Archive for the ‘Music’ Category
Doing laundry, the Parisian way
Since my last post I’ve attended an all-night birthday party … visited Strasbourg … … heard an Irish music concert by The Kilkennys … … joined the lads for a wee session after the show … … moved out of my beautiful home in Freiburg … … taken the TGV to Paris, and settled into […]
Filed under: Attempted humor, Music, Paris, Photography, Travel | 10 Comments
A mad craic with The Kilkennys
I’ve been home for more than a month, but I’m still sorting through the photos from my last vacation. I hope you won’t mind an occasional trip back to Europe as I get caught up. Today’s post is about an epic evening with The Kilkennys. Whenever I plan a trip, I do a bit of […]
Filed under: Friends and family, Music, Travel | Leave a Comment
Tags: Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Freiburg pub, Irish, Jan Gregersen, Jan Gregersen Freiburg, The Kilkennys
Have you heard about Lukáš Kmit, the Slovakian musician whose performance was interrupted by a cellphone’s ringtone? Many hailed his response as “perfect.” Unfortunately, the Forbes article I read misidentified the instrument as a violin instead of a viola. (A minor detail—but not to my string-playing friends.) So I went looking for another link to […]
Filed under: Attempted humor, Music, Psychology, Technology | 8 Comments
Tags: hoax, Lukáš Kmit, Nokia ringtone, publicity stunt, ringtone interrupts concert, viola, violin ringtone
If Mozart had eaten more veggies, partied less, and gotten a bit of exercise, today he might be celebrating his 256th birthday. Photo via singforyoursupperblog.com I was made aware of this fact last Saturday during A Prairie Home Companion, when Garrison Keillor and pianist Rich Dworsky teamed up for a lovely-yet-cheeky tribute to Herr Mozart. […]
Filed under: Attempted humor, Music, On this day in history | 14 Comments
Tags: Amadeus, f murray abraham, film amadeus, herr mozart, Milos Forman, Mozart birthday, piano sonatas, Tom Hulce
I am sitting in the very heart of the city where Elvis Presley recorded Heartbreak Hotel in 1956 … where Bob Dylan cut Blonde on Blonde in 1966 … and where Kansas laid down Dust in the Wind in 1978. Those are just three of the reasons Nashville, Tennessee is known as “music city.” When […]
Filed under: Attempted humor, Music, Photography, Travel | 10 Comments
Tags: Bob Dylan, country music, Elvis Presley, guitars, Kansas, Music City, Nashville, Tennessee, Travel, travel photography
Guitar lessons—and life lessons
Think of the single thing you absolutely most love doing. Now imagine being told that an incurable disease will prevent you from doing that thing—ever again. That’s exactly what happened to Billy McLaughlin. I met Billy in passing some 20 years ago, when his career was just taking off. He used to play in downtown […]
Filed under: Minnesota, Music, On being creative, Psychology | 4 Comments
Each year, Labor Day marks the end of the Minnesota State Fair. Most Twin Citians have long since lost their ties to Minnesota’s agricultural roots. But for 10 days in late summer, the State Fair lets us remember that vanishing history. Of course, that’s just one of the reasons why more than 1.5 million people […]
Filed under: Minnesota, Music, Photography, Travel | 9 Comments
Tags: Labor Day, labor movement, Minnesota, Minnesota State Fair, Photography, postaday2011, travel photography
In February 2010, I was fortunate to attend a taping of A Prairie Home Companion at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul. I got some great advice that night (“Don’t talk about your problems; talking about your problems only makes you discover new ones”). I laughed out loud at Garrison Keillor’s stories and I got […]
Filed under: Attempted humor, Friends and family, Minnesota, Music | 2 Comments
Tags: Elvis Costello, Fitzgerald Theater, Garrison Keillor, Minnesota, Minnesota State Fair, postaday2011, Prairie Home Companion, St. Paul, The Jayhawks
Ich möchte ein heiße Hund, bitte
I’ve always felt a little bit inadequate because I don’t speak German. It’s a deep-seated complex, which began when I ran away with a mime troupe at age 16. Here I am, in all my white-faced glory. (Don’t worry—I’ve been in remission for years, and it’s not contagious.) Anyway … after spending almost a month […]
Filed under: Attempted humor, Grammar and usage, Music, Psychology, Travel | 14 Comments
Tags: German, learning a language, Pimsleur, postaday2011, Rosetta Stone
