Pavlidi Vocal Academy Recommendation
My name is Christy and I am 35 years old. I always wanted to learn how to sing properly. My voice was “good”, however… I never really had the opportunity to work on it. As with life, you find yourself busier than anticipated, and you’re always the first person to say “Yeah, I’ll get to it sometime.”, but the “sometime” doesn’t really happen.
My son who is 6 years old also seems to carry a good tune when he hums and sings along while he’s carrying on doing his thing. I really wanted to inquire about singing lessons for maybe the both of us; but we don’t have vocal academy’s in this area.
Out of curiosity, I searched online, and come to find out, there was an online singing academy which seemed to be legit and knowledgeable about not only just “singing lessons”, but they had opera lessons as well; not that my son and I would be interested in opera, however I know there are many people out there who would want to explore that avenue.
The Pavlidi Vocal Academy is a place which offers both one on one in their area, and online lessons for people who wish to learn and expand on their vocals. They offer a wide variety of courses, workshops and seminars that they put on right in their own studio. They have tutors who are qualified singing teachers who fit every need required.
When speaking with them, and through email, you can easily tell that they are proud of their online vocal academy, as they help many singers to develop themselves to present a fantastic portfolio in order for them to have a great career. The told me they believe that a good singer needs to be a good musician, that’s why they know that their programs will assist others to become better and a complete performer.
My son and I did sign up, and we are currently in the middle of our separate sessions, and we are having fun with it. We have shared a lot of laughs, and will continue to do so. My son is most certainly carrying on a much better tune, while I am feeling a little more confident with each session I have with our tutor.
I know you will enjoy it too, because this is surprisingly a really good place with experienced staff, and the tutors there are real, and it’s legit.
Just look into it. 🙂
Gentlemen Husbands – Shelter Valley Video
I recently “discovered” this band as the opening act for Matt Good and found out they had also opened for The Tragically Hip earlier in the year and have received rave reviews from other well known Canadian bands as well. After listening to their set I immediately agreed with the general consensus that these guys fuckin’ ROCK!
Upon just hearing them for the first time I ended up liking EVERY original song they played, and that’s no mean feat for a band that has yet to release a full album of material. I bought their 4 song EP after the show and loved it. However, it was more of a “WTF?” moment when I noticed it didn’t include half the great songs they played. Why haven’t these guys released a full album? They easily have enough material, as even their live songs I’ve heard that haven’t been recorded yet are ALL catchy and well-written.
Think along the lines of Blue Rodeo, The Wallflowers and Tom Petty to get an idea of what their brand of tuneful, infectious alt-rock sounds like. It’s instantly likeable, hummable and puts you in a good mood, even if you’re stuck in traffic for an hour. Their live shows are high energy and highly worth the effort to attend. I actually feel sorry for those who usually skip the opening band and arrive late just to see the main act, as they are really missing out on something wonderful here. Easily the best “unknown” opener I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been to a LOT of concerts over the years.
‘Nuff said. Check out the video for their first single, Shelter Valley, below…
Go to the Gentlemen Husbands website and get your ass on their mailing list!!
Wintersleep – Dead Letter & The Infinite Yes
Powerful song with very meaningful lyrics. This plays during a scene on the show Being Human (filmed in Montreal) while the vampire character Aiden is with a dying patient. It’s one of my favourite Wintersleep songs, and I’m a huge fan of the band. Got to see them playing a free show live in Halifax on Canada Day 2012 and it was an awesome experience.
I don’t usually post full lyrics, but these words by singer Paul Murphy are so well put that I felt they needed to be read by everyone.
“I found a letter it read
‘Our existence has serious side effects’
Turned on the television
It’s telling me the world is collapsing
I think it’s coming and it comes so fast
I’m hearing whispers of an infinite yes
And I don’t know why it is
Our bodies are dead, why you look so sad?
And my therapist said
‘We’ve evolved through a series of accidents’
There’s been talk of chemical imbalances
Restless sense of detachment, nausea and or violence
I think it’s coming and it comes so fast
I’m hearing whispers of an infinite yes
And I don’t know why it is
I feel it coming, I think it’s real and significant
I think I think I think a little too often
That’s what my therapist said
We’re alone in this wilderness
Left to choke on the pills and to feed on the viruses
I think it’s coming and it comes so fast
I think it’s coming and it comes so fast
I’m hearing whispers of an infinite yes
Our bodies are dead, why you look so sad…”
Watch and listen to “Wintersleep – Dead Letter And The Infinite Yes” here:
What does the song mean to you? Is it about global warming, religion, personal struggles, death, or…? Please comment below!
Ben Caplan and The Casual Smokers – Stranger
Ben Caplan is a crazy man…at times singing like a vodka soaked Russian Tom Waits with songs influenced by folk, jazz and gypsy melodies intertwined in an engaging blend that will have you singing along by the time it’s over and banging on the table for more. The performance in this video is without his band, The Casual Smokers, but the intimate setting in a small pub gives this great showman his chance to shine.
Here is the wonderful Ben Caplan performing the song “Stranger”…
BEN CAPLAN – Stranger from Mitch Fillion (southernsouls.ca) on Vimeo.
Heather Russell Youtube Singer
Heather Russell is a 10 year old singing sensation from Toronto who has been compared to Mariah Carey, Joss Stone and other talented female singers. She was “discovered” on Youtube (just like Justin Bieber) and has recently gained the interest of American Idol heavyweight Simon Cowell.
Looks like she has a very bright future ahead of her and I think it’s really cool that she writes her own songs too, and, of course, that she’s Canadian! I’ve added 2 of my favorite music videos of her for your listening enjoyment, so here she is, Heather Russell singer extraordinaire with her composition “Every Step Of The Way”…
Be Good Tanyas – Littlest Birds
The Be Good Tanyas trio of lovely ladies combined a mixture of traditional, bluegrass, country and sometimes straight rock and roll to create the album Blue Horse, which is one of my favourite CD’s of all time. It’s impossible to listen to this collection of songs without becoming infected with a case of toe-tapping euphoria instantly. No kidding!
There isn’t a bad song to be found anywhere and it gets even better with every spin! While my personal fave is their take on the old tune “The Lakes Of Pontchartrain”, I present here, for nostalgic reasons, their first big radio single, “The Littlest Birds”. Yes, it was used in a Zellers TV commercial, but a gal’s gotta eat, right?
Even though the band hails from Vancouver, on the west coast of Canada, there are several scenes in this video shot in the southern U.S. area (New Orleans?). Great atmosphere! Crank it up and hum along!!
Northey Valenzuela – Not A Lot Going On (Corner Gas Theme Full Extended Version)
Corner Gas was a great Canadian comedy (“sitcom”) that ended recently and the theme song was as recognized by everyone as cool as the show itself. Performed by Craig Northey and Jesse Valenzuela previously of the band Odds, the version here is the full extended song rather than the 30 second intro to the TV show, as it’s rare and something a bit different for a change.
If you’re familiar with the original Corner Gas TV show theme, then you’ll definately notice the differences in the lyrics here, but, ya know, either way there’s still not a lot going on around here, eh? 🙂
Robbie Robertson – Somewhere Down The Crazy River
Ok, so everyone knows that Robbie Robertson was in The Band back in the 1960’s and 70’s, but he also began a stellar solo career in the 80’s, that started with a self titled CD with this song on it.
The video for Somewhere Down The Crazy River was directed by Martin Scorsese (who also filmed The Band’s “Last Waltz” film) and features the lovely Maria McKee (from Lone Justice) as the seductress. The musicians were some of the top session players of the time (and Peter Gabriel’s regulars), including fellow Canadian Daniel Lanois, and one of my favorite bass players, Tony Levin.
A great song with lyrics like “I think I’m gonna go down to Madame X and let her read my mind…she said that voodoo stuff don’t do nothin’ for me!” and “sitting in the backseat listening to Little Willie John…that’s when time stood still…”
It sure did…
Matthew Good Band – Hello Time Bomb Music Video
The Matthew Good Band emerged from the “geek rock” ashes of the early to mid 90’s, made popular mostly by Weezer, and became one of the biggest bands in Canada at the time. They eventually fell apart when the leader, Matt Good, went on to pursue a solo career after their last album, The Audio Of Being, was released in 2001.
This is the Hello Time Bomb music video that came out in 1999 from their huge selling CD, Beautiful Midnight, which had several hit songs on the radio. It was a time of stardom, but also of turmoil and Matt gained a reputation for being difficult in interviews and among his bandmates.
Matthew Good also happens to be one of my favourite musicians of all time. When I first heard his music I was amazed that it was EXACTLY what I wanted to hear in a song…the lyrics, the guitar hooks, and even the subtle flourishes in the background that most people miss. I thought “this is rock music AS IT SHOULD BE!”
As a solo artist now his music has matured, with words about war, politics and dealing with mental illness, and it’s even more meaningful. He’s been known to speak out about how much he hates what he wrote during his MGB days, and I’m sure this post would make him cringe, but in all fairness everyone starts somewhere in order to mature later on, so consider this video as one of the seeds that allowed him, and me, to grow on.
I will be posting his newer stuff as well, but I wanted to start with this one to form some context for later on. Enjoy it for what it is…GOOD ROCK MUSIC!!
Trivia bit: The bass player, Rich Priske, had just joined them at the time this was filmed and is seen in the vid wearing a white button that says “I’m New”. I met him after one of their shows and he’s a really cool guy!
The Pursuit Of Happiness – Hard To Laugh
This is the music video for The Pursuit Of Happiness “Hard To Laugh”. It’s got the rocking late 80’s vibe going on and TPOH in their prime with singer Moe Berg lamenting about his chick gone bad. Classic Canadian rock!!
“…but you’ve got to laugh to prevent yourself from cryin’…” Ain’t it the truth though??