Fans of the Star Wars films know how powerful the “Imperial March” theme is. It’s the ominously dark, majestic theme that accompanies Darth Vader’s evil presence in the movies. Well, you may have seen Star Wars and prequels and its sequels a hundred times, but you’ve never heard the theme like this! Here are two old disk drives doing the “Darth Vader Duet.” This is the perfect combination of art and technology. Enjoy!

Source: Silent.org.pl

Marc Gunn

I don’t remember how I found this music, but I’m so glad I did! If you’re a fan of the prematurely-discontinued television series Firefly, and the subsequent fandom-fueled movie Serenity, you have to check out this album!

Musician Marc Gunn, “The Celtfather,” has masterfully combined the sound of folksy pub songs with Firefly/Serenity -inspired lyrics, and come up with a delightfully rough and rollicking set of Firefly Drinking Songs! Marc gave me the mp3s to listen to and review. Lucky me!

Track Listing:

1. Monahan’s Mudder’s Milk
2. Somanbulant Intro
3. Hush, Now Little Citizen
4. Bring Me Home, Boys
5. Kaylee
6. O Susannah
7. Fruity Oaty Bars
8. Browncoats Keep Flyin’
9. It’s Good to Have Jayne on Your Side
10. A Drop of Reever Blood
11. Whiskey in the Jar
12. Libertas Sumptus Intro
13. Freedom Costs
14. Hero of Canton

My favorite of the lot is “A Drop of Reever Blood.” It’s not the most sophisticated tune. In fact, it’s extremely simple, easy to sing, and repetitive. But that’s what makes it the perfect “Firefly Drinking Song!” It’s the perfect song to sing with a group of friends, even if they’re not good singers. It tells a story, one verse at a time. It’s flexible and forgiving, and you can make up your own part. What more could you want in a drinking song?!

This collection of songs will delight true Browncoats, and will likely leave other listeners puzzled. If you remember the stories from the Firefly ‘verse, you will chuckle at the little bits of humor in the lyrics. If you’re looking for sophistication and polished poetry, go find something else.

The verdict? “Firefly Drinking Songs” is a must-buy for fans of Firefly and Serenity. Listen to it with your Browncoat friends on your next road trip to Miranda, or while munching on your Fruity Oaty Bars and deciding which weapons to bring on the heist. Some grenades would be nice right about now. Let’s have no undue fussin’.

About Marc Gunn, in his own words:

That’s me! I’m an an acoustic Celtic folk musician with a twisted sense of humor. My songs may not all sound “Celtic”, but they are based firmly in the tradition… even the ones about cats, hobbits or Firefly.

I think he’s my kind of guy. Cheers!

Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, and friends

With the recent popularity and/or infamy of Rebecca Black’s YouTube video “Friday,” I got to wondering whether there are songs about every day of the week. The short answer is “yes,” and I’ll provide names below. However, there are also good reasons you’ve never heard some of these songs. Worse than “Friday?” You be the judge.

Sunday: “Sunday,” by Nick Drake, is a good Sunday morning groove. Quiet, but not a lullaby. Acoustic guitar, fairly peaceful, pleasant, vanilla. Kind of like white noise, but with more pitch. It’s a bit “meh.”

Monday: “Monday, Monday” is a classic weekday song by The Mamas & the Papas. And to my ear, it’s preferable to “Manic Monday,” by The Bangles.

Tuesday: “Tuesday,” by Yaz. This one doesn’t do anything for me. But maybe you’ll like it. There aren’t as many Tuesday-titled songs to choose from, compared to other days. Maybe Tuesday is just uninspiring to songwriters.

Wednesday: “Wednesday,” by Tori Amos. If you listened to Tori in the 90s, you might be expecting an angsty wail on Wednesday. But this track is quieter, with little bits of waltz and some fun piano riffs.

Thursday: Well, I take back what I said about Tuesday being uninspiring. There are even fewer songs about Thursday! Here are two for your consideration. This one, “Thursday,” by Jim Croce, I’d actually listen to. This one, “Thursday,” by Youngblood Brass Band, is not my bag, baby. Maybe Rebecca Black needs to write a new Thursday song. Did I really just suggest that?

Friday: You’ve already heard “Friday,” as Rebecca Black sings it. I don’t even need to link it here. Instead, I’ll post a video of my favorite version of “Friday,” as performed by Stephen Colbert on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon! The good thing about this version? It’s hilarious, and it makes me smile every time I watch it. The bad thing? It gets that darned “Friday” song stuck in my head…

Saturday: “Saturday,” by Fall Out Boy, is an upbeat contemporary pop sounding song. Good for afternoon frisbee, I think. For later in the evening, you can’t beat the classic “Saturday Night,” by the Bay City Rollers. It’s not a fantastic musical composition, but you can’t help singing along to the “S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y NIGHT!” part, and it also helps you remember how to spell “Saturday.” Best enjoyed in the company of friends.

Did I miss your favorite day-of-the-week song? Please leave a comment and share!

Team Unicorn G33K & G4M3R Girls

This is the best Girl Geek thing I’ve seen in a while! “Team Unicorn,” a group of four geek girls, has released a music video called “G33k & G4M3R Girls.” It’s full of awesome geek girl references, from Star Wars and Stan Lee, to video games, leet-speak, and Battlestar Galactica.

Appearances by Seth Green, Katee Sackhoff, and Stan Lee add extra geek cred to the project. My personal favorite part? A little line from Serenity: “We aim to misbehave!”

Why do the girls, Clare Grant, Michele Boyd, Milynn Sarley, and Rileah Vanderbilt, call themselves “Team Unicorn?” From the Team Unicorn Facebook page: “Geek Girls: Like unicorns, we’re not supposed to exist.” True, girls. You are my kind of geeks!

Without further introduction, here is the G33K & G4M3R Girls (Geek and Gamer Girls) music video. Enjoy!

Geek and Gamer Girls Song – Watch more Funny Videos

Glee Karaoke iPhone app

I’ve been playing a lot with my new favorite iPhone app… Glee Karaoke, by smule. I’ve never done real karaoke before, but I am a huge Glee fan, and I can carry a tune. So I decided to give the app a try.

It is so much fun! I am not a great singer. I have been in school and church choirs, but never a superstar, and I’ve always been shy about singing in front of people. However, this app is so addictive, it makes me willing to share my embarrassing karaoke performances in order to progress and level up. Here’s one, if you’re curious: No Air.

The app features a growing library of downloadable tracks from Glee (most are $0.99 each). Once you choose, purchase, and download your song, you’re ready to perform! Start up the track, follow the highlighted words and pitch lines, and see how well you’re doing by watching the starbursts light up the screen. Complete achievements and share your songs (broadcast on the smule site and/or share via e-mail, Twitter, and Facebook) to earn points and level up.

To help those of us who aren’t ready for primetime, the app features auto-tune (pitch correction, if your voice is a little off-key) and auto-harmony (to make your one voice sound like trio Destiny’s Child). Of course, if you’re already a singing sensation, you can turn off those features and just go solo. The app even lets you sing along with your iTunes songs, or make up your own a cappella arrangements.

Overall, the Glee Karaoke app is very enjoyable. It’s well-executed and fun to use. The only thing I don’t like about it is the cost of the song tracks. Most die-hard Gleeks, like me, have already paid to download the songs from the TV soundtrack for $1.29 each. And the app makes us pay another $0.99 per karaoke song. This can get expensive! Come on! Give us a discount or something!

Still, if you’re a Glee fan, this app might just get you to “come out of the shower” as a singer. Take a chance and put yourself in the spotlight. Even if you’re shy, it’s too fun not to try. Break a leg!

Click for free iTunes Holiday Sampler album

Happy Holidays to you from me! I wanted to pass along a little gem of a freebie today, because it’s really a super deal! I discovered this when I checked out the iTunes music store this morning. Free music!

iTunes has been giving away a free single per week for quite a while, usually of a new artist (someone you’ve probably never heard of). But this Holiday Sampler album is full of songs you actually want to listen to, sung by artists whose names you recognize!

From Christmas classics (Amy Grant’s “O Come All Ye Faithful” and David Archuleta’s “The First Noel”) to holiday pop (“We Wish You a Merry Christmas” by Weezer?!) and even some humor (“Another Christmas Song” by Stephen Colbert), this is a perfect addition to your holiday library. And it’s free!

Thanks, iTunes. What a sweet Christmas surprise.

Get the album here: iTunes FREE Holiday Album

Here’s the full song list:

1. O Come All Ye Faithful (Amy Grant)
2. The First Noel (David Archuleta)
3. Silent Night (Sarah McLachlan)
4. Carol of the Bells / Jingle Bells (Barry Manilow )
5. It Snowed (Meaghan Smith)
6. Above the Northern Lights (Mannheim Steamroller)
7. Baby, It’s Cold Outside (Lady Antebellum)
8. We Three Kings (Toby Keith)
9. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (Rascal Flatts)
10. Silent Night (Wynonna)
11. Twelve Days of Christmas (Mexicani Marimba Band)
12. We Wish You a Merry Christmas (Weezer)
13. A Snowflake Fell (And It Felt Like a Kiss) (Glasvegas)
14. Another Christmas Song (Stephen Colbert)
15. Greensleeves (Vince Guaraldi Trio)
16. Dream a Dream (Charlotte Church)
17. The Nutcracker, Op. 71, Act 2: Character Dances (Divertissement) – Dance of the Reed Pipes (Kirov Orchestra & Valery Gergiev)
18. Angels We Have Heard On High (Aretha Franklin)
19. O Holy Night (Musiq Soulchild)
20. Auld Lange Syne (The Lonesome Travelers)

Oh, and once you download the album, you’ll also have access to some iTunes LP features, including song lyrics, artist information and photos, as well as a pretty falling-snow background while you listen to the music. Sweet as sugarplums!

Oh my goodness! This is a lip-sync video of a recording by a very talented a cappella group called moosebutter. They’ve taken several movie themes by composer John Williams (including E.T., Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Jaws), and added lyrics outlining the Star Wars story.

It’s Brilliant!

And don’t just dismiss this because you think all a cappella music probably sounds like Andy Bernard’s “Here Comes Treble” group on The Office. This video is seriously entertaining! I don’t post video often, because I think it slows down the loading of the page. But this one is worth it. Watch and enjoy!

Seen at canmag.

Yo Gabba Gabba is one of the few children’s programs that I can actually enjoy with my kids. It reminds me of Sesame Street and The Electric Company from when I was a kid.

Unlike some of the other meaningless junk cartoons, Yo Gabba Gabba is actually fun and educational. It took me a couple of episodes to “get it,” because it’s different from anything else I’ve seen, but now I see why the kids love it so much! We sing and dance together to songs like “Don’t Bite Your Friends,” and “Party in my Tummy!” Once you get over the “this is so weird” phase, it’s a blast.

One of my favorite parts of Yo Gabba Gabba is the special “Dancey Dance” segment. This is where a special guest actor or celebrity teaches the characters — and us — how to do a special dance, like the “Twirly Whirly” (Nikki Flores) or the “Puppet Master” (Elijah Wood), and other special moves by Laila Ali, Sugarland, Sean Kingston, and others. The dances are simple and fun for the kids, and having a real human person on the show makes it more relatable for adults. Plus, I’m not much of a dancer, so these simple steps are perfect for me, too! There are also special music segments, featuring fun bands like the Aquabats and the Salteens, doing some very perky, peppy toe-tapping tunes.

Quite simply, Yo Gabba Gabba is the freshest, hippest new kids’ show out there, and if you’d like to check out some videos and get more information on Yo Gabba Gabba, visit my Yo Gabba Gabba page at Squidoo.