In Concert!

I'm so excited!  The Piano Guys are going on tour!!  And they're going to be here in Northern Virginia in October!!!  And so I think we probably will actually go to see them in concert!!!!

I haven't posted here much about them, I don't think.  Silly me!  Cowboy discovered them a couple of years ago when he was searching YouTube for a video to amuse the kids.  We've been devoted fans ever since -- we have two of their albums and have bought a bunch of their mp3s from their store too.  Their name is a little misleading -- most of their stuff is done by one piano guy (Jon Schmidt) and one cello guy (Steven Sharp Nelson).  Some of the songs are one or the other of them, but most are both together.  They write their own arrangements, often pairing a pop song with a classical one.  They do a fair number of movie themes too.  Here's their Lord of the Rings medley:



Did I mention their videos?  Their amazing, how-did-they-get-a-grand-piano-there videos?  The above medley is not entirely representative of their style, as it's pretty much a straight medley, not a jazzed-up or bounced-up or rocked-out version of the music.  This video is more like their usual style:



That happens to be my kids' favorite song ever, thanks to that video :-)  Please, go visit their YouTube channel if you like this kind of music -- you will not be disappointed!

Okay, I just have to share one more video, just because I've been on such a Les Miserables kick lately.  Here's their version of "Bring Him Home," another fairly straight-forward piece:

Early Christmas for Me

I got an early Christmas present in the mail this weekend:  two Christmas albums by the Piano Guys musicians, Jon Schmidt and Steven Sharp Nelson.  Because Cowboy doesn't like listening to Christmas music before Thanksgiving (he says he's keeping me honest, or some such fiddle-faddle), I only listened to one song from each of them when they arrived, to make sure they're not defective.  You can buy these as CDs or mp3 albums here on their website.

Here's the song I listened to off Steven Sharp Nelson's album, just in case you're in a clandestine Christmas mood too:



"The Carol of the Bells" has been one of my absolute favorite Christmas songs since I was eleven.  It's featured in the McGee & Me movie 'Twas the Fight Before Christmas, which I first saw at my best friend Christy's birthday party, and which is still my favorite McGee & Me movie.  It's originally a Ukrainian song, and I got to sing it in Ukraine with my future in-laws when Cowboy and I spent Christmas there when we were dating :-D

I also got a wristband, which turns out to be a fabulous teething toy!