Level 42 - Almost There - Live - HD

I'll be shameless for once and say this (apologies to his gf): NATHAN KING, I LOVE YOU! OK, got it out of my system. ;)

Level 42 30th Anniversary DVD viewing party - 6/10/11 The Ricciardi's apt, Burbank, CA

Ever since the Level 42 concerts I've attended this past summer, I've met quite a few new friends, who love the band as much as I do (if not more), on Facebook, mostly. I'll even go out on a limb as to say that I'm FB friends with most of the band members as well (a couple of them have requested me to add them on Myspace years ago). Last night, I was able to meet and spend time with a few of the So Cal LevelHeads (yes, that's what we call ourselves) at Mark & Angel's crib in Burbank. They were gracious enough to host a viewing party of Level 42's 30th Anniversary DVD, which the band filmed last October at the indig02 in London, UK. Great fun was had by all, and we even watched some other live concert DVDs the band have released before. What I've noticed is that, majority of 42's fans ARE musicians - who are/have been, at one point or another, playing/gigging regularly. My kind of people.

Here we are, well, mostly all of us, rep'n the SoCal contingent of LevelHeads. I mean, we ARE from the West side after all. Straight up gangsta, flashin' our "42" sign. haha

Level 42 - Love Games (Club Nokia - LA) - July 31, 2010

Well, someone was noticeably absent at the beginning of "Love Games" and for most of the song... Sean Freeman, where were you? Popped into the loo? LOL

Pete Ray Biggin - Drummers Alliance on Blue Peter 1993

Guess who won? LOL Was there ever any doubt? Even at 13, the boy got some swaggah. Go, Pete!

We interrupt this post just to let you know...

... to check out Pete Ray Biggin's brand-spankin' new site at PeteRayBiggin.com! You won't regret it. He's one of the most exciting drummers I've seen in a long time. And he's a young'n, so he hasn't even scratched the surface yet (although, he did start at a very early age). Anyway, check him out!

Now, back to your regularly scheduled posts. :)

The Prince's Trust Rock Gala 2010

Mark King performs "Running in the Family".

The one where I'm about to burst from so much excitement.

It has finally happened! One of my favourite bands from the '80s, Level 42, are coming to the US shores for a series of shows in mid-July! Needless to say, I'm absolutely excited about this. It's been 20+ years since they were last in the States, and in my case, I have not seen them live at all, so this is quite the news! I hope they hit LA. I'm sure they will. But regardless, I will fly anywhere in the country to see them.

Level 42-ness.

Hot-diggity! Just found out that the original members of one of my favorite bands (probably my most favorite now!) Level 42 are working on a new album to be released probably sometime this year! Yayness! Yes, they were huge in the ’80s but they’re such great musicians, (each of them are) that to me, their music transcends decades. When I listen to their music, I just don’t listen to the overall sound, but I listen to each instrument, each note, how they mesh together. The best thing about their music is the bass guitar and the person who plays it, Mark King. Simply put, he’s an amazing musician.

Well, this weekend was quite refreshing. Didn’t work on Saturday so the whole family went to one of my aunts’ house again and had lunch and watched DVDs and played video games, basically just hung out.

Sunday was church day of course. Had a good day of worship and studying of the Word, although I can’t quite recall what exactly we talked about last Sunday during Sunday School and the morning message, but I’m sure I have it on my notes. LOL After church, IH (In Harmony) and our families went to get some Pho’ (Vietnamese soup) for lunch (yum!) and then we headed over to downtown L.A. (along with Babie) for Grace Redemption Church’s 1st service at their new facility, where IH sang. I had a blessed time and I was actually surprised to find myself speaking on behalf of the rest of the group and introducing our songs (I never volunteer for that! We usually let Ate Joyce do all the talking), but for some reason, the Holy Spirit moved me to speak and talk about the songs that we were singing! It was quite exciting for me! We sang “Jesus Is” and “Drawing Me Closer” both by Point of Grace. It also marked the first time IH sang together in a very long time, probably in about 6 months (or even longer!). I hope that it’s sort of a “starting over” not just for me, but for all 4 of us. Pray for the 4 of us and this ministry that God has blessed us with, that we will grow in wisdom and knowledge of our Lord Jesus and really get to know Him and desire for Him, so that the joy that we experience in Christ will be evident in our singing. Peej, thanks for praying for us, and for everyone else who did. I really appreciate it.
I feel like this week God is really teaching me to be patient and to rely on Him in everything, even the little things like my finances. In the past I have not been very good with my money and I tend to spend more than I have. Ever since I got laid off from my old job, He’s taught me to really learn the value of a dollar and how far it can stretch out, and this week was exceptionally trying, but by God’s grace I am learning. I know that I am now reaping the consequences of my irresponsibility back then (when I was in college and even just a couple of years ago). Talk about being refined in the fire, and the whole financial issue is just a smidgeon of what I’ve gone through in the past few years (e.g. my dad’s passing, not being able to go back to school, and losing my job). But despite all of that, and actually a result of that, blessings started flowing, unexpected blessings. “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will grant the desires of your heart.“

Level 42-love.

Man, I love Level 42!!! Thanks to a co-worker, I am now a serious Level 42 junkie!!! LOL just in case you don't know who Level 42 is, they're a Brit-funk, pop-jazz group, who were huge in the '80's, not so much here in the U.S., they're huge all over Europe and Asia, and the rest of the world back then. After my friend, Ed, at work lent me his CDs and videos, I have been hooked ever since! Especially that "Fait Accompli" video they have. I've seen a whole new side of the group that I've never seen before. I've known of them since I was 7 years old. They were huge in the Philippines, especially their singles, "Something About You" (my absolute fave) and "Running in the Family" while I was growing up. I had a crush on the keyboardist/vocalist Mike Lindup. I thought he was the cutest thing! Then I lost track of them. I sort of "rediscovered" them again about a year and a half ago, after finding out that Jeff Thacher listed them as one of his fave music groups. Mind you, I didn't start liking them because of him, but I did get curious after that and started looking them up on the 'net and I stumbled upon their website, and found out that the original line-up of the group is no more. They've parted ways, except for Mark King, the lead vocalist/bass player. He bought the rights to the the name Level 42 and is now touring with a whole new line-up under the name. So, in a way they're still around, except for the fact that there's only one original member left. The other original members (Mike Lindup, Boon Gould and Phil Gould) are now doing their own thing.

Let's talk about Mark King. The man is brilliant! He's been called the best bass player in the world, and arguably so. The man, known as "Thunder Thumbs" is freakin' amazing on the bass! He plays it at lightning speed. And apparently, he was the one who popularized the "slap bass" technique. It's hard to really explain how the technique works, but basically, you use your thumb to slap the top string of the bass and pluck the bottom string with your pinkie, creating a rhythmic bass pattern, which is now very popular with a lot of funk-bass players. If you ever have the desire to learn how to play the bass, you should look to Mark King as a role-model. The man is amazing! I want to marry him, except for the fact that he IS married and has children. Well, I am not delusional, you know? LOL … Well, at least not EXTREMELY delusional. Okay, I think I'm gonna go watch the videos right now. good night!