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

Albert Niland, Where Are You? We Need Your Music in Hellevoetsluis!

Five or so years ago I took my son to the local theatre for its annual 'Celtic Night'. It turned out to be one of those historic evenings that only come once in a while.
We squeezed into the smallest concert hall (more a cramped room than anything else) and were blown away by the music of an Irishman called Albert Niland.
Kings of Kilburn High Road

He played like a demon. Not only did he play 3 musical lines and used a foot drum at the same time, but he sang with an intensity that had us on the edge of our seats for an hour.
 Now, you should know that I am no stranger to Kilburn High Road (London) as I worked a flower stall on Cricklewood Broadway, and I know what types walk those pavements. I have met those Kings in the flesh. I've been to their grotty bedsits and I have shared their pints and the occasional whiskey. I still cannot hear this song without tears coming to my eyes.
Anyway.

Here's another little gem.

Sign of the Times (Prince cover)

Albert Niland does visit The Netherlands from time to time. He's returned to Hellevoetsluis three years ago, being the main act that time, and selling out the largest concert hall. And not so long ago he played De Steeg in The Hague. In fact, he tours the Continent all the time, being more a touring proper musician than an artist who shows his face in the media for other reasons.

He's quite elusive. He does have a website, but is not into the 'Hey Folks Look I'm a Star' thing.
Born in Mountbellew, Co. Galway, Ireland, he released his first album 'Dirty Day' as long ago as 2003. It was followed up by 'A Night in Dublin' in 2006, 'Paradiso', recorded at...yep, Paradiso Amsterdam, in 2008, 'The Hungry Ghost' in 2009, and a nameless double album in 2011.
Albert Niland's website
Albert on Facebook (if you ask me, this hasn't been updated for years)

He is a fenomenal guitar player! The few sources that name him all mention that he was the guitar player for one of the 'Riverdance' tours, but that sells him short. This man is more than just a guitar player, he embodies music.

And to me (but hey, this is MY blog) his brilliance comes across far better live than on vinyl or on whatever stuff they use to make a CD.

So this means that you will have to make it to one of his concerts. When you do, spare me a thought, just for a moment, and send me his vibes. You would make my day.

Okay. No Excuses.

Hiya, good evening, my fellow bloggers/accidental readers/FB friends!
You may have noticed that there was a longer-than-usual gap between the last post and this one.
That's because I was busy, too busy, and couldn't find the energy to blog.

Another reason is that I am re-defining my motivations and intentions.
Lately I have been dissatisfied with my own blog. (Oy! How silly can you get, eh?)
It....meanders. It's neither fish nor meat (Dutch expression).
Sure, it served its purpose (for me), and I tend to be an eclectic type anyway.
But. 

So.
Have decided I will continue (and yes, there has been an almighty inner struggle about this), but in a different format.

From now on, Rays of Light will be about the one thing that drives me. That lifts me up, however down I am. That helps me sleep. That is the cherry on the cake of my mundane little life.

From now on, this blog will be about music.

There, I've said it.

Perhaps this makes you want to leave, if you are one of my 12 followers... Or even if you are one of the more than 12,000 people who have clicked on this blog post, for whatever reason.

But I'd like you to stay...

And don't worry, I'll ask Viggo to join us from time to time...

Just so you'll know I'm quite serious, I'll post a link to a musician I have only just found by accident on the Internet. His name is Mike Cavanaugh, and he makes wonderful music. 

Feel

It is only a sample, but the good news is you are able to download his album 'Pretend' from iTunes! Simply go to his website, on http://mikecavanaugh.bandcamp.com , or look him up on Facebook.

So. Do join me on this new adventure?

XXX Renée