Archive for the ‘Music’ Category

Hey, Joe.

Wednesday, October 15th, 2008

Let’s see — it’s a weird and twisted journey that gets me to the point of this.  I was doing my patriotic duty by watching the debate and reading Wonkette‘s liveblogging of it, and Wonkette pointed out that, in the process of pandering to the middle class, both candidates managed to say “Hey, Joe”.  This led to this video clip. And then, of course, I spent way too much time looking at related clips, winding up with this one.  The thing about Red House is that hearing it always makes me so sad that Hendrix died so young.  Imagine the blues he’d be playing now.  It’s a tragic loss to all of us.

On the plus side,  a contact of mine on Flickr just posted this:

The day before his 81st birthday, playing in Rotterdam.  Thank you, God, but why the hell couldn’t we have Jimi that long?

Posted in Music, Politics, Rants, Religion | 1 Comment »

Accolades

Saturday, December 8th, 2007

Tonight was the second (and final) performance of Handel’s Messiah at the new River Campus.  I’ve sung in the university’s Choral Union off and on for about 15 years, but this semester was our first in the new auditorium.  It’s acoustically stunning.  Sure, Messiah is overdone, but it was still a pretty damn good performance.

I ran into someone I know afterward who said without a trace of irony that he could hear me over all the rest.   Aaarrghh.  It wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t exactly what I always said to Sophie after choral performances, with quite a few traces of irony.

Posted in Music | 2 Comments »

What a great wife I have

Monday, June 11th, 2007

Robin went to town to do some errands today, and when she came back, she said “I got you a present.  I know it’s not father’s day, but you’re not my father.”  And gave me this:

That’s right, it’s the Sea of Holes bike jersey.

Posted in Bicycling, Family, Music, Uxoriousness | 9 Comments »

At the Fleadh

Saturday, May 12th, 2007

Here I am in St. Louis at the Fleadh.  There’s free wireless on the lobby floor, but it only works for me if I’m very close to Starbuck’s.  Last night we did some registration and worked out most of the kinks.  That was just the duet and trio competitions, though; today we’ll be handling registration of about 2/3 of the competitors and scoring of the vast majority of the events.  It’s going to be hectic.

Meanwhile, the hardest part of coming to downtown St. Louis, as usual, is the parking.  I got mine comped, but not until I’d already parked myself in the garage across the street, so I wind up paying $14 for last night and having free valet parking tonight.  Okay, I’m a whiner, but when you live in the boonies you just get used to being able to put your car pretty much anyplace where it won’t get stuck in the mud.

And now, back to the grind.

Posted in Music | No Comments »

Choral Union!!!

Tuesday, January 23rd, 2007

I love choral union.  It’s the university’s non-auditioned community choir.  Every semester we meet on Tuesday nights, and then perform something with the University Orchestra.  This semester we’re doing Handel’s Dettingen Te Deum.  Tonight our accompanist wasn’t there (death in the family) so we just listened to a recording of the piece and followed along in scores.  It’s not too hard.  Handel has lots of notes, all those melismas, but he doesn’t do much that is really surprising.  Predictable is good, when you read music the way I do (i.e. poorly).  And it’s in English; I don’t mind other languages much, but many of the members have a problem with them.  And when we did Mozart’s Requiem a year or two ago, a bunch of people called Speak Out (column in local paper where illiterates can rant anonymously) and complained that we were always singing in furrin lingo.
Anyway, it was nice to see everyone again.  My friend and chiropractor, Jim, was there – we’re baritones.  There aren’t a lot of baritones — a big clump of basses sitting in the back, but just a few of us up front.   And I saw my friend Judy, who does a lot of cycling and is the only female tenor in the group.

Furthermore, Robin and I met at the gym again this afternoon and then went out for dinner before choral union, and I’m filled with uxorial bliss.

Posted in Family, Music | 6 Comments »

‘Ark!

Tuesday, November 28th, 2006

I’m home having a glass of wine, having made it through this semester’s choral union concert.  We did Rutter’s What Sweeter Music.  Followed by an arrangement of “Christmas Song” (i.e. “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire”).  Followed by the third suite of “The Many Moods of Christmas”.   It went pretty well, actually, if you overlook a couple of weak entrances.  “‘Ark, the herald angels sing…”  I like the Rutter a lot; the Many Moods is a bit soppy, but suite 3 contains BOTH Hark the Herald Angels AND Angels We Have Heard on High, which are my two favorite carols.  Chestnuts roasting turns out to be Robin’s absolute most hated Christmas song.  (Mine’s The Little Drummer Boy).  Anyway,  there was a good crowd, and they seemed to like it.

Next semester we’ll be in the new River Campus Performing Arts Center, and we’re doing Handel’s Messiah.  I’ve done Messiah a few times before.  Should be fun.

Posted in Music | 4 Comments »