MUSIC
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More Music Documentaries, Please!
Let’s continue our dive into music documentaries, snapshots of musical process and lasting impact from notable musicians. On deck today: Little Richard and 90s band Morphine. Little Richard: I amEverything is well-titled. Gay. Black. Visionary. Check. Check. Check. But was Richard the king of rock? More on that later. The film explores his career chronologically… Continue reading
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One Documentary, One Concert, One Night of Rapturous Viewing!
Get your toes tapping and your soul soaring with these music documentaries. Starting with the elephant in the room, The Elephant 6 Recording Co. documentary takes an inside look at the 90’s rock collective most famous for Neutral Milk Hotel’s mythically held greatest-album-of-its-decade: 1998’s In the Aeroplane over the Sea. But as Robert Schneider, creative/spiritual leader… Continue reading
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The Show Must Go On Hoopla!
By now, theater fans are finding creative and unexpected ways to connect with their favorite medium that have grown quickly in this time of necessity. In some places, socially distanced music festivals have brought performers back to the stage. Many streaming services are picking up content as quickly as they can, and streaming shows of… Continue reading
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David Bowie’s Movie Music
Today, January 8, 2021, would’ve been David Bowie’s 74th birthday. It’s been five years since we lost our patron saint of glam. Five years, what a surprise. He still turns up everywhere, that sound and vision shapeshifter, especially on movie soundtracks. When I’m watching a movie, and a Bowie song comes on, I feel like… Continue reading
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Three on a Theme: Music Documentaries on Kanopy
The library has always had great resources for music buffs, but lesser known among these are the many documentaries about music, musicians, and musical history that are available on our video streaming services. Often, these include both great insights into the works of famous musicians or hidden gems that tell a particular story about music… Continue reading
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Stay Home, Stay Healthy. Stay Sane with the Library.
March 13th, 2020 was notable for two reasons. One, it was Friday the 13th, but hardly anyone at the Seattle Public Library noticed for the second reason: it was the last day we were open before closing our doors for a month because of COVID-19. It was a frantic and stressful day full of uncertainty… Continue reading
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New Music Mixtape
This year is giving me life when it comes to new albums coming my way by some old favorites and new loves. Brooks and Dunn from my childhood; the Hotel Cafe alumni, Ingrid Michaelson and Sara Bareilles, who were the soundtrack of my twenties; and the band Joseph is a gem my husband shared with… Continue reading
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Rocktober!
Ah, October . . . one of my favorite months of the year. Leaves are turning glorious shades of red, orange and gold, delicious wild mushrooms are abundant in the woods, and it’s finally cold enough to break out all my hand-knit scarves and hats. Plus October has the best holidays . . . Indigenous… Continue reading
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Musicians We Lost in 2016
2016 was a brutal year for musicians and their fans. Things started out badly with David Bowie leaving us in January, then got worse when Prince suddenly died in April, and became seriously heartbreaking with Sharon Jones’ untimely death in November. There’s still 5 days left in 2016, and I’m a little terrified that we… Continue reading
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Flaked Soundtrack Appreciation
We don’t have a cable television home, but the boyfriend and I do have Apple TV, so we like to occasionally choose a new show to watch together. He binge watches CSI when I work my late nights and I binge watch Shameless on my days off, but it’s nice to have something to enjoy together… Continue reading
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Freegal Five for Free: Movin’ n’ Shakin’ Edition
-posted by Cameron M. Did you know that each and every week, each and every Seattle Public Library cardholder has the option to download five free songs? It’s true! DRM-free and yours to keep forever and ever, at least until your hard drive crashes (but seriously though, back up your files). Here are five suggested… Continue reading
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Thomas Teller: A Swedish Musician Who Loves Libraries
~Posted by library staff. Swedish singer-songwriter Thomas Teller Jönsson loves libraries. His song “Library” is set in his hometown library in Malmö, Sweden, and this August he composed the song “Tomorrow” in the Central Library music room here at The Seattle Public Library. He later performed this song and others at the Swedish Cultural Center… Continue reading
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October Takeover: Scary Music
~ posted by Daniel S. Only two holidays have an entire genre of music associated with them. For instance, can you even name a Thanksgiving song? Christmas, of course, hogs all the glory, but Halloween truly excels by its inclusiveness. All Hallows’ Eve music doesn’t have to name drop anyone or anything in particular in… Continue reading
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Rock Operas and Concept Albums
By Danielle J. You know Tommy and The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust, but what about contemporary rock operas or concept albums? One of my favorite bands, Titus Andronicus, just released a rock opera composed of twenty-nine songs performed in five acts called The Most Lamentable Tragedy. Titus Andronicus is no stranger to this… Continue reading
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Last Chance to Hear: The Seventies
By Daniel S. Welcome to part two of my very occasional series about great CDs in the Library collection which, sadly, have dwindled to only one remaining copy. This time, it’s the Seventies! It was the era of my childhood, and a time when you could actually hear an entire album played on the radio.… Continue reading
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Freegal – Five for Free – Spaced Out Edition
By Cameron M. As the tag line for the movie Alien goes, “In space, no one can hear you scream.” I’ve always wanted to go to space. Maybe even attend a concert on the moon someday, and call it “Moonstock.” That would be super dope. Except, the absence of an atmosphere prevents sound from travelling… Continue reading