Music I'm loving now

Prepare for YouTube clip overload.

Just Give Me a Reason - P!nk feat. Nate Ruess
"It's in the stars; it's been written in the scars on our hearts... Our tear ducts can rust; I'll fix it for us | We're collecting dust but our love's enough..."

I love the lyrics, the story, and the ramp-up in the chorus. Just to be different, here's a live version. Who needs autotune? Not P!nk !



For a softer take, I can't go past Madilyn Bailey's cover with Chester See. I like how her phrasing is just different enough, and also how her voice sounds in the lower notes.

 

 I'm slightly obsessed with Madilyn Bailey at the moment. My other favourites:



I can't stop listening to this cover. And I love Madilyn's hair so much that every time I watch it, I think about making a salon appointment.

Is Anybody Out There? is a song that Madilyn sings in collaboration with Corey Gray. Gray's part makes me think of the opening to RHCP's Dani California but that's a good thing. I like it much more than the original, by K'NAAN (whoever that is) and Nelly Furtado.



And this is an original song, Crescent of the Moon. It's good! Factor into your judgment that she wrote it when she was fifteen and it's even more impressive. I believe she's 20 now.



I'm definitely planning to buy the soundtrack to The Great Gatsby. My two favourites are Lana Del Rey's Young and Beautiful...


and Emeli Sandé's cover of Beyoncé's Crazy in Love.

An Evening Musicale

I vow, there is little I like more than music, particularly of an evening when the rain persists; reading, naturally, brings me equal joy, but to-night I am happily ensconced in my sitting-room, listening to the pianoforte. Should one be fortunate enough to host a gathering of musically gifted neighbours, an evening can be passed quite amicably; I myself am regarded as the skilled musician in my family, and am rarely treated to performances by my good husband, yet he finds the music of others to be very agreeable. He persists in rearranging our furniture and his various apparatus, so as to achieve the most pleasing sound.

I know with certainty that my life is enriched by the beauty of music, and I find I am content to hear it, though I cannot see those who are so accomplished at their instruments. When I depart my humble estate, particularly when I choose to exert myself for a period of time, as I did this evening, I often include the following item in my reticule, so that I may continue to listen when I am not at home.

I cannot tell you how it delights me to own such a diminutive and clever article - why, it is as though I have brought with me the whole of the county! and each neighbour plays so exquisitely! and only the pieces that I want most to hear! - how marvellous.

Your's, etc.,

Julia

This week, I am participating in a silly blog challenge with a handful of other librarians. You can follow them here:


@KRidwyn, blogging at Hmmmm
@Girlwithshoess, blogging at Justgirlwithshoes
@jobeaz, blogging at Macaronic
@kalgrl, blogging at Feral Librarian Tales

Our aim is to write five blog posts in the style of Jane Austen. I think what I will find most difficult, is writing in first person, without the aid of dialogue. Austen's style (to me, at least) is most evident in her characters' speech, and my blog tends to be first-person accounts. We are meant to write about topics we normally would choose, too, so this will be interesting! #blog5daysAustenese


Edit: it killed me to leave that apostrophe in Your's, but examples of that usage are all over Pride & Prejudice.

Friday Night Dance Break!

They're not new, but these are the videos on constant replay in my YouTube dance playlist:

Dynamite - Taio Cruz



Club Can't Handle Me - Flo Rida

Challenging Creativity

Well, dear readers, I'm back. I haven't really gone anywhere but I thought you might have heard enough out of me in June with 26 posts, and July seemed to slip through my fingers. Now that classes have started again, the next three months are set to be just as busy!

After challenging myself to blog every day in June (and almost managing it) I thought I would give myself new challenges for July - creative ones. I spent an evening writing lyrics to enter a contest for free registration to ALIA's new librarians sympsium, and the following Sunday afternoon and evening recording and editing the resulting music video.

I've since received official word that my entry was chosen as the winner! So, it's off to Perth in September, where I'll be tweeting and blogging and networking with other new grads and librarians. I am so excited!

Doing my little parody reminded me of how much I liked to sing, so I decided to challenge myself even more - I auditioned for a role in an upcoming musical production of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. The movie is one of my favourites but I've never seen it staged, so I decided to go for it. Lest you all think I lead a charmed life, I didn't get the part I wanted. I was offered a spot in the ensemble but I turned it down because the time commitment required... If I got one of the Bride roles I might have been more motivated to juggle my schedule, but as it is, I think I made the right decision.

I think my reading and singing went well but the dancing portion of my audition was pretty hopeless - moves I haven't done before, very fast, and very little time to pick it up. I was pretty nervous too. Oh well. The point is, I gave it a shot!

Here's to pushing boundaries!

Silly Lyrics

I've written poetry and lyrics in the past, but it's been awhile. This past weekend I got a little silly - for a good cause - and reworked the first two minutes of Don McLean's American Pie into a contest entry. I'm hoping to win my registration to ALIA's fifth New Librarians Symposium, NLS5.

At first I wished there had not been a two-minute restriction for audio/visual entries because that's only a quarter of the length of the original song - but by Sunday's end, after singing the same two minutes over and over, then cutting different videos together in iMovie, then messing with transitions and tracks...I was glad it was only two minutes. The lyrics are meant to tell the story of my metamorphosis (it's the conference theme) from girl to undergrad to library student, and make my case for why I should win a conference pass.

Unfortunately, some of my better audio runs had blurry or poorly lit video accompaniment. I considered doing a full track of my voice and laying it on top of the muted video, with a third track of music underneath, but heavens, I'd already been singing and watching myself sing all day! I'm a bit of a shy one when it comes to singing, and this is my first-ever YouTube video. Here's hoping it will be good for my professional development (at least until my husband leaks the bloopers reel). Jody recorded my performances and we stitched together the movies as a team. Here is the result:



If you click on 360p and choose 720p, you can even watch it in HD :) The lyrics are under "show more."

Good luck if you've entered the contest too! And I hope to see you in Perth.

Karaoke

Props to the guy I heard karaoke-ing as I came home tonight. Thursday night is generally a big night out in Sydney, and usually I pass a bar with a karaoke stage and have to cringe. The canned music had just hit its intro as I came into hearing range, and I felt my musical appreciation drop to my toes as I recognised Billy Joel's "Tell Her About It."

Aside from a speedy recovery to catch up with the equally speedy first line, though, the guy was good! Now, I love me some Billy Joel, and I was gratified not to have painful memories of bad karaoke etched on top of his voice in my head.

I myself haven't been to a karaoke bar in a long time...which means it's probably time to go again. I remember doing "Going Under" by Evanescence, and a guy in our group kindly jumped in when he realised there was a male part; "Love Story" by Taylor Swift; and "Lady Marmalade" from Moulin Rouge. I am not a soprano so my range falls more in the Tracy Chapman / Amy Winehouse area but I can fake it sometimes.




Do you karaoke? Are there songs you always do, or ones you fastidiously avoid? Does the mere thought of getting up in front of people with an abnormally amplified voice and a backing of tasteless videos and soulless recordings leave you quaking in your stylish yet affordable boots?

Blues'n it Up

Easter weekend in Byron Bay brought the 21st annual Bluesfest, a five day celebration of blues and roots artists - not just Australian artists, but international acts as well. Jody and I met up with another couple, C & M, and spent a glorious day soaking up some good tunes.

Unfortunately I was only able to make it for the Saturday performances, but on the upside, I saw a favourite (Jack Johnson!) and so did Jody (Buena Vista Social Club) - and I discovered a new favourite.

Behold - Newton Faulkner.

Here's what won me over:

• He writes his own songs.
• His guitar skills are wicked-cool.
• He played to a tent full of people for an entire hour, solo.
• He has a sense of play and an ease in performing.
• His lyrics are honest yet poetic.
• He has fantastic red dreadlocks.

I bought his second album, Rebuilt by Humans, at Bluesfest. My friend L, already a fan, tells me the background for this title: Newton had to have surgery for a dislocated hand and fractured forearm. Bad news for a guitarist!

I am so glad he was in the Bluesfest lineup, or I may never have discovered him. I highly recommend his music - I can just put the album on and let it play, and that's rare.

Jack Johnson was good, but unfortunately his songs were so well-known, the audience sometimes drowned him out singing along. And he didn't seem to "connect" with us very much - he was just up there, playing. I wasn't as impressed as I thought I would be. But he did do Banana Pancakes, so I went home happy. And he surprised me by doing a cover of The Joker ("Some people call me the space cowboy... some call me the gangster of love. Some people call me Maurice...")! We caught a (poor quality) snippet of that on video, with a shout-out to my sis about 20 seconds in.

Jack Johnson at Bluesfest '10, The Joker
Uploaded by juliapoet.

Buena Vista Social Club actually had people up and dancing! They were amazing. Of course no one knew what they were singing (they're from Cuba) but we enjoyed it very much. The female vocalist had a lot goin' on, too - she was singing and dancing and playing the occasional tambourine, all while looking smokin' hot in heels and a slinky dress. The lead singer tried to get the audience to follow him with some scat-style echoes, but 3/4 of the crowd was drunk by then and it was pretty much a failed experiment. Oh well, we had fun anyway. I was having fun even without beer, actually, and instead I held out for a chai from one of the coffee stalls. And it was, quite possibly, the bestchai latte I have ever had. It was not from syrup, and was not simply chai tea and milk. It tasted amazing, and on top of the deliciousness, the barista was serving it up despite the generator constantly flickering, which made for some challenging drink-making.

I bought handmade silver rose earrings and an adorable t-shirt with three owls on it from one of the market stalls, and C found a leather thong necklace adorned with feathers. There were food stalls as well, and I had an absolutely delicious meat pie and salad. People were generally friendly and good-natured, except when it came to two of us defending our two chairs and a blanket in the tent while C & M had their turn for a dinner break. I was glad of the tents, because it was a hot day.

On the whole I thought the festival was well-organised, except when it came time for us to leave the parking lot and head home. Let's just say an hour and a half of waiting to exit, trying to get into the excruciatingly slow-moving lineup without running over drunk, bogan would-be traffic controllers, not knowing what was taking so long, and having four grown adults in an Echo was not the most fun you could have on a Saturday night. Add in a failed few rounds of 20 Questions, including Jody's answer of "zombie" (neither animal, vegetable or inanimate object, dontcha know) and me being laughed at for asking if the 80s movie in question had puppets in it. The answer was Gremlins - so I wasn't so crazy after all. Oh, we were glad to get on the open road!

But would I do it again next year? Absolutely.

Side note: While trawling for a NF article I also found this piece on a Sydney composer - and since I do listen to ABC Classic FM, it is entirely possible that I've heard one of her compositions already. But now I am intrigued, and will shortly be finding out more about Elena Kats-Chernin.

Snapshots of Easter Weekend

More details to come. This is largely how I spent my Easter long weekend.

So Over These Songs

Dear Radio,

Please understand that, while I appreciate the wonders of alternating currents and free music, there are some songs that I just.cannot.stand.anymore.

My coworkers have little radios at their desk, and while I don't mind a little background music, they don't choose the same station - so two days a week, I have opposing sounds coming from my left and right. And so here are the songs that I would really, truly appreciate, Radio, if you could convince your other Listeners to dial down the requests.

Hey Soul Sister - Train

Replay - Sean Kingston

Fireflies - Owl City

Rude Boy - Rihanna

Today Was A Fairytale - Taylor Swift

Empire State of Mind - Alicia Keys & Jay-Z


"Empire State of Mind" and "Rude Boy" are particularly annoying, because they are very repetitive and the range is such that, over the desk partition, I can't hear what I'm sure are carefully crafted countermelodies and lyrical verses, and so all I hear is this:

"C'mon boy, boy boy... take IT take IT take IT take IT"

"New Yo-ooooork... New YORK New Yoooooork!"

I can barely understand Sean Kingston (Iyaz? really?) until halfway through when he stops playing with the synth and actually SINGS a verse. Fireflies is totally overplayed.

And Taylor, I love you - but do all your hits have to be about princes and fairytales?

Sincerely,

Julia

The Music Geek in Me

I was trying to fall asleep on Monday night, the day before my class, but the thought of my long-gone days as a brass instrumentalist popped into my head and I had to get out of bed and write. The night was warm and quiet as I slipped out to the balcony of our apartment and seated myself at the patio table, with the living room light illuminating my notebook just enough. The scents and sounds embedded in my memories of my time behind a music stand tumbled onto the page...

It’s been years since I held a horn to my lips. I miss the tang of brass and oil in my nostrils, the cool metal mouthpiece unyielding as I begin to warm up. I miss counting rest bars and holding whole notes, interpreting a wall of sound from black symbols on a white page. I miss playing with a group, layering my part into a fluid, cascading arrangement.

Once, I was a member of the Salvation Army youth band. I was third chair cornet, but as there were only four cornet players, this merely served my purpose of not being first chair – a spot reserved for the soloist and the best musician in the section. My part was the harmony – the often unnoticed, often offbeat counter to the melody – and I liked it that way.

The cornet was a popular choice for brass bands in the UK, where the Salvation Army was founded, while military and marching bands favour the sleeker, more commanding trumpet. They are essentially the same to play, with three valves, a conical, tubular construction that curls around and ends in a bell, and the same pitch of B-flat. In defence of the cornet, it has a humbler, sweeter sound, and is not so brash as its long-stemmed cousin. The trumpet might have a greater volume, but when played skilfully, a cornet has no trouble reaching the depths and heights of the scale, and its mellow tone does not restrict a player from pelting out sharp, crisp staccato marches.

I miss the confident weight of an instrument in my hands. Not so heavy as to drag my arms down, my slightly battered cornet – which belonged to the church – gave me a reason not to slouch in my chair. Its care became my responsibility, and knowing that I had cleaned and polished it gave my twelve year old self a certain pride.

Cleaning a brass instrument, now, that is a funny business. First of all, you hope that the band leader has not given you a horn that has languished in a cupboard for a decade or more. Second, you must find an old towel to lay in a warm bath to prevent scratches – both on the tub and on the instrument. Third, you must note which valve is taken from each of the three slots as you unscrew them and lay them gently in the water.

Once the cornet emerged from the towel-padded tub, the drying, oiling and reassembly could begin. Oiling the valves was always my favourite part of maintaining my cornet. Mine had shiny mother of pearl discs where my fingertips rested on the piston valves, unlike many of the newer, mass-made cornets. The oil that lubricates the piston valves has a scent not unlike olive oil, but it is much less viscous.

Even with a minor dent in its bell, I was proud to play my cornet, harmonizing with the other parts. My lips would buzz and strain against the cup of the mouthpiece, warming it and coaxing it to become an extension of my lungs and my lips and my tongue. The valves, when depressed, changed the way the air flows through the cornet, altering the pitch as I played. I grew to be a more confident player, mastering hand-eye coordination and posture as my ability to read sheet music grew.

Right foot lightly tapping against the heavy black music stand. Breath even and controlled, with a bit reserved for that sustained note at the end of the phrase. Reading the music and watching the conductor out of the corner of my eye. Adjusting my volume to blend in. During the rest bars, discreetly opening my spit valve – the owner’s manual would call this the water key – and blowing to dislodge any spit that had gathered. More than once a bandmate’s eagerness resulted in spit on my shoe, but water in the tubes could block an otherwise even note. I loved to soak up these gems of experience from my grandfather, who played the baritone in the senior band.

My family’s move abroad halted my progress in the band for a time, but in first year university I began to play again – this time, with a baritone. Baritones look somewhat like a small tuba and the bell points upward instead of toward its audience. But it had three valves, and the band was sorely short of baritone parts to round out the group that was traveling to Hong Kong. I picked it up and six months later, I was on a plane.

I took piano lessons for two years, but aside from the impossibility of finding a piano-friendly apartment, tinkling the keys didn’t appeal to me as much as playing the cornet. Brass music captured me from a young age, and the crush of sound that builds with a crescendo still thrills me.

Since my trip to Hong Kong in 2001, I’ve had little motivation to buy a cornet of my own. It needs the richness of other parts to be in its element. Apartment dwellers might tolerate the romantic tone of a well-played violin or flute, but a horn is not the sort of instrument your neighbours rejoice in listening to.


* Written at midnight the day before my weekly writing class, and mostly from memory. Any instrument-related errors are my own.

Makin' it Funky with dc Talk

Today? Not my best day. Not my worst either. When Jody tried to cheer me up with a rendition of "Lean on Me," I couldn't bring myself to help him with it. He was sure I knew the song - and I do - but to be honest, the version that sticks in my head belongs to one of the most stellar Christian rock groups of the '90s : dc Talk.




From the dc Talk website:

"Although various rock predecessors have examined spiritual issues - U2, Van Morrison, and Bob Dylan immediately come to mind - dc Talk has taken the notion to new lengths, both in commercial terms and depth of artistic exploration. Numerous Dove Awards, three Grammy Awards, one multi-platinum album, two platinum albums, two gold albums and two gold-certified long-form videos attest to the group's ability to bridge the wall between religious and secular audiences."

Toby Mac. Michael Tait. Kevin Max. These guys had serious cred, and judging from the Youtube and iTunes comments, they've still got it. Hip hop, rap, pop-rock - it's all there as they experiment with their sound, but they never lose their standout voices or their firm beliefs.

I did try to teach Jody the dc Talk version of "Lean on Me," but I hit him with the boys' untraditional bridge first:
Make it funky, make it funky. It's more "fun-kay" than "fun-kee" - oh, just go listen to it already. In the Youtube comments purethug says, "whoa... was not expecting that. it's got everything - soul, funk.. perfect."

After I heard "Lean on Me" after so many years away from my sister's music collection, I tried to think of which five dc Talk songs were my favourites... and I couldn't. There are so many awesome songs, it was more like a top 10.

Lean on Me
Luv is a Verb
Jesus Freak
Jesus Is Just Alright
What Have We Become
Socially Acceptable
What if I Stumble
Consume Me
In the Light
My Will

Those last four are particularly amazing to me. If you think Christian music is all choirs and piano, take a listen, especially to anything from the "Jesus Freak" album.

dc Talk's music was one of the best things about my teen years. It's nice to know that some things stick with you, and even nicer when you come back to them and they're just as good as you remember.


* Free at Last album cover from Christianmusic.com

Ultimate 5: Songs and Memories

With iTunes on random, these songs came up and reminded me of people I haven't seen in awhile. So here's a few shout-outs.

1. Marry Me - Amanda Marshall

Pam!
You sneaky-sneak, you changed the words to suit you and Mr. Mitch, and sang it at your rehearsal dinner. Awwww. I can never hear this song now without thinking of you.

2. Knock 'em Out - Lily Allen

Keira-leigh!
When this song came out, you were all over it. "And no, you can't have my number... 'cause I lost my phone!"
The radio didn't need to be on; you could just break out into the chorus, or make up funnier, crazier reasons to end the song with. Often this was a duet with Pam.

3. Ballroom Blitz - The Sweet

Shaughnessy!
Girl, you rocked this at our last karaoke night out. I don't know if I can dance this fast anymore, but you sure can belt it out - and lyrics? Who needs 'em? You know it all by heart, and you had the whole bar on their feet by the end.

4. It's My Life - Jon Bon Jovi

Ian!
Driving down Cedar Hill one night to drop me at home, we had the stereo blaring out Bon Jovi at about midnight. You rolled the window down and sang the chorus at the top of your lungs. Ever since, this song makes me think of you. Thanks for the ride, eh?

5. Semi-Charmed Life - Third Eye Blind

Pernell!

1998. Third Eye Blind was cool, but the kind of cool we couldn't sing in church... so you stole the "doot doot doot's" from the start of 'Semi-Charmed Life' and tacked them onto the intro of a worship song. Legendary, Pernell. Way to be the coolest youth leader of all time.

Who Says You Can't Have Fun On Your Own?

I've been solo all week, and admittedly it's not my favourite - especially when I didn't feel well Tuesday and Wednesday. Tonight, however, I decided to stroll down to the harbour for an hour with my fledgling novel and a chai, but found considerably more than that. Apparently it's Australia Post's 200th birthday, and it called for a free concert in the Aquashell (seriously, that's what they call the floating stage) with fireworks!

On the bill tonight was Jessica Mauboy, whom I accidentally listen to when my coworker's radio is on. But honestly? She wasn't bad. A little nervous I think, or maybe she just needs time to get the audience chit-chat right - but the singing was pretty good, despite how my video sounds. If I'd known about the concert I might have brought a proper camera, but as it was I was already lugging a paperback and my EeePC in my purse. Unfortunately for Jessica, the sound didn't come out so well - either it was the fangirls making noise in front of me, or my finger might have been muffling the microphone. Oops.

Jessica looked really cute - yellow dress with a tiered skirt, black leather jacket and boots. She was really excited to announce that she'll be joining Beyonce on her Australian tour. I guess she's moving up in the music world! She was runner-up in 2006's Australian Idol.

Here's a clip of Running Back.


Anyway - after Jessica's 4 songs (Burn; Because; Been Waiting; Running Back) there was a break, so I nipped into Starbucks and warmed up with a chai. I'd heard the name of the next act, but had no clue what he would sing until I heard Jump, Jive 'n' Wail. I promise this next clip is better audio quality, but I can't do anything about the picture - too many lights, rippling water for lights to bounce off of, and no zoom.


David Campbell did 8 or 9 songs - Jump, Jive 'n' Wail; Mack the Knife; Just a Gigolo; 1-2-3; Smoke Gets in Your Eyes; You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You; Good Lovin'; one called Yeh-Yeh, and Can't Take My Eyes off of You. His band was awesome - the sax player had a couple great solos, and one song was just David and his pianist. I liked his act so much I might buy an album. He's not quite as schmoozy as, say, Matt Dusk - despite his obvious talent, he just seems like a guy who likes to be himself and put on a great show,. I guess it helps that he's the son of Jimmy Barnes?

The evening culminated in a fireworks display - I snapped a couple photos. For an impromptu night out, tonight was a pretty good one! Who says you can't have fun on your own?