Sam Mellon and The Skylarks, Debut Album Giveaway by Vacation Packages

The devil inside me pulls at the bars of his prison cell, screaming and belching flame.

Thanks to everyone for sending in their stories, and I look forward to what you've got to write (and say) next week.

The theme for next week's Weekly Challenge will be posted shortly.

Podcast Ready is holding a contest for referrals and signups using their very cool podcatching software.

I've been using that software for well over a year, and I absolutely love it.

DAPHNE

Mom said I needed a summer job. So who are some of the newer bands that appear to be carrying on the torch? It would build character and make some money for school.

And that is how I spent my Summer Vacation in a Turkey Prison.

CHRIS

Last year, Shawshank prison was selected to take part in a prisoner exchange program with other prisons around the country. So listen, vote, and tune in next week to find out who won!

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ROCKY

The charge was cruelty to farm animals. There seems to be more emphasis on classic rock from the 60s and alternative music from the 90s coming together to form a blend of harmonic beauty. Over there, that's Snake. 5, 1994" -- just three months prior to a special election for the Senate seat Al Gore vacated following his election as vice president -- "Senate candidate Fred Thompson parked his black Lincoln Continental and started driving" the truck. We will never use your info for any other reason.**

Weekly Challenge #62 - How I spent my summer inside a Turkish prison

Welcome to the sixty-first Weekly Challenge, where I post a topic and then challenge you to come up with a 100 word story based on that topic.

The topic this week was selected by Tom of Footnote: How I spent my summer inside a Turkish prison.

The excellent theme music is by Guy David

Go ahead and listen to them by clicking on the grammophone thingy there in the left column and then vote for your favorites (multiple selections are allowed):

Which were the best stories of Weekly Challenge #62?
	Rocky Torok of Edloe Island
	Jenny of The Bloggess
	Caleb from Black Tie Martini Club
	Guy David from Guy David dot com
	Tom from Footnote
	Houston Keys from Tater Tots For The Masses
	Daphne from Going Broke
	Chris from Platypus Society
	To4m from Tom's Podcast
	The Ghost of William Z. My friend stands talking with her colleagues as the senator is driven away by a blond, all-American staffer. He doesn't say much. It was those artists’ ability to “paint a picture” with words that resonated in Mellon. The only rule to be eligible is to add a comment to this blog post. It's been written that Ingram came up with it. Daylight is overrated. Having earned the warden's blessing after doing his taxes, my good friend Andy Dusfresne was one of the first prisoners selected for the new program. no more hassles with downloading podcasts manually. Want to see me win? Something’s been going on in the golden state. I was sentenced to 6 months in this facility. The conversation went something like this: I said, 'What would you do if you could do what you want to do?' He said, 'I'd go to my dad's used car lot (in Lawrenceburg) and get a truck and drive it across the state.' I said, 'Do it.' People thought he was crazy. Democrats, by contrast, believed themselves to be on the right side of most issues, and so they never invested much in these efforts. But there was a mix-up; instead of going to Anchorage, Andy wound up in Ankara at a maximum security Turkish prison, where he was repeatedly sodomized by packs of horny Turkish bull queers. And while the band will likely be grouped in an elusive alt-country category, its the alt side of the genre that interests the band. He credits the song “Pale Blue Eyes” from R.E.M.’s Dead Letter Office as being a song that provided a direct connection between alternative rock and alt country eventually feeding itself into the The Skylark’s own unique style. Again, that news coming in from The Politico this morning. From the March 18 Tennessean article: Will Fred's old, red pickup ride again on presidential trail? If Fred Thompson decides to run for president, it's hard to imagine him driving to the Iowa caucus in anything but his famed red Chevy pickup truck -- the vehicle that became a colorful signature for his 1994 U.S. Combined with Thompson's down-to-earth style and stage charisma, the truck became the perfect symbol for his campaign. "That was a great truck," said Bob Davis Jr., Tennessee GOP chairman. As she pulls up to the stop sign at the parking lot exit, rolling up to the intersection is Senator Thompson, now behind the wheel of a sweet silver luxury sedan. I have met a lot of pretty nice people. So are showers Stench is the new Axe . The best part of the trip was Kat Steven's inmate concert. "The campaign had no fire in it. Says Mellon, “I don’t think I was trying to create an ‘Alternative Country’ band when I put the Skylarks together. Not exactly the symbol Thompson needs this time around. And so this could be the first run for the White House that has this unique, full-time staff position: Official campaign mechanic. It sucked. One minute I'm watching "What's my Filafil?" and the next I see a woman without a burka. The falafel is just awful. It's been written that I did. The band consists of Sam Mellon (vocals, acoustic guitar), Dave Ray (drums, vocals), Julie Wolfe (accordion, piano, vocals) and Carl Urbinati (electric guitar, vocals) with David Serby (electric bass guitar) as a contributing artist for the record. Julie Wolfe anchors the band with her underlying accordian, piano and vocals with an unmistakable feminine touch. Senate license plates on it, looking a little forlorn, but I have not had the heart to sell her." With close to 300,000 miles on it and parts that don't work so hot, it would run in the presidential race with a high probability of breakdown. During the summer in prison I learned a lot of things. Senate campaign in Tennessee. But whatever happened to the truck? "I haven't seen the truck since the end of the campaign," said Tom Ingram, the political mastermind who had a hand in revamping Thompson's image by putting him behind the wheel of the truck. As campaign icons go, it was a humdinger. "I don't know who came up with the original idea," said Ron McMahan, a GOP insider who worked on the Senate race. The article further noted that the truck was leased by the campaign, and while Thompson purchased it after the campaign, the Tennessean article quoted Thompson as saying, through a spokesman, that he doesn't drive it, and that it is "parked in my mother's driveway in Franklin, with expired U.S. Just so long as I get to go to a women's prison again. GUY DAVID I was hungry. As long as you’re not an apparent bonehead spammer you’ll be included in the pool of entries that I will randomly pick from (contest concludes Thursday 9/13/07 at midnight EST). Along with the carpets, those are really, really nice. The Shank Shaw Redemption Road Gang Experience, Escape from Alcatraz Marathon Swim and the Midnight Express Turkish Delight. The campaign leased it for $500 a month. With a package of Red Man chewing tobacco on the seat and country music blaring, Thompson drove from Mountain City to Memphis and back again. He changed his sophisticated, educated lawyerly look into a good ole boy. Most parents would ground their child or take away their phone but I'm pretty sure they would not plant a kilo of heroine in their kid's suitcase and then warn the Turkish officials that a dangerous drug mule would be arriving that day. WILLIAM Z BURROUGHS April 14th, 1965 Lincoln died a hundred years ago today. I have ingested half of a Turkish street market, snorting swirling iridescent powders, rubbing quivering jellies on my flesh, quaffing elixirs from ornate vessels and inhaling ancient magical incense. The cops descend upon the bazaar like a plague of locusts, wrestling me to the ground. To struggle is futile. It was phony and silly and the food was really really bad. Turning onto the main road, my friend passes the school's small, side parking area. Luckily they’ve retained the three original songs from the EP: “The Bombs All Fall Around Me”, “Elevator on Fire” and “Your New Hometown”. One morning I got them all out to the yard and was sweeping up after them when the door to the barn closed. We had to choose from three fun filled packages. He sometimes delivered his "throw the bums out" stump speech from atop the truck bed. It worked. Close your eyes and stroll through the streets of LA at a smooth, amble pace as your imagination soars through a listen of the 10 songs included on Sam Mellon and the Skylarks’ debut album. Perhaps my favorite musician in the band is Carl Urbinati whose quitar playing is the alluring magic of the record. A great way to entertain yourself is to take maybe 10 or 12 dead cockroaches (or snacks as I called them) and toss them to the cell's silent darkness then spend hours finding them. People loved it and wanted their picture taken with the truck, so the campaign started carrying a Polaroid camera. I spent the rest of my summer vacation inside a Turkish prison. Massive amounts of fridge magnets were mailed out in the past week...Knowing all this, I decided to win the hearts and minds of my fellow inmates and smuggled in a nice hard sausage for them. Nice touch. You guys are assholes. Love, Karen CALEB It's no spring picnic spending your summer vacation inside a Turkish prison. We wanted something that was going to be roomy because there were going to be people with him from time to time, so we got a stretch cab." But how do you magically produce a truck matching that exact description? "I said, 'Before the sun sets, I can find you a red truck,' " McMahan said. 5, 1994, Senate candidate Fred Thompson parked his black Lincoln Continental and started driving a used 1990 cherry-red, extended cab Chevy pickup truck with four on the floor and almost 200,000 miles on it. Who really knows? California dreamin’ reborn. Post, CNN reported on Thompson's pickup truck without noting it was a leased campaign prop An article in the Style section of the May 31 edition of the Washington Post described possible Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson as "the pickup-driving former senator and 'Law & Order' star," referring to the long-running television series in which Thompson stars and the red pickup truck he drove during his 1994 and 1996 Senate races. We both love cats. We didn't want anything too flashy, so used made sense. Now the fun part. In talking with the band, they’re as excited about this record as I am and would love to offer up a free copy of the album as a giveaway on Twangville. Don’t know what to say? It was September before the mistake was realized and Andy was brought back home. That was the longest summer of his life. TO4M Ok So I forgot smuggling hash was against the law. A lot of people looking to Fred Thompson as the only real conservative out there, and we'll see if he does that. The GOP has exploited this quirk by placing character at the center of its campaign strategy, surrounding its candidates with the right atmospherics and mounting personal attacks on their opponents. He'll be taking his red pickup truck, which has become synonymous with Fred Thompson, around on the campaign trail, and then in Nashville, on the Fourth of July, make the announcement that he is throwing his hat into the ring on the Republican side of the equation. They put a red truck on campaign buttons. He packed 6 feet, 6 inches into jeans, cowboy boots and a work shirt and gave it a "how y'all?" at each stop. Jerry Lewis? Maybe tell us your thoughts on the California music scene as you know it or take a listen to the song below and let the band know about your interest in hearing more. I suppose Jane Wyman is the first lady! The sound is markedly different than what we hear coming out of Texas and other mid-west and southern Americana style bands where the connections to the genre are more overt. Folsom Blues in Arabic rocked. HOUSTON KEYS No privacy, no peace. " the outcome of his campaign might have been different. From the May 31 Washington Post article: There's a moment in "Back to the Future" when Michael J. It worked because it wasn't an unnatural or unreal thing for him to do." Ingram sprinkled on some of his marketing pixie dust to make it work. Senate license plates on it, looking a little forlorn, but I have not had the heart to sell her." Additionally, a 1996 article in the Washington Monthly by Michelle Cottle reported Thompson's preference for luxury sedans over pickup trucks: Finishing his talk, Thompson shakes a few hands, then walks out with the rest of the crowd to the red pickup truck he made famous during his 1994 Senate campaign. I just pop Ziggy's chip into my system, let it sync up, and then put the chip back in the phone...They say here, finders keepers, losers weepers.. Right Big Willy? Good night, Future Boy!" Well, it's morning again in America. TOM Last year Mom and Dad took us to Disneyland. Serby contributed electric bass on the record and is now gaining noteriety on his own. Dad said he was tired of our bitching and moaning so he said we would be going on a real vacation this year. "It was comfortable, too. Grubs and water are a good meal once you've forgotten about cheeseburgers. Fortunately, I had a very nice neighbor next door, so I told her the whole story, only, somehow she heard the word "Turk" instead of "Turkey". Dave Ray seems to be the architect of the album as he’s credited with the arrangement and mixing which by the way is supurb. I do not know whose idea it was." Ingram recalls a meeting with Thompson at the Cracker Barrel restaurant in Cookeville: "He wasn't too happy with traditional campaigning. Emmett Brown, whose DeLorean time machine has rocketed McFly from 1985 to 1955. Download: Just Like Thieves (MP3)* Download 02%20Just%20Like%20Thieves.mp3 Download: Frozen Lake (MP3)* Download 04%20Frozen%20Lake.mp3 For more on Sam Mellon and the Skylarks check out their official web site or their MySpace profile. Their debut album is available online at CD Baby and iTunes. * MP3s posted with permission from Sam Mellon and The Skylarks. **By participating in this contest you agree to allow Twangville to forward your contact info to Sam Mellon and The Skylarks and to post your name and city on our web site. According to the band web site, Robert Staron has since filled Serby’s vacated spot on bass. "I made one phone call to a friend of mine who was the owner of Reeder Chevrolet in Knoxville." Campaign hit the road And so it was that on Aug. And the baloney sandwiches aren't very good either. BIG WILLY!!!! JENNY Dear mom and dad, When you said I should summer at Gramma's house in Turkey I figured it would be good for us to spend some time apart after the tensions of last semester. I realize you're disappointed that I failed Algebra II. watch your mail, and let me know if I've missed you. It is your voting that determines who wins. I was locked in. Mellon, who leads the band, is a practicing visual artist who’s influence can be heard in the painterly songwriting. I can’t go without mentioning David Serby who recently left the band to pursue his solo interests. Lo and behold: There sits the abandoned red pickup, along with the all-American staffer. An article by Noam Scheiber entitled "Pickup Artist," in the May 21 edition of The New Republic, speculated on the outcome of the 1994 race if the media had given a more accurate description of the red pickup's role in the campaign: Republicans, according to him [The New Republic's Jonathan Chait], realized long ago that political reporters are much more interested in making vague characterological pronouncements than reporting on matters of policy, or even relating biographical details. I was just about to put it in the oven when I figures I forgot to put the paprika, and, that I didn't actually have paprika in the first place. I know you're supposed to save the turkey till Christmas, but it was my summer vacation, and I was in Turkey after all, so it somehow fit. They decided it had to be a red truck because that would be photogenic: "Red made sense. "Then who's vice president? There's a shiny quarter. On the May 30 edition of CNN's American Morning, anchor John Roberts said of Thompson, "He'll be taking his red pickup truck, which has become synonymous with Fred Thompson, around on the campaign trail." But neither the Post nor Roberts noted that the pickup truck Thompson took on the road during his Senate campaigns was a prop leased by his campaign staff for the purpose of winning over Tennessee voters and, despite subsequently buying it, Thompson told a reporter through a spokesman that he left it in his mother's driveway "looking a little forlorn," with expired Senate license plates, once the races ended. A March 18 article by The Tennessean of Nashville described the truck as "a colorful signature for [Thompson's] 1994 U.S. I voted for Burning Man, but we went to Turkey instead. Burroughs
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WE GOTS PRIZES:
I will be sending the winner a prize...A few minutes later, my friend gets into her car to head home. He must be a clean freak because he spends most of his free time in the showers.

Hey look! So far it hasn't been so bad.

It's like work without the cubicles. I fed the turkeys, cleaned up the barn when they were out in the yard and made sure they had water. The kefir inspires fear.

A year ago, I mentioned an EP from Sam Mellon and The Skylarks and now I’m happy to tell you that they’ve finally released their first full length record. With Fred Thompson deciding to read for the part of Republican presidential nominee, we thought we'd see how the pickup-driving former senator and "Law & Order" star stacked up against others who used their SAG cards to gain political favor.

From the May 30 edition of CNN's American Morning:

ROBERTS: Hey, thank you very much. Honestly, I can't wait to go back next summer. We have a lot in common. And Jack Benny, the secretary of the Treasury."

Finally, everyone's favorite whacked-out scientist says, "I've had enough practical jokes for one evening. it's refrigerator magnets for the podcast.

In a brief email exchange with Sam Mellon who grew up listening to bands like the Talking Heads and The Police, I discovered that one of his biggest influences along with Bob Dylan is Michael Stipe and R.E.M. It could take a little while to heat up sometimes."

So where did the truck end up?

Thompson grew so fond of it -- as he should because it left skid marks on his opponent -- he bought it for $5,000. He gives my friend a slight nod as he drives past. Forty-eight minutes after the hour, and some news just coming in to us here at CNN from our good friends over at the politico.com, specifically correspondent Mike Allen, who you know has been on American Morning many times, suggesting that Fred Thompson is going to throw his hat into the presidential ring on the Fourth of July. Wary of McFly's story, Brown, played by Christopher Lloyd, says, "Tell me, Future Boy, who's president in the United States in 1985?"

When McFly responds, "Ronald Reagan," Brown goes on a rant.

"Ronald Reagan? Someone must have dropped it. Admittedly I have a strong influence musically from that genre- but I just didn’t (and don’t) write in a country narrative.” This becomes apparent while listening to the lyrics and music of the record. Fox's Marty McFly shows up at the home of Dr. Shop 'til You Drop - Special Vacation Package this December and ... (press release), NY - Dec 6, 2007 ... in the warm Palm Springs sunshine during the day and shop 'til you drop in the evenings, all at their special holiday vacation... Grand Canyon Lodging Paris Hotels buy soma Timeshares For Sale California Wine Vacation Rentals