Gotye, Kimbra

First, this.   Cool break up song.   There’s a cover in which the dude who sings the chorus has a cooler voice than his but overall I like this guy.   If you can get over his nipple in the beginning of the video it’s a pretty cool video as well.

Best cello string review ever

A friend & I are recording a rather goth sounding original & in the shower today I added some cello licks to it in my head.  However, it’s time for new strings (& possibly a rehair, although I’m praying not because I don’t know any of the luthiers in town any more) & there are way more brands & styles available than I remember.  It’s proof that wisdom doesn’t always come with age.   I’m a noob all over again.

Certain brands sound familiar to me, like Pirastro &… ok, just Pirastro.   I recall I only ever used gut strings, but that was when I played constantly.   Being on a bit of a budget I’m not sure it would be worth it to drop $250 on a set of gut strings just to add some parts to a recording.

Or is it?

Goldfrapp

Ok, I know I’ve been gone a long time.  I’m still here & I still have a ton of music-related crap to write down, but… but I’m just a slacker.   I think I’ve also done the OCD thing & overwhelmed myself by overthinking everything I think about writing, when really, I should just write it.

Anyway, I can’t remember how I discovered this band.   I ended up buying their CD, Seventh Tree, which contains a handful of songs that don’t engage me until the middle sometimes, but which engage me to the point where I can’t delete them off my playlist.

Mostly it has to do with singer Alison Goldfrapp’s very pretty vocals.   There are certain artists like Chris Daughtry & Leona Lewis that can make me love an uninteresting song simply because their voices engage me.   There are songs on this album that are like that – they would be boring except that the vocals just sound so… pretty.

The Civil Wars

I’ve got this friend named Malo who, like O-Dogg, has turned me on to a lot of really good music that I would have never otherwise heard.   Every so often I hear something I know I’ve got to tell him about.   I figure I’ll tell you guys about it too.

In this case this is a song that O-Dogg posted on Facebook that I fell in love with, & decided to share with Malo.   The Civil Wars is a duo with one debut album out which I am expecting now any day in the mail.   Their single “Barton Hollow,” which is, according to customer reviews, the most exciting song on the album, got stuck pretty soundly in my head.   I love the fourths & fifths.    Love them.

It’s Not Really Like Riding A Bike

When I was in 6th grade I decided to play cello.   The first time I heard the sound of 4 distinct musical parts played in harmony (violin, viola, cello, bass) I was hooked.   I never practiced playing cello.   It never felt like practice.   It was just that enjoyable for me.   In 8th grade I joined the high school orchestra & in 10th grade I joined the UH Symphony.   And then in college I discovered guitar.

I met a dude at a party & we hooked up; he turned out to be the bass player of a punk band.   We ended up renting out a house together (although the bass player & I did not remain an item) & I bought an Aria Pro II bass (Faith No More!) & ended up playing with a couple of guitarist friends in our lead singer’s living room every day after school.

And then one afternoon we were lying around the living room playing cds, & someone put Metallica’s Ride The Lightning on.   As soon as I heard “Fade To Black” I knew I wanted a 6 string.   I bought an electric blue Washburn Lyon (LA Guns!) the next day & sat down with the tablature.   I had it by the end of the week, along with a lot of missing finger skin.

On The Honolulu Symphony: an insider’s thoughts

My post but not my writing.   A friend with close ties to the Symphony was sharing with me his views about the Symphony’s current situation & he made so much sense that I asked him to write it all down for me & let me post it on this blog.   The pictures were added by me for aesthetics.   Please feel free to discuss in the comments, but be warned that I will nazi any abuse or abject stupidity.   There’s enough of that out there already.

First off, I’d like to apologize. This is going to be a fairly long post. I have a lot of things to say about the recent demise of the Honolulu Symphony. Much of this is background information before actually getting into the question of what should we do in Honolulu.

After 110 years, the Honolulu Symphony has finally come to an end. For those of you who did not know of the problem, the Honolulu Symphony filed for Ch. 11 bankruptcy protection about a year ago due to mounting debt. The other day, the federal courts approved a request from the Honolulu Symphony to transition from a Ch. 11 to Ch 7 liquidation.

I’ve read numerous articles over the past two or three years about the financial health and viability ofthe Honolulu Symphony, and taken the time to go through comments from time to time. Everyone seems to have an opinion and it seems that seems that a lot of people think the problem has clear cut and simple answers. Like everything else in life, there are many other factors at play that make the situation much more complicated. It’s not just as simple as saying management was bad, the business model was outdated, or something like, “if it can’t support itself then we don’t need it.” I’m not saying that I have the answers, but I’d like people to think a little more before making a snap decision or comments.

Ok… GO!

OK Go is an indie band that’s been around awhile.  Their stuff is pretty catchy, but what really makes the band is their odd, inventive videos that they make.  You may know them from their giant viral hit video for Here It Goes Again.  You know, the one where they do the dance routine on treadmills.  Well they are back again, with help from their little friends (All the dogs in the video were rescued animals).

PS.  If you like the video, buy it on www.okgo.net and they’ll donate a portion of the net proceeds to the ASPCA, specifically for the support of animal rescue.

Santana: Guitar Heaven

When O-Dogg posted a YouTube recording on September 21st of Chris Cornell singing “Whole Lotta Love” with Santana on Facebook I almost cried.   Or came.   I’m not sure.   I commented “Holy shit.   That was like sex.   Really good sex.”

He then posted a recording of Chris Daughtry singing “Photograph.”   “I already bought it,” I commented. “Another disappointing solo.   What the hell Santana.”   Then there was the recording of Rob Thomas doing “Sunshine Of Your Love.”   I must confess I didn’t really care about that one.   I’d already bought the cd.   I’d listen to it when I had a decent recording.   He then posted Jacoby Shaddix (I don’t know who that is?) doing “Smoke On The Water.”   Really well.   Seriously pushing my buttons.   Very evil, that O-Dogg.

Melissa Auf Der Maur

I never really got into Hole.   I thought the single “Celebrity Skin” was charming, especially the video with that redhead whimsically singing alongside Courtney Love.   There’s quite a bit of Google on Melissa Auf Der Maur, whose done a lot of interesting stuff since Hole.

Paramore defines the musical connoisseur?

One of my 20-something friends said this on Facebook today & it really gave me pause.