I began this blog to share stories of people and events I have been lucky enough to be involved with over the last five decades. Along with my poetry and original music I also enjoyed sharing my pictures and personal observations.
While I am sure there will also be beautiful and exciting things to share in my future, I also want to chill. I need to make life simpler from here on.
I have enjoyed this community and those willing to share everything with total strangers. There were many times when this was the hi-light of my day. I could go on posting my views and thoughts on politics, religion, money and other hot topics but there are too many of us doing that these days. So this is a good time to phase out MIDI Mike.
While the site remains live, feel free to take a look at the topics on the top of the page to find something that might interest you.
I may throw in a post from time to time just to surprise myself. In my usual style, let me show you a few recent pictures I took at a favorite place of mine: Spring Grove Cemetery. We had a heavy rain days before these pictures with hi winds. Before that the fall colors were really starting to jump out. Unfortunately the rain hit a bit early and dropped most of the leaves, but I managed to get some good pictures.
Spring Grove Cemetery 2019 MSK 1 Spring Grove Cemetery 2019 MSK 2 Spring Grove Cemetery 2019 MSK 3 Spring Grove Cemetery 2019 MSK 4 Spring Grove Cemetery 2019 MSK 5 Spring Grove Cemetery 2019 MSK 6 Spring Grove Cemetery 2019 MSK 7 Spring Grove Cemetery 2019 MSK 8 Spring Grove Cemetery 2019 MSK 9 Spring Grove Cemetery 2019 MSK 10 Spring Grove Cemetery 2019 MSK 11 Spring Grove Cemetery 2019 MSK 12
Yes, I know it is Friday the 13th! And with it a full moon not to be seen on Friday the 13th for another 30 years. Not until August 2049! It is also a Harvest Moon for all you visitors from another planet. It will be late tonight but I am sure it will be worth it.
I think it is time for a campfire in my yard and maybe howl at the moon for a while!
I started my new job and experiencing a bit of a time crunch, but I wanted to post some pictures and a short video I took of this year’s WEBN holiday weekend fireworks. It is an annual thing that invites the city come out and play.
‘Teaser’ early shotsSunset overlooking Covington, KYAnother galaxy just overheadOne of my old time favorite displays. They launch from barges on the river and from bridges!
From inside a building in Kentucky
This is a very cool event. The video and photos were taken inside a building, so you could not hear the booooom very well. I set it to an original instrumental of mine from decades ago called “Moog Swing”.
If you have not been there or seen them, they set up 2 or three river barges loaded with fireworks and park them in the heart of Covington, Kentucky and Cincinnati, Ohio. They use the bridges for a number of great effects including fireworks that look like silver rain all across the bridges falling down to the river. I hope you enjoy this little taste of my home town.
I think we started recording Project Two in May of 1996. Project One was mixed by the end of March so we had a good feeling for the next project. I will eventually dig up archives for details as I am now relying on brief notes and scribbles of information. I do not have lyric sheets for these songs but I know most of the lyrics by heart.
As you know I am really bad with names. I know Annette Rogers was the lead vocalist and I believe she wrote most of the lyrics. My notes also mention Robert Downing with the band.
This was a band I wished I had kept in touch with. At the time in my life there were so many projects and I had my own music and bands I was involved with. All this and I worked a regular full-time job!
I have a brief video of the band setting up – somewhere. Who knows, maybe I will dig it up along with my track sheets and band info.
By the middle of September we had all the recording done and mixed Project Two. We did ten songs in all and I will share a few more with you today.
jjaR at MSK Studio – Butterside DownjjaR at MSK Studio – Paralized jjaR at MSK Studio – My Heart Tricks My Head jjaR at MSK Studio – Overboard
Early in 1996 I was introduced to a Cincinnati band called “jjaR”. I met them while they were playing at a popular club called Top Cats. I was really impressed with the band and their original songs. Annette Rogers was the lead vocalist and she commanded the room with her emotional portrayal of each song. The band was intense and dynamic.
March 13th, 1996 we started recording in my home studio. They were troopers. I have a small space for recording with no isolation rooms for drums, vocals, etc. The band wanted a clean demo. They did not want a lot of processing and effects in the mix. A band after my own heart!
jjaR at MSK Studio in 1996
We did two separate sessions. The first session was mixed on March 26th, 1996. I was recording on the Alesis ADAT (Alesis Digital Audio Tape) machine for the first project. We only had 8 tracks to work with back then and no computer editing or effects. They were pros. They set up, got settled in and played their songs with obvious passion.
One of their tracks appeared in a collection of bands our local radio station WEBN (102.7FM) published on CD. They were featured on the second annual CD release. Deary Me Presents – Cincinnati Scene II included “Food Chain Of Love” on the 3rd track of the compilation CD. You can still find a copy or two on on-line.
Here are a few tunes from Project 1 for your enjoyment.
jjaR at MSK Studio – Food Chain Of LovejjaR at MSK Studio – Super SizejjaR at MSK Studio – Aliens jjaR at MSK Studio – Misunderstood
There is still much beauty to be captured in pictures if you can deal with the heat and ready to look in unusual places. I wanted to share some pictures from my favorite local park I took yesterday. You can get a feel of what is still out there. Admittedly, I have a LOT of untouched pictures to share, but this is about half of the pictures I took. I hope you enjoy some of them.
Ault Park Cincinnati, Ohio MSK 1 Ault Park Cincinnati, Ohio MSK 2 Ault Park Cincinnati, Ohio MSK 3 Ault Park Cincinnati, Ohio MSK 4 Ault Park Cincinnati, Ohio MSK 5 Ault Park Cincinnati, Ohio MSK 6 Ault Park Cincinnati, Ohio MSK 7Can you see the ‘deer’ in the bushes? Ault Park Cincinnati, Ohio MSK 8
I spoke with a few ladies enjoying the day and one pointed out that from a distance, three separate bushes lined up to the shape of a deer. This picture is a bit too close, but you can see the outline.
Ault Park Cincinnati, Ohio MSK 9 Ault Park Cincinnati, Ohio MSK 10I like this one for some strange reason. Ault Park Cincinnati, Ohio MSK 11 Ault Park Cincinnati, Ohio MSK 12 Ault Park Cincinnati, Ohio MSK 13 Ault Park Cincinnati, Ohio MSK 14 Ault Park Cincinnati, Ohio MSK 15 Ault Park Cincinnati, Ohio MSK 16
Last weekend I dropped in on some friends playing out. With camera in hand I caught a few minutes of “What’s Left” performing live. It reminded me how glad I am that I don’t play out any more. Performing for a live audience is fun and addictive but being my own roadie was killing me quickly! I always joked that we would play anywhere for free……. we just charge to move the equipment in and out!
This was just for fun and I appreciate the guys letting me point my camera at them for a while. I like their logo in the back.
