Learning the Ukulele * !

Hi :)

In the process of expanding my musical horizons, I picked up the ukulele a few days ago. An instrument that sounds like morning rays of sunlight ~~~~~ *

Merry Christmas Eve, world~~


Ai,

Mari

Mree *

The voice of Marie Hsiao is captivating and inspiring me at the moment . . . Like a cool breeze on a softly sunlit day . . .

I think she is an angel.

*

Holocene ~ Bon Iver

A beautiful way to start the morning.

Enjoy *

Still Point ~ Duke Out of the Blue * * *

New music from ~Duke Out of the Blue~~~ the all-female a cappella group that I've been a member of for four years. Our new album titled Still Point releases Sunday, August 28 (TODAY!), featuring a variety of covers, as well as my first original composition for voice, titled......

It is now available for physical purchase and on iTunes, but the perks of purchasing a physical copy are that you will receive a digipak with six panels full of artwork & love & stardust (designed by yours truly)... not to mention two years' worth of hard work, friendship, and funky syllables manifested into 11 beautifully crafted songs. Here's a 1:50 preview from the song I wrote and arranged for voice~~~~~~~ Please Enjoy~!*

* * take a listen * *

• for your *best* listening experience, use headphones or really good speakers
• more song samples here

"Grow Till Tall"

I've been looking for a way to incorporate music & song into my creative endeavors, so this is my first go! (Seeing Jónsi LIVE TOMORROW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !! !)

A simple performance of one of my favorite songs "Grow Till Tall" by Jónsi ***

Because music has the power to connect us with each other and with the whole universe . . . I hope this video will be a small demonstration of that power!!

Filmed by Patrick John Steiner :)

Jónsi !!!

Life can be so magical ... !!*
Let me tell you a story.
For the past 4 months, I've been obsessed with Jónsi. He's the lead singer of Sigur Rós, an Icelandic band that I absolutely ADORE. Possibly my favorite band of all time, if I had to choose. What I loved about Sigur Rós is that I could never understand the actual words (I've heard that half of it is a make-believe language anyway) but I felt like I could . . . I've always felt like I could FEEL it, like it was a language more eloquent than any *real* ones with concrete sentence structure and complex vocabulary. Recently, Jónsi released a solo album called "Go" *** it's a little more upbeat and incorporates actual English. At first, I wasn't so sure I would like it at all, but eventually I got hooked. I've listened to this album at least 40 times & one of the special things is that I've played it almost every single time I've painted anybody. It's like a sudden flood of positive energy, which I embrace so much!!!
In any case, the news is that I am going to see Jónsi LIVE!!!!!!! I found out he was coming to play two shows in Italy, one in Rome & one in Ferrara. I was in shock. I had to get tickets... I had to see him! Walked to the box office with Patrick and within 60 seconds, they were in my hands. It was that easy. . . Now this might not seem like a HUGE deal, but for me, at this moment in my life, loving music, having been singing Jónsi in my head and out loud at any given hour, feeling these waves of positive energy through just recording........it's just going to be so magical live and I am excited beyond belief. . . . Wouldn't that be amazing if he let me paint stars onto him? ? ? (*Giggles*)

This is one of my favorite songs by him. (I'm not allowed to embed it here, but please click the link to listen!!) It's called "GO DO" and it is alive with sounds and colors and bird noises and eeeee! It is so contagious!!! And now I have a new reason to love him, because I can understand some of the words and for the most part, I embrace them whole-heartedly... one of my favorites being :
"WE SHOULD ALWAYS KNOW THAT WE CAN DO ANYTHING"



And it's true. ANYTHING. We can do anything !!!!!!!!!!!! Put your mind to it, summon up positive energy, find the means to do it . . . it's not as hard as it seems. There are a million things we could be thinking about, half of them negative and depressing and upsetting. . . . it's all about what you choose to put your mind to. :)


* * *

In other news, I found this little guy on a shelf in my apartment here. A little piece of home!! Abandoned... "orphaned!" I immediately put him next to my bed, so he could have a little attention and some love. Coincidentally, I just read that my friend Esther Jeohn (whom I spent last summer in Tanzania with!) has a new cactus friend too!! Mine has no name (yet?), right now he's just a pleasant little addition to my bedside table * making my room an even more happy place to live! :)

I swim in music.

Last night after going out for some amazing pizza (apple & gorgonzola, anyone? it's my favorite) a group of us happened upon Santa Croce, a church that is close to the Arno River. There was an unseen organist playing and so we all sat down in the pews and began to listen. It honestly felt like the entire room was just filled with music, like we were floating and at the same time so grounded, like we were inside music. Like the music was water, YES! I just had this realization now, after actually experiencing it! It felt like the music... was... water. Filling a room. Music is water that you can breathe in! It was exhilarating and wonderful and everyone was silent, just sitting there and listening to the music. Imagine it & you can be there too!! ~~ We should always use our imaginations :)

By the way, here is the link to the song that I referred to in the last post. The video itself is a little strange, so I suggest just listening to the song. Although I love videos pairing music and sound, I'm not always interested in the idea of putting visuals to music... It's just beautiful on its own.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiAwYSsQ7JE

Music should always be loud so we can feel its vibrations and at the same time as soft as a whisper. I love seemingly opposing phrases. . . They've always made sense to me.

*Hugs*

Musiki!

Throughout my time in Arusha, Andrew and I taught a "music class" of sort, which I've mentioned in previous posts. It turned out to be more lyric composition/attempts to imitate instruments with the voice/trying to encourage students to rap. Of course, it didn't turn out the way we expected, but the result was nonetheless awesome. We ended up putting together a CD, complete with 16 tracks! The image above is the album art (graciously designed by Nick). On our second to last day in Arusha, I took the students to the nearest laptop (we had to search for this one) and ended up in a woman's living room, about 25 students crammed into this tiny space, listening to our melodies and beats one by one. . .

Attached are links to hear select tracks. I'll let the music speak for itself. :)

"In the Jungle" (Everyone, featuring Humphrey Mrema)
"Drumbeat Poetry" (Jackline, Herriet, & Munira)

and my personal FAVORITE,
"LA VIE EN ROSE" (Everyone, featuring Louis Armstrong *wink*)

Preparing for departure: 31 hours of travel ahead of me, timetraveling 10 hours into the future, in just 10 days...and I am still UN-packing from my last trip, only to pack it all up again. This seems to have become a trend in my life. . . I am always moving.

Saying goodbye has never been easy for me (that is an understatement), but I'm learning that these "farewells" need not be so dramatic when connections goes beyond acquaintance or shallow friendship. The bonds I have with the people that mean the most to me are stronger than any metaphor could truly justify, or any image could vivify. It's indescribable really, an invisible vein, transparent and elusive that courses through my being. And isn't it funny how here I am still trying to come up with some sort of visual explanation for the unexplainable. . .

Who would have thought that the young person who hated change, who didn't want to graduate preschool for kindergarten, who refused to move her bed to a different space in her room, who obsessed in diaries about events of the past...who would have thought that girl would turn out to be me?


This first entry is awkward, for I have very little idea of what to expect in the months to come, or how to go about explaining what I am feeling right now.

Sometimes words just aren't enough.