the 4th of July (as soon as he can re-find it each year) he like to simply call 'Jimmy's Truck, mobile fireworks launch command"

All the way from 2006, it's back again this year:

Late night open thread

Time for Oscoda, After Dark

Saturday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with CHUCK BERRY!

Tonight is all about songs that would sound tip top on any gorgeous Saturday night. Pretty simple.

Rock music and country music crossovers have been popular for a long time. Johnny's got a pretty good idea which area code to trace it to. Chuck Berry and 'Maybellene' getting us going tonight.

Saturday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with JIM CROCE!

Johnny is pretty certain this checks the Saturday night quality music box in ink. Johnny does have a story (Ohhhhhh, goddammit Johnny you promised no more stories) about this song. When Johnny was a young shaver he was downtown in Ortonville and Johnny's dad wanted to stop into the old downtown bar and hotel (It's the shame of Ortonville, it burned down one Christmas Eve directly across the street from the fire station) and his dad bumped into a friend of his from some civic work and she was the mother of a girl Johnny was friends with in school. They chatted and had a couple drinks and the nice lady gave Johnny money to put money in the jukebox. Remember the halo that appeared over John Belushi's head in The Blues Brothers in church? That moment came to Johnny when he realized he could pick the music for the whole bar. "Thank you Fran's mom, "Thank you Fran's mom,"Thank you Fran's mom..." Hey Jenny Slater, Hey Jenny Slater.

The first song he picked, oh hellz yeah, 'Bad Bad Leroy Brown' and Johnny got side-eye from his dad but Fran's mom sure tapped her nails and sang along. And here we are, and it's a beautiful day. With another Music Series.

Saturday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with THE KINGBEES!

Everyone loves this song on a gorgeous northeastern Michigan summer night. Everyone.

It is known.

The Kingbees and 'My Mistake' getting us out the door this week.

Late night open thread

“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.” -- F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

Time for Oscoda, After Dark

Just an FYI dear readers; The Music Series will be Saturday this week

Johnny is downstate tomorrow at his Godson's wedding so it's be near-impossible to put up one remotely. Johnny promises, if you tune in Saturday night, it'll be alright for fighting...

Late night open thread

Dueling is legal is Paraguay as long as both parties are registered blood donors.

Keep this in mind next time you're in Paraguay.

Time for Oscoda, After Dark

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with MARVIN GAYE!

Long time fans of the Music Series here and back in New Jersey and before that Ypsilanti know Johnny loves him some Marvin Gaye. So many many songs by him in the iTunes vault. Always hard to choose just one but here goes. 'Ain't That Peculiar' stepping us off tonight.

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with THE RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS!

Always one of Johnny's favorites from the Chili Peppers catalog. That percussion break about 3/4 of the way through the song is a treat for the ears even more so ears with headphones on them.

'Breaking the Girl' batting second tonight.