Elvis still reigns...
Long live the King of Rock and Roll !
The Castle Lady
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Saturday, November 24, 2012
One Direction - What Makes You Beautiful
A new boy band called One Direction has come out with something so refreshing I just had to put this up. Enjoy the tune and make sure you check them out on iTunes !
The Castle Lady
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
It's my birthday....
Just a slight diversion for the day and year....
and a blast from the past with this:
( Wave aka Vou Te Contar by Antonio Carlos Jobim)
Thanks to KUVO for helping me find the info for these links !
You guys are the greatest!
With celebratory sounds and bounds,
The Castle Lady
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
A Magical Night
Talk about burning in the afterglow of a concert ! I attended the ten p.m. second show of Ottmar Liebert and his band Luna Negra at Soiled Dove last Saturday and that euphoric sense still pervades my hours like the feeling you get after drinking an aperitif for the first time. When I bought my ticket, the first show at 7 was sold out but I'm glad I decided to go ahead and do the late hours. Ottmar's music is played occasionally on a radio station I listen to regularly but I had never heard about him coming to Denver before so I'm assuming, right or wrong, that this was his first Denver gig. Actually, this was two firsts for me that night. The Soiled Dove is a venue I have meant to try for many years but one way or another I have not been able to attend this venue until last Saturday. It is equally fantastic for its small, intimate size and enigmatic atmosphere and certainly a great place to absorb Jazz, I can tell you that. When I entered the venue reception I found the room's walls were covered with Jazz greats including a photo taken there of B.B. King some years ago ! ! Everyone that worked at the venue was talkative and friendly, as well, so it was exciting and exhilarating just to attend a concert there.
Now, I have found that Ottmar's music cannot really be classified although I imagine he most likely is tagged as New Age quite often. Denver station KUVO is basically a Jazz station but they are owned by NPR which spins quite a variety of music on regular schedules and often blur outside of the Jazz genre into more eclectic fare such as Ottmar's music which shouldn't be classified at all in my estimation. As is often the case with artists like him he was born in Cologne, Germany to multi-cultural parents with only his father being of partial German descent. His genes show in his music because I heard quite a bit of Asian influence along with the almost hypnotic rhythmic patterns you would expect from a Hungarian which comes from his mother. He began playing the guitar at the very early age of eleven. Ottmar has traveled all over the world starting with a Rock and Roll career and urging him on an itinerate musical life eventually picking up a new sound when he left the Eastern United States for the East Coast and then Santa Fe, New Mexico. In 1989 he started his new band- Luna Negra and apparently has never quite looked back from a Flamenco style of playing which permeates his sound and whatever influence pervades otherwise. He released an album sometime later and a local Indian artist by the name of Frank Howell, who owned an art gallery, began selling copies of his self-produced album titled Marita: Shadows and Storms.
At a time when instrumental artists have been on the wane, Ottmar's success has gained momentum since 1995 with quite a few recordings. Some titles you might want to look for are Euphoria (1995), In the Arms of Love (2002), Winter Rose (2005), The Scent of Light (2008) and Leaning into the Night (1997) and you can check him out on You Tube with the links I have provided below. His music speaks for itself so certainly check it out and go to his concerts if he comes to your town. It is worth any price to experience this man's interpretation of the Brazilian phenomenon of Flamenco and I believe you'll never forget any concert of his you may attend. Enjoy !
With passionate euphemisms,
The Castle Lady
Monday, July 16, 2012
Saturday, December 17, 2011
The Real Father of Rock-n-Roll
This past year I finally had a chance to view the film Nowhere Boy on DVD. I can understand how the 2009 film came out of a necessity to illuminate the childhood and adulthood awakening of John Lennon. There is so much that is still unknown about The Beatles as a whole. There have been so many books written and films made which have illuminated certain aspects of each and every person who were associated with the relatively short-lived dynamic musical group. Their reputation and creative output is legendary and self-evident. No other band member, however-, no matter what the tragedies- had the type of early life (and early death) take on such a tone of a Greek tragedy as that of John Lennon.
For those who only know the bare facts of Lennon's life story, this film will impart the truth with raw emotions, eyes-open crushing pathos, grief and passions. Even from the beginning he was an artist yearning to experience what he most wanted to express- almost violently in Lennon's case- through his chosen medium. We are lucky that Lennon's tool became music.
Essentially, raised by a well-grounded aunt (which was portrayed exceptionally by Kristin Scott Thomas) but awakened at the dawning of adulthood by a wayward mother(Anne-Marie Duff), his foothold slipped at a crucial time and the truth of his life came close to crushing him. His success as a rock star conveyed a type of salvation borne only to our media superstars and superheroes. It didn't prepare him or his loved ones, for that matter, of his equally grievous exit from life. That story would require another film. In any case, this cinematic effort helps us to understand the triumph of John's contribution to rock music in a way that no writer of a book or magazine could really get across to the fans.
Lennon's quotes, which have been repeated until they took on the proportion of a credo which held the genre of rock together, melt under the light of this film. Perhaps it's because his words held the kind of bravado that credos are built upon. His work was so unique, with and without The Beatles, that it has never been surpassed on that premise. Nowhere Boy strips away the mystery that not a single book written about The Beatles ever has and the dialogue gives us a new Lennon to consider,- the vulnerable one.
© December 17, 2011 by Evelyn M. Wallace
All Rights Reserved by Author
Christmas hugs and kisses
(vulnerable ones) from
The Castle Lady
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Happy Birthday Cyndi !
This is Cyndi Lauper's 58th birthday today and while I know she doesn't like emphasis being placed on age- I don't like it myself ! - I still wish her all the best because she's absolutely fabulous at any age ! Not everyone can say that about themselves.... sooooo
Happy Birthday,
Birthday Girl !
Just wanna have fun....
The Castle Lady
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Jesse Duplantis is coming to Power Invasion on S. Platte ! !
I don't often espouse anything other than music venues or music of one kind or another on this blog but this is a grand and rare exception. It is simply that Jesse Duplantis who is one of the most popular, unique and hilarious ministers of this generation and possibly for generations to come, is coming to Denver to the most dynamic outreach venue in Denver at 455 S. Platte River Drive. He mixes great ministry music with strong, straight biblical preaching with a panache unknown in most evangelical circles.
On television he has a program for many seeking to know more about God, and can be seen on major networks in the U. S. such as ABC, NBC, CBS, TBN, Daystar, and World Harvest Television. He also broadcasts throughout Australia, Central America, South America, the Caribbean, Europe, the United Kingdom, Israel, and the Middle East. As a bestselling author, Jesse Duplantis' books have been translated into many languages and braille which has reached millions with the Word in such a way that his lessons are unforgettable and quotable for those who are involved in outreach as well.
In 1997, he and his wife Cathy who is also a reverend, founded Covenant Church, a local outreach of JDM on the International Headquarters property in Destrehan, Louisiana, a suburb in the New Orleans area. In recognition of his many years of effectively sharing God's message of salvation through Jesus Christ to the world, Jesse was awarded an honorary doctorate of divinity degree from Oral Roberts University in 1999.
Known throughout the world for his joy and his exuberant spirit, Jesse has often been told that he is "the only preacher my husband and kids will listen to." Why is that? It's not just because Jesse is funny, and it's not just because he's genuine but that they also listen because he's captured the true essence of evangelism and revivalism. The anointing of Jesus Christ on an evangelist enables him to reach the so-called unreachable, and rekindle the fire of revival in believers. People listen because they need the anointing of Jesus - and Jesus is the only message that Jesse Duplantis preaches.
For more than twenty-five years now, his mission statement has had a singular vision and goal, - World Evangelism. He has employed every available tool to give each listener an opportunity to know the real Jesus. His ministry teaches an approachable, personable, compassionate Jesus who is full of joy - that's the Jesus that we should all know and love. If you have never heard Jesse Duplantis preach you owe it to yourself to get over here on the 21st of June at 7 p.m. sharp to hear his music and his inimitable style of preaching. You'll never think about God in the same way ever again. Guaranteed !
Bringing you the best of all that's good,
The Castle Lady
Update: What a marvelous time everyone had last night ! I wouldn't have missed it for anything !
Thursday, March 10, 2011
You read it here first...
Stryper are back in the news with some big events coming up and recent releases in their original lineup ! That's right ! Tim Gaines is back in the fold and they have planned a big 2011 tour. On the 15th of February they released a new album of secular covers and an all-new original tune titled God. Their new company is Big3 Records and as I mentioned previously in 2010 they are now on I-tunes so you will be able to download their music here shortly.
According to Michael Sweet, the impetus for putting out a covers set was a simple one. "Every Stryper album is pretty serious and pretty bold in the lyrical faith sense of the word. We just wanted to roll our sleeves up, cut loose, and have some fun." When it came time to pick out a listing of tunes to cover, all the band had to do was look back upon their club days. Growing up, before Stryper was even Stryper, we were a cover band. We played Gazzarri's on the (Sunset) Strip for years - we would do originals but also do covers, as well. We always did Priest covers and Maiden covers, all those bands that we grew up on and influenced us."
What fans can expect will run the gamut from the 70s era classic rock of Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Scorpions, Iron Maiden and even Kiss!
What fans can expect will run the gamut from the 70s era classic rock of Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Scorpions, Iron Maiden and even Kiss!
"A few things we set out to do on this album was to stay true to the original - we didn't want to disrespect the original versions," explains Michael. "I'm never going to sound like Bruce Dickinson or Ronnie James Dio, nor would I ever try to... and having me sing the song puts our own spin on it. We just all did our own thing and with our own touches and feel - Robert, Tim, Oz, and myself - it has that Stryper feel to it as well."
Big3 Records Chairman Bill Edwards adds, "We are excited to allow Stryper the creative freedom to do what they do best, and take this album to the next level. We are very excited about working with the band and helping make 'The Covering' a widespread success."
To get the word out about the new album Stryper have just started a tour which will comprise four of their own anthems plus four covers from the new album. According to Michael Sweet, "... then we've got a whole slew of other Stryper songs that we've been playing for a long time. So we probably have 20 songs in the set."
Big3 Records Chairman Bill Edwards adds, "We are excited to allow Stryper the creative freedom to do what they do best, and take this album to the next level. We are very excited about working with the band and helping make 'The Covering' a widespread success."
To get the word out about the new album Stryper have just started a tour which will comprise four of their own anthems plus four covers from the new album. According to Michael Sweet, "... then we've got a whole slew of other Stryper songs that we've been playing for a long time. So we probably have 20 songs in the set."
Click HERE for the latest confirmed tour dates!
Always with the latest...
The Castle Lady
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