The Sky Calls To Us: Carl Sagan remixed

It has been my experience that most people who incorporate an auto-tune effect in their music really do not know how or when to properly use it—- even to a point of becoming comically undermined.
John Boswell of Colorpulsemusic.com has determined a brilliantly beautiful application of the sound effect in a music video turning monologue into poetry into a William Shatner-esque “spoken word” song with New Age instrumentals.

Words of renown scientist and science advocate Carl Sagan, from his Cosmos documentary, are cleverly & imaginatively arranged with-- and as-- music in
Carl Sagan - 'A Glorious Dawn' ft Stephen Hawking (Cosmos Remixed).
Awe inspiringly philosophical commentary of sci-fi related subject matter is tweaked with an auto-tune affectation, enhancing the vocals through a complimentary science fictional robotic sounding voice.
Quite a stirring and powerfully optimistic message!

My Next Book: the time is near

Twitter-based sci-fi short story anthology.
Featuring original theme song created by the remarkable
Kate Godfrey ...as a cross media narrative extension.
http://www.myspace.com/kategodfrey

Gonna be totally awesome. Believe. Experience.
Wait for it...

Photographic Eminence: Elizabeth May

Fashion and fantasy photographer Elizabeth May (aka- Aurie the pixie) credits the perspective of her photographic inspiration to LJ Smith's Vampire Diaries books. Particularly characteristic of May’s photographic & thematic style is a breathtakingly mythical, cinematic fantasy ambience, portrayed in portraiture.

More than simply composing incredibly beautiful photographs, Elizabeth is an epic storyteller, as her romantically adventurous imagery creates impressions and depictions of grand fairytales and dreams. In many of her camera-captured scenes, the very photogenic Elizabeth marvelously casts herself as the central hero figure. Clearly engaged in subtle world building, her gorgeous artistic vision reveals a unifying aesthetic consistency in its fantastical elements.
Each vibrantly colored and mystically illuminated photograph implies its own a stand-alone story that collectively become parts of a larger shared story.


See and learn more about the photographic magnificence of Elizabeth May at her website.

Andromeda fan music videos

Gene Roddenberry’s Andromeda TV series is among the greatest and yet most under-rated sci-fi shows ever made, or will be made.
NotNastyGirl Lakedaemon has composed several stellar tribute montage videos featuring Steve Bacic-- one of my favorite genre actors, who played my favorite character on the series: Rhade (Telemachus and Gaheris).
Building a competent & compelling fan music video is not easy to do; properly matching/synching scene shots to music pace, theme and lyrics requires some artistic sense & skill.
Many vid makers have tried, and most fail. She known online as Lakedaemon does not fail.
Here is a low resolution quality of my favorite of her videos, entitled Unbowed:


A slightly better quality copy of this & other vids are available on her site: http://www.daemonshire.net/dromavids.html

Eisley: Making music magic

My favorite band of all time is Eisley , ever since I discovered them in 2003. They are the standard by which I compare all other bands.
Engaging a distinctive and genuinely unique sound with an “Alice In Wonderland” aesthetic, Eisley music reflects or implies a sense of adventure & fantasy exuding childlike authenticity, innocence & wonder. Considering the charmingly geeky quirkiness of the five band members, their eccentricity is intrinsic, and refreshingly inspires their music.
Eisley music is epic, thoughtfully surreal and poetically imaginative—lyrically and aurally. It is not mundane and does not deal with the ordinary or cliche’d topics like most bands.
Indicative of their musical approach, Eisley defies easy or simplistic categorization of music genre.
Indeed, much like Kate Godfrey, so original is Eisley that they could fairly be considered their own genre.
Several awesome videos, songs, tour info & concert pics are available on their myspace .

Eisley isn’t a brand, they are a BAND. Although technically signed with WB, they are still very much an independent spirited phenomenon.
They live for the music, and the music lives through them.
For Eisley, making music is all about the music—creating their music, their way, in their particular style. Having no aspiration or expectation of hit records, they eschew fame, fortune and flare... expressing no interest in such petty irrelevancies.
All of which is why I adore and admire them—or at least their music-- so much. The only collective or mutual ambition and calling Eisley members have is playing their music. Glitz and glamour have nothing to do with—- and therefore no place in-- what they do or want in their performance. Their unadorned and unextravagant concerts reflect that sensibility.
Keep it simple and pure.
Photo shoots happen so infrequently, that it is nigh impossible to find many official promotional band pictures that remain current.
They don’t produce a lot of merch or advertising, nor incorporate any flashy gimmicks to get attention.
Interviews make them uncomfortable, as they generally prefer to speak through music... to let the music speak for them, and for itself.

Album three-- called Fire Kite-- is in preparation to be released early 2010, and Eisley is touring fall ‘09 with Say Anything.

Going In Circles: Hliro Yuta & the poi arts

Poi is juggling-type performance art using balls suspended from a length of flexible material held in the hand and swung in circular motion patterns.
Semi-renown poi artist Hliro Yuta is like a poi-ninja master, and here demonstrates the kind of majesty, grace and skill involved with poi...


Most people associate or identify poi with fire twirling, and although that is a form of poi, it is only one aspect or variation of the art.
Indeed, the use of flame spinning in poi can be an unfortunate distraction, as the fire tends to divert attention to the moving lights and away from the actual hand & body movements of poi.
Incorporating fire into poi often requires the performance be done in darkness or dim lighting for better dazzling visual effect, but it also obscures the agility, poise and coordination of the “choreography” involved.
Especially from an adept poi performer like Yuta.
The diverse and intricate martial artsy motion patterns and dance elements engaged are the more interesting and impressive feature of poi.

More samples of the spectacular Yuta in play

Depictions Of Grandeur from Alex Roman

In what he titles Kahn's Exeter Short Film, artist Alex Roman breathtakingly portrays the architecture & decor of Louis Kahn's Phillips Exeter Academy Library so fantastically exotic, that it would make an excellent location setting in a science fiction movie. Created as part of the Third and Seventh project, depicting architecture through the cinematographic lens.

Though lacking a definite narrative, the cinematography, lighting and vantage combine with such magnificent beauty & grace as to suggest both a sense of the Divine, and a story waiting to be told.
Clearly, Alex has a wondrous eye for the surreal and epic in his visuals.

Kahn's Exeter Short Film from Alex Roman on Vimeo.