The added value of a good percussionist

Most people classify people who play the drums as percussionist, but they are NOT the same... Drummers play drums, true, but the term more applies to drum sets... percussionists play a wide variety of intricate instruments, from cowbells, shakers, wood blocks, bongos, congas (not congos.. that is the worst when people say that) and they play all the other crap you played in the fourth grade. I for one am a drummer, I prefer the drum set than any other set up, and i can play a little percussion... this guy in this video will show you the difference in what a percussionist does... if he/she does it well...

This reminds me of Keilan

Oh my dear sweet boy.... this is you, if you played bass in the late 70's...

Been a while...

Hey everyone... a few things... It has been a while since my last post, but I have been busy as I don't know what... We have been getting ready for Colby and Annie's going away... here are some pictures of the madness...

12th annual Kids Convention and Jonathan Burke Sartotorial assistance

today was action packed at Spotsy Mall (now referred to as the town centre.) It was the 12th annual Kids convention... Sydney and I ventured out and hit all the booths there, we made a clay pot, a water balloon yo-yo(can't wait for that to pop), she made some slime, saw some bugs from the bug box and had her face painted... (classic). I also want to say that I was signed up to free memberships to like two or three gyms... What a waste. anyway a day full of laughing and having fun, complete with crying and a tantrum at the end (she was getting sleepy) was all had. Now, one thing i like about the mall in spotsy is Macy's... great selection, great price, and friendly staff. Macy's is by far the best store in that mall. I have been known to be some what of a fashion buff (not something you really want to brag about), but the fact of the matter is, I'm just a detail oriented guy when it comes to clothes. Let's go over the must haves... from the bottom up. Socks... you gotta at least get two pair (camel and charcoal) of thick wool socks... nothing says fall/winter like that. now for shoes i have two options... Hunter originals, an all out great shoe for those snowy or rainy days... be sure to tuck your trousers INSIDE the boot. you may say... that looks like a fashion Faux Pas, it's not, wet bottoms of your suit pants is. the other shoe, Aptly sported by my brother, Joshua Burke is the Wallabes, by clark. get them in tan... that is the original color. these can be dressed down with some nice DARK indigo jeans or even stepped up for the office, paired with some chinos or cords. since we're "moving on up" Jeans, Cords, Chinos.... all are in and all are great. the thing you are looking for here is fit and color... with jeans... the darker the better, Cords and Chinos... go with muted earth-tones... browns, tans (NOT LIGHT KHAKI!!! that's for the summer), even the hunter green is a good one. Here's a secret, the less break you have in your pants the taller and neater your pants will look, also, get them slim fitted, bell bottoms are not in style anymore... shirts, well it all depends... where are you going... the key point here is fit, most people, I was just as guilty, have this idea that if they get their shirts a little big, they can, 1)hide their weight, 2) have room to grow into the shirt... News flash, wearing a shirt that is even one size too big will not hide your weight, it will accentuate it, and room to grow... trust me, if you are over 18, you're done growing... buy a shirt that fits, or even have it altered so you don't look like you are wearing a trash bag. granted, we don't all have a Kevin Dowker or Bobby Oliveri physique, we can't all be so lucky... but I am saying get your shirt cut to fit. for guys like Kevin and Bobby... those shirts should be as snug in the mid torso as your pants, if you look more like me (198lbs of chewed bubble gum or a sack of potatoes) them get it with no more then two inches of play in the sides... not a skin fit, but no loose fabric. I have a Tailor that is amazing. go with some plaid, button-down collars or some v-neck sweaters, again FITTING NOT BAGGY... Just remember the 70's. same with jackets, get them to fit... it's not 1984 so loose the shoulder pads, get a jacket that hugs your shoulders, not hangs off. for fall/winter, tweed and cords seems to be the thing, earth tones are a must. as far as neck wear, YOU JUST GOTTA GET A KNIT TIE... I got mine from polo, I love it and plan on getting more, but you can get one from target... and the great thing is they are only 20 bucks there... target is still a great place to shop. finally let's nail down the outer wear. a six-button pea coat that is just below the waist or a leather "bomber-style" jacket that stops right at the waist is needed for your casual look. A mid thigh, three button, camel or tweed, or even navy over coat is a must for your dressier occasions. you'll notice that the mention of black was not in this set up for fall... while you can still wear it, why not take advantage of the change to see some new colors come out to play. here is a great opportunity to be "out there" and still be considered "business". as a final note, no winter wardrobe is complete without, these three items, Hat, Gloves and Scarf... as far as a hat, Tweed or wool, "news boy" is good for everyone, you want to step it up? get a fedora... gloves, I personally go for leather isotoners, you can get them at Khol's pretty cheap. and finally, a scarf... you can snatch one up about anywhere, but I would get it from S&K... that's about all i would buy from that place... you can secure one for about 20 bucks. feel free to post any questions about this...

"Greasing the Skids"

That's an old Army term for "getting ready"... we are greasing the skids to send Colby and Annie (and Haley and Darcy) over to Iceland, with what I will consider will probably the biggest concert that I have played in the longest time... I have played to crowds over 600 (when i was in the touring choir in Texas) and that took a lot of prepping, but I can say that this is probably the biggest that means the most to me. I have known the Garmans for about 7 years now and shared very special times with them, they are truly my friends. i really want to make this concert a great success, not for personal reasons, but to show the Garmans that they are worth every bit of effort that we are putting into them... actually, they are worth much, much more. the "concert" will be held at Stafford Baptist Church on October 4th, 2008 starting about 6. I highly encourage you to come if you have a heart for missions, adventure, or the Garmans themselves. there is no cost, and this is a great way to learn about what they will be doing. please come and support these wonderful people and share the "Joy in their journey".

Karaoke MADNESS!!!

If I decide to go (which I'm leaning towards "YES") this will be my fourth night in a week... STOP THE MADNESS!!!

This week's featured artist

Earlier I made a reference to Eric Hutchinson's song "Rock & Roll"... Still a beauty, but let me also turn you on to Marc Broussard... you can look him up on you tube... he also sings with Toby Lightman... she's pretty good too. Again, a man after my heart with his soulful sounds and retro tracks... I am really hoping to see this music come back in style... it never really lost prominence in Louisiana which is where Marc is from... I encourage you to listen to: Someone you know, Let the music get down in your soul, and If I could build my whole world around you... phenomenal young man!!!

Mike Burke... The man of wisdom...

I gotta say... I love my Dad... but for more than just the fact that he's my "dad", but because he's a great friend. I would have to say, the older I get, the more I find myself becoming like him and for the majority, that's awesome... especially since I became a dad in 2005. I can remember so many great one-liners that my dad has had, I would be here all day reciting them... needless to say, everyday in the Burke house (Burke Palace), was full of adventure and excitement. Dad has a couple staple mannerisms that are unique to him... Josh can attest... Like when we were little, he would stand over top of you while doing your homework in the silent room and you could hear him breathing so loud, and then you'd know before you were about to get corrected, by the half-second pause before you hear, Read that again son... or his signature Mike Burke throat clearing, I find myself doing all the time... not to mention the absolutely hilarious statements that come from this man... to this day, and I guess I should be ashamed of saying this, but I have never laughed as much when I heard someone cuss the way he does... it's hysterical. I had the privilege of working beside my dad for several home projects and in my late teen years, working as a member on his crew doing construction... those were probably my best times in life... most recently, I have expressed an interest in "getting back out there" and starting to date... I was talking to dad about this and he offers some great advice... But before I can share that advice, I have to lay it out for you... I typically like women EONS out of my league... High-maintenance, prissy, girly, want to get their nails done every week, take two hours to get ready to go to dinner at McDonald's type of chicks... don't know why, I just do. As I was telling dad about some of my "interests" he said, "Well Jonathan, I think that you are truly a catch for some woman. You're honest, a great father, you take good care of yourself, you make good money, I think that there are no women that are out of you're league." My dad is a pretty good hype-man... then he follows up with, "But I'm gonna tell you what my dad told me" (so you can now see that it didn't start with him, he's just keeping the rediculi going), I said, "What's that dad?" He said, "Don't marry one of these drop dead gorgeous women, marry someone who is just plain... The gorgeous one's always will leave you." So I said to him, "Dad, an ugly girl can leave you too..." His reply, "well, yeah they can... but who gives a s**t?"... That's my dad... and the best part, he was dead serious... and so was his dad... Funny as I don't know what!!!

Someone make sense of this...

A few random thoughts from me... I really like the song "Rock & Roll" by Eric Hutchinson... it has such an old feel to it, but it's still pop for 2008... I admire that type of musicianship. I have also been feeling somewhat restless the last few days, kinda anxious I guess. No real reason, just that's the way I feel. it's Monday and I'm already looking forward to the weekend... Terrible. I really want to write a bone crusher of a song, but I only play drums really good, all other instruments, I just play enough to get by, can't really compose on a drum set. The Baby has been so awesome, but she is getting older and hanging out in the house is not what she wants to do, I want to do some cool stuff with her, but I just am out of Ideas, She does like to help wash the dishes (and subsequently spray me with the hose)... Overall, I feel that I am a good dad, and I may even say in a non-cocky way, I'm a great dad... But I want to be the BEST DAD IN THE WORLD... and on that, I'm just stuck. Sydney is such a bright little girl, and that's not just a dad bragging up his kid, if you have met her, you all agree that she is fairly smart and funny to boot. She gets her funniness from the Burkes, and that's not on the table for discussion... My dad, "Mike" is probably the funniest cat I know, with his blunt and non-politically correct statements, it's actually where I get it from... If you have ever seen Royal Tenenbaum, you have seen Mike Burke... But aside from her demeanor of being funny, she is also geared to be a performer, I think anyway... That runs in my family too... Look at Joshua and Jadey (Jadey may be from a different family, but she has been a part of my life for more than half of it... She's family). Sydney can watch you tube videos of singing and dancing for like hours on end... and another Burke trait she shares is, elephant memory... She can put a DVD in a different case, and in two months tell you exactly where it is... Funny. So, now that I'm done rambling on about her, anyone with good ideas for a dad and daughter to do?

Down at Fraggle Rock...

Sydney is now a fan of Fraggle Rock... Can't say that I blame her... that show is awesome... That show along with a list of others were my favorite as a child... I can't find the other sweet ones... Like Count Duckula, under the umbrella tree, Danger Mouse, the Elephant Show, You Can't do that on Television, and a laundry list of others... but I will continue my search...

I'm just speechless... now that's a feat

During my divorce, as I spiraled out of control, searching for someone that would fill the void left of my broken marriage, I signed up for an online dating thing... I rate this #8 in my top 10 dumb ideas... what a waste. They send you an e-mail every so often with what they consider your "Matches" and you are supposed to reply... Honestly, I think after day two I was really regreting this waste of time and money. some of the "prizes" that hit me up were, Golddigga81, lonelygirl324, desparatelywanting12, and a myraid of other hood rat broads... and those are names they gave themselves!!! Honestly, what is running through your gourd... "Hi, I'm Golddigga81..." coupled with a photo on a cell phone photo that you are taking of yourself in a bathroom mirror "Dropping it like it's hot"... Sweetie, police yourself up and get that act together... And lonely girl... well, there is probably a reason for that... stage 5 clinger... I did see some nice chicks on there, and even talked to a few of them over the phone and what have you... but no one really struck me as someone to be more than friends "or one time meet and greets". I am glad to report that I have cancelled that "service"... it's been a while now, but I learned that looking for someone... especially in that forum, is just a waste of time. And it has made me realize that I'm a fairly decent cat, with a lot to offer someone, once they see it, they will know, and so will I. I finally know who I am and what I want... and subsequently don't want... (Photo on a cell phone in your bathroom... who the crap does that???) I'm just gonna keep rockin' til Ms. Right comes along... As some would say and probably all of you are thinking... ONLY JONATHAN BURKE!!!

Rediculi...

Alright, I am hot to trot right now... The Weather report stated... as a matter of fact, I even got a notice on my phone, that severe storms and what have you would be coming up this way... So I grabbed the appropriate overcoat (and it's dang near 90 degrees out there) so lugging that joint around is not what I really wanted to do... I just came in from out side... Absolutely gorgeous out there... This really grinds my gears... Had I left that home we would have had hail and everything else... you may be wondering about the title... "rediculi" applies to when two or more things are Rediculous (according to Jonathan Burke), just after a brief dry spell of funnies from the "Pentagon People"... they are back in full force... Starting my day, I went to the McDonald's and this gay midget was GOING OFF on the people at the counter... It's been making me laugh all day... I'm even chuckling as I write this... And he was giving those people the business too... He had all these little multi-colored beads in his hair and stuff... I was crying by the time I left up outta there. Then, around lunch time, I was walking outside and happed upon this older black lady... WITH A WIG ON BACKWARDS, and you know it was blonde...Furthermore, she was not the most "shapely" character, but for some reason felt compelled to wear a shirt that was cut down to her naval... after a few dry heaves, I began laughing... Then she busts out a smile at me and her teeth looked like a firecracker had gone off in her mouth... not a nane one tooth was straight... This sent me over the edge... You may say that this is mean, but I'm not really laughing at the people's issues, it is their indifference to change them... that is what keeps me rolling... I just enjoy each day as it comes, and once it goes, all that are left are the memories... I have a ton of memories... I think that "rediculi" applies to today's happenings...

Nothing really note worthy

Stuff has pretty much been the same... I feel like I haven't seen most of you in ages... but just a re-cap of what is the same... I still love being a Musician, Sydney is still AWESOME, Shauna is still being difficult to deal with, Motown music is still my favorite, I still love all my friends, My parents are still asking me 100 questions about everything (yeah, that still goes on, even if you are 25 and living on your own 7 years running), My beard is growing in nicely for the fall/winter months, so is my hair, the people at the pentagon still amuse me with their "rediculi", And God is unchanging, Still Blessing me beyond measure... The standard JB Rant stuff... Nothing out of the normal...