Travel

Journals

Thursday Night Blues | Las Vegas


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The Blues is the only music I can listen to all day.
I like many other styles, yet it is only the blues that will bring me on home. Take me through a timeless ride of Happiness, Sorrow, Pain, Remembering lost love, Playing the Fool, Betrayals or just time pasted by.
Switch it on and go about my business and enjoy yet never tire of.
Slow backbeat a Searing lead and a scratchy Smokey vocal.
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Even in a downtown L.A. bar you can feel that Mississippi juke joint vibe with that simple two line verse cutting into your soul.
Bluesmen don’t play for money there isn’t much, or fame.
Long Van rides, cheap food and small Clubs.
Yet, even today long after this music has pasted it still persist…. like an old beauty queen long past her prime she refuses to let go of the past.
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Great Blues albums come around generationally from Eric Clapton’s “From the Cradle” back to BB Kings “Live in Japan” and “Live at the Regal” to Texas Bluesman Stevie Ray Vaughn’s “Couldn’t Stand the Weather” and all the way up north to Buddy Guy’s “Sweet Tea”
From the beginning of Albert King’s “Crosscut Saw” you can feel the emotions of a simple riff and exactly what he means to be a Crosscut Saw.
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The Blues in life sometimes overwhelms you and you think all I need now is to hear songs reinforcing what I am feeling, but it has almost the exact opposite effect. By reassuring you that you’re not alone, how could they know exactly what I am feeling, yet what he was singing about , a crosscut saw explained exactly how I was feeling and  I understood it all and how applied to my life.
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The state of Blues today is good. Festivals pop up all summer. Great new artist arrive and old artist grow old gracefully. The British invasion may be over but the American renaissance has reemerged. When trendy music comes and disappears The Blues have remained, gotten stronger, bolder even prospered.
Drink

Cafe Moto, San Diego


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Café Moto in San Diego on a side street just of the 5 Freeway in lower San Diego’s Logan area is a bustling Coffee shop, Roaster, Store, Supplier and by far the best coffee in the area.
 There all in one shop provides some surprising choices from Blue Sky dark Roast to Organic Ethiopian Yirgacheffe and even Papua New Guinea “Purosa A Grade” Organic Coffees. So, you can get a sense of their vast selections.
We tried there Organic Fair Trade Columbian Coffee and found it fresh, strong and a little bitter but, after a little cream it was fine.
The prices here are fair. The service friendly and prompt and the atmosphere is cool.

We bought a bag of their Triple Cert French Roast Fair Trade-Organic Guatemalan from the Huehuetango region called Super G to take home and found it a very good, strong, Vanilla hinted, sweet Coffee.

 If you’re in the south end of San Diego stop by this out of the way Coffee house and enjoy a fine cup of coffee.

On a 1-10 Café Moto gets a 7

Drink

Klatch Coffee, Rancho Cucamonga, Ca.


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Located in a strip mall on a crowded blvd. going to the airport. Klatch Coffee is good coffee, delivered by friendly people. They say their coffee is top 1% of the best. There Coffee is very good but, the best I don’t know…

There blends are good. Well formulated from mild to bold. I think there African coffees are there best. I purchased a bag of there Crazy Goat Blend which they say is a full bodied blend dating back to the beginning of coffee….Very Good, light yet full bodied with no after taste at a reasonable price.

Klatch pays attention to detail. They were voted Micro Roaster of the year a couple years back. They even received coffee of the year from Coffee Review. Bang for you buck, Klatch is the best coffee shop by far in the Inland Empire. Constantly rotating there inventory and dating all there coffee. I have never received a bad cup of coffee here.

Klatch has several Coffee Shops around the Inland Empire and even one at LAX

On a 1 to 10 Rating …..Klatch Coffee gets an 8