The Outlaws Celebrate Their 40th Anniversary

The legendary Southern rock band, The Outlaws, celebrated their 40^th anniversary at the Paramount Hudson Valley Theater last week. 

As the stage lights transitioned from red to blue to purple, the award winning band, Spurs USA, opened up the show. They are known best for playing traditional country western and western swing music but this certainly wasn’t the Spurs USA’s first rodeo. They also opened up for The Marshall Tucker Band last year in June. 

The only female vocalist of the group, Dona Frank-Federico, was full of energy, dancing, playing a tambourine, and even walking off stage and interacting with the audience. The crowd participated by singing along and after the final song, they cheered as the Spurs USA left the stage.

When The Outlaws hit the stage the crowd immediately jumped to their feet and began applauding, hundreds of cell phones lighting the dark theater. 

After the Outlaws performed "Gun Smoke," the crowd erupted, whistling, shouting and applauding frantically. After taking a sip of water, lead singer, Henry Paul, acknowledged his brother, sister in-law and nephew in the audience before going on to sing "Born to Be Bad."

The crowd proceeded to cheer and stand after each song. Later that night, Paul gave a special shout out to the Outlaw’s drummer, Monte Yoho, calling him “one if the nicest guys in the group."

Both Monte Yoho and Henry Paul are the last two original members of the band and they don’t take that lightly. 

“We’re still alive. That’s the highlight of everything,” Yoho said. “We’re still here to do what we did forty years ago. We’ve been through some pretty hard times just as well as the good times. It’s a good thing that we’re still out here.” 

All of the other original band members passed away; Paul reflected on his earlier days when The Outlaws first began their career.

“When we were much younger we had a dream and our dreams were fairly modest; they were rather lofty compared to our peer group to think that we would be recording artists, but I think once we signed our record deal, when we were in the studio, when we made our first album, for me, that was the crowning moment of my dream,” Paul said.

The Outlaws had left the spotlight for a while but now they’re excited about returning to the limelight. 

 “It’s kind of like your mom when she gets older but she can still cook that one dish that everybody knows her for,” Paul said. “And she goes in the kitchen and she whips that out and when everybody loves it, it makes her happy.”  

During the guitar solos, a majority of the crowd was on their feet and eventually, people left their seats and began to fill the aisles, forming a concert style atmosphere. 

"Some of it's from our childhood; some of it's new but all of it’s from the heart," Paul said to the audience.

“They were great,” Dan Saraceno said. “I’d never seen them before. They were better than I expected.” Saraceno and his wife attended the show together and she said that her favorite song was “It’s About Pride.” 

The inspiration behind that song is what Paul describes as a reconciliation of their participation in something bigger than themselves. 

“It was a testimonial, it was a bit of paying homage and it concludes on a really optimistic note, the future,” Paul said. Sometimes the lyrics speak to the audience and in that song it speaks very clearly to the audience and they react to that…at the end of the song, I changed the lyrics. There’s a moment where I get to say the final word: and if you wonder why the outlaws still survive, it’s all about pride. And so that just throws the match into the gasoline and it all goes up.”

Before leaving the stage, Paul said, "Thanks for coming out. We love you." The drum solo at the end closed out the night as the Outlaws bowed and touched the hands of several fans. People continued to applaud even after they left the stage, encouraging the Outlaws to return to the stage for one final song, and they did just that, singing “Ghost Riders in the Sky.”

“I’m celebrating my birthday,” Inge Dube, the owner of a nearby art studio called Driftwood Gallery said. “I enjoyed the music in the beginning. I’m not a big rock fan but I like the country music. They were great.”

Rob Keesler, a member of the Punishers motorcycle club, was in the audience as well. He said that he enjoyed old school rock music. His favorite song of the night was “There Goes another Love Song.”

“They were just as good as they were back in the seventies,” Keesler said. 


For more information about The Outlaws, visit http://www.outlawsmusic.com/

One-On-One with Beach Yoga Girl

Image was taken from Instagram

Kerri Verna, better known as Beach Yoga Girl, is an international yoga teacher and entrepreneur from Florida. Her busy schedule will include workshops in London, Dallas, Las Vegas and Chicago before the conclusion of this year. 

She has also become an internet sensation. As she travels to various places, she openly shares her frustrations and accomplishments to all 820,000 of her followers on Instagram. I had the pleasure of interviewing her for LB News Today.

Me: At what age did you start doing yoga? 

Kerri: I was 27.

Me: What or should I say who inspired you to start? 

Kerri: I really wasn’t inspired at first. I tried yoga because I was pregnant and wanted to do something I thought was easy.  I soon fell in love with the practice and began to look up to people like Kino MacGregor.

  

Me: You do some pretty challenging poses. What advice would you give to a beginner who wants to do yoga on an advanced level? 

Kerri: Just to practice. The practice is where we grow, learn and develop our character.  It's not about how difficult the asana (translated as "pose" or "posture") is but rather your commitment to the practice.  I would tell a beginner to just start practicing and the rest will come. 

Me: You teach yoga classes, you do workshops, you post pictures and videos on social media, which takes a lot of time management. How do you stay organized? 

Kerri: I am not very organized but somehow it all works out.  I have a routine that stays the same on a daily basis so it isn’t too hard to manage. 

Me: What does your average day look like?  

Kerri: My average day really depends on what my children are doing or needing.  This summer we [her and her husband] wake up around 7 and give them breakfast and we set the agenda for the day.  If I’m not teaching, I practice around 11 or 12 pm and then have lunch.  After lunch, I start the tasks for the day like laundry, cleaning, email or shooting videos for Instagram or YouTube. Then we plan dinner and family time.  Bedtime is usually around 10 or 11 pm. 

  

Me: You’re very fit. What’s your diet like? 

Kerri: I eat whatever I want and try to avoid sugar and foods that contain lots of saturated fat.

Me: Aside from yoga, what other hobbies do you have?

Kerri: I love photography and movie making.  I also love to read and enjoy time at the beach.

Me: Who’s your biggest hero? 

Kerri: My biggest hero is my husband. He is a walking miracle and shows me daily what the definition of surrender is all about.

Me: Where was your favorite place to travel? 

Kerri: Eleuthera, Bahamas

Me:  What was one of the hardest challenges for you to overcome? 

Kerri: The hardest challenge to overcome was myself.  I can be my worst enemy. I can be self-conscious and insecure so getting to a place of acceptance and love has been a challenge for me. I now feel like I finally understand what it is to accept and love yourself so that you can love others. 

Me: What’s the best advice you’ve been given? 

Kerri: Let go and Let God.  I had a mentor tell me to “turn it over” all the time and it helped me understand that I am not the greatest power in the universe and if I just surrender to that power He will make all things right.

Me: There are so many different ways to reach you on social media. How can people follow you? 

Kerri: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat or periscope: @beachyogagirl

Me: Thanks so much, Kerri.

If you're ever in Florida and want to take a class with the one and only Beach Yoga Girl at Lake Worth Beach, be sure to check out her website at: www.beachyogagirl.com

College Class Has a Q&A with Lonnie Quinn

Lonnie Quinn made a visit to the Pace University campus in Westchester to speak with students in a class called The Art of Anchoring last week. The course is taught by Katherine Fink, who met Quinn when they worked together for a radio station in Charlottesville, VA. He's currently the chief weather-caster for CBS 2.

Quinn discussed his background before he even thought about his career, experiences in the broadcasting field as a reporter, and the day and the life of being a weatherman. Toward the end he answered questions and gave advice. One of his tips was for students who struggle with interviewing other people.

“Don’t go into an interview with preconceived notions of what the story is," Quinn said. "I see reporters do it all the time. They're writing stories before they even meet the person. That's not journalism."

He also touched upon live interviews where he talked about having at least two questions written down as a safety net, just in case the interview doesn't seem to be going anywhere. However, having the opening questions memorized is essential. After all, it is awkward to be looking at your list of questions while the person being interviewed is speaking.

"Have a conversation," Quinn said. “Be prepared, know your facts, and let it roll."

Students who are interested in a career in this field are expected to have a demo reel, which are video clips of them reporting in different locations. He encouraged the students to have something to show when applying for jobs.

"If you want to rock this industry, tell good stories. Find a way to make your story stand out," Quinn said. "Insert yourself into a story for your standup that relates to your story. Make it visual. Make them natural." He said that it's okay to make a mistake. He actually likes demo reels with errors because he said that no one is perfect and he likes seeing how people react on camera to unexpected situations, like dropping something and and being able to make casual remarks about it on the fly.

The newest full time worker has iPhone reports, where she video tapes herself, she does her own reporting, and edits her own clips. 

"The only people we hire are the one man bands...you've got to wear as many hats as you can," Quinn said.

He explained how the media industry is both a shrinking and expanding industry. His example was that CBS is now a 24 hour news station, as their content is available online and on their mobile application.The life of an anchor may look glamorous, but Quinn said that anchors' salaries decreased. However, he did reassure students that there are other avenues than just being on television. Podcasts and online news content has become increasingly popular, and he suggested that students take advantage of these new opportunities.

Quinn acted as a mentor to the students but he didn't have anyone like that in his life. He went from acting to being a waiter. When he thought he was set with his acting career, the NBC soap opera he was hired for ended up getting canceled. While on the show, he started flying planes because he wanted to become a pilot, which is when he decided to get his meteorology degree.

At the Santa Monica airport he met Dave Cupp's wife. Dave Cupp worked as a news director for WVIR-TV, the NBC affiliate in Charlottesville, VA for more than 25 years. Cupp's wife connected Quinn with her husband who offered him a job as an on air weatherman for the weekends with a salary of $12,000 per year. Quinn didn't feel as if he would be able to support himself with such a low salary so he denied Cupp's offer but soon found out that with no prior experience, he had given up a great opportunity. He wound up coming back to Cupp, but the job was no longer available. Cupp still offered to train Quinn to shoot/edit videos and that's where he learned more about working behind the scenes.

Although his career has taken off since then, it was a journey. Quinn revealed that the current assistant news director was a receptionist 30 years ago. She climbed the corporate ladder, which is something he inspired all of the students to do.

At the end, he took pictures with everyone and even agreed to do an interview with a student named Joanna DeRosa, who stayed after class just to get the inside scoop.

The Hunting Ground

The Hunting Ground is a documentary that describes sexual assault cases at various colleges and universities, clearly pointing out an ongoing pattern at each campus. Students shared their personal stories and addressed issues with policies that claimed the college/university took sexual assault seriously. Yet, students who shared their firsthand accounts of experiences as victims of rape discussed how the actions of campus workers contradicted the actual policies in place.

Shocking statistics were presented, like the fact that one in five women in college are sexually assaulted. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics in 2001, "Among college women, nine out of 10 knew their attacker."

Pace University students saw this documentary at an event last week and were asked to share their reactions. Jonathan Alvarez, junior and communications major said, “The documentary shined light on a topic we have all heard about but the facts hit close to home when you realize the sheer amount of cases happening on campuses nationwide. I feel the movie was great for this reason, and hope it leads to raising more awareness on sexual assault.”

One of the controversies mentioned was by a student named Erica Kinsman who said that she was raped by Jameis Winston, who was drafted to be the quarterback for the Tampa Bay Bucaneers NFL team on Thursday night. However, Winston has not been charged in the case. Prior to the NFL draft, Winston was a quarterback for Florida State University. Kinsman said that Winston raped her off campus in 2012.

A Pace University student from Miami, Florida said, "Students who attend Florida State University worship him like a god. It's sickening."

There were several cases where students were ignored, even by the police. The documentary also shed light on a conflict of interest, which explained why presidents at different colleges and universities don't want star athletes or fraternities to get into trouble. Fraternity alumni often donate and adding money to the budget is a top priority for presidents. In the end, more and more victims have suffered.

“I loved the movie. It was very eye opening," Vinona Rugova, a sophomore majoring in marketing and minoring in philosophy said. "It brings light to an important issue.”

Students received a pamphlet that had "Sexual Assault: You are Not Alone" on the cover. This is Pace University's guide to options, resources and support for students on the New York City and Westchester campus. Also included in the pamphlet is advice about how to help a friend, myths and facts about sexual assault, and safety tips.

Another student who had positive feedback about the documentary is Kayla Graniero, junior and communications major at Pace University. “I thought the movie was a great example of very necessary exposure to a difficult topic to talk about amongst our age group. It was very frightening to become aware of the number of universities that treat sexual assault with such discrimination and heinous discretion.”

To see it live in theaters, bring a group, host a screening, take action, or donate, visit:

http://www.thehuntinggroundfilm.com/

New York Times Critic Comes to Pace University

I took a picture with her but I respect her wishes not to post it.

New York Times critic, Janet Maslin, came to Pace University on the Westchester campus last week on Wednesday from 6-8 P.M. in the Choate House Art Gallery. Maslin is currently a book critic and the president of the Jacob Burns Film Center, which now has five theater locations. 

Dean Nira Herrmann interviewed Maslin about her career as a book and film critic for The New York Times. Maslin discussed her approach to criticism, the challenges of reading numerous books, and explained why she left film for books. 

Maslin began discussing her early career as a movie critic, where she reviewed films for 23 years. She also mentioned how so many things changed since she started, like competing with the Rotten Tomatoes website, along with other critics who now have the freedom to post anything online. 

As a film critic, she believed she should report a little bit of the movie as if the person had never seen it before. She tried to look at each film differently without preoccupation. As far as the process of what she was assigned to review, she explained that the chief critic would decide. For years she worked with Vincent Canby, who she describes as an elegant writer. She eventually became a chief critic herself.

At an early age, Maslin was obsessed with films. Her favorite movie is Lawrence of Arabia.

“I saw it maybe 25 times,” Maslin said. “It was like a Broadway show; there was an intermission. I just loved that kind of big screen experience." 

Maslin talked about how she grew up in a very pop culture centered house. She also read a lot of books, which she said naturally turned into work. The reason why she stopped reviewing films was because she felt burned out. 

 “When you start, everything is exciting, but then it becomes tedious because you're just filling up space,” Maslin said. “I wanted to quit but they offered me the book critic job. Stay home, read books, and not go into the office? It was a fresh, new thing.”

She said that it’s much harder to review books because it requires highlighting, note taking, etc. However, Maslin said it's much easier than writing a book, which she said she would never do. It takes up more of her time to review a book than watching a movie that lasts two hours. Yet, she likes reviewing books much better. 

Herrmann asked about getting into the business and for students who are interested, Maslin provided her positive expertise about getting into this field. 

“For students who are interested, I don't think there have been any more opportunities than there are now,” Maslin said. “What you study here is not occupational. It just prepares you.”

Malsin also revealed that she took a film class and received a D. 

 “There are no qualifications. If you do it, do it well.”

When asked if reading is disappearing she said: “Absolutely not. I think book clubs pick terrible things."

She spoke about a novel that was released last year called “We Are Not Ourselves” by Matthew Thomas. Although her son is not big on reading, she said that he read the entire book, even though it was 600 pages in length. 

"If the right book comes along, people will read." 

The interview was followed by a Q&A so that students/professors had free reign to ask her any questions they wanted.

One student asked about her favorite genre, which is mystery books and crime fiction/film. When she started writing for The New York Times they didn't have her reviewing these types of books. Even though she enjoys reading mystery and crime books, she is a very eclectic reader. 

“I’m interested in anything if it's interesting,” Maslin said.

Even though she isn't a movie critic anymore, she was asked if she caught herself viewing movies in the same way as she did when she was a critic. 

“It's really fun not to have an opinion,” Maslin said. It's nice being able to have an informed conversation.” Because she now works for the Jacob Burns Film Center, she added, “If I gave my opinion for everything, we'd be out of business."

"It was a great event," Gabriel Solano, sophomore and Communications major said. "She spoke with experience and was lighthearted."

Pace University students really enjoyed Maslin taking time to come and speak with them, but one student thought that her views might be a bit outdated. 

"Her opinions on the critic world now and then had me question her ideas because times are changing," Susan Harris, president of Unity and Social Justice of SGA (Student Government Association) said. "Overall, her insight and legendary status in the film and critic world brought on many great changes that are of importance today. It was wonderful meeting this dynamic woman."

Want to see movies at the Jacob Burns Film Center? Check out https://www.burnsfilmcenter.org/