This week has been a Granddad week for me. It started on Sunday when i went to my first dance recital. I raised three boys and one girl and that one girl is the mother of Emma. Emma turned 3 in February and has been taking both tap and ballet lessons. Sunday was her first recital. I must say overall it was very good and Emma did great … Here is the picture they used in the introduction of the students.

Later that night we babysat Emma and Lucas for several hours as their parents went to a photo shoot for their business Rego Photography. Monday my son and Logan the son of my third son Peter came and we played cards from 2:45 to 4:45.

Finally, last night we went to my oldest grandson Oliver’s Spring Band Concert. Oliver is 12 and is in 6th grade. The concert was very good.

The result of all of the above is that we missed Senior Tuesday and its 15% off this week. But we still made a trip to the Audoubon NJ Goodwill this morning, The vinyl today was the same ones I left last week after my pretty good haul and the books were the same too. I did find some that I must have passed over last week.

Today’s Goodwill Book Mini-Haul – Four Mystery Series Temptations

“I” is for Innocent – Sue Grafton

While I have never read a Kinsey Milhone book, I acknowledge the groundbreaking nature of her work. Wuthout her work I may never have read books from the likes of Laura Lippman, Carol O’Connell, Kathy Reichs or even Karin Slaughter!

And that’s why I have been collecting the Kinsey Milhone series. With the addition of “I” is for Innocent I ever have 11 of the series books!

The Eighth Sister – Robert Dugoni

Robert Dugoni is another of those authors whose books I should be reading but haven’t. Dugoni has two main series the Tracy Crosswhite series and the David Sloane series. The Eighth Sister appears to be a standalone featuring former CIA case worker Charles Jenkins.

Hundred-Dollar Baby – Robert B Parker

I read my first Spenser novel back in 1987. It was The Judas Goat Spenser #5. I also read Taming a Sea-Horse in 1987 it was Spenser #13. Subsequently I have never read another Spenser book even though I enjoyed the books ans characters!

Hundred Dollar Baby is Spenser #34! It was released in 2006 four years prior of his sudden death in 2010. The last Spenser novel written by Robert B Parker and his assistant was SixKill published in 2011. From 2012 t0 2022 Ace Atkins wrote 10 Spenser books. In 2023 Mike Lupica began writing the books and has since added 4 books to the series. The latest released in 2026 is Framed (Spenser #54)! Anyway I hope maybe Hundred Dollar Baby can get me back into the series!

A Cold Day for Murder – Dana Stabenow

One of the author’s who may have benefited from the success of Sue Grafton was Dana Stabenow. A Cold Day for Murder is the first book in the now 23 book series featuring Kater Shugak. This is another series that I should have read but didn’t I blieve I have a copy of this book but where it is I know Not! Anyway the copy i bought was released in 2023 so it has the feel of a new book! So maybe I can trick myself into reading it!

But considering that Kate is a native Alaskan ex-DA investigator who lives on a 160 -acre homestead in a generic nationa park in Alaska with her half-wolf, half-husky dog named Mutt; I should love this series!!

Links For Futher Exploration of the Four Mystery Series Temptations Authors

Thursday Update:

I am now finishing this post on Thursday after working this morning at Target! I din’t finish it last night becasue Zoe my sceond oldest grandchild only 6 months younger than Oliver had HER Spring Band concert. She plays saxophone and had a short solo in the third song! She was also named The Rising Star of the 6th grade band by the Music Teacher. Go Zoe! The best thingabout last night’s concert though is that the school is in the same block as our house so it was a short trip home!

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Table of Contents

The 30 Day Fitbit Charge 5 Challenge. What is it?

Quite simply, I’ll be wearing the Fitbit Charge 5 for the next 30 days to see if it can help get me back on the road — and eventually running again. But first, a little context on how I got here…

After running high school cross country, I was an on-again, off-again runner for many years. I remember running around Athens, Georgia when we lived there from 1975–1979, along with a couple of 5Ks here and there.

I didn’t run much — if at all — during most of the 1980s. Can you say four kids and a pretty demanding full-time job? Add in part-time work at both a convenience store and Waldenbooks, and running pretty much disappeared.

The Running Reboot

I may have dabbled a bit in the late ’80s, but the real reboot came in the 1990s when my son started running cross country. Before long, I was back out on the track, struggling to run a mile again.

I started training seriously, and from there running became a regular part of my life. For many years — well into my late 60s — I was running about four miles twice a week, with six to eight miles on weekends.

From the Garmin Forerunner to the Fitbit Charge 5 — and Back Again

When I first started running again, I used a plain old watch and measured my routes with the car. Then, in 2003, Garmin introduced the Forerunner 101, one of the first GPS watches aimed at runners.

Here’s what it looked like.

(Yes, it was big and bulky — and heart rate was measured with a chest strap.)

From about November 2015, when Target provided Fitbits to employees, until March 2023, I used various Fitbits to track my workouts and running. I upgraded early on to a Charge HR and used that for several years.

Somewhere along the way, my daughter handed down her Fitbit Versa, which I also used for a few years. When the Charge 5 came out in 2021, I switched back to the Charge line.

Babysitting, Balance, and Reality at 74

In March 2023, my son-in-law handed me his Garmin Epix Gen 2, which is a terrific smartwatch — especially for accurate GPS distance.

The problem wasn’t the watch. Since September 2023, when we started babysitting Emma full-time (until this past April), my running took a serious nose-dive. Add in the reality that I’m now 74, and that probably didn’t help either.

Why I’m Back to the Fitbit Charge 5 (For Now)

Even while babysitting, I kept up a short workout most mornings. But days where I really moved the needle from Recovery to Productive were few and far between.

So, in an effort to ease my way back toward running shape, I decided to return to the Fitbit Charge 5.

Yes, I know Fitbit tends to estimate higher calories burned than Garmin. But I got tired of finishing what felt like a solid workout, only to have the Garmin label it Recovery. And when I did push harder, it often told me I needed 72 hours of recovery — which felt a bit discouraging.

Last night, I used the Charge 5 while working out on my walking pad, which can go over 4 mph. Until last year, I’d never used a treadmill in my life.

I always joke that treadmills are hard for me because when I run, I run and the ground doesn’t. As a 74-year-old with balance issues, I hold onto the bar. I know that’s not ideal form — but it beats falling.

I also discovered that when I use the treadmill with the Garmin, it only tracks steps and distance if my arms are swinging.

A week or so ago, I tried walking slowly and swinging my arms, and the Garmin worked fine. But last night, wearing the Fitbit, I decided: forget steps and distance — I’m holding on and upping the speed. My real goal was to elevate my heart rate and burn calories.

To my surprise, when I finished, Fitbit recorded steps, distance, and calories burned anyway.

Note

After reading the following article TREADMILLS & SENIORS: THE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT I decided that I will go back to what I was doing when I first started reusing the treadmill. I will start at low speeds that I can handle comfortably without holding on. As I get more comfortable I will increase my speed to where I am jogging comfortably without holding on. Wish Me Luck!

.

The Actual Goal: Health, Not Numbers

This morning, I did my usual workout — resistance bands, light weights, and calisthenics. The result? More calories burned in the same amount of time.

Sure, it may partly come down to how Fitbit calculates calories, but honestly, I don’t care. I feel motivated, ready to do it again, and maybe even push a little more.

Back when I used Fitbit regularly, I knew that if I hit 3,000 calories burned in a day, I’d lose weight. My hope is to get back to that level again.

So here we go. For the next 30 days, I’ll be using the Fitbit Charge 5 exclusively to see if it can help me rebuild fitness — and lose some weight. Maybe by spring, I’ll be outside again and back to running.

I’m not exactly sure how I’ll keep you posted — probably a few check-in posts here and there — but I’ll figure something out.

One final note: back in November, I started using a CPAP to address my sleep apnea. Over the last 90 days, my apnea events have dropped significantly, and I feel better during the day.

Hopefully, better sleep and renewed movement together can move the needle toward better overall health.

Links for Further Explorations

Mayo Clinic – Sleep Apnea Diagnosis and Treatment

The post The 30-Day Fitbit Charge 5 Challenge Let’s Go! appeared first on .

Over the last few years I stopped quantifying my yearly reading challenges, focusing more on enjoyment than numbers. For 2026, I’m bringing structure back—not to race through books, but to balance library reads, long-neglected TBR shelves, and a few intentional discoveries along the way.

Reading Challenge Book Categories From My Local Library

My 2026 Reading Challenge will be divided into two main groups. First will be books from my local library. I propose to read two books per month from the library from my favorite Mystery/Thriller series. Additionally, I would like to discover new series throughout the year. Maybe one every other month so I added 6 books to that category.

Finally, I would like to keep up with the world around me so I propose to read new non-fiction. Again at the rate of one every other month or 6 non-fiction books. That’s a total of 36 books from the library.

Reading Challenge Categories from My TBR Shelves

Now I really do need to start reading books from my To Be Read (TBR) shelves. I’ve set my target a 30 books from theses shelves, The books include: 6 Sci-Fi books, at least one e-book a month or 12 e-books, and again more non-fiction every other month or 6 books. I have a variety of history and self-improvement books on my shelves that need to be read.

Proposed January 2026 Reads

Here are my proposed January 2026 Reads. I’m not including the book I started back in December and finished yesterday which was Little Black Dress by Loren D. Estleman. However, I will use it for my overall total of books read in 2025!

So here’s what category these proposed read fall into:

From the Library Book Category

New Mystery Thriller Series

Blind to Midnight (Nick Ryan #2)- Reed Farrel Coleman

While Reed Farrel Coleman is not a new author to me I read Redemption Street the second book in his Moe Prager series back in 2010. I haven’t read a Moe Prager since then, although I wish I had. Hopefully I won’t make the same mistake with this series!

Favorite Mystery Series

The White Crow (Philomena McCarthy #2) – Michael Robotham

When I read I read When You Were Mine by Michael Robotham in 2022 there was not a Philomena McCarthy series but now there is and this is book 2! Robotham’s books are always great!

Apostle’s Cove (Cork O’Connor #20)- William Kent Krueger

As are the Cork O’Connor books from William Kent Krueger. I’m sure this one will be great as well!

From the TBR Shelves Category

Non Fiction

Unworthy Republic : The Dispossession of Native Americans and the road to the Indian Territory – Claudio Saunt. A 2020 National Book Award Finalist.

I recently picked this book up at Barnes & Noble. I’ve read several books about the Indian Wars in the west, but very little about what came before. So far it’s interesting how integrated some tribes were with the whites in the south in the 1820s.

E-Book

Head Cases (Head Cases #1) – John McMahon

I loved John McMahon’s Detective P. T. Marsh series (which I hope at some point he returns to) and I hope that this series is just as good!

The post Reading Challenge 2026 to 66 and Beyond! appeared first on .

The Nerdy Details as I Try to Start Running Again!

Ok so over the last two weeks I have semii-started to run again. I say semi because I have only run three times since July 26th.  Oh, and I had a stress test on August 5th. The first two runs were actually run/walks. On both of those runs I basically ran a little and then walked a little.

On the July 26th run I covered 2.1 miles in 32:27. That calculates to a 15:30 min/mile pace. However, during the run I ran for 14:45 minutes and walked for 17:41 minutes.

Likewise on my July 28th run I walked and ran but did a little better. I covered 2.68 miles in 39:36 for a 14:46 min/mile pace. However, during this run I actually ran more than I walked. I ran for 21:29 minutes and walked for 18:04 minutes.

Finally, on my August 11 run I did better still. On that run I covered 2.16 miles in 32′:53 for a pace somewhat slower than the preceding runs. The final pace was !5:13 min/mile. The good thing though about this run was that I ran (ok,jogged)  for 28:43 minutes while only walking for 4:07 minutes. I ran he whole first mile. Then I walked a quarter mile and almost ran the second mi le. Unfortunately I calculated how far I needed to run to get that last mile and came up a little short!

I’m planning on running again tomorrow morning and I’ll bore you with the details after the run! My goal may be to run for 30 minutes with no walking! Wish me luck!

The Soundtrack  August 11 Run – The B Christopher Band

The soundtrack for the majority of the run was the latest release from The B Christopher Band – 106 Miles to Chicago. The last time an album from the B Christopher Band was used as a soundtrack for a run was back in 2019. when I was a soon to be 68-year -old. The run was a 4.16 mile run at an average pace of 10:28 min/mile. You can read about it here.  Oh, how I long for those days!

About 106 Miles to Chicago

Anyway back to these days. Well I knew that there were a lot  of old songs on this album like n”Hey,Bartender “{, “She caught the Katy”, Sweet Home Chicago” and “Gimme Some Lovin’.”  But the reference to the Blues Brothers in the album’s title flew right over my head!  Anyway here’s the quote that provided the title to this album that is a tribute to the Blues Brothers!

Elwood:  It’s a hundred and six miles to Chicago, we’ve got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it’s dark, and we’re wearing sunglasses. Jake: Hit it.

B Christopher is a fantastic guitarist and his band in this album is pretty dam good. It includes: Eddie Testa on lead vocals, Anton Fig on drums, Nick Douglas on bass and backing vocals. Bruce Katz on keys Andy Snizter on tenor and baritone sax, Ryan Keberle on trombone, Tony Kadleck on trumpet,Sharlotte Gibson provides backing vocals, and Studebaker John adds harmonica.

Additionally, Original Blues Brothers member Tom “Bones” Malone plays baritone sax on ‘Gimme Some Lovin’”,

The only bad thing about the album  is it only contains seven songs. And it is only 26 minutes and change long!  Anyway it is definitely and album that should be checked out!

Links for the Further Exploration of the Music of The B Christopher Band

Artist’s Website
Facebook
YouTube
Amazon

Here’s the opening track from 2106 miles to Chicago  “Hey, Bartender”

The post 106 Miles to Chicago – The B Christopher Band – Keeps Me Running! appeared first on .

Elizabeth’s Wedding

On July 10th I got to do a Dad thing, at my daughter Elizabeth’s wedding.

It was a beautiful day and wedding held at Terrain at Styers  in Glen Mills, Pa. The venue was perfect for my daughter! And I can’t say enough about the staff from top to bottom.

In the pictures above, clockwise from the upper left. New son-in -law Marcus and Elizabeth without grandchildren Zoe and her little brother Logan and big cousin Oliver. Zoe and Oliver were born six months apart in 2014. Oliver in March and Zoe in September!!

Next Elizabeth’s entrance with an honored Dad!
Oliver rocking out with the ladies and finally the father daughter dance.

I must admit that my good ear was plugged that day and as a result I had trouble hearing anything including this song. During the dance I asked what we were dancing to and she said something from Iron & Wine. I said I know the name but never listened to his music.

The next day I said something about the dance to my wife and she told me Elizabeth and I had danced to “Forever Young”. I replied “Bob Dylan’s song? She said “Yes”.  I am kinda glad I didn’t hear it because it’s my favorite song from Dylan’s Planet Waves album and hearing it may have made me kinda misty eyed.

No Posts? I was Busy Reading

But let’s get back to not posting! My last post was about my proposed June reads. Here’s a picture of my proposed reads…..

So how have I done so far? I have read four of the nine books shown. I’m addition, I have read two books by authors shown just not the books shown.

Which ones did I read? You’ll just have to wait until the next post to find out!

For now let’s listen to Bob Dylan’s version of “Forever Young”…..

The post No Posts? But a Wedding and Six Books Read! appeared first on .

While on many days in August it was too hot to run, I did get a lot of books read! I read six books in August and while that’s not a lot for many readers it’s a good amount for me.

One of the questions I like to ask, when I’m summarizing the books I’ve read is: “where did my reading take me?”. Well in August it was to a variety of locales, including outer space. My first stop was southern Spain!

A Silent Death – Peter May

Goodreads   Amazon

I requested this book from my library in January of 2020. Thanks to Covid 19 and the subsequent closing of the library, the book didn’t become available  until July. Which is why it is an August read.

About A Silent Death

In A Silent Death Peter May took me to Spain. The book opens with John Mackenzie – an ingenious yet irascible Glaswegian investigator being sent to Spain to transport a known ex-pat fugitive Jack Cleland back to the U.K.

Cleland had been living in Spain under an assumed name. He was captured when police arrived at his home, they thought someone had broken in. When the police arrive and  they enter the house the Cleland accidentally kills his pregnant wife. He then blames the young female arresting officer and vows revenge!

Prior to MacKenzie’s arrival Cleland escapes while being transported and vows to destroy the young officer Cristina Sanchez Pradell and her family.

An important member of Cristina’s family is her Aunt Ana. Anna has been deaf-blind for the entirety of her adult life: the victim of a rare condition named Usher Syndrome. Ana is the centre of Cristina’s world therefore  a key paw  in Cleland’s cruel plan.

Mackenzies quest becomes thwarting Cleland’s plan before he destroys Christina life and that of her beloved Aunt.

Thoughts About Peter May and A Silent Death

Peter May is one of my favorite authors. I particularly liked his Lewis Trilogy set in the Outer Hebrides Islands of Scotland. As well as, his more recent stand alone novels. His writing is always terrific and his stories original and exciting. Additionally his characters always memorable. John Mackenzie, Ana and to a certain extent Cleland join that group.

I enjoyed A Silent Death a lot. However, I would say it ranks below a few of his other stand-alones like Runaway, Entry Island and Coffin Road in my opinion. Of course, if I think about it longer, I’ll probably change my mind!

The bottom line any book by Peter May is well worth reading. So  Check it Out!

Next stop the Mediterranean Sea and Greenland as James Rollins’ and his Sigma Force take me on  The Last Odyssey. Ok

Links for Further Exploration of the Books of Peter May

Author’s Website
Wikipedidia
Amazon

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So I think over the last few months I think I’ve slipped a little as far as my diet and exercise regimes are concerned. I think part of the reason is I believe the pollen season has been a little longer than usual. I only noticed a drop in the pollen levels within the last week. As I am writing this I just checked the pollen levels for the week. Today is moderate but low for the rest of the week yeah!

A New Workout Design Starts With Dance-Cardio

Anyway, this morning I changed up my routine. Rather than due Dance-Cardio with weights and bands and other exercise equipment I decided start with 13 minutes of dance-cardio.

Then Some Kundalini and Abs

I followed with a routine that starts with three basic Kundalini spinal warm-ups. Then I did three or four exercises targeting abs and legs. The soundtrack for this routine is a song using the Sikh Mul Mantra. Sung by Snatam Kaur. The Mul Mantra

The Mul Mantra, the words first spoken by the spiritual master Guru Nanak after enlightenment, literally translates as the “Root Mantra,” or the mantra from which all other mantras in the Kundalini Yoga tradition are built. It contains the core, essential truth of creation, and its vibration is so powerful that it can change your fate and help you rewrite your destiny. Read More

Hatha Yoga and Native American Flute Follow

The song is just a hair over 7 minutes long. Next I transitioned into a short yoga routine. The soundtrack was from Flutist Ann Licater. I used the song “Angels from Within” from the album Invitation From Within

Meditation with the World’s Most Relaxing Song Ends the Workout

The exercise set concluded with an 8 minute meditation. The music for the meditation was Weightless Part 1 from Marconi Union. It…. According to a marketing study conducted by Dr. David Lewis-Hodgson, the most relaxing song in the world is Weightless, by ambient band Marconi Union. The song was produced by the band in collaboration with the British Academy of Sound Therapy.Nov 15, 2016 Read More is considered by some to be the most relaxing song in the world

The post A Newly Designed Workout Starts My Day! appeared first on .

Yesterday  was a A+ day of exercising. I started the day off with a cardio-dance routine. I added some resistance band,kettle Bell, light weights and some calisthenics. The workout was. 22 minutes long and I burned.209 calories. About a half hour later I ran. The soundtrack was Black from the Kerry Kearney Band   Oh I believe my pre-run cool down included a 22 minute meditation!  Later in the day I did another shorter meditation. Finally, last night I did any full 28-minute nightly yoga routine.

The Run

Back to the run. I decided on a short 3.1 mile run. When I started I felt a little off just not getting into the flow of the run quite right. So much so that I contemplated stopping if I didn’t start to feel better.

While I never felt super throughout the rest of the run I did finish it and even had a little kick at the end Here are the details.

Total Miles:3.15 Total Time:31:21 Pace:9:55
Splits. Mile 1.9:57 Mile 2.9:54 Mile 3: 10:00
0.16: 9:25
Avg BPM:136 Peak BPM 157 Cals Burned:379

Throughout day I did two more 20 minute meditations.And I ended the day with my full 28-minute Yoga routine!

The Soundtrack  – Black – Kerry Kearney Band

The Soundtrack for the run was Black form the Kerry Kearney Band. I knew from the moment I heard the slide guitar on the opening track “Pretty Baby” I knew I was going to like this album. Of course then Kenny changed it up and the second song was an acoustic slide guitar number, But the raging guitar came back in third track”Creole Woman” On this track the piano of  David Bennett Cohen  stood out  And the good vibes I got from this album continued for the rest of the album. On this track the piano of  David Bennett Cohen  stood out

The only problem I had with this album was it was too short – only 27 minutes..

About the Kerry Kearney Band

I have never listened to the blues guitar of Kerry Kearney and I came away very impressed. It appears that the blues fans on Long Island and New York have also been impressed over the years. From his website…

Kerry was voted “Best Guitarist of 1999” by the LI Voice and “Bluesman of the Year 2004” by the LI Blues Society. He is also the recipient of the prestigious Long Island Sound Award (L.I.S.A.) from the LI Music Hall of Fame and most recently, in 2013, he and his band mates were each inducted into the New York Blues Hall of Fame.

Although Kerry is new to me he toured nationally with the likes of the Allman Brothers Band and Dickey Betts, and has performed with such contemporaries as Sonny Landreth and Robert Randolf. Kerry and his band have shared the stage with the great BB King at the NYCB Westbury Theater and at the Paramount Theater in Huntington, NY, as well as Robert Cray with the Blind Boys of Alabama and The Blues Brothers starring Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi.

I must admit that the title of Kerry’s 2001 release Welcome to the Psychedelta was one of the first things that caught my eyes on the first visit to Spotify to check out his music. Kerry “Psychedelta”, is his own brand containing an upbeat mix of American Blues & Roots, created from writing and performing on the circuit for over 40 years. And it’s just to my liking. Here’s the  Kerry Kearney Band lineup:

Kerry Kearney (guitars, vocals)
Mario Staiano (drums)
Gerry Sorrentino (bass)

Featured Guest Members:
David Bennett Cohen (keyboards)
Nydia Liberty Mata (percussion)

What?? Smokehouse Serenade is on Spotify??

Okay  so color me stupid!  Kerry’s new album Smokehouse Serenade is number 46 on the Roots Music Report bBlues Chart. It was that album that sent me to Spotify to look for the Kerry Kearney Band. That’s where I found Black and the band’s other releases. What I didn’t find was Smokehouse Serenade. Here’s where the stupid comes in. What U didn’t do was search for the album title. If I did I would have found it. It was listed under Kerry Kearney only, no Band! Oh well, now I have something to look forward to!!! Hey, I have the soundtrack for tomorrow’s run anyway!

Links for the Further Exploration of the Music of The Kerry Kearney  Band

Artist’s Website

Facebook

Reverberation

Youtube

Here’s one of my favorite tracks from Black, “ Goin’ to the Mardi Gras”

The post The Kerry Kearney Band Make a Struggling Run Better! appeared first on .

Yesterday was Day 3 of the Drive for 5 challenge and  it was a good day. The day started with a short morning dance-cardio with Kettle Bell and Resistance bands added. That was followed by a 3.16 mile run.

Wednesdays are usually a non-running day but I couldn’t decide whether I would run in the early morning or early afternoon and finally didn’t run either time. Yesterday I decided I had to go early and the important part was I did!

The Run

I  added a few exercises to my morning routine on Tuesday which left my legs hurting. You know the good hurting.not the bad! Anyway when I started my run I did’t feel very good . So I told myself time didn’t matter the important thing was just that you were running.

After a 10:08 first mile I started to feel better. The next two miles went by in 10:03 min/mile and 10:02 min/mile pace respectively. And I had a good kick over the last 0.16 mile. My final average pace was 10:00 min/mile. A pace that please this old man!

Here are the details

Total Distance 3.16 miles Total Time:31:40 Avg Pace: 10:00

Avg HR 134 bpm Peak HR 154

Calories Burned: 385

The Soundtrack – Kickin’ It Live  – Tommy Castro

The soundtrack for the run was blues artist Tommy Castro’s latest release Kickin’It Live. Both Tommy and his guitar sounded great in the album. It will move into my blues music rotation over the next several weeks. Tommy deserves his own page on this siteSo I better get to making those pages!!

I really enjoyed Killin’It Live. Throughout the run I was able to come back to the music and Tommy’s guitar and great rhythm section kept me going. Here’s what Living Blues’ Henry Carrigan, Jr. wrote about the album

Killin’ It Live captures Tommy Castro And The Painkillers at their very best. Turn up the volume and play this album loud! This album delivers sizzling, gritty blues and rock. You can feel the band’s energy blowing through the speakers…and every song kills it. There’s a party going on. Make It Back To Memphis is a backbone slipper, propelling us out of our seats. Shimmering, downright funky vibes. Every song lives up to the high-flying promise of the opener. Funk-fueled blues rockers drenched with Castro’s soul-shaking, stinging, pure and crisp lead runs, which pierce the heart, driving home it’s power and staccato beauty. Shimmering and swampy…bright and funky…slow-burning and low-down…fluid, jet-fueled solos. Read More

Links For The Further Exploration of the Music of Tommy Castro and the Painkillers

Artist Website
Facebook
Spotify
Twitter

The day ended with my nightly yoga routine. Last week there very several nights where that was not the case. Boo me!

So there were a few more tracks left on Killin’It Live when I finished my run. I listened to them on my coffee run (in the  car) to Wawa. The final track was Buddy Miles’ song “Them Changes” which has been a personal favorite for a long time! So here are two favorites Tommy Castro and Mike Zito performing the song.

The post A Good 5K Made Better By Killin’It Live by Tommy Castro appeared first on .

The Run 3.14 Miles

So today was supposed to be colder with a chance of some snow, so yesterday was the better day to run. Since my knee still felt slightly funky I decided that once again , I would run my standard 3.1 mile course. By the time I reached the first mile mark my leg felt pretty good. I was running at a 10:01 min/mile pace and running easily,. As I continued my run, I tried to keep my pace a little slower than my last couple of runs. To do that I kept a close eye on my heart rate and when it rose to around 145 or so I slowed down a little.

As a result, I finished the run at an overall pace of 10:08 min/mile. That’s only 8 seconds per mile slower than Sunday’s run.
However my average heart rate was 4 beats per minute lower yesterday than Sunday (136 bpm to 140 pm). Additionally, on Sunday my heart rate was in my peak range for 29 minutes of the run with 1 minute in the cardio zone. Yesterday the time in the peak zone was down to 23 minutes with 7 minutes in the cardio zone!! Here are the splits…..

The Nerdy Details

Total Miles 3.12 Total Time 31:37 Pace 10:08
Splits: Mile 1 10:08 min/mile   Mile 2 10:18 min/mile  Mile 3 10:13 min/mile   Mile 0.14 9:01 min/ mile
Avg HR 136 Max HR 146 Calories Burned 391

The Soundtrack – Survivor Blues – Walter Trout

The soundtrack for the run was Survivor Blues the latest release from blues artist Walter Trout. In 2014-2015 Trout was suffering from liver disease. A liver transplant saved Trout’s life. As such he is a survivor and I for one are very happy about that. And after listening to Survivor Blues there’s no question Walter is back!!

About Survivor Blues

Survivor Blues isn’t an album of new songs composed by Walter. It is an album of covers, but not songs that ae typically covered They are rather more obscure tracks. In recording the album Trout made

…. it his mission to harness the power and spirit of the originals, while stamping his inimitable musical personality onto each new take. He offers, “My idea was to do these songs like me, to arrange them for my band and style – not to just copy the originals note-for-note.”

…..Opener “Me, My Guitar And The Blues” tips a hat to cult hero Jimmy Dawkins, whose records Trout devoured while cutting his teeth as a ’60s axeslinger in New Jersey. “Nature’s Disappearing” nods to his celebrated ’80s tenure in John Mayall’s near-mythical Bluesbreakers. In-between, you’ll find cherished favourites from a lifetime’s listening, with songs that caught Trout’s ear at key junctures in his journey, from backing up John Lee Hooker in the ’70s, to bringing the groove to Canned Heat in the ’80s or breaking through as a solo artist in the ’90s.

“Nature’s Disappearing” has always been a favorite  of mine. And it was neat to hear Trout’s guitar play the bridge instead of hearing Sugarcane Harris’ violin!

I mentioned Trout being a survivor and that played a big part in picking the title for the album. Trout says…

We started thinking about these enduring songs and the guys playing on the album,” he reflects. “Mike is in recovery. Johnny almost didn’t make it. Skip has had a triple bypass. And I almost didn’t make it after my liver disease in 2014. So Marie said to me, ‘You’re a group of survivors. You’ve all been through hell and you’ve come back. These songs are survivors. This album needs to be called Survivor Blues’.

The Band

Trout’s band on Survivor Blues includes

Johnny Griparic on bass
Teddy Andreadis piano/harmonic
Michael Leasure on drums

The Bottom Line

Survivor Blues is vintage Walter Trout. He has succeeded in making these songs his own!  The album will be in my music rotation for a long time. Additionally, I am still wondering if his Trout ancestors and mine are related! Maybe we even  share some DNA wouldn’t that be awesome!

Here’s “Me, My Guitar and the Blues” the opening track from Survivor Blues  

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