a musical update

Some interesting things have popped up on the radar these last few weeks. I just had my University of Alberta Mixed Chorus concert at the Winspear Centre (where I work!) on the 28th. It went just dandy, other than a few complaints from other choristers. Thankfully my ear isn't developed enough yet to hear these erroneous nuances. Ignorance is bliss, sometimes.

Our conductor sent out a kind e-mail to all of us. At the concert he was presented a gift and a card from the chorus, which appropriately played Motown music from his teen days. In the e-mail, he described a card he thought suitable for all of us:

"You work hard, you laugh hard, you bring dedication and energy to all
that you do. Your kindness, generosity of spirit, and enthusiasm are
all greatly appreciated. The song? I'm leaning toward Queen singing
'We Are the Champions.' It seems quite suitable for all of you!"

Doesn't that make your heart smile? He's definitely one of the kindest, most warm-hearted people I've met. I'm thankful I've had the privilege of meeting so many inspiring and influential music educators in these past few years. They certainly have made a mark on me, and given me something to aspire to as I pursue my music education in these next few years.

As I look to my future, I always find myself flabbergasted (what a fun word) when I consider the fact that I—if everything goes as planned—will one day will be up on the podium conducting some ensemble. Isn't that a scary thought? Maybe I'll be conducting YOUR children some day. Thankfully I have a few years to prepare before that all happens.

Anyways, enough about my dreamy dreams. Sorry for all the mush! Musically, I'm preparing for two upcoming gigs. The first one will be on box drum (aka a Cajón, wikipedia link for picture/info) and possibly a little guitaring. I'm substituting for 'The Martingales' drummer when he's out of town, for an acoustic gig of theirs. I work with one of the members, and let me tell you, they're some great songwriters. Take a look at their MySpace for a sample of what they do. Make sure not to skip 'Manitoba.' The gig is on Friday, April 17 at Hulbert's (near whyte ave, 7601-115 St). Cover is $10. Hope you can make it, it's gonna be a blast.

Secondly, I'm working on guitar with an as-of-yet nameless rock project with a few of my high school buddies. We should have a gig lined up pretty soon, which will most likely be free (yay!). We've got a little bit of Radiohead, mixed in with some classic Weezer, some Sublime, and even a little Hawksley Workman.

Finally, and I know this-is-the-longest-post-ever-oh-god-please-let-it-end, I've been listening to a great guy by the name of Luke Doucet. Here's a link to a music video of one of his best songs, It's Not The Liquor I Miss. It's totally terrific! The feel is just great, it's got some great guitaring, and a Baritone Sax solo! What's not to love?

And here's another feel-good tune, 'Arms Tonite,' this time by Mother Mother. Trust me, these catchy songs will be popping up in your head for days!

And that's it! Trust me, I didn't anticipate for this to be long at all!

Doug

i'm an uncle AND we have an office puppy

No way! I'm an UNCLE! Can you believe it? As of last week, I am the Uncle of my brother Spencer and his wife Nora's baby, Eliot Arthur Young. What a beautiful name, in my opinion. A co-worker pointed out that this is the first relative I'll have the honor of knowing from birth! What a beautiful thing that will be. Boy, do I feel like an old man now. Isn't he handsome!?

Our office at work had another addition of its very own - a brand new puppy! We've got the cutest little doggie running around now. He's a playful little guy, even though he seems to sleep half the time :). Our manager named him Petey. Not only do we have him, but his brother Charlie is just upstairs from us! Two dogs in the Winspear! Sometimes he comes down and plays around with Petey, which is just cuteness overload for me. Just another reason I have an awesome job!
Here are some pictures (Petey is the white one; Charlie is the black one):












thanks goes out to Andrew at work for taking these awesome pictures (except for the one with my nephew of course!).

piano/violin house

i just had to post this.

"If you thought you've had enough of crazy architectural styles in Shanghai, wait till you see this piano house in Huainan, Anhui. Inside the transparent violin is the staircase to the house upstairs. Apparently, the building has been built by the local government to draw interest to the newly developed area."

a little update

a lot has happened in my life recently - bad things and good things. i recently heard news that my chemistry 20 teacher in high school passed away in a car crash on the way home from skiing in the mountains. a friend at work also had one of her parents pass away. that is something i cannot imagine, and she has my deepest condolences.

in addition to that (but nowhere near as tragic) my family's cars have had a bunch of problems this month. thankfully our 20 year-old cadillac was fine. that thing is in great shape and is built like a tank - and consumes gas like a tank too. it was the last car my grandparents ever owned together, and it has lasted THREE generations of my family. it still drives like a charm, and i definitely prefer it over some of the newer cars we have. i'll have to post a nice picture of it on here.

my guitar studies are going great. i'm drilling one-octave scales and triads, sight-reading (single-note and chordal), improvisation (terribly) and my audition piece. i can play the piece all the way through now, so i just have to work out a few kinks, which i thankfully have two weeks to do. i'm nervous for the audition, but i think i should do just fine. it's the competition i'll have next year that scares me. i've only been playing for a year, so i'll be playing with guys who are light-years ahead of me. oh well. if there's one thing life has taught me, its that lots of pressure and responsibility makes you learn really quick. i might try to record my prepared piece, and will for sure post it on here.

i've also started to work on a solo album of mine. granted, i only have one song near-finished, but i hope that by the end of this year i can compile a cd of original songs i can give to friends for fun. it seems like a fun goal, and i'm sure i'll learn some things about songwriting/recording along the way.

anyways, it was my birthday on monday, and so i've decided for my birthday party that i want to go and see WATCHMEN, the movie. i've read the book - i mean graphic novel - and it's absolutely fantastic. it's a must read for anyone looking into the genre, and is one of TIME magazine's one hundred best books of all time! it's got a very complex storyline, so there's alot of pressure on Zack Snyder - the director - to do it justice. his last movie was the famous 300, which is also a graphic novel adaptation, if that's a good sign at all. there's a bunch of trailers out there right now, but i'll link my favorite one. the music and mood is JUST right for the movie. here we go!



oh gosh, just watching that again has me SO excited. they just look like they've got EVERYTHING perfect. if you've read the book please let me know so i can excitedly talk with someone about it.

oh boy, my hands hurt a bit from practicing. hope that's not a bad sign!

-doug