he IS bigger than his body gives him credit for...

john mayer


Set list:
Belief
Vultures
Crossroads
Daughters '74
Neon
Free Falling <~~~ gonna need to buy this one.
Another You
Stitched Up
Waiting on the World to Change
Ain't Nobody's Bizness If I Do
Good Love is On the Way
No Such Thing
Gravity
Say

Encore:
My Sweet Lord
Bigger Than My Body

words are sorely inadequate to describe the joy that is the JM concert. he is so fun... and if he wasn't so skinny i would want him all over. wait no, i still do. cough.

total chills count: perhaps 7
times i caught myself with my jaw on the floor: 10
the number of people that i had to call and gloat to: 3
the number of entire-song music messages I left: like 4.

some of his dialogue "between the lines" just got us all laughing at is stupid humor and lovable personality. he really loves what he does and happens to be brilliant at it. 20x better live than in studio- and who is surprised by that?! (the answer: no one.)

"man, it's a good feeling when after the first song in the set you can already feel the show is going to be a knockout..."

"when you don't like a song one way you just change it... fix it until you like it again. ya know- like Body is a Wonderland... you squeeze everything out of it that you can until it is a disgusting mess of pulp and skin... and rind..."

"it is amazing the power that comes with a microphone and speakers. i can say anything that it will get a rise out of you. here, let's try: i am almost out of clean socks!" (Audience erupts...)

"right here is why i shouldn't shop at GAP. (points at pants) these are great for working out in cause they make you go (makes a 'stuff getting sucked in' noise) and if you don't have pants that go (makes a 'stuff getting sucked in' noise) it is going to be a short workout!" (then he re-tied his drawstring)

"this is a fun show. i am really having a good time!"

...and yes, he skipped off stage. apparently he DID have a great time. john, i am glad you enjoyed yourself in the exclamatory state of utah... cause we sure did...

Colbie Caillat...

was stunning. another great artist that is fun to hear live cause she makes it new and present. i she is so cute i just sat and beamed for a good solid hour and loved every moment. she also loved her job and gave us a lot of behind-the-scenes info into some of the songs... i love that. she isn't much of a mover though, so when she asked us to "get up and dance with her" we all started tapping our thigh and looking at each other, "...like this?..."

Brett Dennen

the perfect opener. i wish his set could have been longer so more could see and enjoy the greatness that is brett- in live form. he kind of mumbles more when he's live, but his music is crisp and fun and created a great atmosphere we decided. i new i liked him before... and that will only grow...

oh- and i am going to be in california next week... and so is john. i think i might see him again... that's all i'm sayin...

music connoisseur of sorts

ya know when you are on a first date and the guy says, "so uh... what kind of music do you like to listen to?" i usually freeze. not because i am not a music person but because i know that means that they probably have more music that i will eventually need in my life.

well, date, it's going to be hard to narrow... and i hope it doesn't make you think less of me that i am 90% acoustic/mellow/soul and love mostly male musicians that can write lyrics...

i have a need in my life to always acquire new, good music. i like most genres, save maybe thrashing crap metal or most rap. or like opera... bloody q-tips... but i am not entirely against rap though... i just think most of it is crap-- like bad hip hop. looking at this list of music that i have fallen in love with this year makes me wish i understood how all of the millions of random subgenres work so i could tell you what "kind" of music happens around here... all i know is if i can sing to it (which usually requires a talented vocalist) or if it rocks just a bit, or both, or if it involves black artists- which probably does have both of these things... then i generally like it.

that makes it sound like i am easy to please- alas, i am not.

artists i have growing music crushes on as of this past year (not comprehensive, but close):

Joshua Radin

Brett Dennen
Eric Hutchinson

Sara Bareillas

Death Cab for Cutie

Colbie Caillat

Joshua James

Flight of the Conchords

Regina Spektor

All American Rejects

Amy Winehouse

Raul Midon

Billy Porter

Secondhand Serenade

Ingrid Michaelson

Ferras

Amos Lee

and those that i had but continue to love, especially as they have released (or i have discovered) new awesome things:

Damien Rice (live stuff is pretty bril... and this video is captivating)

Coldplay (Viva la Vida is the best)

John Mayer (live stuff is best...) speaking of... JULY 21st, 2008 SLC baby!!!!

Rascal Flatts (all of it. and i may or may not want to tear one away from his wife...)

Foo Fighters (why am i just discovering how great they are? don't answer that)

Celine Dion (new cd is actually kinda fun)

Gavin Degraw (his new album is killer- a car staple)

Lifehouse (who were they before this one? really...)

Jason Mraz (always love you, always will...)

2 hours and 40 minutes of straight PINK cocaine

I am not going to lie and say that this wasn't a high. I could not get enough of this musical. I watched the filmed MTV version of the musical "Legally Blonde" last night and I am still singing it in my head. The musical version of this movie is something I will admit freely I was scared about. I was completely against the idea of putting a very pink and plot-weak story on stage, but I have to say-- I think they did it.

Watching the show I think they set up the "world of the play" quite well so that the audience bought into it and the style of the show from the start. Some of the songs are reused throughout the show but they all have different lyrics (obviously). It is interesting to see what it does to the story to do that: It gives the different parts of the show meaning as it goes. The entire opening song is just interrupted by mini scenes and lasts forever. Then there is a reprise and a finale that all center around the same song. The show itself never stops though. There are absolutely no scene changes that take place outside of a song. All of the modern sets moved around and flew in and slid on right in the middle of the huge musical/dance numbers so that there wasn't a moment to breathe or a break in the action.

I think the combination of the movement of the set and the never-ending songs kept the pace of the long show so that it went by fast. The movie felt similar to me-- in fact, as I watched the musical, I got lost and thought for a moment that I was watching the movie. It made me think of how important the set design is and how the movement of the music was so effective in matching the content of the show. It all worked together for the show's good. It was so fun that I think you forgive the fact that the story itself has hardly any substance to it at all. It was a set and costume designer's dream, a 13-year-old's dream, and a fun job for a lyricist. Thoroughly enjoyable.

My heart hurts

This is quite sad. Yes, I know. My family and I have watched this short video so many times and laughed very hard at it. I think it is great that this little clip captures so much of its time and culture. The outfit that she it wearing screams 80's, the hair screams 80's.... and "Star Wars?" This is more old school than Van Halen! I also loved that she had to dance and play her instrument all at the same time because it showed more talent. Right. It also then shows her ability to act (she could be MDT!). This is why stuff like this has always been so fun for me to watch. In Arizona these cheesy pageants used to be a big deal. A lot of people cared about them, but the talent contests would become only vocalists, pianists, and violinists. If you couldn't do one of those-- well, you either had to fake one of those, or come up with something so unique that you could get noticed. This girl did just that, but she is so serious and intense about it that it makes for an interesting commentary on the times and how they may have changed.

Fellowship of the Ring - (Semi) Old School Movie Review #2

I have always loved the LOTR movies but never have the time to watch them. I wish I had the time to sit and watch all of the extended versions in a row-- I think I would love that day. My sister was in town this last weekend and had to watch the first one for her English class. I noticed a few things that I didn't notice the last time I watched the film:



* The cinematography- every shot was a beautiful picture and very well composed. Also, most every shot in the movie is moving; the camera rarely stays still. We talked a little about that and why they might do that. Well, for one, they may have wanted to get all of the amazing locations that they found to use (most of them are huge!), or maybe it helped to move the story along. Frodo is on the constant move, so it makes sense that all of the shots move continuously. The colors are very obviously treated in post in some areas as well. In some of the scenes, Frodo's eyes seem so vibrantly blue and match his surroundings almost perfectly. I think the blue is to show his goodness and purity in a way and it is a very subtle but interesting way to show us how his character really is.

* The music- The other conversation that we had after watching the movie was about the music in the credits. My brother thought that the song didn't fit the movie at all because the movie was so action- packed and loud and intense, while the song ("May it Be") is lilty and slow and beautiful. I thought about the end of this movie. The story is not over here, and Frodo has yet to relieve himself of this burden that he alone can carry. It is also hopeful at the end because of his companionship of Samwise...etc. So the song does more than explain the ending mood because it also links this movie to its successor.

It is interesting to think of how the media can use these elements to help to support the message or story that they convey. All of the elements together make for more engaging media, but we may not see them until we break it down and notice them.

Who does this?

I have a very creative and talented brother. That said and out of the way, he has recently produced some music and had it posted on itunes for popular consumption. The three songs he has so far are all Halloween music. The first song is an hour long track of sounds to play outside your house on Halloween and it is sold as a $10 album. The other two are funny rap/hip-hop songs with funny lyrics and catchy beats... as if he were attempting to create the new "Monster Mash." Just before Halloween, he and his group (the "Trick-or-Treaters") put together a music video for one of the songs. The conversation that we had about the video after I watched it taught me more than I think it taught him.

After I watched it I had many questions for him. Questions that I would ask a class in a similar situation I think. Who is the audience for this? What are you saying by showing these specific images with the music? For me, I wasn't sure I understood how the girls in the video would be spending time with the men that were there... it didn't make sense to me. The message in "I'm a Werewolf" then almost communicates not to hang out with older men because they are scary and turn into beasts. The concept of what he was doing was clear, but just maybe wasn't communicated completely effectively for who he claims he was marketing it for.

"It is for the Disney teen-age crowd," he told me.

Well if that is the case, then I have more questions:
What does a person need to know in order to understand this video? (Maybe the reference to Thriller that you are parodying or your comment on old-school rap videos where the only shots are of the guys from the dash of the car as they are driving somewhere... that usually ends up being a place with sleezy women).
And who are the people that will know and understand these things? (Those who were there for those things!)
What kind of media is the intended audience participating in already and how is this like that?

I thought of how we communicate to our audience and how thinking of them is vital to communicate our stories. As much as it is an expression and artistic and entertaining, it will not be marketable or engaging unless it is consistent and meaningful. The younger crowd will not understand this as much as the older crowd will, and the older crowd will be baffled by it. I am not, by any means, saying that the video failed or that it was poorly made. I am saying that as a marketing tool for music it will attract a different crowd of people than my brother intended. We also talked about the marketability of this music-- which was a whole 'nother topic. We determined who was his audience after all, and when the music would be used. This is a small group of people for a small percentage of the year. The important thing was what he said at the end of this conversation: "well, at least I know the process of how it all works now!"

Great! I have full confidence that my brother can produce marketable media for popular consumption now that he has learned the how-to's and the what-nots...