Karin has one of the most moving voices that I’ve heard in my 25 years upon this earth. She throws so much into her music. I don’t know if that is the total of my attraction to this group or if it is a combination of things. I can tell you that I like the mix of folk, jazz, & light rock. Linford Detweiler is quite the pianist and composer/arranger. There is enough piano and at all the right times.

The first song I heard by Over the Rhine (hereafter OTR) was their cover of Gillian Welch’s “Orphan Girl.” I played it for Sarah because she likes that song and the Gillian Welch version that is so popular. We both remarked that this live version was very moving. It was more upbeat and full than the isolating renditions by Welch and others. It was neat to see it in a more upbeat style and then be sung by such a soulful voice.

I write this post to commend them to you if you haven’t heard them. I really enjoy their original stuff as well as their covers of ballads. I’m a sucker for “live” and acoustic sets, so I went for their “Live from Nowhere” series of albums. But you might want to start with studio albums. I just like the Live feel and impromptu sound. Go, and listen and tell me what you think of that voice and song variety!

It has been a week since the Saints won the Superbowl and I am still excited about it. It is fun to see a team you have rooted for, for a long time win big! It feels like I can relax and continue to enjoy Saints games because the pressure is off them to finally win. Things will be different next year. For one, less games will be on at 12 noon right after Sunday Church. They’ll be more “primetime” and probably have late games if not Sunday or Monday Night Games. There is talk of a Thanksgiving Day game versus the Cowboys. That’d be weird and fun. I’m liking seeing all this Saints gear around town. I’ve never really felt like there was a lot of options to buy Saints stuff. Now, we should see an influx of quality merchandise.

I ordered my Superbowl Championship shirt and I’m waiting for it to come in. I’m very excited about wearing it. It’s the only real chance for a team that I root for to win. My Alma mater doesn’t qualify for a BCS championship nor did any of my high school teams qualify for a state or national championship. I like to watch LSU play, but I don’t really have a vested interest in them winning. I’m happy for the State when they win, but I root for LA Tech most of the time. So, I don’t own any LSU apparel nor do I really care to. I’m happy watching their games and rooting for them most of the time. It’s just all the more enjoyable to see the Saints take home a Superbowl trophy after so many years of mediocrity and worse. It’s neat to see your team and your state be recognized as #1 and not the other guys. So, even a week after all the festivities have died down, I’m still just as excited. I’ve rewatched the game twice this week to really take it in. I hope that they make a run for it next year, but this is a relief and a lot of fun. Who Dat?!

On inauguration day, I watched the outgoing president’s website and then watched the 44th President’s website rollover even before he was even sworn in as President. I was stunned immediately at the noticeable upgrade of design and functionality. I am not a democrat and didn’t vote for Barack Obama. That withstanding, I think that he only helps his presidency by keeping the official website of the President looking modern and user-friendly. It continues to impress and improve.

I am very impressed with the new White House App for the iPhone. It publishes the weekly addresses and the daily press briefings. You can watch the photos that the official photographers take of the First Family. It does so in a clean and professional way. On the whole, I wish I could train and pick the brains of some of the men/women who are responsible for the graphic design and back end building of the this site.

It is not easy to do and to do it where any goof or mistake is noticed and reported is really all the more impressive. If you haven’t looked at the website or the iPhone App, check it out when you get some free time.

The Saints are headed to the SuperBowl after a very close, nail-biter of a game yesterday evening. At the risk of sounding melodramatic, it is really still surreal to think that the Saints, not Cowboys, Eagles, Cardinals, Seahawks or some other NFC team will be fighting for the Lombardi trophy. It is just hard to believe that the former “Aints” are now ready to give it a go at a SuperBowl title.

Some questions that linger in this arm-chair quarterback’s mind are:

• Can the Saints stay focused through the hype and excitement of Pre-SuperBowl? The Colts have been there and done that. Ironically, the last time they were there, the Saints had just lost in the NFC championship to the Bears.
• Can Reggie Bush continue to play physical and upfield in his running style? They say he is healthy and he is obviously playing a more pivotal role in these last 2 games.
• Can the Saints convert on 3rd and short? If they run the ball will they run side to side or pound it up the middle. Will the Saints make good play calls on 3rd downs. It seems like 3rd and short has been more tricky than third and 9 as of late.
• Can the Saints convert turnovers into touchdowns and not just field goals? If you get turnovers against a Peyton Manning-led team, you better make them count. Couldn’t notch all those Vikings turnovers into points in the NFC championship game.
• Will the Saints fall on fumbles and not try to pick them up? Also will they not bail out the Colts with pass interference or roughing the passer calls after seemingly a 3rd down stop.
  

I am very excited to watch this game. I think it is a great marquee for a Superbowl. These teams are good for ratings. It will be weird to actually have a “dog in the fight” and not just to be watching and rooting for the perceived underdog from some other city. I hope Drew Brees gets it done and that it is franchise re-defining game. I just don’t know if I can take a close game like that in the Superbowl too. The Saints would need to be ahead 14-17 points with 2 minutes left for me to feel semi-comfortable. They Saints have good fourth quarters and finish halves strong, but so do the Colts. Here’s hoping for an even more exciting superbowl than last year.

I was exposed to Bryn Terfel for the first time during my undergraduate voice study at Louisiana Tech University. There is a short list of singers that I will listen to for fun and Bryn Terfel is one of those singers on my short list. His warm and rich bellow-some sound leaves you wanting more. Whether he’s singing German lieder or American folk songs, Bryn Terfel is just that good.

Here’s a short repertoire compilation that will woo you and convince you in a short amount of time of Bryn’s seemingly effortless control of his voice. These are in no particular no order:

• “Madamina, il catalogo è questo“ (The Catalogue Aria)  from Mozart’s Don Giovanni.
• “Litanei Auf Das Fest Allerseelen, D 343“ by Franz Schubert is a great art song example of Bryn’s abilities.
• “Seventy-Six Trombones“ from Meredith Wilson’s The Music Man. His dramatic style of singing is just as enjoyable.
• “Thus Saith the Lord“ from Handel’s Messiah.
• “Send in the Clowns“, a Jonathan Punick arrangement of Stephen Sondheim’s song from A Little Night Music. This is another song that is more familiar to the average person. So, even if you are not a connoisseur of art songs and opera arias, you can get a feel for his abilities with this famous song.

I hope that you will download some of Bryn Terfel’s songs. These are just some songs to expose you to his singing style and voice. There are many more than this to enjoy. His albums, Simple Gifts and Bryn Terfel Sings Favorites are good if you like him singing English and American folk songs. His Handel Arias album and his Opera Arias are good if you want to hear him sing some of the great arias of western classical music.

Just in case you need more convincing. Here’s a YouTube video of Bryn singing, Danny Boy: