Saints Go Marching Out

This has been one wild offseason for the New Orleans Saints. They whipped up their own brand of March Madness this year. They released four of their defensive starters from their 2009 Super Bowl winning team, Jonathan Vilma, Will Smith, Roman Harper and Jabari Greer. There are no longer any defensive players left from that squad on the current roster (I don't have anyone to do research for me, but I believe that to be true.) They also released wide receiver Lance Moore, who made a fantastic catch on a two-point conversion in that Super Bowl victory. He had been with the Saints since 2006 and was one of their all-time best receivers. Then came rumors that they were going to release running backs Darren Sproles and Pierre Thomas. It was then I started to regret my Saints tattoo again. Darren Sproles has been one of the most exciting players in the NFL for quite a few seasons now. He was personally recruited by quarterback Drew Brees to join the team after the departure of the beloved Reggie Bush.  Sproles was one of the most effective weapons in the Saints offense for the past three seasons. The thought of losing him and Thomas was not a pleasant one. Well, they ended up trading Sproles to the Philadelphia Eagles for a 5th round draft pick, which was better than just releasing him, although Mrs. Sproles would not agree with that as she so eloquently shared on social media.  Also, from the last 8 of the Saints 5th round draft picks, a good solid 5 or 6 of them turned out to be good NFL players. Rob Ninkovich of the New England Patriots happens to be one of them (the Saints didn't need him making big plays every weekend.) They did end up keeping Pierre Thomas which was good, partially because I love saying his nickname "PT Cruiser" every Sunday. Now that a couple of weeks have gone by, I am still pledging my faith to General Manager Mickey Loomis and coach Sean Payton that they have a master plan which will make them successful next season. I believe they are trying to make the team younger and stronger and faster in order to battle the top NFC teams like the current Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks, the San Francisco 49ers, the Carolina Panthers and those sneaky Green Bay Packers. They have to go through all of this for a chance to meet next seasons winner of the Denver Broncos versus the New England Patriots in their inevitable meeting in the AFC Championship game. As they say in Cajun Country, "Geaux Saints!"

Ronnie Earl with special guests The L&M Rhythm Kings

Great night at the Blue Ocean Music Hall in Salisbury, MA on Saturday March 8, 2014!  If you haven't been to this place, you should go. The sound is great, the place is beautiful and reasonably priced. I have to tell you that even though Ronnie Earl was the headliner, my main reason for going to the show was to support the opening act, the L&M Rhythm Kings.

I have been following these guys around Massachusetts and New Hampshire in various forms of this band for about 20 years. Shockingly they have never put a restraining order on me. You can't find a nicer group of guys than these four and they deserved to play in a nice place like this with a great audience.  They played their usual top-notch mix of Blues and Funk and were well-received by the crowd. These guys can play it all. Keep your eyes and ears open and if they are in your area you should go check them out!Well, enough about those lovable lads for now.

What can I say about the world-famous Blues guitarist Ronnie Earl that hasn't already been said better by someone else?

He has few peers as a guitar player. Some might call him a virtuoso, but I am not exactly sure what that means. From what I have heard about him, his generosity and warmth is also off the charts.  Ronnie and his band were great and mesmerized the audience with their musicianship. I have seen him play a few times and he always puts his heart and soul into each note he plays. It was a fabulous night near the end of a long Winter.  The timing could not have been better.

Girls Guns and Glory

A new CD has taken over my musical life. It is from a Boston band called Girls Guns and Glory. The name of the CD is "Good Luck." The CD came out in February 2014 and I was lucky to see them perform soon after I bought it. I guess for a genre you might throw them under the Americana umbrella. They do some 1950's style rock and roll and some old school country as well. Think Chris Isaak without Helena Christensen. The disc is a fifty-fifty mix of rockers and slower country tunes. For rockers I love "Shake Like Jello" and "Be Your Man." For the slower tunes I enjoy "All The Way Up To Heaven" and "One Of These Days." The best song however might just be "Rockin' Chair Money" which shows off the dynamic vocals of lead singer Ward Hayden.I strongly suggest that you buy this CD and if you get a chance, go see them in concert. These guys have got it together.