Kina Grannis - Youtube sensation and sensational live performer

American singer-songwriter Kina Grannis is as cute as a button and seeing her live at The Union Chapel this week was a real treat. The acoustics and settings were a perfect match for her music, (her guitar work accompanied by an excellent cello accompaniment) and her stunning voice, one that sounds more sweet and strong live than recorded - not to say there's anything lacking in her album, 'Stairwells' vocally, but rather it's such a rare thing to experience - and all props go to Kina, who started out her career jamming to a YouTube audience.

Her songs were pitted with banter, all of which kept coming back to how 'insane' or 'crazy' it was that she was performing to real, live people - her humble remarks and the awe she held for having an opportunity to come before us and play was all the more endearing - can you tell I'm now a huge fan? ('Let's be bezzies!)

Personal highlights for me were 'In Your Arms' and 'Strong Enough', a track that isn't included in the European deluxe album (why, oh why??!), so figures - and then there was the unplugged 'Message from Your Heart', where we all sang along. Fun times, we had fun times. 

 

A review of 'Revolution' by Jennifer Donnelly

'This heart we are all talking about...does it have meaning because it has this and that protein? No, it has meaning because of its context. It had meaning because of the so-called stories that surround it. It had meaning because we know  - or soon will - that it came from the body of a defenseless child who was imprisoned by revolutionaries, who was denied the very things they sought to obtain for all humanity - namely: liberty, equality and fraternity - and whose immense, unspeakable suffering shame every politician, every strategist, every academic, think-tanker and policy wonk - then and now - who claims that the Revolution's idealistic ends justified its violent means.'    


This book is intense and riveting. Two reasons you should take two days to read it - but like any real good book, the absorption really kicks in after you put it down and whatever you've injested is suddenly beating around the blood in your veins, for hours after. It hounds you, like the main character, Andi is (or maybe because I was on a 48 hour mung bean diet and was rather deprived of carbs and other such nutrition).

**POSSIBLE SPOILERS** 
You are expertly put in her place. Her emotions are raw and on a seemingly never ending trip of pain. It's a downer, it's horrible in so many instances, built upon by the
account of the French Revolution brought alive by Alexandrine's diary, which Andi stumbles upon. The book bulges with death in all it sickness, isolation - and beauty. The parallel drawn with Dante's Inferno, the book being split into 3 parts - Hell, Purgatory and Heaven - really underlies the fabric of the narrative well. I didn't expect the book to read as it did but I was utterly entwined. The extracts from Alexandrine were wonderful, the way her own revolution comes about in us, the way it makes the reader echo Andi's hope - that the tale of the Lost Prince in the tower must be one of salvation. I wished it as fervently as her, I let my mind contemplate wild theories of who the little prince could have turned out to be.

There was a twist of sorts - it's something I thought was going to happen and then it didn't, even when the book got past the half way point, so I gave up on that. Only for it to drop me splendidly into it.

The historical painting of Paris in the eighteenth century is done very well. It's rich, it's harrowing and I myself couldn't believe such a time existed - it felt almost super-real. Perhaps because I knew precious little of the Revolution itself, I found it absolutely horrifying. I think that was the point - to make it appear like Hell.

There were moments in the book where I was irritated my the protaganist, Andi. She's betrothed to her despair and pretty devastating to everyone around her. It becomes relentless (typical stupid girl moments of thinking the guy you like has a girlfriend he didn't tell you about while he wooed you blah) but again, I believe that's the point. Even the moment where she spills the beans about her brother's death is drawn out but at least it had me turning the pages. (I have my gripe against 'the new, gorgeous, pefectly-tailored-for-me guy in my life' helping me sort out my issues but I think Alexandrine is the real person who teaches Andi what she needs to know - and feel). The message she finally gets from reading the accounts of a girl dead for 200 years comes to her loud and clear. It gets you hard in the chest as well; all that 'tiny rays of hope shining through so much bleak darkness' and such, beautifully embodied by the fireworks Alexandrine risks setting off and what they represent. I think the extended analogy of it was fascinating, how it all tied in with her brother and all the parallels. It was a like a reincarnation tale, an echo of history, the revolutions of time just keep going and going. All of this and more comes out of the book - along with some great lines of dialogues that are real home truths for humanity. Then there's music (which I know little of) and language going beyond time and society and what it means to be human versus DNA - and political ideals.

VERDICT: 8/10

PS - this is prime material for a film also and I would be excited simply to see who would play the amazing character 'G' - the character I quote above.

Music Video for 'Rouge' by Nadine Khouri

Nadine Khouri - "ROUGE" - Official Music Video from Screencult on Vimeo.


Here is the music video I was lucky enough to work on - a collaboration between Screencult (the production company I work for) and One Flash Records. I worked as production manager and after hearing the song being played countless times, I must say I love it all the more I hear it. Nadine is a great artist and she was super cool to work with on this project - just very unassuming and always smiling!
Rosie Wallin directed and Ciro Candia was DoP; both had a great dynamic which kept the shoot on point.
It was a mad day of shooting to be fair, but we all got through it pretty well methinks. At least I know it was a huge learning experience, because believe it or not folks, it was the first time getting back on set after nearly two years! I was out of touch, to say the least but it'll be all good from here!

Well done to the crew and cast for their hard work and patience! I think we can agree it looks pretty awesome non? Nadine's star is on the rise, so I hope this adds to the trajectory of her great career :D

Kick the Plug 2nd June 2010

I have missed the other two Kick the Plug events much to my disappointment but I was excited to be able to head on down to The Wilmington Arms this Wednesday to enjoy the great music on offer.


The evening started off with Klaus, who kicked off by saying that he didn't like London because he never really has any fun here. He much prefers his town of Brighton - which is understandable. He quickly said that of course, he had fun at The Wilmington Arms, so all was forgiven. The poor guy was also afflicted with burps which he blamed on the fizzy beer. Bless. His music was a nice way to start off the evening and there was a particularly poignant track he played to round of his set, which was one of his first songs. 'Illuminations', which is more recent (you can hear a live version here) was a song that stuck out lyrically. I was a fan of the fairy lights intertwined around his mic stand and his choice to step back from the mic and sing out to the room.

Francois and the Atlas Mountains followed which was an entirely different sound altogether. Francois presented a mixed bunch and highlights were his trumpet playing and the upbeat 'Je suis de l'eau'. He appeared to be utterly absorbed in his music and occasionally bopped as one would do in their own room when no one is looking. I thought that was cool.

Lastly was Adelaide's Cape and it was perfect because at that moment all I wanted to do was close my eyes and listen, invoking a similar response to when Rachel Dadd played at the same venue some months ago (see my last review!) 'Girl of the Land' definitely stuck out as a track and I just admire anyone who can have you absorbed with just their voice and instrument. I loved it when Richard Thompson's 1952 Vincent Black Lighting was played at the end but then I'm a sucker for story songs anyhoo. I look forward to the next Kick the Plug event, may they keep coming.

For all aspiring writers

LISTENING TO - 'Hallelujah (acoustic) - Paramore'

Ok, so I stumbled across this site via Allison Winn Scotch on Twitter and it's just got some really sound advice and tips for aspiring writers like moi who need a push here and there to polish up our work and succeed.
WRITER UNBOXED

I was perusing the "VOICE" articles, this being the voice of the story/novel/text and it's something I think we tend to take for granted. It does leave one feeling that they must go back and look at those chapters one has written to check they haven't erred by creating 'blah' voices and/or characters. It's a comfort to also know that one of the best methods is to basically 'act' it out and well, that's what I do for literally all my dialogue exchanges and it some how opens up the mind to the internal dialogue as well. On the same note, does anyone else use songs or instrumental music to help too? - like the kind of music your character might relate to  - or relates to them, non?

Sisters of Stone

So I finally got around to posting this up on my channel - it's teaser for a story not yet written and it will be a collaboration with another amazing artist/storyteller, creator of Arctic Bunny Animations. It's very exciting for me and my co-creator because it was a complete 'light bulb' moment, literally a flash of lightning that ignited an idea that just seemed to span out in my head like a someone's life flash by. In M&S in Bluewater no less, standing in a queue. I love how grand inspiration just grips you in the random places.

So please check out my video; it's inspired by the trip to Exmoor last year; the lay of the land and the general feel of the place we were in suddenly hit us as very 'Sisters of Stone'. It was only until I heard 'Primavera' by Ludovico Einaudi that I was gripped by the idea of a doing some sort of mood trailer. All it's missing is a scene with someone riding a horse through the forest...hehe. It's hardly Hollywood but it will do. At the end of the day, I had fun with it!



I leave with an extract to get you musing about the possible narrative arcs and suggestions that could become the fabric that will be the awesome 'Sisters of Stone.'

'Silent and strong like the bridge she walks, her cloak barely touching the earth. The world may move and change like the furious river below yet her sect will not. Glance to the left and she glides away to the order that commands her. She won't be led astray for she is a sister of stone..' 
written by K.K Verma  © 2009