Monday, May 30, 2011

American Pride



I mentioned several video projects in the works before.  You are going to have to get used to seeing them pop up here and there.  This Memorial Day, my assistant videographer woke up early with me to catch the sun rising over Veteran's Memorial Cemetery.  It was all part of the plan for creating a video for a terrific song called "American Pride" co-written by my friend Geno.  So, despite a few technical issues (that I see more than some others,) it went pretty well.  Hope you enjoy.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Night Ranger - Somewhere In California


Energy.  It's something we all seek in one form or another.  Sometimes it's from a restful sleep, a caffeinated drink, a second wind or pure inspiration.  Night Ranger have definitely found the latter for the release of their upcoming album, Somewhere In California.

The disc leads off boldly, yet brilliantly, with the keyboard-heavy first single, "Growin' Up In California."  The chorus is pure bliss and it reminds you of everything you liked about Night Ranger to begin with.  Not an easy feat.  "Lay It On Me" with its scorching guitars showcases their rock roots and begs to be heard live in an arena.  It'd be easy to mistake the slow build of "Time Of Our Lives" as a just some ballad.   Make sure you hear the whole song as the guitar solo here rips just after an emotional blues run -- stamping this as something special.  "End Of The Day" has some beautiful layering on what becomes a love song of perseverance. While those are some amazing stand-out tracks, there are some terrific journeys on songs like the thumping and wailing of "Follow Your Heart," past romantic reflections of "Bye Bye Baby (Not Tonight)," the high-flying "No Time To Lose Ya," the very catchy and possessive "It's Not Over," the rock tribute-laden "Rock N' Roll Tonite" and the slick closer "Say It With Love."

This is the album Night Ranger fans have been waiting for... no matter in which decade they loved them most.  It's also a great place for the uninitiated to dive in.  Somewhere In California is crammed full of catchy choruses, determination, self-aware production and it just rocks throughout.  Now, if we could only just bottle what Night Ranger has.

4 out of 5

And The Future Will Write Itself...

Lots going on over here. Some of it is even along my current direction... some not. I don't think that I'll ever be able to walk away from my love of music and my quest for knowledge surrounding many acts. So, while it looks like I've gone underground, I've been formulating a way to combine everything. As of now, you'll see more and more music-related posts from 'Classically Martin', reviews and other meanderings. There are multiple video projects that are in the works, some written work and I'll mention that in the future. But, I figured I'd need to prepare you for seeing CD reviews surface here at MartinHennessy.com (a.k.a. Rantings Of An 80s Nut.)

Friday, May 20, 2011

The Bella And Tulip Show: Caught In The Act



So, I've been spending a lot more time messing around with my video projects during my musical hiatus.  Today was a chance for me to test out some new software.  But I knew that I'd have to have something to work with as subject matter.  One thing we've been confused about is the mess we sometimes see in the kitchen when we've been gone for a little bit.  It's hard to punish one dog over the other without evidence.

Around noon, we set up a camera and left a banana peel and part of a PBJ sandwich in the trash.  We left for just over 11 minutes.  The video above is what transpired.  Hope you enjoy.  It was fun editing.  We've put velcro on the door in hopes to avoid this kind of incident again.