Fallin', Season of the Witch, Jezebel, Color Me Blue, Somebody To Love, Bonfire of Insanity, Listen To Aretha medley, Steal My Soul, Gimme Shelter, Ball and Chain, I Got The Music In Me, I Wish You Soul, and MORE...
It was a windy Sunday blast of fun, and the summer breeze was makin' us feel fine! Folks stormed the stage for VIP Shakespeare flyers -- mosh pit for The Bard, cool! Anyway, along with Friday night in the Jazz/Wine tent with special intros by Des Moines City Council at-large candidate www.leishabarcus.com, and Saturday night with the down home folks of Colfax; all in all it was a splendid weekend of musicmaking. Very special thanks to Ernie and Reggie from www.myspace.com/voodoo3band for being there for us when we needed them, and doing such a soulfully outstanding job with very little prep--they just jumped in like the pros they are!
Performing like this is one of the things that we feel we have been put on the planet to do. In my case, 40 years later, it gives me an even greater thrill than ever, not because it makes me feel like SuperWoman for a minute (even though that is basically true!), but it is really because every moment onstage in that zone is divinity on display, a tiny miracle of grace. To connect with people through song is an awesome privilege which we don't take lightly!
In the remarks I made on this day, prior to the closer, "I Wish You Soul", I alluded to the past week's pop culture losses, specifically Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett. I made mention of how it seems like such a crazy time in the world right now, and that I'm thankful for the power of music and all art to uplift, encourage, and heal, as well as entertain. That's why in the bella soul world, we're not content to play it so shallow anymore; we want to get wild and crazy like jumping beans while sending out our own brand of inspiring vibes at the same time.
I dare you to live out this journey with us -- I believe we'll all become even more beautiful souls along the way!
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bella soul / Blog
Bruce Hornsby and bella soul
We were most likely among the very first to recently procure the brand new Bruce Hornsby CD, "Levitate", and it's provoked some reaction in bella-land. When I pop in a new Bruce project, generally I'm thirsting for that signature sound, the lovely twinkly southern storytelling piano. So Track 1 comes on, it's a Scotch-Irish historical saga jig with hardly a keyboard in earshot. Moving on to Track 2, it has (gasp) beats! Or more to the point, beatz with a z, touches of that hip-hoppy programming that Bruce likes, but his purist elitist twinkly piano lovers tend not to. So onward to Track 3, a sigh of relief ensues as at last we get what we paid for--now we can relax, he has finally thrown us our bone... There are interesting lessons to be learned from the vibe of this project, such as: it's ok to play it a little deeper, it's ok to play it a little crankier--as in cynicism over some faux jubilee state, it's ok to aim your art toward meaningful issues and history, it's ok to defy expectations and let your audience know there is more to you than just "your signature". Highlights abound on this project: including a song with cameos by Eric Clapton and Hornsby's own sons, and the appearance of music's most famous "Dogg" snooping in to witty effect. My favorite is the title track, which is a re-imagining of the theme from "Shawshank Redemption" with Bruce's lyrics and arrangement added, done originally for a documentary about Kobe Bryant. Brandon's favorite so far is "Cyclone", the song Bruce co-wrote with Robert Hunter from the Grateful Dead, who added his unique brand of colorful poetry and imagery to the occasion. No, it's not quite as accessible as the pop stuff of Hornsby's heyday, which made such a strong connection that he's consistently done other kinds of stuff to show us his versatility and depth of musicianship (bluegrass with Ricky Skaggs, trad. jazz with Jack DeJohnette, jamminess with The Dead, and more...). It's a bit like Vivien Leigh trying to be other roles than Scarlett--she did them just beautifully but was never quite embraced while doing them. Or George Reeves, the Superman who supposedly killed himself in the 50s (see Ben Affleck in the movie "Hollywoodland"), who was desperate to show the world he was more than a dull pretty boy. And even Marilyn Monroe, who yearned for the chance to be more than, well, Marilyn Monroe. With the advent of this stellar collection, Bruce is clearly in the mood to give us his "Norma Jean" stuff, and we in bella soul can relate to that so much, as well as many other artists we know who are just plain tired of throwing bones to please the mediocre masses. On "Levitate", he's keeping it real, and so must we, and hopefully so must you. Let's do it together for the sake of all our beautiful souls!
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Des Moines Arts Festival set list highlights
Fallin', Season of the Witch, Jezebel, Color Me Blue, Somebody To Love, Bonfire of Insanity, Listen To Aretha medley, Steal My Soul, Gimme Shelter, Ball and Chain, I Got The Music In Me, I Wish You Soul, and MORE...
It was a windy Sunday blast of fun, and the summer breeze was makin' us feel fine! Folks stormed the stage for VIP Shakespeare flyers -- mosh pit for The Bard, cool! Anyway, along with Friday night in the Jazz/Wine tent with special intros by Des Moines City Council at-large candidate www.leishabarcus.com, and Saturday night with the down home folks of Colfax; all in all it was a splendid weekend of musicmaking. Very special thanks to Ernie and Reggie from www.myspace.com/voodoo3band for being there for us when we needed them, and doing such a soulfully outstanding job with very little prep--they just jumped in like the pros they are!
Performing like this is one of the things that we feel we have been put on the planet to do. In my case, 40 years later, it gives me an even greater thrill than ever, not because it makes me feel like SuperWoman for a minute (even though that is basically true!), but it is really because every moment onstage in that zone is divinity on display, a tiny miracle of grace. To connect with people through song is an awesome privilege which we don't take lightly!
In the remarks I made on this day, prior to the closer, "I Wish You Soul", I alluded to the past week's pop culture losses, specifically Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett. I made mention of how it seems like such a crazy time in the world right now, and that I'm thankful for the power of music and all art to uplift, encourage, and heal, as well as entertain. That's why in the bella soul world, we're not content to play it so shallow anymore; we want to get wild and crazy like jumping beans while sending out our own brand of inspiring vibes at the same time.
I dare you to live out this journey with us -- I believe we'll all become even more beautiful souls along the way!
Reply
Winefest set list highlights
What's Going On, Fallin'(by A.Keys), I Heard It Thru The Grapevine, Moondance, Steal My Soul, Today, Somebody To Love, I Got The Music In Me, Let Me Drink My Wine, Listen To Aretha medley, Gimme Shelter, Monster, Rock and Roll, I Wish You Soul, and more... Hob-nobbin' with the elite wine-lovers of our city was a blast! Beautiful weather, beautiful wines, a "bella" evening indeed. It's fun to see the new favorite originals catching on, as well as hauling out surprising new cover tunes that are happily raising a few eyebrows. The upcoming set lists will feature a "plethora of diversity", which is a fancy way to say, lots of different stuff! This new approach of the ever-revolving set list is challenging, yet ultimately rewarding as we visit all kinds of still uncharted musical territory. Stay tuned as we count down to our first free ($$$) and family-friendly weekend, June 26-27-28. Help us close out the Des Moines Arts Festival with a wild crowd of beautiful music-loving souls! peace, tina
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Downtown Lobsterfest set list highlights
Soul Healing Overjoyed Love Looks Good On You Treasure Better Be Good To Me Get Outta My Way Think/You Can't Always Get What You Want--medley "Rooftop Rock Concert Tribute" (Jefferson Airplane) Today Somebody To Love (The Beatles) Revolution Don't Let Me Down plus Listen To Aretha--medley Steal My Soul I Wish You Soul and of course, Rock Lobster and the new Downtown Lobsterfest Song
Complete with a guest moment from Kent Burnside and Emmett Butts from www.myspace.com/kentburnsideandthenewgeneration, and harmony assistance from Robin S, Katie P, Laura C, Lyra H, and Amy B, all I can say is "Merry Lobster to all, and to all a good night! Now when and where the heck will I ever wear these Lobster earrings and necklace again? Why, Lobsterfest 2010, of course...
peace, tina
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Benjamin Button and bella soul
As I write this, I'm watching one of the most "bella" actors of our time, His Highness Brad Pitt, in a "bella" movie called "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button". His character is born an old man, then ages in reverse, growing younger not older, becoming an infant at his life's end. Musically speaking, this isn't that far from how I've been feeling lately on the bella soul band journey. The music itself and the time spent honing it have given me a sense of renewal, energy, hope, and playfulness. I'm in the mood for breaking barriers and building bridges, getting past the archaic cobwebs of "coulda, shoulda, woulda" and finding the sweet spots of musicmaking more than ever before. I hope that all of us, both artists and audience, can gain that pure sense of the miraculous with regard to music. Every song, every sound, every moment of connection between singer, player, and listener, is nothing short of divinity on display. These are the thoughts swirling in my head, along with lovely lobster-tasting fantasies which will be pleasantly brought to life this Saturday at www.downtownlobsterfest.com. If you're free and nearby, join us--you'll be glad you did. We'll do tributes to 2 famous rock and roll rooftop concerts (The Beatles and Jefferson Airplane) and engage in lots and lots of pure-hearted playfulness. So how 'bout it--wanna come out and play with us?? Maybe you'll find yourself "de-aging" like Benjamin Button. peace, tina
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the alpha set list from 5-17-09 at people's
For all you beautiful souls, here's a little something to remember this evening by, and mourn your loss if you missed it! The live album project "bella soul--live at people's court" is almost done, and we are very excited about sharing these tunes with the world, and with YOU! So here's a glimpse of what we did that night, and most of it will be on the forthcoming live project--enjoy, and come share June, A.K.A. "bella soul month", with us and with a ton of new friends! Pre-Party Jam I'm Your Party What's Going On Butterfly Blues Bonfire Of Insanity Blessing In Disguise Thief Freedom Is A Beautiful Thing Just Sing The Blues/ Ball And Chain medley I Survived You Pinch Hitter Funk Is About A Song Steal My Soul Listen To Aretha medley (including Respect, Rock Steady, and the ever-so-rabidly popular Chain of Fools) I Wish You Soul peace, tina
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to begin at the beginning...
In the words of Jack Nicholson's Joker in his Batman movie, "Commence au festiva!" which means, START THE PARTY! What a pleasure to be moving forward once again with an all-new ensemble and an enlivening spirit of freshness and vitality! Building on the best of all the successes and lessons learned, from my days with local jazz legends Bob Weast and Sam Salamone in the 80s to the more recent creatiVEntures of the Groove Merchants and of course Lady Blue, I am honored to share this new phase of my musical journey with a tribe that earnestly strives to embody a "kaleidoscopic" approach to the songs. To begin our quest, we're asking the question: are you beautiful? This is in reference to "bella", which is Italian for "beautiful", and to our goal of creating art that is healing, soothing, reviving, beautifying for the soul! We're gonna dance, jump, party, and celebrate life to the fullest, all while sending out vibes for your "beautiful soul." In other words, we want to have it all, and we want the same for you! Edgy Zeppelin-esque rock, jazzy improvisational sophistication, jammy groov-acious-ness, and the soul of so many of my personal singing Queens who've paved the way for me, including Ann Wilson of Heart, and the grande dame herself, Aretha Franklin. Come along for the ride; we wish to bless you with our best creative musical inspirations. Some things never change; our motto is this more than ever: "never a dull moment, and never the same show twice." And in the short time our group has been together, I've been continually and pleasantly reminded of "what grace means". It's a truly amazing vibe we hope to always pass on to you through every beat, every note, and every word. peace, tina
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