Blanketty Blanc!

While my blog normally emphasizes travel-related items or bizarre niche comedy, sometimes I just want to become One with the Universe. Today is one of those days. If you've read my autobiographical material on here (and OF COURSE you already have, because I'm so interesting), you know that music is an important part of my life. Having been a musician for years, I've railed against the fact that most music died a painful death years ago, when rap and hip-hop took over from melody and harmony. But I still visit one of my favorite websites, http://www.melodicrock.com/ for the latest rock news and CD reviews, and over the years I've discovered a lot of unknown talent - at least unknown in the USA. Two of my favorite bands, Gotthard from Switzerland, and House Of Lords (actually from LA!) were among the gems plucked from this site. Today, there's another. Two very unassuming-looking brothers from the west coast of France, Robbie and Brian LeBlanc. The name of their band is the BLANC FACES, and they write impeccably-crafted songs, with excellent storytelling lyrics, unexpected melody and rhythm patterns, surprisingly-catchy vocals, super-tight backup musicians, and nobody's ever heard of them in the US. Well, let's change that! They have a CD out from 2005 that received excellent critical reviews in Europe, and a new CD is coming in November of 2009. It will be called "Falling From The Moon." Here is a link to watch the title track on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qACZAcyq0pI (crank it up)

My normal lean is towards a heavier rock side, but when I see talent like this I stand up and take notice. I'll be all over the new CD when it breaks, and you should be able to pick it up on Ebay or Amazon, if your local store doesn't carry it. Their bandmembers collectively have worked with such artists as Toto, John Mellencamp, Survivor, Bobbie Kimball and Ronnie Spector, to name a few. Unknown, unheard, but really GOOD STUFF from Blanc Faces!

Chalk One Up For High-Tech:

Police in Oklahoma City confirm that 3 people tried to rob a suburban apartment over the weekend, but were foiled from halfway around the World. Maribel Chouinard, the wife of a Tinker Air Force Base Master Sergeant, is living in the Philippines while her husband is currently stationed State-side in Oklahoma. She happened to check the webcam the couple uses to communicate, and saw 3 men burglarizing their home. She immediately called her husband, who in turn called Police Chief Brandon Clabes, and officers were able to nab the suspects, who were found near the apartment with numerous items from the home when they arrived. Chief Clabes says all three were identified via the internet, from a photo lineup e-mailed to Mrs. Chouinard in the Philippines. Book 'em, Danno.

I said, "Thou Shalt Not" and I MEANT it!

Police in New Brighton, PA (near Pittsburgh) said a woman attending a church service there put a forged $50 check in the offering plate. The bank told the Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in New Brighton that the check he deposited came back, having come from a stolen checking account. Immediately after that same church service, another member of the congregation reported her wallet had been taken, apparently right out of the pew where she had been seated. New Brighton police Chief Charles Van Fossan said Tuesday they have a description of the suspect, and they're searching for a 20-something-year-old woman. The suspect appears to have also used a credit card from the stolen wallet, to buy $200 worth of merchandise from a nearby dollar store (if my math is right, that's 200 items). Police said the woman matches the description of a suspect who stole a credit card from another church a week earlier, and tried to get a $16,000 cash advance. The bank declined her request. Forget about the Po-Lice. This loser will be answering to a Higher Power down the road. Good luck with that, Nadine...