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THE TRAVELBLOG MUSIC AWARDS...Welcoming the Travelblog Big Big Band. The moment you have been waiting for, thousands of Auditions, anxious moments, incredible music, artists, fans aplenty.
Just turn to World Music thread, and join the party.
World Music from all corners of the globe. Rock, Blues, Rhythm, Swing, Ballads, Chill, Electronic, Classical, Country, Pumping, Gentle, Cruisy, Modern, Traditional, Old Time...even a bit of Jazz.
Thanks to "youtube" and Travelblog's Code invented by our Patron...the one & only Ali Watters (Applause) we have been able to share our favourite music...discover new music...put on our dancing shoes...or just sit back and enjoy music...to add to our Travelblog experience.
Our panel of esteemed judges have been sifting through the Auditions.
Their votes are in...time to declare the results...& welcome the Travelblog Big Big Band.
Setting the scene Sunset tonight was preceded by a flyover of screeching sulphur crested cockatoos...sun lining the top of clouds on the horizon with a band of gold...upper clouds turning pink then grey...a quiet descending over the arena...then the roar of many engines...vehicles streaming in...buses with streamers...red carpet rolled out...photographers jockeying for position.
Let the inaugural Travelblog Music
Awards begin.
The Red Carpet They have it at the Academy Awards, at the Grammys, at Celebrity functions...Travelblog no different...nominees...entering on a red carpet...those who attended the Auditions on Song of the Week...contributors to World Music Forum threads...clambering for their moment of fame...photos taken...some giving interviews.
"What are you hoping for Hem?" "Hoping to listen to some familiar, some esoteric but some good music!"
Ah, it's Ali our Patron. How are you feeling tonight? "I feel I've been sadly negligent in participating in the forum for the last few months. I really don't deserve a reward." "Hi Tara. Great to see you could make it" "How can I pass up such an opportunity for a prize and fame? The requirements are so reasonable, and my contribution so amazing that I can't imagine passing this up. I've just returned from a week in a tiny, wifi-less town to big city Salta, Argentina, to get a yellow fever vaccination for my eventual destination of Bolivia." The Nominees The judges have selected the following Nominees...participation
being the criteria:
Ali - Ali Watters a.k.a Number 1
AndrewFamily - Jane, Dean & Eleanor
AroundTheWorldGloria - Gloria Suffanik
auspicious - Michelle
cabochick - Andrea
Chocolatemonkee - Jason Ball
Cockle - Nicholas Cox
Dancing Dave - David Hooper
D MJ Binkley - Dave Binkley
fateundermined - Hana
frankie du berry - Frankie du Berry
GenkiLee - Genki Lee
GuitarDan - Guitar Dan
Hem - Hem Tripathi
Home and Away - Bob Carlsen
Jo Trouble - Jo McCarthy
josworld - Johanna
Keep Smiling - Mike Fossey
Kuan Yin - Karen Johnson
laetitiaaroundtheworld - Laetitia Lair
Laila the Tuareg - Denise Hooper
liliram - Liliram Ramirez
littlewing - Cindy Egan
melintheworld - Melissa
D MJ Binkley Merry Jo Binkley
MichaelnFaye Michael & Faye Johnson
pilnikjezerobota pilnikjezerobota
RENanDREW REN & DREW
Roosta - Ezra Erb
ShadyAdy - Adrian Livingstone
Sophie and Dale Sophie & Dale
Synnott - Nicholas Synnott
taracloud -Tara Cloud
The Travel Camel - Shane Dallas
TinNiE -Tynnie Abayan
Tom Rooney -Tommy Rooney
wanderinghobo - Kaleb
wheresjason - Jason
Apologies The judges have received an email from
the man who was going to share lead vocals...
Cockle...unable to be here...busy setting up 25 new Jazz Bars in Asia...vocal chords damaged in "Mischief on the Mekong" with Travel Camel & Dancing Dave...hush...only the whispers in the wind audible.
"Come back soon Nick" whisperings in the crowd.
It's Time...Get Ready An assortment of drums and percussion like many hearts beating ...djembe, hang, tablas...
Assortment of stringed instruments creating an etherial mood...erhu, horse head fiddle, kamanche, oud, psalmterium, guitar...
Rustle in the crowd...a wave of muted whispers...you can feel the excitement.
Big names of the music world gathering on stage...
The Travelblog Nominees...hushed awaiting.
The M.C steps forward...taps his microphone...smiles...
"Now for the big moment" he says...titter in the crowd.
The Awards This year for the inaugural Travelblog Music Awards...the judges have selected the following Travelbloggers to receive the ultimate award To be members of the TRAVELBLOG BIG BIG BAND
Selected for their musical skill...good taste...and extensive participation in the Auditions from week to week in Song of the Week and the World Music Forum. Introducing...please come up on stage as I call your names: Lead Guitar...
Dave "Hot Licks" Binkley D MJ Binkley Bass Guitar...
Shane "Camel Dance" Dallas The Travel Camel Drums...
Jo "Taiko" McCarthy Jo Trouble Keyboards & Band Leader...
Bob "Tinkles" Carlsen Home and Away Saxaphone & vocals...
Cindy "Rock Chick" Egan littlewing Percussion & vocals...
Tynnie "Tweetie Bird" Abayan TinNiE Hammond Organ & Synthesizer...
Ezra "Roosta" Erb Roosta Slide Guitar & Kora...
David "The Dancing One" Hooper Dancing Dave and on Lead Vocals...the Janis Joplin of Travelblog...
Merry Jo "Big Hair, Big Voice" Binkley D MJ Binkley (Applause...ringing through the night)
What a band...what talent...ready to take their music to the World.
Acceptance Speeches After all the Auditions...hours and hours of posting tracks...listening to & sharing music...understandable there is a bit of emotion.
Their life stories...for you: Dave "Hot Licks"Binkley - Lead Guitar D MJ Binkley "Born the son of itinerant musicians, I was thrust onto the stage at an early age. OK, I just made that rubbish up. Truth is, I was the fourth of five children and was born in Toledo, Ohio. All the Binkley children took piano lessons at an early age (most likely because our mother played and was actually an organist at the Catholic church in her youth). The part
DAVE "BIG LICKS" BINKLEY
(Photo courtesy Dave Binkley)about being on a stage is true, as we all took lessons from the nuns at a nearby school and of course had the obligatory recitals. Sr. Lalande only let me play the classics and never any popular music, so as a result, when I had completed three years of lessons, I was released from further piano purgatory and set free to play with the other kids in the neighborhood. I came to regret this later in life…..of course. Merry Jo and I currently reside in Northern California, where the wine is fine and there are more accomplished musicians than good paying gigs….lucky for us!
My musical tastes run fairly wide, save for opera and rap. This is most likely due to the fact that opera is normally sung in Italian and rap is mostly misunderstood by those of my generation. Rock ‘n roll, da blues, jazz, classical and most others interest me. I am indeed a music junky, constantly in need of a fix.
I play the guitar, but certainly would starve if that were my only vocation. I very much enjoy playing, but cannot sing and play at the same time…..not sure why, probably just not
2010 Turks and Caicos 476
(Photo courtesy Dave Binkley) wired right for those activities occurring simultaneously. And it just might be that my voice is akin to geese farts on a muggy August evening…I am self-taught and actually picked up the guitar at age 18 because I wanted to play the bass. My sister loaned me here classical guitar. Now, many years later, I still don’t know how to play the bass.
MJ and I love to listen to live music and will go to somewhat great lengths to hear it. As a youth, I saw the Stones, Pink Floyd and others. I’ve had the pleasure of Miles Davis’ sweet sounds, the magical strumming of Leo Kotke, and the blues rifts of Stevie Ray Vaughn.
Song of the Week has been fabulous as the only thing better than sharing music is being on the receiving end of others sharing music. That the esteemed judges are even considering me for an award is beyond belief.
I like to thank……oh crap, there is only one person to thank. MJ, for continuing to listen to this old strummer and also for pouring through the concert schedules in search of the next gig to take in, whether it be Pinky
SHANE "CAMEL DANCE" DALLAS
Bass Guitar (Photo courtesy Dancing Dave) Rideau, a blues artist in Northern California, or Steve Miller.
It’s all grand in our ears!!"
Shane "Camel Dance" Dallas - Bass Guitar The Travel Camel "Hello Comrades:
Music has always been an important part of my life. It can reflect any mood I am feeling, or put me in any mood if I so choose. Music is universal - it transcends cultures, race and language. Music evokes memories - it evokes thoughts of a place, person or time. Music stirs emotion - whether that be joy, love or awe. Receiving any award related to music is an honour, but even more so in this instance due to the prestige attached to the World Music Forum."
Jo "Taiko" McCarthy - Drums Jo Trouble "Hi! I'm currently living in the city I grew up in - Auckland, New Zealand. My first involvement with music was recorder lessons when I was at primary school, at which I was not exactly successful.
Then came the flute which I enjoyed more, and a year or so in a children's orchestra. Many years later when I was living in Japan, and looking for a way to
JO "TAIKO" McCARTHY
Drums (Photo courtesy Jo Trouble) become involved in the local community, I
joined a taiko drum group. In a taiko performance not only the music but also movements on stage are choreographed. Taiko drums, as we were told by one of the group leaders, are like a mirror -
if you play with little soul and emotion, the sound reflects it. These performances really need to be experienced live to be fully appreciated.
Sax is another instrument I love hearing played, though have never picked one up myself.
- U2 and Coldplay would rate as my favourite gigs I have attended for a single group, but this year saw my introduction to WOMAD - a three day festival at which you experience music from around the world, incredible.
- The World Music Forum has been a fantastic way of both finding new music, and being taken for a ride down memory lane. It's been great also to see what music other TBers enjoy.
- I've been told I have been nominated for a Song of the Week award, which is very exciting! It's been fun watching the auditions each week and taking part when I can, and
JO "TAIKO" McCARTHY
Between Gigs (Photo courtesy Jo Trouble) now apparently I've received this award.
- Wow, thank you so much! I really didn't expect this when I joined the Song of the Week auditions a few weeks after it was launched by Dancing Dave. I'd like to firstly thank The Dancing One for bringing us together each week for such a fun event, and congratulate the other recipients who have introduced me to many new artists and songs.
It's been wonderful to share this journey through the musical world with you all."
Bob "Tinkles" Carlsen - Keyboards & Band Leader Home and Away "I am from Woodland Park, Colorado, USA
Interest in music, genres etc: Classic Rock/Old Gold '50s and '60s
I played Piano in 6th and 7th grades. I'm not playing now as I quit to play baseball.
I was tenor in the high school choir. Bands didn't have piano players back then...Billy Joel and Barry Manilow came much later.
I'm glad I didn't attend Woodstock...too much mud.
When I discovered the quality of music being nominated in Song of the Week, I felt that something was missing; namely classic rock. I started submitting songs with the
BOB "TINKLES" CARLSEN
Keyboards & Band Leader (Photo courtesy Dancing Dave) artists' names beginning with the letter K and have begun to rectify the situation. I have a long way to go...all the way to Z...are there any groups that begin with a 1?
I am honored and delighted for having received such a prestigous award...a member of the Travelblog Big Big band...better than a Grammy!
I wish to thank the judges who have displayed such good taste in music and know a winner when they see (or hear) one. And I wish to thank all of my family, and especially my Travelblog family, who in addition to loving travel, sincerely appreciate good music played on their iPods on those long flights and bus/rail trips.
Whatever..."
Cindy "Rock Chick" Egan - Saxaphone & Vocals littlewing "I'm from Perth Australia
Into Blues, Rock, anything but doof and rap music
Play tenor and alto sax, struggling with the mandolin
Claim to fame - in pre pre warm up band for the Australian Made tour with a band called Jam Sandwich (original not!) and didnt even make the billing...but we did get to tour hence why I threw in that clip of Chris from
CINDY "ROCK CHICK" EGAN
Saxaphone & Vocals (Photo courtesy Littlewing) the Saints at 7am on the tour 😉
I have had a song written about me, by Jane Jermain on her CD chinese whispers, a song called waiting which reflects on a particularly crappy period of my life so I love/hate it and never listen to it....a time in my life when a wound had just healed ripped right open again hearing someone take words you said to them in confidence and putting them on a CD. I dont know how many copies she sold of the CD but enough for me to hear about the song by friends who had heard the song at a blues festival and instantly recognised who it was about and what.
Happier times, I grew up in a house full of musos, kiwis and aussies, with people like Dave Hole dropping in for sessions, Johnny Diesel aka Mark Lizotte learning guitar, playing the roady for the ever elusive backstage all access thing although im not sure if i was supposed to be a roadie or a groupie...i did neither but partied a lot 😊
Music is places and times for me too, I once travelled around Aus visiting all the towns
DAVE HOLE
(Photo courtesy Dancing Dave) Cold Chisel had sung about and the places, being old enough to have had breakfast at sweethearts. I cannot sing at all, I sound terrible, I once was asked to do some backing vocals to help the household rehearse and was kindly encouraged to take up an instrument.....that went in my mouth so I couldnt sing. The only place I do sing is underwater, I sing the entire time i am diving, especially at deco stops. I admit to singing everything from Richard Clapton to the Doors to um, Gordon Lightfoot...if you could read my mind, please tell me what is making me think of that song! I sing Calypso a lot while I am diving and Foo Fighters wheels in my head as the wheels touch down. I have a travel ritual of songs i listen to in order every trip before i leave the house. I once had a French man serenade me on a pier on a private island in Sumatra - with Littlewing of course. Littlewing has been my nickname since I was probably 17...cos i was always walking thru the clouds with a circus mind thats running wild. I have a lot of friends who
DIESEL
(Photo courtesy Dancing Dave) still call me Littlewing.
Gigs I have enjoyed that stand out - Pink Floyd amazing..simply amazing. The Eagles on the hell freezes over tour, I took my mother to her first ever rock concert, she had a ball. U2 last year with my aunt who tossed her wig at Bono as she is a breast cancer survivor and rocked out bald at 62 with her 66 year old sister - mum again!. John Melloncamp in the 80s was a great gig, around the scarecrow album time. My first ever concert was ACDC live at the perth royal show in the 70s that I snuck into with my older cousins and a faceful of makeup and tissues stuffed down my top...but i got to see Bon Scott for $2. Cold Chisels last stand gigs were awesome, Boom Crash Opera always did an amazing show, Stevie Nicks both with Tom Petty, solo and with Fleetwood Mac are standouts. A suprise was Richard Clapton recently and small intimate gigs with the Black Sorrows always enjoyable. Must also mention Powderfingers sunsets goodbye tour..absolutely awesome, Dire Straights technically perfect but Mark Knopfler has no personality, Buddy Guy ALWAYS, John Fogarty, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jeff
Buckley and Thoroughgood were great shows too.
I wish I hadve got to see the doors and hendrix live...and Janis Joplin.
Now I just have to reword this and try and find a pic where i am not in a bikini or bad shorts with a box on my head."
Tynnie "Tweetie Bird" Abayan - Percussion & Vocals "I'm from Pasig City, Metro Manila in the Philippines
My interest in music, genres etc really depends on my mood, reggae when I just want to chill out, pop on radios, and there should always be some R&B on my ipod. I love the 80's OPM(Original Pilipino Music), there's nothing like the songs during that era. I'm not very tolerant with Metal and Techno or anything too loud. Whenever I hear a catchy song anywhere (could be any genre) that catches my attention, it'd be on replay on my music player for weeks until i get totally sick of it! (currently it's Jessica Sanchez's version of Change Nothing)
I sang for the Church choir during high school (just because I needed it for my 'Music' subject at school hehe), so we had that practice
TYNNIE "TWEETIE BIRD" ABAYAN
Percussion & Vocals (Photo courtesy TinNie) and all that. I tried piano and guitar lessons...ehm...them instruments were just out of tune 😉
I was once a proud member of a Church Choir so every special occasions like Christmas or Holy Week, we'd have special new songs ready.
Back in college I'd attend the Sinulog Festival (in Tacloban City), bands will perform every night in open fields for free and so we'd just sit on the grass and give out comments to performers like we're the judges of American Idol.
With Song of the Week I get to share the songs of my favorite artists (i.e. Lenka & others) and listen to fellow travelblogger's choice of artists and music too 😊
It is great to receive an Award for my involvement in Song of the Week. This might actually be my lucky charm or a sign to start a new career!
I'd like to thank everyone for this life changing experience, I wouldn't have earned this award without your love and support. Someday I'd be telling my children and grandchildren about this wonderful experience.
Music can surely heal one's broken soul, Gangnam Style could even make cranky kids behave!
Victor
EZRA "ROOSTA" ERB
Hammond B-3 Organ & Synthesizer (Photo courtesy Roosta) Hugo once said "Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent"...
I guess this is why we have Taylor Swift."
Ezra "Roosta" Erb - Hammond Organ & Synthesizers Roosta "I'm Ezra from Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
I grew up in a town that loved classic rock, so that was my first musical interest. In college I discovered the revelation of electronic dance music and briefly became a DJ. I never got beyond playing dorm parties, but became a fan for life.
The best shows I've ever attended were U2 at the old Foxboro Stadium, Fatboy Slim (one of the world's most popular EDM performers) in a 400 person venue, Tieso (the most popular EDM performer in the world) on New Year's Eve one year, and the Movement Festival in Detroit. Festivals still on my Bucket List include Coachella, South by Southwest, and Miami Music Week.
The World Music Forum has been really fun; a chance to discover new acts and see what other people like.
Getting an award for my Song of the Week postings is thrilling, because it means people find my selections
EZRA "ROOSTA" ERB
(Photo courtesy Roosta) interesting and worth listening to.
Wow! This award is an incredible, unexpected honor! I need to thank my friends, my family, and everyone I've ever met since I was five years old, for giving me the motivation needed for this achievement. I'd like to thank the judges, for having the exceptional taste to recognize my humble contributions to Song of the Week. I need to thank Dancing Dave, for having the vision to conceive of Song of the Week and bring it to life. I would not be here without you.
Music is a universal languages of humanity; songs speak to us the way nothing else can. I first got involved in
What do you mean I'm out of time???"
David "The Dancing One" Hooper - Slide Guitar & Kora Dancing Dave I'm from Sydney, Australia.
When I was 19 I was kicked out of home as my mother wanted to go to live in England. I had just started University so I had to find somewhere to live. I moved in with some bikies & psych nurses next door to my best mate's home.
My musical experiences exploded
living there...discovered bands I had never heard of...learnt to get on with people from all walks of life...why I can do so now.
In my mid twenties I was in Hyde Park, Sydney...buskers walking up to lunchgoers singing impromptu songs...
"We can do that" I thought.
Rang the Festival of Sydney and requested a gig. Ended up scoring Centre Stage on Australia Day at 1pm!!!
Practiced in a mate's loungeroom...microphone hanging from the ceiling...all beating on wooden bowls...setting up magic rhythms...percussion the key...taking turns making up tunes.
Of my 12 mates who swore they'd be in, only 3 committed on the day...made up the opening song as I opened the door...the others to be in the audience to watch us fail.
Hyde Park packed...zillions of people.
Had a banner
"The Revenge of the Basil Brush Ensemble" behind us on stage...crowd gathering.
Mark as Lead singer, James on guitar, John on finger cymbals, me on gazoo.
No wooden bowls...no magic rhythms...no percussion the key...my idea scuttled hours before we were due on stage.
The gig started but the lead singer refused to stand up...just sat there...singing at the floor...then ran away after 2
tracks...mates sniggering in the massive crowd in front of us.
James strumming blues riffs...singing a verse while I played gazoo...me singing the next verse...John on finger cymbals refusing to sing
"I'm here, that's enough" he saying...talk about freak out!!!
So we asked the crowd for subjects to sing about...sang a few...we getting more desperate by the minute...totally winging it.
A guy held up a can of drinking soda. I held up a Budweizer doll I had been wheeling in a pram...held it in front of my face...and sang falsetto at the top of my voice about creaming soda...James banging out blues riffs...John's finger cymbals inaudible...me sweating...eyes tight shut.
Somehow got it to rhyme and the crowd loved it...applause & cheers ringing through Hyde Park...friends shaking their heads in disbelief we had got away with it...closed the show then & there...wise move.
Signed autographs for the next hour...yep...zillions of girls adoring us.
******
Go to Blues Festivals every year with Denise...many bands...World Music gigs.
Went to the Festival in the Desert in Timbuktu, Mali, West Africa in 2011...danced together around the World.
Listen to more music, seen more bands and have more
BUSKING IN SUZHOU
Singing for my supper actually LPs & CDs than you can imagine.
Thanks to Ali for asking me to be the World Music Moderator for Travelblog...thanks to the TBers that join in...the more the merrier...expanding our horizons...adding to the Travelblog experience.
Merry Jo "Big Hair, Big Voice" Binkley D MJ Binkley "I grew up in Dayton, Ohio, U.S.A. and knew from a very early age that I wanted to leave. Home of the famed Wright Brothers and Wright Patterson air force base it was a good place to grow up but a better place to leave behind. Must have been because of the Wright Brothers. They showed us we could fly and I agree. So I flew away......The mid- section of the country is not for me. Ohio is the Indian word for "cold, gray and rainy." Just kidding.....I'm a coastal kind of gal.
Music shows the soul of the people of a nation or region. Music has always spoken to me although short attempts to master the french horn and clarinet ended quickly because of a lack of dedication by a girl during her youth. I keep saying I'm going to learn to play the piano and the harp. I'd
love to play "Morning has Broken" by Cat Stevens.
My singing skills are frightful and proven by the fact that my ex- husband took the radio out of the car so I would stop singing along. I'm not sure if that story tells you more about me or him. I soon realized it was okay not to be a successful musician because the world needs those of us to sit in the audience, listen and appreciate. In this light, I am an expert.
In the 70's I went to live concerts every couple of weeks. I've been fortunate to see many famous and not so famous performers. I've lived all over the country and attempt to attend local music festivals and live venues whenever possible. My favorites are blues, rock and reggae. My least favorites are opera and rap. Outdoor venues are often the most interesting. The artist that have elluded me are Pink Floyd and Cat Stevens. I would have loved to see Cat in his prime but certainly would not turn down an opportunity now.
Last summer the music festival in Reykjavik reminded me how much I enjoy music festivals and exposed me to new
artist. One of my favorite festivals is Ice Stock in Antarctica. A music festival put on each year by employees in McMurdo station. A rockin' good time.
Song of the week has been a wonderful way to bond with fellow travelers, share old favorites and be exposed to many new sounds.
I'm shocked that I have been considered for the coveted Travel Blog music award. What an honor. This middle town girl from Ohio is thrilled that SOW is even considering me! I know what I like and like what I know.
I'd like to thank all of you who voted to bestow this marvelous award on me. Music is an expression of truth and it replenishes the soul.
The joyous sounds unite people in love, friendship, laughter and dancing. Music is a basic need."
************
So welcome the Travelblog Big Big Band...my longest blog...but what the hell...saw Led Zeppellin play for two & a half hours straight...nine life stories herein.
Looking forward to taking the Travelblog Big Big Band to musical heaven.
I think our first track might be "Stairway to Heaven".
Ready Mr Music..let's rock. Relax & Enjoy,
Dancing Dave
And the photos of artists & bands herein...How many are of your favourites?
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Jo Trouble
Jo McCarthy
Fantastic!!
What a night, what a celebration!! Such a fantastic collection of music from the TB BBB. Take a bow O Dancing One, take a bow! See you all next year (hopefully some of you before then!)