Lamrocks Little Roses Music

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The fifth season of American Idol is underway, and the media is doing what the media does best: simplifying everything, and, thus, making everything stupid. Business as usual. So, one of this year’s standout performers is the charming Kellie Pickler. Last year’s winner, of course, was the very talented Carrie Underwood. Both of these young ladies are blonde, female southerners with a penchant for country tunes, and, all over the web and mainstream media we’re seeing the headlines which draw excessive similarities between these two very different singers.

Strangely enough, it’s really a form of racism and stereotyping, though, I haven’t seen anyone make this argument. Could you imagine, though, for a moment, that these two women were of African American heritage, instead, and all of the comparisons were being made. I guarantee that there would be many a critic crying foul: “You’re all a bunch of narrow minded racists! Just because they’re both black females, they have to be clones of each other?”

But, it’s really just that type of thinking at work. Kellie Pickler and Carrie Underwood are like night and day. And, in my humble opinion, Kellie is preferable in respect to disposition, personality, and, yes, talent. Let’s take a closer look at these two women and perhaps you’ll agree.

As indicated, Carrie is a talented star. There’s no doubt of that: she’s sold over two million copies of her debut effort “Some Hearts.” Underwood is from Checotah, Oklahoma, where she was born and raised on a farm. She attended Northwestern State University; her major was mass communication. And, it came as no surprise to me when I learned that while at Northeastern, Underwood was a member of the Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority and competing in beauty pageants in her spare time.

Underwood is basically a country singer; though, she admits to have been influenced by pop music also. Her musical talent is vast and includes the guitar, piano, and yodeling. She first entered the public spotlight in early 2005, as she auditioned for the fourth season of Fox’s spectacular hit American Idol. Simon, Paula, and Randy were quite impressed and Carrie went on to roar through the competition to victory.

The viewing audience was treated to Carrie’s performances of “Could’ve Been,” “Piece Of My Heart,” “Because You Love Me,” “When Will I Be Loved,” “Alone,” “Independence Day,” “Hello Young Lovers,” “Love Is A Battlefield,” “MacArthur Park,” “When God Fearin’ Women Get The Blues,” “Trouble,” “Bless The Broken Road,” “Sin Wagon,” “If You Don’t Know Me By Now,” “Crying,” “Making Love Out Of Nothing At All,” “Man! I Feel Like A Woman,” “Inside Your Heaven,” “Angels Brought Me Here,” and “Up Where We Belong.” I include the full song list to provide a bit of the Carrie flavor. As mentioned, she’s a southern, country girl.

Much of the American viewing audience was pretty dazzled by Carrie, and, she has the distinction of not once appearing in the bottom three. The votes rolled in, and, her performances were nearly flawless. But, that was also the problem, almost, for some. Something about Carrie seemed a little too mechanical and rehearsed. Her life seemed a little too perfect. She couldn’t help but project a certain snobbish persona. At times, on stage, her nose crinkled-up, she appeared slightly offended, as if someone had just cut the cheese, and the vapors were sullying her pristine air space.

Carrie seemed like an individual who had never been touched by tragedy. The notes were all correct, and the execution was like text book science…but, what about that intangible thing that makes the heart zing? What about that quality that you just can’t name, but, when it’s there, oh, you know it! Soul…what about soul? Sadly, that was always lacking with Carrie, and, many noticed and opted for the deeper, more complex alternative, Bo Bice, who lost the competition by a mere 134 votes!

Do you understand what that means? You see, I didn’t vote at all during the finale. But, had I picked up my cell phone and punched Bo’s number for two hours, he’d currently be wearing the Idol crown! So, although Carrie is the official winner, understand, her majority was thin, and many weren’t taken in by the whole soft-spoken, seemingly naïve, keep-mentioning-Jesus-and-heaven, kiss the flag, fresh apple pie trip. In fact, the Vote For The Worst website was particularly unimpressed, and they dubbed Ms. Underwood Farmbot, which succinctly describes the mechanical, unemotional, vibe which Carrie projects. When Carrie won, I remember my mother commenting on how hard Carrie was struggling to squeeze out a tear.

Now, you may not agree with this Carrie Underwood characterization. However, many people do perceive her in this manner.

Kellie Pickler, in fact, despite the misinformed comparisons being made, stands in wonderful contrast to Carrie Underwood. Kellie, as many know, hasn’t had such an easy time. She was raised in the little town of Albemarle, North Carolina. She lives with her grandfather, because her mother abandoned her when Kellie was only two. Her father’s been mainly in prison her whole life. On the American Idol program, Kellie asks the question which has been haunting her for so long, “Why doesn’t my mother want anything to do with me?” Kellie represents the real world. And, the troubles which haunt her–that emotion!–punches through in each performance.

The world got its first Pickler glimpse on January 24th of this year at her audition in Greensboro. She busted out with Kelly Clarkson’s hit, “Since You Been Gone,” and, immediately, the real-deal emotion, passion, and intensity were evident. And, the judges noticed! And, America noticed! The blogs were buzzing minutes later. Well, this is really what I’m getting at… When Kellie sang the lyrics, “…since you been gone,” whom do you think she was thinking about? I’d speculate she was thinking about her parents: “Since you been gone daddy. Since you been gone mommy.” And, believe it, the raw emotion sliced like a fist through the fog. Read the rest of this entry »

After you decide that you’re going to buy an ocarina, you’ll have to determine which one is your best choice. With so many choices, in different sizes and shapes, some with five holes and others with thirteen, made of wood or clay or plastic… with so many options picking the right one is difficult. Ask the following questions. When you can answer them confidently, you are ready to choose your new ocarina.

1. How far musically speaking do you want to go with your ocarina? Do you mainly want something to entertain you for a week or two? Or do you want a serious instrument that will let you grow to advanced levels? If aspire to go far musically and are willing to put in the practice necessary to there, get an instrument that you will not grow out of… one which will let you grow to virtuosity.

2. What type of music will you play with your ocarina? If you will be playing simple, slow melodies then most ocarinas will work just fine. However, if you want to play technically difficult music, fast tempo, perhaps with ornamentation or decoration for flair, most will not work. Make sure you hear sound samples of the ocarinas you’re considering, and make sure that they can play the type of music that you want to play.

3. Do you like the way it sounds? Have you heard this ocarina in a live performance? Probably not… but do you at least have you recordings to give you an idea of their sound?

4. Where would you like to play your ocarina? Do you expect to play for others? Will you perform publicly? Do you wish to be able to play with other musicians without needing microphone amplification? The majority of ocarinas are quiet and subdued. A few ocarinas have good playing volume and could readily be played in public without needing amplification.

5. How do you like the way it looks? If you think your instrument is beautiful, you will probably carry it more, show it to friends and family more, play it more, progress faster and farther, and enjoy it more.

6. What style of ocarina do I want, transverse or inline? Ocarinas come in two basic styles, inline and transverse. Transverse ocarinas (like the sweet potato) are played like a Boehm flute where the flute is held at a perpendicular angle to the head. Inline ocarinas are played like a recorder or clarinet where you would blow into the length of the flute. I find that the inline style is more comfortable when playing for extended periods of time.

7. Do you want a wood, clay, plastic or metal ocarina? Some thoughts. Clay is can crack or shatter if dropped. A nice hardwoodwood ocarina are beautiful. Metal ocarinas are uncommon, but some are noticeably stunning. There are many cheap plastic ocarinas… toys. Some plastic ocarinas, however, are top quality instruments made of high tech plastics like polycarbonate.
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The embodiment of the American dream
Bruce Springsteen, an influential American singer-songwriter and guitarist, was born in 1949 in a small New-Jersean town. He made up his mind to be a musician at 7, having seen Elvis Presley’s concert on TV. His parents were rather poor, and Bruce’s mother had to take a loan to buy him a good guitar. That is why the main themes of Springsteen’s music are people living from hand to mouth and politics. Bruce strated making performances in 1965, in 1972 he gathered the E Street Band, though for a couple of years it was not called so. Springsteen and the E Street Band worked together for many years, though parted in 1989. Bruce Springsteen is best known for his albums Born To Run and Born In The U.S.A.. He has multiple Grammies and an Oscar for the Philadelphia soundtrack. He is also the inventor of lo-fi music that became the cult genre now among indie-rockers. In the ealry 2000s Springteen reunited with the E Street Band. In 2007 the artist recorded Magic, his long waited and first in about 5 years album with the E Street Band.

Magic: magically good
Magic contains 10 brand new songs by Springsteen and one alredy heard, Long Walk Home. The first single from the album, Radio Nowehere, is a very touching composition with deep lyrics. Girls In Their Summer Clothes is a very good rocky song with the E Street Band having done their best. A very beautiful work is for sure Gypsy Byker, it has an upbeat romantic melody reminding of travelling at high speeds on the American highways. Magic, the title track of the album, can boast of a wonderful arrangement and meditative melody, creating magical atmosphere thanks to the rythmical tinkling of the tambourine. The final track on Magic, Devil’s Arcade, is the only one that deals with politics. It has a very strong lyrics and powerful images that are sure to leave no one calm. This song gives a perfect insight in Springsteen’s origination and his political views. Moreover, after listening it leaves everyone with a clear own view on these questions even if you are far from it all.
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1. Crooning Bob, Hidden Muse
2. Masked & Anonymous
3. Robert Allen Zimmerman
4. Elston Gunn
5. A Star Is Born
6. A Legend Mends A Legend
7. Emergence
8. Bringing It All Back Home
9. Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid
10. Grammy Time
11. Pope On The Red Line
12. In Their Father’s Footsteps?
13. Albums Of The Year
14. Hollywood Hit List
15. Jack Fate
16. Award Monger
17. The Missing Beatle?

“I think of a hero as someone who understands the degree of responsibility that comes with his freedom.” – Bob Dylan

1. Crooning Bob, Hidden Muse
Recently a Japanese writer named Junichi Saga was astonished and flattered to learn that passages from one of his books apparently found their way into a few of Bob Dylan’s lyrics.
In Bob Dylan’s 2001 song, “Floater”, he croons – “My old man, he’s like some feudal lord, got more lives than a cat.” “I’m not quite as cool or forgiving as I sound” “Sometimes somebody wants you to give something up, and tears or not, it’s too much to ask.”

On page six of Junicihi Saga’s book, “Confessions of a Yakuza”, he writes – “My old man would sit there like a feudal lord.” “I’m not as cool or forgiving as I might have sounded.” Then on page 182, writes – “Tears or not, though, that was too much to ask.”

The practitioner of Chinese medicine resounded that the revelation of Dylan calling upon his own work was surprising. This could be counted as a literary theft of sorts, but the author has stated he has no plans to sue. “Why would I sue? To take something that made people around the world happy and try to exploit it for money – that’s poverty.”, stated Saga.
“This shows that people in other countries can relate to the harsh realities of prewar Japan, which was a poor, struggling nation. I’m just happy somebody read my book and liked it.”, said Saga. “My book hasn’t even sold that well, and it’s out of print in Japan.” He further added he has estimated to have only made about $8,475 from the publication.

A few weeks ago, Saga bought his first Bob Dylan CD, “The Best of Bob Dylan”.

2. Masked & Anonymous
Would you reach out a hand to save a drowning man if you thought he might pull you in?

This is the tagline for Bob’s latest film called, “Masked & Anonymous”. In it, Bob plays, Jack Fate, a singer whose career has gone on a downward spiral and is forced to make a comeback to the performance stage for a benefit concert. For this film he was joined by some of Hollywood’s hottest and brightest, all of which reportedly signed onto the film at scale rates. The cast includes: John Goodman, Jessica Lange, Luke Wilson, Jeff Bridges, Penelope Cruz, Reggie Lee, Angela Bassett, Steven Bauer, Larry Campbell, Bruce Dern, Alex Desert, Treva Etienne, Dan Frischman, Tony Garnier, Laura Elena Harring, Ed Harris, Shawn Michael Howard, Val Kilmer, Bruce Kirschbaum, Antonio David Lyons, Cheech Marin, Chris Penn, George Receli, Giovanni Ribisi, Mickey Rourke, Sam Sarpong, Charlie Sexton, Jon Sklaroff, Christian Slater and Fred Ward. On top of all of that, T-Shirt King friend, Keri Bruno, pulls 2nd Unit Directing duties on the talent heavy film.

The film hits theatres in a limited US release on July 25th.

3. Robert Allen Zimmerman
At 5 foot six inches, Robert Allen Zimmerman might be a slight man, but under the name Bob Dylan, he is a legendary giant of a musician.

4. Elston Gunn
Robert Allen Zimmerman was born May 24th 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota. His father, Abe, was employed by the Standard Oil Company there, but when Robert was six the family moved to Hibbing, Minnesota. The one riddling note about Hibbing is that is very often the coldest place in the United States. Yikes. Growing up there he taught himself piano and guitar and formed several high school rock bands. Around this time he toyed with the stage name, “Elston Gunn”.

5. A Star Is Born
By 1959, Robert entered the University of Minnesota and began performing under the name Bob Dylan at clubs in Minnesota and St. Paul.

6. A Legend Mends A Legend
In 1960 he traveled to New York to perform in various folk clubs throughout Greenwich Village. While in New York he spent time with his idol, Woody Guthrie at his hospital room.

7. Emergence
Late in 1961 he landed a contract with Columbia Records and the following year his debut album was released with two original songs. A year after that, “The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan” emerged with an all original album, including a song that became an anthem of the ’60′s – “Blowin’ in the Wind”.

8. Bringing It All Back Home
In February 1964 Dylan and a small group of friends drove south out of New York City and stopped in unannounced to see poet ‘Carl Sandburg’ in North Carolina. Disappointingly, Dylan left only 10 minutes after arriving when he realized he couldn’t get the venerable man of letters to take him seriously as a fellow poet.

He popped folk-rock into the mainstream after touring with Joan Baez with his own flavor of electric/acoustic swagger, culminating with his hit song, “Bringing it all Back Home”. Soon after the Byrd’s turned his song “Mr. Tambourine Man” into another hit with their cover version of the famous tune.

9. Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid
Following a motorcycle accident in 1966 which took him out of the limelight until 1969. Around that time, Sam Peckinpah asked him to compose the score and appear in his film, “Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid”. This would be the only the beginning of a long and continuing relationship with Hollywood and filmmaking.

10. Grammy Time
In 1974, Bob Dylan and The Band hit the road to promote their first number one album, “Planet Waves”. The next year they had another chart-topper with the release of, “Blood on the Tracks”. He followed that with several Rolling Thunder tours, a film called, “Renaldo and Clara” and then stunned the music world with the release of his fundamentalist Christian album, “Slow Train Coming”. A song from this album garnered him his first Grammy.
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