Creations & Inspirations

"Sweet December Song..."

2009-12-01T02:05:00.000-05:00

Inspirations November 09

2009-12-01T00:20:00.002-05:00

So, I had a recent hospital stay. It was crazy. No music, no tv, no computer for weeks.

When I was finally ready for some input these things really hit me:

A documentary on PBS of Joan Baez.

A VH1 Behind the Music documentary on Pink.

Beyonce singing Survivor on her "The Beyonce Experience" DVD.

Dancing has been really moving me lately.I love this video of Mikhail Baryshnikov

Where did your heart go?

2009-07-04T11:19:00.002-04:00

Unbelievable - I had never seen this video. My favorite part is 3:02 when the choreography starts:

Where Did Your Heart Go @ Yahoo! Video

i'm not the only one (Busdriver Reveals his Musical Favorites)

2009-07-04T10:12:00.010-04:00

FilterMag.com

Busdriver Reveals his Musical Favorites: Part 3
by Staff | 07.03.2009

Busdriver, the L.A. born and bred rapper with the newly released Jhelli Beam, recently confided in FILTER the albums that he swears by, which unexpectedly varied from gangster rap to obscure indie pop to folk-blues. Below, Busdriver admits to his biggest dirty little secret—listening to, and liking, George Michael's Faith.

"I played a lot of George Michael as a kid...I don't know why I liked it, but I was always listening to those first very records. It was something about his confidence...you know what?" laughs Busdriver. "My love for Michael Jackson actually transferred into George Michael. I blame it on Michael Jackson."

_____________
I'm not the only one.... just sayin'!!

"don't know where I'll be tomorrow," but today is great

2009-07-04T02:00:00.008-04:00

In contrast to my last birthday, I was actually happy this year - not just happier.

Last year I thought that somehow I was doing great... I guess you take what you can get. But unlike last year, this year I didn't cry, or smoke cigarettes (I have quit!!!) and I also woke up not alone, but with my little family - Karin and Katrina - and they had fixed me a surprise breakfast to celebrate. Karin got me a Journey DVD (some exquisite live videos - my favorite are the ones in the 70s where Steve wears white pants, and Neal is sporting a beautiful 'fro).

Emma came up from Philadelphia for a short visit involving late hours, a sweaty hot Brazilian night club, a terrific Brazilian band, Forro Dancing and lots of fun and laughing. I love my siblings, and I missed the two in Ca.

As usual, it was a chance for me to re-evaluate my life and goals. I have come a long way, but it is time to take things to the next level I know that next year this time is going to be phenomenal. Meet you here, same time next year!!

Xo, Greta

Star people

2009-06-26T23:05:00.002-04:00

Seems very appropriate:

Star People '97
------George Michael

Star people
Counting your money until your soul turns green
Star people
Counting the cost of your desire to be seen

I do not count myself among you
I may have been living in a dream
It's just there seem so many of you
Can't help but hope there's a difference between

And if I live to be a hundred and one
I will never understand what you are, honey?

I'm looking for sympathy
Just get me on NBC
And where's the hell's my dumb ass PR?

I said maybe your mama gave you up boy
(it's the same old same old)
I said maybe your daddy didn't love you enough girl
(how much is enough)

Star people
Never forget your secret's safe with me
Just look at all the wonderful people
Trying to forget just who and what they have been

Oh, it's a dream
With a nightmare stuck in the middle
Are you serious? I'm just curious
Without all this attention
You'd die
I'd die
We'd die (wouldn't we baby)

And if I live to be a hundred and one
I will never understand what you are (I'm talking to you)
You're looking for sympathy from people who work to eat
And they don't really seem to mind

I said maybe your mama gave you up boy
(it's the same old same old)
I said maybe baby your daddy didn't love you enough girl

How much is enough?
How much is enough?
How much is enough?
Are you serious? I'm just curious
Are you serious? I'm just curious

Yeah more glycerine
Let's go back to the day
DJ (why do you wanna tell me that?)
DJ (get yourself some Oprah cash)
Is that what makes a star?

Did you get off on a bad foot, baby
Do you have a little tale to tell
Did you get off on a bad foot, bad, bad foot?
Is that why you're a star?

Do you really think you've got it so hard?
Do you think it might do you some good to look around you
And decide how you might feel
If the pain you felt was real
Tell me

Now nothing comes for nothing, baby
That fame and fortune's heaven sent
And who gives a fuck about your problems, darling
'cos you can pay the rent
You can pay

Happy Birthday George!!!

2009-06-25T18:00:00.002-04:00

Dear George,

Thank you for expressing your thoughts and feelings in music, for living your life in honesty and integrity, for being open about your struggles and for being one of my biggest inspirations.

Love,
Greta

quote of the week

2009-06-16T08:09:00.003-04:00

“Sexuality is universal. What’s sexy is sexy.”

- Adam Lambert

My Steve Perry Obsession

2009-06-17T09:46:00.007-04:00

Last year when I was about to leave for the Philippines, someone said "did you hear about the new singer for Journey? He's from the Philippines." I looked it up, and sure enough. Arnel Pineda is an awesome performer and singer who I plan to go see in August at Journey's live show in New York. Really can't wait for that. He's taking the world by storm with Journey - their album is selling like mad, and they're all over the world now on tour.

I knew a few Journey songs - the cheesy ones mostly. My folks stopped listening to contemporary music when they had us. As a result, my musical diet consisted of 60s psychadelica (the Dead, Country Joe and the Fish, late Beatles), folk (Judy Collins, Ian and Sylvia, etc..), Show tunes and classical. Everything I listened to, until about 1984, was pre-1973. I missed about 10 years of pop music. When I started listening to music in the 80s, I was a pre-teen so I listened to Michael Jackson, Madonna, Duran Duran, etc... Totally missed out on bands from the 70s.

Through a number of circumstances, I recently started listening to a lot more of Steve Perry (Journey's main singer from 1977-1996). Wow. What a voice. But, as I have really realized in the last few years, it's about a lot more than just the voice. Something about him is really,really captivating. He gives his all at every moment. His vocal style is heavily influenced by Sam Cooke - the man credited as the founder of soul music.

Journey is a great band - Neal Schon's guitar work is incredible, and they're revolving cast over the past 30 or so years has also been the top musicians around - most notably Steve Smith on drums and Ross Valory on bass. Oh, and just thought I'd mention that they are SAN FRANCISCO boys! I know they get a lot of criticism from some people for their "cheesy" ballads, but you can't deny that they're awesome and have withstood the test of time.

Journey - Separate Ways
Journey - Faithfully

Oh, and I love this video from Steve Perry's 1986 solo album:

Listening to Music differently PART 2

2009-06-24T07:47:00.006-04:00

Last blog I made the statement that lately I feel music more than I listen.

It's true, I actually feel music in different parts of my body. Every artist/piece feels different (yes, I am talking about actual physical sensations), and some music elicits no feeling at all.

As a result I have - for now- discarded most remnants of an intellectual approach to music. Sometimes it's hard (like in relation to my own music or to music I studied in college), but most of the time it's easy to just go with what feels good. I only use analytical listening after I've responded to the music on some physical or emotional level. Or if something about it truly sparks my curiosity.

Lately pop music - Rock and hip hop - has dominated my ear space. These are the latest things that inspired me to go analytical:

1) Here is a link to a 24 page paper about Steve Perry's voice. It is a good historical analysis of Steve's body of work. It has some in depth discussion about his range and style and some compare/contrast of other singers.

http://www.fabricationshq.com/steve-perry---one-in-a-million.html

2) After listening to Beyonce a number of times, I was curious about the "Single Ladies" song structure and harmonic analysis. I found song analysis on the "Fix your Mix" blog which was very interesting:

http://blog.fixyourmix.com/2009/single-ladies-by-beyonce-a-compositional-analysis/

listening to music differently

2009-06-18T20:25:00.009-04:00

A few years ago the guy at a Haight St. record shop was really friendly and nice to me. He might have had a little crush. Dunno. Then one day I bought some crappy CDs - I knew they were crappy too, but I was researching the "classical crossover" genre (Sara Brightman, Andrea Boccelli, Bryn Terfel singing pop - awful!). Yes, they were indeed terrible choices, I agree. I didn't get the records because they were good, but more to try something different. You only know if you try.

It was never the same with Mr. Record Store again. Remember that quote from High Fidelity? John Cusack plays a snotty record store geek:

"what really matters is what you like, not what you are like... Books, records, films - these things matter. Call me shallow but it's the fu*%in' truth"

That movie is right-on as far as its take on the music superiority complex. I get occasional snarky remarks about music I choose to share on my blogs, for instance. It got me thinking about music and how it correlates with soul searching. My personal take on the quote above is that what you like musically is an extension of what you are like as a person...and that is (at least in my case) ever evolving, and sometimes involves looking back or looking forward or looking somewhere frightening and new. You might like it, or not, but you have to try.

Some of us never actually figure that out because we are too afraid of what is hidden, like what if you're a pretentious music geek, and you somehow feel moved by a cheesy Mariah Carey ballad or a corporate Nashville album? What if you are a die-hard Mariah fan, and then you hear a Bach aria or Shostakovich chamber piece that rocks your world? Some people are horrified at the thought to think that they might actually like something different or "bad" (whatever that means to you).

Lately I've been listening to music differently. Less and less do I hear music with my analytical brain - actually I feel it more than I listen. I like music right now when it feels instinctual and animalistic.

Grey Gardens

2009-04-19T10:12:00.005-04:00

So, I saw the previews for the new movie about Grey Gardens starring Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore. It reminded me that I had been wanted to see its inspiration for several years - the 1975 documentary of the same name about "Big Edie" and "Little Edie" Bouvier Beale - which I took time to watch yesterday.

Big Edie and Little Edie are a mother and daughter who lived together in the Hamptons with cats and raccoons in a filthy mansion crumbling around them. They live in a constant orbit of one another... even when Little Edie is outside for a moment or in another room, you can hear her mother calling her from the room where she is bed-ridden. They operate co-dependently and bicker constantly about things like who is a better singer, or what Little Edie should wear. They cook on a hot plate in their bedroom, and reminisce on their aristocratic past. No wonder this film is a cult classic. How rare to see such an inside and personal view of people who are living in insular world impervious to society at large. They have some parallels to Miss Havisham in "Great Expectations" - but with much more joie de vivre.

Little Edie is notable also for the amazing costumes she puts together - always including some sort of turban formed out of a towel or a sweater that she fastens with a brooch. She is a larger-than-life personality and hugely dramatic. I read that Big Edie was a follower of Christian Science, which believes that reality is in your mind. I wonder how much "religion" had to do with their neglecting certain realities of life.

It was a story that made me feel thankful at the direction my life. You know how sometimes you see very clearly how the line between sanity and insanity, or reality and fantasy is very very thin? When life revolves around covering your fears, or focusing on "what could have been," sanity and reality become ephemeral.

Throughout the past decade, I have made pivotal changes choices that took me on the path I am on now. It could have easily gone another way, and this film both frightened me at where things could go, and inspired me to embrace eccentricities that make us individuals.

Enjoying NYC

2009-04-11T15:17:00.010-04:00

Life has been good. My sister Karin moved in with me, so Katrina the cat has been really happy having two mommies. We've also had several guests, including former Roomie, Yumi, so it's been a lovely full house. What a contrast to a very lonely 2007-2008!

Songs and words have been flowing more easily. I have been feeling a completely different relationship with art and creativity, and realize that by living my life to its fullest has helped me way more than practicing or striving. How cool is that?!

Lately I have had the pleasure of seeing many inspirational performances:

Last month I went to see the Fab Faux - awesome to see all those Beatles tunes performed so faithfully. As a personal aside, I briefly met Kevin Bacon there in the VIP section!

Last week I went to see forty-year revival of HAIR - it was terrific. Made me miss Hippie Hill in Golden Gate Park. I totally flashed on seeing the Grateful Dead. Trippy. It was a little weird seeing Broadway-style actors as hippies, yet they somehow captured the zeitgeist of the 60s that defined a generation. Sasha Allen is a big star - it's just a matter of time before more people know it.

Karin and I got hooked on Roswell - a TV show from the 90s that I missed at the time. It totally rocks. I love the entire cast. Jason Behr as Max is heartbreakingly wonderful, as is Shiri Appleby as Liz who is so believable and likeable. Katherine Heigl as Isabelle shows her star quality and talent even 10 years ago, Majandra Delfino is funny and real as Maria and she and her love interest, Brendan Fehr perfectly capturing Michael, steam up the small screen. What a great show with messages about humanity and life, and a large amount of heart.

Next month I am looking forward to a small family reunion in NYC for Pete Seeger's 90th birthday at Madison Square Garden.

Hey, let's not develop a false sense of security...

2009-03-16T22:50:00.002-04:00

Sex claims against US Church rise

The number of new claims of sexual abuse made against US Roman Catholic priests rose by 16% to more than 800 last year, a Church report says.

It says the Church paid $436m (£313m) in 2008 for abuse cases. Most of the money was used to compensate victims.

The study covered almost 200 dioceses and religious orders across the US.

It found that more than one in five victims were under the age of 10 when they were abused.

Although the number of claims made against the Church rose in 2008, the total cost dropped by 29% compared to the previous year.

The Associated Press news agency said 2007 was an unusually high year, when the Archdiocese of Los Angeles began paying a $660m settlement to about 500 people.

The annual review tracks progress made in implementing the Charter for the Protection of Children, adopted by US bishops following a scandal in Boston in 2002.

Cardinal Francis George of Chicago said the Church was "on the right path" in its quest to better protect "all children in society".
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/7943368.stm

Published: 2009/03/14 03:40:38 GMT

© BBC MMIX

Street Threads - San Francisco Fashions

2009-03-04T10:48:00.007-05:00

My favorite blog these days is Ariel Soto's "Street Threads" series on the SF Bay Guardian. It makes me chuckle and feel homesick at the same time.

(Left) Kate, Prospect and Cortland
(Right)Michael - 24th Street and Diamond - Tell us about your look: "My wife dresses me. She has a great eye and she even made me this hat."

Can a BRA change your life? Le Mystere takes the mystery out of that question...

2009-02-13T10:04:00.018-05:00

For the past several years I named one of my interests on facebook/myspace as "going bra-less." I found bras uncomfortable and not worth the trouble. If I wore one, it was mainly because mom's voice in the back of my head "Greta, for goodness sake, put on a bra!"

Last year I got hooked on the TV Show "How to Look Good Naked" with Carson Kressley and I saw lots of women transformed with the right undergarments. I had seen Oprah talk about getting the right bra for years on her show.

It all seemed too good to be true. As women, we hear from different places that an amazing bra will change your life, but we don't always know how to find it.

Well, I am a living testament that you CAN find a great bra that WILL change your life. And I'm just a normal person, not a TV makeover subject.

Long story short, this winter I went to Saks Fifth Avenue in New York. I went to the lingerie floor to try Le Mystere bras (Oprah's favorite, by the way). Helen at Saks helped me find the perfect bras for my shape. Like many women, I was wearing the completely wrong size and style.

I have been wearing Le Mystere bras for the past month or so, and they are so different. My posture has improved, and so has my overall shape in clothes. It is really quite amazing. They aren't heavy like some bras I've had, and truly provide support rather than bulk. They have styles for cleavage and for different neck lines. My favorite is Dream Tisha Lace Bra 965 that you can wear with a t-shirt.

Go get fitted!!!! Many stores like Nordstrom and Saks often have fitters available at no cost to you.

For more information visit www.lemystere.com
or visit Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom or other fine retailers.
(a picture of the display at Saks)

Inventor of the Balloon - Michael Faraday

2009-01-25T10:29:00.006-05:00

My latest discovery is Michael Faraday. This is a brilliant and ethical scientist/ inventor that I had never heard about. I probably might have heard of him earlier, had I decided to become a scientist. Among Michael Faraday's many incredible accomplishments - he invented the BALLOON!!!

As a treat, I have included a link to "The Red Balloon" short film from 1956.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Faraday

Change is in the air

2009-01-20T22:58:00.004-05:00

(Photo courtesy of the NY Times - I was standing right behind the statue there!)

Well, today was a great day. I watched the inauguration of President Barack Obama at Columbia University's campus. President Obama graduated from Columbia, so there was a lot of pride and excitement.

The fact that people felt united about something positive was refreshing. It seems in the last few years, our uniting moments have been in tragedy. The excitement and hope was invigorating today. When moments like that occur, they inevitably fade, but it is important to seize them and enjoy them while you are in them. I WILL NEVER FORGET TODAY!

Thousands gathered in front of the Low Library, and there were loud cheers throughout the proceedings. But the silence of thousands was really touching. It happened both when the invocation was made, and when Itzhak Perlman, Yo Yo Ma, Gabriela Montero and Anthony McGill played John Williams' new arrangement of "Simple Gifts."

I was proud to see my SF ladies - Diane Feinstein and Nancy Pelosi - featured so prominently. When I was a little girl, I received some sort of reading award from the SF Public Library and as Mayor Diane Feinstein she presented us the awards at SF City Hall. That was a big day too (for me). How cool to see DiFi as MC of the proceedings today.

Cheney and Bush got some boos from the crowd. I couldn't help but think of Lionel Barrymore in "It's a Wonderful Life" when Cheney rolled out in a wheelchair.

Why I'm proud to be an American....

2009-01-19T21:03:00.001-05:00

Date the band! NYC/ Feb. 11th 2009

2009-01-18T20:34:00.003-05:00

Valentine’s Day Twist: All-Orientation “Date the Band” Concert & Contest

New York, NY -- Formal studies may have yet to prove it, but common wisdom holds that mood music enhances your chance of romance. New York City folk/pop music lovers will have a chance to test the theory at an unusual open-to-most-orientations “Date the Band” show, with singer and songwriter Elaine Romanelli and her band, on February 11th, 2009 from 8 - 10pm at Suite bar & lounge, 992 Amsterdam at 109th St. (NYC).

The contest is open to singles of nearly all persuasions, as well as to couples. Entry is simple; to be in the running one must bring two or more friends to the show, for which there is no cover charge. Singles compete to date a member of the band, couples compete to have a love song dedicated and sung to them during the show.

Whomever brings the most people to the show wins the date (or dedication), as well as a free drink and a gift to take home. In the event of a tie, a runoff will take place. No purchase is necessary to win.

“We’ve all been through horrible Valentine’s Days, both when single and when in a couple,” says Romanelli. “There’s ridiculous pressure to have the perfect romantic evening if you’re dating someone – and if you’re single, try finding a place to go out which isn’t overrun by couples! We wanted to create a fun, unusual, extremely inexpensive night out that would bypass the stress and pathos of traditional Valentine’s Day outings.”

Two of the band members are not single, which, Romanelli says, created the perfect opportunity to be inclusive. “Rob and Dimitri can’t participate, which allowed us to recruit gay and lesbian friends who are single. We wanted to make the contest open to most anyone, and thanks to a little help from our friends, we did. So if you are male, female, gay or straight, come on down!”

The venue, located near Columbia University, has a full bar, accomodates groups, and serves Indian fast food via its next door sister store, Roti Rolls.
To receive bios and photos of the “Date The Band” singles before Feb 11th, join the mailing list by emailing “join list” to info@elaineromanelli.com. To hear samples of the band, comprised of Elaine Romanelli, vocals and songwriting; Josh Fox, guitar; Dimitri Moderbacher, bass; and Robert Mitzner, drums, visit http://www.elaineromanelli.com.

A singer of charm and talent with a “spectacularly soaring voice” (Lucid Culture, May ’08), Romanelli’s music has a sexy folk-pop feel, with witty lyrics, compelling storytelling and memorable melodies infused with a celtic flavor, like Sarah McLachlan crossed with Tina Fey.

Last month Elaine was named “Artist of the Month” by popular NYC music blog Freedom Love-Fest (www.FreedomLoveFest.com) and her work is frequently played on podcasts from coast to coast. Romanelli made a splash in 2006 as the focus of the TLC hit “What Not to Wear” (Season 4, Episode 27).

###

Laundry in Harlem

2008-12-17T23:31:00.003-05:00

Ok, I complain about it all the time - Laundry in Harlem.

I have tried to write songs and poems that adequately express this experience, but right now the pictures will have to do.

This is me and Karin on B. Bubbles on Broadway.

Can't you tell it's fun, fun, fun!!!!????

Tortured artists/ Faith/ Bras/ Life TV Show

2008-12-17T00:02:00.008-05:00

This week I have been walking through New York's shopping districts. I went to Saks Fifth Avenue for the very first time. It's my second holiday here, and the city is truly magical - the snow flurries, yellow cabs, lights, and fancy shopping bags.

Recently I found myself being excited about just being. Not for a moment here and there, but consistently for days/weeks at a time. This is a new experience.

It's true that artistic inspiration often comes from a deep discontent. You read about actors, painters and musicians whose unhappiness fuels their art. I became one of those people. The good part is that for the first time in my life, I was truly connected to being an artist.

The bad part? I was lonely, hungry and miserable.

The tunnel was a necessary part of the journey, though thankfully I am coming out of it. I am a much happier person now. My artistic self is still there too. You don't have to remain tortured for art (though one could argue that some amount of torture is helpful!)

All through the angst, I somehow knew it could be better, and only by facing that dark place could I come out the other side. It was that vague knowledge that allowed me move away from the only home I knew. I wasn't even sure where I was going.

Having carved a bit of my own life here in New York, the sting of distance and loss (from leaving so many things behind - good and bad) has subsided considerably. Having mom, sister and Katrina here at various times this Fall has really helped, and brought me back to a part of myself that I wasn't sure existed anymore - the part of me that feels peaceful and comfortable and loved. Katrina reminds me every day how much we all need each other.

Faith wasn't something I believed in anymore, but it found me somehow.

Oh, and ladies, I highly recommend getting fitted for a bra. I did that recently, and it's more awesome than I would have thought! (Just had to break my new age sermon with something irreverent).

And my favorite Christmas carol rendition this year was a swing version of "God rest ye..." that I heard on the soundtrack of "LIFE" which is my new favorite TV show. It stars Damien Lewis. Funny and suspenseful and well acted. Free episodes on www.hulu.com

Why I call myself a feminist

2008-11-29T12:43:00.007-05:00

A combination of many events in the world and in my life have confirmed that I am a feminist. Though I, like many women, still have a long way to go for for equal rights.

I love men, and I have a great dad but I spent too many years subconsciously letting society's view of women sway my own feelings of worth about myself. My need to be a nice girl, to be polite and loved, motivated me for way too long.

Watching strong and talented women like Gwyneth Paltrow (in Ironman) and Liv Tyler (in Hulk) do yet another girl-y role makes me ill. The fact that Hillary Clinton is accused of being a bitch because she's strong is absurd. The fact that at my former job I had to serve the CEO hand prepared lattes and plate his food while I was hired for an administrative position was revolting. When I asked if a man had ever been asked to do the same things, my male co-worker laughed and said "of course not."

No longer do society's biases, or any of my former loves hold sway over my life. I have wiped the slate clean.

And I am lucky to live in a country where I can make that choice. Where the shackles are, at this point, only in my own mind and choices. I have full ability to change my own attitude and path.

This song by Jewel says it all.

Feeling Good...

2008-11-21T19:44:00.002-05:00

I am cold, but settled, here in New York. Katrina has moved here from California. She loves looking out at the Hudson river and jumping on window sills. So far, her adjustment has been admirable.

Speaking of window sills - last year I learned that you have to take out the air conditioning unit from the window when it gets cold.

This year I learned that air conditioners can fall out of the window if you're not careful. Luckily no one was standing under my window when my air conditioner took the plunge. There was something cathartic about the experience.

Anyway, life is getting better. New York and I working together.

I am feeling good.

Nas - Can't forget about you

2008-10-16T07:41:00.000-04:00