Music - Portland Tuba Concert

Portland, Oregon Saturday December 13, 2025 - Video clips of the 34th Annual Tuba Christmas Concert at Pioneer Plaza in war ravaged Portland, Oregon. Over 300 tubas, sousaphones & euphoniums played Christmas melodies in one of the largest tuba concerts in the country.

SOUND ON🎧

CLICK HERE ☝

TILOTD - Blinded by the Light

Things I Learned On This Day - The 1976 song "Blinded by the Light" made popular by Manfred Mann's Earth Band was actually written by Bruce Springsteen. According to Wikipedia,the Manfred Mann's Earth Band's recording of the song changed some lyrics. The most prominent change was in the chorus, where Springsteen's "cut loose like a deuce" was replaced with either "revved up like a deuce" or "wrapped up like a deuce". The lyric is a reference to the 1932 V8-powered Ford automobile, which hot-rod enthusiasts dubbed the "deuce coupe" (the "deuce" coming from the 2 in 1932, the first year the V8 was available). 

Fun Fact: Springsteen was fond of classic hot rods in his youth, hence the line "revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night". As the line is frequently misheard as "wrapped up like a douche", Springsteen has joked about confusion over the lyrics, claiming that it was not until Manfred Mann rewrote the song to be about a feminine hygiene product that it became popular.

TILOTD - Kumbaya

Things I Learned On This Day - The old folk song, Kumbaya was actually a black spiritual song that originated in the coastal regions of southeast United States sometime before 1926. According to Wikipedia, the song was originally sung by enslaved blacks in an appeal to God to come to the aid of those in need. The title, Kumbaya is thought to be a translation of "Come by here" in the creole Gullah language. While the song began as a spiritual, it later took on new meanings. During the folk revival of the 1950's and 1960's, Kumbaya became a popular campfire song and eventually became a protest song in support of civil rights and other causes. Ironically, during the 1980's, the song began to take on the meaning of being too  unrealistic and touchy-feely. According to an article by Mental Floss, "the backlash against “Kumbaya” may have started because it had become a staple at children’s summer camps, which sometimes led to it being thought of as saccharine and silly. So now "Kumbaya" is synonymous with naïvety as in the cynical phrase kumbaya moment. From a spiritual, to a campfire song, to a protest anthem, to a derisive phrase, “Kumbaya” is a song with a complicated history.

TILOTD - In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida

Things I Learned On This Day - The 1968 song In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida by Iron Butterfly was actually a love song from Adam to Eve in the biblical Garden of Eden. In my younger days, I used to play the heck out of this record  but I only recently discovered that the title is a mispronounciation of "In A Garden of Eden". According to Wikipedia, organist-vocalist Doug Ingle wrote the song one evening while drinking an entire gallon of Red Mountain wine. When the inebriated Ingle later played the song for drummer Ron Bushy, who wrote down the lyrics for him, Ingle slurred his words so badly that what was supposed to be "In The Garden of Eden" was misinterpreted by Bushy as "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida". 

Fun Fact: In The Simpsons episode "Bart Sells His Soul", Bart passes out a song to be sung in church as a hymn entitled "In the Garden of Eden" allegedly composed by "I. Ron Butterfly". 

Portland Waterfront Blues Festival

Pics & vids from the 36th annual Portland Waterfront Blues Festival July 2, 2023. Hard to believe the last time I went to the Portland Waterfront Blues Festival was 2010. The WFB Festival is a four-day annual event that first started in 1988 and is the largest blues festival west of the Mississippi River. This year included legendary Buddy Guy, Shemeka Copeland and one of my favorites, Rick Estrin & The Nightcats. Was a good day and thankfully, not too hot. Also got to use my somewhat new Insta360 camera and take some 360-degree photos and videos (links below).

Larry & me at the 36th annual WFB Festival

Portland WFB Festival (Click for 360 degree view)

Rick Estrin & The Nightcats - Video

Shemeka Copeland - Video