Music
JULY 17, 2011: ADINA CHASTINE
We all do a “job” …. you know what I mean …. something that pays the bills and keeps our minds occupied.
I am very blessed to LOVE my “job”. Every day I go to work, I look forward to it! =)
The clients can be challenging, but my co-workers are amazing people! Sometimes we are in the back room together just LAUGHING ’til our stomachs hurt and our eyes are crying! :*D
*whew*
It is lovely to have this experience!
Well, I was shopping in our gift boutique at work the other day and came across a CD with the name and picture of one of my co-workers on it!!!!
This person, Adina Chastine, is a fellow massage therapist. We laugh and work and hug and generally have a wonderful time in each other’s company. She is lovely, in every sense of that word.
She was kind enough to share a copy of her CD with me.
I just popped it into my computer today …. and out of the speakers emanate piano, guitar, and a voice that causes goosebumps!
I work with a VERY talented person!
She said her style is “folk”.
I hear multiple genres in her music: country (!!), ballad, folk, and classical.
She hits the notes dead on – without the use of “dubbing” or “mixing”.
If I had to “compare” her to a popular artist that you could relate to, I may say Edie Brickell – but not as throaty. Jewel comes closer. But she doesn’t SOUND like those artists. Her voice is all her own.
She plays acoustic guitar, piano, and electronic piano.
On a few songs she has the assistance of Glenn M. Taylor to play strings, percussion, bass, second acoustic guitar, double bass, and flute.
It is mostly music to relax to – nothing hard core here.
Simply delightful to listen to!
Thank you, Adina, for sharing this with me. I knew you were fabulous already, now I realize you are also fabulously multi-talented. 
Stay Tuned ….
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JUNE 23, 2011: ALPOCALYPSE
The long-awaited CD (by ME, at least) “Alpocalypse” is released today! YAY!
And here is the write-up about it on Al’s blog.
11 out of 12 videos are finished – yay! =)
I’m just waiting for the last Gaga parody video – “Polka Face” (actually it is a compilation of Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Flo Rida, Kid Cudi, Lady Antebellum, Justin Bieber, P!nk, Katy Perry, Owl City, Jamie Foxx, Iyaz, Jay Sean, Taio Cruz, and Ke$ha). This will be the very FIRST video for one of Al’s polka’s!!!!
FYI – all proceeds from the “Perform This Way” parody goes to the Human Rights Campaign. So, whether you download it or buy it on CD, all the monies from that song go to the Human Rights Campaign! Yay Al! =)
Stay Tuned ….
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JUNE 9, 2011: SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLE
In the first “Twilight” movie, during the baseball game, this is the song that is playing ….
“Supermassive Black Hole” by Muse
“Oh baby don’t you know I suffer?
Oh baby can’t you hear me moan?
You caught me under false pretenses
How long before you let me go?
oooh…You set my soul alight
oooh…You set my soul alight
(oooh…You set my soul alight)
Glacier’s melting in the dead of night
And the superstars sucked into the supermassive
I thought I was a fool for no-one
But ooo baby I’m a fool for you
You’re the queen of the superficial
And how long before you tell the truth
(oooh…You set my soul alight)
Glacier’s melting in the dead of night
And the superstars sucked into the supermassive
**** NOTE: There is a TON of repetition in this song, so I have removed the repetitive lyrics. If you want the full set of lyrics, go to sing365.
OK, so the lyrics are most certainly NOT poetry!
But the musical “grind” is there.
This is definitely a “roll the windows down and crank the stereo as you drive way past the speed limit” kind of song!
With the temps outside right now, this is the perfect song to get your windows down and your AC off.
Stay Tuned ….
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MAY 26, 2011: AFTER THE WEIRD AL CONCERT
Wow. Wow Wow oh WOW!
Granted I have not been to a lot of concerts in my lifetime …. let me list the ones I can think of:
- Jack Wagner (my HS friends – don’t ask)
- Genesis
- Styx
- Genesis (yep, twice!)
- Yes
- Huey Lewis & The News
- Weird Al Yankovic
This concert was SO MUCH FUN!!!!
OK, let me back up a bit ….
We drove to the theater and could not find a parking spot on the street so we found a parking garage …. and got the very first spot in the lot. *yay!*
We walk to the theater to get tickets. At the window we ask for the closest seats they have and the man says “OK, well we just opened up seats in the Gold Circle, would you like those?”
Of course I had no idea where they were, so he showed me on the diagram …. ready?
Floor. Center Section. Three rows back from the stage.
Uh, hell’s YEAH!!!!
So since I had no Weird Al t-shirts I bought some. My spouse didn’t want to stand around for 40 minutes waiting for the doors to open, thus volunteered to walk back to the parking garage and put my shirts in the car. That was cool because I didn’t have to worry about holding them all night or dropping them somewhere. =)
The doors opened at 7:30 and we all calmly walked to our seats – yes, I was pleasantly surprised that everyone was very civilized.
The first thing I noticed was that the techs were busy fixing some piece of equipment – a video projector.
First they had a cherry picker and were trying to fix it where it hung. Nope, no luck.
They lowered the scaffolding to the ground and about 6 different techs were scurrying around like hungry ants.
At 8:45 they finally got the darn thing fixed, and the show began.
FUN FUN FUN!!!
Al changed his outfit for every. single. song. No joke!
For one song he just kept peeling off layers upon layers until he ended up in a Spongebob t-shirt, heart boxers, fishnet stockings, and a pink tutu.
Classic!
My phone battery lasted every single minute of photo taking – which is a miracle upon itself because of its usual short-lived life!
I took well over 200 pics!
I am so very grateful that I got to go!
Thank you Weird Al Yankovic, and the Universe!
Stay Tuned ….
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MAY 25, 2011: WEIRD AL YANKOVIC’S BLOG
I have been a fan of Weird Al Yankovic since I first saw him on a UHF channel in my room.
I own every single CD he’s ever produced, plus the DVD of his one and only movie “UHF”.
I have SOME songs memorized – no, not all.
And, yes, I have dialog from the movie memorized – of course!
Yet I’ve never been to one of his concerts … until today.
An appointment I had booked got cancelled this morning due to the tech being sick. I wished the person to get well quickly and we would reschedule.
My evening had become free.
The Universe never makes mistakes, trust me when I say this.
I ended up on Weird Al’s blog just looking around. I had his newest parody (“I Perform This Way” vs “Born This Way” by Lady Gaga) playing on perpetual repeat on the stereo (I do this so I can learn the words).
Funny …. I found his concert date listing and lo! There is a concert tonight … right here in my state … only a few towns away … and there are SEATS AVAILABLE!!!!
Off I go …. I will post more!
Stay Tuned ….
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APRIL 12, 2011: “TRON: LEGACY”
This week the movie “Tron: Legacy” was released onto DVD/BluRay.
Being a soundtrack lover, I investigated.
I was not impressed with the original soundtrack.
However, I WAS impressed with the “Tron: Legacy R3CONF1GUR3D” soundtrack …. not only authorized by, but produced by Walt Disney.
Hmmmm …. a “sanctioned” remix? I have never heard of such wondrous things before this!
Well, let me tell YOU, this is just an amazing mix of all electronic music that has been distorted, skewed, modulated, warped, and totally fried through all kinds of equipment and filters.
For those unfamiliar with electronic music, you need to adjust your thoughts on music in general. This is NOT the kind of thing you sing along with in the car.
It is the kind of music you listen to in the background of doing other things. You listen to it many times until you can feel the motion of the movement of the music throughout your entire body.
Close your eyes. Breathe. Move.
It’s definitely a tactile experience!
Try it …. go on …. it’s ok …. you are in your own home away from prying eyes ….
Stay Tuned ….
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SEPTEMBER 19, 2010: SWIFT ROBINSON
The band’s name is “Swift Robinson”.
Four members:
Ben Robinson (bass)
Casey Bennett (vocals, guitar)
Eddie Williams (vocals, guitar, sampling)
Sonny Hopkins (percussion)
Their style is classified as “Rock / Indie / Alternative”, but that just seems to lack the depth of the group. I’d like to be able to classify them differently – Alternative Indie Grunge Rock?
One moment you’re head nodding, the next you need a mosh pit, then the next an old-fashioned lighter waving in the air would do it! There was the sweet moment when Casey imitated the Backstreet Boys – and KICKED IT HARD!!
According to the band members their influences are 90′s bands such as Incubus, Foo-Fighters and Collective Soul. However they snuck in some classic AC\DC during the set, plus I swear I heard Rush and Yes influences.
These men are true musicians – tight riffs, clean beats, and excellent harmonies all punctuated their sound. Their lyrics are all statements on current affairs and contain no “fluff”, yet are positive and upbeat – no need for razor blades here!
It must be said that the difference between the outdoor concert in the backyard versus their studio-produced CD’s is like night and day! I know I know …. *duh* blondie! But I had to say it. I listened to them from 8:30-10:00, and 10:30-11:30. Then I hopped into my car and plugged their full-length CD into the stereo and had a TOTALLY different experience.
I’d like to hear these guys on mainstream Radio within the next month if not sooner. I’d LOVE to see them signed to a major label within six months or less.
For now, though ….
Stay Tuned ….
