They knew that “The Times, They Are A Changing”. They knew that “The Answers Are Blowing In The Wind”. They were experiencing war and unrest, and they knew that their parents had also experienced a terrible war. The war their fathers fought had ended. “Their father’s hell did slowly go by”.

I fear that the young people of today are NOT tuned in. They do not listen to the news about the war we are now waging, against COVID-19. They think this is their father’s hell, not theirs. The sacrifices of Social Distancing and the guidelines of the virus task force do not apply to them. We need to listen to an old song, and heed its advice. “Teach Your Children”, written by Graham Nash.

I can’t say that my dad and I always saw eye to eye on every subject, and I suspect that’s normal.   For us, there were a handful of life’s passions that we shared… the love of carpentry, automobiles, guitars, and faith.   As my dad’s health declined and he couldn’t really actively participate in building things and his car hobby had lost a bit of it’s luster, the one thing that remained a priority was guitars…well, I guess I should say music.

For the last few years of my dad’s life, I was a worship leader at a local church.   We’d practice every Thursday night, and my dad’s place was on the way home from band practice.  Coincidentally my mom often worked on Thursday nights at a local shop that sells the kind of stuff Joanna Gaines uses to decorate the houses she remodels.  So, I got in the habit of visiting my dad nearly every Thursday night following band practice. …oftentimes, I’d bring my guitar in and we’d spend an hour strumming, singing, talking, and just sharing our passion for the sound of a high quality six string.

Over the years, I’ve had a lot of guitars, and still have many of those guitars.  But there have been those times that I’ve sold one of them. Sometimes it was because I had made a rushed decision and once I actually had some time with a guitar, I found it wasn’t really as good as I had hoped it would be.  Other times it was to free up some cash to make an upgrade, or simply because the guitar was rarely played. My dad went through the same phase in the 2000’s.. He started selling, swapping, and trading guitars until he ended up with the collection that provided the greatest grin factor.  I will admit, I regret selling a couple of my guitars.

My dad’s and my music taste was often quite different.  I used to pick on my dad because the music he liked often seemed to be void of drums and a driving bass line…it was more mellow… more ‘easy listening’ as they call it.   To a young guy that was obsessed with the likes of the Eagles, ELO, Genesis, and the Beatles, there was nothing ‘easy’ about listening to my Dad’s music. But, we still connected…and spent many hours with guitars hanging from our necks, or gathered around a piano, enjoying the power of a song.   When Eric Clapton performed his Unplugged concert on MTV in 1992, my dad’s and my musical worlds collided. We finally had a common musical interest…and my dad became obsessed with Clapton’s guitar sound.

After trying to capture that same sound for many years, my dad finally became the proud caretaker of a Martin 000-28EC Eric Clapton model acoustic guitar.  A smaller bodied guitar with action as smooth as butter, and a mellow tone that just begged you to play some bluesy chords and tasteful licks up the modified V neck.

When I’d show up for my Thursday night visits, quite often my dad would have one of his guitars set out.  I never really knew what I’d find…would it be his Gretsch Country Gentleman, his American Fender Telecaster, or his Clapton Martin acoustic.  Usually he’d hand me the guitar and ask me to play something. Those were great times….and I quickly became quite fond of that Martin guitar. It wasn’t long until I was scheming to get one of my own.  

I don’t know if my dad wanted me to get something different than his, or thought I’d be happier with a guitar with factory electronics, but shortly after I started working on the reasons of justification every married guitar player goes through, he told me about the Martin OMJM, a John Mayer signature series acoustic.  Based on the same body style as my dad’s guitar, it had some differences, but still had a similar ‘retro’ vibe, and came wired with a pickup right from the Martin factory. My dad started sending me videos of guys reviewing the guitar.   

With a solid case in place and assumed spousal approval, as one never knows for sure if approval was given until the first argument after the purchase, I made my way up to the great House of Guitars and worked out a deal on a brand spankin new Martin OMJM.   Far too expensive for a player of my skill level, but this purchase wasn’t just for me. This purchase was for me and my dad. While the guitar was on order, my dad continued to send me videos of the guitar in action. Even the night we went to pick it up, he called us on our way home to see if we got it OK.  He was as excited as I was about this new guitar.

I got that guitar the week before Christmas in 2010.   I stopped by my dad’s on Christmas eve eve to show it to him.  He got out his Clapton model and we strummed and swapped our two guitars, doing our best to notice the differences and the similarities.   Neither of us professional reviewers, but each of us doing our best to pretend.

At 10:59PM on that same Christmas eve eve, I got this email from my dad…

Hi,

Thanks for stopping by with your new guitar. It is beautiful! There are subtle differences between the two, and yet they look and feel and sound quite similar. I can’t say I like one more than the other.

We are both pretty fortunate; wouldn’t you say?

Love ya lots,
Dad

…and at that point, I knew buying this guitar had been the perfect decision.

That was the last Christmas I’d get to spend with my dad. This guitar, the research, the anticipation, and then actually playing it gave my dad something to look forward to. This guitar gave us one more father and son experience. It was probably the last ‘project’ we got to work on together…and one that I will never forget.

Since that time, this guitar has had hours and hours of strum time… it’s been played in churches, at parties, weddings, funerals, coffee houses, concerts, and even Christmas functions at work.  It’s a better guitar than I am a guitar player, but that really does not bother me. …because it’s the guitar that my dad and I bought.

Yeah, I’ve sold some guitars over the years….but no, I will never sell this guitar.

Fast forward to early 2017, my buddy Tom, potentially McCartney’s biggest fan, called me to tell me Paul was touring again for his One on One tour.  There was zero hesitation, no concern of the calendar, no worries about where I’d find the cash, the answer to the question he never had to ask, was “yes, I want to go!”   Quite some time ago, I vowed to never miss the opportunity to see one of my favorite artists.   Life is short.  You never know when an artist’s touring days are over or your concert going days are done.   I want to go through life saying I’m glad I went, not I wish I’d gone.

As the day of the concert approached, I wasn’t really sure what to expect.   It had been 15 years since the last time I saw him live.  Would his voice still be as sharp?  Would the band still be as tight?  Would it be as memorable as the first time I saw him?  

For those that don’t want to keep reading to find out the answers, they are Yes, yes, and no, it was more memorable!

For three hours, Sir Paul and his band entertained the star struck crowd with 32 hits from the Beatles, Wings, and his solo career.   The energy was high, the interaction with the adoring fans added a personal touch, and the smiles were everywhere.   I’ve said it before, and I’ll probably say it again, but I love watching performers that are later on in their careers.   The pressure seems to be off, and they always seem to be enjoying themselves on stage as much as the crowd is enjoying watching them.  McCartney and his band were no different.   A group of world class musicians having fun, and who wouldn’t have fun playing in the company of such an accomplished songwriter, performer, and rock star.

But, this concert was different than the concert of 15 years ago.   Yeah, the setlist had changed, but that’s not what I’m talking about.   This time, Paul was in a storytelling mood…and it was unbelievable.   Like a parent that wanted to share a bit of the family history with his kids while he had their attention, he entertained us with stories and tidbits of Beatles history that you won’t find on Wikipedia.  We heard stories of Jimi Hendrix taking his guitar hopelessly out of tune while covering a Beatles song…with the Beatles and Eric Clapton in the audience.  We heard about Paul and John writing “I Wanna Be Your Man” for the Rolling Stones while hanging out with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.   We all laughed as he shared stories of meeting the Defense Minister of the Soviet Union while playing in Russia.  There were heartwarming stories of George and John, and a fun guitar lesson on the riff that was the starting point of “You Won’t See Me”.   …and these were just a few of the stories shared throughout the night.   I wasn’t sure if I should be recording everything or taking notes.  All I know was that I was hearing things about musical history from the guy that lived that history….and that’s pretty special.

Along with the stories, the music was more than a McCartney fan could hope for.   From piano ballads like “Let It Be”, to the pyrotechnic laden “Live and Let Die”, and the ukulele accompanied  “Something”, it was a musical journey that covered five decades of hit after hit from his extensive catalogue of songs.

As a teenager, I was always a bit sad that the Beatles broke up before my concert going days.   As an adult, I am thankful for being able to have seen one of the most talented and influential musicians in the past 50 years, at a time in his life when he was eager to share a bit more of himself than the lyrics that we all know and love.

As the Beatles themselves wrote, “There are places I remember all my life, though some have changed”…   having Paul McCartney bless us with his songs, his stories, and his passion for sharing both, was clearly one of those things I will remember…all my life.

There’s something pure about a voice and an acoustic guitar. Bring in a little harmony and that purity turns into a religious experience. Misty and Jason compliment each other vocally about as well as anyone could hope for. They compliment each other in life just as well. This husband and wife duo obviously have chemistry. Their playful banter endeared them to their audience quickly as they shared their story of joy and heartache trying to find their place in the hyper-competitive world of Nashville music. It was easy to see that music is their passion, and that they are committed to making their passion their life.

Maybe you’re thinking, “How good can they be?” I promise you that the quality of their musicianship and vocals are as good as any professional you’ve ever heard. One verse into the first song, Mystery, and I was trying to figure out how this wasn’t a number one hit. Oh, Misty wrote that one, along with most of the others they played, by the way. Not only can this couple sing and play, but they write great music as well. The night was a personally narrated journey through their experiences. Literally, their autobiography in song.

What was really beautiful about all of this was the authenticity. Here was a couple sharing, not just their talent, but their vulnerability as well. As they played an original they wrote after a more challenging season of life, called More Wishes Than Stars, I came to understand just how much courage it takes to chase your dreams, and how much more courage it takes to redefine them.

Their remaking was summed up beautifully in their song , So Can I. The song represents the encouragement that the community of singers, songwriters, and musicians have to be to one another in an unforgiving industry. Misty and Jason have found a niche in Nashville that allows them to combine their passion for music and their passion for people. They run a consulting firm that helps young artists develop their talents, their product, and their vision in preparation for a career in music. This allows them to stand in the gap once filled by record labels, but left void due to the increasingly independent nature of the industry. Now they aren’t just sharing their music with the world, but sharing the craft of music so others can have their voice as well.

Even that isn’t enough of an impact for these two though. As they prepared to sing their final song, Love Wins, Misty and Jason shared with us their true purpose, not just for the evening, but for life. They passed around envelopes with the pictures of children from a village in Nicaragua. You see, they don’t just perform music for themselves. They don’t just help others navigate the rapids of Nashville. They are partner artists with Food For The Hungry. As such, they are committed to bettering the lives of children and communities that have no chance at doing so for themselves.

Now is every home concert going to be like an evening with The Carsons? Probably not. But if you have the chance to attend one, I would encourage you to take advantage of the opportunity. Maybe you’ll be as lucky as I was, and hear some great music, and more importantly, meet some really great people. If you’d like The Carsons to play for you visit their website at http://carsoncreative.me . You see, music isn’t just their career, or their passion. It’s their legacy and their ministry. Sounds like a life lived on purpose to me.

When I heard that Clapton was playing a handful of shows in the US this year and also heard rumors of this being a ‘final tour’, I was going to make every effort to be there.   With a pre-sale code in my possession, within mere seconds of tickets being on sale, I had secured two seats for his first show of the tour at Madison Square Garden for March 19th.

Today is the morning of the 20th, only seven hours after Clapton’s final song, and as I ride the Amtrak along the Hudson, I’ve been trying to capture all of the emotions of last night’s show.  Finding the words to write a fitting review seems inadequate.   So I have decided to scrap the review idea, and just say Thank You.

Eric Clapton’s music has played a bigger part of my life than I think I even knew.  Last night’s concert was a fitting reminder of that very fact.   From the opening notes of “Key to the Highway”, I knew I was in for a night of musical bliss.   Like a reunion with an old friend, when Clapton started singing, everything was refreshingly familiar.   The band was great, the sound was perfect, the harmonies tight, and every note of every lead brought back memory after memory.

Though I had always enjoyed Clapton’s music, I did not really start buying his albums until my college years.  The Journeyman album was probably the one I remember the most.   No longer living in the home town where I grew up, I’d only see my parents when I went back for a visit.   Often these visits gave me and my Dad an excuse to get out the guitars and do some picking.   Needless to say, my Dad’s and my musical tastes had rarely crossed paths.   I remember the first time I played “Running on Faith” for my Dad…. Suddenly paths had crossed, and my Dad too had an appreciation for Eric Clapton.   From that moment on, trips home would include playing from the Clapton songbook.

I had seen Clapton play in the early 2000’s, so I knew that when the chair came out it was time for some acoustic playing.   The mid concert acoustic Setlist included “Driftin’ Blues”, “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out”, “Tears in Heaven”, and “Layla”.   This whole acoustic set brought a big smile to my face.  A couple years into my Dad’s tenure as a Clapton fan, we both had seen the Clapton Unplugged concert on TV.   At this point, my Dad was hooked.  So much so, that some time later he actually bought the Martin 000-28EC (Eric Clapton edition) acoustic guitar.    I couldn’t help but to think how much my Dad would have enjoyed this part of the show.   As Clapton broke into “Tears in Heaven”, the entire crowd was reminded again of the versatility of this phenomenal musician.

One of the great things about Eric Clapton has been his ability to evolve his musical career and musical style over the years.   Often when you go to see a musician that has been in this game this long, you hear their greatest hits that first made them famous, and not much more.    Clapton’s been releasing music all along his career, pulling in new recruits to his fan club along the way.   As he began one of his intros on the acoustic guitar, my son leaned over and said, “He’s playing Layla”.   Oh, did I forget to mention that my 22 year old son is a Clapton fan too?   The same music that gave me opportunities to make memories with my Dad is doing it again with the next generation.

Clapton returned once again to his trusty Strat and delivered a tasty performance of “Wonderful Tonight”.  The energy ramped up for rock hits “Cocaine” and “Sunshine of Your Love”.   The audience was on their feet.

The show had been opened by a set by Jimmie Vaughan, followed by an outstanding performance by Gary Clark Jr.   Clapton brought Vaughan and Clark back on stage to join him on “Before You Accuse Me” for his final encore song.  The three traded guitar licks along with some tasty bits on the piano and organ.   It was a great way to close the show.

As I wrote earlier, this was not intended to be a concert review.   I could certainly post a glowing review of the night, the perfect mix of hits, his outstanding band and backing vocalists, and his seemingly effortless performance.   But this concert was so much more.   So I just want to say Thank You to Eric Clapton.   Thank you for over five decades of great music.   Thank you for providing inspiration to a young musician.   Thank you for providing a common bond to three generations of my family.   Thank you for the ballads, the rock classics, and the heartfelt blues.

…and Thank You for doing ‘one more final tour’.

Check out a couple videos of his performance…

“Driftin’ Blues” from the acoustic set

“Before You Accuse Me” with Jimmie Vaughan and Gary Clark Jr.

I’ve been an Electric Light Orchestra fan since my days in Junior High.   It was probably the spaceship album artwork that first grabbed my attention, and it was songs like “Mr. Blue Sky”, “Telephone Line”, and “Strange Magic” that had me hooked.   By the time that I had enough freedom, enough money, and enough means of transportation to actually go to an ELO concert, ELO was no longer touring.   …and until last year, there was nothing but rumors about a possible ELO tour.  This past winter, once again, there was talk of an ELO tour that would be coming to the US, with one of the stops being Radio City Music Hall in NYC.  Before long, talk became reality, and I found myself agreeing to pay more than I spent on my 1978 VW Scirocco for two seats only fourteen rows away from the stage.

After months of anticipation, and hearing nothing but rave reviews from their shows in the UK, it was finally concert night.   Not only did my ticket price get me great stage proximity, but it also was part of a VIP package that included early entrance to Radio City Music Hall, and a cool swag bag of stuff.   As we waited for the show to start, the auditorium was filled with nothing but songs that Jeff Lynne had helped to produce, including hits from the Wilburys, Roy Orbison, George Harrison, and Tom Petty.   Given the level of fandom represented that night, I’m sure that I was not the only one to notice the song choices.   Speaking of fandom, since there were only two locations on the US tour, the hall was filled with people from all over the country.   ELO fans were not going to miss this event….and many had travelled thousands of miles to be there.

After an opening act of an excellent string quartet, the band took the stage.   Jeff Lynne and Richard Tandy, the only original members of the band, were accompanied by a full stage of world class musicians.   The show kicked off with “Tightrope”…and kept building from there.   The night was everything one would have expected from an ELO concert.   Lots of lights, lasers, strings, synthesizers, and rock and roll.  Lynne’s vocals were impeccable, the band was tight, the energy was crazy, and the fans..the adoring fans…were in musical heaven.

There were not many words spoken between songs, just repeated thumbs up from Lynne, who seemed to be almost in disbelief from the crowd’s reaction.   Song after song, hit after hit, Lynne reminded us what had made ELO such a great band.   Hits like “Evil Woman”, “Livin’ Thing”, and “Shine A Little Love”, just to name a few.   The crowd was captivated as he played one of his latest songs, “When I Was A Boy”.   The show ended with “Telephone Line”, “Turn to Stone”, “Sweet Talkin Woman”, “Don’t Bring Me Down”, and “Mr. Blue Sky”.  All perfect…  

As Lynne and the band left the stage, the audience made it clear that they loved what they heard and wanted to hear more.   The band returned to the stage and finished out the night with an outstanding rendition of “Roll Over Beethoven” for their encore.

It was an emotional night…a bit surreal.  A concert I had been hoping to see for decades had just turned to reality.   I was thrilled to have just witnessed musical history, and at the same time, sad at the realization that this was likely the one and only time I would see this truly remarkable artist doing what he does best.

There are no words to truly capture the emotion, the energy, the perfection of this night.  And to quote Jeff Lynne himself, “I can’t get it out of my head”.

This past weekend, Don Henley returned to the Rochester area for the first time in over fifteen years.   I’ve seen him before, but wasn’t quite sure what to expect after last fall’s release of his country themed Cases County album.   I had thoroughly enjoyed his latest work, but was definitely hoping to hear samples of his solo work and some Eagles classics.

With no lawn seats being sold, the event at the Marvin Sands Performing Arts center in Canandaigua, NY was a bit more intimate than most I have attended there.   The audience was clearly made up of fans that were likely fans in the early days of the Eagles.  Promptly at 7:30 PM, Henley and his large ensemble of musicians took the stage, arranged themselves in a choral style around the stage mics, and kicked off an acapella rendition of “Seven Bridges Road”; and it was musical perfection.   From there, things picked up as the band kicked off the familiar intro to “Dirty Laundry”.   I found it rather comical that a local TV News personality walked in during that song. Throughout the night, Henley continued to mix in hits from not only the Eagles, but from his new album.

Henley’s band was unbelievable.   With nearly every musician providing some form of backing vocals, there were three girls that covered the bulk of the backing vocals and also took turns covering the duets from Cass County.   A full horn section took the stage for “Sunset Grill” and continued to amaze for the rest of the night.   Eagles hits included, “Witchy Woman”, “Life in the Fast Lane”, and “One of These Nights” which proved that Henley’s falsetto range is alive and well.   He shared an entertaining back story to “Providence” that gave new life to familiar lyrics.

He performed favorites from his solo career like “New York Minute”, “All She Wants to Do is Dance”, and “End of the Innocence”.   Cass County additions included “Bramble Rose”, “That Old Flame”, and “Train in the Distance”. He even performed an energetic cover of Tears For Fears hit, “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”.   The crowd went crazy as the stage tech brought out the familiar double necked guitar, letting everybody know it was time for “Hotel California”…and it was good, very good.

Henley and his band played for two and a half hours, including two encores.   It was a hot summer night of great music that took us on a musical journey covering five decades of hits from the songbooks of the Eagles and Henley’s solo career.   The night ended with another choral style arrangement. This time it was “Desperado”, a tribute to Glenn Frey.   …and once again, it was perfection.

With the house lights down and a backlit stage, the show started off with the intro of Prince’s “When Dove’s Cry” that flowed right into a swell of synthesizers as the band took the stage.   From that moment on, the volume and the excitement in the theater continued to climb.

What may be the biggest understatement of the night is that Grace Potter has a lot of energy…she pretty much defines energy…and seems to have enough to entice a similar reaction from the crowd.   Never standing still, Potter dances on nearly every square inch of the stage, all while singing at the top of her lungs and often playing guitar, keys, or tambourine.

Her musical styles ranged from a bit of funk to blues to country to soulful ballads as she brought us hits like “Hot to the Touch”, “Apologies”, and “Nobody’s Born With a Broken Heart”.   Her six piece band was absolutely outstanding, and she added to the excellence providing us with moments on the keys, the acoustic guitar, and a strong command of her Gibson Flying V.

Throughout the night she encouraged the normally reserved Eastman Theater crowd to get out of their seats and onto their feet and ‘get their freak on’… and though it took some coercing, eventually the front of the theater was completely filled with fans dancing and singing their hearts out.

A particularly stellar moment was guitarist Benny Yurco’s sweet guitar work that worked it’s way into a vocal and guitar only version of “Low Road”.   The combination of her raspy vocals on top of the sweet tone of Yurco’s Gibson was the thing that goose bumps are made of.   It was musical perfection and clearly showed us that these are musicians at the top of their game.   That serene moment quickly morphed into a head banging, high energy, all out distortion laden performance of “Nothing But the Water”, with nothing more that Potter on her Flying V and vocals, backed by Matt Burr on the drums.

The evening continued to bring us high energy hit after high energy hit…interrupted only by a brief trip off stage teasing the end of the concert but quickly returning to put on an outstanding encore.  The crowd was on their feet most of the night, enjoying an outstanding concert by an extremely talented singer and a stage full of world class musicians.

The Rochester Jazz fest is one of the best music festivals, anywhere…and Grace Potter was the perfect opening headliner to this nine day musical event.

JL Fulks is a musical throwback, a tribute to American Blues. He and his bandmates, Ken Burgner and Ian Jones, made it to the semi-finals of this year’s International Blues Challenge. His scorching licks and mournful lyrics leave you aching in your own memories of hope and loss.

You can’t help but get lost in I Believe In Love as he croons, “I believe in love, Love is gonna set me free.” His playful teasing in Honey, Ain’t That Love will have many a husband nodding along in commiseration.

It’s clear JL has a knack for turning everyday life into the art that is The Blues. Maybe an even greater talent is his ability to make six strings tell their own story as clearly as any lyrics. Phrygian Dance is a modal epic you won’t want to miss. There is no doubt JL’s study with Berklee School of Music has certainly paid off for his listeners.

If you are lucky enough to be in the Lake Park, Fl area you won’t want to miss JL’s CD Release Party tonight at The Kelsey Theater. If you can’t make it out to hear him live you can catch a live stream of the concert on www.worldstreamlive.com. No matter what, you definitely want to pick up the EP, On Down The Road from your favorite music service. It’s available today on iTunes, Amazon, and Spotify.

To learn more about this up and coming blues artist, visit his web page at www.jlfulks.com, or subscribe to his YouTube Channel. We here at Relatively Random wish JL the best of luck with his new EP and congratulate him on staying true his passion and following his dreams!

His images, characters, and anthems have earned him admission into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Like a poet, he has the uncanny ability to find gold in what he observes, like an artist making masterpieces of regular-life scenes. Take, for example, the opening lines of “Free Fallin’.” Though he admits in a recent interview that he wrote those iconic lines as a way to make his friend Jeff Lynne laugh, they paint a picture of an ordinary life to whom his audience can relate. “She’s a good girl, loves her mama/ loves Jesus and America too,” Petty writes. “She’s a good girl, crazy ‘bout Elvis/ loves horses and her boyfriend too.” This image of an All-American life resonates with listeners, and even some of his lesser-known lyrics provide fans with images that seem to be more from a poet than from a rock star. In his 1987 track “It’ll All Work Out,” he opens with a clever simile that transforms the song to a poetic work: “She wore faded jeans and soft black leather/ she had eyes so blue, they looked like weather.” While he might have made these words choices for the sake of the rhyme, the use of the simile provides the audience with a subtly symbolic reference they can ponder. Die-hard music fans might even consider an image like this to be an allusion to Willie Nelson’s single “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain” (Fred Rose, 1975). Songwriting like this gives listeners much to consider, which is why Petty is deserving of this commemoration…and with dozen of albums to his credit, fans have ample opportunity to analyze.

Images like these are one element of Petty’s songwriting that give him credence to this induction, and the characters that he has created are equally important. Consider the heroines he has crafted. There’s the legendary “American Girl” (1977) or Mary Jane (“Mary Jane’s Last Dance,” 1993), just to name a couple, and the narratives of these characters remind us of the girls we used to know, the young ladies we want to know, the daughters we used to be, and the women we wish we were.

… but above all, the musical compositions of Tom Petty include themes of doing what you know is right, standing up for what you believe in, and working hard, making him a staple of American songwriting.

We are excited about Tom Petty’s induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and agree that it is most well-deserved honor. We congratulate him on his continued success in the industry, and thank him for the decades of great story-telling he has brought to our ears and hearts.