My “I Don’t Care about the Grammys” Post

I used to watch the Grammys every year. I remember always enjoying it growing up, but somewhere along the way, I just . . . stopped. It wasn’t a conscious decision I made one year. I think it just gradually trailed away. I’d forget they were on, or I’d tune in late. I’d catch highlights on YouTube, if I heard something was particularly interesting.

And now? I just don’t really care one way or the other. This despite the fact that I really enjoy the Oscars and Tonys and Emmys each year. The biggest difference is that I’m heavily invested in film and television, and quite invested in musicals, but when it comes to popular music, I’ve pretty much given up. My kids will talk about different singers or groups, and I’ll recognize a few of the names, but I generally have no idea what genre they’re in, let alone what their songs sound like.

I used to stay connected at least a little, since I’d listen to the radio, but now that I have Apple Music, I can listen to just about anything I want, and that definitely isn’t anything contemporary. Though at the same time, I love music. I took a class on composition last year, and this year a class on the history of jazz. I like listening to different kinds of music, so why do I just not care at all about anything newer than 2010, give or take? The closest I’ve come to caring is when I’ve watched American Idol now and then, but even with that, as soon as the winners were announced and started making new songs of their own, I found myself not really liking any of them.

I suppose this is just part of the inevitable slide into yelling at kids to stay off my lawn. But then again, there are so many different things out there to listen to. I guess when it comes to this one area of pop culture, I’ve just decided not to bother caring about it all that much.

I remember watching the show when I was in high school. My grandfather was in the room, and Aerosmith was singing Dream On, as I recall. He was fairly horrified, wondering why in the world anyone would want to listen to something like that. I was horrified in return, wondering how in the world anyone could dislike Dream On. And each time I think of the fact that I’ve stopped caring about new music, I remember that discussion with my grandfather, and it’s unsettling.

I did look at the list of nominees and winners this morning, and I realized there were some on there that I still recognize. When did ABBA release a new record? Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga are performing together? Norah Jones had another album? AC/DC?? Paul McCartney?? I read those, and I wonder if maybe I should be giving new music another shot . . .

Though I don’t know that I’ll ever find the time.

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Like what you’ve read? Please consider supporting me on Patreon. Thanks to all my Patrons who support me! It only takes a minute or two, and then it’s automatic from there on out. I’ve posted the entirety of my book ICHABOD in installments, and I’m now putting up chapters from PAWN OF THE DEAD, another of my unreleased books. Where else are you going to get the undead and muppets all in the same YA package? Check it out.

If you’d rather not sign up for Patreon, you can also support the site by clicking this PERFECT PLACE TO DIE Amazon link. It will take you to Amazon, where you can buy my books or anything else. During that visit, a portion of your purchase will go to me. It won’t cost you anything extra.

On Music Composition

My Bach class is finished now, and I have to say how much I enjoyed it. Yes, it made my Tuesdays insanely busy for five weeks in a row, but I got to learn about things I didn’t know a whole lot about previous to the course, and learning is something I really like.

In addition, it turns out that the lab part of the class was focused on composition. I’ll be honest: in the lead up to the class, I didn’t really pay any attention to what it was going to be about other than Bach. I like Bach. That’s all I really needed to know. The public lecture portion was going to be $150, but I could take the full 1 credit class for a $50 fee, since I get a tuition reduction as an employee of the university. $50 is less than $150, so . . .

I took the full class.

We would learn about different composition concepts: counterpoint, chords, and modulation being the three I focused the most on. For our homework, we had to take the concepts we were learning about through Bach and apply them in original compositions. I haven’t really done much in the way of music composition, so this was a really new thing for me, and I discovered I really enjoyed it. I looked forward to the assignments: trying different things out. Seeing what I liked. What clicked for me and what didn’t. I have no idea if they turned out well by anyone else’s standards, but the results were good for me. I was happy with them.

We used a platform called Flat to record them, so I thought I’d share them with you, now that the class is over.

• Our first assignment was to take a simple melody and make a variation of it somehow. I did one for Winnie the Pooh.
• From there, we focused on counterpoint: having two lines that are both melodies, which fit together. I ended up writing a basic canon.
• Next, I wanted to figure out how to modulate from one key to another, so I came up with a new piece to do just that.
• Finally, we were asked to dabble in chords. For that, I put down eight chords pretty much at random, and then worked to get a melody that would make those chords sound intentional.

Will I keep composing? No idea. It was a lot of fun, but I’m also very busy, so we’ll see if I make time for it. But the class itself was a blast, and I hear they’ll be teaching a new one on Jazz next semester. I’d say it’s very likely I take that one, if my schedule matches up . . .

Take it with me!

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Like what you’ve read? Please consider supporting me on Patreon. Thanks to all my Patrons who support me! It only takes a minute or two, and then it’s automatic from there on out. I’ve posted the entirety of my book ICHABOD in installments, and I’m now putting up chapters from PAWN OF THE DEAD, another of my unreleased books. Where else are you going to get the undead and muppets all in the same YA package? Check it out.

If you’d rather not sign up for Patreon, you can also support the site by clicking this PERFECT PLACE TO DIE Amazon link. It will take you to Amazon, where you can buy my books or anything else. During that visit, a portion of your purchase will go to me. It won’t cost you anything extra.

One Eileen to Rule Them All: 30 Different Versions of Come On Eileen

A friend posted about a polka version of Come On Eileen yesterday on Facebook, and suddenly it reminded me of my personal favorite version (the ska cover by Save Ferris.) And so of course I had to look it up on YouTube, which led me to poke around to see what other covers of the song were done. A different friend does a yearly Christmas carol bracket challenge, where she posts about 30-40 different versions of the same carol. They’re paired up one by one, and people vote to determine which is the best version. She’s done it for years, and I always am entertained to see the sheer variety of versions out there.

And that made me wonder. “Just how many different versions of Come On Eileen are out there?” We’re talking significantly different. People who aren’t just playing the song like a cover, but who really added their own flavor to it. Thankfully, the internet was invented so I could answer this sort of question quickly and easily. And because I personally found it fascinating, I’m here today to share those results with you. I don’t think I’ll set up a whole bracket or anything (because that’s seriously a huge endeavor), but I’d like to do a poll to see which version you like the most. One vote per person. Vote on here, Twitter, or Facebook, but only vote once.

Before we begin, a warning. There are sooooooo many versions of Come On Eileen out there. Seriously. The farther I went, the more versions popped up. This is the tip of the iceberg, folks. It makes me wonder how many covers there are of other quintessential 80s songs out there, but I’m afraid to go looking. For today’s post, we’re just looking at this one, and just the ones I found that stood out to me the most.

Ready?

First off, of course, we have the original. Recorded in 1982 by the Dexys Midnight Runners, it was all over the 80s. It sets the stage for everything that comes after, and I still think it’s one of the best versions out there. How can you go wrong with the original?

The cover song I’d already heard and preferred heading into this deep dive was the one by Save Ferris:

But then I came across this one by Ala’SKA, and it really impressed me as well:

And I’d be remiss to omit the version that started me down this rabbit hole. Polkadelphia’s polka arrangement:

But what if you don’t like 80s music? What if you’re in the mood for something a little more . . . heavy? There’s this version by The Venetia Fair:

BluePearl made a rock version:

Texas decided to take that edge off and add more of . . . something else:

There are also more independent efforts out there, brought to us by the wonders of YouTube. How about this broken down synth/guitar version? I really like the groove it gets into.

Then again, what do a synthesizer and a guitar have when they’re up against two guitars, a snare drum, and . . . an accordion? Schank has this almost unseen version from what appears to be a sports bar in Bonn.

There are also version that jettison instruments completely. Here’s a standard a capella group approach by Streetcorner Symphony:

Then again, maybe you liked that version, but thought what it really needed was skateboards? No problem. The X-Factor has your back.

We can do the reverse, of course. Ditch the singing and focus on just an instrument. Like, say, a guitar:

The only problem is . . . I’ve got a fever. And the only prescription, is more mandolin. (Seriously. Way more.)

Or was it more brass?

No. It was definitely more cellos. (Included for Daniela’s listening pleasure.)

Speaking of banjos, this version was one that actually really impressed me.

This one deserves a mention, because who can’t get behind a sports arena organ?

The more I searched–the deeper I dove–the more convinced I became that there’s pretty much a Come On Eileen version done in any style you could imagine. How about . . . harp?

Chamber quartet?

Then there’s this one, that . . . I have a hard time putting into words. Slow down the song, take out most of the instruments, and add a lot more breathiness:

What about people who are huge Minecraft fans? Isn’t there a place for them in all this Eileen madness? Of course there is!

How about Atari, instead?

Then again, I know there are some people out there who listened to Mambo No. 5 and decided they wanted more Lou Bega. He heard their call:

What about fans of Sugarland and Sara Bareilles? Yup. They’ve covered it too:

But perhaps you heard the original, and you thought it was way too edgy. You wanted to make it something . . . more appropriate. I have a hard time describing what Michael English did to the song . . .

Don’t you love the violin at the beginning of the original? Doesn’t it give you serious Irish music vibes? Well, what if we swapped it with a penny whistle and translated the song into Irish Gaelic? Wish granted!

Or maybe you don’t care for music that much, but what you really like is England soccer? The band 4-4-2 adapted the song into an anthem for England in the European Championships in 2004. It generally follows the original, but has completely new words.

There are other straight up spoofs out there. I mean, what do you do when you realize COVID-19 matches up exactly with “Come On, Eileen”?

But that can’t be the only spoof, can it? Of course not. There are more spoofs out there (so many more). Even the Count gets in on the action:

I’m going to spare you from the rest of them. Instead, let’s bring this full circle. The original band (now named just Dexys) was still performing and touring through the mid-2010’s at least. (They released their fifth album then, even.) And here they are in 2012 performing live.

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Like what you’ve read? Please consider supporting me on Patreon. Thanks to all my Patrons who support me! It only takes a minute or two, and then it’s automatic from there on out. I’ve posted the entirety of my book ICHABOD in installments, and I’m now putting up chapters from PAWN OF THE DEAD, another of my unreleased books. Where else are you going to get the undead and muppets all in the same YA package? Check it out.

If you’d rather not sign up for Patreon, you can also support the site by clicking the MEMORY THIEF Amazon link on the right of the page. That will take you to Amazon, where you can buy my books or anything else. During that visit, a portion of your purchase will go to me. It won’t cost you anything extra.

Mid-Maine Youth Orchestra

Back in . . . September? October? I can no longer keep my dates straight. In any case, back in the fall, Tomas and Daniela decided that they’d like to try out of the Mid-Maine Youth Orchestra, on the off chance that the group would actually be able to do something this year. It’s a regional ensemble that Tomas had tried out for once before, but this time they had more time, and they figured they could put more work into the audition pieces.

After much practice and recording of their auditions, they were accepted into the group around December, as I recall. And in January, it was decided they could actually get the group together, though this year it would only be strings who could play. (Sorry, woodwinds.) Now, two months of weekly practices later, they’re set for their one performance, which will happen tonight at 7pm Eastern time on Facebook. (You can watch it here, if you’re so inclined.)

I’m glad they were able to do something, and I’m looking forward to watching and hearing how it all comes together. They had to follow COVID guidelines for Maine, which meant fewer than 50 people in the space at any one time, six feet apart, and lots of cleaning. But it’s been wonderful to have something approaching normalcy (and amazing to realize just how little it takes for that to qualify these days). I believe they’ve enjoyed it as well. At the very least, it’s given them something to do that’s not skiing, and it’s not like they can ski all day every day (no matter how much Denisa and they might wish that were otherwise.)

Anyway. Just thought I’d spread the word. Tune in with me tonight and watch for Tomas on violin and Daniela on cello. Great job, guys!

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Like what you’ve read? Please consider supporting me on Patreon. Thanks to all my Patrons who support me! It only takes a minute or two, and then it’s automatic from there on out. I’ve posted the entirety of my book ICHABOD in installments, and I’m now putting up chapters from PAWN OF THE DEAD, another of my unreleased books. Where else are you going to get the undead and muppets all in the same YA package? Check it out.

If you’d rather not sign up for Patreon, you can also support the site by clicking the MEMORY THIEF Amazon link on the right of the page. That will take you to Amazon, where you can buy my books or anything else. During that visit, a portion of your purchase will go to me. It won’t cost you anything extra.

Performing in Church

Tomas and DC were asked to perform yesterday for our local congregation’s Christmas program. Well, I suppose it would read better if I wrote “Tomas and DC were volunteered by me to perform,” because I sort of readily threw them under the bus. It’s just they’d done such a good job last time, I thought it would be great for them to have another shot, especially with more months of lessons under their belt. The piece this time was “The First Noel.” The arrangement in our hymnbook turned out to be too tricky in some spots for DC, and I needed to have them do something to spice up the second verse, so I once again dipped my toe into arranging the music myself.

(Side note: the tool I used this time was Muse Score, and I was really impressed with how easy it was to use and compose in it. I have pretty much no composition background. I don’t really get chords at all. I just listen to music, and I can tell when I like something. That’s about it. Muse Score let me listen to the music as I arranged it, and that was a life saver. Then it let me print out specific parts, and tweak as needed. All for free. It was wonderful.)

I didn’t arrange anything too flashy. The basic idea was have the violin play the melody and the cello the bass part, and then for the second verse flip those around, with the violin playing backup to the cello. The trick was that some of the bass part was too much for both Tomas and DC, at least to handle with the short practice time we had left. So I basically asked them what notes and transitions they could comfortably handle, and then I made changes as needed.

However, I felt kind of guilty as I printed off the music and had them play it for the first time. Yes, I was doing some work, but I was making them do something they might not really want to do. So then I decided I might play with them. I still have my tenor sax, but something told me a violin, cello, and tenor saxophone trio . . . might not exactly be a perfect pairing. On the other hand, I also still have the recorder I got in 2nd grade, and the fingers on the recorder are pretty close to the fingerings on a saxophone. And a recorder has a nice renaissance-y flair when it’s paired with the stringed instruments.

So I added a part and made it a trio. We practiced it through a few times, and it ended up going quite well. (Once I realized I had been consistently using the wrong fingering for a note I kept thinking DC was playing sharp. I was playing it flat. Whoops.) The last time I’d performed on the recorder in public was probably my second grade(?) concert in elementary school. A shout out to Mr. Potter, my music teacher back then. He did a wonderful job getting kids excited about music. (Well, at least he did a wonderful job with me. I suppose I can’t vouch for the rest of the kids. I was in second grade . . .)

Anyway, it was fun to perform again, and I’m glad I’ve got kids who are game for it. Maybe we’ll do it again sometime. Merry Christmas, everyone!

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Like what you’ve read? Please consider supporting me on Patreon. Thanks to all my Patrons who support me! It only takes a minute or two, and then it’s automatic from there on out. I’ve posted the entirety of my book ICHABOD in installments, and I’m now putting up chapters from PAWN OF THE DEAD, another of my unreleased books. Where else are you going to get the undead and muppets all in the same YA package? Check it out.

If you’d rather not sign up for Patreon, you can also support the site by clicking the MEMORY THIEF Amazon link on the right of the page. That will take you to Amazon, where you can buy my books or anything else. During that visit, a portion of your purchase will go to me. It won’t cost you anything extra.