Posted by djafan on Sunday, February 7, 2010
Posted in Uncategorized | 49 Comments »
Posted by djafan on Saturday, February 6, 2010
For those suffering the ravages of an Archudrought, Miami this week was an oasis in the desert.
The last two days have been like a refreshing shower after a dust storm. I have been trying to cope with my own David-deprivation by reading and re-reading the posts here and going to The Voice Unplugged to chat with and get support from others sufferers. All of us hoping against hope that the Jordin Sparks Experience would give us a drop or a morsel to get us through till a book signing tour with maybe a song or two.
I signed up for the ustream and was there an hour early hoping for a glimpse of David. No David at first but it wasn’t a bad thing. I learned so much about the gift of hearing and how many don’t enjoy what I take for granted daily. Heard some great stories from those who not only give from their pockets but also of their time. I would like to have seen David’s response when the children were being fitted with hearing aids and the children’s reaction to sound. Here is a link to the Starkey Hearing Foundation’s homepage. http://www.starkeyhearingfoundation.org/hearing-missions.php
I was so glad Jordin invited David. I have always liked her and now I’ve gained a huge respect for her. She is egoless. She had David up front and center with her and when she introduced her friends she looked right at him. David appeared to be her guest, not a sidekick. He was at her side throughout the events smiling and looking so happy, swollen cheek and all.
Back in the saddle and up on the stage again, David sang Crush and one of his best performances of Apologize yet, and that is saying something. First thing I noticed was the change in his voice. Could his voice have possibly improved since the 2nd of December? Deeper and even richer if that’s conceivable. Jordin sang her set and then “WHAM,” right in the gut! I had been so thirsty and now, I’m having trouble breathing. David left me with “No Air”. And he sucker-punched me twice in one day. The vocals, the runs, the swagger up to the stage, the tie, the shirt, the pants, the moves. This week, lest we forget, he proved once again what a phenomenal artist and person he is. Now that we have survived the Archudrought a little longer by slaking our thirst in Miami, we face a tougher ordeal ahead. Will we survive The Voice’s 3rd album tour as he takes it to the next level and possibly busts loose with some sweltering dance moves? I get breathless just thinking about it.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: drink up, no air, R&R at the oasis | 89 Comments »
Posted by bebereader on Wednesday, February 3, 2010
David Archuleta, Jordin Sparks and The Starkey Foundation are on a mission this week. Their goal is to fit over 100 hearing-impaired children with hearing aids in the Miami area. People who can hear tend to take their hearing for granted. But for these children, most of whom have been deaf their entire lives, hearing is a gift that will transport them through the looking glass into a whole new world.
Can the hearing-impaired experience music? The answer is a resounding YES! Beethoven composed his 9th symphony after he lost his hearing. In the movie, “Mr. Holland’s Opus”, I remember that deaf people “heard” music by feeling the floor vibrations and from flashing lights that corresponded to musical notes. By turning up the bass on a stereo so that the vibrations can be felt through the floor, deaf people are able to dance to the rhythms they feel. Hearing-impaired people do enjoy music; they just understand it differently, by feeling rather than by hearing.
At a VIP in December, David was asked to consider having someone sign the lyrics at his concerts to enhance the concert experience for his hearing-impaired fans. He said that he had never thought about signing but he thought it made sense. He mentioned that he knew that the deaf can “feel” the music vibration from the sound system.
Later in the afternoon there will be a special performance by David and Jordin.
Something wonderful is about to happen to a lucky bunch of kids in Miami. After being fitted with hearing aids, these children will be able to hear, rather than just feel music. They will hear the angelic sound of David’s voice. I think back to how I felt when I heard David’s voice for the very first time on American Idol. Imagine their reactions when they hear his healing voice for the first time! Imagine if that was the first sound you ever heard.
(now the ears of my ears awake and now the eyes of my eyes are opened) e.e. cummings
The event will be webcasted today, February 3, starting at 11:45 am EST and 8:45 am PST at this link:
http://www.ustream.tv/starkeyhearingfoundation
If you would like to get involved and give a child the gift of hearing, visit the Starkey Hearing Foundation at this link:
http://www.starkeyhearingfoundation.org/individual-gift.php
If you would like to have your hearing tested online, visit the Starkey Hearing Foundation at this link:
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: ears to hear with, the silence is broken, the universal language | 155 Comments »
Posted by Angelica on Monday, February 1, 2010
I didn’t watch Star Search when David was on the show and only recently sat down and took a closer look at these performances of a much younger David. I find something in them I hope David will consider revisiting and reprising one day. There is a soulful, groovin, yearnin, on his knees begging, cause he’s a prisoner of love kind of vibe going on. No doubt he was just singing words without much meaning for him and going through the motions then. No one would take a twelve year old singing those kinds of songs seriously. It was safe and precociously cute. Now that he’s older and wiser, would he feel comfortable singing this way again? Perhaps now he is more conscious of what is proper and what could be considered too emotionally raw for a young man coming of age. I don’t know if he would touch lyrics referring to “pleasure” or ” the fire’s getting stronger.” But I would dearly love to see him bring his much more evolved talent and performance skills back into this genre again. We have seen glimpses of it surface in “Works for Me”, Reno and “My Hands.” Can you imagine what a mature David could do with this type of material now? Back then…no sexual charisimo at all, of course. Now? Have mercy he would kick major assumptions of what folks are dealing with when they are dealing with David Archuleta fo sho! I’m just masochistic enough to hope the next album he’s working on will show a reemergence of this soulful, baby-don’t-ya-do-me-no-wrong-cause-I-need-ya-too-bad kind of material. Not sure our hearts could stand David live on tour doing this… the growls alone could take you out of this world. But what a way to go! I’m willing to pack the portable defibrillator and O2 tank and take the risk. Who’s with me? 
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: have mercy, o2 Brute?, soul man | 73 Comments »
Posted by Angelica on Friday, January 29, 2010
We are all incurable romantics, you know, those of us who “get” him. I am convinced that this is a major factor in acquired ODD. We are softies at heart. Not for us the screaming rockers who think the louder they yell, the more they will connect. Major disconnect for us. No, we must have schmaltz and the sentimental journey with the happily ever after ending. We crave it. And try as I might to insist that I truly do despise the Lifetime channel and chick flicks are for me like a stay in the harmony hut for Wednesday Adams, it will not do. He knows where I live. He sang Heaven in the Hollywood auditions and meh…it was alright. My defense mechanisms were in full force. I knew I had seen and heard something that threatened my ordered little world; something that would make me feel again and I was ready. If a tree falls in a wood and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? The voice sang and I never heard it singing, no I never heard it at all. I slammed the door in the whelps face and threw the bolt. He kicked that door right off its hinges with this.
I know it makes no sense, but that’s the way we romantics operate. All it took for me was to see him do that dorky little dance and I was his. For some people it was Heaven, or WOTWTC or Imagine or Shop Around. For me it was it was that ridiculous little jig. Maybe that’s why I’m so interested in his moves and dance steps. Because for me, that’s how it all began. At last I could hear and the sound of that voice was the sweetest sound I have ever heard on this earth. But I was right to be apprehensive. As poor Dumbledore said of Harry Potter, “I never dreamed I would have such a person on my hands.”
Such a person on our hands. For make no mistake, he is on our hands and weighs heavily at times. In money spent on umpteenth road trips and VIPs. In rolled eyes and shaking heads from family and friends. In time spent on the internet endlessly researching, discussing, rewinding, replaying, copying, pasting. What news? He stopped for lunch and had Mexican. Is he traveling? In route to LA. He tweets and we are reassured for the moment. But…why is he tweeting this time of night when he should be in bed? We labor and count our labors sweet.
There was a time before all this when I was closed off and in a dark place. When the sky overhead was perpetually filled with gray clouds through which no ray of light or hope escaped. That’s the problem with being an incurable romantic. We want the ideal and when the world repeatedly falls short of that, it crashes in on us. It got so bad at one point that, God forgive me, I prayed that He would take my life. When He didn’t, I prayed a new prayer. I asked Him to let me feel happy again. A simple request, indeed, but I waited without hope. Then one evening, David did a little happy dance right into my heart. It was as though God said to me, “I hope you dance.” Suddenly I found something that I cared about more than my pain. Something that took me out of my self-absorption and caused me to reach out to others who felt the same. I had a purpose. I must keep him from being sent home. I agonized but it was agony for someone else and that made all the difference. Now I write and help others to find themselves in writing too, and make videos that for me at least, have meaning. I do whatever I can to support him, because I believe there are others out there who this precious ray of human sunshine can help and heal too. Now, because of David’s emphasis on charity, I’m aware of others so much worse off than myself and I want to help. I count my blessings everyday and step by step, I am learning to dance to the beat of my own unique drum.
I know David did not answer my prayer; he was just the instrument that was used. But does he know how to save a life? Absolutely.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: how to save a life, I hope you dance, incruably romantic | 59 Comments »
Posted by bebereader on Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Courageously vulnerable and incredibly honest, David Archuleta, is known for the strong connection he makes with his audience when he sings. To make a strong connection, you have to believe in what you sing. David recently said he will be taking a larger part in the songwriting process on his next album because he wants his music to reflect who he is as a person.
“I want the stories to be more relatable to what I want to talk about. It’s, like, fun music! But you can tell that it’s my story. And I like that. I think people will get to know me better with these songs.”
“I want my music to make people feel good. I want people to be able to connect with me and my music. You know, it’s just figuring out how to do that the best way — because I’m not good with words, but I think I’m learning to do that more and more, as I get more involved with writing.”
David has been working with accomplished songwriters such as Joy Williams (co-writer of “Waiting For Yesterday“), Matt Wertz, Mat Kearney, producer Robert Marvin and producer/songwriter/novelist Matt Bronleewe in Nashville, with Jeymes Samuel in New York and with Victoria Horn, Matt Squire, Kina Grannis and Daniel Bedingfield in Los Angeles.
Songwriting is undoubtedly a key element of a recording artist’s career. It seems that to be taken seriously as an artist, you have a greater chance of being respected, winning Grammy Awards and having longevity if you can do more than sing. While talented singers are always sought after, those who in addition, can write their own material are especially valued such as Billy Joel, Elton John, Sheryl Crowe, Alicia Keys and Phil Collins, to name a few.
But writing one’s own music doesn’t automatically win you respect if you can’t connect with your audience. I wondered how important it is for an artist to write their own music and what it takes to be a success in the music business. With David in mind, I did some research on what the total package was all about. Here is a list of attribute’s of successful artists from “The Music Think Tank“.
• Heart – the powerful force that brings art to life and creates the charisma that bonds great musical artists to their fans.
• Conviction – the total and absolute belief in yourself as an artist and in your ability to write great songs.
• Drive – the thing that fuels an artist’s belief that their music is great.
• Perseverance – this is what permits an artist to become successful if they hang in there until it all comes together.
• Originality – this is what separates great music from the music everyone else makes and allows it to stand alone from all the rest.
• Great Songs – A great song is made up of words and melodies that embody the artist’s spirit and soul. Together they forge a sound so special that those who listen to it are moved and emotionally bond with it. Great artists never stop trying to challenge themselves by writing better and better songs.
• Appealing Image – an appealing image that is comfortable yet edgy enough to define and differentiate who you are as an artist.
• Great People Skills – the ability to communicate with fans one on one as well as connect with a large audience. Honest communication only strengthens the connection.
• An Accomplished Live Performance - The greatest musical artists combine incredible music with a compelling performance. Of course, a great song can stand on its own without an accompanying live performance. But great music played live by a powerful, exciting, charismatic performer gets taken to a much higher, more memorable level. Some people are born to play live and others have to work at it to be good. Live connections almost single handedly drive every aspect of an artist’s success.
This list made me wonder how important it is for David to write his own music when he already has heart, conviction, drive, perseverance, originality, an appealing image, great people skills, drive, and a kick-ass live performance so early in his career. However, I feel that for David to shed the American Idol image once and for all, and for him to be taken seriously as an artist and recognized as an accomplished singer/songwriter, he needs to write great songs. I have every faith that he has it in him and that he knows what kind of music to write for his voice. It’s exhilarating to think about in light of the many genres The Voice can sing.
How important do you think it is for an artist to write their own music?
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: songs in the key of David, taking him seriously, the music within | 97 Comments »
Posted by thefunnygirl on Saturday, January 23, 2010
When you love someone, sometimes you see magic in some little thing they do. The way they flip the burger on the grill, the way one eye squeezes closed a bit more than the other when they smile, they way they hold their toothbrush or splash their feet in the pool. Endearing little everyday things can make your heart skip a beat and make you smile. We have been fortunate to get a glimpse into David’s world. Anyone with full-blown ODD knows David’s crooked smile, his shy smile, his eyebrow moves, his little strut across the stage, the face he makes when he ends a glory note. There have been so many moments we have been able to share with him, yet there are so many little everyday things we will never get to see. We all have our David obsessions – his hair, his nose, his clothes, etc….and as creepy as he would find this exercise, I would love to know what little thing you’d like to know about or see David doing (please be respectful). Not that we want to invade his privacy – just some curious musings by bored fans awaiting a book signing tour (please God) or other epic announcement….Does he type using the home row? Does he roll up his sock all the way before he puts it on his foot? Does he clip his nails from the thumb to the pinky or the other way? Does he have an elaborate skin routine that keeps him so sparkly?
If you cannot narrow it down to one thing, please feel free to ramble on – David would approve of rambling. My secret little thing goes a little something like this:
Pretend for a moment with me that David would actually eat a Cinnabon. He is presented with a large Cinnabon, complete with extra icing. No fork, no knife, no napkins. He picks it up with his huge manhands and looks it over, planning his attack. Will he start at one edge or at the top? Will he orbit it or go from one edge right across? Will he let the icing drip down or will he be sure to take careful bites that include equal parts cinnabon and icing? Either way, this would be quite the spectacle. Either way, there will be icing on his face and hands. And he’ll have to do something with it. Either way, this will end well.
FYI – I know I am a freak, and I fly my freak flag proudly. 
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: ain't ODD grand?, all's well that ends well, sticky fingers | 84 Comments »
Posted by Abrra on Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Photo by Jennifer Barry
A huge snowstorm was looming in the gray skies over Newark as I boarded the train for Providence. My mood was resigned. I had made the painful decision to forgo David Archuleta’s last two Christmas concerts in Boston and Westbury. I stared glumly out the window, cursing the blizzard that had destroyed my plans to connect with David again. The train was filled to capacity with people heading home for the holidays. The seat beside me soon became empty and mysteriously remained that way through three more stops of passengers jostling to board. Suddenly, I looked up to see a tall young man in his early twenties. He smiled and politely asked, “May I sit here?” That was the beginning of a remarkable conversation that lasted until John Torrey got off in Norwich, Connecticut.
John Torrey in Bagamoyo, Tanzania
John is a student at Princeton University. As the train sped onward through the frigid landscape, he talked to me about his life at college and how he spends his time in summer between semesters. He does volunteer work in Bagamoyo, Tanzania in an AIDS clinic for women and children, teaching healthy lifestyle habits and disease prevention. No small task in an impoverished village where health care is virtually non-existent but for the works of good Samaritans, like John and other volunteers for UKUN. As John wrote in a subsequent email I requested since our meeting, “UKUN also provides care to over 5,000 orphaned and vulnerable children through coordinating support services….providing clients with nutritional assistance, counseling and testing, transportation to the hospital, physical therapy, ARV monitoring, income generating opportunities, referrals to social services in the community, AIDS education in schools, and much more. They serve as the eyes and ears of the Bagamoyo medical community because they actually enter communities and residences. At the moment, UKUN is facing a funding crisis, so I spent most of my time writing letters and grants in an effort to obtain funds. I also went on numerous home visits and helped to transport clients to the hospital. Along with other volunteers, I set up what is now a regular support group for HIV-positive women. Separately from UKUN, I also taught and played with children at a local center for orphaned and vulnerable children called IMUMA every weekday.”
John Torrey and some orphaned children he taught English, Math, and Geography to in Tanzania.
As I listened to his story of the plight of the Tanzanian people, I immediately felt that John was a person David would be proud to know. Here was someone doing the hands on work close to David’s heart and fund raising efforts. They are connected in that way, he and David, strangers and brothers at the same time in their mission. I began to talk about David’s work with various foundations prompting John to exclaim that, “David certainly seems like my kind of person!” This was my opening to offer John a Christmas Tour CD. He promised to play it with his family when he got home. I showed him some of my videos with my IPhone that feature David singing “Save the Day” and “Falling”. My seatmate was delighted with the songs and the Voice. Then he told me that he was a songwriter! Was there nothing this charming young man did not attempt?
Before we parted, I asked John what his goal was in life. His answer: “To bring peace to the world by working to improve health care in poor countries. I want to write grants for funds to help the continuing effort to raise these people out of poverty so they can support themselves.” John, like David has a deep feeling of responsibility to try his best to make the world a better place. I am proud to call John Torrey my friend. I am almost sure David would be too.
The train pulled into Norwich and my companion got off with a wave and a promise to keep in touch. Strangers on a train, connected for a moment that would last forever. I sat back in my seat and felt the smile return that he had placed there; felt my spirits rise as the train gathered speed. I had missed my connection with David, but I had made the connection I was meant to keep.
To contribute to ensuring the futures of some of the brightest young orphaned children John taught by sending them to secondary school, donate here: http://www.reach4tomorrow.info/meetthekids.html or to donate generally to IMUMA’s amazing and empowering activities, donate here: http://friendsofimuma.bbnow To donate to UKUN, contact the project coordinator, Charles Njonjele at cbnjonjele@lycos.com
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: another day in paradise, connections, strangers on a peace train | 103 Comments »
Posted by emifriend on Saturday, January 16, 2010
The thing about David I can’t quite stop thinking about is his unhurriedness. It’s in his attitude: I am just a kid, I don’t know about a lot of things. I am not even supposed to know about all those things yet, but I’m looking forward to learning about them in my future, when the time is right. David is not in a huge rush to do grown up things. It is remarkable that though he likes to stay busy and productive, this attitude of unhurriedness is present in everything he does. You can hear it in his singing, in the way he attends to each note with deliberation and patience. It is there in the way he treats people. He takes the time to be kind and when you talk with David he looks at you and gives you his full attention. He listens not only to what you say but to what your heart can not. In his lack of hurry he often ignores those who are. Even in the way he talks… he will patiently persevere through his own awkwardness with words to make sure he is completely understood when it is important to him. On the other hand, he will wait quietly and not interrupt or rush in to correct someone when it is not. Like politely listening to Kathy Lee Gifford with her Josh Groban advice and replying, “Oh, yeah?” and then zipping his lip and smiling. Hah! Beautiful moment.
I’ve heard it said that some people get their power from having things, some from doing things and some from BEING. David is a BE-er. He could be a doer with that talent and that voice, but his identity is not wrapped up in that, I think. His Identity is in the YOU AND I, to quote the Riddle, of the present moment, a sensibility which I think we are all born with until we are about five and then it slips away. David has retained this quality, and I think it is part of what makes him “child like” but not childish. David’s conscious efforts to be pure and true to himself, and his efforts to guard his heart, mind, soul, and mouth, empower him to be without guile, to be generous with sincere affection and to live in the moment. Following in the steps of the great “I am,” he is the quintessential, existential, “to be.” He walks the walk and makes it look easy. Why does the phrase, “walk this way” from Young Frankenstein come to mind?
Maybe that is how we walk now.
This trait of living not in the past or rushing toward the future but unhurriedly being in the NOW, is so rare in our entitled twenty-something generation and those who follow, but David is such a great role model. It’s a powerful thing in him. I have great hopes for his younger fans. And I have learned a lot from his example that I hope to apply.
I am learning to hurry less and to be more in the moment. To let go of the past and not be afraid of the future. This being in the now brings with it an increased sense of thankfulness. So I am thankful. To David’s parents who disciplined David without destroying his spirit. To Dean Kaelin, who taught David to respect his gift, helped him find and expand it, and mentored David toward a professional career in music. To all those Sunday school teachers, Boy Scout leaders, and other kids’ parents, who affirmed in David the goodness of good. To all his siblings, who are as much a part of David as he is of them. To his business managers who have done a great job of presenting and guiding David throughout this whirlwind year. And to his friends, old and new, who support and encourage David and with whom he feels at home. Most of all, I am thankful to David, for showing me, despite his youth and the prevalence of ageism in our society, the way to be.
“Let no man despise thy youth: but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
1 Timothy 4:12
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: Power of now, The strength of youth, Walking the walk | 96 Comments »
Posted by Angelica on Friday, January 15, 2010
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: chocolate is love, thanks for voting, the voice-unplugged | 59 Comments »
Angelica
djafan
bebereader
silverfox
Abrra
