Ingrid Thulin in Tystnaden
Here is my rendition of my favorite Christmas song, “Little Drummer Boy”, from last night’s on-air show on the Backstage Pass on Cool 101.7 with Jenna Wagner in Meadville, PA.
Before I sign off the internet for a few days, I wish those who celebrate, a very Merry and Blessed Christmas! Christ is Born! Glorify Him!
Merry Christmas from Anna Zoe.
Lana Del Rey - Video Games (Live)
Hat tip: mydhotr
Hurricane
Emily Rodgers is one of the core artists that I took away from the Lilith Fair competition and ended up listening to on a regular basis. I immediately Liked her on Facebook and, one day, I noticed she posted a link to buy her album, Bright Day, on emusic.com for some ridiculously inexpensive amount of money. I was all about it.
The song of hers that stuck with me the most (and has been on more than 5 of my summer 2011 mix CDs) is “Hurricane.”
It’s very difficult to put into words how this song makes me feel. The song is very surreal. The guitar pieces are calm and the vocals are clear as a cloudless sky. Peace and serenity.
The opening lyrics make references to love, dreams, fears, and nature — core components to the human condition.
Around the 2-minute mark, Rodgers makes a Lynyrd Skynyrd reference, “It’s one more for the road, ‘cause Tuesday’s finally gone,” and adds, “like a hurricane,” four times. For me, this represents the inevitable storm on the horizon and foreshadows the ensuing music. The reference to Lynyrd Skynyrd, could serve as a reference to the loss of life, as well as survivors. (For those of you unaware, 3 members of Lynyrd Skynyrd were killed in a plane crash in 1977.) The follow up lyric, “like a hurricane,” might indicate the nature of the ominous air. Following the fourth, “like a hurricane,” the music takes us away, the bass and drums join the guitar, calm is maintained, and the sound of the ocean is channeled.
After the music changes, the bass and drums retreat and we are with Emily and the guitar, again. Lyrics such as, “I have fallen down the stairs and I have covered up my scars,” “I have been hunted by a ghost whose name I do not know,” “It’s like drowning in the dark and fading into black,” and “There are those who hold on and I am willing to be saved,” all present the vibe of a double-meaning. These could be references to injuries sustained in the storm, metaphorical references to the storm, and references to aid attempts. HOWEVER, I can also see a spiritual element in here. Perhaps, in this time of great need, the only place the subject can turn is to God.
At this point, Rodgers returns to some of the lyrics from the beginning of the song (pre-storm), before the music takes us away one final time.
My favorite memory with this song took place one night, this past June. I was on my way home from the gym, and heat lightning was occurring all over the sky. First, it would be in front, then behind, to both sides, and at times, the entire sky was illuminated for a brief millisecond. Driving through the dark country roads Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Tuesday’s Gone” remind me of, while listening to this surreal song about a storm in the middle of a wave of heat lightning proved to be a truly beautiful moment.
If I sat down and made a list of my favorite songs, “Hurricane” would undoubtedly be near the top of the list. It is a masterpiece and there’s nothing like it.
San Diego, Part 1: Jesse LaMonaca at Urban Bar & Grill
I arrived in San Diego on Thursday, the 14th. It didn’t dawn on me to look up local musicians to see until that night. Not knowing what else to do, necessarily, I Googled “San Diego Singer/Songwriter.” Browsing through the results, I had one of those moments when you know you’re receiving a “sign.” One of the first results was that of a page for a San Diego Singer/Songwriter named Marie Haddad. Now, I don’t know all too much about surnames, but Haddad isn’t common in East Texas, other than my best friend’s family. And, since I feel a bond with any Haddad as a result, I sent Marie an e-mail.
It turns out she had played a show earlier that evening, and if I had only been quicker I could have attend her show, which was evidently ”a lot of fun.” Lucky for me, not only did Marie respond quickly, she also gave me a list of shows she knew of that would take place during my visit. Incredible.
A few of the dates have conflicting performances, so I’m gonna have to do a coin toss or “further research” (YouTube), to decide where I end up going. The only show on the schedule for Friday the 15th was Jesse LaMonaca at Urban Bar & Grill. Awesome.
I arrived about 15 minutes late and, luckily, LaMonaca hadn’t finished setting up, yet. I took my seat at the bar, ordered a sweet tea, a water with no ice, and obseved the variety of alcohol stashed behind the counter as the music began.
Let me further describe the atmosphere. The performance space was very small. LaMonaca was literally at the end of the bar, in the smallest corner in the restaurant. The four seats at the bar closest to the “stage” were all occupied by “typical” and unruly college/post-college students who spent a lot of time hooting, hollering, sucking on each others’ faces and discussing current events with, obviously, minimal knowledge of the topic at hand. This provided for some interesting noise pollution, but luckily there was a power amplifier system present.
My initial impression was that he reminded me of Ryan Adams. It’s difficult to describe the distinct sound of Ryan Adams to someone who hasn’t heard his music, before, but his voice has a soft, sensistive quality mixed with a southeast country twang, at times. His music is classified as “alternative country,” which is very fitting.
One of the first songs LaMonaca performed was “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay” an Otis Redding cover. As I recall, the cover was much faster than Otis’ version, but maintained its soulfullness. Let me be clear about something. When white people, especially white men, get “soulful” in the way that Otis Redding gets soulful, it’s usually a hit or a miss. LaMonaca was a hit. He didn’t overcompensate for his skin color and channeled Redding via an upbeat acoustic accompaniment.
I was texting my friend, Katie, during the performance, because I didn’t want to appear like the creepy guy watching, intently, the dude play guitar at the end of the bar, while most of the other people at the bar behaved rowdily. I made the comment, “This guy is very enthusiastic and has great control of his guitar.” Imagine Dave Matthews’ energy with Ryan Adams’ voice and a little bit of soul, restricted to a 4’ x 4’ space in the corner of a bar. That’s Jesse LaMonaca.
One of my favorite moments from the first part of the performance was this incredible medley of “Falling Slowly” from Once and “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” by The Rolling Stones. He started off playing “Falling Slowly,” which is one of my favorite songs. At about the middle of the song, he changed his tempo and started in with “I saw her today at the reception…” It was classic and Katie was jealous. I recall another medley in which he inserteda few verses from “All Along the Watchtower” in the middle of a song.
Not an hour after I had made my comment about Ryan Adams, LaMonaca validated my perception and played a cover of Oasis’ “Wonderwall,” set to the tune of Ryan Adams’ cover. It wasn’t quite as dark, but it definitely left you with the impression that someday, maybe, someone in the room could be the one to save him.
Then, there was an intermission, where the musical talent became a drunk girl at the bar singing Oasis’ version of “Wonderwall.” For me, the easiest way to tell if someone is singing a song to the tune of an Oasis version is to listen to how they say the word, “maybe.” Ryan Adams says “may-bee,” and Liam Gallagher sings, “may-bay” (in both “Wonderwall” and “Live Forever”).
Before LaMonaca took the stage again, I introduced myself and purchased a copy of his CD. He’s a very friendly guy, is very enthusiastic about his music and clued me into the fact that one of his first music reviews pegged him as reminiscent of Ryan Adams.
The three songs I enjoyed the most were his cover of Ryan Adams’ “Oh My Sweet Carolina,” and two originals, which served as the last two songs of the performance. By the time he began playing “Oh My Sweet Carolina,” the unruly drunks had departed and I was sitting next to a sharp-dressed black man, with a kind face, who seemed like he was enjoying the music and a young blonde woman who found the music with her body, moving her head back-and-forth, eyes shut, as LaMonaca connected with her via rhythm and soul.
Perhaps, my favorite song of his was the second-to-last song, “The Rarest Form,” which is available on his album with The Dime Novels, Until the Stars Come Out. His voice was very powerful and his ability to express the emotion behind the lyrics was inmistakable, as he wrote the song. Here are the first few lines (as they appear in the liner notes) to “The Rarest Form”:
“If I would have known it’d be the last time I was gonna lie with you I would have played dead and not moved, so much for always and forever, lovers become strangers, a whole world collapses on itself, and how it breaks, straight to the core, I could have sworn we had the rarest form of love, the kind you want to hold onto…”
The final song LaMonaca played is going to be on the upcoming album by Jesse LaMonaca and The Dime Novels and is called “Heaven Knows.” This was another song where LaMonaca showed a lot of soul. I was able to locate a version on YouTube recorded back in January. Though the recording isn’t top quality and the lyrics are sometimes difficult to hear, LaMonaca’s blues influences are without doubt. Check it out here! (for some reason I can’t embed video on the computer I’m using in San Diego, I will update this when I get home).
Overall, it was an excellent performance, and though he didn’t have the audience he deserved, a number of the restaurant patrons expressed their appreciation and I’m glad a few fans of good music were around for the last few songs.
Two performers from The 5 Dragon Daughter band, Ashley Sheridan and David Wolff, uploaded a new track, today, on Facebook. Check it out!
The 5 Dragon Daughter
Last night, Saturday, July 9, 2011, I attended a performance in Longview, TX, called The 5 Dragon Daughter. In brief, the performance invoked a wide array of media and brought them together for what I can only seem to compare to Pink Floyd’s The Wall. I know it’s a hefty claim to make and don’t get me wrong, I’m not comparing the content, but the manner in which the performance was implemented and executed, structurally, reminded me a lot of Pink Floyd’s rock opera.
The storyline of The 5 Dragon Daughter served as an allegory to the life of Jesus of Nazareth and was set in an oriental backdrop. We are introduced to a central character who gains the affection of a potential lover who is flanked by the obligation to seek approval for her hand in marriage. The central character, then, discovers that the approval he seeks is of five dragons. One dragon designated for the East, one for the West, one for the South, one for the North, and another dragon who is not confined to any geographical space and is said to be found after the first four dragons are contacted.
Upon entry of the performance space, each member of the audience received a very detailed Allegory Guide, which explains the characters and who they represent. You can find the allegory guide here: (Prelude-Chapter V) and (Chapter VI-Chapter XII).
And, while the message was strong, profound, and beautiful, from a completely neutral, secular point-of-view, The 5 Dragon Daughter was simply great art. At the front of the room is a stage, which is accented by a variety of backlight and lowlight, with no spotlight on the musicians, though their silhouettes are certainly distinguishable from one another. The main presentation is on three large screens above the performers on the stage. The central screen features still animation, which is accompanied by the narration of the story. The two screens on either side remain empty until the music begins.
Between and during each of the twelve chapters of the performance, an 8-piece band performs original music composed by The 5 Dragon Daughter mastermind, Matt Black. During each performance, the original animation continues on the central screen while lyrics are displayed on the side screens. All the while, the stage remains lit up only by backlight. The purpose, I assume, for keeping the focus on the lyrics and images on the screen is for clarity of the intended message of the artist.
At various points throughout the performance, dance and interpretive numbers took place both in front of the stage and all around the seating area. The audience observed a solo artist, at one point, complementing a song with dance. At another point, a number of younger children made their way around the performance hall, also complementing a piece of music. During a wedding scene, a number of flower girls entered into the space via the center row, tossing petals as would be observed at an actual wedding.
But, perhaps what sealed the deal for me, as far as comparing it to Roger Waters’ masterpiece from 1980, was that during a song about an engineer, this huge puppet, with bright lights as eyes entered in through the right side of the room and slowly made its way around before exiting out of the back left side. This creature was manned by one or two persons, and served as yet another media and interactive piece in the performance. The character’s head would move about and his arms would flail gently, creating an atmosphere that would likely frighten some, but intrigue more than not. This greatly reminded me of the various puppets, such as the schoolmaster, featured during live performances of The Wall.
(The schoolmaster, in a live performance of The Wall)
Musically, the performance was very diverse. Genres were transcended as music featured included reggae-inspired pieces, rap-inspired pieces, melodic hard rock, and soothing moments of calm. Also reminiscent of The Wall, were moments where the vocalist sounded as though he was speaking through a megaphone, which resembled the sound of Pink’s voice after he had fallen victim to his delusion and corruption.
Despite the genre the composer was channeling, musically, the lyrics remained consistent with the story and provided for some outstanding poetry. My favorite lyrics from the show, and likely the central message the artist wished to convey, were:
“When bitter end and earth embrace… When every star falls from its place… When every beating heart is gone… Beloved know: My love lives on.”
No matter the intention of members of the audience for attending, whether it be to hear some good music, see a thought-provoking presentation, or to experience a profound religious moment, one thing is certain: it was worth it.
Michelle Citrin
Every year, my synagogue hosts a Chinese Food and Movie Night on Christmas. A few years back, before the movie started, my rabbi was playing a DVD of a concert featuring contemporary Jewish artists. I don’t recall the name of the DVD, but I remembered seeing a petite white girl who looked like she had been picked from the cute tree, with dreadlocks, a guitar, and a powerful voice. I was immediately determined to find out who she was. I asked my rabbi and since he wasn’t sure, we had to do some investigating on the DVD box. Michelle Citrin. I wrote her name on my hand so I wouldn’t forget.
Of course, this was before the food was served. So, obviously, I had to get the information again.
Michelle Citrin’s music, while seemingly aimed at Jewish audiences, transcends all faith boundaries and is simply great music. Of course, she has the humorous holiday staples: such as “Pass the Candle,” which discusses the lighting of the Chanukah menorah and features many people passing the candles off-screen to one another;
“I Gotta’ Love You, Rosh Hashanah,” a spoof of the popular 2008 ObamaGirl video, which is, in turn a tribute to the Jewish New Year;
and, “20 Things to do with Matzah,” a song outlining creative things one can do with matzah, when Passover ends.
But, perhaps, my favorite song of Michelle’s is “If I Fall.” The lyrics discuss sentiments of a once great relationship which the songwriter has lost most faith in, while remaining mildly optimistic. The lyrics press the notion of “what if” and the universal regret, “why can’t we go back to when…” It is a much more mellow sound than her later work (mentioned above) and maintains an air that encourages the listener to click ‘repeat.’ The opening guitar piece, accompanied by the bass drum beat, alone, is more than enough to keep you coming back for more.
In the early summer of 2010, I noticed a post on Michelle’s Facebook or Twitter about an online competition where artists compete to perform at Lilith Fair. Michelle’s song competing was “Coffee,” a song as addicting as its subject matter.
The competition was designed where, in order to vote, each user had to listen to a minimum of 15 seconds of a song before voting up-or-down on it. And, because there were so many artists competing, this was a great opportunity for promotion. Initially, I just waited for Michelle to pop up, so I could give her the “thumbs up,” but after hearing a number of songs that I liked, I found myself looking up other artists on Facebook, bookmarking their pages, etc. so I wouldn’t forget them.
I’m not sure what came of the competition, like who advanced, who won, when the concert was, but I do know that I became a fan of about 20 artists whom I’d never heard of before.
The best description I’ve seen of Michelle Citrin is on a website called sonicbids.com:
Intelligent lyrics mixed with guitar skills of KT Tunstall, deliciously smooth style of Norah Jones, throw in some dreadlocks and a great stage presence and you get 5’1 tall soulful popfolk Michelle Citrin - the “lil grrl, with a big sound” who is living proof that size really doesn’t matter.
That’s Michelle.
