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Pope John Paul II made a music CD?

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Last night I was watching the old idiot box(TV) with my wife and we came across an neat bit of holy trivia. We found out that the late Pope John Paul II had recorded a CD at Abbey Roads studio. Well, he never went there it seems, it was just the technical crew who did some work there. It’s called Appa Pater (Polish) “All yours” the Pope used to say.

I realize that this must be old news to some, but it was released March 23, 1999. In some on-line reviews, most people had this idea that it was going to be some form the New Age rip off that was going on during that time period. Some called it World beat, as a way to describe some of the style on this CD.

Now fast forward a few years after the Pope had pasted, some heard it again in a different head space. Most came to the conclusion that this is a great piece of music.

A independent review from Amazon
I am not Roman Catholic. I have never studied the Catholic faith. I never attended Catholic schools. I have strong and irreconcilable disagreements with the Roman Catholic church’s policies in many areas.

That said….

I have this CD of John Paul II’s voice, with accompanying music, saying prayers. I am writing this Amazon review to say that I truly find it uplifting and comforting.

After taking in some turns during that TV show last light, I just had to check out what else was on the CD. A few tunes stood out. I was a little disappointed that there was no Gregorian Chant interpretations on it, I’m a huge lover of this genre!
Vieni Santo Spirito, Padre Della Luce and Madre Di Tutte Le Genti stood out.

The lyrics are in multiple languages, so to add to it’s appeal I guess? They were based on John Paul II’s prayers, statements from homilies, etc. and integrated with an eclectic orchestration along with some nice drum beat and at times had an techno feel to it. At some points I thought they might brake into some electric House music, really! The way they weaved in and out of some Latin chants, Polish prayers, and African rhythms was outstanding!

It was even #1 on the European charts upon it’s release. Is it just me, or was I on some other planet when this happened?! Along with this mystery, I still can’t find out if this CD was done with or without the blessings of the Pope or the Vatican. Another puzzling thing about this thing. The church is great at doing things like this, now aren’t they.

Has anyone else heard of this CD or bought it in past?

Keep on Jammin’




Learn To Play The Electric Guitar The Right Way

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I can still remember a time not too long ago when I was seriously starting to believe that the electric guitar was breathing its last breaths. Do you also remember when pop music seemed to be taking over the world? Instead of wanting to learn to play electric guitar, it seemed to me that becoming the next Backstreet Boys spin-off was the coolest thing ever, at least according to the rest of the pop world.

Well, thank all that is good and holy, the days of the electric guitar is upon us once again. A few important bands played a crucial part in bringing rock back to life and that means that more people than ever want to learn to play electric guitar. A few awesome reasons why you should definitely try your hand at this instrument is:

1) It’s versatile! One of the most pertinent features of an electric guitar is how versatile it is. Most new guitarists who want to learn to play electric guitar starts out with rock, but you will find a ton of other styles you can go into. Some of the world’s best electric guitar players are found in jazz and blues, and there is definitely also place for electric guitars in pop, country, metal and every other genre you can think of.

2) You can get a great range of sound! You get a few extraordinary guitar players who can get almost any sound out of their axes that they want to. You can either buy effects pedals or just tweak some setting on your own setup to produce very unique sounds. Some of the world’s best guitarists use both of these methods to achieve amazing results.

3) You’ll look cool! Even though classical and acoustic guitars can be mesmerizing, there’s just nothing that compares to a masterfully played riff on an electric guitar. It’s no surprize that so many guys want to learn to play the electric guitar, look at how easily the rockstars get the girls!

How can you learn to play?

There are tons of ways that you can learn to play electric guitar. These include:

1) Take classes: Having an instructor up close and personal is great and you will definitely see some gains towards your end goal.

2) Teach yourself: Some people have the self-discipline to sit sit down and learn to play electric guitar all by themselves. Just keep in mind that when playing with others like in a band it’s always very handy if everyone has some basic understanding of music theory.

3) Take internet lessons: With the digital age that we’re living in it means that many things have been brought into the comfort of your own bedroom, including learning to play guitar. You can find online lessons as well as lessons available for download. We highly recommend you check out our Jamorama review.

Before you go any further you should be sure to have all the equipment you will need. Get yourself a guitar and amplifier that is not too expensive so that you wouldn’t have spent too much if you decide to stop playing for a while.

Always keep asking questions as this is by far the best way to learn to play electric guitar. You will encounter a lot of guitarists in your journey and when something sounds awesome, ask them to show you how they did it. If you are practicing regularly, you will be stunning the crowds in no time!

How to Manage Stage Fright

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Stage fright is much the same phobia as public speaking, a phobia of being humiliated in front of an audience. Stage fright is so common it ranks among the highest of personal phobias . Not many people are born orators or performers. There are certain people that love attention and are natural performers. Some of our most famous celebrities deal with stage fright all of the time. Stage fright is a problem for Barbra Streisand, for example. There is help available for stage fright sufferers and you can learn to manage it.

Stage fright affects most people when they perform in public. You must learn to not think about  the audience when you are performing. If you have studied well, you need not worry about the audience. It is best at first to not look any audience member directly in the eye for fear of losing your place or being distracted by their demeanor. A good tip is to look just above the heads of the audience sing as if you were singing to that place, not the floor, and they will think you are looking at them.

Your first piece should be one which you can always do without thinking, an easy one. A song that has difficult technique nay be impressive, but it hardly the selection to put you at ease. Save the tough stuff for last. In order to feel good about the performance at the start, do the proper selection for the first number, the audience will applaud and that will make you gain some much needed confidence. This is one of the secrets to managing stage fright, let the small steps lead you to larger ones.

Stage fright affects all of us at one time but we can learn to deal with it. Failing is a fear we all face and this is why stage fright is so hard. You can learn to manage stage fright with these easy tips.

Devil Woman Song?

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In 1976 Cliff Richard recorded the song “Devil Woman”. It was a big hit, reaching number nine on the UK charts. In the USA it made it as far as number six on the Billboard Hot 100. That was Richard’s biggest hit ever in the United States. Let’s learn more about this famous song.

Terry Britten wrote it.  He was a well known song writer whose work was performed by people like Michael Jackson.  He had some other hits such as “What’s Love Got to Do with It”.  Terry played the guitar on Cliff Richard’s recording of Devil Woman.  The song was recorded at the famous Abbey Road, a frequent recording studio used by the Beatles.

The Devil Woman song tells a story. A stray cat with evil eyes curses a man.  He becomes concerned and eventually seeks the help of a medium, a gypsy woman, to remove the curse.  But it turns out the cat didn’t curse him.  The gypsy cursed him in order to bring him to her.

Not many songs tell a straightforward story like that heard in Devil Woman.  In other words they are very simple songs.  They have a minimum of instruments and generally simple tunes.  One of these simple songs is Devil Woman.  The instruments used to record the song include a guitar, an electric piano, drums and percussion.  And of course the singer.

For a pop song Devil Woman has unique combination of major and minor chords.  Songs at the time didn’t use more than an octave like it did.

Devil Woman has been covered by others.  One of these is the Accused.  The group began in Washington in 1981.  Their music is splatter rock.  Their music includes sounds from well known horror movies.  This often includes lyrics sung as shrieks.

In 2005 Cradle of Faith covered Devil Woman. This was an extreme metal band from England. Their songs were in the style of the band had said any kind of metal. Given their reputation and style of music this song was perfect for them.

No matter who plays it, Devil Woman is a devilish song.

Good Times are making me feel quite old!

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Chelloooooo, remember that greeting? It’s from kid DYNOMITE!!!!!!!!!! Ain’t we lucky we got/had ’em, GOOD TIMES!

The theme song is what made we write a post about it. My wife and I subscribe to this TV channel called Deja View and it’s just full of all our old time favorite TV shows! This is one of those songs that keep running through my mind when something I hear reminds me of it.I love this theme song so much that I sing it at work every once in a while.

While bringing patients from the recovery room back to where ever they are going, I hum a few songs here and there, and from time to time, I catch the patients jumping in with words of just humming along with me! It’s a hell of a lot of fun to do this and it really helps make the patients and their family/visitors relax and feel more at home.

This classic 70’s TV show was first aired in February 8, 1974 and ended on August 1, 1979 It taught us many life lessons and helped brake down some racial barriers that existed at the time.

The cast was Esther Rolle (Florida why did they name me Florida Evans, John Amos was James Evans, Ja’net DuBois played Willona Woods(that crazy neighbour), Jimmie Walker was the unforgettable James “J.J.” Evans, Jr., Bern Nadette Stanis was Thelma and Ralph Carter as Michael.

Trivia about the show.

  • This spinoff of the TV series, Maude, centered on the Evans family. In Maude Esther Rolle had portrayed Florida Evans, the black housekeeper, but in Good Times Florida and her family were struggling to survive in a South Side ghetto in Chicago.
    • Michael doesn’t have a room. He sleeps on the couch in the living room with J.J.
    • Posters that appear in Thelma’s Room: 2 of Sly Stone, 1 of Carlos Santana
    • In a rare moment for the early episodes of the series, Thelma actually stands up for J.J. and even says how much she misses him after he leaves. I didn’t see that one coming, did you?
    • Willona states her ex-husband is named Alvin. In the fourth season he is named Ray. I did not know that!

    I have so many favorite episodes that it’s just ridiculous! Which ones do you remember the most or had a lasting memory to you?

    Temporary lay offs. Good Times. Easy credit rip offs. Good Times. Scratchin’ and surviving. Good Times. Hangin in a chow line. Good Times. Ain’t we lucky we got ’em. Good Times.

    Keep on Jammin’

    The band Peeler is coming to Toronto Aug. 21-22/09

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    I first ran into Craig when he was doing a solo gig way back in Oct. 2007 at the Arlington Hotel’s Capron’s Cavern, in Paris Ontario. The occasion was a good friends 50th birthday party. Some how my buddies wife got a hold of him and he played there that night for the event. I brought along my guitar and they wanted me to play a couple of songs, so why not get up and play!

    Anyway, playing that night Craig and I did a few tunes together and it was just the perfect little gig! We both connected flawlessly and it was brilliant. I know Craig, I’m still trying to get that night’s video that was taken!
    In all honesty Craig, I was drawn to your Vox Tonelab LE system! I did a couple of small set’s throughout the night to give the man a break.

    This modern rocker’s bio is neat to read! His style is straight forward and he doesn’t disappoint! To get a good idea of his musical format, his interview at the NOW lounge is a nice example of the guitarist background and where he is going.

    So I just want to bring Peeler into your musical experience for those unlucky ones who have not been exposed to playing. So come on out to see this guys show at Casey’s, 123 Front St W, in Toronto Aug. 21-22 to see what I mean! I know I’ll be there! I’ll be the guy with the oversize BIC lighter waving in the air.

    Keep on Jammin’ Peeler!

    The Village People are still at it?

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    The Village People, those crazy 1970’s concept band kidz, are still at it today. Songs like YMCA, Macho Man or We Want You to some music lovers, is the soundtrack to their youth! They, to some music lovers dismay, are still dancing well into the new millennium after 30 years. After a reported 85 million records sold, they must be onto something?

    Ok, I have something to admit to you all on this post. Yes, I did dance to a few of their songs at a high school dance, but in my defense, it was because everyone else was!

    The village People’s music was everywhere way back in the day. Of coarse there was still folk and rock styles playing on the airwaves but, this music had that catchy beat to it to appealed to most of the general public.

    The one thing that I want to know is, did any of them play an instruments? Actually, I don’t really care, it’s just a general question. Not that I hated these gentleman’s style of songs but, their music(the structure/configuration and level of difficulty to play live, a band in the background that is) but, sometimes it just rubbed me the wrong way. This is just me, I always look for this quality in a song while listening to any form of music.

    thevillagepeople The history of the band was always something of a mystery to me in my youth. Of coarse we did have the internet back then. When I was in high school, I remember writing very basis computer functions on a piece of cardboard that you placed into some sort of device that was attached to this OLD, HUGE computer! This was how information back then, besides from books, was read.

    During the bands hay days, I had an old buddy of mine who was really big in the disco scene. His name was Sal, and in his parents basement, they paid homage to this genre of music.

    They made this very elaborate bar they had to entertain their house guests. At first Sal had his folks buy him this MASSIVE stereo system. Now here is where it gets both bizarre and wonderful.

    Once disco started to gain more common acceptance throughout the world, he had them open up their wallet and install a disco dance floor about 1/4 the size of the one that they had in the movie Saturday Night Fever!

    The lights and how they interacted with the music that went through his stereo underneath their dance floor was a real wonder to the eyes. This device that he had was called a Light Organ. It made the lights turn on and off to the beat of the music!

    When you heard the bass, mid range or the treble sound in a song, certain lights would light up on the floor. It was really neat as a kid. (Note: this is for Chris Noto and other Rickenbacker lovers out there, in 1971 they made a guitar with this light organ technology in it!)

    The Village People’s popularity went up and down over the years, yet their songs still stay alive in the back of our subconscious … until it comes up in conversation. We may hear one of these songs being played at a wedding and we just think about the old days when we boogied on down and maybe what we wore during those times … am I right?!

    Now the question that I have for you is, did you dance to any of the Village People’s hits when you were young AND are you still proud of yourself after all these years? (LOL!)

    Keep on Jammin’

    Spinal Tap on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart

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    My ever so vigilant wife found out that the Mock Rock gods Spinal Tap were going to perform 2 songs on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

    She PVR’d it, or TIVO’d for my US readers, for me and as usual, they were right out of this world!

    The 2 songs they did was from their latest album titled Back from the Dead!

    The first one was called Funky Sex Farm (3 of 4). It is an ultra modern day funk sound that is riveting from start to finish! Who says old men can’t ROCK!

    spinaltap David St. Hubbins, who is played by actor Michael McKean, is fabulous in this performance. The solo that he did was really sweet! Playing a lead while singing takes some practice and talent. He certainly has both down pat! He also has a Jeff Beck sound to his playing throughout the whole song, NICE! “Fathering your live stock” was the funniest line in the song!

    Nigel Tufnel‘s, who is played by actor Christopher Guest, guitar style in this one was simple and to the point. When the band was being interviewed in the beginning of the second song, Nigle was so funny. I just about fell off the couch!

    Next, is the bass player with the Lemmy mustache from Motorhead. Derek Smalls had a nice groove going on in this one. I was very impressed with his performance. He, like Nigel in the early years of Spinal Tap, was a simple, no nonsense kinda of player. I think some bass slapping would be perfect here.

    At the end of this one, they ventured into a genre that I never thought spinal Tap would ever enter into … they rapped. G.D. that was hilarious! The song overall fit into their wheel house and most of all it was very tight.

    The second tune(4 of 4)was a more bluesy type song called Give me some Money. They seemed to pull this one off perfectly. It’s got that Texas Rock feel to it with a 60’s keyboard oriented band sounds to it. straight forward R & R, too bad they they didn’t get all of it on the video.

    So God bless and long live the boys in Spinal Tap and hopefully many more years of mock rocking to come!

    Keep on Jammin’

    The Toronto Beaches Jazz Festival was a blast!

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    My wife and I went to the 21st Annual Toronto Beaches Jazz Festival and we just fell in love with this event! Imagine, 2 km of closed street with 50, yes you read that correctly, 50 bands playing on street! They were at just about every other corner. Each band that night played 3 sets from 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm. They all staggered their performances so as not to drown out each other.

    It really was a magical night! We quickly found some parking, walked along the boardwalk and got to the beginning of the street fest faster then I thought we would.

    We were first greeted by the sounds of a jazz fusion band with this fabulous violinist graciously blasting out solo with all he had! Then came the smell of the Beaches Festival, the FOOD! Note: if you plan to attend next years event, GO HUNGRY. Too many types of food to mention in this post.

    The atmosphere was really electrifying. The relaxing buzz, that seemed to be coming from everywhere, was quite family friendly. Kidz, dogs and everything in between where out there last night. There weren’t all that many people walking around at first, but that certainly changed 2 hours later.

    The styles were very diverse. We first witnessed a fusion band, then a Dixie land band, followed by Salsa/flamenco guitar players, a BIG BAND (all were really tight) then a blues band. The organizers were trying to highlight Big Band’s, Swing, Dixieland, Smooth, Post-Bop, Afro-Cuban, Fusion, Funk, R&B and Soul sounds. Wow, is to put it lightly.

    This video captures the sounds of this band correctly. The Visual well …

    At the end of the night the band we both found the most intriguing was a band called Project Phoenix. We were so impressed that we bought one of their CD’s titled Milestone. Go and listen to the song called “Jump for it” on their site. It was the last song they played last night and it was purely brilliant!

    So if you love any of the styles that the Beaches Jazz Festival provides us at their event, then this is a must see for next year! See ya then!

    Beaches Jazz Festival, Keep on Jammin’

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