UnSpace

At Cathasaigh's concert last night, she spoke of Rob Paravonian's "Pachelbel Rant." You should check out the YouTube video link I just gave — it's a scream. As a pianist, I don't have the problem cello players might have. In fact, I'm usually happy to have to play the same thing over and over again. It means I'm a lot less likely to screw up.

Of course, in some ways, Rob Parvaonian's rant is a sort of a variation on "Songs you can sing 'Amazing Grace' to." You know, like "Gilligan's Island." Seriously, try it. It works. Apparently me wandering around a church singing "Amazing Grace" to "Gilligan's Island" terrifies most ministers. The really weird thing is, I've done a haunting version of "Gilligan's Island's Amazing Grace" on the keyboard, making it about halfway through the song before anyone realized what I was up to.

A lot of music has the same number of measures, so it's quite common to be able to do one song to the tune of another. Pachabel's got a four-chord sequence that, because it can have a descending bass line, is rather common.

Years ago, there was an Analog story about limiting copyrights because there is a limited number of songs. I don't know if the writers of "Yes, We Have No Bananas" were really sued for copyright infringement on the "Hallelujah Chorus" by Handel's descendants, but the possible urban legend does make the point.

I've been playing around with a radio-controlled helicopter at church. Have I mentioned I've got a great job? I'm tempted to do a digital recording of Adagio for Strings and include helicopter noises in the background. Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings" is the song you hear several times, including the end, of Platoon.

Kiva Han is a coffee shop in the North Oakland section of Pittsburgh, between Pitt and CMU. Kiva Han has giant windows and Christmas lights. Cathasaigh played a set there last night. I got to enjoy the music as well as play around with the camera.

Lighting wise, Kiva Han was one of the most interesting venues I've seen Cathasaigh play at, as you can see from the above photograph.

The music could be heard throughout Kiva Han and out into the sidewalk where people sat tapping at small tables. But for Cathasaigh, her contact with the audience was limited to the small room she was in. Musicians can feed off the energy of large groups; a small intimate audience like last night can presents challenges to the performer.

Cathasaigh adapted beautifully to the small audience, making it appear effortless.

Those in attendance were treated to some samples of some new techniques Cathasaigh explained to the audience that she's learning new musical techniques for the album she's recording. There are two basic styles of guitar: rhythm and lead. Rhythm guitar is the nominal style for the folk music genre, and most of what Cathasaigh has been playing until now. 'Saigh's learning lead guitar, which she demonstrated with a quick snippet of "Here Comes the Sun." But then she explained that she was also trying a combination pattern that took on aspects of both. The result had a bluegrass feel to it that seemed far more complex than standard lead guitar.

There was an audience Cathasaigh literally couldn't see. Behind her and through the window, there were passers-by who would stop and listen. Folks at the tables tapping their coffee cups to the music. Out in the line for drinks (they had sugar-free raspberry and vanilla flavors that made absolutely wonderful "Italian sodas") people listened to her perform.

In between my mental fights with shutter speed, f-stops and the exposure meter, and even while I'm wandering upstairs looking for an unexpected angle, I'm listening. Having attended a number of Cathasaigh's performances, I know most of her repertoire now, and I can catch the little variations and flourishes she throws in.

Note: These photos are by Tony.

Both women performed great sets. Congratulations, ladies! My gang and I thoroughly enjoyed the music! Dinner was good, too.

More later.

Cathasaigh at the March 8th Sound Kitchen

Here, I've posterized the photo, reducing the number of different colors.

Here's the same photo (cropped slightly differently), converted to black and white and posterized.

Here, I've used the art effect called "pencil" on a picture. Strangely, shoes, legs and wires come out cool with this effect.

If you'd rather see what a competent photographer can do, go check out Kimberly Reed's photos from Liquid Sunday. Because I'm friends with Cathasaigh, I've been given amazing leeway in taking photographs at her gigs. After seeing Reed's photos, I realize how badly I've been wasting this opportunity.

I think I'm going to go back to bed and sulk for a couple hours.

I'm crashing from this cold. So without further ado, here are the photos I got at last night's Sound Kitchen at WYEP's Community Broadcast Center.

Jan Beatty reading her poetry.

Cathasaigh performing.

Cathasaigh's mother pointed out this reflection of the stage in the studio windows.

DJ Mary Mack was in the worst-lit part of the room; none of the photos came out. I left after Cathasaigh's set. I would have liked to have heard Boca Chica, but I was fried. Some other time, I hope!

The Sound Kitchen will be hosting 4 musical acts this Thursday, March 8th, from 7 to 11 p.m. For a suggested donation of $5, you can get in to see four acts. I plan on being there, and I'm hoping some friends might come along as well.

Ok, so one of the acts is Cathasaigh, the fabulous singer I keep blogging about.

Today, Cathasaigh played at at the Community College of Allegheny County-North's Atrium, near the food vendor. This was not what I'd consider an ideal venue. People are coming in for lunch, and I thought they'd find a singing guitarist annoying.

That's not what happened.

I actually got to watch people catch on a couple times. They'd be sitting down, about to eat lunch, and they'd stop. One woman told me she realized "Hey, I don't need my iPod!" They stop, sometimes in mid-sentence, and turn their head toward the stage and stare. Watching it, I remembered doing the exact same thing at the East End Food Co-Op months ago. She really is that good. Her guitar set the stage, her voice drew them in, and the words and music of her song hooked them. Then the new fans go into this sort of slouch and just listen, picking at food or turning a page. Their focus is on Cathasaigh and her songs. During the break, they'd come over to meet her at the table her mother sells CDs from. They'd talk about how they'd just caught the tail end of her songs and wanted to go to her next concert. They'd ask to get on her e-mail list. One fellow turned to go away, saying "Well, now I've got to go fail the test I should have been studying for instead of listening to you." One of the fans stuck around after lunch to listen to the rest of the set, alternating between listening and doing trignometric substitutions in calculus integrations. I thought it was cool, but darned if I could remember some of the more useful and standard substitutions.

She really is that good. Come out on March 8th and find out for yourself.

Today, I turned into a sometimes Roadie, schlepping equipment to the car after her performance. The base of the Bose Personalized Amplification System is heavy, which shouldn't be surprising, but is. Basic (no pun intended) physics. There's a lot of stuff that gets dragged around.

This might sound strange, but I'm learning about the music biz from Cathasaigh. I can't help but wonder if there's a novel in it somewhere, or at least background

I only discovered Dorian Spencer through Randy Abramson's article Sweet sounds from the underground. I stumbled across the story of Dorian Spencer during my morning news read and, for no reason other than "cool," ordered the CD "Seeds." It arrived, with 4 songs and a personal note. I still have the note, even. "New York Winter" caught my attention. The song's subtle focus on the change in New York since 9/11 struck home. I'd never made it to the New York recovery effort, but the song expressed something about my own experiences as a part of the 9/11 effort and afterwards. I kept a lookout for Dorian and his song on my MP3 player. When his new CD, "Garden" came out, I had to check out what had grown from those "Seeds."

There are ten songs on the CD. "New York Winter" is still the best. I don't begrudge Mr. Spencer for trying to get that song a wider audience by repeating it. "Pretending it's not happening," is also on both CDs. Although it's one of the more rock oriented songs, I hope Dorian didn't hold back a similar song to include this one. "Pretending it's not happening" isn't a personal favorite, although it's not bad. "Garden," the title track, takes a dark theme and uses a lighter music as a counterpoint, as it should be. The "Garden" is Dorian's music, and giving it more light is how he deals with the existential questions. "Falling in Love" is a song that reminds me of my own love for my wife, so of course I replay it a lot. "Playing the Fool" and "Who, What, Where" are also a love songs, but ones that are about the more painful side of love. "Human Legacy" is easy to listen to, but much harder to think about.

So much of Dorian Spencer's music has a New York feel to it. You can hear the city in his strong voice. "New Mexico" is thus a treat. He grew up there, and this song is rich with those earlier memories, and hints at the other music styles that influenced the "Dorian" sound. That's why describing Dorian's music is so difficult for me — he's picked up bits and pieces in his travels, forgetting nothing. How many songs mention Georgia O'Keeffe? He remembers and uses it all to weave the magic. Is it folk or jazz or rock or indie? I'm guessing here that it's all, none, and more. I don't know how to describe it, except to say it's a sound I enjoy listening to it.

Dorian is a subway performer, a busker trying to make it big. He has strong musical talent, but the voice is what latches onto your ears. Go to his website, look around, listen to the songs, and if you'd like something original to add to your CD collection, buy "Garden." I believe you'll be glad for the addition! Dorian also has a Pod show and a MySpace page. Just don't hit the MySpace page while you're listening to the "Garden" CD. Two songs playing at once randomly is never pretty!

By the way, Dorian Spencer's web site says that, at one point, he was an actor. There's a Dorian Spencer listed on IMDb, and if it's the same person, he appeared on more than a few of my favorite TV shows: Midnight Caller, The Pretender, and (of course) Law and Order.

Yesterday was the last day for the Minister of Music at my church, Jim Lueers. Jim will be heading "up north" to Memorial Park Presbyterian Church in Allison Park. Our church has a tradition of "sending" people to where they are going next to serve God; always in prayer and often with a celebration.

Jim Lueers has been a blessing to our church as a musician, songwriter, and even youth musical director. How many organists do you know that can rock out? But Jim's time with us had come to an end.

Yesterday began with two worship services. The choir, praise team, and bell choir combined (surprisingly well, I might add) to provide a range of music for the service. Jim Lueers always has subtle "sermons" in the music he picks out, but yesterday, he preached for his first and only time in his 16+ years at Pleasant Hills Community Presbyterian Church. When Jim handed in his resignation, Rev. Paul Thwaite looked at the schedule: February 18th was in the middle of a series on the book of Exodus, just after the whole "golden calf" bit, with Moshe begging God to go with the Hebrews as they moved on in their travels. You can't make this stuff up!

Jim's sermon was not a standard sermon, but included a Middle School dramatization of Moshe going back to talk to the (no longer) burning bush, a song, and of course personal words by Jim.

In the evening, there was a dinner and a celebration of Jim's ministry at our church. There was a photo show during dinner, with music, skits, and stuff I couldn't explain in a blog post if I wanted to! The best, perhaps, was when the choir, complete with robes and fake nose glasses and mustaches, sang of their experiences with Jim. Jim later pointed out that it was the only time the choir ever memorized something.

The original church band, "All of the Above" (the answer to "Which of these names should we use fo the band?") reunited to perform two of their songs with Jim.

Finally, with Jim, Cathy, and their children seated in a circle, the entire room came forward to lay hands on them in a blessing as we sent them on to their new church. "Sendings" are a way to ask God's grace on people; they're also a good excuse to finally have that cry you've wanted over losing the close contact with those you've come to love.

I met Jim Lueers recently, only a couple years ago. In a short time, he had me singing with the church band, working me into keyboard, bass, and even guitar. When people mention "Christian mercy," I think of all the effort Jim put into finding some use for my limited musical skills and lack of experience with a band.

But when I think if Jim, what I think of most was someone who, when something came up in my life, would not say "I'll pray about it." He wouldn't say that; instead he'd ask to pray right then and there — often on the phone. God knows I gave him enough chances to pray! Jim went beyond praying. One day, I was scheduled for a 3 mile walk, but feeling good, I went three miles out on the trail at Piney Fork. Only on the way back did I notice that instead of locking my house key in the car and keeping the car key with the phone, I'd kept the house key. I'd locked myself out of the car. Jim rescued me, bringing Nancy and car keys to the Piney Fork parking lot.

Jim lived his faith in Jesus Christ, and I'm better for having known him.

Last night at Cathasaigh's gig at the Coffee House in Moon, I happened to mention to her sister, Jess, that I'd been responsible for a dance at my old church with Apologetix playing. Her response was "I heard about that one." Clearly, from Jess's voice, what she heard wasn't good. Not that it could have been….

I don't remember what year it was. I suspect it was the very late '80s or early '90s. Steve was a high school student who had just been elected to the board of deacons. He wanted to represent the youth of the church, and so he suggested the church put on a dance as an outreach. Many of the deacons were convinced hordes of teens would come to the dance and start a riot that would end with police gunfire at the holligans the rubble of the church. As someone in his 30s going on 16 years old, I was one of the few deacons who sided with Steve and pushed through the dance.

Have you ever taken on a job where folks are looking forward to you failing miserably?

The dance took a lot of work to organize. Finally, the night of the dance came. Admission was some food item for the church food bank. We had a couple teens working refreshments. A number of elders and deacons attended, purportedly to help out and probably to watch the destruction live. The minister and student ministers came because they had to. They might not have a job to go to in the morning, so I think they thought attendance was mandatory.

As for the hordes of teenagers…well, if you don't count the people working the dance, and you don't count the church ministers who showed up out of some sense of duty (or possibly because they might not have a place to work the next day), and if you don't count Apologetix's roadies, significant others, and groupies, guess how many people showed up?

One.

Yeah, one. An order of magnitude less than 10. I'm not sure how many people constitute a "horde," but I am positive that it's not "one."

With all the church officers and such, I think the average age of everyone listening to the band was over retirement age — not exactly Apologetix's target audience. All in all, we might have had forty or fifty people.

What was to be a dance (not what you should hire Apologetix for, honestly) turned into a concert or rehearsal or something. Nobody even tried to dance. Frankly, Apologetix isn't the kind of band one dances to. The band members were clearly uncomfortable at how things had turned out, and tried to make the best of a bad situation.

Most everyone sat down and listened. I enjoyed the concert, despite knowing I would be held responsible for the debacle. Everyone else enjoyed the concert, or at least said "That was pretty good for that 'rock music' you kids listen to." Relatively speaking, I was one of the kids, and I felt like it.

Apologetix never forgot. Since then, when asked to do similar gigs, they have a canned answer that begins "We did a gig like that…once." Jess had heard the short version of the story from Apologetix's viewpoint, and she remarked on how small God's world is.

So I guess you could say I'm famous — or is it infamous?

To the band Apologetix: I'm sorry I put you through that.

Cathasaigh is the young woman Nancy and I met at the East End Food Co-op art thingie, the one I referred to as "The Voice." She's still "The Voice," although she's also an amazing musician as well. 'Saigh took a break from public performances in January to prepare for her next album.

Last Friday, Cathasaigh had a gig at Mojoe Coffee.

Cathasaigh asked if I could take some photographs, right at the time I'm working my way through an online people photography course from CCAC. I asked for permission to use her and her friends as practice for my class, and a deal was struck that included allowing me to use flash during the gig!

I'm learning how to use the Nikon SB-800 AF Speedlight with my camera. Jess, 'Saigh's sister, was more impressed by the extra pounds the speedlight added to the camera. Compared to the camera's built-in flash, the SB-800 is a wonder. You wonder at the range the flash has and you wonder at how it overwhelms the camera in size!

'Saigh's week leading up to the gig had been terrible. Her aunt passed away, the furnace broke, the car breaks crapped out, and a bunch of other stuff went wrong. The performance was influenced by these events, sometimes directly, sometimes indirectly. Her voice and instrumental work were superb, nonetheless!

I focused on the camera, so there were no written notes on the performance, unlike the CD Release party for the Pittsburgh Songwriters.¹ But the first song was one Cathasaigh wrote, "Hypnotized," and it's the title track of the new CD she's working on. The song's a fan favorite, with a lot of parallel structure and social commentary.

There was one song, describing her family's disastrous week, that Cathasaigh did, possibly a "one time only" song. The song was a semi-humorous look at all the things that had gone wrong, a "laugh so you don't cry" deal. It wasn't Weird Al's absurdist "One of Those Days," but it was good.

As I said, Cathasaigh's week did affect her gig in some interesting ways. Usually, she has an electronic 88-key keyboard she plays, but it wouldn't fit into the car they had to use to get to Mojoe Coffee. Improvising, she brought a borrowed autoharp instead. Cathasaigh wanted to use an autoharp on the new CD, so a neighbor lent her one. She experimented with it in January and decided it made a decent solution to the keyboard problem. She hinted that she was learning some advanced techniques that she'd use on the album. After Friday's show, I tried to get her to show us a sample, but she politely declined. She's keeping it a surprise for the CD, and I'd obviously used up any credits I had by repeatedly nuking 'Saigh with the speedlight during the performance.

There were a lot of faces in the audience I'd not seen at past performances, but a lot of the same children were there. 'Saigh's music is family friendly, and she always has the little ones come up and clap along in a contest to see if she can play the guitar faster than they can clap.

At one point, one of the little girls was singing along with Cathasaigh and happened to wander up next to her. The gigs do tend to be informal! 'Saigh turned the mic over to the little girl, giving her a chance to finish the song!

I did get to practice my photography quite a bit. There were some great moments, including this one of Cathasaigh and a friend laughing. This isn't the photograph I wanted to take. The two of them would crack up in this amazing way that made anyone watching want to laugh along, even though they didn't hear what provoked the laughter — which, from where I was standing, I couldn't.

I still need to practice posing people. This is one of the better shots I got of Cathasaigh.

Have you ever noticed that some people know how to be photographed? I got a number of photographs of Cathasaigh's volunteer vocalist that give the illusion that I know what I'm doing, the above photo being a prime example.

Cathasaigh's next performance is this coming Saturday at The Coffee House at 8 p.m.² The performance is free, so if you're looking for something to do, come on out! Maybe we can get a blogger's section going!

1. I tried getting an article and photographs published from the Pittsburgh Songwriters Release Party ; the editor hemmed, hawed, and eventually decided the news was too old to publish. I really should throw the mess article up on UnSpace, but I'm still a little irritated. [back]
2. Mojoe Coffee is a great place, but we also all know I'm thinking "No portraits of Jack Nicholson acting crazy to deal with at The Coffee House." I'm a terrible person. [back]

I'm working on my CD of Christmas tunes. I figure that, after I learn to play drums and set up the recording studio in my basement again, all I'll have to do is write the songs and I'll be ready to go. The release date for my CD will be today. Of course, that's something like a launch date for the space shuttle — if the actual launch is before they retire the space shuttle fleet, everyone will be happy.

Songs slated to be included on the CD are:

1. Another Christmas in Fallujah
   The story of a 24 year-old Marine who has never seen his three-year old daughter in person.
2. Reindeer Can Fly…But Can They Swim?
   Did you know Santa's workshop is not built on land but ice? A song about the unanticipated effects of global warming.
3. Wal-Mart Christmas
   Getting back to the real meaning of Christmas — making the rich richer and screwing the poor!
4. Halliburton Christmas Bonuses
   A cheerful tale of what happens when you overcharge the military on no-bid contracts.
5. The After-Christmas Blues
   A song for the Democrats, to remind them that having is not so pleasing a thing, after all, as wanting. It is not logical, but it is often true.
6. Daddy Lost His Job
   This song is a socially-aware heart-rending story about a man who lost his Capitol Hill job before Christmas, forcing his large family to live in a tiny Penn Hills hovel during the holidays.
7. We Don't Want the Baby Jesus and His Good-For-Nothing Parents Here!
   A cover of the tune Zoning Commissions everywhere are singing!
8. It's Christmas at Ground Zero
   My cover version of my favorite Weird Al Christmas song.
9. Everyone Not Saying "Merry Christmas" Has to Wear a Yellow Star or Red Crescent
   Sometimes, I worry that my sarcasm will give people ideas…

The song "Mary's Virgin Birth" has been dropped from the list. A song about Dick Cheney's daughter might get both liberals and conservatives really angry at me.

I missed my antidepressant dosage yesterday, didn't I?

If you want a real Christmas CD by an excellent musician, go get Cathasaigh's.

The Recording Institute Association of America (RIAA) has a chance to file the most bizarre copyright lawsuit of all times, thanks to Leondard Cohen.

Last night, while watching Numb3rs on TV¹, they started playing the song "Hallelujah." Nancy commented that it was the third or fourth time they played this song on a show we watched.

I looked it up on Wikipedia, and found that we'd heard it far more than that: House, The L Word, Scrubs, The West Wing, Without a Trace, Cold Case, Criminal Minds, Crossing Jordan, and Numb3rs. Strangely, the Numb3rs episode was already listed, mere hours after it first aired. That's Wikipedia for you — it may or may not be accurate, but it's up-to-the-minute!

Now, good luck trying to find all the lyrics. The original performance had 15 verses; most recordings are mix-and-match of those lyrics plus later added ones. But almost all versions have a verse that drives the RIAA nuts:

I heard there was a secret chord
that David played and it pleased the Lord.
Bbut you don't really care for music, do you?
Well it goes like this: the fourth, the fifth,
The minor fall and the major lift,
The baffled king composing hallelujah.

Now, if you're not familiar with the RIAA, they're the nutcases suing grandmothers for downloading hardcore rap and web sites for listing chords used in songs. They do it all in the name of protecting "copyrights." To them, there is no such thing as "fair use." If you take a CD and copy the song to your MP3 player, to them, that's a copyright violation and you're guilty of high treason and ought to be declared an enemy combatant. There's no such thing to them as fair use, so I might get sued for quoting one verse of a 15+ verse song as part of an editorial.

But if you're a musician and you look at the lyrics, you'll notice that they lyrics themselves give some of the chords! Where it says "Well it goes like this," that's obvoiusly a major chord. As an example, let's say it's the G chord. The song is written in the Ionian mode, meaning we can expect G, Am, Bm, C, D, Em, F#dim chords. The fourth would be C and the fifth would be D. The minor fall could only be Em. The major lift is obviously C and D, since they're the only two major chords side by side.

In other words, the song is it's own chord chart, at least in part. From those chords, it's easy to figure out the rest of the song. Many chord chart sites list them; bizarrely, several list the wrong chords, especially for this verse. Don't look at me, I don't understand how they could possibly have a major chord listed where it' says it's minor.

So, does this mean the RIAA could sue Leonard Cohen (the author of the song, and apparently the author of several other favorite songs, including "Suzanne") for illegally making public the chords to this song?

I hope they try it. I love watching deranged insanity at work.

And yes, they could sue me for pointing out that the song reveals the chords!

1. Ok, like you're all surprised Nancy and I are glued to the TV set for that one. [back]

Someone has to speak out about the horrible scientific inaccuracy in this video!

Ok. I can accept insects playing teeny tiny instruments. I'll let pass that the pitch of those instruments would be far above human hearing. I'll ignore the problem that such creepy-crawlies would not be romantically attracted to a human — to them, we're grotesque and deformed. I'll argue that an appropriate tuning would permit the guitarist insect to play the guitar despite the lack of fingers. Insects do not breathe in and out of their mouths; they breathe through spiracles on their thoraxes. I'll even make some handwaving excuses that it's not the organophosphate in the insecticide that causes the hallucinations, that rather the hallucinations are a byproduct of hypoxia and overstimulation of the nerves. I'll even excuse the slow, painful death of the bass player. Everyone knows bass players are really cool.

But a woman smiling as she vacuums? Come on! Some things just push the envelope of "suspension of disbelief" to absurd levels!

Thanks to Multi Medium for pointing out this video. Even though I've got a phobia about electron micrographs of insects, this is still cool.

…and she's right!

Cathasaigh

Strange it is to refer to Cathasaigh (pronounced Kayth-say) as "The Voice." The young woman plays twenty-plus instruments. But in her performance yesterday at the Pittsburgh East End Food Co-op, she performed only with an accoustic guitar, playing tunes best suited for strumming, not fingerboard virtuosity. Whatever instrument she might have accompanied herself with, could her musicianship (however good) possibly have outshone her voice?

Cathasaigh is one of those rare vocalists with "impact." When pressed, she uncomfortably mentions that she's been compared to Joan Baez, Amy Lee, Jule, Lorina Mckennet, and others. There might be similarities, but she has her own voice. She claims as influences Celtic, Goth rock, classic rock, folk, and others. These styles have informed her unique voice.

Performing off and on for only three years, the last year has been the most serious for this 19 year-old musician. Homeschooling gave her the freedom to devote to what she loved; one shudders to think what might have happened to such a talent with a lesser parent or in anything but the best public schools (and even they may not have been sufficient or flexible enough). Cathasaigh does not intend to go on to college. Music is her career, and her career has begun. But clearly, this is not the end of learning for her. She is a learning machine now; one wonders how long ago her mother stopped being her teacher and merely guided her self-instruction. Her current efforts focus on closing one fascinating educational gap for the lady who plays over twenty instruments: only now is she learning to read music.

Cathasaigh performed all her own material. Her songs are infused with her faith in Jesus Christ. "I make it very clear. I am a Christian and my music has Christian messages, but I am not a 'Christian artist.'" she explained. The difference is more than simply a relabeling to gain access to more performance venues. There is a strength, a sense of independence about this woman that makes her difficult to categorize. One must simply experience her music and go from there.

Cathasaigh has CDs, a web site, and family and strangers telling her how wonderful her music is. Yet, to watch her body language, mannerisms, and word choice when she is away from the stage, one cannot help but hear that some part of her heart simply sees herself as ordinary. This is who she is. Sure, she knows intellectually that her instrumental skills, ability to write music and lyrics, and perform are extraordinary. She must know that her voice brings something extraordinary to her music. But this is who Cathasaigh is, who she's always been, and she knows no other way to be. As she autographs a black CD insert with a silver pen for a fan, one can't help but think somewhere in her heart Cathasaigh is amazed by all the attention she receives.

A listener called in to the radio station, stressed, and asked for a song to calm them down. The DJ played Spandau Ballet's "True." I was wondering what kind of jerk the DJ was.

Here's the lyrics as I knew them:

. . .
With a thrill in my hand and a pill on my tongue
Dissolve the nerves that have just begun
Listening to Marvin (all night long)
This is the sound of my soul,
This is the sound
. . .
I bought a ticket to the world,
But now I've come back again
Why do I find it hard to write the next line
Oh I want the truth to be said

Back when I was working in the depressed urban section of Pittsburgh in the 1980s, every once in a while, I'd hear a gun referred to as a "thrill." Combining that with how many people I saw that needed mind-altering substances to disable their survival mechanisms, I always thought the song was about suicide.

It's not exactly the song I would have chosen to play for someone who was stressed out.

I got home and started to blog about it. But when I dug up the words, I discovered something: the actual lyrics are "thrill in my head," not "thrill in my hand." So I was wrong. That wasn't the absolute worst choice of all time of a song played for a listener by a DJ.

Now, I have no idea whatsoever what the song is about. Back when it was about suicide, it made perfect sense. Now? I have no clue. For all I know, it might be "Stairway to Heaven."

While we're at it, apparently "Losing My Religion" by REM isn't about suicide, either.

I wonder if anyone's ever killed themselves and left behind a CD or tape of one of these songs and everyone — cops, family members, coroners, etc. is going "I don't get it." Yet one more reason to avoid suicide!

Our contemporary worship service is at 11 o'clock. Lately, I've been playing bass (one note at a time!), but they were short of singers this week, so I asked to sing instead. That was the plan, until the bass player couldn't make it. Guess who was back on bass?

I had one day to practice, and I worked at it. I like 2 weeks to practice, and usually get one. Even then, it's a race to see if I'll learn it in time. Did I mention I picked up bass fairly recently as my "midlife crisis?" It was cheaper than a sports car.

One day meant late night and early wakeup.

Now, over at Ales Rarus, there's been complaints about contemporary music — defined, I suspect, as anything after Gregorian chants. [unfair snark] They especially don't like the 7-11 songs: seven words sung 11 times. Everything we did today was not anywhere near a 7-11…well, except "Love the Lord." Hey, at least it helps folks memorize the Greatest Commandment.

"Love the Lord" was actually the perfect song. Dr. Stan Ott was beginning a new series, this one on the book of Colossians. At Pleasant Hills Community Presbyterian Church, there's the concept of "covenenting" to pray for someone each day for 30 days — often someone you don't know, but wind up getting to know. He had us do that today. As a beginning for your prayer (or the whole prayer, if you're not too good at praying yet), we use some verses from Colossians:

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

– Colossians 1:9-12, NIV

There's something strengthening to know someone is praying that for you. Comforting, too.

In combination with this, Dr. Ott is introducing the congregation to the book My Utmost for His Highest. So you put it all together, and the song "Love the Lord" was almost the outline for the sermon. Add to that the Minister of Music teaching all the children hand motions, and the song was a perfect teaching tool.

"Love the Lord" rocked. We are talking drums and electirc guitars for the praise band. There's this absolutely cool bass part at the beginning, and as I was practicing, I knew I'd better learn it. Bass solo!

Now, for any bass player but me, this would have been great. But I'm not the world's greatest bassist. In fact, I'm not really sure bass is easier than keyboard. I've been playing keyboard since I was 5. I also have a wierd problem. Sometimes, I'll forget a rhythm pattern. So I listened to the song over and over and over, playing along each time on the bass, burning it into my brain. I seven-elevened a 7-11 song. I tapped it out in the shower. I brushed my teeth to the picking. I listened to it in the car on the way to church, although that was only about 3 minutes of ride.

I wasn't at Thursday practice, since I was recruited at the last minute. I didn't know that the bass solo would be accompanied by the largest Contemporary Worship Praise Team brass section I had ever seen. There was no bass solo. I could have dropped out and only the Music Minister and the one guitarist would have probably noticed. The brass section reminded me perfectly of the rhythm — a reminder I didn't need.

Well, we played the song, the band cut loose, littke kids were singing, dancing, and doing hand motions. This was one of those songs where I could play my heart out for the Lord and not worry about screwing up big time for the Lord, in front of the whole congregation. The little kids loved it, and were explaining the sermon to their parents after church. They all knew what "utmost" meant!

Church music can be a lot worse.

Only one problem. I can't get the song out of my mind. I hear it, complete with brass, drums, both guitars, singers, and the congregation. It comes with two images. One image is of the fingering on the neck of the bass. The image is not in my visual field, it's sort of by my left hand, if you can imagine that. My right hand has an image, too, playing the strings. Strange, I never watch that hand, but it's clear as day. Watching it, I've learned I've gotten a little sloppy in finger picking; I need to work on that. My hands can "see." Where's a functional MRI when this stuff happens?

Look, it's a great song, worshiping the Lord, lots of fun to play, but we stopped playing about 12:10 p.m. It's now 6:47 p.m., and the song won't stop. It's in some sort of "This is the song that never ends" loop, with the weird hand visual hallucinations.

I've tried other songs, but they don't hold. I even tried "Jesus Pez dispensers" and that hasn't helped. I did come up with the Stephen Pez dispenser: the Saul Pez dispenser shoots pezes at him! And I love the idea of a Pez Nativity scene.

But the song won't stop. Part of me wonders just how long this can go on, and part of me's afraid I'm going to find out.

Man, you don't screw up one time, and look what happens…

Right now, I've got the Chris Rice CD, "Amusing" in the computer and I'm listening to "When Did You Fall In Love":

You’re all smiles and silly conversation
As if this sunny day came just for you
You twist your hair, you smile, and you turn your eyes away
C’mon, tell me what’s right with you
Now it dawns on me probably everybody’s talkin’
And there’s something here I’m supposed to realize
‘Cause your secret’s out, and the universe laughs at its joke on me
I just caught it in your eyes, it’s a beautiful surprise

I first heard this song on Pittsburgh's Lite Rock 92.9 FM, WLTJ. The song is an upbeat pop/jazz story of someone realizing the other person is in love with him:

When did you fall in love with me?
Was it out of the blue
‘Cause I swear I never knew it
When did you let your heart run free?
Have you been waiting long?
When did you fall in love with me?
When did you fall in love?

The story's not exactly something from my past, but it recalls the wonder I felt the first time I held Nancy's hand. No, it's not exactly my story, but that doesn't matter with love songs. Falling in love is just such a wonderful experience that I can't resist a love song. Sure, there might be risk of a broken heart, but that risk is part of the joy and excitement of love. I can't fall out of love, and along with that, I can't lose the concern that I might lose the one I love. Nancy would never leave, and I know that, but never taking that for granted is a wonderful gift I have.

Make your way over here, sit down by this fool, and let’s rewind
C’mon, let’s go back and replay all our scenes
You can point out the hints, the clues, the twists and the smiles this time
All the ones that slipped by me
I bet my face is red, and you can hear my heart poundin’
Well I guess it don’t matter now that I realize
‘Cause baby I missed it then, but I can surely see you now
Right here before my eyes
You’re my beautiful surprise

Love can be embarassing, but so apparently can attempting to purchase this Chris Rice CD. I'd never heard of Chris Rice before. The song on the radio was my first introduction. I wrote the phrase "When did you fall in love with me" on a piece of paper, went home, Googled the lyrics, and found the name of the singer and the album.

Going to local Best City store (or was it Circuit Buy?), I looked in the pop "R"s. No Chris Rice. No "Amusing" CD. Did I get the name right? I asked for help. The clerk looked the same place I did, didn't find the CD, and went to the computer. He said "We don't carry that anymore. Do you know it's Christian?" He attempted to conceal his disgust as he said "Christian." Maybe another person would have missed it, but I'm a big watcher of body language and tone.

When did you fall in love with me?
Was it out of the blue
‘Cause I swear I never knew it
When did you let your heart run free?
Have you been waiting long?
When did you fall in love with me?
When did you fall in love?

Do I not look like a Christian? I know I need a haircut, and lately shaving hasn't been catching all my beard. I'm not sue why.

I wasn't wearing my "Run Like Hell" race T-shirt. I haven't worn that since I walked into the Family Christian store with it on and almost killed the young guy behind the counter. I seem to have problems with male clerks, Christian or not, don't I?

Was it at the coffee shop
Or that morning at the bus stop
When you almost slipped, and I caught your hand
Or the time we built the snowman
The day at the beach, sandy and warm
Or the night with the scary thunderstorm
I never saw the signs
Now we’ve got to make up for lost time
And I can tell now by the way that you’re looking at me
I’d better finish this song so my lips will be free

Having failed at Best City and Circuit Buy, I went to Wal-Mart — and they apparently wouldn't touch the CD, either. Of course, that made me that much more eager to buy it. So I hit the Family Christian store and picked it up.

Have you been waiting long, when did you fall in love
I kept you waiting so long, when did you fall
Have you been waiting long
When did you fall in love with me
When did you fall in love?

After playing "When Did You Fall" about a dozen times, I let it go on to the next song. Eventually I'll make it through the CD. So far, I like it. The songs seem to be "story" songs, heavy on words like a Billy Joel song.

But I suspect "When Did You Fall" will be my favorite from the album. That's just who I am.

One of my favorite rock groups, 3 Doors Down, just donated $75,000 to Presbyterian Disaster Relief:

During the blogging for Katrina, the PDA was the agency I blogged for. I didn't raise nearly as much money for them as 3 Doors Down.

Thanks to the band for helping the folks of NOLA!