Acoustic Flamenco Metal - stunningly combined

I didn't know anything about Rodrigo y Gabriela this morning. Now I do. I love that about music, art, life!!

They are a Mexican guitar duo, who combine Rock, Flamenco, Jazz, Metal and Folk and have been doing their thing for a decade now. They used to earn a crust playing in hotels, and being metal fans, they had a repertoire that included Slayer, Megadeth, Testament. But no one would have guessed that. Not the way they play them.

They played in thrash metal bands together in Mexico, and spent the past 10 years mostly in Dublin (a great city for sure).

So here are Rodrigo y Gabriela, made up of Rodrigo Sanchez (lead guitar) and Gabriela Quintero (rhythm guitar)  playing Stairway to Heaven, and there's nothing cliché about it.

Jive, Mahogany, Ken and some 'snappy' poetry

I went to a slam poetry workshop on Sunday, part of the Global Poetics Tour and was introduced to the genius that is Ken Arkind. Here he is doing Maggie! A fantastic poem, that makes you realise what poetry can be. Fabulous.

Also had this incredible woman. Mahogany L. Browne, who blew me away. Something really funk singer going on and it's poetry. The beat, the phrasing, wonderful to hear.

And I also had the pleasure of hearing from Jive Poetics, another New York Slam Poet Champ (I say that like they're a buck a tin, so not the case, when I say 'another' I mean one of the three mentioned).

My absolute privilege to hear each of them.


And, I learned something. When you are in the know... you snap your fingers in the bits you like (guess that saves interrupting with applauding in the usual way). Learn something every day.

Benjamin Skepper - Stunning Performance Installation

This guy is amazing. I love him!! He's a work of art himself. And his music is gorgeous. He's also very handsome - a cross between Johnny Depp and Prince, that adds to the whole delightful package.

Check this video out. What an outfit, love love love it. It's the performance installation for Museo del Novecento Milano Italy.

So this stunning and talented chap is Australian. He has a Japanese Mum and Australian Dad. He plays harpsichord, vacuum cleaner (ya), cello, all sorts. He started playing classical music very young. Was immersed in it from two years old, and by ten he was playing Mozart internationally.


His photo shoot for Rolling Stone (Russia). Devine! Dreams are made of this!!

Two of my fav people. Richard Dawkins interviews Deepak Chopra.

Now I can't ask for more than this; Deepak Chopra and Richard Dawkins talking about quantum physics.
A few disagreements, but great conversation between two very clever thinkers with very different points of view. It's an excerpt, so very short, though still a fascinating combination.

Something a little different... my yoga teacher Godfri Devereux

Found a few videos of Godfri - who I've studied with full time for many many months. I love his talks, and thought I'd share the videos here.  ;-)

Inviting us to challenge our assumptions.

Some pretty things

How gorgeous are these quirky characters? Drawn/painted on paper and wood. These are from (Kiwi) Alaina Hind’s illustrative series ”Escape from Lonely Wood”. They are totally gorgeous. Etherial, fanciful and utterly captivating. 

For more check out http://www.alainarhind.com/

A slightly obsessed genius - Melodyne inventor Peter Neubäcker

Much as I dislike some of the resulting music (over-produced, over-perfected, commercial nonsense) this software is incredible!!

The chap that developed it, Peter Neubäcker, is a bit of a mad genius who is utterly obsessed with the mathematics of music.

This documentary is fascinating. Not only because it tells the journey his life took, that led to the invention of an entirely new perspective on sound, but also his creativity based on mathematics.

He studied one note for about a year. Modelling it into a 3D sculpture. 

I learned a lot by watching this. I highly recommed watching it. It's worth the time investment.