Sophie Time!

I've mentioned before that Sophie Madeleine is one of my favorite new artists.  She is simply exquisite, a lovely and talented young English singer-songwriter, conquering the world of music with her ukulele.  Sophie is the best.

So, to share a little Sophie, here is a link to her music video for "You Are My Favorite".  This is absolutely the happiest music video ever!  Feeling a little down - watch this video - it will perk you up.  Guaranteed.

Recently, as a lead in to her CD release, Sophie performed 30 covers in 30 days, and posted them all to Youtube.  They are all there for your enjoyment - check them out.  And if you like Sophie's music, visit her website and learn more.

So, without further ado, heeeeeeeere's Sophie!

Link: Sophie Madeleine - You Are My Favorite

I'm sure there will be more Sophie news here...

R.E.M. - Thanks for the music

R.E.M. announced today that they are calling it quits after more than 30 years.  This is just a quick blog entry to say "Thanks guys, for all the great music".  (You know, in case Michael Stipe is one of my 18 followers...)

I'm not the most manic R.E.M. fan around, but I have all of their studio CDs and love their music.  I only saw them in concert once, in 1986 at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, KS (opener - Camper Von Beethoven).  Should have seen them with Sonic Youth on their "Monster" tour, but didn't.  Shoot.

What strikes me more is this seems like the end of a significant period of my life.  I started college in 1982, and R.E.M. was emerging as a musical force in the 'college music' genre.  They seemed to be the foundation of the sound that became college radio, more than Los Lobos and Talking Heads, and way darned more then Duran Duran.  It feels like R.E.M. got their start at the same time I got mine.

The Beatles, the Who, Pink Floyd - they were all adults playing music that youth was listening to.  R.E.M. was us.  Same generation.  They grew as we did, or at least that's how it felt.

And now they have retired(?)  broken up(?)  quit(?).  Decided that it's time to end with grace (yeah, that's it).  30 years is a right long time for a band to stick together and keep making great music.  So, yeah, I guess it's the right time.

So, thanks guys.  Thanks for the great music, and being a major part of the soundtrack to my life.

Think I'll listen to Murmur on the drive in to work tomorrow...

Mid-September in KC

I've been away from the blog for a while, just winding down Summer and doing many varied and miscellaneous things.  For the last six weeks I've been on a sabbatical from work, doing a lot of projects around the house, taking in the local attractions, catching up on movies, and, as they say in the garage sale ads, lots of misc.

One bit of good news:  I've spent a fair amount of time recording Christmas albums for the upcoming sharity season.  I have quite a few recorded and waiting on the next steps (ClickRepair, normalization, artwork scans).  Hope to get a few more before returning to work, and then continue up through the season.

Have some good stuff to share out this year, including some re-recordings of a couple from last year, specifically the Hallmark records.  I shared two of them out last year before discovering ClickRepair.  I have more from Hallmark this year, so will re-record the two from last year and share out the whole set.

You run into some interesting things with this hobby (as I'm sure Ernie can tell you).  Yesterday I recorded a record where side 2 was completely different than both the label and the album cover.  And, at the end of the side was a very pleasant and unexpected surprise!  Sorry readers - you'll just have to wait :-)

Mid-September in Kansas City has brought us temps in the 40s (at night, for at least a couple days).  Beautiful Fall-feeling weather, giving us Winter-lovers a preview of the chills in the air yet-to-come.  When the temps drop, the Christmas music starts.

Looking forward to a great holiday music season.  Be sure to visit the other sites - FaLaLaLaLa, Stubby's place, Ernie, and the rest - and see what they have to offer once the season starts up.

Singer/Songwriter Kelley McRae Live!

Many of you may not have heard of Kelley McRae, a beautifully talented singer/songwriter, most recently hailing from Brooklyn, NY.  Kelley and her husband Matt (an excellent guitarist in his own right) quit their jobs, bought a VW van, and set out on a nationwide tour, consisting of small venues and, mostly, living rooms across America.  Kelley works the web in search of hosts for her shows.  As of July 31, she and Matt have played nearly 80 shows since the end of February.

On July 30, my own living room was the venue for Kelley and Matt.  I and about 15 others enjoyed a great show, as Kelley played her original compositions for about an hour.  Yes, the show was about an hour, but Kelley and Matt were guests in our home for over 4 hours.  They are not only superb musicians but terrific people.  It didn't take long to feel like they were a part of our usual circle of friends.

The Music:  Kelley and Matt play acoustic guitars.  Kelley sings, and Matt harmonizes from time to time.  Kelley has a strikingly beautiful voice.  She ranges from soft restraint to inspiring power, often in the same song.   Smooth, natural, beautiful.

The Songs:  There are many great singers out there, but to me the musicians who write and perform their own songs take the artistry to new heights.  Kelley is an immensly gifted songwriter.  During the show, she told us that some come easy and some take years to finish.  Kelley has taken snapshots from her life and turned them in to amazing songs, especially "Johnny Cash" and "Never Be".  "Sparrow", "One Hundred Dollars", and show-closer "Time" were other highlights of the show.

To all my readers, please take some time and listen to Kelley McRae's music.  She has recorded two albums, "Never Be" and "Highrises in Brooklyn".  Check out her website and tour blog, http://www.kelleymcrae.com/.  If you're so inclined, contact Kelley to host a house show.  I've never had an experience quite like the intimacy of an incredible musician performing in such a personal venue. 

Amazing, just amazing.

Great News!

Santas Working Overtime reports that the greatest guitar player in the world (my humble opinion), Tommy Emmanuel, is working on a Christmas album for release later this year.  No details given, but this would be tremendous.  I've seen Tommy perform three times, and he is freakin' awesome...   Hmmmm.... over at Falalalala I once posted that I wanted a Tommy Emmanuel Christmas CD.  Maybe he is a reader?  Could Roberta Gambarini be next?

The news from SWO

I've been away in the Southwest on a road trip with the family for nearly two weeks - hope to get a few more tunes shared out in July.  For a Christmas in July fix, please visit Ernie's place.  He'll get you set up good.

Christmas in July part 2

Another quick share for Christmas in July, and this one is a preview of things to come.

Last season I shared out a 3-record set called The Glory of Christmas.  Pretty good stuff, though it needed some cleanup work, especially "Patapan", which had a nasty little skip.  Over at Falalalala.com, DavesWorld56 told us that he had acquired a reel-to-reel tape version of the same set, in pristine condition.  Dave ripped the album from his reels, and they were indeed terrific.  Just one problem, his reels didn't include several of the songs from the record set, including "Patapan".

So, I'm planning to remaster the missing songs from Dave's reels, use better technology to clean up the rips, and merge them in with Dave's this season for a full set of The Glory of Christmas in as good a condition as we can muster.

As a preview, here is a remastered "Patapan", without the skip, and with better noise elimination technology.  I think it sounds pretty good.  So, for Christmas in July, and as a preview of the 2011 season, here is "Patapan" from The Glory of Christmas.

download link

Christmas in July

Here we are, past June 25, closer to Christmas 2011 than Christmas 2010.  At nearly 100 degrees outside in Kansas City, it doesn't feel too Christmassy right now.  But, in the Christmas in July spirit that is present on so many places on the Internet, I have a share or two for you.

First up is an album of Organ and Chimes Music, starring the Original Wurlitzer from Radio City Music Hall.  There's not much information about the album - no artists credited, no orchestras.  Just organ and chimes music from the Radio City Music Hall organ.

There is a lot of organ Christmas music out there, and when it's just the organ, I'm kind of so-so about it.  However, the chimes on these arrangements add a lot to the music, as well as the song selections.  One of my favorite Christmas songs is "The Cherry Tree Carol", so I was glad to see it on this album.  The medley of carols that closes the record is very nice too.

So, please enjoy the unknown musicians on chimes and organ on "Merry Christmas Carols with Organ and Chimes".

download link