Category Archives: Music

Things to do on Sunday morning – update your Nokia Lumia Windows Phone

Looking for trouble on a Sunday, I updated my trouble-prone Lumia 920 with the much-anticipated, latest Nokia firmware 1232.5962.1314.0000

Home screen Things to do on Sunday morning   update your Nokia Lumia Windows Phone photo

Nokia Lumia 920 home screen (S. Pate photo)

The sun was streaming in the south-facing Windows two hours ago when I announced to my wife “Oh look, my Nokia phone has an automatic update.

“You are a bear for punishment,” she said from her easy-boy chair taking in the morning sun after the frost last night.

“Isn’t that phone jinxed?”

“Babe, I like being on the bleeding edge.” I replied with a smile.

“Just because the phone has been replaced 3 times since Christmas and bricked last weekend does not mean anything. Hope springs eternal that Nokia will finally get it right.”

With a devil-may-care grin I pressed the OK on the automatic update and 10 minutes and one cold boot later, the Lumia 920 was back in action. Continue reading

Nowhere Man John Lennon’s not-another-love-song was meant for the studio

John Lennon’s trip into his consciousness works better as studio recording than live performance due to the songs vocal harmonic complexity and layered instrumentals.

Nowhere man 298x300 Nowhere Man John Lennons not another love song was meant for the studio photo

The Beatles “Nowhere Man”

Nowhere Man” from The Beatles “Rubber Soul” album is clearly a studio song that did not translate well in live performance.

By the time the album was recorded in 1965, The Beatles were using multi-track recording to create music that was impossible to re-create on stage.

It’s no wonder The Beatles began to dislike touring. They couldn’t get their music across the way it was recorded.

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Review: Bob Dylan Performing Artists 1986 – 1990 and Beyond

Paul Williams “Mind Out Of Time” the 3rd in his series of Bob Dylan rock appreciate tomes is a goldmine for Dylan fans

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Paul Williams – Mind out of Time Bob Dylan Performing Artist

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Rock critics are a dime a dozen and none so sublime as Paul Williams who wrote three volumes of his series “Bob Dylan Performing Artist.”

In “Bob Dylan: Performing Artist Volume 3: Mind Out Of Time 1986 And Beyond”, Williams, the founder of Crawdaddy magazine, takes the reader on a musical journey through most of Bob Dylan’s concerts from his low in 1986 with The Grateful Dead to the Never Ending Tour rebound.

You can read this book quickly although I think the commentary runs together after a while. This is not a book to be read in a sitting. It’s best to follow his expert and entertaining critique by listening to the concerts.  Continue reading

Leonard Cohen Karma and Kijiji

Leonard Cohen’s financial misfortune changed his Karma. Can it change ours?

Leonard Halifax 5 300x225 Leonard Cohen Karma and Kijiji photo

Leonard Cohen on stage Halifax NS (Blackberry photo)

By 2006, Leonard Cohen’s lifetime financial assets had been devastated by his close friend and business advisor.

Leonard Cohen’s karma has changed since then, and he is spreading joy and humility to his audiences.

That spirit travels ahead of him, with him and after him.  Leonard Cohen became part of my karma and I owe it all to Kijiji.

Travel that road with me for a moment.
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Stream Coachella Live Weekend One

The popular Coachella rock, folk and indie music festival ends weekend one in Indio Ca – live stream the best including The Lumineers

Bats for Lashes Coachella 2013 Stream Coachella Live Weekend One photo

Bats for Lashes live at Coachella 2013, Indio California (photo Thomas Hawk, Creative Commons license, some rights restricted)

It may be winter everywhere else in North America but outside Palm Springs, California it was all warmth, hugs and rock and roll for the annual Coachella festival.

Check out the live streams from YouTube after the break.
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Leonard Cohen the last romantic poet singer thrills Halifax Photo Gallery

Photo gallery – 12,000 fans packed the Halifax Metro Centre to hear Leonard Cohen sing about love, sex, death and God for 4 hours

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Leonard Cohen, 78, entertaining capacity audiences on Old Ideas World Tour 2013 (photo Brian Sørensen Creative Commons license some rights reserved)

A rapt capacity audience of 12,000 fans packed the Halifax Metro Centre on Saturday April 13th, 2013 for Canadian singer/poet Leonard Cohen’s “Old Ideas World Tour”.

The audience thrilled to hear old Leonard Cohen favorites about love, sex, depression, death and God for 4 hours.

To show his vigor, Cohen danced and pranced on and off the stage for a concert that had 3 encores.

Cohen, 78 years old, said he hoped it was not his last visit to Halifax.

A gallery of concert photographs follows on the next page.

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First Look: Nokia Lumia 920 Windows Phone Makes Sense

The Nokia Lumia 920 is slick, easy on the eyes, fast and puts Office 365 on your phone

Nokia 920 screen shot 1 180x300 First Look: Nokia Lumia 920 Windows Phone Makes Sense photo

Nokia 920 home screen

{rating}  The killer feature for the Nokia Lumia 920 Windows Phone 8 is Office 365.

The speed boost with the Lumia 920 versus the iPhone 4 is phenomenal.

I made the switch to Windows Phone this week from an iPhone 4 to a Nokia Lumia 920.

This is my second Windows Phone smartphone. I reviewed the Samsung ATIV S in December.

Of course, the larger 4.5 inch screen is easier on the eyes. Isn’t every smart phone larger than iPhone these days? Apple is so passé.  Continue reading