At least I have a good excuse, er I mean reason this time. I’ve been working night and day to finish the album I’ve been making forever. I spent last Thursday in the mastering lab so the music part is done. I’m finishing up the packaging and with luck it will be available in time for the hydro races. I’ll keep you posted.

Of course by now you all know that a) I didn't get it done by Seafair but b) I got it done. "Second Hand Smoke" is available in CD form at www.cdbaby.com/jwhanberry and for digital download at iTunes. Click on over and sample some.

More and more of late I find myself in that category of old guys talking about the good ol' days. I guess that's just what happens when your beard turns white. So let me tell you how it used to be.

When I was in school we were exposed regularly to live music. We saw musical groups at assemblies, school carnivals and car shows. There were at least two talent shows a year. Bands would play for dances, parties and at church on Tuesday night. These weren't name bands, just little combos, sometimes with guys from school, who got together, learned a few songs and did these gigs. After a while it was entirely natural to form our own bands and do the same thing. A couple of friends and I put together a band in fifth grade. I played countless gigs throughout high school with my surf band, The Esquires. There was friendly competition for gigs with bands we knew from other schools in the area. We held our own and played two or three times a month.

We're now into at least the second generation of young people who rarely experience live music. All they see is what's on TV or the occasional concert with a name band or two. Dances and parties have DJ's who play the same tracks you can hear all day on the radio. I don't see a way to reverse this negative cultural trend but there is a way that you can at least lessen the harmful results. Make sure the kids see some local live music. There are many opportunities during the summer months. There is live music at the street fairs, festivals, farmer's markets, Seafair, the Bite of Seattle, and Issaquah Salmon Days.

Expose your kids to the real thing and the possibility may dawn on them that they can be in a band too. What's a garage for anyway?