Win the new Liberty CD!!!

It's finally here. Our long-awaited album "Old Time Gospel Songs, Vol. 1" has arrived. Doran picked them up at the Greyhound bus station last evening (long story) and we're going to have it on the product table this weekend.

As promised, one of my loyal readers will be receiving a free CD. I had envisioned an elaborate contest, making the winner really sweat to walk away with the prize. However, after discussion with several readers and a little thought (not a whole lot, really) I've decided to keep it simple. Here's how it's going to work: for the next few days, actually a week, I'm going to accept entries for the CD. The cut-off date and time for accepted entries will be Thursday, Sept. 21 at 11:59 PM (MST). Here's what must be included in the entry (an entry can be made only by leaving a comment to this post):

First and last name
The title and date of your favorite post
How you found out about keithinside

That's it. I will then copy and paste all of the names into Word, print them out, and then put them on several slips of paper. I will put all of the slips of paper into a hat, have Trey put on his Lone Ranger mask (which does nothing but add to the drama), and pull out a slip of paper. The person whose name is on the slip of paper will be the winner. To validate our selection, I will have Lori videotape the ceremony and will post it on keithinside. The integrity of this process is vital, I know.

Once a winner has been selected and named, the person can claim the CD by e-mailing their mailing address to waggoner_keith@hotmail.com.

If you have never commented before on this site and aren't quite sure how to go about it, feel free to ask for help at waggoner_keith@hotmail.com.

Enjoy!

Trey's world

Trey is making quite a bit of progress in soccer. In his first game he scored a goal and had several steals. He also had 3 shots that either bounced off the side of the goal or just missed. I have to say, though, he has yet to display my competitive spirit. Maybe he didn't inherit that trait, which while recalling the intensity of my aggressive play might not be a bad thing.

In his first game, one of the opposing players got confused and kicked the ball into the opposite goal. The coaches were trying to keep it positive and didn't want to acknowledge the mistake, but Trey wouldn't let it go. He followed his coach around loudly asking, "Why did he kick it in our goal? Huh? Why did he do that? He's not supposed to do that, is he? Doesn't that mean we get a point?" Finally, the coach shushed him and said, "Yes, Trey. You're right. He kicked it in our goal." Anything to get him to shut up. He's a good'un, that boy.

The next Landon Donovan...or maybe accountant.

Trey likes this drill that works on footwork and passing.

Take a gander at that defensive posture. And the face...you don't wanna mess with the man.

Like I said, he hasn't adopted that killer instinct yet.

Kassady's world

Kassady is extremely jealous of the fact that Trey is playing soccer. So much so, that when he was gone to school she stole his uniform shorts and socks. She waddled around the house all afternoon like she was Mia Hamm.


No! Stop dialing...put the phone down. Do not call Child Protective Services. Kassady is not suffering from abuse in this picture. No, she tried her hand at makeup for the first time. Instead of eyeliner and mascara (which for all I know may be one and the same) she tried Blue by Crayola (a new shade now available at K-Mart). I laughed, while Lori cried. She had to wash it off.

More Pictures

Doran: Royce, could you please sing one of those low notes again?
Royce: (in low, muffled tones) Doran, I'd be happy to. Raaarrgggghhhhh...
Doran: Royce, please teach me how to do that. Please!
Royce: Well, boy, when you grow up, you come and see Big Daddy, you hear?

The size of our crowds sometimes overwhelm us. During these type of concerts, Royce sends one of us out there to make it look like a full house.

No, I don't understand this picture, either. Ladies and gentlemen, this is Dan.

Doran will often select a privileged member from the audience to come up and watch him do his thing on stage. He makes them stand off to the side, so the attention is still primarily on him.

Dan is being considered for a starring role in an upcoming Marvel Comics movie called, fittingly, Male Quartet Superheroes: or the Fantastic Four. The rest of us didn't make the cut. Word on the street is that the other co-stars would be Elvis, Bill Gaither, and Jack Hooker. Incredible lineup!

Dan begins everyday with a 64 oz. cup of coffee. He then moves on to a second cup within the hour. Here he finalizes concert details with a pastor. It's amazing to see him work!

Gary Woodruff's daughter Jessica shares a smoothie with Dan. Actually, she was posing for a picture and Dan took advantage to steal a sip.

Royce with Sarah, another of Gary's daughters. His oldest girl, Emily, wasn't able to be with us that night.

Royce self-consciously smiles as Dan fills in Gary about his penchant for driving over 100 mph.

Royce watches in awe as Doran does his thing. Royce was the lucky audience member picked by Doran to stand off to the side and observe.

Sarah, Dan, and Jessica. Great kids, all of them!

Nobody wanted to pose with me, so after much searching I came up with this lady. She didn't say much, just stood there.


Royce kept on trying to tell her that he was her biggest fan. Once again, not much response.

Finally, trip update

OK, this is the abbreviated version of our trip last weekend. Yes, I know that it's been too long in coming, but this has been one of those weeks. You know what I'm talking about. We were in Montana, Idaho, and Washington over the weekend, singing Thursday through Monday (a longer tour than usual). We had the privilege of spending time with some of our great friends. In Libby, MT a fantastic young group by the name of Accounted For opened up for us. I found a fellow SG historian in Pete Milne, Sr., their lead singer. Their baritone was ill that evening so our very own Doran Ritchey filled in. He did it with no practice whatsoever, and nailed it. He's my hero (OK...that might be a stretch)!

We had a weird weekend in the sense of doing a lot of backtracking, this due to some scheduling conflicts, so we put on many, many miles. We were up in Libby, MT and then back down to Lapwai, ID where we reconnected with The King's Heirs. These guys are fun to meet up with. Their sense of humor combined with their heart for God have endeared them to our group. They opened up for us and then treated us to a home-cooked meal afterwards. Good food! I didn't know guys could cook that well. Ham, chicken, all kinds of desserts...it was awesome!

We also spent time in Bonners Ferry, ID before heading over to Spokane, WA for a full day at the First Church of the Nazarene. What a church! We thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the morning service and listening to the ministry of Pastor Jerry. I think Royce even raised his hand for prayer (no, not really...we wish he would, though*)! The worship pastor at Spokane First is Royce's former college roommate, Gary Woodruff. What a great guy! We spent most of the day hanging out with Gary and his daughters. His wife was helping her family move to CA, so she wasn't able to be at our concerts. I'm convinved that some of the friendliest people in the world live in Spokane. We had an outstanding turnout for the evening concert. All the way around, this was a good weekend. We finished up our tour Monday in Colfax, WA and then headed home.

Enjoy the pics from the weekend:

Royce and Gary. Royce looks a bit uncomfortable. Perhaps it has something to do with all of the stories Gary shared concerning his conduct in college.

The Kings Heirs. Too many jokes about the King's Hairs. They're lookin' mean in green.

I enjoyed hangin' out with the boys from Accounted For. Here's Alex, the tenor.

Royce and Pete Milne, Jr. of Accounted For (2 great, young...well great basses)

This young lady was very impressed with my green shirt. I reminded her of Kermit.

Doran fills in with Accounted For. He tried to bust a few moves, but he should stick to singing. Dan looks on in wonder.



*In this sentence I am employing a form of humor called sarcasm. For those readers who may not be aware of this type of jocoseness, let me clarify that Royce is a born-again Christian who is serving God and does not need to raise his hand for prayer. This disclaimer brought to you by the Church of the Nazarene who emphasizes that Royce is a minister in good standing with their denomination.

Fan Awards

OK, here you have it: the winners of the 2006 Singing News Fan Awards (with commentary).

Favorite Trio - Greater Vision
I can buy this. They obviously have a huge fan base. I'm partial to the Booth Brothers and the Talley Trio.

Favorite Large Market DJ - Wayne Wallace, WXJC
Favorite Medium Market DJ - Carol Davis, WFGW
Favorite Small Market DJ - John Whisnant, WCIS
Would someone please get rid of this award? There aren't enough regional stations/DJs to make this a category worth voting for.

Favorite Baritone - Rodney Griffin (Greater Vision)
Rodney has the sweetest spirit of anyone in SG music. I personally favor Marshall Hall (of GVB) and Doug Anderson (of EH&SSQ).

Favorite Alto - Libbi Stuffle (Perrys)
Very deserving, even though I like Susan Whisnant, as well. It is awfully hard to leave Debra Talley out of this one, though. Her smooth voice is unmatched.

Favorite Soprano - Kim Hopper (Hoppers)
Yep, the fans got this one right.

Favorite Artist Web Site - Greater Vision
This new category is a joke. Out of all of the groups nominated, only 1 (Signature Sound) has a half-way decent site. I was talking to a member of one of the groups nominated for this category and he said he was embarrassed to have their sub-par site as one of the choices. Fans just voted on group popularity on this one.

Favorite Young Artist - Jason Waldroup (Greater Vision)
OK.

Favorite Song - He Saw It All (Booth Brothers)
Great pick. What a song! While there were some great songs nominated, I like this one.

Favorite Pianist - Roger Bennett (Legacy Five)
Would somebody please have Kim Collingsworth on the nominating ballot next year? She is the best in SG right now. If she can't win it, go Roger.

Horizon Individual - Wes Hampton (Gaither Vocal Band)
Outstanding. I guess GVB members are allowed to win awards at NQC.

Horizon Group - LeFevre Quartet
I really didn't know much about any group in this category. I do know Jeff Snyder from Crystal River, so I guess they would have been my pick.

Favorite Bass - Tim Duncan (Ernie Haase & Signature Sound)
Way to go, Tim! Gene McDonald is still the best in the biz, though.

Favorite Lead Singer - Gerald Wolfe (Greater Vision)
As he explained tonight in his acceptance speech, "I'm a baritone, not a lead". Maybe if Guy would get a haircut, he could win this award.

Favorite First Tenor - Ernie Haase (Ernie Haase & Signature Sound)
I was pulling for Brian Free. I'm on the BF&A bandwagon right now.

Favorite Band - Kingdom Heirs
Over the Crabb Band? I don't think so.

Favorite Album - Remembering the Happy Goodmans - The Perrys (Daywind Records)
A sentimental favorite I'm sure. They are one of my favorite groups, but this is not the best album produced in 2006.

Favorite Soloist - Ivan Parker
I like Ivan.

Favorite Mixed Quartet - Perrys
They are the premier group right now. It was a classy move by Tracy Stuffle when he called the Crabb Family to the stage and gave the award to them as a tribute to their impact on SG music.

Favorite Musician - John Pfeifer (Pfeifers)
Can't argue with this one. He's awesome!

Favorite Female Singer - Kim Hopper (Hoppers)
I guess.

Favorite Male Singer - Ivan Parker
Nope. C'mon, people...

Favorite Songwriter - Rodney Griffin
Rodney is awesome, there's no doubt about it. But, I wish that people would look at the songwriters who aren't singers. The hottest writers right now are Rebecca Peck, Diane Wilkinson, Twila McBride-Labar, and Joel Lindsey. All the fans do is nominate artists. Go figure. Read album credits, people.

Favorite Traditional Male Quartet (tie) - Inspirations/Ernie Haase & Signature Sound
Can there be a larger disparity in, well, everything between these two groups? Past, meet future. How ya' doin'? Good...

Super Fan: Wayne & Judy Rhear, Jackson, TN
Very deserving, I'm sure.

There you have it. We'll see you next year. Stuff the ballot box everybody, and good night.

The Good Wife's Guide

Please click on the picture above to read the article. For some reason, Lori's been slacking. This oughtta be good.

Thanks, Sheila, for bringing this to my attention. Classic!

Good intentions don't result in posts

Well, so much for my good intentions. I meant to post about last weekend, but I haven't had time yet. I've spent today working on the new Liberty Quartet e-newsletter. It's going to be a step up from what we've been doing (in my humble estimation). I will be writing the weekly newsletter in addition to all my responsibilities at the home office of keithinside. I'm going to try to keep it as fun and informational as possible (with pictures and captions, of course). So, if you haven't signed up yet, do so on our home page: http://www.libertyquartet.com.

Anyway, I'll get to the posting tomorrow. Unless, of course, another exciting article such as the price of jeans catches my eye.

By the way, what's up with Rosie O'Donnell's comments on The View? She thinks Christians and Muslims are alike when it comes down to it? That woman needs to do a little research before the program.

It doesn't take a jeanius...

Every once in a while I come across something in the news that I have to comment on. Check out this article on www.brandweek.com:

Popular jeans brand 7 For All Mankind is the top denim brand for Gen Y consumers ages 17-26. At least that's the latest according to a study conducted for the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association by SLANT, a marketing firm headquartered in Chicago.

Other popular brands among this group include Diesel, Levis, Lucky and Gap. Citizens of Humanity, Old Navy, American Eagle, Guess and Joes Jeans round out the top 10.

According to the survey, 41% of those polled typically spend more than $100
on each denim purchase. Nearly one in three (30.9%) spend $50-99; 28.2% spend
less than $50 on a pair of jeans.

OK, maybe it's just me, but are we getting carried away here. 41% spend more than $100 on a denim purchase. People, they're JEANS! It's not like there's anything intrinsically valuable about a pair of pants, trust me on this. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not on the cutting edge of fashion. I find myself about an inch behind the edge of the shears, but I'm telling you there ain't a pair of jeans worth no $100 (the use of bad English was intentional and in no way reflects on the educational level or intellect of the poster). Between the ages of 17 and 26 I was either in high school, college, or newly married. $100 was the clothing allowance for the year, which is evident in pictures from that time period. Are these kids/young adults racking this up on credit cards or is there some hot job market that I've missed out on? And if it's the parents buying this stuff for their college-bound kids, I must politely say that you are idiots. I wish I could share what I really think on the subject.

In the meantime, I have to run to the dryer to get my Rustlers* out before they wrinkle.

*The only cheap brand of jeans I could think of on the spur of the moment. Wearers of Rustlers need not take offense at the reference. They are actually very durable, even though they cause rash on the knees.

Plodding along

Henry Mancini is a musical genius. I'm currently listening to "Baby Elephant's Walk" on my iPod. Great song!

I'll get around to updating this sometime today. For those of you who want some of the latest Liberty pics visit the newly renovated website: http://www.libertyquartet.com/images.htm. While you won't get the sarcastic comments that you find here, you can see what we've been up to. I'll still post some of the pics with snarky commentary here, though.

It was a great weekend!
And how about those Colts?! Along with a Hoo-Dey to my Cincy friends.