Release Date Sarah McQuaid Album Feb. 2nd!

Renée Koopman, Sarah McQuaid heeft je tweet beantwoord!
Renée Koopman@ReneeRays       @sarahmcquaid Hi, any news on the release date of your new album that I can share with my blog readers? - 25 jan. Sarah McQuaid@sarahmcquaid   @ReneeRays thank you Renee! Release date 2nd Feb - not long now!       25 jan. 2015 11:05       Reageren op @sarahmcquaid Retweeten  Toevoegen aan favorieten

Viggo on Kate Bush.

It had to happen...Impossible to skip...Kate Bush being the essence of cattiness ever since she posed as a lioness on the cover of her album Lionheart. And my big butch black tomcat has an opinion on everything anyway, as you well know by now.

V: First of all, what is that ridiculous photo doing here? That's not me!

Q: Sorry. I thought it was quite amusing...

V: Amusing? It is degrading! It makes us felines look like utter idiots. As if we...mublmublzzmublb...

Q: Excuse me?

V: Okay. I do like a good box myself. From time to time.

V: Good GRIEF, woman!

Q: Concentrate on the Kate Bush angle, Viggo.

V: Right. Kate Bush, Kate Bush...you know, my mind's a blank. 

Q: Viggo!

V: Pffffffft, keep your claws sheeted. Kate Bush. The uttermost catlike singer I have ever heard. The grace, the agility, the power, the glossiness, the balance, the control, the warbling, the range, the...

Q: That's just a summing up. Come on, you can do better than that!

V: I was just getting started.  

When I first heard her latest album, I was blown away. I remember it well. You had ordered it from Bol.com and it arrived just before Christmas last year in an intriguing cardboard envelope which smelled divine, and you put it on really loud and I felt these vibrations through the tips of my whiskers. And then this...voice...It took all my self-control not to howl along..."I....am...SKYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!" 

Wonderful!

And on Ariel she used those divine bird sounds, it makes me shiver all over, delicious!

Do you know, there is not a lot that I feel we have in common, you and I. You are my woman, and I appreciate you looking after me, but that's about it...Well, I like the occasional cuddle. But Kate Bush is our common ground, absolutely. 

As a black cat, I am in the know. Kate Bush is the quintessence of English wicca, but the good side. It's no surprise to me that she is referred to as such by folks on the Internet. That Kate even looks like a cat. Have you seen her eyes? And those pointy ears and teeth. I bet she smells good.

Q: She's supposed to be a vegetarian.

V: What? Impossible. No meat? No!

Q: Hmmm. That's what I read.

V: Oh! Oh! The disappointment! The heartbreak! 

Q: Now who is being ridiculous?

V: Shut up, you flexitarian you! It's bad enough that you hang your bird feeders out of my range. Us cats need blood! Fresh blood! With feathers on! Oh...go on, post another photo of 

some pampered neutered cat that never hunts, why don't you? I'm done!

Trouble Sleeping? Try My 3 Easy Tips.

Hi there, Sleepless in...(where ever you are)
One of the recurring topics of my workdays is bad nights. People don't get the kind of sleep they would like, they don't get enough sleep, they wake up feeling almost as tired (if not more tired) as when they went to bed.

I am one of those people that has always had trouble falling asleep. I remember roaming my room as a child, and hearing my parents go to bed. It's not that I wasn't tired, I was. It was more that I couldn't seem to turn off the thoughts running through my head.
Now, as an adult fast approaching sixty (Frith! How did that happen?) and far too busy at work, my head is so chock-a-block-full of thoughts and worries that it is an effort to stop the merry-go-round in my brain.

Since I am against sleeping medication (I've seen too many people dependent on that stuff) I've had to experiment with natural remedies. 
Alcohol does not work for me. It simply wakes me up. Not a good idea when you want to go to sleep. Sleepy Time Tea: it tastes of grass (the green stuff cows eat) and does not make me sleepy.
Massages: nope. They wake me up. Hot showers - ditto. Sex: pffffffffft.

Right. I promised you three things that DO work though.
At least, they work for me, and perhaps they'll work for you too.

1. Make sure you unwind on time before you attempt to sleep, and try to go to bed at the same time every evening.

So turn off that TV or switch off your laptop, tablet, iPad, mobile at least 30 minutes before you close your eyes. No reading either!! You need to condition your brain; it's time to sleep!

2. When you actually go to bed, make it into a ritual (again, to help your brain to realize it is time to stop running around like a troupe of crazy apes).

Mine is: open the balcony door a crack to let the fresh air in, light some Japanese incense (I never said I am a logical person), set my alarm, prepare my docking station (more about this in #3)turn off the light.

Then: relax your body, starting with your toes. Visualize them getting heavy and sinking into your mattress as if you are lying on a warm sandy beach, and work you way up along your body until you've reached your head. Try to focus on your body and whenever some random thought pops into your head (like: how on earth do I pay this month's sewage bill?), push it away again and watch it float into outer space, or down into the muck, where ever, as long as it doesn't get your attention. This does take some practice, but I promise it becomes easier when you do it more often. On a good night I can actually feel my heart rate slowing down.

3. Put on a CD that is sure to put you to sleep. (AHA! I can see you getting either frustrated or exasperated, or downright angry now. But give me a chance to explain)

This, again, takes some time. But by careful deduction, and trial and error (No, Talking Heads do not work for me!), you will be able to find a track that calms you down. 
Now, concentrate on the music. No thinking!!! Just concentrate 100% and let the music take you away.
Have you ever heard of Ane Brun? She's from Norway, and weird and wonderful. Her song 'Worship' is sure to put me to sleep within minutes. I love that song, but I hardly ever get to hear it beyond the first couplet. 
Worship

It must be the heartbeat-like rhythm. Almost like being in the womb.

Anyway. It beats pills. And no side-effects!

Sleep well!

Counting Down Towards Christmas Are You? 4 Musical Suggestions.

Hiya! Nice of you to drop in again.
It is December 1st, and in my neck of the woods that means the final countdown towards the Christmas holidays for people like me who work in education, and also for most people who are looking forward to a couple of days off.

Now, I've never made it a secret that I am a humanist with Pagan and Buddhist tendencies. But that doesn't mean that we ignore Christmas in our house. On the contrary! We like the tree, and the trimmings, and some of the music, and the good company, and especially the spirit.

What could be better than joy to the world and peace to all mankind? Or the other way around?

To help you get into the mood as well (early), I'll link you to some of my favorite Christmas-time music.

Kate Bush - December will be magic again

I've loved Kate Bush from the first notes of Wuthering Heights, and like this wintry song a lot. The artwork is from the film 'The Snowman' - also one of my favourites.

Loreena McKennitt - God rest You Merry Gentlemen

Trust Loreena to make good use of this traditional Christmas carol. Even when as a child I didn't quite understand all the lyrics, I did understand the line 'let nothing you dismay' (because I looked it up), and it spoke to me.

Paul McCartney - We All Stand Together

Okay, okay, okay, so call me corny. I love this song!

Siouxie and the Banshees - Il est ne

This is a curious rendition alright! But give it a try, do. I've picked it because as a child I used to sing this with my step-father, and he would have had a fit if he could hear this Siouxie version. Which is precisely why I've chosen it for you today.

So, what is YOUR december music?

Duncan de Moor - Boy, Can That Boy Sing!

Hiya,
Due to extreme working hours fatigue (such fun to be a teacher in the Wetlands) I couldn't find the time for a new post before. But now here it is.
And today I am going to introduce you to a singer from my hometown, Hellevoetsluis.
His name is Duncan de Moor, he went to the same school as both my kids, left to go to the Rockacademie in Tilburg (yes, that does exist) and is now shining in The Voice of Holland. So far he has survived the Blind Auditions, the Battles and one live show (called The Clash)

Duncan de Moor - Stolen Dance

Duncan keeps saying he sees himself as a frontman for his band, more than as a solo artist. Which is commendable. The band is called The Slick and Suited and they are sort of famous in the small towns where they have so far performed.
Duncan singing his heart out on TV helps, of course. And so does the innocent on camera flirting going on between him and Voice of Holland coach Ilse de Lange (she of The Common Linnets' fame).

Duncan de Moor vs Rob de Nijs

Why am I writing him up? Two reasons.
1. I admire his pluck and talent. 
His voice is distinctive. You can like it or not (it is quite sharp), but you absolutely cannot say it is a 13 to the dozen voice.
2. He comes from Hellevoetsluis and he oozes fun and enthusiasm.

Secretly I would like him to win. 

So go, Duncan. Make us Wetlanders proud!

Update: Aaaaaahhhhh...he got voted out...semi-final...Well, proud of him anyway!

A Leap Of Faith...My First Musical Intro.

Hiya, good to see you!
Do you know the feeling that sometimes Life gives you a nudge, and that when you do not react fast enough it gives you an almighty shove in the back?
This happened to me, today.
I saw an invitation by American singer Melody Gardot, to join her in a choir on her new CD. It immediately fired up my enthousiasm, for I so love to sing! 'All' I had to do was record my voice, upload it into a transmittable file and send it to her via email.

GarageBand is a feature of my Macbook Pro, but I hadn't used it for years, too busy with life, work, family, blogging, gardening and learning to play the guitar. So it took a while for me to suss out how to record, save, upload and then send in the sample of my voice.

Whilst I was struggling with this alien matter (well, to me...I am not a natural born computer nerd), I found a recording I had made years ago, out of boredom during the lunch breaks at my (then) work place.

I listened to it, and had wild idea, all of a sudden.

Here I am, a blogger, lately about music.

And I had produced some form of music.

And now I am taking an immense leap of faith.

And am inviting you to hear it. If you dare.

Here it is:

Do let me know if you like it.

A Very Personal Bowie. What's Your Life Song?

Hiya. Good of you to pop in!
Okay. First of all, if you hate David Bowie, you should skip this post! But: if you have an open mind, perhaps you should read it after all.

Long, long ago, when I was thirteen and living in the middle of nowhere, and cycling to school every day (took me thirty minutes there against the Westerly wind, and back again, more often than not again against the wind), and hating every minute of my life (I was a troubled kid), one of my classmates who was heavily into music pointed the following out to me: "There is a guy who makes music for people like you".
Oh?
The next day he was so kind to bring his cherished David Bowie album to school; 'The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust'. He promised me I could take it home for exactly one evening, in return for a grope and a kiss.
The grope he never got, but the kiss...I was a good bargainer even then.

That evening I put on the album, watched over by my dog Bello and one of my three cats, Bobby. I sat down cross-legged on my second-hand afghan carpet, surrounded by incense fumes, and staring at a candle (told you...), and prepared to be enlightened.

At first I was bewildered.
Then I was intrigued.
When I put it on for the third time, I was tapping along and anticipating the best songs.
The fourth time running (it was way past my bedtime by then and my room was misty blue and foggy from all the fumes, and Bello and Bobby had colonised my bed) I listened to 'Rock 'N' Roll Suicide' five times in a row and cried my eyes out.
There I was. I recently had had the most shitty time of my life, and here was a man who knew exactly - but exactly - what I was going through. And he didn't even know me! But he knew what words I needed so desperately.

Right. Long story short. I hung on. Became a life-long David Bowie fan. Even now, I struggle to play his songs on the guitar.

So, Hans, mate, haven't a clue where you are these days, but you were right. And I don't begrudge you that kiss for a second.
Rock 'N' Roll Suicide

Viggo Plays Guitar.

Hiya, happy Caturday to you!
When I told you I would start posting about music, I also promised to ask Viggo to make the occasional appearance, and I always keep my promises.

Ever since my tomcat Viggo trashed my brand new guitar to make a point (his point being that he wanted me to get out of bed at 3 am and feed him), Viggo and guitars have a somewhat fraught relationship. So I thought it an idea to ask him about this.

Q: Could you say that you dislike my guitar?

V: Yes, I could say that. But I won't. Because it isn't true.

Q: Then what made you decide to swat my guitar from its stand?

V: I simply saw an opportunity. It just stood there. You just lay there. I was hungry.

Q: Did you feel sorry afterwards?

V: Don't be silly. I cannot understand your weird emotions about that guitar. You almost cried, I mean...honestly. It's a thing made out of wood and strings, not a living being. And you should have spared a thought for me! You shouted at me! I was sooooo upset!

Q: I observe your somewhat...reluctance to come near my guitar nowadays though. Not that I am complaining. 

V: Yes, well, you would be reluctant too! That guitar crashing scared the bee-jeebies out of me. I didn't foresee that it would make that clanging noise. That, and you screaming! 

Q: But you take a wide berth when I am playing it, as well.

V: That's because you keep playing the same thing over, and over, and over....

Q: That is called practicing.

V: Oh...is that was it is. I thought it was simply bad music. 

Q: Watch your mouth!

V: That wasn't a question.

Q: I mean it, take care what you say, or I'll cut your ration.

V: WHAT? Even more? Don't you dare! It's barely a mouthful as it is! And Gina tries to eat it every time!

Q: That's your own doing, you keep leaving half!

V: I save it! It is for later! That's first cat rule, you save a bit for later! For when you want another little bite!

Q: Well, that's plain stupid, you should eat it all, because you know Gina tries to get at your food.

V: That's it. This talk is over! You can take your stupid guitar and stick it up your...Oh! What's that? Did you see that?

SWAT!

Q: Well. What can I say? And another dragonfly bites the dust. Did that taste good?

V: Mwah. A bit disappointing. It looked better than it tastes. So I think I'll leave the rest, if you don't mind.

Q: You just bit its head off, Viggo! You left the rest already anyway.

V: Pooh! Semantics! Okay, time for my wash. Oh...no...not the guitar, please!

Q: I'll put the headphones on.

V: Thanks. Tickety-boo, then.

Paganfolk Band Omnia: a Little Weirdness Goes a Long Way!

Hiya, lovely to see you again!
Happy Samhain to you! Today, very appropriately,  I'll tell you about an unusual Dutch band. Omnia.

The Lewis Caroll quote is apt, because Omnia are definitely a little bonkers, if not entirely so. But they are great Caroll fans themselves, so I'm certain they will forgive me.

The Fairytale This link will take you to a Lewis Caroll poem set to music by Omnia some years ago.

When I first came across their music, I had no idea what kind of a band they were. I heard a song called 'The Well', and it had a folksy, cheerful sound. So I counted myself lucky to be able to visit a performance some months later, and took my old octogenarian Mum along.

Well....She had a bit of a shock when Cornwall-born singer, flutist and performer Steve Sic made his appearance, I can tell you!

He was outlandish looking then (some years ago), and is dressed and looks even more alien these days, turning more and more into a Faun.

Still, I have a soft spot for people who have the guts to be exactly who they want to be.

Another example for you in the next link: a live performance

The band has a large, loyal following amongst Dutch, Belgian and German enthusiasts of the Pagan lore. I have been to quite a few of their concerts, and always meet the same people there. And what strikes me every time is the fun, cheerful atmosphere, with folk participating, and even screaming 'Kill, death, slay' during the Morrigan with huge grins on their faces.

Many of them come in appropriate dress. 

But do not think this is just a gimmick. Omnia, to all appearances, live their music. Steve has been known to rant and rave in lengthy posts on the Internet about the environment, politics, legalisation of cannabis and what-have-you, with one of my all-time favourite quotes by him: "Let's put the fun back into fundamentalism". Oh fine, another quote: "What if we started a war, and nobody came?"

And musically, they are sound. The set-up has changed quite a lot over the last few years, with band-members coming and going, but always with Steve and his lovely wife Jenny as the centre around which the entire band revolves. They borrow heavily from poetry, literature, traditional Celtic stuff ('Twa Corbies', ' The Raven' for example) and give it their own twist. But one of my favourite songs is their rendition of a golden oldie, 'Teachers', which they give an intense treatment which makes it almost haunting.

Here is the link: original by Leonard Cohen, of course!

I am lazy today, so I'm not going to provide you with the names of all their albums; you can do some work yourself.

Look them up at Facebook, or http://www.worldofomnia.com, and put the fun back in!

Have a great evening!

Do Not Knock The Cello! Jodymoon's Atmospheric Music.

Hiya, good to see you again.
Jodymoon, Dutch duo-cum-occasional-quartet has been my constant companion for the past two years.
You will find two older posts about them in my post history line, but as I like them so much, I'd thought I'd do another one to help tide you over until their new CD is released in March 2015.

Bringing out a CD is a hazardous business, these days. Everybody either streams or downloads on the sly. Every musician I speak to tells me the same story. CD sales have dropped dramatically. You have to have something of a Don Quichote in you to continue trying to live off music.

Now, I am only a wanna-be-singer (and nothing wrong with that, eh? Far more realistic to be a wanna-be-singer than a wanna-be-native-American, in my view), so what do I know?

Well, I know what I like!

Jodymoon

The stupidest thing just happened: I uploaded this post and it disappeared!

Grumphhhhhh! Will try to write it again from memory. Here goes.

Using a cello on this already lovely song is a stroke of pure genius, and makes it gorgeous.  It was recorded in 2010, and is from the album "Who Are You  Now".

And I wanted you to hear this for two reasons:

first of all, Jodymoon is awesome live, and this track shows it. I cannot stress this enough:

THEY ARE AMAZING IN CONCERT!

Second, I wanted you to hear this cello.

Sure, there is a violin too, and it's great, but every self-respecting Celtic band uses a violin player (not that Jodymoon is a Celtic band!), but who ever uses a cello?

Ever since I saw them last year, I have loved the cello parts in their music. In fact, I have decided I am going to be a cello player in my next life.

All jesting aside, the cello is what makes their music so essentially Dutch. It is like our temperament. Moody. Melancholy. A bit dark.

I'll leave you with another live recording during that same session in 2010. Look them up on Facebook, Twitter etcetera. And buy that CD in March 2015! I like them so much, I'd hate them to stop playing because of lack of funds. And if you have the chance, GO SEE THEM LIVE!

Right. Enjoy!

Jodymoon again

Singer-songwriter Dotan: Dutch Musical Hope in Fearful Days.

Hiya, nice of you to drop in.
We in the Wetlands have good musicians. Even some excellent ones!
This time I will introduce you to a new rising star in our musical firmament. His name is Dotan.

Dotan Harpenau, in full. Israel born, but raised in the Netherlands.

He's young, he's a hunk, he's the son of a BN'er (B for Bekende = Well-known, N for Nederlander = Dutchman), and he's pretty ambitious. Not for him the instant-but-very-soon-forgotten 'fame' of participating in The Voice of Holland, but a gamble on EMI being interested enough to produce his first album.

They were.

'Dream Parade', his debut, was released in 2011, and the Dutch were...hm...a little less scathing than normal (we have a saying which says a lot about our mentality: 'do not show your head above the level of the hay, or it will be chopped off'; in other words, do not show yourself to be better than the next man). In fact quite a few of us (me!) sat up and pricked up our ears with interest. Who was this new singer-songwriter with the unusual name?

The single 'This Town' was played very frequently on 3FM (for hip young listeners) and Radio 2 (for middle-aged listeners) both. By the way, do admire the artwork accompanying the song - it's great.

This Town

Dotan meanwhile appeared on national TV, where his good looks didn't make things worse for him either. But that's not what he is about. He is a real musician, not a media-concept dreamed up in some office.

So for his second album, '7 Layers', he wrote the material himself. Let me quote him for you, to give you a feel for his mindset:

'Skin, 

in the human anatomy,

complex layers of tissue that cover the surface of the body

and protect internal structures from contact with the environment.

The seven layers of skin are:

stratum basale, 

stratum spinosum,

stratum granulosum,

stratum licidum,

stratum corneum,

the upper papillary layer

and the lower reticular layer.

The skin is also divided into three main layers:

epidermis,

dermis,

and subcutaneous layer.

Once you peel your skin layer by layer you will get to the inner core.'

Admit it; you'll never think about your skin in the same way again, will you?

'7 Layers' (2014) features 12 songs. The first single released from the album was 'Fall', and it was aired reasonably well, but you cannot call it a hit single.

The link shows Dotan live, in the early morning radio program 'EversStaatOp538' at Radio 538.

Fall

But it was when flight MH17 was shot down over the Ukraine, and the total massive loss of life that ensued, that the second single, 'Home', took off like a rocket (no disrespectful pun intended!!!). It became the anthem for the hundreds of deceased who still had to be brought home to the Netherlands, but also to Australia and other countries. The version I've linked for you is once more a live one, from RTL Late Night on August 24th, 2014.

Home

So. Just in case you are wondering which track is my favourite, it is the first one of the album: 'Let the River In'. I have a thing for rivers, and my Wetlands is a country criss-crossed by rivers, and I was born and work in a city on the mighty river Maas (in fact, overlook the Maas from my classroom windows!). This version was again recorded at the session at EversStaatOp538.

Let the River In

And here endeth the lesson on Dutch singer-songwriter Dotan. Do look up his songs on YouTube, and buy his albums, you could do worse. And then you can boast to your friends you have discovered this amazingly obscure but talented Dutch artist!

Last but not least:

- dotanmusic.com

- facebook.com/DotanMusic

- twitter.com/DotanMusic

- instagram.com/DotanMusic