Friday, July 31, 2026

Congressman Davy News from Richard Byrne

[Editor's note: I'm just stealing other people's content for my own. Check out my new podcast. Yes, I call it "mine."]

Greetings, all ...                      

 

Hope your location is neither dry nor dusty as August arrives!

 

Our gratitude that you were such an essential part of making Congressman Davy happen is immense. We have been out on the trail and we’re busy getting the word out. So we would like to give you a quick update ... and ask for a tiny bit of help.

 

A few days ago, we released the entire record to Americana and NPR/non-commercial stations. We also have a nifty tracking map for radio play:

 

Davy on the dial 7-29.png

In conjunction with our radio push, we are also going to do a day of broad promotion across social media tomorrow (Friday July 31).

 

If you see us drift by downriver on your Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or Bluesky in the next day or so, we’d be obliged if you “liked” or reposted us. Or even let people know that you are part of Team Davy. The more is not only the merrier when it comes to these things. The harsh algorithms that rule our discourse make it a must!

 

The goal here is not so much to sell records or downloads or get more ears on the free online radio play version. That’s great, sure, but ... The real goal is to attract a bit more attention to the terrific work we have done.

 

Sadly, this is especially true in the DMV, where we have not gotten much of a hearing yet for a musical set in the city in the 1830s – nor for the terrific online radio play that you played such an extraordinary part in making happen.

 

Thank you so much! Those of us who’ve lent us some time and attention think what we accomplished together is special. And we could not have done it without you  

 

Links to everything follow! Richard and Deano 

Bandcamp for CD and Digital

 

The FREE radio play online

 

Where we are streaming

 

Congressman Davy website

Sunday, July 26, 2026

Collective Genius

Hey, check it out. Estrogenius is now expanded into Collective Genius




Estrogenius was started by Fiona Jones at Manhattan Theatresource and it's very cool that it is the legacy of Theatresource more than a quarter century ago (!).


Computationals

 I'm on a journey to make my computing life simpler. 

The image depicts a view of Earth from space with a prominent lunar surface in the foreground. The Moon features a textured, grayish surface that appears rough and craggy, showcasing a variety of shapes and shadows. In the background, Earth is visible as a vibrant blue and white sphere, indicating the planet's oceans and clouds. The backdrop is deep black, emphasizing the stark contrast between the celestial bodies. Text is overlaid on the image, providing a quote from Christina Koch, an astronaut associated with the Artemis 2 mission.  Alt-text: A view of Earth from the Moon, with a textured lunar surface in the foreground and Earth visible as a blue and white sphere in the background. A quote from astronaut Christina Koch is overlaid on the image.  Transcribed Text: "No joy seeing the device in the list of available devices when I attempt to re-pair it after doing the Bluetooth forget." –Christina Koch, Artemis 2 Astronaut


First up, trying Krokiet, which is an update of Czkawka, to find duplicate files. It's open-source. I have a lot of terabytes. So it'll take a while.

KDE Connect is a bunch of programs that let phones connect with computers. Very multi-platform. Open-source. 

Rufus is a bootable-drive maker thingy. I had some success and some trouble with Etcher

John Philip Sousa and “The Menace of Mechanical Music


Thursday, July 09, 2026

More on how the US is Communist (and that's a good thing, actually)

Here (pasted below) is a right-wing take on how the United States has adopted the basics of "communism" by now-banned Reddit account transcendReality:

Thursday, July 02, 2026

Congressman Davy

The Congressman Davy podcast is live. It's a 90-minute podcast of the Congressman Davy musical. I think I might be credited as the "director" of the podcast. 

The image showcases a whimsical illustration promoting "Congressman Davy: A Musical." In the foreground, a man in period attire—wearing a red hat and coat, with a bandolier and holding a pole—stands confidently on the back of a large alligator. The alligator, depicted with distinct scales and a long, elongated body, has its head turned as if interacting with the man. The background features a soft gradient, giving a sense of sky or water. The upper section of the image contains the title "CONGRESSMAN DAVY: A MUSICAL" in bold, prominent letters. Below this, details are provided regarding an ensemble of musicians and the creators of the work. The overall color scheme consists of muted hues, contributing to an inviting, playful atmosphere.  Alt-text:  Illustration promoting "Congressman Davy: A Musical," featuring a man standing on an alligator, dressed in period clothing, with bold title text above and details below.  Transcribed Text:  CONGRESSMAN Davy: A MUSICAL. featuring an ensemble of musicians, singers, and storytellers performing the entire work words and songs by Richard Byrne and Dean Schlabowske Speechifying, hijinks chicanery and bamboozlement! (Whiskey not included.) NOW AVAILABLE FOR LISTENING http://congressmandavy.podbean.com https://congressman davy.bandzoogle.com/ congressman -davy-a -musical


Congressman Davy:

Listen now!

 

The story of Davy Crockett's political rise and fall performed as a radio play in two acts.

Book & Lyrics by Richard Byrne. Music by Dean Schlabowske.

A Who’s Who of prominent Americana and rock luminaries sing the songs from the musical. And a bevy of DC performers and storytellers bring the text of Congressman Davy to life.

Speechifying, hijinks, chicanery and bamboozlement! (Whiskey not included.)

LEQ

I would love to move to Linux. Right now the only thing stopping me is the fact I'm a Samplitude user and I want VST's to work. I've abandoned Adobe, so that isn't a problem. I don't need Microsoft Office anymore (unless I get a job in academia which requires it and... I might.) Video stuff is all DaVinci Resolve, Blender, and suchwise. So I'm very, very close. It's just VST and Samplitude keeping me in.

VST3 is now open-source, so there are plugins which Linux is supporting. But as far as I know, Samplitude needs Wine. 

Oh, and drivers for interfaces. That's a problem with/for Linux. 

Your mom.

ZL Equalizer is a free and open-source EQ plugin. It's sort of a Fabfilter Pro-Q-type thing. I haven't played with it yet.