James reviews the ChordBuddy Guitar Learning System

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James reviews the ChordBuddy Guitar Learning System

When I receive a product for review, I don’t typically run out and purchase a duplicate of the product before I’ve even written the review. In fact, I’ve never done that with an item I’m reviewing. Until ChordBuddy.

See, I was immediately impressed by the ChordBuddy Guitar Learning System and was compelled to purchase a second one to share with a faraway family member. Before I had even shared my thoughts here with my readers.

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The Saturday post: Siblings singing sweetly

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The Saturday post: Siblings singing sweetly

It’s high time I get back to sharing something or another on Saturdays, be it a movie review, inspirational—or informative or humorous or must-see—video, or merry music-making of some sort.

I’ve chosen to restart Saturday posts with the latter, a short spot of siblings sharing their souls through song. It’s sweet and simple and something all our souls…

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Flashback: Everyday inspiration

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Flashback: Everyday inspiration

I'm not a world-traveler who finds inspiration in ancient ruins, artful masterpieces, or in architectural—or natural—wonders.

I'm also not one of the fortunate few privileged to find inspiration in luculent discourse with the likes of Maya Angelou or other great orators of our time. (Although I have heard in person the likes of Kurt Vonnegut. And David Sedaris. More than once.)

No, I don't get my inspiration from such high-brow—and high-cost—pleasures. Yet.

Instead, I find inspiration—the impetus to be bigger, better, and more than I am—in everyday things. Things such as…

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Throwback Thursday: The tunes they are a changin'

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Throwback Thursday: The tunes they are a changin'

This #TBT piece by Lisa Carpenter originally published March 24, 2011 on Grandma's Briefs.

I'm proud to say my family is musical. We dabble in playing — a guitar and piano here, a recorder and ukulele there — but it's in the listening to music that we really excel. As a whole, our hearts, minds and ears are open to myriad genres, everything from classical to Christian, country to show tunes, hard rock to soft rock and many that aren't really rock at all. We even have our family favorites in the rap genre. (I must admit, though, jazz and easy listening rarely pass notes in our homes, our cars, our iPods, or Spotify queue.)

Music plays a prodigious and powerful role in our family, which is why...

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Saturday movie review: Alive Inside

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I shared a video a few years ago here on Grandma's Briefs of an elderly nursing home resident who amazingly comes out of the fog of dementia when headphones connected to an iPod are placed on his head. ALIVE INSIDE is the full documentary of that magical moment as well as others experienced by several dementia and Alzheimer's patients when given the opportunity to once again hear beloved tunes from days long gone. Joyous moments that prove music is far more powerful than pharmaceuticals.

Alive Inside documentary

In ALIVE INSIDE—winner of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award (Documentary)—filmmaker Michael Rossato-Bennett follows social worker and founder of Music & Memory, Dan Cohen, as he brings music to nursing home residents, via iPods and headphones. The results...

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Saturday movie review: 'Unfinished Song'

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Vanessa Redgrave and Terence Stamp star in a lovely, poignant film that deserves far more attention than it's been given. UNFINISHED SONG is a 2012 movie that never played in my town, possibly never played in yours either. It's now playing on Netflix Streaming, though, and I urge you to add it to your queue. Heck, don't just add it to your queue — watch it this weekend!

 Unfinished Song

UNFINISHED SONG was originally titled "Song for Marion," which seems a far more appropriate title. Vanessa Redgrave brilliantly plays Marion, the terminally ill...

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Saturday movie review: 'The Sapphires'

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My husband and I scanned Netflix streaming the other night, in search of something uplifting and fun yet unrelated to the holidays. We happened upon THE SAPPHIRES, a 2012 film I had heard great things about but that we never had the opportunity to see in theaters here in Colorado, where the mountains are high, the skies are blue... and the independent film scene is dismal. 

Thank heavens for streaming movies, for THE SAPPHIRES turned out to be one serendipitous and soulful find.

The Sapphires

The film is an Australian musical dramedy loosely...

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The Saturday Post: Grandma-roots-for-Adele edition

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The Grammy Awards are tomorrow. Though I don't typically watch them, I just might this time. Because of Adele. I want to see her first major performance since having surgery on her vocal chords in November, and I want to see her win. The breathtakingly talented and beautiful 23-year-old (23!) is nominated for six Grammys.

Adele garnered three nominations—Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Short Form Music Video—for this song and video:

And she's nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance for this song:

Rounding out the six are Adele's nominations for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for 21.

I hope she makes a sweep of it, walking away with the Grammy in every category she's been nominated.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'll be watching—and definitely rooting for awesome Adele.

Today's question:

Who and what are some of your current favorite artists and songs?