Welcome to Michael's Article Collection

Moe, Larry And Curly

Moe, Larry and Curly, do the names ring a bell? If you ever watched Saturday morning television, you probably know who I am talking about. I owe these guys big time. If it wasn't for them, I never would have had such a good time when I went to those cheap movies in Brooklyn as a kid. They always featured 3 movies and 21 cartoons, including the Three Stooges, every Saturday. You can imagine how . . .

Bruce Springsteen: The Notion Deep Inside

The magical moments of a Bruce Springsteen concert begin seconds after the lights in the arena, club or theatre go out, you're staring at the stage knowing that in the next few seconds Bruce will arrive ready to pour out his heart, sharing his soul night after night, city after city, concert after concert tour after tour. The stage lights begin to shine and within a minute or so the sounds of T. . .

Learning Styles Of Music

What genres (music types) are important?Learning styles of music can help you get work, don’t get me wrong; but you need to consider the time and expense involved in knowing a lot of music genre’s, having the goods to do them, and if your locality really wants the specific genre.DJs invariably enter the profession as a part time hobby because they love the music they play and love to see others. . .

Music Software 101

Which Music Software Programs Fit Your Needs?Want to find out how to listen to all your favorite songs whenever you want? If so, you’ll want to learn more about music software and how you can install some programs onto your computer. Here are some descriptions of some basic music software programs you will want to learn more about:CD RipperA CD Ripper program allows you to convert tracks from a. . .

MP3 Encoding Technology

The MP3 is a complete godsend for anyone who enjoys and appreciates good music. Not only does it afford users the convenience of purchasing music online and ripping from purchased CDs, it also provides the utmost ease in portability. There are more MP3 players on the market than I can name. These players allow you to download hundreds and in some cases thousands of MP3’s to take along with y. . .

Cincinnati Karaoke

Cincinnati, like most cities these days, has a multitude of Karaoke bars to choose from on any given night. If you are ever out on a Friday night, you might want to try the Pirates Den on Anderson Ferry Rd. in Western Hills, where Cincinnati Karaoke host Robin Saint James brings her unique style of Karaoke entertainment to the public. She and her sidekick Sean Caldwell provide lots of laughs an. . .

Durango Songwriter's Expo, Society of Singers Honors, MIF...

At the October 1 Alameda Writers Group Meeting in Glendale, Denise Hamilton presents "From Fact To Fiction, a Best-selling Writer's Journey From Rough Draft to Publication". Admission is always free and AWG members may attend special interest groups offering support and feedback for works-in-progress. In the midst of the Woodstock Film Festival, BMI holds their Music Showcase on October 1, all . . .

Online Recording Studios - A New Player in the Music Indu...

The World of Drum RecordingMany people today, especially in home studios where you often have only two inputs to record at once, record their songs one track at a time. Most people starting a home studio can easily acquire the basic engineering skills needed to record vocals, guitars, keyboards and bass. Recording an acoustic drum set on the other hand is perhaps the biggest challenge a recordi. . .

DVD Detective: The Best Environmental Documentaries by Farr

Next to family and clean water, movies are my focus and my passion. In my writing and speaking engagements, I serve as a sort of quality filter for movie lovers, sifting intelligent, rewarding titles from the enormous volume of DVD titles in the marketplace.For our friends at Waterkeeper, I’m doing a series of articles highlighting films that celebrate the beauty of our natural world, and, dir. . .

Tips on Finding the Best CD Duplication Services

Are you in the music business and you want to get you CD ready to be distributed out on the market? Or perhaps you are in the computer field and you need 500 CDs made for your employees on some recent protocol or software? Whatever your reasons may be, if you are in need of some serious CD duplication you should get CD duplication services to help you. There are many different places to go for . . .

It's Not All About The Sound

You know the phenomenon, everytime you hear music playing in the background you think about the clip associated to the song.Many years ago, music was just about sounds. Skilled people with beautiful, at times selfmade, instruments entertained other people. Back then, music was a gift.But with the introduction of MTV and various other tv-broadcasters, clips are now a must for artists. If you don. . .

The Red Cross and XM Team up for Hurricane Victims

XM satellite radio and the American Red Cross teamed up to give the workers and relief help for Hurricane Katrina a source for national radio coverage. Red Cross staff and volunteers along the Gulf Coast now have access to the channel, which is a 24-hour, nationwide XM channel to provide help and information for Hurricane Katrina victims and other Red Cross workers across the country.XM Chann. . .

Zest For Action Driving The Animation Market

Nasscom in India puts the animation marketsize at over Rs 2000 crore, the industry is getting bigger, craving for high-quality animation - now even the Indian film makers are following the Hollywood footstepsWith – Hollywood blockbusters like Lord of the Rings, the Matrix reload, Finding Nemo, pretty much dominating the box office, even Bollywood (Mumbai) is catching up with special effects emb. . .

Musicians: How To Find Band Members

Looking for band members is never an easy task. You may first want to ask yourself what exactly you’re looking for – whether it is to join an existing band or find individual members to start your own band. Obviously, both have their differences and this should be answered first before you start your grueling search.Join an existing band.This is a great way for enthusiastic musicians to gain so. . .

Tyra Banks Is Turning On Satellite Radio

"The Tyra Banks Show" debuts on September 12.Targeting women, XM Satellite Radio, with more than 4.4 million subscribers, the nation's leading satellite radio service announced that it would launch a new talk and lifestyle channel, Take Five. This new women's channel will feature daily satellite radio broadcasts of the Daytime Emmy(R) Award-winning "Ellen DeGeneres Show," and the new "Tyra Ban. . .

Make a Game of Your Guitar Practice and Surprise Yourself

So you want to be improve your guitar playing?Well, like any thing, guitar skill progress takes time and practice, but many of us have much difficulty practicing regularly because it is so easy to let other things take priority over our guitar lessons.First, you need to absolutely make up your mind that you want to improve your guitar playing and then make sure that your progress is truly is a . . .

Canadian Satellite Radio: Finally

In June, the CRTC granted satellite radio licenses to two groups - the CBC, which is partnered with New York-based Sirius, and CSR, which is partnered with Washington-based XM.The federal cabinet has upheld the CRTC's decision to issue two new satellite radio licenses. As part of the deal, all applicants agreed to include more Canadian and French-language material. This is typical of Canadian . . .

Canada – Here comes Satellite Radio!

Cabinet has upheld a CRTC decision to issue two satellite radio licences after the applicants agreed to increase Canadian content and French-language service.The applicants are Sirius Canada and Canadian Satellite Radio, each of which has a U.S. partner. Details of the new Canadian content commitments were not immediately available but the number of French-language channels will be increased . . .

Filmmaking - What Is A Pro?

The word “Professional” is often bandied about by indy filmmakers, and I’ve heard and read many things I just wouldn’t expect a “Pro” to say, though the person writing or saying them claims to be one. Time for a definition of terms. Question: What qualifies a person to be a Pro? Answer: Paycheck. That's the short answer, but anything longer is just embellishment. It's one thing to make movies. . . .

The Magic of the Slide Guitar

The Origins and Magic of Slide Guitar It's a hot sultry night on the Mississippi delta. The full moon casts it's translucent light on the fields and swamp oak trees. The lingering smell of barbecue and wisteria mix with honeysuckle and tobacco smoke. Folks are sitting on the front porch trying to beat the heat. Someone picks up an old guitar and begins to play a familiar tune. The sound is unmi. . .

Hearing Is Believing- Hiring Your Disc Jockey

Many "How To Hire A Disc Jockey" articles overlook one of the most important criteria for choosing entertainment. Your ears.Forget checking for a business license (anyone can get one), or endorsement by some distant, "official" DJ association. How the DJ's system sounds is critical. Most DJs are not experts in the technical realm of sound technology. They may not even know what signal to noise. . .

Hammered Dulcimer: An American Tradition

A Little About Hammered Dulcimers The hammered dulcimer in America is a traditional stringed instrument that been in revival over the last 30 years. It can now be heard in contemporary music, seen at folk festivals, and bought over the Internet. For those new to the instrument, it is typically trapezoidal in shape with many strings running over two long bridges, the treble bridge and the bass b. . .

Types of Actors

All humans are actors to some extent. This sounds Shakespearean but it is very true. Many times we have done what we do not like and many times we begin to like what we are doing. We represent those very feelings on stage or before the camera in the form of characters. The person's who enact those characters are actors.The hero-actor in a play or a film is not always the protagonist though usua. . .

Kanye West Music: What's the deal behind Late Registration?

Ka-ha-hanye! The latest Kanye West music release, Late Registration, follow-up to the oppositely titled, The College Dropout, has Kanye going in exactly that, an opposite direction in everything, except credibility. That part's intact. It's getting tougher and tougher, as opposed to the 90's and even decades preceding, to place an artist strictly in a subgenre of a genre. Yes, Kanye West mu. . .

Deeyah & Young Maylay A Deadly Combo!

Deadly Combo! In one corner you have Deeyah the sultry and sassy princess of the East also dubbed the Muslim Madonna by the UK media. In the other corner is Young Maylay hard edged from the merciless streets of LA also the actor/voice in GTA San Andreas game. Both talented artists in their own rights have now joined forces and come together to create ‘What Will It Be?’. The beat of ‘What Will . . .

MP3 - a Brief Overview!

Internet did not only change the daily habits but also the way people do their shop. And more than that: Internet has also increased the space to commit piracy. Music is a good example of how Internet can contribute to piracy. With all this revolution regarding in the means of communication, more and more files or software are available and can be downloaded. Music is one of these files.The mos. . .

‘The Entity’ Case Revisited

During 1974, several researchers working out of UCLA began to investigate one of the most famous and frightening Parapsychology cases ever documented. Often referred to as a violent or extreme haunting, ‘The Entity’ investigation became famous after the 1981 release of a major film based on that case. Doctors Gaynor and Taff investigated the haunting under the auspices of Thelma Moss, a UCLA Pa. . .

Musicians Injuries: Discover The Chiropractic Advantage (...

Ouch! Does it seem like every note you play on your guitar or musical instrument results in pain? Maybe it’s a nagging ache in your neck and shoulder. Perhaps you’ve had long rehearsals for that important gig or recital, and now you notice severe pain and loss of strength in your elbow and wrist. Or maybe you are trying to cope with hands that are increasingly numb and clumsy. Well it’s all par. . .

A Major Article May Discover You

Once you’ve been around the block a few times and tasted what success sounds and feels like, you’ll want to record your own CD. People are drawn to make recordings for many different reasons. Sometimes it's to advance (or start) a career. Sometimes it's to give life to new songs or share the music with a wider audience. On a personal level, it can be a memorable creative experience. Choosing w. . .

Koyaanisqatsi a nonverbal film by Godfrey Reggio and Ron ...

Koyaanisqatsi is a nonverbal film, directed by Godfrey Reggio, and completed in 1982. Koyaanisqatsi contains no actors, no dialogue and has no script. Images from around the world are set to a moving score from composer Philip Glass.In the movie Koyaanisqatsi director Godfrey Reggio tries to show the imbalance between man and nature. Shots showing the destruction of mankind are coupled and s. . .

5 Ways To Improve Your Piano Playing

If you are a piano player and or looking for piano study tips to improve your piano playing read these tips herebelow. Are you playing the piano? It´s a great and rich instrument but before you can really start playing the great masters or that great jazz tune lots of practicing needs to be done... For this article I want to mention 5 ways to improve your piano playing.1. Find a Qualified Piano. . .

Haunted Houses, Dead Tenants and a Big Tummy Ache

World renown psychic and author Jane Doherty has found herself in a very prominent position on her new reality TV show called “Dead Tenants”, which is hosted by The Learning Channel. I say it’s a prominent position because of the phenomena that separates Jane’s psychic abilities from those of other psychics. Whenever there are ghosts around Jane, she has an amazing physical reaction to them and. . .

Music Production and Mixing Tips & Tricks

What makes a pro recording pro? What is the "sound" that the pros get and how can you make your recordings sound more professional?The simple answer is - there's no simple answer. But with careful listening and a little experience you can create excellent results with modest equipment.Good mixing starts earThe first and most important item of equipment is - who knows? Anyone? It's your ears! So. . .

Overcoming Fear at an Audition

I am about to present to you the ultimate secret to successfully audition for any role. In fact after doing so I am certain you will send me emails thanking me for practically saving your career. Now before I give you this secret let me tell you the most common problem among actors. Many call or email me before an important audition on the verge of a nervous breakdown. That’s right, the most co. . .

Artists Inspire Cultural Revolution

Paris was once the center for art, literature, and music in the world. Exploding in the world with a new sense of self, Impressionist artists questioned everything. Painters like Pierre Auguste Renoir, Claude Monet and Edgar Degas saw the world differently, delighting in vivid colors. Composers began using discordant chords and diverse musical arrangements to convey impressions and moods. A cen. . .

Learn to Play Guitar - Pinch Harmonics and Making your Gu...

In this article I'll explain how to make your guitar squeal with Pinch Harmonics. A lot of guitarists have trouble learning how to do these, but it's really a simple technique.I'm going to touch on all types of harmonics in an effort to explain how Pinch Harmonics work when your playing the guitar.If your like me you like to add a little expression when playing your guitar, by adding some harmo. . .

Music Studios Policies vs. Indiscipline Students

Studio policies will make music studios run well. For example, the policy state that if students didn’t pay tuition fee at first lesson of the month, they must pay late fee. Then students will generally pay on time. Another policy, if students miss lesson without any notification, lesson can't be made up. Then students will generally notify teachers if they can't take lesson.Unfortunately, it's. . .

The Shawshank Redemption, a Stephen King movie

The Shawshank Redemption is consistently voted as one of the best movies of all time. Originally a story in a Stephen King book, the Different Seasons, known as Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, the story was adapted and the movie created. The movie was directed and the screenplay written by Frank Darabont. The movie was his first major production. Interestingly Stephen King has writt. . .

So You Want To Teach As A Private Music Tutor?

An Introduction for MusiciansFor many of today's musicians, working as a private music tutor has many benefits over working within an educational establishment. Firstly, you are a lot freer to choose where, when, and depending on how well you teach, WHO your students are. This will also let you continue whatever employment or other commitments you already have. Building up your student base slo. . .

Surround Sound Philosophy 101

There has been a long evolution in commercial movie theater sound. During the first two and a half decades of movie theater presentations, a piano, organ, orchestra, sound effects man, or actors reading the dialog comprised the sound of movies. Electronic sound appeared in 1926 with the coming of the "talkies." Theaters were wired for sound, and a big speaker perhaps set behind the center of th. . .

The Songwriting Habits

Some songwriters just wait for inspiration, those are not likely to succeed. Inspiration comes as a result of work; to get inspired you have to work hard and practice. So, how can you practice songwriting?! The habit of sitting down to actually think about a subject, to look up words in rhyme dictionaries, to play the piano for just the right chord...etc. All this is just the habit of practicin. . .

Is The Myth of Star Wars Entering The Political Arena

With a recent article in the La Times, Star Wars has gone political. George Lucas has attended a Capital Hill meeting for Democrats."Star Wars" filmmaker George Lucas joined House Democratic leaders at a town hall meeting on Capitol Hill to roll out an "innovation agenda" that aims to prepare the next generation of technological entrepreneurs.Star wars has always been in our collective unconsc. . .

Music Exists In Every Creation Of God

Music is the abysmal rainbow that bridges endless galaxies. It is the waterfall flowing through the desert, the mother, the offspring, the ointment, the foot and hand of the wind. All of nature is music: the many colored skies, space and planets.Music is every wondrous canyon in a miracle’s dream. Music is evolution, the seed of change. Music existed and exists with or without human beings. No . . .

Tom Welling: The Fog

Have you ever been lost in the fog? Not only is it hard to see something, but when you do see, it is too late. The remake of The Fog was well done and it had some scary moments. Are you ready to watch a bunch of dead lepers come back for revenge?As the mist creeps into Antonio Bay, so does the leper ghost of the past. These scary ghosts come to bring vengence upon the decendants responsibl. . .

The Green Side Of White R&B

What’s the deal with so many white music artists singing black music? Why do white artists who sing black music get better promotion than black artists? Why is R&B music now synonymous with Hip-Hop? These are some of the hot topics that often come up in private conversations with my industry associates and colleagues. I will attempt to shed some much needed light on these delicate, sensitive an. . .

The "X Factor": What Is It And Do You Have "It."

What exactly is the “X factor?” You hear professionals in the entertainment industry referring to it. You hear artists alluding toit, but you rarely hear anyone defining “It.” If you are an aspiring music artist or an entertainer, it’s important that you know what “It” is because in the mind of the most seasoned and powerful industry professionals, having “It” is what determines if you are wort. . .

Surrogate Life

Years ago, upon my first-ever arrival in Paris, there was no doubt as to where I would begin my itinerary ...I went immediately to the Père Lachaise cemetery.That's the final resting place of such luminaries as Voltaire, Victor Hugo, Sarah Berhhardt and Chopin. If I had been there during daylight, I'm sure I would have taken my time to pay my respects to each of them and others. However, it was. . .

The Demise of Big Brother

Way back in the year 2000 when Big Brother first exploded onto our screens, it was a brand new concept. An interesting Game show where all you had to do was live in a house with a bunch of strangers for 3 months and at the end of it you could win £70,000.The whole country was gripped. Would Nasty Nick get caught? Would Mel and Andy get it together? How did Craig Phillips – The most boring man i. . .

The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, The Witch and The Wa...

One of the great children's classics by C.S. Lewis, is brought to the screen in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Set in wartime England, its plot has the four Pevensie children sent out of London for their safety. They end up in the country house of the eccentric Prof. Digory Kirke, and like all children removed from their usual source of fun and amusement, they're bored, bored, bored.Then. . .

Inner Music: The Divine Music Within Us

Divine music, when you experience it, brings with it intense and lasting bliss. Anyone who attempts to describe it would have to use pale analogies. If we think of the most beautiful music we have ever heard in this world, it still does not compare with the music known as the Voice of God. The divine music is playing within us all the time. We don’t hear it because no one has shown us the way t. . .