Heads up Aquarius! The new moon of January 24 will be in Aquarius, your birthday gift from a loving universe. This new moon will give you a sense of more control, and if you’ve been feeling out of sorts, the Sun’s earlier move into your sign, on January 20 until February 18, will bring your strength and optimism back in full force.
Aquarian ruler Uranus has been retrograde since August 11 and will go direct on January 10, coincidentally the date of the lunar eclipse.
From that point on, your projects and relationships will show good progress, and that better environment will last. Pay close attention to what happens in the days that circle January 10 for news to show you the direction life will take you in weeks ahead. Read More
Just in time for winter! A new series to fill the Downton Abbey void. I love Jane Austen and look forward to watching it!
Jane Austen was chronically ill with a mysterious disease in early 1817, when she turned her thoughts to a happier subject. She started work on a witty and delightful novel set in a seaside town. She never finished it.
Now, noted screenwriter Andrew Davies (Pride and Prejudice, Les Misérables, Primetime Emmy® winner for Little Dorrit) picks up Austen’s plot and takes it in a glorious and satisfying direction, on Sanditon.
MASTERPIECE’s bold and lavish adaptation of Jane Austen’s final work stars Rose Williams (Curfew) as Austen’s lively but levelheaded heroine, Charlotte Heywood; Theo James (Divergent) as the humorous, charming (and slightly wild!) Sidney Parker; Anne Reid (Years and Years) as the forthright grande dame of Sanditon, Lady Denham; Kris Marshall (Love Actually) as Sanditon’s compulsively enterprising promoter, Tom Parker; and Crystal Clarke (Ordeal by Innocence) as the mysterious West Indian heiress, Miss Lambe.
The band the Grass Roots had so many hits back in the 1960s-70s and yet I do not know one of their band members names! How is that possible? Were they a studio created band with the Wrecking Crew playing all of their music? Or were they a really good band on their own?
Today I delved into these questions.
The Grass Roots is an American rock band that charted frequently between 1966 and 1975.
The band was originally the creation of Lou Adler and songwriting duo P. F. Sloan and Steve Barri. In their career, they achieved two gold albums, one gold single and charted singles on the Billboard Hot 100 a total of 21 times.
Among their charting singles, they achieved Top 10 three times, Top 20 three times and Top 40 eight times. They have sold over 20 million records worldwide. But keeping their band lineup together was a challenge. Eventually, 3 different lineups all used the name Grassroots. No wonder I never knew any of the band guys.
The 3rd version of The Grassroots finally began making the hits we all know. Keeping up with the players coming and going is too long to share here. But..that answers my original question. Why don't I know any of their players? Read More about of their history here
They finally had their first Top 10 hit in the summer of 1967 with "Let's Live for Today". "Let's Live for Today" sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc. With Rob Grill as lead singer, they recorded a third version of "Where Were You When I Needed You." The band continued in a similar hit-making vein for the next five years (1967–1972).
I spent some time watching a few of the Monkees' documentaries over the holiday. What a complicated but interesting history of this popular TV series/band. So much drama behind this "comedy". Mickey was my favorite...still is, though all 4 were very talented comedians and musicians.
The Monkees TV show was inspired by the Beatles movie Hard Day's Night. The band was conceived in 1965 by television producers Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider specifically for the situation comedy series The Monkees, which aired from 1966 to 1968. The band's music was initially supervised by record producer Don Kirshner, backed by the songwriting duo of Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart. Very Pop tunes ruled the day. Michael and Peter wanted to write and record their songs.
Davy, Michael, Mickey, and Peter
The original line-up consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork with English actor/singer Davy Jones. Mickey Dolenz was a child actor famous for his role on Circus Boy. I loved that show so I was already a fan of Mickey's.
Davy Jones was also a child star from England and a jockey. Won acclaim on stage for playing the Artful Dodger in Oliver.
Davy and Mickey were happy to be working as actors. Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork were musicians, not actors. Thus began the big rub within the band lineup.
The four actor/musicians were initially allowed only limited roles in the recording studio for the first few months of their five-year career as "the Monkees". This was due in part to the amount of time required to film the television series.
Nonetheless, Nesmith composed and produced some songs from the beginning, and Tork contributed limited guitar work on the sessions produced by Nesmith. All four contributed lead vocals to various tracks.
They eventually fought for the right to collectively supervise all musical output under the band's name, acting as musicians, singers, songwriters, and producers. But the show didn't last long. Too difficult. Read More
I thought (still do) a lot of their songs were great. Timeless, as they still sell to this day. But as I grew up in that timeframe, I remember that their music was too "poppy" and I think the guys wanted to be creating harder rock songs and be taken seriously by the music industry.
Ironically, the success of the show led to the actor-musicians becoming one of the most successful bands of the 1960s. The Monkees have sold more than 75 million records worldwide[3][4] making them one of the biggest selling groups of all time with international hits, including "Last Train to Clarksville", "Pleasant Valley Sunday", "Daydream Believer", and "I'm a Believer".
Here are two good backstory videos:
From a reader Roger Rais:
My best friend and I while growing up put on a "Monkees" show for the neighbor hood kids ! He played "Mike" and I was "Peter" (his little brother was "Davie" and another friend was "Mickey" !
What can I say about one of my favorite men, Detroit rock emcee/historian/ Stanley T. Madhatter? Well I can tell you this, Stanley was a stand-up guy and we had a blast together since we first met at The Flintstock Rock Poster Show in 2009. He died suddenly after the New Year in 2011. I loved him so much and miss him every day...As Hatter used to say..It's a Great Day to be Alive..
In August of 1990 I was heading to Michigan's Irish Hills for a Nascar Race when the radio blasted the news about Stevie Ray Vaughan's death in a helicopter crash. It was such a shock that a lot of race fans watched the rowdy race in rather a downbeat. The world lost a true musical genius that day and no one will ever play like him again.
Great news for all of us Stevie Ray Vaughan fans! The first definitive biography of guitar legend Stevie Ray Vaughan, with an epilogue by Jimmie Vaughan *The Thunderbirds), with foreword and afterword by Double Trouble’s Chris Layton and Tommy Shannon.
Just a few years after he almost died from a severe addiction to cocaine and alcohol, a clean and sober Stevie Ray Vaughan was riding high. His last album was his most critically lauded and commercially successful. He had fulfilled a lifelong dream by collaborating with his first and greatest musical hero, his brother Jimmie. His tumultuous marriage was over and he was in a new and healthy romantic relationship. Vaughan seemed poised for a new, limitless chapter of his life and career.
Stevie and Jimmy Vaughan (Family Style photo by Lee Crum)
Instead, it all came to a shocking and sudden end on August 27, 1990, when he was killed in a helicopter crash following a dynamic performance with Eric Clapton.
Just 35 years old, he left behind a powerful musical legacy and an endless stream of What Ifs. In the ensuing 29 years, Vaughan’s legend and acclaim have only grown and he is now an undisputed international musical icon. Despite the cinematic scope of Vaughan’s life and death, there has never been a truly proper accounting of his story. Until now.
Texas Flood provides the unadulterated truth about Stevie Ray Vaughan from those who knew him best: his brother Jimmie, his Double Trouble bandmates Tommy Shannon, Chris Layton and Reese Wynans, and many other close friends, family members, girlfriends, fellow musicians, managers and crew members. You can get the book here:
Description: Practice makes the master. But what if you only have a few minutes to practice music? Here are a few things you can do to make the most out of it.
As a musician, you probably understand that, usually, the most nourishing parts of a practice session come after it’s been a few minutes since you started and you are concentrated enough for your skills to develop. However, being a productivity freak, I often find myself obsessed with how to make the most out of those moments in-between classes or when I’m waiting for my girlfriend at the cafeteria. Thus, I ended up with a bunch of tips on how to practice music when you are short on time while actually getting results.
Mental Practicing
Mental rehearsals are very relaxing and thus, I personally like them a lot. If you do them right, they will actually help you to achieve meaningful improvements in short periods of time. Will it have the same effect as if you were playing a real instrument? No, but it will yield some improvement with the added benefit of helping you to stay calm and focus.
In order to make mental rehearsal more effective, the following conditions must be met:
It must have a coherent structure, in the same way, that a real practice does. You should be conscious of what you are practicing on, what the right way to do it is, and you should be able to self-assess your performance.
It must be as vivid as possible. There are a number of techniques that add up to this goal. This is all about creating a representation in your mind, then focusing on it as if it was here and now.
The time required for a mental practice could be between five and fifteen minutes.
Practice mindfully
Attention plays a key role in our brain’s ability to develop new neural connections (neuroplasticity), as it is seen among people who suffer from paralysis and for whom the therapy consists of getting help to move their limbs, while they do a conscious effort to do so. This is why mechanical, mindless, practicing yields little to no improvement in a musician’s skill.
If you do not have a lot of time in your hands, then make sure you make the most out of what you have by being present at all times during your practice. Feel your instrument, be conscious of each note. Make sure you are handling potential distractions.
It’s better to practice mindfully over 10 minutes than doing it mechanically for two hours.
Focus on small sections of a piece
You don’t always have to play an entire piece for a practice to count. In fact, if that’s the only thing you do, you may be doing it wrong. Getting perfect at playing a piece is also about focusing on the small segments that cause you the most trouble. Having little time to practice means to have a perfect opportunity to focus on those sections that you are having problems with.
Make time for music
So you think these tips are great but you still can’t come to terms with not having enough time to play music? Then try and make time for it. If you are like me, then you are probably drowning in paper writing assignments.
Try to place an essay online order. It will take a time-consuming task out of your hands and will create the space you need to practice your music in full. Work on your organizational skills, or consider dropping out of what’s not important. If you really love music, like me, then I’m sure you’ll find a way to give it the time it deserves.
