Entry #9: Music, music, music!

This blog will start with this:

I sang at Coca-Cola Park last weekend.

On July 9th CCP held the 2011 Men's Senior Baseball League All-Star games.  A few weeks prior I had been contacted by the baseball commissioner for Northampton County and he told me that he had heard me sing a few months earlier and that he would like me to perform two songs between the first and second game as well as sing the National Anthem to open the second game of the day, AND I would be getting paid for it!  Obviously, for one reason or another, I gladly accepted.  The day's weather was both beautiful and scorching.  Beautiful wide open blue skies, scantily clad with puffy, white clouds.  White clouds just scant enough to enable the sun to rain down and cause anyone to instantly perspire.  When I stood on the pitchers mound and faced the grandstand, sun grazing my forehead, I felt both nervous and at ease.  I am grateful to have had the opportunity for such a wonderful, enriching experience and I can only hope that I will happen upon another opportunity like this one in my lifetime.  If and when I receive the video footage from the event, I will share it with you.

The Bookstore.

- Plainly and simply, one of the best and most chill places in the Lehigh Valley; I went there within the past week and plan to return as soon as possible.  Highly recommended.  Now, I told you that story to tell you another, which I've entitled,

"Whistling Beards, or, Whistling, Beards?"

This is an ongoing tale that has only just begun... a story of three beardly men who wish to combine their talents and join together in song.  Seeking gigs near and far, the trio builds their repertoire with a variety of tunes to suit audiences young and old alike.  With their first rehearsal proving productive and fruitful, the gang documented the momentous occasion:

They also plan to make an appearance this Sunday at Godfrey Daniels open mic night anytime after 7:00pm. Please come out and support these fine gents.

A "Weird"ly amazing evening.

So when I finally left work yesterday, I met up with my brother, Jimmy, for a trip to Lancaster.  Why Lancaster, you ask?  Well, besides the entertaining and scenic view along the way, not to mention the savory, occasional strong aroma of manure (thanks, Kutztown), the real cause for our adventure was the result of a five-year wait for new material and a tour from one of my favorite artists, parody-master, Weird Al Yankovic!  I love those moments in life when you experience something and as soon as you break away from it and have a free moment to reflect on what you've just experienced, all you can say is, "wow."  I will try my best to explain a few of the thoughts that ran through my mind last night.  I have seen Weird Al in concert 4 times thus far and so far I have NEVER been disappointed, and to this day my opinion has not altered.  Besides the hilariously awkward sketch humor and often side-splitting mastery of parodic lyricism, Al remains a standout among all artists, even after nearly 30 years of performing.  Somewhere within that time period the response to his music has transformed from being insulting to being an honor to have a parody written of their music.  From an artistic perspective, you know you've done your job well if people are honored to have you cover their song, even if it is in a parodic style.

Being a long time fan of Al's music, I have a majority of his catalogue committed to memory, and I am always excited to see what selections will be included in the live show.  The thing that surprised me was the fact that he seemed to be returning to his roots, which is very refreshing to experience as an avid fan that has followed an artist throughout the years.  What I mean by that is that in addition to performing a bunch of songs from his new album, Alpocolypse, as well as a few of his classic hits from the late 80s and 90s, he performed at 15 minute medley of songs from his first, self titled album, his Dare To Be Stupid album, his The Food Album album, and even his The TV Album album.  The songs were any true fans favorites, even if they were lesser known by the general public.  But of course, a Weird Al concert always contains the 'icing on the cake' element, which in this case consisted of: an array of costumes, a Segway ridden on stage, streamer cannons, "DRUM SOLO!"s, a lineup of people in Star Wars costumes, and of course, many video clips.  All in all, an amazing night.

HOLLAH, CHALLAH!

Stagemakers at the J staff

Today was my last day working at the summer theatre camp at the Allentown JCC.  It has really been a great experience and I have learned a lot from it.  I learned that lesson plans are not my favorite thing, but  I also learned that if you make them interesting and fun, there will be much more of an interest.  (Sidenote: I think this is something colleges do not put a lot of emphasis on when training their students on how to educate others.  I understand with the way the educational system runs in America today that curriculums are so jam-packed with information that you can barely spend any time elaborating on any given topic, let alone being able to sift through the grains of sand to find what is really interesting and valuable, but regardless, it is a point I still stand by.  As a student myself as well as an educator, there is nothing I hate more than learning or teaching about a topic I have little to no interest in AND relaying it or having it relayed to me in a blasé manner.  Simply: make it fun, make it interesting.  'Nuff said.)  

Oh, and as for my mentioning in my last post that I would write about July 4th, here is mine in a nutshell:

- Had lots of fun hanging out with great people.

- Watched Team America.

- 'Burger-bomb': The most 'MERICAN thing ever invented.

- Katamari Damacy.

I really want to play Dominion right now.

Until next post,

Vince

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Things I did while writing this post:
- Caught up on watching some new videos from YouTube channels I subscribe to
- Appreciated the beautiful evening weather and hearing the birds chirp outside
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