Isaiah's Finds of the Week

(Original 1961 pressing from my collection)          The Firesiders had their start before 1961. ORIGINALLY... they called themselves "The Vel-Tones." If you haven't already, check out a post also on this blog on their much harder to find record called: "Playboy" here . This 45 in itself is quite an obscurity, although it is very rare - copies generally don't go for much money. Their first single, recorded in '58 as "The Vel-Tones' on COY Records sells for upwards of $800 +++ ! Later on in 1959 they re-recorded more polished versions on the much larger "Kapp" records label. Those versions are not too hard to come by, and once again - not nearly worth as much as the COY original. In 1961 they recorded their last single for Swan Records which was co-owned by Bernie Binnick and Tony Mammarella.  Swan was most  notably famous for churning out hits such as "Palisades Park" by Freddie Cannon, "She Loves You...

On Self Reliance Emerson does a well job at explaining and stressing the importance of thinking for yourself; so much so, that’s what the name of his essay is! His thesis supports the title of his essay, given the fact that he basically tells us to rely on ourselves and not on others. Emerson promotes this thought through this quote: “ Familiar as the voice of the mind is to each, the highest merit we ascribe to Moses, Plato, and Milton is, that they set at naught books and traditions, and spoke not what men but what they thought.”  To the modern reader, this may seem to be confusing - let alone a young teenager. However, Emerson is basically telling us that the voice in your own mind is so familiar to you that you give it no respect. Instead, you give too much weight to the thought of others — your neighbors, your teachers, or some great thinker from the past. But what makes great thinkers great is that they didn't disregard their own thought. They expressed what they ...

Xicano Records - My Dream to Become Reality My dream is to put forth in operation my record label. The name and such is already out there, I have began to promote certain music that represents the Xicano sound. I have yet to actually get on it and record new material to release on the label. I’ve found that recently I need to get with the connections I have in order to initiate a first release. I have some in mind as of now and I really think it’s going to be a success. I also need to find a group and I’m really trying to see how I can form one. Also! I’d love to accumulate an Analog recording studio, to replicate that old sound that cannot be produced with modern stereophonic equipment.

Vignette In Time In traveling to the past, many a things to worry about arise. What could saying hi to that pretty girl on the corner prevent? Does it prevent her from meeting the love of her life? Little do you know that if you stopped to say hi to that pretty girl on the corner, she would have fallen in love with you instead of the love meant to be for her - as they would have given birth to the future president of the United States of America. Or how about preventing the bombing of Hiroshima? Congrats - Japan now has taken over America and now all citizens must abide by Japan’s customs. Little do we know about the things seen - yet unseen. Little do we know the horrors that lie behind one trip to the past.. .

The Teamates Have you ever heard the saying, “It’s a small world?” I have definitely been able to connect myself with that saying recently! Recently, I had picked up the above record pictured; “Calendar of Love” by The Teamates. I am familiar with the “Le-Mans Records” record label, as one of my teachers & mentors to the music - Louis Longo recorded with his group on the label. I refer to Louis as uncle Louis, as we are close in that aspect; anyways - the label sparked interest! I got a hold of my uncle and I had asked him “Didn’t you record a single for Le-Mans with your group the Four Tiers?” He confirmed it, and mentioned that the Teamates are his close friends; “The Brooks Four!” The Brooks Four went by several names which included: The Four Winds, & The Teamates. Given that my uncle is close friends with The Brooks Four, they actually recorded a record together. In 1965, Robert “Bobby” Paladino (lead singer of The Brooks Four) wrote out an original compositio...

Art of Hosting 

Vocabulary #6 1. Meme: A virus to the human mind. An idea or thought that spreads quickly; or one that occupies your thoughts that is tough to remove. “That meme with Kanye West is SO relatable to me.” 2. Virus: Harmful computer program that spreads itself and destroys data once contracted. “Johnny got a computer virus that destroyed his Mac after searching the Dark Web.” 3. Viral: Extremely popular “That video of the flag runner at the PV game went viral almost instantly.” 4. Blog: Informal web diary “My blog about rare Doo Wop music is starting to get some attention on the East Coast.” 5. Wiki: Website where anyone can contribute “Wikipedia is the most famous ‘Wiki’ however, teachers don’t trust it as a reliable source for learning.” 6. URL: Universal Record Locator “Most URL’s are very complicated and long.” 7. Website: Info that is portrayed in a page or more on the internet “There are many websites on the internet, h...