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Int'l Business Times
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Int'l Business Times
Democratic Lawmaker Mocked After Singing Anti-Trump Song for 'Black Music Month': 'Don't Give Up Your Day Job'
Georgia Rep. Hank Johnson posted his own rough rendition of Jimi Hendrix's "Hey Joe"—rewritten as an anti-Trump protest song—in honor of Black Music Month. Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) was met with mockery online after posting a video of himself playing a rendition of Jimi Hendrix's "Hey Joe"—rewritten as an anti-Trump protest song—in honor of Black Music Month. June is Black Music Month. This year, I decided to come back with another jam session for you all. Here is my rendition of "Hey Joe" by the Godfather of Rock, Jimi Hendrix. — Rep. Hank Johnson (@RepHankJohnson) June 18, 2025 Armed with a Fender Stratocaster, Johnson introduced the video by saying he was "just learning to play guitar" and asked viewers not to "hold it against" him. He then launched into a politically charged performance featuring lyrics such as, "Hey Trump, where you goin' with that gun in your hand? / I'm going down the street to shoot down democracy." Critics from across the political spectrum blasted the 3-minute performance as awkward and poorly executed, seizing on the off-key guitar and partisan lyrics. Bro, wtf did I just watch? — Tesp (@Therealtesp) June 19, 2025 "Don't give up your day job," one user quipped. "Dude, put that guitar down and take more lessons," urged one comment, with several encouraging him to "maybe try tuning the guitar first." Heyyy Hank,Please tune that dang guitar if you can,Heyyy Hank, Please tune that dang guitar if you can — The Doctor (@TennantRob) June 19, 2025 Others expressed secondhand embarrassment, with comments like, "The cringe level in this is immeasurable," and, "My God this man is an absolute embarrassment. Do Democrats meet on Zoom every morning to see who can be the most ridiculous person of the day? — Original Settler (@MAPatriot1630) June 20, 2025 The backlash comes amid heightened political tensions nationally, and some users contrasted the lighthearted jam session with ongoing global conflicts and domestic crises. "We're on the brink of unnecessary war and this is what you're doing?" one user wrote. We are not a serious country. 🤡 — Leeleeliberty (@Leeleeliberty11) June 19, 2025 Despite the negative reaction, Johnson framed the performance as a tribute to Black musical heritage and a personal expression of political concern. Critics, however, appear more focused on his musical chops than his message. Originally published on Latin Times © Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Irish Independent
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Cork streets cultivated Rory Gallagher's musical talents, says brother Dónal
Rory Gallagher was born in Ballyshannon, Donegal, and spent his early formative years in the city of Derry, but it was Cork that gave the blues genius his musical upbringing. Living in the heart of the city, on McCurtain Street, Rory thrived off the city's up-and-coming music scene, and famously bought his 1961 Fender Stratocaster, reportedly the first in Ireland, at Crowley's Music Shop. 'Rory grew up in the heart of the city,' said Dónal, at the launch of a number of new initiatives to honour the musician at City Hall. 'We had been up and down, but this was the final stay. We lived in Sidney Park, then the Douglas Road, and then finally the Well Road. 'Coming from the north, Rory had opened his ears to a lot of music. When we were in Derry, it was where the Americans were based for the Second World War and stayed for the Cold War, so we would listen to American radio. 'Then, we came down to Cork, and you suddenly found that you were in one of the main streets of the city. The whole culture and internationalism of the city, because there was still shipping going on in Cobh. "We lived in a bar on McCurtain Street and got to know all the characters, of all sorts: educated men, dockers, whatever, right across the board. It was a very easy city then, and due to its size it was a nice urban place for Rory, who was already developing his songs, talent, and music, and could identify with what other cities were like. 'He was out on the streets.' Dónal, speaking right across the road from his very first school (the Model school, now the site of a courthouse), says that the city was extremely kind to both himself and his brother, who returned regularly to play concerts at the City Hall, which are woven into the city's lore by those who attended (as well as the many who claim to have!). 'It wasn't a bit intimidating, traversing the city over and back to go to school from McCurtain Street. On my mother's side of the family, there were tons of cousins – more than we had in Derry – so to have that was all good.' Dónal would act for many years as his older brother's right-hand man. A manager, and mentor, and carving a path few, if any, Irishmen had done before. However, it could have been so different if he had been a bit more sensitive in his youth. 'I got fired once by Rory for dissent on stage,' Dónal told the many amassed at City Hall to celebrate the launch of the campaign about some of Rory's earliest gigs. 'He'd gotten on so well that they had asked for an encore, so he asked me to come on stage and do my party piece, which was 'The Scottish Solder', because I could do the accent. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more 'I started off with the song, and Rory started to join in with the guitar. So I stopped and I said to him 'there's no guitar on this', so the next thing it was all over, at seven years of age I was fired!' 'Cork Rocks for Rory' is the first major attempt by the city to truly commemorate the life and times of a man who was counted by many of his peers as the best guitarist to walk the earth. Cork City Council have worked alongside members of the family, as well as Sheena Crowley in a number of events in memory of the former member of Taste, and successful solo artist, 30-years on from his death. While last weekend, the main roadway at Cork Airport was renamed 'Rory Gallagher Avenue'. 'All four corners of Ireland have Rory at their heart, and each town has its own story,' said Dónal. 'People of all races, creeds, and colour, see Rory as a model person. He was very modest, but who actually travelled the world and brought Irish music and culture as well. 'Even though he was playing rock and roll, his talent paved the way for Irish musicians thereafter. There had almost been a stigma that if you're Irish, you can't play modern music. When Rory broke down those barriers, people began to take Ireland more seriously and went to look at the talent in Ireland. 'And of course, they found a goldmine!' For that, Rory and indeed the city can thank Mike Crowley's decision to allow a young Gallagher to purchase the Stratocaster for £100 on credit, whose previous owner belonged to Jim Conlon, of the Royal Showband, who decided to sell the guitar because its colour wasn't exactly what Conlon had in mind. Mike's daughter Sheena, who remembers as a 16-year-old the then revered Gallagher coming into the shop regularly to talk tech with her Dad, was a key part of the success of the exhibition, attending the auction in Bonhams to purchase a number of items, and many prospective buyers backed off once they learned why she was present. 'You'd be on a high thinking about it really,' Sheena said at the launch. 'You'd be thinking about what my Dad must have been thinking, what Rory would be thinking, it's fabulous really. 'I'm absolutely buzzing,' said the owner of Crowley's Music shop, adding that she would like to soon scale up to a larger premises, having vacated their shop on McCurtain Street in August 2013, before reopening a new shop on Friar Street a decade later. Rory's nephew, Eoin, has now been living in Cork for the past 20 years, following in both his uncle's and father's footsteps, and has continued the family's impact on the city through over a decade's work in the arts, before focusing full-time on keeping alive his uncle's legacy. 'When you're born into a family where you have someone like Rory Gallagher, who's just your uncle starting out. When you become a teenager, you get into your own music, and then Rory died, and when you compare contemporary stuff, you see how great he was and the talent that he had. 'Newer generations are finding out about him and seeing the lineage that traces the music they like, all the way back to him, so there's always work to be done!' The new project has all taken place within a whirlwind four months, that saw constant collaboration between Eoin and City Council, in securing vital exhibits for the Cork Public Museum in Fitzgerald's Park and in the atrium of City Hall, as well as a number of other exhibitions across the city, complimented by a 'Stompin' Ground' walking train, which acts as a permanent legacy, 'highlighting the places and streets that were Rory's stompin' ground' across Cork. 'Cork City Council have been absolutely fantastic in their help. It's been intense but everyone has worked extremely hard, and I'm very optimistic about the future in honouring Rory and his Cork roots. 'I think he would be extremely proud, especially in his hometown. He was a fantastic musician, but at the end of the day he's our Rory, from our Cork, our man.'
Chicago Tribune
13-06-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Custom-building and repairing guitars leads to the start of a new South Elgin business
Ed Snoble has been custom-building guitars and repairing guitars, banjos and other stringed instruments for the last 30 years. Oh, and he also loves a good cup of coffee. Combine the three and you'll come up with the Penguin Guitar Co., a new South Elgin business through which you can get all of the above. 'Ed lives on coffee,' said Kenny Potilechio, who's responsible for the company's marketing, outreach and social media. When he and Snoble were putting together merchandise to promote the new business, they found that small batch coffee roaster Rock Creek Coffee would provide them with beans they could sell under their own label. You can buy 12 ounces of ground medium roast for $19.54 along with an assortment of T-shirts, ball caps, hoodies and other items on their website. But building guitars from scratch, improving/enhancing existing instruments and repairing/restoring them for customers is their bread and butter. The launch of business began with a ghost story, of sorts, Potilechio said. Snoble, a financial planner at BMO, has been a member of the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra board since 2019. For its 2021 fundraising gala, he donated an auction item: a custom-built guitar he named 'Ghost' for its pale color. The winning bidder gave the guitar to Potilechio as a gift. Potilechio has been playing guitar with bands and as an acoustic performer for more than 20 years. Impressed with the instrument, he sought out Snoble to repair guitars he already owned and two make two new ones. That connection led to a friendship that led to the creation of the Penguin Guitar Co., which can be found online at Snoble's own music history began when he first picked up a guitar about 40 years ago. By the late 1990s/early 2000s he was playing with Chicago-area cover bands and learning firsthand just how expensive it can be to maintain stage-ready gear. 'My desire to learn and to save a few dollars is what sparked a desire to modify my own guitars,' Snoble said. He started by tinkering with his Fender Stratocaster, changing its bridge pickup to give the guitar a different sound, he said. 'I was hooked. I then started modifying instruments for my friends. They loved to play them but hated to do the maintenance to keep them stage-ready,' he said. Snoble started making his own guitars, and his work became more elaborate as he refined his skills over the years. He now prides himself on the custom work he can produce, he said. 'We help artists materialize the guitar that is in their head, the one they are dreaming of,' Snoble said He's assisted by his 14-year-old son. 'Eddie has been helping out since he was 5 years old. His favorite part is soldering the electronics inside of the guitar,' Snoble said. The teen also contributed providing business' name, which comes from Eddie's favorite animal. Ordering a custom-made instrument from Penguin Guitar Co. means the buyer gets to choose everything — type of wood, fret height, bridge type, body style, hardware and finish color — owner Ed Snoble says. (Penguin Guitar Co.)Commissioned guitars start at about $1,000 and typically take six to eight weeks. Buyers get to choose everything from the type of wood used to body style, hardware type, bridge height, finish color and other features. In addition to repairs, Snoble also does electrical upgrades and fret dressing. It's all done by appointment only by emailing Snoble at ed@ While a labor of love, for now Snoble and Potilechio, who sells wireless microphones for Nady Systems, will be keeping their day jobs. 'Making guitars and repairing stringed instruments is therapeutic for me,' Snoble said. 'Ninety-nine percent of the work is done by hand. It is slow and tedious work that requires a lot of focus and attention. It's very calming work in a world that moves so fast.'
RTÉ News
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
'Celebrate his genius' - Cork to rock for Rory Gallagher anniversary
From the main roadway into Cork Airport being named after him, to concerts, exhibitions and a city-wide walking trail, the 30th anniversary of the death of guitarist Rory Gallagher is being widely marked this weekend in Cork City. Cork Rocks for Rory festival is supported by both Cork city and county councils. Announcing details of the memorial weekend, Lord Mayor of Cork Councillor Dan Boyle said marking the 30th anniversary of his passing allows the city to "celebrate his genius". While born in Co Donegal in 1948, the blues and rock guitarist who was widely regarded as a virtuoso, grew up in Cork City. This is the first time the city has celebrated his international career on such a large scale. Last October, his famous 1961 Fender Stratocaster guitar was purchased at auction for just over €1 million by Live Nation Gaiety Limited and donated to the National Museum of Ireland. Fans, new and old, are expected to flock to the city to mark the 30th anniversary of his death in 1995 from complications after a liver transplant. Thousands attended his funeral service at the Church of the Holy Ghost, while his grave with its sunburst headstone in St. Oliver's Cemetery remains a must-see for fans. Tomorrow, Taoiseach Micheál Martin will officially name the main roadway within Cork Airport 'the Rory Gallagher Road'. He will be joined by members of the Gallagher family, among them his brother and manager, Donal Gallagher. A brand-new permanent walking trail 'Stompin Ground' will mark out the venues where the guitar legend played and the places that shaped his life. Cork City Hall, which hosted his legendary home town Christmas concerts, will host a photographic exhibition of never before seen images. 🎸 Cork Rocks for Rory🎼 ℹ️ Opening on June 14, to mark 30 year's since his passing, an exhibition about Rory Gallagher's Early Years in Cork up to Taste MK2 will be launched. 📍 Cork City Council Atrium 🕐 10 - 4 - Monday - Friday 📅 Open until July 4 — Cork City Council (@corkcitycouncil) June 5, 2025 The Cork Public Museum's is hosting 'The Continental Op' exhibition which Curator Dan Breen says includes family archives, and a number of instruments including the mandolin on which 'Going to My Hometown' was most often played. The city already has a Rory Gallagher Music Library at Cork's main public library. A collection of Rory's writings can be found on display, as well as selections from his personal vinyl and book collections including detective novels, and his Beatles 'Revolver' album.
Irish Daily Mirror
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
'Slash froze when he saw Rory's guitar'
RORY Gallagher is goin' to his hometown... one more time. The life of the legendary bluesman will be celebrated in Cork, where he was reared, with a series of events over the next few weeks to mark the 30th anniversary of his death. It's an emotional time for Dónal Gallagher, the late guitarist's brother and long-time manager. 'It's very satisfying, compared to some times when it almost seemed like Rory was being airbrushed out of rock music history,' says Dónal. 'To see newer generations finding him now is quite incredible. 30 years on, that he's getting honoured in such a manner of different ways is great.' On Saturday, a new road at Cork Airport will be named in his honour and three exhibitions dedicated to Gallagher's life and music will open in the city where he grew up as part of 'Cork Rocks For Rory'. 'The one at City Hall is a photographic exhibition of his early years,' says Dónal. 'The library are doing one about his songwriting and also about how he'd become a bit of a hidden cult figure in the world of comics in the US. 'The museum is the more general one with posters and guitars. There's quite a collection of guitars. And that rolls into the Joe Bonamassa dates.' Blues great Bonamassa will play Gallagher's music for three nights at the Marquee in Cork next month and there have been rumours Rory's famous Fender Stratocaster guitar will make an appearance. 'I've no idea,' says Dónal, laughing. 'I'm sure Joe would love that to happen, but it's in the hands of the museum people and they have their work to do. 'There's so many of the other of Rory's instruments have been offered around, so I'm sure he won't be short on guitars.' The Strat was bought at auction last year for over €1m and gifted back to the State to be displayed at the National Museum in Dublin. Dónal is still amazed at the effect the battered Strat has on some of the world's greatest guitarists. 'Johnny Marr's a great guy. He used to ring up to get a 'fix' of playing Rory's Strat,' said Dónal. 'He'd take it out, either at my house or the office, and he'd sit there in a corner just playing it. It was wonderful to see. 'The instrument, while it's not human, you feel it's orphaned. So it's great to see it get a good cuddle of sorts, especially from a guitarist like Johnny. 'Instruments need to be played. I don't play, so I couldn't do that. I think other family members were intimidated in some ways. 'I remember seeing Slash and the guitar was brought across to Dublin some years ago when he was playing. 'The guitar went to his dressingroom and he couldn't actually play it. He sort-of froze.' Gallagher was born in Ballyshannon, before moving to Cork at a young age, where he later cut his teeth on the showband circuit. Dónal collected a huge amount of material during his brother's career, going right back to the earliest days and went through much of it for the RTÉ documentary Calling Card last year. 'Very emotional, you're going back in your life as well as forwards,' said Dónal. 'It's not just about the career, it's sharing your life with your brother, it's loss as well. Particularly as we were the only two siblings. That leaves quite a void. 'I'm more fortunate than most that it's such a well-recorded life. 'We used to perform together at a very early age, do church socials, until I got fired! Even from nine or 10 years old Rory was destined for things. I found I'd collected something on everything he was doing. 'He had such an amazing life. He achieved what he wanted to achieve as a musician, which was his primary goal.' Gallagher died on June 14, 1995, at the age of just 47. 30 years after his death his music is still finding new fans and still inspiring new generations of musicians. He's even on this year's Leaving Cert. 'A cousin of mine, his daughter, who is a budding musician herself. She couldn't believe it to see the question on the Leaving Cert Irish exam,' said Dónal. 'That's quite something when you come into a Leaving Cert. I wish I'd got one like that.' Cork Rocks For Rory starts on June 14
