text:
A Joyful Noise
An Interview with Chester Thompson
To Genesis fans, it might have appeared that long-time touring drummer Chester Thompson vanished from the spotlight following the massively successful We Can't Dance Tour in 1992. In reality, Chester has consistently remained an extremely active session musician, instructor and touring drummer. Although best known for his work with bands like Genesis, Frank Zappa and The Mothers, and the jazz super group Weather Report, Thompson's versitility has allowed him to cross the boundaries of rock, jazz, soul, country and even gospel and contemporary Christian music.
On February 10, 2002 World of Genesis' own Dave Negrin sat down with Chester to talk about his long and successful career in music and to find out what Genesis longest running "official unofficial member" is up to.
World of Genesis: As a Born Again Christian, does your involvement on contemporary Christian and Gospel albums reinforce your faith?
Chester Thompson: I guess it depends on the project. A normal recording session I can't say would make that much difference. I've done several live recordings that would do that more. There have been some live gospel concerts/recording sessions that have been pretty amazing, but the actual recording session is a little more of a sterile environment. In the studio, you may or may not hear any lyrical content, but there is something that happens live that is a whole other dynamic all together.
WOG: Do you prefer playing live or working as a session player in the studio?
CT: Well, its interesting. Most of my experience has been live. I've done an awful lot of studio work, but there is a magic to playing live, there really is. I like the feedback and the energy from the crowd. I like the freedom. In some cases, the studio stuff can be magical, but there is a spontaneity that happens when you play live that doesn't happen as often with studio work. Especially today, now that everything is so profit-driven. I would love to play with somebody like Peter (Gabriel) where there is such artistry, that they don't really care if it makes the top ten. I would love to be in a situation like that where it's a little more peer. A lot of the sessions, man, you're in there and its… I mean to play period, so as long as I'm playing I'm pretty happy, but its such a controlled environment sometimes.
WOG: Over time, did you get a chance to play with any of the musicians that inspired you?
CT: Well, Weather Report was a major knock-out, because I was I major fans of theirs. I had never dreamed that I would end up playing with those guys. That was just a real treat! There was a jazz organist that I had listened to a lot that I ended up playing with, named Jack McDuff; I played in his band for a while.
My very first name person that I ended up doing a short tour with was Ben E. King who did "Stand By Me." Those were certainly like the radio songs that I had always played as cover songs, so it was a real treat to play with some of the people I had actually heard of. For a period, there was a club in Baltimore, which has long since been gone, but I played with a house band and they would bring in various artists from week to week where we would be the back up band, as opposed to bringing their own band. So, I played with quite an assortment of soul artists during that period. Zappa I certainly knew about before I got the gig, but I can't say I was an actual fan or anything. I had heard some of his music, and I thought it was pretty amazing.
...Life kind of throws curves sometimes, and I try to kind of pay attention to what's going on around me… As opposed to just insisting that no matter what comes my way, I'm going to do this.
CT: The tour manager at the time was also from Baltimore, my hometown, and Frank was from Baltimore as well. I had known the tour manager before he ended up working with Frank, and Frank was looking for a second drummer because Ralph Humphrey was already playing in the band (as a drummer), and he wanted to specifically try a two drummer thing. So, I got an audition and he liked the way I played, and that was that.
Chester On Leaving Weather Report :
...It was a case of assumptions… and you know what they say about the word "assume!" In this case, I think it might have proven true (laughs).
WOG: As you mentioned, your period with Zappa was a real work out, musically. What was the most difficult thing about working with Frank Zappa? Was it the demands of the tour schedule or the complexity of his material?
CT: The difficulty of the music. It was incredibly difficult music. That was the first time that I was in a situation where you rehearsed for 40 hours per week for four to six weeks before a tour. I had never, ever been in anything that intense. The intensity of the music, how tight it had to be… It was just a whole new world, basically.
WOG: Was it that intensity that made you decide to explore other things?
WOG: I know you toured Korea last fall as part of a festival with Ron Kenoly and a choir with something like 300 members. Was that performance recorded?
CT: Yes, it was recorded. I think it will be released as a CD and, possibly, as a video as well. I know some of it will be released internationally, but I don't know if there is any of it that will just be released in Korea. At this point, I couldn't tell you the timetable for when that would be released. It was an amazing event!
WOG: I understand that you recently completed work on the new album by jazz guitarist Denny Jiosa. Do you plan to tour in support of the album?
CT: We gig occasionally. I'll go out with him, and we'll do the sort of odd jazz festival here or there, or he'll get booked for a night or two in various cities. We don't go out that often, but I've been playing with him off and on for about four or five years now.
WOG: Four or five years with the same band line-up?
CT: Pretty much, yeah. A couple of things changed. The percussionist and myself, Glen Caruba. Glen is always there. Chris Kent plays bass when he is available, but he's been working with Larry Carlton and Kirk Whalum, so he tends to get fairly busy doing those things. There are a couple of keyboard players that he kind of tends to go between. He's just a good friend. I've known him since I've been here in Nashville, which is quite a long time. First, as an engineer, actually. He happens to be a really good engineer and a really good guitarist. When we play his stuff live, its a lot more intense than what you hear on the albums. He tries to get the smooth jazz airplay, which he does very well at, but when we go out and play live it's a lot more firey.
WOG: Are there any other session projects you've done recently?
CT: There have been a couple of things, but not so much in the last couple of months. In Nashville, come December, things get real quiet. Around the middle of January, things start picking up again. I've been doing quite a variety of stuff lately. I've done a lot of jazz, pop and Christian stuff.
I've also been teaching at a university here (Belmont University School of Music). This is my fourth year, which actually surprises me (laughs)! I got involved in it mainly because my son was a student there. The guy who was teaching drums at the university ended up leaving to pursue a doctorate. My son, his major instrument, in college anyway, was the drums. I had done a couple of clinics at the school, and I was asked if I would be interested in doing some of the drum set instruction along with a couple other instructors there. Because I was very concerned about what my son was being taught, I thought, "Well, what better way to get involved with it than to become his teacher," which was pretty funny.
WOG: Aside from doing occasional drum clinics, was that your first taste of teaching?
CT: Yeah, I've done clinics. On a rare occasion, I'd run into a kid with a lot of promise and give a couple of lessons to them just to help point them in a direction, but this is the first time I've ever done on going week-to-week teaching. It was something I had really run from, actually.
WOG: How did you first hook up with Weather Report? When you signed on to do the Black Market album, did you go in knowing it was a one time deal?
CT: Alphonso Johnson was a very good friend. He is from Philadelphia, and I'm from Baltimore, and we had started to cross paths. We had mutual acquaintances, so we started doing some playing together in situations would run into each other. I was playing with (Frank) Zappa at the time and Alphonso had been with Weather Report for a couple of years at that point. In fact, I remember the night he called me up to tell me that he had gotten the gig with Weather Report. He was pretty excited about it.
He kept saying, "Man, you've got to come down and jam with us…" because they were kind of between drummers at the time. So, they were looking for a drummer, but at the same time they were, I guess, auditioning via jamming. He kept trying to get me to come down and play something with them. I probably wouldn't have gone, but Zappa had cancelled a tour, and I hadn't been in L.A. that long, and I didn't have an awful lot of contacts or anything. So, canceling a tour meant that I needed to get busy, basically. So, I went down and auditioned with them, and it was just a good fit. In a band, you either fit with them or you don't, ya know? Fortunately, it 'clicked.' I had toured with them a year before Black Market was done, so the band was actually pretty tight at that point.
WOG: When the Black Market album had been completed, what made you decide to move on?
CT: Well, it was a strange thing that happened. Alphonso, during that that period, quit the band. I was visiting Baltimore, for Christmas. … This all happened over Christmas break. We had been recording. When I came back from the Christmas break, I didn't know that Alphonso had quit. It was a case of assumptions… and you know what they say about the word "assume!" In this case, I think it might have proven true (laughs). I got back, and I called Wayne (Shorter) to let him know I was back in town and find out what the recording schedule was. I got a very strange phone call back from him saying, "You don't need to show up." And I was like, "What?!" It just sounded very odd. So, I couldn't reach Wayne, so I called Joe (Zawinul), and I guess in the meantime, since Alphonso had left they had hired Jaco (Pastorius).
Alphonso and I were really close friends, so I guess Wayne and Joe had a similar situation before they started Weather Report, where they had been playing in a couple of different jazz groups and just decided to join forces and start Weather Report. They assumed that Alphonso and I were doing the same thing. When in actual fact, I didn't even know Alphonso had left and he actually had a recording contract of his own, which had nothing to do with me (laughs). So, at that point, we spoke and they said, "Aren't you leaving to play with Alphonso?" And I said, "I didn't even know he was leaving… I didn't know anything about this!"
CT: I dunno. I mean, as much as I loved the Weather Report experience, had I still been regularly touring with Frank, I don't know if I would have just left, because I like being loyal. I don't like when people just call up one day and just say, "I'm outta there (laughs)!" I just don't do that.
WOG: Correct me if I am wrong, but the Cloud 8 album you did also involved your son, right?
CT: No, no not at all… Well, I did use him on guitar on a couple of things. I actually hired him as a session guitarist on a couple of tracks. He is well on his way to his own career right now… You've really done some research, my goodness (laughs)!
I was very aware at that period that jobs for me were very often based upon what I was learning. Not so much what I was getting paid, but what I was learning. (Frank) Zappa being sort of the ultimate school is some senses.
WOG: I know you got back together with Phil Collins for the 1999 promotional tour for Tarzan and that you did Phil's Little Dreams Foundation benefit concert in January 2002. Are you 'officially unofficially' back in Phil's regular touring band?
CT: (Laughs) For however much of a band there is these days, I'm pretty much the official drummer again, I guess. I tell ya, this thing in January was awesome! Oh my goodness, I had a ball! I got the impression that Phil really enjoyed it as well.
WOG: I saw that Lee Sklar was back in the band again as well…
CT: Well, yeah. I don't know if he is actually in the group or not, because Nathan (East) gets awfully busy. I know Nathan seems to make the adjustments when Phil is going to tour, as he has done, but I think it would have been harder for him to do for just a one week thing like that. I have no idea if that is a permanent change.
WOG: It was announced that Phil plans to release his next album around the fall of this year. Has there been any discussion of a tour?
CT: No. The way things were left at the end of that gig was that Phil seemed really happy. In fact, it was good to see him so happy about it, because it was really special on one level, because we changed everything. I guess you know about the ear thing he is going through (sudden deafness), so adjustments were made, I think, because of that.
We found out very early on in rehearsal that if we played really loud, it was not good for him. It just made it really difficult for him to hear pitch and things. So, he wanted to just scale everything down. Like for example, on "Against All Odds" the huge drum fill… we scaled that way back. He wanted to just step it down in intensity. He didn't use any of the drum machines or loops or any of that, so we all played live on everything, which was great! Because of this, some of the arrangements were slightly changed. I guess he had already been experimenting with some of that with some of the TV things he had done while I was gone. So, things were kind of changed even again, to where it was much more acoustic, and it was a really good time. They were really fresh arrangements. Phil's a great player, and I've learned a lot from playing his parts, because he's got such a great sense of what to play on a pop record. I think he understands that better than anyone I know, actually. At the same time, there is something about being able to create the part.
WOG: I know you said that it had nothing to do with your departure, but as Genesis and Phil's work became more influenced by the drum machine in the late 80s and early 90s, was it becoming increasingly less interesting to play? As a drummer, I would imagine that you would feel much more limited in a live setting.
CT: One thing I learned long ago, is to make sure that you never get bored on a gig. What I did on the last two Genesis tours (Invisible Touch Tour and the We Can't Dance Tour) and the last two Phil solo tours (No Jacket Required Tour and the But Seriously Tour) was that I always had a practice set backstage. I would have an electronic kit. They would always find a room for me to set it up and practice in, and I would have on headphones so as not to disturb everybody. Everybody has their own routine before the show. Probably a half hour or forty-five minutes before every show, I would play any and everything I wanted. I would have an absolutely ball back there with my practice kit. By the time we got on stage, I was pumped, and charged, and ready to go! I never, ever set foot stage for any of those shows where I felt like, "Oh Goodness, I'm sick of this!" You just can't. I just didn't want to go there. I found that by having my own routine, where I could just blow off steam and go for it that I was very much ready to play the show each night. It honestly, never got to be an issue. Even though the singles were that way, very little of the show was that way.
WOG: When people ask to hear a sample of your work, is there a particular song or album that you tend to use as an example?
CT: If I had to pick three albums, the first would be Black Market, the second would be One Size Fits All with Zappa, and the third would be one of the Ron Kenoly albums, Lift Him Up, that I'm really partial to. Not only because I think Lift Him Up a fair representation of my own playing, but because there's something about the music of it. I just love that album! I think those would be three fairly representative albums of where I am coming from, musically.
WOG: Did you have any thoughts you could share on your original audition with Genesis?
CT: There wasn't an audition, actually. That's a whole other story in itself! I was staying in San Francisco one summer playing for a Broadway show called The Wiz. Phil had tracked me down through Alphonso Johnson, because they had met. The way it went was, Phil called. I knew who he was, because on the last Weather Report tour, Alphonso was always playing Trick of The Tail. In Europe, we did the whole tour on trains, and it was just like the movies with the little first class compartments with the three seats on each side. Alphonso had his cassette player with a speaker, this really nice Sony machine he had, and every day he was playing Trick of The Tail. So, I got to know that album pretty well (laughs)… Long before meeting Phil or anything.
Right: A scan of an original 1976 display ad for
Weather Report's Black Market album
Chester On Genesis:
...it was becoming increasingly apparent that
Phil (Collins) did not need to be in the band.
Well, in the meantime, having hired Jaco, assuming that I was leaving, they asked Jaco, "What drummer are you comfortable with?" And he recommended Narrada Michael Walden. So, by the time I talked to Joe, I was like, "What's the deal? Am I out of the band or what? I haven't quit, but if I'm out of the band, ok." That put a different light on it, so suddenly it was like, "No, you're not out of the band." So, I said, "If that's the case, it's been Christmas, and I've been home buying gifts for my family; I need to work (laughs)!" So, I ended up going down to play percussion with Alex (Acuña) on a couple of tracks while Narrada was playing drums. They had used different drummers on albums before, and they said I was in the band, so I didn't feel threatened. If he's playing a couple of cuts, good! I didn't have a problem with that. Of course, when I got there, Narrada saw me and said, "What are you doing here? (Laughs)" He said, "I was told I got the gig." I said, "Oh you were, were you?!"
In the end, I guess they really didn't like his playing as much as they thought, so I finished out the album. He played on a track and a half. I guess he played on one called "Cannon Ball" and on the album, he's credited as playing on the song "Black Market" but, in fact, there were two different recording sessions. The first half is myself. Next time you happen to listen to it, in the middle of the song it switches from a straight 8 feel to a swing feel, the sound also changes… That's actually a different day of recording that they spliced in (laughs). The first half is with me and the second half is with Narrada, but they gave him the credit for it.
Unfortunately, at that point, the vibes were just all gone. It's very much a vibe band, and we were trying to make light of it, but in actual fact, the damage was done. It was never the same… And playing with Jaco was EXTREMELY different from playing with Alphonso. So, at that point, we just kind of mutually agreed to just back-out, and Alex switched over to the drum chair.
WOG: Was it different working with Jaco from a 'clicking' standpoint? Were these differences musical or personal?
CT: It was all of the above, really. Jaco was very much wanting to be in the band. So, he was pretty much being the 'Yes Man' to whatever they said (laughs). The rehearsals were a bit strange, because the songs that I had just recorded with Alphonso (Johnson) playing bass were 180 degrees different with Jaco (playing bass). Alphonso had this wonderful sense of space when he played, and Jaco was just all notes. It just didn't work. I suppose, I certainly could have made the adjustment, musically, but to be honest, I really didn't care to.
WOG: After working on so many different projects and doing so much session work for numerous musicians, what made you decide to go off and do your own solo album?
CT: Well, that is something I am working on again, in actual fact (laughs)! That's always been my goal to be honest. I certainly love playing with other musicians, and I've had a very fortunate career, but I've never given up my own dreams of wanting to do music myself. Life kind of throws curves sometimes, and I try to kind of pay attention to what's going on around me… As opposed to just insisting that no matter what comes my way, I'm going to do this. I mean, it works with some people, I suppose, but its like getting involved with this school thing. That really caught me by surprise. Once my son graduated from the university, I figured that would be the end of that. I was very shocked to realize how much I would really miss it, so I agreed to do it for another year, which is the year I am in right now. I don't, at the moment, plan to do it again, but it's hard to say, because I was really amazed at how I felt at the end of finishing last year. It just wasn't done yet, ya know? I've got some excellent players that I'm teaching, and they are great kids, and I'm very surprised how rewarding it is. I never ever dreamed I would enjoy it so much.
WOG: When Steve Hackett first approached you about the Genesis Revisited project, did you have any reservations about re-recording Genesis material since you have had such a long history with the group?
CT: No, I wasn't sure about doing the whole album. When he first talked about it, he talked about maybe doing the whole album that way. This was quite some time before it actually happened.
As we talked back and forth, I told him that I was definitely up for doing some of it, but we both thought it would be too weird to do the whole album with both of us being sort of ex-Genesis people. So, as it got more clear in his mind, I think the idea of using different people who had ties or that had some association with the group just became a more attractive idea.
Chester On The Forthcoming Genesis Archive Releases:
I don't know if I have any strong feelings one way or another. It would be fun, I think. I certainly don't have any feelings like, "I wish they wouldn't." It would actually be kind of fun to hear some of that stuff again.
WOG: Lastly, Genesis are now looking at releasing archive recordings of old tours, tour rehearsals, and studio outtakes on CD and, in some cases, possibly DVD. Since a good amount of that live and rehearsal material will feature you on drums, what are your thoughts on releasing those recordings?
CT: I don't know if I have any strong feelings one way or another. It would be fun, I think. I certainly don't have any feelings like, "I wish they wouldn't." It would actually be kind of fun to hear some of that stuff again.
Special thanks to Chester Thompson for this interview. For more on Chester Thompson, check out his official website. This interview © 2002-2007 Dave Negrin and may not be reprinted in whole or in part without permission.
SELECTED CHESTER THOMPSON DISCOGRAPHY
Chester on Calling All Stations:
...it's their band; and Mike (Rutherford) made it very clear that it was their band, and that they were not at all interested in sharing anything. So, that was that.
To purchase other CDs and DVDs by Chester Thompson click here.
Or, simply choose from a few of the titles selected below.
WOG: That new solo album you mentioned, how far along are you in the process?
CT: I'm about halfway through the writing process. It's been stretched out for a while. Some songs I started out thinking, "These are definitely going on" are no longer going on (laughs). So, I'm still defining that process, but I'd say about halfway through now.
WOG: Is that something you will make available through Camino Records, like the reissue of your first solo effort, A Joyful Noise?
CT: At this point, I'm not sure. I'm trying to get the music done first. As doors open, great. I'm going to try and get somebody else involved in that part of it and try not to wear too many 'hats.'
WOG: By the end of the Genesis We Can't Dance Tour in 1992, you stepped away from working with Phil Collins and Genesis in a touring capacity. What lead to that decision?
CT: The main thing for me was that my son was turning 13. I started playing drums in clubs at that age, and I grew up without a dad. Even though I was playing clubs and doing real gigs, I remember it as being an incredibly confusing time. I didn't have a male support system as far as a dad at home. I did have an older brother, but we weren't close or anything.
In any case, I remember intense times of confusion and loneliness, and I was just really determined that my son was not going to grow up that way. Phil (Collins) and I talked and mutually agreed for me not to do his tour, and he wanted to do something different, so that was fine. I really wanted off the road to be at home with my son. I had been on the road, literally, almost all of his life.
WOG: As an insider, was it pretty much obvious that by the end of that tour that Phil was ready to leave Genesis and concentrate on other things?
CT: I guess if I had really been paying attention, I might have seen it. I mean, there was always a little bit of that tension there, because it was becoming increasingly apparent that Phil did not need to be in the band. I think that they had a pretty amazing working relationship. It was the most democratic band I had ever seen, that was for sure. At the same time, the others (Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks) go all the way back to high school. Phil was certainly not an outsider anymore, but there was definitely a difference in the relationship between Tony and Mike and with Phil and Tony or Mike.
WOG: After Phil quit Genesis, many fans were surprised that you did not take the drummer's seat for the next studio album, Calling All Stations….
CT: In actual fact, I did call up Mike and asked what they were going to be doing, and I proposed to jam with the guys to see if there was a real chemistry there. Because, at that point, if it was going to continue, I was not going to be content to continue as a side man. If they were willing to open it up to be a real group, then I certainly would have leaped at the chance. But again, like I said, its their band; and Mike made it very clear that it was their band, and that they were not at all interested in sharing anything. So, that was that.
WOG: If there ever was a Genesis reunion concert, at this point, would that be something you would be interested in participating in as a "side man?"
Chester's Solo Debut! Includes: Jussa Thing, So Soka, Raw, Tropical Sunday, Cool Grove, Chunky, Drums Are Loud, Homeland & more.
Weather Report - Black Market (1976)
Legendary Jazz album featuring: the title cut, "Elegant People", "Three Clowns", "Gibraltar", "Cannon Ball" and more.
Frank Zappa & The Mothers - One Size Fits All (1975)
Classic Zappa! Includes: "Inca Roads", "San Ber' dino", "Po Jamma People" and much more.
Frank Zappa - Roxy And Elsewhere (1974)
Another Zappa classic! The album that convinced Phil Collins to recruit Chester for Genesis! A Must own!
Genesis - Seconds Out (1977)
2 CD set of Genesis live in concert from the '76/'77 tours. Includes: "Squonk", "Carpet Crawlers" & more.
Genesis in 1977 with Chester Thompson (center)
shortly after joining the touring line-up
Genesis - 3 Sides Live (1982)
2 CD set of Genesis live! Features Chester Thompson. Includes: "Behind The Lines", "Abacab", "Me & Sarah Jane" and more.
Genesis - The Way We Walk: The Shorts (1992)
Genesis in concert! Features: "Land of Confusion", "Mama", "I Can't Dance"
CT: It would depend on what I was doing. I've certainly got no ill feelings. To be real honest, Daryl (Stuermer) wasn't able to make it, but we kind of had an impromptu jam at Phil's wedding, and I couldn't believe how much I missed those guys. We just played some of the old tunes, and I would like to think we were all a bit surprised that the 'click' or 'lock' was there. It was genuinely good to see them. I was definitely disappointed about Mike's reaction about the group and all that, but seeing them was like it just sort of washed all of that away, and we realized that we really are friends. You don't work with somebody for 16 years and not have some real relationships.
WOG: How did you first get into drumming, and who were your influences when you started playing?
CT: There was a point, I don't remember when it happened, but I just had to play the drums. Fortunately, there was a friend of the family by the name of James Harris, who was a really good jazz drummer, and a jazz drummer by choice. That's what he wanted to play; that's what he chose to play. He offered to help me learn if I wanted. So, those first lessons at about 11 or 12 years old, I guess, I would go to his house, and he would sit me down and teach me how to play along with different jazz albums.
At that age, I was playing along with Art Blakey and Max Roach, and after I got more experience, I started playing along with Elvin Jones albums and really trying to play like that. I started doing club gigs by the time I was 13. By the time I was 15, I had played an awful lot of different kinds of music and started to be in some really good jazz groups at that age. So, the first influences were definitely the jazz drummers. It was definitely Max Roach, Art Blakey, Elvin Jones… Those were certainly the top influences. I think my favorite drummer over all, who pasted away, is Tony Williams.
When I was growing up and I started doing gigs, it was the mid-60s. So, I was hearing all of the new James Brown that was happening, which was certainly a major influence. That kind of revolutionized everything. The cover songs when I was growing up were Motown, James Brown… soul music, in those days. I missed The Beatles the first time around. I would hear what was on the radio, but I was really intensely trying to learn jazz at that age. So, the things I would actually spend more time listening to were mostly jazz albums in the mid-60s.
Genesis - The Way We Walk: The Longs (1993)
Genesis in concert! Features: Drum Duet with Chester and Phil Collins,
old medley, etc.
Denny Jiosa - Among Friends (1999)
Smooth Jazz album featuring Chester on drums. Includes: "Gottatude",
"Gentle Spirit" and much more!
Steve Hackett - Tokyo Tapes DVD (2000)
Now available on DVD! Features Chester Thompson and includes rare,
previously unreleased rehearsal footage!
Special thanks to Chester Thompson for granting this interview. This interview is © 2002-2007 David Negrin and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without permission. For more on Chester Thompson, Please visit his official website.
World of Genesis.com is a fan site and has no affiliations with Genesis or any artist associated with the band. Website design, content and pictures copyright © 2000-2014 David Negrin. All Rights Reserved. All content on this website is either the property of David Negrin, or the original owners, and may not be duplicated, copied, transmitted, or altered without permission. This site is best viewed in 1280x768 (widescreen), using IE 10.0 or better. Genesis band shot used in "Reviews" icon used by permission from P. Kamin.


Prominently situated on a corner lot, this Queen Anne style residence is a neighborhood showpiece. Band leader Sam Treloar had the brick-veneered house constructed in 1901, possibly as an investment property. The Cornish bandmaster is best known as the leader of the Butte Mines Band, which he founded under a different name in 1887 and led for over fifty years. It was one of the United States' most celebrated industrial bands, and its members, all miners, won first place in competitions across the West.
The two-story residence features an octagonal turret with wide overhanging eaves and a fixed stained glass window, an inviting front porch with double Tuscan column porch supports, and a projecting bay on the east façade. Banker Rupert Nuckolls lived here from 1908 through 1912 with his wife Georgia, their three children, and (after their eldest daughter married), their son-in-law and granddaughter. Georgia Nuckolls was an active clubwoman. Starting in the 1890s, the woman's club movement provided its members social and intellectual opportunities (Nuckolls, for example was active in the Westside Shakespeare Club) as well as advocating for political reform.
Text from Historic Plaque by Montana Historical Society. Photo by Richard I. Gibson.


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A porcelain crown, tooth lengthening, and porcelain veneers create a smile with perfect symmetry.
Teeth whitening, gum contouring and composite bonding created a uniform, confident smile.
Porcelain crowns were replaced and porcelain veneers added, resulting in proportional tooth sizes for a balanced smile.
The combination of porcelain veneers and a dental implant created a defined anterior arrangement for a warm, welcoming appearance.
Periodontal care, a porcelain bridge, veneers and crowns were added. The end result is improved oral health and a natural, effortless smile.
Old amalgam fillings replaced, with the addition of porcelain crowns and veneers to improve tooth dimensions for a soft, feminine feel.


text:
The Art Of Being Two Faced: Silicone Sister vs. The Lowcountry Boil Band
Author: Lindsay Hawkins | Photographer: Photography by Anne
A peculiar and rare discovery was uncovered by CH2 recently. A box of diaries, three with pristine covers and crisp-lined journal entries with notes in the margins, and three with glam rock stickers, lip-stick imprints and unidentified stains over hard to read chicken scratch. After much debate, CH2 has decided to release the personal rantings in these two groups of journals that seem to have been written by two very different local bands. Something tells us the two bands are connected, but we can't quite put our finger on it, or how the diaries ended up in the same box…
Jevon here…and yeah, I know it's been never since my last entry, but you should do the research and realize the life of a booked musician/teacher/husband/dad before you judge; basically just research the word awesome, and then read on so that you can understand my one complaint.
I would like to state for the record, not for any therapeutic catharsis (I'm fine, I play instruments and drink beer.), that the fact Ke$ha, who apparently brushes her teeth with a bottle of Jack Daniels every morning, and The Black Eyed Peas, who clearly believe that every night is not only going to be a good night but a good good night, have individually sold more copies of these singles than any Beatle's single ever. And just for good measure, I would also like to state that the cast of Glee holds the record for number of singles on Billboard's Hot 100, over Ray Charles…and yes, over The Beatles!
And yes, Diary, I know I must take into consideration the gross difference in music accessibility now compared to decades ago (e.g. iTunes, YouTube, Spotify, Internet), but you are not a defense lawyer for this upcoming generation of hipster posers and impressionable millennial robots, Diary; you listen remember, I vent. And I'm not trying to unleash hate or disdain for this massive group of pasteurized, musical androids, because it's not their fault that record labels control what is processed and packaged to these tweens and teens. I mean, if I hadn't been raised properly on the musicianship likes of Vassar Clements and New Riders of the Purple Sage, musicians with real talent and proven longevity, I too might have fallen into the mechanically concocted tunage recorded by an eponymous fringed, blonde haircut.
My point, Diary, is if instrumental mastery of sound has stood the test of time historically and is still brilliantly produced by artists today and just as accessible as the sterile repetitive lyrics barked over the butchered hit tracks of yesterday, then WHY Diary? WHY are record labels breeding a generation of Stepford listeners on supermodel looks and fashion brands when they could just as easily sell records branded on real talent and performance? I'm saying, Diary, why can't the industry inspire guitar lessons and political movements instead of hairstyles and jorts?
I've been a listener and a player my whole life. When I perform with Low Country Boil, it's not just a replicated homage to the hundreds of great songs heard all over the world; it's a creative interpretation of music. Music that you listen too, not watch in a video. People bought records for decades because they were moved by music and the records used to cost a lot more than a dollar a download.
In final, Diary, I was at Wild Wings Café last night, and though I may be contradicting some of my previous points, at least it's just you and me, but there was this ridiculous looking band of flaccid guys in spandex and horror show make-up, screaming lewd comments and profanities at middle-aged women eating buffalo strips. I think they were called Silicone Sister, a bit of a liability if you ask me. I mean this isn't the Sunset Strip; it's Hilton Head Island. Anyway, they clearly have no taste in music, but ignoring the sad fact that they are trying to relive their '80s hair- banded youth out on stage at a family restaurant, they sounded incredible. It was like in that two hours they morphed into exact replicas of their idiotic idols and channeled the incredible musicianship that is overshadowed by that hideous genre. I wanted to tell the lead singer Taime Downz that I was actually impressed with his talent and realistic performance, but he looked like he was a drunken loser in real life, so I passed.
Alllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiighta! Taime's back. So, it's been like four or five hours since my last entry, and fair warning: I've been running with the devil tonight and his name was Jack!
So Diary, I'm on stage with the sistas feeling all the glamorousness running through my veins, and I see these horrible looking emo, crabcore posers pointing, and rolling their eyes while I'm slaying Van Halen at almost unattainable volumes. I'm all, hey you in the back. Yeah you with the fake ID. You might want to ask your mom over there, eye-hittin' the bartender if you're allowed to drink that wine cooler.
You see Diary, it's like there is no one teaching these wicked pissers how to gig with a purpose to invoke the fans anymore, and that's why stages everywhere are infertile, man. I mean these rocker wannabes are running in place on stage, which may only be impressive if you're rockin' out geezers at the home. Where's the eruption, Diary? Can't anyone jump anymore? It'd take a miracle for 90 percent of these yayhoo bands out there to get even one drunk and desperate middle-ager to dance the night away, while we send them out in a blaze of glory every night and look pretty doing it.
Showmanship, Diary! Are we really the last sexy talents out there? How many more crap musicians are going to thrill us with their sterile, corner performances outmatched by SportsCenter and ugly, loud women? Demand the hot groupies I say. Wear your tightest pants and best hair and get out and earn your cougars, man. Give love a bad name and smear it around on stage. Or else it's going to end up being bring your iPod to Wings night.
All I'm saying D., is what happened to the risk takers who shared their moments of brilliance and humiliation on stage, live in front of hundreds, inspiring them to throw bras? I mean I went to Hudson's the other night to grab a sunset and a beer, thought about doing a cannonball off the dock bar and splash some hot grandmas, but I was stopped in my tracks by a band in plaid shirts, Low Country Bowl I think. I thought about projectile vomiting on the lead singer who looked like the product of Jack Nicholson and Opie, but I noticed he was casting winks out into the audience to these old dames and making them smile. I might be contradicting my previous shouts, Diary, but he had a little swagger in his fiddle playing and at least the tool invoked that old bag.
I'm just livin' on a prayer right now D., if you ever want to write me back–a, I'll be there for you.
Taime D.
Well, I'm a weary Pitts today. I know there is no way of predicting iconic status for decades, so I'm not necessarily knocking the artists of today's Billboard charts pop obsession, but come on. Where are the instrumental wizards of the future? Are we in a synthetic slump from now on, or is it that anything legit gets lost in cyberspace, suffocating under the tracks of millions of hobbyists uploading their irretrievably moronic interpretations of what they define as music?
Do I over-generalize, Diary? I mean name one finger tapping guitar master, I'm not asking for a prodigy even, that has emerged from any credible record label in the last decade. Where are the Van Halen's and Vai's of the millennium? Don't misunderstand me, Diary. I'm thoroughly unimpressed with recent musicianship, especially when it comes to perfecting, becoming, possessing the guitar; but what I'm venting is when did music become so lazy and thoughtless? Even when artists sound better on record than their influences because of technology, the production is so perfect and sterile, there is no emotional connection to songs on record anymore.
I want to be lyrically, melodically moved, Diary. I want to be taken to utopic levels; I wanna cry and relate and fall in love to music, no matter what the genre. Is it the texting, Diary? Have young musicians no communicative skills anymore so they are dumb but screaming inside? If this is the case, why can't they at least play something striking, different, radical, or normal but just incredibly hip? Is it weird that I want to be energized and emotional all the time, Diary? Am I a freak with a guitar? Do you think I'm a hoarder? Is it weird that I feel energy from vintage instruments? Do you think I'm judgmental, because ultimately I just want to encourage our youth to be awesome and passionate?
Anyway, Diary, I was at Wings with Jev the other night and those tards with wigs, Silicone Sister—you know, the glam band with seemingly infinite knowledge of a genre no one really cares to admit they ever liked anymore. They were rocking out on that tiny stage like they had packed Red Rocks and were hitting acoustic milestones. I wanted to laugh, but it was the jealousy I hold deep inside, almost like a reverence for that creep with no shirt on, Billy Cummings. I love bluegrass, don't get me wrong, and I know I'm good at guitar, but sometimes I just wanna rooooooooooock! You know? Cummings killed this solo, and I just feel like maybe I should practice what I preach and just throw down and get all emotional on Hudson's one night.
I had a "Billy's got his six string on hock" kinda day today, so I'll start from the intro. Let's get intimate, D. I need your advice, so don't lie to me tonight. But do you think the music experience, you know my wicked finger tapping wizardry that channels every great name of the past, my glistening abs that bring all of our fans out to party with us, my jaded heart that keeps all the cougars wanting a piece even though I just got lucky with their sister, do you really think that can be captured digitally?
Here me out, Diary. I'm a troubadour. I rock two instruments, the guitar and the obvious, so why are industry folk so caught up with how many 99-cent rack-ups they get per one hit wonder? I mean if a million people buy one song ever, that's only a million dollars, but if a million people come and watch someone on tour like me, they could easily be enthralled enough to go see them every year on every tour for $90 a show. Then that's like a billion dollars or something. My thought process, Diary, is that it's a lot more money, but my point is that people want to see greatness like me on stage over and over again, because it allows them to feel the tunes in their veins. Music is about feeling awesome and sometimes about partying while feeling awesome.
Diary, I fought tooth and nail to get my talents to their ultimate level, and I feel like artists shouldn't let their drive go slippin' away because only a thousand people bought their single on iTunes, because another thousand people stole that digital purchase from their friends and then another thousand people stole it. And so that's like an extra two thousand fans you never even knew you had. Emotional connection is in the performance of the song live, Diary. It's the deliverance that creates a legend with a loyal fan following, not a download.
If I hadn't grown up Jersey scum trying to drown out all those airplanes taking off next to my house with my incredible talent, I would have never achieved such high levels of awesomeness, thrown myself into the fire and toured my way down the East Coast and ended up in the state of sexy awesomeness I'm in today.
I just want this digital measure of popularity to stop skewing the Billboard charts and let ticket sales or something else of real measure put gut wrenching records and legit sounds back on the charts.
It's like on a local level, regional even, Silicone packs in the fans consistently, so I know that I'm legit because I move people. Like I was at Hudson's the other night with Taime for some shrimps and a sunset, and we couldn't get a seat at the outside bar because some hokey orchestra band in cowboy boots was playing a gig for 100-year-olds and 10-year-olds, but I was like who am I to judge that lead guitarist with a butterface; he plays okay, and clearly he was the reason every geriatric and preschooler fan came out that night.
It's the motion in the ocean, Dairy. Thanks for sorting it out.
Billy C.
Life is good. I read an industry blog today, dedicated to music greatness and opinion after opinion on today's scene. Kind of ironic if you ask me, Diary, the obsession with the scene being on what's seen and not heard. When did music become so judgmental, so argued, so competitive, so monetarily driven?
You know I get it; I mean a million things can theoretically be the demise of "real" music, because every human being with auditory function has a unique definition of what "real" music is, and that opinion ultimately matures and changes decade to decade for everyone on some scale. Unfortunately, what these iPeople are disgruntled over in the majority of these blogs has nothing to do with opposing music composition, the melodies, the harmonies, the tempos and the instruments on which they are created. Bloggers are making dramatic comparisons of record sales vs. downloads, pop vs. metal, major labels vs. indie labels, digital artistry vs. musicianship. What's to compare…everything? I mean come on; there have been 16 billion songs downloaded from iTunes to date. Am I the only one who gets it, Diary?
Bottom line is you can't really argue tastes in music. Now I like rock and roll undertones in my selection, but today's music "scene" if you will, Diary, is just as diverse and exciting as ever. I guess I could state a preference that, even with all the recording technology out there and all the accessibility the Internet provides, the proof of greatness is in the live performance, regardless of the genre of music or how much the production cost.
I guess, Diary, that if you are to achieve greatness, whether as a cover band, songwriter, singer or some combination, then put in due diligence. Perfect that harmony, master that tempo and most importantly perform with passion and emotion. The fame and the money are a poor measure for the heart and the talent. "You have to be a bastard to make it. That's a fact. And the Beatles were the biggest bastards on earth," John Lennon said.
Lastly, Diary, I see local bands nightly, and what I'm talking about is exactly this. I was out at Wings with Jev and Andy last night, and Silicone Sister was up there charring Dokken. Even though I can't stand the bastards, people love them because they've mastered their craft and they're wild to watch. Especially the quieter, tall one I find most intriguing. Clearly he's the most accurate on tempos and definitely the best dressed.
Gary P.
How many times do I have to say have a blast and look good doing it? Foxxx is getting a little irritated here, Diary. When will these blow-hole noisemakers start realizing that being a rock star not only means layering harmonies with wicked rhythms and potent melodies, but layering ripped fishnets with red, pleather pants and bronzer?
How can these wussies be miles away from the very look that defines their supposed genre of music? Why would anyone waste their time watching any show where the drapes don't match the curtains? You pickin' up what I'm swinging left, Diary?
If you want to perform, get your theatrics right is all I'm asking these filthy posers to even consider. If you rock Wham, then pop the collar of your silk Miami Vice button downs and feather your bangs. If you rock Flo Rida, then hit the juice, get some ink and grow the chops. If you rock Celine Dion, then stop eating, work on your accent and marry your grandpa. Really, Diary, is it that complicated?
Fashion is a way of the rock star lifestyle. If I performed in some Wranglers and a Bart Simpson T-shirt with a Bart Simpson squished in between some supersized butt-cheeks with a tag line that reads, "Crack kills," then I better expect to go to Beaufort County headquarters when I tell your mom to show me her coconuts, because I did it out of uniform. Rock stars can only talk like rock stars when they're dressed like rock stars. Rock stars can only perform like rock stars and sound like rock stars and be believed to be rock stars when they are, in fact, dressed like rock stars.
I'm a rock star, Diary, and I look incredible and sound incredible, and people love me and they stare at me on stage because I'm hot and I feel hot. You know, I went to see Low Country Boil Bluegrass Band at Hudson's with Taime and Billy the other night. They think I went for the bitchin' sunset and ice cold brews. But I love to watch those plaid guys fiddle and pick and banjo those tourists into euphoria. They rock their crisp, checkered shirts layered with ironed Levi's and authentic sh** kickers, while performing next to an aluminum, trough of Bud Lights and an empty tip jar. They are a perfect example of rock starring your own genre of music through and through. They just better watch they don't piss that bassist off, cuz he's clearly the glue that holds their sound together.
Robb Foxxx
C2 Exclusive Interview with Kathryn Brolin
This is Us Actor Jon Huertas Shares an Inside View
Women Chefs in the Lowcountry: Recipes for Success
Explore GA: Destination: Tybee Island
On Set with Denim Richards: C2 gets the inside scoop from one of Hollywood's rising stars
8 Beach Bars You Can Bike To: Featuring the clothing of Coastal Bliss and Coastal Bliss Men
Cute Clothes for the Carpool Lane (and for other stuff moms do)
Staycation: Old Town Bound - Featuring the clothing of Knickers Menswear and Haskins & Co.
Editor's Note: September 2008
He Says, She Says: Marriage
Kathryn & Russell Burgett
Generationally Speaking: Pigeon-holed and profiled
V-Day Getaway
You Can Do It - Keep Your New Year's Resolution at the Best Health Club in the Lowcountry
SEPTEMBER 2011: Chuck Hyatt (Harold's Diner)
Eat For A Week...(or more!)
Meet the Doctor: Soldrea Thompson, MD, FACOG
A Country Of Contrast: Facts and Impressions of Vietnam
This & That: February 2019 Edition
December Upcoming Events
Meet The Magic Man: Q&A With Gary Maurer
Trattoria Divina: Simply Divine!
Behind the Gates: The Crescent & Eagle's Pointe

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
I  sono un gruppo di cattolici uccisi il 5 febbraio 1597 a Nagasaki. Sono stati proclamati santi martiri dalla Chiesa cattolica.

Storia
Il 15 agosto 1549 i gesuiti san Francesco Saverio, Cosme de Torres e Giovanni Fernandez arrivarono a Kagoshima dalla Spagna, con l'intento di evangelizzare il Giappone.

Il 29 settembre successivo, Francesco Saverio incontrò Shimazu Takahisa, il daimyō di Kagoshima, per chiedergli se poteva creare la prima missione cattolica in Giappone entro i suoi domini, Takahisa acconsentì, garantendogli anche di proteggere i missionari gesuiti (poi, in seguito alle pressioni dei monaci buddisti locali, non gli diede più protezione ma non fece chiudere la missione).

Alla fine del XVI secolo la missione, nell'ultimo ventennio passata sotto l'egida del Visitatore gesuita padre Alessandro Valignano e che riuscirà a convertire circa 300.000 cristiani, trascorse un periodo difficile a causa dei difficili rapporti tra Spagna, Portogallo e il governo giapponese. Qualche decennio dopo il cristianesimo venne soppresso dalle autorità locali e dal 1630 i cattolici vissero in segreto e non poterono più professare la loro fede in pubblico.

Lo shogunato ed il governo imperiale inizialmente sostennero i missionari cattolici, pensando in questo modo di poter ridurre il potere dei monaci buddisti e, al contempo, di migliorare il commercio con la Spagna ed il Portogallo. Tuttavia, lo shogunato rimase molto prudente nei loro confronti: nelle vicine Filippine, gli spagnoli avevano infatti preso il potere dopo la conversione della popolazione. All'accondiscendenza iniziale seguirono pertanto minacce ed infine persecuzioni: il cristianesimo venne vietato e quei giapponesi convertiti che rifiutavano di abiurare la fede cattolica vennero uccisi.

Il 5 febbraio 1597 a Nagasaki ventisei cattolici - sei missionari francescani europei, tre gesuiti giapponesi e diciassette terziari francescani giapponesi, compresi tre ragazzi - vennero uccisi tramite crocifissione: una volta saliti sulla croce, veniva loro inferto il colpo finale con delle lance.

La persecuzione continuò sporadicamente, facendosi più intensa tra il 1613 e il 1630. Il 10 settembre 1632 altri 55 cattolici furono martirizzati a Nagasaki, in quello che passò alla storia con il nome di "gran martirio di Genna".

I martiri del Giappone sono stati canonizzati l'8 giugno 1862 da papa Pio IX e nel martirologio romano sono elencati con il nome di "San Paolo Miki e compagni" e commemorati il 6 febbraio (non fu scelto il 5 febbraio, data della loro morte, per evitare la sovrapposizione con la memoria di sant'Agata).

I ventisei martiri

Santi della Compagnia di Gesù:
 San Paolo Miki, S.I.
 San Giacomo Kisai, S.I.
 San Giovanni Soan di Goto, S.I.

Santi dell'ordine dei frati minori:
 San Francesco Branco, O.F.M.
 San Francesco di San Michele, O.F.M.
 San Gonsalvo Garcia, O.F.M.
 San Martino dell'Ascensione, O.F.M.
 San Pietro Battista Blásquez, O.F.M.
 San Filippo di Gesù, O.F.M.

Santi dei terziari francescani:
 Sant'Antonio Daynan (morto all'età di 13 anni)
 San Bonaventura di Miyako
 San Cosma Takeya
 San Francesco di Nagasaki
 San Gabriele de Duisco
 San Gaio Francesco
 Sant'Isabella Fernandez
 Sant'Ignazio Jorjes
 San Gioacchino Saccachibara
 San Giovanni Kisaka
 San Leone Karasumaru
 San Luigi Ibaraki (morto all'età di 12 anni)
 San Mattia di Miyako
 San Michele Kozaki
 San Paolo Ibaraki
 San Paolo Suzuki
 San Pietro Sukejiroo
 San Tommaso Kozaki
 San Tommaso Xico

Voci correlate
 San Francesco Saverio
 Padre Alessandro Valignano
 San Paolo Miki
 San Pedro Bautista Blásquez
 San Filippo di Gesù
 Basilica dei Ventisei Santi Martiri del Giappone

Altri progetti

Collegamenti esterni

Santi giapponesi
Persone giustiziate per crocifissione
Martiri cattolici
Giappone
Beati proclamati da Pio IX
Gruppi di santi cristiani

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Talks on Friday failed to boost Scottish Power's $4.7 billion bid for the US electricity company PacifiCorp. Earlier in the week it was dealt a possibly fatal blow when analysts at the Oregon state utility commission urged regulators to reject it.
Official participants in the review process, including the state's Citizens Utility Board and Industrial Customers Council, also concluded that the state should block the deal. Discussions between the state government, consumers and Scottish Power held in Portland on Thursday and Friday brought the parties no closer. 'It's dead, dead, dead,' a participant told The Observer.
The 84-page report by utility commission staff blasted the company for failing to guarantee price reductions to US customers. The experts concluded: 'Scottish Power's purported benefits [of the merger] are unquantifiable and unverifiable.' The UK firm's designated chief executive for Oregon operations, Alan Richardson, was outraged by demands that his company pay Oregon customers a bonus for the right to buy PacifiCorp.


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text:
RFA Involved in Ongoing D.C. Rally
Group encourages anglers to lend voice in the Keep Fishermen Fishing rally
A message from the RFA...
Today at noon, several thousand U.S. coastal fishermen will recite the Pledge of Allegiance at Upper Senate Park in Washington DC to kick off a historic event designed to draw national attention to the needs of our U.S. fishing communities.
Gathering together under the United We Fish banner, members of both the recreational and commercial fishing sectors will 'cross the aisle' with approximately two dozen coastal legislators from both parties in a show of solidarity in keeping fishermen fishing - and working!
In the next few hours, you're likely to see a few mixed messages coming out of various offices in and around the Beltway in response to the Keep Fishermen Fishing rally which is now assembling just across the street from the U.S. Capitol in Washington as you read this. Billion-dollar environmental organizations and a handful of DC lobbyists will soon be busy trying to keep Members of Congress distracted today once the rally kicks off, in their own personal effort to betray our coastal fishermen and keep fisheries management in a 'status quo' condition.
The problem is that the actual 'condition' of our U.S. coastal fisheries is very, very good, whereas the 'condition' of our coastal fish jobs and tackle industries is dismal and getting worse!
As recently stated by Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) board chairman Bob Healey, Jr., "Commercial fishermen and recreational fishermen share a unique bond - they both fish." The groups who will attempt to hijack today's rally efforts in Washington, these billion-dollar environmental non-government organizations and the social engineers who work with them don't differentiate between fishing for sport or fishing for income, but instead see us all with the same level of disdain.
Today, the two sectors are united specifically to keep fishermen fishing - which means reforming the federal fisheries law to incorporate flexibility and access to rebuilding American fisheries! The fishermen are united - the enviro's and their friends are working on their own mission however, and that aim is to keep your voice unheard in Congress!
There are many organizers and supporters of today's national rally who are assembling right now at Upper Senate Park in Washington DC, including but not limited to RFA, National Association of Charterboat Operators, North Carolina Watermen United, New York Fishing Tackle Trades Association, Panama City Boatmen's Association, Alliance of Communities For Sustainable Fisheries, Westport Charterboat Association, Garibaldi Charters, Rivercenter Marine, Big Game Fishing Journal, New York Sportfishing Federation, United Boatmen, Save the Summer Flounder Fishery Fund, Lower Columbia Alliance for Sustainable Fisheries, Ocean Isle Fishing Center, Tailwalker Marine, Fishing United and the Sheepshead Bay fleet, Viking Charters, Patriot Sportfishing, Montauk Boatmen's & Captains Association, Maryland Saltwater Sportfishermen's Association, the Marine Trades Association of New Jersey, Southern Kingfish Association and Viking Yachts.
For more information about the rally including maps, parking and transportation information, visit us online at www.keepfishermenfishing.com.
If you're unable to attend today's historic event, we hope you would consider adding your voice to the chorus of U.S. coastal fishermen asking Congress for help in addressing today's access issues with vital coastal fisheries like red snapper, gag grouper, black sea bass, summer flounder, cod and others. If you can't be with us at Upper Senate Park, be with us as an active, dues-paying member of the Recreational Fishing Alliance - JOIN RFA TODAY and help us press for your right to fish with members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.


Xiaomi has established its stronghold in the Indian market with its affordable pricing and impressive specifications. The Chinese manufacturer has been launching phones left, right and centre in the Indian market to woo the buyers. The best part of the Xiaomi devices is the inclusion of premium like features at a very economical price point. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro is one such device which has garnered massive sales in the sub-continent. Now with the Xiaomi Mi A2 slated for launch next month, experts are of the opinion that the phone might replace Redmi Note 5 Pro in the budget segment, below are 5 reasons why.
One thing about Xiaomi phones that might irk its buyers is the bloated MIUI software which comes on top of Android. Xiaomi has long continued its tradition of shipping the phones with the custom MIUI skin. However, with the new Mi A2 shipping pure stock Android experience of Android 8.1 Oreo, Xiaomi seems to be bridging the gap this time. The phone is going to come with zero bloatware, amazing specifications and monthly security updates.
The phone is going to come with dual rear camera setup of 12MP + 20MP, While the dual rear camera setup on the Redmi Note 5 Pro comes with 12MP+ 5MP. Both the sensors on the phone comes with a f/1.75 aperture which makes up for excellent low light photos. There are also AI based enhancements similar to the camera of Redmi Note 5 Pro. Also, the Mi A2 can capture videos at up to 4K resolution with a frame rate of 30fps.
Stepping up from the Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 which we get to see on the Redmi Note 5 Pro, the Mi A2 comes with a much better Snapdragon 660 SoC which clocks a frequency of 2.2GHz. The SoC comes equipped with Neural Processing Engine framework for AI-powered features, and it's paired with Adreno 512 GPU for graphics.
By default, the Mi A2 is going to come with 128GB of storage instead of the standard 64GB storage in the Redmi Note 5 Pro. However, the thing to note here is that the Redmi Note 5 Pro is equipped with a hybrid-dual SIM slot, on the other hand, the Mi A2 doesn't sport a microSD card slot.
Like its previous version, the Xiaomi Mi A2 is going to come with USB Type-C port instead of the micro USB port which we spot in the Redmi Note 5 Pro. The Redmi Note 5 Pro also sports the Quick Charge 2.0, while the newer Mi A2 comes with the latest Quick Charge 4.0 technology meaning that the phone is going to be able to attain 100% charge faster than Redmi Note 5 Pro. However, the company bundles a regular 5V / 2A charger with the phone.
Mi A2 is a terrible device. Android one is turning out to be a deal breaker. Lot of bugs lack of speed and more or less a laggy performance. Delayed Android pie and poor battery performance.
Mi A2 is a terrible device.
What how, timing of launch makes it treble device by default.
So? You want to say RN5 Pro and Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 are better devices than this?
Less battery power, no headphone jack, no quick charger inside the box, no external SD card slot (not exactly a bad thing) and Xiaomi's lackluster updates for Mi A1 don't exactly instill confidence in Xiaomi's A2.
Apart from no headphone jack,I don't see any major issue with device. So 3000Mah capacity phones are not worthy enough? So noone should buy Moto G5S plus if battery capacity is less?
For phones which are not the best in camera, battery capacity and usability is everything. Xiaomi obviously stunted the Mi A2 so that it won't take market share away from their own MiUI devices.
Mi A1 has created mess up only at the time of Android 8.0. Otherwise device runs super fine. Great battery life and performance as well. People preferred this over Moto G5 Plus as well as Moto G5S plus. Audio Jack on this phone is fantastic as well.