I'm getting a little behind with posting. Pinkpop 2009 was already two and a half months ago and I still have to post some (embedded) vids of the bands we saw.
This time some selected embedded videos from Keane. For the report of their great performance (imho) I would like to refer to my post at my photoweblog Brownnoisephotos.
For the rest I would like to say enjoy the vids.
I've embedded some more video's of Madness that I uploaded to YouTube. They've been recorded from television where they broadcasted the highlights of the 2009 Pinkpop Music Festival.
Also embedded a video from Placebo, the closing band on Sundaynight when N. and I were there. They closed instead of Depeche Mode who unfortunately had to cancel their gig because of illness of their frontman Dave Gahan. Depeche mode was one of the main reasons to go to Pinkpop, so it's not hard to understand that N. was disappointed when we heard that Depeche Mode had to cancel. But lucky for Depeche Mode Dave Gahan has recoverd and they've start performing again. We will go to Depeche Mode now when they come back to Holland later this year in November.
I also uploaded some video's of older editions of Pinkpop. Because of the 40th anniversary of Pinkpop viewers could send in their favorite Pinkpop performance of all times. Most of the top 10 was broadcasted on television. The uploaded video's can be checked here.
In the mean time I'm also selecting pics and video's from Sonisphere, a heavy metal festival which took place a week ago in Nijmegen with headliner Metallica and 6, 7 other heavy metal bands like Korn and Slipknot.
I'm still sorting out pictures and editting video material from Pinkpop 2009 that was recorded from television. As I mentioned on my photoweblog BrownNoisePhotos my wife N. and yours truly went to Pinkpop 2009 on Sunday May 31st. We only went one day, but the whole festival was three days from Saturday till Monday.
While sorting out and editting I'll kick off with a little preview from Madness, one of the bands that we saw at the festival. It was great fun and while they were playing there was a huge party going on among the crowd.
More Madness and other videomaterial will follow soon. For pictures you can check my photoweblog. Enjoy!
It's already three weeks ago that my wife N. and yours truly went to a concert of Yamato, the drummers of Japan. I saw them three times before, so this was the fourth time to see them, but for N. it was the first time. She was really impressed by their performance.
In all the performances that I saw there were similar elements, but the whole setting was different every time, but the energy and level of performance was the same every time.. The lighting on stage was beautifully done and like the three times before it was a real visual and energetic spectacle which was very enjoyable to watch.
Although the emphasis was on the drums and the rhythm (which shouldn't be a surprise for a percussion/drum group) there was also some musical variety with, next to the main instrument the taiko drums, the use in a few compositions of other instruments like the shamisen, a traditional three string instrument which sounds a little bit like a banjo, bamboo flute and the koto, another traditional Japanese instrument, which is played horizontal (see first video) and sounds a little bit like a harp.
I couldn't find any video's on YouTube from the last tour, but the two that I've embedded give a good impression of the stage show of Yamato. If they ever perform in a place nearby you definitely should go. We both can recommend it. Don't get a CD or DVD. It doesn't get close to a live performance. Yamato, the drummers of Japan is something you should feel and experience. Enjoy the video's.
It's been a while since my last posting. I also wrote on my photoweblog BrownNoisePhotos that it's not a lack of material. I've been listening music, visit a concert every now and then and did some new musical discoveries. So plenty to write about, but the past months I simply couldn't find the time and energy to post about it.
There was (and still is a bit) a lot of stuff going on. but I'm not going to bother my visitors with it. Little by little things are getting in smoother water, which gives me the opportunity to post more often again and on a more regular basis.
This time I would like to kick off with not just one artist or group. I just would like to advertise a very interesting (independent) record label, called CandyRat Records. I found this label by accident when I was watching some YouTube guitar videos and from one video I got to the other, until I got to a video from Andy McKee called "Drifting" (see the first embedded video). I instantly liked it when I was watching and listening.
At the video they were referring to CandyRat Records. I gave their website a check and a whole new huge world of acoustic guitar music was released to my ears. For now I've only been checking their acoustic section, but they also have jazz, blues, fusion etc.. If those sections have the same quality as their acoustic section, then I'm pretty sure that my cd/music-collection will expand in the upcoming year.
The site offers albums as CD for 15 US Dollar or as download for 10 US Dollar. That's just 11 Euro for a CD and 7 Euro 50 for a album download. They offer good quality samples from all the songs on the albums, so you get a good idea about the album and the artist. I felt like a little kid in a candy shop, not knowing what to choose. If you are into virtuoso and melodic acoustic guitar music CandyRat Records certainly is the place.
You won't find one particular style, although listening to most musicians you'll find influences from folk-, jazz-, world- and classical music.
I have embedded some videos from YouTube from some of the artists that appear on CandyRat Records. With some of them you see mixtures of tapping techniques, different fingerpicking styles, percusive styles, unusual tunings and use of harmonics. Players like Andy McKee, Don Ross and Stefano Barone are all tributary to Michael Hedges, a very inventive and talented acoustic guitar player and innovator, who died way too young in a car accident, just 43 years old, almost 12 years ago. Later on I might do a posting entirely on Michael Hedges.
For now I would like to invite you to take a look at the selection of video's below and listen to these very talented skillful musicians. I have also add a video from Michael Manring, a excellent bass player who worked a lot with Michael Hedges and who you also can see playing with Andy McKee and Don Ross in the third video. For those who think that a bass guitar couldn't be a solo and melodic instrument, you should have a look at his video where he plays his solo piece "Selene".
I also embedded a video from Antoine Dufour, a Canadian guitarist and two Italian guitar players, Pino Forastiere and Stefano Barone. The first italian guitarist music is very tranquil, but still virtuoso. The second Italian plays acoustic guitar but with the use of electronics, which gives it a more experimental sound, but without losing the character of the acoustic guitar.
I hope that you will enjoy these videos as much as I did. You can check much more samples, also from other artist, on the website of CandyRat Records and you can check loads and loads of videos from these and other artists from CandyRat records on YouTube.
Just did some maintenance on the template of this weblog and my other weblog BrownNoisePhotos. I removed some buttons in the right bar that didn't had much use anymore. It seemed that they didn't generate much extra traffic to this weblog. I also brought down the number of posts that is shown on the homepage. This all together makes that the page loads much quicker is my impression.
From next Saturday on I will visit the International Film Festival of Rotterdam. so I'm not sure if I'm able to post some new stuff. If not you have to be patient until the beginning of February.
To all my family, friends and visitors I would like to wish everybody a happy, healthy, prosperous and peaceful 2009.
Here is the animated version of our new year wishes made by my beloved wife N.
Although you always have to be careful with good intentions, but I will try to post a little more often than I did last year.
