Holiday Cheers!!!

"As we struggle with shopping lists and invitations, compounded by December's bad weather, it is good to be reminded that there are people in our lives who are worth this aggravation, and people to whom we are worth the same" - Donald E. Westlake

The night SRV and Joplin played the blues, together!!

Another great Saturday night (Dec 10). The night the blues rained down heavily on the capital. The night SRV and Joplin played the blues, together. Hard to believe, right!

Well, to tell you the bluesy truth, it was the Soulmate - the absolutely amazing, soulful, compact and immaculately blue... - the blues band from the heavenly green vales of Shillong.

Soulmate comprises of a rare breed of musicians who still believe in creating music for music's sake, devoid of chip generated sounds and effects, full of soul and feel - Rudy Wallang on guitar, Tipriti Kharbyngar on rhythm and vocals, Sam Shullai on drums, and Ferdy Dakkar on bass.

Presented by the British Council and the Rock Street Journal and misleadingly titled 'Late night at the British Council' (misleadingly 'cos some @#$% dame from the high council was hell bent on packing up the show since the time it started), Soulmate created absolute bluesy magic.

Rudy displayed amazing mastery over the guitar with a very pronounced Stevie Ray Vaughan feel. Listening to Tipriti with your eyes closed was like getting to hear Joplin live. By the way, Rudy got great vocals too. Sam and Ferdy showed what seasoned musicians are made of.

Soulmate's compositions were 'true blue' blues pieces to the last note, packed with feelings. The evening air was chilly, the crowd a bit thin, but the mood was happily blue. 


Someone whispered - Damn right they've got the blues! They did, mate...

"I don't mind dying, I just don't want to be there when it happens." - Woody Allen

Real Deal Blues at the Garden Of Five Senses

The mood was perfect - a cool and chilly Saturday evening; the venue - the secluded and beautifully laid Garden Of Five Senses; the music - real deal raw blues, dripping with feelings by good old Chicago bluesman John Primer.

Sponsored by Delhi Tourism, the evening of Nov. 26 was a rare treat for all genuine blues lovers (for pseudo ones too to get a feel of what real, pure music is all about).

Mr. Primer and his men were in their full bluesy elements - amazing musicality, coordination and improvisation on stage, fired up with classics like Hoochie Coochie Man, Mojo Workin'...It was music beyond commerce. Music with lot of feel and harmony, to be felt and savored. To cut a long story short - John Primer and The Real Deal were beautifully blue. I woke up Sunday morning feelin' pink. PINK???

About John Primer:

Chicago blues guitarist began his career playing at Theresa's with Sammy Lawhorn, for a year with Willie Dixon's Chicago Blues All-Stars, played with Muddy Waters band between 1979-1983 (until Waters' death) and for the last 13 years with guitarist Magic Slim.

The Camden, Mississippi-native began playing the guitar as a child, and moved to Chicago in 1963. He began hanging out at Therea's Lounge, where he jammed with legends like Willie Dixon (in 1979 he joined Dixon's Chicago Blues All-Stars), Junior Wells, and Sammy Lawhorn.

Recordings include his major label debut The Real Deal (Atlantic), You Got to Watch (Earwig) and Blues Behind Closed Doors.

For more information, visit: www.johnprimerblues.com

Beware! All You Macbeths ...

"If you murder an innocent man you are responsible for the blood of his unborn descendants, and the weight of this responsibility is yours to carry to the end of time"

Overcoming yourself is better than overcoming a million enemies in battle.
- Buddha

Damn Right I Got The Blues!!

Been waking' up every morning and planning to write something about them blues and all the works for long. Hope to do it soon this time around. Everyone welcome to play the blues with me. Watch this space.

elegy written in a city junkyard

life beguiles my existence
love perforates my joy
isolation seeks my perpetual companionship
madness clothes my sanity
laughter exudes disdain in my soul
i dream of dreams i'll never see
that's my emotional anatomy

P.S. I live the life I love and love the life I live! Huh???

BLAME IT ON YOUR GENES: Brain Protein Linked to Alcoholism and Anxiety

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have discovered that a protein found in the brain is genetically linked to alcoholism and anxiety.

Results of the study are published in the October issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

The researchers studied rats selectively bred for high alcohol preference (P rats), which were found to have high anxiety levels and consume greater amounts of alcohol than alcohol non-preferring (NP) rats.

The researchers focused on a molecule called CREB, or cyclic AMP responsive element binding protein, which is thought to be involved in a variety of brain functions. When CREB is activated, it regulates the production of another brain protein called neuropeptide Y. The higher-imbibing P rats were found to have lower levels of CREB and neuropeptide Y in certain regions of the amygdala -- an area of the brain associated with emotion, fear and anxiety -- than their teetotaling NP cousins.

"This is the first direct evidence that a hereditary deficiency of CREB protein in the central amygdala is associated with high anxiety and alcohol-drinking behaviors," said lead researcher Subhash Pandey, associate professor of psychiatry and director of neuroscience alcoholism research at the UIC College of Medicine.

In P rats, but not in NP rats, alcohol was shown to reduce anxiety and increase the levels of active CREB and neuropeptide Y in the central amygdala. Pandey said that the P rats' preference for alcohol suggested they used alcohol to lessen their anxiety, a situation that is not uncommon in humans.

The researchers showed that if they used a chemical to stimulate CREB activity and neuropeptide Y levels in the central amygdala, they could decrease the anxiety and alcohol intake in P rats. Conversely, chemically blocking CREB and neuropeptide Y action in NP rats provoked anxiety-like behaviors and increased their alcohol consumption.

"Genetically high anxiety levels are important in the promotion of higher alcohol consumption in humans," said Pandey. "Drinking is a way for these individuals to self-medicate."

The findings implicate a deficit of CREB activity in the central amygdala in those who are genetically predisposed to anxiety and alcohol drinking behaviors, Pandey said.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, an estimated 18 million Americans suffer from alcohol problems. Alcohol and drug abuse cost the economy roughly $276 billion per year.

Other researchers in the study were Huaibo Zhang, Adip Roy, and Tiejun Xu, postdoctoral research associates in the UIC department of psychiatry.

The UIC study was supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

(So fret not 'cos it ain't your fault. Cheers!!!}