Hello...I'm Brandon Vogel

I have no idea what this is going to be yet, but expect a lot of rants about Chicago Cubs baseball, country music, and Nebraska football. Although I can't deal with the pretensions associated with saying this, I'm a writer looking for a place to write.

That being said, I would like to give the first official Hi-Plains Drifter endorsement to a local Boston band called Slim Jim and the Mad Cows. I saw them last night at the Abbey Lounge, and it was a true slice of honky tonk heaven here in the great Northeast. (A rarity.) They play country covers of classic metal tunes and while it may sound kitschy it really is just a great time. (Who hasn't wanted to hear "Ace of Spades" hoedown style?) At any given time, there were upwards of 8 people on the tiny stage, including some great pedal steel, which really is the fastest way to my heart anymore. I picked up their new CD Homebrewed, and after the show snagged a bottle of homebrewed beer out the back of the Slimosine from Jim himself. Haven't tried it yet, but it's on ice and, as a fellow homebrewer, I look forward to seeing if Slim has any more luck than I have crafting a tasty brew.