Living between Italy and Los Angeles, musician and composer Mauro Remiddi (AKA Porcelain Raft) has announced his debut album under his real name, Moonbird, which will be released digitally on November 25th. Moonbird is a decade in the making, more than an album, it’s the soundtrack to Remiddi’s original opera of the same name, a feat not only sonically but also visually.

“I imagined the music as symphonic and ambitious. The story instead had to be small, I wanted a seemingly insignificant event in our daily lives to become a portal to something mysterious,” says Remiddi.

Today he releases the second track from the album, “Do Birds Sing for Pleasure?”

Ahead of today’s announcement, Remiddi also released the first track from the album titled “The Bird Song”. The song is a kaleidoscope of sound and texture with Remiddi’s signature vocals.

The writing of the opera began over ten years ago and has been an ongoing process of collaboration with Remiddi and other artists, musical and visual, spanning all continents.

“The real progress started when I met some amazing musicians in Italy where I recorded Moonbird.” Anais Drago (violin), Simone Pappalardo (live electronics and DIY instruments) and Simone Alessandrini (sax and electric guitar) “Their approach to music was from angles I hadn’t even thought of. It was like an adventure joint, my first vision became a collective vision, which made opera a living thing.”

Moonbird’s music gives space for Remiddi’s androgynous voice to really emerge like never before, he sings like a ghost between strings, synth and drum machines. It’s a “chamber opera” as Remiddi likes to call it,

“In my head I heard the songs arranged with a baroque music style, I wanted the grand gestures of opera but done in a bedroom, with a do-it-yourself ethic, using what I had, which doesn’t want not to say sacrificing clarity to a spontaneous approach”.

After the music was finished, Remiddi asked artist and filmmaker Ra di Martino to film the story of the opera. Di Martino asked actress and singer Silvia Calderoni to play Moonbird on screen. The short film is currently presented as a video installation at the Museum of Modern Art in Italy, at MAMBO in Bologna and at the Mertz Foundation in Palermo.

The album is produced and mixed by Remiddi himself and mastered by his brother Manolo. Listen to the new single here:

Healthy ecosystems are often noisy places: from reefs to grasslands and forests, they are rich in sound thanks to all species defending territories, finding mates, locating prey or perhaps taking advantage of the ability to add to the rich chorus of life.

Recording soundscapes of such places is a way to ensure that we don’t forget what a full range of birds, bats, insects and many other sounds sound like, and that doesn’t could not be more important, as the world is witnessing a decline in many of these types. creatures, due to the biodiversity crisis.

So in this episode of the podcast, host Mike G. plays a diverse selection of forest soundscapes from South America and Africa and discusses them with their creator, sound engineer George Vlad, who travels a lot and shares the acoustic alchemy of nature via its Youtube channel. .

Listen now:

Research shows that younger generations of people are often unaware of declining bird and insect populations, either visually or audibly, and therefore often believe that the current sights and sounds around them are the natural state of landscapes. This “ecological oblivion” is called “shifting baseline syndrome”, and one way to reverse it is to record soundscapes.

The episode features recordings from Brazil’s Javari Valley and an African “bai” (a natural clearing in the rainforest).

Join us to explore these soundscapes with Vlad and get inspired to find the wealth of natural sounds near you.

Here is related audio from a very popular episode from May 2020 which featured recordings of forest elephants in a bai in the Central African Republic:

In 2018, the podcast featured a discussion of soundscape phenology and the emerging role it plays in the study of animal behavior and landscape ecology, listen to it here:

Listeners interested in soundscapes and bioacoustics can explore more examples here:

• Audio: The sounds of tropical katydids and how they can benefit conservation, 22/01/20

• Audio: How listening to individual gibbons can benefit conservation, 11/26/19

• Audio: What underwater sounds can tell us about Indian Ocean humpback dolphins, 3/19/19

• Audio: The superb mimicry skills of an Australian songbird, 21/08/18

Subscribe or follow the Mongabay Newscast wherever you get your podcasts, from Apple to Spotify, you can also listen to all episodes here on the Mongabay website or download our free app for Apple and Android devices to access the end fingers to new shows and all our previous episodes.

Follow Mike Gaworecki on Twitter here: @mikeg2001

Banner image: A crooked hornbill, a species endemic to the Philippines, that sings. Image by Olaf Oliviero Riemer via Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0).

Related audio here at Mongabay:

Podcast: Forest Conservation for Climate Advocacy and Cultural Preservation

One of the consequences of this summer’s rainfall deficit was the reduction in the flow of the tributaries of the main rivers, in our case the Aude.

We live in a watermill perched above the Brézilhou stream (stream), and not for the first time see why the original mill, dating back around 900 years, was built here.

Upstream, all the flow passed underground, but if the waterfall that feeds the mill pond slowed down, it would still have provided enough to turn the heavy wheels.

Electric blue spark of a kingfisher

Somewhere upstream, a pair of kingfishers (Kingfisher) nest each year.

I have not found the current nest, the oldest from previous years were washed away by the floods which will eventually return.

This year we saw a kingfisher almost every day; there’s often a spark of electric blue and a screeching sound as this year’s family treks a mile to the main river to hunt for food – and sometimes they stop at the pond and try their luck here .

Read more: Songbirds in France and how to recognize their melody

The Kingfisher family stand up for the water together

So, a few days ago, I was delighted to see three of them taking flight simultaneously from different perches around the pond.

They would have been from the same family; a kingfisher – male and female – will hold and defend a sufficient length of water for their needs, and they may merge their territories in February if they choose to breed together.

If successful, the six to seven eggs laid in March or early April will hatch at the end of the tunnel of the nest built in a sandbar where a chamber is dug.

They fledge in about twenty-five days, are fed for another four days, and then the parent pair will drive them away – so fast that some of them have not yet learned to fish on their own, and therefore die – and then continue to have one or even two more broods in the same year.

Read more: Nature vigilance in France: identifying doves and how to rescue injured birds

Fair Feeding Routine in the Nesting Chamber

The researchers saw that there is a wonderful feeding device in the nest chamber, where the chicks spin around in a sort of star formation waiting for the next parent to return with their beak full of fish.

If it works, each chick gets a turn, then they all mix!

Whether it’s as perfect as that is another question, but ideally that’s how it works.

Kingfisher numbers fluctuate wildly from year to year

A severe winter will decimate numbers, but with breeding success they may rebound.

More importantly, by mid-September each bird will have had to establish its own winter territory, in order to provide enough food for the difficult months ahead.

Only a quarter of the adults survive from one season to the next and very few reproduce more than one season.

All of this shows that species live in the fast lane.

Each adult must eat at least its body weight in small fish, or prawns and tadpoles each day, and in the nest each gaping mouth will eat six or seven minnows a day.

A busy life, and often ended very quickly.

Kingfisher staring at its prey; Photo: Adrian Henderson

Note the intense gaze in the photo above; after fixing a prey and judging its depth, it will dive, opening its beak and closing the protective lid, effectively diving blind – but it works!

Why are kingfishers bright blue?

Needless to say, the most striking thing about kingfishers that we humans notice is their brilliant colors.

So the question this raises is why evolution has developed something so extraordinarily dazzling. Interestingly, most of my pictures only show male kingfishers, the females have a red base on the lower beak – they’re “wearing lipstick”, the joke goes.

However, my friend Adrian has a photo that shows a hint of red at the base of the beak, so a female, but probably a juvenile.

Read more: The largest nature photography festival in Europe celebrates its 25th anniversary

Since the time of Darwin, it has been known, and proven by modern research, that it is very often females who do the sexual selection of mates on criteria that we humans are just too slow and inattentive to see. , unless we use photography. and scientifically studying colors (and sounds and movements).

Many birds also see in the UV spectrum, and therefore a color will have a range of subtlety beyond our capabilities.

All of these clues can give a discerning female information about a male bird’s health and vigor, and she’ll choose whether to mate with him – or not – based on what she’s able to detect, sometimes in a flash. , as he patrols a neighbor’s house. territory.

So a bright blue and bright orange chest can cause it to choose a mate and pass those characteristics on to its offspring, and so evolution works its magic.

Broad-tailed Hummingbird good example of speed in courtship

An example of the rapidity of existence in the avian world is shown by a bird which none of us will see unless we travel to America; the broad-tailed hummingbird.

It has a demonstration flight which is “one of the coolest and weirdest courtship shows in the world” according to Mary Caswell Stoddard who studied them in Colorado.

The details are intricate and wonderful, but just know that the male dives on a perched female at a speed of 385 times his body length per second, nearly double the speed of a diving peregrine (Peregrine Falcon), or the space shuttle during atmospheric re-entry (207 body lengths per second); at full speed at the bottom of his plunge his gorget [patch of colored feathers found on the throat] flashes a bright, sexy magenta, then its iridescent nature causes a change – in just 120 milliseconds – from bright red to dark green, as it passes overhead”.

The amazing thing is that the female can see these precise details, judge her vigor by the speed and luster of her plumage, and make a choice of partner accordingly…

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Q: Three green herons appeared on our patio railing in late summer and spent some time watching the songbirds come and go at the feeders before disappearing. We have seen these herons on the nearby pond and wetland, but never before on our property. Is this unusual behavior?

A: What a fun sight that must have been, and I’d say it wasn’t unusual behavior on the part of the green herons, especially since your photos show them as young. I bet they recently left their nest somewhere nearby and all the songbird activity at your feeders caught their attention. Eager to test their flying skills, they soon set off to make more discoveries about their new world.

A falcon and zinnias

Q: My granddaughter made a heart shape out of zinnia flowers on our lawn, and later that day we watched a Cooper’s hawk eat some of the zinnias. The next day we found a dead Cooper’s hawk near the flowers. We assume it was the same hawk as the day before and since we never use chemicals on our property, we wonder: What killed the hawk?

A: It doesn’t appear that zinnias contributed to the hawk’s death, as many creatures from bees to butterflies sip zinnia nectar, and goldfinches and sparrows are fans of zinnia seeds. I checked with the Raptor Center, whose staff said the falcon could have been infected with West Nile virus. Apparently there is a high rate of disease this year and it can cause all sorts of strange behavior, leading to death.

safer jelly

Q: Have you heard that grape jelly with high fructose corn syrup is bad for birds? I can’t believe it’s not harmful to them, but it’s hard to find jelly without this ingredient. Thoughts?

A: Good question and I think you’re right, if high fructose corn syrup isn’t good for humans, it probably isn’t good for birds either. I did a quick internet search and found many brands that didn’t have this sweetener, including Welch’s Natural Concord Grape Spread, Smucker’s Simply Fruit, Songbird Birdberry Jelly, Crofter’s Concord Grape Spread. Good and Gather Organic Concord Grape Fruit Spread, Duncraft BirdBerry Jelly and many more. These brands may not be readily available in all stores, but you can order online for next year.

horn in

Q: I’ve had a milk thistle feeder for years, but this is the first year I’ve noticed many species other than goldfinches eating it, such as downy woodpeckers, sparrows, and chickadees. Is this unusual?

A: This nyger seed is popular with a number of birds other than goldfinches. Over the years I’ve had fluffs, chickadees and domestic finches that have visited my nygers and fries feeder. This seed should be very tasty and it has a high oil content, which is pleasing to seed-eating birds.

Noisy crow

Q: Why do crows around my neighborhood caw all day from spring to late summer? I don’t see any predators in the area, like owls or hawks, but the crows still caw while flying, caw from the roof, and caw while sitting in the street. Can we do something to get them out of the neighborhood?

A: Crows, as you know, are great communicators, and they communicate a lot. I suspect you hear a family of crows calling each other: young birds may beg for food, or that a parent may appear or may signal to a sibling perched nearby, etc. Their parents call to keep in touch, and warn other birds and humans to keep their distance.

I can’t think of many measures that would keep crows away that wouldn’t bother humans as well (noisy radio, banging pot lids, etc.). One suggestion I found online is to find life-size crow Halloween decorations and place several around your yard, with one lying in the grass, maybe one hanging upside down from a tree branch. It will look like dead crows to live crows and may scare them away. Another trick was to hang shiny objects from tree branches (CDs, DVDs, pie plates, etc.), as crows are said to dislike things that reflect light.

As fall approaches, crows should leave the neighborhood to meet other crows and establish night roosts (hopefully away from your property).

horn heads

Q: I noticed two sparrow-like birds at my platform feeder in late August, but they had what appeared to be feather-like horns on their heads, more like bumps than feathers. The birds were streaked all over and a little dark. Thoughts?

A: This seems to me to be a very good description of young domestic finches. Their parents often have two broods each summer, and the second brood might fledge in late August. Additionally, juvenile house finches often still have fluffy head feathers until their moult is complete, and these could very well resemble horns.

Black-headed Grosbeak

Q: I have a male cardinal with a black head that comes to my feeder, but the rest of him is bright red. What could be causing this?

A: I believe you are seeing a bald cardinal, which lost its feathers in a very short time. With their black skin and reptile-like heads, bald cardinals resemble their dinosaur ancestors. Sometimes baldness can be caused by mites that cause the bird to itch so badly that it scratches its head feathers, but this is rare.

A more likely explanation is that a few species of birds, particularly cardinals and blue jays, sometimes have a gene that causes abnormal moulting, causing all of their head feathers to rapidly shed. It does no harm to the birds and in a few weeks as the moult progresses your cardinal should regrow a full set of red feathers.

Just a few minutes ago, I was staring out the window at two black-headed blue jays. They seem to be siblings and losing their head feathers all of a sudden seems like a family affair.

St. Paul resident Val Cunningham, who volunteers with the St. Paul Audubon Society and writes about nature for a number of newspapers and magazines, can be reached at valwrites@comcast.net.

Tony Stamp reviews a compilation of lo-fi tunes by Dunedin songwriter Maxine Funke, Kenny Beats’ debut LP, and is joined by Elliott Childs to discuss the latest from Bill Callahan.

Driftwood Pieces by Maxine Funke

A compilation was released earlier this month, bringing together rarities and unreleased tracks from a Dunedin-based artist, who is the rarest thing: someone who is largely offline and apparently allergic to alcohol. self-promotion. She has released four albums since 2008, released on US and Australian labels, and although she comes from a lo-fi experimental background, she mainly writes intimate acoustic ballads. Despite her pedigree and the length of her career, she is still largely unknown, but for those familiar with her work, Maxine Funke is one of our finest songwriters.

Besides the quality of songs like “Make That Dream” – the odd trill or blue note in his voice during otherwise simple melodies – they are also tonally pleasing, incorporating the sound of his fingers on the strings, wood of the guitar, a layer of the sound of the room and the hiss of the band, and its calm.

“Make That Dream” is from 2018, while “South Dunedin” is one of many unreleased tracks on this album, the performance is so serious that a line like “I lived here when I was a girl” is painfully moving.

Alongside the more traditional songs are pieces built around drum machine or synth experiments, as well as field recordings. “Forest Photographer” features birdsong over fluctuating acoustic synth sounds, and it’s as personal as anything involving vocals.

At the other end of the spectrum is something like ‘First in Spring’, whose mud only enhances its vintage feel. It’s about prioritizing your sense of self, I think, taking refuge in a book and shielding your eyes from what Funke calls “the beauty and the horror.”

These songs look like tiny gifts from an attic, covered in a layer of dust that has become part of the object itself. Her work has been distributed overseas and reviewed in international publications like Pitchfork, but she seems to have no ambitions beyond creating perfectly formed audio tracks, whether they involve her guitar and vocals, or ‘they aim for something more abstract and exploratory. His career is sufficiently advanced to justify this compilation, and Pieces of driftwood – a charming and perfectly descriptive name by the way – serves as a good entry point to his by turns fragile and robust songcraft.

Louie by Kenny Beats

Over the years, the name Kenny Beats has appeared in the credits of many notable hip hop releases, from rappers like Rico Nasty, Denzel Curry and Vince Staples. His career dates back about 10 years and his journey follows a familiar modern pattern – he learned a bunch of instruments as a teenager and started making beats.

There’s always a weight of expectation when artists like this make a solo record – stepping into the limelight requires creative justification beyond featuring singers. And while Kenny Beats has drawn some favors from his famous friends, the impetus to make his debut LP Louis comes from a pure place – it’s an album for his father.

His real name is Kenneth Blume III. His father, Kenneth II, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2021, and later that year Beats realized he had a reason to make an album. He turns his dark sentiments from the era into rhythmic summer collages, with Kenneth II featured throughout.

The subtext won’t be apparent to the casual listener, but once you know, songs like ‘Eternal’, which samples Shira Small singing about Eternal Life (from 1974’s ‘Eternal Life’), then things begin to feel a bit more bittersweet.

Stylistically, Beats is clearly indebted to pioneers like J Dilla and Madlib, placing carefully chosen bars over chunky bass drum patterns. It also employs a host of guest musicians playing live instruments and providing backing vocals, thickening each track into a richer brew.

On “So They Say,” an excerpt from 1979’s “Children of Today” by Andre & Josi is sliced ​​to a dynamic beat, ending the kind of party starter that RJD2 peddled in the early 2000s.

Blume’s father was a radio DJ, and this provides a conceptual framework for the album, running through snippets of his vocals from shows from decades past, as well as new recordings. In a heartwarming full-loop moment, father and son recently co-hosted a show on Apple Music Radio.

Louis was originally intended for Kenny Beats’ father alone, but after playing it to his friends, they encouraged him to release it. Even the name is personal – it’s a nickname given to him by his parents – and although the album features a series of well-known names like JPEGMafia, Slowthai, Mac DeMarco and Vince Staples, their appearances never sound like spots. guests – they’re just fleeting moments in a larger sprawl.

An exception is Remi Wolf, who provides a hook for another song with a loaded title – ‘Last Words’. Kenny’s dad is still with us, and tracks like this are a lovely bittersweet gift.

REALITY by Bill Callahan

TONY: In 1990, American musician Bill Callahan released his first album under the name Smog, a chaotic assemblage of lo-fi noise with little regard for structure or even songcraft. In the more than 30 years since then, he has released 13 more albums under the Smog name and then nine under his own name, which have seen him move further into more traditional territory like the Americana and the ballad, as the playing grew softer and his voice deepened into a rich baritone. The elements remained throughout, such as the acoustic guitars, and his focus on the repetitive and the hypnotic.

ELLIOTT CHILDS: This is Callahan’s second release for 2022, the first being a collaboration with Bonnie Prince Billy which was released in January.

As the title suggests, there’s a lot of reality on this album, including snapshots of his home life, as well as a heavy focus on dreams and uncertainty. Callahan makes a point of blending the two approaches in nearly every song, starting with the album’s very first track, “First Bird.”

It’s a beautiful song about waking up from a dream into another kind of dream – in this case, the dream of a happy, happy family life with one’s children. There’s the image of her son walking down the hall holding his sister’s hand, and the idea that her daughter rarely walks anywhere because everyone wants to carry her.

The music starts off hazy and slow (as if she had just woken up) and becomes noticeably more upbeat when he mentions his children. It also points to the album’s other constant subject, death, as Callahan sings that he’s waiting for the first bird to sing, but if he doesn’t hear it, it might be the last.

TONY: There’s a technique that Callahan uses on this track that underlies much of his songwriting: he’ll linger for bars on a basic chord and only occasionally dip into a second. Like ‘First Bird’, the one with which he begins on ‘Coyotes’ is particularly evocative.

This song touches on two things that you brought up Elliott: dreams and family. There’s the recurring “I’m your lover” (which is a slightly tongue-in-cheek classic Callahan), and mentions of his daughter daydreaming about her previous life as coyotes (plural).

I still appreciate how his songwriting has retained the simplicity of his early work, but now has room for things like that beautiful shimmering piano.

ELLIOTT: That piano is beautiful, and it appears throughout this album, including on my next pick, “Naked Souls.”

This one starts with a soft, almost jazzy melody, with a pleasant piano tinkle in the background, like a fancy cocktail bar somewhere. Something about Callahan’s delivery reminds me of Joni Mitchell’s “Coyote” – perhaps the singing interspersed with lyrics, which then turns into singing again at the end of the stanza.

It seems to deal with a person who is emotionally locked up to the point of being potentially violent – there’s the line “maybe he’ll buy another gun or become a cop or kill one”.

The title “Naked Souls” seems to refer to people who are too emotionally available.

TONY: The lyrics about guns and the police jumped out at me too, as well as the one about “the stress of eating in a restaurant” and wearing “glasses that say ‘F-U'”

The album’s most immediate song might be “Natural Information,” which is a lap major chord, topped off with a playful trumpet.

There are more lyrics about his daughter and the writing of the song he sings, and another recurring theme right there in the title: our relationship with the natural world.

ELLIOTT: I love the arrangement of this song. The upbeat horns and backing vocals give this track a kind of sunny 1970s feel.

Callahan opened up a bit more to both new instruments and lighter subjects. There’s still some darkness here, that’s for sure (“Lily,” talking about her mother’s death, being an obvious example), but overall he just seems like he’s having a great time being a dad and to make ironic observations.

TONY: Fatherhood definitely looms large and seems to have had a positive influence on him – there are as you say a few abrasive points and hints at his edgy early days – but mostly it’s Bill Callahan as a dad cool, 32 years after his career and still listening.

Eric Stevenson leaned heavily over the piano, his arms outstretched like wings, his hands like spiders. Complex note figures flowed from his fingers, and he sang in a clear, high voice, as announced without irony, about ​“defiant hope. Nearby, with her back to the audience but her work clearly visible, Elizabeth Jancewicz deftly started with a blank canvas and proceeded to paint a bird in the woods. Then she set it all on fire. Those in the audience sat in almost complete silence, giving their full attention to the music and the artwork. It was this kind of evening at Café Nine, the one where the crowd gave free rein to the musicians’ room, and obtained, in return, a show of rare intimacy.

The night began with New Haven-based SG Carlson doing a now unusual solo set, as he himself commented early in his hour. ​“I’m part of a group called the Tines,” he said, ​“but tonight you only have one Tine. Thanks to Bombadil for lending me their capo.

It turned out that a Tine was all evening required. A conversation towards the back of the room quieted down two songs in Carlson’s set and the club – with a good-sized crowd – remained that way for the rest of the evening, applauding each song and then returning to undivided attention. This allowed Carlson to deliver relaxed and haunting versions of his full songs. Time suddenly felt later in the best possible sense when Carlson described a song as evoking, for him, the feeling of finishing a show and stopping on the way home for a late-night coffee to stay awake. on the way back.

“There’s no one else around and there’s something lovely about it,” he said. Which led him to introduce the next band, Pocket Vinyl, which he felt was at gig number 995 since his debut as a band (Pocket Vinyl is about to celebrate his 1,000th gig with a gig in his city native of Norwich). ​“Which, if my math is right,” Carlson added, ​“means about 995 late night coffees.

The Pocket Vinyl duo then quickly took to the stage, Stevenson almost immediately engaging in banter with the crowd as Jancewicz silently lingered on the paint job. As Stevenson explained, he would play seven songs. At this time, Jancewicz would complete an original painting. At the end of the show, this painting would be auctioned off to the highest bidder.

“We’re going to play songs about defying hope,” Stevenson said. ​“Some songs about death. Maybe some non-sexy songs about sex. With a twinkle in his eye, he continued. ​“I don’t want to spoil things, but we are a very good group. Fantastic!” The audience laughed. ​“And now that the expectations are high, the chances of failure are all the higher, which is exciting! »

Stevenson tore up his first song as Jancewicz darkened the canvas with quick brush strokes, then began laying out the image. Stevenson proved to be a dynamic performer, amply filling the club with piano and vocals as he sang two anthemic songs in a row, evoking that promised defiant hope. The audience responded with loud applause, then fell silent.

“Look at you, look at us, pay attention! Stevenson said. For Stevenson, that meant a chance to switch to suddenly quieter material, because, as he put it, ​“what is our relationship if we don’t challenge each other? The audience laughed again. He explained that he would perform two songs back to back. ​“I’ll let you know when it’s applause time.

Stevenson was obviously joking when he exclaimed that Pocket Vinyl was a really good band, but on Wednesday night the combination of Stevenson’s music and Jancewicz’s artistry proved to be mesmerizing indeed. Stevenson took a moment of humility. ​“I know you’re a mixed audience, but if that’s the attention you always get, let’s shoot together,” he said. ​“You can tell I love the attention, and this fills my cup! By the end of the set, there was a strong sense of camaraderie in the air.

“I had no intention of forming a community,” Stevenson sang in one of the songs, ​“I had no idea who shared that frequency. Wednesday night, everyone did.

So the room wasn’t so much heated as laser-focused for Bombadil, stalwarts of Durham, NC’s indie folk scene. and MK Rodenbough – moved easily through a set of originals as the audience drank in each one, washing them each down with a round of applause. Bombadil’s music is deceptively simple. They don’t write songs with many parts and infuse them with elliptical lyrics, giving each number a sense of possibility, every time. About halfway through the set, the band began to open up, telling a story that sounded like the music being played. Before performing a short a cappella number from the British Isles, Phillips explained that he had already been to a club in Germany – ​“looks a lot like this place,” he added – and ended up singing the song with the bartender, who was Scottish. After they were done,​“I looked up and tears were streaming from his eyes onto his motorcycle jacket. It was really something.”

The delivery and receipt lent the story the vibe of a koan. A certain meaning was conveyed. The audience may not have been able to articulate it, but it was felt, in the silence before the next song.

Christine McVie was a songwriter, vocalist and keyboardist for Fleetwood Mac, also earning the reputation of the rock band’s Mother Teresa. The “Songbird” songwriter didn’t care, however, later saying she “enjoyed the storm” of the group.

Christine McVie starred in Fleetwood Mac with John McVie, Mick Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham

Although not a founding member of the band, Christine McVie joined Fleetwood Mac as a vocalist and keyboardist. She appeared on albums like Rumors and Defense with her then-husband, John McVie.

Baron Geisler and child actress Althea Ruedas deliver heartfelt performances

Mavx Productions has mastered creating heartwarming films, showing Filipino values ​​in a foreign land. Take Finding Agnes (2020) with Sue Ramirez and Jelson Bay, shot in Marrakech, Morocco, and A distant land (2021) with Paolo Contis and Yen Santos, shot in the Faroe Islands, part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

Last week, doll house directed by Marla Ancheta topped Netflix’s top movies in the Philippines. Destination of the film: Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

A mature Yumi (Mary Joy Apostol) goes to a nursing home in search of her “best friend” – a wheelchair-bound Rustin (Baron Geisler) suffering from the effects of a stroke and forgetfulness.

The film, which runs for an hour and 46 minutes, is a series of flashbacks documenting Rustin’s life struggles. Rustin at the top of his game is the lead singer of a rock band. From his carefree attitude, alcohol and drugs are not far away. Rustin’s enlightenment to “correct” his past mistakes comes when his teammate, Diego (Alwyn Uytingco) overdoses.

The son of a general, Rustin escaped unscathed and flew to Rotterdam. We meet Sheena (Izah Hankammer), a nurse that Rustin falls madly in love with, offering her marriage. The two become a couple until we see Rustin’s true color.

Rustin adopts a fake persona and changes his name to Clyde when he comes across Bok or Ganda (Phi Palmos), who needs help carrying boxes. The two click on discovering that they are from the same country. Clyde is introduced to a young Yumi played by promising young actress Althea Ruedas.

Clyde becomes a “babysitter” as the lovely character, Ganda, has plenty of errands for him. He auditions for a band making Yumi promise that their concert is a “secret”. Why? If Yumi’s family takes over the trip, he will be forbidden to see her.

Yumi and Clyde form a bond. “My dream is to become a singer,” says the child. She asks him to go to the school audition. It’s music to Clyde’s ears even if she sings out of tune. They train hard, even copying the water drum regimen of Songbird (Regine Velasquez) in a cold continent!

Things take a turn when Ganda finds out that Clyde is the same badass, irresponsible, drug-addicted, good-for-nothing Rustin who left Sheena during her pregnancy and was even absent at her funeral.

Ganda and her aunt mom order Yumi not to be with Rustin. The obstinate Yumi becomes a “clandestine” and even knocks on Rustin’s door. Surprise! The vice-filled Rustin takes the opportunity to “kidnap” Yumi but promises to bring her to the school audition.

Rustin confesses, “Tomorrow, after the auditions, might be the last day I see you.” He desperately wants Yumi to never forget him. “But I don’t want tomorrow to be our last day,” Yumi replies.

Yumi continues the auditions singing “Pangako” (music and lyrics by Ogie Alcasid and Manilyn Reynes), but the results are not favorable to her. The juxtaposition of Yumi singing in an ideal dream situation and the coming reality creates an impact that life is not a bed of roses.

How can a hurt father redeem himself? No matter what Rustin has done, through Yumi’s eyes, he’s still the best friend she longs to be with. But in the adult world, a man’s pleas for a second chance sometimes fall on deaf ears.

Do you need a box of tissues in this movie? Yes, Baron and Althea’s performances would give you both heartfelt pain and joy as the two attempt to mend and rekindle their broken relationship.

The foreseeable fate of Rustin leads him to the hospital, without reaction. Yumi visits her crying and sad that her best friend isn’t waking up. Years pass and we see adult Yumi in present time. “Hindi mo ba talaga ako naalala (You don’t remember me at all)?” she asks an old man.

Yumi sees a room full of dollhouses of different shapes and sizes. “Gawa ko yan para sa best friend ko (I did all this for my best friend),” Rustin explains.

That’s all Yumi and the audience need. Do you need a box of tissues in this movie? Yes, Baron and Althea’s performances would give you both heartfelt pain and joy as the two attempt to mend and rekindle their broken relationship.

doll house is streaming on Netflix.

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Huge crowds are expected next weekend at the National Stadium when Mosakaso’s famous award-winning queen, Magdeline ‘Charma Gal’ Lesolebe, hosts the long-awaited special concert featuring legendary Congolese rumba star, Kofi Olomide.

Dubbed ‘Kgosi Ya Mosadi’, the highly publicized show aims to celebrate Charma Gal’s illustrious career in the music industry.

The 38-year-old “Sekuta” hitmaker is a founding member and lead singer of the band Culture Spears, which was founded in 2005.

Culture Spears rose to fame not only locally but also internationally with her debut album titled Korone.

She then left Culture Spears to form her own group, Charma Gal Productions and has since released nine albums as a solo artist.

Among her many accolades, Charma Gal is proud of various international collaborations she has done including with Zimbabwe’s Jah Prayzah and South African duo Master KG and Makhadzi and many other local artists.

Our reporter Portia Mlilo chatted with this songbird about his musical journey and the gig.

Do not hesitate to share with us your musical journey.

I started as a dancer and singer for the traditional band at Moeng College.

In 2004 Kabelo Mogwe, Thembeni Ramosetlheng and I formed Culture Spears.

The group has produced hit albums for years, honoring significant events inside and outside the country and winning numerous awards.

In 2009, we created the Ekentolo group in which I presented different artists.

In 2014, I focused more on my solo career, which has blossomed over the years to date.

Why did you go solo?

I think in life we ​​have to grow and that was part of my growth.

A lot has happened in this journey of life.

I’m still part of Culture Spears and we released a few songs together after I went solo.

Why did you choose the genre Mosakaso?

I chose it because it was unique and not locally crowded.

The music also appeals to many, young and old.

What challenges have you encountered in your musical career?

The biggest challenge among them was losing my band members in a car accident, even to this day I am still struggling with the trauma.

The other challenge is that it is hard to make money in this industry and you have to put in a lot of effort to get the attention of the small market.

Sometimes we spend money to organize festivals and the attendance is not good enough, resulting in a loss.

But we continue! It is my calling.

And how about was the highlight?

It was when I played in Australia at the Botswana independence celebrations organized by our embassy.

One of my biggest accomplishments was in 2015 when I won four awards at the 7th Annual Botswana Musicians Union Awards.

I walked away with album of the year award for Sekuta sa ga Charma Gal album, song of the year, Sekuta sa ga Charma Gal best female artist and won best mosakaso.

I became the first artist to have two songs nominated for Song of the Year.

My two songs Sekuta and Mosepele wa Lerato fought for the song of the year award.

As a songwriter, what do you focus on when composing a song?

Anything that comes to mind but most of all I am inspired by my life experiences and the things that are happening in the world. (She laughs).

Some of the lyrics come in my dreams and I wake up and write them down or make a voice recording with my phone.

What inspired the idea of ​​Kgosi Ya Mosadi’s next concert?

New subscribers and new fans don’t know where I started, so I want to share my musical journey.

I will donate 10% of the profits to my deceased dancers.

In 2016, five of my backing dancers died in the horrific road accident while we were returning from a performance in Kang.

A seven-seater minibus in which they were traveling overturned after a tire burst which caused the tragedy.

I intend to use proceeds from the show to erect their headstone and share what remains with their families.

I want to pay tribute to them because they made me and contributed a lot to my musical business.

Why did you decide to bring Kofi to your show?

He is the only artist who fit the concept.

He has a lot of experience in the music industry and huge international appeal.

It represents success and consistency.

I understand that the last time he was here was about 17 years ago and a lot of people will want to see him back on stage.

Preparations are well underway, everything is in place and we are just waiting for the special day.

Activations are underway in various areas and we are selling tickets and merchandise.

How were you able to collaborate with Jah Prayzah, Master KG and Makhadzi?

I think technology has made our lives easier.

We are now able to have a conversation with other artists around the world and seal the deal.

Other artists can watch my performances live and listen to my music.

I met the international artists with whom I collaborated via the Internet, we exchanged numbers and began to communicate.

We met and recorded songs.

What do you like the most when you’re on stage?

My fans sing and dance to my songs.

I really appreciate them because it means they listen, understand the lyrics and enjoy my music. Ke a leboga.

What advice can you give to young aspiring artists?

Do not be afraid, only believe! As I mentioned before, most artists don’t make money in this industry.

We are just driven by passion. You must be patient. Take the time to compose and record the song so that it is more appealing.

Don’t rush because you end up going out and you won’t get any bookings for shows, nominated for awards and no one will buy your music.

How do you balance career and life as a mother?

It’s not an easy thing because both need my attention, but I try.

I’m overprotective when it comes to my three boys.

How to overcome the challenge of cyberbullying?

No one survives this unless they are made of metal! (laughs)…I’ve been bullied a lot, especially about my personal and love life.

This is something that makes me aggressive and makes me very angry.

Sometimes I refuse when people see me at the mall and ask to take pictures with me.

Just this Monday at the North Gate Mall in Gaborone, some ladies asked for a picture, the other said she didn’t want to curse herself by taking a picture with a divorcee.

I just left and was deeply hurt. Some attack me on social networks and insult me.

One day I will open a cybercrime case and lead by example, maybe bullies will learn a valuable lesson.

Who is your inspiration?

My mother. I am what I am today thanks to her.

She’s also a good singer, I guess I took after her. She even helps me with other Setswana phrases to add to my songs.

Thank goodness it’s Friday, what are your plans for the weekend?

I have been hired to perform in Johannesburg, South Africa, and I have other business to attend to.

Fleetwood Mac member Christine McVie is the songwriter of “Songbird”, creating the Rumors song in 30 minutes. Here’s what we learned about that original song — and some of its meaning.

Christine McVie appeared as a songwriter for Fleetwood Mac

They are the band behind “Dreams”, “The Chain” and “Go Your Own Way”. Along with Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie appeared in Fleetwood Mac. She has worked as a singer, keyboardist and composer.