 |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
SongPeddler Staff Picks
| We
get a chance to listen to
all of the songs in our
digital catalog and so we'll
feature our best picks as
often as we can. If you
find you like the choices
of anyone, you can keep
checking back for more picks
in the coming months to
help you find more great
new music. As we continue
to pick more and more great
music, you'll always be
able to find the archives
of past favorites as well. |
|
|
| |
 |
|
Michelle's
Harvest Season
Favorites
|
| I
love variety
- in people,
in life experiences
and in music.
My library of
best-loved music
spans the spectrum:
Jazz of all
types, Blues,
Swing, Classic
and Southern
Rock, R&B,
Big Band, Flamenco,
Afro Cuban,
New Age, Latin,
Country, Americana,
and music from
around the globe.
My tastes tend
to move with
the seasons.
I love Autumn
here in the
Wine Country
- the smells,
the colors,
the textures
of the vineyards
and oak covered
hills. As the
frenetic energy
of Summer is
calming, I'm
in the mood
for smooth instrumentals
to enjoy with
friends and
a nice glass
of Pinot Noir.
Some curent
favorites: |
 |
The
Redwood Sidthe
(CD) - Lovely
Celtic/New Age
acoustic guitar
which evokes
the spirit of
the redwoods. |
|
Mosaic
(CD) - Smooth
jazz infused
with Latin and
World beat instrumentation
and influences.
|
|
Stillwater
Sound Collection
(CD) - A melding
of Jazz, New
Age, and Contemporary
Classical by
various artists
|
|
|
 |
|
Michelle
Ellison
VP Marketing
& Customer Satisfaction
|
Astrological
Sign: Gemini
Hobbies & Interests:
Food, wine, community service,
architecture, art, design,
hiking, travel, gardening,
history, and current affairs.
Musical Talents:
I have a habit of making
up silly songs and singing
them off-key with reckless
disregard for those around
me.
Favorite Instruments:
Ella Fitzgerald's voice.
I love the sax and electric
or acoustic guitar. I'm
not crazy about the harpsichord.
Memorable Musical Moments:
Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jeff
Beck, and Carlos Santana
together in concert. Meeting
Dizzy Gillespie. The first
time I heard "Dark
Side of the Moon."
My niece Hannah's first
piano recital. |
|
| |
 Michael
Diamond
Category Specialist
|
|
Astrological
Sign: Libra
Hobbies & Interests: Music
recording and producing, multi-media
performance art, metaphysics,
holistic health, nature, scenic
drives.
Musical Talents: Guitar
and synthesizers
Favorite Instruments: Electric
guitar is definitely my favorite.
Although I have a deep appreciation
for acoustic instruments, I tend
towards the electronic side of
the musical spectrum. I am fascinated
by synthesizers and their ability
to create atmospheric textures.
However, I do love flute, and
percussion, and I find the sitar
to be a magical, mystical instrument.
Musical Moments: My musical
"peaks" would have to
be at some of the concerts I've
played at over the years. Playing
in a band that opened the show
for Ram Dass in Boulder Colorado
especially stands out. Also attending
live performances by The Doors,
Pink Floyd, Led Zepplin, Grateful
Dead, Santana, Miles Davis, Weather
Report, and many others are musical
moments I treasure. Hearing the
first Jimi Hendrix album "Are
You Experienced" was also
a life-changing musical event,
as were some of the other classic
albums of that period. |
| |
|
|
Mary's music
selections
are expressive...
|
I
drive down the
highway scanning
different radio
stations. This
way I hear a
variety of programming.
I like most
music. So what
I pick will
be something
that expresses
me, how I am
feeling at the
time, something
that resonates
within me. Syncopation,
great harmony,
vocal timbre,
good lyrics
will catch my
ear. I love
listening to
world music,
music from other
cultures. One
CD I have had
constantly on
my changer is
of Native American
flute and chanting
and drums.
I am choosing
some reflective
music yet keeping
with medium
energy to spice
up the rainy
afternoon and
get my mind
and body to
venture into
the wild.
|
 |
Tsering
Tsomo
by Tsering
Wangmo
I don't understand
it but there
is something
magical going
on here. |
|
Nothing
in This Life
Stays Long
by Doug
Jayne
What a haunting
tune. I like
the full band
version. |
|
Streams
by Streams
Relaxing... |
|
So
Bright
by Gery
Tinkelenberg
Interesting
instrumentation
and rhythm as
well as a story
that is all
too familiar
in the news. |
|
Always
In Trouble
by II
BIG
Good ole rock
and roll and
life. |
|
|
|
|
 Mary
Harmon
Multimedia Manager
Click
here for past months
picks... |
Astrological
Sign: Taurus
Hobbies & Interests:
Taking pictures in macro
mode, growing things year
round, bicycling
Musical Talents:
I enjoy drumming. Haven't
found time since I got my
digital camera though.
First sound recording:
I was recorded on a record,
at age 2 or less, and no
one could coax me to say
much of anything!
Favorite instruments:
Piano, violin
Musical Moments:
Playing traps and doing
sound for my group at the
same time.
Favorite animals:
My dog, of course! And any
cats that stray into my
grasp. Birds are cool. Otherwise,
elephants and turtles. |
|
|
|
 Ruben
Salcido
Senior Database and Systems Architect |
|
|
Ruben
enjoys
all
kinds
of music...
|
I
like music
that has
melody
and interesting
harmonic
structures.
The rhythm
is also
important
to me.
It is
said that
rhythm
invokes
melody,
I feel
that this
is true
for most
of the
classics
in Jazz,
Classical
and Pop.
I enjoy
all kinds
of music
although
my main
interests
are Latin
in all
of its
varied
styles
and Jazz
from the
earliest
recordings
to the
current
crop of
young
jazz lions.
I enjoy
thoughtful
ballads
because
you can
hear how
the composer
put together
all of
the elements
to convey
emotion.
I listen
to music
to find
new phrases
or interesting
melodies
and harmonic
structures.
I like
to listen
to new
renditions
of old
standards.
It's like
hearing
the song
for the
first
time again...
|
|
Angel
Eyes
by DARIA |
|
Number
11 in
E Minor
by Dr.
Kris Palmer |
|
Tender
Earth
by Colin
Farish |
|
Grace
(Full
Band)
by Sarah
Baker |
|
Titania's
Lament
by The
Oregon
Trio |
|
On
My Way
by Karen
Drucker |
|
Ghacham
Dho
by Tsering
Wangmo |
|
|
|
|
Astrological
Sign: Gemini
Hobbies & Interests:
I like to garden,
but my gardens tend
to be all jungly and
wild. It's more like
letting the land do
it's own thing with
a little nudge from
me. I like to hike,
one of my greatest
thrills was leading
an expedition up Mt.
Shasta with my two
kids and daughter
in law. We all made
it to the top and
had a great photo
of the summit. I jog
several times a week
in order to maintain
my stamina for the
long hours of programming
needed to keep SongPeddler
on line and responsive.
Flee when I'm singing...
Musical Talents:
I play saxophone and
flute in several bands
including an 18 piece
big band Full
Spectrum Jazz
that plays contemporary
big band arrangements
from local and international
composers. I recently
finished an arrangement
for that band which
will probably get
onto our next CD project.
I also play in a Latin
Jazz/ Salsa band called
Safari.
We recently released
our first CD, I composed
2 pieces for that
project.
Favorite Instruments:
Sax and Flute of course.
I love to listen to
a great trap drummer
drive the beat. I
really love to listen
to the piano. Bill
Evans was one of my
favorites. Soprano
sax can produce a
very haunting sound
Musical Moments:
The first time I played
music from my Suite
titled "Sal
Si Puedes."
It was about a year
after my mother had
passed and I had written
the first half of
what later was to
become the suite.
The concert hall was
packed with friends
and jazz lovers. I
could feel the spirits
of my parents in the
concert hall. Later,
Many people commented
on how good they felt
about the music. It
was a great thrill. |
|
|
|
|
|
 Gayle
Goldstone
Executive
VP & CFO |
Astrological
Sign: Capricorn
Hobbies & Interests:
Art and Travel. (Loves
numbers, sorry Jane!).
Musical Talents:
HA! Does dancing count??
Favorite Instruments:
Saxophone, Keyboards
Musical Moments:
Accomplished tap dancer
in my youth....
Favorite animals:
Birds (big and exotic)
|
|
|
|
|
 Kevin
Nutt
Production Coordinator
|
|
|
Kevin loves
vocal pieces
the most...
|
I look for good
lyrics and a
personality
to satisfy my
tastes. To really
enjoy an instrumental
piece, there
must be good
melodies. I've
always been
attracted to
the simple melody
that continues
to be built
upon itself.
Otherwise, I
enjoy all types
of music as
long as it's
not turned up
too loud.
|
|
Another
Door
by Sarah
Baker |
|
Pangchen
Metok
by Tsering
Wangmo |
|
Maple
Leaf
by Laura
O'Neal |
|
|
|
|
Astrological
Sign: Pisces
Hobbies & Interests:
Songwriting, recording,
hiking, getting out.
Musical Talents:
Writing songs, singing,
guitar, harmonica, some
piano.
Favorite Instruments:
Voice, guitar, piano.
Favorite Books: Crime
And Punishment (Dostoyevsky),
The Glass Bead Game (Hesse). |
|
|
|
|
|
 Sonal
Shah
Webmaster
|
Astrological
Sign: Aries
Hobbies & Interests:
I have received formal training
in Indian Classical Dancing.
In general, I love all form
of dancing. I am also fond
of folk and light music
of any kind. I also love
various outdoor recreational
activities.
Musical Talents:
I would rather keep my musical
talents limited to singing
in the shower.
Favorite Instruments:
Sitar (Indian String Instrument),
Santoor (yet another String
Instrument from Northern
India), and Tabla (Percussion
Instrument from India). |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Kris
Thayer
President & CEO
Click
here for past months picks... |
|
Astrological
Sign: Aquarius
Hobbies & Interests: Metaphysics,
Gadgets, Music, Computers, Bicycling, Video,
3D animations, and Playing cards.
Musical Talents: Keyboard, guitar,
vocals, and a little percussion here and there.
First Sound Recording: "How Much
is that Doggie in the Window" - 78 RPM
Favorite Instruments: Piano, acoustic
guitar, native american flute, the ney (persian
flute), and all types of saxophones.
Favorite Animals: Cats and Horses |
|
|
|
|
|
 Matt
Kramer
Music Promotion Consultant
|
Astrological Sign: Cancer
Hobbies & Interests: Acting, Mediation.
Writing
Musical Talents: Songwriter, plays
Guitar
First Sound Recording: When I was ten
years old I bought Nelson Riddle's arrangement
of Route 66?
|
|
|
|
 Jane
Braynard
Wordsmith |
|
|
Jane and her cats like mellow
instrumentals and sing along
tunes...
|
As
a type A/B, I like music that's
fast, slow, and in between and
that reflects humor, irony, reflection,
and social conscience. My music
picks are all over the place and
vary in beat, lyrics, mood, and
theme.
My furry assistants, cats Suede
and Tribble, like to relax to
classical and jazz, whereas I
lean toward folk, rock, R&B,
and anything that makes me laugh.
Since I'm oddly positive and cynical,
a wide variety of tunes appeals,
and I'm usually willing to give
something a listen to see if it
grows on me. In the car, I like
sing-along music (with the windows
up, of course, so that other motorists
can drive in peace), and I love
liner notes with lyrics so that
I don't accidentally sing something
really dumb...
|
|
Our
Cats by Robin
Flower and Libby McLaren |
|
3-Day
Weekend by Mark
McLay and the Dustdevils |
|
I
Lost The Right To Sing The Blues
by Karen
Drucker |
|
Cool
Wind Blows by Mark
McLay and the Dustdevils |
|
Antananarivo
by Robin
Flower and Libby McLaren |
|
Another
Street by Terra
Nova |
|
|
|
|
Astrological
Sign: Sagittarius
Hobbies & Interests: Gardening, traveling,
movies, reading, eating, laughing, cleaning
and organizing (hates numbers)
Musical Talents: Undiscovered; spiders
in the shower typically flee when I'm singing...
Favorite Instruments: Voice, Guitar,
Piano, Sax, Violin, Flute
Musical Moments: First and Last Organ
Recital (Age 8; hideous pink dress)
Favorite Animals: Cats, Dogs, Horses,
Fish, Mice, Rats, Raccoons, Squirrels...anything
but Possums and Potato Bugs
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
