aftermath of Winter Storm Juno

Cold hearted orb that rules the night

Removes the colors from our sight

Red is grey and yellow white

But we decide which is right

And which is an illusion?

~ Graeme Edge

so i guess it could be said:

Warm hearted orb that rules the day

Puts the colours in our way

Grey and yellow red and white

Whilst we bask in your light

Play games in your illusion

~ Mr_johnnya

the world within you brings forth the world without.

~ Mr_johnnya

it is so important to have a strong inner light.

but to really shine, it is much more important

to gather the light from around.

~ Mr_johnnya

*man's best friend.

some of the best conversations of my life have occurred while walking beside my dog.

~ Mr_johnnya

you would think there was some kinda magic involved. plant a dried up bean into the ground, water and wait. soon you have a baby plant poking up and out of the crust of the earth. give it some sun and more water and it will be reaching for the sky. 157/365

like cold and hot, north and south, east and west, day and night, dark and light; we are.

~ Mr_johnnya

Another day, some other way

We're gonna go, but then we'll see you again

I've had enough, we've had enough

Cold in vain, she said

I knew right from the beginning

That you would end up winnin'

I knew right from the start

You'd put an arrow through my heart

Round and round

~ Ratt

what it looks like in the summer: www.flickr.com/photos/mr_johnnya/9289997907/

Monday ~ December 3, 2012

Doors 6:00 PM - Show 7:00-10:45 PM

www.myspace.com/northernmusicagency

As another March morning comes about, an intense blanket of fog has engulfed the region overnight. This is the result of unusually warm weather followed by a cool damp night. Everything is covered with a coating of moisture. Drops drip off branches. Spiders that built elaborate silky patterns in the night, in hopes of snaring a snack or possibly a meal, have found that their webs have collected something different. Drops of water in various sizes are clinging to the tiny strands. Almost dangling in mid air. The sun tries in earnest to burn through the thick fog blanket. In time it will win. But on this morn, it does take time, indeed. A slight breeze begins to build. The fog is gently escorted along to inland areas to be dissipated amoung the air molecules that hadn't been as saturated as those closer to the coast. The branches of a tree start to sway. The web that is so carefully weaved amoung the branches starts to move also. In time the breeze picks up slightly in intensity. The fog rolls along a bit faster now. Patches of brightness appear and fade. Every now and then, the glow of the sun forces its way through to appear as a disc. The drops caught in the web glisten and glint. But they also are being met with bouncing anchor lines, as the web itself now catches the increasing breeze. It sways to and fro, forcing the drops to release their grip and fall to the ground below. In time the web transitions from a dream like piece of light catching art to just another web in a tree.

This is the scenario that played out one March morning, as nature photographer / documentarist Mr_johnnya, set out to capture the age old legend of the dreamcatcher. For any unfamiliar with the legend, it basically tells of webs created with a sort of magical belief. These webs are made for the express purpose of catching dreams; hence the name. But they are created in such a way that they only snare the bad dreams. Mostly all the good dreams can pass through, some are momentarily detained. Once they have proved themselves to be good, they are allowed to drip on down the lines and enter the slumbering heads below. Once dawn breaks, and the sun rises, the bad dreams that have been ensnared are dissolved in the sunlight. This typically happens so fast that nobody has ever witnessed the phenomenom. Till now, that is.

In groundbreaking footage captured by Mr_johnnya, this never before seen process is revealed. He oft wondered how it might be possible to capture such a mysterious and quickly passing event. He came to an almost epiphany one day as he sat and watched the fog occlude the sunrise. What if, he wondered, what if he tried to shoot the scene on a foggy morn. Would the veil of moisture that blocks the light from hitting the web, somehow slow down the process. As it turns out, it does. Although it still happens very quickly, it is slowed down just enough to allow some very brief shots of dreams disappearing. A very difficult thing to actually catch on film, it had to be done in stop motion photography. He managed to capture and reveal some incredible seconds of the mystery.

Now presenting the visual evidence of the long suspected idea of how a dream catcher rids itself of bad dreams collected.

and now....the highly anticipated sequel to last seasons blockbuster film, Oh Tannenbaum. From _jBri Productions comes: All La-Z-Boy's Go To Heaven! Mr_johnnya returns, reprising his award winning role as The Guy. He's joined by fellow actor Ronald Ron as The Other Guy. Also returning, in the biggest role of his film career is Fred "Huge Flame" Cinders as The Fire. And in his first starring role in a feature film we proudly present Larry the La-Z-Boy, playing himself as the protagonist. Another film by award winning directer, Miss Brianna.

The story revolves around Larry, an oft used recliner. He spent most of his life in servitude to an aging older woman. She was a two-pack-a-day cigarette smoker. The resulting smoke infused itself into every fiber of his being. He gladly suffered this abuse if only to be of service to the woman. One day he could no longer perform his function. Years of service had taken their toll. His mechanism no longer operated correctly. He was subsequently replaced by a newer recliner, Larson. Larry was moved from the living room to the porch where he sat relatively unused for a couple of years. He was happy enough to just watch the woman pass by him as she embarked on her errands. Then one day, he noticed the woman didn't go by. He never saw her again. In his sadness he fell further into disrepair. A day came when he was to be released of his earthly burden. The Guy and The Other Guy picked him up and tossed him into The Fire. He was released in its consumption. The End.

is how it was presented back then: www.flickr.com/photos/mr_johnnya/5121716954/

Voiceover: Have you ever wondered what happens to a Christmas tree after it falls from its fifteen minutes of fame?

Some willingly donate themselves to mulcherys and thus become part of the essence of the next generations. Others fight the depression and lay around in squalor till one day, not being able to take it anymore, they are consumed in flames.

This is the story of Edwin, a once proud balsam pine. He was chosen by a family, to be their tannenbaum for the season. He was brought into a wonderful warm home. He was lavishily and lovingly decorated with baubles and lights, garlands and tinsels. He twinkled and glowed. He stood a beautiful symbol of the season. He adored being adored.

Then one day, all his decorations were removed. He was plucked from his stately perch in the center of the living room and cast outside, into the cold. Nobody looked at him anymore. No one even glanced his way. After about two months time, he had dehydrated to an appearance completely unresembling what he had looked like, at a happier time in his life.

One day he was picked up by a guy, and cast into the flames of a great fire. His great spirit, still trapped within the dried branches and browned needles, rose with an intense flare of heat and light, high into the sky. Then he slowly dissipated into the atmosphere. All that remained were scant smouldering ashes. His spirit felt released. Free to redistribute itself, particle by particle back into the world. It was then that he realised energy cannot be created or destroyed, thus he would live on forever.

This tale is brought to you by _jBri Productions. It stars Paul the pine as Tannenbaum, with costar Fred "Huge Flame" Cinders as The Fire. With a special guest appearance by Mr_johnnya as The Guy. Filmed by Miss Brianna on location in Massachusetts.

is what I do. it's in me. and it has got to come out.

some can not understand this. and never will.

as I age the less that matters.

~ Mr_johnnya

JA 066

Photo by Music Drives Us photographer

Rebecca Gauchman

Johnny A at the 26th Metro Fountain Blues Festival, at San Jose State University, San Jose, CA.

Fishing is good this year, seiners from around Northwest are here. (Did a little Photoshop here to help the color, as it was very grey day)

Johnny Clegg (South Africa) at WOMADelaide 2012Long before Paul Simon went to Graceland, Johnny Clegg flouted apartheid lawsin South Africa by forming the seminal mixed-race band Juluka in the 1970s.Teaming with Sipho Mchunu. Johnnyâs sensational cross-cultural conceptestablished the template for fusing Western pop with Zulu rhythms â English vocalsfixed to an African heartbeat. The idea formed when Johnny was lecturingAnthropology at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, and tookflight when South African producer Hilton Rosenthal became a champion of theproject. Having broken through all racial and political barriers in his own countrythrough persistent touring, Johnny reached out to the world from 1986 with hissecond band, Savuka, then as a solo artist. He can now boast more than fivemillion album sales, though his influence has been most telling in France, where heenjoys a massive following and is fondly called Le Zulu Blanc â the White Zulu.English-born but raised in Zimbabwe and South Africa, Johnny has now enjoyedthree decades of prominence as a singer, songwriter, dancer, anthropologist andmusical archivist, performing across the world and remaining outspoken on issuesof apartheid, racism and perspectives on migrant workers in South Africa.

âÂÂAnd Hoarder Cultureâ -- Caroline (Beth Behrs, left) and Max (Kat Dennings, right) are waist deep in clutter when they clean a hoarderâÂÂs apartment, and JohnnyâÂÂs been keeping important information from Max, on 2 BROKE GIRLS, Monday, Nov. 7 (8:30-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Sonja Flemming/CBS é2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Taken at BB Kings NYC Rumble and Twang 9/7/13

i guess some won't be happy until there is one of these on every street corner.

sometimes war seems like so much smoke on the water.

~ Mr_johnnya

i feel comfortable enough in saying that this song is recognised by mostly every person in the free world. and i would bet quite a few people in controlled areas, also. most anybody who has heard it must by now know the story behind the lyrics. but if one listens and analyzes it a bit, there are much deeper meanings that can be construed. of life, of war, of winning battles beyond your control; perserverance. metaphors abound. so on this day of rememberance i offer the deepest Purple of all... youtu.be/arpZ3fCwDEw

Taken at BB Kings NYC Rumble and Twang 9/7/13

Johnny A.

40. Music to my ears ~ Artistic Temperament Scavenger Hunt

My Chinese friends here in Cebu taught me this simple prayer in Fookien, which means, "GIVE ME MONEY, JOHNNY".

Hahaha. How very Chinese, indeed. So, I now pray, "Ho gua chi, Johnnya" before this image.

Johnny A @ The Beacon Theatre, Hopewell Va.

On most weekends, Eddie and a bunch of his friends liked to jump in their trucks and attempt to conquer the terrain. Actually, this is something that Mr_johnnya used to love to do. from my matchbox dreams series

1. fenced in [105:365], 2. the red box, 3. Recall!, 4. Rue des Beaux-Arts, 5. the eye of a husky, 6. Spiral, 7. before the roasting, 8. ...., 9. Super Moon and Mow Cop, 10. A Wet Spring Equinox in Walkerville, 11. thank you, 12. Reflecting on 30 Years - England 1981., 13. 83/365, 14. 87/365, 15. me., 16. got the cerulean fishing blues, 17. I - 18 ~ on my card, 18. Last Day On The Hill, 19. Good Morning, Tuesday!, 20. France - Paris - Pompidou - Multicolour reflections sq, 21. Tongue of Concentration, 22. Beach Love, 23. into reality, 24. Untitled, 25. closeup, 26. Day 2.. ECM.. Power of the Frame., 27. A nicer pattern for a quilt, 28. Day 323 6th April 2011 Collecting Yellow, 29. monday green special, 30. This One's For You, 31. The Red Telephone, 32. DAY 5: ECM.. BLUE.., 33. Layered abstract, 34. 101/365, 35. water, 36. Infinite Variety Quilt Show

Created with fd's Flickr Toys

Johnny A with The Yardbirds at The Beacon Theatre, Hopewell Va.

Johnny A @ The Beacon Theatre, Hopewell Va.

Johnny A at the 26th Metro Fountain Blues Festival, at San Jose State University, San Jose, CA.

Johnny A at the 26th Metro Fountain Blues Festival, at San Jose State University, San Jose, CA.

Johnny A at the 26th Metro Fountain Blues Festival, at San Jose State University, San Jose, CA.

Johnny A at the 26th Metro Fountain Blues Festival, at San Jose State University, San Jose, CA.

Johnny A at the 26th Metro Fountain Blues Festival, at San Jose State University, San Jose, CA.

Yacouba Sissoko playing his kora with Regina Carter's Reverse Thread.

Included in the gallery random bandom: www.flickr.com/photos/mr_johnnya/galleries/72157632329668...

Johnny A at the 26th Metro Fountain Blues Festival, at San Jose State University, San Jose, CA.

Johnny A at the 26th Metro Fountain Blues Festival, at San Jose State University, San Jose, CA.

Johnny A at the 26th Metro Fountain Blues Festival, at San Jose State University, San Jose, CA.

Johnny A at the 26th Metro Fountain Blues Festival, at San Jose State University, San Jose, CA.

Johnny A at the 26th Metro Fountain Blues Festival, at San Jose State University, San Jose, CA.