Music for a Rainy Day

I started A New Day almost ten years ago. It has gone through several transformations, featuring the story of my travels through Africa, plenty of poetry, lots of photos, several book reviews, and even music. A few years ago, I even started a Monday Music feature that showcased some rather esoteric musicians.

Music strikes a chord with everyone. Whether you are into rap, roots, reggae, folk, classical, or hip hop, it bridges most divides. People associate with lyrics that touch them. They rock out to wicked drum beats or daze off listening to dreamy trance. I am no different.

My musical tastes have changed somewhat over the years. As a teenager, I thrashed around the dance floor to goth tunes that spoke of dark feelings and existential crises. That was interspersed with bouncy tunes by the likes of Canadian artists Bare Naked Ladies and Spirit of the West. It should be no surprise that an international flair sprang up in my musical tastes after my trip to Africa. And once again, music took on a new role after my husband died. I turned to music to help me heal and find new roots for myself.

I still appreciate any music that touches me, but am always interested to discover new musicians. They pour a little of themselves into the world and share what it means to be human. We all have hurt, experience love, feel joy, and sorrow. And sometimes we discover what it feels like to dance in the rain...

Folk-tastic!

I have a little secret. I've got a little bit of twang to me. I really don't know where it came from. My mother listened to the likes of Nana Mouskouri and Boney M. We had 8-tracks and records, which were played from a large stereo cabinet that looked something like this...

Not mine, but not far off of our super 70's stereo

Now that was a fine piece of electronica, let me tell you. It had an am/fm stereo, record player and an 8-track slot on it, plus the obligatory red velvet curtains on the side panels. Bring on the 'Night Flight to Venus'! Hooey, we knew how to throw one down.

Yes, well...

Jump forward a few years and my musical tastes expanded some. I was introduced to punk, alternative, pop, rock, and funny enough, a whole lot of folk music via some musician friends. I had a real eclectic taste, that was for sure. I was just as happy to listen to Depeche Mode or Skinny Puppy, as I was to groove to Gordon Lightfoot or Stompin Tom. I know. I know. Neophyte.

Nathan Rogers at this year's Home County

But out of all those musical stylings, the folky blues stuck. I still flip on the radio to whatever pleases the kids or myself in that moment (plenty of CBC 2 in the afternoons and evenings), but a good old dose of folk music makes me smile. In fact, I don't think I've missed the Home County Folk Festival in years. And I am pretty sure I have made folk fans of my kids too, as they always insist on going and staying as long as possible (dragged them away from Whitehorse at 10:30 pm this year).

I believe it was at a past year's Home County that I ended up on Rock Ridge Music's mailing list. They had me in a good mood and I would have signed up for anything on that day. In retrospect, it was a good thing though, as now they send me artist spotlights all the time. I have discovered 'Dwight & Nicole' and Levi Weaver, both of which are fabulous bands/musicians.

This week they sent me a teaser for someone new though. And I need to hear more.

Christian Lopez Band

On first listen Blaster Records snapped up this talented musician. It was a no-brainer and they have formed a great union since their initial meeting. That despite the fact that the front man for the band is a mere 19-years-old. Don't let his age fool you though. Christian Lopez is an old hand as far as making music goes. He began playing piano at age 5, and guitar by the time he was 9. Writing songs was a natural extension that came along in his teens.

Now the West Virginia native's dreams are coming true in the form of his first EP Pilot set to be released in October 2014. Not too shabby for someone who has played pre-shows for the likes of Zac Brown and The Dave Matthews Band. Intrigued yet? If it seems like a long time to wait for the EP, there is always live music to fill the gap. The band is touring the US this fall.

CHRISTIAN LOPEZ BAND TOUR SCHEDULE

8/20 – Cumberland, MD / Downtown Cumberland Concert Series

8/21 – Floyd, VA / Dogtown Roadhouse

8/23 – Nashville, TN / Antique Archaeology

8/23 – Franklin, TN / Grey’s On Main (evening show)

8/29 – Charlotte, NC / PNC Music Pavilion

9/3 – New York, NY / Rockwood Music Hall Stage 3

9/12 – New Hope, PA / Triumph Brewery

9/13 – Winchester, VA / Bright Box Theater

9/18 – 9/20 – Dewey Beach, DE / Dewey Beach Music Festival

9/27 – Blacksburg, VA / Sycamore Deli (w/Deer Run Drifters)

10/4 – Thomas, WV / The Purple Fiddle

10/10 – Clear Springs, MD / Knob Hall Winery

10/11 – Bethesda, MD / Taste of Bethesda Festival

10/17 – Bedford, VA / Bedford Library Concert Series

10/18 – Shepherdstown, WV / Shepherdstown Opera House

10/25 – Centreville, VA / Cox Farms Fall Fest

It's one thing to rave over the music and pump up a band, but I know you just want to hear it for yourself, right. We have to wait I'm afraid, as the full EP will only be released later this week for streaming or download. The teaser I got was just a single song, which was enough to let me know that I definitely wanted to hear more.

 

CAUTION: Hot Monday

It's Monday. Its 31C and feels like 39C. That's 102.2F for you American folk who are enjoying the last of your Long Weekend today.

I have the radio singing behind me, but sadly I have nothing worth sharing with you folks. It is just distraction today. I am trying to block out the music of diggers, chainsaws and steamrollers that comes from outside my window. Construction season has begun and is in my neighbourhood for the remainder of the summer. The sound of backup beepers at a few minutes to 7am is not really what I would consider music to anyone's ears and certainly not how I would choose to be awoken on a Monday morning.

CAUTION: Grumpy Mama on Board

Perhaps I should have looked for an office job this summer? Anyone need a gal Friday? Can I get a do-over?

(Pretty thin for the MFM theme Do-Over, but my concentration is not what it could be as I watch orange-vested construction workers traipse across my front lawn and the pavement dissolves into a muddy gravel pit by my driveway. It's going to be a long summer people. This is only the beginning of my gripes I fear.)

Broken Music Monday

This is just heavenly. A friend recommended this song to me and it transported me as soon as I heard it. Unless you are otherwise familiar with this band, let me introduce "Freelance Whales" out of New York. They are a weird conglomeration of musical talents that embrace any instrument they can tickle a tune out of (like harmonium, banjo, glockenspiel, synthesizers, guitars, bass, drums, waterphone - what the heck!!!).

Not that it really counts, but the name of the song is 'Broken Horse', which has me in mind of the ladies over at Mostly Fiction Mondays. The theme this week is Broken. What say you ladies? I personally think the song is far from broken, but I offer a tune to you none the less.

 

A Texan Music Monday

Happy Music Monday my friends! This new band was introduced to me through an email this weekend. There are a couple of songs on Youtube and they are both worth a listen. Indie rock in style with a female lead singer, which is always a nice treat in my book.

Introducing a group out of Texas, by the name of "The Royalty".

Tell me what you think...

 

Still More Music Monday

Spent last Thursday spinning retro tunes, but came across something new in the process. This is perfect for drifting off to sleep to, in my humble opinion. Not surprising I guess, as Ryan Karazija is from Iceland and I believe sun is a treat for a lot of the year. Or something like that.

Anyway, very sweet sound. What say you?

 

More Music Monday

Well, well, I have come across another band that is new to me today. I fly you across the pond to Dublin this evening and introduce you to Jape. I need to explore them a little more, but I like what I hear so far. What do you think?

 

Another Music Monday

Another new discovery that makes my heart soar. The sound is simple, yet so full of beauty. Let me introduce a band from across the pond today (Bristol to be exact). Here is Message to Bears and their esoteric song "Wake Me".

 

Music Monday

Wow, I think I just fell in love. These guys are Canadian too!

Excuse me, but I'm going "Home" with Walk Off the Earth today.

Music For The Soul

I think I have fallen in love...  

We came...

Did you hear that?

A little WooHoo from behind the camera?

That was either Ms C or me

As we jigged,
despite a stoic crowd

Might not be a hipster

But we’re still cool!

and that 160 characters does not come close to describing the fun that we had last night, on our evening out on the town. Love you babe! Thank you so much for inviting me along! Enjoy Monkey. Happy Sunday!

A Change in Plans

Mini Rock Hoppers

I realize that it is Monday. I should have jetted off to Africa to continue my saga. I have left you hanging, as I climbed up into the cab of another truck. What happened next? Well... I feel bad about it, but you are going to have to wait a little longer to see. It can't be helped. I spent almost four hours driving home from my sister's house (in what should have been a two-hour drive). I am still sluggish with tryptophan from the turkey, plus from chasing those four delightful kids you see up there around. So I am pooped and am going to bed.

I apologize, but thought perhaps I would share a video from a band that I am going to be going to see this coming weekend with Me. Haven't seen a concert in a while and I am stoked! So here is a little Iron & Wine for you to enjoy. I will have to get some writing done later, but right now its bedtime. Happy Thanksgiving Canada! Happy Columbus Day US!

Hello pillows. I hear you calling! I am on my way...

Well-Deserved Break Coming

Markéta Irglová opens. Iron & Wine headlines. Add to that dinner and drinks with Me, & I suspect that I’ve got the perfect evening in store. 13 days & counting!




And that is 160 characters folks! Haven't played in a long time, but thought it was high time. Go see Monkey Man for way more offerings!

Barefoot with Tea and Music

Hello!

Grooving on the new tunes in my play list. Hadn't made a change up in a while and thought it was time. After going through illness, vacations and the busyness that is summer, I felt that I needed to ground myself in a few new songs. Go take a listen if you need some quiet music to chill out to. Feel free to make a suggestion, if you think something is missing too! While you are listening, you can also read about some of the other things I have been up to this summer. 

...

I have also read some new books. I started the summer with a light-hearted book entitled "Barefoot", by Elin Hilderbrand (© 2007 Elin Hilderbrand, Back Bay Books). Well, light-hearted might not be the right term, I guess. More light and easy to read. It was predictable and tied up nicely with feel-good vibes all around at the the end. A brief synapsis: Three women land in Nantucket to spend the summer barefoot and fancy free on the beach. Or do they? One sister is just beginning a battle with cancer and will be receiving chemo all summer. She has two young sons and is not ready to let go of life, but doesn't know how to let go of the stress of it all. The other sister has volunteered to assist her older sibling through chemo treatments and help out with the kids. It sounds altruistic, until we discover that she is also escaping her life back home where she lost her job as a professor at a university for having an affair with a student (mature student - older than herself).  Oh ho, getting interesting! The third woman is the best friend of our ailing woman. She needs a break from her life back home, because she has just found out her husband is cheating on her. After several rounds of failed IVF, she is devastated, but no more so than when she finds out that she is pregnant! And to add a romantic twist, they meet a young man at the airport, who becomes their babysitter for the boys, who of course ends up having an affair with our poor pregnant damsel in distress. It is all very predictable, but was a perfect read for sitting on the beach myself. Easy to read, and well enough written to keep me reading through to the end.

I followed that up with "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (© 2006 Penguin Books). Now this was another cup of tea entirely (pardon the pun). I originally picked up this book, as we were going to read it in book club, but we ran out of time the first year. It sat on my bedside table for ages and I finally cracked the spine this summer. Once I did, I could barely put it down. Relin is an accomplished writer and he brings Mortenson's story to life in vivid detail. I am sure that many of you have read the book or at least heard tell about it. It won the Kiriyama Prize (according to the sticker on the front of my book) and was on book club lists all over the continent. It is the story of Greg Mortenson's original failed attempt at climbing K2, that ultimately led him to set up the Central Asia Institute (CAI), which built many schools, community centres and irrigation systems around Pakistan and Afghanistan. Mortenson struggled against political, religious, societal and economic hardships, but is painted as a hero that strives to accomplish good where all others failed. 

In pulling together information for this post, I did find out some interesting details though. It seems that there has been some scandal associated with Mortenson's dealings, just this past year. 60 Minutes did an expose back in April, that questioned many of his financial practices, as well as his claims to greatness. Regardless of the truth of the story that was unearthed, I still applaud the ultimate goal behind the book though. The message is that one person CAN make a difference. I think that this fact is a valid point and humanitarian aid always has a place in society. It is a shame if the rumours are true, but the book renews faith in the goodness of human kind none the less. It is a great story and one that is worth the read. 

Now, I must close my eyes for the night though. I am reading "The Book of Negroes" by Lawrence Hill, at present, and so far it is good. I fear that my brain is done for the night though and any reading will have to happen in the morning or beyond. I wish you good music, happy reading, and whatever else floats your boat this summer.

Peace
XO

A Gander at Grizzly Bear

I found a new band today and I have to say that I am intrigued by them. So much so, that I watched several of their videos to get a better feel for their sound. Their music is very esoteric and great to chill out to. Their videos are all bizarre, requiring hallucinogenics to properly understand them (I suspect, I didn't experiment).

No matter, I just thought I would share. Here is the first video I watched by Grizzly Bear.

Good People

Happy Friday my friends!

I have been working away today, studying trees, Mother's Day ideas, new social media avenues and working on my newest Twitter presence. I took a quick break to take a peek at my blog and was pleased to see all the comments I received from yesterday's post. You guys are all too sweet!

So I will dedicate this video (from one of my favourite bands - Great Big Sea) to you "Good People" today. Hope you all have a lovely weekend and Happy Mother's Day to all the Mommas out there!

Perspective

   A friend has arrived on my doorstep. She has flown the coop, if you will, in order to put her life in perspective. We sat fireside last night and talked and talked, drinks in hand and hearts on our sleeves. I cannot solve her problems, but I can listen. And feel. A life in flux is a familiar theme as of late and I offer what I can to those that I care about. I offer me, what little wisdom I have, when I can. It is what I do.

   I suspect that more words will flow as the day progresses. I left my friend to catch up on sleep, while I coffeed up to fuel myself for the day ahead. It might be a long day. I start the day with this song and it feels right to share today. Enjoy and I hope that your life gains insight in some little curve of it. Peace friends.

Remembrance Day - Lest We Forget

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

by John McCrae 1915

No Words of my Own

Just my poppy offered up

for those gone before

for my freedoms

...

Everyday is Halloween

BOO!!

Happy Halloween all!

Couldn't resist a blast from the past

(for you too Ms. C)

Too tired after returning from my sister's house and the mayhem of a 5 year old's Chuck E Cheese party,

plus the 2 1/2 hour drive home, 

followed by a mad scramble to carve a few bumpy pumpkins

 to offer you another scary scribbled tale.

The blissful sugary-anticipating grins from my little ones

makes it all worthwhile,

as I rub my tender tootsies

and bid you good night...

Enjoy this taste of Ministry

(A band I gothically glammed to in my teen years)

and my Halloween treat for you.

Red Shoes

My friend Nancy and I showing off our Red shoes

Some of you may have noticed that I was away yesterday. I apologize, but I had good reason to not pop in here to visit. After dropping my kiddies off in the AM, I ran like mad the rest of the day. "Why?" you ask. Well, I was getting ready to strut my stuff on the runway for the Hope's Garden Celebrate Every Body Fashion Show 2010 – A Red Shoe Event.

The activities started last Friday when I went to a little boutique by the name of Elizabeth Noel to get fitted for a few dresses. I was to dress in casual wear and formal wear and when the prospective models entered the store, we were told to browse around. This is not a store I can say I have shopped in, as the prices were a mite high for me, but there was some pretty stuff. I don't tend to need a lot of formal wear in my wardrobe, so was a bit gob-smacked as to what to wear, but the ladies that worked there got us all fitted and accessorized. The photos are not great, due to lighting, but these were the outfits I got to sashay down the runway in.

Casual Wear

Formal Wear

On Wednesday, I dumped my kids at Nancy's house so that I could go to the dress rehearsal. I walked into the building and my heart started to pound. I have never done any modeling before and for some strange reason, was shocked that the runway was right in the middle of the room with all the tables surrounding it. I was going to have to walk down that narrow strip with lights blazing and all the eyes in the room trained on me. Oh LORD!!! The thought of it made me start to sweat and all the chairs were empty. We got a spiel about how the night would run, were shown the dressing rooms, then gathered into our store groupings for a practice walk down the runway. The children went first and all looked like pros (except my girlfriend from bookclub's daughter who walked zombie-like shuffling to the end). My group was next up and I scrambled up onto stage to stare down the length of the runway. It seemed to stretch forever out into the audience. Our music cued and off the girls went one by one, till I was floating down my first ever catwalk with a  frozen smile plastered to my nervous face. One more lady followed me, then we all swished down the runway once more for our phantom audience to admire. I stepped down off the runway and breathed. There was no turning back now. I could do this. The rest of the models got their turns to practice their moves on the runway and then we headed back out into the evening. We would reconvene the next day for the actual show.

The next day dawned bright and sunny in my world. I kissed my girls goodbye, reminded them that D would be picking them up that evening and made them promise to be good for the babysitter. I would not see them again that day. I snatched a quick coffee, then made my way to the hair studio to get my locks styled. This was the fun part! I arrived at the DeVoG Academy hair salon at 11AM and was shown to the back where a stylist-in-training awaited. Yes, the reason why all the female models could get their hair styled was because a school had offered to do it. All good, I thought. I viewed the rows of gleaming curling irons and hair spray and forced a smile for my friendly, but nervous stylist. I explained that I would be sporting casual wear, as well as formal wear, but more importantly that my hair was fine and thin, and would not hold a style for any length of time without some artificial support. Product was necessary. Hairspray would have to take center stage with me.  An hour later, I had more curls on my head than I had seen since the bad poodle perm way back in primary school. This time it looked cute though. My eyes sparkled as I tossed my bouncy curls this way and that in the mirror. No time to dally now though. A list of errands was on the roster before I could get to the hall for the show.

I could drag this out some more, but I will cut to the chase now. I arrived at the hall and greeted K from book club and her daughter. After consulting with 8-year-old H on which nylons went better with my casual dress, I started to slowly prep for the show. We were fed sandwiches and fruit, but K slipped me a plastic glass with ice and scotch in it to settle the nerves that threatened to fray. Bless you, my dear! It must have helped, as I soon found me dressed and forcing myself to take deep breaths in a dark hallway. I inched forward behind the other women in my group, until the stage hand said "go!" and it was my turn. Around a curtain and the lights exploded in my eyes. I posed, smiled and strutted down the catwalk to "Tonight's Gonna be a Good Night" by the Black Eyed Peas.



And you know what? It was! I strutted, smiled, posed, turned and most importantly did not fall down and hurt myself, the dress or any poor saps in the audience. The intermission saw a bottle of wine circulate in our back dressing room which I got a nip of, although I didn't necessarily need the liquid encouragement any more. Nylons were stripped off, to give full accent to the red shoes I sported against the black of my dress. The second set, I smiled in the hallway waiting for my turn. I was shocked to hear the announcer introduce me (horrible pronouncement of my name, but no matter) and comment on my red shoes. I hadn't even heard a thing first round! I smiled for the photographer and discretely waved at friends in the audience, before getting another quick tour around the runway as a group. We exited out the other side of the stage (where I almost fell down the stairs this time! Caught by all the men waiting to go on next. oops!). After everyone completed their sets, we got one more last wander down the catwalk, before calling it a night. I can now add model to my list of  accomplishments.

And the crazy thing is, I liked it...