Lettice Rowbotham, (Yes, that IS that correct spelling), was a violinist on the most recent season (Series, for those in the UK) of Britain's Got Talent, and she blew everyone else away. I love the violin, but even I have to admit that it can sometimes get tired, so I love it when someone like Lettice comes along and brings something completely new to the performance.
I love her personality, her sense of humor, and everything about her, but I have to admit, the first time I watched her, I 100% expected a hilarious trainwreck when she started playing. I loved the interview, and loved her, but when she readily admitted that she hadn't even practiced, and she was too hungover to be nervous, I braced myself for the worst. I was thrilled to have my fears assuaged, and her previous admissions made her performance all the more impressive.
Her second performance was even better.
I loved that she used "Trust In Me" as part of her performance, and despite Simon's dislike of the second half, I loved it. I've grown to love dubstep if it's done right, and Lettice did dupstep right, not too heavy, and as part of the background, not the focus.
Lettice made it all the way to the finale and managed to literally drop my jaw.
I was amazed when she opened her mouth. I don't know that I've disagreed with Simon more when he said it didn't work. Thankfully the entire audience disagreed as well. Inwardly I cheered for their booing.
Sadly, Lettice didn't win, which is one of the single greatest tragedies of our time, but I have no doubt that she'll go places. I now follow her on both Twitter and YouTube, so I'll know the second she announces any new projects. I can't wait to see what she does next!
Showing posts with label Violin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Violin. Show all posts
Monday, June 23, 2014
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
An Epic Rabbit Trail
YouTube is the "New TV". At least for me. I don't watch TV anymore, but I do watch YouTube. And in most cases it it so much better than TV, especially since everything is artist driven. It's not big studios determining what gets produced. It actual people, who want to be creative, just doing their thing with no one telling them what they can and can not do.
The one bad thing, or good, depending on how much time you have to spend, is that YouTube videos lead you on long rabbit trails, this is especially true when one YouTuber you like collaborates with another YouTuber that you've never heard of, and you end up liking them as well. That is how I got to know about almost every musician I currently follow.
Aside from MysteryGuitarMan, who is in a whole different class of video, The Piano Guys started my current love of YouTube music. I can't remember how I found them, probably someone on Facebook posted a video, which led to me subscribing and later watching everything they had. One of their videos was filmed by someone named Devin Graham.
His cinematography was amazing, so I checked out his channel. He didn't have very many videos, but the ones he had were so amazing! His videos are not focused on music, like the rest of these, but it's worth noting that he only uses original music in all of his videos. He has many musician friends who lend him music for his videos. Free publicity for them!
I subscribed almost immediately. He had a video called "Epic Violin Girl." It was awesome and it was "Celebrity Crush" at first sight. :p (Does it count as a celebrity crush, if she wasn't really a celebrity yet?) :p I've since found out that she and Devin are "An Item," so it wouldn't work out between us. So sad. :p
I had never been exposed to much actual Hip-Hop music before Lindsey. Most stuff with this kind of a beat that I had liked before had been classified as dance music. I always just assumed that Hip-Hop was some kind of Rap. (I've lead a sheltered life. :p) But thanks to her, I now know it's completely different.
After I watched the video, I followed his link to her channel and I discovered she had been on America's Got Talent, but had lost. The judges didn't think she was good enough for a live show, which was what the prize for winning was.
Little did those judges know that she would go on to find fame all on her own thanks to YouTube. I just looked up who won that season of America's Got Talent, and I can honestly say that before today, I have never heard of "Soul Singer, Micheal Grimm" the winner of that season. I have, however, heard of the little girl that he beat, Jackie Evancho, who is quite a lot more famous than he is, and is most likely more famous than he ever will be.
I was a little disappointed as I continued to look at Lindsey's channel. She only had a few videos, and none of them were anywhere near as good as the one Devin had made. I still subscribed to her channel because despite her lack of content she was still amazing. My hope was that eventually she make some more, and eventually my hope paid off. Within a few months she started regularly putting out quality music videos, mainly filmed by Devin Graham. I have since gone back to her channel and I think she's taken down the early videos. The only ones left are the good quality ones that she is now releasing. Such as her recent EPIC take on the Phantom of the Opera.
I love the electric instruments in the rock band scene. Especially her purple violin! :D I also love the transitions from Rock to Classical. The quiet moments in the snow are just beautiful. :)
Recently Lindsey did a collaboration with a guy named Peter Hollens. The subject of the music video is a video game that I have never heard of, but the guy's voice is amazing.
Peter Hollens does A Cappella videos. Of course there was the violin in his duet with Lindsey, but usually he uses only the human voice. And he does a lot of collaborations as well. One of his most frequent collaborators is his wife, Evynne.
He has since become one of my favorite YouTubers. I've loved A Cappella music since I was a kid and Rockapella did the theme song to one of my favorite PBS shows "Where In The World is Carmen Sandiego?"
And with that I think I'll end this rabbit trail. That was such a random ending to such a YouTube musician focused post that it just seems right. :) I surprised even myself with that one. I was not planning it, the memory just came to me out of the blue. For those of you all misty eyed with nostalgia, you're welcome. :) Oh, it's just me? Ok then. :p
The one bad thing, or good, depending on how much time you have to spend, is that YouTube videos lead you on long rabbit trails, this is especially true when one YouTuber you like collaborates with another YouTuber that you've never heard of, and you end up liking them as well. That is how I got to know about almost every musician I currently follow.
Aside from MysteryGuitarMan, who is in a whole different class of video, The Piano Guys started my current love of YouTube music. I can't remember how I found them, probably someone on Facebook posted a video, which led to me subscribing and later watching everything they had. One of their videos was filmed by someone named Devin Graham.
His cinematography was amazing, so I checked out his channel. He didn't have very many videos, but the ones he had were so amazing! His videos are not focused on music, like the rest of these, but it's worth noting that he only uses original music in all of his videos. He has many musician friends who lend him music for his videos. Free publicity for them!
I subscribed almost immediately. He had a video called "Epic Violin Girl." It was awesome and it was "Celebrity Crush" at first sight. :p (Does it count as a celebrity crush, if she wasn't really a celebrity yet?) :p I've since found out that she and Devin are "An Item," so it wouldn't work out between us. So sad. :p
I had never been exposed to much actual Hip-Hop music before Lindsey. Most stuff with this kind of a beat that I had liked before had been classified as dance music. I always just assumed that Hip-Hop was some kind of Rap. (I've lead a sheltered life. :p) But thanks to her, I now know it's completely different.
After I watched the video, I followed his link to her channel and I discovered she had been on America's Got Talent, but had lost. The judges didn't think she was good enough for a live show, which was what the prize for winning was.
Little did those judges know that she would go on to find fame all on her own thanks to YouTube. I just looked up who won that season of America's Got Talent, and I can honestly say that before today, I have never heard of "Soul Singer, Micheal Grimm" the winner of that season. I have, however, heard of the little girl that he beat, Jackie Evancho, who is quite a lot more famous than he is, and is most likely more famous than he ever will be.
I was a little disappointed as I continued to look at Lindsey's channel. She only had a few videos, and none of them were anywhere near as good as the one Devin had made. I still subscribed to her channel because despite her lack of content she was still amazing. My hope was that eventually she make some more, and eventually my hope paid off. Within a few months she started regularly putting out quality music videos, mainly filmed by Devin Graham. I have since gone back to her channel and I think she's taken down the early videos. The only ones left are the good quality ones that she is now releasing. Such as her recent EPIC take on the Phantom of the Opera.
I love the electric instruments in the rock band scene. Especially her purple violin! :D I also love the transitions from Rock to Classical. The quiet moments in the snow are just beautiful. :)
Recently Lindsey did a collaboration with a guy named Peter Hollens. The subject of the music video is a video game that I have never heard of, but the guy's voice is amazing.
Peter Hollens does A Cappella videos. Of course there was the violin in his duet with Lindsey, but usually he uses only the human voice. And he does a lot of collaborations as well. One of his most frequent collaborators is his wife, Evynne.
He has since become one of my favorite YouTubers. I've loved A Cappella music since I was a kid and Rockapella did the theme song to one of my favorite PBS shows "Where In The World is Carmen Sandiego?"
And with that I think I'll end this rabbit trail. That was such a random ending to such a YouTube musician focused post that it just seems right. :) I surprised even myself with that one. I was not planning it, the memory just came to me out of the blue. For those of you all misty eyed with nostalgia, you're welcome. :) Oh, it's just me? Ok then. :p
Monday, August 6, 2012
Africa
Africa is one of my "Must visit" places. I probably won't get there until I'm an old man, but I still want to go there someday.
Two of my favorite YouTubers, Devin Graham and Lindsey Stirling, traveled to Africa recently to make a bunch of videos. They captured everything about the continent that makes me want to visit it so much. From the people, to the landscape, and most of all, the wildlife, these videos are just amazing. I've watched them multiple times, and I thought that others would enjoy seeing them all as well. :)
This first one may be my favorite. Africa is so often stereotyped as a poverty stricken nation where everyone is skin and bones, everyone is dying of AIDS, and everyone is miserable their entire lives until they die, usually while still in childhood. There may be some areas like that, but it is not the entire continent. There are plenty of happy places as well. No country (Or continent) is perfect. America has places that are just as miserable as Africa is stereotyped to be. We just don't like to think about it.
Anyway, the reason this video is so good, is that it completely disproves the misery myth. I love watching the little children as they interact with Devin and his camera. No one who watches this can help but smile. :)
Devin released a behind the scenes video just about this video to explain how he got the children to smile so much. It was well worth watching. :)
Lindsey's video is, of course, a music video with her playing her violin. The song is Rihanna's "We found Love" but with a beautiful African twist. I love it when when artists take a well know song and add their own twist to it. Especially an African twist.
While I'm writing about African music, I will link to another of my favorite videos, an African version of Coldplay's "Paradise" done by the Piano Guys. It is amazing.
This next video is everything I love about Africa all wrapped up in one amazing short film. I guess you could call it a music video as well, but it's not a specific song, it's just an instrumental with African vocals. But it is beautiful.
Devin made a much longer behind the scenes video that covered their whole trip and showed all the places they visited, and everything they did. It looks like an amazing experience!
At the end he teases that there is one more music video still to come. I can't wait to see it!
Two of my favorite YouTubers, Devin Graham and Lindsey Stirling, traveled to Africa recently to make a bunch of videos. They captured everything about the continent that makes me want to visit it so much. From the people, to the landscape, and most of all, the wildlife, these videos are just amazing. I've watched them multiple times, and I thought that others would enjoy seeing them all as well. :)
This first one may be my favorite. Africa is so often stereotyped as a poverty stricken nation where everyone is skin and bones, everyone is dying of AIDS, and everyone is miserable their entire lives until they die, usually while still in childhood. There may be some areas like that, but it is not the entire continent. There are plenty of happy places as well. No country (Or continent) is perfect. America has places that are just as miserable as Africa is stereotyped to be. We just don't like to think about it.
Anyway, the reason this video is so good, is that it completely disproves the misery myth. I love watching the little children as they interact with Devin and his camera. No one who watches this can help but smile. :)
Devin released a behind the scenes video just about this video to explain how he got the children to smile so much. It was well worth watching. :)
Lindsey's video is, of course, a music video with her playing her violin. The song is Rihanna's "We found Love" but with a beautiful African twist. I love it when when artists take a well know song and add their own twist to it. Especially an African twist.
While I'm writing about African music, I will link to another of my favorite videos, an African version of Coldplay's "Paradise" done by the Piano Guys. It is amazing.
This next video is everything I love about Africa all wrapped up in one amazing short film. I guess you could call it a music video as well, but it's not a specific song, it's just an instrumental with African vocals. But it is beautiful.
Devin made a much longer behind the scenes video that covered their whole trip and showed all the places they visited, and everything they did. It looks like an amazing experience!
At the end he teases that there is one more music video still to come. I can't wait to see it!
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Dubstep - Love It or Hate It?
Dubstep seems to be one of those polarizing forms of music. One usually either loves or hates it. I'm probably a rare case because I am on the fence. I don't hate or love it. I can definitely see why people hate it. At first it can be mistaken for techno, which I do not hate, but as it goes on, it just gets weird, and usually dissolves into something that can barely be called music. It usually sounds more like some bicycle chains and a small army of piglets getting caught in the cogs of a giant automobile factory's assembly line. However, it is interesting to watch people dance to it.
As I said, I am on the fence. Why? Normally I would probably be on the hating side. There is nothing about it that makes me WANT to listen to it. I like techno and electronic music that makes me feel like moving or just brightens my mood. Like Owl City :) Something that has an exciting or just happy feel to it, and Dubstep has neither. Why then am I still on the fence? Lindsey Stirling, that's why.
I realize, that this still isn't enough to make a lot of people like Dubstep, but for me it has at least made me tolerate it in hopes that it gets better. I can see the potential. When paired with the violin, and used in a cool video, it becomes so much more tolerable. Plus I just love Lindsey Stirling and I don't think she could do anything that I would hate. :p
Dubstep in and of itself is still quite annoying though, and there is no way that I would choose to listen to it on its own without a video accompanying it. This video that my brother shared on Facebook the other day pretty much sums up what plain old Dubstep sounds like. It was SO funny. I've watched it three times in a row tonight, and I just can't stop laughing.
It's a good thing I don't have a respiratory disease, or I'd probably have some kind of an attack from laughing too hard.
As I said, I am on the fence. Why? Normally I would probably be on the hating side. There is nothing about it that makes me WANT to listen to it. I like techno and electronic music that makes me feel like moving or just brightens my mood. Like Owl City :) Something that has an exciting or just happy feel to it, and Dubstep has neither. Why then am I still on the fence? Lindsey Stirling, that's why.
I realize, that this still isn't enough to make a lot of people like Dubstep, but for me it has at least made me tolerate it in hopes that it gets better. I can see the potential. When paired with the violin, and used in a cool video, it becomes so much more tolerable. Plus I just love Lindsey Stirling and I don't think she could do anything that I would hate. :p
Dubstep in and of itself is still quite annoying though, and there is no way that I would choose to listen to it on its own without a video accompanying it. This video that my brother shared on Facebook the other day pretty much sums up what plain old Dubstep sounds like. It was SO funny. I've watched it three times in a row tonight, and I just can't stop laughing.
It's a good thing I don't have a respiratory disease, or I'd probably have some kind of an attack from laughing too hard.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Lindsey Does it Again!
Lindsey Stirling has managed to TOP her Legend of Zelda video. This time she made a Lord of the Rings medley, and actually went to New Zealand to film it! As usual, Devin Graham filmed it, and as always, his cinematography is outstanding. It is too good for me to spend any more time trying to describe, so just go ahead and watch it. It’s amazing.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
ChristmasTube
There have been a whole bunch of Christmas related videos on YouTube lately. I decided to put all my favorites into one blog post for your viewing pleasure. :)
On my dead “Entertainment blog” I posted about a series of videos called “Kid History”. That was one of the posts I actually saved, and moved over to this blog because their videos were so funny. You can find that post HERE. They recently released a Christmas video, and of course it had me laughing all the way. (Sorry for the lame “Jingle Bells” reference. It won’t happen again.) :p
One of my very favorite YouTube Channels is the Piano Guys, who don’t JUST do piano music, there’s a lot of cello there too. They have also gotten into the Christmas spirit and have started releasing their very first Christmas videos.
Okay, confession time, really, this post was just an excuse to blog about one of my favorite YouTube stars, Lindsey Stirling again. :) She just released another Christmas video, and I just had to share it. If you missed her beautiful version of Silent Night, check out my post HERE, and watch it, plus her amazing “Legend of Zelda” video.
This time her video is a song she apparently wrote herself, and it has a Celtic Flair to the music! I love Celtic music, so I couldn’t NOT share this. I generally dislike a lot of “Santa stuff”, but even though this is a kind of a Santa themed video, (Without Santa) I still love it. :) I also love that she is reusing her elf ears from the Legend of Zelda video. :)
The guy who has been filming her most recent videos has his own YouTube Channel as well. In fact it was because of his channel that I discovered Lindsey, after he filmed her first major music video. He is a film maker named Devin Graham, I actually discovered him through the Piano Guys as he has worked for them before. His video are always very cool. Until this one, which isn’t so much “Cool” as it is “Cavity Inducingly adorable.” (As a side note, this video has gone seriously viral in the last week, over a million and a half views! He may end up getting quite famous because of this one!)
Awe! Don’t you all just want a pile of puppies now?! :D
Merry Christmas everyone!
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Lindsey Stirling
Lindsey Stirling is one of my absolute favorite YouTube artists. She calls herself a Hip-Hop Violinist, and her main thing that she does is compose violin music to play with dance music, and she dances at the same time she plays the violin. At least, she used to do that. I’m sure she hasn’t given it up, but her last three videos have been straight violin music and they have all been so great, I decided to share them. I am not going to turn this blog into another “Entertainment” blog, so don’t expect many posts of just videos like this one, but when I REALLY like something, I’ll share it. And I REALLY like violin music. :)
I haven’t played video games in years, but when I did, one of my all time favorite series of games was “The Legend of Zelda” I love the theme music, and in this first video, Lindsey did an amazing Music Video version of of it, right down to dressing up as the main character, though I don’t recall Link ever using a violin on any of his journeys. :)
The next video is the same song, just not a music video. She filmed herself twice and edited it into a duet with herself playing two different parts.
The last video is a very seasonally appropriate one. Another music video, this time she is playing Silent Night. And it is a very good version of it. These days it seems that anyone who does Silent Night does it any other way BUT silent. I just love this. :)
I know it’s early but, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! :D
I haven’t played video games in years, but when I did, one of my all time favorite series of games was “The Legend of Zelda” I love the theme music, and in this first video, Lindsey did an amazing Music Video version of of it, right down to dressing up as the main character, though I don’t recall Link ever using a violin on any of his journeys. :)
The next video is the same song, just not a music video. She filmed herself twice and edited it into a duet with herself playing two different parts.
The last video is a very seasonally appropriate one. Another music video, this time she is playing Silent Night. And it is a very good version of it. These days it seems that anyone who does Silent Night does it any other way BUT silent. I just love this. :)
I know it’s early but, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! :D
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