Steve Vai is often listed one of the greatest guitarists all time.
And he fits right in with Polyphia.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Category: music
Elvis (2022 film)
I never loved Elvis. Never listened to his music.
I did go to Graceland once — but only to make fun of the kitsch. 😀
Due to great reviews, I finally did see the new film ➙ Elvis.
Austin Butler did channel Elvis well.
At times it was edited more like a YouTube video than a Hollywood blockbuster. That was a brave choice. A modern twist on an American icon.
It is long at 2-hour-and-39-minutes. But they started with a four-hour cut including scenes of Presley with his first girlfriend, Dixie, and his meeting with President Richard Nixon in 1970.
I suspect the next future Elvis biopic will be darker. More realistic. And the role of Colonel Parker will be less prominent.
Thumbs up from this critic.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Pentatonix – Imagine
Fantastic song. Fantastic message.
Imagine all the people living life in peace
You, you may say I’m a dreamer (Dreamer)
But I’m not the only one (Not the only one)
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
ODESZA – Light Of Day (feat. Ólafur Arnalds)
Odesza are genius.
They are increasingly finding ways to marry electronica with real instruments and passionate vocals.
Collaborations.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Mexico – James Taylor
“Mexico” was the opening track of his 1975 album Gorilla. …
Graham Nash and David Crosby sing backup vocals.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
It’s been covered by many, many others. Jimmy Buffet OFTEN. 😀
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. Jimmy and JT.
I need a MONTH in London
Once again I broke up long international travel with a stopover in London.
I enjoyed my days in June 2022. And again end of August 2022.
BUT it would take a month of dedicated research to really understand all the areas of the city. And to visit all the attractions.
This time I stayed at Wombats near the Tower Bridge so ended up spending more time on that section of the Thames. Especially in the evening.
Most of what I do is FREE — wandering the streets and parks. Something interesting around every corner.
I drop into one of the free museums most days.
There’s a lot of green space.
There are many excellent street performers.
My favourite this time was Mex.fs, an acoustic lap tap/percussive guitarist.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
London – Notting Hill Carnival 2022
I happened to be in London during the Notting Hill Carnival, which had been cancelled the previous 2 years due to Covid.
Fun. Loud. Fragrant with the smells of cooking barbecue.
Dancing. Drinking.
I particularly like how ANYONE with any kind of body and any kind of costume is welcome to join in the parade. Very body positive.
Saturday is the family friendly parade. Plenty of activities for kids.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
No anger or violence that I could see. Of course there’s a large police presence — all very friendly.
… an annual Caribbean festival event that has taken place in London since 1965 … each August over two days (the August bank holiday Monday and the preceding Sunday).
It is led by members of the British Caribbean community, and attracts around two and a half million people annually, making it one of the world’s largest street festivals, and a significant event in British African Caribbean and British Indo-Caribbean culture. …
Everyone welcome. If I’d put on my make-up, costume and peacock headdress, I’d have fit right in. 😀
My only previous experience with Carnival was in Colonia, Uruguay in 2018.
related – Notting Hill carnival 2022 – in pictures
ODESZA – The Last Goodbye (feat. Bettye LaVette)
Fantastic.
I’m really getting into an electronic music duo originating from Bellingham, Washington ➙ Odesza.
Check this tune remixed with vocals from Bettye LaVette’s 1965 hit song “Let Me Down Easy“.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Here’s how they created that masterpiece.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. New interview with Bettye Lavette.
CBGB – 2013 film
I had a PUNK stage.
It was ME New Year’s Even crashing off the dance floor, knocking down the drums at the Calgarian Hotel. The pogo dancing was fierce.
I threw up in a Volkswagen Beetle — woke up in a closet atop all the winter boots.
CBGB is a 2013 film that follows the story of Hilly Kristal‘s New York club from its concept as a venue for Country, Bluegrass and Blues (CBGB) to what it ultimately became: the birthplace of underground rock ‘n’ roll and punk.
Opened 1973, the dive became a famed venue of punk rock and new wave bands like the Ramones, Television, Patti Smith Group, Blondie, and Talking Heads.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
From the early 1980s onward, CBGB was known for hardcore punk. …
The club closed upon its final concert, played by Patti Smith, on October 15, 2006. …
CBGB’s two rules were that a band must move its own equipment and play mostly original songs …
In 1978, new wave songwriter Elvis Costello would open shows for The Voidoids, while The Police played at CBGB for their first American gigs. …
Hilly Kristal died from complications of lung cancer on August 28, 2007. …
wikipedia
This was one of Alan Rickman’s last films. He died unexpectedly of pancreatic cancer age-69.
OMFUG stands for Other Music for Uplifting Gormandizers.
Jain – Makeba
Jain (Jeanne Louise Galice) is a French singer-songwriter and musician. …
A music video for the single “Makeba” was released to Jain’s official YouTube channel on 30 November 2016. The music video was nominated for Best Music Video at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards in 2018 …
wikipedia
The song references Miriam Makeba also known as “Mama Africa”, a South African singer and activist.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Rick McCharles 