A Poem, Part 1: Thoughts Run Wild

Okay - yes - it is strange to post part 2 before you post part one of a writing . . . but that's how I roll :  )


Per my previous post (um, about a few minutes ago), here's the poem I wrote a response poem to. Enjoy . . . if you wanna!


Love and peace,
Joey


Thoughts Run Wild


Thoughts run -

Wild -

Like untamed children

Through rigid corridors

Of my mind.

Once,

In my youth

I ran wildly with them,

Yielding,

To whatever venture they delighted in.

But I am getting older now

And my knees begin to ache.

Oh God!

Again I am here

Crying out to You for help;

Help me to arrest these

Wanton, barbaric thoughts

Roaming like Mexican Cowboys

Breaking in feral stallions.

I am getting old

And I don’t know

If I can keep up with them

Anymore.

A Poem, Part II: And So I Do Not Fear Change Anymore

If I am nothing else, I'm a writer at heart. Writing has saved me time and time again from self-loathing, depression and other adversities that can come upon us. It's also the source of many of my songs.


I'm vacationing and it's nice to get away from the routine of everyday life and have the time to think, contemplate and respond. While writing today, I ran across an old poem of mine and I wrote the following as a response poem to it:


Love and Peace to you,
Joey

And So I Do Not Fear Change Anymore

How sad a state of affairs

When desire ebbs and we succumb to hopelessness.

Hopelessness is a drag, man.

But I am hope-filled yet again . . .

And I am – here and now - contemplating running.

Change – for all of its idiosyncrasies – can be good.

A wise man once told me:

The only thing that does not change is change.

His wisdom has proven time and time again to be true.

And so I do not fear change anymore.

I am learning to ride the tide

And though I fall often

I’m getting pretty good at it.

Come wild thoughts – my friends;

Let us roam once again!

Two Cents

I’ve come to understanding about myself that’s freeing . . . and just good to know: I need commitment. I need to have an obligation or a promise to keep in order to excel and get things done.

This revelation comes after years of doing things based on whether I felt like doing them or not: it’s the double-edged sword of being a “feely” type person. On the one hand, I can grasp the emotional climate of situations and act or react accordingly. Conversely, if I’m not feelin' it; I ain’t doin’ it! This aspect of who I am has helped me tremendously in making people connections. But then there’s the thing of getting things done that I don’t “feel” like doing . . . like exercise!

Quite frankly I hate exercise – can’t stand it! The idea of lifting weights, running and so forth just connotes – BORING! Yet the statistics (and my rotund belly) show that if I  don’t exercise and eat well, I’ll probably check out of earth far earlier than I need to. Now I don’t know about you, but I’m rather enjoying my stay here – thank you very much!

So I’ve joined BCS Fitness’s 12 Week Challenge . . . again! I’d joined two years ago, I wasn’t making as much progress as I thought and after about three 12 Week Challenges, I dropped out (with the foggy notion that I could do this thing on my own). Do you see the inherent flaw in the logic here? Yeah: I – who confessedly can’t stand exercise – was going to do this on my own. Yeah right!

Well after two years of being off the bandwagon (and subsequently regressing), I’m back on board and I’m very grateful for it.

The moral of the story here: do what you gotta do to get what you gotta get done done! Give yourself permission to go outside of yourself to find solution.

Having marriage problems – get counseling;

Having money problems – get connected with someone who’s smart with money;

Have a drinking problem – join Alcoholics Anonymous

Bored in life – take a class and explore something!

Well that’s my 2 cents worth of wisdom,

Peace and love to you!

Joey K

KEOS Radio 89.1 FM

Hola Groovy Peoples! Peace to ya!


Here's a radio interview I had at KEOS 89.1 FM radio recently. 
I thought you might dig it!


Click here: KEOS Interview


I hope this note finds you well!
Peace, Love and Groove,
Joey

WhiMSy love: Love is the Way: Giveaway

WhiMSy love: Love is the Way: Giveaway

Mel Bay, Ozzy and A Dog Named Blue

Often I’m asked what kind of music I play. “Folk Rock Groove,” I usually respond - then I offer further explanation, responding to the oft-puzzled looks I get! What’s Folk Rock Groove? I’ll start at the beginning of things – sorta . . . uh, let’s start with rock.

ROCK
I started playing guitar when I was eighteen. I’d landed a job at a grocery store and I finally hand a little money - and a lotta time on my hands! Having listened to tons of Ozzy Osbourne, Van Halen, and Quiet Riot, I was well groomed to join the ranks of heavy metal guitar slingers! I bought an amp and used electric guitar and I started taking a few lessons. I was on my way to rock the world! Mmmm, so I thought . . .

FOLK
My first guitar lesson was with a Mel Bay’s Modern Guitar Method workbook – a very slow and arduous text for an anxiously aspiring rocker! After a few lessons, my instructor, Kenny, suggested I pick up on acoustic guitar. I was playing around on his acoustic one day and he told me I seemed to have a knack for it. Seeing that I wouldn’t be shredding on guitar anytime soon, I took his advice . . . but stopped taking his lessons. I wanted to rock and roll man! Kenny and the Mel Bay were a little too slow for me.


NOTE TO FUTURE GUITARISTS: YOU WILL NOT SHRED ON GUITAR OVERNIGHT! STICK WITH THE LESSONS – THEY WILL PAY OFF SOON ENOUGH!


FOLK continued . . .
Having forsaken Mel Bay’s Method, I opted for something more my speed and bought a little book that promised the ability to play guitar in twenty minutes. Great! I would be wailing away before I knew it!

The book - true to its promise - showed finger patterns to play two chords – C and G. Consequently, the first song I learned to play was not Crazy Train ala Ozzy and Randy Rhoads! Rather, it was Had A Dog And His Name Was Blue ala Peter, Paul and Mary! Add to this a few more chords and also my experience with summer camp bands, and you’ve got the major reason for my folk infusion – practicality! I wasn’t shredding . . . but I was playing guitar!

GROOVE
Okay, I was, confessedly, the odd kid on my New Orleanian block! Though I was a rock guitar slingin’ wannabe, Jazz, Funk, Soul, Rap and R&B permeated the atmosphere where I grew up. Groove is a prenatal, cultural inheritance that forms the very foundations of my musical inclinations. Stevie Wonder, Professor Longhair, War, Chuck Mangione, Dr. John and a host of other groove purveyors inform who I am as a musician and songwriter - It’s in my musical DNA!

Enclosed is a FREE DOWNLOAD of a Folk Rock Groove sample, Day In The Life of a Girl. Check it out, share it with your friends and let me know your thoughts! Better yet, buy the entire album (only $5 for digital download) . . . and help me make an honest living!


Well, that’s my brief history in Folk Rock Groove - Thanks for delving in!

Peace, Love . . . and lots of Groove to you,
Joey K

Laugh Today

I am especially glad of the divine gift of laughter:  it has made the world human and lovable, despite all its pain and wrong.  -- W.E.B. DuBois

This is one of my most favorite quotes and I woke up with it on the mind . . . thought I'd share it with ya!

Be encouraged!

Hope this day finds you with something to smile about!

Love and Peace,

Joey K