Have you ever seen or heard the hang drum? I’m no expert on this instrument. In fact this is the first time I’ve seen it. I’ve just been thinking about the variety of instruments that you bang, blow, pluck, tap, hammer, etc. This is called a ‘hang drum’. As you can see, it is a very melodic drum.
The expert hang drummer featured in this video is Manu Delago.
The hang drum comes from Switzerland. It is similar to the steel drums often associated with Caribbean Island music, but is lighter; more responsive to being played by hand, rather than a mallet. Hang means hand - from the Germanic word for hand. This modern instrument was developed very recently (@ 2000) with acoustic and metallurgical innovations — that created a very melodious percussive instrument.
You can hit it with your hands; tap it with your fingers; even make it sing by rubbing gently, similar to playing crystal drinking glasses.
If your life is going too fast, maybe you should slow down and listen to this song by Trace Adkins. Or if you wish you could just grow up faster (and you think life is moving too slow) — you should listen to the song, too! You’re Gonna Miss This by Trace Adkins. (This song was playing on my alarm clock this morning, and woke me up.)
Bono turned 48 yesterday. Bono is the lead singer for the popular Irish rock band U2, and a prominent “human rights activist”. Bono was born on May 10, 1960. His real (family) name is Paul David Hewson. Bono has frequently used his fame as a rock musician — as a platform (or pulpit) — to proclaim the message of reconciliation, salvation, redemption, and the Year of Jubilee (canceling debts, and setting slaves free). The message is not always understood, but this has not seemed to hinder his huge success as a “Rock Star”.
To celebrate his 48th birthday, Bono had a small dinner party at Sass’ Café in Monaco. On the guest list: Brad Pitt, Monaco’s Prince Albert II and the Edge.
Bono was born to a Roman Catholic father and a Protestant mother during a time when Ireland was sharply divided among sectarian lines. Back in 1977 (the year I graduated from high school), in the city of Dublin, Paul (Bono) and “school friends David Evans (later ‘the Edge’), Larry Mullen, Jr., and Adam Clayton formed a band that would become U2. They shared a commitment not only to ambitious rock music but also to a deeply spiritual Christianity.”
In this YouTube video clip he talks about growing up when “Ireland was divided along religious lines”. He shares a few memories and says that “young people like me were parched for the vision that poured out of pulpits of black America, and the vision of a black reverend from Atlanta — a man who refused to hate, because he knew love would do a better job.” (See M.L. King video with U2-Bono song - In the Name of Love.)
Continuing in the video clip Bono says:
“These ideas travel you know [ideas about love, instead of hate] and they reached me, clear as any tune, and lodged in my brain like a song… and may I say it was the poetry, and the righteous anger of the black church that was such an inspiration to me, a very white, almost pink Irish man growing up in Dublin…. True religion will not let us fall asleep in the comfort of our freedoms. Love thy neighbor is not a piece of advice. It’s a command.”
I had never heard this song before this morning, but when my alarm clock went off at 4:00 AM, this song started up, and the guy kept singing the chorus: “Small Town Southern Man”. So the chorus kept echoing in my mind and I had to look it up. Where did this song come from? Who was singing? Maybe I can find it on google… So waddya know… it’s Alan Jackson singing Small Town Southern Man (click the link to watch the whole music video) from his new album called “Good Time”.
Here’s a short clip where Alan Jackson talks about writing the song. (There’s a bunch of negative comments about the music video on YouTube, but I think that just goes to prove that the Small Town Southern Man really is a rare person; a lost treasure; a dying breed; perhaps he really is Gone With the Wind.)
Really the best way to listen to the song (to “really hear the music”) is at 4:00 AM with the lights out as you start the day. That’s how it grabbed me.
Many of Alan Jackson’s songs tell a story, and the story is what draws people in. Is that song like my life story? Where is my life going? Remember When causes people to reflect on the story of their life. Will it have a happy ending? The lyrics tell a simple message, accompanied by a simple melody. Sometimes all the video stuff distracts from the simple message, and to really appreciate the song, you might need to close your eyes. Listen to all the little improvisations coming from the fiddle, piano, bass; subtle harmonies, and counter melodies. Did you catch that pause near the end, where you think the song is over, and then it continues a little while longer… This morning, I shed a tear for the Little Man. I guess you could say those Alan Jackson lyrics struck a chord with me. Maybe God was pulling on my heart strings — even though I’m a Big City Northern Man.
I first discovered the Soweto Gospel Choir back in December of 2005. I was stunned and captivated by photographs of the singers at the time, and had not yet heard their music. (See amazing high res photos)
“Bursting with colour” - The Courier Mail Brisbane, Australia
“Nothing can really prepare you for the riot of exuberance and depth of emotion” - The Scotsman
“Meticulous and unstoppable …spirited and spectacular” - The New York Times
“A truly otherworldly sound that literally takes the breath away …dazzling” - Edinburgh Review
I was reminded of them again, when my daughter Priscilla spent 6 months working in an orphanage last year in Johannesburg, near Soweto. So I began exploring their music more deeply. One of the first things you might notice is the colorful clothing. Suddenly, as they begin singing you become deeply aware of how powerful, colorful, joyful and beautiful this gospel music can be. (Gospel means “good news”.) The traditional melodies and incredible harmonies, combine with exuberant and contagious smiles that often stun stoical western audiences. The power of the music comes from an inner joy — the joy of a people filled with optimism and hope — after decades of oppression, struggle, sorrow, and sadness — the music explodes with the power of Good News.
In an Independent News (UK) interview the choir’s music director Lucas Deon Bok talked about the difference between his choir and others, like Ladysmith Black Mambazo:
“We have brought a new sound, the sound of liberation, joy, optimism and hope,” he says. “It’s the [joyful] sound of post-apartheid South Africa. Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s message was about struggle, and it sought to bring awareness about our situation to the outside world. It was the music of protest. We are singing out of triumph and gratitude…”
Steven Delopoulos (from Burlap to Cashmere) put out a new album called Straightjacket, and here’s a video that goes along with one of the new songs.
This one is called Ruin of the Beast. You can also check out Steven’s mySpace page and listen to more music. The video was created by Portland Studios.
“Delopoulos surprises the senses... he seems unafraid to expose vulnerability through his poetic, although sometimes cryptic, lyrics.His words leave vivid pictures that remain long after the song has ended, and the longer you find yourself simmering in the lyrics the better the reward.”
What do think is happening in the story/song/video - Ruin of the Beast? Please share your ideas and comments…
Andy McKee demonstrates some great harmonics in a piece called Heather’s Song.
Andy is probably the most popular fingerstyle guitarist to emerge in recent years. There’s an interview of Andy on IntrumentalCase.com where he talks about his recent success:
“I had been teaching guitar for the last 10 years but recently stopped due to all of these gig opportunities. I was on the late night show Last Call with Carson Daly back in February. Someone there had seen the YouTube videos and emailed me… I performed in England, Germany, and Austria a couple months ago, and will be in Portugal in June, Canada this summer, Japan in September… I’m really living my dream, making a decent living playing music! It’s all I’ve wanted to do since the age of about 14.”