I’m studying philosophy.

So far, all I’ve learned has taught me:  a question will always remain a question.  And so I face the times before me and those beside me and read the current realistic approach.  I proceed slowly, take one aspect at a time, try to grasp my own humility.  So, even if I don’t agree with some current or past philosophical view, to keep an open-ended mind.  To question myself.

As for life…..dear God, mine is half over at least and still I find myself falling backward.  Into standards yet unknown to me, the terminology of philosophy stuns me as much as any question itself.

I can’t tell you how much I adore your Christmas video.  I’ve watched it at least three dozen times.  My daughter and I go around singing it, linking arms and high-kneeing it through the kitchen.

I try to have clarity.  I try to merit my ideas of you and your music & words into something substantially significant.  I’ve learned while learning, to talk myself into believing in you.  I, for one, don’t dream in reason.  I dream the impossible and conceive with each dream a new impracticality.  I used to wake up happy.  Now I just wake sore, tired.  As though I never slept at all.

I am returning to school in the Fall.  Forty years old and I’m returning.  I’m challenging myself to learn from others.  To quit accepting my and only my point of view, to think I could learn new things simply by studying new things.  I need a personality different from my own.  A wise old owl of a professor telling me things and showing me days I never knew.

I won’t continue on this rhetorical path of writing.  I’m still a pre-student.  I have so much to learn.  I picture myself as a young child, mousy brown hair, bangs cut to the quick of my forehead, striped hand-me-down t-shirt.  Funny I don’t have a thumb in my mouth.  Father off shooting tin cans, mother collecting cartridge shells.  Brother pissed at having to spend so much time with the family.  Sisters galloping like gazelles through the hills, their images like the philosophy of aesthetics.  Their limbs in mathematical harmony with nature.  Jennifer’s long wheat hair.  Tori’s tiny frame imitating the architecture of stone.

Your Christmas album is insanely brilliant.  I’ve neither dreamt nor imagined it.  It’s really real and really wonderful.

Alright, another one of those cop-out blogs.  I’m gonna do some more reviews/full-length things soon though, promise…

1 – Bob Dylan’s new Christmas record, Christmas in the Heart, gets a thumbs up from DSH.  Dylan lets it all hang out as he croons scarily standard Christmas carols, backed by a traditional choir of voices that make his near-Waitsian croaks all the more noticeable.  Somehow it works, probably because of the sheer lack of pretense here–it’s not Dylan thinks he is gonna replace Bing Crosby…

2 – David Rawlings Machine, which inverts the arrangement Gillian Welch & David Rawlings usually have, just released their debut record, A Friend of a Friend.  It’s a good-to-great cover that is simultaneously more expansive and more laidback than the GW-fronted outings.  Check out the super-acoustic readings of “To Be Young” (Ryan Adams co-write), “I Hear Them All” (OCMS co-write) and the “Method Acting-Cortez the Killer” melody (Bright Eyes & Neil Young, respectively), as well as the soulful, Dylanesque closing number “Bells of Harlem.”

3 – I am gonna be working on reviews of two local releases, Austin Crane’s A Place at the Table and American Gun’s Devil Showed Me His Hand, very soon.  Both are amazing releases which are available on iTunes, although the AG record isn’t officially being “released” until December 1st, followed by an official CD release show at the Art Bar December 5th.  These two releases have sent this year in local music over the top for me, and will both appear on my “Best Of” 2009 series coming up early in the New Year…

PS – American Gun has a YouTube page where you can view some concert footage from earlier this Fall at The Handlebar in Greenville, SC.

4 – I recently got re-obsessed with The Rolling Stones.  So there’s that.  You might have heard one or two of their songs before…

In this Special Collector’s Issue (!) I spend 3x the space speaking on only 1 person, place, thing, or idea, and the noun chosen can pretty much claim to be a person, for certain, a place, a disposition in life, a thing, too cool for school, and an idea, as in being the original rock star. Forget your whiny, flannel dressed Kurt Cobain, and don’t forget The King, Elvis Presley, but put him to the side for now- my most passionate pop culture crush and obsession of all time is lovely, gorgeous, and an icon…

Edith Minturn Sedgwick

The history: Born April 20th, 1943 (- November 16, 1971), to Alice Delano de Forest (1908–1988), a cowardly woman that would rather pretend unicorns exist and that her husband wasn’t a disgusting sexual deviant and abomination of life than do anything about it, and Francis Minturn Sedgwick, (1904–1967), a disgusting sexual deviant and abomination of life, in Santa Barbara, California, Edie grew up to die to early, only then to make herself known to me and thus tormenting me with the fact I’ll never be nearly as cool as she was, that I’ll never get to make her my wife (I know I’m devastatingly lame, leave me alone).  Grand daughter of Revolutionaries, and personal friends of George Washington, she was born into privilege (if that’s the word) from the years of wealth connected to the Dutch West India Company, South Pacific Transportation Company (then the Southern Pacific Railroad), Williams College, and tons of other things.  The problems in her life stemmed from the same place most problems in life do, and that is family.  Francis, or Fuzzy as he was known, is said to have molested many of his 8 children, males and females, young Edie included.  Fuzzy, long believed by many to be a closet homosexual, may possible have been the cause of the homosexuality in Edie’s older brother Francis, affectionately known as Minty, who was even an alcoholic by the age of 15.  He attended AA meetings until admission to Silver Hill, then later to Bellevue after being seen in Central Park, standing on a statue and giving a speech to an audience of zero.  From there to Manhattan Psychiatric Center, then back to Silver Hill, where was found dead, hanging himself in his room the day before his twenty-sixth birthday.  To make the tragedy worse, brother Bobby, who had been to numerous hospitals himself, including some Minty had been treated at, crashed his motorcycle while not wearing a helmet into the side of a bus in NYC on the last day of 1964.  13 days later he died, and Edie was emotionally obliterated at the loss of two brothers.  Minty had once told Edie, according to a friend of hers, that “she was the only Sedgwick he could ever hope for.”  It wasn’t long until Edie was being institutionalized for anorexia, reaching 90lbs in Silver Hill before being transferred to Bloomingdale Lunatic Asylum.  Near the end of her stay, on leave with a pass, she got pregnant and was forced to have an abortion.

That’s some heavy junk, huh?  Now, I don’t want to focus simply on the travesties she endured and lived through, which only get worse and include crippling drug addiction and dependence (drugs are what ultimately killed her), broken hearts via asshats Bob Dylan and Bob Neuwirth, a cold, uncaring, and devious “friend” and collaborator Andy Warhol who refused to help her ever, or even be fair in monetary matters, hospitalizations and electroshock therapy, and anything else in the world you could imagine.  This tiny, madly artistic little girl was made of steel and stone, and to have glimmered so brightly in her life, in spite of her life, is a true testament that the kinda strength men pray to their gods at night for isn’t only real, but is unutterably beautiful.  Vogue magazine thought her the bee’s knees (aside from her identification as a drug user) and featured her a few times.  LIFE magazine did, too.  Assuming you’ve been clicking the links in this article, you should be well aware of what a presence she was.  Now, I don’t know about you, but I have to take my hat off to champions who live life by their own rules and personify our best traits and our best ambitions.  To clarify, I’m not saying hard drug use is good, cool, or healthy, but to focus on that aspect of her life is putting too much gravity in the surrounding details.

Her voice and the way her body moved put in me a sense of awe.  I can understand the difficulties one might have in seeing the grace in a party-heavy socialite, but what she had is old school, and probably extinct now.  I know this because I’ve experienced it first hand in a grandmother of mine, now deceased.  She had a high society sophistication in the shell of a cool, down ass chick that could play in the mud or drop jaws in a dress.  Well, she was old when I was born so not that I ever saw, but I could tell this about her.  It’s an aura that comes from a person, and even in photographs I feel a kinetic energy from Edie Sedgwick.  To be honest, it’s very difficult for me to put my feelings for her into cogent words, but I, simply said, feel a camaraderie with her.  And she was so sexy! It’s insane how attracted to Edie I am.  I ♥ her.  I know she was married and all when she passed away, but I totally got dibs on her in the afterlife.

Guess before you read if he hates it or loves it.  I guessed right.  Click here to read.

Rod Stewart – Soul Book

Rod Stewart - Soul Book

I’ve always enjoyed Rod Stewart’s soul covers on his 70’s albums; ‘You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Man’, ‘If Loving You Is Wrong, I Don’t Want To Be Right’, ‘I Know I’m Losing You’ and ‘You Send Me’ spring to mind. Now in 2009, this 64 year old recently released a great collection of soul covers ….  great album.

Favourite track: It’s The Same Old Song

Leonard Cohen – Live In London

Leonard Cohen - Live In London

In July 2008, then 74-year old Leonard Cohen recorded ‘Live In London’ which was released as a double CD in March this year. A superb collection of songs with incredible musical arrangements, linked by Leonard’s surprisingly lighthearted banter and continuous acknowledgment of the band.

Favourite Tracks: Hallelujah, Recitation (A Thousand Kisses Deep)

Bob Dylan – Together Through Life

Bob Dylan - Together Through Life

I have never been a big fan of Bob’s vocal style, but he sure writes some awesome songs. On this album, featuring the two guys kissing on the cover (c’mon, look closer), he teams up with Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter and produces some fine swampy, bluesy songs.

Favourite track: Beyond Here Lies Nothin’

Uriah Heep – Celebration (Forty Years Of Rock)

Uriah Heep - Celebration

Uriah Heep first appeared in 1970 with their ‘Very ‘Eavy Very ‘Umble’ album featuring the classic ‘Gypsy’. I was hooked, and am still a fan today.  They are still going strong, though guitarist Mick Box is the only original member.

2008’s ‘Wake The Sleeper’ is one of my albums of the last decade, and Uriah Heep recently released ‘Celebration’. This album features only two new recordings, the rest are newly recorded covers of their greatest hits. Not always a recipe for success, but these new recordings breathe new life into many of my old favourites, except for ‘The Wizard’, which just doesn’t seem to work.

Favourite tracks: July Morning (2009 recording), Look At Yourself (2009 recording)

Special Mentions:

U2 – New Line On The Horizon

Steve Earle – Townes

Neil Diamond – Hot August Night / NYC – Live From Madison Square Garden

Neil Young – Fork In The Road

Lynyrd Skynyrd – Gods & Guns

Ian Gillan – One Eye To Morocco

I saw 2012 last night.  It is, of course, ‘end-of-the-world-tastic’ with huge rippling landscapes caving in on themselves (over, and over, and over again).

But as our plucky heroes escaped in a barely-airborne plane falling through a chasm for the third (almost identical time), and the people who you predicted would survive three minutes into this did survive 150 minutes later, I was reminded of the immortal bard Sir Bobby D in his epic ‘Brownsville Girl’ singing:

If there’s an original thought out there I could use it right now

Seeing as I’m quoting His Bobness, the song goes on to say

You always said people don’t do what they believe in

They just do what’s most convenient then they repent

And I always said, ‘hang onto to me baby

And let’s hope that the roof stays on’

The whole song is littered with the most glorious thoughts – if you’re not into Dylan, this surely is a most unusual and satisfying place to start (though the rest of the Knocked Out Loaded album is basically tosh). And the benefit of the song is that even as long as it is, you can still listen to it around 15 times instead of watching 2012…

Jeg var for nogle uger siden, inde til galla præmieren på den nye dokumentar, Under Great Northern White Lights om The White Stripes. Som mange af jer sikkert ved, var det specielle ved denne galla, at filmens instruktør, Emmett Malloy og ikke mindst selveste Jack White kom ind og præsenterede den inden lyset blev slukket. The White Stripes er ét af de der bands jeg rådyrkede som teenager, men som pludselig røg på hylden. Og da jeg i sommers fik lyst til at genoplive dem ved at sætte live DVD’en Under Blackpool Lights på, kunne jeg overraskende nok slet ikke høre hvorfor i alverden jeg havde dyrket det her band så meget engang…for han kan jo slet ikke synge ham Jack!?

Så det var med en vis skepsis at min veninde havde fået mig lokket med ind til det her arrangement. Men når det så er sagt, så må jeg da indrømme at mit indre White Stripes hjerte bankede en smule, da Jack White en smule akkavet lister ind i salen lige i hælene på instruktøren, og forsøger at bløde lidt op på situationen ved at vende sig om med ryggen imod publkum og liste langs lærredet på en halvkomisk måde. Det må da også være underligt at skulle stå og præsentere en film om sig selv, som man samtidig ikke må fortælle alt for meget om. Men én af de ting han sagde, som jeg særligt bandt mig ved, var:

In this documentary you’ll see things you’ve never ever experienced in any music documentary before!

Så selvfølgelig sad jeg hele filmen igennem og prøvede på at finde ud af om det var rigtigt. Men syntes ikke rigtig at jeg kunne finde noget jeg ikke har set før, andet end at meget af konceptet mindede mig rigtig meget om den første musik dokumentar der nogensinde er lavet, nemlig Don’t Look Back fra 1967, hvor man følger Bob Dylan på sin Englandstour i 1965.

Når det så er sagt, så var filmen faktisk okay, og jeg måtte flere gange tage mig selv i at sidde og mime med på rigtig mange af de sange de spiller i livescenerne i løbet af filmen. Der var også nogle rigtig underholdende scener hist og pist, og det faktum at den er skudt i sort/hvid størstedelen af tiden, tiltalte også mit blødende sort/hvid hjerte vældig meget. MEN den manglede et klimaks og jeg tror generelt at filmen mest er noget guf for den ægte White Stripes fan.

Orchestra Pit, Center, Row 2!

“Gonna Change My Way of Thinking” after intro:

Augh, FML. Seriously. Why is there so much homework for me to do this weekend? Why is my freaking psych professor assigning the normal homework along with the gigantic semester paper? Totally unfair. I seriously should have made more time for this stuff during the week, but the thing is…even if I knew it was going to be like this, I guarantee I wouldn’t have worked on it before Friday at the earliest. I’m so lazy. Lol…it’s a “conditioned response.” THIS STUFF IS SO BORING. But at least I understand it a little better than some of the stuff in the textbook.

I am seriously a music downloading addict recently. Today I downloaded almost 300 songs! I got these albums off of various free (and probably illegal, l-lol) websites: Aimee Mann (Bachelor No. 2 The Last Remains of the Dodo, The Forgotten Arm, I’m With Stupid, Lost In Space, @#%&*! Smilers, and Whatever), Bob Dylan (Modern Times and Under the Red Sky), As Tall As Lions (You Can’t Take It With You), Dashboard Confessional (The Shade of Poison Trees), The Fall Of Troy (In the Unlikely Event), Franz Ferdinand (Tonight), Lenka (Lenka), Norah Jones (Not Too Late), Pat Benatar (The Essential), Red Hot Chili Peppers (Blood Sugar Sex Magik), The Rolling Stones (Emotional Rescue, Goat’s Head Soup, Some Girls, Sticky Fingers, Tattoo You, and Undercover), The Strokes (First Impressions Of Earth), and Tegan & Sara (Sainthood). HOLY HELL THAT’S A LOT OF MUSIC, AMIRITE? I’ve actually been keeping a music downloads log so I can keep track of all the stuff I download.

I’m hungry but I felt kind of sick earlier, so I’m hesitant to actually eat anything.

I finished all 900 and some pages of Penny & Aggie that are up so far yesterday after school, haha. I like it a lot otherwise I wouldn’t have kept reading all of that. But yeah, it took forever.

I’ve been wanting to color I picture I drew the other day for a few days now and I just haven’t had the chance. It’s been minimized on my desktop for at least two days. I’m really tempted to color it and leave the rest of my homework for tomorrow, but I’m worried I won’t be able to get it all done. I have a math test, a psych quiz, assignment, and discussion board thing, and of course the psych semester paper. I’m thinking I’m going to try to finish part I of the semester paper and possibly the math test and then get to coloring if I have time. It just sucks ’cause what I really want to do is color. But… yeah, I need to pass. OTL I’m supposed to register sometime soon, I guess. My parents keep bugging me about it and I just feel like OKAY HOLY SHIT I WILL GIVE IT TIME.

Lily is constantly in my room with me. It’s really sweet. Haha, actually, now that I think about I think Lily has a conditioned response to “bathie.” c: She’s such a sweetie.

Umm…what else? I guess that’s it for now. BBL, wish me luck on my horrendous homework load!

I broke down and saw New Moon this weekend out of sheer curiosity.  After the second sequel and the tabloid obsession with Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, it finally seeped into my consciousness and I thought I would see what all the tween hysteria was about.  The movie didn’t suck but I didn’t get what was so over the moon (no pun intended) compelling about this vampire movie.  Of course, the lead actors are beautiful people and they allegedly have a thang going on which adds a certain level of intrigue I suppose, but the reaction didn’t really compute.  Then I realized there is nothing new under the sun.  The reaction to Robert Pattinson (the hyperventilating, screaming and crying at the mere mention of his name or at the sight of him) is the Beatlemania pill different generation all over again; it’s that ‘It’ chemical reaction that 1 out of 1,000 celebrities seem to inspire.  This ‘It’ thing turns teenagers into raving lunatics as they deify a mere mortal, dreaming about the infinitesimal possibility that this projection of a human being will someday carry them away on a white horse or possibly – if they are lucky – look in their general direction for a nano-second.  I suppose it’s harmless enough, unless you happen to be the poor soul receiving all of the suffocating attention.  Especially in cases when you’re not outright in search of or getting energy from it, but are serious about your art and find the attention makes you extremely self-conscious and uncomfortable.

Doubtless it can be draining and scary. Such is the price of fame – I cannot imagine what a prison that would be.  For every celebrity who clearly gets off on the adulation from the masses (Tom Cruise, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton), there is another deeply sensitive, often introverted individual who is just serious about their art and craft and view the fame thing as one soul-crushing prison to which they are sentenced.  To come out of such a peculiar dynamic unscathed must be an extraordinary challenge.  Even if one were to try to stay grounded, being surrounded on a daily basis by thousands of people who are tearing their hair out and losing their composure because you have walked out of a trailer must be difficult to compute with one’s system.  I can see how easy it would be to actually buy what the fans were selling:  unwavering obsession for apparently no reason.  It is an instant ego stroke for one who is meeting fame with a certain void or underlying insecurity. The more susceptible seem to fall prey to the hype and start believing it about themselves which just takes them further into their disconnect from reality.  Bob Dylan strikes me as the perfect example of an artist who certainly didn’t want the amount of attention he received and always seemed to stay five steps ahead of anyone wanting a piece of his soul:  ever elusive, always cloaking his answers in mystery, never feeling he owed the public anything than what he wanted to give which was his art.  The public has put an unfair burden on celebrities as demi-gods, often to the artist’s detriment.

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart both seem to have good heads on their shoulders as they become acclimated to the hairy territory of navigating such public intensity.  Kristen Stewart made a comment that I thought really cut through the madness like a laser. “What really kills me — it really rips me up — is when people think I’m abrasive, inconsiderate or ungrateful because I don’t go outside in a bikini and wave to the paparazzi. Come on!” That mentality, if nothing else, will protect her and keep her strong in the madness that will envelope the franchise she and her co-star have signed up for.  I think they will both be okay.  What really causes the teen froth and ecstatic convulsions on sight?  It must be that certain “je ne sais quois.”  Most level-headed celebrities who are the unfortunate victims of such hysteria seem equally lost when explaining what exactly the “what” is about them as well.  I guess the only thing that can be said in such cases is, “Be careful what you wish for.”

Ai ai ai .. final de semestre!

:D para alguns

D: para outros

HUihaiushuIHuiash Mas, para todos, continua final de semestre ^^

Assim, hoje não estou muito a fim de faLAr de Direito por aqui. :f – não que não goste de Direito ou que tenha enjoado dele. Nops! Pelo contrário! Nas férias terei que ler uns textos (de DiReItO!) aí para minha estréia na pesquisa no ano que vem \o/ RSrsrs

Enfim, minha irmã mais nova (15 years old! LoL) estava vendo uns vídeos no YouTube  que achei muito, digamos, interessante.

O tema do post, então, é MÚSICA!

AH … a múúúsica, uma das melhores coisas já inventadas. Sem música a vida seria tão … err… não sei como definir … vazia .. tediosa .. monótona, um saco… bem..  - e estou ouvindo Bob Dylan agora *ele é tão fofiinho* hihihi Não sei vocês (para quem escuta Bob – o Dylan! Não o Marley! hahaha), mas quando escuto Bob Dylan tenho muita vontade de tomar café ! – por exemplo, agora, estou escutando Desolation Row e tomando café na minha querida xícara verde limão ;D Oo. Estranho, não? KopaskoKopksa

Tá, voltando ao assunto: minha irmã me mostrou uns vídeos do YouTube. Alguns eram de um cara, chamado “Tiu Sam” (tiUU rsrs!), que fez uma espécie de comparação entre músicas famosíssimas que são muito, mas MUUUITO semelhantes – algumas descaradamente  plagiadas, para ser bem sincera.

Por exemplo, lembra aquele caso do NX Zero, né? Taking Back Sunday  …. “Daqui pra frente” … o NX dizendo , na MTV, que conhecia os caras da outra banda … os caras da outra banda (a Taking Back Sunday) dizendo que nem lembrava do nome daquela banda brasileira (O NX! Kkkkkk). Enfim, uma confusão daquelas.

AQUI tem o vídeo do NX Zero tentando se explicar no programa ACESSO da MTV … RSrs

Nos vídeos que postarei a seguir,  vocÊ vai encontrar plágios verdadeiros, pequenos plágios, meras influências, exageros por parte de quem fez os vídeos e as comparações entre as bandas … emos plagiando outros emos (HAHAHA!!), emos plagiando feras da música mundial, grandes bandas dando uma copiadinha de outras, solos absurdamente idênticos Oo

Para vocÊ ter uma idéia, temos Charlie Brown Jr. xerocando uma parte da música dos Dead Kennedys :O (!), temos  The Offspring com uma música parecidíssima com a “Obladi Oblada” dos BEATLES (The Beatles, eu disse!!)

HMmmm… rs além do rolo daquela música “Daqui pra Frente”, o NX Zero também está sendo acusado de plagiar a banda Alkaline Trio. Hihihihih e adivinhe com qual música? “Razões e EMOções!” tsc tsc tsc AH! Sem falar que aquela outra música do NX, chamada “La Prision”,  tem uma parte que é parecidíssima com outra da Hillsong United O.O uau, hein!

Hmmmm (2!)! Não que eu queira ferrar com o Di Ferrero e cia, mas tem uma outra musiquinha que ele canta com aquele tal de Tulio Deck, bem no começo da música (o solinho) que é idêntico ao solo do grande sr. Steve Howe, na Mood  For a Day ….. ihhhh Pode olhar, está no vídeo!

AH! Minha irmã disse que tem uma nova…  err, do NX Zero (de novo!), que tem o começo muito parecido com outra do Paramore! Glup… Já são 5 músicas sob suspeita! Rsr rsrs

E, infelizmente, TENHO que falar, com muito pesar, que o FRESNO também tem o refrão da famosa e tão escutada pelos emos pela galera, a “POLO” , bem parecido com uma música da banda Cartel (não lembro o nome da música).. :X

Boom, vou parar de falar de emos para que você mesmo possa assistir e tirar suas conclusões Lembrando que ninguém disse que a banda n x plagiou a y.

Não! As músicas são muitos parecidas, apenas isto. É claro que algumas podem ser plagiadas, mas nem todas – até por que é bem complicado você definir “plágio” e diferenciar plágio de influência ou semelhança .. plágio seria um acorde igual? a harmonia? levada? a letra? ? ? ? Sem falar que a maioria das bandas do vídeo são de rock melódico ou emocore ^^” e as músicas dessas bandas costumam ser tocadas em 2 ou 3 acordes. Rsrrsrs  Assim, é muito fácil você encontrar centenas de músicas com as mesmas notas.

Mas que aí tem plágio no meio, T E M! :}

 Os vídeos, então:

I går var det tradisjonsrik julebob med Bergen Dylan society. Det meste var som det pleier, med det unntak at festen foregikk på Kafe Magdalena i Kong oscars gate i sentrum, i stedet for hos May Brith i Åsane.

Vi hadde også celebert besøk av Erling Aadland fra litteraturvitenskaplig institutt ved universitetet i Bergen. Han gav oss en innføring i det litteraturvitenskaplige arbeidet med Bob Dylan, eller rettere sagt, Bob Dylan i forskningen, siden det er langt mer enn bare tekstene hans som blir analysert. Aadland brukte boken “Bob Dylan – Ein Kongress” fra nettopp det, en kongress om Bob Dylan holdt i Frankfurt am Main i Tyskland, som utgangspunkt for den lille forskningsgjennomgangen. Det var tre emner vi fikk en innføring i, Bob Dylan – stemmen, Bob Dylan – gospelperioden og Bob Dylan – maskespillet. For meg var det kjærkommet å høre et skikkelig akademisk foredrag igjen, det blir dessverre lenge mellom hver gang, og det var som vanlig ord med tyngde som ble levert fra Aadland. Selv durkdrevne Dylanelskere som oss fikk her noe å ta med seg.

Nevnte Aadland satte oss også alle på plass i quizen, der han fikk 27 av noen og tredve poeng, mens våre to beste fikk 23 hver. Nå skal det sies at den aller skarpeste faktakjenneren av oss er Knut Arne, og det var han som hadde laget quizen. En duell mellom Knut Arne og Aadland ville vært spennende. Jeg for min del havnet nok som vanlig blant den øverste fjerdedelen, jeg kan sangene og platene jeg har, men jeg har ennå ikke skaffet meg dem alle sammen, og denne gangen bommet jeg for eksempel på et par spørsmål fra Knock out loaded. Jeg er også helt ute når det gjelder turnevirksomhet, dato og steder, og navn på gjesteartister og band, den slags må også være på plass for å kunne hamle opp med de virke Dylanologene.

Det ble servert nydelig pinnekjøtt har jeg glemt å si fra Kafe Magdalena. Og ved siden av at det var veldig godt, var det også veldig mye av det. Da er det som det skal være for meg.

Neste samling i foreningen er i nærheten av Bobs bursdag 24. mai, hvis det ikke skulle dukke opp noe før. Det kan det jo fort gjøre.

De volta aqui pra falar um pouco mais sobre a premiação mais importante do mundo da música. Nessa 2ª parte vou falar um pouco dos diversos fields, dando mais destaque para os artistas do que para as categorias em si. O Grammy tem muitas categorias e fica meio impossível falar de cada uma sem ser chato e monótono, so here we go!

Começando com o field mais importante, pelo menos pra mim: Pop! Esse ano mais diversificado que nunca, pois ultimamente todo mundo submete seus trabalhos aqui, de Miley Cyrus à Kanye West. E nem tudo que é submetido é o que eu realmente acho que é pop, como por exemplo Amy Winehouse que ganhou 2 Grammys em 2007 nesse field. Come on! Ela é R&B! Esse ano parece estar sendo dominado pelas mulheres, eu vejo duas delas fazendo a dobradinha de Melhor Performance Vocal Pop Feminina e Melhor Álbum Vocal Pop, são elas Kelly Clarkson e Diane Birch com as faixas “Already Gone” e “Nothing But A Miracle” e os álbuns All I Ever Wanted e Bible Belt, respectivamente. Taylor Swift deve marcar presença aqui, visto que a moça submeteu o hit “You Belong With Me” aqui, fechando a categoria das performances eu vejo Miley Cyrus com “The Climb” e Beyoncé com “Halo”. E nos álbuns P!nk, Lily Allen e The Black Eyed Peas devem fechar a categoria. A categoria de Melhor Performance Pop de Grupo ou Duo deve ser a mais diversificada de todas, com a presença pra lá de confirmada dos Peas com o hit do ano “I Gotta Feeling”, um Dance/R&B e aí temos The All-American Rejects com “Gives You Hell”, The Fray com “Never Say Never” e 3OH!3 com “Don’t Trust Me”, os dois primeiros tem uma pegada mais rock e o último é uma mistura de Hip Hop com música eletrônica, e completando a categoria as The Pussycat Dolls com “I Hate This Part”.

Eu gosto de rock, mas não entendo nada e nem conheço tantos representantes do meio. Minhas previsões nesse field são na maioria chutes, mas tem umas indicações que são meio óbvias. Kings Of Leon vem forte com o “Use Somebody” e eu torço por uma vitória consecutiva deles na categoria de Mehor Performance Rock de Grupo ou Duo. Mas dominando as indicados do field eu vejo três nomes: U2, Green Day e Bruce Springsteen. Os três são indicados “obrigatórios” e sempre que fazem algo novo, marcam presença aqui. Marcando presença devem estar também Bob Dylan, Nickleback, The Killers e AC/DC.

Chegamos ao field mais dispustado do ano: o R&B. É muita gente boa com chance de indicação e acredito que essas serão uma surpresa. Quem vai dominar o field? Não é novidade para ninguém, a rainha dos palcos Beyoncé! Ela não vem pra brincadeira não, a moça se submeteu em todas as categorias possíveis e imagináveis. O máximo de indicações que ela pode conseguir aqui são 5 e eu aposto nas 5 indicações, são elas: Melhor Performance Vocal R&B Feminina por “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)”, Melhor Performance Tradicional por “At Last”, Melhor Performance Urban/Alternativa por “Scared Of Lonely”, Melhor Canção R&B por “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)” e Melhor Álbum de R&B Contemporâneo pelo I Am… Sasha Fierce. Quem deve fazer a festa aqui é a rainha Whitney Houston e o seu comeback, que deve lhe garantir 3 indicações. O comeback do Maxwell deve conseguí-lo o mesmo número de indicações que Whitney. Completando o field: Chrisette Michele, Keyshia Cole, India.Arie, Musiq Soulchild, Solange (sim, a irmã da Beyoncé), Jamie Foxx, Raphael Saadiq e muitos outros.

No field Country o nome a ser batido é Taylor Swift. Mesmo não tendo submetido seu hit, a moça vem com uma de suas melhores música: “White Horse”, podendo concorrer à Melhor Canção Country e Melhor Performance Vocal Country Feminina e o álbum mais vendido do ano nos EUA, Fearless. Quem vem forte na categoria é a queridinha do Grammy (pelo menos nas categorias Country) Carrie Underwood, a moça deve faturar mais um Grammy pela colaboração com Randy Travis em “I Told You So”, além de conseguir mais duas indicações com “Just A Dream”, uma de suas melhores músicas. Quem vem forte, ainda mais depois do CMA, é o Lady Antebellum com um dos melhores singles do ano “I Run To You”. Brad Paisley e Keith Urban vêm forte entre os homens, principalmente por causa do dueto “Start A Band” dos dois, que vai bater de frente com o dueto de Carrie e Randy. Entre os indicados também teremos: Martina McBride (torcendo por “I Just Call You Mine”), Reba McIntire, Miranda Lambert, Zac Brown Band, Kenny Chesney e Rascal Flatts.

Por hoje é só, no próximo, e último, post sobre os Grammys eu pretendo falar sobre o que eu gostarie que tivesse indicado, descartando as listas de submissões. Até lá!

See you guys!

Die Magokoro Brothers aus Japan:

Articolo 31 aus italien:

Sertab Erener, Türkei:

Sophie Zelmani aus Schweden:

I repent of ever having recorded one single song and ever having performed one concert if my music and more importantly —- my life–has not provoked you into Godly jealousy , or to sell out more completely to Jesus- KEITH GREEN

That quote came from Keith Green, without a doubt one of the most anointed musical ministers to have ever lived, a man who i like to call the Psalmist(David) of the 20th Century,others called him a John the Baptist on the keyboard, a spiritual revolutionary .A man whose musical talent was only surpassed by his passion for Christ and evangelism. On his way to become a rock star, he had talent that could rival the likes of Elton John .If he was in the secular world he would have been up there with Billy Joel. His skills on the Piano were amazing and was once described as “never seen anyone dominate an instrument the way he did”, he was certainly destined for greatness,and Bob Dylan saw this potential in him .

As a young boy raised in a Jewish home, he constantly searched for spiritual answers while pursuing his music career. He tried everything under the sun, and remember, this was the 70’s .

And then at age 21, after intense seeking on many paths , Keith found Christ, his life was instantly regenerated he became a new person. With this rebirth, and realizing the world lacked this news, he immediately dropped his rock star ambitions, and wanted to tell the entire world about the transformation that had taken place in his life; even if it meant never playing music again publicly, but God had different plans for his life.

Soon after auditioning and scoring a record deal with Christian Label Sparrow records, he released his first album, spreading the Good News he had discovered shipping the equivalent of 500,000 units today. After several hit albums he left Sparrow and formed his on Label with the intentions of giving his albums away, for free. It even got to a point that he refused to charge people to attend his concerts. He rejected the idea making money out of the gospel which he repeatedly pronounced was free and refused to charge people to come hear him sing/minister.

Can you imagine that happening today!!, a “gospel” artist that holds all their concerts for free and give out whole albums for free, at their own expense,quite a contrast to what happened a few years ago when a popular gospel duo, refused to fly to London because of a money dispute.

To Keith, his music was ministry, not a career,and was not about showing people his talent or having people scream his name, he saw it as an assignment, the great commission. He often appealed to people not to exalt him or place him on a pedestal and redirected all praise to Jesus. Often times , audience members that desired a career in Christian music would ask advice on how to become gospel singers; he’d then proceed to ask them a series of questions

“Are you willing to never play music again? Are you willing to be a nothing? Are you willing to go anywhere and do anything for Christ? Are you willing to stay right where you are and let the Lord do great things through you, though no one may seem to notice at all? …those seeking bright lights and adoring fans often left downcast.

When not recording or on tour, he held Bible studies and training, he and his young wife opened their home to single mothers,runaways, addicts ,the homeless and those seeking God. Note, this was not a man that had a large income, or even a steady stream. Remember that he gave his albums away for free, they had a little royalty from previous years, but with housing and taking care of 20 -30 people at anytime ..well… they simply lived by faith.

Tragedy struck in 1982, Keith died in a plane crash, with two of his young children, leaving behind a pregnant wife and an infant daughter, he was just 28.

27 years on, his music is still challenging lives, turning people to the Good News of Jesus Christ, and lighting the fire of a radical desire to sell out for Christ. Like a musical John he Baptist he was a voice crying out in the a spiritual wilderness. Despite his enormous success and following, He refused to be a celebrity and only wanted to challenge people to live for God. THAT and much more he definitely achieved.

As i listen to songs he recorded in the 70’s ,they still challenge my life more than a large majority what i hear from my generation which entertains but rarely convicts the spirit. Many have great flair,catchy and easy to nod your head to and dance to, but no soul stirring and rarely different from the same emotions stirred by secular music . His music is uncompromisingly about the Gospel. He did not try to make it ambiguous or open for interpretation so that anyone can accept it as they see fit, he was clear about his message without losing the amazing musical delivery.

I look at Keith’s life and his ministry legacy , what he accomplished within such a small time span between coming to the Lord at age 21 and his death at 28. He’s been gone for over 25 years, and yet through the clear message in his music, generations born long after his death are being challenged to live for God beyond a cushy luke warm status. Not just entertained but he provoked listeners to asses our walk with God and see how we can do much better. The impact he made in those short 7 years of ministry, is more than many others do in a lifetime.

Now, we are not all going to have a musical platform , we are not all going to be public speakers, or hold a place in the five fold ministry, we are not all going to open our homes to as many as he did ,but we can cry out to God on how our lives can be a Love song unto him.

One of Keith’s songs , written by his wife, Melody , was titled “Make my life a Prayer to you” , the opening lines are quite profound as he cries out “Make my life a prayer to You, I wanna do what you want me to, No empty words and no white lies,No token prayers no compromise………..”.

“I want to do what you want me to”, this reiterates the Lord’s prayer, “thy will done on earth as it is in Heaven”, and not us chanting scripture at God in an attempt to psyche or strong arm him, into giving us what we want instead of his desire for us.

I feel very challenged and ask myself ,what my life would mean when I’m gone. Would i have left behind a testimony that would change people’s hearts towards God. Would they hear about my passing and , say “chei ya”(what a pity) and forget about it a few seconds later, with no impact on their lives towards Christ. Would people be able to identify and say “that was a man that lived for God and his life was an example of unrivaled passion for God? I’m ashamed to say that as i look at my life right now, and even my ambitions, if i dropped dead this second, my life would not have been a herald trumpet testimony unto God.

All i can do is cry out to Lord as ask that he create in me that heart for ministry, whether it be in my personal , professional or otherwise. Being a witness would be much more than posting a status update, writing a note, or putting up a video, but that in every moment of every day , my life both behind doors and in public, can be the salt and light to the earth.

I leave you with some more words from Keith , that really challenge me , i have not reached this state and i ask for the power of the Holy Spirit to get me there.To lay aside all ambitions and dreams if that is what he asks me to do, and like the 12 disciples, just follow and walk in faith no matter how ludicrous the world,friends, family think it is.

“NO compromise is what the whole Gospel of Jesus is all about…For i tell you ..no man can serve two masters..(Matt 6:24) In a day when believers seem to be trying to please the world and the Lord(which is impossible) , when people are far more concerned about offending their friends than offending God, there is only one answer….Deny yourself take up your cross and follow Him”- Keith Green

God Bless

Check out his inspiring story
http://bit.ly/4q6iuL

THE KEITH GREEN STORY

Every so often you come across a CD or LP where you just can’t identify the country it was released in. Its kind of frustrating because collectors usually like to know this kind of detail…especially when you come across usual or different packaging of a release you think you know well.

That’s the case here with this three-LP set from 1971 of George Harrison’s “Concert for Bangladesh”.

Every copy I’ve seen to date comes in a hard cardboard box, with a lid that lifts off and looks like this:

The usual "Concert for Bangladesh" box

The box contains the three vinyl discs, and the white-covered 64-page book of concert photos, text and credits for the album. The rear of this box is plain and has no writing on it.

However, I have a copy in the collection that’s a bit different. Its a box, but made of soft cardboard that doesn’t have a lid. The front cover looks familiar enough:

Front cover "Concert for Bangladesh"

So far so good. But this release has flaps on the back which you pull out to get access to the records and book inside:

The flaps in the closed position

You flip open these flaps and the “box” looks like this:

"Concert for Bangladesh" open

From what I can tell the US, UK and Australian versions all have the lidded box, and not this top-opening, slide-out style box. Also the US and UK versions have dark khaki brown inner sleeves in which the records sit (the Australian release doesn’t have any paper sleeves).

Inside this box  though the LPs are in light yellow colored thin paper sleeves:

The LPs are in yellow paper sleeves

The place you can usually tell the country of origin is in the small print on the labels of the records themselves. This one has no hints – with no mention of a country of origin. However, it does have a lot more copyright information on each disc, located just near the record number information (see top the left-hand side in the pics below as compared to the Australian release):

The label of the "strange" version - with copyright info top left

Compare this to the official Australian release:

The Australian release label - note no copyright info

The final main difference is that the words “Sole Distributors, Gramophone Record Company, Ltd” are written on the labels and prominently across the back of the box. The image below is from the rear of the box:

"Sole Distributors, Gramophone Record Company, Ltd" printed on the rear of the box

So, a weird one.

Being a huge worldwide Apple release, this concert disc set would have been issued in a large number of countries. I have my suspicions that this one here could be either the New Zealand or the Indian release.  But I don’t have anything to prove that.

If anyone has any information on this release please let me know by submitting a comment. Cheers for now.

Jimmie Rodgers (1897 – 1933) wird allgemein als Vater der Country-Music bezeichnet. Er adaptierte den althergebrachten Hillbilly-Stil des armen weißen Südens, kombinierte ihn mit dem schwarzen Blues, ergänzte die Fusion mit den traurigen „Blue Yodels“ und zeigte sich offen auch für Einflüsse aus Jazz- und Schlagermusik. Dazu sang er Texte, die vom wirklichen Leben handelten. Die Melange zeigte ihre Wirkung: Rodgers war der erste populäre „Country-Star“ – den Begriff gab es damals noch nicht – und Vorbild für viele Künstler bis hin zu Bob Dylan.

Der hat bereits 1997 seinem Idol mit der „All-Star“-CD „The Songs of Jimmie Rodgers – A Tribute“ ein Denkmal gesetzt. Er selber steuerte die Liner-Notes sowie das Cover von „Blue Eyed Jane“ bei. Bereits 1985 äußerte sich Dylan voller Bewunderung über Rodgers: „The most inspiring type of entertainer for me has always been somebody like Jimmie Rodgers, somebody who could do it alone and was totally original. He was combining elements of blues and hillbilly sounds before anyone else had thought of it. He recorded at the same time as Blind Willie McTell but he wasn’t just another white boy singing black. That was his great genius and he was there first… he sang in a plaintive voice and style and he’s outlasted them all.”

Bereits 1969 hatte  „Bakersfield- Rebel“ Merle Haggard dem „Singin’ Brakeman“ ein Tribut-Album gewidmet. Haggard war aufgrund seines Hippie-Spottlieds „Okie from Muscogee“ und seinen Besuchen bei Nixon und Reagan nicht unumstritten, ist aber als Chronist amerikanischer Lebensrealität ein eben solcher kritischer Freigeist wie seine Freunde Willie Nelson, Keith Richards und Johnnny Cash. Dass ihn sogar Joan Baez gecovert hat, beweist seine Anerkennung im Kollegenkreis. Haggard zeigt mit diesem Album ebenso wie bei seinen eigenen Songs sein Gespür für das Leben der einfachen Menschen und steht damit eindeutig in der Tradition von Jimmie Rodgers.

Auf Rodgers folgten Country-Sänger wie Lefty Frizell und Merle Travis, die sich sehr an Jimmie Rodgers Stil orientierten. Der eine – Lefty – soll ihn so gut imitiert haben, dass auf so manche Rodgers-Kompilation auch schon mal eine Frizell-Version rutschte, der andere – Merle – hat Jimmies Sangeshaltung abgeschaut und übernimmt in der Instrumentierung so manche Anregung Rogers’. Travis wiederum war einer der ersten Country-Musiker, der eine elektrische Gitarre benutzte. Damit wiederum inspirierte er den Kreis der Musiker aus Bakersfield, die dem milden Nashville-Sound den elektrisch aufgeladenen eher rockigeren Bakersfield-Sound entgegen setzten, der wiederum Grundlage für Merle Haggards Stil war.

Bob Dylan wiederum ist ein großer Verehrer von Querkopf Haggard. Zweifach erwies er ihm Tribut. 2005 ließ er ihn sein Vorprogramm bestreiten, 2007 setzte er ihm mit seinem direkt auf  Haggard bezogenen „Working Man’s Blues #2 ein Denkmal. Und es ist sicherlich mehr als eine Fußnote, dass die neuen Sterne am Americana-Himmel, die Felice Brothers, als eine ihrer wenigen Coverversionen Jimmie Rodgers’ „T for Texas“ eingespielt haben.

Bleibt festzuhalten: Mit Jimmie Rodgers fing wirklich vieles in der amerikanischen Populärmusik an. Im Grunde ist er mehr als der Vater der Country-Music. Er ist der Vater des Americana überhaupt.

These guys must have a lot of spare time on their hands.