Welcome to the Reference Department Blog. Visit often for information on programs and events, featured research tools, book lists, and Web resources. We encourage you, our patrons, to give feedback and share your own favorite resources and books. Join us in creating a unique resource for the Wright Library Community.
Category: Music
FEBRUARY 25, 2013
Free, Legal Music from Your Library
The Freegal Music service allows Wright Library card holders to download free music legally. Under the agreement between Freegal and the Library, registered card holders are able to download three music tracks each week. Once downloaded, the songs do not expire.
To get started, go to wrightlibrary.freegalmusic.com and log in with your library card number (23309000+last 6 digits) and your PIN (last 4 digits of your phone number unless you have created a different PIN). Simply search by artist, song, album, or composer. When you find a song, click the Download Now button. It's that simple.
Freegal features the Sony Music catalog, along with hundreds of other labels. For mobile users, the Freegal app is available for iPad/iPhone/iPod and Android devices. Look for it in the App Store and Google Play.
The holidays are upon us, but there is still time to get the sounds of the season. Not talking cash registers and noisy toys, no we're talking about music. Whether it is traditional favorites, new songs, or favorites done in a new way, the library has your holiday music covered. So come in and browse the collection before the pickings get slim.
Two film and music events are coming in the next two weeks that we wanted to be sure to let you know about. First tomorrow, August 1, the final film of the Adult Summer Reading Club Filmfest will be showing at 2:00 p.m. Mr. Baseballstars Tom Selleck as an American ballplayer living and playing in Japan. Come get out of the heat and enjoy this culture shock comedy. (The Adult Summer Reading Club wraps up this week, so be sure to get your final entries in.)
The second event is a Summer Family Blanket Concert featuring “The Guitar Man” Jim McCutcheon Wednesday, August 10 at 6:30 p.m. on the north lawn of the library. An accomplished classical guitarist and music educator who engages audiences of all ages, McCutcheon will play stringed instruments from around the world.
Don't miss these events if you're a fan of films and music. Hope to see you there.
Bill Schulerman and Speciall Guests from the Back Porch Jam
Wednesday, August 11 at 6:30 p.m.
Join us for a Wright Library Blanket Concert. Bring blankets and lawn chairs for seating and a picnic for refreshment. If it rains we'll move into the library meeting room.
The Carolina Chocolate Drops play the old timey music of string and jug bands from the Carolina Piedmont. This African-American roots music from Appalachia has been, to a large extent, overlooked. The trio appears determined to rectify that.
Genuine Negro Jig is the third album of the group, which includes Dom Flemons and Justin Robinson, and Rhiannon Giddens each of whom play multiple instruments and sing. The album is a mix of traditional tunes given new arrangements, originals, and a couple of surprising covers. Their version of Blu Cantrell's 2001 hit "Hit 'Em Up Style" transports the song back in time. (Watch a performance.) Produced by Joe Henry (whose reputation continues to grow having produce Elvis Costello, Allen Toussaint, and Mose Allison), the entire album is full of rousing fiddle and banjo work and excellent vocals, especially by the opera-trained Giddens.
Check out the group's Web site for more information on who they are and what they do. They have also been featured on NPR several times, including on All Things Considered, Fresh Air, and World Cafe. You can also read reviews of Genuine Negro Jig from
Hey, we're starting a new series of blog posts that feature recent arrivals to the Audiovisual Department whether music, movies, or audiobooks. The focus is going to be on things that we think are really good, but that you may not have heard of.
Our first post highlights Casual Victim Pile: Austin 2010, which is an anagram of "Live Music Capitol," which is what Austin, Texas has been labeled. The city has been known for years for its local music scene and the ever growing South by Southwest Festival (Did you know there is a NXNE Festival?). But forget about that, this is a compilation of local bands, the music one can hear on a typical night in Austin.
I'm sure that there's a wide variety of music coming out of Austin, but this set leans toward garage and punk. This is a musical underground that rocks, and however the choice of what to include was made, it exhibits excellent taste.
Classical music has found a home on the Internet. Well, several homes, where you can listen, follow news and events, read reviews of performances and recordings, and gain an appreciation and understanding of the music.
Updated 2/19/10: We forgot the very important Razzies in our list of awards. Of course the winners of Golden Raspberries are often not glad to accept their awards, because they are given for the worst in film for the past year. Yet much enjoyment has been had watching bad movies, so we shouldn't forget their contribution to the field. -------- It's award season again in the entertainment industry. The Grammys were given out on the last day of January, but it's the film industry that really goes crazy giving out awards. Oscar nominees were just announced, but many other organizations have already given out their prizes. Check out the awards below.
And while the awards listed above are for 2009 releases, the just finished Sundance Festival is all about this year. Check out what you can look forward to.
The final Family Blanket Concert of the Summer will be held August 12 at 6:30 p.m. The Lenox Avenue Express will perform on the Library's north lawn, bringing its Jazz repertoire to Oakwood. Find out more about Dwight Lenox.
This post is for all our listeners of Jazz and for anyone interested in exploring the genre. Music is everywhere on the Web and a good deal of it is Jazz. Here we list some best sites we've come across for exploring the music, the artists, and the history of Jazz. Where do you go to get your Jazz fix?
The Children's Department, in tune with its Be Creative@WrightLibrary theme, is kicking-off the Summer Reading Club with a concert by the Shazzbots. This event is Thursday, June 11, at 2:00 p.m. and will also be held on the north lawn with the meeting room as the rain site.
These events are great family activities and are open to all.
South by Southwest is a huge media industry event with Music, Film, and Interactive (technology) festivals in Austin, TX. The Interactive Festival celebrates the latest media/information technology. PC Magazine covered that part of the festival. The Film Festival, which has been going on since last Friday, and the Music Festival, which starts today, allow film makers and music artists to showcase their work. The New York Times Arts Beat blog is covering these events.
We missed the Grammy Awards, which were given out February 8th, and we thought there might be others who would like a reminder of who won the publicized awards as well as those that don't make the live show. The complete list of winners is available from the Grammy Awards Web site.
