Day of Silence - isn't Day of Music better?

Wow, reading all this fuzz about saving the internet radio today by not playing any music, it's very interesting to see how many different viewpoints can there be on one single subject!

And one can go into endless discussions and debates about such HUUUUUUGE matters as money, business, this and that kind of copy- and other rights, organizations, laws, percentages, rentability, market and all that jazz.

While forgetting the most important thing: we should be talking about MUSIC... And it could be such an incredibly simple thing as
1) there are artists who create stuff and are happy if they can give some nice moments also to others with it
2) there are listeners who are happy to listen the stuff these artists created.

That's the bottom line.

Then, there are different channels that help to make this happen. Doesn't matter what type of media are we talking about, the only clever approach can be to serve these 2 points above. In the way that it is economically fair to all parties.

In other words: an internet radio has to satisfy its listeners AND its artists/labels while figuring out business solutions for their own financial issues.

So my first question was this when I heard about this Day of Silence thing, and it still remained unanswered: if the purpose is to reach more and more listeners and play more and more songs from more and more artists, then how the goddamn heck does it make any sense NOT to play?

A service-minded internet music radio can't afford to shut up even for an hour, in order to "show support to a cause", it just sounds stupid. (Okay, I could understand 1 minute silence occasionally, to honor an exceptionally great artist passing away, but that could be the only reason, not to speak about technical breakdowns now).

Sorry, I don't want to offend the intention of the people and the participating radios, but hey - supporting music by NOT playing music? C'mon, doesn't this sound weird to you?

Have those internet radios asked their listeners if they would agree with NOT getting service for a whole day? Have all the listeners agreed? If not, how do they dare not to play music for them, especially if it's a paid service?

Have those internet radios asked their artists/labels if they would agree with NOT playing their songs for a whole day? Have all those artists agreed? If not, how do they dare to force artists into a strike the artists didn't want???

Just ask a musician: if they want to say something, protest against something, raise their voices about an issue, would they do it by shutting up? Hell no! They would rather grab their instruments or sing, wouldn't they? If an artist, instead of saying his or her opinion by displaying his or her art, chooses to stay silent and sitting back in the corner, that artist is suppressed by manipulating powers of others.

Those who communicate in the right way, will survive. Those who don't, won't. As simple as it is. Sometimes, simple things can be very hard to grasp, for many.

As an artist myself, I only support those solutions where the listeners, the artists and the channels in between ALL benefit. And cutting back on SERVICE is the worst solution one can figure out.

If a radio station has money problems, can't they come up with solutions of how to give better service and clever marketing and promotion ideas? That's the only way to attract more listeners, artists, advertisers and other partners.

And as far as the initiating entity, the SoundExchange, I should better check them out and see how the hell is it possible what I read about them that I should PAY first, in order to obtain my copyright shares...

So I just posted a new song to my artist page on Last.FM and right now I am listening to one of my favorite tag stations - just have to find out how to turn up the volume on this computer :-))

Have a good day everyone, with a lot of cool music!

Life without internet

How can that be? Can you imagine it?

In the last couple of days I am having problems with the internet connection, it's on for maybe half an hour or just 10 minutes, then it's off. The provider is working on fixing it (well they could be a bit faster...)

I tell you it's quite some experience, living life without the web...

Not being able to Skype my son and talk with him about everything, sometimes for hours, can't answer messages, emails, no blogging, no networking, no any business, no anything. Can't even check the weather or the programs in the city! What is even worse than that, I found a very exciting beauty product line, but I can't check where do they sell it :-((

I would only move to The Inhabited Island Of My Dreams if I can get internet there :P

Okay, let's look at the positive side of it: I did two test recordings - indeed, this is the first time when I figured out some completely new melodies that I haven't learned anywhere, so this is something! It's thrilling, two different music, very challenging. You will hear more about it when the times comes.

I created yet another little video to one of my older songs, sorted out hundreds of photos on the computer, did some extra gymnastics :-))) extra cleaning and of course, had some nice walk, movie and such with my hubby.

Actually, isn't it great to have a break every now and then?

I wonder how much are you hooked on the net. For how long could you be without it?

I might only be able to read your answers on Sunday, earliest. Going on a family trip to Finland in the real world and not virtual...

Have a great week+end everybody, on or offline!

April Summer in Stockholm

The weekend was really gorgeous: the temperature climbed up to around 30 degrees in sunny places. Finally, no more wintercoat! Well, after freezing through Easter it's time to warm up, big time.

So yesterday we decided to have a little picnic by the sea. Here's where we went, with pictures

Stephen Colbert's Apology to Hungarians

Comedian Stephen Colbert, after making not so nice remarks about Hungarians in his show a couple of days ago, says sorry.

András Simonyi, Hungarian Ambassador in US shows on his guitar what is rock'n'roll, yeah!!!

Operation Bite: Attack against Iran on Good Friday - was a hoax?

Are you still getting emails and messages, bulletins about Operation Bite, are you still reading it on the net? Time to direct your attention on some more interesting subjects.

Operation Bite - this is how a sneak attack by the USA against Iran, planned for tomorrow, Good Friday, around 4am is called.

Scary news circulating on the net: World War 3 is coming!

In the Middle East, I have friends and fans in probably every area, so whatever happens there, I stand on the side of NO WAR. Decent people living there don't want that and don't deserve that anyway.

War, especially if it can escalate into a World wide, nuclear mess is a serious matter. So what is this whole fuzz about?

There are a few tiny little details in this story that just don't freaking add up:

1. I read an article of a Hungarian news site, which is considered pretty fair. They quote the Russian tabloid Komszomolszkaja Pravda as source. The KP claims that they have gotten this news from American and West-European tv-channels - withouth naming only even one.

2. Anyway, why does the mainstream media not write about this sensation? Let's take CNN or Reuters, they don't even mention Operation Bite. Do a search on Google and you will find that it's blogs, lesser known portals and forums where you will se anything about it. Right now it's not even 20 hours left until 4am tomorrow morning, you should be hearing and reading EVERYWHERE about that the World War 3 is here! Wouldn't make it sense for all the media to be busy with a subject that would attract record number of visitors? Instead, in the headlines today, I can see something about the Microsoft Outlook 2007, "Pet food deaths could rise sharply" (CNN), about mobile phones, the net and Victorinox (Komszomolszkaja Pravda), "Indonesia Playboy editor cleared" (BBC)... :-D And they all cheer about the Iran decision of letting the British soldiers home.

3. The earliest mention of this Operation Bite in English language one can find on March 25 and independent news site in Portland, USA. The articles after this date quote only this one as source, which was published from the same author on a few other places as well.

From around 1st of April(don't you know this date from somewhere? :-)) an avalanche started and there one can see a lot of blog and forum posts, and articles still only on less significant sites. We trace it back and the one and only source turns out to be a retired Russian general. (see again question #1...)

4. The statements of this Russian military expert appear on the net first already on March 19(!) on the Russian RIA Novosti news site. Well, it's true: it's only in French and German. Interestingly enough, they still didn't manage to translate it into English, since then...

5. Sneak attack... Yeah, sure. The American government would allow details of a surprise attack circulating on the web, almost 3 weeks before the planned time... C'mon, waky, waky!

Operation Bite.

You'd better have a big bite of the Easter ham, lamb and cakes, or whatever you eat for this occasion.

So have a peaceful, loveful Easter time everybody!

My New Years Eve

It's really time now for some serious partying!

I think since my age of 11, I always had a great party at New Years Eve. In my dancer years, after the trainings or performances, we would anyway have some ball, very often, or go out to a táncház. Just imagine: listening to Muzsikás, Téka, Méta, Béla Halmos & Kalamajka, Ökrös and other excellent folk musicians playing for long hours for you, jamming, and you dance and sing together with all the other people, often till early in the morning - oh, gosh! One of the greatest experiences one can have. And that was the normal thing to do, in those circles.
Something like this one:



And at New Years Eve (in Hungary you call it Sylvester, after that name's day and you call the first of January "New Year", 'cause that's the actual new year, on the last night of the year you say goodbye to the old year, doesn't it make sense?) you start the night anywhere between 7 and 10, warm up with a concert or other performance, but you don't hesitate a lot, the party begins and there you go: sing, dance, and chat with your friends while the band plays in the background.

By Midnight, you've already had a decent lenght of good time behind you.

At 12, you have all the champagne stuff, going around with your glass in the hand and wish happy new year to everybody in the house, etc. At most of the places - maybe today it's not so general any more - they sing the Himnusz and then they toast.

After that, it really begins to kick off. In other countries I have been to (Austria, Switzerland and now in Sweden) they end off the whole thing shortly after Midnight, at 1 or 2 o'clock. How disappointing is that?

Now, for example, me and my husband went out for a dinner, with a company of 50 people or so. I only knew a few people, so it was a great occasion for me to get closer with them a bit. We had a great time talking about all kind of stuff: plans for the future, co-operations, music, photography, family, food, travels and everything. Absolutely nice folks! You can even see two of them in my Top Friends on MySpace: Eva Ekwall and Mimmi Siegel, who came with their gentlemen, of course.

Yeah, and the food. I hardly ate anything that day - that's what a girl does when she goes out for an exclusive dinner and she puts on her nice dress. Well, next time I'd better be prepared about the menu...

It was real gourmet thing, wonderful! As a starter, duck lever mousse on toast, then cod with flavoured mashed potatoes and some green, round beans. Then came the main dish, but it was also as small as a starter: a piece of elk (like a kid's fist) in a delicious sauce, with a few pieces of pumpkins and fresh thymian. It was well designed, but I can't find the picture at the moment.

The desert was also awesome:



Forest berries in parfe and some creamy thing, even there was a taste of it in the specially made, very rich chocolate. The little orange ball is a physalis, this I thought it was some Nordic fruit, for I haven't seen it anywhere else so far, only as decoration - now I just learned that this fruity version grows in warm and subtropical areas. The flowers you could eat, I did so with the yellow one. The other one I put in my hair. Looked like a Spanish lady: slick updo, big earrings, red lipstick, red scarf...

At one o'clock, just as my hubby predicted it, people started to put on their coats and say good night. So that was it.

With Eva and her husband, we wanted to continue with a nice tea - well, after just sitting for a good couple of hours, we got tired... But the place they wanted to go with us was shut at New Year's Eve, isn't that crazy?

I suggested my husband that we would just drive around town a bit, so that I can see how is it here in Stockholm, but there was nothing to see: almost empty streets, a few people going home.

So we popped in to his brothers and his girlfriend's house, another bro was also there. Johnny Cash, a lot of laugh (they were through a couple of drinks), talks about family matters, jokes. I was very happy about the cake, even if it was too sugary, bacause I was still hungry after the dinner... A little Port wine to it - nice.

Yes, we did make it: went home at 5. But for the next 2 days I felt sooo homesick! I knew about at least 2 huge parties in Budapest with my friends, and I read in the news about all the open air concerts and street balls in Budapest - oh, dear! Yeah, and it's very common that on the 1st of January, you head for yet another New Year's party.

So we decided that this year, if something special won't turn up, we will go to Hungary for New Year. Maybe we should take a few Swedish friends with us, so that they can get a bit educated in how to celebrate for real. :-)

It's Not Too Late

I was very excited about our high school reunion at the end of this month - it's been since ages that I haven't seen my class mates. An hour ago, I heard that one of then has passed away. She was the one I liked most.

Yet another friend in Switzerland a couple of months ago, who was always smiling, laughing, happy in life, dropping honey even on the most bitter hearts. Another girl of my age in Budapest who also used to be a dancer and who left two teen daughters behind. Four other musician friends also play the violin somewhere in the sky, since not a very long time. Three of them were not-so-old Hungarian Gypsies from Transylvania, played for my first wedding, years back. The forth one was a boy in Budapest who sometimes was accompanying our dance group for the rehearsals and performances.

These couple of words are written to them.


IT'S NOT TOO LATE

You've gone away -
When will I see you?
Where will I find you?
Now that you are far away.
Tell me that it's not too late.

I might have hurt you,
I might have not taken good care of you,
I might have not given you
Everything I've meant to.
But tell me that it's not too late.

I remember when we talked,
I remember when we laughed,
I remember when we sang,
As two very good friends.
Tell me that it's not too late.

I was on my way,
You were on your way,
Sometimes worlds apart
But always in my heart.
Tell me that it's not too late.

When you'll come back
I will be the happiest
To embrace you on my chest
'Cause you are the best.
And I know it's not too late.

Andrea Gerak