The Whole Music Experience

Photo by Patricia Herlevi, Bellingham, WA Since my previous post on relaxing with classical music has attracted attention, let's experiment with the opposite--that is let's add vitality to our step and energize our bodies.  Psycho-acoustic experts tell us to charge the nervous system with high-tones and to increase the beats per minute to above 80 beats per minute (not that I ever know how many beats per minute music is).  However, by increasing the tempo, we raise our heartbeat rate, and increase the overall tempo in our bodies, thus giving us more energy. We don't want to get our adrenaline rushing or create fight or flight in our bodies since this isn't healthy.  So I'm not asking you to increase the volume of music, play booming bass and drums or blast yourself with screeching electric guitar.  But then I doubt any of you were planning on doing that since you already know what's healthy for you and what causes you tension and unease. I'm going to...

Good Lovelies Let the Rain Fall Six Shooter Records/Warner Bros. While the US had its sweethearts Doris Day and the Andrew Sisters, Canada presents its own version of the musical girls next door, better known as Good Lovelies.   This trio, like the Wailin’ Jennys, blends their sweet-honeyed voices on songs that swing. But unlike the Wailin’ Jennys, there’s not a prairie in sight. I'm also reminded of the rockabilly group Stray Cats of the 80's.  Good Lovelies perform urban grass songs that portray women getting around a city on bikes, and the simplicities of domestic life on their third album, Let the Rain Fall . With these adorable ditties and toe-tapping tunes, even us poor folks living under rain clouds for 6 months feel uplifted. The album’s warm production features lap steel, guitar, Wurlitzer (organ), bass, drums, mandolin, and harmonica.   But the instrumentation merely offers a backdrop for the vocal harmonies and the stories featured in each ...