...don't blame me.

Blame the history teachers.

Playing Bach's Fugue in D minor at the top of my speaker's capabilities just so I can feel my chair reverb.

It's almost like sitting at Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral in the organ loft when Canon John Schaefer is playing.

I love music geeking.

It is official.

I am music-geeking right now.

I got a birthday present from the Bender today. Songs from the Labyrinth and The Journey & the Labyrinth. It's the music of John Dowland...sung by Sting. And it has a lutenist on it, too. Edin Karamozov. It is beautiful. And I -have- to learn this stuff. It's beautiful.

John Dowland kicked butt.

And hi. I'm Zephyr. And I'm a music geek.

So, I now have belle qui tiens ma vie, which is the tune for the Carolingian dances, stuck in my head. Not surprising, it's after listening to it...ad nauseum. To be fair, it's a lovely piece, and I really need to get the music and write mandolin tabs for it, because it's really quite lovely.

My back and hip have given me some issues lately, so I've had to lay off the one woman dance practices for a while. I would probably fain to guess that it's due to the barometric pressure changing, but seriously, it's driving me nuts.

Now, does anyone know the details for Raid or Trade? They're not up on the Calontir website, and I'd certainly like to see if I can afford to go up there before I get others too much more involved than they are.

Marc Gunn
A Tribute to Love
Release Date: October 2007

Oh, Marc, you've done it again! I used to review music for my on-campus newspaper, and now I'm back in the saddle...maybe. Anyway, "A Tribute to Love" is just that: a tribute. To love. Be it romantic love, or love for friends and family, or even love for great music (like this CD!), Marc has done an amazing job with this project. The blend between rock-like vocal edge and the gentleness of the autoharp...well, there's nothing like it...in a good way.

Silhouette of Love is a perfect way to start the project off, with a great instrumental, just like The Hobbit Journey Home, which conjures Samwise Gamgee heading home to Rosie and the children on a bright autumn afternoon. Gunn is great at exploring the tenderness of both his voice and autoharp, and here, the autoharp has a voice of its own, exploring much of the musical romp and taking you along on the ride!

Star of the County Down is one of my favourite Irish folksongs, and while not as raucous as some versions I've heard, it goes well with the rest of the album, and keeps your attention with the driving, percussive sound of the autoharp, fitting in well with the lyrical nature of the song. Heart and Soul is a great rendition of a classic song, and it brought back very fond memories of playing it on the piano with my friends after church. He's also done some great renditions of classic folksongs, like Froggie Went A-Courtin', and really builds an eerie sort of mysticism in The Gosling Reborn (which might just make it on constant repeat on my iPod). In fact, The Gosling Reborn and A Faint Heart really bookend well together, and I'd love to hear these back to back live.

Tiziano Gunn was my least favourite, but I think it was due to the middle of the disc doldrums that some listeners seem to get (I most certainly do). It's an adorable song, but just a bit too slow for my liking, especially with the placement here.

On the whole, it's a fabulous album! When it comes out in October, you -must- get it. If you don't, I'll disown you, if you're family, and if you're a friend, well...drat. I have nothing to say to you. Just get the CD. You'll love it, I promise. It's a great album for drinking that glass of wine with your sweetie, and snuggling and watching the fire crackle on those chilly autumn nights.

Go check it out at http://www.marcgunn.com/2007/02/tribute-to-love.shtml