The Northwoods Is No Place For A Pink Flamingo
Music
Everything’s Comin Up…
May 12th
From the latest episode of Glee. Kurt, playing a gay high school sophomore disillusioned by his own drama and his relationship with his dad. In real life, the actor is 19 year old Chris Colfer. His character reminds me quite a bit of myself but nearly the entire point of Glee is to identify with the underdog, something I very much feel I was growing up. I wasn’t the popular kid, the football star, or the kid who got all the attention. I had my moments for sure but I had to work my ass off in a lot of different ways to get those moments and 90% of the time I busted my ass without letting other people know I was struggling. Kurt very much represents me in that way. I regret nothing, and being that singer geek truly turned me into the reasonably well adjusted adult that I claim to be now. So the clip below is why I like Glee. Not because I have some self loathing desire to experience teenage drama again but because as an adult, I can witness the effect that this show and others like it can and will have on young people watching it today. Kurt, because he is openly gay and unashamed about it is important, so is Rachel, the starry eyed unpopular girl with the amazing voice. Each of the main characters represents something that all of us experienced growing up and that makes this show one of a kind. Not to mention, the songs they are choosing to sing are some of the best ever written.
I expect to see Chris Colfer on Broadway once his run in Glee is over. His voice is simply one of a kind.
Bookmark to:
Updates and Reflections
May 10th
What a busy fucking month! So for those of you not in the know, I’ve spent the past several weeks actively pursuing buying a house while at the same time putting in over 50 hours a week at work! Talk about stress. There is a lot to do and a LOT to think about. At this point in the game I’ve decided, along with the advice of my Realtor, to put things on hold until June. I had a few things that I had to clean up on my credit report and at this point it’s a waiting game for my score to reset. Should happen within a month and then I should be able to get my financing in order. So, stay tuned. Sarah and Brian, you might get to lend a hand helping ME move this time. You owe me one from your stint in Jackson! Christopher can help too.
In other news, I’ve recently become a HUGE fan of the Musical Sitcom “Glee”! I have pretty much fallen in love with this show for a couple of reasons. Primarily, this show pretty much sums up my entire High School career minus some of the glitz and glamor. In addition to that, they have taken and re-done a whole shit load of some of the most popular songs from my adolescence and then combined them with some pretty spectacular show tunes. I would not be a qualified gay man if I did not melt over a good show tune and the kids in this show hit the mark every time. I imagine, had I actually gone through and finished school, this is the sort of choir I’d be directing at this point in my life. At the very core of the show though it is about a high school Glee club filled with geeks, nerds and a couple of jocks from the football team mashed together to demonstrate the complete drama of high school, and the triumphs of each of the kids as they work through that difficult time in their lives. I relate especially well to Kurt, a kid struggling with his sexuality (he is openly gay) and a kid not afraid to excel using the upper range of his voice. In the clip below (sadly there is no video, just audio), he is singing a duet with one of the leads in the show (Rachel) singing the incredibly awesome ”Defying Gravity” from the musical Wicked. I can’t help but remember my experiences with my good friend and regular duet partner Rachel as we both swam through the cesspool of adolescence together. It is VERY rare that I get sucked in to shows like this but this one has really hit the mark for me and I’m sure many other choir geeks out there in the world. I hope they can get a few more seasons out of it before it runs it’s course. Enjoy.
Bookmark to:
Just Happy Music
Mar 1st
As I recently stated on Facebook, I’m a sucker for the snappy “synthpop” music genre. I get teased about it on a regular basis, mainly because ”it’s SO gay”. The Pet Shop Boys, Michael and Janet Jackson, many bands from the 80′s and 90′s. I’m also a fan of the alternative music scene (bands like Ben Folds Five, REM, U2 etc.). The video below is from Owl City and I found this on another blog that I read. His music is snappy, heavily processed, crisp, and very clean. His melodies are common but very repeatable and memorable, and the texture he uses on the synthesizers is complex and enjoyable. There are a couple songs off his newest album that I really like, the one below called “Fire Flies” is one of them. Now, before you accuse me of going Beverly Hills 90210 on you, this is the kind of music you’d hear on those teen soap operas that were popular years ago, but how wrong is it to enjoy listening to someone that doesn’t swear in his lyrics and whose messages are not all downers? Too much of the music out there today by pop artists are constantly bitching about the complexities and painfulness of life. They are right, sometimes life is a bitch and shit happens but it isn’t like that every day you know. Sometimes it’s just nice to listen to an upbeat song about nothing in particular. This is one of those songs.
Bookmark to:
Worth a Listen
Jan 16th
Another find from one of the many blogs that I read. I’m generally a pretty big fan of close harmony and tight, accurate, and precise pitch when it comes to vocalists. While I’m not a huge fan of some of their songs (all of which are covers from other groups), these kids have it going on with their vocals. You can check out their YouTube page for more songs.
Bookmark to:
A Travesty…
Dec 22nd
From the New York Times today (click the link to read the story):
A Quiet End for Boys Choir of Harlem
Even as a choir boy from a rival group, I was able to hear this boychoir perform a few times and they were indeed a well trained choir. They had a distinct sound and an enthusiastic following. It always saddens me when a well known group folds and stops doing what they do. Their fate resulted from many things but their decline began because of a sexual abuse accusation that unfortunately took away the remaining financial resources of the choir. The same things have rocked the American Boychoir School in the past but they have managed to survive intact. I’m not going to lay out judgement because shit happens, even to people and organizations with the best of intentions. I know that. I’ve lived it. Their music will be missed.
Bookmark to:
2001, A Space DISASTER
Sep 20th
I found this little bit of OH MY GOD on the web tonight. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, my wonderful school Orchestra teachers, do not allow your students to massacre music they are not yet ready to play. Introduce them to it, but for the sake of your listening audience (even if they are supportive parents), give them music they can be successful interpreting. The best of intentions you might have about challenging your students can be lost entirely on students who have not yet mastered their basic embrasure techniques. Listen if you dare.
Now listen to the real deal:
Bookmark to:
Indigo Girls!
Jun 23rd
In what was a highly anticipated concert event for me, tonight I went to see the Indigo Girls in concert at Interlochen. They did not disappoint. I’ve followed this band since their inception nearly 20 years ago and I’m certainly a die hard fan, I know all the lyrics to all their songs, I own all their CD’s and I even have a number of bootleg recordings from their live shows that I’ve collected over the years. The one thing I had never done however was go to see them in concert. Every time they were on tour, I was either working or doing something else or I simply could not afford the tickets. This time, the time was right and the venue was perfect. It was a beautiful day but extremely hot and honestly, I was outnumbered easily 3 to 1 by lesbians but I expected that. This is a band that entirely represents womyn and everything that particular spelling represents. Anyhow, I won’t go into their politics here, that is indeed a topic for another post.
They played quite a long set. They managed to work through their entire new album consisting of 10 new songs and they also got in nearly all the standards. Power of Two, Kid Fears, Galileo, Ghost, Last Tears, and several songs from their Nomads, Saints, and Indians album. Whether it’s a good thing or not, I was able to sing along with every song, even the new songs. I think Mom, Dad, Nancy, and Joan had a decent time as well. Mom was excited to hear a couple of the songs that Sarah had performed, in all it was a great night out and a great concert.
One of the great benefits of a band that is fiercely independent (they have their own label, do their own tours, and their own marketing) is that they get to make the rules. Despite printed warnings from Interlochen about the use of cameras and video during the concert, the Indigo Girls really don’t give a dam especially now that they are an independent label. You can actually go to their official web site and barter for bootlegs of their concerts. Anyhow, I managed to get one good picture of them performing Power of Two which is one of my favorite songs. I’ve posted the picture below as well as the song for you to enjoy.
Get the Flash Player to see this content.
Tomorrow it’s back to work. I now have to work straight through until next Tuesday. Work is getting long right now. I don’t hate going in to work, but lord I wish time moved faster. I’m coming up on a vacation too so that just makes things drag. Hopefully I’ll get back to posting more on this blog soon. Working 50 hours a week makes me really tired and I just don’t have the motivation to write when I can barely keep my eyes open. Oh well, this has been a good and productive summer so far, hopefully I can keep up the trend.
Bookmark to: