For the past two months, I have put out there that the Board elections are coming up and that we have several positions open.

ASGRA MEMBERS... THIS IS YOUR ASSOCIATION

There are 2 elected positions that are up for election, President and Treasurer. Both are 2-year terms and both are needed for ASGRA to continue into the future.

The position of Secretary is also up for election. This is a 1-year term. Our current Secretary was a board appointment.

The committee chair positions are board appointed positions and will need to be filled shortly after the 1st of the year. All chair positions are 1-year terms.

This call goes out to ALL members of ASGRA, if you do not step up and take an active role in our leadership and planning for the future, there will be no ASGRA. No more discounts at Carols Western Wear or Freddie's, no more Atlantic Stampede Rodeos and no more getting into Remingtons free. Our arena competitors and officials will have to join other associations to be able to compete and officiate at IGRA rodeos.

If this is what you want to happen, do nothing. If you want to see ASGRA continue, step up and serve the association you are a member of.

The choice is yours.

Contact Mike at [an error occurred while processing this directive] if you are interested in serving in any of these positions.

Mike S.
ASGRA President

New Benefit

ASGRA is pleased to announce a new benefit for our members. Current ASGRA members will receive a free dessert with $10 purchase at Nellie's Sports Bar. The $10 purchase is good on both food and liquor and you must present your ASGRA membership card at the time of purchase. If you haven't renewed your membership with ASGRA or if you are not yet a member, you can sign up on our membership page.

"Nellie's is a great sports bar." says Patrick Hunter, Social & Entertainment Chairperson of Atlantic States Gay Rodeo Association. "They've shown Professional Bull Riders for us on TV. It's a great place to watch it and who doesn't love dessert."

ASGRA is currently working with Nellie's to bring you a country and western themed Smart Ass trivia night. Be watching the calendar and future ASGRA newsletters for details. In the meantime show Nellie's your thanks by patronizing their business and remember your ASGRA membership card when you do, so you can partake of this latest benefit. Eat, Drink and be Nellie.

Patrick Hunter
Social & Entertainment Chair

Dear ASGRA Members,

It's time for our annual election of ASGRA officers. In accordance with our Bylaws, this notice is to inform you of the process which we will follow this year.

This year we are voting to elect three positions - President (2 year term), Secretary (1 year term) and Treasurer (2 year term). We solicited candidates and have received no candidates to date.

The online voting process will become available on November 18. Check our home page for links.

Please feel free to contact me at with any questions. The ASGRA Elections Meeting will take place on Saturday, December 5th. The specific time and location will be announced shortly.

Sincerely,
Lonni La Bel
ASGRA Elections Chair

A Cowboy's Got To Ride

By ASGRA member,
Cowboy Frank (AKA Frank Harrell)

Howdy folks.

After the last newsletter we left the Arches area and moved on to Grand Junction Colorado where we spent a couple of days visiting the Colorado National Monument. A few days later we toured the amazing gorge of Black Canyon of the Gunnison.

A few days later we found ourselves in the area of South Park Colorado. A large fairly flat valley in the middle of the mountains. We spent 2 days there while we toured through some of the most spectacular parts of the Rocky Mountains. On our circle trip we came across three Blue Roan horses a very rare site indeed.

We spent almost a week in Denver while visiting with our friends Jim and Dave. Dave is the author of some great gay western novels which can be purchased from his website, Golden Feather Press. Dave has also written a short story, available on his website, which can give you an idea of how he writes. I've started reading the Golden Feather series again, for the 5th time and am having a ball each night before bed.

From Denver we traveled south and stopped for a few days in Santa Fe for touring and to visit a good friend Brian and his partner Don. They have a beautiful horse farm just south of town. From Santa Fe we continued to Albuquerque and the World Gay Rodeo Finals.

We were planing on heading north just after the rodeo but a large winter storm hit the rockies so we stayed four extra days to wait out the storm. We got a number of snow storms in Albuquque but each fall of about one inch melted in just a few hours. But that left things quite muddy.

The snows in Colorado were massive for this time of the year so we went east into the Panhandle of Texas then turned north into Colorado and finally west into Denver.

We spent two nights in La Junta Colorado and visited Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site. This fort is unusual in that it was a trading post rather than a military fort.

We have parked our trailer next to our friends Dave and Jim and in about a week we will fly to Toronto Canada for IGRA Convention, then fly home to Northern Virginia for Thanksgiving and Christmas. In January we will fly back to Denver, pickup the trailer and head to Las Vegas for IGRA University where Frank will teach classes in Web design.

Since we will be home in December there will not be an update to our travelogue so tune in again in January.

There many more photos available on our website.

Until next time,
Happy Trails
Cowboy Frank and partner Tom

Music Reviews

1 star - Sucks, save your money and buy a beer
2 star - Borrow it from someone
3 star - Wait for it go on sale
4 star - Don't leave Wal*Mart without it
5 star - Stop whatever the heck you're doing right now, and download this puppy  

David Nail
I'm About to Come Alive

What I noticed first about David Nail's music is that all the songs sound the same. The songs are built mainly around the guitars and Nail's voice. That voice has a pleasant quality to it that I can't quite put my finger on. While none of the songs are outright bad, the fact that they sound so similar prevents you from being able to readily identify one tune from another. It took me a few listens to really identify the songs that I thought were standouts in the mix of constant guitar licks.

"Red Light" is one of them. Some of you may be familiar with the tune which has been played on radio lately. The song is notable for its melody-it's a smooth two-step. It is also notable for the way the lyrics express the less romantic aspect of breaking up. Often songs of this nature depict a gloomy scene or the oncoming sense of dread. Think of Rascal Flatt's "Here Comes Goodbye." "Red Light" upends that scenario with its images of life continuing on and the world still going 'round while a breakup happens.

It ain't the middle of the night/
It ain't even raining outside/
It ain't exactly what I had in mind/
For goodbye

At a red light in the sunshine on a Sunday/
Nothing to say/
Don't even try/
Some are coming home/
Some are leaving town/
While my world's crashing down/
On a Sunday in the sunshine/
At a red light

I like the new twist on those lonely, gloomy, tear-in-your-beer songs and the fact that this tune reflects reality more than the often romanticized version of these types of events.

"Strangers on a Train", my favorite of the album, is the perfect song for those of you who might construct a relationship out of the glances that you exchange with a passer-by:

I start to smile and turn my head...
…I can't seems to shake you off/
So I look your way again/
You're starring off trying to pretend/
Like you haven't even noticed me at all

Brakes grind/
I gotta go…
...Can't do nothing as I just stand there...
...and I wave to my stranger on a train.

While the singer in the tune is someone who is already in a relationship, the message behind the lyrics just hits home with me and I'm sure a number of you. How many times have you seen someone on the train; in the grocery store; at the gym and did nothing. All the while you are imaging holding them or any other number of romantic scenarios in your head. This song is dead on. Think of it as the "missed connections" part of Criagslist without the follow up. Additionally, I think that the song could make a very strong duet. Two singing partners could have some real fun with this one.

"Summer Job Days" has a special place in my heart solely for the chorus:

Time was mine and life was easy/
Just like those ocean breezes/
Cooling off the afternoon…
...Gotta smile when I think about those...
...summer job days.

Now that my life doesn't include any type of summer time vacation save for a couple weeks, I often reflect back on the days when "time was mine" as well. Additionally, here is where the instrumental of the song really works in its favor. It gives you the feel of those summer-like days and conveys the sun blazing on the beach much better than the Skynard -infused "All Summer Long" of Kid Rock. Just the blazing guitars alone help to conjure up that golden glow imagery from days long gone by.

The very best thing that I can say about Nail's CD is the booklet. It's got a theme to it and it carries it through. On the cover you see Nail in a subway station and the title of the CD listed on the post as though it were a station stop listing. This is carried through with some other train imagery in the CD: another photo of Nail as he looks over his shoulder in the same station; the numbers 156 that look as though they could be a trains number; a map; and even some graffiti-like words on one of the panels of the booklet (I'm still trying to make sense of what, if anything, they say). The best part of all of this is the titles. They made them up to look exactly like station stops that you might find on a subway map. Hooray for the graphic artists that made this booklet up. They had an idea and they carried it out rather than throwing something together or just loading up the booklet with candid shots. And, yes, for those of you that find that Nail's looks get your third rail electrified, there are some good photos of him in all his scruffy guy appearance in the CD, too. Something for you to gaze at while you listen to the music and imagine that he is your stranger on a train.

Reba McEntire
Keep on Loving You

How can you go wrong when you have Reba McEntire? Singing; performing on Broadway or staring in sitcoms and films (yes, even in the b-movie Tremors, she's pretty good), Reba seems to have the magic touch in those red headed tresses. She is one of the giantesses of country music and proves it again with this, her twenty-sixth studio album.

"Consider Me Gone" is probably my favorite of the album. It's a fed-up with a go-through-the-motions relationship declaration:

If I'm not the one thing you can't stand to loose/
If I'm not that arrow to the heart of you/
If you don't get drunk on my kiss/
If you think you can do better than this/
Then I guess were done/
Lets not drag this on/
Consider me gone

I love the power behind the lyrics. That if you are not interested in me anymore; if you've become bored with me as your partner; if you just don't feel the spark for me any longer, don't waste my time. I'm outta here. Reba infuses these lyrics with a real strong sense of confidence. It's the same kind of confidence that we would like to find in ourselves when we are confronted with these kinds of situations. Additionally, she makes it not the problem of her, the singer, but the problem of the other person. It's a swan song to let them know that if you don't step up now, consider me gone.

The current on-air radio single "Strange" has a similar underlying confidence to it. The basis of the song is going from woe is me, we've broken up to getting over it, literally, overnight. And let's face it; who doesn't like to show up in the presence of an ex looking so good you known your giving them some pangs of regret. Additionally, I love that it is a very upbeat, danceable, tune. I fully expect this song to live on long after it has gone from radio as a tune played when you want pick-me-up from a breakup.

"I Want a Cowboy" touches on the subject that is often well worn in country music: the ode to those "pick-up driving, bull riding, strong, steady hand" fellas who are so much more desirable vs. the "Ray Ban, fake tan types". What makes this one stand apart from the others like it is Reba's enthusiasm behind the lyrics; the bounce of the melody, which has just enough twang to it without alienating those who like their country more modern, and the fact that the songs is easily gender interchangeable. The lyrics could be easily sung by a guy as is or cowgirl could be fairly easily substituted for the cowboy.

"I'll Have What She's Having" has a musical theatre feel to it with its bouncy Dale Evans melody. The song is a cute play on the familiar phrase that you might hear spoken to a restaurant server:

I'll have what she's having/
I want what she's got/
Someone sweet as he can be/
And by the way that hot/
A tall order I suppose/
But if you can find me one of those/
I'll have what she's having

I especially like the humor of the lines:

If you could slip my number in that pocket on his hip/
It will be appreciated/
And reflected in your tip

The song really speaks for itself more so than I could ever do on paper. It's just so cute and feel-good and funny. Give it a listen yourself and see what I mean.

Finally, "Pink Guitar" deserves an honorable mention due to it being a great swing song and that it harkens back to some of the older Wynonna tunes like "Girls with Guitars."

The CD booklet while not spectacular gets some applause from me for being so colorful and bright. The bold swatches of blues, green, rusts and browns seems pulled right from Reba herself. And there are numerous photos of the famous red head and her cool-blue raccoon peepers staring out at ya--a definite plus for those who may have a thing for Reba. It's just the icing on the cake of an album that proves why we keep on loving Reba.

Love and Theft
World Wide Open

I really tried to muster up some real enthusiasm for this album. I was very excited after hearing the current song on the radio, "Runaway." With the hard driving sound to it, I thought that it was taking country in a similar direction as last month's Slide on Over Here from Steve Azar; having some Bob Segar influence to it. I was very eager to hear what else they might do with country on their album. Unfortunately, I feel let down from what I've heard.

While the bands three members sound great together; like a Rascal Flats minus the over-soaring harmonies or warbling of Gary LeVox through the "ohs", "ahs" and "yeahs.", they aren't as rocking as I hoped they'd be. The sound more like a band that you might see playing in a pub or bar on a soap opera. "World Wide Open", "It's Up To You" and "Drowning" sound right like they coming off of Days of Our Lives.

Fortunately, in spite of this, the album is still worth your money in some aspect, including the above mentioned tunes. The music is great background music; something that you can put on during a party for your friends who don't like more traditionalist country or for yourself while you dust the bookshelves or to pass the day while you while away the hours in your office cube. While the music disappointed me because it was not what I had hoped for, I'm not disappointed by the music itself. It's got a good flow to it and the guys do have good voices and sound great together. Before you buy, definitely give a listen yourself to see if the music is right for your collection or not.

Patrick Hunter
Trail Ride Coordinator
Atlantic States Gay Rodeo Association (ASGRA)

Coosie's Corner

Cowboy Cornbread

Ingredients

• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 cup self-rising flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 (8 ounce) can creamed yellow corn
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 2 to 4 jalapenos, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped onions

Combine dry ingredients, including peppers and cheese; add wet ingredients and mix just until combined. Pour into hot iron skillet or 8-inch square pan. Bake at 400 degrees F until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Somewhere west of Laramie

Somewhere west of Laramie
I hope to find the rest of me
It might just be the best of me
Somewhere west of Laramie

His friends all call him crazy
They think he's lost his mind
He's trading what's up ahead
For everything he's left behind
He's got no destination
It changes with the breeze
And the dust upon the dashboard
Somewhere west of Laramie

Somewhere west of Laramie
I hope to find the rest of me
It might just be the best of me
Somewhere west of Laramie

There's nothin' on the radio
He's writing his own song
Building to the chorus
With everything that comes along
He's got no preconceptions
He's just satisfied to see
The windshield's bigger than the mirror
Out here west of Laramie

Somewhere west of Laramie
I hope to find the rest of me
It might just be the best of me
Somewhere west of Laramie

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