Back in 2o18, I was involved in music ministry, and one Sunday I wasn’t feeling well. I was supposed to lead worship that evening at a men’s service for my good friend, Pastor Cecil Johnson.
Pastor Cecil had a message to bring, and he needed me there… so much so that he came in my room while I was sleeping, woke me up, told me he needed me to get up and come sing Victory in Jesus… 😄😁
Cecil was a great man of God. Sadly, he passed away a year later after a long battle with cancer.
There is a movie about his life called No Vacancy, starring Sean Young 🦸♂️ Dean Cain, and T.C. Stallings from War Room plays Pastor Cecil. It’s a really good movie, and I believe it will bless you. I encourage you to check it out.
🎧 The Girl On The Front Row At Fort Worth • Come And Go Blues
Hey yall…
So I was thinking… the coldest place on the planet is the inside of a pimp’s heart. And these days, you’ve got about a 50/50 chance of running into one… so keep your head on a swivel and your heart toasty. 👀 Oh, and a polar bear’s toenails are a close second.
Alright, enough of that. Back to the music.
🎧 The Girl On The Front Row At Fort Worth 1983
🎧 Come And Go Blues 1979 Originally written and recorded by Gregg Allman and The Allman Brothers Band. It first hit the shelves in August of 1973… a month before I was born.
What do you do when something feels amiss but it could be a hit? Idk… let’s just stick to the music. 🎯
So these next two songs carry many past moments for me… memories? Oh, I got them.
Through These Eyes is super special to me… more so than any other song I know. It became so real to me in 2oO6, right around the time I first heard it and learned it on guitar… It began to come true in my life.
Today it is like my testimony song, pretty much all the lyrics but especially the line…
“Through these eyes I’ve looked the devil in the face and I’ve seen God’s Holy Grace.”
I never thought I’d be able to relate literally to words like that in a song. To me, it hits like no other. It’s personal, and just so happens… it rocks. 🪨
When the Angels Sing was a fun one to sit around and learn. I used to play it with just power5 chords. Most songs from back in the day, I just listened to them and started playing them how I heard it.
But this entire record is just fire. 🔥 WHITE LIGHT, WHITE HEAT, WHITE TRASH from September of ’96.
One of the things I’ll never forget about an old friend of mine was the way he’d greet me.
He’d smile and ask,
“What’s really going on?”
Not, “How are you?”… but, “What’s really going on?”
It’s been about 20 years since I last saw him, but today I found myself thinking about those words again. Such a simple question… yet so profound.
Now, let’s get into the music.
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The Words I Would Say
Keep Making Me
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Physically Building Churches in Buenos Aires, Argentina 🇦🇷 Oct 2o19
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Jude 1:24-25
To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before His glorious presence without blemish and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
I’m not sure how much longer I’ll keep this Hank series going. I may be getting close to the end, even though there are still plenty of great songs left to share. I’ll think about it.
Today I’ve got two cool ones.
🎧 Ain’t Nobody’s Business — Lone Wolf (199O) / The Bocephus Box (1992, reissued 2oO0)
🎧 Man to Man — Lone Wolf (199O) / The Bocephus Box (1992, reissued 2oO0)
Most people don’t realize “Ain’t Nobody’s Business” goes all the way back to 1922. Originally titled “‘Tain’t Nobody’s Biz-ness if I Do,” it was written by Porter Grainger and Everett Robbins, then first recorded that same year by Anna Meyers with the Original Memphis Five. Over the years it was covered by legends like Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, and Jimmy Witherspoon. Hank Jr.’s version gives the old blues classic a gritty outlaw-country feel all its own.
Social Distortion’s story is pretty unique. Mike Ness is a unique guy. A lot of his roots are in old country music. He’s also got a solo record where he covers many old country songs.
But when he started the band in 1978, they were full-on punk, rebellious teenagers—completely immersed in that music scene.
Over the years, though, you can see the evolution. The country, rock, and blues slowly made its way into their sound, and it’s just so cool to see them still at it today.
Much respect.
Here are two from the later years.
🎧 Bakersfield
🎧 Can’t Take It With You
From the album Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes 2o11
I’ve also included a recent ½ hour performance from a few months ago for a small audience at a radio station in California promoting their new record, Born to Kill.
So whether you believe in God or not… how many of you are going through something today? ✋️
I know I am. Sheeesh… probably the most critical season of my life right now. But I’m staying strong 💪 and trusting in the One who’s brought me this far. 😎
Here are two great songs from Shane & Shane that I recorded about a month ago. I hope you enjoy.
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Beg
Yearn
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Psalm 143:9–12 (My Version)
Deliver me, O Lord, from mine enemies… I flee unto Thee for refuge to hide me. Teach me to do Thy will, for Thou art my God, Thy Spirit is good. Lead me into the land of uprightness onto level ground because of mine enemies. Quicken me, O Lord, for Jesus Christ’s namesake. Preserve my life. In Thy righteousness bring my soul out of trouble. In Thy steadfast love cut off mine enemies and destroy all them that afflict my soul. For I am Thy servant, Thy friend, Thy child.
I believe “I Was Wrong” was the first song I ever heard from Social Distortion—probably around ’96 when it first came out. It was also the first song by them I ever learned on guitar.
I liked the song right away, but I didn’t really get into these guys until the early 2oO0s. Looking back, I wish I’d discovered them sooner.
So here you go… here’s two more for you.
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🖤 I Was Wrong 💿 White Light, White Heat, White Trash 1996
🖤 Don’t Drag Me Down 💿 White Light, White Heat, White Trash 1996
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I’ve also included a video from Joe Sib. He’s a comedian and former punk rock frontman who’s a great storyteller. In it, he tells the crazy story of one night at a Social Distortion show—a night that involved a car crash and other crazy stuff… with Mike Ness actually coming to his aid and helped his friend get into the show. It’s a great story… you should check it out.
I started playing guitar in November of 1988. I was 14. I had no intention of learning, but after the tragic death of my best friend, a guitar found its way to me one night and somehow made a way for me—a way to face things.
Music has always been the heart of me.
But a handful of years ago, I arrived at a place inside where it just didn’t matter anymore. Life was hitting me hard. I lost the fire. The desire for it. So I stopped playing completely for over three years and honestly wasn’t sure I’d ever play again.
Then recently, something started bubbling up in me. I could feel it coming back, strong.
So about three or four months ago, I picked it back up, and I honestly feel like that kid again. Maybe even more than before.
Since then, I’ve been playing most every day for a few hours, conditioning my fingers and getting my calluses back. A few people close to me have been asking me to record and share some songs with them, so that’s what I’ve been doing.
I started recording in my room but eventually moved to the bathroom because the acoustics are much better. It’s nothing fancy—just me, my guitar, and a simple app on my phone called Lexis Audio Editor.
As the recordings started piling up, I decided to make it a series. A few people here on WordPress had also been asking me to share, so here we are.
Honestly, these posts are nothing more than me sitting around doing what I normally do. They just happen to be captured this time.
Also, many of these are recorded late at night while others are sleeping. So I try to play and sing loud enough to make it decent without waking the dead. 😁
Heart of Loia `'.,°~ 