Zune Shuffle November 13, 2009

Two things.

Yes.  I have a Zune.

And I’ve never done the ipod shuffle post. You know, the one where you put the ipod on shuffle and list the first 10 songs.  So here it is.  My musical taste in all it’s weirdness.

1. Gallows Pole – Led Zeppelin.  Reminds me of high school and Laserium Zeppelin.  heh.

2. Goodbye Love – Rent.  Well we all knew I love musicals.

3. Helplessly Hoping – recorded by me and two of my friends actually.  We used my ancient microphones at school.  And yes.  I do have recordings of our trio on my Zune.  I like to listen to us.  Reminds me of fun times.

4.  Missa De Beata Virgine – Josquin Des Prez – I’m a music geek.  What’d you expect?

5. You Oughta Know – Alanis Morissette.  I’m officially old enough to admit publicly that I listen to her in all her angsty bitter greatness. 

6. Hotwax – Beck.  Love Beck.  One of my favorite concerts.  Although my friend and I were probably closer in age to the moms in the audience who brought their jr. high kids. “I’m the enchanted wizard of rhythm.”  How can you not love lyrics like that?

7.  Love’s Recovery – Indigo Girls.  Yeah.  Love them too.

8.  The Lowlands of Holland – The Chieftains and Natalie Merchant.  Pretty song.  But not my favorite on the album.  I actually got this cd from a student.  One of the best presents I ever got.  Love it.

9.  I Just Don’t Think I’ll Ever Feel Get Over You – Colin Hay.  He’s still got it.  Long after “We come from a land down under…”

10. Sissyneck – Beck.  Again.  See #6.

 

So there you go.  A tiny glimpse into what’s on my Zune.

My 2 cents on Susan Boyle April 17, 2009

Unless you are locked in a cave somewhere with no internet access or television, then you’ve watched this wonderful performance by Susan Boyle on Britain’s Got Talent.

I love her performance.  That song is freaky hard and even well trained singers struggle with it.  What annoys me is the idea that the judges and the audience were so surprised she could sing.  As if physical beauty has anything to do with musical ability.  The idea that only people who look like fashion models should sing is a very new one.  I blame MTV.  I think video really did kill the radio star.  Think about it.  Think of all the music we would have missed out on today if they had been judged solely by their ability to sell clothing, perfume etc.  All those Average Joe looking people with amazing talent.  Billy Joel for one.  Carol King.  Elton John.  So so many others.  Journey.  (Yes I’m showing my white suburban 70s and 80s upbringing).  It makes me wonder who we’re missing out on now.  Like Susan Boyle. 

And that’s my 2 cents.

Shameless Planina Plug April 11, 2009

libanaposter12

Hmm.  For some reason I can’t get the poster to post.    Click the above link to see it.  It’s a very pretty poster. 

 

Oh yeah.  Did I mention Planina is opening for Libana on Saturday, April 18th at 7:30 pm? 

All the cool kids are coming.

Tickets can be purchashed at the website.

 

*Edit*  Apparently my fingers have been drinking without me again.  They are starting to slur their words.  So feel free to “purchashe” a ticket.  Heh.

Shameless Plug February 4, 2009

PLANINA at the D Note this Sat., 2/7!

Tell your friends! We’ll perform during the 6-8 pm “dinner hour” at the D Note, 7519 Grandview Ave., Olde Town Arvada.  $8.  www.dnote.us; phone 303-GO-DNOTE.

Enjoy soaring Eastern European music as you munch on the D Note’s award-winning pizza! Yes, there will be background noise and people talking. But it’s going to be great fun, and yes, there’s room to dance (although only some of our tunes are dance tunes). Bring kids – $4 for kids 6-12; kids under 6, free.

If you come for Planina, you may stay for the other acts at no extra charge – The Mourning Sickness (“punk&roll”) at 8:30 and Mr. Knowitall (a Primus cover band) at 10:30. Increasing decibels with each passing hour!

We’ll hope to see you 6-8 pm!

PS:  I get to sing some solos, duets and trios!

* * * * *
P L A N I N A
Songs of

Eastern Europe
Office 303-733-1120
Fax 303-733-0147
email info@planina.org
www.planina.org

Pretty! December 24, 2008

I love love love this album.  The whole thing.   

Christmas Letter 2008 December 17, 2008

I’m doing the Christmas Letter on-line this year for a couple reasons:

1) Saves trees.

2) Saves postage

3) and frankly, I’m just not sure I’m going to get the cards out this year.  I love sending out cards.  I love getting cards.  But I think I need to take this year off.  I promise, I’ll get them out next year. 

 

Dear Everybody:

C is for Christmas. 

For most of the year, C has stood for something different.  I like Christmas better.  Always have.  I’m one of those crazy people that loves looking for gifts for people.  Sometimes they’re purchased and sometimes they’re home made but I’ve always figured it’s my wordless way of showing how much my family and friends are loved.  And this year  I discovered that I have a wonderful network of strength and friendship.  My family that embraced my new normal.  My old friends who rallied for me in so many ways, making sure my family was fed and cared for when I was unable.  My new friends, who also took us under their wings and reminded me what Christian fellowship is about.

C is for Church.  Going back to church has been an amazing thing for me and my family.  I love the belonging of worship.  I love the music and the recitation of sage words that have lasted for over a thousand years.  I love listening to L as she learns the different prayers.   (We’re still working on little J not wearing his pajamas to church, much less sitting in the pews.  Heh.)  Going back to church has inspired me to *be* better, not just get better.

C is for children.   Today, L had her Kindergarten Christmas program.  They were so cute!  And they sang on pitch!  (Yes, geeky music teacher comment.)  She wore her Christmas dress.  I barely convinced her to wear white tights (she wanted to wear red hearts.  The dress is blue plaid.)  J wanted to wear his Christmas outfit too so I thought I’d try to get some pictures of them with the tree.  After school, I took them to see Santa at the mall.  I thought my timing was brilliant because most kids would be taking a nap then.  Except I had a very sleepy 3 year old in the back seat.  J is not a happy napper.  Some kids wake up refreshed.  Mine wake up worse than before.  L and I must have looked like lunatics playing loud music and periodically yelling “Wakey Wakey Wakey!” in our best muppet voices to keep him awake.  We did it though and both kids made up for being whiny this week by putting on their best behavior for Santa.

Santa keep tickling me to get me to smile.

And yes, J is wearing his snazzy snow boots.  Some battles aren’t worth it.

And some are.    I meant what I said about wanting to be better.  There’s a song that’s on the John Denver and the Muppets album that sums it up well, I think.  I always liked the idea that the potential for wisdom is within all of us, if we only use our heart and eyes to see what is around us.

So Merry Christmas, with a big, old, illuminated C. 

Take that, cancer. 

Love,

Nicole

It’s in every one of us
To be wise
Find your heart
Open up both your eyes
We can all know everything
Without ever knowing why
It’s in every one of us
By and by

Sadly, after much internet surfing, I can’t find the John Denver version.  Which is too bad.  It’s my favorite.  So here’s Clay Aiken.  Who has my hair.

A Glimpse of Normalcy November 24, 2008

So.  Where have I been?  Every year I play the piano for my friends Pam and Seana’s musical.  They teach high school (crazy people).  This was my third show with them so I’ve really gotten see these kids grow as actors and performers.  Very cool. 

Crazy high school teachers.

Of course, just like any show, things can go wrong.  Friday, for example.  Well my Friday just started out bad and kept on going.  Got the boy up extra early to go with me to get the tires aligned on the car.  No easy task.  You’ve seen him sleep.  It’s like waking the dead.  The crabby dead.  Found out that the alignment machine was broken when I got there.  They did fix the turn signal though.  While we were in the waiting room, an older couple walked in and asked me if J was my grandson.  Grandson.  I’m 34.  Seriously. 

Things calmed down for a while and just when I think I have my ducks in a row…  Big J called me around 4-ish saying he was heading home.  Which was great!  Plenty of time to get to the show.  Until I got the call that he was stuck in traffic.  And I’d just cancelled the babysitting.  We got that snafu straightened out and I received a worried phone call from Pam.  Did I know that the show started at 6 pm?  Ugh.  She had told me and I forgot to write it down.  A speedy trip down the high way and I make it just in time for curtain.  But it doesn’t stop there.  Apparently the kids (being high school kids) had had some social problems early that day, which was worked out, but stressful none the less.  AND the icing on the cake was the piano lamp was broken.  We taped it together and the show went on.  At one point the top came loose and started spinning.  During the show.  Looked like a rave.  Heh.  Pam and I had the giggle fits pretty much all the way through that number.

So where are all these stories going, you ask?  As perverse as it sounds, for the first time since January, I was completely stressed out by something other than cancer.  And in a weird way, it was good.  Heh.

Oh and the musical?  It was awesome.  Those kids crack me up.

Beethoven Day!

Sit back and relax. It’s a long one. August 17, 2008

Grab a cup of coffee, I had a busy weekend.

This weekend was Planina’s 20th reunion concert.  To back track a bit, I started singing with Planina, a group that sings songs from Eastern Europe, in January, right before my cancer diagnosis.  Now I could have quit and nobody would have thought less of me, but I really wanted to keep this for myself.  It had taken me a long time to find a group to sing with (the most singing I’ve been doing the last few years is to my children.  LOTS of Twinkle Twinkle.  I think I might even be able to sing it backwards.).  The members were very understanding and supportive even when I could only come to every other rehearsal and needed to use note cards during performances because my chemo addled brain had trouble remembering my own name, much less languages that I’m barely familiar with.  They brought me beautiful scarves to wear when I lost my hair.  I’ve learned so much since January.  My Balkan music learning curve has been pretty much vertical.  This weekend I got to meet the former members and hang out with the current ones as well.  The beauty of the music is only enhanced by the greater number of singers.  Just gorgeous.

On Friday night, at one of the parties/rehearsals, I met the wife of one of the former members.  She told me she loved my haircut and how bold it was.  My hair is coming in pretty nicely, but it’s still at the older Sinead stage.  When I mentioned it was actually growing in rather than cut off, she had said she never would have guessed.  She just thought I was European, maybe German.  I loved it.  It’s the first time I’ve really felt that I don’t look like a cancer patient.  Apparently I look European.  Hooray!

The concert was amazing.  So.  Much.  Fun.  Planina concerts are very audience participatory.  People sing along (You’d be amazed how many people know songs in Bulgarian!) and even dance in the aisles.  I sang Hajdutin in a trio.  It’s a beautifully sad song about a man’s last request of his love.  I also sang a duet on More Sokol Pie (Moray sohkohl peeyay).  Yeah, I pronounce it in English in my head, too.  Yes, I’d like my More Sokol Pie with whipped cream if you don’t mind…  I feel very proud and a little intimidated to have sung solos at this concert where there were so many experienced singers.   I had so much fun though.  Nothing is as gratifying as performing in front of a truly appreciative audience.  Thanks so much Planinas!

We’ll be performing again on Sunday, August 31st at 10:00 am at the Taste of Colorado.  See you there?

Cactus Cuties sing Star Spangled Banner February 27, 2008

I spent a lot of my high school career singing the National Anthem at just about every sporting event offered.   A friend of mine sent me this and although I have all sorts of music teachery reservations about young people belting, I have to admit they’re pretty good.  Very young to be able to hold harmonies like that.

Don’t Feed the Plant! December 18, 2007

Last show was Saturday! It was a lot of fun to play. Sadly, the only picture I have is a slightly blurry one with a tall dude standing in front, but you can kind of see what it looked like. The kids did such a great job! I brought L to the final performance. She liked the show, but I think she liked the attention from the high school kids the most. The kid who played the plant showed her how to dance like Michael Jackson. Thanks Tim. Heh.

BTW, this is my first time posting a video. Let me know if you can see it.