He Ain't Heavy, He's My JONAS Brother!

This post I'd like to take a look at SIBLINGS making music together.  Here are two new releases and an old favorite.

Yes, you may be sick of them even before you've heard a note.  Their faces are plastered all over teeny-bopper magazines, back to school supplies and clothes, and the Disney Channel.  Their acting in the Disney Channel movie "Camp Rock" was pretty awful.  (This comes from a guy who admits he is super pumped for "High School Musical 3")

Yet their new cd release "A Little Bit Longer" is pretty darn good.  Often compared to "Hanson," these guys write their own music and play their own instruments.  On this new album they still appeal to Teeny-Bopper USA, and yet have advanced musically.  Traces of bands like Maroon 5 and Fall Out Boy can be found throughout the cd.  There's even a wonderful Jack Johnson-esque toon called "Love Bug."  It's a fun up-tempo album except the very touching title track written by youngest Jonas Nick about his battle with diabetes.

Here's the music video from the first single "Burnin' Up"

 

Here's a funny video of them meeting "the Queen of England" last year!

Another really cool sibling band is "The Bridges."  They are comprised of three sisters, one brother, and one cousin.  Produced by Matthew Sweet, they are heavily influenced by groups like Fleetwood Mac and the Mama's and the Papa's.  My favorite thing about this group is their amazing "sunny" harmonies.

Here is the music video from their single "Pieces."

Here is a short video of them rehearsing vocals...

Speaking of amazing harmonies, one of the best examples of sibling harmonies at their best can be found on the album "Sibling Revelry" by cabaret stars Ann Hampton Callaway and Liz Callaway.  This is one of my favorite live albums and an amazing cabaret album.  Liz has been in many broadway shows and has a beautiful clear soprano sound, Ann was in "Swing" and is an amazing jazz chanteuse.  She also wrote the theme song for "The Nanny" which she and her sister sang!  Their blend together is absolutely amazing.  They both have numerous solo albums where the other duets on a track.  This is their only full duet album.

Here are two videos of them singing a "Super-Long Medley" of all the songs their friends said "two sisters should sing."  This footage is from a Rosie Family Cruise.  A similar version is on their album.

O.K. this blog is getting a little long... I wanted to talk about Rufus Wainwright and his sister Martha, but I'll wait until another time.  Besides, I could write a whole post on Rufus. 

However, I can't end until I give a shout out to the amazing sound of the Carpenters. Here is some amazing live footage from early in their career shot during an Australian concert.

Speaking of siblings, my sister (who is a wonderful singer) is about to have a baby!  Her due date for their first child is in about a week and a half.  I'm super excited!  Uncle Michael is ready to spoil the baby with all kinds of music.  Look out Osmonds, a new family band may be in the making.

Whatcha gonna do when they come for you?

The BAD BOYS of Summer 2008

1. THE JOKER - Heath Ledger gave an absolutely brilliant performance in The Dark Knight.  A very different take from Jack Nicholson's iconic turn in 1988.  Loved that this incarnation didn't have a back story... he was just crazy.  Also loved that his makeup was described as "War Paint."

(Did NOT love Christian Bales "Batman Voice.")

2. DR. HORRIBLE - Joss Whedon (Buffy/Firefly) has created a brilliant Sci-Fi web musical called "Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog."  It stars Nathan Fillion (Firefly, Waitress), Felicia Day, and the brilliant Neil Patrick Harris.  I have loved Neil's voice since hearing him in the concert version of "Sweeney Todd" a few years back, but he outdoes himself here as the lovable  Super-Villian-In-Training Dr. Horrible.  (He also was on Broadway "Assassins" and was in "Rent.") You can purchase the 3 part mini-musical on i-tunes.  Each section is about 15 minutes.  It will be the best $3.99 you spend this summer.

 

Check it out HERE.

Here's a the official preview.



Here's my favorite number.

They are releasing a soundtrack and a dvd with a musical commentary later this year!

and finally...

3. The SINGING of Pierce Brosnan - SORRY!  Mamma Mia was a slight disappointment.  It meant well, but I really think it should have been adapted by someone other than the stage director.  Meryl Streep was very likable and really gave her all, but the staging and overall tone of the movie needed to be more campy in my mind.  It's a hard balance because there also is the  story of a mother and daughter that should be very touching.  THAT worked for me because of the performances of Meryl and Amanda Seyfried, but Pierce should NOT have been singing... when he started warbling the audience I was with burst into laughter.  That totally takes you away from the movie.  Besides some of Meryl's numbers, I thought the film REALLY worked when the cast was messing around over the credits in their Abba-esque outfits.

I know a lot of people are loving the movie.  It was fun, but I just wanted much more.

So I think I LOVE dance...

"So You Think You Can Dance"  is wonderful this year.  Yes Nigel and Mary can be crazy (and LOUD) at times, but they actually know what they are talking about (unlike their American Idol counterparts... sorry Paula and Randy)  The judges encourage the contestants to do better and the audience is exposed to all kinds of dance during the process.  It's a win-win situation for everyone.  I find the show very musically gratifying.

Cat Deeley (the host) is adorably chic.  I feel she really cares about the contestants where Seacrest tries to be witty at the contestants expense.

The result show (on Wednesdays) is packed with amazing group numbers, a guest dance artist, and a guest musical artist.

and choreographer Mia Michaels is a genius!!!

Here are my favorite routines so far this year...

Joshua and Katee dancing to "No Air" - choreography by Tabitha and Napolean

Mark and Chelsie "Bleeding Love" - choreography by Tabitha and Napolean

Joshua and Katee "Hometown Girl" - choreography by Mia Michaels

Twitch and Katee "Mercy" - choreography by Mia Michaels

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE airs Wednesdays and Thursdays on FOX for two more weeks!

There's always room for CELLO

I am in love with the debut cd "Learning to Bend" by Ben Sollee.  He first caught my ear on NPR's "All Things Considered" about a week ago.

This is folk/americana at it's best.  Ben provides soulful vocals and very interesting ways of making music with his instrument of choice... the cello.  Artists he can be compared to are Ray Lamontagne, Amos Lee, Iron and Wine, or even Nick Drake.

He is an amazing songwriter.  "A Few Honest Words" is directed to the future president of the United States.  On "It's Not Impossible," he remarks on the state of masculinity and how boys aren't supposed to cry.  

I also love "Panning for Gold" a beautiful song inspired by his grandparents who are suffering from dementia.  He wrote the song using God as a character losing track of things and not remembering what he created.  He sings... it's up to us to show God the beauty that He created.

There is also an excellent cover of Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come."  Ben's version is WONDERFUL and very relevant during this election year.

I highly recommend this album...

Check out the NPR interview.

Here is his website and myspace profile.

 This passage is from his bio and really sums up why I love his music...

"The single most salient quality of Learning to Bend, is Ben’s contagiously optimistic worldview. Ben is not just expressing his personal quest for flexibility, he is asking the entire country to learn to bend, learn how to cry, learn how to see the sun rise… He is at the forefront of a movement that is happening right now: a zeitgeist in which a nation can face reality and empower itself to evolve and feel deeply and stand up for the power of hope."

Also of interesting note.... recently Kanye West was very late for performing at a festival.  This enraged many fans.  Ben composed a song commenting on this and posted it on his myspace.  Simply recored into his computer's internal mic, he sings.. "you don't need a light show, just good flows!"  This may be the first rap/folk war!

You can download the track HERE.

Cut Loose...

This caught my eye in this week's Entertainment Weekly.

A cover of the entire soundtrack of FOOTLOOSE by the artist "Doveman" (aka Thomas Bartlett.)  



After a google search I came across these words written by Thomas' friend Gabriel Greenberg.

"When I was very young, my half-sister Jenny died tragically. She was a teenager, and it was the 80's. She left behind a wardrobe of brightly colored clothes, rainbow stickers, life-size paintings, doodles on lined paper, and hundreds of tapes. These constitute most of my memories of her. It's sad for me to look at these things, and usually I don't. But a couple of summers ago I found a tape of hers with a startling cover photograph - this was Footloose. I couldn't stop listening: it was a portrait of 80's love, desire, pain, freedom, and frenzy; of being a teenager in a time of change. By listening, I could step into Jenny's shoes, see things from her vantage point. I could be emancipated by rock and roll and walkmen, just as she had been. We could listen together.

I asked my friend Thomas to cover the album, which, sheltered as he is, he had never heard before. I was clear that I wanted to him to cover the whole album - the point wasn't to rework any one song, but to re-imagine the picture they made together. With a new Footloose we could reply to the past, tell our own story about being young. This is what he made."

-- Gabriel Greenberg

This is AMAZING and very moving.  It was available as a free download, but it got taken down.  You can still here the album on this site...  

http://www.dovemanmusic.com/footloose.htm

Addicted to FOREIGN!

Sorry it's been a while since my last post...  it's been crazy busy.  I will try to get back to my posting at least once a week.  

I have SO much to comment on... Wall-E... Wanted... some AMAZING music I've discovered... today's release of the film soundtrack to "Mamma Mia"...

However,  this post I'm sticking to sharing my obsession with FOREIGN movies.... in particular 2 recent DVD releases.  

Both of these movies were Oscar nominees, and both are adaptations of autobiographical books.

The first is the very inspiring "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly."  



In 1995 Jean-Dominique Bauby (editor for French Elle magazine) suffered a stroke and awoke from a coma completely paralyzed except for some movement in his head and left eye.   Not able to speak, he and his therapist eventually come up with a way for him to communicate... for him to blink his left eye.  He eventually decides to write his memoir with the help of a transcriber.  She will read the letters of the alphabet and he blinks when she says the correct one.  

The film is truly a piece of art.  It starts out showing life from his perspective from the moment he opens his eye from a coma.   The cinematography  eventually opens up as he allows his mind to be free and find a passion for life.  This is a beautiful film and is based on his very moving memoir.

Here's the trailer...

The other film is also autobiographical but is based on a graphic novel.  It is the stunning PERSEPOLIS.  



This movie is the coming of age story of Marjane Satrapi a very outspoken girl in Iran during the Islamic revolution.  I LOVED this movie!!  This is true art animation.  Not some cheap comedy relying on celebrity voices.

Check out both of these wonderful films... and while I'm on the subject...

Here is my list of favorite FOREIGN FILMS

Amelie 

Triplets of Bellville

Y Tu Mama Tambien

A Very Long Engagement

The Motorcycle Diaries

Pan's Labyrinth

All About My Mother

Bad Education

City Of God

La Vie En Rose

Ma Vie En Rose (very different from La Vie!)

8 Women 

The Science of Sleep (part French, part Spanish, part English)

What are yours?

Heaven on Wheels

(HIGHWAY TO SWELL - Tony Edition part 2)

It's Tony Eve and I'm very excited for the awards tomorrow night.

One of the shows I'm rooting for is the underdog for Best New Musical.....  the musical masterpiece...  XANADU!

(seriously)

Adapted from one of the worst movies ever made, this wonderful piece of entertainment lovingly pokes fun at the movie and yet has a sweet heart of it's own.

"Xanadu" features the vibrant music of Electric Light Orchestra (some from the movie... others hits added) as well as the Olivia Newton John hit "Have You Ever Been Mellow?"  If that doesn't grab you, it also has a hilarious book, a plethora of disco balls, a knockout cast, and rollerskating!!  This show is 90 minutes of heaven on wheels.

The cast truly is perfect!  Kerry Butler (Batboy, Little Shop of Horrors, and the original Penny in Hairspray) absolutely shines as Kira.  With a nod to Olivia Newton John she gives a delightful starring turn.  Cheyenne Jackson (All Shook Up) as Sonny Malone is golden.   The two have wonderful chemistry, amazing voices, and light up the stage.

Mary Testa and Jackie Hoffman are brilliant as Kira's evil sisters and Tony Roberts and the Muses are wonderful as well.  Fabulous cast all around.

We had the pleasure of seeing the show this past spring and were grinning from ear to ear the entire time.

Here's the official commercial...

Here's a clip from The View last fall.

Leading up to the Tony's they have been campaigning via viral videos.  The videos contain "Cubby Bernstein" as their Tony Campaign manager and are hilarious.  Here is one of the more recent ones (minus Cubby) featuring Nathan Lane asking the question on everyone's mind. "Is Xanadu too gay for a Tony?" 

Check out the others as well.

www.cubbybernstein.com

-------

In Xanadu related news... (it's not everyday you get to say that!)...  the fabulous star Kerry Butler just released her first solo album entitled "Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust."  

It is a charming collection of Disney classics and Disney-esque tunes.  She gives us wonderful new arrangements of beloved favorites.  Also there is a song written for an abandoned prequel to "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?",  "Call Me a Princess" cut early from Aladdin,  and the song "Disneyland" from the musical "Smile."

I have loved Ms. Butler since first hearing her on the recording of "Batboy."  This cd is a beautiful collection reminding us of "wonder of Disney."  She writes in her linear notes, "To believe in good, even when you see evil in the world, is something I struggle with.  That's what I love about... so much of the Disney catalog.   It recognizes that it's hard to have faith, it's hard sometimes to 'believe,' and all you can do is make a choice to try."

She gives a wonderful personal touch to all the songs including "It's a Small World" which was very special to her since she and her husband adopted their daughter "Segi" from Africa in 2006.

She writes "We had just returned from an amazing, emotional, wonderful, and exhausting trip to Africa, and my husband and I were listening to music and playing with our new baby...  When 'It's a Small World' started to play, she had an immediate and visceral reaction to it... something drew her in immediately.  I like to think it was because, even though she was an infant, she got the message of the song and realized after her long journey that it indeed was a small world after all."

Check out her cd and enjoy the Tony's.  I'm also loving "A Catered Affair" and the brilliant revival of "Sunday in the Park."  (more on them later)