“Now we see everything that's going wrong with the world and those who lead it. We just feel like we don't have the means to rise above and beat it. It's hard to beat the system when we're standing at a distance… And when you trust your television, what you get is what you got - Cause when they own the information they can bend it all they want… So we keep waiting on the world to change.” (John Mayer). The television says our boys in the White House are having a squabble so they’re getting a ‘time out’.  When the going gets tough, the tough… shut down? These are the people who call themselves leaders. It’s a sad state of affairs to say the least.
    The government may be closing shop, but the bars and restaurants will remain open, the bands will perform, the DJ’s will entertain, the bartenders and waitresses will serve ‘em up, and we will all continue dancing with or without Obamacare. Quoting the song title by Funkadelic, we will remain “One Nation Under a Groove”.   “Feet don’t fail me now” because I’m looking forward to getting my Lower Case Blues fix at High Stakes Bar & Grille in Fenwick tonight (10/4). High Stakes is a great venue to sit back and listen or get up and dance to one of the best blues bands around. It’s also the place to grab an authentic Philly cheesesteak.
    Mandolin artist and former SDHS student Alex Gable and singer/songwriter, Timothy Wyld will be paying OC a visit next weekend. Since high school, they have played music together and often spoke of forming a band. After his graduation from Berklee School of Music in 2012, Alex joined Tim in Antigua, Guatemala, to study and perform. They returned and dubbed their vision, Pasado de Moda. With Wyld on guitar and vocals and Gable on mandolin, percussion and vocals, they play folk music from all over the world. On occasion they are also known to play with an upright bass and violin. Their core focus is predominantly on Bossa Nova, Choro, Sicilan Folk, Greek Rebetiko and Jazz; however, their talents surpass limitations. Being able to sing in Spanish, Portuguese, English and Italian adds a unique dose of unconventional character. They will be performing at Fresco’s on Tuesday, October 15th, beginning at 6pm. Their performance will kickoff Tapas Tuesdays. Award winning chef Pino Tomasello will feature a $5 -7 tapas menu to compliment the Spanish and South American wine tastings. Pasado de Moda will also be performing live on The Acoustic Lounge on Ocean 98.1 with DJ Marla Robertson. Tune into Marla’s show on Sunday Oct. 13 from 4-4:30 pm to check these guys out. Their sound can also be experienced at pasadodemoda.squarespace.com. I can attest to their passion for music and take personal pride in this band’s success; Alex Gable is my oldest son.
    Another innovative team of singer/songwriters will be performing at Hooters this Saturday. Alex & Shiloh are a brother/sister duo that began writing music together in high school. Shiloh, the band’s voice, has 13 years of classical and operatic voice training with a degree in music from University of Delaware. In addition, she traveled to Italy to learn the language.  Alex, who supplies the acoustic contributions, is a classically trained trumpet player with a degree in music from Skidmore College. He plays guitar with the addition of the banjo, piano & harmonica. Alex traveled to Dominican and Spain to learn the language. I’m interested and looking forward to hearing their musical talents this weekend. Visit alexandshiloh.com to get additional info.
    I find it interesting that both bands I mentioned this week have an artist both: with the name Alex; aged 25; began playing as a youth; traveled abroad; studied and achieved degrees in music; teach music; and can play many instruments.
    As usual, I will close my article with a famous quote by or about musicians. I couldn’t resist this one… “Our society is run by insane people for insane objectives. I think we're being run by maniacs for maniacal ends and I think I'm liable to be put away as insane for expressing that. That's what's insane about it.”
– John Lennon