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Santa's Log - The day love comes to town
By David Cate
You can't travel anywhere in this region without hearing the sound of a nearby train.

These iron horses are the muscle of our country's history and a few of weeks ago one very special express warmed the hearts of thousands of children in our region.

On Saturday, November 21st, the 67th Annual Santa Train made its annual trip from Pikeville, KY to Kingsport, TN.

Loaded with 15 tons of gifts and toys, Santa Claus, Wynonna Judd and over 100 hundred volunteers and guests spread holiday cheer all over three states.

For three generations, The Santa Train has made this journey and besides treating the families with holiday tidings the CSX Railroad know how to show their appreciation to the peoples of the Appalachian coalfields.

Together with <a href="http://www.foodcity.com">Food City</a> and <a href="http://www.kingsportchamber.org">The Kingsport Chamber of Commerce</a>, they jump start the Christmas season too rolling eight historic passenger cars loaded with goodies into 14 towns across Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee.

This year, it was my fortune to enjoy this one-of-a-kind excursion on the main line through the coalfields.

Even the mention of my chance to ride the train brought envy among family and friends. I've watched the train roll into Kingsport every year and this year, I'm forever thankful for my friends at the Kingsport Chamber who invited to be a part of this legacy.

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It was a gorgeous day and the sky was a deep azure blue when we met in Downtown Kingsport on a Friday afternoon.

Two chartered buses were parked in front of the Chamber of Commerce offices ready to drive this year's passengers to Pikeville, KY – the main rail yard for this year's journey.

Marybeth Kench one of the Chamber's organizers met me at the bus with a her glowing smile. She's been working for the past several months organizing this event and her confidence and genuine excitement was a great way to start the day.

After stowing my carry-on under the bus, we were on our way up Highway 23 – north into Virginia. The sun cast long shadows over the Powell Valley as they are cradled by the mountains of this region.

Our bus arrived in Pikeville just before sunset and after checking into the Hampton Inn, I quickly jumped back outside to explore the city before nightfall.

I was surprised at how much has changed since my first visit in the seventies as our high school band participated in a holiday parade.

There's been lots of changes, but this town still has a wonderful small town charm. So much so, that Norman Crampton cites <a href="http://www.cityofpikeville.com/visitors.cfm">Pikeville, KY as of one of the "100 Best Small Towns in America."</a>

There are a number a new structures in the downtown area including a new city park that was decorated with plenty of color for the holidays.

Later that evening, the organizers had plans for the Santa Train guests to enjoy dinner at the new <a href="http://www.eastkyexpo.com/">Eastern Kentucky Exposition Center</a>. This complex is a striking landmark that seats 7,000 in the middle of town and hosts lots of special events throughout the year.

As we all gathered around a catered buffet, we could hear the sounds of a basketball game below us complete with sqweaking sneakers and referee whistles.

At dinner, I enjoyed conversations with Dave Light with the City of Kingsport, Jerry Petzoldt from <a href="http://www.tcigroup.com">The TCI Group</a>, Alderman Tom Parham and Kannishka Biddanta with Adaptcore. We shared our enthusiasm for trip ahead and our hosts concluded dinner with an outline of safety procedures aboard the train.

From there, our buses left for the hotel. It was early though and despite our 5am departure, several people gathered at <a href="http://www.myspace.com/piketownmixers">Champs Sports Bar</a> to enjoy few drinks and conversation before the end of the night.

Champ's is a popular local watering hole in Pikeville and although there was only one pool table, a jukebox and a few televisions screens, the place was warm and friendly.

Back at the hotel, it was hard to sleep and I guess the excitement had me waking on every hour, so by the time 4am arrived, I was ready to get up.

Everyone met in the lobby at 5.00 and after a few strong cups of coffee, we were ready to board the buses again. Still trying to open my eyes, I was surprised to watch St. Nick himself take a seat up front and with a few "ho-hos" and we were on our way.

The bus ride was quiet as we drove through the cold morning air. It wasn't long though before we rolled into the <a href="http://clinchfieldcountry.com/photos/shelby.htm">CSX Shelby Yard</a>. It was surprising to faintly see several people standing along the tracks waiting to catch a glimpse of Santa and his helpers.

We made no haste getting on the train and according to the press packets we received earlier, I would be riding on the Michigan car – a special car just for the media. We were whisked on the train and reminded of our "three points of contact" - feet on the steps and two hands on the boarding rails.

Inside, there were blue packing crates neatly loaded with goodies and marked for boys and girls along the left side of the walkways.

All of the guests had assigned cars and I sat at a table along with Steve Hawkins and Joe Gregg from <a href="http://www.wcyb.com">WCYB</a>. Among some of the other media were Erica Yoon – shooting photos for CSX and John Osborne who was also covering the event for the <a href="http://www.timesnews.net">Kingsport Times-News</a>.

I was a pleasure to meet local blogger "Country" too. I always enjoy meeting my virtual friends in the real world and her blog, "<a href="http://www.countryschatter.com">Country's Chatter</a>" has been an item of interest for several months. Her popular blog includes a wealth of personal insight about country music artists and regional performances.

Also in the media car were folks from <a href="http://www.ket.org/">Kentucky Educational TV</a> and an entire camera crew from Nashville based cable channel <a href="http://www.gactv.com/">GAC (Great American Country)</a> which was filming a segment that will air on December 12th.

I've never rode a passenger train and must admit I felt silly when I wondered why the people were moving outside. I expected something a bit more like a subway, but the Santa Train was off and seemingly gliding on our way to the first stop – Marrowbone, KY.

It was still pitch black when we arrived at 6.45 am. I could see several people running alongside the train as it eased into the stop.

The helpers had bags of toys and were positioned by the doors ready to step down off the train and distribute sacks of goodies to children on the outskirts of the crowds. Meanwhile, Santa headed to the caboose to toss candy and other treats from the back of the train.

The train stops were timed according to the crowd size. The bigger crowds enjoyed longer stays and the engineers had horns to warn workers and media to be back on the train as they were keeping a tight schedule.

I didn't get out on the first stop and decided to wait till Elkhorn City, KY which was about 30 minutes away from Marrowbone. By then the sun was rising over the Eastern mountain tops and a low lying fog cradled the trees as rolled slowly past the Big Sandy River.

It was here that I caught my first glimpse of Wynonna Judd.

With her children Gracie and Elijah following close behind, Wynonna passed through the media car to join Santa in the caboose. She was tanned, wearing a black coat with brass buttons and a black conductor's hat that framed her deep red hair. She had a vibrant smile and was waking up like the rest of us as the train made its second stop.

As soon as I stepped off the train, I could hear a chorus of children screaming Santa! Santa!

A frenzy of young and old alike were rushing to get a glimpse of the man in red and stretching their arms into the air to catch the gifts pouring out of the train from all sides.

Many of the kids were bundled up in coats and hats and some had runny noises, but their eyes were like saucers as they all strained to get a glimpse Santa.

There were some 600 people gathered at this first stop with cars lining the streets as old men were clinching steaming cups of coffee as everyone else scrambled for gifts hurled from all the around the caboose.

My camera was busy too and time passed quickly as I heard the first horns to get back on the train. That was the sign the the train was leaving and suddenly, we were rolling again heading further down the line to Toms Bottom, Haysi, Clincho and Freemont KY.

Riding a train through the Appalachian mountains is a scenic adventure that traverses a landscape accessible only by rail. From cascading mountain streams, rolling farmland, rocky ledges and several tunnels, I'm sure that few people have seen the region from this perspective.

From time, to time, we would make a turn and you could see the train ahead – winding its way around the bends. One of favorite moments were when the tunnels would engulf the train in darkness.

There was a camera in each car that was focused on the view behind the caboose and it was almost mystical watching the daylight disappear into a thin circle of light as we pierced our way through the ancient mountains.

Besides having Wynonna Judd on the Santa Train this year, The Kingsport Chamber of Commerce awarded two gentlemen with a chance of lifetime.

Earlier in the year, The Chamber had a contest inviting people to describe in an essay why they would like to ride the Santa Train. Two winners were selected and both were on the train today.

Seventy-year-old Thomas Sargent was delighted to be one of the winners. His daughter nominated him and describe how her dad had followed the train most of his life.

In an interview with Susanna Jackson from Great American Country, Sargent described how he be taking plenty of photos with his new digital camera and commented, "Seeing the kids were a real treat to me."

Later in their hometown of Dungannon, both men would be welcomed by banners from the crowd and were pictured tossing gifts with Santa and Wynonna.

The crowds turned into large mobs as we made stops in Dante (pronounced "Daint"), VA and St. Paul. Thousands were on hand and the temperatures warmed so that the golden glow of the afternoon sun made the stopover seem like a town circus.

Some folks were complaining about how the adults seemed to be grabbing up all the gifts and that may have been true in some cases. However, I saw plenty of smiling voices and little arms stretched to the sky hoping to grab a plush animal. There were also plenty of volunteers handing out bags directly to the children all over the grounds.

In St. Paul, Wynonna made her way into the crowd and was swarmed by local fans. She's got an approachable personality and seemed to make time for everyone. A native Kentuckian, I recall her saying, "These are my people."

Back on the train, Wynonna was running a bit behind and gave an interview to a large group of media cameras as the train had a long run between stops in Virginia.

We all moved into the Greenbriar car and Judds's handlers adjusted her makeup and checked the camera angles. I had my Iphone and recorded much of the interview from over the top of Joe Gregg's camera who together with WCYB asked some interesting questions to the 5-time Grammy Award winner.

Wynonna described the trip as an "emotional rollercoaster." Starting the trip in tears and moving to joy along the route.

A few years ago, Wynonna's mother Naomia was a guest on the Santa Train. When asked if her mother had any advice about the trip, she said her mother described the journey as "one of the hardest things you'll ever do and one of the most memorable."

Referring to the children, she said that it was nice to distribute Twinkies, but she could see into the eyes of the children and toys were what they wanted. She also noted that she would work hard in the future to bring awareness to the train and find more funding including perhaps inviting all the Judds on a future ride.

After the interview, I made my way toward the back of the train.

Passing through several cars there were volunteers all along the way and still plenty of neatly packed crates with gifts for the rest of towns on the way to Kingsport. Nearing the caboose, the lights were off, but I could hear the faint sounds of "Silver Bells" and Wynonna and Santa were talking nostalgia – waxing romantically about moon pies and RC Colas.

As the train rumbled past the rivers and farms, Santa and Wynonna would wave at people who were watching the train from their doorsteps. Ed Moore from Food City was near the back too along with Frank Waldo with Teleoptics who still seemed fresh even though the train had been pouring out goodies for over 8 hours.

Just past Duffield, the train started to slow over Copper Creek.

Driving up High23N, you can see a tall railroad trestle which the locals consider a historical monument on the landscape. I'd always wondered what the view looked like from the top too.

As we inched on to the 8-story platform, I could see ultra light airplanes following the Santa Train. Several cars were parked along the highway shooting pictures as the train prepared for its final stops in Kermit and Kyles Ford, VA.

Near Kingsport, we passed the old Rotherwood Mansion and I could hear some of the people on the train narrating Kingsport's history. As we traveled alongside Netherland Inn road, I recalled that Kingsport was first a shipping community – built upon the passage of salt and other supplies that arrived on flatboats at John King's first port and boatyard on the banks of the Holston River,

At the time, the city traded the promise of railroads in the early days for steamboats – envisioning a future based on the river. The railroads went to Jonesborough, but it wouldn't be long before every town had rail access and that no doubt paved the way for Kingsport to become "The Model City."

From our offices in downtown Kingsport, you can hear the trains every day. You can hear the thunder of cars as they link to each other and everyone knows what the train horn blasts sound like from our perch on Main Street.

This time however, I was rolling into town from an elegant passenger car and still numb from a busy day of travel. I imagine there were plenty of children sifting through the loot the Santa Train left behind, but here in Kingsport, old Saint Nick was getting ready for a hero's welcome.

Kingsport's Annual Christmas Parade never starts until Santa rolls in on the train. When we finally arrived around 3pm there thousands lining Main Street.

When the train stopped, Santa and Wynonna made their way through the crowd like rock stars. After a brief moment talking to the crowds, they both jumped on top of two trailer beds and began to fling the remaining toys and candy into the crowd.

Wynonna signed a few autographs after the toys were gone, but Santa Claus boarded one of Kingsport's bright yellow fire engines and from high atop the ladder, he yelled "Ho-Ho-Ho!" The bands began a cadence and the Christmas parade began.

The 67th Santa Train was an incredible experience - so much so, I wish everyone could take the trip. For those who made the journey this year, the day was a rich experience and I'm certain everyone involved with this project painted a rainbow of happiness all over the coalfields.

For the kids along the way, I'm sure they're already bored with the toys that were catapulted from the back of the train. However, I bet they'll have a story to tell for the rest of their life about how St. Nick came to their town. If no one tells them any different, they'll be there next year as well to see what the bearded fellow brings aboard the Santa Train.

It's important that I thank the Kingsport Chamber for an unforgettable experience and plenty of kudos go to the Nashville-based public relations firm <a href="http://www.mpf.com/index">McNeely Pigott & Fox</a> for one of the most organized and touching events of my lifeline.

Together with CSX Railroad, the fine folks at Food City, the Santa Train is a legend now told round the world.

Even though the Santa Train is over, I can still hear those voices calling out Santa's name and the sparkling hope in every eye of the children who waited on that train that morning.

If there's one thing that's certain about the Santa Train - it's a ride of hope and journey filled with joy.

Merry Christmas everyone!
Murdoch faces off with Google in Free vs Paid
By David Cate
The media landscape was reeling yesterday as Rupert Murdock, the world's most powerful media owner, suggested he may block Google's search engine from accessing information on their company's websites.

Murdock's <a id="vafg" title="News Corp" href="http://www.newscorp.com/">News Corp</a> is second only to Disney and owns several large newspapers, magazines, Fox News, Myspace and The Wall Street Journal.

<a id="jpki" title="In an interview from his home in Australia" href="http://mumbrella.com.au/murdoch-well-probably-remove-our-sites-from-googles-index-11366">In an interview from his home in Australia</a>, Murdoch discussed the possibility on Sky News of charging for access to his news services stating their content has value and he's ready to disrupt the "content cleptomaniacs."

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The argument for free versus paid content is a popular debate among newspapers across the globe as they try to balance the need to stay competitive and remain profitable in the Information Age.

At present, <a id="qs3_" title="The Wall Street Journal" href="http://www.wsj.com/">The Wall Street Journal</a> offers a partially-paid service. The website features an initial paragraph for most content, but ultimately requires visitors to subscribe to read the complete story.

If News Corp were to block Google's search engine from their content, some analysts believe <a id="phoh" title="WSJ.com traffic would lose 25% of their traffic" href="http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/11/09/if-the-wsj-com-says-goodbye-to-google-it-will-also-say-goodbye-to-25-percent-of-its-traffic/">WSJ.com traffic would lose 25% of their traffic</a>.

Murdoch seems to be ready to fight back too believing that Google unfairly monetizes his companies content by selling ads next to the search results.

Responding to the suggestion that a paid wall would result in a drop in readership, he states "I would rather have a smaller audience of paying customers than people accessing it for free."

Mark Scott, head of the <a id="p4li" title="Australia's ABC" href="http://www.abc.net.au/">Australia's ABC</a> describes this type of protection of content as "the classic play of an old empire in decline."

The ABC and the BBC are public broadcasting channels and instead of charging for content, they charge the taxpayers.

"If the taxpayers will pay me what they pay them, we'll not charge." Murdoch's estimates the BBC charges its citizens 150 pounds per year ($250). Last year, The BBC earned $4.6 billion in revenue.

On the other side of the controversy, Google contends these search results bring visitors to websites.

Murdoch responds, "These casual visitors certainly don't become loyal readers to our websites."


"Google is so 2008"

Yesterday's news caused a flurry of commentary from several blogs including this insight from Mark Cuban - billionaire entrepreneur who started the HDTV, HD Network and owner of the Dallas Mavericks.

<a id="lmfu" title="Cuban appreciates Murdoch's approach" href="http://blogmaverick.com/2009/11/09/rupert-murdoch-to-block-google-smart-twitter-has-changed-it-all/">Cuban appreciates Murdoch's approach</a>. He comments on his blog, "I love to tweak all of the Internet information must be free bigots."

"This is not 1999, nor is it 2004, nor is it 2006, nor is it 2008. The calendar is about to turn to 2010. What worked and made sense 3,5 and 10 years ago, no longer does."

He says alot has changed since then and points out that Google is not the final destination to find information on the Internet.

He applauds Twitter's entrance into the Internet main stream and proposes this micro-blogging service is a greater service to newspapers.

"TWITTER IS SURPASSING GOOGLE."

That's a statement he writes in capital letters and cites the observation that Twitter provides better access to breaking news.

What's more, he also says, "140 characters does not make a story.'

Cuban believes that Twitter and Facebook are better referrers to newspaper websites and says they both have (again all caps) a "HUGE HUGE HUGE" advantage for news outlets that Google doesn't.

"Twitter and Facebook are platforms that allows news sources, like Newscorp to post breaking news and gain value from their brand. Google does not. In other words, if I trust a newspaper, TV or any brand, I can follow it on Twitter and expect the news to come to me."

"Having to search for and find news on search engines is so 1998."

He also contends Twitter is surpassing Google and providing better access to breaking news and real-time searches and provides no real threat to newspapers.


A note for Microsoft

In a more radical approach, Jason Calacanis, a popular tech blogger describes a way for Bing to kill Google.

<a id="wfyq" title="On a recent videocast for Internet startups" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTe15DEWp30">On a recent videocast for Internet startups</a>, Calacanis proposes the wild idea that Microsoft should call up The New York Times and ask them how much they make from Google links.

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Google has a revenue sharing platform for most content producers called Adwords and for every ad-click, participating websites are paid a fraction of the revenue Google receives.

Calacanis believes Microsoft could offer high-traffic Internet websites a greater share of revenue if they will pull their content from Google trumping the headline "Bing, the only place to access New York Times."

Nothing like a little competition to sweeten the deal and who knows maybe the folks in Redmond are considering his advice?


The lines have been drawn...

The battle continues to simmer for Google, but competitors like Bing, Twitter and Facebook are certainly carving up their market share. Even though Google keeps offering new innovations like GoogleWave and the proposed redesign of their search engine called <a id="md7i" title="Google Caffiene" href="http://mashable.com/2009/11/10/google-caffeine-soon/">Google Caffeine</a>, the competition will most certainly evolve.

Personally, I don't have the answer for either side – wish I did. Newspaper saviour would be a colorful resume subtitle.

<a id="vxoe" title="Harold McCracken has four good reasons" href="http://technologizer.com/2009/11/09/mr-murdoch-build-up-that-content-wall/">Harold McCracken has four good reasons</a> why Murdoch should wall off his content at News Corp.

I agree with him on his first point and applaud the bold move.

More important though, "Watching other people gamble is constructive." Rupert has a lot more money than most and it will be interesting to watch as he takes on a formidable cultural phenomena and attempts to re-build a better business model for the industry.
A Spectacular Night For Spooks in Downtown Kingsport
By David Cate
There was a lot of stories about kids and candy this past weekend. That's certainly what one might expect on Halloween, but there were plenty of parties going on for the big kids too and Downtown Kingsport had the biggest yet!

Granted – the weather was miserable. It rained almost all night, but that didn't stop hundreds of people from attending Kingsport's first Halloween Costume Pub Crawl.

Saturday night, <a id="z41b" title="GoTriCities" href="http://www.gotricities.com/">GoTriCities</a> and participating downtown venues hosted the event along with The <a id="ac0q" title="Kingsport Chamber of Commerce" href="http://www.kingsportchamber.org/">Kingsport Chamber of Commerce</a> and <a id="k.oz" title="Action Rental" href="http://www.actionrentalkpt.com/">Action Rental</a>. Besides the soaking rain, the creepy, yet delightfully cool crowds on Main Street were much larger than we expected.

It was cloudy Halloween morning and I was watching the radar intently throughout the day.

Like many others, I was one those last-minute shoppers in line at Halloween Express in Johnson City. Formerly Bennigan's Restaurant, this vacant building serves as ground-zero for costumes, masks and ghoulish paraphernalia this time of year and the parking lot was full.

After deliberating over several options, I decided on the "Minister of Death." Besides, it gave me a reason to wear makeup.

As I drove into Kingsport around 5.00, the streets were divided with orange cones carving the streets for runners. The police department were on hand in the gray weather keeping safe watch for athletes who were running in the inaugural <a id="a1uq" title="Haunted Half Marathon" href="http://www.visitkingsport.com/haunted%20half/home.html">Haunted Half Marathon</a>.

The organizers of this event did an outstanding job in their first year with reports of over 400 runners participating in this year's race. Around 3.00pm, these participants lined up in front of The Bonefire Restaurant on Main Street and followed a meandering downtown course which totaled 13.1 miles. ( <a id="vjdu" title="Click here for photos" href="http://allengreene.zenfolio.com/p294268996">Click here for photos</a> )

The streets cleared quickly after the race and I turned my attention to the rib sandwich at The Bus Pit. That's one of my favorite places to eat among downtown eateries and it was warm and cozy inside with the John Patton Band playing acoustic music in front of the restaurant.

Doug Beatty, one of the organizers of this day of Halloween happenings was having dinner with his family and he was happy to describe some of the events of the day.

"Other than a few sprinkles, the Haunted Half was great" said Beaty. "I was looking at the radar on my phone and right when the race started the clouds cleared up and when it was over the rain rolled back in."

We were both hoping the rain would clear before the pub crawl, but it never did. Instead, with the Kingsport Train Station as a backdrop, it was a cold, dreary shower that keep the streets wet all night.

Dinner was great (as usual) and I made my way back to our office on Main Street to prepare arm-loads of camera gear. GoTriCities.com were planning on taking plenty of pictures and shooting live video – but first the costume.

Jared Bentley called me while I was staring in the office mirror.

"What's up?" he bolted as soon as I picked up the phone.

"I'm putting on my base makeup - don't ask."

After all the getup was in place, we finally got all of our gear together and made our way back down to The Bus Pit. Although there were going to be live bands at The Kingsport Grocery, Stir Fry and Kaffe Blue, we wanted a live camera here at this venue because Spank was performing.

<a id="n_qm" title="Spank" href="http://www.spankthenet.com/">Spank</a> is a popular dance band that specializes in an entertaining stage show, complete with lighting and deep set list of popular 80's music.

After we got our cameras setup, we moved down the street to <a id="ks0w" title="Kingsport Grocery Company" href="http://www.letseat.at/KingsportGroceryCompany">Kingsport Grocery Company</a> which already had a crowd downstairs with costumed guests all over the restaurant.

A guy dressed in a Beetlejuice costume darted by me on the way out to smoke outside and I couldn't help but mention his name three times as he passed by. There were all kinds of costumes – some comical and others creepy that included vampires, wrestlers, pimps, zombies, Fred Flintstone, Slash from Guns and Roses, hippies, devils, angels and tooth fairies all around.

Upstairs, the second floor was crowded too as the <a id="r4r2" title="Annie Robinette" href="http://www.myspace.com/annierobinette">Annie Robinette Band</a> was tuning their instruments.

Annie is from Bristol and a popular songwriter on the local circuit. She was in the spirit tonight too dressed in a renaissance pirate costume and sounded the best I've heard her in a long while. Her busy summer schedule has certainly refined the band's mix of distinctive songs and covers that kindled the mood for the rest of the night.

Johnny Rasar plays bass for the band and I had to ask him about his guitar which had a Frankenstein mug worked into the finish.

We both agreed every musician should have a Halloween instrument for just the right night and tonight was indeed – one of those special occasions.

We set up our cameras and everyone was extremely patient with us as we turned on the strobe lights and began to broadcast live on the Internet. This was one of our early experiments with live broadcasts and although the online audience was small, we enjoyed opening up the lens and this event to people all over the country from our hometown Halloween party.

There was a steady stream of costumed party-goers for the rest of the night, but we wanted to move back down the street to The Bus Pit after Annie's first set. It was still raining, but within a few moments, we were across the street and working our way through a line of people already gathered in hallway of this terrific downtown venue.

The Bus Pit was opened in the summer of this past year to coincide with the Twilight Alive concert series and although it's had a rocky start, the room still has plenty of potential of becoming a great Kingsport nightclub.

It used to be the old maintenance garage where city and county buses were once repaired. One of its signature features is an authentic city bus parked just inside the front door that serves as the bar and centerpiece of this locale.

The stage in front was decorated with cob webs, Halloween streamers and creatures and Spank's gear made the place look like a real concert venue.

Hailing from Bristol, Spank is probably the region's most popular band. They don't pretend to be anything other than an 80's dance band and they carry with them one of the largest light shows of anyone in the area – complete with a glaring 15 foot truss spelling out the word "Spank" directly behind them.

Spank includes Tom Mann who fronts the band on vocals and guitar, Pete Dixon on guitar, Collin McHenry on bass and Ironman John Grayson on drums. Tonight, they were dressed with geeky musicians with horn-rimmed glasses.

Once they struck their first notes they never slowed down the rest of the night. Their usual entertaining stage show invite fans on the stage to get "spanked" with a blue and green sticker which people wear on their bums as a badge of honor.

The Bus Pit had more people tonight than we have seen before and everyone seemed to enjoy the drink specials from the "bar-bus." When the band took a break, the Halloween contest featured some of the best outfits from the night.

First place winner for the women included a renaissance winch who created her costume from scratch and my favorite for the men - a costumed Steve Grindstaff who yelled into the mike, "Who makes a deal like Grindstaff?" Of which the crowd responded - NOBODY!

The rain made it hard for people to actually participate in a "Pub Crawl." Stir Frye had "Scaryoke" and Kaffe Blue was open with the "Ghosts in The Woods Band." I'm not sure how many people crossed over to Broad Street, but the ghouls and cartoons on Main Street were back and forth all night from The KGC to The Bus Pit.

Around midnight, both locations had sold out of the glowing green arm bands which permitted entrance into all venues but the crowds kept coming as the night-owls made their rounds.

Later, we found ourselves back at the Kingsport Grocery for the late-night deejay and talked to two young ladies who were in town from Wise, VA. They were having a great time on the dance floor and we had time for one more live broadcast before shutting down for the night.

This year's Halloween Pub Crawl was a roaring success and I'm certain everyone had a great night to remember. Event planners are already talking about the next party, so stay tuned for more to come.

Downtown Kingsport is still struggling to become a top-of-mind destination for the weekend, but there's no doubt that we have some great venues and superb entertainment on a regular basis. Unfortunately, that's kind of spotty and we hope to work together with these merchants and share ideas to bring more great events into the heart of the city.

So if you missed this years event, you missed quite the spectacle.

There are plenty of photographs online this year as our photographers at GoTriCities captured more than 300 photos. Check those out at <a id="bg01" title="http://spotted.timesnews.net" href="http://spotted.timesnews.net/galleries/index.php?event=99">great Halloween photos from this year's event </a>and make sure you keep Downtown Kingsport on your radar for a great nightlife still in the works.
Battle of the Borgs - Microsoft/Google wrestle over Twitter/Facebook
By David Cate
The battle for search continues to heat up as Twitter and Facebook find themselves in the middle of a tug-of-war between Microsoft and Google.

On Wednesday afternoon Microsoft was first to the press with their announcement at the Web 2.0 conference in San Francisco on Wednesday that their new Bing search engine will index both Facebook and Twitter updates.

In the Information Week article, Qi Lu and Yusuf Mehdi, SVP of the Microsoft's online audience business, made the announcement.

"We are going to get access to all of the public Twitter information in real-time," said Mehdi.

A beta of the new version of <a href="http://www.bing.com/twitter">Bing with Twitter data</a>, referred to by Mehdi as "Bing Wave Two," should go live shortly. Facebook integration, he said, would come later.

<a id="ybnf" title="You can view the new Bing app here" href="http://www.bing.com/twitter?FORM=MFEHPG&PUBL=Google&CREA=userid17436ec41cb8eecd0e95ea702f7595e9a802">You can view the new Bing app here</a>, but I still prefer the <a id="uoc5" title="Twitter interface" href="http://www.twitter.com/">Twitter interface</a> for real-time search.

In a foreboding comment, he also stated, "Microsoft's search goal of understanding user intent, an aim he likened to building "a mind reader."

I'm not sure that's the most positive statement for the VP's to roll out. After all, it's most common to refer to Microsoft as "The Borg."

I'll hand it to Microsoft though. Even though they don't have a system in place yet, they made a good PR power play to bring more awareness to the Google competitor.

Google made a quick move too. Later in the day, <a id="lelz" title="they also announced" href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9651717e-bea2-11de-b4ab-00144feab49a.html">they also announced</a> their search engine would index Twitter's content too. They didn't say anything about Facebook, but they did trump the idea their new service would out-perform Bing by rendering faster results with greater accuracy. It wasn't that long ago <a href="http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/04/02/sources-google-in-late-stage-talks-to-buy-twitter/">Google was rumored to buy Twitter</a> which is now valued at $1 billion.

What was more intriguing for me was what happened after I read the press release.

Almost immediately after I saw the announcement on Twitter, I "retweeted" the news out to my followers and less than 15 minutes later a <a id="oozf" title="Google Alerts" href="http://www.google.com/alerts">Google Alert arrived in my email's inbox</a>.

I monitor various keywords from Google and everytime someone enters a new topic with my name...boom...they send me an email. I monitor a number of topics of interest and it was surprising to see my Twitter comment work its way through Google so quickly for the first time.

This was an interesting announcement for both companies and the integration of this content gives significant credo to both social media services.

Real-time search is a hot topic right now. Unfortunately, after the <a id="n1zp" title="balloon boy instance" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_balloon_incident">balloon boy instance</a> last week, I'm starting to question real-time information and still appreciate a journalist who checks his facts.

Although Twitter and Facebook content will now appear in both of the major search engines, I'm compelled to consider the entropy for both systems too.

As things get bigger and more information like Twitter and Facebook content floods the two search engines, how relevant and effective will search be in the future? Will it become too cluttered to find what you're looking for?

Who knows, maybe there's room for a new concept in search where some company comes up with a search engine for relative topics? Instead of being the borg, perhaps we'll see search in the future that focuses only on specific interests alone.

Google still accounts for the majority references for search inquiries here at <a title="Times News Online" href="http://www.timesnews.net">Times-News Online</a>.

Last month, references from Google represented almost 20% of our online traffic, while Bing came in below Yahoo references at 3%. There's no doubt Bing is stealing some of the audience and hopefully this competition will lead to a better user experience for everyone.

Which search engine do you prefer? Do you have a personal favorite?
So long email, you can keep the spam!
By David Cate
Email had a good run, but it's been broke for a long time and very soon, it may be a thing of the past.

Most of the business world took notice this weekend when the <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203803904574431151489408372.html">Wall Street Journal</a> made obvious predictions based on some of the communication movements over the past few months. With a headline that reads "Why Email No Longer Rules," reporter Jessica Vascellaro opened the eyes of corporate America that email may be riding into the sunset.

From pony express to the telegraph, snail mail and email, we are shifting again toward new forms of media delivery using social services that are highly personal. They also give you more control over who you're talking to and deliver the message almost as quick as a thought.

There are two important disruptions driving this change - spam and the new social tools like Facebook, Twitter, Internet forums and inventive new applications like Googlewave.

The word spam was derived from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spam_%28Monty_Python%29">SPAM sketch</a> on the BBC by Monty Python's Flying Circus. Of course, we all recognize the little blue can that serves as a mystery meat, but the term really refers to those pesky unsolicited emails we receive from Viagra to pleas from third-world lottery winners.

Over the past several years, spam has riddled the Internet. So much so that <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/173447/spam_dominates_email_traffic.html">PC magazine reports</a> worldwide spam now makes up 86% of all email.

There's a lucrative industry that has spawned to battle spam. There are servers and software that can be purchased for a front-line defense against this war. Our company manages email accounts for hundreds of users and just like the national average, we're blocking some 90% of the garbage – but these devices are hardly a silver bullet.

It's an expensive and time-consuming game of cat and mouse too because as spammers conjure more sophisticated tactics to pollute the service, you have to constantly update and build defenses. Eventually these obtrusive acts will absorb both profits and resources to maintain any reliable service.

So there's a question of trust with regard to email. I really only want to receive communications that are relevant and that's where social media tools offer a disruption to electronic mail.

<a href="http://mashable.com/2009/10/14/net-usage-nielsen/">New reports from Nielsen</a> indicate that Americans now spend over 68 hours per month online.

That doesn't include those who suffer from Internet addiction, but this average is almost half of television research which reports over 168 hours per month. Together, that's over 220 hours of time in front of a screen!

One of the fastest growing activities on the Net is the explosion of social media websites like Myspace, Facebook and Twitter - not to mention YouTube.

Unlike email, these new services allow you to share direct connections with people and groups from family to friends. Instead of an open system that accepts email from the universe, you control the filters and who can send you updates.

It's very personal too. The friends on my Facebook account are more connected than every before. It's like a family reunion though and lacks the depth of intimacy of dinner or a glass of wine, but this informal gathering is engaging and addictive with its virtual voyeurism.

Even Twitter has become a valuable resource for short messages. My brother and his family use this text-messaging tool quite often to shout out brief updates. Best of all, it's a poetic medium that requires an economy of words delivered in 140 character thoughts. Perfect for the busy lifestyle.

Social media services are fast too.

Downloading email used to be a real pain. Anyone who's ever returned to the office after a lengthy vacation knows what I'm talking about too. There's so much junk between the relative communications that it's easy to overlook important messages altogether.

The social media tools live and breath now on an "always-on" culture. With the growth of broadband connections, you don't have to wait for email to download. You can watch it stream in real time on your screen anywhere you have access.

Beyond Facebook and Twitter, there are several new apps on the way that promise even more connectivity and speed. I'm still waiting for my Tricorder like Star Trek or better yet, the Dick Tracy watchband, but in the meantime, there's a new generation of software already available for free.

Earlier this week, I received my invitation to <a href="http://wave.google.com/">Googlewave</a>. This innovative new service is a software resource Google was trumping several months ago. It took several months for them to open the doors, but after a few days of playing with the tools and watching their training videos, it hasn't lived up to the hype. However, it does reveal itself as another death nail in the coffin of email.

Googlewave is a dashboard application that combines email, documents, chat and file sharing all into one screen. It works in realtime too and once again, it's a closed system, perfect for a collaborative environment. Wanna send something to someone in your network? Create a "wave" and watch it happen in real time.

Software like this will continue to evolve and even though email may die a slow death, it will still be around for a while. After all, we're still sending faxes aren't we? Some people still use a CB radio too, but just like my telephone land line, email may be a service I can do without in the near future.

I still remember the day I stopped buying stamps and it's not that often I walk to my mailbox anymore either. Licking those envelopes is something that can gladly stay in the past too. So thank you email for making us more productive and leading our way into the digital lifestyle, but the happiest thought I can imagine is leaving the spam in the cupboard.

As for getting in touch with me, check out my Facebook account and follow me on Twitter. That's where the best of friends and family are hanging out today.

On Twitter <a href="http://www.twitter.com/davidcate">@davidcate</a>
On Facebook <a href="http://www.facebook.com/davidcate">http://www.facebook.com/davidcate</a>
Will Augmented Reality blow the lid off everything?
By David Cate
One of our distinct human characteristics is how organized our species has become (or at least we try to be).

Let's shelf the natural movements of the atoms and molecules that make up our being, because when it comes to people – and our "<a id="ufre" style="color: #551a8b;" title="stuff" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvgN5gCuLac">stuff</a>", we like to name it, sort it, categorize it and make it easy to locate.

We organize our cultural stuff too - from words, books and knowledge – we've watched this information collect around the world on the Internet.

<a id="w3d8" style="color: #551a8b;" title="Google turned eleven years old" href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2009/09/30/urnidgns852573C400693880002576410037194E.DTL">Google turned eleven years old</a> last week and since the dawn of the Net they have built an unprecedented Internet resource that sorts information by words.

From the Dewey Decimal system to keyword searches, we're still using letters to organize our data. We enter a word into a box and presto – we all have the history of our planet at our finger tips.

There's a new idea surfacing on the horizon called "Augmented Reality" (AR) that blends GPS technology, smart phones, mobile software and all the information on the Internet. Instead of sorting by text, AR augments this data by location – bringing about new technologies both novel and mind-boggling.

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Wikipedia defines <a id="cqeo" style="color: #551a8b;" title="augmented reality" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augmented_reality">augmented reality</a> as "a term for a live direct or indirect view of a physical real-world environment whose elements are merged with-, or augmented by virtual computer-generated imagery - creating a mixed reality."

Augmented Reality has been emerging for several years now, but it's really starting to gain traction now on smart phones.

Basically, you use your mobile device or web cam to enhance (or add to) a real-world experience. Sounds very science fiction. It's becoming very real.

The idea evolved from main frames, the desktop, laptop and now the little computers we carry in our pocket that shoot video, photos, collects email, plays thousands of songs and maps information or weather wherever we stand. It just so happens this device also makes telephone calls. The funny thing is that we still call it a "phone?"

At present, the smart-phone market share, <a id="g-x4" style="color: #551a8b;" title="according to Nielsen" href="http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/online_mobile/with-smartphone-adoption-on-the-rise-opportunity-for-marketers-is-calling/">according to Nielsen</a> is approaching a 20% consumption rate in the United States. Italy has the highest rate of usage with numbers approaching 30% of the population.

As wireless services have improved, one of the latest introductions on our phones is GPS technology. Add a digital camera and now you have a computer that can present an image anywhere on the planet, know where it's located and associate information related to that image in a handheld screen.

If your phone knows where it's located and can orient itself and determine whether it's tilted left, right, upside down or 23% – then it can position itself and relate to data in the same way.

Imagine for a moment you're visiting a metropolitan city and you are trying to the find a subway.

With AR, you can look through your smart phone's camera at the street scene in front of you with people and cars buzzing around you in real-time. As you move the camera around, little graphics appear within the screen and point your way to the subway - or for that matter, a pizza parlor.

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For the history buff, you could visit the American landscape in Boston and hold your smart phone up on the street corner and watch a Wikipedia icon pop-up on the screen and click the link to read about the historical site that stands in front of you.

<a href="http://www.wikitude.org/">Wikitude</a> is ready to roll out this free app right now on your Iphone.

By adding the GPS coordinates into the mix and the smart-phone's ability to know it's orientation. You can stand in a spot, the phone calculates your latitude and longitude and matches that to other information around you that match the two points on the planet.

How about a game? Pacman could take on a whole new level if you could play it in a park.

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Consider the marketing applications for this technology - walking down the streets will take on a completely new experience.

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The graphics are still a bit crude and who wants to look at world with virtual billboards and cheesy avatars. After all, if you remember <a id="trmk" title="Second Life" href="http://secondlife.com/">Second Life</a>, this idea of a virtual world is nothing new. One of my favorite early presentations about Augmented Reality is from 2004.

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What intrigues me though is the idea that all of a sudden, information has a new indexing method.

A lot of people enjoy <a id="h2yj" title="Google Maps" href="http://maps.google.com/">Google Maps</a> and the ability to zoom into locations all across the planet. Sprinkle that idea with a little Augmented Reality and you can walk streets and see all kinds of information and for the most part - experience a virtual world.

Google has been a little behind, but <a id="o6iv" style="color: #551a8b;" title="According to Fast Company magazine" href="http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/kit-eaton/technomix/google-street-view-gets-augmented-reality-ish-tags">according to Fast Company magazine</a> - Google's Street View revolutionized desktop maps, and its coverage of cities around the world is still. But compared to some upcoming augmented reality apps, Google almost feels like its lagging. Is this why its added business metatags to the service?"

Let's fast forward into the future a bit and bring this closer to home.

We're walking on Broad Street in Downtown Kingsport. The handheld Iphone has given way to a pair of sunglasses or contact lens. As we explore the streets, we see pictures that were taken over the past twenty years of people, places, businesses, videos, news stories, sound files all mapped to where we stand.

If you're looking to stay slightly ahead of the digital marketing curve, Augmented Reality could well be "what's next" and a huge skip past virtual worlds.

The early apps are looking for marketing solutions and I bet the gaming world is taking note of this tech too, but there are some apps that might be extremely useful and invasive by the same measure.

How about a reality app that let's you walk into a room and see business cards floating over the attendees?

Perhaps an app for the single guy walking into a nightclub and seeing the status of who's single or married?

There are already ideas forming about how to us AR and Twitter like this new proposed app by TwitAround.

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What if the AR app could track negative comments about businesses or for that matter track criminals in a way that even the idea of looking down a street would expose volumes of information about the place or people that surround you?

Sounds a bit too much I know, but keep in mind the ways technology could augment our world and keep us safe.

It's a crazy place and if you don't believe me, turn on the news. Last week <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/09/28/eveningnews/main5347847.shtml">Al-Queda terrorists are adopting drum smuggling tactics</a> and embedding bombs inside human bodies. Airport security will either have to go to strip searches or develop some new tech that helps keep us safe and even though I admit that it's all moving too fast - I still like to see us keep an edge over those who seek to do harm.

Besides, we all are watching as the world suffers from a inflating attention deficit disorder.

Daniel Sanchez-Crespo, a project leader at the Barcelona firm, Novarama, had this to say about Augmented Reality - “The real world is too boring for many people. By making the real world a playground for the virtual world, we can make the real world much more interesting”.

Just between friends – the older I get, the more I embrace the heart of a Luddite. I miss the old days of three channels of television and plenty of free time. I'll admit that since the introduction of the Net, I find myself chained to a screen either on a desktop, my lap or in my pocket.

It's hard to ignore though. Like many of you, I love new toys. Augmented Reality has some remarkable possibilities and although it probably will not help us get any closer to the true meaning of life, it's certainly going to make it more entertaining.

AR has been called “the opportunity that’s going to blow the lid off everything,” as Denise Gershbein of frog design put it at <a id="e96o" style="color: #551a8b;" title="Mobilize 09" href="http://events.gigaom.com/mobilize/09/">Mobilize 09</a>, adding, “That’s the moment when you stop looking down at a device and hold the lens up to the world.”

I'm sure that some people will think that we're going to far shaping our realities, but TV and video games have been doing that for years and Augmented Reality could be the natural evolution of our species - merging the machines with the humans, but that's another sci-fi story altogether.
Who's Bad? - King of Pop plays Johnson City
By David Cate
The King of Pop may have passed on to rock-n-roll heaven, but his music will live on for generations.

Last week, we witnessed one of the best new tribute bands to carry on the Michael Jackson legacy as "<a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.whosbadmusic.com/&sa=U&ei=9zC9SurmBKmy8Qa-4pGUBQ&ct=res&cd=1&sig2=YXawXl_fjJK20bSC5DSf2w&usg=AFQjCNGlRt40Dfn7qIt8jQcVAlBLNZDO1A">Who's Bad,</a>" a seven-piece band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina performed at the <a href="http://www.electriccowboy.com/johnsoncity/">Electric Cowboy</a> in Johnson City.

Ansley Roberts was excited about this group the first time he heard them several months ago.

Roberts has been producing some of the region's most memorable live performances and still maintains one of the most active and professional entertainment agencies in East Tennessee.

Recently, he's centered his attention at the Electric Cowboy a large venue located in a strip mall on Roan Street near the Carmike 14 Theaters in Johnson City.

Ansley had originally booked the band early in the year and <a href="http://www.gotricities.com">GoTriCities</a> was proud to co-sponsor this concert performance which featured a seasoned cast of entertainers who shared the music and the energy of Jackson to a crowd of 300 or more fans.

For my elitist musical friends, the idea of attending a tribute show is often met with a smirk and "C'mon!" These folks consider this form of entertainment one level above karaoke.

I've softened a bit over the years and realized (especially now) that I would never get to see Michael Jackson perform anymore. Considering his discography which spans decades and Ansley's endorsement, the hype intrigued me to experience "Who's Bad" at the Electric Cowboy.

"The Cowboy" is one of the few night clubs in our region that has a bona-fide stage, a sound system and a lighting rig to support touring bands. Recently, we've seen acts like Jackyl, Cold, Taproot, country star Trent Tomlinson and others show up on this venue's schedule.

The opening band had canceled tonight and we arrived late to see a line of smokers in front of the entrance to the nightclub (believe it not – these folks have a non-smoking policy inside).

There are two large bars up front and along the side flanked by pool tables and several people had already staked their territory near the front of the stage.

Two Michael Jackson fans were moon-walking on their large dance floor dressed in eighties fashion – black loafers, black hat, white socks and one sequined white glove.

I spotted Ansley just inside the door and it was a pleasure to meet Monty Davis - the manager of The Electric Cowboy.

We talked about their current capacity and they tell me future plans include expanding the walls to accommodate over 1,000 making this place (in the old Goody's building) the largest night club in the region.

There are many shows planned in the coming months here in Johnson City and they both seemed to feel a tribute show wasn't my cup of tea for a music review. Usually, that's true, but I can't ignore the impact of Jackson's music and very few performers may ever rival his success.

From his beginning as a child-star with the Jackson Five to his solo career that spanned decades, his legacy will forever be a part of the pop lexicon of this era. It wouldn't be right to say that I'm a rabid fan, but his music was the soundtrack for the better part of my life and I was excited to hear the music again. And like many others – even if it was a tribute band - I was thinking – they better be good.

One of the selling points to the 'Who's Bad" performance is the subtitle that this group has as seven-piece band. That's a "big-band" for today's standard and although the stage props were at a minimum, it was good to see a rehearsed group of players kick off the first set. After a few rockin' choruses – there he was...sort of.

From the left side of the stage, a tall striking performer dressed in a black tuxedo, hat, loafers skated into the stage to the first song of the set, "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough."

Everyone at the Electric Cowboy probably looked just like me...skeptical with hands crossed and a critical eye, but that pessimism was squashed almost immediately as vocalist Joseph Bell delivered not only a convincing visual interpretation of Michael Jackson, but he was spot-on with his voice.

Backed up by one of the tightest rhythm sections I've heard in a long time, Bell was confident and stunning as he moved from songs that included "Dirty Diana," "Smooth Criminal" and "Black or White."

Described as the "Ultimate Tribute Band," "Who's Bad" calls Chapel Hill, NC their home, but don't let their nearness cast any doubt on their level of showmanship. These guys are the real deal. A recent New York Post sums it up this way..."Can't Beat It."

Just before the show began, Ansley bought me a beer and said, "I'll warn you in advance, the guys have two performers tonight and you're in for a treat." Evidently, the band travels with two impersonators who each have separate strengths.

Just as quick as the first set began, "Joseph Bell" moved off the stage and the music shifted quickly to Billie Jean. Taalib York teamed up with the horn players for a precise choreography at the front of the stage that excited all the girls up close to the stage.

It's one thing to sing like Michael Jackson and it's another tall order to match the changing profiles of this eclectic artist, but how could anyone do it all? That's where York's strength began to reveal itself during this performance.

Although Joseph Bell's dance moves were good early in the set, it wasn't until the two guys changed places that we saw the best dancer in the band. His voice and appearance isn't as strong as Bell, but the dance moves from the "moonwalk" to the "anti-gravity lean" and other signature Jackson moves were mimiced with perfection.

Each vocalist changed clothes several times through the night representing Michael from the 'Off the Wall" era to "Thriller," "Bad" and others. Somewhere in the middle of the set, Joseph came out in a gold glittered jumpsuit complete with afro to work through a short set of Jackson Five songs including "I'll Be There and ABC."

A lot of acts can leave you bored after a first few songs, but I think everyone at the Electric Cowboy would agree that "Who's Bad" was beat for beat, shockingly entertaining and visually intriguing.

No-one moved from their voyeuristic stance at the front of the stage throughout the 90 minute set. When the girls joined "Who's Bad" on stage for one of there final encores, there was no doubt this band left a memorable impression on the audience.

Who knows what's in store for "Who's Bad?"

The band's timing is probably at a fever-pitch now that we've lost the "King of Pop" and I suppose this year will be an extremely busy year. If they continue shaping their stage performance, add a bit more glamor and glitz, they could wind up touring the country and may find themselves in Vegas.

The music, the performers and the choreography are well-rehearsed and even though there's no way you could expect any act to equal the presence of the original Jacko, these guys are just about as good as it gets.

"Who's Bad" is a striking joy-ride for Michael Jackson fans and you'll leave spell-bound if you get a chance to see them in the future.

Thanks Ansley and Electric Cowboy for such an entertaining show and it looks like this is only the beginning as you are scheduled to bring much more in the coming months including a visit by Our Lady Peace in late October. We'll look forward to that show and we're excited to see your crowds grow as you've got an extraordinary venue paired with a promoter who knows what he's doing.
Is it time to end the handshake business?
By David Cate
The headline was sobering - <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-08-24-swine-flu-vaccine_N.htm">U.S report predicts 30,000 to 90,000 deaths</a> and over 2 million will contract H1N1 this flu season.

Standing in line at a local convenience market, I couldn't help but find this <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/">USA Today</a> headline disturbing – despite the fact over 30,000 die from regular flu viruses each year.

As several people exchanged money and grabbed the counter and door handles, I couldn't help but think about my own strategy to prevent contracting this disease as the pandemic continues to linger and pose new threats this season.

With all the talk about social media lately, it's interesting to note that one of the best ways to avoid the virus is a "social distancing" strategy. Sure, I'm finding myself using a hand sanitizer more often now, but one of the possibilities on my list is doing away with the handshake custom.

For those of us in the business community, that's hard to consider. Extending your hand at a business or social function is almost an impulse. Even my father and everyone else in my family always taught t<a href="http://www.trumpuniversity.com/blog/post/2008/07/the-importance-of-a-good-handshake.cfm">he lesson of a good handshake too</a>.

It's clearly an awkward situation when you refuse to shake another person's hand. Some would consider an insult at the very least.

Regardless of the argument about how many people wash their hands after a visit to the toilet or what biologicals find their way onto the hands we shake. Handshakes spread germs and it may time to consider another alternative.

The handshake is a custom that's been around for a long time. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handshake#cite_note-hscsun-4">Wikipedia suggests</a> the extending of one's hand originated as a gesture of peace - proving to another you didn't hold a weapon. That notion takes on a different perspective though when we consider the fact we may be passing along a microscopic killer.

I'm not going "<a href="http://www.firstscience.com/home/articles/humans/howard-hughes-and-obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd_1325.html">Howard Hughes</a>" on you yet and my OCD tendencies still involve computers for the most part.

Still yet, I find myself opting for a different greeting strategy and trust my best friends won't consider it a rebuff. After all, I've got both of us in mind. I'd prefer that neither of us become sick or pass along anything other than good tidings.

This isn't a new idea either as others are starting to consider the same concern.

<a href="http://babelfish.yahoo.com/translate_url?doit=done&tt=url&intl=1&fr=bf-home&trurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.augsburger-allgemeine.de%2FHome%2FNachrichten%2FBayern%2FArtikel%2C-Schweinegrippe-Haende-schuetteln_240809-_arid%2C1826699_regid%2C2_puid%2C2_pageid%2C4289.html&lp=de_en&btnTrUrl=%C3%9Cbersetzen">An entire German city has banned the practice</a>, posting signs that read - “We do not give you the hand, but we give you a smile.”

Recently a<a href="http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/05/13/a-revolution-begins-opencandy-has-a-board-meeting-and-no-one-shakes-hands/">n Internet startup</a> was reported to ban handshakes in corporate meetings, opting instead for the "sanitary" fist bump instead.

Brad Feld is an MIT tech-entrepreneur who earlier in the year declared "<a href="http://www.feld.com/wp/archives/2009/01/im-done-with-handshakes.html">No Handshakes in 2009</a>" and started his own movement. He was tired of being sick all the time, but found out that he despised telling the story over and over again as to why he wasn't shaking hands and abandoned his battle-cry.

Old habits are hard to break and my hope is that we question whether it's time to consider another gesture. The fist bump is trendy (I like the one that explodes) and the shoulder grab is another one that might be a bit more safe too.

The Zen masters already have a great practice of bowing in the East and I must admit that if the greeting involves a pretty girl - how about a hug?

Let the revolution continue and here's to a happy and safe flu season and we don't have to shake on it.
Kingsport reports Zombie activity and gets Jimmy Fallon's attention @ NBC
By David Cate
Unfortunately, it's not always the glamorous news stories that bring attention to our hometown here in Kingsport. In fact, like most viral Internet stories, it's the sensational or stupid stories that seem to attract the most attention

In the past we've caught attention for <a href="http://timesnews.net/blogger.php?id=2&postid=164">a variety of stories that were laughable and hardly glamorous</a> here at Times-News.

Last week, we logged another "Dubious Achievement Award" for Kingsport, Tennessee and our tech folks saw plenty of traffic on <a href="http://www.timesnews.net/article.php?id=9015622">a news story involving a shoplifter who bit a Walmart employee</a>.

We first started to see Kingsport pop-up in the Twitter Universe with headlines from a parody website that reports on "Zombie activity" across the nation.

Did you know Kingsport was under an amber alert this past week too as the <a href="http://blog.zedsquad.com/2009/07/zombie-attack-in-kingsport-tn.html">Zombie Nation caught wind of the headline</a>?

I was surprised too when I heard popular late-night talk show host<a href="http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/"> Jimmy Fallon</a> refer to the story too in his Monday night monologue on NBC. Fortunately, he left out the town's name, but he did reference the story.

<a href="http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/video/episodes/#vid=1141602">Fallons comments are here at the 4.00 time marker.</a>

He states..."In Tennessee, A Walmart employee was bitten while trying to fend off a shoplifter. Fortunately, since it was a Walmart employee, there were no teeth involved."

We must be thankful for the small things I presume and like they say - Any press is good press - or is it?

<img src="http://www.idav.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/fallon1.jpg" alt="fallon" title="fallon" width="400" height="224" class="alignright size-full wp-image-1366" />
The Battle for Search and Twitter...The Underdog
By David Cate
There's a turf war brewing on the Internet as Google, Microsoft and Twitter duke it out for your attention. This battle is playing itself out in the technosphere and Google is likely to win the war, but never underestimate the underdogs.

Shifts on the Internet fault-line happen quickly.

In the past few months Google has seen plenty of competition in a volley of new services.

This year, Twitter has become a trend-setter for real-time search and last month, Microsoft launched a serious contender with <a id="xz6r" title="Bing" href="http://www.bing.com/">Bing</a>.

To add insult to injury <a id="x_7:" title="Yahoo finally gave up their search services" href="http://money.cnn.com/2009/07/29/technology/microsoft_yahoo/index.htm">Yahoo finally gave up their search services</a>, merging with Microsoft last week to potentially solidify a strategy to steal even more market share from Google.

Meanwhile, back on the Google campus they're starting a new campaign aimed at Microsoft promoting their <a id="gopc" title="Google Chrome operating system" href="http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/technology/2009-07-08-google-chrome-operating-system_N.htm">Google Chrome operating system</a>, <a id="ttqe" title="Google Wave" href="http://wave.google.com/">Google Wave</a> (a collaborative email and productivity platform due this Fall) and most recently, a campaign aimed directly at Microsoft Word and Excel users – an initiative called "<a id="cun8" title="Going Google" href="http://mashable.com/2009/08/03/going-google/">Going Google</a>."

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What's at risk here is quite simply your attention which translates into a king's ransom of advertising dollars.

In the past decade, Google has morphed into an Internet advertising borg by giving away free services and creating the largest audience on the planet.

These services include the most popular search engine, superior web-based email and a host of other free software applications. These "freemiums" have positioned Google so they now own over 1/3 of all Internet advertising – a sum estimated at <a id="t5v9" title="$21 billion a year" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/aug/03/digital-media-yahoo-microsoft">$21 billion a year.</a>

Despite their dominance, Microsoft's Bing offers a unique online search experience with their newly coined "<a id="fp45" title="Decision Engine" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=et0rUzRAXGE">Decision Engine</a>."

I like how they handle image and video search results and their trendy background image is only the tip of the iceberg as several new visual functions make it a novel competitor. Aside from the eye-candy, it's going to be very expensive for Gates and company to establish themselves as a verb. Even the phrase "I binged it" is hard to deliver in a world of memes.

There's little chance Microsoft could topple Google – even with the Yahoo merger. Microsoft still has an advantage packaging Internet Explorer and Bing by default with PC Computers, but it's still hard to break away from something as elegant and effective as Google.

Still yet, netizens are becoming aware of other Internet browsers as both Firefox and Safari continue to show respectable growth in the past year. (<a id="dfde" title="Firefox recently passed one billion downloads" href="http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Enterprise-Applications/One-Billion-Downloads-Later-Firefox-Earns-Corporate-Blessing-791080/">Firefox recently passed one billion downloads</a>)

Locally, we are watching impressive numbers out of the box here at Times-News Online for Bing. Last month, our reports indicate Bing delivered over 23,000 visitors to our website compared to Google's 140,000. Yahoo was strong too with over 40,000 visitors.

In spite of its popularity, Google has its strengths and weaknesses just like any software.

The Google algorithm for conducting a search on the Internet is a powerful force. A relevance-based logic, their programming has become pretty darn good at finding just what you want. I rarely use a phone book anymore as Google is right on the money with any local business search.

<a id="qv:u" title="Google actually favors older web pages" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PageRank">Google actually favors older web pages</a>. The longer you've been on the web and the more links point to your website, the more popular Google ranks you in the query and therein is the chink in the armor.

If you want to know something right now and what's being said on the street - Google isn't the best place to search. That's where <a id="lj2y" title="Twitter" href="http://www.twitter.com/">Twitter</a> and other social media services step in.

According to Marketing Charts, almost <a id="qhu_" title="70% of the US population have no idea what Twitter is" href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2009/07/what-is-twitter.html">70% of the US population have no idea what Twitter is</a>. Even though they are celebrating<a id="gmu7" title="1928% growth over the past year" href="http://mashable.com/2009/07/16/twitter-june-2009-growth/">1928% growth over the past year</a>, some still see Twitter as the latest buzz service for the "me-generation" while others view the service as the latest in a long line of marketing scams.

A couple of weeks ago, Twitter updated its primary home page and it reminds me of the early Google home page.

They have retooled their first impression, revamping the primary user interface with a big search field (instead of the "Join Us" battle cry).

Their search is now in the center of the page and right below it are the trending topics showing the primary topics (trending topics) that are happening right now, today and last week.

Over the past several months, I've watched the citizens from Iran use the medium to rally support around the world. The major news services have bowed to the new medium too – scrambling to get all of their television personalities signed up for the service.

<a id="oi6j" title="The death of Michael Jackson brought Twitter to its knees" href="http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/06/25/the-web-collapses-under-the-weight-of-michael-jacksons-death/">The death of Michael Jackson brought Twitter to its knees</a> as he crashed the service this Summer. Together with other popular search tools, most news junkies and journalists are now resorting to new services to find out what's happening in the now.

Here in the Tri-Cities, Barack Obama's visit to Bristol, VA last week was first reported on Twitter before any of the local media had time to publish the story.

Twitter's new goal is to be the "watercooler of the world" and these changes seem to reflect that mission as they continue to expand their audience. This week, Twitter reports they now have over <a id="a53e" title="44 million users" href="http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/08/03/twitter-reaches-445-million-people-worldwide-in-june-comscore/">44 million users</a>.

Here's an experiment for you. Visit the Twitter home page today and type in the word "Kingsport" (or any other word) and you'll see the latest information and plenty of conversations about our hometown.

Reminds me sort of like the days of the CB radio and it's still too early to tell if the service will follow the same path, but it's certainly shaking up the industry.

Search engines are extremely important to our productivity in today's connected generation. From the classroom to office – the living room to the cell phone, instant access to information is determining a new class of have and have-nots in our modern culture. (<a id="my4t" title="Kevin Kelly describes this in his treaty on "Digital Socialism."" href="http://www.wired.com/culture/culturereviews/magazine/17-06/nep_newsocialism?currentPage=all">Kevin Kelly describes this in his treaty on "Digital Socialism"</a>)

For businesses with websites, rising to the top of search engines are crucial. Especially in a global market.

It wasn't that long ago a sign on street corner brought people to your door, but now a properly tuned website will bring people from around the planet.

A recent study indicates over 68% of all traffic to a website comes from search engines. And though it's still important to have a well-named website (yourbusiness.com), most people find their way to your site through the back door, the basement, the windows and anywhere there's a search result. Whether that's Google, Bing, Wolfram Alpha, Twitter, Facebook – whatever – the more the merrier.

So carry on with the search wars. Find one you like and stick too it. As far as the competition is concerned, it can only make things better for us all.

Unfortunately, the Dewey Decimal system may become a relic of the past.
Mayor Phillips and Dr. Locke Speak at Harvard ( Video )
By David Cate
Last month, Mayor Dennis Phillips, and Dr. William Locke spoke before a panel of professionals at the <a href="http://ashinstitute.harvard.edu/">John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University</a>. Kingsport is among 16 finalists for the Innovations in American Governance Award from the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance Award from the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation.

Kingsport is a finalist from a field of over 600 applicants across the country and together they present the initiatives about the Downtown Academic Village and Kingsport's goal to "educate and grow."

The winning innovations will be announced later in September and in addition to the national recognition – three top prizes of $100,000 will be awarded and three will be awarded $50,000.

It's another proud moment to see our community on the agenda at Harvard. This 12 minute presentation was impressive and represents the efforts and bright minds here in our mountain home – Great Job!

<a href="http://www.timesnews.net/article.php?id=9014128">Here is the original article on Times-News Online</a>

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Twitter and social media fuel protests in Iran
By David Cate
Recent news from Iran is intriguing and the most interesting aspect about this global topic is how <a id="a_ww" title="social media services like Twitter and YouTube are helping to fuel a revolution" href="http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/06/14/iran.protests.twitter/index.html">social media services like Twitter and YouTube are helping to fuel a revolution</a>.

Over the weekend, a major election in Iran between hard-liner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his opponent Mir Hossein Moussavi erupted with claims of voter fraud.

The election was Friday, but there really wasn't too much online about the event until Sunday. That's when I thought about turning on the television to feed my curiosity, but instead of switching on the tube, I decided to explore what people were saying on Twitter.

<a href="http://www.twitter.com">Twitter</a> is a fascinating new Internet micro-blogging service that has caught my interest over the past several weeks and almost immediately I could see a firestorm brewing. In particular, <a id="u1_q" title="Twitter users were blasting CNN" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/15/business/media/15cable.html?partner=rss&emc=rss">Twitter users were criticizing CNN</a> for lack of coverage about this important historical event.

User were posting short-messages using what is called a "hash-tag" method and writing comments with the phrase "#CNNfail" to complain about the lack of coverage. A search of this tag revealed thousands of protests.

Most people who question Twitter's relevance wonder why anyone would use this service to inform others about breakfast, but it's much more important than that because Twitter is reshaping the Internet with "real time searching."

Twitter's unique distinction is the ability to look up any subject and see what's being said right now and by using the phrase "#CNNfail" before online comments, users probably influenced CNN's coverage because the rest of the night was spent in features and debate about the situation.

<img class="alignright size-full wp-image-1330" title="picture-34" src="http://www.idav.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/picture-34.png" alt="picture-34" width="186" height="288" /> When you sign up for a Twitter account, the home page has a Top 10 index of topics that are being discussed on Twitter. In a glance, you can see what the "Twitterverse" is talking about and right now, the buzz is all about Iran.

When using Twitter, you can only publish 140 characters of commentary, but that's enough, because Twitter is an incredibly efficient channel for the ground war in this torn country. Students, protesters and reformers from Tehran are publishing messages via Twitter that point to cell phone photos, blogs, videos and all kinds of information from the inside out.

It only takes a few seconds for hundreds of new Twitter comments to pile in on your browser. As you refresh the screen new details are keeping the major media sites tuned in as photos of club-toting vigilantes on motorcycles beat citizens and even journalists lives are at risks as they attempt to cover this revolution.

Below are a couple of the recent street videos and be warned, these are both gripping and unsettling.

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The government in Iran has made every attempt to shut down all reports revoking visas and shutting down sites like Friendster, <a id="jn2g" title="Facebook" href="http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article6497569.ece">Facebook</a> and others. Their attempts to darken this breaking news story is futile though because the streets are in control of the media now and the regime will have a hard time keeping this one under cover.

It's hard to keep up with all the information via Twitter, but the service provides a deluge of information to explore and it's obvious the media giants are watching this channel with the rest of the world. Furthermore, CNN, Wired Magazine and New York Times all agree that Twitter has played a influential role in this current wave of political activism. See the links below, or visit Twitter today and click on the search topic #Iranelection to view what's happening...right now.

<img class="alignright size-full wp-image-1331" title="picture-36" src="http://www.idav.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/picture-36.png" alt="picture-36" width="550" height="611" />

Twitter's growth has been in an meteoric upward graph for the past several months.

They were hoping to take a break last night to run some maintenance for about 90 minutes. Fortunately, Twitter users convinced the service to delay <a id="cca8" title="Their scheduled downtime for maintenance was cancelled last night" href="http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/06/15/twitter-reschedules-maintenance-to-allow-iranian-protests-to-continue/">their scheduled downtime </a>to ensure that citizens in Iran had a window to voice the events taking place in their country. It was a good move and brought on by users who suggested the extension using the hashtag "#nomaintenance" throughout the day on Monday.

The downside of the real-time functions of Twitter is accuracy and filters. Breaking stories, images and comments coming from cell phones are hardly reputable in many cases and you never know what's going to show up next - even spammers are learning ways to infiltrate this popular audience.

However, it does give us an avalanche of detail and the media is consumed with this efficient method of street level reporting and thankfully, the debate and conversations are helping a country make an important transition.

There's no doubt these new tools are powerful channels for swaying popular thought too.

A colleague of mind reminds me that revolutionaries use whatever weapons they can to report atrocities in this global age. And yes, it wasn't that long ago fax machines and satellite phones communicated around the world.

What makes this event different is the realty that we all have a front row seat to this raw coverage. Twitter is simple to use and available for free to anyone with a computer. With your account you have access to a tsunami of real time information as change comes to the desert in the Middle East and it's reshaping how news arrives to the social conscious.

It's hard to tell how this will play out over the next few days, but it's certain we've never seen anything quite like this and social media tools are only going to become more powerful as we move forward giving everyone a platform to promote a cause in The Digital Age. For the people in Iran, we can only hope the phrase "people lead – governments follow" has a chance to come true in this part of the world.

Follow me on Twitter - <a href="http://www.twitter.com/davidcate">http://www.twitter.com/davidcate</a> 

Other related stories; 
<h4 style="font-weight: normal;"><a class="taggedlink" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/15/business/media/15cable.html?partner=rss&emc=rss">CNN’s Coverage of Iran Protests Criticized - NYTimes.com</a></h4>
<h4 style="font-weight: normal;"><a class="taggedlink" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/06/14/iran.protests.twitter/index.html?eref=rss_tech">Tear gas and Twitter: Iranians take their protests online - CNN.com</a>
</h4>
<a class="taggedlink" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/06/15/friendfeed-blocked-in-iran-the-services-most-active-region/">FriendFeed Blocked In Iran, The Service’s Most Active Region</a>

<h4 style="font-weight: normal;"><a class="taggedlink" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/06/taking-to-the-streets-and-tweets-in-tehran/">Taking to the Streets — and Tweets — in Tehran | Danger Room | Wired.com</a></h4>
<a class="taggedlink" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/06/activists-launch-hack-attacks-on-tehran-regime/">Activists Launch Hack Attacks on Tehran Regime | Danger Room | Wired.com</a>

<h4 style="font-weight: normal;"><a class="taggedlink" rel="nofollow" href="http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article6497569.ece">Iran election: state moves to end 'Facebook revolution' - Times Online</a></h4>
<a title="Twitter Reschedules Maintenance To Allow Iranian Protests To Continue" rel="bookmark" href="http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/06/15/twitter-reschedules-maintenance-to-allow-iranian-protests-to-continue/">Twitter Reschedules Maintenance To Allow Iranian Protests To Continue</a>
Songwriter Jamen Denton grows up from Virginia Ground
By David Cate
Summer's here and with all the rain this season, the East Tennessee landscape is lush. Seems like there are more soggy days than sunny ones, but that's not a bad thing is it?

Regular showers keep things fresh and fertile in the mountains and the smell of honeysuckle and wildflowers are hard to ignore driving the back roads.

The road to the Marker 2 Grill leads past Tri-Cities airport back into farm land before it ends at the banks of Boone Lake. It's here I joined a small crowd recently to here Jamen Denton and Wise Old River. Jamen is an extraordinary local songwriter cultured here in the mountains of East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia.

When it comes to being a good songwriter or poet, some say you've got to weather the storms of life. It's a rite of passage and during these times many artists find their most creative verse.

It wasn't long ago, Jamen and his band Virginia Ground were one of the most talked about acts on the local scene.

Together with his brother, Justin, they were appearing before large rowdy crowds all over the region. Country Music Television had featured their act on <a id="a2ep" title="a documentary" href="http://www.cmt.com/shows/dyn/countrys_most_shocking/86391/episode_videos.jhtml">a documentary</a> and it seemed they were on the verge of something great.

All of a sudden, the wheels seemed to get caught in the mud and rumors of disagreements, girlfriends, over-indulgence, relocation, frustration, false starts and other gossip seemed to indicate the band was finished.

At the heart of Virginia Ground was the voice and verse of Jamen Denton and although the band is history, I've stayed in touch with him on <a id="rgyc" title="Myspace" href="http://www.myspace.com/wiseoldriver">Myspace</a> - hoping to see him resurface – because he's got much more to give.

Recently, he sent me an invitation to join him with his parents in their new trio - Wise Old River.

His father James and mother Jeanie moved South several years ago and have always been great supporters of their son's artistry. They currently live in Tazewell, VA and are working with their son as he returns to the music scene. They had rented a room at the La Quinta for the weekend and had scheduled two performances stating at The Acoustic Coffeehouse in Johnson City and also appearing near my home at Marker 2 Grill on Boone Lake.

It was overcast and a bit damp when I arrived at this lakeside venue in Blountville. Jamen was walking toward the water during a break and I sat down at the bar for a basket of boiled shrimp and a Fat Tire.

Sitting across from the stage, I waited for the band to start the next set – hiding out in the shadows. As they began to play, you could tell there were fans out tonight despite the small crowd because they called out the songs one after another and sang along with the choruses.

I made my way to the front of the stage with cameras in hand and sat down to listen to Jamen as he played 'Back for You' - my favorite Virginia Ground song that highlights his distinctive soulful style.

Even though their music was often described in the style of Americana artists and most noticeably The Old Crow Medicine Show, I always appreciated Jamen's songs because of the intensity of the lyric and the soulful/bluesy quality of his music.

<object width="400" height="300"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=4516319&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=4516319&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><a href="http://vimeo.com/4516319">Jamen Denton performs at Marker 2 Grill</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user1713533">David Cate</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.

"Back for You" is more in the spirit Sam Cooke and John Mayer than the typical country flavored songs you hear in most original venues in the Tri-Cities and it was sure a favorite of the small audience that gathered here tonight.

Jamen's father played a Greek guitar called a <a id="rq1y" title="bouzouki" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouzouki">bouzouki</a> and a slide guitar which added a rich tone to his music and his mother Jeanie sang silky backup harmonies as the night's set progressed.

This acoustic set of original Virgina Ground songs worked well tonight for this small crowd. The songs are naturally elegant and even though I miss the rowdiness of the full band - it's still a treat to hear a great songwriter perform these songs with such passion and intimacy. Jamen seemed unmoved by the room too as he closed his eyes and sang with an intensity that was augmented by the sweat gushing from his brow and leaving a ring around his shirt in the humid night air.

There were a few cover songs that pleased the audience including a Stevie Ray standard, Ben Harper and most notably a version of Ryan Adam's 'My Winding Wheel" where Jamen proves his ability to turn his own inflection on another artist's material.

It was clear through the night there were several new songs that have surfaced in Denton's set list since I had seen him list. A library of new songs about love, despair and words about mountain life including the one of my new favorites 'Down in the Valley of Crows."

Jamen's songs are supported by a natural pulse on an acoustic guitar, but his talent was best summed up by Sunny who runs Marker 2 Grill. She mentioned to me after the performance that Denton was "definitely possessed by the music" and I couldn't have said it better myself.

"It's been a real good year," Jamen shared with me after the show.

He evidently had recently come through a mutual divorce, but lit up with a broad smile as he showed me a picture of his young son Noah.

Tonight, they were wrapping up their last show and heading back to Tazewell and although the crowd wasn't what most musicians would be satisfied with– Jamen said he didn't care - "he loves it and glad to play anytime and anywhere."

Wise Old River is a new outlet for Jamen's music and the comfort of his immediate family adds a reinforcement to his talent as he reconstructs his sound with new material and a new spirit. It's hard to say where he'll wind up next, but he's got plenty of fans like me who will continue to support him and enjoy his poetry.

As one fan stated as they were packing their gear from tonight's show - "as long as you keep playin' – we'll keep coming back."

I can live with too and I'm certain we've yet to hear the best from Jamen Denton.
Times-News wins 10 Awards from AP including Best Website
By David Cate
The <a id="kozh" title="Kingsport Times-News" href="http://www.timesnews.net/">Kingsport Times-News</a> was awarded with several distinct honors at the <a id="w_bs" title="2009 Associated Press TAPME Awards" href="http://www.ap.org/tennessee/09%20TAPME%20WINNERS%20LIST.htm">2009 Tennessee Associated Press Managing Editors</a> Awards held in Nashville this past weekend.

Recognized along with other newspapers by <a id="oqt0" title="The Associated Press" href="http://www.ap.org/">The Associated Press</a> in the state of Tennessee, the Times-News received ten awards in their TAPME Division II class including Best Website, Best Photograph, Best Editorial and awards from other categories recognizing journalism excellence in business reporting and video production.

Congratulations to entire staff for this effort. It's a good feeling to work with passionate professionals who seek to do their very best in a most unusual time for media.

It's especially gratifying to receive the best website award in the state for our class too.

The Kingsport Times-News beat out The Jackson Sun and Leaf Chronicle - both newspapers owned by media giant Gannett. These newspapers like many of the other large papers in the state employ online strategies that utilize corporate software templates. I'm sure their staff was recognized by their content more than their structure because they all have the same style and layout and a good one at that.

In contrast, our two-man home-grown programming and design team held their own this year and it's quite an honor. Kind of makes all those nights and weekends pay off - a little.

Beyond the tools and the visuals, our newspaper website owes a lot of its magnetism to New Media Editor Don Fenley who has a fierce journalist appetite for breaking news and he knows how to spin a headline.

In addition to the website recognition, our photographers swept the Photographer Awards for first, second and third.

Everyone at the Times-News recognizes the extraordinary talent of newcomer photographer Erica Yoon and she took first place in the state with Chief Photo Editor David Grace right behind her with a second and third. Erica and Ned Jilton also placed second and third in Feature and Sports Photography categories.

Stan Whitlock took first place honors for Best Editorial in the state and Sharon Caskey Hayes placed second in Business News journalism.

In addition to the traditional awards, Rain Smith was awarded with a Video Journalism award for a video he produced about a Rogersville man who built an electric car.

This was a great effort by the entire staff and although we appreciate the recognition, we still have plenty of work to do. The awards are well-deserved, but our desire to push the limits even further are rarely satisfied by any contest.

Thank you Associated Press and congratulations to everyone on our staff who helped to earn this extraordinary recognition by our peers.

For a complete list of 2009 TAPME Awards across the state of Tennessee, <a id="z940" title="click here." href="http://www.ap.org/tennessee/09%20TAPME%20WINNERS%20LIST.htm">click here.</a>
My First Storm Chaser Video - Funnel Clouds over 1-81
By David Cate
Friday night was kind of dull. It had been raining most of the week and I had settled into cleaning the house after the evening news - that was until the news alerts started to go across the screen.

There was a "tornado warning" out last night. That means a tornado had been spotted and the local news channel was flashing radar shots, talking high winds, hail and rightfully doing their job warning people about the fast approaching storm moving up from Greeneville.

There's no way I could convince anyone that I have any skills as a storm-chaser, but I love a thunderstorm and the more lightening the better. Must be the wild way Nature pushes life to the limit and you might say I'm a thrill-seeker.

My father lives in Fall Branch and I called to make sure he was Ok. Our conversation was short because he was afraid lightning would run in on the telephone as the rains started to fail heavy outside his window.

The sky in Colonial Heights had an eerie golden color when I jumped into the Jeep with my Nikon camera and Flip video camera. The wind was picking up too and I could hear the thunder in the distance.

According to the radar images, my best bet to watch this storm was to drive south on I-81 toward Exit 50 near Fall Branch.

Sure enough, as soon as I got the Tri-Cities crossing exit, the rain had slowed the Interstate traffic to a crawl and my windshield wipers could barely keep up with the downpour.

Slowing down, I grabbed the small video camera and held it up to the sky as I paid attention to the road. I was surprised in just a few moments to catch what looked like a funnel cloud forming near the Fordtown/Harmony area.

It was hard to believe at first and the moment of panic gave way to thrill, but after watching the rotation of the clouds and the behavior of this fast moving wall cloud, it was clearly something news-worthy.

Throughout the night, pictures started showing up all across the web showing these strange funnel clouds and that's just something we don't witness too often here in East Tennessee.

Nevertheless, here's my amateur attempt to capture this wild disturbance on Friday night, May 8th at 8.20pm around milemarker 54 on Interstate 81.

My friend Alan Sieg had some good advice after he learned of my first attempt. "1st rule of chasing tornados; stay behind them. Approach them from the West or the South. Don't get in front and NEVER get under.

Thanks Alan. I'll keep that in mind, but this was a thrilling Friday night drive and I'm glad noone was hurt.

<object width="400" height="300"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=4557142&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=4557142&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><a href="http://vimeo.com/4557142">Funnel Clouds Form on Interstate 1-81</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user1713533">David Cate</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.
Bristol Rhythm Roots Reunion Announces '09 Concerts and Wins Virgo Award
By David Cate
Last week, the <a id="vqre" title="Virginia Association of Convention and Visitors Bureau" href="http://www.vacvb.com/main.php">Virginia Association of Convention and Visitors Bureau</a> recognized <a id="puc2" title="Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion Music Festival" href="http://www.bristolrhythm.com/">Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion Music Festival</a> as the "<a id="uzmh" title="Best Destination" href="http://www.bristolrhythm.com/news.php?id=34">Best Destination</a>" in Virginia for 2009.

The prestigious Virgo Award is quite an honor for this popular regional music festival and the organizers and volunteers have prepared another lineup this year that will live up to the expectations of "bigger and better."

Each September, Bristol's downtown streets transforms into a mecca for Americana and Roots music fans with over 100 artists walking the streets and moving from stage to stage to present concert performances to the tens of thousands who attend the three day festival.

This week our developers are happy to <a id="eos3" title="launch a new website" href="http://www.bristolrhythm.com/">launch a new website</a> promoting the upcoming artists for this terrific festival highlighting the performers and events coming to East Tennessee on September 18-20th, 2009.

In the spirit of the great Southern music festivals like Merlefest and Floydfest, Bristol Rhythm and Roots is the festival of fall. Fans can expect to hear plenty of top-shelf talent including Patty Loveless, Gene Watson, Darrell Scott and John Cowan.

Loveless is one Nashville's darling songwriters with a 20-year discography of great country songs. A Pikeville, KY native, her roots are nearby and with all the songs she's written for the country jukebox, you're certain to sing along. Her greatest accolades are honors that include Country Music's Female Vocalist of the Year (two years in a row) and Album of the Year.

John Cowan performed at last year's <a id="ql7x" title="Racks By The Tracks in Kingsport" href="http://www.racksbythetracks.com/">Racks By The Tracks in Kingsport</a> and I still contend you won't find a more amazing performer and vocalist.

As the founding member of New Grass Revival, John has taken lots of chances with his music over the years from rock to pop and blues and jazz. That could be the reason why he's not walking away with a Grammy Award each year, but I've never met anyone who is not completely enchanted with his music.

Last year, my friend Dave Carter invited me to an in-studio performance with Darrell Scott.

That day my appreciation of music and poetry was enlightened as Scott sat with his father in the WETS studios in Johnson City. Together, they were dripping with artistry as they sang their original music before the Saturday afternoon live audience.

Scott has penned some of the most influential songs on the radio over the past few years and has a intimacy for the songwriter enhanced by his charity for organizing and participating in songwriting workshops all over the Southeast.

In addition to the big-gun performances, Bristol Rhythm and Roots has a special ability to bring in some of the best up-and-coming artists and a terrific showcase of local performers too.

These new artists always delight a young audience – evidence of all the college fans who flood the streets each year. Rhythm and Roots proves that you don't have to just think about metal or rock and roll to attract youth - instead, you might say they have a special ability to attract the cool.

This year, you'll be delighted with new artists that include Dr. Dog - a psychedelic band from Philly, Justin Townes Earle, the songwriter seed of Steve Earle and Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit.

Isbell who hails from Muscle Shoals is one of the new renaissance songwriters supporting a new recording hailed by Spin Magazine as ""...Multiple tales of warm, lonely barrooms and the warm, lonely relationships they breed uncover new truths while traversing well-trod emotional terrain." Rolling Stone Magazine cites Isbells new presence as "...not to be missed."

There are plenty of other ground-breaking artists coming to the festival and coupled with the long list of local performers (see below), this festival promises to be one of the most diverse and entertaining festivals of the year.

In recognition of the current economic environment, the organizers of Bristol Rhythm and Roots have kept ticket prices the same as the were last year and we think they're phenomenal. There are few festivals that offer a $15 day pass or $45 weekend pass to witness such incredible performances.

The fact this festival occurs in one of the most progressive downtown environments makes it that much more intriguing. Recently, the Troutdale Bistro opened downtown along with another fine local eatery called Machavelli's and Macado's opens in a brand new building on State Street later in the month.

September is still some time off, but the Rhythm and Roots committee is busy putting together monthly and weekly live performances in advance of the festival. Earlier in the year, The Harlow Experience and songwriter Martha Scanlan appeared at the Bristol Public Library and the first Border Bash (The 10th Anniversary) takes place on March 15th with songwriter/troubadour Porky LaForge will entertain fans right on the street that separates two great cities.

<a id="llhz" title="Watch the website for more details" href="http://www.bristolrhythm.com/">Watch the website for more details</a> about weekly performances and the entire performer roster for the coming festival. You can purchase tickets and merchandise online too and stay tuned for more coming from Bristol - the Birthplace of Country Music.

Local Performers appearing at Bristol Rhythm and Roots;

Adam Larkey
Adam Lawson
Amazed by Grace
Annie Robinnette
Breaking Tradition
Chorus House
Dale Jett
East Tennessee Bluegrass
East Tennessee Children's Choir
Ed Snodderly
Dehlia Low and Duty Free
Folk Soul Revival
Holston Mountain Boys
Janie Grey
Kaitlyn Baker
North Fork Switchgrass
Old Fat & Sloe
Peaces of Way
Randy Hixson
Reagan Boggs
Roan Mountain Hiltoppers
Roger Rasnake
Slow Motion Trio
Tennessee Borderline
Tennessee Skyline
The Harlow Experience
These Undowners
Wall of Pop
Wires and Wood
Downtown concerts / Fun Fest acts turn up summer volume
By David Cate
Kingsport will be a hot ticket for live concerts this summer as downtown sponsors and Fun Fest get ready to turn up the volume with some extraordinary acts.

A few weeks ago, we learned the Grammy-Award winner <a id="ian7" title="Peter Frampton" href="http://www.frampton.com/">Peter Frampton</a> will take the stage at Fun Fest on Friday, July 18th. That's what <a id="cwad" title="Pollstar is reporting" href="http://pollstar.com/resultsCity.aspx?ID=31448&SortBy=Date&SearchBy=Kingsport,%20TN">Pollstar is reporting</a> and lots of folks are excited about the show. Evidently, REO Speedwagon was the original choice, but Frampton was the winning act according to an event organizer.

Last week, Pollstar also announced Southern Rock legends, <a id="wnnn" title="The Marshall Tucker Band" href="http://www.marshalltuckerband.com/">The Marshall Tucker Band</a> will appear at Fun Fest along <a id="aurs" title="Luke Bryan" href="http://www.lukebryan.com/">Luke Bryan</a> and the country duo<a id="vx0i" title="Joey and Rory" href="http://www.joeyandrory.com/"> Joey and Rory</a>.

There's finally some buzz about Downtown Kingsport's Thursday night concert series sponsored by several area sponsors.

The season kicks off Saturday May 16th with Racks by The Tracks, a popular annual barbecue and brew event on the lawn of Kingsport's train station. This daytime event always attracts a good crowd and this year, legendary bluesman <a id="t_7t" title="Pinetop Perkins on Saturday, May 16th" href="http://www.timesnews.net/blogger.php?id=2&postid=7277">Pinetop Perkins will be the inaugural concert</a>.

After that, several concert websites are citing the following acts will be appearing as part of the popular weekly concerts on Broad Street continues now into its third year. Those acts may include;

May 28 – <a id="i0vz" title="Jim Lauderdale" href="http://www.jimlauderdale.com/">Jim Lauderdale</a>
June 4 - <a id="tpf-" title="Betty LaVette" href="http://www.bettyelavette.com/">Betty LaVette</a> - great lady of Soul
June 11- <a id="atkd" title="Jypsi" href="http://www.jypsi.net/">Jypsi</a> - The future of country
June 25 - <a id="ww1c" title="Chatham County Line" href="http://www.chathamcountyline.com/">Chatham County Line</a> - Bluegrass/Alt Country
July 2 - <a href="http://http://www.myspace.com/michellemalonemusic">Michelle Malone</a> - Blues
July 23 - <a id="i-6l" title="The Belleville Outfit" href="http://www.myspace.com/thebellevilleoutfit">The Belleville Outfit</a> - Alt/Country
July 30 - <a id="chpr" title="The Legendary JCs" href="http://www.myspace.com/thelegendaryjcs">The Legendary JCs</a> - Blues/Funk/Soul
August 27 - <a id="wt9g" title="The Bottle Rockets" href="http://www.myspace.com/bottlerocketsmusic">The Bottle Rockets</a> - Rock/Americana

These dates are confirmed by several ticketing websites including Pollstar, but are certainly subject up to change as sometimes contracts are not signed yet or last minute changes vary the schedule.

In addition to Fun Fest and the Downtown Concert Series, Doug Beatty and the developers working with the Bonefire Restaurant are talking up several live concerts at "The Bus Pit."

Located next to the Bonefire, "The Bus Pit" (the sign still calls it "The Garage") was supposed to open in mid-April with the Infamous StringDusters, but that was cancelled as construction has barely commenced on the new stage.

Several weeks ago, I toured the new venue and it looks like a promising opportunity for Kingsport. The former repair garage has a pit where mechanics worked underneath city school buses. Beatty hopes to house a full size bus in the middle of the restaurant to serve as a bar and entertain crowds up to 300 and appeal to the barbecue, beer and blues crowd.

Some of the artist websites reporting shows at the Bus Stop including visits by <a id="vzoi" title="Greensky Bluegrass" href="http://www.myspace.com/greenskybluegrassmusic">Greensky Bluegrass</a> (5/6), <a id="edw1" title="James Intveid" href="http://www.jamesintveld.com/">James Intveid</a> (5/8) and <a id="aefu" title="Webb Wilder's" href="http://www.webbwilder.com/">Webb Wilder's</a> website promotes a date on Wednesday May 20th.

Kingsport's not the only place for live music this summer though...

Johnson City will host another <a id="qq:x" title="Blue Plumb Festival" href="http://www.blueplum.org/">Blue Plumb Festival</a> this year with <a id="fydn" title="Acoustic Sydicate" href="http://acousticsyndicate.com/">Acoustic Syndicate</a> , <a id="t321" title="Scott Miller" href="http://www.thescottmiller.com/">Scott Miller</a> , <a id="cvdu" title="Malcomb Holcombe" href="http://www.malcolmholcombe.com/">Malcomb Holcombe</a> , <a id="cuwm" title="Goose Creek Symphony" href="http://www.goosecreeksymphony.com/">Goose Creek Symphony</a> and several local artists on three stages on Friday and Saturday, June 5th and 6th.

Gate City will once again host the annual <a id="y62h" title="Clinchfest" href="http://www.clinchfest.net/">Clinchfest</a> featuring many traditional mountain musicians on Saturday and Sunday, June 12th and 13th and feature the up-and-coming local boy Brinley Addington, Fire In The Kitchen and many others.

Looking back over this schedule, there's no doubt the hills will be alive with the sound of music this summer and we should have some great memories to look forward to.

If Downtown delivers on all the concerts they've been cooking up over the past several months, Kingsport will be the most talked about destination for terrific live shows in East Tennessee. Should be fun – See ya on the streets!
Songwriter with a poet's soul - Scotty Melton is a diamond in the rough
By David Cate
A good songwriter can channel the soul of a hundred poets.

That's the impression <a id="aquy" title="Scotty Melton" href="http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=458612011">Scotty Melton</a> left with me as I stood in the shadows at McGinn's in Elizabethton last Saturday night when he sang his original song 'The Way I'm Loving You."

It's been said great poetry is about economy (an economy of words at least) and Melton's lyric and phrasing touches the soul. Here in the Tri-Cities, he keeps a low profile, but he could be one of the best songwriters on the block.

I'm not the only one to feel that way either. Several musicians have already picked up on Scotty's gift.

I first recognized Scotty's craft while working with <a id="n7ba" title="Reagan Boggs" href="http://www.reaganboggs.com/">Reagan Boggs</a> . She released the ballad, "The Way I'm Loving You" on her second record and I always enjoyed playing the song. He also has songs recorded by Nashville's 'Les Honkies More Tonkies' and others.

That's why when Melton was musing over which song to play before his break this weekend, I asked to hear my favorite song and with no hesitation he spoke into the microphone, "Here's a song about the institution of marriage, recorded by Reagan Boggs and one of the first I ever wrote."

Playing his acoustic guitar in front of a window with traffic passing by and dressed in a well-worn Jager t-shirt, he looked up from his glasses and premature grey/white hair and sang;

I've got dreams that burn like fires burn
In your eyes forever blue

I've got feelings that shine like diamonds
and stars in heaven that remain forever true

 This was my first visit to McGinn's in Elizabethton.

I've passed by this pub several times across the street from Pal's and next to the railroad tracks. It's one of those small corner buildings that expands as the block lengthens down Elk Avenue.

A lot of people like to play darts at this local waterin' hole and it may be the only bar in Betsytown.

It's a small room too with barely enough room for a performer and in addition to the bar which may entertain 50 people, there are two smaller rooms with dart boards which draw regular crowds on the weekend.

Just inside the door, there was a cloud of smoke, the familiar aroma of beer and fried food and Scotty was performing with another guitarist.

Together they were playing a set of cover songs from "Copperhead Road" to "Behind Blue Eyes" and he occasionally picked up the harmonica to play Neil Young. He sings with the passion of Dylan, John Prine and Steve Earle and his subject matter reminds me of the great Darrell Scott as his topics are close to home.

Melton has his own down-home distinctions and he's no newcomer - road worn like a good pair of shoes – there's really nothing to hold him back as he begins to retool his act after a rocky personal life in the past several years. He's living in Piney Flats and just starting to make his way back into the local music scene.

In fact, he may have a great opportunity soon as <a id="ky1q" title="Justin Townes Earle" href="http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=458612011">Justin Townes Earle</a> (rising star and son of Steve Earle - "Copperhead Road") may release his songs on an upcoming recording.

<a id="cxla" title="The younger Earle speaks about Melton's friendship" href="http://takecountryback.wordpress.com/2008/03/27/the-good-life-from-now-on-justin-townes-earle/">The younger Earle speaks about Melton's friendship</a> when he lived with Scotty and his family near Johnson City while he battled his addictions.

Like most artists, Scotty Melton has no hesitation talking about what's held him back over the past several years. He's lived a hard life cluttered with his own demons and and you can hear that in his music.

McGinn's is a humble room for a talent like Scotty Melton, but it was also the perfect spot to revisit this humble minstrel and enjoy his music once again. I have no doubt this native son from here the Tri-Cities will continue to write great music that will attract the attention of many who know a good turn when they hear one.

<a id="yro9" title="Scotty Melton offers up a free Mp3 with the song I Keep Your Heart which speaks well of his artistry. Enjoy." href="http://users.chartertn.net/melnot/I%20Keep%20Your%20Heart.mp3">Scotty Melton offers up a free Mp3 with the song 'I Keep Your Heart' which speaks volumes. Download here and enjoy.</a>
Facebook fans revolt - social media service caves to user complaints
By David Cate
Redesigning a website is a challenge. Just like your favorite grocery store, when you finally get used to where everything is located - they change the isles around and you can't find your favorite snack brand.

That's sort of what happened a few weeks ago when the popular social application Facebook decided to change its home page.

All of sudden, everything was rearranged as they made "improvements" to offer a more real time news feeds and several other modifications that seemed Ok in the testing labs, but ultimately caused an outpouring of rabid fans discontent with the upgrade.

Facebook's elegant organization is one of the reasons why the service has become so popular over the past several months. Once the turf of college students, everyone and his brother are flocking to this new social app to keep up with friends, rediscover high school sweethearts, exchange email and play silly games with each other.

Evidently, some of the recent changes are ideas from engineers and an attempt to make the service more like <a href="http://www.twitter.com">Twitter</a> which offers immediate updates via cell phones and other interfaces, but the changes were too much, too soon and most important - without explanation.

It wasn't long after the change that members within its own service started creating groups to "bring back the old facebook." There were online polls that overwhelmingly revealed greater than a 90% dissatisfaction with the new layout and for a little while, we thought noone was listening.

In fact, the founder, Mark Zuckerman made some comments within the organization that were <a href="http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=62701367154&h=VqhnT&u=XyRcW&ref=mf">emphasized on this popular blog.</a>

In a letter to employees, Zuckerberg was reported to say, "'the most disruptive companies don't listen to their customers.'" Another tipster who has seen the email says Zuckerberg implied that companies were "stupid" for "listening to their customers."

I don't know if there's any truth to the feed from blogdom, but I was surprised to see that <a href="http://www.macworld.com/article/139627/2009/03/facebook.html">Facebook says it will tweak its homepage in the coming weeks in direct response to user uproar over recent designs changes. </a>

Facebook is in a unique position to hear user feedback almost immediately. It's good to know they are listening too. As companies morph their businesses in the new economy, it pays to hear the ground swell and I look forward to watching their strategy as the back-peddle a bit.
Kingsport guitar phenom Chelsea Constable on The Price Is Right
By David Cate
Breaking into the music business is not an easy career path. It takes a lot of work, a lot of patience, luck and having a overwhelming gift never hurts.

Last week, 18-year <a href="http://www.myspace.com/chelseaconstable">Chelsea Constable</a>, a Kingsport native was seen smiling on the popular game show, "The Price Is Right" – demoing a guitar from Line 6.

National exposure like this is a rare opportunity for a young musician, but Chelsea's got the chops and a wicked talent that blends the blues and virtuosity into a recipe that may very well position her among rock and roll goddesses.

There's always a tendency for reviews like this to gush – especially when a hometown girl is in the spotlight, but Chelsea is undoubtedly a shooting star and a cult-legend here in the Tri-Cities. Because of her age, she's only appeared at a handful of shows (she started gaining attention in her early teens), but for those who have seen and heard her gift, the awe is mythical.

<a href="http://www.myspace.com/chelseaconstable">Her Myspace website</a> features snapshots of Chelsea with some of the greatest names in the business including Eric Johnson, Allan Holdsworth, Billy Gibbons, Slash, Les Paul, Eddie Van Halen and others. She also has drummed up a significant endorsement from Fender and Line 6 guitars too - evidently her entrance into daytime television where she is also pictured with Drew Carey.

It's rare to see young people achieve this kind of notoriety, but what's more impressive is the road ahead. <a href="http://www.americanmadeguitars.com/ChelseaConstable.html">Following a Google thread</a> on her name, you'll see that she's gearing up for her first debut CD. She certainly had the attention from the natives here in the mountains and it's about time for the world to see the extraordinary talent from here in the mountains.

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Santa's Log - The day love comes to town

Murdoch faces off with Google in Free vs Paid

A Spectacular Night For Spooks in Downtown Kingsport

Battle of the Borgs - Microsoft/Google wrestle over Twitter/Facebook

So long email, you can keep the spam!

Will Augmented Reality blow the lid off everything?

Who's Bad? - King of Pop plays Johnson City

Is it time to end the handshake business?

Kingsport reports Zombie activity and gets Jimmy Fallon's attention @ NBC

The Battle for Search and Twitter...The Underdog

Mayor Phillips and Dr. Locke Speak at Harvard ( Video )

Twitter and social media fuel protests in Iran

Songwriter Jamen Denton grows up from Virginia Ground

Times-News wins 10 Awards from AP including Best Website

My First Storm Chaser Video - Funnel Clouds over 1-81

Bristol Rhythm Roots Reunion Announces '09 Concerts and Wins Virgo Award

Downtown concerts / Fun Fest acts turn up summer volume

Songwriter with a poet's soul - Scotty Melton is a diamond in the rough

Facebook fans revolt - social media service caves to user complaints

Kingsport guitar phenom Chelsea Constable on The Price Is Right

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