New Blog

Hey readers! I have a new blog that is dedicated to the great Commonwealth of Virginia.


Its called MY VIRGINIA You can click there, and see that its a work in progress.. It will be a fun way to cover all the obsessive topics I have over Virginia, Richmond, The South, Sweet Tea, Grits, and just about anything else that flows through my veins.

Otherwise, things are going okay. I am working on so many new songs lately. One being "Hipsters Ruin Everything". Some are still works that are in the making. Today was kinda dreary. I picked up my check from work. I was going to use the Fitness Center but I was too tired. Later I went to Joe's Market, where I got a small salad, a bag of chips, and a cherry coke. I used the internet on my Mac laptop over there. I think its a neat place. Tonight, Im probably going to watch and old movie before bed, and do some Bible Studying. I'm reading the book of Nehemiah, which I sure can relate to. I'm also going to study First and Second Corinthians. The Lord speaks to me through his living word many times, but often times he has to give me a blow to the head before I listen.

Hipsters Ruin Everything !

Here's a new tune I wrote about the Hipsters. I think they may like it, (or not), because self deprecation is one of their favorite past times. Some will say Williamsburg, Brooklyn, is the Hipster Capital of the world. They have obviously never been to Richmond! Anyways, ya know, Richmond is full of 'em, and it makes it hard some times because they're always hogging the vinyl section when I'm at Goodwill, or snickering at me because I bought a Randy Newman Album. But anyways this is what they do:

Ellwood Thompson's Coffeeshop Revisited...

I had the day off today, so I rode my bike over there to see what I could find. I was skeptical at first, but pleaseantly surprised. When something says "gluten free" , I assume it means taste free as well. But I decided to give one of their desserts a try. I believe it was called Snickerdoodle. Anyways, it was pretty good! I was afraid being health food and all , it wouldn't have the taste I was looking for. And being the non-hipster, non-vegan, that I am, I wasn't sure how it would do. Anyways, the service is really nice, and its very inviting and cozy on the inside. They have free wi-fi internet and large tables and lots of used books to read. I'm so glad they took over the space. Its a nice location and a great way to keep the end of Carytown in business.

Wasted Weekend

Well, I was all set to go to Rocky Mount yesterday to put up some posters for my show, but I was so tired and overslept. So by the time I got up it was well after 2 in the PM. Rocky Mount is only a few hours away, but by the time we get there, it would be getting dark and then it wouldnt really have much time to see the place. I also missed church this morning as well.

Yesterday we went around aimlessly trying to find "free wi fi" spots in town. Well we stopped at Southern Railway Deli, where I had the Buffalo Chicken wrap and some sweet tea. You know, there's not much anything "Southern" about the place, other than the name, and perhaps the fine Richmond style service. But the food is pretty much standard Yankee Delicatessen Fare. The internet wasn't working too well either. Anyways, following that we drove around, trying to figure out some other places to use the internet, and decided on the "Ghetto" Starbucks on Broad St and Lombardy. There was a girl in there who was homeless, and we felt very sorry for her, but we weren't sure if she was just wanting something. We helped her look into finding a homeless shelter for the night, and I gave her enough to get a sandwich. She was goig to sleep in the parking lot on Chamberlayne Ave, but I thought that was way too dangerous. She is also pregnant as well. We prayed for her, and I hope she will be alright. Luckily the shelter seemed to be willing to help her, and they open when it gets below 35 degrees at night.

That was kind of sobering. I don't think she was on the take, since she didn't really ask for money, just about local shelters in the area. But anyways, I hope she will be alright. Today, we ate at Baker's Crust, where I had a chicken sandwich, and then we tried Ellwood Thompson's for dessert- but all they have is that crummy vegan stuff. I want real dessert. So we went to Starbucks on Robinson, where I had another sweet tea and a chocolate chip cookie,and we looked at old pictures of plantations in Loudoun County.

A BBQ Theme Song

As promised, I wrote the theme song for Season III of The Midnight BBQ. This was recorded at Minimum Wage Studios in Oregon Hill.



My new PA came yesterday . It sounds pretty swell! I think it will be much better than the little 'ol amp speaker I use now. I will now have complete stereophonic sound. That is a blessing! And its very lightweight with 2 speakers, and the monitor built into the back. It comes with 8 outlets- and has option for recording. I tested it out, and it really is very nice sound for such a small machine.

Here's a picture:

Mom Talks About Greece

Its a blessing that my dad kept the old tapes he had of my mother's voice. For these momentos, I can hear what she sounds like once again. I havent hear her voice in almost 20 years. Here she is talking in February 1967- she was exactly my age. My mother was born and raised in Richmond and spent most of her youth in The Fan.

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I had the day off today, so I rode my bike to the fitness center and then I dropped off a press kit to Ukrop's on Forest Hill Ave. I might play in the cafe there some time. Also, I got an argyle sweater from Dillard's. That will keep me warm when I stand out in the cold and wave .

Barbeque Interview...

I made church this morning. Yay!

Anyways, heres a clip of me on "The Midnight BBQ"- a Charlottesville based variety show where I was interviewed and played some music. For some reason the video and audio are not always in sync .I come in about 23 minutes of the program. It was recorded just before Thanksgiving. Enjoy !


The Midnight Barbecue - 3x01 "Meade Skelton" from Nick Noe on Vimeo.

I don't feel the love today...

I had to go work in the Smoothie Shop Today. I call it "The Pit". Anyways, we have over 70 customers . They just kept comin'. And coming. .... Again, and again, and again. I felt like saying Lordy, why don't Y'all just go on over to Little Ceasears? Its a much better deal than this rip off place. I had to make about 40 wraps and then rush over to make smoothies and do dishes and clean. We kept having so many customers. I had no time to take a break at all. Now my feet are killing me. I'm sure glad I took my gummy bear vitamins this morning !

Its another Valentine's Day and I'm all alone. Not that it bothers me, I kinda rather prefer it that way. Its a very overrated holiday. Its a scheme set up by the floral industry. I do in a way look forward to married life. It will be nice to find someone who can cook me supper and clean the dishes and someone to grow old with. Someone to look up to me for advice... I think it will be swell. I think Ill go to Ukrop's now and get a rose for my Aunt Virginia. Then maybe a box of candy for myself.

Well, Its off to work I go...

EDIT: EDGAR ALLEN POE WAS ACTUALLY BORN JANUARY 19TH, BUT HUMOR ME ANYWAY.

I have to go to my waving job soon. Im glad its at 1 PM instead of 12 noon. That extra hour gives me more time to catch up on beauty rest! Anyways, today is Edgar Allen Poe's birthday. One of my favorite poets. He would be 200 years old, I believe. Happy Birthday, Poe ! A lot of cities try to claim him- Baltimore, New York, even Boston, where he was born- but he will always be a Richmonder. He grew up in Richmond, and was immersed as a Richmonder, in Richmond fine society. He wrote for the Southern Literary Messenger as well. I think my favorite poem by him is Annabell Lee. I wish I could write somethin' as spiffy as that for my girl (my imaginary one, lol).


Annabel Lee

It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of ANNABEL LEE;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.

I was a child and she was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea;
But we loved with a love that was more than love-
I and my Annabel Lee;
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
Coveted her and me.

And this was the reason that, long ago,
In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling
My beautiful Annabel Lee;
So that her highborn kinsman came
And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulchre
In this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in heaven,
Went envying her and me-
Yes!- that was the reason (as all men know,
In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of the cloud by night,
Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.

But our love it was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than we-
Of many far wiser than we-
And neither the angels in heaven above,
Nor the demons down under the sea,
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee.

For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling- my darling- my life and my bride,
In the sepulchre there by the sea,
In her tomb by the sounding sea.

Edgar Allan Poe

Anyways, I'm in dire need of a new PA System. I just use a Peavy Speaker right now at 60 watts. Its okay, but I really want stereophonic sound for my performances. The peavy speaker is more designed as a montior- and I usually run keyboards and vocals through one speaker. I am not getting a new PA system- because those usually are a waste .But a good used one with 8 channels. I wonder if Metro Sound and Music might have them. I went to PLAN 9 last night to really see if they put my records in there or not. Well, after the hipster girl behind the counter finally spoke to me, I was informed they were with all the other 7 inches in the basement. So they were there- and they put a nice plastic covering on it. I feel PRO-fessional now ! I also got a smoothie last night from Smoothie King. I normally don't care for smoothies, but their celestial cherry is my favorite.

Evolutionists Are Brainwashed !

I was at Maymont Park the other day (the weather was right lovely) so I was talkin' to my sis about the vultures we were looking at. And I said "Isnt it nice how God invented vultures- because even they have a purpose. They can get rid of the dead animals remains and such". And then this lady said in a loud voice (she was dressed kinda like a new age hippie ) "Yeah, Evolution sure did a great job!". So it wasnt to my face, but I got the hint. Wow, I cant believe people actually think like that. I feel so sorry for them. I feel sorry for their children too that they have to be brainwashed by them as well. Evolution is not only a lie from Satan, it isn't even real Science ! Darwin has been dead for over 150 years and thats all they can come up with? Folks, we need a better explanation than that ! Well, the Lord created everything. It says so in the HOLY BIBLE! He made everything according to its own kind.

Now, I myself, believe in Evolution in terms of Macro Evolution. I do not believe in species mutations, or Micro Evolution . But I do think we were all primitive at one time (some of us still are), and then God allowed us to expand our societies into what we have now. That is all part of it. But you know, as we got more advance, we did get further from God. Because God's still voice is harder to hear in this fast paced high-tech world we live in today. But, no lady, God created the vultures. Evolution didn't do flapdoodle.

Arthur Miller: Not A Fan...

So we went to see "All My Sons" at the CAT Theater last night. The acting wasn't bad, the cast was good, and some enjoyable performances. But the play... Oh, gosh, was Miller some kind of Mani-Depressive/Sado Masochist who enjoyed making audiences suffer? Most D-Pressing thing I've seen since "Raisin In The Sun". And I just didn't enjoy it much at all. The father commits suicide at the end- largely because he made some bad engine parts and killed some men accidently in the WWII Era. Lots of boo hooin'. What made it worse- the guy that did not hire me at The Museum Of The Confederacy was in the play too. He can act okay, but he didn't give me a job that pays 7$ an hour that any monkey could do. To give tours of The White House Of The Confederacy is not brain surgery. Oh, well. Maybe he is jealous of me, I'm not sure. Whatever the case, what could I expect from the same guy who wrote "Death Of A Salesman". He sure didn't have much sunshine in his life. And here I thought this play was gonna be a comedy. Tragic, Tragic, Tragic...


I'm not a big Play Person. I actually prefer films. But I do enjoy plays from time time. I think I do like Drama, but in a play, everything is so close and intense. I prefer light comedy and maybe musical comedies. I just don't care for this Arthur Miller guy. I would write him a letter , but he's dead. Anyways, I feel bad because I missed church this morning. The choir was singing too. I had a sore throat , though, and wanted to take it kinda easy. We got some sandwiches from Strawberry Street Cafe Market, and later rode our bikes through Maymont Park. Richmond drivers are getting worse, and worse, and worse. Style Weekly and The Richmond-Times Dispatch still refuse to print my letter to them about how un-Southern and rude Richmond drivers are becoming. I suppose they don't think its a problem? Well , anyhow, I think honking your horn under any circumstances should require a good talk from Miss Manners herself.

Its almost as if we don't really have a President.

Not a real one anyway. The goofball that's in office right now, sure isn't a President. Hes just some guy with a chip on his shoulder who in his worldly desire for fame and power, wanted to prove to his old classroom bullies that he could become president one day. His real name is BARRY. What a phoney. Anyways, I sure can't wait til Sarah Palin is in office in 2012. She'll fix things right. It feels really weird not having a President right now. We are like sitting ducks. I wish this nightmare would end. Obama talks a good game about helping the poor, but he doesn't seem to mind wearing expensive suits and being on the cover of Esquire magazine. Was 'ol Dubya ever in a photo spread in one of those rags? Nope. I bet Obama has hand made cuff links with his initials on it. I'm so tired of people calling him "the first black president". Talk about racist ! 1. He isn't really black 2. What should his race matter? You dont just elect someone because of their race. You put them in there because they are the best man (or woman) for the job

Anyways, today was sunny at least and near 70. We rode our bikes around Williamsburg and stopped at Manahattan Bagel for a tuna wrap. Then we went down DOG Street (Duke of Gloucester St for all you non-locals), and had a drink at the bookstore. It felt really good to see Williamsburg and get away from Richmond for awhile. Tonight we are going to see a play at the Chamberylane Actor's Theater. Its called "All My Sons". Takes place during WWII Era. I hope its good and worth the money.

Lack Of Appreciation for Country Music...

Virginia is the Birthplace of Country Music, yet there few if any bands in the Richmond area who perform in the style that I do. Whats more frusturating, is that all the venues are geared for Rock, Punk, or Funk, just about anything but Americana Pop Troubadours such as myself. If they do have Singer-Songwriters they are of the cliched Top 40 variety- usually performing covers of the Plain White T's. What is it with folks in this town? I have had much more luck in the Shenandoah Valley or even in NOVA, than ever on the Richmond Music Scene. And up North, its even worse. I cant find one venue that will book me North of the Mason-Dixon line. I reckon I mine as well stay in the South, but this is 2009. Country Music is all over the place, and its not even Country Music anymore. I am much closer to the real thing. But I feel that I am also a pioneer- because I am doing my own type of Country Music- my flavor with almost a Randy Newman styled piano, and my songs about high school rejection, sweet tea, and finding love at Kroger's, are all new subject matters for Country.

And I'm not saying I'm the next Johnny Cash or anything. Far from it. I realize I am not the most talented musician out there. But people don't want to hear creative, original Country music. They want the same old thing- and it drives me nuts! Every place I have seen that books is only interested in Classic Rock Covers, or pretentious Singer Songwriter types. Places that act like they're Carnegie Hall, when they're some schmaltzy Coffee Shop. Its just plum ridiculous! I wish people would be more open minded. In Richmond, there are throngs of bands doing the same thing. And they have many more fans. But its annoying because here I am trying to do my own thing, and hardly anybody will listen. There is a Country Music Fan Base here- but its more of the "New Country" Tim McGraw NASCAR kind of crowd. And thats really nice- but its just not me. I would never do well in that area. I am Metropolitan Country Music- a type of thing that can appeal to anyone who fees like an outsider in cowboy boots.

A Very Richmond Christmas..

Yes, its already February, but I am working on making my Richmond Christmas segments for youtube (and later publication). Maybe a half hour long show about Christmas in Richmond, Virginia. Here is the very first clip of the segment:




Part II


That way it will be up in plenty of time for next year. Ironically, most of it was filmed in Christmas 2007, and I have lost 40 lbs since then, but oh, well. Life goes on. I am happy to finally get around to it. Today I was tired at my waving job. Yep, Liberty Tax again. I sure hope they give me more money for it. There's only so much I can take of standing as Miss Liberty and waving to Yahoos on Highway 360. Not to mention, I have tons of stuff to do otherwise. But at least they pay me under the table.