Kurt HugoSchneider and Sam Tsui
Wow, where do I even begin with these two…Kurt joined youtube in the fall of 2007. Originally from Eastern Pennsylvania (like half an hour where I live!) Kurt and Sam graduated high school and then both studied at Yale. They graduated last year and have really exploded in their work post graduation. Kurt has a gift for finding musicians and being able to promote them.
I first discovered the duo when I found their four part Youtube video “College Musical” Since it’s debut three years ago, it is now being filmed to be a full fledged movie; however, the release date is still unknown.
There are so many videos between these two. At one point, Kurt was competing with a friend via Youtube over who could come up with a better song on an abstract instrument. An ocarina and a cell phone were just a couple of the devices used.
I think Sam has one of the best voices I have ever had the honor of hearing. Keep in mind I have seen over 5,000 auditions as well as having heard thousands of singers through the radio, my parents music choice and by spending hours on Youtube looking for voices each week.
I decided that I would promote the video that made them famous. After the passing of Michael Jackson, the two created a video that went viral. It now has over 29 million view and raised enough talk to get him on The Oprah Show and Ellen Degeneres. He later went on the Bonnie Hunt show.
Yes, you are counting six Sams and one Kurt. They created this song and had Sam sing all the parts with Kurt beat boxing. It is completely a cappella. They provide a link to get a copy of the music and I have had the honor of performing it with a singing group I was part of in high school.
I hope you enjoy it. Make sure you check out more of their work and buy their music on iTunes.
Tyler Ward
I give you Tyler Ward. Tyler joined Youtube in the beginning of 2008 and has been incredibly successful and one of the leading names in all of Youtube. Living in Denver, Colorado, Tyler is a music producer and along with promoting his own music on Youtube, Tyler helps other rising musicians find their way on youtube. In just a few days, Tyler will be moving to LA to get a better grip on his career.
Tyler is another musician that I feel proud of. He did it all on his own. His entire fame came from Youtube and he promoted himself. His talent gave him his opportunities; not who he did or did not know. He has teamed up with some major Youtube names including Kurt Hugoschneider and Sam Tsui, Christina Grimmie, and Alex Goot. He also took part in a rendition of “We Are the World” sung by all Youtube names to raise money after the 2010 earthquakes in Haiti.
Tyler Ward music is, in my opinion, changing the face of the music industry and what it means to be an artist. His posts on Twitter @tylerwardmusic as well as on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/TylerWardMusic show that he is a real person. He lives for himself and creates his own image. You don’t see him partying drunk nor do you see him all over girls. He is an excellent role model for the young generation to look to as a way to act.
I struggled choosing which song to promote for him. I have several of them on my iPod. I couldn’t decide if I wanted to feature him covering a song from a major artist like Katy Perry or Justin Bieber and doing a much better job than the original, or if I wanted to promote his original works. I felt that more people would listen to him sing Nicki Minaj’s Super Bass over an unfamiliar song; however, I think his music is great and so chose to promote The Rescue.
The music is phenomenal and the music video is emotional. I believe it raises awareness to the fact that teens bear anchors that tear them down. We all need to be rescued sometimes and sometimes we need to go out and rescue someone.
I hope you enjoy what you see. Make sure you check out his other originals including: Paper Heart and Keep it Together. If you want to learn more, send me a message. If you liked what you heard, be sure to show your support by purchasing his music from the link below.
Sungha Jung
Today I’d like to introduce you to Korean star Sungha Jung. He is a finger style guitarist who is absolutely magnificent. He joined Youtube in the fall of 2006, and now has around 500 uploaded videos. It is incredible to watch his first video because you can see that even at such a young age, he has talent. All 500 videos combined, he has nearly 450,000,000 views. I feel a certain sense of pride for Sungha because I’ve watched him grow as a musician and as a man over six years of youtube posts.
He is truly a youtube star. He is going on an Asian tour this spring. He has a Korean show in April, then to Singapore and Malaysia this May, before finally playing in Japan in various cities during June. Impressively, his Malaysian tour is already sold out. This is his second tour this year. He has already toured in Europe.
His second album IRONY just recently made it to iTunes. Make sure you check it out. You can also visit his website at http://www.sunghajung.com/
When you have 500 videos to chose from it gets pretty tough. I narrowed it down to this one and his rendition of ‘My Heart Will Go On’. For the record, I call this song River Flows in You, which is composed by Yiruma. This is not “that Twilight song”. I went with this one because I have been playing this song on piano for maybe five years now and I understand the level of musicianship required for this song is greater than for Titanic (I have been playing that song for about eight years as well). I think it shows off his ability to play individual notes on a guitar rather than chords.
Sit back and enjoy, make sure you ask questions for more information.
Nick Pitera
So spoiler alert, I am a sucker for Disney. I have seen the Lion King more times than I can count, acted in Beauty and the Beast, and have performed music of the major Disney big box numbers. I very much know my Disney. I am also a sucker for people who single handedly do all the work for music by themselves such as this video where all the voices are his.
I originally did not like Nick’s work because he was a rival youtube star to my favorite at the time who will be featured in the future. It wasn’t until my senior year of high school when I performed Beauty and the Beast that I began to like this video. He put it online during our tech week. We found it the first night and watched it on repeat while building the remains of the set. We thought it was hilarious that he had costumes (and costume changes) for his video.
I also like Nick because he has an uncomfortably incredible falsetto voice. When watching him, it feels awkward hearing that voice come from that face;however, if you look away and only listen, it becomes impressive how nice of a sound it is.
If you liked this video, search through his channel for his other works. Nick is one of the most viewed channels on all of youtube. You can also follow him on twitter @NickPitera. Nick is currently 25. He graduated from the Ringling College of Art and Design with a BFA in Animation. He works at Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville CA as a 3D modelor.
If you liked what you saw, subscribe to his youtube channel and/or contact me to find more information on such a great singer.
Rod Pires
I discovered Rod Pires last June a couple days before I graduated high school. I was looking for music to put onto a mix for my best girl friend ever when I found Grace. It was exactly what I wanted to tell her. She is beautiful and I just wanted her to know that. The funny thing is, we did even play on a playground by my house when we were younger.
Rod is a senior in high school from Rhode Island and is also the lead singer of the band Look North.
I have listened to this song over 100 times since I discovered it and is one of my favorite songs. It wasn’t enough though, I wanted to hear more of this voice; more of this incredible musician. I discovered that Rod had been on Youtube since April of 2007 and made his first video in 2008 when he was in the seventh grade. It is so impressive to watch his older works and listen to the raw talent of such a young kid. I listen to the lyrics of the songs that he wrote and I’m stunned. Let’s look at Adele for a moment. scientists studied her voice and her music trying to understand why she is capable of stirring up the powerful emotions that she can through her music. They discovered that her ability to glide through the melodies causes it. For anyone who actually knows music, you know that there are whole and half steps. When Adele sings, she will connect her notes not by gliding through in half steps but by going through a quarter and sometimes even in an eighth of a step. This causes musical tension because these notes do not fit in the key. The tension resolves quickly. Scientists discovered that this affects the brain to feel powerful sadness and then let it go.
So why am I talking about this technic from Adele on Rod’s post? Rod does the same thing. Especially with Grace. He beautifully glides across the chromatic scale. One who studies music but doesn’t understand it would say that he was out of tune and therefore is not good. To be honest, there is not much that annoys me more than when a musician tries to tear down a piece of music because it was not in tune the entire time. Out of tune does not always mean bad. If it was intentional, and if done properly, it can be amazing. Rod understands how to musically go out of tune. I wouldn’t even call it out of tune but rather going out of the key. But for the same reasons that Adele captures emotion, Rod is able to channel deep seeded emotion. I take my hat off to him for that ability.
It is weird, Rod is a senior in high school and films most of his videos in his bedroom or living room or other rooms in his house. It humanizes him. Unlike most artists who I only see as a performer but not an actual person, I see Rod as both. I have never met him and my only real communication with him is reading his tweets (@rodftwr) and by listening to his music. Even so, I feel like I actually know him. I feel like he is one of my friends. (I mean we are Facebook friends but let’s be honest, that doesn’t count)
As well as studying the psychological effect of music, I like to study body language and facial expressions. With this knowledge, I can read subconscious twitches in his face when he sings. This kid gets it. He is not singing to hear the sound of his voice. It isn’t for the fame or the money that could one day be his. He sings because it is the fundamental form of human expression. When I watch him sing, I can see his entire story. I don’t know what pains and struggles he has gone through; however, I see that he has gone through them and I can see and even feel what it was like for him. Most importantly, I see that he has had them and rose above them. He defines them, they do not define him. That is an incredible gift. Few artists ever are able to express themselves as truly as Rod does.
I believe music has to be an internal expression performed for yourself rather than for others. I feel Rod understands this. The best pieces of work are created when the artist makes himself 100% vulnerable. Not hiding anything or changing a single truth to seem like something other than the actual emotion that is felt when performing. Rod understands this. For this reason, I think he is a phenomenal musician, vocalist, and song writer. Most impressively is that his work as a senior in high school, and his work in the 8th grade go far beyond the maturity of one his age. I wish him all the luck in the future and feel that he deserves a chance to make it big. He is a better artist than most every artist currently on the radio. I just wish Usher had found Rod before he found Justin. Maybe then we would have a true teen role model on the radio. I would love to have to honor of one day actually meeting Rod and having a real conversation with him. When he sings, I see a great mind and such a pure soul and I would love to have the honor of making sure he sees himself the way others do.
If you liked what you heard, go to his youtube page from the link below to hear more and/or follow him on twitter and remember that I can help you search for more if you are interested.
Look North
I am getting excited for the next several posts. The next few weeks are going to be my musical highlights of all the bands and individuals who deserve to make it big much more than some of these “artists” currently on the radio. Allow me to list my musical credentials to validate that I am not some fanboy that like really likes music but that I actually understand it and am learned enough to be qualified to say who is and who is not a good musician.
I was immersed in music since I was born. My mother was a guild member piano player and introduced me to music at the age of two. So I have been a musician for 17 years now. I play 16 instruments as well as being a singer. My specialties are trumpet and piano. I study music theory and I also study the psychological effect music has on the mind. Furthermore, I have observed something like 5,000 musical auditions. Needless to say, I feel I am qualified to talk about other musicians.
The first band I would like to introduce is Rhode Island’s own Look North. This is a high school band well beyond the maturity level of a high school band. I specifically chose to showcase their original song Drive because it exemplifies their maturity. The video is clean and well edited and the actual audio quality is impressive. It is clear that this was recorded in a studio, which for a high school band is big and important.
On a musical level, drive is complex and multi-layered. Most pop songs are about either sex, drugs, or alcohol. I cannot express how refreshing it is to witness a band (at the high school level no less) have lyrics that are deeper than these superficial things. It is a message to which students in high school can relate but also students in college and even individuals who are older than the student demographic.
The instrumental track is also more complex than playing three simple chords in the same variation for the entire song but they mix up the structure of the chords. I am also impressed by how they lay echoing voices to compliment the lyrics as well as having moments of harmony. Again, remember that these guys are high school students who are making better music than, in my opinion, some of the bands that have made it onto the radio.
I have yet to hear a song from this band that I have not liked. I have watched all their youtube posts and always look forward for more videos. Their lyrics capture something deep down in the core of human emotion creating a powerful connection to the band.
Let’s meet the band:
Rod Pires is the vocalist. He is a senior in high school this year and will be featured on my blog later on. Cole Burton is the guitarist along with Bryan Swords. Both of these guys are incredible players. Joshua Zeolla is the drummer and the “father” of the group. Finally we have Chris Sanacore on bass. If you are interested in getting to know the band better, follow the band or the members on twitter.
@LookNorthBand
Rod Pires (Vocals) @rodftwr
Cole Burton (Guitar) @colepatrick
Bryan Swords (Guitar) @swordsmahboy
Chris Sanacore (Bass) @c_sanni
Joshua Zeolla (Drums) @joshuazee
Also feel free to check them out on Facebook at the link below.
http://www.facebook.com/looknorthband
Finally, if you liked what you heard, please check them out on iTunes and buy their music. These are real musicians who deserve to be supported.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/look-north-ep/id507268827
Contact me if you would like to learn more about the band or have questions to further your knowledge of such a great band!
Wisdom teeth extraction aftermath
Break…is…so….close! I need break NOW! February is the only month conceded enough to add an extra day to itself this year considering my break starts March first. If you can’t figure it out, I am beginning to lose my mind. With that in mind, I give you wisdom teeth extraction aftermath.
This is a longer video; however, I highly recommend giving yourself the fourteen minutes to watch the entire thing at some point. I laugh the entire time. Okay, so here’s the set up: On February 23, 2011, Hilary Evans had her wisdom teeth removed. Her sister decided it would be hilarious to film Hilary when she came out of the surgery while she was still heavily drugged on pain killers.
I currently appreciate this video in a different way than before because my mind feels just as mushed as Hilary’s. Hopefully after a week break I will come out of my looniness.
Towards the beginning of the video, Hilary believes she is being pranked by Ellen Degeneres and begins to look for her. Roughly a week after the video went viral, The Ellen Show found it and contacted Hilary to come on the show. Pretty awesome way to get to meet Ellen!
The deeper into the video you get, the better it becomes. Barely anything she says makes sense. The end is the best when she gets back to her house and sees her cat. Watch and see what happens!
Praan Military Reunion
I have had an overwhelming sense of patriotism this week and so I am going to post a video that goes along with patriotism. It is just a video of military reunions caught on tape.
My sister was the one that introduced this song to me. Her boyfriend was in Afghanistan at the time and so she was very into this sort of thing. She came bursting into my room full of tears at about 1:30 in the morning wanting to know if I could determine the language of the song (I am a linguist). We discovered that it is called Praan by Gary Schymann and is from the poem “Stream of Life” taken from the Nobel-prize-winning collection ‘Gitanjali’ by Rabindranath Tagore. It is of the bengali language of the Bangladesh region and translates to say:
The same stream of life that runs through my veins night and day
runs through the world and dances in rhythmic measures.
It is the same life that shoots in joy through the dust of the earth in numberless blades of grass and breaks into tumultuous waves of leaves and flowers.
It is the same life that is rocked in the ocean-cradle of birth and of death, in ebb and in flow
I feel my limbs are made glorious by the touch of this world of life.
And my pride is from the life-throb of ages dancing in my blood this moment.
I find this absolutely beautiful.
I am not one to get extremely emotional; however, I find that if I watch this video undistracted, I will end up at least tearing up before it is over. Being away at college, this video has taken on a new meaning for me. Though I would never dare try to compare the separation caused by college to the separation caused by war, I now know what it is like to be separated from my loved ones for extended periods of time and how great it is to come home and wrap my arms around them.
Jumbafund
So in honor of THON at Penn State University this weekend (a 46 hour dance marathon to raise money for pediatric cancer. So far over 78 million dollars have been raised and donated) I would like to present the Jumbafund.
Kevin Wu, a twenty-one year old Asian youtube celebrity has three channels: his first, kevjumba, second jumbafund, and less popular Mighty Fresh Videos. As of December 2011, Kevin was Youtube’s seventh most subscribed comedian and tenth most subscribed user overall.
As mentioned, in honor of THON, I would like to focus on the Jumbafund. When videos on youtube become viral, companies advertise on them and the producer of the video makes a small amount of money for every view the video receives. With this in mind, Kevin created the Jumbafund in 2009 to donate all the earnings to charity. Every month, subscribers vote and decide upon which charity they would like to see the money donated.
This year, Kevin has decided to take all the revenue of the entire year and donate it to a single cause. Through the Jumbafund, he has been able to raise enough money to sponsor a secondary school (high school) in Lenana, Kenya. It will be called the Jumba Lenana Acadamy. Before now, these children would end up doing drugs or selling food on the street because they couldn’t go to college or get real jobs. This school is going to give these kids a real chance in this world. The school still needs to be built and so all the money raised from 2012 will go into building the school.
I was originally going to post the first video where he explains his goals for this blog; however, if you are interested in learning more, his first video can be found on his youtube page. I also felt that his second video is much more entertaining to watch- especially because it is midterm season and I am pretty sure most college students can relate to the way he studies.
Please check out his other videos on any of his pages. he is entertaining to watch and runs such a great cause. Comment below if you would like more information on the fund or on Kevin. Make sure you watch all his videos, your view counts.
Kevin also has a twitter page @kevjumba or you can like him on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/kevjumba
The Real Peter Pan
I grew up as a Disney child. My mother is very into Disney, especially the parks. I cannot even count how many times I have been to Disney World. Sadly, I’ve never made it to Disney Land; however, I want to go very soon. When I do, I have one mission: Find Peter Pan.
Typically with my videos, I like to give the background story of the individuals involved in the videos. This video needs no background. I like to believe this boy is Peter. I believe every now and again he will take a day trip from Neverland to Disney to listen to stories and meet new people.
Peter is a huge attraction at the park. Thousands of individuals from around the country plan trips to Disneyland with the soul purpose of finding and talking to Peter. I am one of those individuals. I just need the money to get myself out there.
This particular video is not necessarily a video nor a channel that I find significant nor worth following. I just chose this particular video because I liked what was going on in the clip of Peter. What is incredible is that if you go into the side bar and see the related videos, you will find dozens (I am not sure the actual number. I tried counting but I made it passed 30 and gave up) of videos of people who have found Peter Pan. None of the videos are posted from the same user, which means that there are dozens of unique individuals who have found Peter and posted him.
I like it because it shows different vantage points of the same boy. Youtube often has the capability of letting viewers see the same event from different angles. I like this case because it shows how many people set out on the adventure to find Peter Pan.
I think my favorite thing about this Peter Pan is how quick he is on his feet. I have watched at least thirty videos of conversations with him. He gets asked the strangest questions and yet he is always able to give you a lesson in the way that only a child’s innocence can do. ’Keep calm and stay classy’ that is an expression used all the time where we live. Something tells me Peter doesn’t hear that phrase often in Neverland. He gives a fresh opinion of the phrase. Why would you want to stay calm anyway? Stay adventurous and stay not a grown up my friends!
Sung-Bong Choi
If I could only show a single youtube video for the remainder of my life, this would be the video I choose. I would like to introduce you to Sung-Bong Choi.
Choi was dumped into an orphanage at the age of three. He ran away when he was five and sold gums and energy drinks for several years. He eventually met a woman at a night club who helped him receive the equivalent of a GED.
In June of 2011, at the age of 21, Choi auditioned for Korea’s Got Talent with Nella Fantasia. He left the audience and judges in tears with his shear talent and captivating story. He could not have chosen a better song. This Italian piece translates to express:
In my fantasy I see a fair world,
Where everyone lives in peace and honesty.
I dream of a place to live that is always free,
Like a cloud that floats,
Full of humanity in the depths of the soul.
In my fantasy I see a bright world
Where each night there is less darkness.
I dream of spirits that are always free,
Like the cloud that floats.
In my fantasy exists a warm wind,
That breathes into the city, like a friend.
I dream of souls that are always free,
Like the cloud that floats,
Full of humanity in the depths of the soul.
Choi’s story is inspirational and sure to give you goosebumps as you watch. Next time you feel down and feel like you shouldn’t try something because you are not good enough, remember Choi and go out there to do it!
Dog saves another dog
While staying on the animal theme, here is an incredible dog video. A few years ago a highway camera caught video of a dog being run over attempting to cross a busy highway. The narrator of the clip gives a play by play as to what happens next.
A second dog comes to save the injured animal. Rather than using his teeth to pull, the dog uses his paws. The injured dog survived the accident.
Being at college, I am away from my dog. This video made me think of him and how selfless he is. Imagine if humans treated one another the way dogs treat us. Imagine what type of world we would be living.
Take a second and give your puppy a treat and enjoy the rest of your day!
Christian The Lion
To keep on the theme of tears this week, I would like to post one of my all time favorite stories. This is the story of Christian the Lion:
As explained in the video, in 1969, two young men living in England adopted a baby lion. Christian the lion eventually became too big to live in suburbia. The men decided to introduce him into the wild. A year later they went looking for him.
I probably watch this video on average twenty times a year. Typically I go several months without watching it and then watch it multiple times in a single week. As manly as I am, I cry every time I watch it if it has been a while since seeing the clip.
Love truly knows no boundaries if only one chooses to accept it.
Watch and see what happens…
So I gave you a warning that some of my videos are tear jerkers. If you cry easily you may want to grab a box of tissues before you click play.
Heather Martin was four years old when her older brother Shaun was deployed to Iraq. With her mother’s help, she wrote this song for her brother. This was their way of dealing with the grief of Shaun being away. Fortunately, Shaun did survive the war and is now reunited with Heather and his family.
This video gets me every time. My older sister’s boyfriend served time in Afghanistan and I know how hard it was for her to be so far away from him. She was the first one to show me this video long ago and I always think of her when I watch it.
I hope you enjoy it!
Wow what a video! I discovered this one just a few nights ago and was hooked. I think this is a great idea and something that I want to do for myself next year!
This girl filmed one second of every day last year and put it into a video. This really made me think about life and how much I am living. I fear much too often we as a species exist but rarely live. The chorus of this song says, “You spend the first five years trying to get with the plan and the next five years trying to get with your friends”
Is life worth living if you aren’t happy where you are? We spend so much money, time, and energy building our future that we over look our present. I think the song choice was near perfect for this video. Really listen to the lyrics while watching. You might learn something about yourself.
You might learn that it is time to stop worrying about tomorrow and get with the present! As Ted and Barney from How I Met Your Mother say, let future you deal with it! Let present you have some fun!
Set a new goal for yourself. Starting right here, right now, think if any second of today would be worth recording. If not, fix it! Remember, always carpe diem!
