Classic Music by candlelight

On the heels of situation a record for the first female artist to score nine Country Music Association nominations this September, Miranda Lambert carry on her success with her first DVD, Revolution: Live By Candlelight. The six songs acoustic collection was released on Oct. 12 and follows up her 2009 studio album, Revolution.

One of the tracks she sings on the DVD is "Love Is Looking For You," one of Lambert's own favorites from her 2005 debut album, Kerosene. Filmed in a close setting in Nashville, TN, the screen only shows Lambert performing with her band and being surrounded by candles, which actually set off the fire terror while filming.

Lambert, whose songs tend to be clever and unruly with tracks like "Gunpowder and lead" from her second album Crazy Ex Girlfriend, in its place opens the on-screen concert on a much softer side. Revolution: Live By Candlelight turns into amazing you would hear in Starbucks: good, old mellow tunes that warm the heart.

Lambert talks openly during the videos, as if talking to a best friend on what enthused the songs that gained her critical acclaim. "I think Jesus would like hanging out with our band," Lambert says earlier than she sings "Heart Like Mine," on the DVD. It can easily be this generation's version of Joan Osborne's 1995 hit "One of Us," because it portrays her personal interpretation of what God and heaven would be like.
"White Liar," which became Lambert's first highest-chart single reaching at number two on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs, is her strongest performance on the place. "Love Song" is another beautiful song that truly shows "real love" as she clarifies it, smiling and talkative when referring to her fiancé and fellow country artist, Blake Shelton. On another note, "Dead Flowers" is despite to the caliber of her other songs. Still the DVD is quite strong and Lambert truly delivers.

For her first acoustic DVD, Lambert gives it her all to find a way to attach to her fan base. Six songs don’t justify the talent that Lambert has in a music genre that is currently led by an American Idol Carrie Underwood and a teenage sensation Taylor Swift. Lambert herself was a finalist on the 2003 period of the short lived, "Nashville Star."

More prominently, Lambert was named the third female country singer in history to have three records debut at number one on the Billboard country albums charts. Clearly a talented musician, Miranda Lambert opens her music to her fans in an opened visual on this DVD, now available to any country music fan.

Tom Jones receive Music Industry Trusts' Award

Tom Jones was offered his previously reported Music Industry Trusts' outstanding contribution award by Tim Burton on Monday, at the Trusts' annual fund-raising dinner in aid of the Nordoff Robbins charity and The BRIT Trust.

A special film about Jones's career was shown, the BRIT School Choir sang his songs, Cerys Matthews did a "I'm Welsh too, you know" spot, while Kelly Jones, Don Black, Paul Anka and Priscilla Presley all paid praise, the latter telling guests how much her husband rated Jones as a performer. She said: "They would sing songs together and jam together, for Elvis to do that he actually had to have a lot of trust in someone - he admired Tom's voice so much".

The event ended with Jones (Tom) joining the aforesaid Matthews and Jones (Kelly) on stage to sing some of his hits.

David Munns, Chairman of the Trust Award committee, told CMU: "Tom Jones is one of those rare beings, a timeless entertainer, a great guy, who clearly loves what he does, and whose talent appeals to consecutive generations. Tom is Mr Cool, one of the world's greatest singers and performers and we are tremendously proud and honoured that he is the 2010 recipient of the Music Industry Trusts' Award".

Plummer joins 'Sound of Music' get-together on 'Oprah'

The complete cast of the 1965 Oscar-winning film reunited on the Oprah Winfrey Show for the first time in 45 years. The show also featured show by the real Von Trapp great-grandchildren.
Nicholas Hammond, who played the eldest boy Friedrich in the movie, said the "kids" are still close and are at present working on a new project together.

"We realised that we have got this riches trove of memorabilia that we have kept (from the shooting of the movie) our home movies and photos and all of the matter and we are doing a book, the seven kids, and answering all the questions that everybody has asked," Hammond said. "We thought now was our chance to kind of give that back to all the magnificent fans around the world." The book is expected to be out next year.

The actors recall about filming the movie and shared private anecdotes during the one-hour show with Winfrey. Noting that the movie "made my career," Andrews, 75, said, "It was that big a movie, and we had no idea really at the beginning that it was going to be that huge." Andrews was 28 and a new mom when she headed to Austria to shoot for her role as the nun-turned-governess 'Fraulein Maria.' Andrews also spoke of her throat surgery in 1997, an operation that left her renowned voice permanently damaged.

"It was not a successful operation, and tissue was removed. I didn't have cancer, I didn't have nodules, I didn't have anything. So, sadly, I had to work to deal with the loss of a voice because it just didn't come back." Plummer, who played the strict widower Captain Von Trapp, admitted having "fallen in love" with Andrews after seeing her on Broadway in 'My Fair Lady' a few years before.

Plummer said he was not thrilled with the role of Captain Von Trapp at first. "I wanted to do a musical, and that was what paying attention it to me. But the part as written was not accurately Hamlet... There was not enough humour in it." 'The Sound of Music', which captured the real life Von Trapp family's escape from Nazi-occupied Austria, won five Oscars counting for Best Picture. Songs from the movie like 'My Favorite Things,' 'Climb Every Mountain' and '16 going on 17' are one of the best-selling soundtracks of all time.

A remastered 45th anniversary DVD and Blu-ray set, counting sing-alongs, a map of filming locations, quizzes and a full length documentary, goes on sale on November 2.

U2 album coming 'Faster Than Anybody Thinks'

U2's manager Paul McGuiness divulge details of a new album which will be released faster than anybody thinks'. McGuiness has said about the band's progress on their new album, which is allegedly to be titled Songs Of Ascent. He is expecting a new U2 album faster than anybody thinks. I would guess early 2011 before the next leg of the American tour which initiates in May'.


This would be an unbelievably quick turnaround, since their 2009 album No Line on The Horizon was released four years after How To Dismantle And Atomic Bomb. The band have been freshening new tracks on tour, including songs called 'Boys Fall From The Sky', Mercy', 'Every Breaking Wave', 'Glastonbury', 'North Star' and 'Return Of The Stingray Guitar'.


With a song called 'Glastonbury', and the truth that the band had to cancel their hole last year due to Bono's back injury, they're expected to be added to the next bill for the legendary festival. In the meantime, the band is on tour heavily, playing in Australia with Jay-Z in late-November and December.

Merritt Mountain Music Festival

The Merritt Mountain Music Festival has a new lease on life. After a year in hiatus, the event will return and run from July 7-10, 2011, Claude Lelievre, general manager of Active Mountain Entertainment and a festival cofounder, announced Wednesday. The artist roster will be announced in November.

High demand by the general public was a key factor in the company's decision to carry on. "It's amazing," Lelievre said. "The phone calls and e-mails have been overwhelming." After 17 years of producing the B.C. Interior's largest entertainment event -- attracting as many as 140,000 festival visits one year family owned Active Mountain folded its tent after the 2009 festival, citing financial burdens despite a top draw in headliner Kenny Chesney.

The event was scaled back in 2009. Lelievre said then the festival would be back, but when his invitation to bring aboard new financial partners didn't have the desired effect, hope for a revival began to flag.

Some of Active Mountain's larger creditors have come aboard as partners. Tickets go on sale Nov. 15, with reduced prices for admission and camping, according to a press release.

American Music Awards Nominees Announced

Eminem and Lady Antebellum lead the nominations for the 2010 American Music Awards, with five nods each. Justin Bieber is the next-most nominated act, with four nods.


This year's AMAs will be handed out during ceremony ventilation live on ABC November 21. So far, acts who'll be performing on the show include Usher, Pink and Bon Jovi. More musicians and presenters will be announced later. You can vote now for your favorites to win at AMAVote.com.


Before the show, a live red carpet digital pre-show will air on Ustream.TV and ABC.com. It will be hosted by Lance Bass, American Idol season eight finalist Danny Gokey, iCarly star Jeannette McCurdy and reality star Whitney Port.


Taio Cruz announced the nominees Tuesday in Los Angeles with Demi Lovato. He also received a nomination for the breakthrough artist award. Afterward, he said, "It's just amazing to...first of all, for my singles to have done as well as they've done so far. And just to be recognized and nominated for an award is also amazing."

Armless Pianist Liu Wei Wows & Wins On 'China's Got Talent'

A splendidly brave 23-year-old "China's Got Talent" contestant who at age 10 lost both of his arms in a freak electrocution accident, but still decided to chase his dream of becoming a concert pianist even after one piano teacher told him he would never, ever succeed. And now, Liu has succeeded, all right. When he auditioned for "China's Got Talent" in August with a perfect performance of French pianist Richard Clayderman's "Mariage D'amour" played entirely with his toes, he became not just a Chinese but an international hero, a role model for anyone struggling to fight unbelievable odds.

And this past weekend, Liu won the complete competition with a tear-jerking and inspiring performance of James Blunt's "You're Beautiful" complete with English-language singing in front of a capacity audience at Shanghai Stadium.

When Liu first auditioned, he delivered a courageous and serious speech, declaring: "For people like me, there were only two options. One was to abandon all dreams, which would lead to a quick, hopeless death. The other was to struggle without arms to live an outstanding life." But on Sunday when he accepted his "CGT" prize, he revealed a lighter side of his personality, telling the judges, "At least I have a pair of perfect legs!"

Congratulations to Liu. Heartening stories of overcoming adversity are nothing new on "Got Talent" and other reality shows, but his is a true sob story with a truly happy ending.

Apple changes tune on music downloads

APPLE is allegedly talking with the major record labels about a subscription music service that would give customers unlimited access to songs for a monthly fee. Apple iTunes boss Eddy Cue was on the phone with music executives recently trying to build out how the partners can move forward, the New York Post reports.

One source said the service could have tiered pricing ranging from $10 to $15, although there are matters to be ironed out, including how much music would be included in each tier and how long consumers would be able to access that content. One top music executive said the labels are supportive of the idea and believe it could re-energize digital music sales.

While album downloads have been on the rise, single track sales were flat in the first half of 2010 compared to the last year. Speculation that Apple would initiate a subscription service has been kicking around for years but the news that music service Spotify will be part of Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 release on October 11 revived industry chatter.

Spotify is a European music service that has yet to broadcast in the US. The company's faltering block has been its free ad-supported streaming music business model, as the record labels prefer a paid subscription model. It is supposed that there would be some demands for an Apple subscription service, but it wouldn't be universal.

Folk music award nominations out

Toronto klezmer folk band Beyond the Pale has scored a most important four nominations for Canadian Folk Music Awards. The CFMA nominations announced Wednesday also included multiple nods for Newfoundland singer Amelia Curran and band The Once, musical storyteller Lennie Gallant and Toronto's Justin Rutledge.

Beyond the Pale, a group of six musicians who have been playing together for 10 years, mixes Klezmer, Balkan and Romanian styles with an eclectic range of music, counting interpretations of classical works by Mozart. Previous winners of best instrumental group at the CFMAs, the group is again being known for that award. It also has nods for world group, collection of the year and the award called "pushing the boundaries" which recognize innovation for its album Postcards.

Beyond the Pale is competing for best ensemble with three traditional francophone groups Le Vent Du Nord , Les Tireux d'Roches and Nicolas Pellerin et les Grands Hurleurs and with Vancouver gospel singers The Sojourners. St. John's-born, Halifax-based singer-songwriter Curran has three nominations, including best solo singer, best contemporary album and best songwriter for Hunter, Hunter. She won a Juno award earlier this year.

A new band from Newfoundland and Labrador, The Once, plays arrangements of Newfoundland and British Isles folk music on their debut self-titled album. They've been nominated for best traditional and vocal group, as well as getting a nod as emerging artists. Le Vent Du Nord have three nominations for Le Part de Feu, including best world artist.

Roots artist Rutledge also scored in the contemporary, solo and songwriter categories with his album The Early Widows. Collaborator Hawksley Workman earned a best producer nomination for his work on the album. The awards to celebrate the best of Canadian folk music will be handed out Nov. 20 at Pantages Playhouse Theatre in Winnipeg. CBC Radio on-air personality Shelagh Rogers and Juno Award-winning veteran entertainer Benoit Bourque will host the gala with performances by David Essig, Madagascar Slim, The Once and Don Ross.

Prince Charles dances to the songs of folk music

Prince Charles and his wife Camilla Parker Bowles went to the historic city Jodhpur in India on Tuesday on a day's visit during which he even danced with folk artistes. Although it was a hectic but it was a fascinating visit for both of them.

After spending almost one full day meeting army officials, visiting erstwhile royals of Jodhpur and spending time in a village to watch a water harvesting and conservation project, the British royals’ wing back to London from Rajasthan at 8.20 p.m., official.

Earlier in the day, the visiting couple was accorded a royal welcome by the erstwhile rulers of Jodhpur when they arrived at the Umaid Bhawan Palace.
Gaj Singh, erstwhile ruler of Jodhpur, his wife Hemlata Raje and his daughter Shivranjani welcomed the prince and his wife in a customary manner.

He was garlanded in the middle of traditional welcome songs and dances by folk artistes said sources close to the erstwhile royal family of Jodhpur.

U.S. Supreme Court declines plea of ban on religious music at N.J. schools

“Silent Night" and other religious songs will remain off the program at holiday concerts in South Orange-Maplewood schools after the U.S. Supreme Court declined today to take up a plea of the district’s ban on celebratory religious music.

The nation’s highest court ended a case that dates back to 2004, by deciding not to hear the petition brought by Michael Stratechuk, a parent who sued over the policy that bars presentation of religious songs.

The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the ban last year, and Stratechuk tried to take the case to the higher court.

Stratechuk, a musician whose two sons were in seventh and ninth grades when he brought the case, could not be attained for comment.

In a statement, school Superintendent Brian Osborne said the policy "was adopted to endorse an inclusive environment for all students in our school community. We have always felt our policy was constitutional and are pleased with the outcome."

In the 1990s, South Orange-Maplewood adopted a policy banning the use of religious songs in school performances. But the district enthused controversy in 2004 when a memo was issued to elucidate the policy, extending it to vocal and instrumental performances.

The policy came under fire from traditional groups and drew protests in South Orange and Maplewood. Opponents organized an "illegal" night of Christmas carols, Hannukah songs and other musical pieces in December 2004, according to Muise’s petition to the U.S. Supreme Court. The policy roofed religious songs of all faiths.

The case was brought under the Establishment Clause of the First modification, which requires the government to be neutral toward religion.

The whole idea of variety and lenience, you learn those traits by understanding other people’s traditions and religious traditions.

The South Orange-Maplewood policy, which says its goal is to "foster mutual understanding and respect for the right of all individuals regarding their beliefs," permits religious music to be taught in the curriculum. But the music cannot be used to celebrate religious concepts, events or holidays.

By banning it from performance, the district essentially kept religious songs out of the program. Teachers tend to have students learn in class what they’re going to perform.

Despite the district’s stated policy, prior to 2004 some holiday concerts did contain Christmas music. In 2003, for example, according to the petition, one holiday concert included "Joy to the World," "O Come all Ye Faithful," "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing" and "Silent Night."

The policy also prohibits any printed programs for any Holiday concert to have any graphics which refer to the holidays, such as Christmas trees and dreidels.

Bluegrass music awards

The International Bluegrass Music Awards were held last night at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee by the International Bluegrass Music Association. This is an annual event and was the 21st anniversary of the association's awards show. Dailey & Vincent garnered the big award, Entertainer of the Year as a repeat of last year's award. The duo also won the Vocal Group of the Year award. Long time bluegrass music artists Claire Lynch took home best female vocalist and Russell Moore of Russell Moore and IIIrd Tyme Out took the male vocalist awards.

This year's awards held some surprised and also some repeat award winners. The treasured Entertainer of the Year award was again taken home by Dailey & Vincent who also won last year's trophy. New names to the awards roster included both the female and the male vocalists of the year. Claire Lynch and Russell Moore won their respective titles. Claire Lynch also won the award in 1997 and Russell Moore has won his title in 1994 and 1997.

The Emerging Artist of the Year is a favorite of many bluegrass music fans and this year the competition was tight. The Josh Williams Band won the title. Josh Williams 'Down Home' was his debut solo release this year and is an awesome album. Others up for the award included Balsam Range, Sierra Hull & Highway 111, Danny Paisley & The Southern Grass, and Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice.

The bluegrass industry's highest honors of the year go to the new members of the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame. This year's inductees are singer/songwriter, banjo and fiddle stylist John Hartford and the pioneering business manager of Flatt & Scruggs, The Earl Scruggs Revue and Earl Scruggs Family & Friends, Louise Scruggs. Hartford passed away in 2001, and we lost Mrs. Scruggs in 2006.

IBMA's Distinguished Achievement Award is an honor which recognizes individuals, groups and businesses for ground-breaking work and fostering the music's image and accessibility. This year's recipients are bluegrass fiddler, songwriter and mentor Benjamin F. "Tex" Logan; long-time radio broadcaster and emcee from Mt. Airy, North Carolina, Sherry Boyd; singer, multi-instrumentalist and band leader Lynn Morris; Bear Family Records' Richard Weize of Germany, and Pete "Dr. Banjo" Wernick, who served 15 years as IBMA's president, along with playing banjo in the legendary band Hot Rize and leading scores of instructional camps and workshops around the world.

Music – Life

Music is all which can be everywhere around us. Music is not only the piece of melody or the sound which comes from an instrument it is something which is sensed by soul. It can be from everything like the cry of toddler, running waves. Everything will seem much richer, much more luminous, and much more important, but music is the only thing which makes you cry when you want to cry, makes you dance when you are in joy makes you feel happy all the time.

Nowadays music is even treated as a good therapy for health to make a man relaxed.
Research has shown that music has a deep effect on your body and psyche. In fact, there’s a growing field of health care known as Music Therapy, which uses music to heal. Those who practice music therapy are finding a benefit in using music to help cancer patients, children with ADD, and others, and even hospitals are beginning to use music and music therapy to help with pain management, to help ward off depression, to promote movement, to calm patients, to ease muscle tension, and for many other benefits that music and music therapy can bring. This is not surprising, as music have effect on the body and mind in many powerful ways.

Music and noise are alike in many ways, but also diverse in some important ways. While noise is disturbing annoying and often a nuisance, music is soothing, peaceful, exciting, and has positive effects towards human emotions. Human feelings toward music or noise can be a comatose state of the mind or it may be a learned reaction and acuity. For example if we play music for a person who has never heard music in his life, he may die for it because it that much soothing and pleasant.Music has no end.

Rock Hall of Fame shows get a three-disc set for the ages

Mick Jagger can't recall who recommended Gimme Shelter as his model symbiotic exercise with U2 for last year's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame shows in New York.

When Jagger and Bono were discussing Gimme Shelter seem to be good one. And it worked too. And Jagger said that they rehearsed the night before and tried different tempos and a few different arrangements.

The 1969 Rolling Stones classic, with Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas undertaking Merry Clayton's role, is among 67 performances on The 25th Anniversary Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Concerts (Time Life, $40), a three-DVD set out this week.

Their glowing version is an undeniable highlight on the all-star collection, but it may have been a rematch.Jagger has got a sly feeling that Fergie's guested on it with the Stones before, when we did shows with the Peas.

At the Madison Square Garden event, Fergie was very good. She's not fazed by anything. She's right there, happy in every situation."

He also joined Bono on U2's Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of, a single from 2000'sAll That You Can't Leave Behind. Bono's suicide-themed song, an imagined argument with late INXS singer Michael Hutchence, wasn't entirely unfamiliar to Jagger.
Jagger was the third act to sign on after Rock Hall chairman Jann Wenner enlisted U2 and Bruce Springsteen for two historic music marathons of big hits and fantasy collaborations by an ambitious roster including Jerry Lee Lewis, Smokey Robinson, Aretha Franklin, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Billy Joel, Ray Davies, Buddy Guy, Sam Moore, Sting, James Taylor, B.B. King and Crosby, Stills & Nash.

The two-night stand, which aired a month later as a four-hour HBO special, raised roughly $5 million for Cleveland's rock shrine and served up such choice combos as Jeff Beck and Billy Gibbons on Foxey Lady, Springsteen and John Fogerty on Fortunate Son, Metallica and Lou Reed on Sweet Janeand Paul Simon and Dion on The Wanderer.
A bonus disc of mash-ups not shown on HBO boasts Springsteen and Tom Morello's London Calling, Stevie Wonder and John Legend's Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) and Simon & Garfunkel's Mrs. Robinson.

He's pleased that rock's big tent accommodated genres from soul to metal to blues but wishes the shows had been less Boomer-centric.
There are always one or two people who get nervous. But everyone was vibed up to do it, and it was well put-together. Most of these people know each other, so it was very friendly. It was a real enjoyable experience.

Final chance to see Silence of the Music

Cape Town audiences have only one more week to knowledge the musical magic of Silence of the Music.

With a leading Cape Town daily giving the musical score a five-star rating and nightly standing ovations from audiences, Silence of the Music - the original South African musical drama - demonstrates its tagline that in a varied world, music does certainly fuse.

Directed by Basil Appollis, Silence of the Music premiered on September 23 at the Baxter Theatre to turbulent applause and a standing ovation. This audience reaction has become a nightly occurrence as the star-studded production enters its second and final week.

Critics and audiences alike have raved about the score composed by leading world music composer Lynne Holmes-Ganief of the Desert Rose music production company and the original soundtrack has been experiencing brisk sales only a week after its launch.

Holmes-Ganief's musical score reflects the rich diversity of South Africa's melting pot of cultural influences, merging classical, Eastern and African musical elements into contemporary melodic world music arrangements which drive the narrative of an intercultural love story set in South Africa.

The production's stellar cast, headed by doyennes of stage and screen, Michele Maxwell and Farouk Valley-Omar, comprises award-winning musical actor Loukmaan Adams, popular TV heartthrob Keenan Arrison, top Bollywood singer Asmina Aleker, rising soprano Antoinette Blyth, leading actress and singer Nobuhle Ketelo, well-known TV personality and Hebrew vocalist Belinda Silbert, as well as Yusuf Ganief, the acclaimed Arabic vocalist who is the lead singer for Desert Rose.

Silence of the Music has evolved from a partnership between Appollis and Holmes-Ganief and the duo's ground-breaking combination of drama and diverse musical styles is pioneering a new genre of theatrical entertainment that reflects a uniquely South African perspective.

Silence of the Music is being funded by a group of customers who have come together with a common vision to promote common humanity and peaceful co-existence amongst people through music and theatre.

The peculiar world of home-made guitars

Trashed rake, old frying pans and moose antlers might be scrap to some, but not Canadian Lorne Collie who has made all of these things into guitars at one time or another.

Collie is a "luthier," or guitar maker, and his hobby is transforming the scrap he stumbles across at the farm his lives on with wife, Helen, into electric guitars.

The first guitar he made was out of a spade.

Collie regularly gets offers from guitar enthusiasts to buy weird instruments but he says they are not for sale. He doesn’t want to get into making things to sell. He retired now. He simply does it for pleasure.

For now, Collie is retaining his treasure trove of shaped obscurities until a Beatle comes along.

Working out of the loft of his house in Veenendaal in The Netherlands, Landman has made one-off instruments for musicians including Sonic Youth and Kate Nash.

It makes it individual. My guitar, which has a bass string, sounds like a five piece band.
--Laura-Mary Carter, guitarist, Blood Red Shoes.

The 37-year-old who made his first guitar 10 years ago out of a table leg, now builds instruments with three to 18 strings, giving them an idiosyncratic pitch and tone compared with traditional six-stringed variety.

Karkwa wins the 2010 Polaris Music Prize

The Polaris Music Prize is a music award yearly given to the finest full-length Canadian album based on artistic merit, regardless of genre, sales, or record label. The award was established in 2006 and includes a C$20,000 cash prize. The Polaris Music Prize is sculpted after the Mercury Music Prize, which is handed to the best British or Irish album.

And this year Montreal francophone rockers Karkwa were awarded the 2010 Polaris Music Prize for their album Les Chemins De Verre. And they came out with a $20,000 purse, and is handed out annually to the best Canadian album of the year, regardless of sales or genre.
Karkwa’s win marks the first time in the Polaris’ five year history that the award has been given to a non-English band.

The band – singer Louis-Jean Cormier, keyboardist Francois Lafontaine, drummer Julier Sagot, drummer Stéphane Bergeron and bassist Martin Lamontaigne – was formed in 1998 and have released three albums prior to Les Chemins De Verre, including Les Tremblements s’immobilisent, which won a trio of Felix Awards in 2006.

Scottish singer Emma’s thoughts wins Must Be the Music

Emma’s thoughts have won Must Be the Music 2010.

The Edinburgh born singer, whose real name is Emma Gillespie, has come a long way from busking on the streets of Glasgow.

The talented 27 year old blew the viewers and judges away on the Sky1 talent show, with her performances of Focus and This Day during last night’s live finals at Wembley Arena.

Following in the footsteps of leading Scots singer / songwriters like Amy MacDonald, KT Tunstall and show judge, Sharleen Spiteri, Emma is now set to rainstorm the charts after show fans have been rushing to download her tracks.

Winning £100,000, Gillespie wheezed: "Thank you so much for supporting me, I couldn't have done it without you. I can't get my head around [the £100,000 prize money]."

Must be the Music has been a huge success and will return for another series next year. Many industry insiders feel it is a much more probable talent show than others that are currently out there.

Spiteri previously told The Sun: "I love the X Factor - it's absolutely brilliant television. But the competitors have a very unrealistic view of the music industry.

"They want to be musicians and write songs. That's the variation between the X Factor and Must Be The Music."

Music makes you smarter, happier

Music energizes the soul of all humanity. It excites the brain and animates the spirit, accumulating evidence shows. That is why music is so enduring and pervasive.

When we listen to music (it is as if) the brain is on fire. According to Nina Kraus at Northwestern University, music has "a pervasive effect on how the nervous system gets moulded and shaped ... a transformation that comes about only with active engagement with sound."

Researches confirm that listening to music at a very young age improves spatial and temporal reasoning, and increases aptitude in mathematics, engineering and some games, such as chess.
The impact of playing a musical instrument is even more impressive.

Recent information indicates music can boost brain power and that musically-trained children have enhanced visio-spatial processing capabilities, better memories and higher overall intelligence.

Some neuroscientists call it the "Mozart effect," the collective benefits acquired through playing and/or listening to music.

Music processing is an "ensemble activity" involving many areas of brain circuitry. Studies show that music impacts on almost every important region of the brain: prefrontal cortex, motor cortex, cerebellum, hippocampus, amygdala, sensory cortex, nucleus accumbens and auditory cortex, some of which are vital in long-term memory retention.

Accordingly, music impacts on the brain's pleasure centres.

Babies are born with a musical readiness that includes a basic sense of timing and rhythm.
Specific taste in music tends to freeze in early adulthood, rarely changing thereafter.

(People) tend to form enduring preferences during a sensitive period in their lives, the researchers report. Musical tastes are strongly related to song-specific ages (the age at the time the song was popular), peaking in late adolescence or early adulthood (23.5 years of age).
"Music styles popular during youth generate preferences over other styles of music that tend to prevail for the rest of their lives," they explained.

That is why listening to music that was popular during one's youth can be therapeutic. Such nostalgic music can be beneficial in treating dementia, anxiety, stroke, cancer, some respiratory ailments and some types of brain injury.

Music significantly boosts the self-images of children and has hugely beneficial impacts in the treatment of some hospitalized children.

Bob Marley’s Family Loses Rights to His Most Famous Music

Albums recorded between 1973 and 1977 by reggae legend, Bob Marley are owned by UMG and not his family. In the lawsuit, Marley’s family stated UMG was intentionally withholding royalties from them and undermining the 1995 agreement giving the family rights under the original recording agreements.

The albums include “Catch a Fire,” “Burnin’,” “Natty Dread,” “Rastaman Vibrations,” and “Exodus.” Which means his most famous songs, “One Love,” “No Woman, No Cry,” “I Shot the Sheriff,” and others are not owned by his family.

Marley died of cancer in 1981, age 36.

The lawsuit filed by his widow, Rita, and their nine children said that UMG exploited the “quintessential Bob Marley sound recordings.”

They also said that they were not notified of “key decisions.” However U.S. District Judge Denise Cote wrote, "Each of the agreements provided that the sound recordings were the 'absolute property' of Island. Whether Marley would have recorded his music even if he had not entered the recording agreements with Island is beside the point."

Goal of organizers of Peace Jam is unity through music

The organizers of Peace Jam hope music can be a unifying force in neighborhoods shaken by violence.

The event will be held from noon to 7 p.m. Sept. 25 at Marsh Field, on the corner of Peck Street and Laketon Avenue. Activities will include choirs and spoken word performers, lecturers, food and information booths and children’s games.

The Peace Jam is designed to turn the community’s focus away from this summer’s violence.
Four men were killed and at least six wounded by bullets, and one was severely beaten, in a month-long streak of violence late this summer.

Music played a part in starting this summer’s violence.

One neighborhood came out with a song, and the other neighborhood would try to top them, with the rivalry escalating to fights.Now the Peace Jam organizers hope music can be part of the solution to the problem of violence.

After this all the guys would love music. They’re going to be playing on the same side.

Lady Gaga rules MTV Video Music Awards 2010

Washington, (ANI): Pop star Lady Gaga took the MTV Video Music
Awards by storm as she won in eight of the 14 categories in this year's event. The categories in which Gaga took the moon man home are Video of the Year, Female Video, Pop Video, Collaboration, Dance Video, Choreography, Editing and Direction for her album 'Bad Romance'.

Eminem 2010 MTV Video Music Awards Promo Video

2010 MTV Video Music Awards
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Music therapy in critical care

Music therapy is an effective intervention for critically ill patients for such purposes as nervousness reduction and stress management. The therapy is readily accepted by patients and is an intervention patients thoroughly enjoy.

The MAIT is one resource that nurses caring for critically ill patients can use to implement music therapy in clinical practice. Patients can be given the opportunity to select a musical tape they prefer and to negotiate with the nurse for uninterrupted music-listening periods.

Allowing patients control over music selection and providing uninterrupted time for music listening gives the patients an enhanced sense of control in an environment that often controls them.

So Oliver Wendell Holmes says
Take a music bath once or twice a week for a few seasons. You will find it is to the soul what a water bath is to the body.

Eminem Wins Digital Music Royalty Lawsuit - Music Industry Turned on its Head - How Will it endure?

Rapper Eminem along with earlier production company F.B.T Productions LLC wins a digital royalties lawsuit. They will be paid higher digital music royalties from Universal Music Group (UMG) according to a recent ruling by a federal appeals court. The rapper’s company will receive an additional share of the royalties for music that is downloaded over iTunes or as cellphone ringtone sales.