‘Let it rain’

Here is the performance from the Dome in a HQ version, the version that have been aired on the German TV, RTL II.

The guys and Anette have been at the Ne Salmiset, a TV Show in Finland, which was aired yesterday on MTV3. Here and here you can find the interviews they have made and here you can hear the LIVE version of October & April.

In the next part of YleX videos we can hear Eero and Lauri talking about Sail Away, the song was born around a camp-fire, and they wanted to make a classical song, but then it turned out to be a really nice rock ballad.

Here’s a video made a while ago with Aki and Lauri at Voice TV where they talk about meeting with Alice Cooper and the Scorpions, about the compilation album and Aki joining the band, about the Black Roses demos that sounded better than some of the ready songs from the album.

Switchfoot performing the Beach Boys‘ “God Only Knows” from Pet Sounds. What love song begins, “I may not always love you…”?! This one does and it is beautiful. If you’re not listening to Switchfoot, you’re doing yourself a disservice. Great music coming out of San Diego.

Sometimes it blows my mind to think about how long I’ve been working on this project (come November it will be three years since the “immaculate” conception). It seems like I’ve been raising a child, and sometimes you’re the only one who can see beauty and talent in your child. There are times along the path when you walk alone and (grateful) times when others join you and help out. And I suppose like raising a child (I’ve never done it so I’m only guessing) there are many, many powerful lessons to learn along the way. When you first begin you have the elation of starting something new and everyone is excited. There’s the baby’s first christening. Everyone shows up. Then the baby begins to cry and whine and get to be a big pain in the ass, so does mommy. Mommy begins to sulk and wear the martyr mask and who wants to be around that? The excitement wears thin. There are moments when you find yourself alone in a dark night, and there is an nasty voice telling you, “let go” but you know you can’t because it’s your kid and you hold on with hope that there will be a brighter dawn, and lo and behold a light is detected from a distance in the form of a helpful friend or an encouraging voice or piece of news and you manage to find the strength to sustain. Dramatic, I know–and I realize I’m mixing metaphors here, but true. What I’ve learned from working on this project goes far beyond what I’ve learned about filmmaking (and that has been tremendous), and when this baby finally graduates from high school (or maybe it will be a twenty-eight year old kid still living with me and I’ll have to kick his ass out) I will be happy to see him/her? go, but I’m not there yet. Far from it.

A few weeks I was full of my own folly and really cocky about Gemini Rising thinking we were somehow over the hump and could just slide a bit till we finished the series, while we began work on something new (we are starting to talk about that). I internally congratulated myself on how I was now able to emotionally detach from the project even as I completed it, “more business-like” I told myself confidently. Nice try! After taking the month of August off from GR (we didn’t really, but we didn’t kill ourselves as much as usual), Chris and I started working again in September capturing the footage of the “Star Child” video we shot back in July. He managed to capture the first tape when disaster struck. The camera completing malfunctioned, causing the first tape of the shoot to get stuck. We ended up having to send the camera off to be repaired with the tape still inside! We were nervous mostly about how much that would cost because after our benefit in July we were able to raise just enough money to produce GR8 (shoot scheduled for November). I also didn’t love the idea that our tape with an hour’s worth of raw footage was going with it, but at least we captured it on Chris’ external hard drive, so if somehow the worst happened and it was misplaced at least we still have the footage. Then disaster struck again. Chris called me with a weird sound in his voice. His hard drive crashed. It will cost $800 to be repaired and they may not even be able to retrieve our footage. The original tape was still at large. WTF! I felt a sensation that began at the hair follicles on my scalp and traveled across every inch of my skin and out the tips of my toes. I grabbed the phone and I don’t think I slept till that tape was hand delivered to me two days later. When it finally was in my hand I kissed it. Impossible dreams (and helpless little babies) demand total passion and commitment for them to even have a fighting chance for survival. That’s what I learned this time around, and it was a good lesson.

It got my mojo working again and I’m grateful. Chris has already begun cutting the Star Child footage and it’s amazing! Wonderful! Everyone performed so well. Then we were in the studio the other night cutting a demo for a new Gemini Rising song “The Ballad of McKade”–a folk rock ballad which is another mismatched single from the infamous GR “Galaxy Twins Sessions”. The saga continues, the baby still has a long way to go and Mom still has a lot of lessons ahead. Just as a side-note about how the creative process works sometimes: “The Ballad of McKade” became a song by accident. Back in the summer when the GR house band was rehearsing for the performance at the 941 Theater. Someone needed a lyric sheet so I went out to my car where I knew was a folder with old song sheets buried somewhere. I didn’t find the one I was looking for but I did find one I had written years ago but had forgotten about “The Ballad of McKade”. The idea came to me early in the project, but I discarded it after Joe told me my attempt at a melody line sounded like the theme song from “Gilligan’s Island”. On a whim I gave it to Evan Scheerer (he plays Chip–brilliantly, the hapless bass players from the Larry Lamay Show in GR7) and a few weeks later he and Chris had a song. These guys are pretty amazing. Here’s a little tease from the first session. It promises to be a good one, and I’m just happy to have my baby back.

From what I understand, Susan Boyle who was runner-up in the British karoake finals is or has released a similar version of this Rolling Stones song as a single. But for my money, give me The Sundays. Perfect for a rainy overcast day while I pour my broken heart into my journal at Starbucks.

Today I realized I had slacked on posting an amateur tune for Monday. Sorry about that. In other news….

Here’s a beautiful slow-core dirge-y version of the Boss’ “I’m On Fire” by Bats for Lashes, which is the musical work of some Brit art house genius named Natasha Khan. I love this song, love Bruce Springsteen and am flirting with this rendition.

Is it safe to say that Chris Cornell may have the most vocal power and control in rock since Freddie Mercury? Truly a gifted singer with a great song from Michael Jackson’s golden age.

Sugarland is another country-pop band that makes me like them in spite of my cynicism towards Nashville’s current establishment. Kristian Bush, the male half of the duo, was a member of Billy Pilgrim which was a great acoustic rock male vocal duo in the 1990’s. So thank God that even if Billy Pilgrim didn’t make it, Kristian and his current cohorts still find a way to be awesome on occasion. Here’s a cover of the hauntingly beautiful R.E.M. song “Night Swimming.”

It’s something that I hate to admit, but the Bee Gees could actually put together dang good lyrics and melodies. Their arrangements are just atrocious in my opinion. But I digress. The fictionalized “Grand Theft Parsons” was on IFC the other night. When Gram Parsons, pioneer of country rock, died, his road manager Phil Kaufmann stole the body from LAX, drove it to Joshua Tree and set it ablaze to honor his dead friend’s wishes. Phil turned himself in afterwards but was only fined for stealing a coffin – not for stealing the body or burning it in the desert. I guess there wasn’t a law on the books for that. Now that is rock’n'roll. Here’s Gram and the Flying Burrito Brothers Band covering “To Love Somebody.”

One of the most covered tunes in rock-n-roll, this was written by Boudleaux and Felice Bryant and originally recorded by the Everly Brothers. But you may know the Nazareth version best. Also covered by Cher, Juice Newton, Graham Parsons and Emmylou Harris, Roy Orbison, Sinead O’Connor, Jimmy Webb, and Rod Stewart. And that’s just a partial list of the artists who put this to vinyl, with bands like the Who and Pixies covering it live. Man, I’d love to have those two on my iPod.

Trich live tai saigonunplugged cafe.

*********************************
I can wait another day until I call you
Youve only got my heart on a string and everything a flutter
But another lonley night (and another, and another)
Might take forever(and another, and another)
Weve only got each other to blame
Its all the same to me love
cause I know what I feel to be right
No more lonely nights
No more lonely nights
Youre my guiding light
Day or night Im always there

May I never miss the thrill of being near you
And if it takes a couple of years
To turn your tears to laughter
I will do what I feel to be right

No more lonely nights
Never be another
No more lonely nights
Youre my guiding light
Day or night Im always there
And I wont go away until you tell me so
No Ill never go away

Yes I know what I feel to be right
No more lonely nights
Never be another
No more lonely nights
Youre my guiding light
Day or night Im always there
And I wont go away until you tell me so
No Ill never go away
I wont go away until you tell me so
No Ill never go away
No more lonely nights, no no …

Ce 16 mars 2009, Eliott Murphy fête ses 60 ans. Joyeux anniversaire !

Un anniversaire célébré avec un peu d’avance samedi 14 mars au New Morning. Le rendez-vous annuel d’Elliott Murphy et ses Normandy All Stars avec ses fans parisiens s’est transformé en une célébration bon enfant et émouvante de l’entrée du chanteur américain dans une soixantaine épanouie. Choeurs assurés par l’un des chanteurs du groupe Pow Wow et les chanteuses de Native, messages d’amis absents (rien cependant d’un certain Bruce S. du New Jersey…), intervention de la soeur d’Elliott venue spécialement de New York, parodie de Marilyn Monroe souhaitant happy birthday au Président Kennedy par l’épouse du chanteur… Autant de moments émouvants.

Mais la musique était aussi au rendez-vous, avec un Olivier Durand plus en forme que jamais, notamment sur des titres comme Diamonds by the yard ou Last of the rock stars. Et Gaspard, le fils d’Elliott Murphy, bien parti pour se faire un prénom. Un superbe concert qui s’est terminé en apothéose sur Rock Ballad, l’une des plus belles chansons d’Elliott Murphy.

Ci-dessous, une version live de Rock Ballad, enregistrée le 25 janvier 2009 en Espagne.

Can you draw space on canvas?
Can a traveller find a home?
Or is he left to wonder,
What it’s like not to be alone?

To lay his hat
And always come back
To snuggle up, close
To the one he loves
To smell her skin
And find deep within
The happiness he craves
On his journey through the years

A journey through time
Not measured on a map
Exploring and discovering
The truth we hold and the love within

Well take a look around
Well take a long around
Take one step back
And see what you have found
Take a look around

He’s looking to the outside
To find a way in
Never getting any better
Got to start again
When you’re looking for the answer
And you’ve got to find the truth
No reason to get closer
No need for abuse

********************************************
Time, it needs time
To win back your love again.
I will be there, I will be there.

Love, only love
Can bring back your love someday.
I will be there, I will be there.

Fight, babe, I’ll fight
To win back your love again.
I will be there, I will be there.

Love, only love
Can break down the walls someday.
I will be there, I will be there.

If we’d go again
All the way from the start,
I would try to change
The things that killed our love.

Your pride has build a wall, so strong
That I can’t get through.
Is there really no chance
To start once again?
I’m loving you.

Try, baby try
To trust in my love again.
I will be there, I will be there.

Love, your love
Just shouldn’t be thrown away.
I will be there, I will be there.

If we’d go again
All the way from the start,
I would try to change
The things that killed our love.

Your pride has build a wall, so strong
That I can’t get through.
Is there really no chance
To start once again?

If we’d go again
All the way from the start,
I would try to change
The things that killed our love.

Yes I’ve hurt your pride, and I know
What you’ve been through.
You should give me a chance
This can’t be the end.

I’m still loving you.
I’m still loving you,
I need your love.
I’m still loving you.
Still loving you, baby…
*****************************************

Thanks for distracting me from my studies. At 1 a.m i really shouldn’t be obsessing over this but i can’t tear my heart away from this.

May the sorrows of countless believers mark the extent of your contribution to the world of rock and rock ballads.

Gazing through the window at the world outside
Wondering will mother earth survive
Hoping that mankind will stop abusing her sometime

After all there’s only just the two of us
And here we are still fighting for our lives
Watching all of history repeat itself
Time after time

I’m just a dreamer
I dream my life away
I’m just a dreamer
Who dreams of better days

I watch the sun go down like everyone of us
I’m hoping that the dawn will bring a sign
A better place for those Who will come after us …
This time

I’m just a dreamer
I dream my life away oh yeah
I’m just a dreamer
Who dreams of better days

Your higher power may be God or Jesus Christ
It doesn’t really matter much to me
Without each others help there ain’t no hope for us
I’m living in a dream of fantasy
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah

If only we could all just find serenity
It would be nice if we could live as one
When will all this anger, hate and biggotry …
Be gone?

I’m just a dreamer
I dream my life away
Today
I’m just a dreamer
Who dreams of better days
Okay
I’m just a dreamer
Who’s searching for the way
Today
I’m just a dreamer
Dreaming my life away
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah

Taken from 007

I LOVE this GUY!!!!   /   All Hail the Prince of Darkness

 He’s not going away! Hell Yeah!!!!