Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with singer

Help in ID-ing a singer from the '30s.

Mimidae — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:49:48 -0800

I am trying to find information about a famous singer- not sure of the spelling- Gali Gerci or Galli Gerchi. My m-i- l said she was famous in England (~ mid 1930's) and she recalls her father getting her mother a record of her singing Peer Gynt's "Solveig's Song". Can anyone help- at least w/ the correct spelling?

A guy and a girl singing together?

zeek321 — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 07:07:03 -0800

I am a music ignoramus. But, I know I really like a man and a woman (a guy and a girl) singing together. Call and response, harmony, part of the lyrics or not, I think it's really amazing when a masculine voice and feminine voice are working together. I like Andrew Bird, Bonnie Prince Billy, Dent May, ...and Avril Lavigne. (Work with me, here.)

What are some amazing bands or just songs with a male and a female lead singer, where the music can be subtle, epic, ambient, soaring, mournful, bittersweet, peaceful, emotionally intimate or just with an awesome and/or racy and/or in-your-face pop hook?

Bonus #1: If you have additional info about whether the music is a team effort, who the creative force is, is there a friendship or relationship outside of the music, etc., that would be very cool.

Bonus #2: Is there a song called "Sleeping Together" where one of the lyrics is "like two notes, sustained"?

P.S. Previously. Noted.

Where to find albums by Donna Savage, if any?

elmono — Fri, 29 May 2009 18:05:04 -0800

Anyone know what happened to NZ singer Donna Savage? She sang with the Dead Famous People and on Saint Etienne's second single . She also did the magnificent background vocals for "Heavenly Pop Hit" by The Chills. I read somewhere that she released a solo album, but it was a long time ago and my memory is not what it used to be. Can anybody help. Thanks!

Vocal coach for 30-year-old male aspiring soul/reggae singer.

rubadub — Fri, 29 May 2009 10:23:46 -0800

Looking for a vocal coach for a 30-year-old guy (me.) Preferably one who is hip to soul, jazz, r&b. I love singing (been in several rock bands, sang on a few self-released albums) and have been on a massive soul/jazz/reggae/r&b kick lately. Like anyone else with blood cells, I sing along, but no way can I manage their precision/control. At age 30 and playing music as a hobby I will never be Curtis Mayfield, but I'm starting to wonder how well I could sing if I took lessons.

I'd like to find a vocal coach who is hip to this stuff instead of choral singing / opera or rock. I've thought about it on and off for years but I don't even know how much to expect to pay, much less who to check out.

If you know of any good online resources to get started, those would be much appreciated. Exercises/etc might save me a little dough and reinforce some basic skills up front.

Located in Columbus, OH if you have any specific suggestions.

The perfect gift for an aspiring musician

fvox13 — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 08:38:52 -0800

Recommend inspirational or otherwise awesome gifts for an aspiring opera singer, please! I have a very close friend who is in her sophomore year as a vocal Music Performance major, and her birthday is coming up. When I heard about this I thought it would be perfect, except it's not coming out for a few months.

Can the hive mind suggest similar videos? Or other gifts in this vein? I'd like to spend no more than about $30 - $40 USD.

Suggestions for comedy songs to sing at the piano

chrismear — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 02:20:33 -0800

I'd like to learn some more comedy songs to sing at the piano along the lines of Hugh Laurie's Mystery. Suggestions? I have a book of Tom Lehrer songs, but that's where my knowledge ends. Can you suggest any classics, gems, or just personal favourites that I should seek out?

Should vegetarians eat marine creatures?

jpg15 — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 20:15:56 -0800

Should vegetarians eat fish? How about shrimp? Mollusks? I'm a recent vegetarian convert, having read Peter Singer's seminal work. It took me about 30 minutes to realize that this is what I needed to do.

Singer only devotes two pages to the subject of marine life, and it lacks the authority that most of his writing carries (he notes this at the beginning of the section). There are a small number of for/against webpages, but I'm very interested hearing in the rationales of practicing vegetarians.

The question, as Singer always puts it, is whether or not the animal in question "has interests" and whether or not it can suffer, in the sense that humans can. Most people agree, for example, that insects do not. What about the various marine creatures? My instinct tells me that they do not, but this is based on scant data.

Great papers in ethics?

oddman — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:03:48 -0800

I'm looking for paradigmatic ethics papers. Specifically, I'd like papers that are as clear and influential as Singer's "Famine, Affluence, and Morality" and Thomson's "A Defense of Abortion." The papers do not have to be on charity or abortion, in fact, it would be nice to have a paper on some other problem in ethics. Also, I would like the paper to eschew too much theory talk (as the Singer and Thompson papers).

Also, could you offer a brief description and a comment on why you like the paper?

Books on singing

monkey closet — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 17:32:21 -0800

Can you recommend a book on singing? Summer is my time for a bit of professional development type reading. I'm not a professional singer, but I direct singers a lot (mainly, but not exclusively, classical). My summer reading should, ideally, stimulate me and send me into the next academic year fresh with new ideas.
I'm not really after a method (although if you know an enlightening one, say), but something that focuses on stylistic considerations and performance practice. I'm also aware that my grasp of 'correct' pronunciation is a bit weak.

Whatever happened to Lamya?

sergeant sandwich — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 23:00:52 -0800

Whatever happened to Lamya? She released an album in 2002 complete with publicity tours etc., but since then seems to have fallen off the face of the earth. No news stories since early 2003, her official site is now a squatter's linkfarm, and her old record label [warning, annoying music autoplays] doesn't list her as one of their artists. I'm sad, because I've been looking forward to new music from her for a while now.

Anyone have any recent information or know anything about why she just vanished?

Voices you either love or hate...

grumblebee — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 11:26:33 -0800

I like singers with strange voices. I don't like novelty songs (e.g. Betty Boop) and I don't like "songs" that are so avant-garde that they're basically noise (e.g. someone screaming into a microphone). So I'm not looking for strange music. I'm looking for traditional (melodic) music sung by singers with non-traditional singing voices. Examples of what I like: Joanna Newsom, Leon Redbone, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Elaine Stritch. This is obviously a matter of personal taste and interpretation, but I want to find singers with a lot of eccentric character -- not singers that are just putting on a weird act.

1. Sing Beautifully 2. ???? 3. Profit!

chara — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 08:42:34 -0800

How do I turn my love/talent for singing into a career (or at least a side job)? I love to sing, and not to toot my own horn, but I'm pretty good at it too. I have a wide range and a versatile, cross-genre style.

I do karaoke contests every now and then, and I used to be in a show choir that paid a little bit of money. I've thought about doing community musical theatre, but i don't have a lot of time, as I work a regular 9-5 job as well. Also, because I live in Kansas City, there aren't as many opportunities available as there are in larger metropolitan areas.

What other options are there for vocalists to make money? Wedding singer? (I do that for free, for my friends), National Anthem performer?
Jingle singer?

Perhaps I'm overthinking this...

Thanks for your help & your time!

Name this tune

tcobretti — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 21:24:46 -0800

A few years ago I saw a music video with a female singer whose face had been blue screened into a animated scifi setting. The video was very cool despite its somewhat "Clutch Cargo" (or Johnny Chimpo if you prefer) vibe. Anybody have any idea what song it is?

It begilns to tell 'round midnight...

Phire — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:07:13 -0800

Give me recommendations for vocal versions of Round Midnight. The first time I heard this song, it was sung to me by a friend with a lovely mid-range voice, and the lyrics were absolutely haunting. The style of delivery was very simple and crisp rather than resonating. More Diana Krall than Sarah Vaugh, let's say.

I've got four instrumental versions of the song, but I've yet to find a vocal version with a singer that makes me feel as calm as this friend did. Amy Winehouse's take gives me a raging headache, for example. Kenny Rankin's version makes it sound like a teenybopper song. Linda Ronstadt's is pretty good, but a bit rushed (and it sounds like she's stretching her voice at times), though Ella Fitzgerald's version is very close to what I'm looking for.

I apologize if I come off as really picky - I guess I am in this case. I adore the lyrics a lot and would love to find the ideal cover, and maybe you know of some niche indie artist that fits these descriptors perfectly. I'm not sure how clear I've expressed myself and I'm sure there are hundreds of covers to pick from. I guess I'm looking for more melodic, less raspy/throaty, more focused on a decently jazzy beat and a smooth delivery rather than the "creative takes of rhythm" some of the above artists seem to favour.

Thanks in advance!

Who is this Mongolian singer?

bwg — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 06:18:52 -0800

Does anyone know the name of the 2nd singer in this YouTube clip of Mongolian Urtiin Duu? I'd love to get this particular song on mp3. Clearly I need to speak with a Mongolian, or someone who can speak it.

Microphone and amp for vocal practice

mmoncur — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 05:52:29 -0800

Trying to choose a microphone / preamp / amp for a vocalist to use when practicing with a band. My wife sings vocals in our band, and we need a decent way to amplify her voice. The other instruments are electronic drums, guitar, and bass, each of which have their own amp. We're currently plugging a cheap Peavey dynamic mic into one of the drum monitor inputs, but we'd like something better.

Which type of microphone is best for practicing in a small room with other instruments? We don't want feedback but we want to be able to hear the vocals clearly.

Should we get a separate amp/speaker just for vocals, or a preamp to plug them in with the drums? Ideally she wants to add a bit of reverb to the vocals, or at least a bit of warmth.

This is strictly for practice, but if any equipment we purchase were useful in future recording or live situations it would be a bonus.

Note: I'm pretty much aware of the difference between condenser and dynamic mics, and pickup patterns, but I don't know what's best for this particular situation.

Who is the woman in Moby's "Disco Lies" video?

Meatbomb — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 08:38:55 -0800

Who is the woman in Moby's "Disco Lies" video? Is she the real vocalist?
What's her name?
What else has she done?

96 Tears...But Hopefully More

AngerBoy — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 14:13:54 -0800

What's a good example of a song whose emotional power affects the artist performing it? I'm trying to compile a list of songs whose musical landscape and/or lyrics are so emotionally potent that the emotion emerges clearly in a recorded version of the song. Specifically, I'm looking for rock or pop songs with sung lyrics, and easily-accessible (album) recordings in which you can clearly hear the performer affected by the emotion of the song.

A couple of examples that rise immediately to mind are:

Michael Jackson's She's out of My Life (yes, it's sort of a mediocre song, but I like the bit when you hear him break down near the end), and

Nina Simone's live version of The King of Love is Dead, recorded soon after Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination.

Can you guys come up with any other examples? Any good tear-jerkers where the singer him/herself gets overcome while singing? I keep trying Google, but try as I might, I keep ending up at that godforsaken Roy Orbison song.

We can rebuild it... Maybe?

slowfasthazel — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 09:38:19 -0800

Can my sewing machine be fixed? After a failed stupid attempt at sewing too many layers on my Singer Stylist 476 (from the late '60s I believe) my machine quit threading the bobbin. A repair place in town looked at it, found that the top gear was broken and said it would be over $200 to repair. And then started talking about how great their NEW machines are. That quote sounds really steep, especially when followed by a sales pitch.

So what I'm wondering, is no particular order, is:

Does that quote sound really high?

Should I find another repair shop? Of course I should, but I've been asking around and all I have heard so far is that there are not any great repair places in town (Portland, OR) any more. Do you know of any?

Can I fix it myself?! That kind of sounds like fun. I've come across a few places that sell parts and repair instructions online, but I have no idea what kind of technical ability a person really needs to fix one of these. Think it's doable? I'm no mechanic, but I'm decent at figuring things out.

Should I just suck it up and buy a new machine and chuck the old one out for scrap metal? That makes me sad.

Any advice or recommendations is appreciated. Thanks!

who-the-heck-sings-this-song filter. Help me identify an obscure piece?

jwhowa — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 16:14:39 -0800

I've got this MP3 I'm trying to identify, and many attempts at googling the lyrics have left me wanting. The lyrics to the chorus are "you're feeling sorry, feeling sorry, alright... (snip) for nobody but yourself" It's a lady singing, very catty, chacha beat. Link to a snippet of the song is inside, if anyone could provide me artist/title/album or any of the above that would be fantastic! Thanks for considering it! Snippet is located here:

http://technodaddy.com/feelinsorry.mp3

Help me not sew my own finger by mistake

Sijeka — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 16:11:32 -0800

Help me not sew my own finger to the machine! I recently bought a Singer 99 model from the 30s (I think) and can't get it to work for the life of me. I bought a Singer 99 sewing machine on ebay - electric, has a light, probably made in the 30s as far as I can tell.

It came with a manual, but alas I am afraid I'm not getting the instructions at all. Do any of you know where I could get clear instructions as to how to thread the bobbin properly and start sewing? Or maybe do any of you know how to do it and could help me out? I am putting the thread through all the rights holes, but I start sewing in only makes holes in the fabric, and the thread doesn't go in. Should there be two bobbins working at the time?

I am so sorry about the vagueness of my explanations, I am an absolute novice, currently confused and frustrated. As far as I can tell, not a piece is missing and the machine *should* work....

I googled for 30 mns and didn't find anything to help me :(

Who is that person?

jdfan — Tue, 08 May 2007 12:57:25 -0800

BostonFilter: Opera singer on jewelry poster. Who is it? Right in the middle of the bridge connecting Copley Place and Prudential Center. Any help?

First, get a name.

TiredStarling — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 18:38:21 -0800

Need a band name! Can't wait to see what the AskMeFiLites come up with! We need a name for a female vocal trio. They are - ahem - maturer ladies (i.e. not skanky ho's) singing original songs, pop-rock classics, and the odd standard: Dusty Springfield, Elkie Brooks, "Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered", etc.

Names which have been suggested but rejected:

Diva, Bella, Belladonna, Sirens.

These are all in the right area of sophisticated womanly greatness, but somehow not quite... IT!!

How does one tame a bobbin?

grabbingsand — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 10:27:52 -0800

SewingFilter. I've a new sewing machine, a model 2950 bought refurbished from Singer. As such, I need help with something that ought to be simple. How does one go about positioning and manipulating the bobbin in such a way that the needle will pick it up? The manual gives what appear to be definite instructions, but I really need some specifics, some wheres and some how muches. For instance, do I need to do anything with that trailing bit of thread? Need it be shoved under the needle plate? If not, how does the needle manage to magically grab the bobbin thread?

I've scanned the "Inserting a Bobbin" and "Raising the Bobbin Thread" pages and posted them to Flickr. Take a look and explain this mechanical miracle to me as if I were eight. Thanks.

I just gotta be MEEE!!!! Oh, but wait, who am I?

miss lynnster — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 16:08:03 -0800

Hello there Bay Area worker bees... care to help a girl trying to reinvent herself (yet again)? I need to find my niche here, but I feel a little lost sometimes. If I pour my heart out, can you share your local insights with me & maybe point me in some good new directions? I thank you profusely in advance for your help. There is much, much... I may be opening up too much here, but nothing ventured nothing gained, right? Here goes...

I'm very much a native Southern Californian (my family came there in 1909, it's not my fault). I needed a change, so I jumped at the chance when I was recruited up here for work. It hasn't been as easy of a transition as I'd expected though. It almost feels like I need to learn entirely new social/professional skills because of the differences in culture. Also, unfortunately I've learned that some people here are almost hostile upon discovering I moved from Los Angeles. (My mechanic actually said to me: "We won't hold that against you. You're in God's country now...") I like who I am and I'm proud of my Southern California heritage so at first that bothered me: I'll confess I felt unnecessarily judged & a bit defensive. But now I'm just trying to get over it & find my happy niche. Sometimes I feel like I'm at a loss though, so this is why I am begging for advice from the hive mind.

I need advice in 3 areas:

1) RESURRECTING MY NIGHT JOB. As some of you know, I'm a professional singer, specializing in classic jazz vocals. In LA I performed regularly and when I got up here I was all gung ho to perform. Got involved in the Stanford Jazz Workshops at the Berkeley School of Jazz, but then I ran out of steam. The professional jazz/musician community didn't seem to be as strong or supportive of eachother here... so I got frustrated & lost my spirit a little because I felt out of my element, I guess. Other than sitting in or doing occasional jam sessions, in the last few years the only professional gigs I've had have been ones I commuted down South for. I've done nothing here, and I'm upset with myself for that. I live here and I need to get off my rear and get adjusted & find my niche. So I would love to hear suggestions of clubs or opportunities or even other musicians that you all think would be a good fit for what I do, because I miss collaborating with other musicians and being hired to entertain people. Desperately. When I'm not making music regularly, it's like a part of me is missing. It's something I've worked hard at and I love. I need to find my musical momentum again.

2) REINVENTING MY DAY JOB. I'm a graphic designer/art director with 15 years of very high profile experience (Disney, Mattel, children's books, been featured in HOW Magazine, etc.) & I want to expand my client base and get some really cool, fun, rewarding new projects going on this year. I still have some LA clients, but I want more local ones... otherwise, why am I here? Unfortunately, an awful lot of my client leads in SF have gone nowhere because people seem to be (and I could be wrong, but this has been my impression so far) MUCH flakier about follow through here than they are in Los Angeles. Also, I feel that some people just try to put me in my place because it says LA on my resume. (My portfolio is really tight, yet I've even had one person say "Your work is too LA, THIS is San Francisco" which came across as ridiculous because I've had clients nationwide.)

I've always been told I'm a pretty easy person to work with/for. I know what I'm doing have a reputation for creating top quality professional work & having good management & social skills. So how should I go about developing a great, high profile clientbase in SF for myself? Any suggestions on good tactics that work? Or places/people I should look into contacting?

3) JUMPSTARTING MY SOCIAL LIFE A BIT MORE. What's a good way/place here for a 30-something, single, creative woman (with a slight LA edge, yes, but in a good way) to meet quality potential friends that are cool and smart and funny? Right now most of my very best friends live hundreds or thousands of miles away... I need to start befriending more local people & inviting them into my life. (Oh, and replacing the ex-boyfriend-that-I-dated-for-6-years-too-long with a better model wouldn't be a bad consideration either, truth be told.)

Ok... end of my annoyingly lengthy novelette all about me me me. Please commence with the insightful advisin', my MeFi peeps! Help me find my SF comfort zones! I'm all ears. :)