Getting Spring Fever

It is FREEZING out. But I haven't been on the blog this week because I've got a case of Spring Fever. That's right - spring is just around the corner and to celebrate, PMAC is holding its second annual SPRING FEVER FOR THE ARTS on Friday, April 3rd at 7:30 pm at the Discover Portsmouth Center - formerly the Portsmouth Public Library. More details to come!

Recommended Listening (2)

I got a pretty good response from last Sunday's recommended listening (Yael Naim), so I thought I'd throw another one out there.

Check out Ethel. In many ways they are the heir apparent to the Kronos Quartet. Young, vibrant, they are a string quartet out of NYC mixing classical, rock and jazz influences to create their own unique sound. They perform amplified and are everything that you would hope Kronos would still be. Rockers. You can listen here: www.ethelcentral.com/music. I hope you enjoy.

U2

Picked up their new CD, "No Line On The Horizon" this week. Still absorbing it - haven't fallen in love at first sound as was the case with a few of their earlier CDs. I recommend re-listening (or listening to for the first time if for some reason you've never heard this) to "Wide Awake In America". For me it is the definitive U2 recording. It captures the group live - when they are at their best - and in their prime, way back in the 1980s. I've seen them live twice, and I have never, ever seen a single person connect so intimately with a crowd of 60,000 people (no, Barack Obama doesn't even come close to the connection Bono has with his audience). Hope you find it, listen, and enjoy.

The Strangers

It's been a busy, busy week. (A poor attempt to explain the days of silence on this blog.) Here's some fun weekend listening:



I'm a huge St. Vincent fan. Still bummed I missed thier Boston show last year due to a bout with the flu. Singer Annie Clark is amazing. The track above is the first from their upcoming CD "Actor" scheduled to be released in May. You can find more about them and more music here. Hope you enjoy.

Snow Day Shuffle

iPod on All-Tracks Shuffle:

Radiohead - Reckoner from In_Rainbows
The Fiery Furnaces - The Old Hag is Sleeping from Widow City
Miles Davis - Softly As In A Morning Sunrise from In Person Saturday Night at the Blackhawk
Bill Evans - I Wish I Knew from Explorations
The Dresden Dolls - Bad Habit from The Dresden Dolls
The Dresden Dolls - A Night At The Roses from No, Virginia (iTunes Bonus Tracks)
James Carter - Low Flame from Live At Baker's Keyboard Lounge
Bjork - Where Is The Line from Medulla
David Bowie - I'm Deranged from Outside
Chris Weisman - Weak Dollar from Bicycle Operator And Coach

Recommended Listening

I'm listening to Jake (age 10) practice the drums upstairs. He's got his groove going. There's nothing like listening to your child while he or she is totally immersed in making music.

I've also been listening to a lot of amazing recordings from my library that I'd not heard for some time. All a result of loading up that new iPod (still loading - only about 1/6 of the way through the memory!). If you're looking for something to check out, try listening to this:

Yael Naim & David Donatien. It was a gift from a friend last year and I'd listened to it a little bit when I first received it, but now that it's on my iPod, I've been exploring it. Her voice is beautiful, and the songs are interesting. You can sample their music at http://www.myspace.com/yaelnaim. You can also visit their site: http://www.yaelweb.com/. Let me know what you think.