Buffy Sainte-Marie

Mon, 03/01/2010 - 3:52pm by celesteh

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 Street. 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!

Teen Magazine Update -- Ahead of the Game

Sat, 02/27/2010 - 1:04pm by MariaK

Do you enjoy being one step ahead of the game? Name dropping and looking cooler than your friends? Then this month's teen magazines are for you!

Wizard Magazine starts off this party with the "Wizard 20" -- a list of games, movies, artists, authors and comics that you should probably already know about. We are lucky enough to have many of these pearls of awesome here at the AADL -- such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer graphic novels. Not to be missed in this edition -- the ten worst superhero girlfriends of all time!

This month's issue of Rolling Stone Magazine features two old school masters of awesome -- Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck, two of rock music's most amazing guitarists. Also in this issue, comedian Tracy Morgan discusses his hard-knock life, and Matt Taibbi tells us how Wall Street is setting the entire country up for a fall. Good times.

For the awesome girls out there, Justine Magazine features bios of Elissa Bernstein, author of the scrumptious blog 17 and Baking and 17-year-old tennis star Melanie Ouden. And, talk about being one step ahead of your friends, this issue also features a ten-step prom countdown and a guide to job hunting, from resume to interview.

The Way the Wind Blows

Thu, 02/25/2010 - 10:36am by eby

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(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.

Youth Music Notes -- Up and At 'Em

Tue, 02/16/2010 - 8:39pm by MariaK

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.

Music for a cause

Fri, 02/12/2010 - 4:04pm by Maxine

This Valentine's Day, on Sunday, February 14, take your special someone to the "I Heart Haiti" concert of Haitian music at Kerrytown Concert House where The Friends of Haiti Chamber Orchestra will play Haitian folk music and strings and the group, Juice, will perform percussion. You'll also hear about the Ecole Ste Trinite, a music school that was destroyed in the recent earthquake.
Proceeds from the concert will help in the rebuilding of the school. Admission is $7 or more if you wish.

Mardi Gras Mambo

Tue, 02/09/2010 - 11:12am by celesteh

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 contemporary 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.

One is the Loneliest Number

Mon, 02/08/2010 - 11:06am by Caser

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.

Record Year for Female Artists

Tue, 02/02/2010 - 1:52pm by Caser

Beyonce and Taylor Swift may have been the stars of this year's Grammy Awards, but they are certainly not the only female artists who released stand-out music this past year. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, featuring the enigmatic Karen O on lead vocals, released an infectiously danceable record It's Blitz, which was nominated for Best Alternative Music Album this year. Although the award went to Phoenix for their indie rock favorite, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, don't miss O's tremendously powerful voice on the top-to-bottom great record, It's Blitz.

Another gifted lead singer (and bandleader) with an absolutely earth shaking voice is Neko Case, who released the album Middle Cyclone last year to the encomium of alt-country audiences across the country. Listeners may recognize Neko Case's melodic turns from many of pop super-group The New Pornographers' best records, which goes to show that her sound can cross genres as quickly as her voice can jump octaves. Check out The Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Neko Case from the AADL today.

Just Kids

Sat, 01/30/2010 - 1:11pm by celesteh

Being a Patti Smith fan, you might imagine my delight when I discovered she had written a new memoir about her early life in New York City. The book, Just Kids, centers on her relationship that took place in the late 60s/early 70s with the late photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. Mapplethorpe, who took the iconic cover photograph for the Patti Smith Group’s Horses album, met Smith in 1967 when she was working at the now-defunct Scribner's bookstore on Fifth Avenue. Later, they lived in and around the historic Hotel Chelsea and became each others muses – developing a relationship that would last for years to come, always focusing on their artistic endeavors. Although Smith would have later relationships with other men, such as her marriage to the late Fred “Sonic” Smith of the MC5, her time with Mapplethorpe was always dear to her, and they remained friends through his coming into his own as a gay man, and up until his death from AIDS in 1989.

Patti Smith talked about her new book on NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross, you can listen to the interview or read a transcript here.

Italian Holiday?

Tue, 01/26/2010 - 7:41pm by anonymous

Ever dream of going to Italy? Can't afford it? Using the library is a great alternative!

First, you can experience the sights through art books in our collection. The works of greats such as Botticelli, Bernini, Michelangelo, and Caravaggio will transport you into the culture of Italy. However, if you wanted something a little closer to the real experience, you could try this book of paintings within the Uffizi. It's basically a tour in itself!

If you want to feel like you're actually walking the streets of Italy, try a book on the architecture of Brunelleschi, the famous creator of Florence's Il Duomo, or maybe something a little broader.

Perhaps you're anxious to taste some real Italian food? Unfortunately, you'll have to cook it yourself. But books on Italian Cooking will be able to make that a bit easier for you.

In order to hear Italy, you can try your hand at speaking it yourself. With our fantastic Italian language-learning collection, you'll be able to go from a beginner's lesson, to something more advanced. Although, if you tired yourself out with all that cooking, you might just like to listen to some opera.

If you're really into this whole plan, maybe you want to get some more background? There are tons of Italian history books. There are also biographies on key figures, such as Caesar, Lucrezia Borgia, Savonarola, Garibaldi, Mussolini, and the well-known Medici family.

Maybe all of these books are too much for you, and you really need a break? Well, luckily, AADL also carries movies. Something lighthearted, like Roman Holiday might help you through your journey. Or, if you'd like something a little more thrilling, perhaps The Talented Mr. Ripley? We even have films in Italian, like La Dolce Vita!

It may not be exactly the same as climbing the Spanish Steps, but it's as close as you can get without actually going! But, if you ever decide to go, don't forget your travel book.