A new Mac and some good Blow
PC or Mac? As my Dell PC (c. 2004) began to slow down a bit, and the 80 gig hard drive neared its capacity, it was time to start the search for my new computer. For once, it was a calculated decision, quite unlike the impulsive trips to Best Buy “for a quick look,” only to walk out with a new PC 45 minutes later. This upcoming computer will be my fourth since 1997, not too bad in computer years I guess.
So this time around, I’ve decided to jump across the great divide and go with a Mac for the first time. An iMac, to be precise. 20 inch screen. 500 gig hard drive. A gig of memory. It should be shipping tomorrow. The anticipation builds… a new era! My wife said she’s way more excited about the steam cleanin’ vacuum that’s on its way from Costco. I – I just don’t get that.
So thanks to my friend Jim for being the answer man for all my Mac vs. PC questions. I’m pretty pumped about this if you can’t tell already. Thing is, I haven’t found a Mac owner who hasn’t raved about them. And they’re just – so – damn – cool! Sleek, slick, simple.
So, on to some music.
The Blow is the brainchild of Portland, Oregon based performance artist Khaela Maricich and Jona Bechtolt. Artsy fartsy indie rockin’ performance artists – with a good beat. And the kids can dance to it.
The Blow’s Official Site.
Buy their latest, Paper Television.
Friday Flashback: Richard Marx
The CD single of Richard Marx‘s “Hazard” was the latest disc my 1 year old grabbed out of my CD rack.
It prompted me to toss it in the CD drive and have a good listen. Early 90’s cheese? To some. But in my oh so humble opinion, still a good song. Nice tune, nice melody, nice singin’.
It holds up!
Richard Marx: Hazard
Buy: Rush Street (1991)
Hollywood Weller
Add Paul Weller’s three night February stand at the Avalon in Hollywood to my “shows I would have driven 6 hours to if I was still a bachelor” list. The former Jam and Style Council frontman has been a very successful solo artist in the years since, and still puts on a great show, as you’ll hear right here, right now.
Paul Weller
The Avalon, Hollywood, Calif.
February 4th, 2007Part I
Science
Peacock Suit
Into Tomorrow
From the Floorboards Up
Paper Smile
All the Pictures On the Wall
Above the Clouds
Thick as Thieves
Savages / Fly Little Bird
Wild Wood
Up In Suze’s Room
My Ever Changing Moods
Running On the Spot
Porcelain Gods / Walk on Gilded SplintersPart II
All On a Misty Morning
Wishing on a Star
Butterfly Collector
It’s a Very Deep Sea(Weller on piano)
Long Hot Summer(Weller on piano)
Shout to the Top
Changingman
At the Foot of the MountainEncore
Come On Let’s Go
I Wanna Make It Alright
Broken Stones / Happy Days
A Town Called MaliceIntro to Blue Man Group
My friend Jim just posted an “Intro to the Blue Man Group”, complete with some interesting mp3’s. Let’s scare him with traffic. Ready? Set? Go…..
Intro to the Blueman Group (melchman.net)
La Boheme, Acts III and IV
Cristina Gallardo-Domâs, soprano who plays Mimi in this performance (I’m not sure which character / opera the photo is from).And so here we have Acts III and IV of La Boheme. I’m glad to see some enthusiasm about the recent opera posts. I’ve had these arias going through my head all week. The cool thing about opera – and I’ll lump classical music into this observation too – is the history behind it. La Boheme debuted in 1896. Isn’t it pretty amazing to consider that people like you and me have been enjoying these arias for the last 111 years? Think about some of the classical composers. Their music has been touching people for hundreds of years. Hundreds. What a legacy to leave behind.
The crazy thing is that people a couple hundred years from now will be looking back at our era with the same historical perspective and amazement. There will be some kid in the year 2307 hearing Hendrix, Miles, Dylan, Prince, and Springsteen for the first time. And Sanjaya of course (I hope you all did your part and voted tonight). Something tells me that a religion will soon form based on the life’s work of the Great Sanjaya. It is beyond our control, I’m afraid. For now, we vote. Sanjaya will not be stopped.
So enjoy Act’s III and IV. I’ll have to track down a performance of Madame Butterfly for some near future opera action.
La Boheme
February 3, 2007
Metropolitan Opera, New York City–Act III: At the toll gate —
Ohe, la, le guardie! Aprite!
Sa dirmi, scusi, qual’e l’osteria
Mimi! Speravo di trovarvi qui
Marcello. Finalemente!
Mimi e una civetta
Mimi e tanto malata!
Donde lieta usci al tuo grido d’amore
Dunque e proprio finita!–Act IV: Back in the garret —
In un coupe?
O Mimi, tu piu non torni
Gavotta! Minuetto! Pavanella! Fandango!
C’e Mimi!
Vecchia zimarra, senti
Sono andati? Fingevo di dormire
Che avvien? Nulla. Sto beneMetropolitan Opera Choir and Orchestra
Conductor: Carlo RizziCast:
Marcello (baritone) – Dwayne Croft
Rodolfo (tenor) – Marcello Giordani
Colline (bass) – John Relyea
Schaunard (baritone) – Aaron St. Clair Nicholson
Benoit (bass) – Paul Plishka
Mimì (soprano) – Cristina Gallardo-Domâs
Parpignol (tenor) – Meredith Derr
Alcindoro (bass) – Paul Plishka
Musetta (soprano) – Susannah GlanvilleKeith snorts his old man!
A delightfully strange nugget of music news crossing the wire today…
LONDON (Reuters) – Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards said in an interview published on Tuesday that he once snorted his father’s ashes mixed with cocaine.
“The strangest thing I’ve tried to snort? My father. I snorted my father. He was cremated, and I couldn’t resist grinding him up with a little bit of blow,” Richards said in the interview, which was posted on NME’s Web site.
Source: Yahoo News
What more is there to say?
Get Lost with YouTube Keith:
- Watch this priceless concert footage of Keith unleashing on a stage crasher.
- Hunter S. Thompson interviews Keith. Hats off to anyone who can understand more than 15% of the dialogue. Yet they completely understand eachother. Coincidence?
- Norah Jones & Keith sing “Love Hurts” at the Gram Parsons Tribute.
- A 1974 Keith interview.
- Add more in the comments if you find some tasty Keith footage.
Placido Domingo’s Nessun Dorma
My recent posting of Pavarotti singing “Nessun Dorma” had some people commenting on their preference for Placido Domingo’s version. Here’s one of them…
Start your week right: The Shirelles
Thanks again to David Johansen and his Mansion of Fun for continuing to introduce me to amazing new music, which in this case happens to be 44 years old.
The Shirelles: Everybody Loves a Lover
La Boheme, Act I and II
Did anyone else develop an interest in opera – and La Boheme in particular – after seeing the movie Moonstruck? I sure did. The 1987 movie, featuring Cher and Nicholas Cage, is still one of my all time favorites. It’s amazing how music can affect the overall experience of a film. The music of Giacomo Puccini defines Moonstruck. Because of the movie, La Boheme (and opera) entered my life.
The story of La Boheme is centered around the love between Rodolfo (a poet) and Mimi (a seamstress). No happy ending here. Mimi succumbs to tuberculosis at the end. But it’s quite a journey – stunningly powerful, beautiful, and heartbreaking at the end. See this Wikipedia article for a full synopsis of the opera.
The performance here comes from earlier this year at New York City’s Metropolitan Opera. Here are Acts I and II. III and IV will be coming in a few days.
If you’re hesitant to try this out, at the very least download “Si sente meglio?” (track 7) through “O soave fanciulla” (track 10). Listen to them all the way through. Rinse. And repeat.
La Boheme
February 3, 2007
Metropolitan Opera, New York City— Act I: In the four bohemians’ garret —
Questo Mar Rosso mi ammollisce e assidera
Pensier profundo!
Legna!
Si può?
Io resto per terminar l’articolo di fondo
Chi è la?
Si sente meglio?
Che gelida manina
Sì. Mi chiamano Mimì
O soave fanciulla— Act II: Quartier Latin —
Aranci, datteri, caldi i marroni!
Chi guardi?
Viva Parpignol! Parpignol! Parpignol!
Oh! … Essa! … Musetta!
Quando men vo soletta per la via
Chi l’ha richiesto?Metropolitan Opera Choir and Orchestra
Conductor: Carlo RizziCast:
Marcello (baritone) – Dwayne Croft
Rodolfo (tenor) – Marcello Giordani
Colline (bass) – John Relyea
Schaunard (baritone) – Aaron St. Clair Nicholson
Benoit (bass) – Paul Plishka
Mimì (soprano) – Cristina Gallardo-Domâs
Parpignol (tenor) – Meredith Derr
Alcindoro (bass) – Paul Plishka
Musetta (soprano) – Susannah GlanvilleNessun Dorma
If a human being can watch and listen to Luciano Pavarotti sing Puccini’s “Nessun Dorma” and not be affected and moved, I’d like to know. I don’t think it’s possible.
If one – count one – person expresses interest, I’ll post an entire performance of La Boheme at NYC’s Metropolitan Opera House from earlier this year. Something about ol’ Puccini gets to me. Who’s up for it?
