Wanna know about the music I make? Here’s the info:

A performer for more than 35 years, Chuck Parker has filled many musical roles: heavy metal guitarist, singer/songwriter, jazz sideman, open mic host, filk circle regular, session player, and World’s Okayest Bassist™.

Chuck has been a regular on the con circuit for more than a decade, and he’s played ballrooms, biergartens and backyards all over the country, both as a solo performer and as the bassist for wizard rock icons The Blibbering Humdingers. He plays slice of life, confessional geek tunes that are often kind of funny, and his lyrics have been called “sensitive”, “literate”, and “hard to sing…”

He is also a published poet, avid cyclist, spouse, father, and a herder of cats, both figuratively and literally.

Tunes:

• Bandcamp: Songs/Albums for sale/download
• Spotify
• Apple Music
• YouTube Artist Channel
• …and very likely on your other favorite streaming service!
• The Blibbering Humdingers, the wizard rock/nerdmusik band I’ve played bass with for most of the last ten years
• Stuff I Made – live recordings, other people’s records I’ve appeared on, rare stuff, writing, etc…

Gigs

• Chuck’s Gigs Page

Thanks for checking in, and if you like, stick around to read two decades’ worth of blog posts!

After a seriously hectic week full of navigating rhetorical scuffles between co-workers who ought to know better, stints at playing the boss, and fighting with reporting queries at work, and needy pets who don’t understand why their favorite person (i.e. my lovely spouse) aren’t around (she’s doing a substitute teaching stint for a couple of weeks and the dog just don’t [sic] understand) and kids plowing through groceries faster than I can buy them (seriously, it seems like 7000 calories a day or something) at home, and of course, the earthquake on the other side of town the other day, I’m heading out this afternoon for a gig playing Marscon with the Humdingers.

For reasons, mostly to do with shifting culture under new management, I wasn’t there last year, either as a guest or attendee. The drama inherent in that shift kicked up a big shitstorm back in Feb/Mar of 2023; you can look here or elsewhere for details if you’re unfamiliar. I was kind of bummed, because this event had been my home for years, and then it simply wasn’t (I even wrote a song about how I felt, but haven’t pushed it hard – it was more about therapy than anything else). The management has somewhat shifted again, but it looks like the new culture has largely stuck, at least according to what the overall programming looks like. That said, there are some good friends on the bill with us, so I’m looking forward, at least, to spending time with them and making music, even if the audience isn’t as compatible, which is always welcome. We’ll see how it goes…

In any case, here’s where I’ll be definitely performing/participating:

• Friday, 5pm, main programming room: Blibbering Humdingers concert
• Friday, 10pm, salon L: Jam Session, Open Mic, Filking
• Sunday, 1pm, main programming room: Blibbering Humdingers concert

Apart from those scheduled events, I’ll likely be found attending one of the several other musical events, and I kind of want to try to get a seat at the table for one of the sessions for the Votes For Women board game on the gaming schedule, which sounds like a really neat concept – a board game about the ratification of the 19ᵗʰ Amendment (I don’t think, given the aforementioned cultural shift, this will be a problem)….or, it could end up I just sit in the hotel bar with a drink in my hand people-watching.

After the con, I’ve got a couple of days off, thanks to MLK Day and a scheduled mental health day, given a very-recently rescheduled doc appointment which resisted timecard updates, so I kept the leave, especially given the other stuff going down on Monday, which I’m going to keep my distance from, for, again, reasons. The plan is to rest a bit, and hopefully keep working on my contributions to the new Humdingers record we’re aiming to have ready in time to release at ConVivial this year.

And if that all gets too frustrating, there’s always the Richmond Metro Zoo’s Poppy Cam.

And that’s that. Promo and bitching over. Here are a few tunes:

1. “Foolin’ It Up” – Ace Monroe
2. “Back on My Feet Again” – The Babys
3. “Battle of Evermore (live)” – The Lovemongers
4. “My Girl (Gone, Gone, Gone)” –
5. “Bad Things” – Jace Everett
6. “Hypnotic” – Zella Day
7. “The Feminine Urge” – The Last Dinner Party
8. “Weeds or Wildflowers” – Parsonfield
9. “Snowshoes” – Caamp
10. “Heartless”- Nathaniel Rateliff & The Nightsweats
11. “Loading Zone” – Kurt Vile
12. “The Balcony” – Fruit Bats
13. “Polar Onion” – Allah-Las
14. “Blood Red Sentimental Blues” – Cotton Jones

so the weather reports are showing that we’re in for another white weekend here in the metro, which I suppose is fine, apart from my neighbors to the north (including friends and so many of my favored places to while away an hour or three) are *still* under a boil advisory, and another storm’s going to continue to f**k things up in the city for the foreseeable future (or at least the next few days).

It’s also going to continue to make my dog nuts, as she manages to be afraid of every cracking noise the remaining frozen layer of snow in the yard makes and makes it really difficult to get her to just go out and take a sh*t like when the ground is just covered with grass and the occasional leaf.

Luckily there’s very little on my agenda for the next couple of days, though this business starting tonight is probably going to screw up my usual Saturday grocery run, as well as my efforts to keep the house clean, as we’re low on or out of some basic cleaning supplies, including the soap used to clean up all the dishes that everybody leaves lying around.

Reading back over that, I might not be in the best mood today. At least today is a light day in terms of social interactions at work, because the code problems we were running into on Wednesday afternoon still appear to be there this morning, and it looks like the person who wrote these queries is out, and knows more about the syntax in this particular case than either myself or the usual code gurus, and we just can’t make sense of the error messages, even with the wisdom of all the experts search engines can normally provide.

That is unless the phone starts ringing with program managers looking for guidance on how to prep their documentation, which is my usual lot in life on Fridays, and the emails I woke to suggest that’s likely to continue.

Yep, the mood’s already shot. Sorry folks.

So it’s probably best that I just stop while I’m only a couple of steps behind and keep my head down for now.

Anyway, tunes-wise, circumstances are better. I’ve been somewhat familiar with the artist at #1 through news stories in the crossover parts of the politics/entertainment Venn diagrams, though I’d never actually heard this tune. While I grew up adjacent at best to this badass drag queen spiritual-folk singer’s childhood religious tradition, I feel this one; I highly recommend taking a listen. The rest of the stuff is largely the usual indie and rock/metal stuff, which is…fine; and apparently obsessed with houses this week:

1. “Esther, Ruth, and Rahab” – Flamy Grant
2. “Distance” – Mammoth WVH
3. “(You’re A) Strange Animal” – Gowan
4. “Satisfaction Guaranteed” – The Firm
5. “One Day In Your Life” – 54-40
6. “Feel You Closer” – Skydiggers
7. “Sunny Days” – Lighthouse
8. “Lie To Me” –
9. “Shine” – Junkhouse
10. “Sick of Myself” – Matthew Sweeet
11. “Four Seasons in One Day” – Crowded House
12. “Baby Don’t Treat Me Bad” – Firehouse
13. “Too Bad” – Doug and the Slugs

As I start writing this piece in the middle of my first week back at work, I’m the *only* one in the house who’s back to work, because, for the first time in a couple of years, the RVA metro has been hit with what they call a “major” winter storm in these parts, which for those of us here just south of the city, meant not quite three inches since Sunday night (which my giant delicate flower of a dog, who’d never seen it before does not like at all), and thankfully did not involve the power outages and water boil advisories my neighbors ten miles north are dealing with. Those here in the house engaged with the education sector have been off for three days so far due to wintry conditions, and although the federal site where my organization is headquartered was closed Monday and Tuesday, and delayed in opening on Wednesday, as I’m on an official telework agreement, snow days just aren’t a thing for me anymore.

I kind of miss that childlike excitement of learning about an unexpected day off, but the fuel and time savings I get the rest of the year kind of make up for it.

Nonetheless, for entirely other reasons, I am getting an unexpected day off this week, though it’s got nothing to do with the weather and everything to do with the passing of an honored humanitarian, our thirty-ninth President, James Earl Carter, Jr. Thursday has been designated a National Day of Mourning to remember and celebrate his life.

Although his administration in the early days of my life wasn’t what he’d hoped, he worked hard to do right by this country and the world before, during, and especially after his time in the White House, all while retaining a humble presence and attitude of quiet service. As I said to several friends in the days after his death, we probably didn’t deserve him, and he certainly didn’t deserve to see how this country turned away from his values of progressive service and equal opportunity over the past forty years, but until the end, he served and did what he could for his neighbors.

We can all learn something from that. If you’re reading this, I ask you to take a moment on Thursday to remember him, and consider how much better off we’d all be if everyone tried to be a little more like him.

To quote Vice President Harris speaking at the Capitol on Tuesday:

He lived his faith. He served the people and he left the world better than he found it. And in the end, Jimmy Carter’s work, and those works, speak for him — louder than any tribute we can offer.

It was nice to see the adults in the room emulate his example, especially the Vice President presiding over events, by gettings us through the January 6th certification of electors as a matter of Constitutionally-required routine rather than a cacophonous spectacle of drama, disrespect, and violence four years ago. As we head into the next sure-to-be-tumultuous four years, let’s not forget (in spite of all the gaslighting leading up to Monday’s certification from certain corners) how fragile our democratic principles are right now, maintain our republic, “if [we] can keep it.”

After a couple of five-hundred years’ displaced pop culture references, here’s my “Happy New Year” post. So it’s 2025. The lovely spouse and I stayed up until midnight, barely, chilling with friends (virtually), as another friend did an online New Years’ Eve show via Twitch. We enjoyed ourselves, and that’s really what it was all about.

I’ve no idea what 2025 is going to bring, though I expect a bunch of political uncertainty and cultural and societal anxiety. At the very least. Things are kind of messed up, and I don’t expect them to settle out anytime soon. I remain thankful that I’m in a (relatively) secure place in life, though it’s likely to much less so for so many other people, and losing President Carter a couple of days ago put a bit of a spotlight on that, given that he’d spent so much of his life in public service working to bring security to so many.

It’s gonna get weird. Have that helmet ready.

Anyway, 2024 was a mixed bag. Life personally and within my household was (on the whole) good. People got jobs, achieved academically, and we welcomed a couple of beloved furry friends into the family. For me, I worked my tail off in the day job *and* in the side gig. I’m recognized as an authority and valued resource within my work group, made some positive organizational changes, and it looks like there’ll be more coming. I leveled up significantly in my musical community, and released some music I’m really proud of, and folks seem to like, and have a bunch of neat gigs lined up for the coming year with hopefully more on the horizon.

That said, we also lost a couple of beloved pets, faced significant health challenges we’re working to overcome, and hit a couple of financial challenges as you do, and it’s taking a bit build that safety net I’m lucky enough to be able to have at all (points back to the second paragraph…).

But, we’re still here and doing what we can.

I’ve been busy enough that I haven’t necessarily done record keeping as comprehensive as in past years for my usual “by the numbers” end-of-year list, though I can certainly do something more abbreviated:

• miles hiked or biked – 1672
• books read – 56
• shows played – a lot
• bars and breweries mourned – three
• net pounds lost – five
• records released – one
• records appeared on – two
• compilation records we didn’t get done – one
• number of times I had one of my songs covered by a Logan award nominee – one
• conventions attended – three
• conventions missed due to COVID – one
• hospital stays – one
• pets gained – two (plus a bunch of fish)
• pets lost – two (and a bunch of fish)
• flat tires – three bike, one car
• seat belts shredded – three
• times I actually went to the office – none
• times I had to go near the office to get my login card unlocked because my cat walked on the keyboard and typed the wrong thing in the password field too many times – one
• “big time” concerts attended – seven
• much smaller concerts hosted – two
• sense of existential dread – ongoing

Anyway, that’s the gist of it. Strap in, folks; who knows what’s coming up next.

Honestly, nothing’s changed since I posted yesterday about boxing day. I did exactly the kind of stuff I said I was going to do; played video games for an hour or two. Took a long walk in the park. Went to the grocery store bar and had a pleasant drink with my lovely spouse (for the record, I had one of these. It was *amazing*). I plan on doing more of the same for the next week or so.

The only thing I really want to talk about is the fact that this song has been a weird earworm for me for the last week or so. I have no idea why. I didn’t hear it anywhere. I haven’t even thought about this band for years. The only real associated memory I have of it was that there was some connection to Greenpeace because the MTV VJ mentioned it once introducing the video, and for some reason that little nugget stuck in a brain cell for the last 36 years or so.

But it’s got a killer hook, and they use that term for a reason, and it did knock Maria Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” out of there, so I call it a win.

Anyway, I fed that song into the streaming service algorithm to see about dislodging it, and ended up with this playlist that is pretty much exactly the soundtrack of my high school years, including the song my buddy Ethan (gonna have to look him up; last I heard, he was a working pro musician down in Texas) and I played at homecoming my senior year coming up at #3, the headliner of my first *real* concert closing things out, and what I still consider one of the best guitar solos of the 20th century in at #11, mostly because of those last. four. notes...

1. “Little Fighter” – White Lion
2. “When You Close Your Eyes” – Night Ranger
3. “Love Song” – Tesla
4. “Seventeen” – Winger
5. “Holy Water” – Bad Company
6. “Edge of a Broken Heart” – Vixen
7. “New Thing” – Enuff Z’Nuff
8. “Born To Be My Baby” – Bon Jovi
9. “Big City Nights”- Scorpions
10. “Face Down in the Gutter” – XYZ
11. “I Remember You” – Skid Row
12. “Why Can’t This Be Love” – Van Halen
13. “(Can’t Live Without Your) Love and Affection” – Nelson

Oh, and I updated my gigs page with a few more dates, as I received a few acceptances/confirmations in the last couple of weeks. Looks like it’s going to be a busy (for me, at least) first half of 2025!

‘Tis Boxing Day; hope you’re enjoying your two turtle doves, and are ready for all those other birds over the next week and a half…

After watching Congress pull a miracle out of their asses at the last minute, our Christmas here was quiet; we mostly lounged around reading, playing video games (the family gift was a shiny new PS5, so much Gran Turismo was played), and grazing from the big pot of chili and big loaf of jalapeño cheddar cornbread I made.

Also, keeping the dog away from her best friend the kitten*, who spent Christmas Eve-eve having two particular jingle balls removed, and is, for the moment, mostly confined the to the bathroom with his cone of shame and pain meds until the incision heals up.

Quiet is what I like for major holidays, honestly. Just chilling at home with the phone turned off for my mental health, and just being…usually with a cat in my lap, a book in one hand and a grown-up drink in the other.

That works for me.

Today and the next couple of days will probably be more of the same. Probably take the dog for a walk or three in the park (especially for First Day Hikes in VA State Parks), and perhaps joining some friends for drinks at some point, but mostly, just being.

Do what works for you, folks. Whatever of the million holidays out there right now you’re celebrating, enjoy it(them).

________________________

* – Oh, I haven’t mentioned the kitten, have I? This is Goose, who followed us home from Dragoncon back in September. Friends of ours in NC had a litter of kittens they were looking to find homes for, and after much deliberation, we decided we couldn’t resist checking off “orange doofus troublemaker” in the ‘dex. Actually, he’s pretty cool if we can keep him out of the sink, and he’s the only cat who plays with the dog, and she loves him, even though he’s five pounds and she’s sixty-five or so, and neither of them acknowledge the size difference, because toddlers.

I’m really getting a lot of mileage out of this song…

Today is, as scheduled, my last day of work for 2024. It’s been a scary-productive year this year occupation-wise, and I hope to keep it moving, assuming I don’t get railroaded into management, which kind of feels like it’s happening after attending the retirement party of a dear, beloved co-worker yesterday afternoon. The ink’s not even dry on her retirement certificate and people are already messaging me on background about how I’m perfect for the slot that’s opening up…

We’ll see. I’m going to take the next two weeks to consider it, but after spending many an afternoon talking about the frustration she’s experienced in that position, It’s going to take some thinking.

And who knows, I might have even longer to think about it, thanks to all the chaos up in The District over the last 48 hours. I went to bed on Wednesday night confident that Congress had kicked the can until March to keep things funded, the once-and-future guy and his work-spouse Elon went and tanked the deal, and now as I type this, we’re half-a-day away from shutting things down again.

I fully expect to wake up Monday morning to log on to my work machine to sign a furlough notice, and assuming it that happens, I also fully expect that I’ll be sitting on my ass waiting for news at least until Inauguration Day.

Merry F’ing Christmas.

Oh well. I’ve got some savings to burn through to make sure the mortgage is covered, and I can hope for some sunny days so my rooftop solar array eats a big chunk of the electric bill, and thanks to the law they passed last time, I’ll get the money back once all the posturing and backroom deals, but a month or so without a paycheck is surely going to suck.

So, if you feel like buying some music in the meantime, I certainly would appreciate it.

Anyway, as far as my planned holiday break is concerned, I don’t have a lot planned. I’ve got a couple of projects around the house, some guitar restringing (including trying “Nashville tuning” on one of my Telecasters, because why not) on the agenda, and just relax a bit after a pretty stressful year, either out at some local (and maybe slightly less local) parks, or sitting in a chair reading a book with a cat or two in my lap while trying not to think about how long I likely won’t be getting paid.

Oh, and I should probably focus on rehearsing a bit, since I booked two more conventions for the first half of the year this week.

Anyway, the obligatory tunes the algorithms that are always watching us spit out. Americana, Celtic, modern folk, and closing out with a little bit of really catchy pop because I’m human, Dammit!

Like Thanksgiving last month, I’ll be unplugging in the interest of mental health, but that doesn’t mean I don’t wish you Happy Holidays, whichever ones you celebrate.

1. “Found Out About You” – Gin Blossoms
2. “Steal My Soul” – The Strumbellas
3. “A Change Is Gonna Come” – Greta Van Fleet
4. “Who Will Save Your Soul” – Jewel
5. “And It’s Still Alright” – Nathaniel Rateliff
6. “The General” – DISPATCH
7. “Crowded Table” – The Highwomen
8. “Humbug Mountain” – Fruit Bats
9. “Find My Way” – Gabe Dixon
10. “Home For A Rest” – Spirit of the West
11. “Hold My Hand” – Sam Burchfield
12. “Glenfern” – Kathleen Edwards
13. “Keep Me In Your Heart” – Warren Zevon
14. “Pink Pony Club” – Chappell Roan

I’ll be honest, this week’s been kind of a foggy blur, interrupted by periodic explosions of flatulence. I haven’t been sleeping well for reasons that elude me, and I’ve been having all kinds of interesting lower GI issues (to the point of sore abdominal muscles!) for reasons that sort of also elude me, but were probably helped along by a big pot of absolutely delicious curried lentils I made on Monday and had been eating all week.

So yeah, I’ve been putting all my effort into fighting through the fragrant fecund fog to get done the stuff I need to get done between hours of lying wide awake in bed.

At least I’m getting some reading done. Now, if only I could harness what’s coming out of me to generate power to feed back to the grid like I do with the energy generated from my solar panels…I’d be much more well off financially.

Apart from those significant elements, I did manage to get a little more holiday shopping done, including scheduling an upgrade to the aforementioned solar array; an upgrade to the outdated gateway device that came with the house, which will provide better functionality and system information so I can get better data about how things are working.

If we get the installation done before the end of the year, I’ll be looking at a very nice tax credit, especially after figuring in what I’ve already got coming thanks to the new windows earlier this year.

The rest of it’s been stuff I’m not going to mention in case certain individuals stumble up on this post.

Given how I’ve been feeling as described above, along with the cold and rainy forecast, I don’t expect I’ll be doing much this weekend apart from the usual chores and spending a little time working through career mode in Planet Zoo.

And oh yeah, last post about how I was hoping President Biden would keep dropping social justice and policy bombs through the end of his term? Yesterday’s record-setting pardon and clemency action is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about. Let’s go, Dark Brandon.

Anyway, tunes. Bunch of indie and americana, which is exactly what one would expect, unless I’m in another one of my KISS and hair metal phases that I’m not feeding via Hair Nation on SiriusXM channel 39….

1. “Years” – Sierra Farrell
2. “Just A Bird” – Blind Pilot
3. “Gettin’ Rich, Goin’ Broke” – Willow Avalon
4. “Proof I’m Here” – Matt Jaffe
5. “Too Stoned To Cry” – Margo Price feat. Billy Strings
6. “Don’t Walk Away” – The Heavy Hours
7. “Steady Going Nowhere” – Ben Rogers
8. “No Hurry” – Terra Lightfoot
9. “Don’t Do Me Like That” – flipturn
10. “Giving Up” – Michigander
11. “Talk To Me” – The Record Company
12. “I Forgive It All” – Mudcrutch
13. “Tired of Waiting” – The Trews

Another week watching the world burn (or at least watching some people scattering kindling willy-nilly in world burning anticipation) while the press and pundits focus on their navels and that shiny squirrel over there who’s going to do exactly what he’s going to do regardless of whether Joe Biden’s compassionate and completely within the bounds of his executive power as expressed in Article II, Section 2 of the US Constitution actions give him precedent to do so or not.

Of course, while this has been going on, I’m still here filling out schedule tables, composing reporting logic, going to a few appointments, putting four new tires on my car that I didn’t expect to need just yet, and being amused at how little time it takes my dog to finish her morning ablutions when it’s 19° outside.

But getting back to that pardon business, I’ve got no issue with it. Sure, he originally said he wasn’t going to do it, but given that nobody not named Biden would have even been prosecuted for the same charges, and if they were, they wouldn’t have their reasonable plea deal rejected, and would certainly not show up on the proposed FBI Director’s “enemies list.” Had the election turned out differently, I expect he wouldn’t have done it, because the courts, the DOJ, and Congress would be much more likely to take a reasonable tack on it.

Feels reasonable to me. Folks are already shitting on his pretty awesome legacy anyway. History will be kind, but the present’s going to be the present. Don’t sweat it, and protect someone you love from unreasonable hassle.

As far as whether this gives TFG justification for doing the things he’s going to do, and already did last time, like pardoning his son-in-law’s dad for illegal witness tampering involving hiring a sex worker to seduce his brother-in-law, and taping the encounter to use as blackmail, among other less scandalous things, and then giving the asshole an ambassadorship (and that’s not even considering Roger Stone and Steve Bannon), that’s rather ridiculous. I appreciate the “they go low, we go high” ethos of maintaining a higher standard, and yes, the incoming administration has already paid lip service to this action as justification for future action, though anyone who thinks this pardon has any effect on the kind of shenanigans the once and future Chief Executive would have gotten up to is fooling themselves.

You know, honestly, I’d like to see Joe Biden just go ahead and run with things; make use of that “absolute immunity” 23-939 Trump v United States gives POTUS and call the Court’s bluff: Cancel student debt. Cancel medical debt. Legalize weed. Get the ERA finally added to the Constitution. Limit the terms of the Insurrection Act to prevent the incoming guys from deploying the military against US citizens. Pardon the heck out of everybody on Patel’s “enemies” list. Offer clemency to non-violent offenders and those with outdated sentences.

Go full-on Dark Brandon for the next 45 days. Hell, resign on January 19, and make Kamala Harris President for half a day, give us the first woman as President and deny the next guy the number 47 to make all that merch with 45-47 on it he’s already had printed up in Chinese factories ahead of his promised tariffs obsolete.

Okay, that last one’s just a little petty.

In any case, that’s my take on politics since the holiday weekend as we rapidly approach the end of the year.

Personally, I don’t have a whole lot on the agenda coming up. The usual weekend stuff (groceries, chores, etc), and maybe some more holiday shopping and going out for a beer. Who knows. I’m going to play it loose. I’ll take advantage of that luxury while I’ve got it.

Anyway; this week’s tunes spit out of Spotify (and I’d show my “Wrapped”, but it’s got me as the #4 artist and five of five for the top songs, thanks to streaming a selection of tunes from the new record from the merch table for six or eight hours a day for Dragoncon); it’s full of Americana and catchy blues guitar:

1. “You Make My Dreams (Come True)” – Arkells
2. “Do I Ever Cross Your Mind” – Chet Atkins (w Dolly Parton)
3. “The Rest Of My Life” – Sloan
4. “So Says I” – The Shins
5. “Canola Fields” – James McMurtry
6. “Mirror and a Kitchen Sink” – Tommy Prine
7. “It Hurts So Bad” – Susan Tedeschi
8. “McKenzie” – Houndmouth
9. “Carolina Rolling By” – Mipso
10. “All The Pretty Girls”- fun.
11. “Junior’s Farm” – Wings
12. “Underestimate Me” – Maggie Rose
13. “Better Things” – Ray Davies and Bruce Springsteen

As is my tradition, in the interest of my mental health, I’m planning on turning off my phone today for the long weekend. Such actions support my desire for some well-deserved quiet time at home and on a couple of select adventures with friends and chosen family, while minimizing the instances of the extra stress that comes along with this particular season.

Just letting the world know, is all. Enjoy your time, I’m just doing the best to enjoy mine.