I used a different pair of headphones to record with today. Professional mixing headphones from AKG and it was a a bit of a struggle trying to "record" with these. They're too big for my head and the audio plays below my earholes so everything is off and annoying. The pair of headphones I usually use to record with are PortaPro Koss headphones which sadly finally lost their life today probably due to too many "mishaps" catching on kitchen cabinet handles and doorknobs in the past. I will be ordering a new pair hopefully in time for next week's Carolaoke because that's the low budget way I record vocals. I was really surprised how a different pair of headphones really affect how I sing the song but now I know. And that's what my music experiments are about. Please enjoy my Carolaoke scratch track of The Eurythmics' "I Saved The World Today". Despite my headphone woes, I really enjoyed being able to sing again after my little music intermission this past summer.

I’ve been listening to a lot of Cuban music on Pandora lately because trumpets. You cannot be in a bad mood when you listen to trumpets. I am a sucker for horn sections in songs so I chose Ring of Fire for today’s Carolaoke track. I added harmonies/backing vocals to this one and if you listen real closely (not that close), you’ll hear that Toby added his vocals (screams and shrieks) here and there. It’s Summer Solstice and if ever there is NEVER a time to record music in your house as a bird owner, this would be it. My birds have been off the hook crazed by the 24 hours of daylight lately. If there never was night, I’m convinced that birds would never sleep. Ever. Darkness is their Kryptonite and the only thing that makes them quiet. They are seriously like Gremlins and turn into monsters when the sun is involved. Like a child that was fed too much candy and caffeine all day. So today they had impromptu covered cage naps so that they would calm down the F down and I could finish recording. While listening to this ditty today, consider pretending that I’m singing live from a zoo festival.

Carolaoke Track: Ring of Fire

Today is a scratch track “sample” and not a full song. Why only a sample, Carol? Because some discoveries were made in the production of this ditty today. The “full album version” of this song is not available on iTunes as a karaoke track. Perhaps it’s a radio edit version, I don’t know, but it really threw a wrench in my Music Monday. After listening to other versions on iTunes, they are all the edited version and leave out the best part of this song which are these lyrics:

I’m gonna soak up the sun
While it's still free
I'm gonna soak up the sun
Before it goes out on me

Don't have no master suite
But I'm still the king of me
You have a fancy ride, but baby
I'm the one who has the key

-Sheryl Crow (Soak Up The Sun)

I am not in the headspace to Frankenstein the inside of this karaoke track today to match the music of the full album version (or even if I could for that matter) so I’m only offering a small Carolaoke sample today. As a lot of you know, I continue to try to make friends with summer this year; summer is making that difficult but I will still try. This song always makes me feel hopeful about summer.

Carolaoke Soak Up The Sun Sample

The lyrics for today’s tune say tarot cards to me and you cannot convince me otherwise. You can do a tarot card reading using a regular deck of cards, you just won’t have the Major Arcana cards available to you. But that’s ok! You have the entire deck of the Minor Arcana within a regular deck of cards.

Hearts = Cups
Clubs = Wands
Spades = Swords
Diamonds = Coins, Pentacles

Suzanne Vega also has an awesome tune about tarot cards - “Fool’s Complaint” which is a nod to the first Major Arcana card, The Fool. And then the Queen of Pentacles. The lyrics in that piece are super clever as always when we’re speaking of the amazing Suzanne Vega. I highly recommend it. In the meantime, please enjoy Carolaoke Scratch Track #38, Sting’s “Shape of My Heart” and thank you so much for stopping by today.

Everyone will be happy to know Toby (small parrot) was most excellent while recording today’s Carolaoke tune. He had to have a couple gentle reminders here and there to keep all his screams and outbursts inside his tiny orange pants while I recorded, but I didn’t need to close the door at all this time(!) He’s also been demonstrating that he’s starting to get the word “no” when I say it. I’ve noticed he doesn’t “like” to be scolded and is really sensitive about it, so I’ve amped up the positive reinforcement when he’s doing something good instead.

Today’s Carolaoke song is my scratch track version of Dido’s , “Thank You”. Please enjoy and thank you so much for stopping by today!