#Danny Steele Music

[goliath-de-senfina-sango]

Mythic Phantom

This is a little something I whipped up over a while thinking about merging the DP and Riordanverse universes together, and I thank @geraldmariaivo for helping me think my way through it. If you want the ao3 version you can find it here, and I hope you enjoy the fic!

Most Underworld Gods felt it when Vlad’s current permanent Portal opened, but they all Felt it when Danny’s accident happened. A child’s death throes is hard to ignore after all. Pantheons world wide decided that was America’s problem, and Hel decided it was Persephone’s problem, and Haides felt it would close on its own. No gate to Khaos can stay open for long after all.

When Ember went globally live, Muses and Music Gods and Hypnos heard the way she sang, called out to the mortals to never be forgotten. Danny and Tucker dealt with her swiftly enough that she was remembered, noted even, but disregarded.

When the Fright Knight’s sword was drawn, many Fear Gods turned toward Amity, but Danny dealt with it swiftly. Most regarded it as an anomaly but Phobos and Deimos sent subordinate spirits to investigate the town and report anything interesting.

Hades and Persephone noted the invasion of Ghost Cops and saw that Danny had it handled in only a few days, which they would count as a quest fulfilled. Clearly, Amity Park was a contained issue, and the Master Bolt had gone missing by now so they have other things to deal with. The House of Life have some reservations but agree.

Then Pariah Dark got out, and the Gods scrambled to do something about that. In only a week however, He was dealt with too.  A closer eye was warranted. By everyone, not just the Observants.

Whoever these agents were, be they half-bloods or spirits or even minor gods, most wouldn’t see Young Blood and thus would fear Danny was losing it too. When he calmed down, they’d sigh in relief. The two future Ghost Villains who show up outside of the do-over would raise alarms at how fast ghosts can progress, but hey, it’s handled.

When the Hellenic spies are pulled back home for safety during the winter solstice, pleasantly surprised by Ghost activity dying down at the same time, Artemis and Luna, Khonshu and more felt something wrong happening as the Ghostwriter possessed the moon to speak.

When Duul Amon returned to the land of the living, the House of Life sent agents to the town, and Tucker Foley was immediately offered magic lessons. His is power over stone and steel, glass and gems, as well as an ear for the voices of machines. Between terrakinesis and technopathy, Tucker’s limits with his staff became only what he understood about technology.

Then entire copies of the Ghost Boy (Prince? King?) appear, attacking him, manipulating him for the elder, but he lets her go free after he’s rescued? Truly fascinating. Psychopomps keep an eye on Elle wherever she goes - she’s always very close to melting after all. The titan army also keep an eye on her, a powerful being both like and unlike the Gods, much the same as a Titan, Giant, or Monster.

Then the Reality Gauntlet is found by a mortal man, a rogue Magician, while the boy is busy trying to stop it and save the world, Lydia is keeping House of Life magicians and even Odin’s Ravens from finding Freakshow, so some Camp Jupiter heroes are being sent on a quest to deal with him. Then he gets the fucking gems and turns the world into a circus for 10 minutes.

Before the Boy tricks him, takes the Gauntlet, resets the world to before his identity was revealed to the world, (though perhaps not quite fooling the memories of Gods, who Are the world) and destroying the Gauntlet and gems in a single blast.

An artifact presumed by the Ghost Investigation Ward to be powerful enough to destroy the Infinite Realms, reduced to molten ash by one burst of power.

What to do about the young Phantom is a matter of discussion during the solstice meeting on Olympus.  Hades is sent to investigate the boy and finds that he is a godling of Kaos Themself, which sparks yet further debate on what to do when Artemis goes missing.

But then the Son of Hades stumbled upon Elmerton and witnessed a duel between Gods firsthand.

Danny Phantom faced off against Vortex, the ghost of all weather and sky and storm gods who had faded over the millennia, all on his own.  Even in defeat, Danny stole half of Vortex’s power, and less than a week later, he defeated the calamity that even two pantheons worth of gods could not.

The Titans would be horrible for humanity as a whole, and the Olympians were bad for half bloods as well.  Danny Phantom, however, could be just what most half bloods were after.  He needed training in mortal form, clearly, but that could be an angle for Nico to use.

[bonesandthebees]

alright since it seems no one was expecting ironmouse with a steel chair let's take our guesses as to who the next qsmp members will be

[fandomtrumpshate]

FTH 2024 Unlisted Fandom Challenge!

All right, there was a peek at the leaderboard in yesterday's numbers post. Today we're giving you the whole thing. The list below contains all 84 write-in fandoms. The majority of them have only one offer —so far. One more signup for them will jump them onto the leaderboard. Two more signups will put them in a tie for second place. Any fandom that gets an additional 4 signups will challenge for the lead ...

And we've had fandoms in years past that went from not on the list at all, to nearly the top of the leaderboard in the time between numbers updates. Will that be your fandom this year?

Signups are OPEN!

One quick request - when writing in your fandoms, please avoid using the ' | ' character. It gives google sheets (and your mods) a headache.

And now, on to the numbers! At not quite 48 hours of signups, this is the complete list of write-in fandoms -

5 YuYu Hakusho 3 Ace Attorney 3 Bungou Stray Dogs 3 Dragon Ball 3 For All Mankind 3 Realm of the Elderlings - Robin Hobb 3 The Goblin Emperor Series - Katherine Addison 2 Ancient Greece Religion and Lore 2 Buffyverse 2 Detective Conan 2 Dune 2 Guardian/Zhen Hun 2 HBO War 2 Imperial Radch Series 2 Tortall 1 Among Us 1 BBC Ghosts 1 Blue Beetle 1 Buzzfeed Unsolved/Watcher Entertainment RPF 1 Cherry Magic 1 Chronicles of Narnia 1 Cobra Kai 1 Criminal Minds 1 Danny Phantom 1 Death Note 1 Dice Punks (podcast) 1 Digimon 1 Donten ni Warau / Laughing Under the Clouds 1 Dungeons and Daddies (podcast) 1 Endeavour/Morseverse/Inspector Morse (ITV/Dexter) 1 Falsettos 1 Farscape 1 Fire Emblem (4-10, 13, 14, 16) 1 Five Nights at Freddy's 1 Formula 1 RPF 1 Glee 1 Grantchester 1 Greek Mythology 1 Grey's Anatomy 1 Gundam 1 Hawaii 5.0 1 Honkai Star Rail 1 Jeff Satur - music videos 1 Law and Order 1 Legend of the Galactic Heroes 1 London Spy 1 Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic 1 Magnificent Seven 1 Mob Psycho 100 1 Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury 1 Mrs. Davis 1 My Little Pony 1 Narcos (TV) 1 Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint 1 Omori 1 Orphan Black 1 Pacific Rim 1 Professional Wrestling - New Japan Pro Wrestling 1 Professional Wrestling: All Elite Wrestling 1 Re-Animator 1 Riverdale 1 Shades of Magic - V. E. Schwab 1 Simon Snow Series 1 Slam Dunk 1 Slow Horses (TV Show) 1 Super Sentai 1 Sweeney Todd 1 Ted Lasso 1 The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across The 8th Dimension 1 The Adventures of Tintin 1 The Bear (TV) 1 The Empyrean Series - Rebecca Yarros (Fourth Wing) 1 The Good Place 1 The Last Kingdom 1 The Lunar Chronicles 1 The Mummy (1999 franchise) 1 The Pairing (Casey McQuiston) 1 The Radiant Emperor Series 1 The Saint of Steel 1 The Stanley Parable 1 Voltron: Legendary Defender 1 Wayfarers (Becky Chambers) 1 Wolf Pack 1 Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters

[suppose-i-was-worm]

Dragon Landing pt 1

**I've had this one floating around for a while and just today realized it was ready to post. Enjoy!**

Kon raged about his room, throwing anything that came to hand at the door, which stayed resolutely shut. His uncle, the king regent of Metropolis after the death of his father, had ordered it locked from the outside until Kon could “calm down”.

Calm down? Snarling, Kon threw another useless piece of decor at the door. How Lex expected him to calm down when he’d just been sold like slab of meat at the market, Kon had no idea.

Sold to marry a dragon, of all things.

Kon cursed the dragon and cursed Lex.

The young man who came as a herald to the dragon was good looking but uninteresting. He smiled and simpered at Lex, and then did the same to Kon.

Kon was pretty sure he was going to vomit if he had to deal with this much longer. The welcoming feast had already stretched on for hours, and the turbulence in his stomach at being forced to marry a dragon hadn’t subsided, even weeks after he’d been told.

At the earliest opportunity, he slipped away from the feast, glad that Lex was paying attention to someone else. No one other than his uncle really looked at him anyways, they wouldn’t notice his absence.

He didn’t notice the bright blue eyes following him out of the great hall and into the shadows of the Keep.

The stars glimmered down at him out in the gardens, and a cool breeze ruffled his hair like a friendly hand. Kon sat down gingerly on his favorite bench, steeling himself against the stone chilled by the night.

It was quiet between the rosebushes, nothing but the sounds of birds singing each other goodnight and bugs going about their business.

“The gardens are beautiful.”

Kon flinched at the voice, and turned angrily to scold the servant who dared disturb his peace.

The speaker was the dragon’s herald.

“I’m Danny, by the way. It’s nice to actually meet you, Prince Kon-el.”

“I would say the same in any other circumstance.”

Kon didn’t stand up to greet the other properly, choosing instead to turn away again once he’d said his piece.

“You did not volunteer to marry my lord?”

“Would anyone?”

He couldn’t help the vitriol in his voice.

“A prince marrying a stranger, a dragon, so that his regent could gain power? I think not.”

The herald made a considering noise in response.

“You do not agree with your uncle.”

It wasn’t a question, but Kon answered nonetheless.

“The day I agree with that man, someone ought to check me for spells.”

They were quiet for a long time- Kon seething against the constraints of royal duty and the herald- Danny?- thinking about whatever the hell it was he thought about.

“I shall leave you to your thoughts, your highness. I hope you will allow me to meet with you again.”

This time, Kon heard the man’s footsteps.

~~~

Over the days, Kon started noticing how pretty Danny was. The other man glowed in the light and shone in the darkness like a guiding star, and he seemed to want to orbit around Kon.

Every day after Kon’s lessons and training, Danny would pop up beside him from seemingly nowhere and drag him away- to walk through the town below the keep, to ride horses in the fields, and to explore the Keep.

He was never impolite to Lex, if they happened to cross paths, but the closer they came to the dragon coming, the less Kon saw of Lex, no matter what he was doing. And all the more he saw of Danny.

Silly Danny, who played merry games with the hunting dogs by the stables. Gentle Danny, who spoke with the gardeners at length about their craft. Lithe Danny, who danced pretty jigs with both men and women when there was music playing on the streets.

Lovely Danny, who began to look at Kon with stars in his wide blue eyes.

Heartless Danny, who extolled the virtues of the dragon hundredfold.

“He’s very nice, you know, once you get past the inability to rest for more than a moment.”

“Is he?”

Kon kept his eyes closed against the sun, listening to Danny chatter as they rested their horses in a meadow.

“Oh yes, my lord is- he’s very good. Odd, but what dragon isn’t? Kind and selfless and pretty enough most of the time.”

A bitter answer was on the tip of Kon’s tongue, but he kept it behind his teeth. It was no good asking Danny why he didn’t marry the dragon if he liked him so much.

“You’re falling asleep, Prince Kon-el.”

Kon felt a shadow fall over him and he opened his eyes to see Danny leaning over him. A hot flush crept up his cheeks at the sight of the other man looking down.

“It’s warm out.”

Danny laughed, a tinkling laugh like thousands of tiny bells.

“You’ll get a sunburn. Let’s return and see if we can’t get something sweet from the kitchens.”

The other man held a hand out, and Kon took it, allowing himself a moment of selfishness when Danny helped him upright.

~~~

“Prince Kon-el! Do you have a moment?”

Kon turned to see Danny hurrying down a hallway towards him.

“Of course, what can I help you with?”

The servant Kon had been speaking with bowed and made her way off, probably to relay his response to Lex.

“My lord is coming soon, and I need to practice my dancing for the celebration! Will you help me?”

On one hand, Kon could only see this turning out badly. He would be pressed close to Danny for minutes at a time, looking down into his wondrous eyes, and he wouldn’t be able to keep declarations of love to himself.

On the other hand, he would get precious time with Danny that would be ripped away from him all too soon.

He nodded, and Danny lit up with a smile.

“Wonderful! I’ve found an empty room to practice in.”

Kon allowed Danny to take his hand and lead him away.

He did not see the pair of eyes following them down the hall.

Kon was determined that he would at least kiss Danny once before the dragon came.

[scotianostra]

Happy Birthday Bill Forsyth the Scottish film director and screenwriter.

Born in Glasgow July 29th 1946 and educated at Knightswood School. On leaving aged 17, he answered an advertisement for a “Lad required for film company” and spent the next eight years helping make short documentary films.

Leaving documentary production in 1977, Forsyth wrote the scripts for Gregory’s Girl and That Sinking Feeling in the hope of breaking into feature films.

Obtaining finance, however, proved frustrating and problematic. The BFI Production Board rejected Gregory’s Girl three times. Forsyth later said, “I remember one torment of a meeting when I tried to explain that Gregory’s Girl was really a structuralist comedy… I suspect my script was too conventional although nobody actually told me as much.”.

That Sinking Feeling was eventually made in 1979 with amateur actors from the Glasgow Youth Theatre, including John Gordon Sinclair (who later took the lead in Gregory’s Girl , its tiny £5,000 budget was raised from a variety of sources.

Forsyth’s distinctive voice as writer-director is already apparent in this tale of a robbery of stainless steel sinks by a gang of unemployed Glasgow teenagers - intensely humanistic and humorous yet with an underlying seriousness of purpose. This ability to create a self-contained yet believable world with a keen sense of the absurd and bizarre in the everyday is perhaps only rivalled by the work of British television writer Alan Plater. The film opened to great popular and critical success at the Edinburgh and London Film Festivals but was unable to secure more widespread distribution.

Gregory’s Girl was Forsyth’s breakthrough film. This acutely observed story of adolescence and first love set in a Scottish new town was rapturously received by both critics and public alike. Forsyth’s reputation seemed to be secured by the success of his next venture, Local Hero, a first collaboration with producer David Puttnam.

In 1999 he made Gregory’s Two Girls as a sequel to Gregory’s Girl, with John Gordon Sinclair playing the same character, but it received mixed reviews.

Gregory's Girl, to me, is still a very funny film, but it feels dated, that's not to say that it hasn't stood the test of time with some folk, indeed The Glasgow Film Theatre (GFT) showed a 4k version of the 1980 cult classic last August 1which was followed by a Q&A session with some of the cast including Gordon Sinclair(Gregory), Clare Grogan.

In 2022 the popular Scottish actor Peter Capaldi spoke of how Bill Forsyth saved him from living off pakora and lager after featuring him in Local Hero. The Doctor Who and The Thick Of It star praised the Scots film director in an acceptance speech after receiving a Bafta Scotland Award for Outstanding Contribution to Film & Television.

I love Capaldi's affection for our country, speaking to the audience while holding his Bafta, Capaldi said the award was “for getting lucky, and for being lucky enough to be born in Scotland”.

He said: “Forty years ago I was just up here (in Glasgow) as an art student, living off pakora and lager for breakfast.

“Bill Forsyth scooped me up and put me in Local Hero.

“It was an act of kindness and confidence that baffled me and much of the industry to this day, but I wouldn’t be here without him and nor would a lot of others.”

Capaldi landed this breakthrough film role aged 24 playing Danny Oldsen, a naive young oil industry executive, in the film.

A number of actors, including Dee Hepburn, will be a part of a celebration of the films of Bill Forsyth at the Outwith Festival of music and arts which takes place in Dunfermline from September 3-8. It will also screen That Sinking Feeling and Local Hero at the city’s Carnegie Theatre.

[alldancersaretalented]

NYCDA National Outstanding Dancers 2002-2024

2002

Junior: Garrett Smith (Dance Impressions) and Erica Ross (Dance Connection 2)

Teen: Anthony Lomuljo (Dance Attack Sunnyvale) and Becca Henderson (Ballet Society)

Senior: Danny Tidwell (Denise Wall Dance Energy) and Melissa Hough (Dance Explosion)

2003

Junior: David Gensheimer (American Jazz Dance Co.) and Whitney Jensen (CSPAS)

Teen: Travis Wall (Denis Wall's Dance Energy and Marilee Glazier (CSPAS)

Senior: Phillip Spaeth (Triple Threat PAC) and Carly Lang (DDK Danceworks)

2004

Mini: Corey Snide (Eleanor's School of Dance) and Christina Spinger (Dance Motion Performing Arts Co.)

Junior: Nick Young (Young Dance Academy) and Kayla Radomski (Michelle Latimer Dance Academy)

Teen: Chuck Jones (CSPAS) and Jaimie Goodwin (Denise Wall's Dance Energy)

Senior: Jon Bond (Center Stage Dance Academy) and Ellery Baum (CSPAS)

2005

Mini: Hogan Fulton (Bobbie's School of Performing Arts) and Tiara Keeno (Wasatch Dance Center)

Junior: John Manzari (Spotlight Studio of Dance) and Angelica Generosa (Dance Stop)

Teen: Garrett Smith (Odyssey II) and Dusty Button (Movin' South)

Senior: Teddy Forance (Hackworth School of Performing Arts) and Allison Holker (The Dance Club)

2006

Mini: Ross Lynch (Artistic Fusion Dance Academy) and Catherine Hurlin (Westchester Dance Academy)

Junior: Corey Snide (Eleanor's School of Dance) and Christina Spinger (Dance Connection)

Teen: Ryan Steele (Dance Dynamics) and Kirsten Wicklund (Danzmode Productions)

Senior: Christian Denice (Bobbie's School of Performing Arts) Jamie Godwin (Denis Wall's Dance Energy)

2008

Mini: Kolton Krouse (Tempe Dance Academy) and McKenna Ross (Tempe Dance Academy)

Junior: Alex Hathaway (Dance Dynamics) and Tiare Keeno (Wasatch Dance Center)

Teen: Corey Cox (Denise Wall's Dance Energy) and Taja Riley (Denise Wall's Dance Energy)

Senior: Crain Dionne (Donna Coco's Performance Plus) and Erica Ross (Tempe Dance Academy)

2009

Mini: Brandon Chang (Dance Town) and Sarah Pippin (CC&Co. Dance Complex)

Junior: Kolton Krause (Tempe Dance Academy) and Kamila Shah (Westchester Dance Academy)

Teen: Mason Manning (Dance Industry) and Tiare Keeno (Classical Ballet Academy)

Senior: Richard Villaverde (Dance Town) and Ida Saki (Dance Industry)

2010

Mini: Tade Biesinger (Dance Impressions) and Payton Johnson (Jean Leigh Academy of Dance)

Junior: Rae Srivastava (Independent) and Jayce Kalb (The Dance Centre)

Teen: Corey Snide (Eleanor's School of Dance) and Mattie Love (Dance Impressions)

Senior: Cory Barnette (Tempe Dance Academy) and Kaitlynn Edgar (Spotlight Dance Works)

2011

Mini: Travis Atwood (The Talent Factory) and Jacalyn Tatro (Inspire School of Dance)

Junior: Niko Martinez (Dance Images & Music) and Sarah Pippin (CC&Co)

Teen: Ivan Kalinan (The Dance Zone) and Madi Hicks (Academy of Dance Arts)

Senior: George Lawrence (Dancemakers of Atlanta) and Kali Grinder (The Dance Zone)

2012

Mini: Kyle Anders (Savage Dance) and Kayla Mak (Westchester)

Junior: Jack Wolff (Precision Dance Academy) and Payton Johnson (Jean Leigh Academy)

Teen: Kolton Krouse (Tempe Dance Academy) and Jordan Pelliteri (Plumb Performing Arts Center)

Senior: Joseph Davis (Draper Center) and Alexia Meyer (The Dance Club)

2013

Mini: Justice McCort (Krystie’s Dance Academy) and Jasmine Cruz (Westlake)

Junior: Jonathan Fahoury (Artistic Fusion) and Sophie Miklosovic (Faubourg School of the Ballet)

Teen: Jake Tribus (CC & Co) and Jayci Kalb (The Dance Centre)

Senior: Alex Soulliere (Spotlight Dance Works) and Alyssa Ness (Northland School of Dance)

2014

Mini: Luke Spring (Independent) and Charlee Fagan (Main Street Dance)

Junior: Matthew Spangler (Artistic Fusion) and Mackenzie Bessner (KJ Dance)

Teen: Rae Srivastava (BHumn DanceSpace) and Jacalyn Tatro (Inspire School of Dance)

Senior: Kolton Krouse (Tempe Dance Academy) and Jordan Pelliteri (Plumb Performing Arts Center)

2015

Mini: Brady Farrar (Stars) and Madison Brown (Lents Dance Company)

Junior: Parker Garrison (Stars) and Jasmine Cruz (Westlake)

Teen: Harrison Knotsman (Studio West Dance Center) and Nina Bartell (Sweatshop)

Senior: Jake Tribus (Next Generation Ballet) and Sarah Pippin – CC & Co

2016

Mini: Luke Barrett (Dance Attack) and Eden Galloway (Center Stage Dance Studio)

Junior: Jack Easton (IMPAC) and Mahalaya Tintianco-Cubales (Westlake)

Teen: Kele Roberson (Dance Institute) and Ali Deucher (The Dance Club)

Senior: Zach Manske (Woodbury) and Jacelyn Tatro (Inspire School of Dance)

2017

Mini: Hudson Silva-Costa (Spotlight Dance Center) and Phoenix Sutch (Krystie's Dance)

Junior: Mason Evans (Performance Edge 2 and Madison Brown (Lents Dance Company)

Teen: David Keingatti (Columbia) and Sydney Revennaugh (CSA's Dancers Edge)

Senior: Michael Garcia (Dance Industry) and Kaylin Maggard (Columbia)

2018

Mini: Sienna Morris (Westchester) and ???

Junior: Eden Galloway (WNC Dance) and ???

Teen: Aydin Eyikan (Kanyok Arts) and Jasmine Cruz

Senior: Harrison Knostman (Studio West Dance Center) and Jenna Meilman (Westchester)

2019

Mini: Ian Stegeman (Woodbury) and Ivana Radan (Westchester)

Junior: Justin Padilla (Infusion Dance) and Rebecca Stewart (Spotlight Studio of Dance)

Teen: Luke Spring (East Coast Edge) and Madison Brown (Lents Dance Company)

Senior: Jamaii Melvin (Miami Dance Collective) and Madison Goodman (KJ Dance)

2020

Mini: Eric Poor (CityDance) and Kynadi Crain (Jean Leigh Academy)

Junior: Jagger Effs (Miami Dance Collective) and Sienna Morris (Westchester)

Teen: Mason Evans (Performance Edge 2) and Mahalaya Tintianco-Cubales (Westlake)

Senior: Aydin Eyikan (Kanyok Arts) and Sydney Revennaugh (Performance Edge 2)

2021 (Orlando)

Mini: Spencer Parnell (Academy of the Living Arts) and Kiera Sun (Westside)

Junior: Michael Duvali (Centerstage Dance Academy) and Macie Miersh (All American Dance Factory)

Teen: Luke Biddinger (Touch of Class) and Eden Galloway (WNC Dance)

Senior: Jemoni Powe (Academy of Nevada Ballet) and Kayla Mak (Westchester)

2021 (Phoenix)

Mini: Ellis Khoundara (Tempe Dance Academy) and Skylar Wong (Woodbury)

Junior: Ian Stegeman (Woodbury) and Carolina Garcia (Miami Dance Collective)

Teen: Justin Padilla (Westside) and Erin Park (Westside)

Senior: Justice Wooden (Just Dance) and Charlee Fagan (Main Street Dance)

2022 (Orlando)

Mini: Mali Photnetrakhom (In Motion Dance Project) and Avery Gallenero (Dance Inc.)

Junior: Bryce Young (All American Dance Factory) and Eva Jimmerson (Renner Dance)

Teen: Luke Barrett (Dance Attack) and Phoenix Sutch (Krystie's Dance Academy)

Senior: Mason Evans (Performance Edge 2) and Kailey Woronstoff (Dance Universe)

2022 (Phoenix)

Mini: Levi Caicco (In Motion Dance Project) and Kensington Dressing (Evolve Dance Complex)

Junior: Avery Khoundara (Tempe Dance Academy) and Fiona Wu (Yoko's)

Teen: Keenan Kiefer (Academy of Dance Arts) and Georgie Weir (Miami Dance Collective)

Senior: Parker Rozzano-Keefe (Westlake) and Mahalaya Tintiangco-Cubales (Westlake)

2023

Mini: Jonathan Macleod (Joanne Chapman) and Hannah Fogel (Dance Institute)

Junior: Lincoln Russo (Poirer Productions) and Kiera Sun (Westside)

Teen: Hudson Silva-Costa (In the Spotlight) and Crystal Huang (The Rock)

Senior: Jonathan Paula (Canadian Dance Unit) and Abigail Weber (Dallas Conservatory)

2024 (New York)

Mini: Marko Kokovic (Draper Center for Dance Education) and Maeve Olsen (The Dallas Conservatory)

Junior: Levi Caicco (In Motion Dance Project) and Aria Du (Yoko's)

Teen: Sam Gauss (Draper Center for Dance Education) and Evee Lee (CAP The Company)

Senior: Caleb Abea (Larkin Dance Studio) and Izzy Howard (Westside)

2024 (Phoenix)

Mini: Anderson Sander (New Dimensions) and Belle Marie Arauz (Dance Town)

Junior: Ellis Khoundara (Tempe Dance Academy) and Mali Photnetrakhom (In Motion Dance Project)

Teen: Maceo Paras-Mangrobang (Westlake) and Gracelyn Weber (The Dallas Conservatory)

Senior: Cameroon Janson (Creative Conservatory of Dance and PA) and Jordyn Sarmoen (Performance Edge 2)

[justforbooks]

In the childhood memories of more than one generation, Glynis Johns, who has died aged 100, will be best remembered as the Edwardian materfamilias of the hugely popular Walt Disney musical Mary Poppins (1964). Winifred Banks, married to David Tomlinson’s George W Banks, is the mother of Jane and Michael, the children in the care of the magical nanny played by Julie Andrews. A protester for the right to vote, Winifred delivers a spirited rendition of the song Sister Suffragette – “Our daughters’ daughters will adore us. And they’ll sing in grateful chorus: ‘Well done, Sister Suffragette!’” – as the children’s previous nanny tries to quit.

But the husky-voiced actor had other claims to fame from her more than 60 films and 30 stage productions. In 1973, Stephen Sondheim composed the song Send in the Clowns for Johns when she was cast in the leading role of the premiere production of his musical A Little Night Music, on Broadway. And she had won initial stardom in the British cinema as a mermaid.

In the title role of the film comedy Miranda (1948), she travels from Cornwall to London and causes romantic complications among the Chelsea set. Although the film’s whimsy may now seem strained, it was a great commercial success in its day, making Johns a top-liner in British movies. Miranda returned in a rather belated sequel, Mad About Men (1954).

By that time, Johns had moved almost completely from stage to films, where she was associated chiefly with lightweight roles, alternately fluffy and feisty. One of her most appealing opportunities came in the thriller State Secret (1950, released as The Great Manhunt in the US), playing a cabaret artiste in a fictitious Balkan country, and gamely singing Paper Doll in a wholly invented language.

It says something for her properties of youthfulness that at the age of 30 she could play a teenage schoolgirl in the melodrama Personal Affair (1953). The same year she played in two fanciful Walt Disney British productions, as Mary Tudor in The Sword and the Rose, and as the heroine wife of Rob Roy, and she went on to make her first Hollywood picture, the Danny Kaye comedy The Court Jester, in 1955. The following year she played a cameo role in the star-studded Around the World in 80 Days.

At the time Johns alternated between American and British films, generally in subordinate roles, but a rewarding one came in The Sundowners (1960), set in Australia, as a jolly barmaid who takes a shine to a visiting Englishman played by Peter Ustinov. It brought her an Oscar nomination as best supporting actress. Top billing came in a stylish horror movie, The Cabinet of Caligari (1962). She was well enough known to American audiences by this time to star in 1963 in Glynis, a TV sitcom series that ran for just one season.

In 1966 Johns returned to the London stage in The King’s Mare, as Anne of Cleves to Keith Michell’s Henry VIII. Her Welsh heritage came into play when she took the role of Myfanwy Price in a screen version of Dylan Thomas’s Under Milk Wood (1971) starring Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor and Peter O’Toole, and two years later came her great Broadway success as Desiree Armfeldt in A Little Night Music, which brought her a Tony award.

Glynis came from a show business background: her mother, Alice Steele (nee Wareham), was a concert pianist who performed under the name Alys Steele-Payne, and her father was the prolific character actor Mervyn Johns. He was a stalwart in particular of Ealing Studios films: father and daughter appeared together in an Ealing drama, The Halfway House (1944).

Though her vocal intonations pointed to her Welshness, Glynis was born in Pretoria, South Africa, where her parents were on tour. She was reportedly carried on to the stage at the age of three weeks, and it was not too much longer before she was appearing there in a professional capacity, making her performing debut at the Garrick theatre, London, as a dancer in a revue called Buckie’s Bears (1935).

Educated at Clifton high school, Bristol, and South Hampstead high school and the Cone School of Dancing in London, she rapidly graduated to juvenile acting roles in both theatre and cinema. Her first screen appearance came at the age of 14, as politician Ralph Richardson’s troublesome daughter in South Riding (1938), and on stage she was the young sister, another Miranda, in Esther McCracken’s comedies Quiet Wedding (1938) and Quiet Weekend (1941).

That year brought the opportunity to appear in the film 49th Parallel, starring Leslie Howard and Laurence Olivier in a spy thriller intended to bolster second world war support in the US. When the prospect of playing a mermaid came after the war, she was able to draw on her theatrical versatility: “I was quite an athlete, my muscles were strong from dancing, so the tail was just fine. I swam like a porpoise.”

Johns returned to the London stage in 1977, as Terence Rattigan’s choice to play the murderer Alma Rattenbury in his well-received dramatisation of the Rattenbury case, Cause Célèbre. Her acting appearances became sporadic, though in 1989 she starred with Rex Harrison and Stewart Granger on Broadway in Somerset Maugham’s The Circle.

She was occasionally a guest star in US television series such as Murder She Wrote and The Love Boat, and played Diane’s rich mother, Helen Chambers, in the first series of Cheers (1983) and Trudie Pepper in the sitcom Coming of Age (1988-89). By the time of her final films, While You Were Sleeping (1995) and Superstar (1999), she was a characterful grandmother.

Johns was married and divorced four times. Her first husband, from 1942 to 1948, was the actor Anthony Forwood. Their son, Gareth, also an actor, died in 2007. Marriages to two businessmen followed: David Foster, from 1952 to 1956, and Cecil Henderson, from 1960 to 1962. She was married to Elliott Arnold, a novelist, from 1964 to 1973, and is survived by a grandson and three great-grandchildren.

🔔 Glynis Margaret Payne Johns, actor, born 5 October 1923; died 4 January 2024

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[kdo-three]

Lefty Frizzell - Long Black Veil (1959) Danny Dill / Marijohn Wilkin from: "Long Black Veil" / "When It Rains the Blues" (Single) "Country Music: The Soundtrack" (2019) (5 Disc Boxset | Disc 2)

Counrty | Ballad

JukeHostUK (left click = play) (320kbps)

Personnel: Lefty Frizzell: Vocals Grady Martin: Guitar Harold Bradley Guitar Don Helms: Steel Guitar Marijohn Wilkin: Piano Joseph Zinkan: Bass Buddy Harman: Drums

Produced by Don Law

Recorded: @ The Bradley Film and Recording Studio in Nashville, Tennessee USA on March 3, 1959

Released: on April 20, 1959

Columbia Records

In 2019, Frizzell's version of "Long Black Veil" was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant"

[rivetgoth]

I know my primary faves weren’t ever technically on the label (I mean. aside from side projects) but my god Wax Trax! broadly just so represents my all-time favorite moment in music literally ever. The “Stainless Steel Providers” music video, everything Jim and Dannie stood for. Groovie Mann’s scream at the start of “A Daisy Chain 4 Satan.” The style, the sex appeal, the drugs, the experimentation coupled with both the edge and the fun, the uncompromising queerness and disco sensibilities… Engaging with it all for the first time it felt like I was discovering the coolest music that had ever been made. And I still feel that way. Read Chris Connelly’s autobiography btw.

[dustedmagazine]

Danny Paul Grody Duo — Arc of Night (Three Lobed)

Photo by Ian Albert

The guitar-drums duo concept has produced a lot of good music lately, whether in Gunn-Truscinski’s abstract explorations (sometimes augmented with Bill Nace) or Jim White’s percussive conversations with Marisa Anderson. Like these outfits, the Danny Paul Grody Duo often allows the drummer (in this case Rich Douthit of The Drift) to range free form, using percussion as a color and a mood as much as a timekeeper.

Arc of Night follows the similarly titled Arc of Day by about a year, and it’s very similar in texture and vibe, though perhaps a little moodier and introspective.  Once again, the tracks foreground Grody’s lyrical guitar lines but this time, there’s more space for Douthit and other guests are kept to a minimum.  Only two tracks feature artists outside the duo. Trevor Montgomery adds some electric bass to eerie, hovering “Hawk Hill,” while Chuck Johnson joins on pedal steel for the slow-blooming, very nocturnal “Moon Garden.” 

Both of those cuts have their own appeal, but perhaps it makes sense to focus first on unassisted tracks. Grody and Douthit have an undeniable chemistry that comes through best when it’s just the two of them. Consider, for instance, the opening “Last Light,” which unfolds in a free-form, unhurried, unconstrained way. Grody unspools a thoughtful melody, his tone full of force and clarity, but with long meditative pauses between phrases. Into those gaps, Douthit inserts abstracted bits of cymbal shimmer, short drum rolls and unexpected thwacks. Their interaction sounds like a conversation, the guitar proposing, the drums answering with bursts of conciliatory or contradictory energy. There’s a fluidity to the piece, which moves as it will, without the guardrails of obvious time signature.

Later, the two extend their dialogue into a longer form in “Coyote Valley at Dusk.” The guitar licks flurry upwards from a single lingering low note. At first, the percussion simmers a barely audible jangle of bells. Then, in time, a rhythm asserts itself, first in the guitar line, later picked up in a minimalist cadence of cymbal and snare. The piece takes on purpose and propulsion; it sounds a bit like Chris Forsyth’s extended grooves with Solar Motel Band. You can hear the two musicians testing cracks in the repetition, finding ways to make a repeated motif fresh from measure to measure without violating its integrity. The addition of slide (or maybe e-bow?) in the second half infuses ethereal spirituality, turning the music from chug to free flight.

The music is quite beautiful in a somnolent, dusky sort of way. It can fade into the background if you let it, but there are details worth hearing if you take care and listen closely.

Jennifer Kelly

[countriesgame]

Please reblog for a bigger sample size!

If you have any fun fact about Dominica, please tell us and I'll reblog it!

Be respectful in your comments. You can criticize a government without offending its people.

[stephenmalkmusofficial]

Top Albums of 2023

Hello everyone!

It's that time of year again! For me personally, it's been a hectic year, but an exciting one too. I did my best to keep up with new music, and listened to new albums with pretty good regularity, however I didn't find myself revisiting a lot of new records, at least not yet. In the list to come, I definitely see most of them as growers, records I'll fall in love with in the years to come, that already have left a strong impression on me. Just this year alone I spent a lot of time with 2022 releases I adored like Alvvays' Blue Rev and Panda Bear & Sonic Boom's Reset, and another record I'll give special mention to in a minute. I'm hoping to fall more in love with these records, and all the records I missed this year! Let's dive in

My Favorite Record from 2022 That I Listened to For the First Time in 2023: MJ Lenderman - Boat Songs

Ripping off this gimmick from Steven Hyden, who actually put this record tied for the #1 spot last year (with Big Thief's fantastic double album that was in my own top 10). I really became enamored with the alt-country sound this year, and this record was just the perfect scratch for that itch. The songs veer from aching to rocking, sometimes in the same track. My absolute favorite song of the year was "You Are Every Girl to Me" on this album, which evokes such strong feelings in me it's hard to describe. MJ had a big year being part of Wednesday, but I'm excited to see where he goes next as a solo artist!

Honorable Mentions: The Replacements - Tim (Let It Bleed Edition) M83 - Fantasy Alan Palomo - World of Hassle Greg Mendez - Greg Mendez Olivia Rodrigo - GUTS

10. Sufjan Stevens - Javelin

I've been a Sufjan fan for a long time now, probably around 8 years or so. I've always admired his ability to capture such intimate feelings with such sweeping and varied instrumentations. His last full length under his own name, The Ascension, came out in 2020, when a lot of new music wasn't really sticking with me. The Ascension had the same vastness that I came to know in Sufjan's work, but it felt slightly distant. Javelin closes that gap. From social media posts, it seems like Sufjan has had a tough year, and this record is about grappling with pain and loss. Removed from that narrative, the songs here build and grow with such beauty that although I've only listened in full once, I'm almost saving myself from the full wallop I know this record will give me once I really dive in. Thank you Sufjan, for everything.

Crucial track: "Shit Talk"

9. Squid - O Monolith

Squid are an exciting band to come out of the vibrant post-post(-post?)-punk scene in England. I really liked their 2021 debut, Bright Green Field, but it was sprawling and epic, and it could feel tough to revisit. O Monolith takes everything that was great about BGF and builds on it, while also focusing in a bit more. With 8 songs at about 40 minutes, this record experiments with post-rock-esque tension builds, vocoders, and engaged, involved guitar work. I feel like these songs will work well live as well. Excited to see how this band continues to grow!

Crucial track: "Siphon Song"

8. Wednesday - Rat Saw God

I know, I know, how surprising. I am not immune to Wednesday's Rat Saw God being on my year end list. Despite not having listened to this record a ton, I can definitely already feel like this is going to go down as a critical cornerstone of where alternative/guitar-oriented rock music will go for maybe the rest of the decade. As I fell in love with MJ Lenderman's Boat Songs, I grew to appreciate this record more and more. With huge, crushing fuzzed-out electric guitars mixed with beautiful pedal steel, it's really hard to resist this record's charms. Even revisiting their 2021 record, Twin Plagues, was a delight. Can't wait to listen to it more!

Crucial track: "Chosen to Deserve"

7. JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown - SCARING THE HOES

Another hyped up album I couldn't help but put on my list. While not being super long to begin with, this record flies by, and it can be hard to miss everything. I've been a fan of Danny Brown for awhile, and have skirted around JPEGMAFIA's work, so this was a good introduction to hear them work so well together. JPEG's production here is insane, and both are firing at full mischievous speed. Just check out that sample at the end of "Fentanyl Tester".

Crucial track: "Fentanyl Tester"

6. Mitski - The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We

Yay! Mitski! After the kind of underwhelming Laurel Hell from last year, this record finds Mitski back at nearly full strength. Again, my weakness for pedal steel bleeds through, and I love Mitski experimenting with a new, more acoustic and natural sound. This is another record I haven't listened to more than once or twice yet, but I'm still excited to fall more in love with it. She's back!!

Crucial Track: "Bug Like an Angel"

5. The Tubs - Dead Meat

As a huge fan of bands such as Los Campesinos! and Martha, I've always had a soft spot for British rock bands with heart. The Tubs are no different, and in my year-end revisit, this record really stood out to me. It has the jangle of old British folk and early R.E.M. with the propulsion of Joyce Manor, not forsaking sweet melodies and harmonies along the way. At 28 minutes long, I insist you give this a spin!

Crucial track: "That's Fine"

4. Yo La Tengo - This Stupid World

For a long time, Yo La Tengo admittedly did not click with me that much. I'm not sure what changed, but their ability to vary between raucous, distorted shoegaze to calm, reflective instrumentals really stuck with me. On This Stupid World, they've once again found that sweet balance. Bolstered by arguably one of the best concerts I went to this year, I've really come to love this record a lot.

Crucial Track: "This Stupid World"

3. Avey Tare - 7s

Avey Tare has always been my favorite member of Animal Collective. His 2019 record, Cows on Hourglass Pond, is my favorite solo release from anyone in the group. Avey has apparently been sitting on 7s for a little bit now, and I'm so glad it's in the world. Avey continues his unique blend of experimentation with profound moments of beauty, melody and depth. He's also been working more with the bass guitar on his and AnCo's latest albums, and it really works well on tracks like "Invisible Darlings" and "The Musical". Hey Bog is an epic in a year full of Animal Collective epics. Very happy with this one!

Crucial Track: "Lips at Night"

2. Animal Collective - Isn't It Now?

Animal Collective have always inspired a dedicated, eager fanbase. After a few years doing their own things, the four core members of the group have reunited to make an ultimate "for the heads" record, with Isn't It Now. Last year's Time Skiffs built on a lot of things the band as a four-piece did well, and made it more melodic and accessible (again, Avey's bass playing and Panda Bear sitting behind a proper drum kit have changed their sound in a way you wouldn't expect), however this record takes it one step deeper. As typical with Animal Collective records, the band often plays songs that will appear on the *next* record on tour for the one they just put out. As a result, when I saw Animal Collective twice last year, they played most of the songs that ended up on this record. However, I did not fall victim to demoitis, and these songs sound magnificent. Definitely their densest record, but full of rich sounds, melodies and just the right amount of melancholy. Really really love this one.

Crucial Track: "Genie's Open"

1.Jeff Rosenstock - HELLMODE

Jeff Rosenstock is my favorite musical artist. For nearly 20 years, everything he has put out, whether under his own name with his backing "Death Rosenstock" group, Bomb the Music Industry!, or Antarctigo Vespucci, has been great to amazing punk music. On HELLMODE, his first full-length since moving to California in early 2020, has Jeff more level-headed and reflective than ever, but also bursting with the sheer kinetic energy that has made his work a joy to listen to and experience since i became a fan in early college (seriously, go see Jeff live if you can!). There's a maturation here that doesn't sacrifice his passion in the slightest. This feels like a big budget record, but in all the right ways. Songs like I WANNA BE WRONG, 3 SUMMERS, and LIFE ADMIN capture the feelings of trying to work through your own life with so much crashing down around us. This has been the most in-love I've been with a new record in a long time, where I could really not get enough of it in the first month when it was released.

Thanks for reading if you made it this far! Here's hoping to a peaceful, loving and fulfilling 2024. Much love to all!

[fandomtrumpshate]

Unlisted fandom challenge!

Since our numbers post earlier today, we've had more than 30 signups, including write-ins for 2 more fandoms, bringing the total of unlisted fandoms to 155 ... for now ...

At the top of the list we have a 3-way tie for 1st, a 5-way tie for 2nd, and a 6-way tie for third ...

5 Danny Phantom

5 For All Mankind

5 Yu Yu Hakusho

4 Ace Attorney

4 Ted Lasso

4 Goblin Emperor Series - Katherine Addison

4 Stanley Parable

4 Tortall

3 Greek Mythology/Religion

3 Bungo Stray Dogs

3 Call of Duty

3 Dragon Ball

3 Realm of the Elderlings - Robin Hobb

3 Mummy (1999 franchise)

A single sign up could change all that ...

The rest below a cut for length -

2 Alan Wake/Remedyverse

2 Ghosts (TV)

2 Buffyverse

2 Cosmere

2 CSI

2 Detective Conan

2 Dracula

2 Dune

2 Firefly

2 Formula 1 RPF

2 Glee

2 Guardian (2018)

2 HBO War

2 Hermitcraft/The Life Series SMP

2 Imperial Radch Series

2 Mob Psycho 100

2 Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury

2 Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint

2 Persona Series: 3-5

2 Professional Wrestling

2 Riverdale

2 Saw

2 Shades of Magic - V. E. Schwab

2 Slow Horses

2 Stormlight Archive

2 Bear (TV)

2 Empyrean - Rebecca Yarros

2 Folk of the Air (Holly Black)

2 Radiant Emperor Series

2 Undertale

2 Venture Bros

2 Voltron

2 Wolf Pack

1 1670

1 a league of their own (TV series)

1 A Plague Tale (Videogame Series)

1 Adventure Zone: Balance

1 Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across 8th Dimension

1 Adventures of Tintin

1 American Gods

1 Among Us

1 Artful Dodger

1 Bendy (and The Ink Machine/Dark Revival)

1 Billabong - Mary Grant Bruce

1 Bioshock 1&2

1 Blue Beetle

1 Breakfast With Scot

1 Bunny - Mona Awad

1 Buzzfeed Unsolved/Watcher Entertainment RPF

1 Cabin Pressure

1 Cats the musical

1 Charlie's Angels (2019)

1 Cherry Magic

1 Chronicles of Narnia

1 Cobra Kai

1 Coffee Talk (Video Game)

1 Criminal Minds

1 Death Note

1 Dexter

1 Dice Punks (podcast)

1 Digimon

1 Dimension 20

1 Discworld - Terry Pratchett

1 Divergent

1 Donten ni Warau / Laughing Under the Clouds

1 Dungeons and Daddies (podcast)

1 Fallout Video Game (Bethesda)

1 Falsettos

1 Fargo FX

1 Farscape

1 Fire Emblem (4-10, 13, 14, 16)

1 Five Nights at Freddy's

1 Friends at the Table

1 Game Changers Series - Rachel Reid

1 Good Place

1 Grantchester

1 Green Creek

1 Greenhollow Series - Emily Tesh

1 Grey's Anatomy

1 Grimm

1 Gundam (see below for details)

1 Hatchetfield

1 Hawaii 5.0

1 Hello From The Hallowoods

1 Higurashi no Naku Koro ni

1 Hollows - Kim Harrison

1 Honkai Star Rail

1 Horizon Zero Dawn

1 Horror

1 Inception

1 Inspector Morse

1 IT (Movies - Muschietti)

1 Jeff Satur - music videos

1 JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

1 Julie and the Phantoms

1 Last Kingdom

1 Law and Order

1 Left-Handed Booksellers of London - Garth Nix

1 Legend of the Galactic Heroes

1 Live Free or Die Hard (Die Hard 4)

1 London Spy

1 Lunar Chronicles

1 Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic

1 Magnificent Seven

1 Mechanisms

1 Mrs. Davis

1 My Little Pony

1 Nancy Drew (CW Series)

1 Narcos (TV)

1 Nine Worlds Series - Victoria Goddard

1 NU: Carnival

1 Omori

1 One Direction

1 Orphan Black

1 Outlast

1 Pacific Rim

1 Pairing (Casey McQuiston)

1 Re-Animator

1 Saint of Steel

1 Sex Education (TV)

1 Shadow Campaigns - Django Wexler

1 Simon Snow Series

1 Skins (UK)

1 Slam Dunk

1 South Park

1 Starry Musical

1 Succession

1 Super Sentai

1 Sweeney Todd

1 Team Starkid

1 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

1 Terror (TV 2018)

1 Three of Hearts

1 Tin Can Bros

1 Tower of God

1 True Detective

1 Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold

1 Wayfarers (Becky Chambers)

1 Westworld (TV)

1 Yellowjackets

1 Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters

[bleedingectoplasm]

At night, Jazz can feel the nanobots in her veins.

During the day, the sensation is almost bearable. She wears headphones and wool sweaters all the time now. Mom scolds her for being inattentive and Danny makes a face when he touches her scratchy clothes, but the prickly fabric and loud music dull her senses to keep her sane. While the sun sits above the horizon, Jazz can use psychology buzzwords to logic away the crawling beneath her skin, telling herself that it's merely psychosomatic or a trauma response or maybe even a low level hallucination, that certainly she can't actually be aware of microscopic movements in her bloodstream.

But when Jazz lies awake at night, waiting for sleep that will never come, her insides itch. Her veins feel too tight, as if there is not enough room to fit both her blood cells and machinery. Sometimes she wonders if slashing her wrists would relieve the pressure. She fantasizes about it, turning the idea over until she can almost picture it, finding perverse pleasure in the mental image of her blood splashed on the bathroom floor. Fear is the only thing stopping her from pressing a sharp blade against the soft skin of her inner wrists. She's too afraid of what she'd find, terrified that the contents of her her veins may be more metal than blood.

On her worst nights, Jazz can hear them. She can hear the tiny machines buzzing inside her body, hear their jointed steel limbs scraping against the walls of her blood vessels. She wonders how many capillaries they have crushed during their travels, how many of her cells have been killed and replaced with computers.

Worst of all, she doesn't even know if any of it is real. Is it real? Does it matter? It feels real, the tugging and buzzing and pinching of invaders under her skin.

Jazz's body no longer feels like it's her own. Her organs are on loan, biding their time until Vlad recalls her anatomy into his service. Her skeleton and muscular structure are merely supports for the robots that have taken up residence in her cardiovascular system. There is no recourse. There is no cure. She can only lie awake and dread the day that her borrowed body is made into a weapon.

[krispyweiss]

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Day No. 2, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, Sept. 30, 2023

Leyla McCalla controls the weather.

An overcast day in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park suddenly turned sun-soaked when the former Carolina Chocolate Drop sang: My face to the sun as she performed Our Native Daughters’ “I Knew I Could Fly” during her Sept. 30 Hardly Strictly Bluegrass set on the Towers of Gold Stage.

“That’s awesome,” she said mid-verse as the Earth’s star emerged from the afternoon clouds.

Following the electric and steel guitar instrumentals of Hermanos Gutiérrez on the adjacent Swan stage and playing cello, banjo and electric guitar, backed with rhythm section and electric guitar, McCalla covered Kendrick Lamar’s “Crown” and offered a gumbo of New Orleanian, Haitian and American music delivered in English and Haitian Creole while showcasing her the Capitalist Blues and Breaking the Thermometer LPs.

The Sound Biteses’ day had begun in the pre-noon fog with the down-in-the-holler, old-time string music of Dry Branch Fire Squad playing the songs of Gillian Welch, Doc Watson and Bill Monroe on the Banjo stage. Later, it was gospel from the McCrary Sisters, who sung Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground,” “Amazing Grace” and other numbers backed by a full band during short, five- to 15-minute sets on the Rooster stage, where Brennan Leigh offered a lunchtime menu of traditional country music.

It was also on the Rooster that Emmylou Harris previewed her Sunday appearance by guesting with Shawn Camp and Verlon Thompson and closing their Doc Watson tribute set with Guy Clark’s “Old Friends.”

Shortly afterward, Bettye LaVette sauntered onstage to deliver her grinding version of Bob Dylan’s “Things Have Changed.” From here, it was an impassioned reading of songs from the Randall Bramblett-written LaVette! album as the singer prowled the stage and proved her 77 years have cost her nothing in vocal prowess and stage presence.

“If I could write, this is what I would have said,” LaVette said in introducing the new songs, which worked better on stage than on wax.

Rickie Lee Jones attracted a ginormous crowd to Banjo - “I haven’t seen so many people in front of me for so long,” she said, soaking it in - and their enthusiasm rubbed off. Jones, whose band included Vilray on guitar and vocals, plus accordion and bass, was animated as she danced around the stage and crooned like a lounge singer when she wasn’t playing guitar, banjo or piano.

Opening with a radically rearranged “Danny’s All-Star Joint” more suited for the streets of New Orleans than the fields of Golden Gate, Jones went on to perform “I Won’t Grow Up” - for the first time, she said - “Last Chance Texaco,” “We Belong Together” and a sinewy rendition of Steely Dan’s “Show Biz Kids” that found Jones lifting her orange sweater to sing of the Rickie Lee T-shirt beneath.

Give RLJ the MVP for turning in HSB No. 2’s No. 1 gig.

Faced with the quintessential festivalgoers’ dilemma, Mr. and Mrs. Sound Bites split the last hour between Steve Earle’s uncharacteristically sleepy solo-acoustic set on the Banjo and Irma Thomas’ barnburner R&B/soul revival at the Rooster.

At 82, Thomas played the day’s most rambunctious set, ripping into “Time is on My Side” and getting the audience bouncing and waving their handkerchiefs on her mashup of “I Done Got Over It” -> “Iko Iko” -> “Hey Pocky Way” -> “I Done Got Over It.” That one might be ringing through Golden Gate’s trees along with the birdsong for some time to come.

Read Sound Bites’ coverage of HSB Day One here.

10/1/23

[hearts4scottney]

TD GEN1 FAV MOVIE HCS

heather: mean girls (bc she thinks regina is a bad bitch who deserved so much better than what cady had did to her (also she thinks janice was cool as shit))

gwen: it 2017 (bc she had read the novel before the movie and was curious and as soon as she watched it she fell inlove with the cast and sfx)

courtney: unlocked (bc u cant deny girlie would like a good kdrama & her fav movie genre is ALWAAYYS gonna be mystery bc she likes to use the evidence and find out the culprit before the characters do)

duncan: texas chainsaw massacre (bc he loves a good gore fest) [but its actually highschool musical and hes too embarrassed to admit it]

trent: the notebook (bc he loved the romantic side of noah and the movie had inspired many songs of his)

cody: pixels (bc he thought it was pretty damn sweet that video games could basically come to life and he just found the movie absolutely hilarious)

dj: 101 dalmatians (bc dj is a sucker for animated films and the cuteness of the whole movie rlly stuck with him)

leshawna: bring it on (bc leshawna loves to watch ppl be on some stupid shit so long as it doesnt affect her - no matter how many times she watches it it never fails to make her howl out in laugher)

justin: cruella (bc justin loves a good villain story and finds cruellas outfits throughout the whole movie absolutely gorgeous)

harold: godzilla (bc he absolutely loves nerding out over dinosaurs and how incorrect godzilla is on the knowledge of monsters yet he appreciates the movies creativity and detail with a love/hate sort of thought process)

katie: the fault in our stars (bc she was absolutely heartbroken at the movies end and loved it sm.. also its the movie she & sadie had their first kiss to bc i said so!!)

sadie: the princess switch (bc when sadie was younger she always wanted to be a princess and fell in love with the idea of a normal girl being able to become royalty)

izzy: bride of chucky (bc izzy loves a good horror flick and tiffany was just the absolute embodiment of perfect energy to her)

owen: ted (bc the idea of a teddy bear coming to life and being fucking hilarious was just absolutely amazing to owen & it kind of made him want his stuffed animals to come alive </3)

geoff: teen beach (bc he likes musicals and refuses to admit it and rlly likes the movie plot)

bridgette: dolphin tale (bc bridgette absolutely loves dolphins sm and finds the entire plot of the movie so sweet)

lindsay: legally blonde (bc she sees herself in elle a LOT and projects onto her)

eva: real steel (bc boxing was pretty fucking cool to her already but adding in robots?? goddamn incredible in her eyes)

tyler: the adam project (bc he likes the plot, sfx, and the movie matches his sense of humor pretty well that he finds it rlly funny)

noah: escape room (bc he finds the puzzles cool and intricate, loves to guess who’s going to die in which room, and also likes when thriller characters have a good backstory)

alejandro: footloose (bc why wouldnt he like the movie abt dancing being forbidden? give me one good reason as to why not)

sierra: grease (bc she watched it with her mom when she was a kid and she absolutely adored the relationship between danny and sandy as well as the movies humor)