People will see me and cry

The PS 22 Chorus does it again... And check out Jennifer Hudson 2.0! I am so in love with these kids - and their an inspirational teacher.

Ray Charles covers Johnny Cash

I was very, very confused the first time I heard Johnny Cash's cover of NIN's Hurt - until I actually listened to it and realized how heart-wrenchingly awesome it was. I was likewise very, very confused when I ran across this video on BoingBoing of Ray Charles covering Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire - until I watched and listened and realized how blues-gasmically awesome it is. Check it out.

Hypnotic

Kuroshio Sea - 2nd largest aquarium tank in the world - (song is Please don't go by Barcelona) from Jon Rawlinson on Vimeo.

We live in a world of wonders...

(Watch in full screen with your volume on. Every time you watch it you'll discover something new... I like how tiny the human divers at the bottom of the tank are compared to the other creatures... And the reactions of the crowd watching them float by.)

Tribute

I think we'll see lots of tributes in the wake of the death of Michael Jackson, but thus far this one is my fave... David Ryan Harris is a renowned guitarist who, in addition to his own bands and solo efforts, regularly plays with John Mayer, Dave Matthews, Santana and Guy Sebastian.

I love the simplicity of this cover, and the completely new spin Harris' voice puts on the song, compared to MJ's. I do have a soft spot in my heart for acoustic covers, though...

Michael Jackson tribute

Michael Jackson dead? Say it ain't so, Jacko... I think the greatest legacy Michael Jackson left is that his music was so transcendent that even Philippine prisoners got their groove on to it.

I don't think there's anything I can say that others already have not. He was an incredibly gifted, yet incredibly troubled man who lived and died in a way the rest of us can never imagine, nor should we judge him for it - that's someone else's job, in whose presence he is right now. Unless he's still waiting in line - maybe he and Farrah are chatting over a Starbucks at the gates?

Who would ever want to be king?

Mr. B teaches music at PS22 in NYC. As you can see, he does a bang-up job of it! The PS 22 Chorus has garnered the attention and accolades of Nightline, the Bonnie Hunt Show, Tori Amos, Stevie Nicks, Crowded House, Suzanne Vega, among many others... Even Ashton Kutcher says they're his fave!

These kids are seriously amazing, and are a testament to what a good arts education program can do for kids in public schools. Beyond the people they are meeting and places they are performing, there are a multitude of benefits that come along with participation in the arts. And how excited are these kids to go to school every day, even if only for the chance to sing?

Every child should have a teacher who inspires her as much as Mr. B inspires these kids.

Lisztomania

I think you should treat yourself today. Go to iTunes and download the album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix by the French band Phoenix. Go ahead, I'll wait.

..................................

Awesome, right?

Okay, so that track Lisztomania? Phoenix shot an official video for it, and it was pretty cool, and they were happy. But then this girl thought how much better the song would be set to dance scenes from 80's movies. So she did it. We're talking perfect shots from The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Footloose and Mannequin (yes that is Kim Cattrall).




I know, right?!?!

P.S. - Cameron's dad's house is for sale.

The Greatest Show on Earth

I was stood up by the New Kids on the Block yesterday. Pathetic, right? Sadly, this is not the first time this has happened. The first time I was supposed to interview them was last September. They didn't even call and cancel; I was totally stood up. And they did it again! I am totally removing them from my Twitter feed. No one cares about that tink business anyway.

After my grave disappointment (seriously, what keeps NKOTB so busy that they can't spare a half hour on the phone?) I was super stoked to come across this stellar concert footage of the supergroup to end all supergroups: Rick Astley, Debbie Gibson, Tiffany and Samantha Fox! It's like 7th grade came back from the dead and ate the brains of NKOTB in retribution. 

And I was even more stoked to see this footage was not old, not vintage, but just recorded live a few weeks ago! Which means they may be coming soon to a city near you - and me!

Maybe I can get an interview.

Autumn Story

Check out this absolutely amazing video by the Firekites:

Firekites - AUTUMN STORY - chalk animation from Lucinda Schreiber on Vimeo.

The song is called "Autumn Story." The entire thing is chalkboard illustrations; no computer animation was used. You can see the hundreds of little erased sketches in each shot used to get an old fashioned moving cartoon look. Beautiful song, delightful and original video.

Jem - It's Amazing

Cool new video from Jem... Watch to the very end. Talk about amazing! (If you like the song, it's called "It's Amazing" and can be found on the Sex and the City movie soundtrack.)

According to director Saam Gabbay, "The Jem video is a photofilm made from 25,632 photographs shot over the course of 10 hours... Jem is an incredible storyteller and has an intuitive and refined sense for what is right for her. Sitting in the edit together we reflected on our first conversations and how the project had unfolded quite magically, especially in the face of a very tight deadline. From start to finish was exactly 2 weeks. Jennifer Geirsbrook and her team did a remarkable job styling the shoot and we enjoyed a deeply collaborative spirit throughout production with everyone. Most amazing was the speed at which Jennifer, Kathy and Aviva worked to transform Jem for each shot."

Do you love it or do you love it?

People Are Strange

People are strange from Denis Fongue on Vimeo. A really amazing and original illustrative set to my favorite song by The Doors, "People Are Strange." All the art in the video is by Violenn Simon, who created the video as a school project at ENSAAMA School of Visual Communications in Paris.

Run

One of my most favorite songs ever is "Run" by Snow Patrol...

Now Leona Lewis has released a beautiful cover of the song, which I think is just as haunting... Her actual video for this is on YouTube, but embedding was disabled.

Lovely...

"In the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope."

Musicians on Sesame Street

Feist+Sesame Street monsters=genius.

I think it's so cool that they are still doing this. When I was a little girl I remember seeing Debbie Harry doing "One Way or Another" and chasing the double-headed monster around a table. I think about 15 years ago Melissa Etheridge performed "The Way I Do" but changed it to "The Letter U."