For those of You Who Never Knew
One of my favorite movies is The Name of the Rose. Ron Perlman does a bang-up job as the "all languages...and none" hunchback. At the end of the movie, as the hunchback is at the stake, he sings a song, which certainly didn't exist in the 14th century, when the movie is set. For the longest time, my dad and I wished we knew what the song was. Well, tonight's the night. As I watched the movie on the mega TV, I transcribed the lyrics...er...some of them, no thanks to the subtitlist who didn't bother to transcribe them for me.
A few Google queries later, and I had the song:
Ninna nanna a sette e venti
il bambino si addormenti
Ninna nanna a sette e venti
il bambino mette i denti
e ne mette una ventina
tra stasera e domattina
Ninna nanna a otto e due
il bambino ha la bua
Ninna nanna nanna ieri
e le sporte non son panieri
i panieri non son le sporte
e la vita non è la morte
e la morte non è la vita
e la canzone è già finita
Ninna nanna a sette e venti
il bambino si addormenti.
If you want to hear a rough rendition of it...here you go.
Broken Glasses, Broken Dreams
As I tried to catch my falling glasses, I knew precisely what that sound meant.
Snap.
My glasses had snapped right between the lenses, and I didn't have my contacts with me. But with the help of the sound man's gaffer's tape and a little ingenuity, I ended up with this, and was able to perform the two shows slated for the weekend (5/20 - Asheville, NC & 5/21 - Greeneville, TN, for those who are keeping up):
Look of distress added.
If you were at the shows, you might have noticed that I had to push them up rather frequently, and I even took them off at one point so that I could bow without worrying.
But all of that is behind me. I still have the taped glasses as a backup, and I ordered some new contacts. I'm pretty stoked, though, about my new frames and lenses:
I'm not angry. Just intellectual.
They seem to fit me better overall. Thank you, Sears Optical.
By the way, it turns out that my dreams are just fine.
How to Make Michael Jackson Sound Like Crap
Today is the first time I've heard this recording. Great song, but what are people thinking?
I've been listening to Michael Jackson all my life--from the time I found my dad's Thriller LP and wore it out on the turntable. I loved every track on that record, especially the title track with Vincent Price's chilling reading.
I don't know the story behind this tune, but it appears to be a posthumous release, which makes me wonder if King Jackson would have approved of the way this was mixed. If that's the case, then the King of Pop certainly went too soon.
Hold My Hand - Michael Jackson feat. Akon
So the question is...does anybody else think that this makes Michael Jackson sound good? Auto-tune is great for two things: To fix people who cannot sing (or are just lazy) and as an effect. Michael Jackson is neither lazy nor a bad singer, and there is no effect Auto-tune offers that is better than Jackson's voice. Also, there are too many cool things that he does (apart from singing in tune) with his voice that make Auto-tune irrelevant. Auto-tune is the antithesis of subtlety and nuance--those things that make music art.
I've been out of touch with Jackson's new music lately, so I don't know if the engineers have been using Auto-tune on any of it in the last decade. I listen to all of Thriller and hear not one thing wrong. Even when Michael Jackson sings "out of tune" (i.e. not in tune with equal-temperament robot detection), it's awesome. What's to fix? The elements that Auto-tune takes out of Jackson's voice are what many call "soul" or "phrasing."
You might recall that I recorded an entire song with Auto-tune. First of all, I'm not Michael Jackson. Second, I was being funny.
I like balance. I'm not a total Auto-tune hater. I know that people are using it tastefully all over the place. That's the thing: When it's used tastefully, you can't tell. AT was originally used to tidy up those near-perfect takes that could never be repeated. Apply the effect modestly, and BAM, you have a virtually perfect (but natural sounding) recording.
So use it for effect (even then...you don't have to use it all the time), or use it so nobody can tell. Less is better. I know that it is my personal goal for music that I want people to take seriously (has that ever happened?) to have no Auto-tune. That just means that I need to spend some extra time on the process. I've recorded some pretty nice stuff without it, and with the magical editing tools available, Auto-tune is not even necessary to arrive at a near-perfect track. It just takes practice and time: Two things musicians these days don't seem to know anything about.
Ben Folds – Lonely Avenue Tour – Part 1
I hadn't seen Ben live in almost 9 years. I think it was 2002 (or 2003?) when I saw him on his Ben Folds and a Piano tour. But this time, I get to see him in a different way.
So far, I have three things to show you: Our set list from show #1; My seat at the first Folds concert in Minneapolis; and The Chicago deep-dish pizza we had at Giordano's in Evanston, Illinois.
Day 1 - Travel from Nashville, TN to Cedar Rapids, IA - 1/22
Booooring. More to come.
Day 2 - Cedar Rapids, IA to Minneapolis, MN - 1/23 - Show #1 - First Avenue
Set List: We were low on paper. The Onion crossword was the most blank space we could find. Short set, but the crowd was great. We were cramped on stage, but we need to make things more interesting nevertheless.
Seeing Ben perform some of my favorite tunes brought back great memories and reminded me why I am a musician in the first place. Notable tunes from the evening include Cologne, We're Still Fighting It, Kate, Army, and Popcorn.
Day 3 - Off day, Chicago, IL - 1/24
The pizza was incredible. It also made for mad noms the next morning.
Day 4 - Champaign, IL - 1/24 Show #2 - Assembly Hall
Same set list as before, but this time we were more interesting: i.e. we talked between songs, and we moved more. We forgot, however, to bring our merchandise to throw to the crowd. Sorry, guys.
It's so great to chat with everyone after the show. Please come up and meet us and get your picture taken! We love to talk to you. You are, after all, the greatest fans in the world.
I can't even recall all the details from the last twenty-four hours. It's a bit of a blur. Maybe I'll update this post as we go. If you can't make it to one of these shows, stay tuned. We're booking plenty of shows for the near future, perhaps near you!
For now, I've got to get some sleep, since we hit the road early tomorrow. G'night!
Can’t Get There – A Special Request and Exclusive Video
Beloved Street Corner Symphony fans,
We set out next week on our first tour, on which we open for Ben Folds at eight shows. Let's be blunt: We're trying to raise a few dollars to help with transportation expenses since SCS, a young group, has not had time to build its capital enough to handle expenses like these.
It doesn't take much. To find out how you can help, go to our home page: StreetCornerSymphony.org.
Thanks for all your help and support. SCS has incredible fans. I feel sorry for all those other groups.
Gratefully yours,
Mark
The First of Many? Maybe.
Mark McLemore with Alison Krauss.
Even as musicians who like it at 11, we still haven't destroyed our hearing--but it was in jeopardy this time.
I blew the D on my pitch pipe. As soon as John Martin leaned closer, eyebrows raised, I knew that we'd just have to wait for the crowd to quieten.
But I tried two more times anyway, each time with a puzzled look from my friends, who couldn't hear the pitch. Even though it's not the prettiest way to start a song, I resorted to singing the pitch into the mic. And away we go.
This is why it's good to practice...which sometimes happens when musicians live in the same town. One day. Maybe.
Oh, and speaking of maybe, we had quite a treat at both shows. Dreams came true and microphones sighed, first when Alison Krauss tugged at my heartstrings, singing Maybe with us and Committed, then when Ben Folds sang Gone with us again (If you missed it on The Sing-Off, check it out here.).
This is still processing. Probably will be for the rest of 2011.
Then Committed, perhaps in a moment of confusion, asked me to beatbox on This Love, since Geston and D.J. couldn't make it to the show. Tommy sang bass. Trippy.
As I recall the experiences of the last few months, I can't help but see that this stuff doesn't mean anything if we lack one vital component: YOU. We're blessed to have you, our dedicated listeners--who cheer so loudly, but genuinely. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your love. We've got a lot in store for you, and we can't wait to give it to you.
It was great to see you, Whiffenpoofs, Committed, and Kendall from 11th Hour. I miss you already!
Oh, and I'm still working on my haircut. Special treat coming. Stay tuned.
Your Turn: What was your favorite song from the show (Comment below)?
Three Clicks to Change the World
***UPDATE***1/3/11 11:00 p.m.
I used a free Wufoo form for the voting. It's a great service, but it turns out that the free account form is limited to 100 entries. That's way more activity than I expected, so thank you all for participating! Now, what about the results? I suppose I'll just have to check on them and get back to you.
Thanks again for all your comments, and thanks for voting. You guys are the best!
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...or maybe just The Plethora's hairstyle. I think it's about that time, but you may think otherwise. So you can make the choice for me. Take a look at the pictures below (click for larger full image), and pick your favorite style. Then click HERE to vote. Simple.
Sure people might recognize me by my long hair, but I suppose that without it, I'll still have some traits that set me apart from most people under 6'4". Besides, I didn't want long hair for The Sing-Off. They wouldn't let me cut it.
1. The Buzz
2. The Comfy
3. Pre-shag
4. The "Everybody Wants to Rule the World"
5. The Bush
6. The Brosephus
7. The "Creep"
8. The Banderas
My Razor Lotions
I decided to share some of my New Year's resolutions.
First there are those pertaining to food:
I resolve, in the year of our Lord, Two-thousand and eleven,
- To singlehandedly keep Krispy Kreme in business,
- To eat every burger that Red Robin offers,
- To make a sourdough bread, and
- To eat thirty dollars' worth of food at McDonald's in one sitting.
Then there are those bad habits:
I resolve
- To stop painting my toenails with Hanna-Barbera characters,
- To pay for the clothes that I wear out of the store,
- To wake up before 3:00 p.m. at least once a month, and
- Not to leave my tools in the bathtub.
Then there is the personal development:
I resolve
- To read a book,
- To fix the GT-750 (and work on the blog),
- To practice something musical (even once will do), and
- To record one original song each month.
Then the miscellanies:
I shall
- Visit Europe,
- Rescue one person from the Matrix,
- Find one dance move that I can actually execute,
- Visit Jon in Montana (if he doesn't move before then),
- Mow the lawn, and
- Give my wife more presents.
I suppose that's a good start. So shall it be. Happy New Year, everybody. Don't buy into the resolution dreck. Just make your life better. At the end of the day, ask, "Am I better than I was yesterday?" This is the year to be able to answer, "yes."
Withdrawn and Confused
I hurried outside in nothing but my boxers and slippers. "It's freezing," I thought as I searched the trunk for an ice scraper.
Don't ask me why we have plastic hangers in our trunk but no scraper. It could have something to do with living in Alabama, but I could have sworn we kept one in the trunk.
As soon as Meredith was off to work sans windshield ice, I shuffled inside and hopped back into bed, the only warm place in the house. I considered what was ahead--putting labels on postcards, depositing checks, scrounging for food that won't shorten my life--until I heard the garbage truck and remembered the bag, the bag I promised Meredith I would add to the can at the curb.
Back to the cold. Just in time, too.
"I guess I'm up now," I said to myself. "I always feel crappy after sleeping in anyway."
After warming myself over the floor furnace for a few minutes, I recognized my problem.
I didn't have someone telling me when to be ready. I didn't have a concrete schedule, or, come to think of it, any type of schedule. I just didn't have enough to do.
In TV production, they say, "Hurry up and wait." I got used to this when I was a contestant in The Sing-Off Season 2. It seemed like we were always late for our next appointment, but when we arrived on time, we ended up waiting, sometimes up to an hour. Granted, the show was on a tight schedule, but the contestants, who were always rushed, seldom held anything up.
So what's my problem? Why do I feel so out of place? Why do I feel unmotivated and confused? If I can answer these questions, surely I can get back on track to productivity.
First of all, I can tell you that I severely miss people. It's hard to leave the delightful people I've seen and worked with all day long for weeks at a time. I met some wonderful people in Los Angeles--both contestants and staff. They have all inspired me to sing and make music better than ever. That reminds me: For any of you who are bummed that Street Corner Symphony (SCS) didn't win, let me remind you that 1) we're thrilled and 2) there's no room for negativity. I love every single person from the show, and they're my friends. Don't hate.
Second, I'm in a transition. Actually, I've been in a transition for a long time. To take it further, I have been overlapping many transitions, which, in principle, causes the larger transition to take longer. How is this? I left my job at 21 and moved back home. Then I started college, got married, moved, bought a house, graduated, and started looking for a job over the next five years. Now I'm 26 and have finally sown a seed for a potential career.
Immediate results anyone? Just about everything I do, by nature, has no immediate results. This alone is depressing. People seem to think that just because SCS was on TV, we've already got a record deal. Close. People are interested, but we have a lot hoops to jump through before we can seal any deals.
All over again, this feels like starting college. I go somewhere and people tell me, "You'll get a great career and make money!" So five years and one degree later, the most money I've made (that could support my wife and me) was not sustainable for more than a month. Oh, it was good money to be sure, but the instances weren't repeatable close enough together. So what does everyone tell me to do? Get another degree. Thanks, but no thanks.
What will come of this? Who knows? The activity is promising, and I know this is an exciting time, but it's all too easy to become discouraged.
What makes it better for me? I get to overcome this particular problem only once in my life. All I have to do is to look beyond the obstacle and think what I'm going to think when it's over. And I guarantee that it won't look nearly as depressing or hopeless as I thought it was.
****Update**** (The next day)
Did I seem sad? I was certainly a little confused, and I appreciate your encouragement (Also, coming from a very high-activity period to a low-activity period is guilt-inducing for those who are accustomed to a consistently moderate level of activity, especially when resting. "Shouldn't I be doing something?"). Please understand that I finished my reflection feeling much better than when I started, and wanted to share what helped me feel better instantly: pre-thinking. Surely there's a flashy, more scientific Latin prefix, but this works for me (and no doubt someone else has already named this concept and written a treatise on it). I simply envision myself having accomplished the thing I am trying to do, then look back on the time when I was down or dubious (i.e. now). This results in different feelings, but the outcome is still the same--I feel better, and I want to keep going.
Thanks again for your kind thoughts. We're working on that album...er, as soon as we get a couple of things in order. You guys are awesome!
My Christmas Present to You
I love electronic music. I love Christmas. And I love this tune. Sort of a crystal meth Mannheim Steamroller. I, The Plethora, give you Carol of the Bells.
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