Archive for the ‘Music’ Category

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The Voice (s2 ep2)


07 Feb

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They started hyping the Alicia Keys backup singer Sunday night, so we knew he had to be good. I wasn’t surprised that Cee Lo turned around for the soldier. She sang Pat Benetar, and we know from last season that he’s a Benetar fan.

I was annoyed by the comments of “oh you’re good looking, I wish I would have pressed my button”. That’s the whole point of the blind auditions. Looks aren’t supposed to sway the judges. And truth is, I wasn’t surprised at any of their non-decisions. Pitch problems or something else, those folks weren’t cutting it vocally.

The Voice (s2 ep1)


06 Feb

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The Voice is back! I think my two favorite singers were the classically trained guy and the former Musketeer. I don’t know names yet. I’ll learn them as we go. Overall, I was on board with the decisions about who got to continue on and who did not. No one blew me away like Nikita last year, but that’s okay. They’ve got time to get better.

This season, the judges get teams of 12 instead of 8. That should add at least 4 weeks to the show. That will give us all more time to get to know the contestants.

Sing-Off Finale


29 Nov

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I was quite happy with the final three groups going in to the Sing-Off Finale. Pentatonix was my choice to win, but I thought Urban Method and the Dartmouth Aires were good groups, as well. Still, Pentatonix really had been my favorite for pretty much the whole season, and I was so happy to see them win. I’m looking forward to whatever album they get to put out.

The big opening number was just too busy for me. I liked the girls’ Aretha but not so much the boys’ Bruce. Probably because of the sheer number of singers on stage.

Queen on The Sing-Off


02 Nov

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Normally when I hear that someone is going to attempt to sing Queen, I cringe. Freddy Mercury had a once in three or four generations voice. Even when people attempt the “simpler” Queen songs, they end up sounding thin. So I was nervous when I heard that the Dartmouth Aires had gotten Queen for their superstar medley. I really enjoy this group on The Sing-Off, and was a little afraid for them.

Apparently the way to pull off Queen when you’re an amateur is to have lots of voices to pull from. They did an amazing job. I was thrilled.

 

What I’m Watching: The Sing-Off


07 Oct

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We miss the first half hour of The Sing-Off because we’re watching How I Met Your Mother, but after that, it’s the definitive choice for filling the time until Castle comes on.

I appreciate the skill it takes to be an a cappella group. There were times last season when it sounded like some of the groups had bands backing them up.

I like the judges on this show more than any judges other than those at The Voice. Ben Folds is terrific. Their critique is constructive and overall positive. How’s that for a concept? Help your singers get better.

Great Live Performances: BOWI @ A Terrible Beauty


18 Sep

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We normally only catch BOWI at the Faire. But they are a local band (and we even have a friend in common) so we made an effort to go see them at a pub that is quite near us.

The pub performance is superior for one main reason- instead of doing one 30-40 minute set, they do four 40-45 minute sets. We stayed for two of them, but then it was a little late for us, so we headed home.

We will be back. BOWI was great, and A Terrible Beauty, the pub they played at, was a nice venue.

Great Live Performances: BOWI Band


14 Aug

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My favorite part of the Renaissance Faire is seeing the live performers, especially the musicians. I love traditional music and hearing the variations the different performers put on the songs I already know by heart.

One of our favorite groups to see perform live is the BOWI (Band of Wandering Idiots) Band. They have a new CD out this year and performed a number of songs off of it. The Highwayman, in particular I really loved, but the whole thing is good stuff. Plus, their live performances are all about having fun, which is what I’m about, too, at Faire.

Mumford & Sons and Flogging Molly


28 Jul

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We’ve really kind of fallen in love with Mumford & Sons. Given that we’re fans of folk and Irish music, it’s not really surprising. What is surprising to me is how much air play they’re getting on main stream radio and music television.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. They just don’t fit in the mold of most of what seems to be out there right now. Instead, they’re traditional.

Though it does amuse me that Pandora plays a lot of Mumford & Sons on my Flogging Molly station. Apparently Flogging Molly isn’t flagged as punk, only as Irish.

Rock Band


13 Jul

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We recently bought Rock Band 3. We’ve been enjoying it so much, we bought the keyboard for it. Now I have to wait for it to arrive via UPS. But I am very excited. I figure I may even be able to play on hard on keyboard, since I actually know how to play a keyboard.

We also ordered Lego Rock Band, and I’m excited for that to arrive, too. Tons of great songs (including The Final Countdown by Europe). Almost all of our entertainment dollars this summer have gone to Rock Band. I’m not complaining. It’s entertainment that lasts.

Rock Band


05 Jul

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Bought Rock Band 3 for the husband as part of his birthday gift. We’ve been playing it a lot recently and really enjoying ourselves. We’ve downloaded some songs from the network (Flogging Molly and Stroke 9) as well as other songs newly available (Fleetwood Mac). There has been singing and guitar and drum playing. Now at the point we’re considering a keyboard purchase.

My favorite video games have always been cooperative, so I think, that even if the music games are falling out of fashion (as the Game Stop guys claimed), we’ll be playing Rock Band for years to come.

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