Rant of the day: The uncultured and the disrespectful

Wasn't it Elanor Roosevelt who said "No one can upset you without your consent?" I've been repeating that like a mantra lately, but I'm still miffed. The older I get, my tolerance for beer-drinking, uncultured, disrespectful, lazy ass college kids who have no business attending my university (when tons of underprivaleged highschoolers would saw off their right arm to come here) has really been stretched thin.

The Blanton museum officially opened last night and while the festivites were entertaining, the crowds were even more impressive. It should have been a fun filled night but ended with me being so pissed off I couldn't sleep. My husband keeps telling me it isn't worth it, but damn, I wish I could have gone back to beat the shit out of those scrawny ass boys who disrespected me (never mind that my husband has never once defended me in situations as such....I'm always the one watching his back.)

Anyhow, it all started out with a group of boys asking me where I got my glow stick and glow necklace from, to which I enthusiastically replied that the Blanton museum had just opened. He then said to his friends "Fuck this dorky shit. Let's go get drunk." I offered "Well, there is a full cash bar there" as I walked off. He then shouted to get my attention "Hey...it's not like we give a fuck about your opinion."

My best, lame response was "Fuck you." I should have marched up into his face and reminded him that he asked for my opinion to begin with. I could have easy gotten into a brawl to let out all my other frustrations.
Are people really that lame to think that an art opening is just art? Shit, the band PONG was there as well as tons of other live acts. There was ballroom dancing in the atrium, free food, lectures, yoga and booze. That's besides the point though. Even if I wasn't into the event, I learned that you speak to strangers with respect especially if your culling info from them.

I'm just going to have to go back and visit (UT Faculty and Staff get in for free. Whee!) on my own when crowds have died down. The building really is magnificent and the art finally has space to grow. Till then, I'll quietly wish ill will to those kids who treated me like shit.

Moog soundtrack

I have a feeling plenty of people own this soundtrack, but if not, it is worth buying if you like electronic music. Since I've been playing my Moog Theremin a bit lately, I decided to rewatch the Moog documentary and fell in love with the soundtrack all over again. Sterolab, Album Leaf, Meat Beat Manifesto...they're all in it. The documentary does a thorough job of following the late Dr. Robert Moog's research and development years and explains through interviews and performances how the invention of synthesizers affected the growth and mentality of modern music.

Listen to:
"I am a Spaceman" (by Charlie Clouser)
"Sentinel" (by Psilonaut)

Buy Moog at Amazon.

The Cavaliers of Rosemont, IL

This is not a marching band, folks! There are no whiny piccolos or woodwinds, for that matter. They don't play watered down Beetles covers or fight songs anthems. They don't march up and down a field in boring lines and they don't have a drill team full of bimbos wearing brightly colored spandex outfits.

This is a drum and bugle corp. The Cavaliers of Rosemont, IL are one of the best...if not the best in the world. These guys have snagged more championships and titles than any other drum and bugle corp in the entire history of competitive marching. Of all the competitions these days, DCI (Drum Corp International) is the most prestigious and the Cavaliers have won the DCI world championships 6 times and have consistenly placed in the top 10 in the past 20 years.

So, why am I talking about them on an mp3 blog? Well, for one thing, they are musicians. You can think of them as a massive brass ensemble with cool costumes and dancers on a stage the size of a football field. Futhermore, they are my favorite drum and bugle corp ever since I first saw them in 1992. I was in highschool and my band director took us to a regional competion to inspire us (and boy did it work!). I've seen the Cavaliers in competition live about 8 times since and it's an audio visual experience that's almost too difficult to put into words. Imagine 70 brass members with close to 40 percussionist and 30 color guard members---all male. In fact, they are one of only two all male corps remaining and started out in 1948 as a boy scout troupe.

The Cavelier sound is truly amazing. I don't think these mp3s can do them justice, but here's are some snippets from show's I've attended. Listen to:

"Gavorkna Fanfare" by Jack Stamp (1992, first DCI title)
"Jupiter"by Gustav Holst (from the Planets suite)

But, seeing them is even more impressive. Here are some DVD trailers from the official website that can give you an idea of the pagentry, energy and near perfect execution these guys can deliver:

"2004 Show: 007"
"Cavalier Chronicles"
"Percussion DVD: Parking Lot Drums"

The best way to experience drum corp is to either be in one or to attend a competition live. Audition and competition information are found in the following websites:
Drum Corp International
The Cavaliers Official Website
Drum Corp Wiki

for Sarah to laugh at....

I know. I have an addiction. A halo addiction.
Doesn't include signed loot, t-shirts, posters or Molly Reznor, the cat.

NIN "Every Day is Exactly the Same"

(This post goes out to you Shawn! I know you've been reading this blog religiously even though you're busy with grad school and I appreciate it.)

I'll admit I have a habit of collecting NIN halos. In fact, I have an unhealthy habit of hoarding NIN merchandise in general, but it's pretty tame compared to most die-hard Nine Inch Nails fans. As of late, the past singles for "The Hand That Feeds" and "Only" have been somewhat sparse and mildly disappointing in my opinion. So far, I've preferred mainly fan remixes of those songs. However, this issue has been remedied a good bit with the most recent halo: number 21. The last remix by Sam Fog Vs Carlos D Of Interpol is probably my favorite, but another strong track is the Richard X version of "Only." When I first heard it, the first word that popped into my mind was "dated" but at the same time I was intrigued by it. After a few more listens, this remix has really grown on me. Maybe it's because I'm old. I'm not sure, but it conjures up happy memories of outings with college buddies where we'd dance all night long and then go out to wolf down pancakes and coffee at 4:30am afterwards. Those were good times. :)

Listen to:
"Only (Richard X Remix)"

And if you are in the mood for something really funny, here's Meathead's Interpretive animated music video for the song.
Here's a somewhat more serious version.

The official video was shelved, so there's a DIY contest going on.

to blog or not to blog

I haven't been updating this blog as often as I used to because lately, I've been distracted and mildly depressed. Course, who isn't? Anyhow, I do update my music blog more regularly and if you haven't checked it out yet, I've got Podcast #1: A is for Acapella up on the sister site. Everyone keeps telling me I should work for NPR. Ha! On a totally unrelated note, I've got a huge crush on Ira Glass.

Anyhow, the beauty of podcasting is that you don't only have 5 second dump to work with if you mess up on air.

Completely unrelated: my theremin came in last week. I love her. I think its a she, but I'm not sure. The name "Bernadette" keeps popping in my mind when I'm playing her.

I'm debating whether or not I should delete my art blog. Someone snagged some of my photography from a different online portfolio and I'm paranoid the same thing will happen with my artwork, although, I've only got low resolution versions posted.

Daniel Link- Color of Rain

(photo of Daniel Link and Johnny Big by Cindy Chang)

If you want to get a nice dose of pop country, check out Daniel Link.
He takes his influences from Fleetwood Mac, the Eagles and Tom Petty, but along with accomplished bassist and sound designer Johnny Big (who has performed with Billy Idol and Bo Diddly, just to name a few), Daniel isn't afraid to explore sounds and song construction outside of standard southern pop. His brassy vocal timbre also adds a nice touch to his songs. The production quality of Color of Rain is cool and polished and features a band wagon of other established Austin musicians such as Cyd Cassone on drums.

Listen to:
"Evergreen"
"Bruce Wayne"
"Angel Falls"

Visit Daniel Link's Official Website (be sure to read the section where he explains his lyrics)

Buy Danny's CD, Color of Rain (and also check out his chart topping first CD, Ghost Stories)

Salim Nourallah and the Noise April 22nd at Jovitas

Setlist:

The World Is Full of People (Who Want to Hurt You)
All Waste The Days
Montreal
A Way To Your Heart
Life In A Split Second
1978
I'll Be Around
Overwhelmed
No Guarantee
Never Say Never

My husband and I were lucky enough to get to see Salim Nourallah and his band, the Noise on Saturday, April 22nd at Jovitas. We had seen Salim perform an acoustic solo show at the Red Eye Fly back in October which was most enjoyable, so we looked forward to hearing the whole group. There were 5 bands on the list that night and I managed to catch the first 3. The atmosphere was friendly and laid back in this cantina that featured a stage in the middle of the main dining area offering a good view and intimate setting for all of the restaurant goers. When I arrived Travis Hopper was finishing up his set of catchy folk-tinged indie rock. I found his reedy voice pleasant and made a mental note to purchase a CD to study later.

I found my lovely gal pal Lisa, a good friend of Salim's (and president of the Salim Nourallah fan club if I'm not mistaken), and her husband Lee, exchanged hugs and then hunkered down at the table next to her with other friends and fans. It was then that I realized that Salim was sitting at the same table. "Hey, thanks for coming!" He said genuinely extending his paw for a shake.

It's moment like these where I am so appreciative of the indie scene. The past few concerts for me were arena sized, full of insatiable fans and uncomfortable lines. Being within a 10 foot radius of the moment's rock star usually involved an enormous bald body guard bridging the gap or a bounty of passes, stickers, stamps and wrist bands affixed to one's appendages. And here I was, unabashedly wolfing down two entrees (I hadn't had lunch that day) in front of this moment's rock star while listening to him, his long time buddy, Mark and my husband chat easily with one another. (By the way, from that conversation I learned that Salim does have one rockstar-ish quirk. He refuses to perform when the sun is still out.)

"I've known him for years...we met under serendipitous circumstances. Salim is just a great guy and his music is simply the best." his friend Mark said to me at one point. How's the food? I asked. "Eh. So so."

I'd hear similar stories (on Salim...and the food) multiple times as I conversed with various people at the restaurant in between good old-fashioned unadulterated rock tunes churning out of Jayson Bayles and the Revival.

When the group finally took the stage and started playing "The World is Full of People" I was overjoyed as that is one of my favorite songs of all time. I had heard Salim perform this during a solo act and it was quite good, however, with his band, it was phenomenal. The members on stage, Chris Holt(guitar), Danny Balis (bass), Rich Martin (keyboards) and
Chris Carmichael (a friend filling in on drums...their regular drummer is Daniel Hopkins) played with the type of ease that is only existent when one truly enjoys what they are doing. Everyone was incredibly competent offering their own types of stylistic shading on top of the Beetles influenced pop-rock without being overbearing or trying to outdo one another. Fans were singing along, children were dancing and by mid-set, I found myself not critiquing any of the songs but rather, just sitting back and truly enjoying the show.



Salim Nourallah is like Claude Debussy. His music is inherently romantic and easily accessible, but not shallow. I also don't mean romantic as in mushy gooey lovey dovey, but rather sentimental and meaningful. Take for instance this section of lyrics from the song "Never Say Never" which closed the set:

do you remember when the angels spoke to you
and they said "don't be frightened…"
your mother kissed your cheek
and said a prayer for you in the night
you made it through
it turned out alright
we were with you

so i say…
never say never
'cause you never know
just when you're thinking
that it's time to go

something pulls you back to this life
step in to the light

you made it through
you made it through

Even though the lyrics were spurned from a difficult time in Salim life (he and his wife's first child had undergone surgery for a life threatening condition) the words themselves are relevant to anyone.

I found myself humming the tune to "The World is Full of People" as my husband and I drove back home. It really was a good show I then said to him. To which he replied "It was...and Salim really is the nicest guy."

Visit:

Salim Nourallah's Official Site
Salim's Myspace
Fan Club for all things Nourallah

Contrast Podcast #4 and SAS

Tim Young over at The Face of Today has just finished assembling a plethora of presumably bipedal bloggers and podcasters for Contrast Podcast #4 with the theme of "Quadruped." I hope you're down on all fours the post reads. Most encouraging is that the song "Closer" isn't among the titles. :)

Short Attention Span Radio also has a new podcast up as well. I can gurantee you'll discover a new artist each time you visit there.

They both also give you the option for an RSS feed subscription for their podcasts, BTW.

Speaking of which, at the suggestion of others, I'll be splicing this blog up into a mp3 blog and a podcasting site, so that I can do the same as well. Details to come, However, feel free to check back here as I update this blog more frequently.

Shitty Embarassing Web site...

No, that that kind of web site. However, out of curiosity, I googled my really old, craptacular, gothy (*shudder*) photo website and got around 300 hits. Ack! How did this happen? I need to take it down. Problem is, I don't remember my angelfire password and the e-mail I used to register with them no longer exists. Oh well...I guess it's gonna just have to live in the electronic ether for a little while longer.

On a different note, someone from San Diego found this site while googling Chuk's blog. Heh. If it was Chuck...yeah, I read your rants. They're funny as hell. BTW, Asian cookbooks call for Sherry because it's the best substitue for rice wine.

Then again maybe it's Mr. F who has had a crush on him since 92 trying to dig up dirt on him. Funny how straight gals fall for gay men and gay men fall for straight men. Oh well.

Usually, and not suprisingly, the top key word search for this site is "Adzuki" or "what do adzuki beans look like" Use google image. It's faster...and prettier!

But lately, I've been getting lots of queries for "meet and greet Trent Reznor Rob Sheridan" followed closely by "foot fetish." Oy. So sad. And of course, I'm fucking with the search engines by posting these words yet again. For the record, I've never met Rob. I've seen him from afar numerous times, he accidentally brushed past me once, and he's in the foreground in couple of my concert photos, but that's it. No interesting Rob stories to tell. Sorry. Since a couple of e-mails have trickled in, I'll put in a reminder that I don't know the guy. But since you got this far and you're probably mildly disappointed, here's one of those pics I mentioned earlier:



So yeah, there you go. He's the dude with camera. Satisfied?
Anyway, just traipse on over to his blog located on the side bar thinggie to your right and get your Rob fodder there. It's always a good read whenever he has the chance to update the thing.

Yawn. I guess I ought to go to bed. I'm getting tired.

Adzuki Bean Pod # 1: "A is for ACapella"

Podcast #1 is finally done, and I must say, I'm suprised my $10 microphone from Target actually works! Hopefully my math lecture voice won't lull you to sleep. Anyhow, you can download the 49MB mp3 here:

"Adzuki Bean Pod #1: A is for ACapella"

Please holler if my webspace is acting up and you can't open the file.

Tracklistings and artist information can be found on the sister site:
Adzuki Bean Stash Podcast

Thanks for listening. :)

Nipples

Nipples is a Taiwanese indie rock group that formed in 1997 with a lead singer who sounds a little like Chan Marshall and a backing band that sounds a little like Sonic Youth. I became interested in these guys because other than really bad sappy pop acts, I haven't really found any bands from my mother's home land that I've liked immensely. These were the first guys to catch my notice and apparently the Taiwan Indie pop scene is blooming. Why are they called that? As KK, the lead singer and bassist puts it:
We called our band Nipples because they are sometimes soft and sometime hard, just like our music

Fair enough.

I had a hard time finding pages in English about this band, but I did come across a nice interview (albeit small) from Petite Mort where you can listen to the following mp3's and learn more about their lable and song writing habits:

"Bright and Shining Mood"

"Spotted Rabbit"

Visit Nipples official website.

Better yet, visit this site, Island of Sounds which contains tons of info on the growing Asian indie scene.

I know Easter is over, but this was too funny to resist

"The Easter Song" by Paul and Storm

I ran into this site randomly and couldn't help but check it out when I noticed their home page said:
Welcome to the Official website for Paul and Storm Easily the worst-designed website you'll visit today!

Moog Theremin....and showcasing Peter Pringle

My Moog Theremin came in yesterday! I am so utterly overjoyed. *finally* an instrument that I can play where my little itty bitty hands aren't a hinderance. To celebrate, I figured I'd post about a theremin virtuoso by the name of Peter Pringle.


To simply say his is multi-talented is somewhat of an understatement. He has written and acted in numerous plays and has written songs for numerous pop starts. He's concert level on multiple instruments and is a classically trained singer as well. His theremin playing is not only technically amazing, but he is also an innovative composer often combining the theremin with unique instruments. Here are some interesting mp3's he's graciously provided on his website showcasing his expansive repertoire:

Faure's "Pavane"

"Blue Lotus" (featuring a hodgepodge of Egyptian Instruments)

"Jade Princess" (with gu-xeng piece composed by Pringle)

"Lullaby"(with slide guitar & vocals by Pringle)

If you want to learn more about Peter Pringle, purchase any of his CD's or instructional videos, visit his website at: www.peterpringle.com

Ima Robot "Let's Talk Turkey"

I discovered Ima Robot through a Nine Inch Nails fan club forum board, believe it or not. Sadly, I think only 3 people replied to this guy's post raving about the band, but I can say my interest was piqued. It's not on there anymore, but there was a unique cover of "Wicked Game" posted. The snippets they had on their myspace account were so impressive I went out and bought the self titled album the next day and it has been on heavy rotation in my CD player ever since.




The band sorta has a punky-new-wavish-indie-sound. More specifically, Alex Ebert possesses clear, and yet endearingly, nasaly voice with a solid upper register that I find quite pleasing to listen to (I'm not sure why, but I do). They've also got catchy melodies and fun lyrics (check out the song "12=3"). These words from "Let's Talk Turkey" most definitely apply to me:

Hello, hello
Losing concentration
Losing motivation
Losing ground

Solo solo
Don't like moderation
Starved for conversation
Are you down

Love
A reaction to some soft skin
What about
Trust
I've seen it here and there ...

Listen to:
"Let's Talk Turkey"


You can find more songs and their profile on their ImaRobot Myspace.

Go and buy the album. Seriously, it's totally worth it--if not for the funky Gondry-esque CD art alone.

bunch of Dallas bands at Jovita's on Saturday

If you're in Austin, I hope to see you there! Info straight from my friend Lisa who does PR for Salim Nourallah:
Salim and his full band THE NOISE are playing this Dallas musicians' showcase show at Jovita's, which is always a good time, and much different than a typical "club" night, since it's also a Mexican restaurant!
The scene is mellow and casual and fun!

When: Saturday, April 22 starting at 6:30
Where: Jovita's Austin, TX
Who:
Travis Hopper
Jayson Bales and the Revival
Salim Nourallah and the Noise
Sorta
Chris Holt and the Surrogates


Go to www.jovitas.com for more information. (Why does everyone look like each other?)

"Super Marios Brother's" with John Williams and the Boston Pops

This is one of those classic huh? mp3's that have been floating around the internet for a while: John Williams conducting the Boston Pop's Orchestra in a lovely rendition of the theme song to "Super Mario Brothers."

If anyone knows where this mp3 came from, please post in the comments. I acquired this track from a friend ages ago and would love to have the source disc. I don't think this is the same ensemble as the 1993 Alan Silvestri album.

Good God...HUGE bunny

**edit: Hmph, snopes has bandwidth issues. Stupid them....**


I guess this thing also hunts giant gummy bears. Can you imagine what a kick from one of these would feel like? At the same time, it sure is cute and probably quite nice to snuggle with in the winter time.

Picture from Snopes

Schrodinger's Cat

These guys are my favorite local musicians of all time and it isn't simply because I share embarassing Madrigal Dinner experiences with a couple of them. Although, there's no bonding quite like wenching customers, singing songs about banging sheep and moose...er, I can explain later if you really want to know.



Pictured are: Jackson Blacklock, William Blacklock, Corey Hardman, John Pointer, and Lester Chiu

This is an all-male a capella group (not to be confused with the prog rock group of the same name) which started out as a university student club that had a habit of breaking out into impromptu performances on the steps of the campus main building during lunch hour drawing large crowds. The sound is like Bobby McFerrin on steroids and their repertoire is just as varied. Pop, hip-hop, R&B, reggae, soul, jazz etc. You name it, they's probably done it. They describe themselves as a cross between Bobby McFerrin and Stomp which isn't too far off as they don't just sing, they use all their body parts as percussive aids. One website mentions: Schrodinger's Cat enjoys walking the fine line between the highly innovative and the completely insane... Indeed. They also dance with choreography smooth enough to put any boy band to shame. Performance wise, these guys are fantastic (and cute too) exuding lots of energy and frequently getting the crowd involed in some rhythmic chanting.

Listen to these tracks (courtesy of Stinson Studios Austin, TX):

"In Your Eyes", (Peter Gabriel cover)
"Spin"
You can purchase their debut CD Big Beat A Capella.
Official Website: www.s-cat.com

***
And don't worry, there really will be a podcast up soon and when I say soon, I mean soon in the normal sense-- not "soon" as in Axl Rose's interpretation of soon. I have just have to get a decent microphone. BTW, if you can't download my MP3's from my webspace provider, please holler. I've already decided on the podcast 1's theme: A Capella!

Mahler's "Resurrection" Symphony no. 2

Happy Easter Folks. :)

Supposedly my boss's wife is training their little girl on how to find eggs. She's been planting plastic ones around the house, showing her hiding places, and timing her retrival abilities. That's pretty hard core for a 2 year old! I have a feeling that she's most likely going to be an over achiever in the future. :)

I discovered that I can't find any free Mp3's of David Sedaris reading "Jesus Shaves." Sigh. It's freaking funny. I've got his book, but it is so much funnier when he reads his essay. If you haven't seen this before, here's an except.

I was flipping through old journal entries late at night and came across one from Feb 10, 2003. This was back when I was a member of Choral Arts Society and we had just finished performing Mahler's "Resurrection" symphony. To this day, I feel it is one of most powerful pieces ever composed. You can hear a sound clip of us in my music blog but it just doesn't compare to the live show. I remember afterwards I met up with my friend Shawn backstage and he was in tears. "It was better than a fucking rock concert" he bawled. I'll never forget that. Here's a snippet of my journal entry:

Dr. James Morrow, my choir director, told all of us on the first day of rehearsal this would be a life-changing piece. It would be a work that would stir and awake our innermost passions to the extent that all of our emotions-pain, glory, reverence and joy- along with our massive efforts would be melded together into something so great and complete, that words would fail to describe the moment. I realized last night, when I performed the piece for the first time, everything he said was true.

In the Mahler Second, the choir only sings in the finale. Before then there's a slow and tension filled buildup comprised of four movements. An English horn solo starts all alone and then a trombone choral plays on top. Suddenly, an off-stage trumpet trio begins. Alone, they fill back stage with their cadence and then slowly taper off. The violins tremolo so softly that no one in the audience even recalls when they began. On top, a flute and piccolo whips out bird-like 32nd notes and then a horn and a timpani join in. This all builds and builds with the violins getting louder and then suddenly the volume drops. So quietly, that our sounds are almost just a sensation, the choir comes in a capella singing in German:

"Rise again, yes rise again
wilt thou, my dust
when rest is over
When life immortal,
then life eternal
He thee will give in realms"

The soloists add on top of our textures as one by one, each orchestra section joins in. The sound is so rich and voluptuous at this point, you feel as if you could cut it with a knife.

"With love enduring, will I be soaring to the light.
On pinions faith for me created,
Will I be far soaring, soaring
Will I be soaring"

And as we soar we become louder, brassier and brighter. I could feel myself drawing energy from everyone around me and at the same time I was giving all of myself self the the music and everyone else. We were sharing everything with each other. All of our instruments started to play to their full volume and ability. The basses behind me sang so well in tune and loud that I could hear an angel of a harmonic wailing two octaves above them. I felt like swooning-- this sensation was so amazing to me. The organ began to hit heavy chords on the down beat and the strings were going ballistic. We belted in heavy notes:
"Rise again
Yes, rise again
Wilt though, my heart
In moments blest. . .
To God, To God
Shall thee be bearing!"

And everything clanged and soared and the beads of sweat were running off of everyone's face. So beautiful it was! At the very end, I just stood there in awe. The audiences applause almost hurt my ears. All of us gave everything we had for this performance and it was truly wonderful. We received a standing ovation and the soloists had three curtain calls. I've have not felt the sort of exhilaration for the longest time.


I'm a religious person, but perhaps not as deeply religious as I used to be. However when a piece of music such as this exists, one can't help but acknowledge at least the concept of an all-powerful, awe inspiring God, and I don't necessarily mean the Christian God either, but rather the existence of a god. One can't help but wonder if the Holy Spirit does indeed exist. How else could Mahler have been inspired to create something of such magnitude and beauty?

So, amongst the pastel colors, bunny rabbits and chocolate, I try my best to remember what Easter is about: rebirth, faith, trust, empowerment and inspiration

***

On a totally different note, here's a pic of me trying to write a song for my darling husband:



Unfortunately, the deepest words that came out were something to the effect of: His name's Travis...He ain't a cat.

Not that I'm aiming to be a songwriter or anything, but it is nice to serenade one's spoude every now and then.

It's officially been 3 months since I first acquired my guitar and I still suck at it. Any notions I had that this would be an easy transition from violin are totally false. Fortunately, I'm not alone in my suckitude. My neighbor is a really awful drummer (when I say awful, I mean the guy can't hold a beat for more than 3 measures). I'm tempted to go next door as ask: "Hey I'm awful at guitar and you're even worse on drums, but do you wanna form a terrible garage band? I'm sure our mutual crappiness can inspire us to get better fast."

Or maybe we'd be better off going Easter Egg hunting together.

Mahler's Symphony no. 2 "Resurrection" and other Easter musings

(You get a cookie if you can spot me in this picture, BTW. Hint, I'm in the alto section and not in the orchestra.)

Given the holiday, I wanted to post about one of most amazing pieces I've ever had the honor to perform. The mp3 snippet I have was recorded on February 10th, 2003 by the Choral Arts Society of Austin, TX under the direction of James Morrow and the University of Texas Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Kevin Noe. You can listen to this live recording showcasing the last 4 minutes of the finale: Movement 5 of Mahler's Symphony Number 2 "Resurrection"

Although the recording can't do the live experience justice, here are some snippets from an old journal entry of mine that conveys a little bit of what I felt after the first time I ever performed this piece:

Dr. James Morrow, my choir director, told all of us on the first day of rehearsal this would be a life-changing piece. It would be a work that would stir and awake our innermost passions to the extent that all of our emotions-pain, glory, reverence and joy- along with our massive efforts would be melded together into something so great and complete, that words would fail to describe the moment. I realized last night, when I performed the piece for the first time, everything he said was true....

In the Mahler Second, the choir only sings in the finale. Before then there's a slow and tension filled buildup comprised of four movements. An English horn solo starts all alone and then a trombone choral plays on top. Suddenly, an off-stage trumpet trio begins. Alone, they fill back stage with their cadence and then slowly taper off. The violins tremolo so softly that no one in the audience even recalls when they began. On top, a flute and piccolo whips out bird-like 32nd notes and then a horn and a timpani join in. This all builds and builds with the violins getting louder and then suddenly the volume drops. So quietly, that our sounds are almost just a sensation, the choir comes in a capella singing in German:

"Rise again, yes rise again
wilt thou, my dust
when rest is over
When life immortal,
then life eternal
He thee will give in realms"

The soloists add on top of our textures as one by one, each orchestra section joins in. The sound is so rich and voluptuous at this point, you feel as if you could cut it with a knife.

"With love enduring, will I be soaring to the light.
On pinions faith for me created,
Will I be far soaring, soaring
Will I be soaring"

And as we soar we become louder, brassier and brighter. I could feel myself drawing energy from everyone around me and at the same time I was giving all of myself self the the music and everyone else. We were sharing everything with each other. All of our instruments started to play to their full volume and ability. The basses behind me sang so well in tune and loud that I could hear an angel of a harmonic wailing two octaves above them. I felt like swooning-- this sensation was so amazing to me. The organ began to hit heavy chords on the down beat and the strings were going ballistic. We belted in heavy notes:
"Rise again
Yes, rise again
Wilt though, my heart
In moments blest. . .
To God, To God
Shall thee be bearing!"

And everything clanged and soared and the beads of sweat were running off of everyone's face. So beautiful it was! At the very end, I just stood there in awe. The audiences applause almost hurt my ears....

Unfortunately, the Choral Arts Society version is not available for purchase, but there's a live recording with Seiji Ozawa conducting the Saito Kinen Orchestra that's phenominal. (It's also best heard with earphones or a good stereo system) With the audience reaction at the end, you would have thought it was a rock concert. This CD can be purchased at amazon.com.

If you happen to be in the Austin, TX area, do please check out a performance by CAS if you get a chance. Even though this is a non-professional ensemble, the quality is top notch. Their next performance is:

Saturday, April 29, 2006 at 8p.m.
Bates Recital Hall, UT School of Music

Choral Works of Johannes Brahms
Geistliches Lied, op. 30
Schaffe in mir, Gott, ein rein Herz, op. 29
Gesänge, op. 17
Liebeslieder Walzer, op. 52
Neue-Liebeslieder Walzer, op 65
Fünf Lieder, op. 41
“Vier Abendlieder”—Abendständchen, Der Abend, Waldesnacht, Rote Abendwolken


If this is all a little too heavy for you, check out: "Little Bunny Hop Hop Hop" from Four Folk Song Upsettings by PDQ Bach. It has nothing to do with easter, but it is a song about a bunny.

If you don't know who PDQ Bach is, he's essentially the classical music equivalent of Weird Al and wickedly witty. I'll probably be showcasing this man's works (he's also known as Professor Peter Shickele...and yes, he really is a professor) frequently on here as he's one of my favorite composers/parody artists. Another good one is "Jesus Shaves" by David Sedaris. It's such a classic by now, it needs no introduction.

Happy Easter everyone!

Johnny Luck

As the dutiful older sister it's my job to thoroughly embarass my little brother on a semi-regular basis.

Actually, I think I'm the only one who calls my brother "Johnny Luck" and I'm not sure what name he came up with for his band since it seemed like every time he brainstormed a new one, it was already taken. I figured this pic of him with the stuffed harp seal best describes his style: hauntingly beautiful yet rediculously silly at the same time. Okay, I suppose the picture isn't hauntingly beautiful, but it certainly is silly! However, considering more than one person came up with the description without the influence of others, it's safe to say it is a safe combination of words.

He's sort of the Asian equivalent to Jack Black for lack of better words. How about you decide? Here's the mp3 for "2 Dolphins"

In case the swoony lyrics are hard to understand, here they are:


You will notice
on my MySpace there are two little dolphins
for you to see.
And you may wonder why I adore them
so much...so much...so much!!!!!

My dolphins don't talk shit about me
when I'm not around
My dolphins don't lie to me
They just let me
love...and love.....and love.....them
And kiss.....and kiss....and kiss them
Share my love
Yes they do

My dolphins are so wonderful
If only they had tits
And beautiful eyes
If only they were human
If only they were...you....


As I mentioned when I first posted about this in my regular blog, it could very well be a classic in the making and an anthem for all oceanographers and dolphin fetishists around the world. Ideally SeaWorld would buy the rights to the song and my brother can quit his cushy and high-paying, albeit boring job. If you get a chance, please pop on over to his myspace account and say hello.

Introducing Adzuki Bean Stash Podcast

Well, it's done. I am now joining the parade of proud podcasters (note to self: buy a better microphone). Yay! The site is here:
adzukipot.blogspot.com

Post #1 is appropriately on the thrilling band from Wales called "Adzuki". Please check them out.

Be warned Johnny, you thought your dolphins Seaweed and Weeseed were finally out of the public's eye, but I'm not gonna let your mp3's about them be forgotten. Muaaa haa haa.

So, for the three of you who visit here semi-regularly, this is blog #3 from me for you to peruse through. If you've got any podcast theme requests, holler. I'll take suggestions. I'm thinking once a month for a 45 min- 1 hour show and weekly, I'll at least showcase 1 band. I hope you enjoy it!

Adzuki...the band, not the bean...and not me

I can easily tell you that I was slightly suprised a couple of years ago when I flipped open an AP magazine and noticed that there was a band called "Adzuki." Now, I'm an old fart. I've used this moniker for a long time (more than 12 years...even back when my 28.8 modem was hot shit), so naturally, I felt mildly territorial. I can't hold it against them that they found a cute word in the dictionary and had every intention of changing it, but apparently it stuck, as the story goes. Anyow, these younguns (they're all teenagers, I believe) are the ones who need to get their name out, not me, so I figured I'd make my first music post about them. As an aside, people need to know more about adzuki beans because they sure do make lovely sweets but I digress.

I thank God that I share a user name with a band that's actually quite good. They've got a strong non-sugary pop-rock sound to them and the lead singers diction and intonation is dead on. This isn't your average high school garage band entertaining youths at birthday parties. These guys are really good and if they sound this great and mature now, I can't imagine how amazing they'll be when they finally hit their mid 20's. I hope to see them live one of these days if I can find the means to traipse on over to the continent of Europe. Perhaps they might tour over here soon. Not sure, but do please check out their myspace and official website.

Listen to "Five/ Four" off of their EP of the same title. You can purchase their albums at here at HMV.

Maiden Voyage: First Post

So what should one expect from this humble little music blog? There's really no unified theme here, but essentially every musician I post about will either be someone I know, someone I've seen or someone whose music I own. This basically contains stuff I like (I promise I won't overdo the NIN postings) and I'll try to focus on Texas indie bands, the weird and the unknown, but if something mainstream slips in every now and then, forgive me as even mainstream songs have impacted my life as well.

If you find a musician/band that you enjoy, please take the time to read up on them, buy their CDs and if possible, see them live. Most importantly, spread the word. Although I fully support downloading music and think bittorrent technology is amazing, I do make an effort to buy a band's CD or attend their concerts if I'm into their music. It's not only supporting the band that is important, but I also see this as supporting the graphic artist, web designers, roadies, light technicians, venue owners, etc.

It's very humbling when one realized the sheer number of the plethora of musicians out there. So much of it is unknown and so much of it is freaking good.

Anyway, check back here every now and then. I plan on having at least one post per week and a themed podcast monthy. Before I finish this post, I need to say thanks to three sites that really inspired me to do this. Please check these guys out (and the other links they post). You won't be dissappointed:

EarFarm
Face of Today
Short Attention Span Radio

Great for days when you just don't feel like being productive at work.

Why no one would ever have a foot fetish with me.

Yeah, this is what my feet look like after ballet class. Yummy yummy. This was only after an hour and a half. Fortuntately no blood except for my 4th toe on my left foot.



Those nice cushy jelly-like toe pad thinggies you put in toe shoes didn't exist when I first went en pointe. Hence, I can't balance if I have them in. Funny eh? Comfort or falling flat on one's face? Sort of a difficult descision. I promise one of these days I'll post a pic of me in a tutu so you can make fun of me.

I'm still debating the podcast site, by the way. I was thinking "Adzuki Stash Podcast" as a name, but I'm not sure. Furthermore, aside from the 3 of you who visit my site semi regularly who else would listen? Heh. Although it would be fun just to have. Maybe by some off chance I might help an unknown musician (*cough*Johnny*cough*) get famous with some web exposure. Who knows. It sure is less painful than ballet though.

New Bead

Lampworking is somewhat stressful due to having an open flame, but I gathered the courage to set up shop again in my garage a few weekends ago and made this lovely encased floral. There are 4 flowers total (2 pastel purple and 2 light lemon yellow). The core is black with dichroic chips. All of it is encased in clear. It's a largish bead and only took me 30 minutes to make on my "hothead" torch.



I may end up keeping this one for myself.

Music blog perhaps? Podcasting ramblings...

I'm seriously considering starting a music blog. I was reorganizing my CDs the other day and realized I have a freaking huge collection of local Austin bands, many of which are amazingly good, but perhaps don't get as much exposure as needed. I realize blogs on Texas musicians exist, but how many of them would feature a bluesy chubby Asian dude (yes I'm talking about my bro) singing about dolphins? Furthermore, I feel like humorous music, experimental and classical tunes don't get as much exposure as they should. I might as well jump onto the podcasting bandwagon since I enjoy making compilation CDs for friends/family anyway and attend concerts frequently.

This is the opportune time to quote one of my coworkers, Matt. Regarding the word podcasting: "It's called downloading an mp3, people! The etymology is misleading."

Catch phrase or not, it is a fun idea. This is yet another way of transmitting information. Now, I'm somewhat against podcasting college lectures simply because I'm not an auditory learner. Maybe a web cast would be better. I'm pondering whether or not the internet is making people smarter or if it is merely dividing the social classes more. Not sure, but I digress.

Any name ideas for this new blog, I'm proposing?

Till then, check out earfarm.blogspot.com I'm sad I didn't know about this place earlier, but it is by far one of the best music blogs I've come across in a long while and it mainly focuses on non-mainstream music. Pretty much everything on there is good too.

NIN Las Vegas - April 1, 2006 @ Aladdin Theater

Warning: THIS IS A LONG POST! And, no, I'm not going to mention Tom DeLay even though he's from my home town.

I'll put up my general Vegas musings once I get all my pics resized, but first, some lines from one of the most bizarre reviews I have ever laid my eyes on. This collection may even beat out the line chalice of Reznor, which was an analogy for a microphone believe it or not, from wearingthesechains.com several months back. The gems below are all from oudaily.com blatantly taken out of context, of course:

There was terrible anger growing in the air matched with reminiscent melancholy. Reznor led us into anger and hate. Just when the crowd was losing its mind in despair, tearing at hair and skin....(I'm sure it is because a frat boy spilled beer on a goth kid.)

The projections of ambient landscapes along with sinister looking bugs was natural selection in action. (This sentence is problematic for me.)

It was so hypnotic Reznor could have gotten us to do anything he wanted us to. (I get the feeling the writer has the hots for Trent.)

Guitarist Aaron North was like some starved animal feeding off his guitar. (okay...I'll watch for him noshing on his Stratocaster next time)

Reznor, himself, was a demon of song. (I now have the mental image of Satan singing show tunes. Thanks.)

His movements were alluring and abrasive at the same time. The stomp of his feet (yee haw!) and the scowl on his face along with the sweat on his body commanded the respect he deserves. Singing, he was living, breathing sex. (Ewww. Alright, I am utterly convinced the writer has the hots for Trent.)

Now that your brain has been tainted, lets go back to NIN in Vegas.
***

Alphabetically "Nine Inch Nails" comes after "Newton, Wayne"

So, here's the hotel we stayed at--the Aladdin (which will soon be torn down and replaced with the Planet Hollywood hotel and Casino). Huge screens were lined up and down the strip advertsing the various shows that were going on. I'm not sure why it was a suprise to me, but it was when NIN came on and I saw Trent's face in lights from miles away. "Boy, that lounge singer sure looks like Trent...oh wait. It's Trent!" Naturally, it is to be expected that things in Vegas are always over the top, but goodness, I did not realize I would be mingling with so many NIN logos all over the place. My freaking hotel key card had the NIN logo on it! Here's a fine poster someone managed to discretely steal right after the concert:


If I were a recovering NIN addict, I'd be screwed. There were chotchskies in the form of posters, fliers, pins and as Visage13 pointed out, even poker chips (originally from then Joint show at the Hard Rock Hotel from last year):



A kind cashier at the Aladdin buffet gave me her pin the morning after the concert when I stared a little too longingly at it. Actually, it was more like the employee next to her went "Look at her shirt. It says NIN on it...quick, give her your pin!"

NIN fans

I make it a point to take a picture with whoever is at the front of the line for each concert I go to. Nine times out of ten it's usually some combination of my friends Jen, HaloAenima_Dan and Shibby_Travis with an average time of 4:30am the day of. Since this was Vegas, person #1 happened to be this nice gal named Riot who pretty much got a free night's stay at the Aladdin because she arrived at, get this, 3:30pm the day before the concert. Anyone this dedicated ought to get a group hug from the entire NIN crew or at least a free buffet, but that's my opinion. She was incredibly friendly, easy to talk to, and obviously creative. In fact, when I approached her, she was sketching a picture to pass the time and she made the crown she's wearing on the top of her head. Person #2 next to her was dead asleep (you can see him in the back):


I met a lot of interesting people during the trip, plenty of drunks, but for the most part, everyone was nice. Here are some obligatory buddy pics of people I barely know and yet bizarely felt compelled to pose with. Must be the Mooby shirt or maybe it's the fact that they're old like me.



BTW, Mistakeablyme is the sweetest bubbliest thing in the world off and on line. That would be the gal in the blue NIN shirt. She also bought the last NIN chrome pin. Hmph!



This is when I should remind folks once again that peoples online personas rarely match their real personalities. Don't get me wrong, everyone was lovely to my face, but one does forget every now and then. More often than not, I hear from someone: OMG. I met user #1546678 and he called me a cunt online the other day and I called him an asshole, but he's nice in person and *supah* fine and we're gonna go get a drink later. How weird is that? Not all that weird, actually.

The Concert

I like being in the pit right up against the barricades because I'm really short, it's more intense and I want to get close enough to take good pictures. Although I accomplish the above goals, I usually end up coming out with scratches, bruises, loss of hearing (usually only on the left side) and beer, sweat, blood and/or vomit (occasionally piss) dried and caked onto some part of my body and none of those fluids usually belong to me, I might add. I am exaggerating, but just little...Anyhow, another drawback of being that up close is that one doesn't get to take in the big picture and careful design of the stage show. In fact up until now, all the various projections Trent used simply looked like beautiful pools of pixelated colored light from my vantage point.

Because, I was in reserved seating, I did get to view the projections and light show in all of its glory for the first time. My goodness, was it beautiful! I filmed two small video clips from the concert showing a little bit of what went on. You can view both of them here: http://www.putfile.com/adzukientropy THe most stunning is during "Beside You in Time" where during the climax of the piece, Trent throws his mike stand into the projection curtain and it looks like he's smashing a glass wall. Anyway, just watch the video clip and you'll see what I'm talking about. It's difficult to explain.

Even though our seats were great and one felt close enough to the stage, good pictures were hard to capture with my dinky digital cam. The link to the entire photostream is: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cchang_adzukientropy/sets/72057594099171478/.

But, here are my favorites that I consider worth looking at (and no flash on any of these. It helps with color saturation.)

Audience shot:

Trent (while Josh is about to get teleported to space):

During "Beside You in Time:"

A nice study in teal:

A nice red during "Closer:"


Obligatory set list:
1 Mr. Self Destruct
2 You Know What You Are? (one of my favorite concert songs)
3 Terrible Lie
4 The Line Begins to Blur
5 March of the Pigs
6 Something I Can Never Have (I hate this song)
7 Closer (Trent sang this one atop a platform in the beginning. I'll admit it was sexy...)
8 Burn
9 Gave Up
10 Eraser (always gives me the chills when the audience chants "kill me")
11 Right Where it Belongs
12 Beside you in Time (best visuals)
13 With Teeth
14 Wish
15 Only (the live version is quite different)
16 Everyday is Exactly the Same (Trent plays tambourine here)
17 Even Deeper (oh boy was I giddy when he did this one. I have never heard it live.)
18 Suck
19 Hurt (this is where a drunken brawl started and ended)
20 The Hand that Feeds
21 Head Like a Hole (classic)

By the way, Saul William opened for NIN. The disappointing thing is that the theater was only half full when he began and I think many missed out on a good performer. "List of demands" is fun to dance to. At one point he threw out cookies to the audience saying "who wants NIN cookies?" I really have no idea what that was about.

After the Concert

For a good 10-15 mintes after the concert ended (maybe even longer) the cheering and yelling of thousands of jubilant fans could still be heard from the hotel lobby. NIN! Hell Yeah. Unfortuantely, Trav and I were super exhausted and about to collapse due to the 5 hour Hoover Dam tour prior, so we went straight to bed. Boy, do we need Visine:



Lucky fan:



Can you tell which one is the spent and exhausted guitarist who really wants a drink (or to go to the bathroom) and which one is the excited fan boy? Quite gracious of Aaron to pose for a picture at that hour and I have to thank Jesus on ETS for providing this picture.

Speaking of bathrooms, there aren't that many in Las Vegas since real estate is at a premium there. For every collection of toilets, once could put up the same number of slot machines or perhaps a retail store in that space and rake in tons of money. I also found the lack of clocks somewhat frustrating as well, but I digress. Vegas ramblings are for the next post.