Author: Jody Whitesides

What a wild a crazy weekend. I spent some time off with some friends out at the Colorado River on the border of Arizona and California in a town called Parker. Actually it’s been sort of an annual thing for the past 6 years I think, at least for me. Some of them have been doing it for a while longer. Anyway, it was as usual, eventful. In fact just a couple of blocks from starting out, the boat trailer got a flat tire. Yikes. Without boring you with all the details, I got a nice sunburn, learned to wakeboard and wakesurf, and got stuck for an extra day out there when my ride’s car broke down on the way home. The bonus was playing some black jack and winning some money at the Blue Water Casino.

In music news, I’m currently in talks with several PR and Radio firms. I’m working on getting Practical Insanity released with or without the Business Plan Funding. So far the reaction from all the firms I’ve talked to have been highly favorable. I’m going to be weighing their strategies to see whom I like best. So stay tuned.

I’ve also started mapping out the songs that will make up the first two (out of 3) of the Christmas CD’s that will make up my first Christmas release. I spoke about this back in December or January, so check out the archives for the story on that. But at least it has gotten started. As well, I’ve also been demo’ing new songs for the follow up to Practical Insanity. Geez, do I ever stop?

Movie Pick of the Week: The Longest Yard. Here’s a simple review of a simple movie. Don’t expect cinematic greatness. In fact, don’t go in expecting anything at all. Think in terms of mindless entertainment and you’ll likely have a good time watching this movie. I liked Adam Sandler, I didn’t really get why Burt Reynolds was even in it. Chris Rock was being restrained from really being Chris Rock, and some of the dialog was kinda cheesy. Otherwise there are funny, laugh out loud moments and I did find it fun.

In case you missed the Music Connection Review, here is the repost from the previous news entry: In the latest issue of the Music Connection Magazine. I received some kind words and a total of 7 out of 10. Quoting from the Music Connection:
“Whitesides is a singer/songwriter whose performances and material show lots of skill and craft without scrificing heart or conviction. the lyrics for All The Things and Days of Our Lives have a knack for depicting the imagery of everyday life in interesting ways. Electric guitar licks lend a hard rock backbone to the tunes, while the artist’s soulful voice acts like fine-grain sandpaper that gives his rough-hewn subect matter some compelling contours.”

Groggy morning. I was fortunate enough to be up late to catch the opening of Star Wars Episode III last night. But before I get to that…

I got a review in the latest issue of the Music Connection Magazine. I received some kind words and a total of 7 out of 10. Quoting from the Music Connection:

“Whitesides is a singer/songwriter whose performances and material show lots of skill and craft without scrificing heart or conviction. the lyrics for All The Things and Days of Our Lives have a knack for depicting the imagery of everyday life in interesting ways. Electric guitar licks lend a hard rock backbone to the tunes, while the artist’s soulful voice acts like fine-grain sandpaper that gives his rough-hewn subect matter some compelling contours.”

Not too shabby eh?

I want to say thank you to everyone that has been using the new ePostcard feature I’ve added to the website. I really appreciate it. All I can say is, keep on sending.

Movie Pick of the Week: Star Wars Episode III ‘Revenge of the Sith’. Ok, call me a geek. Although I’m not the most hard core Star Wars nut, I certainly can hold my own. This time around, I’m fortunate enough that my girlfriend was able to get myself and a friend into the opening night! I felt like a giddy little kid. There were people there that actually had costumes and light sabers, hey it’s Star Wars. The lights went down and Lucasfilm LTD came on the screen and the room filled with cheers. Lucas has certainly gone for the more-is-more is better in this movie. He threw the kitchen sink into tying up the entire story line. Obviously we all know what happens by Return of the Jedi. But the real questions became, how did it get to A New Hope. How did Darth Vader become Darth seems to be the biggest question. In terms of cheesy-ness, there was one scene that was so bad that it made people laugh, outside of that, it’s standard Star Wars fare. I’d have to put this on the level of the Empire Strikes Back which is my favorite episode. The special effects are certainly cool. Knowing how things came to be for A New Hope was gratifiying. Although I came across three flaws in the story-line, based on things said in episodes IV, V, & VI, it’s still a great closing chapter. Overall, if you’ve seen all the other Star Wars movies, you’ll want to complete your saga.

Good Monday Morning to ya!

It’s going to be an awesome week. But before I get to much news. I have to tell you that I’ve found a way for you to help spread the word about my music. I call it an MP3 ePostcard. You might be asking yourself, what the hell is that?!? Well, it’s a nifty little eCard like you’d get from Hallmark.com only different. Check out my new ePostcards and see what I mean. Have fun spreading the word. Oh, and the best part is, it’s totally free – can’t beat that!

Now, I got wind from the Music Connection Magazine that I’ll be getting a review later this week, booyah! The show in Hermosa is going to kick major ass. And to top it all off: STAR WARS III coming in mere days!

Have a great day!

Jody