Ashley Hamer (aka Smashley) lives in Chicago where she plays jazz saxophone, writes stuff, and does a lot of skeptickin'. She is currently recovering from being raised in the wooiest city in California and then living in Megachurch Texas, USA. Her tenor saxophone's name is Ladybird.
In honor of Mothers Day yesterday, today’s lab track thanks mothers for all of the genetic gifts they’ve given us. You might recognize the artist — it’s none other than Adam Cole, the genius responsible for A Biologist’s St. Patrick’s Day Song. Hooray!
David Bazan is a recent skeptical-music discovery of mine. According to his interview with NPR’s All Things Considered, Bazan’s album Curse Your Branches is often called his breakup letter to god. Bazan was raised in an evangelical church by his father, who was a music pastor. In his adult life, he began to lose his faith, which led him to a downward spiral of depression and alcoholism. He pulled himself back up with the help of his wife and kids and eventually came out with his very first solo album. Today’s lab track comes from that album, and though it was written with religion in mind, I like to think the lyrics can be applied to any form of false belief.
Today’s lab track was created by Marshall “Gripp” Gillson, a hip-hop artist recently featured on The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe. The track also features the voice of none other than SGU darling Jay Novella. The song is essentially a primer on skepticism — it covers everything from homeopathy to conspiracy theories. Enjoy!
It has come to my attention that something I know about may not be something you know about.
The other day, Donna sent this link to all of us on the MAL backchannel. It's a video depicting the motion-captured movements of Alan Gilbert, the conductor of the New York Philharmonic, as he conducts a Stravinsky chorale. It does a great job of showing what a conductor is actually doing up on that podium, especially at the point when it juxtaposes the conductor's movements with the respective volumes and positions in in the orchestra.
This video sparked a conversation in which many of the MAL contributors admitted that they had always wondered how a conductor's movements correlated with the sounds produced by the orchestra. I've been a musician since the tender age of 12; since then, I've thoroughly forgotten that a conductor could even be something that someone would be puzzled by (much less interested in).
Judging from my small 'Lab sample size, I will extrapolate to assume that many of our readers are curious about the man in front of the orchestra as well. Without further ado, here is a basic primer on the art of conducting.
Cloe brought this little gem to our attention. The Rudy Schwartz project is a Zappa-esque, Dr. Demento-inspired outfit known for such absurdist songs as “Chick Corea’s First Ouija Board” and “The Lynyrd Skynyrd Memorial Tractor Pull.” This particular tune has lyrics that are really, really, ridiculously offensive, but are sung in an old-timey softshoe style that takes some of the edge off. Just…read the lyrics. I’m not going to say anything more than that.
This weekend, a bunch of skeptics from Illinois, Minnesota, and Iowa converged at House on the Rock in Spring Green, Wisconsin. Not only did we take a look at the mind-bending, reality-twisting “exhibits” (if you even call them that) at the House, but we had the pleasure of listening to George Hrab play a full concert for us. I also had the pleasure of jamming with him on my sax, but that’s for another post.
George obviously is a champion of writing skeptical and atheist-themed songs, but he also played a cover that night. He introduced All This Time by the Police as a tune he had listened to for years and years, only to hear it one day and suddenly realize that it’s all about atheism. Take a listen and check out the lyrics — one line he liked in particular was “Men go crazy in congregations; they only get better one by one.”
Fellow Labber Cloe suggested this week’s lab track, in which Jonathan Mann (whose song-a-day channel has begotten such gems as Kittens in Space) laments the news that neutrinos do not actually go faster than the speed of light.
I pour one out for those slowpoke neutrinos. I know we’ll make you go faster than light someday.
I could say that someone sent this to me and that I didn't just stumble upon it by seeing it as a related video on Youtube and clicking on it because the boy was cute and then immediately realizing that his age probably makes that thought illegal and then immediately swooning even more at his accent and then getting really jazzed at the fact that this song is about neurotransmitters. But it would be lying to say I didn't do those things, so I won't say that.
Without further ado, I give you Chemical Love by Charlie McDonnell.
I hope you all wear lots of green and drink lots of beer and do all the things that this holiday was never really meant for when it was instituted. I myself will be having a party–since my birthday is just a few days away from this festive holiday–to hang out with friends and drink a bunch and make these amazing cupcakes, only to take a picture and show them off to Anne for approval later. What are you doing?
Whatever you’re doing, in honor of this drunken day, I give you this: A Biologist’s St. Patrick’s Day Song.
(Source: posted by facebook user Brian Baginski on Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s facebook wall)
A few of the 'Labbers had the totally enviable honor of seeing (and performing with and presenting fan art to) Marian Call this last weekend. In tribute to their awesome experience, I give you this track. "I'll Still Be a Geek After Nobody Thinks It's Chic (The Nerd Anthem)," if you haven't heard it, is just that: an anthem to nerdery. Instead of me sticking up a youtube of the album version (which you can hear here in all of its harmonized glory), Maggie has provided me with the live recording from Marian's Boston Skeptics performance. Which is fitting, I think, since so many of her shows are done in the intimacy of people's living rooms — not to mention that her introduction is awesome.
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