“Dance like no one is watching. Sing like no one is listening. Love like you’ve never been hurt and live like it’s heaven on Earth.” – Mark Twain
I captured the video above while at The Saint, a truly terrific dive bar in the Lower Garden District, on the final stop of an epic New Year’s Eve here in New Orleans with my friends. And while yes, at the time, I was really amused with the carefree way this guy was dancing after many many libations, when I got home and was looking at videos the next day, I couldn’t help but think…carefree or not, drunk or sober, aware of your surroundings or totally oblivious there is something to be said for living in the moment. Because moments come and go, and we are always looking back and remembering or looking forward and anticipating but if I can take one piece of 2009 with me into 2010 it will be this: Live in the moment.
Roots of Music are marching forth to help their teacher, Derrick Tabb, become the next CNN Hero of the Year! Vote NOW, voting closes 6AM so do it NOW!
A native New Orleanian and snare drummer for popular Rebirth Brass Band, Derrick Tabb and friend, Alison Rheinheart, created New Orleans’ only non-profit music program that provides free instruments, music education, supplementary tutoring, hot meals and transportation to more than 100 at-risk youth.
I was fortunate enough to meet them both this past spring when I was in New Orleans and volunteer for Roots of Music. I’ve been a big fan ever since and am really excited to see this incredibly organization getting the national recognition it deserves. (more…)
Posted by Sloane Berrent in Music on August 24, 2009 | Comments
Cebu Prisoners Dancing To Michael Jackson.
Hello there friends of the The Causemopolitan!
If you’re a fan of Michael Jackson’s music, you’re going to be a fan of what I am about to share with you. This is my third music mix and I’m really liking using mixable. I might try to venture one month into GarageBand, but in the meantime, this is a good way to get a little music from me to you.
This is a mix by DJ PhilAm and it’s all the MJ packed into 33 minutes you could want. Stream or download it and enjoy:
*Remember if you like the music you hear, support artists by buying their work.*
I’m taking requests for upcoming themes and types of music – if you have anything you’d like to hear me put together or genres to tackle – either leave me a comment or send an email to sloane@thecausemopolitan.com
Posted by Sloane Berrent in Life, Music on August 8, 2009 | Comments
“If you can walk you can dance. If you can talk you can sing.” – Zimbabwe Proverb
I recently was emailing with Chris Guillebeau about fear – how certain people can get over fear and get out there in the world to do the things they want to do and how others can’t seem to overcome the hump.
I was trying to articulate how I’ve been able to overcome the hump. In short, how in the world this past year – which by all accounts has turned by world upside down ten times over – somehow has left me stronger and more sure of myself in ways I can’t even fully fathom yet – seeing as how I’m still in the midst of all these changes.
A simple story occurred to me, and I wanted to share it here with you.
Last night I was invited to a bar in Manila with live music by an Australian expat I was introduced to over email. How I met her is in and of itself a tale of making things happen. Another Kiva Fellow, Susan Arthur, introduced me over email to Gregg Butensky, who has an ongoing library project here in the Philippines. Our schedules here didn’t overlap, but he introduced me to Cherie McCosker, the Australian mentioned above who works here with Advocate of Philippine Fair Trade, Inc. Cherie and I met up for dinner last week to talk fair trade, economic development, Kiva, microfinance and living abroad. She is incredible and I’m so happy to have met her.
Cherie invited me to hear a band she loves, Juan Pablo Dream, a bassa nova band here in the Philippines. She said it would be “jazzy, funky, with trumpets and cover songs and lots of dancing.” I love live music, I couldn’t wait to go.
But Friday I was beat tired. I’ve had some long weeks and they are starting to take a toll. I really considered many times between 8-11pm to text her and say I just couldn’t make it. I just don’t like bailing on plans and so I dragged my weary bones to meet her at Penguin Bar in Malate. I arrived, paid the 150 peso cover (including a beer coupon this is about a $3 cover charge). My jaw dropped.
Everyone was dancing without a care in the world! It was a lot of expats, Peace Corps people, hippies and the band. Wow. Soul, funk, no pretension and just making sure everyone was having a good time. Not a huge venue, just a little bar with a band performing at the front. The kind of fun, spontaneous night that I would have in Los Angeles with my friend Casey and her and I would just dance and dance and laugh and just enjoy the moment for what it was.
This slightly drunk hippie french couple were dancing. They weren’t particularly good but I couldn’t stop watching them. He would turn her and twist her and sometimes one or the other would half lose their balance and almost fall and then laugh and hug each other and keep going. They had the appearance of great dancers. A light bulb went off. They looked great and like they had such terrific rhythm because they didn’t stop moving. They kept going and so even losing their balance looked like a dance step. They didn’t care if they messed up, they weren’t performing a particular move, just moving to the music in a way that felt good to them. They were free and you could see it in every dip and step they took.
Here’s what I came up with. That’s how I see my life now. (more…)
Posted by Sloane Berrent in Music on July 27, 2009 | Comments
For Your Listening Pleasure
Hello friends of The Causemopolitan!
You’re always so good to me. I wanted to do something nice for you. In fact, I’ve decided to do something nice for you every month. I’ll be making a monthly custom mix of the jams I’ve been listening to and will share with you accordingly.
Many of you received my first mix on mixable, entitled Kiva Mix, SXSW 2009 Edition. That one was for everyone who made a donation to my Kiva Fellowship Fund. It’s all bands from this year’s SXSW and in case you missed it, I saw 44 bands in 4 days just to come away with the best of up and coming music and bands for 2009. I slaved and labored away just to share this with you (or slight confession I just love live music but shhh don’t tell anyone). For the first time ever, I’m releasing it to the public here. Why? Because everyone deserves good music to jam out to. Why else? Because so many of you have helped me in ways that while not financial were no less important like spreading the word about my blog, commenting on my posts, sending me messages of encouragement not to mention the Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn love. What about those who made donations? Don’t you worry, they are receiving plenty of other treats from me.
Get it while it’s hot! Available to stream live, or download the whole thing for free and play thru Itunes, The Kiva Mix, SXSW 2009 Edition.
Oh wait, there was more right. Yes, yes, I remember. The July Mix for you.
Ok, so I’ve named this one Typhoon Musica. It’s a mix of new jams I’ve picked up, a special New Orleans jam song (if you don’t know the Cupid Shuffle, man get with it! People literally STOP their cars in New Orleans and get out in the street and dance to this. Totally serious).
It has an Emperor of the Sun song I can just listen to all day long, one of my all-time favorite Joseph Arthur songs, King Khan & The Shrines, a Grits class, Army Navy, Asobi Seksu to lull you at the end. Each track hand-picked and carefully created to create a musical experience that can take you through a workout, jamming in your car, or needing to get down to business at work.
If you have suggestions for songs or themes for coming months, let me know!
My legendary mixes are now available for your consumption! It’s quick, it’s easy, it’s Radiohead style!
Simply make a donation to my Kiva Fellowship Fund – any amount you want – and I’ll send you the link to download a mix made specially by me for YOU.
This week’s mix is a SXSW 2009 Edition. As many of you know, I rocked and rolled and tore through 48 bands in 4 days at this year’s SXSW. This mix I’m sharing with you has been my running mix for the past month. It’s 65 minutes long with 17 tracks and can take you through a great workout, listen to it at your desk or just jammin home from work.
Tracks include songs from Easy Star All-Stars, Ladyhawke, Delta Spirit, Harlem Shakes, Glavegas, Ra Ra Riot, The Asteroids Galaxy Tour and MORE!
It’s easy. Ready? Donate here:
And I’ll send you an acknowledgment letter (thanks from me to you), and a link to the Kiva Mix – SXSW 2009 Edition!
All donations $100 and over will ALSO receive a postcard from me in the Philippines.
Spread the word, I need to raise $7,500 by the end of the month and I’m 20% of the way there with $1807 (as of today).
“The next song says that no matter who you are, no matter where you go in your life, at some point, you’re going to need someone to stand by you.”
It’s TGIF Video Time! Playing for Change was inspired by hearing one man, Roger Ridley, perform “Stand By Me” on the Santa Monica Third Street Promenade.. Mark Johnson went running to hear who was singing and his vision for bringing peace to the world through music was born. Through this project, Mark believes, that music has the power to break down boundaries and overcome distances between people.
Playing for Change
The spirit of these videos is just incredible. It doesn’t hurt that the first two musicians featured are from Los Angeles and New Orleans.
I would hope anyone watching these would see how music is a great unifier and look at ways that we can continue to bring people together, instead of pushing them apart.
You can watch more of the Playing for Change videos or buy their CD online.
They have also recently set up a nonprofit foundation with the same name and you can look around to get more involved there too.
Welcome to the second TGIF Video! There are so many amazing motivational and inspiring videos, it’s hard to choose. I want there to be a “call to action.” A way you can get involved. I’ll try to show a wide variety of videos until I get the hang of exactly the best way to get everyone up and moving! Until then…
*It’s fun sometimes to not have all the answers.*
Back to regularly scheduled programming, I present The Girl Effect:
You can subscribe to The Girl Effect’s channel on YouTube here
Welcome to the first TGIF Video! Every Friday I’m going to bring you one of my favorite feel good videos on the web. The kind that put a smile on your face, maybe a tear down your cheek, and especially the kind that even if you’ve seen them before, you could easily watch again and again and send to friends to watch again and again. I hope you’ll enjoy this series and if there are any videos you’d like me to feature, please either leave a comment or send me an email!
In 2008, Matt traveled to 42 countries in 14 months, dancing with a cast of thousands to make this video. Watching it just makes me happy.
It also shows the power of doing something you love and the Universe sometimes bringing you a way to make money from that dream. Matt is currently sponsored by Stride Gum to travel the world and make videos of him dancing.
If your life could change in the blink of an eye tomorrow, what would you do?
Rock & roll is not so much a question of electric guitars as it is striped pants. -David Lee Roth
Well kids, enough time has passed that I can think of SXSW 2009 without a singular tear falling down my cheek. As I’ve mentioned before, SXSW is a life-changing mecca-like experience and somehow, under some miracle, each year keeps getting better.
Interactive aside, the music rocked hard. As promised, here is my “best of” and then some list of bands and also the full list of all that I saw there (48 bands in 4 days, intense, I know.)
SXSW Music Picks:
Clothes Falling Off, Oozing Sex, Performances Left Me Physically Unable To Speak: Sam Roberts Band – El Sol Y Luna Delta Spirit – Radio Room *extra points for best use of playing a trash can lid*
(Reference YouTube videos above)
Best International Comparison (And bonus for “See Them Now and Say You Saw Them When”): Glasvegas – Vice (Scottish Bruce Springstein) Asteroid Galaxy Tour – Emo’s Annex (Dannish Stevie Nicks)
Get it while it’s hot! Available to stream live, or download the whole thing for free and play thru Itunes, 
