A Christmas Music Box” RETURNS FOR 2011, from STRANGEBEAT PRODUCTIONS!

StrangeBeat Productions presents “A CHRISTMAS MUSIC BOX,” yet another holiday tunes compilation just in time for Christmas! (originally released on December 1, 2010!)

NEW FOR 2011, We’ve compiled a full CD’s worth of NEW SELECTIONS for your Christmas listening, as well as a few minor touchups to some old favorites! Read on…

A Christmas Music Box 2011!

VOLUME 1: From Mannheim Steamroller to Elvis himselvis, these FOUR DISCS of Christmas tunes provide plenty of variety for your holiday parties, gatherings, and personal time.

JASON SEZ - For those of you who have “acquired” Christmas music from me in the past, much of this material will be familiar. Approximately 20 minutes of music have been added to round out these four volumes to full CD length, and the mp3s have been carefully retagged (and in some cases re-ripped) to match the quality of the next set we have for you!

• http://tinyurl.com/christmasvolume1
• Volume One also available for download HERE

Disc 1 – 22 .mp3 files, tagged and labeled. (various bitrates)

Disc 2 – 23 .mp3 files, tagged and labeled. (various bitrates)

Disc 3 – 24 .mp3 files, tagged and labeled. (various bitrates)

Disc 4 – 22 .mp3 files, tagged and labeled. (various bitrates)

VOLUME 2: Enjoy the many moods of the holidays with selections ranging from traditional instrumentals to jazz and rock ‘n’ roll. We’re giving you a whopping THREE DISCS worth of our favorite Christmas tracks PLUS the following:

KALI SEZ - Disc four is a bonus collection of vintage holiday recordings, as selected in 1970 by Jack “The Voice of Disneyland” Wagner for the Disneyland and Magic Kingdom “Main Street U.S.A.” Christmas music loops. These tracks can be randomized or played in order as they appear in situ at the parks!

• http://tinyurl.com/christmasvolume2
• Volume Two also available for download HERE

Disc 1 – 28 .mp3 files, tagged and labeled. (various bitrates)

Disc 2 – 27 .mp3 files, tagged and labeled. (various bitrates)

Disc 3 – 25 .mp3 files, tagged and labeled. (various bitrates)

New for 2011! All David Rose Christmas Album tracks have been re-ripped from the new 2011 CD remaster; PLUS, six tracks from the original record that were NOT selected by Disneyland for the Main Street USA loop are included as bonus tracks. Enjoy the complete David Rose Christmas Album alongside beautiful music straight from Disneyland and Walt Disney World!

Disc 4 – 30 .mp3 files, tagged and labeled. (128kbps)

NEWLY AVAILABLE FOR 2011!

Here’s 27 new holiday selections for your listening pleasure; choice cuts from 60+ years of incredible Christmas music, and even more perfect accompaniment for your holiday festivities!

• http://tinyurl.com/NEWchristmas2011
• NEW SELECTIONS FOR 2011 also available for download HERE

Also available:

Tracklisting and liner notes on selected tracks:

Three .txt files are included, each containing informative and (we hope!) entertaining liner notes.

Artwork:

Each folder contains a 720×720 .jpg file with the corresponding artwork for each disc.

• Compilation produced by KALI PAPPAS and JASON PITTMAN
• Art Direction by KALI PAPPAS
• Engineering by JASON PITTMAN
• Liner Notes by JASON PITTMAN and KALI PAPPAS

"This is Haunted Halloween" collection CD art...

- A festive two hour collection of holiday tunes, originally debuting on October 1, 2010! -

Disc One is packed with a selection of macabre party hits, from a new extended mix of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” to Sheb Wooley’s campy “The Purple People Eater.” Disc Two follows with pieces reflecting the darker side of Halloween. Here, spooky film themes, ghoulish classical favorites, and other grisly tunes mix it up with creepy sound effects perfect for a stormy night.

Produced by Jason Pittman and Kali Pappas, this collection offers new presentations of old classics alongside several fun surprises. But beware — this is not your average Halloween mix tape. Listen and share! If you dare…

NEWLY AVAILABLE FOR 2011!

Enjoy 40+ minutes of freaky tunes and scary sounds. Comprised from a variety of sources, this mix is perfect for your Halloween party needs, or even just scaring the local trick-or-treaters!

Available for download NOW:

Audio files:

- 2011 “Skerrymix,” a longrunning single audio file filled with frightening ambiance and creepy musical sounds. A perfect haunt, trick or treat, or party loop! See if you can spot our favorite macabre influences from film, music, and more!

- Disc 1 – 17 .mp3 files, tagged and labeled. (128kbps LAME MP3)

- Disc 2 – 14 .mp3 files, tagged and labeled. (128kbps LAME MP3)

Expanded notes on the collection and the various tracks:

– Liner Notes.pdf

- Liner Notes.rtf (text only)

LINKS:

http://tinyurl.com/2011SKERRYMIX

http://tinyurl.com/NOTES2011

http://tinyurl.com/hauntedhalloween

http://bit.ly/hauntedhalloween

Mirror:

http://tinyurl.com/strangebeat

http://bit.ly/strangebeat

This is Haunted Halloween!

Hi everybody! Fans of our holiday audio compilations will be happy to learn that we’re reformulating our Halloween music collection for 2011. Jason and I can’t give you any details yet, but it’ll be unique and lots of fun!

I’m also brewing a new design for this blog and Strangegirl.com as a whole, in addition to some new fashion-related posts. Yay!

More music stuffs from Jason and/or Kali:

• This is Haunted Halloween
• A Christmas Music Box
• Moonlight Time in Old Hawaii rip
• Why Don’t We Get Drunk and Download (St. Patrick’s Day drinking song themed compilation)

So the talented and dedicated Michael Sweeney  just notified me that he was able to finish reconstructing the 1980s-1993 Walt Disney World Adventureland Veranda area loop!  You may remember that two years ago I purchased and ripped  a copy of George Bruns’ Moonlight Time in Old Hawaii album, the source of several of those generation 2 Veranda loop tracks (I’ll just call it version 2/generation 2, because we’re only aware of one other area loop presumably used for this restaurant area, and it’s been attributed to 1973 and Jack Wagner, voice of Disneyland/WDW and compiler of the Main Street Christmas area loop).

Anyway, Michael obtained a live recording of this later Adventureland Veranda loop from Mike Lee of Widen Your World and went to town.  Find the updated Adventureland Veranda tracklist here.

Groovy Adventureland Veranda area loop links:

• Michael Sweeney’s Adventureland Veranda area loop v.2  tracklist
• Mike Lee’s Adventureland Veranda page, including a live recording of the v.2 area loop in situ
• Kali’s/AprilDecember’s Moonlight Time in Old Hawaii album adventure
• Kali’s rip of of Moonlight Time in Old Hawaii (split track torrent) at Mousebits.com
• Kali’s rip of Moonlight Time in Old Hawaii (full album file torrent) at Mousebits.com

I tend to tweet most of my minor updates these days, but here’s a roundup for the sake of completeness. 

Emma comes to the Old Globe in San Diego.

Paul Gordon’s Emma – A Musical Romantic Comedy is now running at San Diego’s Old Globe Theatre!  The show – which has already enjoyed successful runs in the Bay Area, Cincinnati, and St. Louis – previewed earlier this month and officially premiers this weekend.  The run will continue through February 27 (with an extension to March 6).

Emma is directed by Jeff Calhoun and stars Patti Murin as the eponymous heroine and Adam Monley as Mr. Knightley.  For more…

• Patti Murin Is Emma, Singing an Austen Song, at Old Globe Jan. 15-Feb. 27 (Playbill.com)
• Official Old Globe Emma site – Includes articles, a program in .pdf format, cast biographies, related events, and notes on the production!
• KPBS “These Days” Interview with Emma director Jeff Calhoun and show writer Paul Gordon
• Globe plans fresh take on Jane Austen’s Emma – Pam Kragen, North County Times
• Perils of romance come to the stage in new musical Emma at The Old Globe in Balboa Park – Diana Saenger, La Jolla Light
• Ageless Emma – James Hebert, San Diego Union-Tribune

In other Emma adaptation news, Romola Garai’s Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television did not result in a win.  Still, it was nice to see her nominated for her starring role in the 2009-2010 BBC Emma miniseries.

In non-adaptation Emma news, Maria Edgeworth’s presentation copy of Emma was sold last month at auction.  According to Sotheby’s auction house, it fetched 79,250 pounds sterling.  Edgeworth was a bit of a novelist idol of Austen’s and an acquaintance of the James Leigh Perrots, Jane Austen’s aunt and uncle.  You can learn about Edgeworth’s opinions on Emma in this roundup of period responses to the book.

Happy new year, everyone!

- StrangeBeat Productions presents yet another holiday tunes compilation, just in time for Christmas! -

A Christmas Music Box "cover" art.

VOLUME 1: From Mannheim Steamroller to Elvis himselvis, these FOUR DISCS of Christmas tunes provide plenty of variety for your holiday parties, gatherings, and personal time.

JASON SEZ – For those of you who have “acquired” Christmas music from me in the past, much of this material will be familiar. Approximately 20 minutes of music have been added to round out these four volumes to full CD length, and the mp3s have been carefully retagged (and in some cases re-ripped) to match the quality of the next set we have for you!

• http://tinyurl.com/christmasvolume1
• http://bit.ly/christmasvolume1
• Volume One also available for download HERE (click!)

Disc 1 – 22 .mp3 files, tagged and labeled. (various bitrates)

Disc 2 – 23 .mp3 files, tagged and labeled. (various bitrates)

Disc 3 – 24 .mp3 files, tagged and labeled. (various bitrates)

Disc 4 – 22 .mp3 files, tagged and labeled. (various bitrates)

VOLUME 2: Enjoy the many moods of the holidays with selections ranging from traditional instrumentals to jazz and rock ‘n’ roll. We’re giving you a whopping THREE DISCS worth of our favorite Christmas tracks PLUS the following:

KALI SEZ – Here’s a bonus collection of vintage holiday recordings, as selected in 1970 by Jack “The Voice of Disneyland” Wagner for the Disneyland and Magic Kingdom “Main Street U.S.A.” Christmas music loops. These tracks can be randomized or played in order as they appear in situ at the parks!

• http://tinyurl.com/christmasvolume2
• http://bit.ly/christmasvolume2
• Volume Two also available for download HERE (click!)

Disc 1 – 28 .mp3 files, tagged and labeled. (various bitrates)

Disc 2 – 27 .mp3 files, tagged and labeled. (various bitrates)

Disc 3 – 25 .mp3 files, tagged and labeled. (various bitrates)

Disc 4 – 30 .mp3 files, tagged and labeled. (128kbps)

• Compilation produced by KALI PAPPAS and JASON PITTMAN
• Art Direction by KALI PAPPAS
• Engineering by JASON PITTMAN
• Liner Notes by JASON PITTMAN and KALI PAPPAS

Available for download NOW!

October was kind of a sewing nightmare. I really, really hate sewing. Like, I’d rather stab myself with a rake than have to deal with the cutting, the pinning, the seamripping, the rumpled fabric (right, I don’t even OWN an iron)…yeah, can’t stand it.

Well, since none of my beautiful Regency wardrobe fits (still), I had to pull together an 1814-ish evening gown out of my trusty-dusty purple silk sari (not a very period color, I know) for the Bay Area English Regency Society’s Congress of Vienna Ball. I had a role – Princess Bagration, the White Pussycat and Naked Angel – so I needed something that looked lush. At any rate, the job’s not TOO bad for a rush. I didn’t have time nor a proper pattern to make period stays, so the silhouette’s not the best. Oh well.

For Halloween, I made myself a Patrick Nagel “Rio” outfit, perfect for “dancing on the sand.” This image was apparently the alternate cover image considered for Duran Duran’s legendary sophomore album.

More images in my photo album.

"This is Haunted Halloween" collection CD art...

- A festive two hour collection of holiday tunes, debuting on October 1, 2010!  -

Disc One is packed with a selection of macabre party hits, from a new extended mix of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” to Sheb Wooley’s campy “The Purple People Eater.”  Disc Two follows with pieces reflecting the darker side of Halloween.  Here, spooky film themes, ghoulish classical favorites, and other grisly tunes mix it up with creepy sound effects perfect for a stormy night.

Produced by Jason Pittman and Kali Pappas, this collection offers new presentations of old classics alongside several fun surprises.  But beware — this is not your average Halloween mix tape.  Listen and share!  If you dare…

Available for download NOW:

Audio files:

- Disc 1 – 17 .mp3 files, tagged and labeled. (128kbps LAME MP3)

- Disc 2 – 14 .mp3 files, tagged and labeled. (128kbps LAME MP3)

Expanded notes on the collection and the various tracks:

– Liner Notes.pdf

- Liner Notes.rtf (text only)

Artwork:

- 3 .psd files, complete with gutters and ready for conversion/printing (CYMK)

- 5 .jpg files, at screen resolution for viewing (RGB)

- 1 .jpg file, 800×800 pixels, for use as cover art in your preferred media player

LINKS:

http://tinyurl.com/hauntedhalloween

http://bit.ly/hauntedhalloween

Mirror:

http://tinyurl.com/strangebeat

http://bit.ly/strangebeat

Almost time!

“Behind every man now alive stand 30 ghosts, for that is the ratio by which the dead outnumber the living.”

~ Arthur C. Clarke

More to come!