#although perhaps also one solo female singer?

[ofwhimsicaldreams]

30 DAYS MUSIC CHALLENGE: 2024 edition by @x--daughters-of-darkness--x

Day 3: A favorite song with a person’s name in the title -> Nightwish: Amaranth

Does "Amaranth" count as a person's name? I am going to say it does as I have been using it as pseudo for years now. What can I say, it is both one of my favorite Nightwish songs and one of my favorite songs ever. I also have a very soft spot for Dark Passion Play as it's the one album that got me into Nightwish, so... gotta honor the song that got me hooked <3.

[horizon-verizon]

That was a very good analysis and you really made it something special. But don’t you think that those rumours surrounding Rhaenyra and Rhaenys simply are not just rumours? I mean, Rhaenyra was obviously having an affair during her marriage and her children were Strongs (confirmed by George btw) and Rhaenys most likely was an “adulteress” given her impulsive free-spirited personality (even Visenya called her frivolous). Don’t get me wrong, it’s OKAY if they were having fun we’re not slut shaming anyone. It’s just people trying to deny those obvious facts so much that it’s ridiculous.

*EDITED POST* (11/20/23)

Anon means this post.

"It’s just people trying to deny those obvious facts so much that it’s ridiculous."

Aegon, Visenya, and Rhaenys all lived a very very long time before Rhaenyra ever came into the picture and still so much happens in between these generations that information can be further distorted or lost on top of misogynist masters and courtiers perceiving the original 3's actions and then basing their assessments of their characters on their Andal-FM and Faith lenses. It's actually not "obvious" that Rhaenys had multiple lovers nor is it "obvious" that she and Aegon were poly. Maybe she even had a romantic or sexual relationship with her sister, which would make this a true throuple versus a V (if Visenya were actually romantically and/or sexually attracted to Aegon and vice versa):

There are throuples, comprised of three people who date each other together; solo polyamorists, who may have many lovers without having a primary partner; a V, where one person dates two people who do not date each other; and an infinite number of other ways to practice polyamory.

We know very little about their dynamic before the Conquest.

A person being flirtatious is not also actually having sex with said person and a lady of the court who patronizes singers or courtiers doesn't have to be sleeping with them simultaneously. Playfulness =/= flirtation or sexual invitation either, that's an Andal & patriarchal affirmation. Maybe Rhaenys was just like that as in she liked to engage with people and make them like her, the lines can be blurred, but Andal people place rough boundaries on female sexuality that playful act from a girl/woman to a man outside of a marriage or direct familial link gets interpreted as sexual. (Although, in the linked post above, I detail a headcanon of Rhaenys-in-court, so it's perhaps she was both more naturally "playful" AND she used the Westerosi sexualized playfulness idea to present herself as benign to male courtiers.)

It's entirely possible that Rhaenys just performed all the actions and interacted with both men and women as the average "lady of the castle" or "Queen of court" that is already expected from an Andal-Westerosi lady like Catelyn. That is being open to conversation with ladies, making promises to their requests (already conversed with their husbands before bringing it up to Rhaenys), patronizing bards and hosting them for those bards to record her and the Targs' generosity and sorta propagandize them. Rhaenys would have known that Andal noblewoman through her own mother, Valaena Velaryon, at the very least (remember that the Velaryons had landed in Westeros before the Targs did and thus they lived close to Westerosi Andals for years to adopt some of their practices). Add that Aegon and Visenya were traveling to various Westerosi castles before the Conquest and the likelihood that they related their experiences to Rhaenys--including their observations and interactions of Andal Westerosi nobles and Rhaenyra would definitely know how she could participate and contribute to her family's/dynasty's maintenance through the role of a hosting, central "lady of the court". She probably even thought of setting a new-but-modified-from-a-past-image trend/ideal of the host noblewoman for other women to emulate, further normalizing Targaryen supremacy. So the maesters and others both unconsciously and consciously, and or in bad faith chose to try to malign her in hatred or envy against the new foreign conquerors who were 2/3 women AND there undoubtedly would be those who wanted to "borrow" some power through the new royals [as a few nobles even offered their daughters to Aegon], just as some & the greens will malign Rhaenyra so they can take the throne for themselves.

Note how the book doesn't give us a PoV nor a real scene with dialogue and individual character action. Just summaries of assessments. We need PoVs and dialogue, etc to see what was Rhaenys' brand of "flirtation" and if these people just assumed she was sleeping with a lot of others just because Andal-Faith women are taught and enforced into more reserved interactions with men who aren't their relatives/husbands. While it's possible she did have extramarital relationships, why isn't possible for Visenya to attract men, even if most are intimidated throughout the relationship/prior to the relationship by her supposed "manliness", assertiveness, and military competency? There are men (like Jon Snow & Baelon Targaryen) who are way more attracted to women able to perform more physically demanding activities, ability to handle a weapon or show the ability to defend themselves better/longer than other women and enjoy it. Who says Visenya wasn't getting low with some secret courtier ass and no one was looking because they didn't see how she could "pull" any man? Visenya would be less playful, more the type to never quite let go or strive to maintain control or be the one directing much, which is not a bad thing in itself unless you are sexist.

As for Rhaenyra, it's not about how "obvious" she was having affairs (can we even call it that when she doesn't have a true marriage, even if it is a legal one and Laenor did not care?!), it's about the weaponization of a woman's sexual autonomy to Other her and makes her the bad guy so she seems less capable or fit for the throne. She can't even act like a "good" woman, so why should she rule? They present her infidelity as a moral failing--a weakness or a failure--similar to how they use her gaining weight as if it were a failing of her conformity & performance of womanhood/femininity.

With both, it's clear the maesters and others wanted to "explain" away their present or incoming power over them all. I also suggest reading this post by azureflight (despite the ask that told me about their racism, bc they still made some salient points about how noblemen likely perceived Rhaenyra):

Rhaenyra was undeniably female, in a society where being a woman was lesser. She was not someone they can put into a sterilized icon to strip from her flesh and blood humanity and she was not some "not like other girls/almost like a boy" type that they could rationalize accepting as their ruler because she "technically didn't count as woman" due to how different she behaved. She was the embodiment of every fear about women these people had: Powerful despite lacking traditional mastery of arms, charming and hot, making her deeply desired by men which meant she could influence and "control" them, sexual meaning they couldn't control her, holding authority, meaning she could reject them, and cuckolded her husband, meaning she could emasculate them. Oh, and she also had a dragon so she would most definitely win if they were to ever try to assert themselves physically against her, as they would try against women like this in general.

To pass off the conscious manipulation and excuse it by repeating that Rhaenyra's relationship with Harwin existed just reinforces patriarchal restrictions on women's bodies and autonomy because it assumes the maesters (and septons, they can't be totally separated) are the final moral authority instead of just a group of men with biases & the ever-present agenda of maintaining their cultural authority in the epistemological conditions for Westerosi ideologies. Or reveals how they make themselves the final authority on what Westerosi people understand since they also reinforce Seven teachings about sexuality, gender relations, marriage (and the socioeconomic purpose of marriage for aristocratic peoples), class relations, and beliefs about what women vs. men are capable of as if genders make the individual.

Which in turn makes still works to invalidate and subordinate Rhaenyra's personal motivations politically and emotionally (the context for which she makes her decisions or is perhaps unable to do much of anything else) for the sake of Viserys I's, Jaehaerys I's, the Targs' patriarchal power, and the Faith/Andal-FM/maesters' influence on society's ontological and phenomenological knowledge. With Rhaenys, it reinforces a story that hasn't actually proven to be true AND reinforces how if it was, it'd be a failure of good womanhood on her part. Some of us conveniently "forget" that we are looking and talking about real humans and not just figures who must conform to certain ideal behaviors, but people in power certainly move towards reducing political persons as much as possible to reinforce their commitment to performing ideals or not performing them. Lack of certain or seemingly "a lot" of information exacerbates this.

That is one reason why I despise the ol' "there are two different canons about Rhaenyra and the Dance: HotD & F&B, GRRM himself confirms it!" It totally ignores how there are things that the maesters didn't hide nor could have made up (ages, locations where fights happened or where people lived for a long time, dragon speed, etc) AND it ignores what defines the F&B unreliable narrator of the Dance (Gyldayn, Mushroom, Septon Eustace, Munkun, Orwyle) is their twisting the story and character's characters to present the events:

as if it were Rhaenyra's fault

they did not already have prejudices against women and women and it is after she dies and her sons become kings that they feel much more justified in those prejudices

the narrators do not have present and long-term desires out of how they present their narrations (Mushroom for fame, attention and fantasy-fulfillment)

As such, one has to investigate, compare and contrast, think about context, sometimes put yourself in various characters' shoes, look up facts about Westeros' society and its customs, etcn't doing that already, you picked the wrong genre, but it becomes even more critical once you see a character with no active voice for themselves having others tell their story.

This is all about the manipulation of information and perception, anon, to ready a woman for critique that will never be applied toward a man.

[mirayashark]

Miraya Shark: "Our success is in our hands!"

What does an artist feel when standing on stage in front of a crowd of thousands of people? Excitement, happiness, joy, and the unique energy of the audience. Perhaps that's why many artists say that the stage is a real drug for them. The power an artist receives from the audience is incomparable. Many come into show business and work their asses off for years to get that moment of glory. Miraya Shark, one of the most popular singers, believes that "our success is in our hands" and proves that a girl from a small provincial town can become a famous person.

Miraya Shark's real name is Maria Nedelkova. The artist herself laughs that her singing career began in early childhood - she loved to sing loudly, and neighbors predicted her fate as an artist. Maria's mother took over her artistic childhood. Being employed in the theatrical environment of the city, her mother understood that the child had talent and needed to develop it. That's how Maria ended up in the "piano" class at the music school. Maria's father, a former athlete, gave the child a great sport, instilling discipline, leadership, and sportsmanship. After Maria became a candidate for a master of sports in athletics, she decided to concentrate on her musical future. Sports stayed with the girl forever, but now to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

After music school, Maria entered a higher music college for "pop vocal" and "choreography." And in 2012, she decided to change her destiny completely and moved to Moscow. In the capital, the future winner of the charts hit parades, Miraya Shark, held castings and auditions. At that time, the group "Propaganda" was looking for a new vocalist, and Maria successfully passed the creative selection. Her unique voice timbre, chiseled figure, and charming appearance made her one of the brightest singers of the band. Touring life was full of constant rehearsals, music videos, performances, interviews, and photo shoots. She had only a couple of hours of sleep, but one of the most popular singers of the Miraya Shark confidently pursued her dream to become a solo artist. The producer of the band supported Maria's decision, the girl always wanted to perform the compositions close to her heart, so she worked off all the band concerts under contract and went on a solo voyage.

Today, the ex-leader of the popular group Propaganda Miraya Shark admits that the choice was right, although the collective work was certainly a good school of life. After the group, Maria faced new challenges - she had to create her team, think over the stage image, prepare a show program, organize tours, and promote her art. Maria chose the stage name Miraya Shark, which comes from the ancient female name Miraya, and Shark - from her husband's surname, which she took after the wedding. A team of professionals helped think through the concert costumes, the dance component, and the lighting for the numbers, and Miraya Shark began devoting a great deal of attention to writing lyrics and music for the compositions. Gradually, the songs of Miraya Shark began to appear in the major hit parades of the country, the clips gained a vast number of views, and the army of fans started to grow. The music video for "Sunsets of the Color of Fanta" became one of the most popular songs of Russian artists on YouTube - more than 11 million people viewed it. And during the coronavirus epidemic, the winner of the charts, hit parades Miraya Shark, became active on social networks and communicating with subscribers. Miraya conducted surveys among her subscribers, received feedback, and tried to support her audience in difficult moments. Miraya Shark launched online concerts during the coronavirus and became one of the most popular digital singers who also won the hearts of fans on the Internet.

[doomedandstoned]

A Rendezvous with Moscow Doomers Train To Elsewhere

~By Sound Animal~

Photographs by Makhmud Podzhigay

This is a momentous occasion for people around the world who appreciate Stoner Doom Metal and its hybrid forms. The Russian Train to Elsewhere has been solid all along. Then, on May 21, 2021, they played live at Peak Sound Endless Misery Doom Fest, revealing their new lineup to the public. And it’s absolutely astonishing.

On June 9th they released the audio as a bootleg. Lead guitarist Maria K. "Gerard" integral to the band all along, now debuts the recording of her vocals, which intertwine with the lead vocalist, Anna Utopian, who also plays keyboards and stepped in to replace the previous vocalist. On drums we have M'aiq the Liar, Olga on the rhythm guitar that keeps me going and going with this band, and on bass, Anton "Vargtimmen" Bryukov. Their previous singer, Denis Generalov, is no longer with the band. We’ll miss him and always appreciate his massive contribution to the previous demo and album. I’m glad to see that in the wake of his moving onward, the band didn’t falter. In fact, this new era of Train to Elsewhere is electrifying.

Live at Peak Sound (Official Bootleg) by Train to Elsewhere

Their sound is hypnotic and contemplatively atmospheric. The excellent drums are pared down to the essentials, as the best Doom drums are. The slow lullaby groove takes us into the imaginative liminal world of Nod as if we’re on a sleeper car bumping over the metal tracks, hypnagogic images combining the forest landscape outside the window with the mind inside. They play everything at a slow, minimalistic, heavy pace, never giving into the egotistical show of shredding to demonstrate just how fast they can play meaningless notes. No, conversely, every note matters.

Anna Utopian’s expressive vocals are consistently strong and delicious, beautifully doing justice to the intense lyrics while she creates Eastern atmospherics on the keyboards. Rarely does any Metal band have so much female representation within it. All the women in this band come across as authentic, being purely themselves as much as the men are, which can be a challenging project, considering the objectified roles they are so regularly expected to play on stage in that particular genre. There are no distracting displays here.

This ability to be genuine is not surprising with this low-key band, though, as they are not about surface level of life. Instead, the music provokes profound speculations and nuanced states of consciousness. It was Anton’s articulate brilliance in interviews that first locked me into their work.

When Maria sings, I stop moving completely. Until she’s done. Only utter stillness will allow the cilia in my ears to vibrate with the kind of desperate attention they require when encountering my favorite female vocalist. I wasn’t expecting that. No one told me. But I’m telling you, Stoner Doom fans. You must listen to this band that has something to say, and you must prepare yourself for Maria’s one of a kind voice. Words don’t do it justice. It’s the low beneath low. Her throat allows everything through, not just part of the frequency of life. All of it. The inflections indicate so much nobility in the depths of life that surely no one could take living for granted again.

First, I’d like to ask about that slow groove that’s consistent through the songs. I’m curious how the different band members feel that movement within their bodies. As a loop circulating through the body, a sway side-to-side (like bumping over train tracks underneath), a sleepwalking headbang, a standing spiral? Perhaps the way they feel the groove move through their bodies changes song to song.

Maria: We’ve never rehearsed our on-stage choreography or something like that. It comes naturally from our perception of the music. I can say, I like the heavy, powerful low-tune sound of traditional Doom. I like the sound of our guitars, amplified and enhanced with stage gear, going through bodies of musicians and audience. I think the sound should fill all the possible space it can, changing it in its special way.

Anton: For our band it’s very individual, some of us stay more or less still, others move to the music, whichever is more comfortable. It’s an interesting question because movement to music and dance is a very early part of human culture in a way it’s ritualistic. Although we never rehearsed stage movement it’s interesting to see the connection with the audience in that light. It’s great when some people dance to our music and move to it.

Anna: Generally, when I’m playing on stage or rehearsing at the studio, I feel some kind of special energy coming through my body. Especially when I sing. I begin to feel very inspired and optimistic about everything around me. I don’t really rehearse my on-stage choreography; I just have some clear ideas about what I have to do on some of our songs. So most of the time I just improvise my on-stage movements. Also I enjoy having that special connection with the audience, it’s an unforgettable experience, especially, when you’re playing on stage and see the people dancing to your songs and even starting to sing any of your songs that you’re playing. That’s when the magic happens for me.

Olga: I felt this only after I became part of the band – the feeling of the unified space with a group of people. When I listen to our music I can almost see how our melodies combine with each other, winding and supporting each other. Seems like their directions and weight are not less material than stage equipment. And our bodies move with the space movement. In this context I like “The Path” most of all – it resonated with me first and still makes me sway to its rhythm emerging in my subconscious in everyday life. I like both versions of it – with Denis and with Anna on vocals, which feel very different.

I love that about the unified space and the melodies themselves playing a tangible role within it. And the rhythm arising from the subconscious. And Anna feels energy coming through her – I feel a tangible effect from that! What scales are you most fond of? Is that part of the particular Folk element of your Doom that creates that tonality? Are there any folk melodies that influence any of the songs? In what ways does your location influence you?

Maria: I’m fond of northern folk, especially Finno-Ugric music, also I try to look at our music from different dimensions, adding Eastern tonality (Arabic, Turkish, Jewish music), as well as blues riffs, chromatic and classical minor scales, influences from Southern and Eastern European folk tradition… Our “Nortern Summer” is a reminiscence to native Karelian folk tunes, and “Mothir” is our adaptation of Icelandic folk song.

Anton: The idea of our project was to express through the language of Traditional Doom some of our folk influences. Yet we are not a folk band in a traditional sense of the word; we try to incorporate those melodies a bit more delicately, but they are very important.

As for the location it has a great influence on us from the vast forests to the existential gloomy culture and literature, we are shaped by this as musicians. As for Finnish folk it is an important part of our culture which sometimes flies under the radar when people are talking about Russia. For instance, Russian poets of the XIXth century with their gloomy and even Gnostic outlook on existence are a big influence for the Russian language texts of our first album.

Anna: I feel inspired by nature. I like spending some time in the forest. In terms of music, I usually prefer songs in minor scales; I like songs that sound not so depressing, but emotional. For example, I like adding some French coldwave sound to our music, as well as some blues rock.

Olga: Here I agree with Anton. The country’s history defined the distinct visual component of our surroundings, inspired by the folklore ideas and concepts we faced from early childhood, it nurtured in our minds the tendency to reflect and the idea of complicated intricacy of life, even its wholeness in imperfection. Maria shapes those images in multilayered sincerity, bringing the ideas into reality.

Samhain by Train to Elsewhere

What is the composition and arranging like for these songs? Do they ever arise from improv jams? Is it mostly one person’s vision per tune? Do the words or riffs tend to come first? Are you most interested in getting across specific meaning through the lyrics or in something else, like creating a subtle mood that goes beyond words?

Maria: Most music comes from improvisations and jams. Sometimes it happens that I bring raw material – several riffs and text – and we try to combine them into a song and repeat it till it seems ready. Also, we have some texts and some jam records that could fit together – so, why not make a song out of them. The needed mood appears when the song is almost ready and we try to play it slower or heavier or faster, add keyboards and guitar solo elements – that comes out of practice.

Anton: My personal contribution is mostly the bass parts in terms of composition, that’s all I do. But sometimes I can advise the band to play slower and heavier, as well as bring in some references from the underground doom scene. Also, I write some of the English-language lyrics like our title track from the debut album Samhain, which has been influenced by folk horror films like The Wickerman (1973) and British classical poetry.

Olga: Most of all I value the moment when the composition is almost finished, when the main direction is defined, but the result can be changed in unexpected ways with new fragments. Then the experiments begin, making us closer to realization of the plot, and I like the way each of us adds his sound to the final feel of the composition and atmosphere.

I like that you call it a plot. Stories really do arise from the subtle nuances within the music itself, whether there are lyrics or not. What emotional process would you hope listeners go through with these paganism-referencing songs? Is there something subconscious about the ancient primal archetypes that can serve people even if they don’t think about those mythologies in their ordinary lives?

Maria: Every song has its own references, atmosphere and path to lead the listener through. Of course, when the full song structure appears in your head, it’s a powerful inspirational impulse.

Anton: I would like to add that myths are powerful archetypes in our subconscious. We like to work with that because the modern world is not concerned with authentic myth and we want to help the listeners experience them. Of course, the interpretation of the myth is psychologically different for every individual but there are important patterns.

For example, facing death and mortality has been approached differently in different cultures. And aesthetically the pagan myth is very poetic and it fascinates me. The main themes of the lyrics are the recognition of one's mortality and different aspects of death -- on "The Path," mystical dark field of pre-Christian pagan tradition in "Samhain" and "Mothir," Gnosticism in "Ashes," omens and symbolism in "Silent Guard," romanticism in "Where you live," and pagan beauty of nature in "Northern Summer." The title track "Samhain" was inspired by a cult folk horror film The Wicker Man (1973) while also referencing the original pagan roots of Halloween -- Samhain.

Olga: The concept of mythology and paganism is the great mirror for the human soul, referring to times, when there were fewer concrete facts and the whole world consisted of trembling windings of human fears and desires.

“Trembling winding of human fears and desires.” I love that. Back before we could fact check everything in a search engine, reality was more amorphous, full of outrageous possibilities, eccentric cutting-edge experiments. Would you like to tell us about Sigil of Time? Is there a mentally different approach to folk music in that one? Some of you are able to participate in that band. Does it feel like a new compartment of the self opening up, like a new realm of a room that you can inhabit? How is that room decorated differently than the room in which Train to Elsewhere sleeps and dreams?

Maria: First material was recorded about ten years ago as my solo project, then we collaborated with Anton for a rather long time – but never released it till spring 2020. In this project I can release my vision that cannot be expressed with a heavy band. Usually, I create meditative multi-instrumentalist soundscapes in a much more intuitive way; most of them are instrumentals or vocals that don't carry any lyrics. Often the recordings wait for some time to be reviewed and even corrected a bit before releasing. Anton records a bass line and manages different synthetic and noise parts. To talk about the room: it’s for chamber music and solitary thoughts.

Anton: Sigil of Time was mostly our experiments with post-industrial dark ambient and dark folk music as well as some field recordings. We didn’t plan to release it to the public but our label Kryrart Records encouraged us to share our music with the world. It’s more of an abstract stream of consciousness inspired by dreams and visions but some lyrics and melodies which ended up in Train to Elsewhere were first composed for Sigil of Time so the two are interconnected.

What were the mechanical methods you used to get the post-industrial effects? That’s intriguing: I’d be curious to hear about any specific dream or vision that inspired a song.

Maria: Sigil of Time is mostly based on acoustic instruments (especially guitars), as we could mention earlier. We use it for recording guitar pedals and post-production with different kinds of distortion and delay, octavers and reversed echoes, also adding such things as different samples, raw analog synthesizer sound… In different periods of time Sigil had a tendency to explore various sources, while anthologies unite tracks from earlier times.

Usually, a song starts from the feeling of total clarity, when the idea of lyrics meets the image of musical sketch, giving a whole plan of what to do. It changes several times while recording, usually each part is improvisation, keeping only several repeating moments. Mixing inserts its corrections, and when the song is almost ready, I leave it for several days, returning to it later with minimal changes.

Anton: As for Train to Elsewhere we use techniques common for recording traditional doom metal. Maybe one thing that sets us apart is that we use the sounds of the amps and their built-in distortion power rather than custom distortion pedals for pedal boards. We want to capture a primal raw sound of early rock and metal. About dreams – before writing the lyrics to Samhain I saw a dream in which I was in a vast endless autumn forest as far as I could see. The forest seemed very old, even ancient; later the dream inspired me to write the lyrics to Samhain.

We would like to thank you for these wonderful interesting questions, it was great answering them. We’re very glad and honored you enjoyed our music so much.

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[randomositycat]

Black bi/lesbian women

Day 1 - Gertrude “Ma” Rainey (1886-1939)

Ma Rainey was the first Vaudeville entertainer to incorporate the blues into her performances, which led to her to – perhaps justifiably – become known as the “Mother of the Blues.” Although she was married, Rainey was known to take women as lovers, and her song “Prove It on Me Blues” directly references her preference for male attire and female companionship. Rainey often found herself in trouble with the police for her lesbian behavior, including an incident in 1925 when she was arrested for taking part in an orgy at home involving women in her chorus. Bessie Smith bailed her out of jail.

Day 2 - Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960)

Zora Neale Hurston was an American folklorist, anthropologist, and author during the Harlem Renaissance. During her lifetime, she published four novels and more than 50 short stories, plays and essays. She is perhaps best known for her novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, published in 1937. Today, nearly every black woman writer of significance – including Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, and Alice Walker – acknowledges Hurston as a key influence. Although she was never public about her sexuality, the book Wrapped in Rainbows, the first biography of Zora Neale Hurston in more than 25 years, explores her deep friendships with luminaries such as Langston Hughes, her sexuality and short-lived marriages, and her mysterious relationship with vodou.

Day 3 - Bessie Smith (1894-1937)

Widely referred to as The Empress of the Blues, Bessie Smith is considered one of the most popular female blues singers of the 1920s and 1930s and is credited, along with Louis Armstrong, as a major influence on jazz vocalists to this day. Bessie Smith began her professional career in 1912 by singing with Ma Rainey and subsequently performed in various touring minstrel shows and cabarets. As a solo artist, Smith was an integral part of Columbia’s Race Records, and her albums each sold 20,000 copies or more. Although married to a man named Jack Gee, Smith had an ongoing affair with a chorus girl named Lillian Simpson.

Day 4 - Mabel Hampton (1902–1989)

Mabel Hampton was a dancer during the Harlem Renaissance and later became an LGBT historian, philanthropist and activist. She met her partner, Lillian Foster, in 1932 and the two stayed together until Foster’s death in 1978. Hampton marched in the first National Gay and Lesbian March on Washington, and she appeared in the films Silent Pioneers and Before Stonewall. In 1984, Hampton spoke at New York City’s Lesbian and Gay Pride Parade. Hampton’s collection of memorabilia, ephemera, letters and other records documenting her history are housed at the Lesbian Herstory Archives and provide a window into the lives of black women and lesbians during the Harlem Renaissance.

Day 5 - Josephine Baker (1906–1975)

Josephine Baker was the 20th century’s “first black sex symbol.” An American dancer, singer and actress, Baker renounced her American citizenship in 1937 to become French. Despite the fact she was based in Europe, she participated in the American Civil Rights Movement in her own way. She adopted adopting 12 multi-ethnic orphans (long before Angelina Jolie) whom she called the “Rainbow Tribe,” she refused to perform for segregated audiences (which helped to force the integration of performance venues in the United States) and she was the only woman invited to speak at the March on Washington with Martin Luther King, Jr. Although she was married four times, her biographers have since confirmed her multiple affairs with women, including Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.

Day 6 - Gladys Bentley (1907-1960)

Gladys Bentley was an imposing figure. She was a 250-pound, masculine, dark-skinned, deep-voiced jazz singer who performed all night long at Harlem’s notorious gay speakeasies during the Harlem Renaissance while wearing a white tuxedo and top hat. Bentley was notorious for inventing obscene lyrics to popular songs, performing with a chorus line of drag queens behind her piano, and flirting with women in her audience from the stage. Unlike many in her day, she lived her life openly as a lesbian and claimed to have married a white woman in Atlantic City. An article in Ebony magazine quoted her as saying, “It seems I was born different. At least, I always thought so …. From the time I can remember anything, even as I was toddling, I never wanted a man to touch me.”

Day 7 - Lorraine Hansberry (1930–1965)

Lorraine Hansberry was an African-American playwright and author. Her best known work, A Raisin in the Sun, was inspired by her family’s own battle against racial bias in Chicago. Hansberry explored controversial themes in her writings in addition to racism in America, including abortion, discrimination, and the politics of Africa. In 1957 she joined the lesbian organization Daughters of Bilitis and contributed letters to their magazine, The Ladder, that addressed feminism and homophobia. While she addressed her lesbian identity in the articles she wrote for the magazine, she wrote under the initials L.H. for fear of being discovered as a black lesbian.

Day 8 - Audre Lorde (1934–1992)

In her own words, Audre Lorde was a “black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet.” Lorde began writing poetry at age 12 and published her first poem in Seventeen magazine at age 15. She helped found Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press, the world’s first publisher run by women of color, in 1980. Her poetry was published regularly throughout her life and she served as the State Poet of New York from 1991 to 1992. Lorde explored issues of class, race, age, gender and – after a series of cancer diagnoses — health, as being fundamental to the female experience. She died of liver cancer in 1992.

Day 9 - Barbara Jordan (1936–1996)

Representative Barbara Jordan (D-Texas) was the first African-American woman elected to Congress from a southern state. In 1976, she delivered the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention, marking the first time an African-American woman had ever done so. Her speech has since been ranked as one of the top 100 American Speeches of the 20th century and is considered by some historians to be among the best convention keynote speeches in modern history. Although Jordan never publicly acknowledged her sexual orientation, her Houston Chronicle obituary mentioned her longtime companion of more than 20 years, Nancy Earl. Her legacy inspired the Jordan Rustin Coalition, a Los Angeles-based organization dedicated to the empowerment of Black LGBT people and families.

Day 10 - June Jordan (1936-2002)

June Jordan was one of the most widely-published and highly-acclaimed African-American writers of her generation. A poet, playwright, speaker, teacher, journalist and essayist Jordan was also known for her fierce commitment to human rights political activism. Jordan said of her bisexuality, “bisexuality means I am free and I am as likely to want to love a woman as I am likely to want to love a man, and what about that? Isn’t that what freedom implies?” Her influential voice defined the cutting edge of both American poetry and politics during the Civil Rights Movement. She published 27 before her death from breast cancer in 2002 at the age of 65. Three more of her books have been published posthumously.

[x--daughters-of-darkness--x]

Queens of Darkness: Top 6 Iconic Female Black Metal Vocalists

Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult

Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult is a black metal band from Dormagen, Germany founded by vocalist and guitarst Onielar (Yvonne Wilczynska) and former drummer Ariovist. The black metal that the band plays is heavily inspired by the seminal Norwegian black metal, basking in the glory of hectic drum blasts and delicious tremolo-picked riffs. In addition, Onielar has proven to be an immensely competent singer, and her guttural screams add a whole other dollop of raw power on the band's already impressive sound.

As one would expect from a band influenced by the genre's original greats, Darkened Nocturn Slaguthercult's lyrics abound with themes like Satanism and brutal, nihilistic critique of modern life are written and delivered in a dead-serious manner. For anyone saying that most newer black metal bands are posers – these guys surely ain't.

Currently, the band consists of Onielar (vocals, rhythm guitar), Velnias (lead guitar), Horrn (drums), and Adversarius (bass). They released their debut album titled "The Pest Called Humanity" back in 1999, and have since enjoyed a prolific career with eleven released studio albums to date. Their latest is called "Mardom" (2019) and you can check it out here:

Ilkim Oulanem

Ilkim Oulanem is an extremely talented vocalist and multi-instrumentalist from Turkey. Her first forays into black metal occurred in 2005, when she founded a trve black metal band called Messerscmit in Ankara. She helmed the band as the bass player and vocalist until 2008, when she released a critically-praised demo titled "Alarm" on which she performed all the instruments as well as vocals.

In the following year, Ilkim would release an EP titled "Iblisbilim", her only other solo release to date. However, despite the relatively small amount of material she put out, her work was vastly praised and Ilkim (deservedly) amassed enough of a cult following for her gigs to be eagerly expected. Check out her song "BOŞLUĞUN LEŞ RUHLARI" and see for yourself what a powerhouse of black metal this woman is:

Cadaveria

Cadaveria (born as Raffaella Rivarolo) is one of the first ladies to have graced the extreme metal scene in the early '90s. She began her career as the vocalist and keyboardist of the Italian melodic black metal band Opera IX in 1992. After championing the band for five albums during eight years, she would leave Opera IX with bandmate Alberto "Flegias" Gaggiotti (who has also been the vocalist of the extreme metal band Necrodeath since 1998) to begin her eponymous solo project.

In the following years, she would release six studio albums through which she acquired a serious reputation in the extreme metal scene both in Italy as well as the rest of the world, with her last being 2016's Mondoscuro, a splt release with Flegias' Necrodeath.

Toward the end of the previous year, Cadaveria emerged victorious from a severe battle with cancer, only confirming how much of a badass this woman is. She has since become a true champion in the battle against breast cancer, by raising research funds and serving as a spokesperson for the cause. You can check out her song "Death Vision" in the link below:

Mordichrist

Featuring yet another veteran lady of black metal, Mordichrist was formed in Sweden by Chaq Mol and Nenia in 2000. In the trve black metal fashion, Mordichrist is a mysterious project that lets only its work speak for itself (aside from Chaq Mol being the guitarist of Dark Funeral as well). So far they have released three demos and two EPs, but these proved to be enough for Mordichrist to receive the status of a cvlt hidden gem of the genre.

A statement on their Facebook page says "There are no female fronted black metal bands in the world today as brutal as Sweden's Mordichrist". And although we can't confirm that with the same level of certainty, we can confirm that the band's output so far has been brutal as fuck.

Myrkur

In the previous several years, Myrkur (stage-name of the Danish-born multi-instrumentalist and composer Amalie Bruun) has become not only perhaps the best-known woman in the extreme metal genre, but also one of the most spoken-about current black metal musicians.

By know most of you are already aware of the praise their first two albums "M" and "Mareridt" received and I don't have to tell you anything you don't already know about it. Her latest album, this year's "Folkesange" saw Myrkur focus completely on the Scandinavian folk-inspired aspect of her work. However, "Folkesange" doesn't at all seem so strange an endeavor for a musician who began in black metal, as there was always a certain amount of strange, haunting beauty showing through the grotesque and the volatile nature of the genre even since its early days.

However, Myrkur has more than proven that he is a prodigious black metal vocalist, and for argument's sake I'll leave her iconic song "Måneblôt" here:

Astarte

Astarte were an all-female black metal band from Athens, Greece who had been showing us just how much ass such bands can kick even within black metal as early as 1995.

Originally named Lloth, the band released their demo album "Dancing in the Dark Lakes of Evil" in 1997. Shortly after, they changed their name to Astarte, in homage to the Semitic goddess of sexuality. Astarte would go through several lineup changes over the years, and would release five studio albums over the years.

In 2014, founding member, vocalist and multi-istrumentalist Maria "Tristessa" Kolokouri sadly passed away from complications following her battle with leukemia, and Astarte disbanded soon afterwards. The remaining members regrouped in 2015, once again under the name of Lloth, and have released one demo ("I (Dead Inside), 2015) and one studio album (Athanati, 2017).

Maria's untimely passing cut short what could have been an even more prolific career, but there is no doubt that she'll remain remembered as one of the greatest ladies of black metal vocals.

[reviewsforyouse]

Phoebe Bridgers’ Punisher Aims for Perfection.

There is a lot of speculation surrounding Phoebe Bridgers’ reflective and raw lyrical content, with her drummer and ex-boyfriend Marshall Vore co-writing many of her songs. There’s so much to dissect: double entendres, metaphors, and beautiful imagery that leaves us with questions. Who is she talking about? Why won’t he play those damn drums? Why is everything so scary?

Bridgers undeniably makes music for the anxious of mind. On Instagram, she stated that for the ‘Garden Song,’ video, ‘I don’t smoke weed because I’m already afraid of everything but I told my brother to get me stoned in his bedroom and scare me for this video.’

The American folk singer releases her second solo body of work, Punisher, in full on the 19th of June. As of today, three of the singles from this are available on streaming services: I See you, Kyoto and Garden Song.

Kyoto is different to a lot of Bridger’s previous work, decidedly more poppy and upbeat, with Bright Eyes’ Nathaniel Walcott on the conquering horns which compliment the chorus. Having previously been written as a ballad, the 25-year-old stated that she was tired of doing slow numbers. The song discusses a day off in the Japanese city, and receiving a letter from who we can assume is her father, who has been known to be abusive towards her and having struggled with addiction, ‘Tell me you’re getting sober, you wrote me a letter but I don’t have to read it.’  

The singer also delves into the world of astrology, talking of trying to understand him, although their differing star signs make this difficult for her: ‘Born under Scorpio skies, I wanted to see the world through your eyes, and then I changed my mind.’ This line alludes to the act of using any means available to understand why someone has treated you in a negative way, whether you believe in astrology or not.

I See you discusses her previous relationship with her drummer Marshall Vore, who co-wrote the song. The honesty with which she sings about hating his mother, and how he doesn’t know what he’s talking about, on a song they both agreed to release, shows that they have a healthy enough relationship despite their past together (this is such an anomaly to me, but props to them for making this work.)

The line, ‘I used to Light you up, but now I can’t even get you to play the drums’ from Bridgers seems an allusion to her song Scott Street, ‘I asked you how is playing drums? You said it’s too much shit to carry.’ Although the latter was allegedly written by Vore about an ex-girlfriend, I still love an ‘homage-to-my-own-work’ kind of moment. My personal favourite line, however, is in the second verse, ‘If you’re a work of art, I’m standing too close, I can see the brush strokes.’ This reminds me of impressionist paintings, how they’re perfect from afar, but spending too much time around them, up-close, the imperfections will soon make themselves known.

Finally, Garden Song is a masterpiece. It’s maybe even her Magnum Opus, but I’ll let the rest of the album unfurl before confirming this. Featuring her tour manager -who she recently discovered had a beautiful voice and had to include him- the song discusses reoccurring nightmares Bridgers has while on tour (See? Everything is scary.)

The song alludes to her home town, juxtaposing seemingly pleasant imagery with the morose reality she attaches them to, ‘They’re gluing roses on a flat bed, you should see it, I mean thousands.’ This line paints a picture of her home town of Pasadena, and the Rose Parade that happens there. She bluntly compares this supposedly jolly event to a funeral. A true realist.

Jeroen Vrijhoef reflects the chorus back to Bridgers, but two octaves lower, their voices melding in a surprisingly natural-sounding and charming way. ‘See our reflection in the water off a bridge at the Huntington, I hopped the fence when I was seventeen, and then I knew what I wanted.’ She uses her home town to voice that adolescent illusion of knowing completely what we want out of life, whether it’s to be with the person we like by creating mischief and breaking into an out of bounds setting as Bridgers suggests, or perhaps it’s the staring at ‘our reflection in the water,’ and having a clear and perfect view of ourselves.

The dreaming theme continues throughout the song, ‘I’m at the movies, I don’t know what I’m seeing, the screen turns into a tidal wave, then it’s a dorm room, like a hedge maze, and when I find you, you touch my leg, and I insist.’ This references a classic scene from Donnie Darko that occurs in a cinema, confirmed by the imagery of someone in a rabbit suit sitting beside her in the music video. This line also alludes to the phenomenon in dreaming where places morph into new ones instantly, and effectively continues the garden metaphor, often used to portray the female body, but the idea of a maze implying that there is more awkwardness, more difficulty involved. An image of two people exploring each others’ bodies for the first time is created.

The final chorus uses alternative lyrics to suggest growth, ‘Everything’s growing in our garden, you don’t have to know it’s haunted.’ Phoebe’s difficult past isn’t going to go away, but that does not mean positive change cannot happen.

The 19th of June hovers over us like a dream-filled sleep. Bridgers might just deliver her best body of work yet.

[blackkudos]

Teddy Pendergrass

Theodore DeReese "Teddy" Pendergrass (March 26, 1950 – January 13, 2010) was an American singer. Born in Kingstree South Carolina he was raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he initially rose to musical fame as the lead singer of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. After leaving the group over monetary disputes in 1976, Pendergrass launched a successful solo career under the Philadelphia International label, releasing five consecutive platinum albums, then a record for an African-American R&B artist. Pendergrass's career was suspended after a March 1982 car crash that left him paralyzed from the chest down. Pendergrass continued his successful solo career until announcing his retirement in 2007. Pendergrass died from respiratory failure in January 2010.

Early life

He was born Theodore DeReese Pendergrass on Sunday, March 26, 1950, in Kingstree. He was the only child of Jesse and Ida Geraldine (née Epps) Pendergrass. When he was still very young, his father left the family; Jesse was stabbed to death on June 13, 1962. Pendergrass grew up in Philadelphia and often sang at church. He dreamt of being a pastor and got his wish when, at 10, he was ordained a minister (according to author Robert Ewell Greene). Pendergrass also took up drums during this time and was a junior deacon of his church.

He attended Thomas Edison High School for Boys in North Philadelphia. He sang with the Edison Mastersingers. He dropped out in the 11th grade to enter the music business, recording his first song, "Angel With Muddy Feet". The recording, however, was not a commercial success. Pendergrass played drums for several local Philadelphia bands, eventually becoming the drummer of The Cadillacs. In 1970, he was spotted by the Blue Notes' founder, Harold Melvin (1939–1997), who convinced Pendergrass to play drums in the group. However, during a performance, Pendergrass began singing along, and Melvin, impressed by his vocals, made him the lead singer. Before Pendergrass joined the group, the Blue Notes had struggled to find success. That all changed when they landed a recording deal with Philadelphia International Records in 1971, thus beginning Pendergrass's successful collaboration with label founders Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.

Early career

Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes: 1970–1975

In 1972, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes released their first single, a slow, solemn ballad entitled "I Miss You". The song was originally written for The Dells, but the group passed on it. Noting how Pendergrass sounded like Dells lead singer Marvin Junior, Kenny Gamble decided to build the song with Pendergrass, who was only 21 at the time of the recording. Pendergrass sings much of the song in a raspy baritone voice that would become his trademark. The song also featured Blue Notes member Lloyd Parks singing falsetto in the background and spotlighted Harold Melvin adding in a rap near the end of the song as Pendergrass kept singing, feigning tears. The song, one of Gamble and Huff's most creative productions, became a major rhythm and blues hit and put the Blue Notes on the map. The group's follow-up single, "If You Don't Know Me by Now," brought the group to the mainstream with the song reaching the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, while also reaching number one on the soul no. 1 singles chart. Like "I Miss You" before it, the song was originally intended for a different artist, fellow Philadelphian native Patti LaBelle and her group Labelle but the group could not record it due to scheduling conflicts. Pendergrass and LaBelle developed a close friendship that would last until Pendergrass's death.

The group rode to fame with several more releases over the years including "The Love I Lost", a song that predated the upcoming disco music scene, the ballad "Hope That We Can Be Together Soon," and socially conscious singles "Wake Up Everybody" and "Bad Luck". One of the group's notable singles was their original version of the Philly soul classic "Don't Leave Me This Way," which turned into a disco smash when Motown artist Thelma Houston released her version in 1976. By 1975, Pendergrass and Harold Melvin were at odds, mainly over financial issues and personality conflicts. Despite the fact that Pendergrass sang most of the group's songs, Melvin was controlling the group's finances. At one point, Pendergrass wanted the group to be renamed "Teddy Pendergrass and the Blue Notes" because fans kept mistaking him for Melvin. Pendergrass left the group in 1975, and the Blue Notes struggled with his replacements. They eventually left Philadelphia International and toiled in relative obscurity, until Melvin's death in 1997. As of 2014, a version of the group still tours the old school circuit, performing as Harold Melvin's Blue Notes.

Solo career

Early solo success

In 1977, Pendergrass released his self-titled album, which went platinum on the strength of the disco hit "I Don't Love You Anymore". Its follow-up single, "The Whole Town's Laughing at Me", became a top 20 R&B hit. Although not released as singles, the uptempo album tracks "You Can't Hide From Yourself" and "The More I Get, The More I Want", as well as the ballad "And If I Had" were also hits. The debut album was quickly followed by Life Is a Song Worth Singing, in 1978. That album was even more successful with its singles "Only You" and the classic million selling number 1 R&B hit "Close the Door." The latter song firmly established Pendergrass as the top male sex symbol in music. The album's popularity was furthered by the disco hit "Get Up, Get Down, Get Funky, Get Loose", the ballad "It Don't Hurt Now", and the mid-tempo classic "When Somebody Loves You Back". That double platinum number-one R&B triumph was followed up in 1979 by two successes, the albums Teddy (which stayed at number 1 on the Billboard R&B chart for 8 weeks and was named the 2nd biggest R&B album of the year), and the live release Live Coast to Coast. Hits off Teddy included the classics "Come Go With Me," the legendary erotic ballad "Turn Off the Lights," and the uptempo album cut "Do Me." With his sex appeal at an all-time high after his 1979 tour, Pendergrass took a more mellow approach on his 1980 album TP. It included the classic number two R&B hit "Love TKO," the Stephanie Mills duet version of "Feel The Fire" and the Ashford & Simpson composition "Is It Still Good to You". Between 1977 and 1981, Pendergrass landed four consecutive platinum albums, which was a then record-setting number for a rhythm and blues artist.

Pendergrass's popularity became massive at the end of 1978. With sold-out audiences packing his shows, his manager – the renowned Shep Gordon, who was known for his innovative approaches to publicizing his artists – soon noticed that a huge number of his audience consisted of women of all races. Gordon devised a plan for Pendergrass's next tour to play to just female audiences, starting a trend that continues today called "women-only concerts." With four platinum albums and two gold albums, Pendergrass was on his way to being what the media called "the black Elvis," not only in terms of his crossover popularity but also due to him buying a mansion akin to Elvis's Graceland, located just outside his hometown of Philadelphia. By early 1982, Pendergrass was perhaps the leading R&B male artist of his day, equaling the popularity of Marvin Gaye, and surpassing Barry White and all others in the R&B field. In 1980, the Isley Brothers released "Don't Say Goodnight (It's Time for Love)" to compete with Pendergrass' "Turn Off the Lights," which sensed Pendergrass's influence on the quiet storm format of black music.

Car crash

On March 18, 1982, in the East Falls section of Philadelphia on Lincoln Drive near Rittenhouse Street, Pendergrass was involved in a car crash. He lost control of his Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit – the car hit a guard rail, crossed into the oncoming lane, and hit two trees. Pendergrass and his passenger, Tenika Watson, a nightclub performer with whom Pendergrass was not previously acquainted, were trapped in the wreckage for 45 minutes. While Watson walked away from the collision with minor injuries, Pendergrass suffered a spinal cord injury, leaving him a paraplegic, paralyzed from the chest down.

Later solo career

Pendergrass got well-wishes from thousands of his fans during his recovery. In August 1982, Philadelphia International released This One's for You, which failed to chart successfully, as did 1983's Heaven Only Knows. Both albums included material Pendergrass had recorded before the crash. The albums completed his contract with Philadelphia International. By the time Pendergrass decided to return to the studio to work on new music he had struggled to find a recording deal. Eventually signing a contract with Asylum Records and completing physical therapy, he released Love Language in 1984. The album included the pop ballad "Hold Me," featuring a then-unknown Whitney Houston. It reached No. 38 on the Billboard album chart and was certified Gold by the RIAA.

On July 13, 1985, Pendergrass made an emotional return to the stage at the historic Live Aid concert in Philadelphia in front of a live audience of over 99,000 and an estimated 1.5 billion television viewers. It was the 35-year-old's first live performance following his 1982 crash. Pendergrass tearfully thanked the audience for keeping him in their well-wishes and then performed the Diana Ross classic "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)." In 1988, Pendergrass scored his first R&B number-one hit in nearly a decade when the song "Joy," from his album of the same name, was released. A video of the song enjoyed heavy rotation on BET. It was also his final Hot 100 charted single, peaking at number 77. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA that same year. Also, Pendergrass's voice was heard on the jingles of a then local Philadelphia radio station, WSNI-FM. Pendergrass kept recording through the 1990s. One of the singer's last hits was the hip-hop leaning "Believe in Love," released in 1994. In 1996, he starred alongside Stephanie Mills in the touring production of the gospel musical Your Arms Too Short to Box with God. In 1998, Pendergrass released his autobiography entitled Truly Blessed.

Pendergrass did a concert at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles, California, on February 14, 2002, entitled "The Power of Love". The concert became the album From Teddy, With Love, which was released on the Razor & Tie record label later that year. It was his second (after Live! Coast to Coast) and final live album. Clips of the concert, in particular his performance of his comeback song "Joy" can still be seen on YouTube. In his later years, Pendergrass's "Wake Up Everybody" has been covered by a diverse range of acts from Simply Red to Patti LaBelle and was chosen as a rallying cry during the 2004 Presidential campaign by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds to mobilize voters. In addition, Little Brother, Kanye West, Cam'ron, Twista, Ghostface, Tyrese Gibson, 9th Wonder, DMX and DJ Green Lantern have utilized his works.

In 2006, Pendergrass announced his retirement from the music business. In 2007, he briefly returned to performing to participate in Teddy 25: A Celebration of Life, Hope & Possibilities, a 25th anniversary awards ceremony that marked Pendergrass's crash, but also raised money for his charity, The Teddy Pendergrass Alliance, and honored those who helped Pendergrass since his crash.

Personal life and death

Pendergrass had three children, Tisha, LaDonna, and Theodore Jr.

In June 1987, he married a former Philadanco dancer named Karen Still, who had also danced in his shows. They divorced in 2002.

Pendergrass published his autobiography, Truly Blessed, with Patricia Romanowski in 1998.

In the spring of 2006 Pendergrass met Joan Williams. He proposed to her after four months, and they married in a private ceremony officiated by his Pastor Alyn Waller of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church on Easter Sunday, March 23, 2008. A formal wedding was celebrated at The Ocean Cliff Resort in Newport, Rhode Island, on September 6, 2008. As members of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church, Joan Pendergrass set up The Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church Youth Fund in the name of Pendergrass to provide assistance and a center for Philadelphia's inner city youth.

On June 5, 2009, Pendergrass underwent successful surgery for colon cancer and returned home to recover. A few weeks later he returned to the hospital with respiratory issues. After seven months, he died of respiratory failure on January 13, 2010 with his wife Joan by his side, at Bryn Mawr Hospital in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. He was 59. His body was interred at the West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania.

There are plans to make a feature film biopic of Pendergrass's life, and Tyrese Gibson is set to star as the late singer.

In 2019, BBC Films made a documentary on Pendergrass's life called "If You Don't Know Me." It was released February 8 on Showtime.

Discography

Teddy Pendergrass (1977)

Life Is a Song Worth Singing (1978)

Teddy (1979)

TP (1980)

It's Time for Love (1981)

This One's for You (1982)

Heaven Only Knows (1983)

Love Language (1984)

Workin' It Back (1985)

Joy (1988)

Truly Blessed (1991)

A Little More Magic (1993)

You and I (1997)

Grammy Award nominations

Pendergrass has received five Grammy Award nominations.

Other awards

Pendergrass received several nominations for the American Music Awards between 1979 and 1981 for Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist, Favorite Soul/R&B Album, and Favorite Disco Artist. He won the AMA for Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist in 1979, tied with singer Lou Rawls.

[aftaabmagazine]

Kabul Dreams – Rock ‘n’ Rolling from Kabul

By Roya Aziz Published on March 12, 2010, on Afghan Magazine | Lemar - Aftaab

[caption: Kabul Dreams performing at the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul in 2010. Photo by H. David Shaw]

KABUL  |  Perhaps nothing best describes youth angst like a song entitled I Wanna Run Away, one of several original numbers performed by Kabul Dreams in a live concert held last week at the American University of Afghanistan. With no other lyrics except the title refrain, lead singer and guitarist Sulyman Qardash alternately sang and screamed into the microphone a sentence that probably resonates even more so with Afghanistan's youth.

Some people will tell you that Afghans don't live in a context where they can act like "teenagers" and rebel against their families and society ("Do they even want to?" some have wondered), but of course, they certainly feel the same emotions. Who better to express it than a rock band? Standing there and watching the crowd of enthusiastic AUA students, it struck me that the song was also apropos of so much more. When Qardash sings about running away, you're reminded that scores of young Afghans do run away to Europe or elsewhere every day in search of education or decent jobs.

A crowd of about 200 people cheered on Afghanistan's newest rock band, which was established a year ago. Qardash's mic was low, and there was too much feedback from the amplifiers at times, but that didn't ruin their performance or diminish their individual talents. Drummer Mujtaba Habibi showed off his skills in a couple sets with solo routines and bassist Siddique Ahmed, who is sometimes called Sid, definitely held his own too. As for Qardash, the frontman appeared to be having fun while impressing with his guitar riffs and vocals.

All three band members were born in Afghanistan but lived in neighboring countries for several years. Habibi was in Iran, while Ahmed lived in Pakistan. Qardash grew up in Uzbekistan and was a relative latecomer returning to Afghanistan in 2008. All three came from musical backgrounds, with Habibi, for example, playing in a band that was into pop rock and pop Latin music. "When I came to Kabul, I was looking for people who were into music, and I was introduced to Mujtaba through a friend," Ahmed said in an interview with AfghanMagazine.

"We got together and started working in a small studio where we practiced on our own and recorded and produced songs for some new artists.

Sulyman was introduced to us through another friend by chance, and when we got to know each other, we thought, why not start a band, so the triangle was completed and Kabul Dreams was [born]."

While the band's logo is similar to the Dead Kennedys', their sound is indie rock, inspired by British bands. Like "I Wanna Run Away," the band's other songs, with topics like love and failed romance, have bittersweet overtones.

"This next song is called Julie," Ahmed said. "I think everyone has had Julie in their lives." The crowd roared their agreement.

It being Afghanistan, the girls sat demurely on the sidelines while a large group of young men stood center stage waving their hands, jumping and dancing.

"I'm part of the first mosh pit in Afghanistan," one concert-goer was heard saying.

The university's faculty acted as cheerleaders and chaperones, some dancing to the music and reminding you of how you used to giggle uncomfortably when your teachers tried to look cool at your high school dances, which is what the whole event felt like even though the crowd was a bit older. The band performed several covers, including an endearing rendition of "Wonderwall" by Oasis and "Knockin'On Heaven's Door" by Bob Dylan with Ahmed encouraging everyone to sing along to the latter. No one really did, of course, because Bollywood, not rock'n'roll, is on most people's playlists still.

A few people around me, namely other Afghan-Americans, wondered how soon these guys would receive death threats from the Taliban. Whatever else, everything in Afghanistan is intensely political. It's never easy to forget where you are, like a nice gym paid for by U.S. taxpayers at an institution that's intended to educate an elite set. Beyond the post-9/11 black and white world view (the Taliban vs. rock'n'roll), I wondered if people regarded a band's artistic dreams and ability to express itself as solemnly as let's say poverty.

It's too soon to claim that Kabul Dreams echoes the voice of a generation, but one thing that was clear that night is the energy of Afghanistan's young people (68% the population is under the age of 25).

Maybe another Dylan classic would have said it better: Times they are a-changin'.

Interview with Kabul Dream's bassist Sid Ahmad

We asked Kabul Dreams a few questions. The responses came from band bassist Sid Ahmed.

Roya Aziz: So Sid, is there a Nancy? Sid: There's always Nancys, Julies, Jessicas, and so on! However, this is Afghanistan, so; basically, you know what I'm saying!

Roya Aziz: We are Old School. What do you think of Stars, the Ahmad Zahir rock band? Do you consider them an influence? Sid: Stars were probably one of the best bands we ever had in Afghanistan. Although they were influenced by the classic rock bands of the time, the music they played was not rock, it was a kind of fusion played with drums and guitars at which they were pretty good. Our influences are mostly British Indie rock bands, mostly new ones.

Roya Aziz: Your peers download Bollywood ringtones at an alarming rate. Do you think English rock will find a place amid these types of traditional preferences? Sid: Even Bollywood is now influenced by rock! It's just a matter of time, very soon the most popular ring tone will be "Knockin' on Heaven's Door"!

Roya Aziz: Who's your favorite rock'n'roll personality, and why? Sid: We all have our favorites. Mine is Paul McCartney because he's one of the best songwriters of all time.

Roya Aziz: Do you guys play Guitar Hero? Sid: We play guitars, so there's hardly time for any guitar hero!

Roya Aziz: What about your female fans? They seemed a bit restrained at your AUA show. Do you think the type of songs you write resonates with them? Sid: They like our songs, that is what all matters to us. Girls are restrained not only at AUA show but all over Afghanistan for many reasons. Our songs are mostly about love, relationships, friendship, peace, etc.. so I think they do resonate with them.

Roya Aziz: Do you foresee any competition from an Afghan all-girl rock band in the near future? Sid: We definitely foresee a competition from an Afghan rock band, but an all-girl rock band would definitely be hard to compete with!

Roya Aziz: What was your reaction to the overwhelming support from the audience at the South Asia Bands Festival in India? Sid: It was an exciting experience! The fact that they appreciated our music and were thrilled by it was a sign that what we started was something that we could be proud of. And what matters most to us is that we tried so hard to get there, on our own, without any support, facing difficulties on some basic things like lack of electricity, a place to practice … And now all our efforts were yielding the fruit!

Roya Aziz: What I love about Afghanistan is …. Sid: The fact that in spite of the problems and issues it has, you can't be away from it for too long!

Roya Aziz: What I don't like about Afghanistan is … Sid: The suicide attacks!

Roya Aziz: Where do you see your band in 10 years from now? Sid: At the Grammy award show, or probably a celebration after we have won [an award]!

Roya Aziz: Where do you see the country in 10 years from now? Sid: The country will probably have figured out a better security system by then. Wearing a life vest and traveling with armored vehicles might be part of the visa requirements!

Roya Aziz: I used to play a short-scale bass. Think we can jam sometime? Just kidding. I haven't played in 12 years. Rock on, Kabul Dreams. Sid: We can play guitar hero together sometimes and don't worry, I suck at it!

Roya Aziz: Any last words to our readers? Sid: Stay tuned for our first album coming up soon! And one more thing: RoCk oN!!!

Notes

Currently, the three original band members reside outside of Afghanistan. Mojtaba Habibi Shandiz lives in France. Sulyman Qardash and Sid Ahmad reside in the San Francisco Bay Area along with Raby Adib (joined in 2013).

On June 21, 2019, Kabul Dreams released a new EP With Love from Kabul:

[caption: Cover of their 2019 EP "With Love from Kabul" Photo by Fatimah Hossaini ]

Kabul Dreams 2016 live rendition of the late Baaz Gul Badakhshi's بازگل بدخشی folk song Ay Shokh  ای شوخ (O' Naughty One):

Kabul Dreams Links

Website Instagram

About Roya Aziz

Roya Aziz was born in Kabul, Afghanistan. She lived in Kabul and worked in media and communications. She has a master’s degrees in journalism from UC Berkeley. 

[mrskylerreviews-blog]

POPPY - AM I A GIRL? (Album Review)

           Only a year after the release of her debut album Poppy.Computer, the singer and ever-growing internet personality Poppy has returned with her second musical effort, titled Am I A Girl? This sophomore record sees our favorite android widening her range in lyrical content and production quality, offering a more polished and extensive view at the world through her sweet, robotic eyes. While her director Titanic Sinclair still had a hand in some of the songs on this album, there are also major collaborations with producers Diplo (owner of the label Poppy is signed to, Mad Decent) and Fernando Garibay (responsible for Lady Gaga’s ‘‘Alejandro’’ back in 2009).

           Am I A Girl? further progresses the narrative of the Poppy character, after the first album basically introduced who she was to the world, and commentated on the presence of technology and the internet in our modern society. This time, Poppy takes us on a more personal ride, as she begins questioning everything about her surroundings, from the reason of her existence on this world, to the fate that might await humanity due to pollution that we have caused ourselves. The first half of the record, though, is focused more on Poppy’s love for fashion, and a sassier and much firmer confidence that reassures the growth of the character. She isn’t a follower of what ‘‘They’’ want anymore. Poppy knows what she’s capable of and even though this album is based on a question that could define her entire life, it also presents her with answers that she may have been asking herself since she first started appearing on Youtube back in 2014.

1.      In A Minute: a solid opener for the album, this track shows a great combination of the material Poppy is known for, and a big step towards this new polished path she will be taking us on. With lyrics such as ‘‘I used to be free willing / Now I got work to do’’, we are presented head-on with the aforementioned confidence and sense of individuality that is to become the running theme throughout the record. Overall, In A Minute works perfect as an introduction to Am I A Girl?

2.      Fashion After All: although the theme of sass and confidence tried real hard to stretch enough for several songs on the album, Fashion After All feels a bit overdone and very easy to skip. While sing-talking about how she’s mother to many and the fact that she is relatable yet scary, the electropop production doesn’t really do its job of grasping the listener, as it sounds not too exciting or like something we haven’t heard before, and the lyrics can get tiring quick.

3.      Iconic: this track attempts a go with the inspiring and ‘‘even if you’re weird, you’re still so cool’’ concept that isn’t at all new for female pop singers. While the lyrics aren’t necessarily the most original and groundbreaking piece of handcrafted artistry, they succeed in delivering an uplifting and feel-good vibe to the listener, with the production matching the joyous energy that is supposed to carry the message. Poppy’s vocals also shift from low tones in the pre-chorus that we haven’t really heard from her before, to sweet and colorful falsettos that we all know and love.

4.      Chic Chick: this track feels like what Fashion After All should have been, and it is honestly a bit surprising that both of them made it on the album. Chic Chick is a punch to the face, with Poppy making it very clear that she’s here to do her business, she is classy yet a handful, and there is nothing you can do about it. Being the only song on the project to have an Explicit warning with the line ‘‘I’m a chic chick / If you don’t like it, suck my d*ck’’, the aggressiveness and the unapologetic tone of this track steers the album towards the right path. The synth guitar solo felt like a very nice touch for adding a bit of edge to the track, as it also suffers a bit of weakness with the electropop production.

5.      Time Is Up: being the lead single of the album, Time Is Up gave us our first glance of what Am I A Girl? was going to be, and we can all agree that the raise in production quality and 80s synth sound that Diplo gave us threw us all for a loop. Not only that, but the lyrics, which narrate Poppy’s perspective of waking up in a factory then realizing mankind is destroying their own home, truly solidify the strength of this track. She is telling us that all we really have achieved during our time on Earth is pollution, overpopulation and causing sickness to the planet, and that once we go extinct due to our irresponsibility, her android body will stay here to witness the aftermath of the mess we made. Time Is Up does an astounding job of delivering a very serious message, while doing so with a sound that is sure to capture the interest of mainstream music listeners.

6.      Aristocrat: this track makes me feel the most reminiscent of Poppy’s work from the Bubblebath EP back in 2016. Produced by Fernando Garibay, Aristocrat is a very theatrical and dramatic telling of how Poppy infiltrated a party in what feels like the late 1700s France, easily capturing the attention of all those who are royal due to her dancing abilities, without realizing that, as she puts it, she ‘‘got there from the gutter.’’ The track is fresh and new for what Poppy usually puts out, while somehow still giving a nod to her earlier musical efforts. Definitely one of the strongest in the album.

7.      Hard Feelings: this is where we start getting that personal inside look on Poppy’s life, and where she becomes more vulnerable with the questions she’s asking about herself, like why she’s falling so hard for her creator if she wasn’t meant to be capable of feeling in the first place. The track opens with some lines in French, asking somebody what they want from her. We see more of the vulnerability when in the pre-chorus she asks ‘‘Am I a replica of someone that you loved? / Someone you made me to replace?’’ Then we get a very interesting touch of heavy rock guitars smoothly blending into the track after the chorus, which reappear with just a bit more intensity during the bridge, without necessarily overpowering the song or ruining the soft honesty the song is meant to portray. Overall, Hard Feelings does its task of presenting Poppy as someone who has more worries than just being chic, and also subtly opens for the surprises that are to come later in the album.

8.      Girls In Bikinis: this track leans more to the failing side of the album, as it feels somewhat unnecessary and honestly quite boring. Sounding like something that would perhaps gain more attention in the late 90s if it were released by any other female phenomenon of pop, the only redeeming quality that Girls In Bikinis might just carry is the bisexual hinting Poppy throws throughout the song. Other than that, it quite frankly sounds nothing like a track we should be getting from her, even if this album is all about expanding and experimenting with sounds.

9.      The Rapture Ball: this is another track that also falls a bit weak, especially with its lyrics. Poppy sings about going to a party and seeing everybody arrive in limousines and dance in gowns, but really she just fails at actually creating a good enough atmosphere for this grand ball that we’re supposed to be intrigued by. Perhaps the line where she states that she never got to go to her prom were meant to give it a more personal touch, but the overall content still feels like it only scratched the surface of its potential. The song in its entirety seems to rely mostly on the one line ‘‘This is the best bang since the big one’’, almost like it’s supposed to be so clever and iconic that we’ll want to sing it over and over and just forget how lacking the end result of everything really is.

10.  Am I A Girl?: Picking up once again after the disappointment of the last two songs is the title track, Am I A Girl?, where Poppy urges the listener to please not try to resolve or define her as either male or female, because she is having a hard time even knowing what it truly means to be either of those. It is a very nice track to hear, starting with the pop sound that we got on the first half of the album, and then hitting us with a hard rock that blends perfectly with the frustration of the message. Poppy is basically declaring war against gender roles and the definition of gender itself, something refreshing to hear for people like me in the LGBT community.

11.  Play Destroy feat. Grimes: this is where things get intense. First off, I simply could not imagine a world where this song would sound any good without Grimes in it. Poppy does add her own edge, and the combination of both these artists’ weirdness is just grand. Grimes is what makes the song though, which is not at all a bad thing. We hear these girls so sweetly announce that they are going to drop a match into a gas tank and burn down the local Walmart, all alongside a heavy rock production, and it’s nearly impossible to not allow them to do so. Then in the bridge Grimes says that she’s dying, with Poppy simply replying ‘‘It’s a Hollywood moment!’’, making fun of the way people there see anything that happens to celebrities as the newest gossip or article for their cheap magazine. In the end, Play Destroy is an absolute masterpiece that truly displays Poppy’s behavioral battle with herself and discovering if she really is the sweet angel she thought she was on her first album.

12.  X: Closing the album is the song that all previous rock attempts were really building up for. Continuing with the theme of going back and forth between wanting peace or wishing to see chaos and destruction in the world, this track goes for a less subtle approach (and it’s perfect). It begins with very heavy guitar, then quickly shifting into a melodic sunshine pop a la Beatles, with Poppy saying she wishes to empty the bullets out of all the guns in the world. But the calm does not last long before we go back into the metal, where we get lines like ‘‘Please get me bloody / You can get down on your knees if you’re naughty’’. A third sudden genre kicks in, this time (believe it or not), it being trap music. The track continues aggressively going back and forth, switching between all these sounds, but cleverly enough as not to get boring or overwhelming. It is definitely new and exciting to see Poppy go and attempt something so out of what she usually gives her fans, and it really could have gone either really well or horribly wrong. Luckily for her (and us), it was the former.

Am I A Girl? is an album that somehow is better when it gets out of the comfort zone of what we know Poppy for, with very nice vocals and a brave refusal to stick to only one genre. It contains very high replay value and it allows Poppy to show fans a new, edgier side that Poppy.Computer might have restrained her from. Hopefully in the future, she continues to explore and experiment in ways that keep being entertaining and interesting.

RATING: 7/10

Favorite songs: Chic Chick, Aristocrat, Time Is Up, Play Destroy, X

Least favorite songs: Fashion After All, Girls In Bikinis, The Rapture Ball

[superrichlads]

Niall Horan on stage at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre last night. Picture: Josh Woning/AAP

THOUSANDS of screaming teens gave Niall Horan a rousing welcome to Australia at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre last night as the former One Direction star launched into the local leg of his Flicker world tour.

It was the first time Irish singer had performed solo in Brisbane since he previously appeared to his adoring fans at the Boondall venue when One Direction was at the height of it’s global domination.

This time Horan and his five-piece band launched into his own bag of hits from his debut album including the popular ballad This Town and international number one Slow Hands. Showing he has well and truly become a star in his own right, Slow Hands debuted at the top of the charts in 44 countries and has been streamed worldwide a staggering 820 million times. Fans had to wait until the encore for his biggest hit, but they were treated to a polished performance before that showcasing Horan’s strong vocals and clear stage presence.

Acknowledging his origins in the supergroup boy band, Horan also has peppered his set with One Direction songs (including a crowd pleasing rendition of Drag Me Down) and even appealed to the mums and dad chaperones in the crowd with a surprising cover of Bruce Springsteen’s Dancing in the Dark.

Horan started The Boss’s classic as a slow acoustic version before joining with the full band to bring the audience their feet.

He played guitar for most of the concert and showed his musical versatility by even jumping on the piano for So Long (a previously unreleased song he has reworked for the tour).

The relaxed singer engaged regularly with the female-dominated crowd and at one stage was even asked to do a “shoey”. He declined the invitation to drink out of his boot, suggesting he didn’t want to have “squelchy shoes”.

Although he described Australia as the furtherest you could get from his home in Ireland, he said it was one of his favourite destinations and praised the audience for taking up his invitations to sing the choruses of several of his songs.

He perhaps saved his most personal message for the introduction of what he described as his favourite song from the album (and the one it took its name from) Flicker. The song meant so much to him, he said, that it only took him 20 minutes to write and he implored the audience to “put your phones in your pockets for three minutes” and let the lyrics “take you somewhere”.

Throughout the night Horan beautifully balanced these quieter moments with more up-tempo numbers such as Mirrors. Seeing Blind allowed Horan to surprise the audience again by inviting support act Marin Morris to the stage for a powerful duet. Earlier US singer songwriter Morris had warmed the crowd up brilliantly with her blend of country and pop finishing on a high with her hit The Middle.

The concert marks the midway point of a seven-month world tour and the tight performance shows a group of confident musicians in top form.

Horan will play two more concerts in Sydney and Melbourne this week before heading to the Philippines.

[chiseler]

Happy Cal Stewart, Yankee Comedian

There was very little that was original about Cal Stewart’s routine. He was simply very good at embodying what had, on the vaudeville circuit, become a well established stock character type. But thanks to some fortuitous timing, Stewart, and his alter ego Uncle Josh Weathersby, became perhaps the most popular and influential comedian of the early recording era. His fame was on a par with Mark Twain’s or Will Rogers’s, but his stardom was a direct result of the advent of the phonograph.

The only thing known about Stewart’s parents—and this only by way of his death certificate—was that they had immigrated from Scotland and settled in Charlotte County, Virginia, where Stewart was born in 1856. By his own account—and I should note here that his accounts tended to change depending on his audience, the weather, and the time of day—Stewart left home early and wandered the country, picking up jobs here and there as he went. He was a miner, a lumberjack, a short order cook, and traveled with a medicine show. More than anything, however, he worked a series of low-level jobs for the railroads, where he earned a reputation as a colorful storyteller.

Although by most accounts Stewart had no fixed address, he spent a lot of time in Decatur, Illinois. Decatur was a major railway hub at the time, and the locals came to consider him one of their own. He was so familiar a presence around town he came to be dubbed Happy Cal Stewart on account of his lighthearted demeanor regardless of the circumstances. The moniker would stick, at least for a little while.

His skills as a storyteller  soon began landing him side jobs as a public speaker, and in the 1870s, while working on a train that was carrying a touring production of Uncle Tom’s Cabin from stop to stop, Stewart volunteered to fill in for an actor who was regularly too drunk to perform. Despite that brief taste of the limelight, Stewart continued working for the railroads until 1894, when the combination of a railroad strike and an accident that cost him a finger and several toes convinced him to look for other work.

Given his background, personality and the times, vaudeville seemed the obvious next step. He began by working in blackface and as a general purpose comedian, impressionist, and storyteller. It was around 1896 that his Uncle Josh character began to emerge.

Now, lampooning New Englanders (particularly the accent) in lowbrow American entertainment can be traced back to the late 18th century, but in the decades following the Civil War it coalesced into a stock comic character, a farmer who was both naive and shrewd, a little uptight but rustic. For some reason, all these characters seemed to be named “Uncle Josh.” There were dozens of Uncle Josh comedians out there on the circuit long before Stewart came along, all with different last names. A few of them, in fact, came to be mighty popular. Although Stewart would later claim his own Uncle Josh character just came to him naturally, he had plenty of predecessors to build on.

Initially Stewart’s Uncle Josh Weathersby hailed from New Jersey, but he quickly transplanted him to the north, smack dab in the middle of the fictional rural Yankee town of Punkin Center. And though originally the act was designed for a male and female comic duo, with that hick Uncle Josh matching wits with a sophisticated woman from the city, soon enough Stewart went solo, turning the routine into a comic monologue about the assorted small adventures, tall tales and colorful characters in and around Punkin Center.

“One day Harold Wheeland had a bunch of colored Easter eggs he wanted to hide from the kids, so he went into the barn and stuck ‘em under his brown hen. Well, I’ll tell ya, when that rooster came into the barn and took one look at what was goin’ on, he marched right across the field and beat up a peacock.”

By 1897 Stewart’s vaudeville routine had become popular enough that Berliner Recordings invited him into the studio to record a cylinder for them. The result was “A Talk by Happy Cal Stewart, The Yankee Comedian,” in which he essentially edited his standard vaudeville monologue at the time down to about three minutes. The job earned him a check so of course he took it, but he likely thought, with sound recording being such a novelty at that point, it would be the last one he ever did.

About six months later, Edison’s National Recording Company conscripted Stewart to record a series of twelve Uncle Josh discs. Most of them were, likewise, condensed vaudeville routines, like “Uncle Josh’s Arrival in New York,” “Uncle Josh in Society,” and “Uncle Josh’s Invitation to Visit His Farm.” He also recorded several comic songs including “I’m Old But I’m Awfully Tough” and “Paper from Your Own Hometown.”

The discs were a hit, and Stewart became an overnight national sensation, at least in late 19th century terms. He relocated to New York. Although he didn’t leave vaudeville completely behind him, his efforts were definitely concentrated on becoming a recording artist. Without anything resembling an exclusive contract with Edison, and considering he was paid a flat fee for every cylinder he recorded, he soon began recording for Columbia, Victor, Berliner, and a dozen other little recording outfits now long since forgotten, often recording the same monologues for several different labels.

Which brings us to his laugh—the sort of half cackle, half chuckle that soon became Stewart’s trademark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bb5StJh8M_I

Stewart’s Uncle Josh almost never laughed during his live stage routine, as he had an audience right there to take care of that for him. Once in the studio, however, having lost that live audience and moreover having lost a number of the visual gags that were part of his act, he had to do something, so in essence he provided his own laugh track.

In the very early recordings there’s almost a desperation about it, with Stewart letting loose with a cackle every time he pauses to take a breath. It becomes a distraction and at times overwhelms the story he’s telling. As he cut more and more discs—and this may be where his genius as a performer lay—he came to better understand the art of recording. The laugh became a more genial chuckle, and more carefully placed. While at first he was laughing with every breath, soon it was with every punchline, and later still only with every third or fourth punchline. Some historians have argued that Stewart’s laughter was deliberately dropped in the recordings at specific points  to give listeners themselves a pause in which they could laugh at home without missing any of the material. Whatever the case, the stories once again took dominance and, as much as his laconic vocal mannerisms,  the laughter merely became part of Uncle Josh’s personality.

Uncle Josh discs became so popular that whenever anyone put one on the Victrola in a store, small crowds would gather to listen, while other people, it’s said, would call friends and family to play them over the phone.

In 1901, Stewart divorced his first wife and married his second, Florence, who performed with him whenever he went back to the stage, and collaborated with him on the recordings. The latter is more interesting, because while female comic actors were commonplace in vaudeville and female singers commonplace on early Edison and Columbia recordings, Florence may have been the first female comic actor to appear on record.

In the years following the turn of the century, the recording industry was changing quickly, not only in terms of technology, but in the way artists were treated. Up to that point, as mentioned above, Stewart was paid a flat fee for each cylinder recorded, meaning he had to scramble from studio to studio in order to make any money. It was exhausting work, and Stewart found himself spending most of his waking hours in recording studios. But in 1903 Columbia, who had been touting Stewart as one of their top-selling recording artists since the late 1890s, offered him an exclusive contract. The pay was good, but better still the work was easier and it left him with the time to return to the stage now and again. He also had more freedom in terms of what he recorded. Along with his wife, he collected a small ensemble of actors and began recording more elaborate sketches. Uncle Josh remained front and center, but these new discs included several characters and sound effects. Bestselling discs like “Uncle Josh Buys an Automobile” and “The Moving Pictures Come to Punkin Center” soon followed.

That same year, 1903, a publisher conscripted Stewart to write down some of his most popular monologues, which they released as a book entitled, obviously enough, Punkin Center Stories. Stewart was a bit of a writer as it was, having already published a handful of Westerns, but by most accounts he wasn’t thrilled with the idea of the book from the start. Uncle Josh was definitely in the oral tradition, and the stories were supposed to be spoken and heard, not read. Stewart rarely wrote the monologues down and they changed and evolved as he told them.

Apart from some aesthetic discomfort, the Punkin Center Stories led to other problems. Using the stories as scripts, other comedians began recording and releasing their own versions of Stewart’s monologues, usually with unremarkable results. Stewart, needless to say, never saw a dine from any of these imposters.

Unlike songwriters who received residuals when their compositions were performed by other artists, Columbia’s contract offered Stewart nothing by way of royalties . Demanding his monologues be treated like musical compositions, in 1911 Stewart left Columbia and signed with Edison’s National Recording Company, which did offer to pay royalties. Just to ensure he’d get something out of the deal, Stewart began writing and recording more original comic songs.

In 1914, Stewart married his third wife, an actress and violinist. Only problem there was, there seems to be no record of him ever divorcing Florence. Florence did suddenly disappear from his recordings, and while the new wife never appeared on record, she did perform with Stewart onstage. Although there were some mutterings about it in some of the trade papers of the day, some wild speculation about Uncle Josh and his two wives, it doesn’t seem to have become much of a scandal. Not enough to hurt his career, anyway.

In 1916, Stewart suffered a small stroke and collapsed during a recording session. He recovered soon enough and finished the session, but a few weeks later while doing his vaudeville routine in Chicago, he collapsed onstage again. This time doctors were able to determine he had a brain tumor.

Stewart continued recording Uncle Josh records as he could until his death in 1919. He was later cremated and buried in that third wife’s family plot in Indiana.

Stewart was the first great spoken word comedian to have reached the top thanks to recording technology. Although all but completely forgotten today, for two decades he was one of the most popular comedians in America, and without him, well, we might not have any of those great Red Foxx records. We can also blame him for Garrison Keillor.

by Jim Knipfel

[theresas-sound-world-blog]

⭐️Album Review

🎤Artist: Rapt

🎵Album: Wayward Faith

🎶Genre/s: Folk/ Slowcore/ Acoustic/ Ambient/Indie-Folk/ Singer-songwriter/Dreampop

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿Based in: London, England

🎧Listen to Rapt/ 🌎Social Media links: https://linktr.ee/jacobwrapt

I recently stumbled on solo artist/singer-songwriter Rapt and was captivated by his latest album, ‘Wayward Faith’. This is one of those albums that grabs me & despite my long-term hiatus from reviewing, I couldn’t resist but to come back and review it. Here’s then, is my track by track review of ‘Wayward Faith’ by Rapt…

Only Water: A brief fade in and then swell, reminiscent in ambience of the start of ‘Grace Cathedral Park’ by Alternative Rock/Sadcore band, Red House Painters, weaves and gently bounces. Guitar and piano meander and flow together, setting the soft yet dark tones through a controlled introduction, which although is short and sets a statement of intent, feels unhurried and dreamlike. Echoing vocals roll and ebb, expanding into an ethereal multi-voice swell. Chiming piano keys announce the arrival of a sombre funeral procession drum as neat male and female vocals define themselves, perhaps putting the listener in mind of the male/female vocal play of Shoegaze legends, Slowdive. A bass element deeply warbles around the drum and then both are released, as guitar and piano take centre stage for an instrumental interlude. The multi-voices return in a beautiful moment, which is then caught in the deep tones of percussion and bass element and what seems to be sparingly used strings. The vocals unravel, as the female voice flys and gently soars. As the song breaks, gone is the drum as all instruments and vocals become gentler and more distant as if fading into sleep, until a whispered voice and tender piano softly sing this track out.

The Nest: An acoustic guitar driven tune, the finger-style reminiscent of a few things: the precise guitar handwork of James Clayton of English Anti-Folk duo, Crywank, the patterns that repeat and draw the listener into ambient music, (reminiscent to me of Brian Eno) and the delicate touch of Pastoral-Folk legend, Nick Drake. Vocal-wise, there is still a sense of the ethereal, but more punctuated and front and centre. I have to praise the production here, I can almost visualise the space in which this track was recorded. It puts me in mind of intimate acoustic gigs, where the audience won’t make a sound out of respect for the player. A gig where you can almost sit back and enjoy the acoustics of the environment. This is what this track manages to do. Piano gently wavers in, but does not dominate. Vocals are enriched by a subtle backing voice, the effect reminds me of the great, late Nick Talbot, otherwise known as solo-artist Gravenhurst, who had a similar vocal style. There’s also a feel of a less-chaotic and more enunciated Guided by Voices. This song warmly, but slightly sadly rolls to

it’s finish.

Fallow Hill (I-III): A more percussive and dominant guitar style than the last two tracks flies in. The guitar drives the song, with little classical guitar flurries, similar to subtlety percussive classical guitarists, such as Canadian luminary, Norbert Kraft. There’s a strong string-work here too, carving out a mood, in the same way Alternative-Metal band Therapy? have used strings in the past; it creates an expansive and organic soundscape. Plus there’s some nice percussion sounds, driving a faster song. Something that Rapt is very proficient at is breaking down the song, in places, so there’s just a guitar here, or strings there. More classical swirls come, this time, more traditional in timbre, perhaps harnessing the spirit of Spanish Guitar virtuoso, Andres Segovia. As percussion shakes back with guitar fingerpicking, then voice and strings return. This part of the tune jumps from gentle to having a more bassy-percussive-thump. However, it does this in a subtle, effective way. A third classical guitar part ends the tune, with a hazier, more sundapled and relaxed section.

Threads: This song has a warm melodic quality. It has a feel of early 70s Folk/Acid Folk; old favourites such as Pentangle and Mark Fry come to mind. The guitar playing is rich and complex in this tune, weaving from British Folk to Alternate-Country to West Coast Psychedelic-Pop. There’s also a nursery rhyme element to this tune, a touch of Syd Barrett perhaps. The male and female voices define themselves once more, enhancing the melodic-strength of this tune. Listening to this tune takes me back to folk-pop artists I heard as a child, such as Simon and Garfunkel. This is a very strong mid-point to the album, which on first listen, compelled me to continue!

Last Night In Exile: A bass-heavy acoustic jumps in, perfectly juxtaposed with the female voice, this time sung solo. Then, the ‘Rapt-Trick’ again…actually far from a trick…a swell of strings and the male voice, expertly dropped in the right place, to serve the song and enhance the listening experience. The tune breaks, with some warm guitar harmonics and meanderings, before a faster guitar and dual-vocal run, with the guitar providing a sense of travel and percussion. A lovely almost Shoegaze-infused ending comes, with guitar finger-rakes weaving to the end.

Fifteen: This tune feels somehow darker and more foreboding, a bleaker folk approach perhaps entwined with a Metal sound. The lyrics too, appear perhaps personal and tell a story of the passage of time, feelings and old wounds. The strings are more prominent than other tunes, providing plenty of atmosphere and mood. Guitar is more secondary, (although there is a nice flurry later on) the focus falls on vocalist, lyrics and ambience. Special mention though goes to a horse-hoof-like percussion. It really enhances the themes of the song, a journey in one’s own head, in one’s own emotions.

New Pardoner: This starts as a dreamy, stripped down acoustic and vocal track. Both guitar and vocals get equal showcase and presence. Then there’s a swell of piano and a second male voice. as I’ve always maintained, a band or artist creating something a little different as their last track serves both to entice the listener to return to the album and to ponder what is in store in the next one. I believe Rapt do this and ‘New Pardoner’ serves as a great ending to an atmospheric and addictively listenable album. ⭐️

🎧Listen: https://linktr.ee/jacobwrapt

#Rapt #sadcore #slowcore #Folk #indiefolk #guitarist #acoustic #MusicBlogger #MusicBlogs

#MusicWriter #MusicBlog #TSW #MusicReviews #TheresasSoundWorld #MusicReviewer #Psychedelia #MusicVlogs #MusicVlogger #AlternativeMusic #Metal #Writer #UK #IndieBlogger #ambient #SingerSongwriter

[recentanimenews]

FEATURE: The Catchy Songs of Noblesse are the Perfect Excuse to get into K-Pop

  There may never be a better time to get into K-pop than right now, especially if you’re an anime fan. As the internet has made things more and more accessible to global audiences, both anime and K-pop seem to be reaching unheard of heights of popularity around the world, with releases of new anime being translated in hours for fans around the world to enjoy, and K-pop groups such as BTS setting the internet on fire with online concerts, their hit single “Dynamite," and their upcoming album titled BE. Both K-pop and anime have been working on these big breakthroughs for a while and have actually had a lot more in common than most might originally think — anime have had K-pop groups singing opening theme bangers for quite some time now! But how do you get into K-pop? Where do you start? And how can anime help you bridge that gap? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

    Of course, like anime, the term “K-pop” is maybe too broad for its own good, with some people using it to refer to almost any musical act from South Korea, regardless of musical style. There’s a huge variety to K-pop, ranging from boy and girl bands singing romantic style pop songs and ballads, to heavier, moodier music, hip hop and rap groups. “K-pop” is hugely diverse, but that also makes it pretty hard to get involved with. When you ask your friends who their favorite K-pop group is, you'll get a wide variety of answers, and not necessarily all of them are going to be right for you. So, perhaps the best way to start your journey involves anime, specifically, anime and K-pop collaborations!

  Image via Funimation

  One Piece is a great place to start, thanks to K-pop group TVXQ, known as Tohoshinki in Japan. If you're a longtime fan of One Piece, you probably remember TVXQ’s rendition of the classic “We Are!,” as well as the 17th ending song “Tomorrow Will Surely Come” and the 11th opening “Share the World." TVXQ also worked on Yo-Kai Watch and a few other anime during their career, but One Piece is likely their most well-known foray into anime-related media. TVXQ broke amazing records thanks to their popularity in Japan, performing at the Tokyo Dome for three consecutive days — the third foreign act to perform there after Michael Jackson and the Backstreet Boys and the first Korean act to do so — and was also the first foreign group to release ten number-one singles in Japan and eight number-one albums.

  Although an early 2000’s era group, TVXQ has a unique sound and have albums in both Japanese and Korean, meaning there’s a lot of interesting material available to sample and give a listen to. The group generally falls into orchestral pop, hip hop, R&B, and rock, but one of their key features is their vocal harmonies. If you want to give their non-anime music a listen, start with “Mirotic," which is perhaps their most well-known song and considered fairly influential to K-pop performers that followed them! 

    Of course, TVXQ had to take some of those career records from someone, which brings us to a different artist whose link to anime also gives a great starting point to K-pop: BoA! The iconic fourth ending to Inuyasha, “Every Heart," is probably burned into the minds of many anime fans of a certain age, as the image of Kagome pedaling her bike through a starry sky with Inuyasha riding grumpily in the back cycled over BoA’s soothing vocal melodies. Fairy Tail fans might remember BoA from the song “Masayume Chasing."

  BoA is perhaps truly deserving of her title as Queen of K-Pop, as her success in Japan paved the way for future K-pop singers, male and female, to find success. Her Oricon chart record of six number-one albums has only been tied by two other singers: Ayumi Hamasaki and Utada Hikaru. BoA’s vocal style is heavily hip hop and R&B influenced, with much of her discography being dance or pop-oriented. Her ballads, such as “Every Heart,” are actually something of an unusual departure from her regular music! BoA’s discography is a great way to dip your feet into woman-led K-pop, as there are likely few acts that don’t look up to BoA as an aspirational figure! 

    As for more recent artists, Tower of God’s opening and ending singers, Stray Kids, have made a pretty big splash in the K-pop world! Stray Kids is a pretty large group, which allows them to focus on a variety of vocal talent and styles, as listeners likely noticed in their performance of “Top” and “Slump” for the anime.

  Unlike some of the other groups mentioned above, Stray Kids mostly focus on rapping, with six of the eight members listed as rap artists. Formed in 2017, Stray Kids is a fairly new group when compared to the likes of Jaejoong, BoA, and TVXQ, but they’ve already got a solid body of work beneath them. If you found yourself turning up the sound when “Top” started playing, you’ll likely find many of their other songs equally amazing — their recent album, GO LIVE, is a must-listen! If you find yourself enjoying rap vocals more than ballads, rock songs, or pop vocals, you’ll do pretty well with Stray Kids.   

    One of the most recent groups in this list — both in terms of working in anime and forming in general — is “Everlasting Shine” performers TOMORROW X TOGETHER, who you likely have had on repeat (you don’t need to lie, it’s ok!) since the song debuted a few months ago, airing along with Black Clover's September 1 episode. TXT is a five-member group whose musical style is perhaps the most modern pop-oriented style so far. Sharing a label with cultural juggernaut BTS, TXT has managed to make waves for themselves since their debut in 2019 — including a six-city tour of the United States, 2.3 million likes in 24 hours on their debut music video, and even breaking into the Billboard 200 chart with their debut.

  TXT’s first studio album, The Dream Chapter: Magic, had 4 Billboard ranked hits, and their second EP, Dream Chapter: Eternity, hit Oricon at number 1 on its debut! TXT makes a fantastic jumping on point for anyone interested in K-pop, as their vocal styles and musical influences are fairly diverse, with pop, acoustic, hip hop, and even tropical house music making its way into their songs. As anyone who has been listening to “Everlasting Shine” can attest, their vocal harmony over acoustic guitar and electronic beats make for a memorable and catchy song that is truly unique.

    Finally, fans of TVXQ may already know this, but Jaejoong — who sings "BREAKING DAWN" for Noblesse — is a fairly iconic solo artist in his own right. Jaejoong has performed as an original member of TVXQ, as well as in the band JYJ, and as a solo act, with a fairly long and storied career as an artist. He’s also an accomplished actor, having been in various Japanese and Korean dramas, and his return to anime with Noblesse marks a pretty big return to form for the singer!

  If you listened to some of TVXQ, you’re somewhat familiar with his vocal range already, but Jaejoong’s solo work falls a bit more on the Rock side of things than Pop — and to perform in a large group, a trio, duo, and as a solo act, is a pretty impressive and interesting lineage as an artist. If you’re into Noblesse, now’s a great time to get start digging through his discography! And that’s not all; Noblesse’s ending theme, "Etoile," is sung by the wonderful 7-member group Oh My Girl! Like a few other artists on this list, Oh My Girl’s success has come from an ability to reach both Korean and Japanese audiences, with their Japanese debut in 2019 helping garner them even more fans and attention. Oh My Girl’s comeback so far has been a huge success, including winning a few awards and, of course, landing the ending theme to Noblesse!

    Of course, this list is only a start to your K-pop journey. Once you’ve tried your hand with some of these groups, there are so many other amazing artists out there waiting for you to discover them and what they have to offer. But if you’ve found yourself putting “Slump,” “Top,” “Everlasting Shine,” “BREAKING DAWN” and “Etoile” on repeat, we think it's time to truly embrace your burgeoning love for K-pop and get out there and find some songs to add to your playlists; after all, you can’t just listen to the same five songs on repeat forever, right?

  Are you a K-pop fan or a newcomer? Do you have a favorite song or performer, or someone you want to see work with your favorite anime? Let us know in the comments!

    Nicole is a frequent wordsmith for Crunchyroll. Known for punching dudes in Yakuza games on her Twitch channel while professing her love for Majima. She also has a blog, Figuratively Speaking. Follow her on Twitter: @ellyberries. Life goes on.

  Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: Nicole Mejias

[ella-shura]

evaluation

This essay will evaluate how a public figure uses social media site Twitter to communicate with their audience. The public figure this essay will focus on is singer songwriter Shura (@weareshura on Twitter). Shura has 41.7K followers on twitter on the date this essay was produced. Although Shura has achieved her celebrity status by being a talented singer, she has significantly less followers than many micro-celebrities, such as Camden Scott (@cammiescott) who is an American Youtuber with 188.8K followers on Twitter. This essay will look at how although Shura has achieved her celebrity status, she manages her social media as an attributed celebrity may manage theirs. Shura is an openly gay woman which creates interesting niche that other celebrities may not have, she makes a lot of effort to make this a topc of discussion on her twitter, so much so that she uses her sexuality as her brand, calling herself ‘The Lesbian Pope’. 

Aleksandra Denton, publicly known as Shura, is a 28 year old, London based, singer, songwriter and record producer. In August 2019, she released her second album titled ‘Forevher’ which Pitchfork managazine described as “First and foremost, about queer women’ (Pitchfork.com, 2019). Shura’s sexuality is at the forefront of her music, her personal life and her self-identified brand and we see a lot of discussion around it on her social media accounts. During the time of monitoring her social media use (January 2020-March 2020), it had been five months since Shura had released Forevher, when visiting her Twitter page there is still a lot of promotional content for the album - for example her pinned tweet - which announces that Forevher has been released. However, because it has been a number of months since the release, the majority of the material on her profile has nothing to do with the album and is in fact just documenting her daily life. During the months of monitoring, Shura released a single titled ‘Elevator Girl’ allowing us to also assess how she deals with promoting a new project on her social media. Shura uses both Instagram and Twitter in equal measure, however tends to use Twitter to communicate with fans much more. According to Stever, G.S (2013) “celebrities used Twitter to communicate both with other celebrities and with members of the public or fans about their work as well as personal likes and dislikes, conveying information that revealed personal activities that are not typically shared in other forums”. This is an accurate depiction of how Shura uses her Twitter account, with particular emphasis on communicating with fans about personal matters; mainly regarding her sexuality. Baym, N.K. (2014, p224) suggests that “an audience on Twitter is not the same as an audience of listeners” they also interview Hoyem, a popular Norwegian artist who does not use Twitter as much as he says he can “count on earning a living from his music”. With over 700,000 monthly listeners on Spotify yet only 41,700 followers on twitter, why is it still so important for Shura to use twitter to maintain her brand and her relationship with her audience?

Although Shura does not perfectly fit the popular definition of a micro-celebrity due to achieving her celebrity status primarily through her talents in the music field, she still very much uses her social media to develop and maintain her audience (Senft, 2008). 

Marwick & Boyd (2011) suggest that there are numerous techniques in micro-celebritydom, all of which Shura uses on her Twitter account. Firstly there is the technique of “ongoing maintenance of the fanbase”. This is done simply by Shura being active on social media. Although only a small sample of tweets were collected and analysed on the blog posts, Shura tweets something almost every day, this allows her to maintain her fan base by connecting with them on a daily basis, even if this is just by liking a tweet or replying with a simple emoji.

Another technique they suggest is “performed intimacy”. An example of this on Shura’s Twitter can be seen in the blog post relating to the tweet from 18/02. In this tweet, Shura discusses her struggles with mental health, a very personal subject, with a very wide audience. Then, she publicly discusses alternative therapies with one of her followers who recommended she tries CBT. This is an example of performed intimacy because mental health and anxiety is, for many, a personal subject which is discussed with loved ones or medical professionals; yet Shura discussed this with a fan on Twitter.

Another technique that is suggested by Marwick and Boyd is “authenticity and access”. Shura’s authenticity is clearly illustrated in the blog post containing tweets with anecdotes of her friend’s sexual experience. In this tweet Shura announces “I love lesbians”, she never attempts to hide her sexuality or be anyone but her true, genuine self. 

 However, Marwick and Boyd say that a micro-celebrity’s self presentation is “carefully constructed to be consumed by others”. This is where Shura deviates from the suggested micro-celebrity techniques. From assessing Shura’s tweets, it’s fair to suggest that she uses twitter as a place to engage in casual conversation with followers, whether they are fans of her music or not. And in fact, her brand is created by tweeting things that don’t seem overly constructed and make her appear to be a friendly, down to earth person such as the “me, also me” tweet from 1st February. 

According to Baym, N.K (2014, pg224) artists have to make choices about how to interact with their fans, depending on who they think those fans are and what they are interested in. Shura’s primary audience is made up of queer womxn. When scrolling through her followers list we can see many of them with a rainbow flag emoji in their username or bio, which is a popular way for queer people to identify this fact on their social media sites. It is clear that Shura has a firm understanding of her fanbase and the kind of content that they want to see and interact with, she is likely aware that a lot of her fans like her because she is so openly gay. Because of this, many of her tweets are focused on things that have particularly gay representation for example, she made a lot of tweets expressing how much she enjoyed a new lesbian film ‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire’. This generated a lot of discussion between her and her fans about how much they also enjoyed the film. Tweeting about things that are completely separate to her music but still relatable to her followers is an excellent way to create a two way relationship with her followers whether they enjoy her music or not.

In conclusion, Shura uses Twitter very effectively to communicate with fans and followers, embracing the need to transition to an online platform to interact with her audience. 

However, it could be argued that shura has in fact taken advantage of the ease of two way communication on Twitter and is using it as a replacement for face to face interactions with fans. In the chapter written by Baym, N.K, they mention numerous artists who have used twitter to facilitate in-person interactions such as Billy Bragg who has used Twitter to find and join local protesters whilst on tour. There is no evidence on Shura’s Twitter that she makes any effort to meet with fans face to face. She should be conscious that although Twitter is a useful tool to interact with fans, it should not be used as a replacement for real life, in person conversation. Some may also suggest that Shura perhaps tweets too much. Shura’s Twitter following currently sits at 41.7 thousands accounts, this is a significant number of followers, however it’s not uncommon for someone in her field to gain upwards of 300,000 followers for example, Clairo who is also a solo female performer. By replying to fans so abundantly now, she may be unnecessarily adding pressure to herself to reply to fans. If the fans she currently has now expect Shura to reply, because that’s what she has always done, it may have a detrimental impact on her relationship with fans when it is simply not possible to reply to all of the tweets. Is the rate she is tweeting and replying to fans now sustainable if and when her audience grows?

References 

 Baym, N. (2019) ‘The Perils and Pleasures of Tweeting with Fans’ Weller, K., Bruns, A., Burgess, J., Mahrt, M., & Puschmann, C. (Eds.). (2014). Twitter and society (Digital Formations, 89). New York: P. Lang. Last accessed: 02/04/2020 available online: https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-47764-2

Cliff, A (2019) Shura Forevher. pitchfork.com. Last accessed: 02/04/2020. available online: https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/shura-forevher/

Marwick, A. and boyd, d. (2011) To see and be seen: celebrity practice on Twitter. Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 17(2) 139–158. Last accessed 02/04\2020. available online:https://journals-sagepub-com.mmu.idm.oclc.org/doi/pdf/10.1177/1354856510394539

RUBERG, B. (2019). #nohomo: Homophobic Twitter Hashtags, Straight Masculinity, and Networks of Queer Disavowal. In De Kosnik A. & Feldman K. (Eds.), #identity: Hashtagging Race, Gender, Sexuality, and Nation (pp. 218-234). Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. Last accessed: 02/04/2020, available online: www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvndv9md.17

Senft, T. M. (2013) Microcelebrity and the Branded Self. In J. Hartley, J. Burgess and A. Bruns (eds.), A Companion to New Media Dynamics. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell

Stever, Gayle & Lawson, Kevin. (2013). Twitter as a Way for Celebrities to Communicate with Fans: Implications for the Study of Parasocial Interaction. Last accessed: 02/04/2020. Available online: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Gayle_Stever/publication/263257850_Twitter_as_a_Way_for_Celebrities_to_Communicate_with_Fans_Implications_for_the_Study_of_Parasocial_Interaction/links/00b4953a44862a8747000000/Twitter-as-a-Way-for-Celebrities-to-Communicate-with-Fans-Implications-for-the-Study-of-Parasocial-Interaction.pdf?origin=publication_detail

[blackkudos]

Teddy Pendergrass

Theodore DeReese Pendergrass (March 26, 1950 – January 13, 2010) was an American singer–songwriter and composer. He first rose to fame as lead singer of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes in the 1970s before a successful solo career at the end of the decade. In 1982, Pendergrass was severely injured in an auto accident in Philadelphia, resulting in his being paralyzed from the chest down. He subsequently founded the Teddy Pendergrass Alliance, a foundation that helps those with spinal cord injuries. He commemorated 25 years of living after his spinal cord injury with the star-filled event, "Teddy 25 - A Celebration of Life", at Philadelphia's Kimmel Center. His last performance was on a PBS special at Atlantic City's Borgata Casino in November 2008.

Early life

Born Theodore DeReese Pendergrass on March 26, at Thomas Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia and was the only child of Jesse and Ida Geraldine (née Epps) Pendergrass. When he was still very young, his father left the family; Jesse was fatally chest-stabbed on June 13, 1962. Pendergrass grew up in Philadelphia and sang often at church. He dreamed of being a pastor and got his wish when, at 10, he was ordained a minister (according to author Robert Ewell Greene). Pendergrass also took up drums during this time and was a junior deacon of his church.

He attended Thomas Edison High School for Boys in North Philadelphia (now closed). He sang with the Edison Mastersingers. He dropped out in the eleventh grade to enter the music business, recording his first song "Angel With Muddy Feet". The recording, however, was not a commercial success. Pendergrass played drums for several local Philadelphia bands, eventually becoming the drummer of The Cadillacs. In 1970, the singer was spotted by the Blue Notes' founder, Harold Melvin (1939–1997), who convinced Pendergrass to play drums in the group. However, during a performance, Pendergrass began singing along, and Melvin, impressed by his vocals, made him the lead singer. Before Pendergrass joined the group, the Blue Notes had struggled to find success. That all changed when they landed a recording deal with Philadelphia International Records in 1971, thus beginning Pendergrass's successful collaboration with label founders Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.

Early career

Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes: 1972–75

In 1972, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes released their first single, a slow, solemn ballad entitled "I Miss You". The song was originally written for the Dells, but the group passed on it. Noting how Pendergrass sounded like Dells lead singer Marvin Junior, Kenny Gamble decided to build the song with Pendergrass, then only 21 at the time of the recording. Pendergrass sings much of the song in a raspy baritone voice that would become his trademark. The song also featured Blue Notes member Lloyd Parks singing falsetto in the background and spotlighted Harold Melvin adding in a rap near the end of the song as Pendergrass kept singing, feigning tears. The song, one of Gamble and Huff's most creative productions, became a major rhythm and blues hit and put the Blue Notes on the map. The group's follow-up single, "If You Don't Know Me by Now," brought the group to the mainstream with the song reaching the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 while also reaching number-one on the soul no.1 singles chart. Like "I Miss You" before it, the song was originally intended for a different artist, fellow Philadelphian native Patti LaBelle and her group Labelle but the group could not record it due to scheduling conflicts. Pendergrass and LaBelle developed a close friendship that would last until Pendergrass' death.

The group rode to fame with several more releases over the years including "The Love I Lost", a song that predated the upcoming disco music scene, the ballad "Hope That We Can Be Together Soon", and socially conscious singles "Wake Up Everybody" and "Bad Luck," the latter song about the Watergate scandal. One of the group's important singles was their original version of the Philly soul classic "Don't Leave Me This Way", which turned into a disco smash when Motown artist Thelma Houston released her version in 1976. By 1975, Pendergrass and Harold Melvin were at odds, mainly over monetary issues and personality conflicts. Despite the fact that Pendergrass sang most of the group's songs, Melvin was controlling the group's finances. At one point, Pendergrass wanted the group to be renamed "Teddy Pendergrass and the Blue Notes" because fans kept mistaking him for Melvin. Pendergrass left the group in 1975 and the Blue Notes struggled with his replacements. They eventually left Philadelphia International and toiled in relative obscurity, until Melvin's death in 1997. As of 2014, a version of the group still tours the old school circuit, performing as Harold Melvin's Blue Notes.

Solo career

Early solo success

In 1977, Pendergrass released his self-titled album, which went platinum on the strength of the disco hit "I Don't Love You Anymore". Its follow-up single, "The Whole Town's Laughing At Me," became a top 20 R&B hit. Although not released as singles, the uptempo album tracks "You Can't Hide From Yourself" and "The More I Get, The More I Want", as well as the ballad "And If I Had" were also hits. The debut album was quickly followed by Life Is a Song Worth Singing, in 1978. That album was even more successful with its singles "Only You" and the classic million selling number 1 R&B hit "Close the Door." The latter song firmly established Pendergrass as the top male sex symbol in music. The album's popularity was furthered by the disco hit "Get Up, Get Down, Get Funky, Get Loose", the ballad "It Don't Hurt Now", and the mid-tempo classic "When Somebody Loves You Back". That double platinum number 1 R&B triumph was followed up in the year 1979 by two successes, the albums Teddy (which stayed at number 1 on the Billboard R&B chart for 8 weeks and was named the 2nd biggest R&B album of the year), and the live release Live Coast to Coast. Hits off Teddy included the classics "Come Go With Me", the legendary erotic ballad "Turn Off the Lights", and the uptempo album cut "Do Me". With his sex appeal at an all-time high after his 1979 tour, Pendergrass took a more mellow approach on his 1980 album TP'. It included the classic number 2 R&B hit "Love TKO", the Stephanie Mills duet version of "Feel The Fire", and the Ashford & Simpson composition "Is It Still Good to You". Between 1977 and 1981, Pendergrass landed four consecutive platinum albums, which was a then-record setting number for a rhythm and blues artist.

Pendergrass' popularity became massive at the end of 1978. With sold-out audiences packing his shows, his manager - the renowned Shep Gordon, who was known for his innovative approaches to publicizing his artists - soon noticed that a huge number of his audience consisted of women of all races. Gordon devised a plan for Pendergrass' next tour to play to just female audiences, starting a trend that continues today called "women only concerts." With four platinum albums and two gold albums, Pendergrass was on his way to being what the media called "the black Elvis", not only in terms of his crossover popularity but also due to him buying a mansion akin to Elvis' Graceland, located just outside his hometown of Philadelphia. By early 1982, Pendergrass was perhaps the leading R&B male artist of his day, equaling the popularity of Marvin Gaye, and surpassing Barry White and all others in the R&B field. In 1980, the Isley Brothers released "Don't Say Goodnight (It's Time for Love)" to compete with Pendergrass' "Turn Off the Lights", which sensed Pendergrass' influence on the quiet storm format of black music.

Accident

On March 18, 1982, in the East Falls section of Philadelphia on Lincoln Drive near Rittenhouse Street, Pendergrass was involved in an automobile accident. He lost control of his Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit - the car hit a guard rail, crossed into the opposite traffic lane, and hit two trees. Pendergrass and his passenger, Tenika Watson, a nightclub performer with whom Pendergrass was not previously acquainted, were trapped in the wreckage for 45 minutes. While Watson walked away from the accident with minor injuries, Pendergrass suffered a spinal cord injury, leaving him a paraplegic, paralyzed from the chest down.

Later solo career

Pendergrass got well-wishes from thousands of his fans during his recovery. In August 1982, Philadelphia International released This One's for You, which failed to chart successfully, as did 1983's Heaven Only Knows. Both albums included material Pendergrass had recorded prior to his accident. The albums completed his contract with Philadelphia International. By the time Pendergrass decided to return to the studio to work on new music he struggled to find a recording deal. Eventually signing a deal and completing physical therapy, he released Love Language in 1984. The album included the pop ballad "Hold Me", featuring a then-unknown Whitney Houston. It reached #38 on the Billboard album chart and was certified Gold by the RIAA.

On July 13, 1985, Pendergrass made an emotional return to the stage at the historic Live Aid concert in Philadelphia in front of a live audience of over 99,000 and an estimated 1.5 billion television viewers. It was the 35-year-old's first live performance following his 1982 accident. Pendergrass tearfully thanked the audience for keeping him in their well-wishes and then performed the Diana Ross classic "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)". In 1988, Pendergrass scored his first R&B number-one hit in nearly a decade when the new jack swing-styled "Joy", from his album of the same name, was released. A video of the song enjoyed heavy rotation on BET. It was also his final Hot 100 charted single, peaking at number 77. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA that same year. Also, Pendergrass' voice was heard on the jingles of a then local Philadelphia radio station, WSNI-FM. Pendergrass kept recording through the 1990s. One of the singer's final hits was the hiphop-leaning "Believe in Love", released in 1994. In 1996, he starred alongside Stephanie Mills in the touring production of the gospel musical Your Arms Too Short to Box with God. In 1998, Pendergrass released his autobiography entitled, Truly Blessed.

Pendergrass did a concert at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles, California, on February 14, 2002, entitled "The Power of Love". The concert became the album From Teddy, With Love, which was released on the Razor & Tie record label later that year. It was his second (after Live! Coast to Coast) and final live album. Clips of the concert, in particular his performance of his comeback song "Joy". can still be seen on YouTube. In his later years, Pendergrass' “Wake Up Everybody” has been covered by a diverse range of acts from Simply Red to Patti LaBelle and was chosen as a rallying cry during the 2004 Presidential campaign by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds to mobilize voters. In addition, Little Brother, Kanye West, Cam'ron, Twista, Ghostface, Tyrese Gibson, 9th Wonder, DMX and DJ Green Lantern have utilized his works.

In 2006, Pendergrass announced his retirement from the music business. In 2007, he briefly returned to performing to participate in Teddy 25: A Celebration of Life, Hope & Possibilities, a 25th anniversary awards ceremony that marked Pendergrass' accident date, but also raised money for his charity, The Teddy Pendergrass Alliance, and honored those who helped Pendergrass since his accident.

Personal life and death

Pendergrass had three children, Tisha, LaDonna, and Theodore, Jr.. In June 1987, he married a former Philadanco dancer named Karen Still, who had also danced in his shows. The couple amicably divorced in 2002. Pendergrass met Joan Williams in the spring of 2006. Pendergrass proposed to Joan after four months and they married in a private ceremony officiated by his Pastor Alyn Waller of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church on Easter Sunday, March 23, 2008. A formal wedding was celebrated at The Ocean Cliff Resort in Newport, Rhode Island on September 6, 2008. As members of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church, Joan Pendergrass set up The Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church Youth Fund in the name of Pendergrass to provide assistance and a center for Philadelphia's inner city youth. He published his autobiography, Truly Blessed, with Patricia Romanowski in 1998.

There are plans to make a feature film biopic of Pendergrass's life, and Tyrese Gibson is set to star as the late singer. On June 5, 2009, Pendergrass underwent successful surgery for colon cancer and returned home to recover. A few weeks later he returned to the hospital with respiratory issues. After seven months, he died of respiratory failure on January 13, 2010, at age 59, with wife Joan by his side, while hospitalized at Bryn Mawr Hospital in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. His body was interred at the West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania.

Discography

Grammy Awards nominations

Pendergrass received the following four nominations for Grammy Awards.

Other awards

Pendergrass received several nominations for the American Music Awards between 1979 and 1981 for Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist, Favorite Soul/R&B Album, and Favorite Disco Artist. He won the AMA for Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist in 1979, tied with singer Lou Rawls.

Wikipedia