Publishers Weekly says “TWO OF A KIND is a one-of-a-kind find!” We are lucky that Jenny and David, a husband-wife duo, have family and friends in Ann Arbor so they drop in to entertain us once in a while! So treat the family to award-winning music with lots of dancing and laughter on Sunday, March 28th at 2:00 pm at the Downtown Library.

As a student of applied linguistics, I often find myself in the language learning section of our collection. Here at AADL, we have a variety of language learning tools, which employ books, CDs, DVDs, or a combination of these. I have always learned languages in the classroom or by immersion, so I was intrigued by the audio-only courses. I wondered: how well could you learn a language in your car, by yourself? I investigated with the Pimsleur courses.

I have had a fair amount of exposure to Egyptian Arabic, and that Pimsleur course was just what I needed to dust off my basic conversation skills. Every language learner is different, but I personally had less success with the Mandarin Chinese course. The reason for that, I believe, is that I have no experience whatsoever with that language. I lacked basic knowledge of the writing and sound system, which I have in Arabic. I found myself wanting more context and visual input as I listened to the Mandarin lessons. Auditory learners may have more success at learning a totally new language with this method than I did, being a visual learner.

I think anyone with at least some rudimentary knowledge of a language, however, could be successful with the Pimsleur courses. I would recommend it to anyone who needs to refresh their memory of a language once learned, and has some time to kill in the car.

Mark Linkous, lead singer/songwriter of Sparklehorse, is dead

Mark Linkous, brilliant singer and songwriter of the popular indie band, Sparklehorse, died Saturday afternoon.

Popular on the festival circuit, Linkous has collaborated with musician Christian Fennesz, and producer Danger Mouse among others. At the time of his death, he was working on a follow-up album to his well-received Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain (2006).

Linkous, 47, committed suicide.

I decided to take a closer look at the Native American and Canadian folk artist, Buffy Sainte-Marie after reading a recent article about her in the October/November issue of BUST Magazine. Since then, I’ve fallen in love with her music after checking out a copy of The Best of Buffy Sainte-Marie from the library. Favorites include, “He’s a Keeper of the Fire,” “Better to Find Out for Yourself,” “Cod'ine” and a nice cover of Joni Mitchell’s “The Circle Game.”

Buffy Sainte-Marie’s musical career began in the early 1960s and her signature song might very well be the anthem, “Universal Solder” – a song inspired by the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War. (She would later find out that she was blacklisted from radio airwaves because she was so outspoken about the peace movement in the U.S., as well as Native American issues). Later in 1982, Buffy received an Academy Award for her song, “Up Where We Belong”, which was featured in the film An Officer and a Gentleman, and performed by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes. And her career has not been limited to just music! She has made several television and film appearances, and in 1975, even joined the cast of Sesame Steet. She made television history in one particular episode by breastfeeding her son and explaining it to Big Bird. Buffy Sainte-Marie is also a digital artist and philanthropist, and has operated the non-profit Nihewan Foundation for Native American Education since 1969. What a talented lady!

(photo by jcbehm - cc by/nc/nd)

The Way The Wind Blows is the third album by the band A Hawk and a Hacksaw, out of New Mexico. While called folk and avant-garde, there is probably not a genre they fit easily into. Think Balkan influenced music, with heavy use of brass and string instruments. It is probably easier to just listen and understand, which you now easily can with the samples below.

If you are a fan of Beirut then you will likely enjoy A Hawk and a Hacksaw. The group is lead by the former drummer of Neutral Milk Hotel, Jeremy Barnes.

More information is on their official site.

This album is also one of the CDs we have online samples for (more coming soon) and you can listen to samples of all the tracks below:

• 01. In The River
• 02. The Way The Wind Blows
• 03. Song For Joseph
• 04. Fernando's Giampari
• 05. God Bless The Ottoman Empire
• 06. Waltz For Strings And Tuba
• 07. Oporto
• 08. Gadje Sirba
• 09. The Sparrow
• 10. Salt Water
• 11. There Is A River In Galisteo

Enjoy and be sure to check out their other albums.

The LA Times published an interview with This American Life's Ira Glass yesterday in which he stated that "a huge, groundbreaking investigative piece of journalism" will be presented on the radio show within the next few months. Despite being a little worn down by hearing more political stories on the show and less discussion of more banal 'American life' in recent years, I find myself on edge thinking about what the scoop could be.

We have several This American Life collections (including season 1 of the television show) to tide you over until the big scoop drops!

woohoo!

Doctors and scientists have been telling us for years that it's better to get up and move than to zonk out in front of the TV, but we all need a little help getting motivated. Good thing that the AADL Youth Department has some CD's to get you moving, shaking, dancing and stretching.

Any of Greg Scelsa's cd's are an excellent place to start, filled with catchy, energetic tunes to get your toes tapping. Fun and Games is my personal favorite, containing such classics as "Peanut Butter and Jelly," "Mr. Knickerbocker" and "The Riddle Song."

For songs that really get you moving and thinking, try Where is Thumbkin?, a collection of songs with instructions for movements and extension activities. The author of this CD has also written a book containing over 500 activities that you can do with your family! Finally, to calm down after all this excitement, Yoga Child will lead you through some simple stretches and breath exercises to both relax and energize you.

Of course, if none of these CD's sound like your cup of tea, the Youth Department's CD collection has an entire section of "Activity" CD's that you can browse.

The Smithsonian Center for Folk Life says “Bil Lepp is a side-splittingly funny man” and Michael Feldman from Whad’Ya Know says “He’s terrific…fantastic…he’s a good one!” You can learn how storyteller Bil Lepp “lies well” on Saturday, February 20th at 10:00 am at the Downtown Library. Then treat yourself to the Ark’s 23rd Annual Storytelling Festival that same evening. The library partnered with the Ann Arbor Storytellers’ Guild for this wild workshop.

Mardi Gras Mambo

If you can’t make it to Mardi Gras this year, you can celebrate here in Ann Arbor with Mardi Gras Mambo at the Michigan Theater on Wednesday, February 17th. This event will feature performances from Crescent City jazz legend Dr. John with Lower 911 and New Orleans’ First Family of Funk, The Neville Brothers. These performances will be a real treat to see during this time of year, without even traveling to The Big Easy!

Dr. John of New Orleans has been an iconic figure in music for over forty years, combining jazz, rock, blues and funk. Pianist and guitar player, he has worked with the likes of Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger, Al Hirt, and many Louisiana-based musicians. His early musical career in the late 1960s and early 1970s involved many voodoo influences, beginning with his psychedelic debut album Gris-Gris in 1968. The stage name Dr. John was inspired by a 19th century Louisiana voodoo practitioner, and Dr. John himself was Jim Henson's inspiration for the character of Dr. Teeth on The Muppet Show.

The R&B soul troupe, The Neville Brothers, have been recording since the late 1970s. Brother Aaron Neville has enjoyed a solo career of his own with some adult contempory hits, such as a cover of "Everybody Plays the Fool." The Neville Brothers were a consistent closing act at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival until Hurricane Katrina in 2005 when they relocated to Nashville. They returned to the festival in 2008.

The wave of boy + girl bands is reaching its crest right now, showcasing a rare depth of sub-genres in the rock pool. Riding this rising tide is Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward's band, She & Him, who are readying their follow up to 2008's critically acclaimed folk-rock release, Volume One, with (surprise!) Volume Two, which will be out this March.

On a darker current is the British group, The xx, whose shared sultry melancholy is balanced brilliantly between lead vocalists Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim on their self-titled debut. Musically, The xx relies on spare bass lines, deep keyboard tones, and the occasional drum machine to create slow, atmospheric, yet infectious rock.

For a more turbulent sound, check out the husband/wife duo, Handsome Furs, featuring guitarist/singer Dan Boeckner from Wolf Parade and keyboard/drum machine player Alexei Perry, whose dancier beats are given a crashing edginess by Boeckner's rust-toothed vocals and Perry's impassioned screams. All these bands are featured in the AADL's robust CD collection.