September 2008 Blog Posts (20)

How to change vocal style

Sometimes our musical hearts are not where our vocal training is. Sometimes a classically trained singer or musical theater performer wants to find a more contemporary sound so they can sing pop, country, jazz, r&b, rock, or alternative in a way that fits the genre. Other times, a contemporary genre artist may wish to explore some classical or musical theater singing, either to claim new performance territory (think Linda Ronstadt or Gary Morris on Broadway) or to increase strength and… Continue

Added by Judy Rodman on September 24, 2008 at 9:20am — No Comments

Fried Chicken, Shrimp, Fish and Frog legs

Fried Chicken, Shrimp, Fish and Frog legs_

SEPT 20/08 Shenandoah in ELDORADO, IL at the Independence Co. Fair

I don't do getting up early in the morning well...never have..especially with only a couple of hours sleep. Shenandoah was scheduled to leave Nashville at 8 am, Saturday morning, the day of the show and my neighbor dogs decided to serenade me outside my bedroom window.. most of the night before. I had to get up at 6 am to get to the bus but Mike McGuire and Jim… Continue

Added by Stan Munsey on September 23, 2008 at 2:00pm — No Comments

And Now>>>>>>>>> The Changing of The Guard !!!

"

"Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends We're so glad you could attend come inside, cum inside So for all you playing at home I (TWEEDy,, being sound mind.) have recently changed camps with a mutual understanding and agreement GO F#@K YOUR MOTHER TREATY!!! I had to seek other camps needing a smart, intelligent , and ~~EXTREMELY~~ handsome stage ninja who is also a man about town. So I have found a wonderful group of gentlemen that love every note they… Continue

Added by Kristopher A Tweedy on September 22, 2008 at 11:00pm — No Comments

How to make your next performance a masterful one

Performance is an art, not a science. But as in all art, there are techniques to learn, especially the subtle ones, which can bring it into the realm of masterpiece.

* First you must learn to sing well. Duh. It matters... if you are screaming, if you have a weak "spread tone" or you don't articulate well, your performance will not be a masterful one, even if you are a media star. We've all heard about the stars that gave publiclly humiliating performances from time to time. They… Continue

Added by Judy Rodman on September 21, 2008 at 12:30pm — 2 Comments

Sounding our Political Voices

As a vocal instructor, I am always looking for ways to be of service and offer helpful guidance to my students. Given the state of our economy, country and the volatility in the world right now, I would like to share a 'powerful and positive path' to facilitate your political voice as we move toward the presidential election. Please hear my best voice: Cast your vote!

How do we find our political voices?

First by listening.

Just like I found my… Continue

Added by Judy Rodman on September 19, 2008 at 7:00am — 4 Comments

New tunes in my player

One of the best things about Nashville Music Pros is that it offers users a place to showcase their work (thanks, Bret!). With that in mind, I thought it would be helpful to add some context to the tracks I've uploaded recently. Simply put, the T. Rex and Velvet Underground cuts are from vinyl transfers I've done, and "We Are Ol' Skool" and "Equinox Festival Overture" are tracks I worked on as part of the MTSU Society for Electronic Music's first compilation, SEM1. I also added more… Continue

Added by Stephen Trageser on September 18, 2008 at 10:30pm — No Comments

Within the Shadows

Mobile, Alabama. Yet another night in a hotel room. Alone.

I typically request a room that's not on the ground floor level. Maybe it's silly, but at the Courtyard Marriott hotels, where I prefer to stay, often times, those ground level rooms have direct access to the outside world. The ones that face inward, I'm ok with. I like their beds. They don't compare to the one I have at home, but they're the same in every Courtyard. And they know I prefer a fridge to store my insulin, and… Continue

Added by Pete Warren on September 18, 2008 at 1:00am — 4 Comments

MAMMA MIA! (Revised) - Jim Colyer

Mamma Mia! is billed as The World's No. 1 Show. Catherine Johnson took 20 ABBA songs and wrote a mother/daughter story around them. Her story is appropriate as women's issues are the major theme of songwriters Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus. Detractors call Mamma Mia! a jukebox musical. If nothing else, it is a means of perpetuating the ABBA catalog, a body of 110 songs which surpasses The Beatles in quality. Indeed, ABBA was the Swedish Fab Four. Mamma Mia! stays on tour, and it has a… Continue

Added by Jim Colyer on September 15, 2008 at 2:11pm — No Comments

NIGHT SKY - Jim Colyer

I went to the Sudekum Planetarium in Nashville and joined the Barnard-Seyfert Astronomy club. Yes, that is Barnard with two "a"s and Seyfert with two "e"s. The group meets on the third Thursday of every month at the Adventure Science Center. I am looking for dark sky sites so I can see the stars. What interests me about BSAS is that they meet regularly about an hour down Natchez Trace, far from Nashville's lights.

I gave $20 to Bill Griswold for membership. The BSAS newsletter, The… Continue

Added by Jim Colyer on September 15, 2008 at 11:08am — No Comments

ELVIS PRESLEY - Jim Colyer

"Before Elvis, there was nothing," said John Lennon. He was referring to music. We all know the universe, earth and humankind existed before Elvis Presley. Lennon was right, though. Modern music began with Elvis. Before Elvis, music was meaningless and worthless.

Elvis Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, on January 8, 1935. His parents were Vernon and Gladys Presley. There was a twin brother, who died at birth. Elvis grew up in a two-room house which Vernon built. He was close… Continue

Added by Jim Colyer on September 12, 2008 at 9:25pm — No Comments

JIM COLYER SONGS - COMMENTARY

..1 A Man Is A Man - Her man is flawed, but he delivers when the lights go down. I bring characters together for sex during solos. Donna Carter, an Olivia Newton-John look-a-like, did the original demo of this song and went on television with me.

..2 Agnetha - Inspired by Agnetha Faltskog, the blonde from ABBA. This started the "Re-write" of 1989-96.

..3 All About You - I wrote this duet driving back to Nashville I wanted an acoustic sound.

..4 All Roads Lead To… Continue

Added by Jim Colyer on September 12, 2008 at 9:24pm — No Comments

PLEASE STAND BY...............

Hello from anywhere but Texas ( Thank God!!). I will be back with everyone shortly. I am out here doing what ever it is We do and they may let Me ride inside the bus tonight.!!

Added by Kristopher A Tweedy on September 11, 2008 at 9:30pm — No Comments

Describing The Sound You Want

Here they are, the most referenced artists when attempting to describe the sound you want in the studio:

1) Coldplay

2) Tom Petty

3) Sheryl Crow

4) Dixie Chicks

5) Beatles

When describing what you want, it is useless to say "I'm going for an (artist) meets (completely unrelated artist) meets (artist from forty years ago) with a hint of (someone I've never heard of)." I hear this so many times. Here is an example sans-hyperbole:

"I going for a real Carrie… Continue

Added by Scott Velazco on September 11, 2008 at 4:42pm — 10 Comments

Shenandoah Almost Carried Away by Mosquitoes in Mississippi

Sept 6/08 GREENVILLE, MS Shenandoah at the Delta Balloon Festival

Mickey Riley...Shenandoah's bus driver...pointed the "Hillbilly Hotel" in the direction of Greenville, MS after leaving Castlewood, VA the night before.. We arrived at the venue at 2 pm Saturday afternoon..after having a wheel break on the bus around 4 am and getting lost on the way! We got there and that is all that matters. There was a lot of flooding all around us.. those poor folks had been pounded by the rain and… Continue

Added by Stan Munsey on September 9, 2008 at 7:00pm — No Comments

Shenandoah Drummer Gets on Treadmill in Castlewood, VA

SEPT 5/08 CASTLEWOOD, VA Shenandoah at the Russell County Fair

Shenandoah left Nashville, at 2 am from the Kroger parking lot with no additional guests this time. It was just the band ...along with Bart Barlettano and Byron Cumbie, (our FOH guy and Merch man). When we leave at such a late or early hour..however you wanna put it..we always end up staying up way past our bedtime..I think it was around 5:30 am when most of us hit the bunks.

We got to the Russell County… Continue

Added by Stan Munsey on September 9, 2008 at 5:30pm — No Comments

Roger Clyne & The Peace Makers

Sunday Sept 7 , 2008 at 9:45 Performing was Roger Clyne & the Peace Makers . What a great show . Those guys really rocked out THE Mercy lounge nashville . I accidentally stumbled across the ad in the Nashville Scene on the sixth . And thought is that the same group that I to accidental bumped into in Detroit on a winter's night a couple of years ago ? Oh yes ! It was them . Picking up the torch and speading the rock n rolla . Roger and the Peace Maker are a combo of what I call Americana .… Continue

Added by Devine Taylor on September 8, 2008 at 8:01pm — No Comments

Next Big Nashville week is here!

It's that time again: Next Big Nashville is on! Not sure how much of it I'll get to, but it's all right here on the schedule. One of the first events is the NMP "Get Connected" meet-n-greet tomorrow night at the downtown San Antonio Taco Co, which looks pretty exciting; it's co-sponsored by Gear for Days. Starting Thursday, a slew of nifty panels are set up at the Musicians Hall of Fame downtown, which you can… Continue

Added by Stephen Trageser on September 8, 2008 at 8:00am — No Comments

Singers... Wipe That Smile out of your Voice...

...unless you're singing a smiling song!

A hallmark of a master vocal stylist - whatever the genre - is that the emotional color of the tone of voice chosen matches what the heck the lyric is saying. Can you imagine Bonny Raitt singing "I Can't Make You Love Me" with a big smile on her face and in her voice? Those lyrics contain ANGST - and if the tone her voice doesn't contain some kind of quiet but powerful angst, the listener would feel betrayed by ... vocal fraud. Yes, I'll go… Continue

Added by Judy Rodman on September 2, 2008 at 10:49pm — 2 Comments

handing over the reigns?

I don't know about you, but Tape Op is one of my favorite rags about engineering. They spend ample time on gear and techniques, but they never lose sight of music and the creative process. (It's also awesome that they do free subscriptions, and send a bunch of copies for free distribution to MTSU students!) Though some can be a bit vitriolic, I find their letters to the editor to be pretty consistent in dealing with good questions. One of my favorites from… Continue

Added by Stephen Trageser on September 2, 2008 at 7:47am — 4 Comments

What the Beatles Meant to Me...

When I was seven..I lived in New Orleans and I was crazy, nuts about the band that had invaded America...the Beatles! I remembering asking my parents.. if they would buy me Beatle boots and a Beatle wig..lol I got the boots but no wig. I remember sitting in the Tulane student apartment building, behind the old sugar bowl stadium..I believe it was on a Sunday night..watching the Ed Sullivan show with my Mom and Dad..and seeing the Beatles perform.... that moment changed my life forever. I knew… Continue

Added by Stan Munsey on September 1, 2008 at 2:30pm — 3 Comments