I got word that a musician friend of mine had performed recently during a high-profile function for a certain political party.  My first reaction was shock.  In fact, some other friends of mine, for whom I had bought this guy’s first CD, told me they were now putting the CD on eBay.  I wanted to send my musician friend a “Say-it-ain’t-so-Joe” email.  Then I remembered something I’d heard somewhere years ago: “An artist can’t pick and choose their audience.”  Maybe the person who booked talent for the function is a fan.  After all, there is that idea that music is universal; it’s something that brings different people together.  People can have opposing views about many issues yet still enjoy the same music.  And besides, maybe the money was too good to turn down.

But then I thought, you know what?  This is an election year.  And this election season has been a pretty ugly one.  And, at times like these, you have to either choose sides or be totally neutral.  I’ve never had a political discussion with my musician friend.  But I had to wonder where he stands on the issues in this season if he’s willing to play for “them.”  I thought about the artists like Van Halen, Heart, John Mellencamp who have expressed anger about their recordings being used in a certain candidate’s campaign and during the above mentioned high-profile function.  Reports are that the candidate’s campaign purchased the rights to use those songs, so the artists have no recourse.  But that brings up the issue of artists’ rights and ownership of their masters and that would be another aria.

 

I have a running debate with another paly of mine over what makes an event political.  We agree that an event that raises money for a campaign or a party is political.  But she thinks, for instance, that inaugural ceremonies are national because it’s the official taking of the Oath of Office.  I think that while inaugural ceremonies should be national, they tend to be political because the person taking that Oath still represents the views and vision they expressed during the campaign.  That debate started when a mutual friend sang for an inaugural ceremony and I was livid about it.  That mutual friend later told me she had received several “nasty grams” from some of her fans.

 

And then, there’s gospel legend Richard Smallwood who was invited to the White House to participate in a celebration of gospel music this month.  I was not mad at Smallwood for accepting that gig.  He had previously turned down White House invitations because he disagreed with the policies of the current Administration.  However, a celebration of gospel music, despite taking place at the White House, is not a political event.  And, truth be told, to have a celebration of gospel music and not include Richard Smallwood is pointless, but that too is another aria. Then, came reports this week that Smallwood was “dis-invited” by the White House because of his participation in the retirement celebration of Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright last March.  Okay, now it’s political and it’s petty and it’s just one of the reasons why I think that when my first friend above got the call to perform at the high-profile political function, he should have just said “No.”

Check local PBS listings for Great Performances: PAVAROTTI, A Life in Seven Arias.  It is a very well done piece - part documentary, part concert, part interview - on Luciano Pavarotti's life and career, set around his most famous arias.  It does get a little heart-breaking near the end.  But, whether or not you're an opera fan, it's an excellent tribute to one of the greatest voices ever.

A friend of mine passed on this video of Rachelle Ferrell's performance at recent memorial services for comedian Bernie Mac.  We at VocalMusician.com consider Ferrell to be the very personification of the term 'vocal musician.'  If you've never had a chance to see/hear her live, well, you just might need a seat belt for this...

 

Reports are that 38 million viewers tuned in to watch Barack Obama give his acceptance speech last night at Denver's Invesco Field at Mile High.  Those who did saw that, among other things, the Obama camp has (mostly) good taste in music.

In between speeches, throughout the first three days of the Democratic Convention (at the Pepsi Center) one could hear songs like Earth Wind & Fire's "Shining Star," "Fantasy," and "That's the Way of the World" played by the "house band," a live performance of "Born in the U.S.A." by Melissa Etheridge and recordings of songs like The Staples Singers' "I'll Take You There," John Mellencamp's "R-O-C-K in the USA" and Aretha Franklin's "Respect" and "Think."

Last night's live performances began with a full-throated "Star Spangled Banner" by Jennifer Hudson.  John Legend sang "Yes We Can" around a rap by Wil-i-Am and the Agape Choir, but unfortunately, the choir was almost inaudible (on C-Span anyway).  Whatever sound glitches were fixed by the time Sheryl Crow did her up-beat and optimistic 3-song set: "A Change Will Do You Good," "Out of Our Heads" and "Everyday Is a Winding Road" which she combined with Johnny Nash's "I Can See Clearly Now."  Stevie Wonder, along with Take 6, sang "Fear Can't Put Dreams to Sleep."  Then Wonder rocked the house - or, shall I say, stadium - with "Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)" which the Obama camp has been using as on their theme songs.  The final and most emotional vocal performance of the night was Michael McDonald who sang "America, the Beautiful" from deeper than his soul - more like from the sole of his feet.

The Webber-Rice hit musical Jesus Christ Superstar is gearing up for another national tour with Ted Neeley, once again, in the title role!!!  Neeley was awesome in the 1973 film version and he's been touring with the show since 1987.  One can only hope that means he still digs singing the role.

It might be pointless to try to equate rock music with good singing.  Rock music is about attitude.  Rock vocals are usually more about volume, power and emotion than actually singing well.  But after watching "VH1 Rock Honors: The Who" last night and hearing lead vocalists of bands like Incubus, Flaming Lips, Tenacious D and Pearl Jam, I have an even greater appreciation for Roger Daltrey's singing than I had before.  Daltrey has developed a definite rock vocal "technique" over the years which is, obviously, difficult for the younger guys to match.  While I would give David Grohl of the Foo Fighters a B for his singing at the beginning of the show, the best part was seeing and hearing the genuine article at the end.  Daltrey at 64 has still got cords of steel.

Depending on who you ask, an aspiring singer can easily get a thousand different ideas and suggestions on how to prepare the voice to sing well.  But there is an essential thing which will either make those suggestions become second nature or an uphill battle.  Good singing starts with a desire to sing well.  Whether you are a professional or just starting out - whether you are a solist, a backup singer or part of an ensemble, in order to sing well you have to want to sing well.

Welcome to the VocalMusician Blog!!!  We hope you will visit often and tell other singers (and fans of singing) about the blog and the VocalMusician website.  We will share some ideas here about singing and vocal music, as well as highlighting updates to VocalMusician.com and listing any last minute notices we get about performances.  Enjoy...

 Sing On!