Hugh Laurie Sings the Blues. It’s just too bad the Guardian doesn’t allow for a direct embed of the video file. It’s well worth the watch.
Tag Archives: music
Playing a Tree
Leave a reply
Greg Pattilo – Flute Beatboxing
Oh, the things you never knew you could do with a flute:
And there’s much more on YouTube for anyone interested.
Cat Duet
Awake O’ Sleeper
I’ve always enjoyed old spirituals with their rhythmic chants and call-and-respond style of lyrics. “Awake O’ Sleeper” strikes as me as something of a contemporary-style spiritual.
Awake O’Sleeper from Brandon McCormick on Vimeo.
20 Aug
Penny Arcade – Reformat the Planet, Part 1
Penny Arcade – Reformat the Planet, Part 1. This is an interesting look into a musical movement I didn’t even know existed — chip music. (74 minutes total.)
Video: Shakira – Did It Again
I don’t much care for Shakira’s music. Nothing against her form, per se; it just doesn’t really match my tastes. In fact, anyone who knows me is pretty familiar with my general disdain for all things pop. I like to joke that if it plays on the radio, chances are better than fair that I don’t like it.
This, however… well, this is just pretty dang awesome, just from a pure dance choreography perspective. It’s new, it’s fresh, but more importantly, it’s creative. As my wife said when she showed me the video, “I didn’t know Shakira could dance!” And boy-howdy, can she dance.
YouTube – ROCK SUGAR-Don’t Stop The Sandman
YouTube – ROCK SUGAR-Don’t Stop The Sandman. I gotta admit — I did not expect this. These guys make a mish-mash of songs that is surprisingly pleasant to listen to. Who’da thunk that you could put Metallica and Journey together and get something pretty dang cool?
Apocalyptica
Recently, a friend of mine turned me on to a band called Apocalyptica (thanks, Oboe). Long-time readers of this blog know I’m a huge fan of classical music and not such a huge fan of most forms of popular music. Being a musician myself, I’m rather particular about the types of music I enjoy and listen to on a regular basis. And it’s not that I disapprove of certain genres of music outright, since I do appreciate the artistry of certain bands that fall under the headings of alternative, rock, and even rap and hard rock (for the sake of simplicity here I will lump all forms of metal under the banner of hard rock, even though I’m sure that will cause metal purists to foam at the mouth).
The thing I love about Apocalyptica is that they’re a group of four metal-style rockers – who are all virtuosos of the cello. They’re simply amazing to watch and listen to, since their music is very definitely a form of hard rock but played exclusively on cello. I love their sound, and as someone currently learning how to play the violin, I can fully appreciate the level of skill necessary to play the music they do.
If you haven’t experienced Apocalyptica yet, below is a video of them playing Edvard Grieg’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King” in their unique style. And then, if you want more, try setting up an Apocalyptica radio station on Pandora.com and get a sampling of them and other groups like them.