Month: October 2022

Robert Earl Keen’s joyous last go-round

Posted on


By Paul T. Mueller –

Robert Earl Keen, who earlier this year announced his intention to retire from touring after more than four decades, probably could have phoned in his farewell tour. His legions of fans likely would have eaten it up in any event. Instead, the beloved Texas singer-songwriter seems to be taking his last go-round very seriously, while having a lot of fun to boot.

Keen brought his “I’m Comin’ Home” tour to the Martin Center for the Arts at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee, on June 5. His set, which lasted a little more than an hour and a half, featured several of his biggest hits, along with seldom-heard deep cuts and a few well-chosen covers. The audience responded enthusiastically, often singing along on choruses, but listening respectfully during the quieter passages.

Robert Earl Keen in concert (Paul T. Mueller)

Playing before a large backdrop captioned “I’m Comin’ Home” and “41 Years on the Road,” Keen opened with several older songs, including “Mr. Wolf and Mamabear,” from his 2014 album What I Really Mean. He noted that a fan had once sent him a 12-page essay detailing how the song’s somewhat fanciful lyrics were in fact an explanation of World War II. A few songs later he sang “Charlie Duke Took Country Music to the Moon,” a true story that he described as “a fake song” from Burn Band, a little-noticed album he and fellow Texan Randy Rogers recorded under the fictitious name The Stryker Brothers. The song describes how astronaut Duke, one of the last people to walk on the moon as part of the Apollo 16 crew, had taken a mixtape of classic country songs with him on his lunar journey.

Remembering John Prine, Nanci Griffith

Keen introduced his raucous fishing tale “The Five Pound Bass” by noting that guitarist/fiddler Brian Beken had spent some happy time fishing earlier that day. Next came a funny anecdote from his days opening for John Prine, and a sensitive cover of Prine’s “Speed of the Sound of Loneliness.” That in turn was followed by stories of touring with revered singer-songwriter Nanci Griffith, who he said treated him with respect and kindness early in his career. After setting the scene with a lovely description of a wee-hours hotel room performance of Ralph McTell’s “From Clare to Here” by Griffith and two other singers – a moment he called the single most beautiful musical of experience of his life – he shared his own rendition of the song.

Keen eventually moved into more familiar musical ground with “Feelin’ Good Again,” segueing quickly into fan favorite “Gringo Honeymoon.” Next up were a couple of his older and funnier songs, “Copenhagen” (“Copenhagen, what a wad of flavor”) and “It’s the Little Things,” an ode to marriage featuring that rarest of moments, an acoustic guitar solo by Keen (it was more than competent). The main set finished with “Corpus Christi Bay,” a tale of two brothers whose relationship is fueled by sometimes irresponsible behavior, and the rousing “The Road Goes on Forever.” After a brief break, Keen returned solo for the wildly popular “Merry Christmas from the Family.” A pretty good Aggie joke (Keen attended Texas A&M University, where such humor is a staple) led into “The Front Porch Song,” which Keen wrote with fellow Aggie Lyle Lovett about their college days. Keen closed with “I’m Comin’ Home,” rejoined partway through by his band, which along with Beken featured his longtime rhythm section, bassist Bill Whitbeck and drummer Tom Van Schaik. It made for a fine end to a joyous and very enjoyable evening.

The chorus of one of Keen’s best-known songs declares that “the road goes on forever and the party never ends.” That might prove wishful thinking, if he’s serious about retiring. And even though, song lyrics notwithstanding, all parties must end at some point, this one seems destined to continue for a while yet. Keen’s tour continues through the summer, including a July 9 date at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, and is scheduled to end in Texas in early September.

Nashville-based singer-songwriter John R. Miller opened the show with a 30-minute set featuring well-crafted and personal lyrics backed by excellent guitar playing. Fiddler Chloe Edmonstone contributed fine playing and vocals.



Source link

Salina Symphony hosts Non-Classical Club Night with electronic music

Posted on


A unique opportunity for people in Salina to experience the intersection of classical and electronic music is coming, as the Salina Symphony is hosting a club night downtown next week.

The Non-Classical Club Night begins with doors opening at 8:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4 at The Warehouse, 500 N. Fifth St., and will feature music by composer and DJ Gabriel Prokofiev.

“His music is a really interesting intersection of classical and electronic,” said Adrianne Allen, executive director of the symphony.

Prokofiev, who will also be featured during the symphony’s Nov. 6 concert, “Romance,” is the grandson of prolific Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev, and is no stranger to what many would typically think of as symphonic music.

“His approach is very, very different (from his grandfather),” said Yaniv Segal, the music director and conductor of the Salina Symphony. “(Gabriel) grew up playing acoustic music in school bands and ended up playing some keyboards. When he was young, he got into electronic music and synthesizers, which kind of became his passion.”

Combining the acoustic with the electronic

Segal said Gabriel began creating music in both acoustic and electronic, separately, but ended up combining the two into one.

“His big thing is to have live musicians for part of it and then he can play his own electronics, together, with the musicians,” Segal said.

When the club show happens in Salina, Prokofiev will be joined by Segal on violin and Melanie Mann, the symphony’s principal violist.

“We’ll be performing some music from this new album he’s released called ‘Breaking Screens,'” Segal said. “That’s somewhat relevant, because the symphony is actually playing the same thing with him, in a larger version, (at the concert) on Sunday.”

More:Boom! mural festival a hit in downtown Salina

In addition to this tease of the “Romance” concert, the club show will also have remixes of Prokofiev’s string quartets. Finally, the night will feature not only these performance sets, but will also give those attending a taste of what a live DJ set can be.

“(It’s) a more traditional club set, where he’s DJing by himself,” Segal said. “I think that’ll have more beats to it.”

Bringing everyone access to music

Segal is very aware of the perception of many, that the symphony is something reserved for the elite and the upper-class, with only classic styles of music being played in the concert hall. He also said he hopes these kinds of perceptions can be dismissed.

“We’re about a hundred years removed from the world premiere of a piece called ‘Rhapsody in Blue,'” he said. “At the time, George Gershwin was bringing jazz into a concert hall. Now, you can go to any classical concert and hear ‘Rhapsody in Blue.'”

He said allowing relevant and new music into the sphere of the classical concert hall brought such greats as Leonard Bernstein.

“If you think about Mozart and Beethoven, they included Turkish music into some of their most well-known pieces,” Segal said. “These old symphonies, their third movements were typically minuets, which was a dance that people did.”

Segal said there is a history of bringing the relevant dance and folk music of the time into the concert hall.

“Gabriel is doing that…taking hip hop, funk (or) whatever you might hear in a club setting, and bringing that into his concert pieces,” Segal said.

More:What will the first-ever Salina Crossroads Marathon mean for the community?

Not only is work like Prokofiev’s bringing that relevance to the classical, but the reverse is happening as well.

“We’re bringing the classical music into the club,” Segal said.

Segal said he recognizes the history of classical music has been one that was supported by kings, queens and other royalty, skewing toward the elite.

“I’m trying to move away from that,” he said. “I think the type of demographic that might be attracted to a club night, exactly as we’re hoping, will be for someone who is looking for a different experience and to tie that experience together with the symphony.”

This kind of event is right in line with the messaging that Segal is trying to get across, that the symphony can offer and include something for everyone.

“Somebody who might otherwise not have thought about coming on Sunday, if they enjoy what they hear on Friday, maybe they’ll consider coming back (to other symphony events) and then have an opportunity to hear a wide variety of music,” Segal said.

Tickets for the club night on sale now

Tickets for the the Salina Symphony Non-Classical Club Night are available until Tuesday, Nov. 1 and are $30.

The event is limited to adults aged 21 and over with each ticker holder getting small bites and two adult beverages.

For more information about this event or to purchase tickets, visit the Salina Symphony website at www.salinasymphony.org and searching Non-Classical.



Source link

Who’s Bad brings music of Michael Jackson to Spokane’s Bing Crosby Theater

Posted on


When Vamsi Tadepalli graduated with a degree in musical performance from the University of North Carolina in 2003, his goal was to move to New York to become a jazz musician.

“My dream was to go to the Big Apple and become a starving artist,” Tadepalli cracked while calling from his Los Angeles home.

The pragmatic saxophonist instead decided to form a Michael Jackson tribute band in 2004 in order to afford Gotham City. Who’s Bad is a full band, as opposed to a Michael Jackson impersonator with backing tracks, and it will perform Friday at the Bing Crosby Theater. The group went from side project to focal point for Tadepalli.

“I never would have guessed that was going to happen,” Tadepalli said. “But no one was doing what we are doing 20 years ago. You just had a Michael Jackson impersonator up there onstage. There was no band like this band. I love funky music and Michael was funky and it’s so much fun to play his style of music.”

Tadepalli found a niche, the substance of Jackson, rather than solely focusing on the sizzle. Many Jackson tributes are all about the visuals, the moonwalk and the array of Jackson’s iconic dance moves.

“But Michael was much deeper than that,” Tadepalli said. “Michael was about the music as much as he was about anything. His music just grooves and the way he sung his lyrics, sometimes it’s difficult to understand what he’s singing, but it just flows so well. There was nobody remotely like him.”

Tadepalli, 42, was born in 1980 and never had a chance to experience Jackson live, but he was a huge fan since he was a child.

“I have so much respect and admiration for Michael,” Tadepalli said. “I always loved his music. Without Michael, there’s no Usher, Justin Timberlake or Bruno Mars.”

It’s been a decade since Tadepalli has played with the band. The CEO and founder of Who’s Bad, who handles the creative side and business matters, misses performing.

“My favorite song to do was ‘I Can’t Help It,’ an amazing B-side from his ‘Off The Wall’ album,” Tadepalli said. “I miss playing ‘Smooth Criminal,’ since there is no song that gets such a response from the audience.

“The group loves playing the hits, like ‘Beat It,’ ‘Billie Jean’ and ‘Human Nature.’ What we play is some of the greatest pop music ever made and we focus on every element but especially the musical side.”

Tadepalli is the son of Indian immigrants, who were less than crazy about his career choice.

“They, of course, wanted me to be an engineer or a doctor, but they accepted that I am a musician,” Tadepalli said. “They were surprised by how things have gone for me with Who’s Bad, but no one is complaining now.

“I absolutely love what I do and the fans love Michael Jackson’s music. What I’m about is about keeping his music alive.”



Source link

Killer Mike Drops “Talk’n That Sh*t” Single

Posted on


During the hotter months of 2022, Killer Mike released his first solo offering — since his 2012 album R.A.P. Music — with “RUN” (featuring Young Thug and Dave Chappelle). He now re-ups with his second, “Talk’n That Shit.”

Produced by TWhy Xclusive and Three 6 Mafia’s DJ Paul, Mike has shared a seck-directed video for the track as well, featuring cameos from a range of groups and organizations meaningfully connected to him: PAW Kids, Bass Reeves Gun Club, Next Level Boys Academy, Youth Build, New Georgia Project, and more. “The song is self explanatory. With the video I wanted show the freedom and beauty in being able to turn up in spite of all the f*ck-sh*t,” Mike says. “That upsets the bourgeoisie even more- in spite of all your criticisms we’re gonna live free and stay lit.”

Killer Mike Drops “Talk’n That Sh*t” Single was last modified: October 27th, 2022 by Meka





Source link

Which Singer’s Music Has Featured in Over 100 Films?

Posted on


Motion pictures share a rich history with sound. Before audio could be recorded on location or even on a set, films relied heavily on the players’ actions in each short film or full-length feature. In fact, music would often permeate an otherwise silent film to fill the void that lacked ambient sound or dialogue. Tension, happiness and fear could easily be conveyed through music, like in classic Buster Keaton movies. Nevertheless, composers helped lay the groundwork for a powerful relationship between music and movies.


As audio became more and more prevalent in film, it was easier to obtain a tone as viewers could now hear the actors and actresses and the film’s score. But every so often, songs recorded by musicians could be heard that helped convey a deeper and more relatable tone and explore the personality of whomever the music focused on. For example, in The Crow, there was much emo and gothic rock music that surrounded the main character and helped inform the pain he consistently remained in. That said, with so many famous musicians out there, which one’s music has been heard in over 100 films?

RELATED: 10 Best Horror Soundtracks


Which Artist Has Had the Most Songs Used In Film?

It’s hard to dive into how many movies a musician has had their music played in individually. Thankfully, there’s an algorithm on the website Casumo that scours thousands of movies to see which artist has been heard the most in cinema. While many iconic singers and songwriters are out there, it’s surprisingly revealed that musician Bob Dylan took the cake with a total of 123 movie appearances through his music. His film appearances also add to his wider influences on popular culture.

Because of this, there have been exhaustive lists of movies and moments where Dylan’s work has shined, and it’s almost always in some culturally definitive films. For example, for fans of comic book movies, “The Times They Are A-Changin” echoed throughout the opening credits of Watchmen as the world’s history was shown. His song “It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)” was also demonstrated in Easy Rider, a film showcasing a newly introduced side of Americana. However, one of the most clever uses of Dylan’s music was in the movie based on him, I’m Not There, where much of his works were heard.

RELATED: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Director Says Soundtrack Was Curated by Yondu

Who Are Some Other Notable Mentions?

While Bob Dylan has taken the cake in terms of his music appearing the most in films, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t others catching up. Right behind him at number two is Elvis Presley, who had 119 appearances as well as his own film based on his life. That said, the top five carry their own significance, with sci-fi icon David Bowie at 113, The Rolling Stones at 96 and Bruce Springsteen at 90.

While this list could likely change over time, its significance could never change. Without music, movies could still exist, but it would be much harder to convey the necessary emotions to draw viewers into the moment. But between scores and the many artists that have lent their music to films, it’s changed the landscape of cinema and showed that while Bob Dylan is the most used now, that could change at any time and continue to enhance the medium.



Source link

Modern Rock Orchestra combines rock’s drive with classical’s soul

Posted on


Music isn’t Grant Ferguson’s full time job. And he’s okay with that.

Ferguson is a guitar maestro. He’s the leader of Modern Rock Orchestra, a band that combines a four-piece rock and roll group with a ten-piece orchestra to create something inspired by both genres but totally its own. Ferguson writes and composes each song. He wants to play rock that has the bones of classical music. 

He’s got wild spiky hair and a rocker goatee. But when Ferguson isn’t on stage, he’s pretty white collar. He’s the CEO of a company called UFS, a lender that focuses on giving entrepreneurs money to start or buy their own business.

People are also reading…

“Music is my full time passion and obsession,” he said. “So I’ve set it up so I can have an income that helps me fuel and fund my music and ambitions.”

He has huge respect for musicians who make creativity their full time gig, but he never wanted to do that.

“For some of these folks,” he said, thoughtfully, “music becomes something that they no longer associate with love and passion. It’s an obligation or a grind.”

He never wants to wind up in a cover band trying to pay the rent.

“I have never wanted to play ‘Brown Eyed Girl’ in a shitty bar somewhere,” he said with a smirk.

What Modern Rock Orchestra does is certainly not bar music. Their music is melodic and ornate. Ferguson’s stabbing guitar usually leads, playing over a hard charging rhythm section made up of rock band staples like bass, drums and keyboards. Plenty of bands stop there, but not Modern Rock Orchestra. There are ten members who play strings, with violins, violas and cellos all represented. The strings allow the rest of the band to soar, they take on a sort of ethereal feel.

They might sound heavenly, but Ferguson said MRO was born out of frustration.

“As an instrumental rock musician,” he said, “you play in these venues and you find out that a lot of your audience is male guitar players. And as cool as that is, it’s a very narrow niche.”

Ferguson is a gearhead. But he wants his audience to be made up of people who maybe aren’t as into the theory as he is. He’d like to play arpeggios for people who aren’t totally sure what an arpeggio is.

“I don’t want to be a guitar player’s guitar player,” he reflected. “I want to be a musician. I want to be known for my compositions. I just happen to play guitar.”

He just happens to play it quite well. But he’s had lots of practice.




Grant Ferguson’s Modern Rock Orchestra is a combination of a melodic rock band and a 10-piece orchestra section. 




Ferguson was born in Scotland. His family immigrated to America when he was young, but his musical roots stretch back across the ocean. His uncle was an accomplished guitarists, who lived on the Shetland Islands, where Ferguson’s mother was from. The Shetlands, which are the northernmost point of the United Kingdom, are known for their strong musical traditions, especially a traditional fiddle style that grew from the region’s proximity to both Scotland and Scandinavia. Ferguson had two cousins who were Shetland fiddle players.

“At a very young age,” he remembered, “we’d get together and play the fiddle and the guitar. There’d be whiskey and the smell of peat smoke and the salt spray of the ocean.”

Those experiences imprinted on him. But it was in high school in Colorado that he really fell in love with guitar.

“I was playing trumpet in the school band, and that wasn’t nearly cool enough,” he said with a chuckle. “I wasn’t ever going to get any chicks playing trumpet.”

So he switched from trumpet to guitar lessons, and got good enough to start playing in a garage band. He recruited some friends, and even got his girlfriend to be the lead singer. Even though she eventually dumped him to date the drummer. They were sort of like Fleetwood Mac, except they didn’t make it.

“We had the drama, but not the fame,” he said.




Grant Ferguson stands with members of Modern Rock Orchestra. 




Music took a backseat in college, as Ferguson focused on his business degree and burgeoning career. But a divorce around 2000 changed his mind.

“I had my priorities completely upside down,” he said. “I had back-burnered my musical interests and talents. I had a guitar that just sat on a stand as decoration in my living room.”

So he picked the axe back up and attended the Atlanta Institute of Music in 2004 to refine his chops.

“I decided to get really serious about my craft,” he described. “Learn what the hell I was doing.”

He got acquainted with melody and music theory and started to apply it.

Ferguson’s wife’s family is from Great Falls, and her mother and sister live in Billings. Charmed by the area, the couple bought some cabins outside of Red Lodge and now spend part of the year there, and part of it in Scottsdale, Arizona.

“If I started out being like Fleetwood Mac, now I’m like John Mayer,” he joked. “I’m one of those part-timers.”

Montana is now his musical epicenter. He partially recorded his most recent record, “Windswept Isle” at Paris Montana Studio, a studio in one of the outbuildings at his Red Lodge property. Ferguson and his wife call their homestead the Paris Montana Ranch, and it’s blossomed into a couple business ventures. They rent out two cabins on the land, and now have Paris Montana boutique stores in Red Lodge and Billings.

Fittingly, Modern Rock Orchestra got their start in Billings, and in 2021, they played their first show at the Nova Center for the Performing Arts. It was their innagural gig, and they sold the place out.

For Ferguson, it was validation. Proof that his dream of this group wasn’t just a vanity project. “People got the concept of modern rock orchestra without Grant Ferguson,” he said proudly. “It was taking it beyond me as a person and beyond my music.”




Mondern Rock Orchestra and Grant Ferguson are playing the Babcock Theatre on Friday, Oct. 28. 




“What I really wanted to do is expand the audience,” he said. “I wanted to find a way to take instrumental rock to a bigger stage.”

It’s working. Modern Rock Orchestra played Bozeman and Missoula, and have branched out as far as Ohio.

It’s an ornate project. But it travels well. Classical musicians are well practiced at reading music.

“You get them the score ahead of time, get together at soundcheck to run through the tricky bits and you’re good to go,” Ferguson said.

Modern Rock Orchestra contains a slew of great area musicians, some of them from the Billings Symphony. Ferguson’s compositions are all written for a full orchestra. He’d love to work with a big force like the Symphony someday.

“We’re just taking it organically,” he said. “One step at a time.”



Source link

Garth Brooks Stadium Tour Cancelled

Posted on


 

Garth Brooks : photo by Jarrod Vrazel / ACountry

The Garth Brooks Stadium Tour has cancelled the remaining 2021 dates and will be refunding approximately 350,000 tickets in the tour’s next 5 cities.  Ticketmaster will automatically issue a refund to the original method of payment used at time of purchase.

“In July, I sincerely thought the pandemic was falling behind us. Now, watching this new wave, I realize we are still in the fight and I must do my part. I have asked the wonderful cities of Cincinnati and Charlotte to wait too long and I don’t want to now do that same thing to the great folks in Boston and Baltimore. As far as Nashville, we are looking for a make up date from the July rain out and though this is not COVID related, to make them wait makes me sad, as well. So, it is with a heavy heart we announce the decision to cancel all 5 shows but with a hopeful heart, we will reschedule and start over when this wave seems to be behind us,” said Garth Brooks.

The 5 concert locations being cancelled are Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, scheduled for September 18th, Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, scheduled for September 25th, M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, scheduled forOctober 2nd, Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, scheduled for October 9th and Nissan Stadium in Nashville which has not been rescheduled yet.

“The joy I have seen in everyone’s faces as live music returns has been more than worth our constant diligence to maintain safety protocols not only for the fans, but for our band, the crew and the hard working staff in these stadiums. Their dedication to safety for the people who fill those seats has been a miracle to watch and a blessing to receive. I am truly grateful.”

.@GarthBrooks Stadium Tour has cancelled the remaining 2021 dates and will be refunding approximately 350,000 tickets in the tour’s next 5 citiesClick To Tweet

A spokesperson for the tour said the team will continue to monitor the virus’ impact and watch how schools, sports, and other entertainment entities are handling this stage of the pandemic. “I’m sincerely hoping we are back on tour before the year’s end,” said Brooks. “With that said, the most important thing to me is fulfilling my end of the Stadium Tour by making sure every show is doable before putting tickets on sale (that is why we pulled the Seattle on sale) and making sure the environment these people are trading their time and money to put themselves into is not only the best experience ever, but also the safest one we can provide.”

Source:  GarthBrooks.com





Source link

A Composer’s Diary: FFF12: EcoEgg

Posted on


I would like to contribute to FFF (Fridays for Future) in my own way: by sharing one concrete action per week that YOU can do, and which I have done, for combating climate change. 

FFF week 12: EcoEgg

WHY: Laundry detergents are full of chemicals that aren’t foot for our nature. The detergents are often packed in plastic, which is a shame.

WHAT CAN I DO: Switch to the EcoEgg! One egg lasts 140 washes, is free of chemicals and allergens! And you save loads of plastic composed if you would buy liquid detergents. And yes, I’m very happy with my EcoEgg and the end result of laundry. Such a easy thing to do for our planet.

(Just for being clear: this is not an addI haven’t been paid nor given the product. I’m just honestly enthusiastic about washing more eco friendly! )




Source link

The 25 Best Indie Pop Albums of the ’90s

Posted on


Listen/Buy: Amazon | Apple Music | Bandcamp | Spotify | Tidal

Black Tambourine: Complete Recordings (1999)

Black Tambourine didn’t need to release a proper album to become iconic. The Silver Spring, Maryland band’s lineup was already a who’s who of ’80s and ’90s indie music: Mike Schulman, head of Slumberland; Pam Berry, co-founding editor of the beloved zine Chickfactor; and Archie Moore and Brian Nelson, who also played in Velocity Girl. Luckily, 1999’s Complete Recordings collects the handful of songs they recorded between 1989 and 1991. One of those tracks, “Throw Aggi Off the Bridge,” would go down in indie pop history as the genre’s premiere diss track, with Berry entreating the Pastels’ Stephen Pastel to toss bandmate (and one-time girlfriend) Annabel “Aggi” Wright into a river (“purely for pro-Stephen crush emphasis purposes,” Berry later clarified). Less sceney but equally invigorating is “For Ex-Lovers Only,” which offers some of the decade’s best blissed-out shoegaze-does-’60s-girl-group dissonance. –Quinn Moreland

Listen/Buy: Spotify

Advantage Lucy: ファンファーレ (Fanfare) (1999)

While the U.S. and UK were experiencing an explosion of cardigan-clad indie pop, Japan was quietly building a world of its own within the genre. Among the scene’s standouts were Advantage Lucy, a Tokyo quartet that fused sunny jangle pop with horns, jazzy drums, and retro vocal harmonies. After ditching their original, Peanuts-inspired moniker Lucy Van Pelt, they released ファンファーレ (Fanfare), their debut album as Advantage Lucy, in 1999. Like the best indie pop of the era, the album welcomes fans to reimagine the humdrum of life with an optimistic curiosity. “カタクリの花” floats through a dreamy guitar melody dotted with glockenspiel and recorder, while fan favorite “Solaris” is the most exuberant ode to milk you’ve ever heard. Decades later, the album is still charming new generations of fans at home and abroad. –Nina Corcoran

Buy/Listen: YouTube

The Magnetic Fields: 69 Love Songs (1999)

After Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, but before Sufjan Stevens promised to write an album after every state, the most ambitious music project known to indie heads was 69 Love Songs. The album delivers exactly what the title says, styled as cowboy ballads, folk songs, synth pieces, and countless other genres, all tied together with Stephin Merritt’s devastatingly clever lyrics. Merritt has maintained that it’s not an album about love, but about love songs—devotional, yes, but only to the tropes of the genre. He’s a scholar of pop music, and Love Songs is his thesis. But all of that is easy to forget once immersed in the world of the album itself, which is endlessly generous with its vignettes and listeners alike. They wouldn’t be love songs if they didn’t charm us off our feet, waltz us through familiar scenes which suddenly feel eye-openingly new, and leave us swooning—even when we think we should know better. –NM Mashurov

Listen/Buy: Amazon | Apple Music | Bandcamp | Spotify | Tidal



Source link

At Delavan’s Belfry, holiday sounds feature music of Chicago & the Trans Siberian Orchestra

Posted on


DELAVAN — What better way to greet the holiday season than with a string of concerts?

Tickets are on sale now for six Christmastime shows at Belfry Music Theatre, 3601 Highway 67, Delavan.

It starts with The Christmas Chronicles, which is Wednesday and Thursday, Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.

The Christmas Chronicles uses HD projections, music and vintage outfits to create a unique and visually stunning, Victorian Era-styles holiday event with intertwined, seasonal vignettes. Features narration by Leonard Ford, Susan Aquila and the Paganini String Trio, with Jeff Lubin on guitar and vocals.

The Four C Notes return to the Belfry for Seasons Greetings Friday and Saturday, Dec. 2 and 3. Recreating the music of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, the Four C Notes will perform a selection of rock ‘n roll Christmas classics.

People are also reading…

Christmas with Chris Ruggiero is Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 7 and 8. The PBS.TV star will perform fan favorites from his anticipated Christmas album as well as his other music. Fun fact: Ruggiero has worked with the same arranger who created the hits for Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.

Always Olivia, a tribute to Olivia Newton-John, is Friday and Saturday, Dec. 9 and 10.

Annie Aiello, a professional singer/songwriter of the Chicagoland area for over 20 years, was a “Round 2” candidate on “The Voice.” She has worked with Richard Marx and several Nashville artists.

Tickets for the next two acts are selling quickly, according to Belfry’s website, belfrymusictheatre.com.

Trans-Infinity Orchestra brings its Trans Siberian Orchestra tribute to the stage Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 14 and 15. Using a state-of-the-art light show and an angelic choir, the act will tell the story of Christmas around the world.

Another act that has played the Belfry before, Chicago Rewired brings A Chicago Christmas to audiences Friday and Saturday, Dec. 16 and 17.

All shows start at 7 p.m. Cost is $58 to $76 per ticket.

To purchase tickets and for more details, visit the Belfry website.



Source link