Genoa Coffee & Wine

Music The Week of January 22nd

2012-01-22T05:55:00.000-07:00

Wednesday we are so HAPPY to have Kalli VanderTop from her own StudioK Music. Kalli will have keyboard and vocals and maybe guitar, and her guest Kris Ibis ... part of the fun is how the performance unfolds! Soft rock, classic rock, originals, you never know ... but it will be wonderful and fun and happy and we always look forward to Kalli's music ... she is a bright spot in our music with her creative and youthful energy ... make a point of stopping by to see her and Kris ... you'll have a sweet night of music!

Friday we have the Genoa debut of Drew Bankston ... Drew brings country and folk music covers and originals to us. He describes it as soothing sounds from his time performing in California, Oregon, Washington State, Idaho, Colorado, Maryland, Virginia and Texas. Please help us welcome Drew and his music to our warm and friendly front room in Genoa ...

Saturday Chris Smith visits us again ... You need to hear him play ... seriously. He is one of my absolute favorite musicians .... his voice and some of his songs are just incredibly powerful and moving ... He creates one of my favorite music nights with his original songs and cover tunes ... the whole night is a showcase of his talent. His solo performance of original songs and cover tunes reminds you how much you love to hear familiar music LIVE when played by an experienced and polished musician ... His music is enthusiastic, powerful, rich and absorbing ... please join us for a great night ... and listen to a man who has incredible talent ... you will be so glad you did ... he is FABULOUS and we love his music! I am so thankful for Chris Smith MUSIC!! He will warm your music mind and heart …

Music This Week!

2012-01-16T14:35:00.000-07:00

The blog is delayed ... but I have a really good reason! ... Have I mentioned how lazy I am?

Friday Tim Macomber and Meadowlark return after TOO LONG of a stay away, with the combination of violin/fiddle, cello, hammer dulcimer and mandolin/bouzouki. Tim, Holly and Richard are an Acoustic Celtic group that plays an eclectic blend of traditional Irish, Scottish fiddle tunes, sea chanties, & elegant dance tunes; all with a driving Celtic style. This is such a fun night of music ... it makes me smile just to think about it. Take the time to stop by even for a half hour ... it will lift your spirits for a week! Acoustic Celtic music at its finest!

Saturday is the one-and-only Classic Rockers Thrilling Three, our favorite fabulous DHB3 Doyle Hargraves Band of Jerry, Kent & Sam ... a guitar duo and a bass player who will rock you with their energetic sounds and Rock 'n' Roll! Willie Nelson, Elvis and more with familiar vocals and a dynamic application of happiness at playing music. Seriously ... we LOVE this band and their music and their great attitudes ... YOU WILL TOO! Get out here, and enjoy a Saturday night of great tunes from a great group. We love Love LOVE these guys!

Always The Same, Forever …

2012-01-09T19:13:00.001-07:00

The Mayan calendar end date of December 21, 2012 may be interesting, but it isn’t a cause for concern: time will continue as it has been even after that deadline. Human Nature is, and always has been, the vehicle and mechanism by which the human race will self-destruct; not some timeframe made by ancient astronomers who were incredible at calculating alignments in the universe.

The only thing to be determined is how humorous and interesting the end will be, as Human Nature causes and manifests it. I would like it to be a very long time from now, but I have my doubts about that; we just seem so determined to get there sooner than later.

I defend my view as not being cynical, actually, but simply realistic in light of studying what has happened in the world up to this point. The path is set and the end is clear … again, the only variables left are related to when and how it actually turns out. It reminds me of what 8-time champion Donny Gay always said about riding bulls … It isn’t a matter of IF you’re going to get hurt, it’s just a matter of when, and how bad.

Will it be that we created some pandemic via experiments to create a more human transmissible form of some deadly virus? Such research has already been completed; the only question now is whether the results were going to be published or not.

Will it be that we blow each other to dust with nuclear weapons? Anyone old enough to remember the Cold War knows that even after the treaties there are still enough of them left to wipe out earth’s population many times over. For the younger crowd, you just have to look at all the old farts still in charge to be certain of that fact … NOTHING was ever done by the older generations unless it was to excess. They even gave it the quaint name of Mutually Assured Destruction.

Will we destroy the atmosphere, the water, the soil … with chemicals or toxins? Will we just use up all the natural resources as the population continues to exponentially increase before we decide to do something different?

I have no idea, but I don’t have to look far to find a perfect example of the Human Nature attitude required to ‘stay the course’ of destruction. In the United States we seem to be interested in being at war with everyone, foreign and domestic, with the possible exception of Canada. I suspect we will even find a way to do that, given enough time. They are, after all, Canadians.

Human Nature creates dynasties in localized ways, even though their reach could be far. It is cyclical. The Pharaohs in Egypt, the Roman Empire, the Spanish Empire, the British Empire, Chinese dynasties, etc. all had their rise and fall, yet basically the collapses were in the country of origin; the rest of the world felt some impact, but things kept going. The debt problems of today are widespread, with greater impact in more areas, but the result will be similar … collapse … but basically things will keep going. Oh, it’s going to hurt BIG TIME, but knowing that won’t stop it.

The only certainty of Human Nature is that people repeat the mistakes of the past, because they don’t learn from them. Most don’t even try to analyze the past; history is just so boring you know. They always think they are smarter this time; that this time it’s different. But, it never is different. I agree with the comedian George Carlin … You should sit back and watch it while eating popcorn if you can, even though you know how it turns out.

Why is it that way? Why do greed and selfishness and all that other Human Nature stuff always make it end up like that? I think Albert Einstein may have said it best … “Only two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.”

Like it or not, agree or not, believe it or not … there are always enough people who will push and strive and fight and scheme and manipulate everyone and everything else in order to get what they want. Unfortunately, they NEVER get what they want, because they ALWAYS find a way to want more than they have. And so it is, that the HUMAN NATURE die is cast … a few will always screw it up for the rest of us, and the end ALWAYS justifies the means, so we end up in a horrible mess that could have been avoided, but NEVER is, because we ALWAYS let them do it to us.

I bring all this up because it is interesting to me. Even so, I don’t really care enough to do anything about it except point it out. You know me well enough to realize I am way too lazy to take any more action than that. Also, I believe none of it really matters anyway. We fly through the universe on this ball of earth, air and water until we no longer do. Do you really think anything we do makes a difference in the vast expanse of the unfathomable universe? Only our ego tells us that it does.

On a geological scale, we have been dealing with our earthly problems for only the tiniest of a fraction of the perceived elapsed time. Our planet is small compared to the universe on a scale we cannot even grasp as human beings; it is beyond our comprehension as it always is with REALLY BIG and REALLY SMALL numbers. Yet we live in the illusion of everything being centered on us … we Human Beings are what really matters!

I get fascinated with how we can’t get along with each other. We find every possible way to determine how we are different rather than how we are the same … how we have common interests, such as being tiny, insignificant beings on a planet that is basically the tiniest lost dot in a phenomenally large universe. Human Nature fascinates me beyond all else; it makes us all like actors – we give fabulous performances, and agree on nothing.

It has always been the same, forever … However long we get to participate in whatever ‘forever’ means is all that is left to determine. Unless we become truly awake, and aware, of what it takes to alter the path we are on as a species. On that, I am cynical … I don’t think we will learn, so it isn’t going to happen. Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead summed it up … “Somebody has to do something, and it's just incredibly pathetic that it has to be us.”

So … get out there, and DO SOMETHING to help with this. I’ll be home, watching, with a bowl of popcorn … even though I know how it turns out, because in this case I’d love to be wrong.

Music this week is Friday night with The Key of Joy! The Key of Joy is a dynamic lyrical rock duo from Fort Collins consisting of singer/songwriter Lauren Joy on guitar, and husband Mason Bassuk on the drums. Lauren's voice is INSANELY GREAT! It powered Genoa and you know what I mean if you were there ... She has written over 75 original songs while Mason blends his unique rhythm on the drums and color in his voice to complete this energetic sound. You must stop by and hear them! If you don't agree that Lauren's voice is one of the best you've ever heard, and that Mason's is a perfect complement to her, you get a free Cadillac. Yup, I'm THAT sure. (Well, no ... I don't REALLY have any Cadillacs to give away, but you get the point ... get IN HERE for their music!)

Cinnamon Roll Day, Sunday January 8th ...

2012-01-07T04:57:00.000-07:00

FREE
CINNAMON
ROLL!

Sunday January 8th
(with drink purchase)

Sunday
January 8th is Colorado Cinnamon Roll Day!

Cinnamon roll rises to state status -
Linton Elementary student
advocates for favorite treat!

Sam Tollison, 10, a fourth-grader at Linton Elementary School sent a letter to governor Hickenlooper and included a petition with a whole bunch of signatures from people at school but really didn't think he'd get a response. Then he got a rather official looking package from the Governor's Office with an official proclamation dated Dec. 2, 2011 declaring Jan. 8, 2012,

Colorado Cinnamon Roll Day.

Thanks Sam and Governor Hickenlooper!
We LOVE cinnamon rolls too!

Genoa friends and customers, join us on Sunday for a FREE cinnamon roll when you purchase any drink.

Squeezin’s

2012-01-01T05:58:00.000-07:00

Have you considered how many things we get from a SQUEEZE? Hugs are awesome squeezes, but that’s not all I’m talking about right now.

We squeeze cows … and get milk, butter, cheese and more … all kinds of yummy things I love! We squeeze oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits, apples, grapes, papayas, mangoes, pineapples, pomegranates, cranberries, tomatoes, carrots and lots more for their juice. We don’t squeeze too many cherries or blueberries for juice though … some, but usually their juice is mixed with other juice. We also squeeze prunes ... and olives … and aloe vera leaves … barley and wheat grass, kiwi fruit, and apparently soybeans, rice and almonds because there is milk you can buy made from each of those. We have made vegetable juices with cucumbers, celery, parsley and even cabbage in them.

We don’t squeeze too many raspberries, blackberries, bananas or strawberries, but we do still mash them up which is the squeezin’ without the filtering kind of juicing … and when I was in Singapore I drank fresh watermelon juice every day.

There are all kinds of alcoholic juices made from squeezing things … vodka from potatoes and wine from grapes (grapes have lots of uses), and don’t forget the legendary corn squeezin’s from white lightnin’ to whiskey!

My mom made jellies from stuff that proved if you added enough sugar, anything could be squeezed, filtered, and jellied … her favorites were crab apples and chokecherries, and sometimes rhubarb. My mouth puckers just thinking about it.

Speaking of sugar … we squeeze cane stalks and beets for sugar juice that we turn into dry crystals, but my favorite is the sweet juice from maple trees, although you let it leak out from drilled holes rather than actually squeeze the trees. Still, I bet if you DID squeeze a maple tree you’d get a lot of maple syrup sap! Maple syrup is one of my favorite things on the planet, and having some on my pancakes recently is actually what prompted this topic. I thought about that syrup … and said man it’s SO weird that I’m eating this fabulous maple sugar stuff, and it comes from a tree! A lot of sap, some boiling off of excess water, and maple syrup is created.

Speaking of weird, have I mentioned my eccentricity? Thoughts on Squeezin’s is just another sample of the way my mind works. Sharing them is another. I am fond of asking people for unusual condiments at restaurants when they ask if I would like ketchup or mustard … I think it keeps them paying attention. I have asked for aardvark squeezin’s, parakeet squeezin’s, and catfish whisker jam, but my usual is to ask for walrus squeezin’s. I don’t actually know what you would get from a walrus if you squeezed it, but I imagine it would go good on fried fish. The wait-staff responses vary, but the actual moment of their pondering is priceless to me. On my way out, I sometimes ask if they want a hug … which sort of rounds out the whole squeezin’s subject at the time. As it does, for today. Go out and share those squeezin’s!

Music for the week:

Wednesday we have more fabulous JAZZ! Tim Gauthier and Ron Holleman will be playing their sweet sounds to start the New Year with cool jazz standards ... for jazz lovers of all ages, makes and models ... COOL JAZZ Wednesday makes for HOT music! Tim's jazz is always an awesome night of music for all Genoans ... guitar and trumpet in perfect harmony ... be there!

Saturday In The Pines Trio is back for another incredible night of Americana and folk music. You know 'em and love 'em! Americana and all the the grass roots sounds ... relaxed, intimate and happy! Two fiddles and guitar bringing classic old-time music to life ... and there may be a bass player this time, too. This group of smiling people who will make YOU smile as they play with heart and soul ... come hear some great music from In The Pines Trio ... it is usually packed at Genoa for them, so get here early!

The Black Box

2011-12-25T10:49:00.000-07:00

When I was learning electrical engineering in college, the concept of ‘the black box’ was used to illustrate how to recognize that you didn’t need to know exactly how something was built in order to understand how to work with it. Complex circuits were then built from smaller building blocks of standalone circuits. The concept was simple … if you put some signal INTO a black box with an unknown electrical circuit in it and every time the same signal result came OUT OF the black box, you could create your own electrical circuit that did the same thing, and replace the black box with it. The circuit you created would likely not be the same one that was in the black box, but that didn’t matter … because yours still WORKED the same, and you could use it.

I use the same concept to help me understand people, and what they do. The obvious problem with that idea is that people are NOT like electrical circuits in that they are NOT as predictable, NOT as reliable and definitely NOT consistent enough to count on the result always being the same, given the same input. That is why I only said the concept HELPS me understand people; because as far as I can tell, beyond basics, some people are more like random number generators and we have no business expecting them to be any other way.

Still, there are people who do react more predictably than others. You find someone who is passive-aggressive? You can learn to narrow down their responses into a very small set of actions that they most often take. Someone in your life who is insecure? I bet you can figure out what they are going to say and do most of the time, too. So how about a different country with people different from you? They have knowable customs, traditions, beliefs, etc.

So what? Well, if you are looking to slide through the day with a minimum of stress, tension and anxiety, you learn how to navigate the minefield of human nature and figure out where all the psychological buttons are that if pushed, start the nearly thermonuclear response that characterizes how some people behave. That works for people you work with, family, neighbors, strangers and even people in different countries. And THAT is why I like the black box analogy, even though it takes a little effort to think.

As an extreme example, take suicide bombers. If you believe that the majority of all people want to continue to live more than die, then you might think that a suicide bomber really WANTS to die. And maybe some really do believe in the promises told to them about what happens once they die in a self-initiated explosion, so maybe with some they really did ‘want’ to die. Maybe they think the tradeoff is worth it … that the end justifies the means. Still … the will to live is generally an incredibly strong force in people. How does someone get to the point where self-destruction is an option?

Apply the black box analogy. When certain inputs are applied to some people, the outcome is that they will indeed accept the self-destructive option and try to take as many other people with them as they can. It is the basics of S-R-O … Stimulus, Response, Outcome. The outcome is based upon the stimulus. Of course, the response is the variable, and is obviously dependent on lots of things, including how the person was raised. The response is also situational … what is going on around them to influence what they are thinking? Are unusual or drastic things happening?

You might think I’m just talking about the so-called terrorists of today, but I am not. Remember the Kamikaze pilots of Japan in World War II? They would crash their airplane into a ship and die in the process. What makes such a seemingly desperate act become the acceptable action taken, given all the other possibilities? In this case, those actions took place with regularity toward the end of the war and were relatively scarce at the beginning. The black box analogy shows that something changed in the input, and therefore the output changed.

This isn’t really about labeling others into groups for convenience; it is no kind of profiling. What I am stressing is that the INPUT to the black box, given that the black box stays the same, determines the output. People are NOT black boxes, and it is not fair to try to categorize everyone into stereotypes.

Regardless, if we are careful about what we provide as input, we may be able to avoid certain outputs … especially if we pay attention to what has happened with similar inputs in the past. Doesn’t that just seem reasonable and logical? And if that is true, what does it mean if someone (or groups of people) instead uses inputs that will result in known and highly predictable responses that are generally considered hostile or bad or evil or any other ‘negative’ label you want to use? What does that say about the instigator/creator of the input?

To me, it says there was intention only, without empathy … that the creator of the input either wanted the known outcome or didn’t care if they were so incredibly ignorant of the black box that they didn’t realize that they would get that outcome. It seems both of those possibilities have some merit at times, especially if the source of the stimulus is arrogant and egotistical; they basically think their way is the BEST way, and that they are always ‘right’. The interesting thing about both possibilities is the indicated lack of concern … in the first, they expect the result and don’t care that it is going to be trouble; in the second they DIDN’T expect the result but still weren’t concerned enough with consequences to keep from proceeding anyway.

It doesn’t matter if this is the manipulating relative or your boss or a government or anyone else … selfish intentions by default discount the needs and consequences for everyone else involved.

Every time you interact with someone, you are helping to create outcomes. While it is true that other people … the analogized other black boxes … theoretically possess the possibility of changing their contents and thus change the outcomes, generally they don’t. Few people change themselves very much, short of what is called a ‘significant emotional event’ in their lives. In that way, I feel that we create the world we live in. We are always creating outcomes, just as our politicians and government are, though their outcomes are generally much more visible when they create war, fear and divisiveness. Some people call me cynical … I don’t know how much truth there is in that, because I see a fine line between cynical and realistic and I go with what ‘works’ for me regardless of what you call it.

If the intent is merely to get honey from a beehive, it doesn’t take long to learn that there are ways to do it that keep you safe, don’t annoy and antagonize the bees into a fury, and still allows everyone to get what they want. At least, that’s how it seems to me. (Of course, there are always fascinating exceptions to generalities, aren’t there? The so-called ‘killer’ honey bees attack everyone and everything with equal ferocity. While much more challenging, it is still possible to collect honey without mutual or one-sided destruction.)

With this holiday season already at hand and the New Year coming, I felt compelled to mention that it seems clear that we have a huge role in our lives and what happens around us. At all levels we create physical reality and we should not take our responsibility in that lightly. When we really think about what we do, and what we get as a result, it should start to be obvious that we are not powerless. We are capable of harmony, productivity, happiness and self-esteem as we share this planet … but we have to think about how we do it, and focus on what we do in order to get what we think we want from others.

Music this week is again one day only … Friday we have Bill Smith, solo ... he plays cool jazz and easy listening music that keeps you warm in this winter weather. Stop in for some fabulous jazz and singing from this great musician ... he brings all the nostalgia and soulful sounds to Genoa that only jazz can do ...help us melt all the snow with warm greetings, fabulous music and happy smiles!

WHO Wants to BE Like US?

2011-12-20T19:15:00.002-07:00

The USA is always talking about having other countries be democratic, like we are, and there is a lot of action to help that happen. I find a lot of humor in that. Just WHO, exactly, would LIKE to have the dysfunctional mess of a government and impossible situations we have and are going through right now?

That seems like some kind of sad joke, doesn't it? I mean, really? Well, instead of writing about a lot of related stuff this week, I am going to point you at an article that I found interesting enough to mention it to you. We are in strange times, and it seems they are going to become even more so.

I hope you find this thought-provoking:
Story

Music this week is ONE DAY ONLY ... FRIDAY with Chris Smith! You need to hear him play ... seriously. He is one of my absolute favorite musicians .... his voice and some of his songs are just incredibly powerful and moving ... He creates one of my favorite music nights with his original songs ... the whole night is a showcase of his talent. He plays original songs and adds cover tunes to remind you how much you love to hear familiar music LIVE when played by an experienced and polished musician ... His music is enthusiastic, powerful, rich and absorbing ... please join me for a great night ... and listen to a man who has incredible talent ... you will be so glad you did ... he is FABULOUS and we love his music! I am so thankful for Chris Smith MUSIC!!

Do You Take Time to Decompress?

2011-12-11T08:06:00.000-07:00

Is there any doubt that we are in an age of information overload? There is so much going on all around us, and all of it in fierce competition for our time and attention. We don’t help the situation much by carrying around WITH US devices that bring all that information right to us, complete with all kinds of vibration and sounds to make sure we don’t miss ANYTHING going on.

I’m not saying that is ‘bad’ or that it used to be better in those ‘good old days’ when we had to go to the library to look something up … now IS the good old days in the making … and it is freaking AWESOME to have information at your fingertips. I’m just raising the point that taking a break from the mammoth avalanche of data and demands for our time and focus seems to be a really healthy idea, if only to decide if that is how we really want to spend our time anyway.

When do you decompress from the demands on your life? Do you at all? I know people who take their smart phones into the bathroom with them. If that doesn’t make you at least smile at how our lives have become focused on handheld device communication and being able to look up anything we want at any time or post information about what we are doing, well, let me suggest that YOU might be someone who seriously needs to think about getting away from it at some point, even for a few minutes. Not that it really matters, but it just seems like anything that starts to completely overtake your life might just deserve a little truthful reflection.

I think we get lost in all this information … it can drain your battery as well as the device’s battery if you don’t shut the whole thing down at times. Do you know anyone who checks their email right before they turn the light out to go to bed, literally while they are IN BED? If that isn’t taking information right to the limit of your waking day! It just seems to me that being that ‘ON’ all the time must be kind of stressful to our mind and body, whether we notice it or not.

There are even commercials that make fun of it … where people get into accidents because they can’t take their eyes off their phones … even showing people who drop their phones into the toilet because there never seems to be a place or time where they aren’t using them. There is one where guys drive and drive and drive … until their phones have NO SERVICE and they can finally get away from the electronic leash to the world. Think you are immune? Try this exercise … leave all your phones, e-pads, laptops, etc. home when you go out somewhere. If you start to go into information withdrawal or get the edgy feeling of a panic attack, you just might want to take a closer look at how you are losing control to the electronic cloud of connectedness. It’s great to have a cell phone for any emergency, of course … but can you keep it OFF until you need it?

Your brain needs time to review what has happened during the day … time to reflect and ponder events, interactions, actions taken or avoided, etc. in order to make order out of the chaos of everything happening around us and to us. Your brain does a lot of that when you sleep, through dreams. Still, during the day … wouldn’t even five minutes of NOT being wired into the electronic matrix of overlapping communication and data sources feel good to you?

Take some time to exercise … or sit and look at the world … without the electronic devices a foot away to interrupt at any second. Focus on yourself … How do you feel? What do you notice about your reaction to being DATA DEPRIVED for a few minutes? You might notice something else … you get more DONE when you leave all that stuff off for a while. A lot of the things we do on those devices isn’t really doing much more than sucking time out of our day … Do we really need to check the news or weather or all those social networking sites as much as we do? How did we come to think that was required? It might surprise you just how much time you spend checking all the things you check up on during the day, and how much time it eats up that you could use doing something else … if you wanted to.

It IS your time, and you can do with it whatever you want to … I just wonder if it hasn’t just become a new habit to spend a lot of time on things that, if we really thought about it, we would not actually choose to do. Maybe it has just grown into the situation that it is, and a few minutes of pondering it will get us back to doing what we truly want to do with our time. Either way, it doesn’t matter … do what you want … it is your life and you can spend it any way you like.

Music for the Week is on FOUR nights!

Wednesday SHEL is at Genoa! SHEL – Sarah, Hannah, Eva and Liza Holbrook … intelligent, talented, beautiful and wonderful ladies! The fabulous famous female band from Fort Collins features their amazing Pop/Indie original music with Sarah on violin/bass, Hannah on keyboard, Eva on mandolin, Liza on percussion, and all of their voices. Awesome music, sweet harmony and fabulous sisters LIVE at Genoa … SHEL is sophisticated and youthful, emotional and lighthearted, classic and eccentric … how great this is going to be!

Thursday is the debut Ali Paine and Shaefer Welch of Rosewood Divine … now a local Fort Collins acoustic act after moving from Nashville earlier this year, Welch brings a gritty acoustic country sound to complement the incredible voice and lyrically savvy Paine. Together the two have found a folksy, harmony driven sound that reaches out to all. Please help us welcome this duo to Fort Collins … and to Genoa.

Friday The Key of Joy is also making a debut with their music … The Key of Joy is a dynamic lyrical rock duo from Fort Collins consisting of singer/songwriter Lauren Joy on guitar, and husband Mason Bassuk on the drums. Lauren has written over 75 original songs while Mason blends his unique rhythm on the drums and color in his voice to complete this energetic sound. Stop by and say hello to them, and give a listen!

Saturday Chris Sheafor and the Bev Barber Band are back and in full force! They are a trio with Bev on vocals, Bruce Wasserman on harmonica and vocals, and Chris on acoustic guitar. You could describe them as an eclectic variety of music that speaks to the heart, mind and spirit. They just call it a collection of songs they like. They are fabulous … their performances are amazing! They are energetic, over-the-top talented and spell-binding ... just for the fun of it. Songs from modern soft rock to blues and more ... we guarantee you a night of awesome music that you will love. They are INCREDIBLE!!

Time Well Spent

2011-12-05T20:33:00.001-07:00

What if I can’t come up with a topic? Well, that’s silly … I ALWAYS have something to say. However, I realize that talking about EVERYTHING that I want to talk about probably just wouldn’t be acceptable. Too much potential controversy … or too uncomfortable or hitting too close to topics that are taboo in some way. Some things would be considered inappropriate or otherwise too sensitive to speak about in public. How do I know that? Simple … I talk with people and it is intuitively obvious to even the most casual observer … even me.

Amazing, isn’t it? I censor myself and my blog writing out of the same basic doubt and fear that I talk about driving the majority of actions and thoughts of people. But that makes me smile, because it isn’t doubt and fear in my case … I am just too lazy to deal with the hassle of any complainers who might object. I write about all kinds of stuff that I don’t put on the blog; lots of information ready-to-go that I could post anytime. But … I don’t. I know it would be nuthin’ but trouble, so I don’t do it.

I do think it could be fun, but my laziness overcomes my interest in seeking any level of fun that might come about so I say nahh, it would just be too hard. Laziness, for me, is a natural buffer. It creates a zone … a barrier … that I don’t make the effort or expend the energy to cross.

Maybe it is somewhat age-related … like not getting all those individual whiskers on my face that magically appear even after I have shaved … those 3/8th inch long hairs that can’t possibly be there because I did SHAVE after all. Yet, there they are … and are just too much effort to go after them individually. It sorta bothers me, but more in the sense of feeling that it is just another indicator of how things are slipping … I just can’t seem to see those little fellers as well as I used to … rather than being upset at any negative impact to my appearance. There is always the next time that I shave … I’ll get ’em then. Just too hard to do it right now. Take it easy; relax … you can always do it later, and there’s other stuff to do right now, or to ignore.

That is a mantra I have now found ingrained at my DNA level … procrastination. Why do today what you can do tomorrow? When I hear “mañana” I realize that the intent is that it means ‘tomorrow’. But I know the truth … it just means ‘not today’ … tomorrow can have its own mañana all over again. Ahh, bliss! Tomorrow, tomorrow … just not today! And isn’t that just bottom-line laziness?

I do realize that there will come a time when there won’t BE a later for me, as time will have stopped as I know it in my personal world. That expression to ‘live life like it’s your last day’ will one day be true. Still, in the meantime, I can ponder all the things I like to ponder and wonder just how far to push the blogosphere with my writing, because pondering isn’t too strenuous a thing to do, after all.

I will smile and enjoy life as it is for me. I had fun yesterday helping my son Michael install a totally Italian experience espresso machine at Genoa, replacing the automated machine we were using. It makes extraordinary espresso for all the coffee drinks. It is heavy and mechanical and totally manual and beautiful and it took manual labor to get it hooked up and ready to go. And, I enjoyed the time with Michael, AND the effort. Some things are worth busting loose from my laziness.

The thing is, I often get to decide when I want to do something or not. We all get to decide that, essentially. Isn’t that great? We can do as much or as little as we want to with our discretionary time. That is so fabulous! And if you expand that thinking into your whole life, you realize that ALL your time could be spent as you wish … there IS a way, or maybe MANY ways, to make that happen. The only questions are, are we smart enough to figure out how? Are we willing to do what it takes to make it happen? For me, I do actually work on it sometimes, but then … I really am kinda lazy. Maybe I’ll figure it out tomorrow.

Music this week:

Thursday Chris Smith is back to warm your music mind and heart … Chris is simply a wonderful solo musician ... He creates one of my favorite music nights with his original songs that showcase his talent; his voice is just incredibly powerful and moving. He adds cover tunes to remind you how much you love to hear familiar music LIVE when played by an experienced and polished musician ... His music is enthusiastic, powerful, rich and absorbing ... I listen to his CD between his performances ’cause I can’t wait for the next time! Take some time out ... and come listen to a man who has incredible talent ... you will be so glad you did ... he really IS INCREDIBLE and we love his music!

Friday Brian Day is back with Pam, Mike and Andrew from 6 to 8:30 p.m. with a fundraiser and their awesome musical magic … a "Where Are We Going From Here?" show. If you have heard them before, you know and love their fabulous music, charm and energy. If you don’t know them, they will bring an eclectic mix of music from acoustic rock 'n' roll, folk, surf, alternative and original music. The whole evening will feature Brian with his charisma and golden voice ... another wonderful night of Brian Day music! Ladies and Gentlemen ... if you haven't heard this group yet ... do yourself a favor ... come on in ... and enjoy a night of sensational music because their fans will DEFINITELY be here!

Saturday we have the debut of Sarah Forsythe & Rick Smith and their group ‘so & so’ with Special Guest, starting at 6:30 p.m. … so & so is an acoustic guitar and cello doing covers of many genres, 80's to current. Do you LOVE CELLO MUSIC as much as I do?? You just need to be here!! Special Guest is just him and his guitar … he plays some great Dave Mathews, Glen Phillips/Toad covers, and even did a wonderful "Little Red Corvette" at their last show. He will probably do a Ryan Adams tune … please stop by and give this group a listen … they are going to be fantastic!

Music This Week

2011-11-28T12:33:00.000-07:00

The blog will continue next week. Music this week:

Wednesday is the debut of Banjo Sam ... he plays original songs, oldies, classic rock, folk, bluegrass and more. Banjo Sam sings songs you will enjoy while he plays his guitar and even a banjo at times. Won't you please come out Wednesday and help us welcome him with a crowd of folks who like a polished folk singer? I'll be there!

Friday is also a debut of sorts ... Kailin Yong has played at Genoa before, but not with his group NuMundo. They bring Brazillian, Latin and American styles in a romantic sound rooted in traditions old and new. They play exciting all-original music with violin, percussion, guitar and vocals. This is going to be a blast! Theses are awesome musicians and you will be up close ...

Saturday Acoustic Tapestry brings John Wichman and Sean McFeely with their guitar duo and original compositions. Their instrumental creations blend soft rock, folk and a multitude of guitar harmonies ... you will truly have an incredible evening of beautiful sound ... they are a dynamic duo with dynamite songs and we LOVE to hear them! If you haven't heard this duo, you simply must stop by ... they are awesome ... and their acoustic guitars CD's are two of our favorites. I guarantee you will love them, so don't miss this!

What makes you the YOU that you are?

2011-11-20T08:54:00.000-07:00

Have you ever looked at other people and wondered, wow … HOW did they GET LIKE THAT? Usually that is thought as you shake your head, awestruck at something the person said or did that boggled your mind. But aren’t we ALL like that? Aren’t WE just as likely to cause someone else to wonder how WE got to be the way that WE are? Think about it, laugh about it, and then answer yes … absolutely!

One of the biggest points of humor to me is how people so fiercely defend something they learned as they were growing up simply because it was a ‘normal’ part of their life. Now, that ‘something’ is considered the norm for them, and anything else is just weird. We drive on the right in the USA … but lots of other countries drive on the left side … isn’t that WEIRD?

Human development dictates that what you are now is heavily due to your early childhood, as things happened around you and you were exposed to them. There are lots of things that are ingrained in our lives simply because we ‘grew up that way’. How we live can change as we learn to think for ourselves … and the things learned in youth can be discarded and we can be radically different as we grow older.

Take religion for another example, because it is one of the one BIG things that makes all the other various things we learn growing up easy to consider by comparison. Religion in some form or another is practiced, participated in, debated and ridiculed and defended by most people around the world. When I hear people talking trash about ‘other people’ and those ‘other’ religions, I wonder why it doesn’t occur to them that what they themselves think and believe is almost completely because of where they were born, and what other people influenced them with as they grew up.

At times, I have actually asked people to consider that they would probably just as fiercely defend and believe in the religion they are now making fun of, if only they had grown up where that ‘other’ religion was practiced, if their parents and influential role-models taught it to them instead as they grew up. It can be a different region or state in the USA, or a different country completely … it doesn’t matter if the topic is a major religion (Islam versus Christianity versus Buddhism or Hinduism, etc.) or a subset of a particular religion (Protestant versus Catholic or Sunni versus Shi’a, etc.).

Usually they look like their head is going to explode. Maybe it is just too much for most folks to wrap their brain around … like really big or really small numbers … maybe it is just something most people can’t do because it might involve questioning the YOU that you are, and considering the possibility that you are more accidentally what you are than anything else.

Conclusion? What you are, think and believe is mostly a result of where you were born, and how you were raised. Doesn’t that seem reasonable? Consider a baby born in China but adopted and raised in the USA by an American family. He or she will grow up and be very different than they would if raised in China instead. And if you will agree that far, doesn’t it seem obvious that we should consider being a lot more open-minded about everything, because we are obviously prejudiced in our thinking as a simple result of where we grew up and how we were raised?

Maybe we SHOULD be more open-minded then, but generally we don’t seem to be. There is a really strong ‘us versus them’ mentality as far as I can tell. Why do we defend who we are and ‘our way of life’ so forcefully? Because people practice a simple and customary form of brainwashing … by default, we - as individuals and in groups we identify with - are ‘right’ and ANYTHING else is ‘wrong’ by comparison. It is just the way of human nature; we like to be ‘right’. Additionally, anything different from us causes us to feel doubt and fear, and we definitely do NOT like doubt and fear. More on all that in a later blog.

There is no music this week ... we hope you have a great holiday week.

More Ideas for the Holidays

2011-11-15T08:51:00.000-07:00

Right after I did the blog for this week, I got an email from Bobby C at Genoa that he had received about the same topic … ideas for new holiday traditions. This is the gist of it, after editorial review and edits. Thank you, Bobby C! (Full disclosure: We are a local restaurant, and would LOVE your business ... and we would love to have you think of us as you read about gift certificates!)

As the holidays approach, the giant Asian factories have long been in high gear to provide Americans with monstrous piles of cheaply produced goods … merchandise that has been produced at the expense of American labor. Do you REALLY need to buy another string or ten of lights made in China for the house? Did you realize that only about 10 percent of the purchase price of foreign goods stays in the local community?

Make this year different. Why not give the gift of genuine concern for others where you live? Find something produced by local hands and spend money on that instead of imported goods. Most people get their hair cut. How about gift certificates from your local hair salon or barber? Or maybe a gym membership? That's even healthy! Do you know someone who would appreciate getting their car detailed? Small local detail shops and car washes would love your business.

Instead of plunking down the cash on a Chinese-made flat-screen TV that keeps our butts on the couch, what about some rounds of golf at the local golf course? Maybe you know someone who would appreciate having their lawn mowed during the summer or driveway and sidewalks cleared all winter. As a gift of labor, you could do it yourself … but why not hire an enterprising young neighbor to do it? We have a boy in our area who wants to clear the snow off our car at 5 in the morning for cash!

What about a half-dozen breakfasts at the local café? There are lots of local owner-run restaurants … fancy or not … all with gift certificates. Go to one to plan your holiday outings and leave your server a nice tip (tips are the majority of their pay). This isn't about big National chains … this is about supporting your local businesses with their financial lives on the line to keep their doors open. How many people could use an oil change for their car, truck or motorcycle, done at a shop run by the local working guy? Vehicle maintenance is one of the first things to slide when money gets tight. You might really surprise someone, too … one young person with their first car said, “You have to change the oil?” when I asked them about it … they thought you just kept adding more if it got low.

Know someone who would appreciate having their carpets cleaned? Winter is a S-L-O-W time for carpet cleaners. How about a computer tune-up from a local business struggling to get repair services up and running? Local craft people spin their own wool and knit them into scarves. Others make jewelry, pottery and beautiful wooden boxes. How long has it been since you have seen a play or ballet at your local theater? Musicians and other artists aren’t called ‘starving artists’ for nothing you know … head to a venue showcasing local musicians, buy their CDs and leave them a tip for their performance. (We even have some jewelry, CD's, pictures and other items displayed for sale at Genoa Coffee & Wine from local artists; all the money received goes to them.)

Make the holidays less about draining our finances so that China can build another big city, and more about caring for your local community. Your direct actions will help more small businesses to keep plugging away to follow their dreams than any politicians ever will. When we care about each other locally, and for our communities, the benefits come back to us in ways we wouldn't expect.

(Basics taken from an email sent to me 111311 - no idea who to credit.)

Holiday Traditions

2011-11-13T09:58:00.000-07:00

The end of year holiday season has started. Again. Time to get out there and do our duty as Americans and buy all kinds of stuff … most of which we don’t really want or need, and will be essentially worthless sooner than later. How did the holidays get so commercialized?

Have you ever really thought about holiday spending? Did you know that most people are still paying off purchases made during last year’s holiday season? (On credit cards with high interest rates that they don’t pay off every month …) Does that seem smart to you? I’m here to stand up for you and say that it doesn’t matter a bit. Do what you want to … it’s your life and you can do what you want. Spend your money like you want to. Still, having just said that, you may want to think about it more and see if it fits into the bigger picture of how you want to live your life.

Are you seriously doing what YOU want to do? Do other people really want what you give them? Do you really want all the stuff you get from others? Would you be happier if you spent your money on stuff you really wanted, when you wanted it, and just avoided all this holiday spending pressure completely? Where did all this peer pressure come from, to spend money like you have it, even if you don’t have it, so you buy on credit during these holidays? Well, that’s pretty simple … it comes from the companies that want to separate you from your money as fast and as often as possible.

Don’t you get disgusted with feeling obligated and coerced to participate in this spend spend spend situation? I do, and I did, and I quit doing it long ago. Yup … some call me the Grinch. But I’m no Scrooge because I spend plenty of money on stuff for myself and for others throughout the year that we really want … I just refuse to participate in the annual end of year money blowout. I see other people talking about their frantic search for gifts when they don’t know what to buy, but they WILL BUY SOMETHING! ANYTHING! … I hear them talking about spending the money when they don’t really have it … I hear the regrets after the fact when it is all over. So why do it? Peer pressure, pure and simple. Well, that and the urgency a lot of people seem to feel about enjoying these holidays no matter how frantic and anxious that pursuit can get. I know about the peer pressure; people give me grief every year about my Grinch-ness … and they defend their actions at all costs … literally.

What are they trying to recapture or maintain? The comfort of family ritual and tradition of holidays from years gone by … something that makes us feel ‘OK and normal’ today? The fabulous anticipation of the holidays, so we have something to look forward to? Who is it for? The children? The grownups? Is it to try to slow down aging or slow down change? Does it help us hold on to the past … our own youth or memories of people no longer in our lives? Is it something you can ‘count on’ in this fast-paced, complicated and stressful world of today? But what about after those holidays are over then, in the post-holiday-crash bleak and dreary depressing month of January, for example?

What’s with turkey feasts twice in 30 days, but none the rest of the year? I love them! Why don’t we have them more often? Is it because it is just too much work, but somehow it is justified during the end of year holidays because they are traditional? Would turkey every month put in jeopardy how special it feels to eat a turkey feast? Unbelievable … wouldn’t you like to spread the workload out during the year, instead of cramming it all into a few days twice a year? Cookies by the dozen, pies, cakes, turkey and all the fixings, trying to buy presents, hanging stockings, decorating trees IN our homes and EVERYTHING outside our homes. And what gives with 100 million small evergreen trees cut down so you can have little green needles all over the floor? Trees that then have to be disposed of then, once their ‘traditional’ use is over? I sort of get going out into the wild to cut your own, but buying one from a parking lot? And does anyone you know really LIKE that three-bean salad? Did you still have dozens of cookies in the freezer in March? And what about all the weight people gain and then resolve a week later to lose? What about the same music, over and over and over again, for a whole MONTH or more? Wow … it just seems a bit much to me.

I question everything … I can’t seem to help it, and I really question things I do that seem to be simply because I have always done them. For me, time passing changes my perspective on everything. Things I used to do might have made sense to me before, but now I question it all … do they still make sense to me? Do I still enjoy them? Do I still really want to do them? Why, or why not? What else would I like instead, or in addition? Can’t we create our own traditions as we see fit, the older we get … as we decide to live life on our terms? That answer appears to be ‘NO’, if you listen to others … and holidays are just one example.

I read a book a few years ago that I thoroughly enjoyed, and LOVED … until the ending. It is Skipping Christmas by John Grisham … it was fabulous, until the last chapter or two when Grisham and all the characters in the book compromised their non-traditional thinking and caved in to the peer pressure … they folded and crumpled like cowards and did the whole commercialized extravaganza at the last minute. I felt betrayed and bewildered. But, I also laughed as the ending wasn’t totally unexpected; I really DO realize just how eccentric I am, and how different I am from most folks.

I don’t like or need to be prompted to buy stuff for people I care about or to remember them … Mother’s Day … Father’s Day … Valentine’s Day … give me a break. If the only time you do stuff for others is when you get prompted on a holiday, what does that show? I’m lazy, but even I find a way to say things to people and do things for them without some holiday forcing the issue. And if it isn’t worth the effort to make sixty dozen cookies or turkey dinners or otherwise get together to share life during more times during the year, why pretend it does for the holiday? To me, celebrating the meaning of the holiday is totally separate from whatever traditions you choose to have for it.

People can do whatever they want to, and I appreciate it when I am given the same consideration. I don’t like others (business, people, politicians, etc.) trying to tell me what to do, how to do it or when to do it. I like to make my own mind up about things … and create my own traditions. We were given gifts of labor and time a few years ago. You going to paint the living room this year anyway? Wouldn’t you love someone gifting some of their time to help you do that instead of giving you more stuff to take up room in a closet? Or have someone just come by in January to say hi and hang out for a while with no agenda other than just spending some quality time together?

My thinking may not work for others, but it works for me. I am happier because everything feels the same to me … no highs or lows. Since I’m the only ‘me’ I’ve got, I try to pay attention. You do whatever makes you happy. Ultimately, none of it matters all that much anyway … we live, we die, and we can be happy in-between if we make the effort. How you decide to spend your time and money really is up to you.

Music this week is on Friday and Saturday ...

Friday we are so HAPPY to have Kalli VanderTop from her own StudioK Music. Kalli will have keyboard and vocals and maybe guitar, and maybe guests ... part of the fun is how the performance unfolds! Soft rock, classic rock, originals, you never know ... but it will be wonderful and fun and happy and we always look forward to Kalli's music ... she is a bright spot in our music with her creative and youthful energy ... make a point of stopping by to see her and listen ... you'll have a sweet night of music!

Saturday we are once again totally psyched to have Chris Smith back at Genoa ... Chris is simply a wonderful solo musician ... his voice and some of his songs are just incredibly powerful and moving ... He creates one of my favorite music nights with his original songs that showcase his talent. He adds cover tunes to remind you how much you love to hear familiar music LIVE when played by an experienced and polished musician ... His music is enthusiastic, powerful, rich and absorbing ... please join me for a great night ... and listen to a man who has incredible talent ... you will be so glad you did ... he is FABULOUS and we love his music!

Duality and Assigning Labels

2011-11-06T08:57:00.000-07:00

We create duality … opposites. In order for something to be good, there must be something that is bad. For something to be seen as beautiful, other things become ugly. But really … don’t long and short define each other? Hmmm … and what happens when we think like that?

We label things through our preferences … through our likes and dislikes … through our judgment and comparing and contrasting that finds things falling short of or exceeding expectations and preferences. Our labels don’t change the fact that things are as they are … everything is what it is, and it is only our labeling that creates the illusion of duality.

Is there good and evil then? Nope … to me, there is not … People argue a lot about that one, but it doesn’t change the fact that it is all a matter of perspective … one person's Freedom Fighter is another person’s Terrorist. Good and evil are defined by what we decide they mean; they have no intrinsic meaning by themselves. Things happen, things are made to happen, etc. and we decide what they are, and label them, and give them meaning.

But isn’t terrorism ‘bad’? Well, look at the perspectives again … and who gains what advantage from it. Both sides in a war think they are ‘right’, don’t they? Isn’t that the point, that one group decides their perspective is the true one, so they are the righteous ones? Therefore, everything that they do or attempt to do in support of that position is reasonable, justifiable and appropriate? The ends justify the means? All of that ‘we’re right and they’re wrong’ thinking?

One of the shortcomings I see as an example, is of the Golden Rule as it is usually stated … do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Uhm … wait a minute. There were two characters in a movie I saw recently debating the difference between a psychopath and a sociopath … when it comes to having either the psychopath or the sociopath do unto me as they would have me do unto them … well … thanks but I believe it isn’t worth the risk. Even if you take the form of the Golden Rule where you don’t do to anyone else that which you dislike, well … it still seems to be a Golden Generally Good Idea rather than a Rule because it only seems to work if other people are mostly ‘wired’ just like you. Think of those folks who don’t take others to doctors because they BELIEVE that prayer is more helpful. Well, all things considered, I don’t want those folks doing unto me as they would do unto themselves in that case either. I had my bursting appendix surgically removed when I was 27 years old … and that pretty much covers that opinion for me, since I am still alive because of it.

So DO the ends justify the means? I suggest that no one should ever be allowed to say that, or act upon it. Whenever you say the ends justify the means … even once … you allow for anything to be done after that. It completely opens the door to the possibility of any actions being described as acceptable because, after all, the goals are SO important that the method to achieve them are not as important; you MUST do whatever it takes. Every group can then claim safe haven in the belief that their goal allows them to pursue any action for them to achieve it. The ones who disagree with them have to be wrong, bad, evil, etc. What a horrible situation … being on “the wrong side” … ask anyone in any religious group, a Native American, a tribe member in Africa, etc. The certainty of being ‘right’ in a cause knows no boundary in actions. I like the quote by Voltaire: “Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.” What defines an absurdity or not is definitely in the mind of the thinker … and everyone has their own ideas of what absurd is, and what it isn’t … it is an incredibly subjective topic, and as history shows, you can literally be killed for disagreeing.

Yeah, OK … but REALLY … Isn’t terrorism BAD? If you believe in people happily getting along, of course it is, because terrorism doesn’t work and doesn’t help and isn’t healthy for an organized caring society of people who want to live in peace and harmony. That is exactly the problem with this sort of ‘ends justifies the means’ stuff … it only works if EVERYONE thinks basically the same way and agrees, and that is obviously not true. There is behavior that doesn’t work and doesn’t help for the mutual goals, but that doesn’t make it bad or evil; that label isn’t determined if we don’t make it so. Behavior is just behavior … we may not like it, agree with it, want it to happen, etc. but that doesn’t change that it is only one way of being and it either fits into our preferences or it doesn’t. Our perspective of it determines everything.

Have you ever looked at one of those pictures that are just a bunch of colored dots, but someone tells you it is a picture of a dolphin or the Eiffel tower or something? You can’t see it, so they say you’re just looking at it the ‘wrong’ way. Then you adjust your perspective – your focus in this simple case – suddenly that dolphin pops into your mind in complete 3D clarity. Was there a wrong way to look at it? No … for this example there really was only one way to look at it that worked, a way that helped you to see the picture that was there … but it was still only a matter of perspective, not right or wrong or good or bad, agreeing or disagreeing. With the perspective that helped you see it, it worked; you could see the picture that was always there.

There are all kinds of people in this world with all kinds of ways to be and ideas on how things should be … human nature being what it is, well … it looks like diversity in all manner of things is just the way it is and how it will remain, as I suspect that the probability of everyone agreeing on how to live together on this planet is very small.

Still, when someone does something that the majority of people who are LIKE ME feel is truly evil, I may agree that in the subjective assigning of good and evil, that particular behavior sure seems to belong way on the evil end of the scale. And I may even agree that something has to be done about it. That doesn’t change the fact that we LIKE-MINDED people are simply agreeing on a label to the specific behavior, and maybe are even agreeing in severity of offense and punishment. Again, maybe you and I and a whole bunch of other folks agree about it, but I bet I can also find others who don’t.

Now is about the time most people say, “But Robert, you can’t be serious! OF COURSE there is good and evil! OF COURSE terrorism is BAD! OF COURSE there are times when the ends justify the means!” And so on. Well, if you say so, but I don’t agree. I do have likes and dislikes … personal preferences … after all, I am human. But I try not to label things … it helps keep my mind open to all the possibilities … it keeps me from limiting my perspective.

Why do I do that? Because I have found that having my perspective adjusted is something that works well for me and is very healthy for my mental well-being. I have been so confused and tortured in my thinking about an issue, and couldn’t figure out how to overcome it and the agony it was causing me … until someone else or something I read helped me find another way of looking at it. And that has often made all the difference in helping me deal with it and getting back to my basically happy state of being.

Duality, in general, just doesn’t help or work for me. I find it so subjective and confusing that I avoid it. And it sure doesn’t seem to be helping or working out well in this world we live in. To me the ultimate ‘sameness’ of everything (it’s ALL the same) is calming and comforting; it helps me maintain an even-keel response when things happen. Like most things I ‘keep’ in my thinking, ‘sameness’ works for me because I understand that my distress, doubt and fear typically has come from thinking things are different, and assigning labels like good and bad, instead of realizing how everything is connected, and is all the same.

That's how it is for me this week; I reserve the right to change if something that works better or helps me more comes along.

Music this week is Friday night with the singularly fabulous and incredible Jerry Palmer! Lots of original music and some beautiful classics (from multiple artists) will make this an amazing night of music from one of the world's top musicians and a local favorite ... Jerry has several CD's to his credit that showcase his premier guitar and music composition skills, but this is his music IN PERSON, like he was in your home! Don't miss this opportunity to have a front row seat to hear him play ...

Be On Your BEST Behavior

2011-10-30T10:36:00.000-06:00

I like the philosophy to ‘Keep a song in your heart and a smile on your lips.’ Dang, don’t other people make it hard to do that though? I mean, wouldn’t this be an absolutely FABULOUS planet if it wasn’t for the PEOPLE? Humor intended, but honestly … hasn’t the thought of being a hermit occurred to you at least once?

If you live long enough, don’t you eventually learn to create a little shell around yourself so you can be less ‘thin-skinned’ in your dealings with others … so you can interact, yet still not show too much of your ‘real’ self, lest you be chastised, ridiculed, laughed at, etc. because you were ‘honest’ about yourself? Seriously, don’t we learn that? People can just be so awful to each other … at all ages … Wasn’t going to school a lesson in self-defense from day one?

Notice how people treat each other … it is fascinating what you see and hear, the less you talk. While there is a lot of good behavior going on around us, why is it that the tiny handful of people on this whole planet who actually LIKE YOU (and you supposedly care about the most) most often get your grumpy, tired bad attitude and short temper, sprinkled with anger, impatience, annoyance, irritation and harsh words? Isn’t that amazingly backwards? Why is it that strangers get our best behavior and our closest circle of friends and family get everything from us except patience, calm, compassion, forgiveness, tolerance, etc.? Maybe that is not true for you, but I sure see and hear a lot of people who do that. And I am not saying to treat strangers worse instead then, like a simple reversal of targets.

Of course, it is kind of easy to understand why those closest to us are in the impact area most; you’re around these friends and family a lot and it gets frustrating to have the same annoying things happen again and again because THEY DON’T CHANGE to suit you and they won’t stop that irritating (fill in the blank) that drives you crazy and you KNOW that THEY know they are doing it again, so you go from zero to completely pissed off in about two microseconds and WHAMMO! you just let it rip and before you know it, you’ve just chipped away at the relationship again and did just a little more damage and well, what else did they expect, doing that same crap again when you already told them a hundred thousand times to stop it?

Why can’t THEY just CHANGE? That’s all it would take to make all this better … after all, I am not the kind of person who picks on them or annoys them or says the wrong thing or does the wrong thing or insults them or makes fun of their weight or clothes or points out their nasty habits or teases them or makes them the bad guy for always having to say no or …

So … shall we slow it down a bit? Isn’t it SO interesting that it is always everyone else that has to change? After all, we’re perfect, right? (Well, everyone except you and me is messed up, and I’m not so sure about you … heh.) What if WE changed … What if we accepted the way others are, and just dealt with it? Hmmm … stopped trying to change everyone else and changed ourselves instead … What a concept.

BUT … wait … your ego … your sense of self … SCREAMS to be heard and obeyed! Just WHO do these OTHER PEOPLE think they are, to be abusing ME like this? And that leads to the real problem here. Who am ‘I’ anyway, and who is this ‘ME’ who is feeling abused and offended? What exactly is this ‘ME’ and ego thing that is demanding that ‘I’ do something to defend myself, to do something to stop these offenses against it?

Well, that’s the point, isn’t it? What is this ‘self’ that feels hurt and offended? Are you ‘your body’? No, doesn’t seem like it … even if you were paralyzed your brain is still doing all kinds of stuff … so are you ‘your brain’? Hmmm … not exactly that either. Are you the ‘thought’ that comes into your head? That offended ‘feeling’ … is that ‘you’? Or … are you the thinker of that thought … the feeler of that feeling … ?

Well, that seems to make sense, somehow … it seems true. You ARE the thinker of the thought, the feeler of the feeling … so WHY don’t YOU decide what to think and feel instead of this ‘ego self’ thing that seems to be in charge? Doesn’t it seem like ‘something’ in you makes you react and do all this ‘crabby stuff’ that we do? Just WHO, exactly, is in charge, of ME???

While it seems like it should be obvious that YOU are in charge, and that you control and decide how to ‘be’ … somehow … it doesn’t seem to be so. Why? And what to do about it?

When you feel calm and patient, and are centered in that zone of ‘being’ where you are at your best, isn’t everything great? You are optimistic and patient and able to handle anything that comes up easily and effortlessly. Haven’t you felt that at some point at least once? And if not, wouldn't you like to? What if you felt like that all the time? Would you feel any need to defend yourself verbally to anyone, or verbally attack anyone else? When your fearful ‘false’ self is not in charge, you are able to give your best behavior, the best of yourself, to everyone. Huh? What ‘false self’?

When you live in the moment … no past, no future … just right now and only now … everyone can get your best from you, because YOU are awake and aware and are not just reacting out of habit and ego. We all have a ‘true’ self and a ‘false’ self. The false self lives from our doubt and fear, in a world of scarcity where we have to take what we can for ourselves whenever we can because there isn’t enough to go around. The true self lives from our confidence and courage, in a world of abundance where competition is meaningless since you can’t ‘out-give’ the universe because there is plenty for everyone. The false self makes us actors and actresses in our own lives, always hiding behind a mask and a costume; the true self is who we really are … no more, no less.

All you have to do is change yourself a little. Sounds simple, but it is not necessarily EASY. It seems to take effort to become awake and aware to how we are, and how we work, and then change. I know I have to work at it all the time. (I’ve felt horrified to watch videotape of myself from years ago … remembering that is some of the best motivation to keep working on myself because at the time, I thought I was doing well! The outer world reflects the inner world … what a shocking realization.)

There is a story about the false and true selves that I like … This inner struggle is like two wolves fighting each other. One is evil … full of anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, deceit, false pride, superiority and ego. The other one is good … full of joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith in the best in others. Which wolf wins in us? The one you feed.

It is easy to be too hard on yourself as you figure all this out and take action to change, so instead be good to yourself … it’s the only ‘you’ you’ve got. You’ll be better to others … and you’ll be good FOR others as well. Just do the best you can at the time. That little sphere of influence in your life … that handful of people on this whole planet who actually LIKE YOU? Give them your best … they deserve it, just like you do.

So ends this week’s opinion of The World According to St. Robaire … heh.

Music this week:

Friday Bill Smith is back with his solo tour ... he plays cool jazz and easy listening music that keeps you warm in this cooler weather. Stop in for some fabulous jazz and singing from this great musician ... he brings all the nostalgia and soulful sounds to Genoa that only jazz can do ...

Saturday In The Pines Trio is back for another awesome night of Americana and folk music. You know 'em and love 'em! Americana and all the the grass roots sounds ... relaxed, intimate and happy! Two fiddles and guitar bringing classic old-time music to life ... This group of three smiling people who will make you smile as they play with heart and soul ... come hear some great music from In The Pines Trio ... it is usually packed at Genoa for them, so get here early!

What if we didn't NEED lies?

2011-10-23T09:33:00.003-06:00

Is it sometimes just easier to 'lie'? What would all of our interactions with other people be like if no one ever lied again, EVER? Are we even able to handle that level of truth and honesty?

I know people around me lie all the time ... it is considered completely normal and is expected, reasonable and customary; we are just 'used to it'. Why bother explaining the truth when a small, simple, easy 'white lie' gets the situation or issue resolved with the least time, effort and exposure? Yes, those tiny benign falsehoods do seem to get the job done with the least muss and fuss a lot of the time.

Why should that be the case? And what is the impact on our integrity ... on truth ... on the overall honesty in our lives? Does it even matter, really?

The answer of course, is that none of it matters at all, unless we decide it matters. Regardless of all arguments to the contrary, things are what they are and only when we assign meaning to them do they 'matter' in any way. You'll have to chew on that one separately to get your brain wrapped around it, but for now, take
it as being true and let's get back to the topic. Same with the label 'white lie' ... How does a lie being 'white' make it seen as an acceptable lie? Like 'white magic' versus 'black magic'. Again, ponder that separately.

The final goal to lying of all kinds, of course, is to get what we want. That is basically it, in a nicely wrapped little package of truth. We don't want to expend the effort to explain the truth, so we gloss things over with the easy lie, to get the whole situation cleared up as quickly and simply as possible ... FOR ME ... to make SURE I get what I want. What does that say about the relationship with the person ... customer, friend, casual acquaintance, coworker, spouse, etc.? That it's too hard ... not worth the effort? Ugh ... what a thought. What does it say about ME?

Well for one thing, it says that we are willing to compromise one of the fundamental core values of self-esteem. And why? Because it appears easier. But ... is it, really? Or have we simply become lazy in our thinking? I vote for lazy ... and, that is what we were taught, and what we learned ...

We end up with lies all over the place because we get used to it at an early age. Lies help get us what we want, because we don't know how to deal with the truth. Would you have to deceive your parents to get the car to do what you REALLY want to do, if your parents really understood how trustworthy you are? Wait a minute ... how trustworthy are you if you lie? And why don't our parents trust us when we are young? Is it because they knew how they were at the same age? Is there an end to this cycle of insane behavior? Could we possibly be open and honest with each other, and still both get what we want?

Yes ... But it will take a fundamental shift in how we live our lives. Most people aren't ready for it ... as giver or receiver of the truth. There is a lot of doubt and fear out there. Like Jack Nicholson's character said in the movie A Few Good Men, "You can't handle the truth!" Is that really true? It is clear to me that a whole bunch of folks have NO INTEREST in the truth and don't want to hear it at all. Instead, they prefer to be told what they want to hear ... to be told things that aren't upsetting, don't bring them any kind of discomfort ... make them feel responsible to DO SOMETHING about it ... basically allow them to live in there world of self-imposed illusion and delusion. Don't take my word for it ... one of the best ways to see how things are is to keep your mouth shut and just listen to what people are told, and see their reactions to it. You KNOW you just heard a lie, you KNOW that THEY just heard the lie, too ... but they seem calmed and comforted rather than outraged, upset, etc. How could that be the case, unless that is what they preferred? For whatever reason, they prefer the lie. They are as lazy as the lie giver; they don't want to think about it. So you have to take their response for it for what it is, accept it, and move on.

In order for truth to be the norm, it has to become more important than the lie. That means we have to learn how to be REAL ... REAL PARENTS, REAL FRIENDS, REAL CHILDREN, REAL PEOPLE. And that takes effort ... we don't get training on the important stuff like that in school, church, etc. Argue all you want about that, but obviously whatever instruction we get on it anywhere gets compromised by human nature and the drive to get what WE want in the end.

We have to figure out HOW to be a REAL person ... how to accept truth, live with it and the consequences, accept that people are not perfect, balance our needs and desires with some compromise based upon our relationships. If we really understood our children, we would make a huge start. That, of course, means we put some effort into understanding ourselves.

This whole topic came to me after watching an episode of The Dog Whisperer on TV. The host's whole premise is that he rehabilitates dogs, and trains the dog owners. And it works. Why? Because he trains the PEOPLE on how to understand that what THEY are doing is almost 100 percent of why their dog is doing the behavior that the owner doesn't want. Dogs are basically simple, and people are basically unable to perceive how to successfully interact with the dogs without TRAINING.

It takes effort in order to understand the dog's nature, and once that is done, the relationship improves rapidly to an incredible level of happiness for everyone involved.

It is the same with people ... kind of. We don't know ourselves, we don't know how to deal with human nature, so we do all kinds of things that actually create more problems in relationships, and we get what we say we don't want.

You want truth? The end of lies? (And maybe we don't?) The first step is to make progress toward being awake, and aware, of how things really are. Study yourself, study people, read about how we 'work' and what we need and motivates us, etc. We are all different, but we generally seem to want the same things in terms of happiness, feeling loved, etc.

You want a child that is basically well-adjusted, happy, well-behaved, yet still independent and self-sufficient when the time comes? You have to spend time learning how to make the environment where that can all happen. Otherwise, you do the wrong things, don't know why, don't know what to do to change what is happening, and you get a situation with a frustrated child, frustrated parents, and next comes all the lies. The child lying and/or misbehaving to get what they want, you lying and/or misbehaving to try to maintain the illusion of control, etc. and the cycle is continued.

We end up with people who have learned to lie whenever it seems expedient to them getting what they want as simply and easily, apparently, as possible. So ... what would it be like if we actually told the truth, at all times, and stopped living like actors and actresses in our own lives? When we no longer see a NEED for
'the lie'? We will never know until we stop being lazy in our relationships, and take the time and make the effort to understand how we work, how our children and pets and coworkers and customers, etc. all work, and then take action in order to change our own behavior.

If you want to see how awesome this can be, just watch The Dog Whisperer ... it will be one of the most uplifting, motivating and enlightening things you have seen in a while ... I guarantee it.

Music this week is one spectacular, incredible and fantastic Friday with Chris Smith. We are THRILLED to have Chris Smith back at Genoa ... Chris is simply a wonderful solo musician ... his voice and some of his songs are just incredibly powerful and moving ... He creates one of my favorite music nights with his original songs that showcase his talent. He adds cover tunes to remind you how much you love to hear familiar music LIVE when played by an experienced and polished musician ... His music is enthusiastic, powerful, rich and absorbing ... please join me for a great night ... and listen to a man who has incredible talent ... you will be so glad you did, and you will look forward to his next performance as much as I do!

The Decision is MINE

2011-10-16T10:08:00.001-06:00

RB - Sometimes I feel envious about my childhood because I didn’t have to make any decisions. It still seems like someone else should just tell me what to do … it would be so much easier that way. Then I realize it is EXACTLY like that already, with all kinds of sources trying to tell me what to do, and I know I really don’t want that.

Try just this one source … Watch a little television with a critical eye, and you might be astonished at how many decisions it is hoped you will make … buy this beer and you will be part of the “IN” crowd … this car will change your life in every conceivable positive way … this is the time to buy a house … this is the time to sue the company that made the product that made you think you might be sick … this politician will solve all your problems and fix all of America’s problems, too … this movie will help you escape reality for a little while and wouldn’t THAT be good … this fabulous kitchen appliance will make your already convenient and easy food preparation life even MORE convenient and easy … this shampoo will fix your dandruff problem and make you more attractive … this restaurant is the one you should eat at … this product will help your dog’s plaque go away, all without brushing … this or that product or service will seal your gutters and roof, let you sleep better, save you money on car and/or life insurance, fix your slow computer, slim your waist, give you fresh breath, reduce wrinkles, make you healthier, give you firm abs without exercise, let you see better in bright sunshine, keep the sun off your patio so it’s cooler, make your car’s engine run cleaner and with less friction, make your investments perform better, give you a better retirement, stop your feet from hurting, stop the pain, burning and itching, clear your sinuses, stop your allergies, make your insulin testing painless, stop food from sticking in the pan … if you would ONLY make the decision to spend your money on their stuff, support their cause or politician or vote for this but not that, etc.

Well, good thing someone knows what I want, since it obviously isn’t me … because I don’t want ANY of it. Somewhere along the way, I started to think for myself more … and more … until that is all I can do now … I’m just basically lazy about doing the research and analysis in order to make the decision … the deciding is easy once I have enough information and think about it.

And that’s the thing, really … isn’t it? All those sources don’t want you to THINK at all, or check things out for yourself … they just want you to believe them and do what they say will work best. We are under assault, all the time, by people who want us to trust them with our decisions, when they have done nothing to earn that trust. It seems more accurate to say they want us to continue to let them decide for us in spite of everything they have already done to betray our trust.

I know I’m lazy, but I still find the time and energy to think for myself, do the research, figure out what it means, and make the best decision I can with what I know up to that point. I reserve the right to change my mind if better information comes available. It just seems obvious that no one has my best interests at heart more than I do. It works for me.

Music this week is FANTASTIC Friday with Hannah Holbrook! Hannah is a singer-songwriter from the Fort Collins all-sisters group SHEL doing a solo performance
at Genoa. Indie/Pop/Rock from her voice and keyboard ... Hannah is a fabulous, extremely talented musician who will delight you with cover tunes and her own original songs ... she is an amazing person ... we are thrilled, and very fortunate, to have Hannah at Genoa on Friday ... one day of music this week, and it will be up close, personal, and basically like it was in your living room. FABULOUS!!

Moving Clocks Run Slow

2011-10-10T18:19:00.000-06:00

RB - Time gets away from me. I have heard that the truth of it becomes more clear the older you get. True already for me ... When I was about 10 years old, we could play baseball for days in just a couple hours ... we NEVER got to the beach because the ride in the car took so long. Waiting until I was going to be 12 so I could hunt with my dad was just an UNBELIEVABLE drag ... I was sure it would never happen. Graduating from high school was beyond comprehension ... I simply could not even imagine being that old.

October 9th was former Beatle John Lennon's birthday ... he would have been 71 years old ... Seventy-one? John Lennon? HOW is THAT possible?!? Steve Jobs, founder of Apple computers, died last week at 56 years old ... only a couple years older than me. Impossible, yet it all seems too clear, because I can imagine, very easily, being those ages. After attaining a certain age - I don't remember when it happened - it was no longer much of a stretch to see myself older ... much older ... and too fast.

Days are indeed passing more quickly now, but sometimes there is a break and time seems to slow a bit; unfortunately, it is usually something like when I am experiencing pain, waiting for a pain-relieving pill to kick in. Or when I wake up at 3 a.m., no longer sleepy. Mostly though, time rockets by at an alarming rate. I realized that I mark the rate of time passing by the oddest things ... cutting my fingernails is the latest milestone. Suddenly, the fingernails I swear I just cut - certainly only a day or two ago - need to be cut again. I look at them, mildly panicked, desperately trying to recall as much as possible of the days that must have gone by, because they obviously did. It is mind-boggling to realize the probability that at some point haircuts spaced 4 to 6 weeks apart will do the same thing. Why does that happen?

Einstein's ideas result in consequences like 'moving clocks run slow'. Children are always moving fast ... running everywhere as soon as they are able to ... do their clocks run more slowly because they are constantly in hyper-drive unless asleep? ... I remember how it felt! Is that the key? We have to be active and moving fast or time will speedily decay right along with our aging minds and bodies?

Well, of course that's the key ... and we really know that already, don't we? Yes, we do ... children, famous musicians, athletes, politicians and celebrities are a gauge where we note the time passing more personally and more clearly. We can't avoid it with celebrities ... they are kept in our attention if you watch news media at all ... and they remind us that we should eat better, exercise more, and seize the day while we still can because WOW! those celebrities are looking so freaking old! All while we hesitate to make the connection that we are getting so freaking old, too.

So ... what is your favorite holiday? How many of them do you have left? What will you do to slow your clock? What will I do? For one thing, I am going to have a WANDY party - for "We Are Not Dead Yet"! And have one every year ... so friends and family will get together to celebrate that we are NOT dead yet, and not wait until we are in order to have those great parties people always throw. I want the great food and drink and conversation now while I can enjoy it!

In the meantime, let's enjoy great food, great drinks, and great music that is available every week at Genoa ...

Friday Nathan Worthey returns for another awesome performance! He is charismatic, clever and a wonderful musician! His music and amazing voice make his shows a super smash! We are so happy he is back with more music to showcase his wonderful talent. You can even take his music home with you on his new CD! Nathan packs the house, so arrive a little early ... it's gonna be fantastic ...

Saturday is the one-and-only Classic Rockers Thrilling Three, our fabulous DHB3 Doyle Hargraves Band of Jerry, Kent & Sam ... a guitar duo and a bass player who will rock you with their energetic sounds and Rock 'n' Roll! Willie Nelson, Elvis and more with familiar vocals and a dynamic application of happiness at playing music. Seriously folks ... we LOVE this band and their music and their great attitudes ... YOU WILL TOO! Get out here, and enjoy a Saturday night of great tunes from a great group. We love Love LOVE these guys!

Fire Your Bank?

2011-10-02T06:48:00.000-06:00

RB - Do you pay fees to a bank for the privilege of having them hold your money at something close to zero interest? Do you pay fees to get some of your money back, out of a machine the banks use to reduce the number of real people they have to hire? It used to be that banks made enough money from loans as mortgages for homes, for cars, home improvements, etc. that they provided free services in order to manage your money.

I guess the key word in that thought is that they made "enough" money that way. Well, apparently no longer is it enough. Apparently, no matter how much money they get, it is NEVER enough. I'd love to be a bank. They cash flow unreal amounts of money. If you own a home, take a look at how much interest a bank takes in from your monthly payments, and look how much that interest is over the life of the mortgage. For many years most of the money in your payment is interest on the loan. You end up paying two or three times what the house cost. Doesn't matter ... it isn't enough.

Fees are the new 'old' way banks add to their bottom line profits, for their shareholders; they just add new, imaginative fees. An extra $5 a month so you can use a debit card to take your money out of your checking account via a debit card. Not so much money; no big deal really, right? I mean, debit cards are so convenient and they do track your charges for you. Yes ... that's true. But what if you could get the same service, for free? Wouldn't you? All things being equal, wouldn't you go where you got the most for your money? Or wait ... couldn't you just keep cash around instead of using that little plastic card and pay no fee?

So shop around if you are going to use a bank's services. Ever look at credit unions? Quite a few differences from banks ... I have used credit unions for almost 40 years ... never paid fees on anything, ever. There are more differences, but the point is ... if it make sense to use a financial institution's services, why not try the local ones if you can, and the ones with the lowest or no fees? Or bypass all of it if you can?

Why do we use debit and credit cards so much, anyway? Why not use cash for everything? That's what people used to do ... But now, banks even put out commercials that show everything going smoothly, flowing along, as long as you use their credit card for your purchase, and everything crashing to a halt if you try to pay in cash. Really? Now why should that be? Do you think it has to do with the interest and fees they make from you using that credit card? If you don't pay off the balance every month, you pay them interest. The merchant pays fees every time you use the credit card to buy their goods and services. Banks don't make any money when you use cash, so why would they support cash? Well, they do make some money with fees on your account, but less than they do when you use a credit or a debit card.

Personally, I try to pay with cash as much as possible. It means more money for the merchants since they don't have the transaction fees to pay. It helps keep their costs lower, so they can keep their prices lower for their goods and services. I like that, too. It helps me keep my spending in control because putting those $20 bills on the counter is a lot more "in my face" as a PAY ATTENTION reminder to spend less, than some painless digits on a credit card receipt. Putting $120 in cash down on the counter is a LOT more clear to me because it makes me think how long I had to work for that money. Sliding a piece of plastic into a machine and signing my name is not even close to the same thing for me; it doesn't even seem 'real' at all.

At Genoa Coffee & Wine we pay hundreds of dollars a month in credit card processing fees ... thousands per year. Why? Because banks have made us think that the convenience of a plastic card is SO much better than dealing with cash. Better for the banks, is what they mean. I would LOVE to have those fees go to OUR bottom line profits instead of theirs!

Beyond that, have you thought about the consequences of the fact that every credit or debit purchase you make is stored in a database? You are being tracked for so many things in today's world of electronic monitoring of everything we do. Do we really need to have everything we buy linked to us too? Think about that ... every food purchase, every time you buy alcohol (if you do) or gasoline or clothes or go to the doctor or dentist or take a trip, eat in a restaurant, buy tires or a cell phone, laptop, magazine, etc. etc. etc. some database is storing that information, including EXACTLY WHAT TIME you made that purchase. Who looks at that data? Could insurance companies have access, to check out what sort of lifestyle you seem to have, before they issue a policy of any kind? Marketing companies? Intelligence agencies? I wonder if I could even imagine all the potential ways that data could be used ...

No doubt, credit cards are typically fast and convenient ... but they come at a price, or even many prices. All I am suggesting is that it really is YOUR money ... paying attention to where it goes just might change how you view convenience, and what you are willing to pay for it. Banks make completely incredible amounts of money from their customers via loans, fees and services they provide. I choose to limit how much I have to give out, if I can, when I don't absolutely have to. I don't have a problem with businesses making a profit ... I just like keeping as much of my money, as MY money, as I can. And I like privacy in all things related to my money and what I spend it on. I know ... it's just part of my special kind of eccentricity, but I like it. Call me paranoid, too ... but hey, like other things I write about, it works for me.

Maybe I'm totally wrong and the point is to spend as much borrowed money as we can and create huge piles of debt, quit worrying about money, and die broke. Hmmm ... interesting ... I think I'll write about that next week.

Moozeek for the week!!

Friday night we are THRILLED to have Chris Smith back at Genoa ... and we are happy to announce he will be here TWICE this month! Chris is simply a wonderful solo musician ... his voice and some of his songs are just more powerful and moving for me than I can bear without showing emotion! He creates one of my favorite music nights with his original songs that showcase his talent. He adds cover tunes to remind you how much you love to hear familiar music LIVE when played by an experienced and polished musician ... His music is enthusiastic, powerful, rich and absorbing ... I sincerely and tremendously look forward to his music ... please join me for a great night ... and listen to a man who has incredible talent ... you will be so glad you did.

Words are SO Fun

2011-09-25T13:58:00.000-06:00

RB - The English language is so full of fascinating inconsistencies ... it must be an incredible challenge to anyone trying to learn English as a second language. Or how about a 5-year-old? Let's just look at a few examples ... this is not a totally original thought, but I do add my own confusion.

Tomb ... bomb ... comb ... good ... food ... to ... go ... too ... two ... one ... won ... there ... their ... they're ... hour ... our ... your ... you're ...

Look similar in some cases, but don't sound similar ... so are they the result of some kind of linguistic rules or something else? Tomb ... bomb ... comb ... Well, you have three words that end in 'b' and you don't even hear or really use that 'b'. Yet the 'omb' part seems like it should sound the same, doesn't it? So what is that 'b' for? Is it so you know you are talking about a grave-related thing - tomb - versus some guy's name - Tom? Tomb ... Tom ... but then, just adding the 'b' changed it from sounding like 'taahm' to 'toom' ... how does that happen? Then if you did the same thing with bomb, it would sound like 'boom' ... and well, we can't have that or you would be saying the 'boom' went boom, when you really wanted to say the 'baahm' went boom, so maybe that one has some logic in it. Still, then you go with comb ... 'kah, long oh, emm' ... which is different than both tomb and bomb. And how do we know that it starts with the hard 'k' instead of the 's' sound for the 'c'? Comb versus the start of circus ... oh great ... what an example that is ... they stick a 'k' sounding 'c' later in the same word! Maybe it would be more consistent if it was pronounced 'kirkus' ...

Well, you get the idea ... look at 'good food'. Identical except for the first letter, yet they sound totally different, and REALLY crazy if you pronounce both exactly the same except for the first letter. Pick either one, and make the other one's ending sound like the one you picked ... use 'food' for example ... make the 'ood' ending it has just start with a 'g' and then say both that way. Nuts, isn't it?

Take the rest of the examples ... to ... go ... tiny words! Sound totally different. Then add 'too' and 'two' ... what is that 'w' for? You don't even pronounce it ... and 'one' has a 'w' sound, but doesn't have a 'w' in it ... Move on to there, their and they're ... sound exactly the same, mean totally different things. I bet that makes for the most commonly mis-applied words right along with your and you're. Take 'hour' and 'our' and just enjoy them, and note 'our' with a 'y' added at the beginning doesn't even sound the same AT ALL.

No wonder grade-school children want to give up when they start to learn to read and spell words. We forget when we are older what it was like to be learning to sort out all the rules and non-rules that 'just are the way they are' in our language. I just picked some of the fun easy ones ... there are SO many more. How did all that come about? Just something to ponder as you go about the day, if you feel so inclined.

Music for the week starts on Thursday with Whitebird's return ... Jeri Nichols-Park and Paul Park bring soft rock and amazing harmony to Genoa. Music from the 60's, 70's and 80's will have you smiling and singing along to their talented voices and guitars. These are two FABULOUS people with a love for music that radiates throughout the whole place when they play ... I am so psyched to hear them again! It has been TOO long ...

Saturday is the return of Brian Post ... he plays classical guitar, 60's-70's folk music, original finger style guitar instrumentals and Celtic mandolin. We are SO happy to have his acoustic performance this week ... if you enjoy the softer sound of classical guitar and a bit of Celtic mandolin, this is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy it like it was in your own front room - up close, personal, and LIVE! We hope you will help make Saturday a wonderful welcome back for Brian and his music.

The Wonder of Sleep

2011-09-18T15:18:00.000-06:00

RB - All it takes is a night or two of disrupted sleep for me to really appreciate a good night's sleep. Appreciation, which, as you readers now know, causes me to ponder things that seem related. So ... what is sleep? Why do we need it? Do fish sleep? I heard about a study done about yawning. People figured out, among other things, that giraffes were the only animals they found that never seem to yawn. As with a lot of studies, you may question the point of the time, money and energy spent. Regardless, I yawn a lot sometimes and scientifically that seems to indicate a lack of oxygen, so we should actually get active and do some push-ups or something to increase the oxygen saturation in our blood. But no; we like to yawn and get nice and drowsy and go to sleep instead. Also makes me wonder how thorough they were in that study, since I've never seen an anteater or an armadillo or a dolphin yawn either.

Speaking of dolphins ... if they require sleep, how do they do it? They breathe air via an opening at the top of their head, and they swim, so ... well, how do they sleep? And if mammals require sleep, and we are mammals, too ... well, why is it people require somewhere around 8 hours of sleep a night to function properly? That would be something to see a dolphin sleep 8 hours, eh?

And we do need, in general, to sleep. If we don't, our bodies will pretty much drive us to seek a place to lie down and get some shut-eye. Via the wonders of the Internet and self-published video you've likely seen puppies and toddlers both falling asleep in their food. Usually pretty hilarious stuff. But seriously, I know for a fact that you can fall asleep driving a motorcycle if you are tired enough. I didn't think I possibly could, until I started to one time many, many moons ago. That was some scary, freaky stuff being that tired. Yes, sleep is a serious requirement ...

My father had a slight degree of a condition called narcolepsy ... he didn't fall down asleep in mid-sentence like the really serious cases do, but he would get so drowsy he could not keep from falling asleep a lot of the time. He could never watch a movie or read a book for more than about 20 minutes before nodding off. He'd fall asleep during one TV show, wake up during another, and have a hard time figuring out how it all fit together. He kept trying to read books though; he loved to read. I'd see him nodding off on the edge of the bed even as he sat there trying to read a little. I found out later that he had to take a prescription dose of amphetamines just to function normally and had to take even more to even attempt to drive a car longer than 10 or 15 minutes. We used to drive over 3,500 miles round-trip every other year to visit my mom's relatives in Washington state and he did all the driving ... I have no idea what level of his prescription he must have had to take to accomplish that ...

Anyway, back to sleeping ... for my dad it was something he often wished he had less of. I know adults who seem fine on 3 or 4 hours a night, and others who need 9 or 10. Some people are incredibly annoyed and unable to sleep with even that tiny light from a smoke detector on the ceiling. They have blackout curtains and the whole cave-dark deal. Me, lights on, whatever ... I close my eyes and that is dark enough. >POOF!< I am gone.

I understand that we sleep to replenish our bodies - somehow - and our brains. I don't understand the mechanism of it, but it seems clear that our brains need sleep to do some kind of reset or something, and our muscles, nerves, organs, etc. need it to do some kind of metabolic rest routine. Still, sleep is some pretty freaky stuff. Your body gives you absolute signals that tell you that you are tired, and should sleep. So you lie down, close your eyes, and start to become basically incoherent and no longer able to perceive what is going on around you. At some point, short of some kind of interruption to the process, you become completely oblivious to everything and for all intents and purposes you are experiencing a more death-like state of consciousness than that of being aware. To me, that's freaky. Not because I am scared of it, but because it is so total and complete. When I'm out, I'm out.

Sleep has been compared to some stages of the anesthesia process that is used in surgery to 'put you out'. The tiny death ... if we did "die in our sleep" we sure wouldn't know it. And given how a deep sleep might be disturbed so that we feel a slight consciousness, but how quickly we re-enter down into the black and silent void ... well, isn't that fascinating? Some people are 'light' sleepers and wake easily at the slightest sound, light, etc. Some people really are so deeply out of it that they don't hear thunderclaps in lightning storms, children crying, etc. ... like me. (Yup ... that's why alarm systems are nice ... if you can't react to a threat because you are completely zonked out sleeping, it is best to have external systems to wake you up quickly lest you become a statistic of some sort.) On occasion you will hear people say 'I slept like a baby'. But that fits with a lot of sayings that appear to mean something reasonable on the surface, but are not at all what you'd want. They mean they slept peacefully and all that, but babies wake up every couple of hours. OK, so they can FALL ASLEEP in the middle of a fabulous party thrown in their honor or during nearly any situation, but they sleep like gerbils or something. I would feel craptastic the next morning if I woke up every 2 hours to eat all night long.

And what's the deal with dreams? Some people dream in vivid technicolor, and many in black and white it seems. Some dreams are kinda fabulous and when we wake up we go NO! NO! let me dream that one a little longer! But some dreams are just so convoluted and basically psycho that you wake up wondering, What was THAT about? And sometimes we remember what we dreamed, and often we don't; and even if we do, they have a tendency to fade away quickly and become more like intuitive little brain-etchings we can't quite grasp anymore. Really makes you think about that anesthesia process and how you can't remember anything that happened to you, doesn't it?

So ... for some reason, we often do dream while we sleep, and have all kind of amazing bodily functions happen as well that help to reset our systems so we can be refreshed and ready to go the next day. If we don't sleep pretty much every day, our bodies make us feel like we are going to die. Maybe we even will die without sleep, I don't know. Still, it is a process we have pretty much adapted to and take for granted as something we will do for about a third of the time of our lives. Pretty incredible stuff, really. A great night's sleep is a wonderful thing; yet is just a bit freaky when I think about it.

Music comes but one day this week ...

Friday we have Bobby D with Bethany Jarrett with original songs and covers of the soft rock variety ... it is guitar and vocals ... some of the artists they'll be covering in their "1st day of Autumn" show are: Collective Soul, Pearl Jam, U2 and a beautiful ballad by Concrete Blonde. And ... lots of love songs too. Bethany & Bobby D are happy and excited to have Cisco Romero join them on the cajon (a percussion instrument ... Cisco and Bobby D were band-mates in the the group Mad September). Come by for something great to eat and drink, with this night of fabulous music from some people I know you will enjoy!

Why So Many Things Don't Work Out Like I Expect ... Maybe

2011-09-12T19:16:00.000-06:00

From RB: I have a nephew who will tell me I am ranting again, but here I go. I just get so confused ... it just seems like bringing it up helps me somehow.

There are lots of sayings advising things to try in order to make a difference in your lifetime. One I heard recently was about a "muckraker" active about 60 years ago who kept a motto something like, 'You may not be able to change the world, but at least you can embarrass the guilty.' Interesting little thought. The person did a lot of whistle-blowing and exposés about all sorts of shameful activities.

But have you noticed that it presumes that the person will FEEL embarrassed? And so it might make a difference? I look around me in the world, and I see that it just isn't so; at least not anymore ... was it ever? People do things, say things and take actions that are blatantly hypocritical, morally bankrupt, unethical, inappropriate and YOU NAME IT ... and it seems their reaction is incredibly far short of being on the cusp of change ... they don't seem to "FEEL" anything that I expect or imagine they would. It seems they actually don't "FEEL" like they did anything WRONG at all.

And that is a huge source of confusion and frustration for me ... WHY don't people seem to be bothered at all, let alone show interest in changing ... when they behave so poorly? Doesn't matter if you are not talking about politicians either (although they are my favorite and very visible examples of this behavior) ... it is everywhere.

Maybe it is just me (is it?) but people don't seem to be embarrassed that they know so little about so much, speak their minds when it is completely obvious that they should be embracing silence, or stay out of a situation instead of trying to take control it with false expertise. Reminds me of another saying I've heard ... Better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt. Somehow, that doesn't seem to impact a whole lot of people.

No matter how badly things go, no matter what havoc they wreak around them, no matter how many times what they are trying to do fails to do what they say it will ... somehow, they are NEVER wrong. There is always some reason - unrelated to them - why "it happened" the way it did.

I have actually pondered the possibility that people are becoming so intellectually lazy that they are no longer even smart enough to be AWARE of the extent that they lack critical thinking ability. They simply can't recognize that they are in fact NOT "above average" or higher, even though the majority actually says that about themselves. Wouldn't that be something, if people were getting so basically stupid, that they could no longer recognize or even accept that they are too stupid to know how stupid they are?

And why do I even entertain that thought? Well, it isn't to bash people ... and it isn't to rant, even though this is remarkably rant-like ... I am looking for answers ... explanations when I get confused about events, situations, policies, etc. that I perceive to be happening around me.

After a while, especially with people who seem to have high levels of education, it starts to seem like maybe they just don't care. Maybe the insightful way to think is that they are actually getting exactly what they really want to happen ... regardless of what they say. That whole 'actions speak louder than words' thing ...

So maybe we should stop listening, and just pay attention to the results ... it seems very enlightening to me when I do so. And for me, that helps.

Music this week starts on Friday:

Friday night is the return of a simply wonderful solo musician ... Chris Smith played for Genoa twice now ... and he made me cry both times ... his voice and some of his songs are just more powerful and moving for me than I can bear without showing the emotion! He creates one of my favorite music nights! Chris plays original songs that showcase his talent and adds cover tunes to remind you how much you love to hear familiar music LIVE when played by an experienced and polished musician ... His music is enthusiastic, powerful, rich and absorbing ... I sincerely and tremendously look forward to his return ... please join me for a great night of his music ... and listen to a man who has incredible talent ... you will be so glad you did.

Saturday In The Pines Trio is back for another awesome night of Americana and folk music. You know 'em and love 'em! Americana and all the the grass roots sounds ... relaxed, intimate and happy! Two fiddles and guitar bringing classic old-time music to life ... This group of three smiling people who will make you smile as they play with heart and soul ... come hear some great music from In The Pines Trio ... it is usually packed at Genoa for them, so get here early!

I Love my Shower ...

2011-09-05T11:18:00.000-06:00

From RB - I'm enjoying some time off this week and reflecting on lots of things, but in particular how fortunate I am in so many ways. I am grateful for so many things, and that goes right down to the small and often overlooked things that are luxuries in so many other places in the world but get taken for granted here because they have just become so 'ordinary'.

I love my bathroom ... we have two, and I get one to myself. I love my shower in the morning, my air-conditioned and gas-heated environment - whichever the programmable thermostat automatically kicks in ... the indoor toilet and hot-and-cold running water ... after that, my leather couch that is so comfortable and feels so great to sit in and lay on ... I love all the food, the coffee ... the hot tea and wrapping in a blanket listening to the birds in the morning.

For most of us in the USA we live in paradise, whatever state we call home ... most of the time I remember that, and every morning I start off - seriously - in the shower remembering how wonderful it is to be under that warm stream of water, getting cleaned up and ready for another day in the awesome US of A. We may have minor inconveniences during the day, but all things considered, we are really so fortunate, in general. Keeping an attitude of gratitude helps the perspective for me ... it helps me keep on that sunny side of life that I have mentioned before. The little things are so wonderful ... and I'm happy that I remember to notice.

Music this week is SUPER! Fabulous Vicki Pompea and then our favorite Rockers Kent, Sam and Jerry!! AWESOME!

Friday we have Vicki Pompea returning to Genoa ... she brings sweet music of amusements and musings, with guitar accompaniment. She has been called "a female John Denver" and peppers her performances with stories and humor as she plays original songs as well as songs from the 1960's to the present. Some sweet music from a wonderful lady ... you will love her music as much as we do ... promise! Come on over for a great night of dessert, your favorite beverage and Vicki's music - fabulous!

Saturday is the one-and-only Thrilling Three of Classic Rockers, our fabulous DHB3 Doyle Hargraves Band of Jerry, Kent & Sam ... a guitar duo and a bass player who will rock you with the energetic sounds of Rock 'n' Roll! Willie Nelson, Elvis and more with familiar vocals and a dynamic application of happiness at playing music. We love this band and their music and their great attitudes ... and you will too ... if you haven't heard them yet, stop in for great tunes from a great group. We love Love LOVE these guys!

Driven to Distraction

2011-08-28T08:24:00.000-06:00

From RB - Do you take driving a vehicle seriously? Have you seen people who seem to take for granted that their driving skills and focus are so keen that they apparently believe they can do all kinds of things while driving and suffer no negative consequences? I don't really notice other drivers much except when I am stopped in my car ... while driving, I take careful notice their vehicles, but not the drivers.

But last week I was behind a driver and I noticed the silhouette had a lot of motion going on. He changed lanes, and I saw that he was using a rechargeable electric shaver, to shave, while he was driving. Less than a mile farther on, I saw another guy doing the same thing. It was a Tuesday, so not even one of those late-to-work-Monday-morning-after-a-non-shaving-weekend things ... And why would you shave in the car anyway? Have you ever seen all the tiny clipped hairs in the sink after shaving that way? Why would you want that all over your clothes and car?

Do you have friends, coworkers, etc. who have related stories to you of their car accidents, or their friends and family, from seemingly small inattentive things, like adjusting the radio or reaching for something they dropped or turning toward the backseat for some reason? I think we have all heard such things ... and that doesn't even start to include people who actively use cellphones to call or even the more attention-focused texting while they drive.

How does it happen that anxious teenagers, so careful and nervous about the in-vehicle driving test we all take before being licensed to drive, turn into people of all ages who stop taking driving seriously? How do we become so complacent with a vehicle that weighs thousands of pounds, goes fast, and can cause so much damage if control is lost because we are distracted?

I guess that is human nature ... because eventually we just get really good at things we do frequently and become so competent we no longer have to think about it as we do it ... but shouldn't some things stay at a higher level of awareness? Shouldn't we really pay more attention simply because some activities are just more dangerous than others?

Regardless, I remembered other things I had seen with other drivers in the past. Once it was a woman apparently balancing her checkbook, actually using a calculator, with a cellphone crammed against her neck, while eating, drinking a coffee, with a cigarette in the same hand she held the pen with. I wondered if it was a stick-shift car or an automatic ... we were at a stoplight, and I took off before she realized the light had changed, so I didn't see if she had to use a manual gearshift or not. Safe or not, I was impressed that she hadn't caused a wreck already ... she obviously had skills!

So I wonder how far some will take this whole multi-tasking while driving thing ...
I've seen women putting on makeup to include eyeliner and one who was using one of those scissor-looking eyelash curling things and yes, they were both looking in the rear-view mirror while driving ... I noticed because their cars had started to drift into my lane and I looked to see what was going on with them. Once it was a guy using his Global Positioning System while driving ... trying to enter an address I suppose. And another guy very interested in getting his hair "just right" with a comb as he drove along by himself.

So let's play with the thought of what we might see someday ... keep your eyes on your driving, but check to see if you can add to what has been noticed above already, with someone trying to change CD's in the car stereo while eating, texting, holding a dog or maybe even two on their lap, then adjusting their outside mirrors, the steering column angle, their seat position, tossing things from the front to the back seat, smoking, taking off their jacket, and maybe flossing their teeth with one of those little plastic floss-holding things. Yeah, that would make my year ... maybe while they checked directions on a piece of paper that they had just dug out of a folder ...

One night of music this week - Thursday Sam Kunkle and some of his Amigos will bring a little bit of all kinds of music to Genoa ... folk, pop, a little folk-rock, all with a jazzy touch ... and lots of enthusiasm and talent! Sam loves bringing music to people ... his passion goes beyond playing music to all things musical, including just getting musicians together to express their joy through music at events around Fort Collins. We love Sam and his Amigos and their music! You will, too ... come in to see and hear a bunch of wonderful musicians share their love of life through music ... it will be fantastic ...

Getting the Details Right makes it seem EASY

2011-08-23T05:23:00.000-06:00

I played in a golf tournament Sunday; my once-a-year golf outing with a company in Fort Collins. It was really a lot of fun and everything went smooth as silk for me and the other players ... at least 32 of us ... And that brings me to the topic for today ... Do you realize how much happens 'behind the scenes' to make even a seemingly simple event like a one-day golf outing go off without a hitch?

The organizer loves to play golf ... it is definitely a passion for him. He volunteers to organize the tournament ... all while working lots of overtime at his job.

Think about the details ... when and where to hold the tournament, inviting everyone including customers as well as employees, coordinating with who is playing, who to be grouped with whom, finding and buying trophies for so many things including closest ball to the pin on one hole, longest drive on another, what food and drink and how much of everything for lunch afterward, drink tickets for the mobile cart that tours around all the holes, golf balls and tees and more freebies for all the participants, arranging tee times and whether to hold a shotgun start or not, golf carts for everyone, writing out all the scorecards ... and on and on.

I am sure i have missed a lot of what he did, but I appreciate that he did it, and it did all come off perfectly, on a gorgeous Colorado day ... So thank you, Andy G for making it a super day that I enjoyed tremendously!

So if you attend any kind of an event, I hope you will take the time to appreciate all the effort that goes into making it all appear so well organized. There are people who likely spent a lot of their own time making it go so well for you, and everyone else ... probably because they love it, and enjoy bringing their passion to others ... don't forget to thank them! It may look simple, but it takes a lot of work to make it look so easy.

Music this week starts off with:

Thursday and Brandon Post's original music. Brandon worked at Genoa this summer, and now he is bringing his music to us all! He plays original compositions that he calls 'jazz and blues influenced pop'. With guitar and vocals this will be his Genoa debut; please help us welcome Brandon and make it an awesome night!

Friday we are delighted to have Kalli VanderTop from her own StudioK Music. Kalli will have keyboard and vocals and maybe guitar, and maybe guests ... part of the fun is how the performance unfolds! Soft rock, classic rock, originals, you never know ... but it will be wonderful and fun and happy and we always look forward to Kalli's music ... she is a bright spot in our music with her creative and youthful energy ... make a point of stopping by to see her and listen ... you'll have a fabulous night!

Saturday is another debut ... Brian Post will be at Genoa ... he plays classical guitar, 60's-70's folk music, original finger style guitar instrumentals and Celtic mandolin. We are happy to have our second 'Post' performance this week, with both (Brandon and Brian) having their first Genoa music night just a day apart. We hope you will help make Saturday a wonderful welcome for Brian and his music.

The End of the World as WE Know It ...

2011-08-15T19:57:00.000-06:00

From RB - I've been thinking about crude oil lately ... imagining what it will be like when crude oil is scarce instead of abundant ... because one day, it will be ... if for no other reason than we are using it up at an alarming rate, and there is only a finite amount of it.

In Saudia Arabia, where there exists about 25% of the known oil and reserves on earth, they have a saying ... My father rode a camel; I drive a car; my son flies in a jet; and his son will ride a camel. Isn't it fascinating that the country with so much oil has a saying like that? It causes me to ponder.

So I started to think about what it would be like to again be without oil, as we were 150 years ago ... but with even more people than now because of the exponential growth in the world's population that was possible due to growing food through the use of petroleum products and technology resulting from crude oil.

I worked on a farm at times as a teenager and even milked a cow by hand; about a gallon. It was incredibly time and labor intensive. It was fun to squirt a little stream at the kittens while they licked at it in midair, but milk a whole herd that way? My hands and fingers were screaming at me to stop well before that gallon got pulled. There were 55 cows then and it took about 2 hours twice a day to milk them with the vacuum milkers. What would it be like by hand? How long would it take? How many could you even handle (pun intended) that way? And how would you plant and grow all the alfalfa, oats, straw, etc. without the huge John Deere tractor to pull all the implements? And then harvest it?

Things like businesses are going to get very small again, and maybe very quickly. No more global commerce like today; products that are delivered quickly and regularly now will again be forced to be localized due to spoilage and just plain time to try to get anything across the country, or the oceans without airplanes and huge ships. Because one day it will happen ... that last barrel of oil, that took less energy to pump it than it provides, will be pulled from the ground. And then all barrels of oil after that will take more energy to obtain them than they contain. Even if more oil is left in the ground, no one will spend more energy for them than they get back from them. So oil won't be gone; but it will be scarce and expensive to obtain, so it will just stay there.

Oil and gasoline allow the internal combustion engine to function, and all the vehicles that they power and lubricate. Did you know it takes about 7 gallons of crude oil to make an automobile tire? Even if electric cars were more feasible (and it doesn't seem they are even close yet), you need crude oil in order to make all the plastics in them, and press the metal or plastics in molds to make them, to make all the machined parts and the wires and wire insulation, etc. etc. etc. How do you make a car without petroleum products? Dang that's a good question ...

It seems to me that this whole crude oil supply/demand thing should be concerning us greatly, but so far it is still almost business as usual. With the demand for crude oil soaring (due to a growing worldwide population who also want TVs and cars and cell phones and refrigerators, washers, dryers and etc.) and a decreasing supply of crude oil (even if you consider as much as feasible from Alaska, Kuwait, the North Sea, etc.) because it is a finite resource that will someday be depleted, this seems like a progression that will, at some point, precipitate the end of the world as we know it.

No more big machines to do so much hard work for us ... mining, farming, moving products to markets, building structures ... because that is what crude oil does for us ... it allows few people to do a LOT of work. Have you really thought about the energy we get from a single gallon of gasoline? It can push a car full of people over 20 miles in cool air-conditioned comfort, and presently that only costs about $3.50 ... how many people would it take, and how long, to push that same car 20 miles at any speed? NOTHING is out there on the horizon or even on the drawing board to replace the amount of energy and work we get from crude oil and its products as easily and cheaply as we do now. Nothing. And that doesn't even consider all the byproducts that we take for granted now, such as plastics, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, fertilizers, pesticides, etc. (Like those products or not, without them do you think this many people would be alive on the earth right now?)

Maybe I'll write more about this ... but for now, it sure has got me thinking ... and I know for a FACT that I am WAY too lazy at this point to work as hard as we will need to without oil ... So ... what do we do about it?

Music for the week:

Friday Bill Smith is back with his solo tour ... he has played jazz and easy listening tunes at Genoa with Ellen Myer previously, so if you have seen and heard their duo, you know what a great night of jazz this will be with Bill! Stop in for some cool jazz from this great guitarist and singer ... he brings all the nostalgia and soulful sounds to Genoa that only jazz can do ...

Saturday Acoustic Tapestry brings John Wichman and Sean McFeely with their guitar duo and original compositions. Their instrumental creations blend soft rock, folk and a multitude of guitar harmonies ... you will truly have an incredible evening of beautiful sound ... they are a dynamic duo with dynamite songs and we LOVE to hear them! If you haven't heard this duo, you simply must stop by ... they are awesome ... and their acoustic guitars CD's are two of our favorites. I guarantee you will love them, so don't miss this!

Dazed and Confused? Or not?

2011-08-09T20:34:00.000-06:00

I am constantly reminded just how much I fail to understand most of that which happens around me. I feel dazed and confused a lot of the time when I make the attempt to figure out the events, words and actions of those who seem to be in positions of authority. OK ... I admit it is worse than that ... I am, frankly, baffled beyond speech.

I like to think that I am a reasonably intelligent person. Apparently, I mislead myself and am, in fact, delusional with respect to my ability to think clearly and critically; to be able to reach a rational, reasonable and logical conclusion when presented with enough information. What the heck ... I love a good illusion!

Lately it doesn't matter if you pick a small, seemingly insignificant topic or a great big mind-numbingly complex one; the result is the same: I cannot figure out why what was said or done was supposed to fix or make better the situation that created the need for a solution. I feel like someone just told me that the cure for what ails me is to poke myself with an ice pick until I believe it is helping. Yes, I am incredulous.

One relative simple sounding example ... due to the downgrade of America's credit rating, Sunday the former chairman of the Federal Reserve essentially said that the USA cannot ever default on their credit because we would absolutely print as much money as we needed to pay our creditors. His words are, "The United States can pay any debt it has because we can always print money to do that. So there is zero probability of default."

I don't care which side of politics you choose, or none ... it sounds to me like the whole credit rating situation is held together with the assumption that the people/countries buying our debt (bonds) with their currency BELIEVE, and will continue to BELIEVE, indefinitely, that what they are getting back from us - our money - is worth something. Now I'm not sure, but didn't that former chairman say, and pretty clearly, that our money's value is whatever we say it is, for as long as we say it?

Actually, isn't that the truth anyway? Seriously ... how much actual money - physical American dollars - do you ever really hold in your hand anymore? Don't you really just have numbers associated to some account number at a bank where your money goes? How often do you use a small plastic card to buy things versus cash? Or transfer numbers from one account to another account which makes that account's numbers change. Even employers do that now with 'direct deposit' ... it's not even paper; it is just numbers moving around in cyberspace. I know people who NEVER have cash on them!

Think about the fact that money is just numbers ... numbers kept track of by credit card companies and banks. So let your imagination go ... how would you feel if you had an extra $100,000 right now, free and clear, to put into your retirement account? Well, go ahead and feel that way! IF it is for your retirement anyway, you aren't going to use it until later so it will sit there for years and just think about how awesome it would feel to BELIEVE that it was true ... you think it will matter anyway? Again I'm not sure, but I think I am beginning to understand (Hah!) that it won't.

The other day my wife showed me some ads from a newspaper from 1980. One was a restaurant breakfast of two eggs, bacon, hash-browns and two pieces of toast that was $1.25 ... what would that breakfast be today? $7.50? $8.50? Any way you look at it, it costs at least 6 times more now than it did then. What does it make that imaginary $100,000 worth in 30 years then? One-sixth or less than it does now, just if things go along as they are now? A bit over $16,000 in today's dollars? Maybe only $14,000? (I know ... you could earn interest on it, but how has that worked out for you so far in your 401-K or whatever? So for the sake of simplicity, let's leave it at value over time.)

Printing money backed only by the promise that it will always be valuable makes future money worth less ... and eventually, maybe almost worthless. But, if other countries/people are OK with the fact that you will pay them back with money later that is worth a lot less than it is now ... Huh ... maybe I really do understand after all.

This week's music is two of the best, most awesome solo performances that Genoa is so fortunate to present to you ... this is seriously tremendous ... two back-to-back nights of amazing music by two phenomenal singer-songwriters! Please join me in welcoming these fabulously talented performers back to Genoa ... and both have CD's so you can take their music home with you!

Music this week starts Friday with Branden Sipes. He is a Colorado native singer-songwriter and guitarist. Branden is appearing as a solo acoustic musician, presenting original songs combining rock, pop, and folk influences. He played in April at Genoa and if you skipped that performance, you missed a fabulous debut of a truly engaging solo performer! His lyrics are catchy and finely crafted, describing universal life experiences with a clever ease. His intricate guitar work is a well suited accompaniment to his intimate vocals. Bottom line? Branden Sipes was one of my favorite musicians at Genoa, EVER! Don't miss him this time in Genoa's intimate setting ... his music is fantastic!

Saturday is another simply wonderful solo musician ... Chris Smith played for the first time last month for us, and it was another of my favorite music nights! He plays original songs that showcase his talent and adds cover tunes to remind you how much you love to hear familiar music LIVE when played by an experienced and polished musician ... His music is enthusiastic, powerful, rich and absorbing ... I really look forward to his return ... please join me for a great night of his music ... and make it a super finish to Genoa music this week.

For the LOVE of Music ... and Musicians

2011-07-31T07:26:00.000-06:00

Coco and Lafe performed at Genoa last night to the thrill of everyone there who heard them ... they were fantastic! They are on a tour where they play over 120 performances around the country this summer and we were so lucky to have them at Genoa! As a result, I am back on the theme of music, the love of music, and the love of the musicians who play it ... and that is from both sides - my love for music and musicians, and their love of music and playing it for us.

I am so grateful for our visiting musicians, and for all the music we have right here in and around Fort Collins ... the wonderfully talented musicians, the live music venues we have all over every week and the festivals with so much music! To me, music represents such a wonderful part of my day, every day ... my head is filled with music most of the time ... right now 'Your Love Is Like The Moon' from a solo CD by Eva Holbrook of SHEL (Fort Collins) is somehow magically playing in my brain ... thank you again, Eva! And I guess that is my point ... I am thankful for what has already been created by musicians, and they don't have to 'do' anything else for me to feel like doing something for them or buying more of their CD's before I even listen to them ... because they have already 'done' for me with their music, which enriches my life all the time, every day ... that is so fabulous to me.

If I could influence people at all, one way would be to have you please SUPPORT your local musicians ... go see and hear them, buy their CD's and put money in their tip jar. Very few of them make much money with their music - I know too many of them with the challenge to earn enough to keep playing and most work at some kind of job to allow them to play music at all. But, they do play music ... because they LOVE music! And I love them for that ... for being so in love with playing their instruments and singing and bringing their music to others that I get to see them and hear them play and buy their CD's so I can take their amazing music everywhere with me.

I don't know how it works that I wake up with music in my head and have it playing most of the day that way for me, but I sure am happy about it. I love it! And I love the musicians who make that wonderful music in my head ... thank you for your music, thank you for adding so much to my life, and thank you for playing whether your audience has 5 people or 500 ... your gifts to us keep giving! Your music makes a difference ... YOU make a difference ... and I for one, sure appreciate it.

Music this week is one night only ...

Friday we have Josh Grenz and White Van ... he had a return to Genoa in May, and we are so happy he is coming back with more of his group's talent with acoustic guitar, harmonica and vocals. A little rock 'n' roll, some funk, and great covers that will have your toes tapping and a song on your lips. Thank you for your music, Josh!

I Know ... Let's Get In Shape!

2011-07-24T08:46:00.000-06:00

RB - Another complete change in topic ... I started exercising again. Yeah I know, but I started again anyway ... it's supposed to be 'good for me', and even better as I age somewhat less gracefully than I would have thought. I used to exercise quite a bit, yet over the last 5 years I have grown even more fond of a great cup of coffee while looking at the gorgeous foothills, potato chips, reading on the couch, and movies via the Internet or via those kiosks around town. I also really enjoy THINKING about exercise as people tell me about their hiking in the area or lifting weights, biking, running, snowshoeing, snow boarding or skiing. My father loved to tell me about the famous runner who died of a heart attach while running. I used to think about that as I pounded out my 3 miles in the morning ... my father stopped doing push-ups on the stairs (the easy way) before he was 40; and stopped exercise completely shortly thereafter as far as I could tell. He lived into his 80's ... and never worried for one second about the fact that he didn't exercise. There has to be something good about not mentally stressing yourself, right?

I dunno ... I'd get right after the physical stuff, but exercise just isn't as easy as it used to be, so it doesn't seem as much fun, and why do I want to do something that feels SO MUCH better when I STOP doing it? My muscles hurt for a couple days when I lift weights, but well, they always did that. I used to referee hockey and kept in pretty good shape that way, but somehow I became allergic to something at the ice rinks so I can't even watch a game without a headache. Skiing is fun, but so is reading a great book in the lodge with unlimited food and drink and an absolutely GORGEOUS view of the snow and cold outside, from just next to a roaring fire. I bought a fabulous mountain bike a few years ago ... beautiful, more gears than a pocket-watch, easier on the legs than running, and it was ON SALE ... I think one of the reasons I don't like to ride it much is that it makes me feel like a mental midget because I can't remember which way to twist the grips to get the right gears; one does the front 3-gear combo, and the other does the rear 7-gear bundle, but the grips need to be twisted the opposite way in combination to go faster or slower, easier to pedal or harder. I find myself doing the wrong twist combination most of the time on the first shot at it, and it makes me wonder - WHY won't the twist code STICK in my brain? Millions of people must ride bikes like this ... why is this so tough for my memory to store? I used to have a 10-speed bike that I rode all the time and I never had a problem shifting that one. After a good ride now, taking a walk starts to look a lot easier on my ego.

I know exercise makes me feel better ultimately; it's just the getting started part of it. Lifting weights does make me feel stronger and more confident that I won't hurt myself doing something strenuous like, I don't know ... maybe taking a nap or brushing my teeth. But those weights have gotten so much HEAVIER than they used to feel. Why isn't 35 pounds the same as it used to be? How does that happen? And doing pull-ups now ... am I THAT much heavier? I did 38 once upon a time, many moons ago ... I would consider it a nice victory to do 6 now without feeling like really important stuff wasn't going to pull completely off my bones. I used to do sets of 15 to 20 dips with weight hanging off a belt I wore ... I did 7 dips recently with just me and wondered if it was worth the risk of careening face first into the floor after collapsing partway down on the last repetition.

Another thing that annoys me about starting to exercise again is the fact that it takes about 3 months to get into a good running shape, etc. and about a week to lose it all if you quit because you get sick or just slack off. Seems to me that THAT is nature's way of telling us that us human beings are made for chillin' out and not elevating the ol' heart rate. I really loved a quote I read about someone's response to exercise ... he said something like 'Never run when you can walk, never walk when you can stand, never stand when you can sit, and never sit when you can lie down.' It is somewhat troubling to me, but deep down I think I really like and support that philosophy.

Well, enough reminiscing about the good old days when I had to eat twice my body weight a day in food or die from starvation. I know it is simply a metabolism thing that will come back (I hope) once this exercising gets going again with me full bore. It isn't fair to compare and contrast me of yesteryear with me of today, I know, but when I am still a teenager (or maybe early 20's) in my head, why won't my body get with the program? So yeah, I'll be exercising again. Uhm ... just as soon as I get up from a nice nap.

Friday we have the duo of Barry and Derrick in Nerd Derby. They have a fascinating blend of music that is better experienced than explained on this blog ... guitars and sometimes Barry on the fiddle. A little light rock, a little Americana, and you never know what else ... but it will make you smile! Their performance is always fun and lighthearted like a Friday night should be. If you missed their last event at Genoa, it was a BLAST! Don't miss this one ...

Saturday Coco & Lafe stop by in their annual Fort Collins stop during 16 area gigs in 15 days. From Massachusetts, they write and perform acoustic bluesy story and character songs, and they have their beagle Lilla with them on stage. They have amazing voices, songs, lyrics and are a totally fun duo with a lot to say through their music. They are touring from Maine to California, with Genoa lucky enough to have them. What's not to love? Stop by for a once-a-year event that will remain in your memory until they come back next time!

Music This Week; And Two emails

2011-07-18T15:50:00.000-06:00

My brain decided it was on vacation when it came to deciding which topic to write about this week; I have quite a few, but the ability to make a decision has completely eluded me for a couple days. So, two emails this week ... one for music, and one for the blog.

Music this week:

Wednesday is a Genoa debut for Chris Smith ... Chris has lots of originals and does soft rock cover tunes as well ... acoustic guitar and a wonderful voice make his solo performances vibrate with a heartfelt love of music! Chris has been playing for years and he brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to his performances ... stop by for the sensational debut of this local musician ... it's gonna be a great one ...

Saturday we have the fabulous return of Bev Barber & Chris Sheafor as the Bev Barber Band. Their performances are amazing! They are energetic, over-the-top talented and spell-binding ... Bev and Chris do this just for the fun of it. When people ask what’s the style? ”Songs we like” is the only honest answer for them to give. Songs from modern soft rock to blues and more ... with Bev singing and Chris on the guitar, we guarantee you a night of awesome music that you will love. They are INCREDIBLE!!

My Kind of CrAzY

2011-07-10T06:50:00.000-06:00

RB - Everyone is crazy except you and me, and I'm not so sure about you ... That's how the line goes. I'm OK, but wow ... those OTHER people ... CrAzY!

I laugh hardest sometimes when I realize just how eccentric I am. Eccentric is the word I use as the kinder, gentler form of CrAzY, and aren't we all, just a bit? You may deny it, but truth is what it is ... we are all a bit of a nutter in our own way, as we go along in our version of 'normal'. Just ask anyone ... they'll tell you.

We all have preferences, and things that seem to work for us (or don't work, but we may fight hard to ignore that), so we do it 'that way' and it ends up being 'our way'. It is 'our own' way and we are used to ourselves and no longer think about any of it. But seriously ... are all those OTHER drivers really CrAzY or are they just driving the way they ended up driving, and it is just not how WE do it? They start out faster or slower, they change lanes more, they drive closer to others, and whatever else, but it is just different (maybe more or less safe, too, but still just not the same as us).

From the way we dress to how we like our coffee or hamburger or season our food or brush our teeth, comb our hair, pay our bills, keep stuff in our car, water flowers, listen to and play music, talk on the phone, prepare food to cook, wash dishes, clean our glasses, pursue sports and exercise, plan and take vacations, care for our pets, etc. etc. etc. we all do what we like to do, the way WE like to do it. And we generally feel more comfortable around people who do things like we do ... and notice and talk about the ones who don't. Seriously ... don't you catch yourself comparing and contrasting all the time? What have you thought about skydivers? Skateboarders? Smokers, or non-smokers? Motorcyclists not wearing helmets, or wearing helmets? People who own tarantulas, snakes, lions, 15 dogs or a dozen cats or no pets at all? Alaskan crab fishermen? Chefs? Famous musicians, athletes, models, movie actors and actresses, politicians, TV and radio talk show hosts? Religious leaders? Repair people? Doctors? Lawyers? Government workers? Relatives? Astronauts? People who get into the Guinness Book of World Records?

That's why so many groups emerge of like-minded people, so they get together to share in their similarities. Funny about that ... I can't imagine wanting to be in a club that would have me as a member ... I'm just too set in MY ways. And yes, people do tell me about my 'eccentricities', but I am OK with that ... we're all 'different', and I just happen to recognize that I may be more so. I guess it works for me.

To my regret ... we have NO MUSIC this week. Lots of rescheduling and valiant attempts to get more music scheduled, but so far the summer music lineup remains a bit sparse.

Schedule Error - CANCEL Thursday's Music

2011-07-07T04:49:00.000-06:00

Thursday's music of Prairie Skies with Kimberly Schug and Ken Morgan was scheduled in error ... we apologize for having to CANCEL this performance from our schedule.

The Explosion of Stuff We Have - Break The Cycle

2011-07-03T09:35:00.000-06:00

RB - One of the most fascinating TV commercials I've seen shows a garage that is unbelievably packed with the overflow of accumulated 'stuff' purchased over the years. There is no hope of ever fitting a car in there. And the amazing point of the commercial isn't to find a way to get rid of all that excess stuff the you don't need and haven't used in years ... oh, no ... the point is to rent a portable storage unit that they will deliver to you, so you can put all that excess stuff into the unit, to be stored somewhere else ... obviously so you can fill up the garage again, with more stuff that seemed important at the time you felt like you needed it, when you bought it or found it or inherited it or whatever.

Recently, we ended up having a lot of stuff come our way, through relatives moving and things like that. We are now overwhelmed with lots of seemingly important, high-quality 'stuff' that we didn't have just a week ago. It violated a rule we try to follow to keep the illusion of control, which is that any new stuff that comes INTO the house has to be matched by TWO things that go OUT OF the house. It also highlighted the fact that we have lots of older family 'stuff' that we have kept over the years. It all seems valuable, both as intrinsic value and emotional/sentimental value ... it is our history, in some ways, and means something to us. And, after all, I might need this thing someday ... or someone else might ... or some relative (son, daughter, grandchild, etc.) would think it was neat or valuable or interesting ... whatever. Because as soon as I get rid of it, I know I'll need it.

Have you ever gone to an estate sale for people who were really old when they died, and thought about all the stuff you see, and wondered why the people didn't get rid of it before they died? Give it to their relatives, sell it or something? I can think of lots of reasons, at this point, including that we want to do other, much more fun and distracting things; not sit around going through year upon year of accumulated stuff and figure out what to do with it because it sure seems valuable and someone would surely probably want it, etc. etc. etc. Much better to just ignore it for just one more day ... or until next weekend ... or later.

So when do you decide to part with stuff, and stop accumulating more of it? That's a problem. Most people I know NEVER part with stuff, and never stop accumulating more of it. We are guilty of it, so far. Which brings up the whole point of this topic: we are going to get rid of most of it ... using whatever harsh tactics it takes, to be free again ... to be free of the stuff that apparently ends up owning us instead of the other way 'round.

Facts of the matter are simple ... generally, people have a tough time not buying stuff, and a harder time getting rid of anything. My parents never got rid of anything ... neither did my aunt. I intend to break the cycle. I wanted very little of the stuff my parents and aunt accumulated, and no one in the family is likely to want much of what I have either, especially if another 30 years goes by first. You think the antique value of that 1972 Radio Shack cassette player and single speaker is going to make someone a fortune in another 30 years? How can we even deal with all the digital photos we have let alone physical stuff we have? Some external hard drive for the photos? Who is going to want to look at them in 10 or 20 years? I don't even look them over twice now and I sure don't look back at all the photographs from 30 years ago. We are WAY too busy as it is!

So ... lots of stuff I have is gonna go ... I will ask, and if no relative wants it then it is going to be sold, given away or donated, or even left out as salvage (a.k.a. trash) for some enterprising person who may find a way to use it or sell it themselves instead of sending it to the landfill. I am tired of feeling overcrowded in my own home by stuff that I should control, yet instead feel like it controls me. Wow ... I feel better just thinking about it.

Three days of Genoa Music this week:

On Wednesday the Olson/Becher Jazz Duo returns ... Michael Olson is a well-known bassist here in Northern Colorado, but this is his chance to play JAZZ GUITAR! Accompanying him is upstart wunderkind David Becher on bass. Come and enjoy some quiet and relaxing jazz with friends and your favorite beverage ... this is jazz and fun at its finest ... if you missed them before, stop by and help us welcome them back!

Thursday we have the return of the wonderful pair of Prairie Skies musicians - Kimberly Schug and Ken Morgan bring the softer side to a bluegrass duo ... Ken plays guitar (and sometimes banjo) while Kimberly sings their original songs that are a little softer and create an intimate night of music. This is an arrangement that allows the two of them to paint pictures with their music. Do yourself a favor and check out their website www.prairieskiesmusic.com and then come in to hear them live ... awesome! Their debut in May was one of our most fantastic nights of Genoa music ever ... don't miss their return!

Saturday Nathan Worthey returns for a perfect finish of music at Genoa this week for his SOLO performance and CD release party! His music and amazing voice make his shows a super smash! We are so happy he is back with more music to showcase his wonderful talent, and in this case, you can take it home with you on his new CD! Genoa was full for Nathan's music last time, so arrive a little early ... it's gonna be awesome ...

Note to Self: Taste Your Food

2011-06-26T07:01:00.001-06:00

Have you ever given a dog a 'treat' of some kind whether made specifically for dogs or some kind of 'people' food and had them literally 'wolf' it down while apparently not even chewing it or maybe not even tasting it? Maybe their amazing sense of smell allows them to experience the treat beyond our comprehension, so their seeming lack of time to taste it is really of little consequence and they still got a sensational 'taste' of it anyway. I certainly don't know about that, but I do notice that at times I really don't taste my food because I am not really paying attention while I eat. Sometimes it happens when I work and eat at the same time. Sometimes I am reading a book while I eat or drink something.

Regardless, I have found myself staring at an empty bowl of what was delicious leftovers with almost absolutely no recollection of eating it at all, to say nothing of tasting it during the process. Now THAT is a sad thing! So I try to be more mindful of eating, with single-mindedness of doing one thing at a time instead of trying to always multitask. What a difference! I slow down and taste my food ... and I mean REALLY taste it ... chew slowly ... close my eyes ... in no hurry to be done and on to the next busy thing to do. Every bite and every drink to swallow slows down and isn't just an absent-minded glazed-eye oblivious action.

I hold the drink in my mouth a little ... let it wash around over my tongue instead of just slurping it almost directly to my throat in a hurried swallow. Same with food ... chew it and really taste the flavors, in no hurry to just choke it down after 5 or 6 chews as 'good enough'. Some side benefits are clear ... you really taste everything and it is amazing what a revelation that is, but also you eat and drink less ... smaller portions ... I might even shed a pound or two! I no longer order a 16 oz drink of anything ... and I really understand how a 'short espresso' can be plenty to slowly savor, instead of some mega-sized coffee drink that I barely noticed. There is less talk at the table when everyone is really tasting, enjoying their food and drink, but nothing really wrong with that, is there? We can really pay much closer attention to what we are doing, no matter what it is ... and it really makes this life experience we are having even more amazing ... so I remind myself: TASTE your food!

Music for the week is Jazz, and Rock 'n' Roll!

Thursday Bill Smith kicks off a solo debut ... he has played jazz and easy listening tunes at Genoa with Ellen Myer previously, so if you have seen and heard their duo, you know what a great night of jazz this will be with Bill! Stop in for some cool jazz from this great guitarist and singer ... Bill Smith, SOLO!

Saturday is the one-and-only Thrilling Three of Classic Rockers, our fabulous DHB3 Doyle Hargraves Band of Jerry, Kent & Sam ... a guitar duo and a bass player who will rock you with the energetic sounds of Rock 'n' Roll! Willie Nelson, Elvis and more with familiar vocals and a dynamic application of happiness at playing music. We love this band and their music and their great attitudes ... and you will too ... if you haven't heard them yet, stop in for great tunes from a great group.

Friends and Pickup Trucks

2011-06-21T19:58:00.000-06:00

If you have ever owned a pickup truck, you know what it means to be a friend to almost everyone who even remotely knows you and needs to move some object from one place to another. Such is the way of all things, really ... it is just a matter of who, knowing what you have or can do, that might help them out. That might sound cynical to you, until you've owned a pickup truck. And enough said on that ... a short one this week, as I spent the weekend borrowing a pickup truck and moving so much stuff that I still can't walk quite upright or straighten my arms all the way. So ... Ryan, thank you for the loan of your pickup. I'll get it back to you any day now ... really! ... heh ...

Music for the week:

Thursday we have Vicki Pompea returning to Genoa ... she brings sweet music of amusements and musings, with guitar accompaniment. She has been called "a female John Denver" and peppers her performances with stories and humor as she plays original songs as well as songs from the 1960's to the present. Some sweet music from a wonderful lady ... you will love her music as much as we do ... promise!

Friday Derek Anderson is back with his fabulous solo guitar and amazing loop-playback self-accompaniment magic ... he brings original instrumental creations to life with a style all his own. Take a chance to come hear a young local artist with lots of talent ... you'll be glad you did 'cause it's a blast! His digital creations are fun and energetic ... a blend of sound all from one person ... sweet ... it's like being in a front row seat!

Thinking About Thinking ...

2011-06-13T17:15:00.000-06:00

From RB: Have you heard the philosophical riddle, "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" or the husband's lament corollary, "If I'm walking in a forest and say something and my wife isn't around to hear it, am I still wrong?" For this blog, neither is meant to be very thought provoking directly ... and I only intend a small general point of humor in the second one so please don't apply it to me because I don't feel that way!

So why bring it up? To ponder thinking in general. How much do we really 'think' about what goes on in our lives? Or more specifically, how much are we really 'aware' of what goes on in our lives? How much of it is pure 'stimulus-response' with habitual actions and habitual thoughts, even to what we do and say the majority of the time? There are many reasons for habitual responses actually being helpful to us ... for example, do we really want to ponder brushing and flossing our teeth in detail as we do it, or do we want to think about what we have to do to get ready for school or work, etc. as we otherwise mindlessly brush our teeth with solid consistency and skill born of lots of practice? Still, if you want to put a little dent in your habit and realize it more completely, try brushing your teeth with the opposite hand that you never use to do it.

Obviously, we become 'subconsciously competent' at lots of things so we DON'T have to think about them with total focus, or we wouldn't get much else done. We eventually don't have to think about how to drive or ice skate or even walk ... we have just gotten skilled at it to the point where we don't have to think about it; we just do it.

Regardless, being awake and aware of each moment is something that will dramatically affect what life 'feels like' as you go through your day. Try thinking about what is really going on with you and around you in every moment and you will perceive a multitude of things that are otherwise just lost in the 'white noise' of habit and going through the motions when you DON'T pay such close attention. I'm not suggesting you have to re-think things you know how to do, like driving or walking. But I am suggesting that if you slow down enough to really use your senses, and really perceive what is around you and being said with no hurry to speak yourself ... well, things just get really fascinating.

If you have ever been 'in the zone' for a sport, or a creative project you are working on, you know what it feels like ... nothing else exists ... you are simply only in the moment and completely and totally awake and aware of what you are doing. Everything slows down ... you see and hear 'in focus', etc. What would it be like if you could do that all the time? Well, it is just something to ponder ...

Here is our music for the week:

Friday we are delighted to have Kalli VanderTop from her StudioK Music. Kalli will have keyboard and vocals and maybe guitar, and maybe guests ... part of the fun is how the performance unfolds! Soft rock, classic rock, originals, you never know ... but it will be wonderful and fun and happy and we always look forward to Kalli's music ... she is a bright spot in our music with her creative and youthful energy ... make a point of stopping by to see her and listen ... you'll have a fabulous night!

Saturday we are thrilled to have our Rockers back at Genoa! WE LOVE THIS BAND!! DHB3 is the Doyle Hargraves Band of Jerry, Kent & Sam ... a guitar duo and a bass player with the brilliant sounds of rock 'n' roll, Willie Nelson, and more with familiar vocals and an energetic application of happiness at playing music. We love their music and their great attitudes ... and you will too ... if you haven't heard them yet, stop in for great tunes from a great group.

Let Your LOVE Flow ...

2011-06-05T07:57:00.000-06:00

We live in an amazing place ... Fort Collins has so much to offer that it is always rated at or near the top spots for best places to live in the USA. When you reflect on the many reasons to be grateful to live here, it seems such a contradiction when you happen to meet someone who seems a bit grumpy, to say the least. But that's the thing ... life happens, and it can be tough ... sometimes it is harder to remember how fortunate we are to be here when life's challenges appear. And THAT is the challenge ... letting your love flow even when it feels tough to manage even a smile with the weight of the demands on your life ... So smile anyway! Let your love be felt - that love you have for everyone and everything when everything is going your way - be that happy, joyful person for yourself, and for others. Let your best 'you' be your 'normal' way of being in every moment. It is challenging, so just do your best ... you'll be doing yourself a great service ... Share your love - the more we do, the more love there is everywhere! A simple idea, but not always easy to keep in mind ... even in a wonderful city like Fort Collins.

Sharing love through music ... our fabulous nights this week:

Thursday we have the return of the wonderful pair of Prairie Skies musicians - Kimberly Schug and Ken Morgan bring the softer side to a bluegrass duo ... Ken plays guitar (and sometimes banjo) while Kimberly sings their original songs that are a little softer and create an intimate night of music. This is an arrangement that allows the two of them to paint pictures with their music. Do yourself a favor and check out their website www.prairieskiesmusic.com and then come in to hear them live ... awesome! Their debut last month was one of our most fantastic nights of Genoa music ever ... don't miss their return!

On Friday the incredible Jerry Palmer will be here! Lots of original music and some beautiful classics (from multiple artists) will make this an amazing night of music from one of the world's top musicians ... Jerry has several CD's to his credit that showcase his premier guitar and music composition skills, but this is his music LIVE and IN PERSON! Don't miss this opportunity to have a front row seat to hear him play ...

Things Happen ... Guess what they mean? Or not?

2011-05-29T06:50:00.000-06:00

From RB ... There are many planetary happenings right now, for example just with tornadoes, floods, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions ... as well as with organizations, governments and more. Is there any significance to those events, as some sort of linked combination? Lots of people say there is, and even predict outcomes from them. There are all kinds of analysts in the world who get paid to try to discern the meaning from, well, basically everything.

However, do people really 'know'? Apparently, not much about such events ... so why listen? After all, to each of us, things mean whatever we think they do. We attach meaning to whatever happens around us, to us, to others ... or we don't. We don't actually have to decrypt meaning in everything, or anything. What would your life look like if you didn't attach labels to events in it, such as good or bad ... and let things be as they are? We don't know the interconnectedness of everything ... the timing of what happens and how it changes what happens next. That is one aspect of chaos theory ... that some seemingly random event eventually causes a significant change somewhere far away ... like the butterfly beating its wings in Beijing China changing the weather in Des Moines, Iowa ... Seems pretty far-fetched until we really realize that at a certain level, everything is energy, frequency ... vibrations in the universe. Regardless, our personal ability to decode how everything interacts and flows at the "big picture" level via our senses seems incredibly elusive, to say nothing of figuring out what is happening in the tiny local level of our own lives as things happen all around us.

Lots of people have an opinion about what things mean, and what will happen as a result. And it seems pretty clear that when they predict, they are often wrong. Haven't you even had things that initially seemed 'bad' turn out to be something 'good' instead? For me, spending time trying to figure out meaning has turned out to be time better spent enjoying the moment. So I try to let things be as they are ... sort of a 'don't worry, be happy' mode of allowing life to unfold for me as it does ... because it will be what it is, regardless of what I think of it.

Music Music Music!

On Wednesday the Olson/Becher Jazz Duo returns with trumpeter Ron Bland ... making it the Olson/Becher/Bland Jazz Trio ... Michael Olson is a well-known bassist here in Northern Colorado, but this is his chance to play JAZZ GUITAR! Accompanying him is upstart wunderkind David Becher on bass, and now the fabulous Ron Bland on trumpet. Come and enjoy some quiet and relaxing jazz with friends and your favorite beverage ... this is jazz and fun at its finest ... if you missed the duo, stop by and help us welcome them back as a trio!

On Friday we have the acoustic duo Blackbird, but this week they also have Dalton Vaughn with them on percussion. Ben and Sarah Myers combine two voices and multiple instruments in their exploration of music spanning the centuries from early Celtic to the American folk revival. Ben plays bouzouki and mandolin, and Sarah performs on several types of flutes and whistles, auto-harp, and percussion. Come on down to hear these three play ... you will hear the love of music flow from them ... it will be a great night of wonderful music ...

Go With the FLOW; Yet Advance Toward Your Dreams

2011-05-22T07:29:00.001-06:00

There are always people around you who have a plan for your life if you don't seem to have one of your own. Most of them don't hesitate to mention it to you, too; just a little helpful advice if you seem to be drifting a little too much for their comfort zone. No problem ... just go with the flow, be there in the moment, and gently guide yourself toward your dreams. Life happens in the 'now' moments of our lives and we go with the ebb and flow of those moments ... even as we have a direction and goals in mind. Some people are guided like an arrow shot from a bow toward their vision of their future; others seem to meander in a more general direction with less intensity to the timing of their eventual destination. We are all different in how we perceive our progress in the plans we have for ourselves. And, it's all good ... go with the flow, and keep your dreams in mind ... you'll get there or you won't, and you will have 'lived your life' in the meantime. Just smile and enjoy it all ... that's life.

For music this week, there are two great nights ...

Friday we have Josh Grenz and White Van ... it's been too long since he performed here, so we are all looking forward to his group's fun with acoustic guitar, harmonica and vocals. A little rock 'n' roll, some funk, and great covers that will keep a song on your lips. Come out for their return!

Saturday Acoustic Tapestry brings John Wichman and Sean McFeely with their guitar duo and original compositions. Their instrumental creations blend smooth jazz, soft rock and a multitude of guitar harmonies ... you will truly have an incredible evening of beautiful sound ... they are a dynamic duo with dynamite songs and we LOVE to hear them! If you haven't heard this duo, you simply must stop by ... they are awesome ... and their acoustic guitars CD's are two of our favorites.

What do you want to do when you grow up?

2011-05-15T07:18:00.000-06:00

From RB - One of these days I hope to figure out what I want to do when I "grow up". You notice with young children, that people ask them exactly that ... What do you want to do when you grow up? ... I ask them because I'm looking for ideas. It's a mystery for me ... I have figured out I am good at many things, and enjoy many things ... yet still have not discovered that ONE THING that I could pursue with all my passion. Until I do, I don't mind ... 'cause maybe I never will figure it out, or grow up, and life for me will be this wonderful ride of all the 'stuff' that I do anyway. It seems better somehow to never grow up, pretty much. Getting older is one thing ... growing up is entirely another ... How about you?

In any case, I LOVE MUSIC!! and this week we have five BIG nights of music ... please help us support fantastic Fort Collins music events!

Tuesday we have another debut at Genoa! Neargrass Junction drops in for a night of their FABULOUS Bluegrass music ... and MORE! NOT just bluegrass ... they have music that ranges from traditional bluegrass to Texas and Celtic-style fiddle tunes, some Beatles, Lyle Lovett, Bonnie Raitt, Laurie Lewis, and lots of original music ... full instrumentation and vocals. Guitars, banjo, violin/fiddle, mandolin, bass and vocals ... are you kidding me?? Incredible! Get in to Genoa for this group!

Wednesday is a fantastic opportunity for Genoa from a visiting jazz musician - Jane Miller from Boston will play her solo jazz guitar instrumentals. Jane is an Associate Professor in the Guitar Department at Berklee College of Music in Boston. She is also a contributing writer for Acoustic Guitar Magazine and Premier Guitar Magazine. If you love jazz, this is a night for you! It will be awesome ...

Thursday Tim Mooney plays acoustic guitar, sings and brings his contemporary original music to our venue. If you missed his fantastic music last month, do NOT miss his return! This will be a night of great music, happy people and big smiles! Tim's originals are dynamic, fresh and lively ... a sweet combination for Genoa music lovers!

Friday we have the duo of Barry and Derrick in Nerd Derby. They have a fascinating blend of music that is better experienced than explained on this blog ... guitars and sometimes Barry on the fiddle. A little light rock, a little Americana, and you never know what else ... but it will make you smile! Their performance is always fun and lighthearted like a Friday night should be. If you missed their last event at Genoa, it was a BLAST! Don't miss this one ...

Saturday the lovely and talented Elizabeth Hudetz is here again with her wonderful voice, guitar and likely a guest musician. Elizabeth brings her polished style to soft rock classics and originals. She is a perfect complement to our venue ... Stop in for a great night of her songs; it is always a wonderful night of fabulous music with Elizabeth ... !

Music Change for Friday the 13th

2011-05-12T05:09:00.000-06:00

Derek Anderson had to cancel his performance, but our awesome group of Rockers will step in to keep music on Friday! WE LOVE THIS BAND!! DHB3 is the Doyle Hargraves Band of Jerry, Kent & Sam ... a guitar duo and a bass player with the brilliant sounds of rock 'n' roll, Willie Nelson, and more with familiar vocals and an energetic application of happiness at playing music. We love their music and their great attitudes ... and you will too ... if you haven't heard them yet, stop in for great tunes from a great group.

Stop in for a special ... I don't know what it is as of this posting, but there will be some kind of Friday Reward for you when you stay for the music!

Keep on the Sunny Side

2011-05-08T07:29:00.000-06:00

A few days of 80+ degree weather and some sunshine sure can have a seriously positive therapeutic effect. It's a great reminder to keep on the sunny side in your life. John Lennon put the lyric "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." in his song 'Beautiful Boy'. It helps me keep on the sunny side when all that 'stuff' happens moment-to-moment, day-to-day as my life shows itself to me. We plan things to do for the weekend and vacations we want to take, yet in the meantime our life presents itself in each moment. That moment is where we live, and realizing what you do and how you do it and the attitude you have about all of it ... is a choice we make ... as life happens to us. Do we choose to find the beauty and joy and the 'sunny side' to life as it unfolds to us? If you do, you carry the sunshine with you at all times. Not just when you're thinking about plans you have for what you will do days or weeks or months later, but right now, while you're doing the dishes or paying a bill or heading to Genoa for something to eat and drink. You live your life in the moment ... make each moment a good one ... make it a sunny one!

Sharing sunshine through music ... for this week we have three absolutely fantastic DO NOT MISS events!

Thursday we have the debut of Prairie Skies - Kimberly Schug and Ken Morgan bring the softer side to a bluegrass duo ... Ken plays guitar (and sometimes banjo) while Kimberly sings their original songs that are a little softer and create an intimate night of music. This will be arrangements that allow the two of them to paint pictures with their music. Do yourself a favor and check out their website www.prairieskiesmusic.com and then come in to hear them live ... awesome!

Friday Derek Anderson is back with his fabulous solo guitar and amazing loop-playback self-accompaniment magic ... he brings original instrumental creations to life with a style all his own. Take a chance to come hear a young local artist with lots of talent ... you'll be glad you did 'cause it's a blast! His digital creations are fun and energetic ... a blend of sound all from one person ... sweet ...

Saturday Hannah Holbrook is live at Genoa!! This is a solo performance from the lovely and talented keyboard player from the local band SHEL. She brings her fabulous voice and original piano creations from jazz, classical and pop music to our venue ... up close and personal. Definitely way over on the sunny side ... Hannah's music will be the finale on a fantastic triplet of music. Miss it?!? Don't even think about it ... just do it! You will be SO glad you did.

Double-Edged Coupons

2011-05-01T11:35:00.000-06:00

Genoa recently participated in marketing coupons online for a great deal; $12 value for $6. Some people said that it might not result in that many new customers, as current loyal customers would also snap up the coupons and we wouldn't get the biggest 'bang for the buck' of advertising. That is true.

And we said, "SO?" Why is it only about offering NEW customers a deal? CURRENT customers allow us to FIND new customers. Why not reward current loyal customers as a 'thank you', too? So we did ... and we got new customers with the coupons, and loyal customers we got to thank for their business at Genoa. That is a win for all of us, don't you agree? When you have so many awesome, loyal, 'every day' customers isn't it nice to show that we know it and value them? We think so, and we thank you again for your patronage. Please tell others about Genoa Coffee & Wine so we can do more special deals!

Here is this week's music ... 4 days this time:

Wednesday the Olson/Becher Jazz Duo returns ... Michael Olson is a well-known bassist here in Northern Colorado, but this is his chance to play JAZZ GUITAR! Accompanying him is upstart wunderkind David Becher on bass. Come and enjoy some quiet and relaxing jazz with a cup o' joe (or a glass of wine) ... this is only the second time for this new duo for Genoa - if you missed their debut, stop by and help us welcome them back!

Thursday Vicki Pompea also returns to Genoa ... she brings sweet music of amusements and musings, with guitar accompaniment. She has been called "a female John Denver" and peppers her performances with stories and humor as she plays original songs as well as songs from the 1960's to the present. Some sweet music from a wonderful lady ... you will love her music as much as we do ... promise!

Friday night with Elizabeth ... Elizabeth Hudetz is here again with her wonderful voice, guitar and a guest musician. Elizabeth brings her polished style to soft rock classics and originals. She is a perfect complement to our venue ... Stop in for a great night of her songs; it is always a wonderful night of fabulous music with Elizabeth ... ! (For those expecting Ellen Myer, Ellen had to cancel ... Thank you Elizabeth for filling this opening!)

Saturday we have Josh Grenz and White Van ... it's been too long since he performed here, so we are all looking forward to his group's fun with acoustic guitar, harmonica and vocals. A little rock 'n' roll, some funk, and great covers that will keep a song on your lips.

Reset to Factory Settings ...

2011-04-24T07:32:00.000-06:00

Have you ever wished you could go back to some 'restore' point in your life? Or wished you could reset it to 'factory settings' like you can with a phone or other electronic gadget that gets too full of faults or incompatible parameters that it just doesn't work like you want it to anymore? The thing is, you can. There is no connection to the past unless you make one ... every day, every moment is all there is in the 'now' of life. You can choose to do and be whatever you want, right now. Is that scary or uplifting and exciting? Again, you choose which ... but the possibilities are always there ... you decide how you want to live this new moment ... and the next ... and the next. That isn't some 'new age woo-woo' or anything other than the fact of the way it is ... You want to learn a new language? Start playing a musical instrument for the first time? Change your career? Change your hair, clothes, entire way of being? Go ahead ... be ... YOU!

What does that have to do with Genoa Coffee & Wine? Everything ... Kamma and Michael went to Hawaii with whatever fit in a backpack, no jobs and nowhere to live ... and lived there 9 months before helping start Genoa. Bobby C started professional photography in his late 50's ... come see his photos at Genoa - they are amazing! RB started paying banjo at 46 ... and coordinates the music at Genoa. Jenni started lifting weights, crocheting and sewing again and became an Internet searching phenomenon in the last couple of years ... and makes the best Lattes and more at Genoa. Come in and say hello ... and get re-charged at Genoa ... we look forward to meeting you!

Our music this week:

Thursday is the duo of Aspen & Sipes and their debut at Genoa. Kelly Aspen & Branden Sipes combine talents for this eclectic mix of singer-songwriter acoustic rock, folk and pop, including hits from songwriter favorites like the Ingrid Michaelson, John Mayor, Norah Jones, The Beatles, Indigo Girls, Fiona Apple, Maroon 5, Plain White T’s and Ani DiFranco. A guitar and fabulous vocals ... and a fantastic Thursday night!

Friday is Spazz Katt's return with Dave and Emily Barnes, and guest Tom Rhoads (guitar, bass, dobro, mountain dulcimer, and singer). Come out to hear Dave's amazing guitar and Emily's vocals, with fabulously talented guest Tom Rhoads. Some blues, some funk, some rock 'n' roll, and a lot of energy and fun!

Saturday we are thrilled to have the In The Pines Trio return for a night of Americana and folk music. You know 'em and love 'em! Americana and all the the grass roots sounds ... relaxed, intimate and happy! Two fiddles and guitar bringing classic old-timey music to life ... This group of three smiling people who will make you smile as they play with heart and soul ... come hear some great music from In The Pines Trio ... it is usually packed at Genoa for them, so get here early!

Great Ingredients ... Coffee, Food AND Music

2011-04-17T08:48:00.001-06:00

At Genoa Coffee & Wine we literally spare no expense ... our food ingredients cost more, but aren't we all worth it?!? We eat our own food, too ... so we use the best ingredients that make us feel good; mentally and physically. From the Lavazza coffee beans, real dairy products, baking and pizza ingredients, sandwich fixings and appetizer components we use the highest quality items we can. As a result, our food costs are higher than "restaurant norms", but we figure we are worth the expense, and so are you - our Genoa customers! Seriously ... we defend our food costs because we value the real Italian experience in what we present to you every day. Great food, great coffee, great wine and great people serving you ... isn't that why you come back to us? We are proud to serve food that tastes great and leaves you feeling good after you eat it. Add to that our great LIVE music ... another quality offering in your Genoa experience ... and you have a place that you can literally feel good about.

Speaking of our music ... here are this week's musicians:

Thursday we have the debut of Emily Bassarear & The Golden Beets (Elizabeth, Margaret, more). Emily plays in a bluegrass band called Left Foot Stomp and The Golden Beets is another music project with friends and roommates ... This will be soft rock, easy listenin', folk and more with Emily on mandolin. There will be guitar and vocals in this wonderful group of ladies who will bring smiles and laughter as they play for the love of music! Please help us welcome them to Genoa!

Friday Tim Macomber and Meadowlark return with the combination of violin/fiddle, cello, hammer dulcimer and mandolin/bouzouki. Tim, Holly and Richard are an Acoustic Celtic group that plays an eclectic blend of traditional Irish, Scottish fiddle tunes, sea chanties, & elegant dance tunes; all with a driving Celtic style. This is such a fun night of music ... it makes me smile just to think about it. Take the time to stop by even for a half hour ... it will lift your spirits for a week! Acoustic Celtic music at its finest!

Saturday is another happy return for our awesome group of Rockers ... WE LOVE THIS BAND!! DHB3 is the Doyle Hargraves Band of Jerry, Kent & Sam ... a guitar duo and a bass player with the brilliant sounds of rock 'n' roll, Willie Nelson, and more with familiar vocals and an energetic application of happiness at playing music. We love their music and their great attitudes ... and you will too ... if you haven't heard them yet, stop in for great tunes from a great group.

Set Your Pace ...

2011-04-10T06:50:00.001-06:00

There never seems to be a shortage of things to do. We are all busy people. Even so, the pace we set is the pace we choose to set either through effort, or neglect ... Making the effort to make sure we have time to reflect on our lives and be "in the moment" is something we have to be an active participant in, or the time passing isn't the result of what we truly want, and we just get whatever happens. That is easier to see when running a business when so many tasks (clean, repair, update, calculate, order, etc!) are always in need of getting done ... whether you feel like doing them or not! At Genoa, we are happy to help S-L-O-W the day a little by the way we make the drinks, food and conversation ... we try to slow the rush, the hectic pace, just a little and be there for you, and with you as we share those moments together. It is another way we thank you for coming in to Genoa Coffee & Wine!

Here is our music this week ...

Friday we have the duo of Barry and Derrick in Nerd Derby. They have a fascinating blend of music that is better experienced than explained on this blog ... guitars and sometimes Barry on the fiddle. A little light rock, a little Americana, and you never know what else ... but it will make you smile! Their performance is always fun and lighthearted like a Friday night should be.

Saturday is another duo ... Brian Day and Mike Brown will bring an eclectic mix of music from acoustic rock 'n' roll, folk, surf, alternative and original music. The whole evening will feature Brian with his charisma and golden voice ... another wonderful night of Brian Day music! Ladies and Gentlemen ... if you haven't heard this group yet ... do yourself a favor ... come on in ... and enjoy a night of fabulous music.

Watch Those GORGEOUS Sunrises and Sunsets

2011-04-03T06:53:00.000-06:00

Genoa likes to slow things down ... maybe that's Italian? One thing we noticed visiting Italy was that people hurried in traffic. They rushed around on the roads whether on a scooter or in one of the many tiny cars. But they never hurried with their food, coffee, wine or conversation. Sunrises and sunsets help me remember to slow down a little ... Genoa helps me remember it, too ... our attitude is to take your time ... enjoy the food, coffee, wine and conversation with a little more time ... enjoy those sunrises ... those sunsets ... just letting your hectic schedule slide for a few moments during the day can increase your entire level of calm. And we Genoans are happy to help.

Tuesday we have two musicians from Seattle here with a return engagement ... they were at Genoa last September ... accidentally ... when we were able to host them for music when the gig they were scheduled for in town fell through. AND we were so happy for that because WE got to hear them ... wow ... This is a night of music you will not want to miss. The Ian McFeron band is Ian, with Alisa Milner ... they play all original music and there are LOTS of CD's already in their short history ... and a new CD for this tour! Light rock, fiddle, guitar and great voices ... Americana, folk roots ... this is wonderful music ... and two of the nicest people you will ever meet. So come meet them, hear them and buy a CD or two from their amazing collection ... help make it a huge night for them on the Genoa part of their tour!

Friday night with Elizabeth ... Elizabeth Hudetz is back with her wonderful voice, music and maybe some guest musicians (like the Keiths ... two guys named Keith who play harmonica, trumpet, drums and well ... you just never know). Elizabeth brings her polished style to soft rock classics and originals. She is a perfect complement to our venue ... Stop in for a great night of her songs; it is always a wonderful night of fabulous music with Elizabeth ... !

Saturday Acoustic Tapestry brings John Wichman and Sean McFeely with their guitar duo and original compositions. Their instrumental creations blend smooth jazz, soft rock and a multitude of harmonies ... you will truly have an incredible evening of beautiful sound ... they are a dynamic duo with dynamite songs and we LOVE to hear them! If you haven't, you simply must stop by ... they are an awesome group ... their acoustic guitars CD's are two of our favorites.

Thank You, Genoa Customers ...

2011-03-28T13:25:00.001-06:00

There is no shortage of things to occupy your time, money, energy and interest. We are very grateful that so many of you choose to make Genoa Coffee & Wine one of your places to "just be" at some point in the day, week and/or month. We appreciate your business and we hope we make that clear to you during your visit. We "Genoans" look forward to sharing what we do with you in food, drink, music and just 'hanging out'. We say it again ... we are very grateful for you!

Here is our music for the week ... we hope you enjoy it ...

Wednesday ... a great way to see mid-week off ... Elizabeth Hudetz is back with her wonderful voice, music and maybe some guest musicians (you just never know, but they are always a great complement to her music). Elizabeth brings her polished style to soft rock classics and originals that will have you smiling, tapping your foot and singing along. Stop in for a great night of her songs and likely a guest musician or two. It is always a wonderful night of fabulous music with Elizabeth ... !

CANCELED - Thursday Don Thurn is back from a bit of a break ... back with his soothing voice and smooth guitar. Don's music reflects many of his life events, celebrating its joys, struggles, and simple beauty in a descriptive and enjoyable musical journey. Don brings his unique blend of acoustic guitar instrumentals and lyrically descriptive original songs inspired by his life's journey. He plays a sweet session of music ...

Friday - no music tonight.

Saturday Ellen Myer & Bill Smith play classic rock, soft rock, jazz standards, and other easy-listening songs ... Ellen is on a stop from Texas, and she is making the time to bring their wonderful music back to Genoa! They are a duo we love to have at Genoa, especially with this guest appearance since Ellen now lives out of the area ... this is a rare treat for us all ... make sure you don't miss it ...

Some of the BEST MUSIC you've NEVER Heard ...

2011-03-20T10:50:00.001-06:00

Genoa Coffee & Wine has had some amazing musicians play. Incredible talent, fabulous voices, fantastic skills ... and most people never hear them. Unbelievable missed opportunities. Last Friday's Brady Crain was insanely great! Just remembering it brings goosebumps and makes my face tingle. He was AWESOME! And only a handful of folks got to have that remarkable experience. And I know they consider themselves so fortunate for having stopped in, for having "took a chance" to listen to this visiting singer/songwriter.

Maybe we need a cover charge so people will realize our free music is worth listening to. We have an "up close and personal" venue, and it stuns me when so few people show up to hear such wonderful music. Genoa Coffee & Wine supports musicians ... local and guests from far away. How long we can keep it up depends on you out there ... without people to support what we are trying to do, it all stops. If you have said to yourself that you ought to get to Genoa to hear a musician "one of these days", well ... if not now, when?

This week is another incredible opportunity to hear outstanding music. Please consider making time for Genoa music in your schedule. Here's our lineup:

Wednesday Tyler Fortier from Eugene Oregon is here for one night only to bring his CD release tour (7th CD!) to Fort Collins. "He displays a sound that reflects his own musical upbringing as it’s soaked in the rock roots authenticity of Neil Young, but with the modern edge of one of the many next generation of songwriting wave-makers like Josh Ritter and the accessibility of an artist like Brett Dennen. Tyler is accompanied by his guitar and his piano skills, offering fans (as well as newcomers to his sound) an intimate listen to his songs."

Thursday Michelle McAfee from Portland Oregon is also here for one night with her guitar and voice. She says of herself, "I'm from the mountains of Nederland, Colorado. Picked up Mom's old 12-string guitar when I was twelve years old and learned a few chords. ... Liberated now from the mainstream music path, I am blissfully happy writing, touring and singing my songs to those who will listen. A late-blooming gypsy in love with stories, the human experience, earth and spirit. Living authentically. Living simple. Living light." This will be a night of her life's experiences, in music form ...

CANCELED - Unfortunately, this event has been canceled ... Friday Joe Gallo returns! Joe simply says he is a man who plays acoustic guitar and sings. But you may recognize him more readily from GetBack! where he performs with this Beatles group as the John Lennon part. As a solo, he plays Beatles, Moody Blues, Bee Gees, John Denver, Neil Diamond and Gordon Lightfoot songs, to name a few. Would you be interested in hearing the man who performs as John Lennon in the Beatlemania cast? Well, here is your chance ... live, and in person, at Genoa.

Saturday is The 4 Amigos as Brian Day brings Andrew, Mike and Jeremy to play for you! They are bringing their eclectic mix of music from acoustic rock 'n' roll, folk, surf, alternative and original music. The whole evening will feature Brian with his charisma and golden voice ... another wonderful night of Brian Day music! Ladies and Gentlemen ... if you haven't heard this group yet ... do yourself a favor ... come on in ... and enjoy a night of fabulous music.

The Paint Has Dried ... Stop in to see the NEW LOOK

2011-03-13T12:12:00.000-06:00

We let Bobby C have a few hours off again, now that Genoa is all painted with the new colors. Heh. Stop by to tell Bobby C what you think ... and to sample some of his delicious baking!

One day of music this week ... FRIDAY; and it's going to be awesome!

We have Brady Crain, full time musician and stand-up comic from Vermont, playing original upbeat looped acoustic Americana with a great mix of covers (imagine a chart book over 300 songs deep, from the Beatles and Ray Charles to Run DMC and Iron Maiden). What 'looped acoustic Americana' means is that Brady writes great blues, folk, rock, bluegrass, country, country-blues, and rockabilly with skiffle, jazz, classical, and flamenco influences, and then uses several digital looping stations to create performance layers of percussion, bass, guitar, lead guitar, and three part harmonies during the performance of a given song (nothing is prerecorded; the layering is part of the performance). This is truly a unique and amazing experience, not to be missed; everything is live captured, and he uses no vocal harmony generators. Truly a one-man show!

Got Those Income Taxes Done Yet?!? I Sure Don't!

2011-03-07T16:00:00.000-07:00

Why work on your taxes when you can come listen to our music instead? Let's see how big a pile we can create on April 14th at the post office. In the meantime, come on by and listen to some sweet music at Genoa! We'll all be there, too ... listening and smiling, and not thinking about our taxes yet ...

Wednesday Elizabeth Hudetz is back with her wonderful voice, music and maybe some guest musicians (you just never know, but they are always a great complement to her music). Elizabeth brings her polished style to soft rock classics and originals that will have you smiling, tapping your foot and singing along. Stop in for a great night of her songs and likely a guest musician or two. It is always a wonderful night of fabulous music with Elizabeth ... !

Friday we have Barry Pederson with Nerd Derby. It has been ten months since Barry and Derrick played the Nerd Derby music here ... they have a blend of music that is better experienced than explained on this blog ... guitars and maybe Barry on the fiddle. Please help us welcome them back to Genoa - their performance is fun and light-hearted like a Friday night should be.

Saturday is another happy return for our awesome group of Rockers ... DHB3 is the Doyle Hargraves Band of Jerry, Kent & Sam ... a guitar duo and a bass player with the brilliant sounds of rock 'n' roll, Willie Nelson, and more with familiar vocals and an energetic application of happiness at playing music. We love their music and great attitudes ... and you will too ... if you haven't heard them yet, stop in for great tunes from a great group.

Time Flies ... Take the Time to S-L-O-W it Down ...

2011-02-28T18:43:00.000-07:00

Baby Kaian is already over 3 weeks old. He is still one TINY little fellow, but the changes in him really show time moving by. It reminds us all to take a little time to really enjoy life as it tick-tick-ticks along. Music at Genoa is one delightful way to suspend the outside world for a while ... stop in and enjoy our timeless music venue!

Wednesday we have two bands in one evening ... from Minneapolis! The Color Pharmacy and The Sudden Lovelys both play acoustic/folk/rock and will have an hour each. These are fabulous, passionate musicians on a tour through our area ... take the time to see and hear for yourself. We are so lucky to host these two groups!

Friday Acoustic Tapestry brings John Wichman and Sean McFeely with their guitar duo and original compositions. Their instrumental creations blend smooth jazz, soft rock and a multitude of harmonies ... you will truly have an incredible evening of beautiful sound ... they are a dynamic duo with dynamite songs! If you haven't heard them, you simply must stop by ... they are an awesome duo ...

Saturday Nathan Worthey returns for a perfect finish of music at Genoa this week ... his music and amazing voice make his shows a super smash! We are so happy he is back with more music to showcase his wonderful talent ... Genoa was full for Nathan's music last time, so arrive a little early!

Lights, Paint ... More Italian!

2011-02-21T10:49:00.000-07:00

How does Bobby Christensen spend a lot of his time off? Why, redecorating Genoa, of course! Come on in and see the changes to lighting and wall colors ... Genoa is growing more Italian every weekend. Add that to the new chef, menu, servers and our fabulous weekly music and you have a wonderful Italian experience right in Fort Collins. Come in and share your thoughts with Bobby C ... he will love to chat with you!

This week's music is another smash lineup ... Thursday through Saturday.

Friday Kathryn Warner returns with guest Leraine Horstmashoff from Utah! They are singer/songwriters, extraordinary vocalists and talented musicians. Kathryn, most recognized for her crystal clear, powerhouse voice, captivates her listeners and gives them her heart and soul whether she is singing blues, ballads, funk or gospel. Kathryn Warner describes her music as "Folk with Soul," and is known for stirring the hearts of audiences with her insightful songs about life, beautiful ballads, and her humorous play on love and relationships. For Leraine, music has always been an integral part of her life. With a trunkload of instruments from guitar to didgeridoo, Leraine expresses her inner light through music; music as spiritual practice. Her voice is rich and full and she is ready to share her innate and New-abundant musical mastery to bring people together to raise consciousness on the planet. This will be an amazing Thursday night of music!

Friday night Meadowlark returns with the combination of violin/fiddle, cello, hammer dulcimer and mandolin/bouzouki. Tim, Holly and Richard are an Acoustic Celtic group that plays an eclectic blend of traditional Irish, Scottish fiddle tunes, sea chanties, & elegant dance tunes; all with a driving Celtic style. This is such a fun night of music ... it makes me smile just to think about it. Take the time to stop by even for a half hour ... it will lift your spirits for a week!

Saturday Brian Day returns with Mike Brown & Andrew Bond. They are bringing their eclectic mix of music from acoustic rock 'n' roll, folk, surf, alternative and original music. The whole evening will feature Brian with his charisma and golden voice ... another wonderful night of Brian Day music! Ladies and Gentlemen ... if you haven't heard this group yet ... do yourself a favor ... come on in ... and enjoy a night of fabulous music.

Doubled Last Week's Music!

2011-02-14T19:31:00.000-07:00

OK, so last week we only had Friday music, but Tim Mooney was FANTASTIC! This week we doubled the music, so two nights - Friday AND Saturday ... and both nights will be phenomenal ... if you love fabulous, amazingly talented musicians, you need to stop in Friday AND Saturday.

Friday Nora McMahon, Patrick Tutt and Nat Nelson team up for their Acoustic Folk Trio. This is their first time back after last October's debut when they were sensational! Nora's original sound is a mellow, folksy acoustic blend, with a hint of jazz and blues influences. She lends her sultry seasoned voice to both originals and covers with equal finesse and passion. When you add in Patrick and Nat, it is an amazing night of music ... last time we were PACKED for their performance, so get to Genoa early ...

Saturday is the debut of Joe Gallo ... a man who says he plays acoustic guitar and sings. But you may recognize him more readily from GetBack! where he performs with this Beatles group as the John Lennon part. As a solo, he plays Beatles, Moody Blues, Bee Gees, John Denver, Neil Diamond and Gordon Lightfoot songs, to name a few. Would you be interested in hearing the man who performs as John Lennon in the Beatlemania cast? Well, here is your chance ... live, and in person, at Genoa. I KNOW I'll be there!

One Night of Music - FRIDAY ... and What a Start to February!

2011-02-08T18:04:00.000-07:00

February is turning out extra happy for Genoa ... a new Burns baby - Kaian Jude, born Thursday February 3rd to Kamma and Michael ... new chef Kate earning lots of great feedback from happy Genoa diners ... new server Elizabeth bringing on the smiles from our guests ... a fabulous wine tasting this week with lots of eager participants ... and super music!

As mentioned, one great day of music this week ... on Friday Tim Mooney plays acoustic guitar and brings his contemporary original music to our venue. If you missed his fantastic debut back in December, do NOT miss his return! This will be a night of great music, happy people and big smiles!

The Weather Roller Coaster; Tempered By Genoa's Warmth ...

2011-01-30T06:43:00.001-07:00

Talking about weather and music again ... seems there is a fundamental interest in both, so here we go! Sunday in the 60's and a completely wonderful day to be outside ... and two days later the HIGH temperature is going to be ZERO? Thankfully, there is Genoa to keep you warm with coffee, wine, food and music ... we emerge from the arctic blast with three days of HOT MUSIC!

Thursday Elizabeth Hudetz returns with her wonderful voice and music. Elizabeth brings her polished style to soft rock classics and originals you will enjoy. Stop in for a great night of her songs and likely a guest musician or two. It is always a wonderful night of fabulous music with Elizabeth ... !

Friday Derek Anderson is back with his fabulous solo guitar and amazing loop-playback self-accompaniment magic ... he brings original instrumental creations to life with a style all his own. Take a chance to come hear a young local artist with lots of talent ... you'll be glad you did 'cause it's a blast!

Saturday is the triumphant return for Bev Barber & Chris Sheafor. Their performances are amazing! They are energetic, over-the-top talented and spell-binding ... Bev and Chris do this just for the fun of it. When people ask what’s the style? ”songs we like” is the only honest answer for them to give. Songs from modern soft rock to blues and more ... with Bev singing and Chris on the guitar, we guarantee you a night of awesome music that you will love.

Two Days of Music ... Nights to be Remembered!

2011-01-23T06:33:00.000-07:00

Music is an event ... it can take you away for a couple of hours when it is happening, and then again as you remember it later. Music is one of the most wonderful experiences, and it can last a lifetime. This week we have two fantastic opportunities to feel it, see it and hear it all LIVE in the warm atmosphere of Genoa Coffee & Wine.

Wednesday, January 26 is the maiden voyage of the Olson/Becher Jazz Duo... Michael Olson is a well-known bassist here in Northern Colorado, but this will be his first-ever performance on JAZZ GUITAR! Accompanying him is upstart wunderkind David Becher on bass. Come and enjoy some quiet and relaxing jazz with a cup o' joe (or a glass of wine) ... this is a new duo for Genoa - please stop by and help us welcome them!

Saturday Brian Day returns with Mike Brown & Andrew Bond. They are bringing their eclectic mix of music from acoustic rock 'n' roll, folk, surf, alternative and original music. The whole evening will feature Brian with his charisma and golden voice ... another wonderful night of Brian Day music! Folks, if you haven't heard this group, come on in ... or you are really missing a night of fabulous music.

Coffee, Wine & Music

2011-01-16T12:32:00.000-07:00

Genoa Coffee and Wine ... and MUSIC ... so easy to stop by to enjoy all of it! Maybe we should change our name? Hmmm ...

Tuesday the Irish Session brings their happy sounds in an informal performance. It is a regular gathering of local musicians at the local pub for an evening of spontaneous Irish folk tunes. All instruments are acoustic and non-amplified. Happy music played by smiling musicians ... it will have you smiling, too ...

Thursday Elizabeth Hudetz returns with her wonderful voice and music. Elizabeth brings her polished style to soft rock classics and originals you will enjoy. Stop in for a great night of her songs and maybe even a guest musician or two. This will be a sweet night of sensational music ... !

Friday Acoustic Tapestry brings John Wichman and Sean McFeely with their guitar duo and original compositions. Their instrumental creations blend smooth jazz, soft rock and a multitude of harmonies ... you will truly have an incredible evening of beautiful sound ... they are a dynamic duo with dynamite songs! If you haven't heard them, you simply must stop by ... they are an awesome group ...

Saturday is a return for our awesome group of Rockers ... DHB3 is the Doyle Hargraves Band of Jerry, Kent & Sam ... a guitar duo and a bass player with the brilliant sounds of rock 'n' roll, Willie Nelson, and more with familiar vocals and an energetic application of happiness at playing music. We love their music and great attitudes ... and you will too ... if you haven't heard them yet, stop in for great tunes from a great group.

Another Full Lineup of Great Genoa Music!

2011-01-09T07:49:00.000-07:00

Brave the cold and snow for a fabulous music reward! The weather is definitely more like January in Wisconsin, but at least the music is HOT ...

Tuesday Vicki Pompea returns to Genoa ... she brings sweet music of amusements and musings, with guitar accompaniment. She has been called "a female John Denver" and peppers her performances with stories and humor as she plays original songs as well as songs from the 1960's to the present.

Wednesday is Tim Gauthier Jazz ... JAZZ Day at Genoa with Tim Gauthier and friends ... for jazz lovers of all ages, makes and models ... COOL JAZZ Wednesday makes for HOT music! Tim's jazz is always a sweet night of music for all Genoans ... !

Thursday Erin & Aaron Youngberg will make your hearts swell as they bring their amazing talents to country, bluegrass and folk music. They play guitars, upright bass, banjo and sing acoustic 'roots' music from old honky tonk gems and bluegrass favorites to honest folk and vintage country duets ... a duo in love, who love playing music.

Friday night Meadowlark returns with the combination of violin/fiddle, cello, hammer dulcimer and mandolin/bouzouki. Tim, Holly and Richard are an Acoustic Celtic group that plays an eclectic blend of traditional Irish, Scottish fiddle tunes, sea chanties, & elegant dance tunes; all with a driving Celtic style. This is such a fun night of music that will have you smiling ...

Saturday is Allison Berry and in the Pines Trio ... you know 'em and love 'em! Americana and all the the grass roots sounds ... relaxed, intimate and happy! Two fiddles and guitar bringing classic old-timey music to life ... This group of three smiling people who will make you smile as they play with heart and soul ...

Start 2011 With a Week of Genoa Music

2011-01-01T07:28:00.000-07:00

Genoa Music starts off the new year with a rush of great music.

Monday Ellen Myer & Bill Smith play classic rock, soft rock, jazz standards, and other easy-listening songs ... they start off our year of music with an amazing night of music ...

Tuesday SNEAK PEEK ... we have a 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sam Kunkle "working session" as Sam and friends hone their sound with some new songs and techniques ... no doubt it will be filled with laughter, fun and fabulous music!

Tuesday evening music: the Irish Session brings their happy sounds in an informal performance. It is a regular gathering of local musicians at the local pub for an evening of spontaneous Irish folk tunes. All instruments are acoustic and non-amplified. An Irish new year start ...

Wednesday is the debut of John Cittadino ... acoustic guitar and a stellar vocalist/conga player to perform an arsenal of classic soft rock, jazz, blues, and originals. Please help us welcome this music to Genoa!

Thursday Rodgers & Bzdek return ... Justin Bzdek bringing his original music and talented musical friends to Genoa. Guitar and more with alternative music selections. They are wonderful musicians who will make your Thursday AWESOME at Genoa. Their previous performance at Genoa was simply fantastic!

Friday - no music ... well, it happens ... stop in for a quiet evening at the end of a busy week.

Saturday is a return for our awesome group of Rockers ... DHB3 is the Doyle Hargraves Band of Jerry Nelson, Kent Pease & Sam ... a guitar duo and bass player with the brilliant sounds of rock 'n' roll, Willie Nelson, and more with familiar vocals and an energetic application of happiness at playing music. We love their music and great attitudes ... and you will too ... if you haven't heard them yet, stop in for great tunes from a great group.

The Music Before the Quiet ...

2010-12-18T06:40:00.001-07:00

Holidays are wonderful for many reasons, yet they seem to put a dent in Genoa music. Monday and Tuesday are the Music Before the Quiet ... because then we have two weeks of NO GENOA MUSIC! With the normal holiday "busy-ness" it is no wonder that musicians are also taking time off. BUT ... we'll be back with music the first week of January!

Reminder that TODAY ... Saturday ... Kathryn Warner returns! She is a singer/songwriter; an extraordinary vocalist and a talented musician. Most recognized for her crystal clear, powerhouse voice, Kathryn captivates her listeners and gives them her heart and soul whether she is singing blues, ballads, funk or gospel. Kathryn Warner describes her music as "Folk with Soul," and is known for stirring the hearts of audiences with her insightful songs about life, beautiful ballads, and her humorous play on love and relationships.

Monday Tim Mooney plays his first night at Genoa. Tim plays acoustic guitar and brings his contemporary original music to our venue. Please help us welcome Tim and make it a big night for his music debut!

Tuesday the Irish Session brings their happy sounds in an informal performance. It is a regular gathering of local musicians at the local pub for an evening of spontaneous Irish folk tunes. All instruments are acoustic and non-amplified. Happy music played by smiling musicians ... it will have you smiling, too ...

If you like WARM weather and COOL JAZZ ...

2010-12-12T08:33:00.000-07:00

Colorado temperatures in the 60's ... 20 inches of snow in Minneapolis, below zero temperatures ... December in Fort Collins; I'll take it! With these warm days, stop in to Genoa for COOL JAZZ Wednesday and more phenomenal music all week!

Wednesday is Tim Gauthier Jazz ... JAZZ Day at Genoa with Tim Gauthier and friends ... for jazz lovers of all ages, makes and models ... a COOL JAZZ Wednesday! Tim's jazz is always a sweet night of music for all Genoans ... !

Thursday Erin & Aaron Youngberg will make your hearts swell as they bring their amazing talents to country, bluegrass and folk music. They play guitars, upright bass, banjo and sing acoustic 'roots' music from old honky tonk gems and bluegrass favorites to honest folk and vintage country duets ... a duo in love, who love playing music.

Friday Acoustic Tapestry brings John Wichman and Sean McFeely with their guitar duo and original compositions. Their instrumental creations blend smooth jazz, soft rock and a multitude of harmonies ... you will truly have an incredible evening of beautiful sound ... they are a dynamic duo with dynamite songs! If you haven't heard them, you simply must stop by ... they are an awesome group ...

Saturday Kathryn Warner returns! She is a singer/songwriter; an extraordinary vocalist and a talented musician. Most recognized for her crystal clear, powerhouse voice, Kathryn captivates her listeners and gives them her heart and soul whether she is singing blues, ballads, funk or gospel. Kathryn Warner describes her music as "Folk with Soul," and is known for stirring the hearts of audiences with her insightful songs about life, beautiful ballads, and her humorous play on love and relationships.

Grateful for MUSIC!

2010-12-05T07:37:00.000-07:00

We just had an amazing week of music at Genoa! We hope you got to stop by ... We are so fortunate to have so many talented musicians locally ... and all over Colorado. This week we have an out-of-town guest ... Annie Brooks from Durango ... we are so excited and grateful for such fabulous music! If you love wonderful music, Genoa brings it to you every week ... free ... and close up and personal. We are, SO GRATEFUL!

Tuesday the Irish Session brings an informal performance of a regular gathering of local musicians at the local pub for an evening of spontaneous Irish folk tunes. All instruments are acoustic and non-amplified. Happy music played by happy, smiling musicians ... it will have you smiling, too ...

Friday Annie Brooks is here! Annie's all-original music is as diverse as it is charming. It IS simply fabulous ... she grew up between a music and art-saturated home and a tour bus and all of that and so much more shows up in her music and produces a lovely blend of old and new, sunny and soulful, unique and classic. This is a Genoa music event that will be a highlight of our musical history ...

Saturday Nathan Worthey returns for a perfect finish of music at Genoa this week ... his music and amazing voice made his debut in October a super smash! We are so happy he is back with more music to showcase his wonderful talent ... thank you Nathan!

People ... if you love music ... there are opportunities at Genoa this week that you just should not miss ... be there!

The End of the Music Gap

2010-11-29T14:55:00.000-07:00

We hope you had a FABULOUS time last week with family, friends and fun ... Time for Genoa again! The music is back ON ...

Wednesday is Tim Gauthier Jazz ... JAZZ Day at Genoa with Tim Gauthier and friends ... for jazz lovers of all ages, makes and models ... this week he will be joined by Grant Gordy on guitar. This is a special treat for both Jazz and guitar lovers. Along with Tim's amazing music, Grant is so incredibly talented, you have to see and hear him to believe it ... this will be, a completely awesome, fabulous night of music.

Thursday Sam Kunkle returns with Mike LeDonne and Amigos ... they will play and sing folk rock, 30's jazz & bluesy pop on keyboard, guitar and percussion ... with energy and enthusiasm for music! These are people who promote local music and talent and work hard to help people spread the musical word ... come in and listen to some amazing folks play some amazing music ...

Friday night Meadowlark returns with the combination of violin/fiddle, cello, hammer dulcimer and mandolin/bouzouki. Tim, Holly and Richard are an Acoustic Celtic group that plays an eclectic blend of traditional Irish, Scottish fiddle tunes, sea chanties, & elegant dance tunes; all with a driving Celtic style. This is such a fun night of music that will have you smiling ...

Saturday is a return for our awesome group of Rockers ... DHB3 is the Doyle Hargraves Band of Jerry Nelson, Kent Pease & Sam ... a guitar duo and bass player with the brilliant sounds of rock 'n' roll, Willie Nelson, and more with familiar vocals and an energetic application of happiness at playing music. We love their music and great attitudes ... and you will too ... stop in for great tunes from a great group.

Winter Snow and a Favorite Hot Drink ...

2010-11-14T07:28:00.000-07:00

Some like it hot, some like it snowy ... winter has popped in for a few days and we have heard much about the delight in the first snowfall. When it is cold and snowy outside, Genoa will make your favorite hot drink to enjoy along with the first taste of winter. Mix that with our wonderful musicians and it is truly a fabulous combination!

Tuesday the Irish Session brings not the formal performance of a regular “band”, but more of a regular gathering of local musicians at the local pub for an evening of spontaneous Irish folk tunes. All instruments are acoustic and non-amplified. Happy music played by happy, smiling musicians ... stop by!

Wednesday is Tim Gauthier Jazz ... JAZZ Day at Genoa with Tim Gauthier and friends ... for jazz lovers of all ages, makes and models ... Tim brings so many talented friends by to play with him, but even solo, he brings out a fabulous night of amazing jazz. If you haven't heard this jazz musician, you are really missing out ...

Thursday we have Whitebird's return ... Jeri Nichols-Park and Paul Park bring soft rock and amazing harmony to Genoa. Music from the 60's, 70's and 80's will have you smiling and singing along to their talented guitars.

Friday Sharon Holbrooks is back ... guitar and songs from her heart. Original music with soul, shared with love and smiles as she is simply ... Sharon. A night sure to be filled with delightful music and plenty of smiles!

Saturday is without music at this time ... upcoming holidays are keeping folks busier on the weekends so we have not yet found anyone for Saturday ... keep checking to see if we find someone to play!

Weather Changes; Warmer or Cooler ... But Our Music is ALWAYS Warm!

2010-11-07T05:47:00.000-07:00

Wednesday Elizabeth Hudetz returns with her wonderful voice and music. Elizabeth has been in several bands including "After the Fire" (for 7 years; a large choreographed show band), The Tumbledowns, Poudre River Band, Big Sky and she opened as a soloist for Hot Tuna, Firefall, Leon Russell, Leo Kotke, 10,000 Maniacs, and more.

Friday Acoustic Tapestry brings John Wichman and Sean McFeely with their guitar duo and original compositions and this week with special guest Nick Wichman of 'Ask You In Gray'. Their instrumental creations blend smooth jazz, soft rock and a multitude of harmonies ... you will truly have an incredible evening of beautiful sound ... they are a dynamic duo with dynamite songs! If you haven't heard them, you simply must stop by ... they are an awesome group ...

Saturday is a Genoa debut for Kathryn Warner. She is a singer/songwriter; an extraordinary vocalist and a talented musician. Most recognized for her crystal clear, powerhouse voice, Kathryn captivates her listeners and gives them her heart and soul whether she is singing blues, ballads, funk or gospel. Kathryn Warner describes her music as "Folk with Soul," and is known for stirring the hearts of audiences with her insightful songs about life, beautiful ballads, and her humorous play on love and relationships. Please help us provide a warm welcome for Kathryn!

Music Variety is HERE this week ...

2010-10-31T07:08:00.003-06:00

So much to do ... more coming up with the holiday season ... maybe take a little time ... this week ... to hear some amazing music at Genoa ...

Tuesday the Irish Session brings not the formal performance of a regular “band”, but more of a regular gathering of local musicians at the local pub for an evening of spontaneous Irish folk tunes. All instruments are acoustic and non-amplified. You want to hear some happy music? ... stop by!

Wednesday is Tim Gauthier Jazz ... JAZZ Day at Genoa with Tim Gauthier and friends ... for jazz lovers of all ages, makes and models ... this week he will be joined by Grant Gordy on guitar. This is a special treat for both Jazz and guitar lovers. Along with Tim's amazing music, Grant is so incredibly talented, you have to see and hear him to believe it ... this will be, a completely awesome, fabulous night of music.

Friday night Meadowlark returns with the combination of violin/fiddle, cello, hammer dulcimer and mandolin/bouzouki. Tim, Holly and Richard are an Acoustic Celtic group that plays an eclectic blend of traditional Irish, Scottish fiddle tunes, sea chanties, & elegant dance tunes; all with a driving Celtic style. This is such a fun night of music that will have you smiling ...

Saturday is a return for our awesome group of Rockers ... DHB 3 is the Doyle Hargraves Band of Jerry Nelson, Kent Pease & Sam ... a guitar duo and bass player with the brilliant sounds of rock 'n' roll, Willie Nelson, and more with familiar vocals and an energetic application of happiness at playing music. We love their music and great attitudes ... and you will too ... stop in for great tunes from a great group.

Music This Week

2010-10-24T08:01:00.001-06:00

The Halloween weekend has created a music void ... no music Friday or Saturday so far ... what we have lined up though, is FABULOUS!

Tuesday Elizabeth Hudetz returns with her wonderful voice and music. Elizabeth has been in several bands including "After the Fire" (for 7 years; a large choreographed show band), The Tumbledowns, Poudre River Band, Big Sky and she opened as a soloist for Hot Tuna, Firefall, Leon Russell, Leo Kotke, 10,000 Maniacs, and more.

Wednesday is Tim Gauthier Jazz ... once again JAZZ Day at Genoa with Tim Gauthier and friends ... for jazz lovers of all ages, makes and models ... this week he will be joined by Andrew Vogt on saxophone; sez Tim: "Andrew is an amazing talent. He always brings a fabulous creative energy to the mix, and I am tickled that he is coming to play." Stop by for an amazing night of JAZZ!

October in Colorado

2010-10-06T07:23:00.000-06:00

Gorgeous weather and colorful Colorado! Awesome ...

Tuesday we have the second Irish Session lead by Russ Cole and Paige Niederer. A Traditional Irish Session is less of a formal performance than a “band”, and more of a regular gathering of local musicians at the local pub for an evening of spontaneous folk tunes and “Craic” (pronounced “crack” and meaning basically frivolity and light conversation between tune sets). All instruments are acoustic and non-amplified. This was such a fun event ... stop by to see them!

Wednesday Sandy Moffett and Grant McIntosh are SHE 'N' HE, debuting as a duo ... Sandy has played with Sam Kunkle at Genoa, but this is the first for her duo and Grant's first night. Sandy's and Grant's original performing roots are in classic country songs. They perform them as well as some driving new country, but also songs from all popular music genres. Their strong vocals and acoustic rhythms will make it a great night of music ...

Thursday we have another Genoa debut ... Elizabeth Hudetz (& son Previn if that works out). Elizabeth has been in several bands including "After the Fire" for 7 years (a large choreographed show band), The Tumbledowns, Poudre River Band, Big Sky and she opened as a soloist for Hot Tuna, Firefall, Leon Russell, Leo Kotke, 10,000 Maniacs, and more.

Friday Don Thurn is back with his soothing voice and smooth guitar. Don's music reflects many of his life events, celebrating its joys, struggles, and simple beauty in a descriptive and enjoyable musical journey. Don brings his unique blend of acoustic guitar instrumentals and lyrically descriptive original songs inspired by his life's journey. He plays a sweet session of music ... this is a night you will love ...

Saturday Ellen Myer & Bill Smith play classic rock, soft rock, jazz standards, and other easy-listening songs ... please help us welcome them back to Genoa ... their debut was awesome! AND, we have a new light fixture now, so we will need an audience to help us keep it intact ... heh ...

September Ending, but Weather Cooperating!

2010-09-26T07:21:00.003-06:00

The last week of September ... here already ... NOT quite ready for that, but here it is anyway ... Please note our change in business hours and music times, starting Monday September 27th ... we close at 9 p.m. and music goes from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Tuesday Andrew Webb is back with his creative original songs and covers ... Andrew has depth and character as he sings his songs from the heart. His guitar and voice tell his story ... come catch the energetic music of this local talent!

Wednesday Tim Gauthier Jazz ... once again JAZZ Day at Genoa with Tim Gauthier and friends ... for jazz lovers of all ages, makes and models ... if you enjoy jazz, Tim will make you smile. Stop by for cool jazz ... now a month apart!

Thursday's Justin (Jay) Bzdek had to be rescheduled ... NO music on Thursday ...

Friday Acoustic Tapestry brings John Wichman and Sean McFeely with their guitar duo and original compositions. Their instrumental creations blend smooth jazz, soft rock and a multitude of harmonies ... you will truly have an incredible evening of beautiful sound ... they are a dynamic duo with dynamite songs! If you haven't heard them, you simply must stop by ... they are an awesome group ...

Saturday we have a new musician for Genoa ... Vicki Pompea debuts with sweet music of amusements and musings, with guitar accompaniment. She has been called "a female John Denver" and peppers her performances with stories and humor as she plays original songs as well as songs from the 1960's to the present. Please help us welcome Vicki to Genoa!

Irish Traditional, Rock 'n' Roll and Bluegrass in the Same Week

2010-09-20T05:24:00.003-06:00

There should be something for everyone this week in the Genoa music ... and Jazz next week ... we keep variety in our lineup!

Tuesday we start off a new event for the Irish Sessions lead by Russ Cole and Paige Niederer. A Traditional Irish Session is less of a formal performance than a “band”, and more of a regular gathering of local musicians at the local pub for an evening of spontaneous folk tunes and “Craic” (pronounced “crack” and meaning basically frivolity and light conversation between tune sets). All instruments are acoustic and non-amplified. Stop by for this new music at Genoa ...

Thursday Tony Price and his lovely and talented wife Esti bring soft rock and amazing harmony to life. Tony plays guitar and sings classic and modern rock as well as an impressive array of his own songs. Great voices and awesome talent! Each time they ROCK the house with a fantastic performance ... if you haven't seen their performance, don't wait any longer!

Friday we another new performance for the week ... Slim Pickins (Sky Seidel) with amazing Bluegrass from this three-piece group. Mandolin, bass, vocals and a BANJO! I love bluegrass banjo, and figure, what more could you possibly want? Opening group of Mikendrah and Mirandra Muncy; sisters playing and singing for you!

Saturday is a new name for our awesome group of Rockers ... DHB 3 is the Doyle Hargraves Band of Jerry Nelson, Kent Pease & Sam ... a guitar duo and drummer with the brilliant sounds of rock 'n' roll, Willie Nelson, and more with familiar vocals and an energetic application of happiness at playing music. We love their music and great attitudes ... and you will too ... stop in and listen for yourself.

Wine and Music ... and a Fabulous Fall Season at Genoa

2010-09-12T07:25:00.002-06:00

A beautiful fall season is in full swing ... it has been GORGEOUS so far! Cool enough to enjoy hot coffee in the morning and warm enough to enjoy wine on the patio in the evening. Fall in Colorado is truly wonderful ...

Thursday is a double treat ... John Mieras and Wine-Tasting with white and red selections from New Zealand and Australia; fabulous music and a delicious wine-tasting event! John Mieras brings his original musical creations alive with a dynamic wide-ranging voice and smooth guitar. He has new songs, and this is an event you just should not miss ... John Mieras at Genoa. He will captivate you with his music, and that is a promise.

Friday night Meadowlark returns with the combination of violin/fiddle, cello, hammer dulcimer and mandolin/bouzouki. Tim, Holly and Richard are an Acoustic Celtic group that plays an eclectic blend of traditional Irish, Scottish fiddle tunes, sea chanties, & elegant dance tunes; all with a driving Celtic style.

Saturday Sharon Holbrooks is back ... guitar and songs from her heart. Original music with soul, shared with love and smiles as she is simply ... Sharon. A night sure to be filled with delightful music and plenty of smiles!

Music One Night at a Time

2010-08-30T05:27:00.002-06:00

As we all adjust to this approaching fall and school schedules and other changes, we try to take the time to savor what is happening in the moment ... with music, that is really where to be ... in that musical moment.

Wednesday ... the duo Ryan and James - The Bacon Bits - from Better Than Bacon ... this is their debut at Genoa ... guitars and vocals ... we are so happy to have them play for us ... please help us welcome them to Genoa! We heard Ryan a few weeks ago in a solo performance ... it was fabulous! The duo ... really ... better than bacon ... come in, listen ... and you will know for yourself!

Thursday Sam Kunkle returns with friends Sandy Moffett and Mike LeDonne ... they will play and sing folk rock, 30's jazz & bluesy pop on keyboard, guitar and percussion ... with energy and enthusiasm for music! These are people who promote local music and talent and work hard to help people spread the musical word ... come in and listen to some amazing folks play some amazing music ...

Friday Acoustic Tapestry brings John Wichman and Sean McFeely with their guitar duo and original compositions. Their instrumental creations blend smooth jazz, soft rock and a multitude of harmonies ... you will truly have an incredible evening of beautiful sound ... they are a dynamic duo with dynamite songs!

Saturday is without music at this time ... it seems that this fall transition has lots of talented musicians adjusting to new schedules and changing responsibilities ... and we have not yet found anyone for Saturday ... keep checking to see if we find someone to play!

Music for Settling In

2010-08-22T09:54:00.000-06:00

Fall is too quickly approaching as we settle in to the start of a new school session ... settling in seems to be a reasonable way to look at this latest seasonal transition. Music at Genoa is a fitting blend with both new music artists and returning performers.

Tuesday we have a debut for Brian Collins. Brian is a singer/songwriter who plays his originals via piano and vocals. He brings extraordinary talent and showmanship to a range of musical genres ... it will be an awesome evening ...

Wednesday is once again JAZZ Day at Genoa with Tim Gauthier and friends ... for jazz lovers of all ages, makes and models ... if you enjoy jazz, Tim will make you smile. Stop by for cool jazz ... now a month apart!

Thursday is another debut, with Justin Bzdek bringing his original music to Genoa. Justin sings and plays guitar while performing his alternative music selections. He is a wonderful musician and his talent will make your Thursday at Genoa ...

Friday Derek Anderson is back with his fabulous solo guitar and amazing loop-playback self-accompaniment magic ... he brings original instrumental creations to life with a style all his own. A young local artist with lots of talent that you will enjoy!

Saturday Brian Day returns with Mike Brown & Andrew Bond. They are bringing their eclectic mix of music from acoustic rock 'n' roll, folk, surf, alternative and original music. The whole evening will feature Brian with his charisma and golden voice ... another wonderful night of Brian Day music!

Enjoying August Music

2010-08-15T07:50:00.000-06:00

Welcome to Genoa Music for the Week!

Wednesday we have Portland Oregon's Joe Foster ... a singer/songwriter and one-man acoustic Folk, Americana, Bluegrass show. Joe has played house concerts in Eastern Europe to the busy streets of downtown Portland, Oregon and countless venues in between. Some have compared his sound somewhere between Tom Petty, Paul Simon and Buck Owens.
Thursday Tony Price and his lovely and talented wife Esti bring soft rock and amazing harmony to life. Tony plays guitar and sings classic and modern rock as well as an impressive array of his own songs. Great voices and awesome talent! Last month they ROCKED the house with a fantastic performance ... stop in and see them!
Friday Don Thurn is back with his soothing voice and smooth guitar. Don's music reflects many of his life events, celebrating its joys, struggles, and simple beauty in a descriptive and enjoyable musical journey. Don brings his unique blend of acoustic guitar instrumentals and lyrically descriptive original songs inspired by his life's journey. He plays a sweet session of music you will love ...
Saturday Genoa is closing early - 6 p.m. so NO MUSIC SATURDAY.

Music that is BETTER than Coffee?!? YOU decide!

2010-08-08T06:48:00.001-06:00

If you love great coffee, wine and food, then you will also love our music ... this week we have:
Wednesday ... the duo Ryan and James - The Bacon Bits - from Better Than Bacon ... this is their debut at Genoa ... guitars and vocals ... we are so happy to have them play for us ... please help us welcome them to Genoa!

Thursday Derek Anderson is back with his fabulous solo guitar and amazing loop-playback self-accompaniment magic ... he brings original instrumental creations to life with a style all his own. A young local artist with lots of talent that you will enjoy!

Friday brings Jerry Nelson, Kent Pease & Sam ... a guitar duo and drummer with the brilliant sounds of rock 'n' roll, Willie Nelson, and more with familiar vocals and an energetic application of happiness at playing music. We love their music and great attitudes ... and you will too ... stop in and listen for yourself.

Saturday is the triumphant return for Bev Barber & Chris Sheafor. Their first performance with us was amazing! They are energetic, over-the-top talented and spell-binding ... Bev and Chris do this just for the fun of it. When people ask what’s the style? ”songs we like” is the only honest answer for them to give. Songs from modern soft rock to blues and more ... with Bev singing and Chris on the guitar, we guarantee you a night of awesome music that you will love.

Celebrating Summer at Genoa, with MUSIC

2010-08-01T06:36:00.000-06:00

August is upon us. Summer still, yet no longer July ... and almost September? Yikes ... keep summer going with MUSIC at Genoa ...

Thursday is a double treat ... John Mieras and Malbec Madness; fabulous music and a wine-tasting event. John Mieras brings his original musical creations alive with a dynamic wide-ranging voice and smooth guitar. He is returning after time recording new songs, and this is an event you just should not miss ... John Mieras at Genoa. He will captivate you with his music, and that is a promise.

Friday Kalli VanderTop returns with her StudioK songs, keyboard and perhaps even some guest musicians. Kalli's singing and all StudioK talents will be on display for your enjoyment. You will have a fabulously fun night of happy songs and smiles with Kalli and StudioK!

Saturday Acoustic Tapestry brings John Wichman and Sean McFeely with their guitar duo and original compositions. Their instrumental creations blend smooth jazz, soft rock and a multitude of harmonies ... you will truly have an incredible evening of beautiful sound ... they are a dynamic duo with incredible songs!

Five Days of Music THIS Week!

2010-07-25T16:08:00.000-06:00

Tuesday is the last JAZZ Day at Genoa with Tim Gauthier and friends until the end of August ... for jazz lovers of all ages, makes and models ... if you enjoy jazz, Tim will make you smile. Stop by for cool jazz on a hot day ... last one for a month!

Wednesday we have Ben & Sarah Myers - Blackbird ... Acoustic Folk & Celtic Music with over 10 instruments (bouzouki, mandolin, guitar, dulcimer, autoharp, folk flute, whistles, orchestral flute, and percussion) and vocals between the two of them, they will be performing a mix of Irish, Celtic and Folk music spanning several hundred years, from the 1600's to the 20th century!

Thursday Tony Price and his lovely and talented wife Esti bring soft rock and amazing harmony to life. Tony plays guitar and sings classic and modern rock as well as an impressive array of his own songs. Great voices and awesome talent!

Friday Don Thurn is back with his soothing voice and smooth guitar. Don's music reflects many of his life events, celebrating its joys, struggles, and simple beauty in a descriptive and enjoyable musical journey. Help us welcome him back as he brings his unique blend of acoustic guitar instrumentals and lyrically descriptive original songs inspired by his life's journey.

Saturday Brian Day is back with his regular buddies, Mike Brown & Andrew Bond. They will feature a guest singer, Aubree Bullock, who you have heard before. They'll dedicate at least 1/2 of the time for her. The whole evening will feature Brian with his charisma and golden voice ... you will love his songs from rock 'n' roll to ballad to Big Band and more ... there is always variety in his band's composition and no matter who accompanies Brian, it is a night of great music.

Cool Music for this Summer Heat

2010-07-19T05:51:00.000-06:00

Tuesday is JAZZ Day at Genoa with Tim Gauthier and friends ... for jazz lovers of all ages, makes and models ... if you enjoy jazz, Tim will make you smile. Stop by for cool jazz on a hot day ...

Thursday is the return of Dave & Emily Barnes ... these two will have you singing along and rockin' to great guitar and vocals. They are energetic and fun ... it is another perfect duo for Genoa's venue.

Friday we have a bittersweet event ... Harmonica Jay's last Genoa performance. Exciting changes for Jay, but we will really miss him! Jay's music has made us smile since his first day, months ago, but he is moving on from Colorado and distance will make playing at Genoa physically impossible. Please help us give Jay a proper sendoff with lots of applause and best wishes.

Saturday we have Whitebird's return ... Jeri Nichols-Park and Paul Park bring soft rock and amazing harmony to Genoa. Music from the 60's, 70's and 80's will have you smiling and singing along to their talented guitars.

Where are the music fans? At Genoa!

2010-07-12T14:31:00.000-06:00

We are bringing in awesome music for your pleasure, but you have to come in to hear it ... don't let these talented musicians slip by you! As incentive for you to stop by to hear for yourself, we have Happy Hour pricing until 9 p.m. Tuesday, Friday and Saturday nights this week.

Tuesdays for the rest of July we have Tim Gauthier Jazz Night ... come listen to Tim and guests as he plays wonderful jazz creations for you. It is always a fabulous night of JAZZ!

Thursday ... unfortunately, no music this week ... how did THAT happen?

Friday we have Josh Grenz and Big White Van back for another night of great acoustic guitar duo classics and modern songs. These two young fellows are a pleasure ... they sing and play with all the energy and enthusiasm their music demands ... you will love it!

Saturday Ellen Myer & Bill Smith play classic rock, soft rock, jazz standards, and other easy-listening songs ... please help us welcome them back to Genoa ... their debut was awesome!

Music for the Week Starts Today!

2010-07-05T07:16:00.003-06:00

Monday July 5th is another debut ... Ellen & Bill Myer play jazz standards ala "Frank and Ella" according to their bio ... please help us give them a warm welcome to Genoa!

On Thursday Tony Price and his lovely and talented wife Esti bring soft rock and amazing harmony to life. Tony plays guitar and sings classic and modern rock as well as an impressive array of his own songs. Great voices and awesome talent!

On Friday Harmonica Jay sets his own brand of energy into his guitar and harmonica. His songs are a blend of original and a few covers that will have you spellbound. Jay is an original ... enthusiastic, witty and edgy ... stop in for an evening of his music.

Saturday we have John Wichman & Sean McFeely - Acoustic Tapestry - instrumental guitars that blend smooth jazz, soft rock and a multitude of harmonies, including their own compositions ... if you enjoy guitars blending in beautiful sound, don't miss this!

Music Music Music!

2010-06-28T16:11:00.001-06:00

A full week of great music through next Monday ...
Tuesday is Tim Gauthier Jazz Night ... come listen to Tim and guests as he plays wonderful jazz creations for you. It is always a fabulous night of JAZZ!
Wednesday has Brian Day with Mike & Andrew playing 6 to 8:30 p.m. for a benefit with Wine, Music, Massage and Prizes ... proceeds go to Matthews House ... a place of restoration, hope and healing for young adults. $20 per ticket, $30 for two ...
Thursday we have Ben & Sarah Myers - Blackbird ... Acoustic Folk & Celtic Music with over 10 instruments (bouzouki, mandolin, guitar, dulcimer, autoharp, folk flute, whistles, orchestral flute, and percussion) and vocals between the two of them, they will be performing a mix of Irish, Celtic and Folk music spanning several hundred years, from the 1600's to the 20th century!
Friday is the musical debut of Kalli VanderTop Rezinate/StudioK Music. Six voice a'cappella arrangements ... that's right ... voices only! Come out to listen to this musical first at Genoa.
Saturday Coco & Lafe stop by in their ONLY Fort Collins stop during 16 area gigs in 15 days. From Massachusetts , they write and perform acoustic bluesy story and character songs, and they have their beagle with them on stage. They are touring from Maine to California, with Genoa lucky enough to have them. What's not to love?
Monday July 5th is another debut ... Ellen & Bill Myer play jazz standards ala "Frank and Ella" according to their bio ... please help us give them a warm welcome to Genoa!

Music Starting Monday June 21st

2010-06-20T18:48:00.000-06:00

Monday Dave and Emily Barnes … 2/3 of Spazz Katt
From Dave Barnes: Recently I have been working and playing with Spazz Katt … members are: myself, Jenn and Emily Barnes. The group was formed while both Jenn and Em were in high school. While growing up both girls constantly heard their Dad, me, playing guitar. One day Jenn decided she wanted to play Bass, and during a practice lesson, Em, blurted out I want to sing! Thus the beginning of Spazz Katt. On our first release, Hairball, we demonstrate our broad range of musical talents. From the slow blues of 4U to the light country of If I Fell, many favorites can be heard. Pounce, was written for our cat, Little Kitty, and is a popular dance song. Audiences enjoy jumping around to its beat. Emily plays the flute on the instrumental Tundra, named after our dog who would leave practice sessions when things weren't sounding the best.
Tuesdays is Tim Gauthier solo jazz night - and it is AWESOME! He may have a guest musician or two, but it is all Tim jazz all the time. Tim is the 2001 guitar champion at the Rockygrass Bluegrass Festival and has competed in flat-picking championships. He loves music and has played with many groups and musicians. Tuesdays he brings his love of music to jazz at Genoa.
Derek Anderson is back one week later, again on Thursday with his solo guitar and amazing loop-playback accompaniment magic ... he brings original instrumental creations to life with a style all his own. A young local artist with lots of talent that you will enjoy!
On Friday Harmonica Jay sets his own brand of energy into his guitar and harmonica. His songs are a blend of original and a few covers that will have you spellbound. Jay is an original ... enthusiastic, witty and edgy ... stop in for an evening of his music.
Saturday brings Jerry Nelson & Kent Pease - another guitar duo (and maybe a drummer) with the sounds of rock 'n' roll, Willie Nelson, and more with familiar vocals and an energetic application of happiness at playing music.

Music Friendly Atmosphere

2010-06-14T18:12:00.000-06:00

Bobby Christensen is back from Costa Rica, so you get a weekly music email again!

Tuesdays is Tim Gauthier solo jazz night - and it is AWESOME! He may have a guest musician or two, but it is all Tim jazz all the time. Tim is the 2001 guitar champion at the Rockygrass Bluegrass Festival and has competed in flat-picking championships. He loves music and has played with many groups and musicians. Tuesdays he brings his love of music to jazz at Genoa.

Derek Anderson returns Thursday with his solo guitar and amazing loop-playback accompaniment magic ... he brings original instrumental creations to life with a style all his own. A young local artist with lots of talent that you will enjoy!

Don Thurn was a recent new musician at Genoa ... he returns Friday. His music reflects many of Don's life events, celebrating its joys, struggles, and simple beauty in a descriptive and enjoyable musical journey. Help us welcome him back as he brings his unique blend of acoustic guitar instrumentals and lyrically descriptive original songs inspired by his life's journey.

Saturday is Allison Berry and in the Pines Trio ... you know 'em and love 'em! Americana and all the the grass roots sounds ... relaxed, intimate and happy! Two fiddles and guitar bringing classic old-timey music to life ... This group of three smiling people who will make you smile as they play with heart and soul ...

Starting June Jazz this Tuesday

2010-05-31T06:44:00.001-06:00

Tuesdays in June we have Tim Gauthier solo jazz night, although there could be guest musicians. Tim is the 2001 guitar champion at the Rockygrass Bluegrass Festival and has competed in flat-picking championships. He loves music and has played with many groups and musicians. Tuesdays he brings his love of music to jazz at Genoa.
Thursday brings Ben and Sarah Myers - Blackbird ... Acoustic Folk & Celtic Music with over 10 instruments (bouzouki, mandolin, guitar, dulcimer, autoharp, folk flute, whistles, orchestral flute, and percussion) and vocals between the two of them, they will be performing a mix of Irish, Celtic and Folk music spanning several hundred years, from the 1600s to the 20th century!
On Friday Dumb Friends will rock 'n' roll you with a wide range of songs and moods for two guitars and percussion ... they are the first Genoa music group to have people so enthused that they started dancing in front of the main entrance ... come on down and listen ... and dance!
Saturday is the Genoa debut for The Bev Barber Band & Sheafor. They are keeping it close to the heart with a line-up that includes vocals and acoustic guitar. Bev and Chris Sheafor do this just for the fun of it. When people ask what’s the style? ”songs we like” is the only honest answer for them to give. Songs from modern soft rock to blues and more ... please help us welcome them to Genoa!

Summer Heat and Cool Music

2010-05-23T09:47:00.000-06:00

Thursday Andrew Webb returns with his creative original songs ... he shows depth and character as he sings his songs from the heart. His guitar and voice tell his story ... come catch the energetic music of this local talent.
On Friday Harmonica Jay sets his own brand of energy into his guitar and harmonica. His songs are a blend of original and a few covers that will have you spellbound. Jay is an original ... enthusiastic, witty and edgy ... stop in for an evening of his music.
Saturday is Allison Berry and in the Pines Trio ... Americana and all the the grass roots sounds you love ... relaxed, intimate and happy! Two fiddles and guitar make this an unusual combination that just plain works! This group of three smiling people who will make you smile as they play with heart and soul ...

Bring on Summer Music!

2010-05-17T15:05:00.003-06:00

Due to an unexpected schedule conflict, Dumb Friends are playing in place of Whitebird on Thursday this week for us ... Dumb Friends jumped in when we called, and came to our rescue ... they will rock 'n' roll you with a wide range of songs and moods for two guitars and percussion ... they are the first Genoa music group to have people so enthused that they started dancing in front of the main entrance! Come on down and listen ... and dance!

Friday we have Josh Grenz and Big White Van back for another night of great acoustic guitar duo classics and modern songs. These two young fellows are a pleasure ... they sing and play with all the energy and enthusiasm their music demands ... you will love it!

Don Thurn is a new musician at Genoa this Saturday. His music reflects many of Don's life events, celebrating its joys, struggles, and simple beauty in a descriptive and enjoyable musical journey. Help us welcome him as he brings his unique blend of acoustic guitar instrumentals and lyrically descriptive original songs inspired by his life's journey.

A new Musician this week

2010-05-10T16:23:00.000-06:00

Amanda Labrock plays this Thursday ... her own acoustic guitar compositions from life ... her journey is alive in her music, and vice-versa ... sometimes melancholy, sometimes vibrant and surprising ... she will have you smiling with styles from classical guitar to flamenco... please help us welcome her first appearance at Genoa!
On Friday Harmonica Jay brings his California Gondola songwriting, enthusiasm, wit and charm to our coffee and wine home ... great original songs and a passion for playing them.
Brian Day returns on Saturday with his charisma and golden voice ... you will love his songs from rock 'n' roll to ballad to Big Band and more ... there is always variety in his band's composition and no matter who accompanies Brian, it is a night of great music.

Music May 6th, 7th and 8th

2010-05-05T06:05:00.000-06:00

Thursday brings Ben and Sarah Myers - Blackbird ... Acoustic Folk & Celtic Music with over 10 instruments (bouzouki, mandolin, guitar, dulcimer, autoharp, folk flute, whistles, orchestral flute, and percussion) and vocals between the two of them, they will be performing a mix of Irish, Celtic and Folk music spanning several hundred years, from the 1600s to the 20th century!
Friday is John Wichman & Sean McFeely - Acoustic Tapestry - instrumental guitars that blend smooth jazz, soft rock and a multitude of harmonies, including their own compositions ... if you enjoy guitars blending in beautiful sound, don't miss this!
Saturday brings Jerry Nelson & Kent Pease - another guitar duo with the sounds of rock 'n' roll, Willie Nelson, and more with familiar vocals and an energetic application of happiness at playing music.
Robert

This Week's Music

2010-04-26T09:03:00.000-06:00

For Monday stop in to hear a band moving higher ... 10 Fold is from Palm Springs, CA but has a local contact - Ethan's mom is a Genoa regular! 10 Fold has a Nirvana, Pearl Jam sort of edge with great lyrics and sound, if toned down a little for our up-close venue.
Thursday brings Sharon Holbrooks for her Genoa debut ... guitar and songs from her heart. Original music with soul, shared with love and smiles as she is Simply Sharon.
Friday night Meadowlark returns with the combination of violin/fiddle, cello, hammer dulcimer and mandolin/bouzouki. Tim, Holly and Richard are an Acoustic Celtic that plays an eclectic blend of traditional Irish, Scottish fiddle tunes, sea chanties, & elegant dance tunes; all with a driving Celtic style.
Saturday is another Genoa debut ... Tony Price plays guitar and sings classic and modern rock as well as an impressive array of his own songs. Great voice and awesome talent!
Please help us welcome 10 Fold for their one-night stop in Fort Collins, as well as the debuts of Sharon and Tony. And don't forget Meadowlark on Friday!
Robert

Playing For The Love of Music

2010-04-18T10:53:00.000-06:00

Hello Everyone ...
Talented musicians, playing LIVE and close-up ... all for your enjoyment ... what's not to love?
Thursday Erin & Aaron Youngberg will make your hearts swell as they bring their amazing talents to country, bluegrass and folk music. They play guitars, upright bass, banjo and sing acoustic 'roots' music from old honky tonk gems and bluegrass favorites to honest folk and vintage country duets ... a duo in love, who love playing music.
On Friday Harmonica Jay brings his California Gondola songwriting, enthusiasm, wit and charm to our coffee and wine home ... great original songs and a passion for playing them.
Saturday is Allison Berry and in the Pines Trio ... Americana and all the the grass roots sounds you love ... relaxed, intimate and happy! Well, mostly ... you know how some ballads are ... three smiling people who will make you smile as they play with heart and soul ...
We look forward to seeing you here!
Robert

It's getting COOOLD outside!

2010-03-23T14:13:00.000-06:00

Come in to Genoa and warm up with some hot soup and a delicious latte!

We have two soups today: Broccoli Cheddar
Butternut Squash and Curry, topped with toasted coconut & salted cashews

YUM!! Both are served with toasted homemade bread! Come in while it lasts!

Mention this post and receive $1 off your soup!

Close out January 2010 with Genoa Music!

2010-01-25T20:32:00.000-07:00

Thursday Erin & Aaron Youngberg bring their amazing talents to country, bluegrass and folk music - up close and personal! They play guitars, upright bass, banjo and sing acoustic roots music from old honky tonk gems and bluegrass favorites to honest folk and vintage country duets ... more instrumentation than you've ever seen for a duo!
Friday will be Tim Macomber and Meadowlark! Meadowlark is an Acoustic Celtic Trio that plays an eclectic blend of traditional Irish, Scottish fiddle tunes and elegant dance tunes; all with a driving Celtic style. Fiddle, cello, hammer dulcimer, mandolin, and more ...
Saturday is Matt Wall with acoustic guitar, and his special guest - sister Liz, on violin. Classical music to tunes from Renaissance Festivals gone by ... this is a first at Genoa for this duo so please help us welcome them!

Great Music This Week!

2010-01-18T14:10:00.000-07:00

Thursday John Mieras returns! You do NOT want to miss his music ... gotta hear it to believe it ...
On Friday Harmonica Jay will bring his California Gondola songwriting and more to our coffee and wine home!
Saturday is Allison Berry and in the Pines Trio ... Americana and all the the grass roots sounds you love ... relaxed, intimate and happy! Well, mostly ... you know how some ballads are ...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

2009-12-31T13:23:00.000-07:00

Come in to Genoa from 4-6pm tonight to start out your festivities early with us...mention you saw this and we'll give you 2 glasses of wine or beer for the price of 1! See you tonight!

Holiday Hours

2009-12-23T09:47:00.000-07:00

Thurs Dec 24th - 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Fri Dec 25th - CLOSED
Sat Dec 26th - CLOSED
Sun Dec 27th - CLOSED
Thurs Dec 31st - 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Fri Jan 1st - CLOSED

John Mieras - Player without a crowd ...

2009-12-08T13:20:00.002-07:00

John Mieras held us in awe, in the palm of his hand. Who is this? He's awesome! We were smiling, loving his music ... his music is crisp, widely varied and mostly his own creations. His voice ranges from unbelievably, surprisingly high (considering he is a big guy) to moderately low. Great lyrics, really wonderful songs. The only really troubling thing is there were only four people there to hear him. Why don't people know about him? John plays guitar with multiple styles, bluegrass flat-picking to flowing chords as he impresses everyone who hears him; I know - I was there! We have to get more people out to John's shows. I kept thinking of all the people I knew who would love to hear John Mieras sing and play as much as we did, but who weren't there. Please spread the word ... John will be back in January ... look for the date. It will surprise you in such a happy way to be there, in a crowd, to listen. One day, John Mieras will play to huge crowds, but right now he's a 'new player' ... come listen in a close setting while it lasts! Robert & Jenni Burns

Today's Soup

2009-11-03T10:44:00.001-07:00

Good morning...its Tuesday, November 3rd (no way...November?) and we have a wonderful soup for you to enjoy - Loaded Baked Potato soup! And...we also have Three Meat and Bean Chili; made with hamburger, meat balls and brats. Yum!

Don't forget, music this Friday - come enjoy!

Bob

Halloween Sweets!

2009-10-28T22:50:00.000-06:00

Bring your little dressed-up cuties into Genoa this Satruday after 3pm and get 1/2 off a hot drink! We're open until 11pm...come warm up with us!

Open Mic!

2009-10-08T16:17:00.000-06:00

Open Mic night tonight from 7-10pm.
Open time slots!
If you play any music, or know anyone who does, come in (or bring your friend) and dazzle us with your talent!
You do not need to sign up ahead of time.
See you tonight!