Playlists

I am the type of person who enjoys listening to an entire album of music (always with a few exceptions). The music on my ipod is varied and all over the map so I never set the ipod to "random". It would really confuse the flow of whatever I am doing, whether it's walking, taking the bus, driving or running.

However, I am going on a road trip later on this week and I am making a playlist. So far, there are 107 songs that have qualified for this list and yesterday, I realized there were a couple of artists that I had forgotten completely, so the list will grow for sure:)

This road trip is with some people I know VERY well. Some people I have met through friends, so I know them, but have never spent more than one evening with them. And there are others who I have never met. It should be interesting for sure, but picking music is hard! I want to keep it light, with a mixture of stuff that everyone knows and stuff that might be new to some people.

I will let you know how it goes:)

J.

Santa Esmeralda: Take 2

I found this website:

http://www.santaesmeralda.net/

Very cool, very disco, everything I love about these guys:)

J.

Santa Esmerelda

I don't know anything about this group. In fact, I'm not even sure if it's even actually a group or just the singer's name.....and before you all get up in arms, saying things like "which rock did you crawl out from under sweetheart?? don't you know this is the internet age and you can find out anything you want in like 10 nanoseconds???" Yes, I do know that...but I was inspired to write before I could do the research...which is the brilliance of blogging, isn't it?? you don't have to know stuff...you can just write it down and let the chips fall where they may. I am not really an advocate of this methodology. I'm not about to lie or mislead anyone here. It's not a history blog or an academic essay, it's just my opinions about music....so I try to write only what I know to be true. But I digress....

Santa Esmerelda...This video shows all that I love about this song, this group, this era:)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8NVQ0iao0g

But for those of you who won't or can't watch this video, let me explain:) My first introduction to this song was watching Kill Bill vol 1. I LOVED the music in that movie, but I heard that song not realizing how much I would love it later on. Actually, I never really took notice of the song, but when I heard it at a friend's place only two or three years ago, I knew it sounded familiar and was informed with much eye-rolling "don't you remember??!!! it was in Kill Bill." (actually, i just added the eye-rolling part for effect. there wasn't any in the actual exchange)

Every time I hear this song, I want to clap my hands, grab a drink and bust a move. I request it at every party where I know the people in charge of the music....it's just too good! And it's one of those songs that you can't help but dance to, it gets people on to the floor because the beat is fast and even if you can't dance, you can always clap and march on the beat, which is pretty much all that the dancing consists of in the video anyway:)

Anyway, next time you are having a party and you're with some Kill Bill fans or people who love to dance, throw this little ditty on the record player or ipod and see what frivolity ensues. You won't be disappointed, I promise!

J.

Altar Boyz

For the past week, the Winnipeg Fringe Festival has taken over the Exchange District here in Winnipeg. It's an amateur theatre festival that draws audiences and plays from across Canada and even in some cases from around the world. I'm not as avid a "fringer" as many here in this fair city, but I do like to take in a couple of shows every year. It's a great place to check out some awesome local talent, as well as see critically acclaimed shows from other festivals across the country.

For more info: http://www.winnipegfringe.com/

Anyway, I've seen two shows this week and both have been excellent; "Customer Relations" starring one of my friends, and "Altar Boyz" which was an off-Broadway show in New York a few years ago. This year, it was performed by a cast of boys (with band) from Winnipeg. And could these boys sing and dance! YIKES! I was amazed at their ability to maintain a high-energy dance routine (complete with back flips on at least one occasion!) while singing in (at times) five part harmony! And I'm pretty sure they weren't lip-synching, if their sometimes breathless speaking was any indication:)

The show is about a Christian pop group, called the Altar Boyz. The premise is that they save souls for Jesus, counted at each concert by a neon sign that flashes the number of "sinners" in the audience:) And the main conflict in the production is that this is their last show. These boys sing and dance their way through numbers such as: "Jesus Called My Cell Phone" and "I Am Proud to Be a Catholic!" sung by one of the "boyz" who is obviously gay.

If you haven't guessed it already, this show is a spoof of the Christian music industry, of boy band culture popularized by the Backstreet Boys and 'NSync, and certainly stereotypes of what being a Christian requires, addressing such issues (sort of) such as homosexuality, substance abuse, shameless promotion of self and record labels, and forsaking your friends for the almighty dollar.

It's funny and exceptionally well-done. I laughed OUT LOUD to the point where I had to cover my mouth because I thought it might distract people around me:) But it also gave me pause to think about some of the deeper meaning behind what was seemingly "fluff". And that is the mark of a great production!

Happy Fringeing!

J.

Leonard Cohen

We were invited to a friend's home for dinner yesterday. It was a beautiful day. Warm air, bright sun, comfortable breeze...all the makings of a perfect summer day. We arrived at about 5:15 or so and when we got there, Leonard Cohen was playing on the stereo.

Now in that moment Leonard Cohen was perfect. Subtle, and relaxed, quiet...his voice is all of those things. However, I don't find Mr. Cohen all that pleasing to listen to on a regular basis. He is an amazing song-writer, and one of his songs "Hallelujah" is one of the most-covered songs of all time. He knows what he is doing in that department for sure. But I am pretty sure that guy has never had a second of voice lessons. And that always made me wonder....

Until someone brought it to my attention that Cohen only started singing and making albums to help fund his writing career. Somehow for me, that changed my opinion about him and his voice. He never really wanted to be a celebrity. It sort of fell upon him rather than him seeking it out....

I am not sure if I am a Cohen fan for sure, but I like to think that knowing about an artist helps to form your opinion about him/her a little better.

Cheers,
J.

The Monday after

Whew.....

It is now Tuesday and life is slowly getting back to normal after my adventures at the Winnipeg Folk Festival. After 4 years of attending the festival, I have become used to the slightly hungover feeling that accompanies waking up on Monday after spending five days outside from about 10:00am until 11:30pm, intensely listening to music, volunteering, people watching and chatting with any and all of the friends that you are bound to run into at such an event.

But it is always worth it when you think about ALL of the amazing music you have heard over the course of those 5 days.

Here is a list of my top acts from this year's festival:
Iron and Wine - recommended by my sister and she knows what she is talking about!
Neko Case - bit of a diva, but makes the act of singing look effortless
Serena Ryder - gorgeous voice and great song writing
Dominque Reynolds - local Manitoban with a gorgeous alto sound
The Abrams Brothers - touring with their adorable grandparents because they are so young:)
CR Avery - spoken word, beat-boxing and keyboards...love it!
Ridley Bent - great, thoughtful, ironic songwriting
Elvis Costello - rockabilly, Brit pop, and everything in between
Alex Cuba - a little Jimi Hendrix, a little Lenny Kravitz, great vibe!
Dala - beautiful girl group from Ontario
Vance Gilbert - slightly crude, but makes you think
Great Lake Swimmers - i saw these guys every chance I could, so talented
The Lovell Sisters - from Georgia, really young, with harmonies that only sisters could produce.
The Del McCoury Band - straight-up bluegrass for 50 years! they know how to work a crowd!
The Punch Brothers featuring Chris Thile - Thile is a mandolin virtuoso; real crowd pleasers
Joe Pug - this one is for Bryan, very country with a great voice, loved him; wanted to see more
Josh Ritter - compared to Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, he knocked us all over with his style
Xavier Rudd - the crowd loved him, and he scored points with me for having his 7-year-old son along with him on Thursday night:)
Loudon Wainwright - father of Rufus and Martha; song-writer extraordinaire
Martha Wainwright - daughter of Loudon, sister of Rufus, talent all her own
Jenny Whitely - beautiful voice, great guitar playing, shy when you speak to her in person.

And if you can believe it, this is only a sampling of the groups that played at folk fest this year. Can't wait until next year!

J.

Elvis lives!

Well, not really. I am not one of those crazy people who believes that Elvis Presley never actually passed away, that it was some weird conspiracy to get Elvis into rehab and out of the limelight. Believe what you want about that, I say.

I saw Elvis Costello perform at the Winnipeg Folk Festival last night. He was incredible! His band is so talented. I love the rockabilly/country sensibilites of the band. Music you can dance to, sing along with, and generally enjoy (outdoors, on a tarp, in a wide open field, at sunset, with your friends!) It doesn't really get much better than that.

I've been hearing a lot about Elvis Costello lately. He married Canadian jazz darling, Diana Krall. He has a new show on Bravo. And then suddenly, he's playing the Folk Fest. I was so excited when I heard the news! And he did not disappoint! If you get the chance, GO AND SEE HIM! It's worth it!

Happy Folk Festing!

J.

Winnipeg Folk Festival

More simply known as "Folk Fest" by those of us who attend/work/volunteer there, the Winnipeg Folk Festival is coming to town, or rather Bird's Hill Provincial Park starting Wednesday, July 8.

I am extremely excited about this year's addition of the Wednesday night! This is the first time (since I've started attending, which actually hasn't been that long, I must admit) that the festival has extended into Wednesday night. Martha Wainwright, Elvis Costello and a group that I have been hearing a fair amount of buzz about, The Lovell Sisters are playing the Main Stage that night. I have been assured by both of my crew chiefs (I volunteer in take-out area of the kitchen) that everything will be cleaned up by 7 which means that we can head out to watch the performances as soon as they start!

Check out the folk fest website for more info: http://www.winnipegfolkfestival.ca/wp/

Stay tuned for further updates.

J.