Got a few comments on my blog last week regarding my inability to find interesting music on sites such as Rhapsody.com. I stand educated, for sure (check out the comments).

I received a great email from a friend and his wife, who are temporarily living in Berlin while completing research for a scholarly dissertation on East German jazz in East Germany:

“Berlin is fascinating with its massive size, museums, history and shopping. CD shops are still alive and well here. Several New Orleans acts are represented in its own [New Orleans] bin. One book shop with CDs is six stories tall. It’s simply amazing to know that some people still buy CDs. The sixth floor is dedicated to English titles. This section is the size of most book stores in America. We are fortunate to have an apartment in an old part of the East. 20 years ago this was a ghetto and now is a haven for young professionals from all parts of the world. We are biking everywhere while the weather is still dry. It is quite easy to get around. The city is made for bikes first, autos second.”

Hmmm. Europeans are apparently still buying more CDs than Americans. Or maybe that just applies to “hard-to-find” music, like New Orleans. And the city is bike-friendly. Looks like a model that we might try to emulate as we rebuild our city. We have the ability to almost start from scratch, in a lot of ways.

I know this is simplistic, but one of the ways we could really show the world that we are recovering is to find a means to either renovate or remove the massive numbers of blighted houses in New Orleans. I know that’s a lot easier said than done, but it’s something that Mayor Landrieu has mentioned recently. I fear that addressing the problem is going to take a lot longer than most of us are willing to wait. The wheels of government move very, very slowly. By the time we start to see a positive change, the administration that implemented it is long gone.

I know I’m treading on shaky ground here, but I have to recount a conversation I overheard yesterday outside the Ugly Dog, where we stopped for dinner. There were several people sitting around talking, eating and drinking beer, and I heard one guy say that he favored low taxes, small government and high income.

Yeah, me too, but that’s not necessarily realistic. In the past 40 years, our level of taxation has gone way, way down. And with it, we’ve seen our country’s educational system go down the drain, our health care system costs spiral way out of control (because the system is no longer extant for the public good; it’s set up as a profit-making venture) and our infrastructure begin to crumble. At the same time, we’ve financed a very expensive war for almost a decade. Something has to give. I’m certainly not for paying high taxes, but then my income level isn’t too high, but someone–the citizens who live in this country–has to bear the burden of educating our kids, fixing our streets and bridges, etc.  I also realize that I’m living in a country where the rich are getting (much) richer, the poor are getting (much) poorer, and the middle class—which is what I grew up in—is shrinking drastically, pushing more families into poverty. I don’t want to sound fatalistic, but once again: something’s got to give. Revolutions have been fought over stuff like this. The point is: consider carefully what’s happened historically in this country. If you’re old enough, remember what the US—and your standard of living—was like 30, or even 40 years ago. Think carefully about what your decision is going to mean not only for you and your family, but for America as a whole. Don’t listen to the manipulative commercials and propaganda you hear and see in the media. Don’t automatically believe the stuff you’re sent via email, and especially what’s on the internet. Do a little research; read up on the candidates and their platforms. Think about “not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” And then go out and vote next week. ‘Nuff said.

I’m hoping and praying—and I’m sure the promoters are too—that the weather this weekend will be as glorious as it’s been within the last two weeks for Voodoo Fest this weekend. We’ll be at the Festival with bells (and masks on). Come see us at our booth and get a chance to win a new guitar (courtesy International Vintage Guitars), a six-foot hookah (courtesy the Ra Shop) or a $100 gift certificate to Head To Toe or Sashay. Plus lots more good stuff. We also will have nice pocket-sized schedules (sponsored by Miller Lite) to give away at the booth and around the grounds. Oh yeah, and check out Eli “Paperboy” Reed. He needs to get another gig here (hint, hint, club owners!).