Words & Music

by monicadockery

Archive for the month “May, 2013”

Free FreeStyle Vocals (once a week)!

Helloooo!  Last week I started a new “experiment”.  I decided that I wanted to start recording some freestyle vocals to donate to the Soundcloud music community.  My hope is that they will be able to use some or all of the tracks to add to their music or other sound projects.  The process basically is this:  Press “Record” on my Soundcloud app recorder on my phone and start singing whatever comes to mind.  Then, post/share it.  That’s it.  So, since there is not really any editing or filtering (apart from the occasional edit to cut out a part that got interrupted – by my son usually), it is very raw and a bit crazy.  But, I thought it would be fun and it is interesting to see what flows out of me when I’m just going with the flow.  So, here is a link to the set I’ve started.  Feel free to join in the fun and use these vocals and tweak them any way you wish to make a new creation.  Thanks!  Until next time:).

 

Multilingual, Multinational Collaboration Project! (17 languages so far!)

Hellooo!  This is a quick post.  I just wanted to briefly share about a project that I’m so happy and proud to be a part of.  A friend and fellow singer/songwriter named Ian Melvin wrote this beautiful song a while back called “If I know You”.  His original version was acoustic guitar.  Another singer did a cover with the piano and in Russian.  That sparked a worldwide collaboration!  Others were invited to cover the song in their own languages and post them on Soundcloud.  Now, there are 17 different versions from 17 different singers in 17 different parts of the world (and more translations are on their way!).  Here is a link where you can hear all of the ones posted so far:

 

Today, I added my version to the mix and that is in Spanish.  You can hear that version here:

 

I’m not an expert at translating, but I did try to keep to the original wording as much as possible.  Hope you take the time to listen to ALL the versions!  It is so beautiful to hear everyone singing the same song but in their own unique way:)

Have a wonderful Sunday all!

 

Which Story do YOU sell? (Spoken Word transcript)

This is one of my spoken word pieces……

Which story do you sell?

Are you the girl who is at all the parties, dressed to impress, with your hair and makeup all did – exuding fierce confidence? Then, when you go home, you cry because no one took your number?

Are you the guy who always talks about how much he loves his wife and kids, how “blessed” he is? Then, when your wife is gone you slide on down to 23rd and slip the 18 year-old on the corner a couple 20s?

Are you the woman who is proud of the sacrifices she had to make to become the first female CEO of that company? Then, late at night, at home – after a nice glass of your favorite red, you pull out that old pregnancy test that read “++” and let a tear fall for the one you sacrificed?

Are you the boy who grew up to be a man? But, really, you never became a man because you never had someone to show you how to?

Are you one of those people who just KNOWS that they have all the answers to life wrapped up in one book? Then, when the that-wasn’t-supposed-to-happen-to-me happens, you don’t have a clue what to do?

Are you that politician who touts about how he voted for marriage equality? Then, when he sees his neighbors Dan and Jonathan walking their beagle, Sadie, down the street, he makes sure to cross to the other side of the street so as not to actually have to have a conversation with those two “perverts”?

Are you that scientist who stands up in front of a crowd and says – with $100 certainty – that you know why that is the way it is? Then, when you come across a colleague’s research that proves how it wasn’t at all the way it was, you belittle and dismiss your colleague’s work, sticking – stubbornly- by the side of error and arrogance?

Are you the physician who takes a vow to keep people healthy? Then, you give them the pills that BIG PHARMA told you to give them – or else – knowing that instead of keeping people healthy, you are signing people’s execution warrant?

Are you a priest who has vowed to be the hands of God on this Earth? Then, when God isn’t looking, you take the opportunity to use those hands to all-at-once, inappropriately touch a young boy and – consequently, destroy, any chance of him ever coming close to touching faith again?

Are you the team that boldy brandishes it’s flashy trophies – showing off all of it’s overachievements? Then, when you find out the trophies are really only gold-PLATED and not REAL gold, you rush over to the guys sitting across the way to try and take THEIR trophies?

Are you the President who says he wants “Gitmo” closed because it gives America a bad name? Then, you go and sign off on near-daily drone attacks where innocent people get maimed or murdered on a regular basis?

Do you say brown, when you mean white?

Do you say dark, when it is light?

Do you say you love him/her, when you don’t?

Do you say you will, when you KNOW you won’t?

Do you sell a story, and pretend it is real?

Even if you did, would you tell me still?

Today it Happened….

RainDrops_22

Today it happened.  Today I saw his face and it made me smile.  Today, I put a perfectly ripe strawberry to my lips and let them feel each tiny bump before taking a bite with full commitment.  Today, I went for a run even though it was cloudy and the forecast said it would rain, because I wanted to meet it when it arrived.  As I ran, the rain seemed to wash away the world around me, leaving me only with the sound of my feet upon the wet pavement and the pounding of a racing heart within my chest.  Today it happened.  Today I woke up ready to be here.  Happy to be here.  And now, I’m going to bed wishing that today would stay today because tomorrow I won’t be here.  Tomorrow I won’t see his face.  Tomorrow I will have no recollection of what a strawberry even is let alone what it feels like.  Tomorrow the rain will still fall down on me, only I will not feel it’s touch.  Tomorrow there will be no sound, no pound.  But, that’s tomorrow — not Today.

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