12 Til 30 - "Oldies"

For those of us who grew up in the '80's and '90's, when we turned to the Oldies station on the radio, we would hear songs from the 50's and 60's.  Soon, the music from the 70's were played on the station. Today, I'm hearing songs from the early '90's! 

I wonder how the kids I work with at the after school hear some of the songs I grew up to.

The after school staff get to run clubs during the week, which are basically extra curricular activities.  I decided to run a Rock Band club.

Let me go back into my history Rock Band.  I was totally one of those nay-sayers.  I was irritated with the game because I didn't think it actually taught them any musical skills.

Then I played it.  I was instantly hooked.  I took back all the negative things I had ever said about the game.

It's been pretty awesome running this club.  It's one of the best experiences to be in a room full of kids who didn't grow up with a lot of the songs I'm trying to expose them to.

There were definitely times when they would be a bit hesitant to try some of the "older" songs.  But when I would insist to play along, I would choose songs like "Bohemian Rhapsody."  Now, they know and love the song.

I've been trying to expose them to more and more of the older tunes on the Rock Band games, mainly because I know that they wouldn't get a chance to hear that kind of music on the radio.  It's perhaps one of the most awesome experiences to have a kid singing "Crocodile Rock" or "Eye of the Tiger" or "I Love Rock and Roll" as we're dismissing them.

14 Til 30 - Mermaid Songs

27 Til 30 - Dirty 30 Theme Songs

Here are some songs that are resonating with me as of late. Enjoy!

Tori Amos at The Orpheum 12-6-11

As a Tori fan, I feel like I should know exactly how many of her concerts I've been to.  But my best guess is that I've seen her at least 5 or 6 times.  But now, I can say without a doubt that I've met her 3 times.

I was SO late to work...but it was worth standing outside for so long...

She had some tall boots on!
She's actually a bit shorter than me, as evidenced by my other Tori post.

I had brought her some pearl hair clips that I made for her and Tash, and she seemed to really like them.  I asked her about her shoes, which were some really cute wedge boots (a style I've been trying to look for!).  She then proceeded to tell me that she got them in L.A. (which I squealed about and told her it was my hometown) at the Nordstroms in The Grove.  She then lifted her foot and asked me to see if there was a logo on the bottom, but since there wasn't she took her shoe off (!!!) and told me they were from Steven.  I couldn't believe she took off her shoe just to tell me that!  

Then, I naturally had to ask her about what her thoughts were on the Occupy Movement and other movements around the world.  She talked about how the Native Americans have been talking about the similar issues for so long.  She also said that she thinks things will get worse before they get better, especially with the way things have been moving towards.  But, she said, I will be in charge of reminding her and others, as well as she has the responsibility to remind me and others about the need for change.

So cool.

This time around, I got to see the show with other folks who I adore and who also love Tori.  It had definitely been a while since I got to see Tori with a friend, much less multiple friends!

The show was, of course, amazing.  Here's the list of songs she played with some choice pictures I captured:

Shattering Sea
Landslide
Suede
Way Down
Leather
Snow Cherries From France

Mother
Ruby Through the Looking Glass
1000 Oceans

Siren
Nautical Twilight
Star Whisperer

Mrs. Jesus
Not the Red Baron
Someone Saved My Life Tonight

Your Ghost
Edge of the Moon
Fearlessness
Cruel

Tori was amazing.  Having the string quartet with her was amazing.  There was definitely a couple of tears shed at this concert.  It's amazing that she always chooses songs that are extremely significant for me in the moment. 

Thank goodness for Tori Amos and her music.

10 Day YOU Challenge - 2 Songs

2 songs:

I have to admit - this is perhaps one of the more difficult parts of this challenge.  2 songs??  How about 20?

I feel like different songs feel important at different parts of my life, day, mood, etc. 

But I really had to whittle it down.  Here are my 2.

1. Silent All These Years by Tori Amos

2. Something by The Beatles

10 Day YOU Challenge - 9 Loves

9 loves:

1.  My Kitties

Yoni

Mencken

 2. My Family

3.  My Friends on Both Coasts

map of friends listed on Facebook

4.  My Zune and Music Collection

I've been listening to a lot of Tori lately due to her new album

5.  Dancing

Taken by Nina at Katia's Retreat

6. Food!

mmm..mickey mouse ice cream bar...

 7.  The Ocean and Beach

From Nahant Beach

 8. The Color Green in Every Shade

9.  What else but Mermaids!

my mermaid scarf

 

Sade at TD Bank Garden

For the boyfriend's early birthday present, I decided it was high time he got to see one of his favorite artists.

So, I got us tickets to see the one and only Sade!

At first, it didn't seem like he really wanted to go.  But since I bought the tickets, he didn't really have much of a choice.

Truth be told, I didn't actually splurge being that we're under a tight budget.  I also figured that since Sade's music is relatively mellow, that we wouldn't necessarily need to be so super up close.

Unfortunately, I only had the camera phone on me.

Boy, it definitely would have been worth it to buy at least 1 price range up!

Firstly, Sade doesn't really tour much at all.  I believe it's been at least 10 years since her last tour.  I know the boyfriend hadn't ever seen her perform, and he's been a fan for a long time. The fact that she doesn't tour much is a good enough reason on it's own to see her.

Secondly, the visuals of her performance were utterly amazing, not to mention the fact that Sade herself is pure beauty.

One of the many videos that played in the background
 during the songs. I believe this was for "Kiss of Life"

Can you believe she's 52 years old??? She looks amazing!  Honestly, she herself was breathtaking.

"Kiss of Life" with Sade in a gorgeous green dress in the video

She played some of her amazing hits, starting with "Soldier of Love" to "Smooth Operator" to "Jezebel" to "No Ordinary Love" and ending with "Cherish the Day."  Though I was exhausted and tired, it just felt so amazing to be in her presence.

She also moved around quite a bit, at one point taking the entire band to the stage left corner for an more intimate set.  She also had about 4 costume changes.

White gown

The only outfit I didn't get a picture of was her "Smooth Operator" outfit, which was suit pants, vest, and button-down shirt.

Lady in Red on a platform

The next time Sade comes through whatever town I happen to be living in, there will not be a question about whether I will see her or not.  There are so few performers who seem to really sing from the heart anymore, especially in such a vulnerable setting like an arena concert.  To bear so much in such a huge space can be daunting.  But Sade pulls it off with all the grace, beauty, and passion, without giving away too much of herself.

Talking Tunes: "Rapture" by Blondie

I'm not really sure how it initially came up, but back in high school my friends and I got to talking about the Revelations from the Bible.  It's quite possible that this conversation came up because our 10th grade Honors English teacher made the Bible our required reading.

I didn't go to a Catholic school or any other religious school.  I went to a college prep high school.  Our teacher spoke of the importance of knowing where other literary works got their inspirations from.

Yeah...that seemed like a bullshit reason to me as well.  Yet, I read the entire thing, though I can't say I remember all of it.

Anyways, my friends and I got to talking about Revelations and about the end of the world.  Most of us believe that it would not be happening in our lifetime, but that the end of the world would really be more of the end of the earth as a planet and not really as an ascension of righteous souls into heaven.

As I'm sure some of your know, there is an old Evangelical radio broadcaster by the name of Harold Camping who is predicting that the Rapture will take place on May 21, 2011.

That's today.

The interwebs are in a flurry about the Rapture.  In all honesty, Mr. Camping has done a great job with creating mass hysteria through various means, such as multiple billboards, campaigners taking to the streets, and even a Rapture Van.

Rapture Van vs. Batmobile...who do you think would win?

As the day closed in on us, I could feel the excitement in the air.  More and more people were making jokes about it, and even I found myself unable to contain my excitement.

Whenever I got the chance, I would excitedly say to my friends, "So, I am SUPER excited about the Rapture!"

I mean, let's say that hypothetically the Rapture happens.  People would be disappearing from their cars, from their homes.  Then the rest of us would have to endure some tribulations and some wrath and maybe even some Anti-Christ action.  But what would it really look like?

There's so many interpretations of it that I feel like any out-of-ordinary phenomena could be counted toward the Rapture.  Any severe weather phenomenon could be part of the Rapture if someone decides to say it is so.

There is something extremely fascinating about the fact that people want to believe what they want to believe even if there's hard scientific evidence for or against it.  For some people, it's just plain stubbornness.  For others, it's a way of life.

Yet, if it doesn't happen, there will be a lot of hangovers the next day.  But I do fear that there will also be a lot of sadder stories as well for the poor saps who want to believe so badly.

Honestly, it's exciting to be part of these times when people are predicting the end.  It's fun to speculate, and it'll be fascinating when we're all proven wrong.

"How can I possibly be excited about this?" you might ask.  Well, back in high school when my friends and I were first discussing the Revelations, I realized that I thought it would be kind of neat to live through the end of the world.

Don't get me wrong.  I'm sure it would be utterly horrifying, whether it be through religious means or if it was just the Earth imploding on itself.  But for that split second before all consciousness is gone, you're conscious of your own humanity, of the life you've lived and the people you've loved.  You are conscious of your being and of your environment, perhaps more than you've ever been in your entire life, and it's really a precious thing.

Now, I would clearly be remiss if I didn't talk about Blodie's "Rapture."  First of all, it's an amazing song that I plan on blasting throughout the day.

Secondly, her rap just cracks me up!!!  I'm sure it was all ground-breaking back then, but it is still difficult for me to believe that the "rap" part in the song was taken seriously.

So, enjoy this awesome music video of Blondie's "Rapture," try to sing along, and laugh at the silliness of the rap and the Rapture.

See you all on the other side (or Sunday)!




"Rapture" by Blondie
Toe to toe, dancing very close
Body breathing, almost comatose
Wall to wall, people hypnotized
And they're stepping lightly
Hang each night in rapture


Back to back, sacroiliac
Spineless movement and a wild attack
Face to face, sightless solitude
And it's finger-popping
Twenty-four hour shopping in rapture


(Rap)
Fab Five Freddy told me everybody's fly
DJ's spinning, I said "my, my"
Flash is fast, flash is cool
François, c'est pas flashé non due
And you don't stop, sure shot
Go out to the parking lot
And you get in your car and drive real far
And you drive all night and then you see a light
And it comes right down and it lands on the ground
And out comes the man from Mars
And you try to run, but he's got a gun
And he shoots you dead and he eats your head
And then you're in the man from Mars
You go out at night eating cars
You eat Cadillacs, Lincolns, too
Mercurys, and Subaru
And you don't stop
You keep on eating cars
Then when there's no more cars
You go out at night
And eat up bars where the people meet
Face to face
Dance cheek to cheek
One to one
Man to man
Dance toe to toe
Don't move too slow
'Cause the man from Mars is through with cars
He's eating bars
Yeah, wall to wall
Door to door
Hall to hall
He's gonna eat 'em all
Rapture
Be pure
Take a tour through the sewer
Don't strain your brain
Paint a train
You'll be singing in the rain
Said don't stop, do the punk rock


Well, now you see what you want to be
Just have your party on TV
'Cause the man from Mars won't eat up bars where the TV's on
Now he's gone back up to space
Where he won't have a hassle with the human race
And you hip hop
And you don't stop
Just blast off
Sure shot
Because the man from Mars stopped eating cars
And eating bars
And now he only eats guitars
Get up

Clouds Decending

There has been this consistent rain and gloomy feeling this month of May.  From the intense flooding down in Mississippi all the way up to the persistent cloudiness here in Boston, it has been a constant...and it's affecting everyone.

Fog covering the clock tower in Downtown Boston

I almost don't know what the sky looks like anymore.  As someone who tries to stay positive, even through all these difficult times, the weather has not really helped in getting out of the depression.

There's a part of me that wants to say, "Well, it is what it is.  We can't do anything about it.  We'll appreciate the sunshine so much more."

Then there's the other part of me that wants to sink into a little funk, hide under my covers, and nap all day.

I am craving some warmth, and unfortunately it is too cold and raw outside.

But, it's not going to stop me from wearing bright colors and combating the cold that way.  I'm definitely not going to stop turning up the music as I travel through the city.

Obviously, Pink Martini's "Hang On Little Tomato" is high on my playlist.



But I've recently rediscovered this inspiring song by Carole King.



What's on your positive playlist?

Pink Martini at The Orpheum

On Wednesday, November 3rd, I caved in though my finances weren't in the best of places and got tickets to see Pink Martini at The Orpheum.

My golden ticket

I had written the concert into my datebook the moment I knew they were coming into Boston.  But I really held off, just feeling that I didn't really deserve to go until I found a job.  As the date neared, I could feel the anxiety creep up on me.  I needed to go, and so I went.

For some reason, some of the information was incorrect, and the band was already playing Ravel's "Bolero" when I walked in through the door.  The second they directed me to where my seats were, I bolted up the 2 flights of stairs and found my seat.

Word of advice to anyone who hasn't been to The Orpheum.  The seats are horrible.  I'm relatively short, but my knees were already knocking against the seat in front of me and I had to sit somewhat sideways and twisted to be comfortable.  My seat was also up against a wall at the end of a row of people already sitting.

But the second I sat down and got settled (though not really comfortable), I was so so happy to be in my seat.

It's interesting to me that the majority of people in the audience are much older than me, but it's nice to know that Pink Martini has such a diverse following.  Perhaps due to the diversity in their music, the crowd is usually full of different people.

Another fun thing about Pink Martini concerts is that you can really learn a lot more about their music than any website can tell you.

At one point, Thomas Lauderdale, the pianist and conductor of the band, introduced the song Ninna Nanna on their most recent album, "Splendor in the Grass."  It's a song sung in Neopolitan, and apparently, it's sung by a mermaid to a sleeping sailor!

When he said that, I basically had my mouth open in shock for a couple of seconds, shocked that I hadn't looked up the lyrics beforehand to realize that.  This website is a great resource for Pink Martini lyrics:
Alwaysontherun.net and here is the song via YouTube.

Though their concerts never seem to last for too long, it's always quite a satisfying experience.  This is my 4th time seeing them, and I really hope that there will be more opportunities to come.

Brazil for the Encore

Simple Pleasures Sundays - Weekend Tunes

When I was a child, some of my fondest memories are from driving with my parents.  In particular, I loved listening to the radio with my parents.

On Saturday mornings, after swim class at the YMCA in Hollywood, we would often head to McDonald's or order pizza.  But it's the moments of getting to the next place that were the most wonderful. 

On the radio on Saturdays, one of the stations would play Big Band music and Jazz.  It just felt so relaxing and like everything was as it should be as we drove through the city back to our home.

Because of my parents, I was exposed to such a wide variety of music.  From Big Band to The Beatles.

Today, on weekends, I often crave those simple moments with my parents again.  Being on the other side of the country, I've had to create my own moments.  So, on weekend mornings, the boyfriend and I will often turn to one of the Music Choice channels that's labeled "Singers and Swing."

I just love the feeling that everything is alright, and for some reason that classic kind of music helps to put me at ease.

Being that October 9th was John Lennon's 70th Birthday, I figure it would be appropriate to share a Beatles song written and sung by John in the Big Band style.  Happy Birthday, John!

City Sights - September 1st Eve

For some reason September 1st fills me with a mix of sad feelings and happy memories.  Though it's still hot and humid in Boston, September's arrival means that summer is over. 

In Boston, it also means that the students have come back, and thousands of leases have ended and are just beginning.

On the final night in August, a couple of friends, the boyfriend, and I took a walk around Allston and Brighton, neighborhoods fraught with students and leases.  I just wanted to share with you some of the amazing piles of trash that we came across.

Another man's trash...

...is another man's Double Rainbow All the way!

It was fascinating to walk around the neighborhood.  Usually, I try to avoid the craziness of the U-Haul trucks, smelly sidewalks, and hyped up undergrads.  But doing this with friends makes the experience a whole lot better.

Words of advice for anyone:  Bring hand wipes or hand sanitizers or both.  I made the mistake of touching a Guitar Hero drum set that was just disgustingly sticky.  Gross!

There are a lot of things I miss about being a student, or just in general about years past.  But I'm interested to see what this September will bring.  With that, I leave you with this awesome tripped out video of an amazing song.

8 Things - Learned/Learning/Learn

This Thursday, the theme for Magpie Girl's 8 Things is Learned/Learning/Learn.  I admit that this is a difficult topic, mainly because I have to reflect a lot about what's been going on in my life - and there's been a lot!  But for the most part, I'll stay as positive as I can.

Learned...

...How to be an effective Social Work Intern Supervisor.  In fact, my time as a supervisor is soon coming to an end, come May 14th.  I'm sure I have more to learn, but I'd like to think I've done a pretty damn good job so far.

Bantay

Yoni

...That I am not a dog or a cat person, but I really love both.  There's something about having an animal in the house.  For all the stinky farts from the dogs and all the spazzing out from the kitty, it's hard to imagine life without these darlings.  Unfortunately, the doggie on the right has already gone to Doggy Heaven.

...That I can ride my bike safely around the city, not because of the city but because I ride safely.  I've had my share of small scares, including a time when my tire got stuck in a groove and I flew over my handlebars and when some dude clipped me.  But for the most part, it's nice to be able to get somewhere fast enough on my own.

Learning...

...How to say "No."  Today provided the best example for this!  The school the non-profit I work for is based in was having a staffing issue today.  One of the other outside organizations who is in the school does random jobs depending on who needs help.  It's almost like they're called on for subbing, secretarial duties, and general child-watching.  Today, they were playing secretary.  Though we're in the midst of organizing a huge talent show-like event, the Assistant Principal asked that I also take part in secretarial duties since other orgs were helping out.  I told him that I couldn't because of our event, but he assumed that I would do it anyway.  Luckily, other things started happening that provided a nice distraction.  But, I felt like I had to avoid the area until the other stuff started happening.

...How to speak up for myself and put myself first.  This is mainly concerning personal relationships.  I'm such a mother hen sometimes, that I often put myself last.  But then, when I do try to take care of things for myself, I've been accused of not taking care of the household.  I'm told that I should go and enjoy being social and active, but then I'm blamed for being too busy outside to focus on what (or who) is at home.  I'm still trying to figure all this stuff out.

...To embrace my body.  I love all the things my body can do, like dance and get around the city on my own.  I'm still working on getting to a happier place with the way I look, but at least I'm aware of my own strengths and challenges.

Learn...

...How to save more money.  Goodness...saving money is tough!  Especially when the majority of my income is coming from the government.  But I'm slowly trying to do better about the spending.

...How to play more Beatles songs on the bass and piano.  Well, I need to practice more in general.  But, it would be awesome to learn something new in addition to practicing the old stuff.  After playing Beatles Rock Band, I'm re-inspired to learn some of my favorite songs and their actual notes.

8Things - My Power Songs

Over on Magpie Girl, it's 8Things Thursday.  Today's theme is "Songs for Standing In Your Power."

Just reading the title, I thought of about 3 songs right off the bat.  So, I figured, I should participate.

Here are 8 songs that I consider my "Power Songs."  I highly encourage you to listen to every one, and dance around your homes and feel powerful.  Enjoy!

1.  Soulful Strut by Young Hold Unlimited

2.  All These Things that I've Done by The Killers

3.  Body and Soul by Tori Amos

4.  5 Years by Bjork

5.  Off the Wall by Michael Jackson

6.  Tempo Perdido by Pink Martini

7.  Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien by Edith Piaf

8.  The End by The Beatles (Though, I really love the entire medley of Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End)

Create a playlist at MixPod.com

What a great way to end my work week!