Author: Patrick
Nothing Sweet About Me: Gabriella Cilmi’s enthralling presence
I’d watched this video a few dozen times before learning that Cilmi was just 17 when it was produced. Oh, my, God! A Nabokovian nymph leaving a wake of men so enthralled they hardly notice or care for their sad state of bondage. Uhhhhmmm…. Excuse me….. I seem to be at a loss for words……
Gabriella Cilmi: Lessons to be learned and feel a little safer
Gary (my blog partner when we began this blog together) says he’s having some trouble finding Australian music worthy of positive reviews, especially anything produced in the present or recent past. Hmmm… how about this young, little gem? Gabriella Cilmi (pronounced “chill me” — and she does give me chills) was all of 17 years…
Tijuana Cartel: dancing to the key of coast
Tijuana Cartel epitomises for me what locals of Queensland’s Sunshine Coast refer to as the Coast lifestyle. An easygoing presence that knows how to have a heckuva lot of fun, more than a little passion and a spiritual base from which all that energy exudes. TC features Paul George’s virtuouso classically latin-inflected acoustic guitar work…
I Can See Your House From Here. It’s made of Ice, and there’s a Camel parked outside.
I first heard this song on campus radio late one night in 1979 at Rochester Institute of Technology, where I was studying photography and living the Art House residence hall. In the next room — good buddy Steve “The Rockin’ Guru” Guy. It was my first year in school, my first year away from home,…
Gatekeeper: My introduction to Feist
A while back I ran across the image below, The Gate Keeper, which made me think of a song of the same name, by Feist. It’s the first song of hers that I was able to put her name to, though I’m sure I’d heard her music before, and I already knew she often appeared…
Robert McNamara’s Fog of War
Among the best documentaries ever made, Errol Morris’ The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara, compellingly examines Robert Strange McNamara’s disturbing look back at the 20th Century’s greatest global conflicts: World War II and the Cold War. The result is a chilling set of lessons he learned in his…
Secret Heart: Feist Covers Sexsmith LIVE
Some weeks ago I watched a documentary about a piano prodigy. In his young teens, the boy spoke about music with a profound wisdom. One thing he said, in particular, stayed with me. I’m paraphrasing, but it went something like: “The more you work with a piece of music, the more you find in it.…
My Muse, My Moon oh Man: Feist
This song’s been running around in my mind the last 24 hours. I’ve been thinking about the name for this site, thinking we’re not likely going to be able to keep Muse, since there’s already a magazine published under that name. So a variation’s been playing out in my thoughts, My Muse. And, as I…
Rainy Days and Mondays: Karen Carpenter’s effervescense
It’s yet another wet, gloomy day here on the Wet Coast, and a friend of mine mentioned that the rainy days depress her. This song came immediately to mind… Growing up I was never much of a pop music fan, particularly the easy listening stuff my parents favoured. As a family we’d spend a lot…
