MidiMike

“Back To Earth”

Sunset in Pleasant Ridge Ohio
The ‘leaves’ on the left tree are actually birds.

Playing in the snow

Or climbing in the trees

Not sure which is the more

Important of these.

Siblings came but soon

The family was gone.

Hard to know what pain

Would be felt later on.

Safe and secure I

Always knew I was loved.

Learned hard lessons ’cause

I pulled instead of shoved.

Everything is everyone

Everyone is everything.

We all start the journey

From the place of our birth

But going to heaven or hell

Just brings us back to Earth.

Singing and writing

Playing in a great band

Gave me more than life

I hope you understand.

Truth may be out there

But answers never are.

That was the last time I prayed

Or wished upon a star.

We all start the journey

From the place of our birth

But going to heaven or hell

Just brings us back to Earth.

The day my kids were born

I was fundamentally changed.

Nothing I wouldn’t do

So life could be arranged

That’s another thing

That didn’t work as planned.

It ripped away everything

I still hope you understand.

We all start the journey

From the place of our birth

But going to heaven or hell

Simply brings us back to Earth.

Depression is a friend

Feeding on personal loss.

I’m told it comes down to “42”

But sure their fingers were crossed.

From here nothing matters

Save friendship, love and trust.

What more could you possibly need

When everything turns to dust?

What more could you possibly need

When everything turns to dust?

Image — Posted: December 6, 2019 in Poetry
Tags: #family, #life, #poem, #poet, #poetry, #resolutions, #writing #poem, Earth, faith, MIDI Mike, MSK, original music, religion

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.

Image — Posted: November 8, 2019 in Photography, Uncategorized
Tags: #bands, #Midi, #midimike, #music, #poem, #poetry, #story, #video, Fall colors, lake, MIDI Mike, monuments, MSK, musical video, musicians, Nikon camera, retirement, Spring Grove Cemetery, Story ends

To Be With You.

I am not here because I want to be here.

I am here because I want to be with you.

These are not my favorite things to do,

But I am happy just to share them with you.

The sounds that surround us are very nice.

Though to hear them with you is worth any price.

Beauty, Laughs, even our crying and tears,

Would thrill me for at least a thousand years.

Struggling together, working towards our dream,

Powerful emotions triumph over a panic of screams.

It takes work and time, nothing is easy or free,

So I thank God you are standing next to me.

Image — Posted: October 18, 2019 in Uncategorized

Happy Friday!

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!

Image — Posted: September 13, 2019 in Opinions and Observations, Uncategorized
Tags: #campfire, #midimike, aliens, camp fire, Friday the 13th, Full Moon, Harvest Moon, howl at the moon, Michael S Kennedy, www.midimike.com

Fireworks 2019

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.

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.

Image — Posted: September 6, 2019 in Photography
Tags: #Cincinnati, #covingtonky, #river, #sunsetphoto, Covington, Downtown, Fireworks, Michael S Kennedy, Nikon, Nikon camera, Ohio, Ohio River, sunset photo, WEBN

Not To Worry

…… it has been a little busy. Got a full time job. Fun things had to go on the back burner for a while.

I’ll be right back lol!

Image — Posted: August 30, 2019 in Uncategorized

Still To Be Found; From The Other Half

More pictures from my recent adventure to a local city park.

Enjoying a little more late summer before it is gone!

Image — Posted: August 17, 2019 in Photography
Tags: #midimike, #nature, #photo, #photographer, #photography, #photograpy, Ault Park, Cincinnati Parks, Michael S Kennedy, Nikon, Nikon camera, Ohio, parks, photographs, www.midimike.com

jjaR Project Two

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 Down

jjaR at MSK Studio – Paralized

jjaR at MSK Studio – My Heart Tricks My Head

jjaR at MSK Studio – Overboard

Image — Posted: August 13, 2019 in projects
Tags: #bass guitar, #drummer, #drums, #guitar, #midimike, #music, #original songs, #recording, #recordingstudio, #vocals, #voice, ADAT, Alesis, Cincinnati bands, Cincinnati Scene II, female vocalist, fender guitars, gibson guitars, jjaR, lead guitar, Michael S Kennedy, MSK Studios, multi track recording, music production, musicians, original music, originals, songwriting, support local musicians, WEBN

jjaR

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!

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 Love

jjaR at MSK Studio – Super Size

jjaR at MSK Studio – Aliens

jjaR at MSK Studio – Misunderstood

Image — Posted: August 6, 2019 in projects
Tags: #audio, #bass, #bass guitar, #Cincinnati, #drummer, #drums, #foodchainoflove, #guitar, #michaelskennedy, #microphone, #Midi, #midimike, #original songs, #photo, #photography, #recording, #recordingstudio, #studio, #studioengineer, #vocalist, #vocals, 102.7FM, 1996, ADAT, Alesis, Annette Rogers, Cincinnati bands, Cincinnati Scene II, Deary Me presents, female vocalist, food chain of love, jjaR, Michael S Kennedy, MSK Studios, multi track recording, original music, originals, photographs, Top Cats, WEBN

Still to be Found

https://videopress.com/v/FM2g4Avw

Horizontal Fountain MSK

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.

Can 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.