Post-Madonna Prima Donna, Jason Cady’s CD, is out on Peacock Recordings (see prev post: Jason Cady & The Artificials).
Post-Madonna Prima Donna (2001) is a one-act opera. The subject is language, sepcifically, in this excerpt, the Minnesota vernacular. “Post-Madonna Prima Donna: Recitative 1 | Aria” (1:01 | 3:02 mp3):
Also on the CD is an 11-part Odi et Amo (2006), a cantata inspired by the love poems of the ancient Roman poet Catullus.
Literal Video Versions, from DustFilms, answer the musical question: What if a music video’s lyrics had something/anything to do with the inane stories you’re seeing on screen? Posted at Funny or Die is A-Ha’s “Take on Me: Literal Video Version” — an ode to squiggly lines and pipe-wrench ass-kicks:
LVV vid#2 is also out, Tears for Fears’ Head Over Heels: Literal Video Version.
via WFMU’s blog.
Know nada about this band, ‘cept I do like this ditty. Avett Brothers, “Murder in the City” (3:12mp3):
via My Old Kentucky Blog.
Among the many meshuganah mashup artists is the occasional mench (still Rosh Hashanah, doncha know). Like Musicina Blender, who mixes Ryan Adams acoustic vers of Oasis “Wonderwall” with Brazilian guitarist Baden Powell. “Put two beautifuls together and sometimes it creates a third beautiful.”
“Canto de Wonderwall (Musicina Blender Mashup)” (5:48 mp3):
via some velvet blog.
Hearing Voices from NPR®
031 The Stamberg Files: Essays, Audio-tours, and Interviews
Host: Susan Stamberg of NPR
Airs week of: 2009-12-30 (Originally: 2008-10-01)
“The Stamberg Files” (52:00 mp3):
Susan pulls some pieces she’s most proud of from the NPR audio archives:
She knits her way though history, takes us on a personal tour of DC, and tries to interest her colleagues in resurrecting her infamous relish recipe.
She talks with economist Milton Friedman, actor Judi Dench, writer Nora Ephron, and pianist Leon Fleisher.
In pursuit of patriotism, Ms. Stamberg de-France-ifies popular culture, then ends in a Parisian park, chatting with a world-class conversationalist. Above photo © 2006 NPR by Antony Nagelmann.
rx has a new video, sampling George W Bush doin’ it “My Way:”
Another Protest Song “invites artists, songwriters, and musicians to create, upload, listen, and debate new songs of protest as part of a growing audio archive of politically engaged music.” The site asked the musical question: “What does a 21st Century protest song sound like?”
Well, it mostly sounds pitiful, pampered, and pompous, if the protest songs posted there are any indication. But among the garbage are some gems, like…
“This is What Democracy Looks Like” (5:13 mp3):
Based on recording of protest against Iraq War, New York, March 2003. Written/produced/performed by Bob Goldberg/BAN Radio “Orchestraâ€, 2003.
Another musical Obama-nation, Ben Sollee re-does his tune w/ the Best of Barack mixed in by DJ 2nd Nature:
“A Few Honest Words” (2:18 mp3):
More info and links at Some Velvet Blog.
The Matryomin is a theramin-like instrument housed in a Russian doll. Here’s an all-Matryomin Japanese ensemble doing Dvorak’s #9 “Going Home” theme:
Ginna Allison (Jay’s sis) long ago moved on from public radio production to web design. But she recently revisited her box of old tapes, and has been posting pieces on her Wormlips blog.
There’s some real gems in the series Skip Through the Shadows: Scenes from Childhood. And you gotta hear her sound-portrait/bio, Story of Rose Maddox.
Try this touching short film by (friend-of-HV) Lisa Miller of a garbage-picker in Phnom Penh, set to music by the Flaming Lips, “Yoshi in Cambodia:”
The Motley Fool slaps a strong SELL recommendation on the music/record industry, in “Putting Pandora Back in the Box:”
Thanks to record labels’ considerable whining, government and the music business seem to have joined forces to destroy popular services like Pandora, Last.FM, imeem, and Slacker… I think many consumers are catching on that when the industry howls about defending artists, it’s really just talking about defending the major labels’ broken business model, which has been under constant assault ever since the world went digital… As far as I’m concerned, their draconian reactions to music’s continuing evolution make them great examples of the types of companies and industries I avoid… As an investor, I do all I can to avoid companies that refuse to evolve, and thus find themselves on the wrong side of creative destruction. For the most part, I think the media industry fits that niche. Any company or industry that can perceive massive opportunity as a threat should strike investors as a long-term loser.
Hearing Voices from NPR®
019 Life on the Mississippi: River Towns
Host: Scott Carrier of Hearing Voices
Airs week of: 2010-06-02 (Originally: 2008-07-09)
“Life on the Mississippi” (52:00 mp3):
A Tour of the River Towns:
Hannibal, Missouri, birthplace of Mark Twain; a day on a tugboat; St. Louis showboats; and changing the course of mighty rivers. We spend the whole hour on this 1984 downstream trip through the history and mystery of the Big Muddy, with Larry Massett and Scott Carrier.
Hearing Voices from NPR®
018 Flags and Fireworks: For Fourth of July
Host: Larry Massett of Hearing Voices
Airs week of: 2012-06-27 (Originally: 2008-07-02)
“Stars and Bars” (52:00 mp3):
Celebrating America with Festivals and Flames, featuring:
Recitations and reflections on “The Pledge” of Allegiance” and “War vs. Peace” (by Joe Frank).
The annual “Rainbow Family” migration into the Montana forest on July Fourth — their day of prayer for peace (produced by Barrett Golding, photos by Chad Harder).
A town that covets their title of the “Armpit of America” — host Larry Massett welcomes you to Battle Mountain, Nevada.
Mississippi moonshine, barbecued goat and old-time Fife & Drum at “Otha Turner’s Afrosippi Picnic” with producer Ben Adair.
SF Symphony conductor Michael Tilson Thomas interviews James Brown about composition, performance, and timing:
From intro about JB’s music—
MTT: “We were all amazed by the level of energy, the attacks, the precision, the syncopation, the wonderful empty spaces.”From interview—
MTT: “Being a conductor means you’re trying to get a lot of people to agree where Now is.”
JB: “NOW is right!”
MTT: “And boy do you do that.”
From APM’s series, The MTT FIles: “We Were Playing Boulez, But We Were Listening To James Brown.”
via The Kitchen Sisters.
BBC Report: “Thinking up beautiful music.”
Musicians may soon be able to play instruments using just the power of the mind. Researchers at Goldsmiths, University of London have developed technology to translate thoughts into musical notes.
Friend of HV, Gregg MvVicar, hosts the 1000th edition of his daily radio UnderCurrents: American Music With A Passport. This Saturday he spins the show’s top 75 tunes since UnderCurrents started flowing in 2005, selections of “Rock, Blues, Folk, Native, Country, Funk, Electronica, Reggae, World, Conscious Hip Hop, Dub and more.”
It was 40 years ago today; the Ambassador Hotel in LA— Robert Francis Kennedy (Nov. 20, 1925 – June 6, 1968).
From Shona Laing’s 1988 South, “(Glad I’m) Not a Kennedy” (3:28 mp3):
This many-sampled collaged mix of a Missy Elliot cover (“Get Ur Freak On”) keeps rolling ’round my head; found at WFMU, it’s by Satanicpornocultshop from Osaka, Japan and called “Pinky” (3:06 mp3):
https://rex-lumber.com/lyrica-pregabalin/
Satanicpornocultshop: MySpace
Website: Nu NuLAX NuLAN / neji
Hearing Voices from NPR®
014 Fans and Bands:
Groupies, Gravediggers & Rock n’ Roll Singers
Host: Ian Svenonius of Weird War
Airs week of:Â 2009-5-13 (Originally: 2008-04-06)
“Fans and Bands” (52:00 mp3):
Features a tribute to Bo Diddley (December 30, 1928 -Â June 2, 2008):
Host Ian Svenonius, of the band Weird War, introduces “The Groupies,” an album of 1969 interviews by producer Alan Lorber (Iris Music Group, Alan Lorber Orchestra).
We visit with the pilgrims at Pere LaChaise cemetery, come to see “Jim Morrison’s Grave” (a sound-portrait by Mark Neumann of Documentary Works and Barrett Golding).
John Denver‘s anti-Christian conspiracy is exposed in the series “Song and Memory” from producers Ann Heppermann & Kara Oehler, with Rick Moody.
And Bo Diddley blows up his mom’s radio in David Schulman’s series “Musicians in Their Own Words.”