Lately, the whole issue of teacher tenure has been twisted beyond recognition. And by "lately," I mean the past 30 years or so. Allow me to put it to you in a different way.
I graduated College in 1992. I then sought a teaching job. For the first 10 years of my career, I jumped from job to job; part time to leave replacement; temporary sub to full time. I then landed in the position I'm currently in, and spent the first three years of this position without tenure. That's 13 years during which time I could have been removed from my position for literally ANY reason at all.
Think back on the days depicted in films like Les Miserables, when Fantine was fired for having a child out of wedlock, and for not returning the foreman's sexual advances. Or Far and Away, when Joseph and Shannon are fired from their jobs for insulting the boss. I know those are works of fiction, but that was the work environment in the days before Unions.
I was fired once for not saying "Hi" to the superintendent in the hallway. A friend of mine was let go because the "students liked her too much." I was let go from another job for expressing my relief about not having to go to the middle school that day. LITERALLY. ANY. REASON. There's nothing the union can do about it either.
Tenure is not freedom from getting fired. It means that a teacher is granted the right to be fired ONLY through due process. It means the end of the days when you can be let go for any reason at all. In the early days of the teacher's union, female teachers were let go for getting married. Or getting pregnant. Being the wrong religion. John Thomas Scopes was fired for teaching a scientific theory not commonly held by the people in the town.
Tenure guarantees an employee their right to due process. If a tenured teacher is let go, it must go to a hearing where evidence of that teacher's breach of contract, incompetence, or negligence must be shown. It must also be shown that said teacher had been spoken to about their deficiencies, and attempts had been made to intervene, which were unsuccessful. Consider your job. Wouldn't you want the same rights with your boss?
Also consider that so called "bad teachers;" the ones that "can't be fired," and who are "the reason students aren't achieving;" are supposedly so terrible that their mere existence in that classroom is holding the students back. If only they could be fired and replaced with "good" teachers, students would do better in school. A teacher works nontenured in a school for THREE YEARS before being granted tenure. Three. Years. Ask yourself this question: How is a teacher who is THAT incompetent, and who can be fired for literally ANY reason, WITHOUT due process, allowed to work in a school for THREE YEARS?
The war on teachers that is being waged politically is not about improving education. It's about administrators wanting the right to fire teachers indiscriminately. Indeed, many employers long for those days when there weren't so many rights and privileges that they were required to provide for their workers. It would be wonderful for them if these unions and workers' rights just went away. Then we could go back to the work environment of the 1800's.
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Right Now, At This Moment - Week 11 - Art of Possibility Ch. 7
It's been a while since I wrote a song for the "Possibility project." I checked the calendar. Yep, it's March. That's usually the time that I start to lose focus on major yearly resolutions, projects, and habits. However, I've been saved by the "wildcard" songs from the past two weeks. Now I'm back to work. I have next week off from work to do song 12, and I suspect that song 13 is going to be a classic that I'm repurposing for the project. So, I can play catch up.
Chapter 7 of "Art of Possibility" is about focusing on the Way Things Are. I LOVE THIS IDEA. I believe that so much of what we react to, and get upset about is entirely in our minds. It comes from memories of the past, or assumptions about the future. In the book, Zander recounts a case where a Father and Son are arguing over a contract that would transfer the business from father to son. Negotiations are stalled however, because the father assumes that the son is trying to kick him out of his position and take the company over, while the son is only trying to make a smooth transition. Meanwhile, the son assumes that the father doesn't trust his leadership of the company, when in fact the father is trying to ensure his legacy. Zander gets them past the assumptions by focusing on right now, what's happening NOW?
I thought about conversations I often have with my wife about my disastrous career history, and tendency to make grievous errors in judgement, and her as well. And it's usually helpful to focus on right now. Not bringing up the past or worrying about the future. This week, what's going on?
Right Now At This Moment; Music and Lyrics by Carl J Ferrara
In the past I've hurt you, in the past I've made mistakes.
I've learned a lot about what not to do.
And I know it's hard to trust me, and I guess I had that coming,
After everything that we've been through.
But think of all the times that I've meant every word I had to say
And Right Now, At This Moment I 'm with you and we're OK.
I'm always procrastinating, Staying up the night before,
"Captain Last Minute," yeah, that's me.
I know that makes you nervous, cause you're always jumping the gun,
But we've still got time just wait and see.
And I know sometime there is gonna be that damned piper to pay.
But Right Now, At This Moment nothing's due and we're OK.
Bridge....
Right Now we're still alive.
Right Now we're not in jail.
Right Now we've got enough to tie us over.
Right Now you're in my arms.
Right Now we're in love.
Right Now is a moment to discover.
They say the past is history, The future is a mystery
The present is a gift or so we think
Someday it gonna get us, the other shoe is bound to drop
Disaster's out there, and we're on the brink.
But there isn't any Sabretooth Tiger on our doorstep to escape.
Right Now, At This Moment you are here with me and we're OK.
Chapter 7 of "Art of Possibility" is about focusing on the Way Things Are. I LOVE THIS IDEA. I believe that so much of what we react to, and get upset about is entirely in our minds. It comes from memories of the past, or assumptions about the future. In the book, Zander recounts a case where a Father and Son are arguing over a contract that would transfer the business from father to son. Negotiations are stalled however, because the father assumes that the son is trying to kick him out of his position and take the company over, while the son is only trying to make a smooth transition. Meanwhile, the son assumes that the father doesn't trust his leadership of the company, when in fact the father is trying to ensure his legacy. Zander gets them past the assumptions by focusing on right now, what's happening NOW?
I thought about conversations I often have with my wife about my disastrous career history, and tendency to make grievous errors in judgement, and her as well. And it's usually helpful to focus on right now. Not bringing up the past or worrying about the future. This week, what's going on?
Right Now At This Moment; Music and Lyrics by Carl J Ferrara
In the past I've hurt you, in the past I've made mistakes.
I've learned a lot about what not to do.
And I know it's hard to trust me, and I guess I had that coming,
After everything that we've been through.
But think of all the times that I've meant every word I had to say
And Right Now, At This Moment I 'm with you and we're OK.
I'm always procrastinating, Staying up the night before,
"Captain Last Minute," yeah, that's me.
I know that makes you nervous, cause you're always jumping the gun,
But we've still got time just wait and see.
And I know sometime there is gonna be that damned piper to pay.
But Right Now, At This Moment nothing's due and we're OK.
Bridge....
Right Now we're still alive.
Right Now we're not in jail.
Right Now we've got enough to tie us over.
Right Now you're in my arms.
Right Now we're in love.
Right Now is a moment to discover.
They say the past is history, The future is a mystery
The present is a gift or so we think
Someday it gonna get us, the other shoe is bound to drop
Disaster's out there, and we're on the brink.
But there isn't any Sabretooth Tiger on our doorstep to escape.
Right Now, At This Moment you are here with me and we're OK.
Touch of the Master's Hand - Week 10
So one day my wife got me a gift. It was a thoroughly well thought out, and home made gift, the best kind of all. She had been listening to "Chicken Soup For the Soul" audiobooks, and was particularly touched by a poem called, "The Touch of the Master's Hand" by Myra B. Welch.
In her mind, the poem spoke about the way we as teachers make a difference in people's lives. A student comes to us, sometimes not believing in themselves, often told how worthless they are. Then we bring out some knowledge which helps them discover how meaningful they can be. They have a success in our classroom, and that inspires them to have a few more.
So she typed it up, and printed it a beautiful paper, and framed it and gave it to me for inspiration. I was so inspired, that I set it to music.
It was only later on, when I performed the song in church, that someone pointed out to me that it wasn't "The touch of A master's hand." It was "The Touch of THE Master's Hand." The master, of course, being God. The song also works on the level of meaning how God's presence in our life can change us from the path of self destruction, and failure; towards the life of success and abundance.
I enjoy songs that work on multiple levels like this. It means that even the cynic can gain wisdom, even if they won't acknowledge the sacred in it.
Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer thought
it scarcely worth his while
To waste much time on the old violin, but held it
up with a smile;
"What am I bidden, good folks," he cried, "Who'll start the
bidding for me?
A dollar, a dollar; then two! Only two? Two dollars, and
who'll make it three?
Three dollars, once; three dollars twice; going for
three..." But no,
From the room, far back, a gray-haired man came forward and
picked up the bow;
Then, wiping the dust from the old violin, and tightening
the loose strings,
He played a melody pure and sweet as caroling angel
sings.
The music ceased, and the auctioneer, with a voice that was quiet and low,
said; "What am I bid for the old violin?" And he held it up with the bow.
A thousand dollars, and who'll make it two? Two thousand! And who'll make it three?
The music ceased, and the auctioneer, with a voice that was quiet and low,
said; "What am I bid for the old violin?" And he held it up with the bow.
A thousand dollars, and who'll make it two? Two thousand! And who'll make it three?
Three thousand, once, three thousand, twice, and going
and gone," said he.
The people cheered, but some of them cried, "We do
not quite understnad
what changed its worth." Swift came the reply: "The
touch of a master's hand."
And many a man with life out of tune, and battered and scarred with sin,
Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd, much like the old violin,
And many a man with life out of tune, and battered and scarred with sin,
Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd, much like the old violin,
A "mess of pottage," a glass of wine; a game - and
he travels on.
He is going once, and going twice, He's going and almost
gone.
But the Master comes, and the foolish crowd never can quite understand
The worth of a soul and the change that's wrought by the touch of the
Master's hand.
In her mind, the poem spoke about the way we as teachers make a difference in people's lives. A student comes to us, sometimes not believing in themselves, often told how worthless they are. Then we bring out some knowledge which helps them discover how meaningful they can be. They have a success in our classroom, and that inspires them to have a few more.
So she typed it up, and printed it a beautiful paper, and framed it and gave it to me for inspiration. I was so inspired, that I set it to music.
It was only later on, when I performed the song in church, that someone pointed out to me that it wasn't "The touch of A master's hand." It was "The Touch of THE Master's Hand." The master, of course, being God. The song also works on the level of meaning how God's presence in our life can change us from the path of self destruction, and failure; towards the life of success and abundance.
I enjoy songs that work on multiple levels like this. It means that even the cynic can gain wisdom, even if they won't acknowledge the sacred in it.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Don't Try This At Home - Week 9
As I write this, meteorologists are predicting a snowstorm. They admit, there are high temperatures, and maybe we're talking about an inch or 2. Some are exaggerating and claiming 10 inches. (insert dirty joke here.) It's not the facts that people are responding to, though. It's the tone. I heard a report about the impending storm EVERY 10 minutes! Events are being shut down, school activities are being cancelled, for what? A mere dusting of white stuff on the ground?
When I initially started writing "Don't Try This At Home," it was a response to the very idea that on a show like, say, Jackass, they do ridiculously moronic and dangerous stunts that no one with an IQ over 80 would even THINK would be fun; and yet they NEED to put up a disclaimer: "These stunts are dangerous, don't try this at home." My first reaction was... DUH! Is anybody out there really stupid enough to want to try this stuff? And then a frightening thought popped into my head. YES. Some people are morons. And the world is such that programs need to protect themselves by making clear that they do not wish anyone to try this stupidity on their own.
But as I thought of examples to write about, I started to think about how much our thinking is influenced by the media. Without a show like Jackass, would anyone even consider stapling their nuts together? No! But Steve-O does it, and somehow we're tempted to want to try it. And that extends to other things. Perhaps you know someone who, during a political discussion, simply regurgitates what they heard on FOX news, or Rachel Maddow the night before; rather than offering a new perspective.
So, mimicking real life, my song begins by pointing out a simple, interesting fact, but then gradually evolves into a distopian, Orwellian reality where "Our Free Will Is Gone." This is about as political as I get. Enjoy!
Don't Try This At Home - Music and Lyrics by Carl J Ferrara (c) 1994
They have to tell us what's right and what's wrong.
They have to tell us that it's only a song.
They have to tell us, "Hey, don't be like us."
They have to tell us that it's dangerous.
It's a scary world that we live in if we can't be trusted on our own.
And they have to tell us Don't Try This At Home.
They have to tell us, "Hey, be careful out there."
They tell us to be cautious, they tell us to be scared.
They tell us who to hate, they tell us who to love.
They have to tell us there's a God above.
It's a scary world that we live in if we can't be trusted on our own.
And they have to tell us Don't Try This At Home.
They have to tell us what's black and what's white,
They tell us to be peaceful then show us how to fight.
They tell us what to think, they tell us what to feel,
But they forgot to tell us that this fiction ain't real!
They tell us what's right, and then they tell us what's cool.
They tell us who's a god, they tell us who's a fool.
They have to tell us whose side we're on.
They have to tell us that our free will is gone.
It's a scary world that we live in if we can't be trusted on our own.
And they have to tell us Don't Try This At Home.
When I initially started writing "Don't Try This At Home," it was a response to the very idea that on a show like, say, Jackass, they do ridiculously moronic and dangerous stunts that no one with an IQ over 80 would even THINK would be fun; and yet they NEED to put up a disclaimer: "These stunts are dangerous, don't try this at home." My first reaction was... DUH! Is anybody out there really stupid enough to want to try this stuff? And then a frightening thought popped into my head. YES. Some people are morons. And the world is such that programs need to protect themselves by making clear that they do not wish anyone to try this stupidity on their own.
But as I thought of examples to write about, I started to think about how much our thinking is influenced by the media. Without a show like Jackass, would anyone even consider stapling their nuts together? No! But Steve-O does it, and somehow we're tempted to want to try it. And that extends to other things. Perhaps you know someone who, during a political discussion, simply regurgitates what they heard on FOX news, or Rachel Maddow the night before; rather than offering a new perspective.
So, mimicking real life, my song begins by pointing out a simple, interesting fact, but then gradually evolves into a distopian, Orwellian reality where "Our Free Will Is Gone." This is about as political as I get. Enjoy!
Don't Try This At Home - Music and Lyrics by Carl J Ferrara (c) 1994
They have to tell us what's right and what's wrong.
They have to tell us that it's only a song.
They have to tell us, "Hey, don't be like us."
They have to tell us that it's dangerous.
It's a scary world that we live in if we can't be trusted on our own.
And they have to tell us Don't Try This At Home.
They have to tell us, "Hey, be careful out there."
They tell us to be cautious, they tell us to be scared.
They tell us who to hate, they tell us who to love.
They have to tell us there's a God above.
It's a scary world that we live in if we can't be trusted on our own.
And they have to tell us Don't Try This At Home.
They have to tell us what's black and what's white,
They tell us to be peaceful then show us how to fight.
They tell us what to think, they tell us what to feel,
But they forgot to tell us that this fiction ain't real!
They tell us what's right, and then they tell us what's cool.
They tell us who's a god, they tell us who's a fool.
They have to tell us whose side we're on.
They have to tell us that our free will is gone.
It's a scary world that we live in if we can't be trusted on our own.
And they have to tell us Don't Try This At Home.
Monday, March 4, 2013
Rule Number Six - Week 8 - Art of Possibility Ch. 6
Two Prime Ministers are having lunch, and a staffer interrupts their meeting. She's very upset, and in a frenzy. "Sir, I hate to interrupt, but I have to talk to you." The PM says, "Gladys, Remember Rule Number Six." She calms down, apologizes, and leaves. This happens two more times with two other staffers; both very upset until they hear "Remember Rule Number Six."
The other PM asks, "OK, I just have to know, what IS rule number six?"
"Stop taking yourself so God Damned Seriously!"
"That is Awesome! What about the other rules?"
"There Aren't Any."
This parable begins Chapter Six of "Art of Possibility." It deals with what the Zanders call the "Calculating Self," which exists in the world of competition, and causes you to feel the need to fight for supremacy. As opposed to the "Central Self" which is focused on what you actually want or need. In other words, if you're arguing, the central self wants to resolve the conflict and find a solution, but the calculating self wants to win the argument at all costs, even if it means shouting at the top of your lungs something completely false.
The song came easily to me. It's a Blues. Here's the stories of people, (sometimes me) who take themselves very seriously indeed, and the hook is just stating the rule over and over. I "wrote" the song in 2009, when I conceived the project, which is to say I planned the format of the song. I imagined that I could easily plug in new verses for specific situations, and even have audience members write new ones. The actual verses used here were written while driving to church one Sunday.
Rule Number Six - Words and Music by Carl J Ferrara (c) 2013
Driving down the highway, five minutes late for work,
This guy just whips around and cuts me off just like a jerk,
I roll down my window call him every name I know,
"Hey didn't you get the memo? I own the goddam road!"
Remember Rule Number 6: Stop taking yourself so seriously,
And forget about the other rules, there aren't any.
I remember that incident, it was on the news,
Everybody's going round wondering, what are we supposed to do.
I tell you if I'd have been there, I could have saved the day
I'd have taken down the bad guys and watched them run away.
Remember Rule Number 6: Stop taking yourself so seriously,
And forget about the other rules, there aren't any.
We're always fighting about that, we're always fighting about this,
Something happened 20 years ago, now she's my nemesis,
I know the right thing to do, and I ain't no hypocrite,
But that'd make me look weak, that'd make her look right, so I'll do the opposite.
Remember Rule Number 6: Stop taking yourself so goddam seriously,
And forget about the other rules, there aren't any.
Remember Rule Number 6: Stop taking yourself so goddam seriously,
And forget about the other rules, there aren't any.
The other PM asks, "OK, I just have to know, what IS rule number six?"
"Stop taking yourself so God Damned Seriously!"
"That is Awesome! What about the other rules?"
"There Aren't Any."
This parable begins Chapter Six of "Art of Possibility." It deals with what the Zanders call the "Calculating Self," which exists in the world of competition, and causes you to feel the need to fight for supremacy. As opposed to the "Central Self" which is focused on what you actually want or need. In other words, if you're arguing, the central self wants to resolve the conflict and find a solution, but the calculating self wants to win the argument at all costs, even if it means shouting at the top of your lungs something completely false.
The song came easily to me. It's a Blues. Here's the stories of people, (sometimes me) who take themselves very seriously indeed, and the hook is just stating the rule over and over. I "wrote" the song in 2009, when I conceived the project, which is to say I planned the format of the song. I imagined that I could easily plug in new verses for specific situations, and even have audience members write new ones. The actual verses used here were written while driving to church one Sunday.
Rule Number Six - Words and Music by Carl J Ferrara (c) 2013
Driving down the highway, five minutes late for work,
This guy just whips around and cuts me off just like a jerk,
I roll down my window call him every name I know,
"Hey didn't you get the memo? I own the goddam road!"
Remember Rule Number 6: Stop taking yourself so seriously,
And forget about the other rules, there aren't any.
I remember that incident, it was on the news,
Everybody's going round wondering, what are we supposed to do.
I tell you if I'd have been there, I could have saved the day
I'd have taken down the bad guys and watched them run away.
Remember Rule Number 6: Stop taking yourself so seriously,
And forget about the other rules, there aren't any.
We're always fighting about that, we're always fighting about this,
Something happened 20 years ago, now she's my nemesis,
I know the right thing to do, and I ain't no hypocrite,
But that'd make me look weak, that'd make her look right, so I'll do the opposite.
Remember Rule Number 6: Stop taking yourself so goddam seriously,
And forget about the other rules, there aren't any.
Remember Rule Number 6: Stop taking yourself so goddam seriously,
And forget about the other rules, there aren't any.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Inspire Me - Week 7 - Art of Possibility Ch. 5
Chapter 5 of "Art of Possibility" is called "Leading From Every Chair." What I got out of it was the difference between motivating people by asserting your position over them, and motivating people by bringing the best out of them. A lot of it involves allowing them to participate in the process. It allows them to take partial ownership of the critical decisions.
There are those theater directors who tell their actors step by step, beat by beat, where to stand, what to do, and how to do it. Then, there are those who communicate to their actors what is needed in the scene, the play, the story. The actors can then find their own way to bring out their best performance to meet the needs of the work and create the desired effect.
Ben Zander accomplishes this with his orchestra by placing a white sheet of paper on everyone's music stand. The players may write comments, suggestions, criticisms, in order to communicate their needs to him. He then made a concerted effort to be conscious of those needs in rehearsal, and often the creative process is more effective because of it.
This got me thinking about inspiration. What inspires me? What inspires people I know? What do I try to do to help inspire others? I grouped it all into this song, as if it was one specific person. In truth, the inspirations mentioned in the song come from several of my friends and family members.
I thought about the song for a long time, and wrote it here and there, little by little over the course of 2 weeks. Hope you enjoy it.
Inspire Me - Words and Music by Carl J Ferrara, (c) 2013
You don't tell me what to do, you don't tell me how to do it.
You tell me what you need, and let me work through it.
I'm always showing off, trying to impress.
Don't want to let you down, that's why I do my best.
Can't you see?
You make me be all that I can be.
You open up new possibility.
You Inspire Me.
Life's spinning me around every single day.
You point me towards the audience, showing me the way.
You went ahead and did it, that's how I know I can.
I've got my own cheering section shouting, "You Da Man!"
Can't you see?
Open up the door and hand me the key.
Sparking all my creativity.
You Inspire Me.
Put obstacles in my path and watch me go around it.
See the path we leave behind is better than we found it.
Can't you see?
You make me be all that I can be.
You open up new possibility.
You Inspire Me.
Can't you see?
Open up the door and hand me the key.
Sparking all my creativity.
I'll do anything if you're right there with me.
You Inspire Me.
There are those theater directors who tell their actors step by step, beat by beat, where to stand, what to do, and how to do it. Then, there are those who communicate to their actors what is needed in the scene, the play, the story. The actors can then find their own way to bring out their best performance to meet the needs of the work and create the desired effect.
Ben Zander accomplishes this with his orchestra by placing a white sheet of paper on everyone's music stand. The players may write comments, suggestions, criticisms, in order to communicate their needs to him. He then made a concerted effort to be conscious of those needs in rehearsal, and often the creative process is more effective because of it.
This got me thinking about inspiration. What inspires me? What inspires people I know? What do I try to do to help inspire others? I grouped it all into this song, as if it was one specific person. In truth, the inspirations mentioned in the song come from several of my friends and family members.
I thought about the song for a long time, and wrote it here and there, little by little over the course of 2 weeks. Hope you enjoy it.
Inspire Me - Words and Music by Carl J Ferrara, (c) 2013
You don't tell me what to do, you don't tell me how to do it.
You tell me what you need, and let me work through it.
I'm always showing off, trying to impress.
Don't want to let you down, that's why I do my best.
Can't you see?
You make me be all that I can be.
You open up new possibility.
You Inspire Me.
Life's spinning me around every single day.
You point me towards the audience, showing me the way.
You went ahead and did it, that's how I know I can.
I've got my own cheering section shouting, "You Da Man!"
Can't you see?
Open up the door and hand me the key.
Sparking all my creativity.
You Inspire Me.
Put obstacles in my path and watch me go around it.
See the path we leave behind is better than we found it.
Can't you see?
You make me be all that I can be.
You open up new possibility.
You Inspire Me.
Can't you see?
Open up the door and hand me the key.
Sparking all my creativity.
I'll do anything if you're right there with me.
You Inspire Me.
Monday, February 11, 2013
All I Have To Say - Week 6
I'm taking a break from the "Art of Possibility Project," to share a song I wrote, and wrote again, then wrote a third time for my wife.
My favorite rock and roll story about writer's block involves John Lennon. According to legend, he was battling a serious case of writer's block. No ideas were coming to him at all. One might ask, why didn't he turn to his writing partner, Paul McCartney, for inspiration? True Beatle fans know that the earliest Lennon/McCartney tunes were written together, but later songs were written seperately, and then the other guy would change a word or two in order to take credit for having some input.
So, John is sitting around waiting for inspiration, when finally, he decides to write ABOUT the fact that he has writer's block. He picked up his guitar (or sat at the piano, I don't know) and he started to write... "He's a real nowhere man, sitting in his nowhere land...." The result was one of my all time favorite Beatles songs.
Something similar happened to me. I wanted so badly to write a love song for my girlfriend. I fancied myself a romantic bard who could express himself beautifully and melt the lady's heart. But nothing came. I found myself locked into my own need to be "real." I could write romantic things, but the truth is what I felt went deeper than that. No words could accurately express, to my mind, my true feelings of love for this woman.
So, I pulled a Lennon, and decided to write a song about how hard it was for me to write a song. I figured that the most romantic thing I could say was, "Words cannot express how much I love you." I then played around with the sentiment and BOOM a song was born.
I dedicate this song to my beloved wife, Paula, on our 14th wedding anniversary. 14 years and we never had a fight.*
*that ended in dismemberment.
All I Have To Say - Words and Music by Carl J Ferrara (c) 1989
I've been trying to write a song for you to show how much I care,
But whenever I sit down to write, the words would not be there
I tried to be poetic, like I always wanted to be,
But the most beautiful words I know can't say what you mean to me.
If I knew the words, I'd put them in a song
But now I can see, I've been going about it all wrong.
I tried keeping it simple, nice and easy from the start,
But the words to a love song should come straight from the heart.
I tried to be dynamic in my own special way...
But why should I ramble on with words,
When "I Love You" is All I Have to Say.
I tried being ironic, trying to make you smile
But the way it turned out in the end was never quite my style.
I tried playing around with the words and the rhythms to see how that would go,
But the words, when set to music would never let my feelings show.
Oh, the music I would play would be the perfect start
But words can never say what I'm feeling in my heart.
So, I've given up on writing words, I've wasted too much time.
I've run out of clever things to say, and ways to make them sound the same.
And I finally realized as I do with every passing day...
I don't have to ramble on with words,
"I Love You" is All I Have To Say.
My favorite rock and roll story about writer's block involves John Lennon. According to legend, he was battling a serious case of writer's block. No ideas were coming to him at all. One might ask, why didn't he turn to his writing partner, Paul McCartney, for inspiration? True Beatle fans know that the earliest Lennon/McCartney tunes were written together, but later songs were written seperately, and then the other guy would change a word or two in order to take credit for having some input.
So, John is sitting around waiting for inspiration, when finally, he decides to write ABOUT the fact that he has writer's block. He picked up his guitar (or sat at the piano, I don't know) and he started to write... "He's a real nowhere man, sitting in his nowhere land...." The result was one of my all time favorite Beatles songs.
Something similar happened to me. I wanted so badly to write a love song for my girlfriend. I fancied myself a romantic bard who could express himself beautifully and melt the lady's heart. But nothing came. I found myself locked into my own need to be "real." I could write romantic things, but the truth is what I felt went deeper than that. No words could accurately express, to my mind, my true feelings of love for this woman.
So, I pulled a Lennon, and decided to write a song about how hard it was for me to write a song. I figured that the most romantic thing I could say was, "Words cannot express how much I love you." I then played around with the sentiment and BOOM a song was born.
I dedicate this song to my beloved wife, Paula, on our 14th wedding anniversary. 14 years and we never had a fight.*
*that ended in dismemberment.
All I Have To Say - Words and Music by Carl J Ferrara (c) 1989
I've been trying to write a song for you to show how much I care,
But whenever I sit down to write, the words would not be there
I tried to be poetic, like I always wanted to be,
But the most beautiful words I know can't say what you mean to me.
If I knew the words, I'd put them in a song
But now I can see, I've been going about it all wrong.
I tried keeping it simple, nice and easy from the start,
But the words to a love song should come straight from the heart.
I tried to be dynamic in my own special way...
But why should I ramble on with words,
When "I Love You" is All I Have to Say.
I tried being ironic, trying to make you smile
But the way it turned out in the end was never quite my style.
I tried playing around with the words and the rhythms to see how that would go,
But the words, when set to music would never let my feelings show.
Oh, the music I would play would be the perfect start
But words can never say what I'm feeling in my heart.
So, I've given up on writing words, I've wasted too much time.
I've run out of clever things to say, and ways to make them sound the same.
And I finally realized as I do with every passing day...
I don't have to ramble on with words,
"I Love You" is All I Have To Say.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Because of Me - Week 5 - Art of Possibility Ch. 4
When Sandy hit, I was concerned for my family, and my friends, many of whom lived on the south shore of Long Island. My instinct was to go out and help where I could; but I found that I couldn't. My neighborhood was blocked in by fallen trees and downed wires. Plus, my power went out, and stayed out for over 2 weeks. So, as much as I wanted to offer my friends and family who lost houses, or heat, or food, someplace to shower and eat and stay warm, it was impossible. I remember being especially frustrated by that. I WANTED to help, but felt crippled by my complete inability to do so. Finally, when I returned to school, we opened the school as a place for relief; charging stations, food, clothing, internet; just a place where those in the community who needed could come to get. It felt so good to FINALLY be able to do SOMETHING, no matter how small it seemed.
This is what I thought about when I read Chapter 4 of Zander, "Being a Contribution." He starts off with the tale of the woman who is throwing starfish back into the ocean that have washed up on a beach. A man sees her and tells her, "What are you doing? You'll never save them all. What you're doing doesn't matter." And she responds, as she tosses a star fish, "It mattered to THAT one." The practice of "Being a Contribution" is to set forth every day trying to contribute to the world, no matter how small or minor you may think that contribution is. It shifts your thinking from serving yourself, to serving others.
This song is the first song of the SONG A WEEK 2013 project that I actually STARTED this year. The other four songs are from 2009 or beyond. At first I wrote a song directly about my experience during Sandy, but the song was just not working. The inspiration wasn't there. The minute I abandoned that initial idea, and re-read the chapter, I had this new idea: "Let It Be Because of Me." The song then just poured out of me. I tweaked it, and refined over the course of the week, and shifted the lyrics to reflect the spirit of generosity, and trying to help others in need, rather than making "Let it Be Because of me" mean "Let me come in and save the day!" I think I succeeded. Enjoy.
Because of Me - Music and Lyrics by Carl J Ferrara, (c) 2013
A man took in his family after the tide washed out the shore
A house that was made for 2 is now home to 10 or more.
I gave him food to tie him over, even brought it to his car,
Funny how a little thing helps us move on from where we are.
Let it be Because of Me.
My friends were feeling tension, a husband and a wife,
Their marriage being ripped apart by all the stress of life.
I volunteered to babysit so they could have a date,
They hashed it out and reconnected, they're still married to this day.
Let it be Because of Me.
Let it be because I made a contribution
Let it be because I had something to say
Let it be because I asked, "What can I do for you today?"
Let it be Because of Me.
A kid is being bullied, just being him is really tough
Doesn't see the point of living, and he's almost given up
But he wakes up every morning just to practice for my show
He discovered hidden talents that he didn't even know.
Let it be Because of Me
Let it be because I reached out at that moment,
Let it be because I thought not of myself.
Let the world be that much better because I chose to help.
Let it be Because of Me
This is what I thought about when I read Chapter 4 of Zander, "Being a Contribution." He starts off with the tale of the woman who is throwing starfish back into the ocean that have washed up on a beach. A man sees her and tells her, "What are you doing? You'll never save them all. What you're doing doesn't matter." And she responds, as she tosses a star fish, "It mattered to THAT one." The practice of "Being a Contribution" is to set forth every day trying to contribute to the world, no matter how small or minor you may think that contribution is. It shifts your thinking from serving yourself, to serving others.
This song is the first song of the SONG A WEEK 2013 project that I actually STARTED this year. The other four songs are from 2009 or beyond. At first I wrote a song directly about my experience during Sandy, but the song was just not working. The inspiration wasn't there. The minute I abandoned that initial idea, and re-read the chapter, I had this new idea: "Let It Be Because of Me." The song then just poured out of me. I tweaked it, and refined over the course of the week, and shifted the lyrics to reflect the spirit of generosity, and trying to help others in need, rather than making "Let it Be Because of me" mean "Let me come in and save the day!" I think I succeeded. Enjoy.
Because of Me - Music and Lyrics by Carl J Ferrara, (c) 2013
A man took in his family after the tide washed out the shore
A house that was made for 2 is now home to 10 or more.
I gave him food to tie him over, even brought it to his car,
Funny how a little thing helps us move on from where we are.
Let it be Because of Me.
My friends were feeling tension, a husband and a wife,
Their marriage being ripped apart by all the stress of life.
I volunteered to babysit so they could have a date,
They hashed it out and reconnected, they're still married to this day.
Let it be Because of Me.
Let it be because I made a contribution
Let it be because I had something to say
Let it be because I asked, "What can I do for you today?"
Let it be Because of Me.
A kid is being bullied, just being him is really tough
Doesn't see the point of living, and he's almost given up
But he wakes up every morning just to practice for my show
He discovered hidden talents that he didn't even know.
Let it be Because of Me
Let it be because I reached out at that moment,
Let it be because I thought not of myself.
Let the world be that much better because I chose to help.
Let it be Because of Me
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Choose To Be Happy - Week 4 - Art Of Possibility Ch. 3
How do you follow up a song that is a long, slow descent into depression and madness? Why, with the happiest song alive, of course!
Chapter 3 of "The Art of Possibility" is called "Giving an A." It's much more complicated than this, which is why you need to buy the book; but in a nutshell, it's "looking on the bright side." Zander and Zander get into the effect grades have on us in school. You probably remember how hard a failure hit you as a kid, or even as an adult. A "Needs Improvement" on my End of the Year Evaluation will send me into an emotional death spiral from hell. UNTIL you remember that "It's All Invented." That grade means that when assessed according to THOSE parameters, you haven't met the criteria. But if you were assessed according to a DIFFERENT set of criteria.... things change. As Dr. Wayne Dyer said once, while indicating his small Capt. Picard-esque patch of grey behind his bald head: "In a bowl of soup, this is a lot of hair!"
For this song, I needed to kick start my positivity; because I wanted "Miserable Failure" to be the FINAL bit of negativity in the collection. So I went with a jaunty little riff I came up with in the key of C, which has been scientifically proven to be the happiest of all keys. (Spinal Tap fans will remember that d minor is the saddest. Don't believe me, listen to "Lick My Love Pump.") And lyrically, I went with acknowledging the, shall we say, challenges in life, but "on the other hand" listing the ways that there's always a bright side. The whole point here, is that we either choose to live in sadness and depression by focusing on the negative all the time, or we choose to be happy, and look on the bright side.
The beauty of this song is that within the structure of the song, I can literally put in anything that bothers me, and then "on the other hand" find the bright side. So it's a teaching tool as well as a ditty!
On a side note, this is also the last song for this project that I wrote beforehand. I started trying to do this in 2009, but it didn't pan out. So I've been sitting on them until now. That means that starting next week, it's all new original music and lyrics. I'm excited.
Choose to Be Happy - Words and Music by Carl J Ferrara
I lost my job, but on the other hand, I was thinking 'bout a new career
I lost my car, but on the other hand, I was gonna go Hybrid this year,
I lost my house, but on the other hand, I could really use a change of scene,
I lost my wife, but on the other hand, There's no one there a naggin' at me.
I could be laughin' or I could be cryin',
Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'
Little did I know, the choice was up to me
Can't you see...
I'm gonna Choose To Be Happy
I'm gonna Choose to keep everything light
I'm gonna Choose to Be Happy
and see the world from the brighter side of life.
I've got no power, but on the other hand, Intimate Dinner by candle light.
I've got no food, but on the other hand, my diet's gonna start tonight,
I'm all alone, but on the other hand, I can always give my friends a call,
Could be depressed, but on the other hand, life's not that horrible after all.
Bridge/Chorus
Bridge/Chorus
Chapter 3 of "The Art of Possibility" is called "Giving an A." It's much more complicated than this, which is why you need to buy the book; but in a nutshell, it's "looking on the bright side." Zander and Zander get into the effect grades have on us in school. You probably remember how hard a failure hit you as a kid, or even as an adult. A "Needs Improvement" on my End of the Year Evaluation will send me into an emotional death spiral from hell. UNTIL you remember that "It's All Invented." That grade means that when assessed according to THOSE parameters, you haven't met the criteria. But if you were assessed according to a DIFFERENT set of criteria.... things change. As Dr. Wayne Dyer said once, while indicating his small Capt. Picard-esque patch of grey behind his bald head: "In a bowl of soup, this is a lot of hair!"
For this song, I needed to kick start my positivity; because I wanted "Miserable Failure" to be the FINAL bit of negativity in the collection. So I went with a jaunty little riff I came up with in the key of C, which has been scientifically proven to be the happiest of all keys. (Spinal Tap fans will remember that d minor is the saddest. Don't believe me, listen to "Lick My Love Pump.") And lyrically, I went with acknowledging the, shall we say, challenges in life, but "on the other hand" listing the ways that there's always a bright side. The whole point here, is that we either choose to live in sadness and depression by focusing on the negative all the time, or we choose to be happy, and look on the bright side.
The beauty of this song is that within the structure of the song, I can literally put in anything that bothers me, and then "on the other hand" find the bright side. So it's a teaching tool as well as a ditty!
On a side note, this is also the last song for this project that I wrote beforehand. I started trying to do this in 2009, but it didn't pan out. So I've been sitting on them until now. That means that starting next week, it's all new original music and lyrics. I'm excited.
Choose to Be Happy - Words and Music by Carl J Ferrara
I lost my job, but on the other hand, I was thinking 'bout a new career
I lost my car, but on the other hand, I was gonna go Hybrid this year,
I lost my house, but on the other hand, I could really use a change of scene,
I lost my wife, but on the other hand, There's no one there a naggin' at me.
I could be laughin' or I could be cryin',
Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'
Little did I know, the choice was up to me
Can't you see...
I'm gonna Choose To Be Happy
I'm gonna Choose to keep everything light
I'm gonna Choose to Be Happy
and see the world from the brighter side of life.
I've got no power, but on the other hand, Intimate Dinner by candle light.
I've got no food, but on the other hand, my diet's gonna start tonight,
I'm all alone, but on the other hand, I can always give my friends a call,
Could be depressed, but on the other hand, life's not that horrible after all.
Bridge/Chorus
Bridge/Chorus
Monday, January 21, 2013
Miserable Failure - Week 3 - Art of Possibility Ch. 2
Welcome to the dark side... we have cookies.
The second practice in The Art of Possibility is "Stepping into a Universe of Possibility." It's a step, not a full immersion yet. But it begs the question, Step INTO this universe, from where?
Most of us live in a world of measurement; or as I call it, a world of competition. This is a world where we judge our own worth based on grades, assessments and comparisons to other people. This creates a feeling of scarcity, and a survival mentality. I CERTAINLY exist in this world, and most of my angst and negative feelings come from this. Recognizing this is a first step towards opening yourself up to more possibilities. Also, I've found that rejecting this measurement is very empowering.
The problem with writing a song about this chapter, is that I sort of already did, last week, when I wrote "It's All Invented." But I thought about the measurement world, and how it can lead to "downward spiral thinking." And I remembered how often exploring and expressing that negativity can purge it from your mind. (This actually works, because I've sung this song in some of my darker moments, and it really helped.)
So, I tried expressing what goes through my mind when I'm in panic mode. It's about as close as I'll ever get to writing rap lyrics. It also gets more and more extreme, paranoid, and rather silly. That's how it works. When I take it to it's logical conclusion, the result is so ridiculously out of touch with reality, I can see why I should opt for this other option. Good to get this out of me at the start of the project, don't you think?
The riff is one I've been toying around with for years. It started as a song called "Content with Mediocrity." That never panned out, so I kept it around until a good vehicle for it came around. It's in e minor, which means I'm basically grumbling, which is why the capo is up to a whopping 5th fret! This also brings the chorus to a good level for my voice.
Enjoy my pathetic desperation!
Miserable Failure - Music and Lyrics by Carl J Ferrara, (C) 2009
As the downward spiral begins, everyone's competing but nobody wins,
Half the world's doing better than me, and the other half's the half that I never see
And I PANIC! And I'm filled with dread, impending doom looming over my head,
From the left and the right it's fight or flight as I scramble for an answer that'll make it all right.
I'm a Miserable Failure, just like everybody said.
I'm a Miserable Failure, the tape keeps looping in my head.
See, I've got this delusion that I'm OK, I'm at the top of my game, and understand the way,
A good father, provider, and husband too, then a voice in my head screams, "That's not true!"
I'm walking on glass as I tiptoe around, one wrong step, I've let everyone down,
One misunderstanding can become a brawl, As a million people come to kick me when I fall.
I'm a Miserable Failure....
CHORUS
I don't measure up, I'm just not good enough!
If I don't succeed, then I'm dead.
This pathetic lie that keeps me terrified
Only exists in my head.
As the downward spiral continues, everybody ridiculing everything in you,
Why didn't you do that, What did you do? Why didn't you know that? What's wrong with you?
Everyone you love, Everyone you trust, makes it their mission to remind you you suck,
From the minute you're born, and every minute since, They keep on berating you til you're convinced
I'm a Miserable Failure....
CHORUS
As the downward spiral abates, you're reminded again how no one is safe from
The Liberals, The Criminals, The Commies, or from Taxes, Terrorists, Thugs, or from another attack.
They're better than you, smarter than you, hotter than you,
They're trying to take your daughter from you.
You try to keep it positive, but they just laugh, and make you forget just how much you have,
You're a Miserable Failure...
CHORUS
The second practice in The Art of Possibility is "Stepping into a Universe of Possibility." It's a step, not a full immersion yet. But it begs the question, Step INTO this universe, from where?
Most of us live in a world of measurement; or as I call it, a world of competition. This is a world where we judge our own worth based on grades, assessments and comparisons to other people. This creates a feeling of scarcity, and a survival mentality. I CERTAINLY exist in this world, and most of my angst and negative feelings come from this. Recognizing this is a first step towards opening yourself up to more possibilities. Also, I've found that rejecting this measurement is very empowering.
The problem with writing a song about this chapter, is that I sort of already did, last week, when I wrote "It's All Invented." But I thought about the measurement world, and how it can lead to "downward spiral thinking." And I remembered how often exploring and expressing that negativity can purge it from your mind. (This actually works, because I've sung this song in some of my darker moments, and it really helped.)
So, I tried expressing what goes through my mind when I'm in panic mode. It's about as close as I'll ever get to writing rap lyrics. It also gets more and more extreme, paranoid, and rather silly. That's how it works. When I take it to it's logical conclusion, the result is so ridiculously out of touch with reality, I can see why I should opt for this other option. Good to get this out of me at the start of the project, don't you think?
The riff is one I've been toying around with for years. It started as a song called "Content with Mediocrity." That never panned out, so I kept it around until a good vehicle for it came around. It's in e minor, which means I'm basically grumbling, which is why the capo is up to a whopping 5th fret! This also brings the chorus to a good level for my voice.
Enjoy my pathetic desperation!
Miserable Failure - Music and Lyrics by Carl J Ferrara, (C) 2009
As the downward spiral begins, everyone's competing but nobody wins,
Half the world's doing better than me, and the other half's the half that I never see
And I PANIC! And I'm filled with dread, impending doom looming over my head,
From the left and the right it's fight or flight as I scramble for an answer that'll make it all right.
I'm a Miserable Failure, just like everybody said.
I'm a Miserable Failure, the tape keeps looping in my head.
See, I've got this delusion that I'm OK, I'm at the top of my game, and understand the way,
A good father, provider, and husband too, then a voice in my head screams, "That's not true!"
I'm walking on glass as I tiptoe around, one wrong step, I've let everyone down,
One misunderstanding can become a brawl, As a million people come to kick me when I fall.
I'm a Miserable Failure....
CHORUS
I don't measure up, I'm just not good enough!
If I don't succeed, then I'm dead.
This pathetic lie that keeps me terrified
Only exists in my head.
As the downward spiral continues, everybody ridiculing everything in you,
Why didn't you do that, What did you do? Why didn't you know that? What's wrong with you?
Everyone you love, Everyone you trust, makes it their mission to remind you you suck,
From the minute you're born, and every minute since, They keep on berating you til you're convinced
I'm a Miserable Failure....
CHORUS
As the downward spiral abates, you're reminded again how no one is safe from
The Liberals, The Criminals, The Commies, or from Taxes, Terrorists, Thugs, or from another attack.
They're better than you, smarter than you, hotter than you,
They're trying to take your daughter from you.
You try to keep it positive, but they just laugh, and make you forget just how much you have,
You're a Miserable Failure...
CHORUS
Saturday, January 12, 2013
It's All Invented - Week 2 - Art of Possibility Ch.1
The Art of Possibility is all about letting go of our imagined perceptions of the world, and replacing them with a more positive perception of the world. Some people may say, "Yeah, but the world doesn't really work like that." That is an imagined perception. There is no real limitation.
Some people think inside the box / it's their downfall
But if you open your mind, you find, there isn't any box at all...
Rachel came home from school / feeling like a fool,
I just looked back at past blogs, and I wrote this week's song, "It's All Invented," back in 2009! That's 4 years ago. I've been thinking about doing this project for 4 years. What has stopped me from moving on it? I kept telling myself, "yeah but..." Labeling other priorities as being SO important, that I didn't have time to commit to this project. Meanwhile, I totally did... in reality. However, in my mind, I set myself an imagined limitation that prevented me from moving forward.
The famous puzzle where you connect the 9 dots, in a 3 x 3 square, with 4 lines without lifting your pencil?
We put an imagined limitation on the puzzle that we have to stay within the square. But the solution is to start outside the box! That limitation doesn't exist anywhere but inside our mind.
For the song, I reflected on people I know who make their lives miserable because of things in their own mind. "Marie" LIVES for drama, and at times that she has no reason to be worried or feel threatened, she makes up some. "Joe" is paranoid and believes that the world's out to get him. In the final verse, "Rachel" is my real life daughter Rachel, who has had issues with being bullied in school. "Her Dad" is me, and my problems with work. Except for Rachel and Me, names have been changed to protect the innocent. My real friends Marie and Joe are NOT, repeat, NOT the Marie and Joe in the song.
Ask yourself: What assumption am I making...that gives me what I see? and then: What might I now invent... that would give me other choices?
It's all Invented Music and Lyrics by Carl J Ferrara (c) 2009
Marie's the kind of girl / Angry at all the world
She's the type who thrives on tragedy
She sees dramatic roles / on all her TV shows,
says, "My life's not like that, what's wrong with me."
Her Mom and Dad had really taught her well:
"Can't you see that life's supposed to be a stress-filled hell?"
Chorus:
She's the type who thrives on tragedy
She sees dramatic roles / on all her TV shows,
says, "My life's not like that, what's wrong with me."
Her Mom and Dad had really taught her well:
"Can't you see that life's supposed to be a stress-filled hell?"
Chorus:
But It doesn't have to be that way,
You can unlearn what you have learned,
It's All Invented Anyway,
So why not invent a better world
You can unlearn what you have learned,
It's All Invented Anyway,
So why not invent a better world
Joe's the suspicious kind / he's good at reading minds
He knows what made you say what you just said,
Says, "You're all versus me, / It's a conspiracy
And you're all trying to mess with my head,"
But all his accusations never help,
'Cause what he sees is really coming from himself...
Chorus
He knows what made you say what you just said,
Says, "You're all versus me, / It's a conspiracy
And you're all trying to mess with my head,"
But all his accusations never help,
'Cause what he sees is really coming from himself...
Chorus
Some people think inside the box / it's their downfall
But if you open your mind, you find, there isn't any box at all...
Rachel came home from school / feeling like a fool,
Some girl said something that made her cry.
Her dad came home from work / his boss was being a jerk,
Feels like a failure and does not know why.
But you don't look all that bad to me,
Tomorrow will be better just wait and see!
Chorus
Thursday, January 10, 2013
If only I had a gun....
I often teach my theatre students, when they're playing a villain, that no one does something they believe to be morally and ethically wrong without a reason. Either they don't believe that it's wrong, and the trick as an actor is to imagine their justification for it; or they believe it is wrong, and under some extreme circumstance, they believe it is necessary. The real "morals" or "ethics" of that are a topic for another blog.
The point is, the person whose name I refuse to acknowledge; you know, the one who shot up Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT; didn't go into that building armed for bear believing it was wrong. Somehow, in his deranged state of mind, he felt very strongly that this was the right thing to do. Something, and I don't dare speculate, but something happened to this guy to set him off, and he had a thought: "If Only I had a Gun, Then I could take care of this." He then went to his mother's house, killed her, stole her guns, and then proceeded to the school.
After the incident, we all were shocked by the event, and we all tried to figure out how to deal with it. To acknowledge that it's an isolated incident and do nothing seems disrespectful. Not to mention it breeds fear in the hearts of other students in other schools, and we as caregivers need to alleviate their fears. Our attempts to recover from the loss spawned a lot of creative solutions, many of which are now memes travelling virally throughout Facebook, twitter, and finally, the news cycle.
To counter the call for more gun control legislation, the pro-gun advocates are calling for MORE citizens to be armed, for their own protection. Many of them cite specific incidents where a person with a gun, even an assault weapon, stopped a crime in progress, or thank God, stopped it before it ever started. There's a growing faction out there that actually believe that security guards, teachers and principals should be armed in our schools. They imply that a gun toting teacher or principal could have immediately silenced the attacker and possibly saved lives. In other words, "If Only they had a Gun, Then they could've taken care of this."
Now before I go on, I should tell you that I come from a family of gun owners. My father, brother, uncles, grandfather, GREAT grandfather were all licenced gun owners and collectors. Growing up, I was surrounded by hunting rifles, handguns, assault weapons, and high-caliber shotguns. NEVER in my family's history have we been harmed by any of these weapons. No one in my family has ever gone on a spree. In fact, my uncle's buddies have been sent home from camping trips for doing nothing more than pointing the gun in the wrong direction. The NRA's assertion that the rights of law abiding gun owners and collectors should be protected is ABSOLUTELY true, and I firmly believe that.
But the whole idea is that we separate the violent, impulsive, dangerous people for whom having a gun is a bad idea, from the law abiding peaceful people who pray every day that they never have to use this weapon. So it doesn't help our cause for Wayne LaPierre, the president of the NRA, to propose as a solution to our violence problem, "If Only They Had A Gun, Then they could've taken care of this." It NEEDS to be acknowledged that this is the exact same thought process that the aggressor in every school shooting in history had when they decided to commit mass murder.
So what is the solution? Everyone is trying to figure out the one thing that will prevent anything bad from happening anywhere ever. And I'm sorry, but that's impossible.
Gun Control? Sure, controlling, to the best of our ability, who is allowed to have access to guns and assault weapons and who is not is a great idea. But remember; the jack offs from Columbine took their parent's guns, and this nimrod in Newtown stole the guns and ammo he used. They were purchased and obtained legally, then illegally taken and used for harm. If these people have no problem committing a crime like murder, then the fact that the means to commit that crime are illegal won't stop them. Banning ALL guns is not the solution either.
I think we need to come to terms with the fact that there's nothing we could have done to prevent this tragedy. I know that makes us feel powerless, but in this situation, we were powerless. The staff of Sandy Hook did what they were supposed to do in such a situation: they protected the children. They didn't get to save them all, but they kept the situation from becoming worse. The teachers and administration in every school in America will do their best to train their staff and student body to prepare for emergency situations. That's really all we can do. That and mourn.
The discussion is geared towards "Guns for ALL" or "Guns for Nobody;" when what we should be talking about it how to fear the power of guns, and use them safely; as well as how to safeguard these guns from getting into the wrong hands.
God bless the families of the victims, and God bless US as we recover from the shock of this tragedy. Help to guide our leaders towards a logical, intelligent solution to our problems. Amen.
The point is, the person whose name I refuse to acknowledge; you know, the one who shot up Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT; didn't go into that building armed for bear believing it was wrong. Somehow, in his deranged state of mind, he felt very strongly that this was the right thing to do. Something, and I don't dare speculate, but something happened to this guy to set him off, and he had a thought: "If Only I had a Gun, Then I could take care of this." He then went to his mother's house, killed her, stole her guns, and then proceeded to the school.
After the incident, we all were shocked by the event, and we all tried to figure out how to deal with it. To acknowledge that it's an isolated incident and do nothing seems disrespectful. Not to mention it breeds fear in the hearts of other students in other schools, and we as caregivers need to alleviate their fears. Our attempts to recover from the loss spawned a lot of creative solutions, many of which are now memes travelling virally throughout Facebook, twitter, and finally, the news cycle.
To counter the call for more gun control legislation, the pro-gun advocates are calling for MORE citizens to be armed, for their own protection. Many of them cite specific incidents where a person with a gun, even an assault weapon, stopped a crime in progress, or thank God, stopped it before it ever started. There's a growing faction out there that actually believe that security guards, teachers and principals should be armed in our schools. They imply that a gun toting teacher or principal could have immediately silenced the attacker and possibly saved lives. In other words, "If Only they had a Gun, Then they could've taken care of this."
Now before I go on, I should tell you that I come from a family of gun owners. My father, brother, uncles, grandfather, GREAT grandfather were all licenced gun owners and collectors. Growing up, I was surrounded by hunting rifles, handguns, assault weapons, and high-caliber shotguns. NEVER in my family's history have we been harmed by any of these weapons. No one in my family has ever gone on a spree. In fact, my uncle's buddies have been sent home from camping trips for doing nothing more than pointing the gun in the wrong direction. The NRA's assertion that the rights of law abiding gun owners and collectors should be protected is ABSOLUTELY true, and I firmly believe that.
But the whole idea is that we separate the violent, impulsive, dangerous people for whom having a gun is a bad idea, from the law abiding peaceful people who pray every day that they never have to use this weapon. So it doesn't help our cause for Wayne LaPierre, the president of the NRA, to propose as a solution to our violence problem, "If Only They Had A Gun, Then they could've taken care of this." It NEEDS to be acknowledged that this is the exact same thought process that the aggressor in every school shooting in history had when they decided to commit mass murder.
So what is the solution? Everyone is trying to figure out the one thing that will prevent anything bad from happening anywhere ever. And I'm sorry, but that's impossible.
Gun Control? Sure, controlling, to the best of our ability, who is allowed to have access to guns and assault weapons and who is not is a great idea. But remember; the jack offs from Columbine took their parent's guns, and this nimrod in Newtown stole the guns and ammo he used. They were purchased and obtained legally, then illegally taken and used for harm. If these people have no problem committing a crime like murder, then the fact that the means to commit that crime are illegal won't stop them. Banning ALL guns is not the solution either.
I think we need to come to terms with the fact that there's nothing we could have done to prevent this tragedy. I know that makes us feel powerless, but in this situation, we were powerless. The staff of Sandy Hook did what they were supposed to do in such a situation: they protected the children. They didn't get to save them all, but they kept the situation from becoming worse. The teachers and administration in every school in America will do their best to train their staff and student body to prepare for emergency situations. That's really all we can do. That and mourn.
The discussion is geared towards "Guns for ALL" or "Guns for Nobody;" when what we should be talking about it how to fear the power of guns, and use them safely; as well as how to safeguard these guns from getting into the wrong hands.
God bless the families of the victims, and God bless US as we recover from the shock of this tragedy. Help to guide our leaders towards a logical, intelligent solution to our problems. Amen.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Nothing's Impossible - Week 1 - "Art of Possibility" Prelude
"Nothing's Impossible" is the 11 O'clock number from my musical, "The Legend of St. Nicholas." This is based on the "Autobiography of Santa Claus," edited by Jeff Guinn. The plot starts with historical St. Nicholas in 343 a.d. His incredible generosity blesses him with immortality, and he continues through pretty much all of history until he morphs into the figure we now know as Santa Claus.
Along the way, he meets many historical figures, some of whom follow him on his mission of giving. (they become the "elves," so to speak) Three of these characters are Leonardo da Vinci, Benjamin Franklin, and Willie Skokan, an expert toymaker. Towards the end of the play, the team read Clement Moore's poem "A Visit From Saint Nicholas," and read for the first time how Santa is supposed to have a sleigh and 8 flying reindeer. Not wanting to disappoint the children, they try to figure out how to make reindeer fly, and as they do, they sing this song about how you need to change your perspective to make the impossible happen.
The "Art of Possibility" project was inspired by the book by Benjamin and Rosamunde Zander, but also by Nikki Sixx's "Heroin Diaries." Along with the book, his band, Sixx A.M., released a soundtrack, with one song for each chapter of the book. I'm going to try to do the same with "The Art of Possibility." Hopefully, this will serve to remind me of the practices in the book, and "talk me down" when I find myself in that downward spiral. But after writing the song for the first chapter, (Next week's song) I felt the whole project needed a prelude. "Nothing's Impossible" seemed appropriate. And because the whole thing seems like a guitar based project to me, I re-arranged the piano chords for guitar.
Leo, Ben, and Willie, in the show, are kind of the "brain trust" of Nicholas' mission. When I wrote the song, I wanted to convey that they're all geniuses in their own field. What has always attracted me to bands like Rush, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, and the like is their apparent musical intelligence. The litmus test for that intelligence is their use of asymmetrical meter (5/8, 7/8, 17/2, etc.) and flexible tonality. Because of that, "Nothing's Impossible" is in 5/8, ending each verse in 6/8, with a bridge in 7/8. The bridge also changes key often. I wanted it to be complex, yet very doable. Enjoy.
Nothing's Impossible, Music and Lyrics by Carl J Ferrara, (c)1995
If you need something made, And that something does not exist,
And you think that it can't be done, there must be something that you missed.
I have always believed, and I will believe til I die,
I believe Nothing's Impossible if you try.
Simply take a wild idea, let it loose and set it free,
Find what it needs to survive, that's how it first comes to be.
And If at first you don't succeed, try and try and try again,
you will find Nothing's Impossible in the end.
If you need it, you can get it
If you can't find it, just invent it
If you want it, you can have it
If you dream it, you can do it!
There'll always be those who say "Nay." Just you wait and they will see
exactly how wrong they were when your dream becomes reality
If you simply believe, I tell you you will never fall
Although some things are improbable
No problem is unsolvable
Difficult, maybe, but through it all,
I'm telling you Nothing's Impossible
Nothing at all!
Along the way, he meets many historical figures, some of whom follow him on his mission of giving. (they become the "elves," so to speak) Three of these characters are Leonardo da Vinci, Benjamin Franklin, and Willie Skokan, an expert toymaker. Towards the end of the play, the team read Clement Moore's poem "A Visit From Saint Nicholas," and read for the first time how Santa is supposed to have a sleigh and 8 flying reindeer. Not wanting to disappoint the children, they try to figure out how to make reindeer fly, and as they do, they sing this song about how you need to change your perspective to make the impossible happen.
The "Art of Possibility" project was inspired by the book by Benjamin and Rosamunde Zander, but also by Nikki Sixx's "Heroin Diaries." Along with the book, his band, Sixx A.M., released a soundtrack, with one song for each chapter of the book. I'm going to try to do the same with "The Art of Possibility." Hopefully, this will serve to remind me of the practices in the book, and "talk me down" when I find myself in that downward spiral. But after writing the song for the first chapter, (Next week's song) I felt the whole project needed a prelude. "Nothing's Impossible" seemed appropriate. And because the whole thing seems like a guitar based project to me, I re-arranged the piano chords for guitar.
Leo, Ben, and Willie, in the show, are kind of the "brain trust" of Nicholas' mission. When I wrote the song, I wanted to convey that they're all geniuses in their own field. What has always attracted me to bands like Rush, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, and the like is their apparent musical intelligence. The litmus test for that intelligence is their use of asymmetrical meter (5/8, 7/8, 17/2, etc.) and flexible tonality. Because of that, "Nothing's Impossible" is in 5/8, ending each verse in 6/8, with a bridge in 7/8. The bridge also changes key often. I wanted it to be complex, yet very doable. Enjoy.
Nothing's Impossible, Music and Lyrics by Carl J Ferrara, (c)1995
If you need something made, And that something does not exist,
And you think that it can't be done, there must be something that you missed.
I have always believed, and I will believe til I die,
I believe Nothing's Impossible if you try.
Simply take a wild idea, let it loose and set it free,
Find what it needs to survive, that's how it first comes to be.
And If at first you don't succeed, try and try and try again,
you will find Nothing's Impossible in the end.
If you need it, you can get it
If you can't find it, just invent it
If you want it, you can have it
If you dream it, you can do it!
There'll always be those who say "Nay." Just you wait and they will see
exactly how wrong they were when your dream becomes reality
If you simply believe, I tell you you will never fall
Although some things are improbable
No problem is unsolvable
Difficult, maybe, but through it all,
I'm telling you Nothing's Impossible
Nothing at all!
Monday, January 7, 2013
A Song a Week
I, CJ Ferrara, hereby lay down the melancholy burden of sanity and conceive the strangest project ever imagined... I intend to post a video demo of an original song on YouTube every week throughout 2013.
You may be asking... "Why?" A few reasons...
A) I have all these songs, and I want to write more. I want to be more prolific as a songwriter, and more successful. Songs that live in my head are nice, but if an audience can't hear them, they're nothing. I hope to build my performing chops back up and sort of "Come out" as a singer/songwriter. Hopefully this will kickstart a career.
2) To meet another New Year's Resolution: To restore my positive attitude. After the crappy year I had (overall) last year, I've caught myself thinking the way that used to depress me. My "Cleanse" to wash out the negativity is to begin an old project again. The book "The Art of Possibility" by Benjamin and Rosamunde Zander has become my self help "Bible." It's a series of practices which are designed to eliminate feelings of competition and negativity, and expand your mind to open it up to possibility. (You'll understand as I go.) My method of incorporating these practices is to write a song for each chapter. Doing this online will keep me honest about it.
D) I think it would be cool. I'm a little inspired by my friends Sean and Christine Fitzgerald who did the same thing, but with original films. This will be my own "Project 52." I invite you to follow me and help me out. Constructive feedback is good, and I will try not to take criticism personally. I strongly believe in the "Art of Possibility" so I invite you all to share in these practices.
One obstacle I can foresee is that whenever I try a "do something every week for a year" project, I never keep it up. I have a bunch of original songs that are written already, so these will be used when I haven't written a new song that week.
A journey of 52 songs begins with one step, so here I go, to film my first video. Wish me luck!
You may be asking... "Why?" A few reasons...
A) I have all these songs, and I want to write more. I want to be more prolific as a songwriter, and more successful. Songs that live in my head are nice, but if an audience can't hear them, they're nothing. I hope to build my performing chops back up and sort of "Come out" as a singer/songwriter. Hopefully this will kickstart a career.
2) To meet another New Year's Resolution: To restore my positive attitude. After the crappy year I had (overall) last year, I've caught myself thinking the way that used to depress me. My "Cleanse" to wash out the negativity is to begin an old project again. The book "The Art of Possibility" by Benjamin and Rosamunde Zander has become my self help "Bible." It's a series of practices which are designed to eliminate feelings of competition and negativity, and expand your mind to open it up to possibility. (You'll understand as I go.) My method of incorporating these practices is to write a song for each chapter. Doing this online will keep me honest about it.
D) I think it would be cool. I'm a little inspired by my friends Sean and Christine Fitzgerald who did the same thing, but with original films. This will be my own "Project 52." I invite you to follow me and help me out. Constructive feedback is good, and I will try not to take criticism personally. I strongly believe in the "Art of Possibility" so I invite you all to share in these practices.
One obstacle I can foresee is that whenever I try a "do something every week for a year" project, I never keep it up. I have a bunch of original songs that are written already, so these will be used when I haven't written a new song that week.
A journey of 52 songs begins with one step, so here I go, to film my first video. Wish me luck!
In Defense of Russell Crowe
The reviews are in for the long awaited film version of "Les Miserables." People either LOVED it, or HATED it. Those who hated it had their reasons. Some who dabble in film making themselves profoundly disagreed with director Tom Hooper's choice of using jump-cuts, close-ups, jump-cutting close-ups, Close-up jumping, or whatever. Other haters hated because they were all singing and stuff. Some even disliked how dark and depressing the story was. I mean, what were they expecting? The movie isn't called "Les Happy People of France," it's called "Les Miserables."
Whether you thought it was an abomination against all things cinematic, or the most glorious event to happen to film since the wrestling scene in Borat; everyone can agree on one thing: Russell Crowe was the weak link in the film.
It's not his fault, really. Everyone else was a real singer. Hugh Jackman's been on Broadway. So has most of the rest of the cast. Crowe, while being a great actor, is more of a rocker. With his band "30 Odd Feet of Grunt", he's terrible. He's got that kind of affected terrible voice that makes so many emo rock bands popular. (Click the link, you'll see what I mean.) His voice is all wrong for the part of Javert, just as Gerard Butler was all wrong for the part of the Phantom in "Phantom of the Opera."
But I have to say a few things about this performance. First of all, like Nick Jonas in the 25th Anniversary Concert, he CLEARLY trained for this part. You can palpably sense the vocal technique in his performance. You can almost hear his coach saying to him from behind the camera, "Open! Watch your pitch, Russell! Support the tone!" And THAT, I believe was his undoing.
Russell Crowe is NOT BAD in the film. He's bad in exactly two parts: "Stars" and "Javert's Suicide." Unfortunately for Crowe, these are the two defining moments for the character. And I don't even think he sang the songs badly. On the contrary, I think he was in very good voice for those two scenes. The biggest criticism of those performances was that it was Emotionless and One-Dimensional. The dramatic pay-off of these two songs is lost. I think that Crowe was so focused on his vocal technique, that he forgot to give his all into the performance. You've seen his other films, you KNOW he's capable of more depth.
So there's the irony of Russell Crowe's performance: he sang it so well, it sucked. I actually may have preferred if he scream-sang it but delivered the emotional punch that it needed.
But in the scenes with other actors; the Confrontation, the opening scene when he releases Valjean, the attack at the baracade; he's fine! He acts well, he has a bit of a naturalness to his vocal tone, he's in tune, which is more than I can say for his performances with "Grunt." And never forget, unlike in Phantom, Crowe had to do it LIVE! They could pitch corrected a lip-synched performance. Crowe was really preparing for a theatrical performance, and I say, compared to his level of vocal talent, and considering the rest of the film, he held his own against a powerhouse ensemble.
So, like the film, don't like it, I don't care. But give Russell Crowe credit for working so hard to deliver a pretty good performance when it could have been a disaster of Gerard Butler proportions! You either hated the movie and his performance was one of the many reasons why, or you loved the film, and his performance did not take away from your enjoyment of it.
Whether you thought it was an abomination against all things cinematic, or the most glorious event to happen to film since the wrestling scene in Borat; everyone can agree on one thing: Russell Crowe was the weak link in the film.
It's not his fault, really. Everyone else was a real singer. Hugh Jackman's been on Broadway. So has most of the rest of the cast. Crowe, while being a great actor, is more of a rocker. With his band "30 Odd Feet of Grunt", he's terrible. He's got that kind of affected terrible voice that makes so many emo rock bands popular. (Click the link, you'll see what I mean.) His voice is all wrong for the part of Javert, just as Gerard Butler was all wrong for the part of the Phantom in "Phantom of the Opera."
But I have to say a few things about this performance. First of all, like Nick Jonas in the 25th Anniversary Concert, he CLEARLY trained for this part. You can palpably sense the vocal technique in his performance. You can almost hear his coach saying to him from behind the camera, "Open! Watch your pitch, Russell! Support the tone!" And THAT, I believe was his undoing.
Russell Crowe is NOT BAD in the film. He's bad in exactly two parts: "Stars" and "Javert's Suicide." Unfortunately for Crowe, these are the two defining moments for the character. And I don't even think he sang the songs badly. On the contrary, I think he was in very good voice for those two scenes. The biggest criticism of those performances was that it was Emotionless and One-Dimensional. The dramatic pay-off of these two songs is lost. I think that Crowe was so focused on his vocal technique, that he forgot to give his all into the performance. You've seen his other films, you KNOW he's capable of more depth.
So there's the irony of Russell Crowe's performance: he sang it so well, it sucked. I actually may have preferred if he scream-sang it but delivered the emotional punch that it needed.
But in the scenes with other actors; the Confrontation, the opening scene when he releases Valjean, the attack at the baracade; he's fine! He acts well, he has a bit of a naturalness to his vocal tone, he's in tune, which is more than I can say for his performances with "Grunt." And never forget, unlike in Phantom, Crowe had to do it LIVE! They could pitch corrected a lip-synched performance. Crowe was really preparing for a theatrical performance, and I say, compared to his level of vocal talent, and considering the rest of the film, he held his own against a powerhouse ensemble.
So, like the film, don't like it, I don't care. But give Russell Crowe credit for working so hard to deliver a pretty good performance when it could have been a disaster of Gerard Butler proportions! You either hated the movie and his performance was one of the many reasons why, or you loved the film, and his performance did not take away from your enjoyment of it.
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Favorite Albums of 2012 - Nos 4-1 !!!!
I hope you enjoyed this list of my favorites. To be sure, I'll be listening to them all night New Years Eve, then I start the year anew. I may tweet about the albums I hear as I go.
All of this obsessive activity on my part is to reach one simple goal: for me to have something good to listen to. I also have a desire to champion the greats, and nurture good musicians. To that end, please tweet me, comment, contact me in any way to let me know about good music that's out there.
2013 resolution: To hear more classical stuff. only one truly stands out this year.
Honorable Mention: The King's Singers - Pater Noster: A Choral Reflection on the Lord's Prayer
This King's Singers are a truly amazing classical group who have occasionally boosted their popularity by delving into pop music. When they have done so, the results have ranged from truly inspired to delightfully cheesy. The fact remains, though, when they do classical music, there is no equal. On this album, they sing an eclectic program of settings of the Lord's Prayer and other sacred texts inspired by the sections of the prayer. It makes me want to find the sheet music to every piece and meditate on the texts as I sing the tenor part along with them. (Maybe that's just me.) I recommend this album to classical music fans, as well as deeply religious people.
4. Nightwish - Imaginaerum - A Warning to all fans of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra: Listening to Nightwish will make you realize how hacky TSO really are. This Finnish band is my favorite discovery of the year, a prog-rock band who seamlessly meld nearly EVERY style of music into their songs. Imaginaerum is a concept album that is about to spawn a feature film that looks pretty freakin' cool. The plot is about a composer who is lost in his own mind. Through therapy, his dreams come to life and his daughter, who is the therapist, discovers more about her father's history. The tunes range from awesome, to beautiful, to downright frightening. Overall, you'll want to keep listening, and will periodically go back to uncover more.
3. Bruce Springsteen - Wrecking Ball - Bruce has developed a new style of songwriting for himself, one that resembles Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, and the folk singers of yesteryear. Wrecking Ball is the unofficial soundtrack for those suffering from the rough economy. From the new American Anthem, "We Take Care Of Our Own," which reminds politicians that we're supposed to care for those in need; to the heartbreaking "Jack of All Trades" which perfectly mimics every conversation I've had with my wife every time I've lost a job. The songs are a poignant reflection on the economic events of recent years from the perspective of the regular people who are suffering through it.
2. Alan Doyle - Boy on Bridge - A general search for Alan Doyle will also bring up "Alan Doyle and Russell Crowe." Fitting that while his writing partner is hopefully not ruining Les Miserables, Doyle is recording some rough, yet enjoyable music. Imagine the kind of Celtic/Australian/Folksy/Rock music you could probably expect from Crowe, and that's this album from this Canadian singer/songwriter. His songs are tuneful, riff heavy, and passionately sung. Give him a try.
1. Delta Rae - Carry the Fire - Listen to "Morning Comes." Now listen to "Bottom of the River." Kinda makes Lady Antebellum look like the Little Rascals don't it? This album BLEW ME AWAY. First of all, I'm a sucker for harmonies, and this band LIVES for them. Second, I did the celtic spin they put on country music. Finally, the songs are well written. Beyond that, though, they have that certain je ne c'est quoi that makes them unique, and my favorite new band of the year.
All of this obsessive activity on my part is to reach one simple goal: for me to have something good to listen to. I also have a desire to champion the greats, and nurture good musicians. To that end, please tweet me, comment, contact me in any way to let me know about good music that's out there.
2013 resolution: To hear more classical stuff. only one truly stands out this year.
This King's Singers are a truly amazing classical group who have occasionally boosted their popularity by delving into pop music. When they have done so, the results have ranged from truly inspired to delightfully cheesy. The fact remains, though, when they do classical music, there is no equal. On this album, they sing an eclectic program of settings of the Lord's Prayer and other sacred texts inspired by the sections of the prayer. It makes me want to find the sheet music to every piece and meditate on the texts as I sing the tenor part along with them. (Maybe that's just me.) I recommend this album to classical music fans, as well as deeply religious people.
Favorite Albums of 2012 - Nos. 8-5
Sorry for the break. I was making rather merry over the holidays. But I'm back with the top 8!
By the way, I hope you are all taking my recommendations, and Spotifying, Rhapsodying, Pandoraing or Amazoning all of these albums immediately. Scroll down to see the full list! It's worth it. Psy may be getting all the internet hits; but these artists actually made great music!
8. Rita Wilson - AM/FM - Hey, that chick has the same name as Tom Hanks' wife! Wait... it IS Tom Hanks' wife! And, yes, she CAN sing. She's no American Idol, or winner of the X Factor or the Voice; and believe me, I mean that as a compliment. This album hearkens back to the old days, the 60s and 70s, back when you didn't need to blow us away with your voice, you just needed to sing, beautifully and well. While others are trying to make you believe that they're singing with soul and emotion, Wilson really IS. She takes on songs we know as being group numbers, such as songs by the Association and the Everly Brothers, and her reinterpretations of these songs as solos bring new life to them. Memories alone make this one a new standard on your mp3 player of choice!
7. Pentatonix - PTX Vol. 1 (EP) - They won the Sing-off, the greatest music program ever to be cancelled on television! Now they came out with TWO EPs and a slew of viral YouTube videos. They are probably the one really popular group out there that is truly deserving of their superstardom. Every song on Vol. 1 is a cover of another artists song, but their vocal arrangement makes these tunes, which suck in their original form, amazingly spectacular. When songs overloaded with production and artificiality are finally presented musically by a talented group of vocal stylists, magic happens. But PTX is more than just a pop group. Their Christmas album, "PTXmas" shows off their choral chops, and their musicality. I'm looking forward to their long amazing career.
6. Slash - Apocalyptic Love - Here's the thing: Guns and Roses in the "Appetite" days... RULE! Guns and Roses now, with just Axl Rose, doing Chinese Democracy... SUCKS. Slash's first two solo albums... AMAZING! So, I ask you, who was the reason for the band's success, really? Exactly. And on "Apocalyptic Love" all songs are sung by Myles Kennedy, who is a great singer who clearly worships at the altar of Axl, so if you loved "Appetite", you'll love this album!
5. The Beach Boys - That's Why God Made the Radio - It's like they never left. If you're young and don't realize how phenomenal the Beach Boys were; or if you're old, like me, and think that they just got old and "not as good as they used to be;" I have to tell you what really happened is they lost Brian Wilson. He didn't die, he just lost touch with the guys. But after some great solo albums, albums of covers of Disney and Gershwin, and finally finishing the last Brian-era Beach Boys album, Smile; he's back with the group, who were doing fine on their own, and the sum IS greater than the sum of their parts. Yeah, their voices are older, but they harmonize like never before. Thoroughly enjoyable and brilliant album.
By the way, I hope you are all taking my recommendations, and Spotifying, Rhapsodying, Pandoraing or Amazoning all of these albums immediately. Scroll down to see the full list! It's worth it. Psy may be getting all the internet hits; but these artists actually made great music!
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Favorite Albums of 2012 - Nos. 12-9
OK... Getting up there now, about to break the top 10! I'm getting excited!
12. Steve Vai - The Story of Light - Always been a fan of Steve Vai. From when he played for David Lee Roth's solo albums, to playing ALL guitar parts on Whitesnake's "Slip of the Tongue" album, (the other guitarist had surgery and couldn't record.), to him playing Satan's guitarist in the movie "Crossroads." He plays so well, he may just be possessed. The problem with many instrumental guitarists is that it shows off their awesome soloing TOO much, and the song becomes a 5 minute free form mess. Vai, on the other hand shows off his compositional skills and creativity on this album. The guitar is his voice as he interprets the awesomely passionate music.
11. John Mayer - Born and Raised - You may have noticed that I don't get very specific in these reviews. What is unique and special about this particular album? Well, as I mentioned at the onset, a lot of these albums are not anything new and innovative. New and Innovative often yields horrible and stupid. What's unique about this John Mayer album? Nothing. John Mayer is just a great songwriter, and this collection of his songs is simply great. He's a great guitarist, too, but "Born and Raised" doesn't show off his Guitar chops, it shows off his knack for lyric writing and great melodies. It's just great. Have I mentioned how great it is?
10. Tim McGraw - Emotional Traffic - If you told me 5 years ago that Tim McGraw would record one of my favorite albums this year, I'd have asked you to get your head examined. However, he did. And he did it by moving on from his redneck country origins, and incorporating more pop styles into his songs. The only real hick-y song is "Touchdown Jesus," but that song is just so great, I can forgive him.
9. Rush - Clockwork Angels - I really shouldn't have to tell you why Rush is so great. But even they have been getting overly arty on recent albums. "Clockwork Angels" returns them to the idea of a concept album, their first since Hemispheres. And for the first time in a while, their music is really accessible to the non-fanatic. If you're not a hardcore fan, and want to know what all the fuss is about, check out this album.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Favorite Albums of 2012 - Nos. 16-13
So, what does it benefit these artists to be selected my favorites of the year? Well, It should make them feel good that their excellence is recognized. I also want to toss out into the blogosphere energy directing people to this music. Much of it got lost while the mass media were directing our attention at One Direction and Carly Rae Jepsen.
Personally, I am following every artist on my list on Twitter and Facebook. I'm tagging them via twitter. I'm seeking out Christmas albums from all of them, and playing them wherever I go this holiday season. I may also actually PURCHASE their records! Financially supporting their endeavors.
That having been said, ON with the countdown. (cue cheesy radio tag: "NUMber six TEEEEEEN!")
16. Rascal Flatts - Changed - My regular readers know how I feel about country music. In a nutshell, I favor great songwriting over empty patriotism and redneckiness. I DO have an affinity for Rascal Flatts. Highlights of their career in my book are: Their cover of "Life is a Highway" for the soundtrack to Cars; their guest appearance on CSI; and this album. The sheer catchiness of their music draws me to it, and the perfect blend of pop sensibility and country authenticity.
15. Dave Matthews Band - Away From The World - Dave Matthews Band falls under the heading of "Jam Band." This means they're well known for improvising and riff based tunes. What makes them unique and special is also what makes them good. Matthews is free from pop conventions, and able to focus on creating riffs and melodies that are truly original. Also, the unique instrumentation of the band, including fiddle and sax, creates a truly unique sound that enhances these ditties.
14. Joe Walsh - Analog Man - Walsh is undoubtedly my favorite Eagle. I have fond memories of his music throughout my life; from "Space Age Whiz Kids" to "ILBTs" to "Rocky Mountain Way." On stage, he seems like a curmudgeonly old man, and the song "Analog Man" reflects an old-timey frustration with technology. But he's the real deal, and can still rock like the best of them. "Family" WILL make you cry, unless you have a heart of titanium.
13. Triosence with Sara Gazarek - Where Time Stands Still - Tied with Casey Abrams for Happiest Album of the Year. This German Jazz group plays with such a feel-good ease, you can't help but feel good listening to it. Vocalist Sara Gazerek delivers the beautiful melodies with a relaxed ease that makes it seem simple. Perfect cleaning the house music! (Gazarek also had an album of standards this year: "Blossom and Bee." Worth Checking out!)
Personally, I am following every artist on my list on Twitter and Facebook. I'm tagging them via twitter. I'm seeking out Christmas albums from all of them, and playing them wherever I go this holiday season. I may also actually PURCHASE their records! Financially supporting their endeavors.
That having been said, ON with the countdown. (cue cheesy radio tag: "NUMber six TEEEEEEN!")
Monday, December 17, 2012
Favorite Albums of 2012 - TOP 20-16
On a lighter note, I now give you my top 20 albums of the year. These ARE, to my best estimation in order of preference.
20. Rick Springfield - Song For The End of the World - Shut up! Yeah, Rick Springfield has a reputation for being cheesy bubble gum pop crap from the 80s. Those of us who are REAL fans, and have heard his later albums know he has some rock and roll and songwiritng chops to be reckoned with. Rick has a real dark side. I mean, REALLY think about the implications of "Jessie's Girl." This dark side shows a bit on "Songs For The End of the World," which delves into the subjects of self-loathing and redemption. The albums he did in the 80s sound like they're from the 80s, but the songs on this album can compete with some of the rock bands that are still around, and would win because of the songwriting alone. Give it a shot, and I dare you not to like it.
19. Missy Higgins - The Ol' Razzle Dazzle - This Australian singer had apparently had a long career, then quit for a few years, and now is back. And, she's great. Kind of a brit-pop kind of arrangement which focuses on backing vocals, and just enough reverb to make it sound retro. She toggles the line between Sara Bareilles-style singer/songwriting and Kylie Minogue-style dance pop. Check her out.
18. Alanis Morissette - Havoc and Bright Lights - The only pet peeve I have about Alanis Morissette, is her insistence on emPHAsizing the offBEAT syLLAble. But, other than that, she writes a great song. I don't know why I haven't been listening to her more, after all, she's responsible for one of my favorite songs. ("Still" from the Dogma Soundtrack) This album really reacquainted me with her music.
17. Amy Ray - Lung of Love - In the Lennon/McCartney type partnership that is the Indigo Girls, Emily Saliers is the more lovely and melodic Paul McCartney, and Amy Ray is the rougher, more rocking John Lennon. This is the first solo album that I've heard of from her, (it's actually her 4th) and it's interesting to see what Ray can do on her own. It's like hearing the first Wings album, or more like the first Plastic Ono Band. If you're a fan, you WON'T be disappointed.
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