Joe 'Covenant' Lamb: #55

Joe 'Covenant' Lamb has already been featured here on the Periodic Table of Geek Musicians as part of the group, Duality237... so what's up with the separate entry? Well, to put it bluntly, Joe's that cool. Joe's so cool that Snoopy has to pay him royalties every time he puts on a pair of sunglasses. But beyond that, Joe also releases music on his own, with a very distinctively different style than that of Duality237, and it was as a solo act that Joe won the 5th Masters of Song Fu title.

Part of what makes Joe incredibly cool is that he is one of the most selfless musicians it's ever been my honor to know. He will work with practically anyone, in whatever capacity he can, adding vocals, guitar, or his distinctive bodhran to other artists' work; and he isn't shy about calling on someone else to collaborate with, either.

The bodhran (pronounced "bow-rahn") is a Celtic drum, and never having heard one you might be inclined to think that such a thing gets old very quickly, but you'd be wrong... it never gets old. Here is Joe's album, Shadowland, which is available for purchase on his Bandcamp page.

While you're there, make sure you check out his other albums!

• Joe has a Bandcamp page!
• You can follow @JoeCovenant on Twitter!
• Joe's on the radio, and you can listen online!

Joe is the the Assistant General Manager and Assistant Programming Manager of TheLook247.com online radio station, as well as hosting 4 hours of pop, indie, and eclectic music each Saturday evening.

The Swag!

For Joe's contribution, I wanted to try something cool and distinctive, so I picked out one of my very favorite Joe Covenant songs to illustrate. "Tom Furby" was Joe's answer to one of the gnarliest Song Fu challenges ever, which was to write a song about one of the 700 "mole men" that are listed in John Hodgman's book, "More Information Than You Require". This was no easy thing, and I think everyone who's heard the song is in agreement that Joe hit the ball completely out of the park. Here is my rendering of Tom Furby setting a trap so he can torture, kill and maim some of the annoying fuzzballs (which is, let's face it, what we all have wanted to do since they first hit the store shelves).

And remember please, that all proceeds go toward the Rite Care Centers for Childhood Language Disorders.

Here's the song!

The Book!

 I would be remiss if I didn't point out that Joseph Lamb is now also a published author. His first novel, Sister of the Wolf, is available at booksellers online, including Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com. Hey, I bought it; you can too! Congratulations, Joe!

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: #2

If you're a musician, prepare to be intimidated. If you're a listener, prepare to be AMAZED. This week's installment of the Periodic Table features none other than Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the premier Geek Musician of all time, and the inaugural member of the "Noble Geek" group.

I know, I know... you're thinking "Huh? Some stuffy classical composer?" Not on your LIFE, people! This man's work literally defines Classical music. He is also quite possibly the biggest selling composer of all time... any time, any era, anywhere. Let's back that up with some facts...

In his 35-year lifetime, Mozart composed over SIX HUNDRED pieces of music of various genres and styles, from concerts to bawdy rounds. If you put all of his work together (and it has been done!), you wind up with ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY full-length CDs. Let that number sink in. Now consider that since 2005 this boxed set sold over 100,000 copies in France alone. That's more than 18 million CDs sold in one country, recently. Now consider that his music has been selling steadily internationally in the form of digital downloads, CD's, vinyl, sheet music and concert performances for well over two hundred years. Forget The Beatles, forget Elvis, forget Michael Jackson. Mozart is da MAN.

Mozart's geek credentials are unmatched. He was a prodigy, having begun playing the clavier at four years of age. Among his earliest compositions was what we know as "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star", composed when he was just six years old. Oh, yeah, you've sung Mozart... and liked it. As Tom Lehrer famously observed, "It is sobering to consider that when Mozart was my age he had already been dead for a year." It is indeed people like that who make you realize how little you've accomplished.

Mozart's music has a quality that is nearly unmatched... you've heard the phrase "Mozart makes babies smarter," popularized in the movie The Incredibles. That's not just a joke. It's called "the Mozart Effect", and is the subject of serious scientific study. A 1993 study indicated that listening to Mozart's music could result in temporary enhancement of spatial-temporal reasoning. This is beyond geek... it's mad-scientist insanely geek.

Here's a little night music, performed in France and uploaded to YouTube by Fasculin:

Even in his day, the multi-lingual Mozart was an international phenomenon, Now you might think that, having been deceased for 220 years, Mozart wouldn't have much of an Internet presence. You'd be -- to pardon the expression -- dead wrong. Proto-geek Mozart is represented everywhere:

• He's featured in The Mutopia Project. Get your free sheet music here.
• He has his own digital research library. (How many geeks can say that?)
• He has a FaceBook page that, as of this writing, is liked by 799,524 people.
• He's on MySpace!
• And, of course, you can read about him in numerous Wikipedia articles.

Is this music still relevant? Well, consider that it's still performed, remixed, and re-interpreted to this day, and if you put a beat behind it (as many have done), it genuinely rocks. Here's YouTuber "Pianowork" giving his interpretation of Rondo alla Turca:

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Would Mozart have supported RiteCare? Without a doubt! Brother Wolfgang was a member of the Viennese lodge called "Zur Wohltätigkeit" and composed a fair number of pieces of Masonic music. He would certainly have embraced the charity wholeheartedly. So to celebrate Mozart, proto-geek and uber-geek without peer, the first of our Noble Geeks, we offer the following:

Other people get mugs. Mozart gets a stein.


Because he's MOZART, that's why.

There's also this cool 'Amadeus!' T-shirt!

Mozart was multilingual, and adapted his name to several languages. Mozart's middle name was variously expressed as 'Amadeus', 'Theophilus', and 'Gottlieb', all of which mean, "Lover of God".

This shirt gives you an opportunity to honor a geek, make a statement, and support a charity, all at the same time!

If you're rockin' with Mozart, you're probably totin' some sheet music.  That's why we're also offering this stylish 'Amadeus!' messenger bag!









Finally, Mozart makes babies smarter. We all know that. So why not let the world know as well?  Our exclusive toddler T-shirts and infant bodysuits proudly proclaim, "Mozart Made Me Smarter!"(TM)

Oh, all right... let's not leave off Mom and Dad...

Craig Bevan: #13

I have a confession to make. Normally, I try to post these folks in roughly the order in which they've signed up (and there's a link up above if you'd like to show up on the Table); but Craig Bevan, element #13, wasn't next on the list. Here's the true story of how Craig came to be on PeriodicGeek this week... my wife lobbied for it. By "lobbied" for it I mean that she determined to make my life a living hell if Craig weren't next up on the blog.

I relate this story not to cast a shadow on my wife, but to illustrate the kind of appeal that Craig Bevan has. This is a guy who truly has star power. He has supreme control of both his guitar and his voice. Listen and watch...

See what I mean? Obviously, Craig was a shoo-in for the Table in his own time, but I couldn't help but ask my wife why he should be next. As English has no words for "je ne sais quoi", she just drooled silently at the screen for a while. I, being a loving husband of 16 years, understand this to mean, "his sex appeal has sex appeal and if he were in the room I wouldn't give you conversation." Fair enough, Lisa.

Craig's got quite a YouTube presence, with a number of covers. They're ALL good, people, but please take the time to sift through the videos for his original songs, like the one above... they're awesome. The voice is smooth, the music is smooth, and it's easy listening all the way through. I'm ecstatic that Craig's offered to lend his presence to the Periodic Table, and in so doing support the RiteCare charity!

In terms of merchandise, the most compelling design I can think of is Craig Bevan's own presence. So here's a taste of what we have for you (this image is used on the button):

Click the image to visit Craig Bevan's section of the PeriodicGeek store!

VISIT THE STORE!

We're pleased to offer Craig Bevan buttons, T-shirts and mugs, so please click through the graphic to the PeriodicGeek store and see what we have to offer. Remember please that all the profits are donated to Rite Care Centers for Childhood Language Disabilities, a superb charity that helps pre-school children live up to their full potential.

While your bank card is out, head over to www.craigbevanmusic.com and check out Craig's new album, I Think We Made It.

You can buy it right there on the website and can download a FREE track, 'Feelings I Find Hard To Show'. Or buy it on iTunes.

In addition you can find out how to follow or friend Craig on Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, and Twitter.

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The Hiatus is Over!

We're back! And we're busy listening and doing. Busybusybusy. Look for an update soon!

A New Radio Station

Click on the cloud to learn more and donate!

While we're on sabbatical, I'd like to take this opportunity to promote another project. Jules Sherred of the Geeky Pleasures website has started a project to create a new Internet radio station.  The investment required is modest -- just $3000 -- but she needs some help to get it started.  Now, she could go to the bank, or some venture capitalists, but those kinds of solutions often cause problems of their very own. So she's started a Chip-in project.

If only 300 of the thousands of visitors that Geeky Pleasures gets donate just $10 each, the goal is met. For your $10 you have the satisfaction of having started something grand, and ensure a year's worth of entertainment. Get that? A YEAR'S worth of entertainment for the cost of one used DVD.

Jules' shows feature Geek musicians, many of whom are or will be featured here on the Periodic Table. It's YOUR kind of music, folks. In addition, she interviews the most interesting names in music and entertainment. Joining her in this endeavor is Joe 'Covenant' Lamb, the Yang of Duality237, a band which was featured right here.

Please help make this happen, folks, and continue to support the many independent musicians and artists who work to add a little entertainment to our drab and boring lives.

Sabbatical

The Periodic Table is on sabbatical for the month of April so I can concentrate on a couple of time-consuming projects .

That doesn't HAVE to be the case! If you have artistic leanings and would like to try your hand at product design, give me a holler at dr dot lindyke at cratchit dot org.

For those who are in the queue, thanks for your patience while I pay the bills.

In the meantime, take a look at the shop, and at peruse the music of some of our previous entries! Links are on the right!

Jeff MacDougall: #88

I was really jazzed when Jeff MacDougall agreed to appear on the Periodic Table, as Jeff is one of my very favorite musicians anywhere. Jeff, if you don't know, is the challenger that went up against Jonathan Coulton in the very first Masters of Song Fu competition. To my mind, this was a very close competition. JoCo pulled out the win with 'Space Doggity', but Jeff's space ballad, 'High' remains stuck in my head to this day. Here it is, submitted for your approval:

Those of us where are of the community called TMA owe a debt of gratitude to Jeff. With Mike Lombardo, he started an international community of musicians and -- more importantly -- friends. That's not the kind of thing that everybody can say.

If there is a person on this Table with a social conscience, it is Jeff. As you're perusing his bandcamp site, read the text, particularly that of the song 'Thank You', and consider that Rite Care is not the only charity worthy of your support.

Also take a look at Jeff's children's album, Stand Up!. Most albums created specifically for kids are, to put it mildly, lacking. Stand Up! manages to entertain and educate without condescending. I'm an adult, and I like it, particularly the high-energy number, 'Bounce'. If you want to get your kids to burn off some energy before naptime, this is the number to play. It's like an innocent little kiddie rave!

It was 'Bounce' that inspired this first bit of merchandise. We have an entire line of children's clothing with the "BOUNCE!" theme, with logos in blue or pink. There are bibs, infant bodysuits, and of course, T-shirts in various colors:

And of COURSE, if you're going to bounce, you need some company! How about this cuddly plush teddy bear? He's eleven inches tall and sports his very own BOUNCE! t-shirt! (Or her own... I've never been very good at that where bears are concerned.)

We have a few special items for the adults as well... naturally there's a coffee mug, and I'm really happy about this one. Taking the theme from 'High', we've captured Tom's spacewalk in this panoramic view in near-Earth orbit. This is a great gift for any geek... musician or not!

One of Jeff's early Song Fu entries was a spoof of 'WKRP in Cincinnati', entitled 'Jeff MacDougall Dot Com'. This was the inspiration for this radio-themed adult T-shirt. And of course, since we all know that Jeff is old, this radio is decidedly retro:

I know this is a little difficult to see in the graphic, so here's the radio in more detail; it sports a retro-styled chrome logo, and the dial lists the songs listenable on JeffMacDougall.com

Finally, we carry that same chrome logo over to a retro-style cap.

I'm sure there's something on this page for everyone, so please show your support for this fine artist, and at the same time help some preschool children get the language therapy they desperately need. You CAN help change a life!

I'll leave you with these important links, and my profound thanks to Jeff MacDougall and all the artists who have chosen to support Rite Care.  Until next time!

www.JeffMacDougall.com Jeff's Bandcamp Pages        Jeff's YouTube Channel