"Bluegrass Ramble" Some Bluegrass Stuff Happening in December

Hey Folks.  I've been rather lax with my blog lately, but that is what I like about it.  I can be as active or as inactive as I please, 'cause it's my blog!.

Annual Christmas Party @ Amelia Family Campgrounds, December 5th, 2009

Yep, this is the annual get together sponsored by the Amelia Family Campground and The Central Virginia Family Bluegrass Music Festival.  It always occurs on the 1st Saturday of December each year.  Last year we had snow flurries and predictions are for another round of flurries again this year.  So, be sure to bundle up nice and warm.  As usual the pavilion will be wrapped in Tyvek and two big propane heaters will keep everyone snug & warm.  There'll be nearly 20 bands with the first band getting started at 2:00PM and changing each 1/2 hour until finally they have all played.  If you want a seat be sure to bring your lawn chair and get there EARLY.  Supper of potato soup and hushpuppys will be served free of charge.  Bring along your favorite dessert to share with everyone.  See you there!

VFMA Jam Session, December 15th, Tuesday - Annual Food Drive to aid The Virginia Food Bank, 4 bands 7 - 10PM

The VFMA still has their regular monthly jam on 3rd Tuesdays at Brandermill Church with the December jam to occur on December 15th.  This is a very special event this year as along with the regular jamming, four bands will be in attendance to entertain. Cookies & coffee will be served. The schedule is "Homeward Bound" at 7PM; "Borrowed Time" at 7;45PM with a short break at 8:30Pm followed by "Easy Street" at 8:45PM and the "Brandermill Jammers" at 9:30PM.   Be sure to bring non-perishable food items with you that night.  The Virginia Food Bank is in most need of Peanut Butter, Canned Fruit & Vegetables, Hot & Cold Cereals, Pasta, Rice, Canned Fish/Meats.  Make your Christmas the best ever by helping your fellow man.

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR!

"NUFF SAID!"

The Gary & Barry Davis Show W/ Borrowed Time - What A Blast!

This past Saturday night I had three choices if I wanted to attend a show featuring Country/Gospel or Bluegrass music.  Not being a huge fan of Southern Gospel I chose to ignore The Gaithers in Richmond and having seen and heard The Bluegrass Brothers and The James King Band many times I chose to drive over to Powhatan to see Gary Davis & Borrowed Time.  It is simply not possible to go to every show, so I had to choose one.  Also, there's the bonus of the availability of a very good meal.  Now, I know I can hear a lot of you saying, "Well, you've heard Gary Davis & Borrowed Time many times, too."  That's true, but when Gary wrote me his brother Barry was gonna be there I simply decided that's where I wanted to go.  And, boy, am I glad I did.

First let me tell you that Barry and his wife Maggie, from Iowa,  both ran the Richmond Marathon that very day.  Also, it was revealed that Barry had just been told a few weeks ago that he had the dreaded "C" word, stage 2 Lymphoma.  He and Maggie are taking things with a positive outlook and I know that together they will beat this disease.  Keep them in your prayers. Nuff said about that; let's move on to the performance.  Gary & Borrowed Time started the show at about 7:15 with three of the songs they are best known for.  Then Gary asked Barry to join the band on stage.  Barry bounced upon the stage and grabbed his Guitar (Now, remember, he spent just over four hours running the Richmond Marathon!) and started playing rhythm and singing along in the background.  Gary calls his band a Bluegrass band, but rarely do they actually sing songs from the standard Bluegrass repertoire, so when they actually do sing such a song much is made of that fact.  When they asked Barry to come around a sing a song it actually was Bluegrass and Gary apologized to the audience, in good humor.  The crowd was with the band and it was good to find that Barry very much shares the same sense of humor as Gary.  After several songs by the band and a couple more Bluegrass songs by Barry there was to be a sudden and certain change to occur.  The band began playing an odd but very familiar rhythm; then Barry stepped close to the mike and began singing in a strong falsetto all of the sound effects that begin the song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight."  Then Gary started adding the weema-wappas to the mix and things really started going crazy from that point on.  Barry sang the entire song in that falsetto and by the time he was finished the entire room was on it's feet cheering and clapping uproariously.  It was a fun song that added much to the evening's entertainment.  Gary Davis & Borrowed Time may not play the very best Bluegrass music, but if you leave one of their shows without feeling you have been entertained, then it's like Gary says, "You better start looking for the undertaker!"

A note to you pickers:  Gary announced that "The County Seat Restaurant" in Powhatan, VA will begin having Bluegrass jam sessions every other Monday evening beginning January 11th, 2009.  Contact the County Seat for times and details at 804-598-5000.

Bluegrass, Lousy Weather & A Marathon?, "Bluegrass Ramble" November 14th, 2009

Good Morning Bluegrass friends.  This ramble has nothing whatsoever to do with the Richmond Marathon other than it will occur today.   Today, I'm going to focus on this bit of lousy weather we've all had to endure here in Virginia over the last several days.  We've had around 6 inches of rain in our area and the ground is saturated.  That said, my house was built during the depression by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) for $500.  The lady who had the house built was a widow whose late husband had been a lumberman and had traveled to the Philippines to harvest mahogany and other exotic trees and was there when the Japanese invaded and he was never heard from again.  She received insurance compensation and took that money and had this house built.  Just a couple years later she added two more rooms to the house and under those two rooms she had a basement dug.  This basement is more like a cellar as it was built using simple brick for the walls and no kind of drainage was thought of other than a sump hole in the floor and a sump pump installed to handle the seepage of water during heavy rainstorms.  Over the years this basement has been flooded due to the sump either going bad or there being no electricity to operate it. This time the pump simply didn't work and right now I have just over two feet of water in the basement.  This really wouldn't be a problem except that my oil-fired furnace and my electric water heater both sit on the floor of the basement.  Of course, they now are sitting in over two feet of water.  I have purchased a new submersible sump pump and as soon as the skies brighten enough I will drop it into the water and begin the long drawn out affair of draining the basement. 

On a brighter note I wanted to remind you of the Bluegrass Brothers and The James King Band concert tonight at the Amelia County High School Auditorium.  Tickets are $15 at the door and the music starts at 7PM.  Also, don't forget Gary Davis & Borrowed Time will be performing at the County Seat in Powhatan tonight.

"NUFF SAID!"

The James King Band & The Bluegrass Brothers at a "Special Veterans Week-End Event" Amelia High School Auditorium - November 14th, 2009

That's right, Lawson Entertainment presents two of the finest in Virginia Style Traditional Bluegrass bands, The James King Band and The Bluegrass Brothers in what has become an annual event over the Veterans Day week-end in Amelia, Virginia.  Starting at 7PM on Saturday November 14th you'll be treated to some of the best Bluegrass Virginia has to offer.  Here are some photos I have taken of these two great groups over the years.             As I sit here at this computer at 6:45AM on Sunday November 8th I can think of little to tell you about these two bands that hasn't been said by me and many others.  Suffice it to say if you're a fan of one of these bands you're probably a fan of the other.  Great Bluegrass begets great Bluegrass.  Well, actually there is a great deal I can tell you about the James King Band and that is the band is comprised of a whole new bunch of band members  They are: Greg Moore, Glenn "Cookie" Inman and Ron Spears.

Tickets for the show are available at $10 in advance and $15 at the door.  Advance tickets are available from Lawson Entertainment by calling 804-561-0705 or by logging onto their web site www.lawsonbluegrass.com/ .  As in the past, I'm certain there will be a "will call" box available for advance sales.

Also, that same night Gary Davis & Borrowed Time will be in concert at The County Seat in Powhatan, Virginia.  Call 804-598-5000 for reservations.  Gary tells us that his brother, Barry Davis, from Iowa will be at the show and will sing a few songs as a guest of the band.

"NUFF SAID!"

"Bluegrass Ramble" Oct. 2009

I'm gonna start this ramble with some thoughts about what I believe to be Bluegrass and what is being presented as Bluegrass. As most of you know I have always had a fairly strict sense of what Bluegrass is supposed to be. Bill Monroe & The Blue Grass Boys played Bluegrass. Flatt & Scruggs & The Foggy Mountain Boys played Bluegrass. Both bands were comprised of basically five main instruments, Mandolin, Guitar, Banjo, Fiddle and Bass. Flatt & Scruggs later added the Dobro, but that's a whole 'nother story, so don't get me started on that right now. I think Jimmy Martin & The Sunny Mountain Boys played Bluegrass even though there were occasionally drums in his music. At the time Jimmy was simply playing good ol' country music and if he wanted a drum he used it. Thankfully, to my ears, the drums are almost silent. Bluegrass music, true Bluegrass music, must have a Banjo present, even if it never takes a solo break. Now, I know a lot of your are disagreeing with me right now, but even more of you are agreeing. Hey, we all know what traditional Bluegrass is, now don't we?

Well, I suppose a lot of you have noticed that I have been relaxing my strict standards as to what makes Bluegrass Bluegrass. A lot of bands these days don't feature the banjo and some don't even have a banjo at all. I really didn't like this trend, but I have heard some really great music(without Banjo) in recent years that I'm proud to include into my thoughts as Bluegrass. Just recently Brandon Rickman, the lead singer for Sammy Shelor's, Lonesome River Band released a CD of powerful Bluegrass music without a hint of Banjo anywhere. Allison Kraus and Lynn Morris both were some of the first to feature songs without Banjo. And speaking of these two ladies, having women in Bluegrass is also a change I have embraced. There are many women in Bluegrass today. And, since I really like women, I have have truly enjoyed their emergence into Bluegrass. In fact, many times when I have presented my "Night Owl Concerts" at IBMA in Nashville the majority of the groups have been comprised entirely of women or at least were led by a woman. I have been very resistant to the electric bass, but now I find it doesn't disturb me as much as it once did. So, looking back, I would say my outlook on Bluegrass has changed and I am much more flexible these days.

That said, I must tell you about a CD that arrived in my mail, unsolicited. It is entitled "Charlie Daniels & Friends, Joy To The World" subtitled "A Bluegrass Christmas." The first thing I want to tell you is that, indeed, there are many Bluegrass performers on this CD. Performers such as: The Grascals (Terry Smith, Terry Eldridge, Danny Roberts, Kristen Scott Benson & Jeremy Alshire); Aubrey Haynie, Kevin Haynie, Dan Tyminski, Evelyn Cox and Suzanne Cox. These are all great Bluegrass performers; absolutely. But when you add things like drums on most every track along with instruments such as tambourine, shaker, 12 string guitars and a casaba it is easy to see that the album is sorely misidentified as "A Bluegrass Christmas." The drums are featured very prominently in most every track of the CD as are the un-necessary noises of the other percussion instruments. On a positive note, I must tell you the package is wonderfully presented and there is not only a CD, but also a DVD with videos of each of the songs being performed live. The CD comes in a tri-fold cardboard package with both of the CD/DVD slots facing the center to prevent accidental slipping out of the disks. All songs are well annotated with all singers and instrumentalists listed for each. I find it odd that the producers are aware that knowing the details about each recording is important to Bluegrass enthusiasts, but they are not aware of the more strict parameters that identify and define Bluegrass music. The music is varied and features special tracks by Aaron Tippen, Jewel, Kathy Mattea, Evelyn Cox and Suzanne Cox and a well told story, "A Carolina Christmas Carol" written and read by Charlie Daniels. Overall the CD/DVD is well done with high production values throughout. I love the Christmas season and I'm sure I will enjoy "Charlie Daniels & Freinds, Joy To The World" CD/DVD set as well. I just wish the producers at "Blue Hat Records" could have resisted labeling the package as Bluegrass. It makes me wonder, "Is Bluegrass becoming so important, today, that a record label would misidentify a CD in order for it to thought of as Bluegrass?" Could that really be true?

"NUFF SAID!"

My Trip to IBMA's World of Bluegrass, Plus More, Part 2

I'm still on Thursday the day of the IBMA Awards.  Prior to attending the Awards Show invited guests were treated to a reception in honor of the Awards nominees, sponsored by BMI.  The Grand Ballroom at the Renaissance was converted into a swanky room with the feel of a night club, complete with music that was decidedly not Bluegrass.  But, that was okay, as having a live Bluegrass Band would have distracted us from moving about the room and wishing the nominees good luck.  The back of the room was in a buzz with lots of TV cameras and bright lights.  Why?  Well, Steve Martin had just arrived in Nashville and come to the reception.  We Bluegrass peons were not able to speak to him as the reporters took all of his time.  I did manage to get a few shots of him while he was being interviewed.    Although the reception lasted only one hour hors d'oeuvres were served as well as fresh fruit, wine and beer and desserts, all included as an invitee to the function.  This was a first for IBMA (They used to have similar affairs after the awards when we met in Louisville.), but this was a much better idea and the hotel handled everything with panache.   I want to thank BMI for sponsoring this event and I look forward to this again next year.  The awards were held in the historic Ryman Auditorium right next door the the Nashville Convention Center, only a short walk of a block from the reception.  The show was well produced with only a few problems, which can be expected with any such live affair.  The list of winners, here are directly from the IBMA web site:

THE RECIPIENTS
of the 2009 INTERNATIONAL
BLUEGRASS MUSIC AWARDS

BLUEGRASS HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

The Dillards
The Lonesome Pine Fiddlers

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR

Dailey & Vincent

VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR

Dailey & Vincent

INSTRUMENTAL GROUP OF THE YEAR

Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

Dan Tyminski

FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Dale Ann Bradley

SONG OF THE YEAR

"Don't Throw Mama's Flowers Away"
written by Chris Stuart & Ivan Rosenberg
performed by Danny Paisley & The Southern Grass

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Wheels by Dan Tyminski
produced by Dan Tyminski for Rounder Records

RECORDED EVENT OF THE YEAR

"Proud To Be a Daughter of Bluegrass" by the Daughters of Bluegrass
for Blue Circle Records

INSTRUMENTAL RECORDED PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR

"Jerusalem Ridge" by Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper
written by Bill Monroe
produced by Jeff White & Michael Cleveland for Rounder Records

GOSPEL RECORDED PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR

"On The Other Side" by Dailey & Vincent
written by Jimmy Fortune, Kevin Denney & Tom Botkin
produced by Dailey & Vincent for Rounder Records

EMERGING ARTIST OF THE YEAR

The SteelDrivers

INSTRUMENTAL PERFORMERS OF THE YEAR

BANJO

Kristin Scott Benson

BASS

Marshall Wilborn

FIDDLE

Michael Cleveland

DOBRO

Rob Ickes

GUITAR

Josh Williams

MANDOLIN

Jesse Brock

Distinguished Achievement Award Recipients

Hylo Brown
Pati Crooker
Jody Rainwater
Dick Spottswood
Joe Wilson
Bluegrass Broadcaster of the Year:

Katy Daley; HD Radio WAMU 88.5 Channel 2, 105.5 FM & www.bluegrasscountry.org; Washington, D.C.
Print Media Person of the Year:

Roger Siminoff; Siminoff’s Luthiers Glossary, Banjo Newsletter and Bluegrass Breakdown

Best Liner Notes for a Recorded Project:

Steve Martin (writer), The Crow, Steve Martin (artist), 40 Share Productions (label)
Best Graphic Design for a Recorded Project:

G. Carr & Salli Ratts (designers), The Crow, Steve Martin (artist), 40 Share Productions (label)

Bluegrass Event of the Year Award:

Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival; Oak Hill, New York; July 2008

*************************************Below are a few selected photos taken by me at the awards show:

    There were hundreds of photos from which to choose these few.  If I left out one of your favorites, I'm sorry.

On Friday the IBMA World of Bluegrass Fan Fest got under way.  All of the bands who perform at Fan Fest donate their time for the show.  The funds raised are divided in half with half going to IBMA to maintain staff, etc and the other half going to the IBMA Trust Fund.  The Trust Fund was established very early in the creation of the IBMA.  It makes emergency funds available to musicians that are in need; a very worthy endeavor.  As most of you know about me I rarely attend the performances at Bluegrass festivals.  Sometimes I'll attend a four day event and NEVER go to the stage area.  During Fan Fest this year I did attend a few performances.  All of the shows I attended were quite good, but one really stood out, for me.  Dale Ann Bradley, the Female Vocalist of the year for 2007, 2008 & 2009 really demonstrated why she wins the award.  This woman can sing!!!  She can truly sell a song.  Let me explain what I mean.  She had just completed a great set of Bluegrass and the crowd stood and cheered for more.  Dale Ann came back and performed a song that came from the folk/rock era, "Me and Bobby Magee."  Wow!  I cringed (Because I never was a fan of the folk/rock genre.) when I heard her start the song, but by the time she got to the end I never wanted her to stop.  The entire crowd went wild and cheered so loud it was amazing.  After her performance I spoke with her and suggested she do a live CD and include "Me and Bobby Magee" as the ending song.  She said, "You think?"  I said, "Yes, indeed!"  Here's a photo of Dale Ann & Kim Fox rearing back singing "Me and Bobby Magee."   Well that about wraps up my week at IBMA.  I hope you've enjoyed reading thoughts and my photos of my "trip to IBMA."

"NUFF SAID!"

My Trip to IBMA's "World of Bluegrass," 2009 & More!

I left home on Thursday September 24th, a full 4 days before the IBMA "World of Bluegrass" was slated to begin.  My trip to Nashville is my only out of town vacation and since I am a true Bluegrass "NUT" I use these extra few days to fuel my passion for Bluegrass.

On my way to Nashville I realized I would arrive very early in the afternoon and since I had no plans that part of the day I took a side trip to Sparta, Tennessee to visit Lester Flatt's grave site.  On my way into Sparta I saw a very old and time worn sign proclaiming Sparta as the "Home of Lester Flatt."  It would not surprise me that by the next generation or so that the sign will disappear entirely.  I had no idea where to look, as I had never been to Sparta, so I stopped by a McDonalds and spoke to the "old timers" there enjoying coffee if they know where Lester was buried.  Only a few even knew who he was and none of them could tell me where he was buried.  So, what to do?  I found the Court House in the center of town and went in and asked.  An older gentleman there said he didn't know but asked me to wait and he left the room to ask someone else.  When he returned he told me the name of the cemetery and how to get to it.  Lester is buried in a private cemetery owned by a funeral parlor right there on site of the cemetery.  A fellow there pointed to the area where Lester was buried.  This cemetery is of the type where there are no tomb stones, only brass plaques set into the ground.  I had to brush away the grass clippings to even read it and get a decent picture. Notice the tiny guitar between the dates.  As a Bluegrass fan and lover of the great material of Flatt & Scruggs I am embarrassed that there is nothing beyond this simple brass plaque to commemorate Lester is his own hometown.  Perhaps there is someone who do something to erect a more representative monument to the great Lester Flatt as he has meant so much to Bluegrass and always will.

I stayed at the Red Roof Inn just off I-40 in the west end of Nashville that first night and ate dinner at a very nice restaurant called Darfon's Restaurant.  I've been there before and always look forward to a delicious meal there.  That night I drove down to the Station Inn to hear whatever group might be playing there that night.  It so happened that the Josh Williams Band was playing that night.  He was very good, but it seemed he could not get the audience on his side.  Josh's music was very good and entertaining, but I was very weary from my long drive (600 miles), so I could not stay beyond midnight.

On Friday I drove up to Owensboro, Kentucky and renewed my membership with the International Bluegrass Music Museum (IBMM).  Click on the link here and take a little time to explore all that your IBMM has to offer.  One of the most important projects the museum is undertaking is making video interviews with the first and second generation singers and pickers of our music.  A few have passed before this project was undertaken, but now over 250 have been interviewed and preserved for us and out future generations to enjoy and learn from.  Also, every spring they present "ROMP" the "River Of Music Party."  This is a full scale Bluegrass festival over 4 days.  There's much more going on with the IBMM than I can share here, so check out the web site by clicking on the link above.  One more thing; the inductees into the IBMA Hall of Fame are honored at the IBMM where the official Hall of Fame is located.  I toured the museum again (this was my 5th time there!) and enjoyed a couple of hours reveling in our music.  I contacted Gabrielle Gray, the director of the IBMM and enjoyed a pleasant dinner with her at the Moonlite Bar-B-Q (You simply must eat at the Moonlite when you visit Owensboro!).  I stayed overnight in Owensboro and drove back to Nashville on Saturday.  Again I had plenty of time and decided to take a side trip to Rosine, Kentucky, the birth place of Bill Monroe.  The same weekend as "Fan Fest" at IBMA there is a festival on Jerusalem Ridge just above Bill Monroe's restored ancestral home.  I believe that it is called "Bill Monroe Days Bluegrass Festival."  There were several campers already on the ridge and many people around Bill's house. Below are a few pics around the inside of the house.

I also went to the cemetery and took some pictures of Bill's and Uncle Pen's graves.

From there I drove back to Nashville and went back down to the Station Inn to see Ronnie Bowman & The Committee. Ronnie is there every year on the Saturday before IBMA.  I must tell you that I had grown tired of seeing him each year, but now I really don't think my trip to IBMA would be complete without seeing Ronnie Bowman at the Station Inn.

On Sunday I drove down to Bell Buckle, Tennessee to enjoy the "Dare To Be Different" showcase acts presented by Valerie Smith & Becky Buller along with the Bell Buckle Records label.  There was food served as well as several Bluegrass bands on stage.  Seven hundred dollars was raised and presented to the IBMA "Bluegrass in the Schools" program during the Thursday awards luncheon in Nashville later that week.  Here a a few pics taken in the quaint little town of Bell Buckle.

Also, here are a couple of pics taken during the Dare To Be Different showcases.       

Monday morning and the IBMA World of Bluegrass officially began.  I must tell you I don't attend many of the seminars offered at IBMA, but I do so enjoy meeting up with old friends and meeting new people each year.  I spent my Monday morning moving about the hotel and the Nashville Convention Center visiting and generally getting re-acquainted with the IBMA layout.  Finally the exhibit hall opened at 3PM and I spent the next 3 hours going from booth to booth.  While walking around the exhibit hall I happened upon Becky Buller trying out a new Louzee (Brand Name) Banjo and took these three great photos.

I was disappointed this year when I learned the Geoff & Sherry Stelling weren't going to be at IBMA.  Lagging sales due to the worsening economy coupled with some other issues combined to make the trip to IBMA one they simply couldn't justify this year.  I consider them great friends and they were missed by me and many other folks, as well.  With Sherry Stelling not around I was forced to make friends with the wife of another Banjo maker, Janet Deering.

Most of you should be aware that I decided to not present our after hours showcases this year.  I was therefore free to wander about from showcase to showcase each evening and while, at first, I felt a little odd not doing the "Night Owl Concerts" I soon began to enjoy myself.  I must do a lot of thinking and getting advice before deciding to do them next year.  The first three days at IBMA were filled with showcases by day and night and were greatly enjoyed.  A very special treat for me, since I booked them into our Night Owl Concerts sight unseen and unheard was the official IBMA showcase set by Gold Heart.  This family band transplanted themselves into Virginia about five years ago and have since played many small and large venues and were just this year picked up by Rural Rhythm Records.  Congratulations to Gold Heart! I gradually re-set my internal clock and by Wednesday I was able to stay up until 3:30AM with ease and get up at around 9AM the next day.  Thursday was a very special day at the IBMA World of Bluegrass as it is on this day that the "Special Awards Luncheon" and the "IBMA Awards Show" occurred.  First, during the luncheon there were awards given for Bluegrass Broadcaster of the Year, Katy Daley of WAMU Radio; Bluegrass Event of the Year, The Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival in Oak Hill, New York; Best Graphic Design for a Recorded project, Greg Carr & Sally Ratts for The Crow by Steve Martin; Best Liner Notes for a Recorded Project, Steve Martin, writer for The Crow; Print Media Person of the Year, Roger Siminoff for Siminoff's Luthier Glossary, Banjo Newsletter and Bluegrass Breakdown.   To me, the thing that made this luncheon so special was the five distinguished achievement awards that were given to Hylo Brown, Pati Crooker, Dick Spottswood,  Joe Wilson and our very own Jody Rainwater.  The speech for Jody was given by Penny Parsons and was well presented with many photographs.  I have included a few here.  I do not know the original photographer, but rest assured these photos are not mine.

 

There's a lot more to tell you about my trip to IBMA, but this has gone way too long as it is, so I'll end up here and let you digest this before inundating you with more.  Next time I'll cover the awards show with lots of photos! By the way, I just learned how to add invisible captions to my photos.  Simply move the mouse pointer over the photo and the caption will appear.  Until, perhaps this weekend.....

"NUFF SAID!"