My Christmas list (of music)

If you don't already know: I'm a music junkie. And there's no other season or holiday that offers a broader repertoire of music all its own than Christmas. I'm not one to break out the Christmas tunes before Thanksgiving (except the ones I rehearse with my church choir starting in September), but I make sure to get my fill of this music every year at this time.

Already my December has been full of music…from my own choir concert and a men's choral group concert I attended to my garbage man's Christmas carols and my frequent car-ride Christmas sing-a-longs with Michael Buble, Josh Groban and others during my commute. This weekend I'm even going with the family to see Elf the Musical, which I'm anticipating will bring additional Christmas cheer—even without Will Ferrell.

Given how much love my Christmas playlists are getting on iTunes at the moment, I thought about doing a list of my favorite Christmas songs. But I quickly realized I could never pick and rank my favorites—there are just too many. So instead, I bring you a different and more random list of favorites to consider… 

• Best song about baby Jesus: Here With Us, Joy Williams
• Most nostalgic song: Christmastime is Here, A Charlie Brown Christmas 
• Most captivating rendition of a classic: Silent Night, Priscilla Ahn 
• Best a cappella boy band number: 12 Days of Christmas, Straight No Chaser 
• Best song(s) to dance to while decorating the Christmas tree (not that I do that…): Snow Globe, Matt Wertz or Christmas Time, Go Fish
• Best Christmas song anywhere, ever (sung by almost anyone): O Holy Night

I’ve got tons of other categories coming to mind right now (and songs to fill them all), but I'll just leave you with these for now. What would you add to the list?

Fa la la folks! And Merry Christmas!

Minnesota's got talent

I concluded my Labor Day weekend Sunday night with a visit to the Minnesota State Fair. While I enjoyed my annual menu of cheese curds, Pronto Pup, ice cream and Sweet Martha's cookies, I also enjoyed a new fair tradition of sorts. For the second year in a row, I attended the finals of the amateur talent competition.

For some reason, this talent show—particularly the pre-teen and teen categories—is nostalgic for me. When I was the age of these competitors, I may not have had quite the singing, dancing, piano playing or yo-yo tossing skills they have, but I had a huge desire to be a performer. And perform I did! It might have started in second grade when Jen and I, along with another friend, did a dance “recital” to Sandi Patty songs. (God bless our parents and our Sunday School teacher for suffering through that performance in my parents’ basement!)

What followed was several more years of grade-school talent show performances including dances to songs by Tiffany, New Kids on the Block and Madonna. And I put my vocal skills on display through numerous performances in church musicals, summer camp talent shows and school choir. Some of these performances were darn good! All of my rehearsing with friends in front of the bathroom mirror with hairbrush microphones really paid off! And I did join some girlfriends in a quartet for a lesser-known State Fair talent competition sponsored by the old Crossroads Chapel in high school where we took second place.

As I drove home from the fair late Sunday night, I found myself singing (loudly) in my car that very song that we performed at the State Fair 16 years ago. And I was so pumped that I actually remembered my part! I belted out harmonies to Point of Grace’s The Great Divide and let my mind wander to many of these other performances from over the years.

Dare I ask what talent you would perform if participating in a talent show today? What's your claim to fame? Your stupid human trick? Or, what do you wish you could do?

Enjoying others' good talent and good food was a great way to enjoy part of my holiday weekend. I hope you’re also enjoying these waning days of summer!

Broadway bound!

This week I’m headed to the Big Apple for a couple of days thanks to my thoughtful hubby. For my birthday a couple of months ago he surprised me with tickets for us to see Newsies on Broadway. It was almost two years ago when I mentioned here about how one of my favorite Disney movie musicals was being adapted for Broadway. Since then, it has nabbed eight Tony Award nominations, making it a bon-a-fide hit. So, I’m just a little excited to see it, and only wish I could bring my fellow Newsies superfans along (shout out to Heather and Sarah)! 

At the moment, I’m in the midst of crazy pre-trip madness that comes along with taking a couple days off from work and parenting, but I know I’ll have a great time once I’m there. And I’m incredibly thankful to have family so willing to care for and love on my toddler for a couple of nights while we’re away. 

Thanks, Phil, for the chance to visit The Great White Way! I must say that I’m truly amazed at your ability to select thoughtful gifts for me that you also gets to enjoy! Yes, I’m married to one smart man. And actually, his birthday is coming up next month, so if anyone has ideas of things I could get for him that will also benefit me, do tell! (For instance, is there any way I can make hiring a cook and house cleaning service seem like a gift primarily for him?)

Appreciating the little things

To all our faithful blog readers, we apologize for the recent silence in our Off-key Duets world (or maybe that’s not such a bad thing). My co-blogger and I have both found ourselves in a bit of a crazy life season lately. Namely, “eat a little, sleep a little, work…a lot.”

Busy times like these makes you focus on and appreciate the little pleasant things of life. So I’m trying to enjoy my perfect fall weather walks outside (meaning, walking from my office building to my car in the parking lot at 8:30 p.m.), meeting a friend for lunch (even if it feels rushed), and getting excited about the fact that one of my favorite movies, Newsies, is being adapted for a Broadway musical.

Incidentally, this is not the first time we’ve found a way to mention Newsies on this blog. We’re sneaky like that. If only I could make the Newsies song and dance strike strategy work for me in my job. Oh well, I’d rather be doing what I’m doing than selling “papes” for small change anyway.

Defying Gravity

Broadway + Heather = Happy! What more can I say? While I love to blast the show tunes from my iPod (as I've been doing all day today), there’s nothing like seeing it live on stage. And as Broadway musicals go, nothing tops Wicked in my book. Having just seen it for the fourth time, I'm ready to paint myself green and fly around Oz for the rest of the weekend.

Nothing I can write about it would do it justice. So on this beautiful September weekend, I'll simply leave you with this clip. (Goose bump alert at the 2:50 mark.) Enjoy!

My life as a musical

I may have said this before, but my perfect world involves a life lived as a musical. Yes, whether I’m at the office, at home, or in a public place, I would randomly break out in an inspiring musical number that reflects my mood. Others around me would join in, we’d throw in some choreography and, in the end, it would make me feel happy.

But the real, not-so-perfect world often involves feeling like you’re one of the few with common sense, where you work your rear off to please people and they still seem disappointed, and where things simply don’t go your way. (And the soundtrack is silent.) Alas, welcome to my week. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a pretty happy person. But sometimes I have those days…and sometimes those days string together and I just want to throw in the towel. That’s when I need a little reminder of my perfect world. Hence, I found this to cheer me up…

Ah, I feel a little better now (and might want to go back into the restaurant business). Now I should just stand up and start singing “Tomorrow” from Annie and things would really start to turn around!

Awesome 80s Flashback

Have you noticed that every once and a while something random comes along that uncovers something from the hidden depths of your memory? For me, it was hearing a brief news report that The Jets are going to be having a reunion concert in Minneapolis this Friday. Please tell me you remember The Jets and their 80s hit, “Crush on You.”

Anyway, I’m sure this group has not crossed my mind in about 20 years, but with one mention of their name, I was taken back to a screaming Metrodome arena where The Jets were the special guest act at a Girl Scout convention I attended. (Oh yeah, you read that right: Girl Scout convention. Top that!) I can hear thousands of elementary school girls chanting, “We want The Jets. We want The Jets.” In fact, now that I think about it, that was probably the first “concert” I attended. Here all this time I thought it had been Michael W. Smith and DC Talk, but no, it had to have been The Jets.

I bet you didn’t know that The Jets (who were siblings) were only the oldest eight in a Mormon family with 17 children. That kind of makes them the R&B Osmonds!

Ah, the 80s…unforgettable music and fashion, plus great cultural icons like Pac-Man and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Those were the days. It’s just a shame I’ll be out of town for The Jets’ big gig this weekend.

Wanted: A new music playlist

Last week I became the happy owner of a couple of iTunes gift cards, and I’m going to shamelessly use my blog to ask for recommendations about what music I should now be adding to my iPod.

You might wonder, “Would Jen like what I like?” Probably. I like just about everything (though I guess I’m not huge on rap or country or Lady Gaga). On any given day, you’ll find me shuffling between tunes from Michael Buble to Linkin’ Park, Chris Tomlin to John Mayer and literally hundreds more. Oftentimes, my favorites are artists who aren’t necessarily seeing a ton of mainstream success. I love to find a hidden gem like Brooke Fraser or Pricilla Ahn. I think the last music I downloaded was the cast recording of Glee. I know…I’m so very cool and sophisticated, right?

So please tell me…what’s your favorite recent music purchase? Or, maybe it’s not recent, but an old tried and true tune that you just love to blast loudly from your car stereo now that it’s warm enough to drive with the windows down. Help me spend my gift cards wisely!

Get your praise on

I love to sing. And I love my church. So, my mid-week church choir rehearsals are a nice break from the busy work week.

When you think of a church choir, don’t you just want to picture this? Yeah, not so much at my church. We are a bunch of suburban white people who move and sing like a bunch of suburban white people. Except for the one guy who moves SO much he looks like he’s convulsing. (Bless his heart though, at least he tries.)

We can sing a Chris Tomlin song with the best of them. But sometimes I wonder who our music minister thinks we are when he makes our song selections. At rehearsal this week, I picked up a CD of the music we’re singing next month and this is our big number:

For real? Look at those moves! I mean, you can’t not move to that song, right? Therein lies the problem. In our choir, the Spirit only moves us to sing precisely what is written in the music and to clap only when specifically told we must clap—and even then it's usually awkward. We practically have to script the occasional "amen" or "hallelujah."

Needless to say, this will be interesting. The song is great and we have a great guest soloist joining us who definitely knows how to bring it, but I'm a little unsure of whether or not my fellow singers and I will be able to dig deep enough into our souls to pull this one off. We'll sure have fun trying though!

Before there was Veggie Tales

Time for a stroll down memory lane (well, for me anyway). Remember Psalty the singing songbook from the 80s? He was the big blue book/person who starred in a series of Christian Kids’ Praise! albums. I had every Kids’ Praise! record (as in the vinyl kind) and had every line and song memorized. I thought Psalty’s kids (Harmony, Melody, and Rhythm) were so cool. The cast of characters also included Blooper the dog, Charity Churchmouse, Farley McFirefly, and the evil Risky Rat.

Kids’ Praise! clearly was the start of my sophisticated taste in music with songs like, “Arky Arky,” “Sandyland,” “Ha La La La,” and “Jesus Put the Song in My Heart.” If I could somehow post an old VHS tape here, I could even showcase a few of our blog readers singing in a live Kids’ Praise! show when we were 8 or 9.

If you who have no idea what I’m talking about, here’s a more recent video to prove I’m not making this up (and if you're a fellow Psalty fan, you'll especially enjoy this):

Yup, good 'ole washed up Psalty. I have no idea why I was thinking about this today, but I guess I just wanted to enjoy a look back to a simpler, cheesier time. Wasn’t that fun?

The day the music (video) died

Yesterday, MTV announced it's changing its logo to drop the reference to music and instead feature its reality TV stars. Now, my TV-watching doesn't generally lead me to MTV unless I'm following America's Best Dance Crew, but I still found myself a little surprised by this. In its 80s heyday, I remember watching MTV at my friend Jenny Peterson's house (she used to kiss the TV whenever a Michael Jackson video was on) and I also watched the channel with one of my babysitters (I'm pretty sure we weren't supposed to be doing this). Even in college, you might've found me occasionally watching the top videos and live performances on TRL (Total Request Live).

These days though, you don't need to spend much time watching MTV to know that the music part is fast becoming history. Just sit through one commercial break and watch the shows they promote. And while I think it's sad they're putting a bigger spotlight on "reality" shows, I have to concede that this probably was the right move for MTV.

Who needs a TV network to watch music videos or hear interviews with their favorite musician anymore? Artist websites, blogs, You Tube and Twitter accounts allow fans to follow the music--and the lives--of their favorite musicians anytime. The artists no longer need a TV network's help to showcase their new music, personality or creativity. I would much prefer to seek out this kind information on the musicians I enjoy when I want it instead of waiting for them (or their videos) to make an MTV appearance. Plus, there is only so much Beyonce and Lady Gaga one can take.

MTV has never even scratched the surface of all the great musical talent out there, most of which never gets the powerhouse record company behind it to help push their videos into the top ten. So maybe this isn't all that newsworthy after all. Just another sign of the times!

What's on your desk?

Yesterday I got my daily e-mail of news headlines from the world of communications and in it was a list of items that colleagues nationwide have on their desks. (We communications professionals need some daily crazy news to survive.) There were green sequined bats, a bottle of tequila and margarita mix, Dwight Schrute bobbleheads and even a pair of squirrel underpants (huh?).

See, anything goes on your desk at work. Whereas, there is no place for a purple fuzzy gorilla on my living room coffee table. Problem is, the whole article reminded me of what is NOT on my desk. Mainly, this:

My desk is lacking an N*Sync bobblehead and I am not happy about it. At my office holiday party in December, we had an intense white elephant gift exchange (it involved lots of reindeer, bowling and yelling). I couldn't care less about the white elephant gifts until I unwrapped this beloved bobblehead. (I know! Who on earth would give that away as a white elephant gift?! Turns out, it was someone who already had an identical bobblehead at home.) Anyway, GAME ON!!!

Team Blitzen (my team) started fighting hard for this prize. A war broke out with Team Prancer and, needless to say, it was not a happy ending for Blitzen. I have assured the new owner of the bobblehead that he'd better watch his back. What's worse is that it now sits next to a UND Sioux hockey bobblehead on his desk. (I'm sorry, but JC Chasez would never cheer for UND.) Not even a fair trade deal--my pig with the light-up snout (a gift during swine flu season last fall) for his bobblehead--would suffice.

How does this whole episode make me feel? Well, I think N*Sync says it best. It’s Tearin’ Up My Heart. I Want You Back little bobblehead…No Strings Attached. I need to come up with a plan, so Bye Bye Bye for now. (Go ahead, insert eye roll here. But I am still awaiting their reunion!)

My night 'In The Heights'

In the midst of seasonal busyness, I snuck in a night at the theatre last week to see the 2008 Tony Award Winner for Best Musical: In The Heights. Since I don’t get to travel to the real Broadway too often, I always anticipate the annual announcements of the Twin Cities’ Broadway theatre season. When I heard In The Heights was making a stop, I knew it would be the year’s must-see for me. So, after holding on to my tickets for months, I finally saw the show and understood its award-winning appeal.

I would describe In The Heights as RENT meets West Side Story, with some poetic rap for good measure. Here’s the real summary: In the Heights tells the universal story of a vibrant community in Manhattan's Washington Heights – a place where the coffee from the corner bodega is light and sweet, the windows are always open, and the breeze carries the rhythm of three generations of music. It's a community on the brink of change, full of hopes, dreams and pressures, where the biggest struggles can be deciding which traditions you take with you, and which ones you leave behind.

Since you probably didn’t see it, I’ll quit rambling about it and just leave you with a clip:

If you happen to be in NYC soon or lucky enough to be on an upcoming tour stop…check out this show!

Remember my name

Ever since movie makers announced they were re-making FAME I have been looking forward to this weekend. Luckily the bad reviews convinced me to go in with low expectations. If you prefer good acting and a compelling plot, I’d recommend you skip this particular movie. But the performances sprinkled throughout were still fun.

It’s movies like this—and TV shows like So You Think You Can Dance, and of course, GLEE—that send me into daydream heaven. Despite my bad knees and 30-year-old body that hasn’t done a double pirouette or split leap since high school, I still aspire to be a performer.

Nothing puts a bigger smile on my face than a flashy song and dance routine. Put me in the audience of any Broadway show and I’ve got happy tears in my eyes the moment the curtain goes up.

Why can’t life be more like a musical? We all randomly break out into song and a perfectly choreographed dance routine at random times—at the grocery store, during meetings at work, going to check the mail. I’d like to think heaven will be one eternal Tony Award-winning musical. But for today, I guess singing at my church and dancing at weddings (and occasionally in my living room) will have to suffice.

So, what’s your favorite Broadway or movie musical? I know. There are too many to choose from. I’ll have to think about it and get back to you with my pick later.

One of those days

Well friends, it’s been an exhausting week for me. It started with a very unpleasant, middle-of-the-night encounter with a large insect in my home (seriously, if I would’ve been awake enough, I would’ve taken a picture and sent it to the Guinness Book of World Records). That was followed by a series of long, dreadful days at work. Granted, I’ve accepted the fact that September and October are never going to be “fun” at my job, but I’ll get through it.

And to end my week, I hit a wall. Literally. Yesterday I ran into a wall. In my own house. (And I used to be a dancer!) My arm is so painfully bruised right now that I have to keep looking at it to confirm that it really isn’t a gunshot wound.

When life has me frustrated, it always helps to turn up some music really loud and just scream along, er, I mean, sing along. I have a few favorites to turn up that really help me let off steam: Plumb’s Solace is one of them. With a chorus that says “Grab it. Kick it. Smash it. Love it. Loathe it” how can you not feel a little relief after that? And Linkin Park’s One Step Closer works well too. Of course, on the other end of the music spectrum, I get to go to church tonight and sing some great worship music, which also helps to keep things in perspective and remember Who is in control.

What about you? Any other music recommendations for those frustrating days?

While music helps, shopping does too. I bought a new butt-kicking power suit today to wear for some meetings this week. Tomorrow, I am a new woman!

I'm a gleek

I was a pretty busy high school student between academics, the dance team, church youth group activities, etc. But, my absolute best memories of high school involved being in our school’s show choir. Sure, it sounds cheesy that we would sing and dance in flashy outfits in national competitions (and even on a cruise ship). It may not have been the coolest activity at school, but the group did include a few football and basketball players who could sing and dance with the best of them. It was, at a minimum, a socially acceptable activity at Bloomington Jefferson Senior High. Lucky for you, we didn’t have You Tube in 1997, so I’ll spare you my “Jefferson Connection” performances on video. You’ll just have to trust me that we were pretty darn good and brought home a few trophies back in the day. And, don't we all look fabulous in fuchsia?

Anyway, given my enthusiasm for show choir, you can probably understand my excitement and sheer elation over the latest show to debut this fall season: Glee. I’m not kidding you when I say I have never been this excited about a new TV show. (Ask my husband who can’t hold in his laughter when I literally jump up and down talking about this show. ) The show is about a high school teacher who tries to reinvent the high school glee club starting with a quirky group of outcasts and the high school quarterback who have failed to see their true potential. Some of the humor is definitely more adult, but the music is great, and the memories it inspires for a choir gal like me are enough to make this my most anticipated show of the fall season. You can pretty much bet this isn’t the last you’ve heard about Glee on this blog.

Not your average sing-a-long

When it comes to music, I'll listen to—and appreciate—just about anything. But recently, I heard something a little disturbing. This Kidz Bop commercial is in frequent rotation on an online radio station I listen to. And I’m telling ya…the sound of it nearly makes my ears bleed.

Kidz Bop involves a bunch of kids recording a compilation of today’s pop music hits: "Sung by kids, for kids."

Now, I'm all for singing kids. How can you not smile at the little singers belting out Disney show tunes at their school concert (while simultaneously mastering the "step touch" and other complex choreography)? And my heart melts when I hear the children's choir at church singing (or sometimes screaming) about how Jesus love them. In fact, my big claim to fame is that you can hear my young singing voice on the Christmas edition of G.T. and the Halo Express…stocking stuffer anyone?

But Kidz Bop is different. Basically, here's the concept… take the most obnoxiously overplayed songs on the radio, sung by role models like Britney Spears and the Black-Eyed Peas, toss in a few borderline inappropriate lyrics and market this to children. Brilliant. It obviously works if they’re now promoting the 16th edition of this album.

I’m not trying to sound like a prude. I'm certainly known to turn up some Britney in my car during my rush hour drive home. And I know there isn’t a whole lot of choice when it comes to kids' music, but I'm just sayin…

Am I the only one who finds this album a little cringe worthy?

When did I become so lame?

I sure hope I’m not the only 30-year-old who suddenly feels the effects of aging. The latest evidence of this is when I try to go to concerts on “school nights” and I wake up early the next morning for work and feel like lead trying to pick myself up out of bed. Last night I saw The Fray in concert, and although it was a great concert, I just don’t think I can stay out late anymore when I have to work the next day. Lame. On top of that, thank God I wasn’t on the main floor, which was standing room only. I learned at a concert earlier this year that I can no longer enjoy myself if I have to stand shoulder to shoulder with enthusiastic concert goers for three different acts. Lame. And even when the main act is pumped up and yells "EVERYBODY ON YOUR FEET," I just...sit there...with the old people. I paid for this SEAT, I'm going to use it!

Besides my early bedtime needs and the wanting to sit down, I definitely helped to bring up the average age at this concert (which surprised me, ‘cuz it wasn’t like I was seeing the Jonas Brothers). Then, there were the girls sitting behind my husband who talked loudly during the entire opening act, and Phil had to turn around and tell them to be quiet. C’mon, people, we paid good money for these tickets to hear music – not your conversation. Crotchety. Old. Lame.

And these are just the examples in one night. Besides all that, suddenly I have to find face products that tackle both acne and “fine lines.” And I’m anticipating my first gray hair (thank God for highlights). And I actually have to watch what I eat (I know, some of you are thrilled that the skinny girl finally worries about the size of her thighs) and visit the doctor more than once a year. Lame.

How about you? No matter your age, what’s the weirdest or most uncomfortable thing you’ve noticed about getting older (physically, mentally, etc.)? Is it all downhill from here, or will I enjoy my adult years once I better embrace them? Okay, I’m getting sleepy…I guess it is already 8: 25 p.m. Time to start thinking about my comfy bed!