Fab Friday 3/2 Misunderstood Lyrics

March is here! This month, we'll take a listen to some well-known songs with lyrics that people have goobered up over the years. For some, I will post the video. Not all examples will get that treatment, though, because I try to keep the themes as clean as possible. I know my students see and hear a lot worse than what I allow in my room, but this here's a family show!

This week, we'll listen to one of my favorites as a youth - Shake it Up by the Cars (1981). So is it "Don't let nobody pick your fun" or "Don't let nobody pick your bum"? You decide! :0)

The video can be found on YouTube, but I will not post it here. Nothing too racy, just a bit flouncy with the girls...

Fab Friday 2/24

Here we go again...another fabulous cover tune by Mike Tompkins. He's very adept at his overdubbing craft! Maybe I'm just smitten because they didn't have this cool technology when I was listening to the cool, popular songs of my teen years! Anyway, enjoy this cover of "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele and Happy Friday!

Fab Friday 2/17

Speaking of cover tunes...these guys got lots of press when Glee featured them in last year's MJ episode. There are several talented performers out there that have covered Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal", but I like how this is off the beaten path.

Fab Friday 2/10

Remember Nick Pitera and his One Man Disney video? This is FreddeGredde... Same vein of using technology to duplicate and harmonize. Fredde is from Sweden and this cover of "Killer Queen" is pretty fun to behold!

For February, I'll try to highlight clips that are covers of existing songs. Since most of my classes are touching on the roots of, techniques for, and careers relating to popular music, covers are a fun way to witness the love affair we have with pop classics.

Fab Friday 1/27 Creative Concept

Last week's string of creative concept videos were particularly catchy and enjoyable. The artists were able to have both a good song and a unique video, something very difficult to pull off. This video from 2008 doesn't necessarily support a strong song; however, the star of the show is clearly the creative concept behind the video itself. You'll be so drawn in by the visuals that you may not care whether the music/lyrics are worthy.

Fab Friday 1/20 OK-Go

We are visiting some catchy, unique, and perhaps even viral videos as we explore popular music. Just my opinion- but as far as catchy and unique go, this band takes the cake. If you haven't experienced the quirky products of OK Go, here are my faves.

Back in the Saddle...and Fab Friday 1/13/12

Couple of things...
8th Graders are beginning their unit on careers in music, with the first stop being multimedia music. With the network at school experiencing problems due to NWEA testing, we were unable to get into some of the sites that will help shed some light on this area. Here are the links to some sites that are relevant, including the production company representing the composer featured in the week's listening log.

-The blog entry that discusses the ideas, jobs, and "how-to" of the music in gaming market.
http://www.beatportal.com/feed/item/how-to-get-music-in-video-games/
-Position, Inc.-the middle man company that carries some very talented artists and composers
www.positionmusic.com
-Home page of composer James Dooley. He wrote "Sanctus", the piece we listened to this week.
http://www.jimdooley.com/


And finally...the video clip we viewed for Fab Friday this week. Truly a viral video when it's had over 16 million hits within a week! (sorry 'bout the italics; can't seem to get rid of it!!)