Something(s) to look forward to

Great news: I got un-fired! Thanks to some clandestine arm wrestling and a substantial pay cut, I got to keep my job. This is good considering the current economic conditions and whilst this job is far from perfect, it can serve as a haven in times like these.

These past few days are proving a bit disorienting as I find myself making plans and changing headings with the ebbing of the (economic) tides; on Sunday I got fired, on Monday I was given a chance and today I was finally saved. All in all, it has been a positive and invigorating experience, especially considering the results.

Additional good news come from two of my favorite artists. Amit Erez, the up and coming indie singer-songwriter, is set to begin work on a new record (finally!). Next, Julian Velard, now touring heavily across the UK, has recently launched a new video and continues to make an impact.

Check out Julian Velard on his amazing website, MySpace, Facebook (don't miss his Once upon a time in the West v-log videos) and last.fm. Be sure to check out his new video here. Buy his albums on Amazon, iTunes or CDBaby.
Check out Amit Erez on MySpace, last.fm and Facebook. Buy his albums on Amazon or iTunes.

This post's songs are in the spirit of the last few days and will be shared for a limited time only.
Julian Velard - Yeah, Yeah, Yeah (Work to do) (from Nitetime) check on iTunes
Amit Erez - Clever and Strong (live) (from Amit Erez)

Vote for Julian

Julian Velard, the wonderful indie/jazz singer-songwriter whom I've mentioned a while back, has a new amazing interactive site. In fact, it's so great, .net magazine is nominating it as one of the best interactive sites of the year. So go ahead, explore the quest-like features in his site and vote for him here.

Julian Velard's site is here.
Picture from Facebook.

Featured artist: Julian Velard

I don't go to nearly enough concerts as I should and want. I won't get into detail on the reasons, but it does have the advantage of making every (or at least most) event memorable and unique. One of these instances was on the Tel Aviv Jazz festival a while back. Though I do not recall the performer or what exactly the piece was, I do remember the atmosphere quite distinctly. Jazz is a form of life, especially in live performances, when the artists improvise and create on stage and the audience feels like they're part of an experience.

It's been a while since I've felt that particular way, though I've been moved by other kinds of music since. Jazz has its own distinct effect on me. Anyway, what brought this particular memory to me now was a young NYC (though currently in London) artist called Julian Velard. You can read about him here and just... feel for yourselves.

Julian Velard - Musta Been Somebody Else