Category: Music Life

John Mayall – A Special Life A Special Run Soundtrack!

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A Special Life - John Mayall

Reposted – Feb 17,2024 – ten years later….I was 62 ar the time of the run!

This week has been a topsy-turvy week. Monday it was in the 80s and then was  cloudy all day. Yesterday (Tuesday) it looked like it was going to rain and the temperatures were in the 60s!

Today (Thursday) it was supposed to be back into the 80s. So last night (Wednesday) I decided that I better run then or face another hot day running!

So of course today turned out a  lot like yesterday. However, I’m still glad that I ran last night!!  I decided to run on of my oldest routes, a slightly up and down run going up and down the highest point in Riverside on Pancoast Avenue.

The run was a good one. While I didn’t set any land speed records, I did feel fairly strong throughout the run. Well except when I was going up the steepest parts of Pancoast!! The only good thing is that I do get to go down hill for a good part of the last mile!!

The splits weren’t too bad. First mile 10:20 – Second 10:28, Third 11:04 – the uphill battle, 4 – 10:42.  Total Time was 42:34. When compared to Monday’s 44:54, it even looks better!!

The Soundtrack – A Special Life – John Mayall

On my last run I ran with on of the younger blues musicians, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, who by the way is celebrating his birthday today. Happy Birthday Kenny Wayne. So last night I decided to run with someone older than me, by almost two decades!! That would be “the godfather of the British Blues” John Mayall,who turned 80 last November. I ran withnbhis latest release A Special Life.

A Special Life is like Mayall’s gazillionth release since he formed the Bluesbeakers in 1965. I started to listen to Mayall during my freshman year in college with the first album that  I bought being The Turning Point and it has through the years been on of my favorites.This time period in Mayall’s music is my favorite. The Turning Point along with Jazz  Blues Fusion and Movin’ On are three of my favorite albums. I loved Johnny Almond’s sax and flute work and every body on the later two albums, Jazz Blues Fusion introduced me to the trumpet of Blue Mitchell. For most of the world John may be best know for the musicians who have been a part of the Bluesbreakers.

From Wikipedia here are of some ex-members of John’s band…..

  • Guitar: Eric Clapton, Roger Dean, Peter Green, Mick Taylor, Harvey Mandel, Freddy Robinson, Jimmy McCulloch, Kal David, Walter Trout, Coco Montoya, Randy Resnick,Sonny Landreth, Buddy Whittington, Eric Steckel, Robben Ford
  • Bass: Jack Bruce, John McVie, Steven Thompson[disambiguation needed], Larry Taylor, Tony Reeves, Hank Van Sickle, Greg Rzab
  • Drums: Hughie Flint, Keef Hartley, Aynsley Dunbar, Soko Richardson, Jon Hiseman, Colin Allen, Mick Fleetwood.
  • Keyboards: Dr. John
  • Vocals/Harmonica: Paul Butterfield

I think that the first time I heard Coco Montoya was on John’s 1987 release Chicago Line. What I didn’t realize until a short while back, was that Walter Trout also played on that album. Looking at the list of guitarist see that both Eric Steckel and Robben Ford have recorded with John, so I will certainly look up the albums they played on. 

The Current Bluesbreakers

The current lineup for the Bluesbreakers includes: Rocky Athas on guitar, Greg Rzab on bass, and drummer Jay Davenport. Rocky Athas and Stevie Ray Vaughan both hail from Oak Cliff, Texas.

By the time Athas was 23, he had already established himself on the Texas Blues scene and was named one of the first TEXAS TORNADOS by Buddy Magazine’s Top Ten Guitarists. The list of Texas Tornados went on over the years to include Eric Johnson, Jimmy and Stevie Ray Vaughan, ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, and Johnny Winter.

Both Greg Rzab and Jay Davenport grew up in the Chicago blues scene. Rzab has been a member of  Buddy Guy and jimmy Page’s bands, and Warren Hayes’ Gov’t Mule!

Davenport has likewise played with some top blues musicians including: Junior Wells, Valerie Wellington, Pinetop Perkins,Jimmie Johnson and for the last several years he has been the drummer for west-side guitarist Melvin Taylor,  where the other half of the rhythm section was? – Greg Rzab!!.

Last year, Mayall asked about his current band and he replied, “The band I have now is the best band I have EVER had. I think it would be impossible to do better than that!”

 

What American Blues Scene says about the album…..

Mayall is at the top of his game here, and the band comes together nicely, serving up some of the finest fare we’ve heard in a while. This music draws listeners in, and engages them on so many levels! The more we listened to A Special Life, the more we wanted to hear it. Superbly crafted and performed, it is at once earthy, elegant, and soul stirring. Listeners will wear this album out.

So Check IT out!!

The Video

Here’s “Speak of the Devil” from A Special Life – and I will say this may be my favorite track on the album and that I hope that I’m going as good as John, when I hit 80!!!

Kenny Wayne Shepherd – A Run With Thoughts About No Pain No Gain

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Kenny Wayne Shepherd Goin' Home

The Run – with Thoughts of No Pain… No Gain

You know the old saying No Pan No Gain …. Well, If there’s pain, there’s gain then I gained a lot from today’s run!! It has rained on a off all day today and when I set off on my run, I think the relative humidity was like 150% and the air was completely still and it certainly seemed that it had no way to ge air into my lungs!

Needless to say it was one of those runs when you just try to trick yourself, well if I only make 3 miles I’ll be happy, oh 3 down I can make one more mile, at 3.5 only one half mile to go, a snap!!

\Before you know it you’re done, both the four miles and you!! First mile 10:22, acceptable, second mile 10:35 still ok, third mile 11:32 ouch! Fourth mile 12:25 and no I didn’t walk any of it! Average pace 11:14 which is I guess ok!

You know what they say “At least you did it!” and I’ll live to run another day!!

The Soundtrack – Kenny Wayne Shephherd – Goin’ Hom

Now the soundtrack of the run was the new album from the Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band Goin’ Home and it’s a great album

However, t the last three tracks I heard on my run. which started with Buddy Guy’s “Cut You Loose” pointed my head in the wrong direction. .

The first line of the chorus is “I’m gonna throw my hands up and say “What’s the Use”  Now I know n that the song the singer is  not going to throw his hands yup that because he doesn’t want to run anymore, but the thought of taking that action did cross my mind!!

Next came “Born Under a Bad Sign” not really a positive mental attitude song now is it!!

And then as I finished “Still a Fool” and for running today, maybe I am, my wife would say that the name fits anybody who runs!

About the Soundtrack – Goin’ Home – Kenny Wayne Shepherd

Goin’ Home. was recorded in an 11-day whirlwind in Sheppard’s hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana.

The raw, righteous release finds Shepherd revisiting a dozen of the vintage blues classics that originally inspired him to pick up the guitar and pursue a life in music. He approaches the material with an intensity that affirms his deep connection to these time-tested classics.

On Goin Home, Shepherd’s sharp interpretive skills and sublime guitar work shine on his renditions of tunes originally popularized by such blues icons as B.B. King, Albert King, Freddie King, Muddy Waters, Magic Sam, Johnny “Guitar” Watson, Stevie Ray Vaughan,Buddy Guy and Junior Wells. Shepherd’s memorable readings of such beloved standards as “I Love the Life I Live,”

“The House Is Rockin’,” “Breaking Up Somebody’s Home” and “Born Under a Bad Sign,” along with some lesser-known tunes drawn deep from within the catalogues of his heroes. Shepherd’s new interpretations are faithful to the spirit of the originals, while serving as vibrant expressions of Shepherd’s musical soul.

My Thoughts

Kenny Wayne’s guitar work has never been better and the band composed of singer Noah Hunt, ex-Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble drummer Chris Layton, former Firm bassist Tony Franklin and keyboardist Riley Osbourn, is great, too, particularly Riley Osborn!

Now Kenny Wayne and his band are enough by themselves, but to make the album over the top great some guest were added to the mix! The guests include: Joe Walsh, Warren Haynes, Keb’ Mo’ and Robert Randolph, longtime friend Ringo Starr, Fabulous Thunderbirds frontman Kim Wilson,(that explains the great harp I heard) and the Rebirth Brass Band!!

So it’s a great album that will certainly be at the top of many best of 2014 lists!! So check it out (Press Release) it won’t be hard to find because it’s number 1 on Amazon and iTunes!

The Video

Here’s a great video for the song “You Can’t Judge a Book…” The song captures the spirit of the album!!

David Wilcox – blaze – Is It His Best?

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Blaze - David Wilcox

Update (2026): I rediscovered this post while adding an internal link from another playlist article, and it reminded me just how much I’ve enjoyed David Wilcox’s music over the years. Back in 2014 I thought blaze was one of his finest albums, and I still do. The good news is that David hasn’t stopped writing. Since then he’s released more music, which means it’s probably time for me to spend a few weeks revisiting his catalog—and, of course, listening to his latest album.

Re-Discovering David Wilcox

Daid Wilcox - with Guitar

Over the last few weeks, I’ve made reference to listening to David Wilcox’s new album blaze,  today I  listened to it again and I think it’s time i write something about the album!

Why I Keep Coming Back to David’s Music

For me David Wilcox has the whole package, he is an intelligent and thoughtful songwriter, a great singer and a terrific guitar player. What more could one ask for?

I’ve been listening to David since the late 80s when I heard him on the radio singing and discussing the titled track of his first album “The Nightshift Watchman” Which is a song about those people, who sit in underground bunkers watching the skies for a missile attack knowing full well that if they do their job, their job and the world as we know it may be over!!

You can read the lyrics here. Many of David’s eighteen releases can  be found in my music library and I feel that blaze is  one of his best albums.

Listening to blaze

blaze opens with “Oil Talkin’ to Ya'” which in David’s words is just a different way to look at the future when oil may not be around anymore, and maybe it won’t be as bad as we think. Because those dire predictions may just be the oil talkin’ to us!

Songs That Stay With You

The songs on the album cover a wide range of topics from the part we all play in the destruction of the environment in “Guilty by Degree” to a police officers thoughts on the senseless killing of a young child on the city streets “The Sacrifice”.

I love the imagery created in the songs “Drift” and “It’ll Work You” and how they both deal with change and rediscovery of one self!

Once again,  I feel that blaze is one of David’s finest albums, all of the songs are terrific,  and it is one of the best albums of 2014!!

You can watch a short video here in which David discusses the making of blaze. Meanwhile you can check out more about David and blaze at the usual places!

Learn More About David Wilcox

Website
Wikipedia
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Amazon

The Video

David performing “It’s Just the Oil Talkin’ to Ya!”

Jerry Jeff Covers Chris Wall and Bill Staines Songs! Live!

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Jerry Jeff Walker Live at Gruene Hall

Originally posted March 2014 revised and updated July 2026

2026 :Update:When I first started listening to Jerry Jeff Walker, I thought I had simply found another singer-songwriter I enjoyed. Looking back, I realize he became something much more. Through his albums he introduced me to an entire circle of songwriters—Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, Chris Wall, and Bill Staines—artists who have remained part of the soundtrack of my life ever since.

Through the Years – Jerry Jeff Walker and the Songwriters He Shared with Us

Through the years, Jerry Jeff Walker introduced me to a whole new world of great songwriters — folks like Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt who have become legends in their own right. But it doesn’t stop there. On his album Live at Gruene Hall, Jerry Jeff shines a light on two other stellar songwriters whose work may not be as widely known: Chris Wall and Bill Staines.

 

🎶 Jerry Jeff Covers 3 Chris Wall Tunes

Three songs by Chris Wall appear on Live at Gruene Hall:

  • I Feel Like Hank Williams Tonight
  • Trashy Women
  • Rodeo Wind

These covers turned me into a lifelong fan of Chris Wall’s storytelling. His songs are rooted in dusty plains and dancehalls, with characters that feel lived-in and true. Jerry Jeff’s renditions add that raw, boots-on-the-barroom-floor charm he always brought to a good tune.

Can’t you just see that cowboy out in the barn saddling his horse, with his woman leaning in the doorway, as he gets ready to ride off into the sunset?

🌾 Jerry Jeff Covers Bill Staines’ “The Quiet Faith of Man”

The other songwriter Jerry Jeff salutes on Gruene Hall is Bill Staines, a beloved folk troubadour. If you’re not familiar with him, here’s a bit from his official biography:

For more than forty years, Bill traveled back and forth across North America, singing his songs and delighting audiences at festivals, coffeehouses, and concerts. A New England native, he got his start in the 1960s Boston folk scene, even emceeing the Sunday Hoot at the legendary Club 47 in Cambridge. A reviewer once called him “simply Boston’s best performer,” and he remained a top name on folk radio listener polls for decades.

The song Jerry Jeff chose — “The Quiet Faith of Man” — is, in my humble opinion, one of Bill’s most powerful and moving pieces.

🐾 Bill Staines Sings Bill Staines – “Old Dogs”

To wrap things up, here’s one more Staines gem — Old Dogs, a song that’s tender, wise, and every bit as timeless as the quiet folks it celebrates.

 

The Birthday Celebration for JJW Continues with “Ramblin’ Scramblin'” and “Morning Song to Sally”

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JJW- Driftin' Way of Life

First Posted March 2014 revised and updated Junw 2026

So return with me now to those thrilling days of yesteryear, the year was 1969, I was a naïve eighteen year-old and sometime during that year. probably on Gen Shay’s show on WDAS-FM this song from Jerry Jeff Walker.

Reflections about Ramblin’ Scrambblin’ from JJW

You know I don’t think I’d ever heard a song that included a drop kick in the crotch or someone getting rolled, let alone in the same song!!

The song came from Jerry Jeff’s second album, Driftin’ Way of Life. ” Through the years, “Ramblin’ Scramblin'” along with “Drifting Way of Life” and “Morning Song to Sally” became my my favorite songs from the album

And About the Diversity o the Music of JJW

. Thinking about JJW and his music, one thing I like about his music is that in one song he can be all “Gonzo” and the next minute he can be singing something as nice and beautiful as “Morning Song to Sally” and a bonus song “I Makes Money” from the album Mr Bojangles

So before we break out the “Sangria Wine” and “Redneck Mother”, let’s go “into the night” with “Morning Song to Sally”

2026 Post Update

Jerry Jeff Walker passed away in 2020, but for those of us who first heard him back in those late-sixties and early-seventies days, the music still sounds just as alive, funny, reckless and heartfelt as it did coming out of the FM radio all those years ago.

If you are just discovering the music of Jerry Jeff or If you’re a fan visit Jerry Jeff’s website to see What’s New

Musical Thoughts about that Parent Child Relationship (Videos)

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Oliver 3

As I was working along last night at Target, my thoughts drifted back to Andrew, Meaghan and little Oliver and the perilous journey that they are embarking on.

We took that trip four times, well maybe we’re still on the journey, and it seems that the results so far, have been very successful! But it’s a tough trip. There are many obstacles along the way. Many wrong words to say, many wrong actions to take. All you can do is try to keep them safe and try to help them develop a strong moral character.

Often as my children were growing I told them, “you know what’s right and what’s wrong so do the right thing! Finally love them unconditionally. That doesn’t mean that they can’t be wrong, or do things that you don’t like. At that point in time, you may not like them very much but you never stop loving them!!

And beyond those things you just hope for the best! And I think we got it right so far!!

Anyway, here are three songs that floated into the jukebox in my head!

The first one “Younger Generation” was a part of my life in the early 70s, at a time when I was in college and maybe a bit rebellious, but it always made me stop and think about what it would be like to look at the relationship from the other side!

The last two first “Father and Son” from Yosuf Islam (Cat Stevens)and then Tom Rush “Child’s Song” talk about those middle stages of the parent child relationship, again these songs came into my life in the 70s when I was in those stages and made me think about what it’s like on both sides of the divide, and maybe how we never should let that divide get too wide!!

So Meg, Andrew and Oliver good luck and I know you two know the right things to do to create a loving and nurturing environment for Oliver! Beyond that Best of Luck!!

John B Sebastian – “Younger Generation”

Yusuf/Cat Stevens – “Father & Son”

Tom Rush – “Child’s Song”

Jerry Jeff Walker “Quiet Faith of Man”

Quiet Faith of Man

A baby child is born along the highway
A tiny little thing upon the land
An okie with his dreams out on the byway
Lifts the tiny baby in his hand
The woman smiles a little smile of knowing
And whispers something softly in his ear
Perhaps a little prayer to help the growing
Perhaps a word of comfort through the fears.

You trust the moon to move the mighty ocean
You trust the sun to shine upon the land
You take the little that you know
And you do the best you can
You see the rest with the quiet faith of man.

Words and Music by Bill Staines

Post Update 2026

Since this post was written in Marh of 2014 four more grandchildren have been added to our family

Zoe – daughter of son Peter and Melissa (Sept 2014)

Logan – son of Peter and Melissa (Jan 2017)

Emma – daugher of daughter ELizabeth and Marcus Rego (Feb 2023)

Lucas – son of daughter Elizabeth and Marcus (May 2025)

I have had the honor to babysit all of them! And watched them grow with the Quiet Faith of this man, So far so good!

Mandolin Picker Jethro Burns born March 10, 1920!

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 Jethro Burns of Homer & Jethro one helluva good mandolin picker!!

 

On this day in March 10th in 1920 “Jethro”Burns was born in north Georgia. When he was young his family moved to,Tennessee

 Since Jethro passed away in 1989, many of you young whippersnappers may not know of him, but Jethro was a fantastic mandolin player and one-half of the country musical comedy team of Homer & Jethro. Homer’s real name was Henry D Haynes and they started performing together in 1936!

Jethro Burns Musical Legacy

From Wikipedia:

Burns was a highly-influential mandolin stylist, preferring clean single-note jazzy melodies and sophisticated chords over the dominant bluegrass stylings of Bill Monroe, and since he performed mostly in a country music setting, introduced many country mandolinists to sophisticated jazz harmonies and improvisational techniques, as well as standards from the songbooks of Duke Ellington, Django Reinhardt and Cole Porter. Read More

In his later years he taught a master’s class in mandolin jazz.

Jethro Burns & Steve Goodman Musical Magic

While I saw Jethro in the 60s an 70s on shows like the Johnny Cash Show an Hee Haw, I am most familiar with his mandolin playing from the years he spent with playing and touring with Steve Goodman. Both Jethro’s sense of humor and great mandolin picking blended perfectly with Steve and his music!

Steve once said this about Jethro:

“I never heard him play or say anything that wasn’t the very thing that everyone else in the room wished they had played or said.” How did he do it? His special skill was to mix equal parts mischief and genius. (While keeping his tongue firmly in cheek at all times!). A large part of his appeal can be summed up in his philosophy of “No matter where you go, there you are!”

Here’s a very good profile of Jethro from Dawgnet.com You can also check out some of their new music while you’re there! Dawgnet.com

So let’s start our week with a great song from Homer & Jethro. And say Happy Birthday to Jethro Burns and hope that he and Homer are making somebody laugh somewhere today!!

Rod Picott – Hang Your Hopes on a Crooked Nail!

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Rod Picott -Hang Your Hopes on a Crooked Nail
Rod Picott

Rod Picott has been friends with Slaid Cleaves since they first met in the 2nd grade in the Maine town of South Berwick where they both grew up.

Slaid left South Berwick went to Tufts University and eventually ended up moving to Austin, Texas with wife Karen in  1991, where he has lived and recorded since then

. Picott left Maine and spent a few years in Colorado, before moving to Nashville in 1994. Where spent several years playing at local clubs and sharpening his skills as a songwriter, he wrote songs for the likes of Fred Eaglesmith and worked and occasionally opened for Alison Krauss.I

Rod Picot -At Quick Look at His Musical History

Hn 2001  Rod released his first solo album Tiger Tom Dixon’s Blues which was named after his great-uncle, a boxer during the Great Depression.

Slaid included the song on his album Wishbones. Rod’s album also included his version of “Broke Down”, which he co-wrote with Slaid. The song had been the title track on Slaid’s break-through second release on the Rounder-Philo label.

Since his first release Rod has released eight more albums and his Americana star has risen with each release. I am most familiar with the last two releases 2011’s Welding Burns which is a terrific album and his current release Hang Your Hopes on a Crooked Nail.

About Hang Your Coat on a Crooked Nail

The songs on Hang Your Hopes on a Crooked Nail are varied just like life. They cover lost love “You Ain’t Missing Anything”, the resilience of people reflected in the little “Bluebonnet”, the simple joy of owning a “65 Falcon”, life in a small town “Where No One Knows your Name”,  to the end on life in “?Milkweed” and the closing song “Nobody Kno

So if you are familiar with rod’s music this album is a must for your collection and if you’re not it’s a great place to start!

Rod’s Website
Facebook
Twitter
Wikipedia
Amazon

The Video

Here’s Rod singing about his “65 Falcon”!

Christina Skjolberg from Norway – Come and Get It

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Christina Skjolberg

So right now Christina Skjolberg may be one of Norway’s best kept secrets, but after this years Blues Caravan  Tour rolls across Europe and around the world she may not be. Skjolberg is a dynamite blues woman who Ruf Records has signed and released her début album Come and Get It!

About Christina Skjolberg

The left-handed young female guitar wiz was born and raised on  the island of Smøla outside Kristiansund on the northwest coast of Norway.She has been playing guitar since she was twelve and was inspired by fellow lefty Jimi Hendrix.

Night after night Christina would wow them at clubs across Norway, where she caught the eye of Thomas Ruf of Ruf Records who saw her talent signed her and paved the way to her début release and a spot on his Blues Caravan 2014.

Accompanying her on the Caravan are fellow blues artists Albert Castiglia and Laurence Jones,

Christina’s Band

Her band composed of Brynjulf Blix on Hammond B3 organ. Blix has been playing Blues, Jazz and Rock across Norway with various bands for the last 40 years!, and Tore Slåttsveen who plays rhythm guitar and provides background vocals. Like Blix, Tore has played across Norway with various bands like Little Andrew & the Blue Masters, Triple T and The Mojo Workers.

Thoughts About – Come and Get It

Come and Get it - Christina Skjolberg

Come and Get It is a great album, Christina’s guitar is smoking when it needs to be and her vocals are hard-rocking or sultry when the song calls for it. Blix on organ really is an added bonus on several tracks!! All in All the album is a winner and I’m confident that you’ll be hearing a lot more from Ms. Skjolberg in the future!!

2026 Post Update

I guess I assumed Christina would follow the same path as many other Blues Caravan artists and eventually release a whole bunch of albums. That’s why I was honestly surprised to discover that since this post first appeared in 2014 she has released only one additional solo release, 2022’s I’m on Fire.

Listen to the tracks below and see if you agree she deserved more.

The Playlist

Here is a six pack pkaylist. It includes three tracks from each of her solo albums. Check Her Music Out!

s

Mark Erelli -“Volunteers” as we go “into the morning”

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So tonight I was thinking, I would post a song from one of my favorite folksinger songwriters.

The first one that popped into my head was John Gorka, thoughts of John were quickly replaced by thoughts of Mark Erelli. I listened to Mark’ most recent release Little Vigils the other night and was reminded of what a great songwriter he is.

So  I thought that I’d post a video, maybe of one of my early favorites songs “They do it every day” but there was no Youtube video,for the song. Then I thought “Compass and Companion” Then I spotted this video for his song “Volunteers” on Don Was’ My Damn Channel and I listened once again to this powerful song and again was blown away!

Don Was On Mark Erelli

Mark Erelli is a great singer/songwriter/guitarist from Massachusetts with a masters degree in Molecular Biology. He regularly tours with Iris DeMent, Catie Curtis and Lori McKenna. Music critics have lauded his latest album, Hope and Other Casualties. Regardless of where you fall in the political spectrum, his brand new song, Volunteer, will provoke some consideration.

The Video

The video was posted in 2007 at Don’s channel and while we are still not fighting the war, there are many volunteers,who are still out there fighting their own private wars and fighting the effects of being that volunteer!! So let’s go “into the morning” with Mark and “Volunteers”