A to Z Blog Challenge -- C is for Cadence / 5 on Friday -- Set 266

Week 1 of 2015's A to Z Blog Challenge is rolling along smoothly. Here we are at Day 3 already, where C is for Cadence.

Cadence can also be said to be the tempo or rhythm of a thing. In musical terms, a cadence produces a sense of resolution at the end of a phrase.

For today's blog challenge, let me introduce you to my regular Friday feature: 

Spinning Friday tunes since 2010...

For anyone who wants to join in, simply choose five pieces of music and post them for other bloggers to enjoy. Then check out the set posted by the other 5 on Friday blogger -- you can sign in over at Golch Central's Rambling Stuff.

This year I'll be taking a once-a-month look at specific instruments and showcasing five songs or tunes which place that instrument front and center.

This year's feature is called Spotlight On...

...and for our fourth installment, I'm venturing out from the primal body instruments to explore percussion. Here are five songs which shine a spotlight on drums, which turn the discord of cacophony into the resolution of cadence.

1 - Ticket to Ride - The Beatles - drummer Ringo Star - 1965

Ringo was an integral piece of the phenomenon known as The Beatles. He takes his place in the Top 500 drummers according to Drummerworld. Never a flashy soloist, Ringo was instead an equal fourth of a unit that changed the face of popular music.

2 - Babylon Sisters - Steely Dan - drummer Bernard Purdie - 1980

A trailblazing rhythm and blues/funk drummer, Purdie is most famous for his signature 'Purdie Shuffle' which is front and center in this Steely Dan tune. Also known as a Half-Time shuffle, it's "created with six bass, high-hat and snare tones, the Purdie Shuffle is a groove that seems to spin in concentric circles as it lopes forward...a Tilt-a-Whirl of sound," wrote David Segal for the New York Times (March 2009).  

3 - Walking on the Moon - The Police - drummer Stewart Copeland - 1979

Another drummer who is an integral third part of a musical trio, Copeland says: "I was trying to figure out how to drag out my three chops to last long enough to be called a drum solo, as opposed to a drum break." Voted high on the greatest-drummers-of-all-time lists by Rolling Stone and Music Radar, Copeland -- like Ringo Starr -- shines by knowing when not to play.   

4 - Rock and Roll - Led Zeppelin - drummer John Bonham - 1972

Powerful drummer John Bonham is known as the godfather of hard rock drumming, which takes rhythm and blues percussion to a different level. He often rivals the # 5 drummer on this list as World's Top Drummer in fan voting lists, critics choices and influence on the drummers who followed him. Technique alone doesn't place a drummer on those lists. Innovation + heart and soul + technique + intensity = the staying power of this exceptional player.

5 - Tom Sawyer - Rush - drummer Neil Peart - 1981

Currently in the midst of an Ultimate Classic Rock smackdown, Peart battled by reader votes against Keith Moon where he demolished the legendary Who drummer 83% - 17%. Recently holding his own against Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham 67% - 33%, the voting is now closed in the final round of this star-powered showdown. Because Peart has already been named as the top drummer in the world by Rolling Stone magazine, numerous radio station countdowns and fan compilations, I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that he'll emerge triumphant from this final round.    

5 on Friday - Set 18 - By Guest Blogger, Michelle - Sister Extraordinaire

Top 5 RUSH songs – as chosen by Michelle

My sister has seen Rush in concert 8 times: in Halifax, Nova Scotia; Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario; at Pine Knob outside Detroit, Michigan and in Washington, D.C.

She's the perfect person to bring us today's set. This weekend a new documentary called Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage opens in limited engagements across North America, and will be available on DVD and Blu-Ray June 29th. In honour of this release, I hand the reins over to Michelle for 5 on Friday here at A Piece of My Mind.

~

RUSH... Canadian Super Group. Guitar, bass and drums. Alex, Geddy, and Neil. As Canadian as beer, hockey, and curling combined. Really.

I became a Rush fan about 23 years ago, quite accidentally, in fact. My high school boyfriend played bass in a band. In rehearsal, they sometimes covered Rush songs, but without vocals. (With good reason, as no one can sing like Geddy. Anyone trying to sing a Rush song automatically sounds stupid).

For the longest time I listened to these songs and grew to love them. What a surprise when I finally heard a real Rush tape. “You mean, there are WORDS to these songs?” I asked, incredulously.

So began my love affair of over twenty years with a group that never ceases to inspire, excite, and entertain their fans. Listening to Rush is like doing a musical jigsaw puzzle in your head. Even with songs you’ve heard a thousand times, it never stops being fun.

Choosing 5 favourite songs is, as any fan will attest, next to impossible. But I’ve compiled a list of songs which mean a lot to me.

1 - Subdivisions

The song that made me a fan. At times this song seems to whoosh past you at light speed. Combined with a haunting melodic theme and dark lyrics, it will disturb you.

In the high school halls
In the shopping malls
Conform or be cast out

Subdivisions
In the basement bars
In the backs of cars
Be cool or be cast out

- Neil Peart



2 - Natural Science

Beautiful, lyric guitar at the beginning... you can almost feel the quiet movement of the water in the tidal pool... then it picks up speed, and very quickly you’re contemplating the entire universe.

The most endangered species
The honest man
Will still survive annihilation

Forming a world
State of integrity
Sensitive, open and strong

Wave after wave
Will flow with the tide
And bury the world as it does

Tide after tide
Will flow and recede
Leaving life to go on as it was

- Neil Peart



3 - Working Man

Awesome, loud, noisy guitar to start, then Neil’s cymbal, then the full band driving their point home: “Seems to me I could live my life much better than I think I am...”

I guess that's why they call me
They call me the working man

I get up at seven, yeah
And I go to work at nine
I got no time for living
Yes, I'm workin' all the time

I get home at five o'clock
And I take myself out a nice, cold beer
Always seem to be wondering
Why there's nothin' goin' down here

- Neil Peart



4 - Freewill

Imagine standing in front of Alex Lifeson as he plays the opening notes of this classic, locking eyes with you as he does. Ask me, I know. (July 2002, Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto). The music is infectious, and the words are ones to live by.

A planet of playthings
We dance on the strings
Of powers we cannot perceive

The stars aren't aligned
Or the gods are malign
Blame is better to give than receive

You can choose a ready guide
In some celestial voice
If you choose not to decide
You still have made a choice

You can choose from phantom fears
And kindness that can kill
I will choose a path that's clear
I will choose freewill

- Neil Peart



5 - 2112

A rock suite in seven sections, which tells an ultimately tragic story about discovery, beauty, and oppression. Musically, nothing showcases the boys’ talents as much as 2112, or Neil’s ability to paint pictures with words. Seeing Rush play this live is a special treat complete with audience participation. A masterpiece of music and lyrics.

We've taken care of everything
The words you hear, the songs you sing
The pictures that give pleasure to your eyes

It's one for all and all for one
We work together, common sons
Never need to wonder how or why

Look around at this world we've made
Equality our stock in trade
Come and join the brotherhood of man

Oh, what a nice contented world
Let the banners be unfurled
Hold the Red Star proudly high in hand

We are the priests of the Temple of Syrinx

- Neil Peart



Alex, Geddy and Neil, you still rock!

Here's the trailer for Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage:



For more fabulous musical sets, visit Travis at Trav's Thoughts.

Julianne MacLean says Great blog, Michelle! It's so cool that you've seen them 8 times. That's dedication :)

Pamela Callow says Michelle, you are truly a Rush afficionado. Great set!

Jennie Marsland says Ah, the memories! You're right, Rush is the quintessential Canadian band.

Tagged - I'm It!

I discovered I was tagged on Tuesday by Dara Edmondson. I had to post my Thursday Thirteen first, so now on to the game!

1 - Each player starts with 8 random facts or habits about themselves.
2 - People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their 8 things with a copy of these rules.
3 - At the end of your blog you need to choose 8 people to get tagged and list their names.
4 - Don't forget to leave them a note saying they've been tagged.

8 Random Things About Me

1 - Half an hour before I met my future husband, a palm reader told me I was about to meet my soul mate. She said he would be wearing a uniform. He was - a blue polyester Famous Players theatre usher's uniform.

2 - In a bizarre twist of irony, I have walked past my sister's musical celebrity crush, not once but twice. And she was not with me. She has adored Neil Peart, the drummer for Rush, for the past twenty years. She even lived in his neighborhood in Toronto. When I worked as an usher at the Hummingbird Centre for the Performing Arts there, he walked down aisle two as I was working aisle two. He was there for a Puccini opera. That's not unexpected, as I saw a lot of interesting celebrities there. However, when my husband and I lived in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia for two years (a fishing town) the two of us set off walking one afternoon along Main Street heading for Foodland, a small grocery store. A storm was expected the next day and a lot of small vessels had taken shelter in Yarmouth Harbour. We passed a man moseying along, and as one does here in the Maritimes, prepared to say hi to a total stranger. Then I realized it was Neil Peart again. Probably taking shelter with his sailboat, being a solo world traveller and all. So being proper Torontonians we just smiled and let him be.

3 - My mom and I shared a completely trippy sensory deprivation experience. On one of my trips home to NS when I still lived in Toronto, she drove me out to Mavillette Beach so I could get my Atlantic Ocean fix. Though we had blue skies in town, when we got to the coast we saw that fog had completely socked in over the water. Not uncommon for Yarmouth but bad for my schedule. We didn't care. We walked onto the sand anyway, becoming totally engulfed in fog. We kept walking till we saw the water, but by that time we'd entered this weird white dimension devoid of sound or depth or edges or up or down. An otherwordly experience we'll never forget.

4 - I had an out-of-body experience when I was about 4 years old, in the midst of an asthma attack. It was night time, and my memory of this event starts at a point outside the house. The back door opens and my mom comes out of the house carrying a large bundle wrapped in my special quilt, held close to her chest. She climbs into our white Volkwagon. Suddenly my memory returns to my own POV. I'm looking at the red interior of the car. I can feel the cold night air and I notice how everything smells. I told Mom about this memory when I was a teenager. She was only slightly shocked, since she knows me, of course. She said she and Dad had to take me to the hospital that night.

5 - I was the captain of a team assembled for the Photo Aid fundraising event for the Toronto Children's Aid Society, which I did twice. On the day of the event, we met for a list of riddles, solved them so we could get to a check-in spot somewhere in the downtown core and have our Polaroid taken there. As we made our way between check-ins, we hit people up for money for our lovely shiny cans. It was a blast! All the teams eventually returned to the starting point for a big party.

6 - I always looked forward to working the "Sesame Street Live" shows at the Hummingbird Centre. It was essentially a rock concert for toddlers. The real walkabout characters were onstage ("Big Bird!" cried the parents to their round-eyed cuties.) The real character's voices were on the pre-recorded show. The house (that's the theatre) allowed movement in the aisles for the entire show because of the nature of it being for small children. That's when the fun began. The little audience members couldn't contain themselves and danced in the aisles, which were sloped. All the jumping and shaking their heads around always disoriented the wee ones, whose jumping became more and more slanted, until the floor got closer and closer and they went down. Twelve shows a tour visit, for eight years, and I never got tired of it.

7 - I used to make balloon bouquets for birthdays, weddings, etc. at A Buck or Two, a upscale dollar store if you can imagine such a thing. We used to have some amazing merchandise. And we did a lot of balloon business on Saturdays. I did that for three years and only popped one balloon.

8 - One of my favorite ways to spend the day when I lived in Toronto was to drive to Niagara-on-the-Lake with my sister to spend the day walking past gorgeous Victorian homes and shopping along Queen Street. There were two shops we had to visit every time: Just Christmas and Victoria Gallery & Teas. I always got myself a new Christmas ornament and my sister always purchased some specialty tea. I also got myself something at the tea shop, but my choices were design oriented, as I bought the tea expressly for the box to be a decoration in my kitchen. I still have them.

Now to tag the next players:

MichelleWriter, Annie Mac, Cathryn Fox, Lilly Cain, Annie, BecK, Carmen, toni