Tyler's Story

 

In this edition of Angel Watchers I am featuring Tyler Doi, who is an exceptional young man.  The video below tells Tyler's story much more eloquently than I ever could.  Safe journeys to all the Fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

Luke Hunadi │ Master Keiki Hula 2013

In this edition of Angel Watchers I am featuring Luke Hunadi, the winner of the Master Keiki Hula 2013 competition that took place at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii during, the month of July.  Luke is a member of the Hālau Ka Lei Mokihana O Leinaala from the island of  Kauai, also known as The Garden Island.  A hālau is the name of a hula school or academy.  There are basically two types of hula, the Hula Kahiko (ancient hula) and the Hula 'Auana (modern hula).  Luke won in the Hula 'Auana category.  The hula he danced was called "Nui Kealoha o Kauai e", that was written by Kale Hannahs.  It tells the story of a helicopter trip around the island of Kauai to view its beauties from the sky.  To prepare for this hula, Luke actually took a helicopter ride to get a feel for the song that he was about to learn.  A good hula dancer gives the impression the he is floating off the stage unhindered by gravity, and Luke does this absolutely perfectly.  The story of a hula is told in the hands of the dancer, and Luke's hands are particularly expressive and emotive.  Notice that at one point of the dance, Luke sways and makes a circle with his right hand.  That is done to represent the helicopter trip, and if you notice in the lyric, the word helicopter is pronounced the Hawaiian way at that moment.  Luke is ten-years old, but dances with a maturity that is beyond his age.  Remember, keep your eyes on the hands.  A Me Ke Aloha Pumehana to you Luke, from Angel Watchers.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

Dangerous Holiday │ Ronald Sinclair

 Ronald Sinclair/Ra Hould

In this edition of Angel Watchers I am featuring "Dangerous Holiday", starring Ronald Sinclair/Ra Hould.  It's the story of Ronnie Kimball (Ronald Sinclair), a child prodigy, who is frustrated with his parents and agent's' attempts to exploit his talents.  So, to make a long story short, he runs away and gets into all kinds of dangerous situations.  Even though this movie was released in 1937, it is still great.  By-the-way, Ra Hould changed his name to Ronald Sinclair, just in case there is some confusion about his two names.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

Vlad Krutskikh │ Ivan Kupala

Ivan Kupala Day (St. John the Baptist Day) is celebrated in Eastern European countries around July 7.  Tvorila Night, the eve of Ivan Kupala Day, is considered to be a time for good humor, mischief, and boisterous fun.   On Ivan Kupala day itself, children have water fights, and perform pranks mostly involving pouring water over someone's head.  After all, it is St. John the Baptist day.  I am a bit nostalgic about "Ivan Kupala", as it is the song that introduced me to the amazing, and entertaining, Vlad Krutskikh and Street Magic.  It is interesting to note that all the performers in this cool video are wearing Ivan Kupala (St. John The Baptist) themed costumes.   Vlad Krutskikh's website can visited at this link:  Vlad Krutskikh - Official Website   Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

The Coolest Choir Ever!

In this edition of Angel Watchers I am featuring a fantastic choir that has no name.  This choir has been thrilling street audiences in New York City for the past week, but unfortunately, there is no information about them at all.  They just pop-up at different locations around New York City and start singing, and after one song they leave.  No one seems to know who they are, or where they come from.  That's all there really is to it.  It's an amazing mystery.  I must add that they do a cool move at the end of their song that I like a lot.  It adds a Gothic touch to their performance.  By-the-way, the only song that they sing is "I Fought The Law".  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

Christmas Canon │ Merry Christmas

This has to be the most beautiful setting ever for Pachelbel's "Canon in D".  The Trans-Siberian Orchestra, augmented by the angelic voices of a children's choir, have created a modern day holiday masterpiece with the "Christmas Canon".  Just when you thought that you had heard all of the Christmas songs in the world, along comes something marvelous, and special like the "Christmas Canon".  It's from an album by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra called "The Christmas Attic".  A Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all the fans of  Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

Vyacheslav Marchuk (В'ячеслав Марчук)

 

In this edition of Angel Watchers I am featuring Vyacheslav Marchuk (В'ячеслав Марчук), who sings a hauntingly beautiful Ukrainian song called "Take Me Across The Square".  Vyacheslav is from the Ukraine, and that is about the only information that I could find out about him, which is really a shame, as he is a fantastic singer.  I have "auditioned" many singers for Angel Watchers, but Vyacheslav is in a class of his own.  His voice is pure and sweet.  Take note of Vyacheslav's bare feet and the traditional Ukrainian clothes that he is wearing.  They are a perfect touch to a classy performance.  I was also moved by Vyacheslav's daring a capella singing.  That is a technique that is rarely heard in the contemporary musical scene.  Click on the video widget below for a transcendental musical experience.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

The Mini Beats │ Happy Xmas (War Is Over)

The Mini Beats from Germany, is a terrific musical group that I discovered  while I was browsing a little known music website located in Russia.  The Mini Beats specialize in performing covers of The Beatles' music, and they do an outstanding job of it.  The members of the group are:  Philip, guitar and vocals;  Andi, guitar; Markus, bass-guitar and vocals; Jonas, drums and vocals.  The Mini Beats was started by Jonas, who got the inspiration for it after watching "Help", and "A Hard Days Night", with his father one night.  The song that they play in the video below is John Lennon's and Yoko Ono's haunting Christmas anthem, "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)", that was released in October of 1971.  It just so happens to be my most favorite Christmas song in the whole world.  Incidentally, the melody of "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" is based on an old American folk song called "Stewball".  It is interesting to note, that Philip, the lead singer on "Happy Xmas (War Is Over), handles the English lyrics quite well.  His diction and pronunciation are perfect.  The original version of "Happy Xmas (War Is Over), by the Plastic Ono Band, is rather hard to find, actually it has been always hard to find, but I did locate a copy of it on an MP3 Christmas anthology called "The Essential NOW That's What I Call Christmas".  A Very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year, to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

Los Chicos de la Escolanía

Los Chicos de la Escolanía, from the Real Monasterio de San Lorenzo, is a very special choral group from Spain.  In 1995 they had an international hit with the song "Nirvana".  They also had a very unique sound then, that was sort of a cross between Enigma, and Hildegard Von Bingen.  At that time they were known collectively as Elbosco.  In this post, I am featuring them performing "The Flower Duet (Sous le dôme épais)", from Léo Delibes' haunting, and mystical opera, "Lakmé".  This song has been featured in many movies, and television commercials.  It just so happens that I adore "The Flower Duet".  It's my most favorite music in the whole world.  There are three things that we have in common with heaven while we are still here on Earth.  They are Light, Love, and Music.  Los Chicos de la Escolanía possesses all three in great abundance.  It is interesting to note that the Los Chicos de la Escolania choir is comprised of young men between the ages of nine and fourteen, and they all live in The Real Monasterio de San Lorenzo (located North of Madrid).  The monastery was built in the 16th century by Filipe II, when Spain was considered one of the greatest and most powerful empires on Earth.  Astrologers, sorcerers, physicians and architects sought out the monastery as a supremely magical and strategic location.  The Real Monasterio de San Lorenzo has a cool website that can be found at this link:  Real Monasterio de San Lorenzo - Official Website  Escolania del Escorial has an excellent YouTube channel that can be found here:  Escolonia del Escorial - YouTube Channel  Safe journeys  to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

In Trutina │ Liam O'Kane

In this edition of Angel Watchers I am featuring Liam O'Kane, who was a member of the incredible choral group Libera, singing "In Trutina" from Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana".  This has got to be one of the most beautiful songs ever written, and Liam does an awesome job of singing it.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be

In Trutina

In trutina mentis dubia
Fluctuant contraria
Lascivus amor et pudicitia
Sed eligo quod video
Collum iugo prebeo
Ad iugum tamen suave transeo.

In the wavering balance of my feelings
Set against each other
Lascivious love and modesty
But I choose what I see
And submit my neck to the yoke;
I yield to the sweet yoke.

The Christmas Shoes │ Max Morrow

A Very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

Cory │ Believe

A moment of peace from Angel Watchers.  A Very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

O Holy Night │ JoJoRock

In this edition of Angel Watchers, I am featuring the very talented JoJoRock, who is from Australia.  JoJo is socially conscious, and used the money generated from his cool "O Holy Night" video to sponsor a child in need from the international aid group Compassion  By-the-way, JoJo's "O Holy Night" is so compelling, it is appropriate to watch it all year round.  I love it so much, it actually moved me to tears.  Jojo has a great website that can be found at this link: JoJoRock - Official Website  Visit his YouTube channel at this link: JoJoRock on YouTube  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

Mary, Did You Know?

My Dear Aunt Martha and I spent the whole afternoon surfing the internet trying to find something new, and different to share on Angel Watchers.  Well, Aunt Martha finally suggested that I search for some Techno Praise music.  You see, Aunt Martha, having been a professional opera singer all of her life, still keeps tabs on all of the latest musical trends, which is something that I am really loathe to do.  I had never heard of Techno Praise but I do trust Aunt Martha's judgment.  I typed in the search term, and dozens of hits popped up.  It did not take long to find this Techno Praise version of Mark Lowry's wonderful Christmas classic "Mary, Did You Know?".  It is sung by a fresh new singer by the name of Johnny Hammer, and he is sensational.  The power, honesty, innocence, and freshness of Johnny's performance brought tears to both Aunt Martha's, and my eyes.  Johnny also has an amazing angelic presence that makes him so much fun to watch.  I predict that this version of "Mary, Did You Know?" will turn out to be a perennial Christmas favorite.  By the way, the group that Johnny belongs to is called Technopraise.  Please join Aunt Martha and I in watching this amazing video by clicking on the widget below.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

Troye Sivan

In this edition of Angel Watchers, I am featuring the amazing Troye Sivan.  I have always been a fan of his cover of The Kelly Family's "An Angel", and I thought that it was about time that I presented it on Angel Watchers.  It's such a cool version.  Troye's YouTube channel can be found at this link: Troye Sivan on YouTube   Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

The Christmas Shoes

In this edition of Angel Watchers I am featuring a remarkable video called "The Christmas Shoes".  What can I say about "The Christmas Shoes" without sounding banal or trite?  It is very moving, and fills the soul with deep sentiment.  "The Christmas Shoes" is the perfect Christmas story.  My Dear Aunt Martha and I found it on the internet this past Christmas, and we could not stop crying after watching it, and we watched it over, and over again.  The Christian musical group Newsong originally released it in 2000, and since then it has grown in popularity to become a  perennial favorite for the holidays.  There are many video versions of "The Christmas Shoes", but this one is the best by far, and contains the original "The Christmas Shoes" as sung by Newsong,  My Dear Aunt Martha and I felt that with the way things are going in the world, we all need something to pick us up and remind us that the greatest gift of all, is the gift of sharing.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

Ted Huffman and Stephen Van Dyck

In this edition of Angel Watchers I am featuring what is probably the best version of the "Ave Maria" that was ever written.  It was composed by the distinguished British musician Simon Lindley.  In the video below, Lindley's "Ave Maria" is sung by Ted Huffman and Stephen Van Dyck, and it is sensational.  Ted and Stephen are known collectively as The Treble Boys.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be. 

Serbian Exotica │ Emanuel Zekic

Emanuel Zekic, a young Roma singer from Serbia, can only be described as amazing.  His magical voice has many shades.  You can call it sultry, passionate, exotic, soulful.  But, whatever adjectives you prefer to use, the fact is that Emanuel's superb singing needs to heard by the whole world.  In his voice you can hear the mysteries, pain, joys, and hopes, of the Roma people.  Many of the microtones that he sings, cannot be written in standard Western musical notation. You won't find these notes on a piano keyboard.  To perform them, one has to live those notes, and feel the subtle intonations of the music.  To the Western ear, the microtones are aromatic, and redolent of unseen things, and takes us to emotional states that we have not transcended to before.  I must say that when I first heard his music, I wept from the joy, and sheer beauty of it all.  In fact I still cry whenever I hear him sing.  I too have Roma blood running in my veins.   Emanuel also has the most beatific, and angelic smile that I have ever seen.  God has truly blessed him with wonderful gifts.  Click on the video widget below to hear him sing a hauntingly beautiful song called "Oprosti Mi (Forgive Me)".  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.