Thursday, April 02, 2009

ABOUT THIRD GEAR THE GRIN BEGINS STRETCHING ACROSS MY FACE



(File Photos)
There is always something special about that first motorcycle ride of the season up here in the colder climates where, unlike the south, we can only ride our motorcycles comfortably about 6 months of the year. And, we still have to pay full insurance coverage for those other 6 months the bike sits in storage too!!

I was fortunate this year that I didn't have to go through the always frustrating (for me) start up procedure. My friend Bruce, a past biker himself maintained the bikes battery all winter & installed it in the bike about a week before we got home from the southwest. He had a little trouble getting it going (I can never get it going) but with his usual patience & know how he got it fired up. All's I had to do when we got home was go over to the neighbors garage where it was stored, check the oil & tires & ride the bike out the door & bring it home. Thanks Bruce:))

The night's have been cold so I started the bike a few times during the week & let it idle. Didn't want that battery going dead!! I was busy to-day with the yard clean but around 4 o'clock while walking past the bike I thought......Hey, it's time:)) The sun was shining, roads were dry, & I think we must have been up around 55F. On with the helmet, sunglasses, & leather jacket. Up with the kickstand, key on & hit the starter. "Houston, we have ignition" Let the bike warm up a couple of minutes, popped it into gear, out with the clutch, wobbled out the driveway, around the corner & up to the stop sign. This is the part I like.....nice long easy take off roll in first gear pushing the revs right up to the max & then down comes the hammer & I'm off like a herd of turtles in a cloud of heifer dust!! Love to hear that big muffler echoing off the trees as I rocket out of the forest & into the open countryside. It's about when I hit third gear going like Jack the Bear that the big Cheshire grin begins stretching across my face. Happens everytime on the first ride. No yippeeees or yabba dabba do's like years ago.....just that great big grin as I hear & feel the wind ripping through the helmet. It's an open paved road ahead of me with no traffic so I take the speed right up to the point of stupidity then back it down to a comfortable cruising speed & we are all set for another summer of enjoyable motorcycling. Big Cheshire grin & all:))

I wrote a little story about my first motorcycle experience nearly 15 years ago.
http://thebayfieldbunch.com/2007/09/motorcyclefirst-experience.html
And I also wrote a blog last summer about a really dumb thing I did to my motorcycle!! It's entitled, "Is That A Diesel Motorcycle Sir??"
http://thebayfieldbunch.com/2008/08/is-that-diesel-motorcycle-sir.html
(and thanks to Laurie for the tip on inserting links into the blog)

Weatherman is predicting a miserable rainy day to-morrow so I'm going to try my hand at changing the blog's format & appearance. I like the looks of Laurie & Odell's blog. http://laurieandodel.blogspot.com/ I like the fact that it stretches clear across the screen. Laurie has sent me some instructions so if I make myself an extra strong coffee in the morning I just might be hyped & brave enough to give it a try. Wish me luck.............

There is music in my family & my Mother could play piano by ear. Music has always been one of the most enjoyable things in my life but try as I may I could never seem to figure out how to play an instrument. I'm a closet singer & the thicker the closet walls the better. However, my very talented Son Sean has taken that music bug & ran with it over the years. He not only writes & sings all his own songs but he plays keyboards & does all the production stuff himself as well. His band, The Weak Need has just released an album featuring Sean's song writing talents with Sean doing the vocals, keyboards & technical production.
Following is a review in to-day's Kitchener-Waterloo Record regarding the recent release of his album...Restitution.

A little weak in confidence but powerful in production
April 02, 2009 Colin Hunter
It takes a certain amount of nerve to give your band a name like The Weak Need.
Doing so is practically an invitation to music critics -- the opportunistic vultures that they/we can so often be -- to utilize the name as an easy linguistic weapon against the band in a snarky review.
"Weak," such a soupus scribe might snarl, "is precisely the right word for the music!"
Or: "I'll tell you what these guys need -- a better album!"
There shall be no such sniping here, though, since The Weak Need have a secret weapon of their own, which they have fired in a pre-emptive strike: a self-assured, beautifully produced album, Restitution.
In other words, their chutzpah was warranted, because there's nothing particularly weak or needy about this solid 10-track collection of lush emo-pop.
The band strides comfortably into the radio-friendly territory of bands like Muse and Keane, with brief glimmers of the adventurousness of Radiohead and Aereogramme.
While no aspect of this album can rightly be described as "weak," some listeners (myself included) might suggest that the album feels a little too restrained or cautious at times.
On several tracks, the band builds a crescendo that never quite reaches its peak, like a firework that launches into the air but fizzles out before the big colourful explosion.
The best tracks on the album, such as the stellar Heal You and Beyond The Stars, are the ones on which the musicians crank the volume, stomp the distortion pedals and belt out the lyrics with rockstar swagger.
Such bombastic tracks, however, are outnumbered by the heartfelt ballads that showcase frontman Sean Croley's emotive vocals and laudable talents on the piano. Some of these softer songs, like the album closer Thank You, feature haunting harmonies and evocative lyricism, but others could benefit from a bit more guitar-fuelled oomph.
The album, recorded at Kitchener's Cedartree Studio, boasts some of the loveliest production quality you're liable to hear from an indie band, and makes for a strong, satisfying listen.
The band demonstrated some chutzpah when choosing a name. If they'd only show a bit more chutzpah by truly rocking out when the time is right, they'd be nigh-on perfect.

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