#they also used many brazilian music elements in their songs

[sectumsempraxz]

A huge part of metal fanbase is a bunch of racists neonazis, and then there's Sepultura saying "fuck colonization!"

[whileiamdying]

Rita Lee, Brazilian rocker with feminist message, dies at 75

Rita Lee, Brazil’s “queen of rock” who gained an international following with her colorful and candid style and songs that helped introduce Brazilian society to feminism, died May 8 at her home in São Paulo. She was 75.

The death was announced in a statement posted to her official Instagram account.

With a career spanning six decades, the singer left a lasting mark with her irreverence, creativity and hits such as “Mania de Você” (1979) and “Ovelha Negra” (1975). She also publicly addressed her struggles with drug abuse.

Although Ms. Lee regarded her voice as “weak and a little out of tune,” she enjoyed a long run of top-selling albums, including “Rita Lee” (1979) and “Rita Lee and Roberto de Carvalho” (1982). Dozens of her songs were featured in widely watched telenovelas in Latin America. The behemoth television network Globo used her rendition of the song “Poison Weed” in three of its programs.

“I was not born to get married and wash underwear. I wanted the same freedom as the boys who used to play in the street with their toy cars,” she told the Brazilian edition of Rolling Stone in 2008. “When I got into music, I realized that the ‘machos’ reigned absolute, even more in rock music. ‘Wow,’ I said, ‘this is where I’m going to let my fangs out and, literally, give them a hard time.’”

She was a singer and songwriter praised for her versatility, playing at least five instruments: drums, guitar, piano, harmonica and autoharp. She was also one of the first Brazilian musicians to use electric guitar.

Eventually her popularity extended beyond Brazil. She performed in Portugal, England, Spain, France and Germany. In 1988, the British newspaper Daily Mirror revealed that Prince Charles admired her 1981 song “Lança Perfume” (“Spray Perfume”) and considered her his favorite singer. She won a Latin Grammy in the Best Portuguese Language Album category in 2001 for her album “3001.”

Rita Lee Jones was born on Dec. 31, 1947, in São Paulo, the daughter of immigrants from Italy and the United States. Her father’s family, which relocated to Brazil soon after the Civil War, retained many American customs, including speaking English at home, according to a biographical sketch in Contemporary Musicians.

Ms. Lee rose to fame with the group Os Mutantes (The Mutants), starting in 1966. Colors and creativity, as well as irony and irreverence, were Ms. Lee’s trademarks from the start. By the mid-1970s, after selling 200,000 copies of the 1975 album “Forbidden Fruit,” Ms. Lee began to be called the “queen of rock” on the music scene.

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In an interview with the music website I Have More Records Than Friends! in 2017, Lulu Santos, judge of the Brazilian version of “The Voice,” recalled seeing Ms. Lee play autoharp at a concert.

“She brought that thing onstage, in those clothes … it was completely mythological,” the musician said. “There really is a lineage of ‘girls’ tied to rock in Brazil, of which she is a legitimate representative. But I see her as an element that distances herself from the cliches of rock. She, from her feminine point of view, sees the clumsiness of the worn-out cliche of the male rocker, the one who plays with his legs open. She saw right through him.”

She was one of the first public figures in Brazil to popularize feminist themes, such as infusing the lyrics of her 1979 song “Mania de Voce” (“Mania for You”) with female sexuality and pleasure. Similar songs followed, such as “Amor e Sexo” (“Love and Sex”), which contrasted the two in detail, and “Lança Perfume,” an ode to unbridled hedonism.

Later in life, she became a vegan and animal rights activist. For decades, she kept her hair bright red and often wore matching glasses, a popular look that she discarded in recent years as she allowed her gray to grow out. She resolved in 2015 to reinvent herself as a white butterfly.

In her autobiography, published the following year, she described the sexual abuse she suffered as a child at the hands of a man who had come to fix her mother’s sewing machine.

She also referred to herself as a “rebel” and “hippie communist,” and wrote of sneaking out the windows of her house as a teenager to play, being arrested during the dictatorship for possession of marijuana, and her multiple stints in rehab clinics for drugs and alcohol.

“I recognize that my best songs were written in an altered state, and my worst too. I only regret my delay in realizing that the ‘medicine’ had long since expired,” she wrote. “My generation suffered the claustrophobia of a brutal dictatorship, and using drugs was a way to breathe airs of freedom.”

In an interview with the television program “Fantastico” in 2020, she explained that physical frailty had prompted her to leave the stage eight years earlier.

“Getting old, for me, was a surprise, because I’ve never been old in my life,” she told the show. “I was left wanting to live my old age away from the stage, without sharing it with the public.”

Survivors include three children and her husband, musician Roberto do Carvalho, with whom she shared a 44-year musical partnership. In 2021, they released a new song, “Change,” and a remix of some of the singer’s biggest hits.

Years before, she imagined her death: “I will be in heaven,” she wrote, “with my soul present playing my autoharp and singing to God, ‘Thank you, Lord, finally sedated.’ Epitaph: She was never a good example, but she was good people.”

Washington Post staff contributed to this report.

[independentartistbuzz]

ALOK AND SOLARDO COLLABORATE TO RELEASE NEW HIGH-ENERGY CLUB TRACK “OVER AGAIN”

Brazilian music superstar and philanthropist Alok, known globally for chart-topping collaborations with John Legend, Jason Derulo, Tove Lo, Ellie Goulding, and many more, has joined forces with UK-based dance music duo Solardo to release their new club single, “Over Again.” 

The high-energy dance track will undoubtedly get the dancefloor moving all Summer long and is available now on all DSPs and streaming services via SONY International HERE.

Listen in here: https://open.spotify.com/track/00U3nGjoxrqX04GvjiypUz?si=236d5d34ef0549c2

“Over Again” is an electrifying fusion of Alok's signature sound and Solardo's tech-house style, resulting in a unique and unforgettable dancefloor experience. The song is extremely captivating with its catchy vocal hook and infectious beat that is sure to get audiences moving. It showcases the exceptional production skills of both Alok and Solardo, with its intricate layers, complex rhythms, and atmospheric sound design. The track has a timeless feel to it, and it will definitely be a favorite among club-goers and electronic music fans alike.

“Working with Solardo on “Over Again” has been a great experience. I feel we really blended our sounds together nicely and I can’t wait for everyone to hear it!” - ALOK

“Over Again” is Brazilian superstar Alok’s second single of 2023, following January’s groovy disco-inspired single, “Work With My Love,” with English singer/songwriter James Arthur. 2022 ended with a slew of releases to cap a highly successful year, which was highlighted by Alok being crowned No. 1 DJ in Latin America and No. 4 in the world by DJ Mag and the launch of his “The Future Is Ancestral” philanthropic event series. The remarkable inaugural event brought his climate change initiatives and partnership to the United Nations’ Global Compact. It helped kick off New York’s Climate Change Week with a series of panels and a historic, first-ever performance on the rooftop of the United Nations headquarters. Alok’s musical successes in 2022 were also unmatched, with “Deep Down” staying at #1 on Billboard’s Dance charts for weeks while his dance-pop anthem “All By Myself” with Ellie Goulding and Sigala flooded radio waves around the world. With a remarkable 70 million social media followers, the music producer and philanthropist continues to build on his legendary catalog, which already includes global hit singles like "Hear Me Now” and his chart-topping remix of MEDUZA’s “Piece of Your Heart,” for which he won “Best Remix” at the 2020 International Dance Music Awards.

The extremely versatile and creative duo from the UK, Solardo, complement Alok’s style well to bring listeners a truly unique audio-sensory experience on “Over Again.” The duo’s dedication and love for the club scene is palpable on the track with their recognizable elements of techno, house, and trance. From 2019's revision of Marshall Jefferson's timeless "Move Your Body" to their hit “XTC” with Eli Brown becoming one of the biggest tracks in Ibiza in its year of release, it's clear that Solardo can simply do no wrong. The UK duo has already been off to a strong start in 2023 with their most recent release “Big Talk,” which saw them hit the studio for a huge collaboration with English actor and DJ Idris Elba.

“When Alok approached us about working together we knew we had an amazing opportunity. He is a huge international artist who has reached millions of people with his music. We wanted this track to have an underground DNA in its beats and bass, and the vocals needed to connect with the masses.” - Solardo

[justmicro]

Ney matogrosso urubu malandro

#Ney matogrosso urubu malandro pro#

#Ney matogrosso urubu malandro download#

See More Your browser does not support the audio element. Urubu malandro Banda Black Rio Urubu Malandro Ney Matogrosso Urubu Malandro Radames Gnattali Sexteto Urubu Malandro Altamiro Carrilho Urubu Malandro. The only really slow tune is "Teu retrato," which is a nice, romantic samba-canção from 1947. malandreu malandrice malandrim malandrino malandro malandros malaqueiro malaques. Jorge Ben - Em Matogrosso Fronteira Com O Paraguay (3:20). Another classic here is "Tico-Tico no Fubá," which pretty much sums up the sprightly spirit of the album. cabeca-de-preguica cabeca-de-tomate cabeca-de-urubu cabeca-de-vento. Banda Black Rio - Urubu Malandro (2:31) Banda Black Rio - Expresso Madureira (4:01). It is also one of the absolute highlights of the album, together with "Adeus, Batucada" and "Vatapá." "Adeus, Batucada" is perhaps the most famous song performed by the legendary singer Carmen Miranda and has been recorded many times through the years, but possibly never before in such a beautiful way as this time by Matogrosso.

#Ney matogrosso urubu malandro pro#

The album contains several excellent songs and opens to a sample of Gastão Formenti's original version of "De Papo Pro Ar" from 1931. Matogrosso is joined on this album by the talented choro band Nó em Pingo d'Água and several other excellent guest musicians, such as the percussionist Marcos Suzano and guitarist João Lyra. cristie perppers fididas malandro psylocke associates vern wells. A feminina voz do cantor cantando a afirmativa Homem com H, em 1981, constituiu provocao poltica a partir da masculinidade por ele performada. matogrosso galvanizado skill venturini sobrenaturais dissidio duto jlle autocross. Ney transita por vrios gneros, para alm dos musicais. The music of Brazil encompasses various regional musical styles influenced by European. The production is modern, but tasteful and carefully orchestrated. Ney Matogrosso - URUBU MALANDRO (Louro & Braguinha) 90,980 views Ney de Sousa Pereira (Bela Vista, 1 de agosto de 1941), mais conhecido como NEY MATOGROSSO, um cantor, coregrafo. De corista de rock, vai ao batuque de um samba rasgado do urubu malandro. As the title suggests, the percussion plays an important part on this album, and, of course, so does Matogrosso's unique and instantly recognizable voice. In that way, the concept of Batuque is somewhat similar to Bryan Ferry's "As Time Goes By," although the songs here are mostly upbeat. He seems to be able to choose his projects without interference from the record industry, and this time he decided to interpret famous Brazilian songs from the 1920s, '30s, and '40s. O Brasil Desconhecido (Os Sertes de Mato Grosso) (LM) (fot.). Ney Matogrosso is one of those charismatic, slightly odd performers and has managed to maintain his artistic integrity in spite of his success and popularity. Carioca, Suburbano, Mulato Malandro: Joo Nogueira (CM) (dir.) sua Alma (1963), Trilogia do.

#Ney matogrosso urubu malandro download#

Data in the systemĪsk me if you want to see your data here.Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs. Only some scrobble data has been loaded, so you can't just change the ?user parameter to any old thing. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators. Only tested working in Safari, Firefox and Chrome. The darker and wider the bars are, the more plays they have.Ĭlick on a bar to scroll to it, or drag the scrubber window horizontally along the barcode.Īdjust the timeline to revisit your musical youth. The album contains several excellent songs and opens to a sample of Gasto Formenti. Matogrosso is joined on this album by the talented choro band N em Pingo d'gua and several other excellent guest musicians, such as the percussionist Marcos Suzano and guitarist Joo Lyra. It is considered by Rolling Stone magazine. Tracks are listed alphabetically by artist. The production is modern, but tasteful and carefully orchestrated. Ney de Souza Pereira better known as Ney Matogrosso, is a Brazilian singer, songwriter, dancer, actor and director. Be aware! This uses up a lot of memory to load all the tracks onto the page, and may crash your browser if you refresh the page a lot, especially if you have lots of scrobbles.īars along the top represent tracks.

[grad505-brunoking]

Holiday SDL

TASK ONE: PREPARING FOR ESSAY WRITING

Potential essay structure:

Background

Military Coup

Anti communist ideals

Persecution and kidnappings - increased time of violence, mass disappearances

Art and design in Tropicalia

Emergence of Tropicalia

How the dictatorship affected artists

Prominent artists/designers musician

Beyond art: Tropicalia and influences on politics and culture

How did artists use mediums to speak out against the dictatorship?

What was the cultural impact of Tropicalia?

What have been Tropicalia’s impact on today

Resources:

Discussing the pillars of the Brazilian Tropicália Movement: The graphic design of Rogério Duarte

Artists were experimenting during the 1960s and 1970s, developing new musical, visual, and social narratives

Many of the social, cultural, and artistic manifestations (civil rights movement, psychedelia) were counter cultural (a way of life opposed to the social norm) meaning they were against the establishment 

Tropicalia emerged during the late 1960s as a countercultural movement with intense artistic attributes

Tends to be related to its well known musical artists and leaders; Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil

Movement was boosted and spread by music

Central figure to Tropicalismo was also Rogerio Duarte (1939 - 2016) who was part of the circle of Tropicalist Musicians 

Duarte showed tropicalist perspective throughout artworks for several album covers, posters, and other printed media.

One of his earliest works that convey themes of Tropicalia, was his layout of the magazine Movimento - editorial project started in March 1962.

The project was free from excess  and derived by a grid divided into three columns. Contents were also split into three main subjects: image, body text, and title.

The cover design of the first issue showed elements of Warhol’s pop art experiments can be seen through the contrasting shades of blue and white.

Visual planning from a regular/geometric structure can be seen throughout a lot of Duarte’s Tropicalist work. 

Duarte started to be involved with political issues during the 1960s. His career and political views became important in the creation of the Tripicalist movement and would become a problem for the Brazilian dictatorship. He affiliated with the Communist Party allowed for him to fade the boundaries between graphic design and the political sphere. His connections to the left wing cost him his freedom as he was one of the first Tropicalist figures to be arrested by the dictatorship. Duarte was tortured - leading to a mental breakdown leaving him in a psychiatric wing for two years. 

Duarte accompanied and affiliated with many popular figures, notably Caetano Veloso, who confirmed that he talked a lot with Duarte abut Brazilian popular music along with other topics such as philosophy, mass media, and pop art - as well as Helio Oiticica, a prominent Tropicalist artist.

ORIGINS OF TROPICALIA

The term tropicalia emerged from an art installation by Helio Oiticica. Oiticica’s innovative and radical work was able to develop the Brazilian contemporary art scene. The installation consisted of a maze environment on the gardens of the museum. The outcome referenced a “favela,” a slum.

The name of the installation, Tropicalia, would be used as the title of one of Veloso’s new songs - and since then journalists started to refer to Veloso and his fellow musicians as Tropicalists.

Tropicalists aimed to break away from the Brazilian music of the period, however, were highly influenced by Bossa Nova, Roberto Carlos, and Luis Gonzaga.

Tropicalists aimed to fuse many influences, including international (such as psychedelic rock, popular, and classical music) as well as Brazilian.

Duarte wanted to find the symbolic representation of the country in the imagery of tropical paradise.

Influences were complimented with a view that was similar to hippie culture: style included long and wavy hair and bright colored clothing

Artists were carrying Brazilian symbols embroidered on garments or used as props. Those symbols could include banana prints, necklaces made of seashells and beads, or leather hats

The colorful symbols were highlighting nationalist discussions of the movement. According to Veloso, Tropicalists “took in the hippie movement, pop music, the British invasion, student movements in the U.S and France.” They “had all this material to discuss and reflect upon.”

Tropicalia aimed to create a Brazilian cultural reinvention

Lyrics of Tropicalist songs were being composed through verbal and linguistic metaphors - they contained word fragmentation techniques that created jokes and puns. This was also used to contain images of anti-nationalism and show their support against the military’s control. This kind of appropriation also emerged through graphic design in the work of Rogerio Duarte. He used the modernist aesthetic which was previously popular during the Bauhaus and the School of Ulm — and was inspired by the symmetry of geometric forms. Swiss typography, which was already popular and widespread within Brazil, applied the tropical aesthetic through use of vivid and contrasting colours. This can be seen in Duarte’s graphic style, example in the record cover of Jorge Mautner below

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE PSYCHEDELIC INPUT

Psychedelia was one of the main international influences of Tropicalia, and held a fascination for sensoria perception.

The authoritarian regime in Brazil was the main boosting event behind Tropicalia. 

While Duarte’s work gathers hints from visuals of foreign Psychedelia aesthetics, Duarte is able to create his own style. He drifted away from the widespread Swiss style, and was in search of a new notion for a specific Brazilian perspective. He both appropriated and reconfigured many visual characteristics of the psychedelic scenario. Including use of illustration as the main element. 

DISCUSSION

Overall, Duarte was concerned with the creation of a new aesthetic that could better reflect the Brazilian culture.

In the Tropicalist context, art got together with music, graphic design, fashion and poetry - allowing the movement to be swayed by multiple artistic disciplines.

Duarte considered that the movement evolved from his own work, of which Caetano Veloso agrees and stated that if not for his discussions with Duarte, Tropicalia may have never existed.

Duarte was one of the leading figures regarding his personal, intellectual, and aesthetical formation - one of the deepest, despite less known, figures of the Brazilian period.

Duarte continued to develop his Tropicalist aesthetic even after the end of its then famous musical sphere.

Rogerio Duarte was the graphic designer who made the poster for Terra em Transe.

Holds Elements of Constructivist influence (black and white photomontage) but is contrasted by bright shades of red and green. Duarte surprises with an “explosive” layout style and typographic composition - avoiding the rational geometry of form. The composition also creates a spiral reading movement.

2. The Tropicalia-Movement and the Challenges to Brazilian Art in the Age of Culture Industry

Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, two revolutionary Tropicalists, aimed their songs at an increasingly internationalised modern life.

The Tropicalists were interested in how technical means were ways that mankind could invent itself

"The Tropicalia movement was doing in Brazilian popular music the same operation that Andy Warhol was carrying out at the same time in visual arts in the United States." - this included symbols of urban life and consumption

"The corrupted and trivial setting of cities with their consumption goods was invading the arts, which were still looking for a way of commenting on them."

Tropicalia was both experimental and commercial, the medium utilised popular sounds and elements and infused them with elements which created a new sound that went against the traditional sounds Brazilians were used to hearing. The Tropicalia movement allowed classical musicians or learned musicians to work with commercial labels.

Tropicalia was both a modern and postmodern movement

Caetano Veloso's album, Tropicalia Ou Panis et Circenses or Tropicalia or Bread and Circuses, already captured the essence of both criticising and adhering to what is popular through the album title alone. The title itself is quite clever, with Tropicalia being a synonym for 'bread and circuses,' making the album title seem interchangeable. However, on the album cover the two phrases are separated distinctly visually through being placed on opposite ends of the record cover. This creates contrast and a sense of ambiguity, which continues to explain the relationship between art and the culture industry. Pedro Duarte describes the album as "lyric and epic, affectionate and parodic, playful and critical, humorous and serious, religious and secular, popular and erudite; it sings “iê-iê-iê” (‘yeah, yeah, yeah’) and protests"

Overall I found this second source a little confusing and limited so will continue to further develop my research through a new reading this week and expanding my knowledge through my primary sources. Some other designers I can explore with my research could include: Luciano Figueiredo, Oscar Ramos, Aldo Luiz, and Kelli Rodrigues.

Project by Aldo Luiz for Gilberto Gil's album 2222 in 1972

Caetano Veloso's self titled album, 1968

[aroaceconfessions]

Rant incoming because I'm an over sharer! This was prompted by an aroace thought but actually is just me talking music lol.

As an aroace I tend to listen to what people call "edgy music", but sometimes I get tired of that, usually I listen to kpop or jrock since ei don't understand neither languages, but there are times when I go to older songs from my country, like rock songs, angry songs, a lot of them have no romance or sex mention, many are reflections or criticisms and I love that because, with how things are, I too am angry and singing out loud lyrics like "But Brazil gonna be rich, we gon get a million! When we sell the souls of our indigenous people in an auction. What kind of country is this? Is the fucking Brazil" (which, TMI: is by the most famous rock band in our country, whose front man was openly bi and the song where he talks about liking boys and girls still plays on the radio to this day) or "I see on TV what they say about young people ain't serious (sincere/thoughtful). The young people in Brazil is never taken serious" is revigorating.

But sometimes I go even further back and it's always a thrill ride.

Have any of you ever heard a Brazilian protest song? Like, from the military dictatorship years? Because the translations just can't really convey their meanings since the songs had to pass through the censorship to be released, so they had to play around with sounds and meanings.

Chico Buarque is the most prominent singer/songwriter of the time. He had this one song that went "Chalice! Push away from me that chalice of blood red wine", this is a very simple wordplay: chalice = cálice and shut up = cale-se. They sound very similar and as it is spoken by itself strongly before the phrase it's easier to think shut up than chalice, it was a reference to three things appearantly: the government killing to shut up people, telling people to shut up instead of reporting their neighbors to the military, and the government censorship, shutting up any form of opposition, protest and just art with content they disliked. Also red wine = Vinho tinto. Tinto literally translates to dyed, so it is "push away from me this chalice of wine dyed by blood", it's extremely in your face.

But the one I like the most is "Deus lhe pague" (may God pay you), the whole lyrics is just great, but when it goes into the end, he sings "For the deranged cry/scream that helps us flee/escape, may God pay you" but it sounds exactly like "for the deranged cry that helps us flee from this country". Somehow, he makes "Deus lhe pague" sound like "deste país" which in nowhere else sound similar but he got the approval!!!

I'm having fun with this kind of songs, they hardly have any romantic element and when they do is to mask the real meaning, which is very unique and makes me super giddy, since most songs do the contrary, uses normal words as euphemism for romance and/or sex, I can't say sit or eat without it being taken sexually. Anyways, I hope every aspec can find a safe musical place for when it gets hard to withstand amatonormativity.

[theonewhospeaksinweird]

🖤💙(Fuyuhiko x Reader) The Shitty Dancer and a Baby💙🖤 Part 1

Key:

💚 = Lime/Lil Spicy

💛 = Lemon

💙 = Sad

❤️ = Angsty (won't do many of these unless prompted)

💜 = Fluff

💔 = Heartbreak (rare)

🖤 = Normal

Found out about combat dancing and Baby Gangsta literally popped into my head because he would think this is hella cool, probably.~ Also, I'm like 80% sure that the parts that get into MC's past isn't angst, just regular old sad, but correct me if I'm wrong!~

Part 2

WARNINGS: Mentions of illegal activities, Fuyuhiko is in this chapter with no cap, mention of potential child trafficking, panic attack, alludes to abuse.

Music is a delicate art form.

    A symphonic concoction of basses, trebles, and mid-tones that has the ability to make or break some people's moods. It can make you sad, mad, energized, sleepy, happy, content, loved, and everything in between by either the harmonic beat or the meaningful words.

    For me, it's a lifestyle and everything I do that can be done with music is done so. You'll always find me with some way of listening to music, such as: my studio headphones on one ear, listening to music alone, the same headphones with the ear cups turned outward to play my music aloud, or a simple set of quality earbuds.

    Going old school most of the time, I always sport a small (F/C) (Favorite Color) SanDisk MP3 Player equipped with a 128 GB MicroSD card so I don't run my phone battery down all the time. Also, an MP3 player is small and light enough to stay on my person while I dance.

    Technically, you're supposed to buy music and then download music to it buuuut there are plenty of conversion sites that say otherwise. Like the law cares about a few thousand pirated songs when there is a literal SHSL Yakuza, SHSL Biker Gang Leader, and SHSL Serial Killer running around here they could be arresting. Or as I like to call them, the "Baby", "Cornhead", and "Yandere" respectively.~

But only in my head.

They're kinda scary.

    I consider myself an ambivert that's relatively chill with everyone, I don't bother you, you don't bother me. If I had to dub someone my "friend" in the entire class, I would have to say Gundham Tanaka, I suppose. We share things in common. School is a loose concern to me since I have my dancing to focus on; that is what they recruited us for so we should be focusing on our talents more than whether x needs to be solved or not.

    Besides, my dance style is a mix of hip hop and capoeira (an Afro-Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance, acrobatics and music), making it that much harder. It's base, Taiji (a Chinese martial art), requires a strong upper and lower body in order to perform the capoeira moves like they're supposed to be done, which takes a long time to build up. To an untrained eye, it may just seem like I'm doing fast paced spins and high kicks mixed with street dancing, but if you were to get in the way of me spin kicking, you would be knocked back 10 feet and sporting a broken something.

    Just as the generalized title of "combat dancing" entails, it's mainly a form of alluring fighting. When a trained martial artist, like my underclassman, Sakura, watches me dance, they see the muscle movement and intense power my seemingly soft body hides. It's a subtle, yet powerful form of fighting that incorporates the best art form, in my opinion, music.

    Practicing is done almost anywhere I can without hurting anyone but also where people can see me since I've noticed many like to watch me in curiosity. Which brings me to where I am now: training. Or least wanting to. You see, the court yard is the perfect place to practice established moves, train, and try out new combo moves since the grass cushions my inevitable falls.

(Ignore my horrible attempt at picture altering.~ I overlayed the clothes different colors and colored the gloves gray.~ And don't mind that she's pinkish, I was having fun.~)

    Generally, I try to wear clothes that are fitted and breathable, but also stylish without being too revealing. . . which results in me wearing carefully selected, Korean style clothing. Apparently the Koreans dance more than Japanese, which makes a lot of sense since we're kinda boring, but it's still inconvenient. Muscle is apparently something they don't account for, though, since I'm a large; what are they doing, marketing to skeletons??

Anyways, moving on.~

    Back to wanting to train in the court yard; there's someone in my usual spot. Remember how I said that I called Fuyuhiko, the SHSL Yakuza, "Baby"?

Well, Baby is in my training spot.

    Now, I've never actually talked to the guy, but he seems like his scary attitude is all a facade and whatnot, the tsundere type, though that doesn't mean I want anything to do with the yakuza. I like my life a bit more than death by my own stupidity, thank you. Nothing against him, just his title, though he is kinda cute.

    I was weighing my options as I stood from afar, watching him and Peko interact over her phone on the park bench. The main one to be cautious of was her since I knew she was skilled with her shinai, even if it was only bamboo; also, I don't like fighting people with my talent. Not anymore. The cold chill that ran down my back told me that she had noticed me staring already, although it was more of an absent gaze while I thought about how much I wanted to put up with today. I'll just ask, the worst he'll do is to tell me to fuck off in which I promptly will do so to a different tree.

    Before I could even open my mouth and say something as I got close, Fuyuhiko, who had seen me advancing lazily towards them and was already glaring at me, spoke up.

"Oi, what the fuck do you want, bitch?"

'Oh joy. I'm a bitch now.'

    Having to force myself not to roll my eyes out of habit, I just loosely gesture to the tree with my gloved hand before speaking in a drawled voice. I felt a bit tested by his degrading tone which is not what I thought would happen since I deal with Twogami all the time.

"Uh, just came to ask your highness if he and Peko could uh maybe move from my training spot?~"

    A small smile barely lifted the corners of my lips as I slightly mocked the yakuza boy. Even if it was a small name, it still did the trick in eliciting him to stand up quickly in front of me. His face was almost in mine since I was near his height while slouched.

"What the hell did you just call me?! Do you know who I am?!"

"Yeah, someone who doesn't train and is in my training spot, so is that a yes or no?" He had grabbed a fistful of my fitted, purple shirt at this point, and I tensed up at the sudden contact, but kept staring at him with only a hint of annoyance showing by my furrowed eyebrows.

"Fuyuhiko, please wait," 'A new player enters the game.'

    My (e/c) irises glide from the angry, blonde Pomeranian to the calmer, gray wolf behind him that was still seated. We shared a gaging once over look to try and ascertain each other's hostility. 'This is a little interesting.' Peko stood up but didn't move close; she didn't seem worried. I wonder why.

"Fuyuhiko, this is a girl from our class, (Y/N). She is the Ultimate Combat Dancer,"    

    Fuyuhiko, still wrinkling my perfectly good shirt, glanced at her for a second, probably wondering why she was saying this.

"Fucking and?! I can beat her up anyways if she keeps talking shit!"

    How weird, now that I was the object of his anger, Fuyuhiko didn't seem all that scary, actually he was a bit adorable with his little angry face, but his personality made me. . . uncomfortable. But despite that, his body language was relatively easy to read. Just by his jerky movements, flitting eyes, and stiff, not tense, muscles, I could tell: 'He's forcing it.'

"Hey, I don't wanna fight, hun, just train. Also, it would be nice if you stopped wrinkling my shirt, please and thank you," Adding a bit of sweetness to my tone, I held myself back from removing his hand myself. I don't like touching people, especially not in these situations.

    Peko looked at Fuyuhiko's angered form for a few moments with a searching gaze before going back to analyzing me like a fellow opponent. 'Oh boi-'

"What do you do to train?" She asked, leaving no room in her commanding voice for me to decline answering. Also, in my position with her cute, angered puppy being this close to strangling me, it would not have been in my best interest to not answer at all either.

    So I loosely answered the question with a reply that may or may not have been entirely accurate.

"Y'know, usual dance training stuff. Some punchy-punches, a couple o' kicky-kicks, maybe one or two swishity-swishes around in the air with my feet. Standard stuff." 'Dumb. As. Fuck.' I was lying to a boy who could have me killed by nightfall and a girl whose regular stare was about ice me over. What a thrill!~

'I regret everything.'

"Stop fucking around and answer her damn question, bitch!!"

    That was apparently the second straw that broke the already dead camel's back, and now I could see Fuyuhiko pulling his arm back to punch me in the jaw. 'Sigh, I hate this, why am I so stupid? There are plenty of other trees around here! But I just had to be special and want this fucking one. Way to go me.' Peko made no move to stop him, seemingly already resigned to my fate, but I was not gonna stand here and let a baby clock me. I had dignity. It's somewhere in my bed and under my covers, but I knew I had it so that was enough reason to react.

    Without any effort, after years of training and practice, I swiftly swerve my head back and out of his little fist's line of trajectory, followed closely by me pivoting on my left foot while my right leg swung straight up in the air. It passed right between me Fuyuhiko, breaking his grip on my shirt, before I landed in a squatted stance facing away from them. My hat fell off. I just stared at it on the ground blankly. 'I think I'll go hang out with Gundham for a little in the barn.'

"Don't touch me, please." Is all I said in a flat tone before promptly walking away just as lazily as I had came, leaving my hat on the ground. Neither of my hands left my pockets.

'I'm tired.'

ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•?

Fuyuhiko's POV:

'What the hell was that?'

    All I could do was watch as (Y/N) walked away from me, uncaring like she didn't just dodge my punch and break my hold on her in less than 20 seconds. I didn't know what happened until she was already walking away and the shock blocked all energy I would've had to yell or go after her. Turning slowly to look at Peko, I could see she was on edge with her shinai out and ready to use. Guess she didn't anticipate what that bitch did either.

"You saw that too, right Peko? She just fucking dodged my punch and kicked my hand away!" Anger started to simmer back into me. 'Who the fuck does she think she is?! Nobody does. . whatever the hell that was to the Ultimate Yakuza, and gets away with it!'

"Young master, please do not get too upset yet. May I see your hand? I want to see if she hurt you."

Despite my entire being wanting to go find where she slunk off to, Peko's concerned voice reigned my anger in. I sighed before giving her my hand and slumping back down on the bench. Surprisingly, it didn't hurt despite it just being kicked. Peko's calloused yet slender hands gently held mine and turned them around for inspection. It was getting weirdly long.

"Peko? I don't think there's anything wrong, it doesn't hurt, what are you-?"

"That's the thing, young master, there are no abrasions, bruises, or even redness of a soft hit at all. It is strange because it looked like she swung her foot up on your fist to disconnect it from her shirt. Did you feel her kick you?" Her piercing red eyes switched from examining my hand to questioning my gold ones as I thought.

'I never did feel her foot connect with my hand, just her leg coming between her chest and my hand and. . oh shit!' I had just realized where my hand was. 'My knuckles were basically pressed into her chest! She didn't even flinch, what the hell?!' By now, I'm sure my entire face was red at my own thoughts which made Peko fret.

"Y-Young master?! Are you okay, did she hit you somewhere else?!"

    Sneering at myself for getting so embarrassed like this, I jumped up from the bench to snatch (Y/N)'s abandoned hat off of the ground.

"Let's go f-find that bitch!!" Is all I could say before storming off in the same direction (Y/N) went with Peko presumably following after.

'Fucking girls!!'

ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ

Your POV:

'Gosh, what an awful fucking idea that was. The way he aggressively handled me-'

'(Y/N), GET THE FUCK OUT HERE!! IF YOU DON'T, SOMETHING BAD MIGHT JUST HAPPEN AT HOME!!'

'There were things Gundham and I had in common...'

    A tired sigh slipped through my lips as I approach the barn where I could already hear Gundham's familiarly eccentric, deep voice talking to the animals. This guy was, oddly enough, one of the only people I considered normal. At least according to my standards which might not say much because my standards were fucked up loooong ago. Hearing his yelling that was apparently directed at the goat, Kazu, brought a small smile to my lips as I slid open the door.

"No, you all-eating fiend! My scarf is NOT fit for your consumption!! Release your deathly grip at once or I shall- STOP CHEWING!!"

    Seeing Gundham Tanaka, the oh so "Forbidden One" playing a game of tug-o-war with a hungry, brown goat was the funniest thing I could see right now. All previous thoughts of anything that just happened were pushed out of mind as I laughed to announce my presence. My laughter apparently caught the human player off guard, allowing the goat to tug him forward and onto the hay covered floor. This obviously elicited further laughter that I couldn't not ensue at this point.

    Using one hand to take off my camouflage, crossbody backpack and toss it on the pile of hay to the left, I outstretched the other to reach down and pick "the ruler of Hell" off the floor. He was light for me and my hands barely touched him for long while bringing him to his feet. Even though we're comfortable with each other, we still respect each other's boundaries; which, for us, still means little to no touching unless needed or requested 

The Oreo haired boy huffed and glared sideways at the goat that was watching us while enjoying the remainder of his portion of Gundham's now torn scarf. He mumbled "ancient" curses under breath while dusting himself off before turning his attention towards me, a little more calmed down.

"Hello, child of Terpsichore! What brings you to my domain here upon the schooling grounds? Is this not the hour of which you ritually practice your dark art of rhythmic combat?"

    Something that never made sense was how people couldn't decipher the Ultimate Breeder's speech, he isn't that hard to understand. As long as you have a grasp of diverse vocabulary, all he does is reform his sentence structure differently than most people. Though, I still don't know who 'Terpsichore' is, so I should look it up to make sure he's not calling me a demon or something. He called me 'Ares' once just because I killed a big spider on my desk, like I was just gonna let it crawl all over me with it little fucking spider paws! Fuck. No. Unfortunately my lack of knowledge in Greek mythology allowed him to keep calling me that until I looked it up, and threatened to return him to Hell with my fists if he didn't stop.

"Yeah, but plans change sometimes. Life has its own plan." 'Bull. Shit.'

Gundham stopped and eyed me with a narrowed gaze. Taking a step towards me, he looked me over fully before staring into my eyes, which I averted quickly. That was all he needed to see.

"Do not spew your dirty lies towards me, for I know and see all! Tell me the truth of why you are not practicing your dark arts, lest I cast a spell that forces it out!" 'Fuck-'

He sounded threatening but this was his way of being concerned. I mean, I wasn't entirely trying to hide it since I knew he was bound to pick up on my forced behavior. Having people that cared was troublesome sometimes.

A soft sigh brought on a sudden tiredness as I let my half smile fade to a neutral position, and my body freefall backwards into the hay where my backpack was. Gundham said nothing more and quietly sat beside me, albeit a bit more gracefully, to wait for me to answer him. Thinking back on the whole conversation between Fuyuhiko, Peko, and I made me cringe as more unwanted memories resurfaced. This silent reaction only made Gundham furrow his eyebrows more.

"Are you-?"

"Memories suck. Like a bitch."

My blunt tone and sudden interruption seemed to have taken him aback for a second before he went back to, most likely, silently worrying. He stayed quiet for longer this time, waiting for me to continue. Guess I should do that then.

But the world decided that wasn't happening just yet. Yay!~

"Aha! There she is! I knew she'd be here with that fucking weirdo!"

'Oh joy, the object of my pain.'

Unconsciously, I clenched my hands and jaw in slight anger that he had the audacity to come after me. What did he want from me, a fucking fried dough cookie? I could hear the stomps of the Pomeranian growing closer and just barely the soft steps of Miss Wolf behind him as I forced myself to sit up, probably looking like a hot mess right now.

Being the dramatic yet observant person he is, Gundham bounded up from his spot on the hay to act as a human barrier between me and the duo who stopped at his sudden interference.

"Halt! Your disgusting presence is not welcome in this peaceful domain! Leave before true hell descends upon you both with the wrath of a thousand suns!!" This made Baby mad. Heh.

"Move the fuck out of the way, bastard! I'm here because of her, not you, now scram! Or else I'll take you out first!"

Peko chimed in, much quieter than her puppy, "(Y/N) we would like to speak to you."

"Fuahahahahaha!~ I would like to see you try and lay a single filthy finger on the child of Terpsichore or I, the Forbidden One, for we have traversed and conquered Hell many times over!! So do your worst, mortal!~"

Even if I couldn't see him, I was sure his 'try me bitch' face was being worn. He was so sweet sometimes. Though. . . what Fuyuhiko was trying to do for the second time today was not so sweet.

And it made my blood boil.

Once again, this proclaimed Yakuza raised his fist in a way to settle things with violence. Same as earlier. The only difference was that Peko tried to stop it with words, but he wasn't listening.

'My turn.'

Feeling my anger surge up after all this time of repressing it from both what happened earlier and my brought up past, I couldn't stop it. He was about to hurt my only true "friend". I knew Gundham could take care of himself, but that rational thought had no place in my frenzy of momentary bloodlust.

My whole body rolled onto my back as I popped myself off the ground and onto my feet. I was sure everyone could feel my change in demeanor. Good.

Gundham, unsurprisingly, avoided the punch and stepped back. At seeing me on my feet now, in a hostile stance, he tried to stop me as Peko did with Fuyuhiko.

"Knight, you must not let your rage consume you! The object of your fury holds less worth than a cockroach!"

"Fuck off. He's dead. He should have learned his lesson earlier."

At hearing my fuming reply to Tanaka, a harsh contrast to my lazy voice from our first encounter, Peko quickly got between Fuyuhiko and I with her shinai out.

"Stop. I will not hesitate to fight you. No one will hurt my young master."

Without thinking, I started attacking the swordswoman with her doing the same but probably with more sensibility. A fast and hard high kick was sent towards her head, consecutively followed by another. My movements were fluid as every individual stance flowed into each other seamlessly; unfortunately each potential strike was blocked by my opponents' shinai skillfully, allowing no hits to land.

"Baby should have thought of that before he started swinging!"

"Leave Peko alone, you're mad at me, right?!"

She was holding back, I could feel only the flat edge of her shinai coming in contact with my legs, feet, and arms. No offense attacks from her yet, only defense.

"Why is violence your only answer?! Stop being a coward!"

"Shut the fuck up! You don't know anything about me, bitch!"

Every further word I yelled made my movements heavier. My grief harder to hold in. I wasn't just fighting because of Fuyuhiko, and who I was actually fighting was starting to become a blurred concept.

"You can't punch your way out of every situation! I told you not to touch me! You don't listen!"

My legs gave out underneath me for a fake fall backwards to avoid Peko's thrust at my head, her first offensive attack, which I quickly turned into a tornado kick by springing back onto my hands. The sudden turnaround allowed me to knock her weapon away since she didn't expect the transition.

"I understand you are upset, (Y/N), but please control yourself! You can not let your past poison the potential your future holds!"

"You can't hurt him anymore!" I screamed with a breaking, dry voice at no one in particular anymore as I land onto one foot and keep the other in the air.

    Our ending stances had me with my left foot positioned in the air, poised right at her neck, and my knee bent so at any moment I could strike a final blow. The stance left me balancing on my right foot, something I've done with ease for years now. . . but this time I fell. All the different emotions brought up today made me weak all of a sudden and collapse straight to the floor on my back. My brother rushed forward, kneeling at my side as he gingerly moved me to be propped up against his legs. Rasping sobs filled in the sudden quiet, save for the rustling of the animals in the barn. Everyone was focused on me.

"Hey. . . is she okay?"

    I could feel Gundham's body stiffen at Fuyuhiko's voice of sudden concern. Through blurry eyes and starting tears, I saw the glower he gave the short boy.

"Leave, Fuyuhiko and Peko."

    The addressed stayed silent as I only heard the light footsteps of Peko move to the right to retrieve her shinai immediately before accompanying Fuyuhiko's louder, more hesitant, steps out of the barn.

    Gundhams' attention returned to me with a much softer and rumbling tone as his oncoming deep voice soothed my aching body and mind.

"(Y/N). Are you okay, dear sister?"

    He didn't address the elephant in the room. Yet. I knew eventually I'd have to explain how I got so angry and why I was acting out from memories of our childhood but. . . for now I just wanted to be comforted. All I could do was shake my head truthfully as my sobs grew louder and more ragged. Rambles of apologies spilled from my quivering lips as I turned into his stomach to hide my tear and sweat stained face from his view.

    As usual, he stayed silent, and let me cry. His left hand held me up a little as he moved to sit with his legs criss-crossed before lowering me back down and joining his right hand in stroking my hair. It was a mess, just like the rest of me, but he didn't care. He only stayed there and held me as I sobbed and allow his familiar presence to lull me into a tight sense of security I rarely felt.

"I understand. Take your time. I'll be here until you feel better for nothing could tear me away from your side." I followed his advice.

'Sometimes having someone to care about you isn't so bad.'

I am SO sorry that I didn't update this yesterday like I said I would!~ I work across two phones but I don't always have them both and the picture of the clothing near the beginning was on one phone and I couldn't get it- ANYWAY! Enough excuses, and I hope you enjoy this first part and get ready for the second one coming soon, hopefully tomorrow OR maybe later tonight as an apology, we'll see!~ Take care, dearies!~

Part 2

[x--daughters-of-darkness--x]

Brazilian/Dutch Death Metal Unit CRYPTA Announces Debut Album, Echoes of the Soul!

Just recently signed with Napalm Records, CRYPTA offer a raging sonic monster in a class of its own: the newly staffed Brazilian/Dutch death metal unit is set to drop jaws with their long-awaited debut offering, Echoes of the Soul, to be released on June 11, 2021 via Napalm Records. Formed in June 2019, the four-piece line up consists of vocalist and bassist Fernanda Lira and Luana Dametto on drums (both former members thrash metal frontrunners NERVOSA), plus supremely talented guitarists Sonia Anubis (Cobra Spell, Ex-Burning Witches) and Tainá Bergamaschi (Ex-Hagbard). They enforce a heightened level of potency and experience from their successful past and current projects, enhancing influences from both classic and modern death metal genres, plus significant extreme and black metal elements, to create a sound of their own. Positioned right at the burning gates of death metal salvation, their first single and music video, "From The Ashes", already showcases the demonic, captivating power of the hard-hitting combo.

Singer and bassist Fernanda Lira says about the first single: "The song is basically about the well-known tale of the phoenix, but in a more philosophical sense. It talks about the ever-changing cycles of life, about the many endings and beginnings we have to go through, about how many old versions of ourselves need to figuratively die in order for us to keep growing and evolving as human beings, and finally, about building resilience to endure all these rebirths."

The first audiovisual work immediately takes the viewer into the funeral spectra of CRYPTA’s universe and also reveals full commitment on a cinematographic level. The track itself is an infernal omen of the album's sinister stories and already presents a first spark of their impressive interplay: Lira’s forceful vocals, Anubis and Bergamaschi’s bold axe attacks and Dametto’s prominent sophisticated drumming summon the phoenix to rise from the ashes - with the last crackle of this debut full-length conjuring screams for more.

André Gustavo, movie director at O2 Filmes, states: "I believe the song perfectly matches the current moment we're living, during which all humanity needs to reinvent itself and be reborn 'From The Ashes'. The videoclip preparation itself can also be translated through it: building up such a big production during this terrible moment we're living was a big challenge to all of us. I believe, for all of that, from the creative and cinematographic perspective, we had a great final outcome for the video".

[jazzicology]

JAZZPRING!

This will seem topsy-turvy to those of you in the Northern hemisphere - but in New Zealand, Spring is just around the corner. And here at Jazzicology headquarters in Queenstown, we’re busy preparing for our Spring jazz gigs. Putting together a set on a specific theme is a great incentive to search for and learn new material. Here’s our ‘Jazzpring’ setlist with some notes on each. We’ve aimed for a mix of tempos and contrasting jazz styles. In amongst some old standards are some quirky additions: possibly the only song written from the perspective of a frightened tomato (Hang on Little Tomato); and a wonderful number that perfectly sets Shakespeare’s ‘It was a lover and his lass’ to a catchy melody and jazz chords – it deserves to be in everyone’s Spring set list. I was amazed how many jazz songs there are on topics relating to Spring – far too many to include in just one gig!

Joyspring. 1954 composition by Clifford Brown, jazz trumpeter and a key figure in the Hard Bop movement. The lyrics I use are by Jezra Kay. This is a super-fast-paced, up-beat tune. I discovered, rather too late for this gig, that there are also some wonderfully poetic lyrics by Jon Hendricks, a leading jazz lyricist who is responsible for the lyrics for many well-known jazz songs composed as instrumentals. You can read about Hendrick’s lyrics for JoySpring here.

You must believe in Spring. Composed by Michel LeGrand (1964), this song shares some features with his other, better-known compositions (Windmills of Your Mind; What Are You Doing For The Rest of Your Life). The chords and melody strike a reflective and melancholy, yet hopeful, mood. It is a truly beautiful number that I had not previously been aware of. I have been listening to Bill Evans’s instrumental version of it – it just incredible - and this vocal performance by Sarah McKenzie. It was originally called La Chanson de Maxence and was written for the French film ‘Les Demoiselles de Rochefort’. Looking at the original French lyrics, it is clear the English lyrics are not a translation; the song’s theme of Spring is entirely attributable to the authors of the English language lyricists Bergman and Bergman. Indeed, these lyrics are so well crafted that it is difficult to believe the phrase ‘You Must Believe in Spring’ wasn’t originally in Le Grand’s mind when he wrote it! Listening to various vocal recordings over the last few weeks, I discovered some additional lyrics that, as far as I can tell, appear only in a recording by Barbra Streisand. I don’t know who wrote them (possibly Streisand), but they seem apt for a troubled world, so here they are for other singers who may be interested in using them:

When angry voices drown the music of the spheres 

And children face a world that’s far beyond their years 

Above the darkest skies, The far horizons lie 

With all the reasons why you must believe in Spring.

Spring can really hang you up the most. Composer Tommy Wolf (1955), lyrics Fran Landesman. Spring isn’t all rainbows and daffodils – like all fun times of year, for those who are down or lonely it can serve to underline your own misery. The title of the song is a jazz twist on the opening line of T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land: "April is the cruellest month". My favourite version of this song is by Carmen McCrae – it’s like a masterclass in jazz vocals. I was surprised how difficult this song was to learn – and was relieved to find an entire blog written about it, claiming that the obscene number of verses and lyrics, and wide vocal range and unusual phrasings are clearly the work of someone who hates singers! Fortunately, I love a challenge.

Blue Skies. Irving Berlin (1926). Blue Skies is probably the best-known and certainly the oldest song in this set. Thelonious Monk wrote a Be-Bop number, ‘Suddenly in Walked Bud’, based on the chord progressions in Blue Skies, as a tribute to his friend, the jazz pianist, Bud Powell. The lyrics are a virtual who’s-who list of jazz greats from that time. Monk’s ‘In Walked Bud’ is an example of a jazz ‘contrafact’: where a new melody is laid over existing chords (in this case, Blue Skies). There are lots of examples of this in Bop from the 1940s, because it was a way for jazz musicians to create new pieces “for performance and recording on which they could immediately improvise, without having to seek permission or pay publisher fees for copyrighted materials (while melodies can be copyrighted, the underlying harmonic structure cannot be)”. Since the lyrics and melody for ‘In Walked Bud’ work perfectly well over the chords for ‘Blue Skies’ (apart from the bridge) I’ll incorporate elements of them into our performance.

It might as well be Spring. Composed by Rodgers and Hammerstein (1945) for the movie State Fair, for which it won an Academy Award for best original song. Many people have recorded this, but I’ve been listening to Ella Fitzerald and this lovely French version by (the aptly Spring-named) Blossom Dearie.

They say its Spring. Composers Bob Haymes and Marty Clark (1950s). With a melody and lyrics that are as light and floaty as a feather, this is a quintessential Spring song about being in love. Blossom Dearie appears to have been the first to record it, in 1957.

Nature Boy/Nardis. Composed by Eden Ahbez (1947). Nature boy is on Jazzicology’s set list – but with a twist! We will perform it using the principal motif from Miles Davis’ Nardis in both the Intro and coda. This was an idea developed by me and UK jazz pianist Sid Thomas, and you can listen to Sid and I performing it here. The ‘back story’ to Nature Boy is pretty interesting in its own right and can be found in a previous Jazzicology blog penned by Sid, ‘The one hit wonders of jazz’.

I love Paris in the Springtime. Cole Porter (1954). A classic recording of this by Ella Fitzgerald. However, I very much like this version, which has a Parisian café feel. This is a relatively simple melody to learn, with the chief challenge for the vocalist being the wide vocal range needed to change register.

Timeless Place. Composed by Jimmy Rowles in the 1970s as an instrumental (‘The Peacocks’) and recorded by him and sax legend Stan Getz in the 1975 album of the same name. The wonderful, reflective lyrics were added much later by UK jazz vocalist, Norma Winstone, and included on her 1993 album Well Kept Secret. This song is technically very challenging for a vocalist: the melody over the ‘bridge’ is a little non-intuitive and sits outside the harmony – it creates a tension which resolves into the main refrain. The word Spring appears nowhere in the song, but I’m going to justify its inclusion here because the lyrics include a beautiful formal garden with flowers and trees.

Double Rainbow. Composed by Brazilian jazz maestro, Antonio Jobim in 1970. This is one of his lesser-known numbers. It perfectly captures a spring garden, after a sudden rain-shower, with rainbows, puddles and a little robin hopping about. Actually, because the song is written in Portugese, the little bird in the song is a chico-chico, so robin is used as the equivalent in the English translation (maybe I should use a bellbird instead?). In Portugese, the title is Chovendo na Roseira (the rain is falling on the roses) and I perform it using first the Portugese and then the English lyrics – both are lovely, and the different languages each lend a slightly different feel to song.

Hang on Little Tomato. Music and lyrics by Patrick Abbey, China Forbes and Thomas Lauderdale and released on the Pink Martini album of the same name in 2004. For those who have gotten their tomato seedlings off to an early start, this the song you need to sing to them when they get planted outside. It’s a scary world out there for a little tomato. It’s a seriously cute little song, and a reminder that we all need to keep hanging on to the vine. The song title is apparently a reference to a Hunt's Ketchup ad campaign "Hang On, Little Tomato!" in a 1964 issue of Life magazine. (Is it a coincidence that Pink Martini’s named their own record label Heinz, I wonder?)

Hey Nonny No! Composed by UK jazz composer and pianist Sid Thomas, this up-beat, toe-tappin’ number captures the feel of Spring brilliantly and the melody and chords provide a fabulous setting for Shakespeare’s ‘It was a lover and his lass’ from As you Like it. You’ll be humming this one on the way home.

Seed Leaves. Another Sid Thomas composition, this one setting to music the poem ‘Seed Leaves’ by Poet Laureate and two times Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Wilbur. You can find the poem here. Anyone wishing to request the music for ‘Hey Nonny No’ or ‘Seed Leaves’ can contact Sid Thomas here.

Surrey with the Fringe on top. Rogers and Hammerstein, from Oklahoma (1946). Is it a little bit twee? Maybe, but hey – it is also very sweet. And it was a part of Miles Davis’ repertoire in the 1950s, so there’s no arguing with that!

Up Jumped Spring. Composed by US jazz trumpet player Freddie Hubbard in 1962, and included in his album Backlash. The lyrics were added later by vocalist US jazz vocalist Abbey Lincoln. This clip of the song being sung live by Audrey Silver is really worth listening to - what a confident, flawless performance.

So, there you have it: an eclectic Spring jazz set involving Shakespeare, tomatoes, rainbows, birds, toads, seedlings, melting snow, new love and a little sprinkling of melancholy. The lyrics in this set contain the words ‘isinglass’ and ‘yggdrasil’ – not words you hear every day – come to our gig on September 5th (assuming Queenstown is out of lockdown by then!) and see if you can spot them!

Other suggestions for Spring songs can be found here: 

https://jazz.fm/classic-jazz-songs-about-spring/ 

https://www.wrti.org/post/10-jazz-tunes-remind-you-its-spring

Nance Wilson

Nance Wilson is one half of Queenstown-based jazz duo, Jazzicology, together with pianist Mark Rendall-Wilson. 

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/nance-wilson-trio 

Facebook: Jazzicology

[secretradiobrooklyn]

Secret Radio | 7.24.21, 8.7.21 & etc.

“Better, Better, Back” Secret Radio | 7.24.21, 8.7.21 & etc. | Hear it here.

- Mort Garson - “Plantasia”

1. Jean-Pierre Djeukam - “Africa Iyo” - “Cameroon Garage Funk”

The main musician I think of from Cameroon is Beti-Beti, and this is a whole different thing. Endless props to Analog Africa for providing fiery track after track. This is the sweat from their newest collection!

2. Eyedress - “Jealous”

Paige hears something in this and when I unfocus my eyes I do too. (Literal?) high school skate kids gettin in their shallow feels. I will admit that the chorus “time-time” is killer.

3. Nahid Akthar & Tafo - “Takra We Gutt Bhar Le” (I think)

Nahid Akthar’s voice is so completely bewitching that the amazing arrangements almost sneak by. Tafo is the producer of this track I believe, and the narrative structure of the music is just so confident and encompassing. But then also: man, that VOICE. She’s right up there with Ros Serey Sothea in expressiveness and character.

4. Oruã - “Escola das Roas” - “Sem Bênção / Sem Crença”

My thanks to you, Marc, for pointing this band to us. I have fallen in love with this particular recording, it just gets more thoroughly better with every listen. Calvin Johnson mentioned this band in a recent K newsletter — they’re a Brazilian band who corresponded with Doug Martsch as mutual fans until at some point Doug decided his own band needed replacing and he brought them out as Built to Spill and also as Oruã. This track also has shades of Sonic Youth’s “Master-Dik,” one of my all-time ultra faves. It really hits me in the ’90s, and I rilly want to see how some of this music is performed live.

5. Jacques Dutronc - “Le Responsable”

I’m so thankful to have Jacques Dutronc in my life. His rock songs knock me into gear like nothing else — and the whole band has its own very specific flavor. It kicks!

6. Sleepy Kitty - “Alceste in Silverlake”

At very long last, there is a new Sleepy Kitty album on the way! It’s in line at the record plant as I type this. And this is a song from the perspective of a musician-seeking drummer in LA, crossed with the most brutally honest man in all of France.

7. Sakuran Zensen - “錯乱前戦 ロッキンロール” (I Wanna Rock & Roll)

We only knew one song by this band (that we’ve played here) because the video was rad, but I looked to see what else was there and this song is just freakin great with me. The chords are really cool and his vocal delivery is just so over the top it’s impossible not to love. And the guitar solo is basically a full-on tonefest, which I appreciate more than a bunch of flying fingers. The video helps fill in the picture nicely too, I think, though I like the song while not looking at it even more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPCqT3e89SU

- Mort Garson - “Concerto for Philodendron & Pothos”

8. Clothilde - “Fallait pas ècraser la queue du chat”

All hail the French instinct for chamber music instruments as pop instruments, and then as a kind of technicolor weirdness. The orchestration of this song is a work of art in itself, and that doesn’t even account for her self-harmonizing melody. If you haven’t already, picture a brunette bob and deep mascara.

9. Public Service Broadcasting - “Spitfire”

I can’t remember now how I found this music, though I think it might’ve been from Josh’s playlist? This is from 2012, but they have a new album coming out almost exactly a month from now. In Bound Stems Tim and I got really into interlacing snatches of other people’s words into the music we were making, and this is very congruent with that interest. I feel like this song passes tests as it goes.

10. Shocking Blue - “Send Me a Postcard”

I first heard of this band when I was learning everything I could about Nirvana, and I’d heard both versions of “Love Buzz” and knew they were both great, but we only recently caught this track. It’s the bridge between “White Rabbit” and “Territorial Pissings.” 

11. Metak - “Tetrapak”

Our favorite Croatian band! Everything about this song is delightful. I feel like if this song was in English I’d probably cringe at the lyrics, but in this format I can only hear how much fun the song is to play. I am one-quarter Croatian, which means I can’t understand any of the lyrics either but I do see little ghosts of myself in the pictures of the band somehow. It’s weird.

12. Katerine - “Louxor J’adore”

-Anything I could say about this song is eclipsed by this excerpt:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uD7QuV6f_MA

The performance to the cemetery knocks me out

13. Erkin Koray - “Seni Her Gördügümde”

Whenever we’re listening to Anatolian psych, the songs with the most creative ideas and satisfying riffs and great vocal passages are always Erkin Koray. The four-piece arrangements are so good, and then he doesn’t hesitate to step up with his guitar to narrate a passage. Also, I really like how Turkish rock sounds so Indian and also Arabic and also French.

14. WITCH - “Chifundo”

Zambian prog rock! I haven’t heard anything like this track anywhere else in Africa yet. The thing is, this version of prog includes the exact flavor that Yes totally lacks, and thus I really love listening to this track in a way most prog rock doesn’t hit me. The time switches and the lead part over the top are just so smooth!

15. Ezra Furman - “Psalm 151”

We’ve been listening to a lot of Ezra Furman’s music lately, and it’s only getting better and more engrossing with every listen. We toured with Ezra Furman’s band about 5 years ago and every night was a pleasure. They’re finishing up a new album, which makes this a great time to listen to the others. This entire album, “Transangelic Exodus,” is a masterpiece as far as we’re concerned, and I find myself thinking the whole time too about Tim Sandusky’s production. Tim’s such a home town for us, and to hear his full attention on this album is just such a pleasure.

16. Ralph Stanley - “White Light, White Heat”

It was one of my favorite musical influence moments ever when my dad’s bluegrass band, The Prozac Mtn Boys, played VU’s “What Goes On.” Knowing that there is a recording of one of my dad’s true banjo heroes playing “White Light White Heat” is just an endless blessing. And actually hearing it is even better.

17. Kim Jung Mi - “Ganadaramabasa”

I know basically nothing about this track except that she’s Korean and this is from 1973. She’s got a real Diana Ross thing going on, and her band has a real Supremes vibe too… but it doesn’t sound like one of their songs.

18. Penny Penny - “Yogo Yogo”

We just got this record recently, and based on this track I wouldn’t’ve necessarily pictured the remarkable-looking guy who actually made this music. This is from the album “Shaka Bundu.” I’m sure it’s been cranked up and sent through some great house remixes — how could this not be? — but I like how this tempo operates at its own pace. It’s so truly and thoroughly ’80s, very 20th century. In the 21st century this tempo is practically cerebral.

19. Baris Manço - “Binboganin Kizi”

More Anatolian action. It’s really interesting to me how Turkish stuff was always associated with psych music but I didn’t really know how except for the opium thing, and I now understand that it’s in the chord relationships, well, and a lot of the vocal melody and delivery. In that way, Turkish rock pretty much defines what psych music sounds like. Wow. And check out that keyboard solo, so next level!

20. The Velvet Underground - “Countess from Hong Kong”

People are always asking Beatles or Stones and the answer is Velvet Underground. (And the Beatles, and the Stones.) They were just operating along a different balance beam than those other guys — performing different tricks for a different audience. While the Beatles were defining pop music, the VU were destroying it… but then later, they reveal their deep affinity for Western music, even as they never drop in to the blues-centric reading of it. It’s truly punk. I guess they are to punk what the Beatles are to pop — the definition of pop is whatever flows to or from the Beatles; punk is whatever flows to or from the Velvet Underground. Certainly more than any single band in 1976 or 7 or whatever.

21. Bella Bellow - “Denyigban”

The piano phrase that kicks this song off is surprisingly close to the opening of Bound Stems’ “Appreciation Night.” We got that phrase from the demo mode of Radz’s keyboard, and it’s surreal to hear a high-overlap version in a song from Togo. Her voice is so clean in tone and pitch, and what’s strangest to me is that I register the instrumentation in an almost Disney mode — but then realize that’s because Disney will draw on Caribbean and African elements at times as they establish characters and settings. Such an elegant song though!

22. Rail Band - “Mouodilo”

One of the first insights that got us into WBFF was the realization that James Brown had even more fundamental influence on the music of the world than the Beatles did — certainly in Africa. Hearing how his delivery interrelates with so many bands from all across Africa is such a revelation. This track just keeps winding around you til you can’t hardly live without it.

- Asha Bhosle - “Salma Jarir Jhalak”

All I know about this is that it’s in Bangla and it’s from a movie.

23. Unknown - “Chemirocha” - from “Love Is Love”

Several years ago, when African records looked interesting but we literally didn’t know anything about them, we bought a record called Love Is Love, in part because it was a beautiful cover and in part because the music seemed mysterious and full of possibility. Now, when I go to look for it online, I see no sign — I think it’s just a really small pressing from a… pirate group, I guess one could say? But really I think just hardcore music lovers. Anyway, it has this song “Chemirocha” on it, and there’s a story about this song that is really probably just best to link to because it’s so amazing. I guarantee you will find the information in this article worth your read:

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/chemirocha-how-an-american-country-singer-became-a-kenyan-star

24. Sparks - “Do-Re-Mi”

We’ve known about Sparks, but we’re late to a close listen. We’ve been listening a lot in anticipation of — not the band bio pic but “Annette,” the new film by Carax, one of our favorite directors ever. For that matter: make sure to watch “Holy Motors” by Carax. It’s probably best if you watch “Lovers on a Bridge” before that, but if you have to go straight to “Holy Motors,” dive right in. It’s amazing.

Meanwhile: This take on the Mary Poppins classic is TOO MUCH — I can’t stop smiling at the end, when the bells start tolling over the crashing drums and crescendoing vocal waves as their third finale fades away. How can anyone make this song, the very definition of not-rock, rock so fully?

- Mort Garson - “Ode to an African Violet”

25. Bob Reuter’s Alley Ghost - “She Brought Me to the Wire”

I will forever be glad that we not only landed in a city where we could find out about the person and the works of Bob Reuter, but that we got to know and work with him. Bob Reuter was one of the definitions of St. Louis to us, and when he passed, so did some of that city. But also, he left music and photos and stories in Eleven and chapbooks that I truly hope last forever. He was the hard-living romantic that you hope lives in the heart of every hard-luck case… and in his one instance, it was true. Bless your soul, Bob Reuter.

photos by Bob Reuter from The Pageant and El Leñador

[doomedandstoned]

In Conversation with KOMATSU

~By Willem Verhappen~

Photo by Patrick Spruytenburg

For the past decade or so, super massive mothersludgers KOMATSU have been crushing eardrums and bulldozing down venues all around the world. While early releases of the Eindhoven, the Netherlands based band, like their 2011 self-titled EP and 'Manu Armata' (2013 - Suburban Records), display a relentless combination of stonerized sludge that lives up to the band's name, Komatsu always kept evolving and expanding their sound.

Their latest record, 'Rose of Jericho' (2021 - Heavy Psych Records), is on the one hand a natural successor to 2018's 'A New Horizon' (Argonauta Records), but surprisingly also introduces the listener to a more rocking side of the band. I had the chance to sit down with vocalist/guitarist Mo Truijens and guitarist Mathijs Bodt and after some chit-chat, we went to talk about the new record, the impact of the COVID-19 crisis and much more.

KOMATSU - Rose Of Jericho by HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS Records

Last year, I was in contact with your bass-player, Martijn Mansvelders, and he told me you were impacted pretty bad by the corona measures.

Mathijs: Indeed. Our entire planning basically went down the drain. It started with the last bits of our recording process. We started recording during Carnaval [the end of February] at the Anker Studio in Eindhoven with Peter van Elderen (TankZilla, formerly of Peter Pan Speedrock). Things went very well and we were just at the point where we could start recording the vocals when COVID hit. Usually, there's always one of us present to oversee the process, but that wasn't allowed. After that you get into the mixing process, where usually the entire band is involved and in the studio. As you can imagine, that didn't go through.

Mo: In this case, it was mostly just me who was there. Also because we still had to do the vocals and the mixing of the vocals.

Mathijs: Right, and we got the mix-downs sent to us after which we had to write down and send in our comments. That took a bit longer than expected, but it worked out nice.But like you said, we had planned to release the record during the summer, do a Brazilian tour in September, followed by a release show, here in Eindhoven at the Effenaar. After that we were going to do a two-week tour through Europe. Initially the release show was planned for October 15th, but that got postponed until January, then early February, then the end of February, then the 12th of June, but thanks to the test events we can finally present our record, which was released in February, on the 25th of April.

Mo: What's nice is that this is certain. We don't know whether we'd be allowed to play on June 12th, but April 25th is certain. We found that we couldn't keep on postponing the date, so we decided that if we couldn't play then, there wouldn't be a release show. You can imagine that we're in a rush now with rehearsals, because we were thinking "soon", but now it's happening "very soon".

Mathijs: You have a point there. You're saying we rehearsed a bit, but we couldn't rehearse in our own rehearsal room. Even with the 1.5 meter distance and a face-mask, we weren't allowed to be in there with four people. I believe we've only had 6 rehearsals.

Mo: The good thing is that we're allowed to rehearse now, because currently we're a performing act. I've checked it with the authorities and it's allowed.

You already mentioned that Peter van Elderen produced the record. What was his influence on the process?

Mo: He has a good view on songs and regarding the vocals, while I had rough ideas, he really helped me improve them. He was a great help.

Mathijs: Of course we also have quite a history with Peter. Mo and Peter used to play in Repomen together and I used to be a roadie for Peter Pan. We know him through things like PopEI, Speedfest, Peter Pan, Repomen.

Mo: The circle is complete, so to say. And Pieter [Kloos] eventually did the mastering. It doesn't get more Eindhoven than that.

Mathijs: We recorded the previous two records with Pieter. That worked out great, but for this one, we wanted to try something different. Not because it didn't work out with Pieter, but we just wanted to try something different this time. Peter was heavily involved from the start and he joined our rehearsals and such. We recorded the record in just over a day and a half. Everything is live, with some guitar overdubs added afterwards.

Mo: We finished those overdubs just before the lock-down started, so all the music was recorded.

Mathijs: I think we spent three, three and a half days on the music, so that was a relatively quick process.

The album title, 'Rose of Jericho' (2021), is a symbol of resurrection. I can imagine that relates directly to your new sound.

Mo: Yes, there is certainly more variation and dynamics on the record.

Mathijs: The rose of Jericho, or resurrection plant, is a plant that can go without water for ten, fifteen years. When it receives water it pops back up as a flower. That concept really spoke to us, and that's why the instrumental title track has a bit of a western feel to it.

Mo: We really went for the desert atmosphere on that one. You can almost see the tumbleweed pass by during the intro. The track was originally meant to be called "Tumbleweed," but then I found out that Candybar Planet already has a song called "Tumbleweed." I still liked the desert idea, and eventually we renamed the track "Rose of Jericho."

Can we expect anything special for the release show?

Mo: We'll be playing all the tracks of the record live. In the past that wasn't always the case. I think a lot of these tracks will remain in our set. Of course we will revise our set when we're playing a real metal festival. We'll probably be playing more of our old stuff then, although the roughness is still there in the new tracks.

Mathijs: At some point you're starting to weigh your choices while writing songs. We want to be able to play them live, because we're still first and foremost a live band. That's where we really shine. This was also a period of reflection and we figured that we had fifty tracks on four records. You start listening to them in a different way and you come to the conclusion that we already have so many hard songs.

Mo: Martijn often says things like "This is a quiet song," but a quiet Komatsu song is still far from a quiet song.

Mathijs: We didn't plan on changing our style. It came together in quite an organic way, as a result of playing live, rehearsing and recording. The COVID period was also quite interesting in that regard, because Mo and I never stopped writing music, and we're currently at the point where we could start arranging songs for the next record.

'Rose of Jericho' is your first record on Heavy Psych Sounds. How did that collaboration come about?

Mo: Gabriele [Fiori] arranged a couple of tours for us, like the ones with Nick Oliveri and Duel.

Mathijs: The first tour after I joined the band was the one with Mondo Generator and he arranged the one with the Freeks, featuring Ruben Romano of Nebula and Fu Manchu. So we were already in contact and at some point we just called him.

Mo: Yeah, that was for the previous record, but for that one we ended up at Argonauta. Now we all just said, let's just do it.

Mathijs: It's really cool to be part of a roster like that, to be part of such a stoner family. Gabriele, one of the two people running HPS, also plays in Black Rainbows and to see how involved in the scene he is and what he does for the scene, to be a part of that is just amazing. We already had the connection through the stages we shared and the tours he arranged for us and this is just the next step. It's not the most logical step, but try and find a label where we perfectly fit in with our distinctive sound.

Mo: When we write music, we don't try to fit in the stoner, the metal, or whatever group. We just make the music we like. We don't have any rules from ourselves, telling us what we can and can't do.

Mathijs: In the end we just make the music the four band members like to make.

Photo by Patrick Spruytenburg

About that, what are your main influences?

Mo: The Melvins is a favorite of mine, especially their quirkiness. Of course there's a lot of stoner bands, but my roots are within 80's hardcore punk music. Due to the whole COVID thing I started collecting records again. I bought a new record player and now I'm searching Discogs for vinyl of records I used to love and used to have on cassette.

Mathijs: I think that I'm the biggest metalhead in the band. You [Mo] are the punk rocker, Martijn is the new-waver, even though he's also into old school hip-hop, and Jos [Roosen, drums]is a Tool fan and he used to play in Dreadlock Pussy. He and I went to the 25th anniversary show of Machine Head's 'Burn My Eyes' together. He's into that as well. He's also really into metal, but also bands like Helmet. I have quite a broad taste. I'm really into Cannibal Corpse, but I also like the Melvins. I actually met Mo at a Melvins show and a week later I got a call on whether I would like to join his band. The Black Sabbath influence is also clearly present on Rose of Jericho. That first riff is basically a Sabbath riff.

Mo: Sabbath is the mother of all metal bands. I saw Blue Cheer live at Roadburn once. It's slightly different, but from the same period, I think. Absolutely brilliant. They did an interview for the Top-2000 once, where they were still living in a house together, blowing and making music.

Mathijs: I also really like those genre-crossing bands, like High on Fire. They're metal, but also have stoner elements, together with some psych and some rock.

Mo: When I used to play in punk bands, there were set rules, but now I can do whatever I like.

Last question, did you guys discover any new music you're really into?

Mo: Absolutely, they've been around for a while already, but I recently discovered Helms Alee. They're a man and two women and they all sing. When they sing together it's just amazing. Mathijs also got me into Made Out of Babies, featuring Julie Christmas. I'm usually not a fan of female singers, but this is something else.

Mathijs: Yeah, I showed you the record she did with Cult of Luna. That's such an amazing record. Recently I've been listening a lot to a Finnish band called Oranssi Pazuzu, especially their latest record 'Mestarin kynsi'. There are so many different elements in there, it's really cool.

Mo: Recently I bought two Floor records. They've got three records, one that sounds like shit and two that are amazing. I got those on vinyl.

Mathijs: I'm also looking forward to the new Mastodon record. They made a record with the guy who produced the best Tool records and they say it will be far more sludgey, slow and doomy than their previous works.

The curfew is rapidly approaching, so I think it's time to wrap up. Thank you for this interview.

Mo: Thank you and see you later. Maybe later tonight in prison if we don't hurry up.

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[phlaimeaux]

Hello!

I mentioned this on the ISOLATING podcast today.

Here is a six round quiz you can do with your friends/family/frenemies in person or over the internet/WhatApp. The questions are mostly from the amazing Louise O’Connor and I wrote some of the less good ones. Please go on Twitter and say thanks to her. She’s @oconnola.

You can use this quiz but the only rule is that you have make a donation to a charity that is helping vulnerable people at this time. In Ireland, good ones are Alone or Age Action. Please find a similar one in your country/area. And if you could ask the people who are playing with you to do likewise.

It’s one point for a correct answer plus a bonus of two if you can get the link that ties each round together, so the whole quiz is out of 72 points. Sometimes it’s easier to figure out the link and work backwards to get the questions.

The way I did it with my family was to use the main O’Doherty family WhatsApp. There are forty people across three time zones on that. I told them we’d be having a quiz at 8pm Irish time and to form teams and nominate a captain. In the end there were six teams and they could converse with the rest of their team across video platforms. At 8pm I cut and pasted the questions from round one up on the WhatsApp and gave them 10 (more like 15mins really) for the team captains to get the answers back to me directly . Then we moved on to round two. There was a threat of excommunication from the family if anyone cheated.

I corrected them and my Dad did the scores while they were deliberating on the next round and it was one of the most fun nights of the pandemic so far!

Good luck with it and let’s all just keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Let me know how it goes.

DO’D

ROUND ONE

1. Brazilian forward and politician Bebeto played for which northern Spanish club for four years in the 1990s?

2. What is the currency of Sweden?

3. Name the transparent front part of the eye that covers the iris, pupil, and anterior chamber, and provides most the eye’s focusing power.

4. What is the scientific name for the family of birds that includes jackdaws, rooks, ravens and magpies amongst others?

5. What number appears directly opposite 1 on a standard dartboard?

6. What is the Internet country code top-level domain for Colombia?

7. In anatomy, by what name is the crown on the top of the head also known?

8. Which song on The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan features a woman’s name twice?

9. Which brand regrettably launched its hard seltzer line in the USA in early 2020 with the tagline "coming ashore soon"?

10. Who is the lead singer of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs?

ROUND TWO

1. According to singer Edwin Starr, what is good for absolutely nothing?

2. The Pub Landlord comedy character is played by whom?

3. A rock group, record label or film not belonging or affiliated to a major record or film company is known by what name?

4. ‘______snipe,’ is originally Wall Street slang for ‘streetcorner broker.’

5. Which 2020 Democratic presidential candidate was the mayor of South Bend, Indiana?

6. What was Spike Lee’s film about murderer David Berkowitz?

7. Which international football team played with the letters CCCP on their shirts?

8. What was Lewis Carroll’s sequel to Alice in Wonderland?

9. In Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, what is the name of the Imperial troop transporter/combat vehicles that defend the ice planet Hoth?

10. French duo Air had a hit with ‘Kellie Watch ___ _____’ in 1998?

ROUND THREE

1. Ursula Andress appeared as Honey Ryder in which James Bond film?

2. After Romeo and Juliet, which character has the third most lines in the eponymous play? We never actually learn this person’s given name.

3. What 1994 Robert Altman film was shot on location during Paris Fashion Week?

4. Otto Octavius is the real name of which myopic enemy of Spider-Man?

5. Louise Fletcher won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of which character, the antagonist of a character played by Jack Nicholson?

6. An 1886 book by Robert Louis Stevenson investigates the dual lives of which two title characters?

7. What does assassin Leon call his work in the movie ‘Leon’?

8. What genre of song was first published in Tommy Thumb's Song Book, published in the 1740s? Subject material includes the destruction of a major thoroughfare in the English capital, an expedited order of a very special cake, and the threat of a tragic arboreal accident?

9. The term PhD is an abbreviation of which academic title?

10. Jackie, played on TV by Edie Falco, and Betty, played on screen by Renée Zellweger, both share what job in the title of their show and movie respectively?

ROUND 4

1. How are Athos, Porthos and Aramis better known?

2. Which 1991 film stars Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze?

3. How many countries of the world begin with the letter O (in English)?

4. As of 2020, how many times have Manchester City won the premier league?

5. On a typical dart board, which number is directly to the right of the number twenty?

6. How many claws does a rabbit have on its foreleg?

7. In Greek mythology, how many Muses are there? They are the daughters of Zeus.

8. Does a vein carry blood to or from the heart?

9. How many players are typically on a volleyball team?

10. How many countries are permanent members of the UN security council? They are also the only countries with a veto.

ROUND 5

1. What denotes the letter C in the NATO alphabet?

2. What is the surname of the central family in the sitcom Keeping Up Appearances?

3. A 'black light' emits what kind of light?

4. Which Louisiana general led the Confederate troops at the Battle of Shiloh in 1862 during the American Civil War?

5. Which rock group sang the 1988 number 2 hit, The Living Years?

6. What was first broadcast on August 1st 1981?

7. Which Roman emperor succeeded Julius Caesar?

8. What five letter word, beginning with G, refers to sloppy or sticky semi-fluid matter?

9. A Plantar wart is most commonly known as what?

10. Which (US) city hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics?

ROUND SIX

1. Which long running BBC music show is hosted by Jools Holland?

2. Which Shakespeare comedy features the characters Benedick and Beatrice?

3. Complete the title of this Duke Ellington song: ‘East St Louis ______ ____’ 

4. What breed of dog is or was a pet kept by, amongst others, Elvis Presley, Martha Stewart, President Calvin Coolidge and Sigmund Freud?

5. What is the chemical symbol for the element copper?

6. The sitcom Frasier was itself a spin-off of which sitcom? I hope everybody knows its name.

7. Which cereal, marketed in the UK and Ireland by Nestlé, features the cereal in question falling into a bowl with blue, red, yellow and green stripes?

8. Which condiment is made mainly of mayonnaise and finely chopped capers?

9. Constantinople was the capital of which empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, until it fell to the Ottoman Turks in 1453?

10. Which Australian musician’s singles include Chandelier and Cheap Thrills?

ANSWERS

Round ONE

1. Derportivo La Coruna

2. Krona

3. Cornea

4. Corvids or Corvidae

5. 19

6. Co

7. The corona

8. Corrina Corrina

9. Corona

10. Karen O

Theme: Coronavirus

Round TWO

1. War

2. Al Murray

3. Indie

4. Guttersnipe

5. Pete Buttigieg

6. Summer of Sam

7. USSR

8. Through the Looking Glass

9. AT-AT

10. The stars

Theme: Oscar Wilde Quote. ‘We are all in the gutter but some of us are looking at the stars.’

Round THREE

1. Dr No

2. Nurse

3. Pret a Porter

4. Dr Octopus

5. Nurse Ratched

6. Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

7. Cleaner

8. Nursery Rhymes

9. Doctor of Philosopy

10. Nurse

Theme: Heroic front line workers at this time

Round FOUR

1. Three Muskateers

2. Point Break

3. One

4. Four

5. One

6. Five

7. Nine

8. To

9. Six

10. Five

Theme: Pi

ROUND FIVE

1. Charlie

2. Bucket

3. Violet

4. Beauregarde

5. Mike

6. Teavee

7. Augustus

8. Gloop

9. Veruca

10. Salt

Children in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory/Willie Wonka

ROUND SIX

1. Later

2. Much Ado About Nothing

3. Toodle-oo

4. Chow

5. Cu

6. Cheers

7. Cheerios

8. Tartar

9. Byzantine

10. Sia

Theme: Ways of saying goodbye.

[sambaislife]

Ten Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Brazilian Music, and the Singers That Made Them Possible

It sounds casual and subtle upon first hearing, but when you really listen, Brazilian music is ingenious, complex and all around great. It borrows from national and regional traditions, and incorporates local, European and African elements. The music has assimilated jazz, rock, reggae, metal, hip-hop, and electronic dance music. While it is difficult to fully educate one about Brazilian music, here are 10 facts to get you started.

1. The choro is a style of music considered to be grandfather of the bossa nova. 

This musical style was first played in Rio de Janeiro during the 1800s, adapting folk traditions like the jabanera of Cuba and the mazurka of Poland. The instruments in a choro band are flute, cavaquinho, a stringed instrument, guitar, and hand percussion. The music is an intricate counterpoint.

Pixinguina (above) is considered the Scott Joplin of Brazil. He composed many choros, one which is called “Carinhosa,” in 1928.

2. Carmen Miranda, superstar of samba, was nicknamed “The Brazilian Bombshell”.

Miranda was a singer born in Portugal and raised in Rio. She dressed like Bahian street vendors and became an international symbol of Brazil. She was a charismatic, funny, and expressive artist, also known as “the lady with the Tutti Frutti hat”.

3. Baiao is a style of music from the Northeast of Brazil.

This style of music incorporates accordion and triangle, has a peppy beat, and is based on a syncopated rhythm in a duple meter. The zabumba -- a bass drum played with a mallet and a hand -- is also used. One of the most famous baiaos is “Asa Branca” by Luiz Ganzaga (1947.) The song talks about a dove who is the last bird to leave during the droughts.

4. Joao Gilberto is one of patriarchs of bossa nova. 

Gilberto was the person who set the dimensions of the bossa nova. He had a style and a voice and the ability to play the guitar like no one else. Without him,  “The Girl from Ipanema” would never have been as successful. His gentle voice and guitar catapulted the song to international fame.

Brazil’s best-known form of music is the samba, the drum-heavy, rhythmically intricate and danceable genre that is reminiscent of Carnival. But, according to one source, in 1955, when João Gilberto locked himself in the bathroom of his sister’s house and began quietly playing samba beats on his nylon string guitar, another national music was born: bossa nova, or "new style." With that Gilberto co-founded (with Jobim) this new sophisticated sound. By the mid-1960s, with a military dictatorship  in Brazil, authorities became tough on bossa nova. But Gilberto had moved to the United States, where he lived until 1980, and his unique musical style influenced a generation of musicians in the U.S. and abroad. Gilbert died on July 6, 2019 in Rio de Janeiro at the age of 88.

5. Antonio Carlos Jobim is the true father of the Bossa nova.

The bossa nova beat is a microcosm of the samba, and the melodies contain sophisticated jazz harmonies. The tune “A Felicidade” (1950) contemplated happiness. It says “Tristeza nao tem fim/Felicidade sim,” which translates to “Sadness has no end/Happiness does.” 

6. Caetano Velosa was a rebel who ended up in jail for his beliefs.

Velosa sang “Tropicalia” (1968) and is one of the representatives of a musical upheaval that infused music with rock and also brought modern criticism of the government into the lyrics. This alarmed the military dictatorship, and he was sent to prison along with another great hero, Gilberto Gil. They were later exiled to London. 

7. Milton Nascimento has incredible range.

Nascimento’s voice could range from a baritone to a falsetto, and he had lyrics which reflected the reverence for nature, for tradition, for ordinary people, and for justice. This song pays tribute to the strength of Latin American women. "Maria Maria” became an anthem across Brazil.

8. Jorge Aragao is one of the fathers of samba.

He was born March 1, 1949 in Rio, and he is a singer-songwriter. He sings samba and pagoda, a sub-genre of samba. He plays the guitar, surdo, cavaco, and banjo, among other instruments. In performance, he usually plays the cavaquino -- a stringed instrument -- most of the show, and sometimes the banjo. In this selection, “Enredo do meu samba,” he is singing with the wonderful diva, Alcione.

9. Trio de Paz is one of the most popular bands in Brazil.

The modern day has seen Brazilian jazz diversify and change since “The Girl from Ipanema”, in 1964. This is one of the leading ensembles, with guitarist Romero Lubambo, bassist Nilson Matta, and drummer Daduka Da Fonseca. Lumambo was featured at the Montclair Jazz Festival in 2019. One of their songs is “Black Orpheus.” They are in demand in Brazil and around the world.

10. Ivan Lins is the master of MPB.

MBP, or popular Brazilian music, incorporates samba, bossa nova, jazz, and traditional Brazilian music. Lins has been performing and composing for over 30 years. People call him the musician’s musician, as he is highly regarded when performing in small jazz clubs which many jazz musicians attend. He has had his songs sung by Chaka Khan, Brenda Russell, Patti Austin, and others. Sting sang his song “She Walks This Earth” (Soberana Rosa) which won a grammy.

Another great song of his is “Madalena.” 

He is the one I fell in love with in my visit to South America, and he was recently on tour all over the world with a big orchestra. Here is a new song he played there, “Passage to Brazil.” He had to cut his world tour short due to the pandemic. But I am sure he will be back!

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

So, in Brazilian politics and arts news, this is Dante Mantovani, orchestra conductor who is now the new president of the National Arts Foundation.

Here are some things he has said:

"There is a whole infiltration of intelligence services within the US recording industry that if we don't take into account, we will understand nothing. The Soviet Union sent undercover agents to the United States to conduct experiments with certain recordings made for children. These agents would infiltrate and continuously change, inserting certain elements to do social engineering with children.”. He cites Elvis Presley as an example.

"Woodstock was that 60's festival that brought a lot of people together, the hippies taking drugs, LSD, even there is some evidence that the large-scale distribution of LSD was done by the CIA. What do you mean, by the CIA? There were agents of the Soviet Union infiltrated there." The goal would be to destroy the family model, which would the basis of capitalism.

The Beatles “put in practice ideas of the Frankfurt School” (marxist philosophical school).

"Rock music activates drugs, that activate sex, that then activates the abortion industry. The abortion industry in turn fuels a much heavier thing, which is Satanism. John Lennon himself said he made a deal with the Devil."

Also, he cites in his academic essays the ideologue Olavo de Carvalho - the ideological guru of this government, who claims communism has taken over the artistic industry (”cultural marxism”) and that marxist philosopher Theodore Frankfurt wrote Beatles songs himself (among many other stories). Mantovani has also produced an amateur short film named “God above everyone”, narrating Brazil’s 2018 presidential elections, narrating dramatically president Jair Bolsonaro’s ascension and his followers’ faith (the title is part of president Bolsonaro’s motto - “Brazil above everything, God above everyone”).

[onestowatch]

Why Virtual Reality May Be Our New Reality | Music and Its Digital Past, Present, and Future

Pre-quarantine predictions about the music industry painted a picture of one its best years yet. Such predictions were overflowing with promising new releases, sold out tours, and unique marriages of music and technology just beyond horizon. While coronavirus has shifted many a release schedule and left tours and festivals in a state of indefinite hiatus, alliances between music and technology remain increasingly vital, both in the name of technological progress, and, more recently, as a supplement to the live experience industry inhibited by the ongoing pandemic. 

Discussions of technology in relation to music range from video games to virtual reality. Travis Scott and Marshmello both held concerts in Fortnite, Paul McCartney had a hand in the Destiny soundtrack, and Ariana Grande had both a song and a playable character in Final Fantasy Brave Exvius. Billie Eilish, Panic! At The Disco, Imagine Dragons and many others have also made their concerts available to stream in virtual reality. But there is another game changing intersection between the music and digital world that challenges not only how we experience music, but also how music is created. It’s called the vocaloid.

Early versions of software designed to synthesize human speech have existed since the late 1930s. Fast forward about two decades, the earliest form of synthesized singing had arrived. The IBM 7094, installed in 1962, was the first “computer to sing,” singing a song called “Daisy Bell” by Harry Dacre (the technological advancement would go on to inspire a similar scene in Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 sci-fi epic, 2001: A Space Odyssey). Since then, vocal synthesis has come a long way, and has also been marked by a different name. 

The year was 2000. The place was Barcelona, Spain. Hideki Kenmochi developed the vocaloid, a voice synthesis software short for vocal android, which was designed to emulate singing. Commercially adapted by Yamaha and distributed by Crytpon Future Media in 2004, the company launched the first Vocaloid and initially called it “Daisy,” after IBM 7094, but due to copyright issues, settled on “Vocaloid 1.” This is where the game changing begins.

Using this first iteration of the software, Yamaha created Meiko, an animated persona designed to serve as the face to the sampled voice of singer Meiko Haigō, with both English and Japanese vocals. Meiko was followed by the release of Kaito, a male vocaloid, two years later. As time went on, the software became increasingly realistic. 

In 2007, Yamaha launched Vocaloid 2, which Crypton Future Media used to bring us Hatsune Miku, a vocaloid persona that quickly went from software to stardom. With long turquoise hair and a heavily anime-inspired look, Miku was sampled from voice actress Saki Fujita, and her Japanese name fittingly translates to “the first sound of the future.”

Hatsune Miku is the first vocaloid to top the charts, has been involved in countless advertisement campaigns, such as those with Google Chrome, Toyota and Louis Vuitton, and opened for Lady Gaga’s ArtPop Tour in 2014. And if it were not for COVID-19, 2020 would have seen her make her Coachella debut. Though other vocaloids have since been created, none have reached the full cultural immersion achieved by Hatsune Miku. Hatsune Miku is now not only the face of vocaloid but also one of Japan’s most recognizable pop stars. Though Miku’s virtual existence isn’t palpable, her real-life fandom and influence certainly are. So much so that in 2018, Akihiko Kondo formally “married” the vocaloid, making for the ultimate ultramodern love story.

But it doesn’t stop there. In 2016, a transmedia startup co-founded by Trevor McFedries called Brud created Miquela Sousa, the first computer-generated social media influencer, programmed as a half-Brazilian, half-Spanish bisexual 19-year-old from LA. With 2.4 million Instagram followers, the mysteriously charming avatar is an ideal fit for advertisers. Miquela did an Instagram takeover for Prada and a Calvin Klein ad with Bella Hadid, in which Hadid, too, was animated, prompting a fascinating elusiveness. 

Miquela is also openly progressive, showing support for Black Lives Matter and other movements. Her creators have noted their intention to help promote social justice through their pioneering of virtual personalities–and talented ones, at that. Miquela is not only an influencer with multiple brand partnerships but also a musician who has collaborated with Lauv and Baauer and is now signed to CAA.

McFedries, Miquela’s manager and one of her creators, is not new to the music industry, having been a DJ, radio show host, director and manager himself. He also created two other virtual personas, Blawko and Bermuda, who are friends with Miquela and whose frequent dramas are created and conveyed through their social media and Youtube vlogs, like a relatable, sympathy-inducing reality show. The three unique virtual influencers portray an obvious self-awareness that they are not human, addressing themselves as robots. Despite not having a true pulse, the self-awareness of these bots certainly shows they have a pulse for the culture, for humor and for connection. So much so that Miquela was listed as one of Time Magazine’s “Most Influential People on the Internet” in 2018, alongside Rihanna and, unfortunately, President Trump.

The creation of both Hatsune Miku and Miquela sparked a paradigm shift in the role of technology in music, an intersection that will lay the foundation for the potential digital future. But this article taps only the tip of the iceberg. From self-driving cars to self-writing songs, the potentially unpredictable nature of innovation sparks anxiety in some and optimism in others.  

Unlocking new worlds of music technology can equip new levels of human creativity. But some may wonder, where the line is drawn when humans are not the only ones making art? Technology is meant to be a resource for the artist, not a replacement. On the other hand, who is to say an artificial collaborator is not a tool? Who is to say the creators and drivers of these vocaloids or virtual artists are not artists themselves? 

Perhaps the increased role of technology will bring a heightened appreciation for the human elements. Perhaps all this live streaming via social media will create a heightened appreciation for the physically live experience while also giving us new tools to reach people around the world. Similarly, while vocaloid hologram performances allow us to experience music in a new way, perhaps this will reinforce an appreciation for the live, human performer.

Fear is an inevitable part of progress, as people before us feared the advent of trains, television, and the internet. Technological progress does not exist in a vacuum, as we have witnessed its challenges but also its immense rewards. Ultimately, we are veterans in experiencing the result of groundbreaking technologies sewing their way into our everyday lives, and adapting accordingly. As technology expands exponentially, we are still only at the cusp. (If you don’t believe me, just google the quantum computer IBM has sitting in their refrigerated basement).

Though the future can be daunting, it is also exciting. Having Miquela in a Calvin Klein ad in which Bella Hadid, a familiar face, was also animated is like opening a portal between the virtual and real world (like the princess in Enchanted jumping out of the sewer, morphing from cartoon to human). Bonding with artificial characters is not new. But this portal allows virtual influencers to become a notable real part of our reality as they themselves claim to be part of it, whether via music, fashion or fandom (or marriage, in the case of Miku’s now supposed husband, Akihiko Kondo).

The newest Miku update is Vocaloid 5, launched in 2018 and now more adaptable across formats and also available in Chinese, Spanish and Korean. As she shared on her instagram, Miquela dropped two singles this year and is still seeing her friends Blawko and Bermuda.

With coronavirus still very much a reality, the longing for a return to normal is absolutely understandable; however, with so much of our world changing, our world may never return to its pre-pandemic state. Instead, it is likely to return to a new normal, in which live streaming and virtual reality are not supplements for the live experience but directly part of it. Whether virtual musicians like Hatsune Miku or Miquela are a momentary fascination of our present or a glimpse into a very real future, one thing remains certain. Our potential digital future is much closer than we think. 

[x--daughters-of-darkness--x]

Liv Kristine interview for Headbanger's Land

Liv Kristine is a Norwegian soprano singer and songwriter. Former singer of the Norwegian Gothic Metal band Theater of Tragedy, also former singer of the German-Norwegian band Leaves' Eyes. She is currently part of the bands Coldbound and Mindnattsol, in addition to releasing solo albums since 1998.

HL - Liv, first I want to thank you for this interview. I have been following her work for many years, it is a great honor for me.

- You are a pioneer of this “Beauty and the Beast” style that many other bands started to use, what do you think of that?

Liv Kristine: I thank you for your compliment, Antônio. I grew up with metal, my parents being really young when I was born in 1976. I have been listening to Black Sabbath since I entered this planet. Metal was, so to speak, in my bottle. Back in the early 90s I got to know Raymond and a couple of his friends. We formed a band and started composing music together that was given the name Theatre of Tragedy. Ray and I were students of English at the university of Stavanger, Norway, and brought our passion for Shakespeare, Poe and Emerson into the lyrics in the form of poems. There was so much passion in our music, we just loved what we were creating and actually didn’t care much about the reactions of the rest of the world. Then the rest of the world became aware of our art and it was called "The beauty and the beast“ style. I am really grateful for everything that our fans, friends and followers have and still are giving us. It is a true honour for me and my band to be called a pioneer.

HL - You recently toured with Raymond István Rohonyi, how was it for you to sing with him again? Is there a possibility of a Theater Of Tragedy meeting?

Liv Kristine: It was such an amazing tour back then in 2015. I was so happy to share stage with Ray again. Every time I am at home in Stavanger I meet with some of the ToT guys for a few beers and even rehearsals, however, Raymond hasn’t been joining in so far. I really don’t know if there will ever be a reunion. Some of us, however, would really love to make music and be back on stage again.

HL - How do you analyze the evolution of your solo albums, and for you, what is the biggest difference of the "Skylight" for others?

Liv Kristine: Every solo album represents a chapter in my life. Every release has a very important message. Sometimes when I am looking back on my albums the lyrics scare me a bit. It’s like looking into the mirror. It’s very personal and direct. Every lyric and every tone is written and sung in a very personal way. It all comes from the heart and is based on life experience.My EP "Have Courage Dear Heart“ was released in April. It is categorised as an EP, but actually it’s a whole album of music. It contains 5 new studio songs and 5 live recordings from my special annual concert in Nagold, Germany, 2019. It’s my first time on vinyl ever! It is really personally connected. And the message is tattooed on by body: Have the courage to open up your heart to breathe freely and deeply again, to love again, to love yourself and be good to yourself, to heal and to practice compassion in your response to the world, even if there is suffering on your way. I embrace Buddhism, saying that we have to accept that there is suffering in life, however, we must go within and face our fears, then look for the cause. Then there will be relief and balance. And silence.

HL - You have made several special partitions throughout your career, one of them is in the Myrkgand of the Brazilian Dmitry Luna, talk a little more about this participation

Liv Kristine: Dmitry is a great composer and I like the contrasting elements and emotions in his songs. There’s a fine balance between tragedy and grand, open moments. We even have common friends, one of them being Tommy Lindal - the first guitar player of Theatre of Tragedy, who also lived in Bali for many years. When Dmitry asked me to have a listen to one of his compositions I immediately knew what to sing and how.

HL - Liv, your part in the song "Nymphetamine (Fix)" (2004) by Cradle of Filth is very striking, maybe this is the most popular song from one of the biggest bands of Black / Gothic Metal, what are your memories of that era ? Did you go back to make a partition on the track “Vengeful Spirit” from the album “Cryptoriana” (2017), how is your relationship with Dani Filth?

Liv Kristine: I have to say that „Nymphetamine“ is a masterpiece. Dani told me back in 2004 that he really wanted that soft „honey voice“ as he called it. As I heard the track I just knew we would create a perfect frequency for this song. In 2017 Dani contacted me again and I was really happy to reconnect. We had some really good times together in London’s Dungeons in 2004, shooting the clip for "Nymphetamine“. It was really dark and muddy, but the clip is amazing and I had a good laugh with Dani and the guys in-between the takes.

HL - How was it to perform with Eluveitie at Wacken in 2016?

Liv Kristine: I really am happy to have been part of that. Somehow, however, the songs I performed on turned into longer versions on stage and I had to be creative, filling in. I don’t think the audience ever noticed, really.

HL - Still on the participations, if you could choose a band to make a participation, which would it be?

Liv Kristine: I can’t decide, really…Kate Bush, Ozzy, Voyager, Oceans of Slumber, Sting.

HL - Liv, are there any Brazilian bands that you listen to frequently?

Liv Kristine: Vênus, every now and then, which is really old-school but authentic, in my opinion. I love the cracking of the vinyl spinning.

HL - Tell me how the invitation to join Coldbound came about

Liv Kristine: I got involved with Coldbound in 2020, over a years ago. Pauli, who is a really good friend of my fiancé, Michael (Allegro Talent Music), sent him that one track, asking if I might consider being a duet part of it. I have to say that I was impressed, instantly. I felt like travelling back in the times of Theatre of Tragedy. Pauli let me re-write the lyrics to fit my melody lines and as my vocals were finished in the studio, I told Michael and Pauli that it feels like singing on a song that was made for me. It’s such a beautiful and powerful composition and I kept thinking "what if Pauli’s got more of that brilliant music“…Pauli must have sensed it as he asked me to join Coldbound later that year, which I did, feeling really safe and free with my decision. Meiju and Pauli are like a family, a soul family, a very rare connection in my life.

HL - “Slumber Of Decay” is one of the songs that I've heard the most in the last few weeks, it's really cool! What can we expect from the band's new work?

Liv Kristine: I thank you. Concerning our future musical releases, we have a double album at the moment and we are working very intensively on balancing everything, creating a beautiful story to be told, wrapped in in beautiful tones and a unique musical sphere. "Slumber of Decay“ was released in February, and we are thinking to release another single, maybe. The album will be released when all recordings have been done. Some of my vocals are missing still and the process slowed down due to the pandemic situation. I actually should have recorded my vocals in Sweden last year.

HL - You joined Midnattsol where you sing along with your sister Carmen Elise, how was that experience for you?

Liv Kristine: Absolutely wonderful and very important for me, especially after what happened to my former band. I thank my beautiful sister, Carmen, and all the guys of Midnattsol for the album we did together.

HL - Liv, I want to thank you again for this interview, it is a great honor for me, leave a comment for Headbanger's Land fans and followers. Hugs and success

Liv Kristine: I thank you for everything. Please be safe and hope to visit Brazil some day soon. It’s such a beautiful country and I am so grateful for all your support and patience.