megotelek | Entries tagged with music

( echoes of the past )
Day 19 - A talent of yours

Um...procrastination? BSing English papers? But seriously. I guess I'll go with music on this one. I'm good with computers, but that's more a consequence of growing up as the technology was starting to take off than anything else. And having parents who liked seeing what 'the latest thing' was.

But I've always loved music. I've been singing in choirs since I was in 6th grade, so...for about 16 years (!!). Some of my best memories are from choir trips or musical performances (singing at Mass in the Vatican, my high school musicals, singing with my high school choir at my class's Baccalaureate Mass, performing at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in LA, performing in Austria, etc).

( moar )

It's Halloween month! Must start planning costume/theme. And making CDs.

Any recommendations for good Halloween-y music out there? Currently on my Halloween playlist:

Skullcrusher Mountain, Jonathan Coulton

Re: Your Brains, Jonathan Coulton

Night on Bald Mountain, Mussorgsky

Monster Mash, Bobby 'Boris' Pickett

Thriller, Michael Jackson

Werewolves of London, Warren Zevon

Transylvanian Concubine, Rasputina

People Are Strange, Echo & the Bunnymen

Love Bites, Def Leppard

Mack the Knife, Bobby Darin

When You're Evil, Voltaire

Zombie, The Cranberries (yes, I know it's not about actual zombies, but hey. I like the song)

Battleflag, Lo Fidelity All Stars (this is from that episode of ER where the psycho patient stabbed Carter and Abby. I will never not forget that scene.)

So, uh. That gives you an idea of my...eclectic taste in "Halloween" music.

Where? To the Music of Battlestar Galactica concert in San Diego! I've been agonizing over whether to go for a while now (since we leave for Austria on Wednesday with the choir and there's a bit of a money-squeeze).

But then I remembered. That "second job" fun? Is going to net me a pretty paycheck in July. So I'm going!

I can't wait to see Bear and company in person, and get my hands on the new shiny season 4 soundtrack!

Current Mood: jubilant

So...at work today, Tony mentioned BookSwim to me. It's like Netflix, but with books. Really. You search their library, add books to your ~~queue~~ pool, and they ship you three at a time (or more) and you read them and ship them back. And get more books. And you can buy a book and keep it if you really like it.

So. Awesome.

Also awesome: Bear's blog post on the BSG finale. Warning: VERY spoiler heavy, as it basically details every minute of the score in relation to the episode. It's things like this that make me love the show even more.

Current Mood: cheerful
Current Music: Bear McCreary - Destiny | Powered by Last.fm

So...the opera house they used for filming BSG? Is the Orpheum Theatre in Vancouver.

And the Vancouver Symphony is performing Carmina Burana there in June! I wish I wish we could go -- that would be so mind-blowingly frakking awesome!

Current Music: Yes - Love Will Find a Way | Powered by Last.fm

RULES:
1. Put Your iTunes/Windows Media Player/ETC on Shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS.
4. Put any comments in brackets after the song name.
5. Put this on your journal.

( man, I am so weird )

Current Mood: amused

I found this over on

choirfreaks:

( The different vocal parts and their personalities )

Current Mood: amused

I'm putting most of this behind a cut so you don't have to be exposed to quite so much of my musical frustration rambling...

Suffice it to say, rehearsal last night was...interesting.

( First, the seating chart was completely rearranged... )

It's funny - I've sung a lot of masses, but I've never sung the Creed in Latin before. I get used to just doing the Kyrie, Gloria, Gospel Acclamation, etc. Of course, the English "translation" in our edition is not the Creed in any way...it's some random religious prayer. Which is weird. I wonder what they'll have for the supertitles -- the actual translation, or the English in the book?

PLUS, we're singing the Haydn in Germanic Latin and the Willcocks in Roman Latin. JUST BECAUSE IT ISN'T CONFUSING ENOUGH.

Sigh. The trials and tribulations of a chorister.

So...I have a question for you. I'm currently working on two projects: one, to compile awesome Halloween mix CDs, and two, to actually decide on a Halloween costume.

For the first, I think I'll throw it to the comments: any songs you particularly associate with Halloween? Or have scary/creepy/zombie overtones? Let me know! I'll try to upload the songs when I get a coherent list together. Currently on the list:

"Monster Mash" by Bobby Pickett
"Night on Bald Mountain" by Modest Mussorgsky
"Re: Your Brains" and "Skullcrusher Mountain" by Jonathan Coulton
"Transylvanian Concubine" by Rasputina

Amusingly, as I was working on creating a poll for the Halloween costume question, it hit me...I'm going to be Belle this year. In the green dress because it's my favorite. Seriously, yellow doesn't look good on me and her other casual outfit (the blue/white) almost looks too much like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. I like the pink dress with the red fur-trimmed cape also, but the green is my favorite. Though I am worried no one will know who the heck I'm supposed to be.

Speaking of Disney princess dresses, I'm always annoyed that they give my favorite princesses such awful "default" outfits (Aurora/Sleeping Beauty with the pink dress, and Belle with the yellow). I can't pull off Jasmine or Mulan, Ariel would be a pain (well, unless it was human!Ariel, of course - her dresses are awesome), and I'm just kind of meh on Cinderella (sorry Mom!) and Snow White.

So here's a musical look into me, based on my iTunes shuffle:

"Allegro" - BSG season 2 soundtrack
"Cradle Song" - Celtic Christmas album
"Gratias" - Bach's Mass in G
"Muquin" - Thoroughly Modern Millie soundtrack
"Breakdown" - The Toques (from the Stick It soundtrack)
"Her sacred spirit soars" - Eric Whitacre
"You Make Me Feel So Young" - Frank Sinatra
"Reconciliation" - from A Great and Glorious Victory by Jonathan Willcocks
"Sometimes a Fantasy" - Billy Joel
"Piano Man" - Billy Joel
"Vegetable Talking" - from A Very Veggie Christmas
"The Night That Goldman Spoke at Union Square" - Ragtime sountrack
"Weasel Stomping Day" - Weird Al Yankovic
"Purple Haze" - Winger
"Johanna" - Sweeney Todd sountrack
"Flight to Nowhere" - Tesla
"Finale" - Camelot soundtrack

So there you have it...classical, showtunes, metal, oldies, rock & roll - did I miss anything?!

Current Mood: amused

I can't believe my first season with the Sacramento Choral Society & Schola Cantorum is almost over! I can't believe how much I missed being in choir, and I get the best of both worlds: a "big" choir that performs with the orchestra and gets to do the big symphonic works, and a "little" church choir that has the biggest and most complex repertoire of any group I've ever been a part of.

Okay, here's the concert rundown: the Sacramento Choral Society is performing Mozart's "Requiem" and Morten Lauridsen's "Lux Aeterna" this Saturday, May 10th, at the Sacramento Community Center Theater at 8pm (pre-show talk at 7pm), as a preview for our LA Disney Hall debut on Friday, June 27th.

The link above has lots more info on both performances, plus a podcast and the article in the Sacramento Bee.

Tickets for this Saturday's performance can be found here, and tickets for the LA concert can be found here.

I'm really excited about getting to sing in Disney Hall, all the pictures I've seen are just stunning. And the acoustics are supposed to be fabulous.

Schola Cantorum's Choral Masterworks spring concert is Sunday, June 15th, at 3pm in Sacramento, at Sacred Heart Church. Tickets will be available at the door, and will most likely be $15 general, $10 students/seniors.

When I get home tonight I'll post samples of the Mozart & Lauridsen for anyone who wants them; kind of as a preview.

Current Mood: excited

This is awesome....my mix tape, everyone. Behold the crazy eclectic taste of me!

Current Mood: creative
Current Music: Well? Click the tape and find out!

Okay. Bear McCreary is my new TV boyfriend. No, he's not an actor. He's the composer for Battlestar Galactica.

When I realized that part of the draw for me was the incredible and complex music in the show, I did a little looking, and found Bear's blog - in which he musically dissects each episode. Complete with snippets of each musical theme. Check it out.

And thus, I was obsessed. And immediately purchased the soundtracks for seasons 1-3.

*starts counting down until 10pm tonight*

Grr...I wish I had time to watch it on SciFi's website! They're showing it right now! *whine* But since John's not here...he'd kill me for watching without him.

Current Mood: impatient
Current Music: "Starbuck on the Red Moon", season 1 soundtrack

I know, I know, it's been a while. Well, it's been quite an eventful weekend, let me tell you. Jessica came down from Oregon for the weekend, so Friday night I went out to dinner with her & Elizabeth & Laura. Then, Saturday, Elizabeth, Jessica & I went to the outlets for about...oh, all freaking day. Then we went to see Becoming Jane, which was just as good as we hoped.

Sunday we did pretty much nothing, and then yesterday we went to the California State Fair. I entered a pie this year, and won second place (yay!), so that was exciting. We went around the fair collecting goodies (my haul includes a mug, a water bottle holder with carabiner, a redwood sapling, a mini football and breath mints) and then, we went to have dinner.

The tables we were sitting at were near that bungee-jumping ride - you know, where they strap you in and the bungee slingshots you around for a while? Anyway, we were just finishing up when we heard this loud CRACK sound, almost like thunder. We looked around, and realized that one side of the bungee cord had broken, and was completely shredded. The people were okay, there was a safety line in place and they got down safely.

After dinner, we swarmed over to the stage, because we had fourth-row seats for the Weird Al concert! It was the best concert I think I've ever been to - there were costume changes, there were streamers and confetti and bubbles and fake money falling from the sky (during "I'll Sue Ya") and it was just perfect. The only person who I don't think was thrilled was the sign-language interpreter lady. Some of his songs - well, she has to spell out a lot of the individual words, and sometimes he goes really fast! After a couple of the songs, she was shaking her hands to get the feeling back in them and shooting him exasperated looks - when she wasn't trying not to laugh at the lyrics she was signing ("Bedrock Anthem" was particularly hilarious, watching her face).

Anyway, here are all the pictures I took - more later!

Current Music: "White & Nerdy", Weird Al

From

adinarj and the rest of the GGMM...

Step 1. Put your playlist on random.
Step 2. Post the first line from the first 25 songs that play, no matter how embarrassing.
Step 3. Strike out the songs when someone guesses correctly. NO GOOGLING.

Comments are screened until I see someone guessing correctly. Then I'll unscreen and post the answer.

Ready? ( Go! )

Okay...so, a lot of covers. So here's the new rule...you get credit for the title of the song and any artist that sang it - you get bonus points for guessing the right cover group! Have fun! I'll check back periodically...

Current Music: Can't tell you that...it's on the list!

Just to share the love...

Roll The Bones - Rush

Face to Face - Yes

Mondo Bongo - Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros (from the Mr. and Mrs. Smith soundtrack)

Yes, my brain is a little crazy right now...but now yours can be too!

Current Mood: contemplative
Current Music: See above :)

Here you go, Eliza, as promised....with a few additions from me!

Melissa by The Allman Brothers Band

Blue Sky by The Allman Brothers Band

Earn Enough For Us by XTC

Then She Appeared by XTC

Ok, now back to the soda-bread-making!

Current Mood: accomplished
Current Music: "Sweet Dreams", Air Supply (shut up, it's on the XM radio!)

Ok, from

wiscck, I have to think of 10 songs that start with the letter 'P'. Comment to this post and I'll give you a letter to make your own list. Ready? Let's go! In no particular order...

1."Paint It Black" - The Rolling Stones
2."Papa Don't Preach" - Madonna
3."Paradise by the Dashboard Light" - Meat Loaf
4."Paradise City" - Guns N' Roses
5."Perfectly Good Guitar" - John Hiatt
6."Piano Man" - Billy Joel
7."Pinball Wizard" - The Who
8."Playing With The Boys" - Top Gun soundtrack
9."Prepare Ye The Way Of The Lord" - Godspell soundtrack
10."Proud Mary" - CCR (or, as I like to call it, the "good" version)

If I get really bored later, I'll upload them in case anybody wants any of them. Enjoy!

Current Mood: accomplished
Current Music: "Proud Mary", CCR