All Time Low is under attack by the Westboro Baptist Church. If you don’t already know, WBC is known for their radical anti-homosexual views.

This is what the WBC has to say about the situation:

“You may be wondering what in the world WBC cares about these losers – so let me break it down for you. How do you know how far gone a society is? You look at their social icons. When you look at these gender-confused, haphazard freakazoids then you can plainly see that america is DOOMED, for real! This is the final generation, and a little concussion is the least of their worries. Here is what they have to look forward to when this once great nation finally falls – for her fall is already started… Cain was the father of all musicians, and you still bear his curse to this day. Praise God! AMEN!”

A member also tweeted Alex Gaskarth [frontman for All Time Low] the following:
“”God Hates Fag Enablers! WBC will picket All Time Low’s concert in Philly.”

Gaskarth’s response:
“”Stay home. Intolerance isn’t welcome at our show.”

Ridiculous much?

first of all jazz is meant to be listened to live and not at home, second of all i adore people who feel music & don’t just sing music. third the smile on riki’s face tonight made me realize i too was smiling..that is the healing power of good music. words have no place because some feelings can’t be written down…
the concert was great, diana krall is a great pianist and i soulful singer and i love that you feel connected and that she tells you little stories before a song. the band: the drummer was amazing, the contrabass (?) guy was really funny and witty, the guitarist looked like eric clapton. on a different note (and don’t read this in a racist way because i am not) black people feel music differently and it is inspiring.
it was truly a great experience.
last but not least, some songs are never meant to be translated. Corocovado is meant to be sang in Portuguese. and…since diana’s version on Walk on by gave me the chills that is what i’ll share…

Show Logo

Yesterday I went to the Michael Jackson Laser Spectacular show at the Tacoma Dome.  What a complete waste of time and money!  They had commercials on TV advertising it as though it was some sort of crazy laser show when only 25% of the time had lasers!  The lasers didn’t even surround the Tacoma Dome and it was shot in a single projection.  I was highly disappointed with the song selection, lasers, the graphics (who the hell shows farm animals dancing to MJ music?!!!).  There was a MJ impersonator and dancers who I give credit to for bringing to life some of his dance moves and style.  But I had expectations coming in that it would be a laser show where lasers would be projecting from everywhere.  To add insult, they charged you an extra $2 on top of the ticket price just for some 3-D glasses!  This is something that should of been included in the ticket price.  There were no merchandise to buy such as posters, t-shirts, etc.  It was such a disappointment, not only for me, but I felt bad for the children who came (especially the ones who came in MJ clothing).  It was no surprise that some people starting leaving the show even before it was halfway through and that a majority of the seats where still empty.  The song selection was horrible and the curtain that had covering the stage was still partially blocking the view when it draped to one side.  I could go on about how horrible it was, but I’ll leave it at that.  Every person in that audience deserved a refund for their money!

!!!

Happyness,  fullfilment, are you  understanding how creativity can feed your emotional brain and help you to resolve your problems and answer our needs.   Are you believing in  life destiny our is it your inspiration guiding you to accomplish your goals in life?  Is creative people more in touch with happyness? Is it personal growth the better way to find happyness?

Jaja. Heuglijk nieuws vandaag. De symfonisch-progressieve spacerockband Muse gaat op zaterdag 19 juni 2010 het Nijmeegsche Goffertpark kapotschreeuwen. Hier gaat ongetwijfeld een prijskaartje aan hangen van meer dan 60 euri, maar dan heb je ook wat.

Voor de armoedzaaiers zoals ondergetekende is er altijd nog de mogelijkheid om buiten de hekken in het gras te gaan zitten met een picknickmandje. Dat deed ik bij Coldplay ook en dat beviel me prima. Bij Coldplay was het overigens erg vermakelijk om al die depressieve gezichtjes te zien van mensen die het concert vroegtijdig moesten verlaten om hun laatste trein te halen.

Tickets kopen kan HIERHIERHIER! vanaf 28 november 10 uur. Ik doe tegen die tijd nog wel een reminder. En ohja, voor alle sukkels: jullie hoeven gelukkig niet te werken want het is op een zaterdag. Maar vertrek verdomme wel op tijd en pak de brug bij Ewijk ofzo!

Vermakelijk filmpje waarin Muse een Italiaans dom blondje dist:

Credit: SS601+logo

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They are so cute … haha…

Be sure to check out the last BONUS photo of Hyun Joong.

You will be dead because of his cuteness.

I am dead already.

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BONUS:

Credit: youngsaeng.net

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Young Saeng just too cute everytime.

Love his outfit

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Een hele tijd terug postte ik een bericht dat Muse naar Nederland zou komen op 16 November 2009. Dat concert was toen binnen enkele seconden uitverkocht en ik had, net als vele anderen, geen kaartje weten te bemachtigen. De show van 16 November in Ahoy scheen een heus spectakel te zijn en ik hoor er niets anders over dan lovende woorden. Vandaag is er opnieuw bekend gemaakt dat Muse naar ons koude kikkerlandje komt op 19 Juni 2010 in het Goffertpark Nijmegen.

Uiteraard zit ik aanstaande zaterdag om 10.00 stipt weer achter mijn computertje om ook deze keer weer te proberen om kaarten te krijgen. Muse heb ik helaas nog nooit gezien en ookal vind ik het nieuwe album niet zo tof, de oude albums, concertresencies en videobeelden die ik live van ze gezien heb trekken me ontzettend om een show bij te wonen.

Wie wil er nog meer?!

Solistul formaţiei Vitamina C, Sunny v-a susţine un concert vineri 27.11.09 la biserica Betania din Oradea. Te aşteptăm la acest eveniment alături de un prieten necreştin. Fii un exemplu pentru prietenii, colegii tăi. Titlul albumului se numeşte: “Leagă-ţi inima de cer”. Pentru a putea să te bucuri de o seară placută de închinare vă aşteptăm cu drag.

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Rattle and his berliners took  San Francisco by storm. This visit was eagerly awaited since 2003 and of course, this wait was worth all the while.

Rattle leads the way..

The guys at Mercury News just melted in the luxurious music that the berliners produced in their renditions of Brahms and Schoenberg:

And in the best moments of this Brahms-based program, they played with a brand of Old World clarity and elegance that opened up vistas. To hear it was something akin to staring into an oil painting, a large landscape, enjoying the rich luster and glaze of the colors; noticing a fabulous detail or two over in the corner; and sensing the many layers concealed beneath the surface world.

Even the imperfections were part of this evening to treasure:

Not that the program — presented by the San Francisco Symphony — was somehow superhuman or even flawless. There were small gaffes: an out-of-tune clarinet, a not-quite-on-the-money trombone entrance.

But this is an orchestra to savor. Just the sight of it: Its members give themselves over to the music in a physical way that isn’t often seen in this country. At times, it was a sea of motion onstage, especially among the strings, which have a sound almost drenching in its richness.

After intermission, the orchestra played Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 in C minor, and that drenching sound, with its tremulous buildup over the timpani-driven introduction, threatened to rock the house.

Not this time: Rattle held it in check.

There was to be no revolution of the familiar, as in 2003. Only some very good Brahms: the incomparable sky-glide of the third movement; a clean explosion of pizzicato in the finale. And then Brahms’ famous melody, his tip of the hat to Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy,” performed with strength but also sweetness.

Rattle, again, kept the storm front at bay. And we in the audience settled for mere beauty, not transcendence.

Not such a bad thing.

Rattle and the Berliners go all the way..

Indeed….  But that is not all.  The Examiner valued the deep conections between the stars of the program offered by Rattle and his orchestra: Brahms, Shoenberg and Wagner:

It is hard to imagine a better program to illustrate the musical tensions of the latter half of the nineteenth century and their impact on the early twentieth than the one prepared by Sir Simon Rattle for the second concert by the Berliner Philharmoniker in Davies Symphony Hall last night. On the one hand we had Richard Wagner, trying to transcend the musical conventions of his time by serving the dramatic visions of his own idiosyncratic version of hero mythology.  That transcendence would carry him into unknown territories of ambiguous harmonies and sinuous melodies that never seemed to come to closure.  On the other had there was Johannes Brahms, clearly laboring under the influence of Beethoven but always seeking out new approaches to structure to fend off succumbing to that influence.  Brahms believed one could move forward without rejecting the past with the flamboyance of Wagnerian transcendence.

For this critic, the Schoenberg piece was a triumph:

The real analysis, however, comes from those who aspire to do this work justice through performance, caring less about each “tree of intellect” out of preference for the forest of “the music itself.”  Rattle has had this aspiration at least since his days with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, which provided his first serious “laboratory” for mastering Schoenberg performance technique.  Now he has brought that mastery to Berlin to expand the scope of an orchestra that pretty much sets the bar when it comes to performances of both Brahms and Wagner.

The result was nothing short of dazzling.  Schoenbergian passages that have left other conductors in a fog emerge in crystal clarity under Rattle’s guidance.

Oh, what a night!!!!!

Credit: honey Jun

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BABY BABY ^^

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Brout’Chouille annulé, remplacé par une surprise !

Venez nombreux !

Credit: WEOKCHEOK

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I really love this site’s photos.

Always HQ, always clear of our handsome boys.

Thanks so much for them to share with us ^^

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My last.fm profile might be confusing for some folks, because there are very different artist on top of the list. Yes, I actually do like this variety of music. Best proof for that, were the two very different concerts last week.

I had a great time at the Ingrid Michaelson concert in Cologne on Tuesday. There are so many “artists” around, that need a large band and a huge production on the stage (with dancers and lights) to cover up the fact that the sound of their music is very much artificially manufactured in the studio with the help of programming and computers and such. Just like last year Ingrid was only accompanied by a female background singer, who also played the guitar on a few songs. Ingrid herself played keyboards and her ukulele and that was it. And it was awesome. Can you imagine any of the Idol or Superstars casting show winners to enter a stage with just her/his own voice and one simple instrument? Of course that would imply that these guys actually can play an instrument.

Ingrid can not only sing and play instruments, she’s also a very funny person on stage. Kind of crazy sometimes, but very funny. She definitely enjoyed being up on the stage and it’s always a plus during a concert to see that the artist actually enjoys what she/he is doing. One of the highlights was “The Chain” in which she asked for a third female singer from the audience, because the song is a round ["Kanon" in German] and needs three singers. She told that in the US usually there a dozens of volunteers, but it would be important that you really CAN sing, so noone should volunteer if she didn’t feel capable. Of course no girl volunteered after that remark There was a guy though who did and he got up on the stage and he was awesome! I think neither the audience or Ingrid herself expected him to be that good, so it definitely was a highlight of the show
Greg Laswell was the opening artist (just with guitar and keyboards as well). I knew a few of his songs from last.fm and Grey’s Anatomy and I enjoyed his performance very much as well. Just like Ingrid he is a great singer and musician and doesn’t need more than one instrument and his voice to capture an audience. And he was funny too. I’m still grinning, when I remember his tiny story about the spinning toilet seats at the restrooms along the German highways.

Thursday night meant a different venue and different music, but equally enjoyable concert. Hai_di and I saw Sunrise Avenue in Dortmund and had a great time. I have to admit that I’m really bad when it comes to Sunrise Avenue lyrics (except for “Fairytale Gone Bad” and the chorus of most of the other songs). It was fun to sing along and dance along anyway. They let the audience sing quite a lot actually. They had some funny stories to tell and stuff to act out as well, which was very very entertaining. I will definitely go and see them again on a new tour some time in the future.

Hello les internautes,

Je ne sais pas si vous le savez mais le célèbre groupe MUSE revient dans notre beau pays le 12 juin 2010 au stade de france…

Les places seront en vente le vendredi 27 novembbre 2009 à 10h sur les sites habituels (stade de france, ticketnet, fnacspectacles…)

I recently had the pleasure to photograph one of my all time favourite musicians and former guitarist with Genesis – Steve Hackett and his band at the Pacific Road Arts Centre, Birkenhead. I met and chatted with both Steve and Nick prior to, and after the gig backstage, both where really chatty and great company

Steve Hackett with band

Steve Hackett playing a Gibson Les Paul

Nick Beggs – bassist with Steve Hackett touring band

Steve Hackett performing classic track – Spectral Mornings

Nick Beggs with Rickenbacker bass guitar

So tonight I had the opportunity to shoot OK GO at USC’s Conquest. It’s a pretty unique event, a huge rally of various events the weekend before the UCLA vs. USC game. In addition to have OK GO perform, there was a ferris wheel, the burning of a wooden bruin (the flame was well over 20 feet high at one point), performance from the marching band, and a stand up act from Jamie Kennedy.  Though the vast majority of the shots I got from tonight were in the press pit and were more typical photos, I decided to choose this one because it’s not everyday the vocalist goes out into the crowd to perform a song.

On Saturday, November 21, Ashley Tisdale performed at  Toys for Tots Drive at the Citadel Outlets’ Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony in Los Angeles, CA. The High School Musical star, drew in an unexpected crowd of more than 5,000. Guest appearances also included boy band, All-4-One.

A Vous Sans Autre en concert

L’ensemble rennais A Vous Sans Autre chantera en

• L’église Ste Thérèse, à Rennes, le vendredi 18 décembre à 20h30
• L’église de Domploup, le dimanche 20 décembre à 15h
• L’église de Cancale, le dimanche 10 janvier à 16h30

Au programme, des oeuvres anglicanes de Thomas Tallis et de compositeurs britanniques du XXème siècle, Stanford, Howells, Berkeley, Vaughan-Williams, Tavener.

Nous serons accompagnés à l’orgue par Jean-René André, organiste titulaire de la Cathédrale de Rennes, qui interprétera des oeuvres solistes. Ce sera l’occasion de découvrir des compositeurs peu chantés en France. A tort!

Comme d’habitude, l’entrée sera libre mais nous ferons une quête pour couvrir les frais.

Am vazut filmul “Le concert” in regia lui Radu Mihaileanu si ma felicit ! E un film rascolitor, minunat, tulburator. Nu ma pot gandi la nimic alteceva de vreo ora si ceva de cand s-a terminat. Dupa film am simtit nevioa sa merg pe jos, asa ca am plecat usurel de la Studio, pe Magheru, pe Calea Mosilor, pana la intersectia cu  Eminescu; de aici am urcat in tramvai… Tot drumul m-am gandit la film…priveam in gol si din cand in cand …simteam cum mi se ridica parul sau imi simteam lacrimile in ochi si pe obraji… E mult de cand nu m-a rascolit un film in felul asta. La filmul lui Mihaileanu am ras, am plans…la final chiar in hohote…am ras in timp ce eram cu lacrima in coltul ochiului. M-a rascolit asa cum de exemplu m-au rascolit “La sconosciuta” si “The Legend of 1900″ ale lui Tornatore. In ultimii ani, un singur film facut de un roman (avand in vedere ca-i nascut in Bucuresti, eu pe Radu Mihaileanu il consider, totusi, roman), a reusit sa-mi mai creeze o mare emotie, o stare, e filmul lui Cristi Puiu – “Moartea domnului Lazarescu”. Imi vin atat de multe in cap dupa filmul lui Mihaileanu incat nu le pot ordona pe toate, asa ca o sa ma opresc aici. Si o sa ma duc sa-l  revad.

Event: Songcraft Mini-Concert ‘09 “Originally Yours”
Date: 21st Nov ‘09
Time: 730pm-930pm
Venue: Play Den@Arts House

What can I say?

Another annual Songcraft concert (our 3rd one so far), another highly-memorable event.

Now I am quite an easily-satisfied person, but in all honesty…I really felt that everything went PERFECT tonight.

From the moment I stepped into the Play Den at 4:55pm, and I saw all 3 mics set up nicely on 3 mic stands with 3 accompanying music stands, I knew it was going to be a good night.

(That was exactly what I had requested for from the Arts House folks.)

My biggest worry was the turnout, cos I was worried about both overcrowding and undercrowding. (You can never predict how many people will turn up for something like this, cos it is not a ticketed event.)

But it turned out beautifully…cos the Play Den was filled just nice for the entire night.

Amazing.

A lot has to be said about the beautiful venue, i.e. the Play Den.

I thought it was a pleasant upgrade from the Choral Studio at the YMS.

Not to say the Choral Studio was inferior…but it probably didn’t suit our needs as well as the Play Den did.

The atmosphere in the Play Den was remarkable.

The lighting was great, and ambience was cosy, and the acoustics were fantastic.

I really think a lot of the success of tonight’s concert could be attributed to the venue.

And of course, the stars of the show were the 20 songs by the various songwriters…and they certainly didn’t disappoint.

We were treated to songs of various genres and themes, but all beautiful nonetheless.

At the end of the day, we’ve not lost our focus – it’s always about the songs.

It is a showcase of original songs…songs written by your average joes living in Singapore, people like you and me.

Songs written by people who love music enough to pick up the guitar or go to the piano to create an original song of our own.

It is really an honour to know of so many wonderful, gifted and passionate songwriters in Singapore.

*P.S. Thank you to all who are reading this who turned up for the mini-concert tonight. Really appreciate your show of support!

…

Future?

Songcraft has been around for almost 3 full years, and we’ve gone through 3 annual concerts.

We’ve certainly come quite a way.

It has been a most magical journey.

(When music is involved…it’s always going to be magical.)

What does the future hold? Will there be a 4th concert?

Nobody knows. It’s hard to look too far in the future sometimes.

I guess we will have to wait and see what the future holds.

We can’t be too sure of tomorrow.

But what we can be sure of is that the memories of yesterday were certainly great.

One big happy group of songwriters