As Sun Soaker Thursday's get started NEXT week with Lissie, May 23rd!! All details to be had right here. I found this INSANELY BANANA'S moment from last year's 10th season of Oake On The Water in my archives. Get out to Sun Soakers this year and let's make some more moments like this!

HOLY ED SHEERAN!

I don't remember what grade this was, but I did used to be a pretty good lookin kid who got compared to Ricky Shroeder quite a little bit. Couldn't have been 4th grade or I would have a perm in the picture. Page down past the pic for an added throwback bonus.....

How's my need to socialize workin for me now Mr. Korpi!? Huh!? Yeah, that's what I thought. Hahahaha.

The first time I heard "Recovery" by Frank Turner the 90's influence hit me, immediately. Being a big fan of the music that came out of the 90's, I HAD to do some digging on what makes up this tongue in cheek, punk flavored sing-a-long by Mr. Turner.

Got any guesses? 

First, here is the song in question......

Alright, so there you have it. NOW, let's sprinkle in the ingredients.....starting with UK Legend, Billy Bragg.....

Now, maybe a little of this.....

Lastly, probably the most unpredictable but perhaps most crucial piece.....I bet you press play and go "OH WOW, YEAH!"

This is simple, but it struck me. I stopped to watch this. Soul Pancake is fantastic at bringing good positive stuff like this into the world. I love that concept/website/book. Don't forget to stop and breath.....or drink coffee or read or golf or play games, whatever works for ya.

What does work for you? What brings you calm or clarity?

After a great conversation with my Rock The Cause friend, Scott Herold (AND host of the new Cities97 show, Cause Rock, by the way) about Johnny Cash yesterday, I woke up this morning needing some Johnny Cash. Many would probably gravitate to the early years. Maybe Folsom Prison Blues, Walk The Line or Ring Of Fire. Don't get me wrong I don't NOT like those songs, hahahaha. BUT I think Johnny's last work, at the end of his life was some of his best.

His latest songs are eery and haunting at times, but also brave, inspiring, tender, rebellious, among a bunch of other adjectives that are eluding me right now. Sure the vocals are deteriorated a bit due to his age and health, but that's actually part of the charm. Plus the content is still there AND what kind of guts does it take to stare death in the face like this? I guess Johnny stayed true to the "Man In Black" to his very last minute......

Sure some of these are a bit sad, but isn't music about evoking emotion?!

"Like The 309"

"Help Me" (This one tears me up every time.)

"God's Gonna Cut You Down"

This absolutely gave me goosebumps! I know it had to blow away our friends in Walk Off The Earth to see this.

Considered the best-known elementary school chorus on the planet, the kids at PS22 work with TONS of artists, but their music teacher hand picks those artists. Anyway, it's all pretty cool. 

If you don't know Zach Sobiech's story, please read THIS first!

Zach song, the video, the release of his EP and record release party of really taken on a life of their own. Raising a BUNCH of money for the Children's Cancer Research Fund along the way. Well, the cause received a really nice boost recently, that's to the kindness of a stranger.......a famous, super awesome, Dwight Shrute look-a-like, stranger.......check this out......

Zach, again, you're an inspiration and we love you to pieces.

Video done by Soul Pancake, organized by Rainn Wilson

I'm pretty much always watching the Twins.....if not, I'm following them on my phone constantly. Lately, Joe Mauer has been CRUSHING the ball. Dude is super hot with the stick right now. Last night, I started up the old PhotoShop machine to work on some Elsie photos. Well, I was feeling silly and wondered what kind of damage Joe Mauer could do with a Lightsaber..........

If you haven't heard already, just announced this morning.....Imagine Dragons are coming back!!! They were just here, left their mark on the Varsity Theater with a mind numbing show that sold out in approximately 14 seconds, but it seems like it's been forever. This time they'll be playin a bigger room, the Roy Wilkins Auditorium! Sept. 30th. Click here for the ticket details and etc. 

Anyway, I'm so excited about all this, I got a little nostalgic and dug out this interview with Dan from 2012.

Hard to NOT get nostalgic. Just so stoked, and proud really, at how far this band has come. First got my hands on their music in late 2011, then first met them (as seen below) in April 2012. That pic is at my station in Omaha before they played a show in front of 150 people. Now they're going to sell out Roy Wilkins. Unreal.