A lively band of musicians entertain passers-by at a Paris metro station. It's unusual to find such a large group of musicians performing inside a metro station - typically you might see a lone violinist or perhaps a string trio.
Ben Harper's A Better Way honouring Sen. Barack Obama. Even the U.S. press pundits who deliberately have spun the race - to create news where none existed - now believe Sen. Obama will be the Democratic presidential nominee. "And no one is going to dispute it." The math doesn't lie.
A trio of 19th-century globes at the 76th Foire Nationale aux Antiquites, a la Brocante et aux Jambons, underway from 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. through Sunday at Ile de Chatou. If you get a chance to go, don't miss it! Tickets are available at the gate.
Today at La Poste, was sending something to Georgia and the clerk next to me overheard and started singing "Georgia." Then these two postal clerks wanted to know who'd made the song famous, so we talked about Ray Charles - all of it in French. Small world, eh? I'd hoped to have the opportunity to post more brocante photos and catch up with other blogs today, but no such luck. Am busy racing around Paris, being tour guide and will be at the brocante again Saturday. Will catch up with all of you soon! Bon weekend, as the French say.
Volunteers are all fired up in Texas, using their skills, time and considerable energy to campaign for Sen. Barack Obama. Whether or not you're interested in politics, you have to give these Texans credit for enthusiasm! On Tuesday, March 4, registered voters in Texas and Ohio will vote in presidential primaries. A record number of absentee ballots already have been cast in the Lone Star state.
"...In the unlikely story that is America, there's never been anything false about hope."
Traveling around the world, I've had many memorable experiences and discovered treasure, both literally and figuratively. But the greatest treasures are not for sale at any price. For the Writers Island prompt "treasure," a poem inspired by one fateful Ides of March dancing to George Michael's Father Figure.
Something special, something sacred
shines in your eyes.
Nothing can rival that dazzling light;
not gold or precious jewels
or any pirates' bounty;
not a beachhouse on a tropical island
or adventurous holidays.
No stellar career
or diplomatic title
can compare.
All I ever wanted
is in your eyes.
Priceless treasure
found.
Lines 1, 11 and 12 are from "Father Figure." Roses photograph by Tina Modotti, Mexico, 1924, courtesy of the Museum of Modern Art, New York. To uncover buried treasure, visit Writers Island.
String musicians at York, England.
The Nutty Chefs in York manage to create music with pots and pans and kitchen utensils.
Opera singers at York.
This York brass band is composed entirely of railway workers.
A keyboard player at Oxford, England.
A man dipped in lavender paint at York had passersby worried he'd get paint on them.
Star Wars characters at York.
Students dressed as Viking characters entertain children waiting to go into the Jorvik Museum at York.
Photo of a Rock en Seine poster in a Paris metro station. The original poster designed for the event was removed, because of a printing error: Amy Winehouse was spelled "Amy Whinehouse." If you're in the city August 24-26, check out the annual concert at Saint Cloud.
Telecommunications giant AT&T is denying it censored lyrics criticizing George Bush during a Pearl Jam performance, blaming the omission on a technical glitch. On Thursday AT&T spokesman Michael Coe said, "Those lyrics in no way, shape or form, are something that should have been edited." But Pearl Jam has a different take on the matter, as reported on their website:
After concluding our Sunday night show at Lollapalooza, fans informed us that portions of that performance were missing and may have been censored by AT&T during the "Blue Room" Live Lollapalooza Webcast. When asked about the missing performance, AT&T informed Lollapalooza that portions of the show were in fact missing from the webcast, and that their content monitor had made a mistake in cutting them.During the performance of "Daughter" the following lyrics were sung to the tune of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall" but were cut from the webcast:
- "George Bush, leave this world alone." (the second time it was sung) and
- "George Bush find yourself another home."
This, of course, troubles us as artists but also as citizens concerned with the issue of censorship and the increasingly consolidated control of the media. AT&T's actions strike at the heart of the public's concerns over the power that corporations have when it comes to determining what the public sees and hears through communications media.
Aspects of censorship, consolidation, and preferential treatment of the internet are now being debated under the umbrella of "NetNeutrality." Check out The Future of Music or Save the Internet for more information on this issue.
Most telecommunications companies oppose "net neutrality" and argue that the public can trust them not to censor. Even the ex-head of AT&T, CEO Edward Whitacre, whose company sponsored our troubled webcast, stated just last March that fears his company and other big network providers would block traffic on their networks are overblown.
"Any provider that blocks access to content is inviting customers to find another provider." (Marguerite Reardon, Staff Writer, CNET News.com Published: March 21, 2006, 2:23 PM PST).
But what if there is only one provider from which to choose? If a company that is controlling a webcast is cutting out bits of our performance -not based on laws, but on their own preferences and interpretations - fans have little choice but to watch the censored version.
What happened to us this weekend was a wake up call, and it's about something much bigger than the censorship of a rock band.
To see the video of the Pearl Jam performance, go here.
eBay music sellers beware
Remember how Universal had a video of a child dancing to a Prince song taken down from You-Tube, claiming copyright infringement? Now Universal is being sued by an eBay seller is taking on Universal Music after the record industry giant targeted his online music sales with false claims of copyright infringement.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and the San Francisco law firm of Keker & Van Nest LLP are representing Troy Augusto, whose online auctions included sales of promotional CDs distributed by Universal. Augusto does business on eBay under the name Roast Beast Music and specializes in sales of rare and collectible music.
Copyright law's "first sale" doctrine makes it clear that the owner of a CD is entitled to resell it without the permission of the copyright holder. Nevertheless, Universal demanded eBay take down Augusto's auctions, claiming CDs marked as "promotional use only" remain the property of Universal and thus can never be resold.
"When a consumer buys a CD, he gets certain rights, including the right to resell it. Universal is mistaken if it thinks that it can trump these rights simply by putting a label on a CD," said Fred von Lohmann, EFF Senior Intellectual Property Attorney. "Universal is trying to unilaterally rewrite copyright law to the detriment of Augusto's legitimate business and the public. Unless this effort is blocked, it could jeopardize not only sales of used CDs, but also libraries, used bookstores and businesses that rent movies and video games."
In May, Universal filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Augusto. EFF has filed papers in federal court in Los Angeles answering Universal's claims and counter-suing the company for sending bogus "takedown notices" to eBay that resulted in the unwarranted suspension of Augusto's auctions.
Besides pulling the YouTube video because a snippet of a Prince song could be heard in the background, Universal also has made baseless copyright complaints about a video podcast by political blogger Michelle Malkin. Surely Universal has better things to do with its time than chase individuals with baseless copyright infringement charges?
Hooray! Some good news
The day before adjourning for August recess, the Senate unanimously approved S.849, the OPEN Government Act, a bipartisan bill that is the first significant update to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in more than a decade. When Congress returns after is summer recess, a conference will reconcile differences between this bill and similar legislation passed in March by the House of Representatives.
Revelations about the FBI's misuse of a key PATRIOT Act power and other privacy-invasive initiatives clearly demonstrate the importance of government transparency. This law will make it easier for EFF's Freedom of Information Act Litigation for Accountable Government (FLAG) project and other FOIA requesters to keep government accountable to the people.
Solidays, the three-day annual music festival, begins Friday at l'Hippodrome de Longchamp. That's in the Bois du Boulogne, just across the street from our apartment. Yes, one very noisy weekend is ahead! The sound checks are going on as I write this - lots of booming bass.
Performers include Lily Allen, Sum 41, Lauryn Hill, Kaiser Chiefs, Sean Lennon, Yannick Noah, Paolo Nutini, Abd Al Malik, Diam's, Joey Starr, Oxmo Puccino, Superbus, Grand Corps Malade, FFF and Ayo.
Ticket-holders are allowed to camp in specified areas of the Bois for eight euros per person, which covers three days' camping. Tickets may be purchased online or at the entrance gates at Longchamp. Proceeds go to Solidarite Sida. See map below.
Like most cities, Seville has its share of street musicians. These musicians were among those entertaining passersby on the Calle de Sierpes, one of Sevilla´s main shopping streets. The group called Capricio performs at bodas, fiestas, banquets, weddings and other special occasions.
Blues legend BB King celebrated his 81st birthday Saturday in Paris. Photo, the Academy of Achievement,Washington, D.C.
Last night I sang Happy Birthday to BB King - well, along with about 2000 other admirers at the Zenith theatre in Paris. The King was in town as part of his farewell tour and my husband got tickets as a birthday present for another September baby.
To me, BB King is the epitome of the Southern gentleman of a certain generation: hard-working, honest, a good and decent man, despite not always getting a break. And his time on stage reflects his fine character and charm. His powerful music is interspersed with personal stories, exchanges with his band members and the audience. The sheer force of his personality is so strong, the music becomes almost incidental, as a thrilling background to King the man.
King's magic guitar-playing skills are as strong as ever, expertly making his favourite instrument Lucille sing. And his voice is still powerful. His skill as a storyteller draws the audience in, then he rewards his listeners by launching into one of his many stellar hits, such as Ridin' with the King and The Thrill is Gone. Listening to his voice and music, my heart was full.
His touching rendition of the classic You Are My Sunshine brought a tear to my eye. When my daughter was four years old, we often sang that song to each other. And she still has the music box that plays that tune, given to her as solace while I was traveling.
Despite his 14 Grammys, worldwide fame and legendry talents, King has remained true to his Indianaola, Mississippi roots. His good-hearted nature is evident in his pleasant manners. King spent much of the evening thanking the audience with his delightful drawl, "Ya'll have been so nice to us;" introducing and re-introducing his band members and paying tribute to their unique talents. King was accompanied by his family, who flew from the U.S. to celebrate his 81st birthday Saturday.
The Zenith is a nice theatre, except for the strange design of their concrete steps, which has people tripping and falling throughout the evening. Ushers with penlights lead you to your seats - but they've gone ahead to find the seat, leaving one manuevering the double steps - one long wide step topped by a short baby step - in darkness. Perhaps the design was for crowd control; sometimes French logic defies understanding.
King's opening act was an impressive band from Capetown, South Africa, but we never caught their name. By the time we'd gone through security and the slow process of being ushered to our seats, the band's set was well underway.
Photo of blues legend B.B. King by Kevin Westerberg.
This afternoon I was listening to B.B. King and Eric Clapton's wonderful CD Riding with the King, while yet again, baking cookies! That's twice in two weeks. Note to self: Must choose a less-fattening way to diffuse anxiety.
Listening to their Worried World Blues made me wish I had a piano to play the blues - even though I can't imagine where it would fit. The balcony? And I've had a relatively news-free day (for me, anyway), meaning I've only looked at newspapers two or three times and BBC television news once.
In any event, if you like chocolate, you'll like this treat from Allysa Torey's More from Magnolia book of yummy recipes. Perhaps you've sampled the cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery in New York? Enough said!
Chocolate chocolate chip drop cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch process cocoa
One-half teaspoon baking powder
One-fourth teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
5 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening
1 cup sugar plus 1 tablespoon (for sprinkling over cookies)
1 large egg at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
One-half cup miniature semisweet chocolate pieces
In a small bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream better, shortening and sugar until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat well. Add the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Stir in the chocolate chips. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving several inches between for expansion. Sprinkle lightly with the sugar. Place the cookie sheets in the refrigerator and chill for 20 minutes.*
Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool the cookies for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
*Skipping this step will result in one giant flat cookie covering the baking sheet!
Photo of B.B. King and his guitar "Lucille" by Kevin Westerberg. Photo below by Bob Guthridge, courtesy of Bob Guthridge.
B.B. King holds court
center stage in Memphis club
velvet voice, guitar.
This morning I was hand-washing crystal wine glasses, listening to the CD B.B. King & Friends 80. The CD features the 80-year-old Blues superstar from Mississippi singing and playing guitar with 12 talented musicians including Eric Clapton, Bobby Bland, Van Morrison, Sheryl Crow, Daryl Hall and Mark Knopfler.
I was thinking about how the poverty of the South inspired the blues, sending some musicians north in search of jobs and spreading the blues genre further. I was remembering all the dives and juke joints and little clubs in backwaters where I used to go to hear talented blues musicians pour their hearts out in song, from Arkansas to Louisiana to Mississippi to Alabama to Tennessee - and later, in Chicago, New York and San Francisco, where the clubs were more sophisticated, but the music was the same I heard growing up in the South.
So when I saw the One Deep Breath prompt "The Scenic Route," I remembered all those backroads; those gravel paths; those slick streets traveled to hear the blues. In tribute to the extraordinary B.B. King and other blues giants who have enriched the world with their talent, I offer these haiku:
Southern sharecropper
from the wrong side of the tracks
learns to sing the blues.
Black man's burden weighs
heavy; hard to make ends meet
mis'ry makes music.
Hand-to-mouth life here
picking cotton, sowing crops
Blues ease trouble's grip.
Self-taught, self-made man,
he learned to play as a kid:
gospel's cousin Blues.
Hardship, poverty
turning tough times into song;
stories fuel music.
No complaints heard here;
His guitar does the talking
Wailing the world's woes.
Deep lines on his face
reflect hard work, dignity
Still living the blues.
Plowing the field's crops
hands busy, worries threaten;
whistle troubles gone.
Iced silver goblets
mint juleps tinged with bourbon
sultry nights, raw pain.
Arkansas trav'ler*
Mississippi Delta blues
swimming in music.
*from the 1850 folk song "Arkansas Traveler" by Col. Sanford Faulkner
On our CD player now: Bruce Springsteen's We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions, Ben Harper's Both Sides of the Gun and the Gotan Project's Lunatico. The Gotan Project released their first album La Revancha del Tango five years ago, to worldwide success. The Paris-based group is originally from Argentina.
Music is the writing prompt for this week's Sunday Scribblings. Music's harmonious melodies have infused my life with meaning - like a pied piper, following me along all the winding roads I've traveled.
Walking along 33rd Street near Madison Square Garden in New York, I once heard music piped over outdoor loudspeakers. For a moment, I entertained the notion of how magical it would be if life were set to music - and one's subconscious automatically could select the music for every big occasion! Of course sometimes the sweetest music can be invoked in silence.
I love the universal language of music: how it can heighten or even alter a mood; how it punctuates big moments and special celebrations; how it can move one to tears or prompt a smile. From earliest recorded history, music's power to enchant its listeners is legendary.
During the American Depression, my great-grandfather, "Papa" was widowed and raising a son. Every Saturday morning he played the fiddle, in between giving free haircuts. Papa wasn't a barber, but in those days talent was incidental to need. Undoubtedly, Papa's fiddle playing and persistent good humour helped raise the spirits of men going through hard times. In those dark days they helped each other in whatever way they could.
A few years ago I was thrilled to meet a cousin in Northern California, who produced a cassette tape of my great-grandfather playing the fiddle. When I was a little girl, Papa could sometimes be coaxed into playing the fiddle, although arthritis probably made it difficult. Long after Papa passed away, I was proud that my daughter seemed to have inherited his talent, as she learned to played the violin beautifully.
When I was growing up in the South, we heard Pete Seeger (his songs recently performed admirably by Bruce Springsteen) and other folk music. A few times a year we attended gospel "singings" in little country churches, fanning ourselves with cardboard advertising fans, in futile attempts to diffuse the unbearable heat.
At lunchtime, the singers and their admirers rested long enough to enjoy potluck picnics, heaping plastic plates with fried chicken, salads and later pies and cakes from long tables spread with giant cotton tablecloths. Even under the trees' shade, the heat was too much, making anything containing mayonnaise quickly spoil. More than the music from these "singings," I remember getting sick from eating potato salad!
