12 Days

Feast Week 07

Feast week started tonight.  Every night this week except for Thursday, I’ll being at the U of R singing in a rehearsal or presentation for the Feast of Lights.

Tonight went really well aside from one thing.  At first, I thought I was just being an ass.  After some reflection and putting things into perspective (I felt way too badly about maybe being an ass after rehearsal), I’ve realized that I wasn’t really at rehearsal tonight.  I walked when I was supposed to and sang when I was supposed to, but didn’t dive into the thing at all.  What a waste.

I have three more rehearsals to calm down just a bit and get my head into this thing.  On the one hand, I have music that clearly needs to be memorized.  On the other hand, I’m participating in something that is rich with meaning and significance.  I don’t want to get to the end and find out I missed out because I hadn’t let myself get swept away by it all. I may not find much depth, but I’d rather it not be because I didn’t leave myself open to the possibility.

Och Disney

I’m at the rehearsal for Oh Tamale The Musical. This thing is huge.

The people in charge are all Disney folks and they’re really bringinfg it on. There’s more technoogy in this chapel than I’ve ever seen before.

From the look of things, this wil be a wonderful show. Ten bucks or so for an hour plus long show that is really professionally done. Lots of fun and enjoyment in store.

Shows are this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8:00.

I’m About To

Start with a dad singing a song to his daughter after she had a bad day.  The daughter (or someone) posts the song on the web.  A video podcaster picks up the song and asks for remixes from his fans while they also search for the dad to ask him if they can remix it.  Then he asks for a music video from his fas.  Then he sends the music video to the dad.

The Internet is grand.

Here’s the video.

[Not Safe for Work if you work in a place where a minor swear word that's all over television isn't allowed.]

Sing for your Supper iMix

This last weekend was the once-a-year-or-so Sing for your Supper event at my church.  I have recordings of all of the performances, but got enough positive comments about the music played between acts, before dinner, during dinner, and afterwards that I’ve posted what songs I could as an iMix in iTunes.

This is the first time we’ve done this for Sing for your Supper, to my knowledge.  It should allow people who want to find a song they liked and buy it or purchase the whole set at once, if they want.

You should be able to find the iMix here.

The 9th on 5/5/06

The Community Chorus of Redlands started back up last night and I got a date for the concert I’m really looking forward to.

May 5, 2006.  We’ll be performing Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with the Redlands Symphony Orchestra.  It’s quite possibly the most recognized symphony by most folks that you’ve never heard all the way through.  I highly recommend going to this concert.

You can see more information on the RSO web site (scroll down to the bottom for this one).  You can also get ticket information on this site.

We’ll also be doing other concerts throughout the Spring that I’ll post dates about as I learn more, but this is the big one and, really, the only reason I’m still doing CCR this Spring rather than waiting to return for Feast next Fall.

Vanilla Sign

I’m in training this week at work and it happens that one of the students is deaf. There are two women interpreting for him. They tag team every twenty-thirty minutes since research shows that the brain can’t do continuous tasks for longer than that without a break. During one of the class breaks yesterday, the woman who was on her break found the video below.

Funny, amazing, and eye-opening to just how difficult it is to sign and not hear the world as others do. Enjoy!

If You Don’t Got It, Fake It

Tonight during choir, my only fear in the music world were realized.  It’s a small fear, but still there.

I’m a bass.  I sing bass II, which is the lower.  I can sing and make you feel it in your stomach.

Except that I can’t.  Not anymore.  For the last three weeks, I’ve been trying to reach the low notes that used to be my bread and butter.  They just aren’t there.  I thought that maybe I needed to get back into the swing of it, but it usually doesn’t take a month to do that.  I’ve started learning both bass parts, just in case I find that I can contribute more by singing the higher part in the end.

This makes me a bit sad.  Spending time in the basement like that was one of the highlights of singing.  What’s more is that this year’s Feast has more low bass parts just waiting for me than ever before.  This is not the year I want to start turning baritone (no offense to the true baritones out there).

So I’ll be spending more time singing low in the shower every morning since the notes are easier to reach then.  I’ll be drinking more hot tea no matter how hot it gets outside.  Maybe I can retrain myself to reach down there and bring out that dark, resonant sound again.

In the meantime, I’m learning to do a good job of making it look like I’m reaching the notes.

Anderson Hall and the Vault

Anderson Hall will be at The Vault in Redlands on Saturday.

I was thinking about getting a trip there Friday night, but if folks are interested at all, want to go?

Do You Hear the People Sing?

I’m listening to the Les Miserables soundtrack on my iPod today. I had the pleasure of seeing this in Los Angeles two Christmas’s ago and I can still feel the energy in the hall when I hear the music. The themes are so moving that I can’t help but feel every emotion the characters experience.

I hope this plays again around here sometime soon (I’m sure that it will). I’d love to go back and see this one. A night out with my friends, the guys in suits and ties, the ladies in elegant dresses, a nice dinner and a story of one man’s act of grace changing the world in ways no one could possible imagine.

Are there better ways to spend an evening?