Please note that I have added a musical section to my blogroll. In addition to moving a couple of long-time residents of the general part of my blogroll, I have included several new music bloggers with whom I have become acquainted thanks to the Carnival of Music.

Please check out all of these fine bloggers:

• The Fredosphere


• Mixolydian Mode


• Musical Perceptions


• Musicircus


• Podcast Bumper Music


• The Rambler


• Reflections in d minor


• solitude.in.music

Update: Late addition! A Monk's Musical Musings.

Posted by: JohnL at 11:31 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 83 words, total size 1 kb.

The tenth Carnival of Music is happening at solitude.in.music this week.

Check it out for some melodious bloggy goodness.

As always, check the archive page to visit past carnivals, to scope out future hosts, and to submit articles or volunteer to host.

Posted by: JohnL at 10:35 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 50 words, total size 1 kb.

Professor Scott Spiegelberg has created a nice tribute to Harry Potter with this week's Carnival of Music, the ninth installment to date. Please drop by and leave a comment.

We need some more volunteers to host. If you're interested, it's an easy and fun way to gain some exposure for your blog. Please send an email here to volunteer to host or submit a post. If you have any other questions, visit the main Carnival Page.

Posted by: JohnL at 10:13 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 84 words, total size 1 kb.

Rob the Llamabutcher has done a fine job hosting the eighth Carnival of Music over at the butcher shop. Drop by and leave some tasty bits in the Llama Butcher mailbag to let Rob know how you liked it.

Next week's carnival will be held at Musical Perceptions. Check the archive page for future hosts and previous entries in the carnival.

Posted by: JohnL at 03:05 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 69 words, total size 1 kb.

This week's Carnival of Music is being hosted at Podcast Bumper Music. The site's proprietor, Prent Rodgers, has assembled a fine collection of tuneful bloggy goodness.

Our submissions were still low this week, but we had some late entries that really rounded things out nicely. If you have written or read an interesting post about music, please send the link to our Carnival drop-box. As always, check the archive for future hosts and to browse earlier carnivals.

Posted by: JohnL at 09:24 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 85 words, total size 1 kb.

Don (whose blog is a continuous Carnival of Music in its own right) found this site with a link to an amazing animated video of a Neil Peart avatar performing one of my favorite rock instrumentals, YYZ. I especially like the drumstick twirls, which are a nice touch.

(For you non-Rush fans, the basic motive of the piece is based on the morse code Y-Y-Z, which is the international code for Toronto's airport).

I'm sure Jeff, who pointed me to the P.E.A.R.T. drum robot, should really dig this.

Posted by: JohnL at 11:53 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 90 words, total size 1 kb.

Fred Himebaugh has put together a fine Carnival of Music this week.

I particularly love the Sci-Fi theme. Great job!

We have hosts lined up for the next 3 weeks, but we need more submissions of musical posts. You can submit your own post, or send along a link to someone else's post about anything musical.

Read more about the carnival's purpose, check out past carnivals, and look for future hosts here.

In the meantime, get over to Fred's place, and leave him a comment.

Posted by: JohnL at 11:48 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 93 words, total size 1 kb.

The house move has kept me offline this week, so I am only now able to link to this week's Carnival of Music, over at Sissy's blog, And What Next.

Go check it out. Also, get your submissions in so that Fred can put on a good Carnival #6 next Monday.

As always, consult the archive page to read earlier carnivals and to volunteer to host or to submit a post.

Posted by: JohnL at 09:07 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 79 words, total size 1 kb.

Gunner tagged me with a music meme last week. Things have been a bit crazy here, so I'm just now getting around to answering it.

Here's the game: What are your top three songs to listen to whilst running? And if you have the server space, will you post one or all of them for the rest of us to download? (If running is not your preferred method of exercise – which more or less guarantees your intelligence – well, songs that you would listen to are just fine.)

I usually don't listen to music while doing my nightly walk/run with the dog. I like to talk to him, and my suburban neighborhood straddles a creek and is covered with trees, so the nighttime chorus of toads and crickets makes a great soundtrack.

I do frequently listen to music while (whilst?) mowing the lawn, and my current favorites are:

• "Tarkus" - Emerson, Lake, and Palmer (esp. the live version of the movement "Aquatarkus" on Welcome Back My Friends to the Show That Never Ends, Ladies and Gentlemen...)


• "Astradyne" - Ultravox (from Vienna)


• "La Villa Strangiato" - Rush (again, the live version, from Exit Stage Left)

I have to say, though, that I have several mix CDs I listen to during yardwork, so this list would definitely change from week to week.

Posted by: JohnL at 12:04 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 229 words, total size 2 kb.

Owlish has posted the fourth installment of the Carnival of Music.

A nice eclectic mix of stuff there, so go check it out.

Posted by: JohnL at 10:06 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 31 words, total size 1 kb.

Administrative stuff first: I have put together an archive page for the carnival with FAQs, a schedule of future carnival hosts, and a list of previous carnivals. We need hosts! It's fun and easy and a great way to learn from a large selection of bloggers about a subject you love. Owlish has volunteered to host, and I have penciled him in for next week's carnival.

Please email me to submit a post for inclusion in a future carnival or to let me know that you would like to host one.

Without further ado, we start this week's program with an assortment of favorite springtime CDs, offered up by the HeadGirl at the Common Room.

Bart at the Well-Tempered Blog recommends a CD of Iren Marik playing Bartok as his tip of the week. Bart also provides a free link to an mp3 of Marik performing a piece by Debussy.

Michele at A Small Victory started another one of her trademark music lists today, after seeking input on the 20 best songs from the past 20 years. She was of course responding to the silly list put out by Spin magazine, reported here.

Every musician has a store of "war stories" -- things gone wrong in a performance. Harpist Helen Radice shares a funny one regarding a bird, a turd, and a word. (Rhyme inspired by the third and very funny comment to her post).

Brian Sacawa of Sounds Like Now has posted an mp3 sample of a live performance of pastlife laptops and attic instruments for alto saxophone, turntables, and electronics. If you like experimental saxophone electronica or abstract impressionist jazz, you will like this number.

For the past year, my Munuvian sponsor, Ted "RocketJones" has been receiving comments on this classic 2004 post on Stripper Music. Earlier this year, he put together a master list here.

Speaking of moving to music, Talvi of Of Music and Men doesn't like it. And, curmudgeonly as it sounds, I don't either. My organ teacher discouraged all extraneous movement, not only because it distracted from the music, but also because it hampered proper technique. Flailing around may look dramatic, and large arm movements may appear artistic, but they are really excess motions that can throw off your balance and timing while performing.

Fred is a vocalist who has discovered the humbling experience of learning from a recording of himself. I agree that a microphone can be a great teacher. Remember, however, that the musician is rarely an objective critic (either too harsh or too lenient) and a teacher can help recommend techniques to fix the perceived problems.

Finally, Music Thing posts about Paia, a do-it-yourself synth kit maker since 1967. The post features a very nifty photo of a synthesizer and effects installed in a drill case. (I once owned a broken-but-reapairable Paia modular synth but had to abandon it shortly after marriage during one of our moves. Lack of storage space has been the continual bane of my music hobby).

I hope you've enjoyed this week's carnival. For earlier carnivals, please remember to check the archive page. Thanks!

Posted by: JohnL at 11:04 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 527 words, total size 5 kb.

Nobody stepped forward volunteering to host this week, but that's understandable since this is a new feature. Please let me know of any blog entries you would like to see included next week. From highbrow to lowbrow, we've got you covered this week.

James Lileks deconstructs Bobby ("Mack the Knife") Darin, including as portrayed in a movie by Kevin Spacey. Who knew that the swingin' singer of Mack was a hippie sympathizer?

Speaking of hippie sympathizers, one of Devo's founding members, Jerry Casale, was a hippie at Kent State. His experience at the riot/shooting so disillusioned him on the whole hippie-positive-vibe naivete that he became a radicalized devolutionist (DEVOlution, get it?) I'm sure hardcore fans of Devo already knew that, but it was an eye-opener for this casual fan. (And did you know that Head Like A Hole, popularized by Nine Inch Nails was originally donecovered by Devo? I only recently heard the originalDevo's remake, which kicks the remake'soriginal's rear end). (Hat tip - BoingBoing). (Thanks go to commenter Peter S. for setting me straight on Head Like A Hole).

And while we're at BoingBoing, check out Party Ben's "Drop It Like It's a Whole Lotta Love"
-- a mashup of Snoop Dogg and Led Zeppelin. Surprisingly effective, as I love Zep and loathe rap.

Neues von Bach! Big news for the music snobs this week. Something new from Poppa Bach. (I am a music snob, btw). Naturally Lynn and Rob Llama were all over this. I look forward to hearing this work once it's recorded (especially if they can get a good Baroque-style soprano who can throttle back her vibrato as appropriate for that era).

The next big thing? Ukulele. Well, maybe not, but Jake Shimabukuro, the "Jimi Hendrix of Hawaii," made the front page of Yahoo News, and will be touring with Jimmy Buffet this summer. Check out some of the samples from Jake's CDs here. "Sunday Morning" brings a smile to my face, as does his own rhapsody on a theme by Paganini ("Selections from Caprice No. 24").

And, to cleanse the palate, enjoy Bach's BWV 594 (Concerto in C Major after Vivaldi) and ask yourself whether overly aggressive copyright laws really are good for the creative arts.

Check for the carnival again next week. If you want to contribute or host, please send me an email.

Posted by: JohnL at 10:41 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 400 words, total size 3 kb.

Variations on a theme. I don't know if this will take off as a real "Carnival," but I have run across several interesting musical posts in the last few days.

aTypical Joe notes a recent New Yorker article on the effect of listening primarily to recorded music. Interesting, though I'm not sure it's all as bleak as the critic in the New Yorker makes it seem. I do know that listening to a symphony or an organist on CD is nothing compared to the immediate, physical experience of the music first-hand.

Chan the Bookish Gardener points us to the BBC's Beethoven Experience, taking place this week.

Caltechgirl similarly notes the BBC Beethoven Experience, and sends us to the page where free and legal copies of each of Beethoven's symphonies are available for download.

Music Thing (one of my new favorite reads) introduces us to Peter Pringle, King of the Theremin. (Article includes an mp3 of Peter playing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow").

Finally, Robert and Lynn discuss the hazards of introducing classical music as primarily a representational art form, when in fact much great music is not strictly programmatic.

I hope you enjoyed this little carnival. If you would like some more, send me links to notable musical posts. If you would like to host a carnival or two yourself, perhaps we can launch yet another Internet carnival.

Posted by: JohnL at 09:37 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 237 words, total size 2 kb.

The Llama Butchers unearthed a fun game at Impenetrable Prose and Poesy.

1. Take the lyrics to a favorite song.
2. Go to Babelfish, translate the lyrics into German, then from German to French, and finally from French back into English.
3. Post the results verbatim.
4. Invite friends to guess the song based on the interesting new lyrics.

Here goes:

There is unrest in the forest,
There is disorder with the trees,
For the maples want more sunlight lamp
And the oaks is unaware of to their pleas.

The disturbs with the maples,
(And they' Re quite convinced they' Re right)
They say the oaks are just too lofty
And they grab up all the light.
Drank the oaks can' T help to their feelings
If they like the way they' Re made.
And they wonder why the maples
Can' T Be happy in their shade.

There is disorder in the forest,
And the creatures all cuts fled,
Have the maples scream "Oppression!"
And the oaks just shake to their heads
So the maples formed has union
And demanded equal rights.

"The oaks are just too greedy;
Give We will make them custom light."
Now there' S No more oak oppression,
For they passed has noble law,
And the trees are all kept equal
By hatchet, axis, and saw.

Answer (and original lyrics) below the fold:
more...

Posted by: JohnL at 11:35 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 422 words, total size 3 kb.

Rob the Llama Butcher recounts a cute "from the mouths of babes" story about his 5-year-old's desire to be a rock star someday.

My second son also would like to be a rock star someday, and I've got pictures to prove it (one below the fold).

Don't worry, Rob, he's only eight, so he probably won't be interested in your daughter and her van full of guitars for another 10 years or so. [This is where I would insert a smiley-wink if Rob believed in emoticons, but he doesn't, so I won't, enjoying the fact that he will now lie awake at night worrying about the designs of 18-year-old rock musicians on his 15 year old daughter] more...

Posted by: JohnL at 09:08 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 79 words, total size 1 kb.

I recently discovered Music thing (thanks, BoingBoing!) Lots of very-cool vintage gear and odd bits of music technology on parade at this site. A random sampling:

Build your own analog synth for around $100.

A psychedelic French modular synthesizer for kids. (Really).

Some first-rate pR0n for synthesists. (Mmm. Electronic cheesecake...)

And lots of other really super-neat stuff.

Posted by: JohnL at 11:20 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 63 words, total size 1 kb.

The Crack Young Staff at The Hatemonger's Quarterly really hit it out of the park with their critique of country music. Excerpt:

As far as weÂ’re concerned, itÂ’s complete rubbish.

All the songs strike us as sub-par nursery rhymes sung with an irksome twang.

There's plenty more where that came from so read the whole thing.

Posted by: JohnL at 11:50 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 62 words, total size 1 kb.

If, like me, you have any interest in electronic music, synthesizers, or classic technology, you must visit this site. In particular, check out the history page, which features many interesting links and drool-worthy pictures of old many-knobbed analog synthesizers haloed in patch cords.

This company's best-known synthesizer was the VCS3, used by Pink Floyd on many of their early albums (highlighted most famously in "On the Run" from The Dark Side of the Moon).

The reason I found this site? A delightful posting by Chan today regarding the Doctor Who theme and the until-recently-uncredited contribution of electronic music pioneer Delia Derbyshire to that theme.

What can I say? Like Chan, I enjoy being a geek.

Posted by: JohnL at 10:42 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 123 words, total size 1 kb.

I fired up iTunes tonight to listen to the latest installment of Lileks' Diner, and left it running while blogging that novella I just put up about shopping centers. As usual, it is set on shuffle, and here are the ten songs that have come up:

1. Aerosmith - Rare live version of Sweet Emotion
2. New Christy Minstrels - A Travelin' Man
3. Ronald Reagan - Operation Coffee Cup (I didn't listen to more than the first few minutes before scanning to the next)
4. Pat Boone - Metallica's Enter the Sandman
5. Red Army Choir - Moscow Nights (a beautiful folk song)
6. Van Halen - The Cradle Will Rock
7. Bad Company - Feel Like Makin' Love
8. Mel Carter - Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me
9. Neil Diamond - Cracklin' Rosie
10. Fear Factory/Gary Numan - Cars Remix

Weird. I wonder how my coworkers (or you) would judge me by my iTunes playlist? (Via GeekPress).

Posted by: JohnL at 12:31 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 166 words, total size 1 kb.

Via Gravity Lens, a great article in The Grauniad about the dinosaurs that everyone loves (or at least loved) to hate: prog rockers.

I used to be very heavily into Emerson Lake & Palmer, Yes (in all its sundry incarnations), Genesis (especially the obscure early stuff), the Moody Blues, and early King Crimson. I credit prog (especially and almost exclusively Emerson Lake and Palmer) with stimulating in me a deep appreciation for both classical and jazz music. I first learned of Bartok, Ginastera, Copland, and Janacek from Keith Emerson's arrangements of their pieces.

If you like progressive rock or want to sample some, there is a cool web radio station named Aural Moon. You can pick up a stream at their site, and they are listed under the Radio section of iTunes, too.

Posted by: JohnL at 10:45 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 141 words, total size 1 kb.