Musical Interludes Over This Week

person doing tricks on cassette tape

Music plays a huge part in my life. One of my “gifts” is the ability to tie pretty much any phrase, event, or whatever with a song. I’ve had plenty of opportunities this week.

I’m currently working on a project with the Edmonds Waterfront Center. They have several musical activities over the course of each week. And I can hear these from my office. One of my favorites: a ukulele class. They play a wide range of songs, which often transforms me in place in time. The ukulele is a wonderful instrument that I delight in hearing. With this, I was explaining to a chum about some of the artists who have created albums with the instrument. The two that readily come to mind are Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam fame and Amanda Palmer.

Eddie has a great ukulele album titled, less creatively (I guess) “Ukulele Songs“. This is, perhaps, my favorite from that album.

Amanda Palmer has written some fun songs for the instrument. This one is my current favorite (FYI, not completely safe for work).

A few days later, a friend of mine mentioned her drink of choice was tequila. That always make me think of this song:

And, yesterday, while seeing article after article about AI, this song popped into my head.

Affiliating songs with events is not something I work at, just natural reflex. The results of my misspent youth, I guess.

Danny Elfman’s Creepy New Song “Happy”, Just In Time For Halloween

Danny Elfman: Happy

I’m a fan of much of Danny Elfman’s work. Oingo Boingo and The Nightmare Before Christmas only touch the surface. Reading in Nerdist that he released a new pop song made my morning wonderful. Perfectly creepy vibe for the days before Halloween. Check it out below! (caveat: there are a fair number of NSFW words).


Also, as tomorrow’s Halloween, check out my “An Atypical Halloween” playlist. You will NOT find Monster Mash there! I try to keep things trope-free.

Nice Weather For Ducks: Today’s Musical Interlude

Weather for October 4, 2020
It’s looking like rain

Looking like it will be a damp and dreary day. A lovely day for ducks, methinks. Which often makes me think of this song by the British electro-pop duo, Lemon Jelly.

I do find the song delightfully charming. I’m deeply grateful to John Richards at KEXP for introducing me to this song, along with so many other great ones.

A Star Wars Fan Montage You Need To See

Star Wars Logo

As a long time fan of Star Wars, I delight in my discovery of this video. A fan montage, it really does a great job of taking the “The greatest teacher failure is” phrase of Yoda’s and reinforce it well. It really adds some interesting insights into The Last Jedi.

I appreciate considering the importance of failure, not only in the lives of fictional characters but also in ours.

Mountain Biking In Hawaii: Fun Video

One of my bucket list items: mountain biking in Hawaii. With that, I discovered the YouTube channel Mahalo My Dude. Now, despite the name, these guys are from the Vancouver, BC area. But the video below features biking on Oahu and Maui. So, I thought it was great, and reccomend it.

Are there any places you long to ride? Let me know!

Please Watch This Short Film: Alike!

As someone who values creativity, this speaks to me greatly. Especially how our society works hard to create drones, and is terrible at accommodating the creative mind.

So, I think this little gem is well worth your time. I hope you love it as much as I do.

Positive Energy: Xavier Rudd’s Honeymoon Bay

I discovered Xavier Rudd years ago, but during the quarantine, I’ve started binging his music. I find his music fills me with joy and with hope. Check out one of my current favorites.

Lyrics: 
Angels flying, wind at her heels
Serpents gliding, nothing revealed
Full back circles
I believe, I believe
It’s my beginning, woah, oh, oh

 

Gone are those winters
Gone are those days
Gone are those choices, to be recklessly brave
I’m guided by angels,
Decided by choice
It’s my beginning, woah, oh, oh

 

I believe, I believe, I believe
Woah, oh, oh, oh
We are young, we can fly, we are free
Woah, oh, oh, oh
Take a chance, take a chance
And see
Woah, oh, oh, oh
I believe, come believe with me
Woah, oh, oh, oh

 

Honeymoon waters, Honeymoon Bay
Safe to assume now,
That we’re on our way
Sweetwater turtle, mingly roads
It’s our beginning,
Woah, oh, oh

 

A dream of stories, etched in the stone
Time to dream now and create our own
Forgotten by angels

Streaming Music On YouTube

I’ve been exploring music on YouTube for years. I’ve found the YouTube Music feature pretty lackluster, but that’s probably mostly due to my eclectic musical tastes and interests.

Lately, I’ve been obsessing about a couple musical things. First, the Hang Drum. Imagine a steel drum that’s much more portable. I find them rather ethereal and lovely. I particularly like the video below. The music is delightful, and the imagery stunning. My favorite combo on the platform. Here’s a playlist I’ve started, and will add to as I go forward.

 

Another recent musical obsession: these long playing live streams. I’ve been bopping in and out of the one below for months…maybe years.