Super(man) song!

"Who Said (I can't be Superman)" by Hannah Montana.
While Hannah Montana is more for the younger generation, I think this song is super, man! It's empowering for any generation.

K’Naan’s “Wavin’ Flag” song has everyone aflutter

What an uplifting song with a unique voice. It’s no wonder that it’s the official 2010 World Cup Anthem and that it received “We Are The World” treatment for Haiti relief. Coca Cola even did a Spanish Celebration Mix of it! Kudos to this Somalian-Canadian. It's a wonderful song and he's receiving the recognition (and hopefully the money) that he deserves.

The Toronto Star article
Wikipedia article



The lyrics are deceptively simple. He humbly describes where and how he grew up in a hostile environment. His aspirations were simple: survive; get stronger. "When I get older, I will be stronger just like a wavin' flag." If you capitalize "Wavin' Flag" at the end of that sentence, it becomes the song's title. Then it reads like he IS the song. His aspirations have become true. He not only survived, he's become a world-wide force through the popularity of his song. The lyrics are poetry.

When i get older, they'll call me freedom
Just like a Waving Flag.

[Chorus]
When I get older, I will be stronger,
They'll call me freedom, just like a Wavin' Flag,
And then it goes back, and then it goes back,
And then it goes back

Born to a throne, stronger than Rome
But violent prone, poor people zone,
But it's my home, all I have known,
Where I got grown, streets we would roam.
But out of the darkness, I came the farthest,
Among the hardest survival.
Learn from these streets, it can be bleak,
Except no defeat, surrender retreat,

So we struggling, fighting to eat and
We wondering when we'll be free,
So we patiently wait, for that fateful day,
It's not far away, so for now we say

[Chorus]

So many wars, settling scores,
Bringing us promises, leaving us poor,
I heard them say, love is the way,
Love is the answer, that's what they say,
But look how they treat us, make us believers,
We fight their battles, then they deceive us,
Try to control us, they couldn't hold us,
Cause we just move forward like Buffalo Soldiers.

But we struggling, fighting to eat,
And we wondering, when we'll be free
So we patiently wait, for that faithful day,
It's not far away, but for now we say,

[Chorus] x2

(Ohhhh Ohhhh Ohhhhh Ohhhh)
And everybody will be singing it
(Ohhhh Ohhhh Ohhhhh Ohhhh)
And you and I will be singing it
(Ohhhh Ohhhh Ohhhhh Ohhhh)
And we all will be singing it
(Ohhh Ohh Ohh Ohh)

[Chorus] x2

When I get older, when I get older
I will be stronger, just like a Wavin' Flag,
Just like a Wavin' Flag, just like a Wavin' flag
Flag, flag, just like a Wavin' Flag

Music that's in the Public Domain

Online database of music that's in the Public Domain: Public Domain Information Project

My new favourite song

"Hey, Soul Sister" by Train. What a superb, lively, life-affirming ditty. Train deserves to toot their own horn. All aboard!? I think you will be. And, who doesn't like a ukelele?!



The video looks so simple but it's deceiving. Camera angles, text/writing added post-production, etc., all make it quite complicated. They pulled it off beautifully.

A friend wins Silver Wave Award for music composition

I'm proud to announce that Ralf Cassidy Bindels (Composer for GroovingFarm Audio Productions) has won Excellence in Music Composition at this year’s Silver Wave Film Festival for the film A Dark Radius.

The award-winning action short film directed by Gia Milani and produced by Tony Whalen is based on human trafficking and will be broadcasted on CBC in early 2010.

• Silver Wave Film Festival
• A sampling of the award-winning Soundtrack
• GroovingFarm Audio Productions
• IMDB's profile of the movie A Dark Radius

Congratulations, Ralf!

2007 Top 10 Canadian Arts Newsmakers

CBC.ca announced their top ten Canadian Arts newsmakers for the year. I'm pleased to see it's an eclectic mix of singer-songwriters, artists, filmmakers, actors, and novelists. It's a nice mix of both genders, too. I'm especially excited to see Feist on the list -- her quirky music is featured on an iPod commercial. You know the song I'm talking about -- "1234". I bet you've also heard her song "Mushaboom" in your travels.

-- Read CBC.ca's Top 10 Canadian Arts Newsmakers
-- Learn more about Leslie Feist at Wikipedia
-- Listen to a 30-second snippet of "1234" on Apple iTunes
-- Buy Feist songs online at iTunes