If you are looking for a nice drive, some sanity and maybe some good breakfast, I have a suggestion for you.

250 Miles

Last Wednesday I set out down highway 61 along the Mississippi River to the play a gig up at School II in Chanhassen, MN.  At the gig, MJ, One of the artist that played that night, talked during her set about how beautiful it was driving along the same stretch a few days earlier. Man, I could not agree more.

That stretch of highway of is possibly the most beautiful stretches of any I’ve ever been on, especially in the fall with all the leaves turning brown, yellow, red and everything in between. Funny how I’ve been down that rode hundreds of times throughout my life but for some reason it never really hit me until this trip.

Anyway, if you live nearby and you get a chance, make sure you take the drive before all the leaves are gone.

The Perfect Breakfast

Also on the trip I decided stop for breakfast. A few years back some friends and I stopped at a place called “The Whistle Stop Cafe” which is in Frontenac just outside of Lake City on the a recommendation from my uncle Bruce. The home-cooked food and excellent service was was reeling me in again.

For the record, I am kind of pissed at myself for not having a camera along with me so I could've taken a few shot around Lake Pepin and then shared them with you. But, this pic should give you an idea. - Image by Jvstin via Flickr

This time was no exception. Everything tasted AWESOME. The hasbrowns, that filled almost the entire plate, where cooked perfectly and tasted like they where just shredded using potatoes from a nearby garden.

I went with eggs over medium because I was in a toast-dipping mood. They were cooked perfect!

And I even stepped out of my comfort zone a bit by choosing something outside of the usual ham-sausage-bacon medley by opting for kielbasa (my German and Polish heritage were begging me). Lots of times meat like this can be too spicy or extremely greasy but not this time. Again, very good.

As far as the service, I had my food in front of my quick and steaming hot despite a full parking lot and crowded dining room (at 10am on a weekday). The gal working was very nice and seemed to have a good spirit about her. She never let me see the bottom of my coffee cup (constantly stopping by to fill it up).

In The End

Overall, it was a pretty damn good 24 hours. I had a gorgeous drive, a great breakfast, heard some great music and had some great conversation with new and old friends the night a the gig. It was the kind of day that breaks up the monotony of the weekly grind and fills your soul with a breathe of fresh air.  How about you, had any days like that lately?

The Video

And here is some a video of me playing my tune “On My Way” that night. Looking back on it, the song really fits the whole experience.

P.S – A huge thanks to MJ for inviting me up, Jamie and AJ for letting me crash at their house, Rod for offering to let me crash at his, Stephanie for the video and to everyone who came out that night (even if you didn’t get to hear any music, Marta – lol).

P.S.S. – OH, and before I forget, be on the look out for some future posts on this very subject. You could just sign up to my fanlist when visit PlanetCorey.com.  I will deliver the article right to your email inbox and I’ll even give 3 free mp3 downloads right now just to say thanks.

Last Wednesday I had the pleasure of playing up in Chanhassen, MN at School II. It was a great trip and I’ll have more about how it went in a post on Monday. But for now I just wanted to share my new tune with you.

It is called “Cold Shoulder”. It is basically a tune about getting home really late after being out with my buddies all night. I bet many of you can relate to this whether you are the one home alone or the one getting home late.

Either way, here it is. Let me know what you think and don’t be afraid of sharing it with everyone you know.

A big thanks to Stephanie Shinn for the great video footage.

OH, and before I forget, be on the look out for some future posts on this very subject. You could just sign up to my fanlist at visit PlanetCorey.com.  I will deliver the article right to your email inbox and I’ll even give 3 free mp3 downloads right now just to say thanks.

Image via Wikipedia

If you’ve been around me for very long you know that I have always LOVED discovering and sharing music. Way before I was writing and performing music, I was trading tapes and cd’s, I was swapping recommendations with anyone and everyone who brought up music and I was sifting through every rack looking for new and/or rare tapes, albums and CD’s at music stores (Remember those?).

I guess you could say that I am a music geek.

I found a new website that allows me to do some of those things once again and figured I’d share it with you. the site is called Blip.fm

Be A DJ…

Blip.fm lets you find songs and video’s from just about any artist and then immediately share it with anyone you are connected to within Blip.fm and other sites like Facebook, Twitter, Last.FM and others. You are a DJ/VJ.

Anything and Everything…

Another cool thing about Blip.fm is the diversity you can hear by listening other “DJ’s” (everyone is a DJ on Blip.fm) stuff. If you are like me, than you love all types of music. You can hear Johnny Cash one minute, John Mayer the next, then Snoop Dogg, then….I think you get the point. You just never know and that’s half the fun. It is something that you rarely get these days on terrestrial radio.

It is pretty cool sharing tunes with anyone and everyone who might be be passing by one of your profiles.

Let’s Hook Up…

Anyway, I figured I’d pass that along. I haven’t been Blipping a ton but I am more and more everday. Stop by, grab a profile, add me as a freind and start blipping. You can find me on Blip.fm here. I’d love to see what kind of stuff you’re listening to.

Its about 11:42 on Friday night, got out of bed because I couldn’t sleep. I grabbed some popcorn, a caffeine free diet root beer and a DVD – “It Might Get Loud.”

It is the second time I’ve seen this, but damn, every time I watch it I get jacked up and wanna play guitar, make music, create something, etc. Now I really can’t sleep, but that’s ok (at least until the kids wake me up in the morning). That’s when the good stuff comes out.

I was thinking about how freakin amazing it is that the contents of a small plastic disc can plant a seed. Plant it, water it, and feed it – as long as you let it. As long as you let grow. Let it take you where it needs to take you.

After watching the show I have a whole new appreciation for Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack White. They were like kids sharing their inspirations telling their stories, playing tunes and, from what i can tell, truly enjoying the company of the other two. Watching others artists create is infectious.

Hell, if you are a musician and this movie doesn’t will you to pick up an instrument, then you better check your pulse. And if your are not a musician and this movie gets you pumped, there is a musician inside begging to get out. LET HIM (OR HER) OUT DAMMIT!

I guess the the moral of this late night ramble is…ah…um…do yourself a favor and watch “It Might Get Loud.” Then pick up your guitar or go buy one (or not, check out the classic opening scene below). Join the fun.

OH, and before I forget, be on the look out for some future posts on this very subject. You could just sign up to my fanlist (look to your right when you visit PlanetCorey.com now).  I will deliver the article right to your email inbox and I’ll even give 3 free mp3 downloads right now just to say thanks.