Kid in car seat BEST AIR GUITARIST EVER

This kid has so much swagger it's amazing, and his air-guitar skills and lip-syncing are out of this world.

Stanford Lively Arts announces exciting 09/10 season: "Art + Innovation"

Earlier this week Stanford Lively Arts announced the full details of its 2009-10 performing arts series, running October 10th through May 5th at Stanford University. Lively Arts’ 40th season is inspired throughout by “Art + Invention,” an over-arching theme anchored by a yearlong campus project involving the jazz trumpeter/composer Dave Douglas and the innovative filmmaker Bill Morrison.

Other highlights include new works from Laurie Anderson (in a co-commission with Cal Performances), Steve Reich (performed by So Percussion), the Kronos Quartet, and L.A. Theatre Works; a multiday tribute to the composer Sergei Prokofiev; the Bay Area debut of Christopher Wheeldon’s Morphoses dance company (in a co-presentation with San Francisco Performances and UC Davis’s Mondavi Center); and a collaboration between the trumpeter Terence Blanchard and the Stanford Symphony Orchestra.

Read more of my Examiner posting here...

Bruce Springsteen plays San Jose: finally got my pictures up

On April 1, 2009 my brother, my Dad and I drove down to San Jose to see the Boss. I finally got my pictures and videos up. It was a great show! 

Unfortunately we weren't familiar with a lot of the songs, especially the ones off the new album. But these old farts put on a great show. And we've decided that Max Weinberg is a machine. 

Here are a couple of good reviews if you care to read them: sfgate yahoo news

Our view from behind the stage, it was a pretty cool place to sit.

Bruce came around to the back a couple times to give us some love.

Bruce and guitarist Nils Lofgren

"Dancing in the Dark"

Cutest couple at a rock show EVER

Happy Jamie and Dad

More "Dancing in the Dark"

"Born to Run"

The crowd goes wild, Bruce and the E Street Band give their bows.

Countertenor Andreas Scholl and the Australian Chamber Orchestra: making chamber music sexy

Countertenors fascinate me.

The countertenor represents a moment in history, the 17th century, when men who were feminine were desirable. Men were more masculine if they had feminine aesthetic characteristics. They also represent a time before women were welcome in concert music. Young boys, countertenors and castrati sang the vocal parts now known as alto and soprano. The countertenor was the David Bowie, the Prince, and hair bands of their time. They were divas and their fans loved them like rockstars.

Read More of my article at examiner.com

Depeche Mode's "Sounds of the Universe": the most perfect cover art

There is a poster for this new Depeche Mode album called "Sounds of the Universe" down the street from me at the corner store, and I just think this is the most perfect album graphic I've ever seen. It's so simple and says everything it needs to with just a circle and some lines.

Love it.

I feel like I don't need to explain. But let me know if I actually do.

Stanford Celebrates Late-Medieval Composer

detail from Ockheghem facsimile manuscript from around the year 1500

It is rare that one would be able to attend a concert of entirely one composer's work, but tomorrow night at Stanford University, Stanford's own vocal group Cut Circle, will perform a whole program of the most celebrated 15th-century late-medieval composer, Johannes Ockeghem. Read More...

This is Missa cuiusvis toni, a gorgeous composition, comprising of intricately interacting vocal lines that sound smooth to the touch. Take a listen.

I've been quoted for the first time!

Read Laurie's article on her tasteful Susan Boyle makeover. She quotes my article down at the bottom. This is exciting!

A fashion makeover for Susan Boyle

Now I am completely guilty of making a first judgement. See my eye is trained to spot good and bad fashion and create ways to change, update, or reinvent. Not only that, but as am Image Consultant, we teach that first impressions are everything and that within the first four seconds of looking at somebody...

read more

I also wanted to share this article from the UK Times Online where Susan talks about her vocal and physical confidence. I think she's absolutely adorable.

I also wanted to point out that my article has gotten a lot of attention and folks have yelled at me a bit for bad-mouthing Britney. I'm cool with that.

Why the women of planet earth need more Susan Boyles

Please read my new article on examiner.com about why the phenomenon of Susan Boyle is so important to me and to millions of people around the globe.

I've been thinking about this whole concept for awhile, and then Susan came along.  It took me all day to write this article, I'm really proud of it!

Rockin' Baby Onesie

A coworker and his wife are having a baby and everyone in the office each decorated a onesie for him. I'm pretty proud of mine. I used this picture of Bruce Springsteen, who has a large fanbase in the office, to get the back right. (And I know the strap wouldn't be attached to the neck like that, it just ended up that way.)

Phil Spector & Tinariwen: News Updates

Read my article on examiner.com profiling Tinariwen from the Malian Saharan. They will be playing the San Francisco Jazz Festival on Thursday night. While they sing about exile, oppression and the struggle for freedom, their music is certain to get the audience on their feet.

Tinariwen, Desert in Tokyo
Uploaded by eliki

Also in the news, Phil Spector finally gets his due for the crazy he's always had inside him. Listen to this fabulous piece on NPR and watch these videos. I imagine his music will outlive the crazy as his time creates the legend, we'll see.

The Very Cool Video for "Her Beautiful Ideas" by The Guggenheim Grotto

Youtube videos that have me giggling today

And this one of a surprise performance of "Do Re Mi" from the Sound of Music in Central Station Antwerp, which is too wide to put on my blog :(

Doves' "Kingdom of Rust" Review and show at the Fillmore

Read my review of Doves' new record "Kingdom of Rust."
And watch the video for the title track.
Doves tour dates:

5/14, San Diego, CA (House of Blues)
5/15, Anaheim, CA (House of Blues)
5/16, Los Angeles, CA (The Wiltern)
5/18, San Francisco, CA (The Fillmore)
5/19, Eugene, OR, (McDonald Theatre)
5/21, Vancouver, BC, (Commodore Ballroom)
5/22, Portland, OR, (Wonder Ballroom)
5/23, George, WA, (Sasquatch! Festival)
5/26, Denver, CO, (Gothic Theatre)
5/28, Minneapolis, MN, (Varsity Theatre)
5/29, Chicago, IL, (Vic Theatre)
5/30, Detroit, MI, (Majestic Theatre)
6/1, Toronto, ON (Kool Haus)
6/2, Montreal, QC (Le National)
6/4, New York, NY (Terminal 5)
6/5, Philadelphia, PA (The Trocadero)
6/6, Washington, DC (9.30 Club)
6/7, Boston, MA (House of Blues)

Dent May on Daytrotter and mini-interivew

image from daytrotter.com

Check out one of my new favorite artists Dent May and his Magnificent Ukulele on the awesome daytrotter.com. Find sound clips, recorded live for Daytrotter. Also check out my earlier pre-SxSW blog post on Dent.

Mini-interview: I got the chance to say 'hi' to Dent after his showcase at Antone's at SxSW a couple weeks ago in Austin. He's a cute little guy with oversized glasses. I told him I really love his album (it's great driving music) and asked if he had ever been to grad school, since a few of his songs like, Academic Conference, are just too perfect. This is a bit of our conversation paraphrased:

He said, "No, but in undergrad we went to lots of conferences."

"What was was your major? " I asked.

"Southern studies, we would usually geek out to Faulkner."

I guess if your Southern, William Faulkner is a major source of pride and joy. Geeks are awesome. Sometimes I miss being in academia.

Bahaa Ronda and Arabic Music

I'm still trying to figure this video out (anyone have any information?) But this is an all Arabic female performance of traditional Moroccan music featuring singer Bahaa Ronda. Her voice is effortlessly beautiful.

I am so fascinated by how the violin is played upright like a cello in this Arab-Andalusian musical tradition called Gharnati.

Ronda also performs with the Chabab Al Andalous Rabat Orchestra. The Kennedy Center recently featured them on the Millennium Stage. See the live broadcast here. The Milliennium stage has a free to the public performance every day of the year at 6pm and archives every performance on their website. So if you are ever looking for something new, from classical music to world hip-hop, this is a wonderful resource. 

The Kennedy Center recently held a festival called Arabesque: Arts of the Arab World.

Sharing the varied music and culture of the 22 Arab nations across the globe, the program also featured exhibitions of  art installations, dance, fashion, a soundscape, cuisine, a marketplace and more. Check out the website, there are many links and resources to help you discover this

wealth of culture.

Kudos to the Kennedy Center for helping Americans learn a little bit more about the Arab world and therefore bringing understanding and appreciation between our worlds.

Thanks to Yaffa and my Mom for telling me about this!

Two great international artists on tour: Habib Koite & Lila Downs

Here is an article I wrote about two great shows this weekend in the Bay Area.

Malian Habib Koite and his band Bamada are on tour and will be performing at Zellerbach Hall with Cal Performances.  Performing at the Fillmore is Mexican singer/songwriter Lila Downs. Check and see if they are coming to a theater near you!

Habib Koite's website

Lila Downs website

Interview with Bear McCreary on examiner.com!!

Hello readers!

I am happy to report that I have been accepted to be a music writer for examiner.com and that I will be GETTING PAID in CASH MONEY (through paypal) for my writing. This blog will not die, I promise, I mean where else am I going to share Muppet videos at 5 AM in the morning???

I will be linking everything I write for examiner.com to this blog, so you don't have to do anything different, just click away. Please note that I get paid by the amount of traffic I get. And no, refreshing 100 times a day will not make a difference. Once a day, or whatever you do, is fabulous.

My first story is an interview with Bear McCreary, Battlestar Gallactica's composer. I lucked out with having friends in such awesome places. I'm really happy with my first journalist interview (which is pretty different than ethnographic ones) and thank you very much to my brother and those of you fabulous people that edited it before I uploaded it.

Here is a sneak peak at the upcoming documentary.

Good things are starting to happen here at alwaysmoretohear (including free press passes! Why didn't I think of that years ago??!!!) so please keep checking back. There will always be more to hear and I will keep sharing the good tunes with you.

Thanks again,

Jamie

p.s. oh, and I get to see Bruce Springsteen with my dad and brother tonight. How much better can today get?