The latest sensation to emerge from a “talent” show, pianist Liu Wei has captivated the world with his life story and his determination. He lost both arms when he was 10, and he learned to do everything using his feet. That includes playing the piano.
“I realize I have two choices in life”, he says. “Die now or live a beautiful life”. A very inspiring video, and one that I am immensely pleased to share with you.
The song he plays is “Marriage D’amour”.
(Sketches For) My Sweetheart The Drunk Was To Be Released Posthumously By Jeff Buckley's Mother In 1998, One Year After The Drowning Accident That Ended His Life.
Jeff Buckley’s drowning in 1997 in Memphis was a harrowing tragedy. We lost a great human being and we were deprived of a gifted performer whose career was just starting in earnest. At the time of his passing, Jeff was about to begin working with his band on a set of songs he had actually recorded once in Manhattan (with Television’s Tom Verlaine) and scrapped. He referred to those songs as “My Sweetheart The Drunk”, and he defined the album as “a guidebook for losers in love”.
Upon his passing, Jeff’s mother supervised a two-disc release made up of the songs Jeff had scrapped on the first disc, and the songs he had left behind as 4-track demos on the second CD. This double album became known as “(Sketches For) My Sweetheart The Drunk”, and it was a moving reminder of Buckley’s talent and determination to create a legacy as enduring as that of his brilliant (yet troubled) father Tim.
The songs he had recorded with Verlaine and scrapped only make it patent how much he strove for perfection – there was nothing wrong with them. Jeff was aiming to create a work which showcased him and his band as the close-knit performing unit they had become. And that was more than fulfilled by each of the ten songs that were featured.
“The Sky Is A Landfill” (a song in which he comes to terms with his father’s addictions) opens the album in an assertive way, and Jeff closes it almost single-handedly 50 minutes later with “You And I”, the nearest he has ever come to an acapella number. Generally, the songs stand as a more muscular version of the goth/folk sound that had been so captivating the first time around.
“Nightmares By The Sea” is a definitive highlight, and it was covered respectfully (but not brilliantly) by Katatonia later on. With its tale of lovers returning from the hereinafter to doom the existences of those still alive, the song is a clear tribute to Edgar A. Poe, an artist Jeff was very keen on. (He actually contributed a reading of “Ulalume” to an album produced and issued by Hal Willner in 1997, “Closed On Account of Rabies”.) Continue reading
A Dirge-like Remix Of Justin Bieber's "U Smile" Has Ended Up Giving An Unknown Producer A Lot Of Notoriety
It’s amazing, but a producer who was fooling around with a song by the Canadian teen star has actually ended up with a viral hit in his hands.
The song in question is “U Smile”, and it has been slowed down beyond all belief (800 %, in fact). You can listen to it below, on the Soundcloud profile of the remixer (an aspiring producer named Nick Pittsinger)
Anyway, this is the song. Again – the amount of plays it has garnered is nothing short of breathtaking.
(Hagan click aquí para leer esta nota en español)
Well, here you can read a small interview I conducted with the cool guys from Mal Yo (remember them?). They are as funny as ever, and they have begun playing more shows around Montevideo Way to go, folks!
Band Information
Name: Mal Yo
Genre: Rock Pop
Band Members: Diego da Silva (guitar & vocals), Rodrigo Camejo (bass) and Sergio Alastra (drums & backing vocals)
Been Together Since: 21st of November, 2009 (first gig).
Main Claim To Fame So Far: We were number one in the ranking of Cadena de la Costa FM 102.1 (La Paloma)
Some Questions
Where did the name of the band come from?
It came from Sergio’s head – unable to think of anything better (like always) he thought up that name, as a way of asking advance pardon from the listener for what he is going to be put through.
How will you make to leave your mark in the history of Uruguayan music? Is that a concern, or will you just let time determine the role played by Mal Yo?
We play for fun. We love music and we don’t think about “leaving a mark”… if it happens, then that’s great. But come to think of it, we are not really ready for such a challenge.
What is the first thing that someone who is outside of Uruguay will think about when he listens to your songs?
We have seen that our page got a lot of visitors from abroad, but they didn’t stay for long. The probably thought the music was a pile of crap, or something like that!
In which sense being in Uruguay gives you an edge over musicians in other parts of the world? And how does it hinder you?
Well, residing here doesn’t really give you a lot of advantages, The market is small, it is hard to find pubs to play, and even to arrange your own gigs. Musicians here usually earn a living by doing other things that are unrelated, not being able to devote half as much time to it as we’d like… though that doesn’t apply to us and our ineptitude.
How are you building up your following? What role do social tools and services like Twitter, MySpace and Facebook play in your strategy? Would you say that kind of service has redefined how artists and fans connect, or do you believe that nothing beats a face-to-face with your audience?
We use all three, but Facebook is the main one for us. Lots of people have become acquainted with us like that, friends of friends and so on. We advertise our gigs, we upload pictures, videos and make comments. Our goal is to get through to people, and it is actually happening not only in Facebook, but also live. We have good chemistry with the audience. After each gig, we stay to meet people, take pics that we upload to our site… a close, nice group of friends is beginning to manifest itself. That is unbeatable. Well, that’s what we pay these guys for – to go and support us at gigs! Continue reading
(Click here for the English version of this post)
Finalmente encontramos un momento con los muchachos de Mal Yo para hacer una entrevista, la banda ha empezado a tocar con más frecuencia en los boliches de Montevideo y me alegro mucho por ellos. ¡A ver si para el próximo toque no estoy engripado! ; )
Información de la Banda
Nombre: Mal Yo
Género: Rock Pop
Miembros de la banda: Diego da Silva (guitarra y voz), Rodrigo Camejo (Bajo) y Sergio Alastra (Batería y coros)
Fecha de nacimiento: Fecha del primer toque de ésta formación 21/11/09
Lo más cercano que han estado de la fama hasta ahora: Fuimos Nº 1 del ranking de Cadena de la Costa FM 102.1 de La Paloma
Algunas Preguntas
¿De dónde surge el nombre de la banda?
Surge de la cabeza de Sergio, que ante la ausencia de ideas (cosa normal) aportó este nombre aplicando la filosofía de pedir disculpas de antemano por lo que se va a escuchar.
¿Cómo harán para dejar su huella en la historia de la música Uruguaya? ¿Piensan en ello, o dejarán que el tiempo determine el papel que jugó Mal Yo?
Tocamos para divertirnos, porque nos gusta la música y no nos cuestionamos el “dejar una huella”, si viene… bárbaro, pero pensándolo bien… no nos consideramos muy aptos para tal desafío.
¿Qué es lo primero que va a pensar un extranjero que escuche sus canciones?
Estuvimos viendo que en nuestra página hubo bastantes visitas del exterior pero no han sido muy duraderas, por lo que sacamos en conclusión que deben de haber pensado algo así como que somos una porquería, una bosta o algo así.
¿En qué sentido estar radicados en Uruguay les da una ventaja sobre músicos en otras partes del mundo? ¿Y en qué sentido los limita?
La verdad que no creemos que haya muchas ventajas por estar radicados acá, es un mercado pequeño, difícil por esta misma característica y donde no es fácil tocar en boliches ni hacer movidas para tocar por cuenta propia. Generalmente los músicos vivimos de otras cosas que no son la música y no podemos dedicarle el tiempo que quisiéramos a la ella… aunque en nuestro caso sería caer en un saco roto… por propias ineptitudes claro está.
¿Cómo están utilizando herramientas sociales (Twitter, MySpace, Facebook…) para promocionar la banda? ¿Qué tan efectivo ha sido todo ello hasta ahora? ¿Dirían que esos servicios han redefinido cómo una banda interactúa con el público? ¿O nada se compara con una cara a cara con la audiencia?
Usamos las tres pero la que mas usamos es Facebook, nos han conocido muchas personas por este medio, amigos de amigos y cosas así. Publicitamos los toques, las actualizaciones de nuestra web, subimos fotos, videos y hacemos comentarios. Nuestra meta es comunicarnos con la gente, y de hecho se está dando no sólo por facebook sino también en vivo, tenemos una buena química con el público, después de los toques nos quedamos a hablar con la gente, nos sacamos fotos, las subimos a la página, se ha formado un grupo de amigos muy lindo que nos siguen a todos lados y eso no tiene precio… por eso les pagamos lo que sea para que nos vayan a ver. Continue reading
“N’importe Comment” is the newest video by French rappers Orelsan and The Toxic Avenger. It pokes fun at all the artifacts of Internet culture – “liking” and “befriending” others, LOLcats… even ChatRoulette is referenced at the end, during the “DanceRoulette” section.
What do you think? Would you have done this video differently? Would you have mentioned anything else? Or does it give anybody a substantial pop culture fix as it is?
This is the second part of the conversation I had with Thomas Veitch from The Melody Master. In case you haven’t done so already, read the first part here.
PART II
MUSIC & YOU
When did you become interested in music? What was the first album or single you ever purchased?
Growing up in Manchester in the Madchester early 90s era, I got really into bands like Happy Mondays, Stone Roses, The Charlatans, Inspiral Carpets. My first purchase though was when I was a kid, and that was Ghostbusers.
Are you in a band yourself, or have you been in a band in the past? Is there a clip on YouTube or elsewhere we could watch?
I was in a band called Survival. It didn’t survive very long and didn’t make it out of the bedroom.
Musical likes and dislikes? Favorite artists?
I like any genre or type so long as it’s got energy and a cachy tune. Los de Abajo, Little Barrie, Fats Waller, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Arctic Monkeys, Profokiev.
I can’t stand wishy washy dreary music which makes you fall asleep. Continue reading
This is the first part of the interview I have had the pleasure of conducting with Thomas Veitch, the operator of The Melody
Master. This is where we talk about the site and the reception it has had.
And this is Part 2 (“Music & You”).
Full Name: Thomas Veitch
Age: 35
Site: The Melody Master
Position: Operator
PART I
THE SITE
Tell us a little about your site. Why did you create it? What was the original launch date?
I along with many musicians wish to be able to play an instrument by ear. You listen to a melody or riff and then wish to play it on the piano or guitar.
By providing some exercises, you can train your ear to do this. I’ve certainly improved my ability and I’ve noticed I’m starting to improvise now when playing the piano. I’d love to get to a level where I’m playing the same notes that I have in my head.
Are you happy with the way it has evolved so far, or do you think that there is still a lot to be added?
Yes, there’s always more exercises and games. The more exposure the site gets, the more feedback and requests we get from users which we aim to include.
What has been the feedback you have received? In which countries has The Melody Master been more successful?
Feedback has been positive. Users want us to put certain melodies in for them to learn. One user requested to be able to use the games entirely from the keyboard as it was easier for him. Another user requested to add a function to gradually make games harded by being able to control the intervals between the notes as in the Higher or Lower game. One user from Germany wanted a pitch memory game which we built.
The Melody Master has been popular in Europe and North America. Unexpectedly we’ve been quite popular in the Philippines. I think that’s because they have a lot of cover bands. Continue reading
Jackie Evancho
Jackie Evancho, a ten-year old soprano from Pittsburgh has become the newest online sensation after a recent performance at the YouTube edition of “America’s Got Talent”. This is the full clip.
What do you think – are we witnessing a new rising star of the caliber of Susan Boyle, or will it all be a passing fad?
Gabi Gregg Is Appointed As The First Twitter DJ In The History Of MTV
Do you remember the previous post about MTV’s search for a Twitter DJ? Well, that search is over. Gabi Gregg from Chicago has been appointed for the role upon winning a nation-wide contest.
This Twitter DJ (or “Twitter Jockey”, to be accurate) is an update version of the network’s old Video Jockey. The idea is that this person will keep everybody posted on what is going on via the popular micro-blogging platform, and also through other social media tools like Facebook.
My compliments to Ms. Gregg. I wish her all the luck in this (tricky) endeavor. She is going to need it to bring back those who have strayed from their TV sets towards the likes of Vevo and Hulu.