Music

Brother, What Happened?

January 8, 2021 By Zola Zeester 2 Comments

From the Muddy Magnolias 2016 debut album, Broken People, “Brother, What Happened?” was written by Jessy Wilson and Kallie North, the unlikely, yet perfectly matched duo with a lot of soul and much to say. Their music with a soul-country-blues blended harmony has been described as “collaboration without boundaries” and “musical healing in a landscape of the heart”, but best to just watch & listen, then decide for yourself.

Update: Kallie North left the group at the end of 2017. There’s no guessing what’ll come out next from Muddy Magnolias (the band with Jessy Wilson) as they are currently in the studio working on a follow-up release. In the meantime, here’s a couple more recordings from the Broken People album (free to listen from SoundCloud).

Want more music? MUSIC VIDEO MASHUP is an On2In2™ collection of eclectic music videos (new & old) because we’re nostalgic for the days of 24-7 music video channels.

Feature photo courtesy of Unsplash CC0

Hallelujah

November 28, 2020 By Zola Zeester

“Many different hallelujahs exist.” — Leonard Cohen (1934 – 2016)

It was a cold, early December day walking the streets of the Strasbourg Christmas Markets when my friends and I stumbled upon the 2,000 year old St. Thomas Church and decided to take a look inside. The interior was stunningly beautiful, welcoming and warm, and stagehands were busy setting up while a small choir began rehearsing. We decided to take a seat in the pews and watch. Then, a lovely performance of Hallelujah filled the church and touched us all with its powerful message.

Written by Canadian singer-songwriter, Leonard Cohen, after years of torturous writing sessions and 80 draft versions, Hallelujah has been covered and performed by over 300 singers since its first release in 1984 on Cohen’s album Various Positions, using a mix of different lyrics and a variety of interpretations and tones ranging from the melancholic, inspirational to joyous. [Recommended reading: The Holy or the Broken: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley, and the Unlikely Ascent of “Hallelujah”]* Here are just two of the 300+ versions, both with the power to inspire and move you to tears.

Information/Resources:

St. Thomas Church Strasbourg Église Saint-Thomas (nicknamed the ‘Protestant Cathedral’ and ‘Die Late Dame’ (the Old Lady) is a historical building in Strasbourg, France, and has been the city’s primary Lutheran church since the Strasbourg Cathedral became Catholic after annexation of the city by France in 1681. St. Thomas today is an impressive example of Alsatian Gothic architecture, and contains the Maréchal de Saxe, a masterpiece of 18th-century baroque funerary art.

Hallelujah – BBC Radio Soul Music – Series 20, a music and lyrical analysis (April 14, 2015), artists tell their personal stories of the song’s affect on their lives

The word ‘hallelujah’ is used in both Jewish and Christian prayer, and often spoken in modern English to express happiness that a thing hoped or waited for has happened.

*Zeester Media LLC may receive a small commission for a book or music purchase you make via the links within this page. This in no way affects the price you pay for the purchase.

Feature photo is courtesy of Zac Durant/Unsplash CC0

We’d love to hear from you! If you’d like to comment on this article, join the conversation, or share your inspiration, and you have not yet registered as an On2In2™ playmaker, please sign up via the ‘Engage page’. Don’t worry, it’s pretty quick and easy (unless you’re a robot).

If Stars Could Speak

September 29, 2020 By Zola Zeester Leave a Comment

Awake by Zach Rogers is a short video beautifully photographed and produced using a time-lapse process that results in mesmerizing views of star filled skies above stunning landscapes. It was a 3 year “passion project” involving the selection of 6,870 photos from a collection of 50,000.

“A philosopher once asked, ‘Are we human because we gaze at the stars, or do we gaze at them because we are human?’ Pointless, really….. Do the stars gaze back? Now, that’s a question.” — Neil Gaiman, Stardust (1999)

Experiencing a night sky teeming with glittering stars awakens curiosity, perspective and inspiration, and is a recreational activity enjoyed by amateur astronomers throughout the world. The opportunity to see such a sight, however, is getting more difficult as dark skies are vanishing from the glaring effects of light pollution. In fact, more than 99% of people living in North America and Europe see light polluted night skies rather than stars, and the Milky Way is hidden from more than 1/3 of the world’s population. The International Dark-Sky Association (“IDA”) works to protect night skies and ecosystems within parks and conservation areas around the world. Find dark skies for your best stargazing experience via the IDA locator map HERE, and look around for Telescopes and Stargazing Guide Book * to learn more and get started.

The short video Lost in Light by night sky photographer, Sriram Murali, dramatically demonstrates the affects of different levels of light pollution on our view of the night sky.

If you can’t get outside—-Watch the Night Skies channel here to see more amazing stargazing views captured on video by talented photographers.

More about stars⇒ Sol Invictus Super Star Sorcery Mysteries of a Galaxy

Pros give advice on how to take great photographs of the night sky in this free-to-watch info-video series → Shooting Stars

Have you tried moon gazing? Humans have revered the Moon for thousands of years, and celebratory customs of moon viewing add a spiritual component to the experience of seeing a big, bright, beautiful moon in the night sky. Simple, but awesome.

References/Information:

“Light Pollution Hides Milky Way from 80 Percent of North Americans, Atlas Shows” by Nell GreenfieldBoyce, NPR All Things Considered (June 10, 2016)

Night Sky Network – Search tools to help you find astronomy clubs and special events throughout US

Earth Sky (List of astronomy events, festivals, star parties & workshops)

Ten of the Most Breathtaking Night Skies on Earth by Michelle Douglass, BBC Earth (August 27, 2015) Some the world’s best dark skies are over remote, hard to reach locations, while other sites are astrotourism hotspots encompassing national parks and observatories.

Lassen Volcanic National Park (located approximately 3 hours northeast of Sacramento, California) has meadows freckled with wildflowers, jagged peaks, clear mountain lakes, a rich diversity of plant and animal life as well as numerous volcanoes, steaming fumaroles (steam and volcanic-gas vents) thumping mud pots, and boiling pools. Stargazing & Astronomy→ park info Dark Sky Festival

Atacama Desert, Chile

Pic du Midi – Hautes-Pyrénées, France

Rakiura National Park, Stewart Island, New Zealand – This ‘Land of Glowing Skies’ was designated an International Dark Sky Sanctuary in January, 2019

Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve – Mackenzie Region, NZ

Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve

Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona becomes International Dark Sky Park in June 2018

Dark Sky Festival – Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, California USA

Acadia Night Sky Festival – Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine USA

Jasper Dark Sky Festival – Jasper National Park, Jasper, Canada

Night Sky Festival – Joshua Tree National Park, California USA

Mayo Dark Sky Park – Newport/Mulranny/Ballycroy, Ireland

Brecon Beacons National Park – South Wales, UK

Galloway Forest Park – Scotland

Dark Skies Festival – North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales National Parks, UK

Winter Star Party – Florida Keys, USA, usually scheduled each year during the full moon in February

OzSky Star Safaris The “Classic” is held at the outskirts of Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia, and the “Spring Edition” takes place at NSW Southern Tablelands

Exmoor Dark Skies Festival – Family stargazing weekend at Exmoor National Park, a large beautiful and peaceful area of wild countryside in the South West of England and Europe’s very first International Dark Sky Reserve

Star Search: A Night Guide for Urban Texans by Wes Ferguson (Texas Monthly, March 2018) – Where to find dark, wide-open skies or a big telescope for star gazing in the state of Texas

Thebacha & Wood Buffalo Dark Sky Festival, Canada

Fountain Hills Dark Sky Festival, Arizona

The feature photo is a still shot taken from the video, “Awake” by Zach Rogers

The title of this article “If Stars Could Speak” comes from the title of original music by Alexandr Fullin. It was used by Zach Rogers as the soundtrack to the “Awake” video.

*This page includes an affiliate link to a shop website. If you purchase a product or service directly through the link, Zeester Media LLC may earn a small commission. This in no way affects the price you pay for the purchase.

Malibu Road

June 2, 2020 By Zola Zeester 2 Comments

Sometimes— bliss is found by chance at an unlikely place and time. A friend recommended Malibu as one of the “best places” to live in the Los Angeles area. I was more than skeptical, and thought she must have had a total misunderstanding of my financial resources, life-style and career goals. But, I was also intrigued and willing to check it out as the friend assured “it’s a beautiful community”, and I was very much in need of a refuge. As it turned out, the Bu was not just a beautiful place; it was a beautiful experience.

[su_quote cite=”Rachel Carson (1907-1964) “]To stand at the edge of the sea, to sense the ebb and flow of the tides, to feel the breath of a mist moving over a great salt marsh, to watch the flight of shore birds that have swept up and down the surf lines of the continents for untold thousands of years, to see the running of the old eels and the young shad to the sea, is to have knowledge of things that are as nearly eternal as any earthly life can be.[/su_quote]

California Brown Pelicans in flight at Big Rock Beach, Malibu

Purple Shore Crab at Big Rock Beach, Malibu

To Jacy, the friend who turned me on2 Malibu……..

“I wanna thank you with all of my heart
It’s a brand new start
A dream come true
in Malibu” — Miley Cyrus

Zola’s Malibu Road Reading List*

The Story of Malibu (free to read online) historical account of this unique place, published by the Malibu Lagoon Museum

• The King and Queen of Malibu: The True Story of the Battle for Paradise by David K. Randall. In 1892, Frederick H. Rindge (1857-1905) bought the 13,300 acre Spanish land grant “Rancho Topanga Malibu Sequit” (Malibu Rancho) for $10/acre, and just a few years later, an intense fight for Malibu and its beautiful, secluded beaches began.

• All For a Few Perfect Waves: The Audacious Life and Legend of Rebel Surfer Miki Dora by David Rensin

• Malibu (Images of America) by Ben Marcus and Marc Wanamaker

• Crazy for the Storm: A Memoir of Survival by Norman Ollestad

Read up on the amazing ‘California Brown Pelican‘

Malibu Travel Information/Resources:

Malibu Lagoon State Beach – water sports, hiking, bird and whale watching, and guided tours of wetlands and historical/cultural landmarks
Birdwatching field trips at Malibu Lagoon hosted by Santa Monica Bay Audubon Society (free, monthly)
Malibu Creek State Park – hike, ride, climb & explore stunning terrain and wildlife of California’s Santa Monica Mountains
Point Dume State Beach – swimming, surfing, scuba diving and fishing. Watch California gray whales during December to mid April migration period
Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach – an area of small beaches known as “pocket beaches”, including: El Pescador, La Piedra and El Matador
Adamson House and Malibu Lagoon Museum – tour 1929 Spanish Colonial Revival home and garden; and museum collection of artifacts, photos and documents depicting history of Malibu
The Getty Villa – art, architecture and gardens within a re-creation of an ancient Roman country house
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, Top Ten Reasons to Visit

Looking for your own special refuge? Watch: Destinations,
an On2In2™ collection of short videos from around the world,
for dreaming and exploring

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Malibu photo collection courtesy of Zeester Media LLC, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Feature photo courtesy of Unsplash CC0

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Holiday Music Mix

December 1, 2019 By Zola Zeester

Special guests at 2019 NPR All Songs Considered Holiday Extravaganza include Taylor Swift, Jenny Lewis, Tarriona “Tank” Ball, Lucy Dacus and more. FREE — Listen to a recording of the program here using the media player below.

Feeling that holiday spirit and want more? You’ll find new Holiday Music via Amazon Music Unlimited, and there’s a 30-day free trial offer happening now. Just click/tap the image below. [If you purchase a product or service directly through the link, Zeester Media LLC may earn a small commission. This in no way affects the price you pay for the purchase.]

FREE 2 WATCH — Videos for the Holidays It’s an On2In2™ mix of short videos (drama, comedy, docs) that will entertain and inspire you.

Feature photo of DJ board courtesy of Pixabay/Pexels CC0 ™

LIVE from Orchestra Hall

March 3, 2019 By Zola Zeester Leave a Comment

On December 19, 1887, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra performed the first concert of its first subscription season, and it became the first symphonic orchestra heard on radio broadcast in 1922. This tradition of “firsts”, innovation and creativity continues today.

WATCH LIVE & FREE On2In2™

Check out the live stream programming for the 2019-2020 DSO Fall/Winter season. There’s something for everybody!

Programming Note: Sometimes it happens — scheduling changes or technical interruptions in the live broadcast. Please check back for live stream updates, and take a look at the Live Stream Program Guide for more On2In2™ streaming info.

Get your jazz fix with live stream broadcasts
of Jazz at Lincoln Center concerts

Feature photo courtesy of Unsplash CC0

All That Jazz LIVE

February 27, 2019 By Zola Zeester Leave a Comment

WATCH LIVE & FREE On2In2™

It’s cool, smooth, old & new, swinging, free, boppin’ and rockin’! Jazz at Lincoln Center live streams hundreds of FREE To WATCH concerts each year as part of it’s mission to expand audiences for jazz throughout the world. There are many more Jazz at Lincoln Center concert performances at NYC venues throughout the year — For event information, calendar and tickets, click/tap → here

Programming Note: Sometimes it happens — scheduling changes or technical interruptions in the live broadcast. Please check back for live action updates, and take a look at the Live Stream Program Guide for more On2In2™ streaming info.

Video playlist from Jazz at Lincoln Center past performances:

Music City Roots on the Road is a showcase of Nashville’s current music scene, from country and Americana to unique and progressive interpreters of tradition. Free To Watch LIVE

Take a look to see what’s live streaming
at the Detroit Orchestra Symphony concert hall

We’d love to hear from you! If you’d like to comment on the fun you find here, join the conversation, or share your inspiration, and you have not yet registered as an On2In2™ playmaker, please sign up via the ‘Engage page’. Don’t worry, it’s pretty quick and easy (unless you’re a robot).

Jazz feature photo is courtesy of Unsplash, CC0

Birdsong Melody

February 6, 2019 By Zola Zeester Leave a Comment

A mockingbird sang from a crabapple tree.
A mermaid replied from the depths of the sea,
And the message of both was the same as I send
Of happiness and joy to you without end.
—Bobbie, April 16, 1941*

The Northern Mockingbird is the only mockingbird species commonly found in North America, and is well known for its skillful mimicking of sounds and calls and large, diverse repertoire of songs as well as its intelligence and fierce protective instincts. Males and females look alike, and both sing; however, the male mockingbird is more vocal, starting up in late January/February and continuing into summer in order to attract mates and establish its territory.

The mockingbird has also influenced American culture, appearing in books, songs, lullabies, poetry, folklore, and mythology as a symbol of intelligence, protection, communication, innocence and generosity.

Jarbas Agnelli, a multimedia artist and founder of AD Studio in São Paulo, Brazil, uses film, photography, illustrations and music to create ideas. When he ran across a photo of birds perched on wires in a newspaper, he was curious to hear the melody created by the birds in the image, and composed the song “Birds on the Wires” using the exact position of the birds on wires as musical notes. So clever—just like a mockingbird, and beautiful.

The “Birds on the Wires” video visually illustrates Agnelli’s remarkable graphic score, and has been viewed millions of times online and exhibited at the Guggenheim museums in New York, Berlin, Bilbao and Venice.

If you’ve ever had the experience of waking up to the musical sounds of birdsong, you know there’s no better way to start the day. Dawn Chorus, a free alarm phone app, makes it possible to create that perfect moment in nature and wake each morning (or, after a Sunday afternoon nap) to the peaceful sounds of birds. App features include customization of 20 different birdsong (with bird info & photos), snooze, and phone shake to stop. Available at the Apple App Store and Google Play.

MORE ABOUT BIRDS → Birds of America Hummingbirds California Brown Pelican Bird ID Challenge

*The “a mockingbird sang” rhyme was written in my mother’s autograph book by her childhood friend.

Feature photo of mockingbird in pyracantha by Flickr user, Sandy Harris CC BY-NC 2.0

Reggae Festival

August 20, 2018 By Zola Zeester Leave a Comment

“Reggae, oh man. It’s the ultimate music. The positivity. The musicality. The whole cultural expressionism of it. The danceability. Just the cool factor. The melody factor.” — Lupe Fiasco, American rapper

Reggae is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960’s, incorporating musical elements of R&B, jazz, Jamaican folk, calypso, Jamaican ‘ska’ and ‘rocksteady’ of the 50’s & 60’s, as well as African and Latin music, but it’s distinguished by that now familiar reggae beat — a counterpoint between the bass and drum downbeat and the offbeat rhythm section.

Other than the beat, reggae often has common themes in its lyrics. In the beginning, romantic love dominated the lyrics of reggae, then it expanded to different kinds of love in the 70’s — spiritual love, the love of one’s fellow man, and of God, or “Jah”. Reggae lyrics soon evolved even more as a voice against violence, poverty, racism, and government oppression.

After more than 50 years, reggae has spread throughout the world, often incorporating local instruments and mixes with other genres. It’s also inspired innovation of entirely new musical styles, and has been interfused with other popular genres, like hip-hop and rap.

WATCH On2In2™

Since 1993, the Reggae Sumfest has been held at Montego Bay every year in July, presenting an “authentic Jamaican musical and cultural experience”, and growing to become the largest music festival in Jamaica.

If you missed the live stream broadcasts of Reggae Sumfest, watch video recordings of the 2017 music festival by selecting from the video posts located on the right side of the media player below or click/tap the “Watch Again” button ↓ And, you’ll find videos of all 2018 Sumfest performances at Reggae Sumfest YouTube channel → Here

FREE To WATCH dancers compete at the 2018 World Reggae Dance Championship

You don’t want to miss it! On2In2™ Special Concerts are LIVE & FREE to WATCH

Detroit Performs LIVE is R&B, Motown, rock, jazz & more from The Fillmore – FREE to WATCH concert

Feature photo is courtesy of Flickr user, Nina Ninya, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

The Music of Friends

February 15, 2018 By Zola Zeester Leave a Comment

Chamber music is any art music traditionally performed within a large room by a small number of musicians, and it’s this intimate setting that resulted in chamber music being referred to as “the music of friends”. Prior to the 19^th century, the ‘friends’ of chamber music included royalty, aristocrats and their employee-composers, and performances were strictly a private affair in ‘chamber’ rooms of a palace, mansion, or manor house. The evolution of chamber music began as social orders throughout Europe changed and improvements were made in tone, volume and power of string instruments, allowing for public performances in large halls and an expanded repertoire of techniques for composers. And, it continues today with influences from other music genres and innovative new music that often challenges the established fundamental characteristics of chamber music.

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Since 1969, the Chamber Music Society Lincoln Center (CMS) has brought the experience of chamber music to the general public with a wide variety of concert series and educational programs for listeners of all ages and sensibilities.

The CMS 2017-18 live stream season includes a revolving multi-generational and international roster of some of the world’s finest chamber musicians in concert, recitals, special classes and lecture series. Great for listening and learning!

Late Night Rose concerts express the spirit of intimacy between musician and listener with chamber music classics and novelties in a cabaret-style setting. New Music programs bring together some of today’s finest living composers, allowing listeners to experience musical innovation.

If you missed the live stream broadcast of a CMS 2017-18 performance, you can watch video recordings by clicking on the “Watch Again” button ➡ located on the media players below.

Want more music? Take a look to see what’s live streaming at the Detroit Orchestra Symphony concert hall

We’d love to hear from you! If you’d like to comment on this article, join the conversation, or share your inspiration, and you have not yet registered as an On2In2™ playmaker, please sign up via the ‘Engage page‘. Don’t worry, it’s pretty quick and easy (unless you’re a robot).

Feature photo of Orava string quartet is courtesy of Flickr user, Ryan Egan, CC BY-NC 2.0

Music

Brother, What Happened?

Hallelujah

If Stars Could Speak

Malibu Road

Holiday Music Mix

LIVE from Orchestra Hall

All That Jazz LIVE

WATCH LIVE & FREE On2In2™

Birdsong Melody

Reggae Festival

The Music of Friends

MUCH 2 SEE

THINGS 2 DO

PLACES 2 GO

PEOPLE 2 MEET

FOOD & DRINKS

JUST LAUGHS

Music

WATCH LIVE & FREE On2In2™

Footer

MUCH 2 SEE

THINGS 2 DO

PLACES 2 GO

PEOPLE 2 MEET

FOOD & DRINKS

JUST LAUGHS