Showing posts with label reality television. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reality television. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

"Tore My Heart": best "So You Think You Can Dance" performance of the night, a tune by Bay Area Girls Rock Camp volunteer Oona Garthwaite

If you saw So You Think You Can Dance last night, you saw Jakob Karr and Ellenore Scott give everyone goosebumps with the modern choreography of Sonya Tayeh. The performance received a standing ovation from the audience as well as from all three judges making them freak out quite a bit (there was a lot of screaming). Nigel called the performance "fabulous" and his "favorite routine of the season." See the video below.

But I'm not going to talk about the dancing; I'm a music writer! I will say, however that it was moving performance, especially when Jakob and Ellenore walked forehead-to-forehead across the stage at the beginning. The habanera rhythm used in the song - like the aria with the same title from the 19th century opera Carmen by Georges Bizet - really lends itself to modern dance. I love it when traditional pieces of musical composition fit right into modern pop culture. Ellenore and Jakob used the Cuban rhythm to undulate across the floor. The pauses in the song also add to the drama of the performance, which Sonya Tayeh's choreography brilliantly mirrored.

click here to enjoy a video of the performance.

OONA is the magical pairing of singer/keyboardist/lyricist Oona Garthwaite and drummer/songwriter/jack-of-all-trades Dave Tweedie. Their music is what I call electro-soul-pop, yes, I just made up a genre. But think of it: soulful vocals with a pop mentality that makes you want to shake your booty. Oh, just listen to some of their music!

The song is now available on iTunes. Congrats guys!

Oona Garthwaite volunteers with me at the Bay Area Girls Rock Camp.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE

Monday, June 8, 2009

Oona's "Tore My Heart Out" Featured on So You Think you Can Dance



The Bay Area's own singer/songwriter/pianist/soulsista Oona Garthwaite was featured on "So You Think You Can Dance" last week with her song "Tore My Heart." Kelsea Taylor used this tune for her Lyrical Contemporary audition and called a "beautifully disaterous weirdo" and "slightly crazy" by judges.

Oona says on her iLike blog:
dear new friends,

thanks to the SYTYCD appearance, we've received a veritable onslaught of friend requests and new fans on myspace and facebook, twitter, ourstage, ilike...

i would like to thank each and all of you for listening to our music! we love making it, and sharing it with you is a real honor.

so if a tree falls in a forest and no one's there to hear it, does it still get broadcast on a network reality show? you betcha :) one. lucky. tree.
Oona is no stranger to being a featured artists on "So You Think You Can Dance"...

Read the rest of my Examiner.com article

UPDATE FOR OONA'S "TORE MY HEART" ON SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE SEASON 6- PERFORMANCE BY ELLENORE AND JAKOB


Sunday, May 17, 2009

Then and Now: American Idol moments and where are they now?


With absolutely no shame, I have defended my fascination with American Idol to friends, colleagues, and family. Sure it's entertaining, but musically it's nothing special. Honestly, how many of the performances and contestants will you really remember a couple of years down the road? Well, here's an account of the handful of ones that I've remembered.

I am fascinated by the post-Idol careers of some of the contestants. It's no secret that you don't need to win the contest to become a wildly successful recording artist: hello, Clay Aiken? And honestly, most people haven't heard from Ruben Studdard or Taylor Hicks lately (although these two particular artists do have successful careers beyond top 40). But the experience of the show and the exposure it brings has done wonders for struggling and budding careers.

My favorite post-Idol success story? Jasmine Trias. Trias was still in high school when she finished third in Season 3. Trias was the Hawaiian girl who always had a flower in her hair...

Read more of my examiner.com article

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Why the women of planet earth need more Susan Boyles



Please read my new article on examiner.com about why the phenomenon of Susan Boyle is so important to me and to millions of people around the globe.

I've been thinking about this whole concept for awhile, and then Susan came along.  It took me all day to write this article, I'm really proud of it!