Back and forth with Bernie Williams August 20, 2011
Posted by Mike C. in Baseball, Books, Internet, Jazz, Music, Personal, Sports.add a comment
Recently, a friend of mine gave me a copy of former New York Yankees center fielder, and past-and-present guitarist, Bernie Williams‘ new book–written with Dave Gluck and Bob Thompson–Rhythms of the Game: The Link Between Musical and Athletic Performance.
One day after receiving the book, I started to read it. I’m currently up to chapter 7. After seeing a post-#FF (Follow Friday) tweet from Bernie in my Twitter feed, I figured I’d tweet to him what I just wrote in this post:
I meant every word. I’ve been taking piano lessons since October 2006. I don’t have an actual piano to practice on, but I have the next best thing: a Yamaha YPG-625 Portable Grand keyboard. The lessons and practice are challenging, but fun. That’s especially true after I finally get the song I’m learning down.
I’ll update this post after I complete Rhythms of the Game.
9/30 UPDATE: I finished reading two days ago. My considerable liking of the book carried through to the end. It’s a great read.
New blog header August 18, 2011
Posted by Mike C. in Internet, Personal.add a comment
Here’s my latest blog header:
Bolder & Fresher Tour at Westbury August 10, 2011
Posted by Mike C. in Comedy, Commentary, Internet, Media, News, Personal, Politics, Radio, TV.add a comment
Next Saturday, Bill O’Reilly and Dennis Miller will kick off the Bolder & Fresher Tour at the NYCB Theatre at Westbury. It’s the sequel to the Bold & Fresh Tour with Bill and Glenn Beck.
The Tour is billed this way on its website:
Bolder and fresher than ever before… Bill O’Reilly, godfather of “no spin” and in-your-face television, and Dennis Miller, the king of references and rants, are teaming up to take the country by storm! Your town may never be the same.
So far, three other shows have been booked after Westbury:
- 10/29: Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, CT
- 11/25: Landmark Theatre, Richmond, VA
- 11/26: Borgata Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, NJ
I will be in the audience next Saturday. I can’t wait.
8/21 UPDATE: Here’s my recap of the show.
2005 set lists, Remembering IMAC August 9, 2011
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Music, Personal, Theatre.add a comment
While rearranging CDs in my room, which I’ve done here and there since Sunday night, I found a couple of set lists I transcribed while at two concerts in 2005. The concerts were at the IMAC (Inter-Media Art Center) in Huntington; my first and second shows there, respectively. I was a semi-regular at IMAC until December 2008. Six months later, the theater closed. I thought it was temporary at the time, but it was quite permanent. In November 2009, the executive director, Michael Rothbard, suddenly passed away.
The first set list was from the Rippingtons early show on August 6, 2005. Russ Freeman was, of course, on guitars; Bill Heller was on the keyboard; Dave Karasony was on drums; Scott Breadman handled percussion; Kim Stone played bass; and Eric Marienthal was on saxophone. Here is that set list:
1. Brave New World
Originally heard on: “Brave New World,” 1996
2. Wild Card
Originally heard on: “Wild Card,” 2005
3. Gypsy Eyes
Originally heard on: “Wild Card,” 2005
4. Spanish Girl
Originally heard on: “Wild Card,” 2005
5. A Place for Lovers
Originally heard on: “Weekend in Monaco,” 1992
6. Villa by the Sea (Russ Freeman)
Originally heard on: “Drive,” 2002
7. Black Diamond
Originally heard on: “Black Diamond,” 1997
8. Cast a Spell
Originally heard on: “Let It Ripp,” 2003
9. Lay It Down
Originally heard on: “Wild Card,” 2005
10. Paradise
Originally heard on: “Wild Card,” 2005
11. Uptown (Eric Marienthal)
Originally heard on: “Sweet Talk,” 2003
12. Angelfire
Originally heard on: “Black Diamond,” 1997
13 (Encore 1). Snowbound
Originally heard on: “Curves Ahead,” 1991
14 (Encore 2). Tourist in Paradise
Originally heard on: “Tourist in Paradise,” 1989
15 (Encore 3). Purple Haze* (Jimi Hendrix cover)
Originally heard on: “Live Across America,” 2002
16 (Encore 4). Fire* (Jimi Hendrix cover)
Originally heard on: “Live Across America,” 2002
*Kim Stone, vocals
The second set list is from David Benoit’s 10:30 PM show on September 24, 2005. David Benoit played piano and keyboard with David Hughes on bass and Jamey Tate on the drums.
1. Snap!
Originally heard on: “Fuzzy Logic,” 2002
2. Swingin’ Waikiki
Originally heard on: “Right Here, Right Now,” 2003
3. If I Were a Bell
4. Every Step of the Way
Originally heard on: “Every Step of the Way,” 1988
5. ReJoyce
Originally heard on: “Professional Dreamer,” 1999
6. Charlie Brown Theme
Originally heard on: “Here’s to You, Charlie Brown: 50 Great Years!,” 2000
7. Kei’s Song
Originally heard on: “Freedom at Midnight,” 1987
8. 9/11
Originally heard on: “Orchestral Stories,” 2005
9. Once Running Free
Originally heard on: “Every Step of the Way,” 1988
10. Cast Your Fate to the Wind
Originally heard on: “Waiting for Spring,” 1989
11. Dad’s Room
Originally heard on: “Professional Dreamer,” 1999
12. Freedom at Midnight
Originally heard on: “Freedom at Midnight,” 1987
The live arrangement of this song, complete with the “Moonlight Sonata” interlude, was finally put on an album in 2010 as “Freedom at Midnight: The Schroeder Variations.”
13. Linus and Lucy
Originally heard on: “This Side Up,” 1985; “Happy Anniversary, Charlie Brown!,” 1989 (various artists); “Here’s to You, Charlie Brown: 50 Great Years!,” 2000
14 (Encore). Watermelon Man
Originally heard on: “Right Here, Right Now,” 2003
After the show, David B. and I posed for this picture (I weighed about 60 pounds more than I do now):
Unfortunately, I didn’t start this blog, which began the age of multi-photo concert recaps, until April 2008. But I did go to a handful of shows at IMAC between April and December:
David Sanborn – May 3, 2008 (7PM show)
RnR: Rick Braun & Richard Elliot – June 6, 2008 (7PM show)
Acoustic Alchemy – June 21, 2008
Guitars and Saxes – October 25, 2008 (9:30 PM show)
Peter White Christmas – December 12, 2008 (9:30 PM show)
David Benoit/Charlie Brown Christmas – December 19, 2008
For me, IMAC lives on through these posts.
Surprise severe storm August 3, 2011
Posted by Mike C. in News, Personal, Travel, Weather.add a comment
Most of Nassau County got an unpleasant surprise late Monday afternoon. At around 3PM, a severe thunderstorm developed ranging from northwest to central Nassau and eastern Queens. It was nearly stationary, expanding and intensifying rather than moving. The storm brought torrential rain, extensive lightning, and golf-ball sized hail. Wantagh, where I live, was on the fringe of the storm. We were limited to distant lightning and thunder, moderate winds, and heavy-but-not-torrential rain. But the fear between 3:50 and 5:20 was the storm would eventually get to us. But as quickly as the storm developed, it slowly dissipated and moved offshore. My hamlet was spared, but points north and west weren’t so lucky.
Read all about it (to borrow a phrase) in these links:
Long Island Weather Examiner: Parts of Nassau County rattled by violent storms
Long Island Press: Thunderstorms Prompt Flood Watch in Nassau
Wall Street Journal: Hail and Rain Wallop Region
Newsday (subscription needed): Strong storms knock out power, LIRR service
CBS 2 (WCBS): Hail Storm Shatters Windows, Rattles Nerves In Queens Neighborhoods
Rippingtons Smooth Cruise recap 2 July 28, 2011
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Music, News, Personal, Photography, Travel, TV, Weather.add a comment
Yesterday, I went to Chelsea Piers’ Pier 61 for the weekly summer Smooth Cruise aboard the Spirit of New York. I was aboard the Rippingtons‘ 6:30 cruise. This was my second Rippingtons Smooth Cruise. The first time was in 2009. And overall, it was my fifth Ripps concert.
Before we get to the sights inside, let’s focus on the outside.
As the ship passed Lower Manhattan, we passengers caught a glimpse of the half-completed Freedom Tower (9/11 UPDATE: The tower is officially known as One World Trade Center):
Further north, the Empire State Building:
The East River view of the Freedom Tower:
Now, the inside story. The ship embarked at 6:43 and the concert began a few minutes later.
Lenny Green, host of Kissing After Dark on 98.7 KISS FM, warmed up the audience and then welcomed the Rippingtons to the stage!
Russ Freeman, the bandleader, was on guitar:
Jeff Kashiwa on the alto saxophone…
…and EWI (electronic wind instrument):
Rico Belled on bass:
And Dave Karasony on drums and percussion:
SET LIST
1. Côte D’Azur
Originally heard on: “Côte D’Azur,” 2011
2. Modern Art
Originally heard on: “Modern Art,” 2009
3. Postcard From Cannes*
Originally heard on: “Côte D’Azur,” 2011
4. Mr. 3
Originally heard on: “Let It Ripp,” 2003
5. Aspen
Originally heard on: “Curves Ahead,” 1991
6. Le Calypso
Originally heard on: “Côte D’Azur,” 2011
7. When It Feels Good (Jeff Kashiwa)
Originally heard on: “Back in the Day,” 2009
Jeff pointed out that a 24-second snippet of this song can be heard in the background in one scene from Larry Crowne, the new movie starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts.
8. Avenida Del Mar
Originally heard on: “Life in the Tropics,” 2000
9. Sainte Maxime
Originally heard on: “Côte D’Azur,” 2011
10. Snowbound**
Originally heard on: “Curves Ahead,” 1991
11. Black Diamond*
Originally heard on: “Black Diamond,” 1997
*Jeff on EWI
**Jeff on EWI and alto sax
Russ and Rico got the audience clapping to start “Côte D’Azur”:
Bill’s vocoder finish to “Modern Art”:
The stage view on closed-circuit TV one deck below:
Jeff walked through the audience for the first half of “Aspen”:
Bill used the “skating rink organ” setting on “Le Calypso”:
Dave’s drum solo came in “Avenida Del Mar”:
Jeff played both the alto sax and EWI on “Snowbound”:
Jeff put the alto sax down for “Black Diamond,” going with the EWI:
The end of the set:
Before the show, I said hello to Bill and Rico, and we posed for this picture:
And afterward, I stayed behind the camera for this pic of Russ and Bill:
This was the best Smooth Cruise I’ve been on in recent memory. Thanks to Russ, Bill, Jeff, Rico, and Dave for another great show! And thanks to an area of high pressure for providing nice, comfortable (or at least not as humid) weather.
This recap is dedicated to my cousin Steve who turned 18 yesterday.
8/2 UPDATE: Katherine Gilraine attended the 9:30 cruise and wrote about it (and three other shows) at her blog:
Spirit Cruises: The Rippingtons
With Cote D’Azur out and on sale, I couldn’t miss it. The Rippingtons have always had a reputation for producing wonderful material, and when Russ Freeman brings out his inner rocker – just stand back, that is all.
Last week’s Wednesday night was no exception. I boarded the ship, and when Russ Freeman broke into Cote D’Azur’s title track, it was on. Jeff Kashiwa, a strong saxman in his own right, also had a chance to shine with his current hit, When It Feels Good. Me being picky me, I listened into Jeff’s style, and have to admit that his is more than palatable. Straightforward, but easy on the ear, strong and direct – all the marks of what I like in my horns.
That cruise, though…I can’t put it into words. Somewhere between Black Diamond and the NYC skyline at night, I reaffirmed just why I do what I do: the traveling, the jazz, the writing… It makes me feel utterly alive.
Tim McCarver auto-tuned July 19, 2011
Posted by Mike C. in Baseball, Commentary, Media, Music, News, Personal, Politics, Sports, Technology, TV.add a comment
During the last commercial break for the 8PM Eastern airing of last Friday’s The O’Reilly Factor, there was a promo for the MLB on Fox. In the promo, Joe Buck and Tim McCarver are to be auto-tuned during their broadcasts to appeal to a younger demographic. Tim follows through, but Joe refuses:
This promo has been running since the start of the season, but Friday was the first time I saw it. I initially posted it to my Facebook wall, but decided to post it here, too. As I said in my previous post, I find auto-tune hilarious and always get a kick out of it, especially if spoken word gets the auto-tune treatment.
Home video projects July 1, 2011
Posted by Mike C. in DVD, Personal, Video.add a comment
Last Fall, I captured old home videos of mine to my computer through Windows Movie Maker as AVI files. The videos were shot between 1994 and 2007. Unfortunately, WMM captures AVIs with 32 kHz audio rather than 48. So, for the last week and a half, I’ve been re-rendering those AVI files in the 48 kHz format. It’s a good thing I have Sony Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10 (yes, a long name). I went through each of the 30 VHS tapes, 40 VHS-C masters, and 12 MiniDV masters one at a time. I imported them into Vegas, Vegas built a 48 kHz audio proxy, I normalized the audio, and rendered. That took me from last Tuesday through this Monday. I didn’t stop there. I captured many MiniDV tapes that I didn’t officially consider home videos. This included:
- Video of my late chocolate lab Cocoa
- A final project I made for a video production class in my last semester at C.W. Post
- Raw video (most not used) of my senior project, a documentary interview with Joe Falco, a now-retired FDNY firefighter who survived the collapse of the World Trade Center’s South Tower
- The finished senior project
- An updated version of the senior project that I made two years after graduating
- Converted VHS tapes of car video brochures between 1994 and 1998 (I was obsessed with cars at the time and collected printed and video brochures.)
As I write this post, I’m preparing DVDs of my late grandparents’ home movies that I remastered last Fall. The program I’m using is Sony DVD Architect Studio 5, which came with Vegas 10.
25,000 views! June 16, 2011
Posted by Mike C. in Internet, Personal.1 comment so far
This morning, The Mike Chimeri Blog surpassed 25,000 views! Thanks to all of you that have visited since I launched the blog three years, two months, and one day ago. You’re always welcome here.
MikeChimeri.com 
Bolder & Fresher Tour at Westbury recap August 21, 2011
Posted by Mike C. in Audiobooks, Books, Comedy, Commentary, Media, News, Personal, Politics, Radio, TV, Weather.11 comments
(2/22/13 UPDATE: For those that found this post by search engine, this is a recap of the original Bolder-Fresher show at Westbury in August 2011. There will be another show there on June 1 of this year, but I won’t be attending that one.)
(12/6/14 UPDATE: On the other hand, I will be attending the Don’t Be a Pinhead Tour show at Westbury on May 2, 2015. The new name for the tour is the result of retooling.)
(Update at the bottom with viewer e-mails from audience members at 10/29 Mohegan Sun show, 11/2 Miller Time segment, my quick review of Killing Lincoln, and highlights from the 10/29 show.)
Last night, I returned to what is now the NYCB Theatre at Westbury for the debut of the Bolder & Fresher Tour starring Bill O’Reilly and Dennis Miller.
I went with my dad and we were joined later by family friend Joe Falco. Joe is a former FDNY firefighter who survived the collapse of the World Trade Center’s south tower on September 11, 2001. My college senior project was a documentary featuring his recollections and a return to Ground Zero where he retraced his steps.
The show was at 8:00, but since it was nearly sold out, Dad and I left the house at 6:45 to be safe. It took about fifteen minutes to arrive. Once in the theatre, we sat down for 50 minutes. Our seats were adjacent to the aisle where Bill and Dennis walked to and from the stage. A few minutes after 8:00, the lights dimmed, and Bill, via the public address system, introduced “the fresh part of the Bolder Fresher Tour, Miller!” My dad said he and Dennis made eye contact during his walk down to the stage.
Dennis’ material was toned down a bit. In TV ratings terms, he was TV-14-DL; no s- or f-words but suggestive dialogue. His 35-minute set touched on many topics, including:
Then, it was Bill’s turn. Among his topics were:
After a 15-minute intermission, Bill and Dennis returned for 35 minutes of Q&A. At this point, the two sat in stools while the stage rotated. It took Dennis a few minutes to notice that and then he acknowledged it to the audience. They each had stories to tell. Dennis talked about:
Bill talked about his upbringing, from Levittown to The O’Reilly Factor, and everything in between: working as a lifeguard for the Town of Babylon, going to St. Brigid’s, Chaminade High School, Marist (to which Dennis made a Marist/Roger Maris joke), working his way up in TV news.
It was a great show. Bill and Dennis both entered and exited to standing ovations. To be honest, I enjoyed this more than the Bold & Fresh Tour show last year.
If you’d like to see Bolder Fresher for yourself, check the tour’s website for upcoming dates and venues. You’ll be glad you went.
8/23 UPDATE: Three e-mails from audience members were read tonight on The O’Reilly Factor:
Keith Warhola, Mineola, NY: “Bill, you and Miller killed at Westbury. Loved the show.”
Bill’s response: “We didn’t actually kill anybody. It means that–[in] show biz–we were good.”
Gina Serra, Syosset, NY: “Bill, the Bolder-Fresher show was great! You were charming and Miller was a riot.”
Caryl Taylor, Briarcliff, NY: “Officer O’Reilly, we salute you and Dennis Miller. We were fully entertained by your observations and Miller’s stories.”
Bill’s response: “Well, thank you for all the nice mail, guys; got tons of letters. Clips from the show are now posted on BillOReilly.com for premium members. Next week, we’re gonna open ’em up to everybody. So you can see about 15 minutes of the Bolder Fresher show on BillOReilly.com. Info on upcoming shows in Connecticut; Richmond, Virginia; and Atlantic City available on BolderFresher.com. BolderFresher.com.”
In addition to those e-mails, a few clips were shown last night in the Reality Check segment. I compiled that and tonight’s e-mails into this video:
9/9 UPDATE: The latter half of August 24’s Miller Time segment was devoted to the Westbury show:
I would have posted this sooner, but Irene set me back and then I forgot.
11/1 UPDATE: Saturday night, the Bolder Fresher Tour came to Mohegan Sun. As the winds howled and snow mixed with rain here in southeast Nassau, I wondered if the show would even happen, but this tweet confirmed it did:
O’Reilly and Miller weren’t going to let a pesky snowstorm/Nor’easter stop them. I’m sure everyone got back home, or home away from home (i.e. hotel room), safely.
One viewer e-mail from an audience member was read tonight on The O’Reilly Factor:
Lynda Hanratty, Selden, NY: “Hey, Mr. O, we drove five hours to Connecticut in that snowstorm to see you and Miller. And it was worth the white knuckle ride! You two were hysterical! Was that your limo that passed us on the ride home?”
Bill’s response: “No limo for me, Lynda. I drove up there, just like you did, from Long Island. Glad you liked the Bolder Fresher show. Watch out, Richmond, Virginia; and Atlantic City. We’re comin’ to you Thanksgiving weekend. Details on BillOReilly.com.”
11/2 UPDATE: Tonight’s Miller Time only made a passing reference to Saturday’s show at Mohegan Sun. Here’s the video, anyway. And here’s another viewer e-mail:
Mark Underhill, East Aurora, NY: “Bill, my wife and I drove seven hours to see you and Miller in that snowstorm on Saturday. To make the trip go faster, we tried to buy the Killing Lincoln audio. It was sold out everywhere. So we bought the book and my wife read it to me. Excellent.”
Bill’s response: “Your wife’s a trooper, Mark, and I’m sending you the audio for your ordeal. Killing Lincoln is selling out everywhere, but we are printing them as fast as we can get ’em out to you. More than 900,000 copies of ‘Killing Lincoln’ in print right now. Thank you all.”
I pre-ordered the audio of Killing Lincoln before it came out and began listening to it September 28, the day after it was released. It got me through my daily walks and I finished it in two weeks. It reads (or is read by Bill) like a thriller. I vividly remember where I was walking while listening to key passages.
11/3 UPDATE: Highlights from Saturday can be seen on the BillOReilly.com video page. Look for “Bolder & Fresher Tour at Mohegan Sun” and click to play.
For the third night in a row, a viewer e-mail from an audience member was read:
Kathleen O’Gorman, Meriden, CT: “Mr. O, we lost power in the storm and it’s been rough. You and Miller were the only bright spots as we caught the Bolder Fresher show.”
Bill’s response: “[I] appreciate that, Kathleen. The power situation in the Northeast is gettin’ desperate. A clip from the Bolder Fresher show on Saturday [is] posted on BillOReilly.com. And Miller and I will see everybody in Richmond, Virginia; and Atlantic City at the end of November.”
11/4 UPDATE: Another day, another update. Psychotherapist Dr. Karen Ruskin was in the audience Saturday night and tweeted Dennis this afternoon:
An audience member viewer e-mail all the way from Montana!:
Margot Belden, Missoula, MT: “Bill, I came from Montana to see you and Miller in Connecticut! It was worth the ordeal. You were so funny, I had tears in my eyes.”
Bill’s response: “I hope from laughing with me, Margot, and not at me. Signed copy of Killing Lincoln coming your way for that big trip. …” That was followed by another reminder about the Richmond and Atlantic City shows in a few weeks.