Thursday, June 25, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Spotlight On...Kourosh Eusebio
Appearing every Saturday at 8 a.m. SLT at the gorgeous Nitidia Ridge, it was my extreme pleasure to go listen to musical genius Koroush Eusebio. A psychiatrist AND musician in RL and a fan of Metallica, Kourosh blends electronics with keyboards, producing an amazing sound like none other, hauntingly beautiful yet strangely sad and ethereal.
Filled with emotion and inspiration, gently stroking the keyboard and calming the soul...soft sounds building to glorious crescendo. Kourosh takes his own music and continues to further improvise.
Nitidia Ridge was the perfect backdrop for this talented artist, with a beautiful fountain and hummingbirdsflitting about, described by Kourosh as "a Gathering Place just above the clouds, yet on the ground." A truly magical place with intermittent shadows and electric, cloudlike light. In attendance was fellow musician Fyrm Fouroux, a fine talent in his own right.
Kourosh: "What gives good music timelessness? How does music transcend years or centuries - speaking to and carrying through the emotions of generations unborn and unknown?" Come to the misty mountaintop that is Nitida Ridge every Saturday morning and discover what he means.Blog: http://www.kouroshdini.com/
By Shellie Sands
Eric and the Adams - Summer Tour Video
Eric Himan tweets: Check out our new video (it took me a bit to make!)
They have also launched a new website. If they are playing in your area, go see them. I will be jealous until they make it to the East Coast and I get to see them live!
Great Music - Aiden James - On The Run
Aiden James is another of the singer/songwriters who opened for Eric Himan that I immediately knew I would be following for some time. His voice is like honey to me, pure and smooth, and just pours over your senses. He was recently chosen to play at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival as part of the Emerging Artist Showcase. He will be playing alongside such notables as Ani Difranco, Shawn Colvin, Dar Williams and others next month.
His first CD, Have You Ever, had just one heart-felt song after another. From the first cut, James, to the last cut, Moonlight, there is one gem after another.
Last fall, he released On The Run, an introspective and seemingly personal offering that is again filled with amazing songs. My favorite from the CD is My Oh My, a folky bluegrass song that is all about love. The music and vocals are perfect. There is also the achingly bittersweet Satellites. And the unforgettable You And He, a story about friends having a cup of coffee.
He doesn't have any videos, so that was a collection of pictures I have taken of Aiden at various shows set to his music. But he will be releasing a video on August 7, and I will put it up once it is released. You can find out more about Aiden at his website.
Time to clean up the last-name mess
Having been around for more than two years around Second Life, I cannot believe that Linden Lab has not answered a basic need if it wants to establish its grid as "the" virtual life grid for the future.
That's cleaning up the mess it has always created with last names.
Currently, there are no clearly established policies to manage creation and closing of names. They suddenly appear and disappear from the menus when people sign up. Worse: when you sign up, you only get a restricted selection of names among the active ones. Someone who reloads the signup page gets a new selection.
When I say this, keep in mind that most people who create their first account do not have a clue of how important their name is. They can wonder why they can never get the first name they like with their favorite last name. Many will turn to the solution of adding numbers to their names. Imagine how cute my name was it if were Alesia6 Schumann...
Obstacles like these force users to create a second account later on... and redo everything from scratch, especially by purchasing a second time the "no transfer" items they already owned! The policy of other grids, which often let people create just any name they want, is more attractive.
What is especially frustrating is that LL seems to care more to sell "vanity" last names such as Armidi and SunMicrosystems because they have established a clear program. Of course, money talks more than long-term thinking here.
Linden Lab shoots itself in the foot by focusing on short-term revenue instead of vision. The technology graveyard is full of companies that established early market dominance but failed because either lack of vision, focus on details or strategic weaknesses. Ask the good folks who managed IBM, Netscape and AOL. They, too, thought they were there for the long haul.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Defying Inequality - The Cast of Hair
In February of this year, there was a fundraiser in New York City to raise money for Defying Inequality: A Celebrity Benefit for Equal Rights. They raised over $400,000 for five separate groups promoting marriage equality in New York, California, Massachusetts, Vermont and New Jersey. In the following amateur video, Tony nominee and out star of Broadway's Hair, Gavin Creel, sings The Flesh Failures and is joined by the cast for Let The Sun Shine In.
Countless stars as well as the cast of about 15 shows performed in concert to raise the funds. Gay, Bi and Str8 alike, performers came out to raise their voices for marriage equality. Well done!
Countless stars as well as the cast of about 15 shows performed in concert to raise the funds. Gay, Bi and Str8 alike, performers came out to raise their voices for marriage equality. Well done!
New Music - Gregory Douglass - Battler
How funny is it that I lived in Vermont for a couple of years, and didn't find out about Gregory Douglass, a Vermont resident, until I had moved away? Go figure. So, I moved back to Delaware, and discovered this talented guy, someone who has put out 7 CDs and a couple of EPs since 1998, when he put out his first at the age of 18. He is an amazing musician, amazing on the keyboard and strong with the guitar.
His latest is Battler, which features twelve layered and texture-filled cuts, mostly piano and guitar-driven. Unlike his earlier work, which was more in the pop/rock vein, the sound is more textured and dramatic, with greater nuance and dark edges. Broken Through was the first single, showcasing the range and emotion of his voice. The latest single is Cathedrals, which opens with an A cappella choral chant, and picks up a strong guitar.
There is also the song Sadly, featuring a beautiful guest performance by Anais Mitchell, a brooding ballad with strong jazz influences. And Ordinary Man, featuring Grace Potter, a nice pop tune with some soaring vocals. No Apology is another number that starts off with no instrumentation, which is only used sparsely in the final quarter of the song, and it is just beautiful.
The following is I Wanted To Run, a song from his 2003 release, Pseudo-Rotary. Funny, if I had known Gregory's music when I lived in Vermont, I would have been able to catch him live in Burlington, and now, he is still on the list of performers I have yet to catch live.
You can find more on Gregory and his music at his website.
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