Charles Farley
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Microwave Dave Day

6/23/2020

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Microwave Dave Gallaher and his band, the Nukes, have been a fixture in Huntsville, Alabama, since 1989.  Their music has provided a soundtrack for the city every since then.
We are fortunate to have them:  Dave on guitar, Rick Godfrey on bass and harmonica, and James Irvin on drums.  Their scorching repertoire of original and covered blues, blues/rock, and R&B tunes are appreciated and applauded throughout the Southeast and at music festivals all over Europe.  Their 1995 cover of Bo Diddley's "Road Runner" became a soccer stadium smash in Paris and a favorite of fans everywhere.
Dave and the band are not only generous with their music, but they are also an integral part of the community, giving freely of their time and talent to all kinds of benefits and area schools via concerts and the Microwave Dave Music Education Foundation that was formed in 2015 to integrate music with learning by bringing musicians into the classroom.
So for the last five years, Huntsville's mayor has declared a day in June as Microwave Dave Day, and Dave and the band have hosted a big celebration of not only their own music, but also all kinds of Huntsville music and the talented musicians who make it.
This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the special day will be held virtually via YouTube livestream on Sunday, June 28, at 3:00pm.  On board for the party are R&B songstress Victoria Jones, local classic rock favorites 5ive O'Clock Charlie, roots group Cletus Puckett Experience, young funkster Lamont Landers, keyboardist Kevin Canada, blues duo Chris Simmons and Jesse Suttle, and, of course, the headliner Microwave Dave & the Nukes.  Don't miss it!
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Microwave Dave, me, and my son Sam at a past Microwave Dave Day.
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Vacation

6/18/2020

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The Blog is on vacation this week.
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Help a Blues Musician Today

6/12/2020

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This is not a good time for blues musicians, since most tours and events have been canceled, at least for the foreseeable future.
A number of organizations are trying to help.  If you would like to assist them by donating what you can, here are some places that are directly providing aid to needy blues musicians.

The Blues Foundation has created the COVID-19 Blues Musician Emergency Relief Fund.  Donate at 
blues.org/covid-19-fund
The Music Maker Relief Foundation was founded several years ago to preserve the musical traditions of the South by directly supporting the musicians who make it, ensuring their voices will not be silenced by poverty and time.  Donate at
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musicmakers.org/donations/
The Jazz Foundation of America has created the COVID-19 Musicians' Emergency Fund for both jazz and blues musicians who need help.  Donate at
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jazzfoundation.org/covid19fund/
The Sweet Relief Musicians Fund provides financial assistance to all types of career musicians and music industry workers who are struggling to make ends meet.  Donate at
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flipcause.com/secure/donate/Nzc4Njg=
The Equal Sound Corona Relief Fund provides direct financial assistance to musicians who have lost work as a result of Corona-related event cancellations.  Donate at
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equalsound.org/project/corona-relief-fund/#donate
The Recording Academy and its affiliated charitable foundation MusiCares have established the COVID-19 Relief Fund to help those in the music community affected by the Coronavirus pandemic.  Donate at
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grammy.com/musicians/get-help/musicians-coronavirus-relief-fund
Also, remember that, during the pandemic, many musicians are giving virtual concerts and requesting monetary aid.  Follow them on Facebook, enjoy the music, and give!
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I Can't Breathe

6/4/2020

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With all the teargas in the air, it's getting harder and harder for all of us to breathe.  
So what do we do when all this police violence continues to occur? George Floyd being one of the most recent victims, as peaceful protests in the aftermath of his tragic death continue to be met with teargas, rubber bullets, flash bangs, night sticks, and bellicose threats--all condoned and encouraged by the bully-in-chief, the guileless thug #1, the bigoted, Bible-toting Donald himself.
As in past civil rights protests, most of the violent protests are incinerated by police who continue to embrace a militant, combative, us-against-them mentality.  Hell, what are you to do if you're a God-fearing, peaceful protester and are met with an army or storm-troopers, complete with shields, helmets, flack jackets, nightsticks , guns, tanks, and armored vehicles?  Looks like war to me.  Armed to the teeth, it's only too easy for the cops to take a I-dare-you stance, so they'd have still another excuse/chance to bash some black and brown heads.
What to do?
Continue speaking out.  We can't let this thing drop.  Until people of color are stopped being murdered, beaten, abused, and marginalized, everyone needs to protest.
Listen to our real leaders.  The fearless few who continue to fight for equal rights and respect for people of all colors and classes.  Just to start with, those we marched with over the Edmond Pettus Bridge in Selma a few months ago:  stalwarts John Lewis, Jesse Jackson, and Al Sharpton, as well as the new breed:  Stacey Abrams, Doug Jones, Kamala Harris.
​Get involved locally.  Join civil rights organizations, attend city and county government meetings. volunteer to serve on police oversight boards.  Make a difference.
Vote.  Like George Floyd's brother admonished.  Vote the scoundrels out and the good guys in.  Here in Alabama, don't let an inexperienced, unemployed, ex-football coach replace a true civil rights hero in the U.S. Senate.
Don't give up.  Or, as the old saying goes, "don't let the bastards grind you down."  We've had more than 400 years of racist exploitation in this country, and it's not going to end tomorrow.  But, for God's sake, lets do what we can to make it better for the next generation.
As Eldridge Cleaver warned, "If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem."


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    Charles Farley is an author who lives and writes in Huntsville, Alabama.

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