Click here for an interactive chart.
Grand Piano Floating Over Vilnius
August 19, 2012 By Leave a Comment
During the August 10 Hot Air Balloon Festival in Vilnius a grand piano floated over the city. Photos© AFP/ Petras Malukas
WHY DOES MUSIC AFFECT US SO? [VIDEO]
August 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment
For an imaged-based view of this, check out this older post.
AUDIOBULB | WIRELESS SPEAKER LIGHT BULB
August 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment
There is no stopping technology and imagination, the latest mind-boggling product we found are these wireless speaker light bulbs. Appropriately named AudioBulb, the revolutionary device allows you to use up to eight light bulbs as speakers, connected wirelessly to your iPhone/iPod or any other auxiliary input. You can also dim the lights from your iPhone, all this avoiding holes in the wall for running wires through! source
Music Review: Dig That Crazy Christmas: The Brian Setzer Orchestra
August 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Christmas music in August?! I know it is summer, but I’ve been listening to Christmas music since April, in preparation for this year’s Edmonton Singing Christmas Tree. “Dig That Crazy Christmas” by The Brian Setzer Orchestra, was one of the many albums (why do we still call them that?) that I listened to in selecting music for this year’s show. Setzer and his ruckus band, roar and swing through 11 holiday classics, along with two originals; the horn-driven stomper "Hey Santa!", spiced with some sizzling vocal and instrumental interchange, and a roaring blues mélange: "Santa’s Got a Hot Rod", complete with blaring horns and a fine, growling vocal from Setzer, describing the wonders of Santa’s new souped-up ride, which has replaced a "rusty old sleigh."
"White Christmas" gets a gently rocking arrangement, graced by honking sax and robust guitar punctuations, while a mid-tempo instrumental version of "My Favorite Things" provides Setzer with a showcase for his serious guitar chops. There are plenty of jazz-tinged solos, ahead of fanciful flights of brass and woodwinds. For comic relief, Setzer brings his mock spooked-out vocal on "’Zat You Santa?", and his generous serving of ham on "You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch," to which he adds a reverberant top-strings solo that pays homage to "The Munsters" theme song.
“Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!” drives just like you may expect a big band ought to do. Towards the end, it takes a turn with a short bass trombone solo catching you off guard. One of the most ambitious charts is, "Angels We Have Heard On High”. Setzer puts everyone out there at breakneck speed. Starting with the orchestra, trumpets at terminal velocity, then and a full-bodied church choir, with enough room for a burst of blaring horns and trebly rock guitar solos. Setzer ties up this holiday gift with a lush, dreamy rendition of "What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve”, which, like the rest of the disc, rings true both in content and spirit.
Though it was released several years ago, the music is anything but dated. Each tune is sure to put a smile on your face. If you’re up for a holiday sound amidst the sun, pop this in a let the grinning begin.
Speaking of “Crazy Santa Claus”, take a look at this promo video for the Edmonton Singing Christmas Tree
2200 Musicians Share What They Think Of Facebook Timeline
August 5, 2012 By Leave a Comment
When Facebook switched all Pages to the Timeline layout, they removed the option to set apps as default landing pages. We wondered how musicians – many of whom were using apps like ReverbNation‘s Band Profile – felt about the change and how it impacted the things they cared most about. Namely fan engagement, music sharing, show attendance and "likes." So ReverbNation surveyed over 2200 of their users and asked them their opinions, twice: 30 days after the change and again at the 90 day mark. The following infographic shows the results:
source: VIA
The history behind Don McLean’s “American Pie”
August 3, 2012 By Leave a Comment
The longest song to have ever hit the top of the charts, Don McClean’s 1971 hit “American Pie” is familiar, at least in part, to people everywhere, but did McLean ever explain its significance beyond the death of Buddy Holly and company?
It turns out, the answer is no, though McLean’s story should be an inspiration to any kid suffering from all these ozone action days, seeing that his singing career was inspired by the limitations of and the exercises he did to improve severe asthma.
That’s just part of this epic song’s story, but here’s what we know of McLean’s interpretation of his work according to Eddie Denezen’s guest post at Neatorama:
Don’s album American Pie was released in 1971 and contained a song that was to become a part of music history. “I can’t necessarily interpret ‘American Pie’ any better than you can,” Don was to tell Life magazine. With one exception: Don was to say “Buddy Holly was the first and last person I ever idolized. Most of my friends liked Elvis Presley, more of them liked Elvis Presley than Holly, but I liked Holly because he spoke to me. He was a symbol of something deeper than the music.”
While a young boy delivering newspapers, Don clearly remembers reading about Holly’s fatal plane crash, along with Richie Valens and the Big Bopper. In his stack of papers for February 3, 1959, Holly’s profound effect on McLean was indelible and, 12 years later, was to be the genesis of “American Pie.” Yes, the song was definitely about the tragic death of Buddy Holly, a great hero of Don’s, but aside from this basic agreed-upon point, he has never discussed the rest of the enigmatic lyrics…
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Full story at Neatorama.