Musical ramblings from the manager
The title of this FTV started as a mental exercise of me trying to make a ‘Top Ten’ list of bands I liked to listen to back when I was first learning to be a rock and roll drummer. I thought, “Maybe it would be fun to follow up on some of them and […]
In Part 1 of History . . ., we learned about the rise of D.C. Stephenson to the position of Grand Dragon of the Northern KKK in the early 1920s. Following the story in Timothy Egan’s book A Fever in the Heartland (Viking Press – 2023), we discovered that the events he described did […]
We begin March with the evening planets. Jupiter has been the star of the show, so to speak, as it has been visible crossing the night sky all winter. As March begins, look for this gas giant planet high in the west. It will continue to drop lower in the sky as the month […]
Before I decided that Geography and Earth Science were going to be my major areas of study in college, History was also in my top three areas of interest. The maps of historic migrations, battles, and geographical provinces included in the text books we used from elementary school through high school fascinated me to […]
Who is Bill? You know, Bill Szymczyk. Who? Bill Szymczyk (pronounced ‘/simzik/’ if you are wondering). Never heard of him? Maybe not by name, but if you have listened to recorded work by B.B. King, The James Gang, Joe Walsh, Eagles, The J.Geils Band, JoJo Gunne, Jay Ferguson, The Winter brothers (Edgar and Johnny), […]
Back in June of 2023, the first part of FTV: Misplaced (6-21-23) discussed the 25 years we took our Ontonagon Area Schools eighth graders on an annual orienteering hike in the Porcupine Mountains. In orienteering, we used map and compass skills to travel from point to point without relying on trails, trail markers, or […]
Here is a rock ‘n’ roll chemistry problem for you. Mix two members of the popular Canadian band Streetheart with a singer from another well known Canuck band, Moxey, stir in an up and coming producer named Bruce Fairbairn and what do you get? One of the most successful AOR (Album Oriented Rock) bands of […]
Has winter finally descended upon us as of February 1, 2024? As this is being written, the first true winter-like weather is finally blanketing the Ontonagon area with enough snow to finally cover the mower lines still visible in neighboring yards. According to Keweenaw Reports, the last time the Copper Country had this little […]
The power of the internet is revealed in the things people post and repost without actually considering the source. I recently saw a post where someone cited NASA astronaut (and second human to walk on the Moon) Buzz Aldrin’s inclusion in Transformers – The Dark Side of the Moon movie (2011) as a kind […]
When I first joined a band called Cloudy and Cool, the other three guys in the band were all in the Air Force and stationed at K.I. Sawyer AFB just outside of Marquette. The lead guitarist / vocalist, Ray, was a Sargent and through his connections at the base, C&C were the house band […]