67 posts tagged “music”
We're back from Persacon in Huntsville! Actually, we were back yesterday, but I had laundry to do and was tired, so I'm updating now after work. Persacon was thoroughly more
enjoyable than Momocon 08 in Atlanta, GA. I discovered a couple of new
bands that I enjoyed thoroughly, The Man Power
from Nashville, TN and The Slants
from Portland, OR! They were both pretty rockin', although the lead
singer of The Slants (Aron) had a little bit more of that spastic,
crazy rocker energy onstage--it caught me off guard when they performed
their song "Love Within My Sins" as a preview at the opening
ceremonies! Aron was so into it, it made my mouth drop.
To be quite blunt, I wanted to hump his leg, but I figured that might not go over well. I actually didn't speak to him the entire weekend, although I saw him around, cuz I didn't have anything particularly compelling to say that he probably hadn't already heard. Oh well--I got pretty chummy with The Man Power; they had a concert in the main room on Friday night, I went there and danced until they shut it down at midnight! The lead singer/guitarist Chris Sexxx (how clever, ha ha ha) stuck his holographic Hello Kitty guitar pick to my forehead at the end of the last song, and some girl was jealous and I laughed. It's cute.
Kristyn and Lauryn did well in the costume contest, we believe, since one of the
staff/emcee/decent-actors gave them a wink-wink-nudge-nudge to stick
around for the awards ceremony, but we couldn't since it was a three
hour tour drive back home. But they left their contact information, so maybe we'll know soon!
The Rock Band contest was a little disappointing, since the contest took place in the game room upstairs and only the winner got to perform on the stage...kinda disappointing. Next year we might make a band to compete--and we would totally do it up with costumes and big 80's rock hair and big-band hype, lol!
Our hotel room (at the convention hotel) was super nice! We all (all six of us) slept comfortably off the floor, with two flat-panel high-definition LCD TVs!! Wtf, we said. The breakfast was nice too--om nom nom.
Pictures to come later (and we got some good ones!!), cuz my USB cable is in Starkville. Boo. We had some cute group pictures--we were all dressed as our characters from the MMORPG Dofus, so "the guild was all there", so to speak!
No, seriously--the cat is in the attic, I just watched him climb the ladder. I just threw in the silver spoon bit to make a Cat Stevens reference. Hell yeah?
This song reminds me of a New Orleans-style funeral:
Groovy, yeah? I think this is going to be a mostly music-related post.
First thing's first--I bought a ticket a couple of days ago to go see FLOGGING MOLLY in Baton Rouge, LA at the Varsity Theatre. You think you know how tweaked I am, but you have no idea. I can't express it like any normal homo erectus--there's just a high-pitched, primal, missing-link scream of glee and ecstasy that comes with seeing one of your-favorite-bands-ever-that-can-do-no-wrong, and not much else evokes such a response.
Ok, I think that's enough conveyance for now. I'm really, really excited. Ticket was a most reasonable price, too. It's on a Tuesday night, but you know what? Fuck band. Forget choir. FLOGGING MOLLY, SON!!!
(I'll probably cry.)
In other news, The Cat Empire has a new album out, this being the title track:
I love The Cat Empire too (after seeing them at Bonnaroo in the summer of '06), but not as much as Flogging Molly, admittedly. And the odds of them seriously touring anywhere near here anytime soon is slim to none. But their concerts are pretty ballin' too! Lots of good jump-around-feel-good-happy-ska music. So I'll have to pick up "So Many Nights" sometime soon and give it a listen to see if it measures up to their '05 album, "Two Shoes" ;)
I also like the album cover a lot:
Not to mention I would have sex with Felix Riebl's voice. Ahem. Don't judge me, yo!
I'm tired of work...I'll have to listen to some Cat Empire on the way to work. Speaking of the car--it's at the mechanic now, and the radiator was full when we checked this morning. I guess the dripping was A/C condensation or something. Oh well, can't hurt to have it checked out, anyway. Looks like the karaoke party in Columbus is ON! *knocks on wood and crosses fingers*
And finally, this song--just 'cuz.
Just a quick blog before I go to work, because my Vox has been rather neglected. Mostly due to work, and spending all night out riding around or having impromptu bonfires or...well damn, I'm about to give my whole post away in two sentences, ahahaha.
Everyone's complaining about how hot it is, but I love it! It's this kind of weather that reminds me of the summers when I didn't have to work, when every day and every night was a different adventure around the neighborhood or around town. Clambering over fallen pine trees and pretending sticks were swords, and the creeks were rivers that led to Narnia or some shit. I still have my "Davy Crockett" bag, though it's holding a set of sadly-disused spurs at the moment.
I've already made one thoroughly nostalgic post this summer, but I fear that their frequency can only grow from this point on--oh lawdy lawd!
And don't even get me started on this one boy. Damn him, I know it'll never work but he makes me laugh so. Though I still feel like there's only one I could be with at this point in time....he will go unmentioned for the time being, however.
My birthday is this coming Tuesday, and all I have planned is work (feh), and then a super-secret karaoke birthday party that Karaoke Joe is throwing me in Columbus at the Princess that night. Whee!! I haven't been to that place in forever--it's either going to be some serious fun, some seriously bitter disappointment, or me being seriously pissed. Bitch-Whats-Her-Face better not say shit to me, or it will go down in funky Chinatown (orry, had to let that out. My bad).
It makes me irrationally aggravated that Kid Rock's new song about summertime or whatever totally stole the piano riff from Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London". No, seriously. I'll post files later for comparison. Then you'll see Lon Chaney walkin' with the Queen (sorry, I'm listening to that song right now and felt compelled to post that snippet).
The majority of my coworkers are awesome, thusly I need to go see them now. If only I didn't have to put up with stupid customers...
Got my hair cut last Saturday, back to the short way it was when I first got it cut last summer:
Last night myself, Haley and Megan felt especially goofy, whilst discussing how my hair under a hat made me look like a dude, then we started playing this song:
(More pictures are forthcoming, since the majority of them are on Haley's camera)
YEEEEAAAAH BOIIIIIII
BALLIIIIIIN'!
SOULJA BOI TELL 'EM
wtf. horiffic.
So dig this--for Mother's Day, I always like to do things that genuinely help my mom out, like cook breakfast, get up and make her coffee, clean house, etc. Well, the fact that I have to work the morning shift tomorrow just shat all over my grand breakfast plans (cuz who wants to get up early on a pampering day?!), so instead of buying just an over-priced Hallmark card I decided to put the little money I still have toward a tube of lavendar & lemongrass shea butter lotion, handmade by Lady Ciran at Southern Enchantments! Before I leave for work in the morning I'm going to leave her a coupon by the coffee pot to be redeemed when I get home mid-afternoon for an "all-you-can-stand" foot rub with the aforementioned lotion. Sounds good, huh? Not to mention my hands will also come away smelling quite delicious :D I damn near ran out of gas coming home from Wicca class in Columbus, but it'll be worth it for mi madre.
There's gonna be some bad storms tonight too, so I hope Mr. Rota TingSup Ercell doesn't think he's coming in for round two ;P
This one goes out to all the moms out there!
Yesterday I went to the Von Braun Center in Hunstville to see the Divine Performing Arts troupe perform a show called the Chinese Spectacular. I was reminded of a line from the movie Moulin Rouge, which became the subject for this post: "Spectacular, spectacular! No words in the vernacular!" And it applies most fittingly. It was spectacular in every sense of the word! Costumes, music, dance, it was all beautiful and if there was a flaw, I didn't see it! I had one of the most perfect views possible--middle row of the orchestra, middle seat!!
One song in particular moved me (one of many things that did), it was called "I Sing For You", and was performed in Chinese by soprano Min Jiang. The lyrics were as follows:
"Dear friend, it's for you I sing with heart so true
Fifty years of deceit have built the Red Wall.
Though rogues have tarnished our once glorious culture,
The values of honesty, kindness, and patience endure.
Don't be taken in by the system's claims,
Use the goodness within to weigh right and wrong.
For when you have arrived at the truth,
Then comes the hope of renewal.
Dear friend, it's of truth that I sing to you,
Heaven evaluates us, each and every one.
History has always dealt the depraved the same,
The corrupt dynasty is made to perish;
And the kind and civil are restored.
Break free of the confusion that lie have wrought,
And avoid the Red crooks' fate.
For in it lies hope for the future."
Deep. I could go on for pages and pages about every song and dance in the show, but I won't. I'll just sum it up and say that with the women there were beautiful, graceful dances with fans and bowls on top of their heads, long sleeves, ribbons, and smiles as if there was no effort whatsoever in the dizzying spins and leaps and massive displays of finely-tuned muscle control. With the men there was much of the same, only more displays of bravado and drums and, oh dare I say it, bare chests!
There were beautiful pieces dealing with the heavenly Bodhisattvas, Chinese heroes like Yue Fei, and goodness of the human spirit in general. There was a beautiful song called "Predestined Relationship" which featured an instrument I'd never seen before, called an erhu! I recognized the sound from Chinese folk music, but had never seen such a thing. It's a traditional instrument similar to a violin, except it only has two strings and the sound resonates from a small, barrel-shaped box at the bottom.
The range of only two strings and its distinct sound! What an instrument, yeah? I think it goes without saying that the latter part of the song is my favorite, haha, so lively!
Two pieces of the show in particular that moved me the most were "The Risen Lotus Flower" and "The Power of Awareness", both dealing with the persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners in communist China. I could go on for a few more pages about the situation, but this website probably does so more succinctly than I could.
Aside from the show itself, getting to work backstage was a delight. Most of the volunteers there spoke mainly Chinese and broken English, but despite that I found that, while steaming out wrinkles from the performers' costumes (which were BEAUTIFUL and I was elated just to touch them) that
a) there really is no language *barrier*, just a little molehill of a hurdle, and
b) laughter speaks volumes in all languages.
This was also my first time being around so many people who also practiced the Dafa. It was weird that, when someone's watch alarm went off and they went "oh, time to send righteous thoughts!", the whole lobby or hallway or wherever we were stopped and performed the meditation. An interesting thing to note as well is that all of the performers with Divine Performing Arts practice Falun Dafa! It was explained to me (and makes sense) that, since they travel so much for an entire year and perform nearly every day, the Dafa fills them with the energy and spirit needed to perform so beautifully every time.
Leaving at 5:30 in the morning in Mr. Lin's van and not getting back until 3:30 this morning was totally worth it. The free food was a plus too, it was the best Chinese food I've ever had in my life! After the show was over and the performers got food to eat I swear Mrs. Lin and the rest were pushing food on us like crack:
"Here's a couple of slices of pizza--"
"*laughing* Mrs. Lin, I'm not hungry!"
"Here, some chicken."
Hahaha!
I dunno if my roommate heard me come in at 3:30 this morning, but if she did I'm glad she didn't jump out with a knife and try to stab my ass thinking I was a burglar. It's the little things. ;P
Beltane plans just keep gettin better and better! I think I'm going to be the resident bard with my guitar, two harmonicas, keyboard and wooden flute...now to find a way to play all of them at once!
I have observed this today...nobody likes a whiner. Especially a whiner who has little to whine about. Nobody likes somebody always in their business.
Everybody likes times to chill by themselves, alone sometimes. Most people like someone who will tell the truth without undue prevarication.
And everybody wants to party with a healer.
I feel better after that little neighborhood-only venting session.
I just feel like crap today. One of my best friends is having his birthday dinner tonight at a fairly nice restaurant, but I can't eat while I'm there because I'm just scraping by with bills and rent for this month. That flat-out just sucks.
Our opera program is today, but I don't know what difference it makes. It's in the middle of the afternoon, and the only people that are going to be there is everyone else's parents. My scene where I wasn't a part of the chorus (the tarot scene from Carmen) got cut because our Frasquita decided it was just too much and she couldn't do it. So much the better--at least I don't have to worry about sticking out from the crowd (which, it seems, is what I do best).
Tonight would be a good night for a bubble bath--or damn, just a soak with some salt. Anything. That reminds me--I need to start making a list of things to buy from Lush. Have been reminded of that because two awesome chicks in my neighborhood are Lushies as well, so hooray! :D
It's bound to get better from here. Lady Luck, gimme a BREAK.
"Downtown, that's your home address
You live downtown, when your life's a mess
You live downtown, where depression's just status quo!
Down on Skid Row...
Someone give me my shot, or I'll rot here."
I just want to re-iterate for a moment how much I love Tom Waits and his voice. He may have been born and raised in California, but he sings like he was molded out of Mississippi River water and black prairie clay...
I'm feeling an urge to just jump in my truck and ride down Highway 1, the Blues Highway. It's a beautiful day, I could be in Vicksburg a couple of hours before nightfall and watch the sun go down and turn the river to fire. Wouldn't that be something?
Tonight's performance of Dvorak's "Te Deum" with the orchestra went swimmingly! The baritone and soprano soloists were wonderful, and I have to say that at the end of their scream-fest over one another I think the soprano won out. She was still radiant and beautiful at the end! As all sopranos are? Says the alto/mezzo-soprano, hahaha.
Dr. Lesley looked like he couldn't have been happier!
Tomorrow we have the band concert...yippee...haha, note the lack of enthusiasm.
