Unearthing the Heavenly Diva Mary Fahl

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Marian Anderson: The inner power of singing.

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Louder: The Marwills

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Obsidian Skies by Peter Chains:I Love Making YouTube Videos!

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Little Ripples and Postcards from Spain:Interview with Eric McGrath

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http://expatspost.com/entertainment/music/little-ripples-and-postcards-from-spaininterview-with-eric-mcgrath/

2 AM.

It is two in the morning. I dismissed my trainees to have lunch. I feel exhausted. I dont know why. Have you ever felt like that too? A new review is up. Please visit www.celticmusicfan.wordpress.com

The end is here.

It's the end-of another year. So many things happend. I lost a friend. I gained new ones. Life is a series of uncertainties. There will always be people you will love and those you want to murder. In the end it is just you. So the best advice I can give you? Be kind to yourself.

Trying to surf in my mobile.

And trying to blog to...how are you people? Sorry it took a while. But as you remember... I met a guy by the name of Hexrex months and months ago. He was charming and kind. But there was another person vying for his attention..a lady. So I decided to go. But now I am here...

Wow Oh So Quiet

Sorry I have been away. My computer is still in the repair shop. I am supposed to have an interview with Pierre but that has to wait a bit. Stay tuned.

Pierre XI the Next Generation in The Vein of Daft Punk

  Pierre xi is a project of a young talent who has a lot of stuff going on in his mind. It was interesting conducting a interview with him but before that let us take a lose look at the music. Personally I love electronic music especially when it that espouses amazing sounds scapes and not just doing music for the sake of dancing. You will hear a lot about our prodigy in different incarnations so just watch out.

Pierre xi is a project that is already displaying depth and texture . There are track that sound as if they’re taken out from Martian landscape. And then there are those that are at home in clubs. There is youthful vigor and palpable optimism in most of the tracks while in others there is sense of melancholy-the perfect chill out companion  after retiring drunk and tired at thee in the morning.

I can sense that whatever musical project this young man will undertook , it will be a smash because you feel that passion in his every track. More at www.virb.com/pierrexi and  www.myspace.com/pierrexi  

You are a man of many musical tastes. It seems that when I read your profile on this one, this has really nothing to do with your other musical inclination. Do you love being exclusively in either musical worlds?(referring to electronic versus the acoustic and rock band in your other monickers).

 No, I'm never exclusively in either project. It's really weird - when I'm in my electronic world, I bring in influences (melodies, harmonies, chord progressions) from my acoustic and rock projects, and when I'm in my rock and acoustic projects I like to dabble and play around with things I've learnt making electronic music. Actually, the bass player from The Final Year and I are going to the same university next year, and, facing the prospect of making music without a drummer, we've decided to try mixing alternative rock with house and electronic music. Should be interesting. Anyways, I really enjoy mixing all these worlds and projects, because if you close your mind and put yourself exclusively in one project, you end up losing a large part of your creativity, and that's never a good thing for artists of any kind!

Do you consider this as a long term persuasion, or just a fancy diversion?

 This is definitely a long term thing. I'm going to university next year, studying Chemistry, but I'm never going to give up my music. Although it will be a (very) serious hobby for some time, I plan on returning to it quite seriously once I have saved enough money. My dream is to build my own studio on some of my family's property.

Can you expound on the gadgets you use to create these electronic stuff and the people involved with you in this project?

Well for my electronic project I use Ableton Live, which is an amazing Digital Audio Workstation for both Mac and PC (I use it on a MacBook Pro) especially geared towards DJs and electronic music producers (although I also use it to record my other projects). Within this software I have a huge list of free plugins that I use and combine to create what I can - I'm still learning, but every time I produce a new piece I feel like a have learnt something and accomplished something more. These plugins are everything from virtual synthesizers and instruments to digital effects. One day (again, when I have saved enough money) I plan of buying some synthesizers and analog effects. But for now this virtual stuff is serving me quite well.

You site Daft Punk as one of the primary influences which I think is interesting. But there are ambient elements in your sound that resemble what Bjork does, as well as Sigur Ros. This is heavy stuff we are talking about. Is it intentional for you to sound that way?

 Well Daft Punk were the first for me - through their stuff I really discovered electronic music and what it could be, especially with Discovery, my favorite album of theirs. They were soon followed by Justice (who I was lucky to see live a couple times) and other electro in the same vein. Recently I started exploring true house and deep house music through Laurent Garnier and Deadmau5 and the like, but throughout my musical upbringing my father kept playing these ambient house and soul artists, including Bjork, and I guess their influence left a mark on my music. The sounds that come out are the closest I can get to my vision of the pieces I create, and every time I make a new piece I get closer to my vision of what my electronic sound should be. One day I feel I will produce that track that says "Yes! This is what I want to create!" and I will know I will have found my sound.

Do you plan to take this music in a way…say…releasing an EP ?

 Until I make that track that I can say truly represents what I want my sound to be, I don't want to rush into producing an EP. And I haven't been producing electronic music for some time, as I've been focusing on my acoustic stuff as well as the band, but I have learnt a lot this past year, so during the summer and throughout the next few years I will be exploring my electronic side, and hopefully I will find what I want and create an EP at some point!

What’s your opinion about kids these days shooting drugs and getting the booze?

 I think it's sad. There are some great examples of guys who were clean their whole lives and have made amazing music - think of Peter Gabriel and the guys from King Crimson. I really don't feel I need that influence to get me to my creative state of mind - music makes me high enough. In the end, though, I feel like there's nothing I can really do but sit here and tell them it's sad, because they have control over their own lives, and they are the ones screwing themselves up. All I can do is tell them that it's not good for them and that they don't need it, but that's about it. Drinking is even worse, in a way, because I go to parties these days and you see people drinking to get drunk - rich kids drinking 40 or 50 dollar bottles of hard liquor and not even appreciating it. As a European, that hurts. We were always brought up to appreciate and enjoy alcohol and food. I go to a party, and I'll drink, but I'll really try to appreciate it, and if I get drunk it won't be until very late (think 3 or 4 in the morning). Meanwhile, you're with a bunch of kids who are smashed at 10 or 11 o'clock. It's lame.

When not creating music what do you do to chill out?

 I chill with my awesome friends, the guys in the band, and of course my wonderful girlfriend. We watch movies and listen to music. A lot of music. We go outside and do some pretty ridiculous things, and think we're invincible. I think eventually one of us is going to get hurt but we're probably going to keep going until someone actually does. Otherwise there's the necessary studying and working in order to keep all my dreams alive!

Any musical gadget you own that you are really proud of?

 My father's (now mine) 30-year-old Yamaha FG-335 acoustic guitar. In relation to the electronic stuff specifically, not yet. But hopefully soon!

Are you into buying pricey music stuff?

I'm into buying quality music stuff, and usually that means pricey (unfortunately). Whenever I'm going to buy something music related I do some extensive research as to which is the best for its price. I never over-spend because I know how much I want to spend and so I get the best I can for that price. However, I usually give myself a good amount to spend so I'm sure that I will be getting something that is high quality.

Message to your listeners?

Whoever listens to any of my stuff - first and foremost: enjoy it! This is my gift to you, to the world, and I want everyone who listens to it to enjoy the experience it provides. If it's not your cup of tea, that's alright too, just don't yell at me for making it. Also, don't be shy to contact me and give me some constructive criticism - there's nothing more useful that a fan or a listener or a fellow musician giving me pointers as to what to try and what to avoid. I'm still learning so I want everyone to give me feedback so I can get better. So don't be shy to get it contact with me! If you have the financial capacities, I also wouldn't mind a little donation to the cause by paying a little something for my album over at pierrotechnique.bandcamp.com! But that's not the main focus. Above all, I want you all to enjoy everything I make!

Hope that answers everything!

Pierre.