Friday, November 2, 2012

Soap soon to be made with 100% solar power and Muscle!

We are working on a solar heater to heat the water and solar power for electricity so the entire process will be more green and earth friendly! Currently we use gas to heat the water and we hand mix. So its still pretty earth friendly and green. But it will help us to be better people to use less to make more and try to keep the planet Green and Blue.

Blues in schools donation of 10% from purchase of BIG Bucket of Suds.

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Ok Gang, So here we are at another month of many, where I have been not so good about posting. I wear allot of hats and sometimes I forget or simple run out of time to post.. Iam going to try and be better about that now. I keep going back and fourth between my many Facebook pages and of course the magazine where most of my CD reviews have been this year. So if your missing my cd reviews be sure to go over to my Blues magazine www.Blues-E-News.com and check out the reviews. There is a review or two in every issue once a month since the beginning of 2012. I am trying to separate my different blogs by topics!
I have added tabs on this and soon to the other blogs that link between my website and the blogs, in an attempt for you to better follow my posts.

 New, I am selling my hand made Liquid Laundry Detergents and soon soaps and more! I have "try a load on us" free samples available just $2 for shipping and handling. Just let me know and Ill get you a sample. Email me at: wayne@bigwayne.net subgect sample. Also planned in 2013 three e-books! AND YES one is a cook book! for all my foodies that have been following my posts in the mag and on Facebook! I am also still trying to get the video channel sponsored for my Blues In-Que (blues, interviews, and BBQ) during the 2013 festival season.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Frank Gomez CD “Soul Resurrection”

Frank Gomez CD “Soul Resurrection”
Frank Gomez’ latest CD Soul Resurrection is a smooth, somewhat funky and at times jazzy blues album. I’d love to see this guy perform live. He has a unique voice and great guitar work on this album. I dig the horns of course...and the band’s overall sound is reminiscent of 70’s Latin rock band “Malo” with a blues texture.




My favorite songs on this album are “Gift from Heaven,” “Gimme Little Sign”, and most of all the instrumental “Bumpin and thumpin,” nice and funky!
1. Since you've been gone. 6 Nice guitar solo

2. Soul resurrection Title song 6
 
3. Gift from Heaven. 7 Mellow instrumental with a Latin rock grove in the middle of
the song, Nice Hammond and guitar.

4. Our Eyes Never Meet. 5  Nice sax and horns

5. Bumpin' and Thumpin' 6 Funky

6. When I wake up in the Morning. 6 Nice guitar

7. Gimme Little Sign. 7 Old school R & B

8. Back door woman 5

9. Mr. Right Now 6

10. Missin’ my Brown Eyed Girl 6

11. Bumpin and Thumpin’ instrumental 7

Bonus Track:
12. Funky Beat- The Remix 7






Average (mean)
6.1666666667
Median
6
Standard Deviation
0.72


Album Score:
11.45
Album Score (5-star scale):
5.72



 “Check out Frank Gomez’s wonderful soulful Blues. You won’t be disappointed!”  Big Wayne www.Blues-E-News.com







Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Lou DeAdder


Today we take a listen to Lou’s new CD “Number 5”
Release date - May 1, 2010
Voted Number Two in the "Blind Lemon Top 20 Canadian Blues Albums for 2010"

Winner of the Durham Region Music Society's
"Best Blues Recording"
for 2010





 

1. Low Down Feelin’ Blues 4 ★★★★ nice harmonica

2. Get It Up 4 ★★★★

3. Aftermath 6 ★★★★★★ nice horns!

4. Crash and Burn 4 ★★★★ nice grind

5. Guitar Wank 6 ★★★★★ Nice guitar work

6. Jazzy 6 ★★★★★★ nice jazzy tune

7. Tight…Eh? 6 ★★★★★★ this ones going on my IPOD

8. Curtains Calling 2 ★★ to repetitive for me


Average (mean) 4.75
Median 6
Standard Deviation 1.49

Album Score: 9.26




Another talented Blues artist from Canada. Very nice album all originals. Interesting mixture of Blues, Rock, Jazz and Fusion. 8 songs on this album would have liked to see at least 10.
Band consists of Guitar, bass, drums, trumpet, sax Harmonica, keys/organ and background vocals. I personally would like to hear more of the Jazz Fusion. There is real talent here. As a trumpet player myself I have to say that horns are really nice and arranged well! I enjoyed this group and would like to here more. My favorite songs are track 3 track 5 track 7 all the jazz tunes with horns.. what can I say I like songs with good horn arrangements! So my blues fans please forgive me playing favorites to the Jazzy tunes on this album. My opinion these are the best of the songs on this Album! Band arrangements and Especially the jazzier tunes are reminiscent to the band Chicago while the more aggressive guitar playing brings in that fusion feel. The first song “low down feeling blues” is more of a slow honky tonk blues with nice harmonica highlights through out. Album feels a little like a compilation of different bands. But I enjoyed all the styles of music performed on this album.

I look forward to review Lou’s next album, I understand it was recently released and is called “Headlights” as well another CD to be released in October 2011 called Ballads.


A little Blues, Jazz and fusion peppered with soul and superb musicianship” Big Wayne  of LiveBluesTonight.com & Blues-E-News.com





 

Monday, March 28, 2011

Oppertunity, looking to promote live video on the LBT Network!

Live Blues Tonight
Promoting the BLUES one Gig at a time!

A message to all members of Live Blues Tonight. (You joined our Face Book Group, Now become a member to the site! Its free, for a limited time!)


Hello LBT family,

Big Wayne here. Well we're working on some exciting new opportunities for our Blues Lovers and thought you would like to hear some insights from me.

First we're finally getting ready to launch our Blues Newsletter. So we are looking for ideas from our little group on what you'd like to see in the newsletter. Also we will be offering a few advertising spots for Venues, Bands, Festivals or any other company looking to share their information with us. So please let us know your thoughts and interests on advertising!

Secondly, I have for a while wanted to webcast concerts and gigs on our site. If you are interested in some free publicity for your band, venue or event and would be able to provide a good video and audio feed live over the Internet, or if you can give us a good quality DVD of your band with written permission for us to broadcast it on our site, send me an email so we can talk!

Thirdly, I would like to get more members on our site. I want to do a membership drive! I am looking to our LBT community for support on this. But, I have received little help on this in past membership drives. I know it takes time and what's in it for you right? Well actually, There's a lot in it for you! The more members we have the more publicity you get! The more events you list, the more visitors will come back, which means more exposure! But hey, maybe you want more incentive. Last time I launched a membership drive I won first, second and third place for referring the most new members. LOL! It didn't really work out the way I wanted. So I was thinking... How about the three top referrals listed by new member sign ups will get:

Featured artist, venue, or member on our main page for two MONTHS! (one winner a month) (this is an advertisement spot so if you would rather have an ad, your choice).
Featured on our members page for one year!
Featured in our Newsletter (which we are about to launch) for two months. This is also an advertising spot, so your choice ad or band feature.
A guaranteed CD review, Blues Reviews by Big Wayne!
A quote about your venue or band, By Big Wayne & LiveBluesTonight.com! Good for promotional, and press releases.

Is that enough to get you to share our site with your email and contact list? I built and am maintaining this site all on my own and with little to no financial gain! And I am offering my time to help you! So help us all and give me your feedback, your help, and cooperation in promoting this site which helps us all.


Fourthly, I am looking for venues, Blues Event coordinators, Blues societies, Radio DJs, Bloggers and Writers.... We can help each other! Post your events! Write a review or blog and send me your RSS feed or repost on our site. Advertise and promote your content by starting a blog or discussion on our site! I will help you promote by directing readers to our site with your content!


As always I appreciate this opportunity to share our love for the blues and wish you all the best and sincere respect for your artistry and assistance!

Peace, Love and the Blues...
Big Wayne
wayne@livebluestonight.com
www.LiveBluesTonight.blogspot.com
Blues on demand Internet Radio
Blues Reviews By Big Wayne
Blues Newsletter
Blues Social network
Blues blog host
Blues Event Calendar
Blues Venue promotion
Blues Search Engine
Indie Blues Promoter
Blues Lover and Musician

I can use all the help I can get. if your interested in ways you can help me with this site, send me an email. I can always use more financial support as well. So buy an advertising spot, a T-shirt or make a donation of time or money. Its all appreciated!


Visit Live Blues Tonight at: http://www.livebluestonight.com/

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Energy Saving Suggestions

Some energy saving suggestions I have accumulated over the web with some research!




The Paint on your walls The color you paint the walls in your home can cost you Money! Paint the walls of your home a light color. Dark colors tend to absorb light, requiring you to use more energy from light bulbs to achieve the same effect.

Not only do light colors on your walls help conserve energy in your home, they also make your rooms feel brighter and more cheerful! If you are about to paint the walls in your home we suggest you use a low or zero VOC paint. Check out this site from TLC for more information about how low-VOC paint works.

Dish Washer A dishwasher that is 90% full uses 4 units of electricity. If it is only 50% full, it still uses 3 units of electricity. Fill the dishwasher to save on your electric bill.

Energy Efficient Light Bulbs Replacing a single incandescent bulb with an energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulb (one of those "squiggly bulbs") can save up to $50 over the bulb's lifetime. Check out www.greenlite.ca  They have great Light bulbs to replace your old inefficient bulbs and save money being green. Site also has a great savings calculator!



Water Heater Set your water heater to the “normal” setting or 120 degrees unless your dish washer requires a higher setting. Buy a water heater blanket and keep your water heater insulated. You'll save $40 per year. Water heater insulation blankets are designed for gas, oil or electric heaters. White vinyl backed fiberglass blanket. Includes adhesive tape for easy installation. Easy to install with scissors, measuring tape and pencil. Fits up to 60 gallons. *Be sure to leave the air intake vent uncovered when insulating a gas water heater! Insulate the hot water pipes leading from your hot water heater. Easy to do but might be hard to get to all the pipes! Take shorter showers. Wash clothes in cold water.

 

Energy Efficient Windows Up to 16% of your heat can escape through unprotected windows. Close your drapes at night or install insulating shutters to retain heat. If you have a large expanse of glass that doesn't receive direct sun, keep the drapes closed as much as possible. You can also use Packing Bubble wrap and plastic draped in your window. May not be attractive but the energy savings could please your budget.

 You can also purchase and install a vinyl coating on your windows. This is less expensive than new windows and  a reasonable investment for renters and smaller budgets. The film is applied to the inside window.

Its benefits are:

  • Crystal Clear
  • Reusable
  • Saves Heat
  • Easy To Install
  • Heavy Duty
  • UV Stabilized

 

 

Other Drafty areas of consideration Doors! You can buy inexpensive foam rubber insulation to easily seal out the warm sun and cold winter drafts around your doors.

Electrical Outlets can also transfer heat and cold from within the wall. You can use the same Foam rubber tape to seal the air from flowing through. Also you can use Spray Foam. But I don’t like this option as it makes it hard to rework on the fixture in the future.

Fire Place! Close the damper vent tightly when not in use.

Air conditioners and Swamp coolers! Don’t forget to winterize (seal temporarily or cover) your cooling units to keep the cold out!

Furniture? The placement of your furniture is a consideration. Make sure your not sitting in the hot sun shining through the window. You’ll end up wanting the Air conditioner turned on! Also don’t block your heating and cooling system from doing its job just because the Armorer fits best in the spot covering the AC vent!

Vampire switch! 75% of electricity used by home electronics is consumed while "off". By using a power strip and switching off when not in use, you lessen CO2 emissions and reduce your energy bill. Its simple and cheap to buy a Power strip and plug your electronic devices into it. It can protect your equipment from harmful Power surges (if you buy one with Surge protection). And when not in use flip the switch to OFF!

What Kind of Washing Machine is More Energy Efficient? When choosing your next washing machine, pick one with a front-loader. Front-loader models use 25% less energy than a standard model.

Also, simply switching from a hot/warm cycle to a warm/cold cycle when washing laundry can save you 10 cents a load. That adds up when you think about how many loads of laundry you do a year!


Don't forget to look for the Energy Star before making those big purchases!

Check out this TLC site!

Heat and Air Conditioning Filters Check your furnace and AC filters regularly. Cleaning or replacing filters once a month during periods of high use will insure proper air flow, promote better health, increase efficiency, and save money too.

Don’t use your Dryer! During spring and summer months, line dry your clothes instead of using a clothes dryer. This can save you a lot of money each year.

Energy Efficient Thermostats Save You Money Why pay for heat or AC you don't need? You can save energy and money by using a programmable thermostat. It can reduce your energy needs from heat or AC when you are at work, away at vacation, or asleep.

 

Attic and wall insulation Take a look into the attic and see how much insulation you have. I bet you’ll notice how hot it is up there too. That is why you need a solar attic Fan. Anyway, take a ruler with you and see how much insulation you have. It should be light and fluffy! If it is squashed or settled in, than it is more likely to transfer heat and cold into your house. Here is a rating system I have come up with.  

12 inches or more Excellent!

9-12 inches Very Good!

6-9 inches Good!

3-6 inches Fair!

Under 3 inches POOR!

Blow in Cellulose is an option for the do it yourself Handy man. You can rent the machine and buy the Cellulose blocks from many Hardware stores! Doing walls is a little trickier but if you have some Sheet rock skills and not afraid to paint, then you can do it! Also for exterior walls you can give your home a major modernization and a protective thermal coat by adding Poly Styrene Sheets followed by a new Stucco Coating. But this is a skilled project that will require a contractor and a bit more money. Check this site out. Detailed DIY How to step by step!

 

Check out PG&E new online tools for information on your energy usage.

Here is the results of what PG&E’s new savings calculator says I could save from making some simple changes in my home. There new tool is pretty cool and intuitive.

Im sure the savings would be a bit different from house to house and especially for me in the Water heating area. I have 8 people in my house!

Savings Opportunities Annual Savings

Weatherization Doors and Windows:

      Control air leakage $139 - $231

Water Heating:

      Insulate water heater tank and hot water pipes $4 - $7

Install efficient shower heads $71 - $118

Lighting:

   Use compact fluorescent bulbs in recessed fixtures $65 - $80

   Replace halogen trochees $159 - $194

   Use compact fluorescent bulbs in high-use lamps $52 - $64

Heating and Cooling

   Install a programmable thermostat $65 - $108

   Replace your central air conditioner $222 - $370

   Replace your heating system $294 - $490

   Seal leaks in ducts $85 - $142

Information taken from PG&E Smart energy Analyzer on-line.







written by Wayne Rinehart

Great resource websites:

www.ConservingSaves.com Ways to conserve energy and save you money

www.FreeCycle.org  Recycle your unwanted items to someone else in your community.

www.simplysellular.com These people will help sell or donate your old cell phone.

www.SwapTree.com Swap Books, CD’s, DVD’s and Video Games.

www.greenlite.ca  Great Light bulbs to replace your old inefficient bulbs and save money being green. Site also has a great savings calculator!

www.solar-components.com A neat site with some good resources and ideas.

www.windsun.com  www.greenpowerscience.com

www.tlc.howstuffworks.com  www.diynetwork.com