Music Musings: Erik Hassle ‘No Words’

They haven’t exactly burned up the charts, but make no mistake… the music industry has yet to give up its attempt at reviving Disco.

Some projects have been more successful than others.  Daft Punk, Pharrell and Nile Rodgers struck disco gold with 2013’s Get Lucky, while DJ Cassidy’s attempts at a full-blown disco album seem to be stalled out.

Despite copious pitfalls, new artists still see value in this electrified genre.  Bursting on to the scene comes Swedish Singer Erik Hassle, and his fresh mid-tempo jam No Words. To this point, Hassle hasn’t been well known outside of his native land or other parts of Continental Europe, but this latest tune could be the song that elevates the singer past his regional fan base.  As Idolator notes, Disco is a significant departure from Hassle’s previous musical endeavors.  But thankfully, the result is a sound that fits well for his voice and R&B vibe.

It’s kind of tough to describe, but have a listen to No Words by Erik Hassle.  Let me know your thoughts in the comments section.  If you’re a Neo-Disco fan, this is a tune not to miss, and it could be the one to break through.

 

Erik Hassle

 

 

Post Court Ruling, Houston Equal Rights Ordinance Now In Effect

Today marks another huge victory for the city of Houston and supporters of equality, as a Texas District court rules against petitioners of the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance.  Here’s the story from Katherine Driessen of the Houston Chronicle

After separate rulings from both a jury and state District Judge Robert Schaffer, attorneys for both sides entered dueling counts of the valid signatures, adding and subtracting voters as Schaffer responded to motions. By early this week, the counts were closer together than ever before, fewer than 1,000 signatures apart.

Ultimately, Schaffer on Friday ruled the final count of valid signatures was 16,684, leaving opponents short of the threshold required in the city charter of 17,249 signatures, or 10 percent of the ballots cast in the last mayoral election.

[…]

The law, on hold during trial, is now in effect, according to a city spokeswoman. Mayor Annise Parker released a statement celebrating the verdict.

“I would hope that the plaintiffs would not appeal, they lost during a jury trial and today they also lost with the judge’s ruling,” Parker said. “Now all Houstonians have access to the same protections.”

The day’s news marks the end of a huge week for Houston Mayor Annise Parker as well, who just gave her final State of the City address on Thursday.

Though the District Court ruling may come as quite the surprise to many Texans, it should be of little surprise to those familiar with the shoddy work of Anti-HERO petitioners.  When reviewing the signatures City of Houston officials, independent review groups, the jury and the judge were all able to uncover glaring errors and inconsistencies.  Yet still, today’s decision is both a relief for supporters and a great victory, as the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance can now take full effect.

More news is surely to come.

Texoblogosphere: Week of April 13th

The Texas Progressive Alliance revels in the start of another baseball season as it brings you this week’s roundup.

Off the Kuff looks at the case to pass a state law that would enable “rideshare” services like Uber and Lyft to operate in Texas cities.

Libby Shaw writing for Texas Kaos and contributing to Daily Kos cautions Latino voters to beware slowly starving Republican wolves that are dressed in sheep’s clothing. GOP Woos Latino Voters While Punishing Immigrants.

From WCNews at Eye on Williamson. As GOP Texas House passes it’s budget, taxes take center stage, The Texas Way – The More You Make The Less You Pay, The Less You Make The More You Pay.

SocraticGadfly thinks that creating a national Appomattox Day could be part of dealing with all the political problems that unreconstructed Southerners have caused for America.

To quote Emperor Palpatine: “It is inevitable.” To quote the Borg: “Resistance is futile.” And to quote Yogi Berra: “It ain’t over ’til it’s over.” PDiddie at Brains and Eggs dissects the ‘inexorable’ meme that surrounds Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid.

Nonsequiteuse says it is time to wear orange and head to Austin (or the internet) to rally against HB 723 as the Texas House of Representatives Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence committee considers little word with constitutional consequences for minors who need access to safe, legal abortion services.

Neil at All People Have Value said that the Houston/Galveston National Weather Service offers useful instruction about life. APHV is part of NeilAquino.com.

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And here are some posts of interest from other Texas blogs.

Juanita coins a new word for our culture war-infused times.

Dwight Silverman answers your burning questions about cable cord-cutting.

The Lunch Tray explores the ethics of sneaking vegetables into school food.

Better Texas Blog calls for raising the minimum wage.

Texas Clean Air Matters points out that promoting the use of clean energy is a great strategy for conserving water.

The Texas Election Law Blog decries “indignities and tyrannies” in local elections.

 

And no… your eyes are not deceived.  Texas Leftist is indeed obsessed with Hillvetica… the new font-rage that was spawned from Hillary Clinton’s unique and somewhat confusing logo.

Texas Leftist Hillvetica

 

Texoblogosphere: Week of April 6th

The Texas Progressive Alliance hopes that our state can learn the lesson of the Indiana debacle as it brings you this week’s roundup.

Off the Kuff compared Greg Abbott’s performance in heavily Latino districts to that of Rick Perry in 2010.

Libby Shaw writing for Texas Kaos and contributing to Daily Kos is absolutely stunned to learn Texas elected a crook as its top cop. Not. Texas Attorney General an “admitted law breaker”.

Socratic Gadfly wrote about the DPS’ stupid disciplining of Trooper Billy Spears.

Nonsequiteuse explains to Rep. Stuart Spitzer, the Kaufman Republican who bragged about his sexual history on the floor of the Texas House of Representatives during debate on a budget amendment, that virginity and abstinence aren’t the same thing, and neither will protect a person from all methods of HIV transmission.

A conversation between Sen. Elizabeth Warren and JPMorganChase CEO Jamie Dimon from 2013 provides a clue as to what’s wrong with everything, according to PDiddie at Brains and Eggs.

Neil at All People Have Value said look at things you see in everyday life because they are interesting & use as few words as you can. APHV is part of NeilAquino.com.

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And here are some posts of interest from other Texas bloggers.

Grits for Breakfast rounds up news stories about the failure of the latest “border surge”.

Better Texas Blog explains how lower oil prices would affect the state’s finances.

Texas Vox calls for strengthening the Texas state senate bill aimed at combating government corruption.

Joe Cutbirth wants Texas to stand tall for equality.

Elizabeth Rose saw the signs of discrimination in the Deep South as a child, and she sees them today in Indiana.

RG Ratcliffe rounds up a week of Texas political scandal.

Rand Paul In For 2016 White House Run

After months of intense preparation, debate and prayer, the big moment for Kentucky Senator Rand Paul has finally arrived.  Via the New York Times, he now joins the hunt for the White House…

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky declared himself a candidate for the Republican nomination for president on Tuesday, aiming to upset the political order in Washington and disprove those in his own party who doubt that a fiercely libertarian conservative can be a serious contender.

“I am running for president to return our country to the principles of liberty and limited government,” Mr. Paul wrote in a post on his website on Tuesday.

[…]

Mr. Paul, 52, becomes the second Republican to enter the 2016 campaign, following his colleague in the Senate, Ted Cruz of Texas.

It will not remain a small field for long. Senator Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida, is expected to announce his candidacy next week. Also waiting in the wings are Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin and Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor, who are expected to declare soon, rounding out what Republicans say is perhaps their most competitive and robust slate of candidates since 1980, when Ronald Reagan faced competition from party heavyweights like George Bush and Howard Baker.

Carrying the torch from his father Ron Paul, son Rand is sure to stir up a lot of passion and dedication, especially from younger Libertarians (who have been noticeably absent from Party politics in recent years).  But if Rand Paul is to be successful in his quest for the Presidency, he has a much bigger task to accomplish than his forbears.  He must challenge GOP conventions enough the next generation of voters will stick with him, yet somehow appeal enough to the mainstream to run a credible race.

On this magnanimous goal, Paul isn’t exactly off to a great start.  For one thing, if a founding principles for his campaign is to limit wasteful spending, then why would he want supporters to waste $1000.00 of their hard-earned money on a signed pocket copy of the US Constitution??  Bit of an oxymoron there.

rand paul constitution

 

For Liberals, the news of Rand Paul’s race is more of a wait and see proposition.  He may not end up with many Left-leaning votes, but his opinions on issues like Criminal Justice Reform will certainly get noticed over the next several months.   For good or ill, Rand Paul will be sticking around for a while.  But it’s up to the GOP to determine just how far he can go.

rand paul

(Photo credit:  Rand Paul youtube video)