Surviving

Here are some more photos I'd like to share from the "disaster zone". Most are courtesy of my Aunt Lori, thankfully she has a digital camera and has an online album. Someday I'll do the same.

The first two photos were some of the most dramatic photos taken during Rita's surge. This is Don's Boat Landing on the Boston canal, just down the road from Henry. Note the blue boat in the center of the photo. The next one was taken the following day as the water receded.




The next three are at my grandparents' house. My mother Donna in the kitchen; Lori, my step-dad Phil and mother Donna; then Lori again - with salvaged items. The spray-painted name and address on the houses were another all too common sight throughout the parish. My mom told me it nearly killed her when she had to spray that on the house.





A house down the road off it's pilings. See the pilings in the foreground where the house used to stand?









My grandparents' in the apt. at the assisted-living place. Lori's boyfriend Jeremy is on the sofa. My grandfather is shaving with his electric razor - he'll spend hours with that thing - drives my grandmother nuts!










The little green house was the first house my grandparents lived in after they got married, it was built just for them. They later moved to Port Arthur when my grandfather was unable to find work in the area.










And last, my parents' temporary home, the travel trailer, affectionately known as Chateau Loebeaux.

Blue-Eyed Soul Voice

That's how Rod Stewart characterized Elliott Yamin during his coaching session before knockin' em' dead with "It Had To Be You".

I couldn't agree more...

Rg

Elliott Yamin - A Singularity of Voice

I belong to a Yahoo Group for Elliott Yamin and replied recently to a poster's query about why the "American Idol" judges heap praise on Elliott's voice, since he felt he failed to see, or hear, what they do. So I decided to address it as an expert and it set off a storm on the board. I have to admit it feels good to be taken seriously sometimes. Maybe the man himself will come across it! Here is the text of my reply:

This is my opinion of why the judges like Elliott's voice. I'm a trained singer, so I hope you don't mind the technicalities, which I'll try to spell out in layman's terms. Elliott's voice stands out for many reasons, and is highly deserving of the judges' praise, as well as deserving to win this competition. His tone, or sound - also called timbre, is very distinctive, and there's a lot of presence on the voice. It's very rich and warm in color and highly expressive with a lot of shading throughout, there's no stiffness to it. He also has a lot of power, thus no problem with volume. It's a very startling voice when paired with him visually as it almost belies his appearance, though the show has worked on tailoring him up to match his vocal quality. But in the early weeks of the show, at first glance, you could almost not imagine that voice coming out of him, and it hits you like a ton of bricks. Elliott's voice also sits perfectly in his middle register, which is the dominant part of a man's voice, it resonates in his chest, as opposed to a head voice or a falsetto, or a low bass voice, so it comes across as natural, and sounds like an extension of his speaking voice. He also has an effective blend into his upper register, as he moves into higher notes on the scale, where normally a man's voice would break into the falsetto, he resonates the voice into the mask of his face, keeping that "chest" sound, as well as retaining power and volume. In a woman's singing voice, this would be considered "belting" - where she continues to sing from her chest voice rather than break into her head voice, like a lyric soprano. In classical terms, Elliott would probably be considered a dramatic tenor - which I think is the best. He also brings a dark, slightly husky quality by allowing air to slip in on certain phrases, which fits well with his soul-ful, jazzy style. He is also gifted in tackling tricky rhythms, which stems from his ability to phrase a song effectively, and he has such a great musical sensibility. I remember on more than one occasion, the judges, I think Randy in particular, remarked that he had chosen the most difficult material in terms of rhythm. So he's to be admired for challenging himself.

He approaches the vocal with an attack by jumping right onto the pitch of the notes and living within them, as well as making each phrase (lyrics) a bold statement. Which leads to how a great singer is defined. It's not enough to simply hit notes perfectly, or smear melisma all over them - which is changing pitch on one syllable of text - like in blues or gospel singing, which unfortunately has became a trademark of American Idol singers over the past few seasons, due to the influence of trendy pop superstars. While most of these young singers have great instruments, they're not communicating a reason for moving all over those notes. You have to bring an emotional life to the song and connect the quality you're bringing to the notes to the lyrics of the song. What has brought the character in the song to the emotional state where spoken words are not enough? What are the stakes? A song has to be treated like a three-act play, it has a beginning, a middle, and an end. A great singer is an interpretive artist, and Elliott fits into all those parameters, because his potential is so potent. He's also grown in confidence, stature, and stage presence over the course of the show and that's what was so touching about his performance this past week.

The judges have been praising his vocal quality for the most part but they were waiting for that show-stopping moment, and Elliott delivered it on Tuesday with his stirring rendition of "A Song For You". He brought such a passionate, desperate connection to those lyrics, and I truly believe we were witnessing the birth of a star on national television.

He sings like he means it, that's why the judges love him - thus we must vote like "Yamin" it!

Rg

A Star is Born

Elliott Yamin brought the house down with his stirring rendition of Leon Russell's "A Song For You", via Donny Hathaway's style, on this past Tuesday night's "American Idol." This was the performance that we've been waiting for from this humble soul with the toothy grin and a voice that melts like butter. A passionate and bold connection to those lyrics coupled with an ever-growing confidence and improved stage presence was a defining moment for him and for that show's history. It's not often that the birth of a star happens right before our eyes on live television.

No matter who may walk away with the crown this season, this extraordinary young man has a bright future.

I'm proud to be a full-fledged Yaminion!

Joe Duck Cool

The Great Acadiana Running of the Ducks was held last week in the Acadian Village in Lafayette, Louisiana, benefitting the Boys and Girls Club.

Not too difficult for Louisianans to come up with something to honor or have fun with.

Is this a pre-cursor to the Duck Festival?

Visited States

Some visits were accomplished by driving through, I must admit. And why did they have to use the color red???

Attractions visited in particular states of note: Tennesse - Graceland Mansion, Elvis Presley's home; Ohio - King's Island Amusement Park (where the Brady Bunch got into trouble); South Dakota - Mount Rushmore (didn't see Cary or Eva); Wyoming - Little America (the mother of all truck stops).

create your own visited states map
or check out these Google Hacks.

It's Back!!!!!

Ooh, Sigh! Give them your attention....

The cast of the revival of "A Chorus Line" was presented on Tuesday. It's set for an October opening on Broadway.

It's so nice to have you back, where you belong.....

Idol Worship

For some reason I've become hooked on the current season of "American Idol", don't ask me why.

My two favorites so far are the sexy rocker Chris Daughtry and the adorable Elliott Yamin. Elliott by far has the best voice - a soulful, jazzy type with a rich, melodic tone and a melting vibrato.