BENJI MARTIN

This past Saturday, 5th September 2009, I've been fortunate to play at TimFest 2009.  It was a celebration of music as well as that of the birthday of its organiser, my good friend, Tim Webb of White Light.

White Light played a set, then I went on to play several songs,and  then the former played another set.  Afterwards, a mutual friend from my open mic nights at the Garage who calls himself Catfish, took the stage for his set, most of which I played percussion and harmonised.  After another musician, named Rusty, played only two songs, White Light closed out with another set, this time with myself jamming on two songs.

Playing at TimFest 2009 was a great experience for me because it allowed me to share my music in a longer set with a larger audience than at my open mic nights.  It was the closest thing to either Woodstock or Lollapalooza that I have ever come to to this day.  I hope to have this experieince again next year.

This past Friday evening, I went to the Celtic Cafe in Winston-Salem, NC, to see a performance by one of my favourite groups, White Light.  This band consists of three very good friends of mine from open mic at the Garage:  Drew Hoffmann on bass, Tim Webb on lead guitar, and Phillip Peace on harmonica and rhythm guitar.  Their style of music is acoustic rock 'n roll that is sung in the best three-part harmony in the business, and their set lists include a mix of original songs and covers of hits by Van Morrisson, Tom Petty, and Gene Vincent to name a few.

Be sure to click here to check out White Light's music, and tell 'em Benji sent ya!

Words cannot express enough how shocked and sadded I was to learn of the sudden death of one of my heroes, Michael Jackson, on 25th June 2009, but he has always been and always will be a huge inspiration to me both personally and musically. 

Michael's music was a huge part of my upbringing in the 80s and 90s.  My biggest memories were rocking out to songs from his Thriller album (i.e. "Billie Jean," "Beat It," "Wanna Be Startin' Something") in the back yard of my parents' house.  In fact, I remember my sister and our female first cousins calling themselves "The PYTs," after another song from Thriller.

Yes, Michael may hace come across a lot of personal, legal, and financial issues, but we should put all of that aside and reflect on the four-decade long musical legacy that he leaves behind.  My thoughts and prayers are with the entire Jackson family.

MAY YOU REST IN PEACE, MICHAEL.  WE LOVE YOU AND WILL MISS YOU!

By now, I am sure that you have seen or heard of the videotape that features and was produced by the two former Domino's Pizza employees in Concord, North Carolina. 

Not to be one to pass judgement, I tell you the following from my overall 14-year experieince as a food service worker in my hometown of Thomasville.  During this time, I have witnessed similar acts that were committed by some of my former co-workers (whose names shall not be mentioned).  I do not wish to discuss those actions publicly either, but it goes to show you that nobody is perfect, not even food service employees.  We all say and do thing that are unnecessary, and even though the Domino's tape was posted online, not all of us has the cajones to tell the rest of the world of our wrongdoings.

Sure, the tape is distasteful and inapproriate, and the people involved in its production will face a judge in a court of law, but God is the only true judge, and we will all stand before Him someday.  However, it is up to us to ask for His forgiveness for our wrongdoings and shortcomings.

By now, I am pretty sure that you have learned of some comments that have been made recently by radio commentator Michael Savage concerning autism.  I have never listened to or even heard of him, but as an autistic 34-year-old adult, I find those comments to be scathing, barbaric, and unnecassary.

Autism is real.  C'mon!  Did you know that 1 out of 150 children are diagnosed with this disability?  Did you know that it often goes undiagnosed?  Did you know that its source is unkown and that there is currently no cure?  Did you know that a lot of these kids are being teased for being different from others?  I was one of those children, and those times were so painful that it is not even funny.

Mr. Savage's implication that autism is a "fraud" and that his words were intended to "awaken children and adults" is really a bunch of baloney because he obviously does not know what it is like to live with this disorder.  I wish no ill will upon him and am not suggesting that he would be pulled off the air.  However, he needs to think about what he says and who it will affect before he says it.