#he's playing avril 14th

[stxllarvision]

april 13th 🤝 avril 14th

(aka a drawing in honour of both neil day and aphex twin day)

#he's playing avril 14th #stxllarvision.art #neil day #aphex twin day #aphex twin #neil banging out the tunes #april 13th #april 14th #avril 14th #art #illustration #artists on tumblr

[xe-5aj1700155-024]

Comm_Proj: Husks

Image_series: 2/5 

Outfit_Name: Androider or Opiater(Alt/Rejected_Name: Suicider)

Theme: Self-Hatred & Overdose

Timeframe(in_context): April, 2023

Time_of_Day(for_shoot): Day or Night

Camera(for_shoot): DSLR or DSLR w/Flash

Main_Outfit_Aspect: “Cry Of Fear” Influence; Prenoxad/Nyxoid(Potentially)

Image_Site: Brunswick Monument in Geneva, Switzerland [Emergency/Ambulance_site(Avril)]

Outfit(Main)_ID:

Grey Zip-Up Hoodie [SMall_Hood_Up(Hiding_Hair(Anon))]

Lifelover “Erotik” Tee [TIght]

SS20 Balenciaga Trompe L’Oeuil Pants/Jean_Mod

FW19_Vetements Reissue “Karate” Shoes [Possible_Choice] OR FW17_Vetements_x_Reebok Multi “Genetically Modified” Sneakers [Most_Likely_Choice] OR FW17_Vetements_x_Reebok Black “Genetically Modified” Sneakers [Unlikely_Choice]

Blue Face Mask

Clear Rectangular Glasses [Possible Choice]

Medical Bandage Stuck To Left Forearm[w/Iodine and/or Red Fluid to Imitate Old_and/or_New_Blood]

Yellow Bic Lighter[Small] Held in Right Hand to Mouth

Black Fingerless Gloves_(Unpictured)

A Single Lucky Strike “Toniq” Cigarette Held in the Mouth[Lit By Lighter]_(Unpictured)

50cl Heineken 5% Beer Can[aka_“Tall_Boy”] Held by Right Hand, Loosely w/Lighter_(Unpictured)

Prenoxad/Nyxoid in Left Hand_(Unpictured)

Auditory_Dimension(tied_to_outfit): "Besatt" (Posessed_in_English) by Lifelover, from their "Erotik" Album, Released in 2009; Cover of Stockholm, Sweden, Taken From Kaknästornet; DSBM and Melancholic BM

Lyric Excerpt[w/Translation_From_Swedish] from Besatt(tied_to_outfit)

Auditory_Dimension(tied_to_outfit): "Syndafloden" (The_Deluge_in_English) by Apati, from their "Tomorrow Cancelled Due To A Lack Of Interest" Album[w/Translation_From_Swedish], Released in 2010; DSBM & Melancholic BM

Lyric Excerpt[w/Translation_From_Swedish] from Syndafloden(tied_to_outfit)

Auditory_Dimension(tied_to_outfit): "Yellow" by And End... , from his only Project "Between Light And Lies", Released in 2013; Russian DSBM and Melancholic BM; Rest In Peace Roman Lomovskiy, CoD: Suicide Following the Project's release (15/02/1991 - 01/06/2013)

Auditory_Dimension(tied_to_outfit): "Anxiety", "Calm", "It's Over", and "Train Station"(From_Above_Compilation) by Andreas Rönnberg, Lead Developer and OST producer for "Cry of Fear" by Team Psykskallar, Released in 2012; Classical and Ambient Music

Outfit_Influence: Simon Henriksson, Protagonist of "Cry of Fear" Crying Alone on a Bench; he has Severe Anxiety and Depression

Outfit_Influence(and_Auditory_Dimension): Kim Carlsson(Lead_Vocalist_for_Lifelover) Performing a Tribute Under his Band “Hypothermia” to Friend and Co-Founder of Lifelover, Jonas “B” Berqvist, who had Accidentally Overdosed on his Prescription Medication(Benzodiazepines[Likely_With_Alcohol]) for GAD, on the 9th of September, 2011. This show was at “Autumn Depression”, a Black Metal festival in Germany on the 14th of October, 2011. Jonas’ Death Marked Lifelover’s End. The Song Playing is “Levande Vakuum, Otämjbart Ingenting” by Iblis Industries (Translated_From_Swedish_Meaning: Living Vacuum, Untameable Nothing)

Outfit_Infleunce: Simon Injecting Morphine Into His Arm to Restore Health and Stamina in "Cry Of Fear". This Healing Animation Exposes Self-Harm Scars on his Left Forearm, which are not further explained. A Powerful Example of "Show, Don't Tell"

Outfit_Infleunce: An Excerpt From One of the Multiple “Cry of Fear” Endings, Tremendous Relation to Outfit

Photo_Infleunce: A Photo of(Self) During Emergency Event(April, 2023) at the Brunswick Monument; Carried Away by Ambulance not Long After This Photo was Taken

Concept_Influence: My First View(POV) From the Hospital Bed After Waking up in the Emergency Department (and_Picking_up_my_Phone)-(April, 2023-EV)

Photo_Infleunce: A Meme of Simon Calling him Sick(i.e: Diseased)

Outfit_Infleunce: Behind_the_Scnes of "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo", by David Fincher(Released in 2012) Showing Lisbeth(Protagonist) Contemplating Opioid Use. The Film was Shot and Set in Stockholm, Sweden

Outfit_Field_Wear(var): Posing in Outfit(w/Karate shoes), Testing Posture and Angle

Outfit_Influence: Prenoxad_w/Case

Outfit_Influence: “Suicider” Mob From “Cry Of Fear” who Shoots Itself When Low on Health or When Simon Comes too Close.

#SoundCloud #Youtube

[natecarnell]

@scatteredintros​

[ jeremy shada, cis male, he/him. ] ✧･ﾟ is that [ nathaniel ‘nathan / nate’ carnell ] who just stumbled into town? rumour has it that they’re the [ twenty one ] year old child of [ pascal ] from [ tangled ]. i’ve also heard that they’re [ bright ] but [ headstrong ] and have [ 1 older ] sibling. i could almost swear i heard [ keep holding on - avril lavigne ] playing when they appeared.

name: nathaniel carnell

age: twenty one

gender & pronouns: cis male & he/him

sexuality: pansexual

faceclaim: jeremy shada

eye color: blue/green blend, different vibes under different lights

hair color: dark brown

height: 5′8″

zodiac & birthday: aquarius & february 14th

parent: pascal

sibling: 1 older sibling (name tba)

-----------------

trigger warning: bullying

the son of pascal, nathan has spent the majority of his life as chameleon. however, his formerly small size and previous lack of ability to communicate verbally did nothing to put a damper on his larger than life personality. much like his father, nate is a tried and true friend once he is in your corner. he has always loved making people laugh or at least smile, quick to do some sort of trick or make himself look ridiculous if that was what the moment called for. and he was always happy to provide a listening ear, be a trustworthy confidant for those who simply needed to get something off their chest or work out a problem by talking.

nathan also has his father’s protective tendencies, quick to stare down any bullies in corona. those same tendencies inspired him to sit in on royal guard training sessions whenever the opportunity arose, watching carefully to observe how they learned to defend the kingdom’s citizens or resolve issues. and he would be lying if he said that his mischievous tendencies didn’t lead to him pulling small pranks on the aforementioned bullies in retaliation. just helping karma get there faster, he would say nowadays.

for the most part though, he did enjoy a safe and happy life back home. what more could a chameleon possibly ask for? so imagine the shock that came when life changed in the blink of an eye. one moment, he was just going about his day and the next? he wasn’t a chameleon in corona anymore. on the contrary, he was a human in a strange, new place.

suddenly being human is quite the odd experience for him to say the least. definitely uncharted territory, but nate is nothing if not excited to rise to the challenge. he is admittedly a little nervous and feeling overwhelmed about these various changes, definitely homesick for corona yet he can’t help wondering about the potential adventures that might lie ahead.

nate is feeling quite the mixed bag of emotions about these current circumstances, there is no denying that. yet he is trying to focus on being a steady presence for friends old and new while hoping for the best, wishing for a happily ever after.

#intro #about nate

[aspergillosis]

Hes playing avril 14th

[midnight-star-world]

#CountryMusic

Academy of Country Music Honors 2022/CMT Artists Of The Year 2022

So today on the MSR (Midnight Star Review), I will be talking about 2 shows in one blog. And those are the Academy of Country Music Honors 2022 & CMT (Country Music Television) Artists of the year 2022. I will be posting my Artists of the year closer to the end of the year. So let's get started with the Academy of Country Music Honors 2022.

This show was hosted by Carly Pearce and aired on Fox. This was the 15th annual edition and originally aired on 9/13/22 at 8pm EST (Eastern Standard Time). Here is what they played first then we will head to the awards after.

Setlist. Kelsea Ballerini - Man I feel like a woman (Shania Twain cover). Hardy & Ernest - Sand in my boots -> Wasted on you -> More than my hometown (Morgan Wallen covers). Vince Gill - You don't wanna love a man like me. Dierks Bentley - Gold. Little Big Town - The house that built me (Miranda Lambert cover). Lainey Wilson - Workin' overtime. Carly Pearce - What he didn't do. Wynonna Judd - Why not me. Dan + Shay - Glad you exist. Tiera Kennedy - From this moment (Shania Twain cover). Avril Lavigne - No one needs to know (Shania Twain cover). Trace Adkins - A country boy can survive (Hank Williams Jr. cover). Morgan Wallen - A rock (Hardy cover). Brooks & Dunn - Kerosene (Miranda Lambert cover). Jordan Davis - What my world spins around.

And here is the awards. What was handed out and who won what.

Awards. ACM Milestone Award goes to Morgan Wallen. ACM Spirit Award goes to Chris Stapleton. ACM Icon Award goes to Connie Bradley. ACM Triple Crown Award goes to Miranda Lambert. ACM Film Award goes to Yellowstone. ACM Service Award goes to Duane Clark. ACM Poet Award goes to Sonny Throckmorton. ACM Poet Award goes to Shania Twain. ACM Songwriter of the year goes to Hardy.

And that's a wrap for the Academy of Country Music Honors 2022, but we are not done here with the awards. Up next is the CMT (Country Music Television) Artists of the year 2022. So let's get started right now on this show as well.

This was a show to honor Artists Walker Hayes, Luke Combs, Carly Pearce, Lainey Wilson, Kane Brown, Loretta Lynn, Cody Johnson, & Alan Jackson. This show was hosted by Martina McBride and was on Friday October 14th, 2022 at 9pm EST (Eastern Standard Time).

Setlist. Walker Hayes & Ciara - Y'all life. Riley Green performs Luke Combs' The kind of love we make. Carly Pearce - 29. Lainey Wilson - Heart like a truck. Kane Brown - Like I love Country Music. Crystal Gayle & Peggy Sue- Coal miner's daughter. Cody Johnson - Human. Alan Jackson - Chattahoochee.

And that's a wrap for both shows. And on the MSR (Midnight Star Review), I do like other artists singing other songs for their friends. So I would give both of these shows a 3 out of 5 stars. They were good to watch but if you missed out, it's okay. I truly got you covered. See ya all next time. And watch out for my Artists of the year 2022 coming soon.

#Midnight Star Review #MSR #Peggy Sue #Crystal Gayle #Riley Green #Ciare #Alan Jackson #Cody Johnson #Loretta Lynn #Kane Brown #Luke Combs #Walker Hayes #martina mcbride #Artist of the year #Artists of the year 2022 #Music #Country Music Televison #Country Music #Country #CMT #Fox #Jordan Davis #Ronnie Dunn #Kix Brook #Brooks & Dunn #Hank Williams Jr #trace adkins #avril lavigne #tiera kennedy #Dan + Shay

[dylana431]

Exhibition Analysis and Future Project Plans W/C 25/05/2021

Summary of the Final Project

This week the composer has been analysing the project and reflecting upon what went well and what could’ve been improved. Another key stage of this process is deciding where the project will go in the future. 

Things That Went Well 

The first thing that stands out to the composer as a success when watching the project is the quality of the video. The painting was captured well in the light and the different angles used and edited by the photographer make the video pleasing to watch. As well as this, the music interrelates with the video and features an interesting combination of orchestral instruments and electronic ambience. The sections interrelate well with each other, this was one of the main project outcomes, to merge orchestral instruments and electronic ambience. The mixdown is good and creates good use of the frequency spectrum, and the master enhances it further. It was also good to form another collaboration with a classmate with the mastering. Mixing down and mastering with lots of orchestral instruments is tricky, and it was a success.

- Despite not live-streaming with Jacob, a promotional poster was created nonetheless.

Things That Could’ve Been Improved 

One of the main areas that could have been improved was the overall length of the project. Lasting 11:46, the project falls short of the 15-20 minute target. There are several ways in which the composer thinks the project could have been extended, these will be outlined in the future project plans section below. Another area that could’ve been improved was the promotion. Not as many people viewed the project as the composer would’ve liked. Research (Biteable, n.d.) shows that live-streaming produces more interest and views. This was one of the downsides to not live-streaming, however, the composer still believes the better film and audio quality was a good trade-off for this.

Future Project Plans

The composer has many future plans for this project. One of the possible ways in which the project will be extended is by creating two other pieces of music to accompany this first one. As the overall feel of this piece is ambient, it has been decided that the following two pieces will become gradually more intense. Another idea is to commission an artist (perhaps the same one) to create another piece of relevant artwork that follows this one. The music can then be created alongside the art again.

In the future, the composer would like to record musicians to play some of the parts in the music. The orchestral strings and electric guitars will be recorded in a studio, the composer would also like to perform this piece live with an orchestra, synthesisers, and electric guitarist. There are plans for composing a solo piano version of this piece. Using the chord progressions that were created, it would be interesting to hear the basslines on the left hand of a pianist, and the melodies on the right hand. There are also plans being made with Jacob to do the exhibition when venues reopen.

Social and Ethical Dimensions

As this project was focused on collaboration, it is important to think about the impact the project has on the people you are working with. The composer credited people for contributions. For example, when the video was created he thanked Cameron for his artwork and Sarah for the mastering as these were the two main contributors. He also ensured every participant consented to be part of the project. The composer did everything they could to be honest (Oliver, 2010).

Research and Analysis:

Live Performance Influences 

In deciding upon future project plans there were several influences. One of the influences for doing a live performance is Hans Zimmer’s performances. In his 2017 world tour, he used 22 musicians. These included a bassist, double bassist, drums, woodwind, five keyboard players, two violinists, two percussionists, Zimmer on the keyboard, a cellist, banjo and guitars, an 18 piece orchestra made up of brass and strings, and a 16 piece choir (Duff, 2017).

- Zimmer performing on his 2017 world tour. This photo is from PSN Europe (2017).

Another key influence of the live performance idea was Adrian Utley, the guitarist from Portishead. The composer did a project with him and other students at university (dBs Bristol, HE centre). The project was a live performance of ‘Terry Riley- In C (1968)’. In this project, traditional orchestral instruments were replaced with synthesisers and Adrian played the guitar. This is exactly how the composer envisions doing a live performance of this project.

- Adrian Utley in studio three at dBs music. This screenshot is from dBs music’s youtube channel (2018).

One of the key inspirations for the solo piano piece is Aphex Twin- Avril 14th (2001). When the composer created the chord progression, the transition between certain chords sounded similar to some of Aphex Twin’s piano pieces. When this gets made into a solo piano piece, there will be further research into Aphex Twin’s techniques.

References:

[Aphex Twin]. (7th May, 2015). Avril 14th [Video File]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6dGAZTj8xA

[dBs Music]. (14th December, 2018). Recording Terry Riley's 'In C' with Portishead's Adrian Utley [Video File]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFMhRH-eixw

Biteable. (Date Unknown) Facebook Live: Does it Really Have Better Organic Reach? Available from: https://biteable.com/lab/facebook/facebook-live-organic-reach-experiment/#:~:text=Facebook%20Live%20got%20people%20to,Facebook%20Live%20broadcast%20for%20longer.

Duff, S. (2017) Exclusive: Behind the scenes at legendary film composer Hans Zimmer’s world tour. [Online] Available from: https://www.psneurope.com/live/hans-zimmer-2017-world-tour-digico [accessed 20 May 2020].

Oliver, P. (2010) The Student's Guide to Research Ethics. (2nd ed.) Berkshire: Open University Press.

[dorsetti]

Thank you so much to @mmurdocks-law, @theweirdnerdylife and @notforonesecond for sending me this because I love talking about myself.

name: Marc 

star sign: Virgo 

height: 6′ and a hair

put your music on shuffle, what are the first 6 songs that popped up?:

BØRNS - Past Lives

The Radio Dept. - I Don’t Like It Like This

New Order - Blue Monday

Clean Bandit ft. Zara Larsson - Symphony

Calvin Harris ft. HAIM - Pray to God (MY JAM)

Richard James - Avril 14th

grab the book nearest to you and turn to page 23. what’s line 17?: “Doubts about the originality of her work nagged at her.” - The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

ever had a song or poem written about you?: Sadly, no

when was the last time you played air guitar?: earlier today, tbh

who is your celebrity crush?:  Jake McDorman, Alexander Skarsgård, and Ryan Hawley - he’s so handsome, it’s a crime, ffs.

what’s a sound you hate? how about love?: styrofoam, I can’t stand it. I love the sound of the rain hitting windows.

do you drive? if so, have you ever crashed?: I live in Los Angeles, you can only drive here. And yeah: I was driving home from uni in the early 2010s and a car cut me off and I lost control, I ran off the freeway and hit a tree. I was fine, but my car wasn’t.

last book you read?:  Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman

do you like the smell of petrol?: Negatory (do people say yes to this?)

what was the last movie you saw?: Call Me By Your Name. I went to get the book right after.

what’s the worst injury you’ve ever had?: When I was 4 or 5 I fell out of a tree and broke my arm. I don’t remember it, but my mum says I was too shocked to cry.

do you have any obsessions right now?:  Watching the greatest queer films of our time, trying to nurture my relationship without changing who I am bc I’m trying to be a real adult, trying to reach my #health goals and not eat all the baked goods this holiday season, Robron (have you seen this blog?), and trying to keep up with my family even though we’re scattered across the US and Europe.

do you tend to hold grudges against anyone who’s done you wrong?: DO I??? My childhood best friend stabbed me in the back in the 4th grade and became friends with our bullies and then then bullied me. He’s now a call centre manager in Des Moines (the schadenfreude is SO real). I try to not be low key petty but it’s hard, y’all.

in a relationship?: Affirmative

#do i tag this as #personal #i love answering questions #send me all the asks y'all #within reason tho

[jamesbegleymusictheory-blog]

Transcription

We will now use the theory and principles we have discussed and apply them to an example track by creating a lead sheet for a piece of contemporary music.

The example is by the famed Aphex Twin and the track is called ‘Avril 14th’

The track is a piano solo composed by Aphex Twin but played back on a Yamaha Disklavier reproducing piano, The Disklavier is a real acoustic piano outfitted with electronic sensors for recording and electromechanical solenoids for player piano-style playback, in this instance he didnt physically play the piece himself, but rather programmed it with MIDI data and let the piano play it back itself and recorded it.

#music theory

[junker-town]

A Seahawks fan’s elegy for the Legion of Boom

It was a beautiful football experiment, and it worked better than anyone could’ve expected.

The Legion of Boom announced its presence just about four years ago, on national television in the NFC Championship. The person doing the announcing, fittingly, was Richard Sherman. He did so in his own way.

What came with the name was an attitude, a style of play that set the tone for the rest of the team. It was the result of an experiment by Pete Carroll and John Schneider, the head coach and roster brain, respectively, behind the Seahawks. They came in, they detonated the roster, and they built around a bunch of hungry, largely underrated players. And they hoped it would work out.

Schneider and Carroll took Earl Thomas, a safety whose size was used as a knock and who still wears that chip on his shoulder today, with the 14th pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. In the 5th round, they added Kam Chancellor, a linebacker turned safety that wasn’t afraid to run over anyone that got in his way. It was the perfect pairing. The next year, also in the 5th round, they added Richard Sherman, a WR-turned-corner from Stanford who stewed during the draft as other players at his position were drafted ahead of him (he turned out fine). The final piece has been a rotating cast of characters that began with Brandon Browner, who was in the CFL at the time.

This should’t have worked. The best bet was always Thomas, who made up for questions about size with speed, instincts and an absolute ferociousness. But there was Chancellor, Sherman ... prospects you hope come through for you but have to do just that: hope. It was an experiment built within a pretty good system of a defense.

You could see there was something to this group early, though. They started to come together and quickly showed flashes of promise. Chancellor is a good example here: When he came into the league, he hadn’t quite figured out how to hit people hard ... and legally. He cleaned that up over time, much to the detriment of Demaryius Thomas’ ribs.

Somewhere along the way they got a name, and a reputation, and really they just started locking teams down. The defense would be introduced at Centurylink Field, and the Legion Of Boom would be announced, and run onto the field, together. The reputation grew. Richard Sherman even yelled something at Tom Brady.

The history of the Legion of Boom is full of trials and errors, huge mistakes and amazing successes. In the 2013 playoffs, the Seahawks defense gave up a last-second field goal to the Falcons in the divisional round, ending their season. The next year, with the 49ers driving in the NFC Championship, Richard Sherman tipped a Colin Kaepernick pass to the end zone to Malcolm Smith to seal a Seahawks win. Failure, a lesson learned, and a success. What happened two weeks later was a foregone conclusion and a victory lap for the Seahawks defense. The Legion of Boom had a ring, and the experiment worked.

The question is always how long will it keep working. Getting the experiment off the ground is half the battle. In the NFL, the window is short and so is the shelf life for players. And it’s a contact sport so injury luck is involved.

Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images

It wasn’t hard to spot the seams. The blowups on the sidelines became more frequent, and there was more tension. Age catches up and the margin for error on defense goes down. Injuries happen, including freak ones like a leg whip from Chancellor, which ended Thomas’ season in painful and devastating fashion. The wear and tear later caught up to Chancellor, and he may never play football again. Playing at the speed and level the Legion of Boom did takes its toll.

The realization that it was over came as Sherman laid on the turf during a brutal Thursday night game against the Cardinals. His Achilles was ruptured, and had been just barely hanging on all season anyway. The Legion of Boom was aging and injured, and the Seahawks had to make some decisions. The seams had been showing, and this was the last gasp before they, too, burst.

Sherman will be released, and may or may not be back. Michael Bennett is gone and Cliff Avril may never play again. The Seahawks are moving players around left and right, signaling a large-scale roster shakeup. Earl Thomas may be the only remaining member of the Legion of Boom. Seattle’s defense will look different, and sound quieter.

The Seahawks will try to rebuild, and try to recapture what the Legion of Boom created. There are holdovers, and new faces will emerge. But it’s impossible to re-create what the LOB became because it was an experiment all along: careful scouting, some patience, an environment they could flourish in, a scheme that fit their skills to a perfectly, and a whole lot of luck. What you’re left with is the end of an era and attitude, and a whole bunch of fun memories.

[alhorner]

How Aphex Twin’s piano lullaby ‘Avril 14th’ became a runaway pop culture hit

Here’s a twisted bit of irony for you. Arguably the most important electronic artist of our time is, statistically at least, best known for two minutes and five seconds of music seemingly devoid of electronics. ‘Avril 14th’, with its 38 million Spotify streams to date (32 million more than ‘Windowlicker’), is just one man and his Yamaha Disklavier: a butterfly-fragile float of Erik Satie-inspired piano calm that emerged in 2002 on Aphex Twin’s divisive Drukqs, nestled quietly between two slabs of more familiar frantic IDM.

The track has since blossomed into something bigger, needling its way into the public imagination via high profile film and TV spots: Sofia Coppolla’s Marie Antoinette, Chris Morris’ Four Lions, Spike Jonze’s Her to name a few. And that’s before we get to Kanye West sampling the song on My Dark Beautiful Twisted Fantasy‘s ‘Blame Game’.

 In 2017, after more skittering rhythms and synaesthesic synth sounds on 2014 comeback album Syro, the defining public image of Richard D. James is still one of the hyena-grinned architect of digital chaos. The sweet, simple ‘Avril 14th’ continues to quietly transcend that image, spilling out into the mainstream in a way that was pretty much unimaginable in the Warp man’s 1990s peak. Yeah, he’s a festival headliner and something approaching a household name nowadays, but Aphex’s obtuse fringe music still feels like it was never meant to ring out on SNL, never meant to accompany Chris Rock skits, never meant to score celebrated movie stars in lavish period dramas.

‘Avril 14th’ accomplished all of that and more. If that song and other stripped melodic moments on Drukqs (shouts to ‘Kesson Dalek’ and sorrowful music box lament ‘Hy A Scullyas Lyf Dahagrow’) came as a surprise to some fans, they didn’t to his label. “It was like a lightning bolt had come crashing through both my work life and my record collection,” says then Warp marketing co-ordinator Phil Canning. “We knew the album was special and of course ‘Avril 14th’ made us sit up. But his previous albums had their tender moments, so we knew his tower of melodies, if you like, wasn’t just restricted to the banging stuff.” By the time James delivered Drukqs, “there was less A&R-ing Aphex,” recalls Canning. “He was sort of left to his own devices. So all we knew was to expect the unexpected.”

Driving his move into piano composition was, depending on what interview you read, either the purchase of a new piano (the same one as “that bloke from Take That”), a “low boredom threshold” or the result of going deaf from too many loud live shows (“I can’t listen to any music at all. I’m totally gutted, have learnt how to lip read and I can still mix records by smelling the grooves,” he teased on Drukqs’ release). He had loved playing piano “since I was little. The one I used to have as a child got woodworm and my mum had to sell it because the worms were eating all the wood in the house and I was really upset,” he told one interviewer.

The album’s combination of romantic classical interludes punctuating brutal blasts of scorched jungle and acid house was a little too unexpected for most critics. Rolling Stone called it “indecipherable” and “gratuitously weird.” Billboard more diplomatically deemed it “an ambitious but ultimately failed experiment.” Q meanwhile scratched its head in puzzled despair, asking: “what is it for?” as Pitchfork damned its piano experiments as “languid noodling”, writing the whole thing off as “crude.” Rumors flared that James was trying to get to the end of his contract with Warp to release more on Rephlex (James admitted as much, putting the blame on Rephlex collaborator Squarepusher: “[He’s] got a real problem being on a label where there’s other artists he hates. He hates everything on Warp. He doesn’t like Autechre.”)

That didn’t stop fans obsessing over its biggest track, ‘Avril 14th’,  and understandably so. In a lot of ways, despite not being representative of James’ main, more kinetic output over the years, it felt like a perfect embodiment of Aphex and the line he constantly treads between the mechanical and the human. ‘Avril 14th’ was recorded on a Yamaha Disklavier: a standard Yamaha acoustic piano rigged to accept MIDI data, meaning you can write on computer and have an acoustic piano perform it. As Scott Wilson writes in his guide to Aphex Twin gear, “the result is something that sounds human but not quite” – a tussle that’s long been at the heart of James’ music, where melody and technology-fuelled cacophony constantly interweave.

By 2010, that weave had wound its way to the ears of Kanye West. Not that Kanye would admit that at first, according to James. “He tried to fucking rip me off and claim that he’d written it, and they tried to get away with not paying,” claimed the producer, after ‘Blame Game’ repurposed the closing section of the song for Ye’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. James insists he was “really helpful” after learning of Kanye’s interest, offering to send a polished, re-recorded version of the part he was attempting to sample. “They just replied with, ‘It’s not yours, it’s ours, and we’re not even asking you any more,’” James alleged, though the situation seemed to end amicably: Aphex Twin is credited in the album liner notes, suggesting the rapper’s strong-arm approach didn’t last long.

That same year, syncs continued to roll in, including maybe the the most fitting use of ‘Avril 14th’ on screen of them all: Chris Morris’ 2010 terrorist farce Four Lions. “Richard was pretty into it straight away, as I recall,” says Canning, who worked on the movie as music supervisor (he now works full-time in music supervision for film). James was reported to have composed music for Morris’ spoof news programme Brass Eye years earlier, and the pair shared a connection to Warp, so the producer didn’t take much convincing to lend the track to a climatic scene that, like ‘Avril 14th’ itself, balanced many emotions: melancholy, optimism, simplicity and something more profound. “Richard knew about Chris and his excellent work of course, and so agreed with more intrigue than questions,” remembers Canning. “There was a minor re-edit needed, and Chris was absolutely knocked out when Richard re-recorded it especially for us. There was definitely some mutual appreciation as you could imagine.”

“I feel the track compliments the bittersweet feeling the viewer feels after laughing so hard but seeing the surreal tragedy of it all,” Canning continues. “As with most of Chris’s work, the film is hilarious satire, but at the same time confusingly, completely believable in this bizarre age we live in. And as such, it’s terrifying. Thank God Aphex is there to make us all feel better at the end.” ‘Avril 14th’ has been making everything feel better for 16 years now, and will continue for many years to come: no twisted irony involved.

FACT, April 2017

[londontheatre]

Samantha Barks and Arthur Darvill to star in the UK premiere of the hit Broadway musical in Concert. The fully orchestrated score will be performed in Concert at the London Palladium and conducted by Jason Robert Brown on March 12th 2017.

London; 14th February 2017 – After the resounding success of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s State Fair (Cadogan Hall November 2016) and the sell-out concert of Alan Menken & Lynn Ahrens’ A Christmas Carol (Lyceum Theatre, December 2016), with numerous five star reviews for both performances, The London Musical Theatre Orchestra is delighted to announce the initial casting for its first concert of the 2017 season, the hit Broadway musical Honeymoon in Vegas.

Samantha Barks is to take on the role of Betsy and Arthur Darvill will play Jack, with full casting to be announced in the coming weeks.

Cast announced so far: BETSY: Samantha Barks – She is best known for playing Eponine in Les Miserables, a role she played in the West End, the 25th Anniversary Concerts at the O2, and in the 2012 film adaptation. Recent theatre credits include Cathy- Last Five Years (St James Theatre); the title role in the world premiere of Amelie – A New Musical (Berkeley Repertory Theatre), Mallory/Avril in City of Angels (Donmar Warehouse), Velma Kelly in Chicago (Hollywood Bowl) and Sally Bowles in Cabaret (UK Tour). Recent film credits include Interlude in Prague (Stillking Films), Bitter Harvest (Devil’s Harvest Productions), The Canary (Pioneer Pictures), the voice of Miss Acacia in Jack & The Cuckoo-Clock Heart (EuropaCorp) and The Christmas Candle (Pinewood Studios). Samantha also recently released her debut eponymous album “Samantha Barks” and recently toured nationwide with her debut album.

Arthur Darvill

JACK: Arthur Darvill – Arthur has had a wide and varied career. Theatre includes: Treasure Island (National Theatre), Once (Bernard B.Jacobs Theatre NYC and Phoenix Theatre UK), Our Boys (Duchess Theatre), Soft Cops (RSC), Doctor Faustus (Shakespeare’s Globe), Been So Long (Young Vic), Swimming With Sharks (Vaudeville), Terre Haute (Trafalgar Studios, National Tour), Stacey (Arcola), Terre Haute (Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh). Television and Film Includes: Legends of Tomorrow (Berlanti Productions), Danny and The Human Zoo (BBC), Broadchurch (Kudos for ITV), The White Queen (BBC), The Paradise (BBC), Doctor Who (BBC), Little Dorritt (BBC), He Kills Coppers (Ecosse), The Verdict (RDF), Untitled Robin Hood (Imagine Entertainment), Sex, Drugs, Rock N Roll (Lipsync Productions), Pelican Blood (Ecosse). Other work: Arthur is also Artistic Associate and musican/writer in residence of The Bush Theatre ad founding member of Fuego’s Men Theatre Company.

Synopsis Based on the hit 1992 film starring Sarah Jessica Parker, and Nicholas Cage, Honeymoon in Vegas tells the story of mild-mannered Brooklynite, Jack, who haunted by the fear of a promise to his dying mother never to get married, avoids proposing to his new girlfriend Betsy. He finally summons the nerve and takes Betsy to Las Vegas only to have his plans compromised by a dashing gambler with an eye for luxury and Jack’s new fiancée.

The New York Times called the Broadway production “[a] bright and bouncy…real-live, old-fashioned, deeply satisfying Broadway musical in a way few new shows are anymore.”

Honeymoon in Vegas— book by Andrew Bergman and score by Tony-Award winning Jason Robert Brown (Parade, Songs For A New World, The Last Five Years and The Bridges of Madison County) — ran on Broadway at the Nederlander Theatre –this concert will see it performed in London for the very first time.

The 30-strong London Musical Theatre Orchestra will take to the London Palladium stage on 12th March 2017 under the baton of its first guest conductor, the show’s composer Jason Robert Brown, to honour the stylish and swinging score of Honeymoon in Vegas which marks another much anticipated UK Premiere for the orchestra.

Jason Robert Brown said: “Honeymoon in Vegas is the show I always aspired to write. All of these sounds – the swing, the samba, the disco, the boogie, the rock’n’roll – make up what I hear in my head when I think of what a ‘Broadway musical’ should be. I’m so gratified to have actually written it, and thrilled to get a chance – finally! – to present it in London. And to know that the music will be brought to life by the sterling musicians of the LMTO and a glorious cast is such a delight and a privilege. I’ve had so many sensational experiences in the British theater that it feels like coming home. I cannot wait to get started!”

Full casting will be announced in the coming weeks. In keeping with the long-term aim of the LMTO, the fully orchestrated concerts aims to not only make orchestral performances accessible to brand new audiences, but also to bring the exciting repertoire of musical theatre to a more classical audience.

Listings: Show: Jason Robert Brown and Andrew Bergman’s HONEYMOON IN VEGAS Venue: London Palladium Date: Sunday 12 March 2017 Time: 7:30 pm http://ift.tt/2kndnxh

http://ift.tt/2kGBtzg LondonTheatre1.com

#IFTTT #LondonTheatre1.com

[junker-town]

7 things to watch in NFL’s Week 8: Get ready for Halloween celebrations

Which is scarier: facing the Seahawks’ defense or the thought of another DeShone Kizer start?

You probably have THOUGHTS on Halloween. And dressing up. And pumpkin. And candy corn, candy apples, the best trick-or-treating candy, the song “Candy” by Mandy Moore.

We don’t care. We don’t care whether you love or loathe Halloween because either way, it’s coming. And some NFL players will celebrate it this weekend on the field. You may find that delightful or maybe it has you rolling your eyes in a way that would make even Cam Newton jealous.

We aren’t here to tell you if you’re right or wrong. We’re just here to speculate on some of the Halloween homages we’re expecting to see this weekend:

Costumes, before and after the game. Last year, Richard Sherman, on the behest of his son, let everyone know he was a Gryffindor, not a Hufflepuff thankyouverymuch, at his postgame presser.

(And if any players need costume ideas, we’re here to help.)

We’re just putting these pregame cleat suggestions out there: Perhaps JuJu Smith-Schuster might wanna wear Boo Boo Smith-Schuster kicks with pictures of ghosts on them? And Carson Wentz, Alex Smith, Julio Jones, or anyone else who wears No. 11: Stranger Things cleats, plz (no spoilers).

Halloween-themed touchdown celebrations. Thriller is a little on the nose — and OBJ has been there, done that — but we won’t bash any players who choose to go with such an iconic dance. The Monster Mash, Werewolf Bar Mitzvah (spooky scary!), and a little David S. Pumpkins swivel (with two teammates acting as the skeletons) are other possibilities, but what if players don’t feel like dancin', dancin’?

As we’ve seen countless times this year, there’s plenty of room for creativity. They can pretend to go trick-or-treating, bob for apples, pantomime a Frankenstein walk, or tap into their more supernatural side and hold a seance.

At least one broadcast will break out an embarrassing photo of a player dressed up for Halloween as a kid. Surely there has to be one of Gronk as a Ninja Turtle (Michelangelo, duh).

More cats on the field?!

Team accounts will go all in on the holiday, even if it means getting a little too macabre.

Have at it, NFL. Don’t be afraid to run amok. Amok, amok, amok, amok, amok.

Will Carson Wentz be the new MVP frontrunner after this week?

Carson Wentz, who could be playing quarterback for the Browns right now, is the leader of the NFL’s best team. At 6-1, the Eagles are making their case to take over the NFC East crown, and their second-year quarterback is a major reason why. Wentz’s 17 touchdown passes are already a career high, and that’s more than any other quarterback in the league through seven weeks. He’s been deadly efficient with his work, too — his average reception has traveled an NFL-high 13.0 yards.

Being the best player on the league’s best team has vaulted him to the upper tier of MVP candidates, but it’s still too early to anoint Wentz. 2016’s race featured several quarterbacks who surged into contention at points before dropping off — including young guns like Derek Carr and Marcus Mariota. The Philadelphia passer can state his case — and try to stave off Alex Smith — by staying healthy and maintaining the pace that has the Eagles on pace for their first playoff berth since 2013.

The Texans bring the league’s hottest offense to the Legion of Boom

Houston has been on a roll ever since Deshaun Watson settled into the team’s starting quarterback job. Since Week 3, the Texans have averaged nearly 40 points per game. They’ll get an additional boost Sunday when former All-Pro left tackle Duane Brown returns from his unsuccessful contract holdout to help keep Watson upright.

He’ll get the biggest challenge of his budding career Sunday when he takes on the Seahawks’ top-ranked scoring defense at CenturyLinkField. History does not predict a Houston victory.

Rookie QBs are 3-42 vs the #1 scoring defense (end of season rank) since 1970@deshaunwatson faces the @Seahawks & their #1 defense in Wk 8

— NFL Research (@NFLResearch) October 25, 2017

Seattle may not be as fierce as its reputation suggests. The club lost pass-rushing building block Cliff Avril for the season due to a neck injury. In his place, the newly signed Dwight Freeney will attempt to turn back time and prove he’s still a valuable member of an NFL defensive line rotation. The 37-year-old had three sacks in part-time duty with the Falcons last fall. The Seahawks are hoping he can bring some fire to what’s been a middling QB attack.

How long will DeShone Kizer keep the Browns’ starting QB job?

The starting quarterback role with the Browns is once again DeShone Kizer’s ... for now. How long will that last? It probably depends on if he turns the ball over in the red zone against the Vikings this week.

Last week, right after he regained the starting job, Kizer was yanked at halftime after throwing two picks. Still, Kizer remains the starter.

It makes sense for the Browns to just stick with Kizer at this point. They need to see what they have in the rookie before they decide whether they need to go back to the drawing board to try yet again to find a franchise quarterback.

But Kizer has been objectively bad. He’s got three touchdowns against 11 picks, and in case you’re not that great at math, I’ll just tell you that it’s a pretty bad ratio. Kevin Hogan and Cody Kessler haven’t been better, which is why Hue Jackson keeps throwing Kizer back out there.

Jackson went so far as to say that they might keep switching quarterbacks in and out through the rest of the season. Heck, this team can’t even travel to London without switching up its mascot. So we’ll see if Kizer makes it through a full game this week.

How will the Patriots respond without the heart of their defense, Dont’a Hightower?

The Patriots’ biggest flaw in 2017 has been a defense that’s struggled to contain opponents who aren’t the Jets or Falcons. A big part of those early struggles was the absence of linebacker Dont’a Hightower, who was limited in the team’s season opener and didn’t play in Weeks 2 or 3 — forcing Tom Brady to win shootouts over the Saints and Texans.

2017 Patriots: Played almost equal number of plays with & without Hightower (228 w/, 226 w/out). Given up 307 more yds with him off field. https://t.co/gIhajJB28a

— NFL Research (@NFLResearch) October 26, 2017

With news breaking Thursday that Hightower’s season is over thanks to a torn pectoral muscle, it may be time for New England to get nervous. The veteran linebacker had handled duties ranging from covering tight ends to providing a pass rush along the edge as the Patriots struggled to make adjustments early in the season. Losing Hightower, a Swiss Army Knife whose versatility was the foundation of defensive coordinator Matt Patricia’s setup, means every other defensive weakness will only stand out more.

A showdown with the Chargers may give New England some time to make adjustments. Philip Rivers hasn’t been especially efficient in his 14th season, leading Los Angeles to the middle of the pack when it comes to total offense. Even so, he’s got a litany of weapons at his disposal between Keenan Allen, Hunter Henry, and Melvin Gordon, and that group should be able to test a revamped Patriot defense Sunday.

Can the Vikings’ run game continue to thrive without Dalvin Cook?

In 2016, running in relief of an injured Adrian Peterson, Jerick McKinnon averaged just 3.4 yards per carry in one of the league’s least efficient rushing offenses. In 2017, running in relief of an injured Dalvin Cook, McKinnon suddenly looks like one of the league’s top backs.

Minnesota has rushed for significantly more yards with Cook on injured reserve than it had with its dynamic rookie in the lineup:

Here's a crazy stat: since RB Dalvin Cook tore his ACL, #Vikings have INCREASED their rushing output. 108 rush ypg Weeks 1-4, 146.7 since

— Aditi Kinkhabwala (@AKinkhabwala) October 25, 2017

That support has created the space to allow Case Keenum to put together one of the finest stretches of his career. Keenum, 4-5 as a starter last fall with the Rams, has cut his interception rate by two-thirds and posted a career-high completion rate to run out to 3-2 as a starter. With Aaron Rodgers sidelined for the Packers, Minnesota has a tremendous opportunity to reclaim the NFC North title.

They’ll be challenged by the league’s No. 6 rushing defense when they face the Browns in London. Cleveland held DeMarco Murray to just 59 yards last week; if they can play up to that standard Sunday, it will put Keenum’s newfound competence to the test.

Will Mitchell Trubisky’s pass attempts be in the single digits again?

The Bears finally started winning when Mitchell Trubisky took over as the starting quarterback. But it’s not because Trubisky’s slinging the ball around.

Trubisky had just 25 passing attempts in his first start for the Bears. He completed 12 of those for 128 yards against the Vikings. Each week, those numbers have gone down. The following week, Trubisky had 16 attempts against the Ravens. He connected on eight of those and finished with 113 yards and a touchdown, and the Bears won. The Bears won again last week despite the fact that Trubisky only threw the ball seven dang times. He completed four passes against the Panthers for 107 yards.

So if this trend continues, Trubisky should throw the ball, oh, about three times this week. But we’ve seen his completion percentage go up each week he’s started. So let’s say he’ll connect on two of them for an impressive completion percentage of 66.7 percent.

The Saints defense ranks No. 21 in the league against the pass, so Trubisky should get some opportunities. We’ll see if the team lets him take advantage.

And does it really matter if Trubisky’s attempts are in the single digits? Jordan Howard ranks fifth in the league right now for rushing yards, and fourth for rushing touchdowns. And more importantly, the Bears are winning games. Talk about scary, huh?