The Confetti Clatter – April 2016 Newsletter

Sing Street, a must-see

As we await the return of several band members from college, there isn’t much news to talk about other than some new shows booked for the summer. You can view our current dates on the events area of our website.

In the meantime, I would like to recommend Sing Street, a movie that I had the pleasure of screening this past month.

sing-street-poster

I have to thank my friend Sue, who has a AMC Stubs membership, for giving me the heads up on this movie. She thought it sounded like something up my alley, and through her Stubs membership, I was able a attain a screening pass for April 11 at the AMC Loews in Webster, NY.

The synopsis pulled in me: Set in 1980s Dublin, boy forms band with friends at school to impress girl. Boy learns a lot about himself in the process. The story was written and directed by John Carney, a name I was not familiar with.

Despite my bias against contemporary movies, which tend to be too short on plot and character development, too long on car chases, explosions, and crass content, I reasoned that this was costing me nothing more than an hour and a half of my time on a Monday night — no biggy! So, on I went to the Loews that Monday night.

I could not have been more pleasantly surprised! The acting, by a cast of unknowns, was first-rate. I found myself being drawn into the plot and feeling for each one of the main characters, especially Conor, AKA Cosmo, and his older brother, Brendan. And then there was the elusive, mysterious, Raphina. Raphina is the unattainable girl who drives Conor from a ruse to reality. In an effort to capture Raphina’s heart, Conor, forms a band called Sing Street, with some of the misfits from his new school. Although his motive is to capture Raphina’s heart, the creation of the band represents a pivotal moment in Conor’s maturation. The evolution of Sing Street the band becomes a metaphor for Conor working through his life hurdles, and the tale is brilliantly spun by John Carney. To top it off, the cinematography presented 1980s Dublin in a fairy-tale setting. This heartwarming story can’t be missed.

If you were not a teenager in the 1980s, John Carney’s Sing Street is likely to beguile you with the sweet, universal energy of youth. – A. O. Scott, New York Times

The soundtrack, revolving around the year 1985, will give anyone who was around at that time pause to smile. For me 1865 hits home, as it was in this year we formed IT’S MY PARTY! In addition to the artists of that day like The Cure and Spandau Ballet, Carney included nifty original tunes by the band Sing Street, each one inspired by 1980s hit songs — think That Thing You Do! 

The original tunes in the movie sound like they could have been recorded in 1985, save the Adam Levine contribution, though it was nice to actually hear Levine sing without auto-tune. There were no glaring anachronisms, although “Rio,” by Duran Duran would not have been on the TV show Top of the Pops in 1985, having charted years earlier.

So, if this movie is playing in a theater near you, you should consider going out to see it. Unfortunately, at the time of this writing, it is not showing in the Rochester, NY area, but I’m keeping my eyes open.

Here’s a link to the Sing Street Facebook Page, as well as a review by Bono of U2 and a link to the movie soundtrack.

Feel free to leave a comment or share this post by using the provided social media links.

 

The Confetti Clatter – February 2016 Newsletter

The Hollies

February has been a slow month for the group, so I thought I would share an inspirational music program. I was recently surfing on qello concerts, when I chanced upon The Hollies, Look Through Any Window 1963-1975. Having always been a fan of the group, but interested in knowing more about them, I proceeded to watch this documentary. 

I was totally floored.

Some takeaways:

  • These guys look like kids in the early years
  • Bobby Elliot is an unorthodox drummer who always seems to play what is absolutely correct for the song
  • Tony Hicks has to be one of the most under-rated guitarists of the rock era, paying this guy 18 pounds a week, as demanded by Tony’s father, was money well spent, great singer too.
  • The magic between Clarke and Nash is palpable; CSN can’t hold a candle to CNH!
  • You have to admire how these guys kept plugging away, even after the departure of Nash, way to go!

Included in the documentary is some footage shot by George Martin at Abbey Road studios, during the January 1967 session for “On a Carousel.” If you get a chance, you have to watch this in its entirety. If you don’t subscribe to qello.com, it’s available on DVD at amazon.com

Here is an excerpt from the Abbey Road session, the a cappella three-part harmony practice at the end of this clip is amazing. Notice the alternate cold ending, which would have been much better than the fade-out.

Spotlight on Eliza Schneider

Perhaps as a regular feature we will highlight a past band member or singer from the group. There have been many, but in this edition I will spotlight Eliza Schneider, from the first teen lineup in 1988. Eliza’s edition in March of that year rounded out the teen trio with Tricia & Jennie.

Eliza has gone on to arguably have the most successful career in entertainment of all of the members of the group, though Bennett Kilmer may be a close second. Eliza’s work post-group includes several television series and countless voice-overs, including work on the TV show South Park, the movie Finding Nemo, and the game series Assassin’s Creed.

The following media clips show some examples of Eliza’s work with IT’S MY PARTY!

Here’s Eliza singing lead on a demo tape version of the Deborah Galli song from 1984 entitled “American Boys.”

Here’s Eliza singing lead on The Girlfriends song “My One and Only Jimmy Boy,” live in Penfield, June 1988.

Here is a clip of Eliza in the studio WBER studio on April 20, 1988, working on the backing vocals to “Walkin’ With Me.”  Watching this 17-minute reveals the spontaneity of this session. At times we almost seem to be winging it. Eliza is quite a trooper through it all, demonstrating the patience and collective give-and-take necessary in the studio. Thanks go out to our friend, Jim Marrow, who captured this, and other early IMP moments, on his VHS video recorder.

Here’s a segment of a documentary from Bravo Network with Eliza that will give you an idea of what she’s been up to lately.

Here is Eliza’s official website, if you’re interested in learning more about her.

Our YouTube video to “In Your Letter” has recently gone over 1,000 views. If you get a chance, give it a view, a thumbs up, and a comment. 

Well, that’s all for now, we’ll have more studio updates in our next issue.