on repeat: creeque alley

I love the Mamas and the Papas, their folksiness, harmonies, and fun lyric - rhythm combinations. This week is their "Creeque Alley" a biographical song which is enormously fun with which to sing along. The rhyming Zally golly and sophmore Swathmore are just too much fun not to sing at the top of my lungs. Check it out.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creeque_alley

on repeat: Secret Garden

"Mary Lennox, for as long as you will have us, we are yours, Colin and I, and this is your home, and this, my lovely child, is your garden!" ~ Archibald Craven, The Secret Garden, winner of the 1991 Tony Award for Best Musical plus five other Tonys.

Oh, my brother is really going to hate this one. I fell in love with this broadway show when I first saw it in 1992 in New York City. The enchanting story and the harmonious score combined with the amazing voices of Mandy Patinkin and Rebecca Luker as Archibald and Lily are the perfect fit for one of my favorite childhood novels. After hearing and seeing it only once, I begged a friend to make me a copy on two cassettes which I played endlessly to its utter demise. I continue to play The Secret Garden on roadtrips or whenever I become depressed. It is such a lovely tale with such a great ending that it never fails to pick me up. With the most recent purchase to replace a former scratched CD, it has been on constant play in my car. My only regret is that I have only seen this show once. Frequently checked online, the show never seems to be playing near me. Hopefully, I shall see it again.

on repeat: running to stand still

"Running to Stand Still" on U2's Joshua Tree. How can you not love Bono singing "la la la de day" and lyrics like "cry without weeping, talk without speaking, scream without raising your voice"? I love the ups and downs of this simple song mimicing the frustrations of a heroin addict.

on repeat: gershwin and beethoven

I finally got rid of some old records and not having a record player for a year, this was overdue. But there were two records which were incredibly hard to give up. Thankfully, they have been remastered on CD and I found them on half.com for a steal. The first is Beethoven's Seventh Symphony with André Prévin conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. I adore the Allegretto of this symphony. Its tragic, meloncholy melody bouncing from bass to violas, from violin to brass all accompanied with a unrelenting counterpoint. I listen to it over and over again anticipating its marchlike tread and loving every note.

The other record is Gershwin's Greatest Hits. Now I love the Gershwins, George especially. This album has three epitomizing piano pieces and each played by some of my favorite people. Leonard Bernstein plays "Rhapsody in Blue", Oscar Levant plays "Three Preludes", and André Prévin plays the third movement of the "Concerto in F". There are others on the CD but these three get played over and over again so that my love for the piano never ceases. Thank goodness I found both of these wondrous CDs.

anime songs on repeat

Okay, here is where my very bizarre fancy for anime and geeky love of languages rear their ugly heads.  On repeat this week are five anime songs of which I am learning the words, the Japanese words that is.  One is from Miyazaki's Spirited Away called "Itsumo Nando Demo" which translates to "Always with You".  I already know this song by heart  and in learning it, learned how to make the sounds from the romaji translation.  From there I went on to learn the "Princess Mononoke Theme Song" and the "Tatara Women Work Song" from Miyazaki's Mononoke Hime. However, with my recent purchase of Origin: Spirits of the Past soundtrack, I want to learn two more songs sung by Kokia, a popular pop artist and opera trained Japanese singer.  The first is the opening song called "Chouwa Oto (with Reflection)" and is very fast with complicated vocals.  The second is "Ai no Melody" which is just very very long. But I am eager to be able to sing without the words in front of me so I can hear it over and over in my head alone. Only then will my heart be satisfied.

I take the plunge into blu ray

Another birthday rolls around.  Every year I typically splurge on something.  This year was no exception.  My home theater has been lacking for some time.  The only true HD that I see on my beautiful 42" plasma is through the cable box.  Even my xbox 360 is connected through component and not the hdmi of which it is capable.  I also run most of the audio through my boring DVD player so that it will play on its cheap speakers. 

Well, it was time for an upgrade and I went the whole way up.  I chose the Sony DA2400ES which is an upper mid range receiver with four wonderful hdmi inputs and 7.1 capability.  I chose Energy 5.1 Take Classic speakers but am still debating how to hook up the rear speakers because there is no place to hide wires in my apartment.  I am considering the Rocketfish wireless rear system but have decided to put that on hold though it is on sale at Bestbuy.  Finally, I chose the LG BD390 blu ray player which has internal wireless capability so I can stream from my network server and even from netflix watch instantly. 

I also bought my first blu ray disc. Sword of the Stranger which will be released this Tuesday. Finally, I splurged on an imported CD of Origin: Spirits of the Past which has two of the best songs that I listen to over and over.

all songs considered

It has been a while.  Summer is rolling in and I have to get up even earlier so that I can walk around Town Lake when it is still comfortable outside.  This morning, as I was listening to my regular podcasts, the NPR's All Songs Considered kept me fully entertained.  It is so difficult to keep up with music and in Austin, with all the musicians trying to find their place, it is even more so.  Still, this podcast is a great way for an introduction to recent music and this show was one of its best.  It is a compilation of listeners and followers of the blog's favorite lesser known bands and a song is played from each the owner of the show deems worthy of time.  Every band was one for which I would have gone to buy the CD, or at least downloaded a song or two.  It made the walk fast and fun and I highly recommend the show.

meant to be

On repeat is Squirrel Nut Zippers' "Meant to Be" from their album, Hot. I love her voice with its twenties flare.

a musical twelve days

Ha!

a candle's fickle flame

This week's song on repeat is Cake's "Never There". The rhythm and lyrics of this song made me go out and purchase all their albums. They have been a favorite of mine for a while now. If you listen closely you can hear the beep beep of a phone being dialed during this song. So much fun.

Austin City Limits Festival

Austin has two major music festivals, though there are several smaller ones in and around the Austin area.  South by Southwest (SXSW) , which is also a film and music festival, is held in March and The Austin City Limits (ACL) is held in September.  The ACL is a full blown music festival spanning a motley of music types, over 130 bands on eight stages across Zilker Park  and drawing 65,000 people.  So why would I, resistant to loud music, the heat, and crowds of people attend this event?  Well one should always try new things and this, especially, should be experienced.  Also, I live very close to the event itself now and taking the shuttle was too easy to pass up.

 

Well, it was hot and very dusty as we have not had rain in a while.  And sometimes there were so many people that we could not move.  But since I had prepared both physically and mentally while taking advantage of the shady areas of the festival, I was not miserable and I did not even get burned.  Highlights of the festival for me were Swell Season, Raconteurs, Blues Traveler, and a new favorite Belleville Outfit.  The locale was the best part, a scenic view of the city and Barton Springs just across the street.  My trusty wrist band getting me in and out with no problem. Something signicant about this festival was the amount of effort into being green.  There were recycle bins everywhere there were garbage bins for those necessary bottles of water.  They encouraged others to collect recyclables and gave prizes for full bags.  All the vendors were encouraged to sell food which did not require utensils and utilized biodegradable or recyclable containers.  The food was fantastic, a choice from the popular local restaurants rather than just burgers or pizza, though of that it was good too since it was all local.  It was all very impressive.

I am not saying I am going to do this every year and having just returned from another trip, my exhaustion level was pretty much at a peak.  But having done it once and really enjoyed myself and the music is enough to appreciate it and seriously consider another offer of a three day ticket.

do you mux?

My little brother showed me this very simple yet very cool site where you can make your own mix tape. You upload up to 12 songs, each having to be 10 MB or less. Then you have your own playlist from anywhere and the interface is so effective. While my brother's is funky and probably has taste, mine is soundtrack based. One of the best parts is to discover what others are listening to and maybe find a new favorite. Loads of fun and just so simple.

avatar's end title music

Whenever I catch "Avatar: The Last Airbender" on television, I watch all the way until the end. Nickelodeon is good at playing the credits without voice overlay and you can hear the end title music in all its glory. I got tired of waiting for them to show the latest episodes so after downloading I was ecstatic to hear that very music in the newest Avatar episode. Aang learns about firebending and that theme plays a major role in the episode. This show just gets better and better. Hurry up already with the new episodes!

Victor victorious

I had not watched a netflix movie in weeks due to my trip to Italy and my mail being stopped. Finally receiving them this week, I was able to enjoy, again, what I love so much. Watching the kind of movies I like in the comfort of my home. This weekend, one disc in particular gave me perfect enjoyment and that was The Best of Victor Borge. Victor Borge (1909-2000) was a talented pianist and comedian. He combined his love of music with the most fantastic gags. But after all the hilarious stunts, the sheet music gag, the opera singer, the duet, and the inflationary language, the man sat down and did what he is best at: playing the piano. The man was pure genius on the keyboard. If you have never watched him, put it on your netflix list now. You will not be disappointed.

DCI 2007

If you have never seen a drum and bugle corps competition, you are missing out. If you have never seen the Drum Corps International World Championships, then tune to ESPN2 on September 25 and 26 for the rebroadcast. Forget that these kids, ages 13-22, march and play at the same time. Forget that they train and practice hours, days, weeks at a time in mid summer, sleeping on gym floors and eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Forget the anxiety of competition, the lasting friendships, and the pleasure of performing in front of thousands, six judges, and friends and family. Forget all that and sit back and enjoy something so unique and very fun. The visuals, the music, and the technique all combine to create amazing performances and ESPN2 has the top 11 corps to vie for the world champion. My favorites were Carolina Crown's horse show and The Cavalier's Billy Joel Show. They only show about 5 or 6 minutes from each show but it is probably the best part. I would not have minded seeing the whole show of the top three though.

This week on repeat, rhythm and rhyme

I have previously written that I love Gershwin. Well now this means both George and Ira. This week I have "Fascinatin' Rhythm" on repeat and it is a superior version sung by no other than Ella Fitzgerald. The epitome of George and Ira's collaboration, this song does no wrong. I especially think that Ira's lyrics are perfect in rhyme and accent. Lyricists, especially then get little respect but Ira was pure genius and had to deal with an egotistical brother to boot. I definitely know how that feels (love you boys!).

Tommy, can you hear me?

This weeks track on repeat is "Cousin Kevin" from The Who's Tommy. I love this production. Maybe its the simplistic chorus that fills the air when that guitar starts playing. Most likely it is the fact the its signature colors are yellow and black. Whatever the reason, I love to sing along and this particular song is excellent. I particularly enjoy the guttural British that Cousin Kevin speaks as he says "nastiest play friend".

Alech Taadi

These past two weeks my repeating song has been Alech Taadi by Cheb Khaled on his album Sahra. This is the song that plays in the cab chase scene in The Fifth Element. Sung in Arabic, it has fantastic rhythms. It was hard to find but the rest of the album, N'ssi N'ssi is also pretty good if you do not mind Arabic and French music. Lots of fun, this one.

If you could meet one person

I was listening to some music this weekend and trying to peel the hell that was my week from my mind. The music happened to be Beethoven sonatas played by the irrevocable Daniel Barenboim on PBS's Great Performances. As I watched in HD, I thought about what kind of person Beethoven was to have written such incredible music. This brought me to a question that seems should be asked in therapy or maybe in a job interview: If you could meet one person, dead or alive, who would it be? Well, Beethoven is on my list but at the top is George Gershwin. Incidentally, my list goes George Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein, then Ludwig van Beethoven but then I start to sound like Monk listing his phobias.

I have read several biographies of George and his brother, Ira. I can never get enough of his music. His personality was genuine but he was plagued with vanity and an ego which made his personal life very sad. Still he produced some of the most unique sounds and impacted jazz, opera, broadway, and orchestral music. As I was listening and browsing the web, I found that George and Ira have a website. Apparently the Gershwin Estate is still strong living off the royalties of copyrighted music. I find this extremely hopeful that their legend lives on.

http://www.gershwin.com/

Netflix Indulgence

I love Netflix. Best thing since dollar movie theaters. Netflix allows me to indulge in my many obsessions like anime or romantic comedies. It also, however, gives something back to me like helping with my French or in the case this week, renew my love for the piano. I received two movies this weekend having to do with the piano. Piano Grand: A Smithsonian Celebration was really mostly a collection of performances celebrating the grand piano but it was great to see Brubeck play his own work, Jerry Lee rock, and some fabulous pianos on display. But the highlight was Great Pianists of the 20th Century. A detailed look at some of the more famous performers from the past century including Rubenstein, Richter, Paderewski, and Horowitz the latter of whom I was not very familiar and now wish I had heard live. The footage is amazing and at times the film slows to a pace where we can watch the greats curve over the keys during the fast flittering of the pieces they played. It is utterly amazing to watch their genius and technique. But I have to say that the pinnacle of this film was Horowitz playing his own Variations on Bizet's Carmen on his return to Carnegie Hall. Oh that I could have been a fly on that wall. Now I must start saving for a piano of my own.