As impressed as I was with Blue Man Group, I was even more knocked out by the wizard that opened for them. Mike Relm is harder to describe than BMG. Take 1,000 milligrams of military grade amphetamine, mix it with an arena-sized sound system and a MacBook Pro.
Category Archives: Music
“Riverboat ring your bell”
“Soon, you may be able to hear the death knell for what was initially billed as “riverboat gambling” in Iowa. The Senate State Government Committee will meet tomorrow at 11:30 am in room 22 at the statehouse to take up a bill that will be another big moment in the long-running debate about gambling in Iowa. The bill would erase the requirement that those floating casino “barges” which are sitting on lakes be required to maintain the fantasy that the gambling casino is floating on water.” – O. Kay Henderson, Radio Iowa
We have a similar fantasy here in Missouri. But my favorite part of Kay’s post is the Maverick reference (AUDIO: MP3)
Why no new Al Green songs?
Scott Adams wonders why great musicians can’t keep cranking out the hits every years?
“Consider Neal Diamond, for example. He wrote and recorded some of the greatest songs ever. But then the hits stopped coming, despite the fact that his talent probably improved with experience.”
I wondered the same thing a year ago, but Mr. Adams offers a reasonable explanation:
“They can do more of the same sound, and consumers will think it sounds too much like the last album. Or they can try something different, and be unfavorably compared to their own hits. The public won’t be patient while the musician develops the new sound. It’s an almost impossible challenge.”
What your iPod reveals about you
Podcasting News: Psychologists Jason Rentfrow of the University of Cambridge in England and Sam Gosling at the University of Texas at Austin, have found that strangers can accurately assess another person’s level of creativity, open-mindedness and extroversion after listening to his or her top 10 favorite songs.
While I had no data to support it, I theorized about this a year ago. Anyway, two of the conclusions in the new study caught my eye:
“Whether you can study or work efficiently while listening to music may depend on how outgoing you are. Background music can help extroverts focus but tends to torment introverts.”
I’ve always thought of myself as an extrovert but I can NOT listen to music while I’m trying to concentrate.
“Fans of energetic music like dance and soul are more likely to impulsively blurt our their thoughts, compared with fans of other styles.”
Guilty. I have a hard time keeping my mouth shut.
Sheryl’s gonna tell us how it’s gonna be
Ann Morren (our only Belgian reader) reminds us to watch for Sheryl Crow’s Revlon ad in the Super Bowl (sometime in the 3rd quarter)… and then head over to iTunes and purchase Ms. Crow’s cover of Buddy Holly’s “Not Fade Away.” Proceeds going to aid breast cancer research.
Update: Purchased/listened to the song. Okay. Liked Rolling Stones & Buddy Holly versions better. Would love to know what Revlon is paying to have SC as spokesperson.
While pinging back and forth with Ann Morren, I learned she is a photographer and persuaded her to let me share a few here. I’ve noticed that a disproportionate number of smays.com readers (Henry, Bass) take great photographs.