Interview with Randall Bramblett

Picture provided by Randall Bramblett

Athens, Ga native, Randall Bramblett, has built staple noteriety in the city. Rich Mullinax states he has toured with notable bands such as, WideRaitt has recorded a couple of his songs.

Bramblett began an early start in music at the age of 4, when he started playing the piano. Around the age of 12 he began playing the zaxophone, and guitar. Through the years his major influence has been Soul Music. Some bands, and musicians that influenced him include, Motown, and Bob Dylan. The Civil Rights Movement was also a huge factor in incfluencing him when it occured.

Since he has began performing, Bramblett has been able to play many shows. Some of his favorite shows were with other muscians including, Greg Cargnie, and Radio City Hall. The best part of the concert experience he says is, "being able to play with other muscians,".

As Bramblett continues on with his goal of writing, and making a living of music he looks at how his music has evolved. "There is a common thread of Soul Music, and it is more authentic now," he said. His music includes them of lost, questions, humor, and spirtuality that have lasted through the years.

Bramblett reassures fan that they can find him travelling the future, and that he is currently in the process of writing new songs. 

Book Review: Kimberly Kennedy's Left At the Altar

     Left at the Altar was a book I instantly knew I wanted to read when I read over the description at Booksneeze. I was looking forward to beginning reading it after receiving the book. Kimberly Kennedy reflects on probably one of the most difficult moments of her life, being rejected. I don't know anyone who can't relate to this feeling in some way, so I was hoping my expectations would meet what I had set for it.
    Kennedy probably encountered rejection in one the worst ways when she was left at the altar. The book is well organized as she begins her story, and then transitions into the various ways that people have faced rejection. Mostly women dealing with divorce it seems. I felt since the book focused more on women who seemed at a different stage of life, it was probably narrowing it's audience when the subject matter could have been relatable to all females at any age. Overall though the book was still very relatable, and insightful. I definitely took something from the book after reading it.
     Another thing I liked about the book was how it utilized the Bible, and helped you realize things about some of the people featured there that you may have not considered before. The emphasis on placing our value on how God will always be with us despite how men may treat us througout life was refreshing to read.  Hearing the men's views about rejecting someone also reminded women that instead of becoming bitter toward men we should realize that everyone is human, and usually people have been on both sides of rejections.
      There were many other valuable lessons in this book, such as being patient with God's timing. I know personally that is something I have been having to remind myself.  I really enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to any female whether they are single or married. It causes us to realize we are all facing the hurt of rejection at whatever stage of life we're at.

 I received this copy of  Left at the Altar from Thomas Nelson in exchange for a review

Reflections on Books I Read in January

I'm going to be attempting to blog my thoughts on books I read each month. Here's my reflections on the batch I read this January!

I've read only a few other of Ernest Hemingway's stories. This one was a bit different, but the woman in it still seemed to be the same stereotype included in the other stories.  Overall the story was interesting, but the character's struggled to be developed because of the varying types he attempted to portray in 200 pages.

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 I didn't expect much from The Last Song, mainly because the advertisments of the movie, but I have to admit this turned out to be 100% better than I thought it would be. Nicholas Sparks attmepted to go beyond what he usually does when writing, and created characters that were complex, and conveyed a bigger picture than romance between two people. This story definitely focuses more on the relationship between a father and daughter. This felt more like a coming of age tale above all.

I will admit Dean Koontz's The Mask absolutely scared me at times. I would be reading after midnight, and have to stop because I couldn't read it anymore without feeling frightened to wander my house. The ending is very abrupt, and this story focuses more on terrifying the reader with general techniques of building suspense than it does giving you a connection to the characters.

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I finally got around to reading George Orwell's 1984. At first I was never sure why high school never had this as required reading, but after finding the content it had I sort of see why. After about a 100 pages the story really begins to shape, and draw you in. At first you believe the story just might be Winston's ramblings about the Party, but then after meeting Julia you really see what this story is about. It is romantic and tragic at times, and it keeps your interests till the end.

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How To Ruin Your Dating Life is probably different from the other Christian dating books you will find. It is much more honest about what happens between dating people, and encourages people to relax, and let things naturally progress. Even though this book tells you all the obvious ways you can mess up something, it is an overall reminder of how to live well when you are single.

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I expected the book to be different from the movie, and it is so different that you can't even make comparisons. There is a lot of techincal jargon to get past in the book, but overall it is an enjoyable adventure.

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See my book review!

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Out of all the books I read this month, this one took me the longest. I'm not sure why I read King's books at a different pace. The storyline was unexpected, and actually scared me a bit in some moments. This story isn't one of his best, but it is interesting enough to read.