Music that takes us to SOMEWHERE ONLY WE KNOW

by tracewillow

 

I reckon each one of us has different reasons for liking different kinds of music.   Some like music that makes them boogie and groove all night.   Some want music for relaxation or as a lullaby.   Some prefer songs with which they can sing along. And I dare say some people go for music that will make them have a good cry.

I like music that emotionally takes me to another place – a place where I am immersed in introspection, reflection, nostalgia and haunting beauty – music that takes my emotions to the various parts of me.

I have selected 3 such songs which are some of my ever-green favourites,  each one very different from the others;  each one reminding me of the varied emotions I’ve had listening to them at various stages of my life.

The first song is ANAK by Freddie Aguila, a Filipino folk musician – one of his country’s most famous and best musicians and song-writers.

ANAK (Child) is a song of remorse and apology to Aguila’s Mother.   The lyrics and his wrenching singing style immediately give me an immeasurably amount of introspection about life, family and love which offers me an emotional reminder of the wonderment of my own Mum and Dad who have passed on.

 

Another vid of the same song with the lyrics in English which invariably give me goose pimples and tears.

 

The next song takes me back to the 60’s – a period when music and youth culture began to start taking on another dimension – a period filled with excitement, inventiveness and vibrant energy.   There was a new beginning of great enthusiasm, hope and self-belief.   There was a great change in the way we donned ourselves with head-scarves and flowers worn in the hair…bell-bottomed trousers…slinky sleeveless tees…when huge music festivals were held and “free love” expressed.   It was a time when young people began to make strong statements about who they were – what they believed in – and felt no shame in declaring it.   “Make Love Not War” was a common slogan.

This song,  adopted by many young people then as an Anthem for Freedom, written by John Phillips of the Mamas and Papas and sung by Scott Mckenzie,  was released in 1967 and was an instant hit in the US, UK and many parts of Europe.   For me, it was a song of nostalgia – years spent amidst all that newly-found vibrance and energy.

 

The next song is sung by our own David.   I wish it had seen more publicity and included in one of his albums.   Definitely not a song for partying or tapping our feet – it is soothing, melodious and takes one to one of the most beautiful sights on earth.

Aurora Borealis,  in the northern hemisphere, commonly called the Northern Lights, named after the Roman Goddess of Dawn, Aurora, is an utter phenomenal beauty aptly matched by David’s calm, soothing, melodious rendition.   This song is one of transcendence for me to somewhere unworldly… somewhere which is so beautiful that we feel an undescribable sense of gratitude for this earth which we have inherited.

 

How do you guys view music?

How does your favourite music affect you?

 

 

David the Durian Man

By tracewillow

One of the things that excites me is when I hear David’s song being played on the radio or in public places or when a random person mentions his name.   I have experienced that adrenalin flow several times in restaurants, supermarkets and shopping malls.   When that happens, everything I am doing stops and everything around me disappears.   It becomes a special Moment to be cherished for the rest of the day.   The joy and faster heartbeat derived from it is like bumping unexpectedly into a long-lost good friend.

I have a little story to share with you guys.   It is totally randon.   On retrospect, it is really quite amusing.

I was chugging along in my car one day with my friend, keisha, when I suddenly spotted a delightful sight – a durian stall perched under some shady trees by the roadside – the perfect place for a yummy durian-gorge.

As we all know, durian is considered the King of Fruit in our part of the world.   It is revered for its distinctive and pungent smell and flavour, often described by its non-fans as offensive, repulsive, revolting – like rotten vegetables…even compared to the pong of a toilet…!

Ok Mat!   We get ya!!   🙂

Can you blame Kate and William for just looking and not eating!   🙂

For me, durian is like mother’s milk…well, not really, but I love it.   Anyway, to continue with the story..I stepped out of the car and approached the stall, greedily sniffing in whiffs of the “stinko” fragrance.

Durian Man:   (speaking in Cantonese and broken English)   Ai Aunty!   Aunty!   Eat durian!    Eat durian!   Velly good!   D24 velly sweet!   Ganja also!   Guarantee good or money back!

Me:   (keeping up with his lingo)   Why you call it “ganja”?

Him:   Sure la.   You eat first.   Then you know why!

Me:    Tell la.

Him:  You want to eat more and more…like drug lor!

Me:    Ohhh… like that aah.

I ordered a small one for myself while Keisha (a half-Mat Salleh) stood a distance away, holding tightly to her nostrils and eyeing me with an expression which can only be described as “utter disgust”.

Me:    Ai, not bad uh…er..what’s your name ah?

Him:  My name ah..my name is Dar Wei.   You can call me David la!

Keisha and I looked at each other, my mouth still filled with that scrumptious durian flesh, and burst into giggles.

Him:   Why you laugh?   Dar Wei…David…sound the same wat.   Chinese David, that’s me!   David the Durian Man!   Heh heh!

Me:    Not laughing at you la!   We know someone called David.

Him:  Common name wat.

Keisha:   (knowing well my David-obsession, had to chime in)   Hey this David is not common!   Very special.   Very good singer.   She is crazy about him!

Him:   Got singer called David meh?

Me and Keisha:   (in unison)   G O T T T  ! ! !

Him:   Uhhhh….ya! ya! ya! My daughter also crazy about one famous Filipino singer called David!!  Uh..sound something like Sinatra ….but not la!   Uhhh..Archu what ah…!?   (scratching his head with his durian fingers)

I could not believe my ears!!   Such random!   This durian man knows about David!   And his daughter is a fan!!

Me:    Oi!   He is not Filipino la!   American!   A R C H U L E T A .

Him:  Ho!  Ho!   Aiyo..too hard for me to say that word la.   He only for young and rich people like you.   Poor people like me must make money…sell more durians…    Open 1 more durian?

Yes, durians aside, I would very much like David to become a household name  –  a name known everywhere  –  every country – and every nook and corner of the world – so that even that durian man will hum his songs while selling his delicious durians.

However, if he does not reach those heights, it is ok too.   I will still be here supporting him, albeit with some measure of frustration.   I can always comfort myself with eating more durians.   😀

PS   I wonder if David, who has pretty adventurous tastebuds (for a Mat Salleh haha), would take to our stinko durians!   Perhaps his reaction would be like this!   😀

Artistes with art

I have always had great admiration for creative people, be they from the performing arts, painters, graphic artists, photographers etc. Their thought processes seems to work on a different plane from us ordinary folks and their perspective on life is far more colourful and thought provoking. Their eye for the extraordinary and exquisite is heightened to an amazing level. Needless to say I am somewhat envious of their inherent talents and have wished – for many an umpteen times – that I possess even a smidgeon of their endowments.

Such is the case when it comes to painters, especially those of the ‘impressionist’ era like Matisse, Degas, Monet and a host of other master painters of this genre. Their impressions of the world around them is imbued with such a wonderful palette of colours and form that I can’t help but look at their works with different eyes.

But the one painter I admire most of all is Vincent Van Gogh – the Dutch master painter whose own life played out like a cliche of all the sad, poverty stricken and ultimately tragic circumstances that we often equate with creative geniuses. For all his prodigious talents Van Gogh only ever sold one painting while he was alive. Only in death did his creative powers achieve the mass appreciation and acceptance that so sadly eluded him.

Our resident wonder singer is not quite on the same level of genius as the above mentioned….yet. But still many a times I have been gobsmacked and left just shaking my head at the sheer artistry of this man-child that we follow. He has displayed  so many wondrous moments of vocal command and panache that one wonders why he is not scaling Mount Olympus by now – but lets not rehash old stories. The purpose of this post is to pay homage to the painters that I admire and the one singer that I really hope will become master of his canvass one day. In the gallery below I have married the image of David with a catalog of works by some of the  most celebrated painters in the world. It is my attempt to connect the worlds of paint and voice – two mediums of artistic expression that can truly inspire and move us with the power of their art. Hopefully David will achieve the same inspirational heights that these painters have done.

Cafe terrace at Night – by Vincent Van Gogh

The Luncheon on the grass by Edouard Manet

Dreaming – by Salvador Dali

Girl with Pearl earring – By Vermeer

Ballet Dancers by Edgar Degas

La Musique by Henri Matisse

Little Street by Vermeer

Vitruvian Man by Leonardo Da Vinci

Triple Self Portrait by American painter Norman Rockwell

David’s Message In NMHF

Tracewillow

Yipeee!!   I received my 2 cd’s of the album today from Amazon.   Whether I have heard those songs before or not is immaterial – it’s always exciting to receive something of David’s through the post!!

Put on your reading glasses and read his message that accompanies the cd!

Still can’t read?   Ohh…okaaay…I’ll type it out for you guys.   (Scanning?   Whattzzat?!   😀   )

“As always, I would like to thank my Heavenly Father.   During these two years,  I dedicate my time to Him and to His Gospel.   I have always tried to do my best to dedicate whatever I do to Him – whether it be music or other things.   Nothing has changed much in that aspect from before and as a missionary, and neither will it change afterwards.   I am grateful for the plan He has for each and everyone of us.   I also want to thank my family for their support, and the sacrifices they have made.   They are the foundation of who I am, and I love each and everyone of them!

I want to thank the Chile Rancagua Mission for being helpful in allowing me to work as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, but also helping me to complete with the mission I still have in the other part of my life with music.   Thank you President MacArthur for helping so much, and to all of my missionary companions who have helped too.

I want to thank Gina and Kari for all of the work they have been doing and the effort they have been putting while I have been gone.   I know it is not easy to take care of someone when they aren’t even there, and for that I appreciate everything you have been doing.   Thank you so much for the care you show to the fans, and for taking care of things!

Thanks to Steves Rodriguez, Kim Tauber and Howard Siegel for all your help on the business side of things.   Thank you to Pablo Mathiason for pouring over all the fine details.   Huge thanks to Alan Grunblatt, Neil Levine, Veronica Villarreal, Gio Melchiorre, Chuck Oliner, Paul Grosso and the entire eOne team.   To all the writers and producers that I have had the chance to work with – Thank you!   Also, thanks to Roslyn Pineda and Jon Daza – the “overseas” help was tremendous!   And big shout out & my appreciation to the DA official website team for keeping things updated and looking great!

Lastly, I want to thank all of you fans.   I appreciate your respect for what my focus is for these 2 years, and appreciate all of the messages you have sent my way while being out here.   This is another gift to all of you of songs from past projects that weren’t easily available to everyone, and also other songs that are new to you fans that we have pulled out of the vault.   Thank you for all you do and for waiting.   This is my thanks to you for everything in the past, present and future.   That No Matter How Far, what was in the heart before is still here, and will be here when I return.

Muchisimas gracias!   Hasta pronto!   David”

😦   Sob..   Tears..  (Us, not David)

Now go buy the album!   🙂

Watch Out! April Fool’s Day Is Here!

By Tracewillow

Yes it is!   Beware and be warned!   The jokers and tricksters are out on their prowl!   Are we prepared or are we fool enough to be the butt of their jokes and tricks?

(But I swear the release of NMHF is not an April Fool joke – it’s REAL and SERIOUS and needs all our support).

We all know about how we can easily be duped and taken unawares on this fateful day of the year, but do we know how this practice came about and how widespread this tradition is?   There are many claims of origins;   one of them being that it began in Europe as light-hearted celebrations of the arrival of Spring, even as far as the Roman times.

Another claim is it was popular with the “fools” and court jesters during the Middle Ages, who were actually men of wisdom.   It was the role of these jesters to put things in perspective for the King, but done with humour.

I read that on April 1, 2008, Google announced a project together with the Virgin Group, to establish a permanent human settlement on Mars.

And in 2009, Youtube announced “a new viewing experience”  – and when one clicked in to watch, the whole layout, including the vids, was flipped upside down.

I remember BBC also joined in the April Fool pranks, announcing that spaghetti was growing out of certain trees.   There was a massive number of enquiries as a result.

If David’s OS too were to jump onto the same fun-wagon this year to announce that he has cut short the tenure of his Mission and will soon embark on his return journey – together with airplane Flight No. and schedules details  – just to give more credence to the “news” –  would you be gullible enough to pop a bottle of champagne and hold archies parties in celebration?   Would hordes of archies in the US be frantically rushing to the airports while their international counterparts glue their eyes on Youtube and the fansites for the latest news?   LOL!   April Fools!   😀

These April Fool jokes below had gone through my mind.   How would you have reacted to them, had you believed them to be true and are not hoaxes?

That NMHF is just for starters.   That there will be another album a few months later temporarily named “Me And My Meow-Meow”

That there will be a D vs D Rematch in 2014  (to boost the present AI ratings perhaps?)

That Nandito Ako Part 2 will be filmed in 2014, the synopsis of which is:   “Orla rises from the dead…Anya retires to a convent… Josh becomes an aqua-singer to sing to the sharks underwater

That David will spring yet another happy surprise on us later in the year – an album filled with hard rock and funk – written by himself during his contemplative  moments in Chile

That a Huge sponsor will release every song David has ever sung, as SINGLES, simply because his wife (a crazy mad archie) has threatened him with divorce if he didn’t

That David is rumoured to be secretly married and is hiding in a love nest in the caves of the Andes (or perhaps Utah) until his baby is born

LOL!   April Fool!

I doubt you guys would have believed a single word!   😀

Just watch out next year!   😀

In the meantime, do share some of the April Fool pranks you have played on your friends (or should I say, enemies!) and the ones they have played on you.   🙂