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ben@bjhampson.com
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Friday
Sep022011

A Music Update: A little bit of Country, a lot of Soul, with a random mix in between. 

It's been a while since I posted on here about my recent musical musings and listenings, so here's a little update. Since my last post on playlists (an October one) I've made three more, December, February and June. I missed out April's, as I was so late in getting around to making it! Fail!

But, here's a rundown of some the stand out songs I've been listening to.

December's playlist is filled with some rather poppy tunes, from Cheryl Cole to Maroon Five, care of some country by Taylor Swift and Sister Hazel,  and some singer-songwriter action from Joshua Radin and Seth Lakeman. It's also has a large number of my favourite modern soul singer, Mayer Hawthorne on there..I've posted about him before, and more coming later. For some more obscure names, check out Anya Marina, Stornoway, and The Villagers, all featured in this list. Finally there are some singles in here from Young the Giant, The Joy Formidable and Funeral Party, all of whom are rising stars but I have yet to properly listen to their full albums.

February 11 saw me finally getting around to listening to Lady Antebellum's grammy award winning album (more later), Bruno Mars' poptastic tunes, Matt Nathanson's new single Faster (just got his new album), The Naked and Famous, Adele, James Blunt, White Lies, Lissie, The Wanted and Thriving Ivory (this guy has such a unique voice, I love it). Some unusual stand outs on this playlist include the re-release of The Boss's (Bruce Springsteen) Promises album, some jazz tunes by the talented Imelda May, and some old school 1940's classic pop by modern band The Overtones. Check them out:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oo8OgMzS3uU]

I also, courtesy of Nicole, discovered this band, a little retro 80's action. Chromeo, have a listen: (Seriously strange video, just listen to the music!!!)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkyYxAv6kB4]

June 11 was a rather large playlist, since I missed out April. 224 songs, and there are some really great ones in there. I have especially enjoyed Noah and the Whale's new album, some soul from Cee Lo Green, and some great indie from Arctic Monkeys, The Drums, The Strokes, and The Vaccines. Not to mention some pop by Lady Gaga. The Civil Wars (who I've blogged about previously) stand out, as does the Wombats new album and One Night Only's. I also discovered The Tallest Man on Earth, courtesy of some friends in Wisconsin, and have really enjoyed his singer songwriter stuff. Like I'm from Barcelona (see a future blog) he hails from Sweden, of all places!

Anyway, the purpose of this blog was really to explain that I'm currently in a very country mood right now, possibly because of the hours spent driving down long, straight, never ending roads in Moscow TN.  That means lots of Lady Antebellum and Taylor Swift. I just downloaded Lady A's new song (new album out soon) and am really enjoying it, sad though it is. In fact, some of the lyrics are definitely hitting home right now. That's the extent of my country though, besides Willie Nelson, so if anyone would like to share some country bands/singers with me, I'd really appreciate it! :)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVpSy2CGojA]

At the same time as getting Lady A's new single, I also stocked up on the singles I had missed from one of my favourite musicians around right now, Mayer Hawthorne! Really really great soul, that you really can't stop yourself from bopping along too! His newest, The Walk, is a classic, with some superb lyrics. Then there's A Long Time, No Strings, and I Need You, all fantastic.

The Walk is available to stream for free, here.

Better yet, Mayer Hawthorne will be touring with Chromeo in October! Oh yes! And, I think in anticipation of this, the two have been covering each others songs! Check out these two, Chromeo remixing A Long time, and Mayer doing Chromeo's When The Night Falls! (Compare with the above song!)

[soundcloud width="100%" height="81" params="" url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/21175976"]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2VSI5PEa2w&feature=related]

If anyone wants the full playlists, please do just ask! And if any wants some of the actual music...dropbox is a wonderful thing and I am always willing to share music and spread the love!

 
Thursday
Sep012011

Remembering the Big Day! Jon and Michelle's Wedding Photos

Further to my other post, I just want to share these links where you can view some of the great pictures taking this past weekend in Moscow, TN at my cousin's wedding!

http://jonmichellesweddingpictures.shutterfly.com/ is all unedited pics from the Wedding itself.

Pictures from events before the big day and be seen here, and here. (click on the words "here" if you're not computer literate!)

More on the way soon!

 

 
Thursday
Sep012011

Idiocy in North Carolina: The Time I Couldn't Get a Drink in Pineville

On our way from Orange County, CA, to Myrtle Beach, SC, we spent the night in a small suburb of Charlotte, NC called Pineville. We arrived at the hotel at around 9pm, and headed out for an evening meal. Fortunately, Tona Romas was located just across the way from the hotel, and so it was to there we went.

All was going well, we had a very nice meal-with two free appetisers because of our stay at the hotel- and our waiter was polite, friendly and efficient. What more could you ask for from a meal in a restaurant? Well, it just so happened they had Newcastle Brown on draught, so my Granddad and I thought we'd have beer.

The waiter goes round the table and we order. Then he asks for my ID. OK sure, not a problem. It's their job to ask and they could get fired for not checking, and it's no longer a problem to me! I got asked for ID when buying a lottery ticket, for which you have to be age 16, so looking 21 is perhaps a little difficult, though I hate to admit it.

Anyway, I pull out my UK drivers license and hand it over. The waiter quizzically looks at it, and then tells me he has to show all foreign ID to his manager. Again, fair enough. It is somewhat unique, and if that's the rule they have, so be it. I expected his manager to have more skill in recognising foreign ID, and for her to just approve it.

Not to be. The waiter returned and told me they couldn't except this, and that I needed a passport. Now I've never had any trouble whatsoever with my driver's license as a form of ID, across the length and breadth of the country, until here. However, seeing as how the hotel was just across the road, I opted not to argue, but just to go and get my passport.

I returned in a few minutes, and handed my passport over to the waiter. Still he couldn't except this, without checking with his manager. Off he toddled, and returned 5 minutes later only to inform me that he could not except the passport because it had expired. This being the passport I had just entered the US with and flew with that very day. Immigration and TSA officers had approved it...

It seemed he was looking at an expired visa of mine. I proceeded to show him the correct photo ID page (just like in a US passport) and off he went back to this still unseen manager. I felt sorry for the waiter, you could see he clearly just wanted to accept it, but he was following protocol to the letter. That his manager didn't come over to the table to settle the matter there should have shown her incompetence to us then and there.

But it didn't, and we sat and waited for another ten minutes before we decided to give up. We walked into the back to find the manager simply stood, mouth agape, staring at my passport. Thinking what, I really have no idea! Did she think she was some kind of fraud expert? Was it in a foreign language to her? Was she checking if I was the guy in the photo?

Well no, that can't be true, since she never came over to even see what I looked like.

The incompetence was absolutely shocking! We stood there and asked what the problem was, and she couldn't tell us. So we took the passport, obviously extremely annoyed, and said we'd go elsewhere, and to forget the order. I should point out that half of the order had already been poured, including one beer.

A good manager would surely have tried to stop us leaving, and have us spend however much one, and maybe two rounds of four drinks cost in her establishment. A better manager would have apologised profusely for the mix up, and perhaps credited us with a free drink. Alas, neither of these things happened.

That she had two forms of legitimate ID, with matching names, pictures, and birthdates made no difference to her. That I went all the way to the hotel to get my passport should surely have proved my seriousness, and indicated that I wasn't just trying to get a cheeky illegal beer. It couldn't possibly have gotten more legitimate and legal!

What did this manager think? That the police were going to come in a raid her restaurant and convict her of serving someone underage.... in this small little suburb? Or did she think I was in for a wild night of underage drinking  with a 50 year old, and two senior citizens?

It was just terrible, and put a big dampener on the night.

We left, and went to another bar down the road. One quick look, and driver's license accepted. And it wasn't like we had a meal there either.

Still, I suppose it's better than the more recent time, when the bar lady couldn't find my date of birth on my license, and so eventually gave up and assumed I was military!
Wednesday
Aug312011

Shotguns, Weddings, and a Cabin in the Woods: Southern Hospitality and a New Addition to the Family

I flew out last weekend to Memphis, Tennessee, to go to the wedding of my cousin. I was expecting to have a very pleasant time and enjoy a nice little wedding.

I wasn't expecting to be deep in the woods, in a cabin by the lake.

I wasn't expecting such incredible hospitality.

I wasn't expecting such an incredible ceremony, a unification of two different countries, cultures and traditions.

And I wasn't expecting to meet such wonderful people, and to make friends I hope will last a lifetime.

The weekend began on Beale Street in Downtown Memphis, the one from the song "Walking in Memphis"- that was all that was running through my head as I took in the sights, sounds and smells of this famous road. That song also happens to be one of my favourite songs, because it's the only one I could ever sing reasonably well at SingStar.

I met my cousin, his fiancee, and some fellow groomsmen and bridesmaids at the Hard Rock Cafe, where we all went for a meal. If you don't know this about me, I've made it a mission of mine to visit as many HRC's across the world as I can. In fact, I have made a blog post about it, when I went to the newest addition in LA.  Anyway, the Cafe in Memphis was a really classic one, perfect for representing such an iconic music town. A whole upstairs of memorabilia dedicated to the King! Better still, they took us all backstage so we could go on stage with some guitars and a drumkit! It made for a great picture of us all!

After a great meal, it was off to Moscow, TN. a small town an hour away from Memphis. And by small, I mean the nearest shop was 30 mins drive away! One main road, stretching for miles and miles. To say it was out in the sticks is an understatement. And yet, it was perfect.

It was perfect because of the hospitality we received there. Grammy and Granddaddy, or Mai Ida and Maynard, Michelle's Grandparents, opened up their wonderful home and land to the British Invasion. They live in a stunning house at the end of a beautiful winding driveway. It's huge, but homely at the same time. We were all welcomed at the door and immediately treated like family. The Stiles' were such wonderful hosts, grandparents, and parents, Lee Ann and Trey, and together they orchestrated a phenomenal weekend.

I mustn't forget Uncle Joe either. He lent us his cabin for the weekend. And boy, what a cabin it was. These were the instructions we were given to get there.
"You turn left at the corner of the cornfield. There's a gate that's padlocked, here's the key for it. Then drive along the field until you get to the railroad track. You must stop here, turn the radio off, and wind both windows down. There's no barrier, so look and listen both ways for a train. The crossings on a curve so you won't see anything coming until its upon you. It's a really narrow crossing, be careful you don't fall off the edge. Drive along the track through the woods, into the big field, and you will see the cabin. Be careful you don't fall into the lake!"

And that was that. The cabin was perfect for the groomsmen, a little bachelor pad for Jon's last couple of days of freedom! Cards, beer, and Ice Pops! All set to a backdrop of deer, bobcats, raccoons and ducks mounted on the wall. The setting was idyllic, as some of these photos show, a beautiful lake to frame the landscape.

Friday dawned, and all the boys went into Memphis pick up our wedding suits. Dressed to the nines we paraded around the shop ensuring everything was a good fit. Laughing and joking, we then had a pizza lunch, and drove home with classic rock blaring on the radio, rocking out American style.

As if that wasn't enough, we then did something really "American", or atSunrise in Tennessee least to Southerners anyway. We went shooting. Only in the backgarden (which includes acres of forest) but still. We used a small rifle, with the smallest, least powerful bullets, but it was shooting nonetheless. We all thoroughly enjoyed it, but probably wouldn't do it again any time soon. I should clarify that we were shooting at a target, not animals, despite Maynard's story about how he enjoyed watching armadillos jump into the air when shot at!

After the rehearsal dinner and a night of poker, wedding day dawned. Bright and early for Adam and I, as we got up especially to see sunrise. After more cards and a quick round of golf, and then various organising, we suited up. It was roasting in our morning suits, at 2.30pm, but we all looked the part. Very sharp indeed. Off to the house for photos, and hiding Jon from the bride, and then, Wedding Time!

 



 

What a ceremony it was. I don't want to go into too much detail here, I think that's best heard in person. Needless to say, it was perfect. Michelle looked stunning, Jon was impeccable, everything ran smoother than possible (baring the train blasting through midway through a hymm!). It was like no other wedding, unique in every way. Every one said they'd never been to anything like it; gorgeous setting, funny, beautiful, emotional.

And it was emotional, or I found it to be so anyway. I don't know what came over me, I never expected to get all teared up, not at all, but it happened. A combination of things, but it just hit me. My big cousin Jon getting married on such a perfect occasion to such a beautiful bride. He couldn't be luckier. My deepest, sincerest congratulations to them both.


 

They've hit the nail on the head with transatlantic relationships, and united families and friends from both sides of the pond. A great big family, spanning oceans. It was wonderful to be part of something so special.

There's lots more stories from the wedding, but I'll let them be shared in person before I perhaps write about them on here!

A word of note on being a Best Man: It isn't all fun and games with the bridesmaids, with just a little speech to give! And the rings are the least of your worries, so long as you don't need to carry vaseline and icewater with you to ensure they fit! Lots of organisation, mastering of ceremonies, and making sure everything runs smoothly is in order. If the groom forgets something or needs something, its all down to you! Even if that means a rendezvous in the airport before the honeymoon!

Oh and, keep that speech short! Sorry about the length of mine everyone!



 
Wednesday
Aug102011

Shutters, Apertures, ISOs and Macro: An intriguing new present. 



With the money from my birthday I decided to invest in a new digital camera. I've had some great times and gotten some great shots with my old Olympus camera, the one from the advert where the little kid throws the camera and the dog fetches it and brings it back. I bought that one because it was "drop proof" and "water proof", knowing I was probably



going to need both those features.

It took some great pictures, given it was relatively inexpensive point-and-shoot camera, but as the flash now often fails onit, I decided it was time to purchase an upgrade.

Deciding what to buy though, was a feat in itself.

I trawled through review after review, comparing dozens of options and hundreds of features. It didn't help that I really wasn't sure what I was looking for. A compact system camera? An SLR? Another point-and-shoot?

I've always loved taking pictures and experimenting with shots, but I don't really have a clue what I am doing. I would like to learn properly eventually but for the time being I am content just playing around and experimenting. Thus I decided an SLR would be too expensive, too complicated and just too big with all the extra equipment needed. I did however want a little more manual control than just a simple point-and-shoot, and so I ended up going for what's called a bridge camera; as in a bridge between a point-and-shoot model, and an SLR. It has a fixed lens, and is easy just to turn on and take a quick snap, but it also has a number of features and manual controls which can be regularly adapted and changed.

So I can perhaps learn how to take some better pictures, while still have a camera at the ready whenever I need it. Only downside is, it doesn't fit in my pocket. However, it's probably best that I'm not ramming it into my jeans alongside my phone, ipod and any number of random paraphernalia. And, the size makes it feel like a "proper" camera; in true geek fashion it looks cool around my neck!

 

These are a few pictures I took recently while experimenting. More can be seen on Facebook; to access the public link to view the album (you don't need a Facebook) just click here.

Oh, and the modal of camera I bought in the end? It's a Panasonic Lumix FZ40/45, and I highly recommend it!