Drawing inspiration as well as comparison to Bob Dylan, these solo artists walk the lonely road of unsung heroes. Eluding the spotlight for far too long, they stalk the sound waves like giants hiding behind leafless trees in winter.
Someone is bound to see.
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A magician and master in the art of storytelling,
Josh Ritter’s ability to tell a graphic novel through song is unprecedented.
In light of seeing the Broadway play Once, I have decided to pay homage. A surprising number of people at the show were unaware that Once was originally a very special motion picture- academy award-winning special.
"Ah, Academy award-winning, you say- then why I haven't I heard of it?"
Well, that is because Hollywood has a disgusting amount of power in the film industry, beginning when Thomas Edison employed goons to beat people up who tried to make independent films. But that is a story for another time.
The Facts
The two stars of the film composed and performed all of the original songs.
The film was nearly scrapped and was only given the go-ahead under the condition that it could be made for $160,000. To put that into perspective, The Avengers had a budget of $220,000,000. This film should serve as a reminder to Hollywood that it doesn't take millions or even 200k to make something remarkable.
Falling Slowly invokes a special kind of emotion I have seldom felt from a song. Maybe that's why it won the Oscar for best original song. Let it seep into your soul.
The Broadway show is a musical masterpiece. All the performers are impressive musicians as well as singers. Although the story isn't conveyed with the necessary depth, the variety of musical talent is unmatched on Broadway.
Regarded as the best album of 2013 by a well respected critic and personal friend. This band has either time traveled direct from the 70s or somehow managed to hold on to the magic that everyone else seems to have lost. Formed four decades ago by the Reverand Gean West and the Reverend Tommie West, the Relatives shine a powerfully spiritual light from the era of psychedelic soul.
If this was my church I would go everyday with a smile.
The wave of energy continuously passes from one medium to another
building momentum...
It is only a matter of time before this wave crashes against the invisible wall that divides the mainstream from what lays hidden in the fog.
Get your surfboards ready.
The wave is coming…
Soul
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These three genres mingle effortlessly, like puppies on a Sunday at the dog park. It can be very difficult to distinguish them from one another. I have no doubt some of these songs belong in a different category- just like one of those dogs going home with the wrong owner. And, you won’t find out until it shits on your rug, or in this case until you start grooving.
Rock N' Roll
Rules of the groove:
Soul is the slow head bob + sluggish, silent snapping of the fingers.
Funk takes hold of the legs and works it’s way up- a jive that flows unique to each song.
And Rock n' Roll is a spectacular mix of the two
Of course, everyone knows rules are meant to be broken, so just grove and never let embarrassment touch you.
For the one who is too cool to groove never learned the golden rule of preschool:
Do what feels right
You didn’t wait for any toilet, or for that kid to stop playing with those Legos… You smashed his ugly spaceship and built that skyscraper. Now take the dance floor and dismantle the spell that binds the stagnate bodies to the floor.
If you appreciate this picture, a multi-layered radar image of theGanges river delta in Bangladesh,I expect you will enjoy the album that comes with it.
