Back in May, I was joined on stage by The Damn Whippersnappers for my first virtual concert. It was a fun-filled and amazing day. I've posted clips from that show, but none of them really do justice to the fantastic musicians that played with me that day.
Well, as luck would have it, Des, the keyboardist from that show, has graciously offered to join my in the studio today to record a few tracks for the 300 songs project. He can take a song in any genre and effortlessly move it into a new one. So when I got the idea to do ZZ Top as a jazz piece, he was the first guy I called.
Here we are (and you might hear my 8 year old "playing drums" in the background on this rehearsal clip. In truth, this was both a rehearsal and a performance, as we were recording live both on camera and into the studio board. We're considering making it available as a download. Let us know if you're interested in the comments below.
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In the long journey of recording 300 songs, I do a lot of it alone. That's fine, but sometimes I like to do multi-part harmony, and that's not something that comes across very well in my rehearsal videos. It's so much more "awesomer" when you can ask for help. I'm very lucky to be part of a local vocal group called "The Sweet Browns" who sometimes rehearse at my place. This week was one of those times.
Jen and Jackie had independently had the idea of singing "Foil" at some point in the future, and since we had a quorum (one on a part), we decided to try it and see if we could figure out all the parts. Mind you, there's no sheet music for Weird Al's tunes, so we did what any good teenager would do when they're trying to learn their favorite songs: we listened to the CD repeatedly for about 30 minutes until we were pretty sure that we knew all the bits and pieces. Jackie had a head start, because she's a life-long Weird Al fan and walking encyclopedia of all things Weird Al, so it was her CD and she was already fairly familiar with the words. The rest of us were listening to the song for maybe the third or forth time since his multi-video release a few weeks ago.
Then, Jen, Steve, Jackie and I progressively turned the volume down on the stereo until it was just us singing.
And in less than an hour, it didn't even sound like crap! We're holding lyric sheets, because this was the first time we'd worked on the piece, but you're seeing us raw, behind-the-scenes style. If you come to our show in November, it'll be a much cleaner experience - and probably a lot more fun, too!
It's more "awesomer" when you ask for help. (Click to tweet)
This video is take 3 from the rehearsal.
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Never before, and probably never again am I
gonna do something like this.
Give a look at this week's video. If
You have ever had projects that you felt like giving
up on, I challenge you to think differently. You'll
never experience success if you keep saying you're
gonna get to it "someday."
Let yourself off the hook!
You deserve a little bit of time to clear your head - maybe some
down time, sure - but if you keep quitting before you start, you'll
never get where you want to go. I'm
gonna share with you a little secret... When you
run through this video, you'll see what I mean. Somewhere
around the 1:13 mark, you'll find out my "third approach"
and how it can help you get through task overwhelm. If you feel lost in the
desert on the number of projects you've got on your plate,
you are not alone. Just remember that quitting is
never the answer. It's gonna take stamina, it's
gonna take determination, it's gonna take sweat equity to
make your dreams come true.
You deserve to stand tall and own your dreams. Don't
cry about missed opportunities. Keep pressing on!
Never give up on what really matters. I'm
gonna say that again. Never give up on what really matters!
Say to yourself that you're worth it! Say
"goodbye" to negative thinking. You're
never going to entertain those thoughts again. You're
gonna take the world by storm!
Tell everyone about your awesome new plan...
a plan that will give you power over overwhelm. Don't
lie around waiting for "someday" to sneak up
and leave you high and dry. Get over your
hurt and let the world know how lucky we are to have
you in it!
(Or just watch the video and it will all become clear)
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It took Bart Howard well over 20 years.
Bart was a piano player in the Blue Angel cabaret, working on his own music, in the hopes of one day working with his idol, Cole Porter.
Most musicians know the name Cole Porter. Very few know the name Bart Howard. But this one song is his legacy.
Bart wrote dozens of tunes, but none were as popular as "Fly Me To The Moon".
Bart was asked by a publisher for something simple, and in 20 minutes he cranked out this cabaret waltz. The publisher asked him to change the lyrics, but Bart refused - a move that could have jeopardized his opportunity to have this song produced. But Bart held his ground on his song. Since then, "Fly Me To The Moon" has been covered, re-arranged, and even had the time signature changed when Quincy Jones arranged a version for Frank Sinatra.
Originally titled "In Other Words," Peggy Lee recorded and later performed the song on national television. As it grew in popularity, Peggy convinced Bart to change the name to it's well known opening line.
For Bart, it was this song. The success of "Fly Me To The Moon" was such that he continued to live off the residuals of that one song for the rest of his life. It's considered a "Towering Song" in the history of contemporary popular music. In 2004, 50 years from when he wrote that tune, Bart died.
This week's song is a request from @PattyKogutek on Twitter. Thanks, Patty! It was a joy to learn this story and be able to share it with everyone.
Just one step. Just one song. Just one moment. That's all it takes to make history. What will you do?
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Judy Garland is one of my all-time favorite vocalists. So much of what she sang is right in my range, so that may have something to do with it. And while she was known as a "pop" singer in her time, she really had a lush, jazzy quality to her voice that lent well to a variety of genres. I'm seriously considering doing a whole series of videos that answer the question "What if Judy Garland sang (insert song title here)?" She was such a trailblazer as an entertainer - and she inspires me to own my dreams even to this day.
"The Man That Got Away" is, in my opinion, one of her most overlooked tunes. Sure,"Over The Rainbow" is probably more well known, but when I see that scene from "A Star Is Born" - where they do the entire song in one continuous shot - I always get goosebumps.
It's not the traditional arrangement - this one's a bit more haunting. It reminds me that it's a waste to keep longing for that thing (or person) that's long
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On the heels of last week's post about Comparison-itis, I was driving in the car with Hubby yesterday and this tune came on the radio. It reminded me that nobody's perfect, we all make mistakes, and that's how we learn.
Have you been beating yourself up because you're not perfect? This catchy little tune might help. 🙂
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So I'm in Minnesota this week, and I'm spending time with my coach, workin' on me. We take a dinner break and head to a local joint, the Green Mill, and on the radio, I hear what I think is Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" - a tune I can never get enough of.
But you know how it can be noisy and chaotic in a restaurant, right? I'm trying to tune in, and realize what I'm really hearing is Bono from U2, singing his melancholy "With or Without You".
And BAM! A musical mashup is born.
Here's this week's tune - completed just before I need to leave for the airport to come home. Enjoy!
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This song was recorded before I left town for the Pink Papaya national conference. It was a song I'd heard a couple of years ago
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Happy Independence Day Weekend!
For the 300 songs project this week, I thought it was ironic that I was singing a breakup song by a Brit today (since the US broke up with Great Britain all those years ago), but the votes on Facebook made it hands down the winner. Next week, I'll post the Beyonce tune. 🙂
Watch for my badass boots and my Grandfather's military jacket from WWII. Later this year, I'm hoping to have my Dad's military medals, and when I get them, I'll show them to ya!
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I'm proud of my family's military history, and I'm grateful to ALL the men and women who put their life on the line every day to keep our country in one piece. Say what you will about the current regime, these people risk everything so I can sit in my living room and sing to you. "Thank you" doesn't begin to cut it, but it's what I've got today. THANK YOU!
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I may be ill this week, but I'm not skipping my weekly video. It's time again for another musical medley mashup!
This time, it's the most well known Sunday song of all time (that classic Commodores hit, "Easy") with a little country thrown in for good measure (that Tim McGraw hit "Watch The Wind Blow By").
Lionel wrote his song as a breakup tune, while the other is just a feel good, kick back love song. Put the two together, and it's a fun little anthem about freedom and doing what you love on your own timetable. Enjoy!
