novelist ★ poet ★ screenwriter ★ blogger
The articles in this category discuss issues involving music and the music industry
Notice that the artist’s last name is the same as yours truly. Yes, Willis is my eldest son so I expect and demand that you dance to his music and spread the regenerating and healing vibes forward and forever onward by share, share, sharing his melodious and infective love.
Willis has other such delectable jams at his Soundcloud channel so please go there and repeat as above.
Continue reading “Sunday Songs to Spark the Spirit and Summon the Moves of the Dance”
While I’ve given up completely on superhero movies, ugh, especially Marvels’, UGH!, I am still a fan of the superhero genre in spirit and I have very fond memories of as a child riding my bike to the local grocery store and spending all the allowance I had just received on the latest Batman, Superman, and Spiderman comic books and, at a penny a piece, a handful of Bazooka bubblegum with its own little Bazooka Joe comic strip on the inside of the wrappers.
Continue reading “The Spirit of What Remains”
More good stuff from my sons Willis’ and Bobi’s band Aelios* in the form of a music video of their latest release.
You should be able to tell who my sons are because you should be able to tell who the blood brothers are in the video. The third member, Colin Bates, while not a blood brother, he’s a brother nonetheless.
Incidentally, Colin, an all around artistic talent and graduate of Juilliard, collaborated with me on my movie Leave. You can learn more about him and other cast and crew members here.
Incidentally again, my son Bobi’s other band Saving Apollo, just returned from a tour that culminated in them playing SXSW. It was a very successful tour and set them up to now tour with this summer’s Warped Tour. Pretty huge, no?
BTW, if you have enjoyed the video, please take the time to “like” it on youtube and subscribe to their channel and then tell everyone you know, and I do mean everyone, about it.
Is that asking too much?
Probably, but hey, what’s a dad to do?
#happysaturday
#rockon
*Aelios are Willis Brindley (blue-hooded wizard), Vaughan (Bobi) Brindley (yellow-hooded wizard), and Colin Bates (black-hooded wizard)
New York-based Dancer Sarah Antal choreographed this beautiful dance routine to “Remains to Be,” a song from my sons’ band Aelios off their album “Refining Chaos.”
#stillhopeforhumanity
#proudpapa
Hope the reports about Big Rick being on life support aren’t true, but wanted to put some positive vibes out there for him just in case.
Here are a few of my favorite vids of his or in collaboration with others.
Be careful, they are explicit and NSFW*
#prayforrick
#freemeekmill
*Not safe for work
I don’t know why…
But it’s pretty darn cool.
So, to show my appreciation, what do you say we give them some air time.
Bet you thought I was going to play Alphabet Aerobics, didn’t ya…
In honor of his internment (finally), I present my favorite song of George Michaels’ rendered properly by the one-time angriest of the angry white boy wannabe rappers, Limp Bizkit.
#prayforgeorgemichaels
#andangrywhiteboys
Found this truly amazing video, posted originally by Sonya Rehman, fortuitously while cruising through WP’s “music” tag and I am sharing it here by using the “WP Press This” share button for the first time because there was no “Reblog” button, which I don’t understand why because if you allow a Press This button and not…
Ah, heck. Why don’t I just shut up about the inanities of such inane issues as the pros and cons of share buttons so you can enjoy this truly amazing video…
Source: Pakistani Music Maestro Teams Up With Grammy-Winning Producer
Back in the last millennium during the age of analog and airmail a buddy of mine used to subscribe to CMJ, a music magazine that with each monthly issue would include a “mixtape” CD (ah, CDs, back when life was much simpler and slower) jam packed with singles from new and up and coming bands.
Him being a buddy, I can neither confirm nor deny [got to phrase in that hush-hush, wink-wink way just in case the Feds are monitoring us] that he may have burned me a copy of that monthly CD of new releases and it may or may not have been one of my true monthly delights… maybe.
CMJ is still in existence online at cmj.com and, up until last year, they used to release their monthly “mixtape” as a digital download.
It was within one of these mixtapes that I discovered THE COATHANGERS.
And, seeing how it’s International Women’s Day and Women are showing their massive display of power through resistance and protest which got me to figuring that there is hardly anything much more symbolically indicative of resistance and protest than Punk Rock Music which then reminded me of The Coathangers — hmm, I wonder what message they’re trying to get across with their band name — and who it is now my pleasure to introduce (I assume it’s your introduction to them; if not, let me know) to you performing their punk rockin’ song “Watch Your Back.”
Dig it.
#prayformarblemusicians
…many of whom came to us from that Rock Empire across the pond affectionately known as Britain, I celebrate this Holiday* Season Weekend with a contemporary British rock band called BRING ME THE HORIZON.
Finding their fame as a screamo band, with the screamo genre being a derivative of the once popular emo genre, BMTH is transitioning into more of a popular rock vibe, similar to that of a Linkin Park.
While they are youthful lads, BMTH’s music and especially their poetically powerful lyrics, which often put interesting twists on clichés and figures of speech, speak/sing well beyond their years.
You can get a taste of what they have to say in one of the more creative lyric videos >> TRUE FRIENDS (All you grammar nerds, forgive their subjunctive mood faux pas. Even the most intellectual of rockers, Jim Morrison, made the same error).
They also have one of the most creative and socially smart videos I’ve seen in a long time with >> FOLLOW YOU. However, I will warn you in the most strongest terms… It is very graphic and potentially disturbing to those who disturb easily; and maybe to even those who disturb hardly. Be careful.
And in case you were wondering, IMLTHO the best lyric video of all time is courtesy of my main man and living legend >> MR. TOM WAITS.
Time will tell if BMTH reaches the legendary status of the far too many rockers we lost this year. You’ll have to check back with me here in fifty years or so to find out.
Okay, then…
ROCK ON &
MERRY SATURNALIA DAY!
Today I begin my cross-country trip with my sons to LA to join the rest of the cast and crew to film our movie LEAVE.
Pretty awesome.
And unbelievable.
As I’ve expressed here and on other networks often in the past and even more lately, there are many wonderful and supportive people who helped me through many adversities these past several years to allow me to be in this fortunate position I am now in.
This could get long and teary-eyed so I’ll save everyone the time and me the embarrassment and cut to the proverbial chase:
Outside my immediate family, I am hard-pressed to think of anyone who has supported me more, through times bad and good, with his physical, spiritual, and financial presence and care, than my long-time friend, my mentor, and my boss, Paul Weidow.
LEAVE would absolutely not be possible without Paul’s and his partner Stan Nolen’s (another long-time friend and eternal brother) generosity towards and faith in me.
Paul bringing me on part-time to be a member of his PLEX Solutions family, allowed for a stress-free transition back to normalcy and under terms very, very favorable to one still fragile and unsure of himself, yet one in great need of validation of worth, as well as one in great need of the time and funds to support and develop his movie-making dream, a dream that now, in much part because of him, is only days away from becoming a reality.
Thank you, Paul. I love you, brother.
Check out this amazing guy’s amazing company >> www.plex-llc.com
And please remember, LEAVE still requires much more support in the form of love, currency, outreach, and effort to ensure not only its completion, but its completion in a manner that enables us to fully realize our vision:
To Create a Cinematic Work of Art that
Entertains and Inspires Positive Change
#beliveinleave >> PLEASE DONATE
If you are a music lover, and I’m sure that you are, you really need to check out Symphoniacs.
Colin Stokes, one of the cellists with this amazing group of international virtuosos, is a family friend who graduated from the Baltimore School of Arts with my daughter (the same school Tupac and Jada Pinkett-Smith attended back in the day) and tutored my youngest son a bit on the cello.
You can hear some of my son’s cello work with his and his older brother’s band AELIOS.
ROCK ON AND SUPPORT INDEPENDENT ARTISTS!
Please.
#wheredidsummergo
As my about page< attests, I like all kinds of music: punk, metal, industrial, classical, rock, rap, and just about any alternative therewith or without.
But it seems that whenever I listen to Bluegrass more than any other genre, I always find myself thinking…
Now that’s music.
Ralph Stanley, a legend of the genre, died recently. Most probably never heard of him. Those who have, probably heard of him because of the fantastic movie “O Brother Where Art Thou.” His presence and influence on the music scene cannot be overstated. He will be missed.
But probably my favorite Bluegrass (or Newgrass as they sometimes get categorized) band is Hackensaw Boys. I happened to see them live early in this century when they opened up for another one of my favorite bands, Cake, at the 9:30 Club in Washington DC. I’ve been a devoted fan ever since. The band has changed a lot over the years (one of the founding members joined Modest Mouse (another favorite of mine) in 2004) but they are still rockin’ it with their unique, toe-tappin’ Bluegrass sound.
Damn. Now that’s music…
I’ve never heard of Canadian folk singer David Francey before yesterday but apparently he has heard of my boyhood hometown of Ashtabula, as he sings about it in this lovely song of his.
I also learned yesterday that his tour will bring him to my Southern Pennsylvania manhood hometown in October. How cool is that?
Very.
