Billboard’s Top 10 Worst National Anthem Performances

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My daily email from Billboard this morning featured “The Top 10 Worst National Anthem Performances EVER”, well, according to Billboard magazine and Monica Herrera. Of course I was intrigued. Over the years I have had several students call me in a mad panic having been asked to sing the National Anthem at a stadium or at a function of some sort. It seems to put the fear of God into any singer. It’s understandable. Usually the singer is required to sing it “a capella” which is not easy for most singers with any song…but the National Anthem isn’t just any song. The melody has a raised 4th in the verse which basically requires the singer to step out of the main key for a brief moment. The overall melody covers an octave and a half range, and does this in the first two bars. To cover that kind of distance in the voice requires control and some technique. Also, it is often performed at a stadium, which invariably creates an substantial echo or two, and unless the performer is wearing in ear monitors, or is seasoned enough to be able to tune this out, it can create a massive melodic train wreck, especially when the crowd usually sings along to the echo. So, yes it is challenging to say the least.

Based on Monica’s article, it seems there are three acceptable ways to perform the anthem. One:- Diva Style (Whitney Houston, Beyonce etc. Which means legato melody, belted out with vocal acrobatics galore). Two:- Traditional (a good singer just singing the melody no muss no fuss, with the acceptable run or blue note here and there) or Three:- Artistic (Marvin Gaye or an artist of any genre who cannot be tamed like a session singer….no matter what, they will sing it in a way that reflects what they do.)

Let’s look Monica’s choices for the worst performances of the National Anthem ever….

Coming in at number 10 is Josh Groban with Flea. Ok…I agree, this is an odd pairing but it’s not one of the worst ever performances by a long stretch. First of all, it takes balls of steel to walk out into the middle of a stadium with nothing but a bass player, a drummer and a brass section behind you. That would actually be more challenging than singing it ‘a cappella’…ESPECIALLY if you’re as accomplished, vocally as Josh Groban. Why? Well, there isn’t one instrument there that is polyphonic. The singer is relying on the various monophonic instruments to make up the harmony. Usually this is difficult to sing to due to issues with intonation, balance, rhythm and the list goes on. Therefore, I liked it. It was risque, it was odd. I would say that as the song reached the climax it’s a little lack luster due to the lack of solid harmony behind him. However, Josh sings on with conviction was unswayed, and flawless in his delivery. To call this one of the worst is just unfair. I might also like to add that to play the bass the way Flea did at the top of the song, requires some skill. I give Josh points for trying something different and changing it up. This goes in the Artistic category.

Next up at #9 was Keri Hilson. Keri Hilson forgot the words, caught it and fixed it in mid flight. Ok…not ideal, but It happens. At this moment you can hear the entire stadium commenting. Keri rose above it. Not easy to do. However, she did sing ‘a cappella’ and she did miss the alt note in the verse both times. This performance would go in the Diva category, however no self respecting Diva would miss that raised 4th note. So EEEEAAAAHHH thanks for playing. The girl can sing though, let it be known.

Ok…at #8 is R. Kelly. Oh dear. Mr. Kelly. Monica is spot on here in her noting that R. Kelly was clearly inspired by Marvin Gaye’s famous performance in 1983, although he does it his way. I also agree that it was unnecessary to have the dancers behind him. But, this falls into the Artistic category. R. Kelly is R. Kelly. He believes he can fly and lord help anyone who tells him otherwise. He does it his way and that is that. Also, it’s at a boxing match for Christ’s sake. Who the hell cares. People were entertained and they got their little dose of patriotism, all is well. It was cheesy yes, but it was R. Kelly.

#7 was Steven Tyler. This is just judgmental. To think that Steven Tyler would get up and perform this anthem any other way is naive. He starts with Harmonica and has his trademark scarves flying on the mic stand. He’s in tune as much as he needs to be, he gets the alt notes and adds some of his own….and he screams at the top of his damn lungs. This is “you either love him or you hate him” situation. I have at least 9 male students who would give their eye teeth to be able to scream like this at this range. Absolutely going into the Artistic category.

Ok…now we’re getting somewhere…coming in at number 6 is Jesse McCartney. Oh my dear lord…have Mehrcyah! I like how the news reader takes pity on Jesse and begs the question…”could you remember all the words to the national anthem if you were singing in front of millions of people?”. Well…most people might say yes I could. I’m not an American and I could do it, but the National Anthem for your country of birth should be like Happy Birthday. It’s permanently etched in your brain. That said, even if it isn’t, and you’re calling yourself a recording/performing artist of any description, who is about to perform in front of millions of people…you LEARN THE WORDS!!!! If you have stage fright to the point of distraction…you have the words written out in big text and have someone hold them up in front of you out of the way of the camera, or use a telepromopter. (I’ll admit that even this is lame, but some people need it). However, when you forget entire sections of the song (sections which coincidentally have the big notes) and don’t know the melody and don’t know how to sing in tune, nerves or no nerves, I’m sorry….GO HOME! There are so many more deserving performers. This just goes in the “WTF” category and is indeed one of the worst performances of the National Anthem EVER!

OK numero cinque….Aretha Franklin, Aaron Neville and Dr John. Dr. John and Aaron Neville, representing New Orleans and Aretha representing Detroit. To list any of Aretha’s performances of any song as one of the worst performance ever, and to put it AHEAD of Jesse McCartney’s tragic rendition takes some mighty ‘cajones’. To also poo poo a performance that has been designed to pay tribute to victims of the Katrina hurricane, well cajones or not, that’s just rude. However, this performance was disjointed without a doubt but not deserving of this list. First of all, Aaron does not have the “let me belt out this song right about now” type of voice, which a stadium gig almost begs. He’s a stylistic singer, who’s good in his range, and probably even better in a padded vocal booth with a studio microphone that can pick up the slightest wheeze deep inside one’s alveoli. Here he’s just lost, sonically. Completely lost. He’s doing his damnedest until Aretha marches in and just pretty much wipes the floor with him. Putting these two singers together in a stadium setting was just cruel. It’s like putting a lion and a mosquito in a boxing ring together and being surprised the mosquito fell down dead when the lion exhaled. But, Aaron represented his town, as did Dr. John…and he did a fine job. This goes in the Diva and Artistic category (and perhaps even the “weird tribute” category that we accept due to the circumstances).

Number 4. Scott Stapp from Creed. Horrible. Out of tune, wrong notes you name it. I’m not even going to dignify this with any further comment.

#3. To put Michael Bolton after that performance above that I’m not going to discuss, because I desperately want to erase it from my mind forever. The fact that my retina had to take a moment to process it for my brain at all is offensive to me on many levels. I know, I said I wasn’t going to comment, but that was until I watched Michael Bolton. Now, I’m not a Scott Stapp fan, but that is not why I’m offended by his performance. As I’ve said before, I’ll give anyone a go. I’m not a Michael Bolton fan either…not even a little, but to put this ahead of Scott Stapp is so wrong. Ok…Michael did have to look at his hand for his cheat lyrics which caused the entire stadium to murmur, but he didn’t mess up the lyrics as a result did he! He was prepared, even if it’s lame, he knew that he would forget that line and was prepared. I give him some props for this. KNOW YOURSELF. Don’t leave it up to chance. If you forget one line every time you practice it…you most likely will forget it live and then some. Of course we could argue that if you’re a professional you should never forget a line, but we’re not all Stepford Singers like Celine Dion. It happens. Prepare! Other than this little bungle, he does actually kill it. In quite a high key for his voice I might add. He even rises above the crowds mockery of his cheat sheet. No way this is worse than Scott Stapp. No Ha-way!

Before I even clicked on the link this morning I wondered where this next performance would rank. I knew it would have to be close to #1, if not #1. Roseanne Barr. It comes in at #2 and I say whatever. Who ever allowed her to do this is responsible. Not Roseanne. Apparently Roseanne was paying homage to Madonna….that is lost on me and I have no idea what that inside joke was about, but even if that is the case…spare the rest of us. Sense of humour or not (and I have a big one!) spare people’s ear drums and don’t waste my time.

Wait for it….#1…The WORST National Anthem Performance ever, according to Monica Herrera goes to Kat DeLuna. WTF? Who? This is worse than Roseanne Barr? Worse than Scott Stapp? Worse than Jesse? Kat DeLuna’s performance is lacking, no question. Frayed around the edges of her bravado, you can see the lack of confidence and towards the middle of the performance I wanted to run on stage and give the little girl a hug and tell her it will be ok. She’s a baby! This is personal me thinks. Let’s see…Monica Herrera (latina) and Kat DeLuna – who is of Domenican nationality and has had success in the Latin music genre. Yes. I think this is a case of Ms. Herrera letting her personal feelings, tastes and interests cloud her judgment. She calls Ms. DeLuna’s performance “a spectacular failure”. That is unfair. It is lacking, as I’ve said…but it’s also clear that Kat has some chops in there. And…even though Monica is adamant that Kat botches the final note, she’s wrong. Throughout her performance where she changes keys a few times (and not in a good way), she actually…in the very end, lands on the right note. I feel for these super young artists who have been thrown into the lions den because they have shown talent and they are easy on the eyes. To sing the US National Anthem, alone, a cappella, in front of thousands and sometimes millions of people is in no way easy. Monica is offended that Ms. DeLuna shows confidence in the midst of terror and maliciously points out that people booed at the end. Well, people also cheered which is more than you can say for Roseanne’s performance. People cheered at the end of Scott Stapp’s performance….which just goes to prove that many people cannot hear the water in their own shower let alone a good singer from a bad singer. There have been countless performers who have used audacity alone to sell records when devoid of real talent. The music industry wouldn’t exist without it. Kat DeLuna is not a true example of this. Yes she’s cute and she’s young. She’s bilingual and she can sing. Can she carry a tune a cappella…no way in hell, not this one. Is she an artist with a vision and something to say? I honestly don’t really know. I’m going to go with probably not. Kat is just a young girl who needs more experience. Needs to tame and harness her talents. But I digress. She is in no way deserving of the #1 spot.

Where oh where is Michael Paoletta when you need him? Enough with the music journalists that know diddly squat about music. Anyway…you have a look and let me know if that star spangled banner waves the way you like it. Land of the free? Home of the brave? Brave doesn’t cut it in Monica Herrera’s world.

Over and out!

Here’s a link to the Billboard article - check it out here.

Goldfrapp – Hollywood Bowl

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I am loving Goldfrapp’s new album – Head First. At first listen, I was taken aback by how “on the nose” 1980s it sounds, but hey, I was there (shhhh don’t tell anybody) so it quickly grew on me and now…I’m addicted. But I have loved every album they’ve made so far, so I guess you could safely say I’m a fan.. My good friend Sean invited me and friends to their show at The Hollywood Bowl. As we walked in, an usher lead us down towards the front row, and then across to the middle and I just about died. There honestly wasn’t a better seat in the house. So we had some wine, some food and listened to the amazing Buena Vista Social Club Orchestra as the sun went down (they were an odd choice to open for Goldfrapp I thought, but hey, I was into it). Overall, at that moment the vibe at The Bowl was amazing.

Finally Alison, Gregory and troupe came out, dressed head to toe in 1980s metallic spandex garb and draped in key-tars. Alison’s soprano soared over the Hollywood valley. It sounded gorgeous. But after the first song….several people around us got up and left. I was close enough to see the look on Alison Goldfrapp’s face. She kept her cool, but as a performer, I can imagine playing such a prestigious venue, full house, and how it would feel to have half the audience directly in front of you get up and leave either during or after the first song. The Bowl being the type of venue it is, people have their box and subscribe to the shows they want to see. The Bowl is divided into sections and if you’re not holding a ticket that puts you in the first 3 rows of the front, you can’t get there….in fact it’s pretty hard to move from any section at The Bowl once you’re situated. In this case it was obvious due to the odd pairing, a large part of the front row circle crowd came for Buena Vista, used their boxes for a bit of a show, dinner and drinks and then left when this weird electro-pop European group came on stage that they had no idea what to make of and clearly didn’t care for. Who can blame them. The music industry isn’t really designed for someone who is a fan of The Buena Vista Social Club to also be a fan of Goldfrapp. Two different demographics entirely. Not that everyone falls into this trap, but you know….

This left a few of us fans up the front all alone with ourselves. Now, I’ve been sandwiched in amongst people at concerts more times than I care to remember, wishing I had more room to move or to breathe. It was interesting for once to have the best seat in the house, nothing but space all around me and feel completely alone in my concert-goer excitement. Be careful what you wish for. Such a huge act and so many die hard fans there, but the best seats in the house, empty and the majority of fans in the nose bleed section.

Anyway, Alison didn’t disappoint, even though it was obvious the start rattled her. I’m sure she’s experienced and old enough to have figured out what happened. And, she’s enough of a professional to go within her own mind and take control o f her experience. And she did this with flying colours. Will Gregory did his best to get people moving and deflect for his partner. However, his outfit disturbed me a little bit, and I’m quite sure I wasn’t alone. He had full metallic spandex on and a blouse-y shirt. He’s grown out his fringe and hair…looking quite neanderthal-ish…in a new wave 80s way that is. But, in his typical “I’m-super-multi-talented-thank-you-very-much” fashion, he did rock the violin, the guitar and the key-tar and did a fair amount of singing in his bizarre ensemble. Alison stuck to singing this time and performing. Her voice soared over soprano to alto parts down to tenor parts with finesse. At one point, half way through, she reached her arms out towards the back and screamed with frustration “AURG! I wish you were closer to me!”. Damn straight! At that point I jumped out of my seat and bonded with the two gentleman to my right who were enjoying their date together and started to get into it as I wanted to. By the end of the night, literally, I was one of 4 people who right went up to the stage and had arms flailing and feet stomping. Now that’s not right is it, but what the hell….I felt like I had the whole band and the whole Hollywood Bowl to myself…now who’s the rock star?

Death To The Plastic Bag

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I loathe plastic bags…I mean…LOATHE them.

Here’s some reasons why…
- Four out of five grocery bags in the US are now plastic.
- Plastic bags cause over 100,000 sea turtle and other marine animal deaths every year when animals mistake them for food.
- Our consumption rate of plastic bags is more than 500 billion plastic bags annual – 1 million per minute.
- The average family accumulates 60 plastic bags in only four trips to the grocery store.
- According to The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. goes through 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually. An estimated 12 million barrels of oil is required to make that many plastic bags.
- Single-use bags made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) are the main culprit. Once brought into existence to tote your purchases, they’ll accumulate and persist on our planet for up to 1,000 years.

I mean…for crying out loud. That’s just unacceptable. Don’tcha think? I’m not usually one to preach, but we can stop this…surely.

Reusable bags…look into it. And, if you already use them vigilantly, then try to turn around those in your life that don’t.

Lady Gaga…

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If you read my ‘Women in music, or little girls?” post you will know how I feel about female artists of late. Well, I went with my friend SuzAnn to see Lady Gaga. I’m not necessarily a fan, but like I’ve said before, I’ll go and hear almost anything live, at least once. It is the best way to truly assess an artist. Especially in today’s musical climate. Are they actually singing? Are they able to play the instrument they are photographed with? What is their message? Can they communicate that message artfully? etc.

If you saw Taylor Swift’s performance at The Grammys this year, you will know what I’m talking about. The Grammys forbids the use of auto-tune or lip syncing. They also like pairing up artists of contrast or different eras. Putting Taylor Swift with a veteran performer like Stevie Nicks was simultaneous brilliant and stupid. Either the mastermind behind that arrangement had it in for Taylor or was stupid enough to believe that Taylor could actually hold her own. I love that the label issued a statement to the public defending Taylor’s out of tune singing as technical difficulties. Who on this earth would buy that? OMG! Anyway….I’m not here to talk about her….I digress.

Lady Gaga, love her or hate her, is the real deal. I know enough people connected to Lady Gaga to know that the tour was thrown together in minutes and was on the road virtually seconds after her songs were written and recorded. I know that ‘Teeth’ was being recorded in the studio in October and I saw the show in December. That’s almost unheard of. And, she has since completely redesigned the show to take it to Europe and is revamping it again to come back and tour the states as soon as she is finished in Europe. Every single penny she makes is put back into “The House of Gaga”, which from what I understand, is her own empire of set designers, fashion designers, producers and worker bees working in said house to constantly create and develop everything and anything to propel her music and her performances forward. This girl has a strong work ethic….and a drive that is very rare.

She has a very clear message which she unabashedly flaunted. She is entertaining. Her set is full of strong visuals, leaving no stone unturned. Costume after costume, costume within costumes. Even the piano was barricaded and designed to look like a broken down shack of rusty nails and drift wood, she had big black wings on her back and sat squatted on the piano stool by herself and played and sang a ballad really really well. I say that with enthusiasm because that is a big deal, especially with an artist who’s so young and whose music is so electronically driven. That girl can sing and play. I mean, she’s no Herbie Hancock, but she doesn’t need to be.

Gaga at piano

What blew my mind the most was the diversity of the audience. Sold out shows every night – yes. I know she’s got the gay vote, that goes without saying, so I expected a strong representation of the gay community. I also expected a strong presence of those under 21 years old, and I was not disappointed. What I didn’t expect in a million years was the presence of woman and men, both single and couples over 40…dressed to the nines – mardi-gras style. Mums and Dad’s with their kids, and not sitting down with their faces in their blackberry’s or waiting at the bar until it was all over, but dancing and singing and as into it as their children. Families dressed up like gaga. I’m serious. I’ve never in my life seen anything like it.

Gaga has wormed her way into the hearts of the insecure freak in many a demographic. If you were the wall flower in high school in 1975 or if you are the in-the-closet lesbian in junior high now, she is your ambassador and she knows it. Or maybe you just have a penchant for drama and dressing up, and if it’s as simple as that, she is your queen.

Ok…couple of criticisms. Had my friend Craig (who incidentally represents the queer vote) not called me and ordered me to take earplugs, I would have most likely bled to death in the isles or choked on my own vomit. Now, I’m not a light weight, I’ve been going to concerts since I was 12, and I’ve been in more rock bands than I can remember. I rarely plug my ears (I’m not proud of that, I should), but this was just offensive. It wasn’t that is was loud, it was loud and bad. Strong and wrong. Whoever does her sound should be fired. Distorted, bad levels, you name it. Horrid. There were times when I could only hear the drum loop and nothing else. I could hear the stomping of the feet on the stage and nothing else. Gaga struggled with the mic and the sound, and the show went on, but it was a black mark on the report card…that’s for sure.

Also, it wouldn’t hurt her to polish up her dancing or at least stop pretending she is a good dancer. She could finesse her in between song banter. It’s understandable though. Her rise to super stardom has been so incredibly fast that I think she is still learning to fill the shoes of the level she’s actually at. In a way it’s nice that it’s not so overly produced that it impersonal, but it’s definitely a few notches down from the type of production she is putting forward.

Yes…it was all very self indulgent. Yes…she is determined to be the biggest star in the world. But I’m sure we’ll see her put that celebrity to some use in time. Right now, I can’t imagine she has time for anything. She’s so busy grabbing hold of her constantly evolving and growing status. However she did pair with Cyndi Lauper recently to promote aids awareness, and I have faith that as she settles in to her new found mega stardom she’ll do more for her freaks. She’s a good Italian catholic girl after all. ;-)

Lady Gaga….an artist with a vision. An artist who is a woman and proud of it. An artist who will be around for a very long time and will never sway from her directive….world domination. Like it or not, she is here to stay.

The Best Is Yet To Come – Cy Coleman

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My friend and occasional collaborator Dave Palmer produced an album last year. I’ve been meaning to tell you about it, but life has totally gotten in the way of my blogging on a regular basis. Anyway, it is a fine, fine album. In case you don’t know, Cy Coleman, is often quoted as “the youngest member of the elite group of Great American Songbook composers”. He’s responsible for well known standards such as “Witchcraft,” “The Best Is Yet To Come,” “Big Spender” and “The Rules Of The Road” made timeless by Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole, Barbara Streisand, Dusty Springfield, Ella Fitzgerald and Peggy Lee (for example). Ella Fitzgerald won a Grammy for her performance of “The Best Is Yet To Come.”

The album, “The Best Is Yet To Come: The Songs of Cy Coleman”, was released September 15, 2009 on New West Records. It’s also on iTunes and various other internet sites. In his inimitable fashion, he completely re-arranged and produced the songs, making them fresh and at times, avant garde and unpredictable. Then, Dave chose to have different female artists perform songs. The production and new arrangements revived the lyrics and created a new indescribable genre in my opinion. It’s also some of the best singing I’ve ever heard.

Fiona Apple contributes two songs (her first new music in five years), alongside other artists such as Missy Higgins, Madeleine Peyroux, Jill Sobule, Nikka Costa, Sara Watkins and Patty Griffin, who sings The Best Is Yet To Come. It’s unlike any version you’ve ever heard of the song, and it’s Patty as you’ve never heard her before. This is what I’m talking about. Who would ever think of Patty Griffin to sing a song that is known predominantly as a jazz standard? It’s brilliant and it creates something unexpected. Something fresh.

Michael Perfitt recorded most of it, and various notable musicians played on it such as Jay Bellerose, Aaron Sterling, Mark Goldenberg, Benmont Tench, Lisa Coleman, to name a few, and of course Dave.

The Best Is Yet To Come, does the original songbook genre justice. I’m not talking about jazz as a broad stroke genre, I’m talking about vocal jazz, The Great American Songbook standard jazz. Know what I mean? This is how I want to hear it. Squeeze new life out of well known songs. Wake them up. Use instrumentation that is not typical. Anyway, you get the idea. It’s great. Really good for the ears and the soul.

Check it out!

Check it out!

Women in music or little girls? Regina Spektor at The Greek.

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I went to Regina Spektor’s concert at The Greek Theater last Wednesday night.

How was the show? Well….is Regina Spektor a good singer? Yes, without question. Her voice soars and dips, sings almost perfectly on pitch the entire time, is flawless in it’s transition and holds a spectrum of sounds that rival Tori Amos. Is Regina Spektor a good musician? No doubt about it, she plays the piano with expression and feeling, she adds surprising little hooks to the middle of sections that take you by surprise and does this without any hint of rehearsal. Is RS a good songwriter? Yes. I wouldn’t say she’s one of the greats, but she is good and has a style that is unique to her that doesn’t necessarily play by the rules, but exhibits knowledge of the rules and structure that makes songs memorable and sing-able. I particularly like her ‘Laughing With’ song, along with several songs off of her 1st record, ‘Begin To Hope’. Did she have good musicians playing with her? Yes, Matt Chamberlain, who in my opinion is one of the finest drummers in the business, along with a lovely very competent string quartet. So then…why did my friend and I leave after 5 songs?

First, I will admit it was bitterly, b-i-t-t-e-r-l-y cold. Probably the coldest night we’ve had so far this season. That said, I would sit through an ice storm for great music or a great artist. I should also admit that I am not a die-hard fan, I like her well enough; I own her first record and listen to it every now and again. I agreed to go out of curiosity. You understand, you like an artist at a tier 1 level. To decide whether or not you want to move to tier 2, you go to a live show. I am a HUGE fan of live music and find this the best way to really hear an artist. So I went. She delivered but she did not blow me away. She did not reach me, or move me or make me think. She did not reach into my rib cage and rip out my heart. There was no blood on the microphone or the ivory’s. But whatever…that doesn’t bother me so much because very few artists can do that. I also knew that what I saw was an accurate barometer for the rest of the show.

The crucial thing that made me choose a car with a working heater over her remaining set…she played the little girl card. Now I will ask the question I have been asking myself for about 2-3 years…..and I beg for your answers. I’m serious…school me. Why oh why do women feel compelled to behave and/or sing like little girls????? This silly, giggly awe struck thing that goes on? It’s been a fad now for about the last three years and I don’t get it. Regina is 29 or 30 years old. She wore a dress akin to an Alice in Wonderland costume with a cardboard cut out cartoon bow on her neck. She giggled as she shrugged and covered her mouth and I guess it was alluring to those who dig it….but who are they and why? Is it as simple as pedophilia? Please explain.

I look at artists such as Madonna, Chrissy Hynde, Pat Benatar, M.I.A, Bjork, Tori Amos, Patty Griffin, Nikka Costa, Suze DeMarchi and NINA FUCKING SIMONE and I don’t see one of those artists pretending to be a little girl. Fiona Apple is probably an exception, as she has a tendency to behave cute and shy in between songs…but when she opens her mouth she has the voice of a 65-year-old jazz singer who is being channeled from the gates of hell and the gates of heaven simultaneously, so therefore, she gets a pass.

Personally I can’t take it anymore. I can see that she has it all right there…and yet she’s playing it safe and all perfect and it’s sooooo boring and contrived. I want to either be on the edge of my seat, or comfortably sitting back in my seat enjoying what the artist does brilliantly without any facade.

I know, I know. I sound jaded. I’m just merely asking the question. Why is popular? I really wanted to love Regina’s show…truly. I still believe she is remarkably talented, but the image…needs an overhaul in my humble (not that anyone gives a fuck) opinion. Where is the next great female role model? Because this little girl thing is tired.

I Live In Hope – Video

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Something happened recently. Something exciting. I met a lovely lady, Jen at my last Genghis show. She is a photographer. She asked about shooting some pics for me sometime and one day I intend to take her up on that offer. She took my Sometime In Morning CD. Her husband, Ric contacted me and asked if I’d be interested in making a music video with him. They’ve been playing my CD and Ric and Jen fell in love with the music. I checked out his portfolio and thought, why the hell not!? I’ll confess, I’ve been down this road before. I had a producer/director combination get all excited about a music video when I released Sponge Brain. We spent two days shooting two videos…lots of time, money, volunteers, energy obtaining permits etc. To this day, I have nothing to show for that. The producer never saw it through. Good intentions all around, I’ve no doubt. You see, it’s all fun and games to get a creative group of people together to shoot for a few days, but to actually sit down and sift through the footage and create something great takes more vision and grunt work, more time and energy. So alas, nothing ever came of it. Suffice it to say, I was skeptical (and graciously told Ric so), but thought, what do I have to loose.

Well…..OMG! What a fabulous day of shooting. Easy, quick, professional. Other than buying lunch, I wasn’t asked to do anything but perform. Ric is a-m-a-z-i-n-g. I’m convinced that this guy one day will be a well-known name in his field. Efficient, professional, honest, creative, realistic and thorough! He brought a crew with him, (and not just anyone, I mean guys who know what they are doing!) awesome equipment and great attitudes all round. I have no doubt that I will see a final cut very soon. I’m very excited. It’s quite thrilling.

Oh, what song? As the title states, he chose I Live In Hope. (One of my personal favourites, if I’m allowed to say so). Ric even submitted it to the producers he knows on The Good Wife. (fingers crossed). The song is also to be featured on the soundtrack for The Seven Rays by Jessica Bendinger in the coming weeks and of course, it’s part of The Secret’s Of The Immortal Nicholas Flamel series by Michael Scott for Random House.

How cool. YAY!

I Live In Hope video shoot

I Live In Hope video shoot

In a way, this ties in a little with my last post about Cinespace – you can read it here. You see, Genghis wasn’t a huge gig for me…it was a small gig that I didn’t overly promote, but more or less treated as a test for new material. I had a good turn out but I didn’t go “all out” if you know what I mean. You see, I know that JT at Genghis knows how to run a venue. One good sounding room and one good act at a time, and each act compliments the following act. There is no risk…do a show, play for people, and things like this happen! Thank you Ric! Thank you Genghis Cohen!