Rising stars on the music stages, a greater variety of local food and art vendors, a courtesy parking shuttle bus and a new New Orleans-bred beer sponsor are all on tap for the Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo, which returns to the banks of Bayou St. John this weekend.

The free event takes place Friday through Sunday and features nearly 40 bands, with performances on four stages on grounds that parallel the placid bayou.

The acts include national rock group Cracker, Cupid the creator of the popular Cupid Shuffle song Jon Cleary & The Absolute Monster Gentlemen, blues guitarist Chris Thomas King, and Tank & the Bangas, which saw its profile rise this year when it was featured nationally on the NPR "Tiny Desk Concert" series.

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Prior to taping a Tiny Desk concert earlier this year at National Public Radio headquarter

Im happy that we can change up our programming and give our fans something different this year, said Jared Zeller, the producer of Bayou Boogaloo and the president of MotherShip Foundation, the nonprofit that launched Bayou Boogaloo in 2006.

Zeller noted that the festivals food scene will once again highlight Mid-City restaurants but also welcome a few newcomers, like Gonzos Smokehouse & BBQ, Tru Vietnamese Caf, ZKaya and Js Seafood Dock, with their chargrilled oysters.

Festgoers can cool off with frozen coffee, fruity lemonade and refreshments from the Root Beer Float Float, presented by Friends of Lafitte Greenway.

Zach Strief, an offensive tackle for the Saints, will pour beer on Sunday at the Pals Lounge beer booth. Strief is an investor in Port Orleans Brewing Co., which launched this month in New Orleans and will be on hand for the Boogaloo.

A new brewery builds a reputation one beer at a time. At the latest brewery to emerge in New

Artisans will sell handcrafted jewelry and home dcor items in the sprawling marketplace.

New family-friendly activities, such as yoga, a puppet show and a performance by the Singing Beats take place near the kids stage.

The third annual Paddle Battle ($35), a 6.12-mile kayak and canoe race, kicks off Saturday at 8:30 a.m.

Pets on a leash are welcome. The Canal Street Veterinary Hospital will provide water bowls and a shaded area so pets can escape the heat.

To make the growing festival more accessible, organizers have added a shuttle bus and parking lots. Last years Bayou Boogaloo attracted more than 35,000 people, eager to listen to live music and dine on festival fare, all while relaxing near the water.

Our event is unique because of its location and our relationship with Bayou St. John, said Zeller. Its a memorable experience for most people.

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What: the Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo

When: 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, May 19

11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.Saturday, May 20

11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Sunday, May 21

Where: N. Jefferson Davis Parkway (on the banks of Bayou St. John), between Dumaine Street and Lafitte Avenue; Parking information available on http://www.thebayouboogaloo.com

General admission: Free; Canopy Club VIP tickets are $250 for the weekend and can be purchased from the website.

Read more:

At free Bayou St. John festival, more reasons to boogaloo - The Advocate

(Imagens Portal SESCSP, Flickr)

Recent worldwide hits come frompop, rock, hip-hop, electronic anything, it seems, but classical. What stereotypes does classical music hold? Is it beautiful, euphonious, relaxing? Or is it boring, soporific, a genre reserved for older folks or very musically intellectual people? In fact, classical music can be quite unorthodox, funny, eye-opening. And yes, in some cases, these pieces can be composed by the very same people who work with the more conventional, familiar form of classical music.

Lets take a look at some of classical musics weirdest offerings.

Mauricio Kagel, a well-known German Argentine composer, composed a rather hilarious piece back in 1992. His style involves introducing theatrical elements in the piece,ranging from detailed descriptions of what emotions musicians should convey on their faces to a step-by-step account of how someone in the orchestra should move. In Concert for Timpani and Orchestra, the timpani player uses a variety of unusual instruments, such as a bullhorn, and at one point is instructed to slap the timpani with bare hands. The funniest part, however, is the ending:

(bellybutton-diary.com)

As Kagel notes, the timpani player stretches to full height before diving headfirst into the timpani.

In fact, Kagels instructions state that one timpani must be covered in paper instead of the usual cowhide and must be reserved for the final dive. The final note (the sound of the human body crashing into the timpani) is as loud as possible (fortissimo fortissimo). The musician must therefore exert this action with all of theirenergy.

Perfect.

Finale was composed for a concert celebrating Kagels 50 years of life and was written for an indoor ensemble. A 20 minute piece, Finale starts off in truly classical form, but the theatrics creep in five minutes before the piece ends. Composer Kagels notes on the music sheet for Finale state very clearly:

The conductor suddenly stiffens, as though he/she is experiencing convulsions. The right arm goes up, the shoulder rises. The left hand loosens the necktie and lightly massages the chest. The conductor grabs the music stand, then falls, the head falling towards the floor behind the conductor. As a result, the music stand should fall as well.

The violin player steps in as a substitute conductor for the rest of the piece while the conductor lies prone on the floor.

John Cage, another avant-garde composer, wrote 433, a famous piece that is often accompanied by classical instruments, such as a piano or a string orchestra.

There is no time limit, minimum or maximum, to this piece. The title only happened to be 433 because the first performance of the song lasted four minutes and 33 seconds. There are three movements in this song, but no notes or sound. The whole song is completelysilent.

The thought behind this piece is not so much for it to be empty ordevoid of notes, but to fosteran appreciation of sound, such as the noiseof people moving around in their seats or the sound of nature outside the concert hall. During 433, these noises are not just ambient but are actually an integral part of the piece.

It does look odd, however. The performer (or performers) sits down, stays silent, then exits the stage when the piece is over.

Perhaps Cage sought tochallenge our perception of music, modern or classical. We often think of music as a piece the composer deliberately planned out, in note form, or in a format that requires intentionally created sound. However, 433 integrates inadvertently created noise and merges them as modern music.

Contact Maimi Higuchi at maimih at stanford.edu.

Originally posted here:

Who said classical music was boring? - The Stanford Daily

ACTON - Acton Public Library will hold its annual Book, Bake & Plant Sale on Saturday, June 10, from 9 a.m. to noon.

Please consider donating your divided perennials, rooted house plants or extra seedlings to help the sale.

The library also is taking book donations for the sale. For the library's book donation policy, please visit online at http://www.acton.lib.me.us.

The sale will be held at 35 H Road in Acton.

A questions, please call 636-2781.

GOODALL LIBRARY

Goodall Library is located at 952 Main Street and can be reached at 324-4714. Visit the library online at http://www.lbgoodall.org.

Coloring Calm, Goodall Librarys coloring workshop,will continue on Mondays, May 22 and June 26, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the library'sCommunity Room. Coloring sheets and supplies will be provided (or you canbring your own). Color in a relaxing group setting with music and refreshmentsprovided. Adult coloring, a focused and meditative activity, has been shown tohave many positive benefits, mental and physical.

Marianne OConnor, the author of"Haunted Hikes of New Hampshire,"will give a presentation at Goodall Library on Tuesday, May 23, at 6 p.m.OConnor shares more than trail mix withher readers as she recounts the ghost stories, legends and lore associated with some of New Hampshire'spremier hiking trails. Her one-hour presentation will be full of spooky surprises her Powerpoint program will highlight unusual ghost tales and will cover geological andhistorical events. Haunted locations are scattered throughout the state next door and featurelegends such as Devils Den in New Durham, Chief Chocorua in Tamworth, Sasquatch ofOssipee, the Bomber Plane in Woodstock, and a murder mystery involving Bette Davis inFranconia. O'Connoris a professional educator and has presented her program to various libraries,schools and local organizations throughout New England. Her book has been featured on "NH Chronicle," "Windows to the Wild," NH NPR and other local programs.

Plunk will meet funk when musicianPeter Mezoian will perform on the banjo during a special showat Goodall Library on Tuesday, May 30, at 6:30 p.m. The roots of the banjo are in American popular and jazz musicfrom the early 1900s, but, unlike many banjoists, Mezoian decided thatthose syncopated, infectious rhythms and melodies could transfer to other genresand generations of musicwhere Cole Porter crosses Paul Simon and Broadwayintersects with the Beatles, and where the Roaring '20s catch up with thepsychedelic '60s.This funny and engaging performer will keep you wondering what he will playnext. Mezoian has spent years taking the banjo across the world as a feature act ontheater and nightclub stages in America, England, and Japan, at music festivals and on more than 50 different cruise ships. He'sjust your typical native Maine, Steve Martin-influenced, donut-eating,espresso-drinking, half-Armenian, half-Greek, four-string banjoist.

Goodall Library will continue itsMeditation Seriesin June.Whether youre a beginner or looking to deepen your practice, head to the library for this series, led by Cindy Simon, M.A., NCC, RMT.Relieve anxiety, anger and depression by learning to live in the present moment.Enjoy deep stillness and quiet and rid your mind of negative chatter. Live withmore acceptance, letting go, happiness, and gratitude.Class will be held on Monday, June 19, from 4 to 5 p.m.

Romp & Rhyme: Baby & Toddler Timeis held at Goodall Library on Tuesday mornings at 10:30 a.m. This program, for children ages 3 and younger, lasts 30 minutes and is filled with music, movement, fun, rhymes and books.

Creative Chaos Story Time For Pre-schoolersis offered at Goodall Library for children ages 3 through 6 on Thursday mornings at 11 a.m. This 45-minute program involves stories, crafts, fun and an occasional surprise.

Goodall Library offersfree passesto the Portland Museum of Art, Strawbery Banke in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the Ogunquit Museum of American Art and the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport. Stop in and start enjoying the benefits of becoming a member of the library.

SPRINGVALE PUBLIC

Springvale Public Library is located at 443 Main Street. For more information, call 324-4624, send an email to spl@springvalelibrary.org, or visit online at http://www.springvalelibrary.org.

Story timesare held at Springvale Public Library for children ages 3 through 6 every Monday at 10 a.m. Baby Rhyme Time, for children under the age of 3, is held at the library on Thursdays at 10 a.m.

PARSONS MEMORIAL

Parsons Memorial Library is located at 27 Saco Road in Alfred. It can be reached at 324-2001 or alflib@roadrunner.com. Hours are from 3 to 8 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays.

E-Booksare available at the Parsons Memorial Library.The library has three Kindle e-readers with a total of 22 titles on each. Contact the library for the full list.

Parsons Memorial Library hosts aLego Clubfor children ages 4 through 12 on Mondays from 3 to 5 p.m. The Legos are supplied. Donations of additional Legos would be appreciated.

The Friends of Parsons Memorial Library are having anongoing book salein the Reading Room. Hardcovers cost $2; paperbacks, $1. You can fill a PML tote bag with books for $12. All proceeds support the librarys programs.

Preschool Story Timesare held at the library with Miss Karen on Tuesdays at 10 a.m.

TheGames Clubmeets at Parsons Memorial Library on Wednesdays at 1 p.m.

Parsons Memorial Library tote bagsare now available for $8 apiece. Proceeds go toward expanding library collections.

Discount passesto the Portland Childrens Museum are available at the library year round.

ACTON PUBLIC LIBRARY

Acton Public Library is located at 35 H Road in Acton and is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesdays, from 4 to 7 p.m. on Thursdays, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Fridays, and from 9 a.m. to noon on the second and third Saturdays of the month.

Acton Public Library is now offering aStory & Activity Hourfrom 10 to 11 a.m. on Fridays with two volunteers leading the fun. Parents and caregivers and their children, ages preschool and younger, are welcome to attend and listen to a story, participate in finger-play and movement activities and make light crafts. The library will also have "community celebrities" lined-up to attend once a month and share their talents.

Here is the original post:

Acton Public Library's annual sale return June 10 - Foster's Daily Democrat

Onjoining a new pilates session in Harrow-on-the-Hill, you may be surprised to find the instructor is a 17-stone, bald, bearded, 6ft-tall bodybuilder.

Dont let that put you off, trust me.I went along to the first of Christian Cochranes new class held in St Marys Church hall every Wednesday at 7pm.

Christian has a sharp wit that might catch you a little off guard at first, but his company and instruction soon make you feel comfortable.

His soft demeanour and palatable passion for pilates gave way to a well-constructed and informative session.

He began the class by giving some background on himself, explaining that he was always into his fitness and strength training, but never anything that conditions the body like pilates. His mother, however, was a big fan and one year, insisted Christian join her for a class on her birthday.

He admits to being completely taken aback at how much he struggled.

But he soon became a fan and subsequently trained as an instructor, offering lessons in Kingsbury for 10 years, as well as leading a boot camp course and working as a personal trainer.

Christian also explained the history of pilates and the principles of practice before getting things started. As it was his first class in the area with all new participants - many of whom were first-timers - he went through things with great care and attention to detail with each individual.

His classes are small, with just 12 people, and after demonstrating the positions and concisely talking us through the breathing technique, he then circled the room to adjust where necessary and offer alternate positions where they might be desired.

Despite being somebody who swims, runs and weight-trains, unknown muscles tensed and wriggled out of the woodwork in my otherwise fit and fairly strong body.

Much like I imagine Christian would have been in his first class, I was astounded by how much a small and seemingly simple movement caused my muscles to tighten and limbs to shake.

On the flip side, the relaxing music and low-lit room meant I left the hour-long class feeling both soothed and relaxed.

Whatever your age, strength, flexibility and fitness, I would highly recommend it. Whatever your ability, Im sure Christian will push you to your perfect limit.

More info atchristianmcochrane.wixsite.com/trifitness

Read more:

We review the new pilates class launched in St Mary's Church hall in Harrow-on-the-Hill - Harrow Times

Now that the semester has come to an end, its time to relax. The second annual Pink Yoga on the Green helped students do just that outside the Klotsche Center on Friday.

Its really exciting that they can come in and do yoga for free during finals, and take a little break, said Sara Luelloff, the fitness program director with University Recreation.

University Recreation partnered with Susan G. Komen for the Cure to offer this fun event where they provide educational resources all about womens health.

Students at UWM participated in Pink Yoga on the Green.

Booths providing information about different kinds of womens health issues stood in front of the yoga area where women in pink listened to relaxing music as their instructor guided them through the motions.

Amberlea Childs represents Kohls Conversations for the Cure, a breast health, education and screening program. Childs is especially passionate about reaching out to the younger generation.

The hope is that if we can get young adults active in lifestyle changes and living a healthier life in their 20s, by the time theyre in their 30s it will be easier to continue a life like that into your 40s and 50s, said Childs.

Childs was diagnosed with breast cancer in her late 30s. As a seven-year-survivor, she strives to encourage young adults to live a healthy lifestyle, to be preventative about their health, and to not wait until theyre sick to make healthy life changes.

Listen to the body, said Childs. Its telling us things all the time, but were so busy working our internships and classes that we forget about it or push it to the side.

Susan G. Komen Mission Manager Gloria Singleton-Young was there representing Sister Pack, a new initiative that shes doing in the city of Milwaukee thats primarily based on the black community. Her mission is to inform and educate them that they need to have the awareness of breast health education and to know that they need to be seen by a physician to have their breast exams and mammograms.

According to Singleton-Young, who is also part of the Wisconsin Cancer Taskforce, there are seven zip codes in the city of Milwaukee where black women are dying at twice the rate as their counter sisters.

I live in one of these zip codes, said Singleton-Young. I live in 53206 and so just working there and me being aware of whats going on in there makes me more passionate.

For the past four years, Shelby Wester, a nursing student at UWM, has collaborated with Komen Race for the Cure to provide breast health education and breast exams and to promote self-care and self-love.

During the semester, most of the Klotsches exercise classes are free, including boot camp, Zumba and guts and butts. Wester was in the Klotsche Center helping provide the free breast exams given for this event.

It was a nice day to relax and learn about womens health before finals

Its really important for something like this to be here on our campus because breast health is not just for older women over 40, its for all women and men too, said Wester, who is ready to graduate this semester and start working at Aurora West Allis in the womans pavilion.

Wester says self-breast exams and knowing your body are crucial ways to preventing breast cancer. Womens breasts are not all the same. Some can feel more fibrous inside while others can feel smoother.

Know your normal, so you can feel when somethings not normal, said Wester.

Follow this link:

Pink Yoga on the Green comes back to UW-Milwaukee - UWM Post

15 May 2017 10:00 (UTC+04:00)

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By Laman Ismayilova

If you are looking for the ultimate exemplar of soft rock music then we have a good news for you: YARAT Contemporary Art Space will host Retro & Soft Rock concert on May 16.

The event is organized as part of YARAT Freestyle project,an open platform for everyone who looks to engage creatively with a broad and diverse audience.

YARAT FREESTYLE aims to set up a scene for creative groups and individuals and is open to actors, dancers, performance artists, musicians and other cultural practitioners. Anyone with a project or an idea can reach out YARAT.

The concert will feature the performance of by Tarlanthis (Tarlan Agakishiyev), a soft rock musician and The Halband. During the concert you will get the chance to enjoy both Azerbaijani retro and soft rock songs.

Tarlan Aghakishiyev (Tarlanthis) performs soft rock music for almost four years.

In the previous years he was performing in many different bands. Currently he is a leading vocalist and guitarist of Mad Band. Both music and lyrics are crucial for him.

The Half band is quite young collective. They perform psychedelic and alternative rock for five years. Nijat Gulmammadov - solo guitar; Jahid Rasullu - rhythm guitar; Tevfik Aykhan - vocal.

Dont miss the night full of relaxing music!

Performers:

Tarlanthis - vocals, guitar

Jahid Rasullu - rhythm guitar

Nijat Gulmammadov - solo guitar

Camilla Muradkhanova - backing vocals

Novruz Gurban - cachon

Guest performers:

Shahin Alizadeh

Aysel Guluzade

Hasan Badalbayli

The concert will start at 19:00. Admission is free.

For more information, please contact:

+99412505 1414

YARAT is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to nurturing an understanding of contemporary art in Azerbaijan and to creating a platform for Azerbaijani art, both nationally and internationally. Based in Baku, YARAT (meaning CREATE in Azerbaijani) was founded by Aida Mahmudova in 2011.

YARAT realizes its mission through an on-going program of exhibitions, education events and festivals. YARAT facilitates exchange between local and international artistic networks including foundations, galleries and museums.

---

Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter:@Lam_Ismayilova

Follow us on Twitter@AzerNewsAz

Go here to read the rest:

Enjoy Retro & Soft Rock! [PHOTO] - AzerNews

For most of the art, music, and theater students here at Transy, the Mitchell Fine Arts building is like a second home. Mitchell Fine Arts Haggin Auditorium is also home to a grand instrument that sits above the rows of seats.

When I first heard about the possibility of doing apiece on the organ at Transy, I was a bit unsure of where to start. What kind of questions would I even ask? Dont most people already know, basically, what an organ is and how it works? Naturally, I had to ask an organist.

People come in for different things in the auditorium here, and they just see this big thing up here, and they never really get to see what it can do. Allen Fletcher is a rising senior and a double major in history and music performance. He is also the first organ performance major that Transy has had in twenty-five years. As a result, he is one of the few people actually familiar with the organ that looms over Transys largest auditorium. Transylvania is one of the few colleges in the state that still offers organ lessons, as UK just recently cut their organ program following the retirement of the instructor.

For Allen, Music is a kind of de-stressing thing. Its a way to get away from all the work and school stuff. I can attest to the relaxation qualities music brings, being a musician myself, as I am sure other music students can as well.

Fletcher said that being in the auditorium during the early morning hours when its quiet is also relaxing. I usually come here in the mornings because I have to make sure nobodys using the auditorium. So I come in here, and its usually pitch black, and I just get to be here for an hour or whatever, and just be alone, and its nice.

One of the first things Fletcher showed me about the organ was the type of special shoes that are required in order to play the instrument. One thing a lot of people dont know is that you actually have a pedal board where you can play notes with your feet, so you actually have to wear these special shoes, and theyre kind of goofy looking. Theyre really narrow, and theyve got this heel on the bottoms so you can play with your heel and your toes. Theyve got a leather thing on the bottom. The shoes looked almost like old-fashioned tap shoes, and they addanother interesting fact about playing the organ. The organ is a highly fascinating instrument, or as Fletcher put it, Its kind of a mysterious instrument. You can sit here and play notes with your feet, and play a melody with your feet, and have your hands right here. I think thats one thing that makes it so interesting. Not a lot of people are really familiar with it.

The instrument is responsible for a phrase people often use. To quote Fletcher, If youve ever heard the phrase pull out all the stops, thats where it comes from. Fletcher proceeded to show me how he makes the sounds using stops, which consists of pulling several out at one time. He explained that if he pulls a bunch of stops out at one time, it creates a full, large sound, compared to when he pulls out only a few stops, which creates a smaller sound. Theres what we call principal stops, which are unique to the organ. Theyre kind of the typical pipe organ sound. Then you have some that try to kind of imitate other instruments, like theres flute sounds, and then you have what are called reeds, and this would be like a trumpet sound. Then you have string sounds. So youve got all these different imitation stops. If you only have only one [stop] pulled out, it can be really pretty soft, but if you want to get a big sound, you can pull out a lot.

There is also something called the crescendo pedal. Instead of having to take the time to pull out all of the stops, it helps the organ increase its volume much more quickly.There are also buttons for preset stop combinations so that the person playing it doesnt have to pull out, as Fletcher put it, fifteen different ones [stops], you can just press a button.

The vast number of pipes required to produce an organs unique sound makes it a monstrously large instrument.

Although Fletcher has a background in piano, he says that playing the organ is still a challenge. I am still getting the hang of it. Ive played [the organ] for about two years now and played the piano for a lot longer. He said this has helped him a great deal when learning the organ. Ive been playing the piano since I was six, and I played the organ a little when I was growing up, but not very much. I took lessons one semester here a couple of years ago, and I loved it. Ive just been working at it ever since.

Allen said that although the organs accessibility is limited, only to those who take organ lessons, anyone is able to take them. Not just anybody can come up here, but anybody can learn how to play it. We offer organ lessons for anybody that wants to take them.

Fletcher played several pieces for me, and I listened in awe. Not only was he playing the melody with his hands, but his feet were playing a melody on the pedals below. For me, its a lot more difficult, just because youve got your feet to think about. I used to think that playing the piano with all these notes was hard, having to read treble clef, bass clef, all these notes. Then you get to the organ, and its like, you have to play with both hands, and you have to play with both feet too, so now youre reading one, two, three staves of music at one time. Its difficult, and Im still getting the hang of it.

After he played a few pieces, Fletcher explained that there is, in fact, a learning curve when it comes to the difference between playing the piano and playing the organ. You have to kind of get acquainted. I know the first time I came up here, I had no idea what any of this stuff meant, and I pressed all these notes and nothing came out. So there is a little bit of a learning curve to it, and its almost essential that you have some kind of piano background.

When asked what made him decide to learn the organ, Fletcher said, Its something different. I played the piano for so long, and the organ is the same principal, but its different in a lot of ways. Its kind of mixing things up.

I started the organ a couple of years ago, and I just really took to it, and really have gotten to know the teacher here, so I decided to add a music major.

I decided to do an organ performance major, and I think they said this was the first organ major theyve had in twenty-five years. Fletcher said he took the performance majorjust kind of for the heck of it.

Fletcher said that Transys organ instructor, Richard Dwyer was one of the reasons why he likes playing the organ. Ive really gotten pretty close with him, [Dwyer] and hes really been one of the main reasons why Ive taken to the organ so much. Hes a really fantastic guy.

Fletcher grew up around the organ and heard it played in church. Growing up, I would go in churches or different places, and I would hear people play the organ and I was like wow, thats really a grand instrument. Its called the king of instruments, and now I kind of see why.

I actually played the piano for my church when I was growing up, so Ive got some experience with that. A church job would be a good kind of side job in the future. Thats one reason Ive really taken to the organ.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Transys organ. Fletcher said it has had a few problems over the years, such as various things like a broken pedal board (that has since been rebuilt), tuning issues (the organ has over 2,000 pipes), and keys that stick together among other ailments. The most expensive thing is getting the organ tuned, Fletcher said. Its really expensive to go through 2000 different ones [pipes]. Its not a cheap instrument, but its in pretty good shape. Although there was obvious wear and tear from years past, the organ seemed to be in remarkable shape for its age.

The organ seems to be an instrument fadingin popularity. Fletcher seems to realize this. Its kind of a dying art in a lot of ways. Like I said, churches are really the only place you see organs anymore, and even churches arent using organs that much. Theyre starting to use drum sets and guitars, and more contemporary stuff.

Go here to see the original:

The Organ and the Organist - The Rambler

Rhodes is the brains behind the show's amazing soundtrack

Dear White People is already one of the years biggest hits.

RELATED: If You're Focusing On White Racism In 'Dear White People,' You're Missing An EvenBigger Message

The Netflix series dropped in April and since its release it has been generating tons of buzz.

Created by Justin Simien and adapted from his 2014 film of the same name, Dear White People is a look at how Black students navigate day-to-day microagressions at a predominantly White university.

RELATED: 'Dear White People's' Justin Simien Wants To Thank His Haters

Helping to amplify some of the shows poignant moments is a soundtrack full of big names artists like A Tribe Called Quest to up-and-coming artists like Noname. And the brains behind the shows soundtrack is music supervisor Morgan Rhodes.

ESSENCE spoke to Rhodes about curating the shows soundtrack, which involved creating playlists for each character, putting on underground talent, and Lionel and Troys friendship.

"I have a great love for indie and underground artists, Rhodes says, when asked about the shows eclectic soundtrack. "I sort of float around with a running list of artists that I'm interested in placing, specifically as it relates to underground black music and underground music in general.

"I love to open doors for people that don't have the same amount or a visibility or are working toward greater visibility. Nothing gives me more joy than to work with underground and indie musicians of all genres .

Rhodes love for a variety of genres is evident as the shows soundtrack bounces from UK indie band Wild Beasts to late producer and rapper J Dilla, whose song Fk the Police get spun on Sams (Logan Browning) radio show after Reggie has a gun pulled on him at a party.

"I've always wanted to play J Dilla in something that I'm working on. I'm a huge J Dilla fan. So that was a real great opportunity for me.

Rhodes feels a little envious of Sam, who has the freedom to play a song like Fk the Police. A radio DJ herself, Rhodes says the FCC would come in and just shut me all the way down if she played a song like that on the air.

Most scenes were really fun to me because I played stuff that I would never be allowed to play on the air.

And, while it may seem that Sam would be her favorite character based on their similarities shes a close second Troy, played by Brandon P. Bell, was the most enjoyable character to create a playlist for.

A lot of the music in the scene involving him is old school soul music and I like that about him. I like that you wouldn't assume that about him.

A scene that sticks out for Rhodes is Troy and Lionels bathroom haircut moment, which features 70s R&B group The Softones My Dream, Lee Fields' "I'm the Man, and Leon Haywood's "I Want to Do Something Freaky to You.

Its a moment to look a little deeper at Troys character and the kind of scene rarely seen on television, two black men relaxing in each others presence and just enjoying each others company.

When you look at him [Troy] he's very polished, you know, you wouldn't expect this guy to listen to Lee Fields, 'I'm the Man' or Softones' 'My Dream. So, you know, him cutting Lionel's hair, then he says, 'You want to listen to some music? That was one of my favorite moments. It gave me the opportunity to again, you know, to dig deep in the crates. And that's the real joy I think of my job is being able to dig and dig deeply, and pull out archival material.

Adding, It was amazing to work on Troy's character because it gave me that opportunity to push the envelope a little bit, he was a lot of fun.

Discussing the scene further, Rhodes adds, There's a lot of things that I think, you know, brothers have to keep to themselves in terms of their emotions across the spectrum, whatever their emotion is.

"Sometimes they're not allowed to be vulnerable and these are two brothers in a typical, you know, black environment getting their hair cut. But with Lionel with all these feelings and being able to be present with that. It was beautiful."

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How Music Supervisor Morgan Rhodes Shaped The Sound Of 'Dear White People' - Essence.com

At a concert or music festival, we assume you want to be jumping and jamming, not crashing. So its important to choose the right cannabis strains when attending festivals. Indica-dominant strains will have you limp and lifeless in a lively crowd. We put together a list of strains thatll keep you happy and energetic while listening to live music.

The best cannabis strains for a day of live music on your feetare sativa-dominant. Sativa strains tend to be associated more with a head-high and less with the body so you wont be as slowed down.

Here are some of the best strains for concert goers:

By far one of the best strains for a music festival is Green Crack. There arent many strains that can match its high-energy and focused high. Its a great daytime high and its one of the few strains thatll keep you going throughout your festival.

On top of high energy, youll be happy and uplifted, from the euphoric effects. The flavor reminds us of a tropical fruit like mango making it an enjoyable smoke.

Jack Herer is a strain thats becoming as legendary as the cannabis activist it was named after. The strain is sativa-dominant providing users with a more focused high. On the other hand, users of Jack Herer find themselves in a creative state of bliss, which is a great for listening to and interpreting music.

Sour Diesel has become a personal favorite of many cannabis consumers since its introduction in the early 90s. In fact, the strain has been cited in the work of many conscious rappers like Nas, the Wu Tang Clan, and Biggie Smalls.

The energizing sativa is dreamy and perfect for losing yourself to the music. In fact, this strain will leave you feeling woke AF. For real, Sour D will have you nodding your head and appreciating the depth and meaning behind lyrics.

Some of us are past the age where entering a mosh pit sounds like a good time. You can smoke something more relaxing in a less tense part of the crowd while enjoying your live tunes.

Blue Dream is one of those perfect in between strains: half indica and half sativa. In fact, its got the best of both worlds: a euphoric cerebral high matched with relaxing body effects. This strain is perfect for hanging back in the crowd, swaying your arms from side to side and really feeling the music.

The smoke has a taste of fresh blueberries from its Blueberry heritage. Since its creation in the west coast, Blue Dream has skyrocketed in popularity.

Trainwreck is a name that emphasizes the strains intensity. The cerebral effects are strong while your body gets left feeling mellow. This is a great strain for slow jams or mind-bending tracks.

The cerebral effects should enhance the way music is perceived while your body becomes possessed and moves to the beat.

Cannabis affects our perception of time, and music is a time process. So, youll be able to listen to music in a different way than you usually would. To many,music is more enjoyable when youre high. If youve never tried it we think youre missing out. Try bringing one of the strains on our list to your favorite music festivals!

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Best Cannabis Strains For Music Festivals - Green Rush Daily

In our society now, lack of sleep is almost like a badge of honor. If you sleep more than five hours youll get bed sores! Youll get all the sleep you need when your dead. Sleep is for the weak. You can find statements like these all over social media.

The idea is to push high-achievers on to work harder for better results. I just had the chance to spend some time with a buddy who was a Navy Seal with Seal Team 6 for eleven years. At certain times he would average 4 hours of sleep a WEEK (not a day but a week). The need to push, drive and deprive was necessary. We often think in the business world and in our hectic times of today we need to do the same thing. But what if that thought process is exactly backwards? What if our willingness to think were a navy seal and push ourselves to our limits is actually sabotaging our success?

The Problem with lack of sleep

I have known for years for years how important sleep is. I know it, but Im bad at following my own advice, and putting into action the knowledge that I have. After meeting with my buddy, Jeff Nichols, with SEAL Team 6, he reminded me how important sleep is, and also gave me steps how to get into the groove of getting into a sleep pattern.

Jeff showed how we can make sleep into something we can train and condition. Like Pavlovs Dog (they would hear a bell and start salivating) we can set up classical conditioning. Classical conditioning is a reflexive or automatic type of learning in which a stimulus acquires the ability to evoke a response that was originally evoked by another stimulus. Our goal is to develop patterns or set activities that bring on the response of sleep.

Whats true for Navy SEALS isnt always true for all highly motivated people, Jeff says. Folks may think its smart to skimp on sleep but in reality, most of the people who are buying into that are not successful theyre not even close to successful. While a few anomalies might pull it off (which are the seal group), most of eventually fizzle out.

And unfortunately these stubborn folks that miss sleep often create massive problems in their metabolism, in their endocrine system. They just really hurt themselves physically while theyre chasing another dream.

4 Ways to Rock Yourself to Sleep

Nicholas has nothing against success. Far from it. He just knows from painful personal experience and from helping others how important good sleep is to getting good results in our lives.

When we face time crunches, sleep is often the first thing to get cut. It may seem efficient and even smart at the time, but its not. In reality, you getting that optimal sleep is going to enable you to wake up and do the job to the best of your ability, Nicolas says. As a navy seal, a lot of our missions were at night, so we needed to be able to adjust and get our sleep during the day. We needed to develop systems and conditioned responses to find ways to get to sleep and get a good sleep. Here are some ideas on how he did it.

1. Put away the Gadgets and Turn Off the Electric Devices

The best sleep is low-tech with the sounds and lights and electricity of apps and devices well away. Nichols says REMOVE the devices from your sleep area. Some experts say turn it all off phones, TV, computers, etc. Jeffs advice is, dont even have it in the room. When I told him I use my phone for my alarm clock, his response, Go buy a clock for less than $10.00.

Right now thats not happening. Too many people todayand especially younger peopleare sleeping with their cell phones, have their computer in their bed for the night, have a TV in their bedroom and have other devices literally next to their head on their pillows.

In some situations, where having a device is needed, as with parents who have kids, business leaders or folks with jobs that might be on-call, they can actually use technology to help them tune things out: many devices allow us to shut down all notices and to screen out all calls except from close friends and family, select business numbers, or vital contacts so they can reach us in the event of a genuine emergency.

Nicolas suggests turning off all devices at least 30 minutes before bed.

2. Get Your Routine In Place to Get Ready for Bed

Notice how things that we do well, do often and do with success usually have a plan or routine. You do a workout and have a plan and routine to follow its a better workout. You have a routine of what youll do at work to be more efficient and knock out a ton of work. Many of us have a routine for our kids in the evening to help get them to bed, do you have one for you?

Just like Pavlovs dog, we spoke of earlier, we want to set up a routine that puts us into sleep mode. That might be reading a book. Smelling a certain aroma; Nichols says he smells lavender because it reminds him of his daughters and puts him into a restful state. Just remember to make what you choose something that will relax you and reduce stress. Doing a high level workout might not be the best activity 30 minutes before bed. But whatever it is, do it every time before you are planning to sleep, in the same order, at about the same time; 30 minutes before bed relax in recliner and review next days schedule; 20 minutes before bed put on relaxing music, check electrical devices and turn off for the night; 10 minutes before bed do sleep prep; bathroom, wash face, brush teeth, etc.; Last few minutes before bed aroma therapy and breathing work; SLEEP

Following set routine will build that conditioned response.

3. Make the Room Dark

This one was vital for Nicholas and his team, also for folks that are working at night and planning to sleep during the day. It is important for you too make your room a dark zone. Black Out Curtains are easy to find. These help keep outside lights from interrupting sleep patterns. By implementing Step 1, moving all electronic gadgets helps to remove all types of lights out of the room.

4. Use Your Bed for Sleep

Many people use the bed and bedroom for more than sleep (and well say couple time!). Dont! Your bed isnt a place to read. Its not to make out your to do list or write a letter. You already know its not a place to play one more video game or finish up that project on your computer. No last minute evening phone calls and no late night texting or checking emails from any of your devices. Do your routine, get into bed and sleep. All those other things should be taken care of before you go into your bedroom. Your bedroom or sleep room is just for that go to bed and sleep!

By improving your sleep routine youll see huge improvement in your success level.

Mark Coach Rozy Roozen, M.Ed, CSCS,*D, NSCA-CPT, TSAC-F, FNSCA is owner/director of Coach Rozy Performance Powered by AVERA Sports Yankton. He can be reached at rozyroozen@gmail.com or by going to his website at coachrozy.com.

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