Strollerderby : musicians

Oprah Gets It Right On Chris Brown

Brett Singer — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 22:00:00 GMT

My mother and I sometimes disagree (shocking, I know) and occasionally we argue about Oprah. (Not a lot -- don't worry, we're not obsessed or anything. We have far more important things to fight about.) She'll tell me that Oprah said this or that, and oh, isn't it wonderful, and I'll say, feh, Oprah, she's not so great, she's responsible for unleashing Dr. Phil on the world. So when mom told me that the Gayle King's best friend was doing a show about the Chris Brown and Rihanna situation, I was skeptical. Too many celebrities have been talking about the incident and not saying the right things.

For example: Sean Combs (aka Diddy or whatever the hell he calls himself these days) kind of missed the point when he told Ellen DeGeneres, "I don’t think it’s right for anybody to hit anybody…. We know sometimes relationships get ugly (but) we don’t know exactly what’s going on (in this one). It isn't right for him to put his hands on her or her to put his hands on him" -- which to me implies that somehow if Rihanna had slapped Chris, it would be OK if Brown gave her a black eye. Which it isn't. Ellen, for her part, gets it right when she says that she doesn't want any girl to think that "it's OK to go back to a guy that hit her," although she says it in a very wishy-washy manner ("I don't want to judge" anyone, that sort of thing) and lets Diddy to the hook too easily ("I want to dance!"). Yes, her show isn't exactly "60 Minutes," but this also isn't a fluffy issue. If you're going to bring it up, you should be clear how you feel, and if possible get the last word. (Here's a clip if you missed it, which would be understandable. I never watch that show.)

Back to Oprah. I didn't watch the whole segment (hey, I'm busy) but I feel confident that the tone she took with was the correct one based on this quote:

"Love doesn't hurt. And if a man hits you once, he will hit you again."

See, it really is that simple. I understand that the charges against Brown are pending, and as Diddy so brilliantly points out, none of us were in the car with the young couple when the incident occurred. But Brown has shown no remorse at all. More disturbing is the way that many of Brown's peers are defending him, and that anyone thinks his alleged actions are OK. Grammy-winning Rapper T.I. said on Carson Daly's talk show that he told Brown "this too shall pass." He went back on that statement, perhaps when he realized that Daly's show is actually broadcast on television, which is a mistake I can understand. And Usher backtracked on his earlier statement that Brown should "have a little bit of remorse" about what happened, and not hit the jet skis at Diddy's house. (Good thing he apologized -- that's crazy talk!)

Brown dropped out of the Kids' Choice Awards, which was a good PR move, but it's also somewhat irrelevant, since his statement just said something about it being difficult to "focus on the music" with all of this other stuff going on. Oprah used my line (OK, other people said it too) and called this a great "teaching moment." Problem is, I'm not so sure that the right lesson is being taught. It's important to everyone, but especially important to parents, since many of our kids are still young enough to not have formed opinions about this issue yet. (Some of those kids, though, are much smarter than our celebrities, which is always nice to see.)

For me this is a simple issue. While legally what Brown did falls into the category of "allegedly," he hasn't denied it, and in fact has basically admitted that he beat up Rihanna. Rihanna got back together with him and decided not to press charges. Anyone who says anything about this issue in public needs to be very clear because many of Brown's fans are young and for better or worse they sometimes take their cue from celebrities. Hitting your girlfriend is wrong. If your boyfriend hits you, leave. Why is that so hard?

Source: Oprah.com

Image from here

UPDATE: Chris Brown's Skipping the Kid's Choice Awards

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The Dr. Phil And OctoMom Show

Teens Talk Back to the Media on Dating Violence

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Why Teens Are Quick to Blame Rihanna

New Rick Springfield CD For Kids

Brett Singer — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 02:33:00 GMT

Rick Springfield just released a new CD. But this time it's for your kids.

The guy who wondered why he couldn't find a woman as great as the one Jesse had eventually settled down and had two kids of his own. Turns out they weren't great sleepers. So Rick, being a songwriter, wrote them some lullabies. When he recently found the songs "stuck in the back of a drawer," he found that he liked them and decided to put them out for the world to hear.

In an interview, Rick (he lets me call him Rick) referred to the tunes as "baby pop songs." That's a good description, but they also feel deeply personal. Listening to the CD feels a little bit like eavesdropping. These are actually songs he wrote for his children, and by his own admission, they aren't as polished as some of his other work. That doesn't mean unprofessional; the sound and production values are fine. But since the songs weren't initially written for everyone to hear, they have an appealingly private quality.

Put simply, don't expect "Jesse's Girl" or "Love Somebody." These are lullabies, meant to help kids fall asleep. As such, they're calm, pleasant, and enjoyable to listen to. Unlike an artist who switches from his "real" music to kid stuff, this is an adult musician who also happened to write some kid-friendly songs years ago, and only just decided to release them. As a father, it's hard not to get a little misty-eyed listening to the disc. There's a lot of genuine emotion in the music and the lyrics. Like "I love to watch you sleep / In the quiet of the night" from the title track -- what parent doesn't understand that? It may not be deeply profound, but so what? For grown-up Rick fans (and there are many, as I found out when I interviewed him and my mother, wife, and babysitter all suddenly expressed a keen interest in my work), "My Precious Little One" is certainly different from what you're used to. Check out some preview tracks at RickSpringfield.com and see for yourself. This might be the only time when a musician won't be offended if you tell him you fell asleep listening to his songs.

"My Precious Little One" is now available at Amazon.com exclusively for eight weeks; after that it will be available at retail outlets everywhere.

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8 year old blues guitarist not allowed to play in bars

Brett Singer — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 15:00:00 GMT

Tallan "T-Man" Latz is a Voodoo Child, emphasis on the latter – he's only 8 years old. Since the age of five, he's been playing blues guitar, and judging by some YouTube videos, he's pretty damn good, especially when you take into account the fact that he's playing a full-size guitar (meaning his "axe" is about as big as he is). Since he gravitated towards playing blues and rock, that means many of the venues for his music are bars. Because of his age, the state of Wisconsin has told his parents, and the clubs that would book him, that child labor laws prohibit him from playing in venues where alcohol is served. The fines, according to AP, are quite high: "the employer can be fined $25 to $1,000 and the parent from $10 to $250." The article also states that Tallan's booking agent received a death-threat, which is just creepy.

T-Man's reply was hilarious and appropriately bluesy: "It's not how many times you get knocked down but it's how many times you get back up and go forward."

There is some good news. T-Man can play festivals such as county fairs and other non-bar events.

Regardless of all this hoo-ha, the kid can play. He's even appeared on stage with Les Paul, which is an honor. Here are a few videos of T-Man trading licks with people three times his age (or ten times his age, in Les Paul's case).

Tallan "T-Man" Latz playing Voodoo Child

Tallan "T-Man" Latz plays the National Anthem

Les Paul and Tallan Latz @ Pabst Theater 6/21/08

Sources: Yahoo!/AP, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (also image)

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Carlos Santana Has Spitzer's Back

Brett Singer — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 15:30:00 GMT

In case you were wondering what Carlos Santana thinks of the Eliot Spitzer mess -- and you know you were -- it's official: the guitarist has forgiven the former Governor.

The New York Times reported on an item from the upstate New York newspaper The Record, quoting Santana as saying at a show, "My thoughts go out to the ex-governor. I pray for forgiveness. For the lady who was working in the shadows, for him and his daughters and his wife. It’s all about healing...Not blaming or judging. It’s about healing. It could happen to you and it will, because we are all human."

What the Times neglected to mention was the likely reason for Santana's statement. When he says, “Don’t be pointing fingers, because when you do, four come back pointing at you,” he's talking about himself. Santana's wife Deborah divorced him last year, and in her book Space Between the Stars, she wrote about Carlos' own love for Black Magic women, that is, having extra-marital affairs.

Hopefully, when he says he "prays for forgiveness," he's not including Spitzer's wife and daughters in that forgiveness, although the quote could be read that way. Something that many, many people (mostly men, but some women) seem to forget about the Spitzer mess is that he wasn't just having an affair. He spent $80,000 on hookers. To paraphrase one of Carlos' songs, Oy Vey Como Va.

Just to keep the separation between behavior and talent, here are a couple of videos of Santana rocking out. If only Eliot "Tainted Gov" Spitzer could play an instrument...

image: allposters.com

Black Magic Woman

Oye Como Va

The Future Of BoyBands: Gauchos de Acero

Patti — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 23:30:00 GMT

Don't be fooled by the Pikachu teeshirt or the bunkbed in the corner of the room: Gauchos de Acero are soldiers of metal, and they are not messing around. Never mind that the oldest is fourteen, or that their four year old sister sometimes chimes in on backing vocals. They are hard core, and they're already playing to the bar crowds at home in Argentina. Here they're a YouTube phenomenon, and I don't use the word "phenomenon" lightly: they've had over two million hits on their first video, a cover of Sepultura's "Refuse, Resist". Vice Magazine recently posted an interview with oldest brother and guitarist Emilio, who describes their origins and their hopes for the future.

Here, Emilio shreds on "Tributo a Emerson Lake and Palmer" while his younger brothers drive a pounding rhythm.

Can I Get a What-What?: Schools Turn To Hip-Hop to Teach Kids About Music

Stefania Pomponi Butler (CityMama) — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 12:01:00 GMT

When I was a kid, we had band and orchestra class in school. If we wanted to play an instrument, regardless of income or background, we could learn. Nowadays, unless (public) schools raise their own funds to pay for them, music classes are almost non-existent. Low-income schools have been hit particularly hard by budget cuts, and many feel pressure to focus resources on preparing students for standardized tests.

But for a select group of kids, things are about to change. "Lower-income kids across the country will soon be getting a free music education through hip-hop and other pop tunes they can relate to. Boston's Berklee College of Music is reaching out to (several) cities with a 15-year-old program that's made instrumental and vocal music accessible to underprivileged local children."

With technology provided by Apple Computer, Berklee alumni will teach students how to play individual sections of their favorite songs and then to play along with "special computer mixes" of them. If they are learning how create pop songs, I wonder if they'll spend the bulk of their time mastering Ableton Live and learning how pitch-correction software works. (Hi, Asslee Simpson! I'm talkin' about you!)

Thirty-five kids wanting to learn how to play "I Wanna Love You," fighting over who gets to be Akon and who gets to be Snoop. I hope the Berklee alums learn how to channel Suge Knight before setting foot in the classroom. Still, I hope the idea catches on.

[via WIFR]

Kids Who Rock - Like Mom and Pop

Alisyn — Sat, 16 Dec 2006 14:07:00 GMT

Ever find yourself daydreaming about the day that your kid turns to you and says “Mom (or Dad) – I really respect what you do. I want to be just like you when I grow up”?

Yeah, I don’t expect to hear that either. But then again, I’m not a rock star. I don’t travel the world playing music for millions of people. I huddle in the corner, spending every single spare second of every single day on my computer. My kids think that Mama ignores them for a living.

But I got to thinking about kids who have followed in their parents footsteps – and are well on their ways down their own paths to rock stardom.

Spencer and Sam Tweedy, ages 10 and 8 (pictured at right), are sons of Wilco singer and guitarist Jeff Tweedy, and they have started their own band, The Blisters (no website for these guys - yet). The Blisters played along side Wilco at Lollapalooza 2006 in Chicago. Young Spencer is something of a prodigy, having been an accomplished drummer and songwriter since the age of three.

Eddie Van Halen recently announced that his 15 year old son, Wolfgang, has officially taken the place of longtime Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony. Van Halen is gearing up for a 2007 world tour, and are rumored to be hooking up the band’s original singer, David Lee Roth. Says Van Halen, of his son’s musicianship: "If I excel at the speed of sound, he excels at the speed of light. This kid is just a natural."

I hesitate to refer to Dan Zanes as a “children’s musician” since the term indicates adults dressed as Star Trek weirdos (The Wiggles), adults in freaky-ass wigs and make-up (The Doodlebops), or adults who sing in grating, off-key voices about dinosaurs and bumblebees (I’m lookin’ at you, Laurie Berkner). But Dan Zanes is this generation’s Woody Guthrie – sincere, socially conscious and tremendously talented. His 11-year-old daughter Anna sings backup on all of his albums, and tours with her pop when school permits.

Norah Jones, daughter of Ravi Shankar, the most famous sitar player in the world, sang in church choirs and majored in piano at the University of North Texas before her debut album, “Come Away With Me” won her 8 Grammy Awards in 2003. Her current project is a country band called “The Little Willies.”

Coco Hayley Gordon Moore, is the daughter of indie rock gods Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth, and has been encouraged by her parents to dabble in experimental music making. Mike Watt’s 1995 album “Ball-Hog or Tug Boat?” includes a sample of baby Coco crying, and mom and dad recorded Coco screaming a cover of Yoko Ono’s “Piece for Soprano” on album four of Sonic Youth’s “SYR” series. She also appears on the cover of the “Murray Street” album.

Cool parents. Cool kids. Cool music. Just plain cool.

Elvis Costello & Diana Krall Have Twins - And Give Them Cool Names!

Alisyn — Sun, 10 Dec 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Singers Elvis Costello and Diana Krall (sorry, but I just can’t bring myself to use the word “crooners” – so lame), welcomed twin sons on December 6.

Dexter Henry Lorcan and Frank Harlan James were born in Manhattan, and mother and sons are “doing splendidly,” says the family’s rep.

Can we talk about these baby names for a second? How fabulous are they? I’m a total sucker for weirdo celebrity baby names – Apple, Fifi Trixibelle, Hopper, Rebel, Seven, I love ‘em all! – but it’s the old-fashioned, so-uncool-they’re-cool-again names that really melt my heart.

There is something beautiful about reaching into the past, and dusting off your great-grandfather’s name for your son. There is a certain kind of romance that goes with naming your daughter after your favorite old jazz singer, or silent-film actress. There is a solid and respectable air to names that have made a comeback, after a century of hiding beneath mothballs – names like Maisie, Cyrus, Harriet, Emmett.

There are those who will disagree, of course, but I think the Costello-Kralls have done an admirable job giving their sons strong, classic, interesting names. Well done – and congratulations!

Strollerderby : musicians

Oprah Gets It Right On Chris Brown

Letting Kids See Watchmen

UPDATE: Chris Brown's Skipping the Kid's Choice Awards

Soldier Gives Birth At Army Barracks

Heath Ledger's Daughter Gets His Oscar

The Dr. Phil And OctoMom Show

Teens Talk Back to the Media on Dating Violence

Grieving a Lost Pregnancy? Sorry, We'd Like a Drug Test

New Rick Springfield CD For Kids

Letting Kids See Watchmen

Should Chris Brown Be Getting Out the Kids' Vote?

Rich or Rehab: Whatever Happened to Tia From 'Witch Mountain'?

Why Babies Are Cute: The Long Version

Heath Ledger's Daughter Gets His Oscar

8 year old blues guitarist not allowed to play in bars

Mr. Rogers Talking Keychain

For a good marriage, women need to stay home

Children opposed to healthcare (Onion Video)

Readin', writin' and Dianetics?

Family Movie Night – Happy Feet

Egyptian woman gives birth to septuplets because she wanted a boy

Bored games

Hunka hunka burnin Barbie

More Kids Stuff I like that my kids don't care about

Carlos Santana Has Spitzer's Back

The Future Of BoyBands: Gauchos de Acero

Can I Get a What-What?: Schools Turn To Hip-Hop to Teach Kids About Music

Kids Who Rock - Like Mom and Pop

Elvis Costello & Diana Krall Have Twins - And Give Them Cool Names!