Rumplestiltskin and other gems

I can't believe I forgot to post this, I found it somewhere and added it to YouTube back in January 2007. It's had it's fair share of hits.
Someone left a comment recently which reminded me that I had missed it.
Of course it is by that awesome one (and a half?) hit wonder John Otway.
This is John at his wildest and most raucous.

Rumplestiltskin


Here he is getting very introspective, or not.

I am a lion


And for something completely different, here is one of his most beautiful songs.
Someone has produced a montage of photo's of John with this great song.


Geneva


Sing along with John:

Geneva take her to yourself
And Watch her while she rests you know she talks of you as home
Ill try to get to her somehow
While in your arms she lies
I hope she will not feel alone
And I for the many things Ive donecarry on n play the same song
Cos I never new a better way of loving... Do you
For she is so young an in my dreams you'll see me playing for the screaming ladies of Los Angeles
And when I decided that would be my stage I was her age
I remember that was a tender time for me

Geneva Easters been n gone n fate has played its hand n I am on my own
But warm is the hand that holds my arm
An always leads me on so I never can stay long
So smile n ill see you in a while
As a tourist an a child but not a loser
For you knew love is a very much harder thing to have
For I am still young and its true
That I don't regret n I don't forget n I ain't going to
An as I wipe away all the traces of Lisa blues
It is my shoes that walk across the stage for the applause
Geneva take her to your self
And Watch her while she rests you know she talks of you as home.

Leonard Cohen - Isle of Wight - 1970

One of my lost weekends. I was there, according to eye witnesses, I remember being late in getting back to work (about 3 days late) because we couldn't get a ferry back. Too many people, way too many people. And maybe a tad too much booze. But a tremendous festival in every way. This was our Woodstock in the UK.
Now I read that they are going to release Leonards performance on CD and DVD. This will be so cool.
I will be able to see again what I almost remember of the concert.

Brokenkites

Hauntingly beautiful music, tremendous video.
What more can you want?
Today I give you Brokenkites.
Their sound is Electronica, Downtempo, Anti-Genre and can be found on Hollow Scene. You can download free or buy tracks/albums at their web page.

I am really digging their sound. Does that make me sound old?
Do people still "dig" stuff today?
Well never mind, whether you dig or groove or enjoy, this is some cool sounds.
As well as the clever videos.
Brokenkites is/are located in Antarctica & The United States, make of that what you will. That is about the extent of background information I have found.
Brokenkites is a friend on LastFM. Which is where I first found their music.

Theoreticals


Technique


Hidden

Bay Area Slang - What's it all about

Bay Area Slang Top 100
A big thank you to Rafael Casal, I have lived in the Bay Area about 15 years, now finally I can understand what is going on.



100 Bay Area slang terms in under 3 minutes.
Off the upcoming release, "MONSTER LP" from Rafael Casal - Coming August, 2009

Side note: When I used to live in Massachusetts they called it the Bay Area there too!
Wonder how many Bay Areas there are in the USA?

Kim Hoorweg

From another great music review site I found Kim Hoorweg, such a jazzy sound. An old soul in a young person.
Jazz appears to be so much more popular in Europe than in the USA or the UK. I remember when I lived there that the Scandinavian countries, Holland, Germany and France were all hotbeds of Jazz. This young lady hails from Holland.

Two years ago, then 14-year-old Kim Hoorweg made her debut on the music scene with Kim Is Back. She captivated both fanatic jazz lovers and young people discovering the genre with her fresh interpretations of Ella Fitzgerald-covers. On My Recipe For A Happy Life, Kim has transformed into a mature and all-round singer who writes her own songs. My Recipe For A Happy Life will be released on the famous Verve label. .... [Cleak]

You Really Got Me Now


So after that review you have to wonder how did she sound when she was just 14. Well just give a listen to Summertime. Wow! With just her dad on piano she is singing in a radio station studio. Such poise.


And finally today this live appearance from Rijswijkse Schouwburg 04-02-2009 singing
Message In A Bottle.


Listen to her some more on LastFM

Bachianas Brasileiras # 5 - Heitor Villa-Lobos

Back in the sixties I first discovered this beautiful piece of music. It was on Joan Baez's 5th album I believe. It captured my heart, gave me goosebumps, and to this day has remained my favorite piece of music ever.
Joan's version is still my favorite. I have heard many people say she has not trained as an opera singer so she cannot sing it as well. Just listen to her version and tell me she can't sing. This version is so full of feeling and emotion.





Joan Baez


My second favorite version of this great piece is by Kiri Te Kanawa, but sadly I was unable to find any video of her singing it.  Until now.  Updated 05.10.2013
Here are some other great versions, I'm sure many will have their own favorites. Who is yours?

Jungmee Kim, piano; Dana Schnitzer, soprano; Aristides Rivas, cello


Victoria Taranova


Hayley Westenra


adeadgbe says
A series of nine suites, the Bachianas Brasileiras were an homage to J.S. Bach written by the Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos between 1930 and 1945. This is probably Villa-Lobos's single most popular composition. Published as a work for Soprano and 8 'Cellos it was originally conceived of as an instrumental piece with violin as the main melody instrument, as it is again in this arrangement.
Abaca String Band

Recorded at the Poway Center for the Performing Arts, San Diego, CA, on October 22, 2008.
Music arranged by Andrew Schulman
Videography by Gary Stoefen

The beauty of all great music is that you can jazz it up and it still sounds amazing.
Jorge Aragão & his band

Mariachi El Bronx

Thanks to another great musical review site out there for pointing me in the direction of Mariachi El Bronx.
Mariachi El Bronx play mariachi music with a punk flair, very interesting combination.
Some people may think they are taking the piss, but it seems all above board to me.
There is a good deal of respect for the genre for their entry into the mariachi arena.
Can't wait for the album.




Here they are at Emo's on July 4th


Great Review by Chris Buckle of The Skinny UK -

Unless The Jonas Brothers are anonymously working on a double album of folk-inspired death metal, this is undoubtedly the most unusual musical alter-ego of 2009. A world away from the noisy hardcore sound for which they’re known, LA punks The Bronx have transmogrified into Central American doppelgangers Mariachi El Bronx, swapping crunchy detuned guitars for chirpy brass, frantic bass-drum rhythms for a summery latino sway and rock-n-roll howls for sweetly sung jail-based pining over absent sweethearts. Such a major stylistic shift might have an air of novelty were it not for Cell Mates straight-faced sincerity and wonderfully upbeat flourishes. Even if the Bronx have thus far left you cold, the summery warmth of the Mariachis may change your mind.

300 The second time

300 The second time, originally uploaded by sameasitev.

Friday night, feeling fine. Playing Wii and drinking wine.
And just to prove it was no fluke, here is the perfect game a second time.
Guess we'll have to try the new 360 degree version.

Prince - Crimson and Clover

Prince, what more can I say. The official video for "Crimson and Clover"

Dexter - Season 4

Coming soon to your TV, the next blood soaked series of Dexter.
As much as I am enjoying True Blood, Weeds and Nurse Jackie I just can't wait for September for the next Dexter series on Showtime.
If you are like me Jonesing for it here is the trailer for Season 4 to tickle your taste buds.

Madness - One Step Beyond

OK, so I know it's an oldie, but it's a goodie.
I was perusing this cool music site and I saw his write up of it and had to visit YouTube to find the video.
So here in all their original glory is the greatest Ska band ever Madness with the Ska anthem "One Step Beyond".

Leonard Cohen - Still Touring

Some more USA dates announced, plus he's still touring Europe.
In case you need to know the dates see below.
Meanwhile Take this Waltz.



European Section

July 26 Belfast, Northern Ireland - Odyssey
July 30 Lisbon, Portugal - Atlântico Arena
July 31 Gijon, Spain - Plaza De Toros
Aug. 13 Vigo, Spain - Festival Castrelos
Aug. 15 Girona, Spain - Festival Cap Roig
Aug. 18 Vienne, France - Theatre Antique
Aug. 20 Nimes, France - Arènes De Nimes
Aug. 22-23 Monte Carlo, Monaco - Monte Carlo Sporting Club & Casino
Aug. 26 Wiesen, Austria - Wiesen Festival
Aug. 28 Bratislava, Slovakia - Inchebo Expo Arena
Aug. 31 Budapest, Hungary - Papp László Budapest Sportaréna
Sept. 12 Madrid, Spain - Palacio De Los Sportes
Sept. 13 Granada, Spain - Colisseum
Sept. 17 Bilbao, Spain - Bilbao Exhibition Centre
Sept. 21 Barcelona, Spain - Palau St. Jordi
Sept. 24 Tel Aviv, Israel - Ramat Gan Stadium

USA Section

Oct. 17 Sunrise, FL - BankAtlantic Center
Oct. 19 Tampa, FL - St. Pete Times Forum
Oct. 20 Atlanta, GA - Fox Theatre
Oct. 22 Philadelphia, PA - The Wachovia Spectrum
Oct. 23 New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
Oct. 25 Cleveland, OH - Allen Theatre
Oct. 27 Columbus, OH - Palace Theatre
Oct. 29 Chicago, IL - Rosemont Theatre
Nov. 1 Asheville, NC - Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
Nov. 3 Durham, NC - Durham Performing Arts Center
Nov. 5 Nashville, TN - Tennessee Performing Arts Center
Nov. 7 St. Louis, MO - Fox Theatre
Nov. 9 Kansas City, MO - The Midland by AMC
Nov. 12 Las Vegas, NV - The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
Nov. 13 San Jose, CA - HP Pavilion

Joe Henry

Joe Henry is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Critically acclaimed for his body of work, Henry has gained a steady cult following throughout his career. Joe's musical style spans several genres, including alt. country, rock, jazz and folk. Joe is also highly regarded by many other musicians, especially for his evolving sound, evocative and introspective lyrics and superb producing skills.

And to think I missed him, he has released 11 albums since 1987 with a new one coming out soon. I know I have to have heard him, since he had a song featured on The Sopranos and I never missed an episode.

But I really dig this guy, a bit in the vein of Tom Waits. Which is not a bad thing.



This one is a great video by maxiii2007.
Video que hice con escenas de la pelicula "Eloge De L'amour" de Jean-Luc Godard para el tema "Struck" de Joe Henry.-- maxiii2007
Video I made with scenes from the movie "Eloge de l'amour" by Jean-Luc Godard for "Struck" by Joe Henry .-- maxiii2007 [Translation by Google].

Struck


maxiii2007 strikes again with another great video - Video que hice con escenas de la pelicula "The Killers" de Andrei Tarkovsky para el tema "Scar" de Joe Henry.

Scar


And finally the man himself live at Paradiso, Amsterdam 12th February 2008
God only knows


As always you can listen at LastFM.

Mariachi in Alabama

I love Mariachi bands, some have more to offer than others, check out the Mariachi band at Acapulco Mexican Restaurant in Birmingham, Alabama.


Beat It


Sweet Home Alabama


Big thank you to bamachick1101 for posting.

Beat Girl

I stumbled across a great music site today with many soundtracks for trashy or tacky movies. So many memories, so I had to go check out one of my guilty pleasures. I was sixteen when this came out and I know I enjoyed it at the time, maybe not so critical back in those days.

I wonder if Gillian Hills got the part because of her resemblance to Brigitte Bardot?

But here are a couple of clips from "Beat Girl" made in 1959 or 1960. Adam Faith was the "teenage sensation star" of the movie and Christopher Lee was the bad guy as ever. Also starting out with a small part as a Young Tough was Oliver Reed.

But the main joy is the John Barry soundtrack. This was a few years before the first James Bond movies, but you can spot where the Bond theme came from.


Opening Credits


The inevitable hip dance scene make sure to check out Oliver Reed in the plaid shirt

"Hey you kids, the bands in if you want to jive?"

Part of the original promo

Galt Aureus

Recently I came across sbGalt and Galt Aureus they have a great sound, it's terrific to find people out there writing their own music and not just hacking at other peoples tunes.

It's refreshing. Check him/them out you may well like him/them. Galt Aureus is an unsigned talent, so what are you waiting for get him signed.

Here are two of their own original songs.




Coming Down


The wake has gone,
mortar comes.
Wall it up,
and dig out my grave.

Don't you hold me now,
as my time runs out,
don't you stay around,
you can't save me from,
what's coming down.

They twist the wires,
a charge unfolds,
wound it up and let it go,
to light up my life.

What's coming down,
will show me how,
to find my silent home;
the wake has gone,
the mortar comes,
crashing down on one.

What's coming now,
will show me how,
to find my silent home;
the wake has gone,
the mortar comes,
and I must go alone.

Fallen on the Front Lines


Your word like sacrament,
Pantomime for castaways among the dead,
Is this the rapture?

Where I've seen men lay down first their lives then,
lay down their guns after their lives have left them,
When I've seen white lies and the black fog of wartime,
Choking those fallen on the front lines,
Where your king never stood.

This battlement is full of him,
the ghost who echoes only false hope.

MP3 downloads available
Hear more from LastFM

Brooke White

Brooke White is another young lady who didn't win American Idol.

But you know apart from season 4 and 7 the winners haven't done much for me.
Many others who made it to the top 5 or so turned out to be much better singers.

I have been listening to Brooke's new album, Hopes and Heartbreak, give it a try you may like it too.



Brooke White live at The Village Recording studio sing the title track off her new album available on iTunes on 7/14/09.


Brooke White plays her new single Radio at the Verve Lounge Aptos.

Owl City

As far as I can find out it would appear that Owl City is in fact Adam Young.

Right or wrong I am still digging the new album Ocean Eyes, check it out.

I really hate when people say "oh it sounds like ..." so I'm not going to do that comparison, you just listen and make your own comparisons.




Fireflies

You can tell it's a live gig with all the screaming!
Owl City performing Fireflies with Matt Thiessen at Grandmas Sports Garden in Duluth, Minnesota on June 30, 2009

Hello Seattle



Early Birdie

Miranda Lambert - Dead Flowers

Miranda Lambert, no relation to Adam but just as talented.
This is the official video for her new single, which hopefully will also be on her new album coming out in September. This is a great song with a great video from a great talent. Love it.




Miranda Lambert (born November 10, 1983) is an American country music artist who gained fame as a finalist on the 2003 season of Nashville Star, where she finished in third place and later signed to Epic Records. Lambert made her debut with the release of "Me and Charlie Talking", the first single from her 2005 debut album Kerosene. This album, which was certified Platinum in the United States, also produced the singles "Bring Me Down", "Kerosene", and "New Strings". All four singles were Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts.

Black is Black

Some music from the sixties and seventies.

At least one version will prove that not all disco was bad.

These are some pretty cool versions of the old song Black is Black.





Belle Epoque


Belle Epoque were Evelyn Verrecchia, Giusy Fortes, Marzia Thear

Cerrone


Los Bravos
I believe they originally released this back in 1966, this performance is circa 1975


Better still is the 1966 version.


Then the ultimate, not much of a video but give it a listen.
Big Maybelle



Black is black
I want my baby back
It's gray, it's gray
Since she went away, Ooh-Ooh
What can I do
'Cause I'm feelin' blue

If I had my way
She'd be back today
But she don't intend
To see me again, Ooh-Ooh
What can I do
'Cause I'm feelin' blue, yes I do

I can't choose
It's too much to lose
My love's too strong
Wow! Maybe if she
would come back to me
Then it can't go wrong

Bad is bad
That I feel so sad
It's time, it's time
That I found peace of mind, Ooh-Ooh
What can I do
'Cause I'm feelin' blue

I can't choose
It's too much to lose
My love's too strong
Wow! Maybe if she
would come back to me
Then it can't go wrong

Black is black
I want my baby back
It's gray, it's gray
Since she went away, Ooh-Ooh
What can I do
´Cause I´m feelin´blue, yes I do
´Cause I´m feelin´blue

Partly Cloudy

Partly Cloudy is a Pixar short film directed by Peter Sohn and produced by Kevin Reher. It is shown in theaters before Up.



Plot
All day long, cheerful cloud people in the sky make human baby boys and girls, kittens, puppies, and other creatures and give them to storks for delivery to the expectant parents. However, one lonely gray cloud named Gus sees all of his creations turn into dangerous animals, despite his best efforts. His delivery stork named Peck gets the worst of it, being bitten by a crocodile, butted by a bighorn sheep, and pricked by a porcupine. When Peck sees that his next delivery is to be a baby shark, he grows irritated and more than a little fearful, and flies away. Feeling rejected, despondent, and angry, Gus unleashes a brief thunderstorm, then begins to cry with rain pouring from below him. To Gus's surprise, Peck soon returns with a football helmet and shoulder pads, created for him by another cloud to keep him safe, proving to the gray cloud that he wasn't going to be abandoned. Gus instantly cheers up and gives Peck an electric eel to deliver, which still shocks him despite the protective equipment, except this time, Peck remains in fairly high (though slightly frazzled) spirits.

Helena Jessie - Speaking Of Happiness

Something cool and Jazzy to start the weekend on the right note.
Helena Jessie, someone cool from the UK I think.



Check out her new CD "The Law of Attraction".

Rappers Delight

I don't normally do cute, but this is beyond cute.
It's clever as well. And the music is great, thanks to Dan the Automator who is a locally based guy from the San Francisco area.
Check out his MySpace for a link to get the MP3



Having lead the underground renaissance of rap in the late ‘90s, working with Dj Shadow, Kid Koala, Damon Albarn & Mike Patton, San Francisco-based hip hop producer Dan the Automator now revisits the ’79 hip hop hit “Rapper’s Delight”, “rapping to the beat” with fellow Jurassic 5 member Chali2na and Casual and Domino from the Hieroglyphics Crew. Keeping the soul of this track (and Chic’s famous bass line), Dan the Automator delivers a modern version of this legendary number one hit.
 You can bet that 30 years later we will still be hearing the “Hip Hip Hop” on every playground! Dan the Automator

United vs Guitar

If you are a musician and you fly then you may want to think carefully about who you book your flight with. Dave Carroll of the Sons of Maxwell flew United. United broke his Taylor guitar. United refused to pay for it. So he promised them three songs, this is the first one. I'm looking forward to the other two, if they are as good as this.
Revenge song or not, it's still good music. Full story below the video.
I think the score now is Dave Carroll 1 United 0.



Full Story here: - In the spring of 2008, Sons of Maxwell were traveling to Nebraska for a one-week tour and my Taylor guitar was witnessed being thrown by United Airlines baggage handlers in Chicago. I discovered later that the $3500 guitar was severely damaged. They didn't deny the experience occurred but for nine months the various people I communicated with put the responsibility for dealing with the damage on everyone other than themselves and finally said they would do nothing to compensate me for my loss. So I promised the last person to finally say no to compensation (Ms. Irlweg) that I would write and produce three songs about my experience with United Airlines and make videos for each to be viewed online by anyone in the world. United: Song 1 is the first of those songs. United: Song 2 has been written and video production is underway. United: Song 3 is coming. I promise. Sons of Maxwell.

Meadowbrook

This is a video of my neighborhood, made by a friend and neighbor. It has all the contents for a good documentary, nice scenery and feral cats.



Great job Rachael.

Bridge over troubled water

This is the new bridge being built next to the Hoover Dam, check out the article in a UK paper. What an amazing feat.

Camera Obscura - You Told a Lie

Some more from Camera Obscura. This time at Waterloo Records singing "You Told a Lie".
They certainly have a nice stable of artists at Waterloo Records, and they do a nice job with the videos. Keep it up guys.

Daughtry - Poker Face

Chris Daughtry performing Lady Gaga's Poker Face live on the radio in Germany.
Which version do you like best?



Thanks to Matty Boy for posting it.

Joel Guzman & Sarah Fox

Today let's try some Mexican Roots music. Here are Joel Guzman & Sarah Fox live at Waterloo Records. Nice video and a good tune, gotta love that accordion.

Firefox 3.5

If you are using Firefox it's time to upgrade to version 3.5. If you are not using Firefox, why not?

I Upgraded mine today, and it is so much better than all other versions, and better than all other browsers. It is so fast and it has so many neat additions. The "dynamic web pages" feature alone is worth the 3 minutes it takes to upgrade (if that). Admittedly I'm using Comcast cable web access, but the speed improvement is really noticeable.

Magic Carpet by The Khalife Project

Time for some new music from a new source.
All I can find out is that The Khalife Project is from the UK.
All I know is their music is cool.
If your feet aren't tapping while you listen to this, check for a pulse.
The young lady singing has a nice warm voice.
But what else do we need to know? When is the album coming out?



What do you think about them? Let me know.