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I think my story with the Indigo Girls is one of the easiest stories to explain: Back in 2010 I was in love with Common Rotation -I'll soon tell my story with them, on another entry. One day I was on youtube watching videos from Common Rotation's performances, and then I came across a video in which they were playing Airplane with the Indigo Girls.
I LOVED IT.
There were two other videos of CoRo and the Indigo Girls, Closer To Fine and Salty South, and each video made me really want to get to know the rest of the Indigo Girls' music.
I found their 2006 album, Despite Our Differences, and I thought it was perfect. Then I started to listen to songs from other albums and I realized that DOD isn't their best work.
Now I just love their lyrics, I love their voices, I love their melodies and hamonies.
Indigo Girls
First song I listened to: Airplane
Albums I own (physical copies): Retrospective (2000), Poseidon And The Bitter Bug (2009), Staring Down The Brilliant Dream (2010) (by the way, SDTBD Chapter 2's 2nd song is Salty South, performed with Common Rotation)
Favorite songs: Pendulum Swinger, Least Complicated, Go, Trouble, Shame On You, Heartache For Everyone, Kid Fears, Galileo
Favorite album: Despite Our Differences, despite not being their best work, it has a special place in my heart
Song everyone knows: Closer To Fine
Favorite videoclip: Least Complicated
Have I ever seen live? No, and it's one of my biggest regrets. I was in New York when they played there at Irving Plaza on Dec. 9, 2011. I could've gone there. But I was afraid I'd get lost in the city, because I had arrived two days before.

I'll start off talking about my favorite singer. I don't know many people around my age who know who Tracy Chapman is, and I have never met a Tracy Chapman fan. Which is a pity, because she's one of the most fantastic singers in this world, and her songs are really interesting: sometimes the melody is really simple -so simple, that I am able to play some of them, and I'm a terrible guitar player- and yet, she creates a song that's magical.
The first time I listened to Tracy Chapman, I was a "victim" of this magical effect her songs have. I remember it was November, 2009, a lazy Sunday morning and there was nothing interesting on TV, so I decided to leave it on MTV, because, well, I like music. After some songs that didn't interest me, they started with the videoclip for Tracy Chapman's Sing to you, from her 2008 album, Our Bright Future. I'll tell you the truth: I didn't register much of the song while I was listening to it for the first time. I was bewitched by the melody and Tracy's beautiful voice. I don't even know how I was able to find out the song was called Sing For You, and it was sung by Tracy Chapman. But I managed to find it out and then I searched for her music. I downloaded Sing For You, and I listened to the music, and that was enough for me.
Back then, I was a big fan of the Russian duo t.A.T.u. -don't judge me*. There was this poll for the "greatest lesbian song" and, somehow, All The Things She Said got nominated. t.A.T.u.'s fans started commenting in forums, asking people to vote for the band... and I went there and, yeah... I voted for All The Things She Said as the greatest lesbian song. But I didn't just vote. I checked out the other songs nominated, and there were two Tracy Chapman songs: Give Me One Reason and Wedding Song. I listened to the songs, and I really liked them. Then, I started searching more and more about her music, and every new track was just great. I listened to every album she had released, and I fell even more in love with her. She was just great.
After a few months, I made up my mind: I'm buying her cds. Physical copies, I mean. I went online and I got really sad when I found out it's difficult to find Tracy Chapman albums to buy here in Brazil. The only one I found that was at a reasonable price was Our Bright Future (and before you judge me, the other albums were all over R$80, about US$ 40, and I don't really have that much of money to spend on cds, even if I really like the artists)
I kept listening to Tracy Chapman, until there was this day that I realized I had completely changed my musical preferences. Bye, bye Lena Katina and Julia Volkova. Hello Tracy Chapman.
And that's how I met Tracy Chapman's music.

Tracy Chapman
First song I listened to: Sing to You
Albums I own (physical copies): Tracy Chapman (1988), New Beginning (1995), Telling Stories (2000), Our Bright Future (2008)
Favorite songs: You're the One, Give Me One Reason, The Promise, She's Got Her Ticket, Wedding Song, Change, I Did It All, Crossroads, I Used to Be a Sailor
Favorite album: Telling Stories. (So difficult to choose only one)
Song everyone knows: Fast Car
Favorite videoclip:Sing For You
Have I ever seen live? No, unfortunatelly.

*I still like t.A.T.u. But it's not my favorite group anymore. It's not even top 10 anymore. Musical tastes change.

I had this idea to talk about how I started listening to some artists, singers, bands... As you can figure it out, the texts will be extremely subjective, I'll be talking about impressions and tastes and opinions. I'll most likely talk about the bands/artists that I like to listen to, so don't expect me to talk bad things on bands, because, well, it won't happen. I may even highlight things I don't really enjoy, but this is just me being an honest music listener, not a crazy fan wh thinks their idols are always perfect.
I'll get started talking about the bands who are on the top of my charts, with the highest amounts of plays, but I'll also talk about bands that haven't been scrobbled that much, but I like them nonetheless.
And I don't think people will actually read it, but, maybe they will, so that's why I decided to write this prologue.
See you in the next posts.

Fri 3 Jun – Festival Universitário Roda Viva
Eu nunca achei que isso aconteceria: show de uma banda que eu gosto em Lavras, essa cidade que praticamente só tem sertanejo e axé.
Quando me falaram que O Teatro Mágico tocaria em Lavras, achei que era brincadeira. Mas começaram a anunciar o Roda Viva, e OTM estava lá nos cartazes..
Quase não podia acreditar!

Bom, no primeiro dia, foi, além d'O Teatro Mágico, Cecília Bravo, Magos de Minas e Ventania. Era para o La Batuque ter tocado também, mas como houve atraso, passaram o show deles para o sábado.

Começou com Cecília Bravo. Apesar de eles tocarem num grande número de festas da UFLA, eu nunca havia assistido um show deles. Gostei do que vi. Ok, em alguns momentos eles lembravam o Jota Quest... As letras eram legais, e gostei da qualidade musical deles. É provável que eu procure as músicas deles na internet depois.
Uma coisa que chamou atenção nos integrantes da banda foi a capacidade deles de perceber a platéia e, então, mudar o rumo do show. Quando eles viram que os covers estavam animando a galera mais do que as músicas autorais, eles não tiveram vergonha em mandar I Wanna Rock and Roll All Night e outras que eu não conhecia, mas era óbvio que as outras pessoas gostavam.
Acabou o show da Cecília Bravo e começaram a enrolar o público com umas apresentações de skate do lado esquerdo do público. E os roadies do Teatro Mágico arrumavam os instrumentos no palco. E os skatistas continuavam fazendo as manobras, e o público começo a se aproximar da grade pra ver o show do TM...
Depois de muita espera, o show foi anunciado e aí foi só alegria.

A trupe não estava completa, e não teve todos os aparatos teatrais que eles usaram no show em Alfenas, em outubro do ano passado. Mas o show foi fantástico. Eu estava em pé na grade, ali pertinho do palco... Fiquei cantando as músicas, e me esgoelando, pedindo pra trupe tocar O Merito e o Monstro. E eles tocaram! (Duvido que tenha sido porque eu pedi.) E além disso, também tocaram Cidadão de Papelão, Zaluzejo e A pedra mais alta, minhas músicas preferidas d' O Teatro Mágico.
Simplesmente fantástico. De Amadurecência, até O anjo mais velho, a poesia prevaleceu. Mas não só a poesia: a música livre, o verdadeiro artista, o público que se distancia das imposições colocadas pela indústria fonográfica e pela mídia. E a constatação de que, talvez, ainda haja esperança para a cultura em Lavras - MG.
Obrigada, Fernando Anitelli, Galldino, Willians Marques, Fernando Rosa, Silvio Depieri e o bateirista e as artistas circenses que eu realmente não lembro os nomes. E obrigada, sr. Odácio Anitelli, por ter trazido seu filho Fernando ao mundo. Mas, principalmente, obrigada pela lojinha de cada show! Em Alfenas, comprei os cds da trupe. Dessa vez, a camiseta "Eu sinto que sei que sou um tanto bem maior".
O show acabou lá pelas 4 da manhã. Fui embora, porque estava cansada, e porque sinceramente não estava nem aí pro show do Magos de Minas ou do Ventania. Nada contra. Mas nada a favor.

Por favor, Lavras, traga esse show mais vezes. Nem todo mundo gosta de sertanejo e axé. Eu quero é a poesia rara!

Some weeks ago I found it here: http://www.last.fm/user/polkageeks/journal/2009/01/04/2dg3or_how_varied_is_my_taste_in_music%3F , and I thought it would be interesting.

'First, make a list of your overall top-20 artists. Then, for each of these artists, add the 8 most similar artists to your list. Delete any duplicates, add up the number of entries on your list and this will give you some idea of how eclectic your listening habits are. A score of 9 represents an extremely unvaried musical taste while a 160 represents an extremely varied one.'

So it goes like this:

Top 20 Artists

1 Tracy Chapman
2 Indigo Girls
3 Common Rotation
4 Joseph LoDuca
5 Crystal Bowersox
6 Glee Cast
7 Plain White T's
8 Eric Kufs
9 t.A.T.u.
10 Buffy the Vampire Slayer
11 O Teatro Mágico
12 Green Day
13 Janis Joplin
14 Linkin Park
15 Amber Benson
16 Simple Plan
17 Company of American Idiot
18 The Calling
19 Melissa Etheridge
20 Uh Huh Her

Similar artists

1 Eva Cassidy
2 Natalie Merchant
3 Sinéad O’Connor
4 Joan Armatrading
5 Norah Jones
6 Sade
7 Suzanne Vega
8 Amy Ray
9 Dar Williams
10 Girlyman
11 Melissa Ferrick
12 Catie Curtis
13 Shawn Colvin
14 Kris Delmhorst
15 28 Orange Street
16 Jason Manns
17 Iron & Wine | Calexico
18 Amber Dust
19 Run On Sentence
20 Dala
21 Fisher
22 Jerry Goldsmith
23 John Debney
24 Graeme Revell
25 Basil Poledouris
26 John Ottman
27 Christopher Young
28 Trevor Morris
29 James Horner
30 Siobhan Magnus
31 Casey James
32 Michael Lynche
33 Didi Benami
34 Lee DeWyze
35 Katie Stevens
36 Aaron Kelly
37 Lilly Scott
38 Mark Salling
39 Darren Criss
40 Lea Michele
41 Jonathan Groff
42 Katy Perry
43 Selena Gomez & the Scene
44 Spring Awakening
45 Taylor Swift
46 Boys Like Girls
47 The All-American Rejects
48 The Click Five
49 Cute Is What We Aim For
50 Yellowcard
51 We the Kings
52 Julian Sakata
53 Common Rotation Vs. The Dust Bowl Cavaliers
54 Lady Danville
55 Tim Bluhm
56 Gods Of The Radio
57 Cyndi Vellmure
58 Serebro
59 Винтаж
60 T.A.T.U + Rammstein
61 Юлия Савичева
62 ВИА Гра
63 Ничья
64 МакSим
65 Сергей Лазарев
66 Christophe Beck
67 Ghost of the Robot
68 James Marsters
69 Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along
70 Anthony Stewart Head
71 Four Star Mary
72 Velvet Chain
73 Robert J. Kral
74 Nô Stopa
74 Fernando Anitelli
76 Ivan Parente
77 Los Hermanos
78 Nando Reis
79 Móveis Coloniais de Acaju
80 Leoni
81 Maria Gadú
82 Foxboro Hot Tubs
83 Pinhead Gunpowder
84 The Network
85 U2 and Green Day
86 My Chemical Romance
87 Sum 41
88 blink-182
89 Big Brother & The Holding
90 Jefferson Airplane
91 The Doors
92 Jimmy Hendrix
93 Led Zeppelin
94 Creedence Clearwater Revival
95 The Rolling Stones
96 Cream
97 Dead By Sunrise
98 Fort Minor
99 Jay-Z and Linkin Park
100 Xero
101 Chester Bennington
102 Mike Shinoda
103 Julien-K
104 Papa Roach
105 Sarah Michelle Gellar
106 Hinton Battle
107 Alyson Hannigan
108 Michelle Trachtenberg
109 Emma Caulfield
110 Alyson Hannigan/Amber Benson/Anthony Head/Emma Caulfield/Nicholas Brendon
111 Good Charlotte
112 Reset
113 Faber Drive
114 All Time Low
115 John Gallager Jr., Stark Sanda, Theo Stockman & Company
116 John Gallager Jr., Michael Esper, Stark Sanda, Mary Faber & Company
117 Joshua Henry, Mary Faber, Leslie McDonel, Cristina Sajous, Alysha Umpress, Libby…
118 John Gallager Jr, Miguel Cervantes, Declan Bennett, Theo Stockman, Tony Vincent &…
119 Stark Sanda, Joshua Henry & Companyv
120 John Gallagher Jr., Rebecca Naomi Jones, Stark Sanda & Company
121 Michael Esper, Stark Sanda & Company
122 John Gallagher Jr., Gerard Canonico, Chase Peacock, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Tony…
123 Alex Band
124 Lifehouse
125 Goo Goo Dolls
126 Daughtry
127 Dishwalla
128 Vertical Horizon
129 Howie Day
130 Matchbox Twenty
131 The Murmurs
132 Tegan and Sara
133 Betty
134 The Clicks
135 Sick of Sarah
136 The Organ
137 Kinnie Starr
138 Rachel Cantu
139 K. D. Lang
140 Jann Arden
141 Amanda Marshall
142 Sarah Bettens

I guess it means I have a pretty ecletic musical taste.

I grew up listening to opera. My dad loves opera, and he has a great tenor voice, so he's always singing something.
But I never liked it. But today... I found out I do like it.
Okay, let's go back a little in my story...
When I was 12, or 13, my dad used to sing in this choir, and sometimes I would go with him to the rehearsals. They sang a lot of different things, most brazilian popular, old music. But they also had classic music, religious music and a little opera. I remember they were doing Giuseppe Verdi's "Aida". Actually, I didn't give much attention to the music, but I liked to know it had something to do with Egypt (I love Ancient History).
Years later, I had travelled withmy family to my mother's hometown, and there wasn't anything exciting to do, so my dad and I ended up watching TV. We were searching something interesting to watch in that weekend afternoon - Brazilian tv is annoying - until he asked me to go back to a channel.
It was a public, educational channel. They were broadcasting Georges Bizet's Carmen. Dad explained me the story, and we were there, watching the opera.
I liked Carmen, and I even told him about it. But, it was just Carmen that I liked.
So I came to New York, to spend my college vacation. I planned going to Broadway, and watch some of the musicals they have there (I did so, and enjoyed.).
But my dad kept asking me to go to Metropolitan Opera House, and watch some opera.
I checked the website, and that very week Verdi's La Traviata would be presented. I wanted to go, but I had to work both days. So my dad suggested I could go watch Giacomo Puccini's La Bohème. And that's what I did.
The first act was boring. I almost slept in the theater. The second... better. I thought it funny. But the third act... Surprising. I really enjoyed it. And the final act was... good.
But this wasn't enough to make me interested in opera.
At the same time, I learned that Plácido Domingo is going to conduct Roméo et Juliette (Charles Gounod). I decided to go watch it - the tickets are cheap... if you don't have problem with staying so far from the stage that if there are 2 men in the scene, and one of them is singing, you can't tell who is doing it.
But, still, this is going to happen 2 days from now.

The thing is that today I decided to start lastfm radio, and out of nowhere, I felt compelled to type "opera". And I started listening to it, and then I realized that, in fact, I like opera. Not as much as dad, but... I do. Maybe it's because it's been almost 3 months since the last time I heard him singing. But I don't know... I think that, in fact, I like opera.

Tue 22 Feb – 2011 WONDERS OF THE YOUNGER TOUR
Miggs: They were nice. I liked their songs - and the bassist was really good.
Parachute: Good too. But I think I'd enjoy it better if I hadn't to listen to 16 year old girls screaming "He's cute" "He's hot", etc Oh, and there was also that photo-guy, who was always pressing me against other people so that he could take his photos. So annoying.
Plain White T's: Oh. My. God. What was that show? Powerful. From the heart. Contagious. Even though I don't know the lyrics for Wonder of The Younger songs, I could feel the melodies, and what they were supposed to mean.
Hey There Delilah was simply perfect. First the lights went down and the band left the stage. Second, the public started screaming. Third, Tom appeared in what was a mini stage at the back row, and told how special it is for him to play Hey There Delilah in New York City.
And it was really special. Unfortunately, my camera battery had went down two songs before. But I believe other people recorded it and soon it will be on Youtube.
Then, after Hey There Delilah, the show went on even stronger. I'm glad I was so close to the stage. And I was one of the lucky ones to high five with Tom, whose birthday was today.
So, yeah! I was there, and I'm glad about it.
It's a night to remember.

Luzes da Alma - +5
Tim e Vanessa - 1- Centro Espírita Augusto Silva (Lavras)
Meu Cantar - 1- (Belo Horizonte)
Verbos de Versos - 2 - (Belo Horizonte)/ Centro Espírita Augusto Silva (Lavras)
Fábio Jr. - 1- Praça da Matriz (Alfenas)
O Teatro Mágico - 3- Praça da Matriz (Alfenas)/ Expolavras (Lavras)/Ginásio Poliesportivo da UFLA
Company of American Idiot + Billie Joe Armstrong (Green Day) - 1- Theater St. James (New York City)
Piotr Beczala - 2- Metropolitan Opera House (New York City)// as Rodolfo (La Bohème, Puccini) and as Roméo (Roméo et Juliette, Gounod)
Common Rotation - 1- Highline Ballroom (New York City)
Dan Bern - 1- Highline Ballroom (New York City)
Miggs - 1- Highline Ballroom (New York City)
Parachute - 1- Highline Ballroom (New York City)
Plain White T's - 1- Highline Ballroom (New York City)
Company of Wicked - 1- Gershwin Theater (New York City)
Company of Billy Elliot - 1-Imperial Theatre (New York City)
Cecília Bravo -1- Expolavras (Lavras)
Arnaldo Antunes -1- LavrasShopping
Blue Jeans -1- Ginário Poliesportivo da UFLA