Tucking Emily into bed, her little eyes starting to roll back in her head:

Emily: Who is the oldest Zamrycki?

Me: That would be Grandpapa. And Sebastian is the youngest.

Emily: Was there anyone before Grandpapa?

Me: Oh yes. Lots. But that was a long time ago.

Emily: Who were they?

Me: I don’t really know. But I know they lived in Poland and their name was a little different. It was Zambrzycki back then.

Emily: Oh. Who was the first person ever? And where did they live? And where did they come from?

Me: Oh boy. That’s a tough one.

Emily: OK, what was the first animal ever?

Me: I don’t know. But I’m going to guess it was the amoeba.

Emily: What’s that?

Me: Uh… it’s very small.

Emily: And then what?

Me: Maybe fish. Or turtles. Or crocodiles? I don’t know.

Emily: But then the dinosaurs came.

Me: That’s right.

Emily: And then monkeys. And then people. No! Then came scientists. And then real people.

The Lipdub, from conception to execution, took four hours to film. The Harlem Shake took 10 minutes.

This is how I decided to celebrate my birthday this year:

It was a very good day. But it didn’t start out that way.

We had done something similar two years prior. I would have done it again last year but I was in the middle of producing a full-scale musical and couldn’t spare the time or energy. But having done it once before, I didn’t freak out as much during the preparation for this one. At least not until the day of. I had set up a Facebook event and more than 50 people confirmed that they would participate. Score! There was a palpable buzz. This was going to be amazing. I went to the park and scouted out the location and jotted down a provisional route. Tons of potential. I tried to set up a brain storming session to crowdsource some creativity, but couldn’t get people to volunteer. That’s OK, I’ll do it myself!

Then the day of the event arrived. Maybe 50 people had agreed to participate, but it felt like 100 people messaged me before I left the house saying they wouldn’t make it. Bad cold. Bad weather. Bad hangover. Other random bad excuses. So I left the house in a very foul mood. How can you execute a lipdub if nobody comes?! And when I got to the park, there were exactly three people there. But I was a bit early. So I waited. And four more people arrived. And so did a whole new bunch of cancellation messages. So I walked through the provisional route. There was no way in hell it would work. The maze was too damn big! And there were too many tourists to navigate around! And we didn’t even have a radio to play the song with! Back to the drawing board. But a few more people had showed up by now. We were maybe 15 people after the first half hour. Not great, but definitely enough to do something with.

So I banged my head against a wall for an hour, trying different combinations/routes/choreographies. It wasn’t coming together. And I was getting stressed. So we stopped for lunch. And it started to rain.

But then, amongst the raindrops and sandwiches and spreadsheets and scrawled-out maps, inspiration latched on and a plan started to take form in my mind. And more people started arriving! I started delegating lines to people and it all began to take shape. I was infused with optimism and we headed back to the maze to try this again. And it stopped raining.

We spent the next hour slowly walking through the new route and filling in the gaps with the gorgeous creativity and enthusiasm of my very dear friends. They are truly amazing. And at the end of that hour we were ready to try recording a rehearsal. And a radio showed up! And the sun came out! And the route started flowing and people stepped up and shined like the stars they are. We recorded one more rehearsal before we went for the good one. And it was good. But we wanted a great one. So we recorded another. And it was great.

I think I managed to hide my frustration and stress enough to achieve my one and only goal of the day: for my friends to have a good time.

So thank you to everyone who showed up and sang, danced, cartwheeled, jumped, rocked, flew, grinded, tripped, bathed, posed, gurned, and laughed with me on my birthday. Until next year! Unless I’m working on another musical 🙂

Hello, rock stars!

Thank you, everyone, for voting! The polls are now closed and we have our winners. This Sunday, February 17, we will be singing Love Shack by The B-52’s in the Parc del Laberint d’Horta (Labyrinth Park)!!

Love Shack won convincingly, but The Labyrinth Park just managed to eek out the victory. A crack crew actually went up to the park yesterday to scope out the location and we should have an interesting route to follow for the video (if we can squeek past all the tourists). The park has free admittance on Sundays (score!) but there is no food allowed inside. There is, however, a small picnic area just outside the park, complete with little sandwich shack, so this is how the day’s gonna go down:

I’ll be there at 11:30am. Please join me. We’ll start rehearsing at 12:00 (noon) sharp! Then we can stop for lunch at about 1pm and then head back for the final rehearsals and shooting sometime after 2pm. The park closes its gates at 5pm, but it’ll actually start getting dark at that time so I’d like to have the whole thing in the can by 4. Optimistic much? We’ll see.

In the meantime, you might as well start to familiarize yourself with the song. Here are the song and the lyrics. But don’t worry about memorizing the whole thing. We’ll each only have a very small portion in the final video and I don’t want anyone to get sick of the song before Sunday.

Let me know if you’d like to feature in a close-up (or if you really wouldn’t!) and I’ll start working on the planning. Maybe We can meet for a coffee sometime this week and brainstorm.

Also, please let me know if you’ve got an awesome camera we can use! Or if you’d like to volunteer to be the camera operator! Kind of important details.

I’m very happy that so many people are excited about this little experiment of mine. I really hope it turns out well and, more importantly, that we have fun doing it! The truth is, I have no idea what’s going to happen 🙂

The B-52’s – Love Shack

[audio:The B-52’s – Love Shack.mp3]
[download 12.6 MB]

If you see a faded sign at the side of the road that says
“15 miles to the
Love Shack”
Love Shack, yeah, yeah
I’m headin’ down the Atlanta highway
Lookin’ for the love getaway
Headed for the love getaway
I got me a car, it’s as big as a whale
And we’re headin’ on down to the Love Shack
I got me a Chrysler, it seats about 20
So hurry up and bring your jukebox money

The love shack is a little old place where we can get together
Love Shack, baby (a-Love Shack, baby)
Love Shack, baby, Love Shack
Love Shack, baby, Love Shack
Love Shack, baby, Love Shack (Love, baby, that’s where it’s at)
Love Shack, baby, Love Shack (Love, baby, that’s where it’s at)

Sign says (woo) “Stay away, fools”
‘Cause love rules at the Love Shack
Well, it’s set way back in the middle of a field
Just a funky old shack and I gotta get back
Glitter on the mattress
Glitter on the highway
Glitter on the front porch
Glitter on the highway

The Love Shack is a little old place where we can get together
Love Shack, baby (Love Shack, baby)
Love Shack, that’s where it’s at
Love Shack, that’s where it’s at

Huggin’ and a-kissin’
Dancin’ and a-lovin’
Wearin’ next to nothin’
‘Cause it’s hot as an oven
The whole shack shimmies
Yeah, the whole shack shimmies
The whole shack shimmies when everybody’s
Movin’ around and around and around and around
Everybody’s movin’, everybody’s groovin’, baby
Folks linin’ up outside just to get down
Everybody’s movin’, everybody’s groovin’, baby
Funky little shack
Funky little shack

Hop in my Chrysler, it’s as big as a whale and it’s about to set sail
I got me a car, it seats about 20
So come on and bring your jukebox money

The Love Shack is a little old place where we can get together
Love Shack, baby (a-Love Shack, baby)
Love Shack, baby, Love Shack
Love Shack, baby, Love Shack
Love Shack, baby, Love Shack (Love, baby, that’s where it’s at, yeah)
Love Shack, baby, Love Shack (Love, baby, that’s where it’s at)

Bang, bang, bang, on the door, baby
Knock a little louder, baby
Bang, bang, bang, on the door, baby
I can’t hear you
Bang, bang, bang, on the door, baby
Knock a little louder, sugar
Bang, bang, bang, on the door, baby
I can’t hear you
Bang, bang, bang, on the door, baby (Knock a little louder)
Bang, bang, bang, on the door, baby
Bang, bang (On the door, baby)
Bang, bang (On the door)
Bang, bang (On the door, baby)
Bang, bang
Your what?
Tin roof, rusted

Love Shack, baby, Love Shack
Love Shack, baby, Love Shack (Love, baby, that’s where it’s at, yeah)
Love Shack, baby, Love Shack (Love, baby, that’s where it’s at)
Love Shack, baby, Love Shack
Huggin’ and a-kissin’,
Dancin’ and a-lovin’
At the Love Shack

The location should have character, allow for a fairly long route, be accessible, and maybe have a few hidden nooks and crannies to explore. Where do you want us to film? Choose wisely – you can only vote once!

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The song should have fun lyrics to sing and really make you wanna get up and dance. Which song do you want us to sing? Choose wisely – you can only vote once!

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Excellent suggestions have been made, choices have been meticulously whittled down, polls have been painstakingly created, and you are now free to vote! The polls for my birthday lipdub can be found in the blog entries to follow.

Make sure to cast your vote by this Friday!

Now is also a good time to check out the Facebook Event for the day to let me know if you think you’ll be able to participate or not. I need to know in advance for choreography purposes 🙂

Speaking of participation, feel free to bring children and invite other friends. The more the merrier. Just don’t go overboard. I’d still like to be able to watch the video afterwards and feel like I know everyone involved. It’s still my birthday, dagnabbit!

Also, anybody got a spiffing video camera we can use on the day? Or want to serve as the camera operator? We’ll be looking for other things once the day approaches (costumes, props, a loud radio, etc.) but this is kinda the most important part of making the video. Send me a mail if you can help.

I’ll write again on Saturday to let you all know the final results of the polls and to see if anyone would like to help with the planning/choreography.

Soooo excited.

I am planning a birthday party for myself. We’ll be celebrating on Sunday, February 17th (my birthday is actually on the 16th). Well, it won’t be a party, per se. It will be more like a music video. A lipdub, to be precise.

Yes, another one! We did the same thing a couple of years ago. People seemed to like it. So I thought we’d do it again.

What is a lipdub? Don’t ask me, ask Wikipedia.

Here’s a simple example (and one of my favorites). And the behind the scenes.
Here’s another good example. And it’s own making of.
This is how Catalunya (Vic) does it.
And how about this for a memorable event?
If you really want to get creative, you can do ambitious stuff like this.

If you want more, there are a whole bunch more here. Or here!

Oh yeah, and here’s the one we made two years ago for my 35th birthday:

After all those links, you must be really stoked about the idea. Or totally sick of it. Come on, indulge me – it’s my birthday, goddammit! Here’s where we go from here:

In every good lipdub, you need to decide on a good song and a good location. The song should be fairly well known, have fun lyrics to sing, and really make you wanna get up and dance. If there isn’t already a lipdub out there of the song, that’s a bonus. The location should have character, allow for a fairly long route, and maybe have a few hidden nooks and crannies to explore. So step one is up to you all.

Send me your ideas! Either by commenting on this blog post, or via email, or… whatever. Just send me your proposals for both a song and a place. I will compile the ideas and, in a few days, I’ll create an online poll where we can all vote for the best ideas. On Sunday, February 17, I will perform the lipdub of the winning song at the winning location with a close group of friends.

I imagine the actual day of the event will go something like this:
– rehearse (and schmooze and drink)
– eat a fine lunch
– shoot the video

Oh, and even though it’s my birthday, I don’t want the video to be a “birthday lipdub”. I’m just using the occasion as an excuse to create something I hope my friends will enjoy being part of.

Happy birthday to me.

It’s that time of year again. Time for me quickly listen to a bunch of albums in December and pretend like I’m totally up-to-date with the latest and greatest from the broken and antiquated machine that is today’s recording industry.

This is the seventh year I’ve compiled such a list. Here are the previous ones:

2011  |  2010  |  2009  |  2008  |  2007  |  2006

It’s neat to go back and see how many of my previous “favorite” albums are still in my listening rotation. Quite a few, actually. So here’s 2012!

Warning: You won’t find any Nicki Minaj, Carly Rae Jepsen, or Gotye on this list. If that’s your idea of the best that 2012 had to offer, this list is not for you. How the heck did you find this page anyway? Did Emily send you? OK, enough stalling. Here we go. No excuses. No explanations. Just my favorite albums from the past 12 months:
 

10. Father John Misty – Fear Fun

These twelve tracks are full, they’re self-aware, they’re straight up funny, and it’s these traits that immediately separate Father John Misty’s folk-rock from what Fleet Foxes do. [Beats Per Minute]

[audio:Father John Misty – I’m Writing a Novel.mp3]

9. Field Music – Plumb

Plumb is a rich, complex album, with the songs spilling over into each other. [Exclaim]

[audio:Field Music – Who’ll Pay The Bills.mp3]

8. Mumford & Sons – Babel

The band has mastered the emotional gut-punch of quiet/loud dynamics, exploding from low-murmured harmonies into full Appalachian freak-outs. [Entertainment Weekly]

[audio:Mumford & Sons – Babel.mp3]

7. Japandroids – Celebration Rock

An inspired, exhilarating spectacle that makes good on its gang vocals, feel-good (but not cheesy) lyrics, pleasantly muddy production, and galloping sense of self-confidence. [The Boston Phoenix]

[audio:Japandroids – Younger Us.mp3]

6. Frank Ocean – channel ORANGE

Channel Orange is so arrestingly smooth that all of its unusually shaped pieces fit together as a seamless whole. [The A.V. Club]

[audio:Frank Ocean – Lost.mp3]

5. Jack White – Blunderbuss

From its raucous, raw-edged opening salvo to the softer, weirder, ruminative closing tracks, Blunderbuss crackles with life and energy, hauling roots rock out of the dusty museum and into the dazzling light of the modern day. [The Telegraph (UK)]

[audio:Jack White – Trash Tongue Talker.mp3]

4. Alabama Shakes – Boys & Girls

Just a series of great, swampy soul grooves, fronted by the most arresting new voice you’ll hear this year, and the kind of natural songwriting that seems to contain the entire history of Southern music within its staves. [The Independent (UK)]

[audio:Alabama Shakes – Hold On.mp3]

3. Animal Collective – Centipede Hz

Centepede Hz is somehow both futuristically innovative and welcomingly accessible. Amid the obscurantism caused by white noise and radio interference are strong choruses likely to get any form of life dancing. [Clash Music]

[audio:Animal Collective – Father Time.mp3]

2. The xx – Coexist

The xx lay out all of their pieces beautifully. There are no extraneous parts. Not a second that they didn’t intend. As a result, songs like ‘Tides’ or ‘Chained’ unfold as naturally as a ripple of wind. [Drowned In Sound]

[audio:The xx – Angels.mp3]

1. Fiona Apple – The Idler Wheel Is Wiser…

The Idler Wheel… is a really incredible album, where Apple has quite cleverly developed musically in just the right way, creating something utterly distinct and different to her earlier work whilst still retaining all the characteristics that won fans over to begin with. [musicOMH.com]

[audio:Fiona Apple – Every Single Night.mp3]

Honorable mention:
Grizzly Bear – Shields
Tame Impala – Lonerism
Michael Kiwanuka – Home Again
The Maccabees – Given To The Wild
Richard Hawley – Standing At The Sky’s Edge
Flying Lotus – Until the Quiet Comes
Kendrick Lamar – good kid, m.A.A.d city

Do you have any favorites from this year that I may have missed? Leave me a comment and let me know!