2 Things @ Once

My New Theme Song: This Too Shall Pass

OK Go - This Too Shall Pass from OK Go on Vimeo.

I previously mentioned the very clever videos the band OK Go created for their song This Too Shall Pass. I finally got around to downloading the song itself to my iTunes library, and in listening to it anew, I realized the lyrics were especially apropos for me right now.

So here it is again, in case you need a little something to get the weekend off on a positive note. Personally, the marching band version seems to fit my upbeat outlook right now more than the Rube Goldberg machine version. (Which, if you're a fan of and what to know in detail how they did it, there's a great interactive feature on their website here. Click on the map and have fun.)

Operating Room Mix Tape

There is a soundtrack to my life and music is a very big part of it. Music, all kinds of it, elevates my mood, fuels my walk, energizes my life, and speaks to my soul. So, it was very natural for me to want to know what music, if any, would be playing in the operating room during my surgery. What soundtrack would be feeding my subconscious (or should I say unconscious) while I'm out on the table and the medical team is doing their thing all around (and in) me?

I was curious, so I asked, near the end of my meeting with my plastic surgeon. (I kicked myself for forgetting to ask my primary surgeon.) The plastic surgeon was a bit vague. She wouldn't commit any songs or artists, just mentioned that she likes to listen to mellow music and that the team usually plays something more upbeat to get them going for the closing (no pun intended.)

Karen (who was there when I asked the original question) took the idea and ran with it on a recent Facebook post and I'm doing the same here.

So, surgical mix tape ideas?

Everybody Hurts by REM, Bodysnatchers by Radiohead, Brickhouse by The Commodores, How We Operate by Gomez, Comfortably Numb by Scissor Sisters...

You get the idea. Go crazy.

OK Go Does It Again

If you thought the marching band video for "This Too Shall Pass" was clever, you ain't seen nothing yet. I love this group. Love this video.

CSO Tales From Tchaikovsky

If you're looking for something festive to do this weekend--well as festive as listening to music from a pair of tragic love stories can be--I'd suggest the Tales from Tchaikovsky program the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is running through the weekend.

I saw it last night as part of my Afterworks Masterworks series and was pleasantly surprised to see it was in collaboration with Redmoon Theater. Incidental music from the The Snow Maiden included narration which greatly added to the emotional impact of the music.

The second work was Swan Lake, which, beautiful as it is, has become so cliche in my mind that I thought I never needed to hear it again. Wrong. Hearing it live was quite amazing. In addition, Redmoom has created a shadowplay presentation using overhead projectors and paper cutouts to dramatize the story with cinematic touches reminiscent of silent film. Two teams of puppeteers on either side of the stage and behind the orchestra, worked in time with the music. A large screen over the stage used video cameras trained on each projector's screen to combine the images in real-time. It was a unique and entertaining way to tell the story. 

This Is Just Wrong

NaBloPoMo, Day 17

Found as I was spinning the radio dial yesterday looking for some background music. It is just way too early to hear this:

Ugh

Greg Laswell in Concert

NaBloPoMo, Day 13

I'm probably one of the few people not to have discovered Greg Laswell's music through TV or the movies. (He's obviously a favorite of Hollywood music directors.) I discovered him through KCRW's song of the day podcast. (A great source of new music--and free songs--by the way.)

Since I first caught Laswell's song "How the Day Sounds" last year, it's been in frequent rotation on my iPod and the entire album, Three Flights from Alto Nido, has been one I come back to again and again.

Completely by chance, I learned on Monday that he would be in town for an acoustic performance last night at a venue so close to me I could walk there. And am I ever glad I did! I'd never been to Space (the venue attached to the Union pizza place in Evanston) and this was a great first experience. The space was intimate and Laswell, who turned out to be a pretty funny guy and extremely personable in between songs, had an easy rapport with the audience. It was low key and almost had the feeling that we were all just hanging out in the basement (a really cool basement, mind you) listening to a friend play guitar and sing.

And sing he did. I really like Laswell's voice, his musicality and the stories he tells with his songs. It was just him up there with a guitar and piano, and he held everyone rapt for the hour and a half he was on stage. He performed old and new songs, including a number of tunes off his just-released Covers album (including a great "In Spite of Me" and one of my favorite Kate Bush songs, "This Woman's Work".)

Laswell was fantastic and he seemed to be having as good a time as the two-hundred-some fans in the audience. He expressed an interest in coming back again, this time with his band in tow, and you know I'll be there.

Tonight!

NaBloPoMo, Day 12

Taken By Trees East of Eden on Repeat

Over the weekend, I downloaded the most recent album by Taken By Trees, singer Victoria Bergsman's new band, and I've been listening to it pretty much non-stop ever since. I'd heard a couple of tracks on XMRadio, and then found her featured on NPR's music site while trolling for new music. Hearing her cover of Animal Collective's My Girls sealed it for me.

You may recognize Bergsman's voice from her part on the hit song Young Folks by Peter Bjorn and John. Her voice has been an acquired taste for me while the melodies and hypnotic rhythms of her songs had an immediate appeal that's only increased with repeated listens. The album was recorded in Pakistan and melds Swedish pop with Pakistani musical elements for a truly eclectic collection of songs. Watch the Waves, My Boys, To Lose Someone, Greyest Love of All and Summer Sigh are my particular favorites, but then I've listed half the album, so you get the idea.

The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain Rocks

Hands down, this is my new favorite musical group. I don't know why it took me so long to learn about an eight person ukulele band, but I'm glad I did. I could watch You Tube clips of their performances all night. They play a wicked uke, they sing, their arrangements are clever and their repertoire eclectic, they're British, and they've got a terrific deadpan sense of humor.

You can bet I'm adding their CDs to my music library and anytime I find myself in a funk or in need of a perk up, I'll dial up one of these clips to put an immediate smile on my face. I love this group.

Coldplay Is So Much Better With Dance Moves

Every time I hear the Coldplay song "Viva la Vida", I think of this video from Dooce. I like the song a lot better now.

So She Thinks She Can Dance from dooce on Vimeo.