Music

10th March
2013
written by JAK

I recently was reintroduced to Suzy Bogguss.  She was a popular Country music singer when I was in high school (during my Country phase).  A few weeks ago she was a guest on a Prairie Home Companion.  I then had to look her up on You Tube and relive some of my favorites.

Shenandoah was not one of those favorites.  I had never heard it til now, but she sings it beautifully in this performance from 2012.

21st December
2012
written by JAK

It’s nearly impossible to be depressed with this playing:

This one ain’t bad either—especially the part about the “piggy pudding”


Though I think Noel–Christmas Eve, 1913 is my favorite carol of all:

17th May
2012
written by JAK

Gotye’s Somebody that I Used to Know is very popular right now.

Because of that, it has spawned many covers. I’m really impressed by the acoustic version by Walk Off the Earth in which all five band members simultaneously play a single guitar:

This version is so popular that it, in turn, has inspired many parodies. The best is this one by The Key of Awesome. I think it might even be my favorite of the three. Love the Tito Puente line!

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17th May
2012
written by JAK

My sister and I went to see the 1943 technicolor extravaganza The Gang’s All Here. Billed (by the local theater) as a “gay hairdresser’s acid trip” the film did not disappoint. The disembodied heads at the end, though, were a bit much.

The highlight was, of course, Carmen Miranda. They just don’t make big musical numbers in which showgirls dance with oversized fruit anymore. More’s the pity.

23rd February
2011
written by JAK

When I was studying in Italy, I asked my one Italian friend there what English sounded like to a non-native English speaker. He said it reminded him of running water.

Below is another interpretation, this one from a 1970s Italian variety show. In the beginning of the video, the girl asks her teacher “Have you ever written a song using foreign words that didn’t mean anything?” (or something along those lines…it’s been a while since I’ve translated Italian!). The teacher responds with this song which has plenty of English-like sounds in it, but doesn’t mean anything…I don’t think. Actually, it sounds kind of like Bob Dylan…or Mick Jagger in one of his less coherent songs.

It will get in your head—kind of like a bollywood song. But you won’t be able to sing it to yourself later, since you won’t remember the non-words. I’ve been kinda humming it to myself with an “Oll Raight!” thrown in every now and again. Frustrating!

18th December
2010
written by JAK

Thanks to Captain Canuck for the heads-up!

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30th October
2010
written by JAK

The Very Best of Marc Cohn cdI’ve been listening and re-listening to a Marc Cohn Greatest Hits cd these past days. And it’s all Link’s fault!

Much as I liked “Walking in Memphis” and “Walk Through the World,” I had never really made the effort to seek out his other music. Then, a couple of weeks ago, Link (bro-in-law) invited me to a benefit at which his firm had bought a table. The entertainment for the night was Marc Cohn.

It was a great show. I always had thought of him as a piano player (and singer/song writer), but he’s also very good on guitar. And funny, to boot! He told us the whole story behind “Walking in Memphis.” It was a stroke of luck (or maybe genius) that it came about.

Anyhow, I came home hungry for more so ordered the cd. I especially like “One Safe Place” and “Olana.” (Click here to hear selections.) The latter is about the Hudson River School painter Frederic Church and Olana, the Persian-style house he built in Hudson, NY. I found it very moving. It talks about him giving up painting (he suffered from rheumatoid arthritis) and finding solace in the house (he spent years designing and decorating it).

They say my final masterpiece
Was this house upon the hill
High above the great and mighty river
My hand could not hold the brushes
Yes I guess I lost my will
And you can’t keep painting paradise forever
Oh forever

From the Andes to Niagara
To where we stand today
I drew the great creations of my master
‘Til the oil and the canvas
Lord I threw them all away
And traded them for stone and brick and plaster
I traded them all for you

(Winter wind blows and the river lies frozen at my feet)
I traded them all for you
(Springtime come and the river wanna run above the street)

She came to me one night
While I was tossing in my dreams
She said she’d give my family protection
I recall the night I died
Beneath her arches and her beams
I thanked her for the shelter and direction
I was lost until Olana

(Sun beat down on a summertime town — he left me there)
I was lost until Olana
(Watching these hills turning gold for one more year)

Oh I’ve been from Jerusalem to Rome
Now I’m floating through these rooms tonight alone
And looking back on everything
All I ever wanted was a home

I was lost until Olana
How sweet the sound
How sweet the sound

They say my final masterpiece
Was this house upon the hill

30th September
2010
written by JAK

A music video by Oren Lavie…

Web site at http://www.hmegallery.com/.

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3rd September
2010
written by JAK

Okay, this is a totally cool interactive music video. You put in your childhood address and it becomes a part of the experience.

You have to use Google Chrome as your browser but it’s worth it (hey, it’s a pretty cool browser anyway). Chrome will open a bunch of windows when the video starts, but don’t freak out and close them…just wait…

Give it a try!

27th July
2010
written by JAK

Dan from the band OK Go takes on Animal. What was he thinking?!

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