Having never seen the stage version of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, I can't speak to the fidelity the film shares with the play. That said, let there be no doubt that Tim Burton has crafted a true piece of musical cinema from Stephen Sondheim's bloody masterpiece. To their discredit, early previews have hedged a bit regarding the singing in the film. In them we only see Johnny Depp canting some recitative as he prowls the streets of London. While this scene is certainly in the movie, it's barely representative of the actual film which contains at least a dozen fully-staged numbers and only intermittent dialogue.
As the former Benjamin Barker, Depp is magnificent as Todd. His voice may lack the thunder that would be expected on stage, but on the big screen it's more than suitable. Purists may find it a little ragged and flat at times--Michael Crawford needn't worry about Depp--but it's an ideal manifestation of the corrupting anger and rotting vengeance that fill Todd's soul. The same can be said for Helena Bonham Carter as the fiendish Mrs. Lovett. Sure she will occasionally descend into something approaching a hectoring screech, but consider for a moment that she's a baker who grinds people into meat and serves them up in piping hot pies!
Voices aside, both actors deliver rich, complex performances. The focus and intensity that Depp brings to his role is riveting. Within minutes of the film's opening there is no doubt that Depp will have his revenge and have it with gusto. Taking a step back from the film, realize that Todd is a thoroughly despicable character. He often kills indiscriminately, but Depp is so powerful as Todd that you eventually begin to relish his countless murders. Carter's Mrs. Lovett is, perhaps, even more of a psychopath. Slicing a throat is one thing. Butchering a man and then serving him up for dinner is quite another. Nevertheless, you delight in her, too.
As for the killings, Burton stages them in spectacularly gory fashion. The phrase 'geysers of blood' is often used casually when describing a violent film. In Sweeney Todd the phrase is explicitly correct. Depp is often obscured under the high-powered jets of plasma that repeatedly erupt from his customer's necks. Amazingly, these scenes aren't even the most disturbing. Once Todd finishes giving a 'shave', he dumps the corpse down a hole where it cracks loudly at the bottom as the skull splinters and the neck breaks cleanly. It's all completely over the top and, of course, wonderful, hilarious, inspired.
The same can be said for the film as a whole. In Sweeney Todd, Tim Burton has found material that meshes perfectly with his artistic sense. You could call it a horror film or a screwball comedy and you'd be right both times. The design is, as would be expected from a Burton picture, lavish and spectacular. The supporting cast, especially Alan Rickman and Timothy Spall, are superb. Only the love story between Johanna and Anthony falls a little flat. It's a minor quibble, though, in an otherwise outstanding film. Sweeney Todd joins Ed Wood and Edward Scissorhands as Burton's finest work. It may eventually even be considered his best.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Saturday, December 04, 2010
Start Your Own Sheet Music Collection
Starting a sheet music collection is easy, once you've decided what you want to collect. Sheet music is inexpensive and relatively easy to find. You can find music at yard sales, antique shows and on the internet. Only music that is very scarce or rare is expensive. Most pieces can be found at a price between three and twenty five dollars. Extremely rare sheet music can carry a price of up to a thousand dollars, but few pieces fall into this category. You will find music in any color graphic or subject matter you are looking for.
People collect sheet music in many ways. Sometimes sheet music is collected by the genre or songs. You could put together a history of music in America with a sheet music collection. You could do this with the entire history of our country or concentrate on one time period or decade. The possibilities are endless - be creative when building your collection! Songs have been written about most important events in our history, including wars, plane crashes and natural disasters. Themes such as love or the evolution of images of women in music are popular themes for sheet music collections. Other collectors focus on one composer or cover artist.
Ragtime music from the early twentieth century is popular with collectors of vintage sheet music. This music is considered the foundation of modern jazz music. A ragtime music collection looks great displayed in a room decorated in the Early American style. And the cover art on rag time sheet music looks great displayed in picture frames on a wall or sofa table.
Music written by famous composers is popular among sheet music collectors. This music is readily available in all music genres. Other collectors focus on rare or vintage sheet music. The value of these documents depends largely on the condition of the sheets. Pieces in mint condition will be more expensive. Most sheet music isn't found in perfect condition. The spine of the sheet was usually broken to make the score stand up in the music stand. Spills, tears and names written on the covers are common because sheet music was often used at parties.
Sheet music displayed in a family room or bar area makes a great focal point. Even people who don't collect sheet music use it in a display of other collectibles. Collectors of beer, whisky, golf, military, cigars or trains can find sheet music to accent their collection. A few pieces of sheet music with great cover art enhance a display of other collectibles. Collectors of memorabilia from movies or Broadway productions often look for sheet music written for the production.
Any sheet music that isn't displayed should be stored properly to preserve the condition. Store each set of sheet music in a plastic baggie like those used for comic book collections. Place those bags in a large plastic storage container to protect them from being ripped or crumpled. Store your containers in a dry place away from sunlight or moisture, which can damage the music
People collect sheet music in many ways. Sometimes sheet music is collected by the genre or songs. You could put together a history of music in America with a sheet music collection. You could do this with the entire history of our country or concentrate on one time period or decade. The possibilities are endless - be creative when building your collection! Songs have been written about most important events in our history, including wars, plane crashes and natural disasters. Themes such as love or the evolution of images of women in music are popular themes for sheet music collections. Other collectors focus on one composer or cover artist.
Ragtime music from the early twentieth century is popular with collectors of vintage sheet music. This music is considered the foundation of modern jazz music. A ragtime music collection looks great displayed in a room decorated in the Early American style. And the cover art on rag time sheet music looks great displayed in picture frames on a wall or sofa table.
Music written by famous composers is popular among sheet music collectors. This music is readily available in all music genres. Other collectors focus on rare or vintage sheet music. The value of these documents depends largely on the condition of the sheets. Pieces in mint condition will be more expensive. Most sheet music isn't found in perfect condition. The spine of the sheet was usually broken to make the score stand up in the music stand. Spills, tears and names written on the covers are common because sheet music was often used at parties.
Sheet music displayed in a family room or bar area makes a great focal point. Even people who don't collect sheet music use it in a display of other collectibles. Collectors of beer, whisky, golf, military, cigars or trains can find sheet music to accent their collection. A few pieces of sheet music with great cover art enhance a display of other collectibles. Collectors of memorabilia from movies or Broadway productions often look for sheet music written for the production.
Any sheet music that isn't displayed should be stored properly to preserve the condition. Store each set of sheet music in a plastic baggie like those used for comic book collections. Place those bags in a large plastic storage container to protect them from being ripped or crumpled. Store your containers in a dry place away from sunlight or moisture, which can damage the music
Friday, December 03, 2010
Shopping For DVD Movies
Technology has taken us from Beta to VHS and now to DVD movies. With each new step of technology, the pictures became more clear, the sound more defined and an improved experience overall. However, nothing has matched the quality of DVD movies. With crystal clear images, incomparable sounds and tons of added features, DVD movies are a hit.
Gone are the days when a movie rental was just a movie. These days, a DVD rental includes not only the movie, but also deleted scenes, cast interviews, commentary and often even a documentary on how the film was made. Video store rentals are excellent, but what if you don't have a local rental store? No problem. Several big name retailers offer online rentals, which means that a video store is now just a click away. For a monthly fee, online rental companies will allow you to create a wish list of DVD movies that you want to see. They will send a movie from your list and, after you watch it, it is returned in exchange for another selection on your list. This process goes on and on without any additional cost to the customer. The only thing you pay for is a monthly membership fee. So, whether it's online or in person, a video store is a terrific place to rent Hollywood's latest hit movies.
If you are looking to purchase a video, the options are equally unlimited. Virtually every retail store has an electronic section in which they offer DVD movies for sale. The new releases are generally more expensive than others so, if you're on a budget, check out the titles that have been released for a year or longer. You may be surprised at the bargains to be found. Another purchasing option is through a video club. With this type of membership, you simply sign up and select several movies at an unbelievable low price. In exchange for the bargain, you agree to purchase a predetermined number of movies over the next several years. Each month, the video club will send a video catalog and selection card. Be sure to read the selection card carefully because you may have to return it to the company. Typically, a director's selection is chosen every month and is automatically sent to the customer unless they indicate they do not wish to receive it. A customer can indicate that they do not wish to receive this selection simply by marking the appropriate box on the selection card and mailing it back. Or, often times, customers may indicate their wishes online without having to spend money on postage to mail the selection card back. Video clubs are a terrific way to build a nice collection of DVD movies and they offer terrific deals every month
If you're still in the market for DVD movies and haven't found a video rental store or local retailer, check out one of the many online retailers who offer a wide variety of DVD movies for sale. With the internet, a customer's options are virtually endless. A never ending sea of DVD movies are just a click away.
Gone are the days when a movie rental was just a movie. These days, a DVD rental includes not only the movie, but also deleted scenes, cast interviews, commentary and often even a documentary on how the film was made. Video store rentals are excellent, but what if you don't have a local rental store? No problem. Several big name retailers offer online rentals, which means that a video store is now just a click away. For a monthly fee, online rental companies will allow you to create a wish list of DVD movies that you want to see. They will send a movie from your list and, after you watch it, it is returned in exchange for another selection on your list. This process goes on and on without any additional cost to the customer. The only thing you pay for is a monthly membership fee. So, whether it's online or in person, a video store is a terrific place to rent Hollywood's latest hit movies.
If you are looking to purchase a video, the options are equally unlimited. Virtually every retail store has an electronic section in which they offer DVD movies for sale. The new releases are generally more expensive than others so, if you're on a budget, check out the titles that have been released for a year or longer. You may be surprised at the bargains to be found. Another purchasing option is through a video club. With this type of membership, you simply sign up and select several movies at an unbelievable low price. In exchange for the bargain, you agree to purchase a predetermined number of movies over the next several years. Each month, the video club will send a video catalog and selection card. Be sure to read the selection card carefully because you may have to return it to the company. Typically, a director's selection is chosen every month and is automatically sent to the customer unless they indicate they do not wish to receive it. A customer can indicate that they do not wish to receive this selection simply by marking the appropriate box on the selection card and mailing it back. Or, often times, customers may indicate their wishes online without having to spend money on postage to mail the selection card back. Video clubs are a terrific way to build a nice collection of DVD movies and they offer terrific deals every month
If you're still in the market for DVD movies and haven't found a video rental store or local retailer, check out one of the many online retailers who offer a wide variety of DVD movies for sale. With the internet, a customer's options are virtually endless. A never ending sea of DVD movies are just a click away.
Thursday, December 02, 2010
Napster Gives Away Music For Free (This Time It's Legal)
Online music provider Napster was made famous for offering free music downloads. Back in the 1990's that philopsophy was their undoing. Today Napster is back with a new legal way to listen to music for free without any contracts or other obligations. Music lovers can browse through their library of millions of tracks from every genre and listen to the complete song just by clicking on a link. You can use these links to allow others to instantly access the same music that you were just listening to by posting them in your blog, on your web site, or in an email message. What's the catch? You can only listed to a song five times before you have to buy it and without paying a subscription or buying the track you only get access to the low-fidelity version. Still, the service provides the complete track for most songs, not just the thirty second snippet that you get from most sites.
For music teachers and others that just like to browse this new feature could be a great curriculum resource ( www.musicedmagic.com/curriculum/bringing-listening-back-to-the-band-room.html ). In the music classroom a teacher might want to play part of a Beethoven sonata ( play.napster.com/track/13954030 ) or another piece that the school does not own in their local music library. Instead of shelling out fifteen or twenty bucks for a complete CD the teacher can go to Napster, use their free plays to show the song in class, and if in the end you decide you simply have to own the track anyway for future use you can buy it online and download the complete HIGH-fidelity file to your computer for only ninety-nine cents. Once downloaded you turn around and burn these tracks to a CD for use in any CD player in any classroom.
For the music lover or an online author these new Napster links are a great way to add easy and useful content to whatever you are trying to share. In fact, that is exactly what the folks at Napster want you to do! Link away! Like a new song off of Korn's newest CD? Link to it! For all of Napster's bad press many years ago they have finally come out with something that even their biggest skeptics cannot deny. The new free music service is a great and long overdue idea that will be great for sharing musical information across the Internet.
For music teachers and others that just like to browse this new feature could be a great curriculum resource ( www.musicedmagic.com/curriculum/bringing-listening-back-to-the-band-room.html ). In the music classroom a teacher might want to play part of a Beethoven sonata ( play.napster.com/track/13954030 ) or another piece that the school does not own in their local music library. Instead of shelling out fifteen or twenty bucks for a complete CD the teacher can go to Napster, use their free plays to show the song in class, and if in the end you decide you simply have to own the track anyway for future use you can buy it online and download the complete HIGH-fidelity file to your computer for only ninety-nine cents. Once downloaded you turn around and burn these tracks to a CD for use in any CD player in any classroom.
For the music lover or an online author these new Napster links are a great way to add easy and useful content to whatever you are trying to share. In fact, that is exactly what the folks at Napster want you to do! Link away! Like a new song off of Korn's newest CD? Link to it! For all of Napster's bad press many years ago they have finally come out with something that even their biggest skeptics cannot deny. The new free music service is a great and long overdue idea that will be great for sharing musical information across the Internet.
Music is experienced by individuals in a range of social settings ranging
Music is experienced by individuals in a range of social settings ranging from being alone to attending a large concert. Musical performances take different forms in different cultures and socioeconomic milieus. In Europe and North America, there is often a divide between what types of music are viewed as a "high culture" and "low culture." "High culture" types of music typically include Western art music such as Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and modern-era symphonies, concertos, and solo works, and are typically heard in formal concerts in concert halls and churches, with the audience sitting quietly in seats.
Other types of music such as jazz, blues, soul, and country are often performed in bars, nightclubs, and theatres, where the audience may be able to drink, dance, and express themselves by cheering. Until the later 20th century, the division between "high" and "low" musical forms was widely accepted as a valid distinction that separated out better quality, more advanced "art music" from the popular styles of music heard in bars and dance halls.
However, in the 1980s and 1990s, musicologists studying this perceived divide between "high" and "low" musical genres argued that this distinction is not based on the musical value or quality of the different types of music. Rather, they argued that this distinction was based largely on the socioeconomic standing or social class of the performers or audience of the different types of music. For example, whereas the audience for Classical symphony concerts typically have above-average incomes, the audience for a Rap concert in an inner-city area may have below-average incomes. Even though the performers, audience, or venue where non-"art" music is performed may have a lower socioeconomic status, the music that is performed, such as blues, rap, punk, funk, or ska may be very complex and sophisticated.
When composers introduce styles of music which break with convention, there can be a strong resistance from academic music experts and popular culture. Late-period Beethoven string quartets, Stravinsky ballet scores, serialism, bebop-era jazz, hip hop, punk rock, and electronica have all been considered non-music by some critics when they were first introduced.
Such themes are examined in the sociology of music. The sociological study of music, sometimes called sociomusicology, is often pursued in departments of sociology, media studies, or music, and is closely related to the field of ethnomusicology.
Other types of music such as jazz, blues, soul, and country are often performed in bars, nightclubs, and theatres, where the audience may be able to drink, dance, and express themselves by cheering. Until the later 20th century, the division between "high" and "low" musical forms was widely accepted as a valid distinction that separated out better quality, more advanced "art music" from the popular styles of music heard in bars and dance halls.
However, in the 1980s and 1990s, musicologists studying this perceived divide between "high" and "low" musical genres argued that this distinction is not based on the musical value or quality of the different types of music. Rather, they argued that this distinction was based largely on the socioeconomic standing or social class of the performers or audience of the different types of music. For example, whereas the audience for Classical symphony concerts typically have above-average incomes, the audience for a Rap concert in an inner-city area may have below-average incomes. Even though the performers, audience, or venue where non-"art" music is performed may have a lower socioeconomic status, the music that is performed, such as blues, rap, punk, funk, or ska may be very complex and sophisticated.
When composers introduce styles of music which break with convention, there can be a strong resistance from academic music experts and popular culture. Late-period Beethoven string quartets, Stravinsky ballet scores, serialism, bebop-era jazz, hip hop, punk rock, and electronica have all been considered non-music by some critics when they were first introduced.
Such themes are examined in the sociology of music. The sociological study of music, sometimes called sociomusicology, is often pursued in departments of sociology, media studies, or music, and is closely related to the field of ethnomusicology.
Wednesday, December 01, 2010
Music Artist Dave Matthews Band Bio
The Dave Matthews band is made up of Matthews, Stefan Lessard, Leroi Moore, Boyd Tinsley, and Carter Beauford. The group is best known for the unmistakable sound that is a more pop-oriented version of the Grateful Dead crossed with the worldbeat explorations of Paul Simon and Sting. Dave Matthews built up a strong word-of-mouth following in the early '90s by touring the country constantly, concentrating on college campuses.
In addition to amassing a sizable following, their self-released album, Remember Two Things, sold well for an independent release, and soon, they were attracting the attention of major labels. Quickly after the release of their independent album, The Dave Matthews Band signed with RCA and they released their major-label debut, Under the Table & Dreaming, in the fall of 1994. By spring of 1995, the record had launched the hit single "What Would You Say" and sold over a million copies.
A year-and-a-half after the release of Under the Table & Dreaming, the record had sold over four million copies in the U.S. alone. In April of 1996, the Dave Matthews Band released Crash, which entered the charts at #2 and quickly went platinum. Throughout 1996, the group toured behind Crash, sending it to double-platinum status. Also in 1996, Dave Matthews launched an attack on bootleggers in conjunction with the Federal Government, targeting stores that were selling semi-legal discs of live performances. The efforts of Matthews, his band, and his management resulted in an unprecedented crackdown on bootleggers in early 1997 -- with nearly all of the major foreign bootlegging companies placed under arrest by the United States .
To further combat the bootleggers, Dave Matthews released an official double-disc live album, Live at Red Rocks 8.15.95, in the fall of 1997. It was an unexpected success, debuting at #3 on the charts and selling a million copies within the first five months of its release. The live record paved the way for the April 1998 release of Before These Crowded Streets, the group's most ambitious album to date.
Another live effort, Listener Supported, followed a year later. Summer tours also packed the late '90s, with sold-out shows across the U.S. The new millennium, however, saw the band back in the studio with Glen Ballard to record its fourth studio album -- Everyday, released in February 2001. Although popular, it was overshadowed by rumors of a darker album recorded with Steve Lillywhite in 2000 but ultimately rejected. The band did eventually choose songs from the session, did some re-recording of others, and released the results as in July 2002 as Busted Stuff. Its debut single, "Where Are You Going," was also featured on the soundtrack to the Adam Sandler flick Mr. Deeds.
In 2003, Matthews released his first solo album, the moody and brooding Some Devil. The album's single, "Gravedigger," earned Matthews the Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance.
The Dave Matthews Band was back on the road in 2004, and also released more live material. In early 2005, they launched a website that featured progress reports on their next album in the form of video footage, diaries, and soundbites. When the flawed Stand Up finally appeared in May, it was the band's first album of all-new material since 2001's Everyday.
The year 2007 found Matthews and Tim Reynolds touring Europe and then America . A new record is also planned for late 2007-early 2008. On July 7, 2007, Dave Matthews Band performed on the American Live Earth concert at Giants Stadium.
Dave Matthews Band will perform a free concert for the Virginia Tech student body and faculty on September 6, 2007. Joining them will be John Mayer, Phil Vassar, and NaS.
The 2007 Dave Matthews Band Summer tour has included the unveiling of a number of previously unperformed songs ("#27", "Corn Bread"). The 2007 tour also saw the resurgence of a number of fan favorites such as "Sweet Up and Down", one of the few songs not reworked off of the band's defunct Lillywhite Sessions, as well as "Shotgun," an unrecorded song unveiled in 2006, which despite its popularity among the fan base, was once rumored to have been permanently shelved by the band at the completion of the 2006 Summer tour.
Buying Dave Matthews band concert tickets from a ticket broker is recomended as tickets will go fast.
In addition to amassing a sizable following, their self-released album, Remember Two Things, sold well for an independent release, and soon, they were attracting the attention of major labels. Quickly after the release of their independent album, The Dave Matthews Band signed with RCA and they released their major-label debut, Under the Table & Dreaming, in the fall of 1994. By spring of 1995, the record had launched the hit single "What Would You Say" and sold over a million copies.
A year-and-a-half after the release of Under the Table & Dreaming, the record had sold over four million copies in the U.S. alone. In April of 1996, the Dave Matthews Band released Crash, which entered the charts at #2 and quickly went platinum. Throughout 1996, the group toured behind Crash, sending it to double-platinum status. Also in 1996, Dave Matthews launched an attack on bootleggers in conjunction with the Federal Government, targeting stores that were selling semi-legal discs of live performances. The efforts of Matthews, his band, and his management resulted in an unprecedented crackdown on bootleggers in early 1997 -- with nearly all of the major foreign bootlegging companies placed under arrest by the United States .
To further combat the bootleggers, Dave Matthews released an official double-disc live album, Live at Red Rocks 8.15.95, in the fall of 1997. It was an unexpected success, debuting at #3 on the charts and selling a million copies within the first five months of its release. The live record paved the way for the April 1998 release of Before These Crowded Streets, the group's most ambitious album to date.
Another live effort, Listener Supported, followed a year later. Summer tours also packed the late '90s, with sold-out shows across the U.S. The new millennium, however, saw the band back in the studio with Glen Ballard to record its fourth studio album -- Everyday, released in February 2001. Although popular, it was overshadowed by rumors of a darker album recorded with Steve Lillywhite in 2000 but ultimately rejected. The band did eventually choose songs from the session, did some re-recording of others, and released the results as in July 2002 as Busted Stuff. Its debut single, "Where Are You Going," was also featured on the soundtrack to the Adam Sandler flick Mr. Deeds.
In 2003, Matthews released his first solo album, the moody and brooding Some Devil. The album's single, "Gravedigger," earned Matthews the Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance.
The Dave Matthews Band was back on the road in 2004, and also released more live material. In early 2005, they launched a website that featured progress reports on their next album in the form of video footage, diaries, and soundbites. When the flawed Stand Up finally appeared in May, it was the band's first album of all-new material since 2001's Everyday.
The year 2007 found Matthews and Tim Reynolds touring Europe and then America . A new record is also planned for late 2007-early 2008. On July 7, 2007, Dave Matthews Band performed on the American Live Earth concert at Giants Stadium.
Dave Matthews Band will perform a free concert for the Virginia Tech student body and faculty on September 6, 2007. Joining them will be John Mayer, Phil Vassar, and NaS.
The 2007 Dave Matthews Band Summer tour has included the unveiling of a number of previously unperformed songs ("#27", "Corn Bread"). The 2007 tour also saw the resurgence of a number of fan favorites such as "Sweet Up and Down", one of the few songs not reworked off of the band's defunct Lillywhite Sessions, as well as "Shotgun," an unrecorded song unveiled in 2006, which despite its popularity among the fan base, was once rumored to have been permanently shelved by the band at the completion of the 2006 Summer tour.
Buying Dave Matthews band concert tickets from a ticket broker is recomended as tickets will go fast.
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