Maree('s) Muses

Major throwback to summer 2014. You know, that time I went to London and never finished my blog posts on the trip. Well, I'm going to London again. Very soon! Turns out, that's what I needed to kick me into finishing all these. Even though it's strange seeing how much of a different person I am now, but I feel like I need to stay to true to the notes I wrote down 2 years ago. I promise that this time around I will be wiser and make a more realistic blog post plan. Back to the lovely day on South Bank . This is an extra music-y blog post about all the lovely buskers along the Thames that made me smile and generally made my life much better that day. It's no secret that music plays and important part in my life and these boys provided a much needed comfort to me, for which I shall be eternally grateful. If you enjoy acoustic guitars, click below to check them out and have a listen. 

For the second time in my life I've won something! Tickets to see Prague Symphony Orchestra in concert, conducted by none other than maestro José Cura , yes, the world famous tenor himself! Who knew that he originally studied Composition and Conducting? Anyway, this unexpected cultural pleasure left me in raptures and mesmerised, therefore I cannot contain myself and must share my delight with you. Smetana Hall, Municipal House (image from prague.eu )

Well aren't you good at patiently waiting for me to get it together? I hope the following music-y ramblings will not disappoint you. In all honesty, the timing of this post could not be any better, because Hudson Taylor's debut album has only just been released in Ireland and for the rest of us the wait is almost over. Trust me, 23rd March will be here sooner than you think. Head over to hudsontaylormusic.com to find out about how and where you can pre-order it. (Or indeed, purchase if you have the proverbial luck of the Irish :) ) Now, let me once again take you back in time, to last summer, 5th June 2014, if you want me to be date specific. On that memorable day I strolled around Regent's Park and in the evening I went to my first (and hopefully not last) concert in London. I've already talked about the supporting musicians: Kimberly Ann and the oh so amazing Flyte (still not over them!), but now comes the time to talk about the music that I...

Welcome to another part of my live music experience in the Electric Ballroom in Camden Town. If you haven't already, don't forget to have a look what I've been doing on the gig day and who the first support act of the night was . All caught up? Let's get to it then :) There was a short technical break. In the meantime we were kept entertained by some reproduced music, which was a good mix of old-timey and folksy type of things (Simon & Garfunkel among others). Then out of the blue, as a complete surprise, a 4-piece band that I don’t know takes the stage. Turns out there’s another support band before Hudson Taylor come on :) Weeell, when I say a surprise, I mean I should have realized, ‘coz I did notice there were 2 sets of drums on the stage and I wondered what the deal with that was... Duh! There's another band. Silly Maree :D Please, excuse the rubbishness and zero reporting value of the photo. The band was (I didn’t quite catch the name, but l...

If you are not (and want to be) in the loop on what led up to me being at a gig at the Electric Ballroom in Camden, read here ;)) Otherwise, welcome and let me introduce you to the first support act of the night, which was a girl with a guitar, big voice and big hair, going by the name of Kimberly Anne.

Just because I'm nice, I'm gonna share with you a way how you can win some Hudson Taylor goodies ;)  To read a more detailed catch-up on Hudson Taylor news in Czech PRO PONĚKUD PODROBNĚJŠÍ ČLÁNEK V ČEŠTINĚ O NOVINKÁCH OD HUDSON TAYLOR >> click here << The competition is related to their latest music video of the song "Weapons" , which will be Hudson Taylor's first "proper" single. It will be released on 16th March. You can preorder it on iTunes. Video was directed by Lucy Tcherniak and shot in a former prison (Crumlin Road Gaol in Belfast), starring Liam McMahon. If you wish to read more about what the song means, or can mean... How it came to life, etc., I recommend clicking here and you will be taken to a transcript of what the lads said about the whole thing :) Now, here's that gem of a video. I myself like it very much (surprise, surprise). It is very powerful and gripping... in an Irish sort of way... and it defini...

This is about a bit a of a music epiphany that I went through. You've probably noticed in the news, that one of the Everly brothers, Phil, passed away a couple of weeks back, on 3rd January 2014... I noticed as well. When I was little, and then again in my teens, my older brothers used to listen to radio stations that played "oldies" kind of music, and I used to hear that name on the radio. I knew that the "Everly Brothers" were a band from the 60's, but if you asked me a couple of weeks ago, I wouldn't be able to name a single song by them. Phil and Don Everly performing, 1964. Image source Then for some reason, I thought I should look into them a little bit and typed the name into YouTube searchbox. Subsequently I had my mind blown. It turned out... that I had already known a lot of their songs, I had known them and loved them, only I didn't realize it was the Everly Brothers singing! There was more then 10 songs that I knew so ...

Guess what! I have a special musical treat for you! Think of it as a Christmas present from me :) It's a compilation of some of my favourite Christmas songs and carols. If you find yourself too busy with last minute tidying, wrapping pressies or you're stuck in your cosily warm kitchen, tied to the cooker, preparing some yummy loveliness for your family,... I suggest you click here , where you will find a neat little youtube playlist of all the songs listed in this post, so you can listen to them while Christmas is knocking on your window sills. Starting off with something bright and cheery: this is my all time favourite rendition of the Christmas classic "Jingle Bells" , performed by Ondřej Havelka & His Melody Makers , featuring The Swings (vocal quartet). By this time, it should be no surprise to you that I am into this kind of old-timey swing music. Also, the video is quite funny, be sure to watch :) Slowing down only a little bit, still swinging...

I tried to resist... but it turns out to be inevitable. You will have to bear with one more music-y blog post. I warned you. If you read my latest Music Monthly carefully, you should know what is coming. First and foremost, looooooots of good music! And the name you should remember is: Hudson Taylor . To read the equivalent article in Czech, PRO ČTENÍ ODPOVÍDAJÍCÍHO ČLÁNKU V ČEŠTINĚ > click here < official photo stolen from the official website