Fellow Music lovers!

How many times has it happened that after a long day at work you feel all bogged down and just then your favorite song plays over the radio and suddenly you are all cheerful. Music is believed to be one of the best mediums of expressions. From operas to rock shows, all genres of music have some emotional quotient. Music can drive a man from feelings of sadness to happiness and at the same time can express pain so vividly as to bring a tear in your eye.

We at Megahertz Music Clinic believe music is a talent which can be inculcated through right exposure and training. Express yourself more beautifully through your own music. Learn a musical instrument to open yourself to the world of musical possibilities. Just 24 Sessions, learn your favorite songs, jam live with a band and get a chance to record yourself at the end of the sessions.

Looking forward to bringing out the musician in you. Drop in for a jam whenever you feel like !

happy listening till then

Three members of The Unfaithful Ways – a local band who play alt-country-meets-old-timey-pop tunes. They drew an appreciative audience of all ages in Cathedral Square today. They have an EP out called “First Four Songs” available for download from here, or from Real Groovy. You can also listen to some of their songs on their MySpace site. Even though I don’t consider myself a country kinda person, I could have listened to them for hours! I look forward to the release of their first album.

“Music For Lunch” is a series of free lunch time concerts held in Cathedral Square on Friday’s (weather permitting).

Dirk Smillie, 11.25.09, 12:00 PM ET/Forbes

In an interview last winter, Lady Gaga recalled her anguish at being ignored as she performed at a bar filled with drunken NYU students. No one paid the slightest attention to her until, fed up, she decided to strip down to her lingerie. “I started playing in my underwear at the piano and I remember everyone was all of a sudden like ‘Whoa!’ And I said, ‘Yeah, you’re looking at me now, huh?’ “

Yes, we are. In the cacophony of the music business, Gaga has broken through the clutter with muzzle velocity, becoming a superstar in scarcely a year. Her first album, The Fame, is the best-selling debut album of 2009. Her single Just Dance has been viewed 87 million times on YouTube. Gaga’s tracks have clocked 20 million downloads this year. One of them, Poker Face, is the most downloaded tune in the history of U.K. digital music.

Before she was Gaga, she was Stefani Germanotta, an obscure go-go dancer who worked burlesque bars in lower Manhattan. A precocious talent, she played piano by age 4 and clinched a seat at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts at 17. But her fame and commercial success hasn’t followed the career template of Madonna (a trained dancer who worked her way up the club circuit) or winners of American Idol (where pop stars are selected by celebrity panel).

In Pictures: Brand Gaga

Gaga’s business model starts with an incongruous product. Listen to Gaga’s Poker Face and you might imagine it’s Britney Spears in a track suit. But watch the video and you’ll see a work of conceptual porn. Gaga, a 23-year-old blonde with bulletproof bangs and 3-inch lashes, slinks across stages in gleaming metal bustiers, smoked latex underwear and thigh-high stiletto boots. Performing Paparazzi at the Video Music Awards, she ended the set dangling above the stage in gauzy white La Perla lingerie, horrifying her audience as fake blood gushed from her bosom.

All this debauchery is purposeful fodder for social media and the mainstream press. “She’s a perv, but Lady Gaga understands viral marketing better than anyone on the pop scene today,” says magazine industry veteran Simon Dumenco. By showing up wearing a bird’s nest or a model of the solar system on her head, every Gaga appearance becomes an item (11,500 mainstream media stories cite her this year). “She is directing every frame of her music and her life, imagining how clips will appear on YouTube and what people will tweet after she appears on the VMAs,” says Dumenco.

She’s meticulous about imagery, especially the sets of her live shows. Preparing for a gig in Los Angeles, she discovered that a stage had been painted a radiant shade of white. “This isn’t the freakin’ ice capades!” she yelled at the crew. It was repainted.

On Gaga’s Twitter page, 1.6 million people track her outlandishness. They learn of Gaga’s problems with hairspray and get updates on her father’s recent heart surgery. Having that many followers can be perilous. Last month Gaga posted a link to one of her own videos on fashion icon Alexander McQueen’s Web site. After a single tweet by Gaga, her rabid fans streamed in and crashed the site’s servers.

Gaga leverages buzz by sharing the limelight with other, mightier entertainment brands than her own. “There’s an art to fame,” Gaga once told Vancouver television. Performing with members of the Bolshoi ballet, she wore a hat designed by Frank Gehry that resembled a mini Bilbao and played a piano painted by Damien Hirst. This year she collaborated with Beyonce and Michael Bolton. In October she showed up on Saturday Night Live with Madonna, where the two of them, dressed in matching dominatrix gear, tussled in a mock catfight (and near kiss).

One surprise: Gaga’s outré sexuality hasn’t fazed corporate marketers. Branding guru Steve Stoute, who paired Jay-Z with Hewlett-Packard, is working on a handful of tie-ins for Gaga. This month he inked a deal for her with Mac cosmetics. Next will be Gaga-branded electronic sunglasses, he says, similar to the ones that often cover half her face in concert.

Also in the works: a rock opera whose soundtrack may come from her new album, The Fame Monster, released this week. Gaga’s 41-city “Monster Ball” tour begins Nov. 27 and reportedly involves 14 costume changes. The tour will be tough to match Gaga’s own standards. As she reminded herself in an interview, ” ‘Now that you have everybody watching, Gaga, you’d better be f***ing great.’ “

In Pictures: Brand Gaga

26 – 27 November 2009 Mexico

Just click on the photo and it will tell you about it and give you a bigger view.

To get back to the next shot, just click the left hand arrow at the top of the page.

And our Hotel Staff – we helped them with English and they with Spanish in return!

Marcus Brown and Steve Sidelnyk who were touring with Seal, successfully ended their shows last week. Check out this video that was recorded on November 8th during the show in Brisbane (Australia) in which Seal introduces his band to the audience and takes the opportunity to talk about Steve who had his birthday!

Seal said about Steve that “Apart from being the most excellent musician and a professional, Steve is a motivator. Every day is a great day for Steve. There is no such thing as a bad day.”

You can visit Steve’s site at www.stevesidelnyk.com

Wow… I’m really surprised sarcastic.

So, it’s been announced that The Twilight Saga:  New Moon soundtrack has already gone Platnium!

Let’s just say:  Do we Twilight fans know how to stick together or what?!

The soundtrack to The Twilight Saga: New Moon received RIAA platinum certification for exceeding sales of 1 million unites. The album also rose to No. 8 on the Billboard Top 200 and sold more than 93,000 units during its sixth week on sale. The soundtrack reached No. 1 in its first full week on sale, and the album has remained in the top 10 ever since.

The soundtrack features tracks from Death Cab For Cutie, Thom Yorke, Muse, the Killers and more. It also won “Favorite Soundtrack” at the American Music Awards earlier in the week.

Source.

Happy Thanksgiving! Perhaps I should wait and see if I will ever get a large following on this blog before I attempt such a question. I asked for desktop screenshots in only the second week of the blog. Surprisingly I did get one visitor to send me their screenshot and it will be posted as soon as I get more, however, if I ask for your most embarrassing moment; will I get any response at all?

If you would like to submit your most embarrassing moment just send it in an email to me and I will post it in the future anonymously. If you can share someone elses most embarrassing moment and not yours that is okay too. I just don’t want anything that is made up or a lie. The truth will set you free. When I’ve collected enough I will post them, as well as mine! Please submit only your true stories to either the comments below or to my email.

Here is an example of one I found on the Internet. This is the case of a woman who befriended her boss on Facebook and then complained about him.

FYI:

My November 30, 2009 post will have sexually oriented material much like the first three posts on the blog. By request of the many visitors to those three posts, I am submitting real life stories of my teenage life. If this type of material offends, I admonish you to ignore the 11-30 post. Thank you.

.

As you can read on my About page, an epogdous in numbers (the ratio 9/8) is a while tone in music. 9/8 is also one of Debussy’s favourite time signature (Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune, Claire de lune, etc.). Even if the notational convention is not properly a geometrical ratio, 9/8 is a very strange meter to me. Nine-eighths time divides the measure into three parts of three quavers each, making it into a triple meter. But the same time signature can divide the measure into different parts, making it even into fractional beats (e.g. 4/4+1/8) resulting in music with an extremely irregular rhythmic feel. Take notes composers! ;]

Adam Lambert and his band were the guests this morning on the Early Show (CBS)! Adam performed “Whataya Want from Me?” and “Music Again”.  It was really amazing to see Adam singing perfectly so early in the morning! If you missed it you can watch the 1st song here!

Monte Pittman nailed the “Music Again” solo (watch it here!) with his custom Gibson Les Paul, the same one he used for Madonna’s “Burning Up” solo (Re-Invention Tour) and the “Heartbeat” solo (Sticky & Sweet Tour) plugged in -as usual- to Orange Rockerverbs!

Monte Pittman & Adam Lambert

Adam was also asked by one of the fans that were gathered outside of the studio, how he put his band together. Adam mentioned that he and Monte knew each other from the Citizen Vein days! (video). Longineu Parsons is on drums, Lisa Harriton on keyboards and Tommy Joe Ratliff on bass.

Don’t miss Adam’s appearance at the David Letterman show tonight!

With Father Michael Birdsong serving as the new Vicar of St. Michael and All Angels Church and Deacon David Hoffman leading the music ministry, both youth and adults are enthusiastically serving as singers and musicians at the Thomaston, Georgia congregation. Always a worshipping church, St. Michael’s is, according to Father Birdsong, experiencing a fresh awareness of God’s presence and experience. Youth, with the help of the more experienced believers, are helping to lead the way into the future.

Thanksgiving Eve  (Wed., Nov. 25, 2009)

5:00 – 7:00 pm – Ollie O’Shea Solo!Green Mill

4802 N. Broadway/ Chicago/773-878-5552

Ollie O’Shea is well educated in the field of American country music. He has been playing guitar and singing most of his life and has worked with some of the best country musicians Nashville  has to offer.

Ollie has been recently signed as a songwriter to “Good Bit Music,” a publishing company owned by one of Nashville’s most successful songwriters, Jim Lauderdale. Ollie has played fiddle with such artists as Hank Williams III, Garry Allan, George Ducas, Buddy Miller and Jim Lauderdale.

Email: ollie@ollieoshea.com

Ollie center stage!

Ollie’s latest CD!

I learned a good many things in NYC and not just within the confines of the conference.
In fact, while walking to the Javits center I learned:

Equivalents in Essence... of Douche.

In case you aren’t familiar with Charlie Sheen’s IMDB, he’s in a little movie called Wall Street in which he is a stockbroker.
In case you also hate contrived bands, then you know that is the lead dude from Kings of Leon.
What I am telling you is NYC Stockbrokers = LA Musicians.

Now, I realize that whats-his-face is from the south or something and Charlie Sheen isn’t a stockbroker but the point is that the women on the streets of NYC talk about stockbrokers similarly to how I used to talk about LA’s musicians.

Both professions lend themselves to persons that are incredibly focused and inevitably self-centered. You will never come before a man’s music or his market. Whether it’s their art or their pay check, you aren’t a guitar or a dividend. Sorry. Musicians and Stockbrokers are also both very stylish. Whether it be suits or an impressive collective of eclectic vintage pieces, they usually have a relatively attractive wardrobe. Obviously this depends on their income, which is also a pull of them both although a Stockbroker’s bank account usually evokes a sense of security whereas a Musician’s usually incites sympathy. Either way, you are attracted. Granted, Musicians are usually better looking but Stockbrokers ten times out of ten smell better than Musicians so I mean, you’ve still got some give and takes.

That’s why you just give it all up & find yourself a nice graphic designer to go to geek expos with you.

Oh, excuse me “digital artist” which apparently means a pretentious ass with an Adobe Suite.

Muh’fuckin’ digital artist needs to upload that shit to my lapteeezy.

The New York Times recently posted a disturbing video on Pakistan. The report addresses the topic of anti-Americanism in the country, specifically with regards to its westernized, well-educated musicians:

While Pakistani journalists, playwrights and even moderate Islamic clerics have boldly condemned the Taliban, the nation’s pop music stars have yet to sing out against the group, which continues to claim responsibility for daily bombings.

This summary doesn’t do justice to the report. One really needs to watch the video – to hear the musicians themselves speak – to get a sense of their anti-Americanism.

This anti-American sentiment is deeply, deeply imbued. These musicians are simply angry at the United States; their voices, their faces reflect profound outrage. They hate the United States for a litany of offenses familiar to most in the Muslim world: Guantanamo Bay, Abu Gharib, the Iraq War, the drone attacks today.

Indeed, so strong is this anger that many musicians implicitly support the Taliban.

One musician snaps that

First of all, it’s the West that’s against the Taliban…We’re not.

Another, when presented with Taliban wrongs (bombings of girls’ schools), offers the rebuttal that

Well, you know, and you cannot blame Taliban for that. Where do you think those fundings are coming from? It’s – it’s the – it’s the, the agenda of the neocons is to deIslamicize Pakistan. Religion must be killed.

Understanding this implausible answer – under its logic, American neoconservatives are sending suicide bombers to attack Pakistani schools – depends on watching the singer’s emotions, not listening to the words themselves. His anti-Americanism is primarily an emotional response (especially to humiliation), upon which an intellectual framework can be built.

Thus, it is simple for these musicians to create a framework of cognitive dissonance. When a drone missile kills civilians, they explode with passionate anger and incorporate the deaths into every politicized song. But when Taliban suicide bombs kill ten times that number, they offer excuses and then ignore the tragedy. When American soldiers humiliate Abu Gharib prisoners, they never forgive and never forget. But when Taliban insurgents kidnap and behead Westerners, it is all for the greater good. The United States is never right; the Taliban is never wrong.

All this anti-Americanism is quite ironic – firstly because if the Taliban took control, these artists would be forbidden from making music. It is also ironic, however, since these musicians are western-oriented by nature. They’re well-educated – some actually lived in the United States. They speak English fluently. Their music imitates the worst of Western pop. Their videos would be familiar to any consumer of Britney Spears or Beyonce. By all rights, they should be vehement supporters of the United States.

Yet America has lost these musicians to the Taliban. When America cannot hold even Pakistan’s well-educated and Westerized elites – let alone the religious masses – that is a very bad sign.

Moreover, U.S. efforts to win Pakistani hearts and minds are probably doomed to fail. A superpower can do many mighty things – hold up the world economy, destroy the world – but it is ill-suited to the delicate task of being popular. Throughout the whole of human history, superpowers have almost never turned “haters” into “lovers.” Instead, they have mostly killed the haters.

Given this reality, the best course of action for America now might be a slow withdrawal from Middle East affairs. More than anything other region, Middle East politics have drained American vitality and hastened its decline. Pakistan, moreover, has little strategic value or natural resources to offer the United States. India would be a far better ally – one that actually likes the United States. There is still the nuclear question, but the United States should not be the policeman of the world. Let others deal with Pakistan’s nuclear weapons; they have more to lose if things go wrong.

Of course, this proposal is far easier said than done. If the United States left the Middle East alone, it would lose the lifeblood of its economy – oil. So first, it must develop an alternative source of fuel, which constitutes a difficult task (to put it lightly). Until that happens, Afghanistan must be taken care of so that bin Laden does not get a new hide-out base.

But, at the very least, America should stop giving aid the Pakistan. Pakistan doesn’t want it anyways, and the money can be put to better use – like investing in alternative fuels. It would be a good first step in a long, hard road.

Some musicians would be satisfied just to perform the music the Beatles gave us. But for Peter and Jim Mayer, they had to do more. They had to EXPERIENCE it. Enjoy the collection of videos that led up to Peter’s new album. And watch closely. If you know who and what to look for, you will see that J. L. Jamison in one of the videos. Only the most astute of Parrotheads know who I’m talking about. Enjoy…

Dear Don Bowen,  

First, let me say we have lots to be grateful and appreciative for and I acknowledge that! It is so good to know that you have risen to the Directorship of the National Urban League. Surely, the hard work you did for our office here in Fort Lauderdale had a lot to do with this commendable promotion on your behalf.  

I contacted you by phone at the suggestion of Karriem Edwards. I thank you for taking my call and for your response to the email I sent with information on my books and workshops on Women in Jazz and Blues.  

I see an opportunity to bring to the national arena something of great value and would appreciate the opportunity to dialogue with Dr. Hal Smith, VP of Education and Youth Development, if you would be so kind as to arrange that connection.  

Actually, I visited the Urban League office in Las Vegas a couple of months ago and three women there were very interested in my books and workshops. However I haven’t heard any more from them. Here, in Fort Lauderdale, I have not been in touch with anyone from the Urban League, but would be happy to sit down with anyone you could introduce me to.
I realize that we’re in a very tight economic environment and people are more concerned with everyday needs than with the Arts. But it is the Arts that enable people to, first, forget about the hard times and, second, develop their own creativity to overcome obstacles they face, personally and in business.  

Once we understand that taking Music and Art out of school and paying parents to feed their children Ritalin to counteract Attention Deficiency Disorder, which is a direct result of NOT learning how to access their creativity, we will honor artists by engaging them to develop and implement programs and workshops like the ones I’ve presented to you. Available at this link – www.fyicomminc.com/workshops.htm  

The Urban League’s Statement is as follows:  

Our Strategy – The National Urban League employs a five-point approach to provide economic empowerment, educational opportunities and the guarantee of civil rights for African Americans.

As the founder of Women in Jazz South Florida, Inc. and a 38-year veteran of the Performing Arts, I am fully aware of the benefits musicians reap from musical studies, most importantly, discipline, dedication and ability to make a living from something they love to do, not to mention the opportunity to travel to foreign shores as Ambassors of Peace, where they are appreciated by people of varying cultures and backgrounds.

Education and Youth Empowerment ensures the education of all children by providing access to early childhood literacy, after-care programs and college scholarships.

My personal experience within the education system includes sharing the stories of Women in Jazz and Blues with thousands of children in Florida, New York, Georgia, China, Japan and Europe. In 1997, 1998 and 2000, I was the recipient of nearly $15,000 in Student Enrichment in the Arts grants (SEAS), through Broward County Schools.

Right now, I’m working on our organization’s directory listing and a grant proposal for the Broward Cultural Arts Council to take our programs into the schools and after-care programs in 2010.

In the past 12 years, I’ve presented at several colleges, including FAU, FIU, MDCC, BCC, NOVA SE and York College, where I’ve been scheduled to return on March 4, 2010. This one-hour presentation is fully-documented in photographs and videos on my websites: www.wijsf.org, www.joancartwright.com and www.fyicomminc.com.

Each time we bring the story of Women in Jazz and Blues to students, we receive positive feedback from them, their teachers, principals and parents. This is why we work to continue bringing this program to schools and events to the community. See our concert series at www.floridajazznetwork.com

Economic Empowerment invests in the financial literacy and employability of adults through job training, homeownership and entrepreneurship.

Every professional musician and artist is an entrepreneur that can enhance the learning process of adults and children they come in contact with. Musicians must learn how to be financially stable, especially in economic times like these. What music and art teach the artist is that they have a gift that they are responsible for sharing with others and that compensation is certainly forthcoming.

Personally, I’ve retired from the music business three times (1996, 1999, 2001) and I’ve returned, purely on the basis that music is my God-given talent that I MUST share with the world. It is the “talent” that I must use for the good of all. I must not bury it, take it for granted or squander it. See The Parable of the Ten Talents

I believe I understand that, now, and I am determined to help others recognize the value of African American music, art and culture. My book, A History of African-Amerian Jazz and Blues expands on why so many African-Americans have not reaped financial benefits of their artistic production. It’s tied up with cultural politics and I believe this book qualifies as required reading for every African-American man, woman and child. The book contains interviews with jazz greats Quincy Jones, Dewey Redman (father of Joshua), Lester Bowie (Chicago Art Ensemble) and Sandy Patton (Vocal Instructor, Swiss Jazz School). If we neglect to understand the value and importance of our cultural production, the dominant society will continue to be the only benefactor of it’s fruits, i.e., record companies, publishers, promoters and distributors.

Blues and Jazz are “the only original American art forms” and have been designated by Congress as a National Treasure! See the attached letter from First Lady Michelle Obama, indicating that we have been in touch with her regarding our organization.

Health and Quality of Life Empowerment promotes community wellness through a focus on prevention, including fitness, healthy eating and access to affordable healthcare.

This President’s highest priority has been health care reform. My contention is that happiness is the greatest cure for ill health. Music and Art are at the top of the list of conditions that cause happiness. I could write a treatise on this. This video sent to me earlier in the week speaks volumes about the healing properties of music. 

Patrick plays! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xwCG0Ey2Mg

Civic Engagement and Leadership Empowerment encourages all people to take an active role to improve quality of life through participation in community service projects and public policy initiatives.

There can be no doubt that musical events unite a community, if only for one hour. You live in New York City. Have you been to the Jazzmobiles, during the summer, attended by thousands of New Yorkers? I was 19, when I attended some of the first concerts in 1968-70. At Grant’s Tomb, circa 1984, I performed with some of the greatest living jazz artists, including Frank Foster, Frank Wes and George Coleman. This experience led me to where I am as a jazz artist, today. Since then, hundreds of young musicians have been influenced by these concerts and by the education program developed by this organization. www.jazzmobile.org – It is our mission to continue this legacy with WOMEN IN JAZZ SOUTH FLORIDA, INC. – www.wijsf.org
 

Civil Rights and Racial Justice Empowerment guarantees equal participation in all facets of American society through proactive public policies and community-based programs.

The impact that Blues and Jazz artists have had on the global society is undeniable. This truth fills many books about musicians like Ella Fitzgerald, Mary Lou Williams, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and so many more who traveled to foreign lands as representatives of the American people and, African-American people in particular, bringing unmeasureable joy, despite obstacles they faced as people of color in the United States, under Jim Crow Laws declaring them less than whole persons. They were applauded on other continents and abused at home. But that didn’t stop them from being the messengers of peace, hope, love and community that they were born to be. Their stories must continue to be told to urban children, children in the suburbs and on farms, where many of them came from. Our organization serves that purpose and we trust that the National Urban League recognizes the value and importance of that work.

I ask that you calendar our Women in Jazz Presentations on Thursday, March 4, 2010 at York College and Friday, March 5, at the Langston Hughes Library in Queens. I’ll continue to send you notices with additional performances in the NY area and exact times, if that is not an imposition. Perhaps, you would be willing to share these dates with others you know who value the music and musicians we present.

In the meantime, please connect me with Dr. Hal Smith so that we can explore the possibilities of a partnership.

All the best,

Love and music,

Joan Cartwright

Founder & Executive Director

Women in Jazz South Florida, Inc.

2801 S. Oakland Forest Drive

Suite 103

Oakland Park, FL 33309

954-740-3398

wijsf@yahoo.com

divajc47@yahoo.com

Diva JC

• www.wijsf.com
• www.blogtalkradio.com/musicwoman
• www.fyicomminc.com

Joan – I looked at the links below and want to commend you for your continued growth and for your efforts to expose young people to music and the arts.  You may or may not know that the National Urban League is an intermediary organization with 100 affiliates throughout the country.   Our affiliates are our direct-service delivery mechanism and each affiiates operates as its own separate and independent not for profit organization.  Approximately 5-10% of affiliates programming is directed and funded at the national level while most of it is conceived and funded locally.  As such, we do not have any national programs which involve music or the arts directly.   Nevertheless, I have asked  Dr. Hal Smith, our VP of Education and Youth Development to review your materials to determine if there are any opportunities to collaborate with you and for us to utilize the services which you provide.   We do conduct a national youth conference each year, and perhaps this venue might provide an opportunity to work with you.   Another strategy which you might want to pursue is to work directly with one of more of our local affiliates.  While we could recommend you to them, I would not suggest this approach as frankly they get too much from us already and it probably would “get lost” in the traffic.  Have you had any conversations with any of the local – South Florida affiliates?  If not, that might be a good place to start and I could facilitate the introduction, if needed.  Honestly, the chances of connecting the dots with a local affiliate are greater and this is probably an easier path to take than looking for a national type program or engagement.  I will let you know what Hal Smith suggests.  Let me know if you have tried to work with some of our local affiliates or if this is something you wish to pursue.  Happy Thanksgiving – it was good hearing from you.  Don

From: Joan Cartwright [mailto:divajc47@yahoo.com]
Sent: Monday, November 23, 2009 6:21 PM
To: Donald Bowen
Subject: Joan Cartwright’s Books and Workshops

Don,

Thanks for taking my call this evening.

It was great to hear your voice and I trust your work there is very fulfilling.

Here’s the link to my books and workshops.

www.fyicomminc.com/books.html

www.fyicomminc.com/workshops.htm

My goal is to teach and bring awareness about the lives, contributions and joy brought to the global society by musicians who have made a difference no matter what circumstances they had to overcome. – Diva JC  

I would appreciated being on your list of artists who bring education to programs for urban children.

Let me know if you need anything else to make this happen.

I’ll be in NYC on March 4 at York College.

Will send more info as needed.

All the best in your endeavors at the National Urban League!

Joan Cartwright

954-740-3398

• www.wijsf.com
• www.blogtalkradio.com/musicwoman
• www.fyicomminc.com

Lust for Samba and a whole lot more with

Jen Zias (as Lupe Lowenstein),

Richard Knight (as Monty "Sugarloaf"

Mattachine), Victor Salvo ( as Lindo

McCartney) and the band: Alejo Poveda

(percussion), Gerald Dowd (drums),

Scott Stevenson (keys), Steve Dollinger

(guitar) and Randy Henry (bass)

perform a medley and this video starts

with Lust for Samba and goes from there

. . . including DANCING!

This is SAMBA BAMBA!

Thanks for the memories, R.E.M.

I remember very vividly several of my musical awakenings, the watershed moments that changed the path of my life as they occurred (without my recognition, of course, at the time). It’s easy to look back now and find them, to name them. The harder part is narrowing them down.

I could list music teachers, colleagues and friends, each of whom had a hand in shaping the music lover and musician that I am today. I could write about the opportunities afforded me by my parents (who couldn’t afford them after all), the mentoring I got from various neighbors, all the people I’ve made music with over the years, but there isn’t time here. There is time somewhere, and I will get to them, but not here.

Here there are fewer:

1. My mother, playing Beethoven’s Fur Elise. The tune so ordinary and ubiquitous, I know now, but then – watching her and adoring her, while she got so much joy from the out-of-tune upright in our Massachusetts basement – that was the start.

2. As a hyper, insomniac of a boy, unable to sleep during a camping trip. Mom taking me on a nighttime walk in my jammies and a robe and sneakers towards the jubilant noise of a cover band. Standing on a picnic table in the back of the campground community center as the band – probably just local teenagers, but gods to me – played Bachmann Turner Overdrive’s Takin’ Care of Business. And played it loud.

3. The arrival of my very own record player – and piles of 45RPM records from my dad’s little sister.

4. Peter and the Wolf – Sasha the Duck, voiced by an oboe. The fascination and desire to make sounds started there.

5. The Beatles. The first band that made music that felt like it was mine. Music that rewarded repeated listenings, that has still never, ever driven me away. And then…

6. R.E.M. My last-half of high school discovery. Kinetic and own-able and other. Unclaimed by jocks or stoners. Not heard on AOR stations alongside Van Halen or Foghat. Not Howard Jones, Not synthesizers. Not really anything then, just different and perfect. The perfect everything that fueled my desire to play rock music.

The first time I heard them was at my friend Kevin’s house – a borrowed record from his college-aged sister – we listened on the stereo in his room. It was Reckoning. Listened over and over. And over. Somehow acquired a tape of Murmur. Listened and listened and listened. And then… what started the real fervor for me, the concert. I saw R.E.M. for the first time at the Wittenberg Field House in Springfield, Ohio sometime between the release of Reckoning and the coming release of Fables of the Reconstruction. And that was fucking, IT, man. I was all in.

It was a group of us that went to the concert. I don’t remember all the names. We went in borrowed cars, Oldsmobiles and Buicks and Chevys from our parents’ driveways. We got there early, crowding the entrance with the other believers. Doors were opened. Seats were claimed. We all got situated in the first four rows.

The set was dark and angular. Deep black, brown and purple. It was somehow reminiscent of a house, old and rundown. Sorta spooky, I suppose. The opening song was equally dark, oblique and haunting. Feeling Gravity’s Pull is the first song that I saw R.E.M. perform. From there, the set was littered with material from the soon-to-be-released Fables, like Maps and Legends and Auctioneer alongside songs from Reckoning like So. Central Rain and Pretty Persuasion.

Stipe was purposefully inscrutable. Mills was in high spirits singing the high notes while playing the lows. Berry delivered solid support with drumming and harmony. And there was Pete Buck. Playing with abandon, spinning and jumping. Twirling to the swirling guitar parts he produced with his instrument.

We hung around after the show and met them, getting autographs, and they were the same personalities as on stage. Stipe was the weird one. Berry and Mills were kind and friendly. Buck was the rock star, loving the adulation. It was a perfect night.

And that’s how it started. When Life’s Rich Pageant came out we got second row seats at the Taft Theater in Cincinnati. When they toured behind Document, I managed to get a press pass to their show at Millett Hall in Oxford, Ohio on the campus of Miami University (Go Redskins!). I skulked around the second and third rows with my Dad’s camera taking shitty, blurry pictures because I didn’t know what I was doing. By the time Green came out they were playing arenas. We saw them in Riverfront Coliseum. The Indigo Girls opened. Stipe joined them on stage for Kid Fears off of their debut album and the audience went crazy. That night’s show was amazing. Up until (and including) this moment in their career, the band had never delivered anything that I wouldn’t have wanted to hear live. When a new album arrived I loved it as much or more than the one before so I never pined for older songs like the ones from Murmur or Chronic Town. I loved all the songs equally and with great passion. So the shows – including the Green show – were always like greatest hits shows for me, each song played in succession as exciting – if not more so – than the one before.

And then something changed. They didn’t tour against Out of Time, which was the last record they put out that I regularly listened to in its entirety. This is not to say that I stopped listening to R.E.M. No chance. Automatic for the People had great songs on it, but I only listened to those songs. Nightswimming and Find the River and Everybody Hurts stood out for me but I grew older and life wasn’t just books and long college nights anymore, I had to find the songs to gravitate to. Same with Monster. It went about 5 for 10 with me. New Adventures in Hi-Fi had a few interesting bits. I liked it. And it was the last R.E.M. album I bought.

Until this weekend.

And it’s not that I stopped liking R.E.M. I didn’t. I just stopped having that feeling. You know, they made choices, I made choices. It’s like anyone and the classic high school romance. You get into different colleges, have different majors, grow up and move apart. Now you’re back in touch thanks to Facebook and you’ve compared yourself to the other’s spouse. That’s only a little weird and nobody needs to know about it except you. Seriously. Keep that shit to yourself.

So I heard from a friend that the newest release, the subtly titled: R.E.M. Live at the Olympia (in Dublin 39 Songs) was worth a listen. After some investigation, I learned that it contained recordings from a five-night practice session (in front of an audience) during which the band debuted and honed songs from the then album-in-progress Accelerate. And, they took the lucky Dublin audiences through a whirlwind tour of early and now rarely played material including more than a few songs that I had never heard live.

Which is why this double live CD is important to me. It delivers for me in three areas. One, it offers me a glimpse into some of their newer music. A not-slick, loose and intimate glimpse into the band’s processes and practices. Two, it brings me back to all the R.E.M. concerts I mention above with some live versions of songs that stood out for me at those shows. And lastly, it includes live versions of songs that I maybe saw performed once – at that first concert at Wittenberg – or never at all, allowing me to close the musical loop on a few songs that I haven’t heard in years. It gave me the music of my memories and more.

This is where they walked, swam, hunted, danced, sang.
Take a picture here. Take a souvenir.

so yesterday was my saint day.. for those non catholics out there this may be new to you, but most catholics usually name their child after a saint to commemorate the roman catholic church. I was named after Saint Cecilia because well my name is a musician and well also because ivette is not really a catholic saint name… so my dad was my moms saving grace… here is a little history on saint cecilia…

Saint Cecilia (Latin: Sancta Caecilia) is the patron saint of musicians^[2] and Church music because as she was dying she sang to God.^[2]St. Cecilia was an only child. Her feast day is celebrated in the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches on November 22. She is one of seven women, excluding the Blessed Virgin, commemorated by name in the Canon of the Mass. It was long supposed that she was a noble lady of Rome who, with her husband Valerian, his brother Tiburtius, and a Roman soldier Maximus, suffered martyrdom, c. 230, under the Emperor Alexander Severus.^[3]

^{Thanks to Wiki for the info above.}

I’m feeling thankful for great family, great friends and great music. A new friend here in Minneapolis—a young graphic and web designer named Chris Keene—recently turned me on to Bob Dylan’s Theme Time Radio Hour which ran on XM Satellite Radio. I’ve been culling through the archives and finding gem after gem …. like listening to Dylan’s personal playlist of eclectic music across the board, across the decades, and across all genre. I highly recommend the trip.

Each one-hour show features tunes based on a different theme. There’s not a lot of Thanksgiving music per se, so the Thanksgiving show featured mostly ‘left-overs” (very appropriate). One exception is this 1950 recording by The Robins. I offer it here as a teaser to check out this musical collection, and as my way of saying “thanks” to each and every one of you who have stopped in here to read this. Peace.

"The Turkey Hop"

Everyone is tired of that same old  phrase “you only get one chance to make a first impression”. It is repeated ad nauseum from business schools to beauty pageants and everywhere in between. As much as I would rather say to throw away the stuffy old phrases, parables and sayings, this is one that seems to grow more and more true every day. Especially in the music industry.

Of course it is important to make that strong initial impression, that is first and foremost. Second, having all the music, assisting materials, image, business elements and the presentation of these pieces in place is paramount and required. Third is knowing how to individually and specifically present to the person, company, or agency, and doing it the right way.

This last paragraph represents the gold standard that has been a requirement of the industry for years. The musicians that move forward are those that have all the elements in place. If they don’t, they might want to hold up on their forward motion and get those elements in order.

So why is it more important now?

The main reason the first impression is now more important than ever is because of the internet-based outlets like websites, social networks like Facebook, and online sales systems like CD Baby and iTunes, just to name a few.  Because of all of these resources, a new level of saturation has been reached. Years before every band had a website, a MySpace and other online perks, it was a smaller consolidated market, in which musicians had to work a hundred times harder to find a wider audience. Back then, we had mailing lists that we actually had to mail out. Yes, we spent hours putting stamps on postcards. Now the mailing list is actually an emailing list that can reach tens of thousands, and doesn’t really cost a dime.

The main point is that with the growth of the internet and the growth of the number of bands with such increased presence, combined with the decline of labels and deflation of the conventional music industry, it is definitely more important than ever to give off an impeccable impression. Industry professionals are seeing and being contacted by more musicians and groups than ever before, both amazing musicians and total hacks. The industry is being overwhelmed by “up and coming” artists, and many of these artists are doing more damage for the artists that are more prepared.

If it wasn’t hard enough, add in all those directories, lists and books that you can buy to get the phone, email, website and address contacts to thousands of industry contacts. The amount of music and promotion being sent both physically and digitally to people is at an all time high. Gone are the stories of Johnny Cash staking out the back door of a studio, to tens of thousands of artists mass emailing everyone they can with their music files and information. The staking out still occurs too and has in fact increased, thanks to all the contact lists that print addresses. You can find that “up and coming” artist with 15 cd’s on her waiting outside the building that she cant get in to, ready to hand off her disc In response, many companies now have altered their physical addresses to a post office or Mail Boxes Etc. box, just to avoid this onslaught of people.

Make an actual strong impression

Back to that first impression again. Frankly, it has to be incredible. You as an artist have to present yourself in a top-notch way that makes you stand out, while presenting materials that are also top-notch. The market is over-saturated with truckloads of artists, labels, managers and agents, and the bulk of them are unprofessional, arrogant, and unaware of what is required, as they base their presentation off the MTV dream.  The more unprofessional you appear, the faster you are going to be viewed as just another hack band. Even if the music is of the highest quality, and you have something that truly is marketable and industry-ready, you can easily blow your chances.  If you are the artist walking around with a boombox, thrusting it into peoples’ faces…stop. Whatever you do, you most likely are not going to be heard first. Your first impression is going to be basd on your ancillary materials. That strong first impression will be the critical step to get people to be motivated to listen to your music.

As much as you think everyone is going to listen to your music, many industry professionals will toss promo packages and discs before they listen to them, because the first impression is terrible. It’s not their job to listen, and with so many people sending so much music, there is no time to listen to it all.

Conclusion

So, what can you do to stand out? What can you do to deliver the best package that will make some one want to open it and listen to you in the sea of promo packages, discs and emails they have received in just that day? When you think in the mindset that every person or company you are sending anything to is probably receiving a thousand other packages, emails or discs that look just like yours, then you can step back, organize the right way, and regroup. Think how you can stand out in the crowd and present in a way that is going to bring attention in the best possible light. Think about everything from the cover letter to the envelope you are addressing. Think about your bio, your tagline, the content and information written about the band and the music. Make it right. Make it professional. Make it stand out. Make that first impression so much stronger than the bulk of others, so you can get them to listen to your music and get the second impression you really want them to have.

© 2009 Loren Weisman

Watch out for Loren Weisman’s “Realistic Music Careers 101 Seminar” coming to a city near you and Loren’s book “The Artist’s Guide to Success in the Music Business” coming in 2010.

For more information on Loren, bookings or press inquiries, please contact his publicist and agent, Jenée Arthur at Rellihan Satterlee. Email: jenart@relsat.com Phone: 206-588-1998