Posted: July 22nd, 2008 under Music Websites.
Comments: none

Thanks to my dear friend Mandy (an award-winning a cappella arranger!) my group has its first arrangement. We will be learning Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen. Here’s a midi version of her work. Yeah, it sounds like a piano right now. But I love it, and I think it’ll be awesome!

Also… I thought I’d take this as an opportunity to remind everyone the audition details. (I know, I know. Here I go again.)

I’d really, really appreciate it if you could help spread the word to any of your singer folk friends. This is going to be an incredible and exciting group once it’s officially formed, and we want to find as much talent as possible to be a part of it.

When: Monday, July 28th 7-9:30pm.

Where: St. Paul’s Church (15 Saint Paul St, Brookline, MA)

How to Prep: Be ready to sing a verse and a chorus of your favorite song, a cappella style. Other tests include a call and response exercise and sight reading.

Appointments: Auditions will be held in 10-minute intervals between 7-9:30pm. We suggest emailing prior to the audition day to schedule an appointment. Otherwise, walk-ins are absolutely welcome.

Thank you so much to those of you who have been incredibly supportive throughout this whole process. You guys are the best. We’ll sing for you whenever you want :)

And.. now for something silly!–This is from my old group, Boston University’s Chordially Yours. I’ve tweeted about this video before, but I still think it’s a lot of fun. I mean… do YOU sing on the T?

Posted: July 17th, 2008 under A Cappella.
Comments: 4

I’ve decided to start a new series where I “feature” a musician/band/song every week. I’m really big into obsessing over one or two tracks at a time, listening to them over and over again. Now you guys can know what’s stuck in my head.

Expect new stuff. Old stuff. Stuff you’ve heard before. Stuff you’ve forgotten about. It’ll be good.

This week is Wallis Bird. I first learned about her through Aurgasm, one of my favorite music blogs. (I actually plan to post an interview I had with the blog’s founder in the next week. So heads up.)

So why do I love her? For her incredibly authentic and multifaceted vocals. Her voice can be sweet–yet thoughtful–and also has a bit of an edge. Many of her songs start soft and jazzy, and generally get quite intense toward the end. Her sound is dynamic and smart, and her slight Irish lilt is adorable.

The first clip here is her video for “Blossoms on the Street.” The second is one of my absolute favorite songs, “The Circle.” Both are on her album Spoons.

So, what do you think? :)

Posted: July 16th, 2008 under Listen. Love. Repeat..
Comments: 3

For those of you who don’t know, I’ve dedicated the summer to forming my own a cappella group. Starting a group from scratch has definitely been one of the most challenging/exciting things I’ve ever done, and I’m pretty pleased with its progression. First huge step was finding my co-founder, Miss Shelley Greenberg. Next was getting our rehearsal space; we’ve booked a BEAUTIFUL church sanctuary (OMG ACOUSTICS) where we will be incredibly spoiled.

Auditions are in exactly two weeks. I’ve been getting a great response from people wanting to try out, and I think there will be a pretty decent crowd. (Feel free to spread the word to any fellow Boston singers who might like to join a group. Please.)

I cannot wait until I start singing regularly again, in a formal rehearsal. As cheesy as it is, I whole-heartedly believe I would be a completely different person if I didn’t/couldn’t sing. I mean… I do it all the time. For example, my new apartment is entirely hardwood floors, and one of my favorite things to do is sing really, really loud while no one is home and echo through the hallways. Another prime singing time is dish washing. Or whenever I enter/exit a vestibule. Or while I blow dry my hair. (Don’t ask.)

When I was younger (we’re talking age seven or eight and in elementary school), I would swing on the swings and make up songs. For hours. At eight years old. Now, mind you, I also didn’t have very many friends at the time. But still, it’s really fun to think about how ingrained singing is in my life, even from day one. Do most people have something like this? Am I just lucky?

The other day while I was talking to my Mom, she told me that my grandmother had an incredible voice. Her dream was to travel overseas to sing for the WWII troops. I had no idea. Although both my parents took piano lessons when they were younger, I don’t have a very musical family (at least, immediate family), and I always wondered where “my voice” came from. It’s really cool to think that possibly my talent came from her.

Anyhow, let it be known that I am not the best singer in the world. I don’t think that at all, and that’s not the point. What I’m trying to emphasize is how important it is to be thankful for any special thing you can do. It’s a bit cliché and lame, but it’s true. What we do defines us. So why not do it well and be proud of it?

Posted: July 13th, 2008 under A Cappella.
Comments: 2

Yesterday I went to the Make Music Cambridge event, an awesome outdoor music festival with free live music at every street corner. There were tons of incredibly talented jazz bands, rock bands, singer chicks, violin players, etc. Absolute heaven.

One band I got to check out was Shanghai Thrills. (Naturally, I had to ask for a picture with them.)

Unfortunately I only caught the last song of their set (see below), but I really loved what I heard. Genuine, good rock sound. Super energetic and talented.– I think it’s really smart for local bands to perform at things like this. The exposure you get is fantastic. There was no common demographic of the audience. Just music lovers alike. Also! They’re playing at Harper’s Ferry on Monday June 30th. So you should gooooo. :)

Oh man. I want to be in a band. (Need some female backup vocals, boys?)

Check it out. Watch them. Enjoy. Did I mention that they’re incredibly adorable?

I love my happy music town. Good stuff happens here.

Posted: June 22nd, 2008 under Musical Moments.
Comments: none

Well, first… my apologizes for being the worst blogger ever. I’m into week three of the new job, and I haven’t found my writing groove yet. I’ll bounce back. I promise.

In other news! I attended the most fabulously musical wedding this weekend. And before you even read the rest of the post, go listen to this beautiful song called ‘Asi Es’ written by the gorgeous bride Jenny Post (now Jenny Bottoni). (Victoria (Post) Birch-mezzo soprano, Chelsea Rose Massey-soprano, Jennifer Post-piano)

————-

Friday night, I went on a little family road trip down to PA to see my cousin Jenny get married. I knew forever that Jenny (and her twin sister) were incredibly musical people; however, I was utterly impressed at how personalized the ceremony was with their own music.

Three of Jenny’s original pieces were performed during the wedding. She walked down the aisle to one of her father’s favorites songs by her, played by a beautiful string quartet. Both Jenny and her Dad cried. It was an incredibly emotional moment.

Jenny’s sister Tori and Natalie Gelman sang a piece by Jenny called ‘Asi es’ (the song I uploaded above) in incredible two part harmony. I was floored. Total Chills.

To top it off, at the reception there was a 9-piece band with a FULL HORN SECTION. Toward the end of the party, Jenny and Tori performed an original song with the band during a sweet mother-son dance for Jenny’s new husband and his Mom.

Each guest walked away with a CD of music written by both Jenny and her husband, titled “Celebrating the Unity of Jennifer Post and Sam Bottoni through Music.” Now if that’s not romantic… I don’t know what is.

Long story short, I was taking notes. It was a fantastic weekend. I love my family.

———–

UPDATED: Links above! (and here for your convenience.) <3

http://www.sambottoni.com
http://www.nataliegelman.com

Posted: June 16th, 2008 under Musical Moments.
Comments: 8

After a very memorable and historic evening last night, I thought it would be a fantastic time to share (IMHO) the most moving combination of politics and music that I’ve ever seen. Of course you’ve watched it many times before– Perhaps you can even sing along at this point. (Sadly, I can.) But I still love it.

I’ve heard a lot of people say that Will.i.am is horribly manipulative for making this video. I do believe it’s an incredibly influential piece, and clearly he made it to share his views and possibly get people to support Obama. However, as long as he is an American citizen (just like me), I see nothing wrong with it. It’s not a campaign initiative.

Regardless, I think what truly makes this piece powerful is the use of a musical element to get people generally uninterested in politics to pay attention–even care–perhaps for the first time in their lives. For example, the 18-year-old high school student with apolitical parents might think about voting for the first time. Or at least do some research.

Adding music makes it relatable and enjoyable, so you really pay attention to exactly what he’s saying. By giving you another way to hear his speech, it makes you listen that much harder.

Random fact: I’m actually IN this video. Almost. My face is cut out, but you can see my black t-shirt, white Obama sticker and my crazy waving sign. I’m sitting behind the very sullen-looking young man. Don’t believe me? Here’s a cropped screen shot from MSNBC. There I am!

Here’s to being a part of history.

Posted: June 4th, 2008 under Catchy Music.
Comments: 2

My cousin Adam from the Philly area is a new contributing music reviewer for a blog (ahem, web site as he would prefer) called This Is Some Scene. He did his first review on a Flaming Lips show he went to last night.

It’s cool stuff, and I’m proud of him for joining; however, he has quite an interesting perspective on the developing influence of blogs vs. the news biz.

He’s concerned about what the growth of the blogosphere–in conjunction with news sources switching to an online medium–is doing to Joe Schmoe’s ability to decipher “legitimate news sources” (in which Adam is quite cynical about already) from blogging crackpots.

In an earlier Internet age (like… 3 years ago) a lot of people read information produced online with a grain of salt, assuming if the author had any credentials at all, he wouldn’t be expressing himself on the Internet. Obviously, he’d have a newspaper column.

However! Now, news corps, big businesses, small organizations and weird dudes living in their parents’ basement eating Cheetos all are producing content in the same form. Basement dude could potentially become just as influential as NYT blogger. So how can Joe Schmoe tell what’s “news” and what’s a whole lot of BS?

Well. That’s what’s so great!

The same phenomenon that’s causing Adam’s concern also is giving This Is Some Scene the potential to become a very successful site. So far only 4 or 5 people are running it, who never would have had the opportunity to be heard if it wasn’t for the fact that crackpots (and the rest of us) have the chance to produce content and make it available.

Even better? Society judges big shots and no-names on the exact same terms.

I think blurring the lines between traditional news and blogging-nobodies is a fantastic thing. It’s quite possible that my cousin Adam is an 800 times more competent reviewer than someone from the The Philadelphia Inquirer. Now Adam can write something, we will read it and we’ll never know he’s actually a crackpot!

I mean… my lovely, wonderful cousin! :)

Anyhow. Best takeaway from our conversation? I asked him the main reason he decided to write for the blog. His response:

“Because I like music, I like writing and it’s something to do. And it might impress girls if I am at a show and I tell them that I’m ‘covering it’ for something.”

Hear, hear.

Posted: May 29th, 2008 under Music Websites.
Comments: 3

Today I went with my roommate and one of my best friends to Earthfest in Boston to check out some sweet live music, get some free stuff and hang out outside. It was a beautiful, PERFECT day to be outdoors along the water, and the Hatch Shell was packed. Quite the lovely day.

A few hours later, we decided it was time to go home. When we started going up the footbridge to get over Storrow Drive, one of my friends stopped said, “Hey. There’s some sort of march… or protest coming this way. Wait. What? What is that?”

Ladies and gentleman, we found a parade of zombies. I immediately whipped out my camera, and thankfully I was able to capture this incredibly unique moment. Amazing.

I love my crazy city. And my crazy life.

Posted: May 24th, 2008 under Musical Moments.
Comments: 4

I think I found my favorite Twitter analytics application so far. It’s Summize Lab’s Realtime Twitter Sentiment, and I plan to actively use it to stalk every person talking about a cappella. Ever.

What really makes this thing cool is I can search by word AND geographic location. For example, I used a custom search operator looking for “music” near:”boston”, which showed me everyone in my area who is tweeting about music. Or you can use the super easy advanced search.

Think! I could potentially use this to find real a cappella singing Twitterers who live close enough to me to form an actual group.

Also, I did a simple search on “a cappella”. As you can see, I’m currently dominating the conversation. So speak up, a cappella lovers! We must unite and make beautiful, beautiful music.

Anyhow. Amazing or what? I’m in love.

Posted: May 20th, 2008 under A Cappella, Social Media Tools.
Comments: none