Tag: music

King: Love & Pride

Carl Setzer

Ah, this…simply glorious in all it’s 80s splendor!

Mullets (things of wonder, architecturally unsound yet resplendent in their glory), androgynous dress, spiky ginormous hair, weird leather and weirder suits, Doc Martens (spray-painted!), strange, nonsensical settings and graphics, and a bunch of young boys in leather running amok, and headbands!

Perhaps intending to grasp some Mad Max ethos by it’s desert setting, otherwise making no sense at all, this video captures a significant taste of the 80s zeitgeist!

I haven’t heard this song in ages. Yet, here it is, again, it all it’s New Wavy glory. And suddenly I’m a teen at Skootchies again (if you lived in Seattle in the 80s, you’ll get it).  May you be elevated by its electronic beat and funky vibe.

 

Gregorian Chant: A Haiku

Carl Setzer

Ancient words now sung
Prayers chanted, incense rising
Candlelit stone walls

So many memories within cathedral walls. Chanted prayer always makes my heart soar. Gently, though, like a bird on the wing. Not garish as a jet.

For Tom Petty 

Carl Setzer

At first, resistance

Everyone I knew 

Adores all those tunes 

Which , in my mind

Trite, vacant, and “No”

Glad to say that’s wrong

Gritty dissonance

Akin to Dylan

The honest seeking

Within his lyrics

Brought out the sunlight

In this darkened world

Ravel in the Evening

Carl Setzer

Keys dancing boldly
The Romance of Ravel sings
Transition to rest

Listening to a glorious piano play as I prepare for sleep feels perfect.

Ravel in the Evening

Carl Setzer

Keys dancing boldly
The Romance of Ravel sings
Transition to rest

Listening to a glorious piano play as I prepare for sleep feels perfect.

Feeling Hopeful

Carl Setzer

My son just introduced me to this video by the British group “Bars and Melody“: Hopeful. The guys sing/rap quite well, but I find the anti-bullying message of this song powerful. It looks like this is a key part of their identity, which I fully support.

Now, it’s important to note, this video is from 2014. They have a pretty cool story of rising up via Britain’s Got Talent, getting a recording contract, and making a way via the arts through one of the new arts delivery channels.

Anyway, enjoy the video and let me know what you think in the comments.

Oh, YouTube Red, so close, yet so far

Carl Setzer

I’ve been hoping for YouTube to make upgrading to Red family plans easier for a few months. Imagine my delight to read this, then:

 

So I scurried over and clicked the “Upgrade Now” button, and…well…nope:

I thought myself so clever, setting up my family on a Google Apps “Standard Edition” (ancient predecessor for G Suite) back in the stone age (they stopped supporting it in 2012). It’s been nice having the family email accounts all together and under my administration (“Dad…I forgot my password…again…”). So, no Red Family plan for us…for now, at least. I suppose I can use an independent gmail account to do this. I wonder if I can share with a G Suite account from a personal account? Hmmm…

Anyway, I’m annoyed. Not angry, not going to abandon the Googleverse just yet. But, well, “harumph”!

Harumph
Harumph

The Cure’s “A Forest” and the Evolution of a Band

Carl Setzer

I’ve heard this song countless times. Today, Youtube popped this up in the recommended list and I happily listened. Seeing other versions in the sidebar from 1979, 1981, and 1992 made me wonder about how different each one sounded. I enjoyed witnessing the evolution of Robert Smith’s personal style as well.

Below is the 1979 version, which has a more traditional punk vibe (it says something that I can say “traditional” and “punk” without any sense of irony).

This one is from 1981. Not a huge transition, but I notice a less punk style and something that becomes much more recognized as The Cure.

 

By 1992, we have a clearly distinctive style that is The Cure, and not confusable with anyone else.

 

Thanks for giving a few minutes of your journey through the vast wasteland that is the internet. Let me know what you think in the comments, and give me a share, if you’re so led.

Listening to Compline

Carl Setzer1 Comment



Sitting in dim light 

Not darkness, tranquil

People highlighted by shadow 

Candle’s energy dancing 

Upon faces, glinting eyes

Music carries words 

Deeper than where 

They’ll go

On their own power;

Calmness fills empty spots 

Within my soul

Refreshed and 

Birthed anew 

Seattle’s St. Marks cathedral has hosted compline for decades. Sung evening prayer has roots deep in Christian liturgy and the Anglican tradition. These speak to me deeply, especially in candlelit halls of stone.

#Seattle’s Bumbershoot is this weekend

Carl Setzer

Seattle’s weekend

Music will be the center

Bumbershoot’s glories

One of my region’s iconic events Bumbershoot. An amazing streets and music festival. And, yes, is named after the German word for umbrella. Seattle’s love for irony.