I just finished a recording of a Brazilian song I’ve been working on. Written and recorded by Lílian Knapp and Renato Barros in 1966 and famously recorded by Adriana Calcanhotto in 2000,” Devolva-Me” translates to “Give it Back to Me.” In the song, the protagonist asks her partner to return a picture she gave him…
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Por Amarte Así
I’ve just recorded a cover of a Latin love song I picked up earlier this year during the equatorial mid-day siesta times on the Galápagos. “Loving You Like This” or “Loving You This Way,” composed by Alejandro Montalbán and Eduardo Reyes and originally performed by Mexican recording artist Cristian Castro. The translation here in the…
Return to Galápagos
The Galápagos Islands of Ecuador were my first international travel experience at the impressionable age of 19. Feeling stuck and discontent in the Ivory Tower, and with a burning itch to see what else was out there, I headed to the Galápagos as a volunteer ESL teacher with the program WorldTeach the summer after my…
Living History in Death Valley
I recently uncovered a video of one of the living history tours I led in Scotty’s Castle in Death Valley in 2002 during my time with the Student Conservation Association and had it digitized. I was acting as a made-up character from the year 1939.
New Multi-Character Phone Recs
I’ve been experimenting with overlaying parts onto the Acapella app on my new used iPhone. First, the three-person song I love by Girlyman called “Everything’s Easy,” and then “Play a Simple Melody” by Irving Berlin, which is one I always used to sing with my mom growing up (but without the characters!). My daughter told…
Updated YouTube Channel
I’ve been realizing that most of my non-written work can be presented fairly well via YouTube, so I’ve added some more videos and audio pieces and broken my channel into playlists for better organization, including separate sections for Music Videos & Slideshows, Audio Documentaries, GlobeSongs, Fun & Movement, Cover Songs, and Travel Recordings. You can…
Revisiting the Fairy Potato
I just posted on YouTube a slideshow version of an audio piece I produced in 2015 called “Fairy Food: The Little People’s Potato.” Sometimes when investigating a topic, I end up with a lack of clarity but an expanded sense of magic and possibility. That was certainly the case here. It seems that as well…
A Christmas Song
Taking a break from GlobeSongs to bring you a holiday tune: “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” which was written by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane in 1943. I started teaching myself piano during COVID, and this is my first time accompanying myself on the keyboard rather than guitar. Wishing you joyous and cozy holidays…
Algerian storytelling song “Raoui”
Episode 12 of GlobeSongs explores Algerian Berber singer-songwriter Souad Massi’s song “Raoui,” (راوي) or “Storyteller.” Watch to find out the background of this lovely tune and the origin of the word “ghoul.”
Russian folk song “Grushitsa”
Discover the lovely Russian folk song “Grushitsa,” or “Little Pear Tree,” on this week’s episode of GlobeSongs, and see for yourself where it might fit into a categorization of Russian ethnic music as authentic folk music, folkloric music, and “fakeloric” performance.