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Mike Massé is called “The new voice of Classic rock” worldwide as a solo, duo, and a full band. His voice and musical stylings have quite a bit of versatility. If you don’t believe me, check out his YouTube and a highlight of his music below. As the new voice of classic rock, Mike Massé remakes classic rock songs while keeping them classical. Breathing new life into old music, Massé doesn’t launch the music into a new genre, key, or style like many other artists do. “I’m choosing songs that I think are great, they’re relatively perfect and that’s why they don’t need to be changed. I get many people who tell me like, “Thank you for treating it respectively or like, thank you for like not ruining this song,” Explains Massé, “I’m sort of archiving this for a new generation in some ways because I have a lot of fans who are younger that never heard the original.” Take his most prominent cover, “Africa” by Toto. Mike Masse is a known musician by his fans and other musicians with his cover of “Africa” by Toto. This classic rock song brought his music to the forefront of everyone’s mind with his cover from 2010. Check it out for yourself and you’ll know why it got him to where he is today. It is one of his top shared  YouTube  videos with over 13 million views. Some of those views come from a rather surprising place. Not only does his audience love the cover but so did the original artists of the song, Toto. It all started with a simple email exchange between Massé  and Steve “Luke” Lukather (the virtuoso lead guitarist for Toto). Lukather was very enthusiastic about the cover and thanked Massé for covering it. People were sharing it with Toto constantly! He writes to his fans that this was an amazing moment for him to meet the band, TOTO. It didn’t stop just at a simple meeting. “I was not prepared for what happened when I met David Paich , the one who wrote ‘Africa’. I was so honoured to meet the man behind the song. But I did not expect him to seem excited to meet me or even know who I was. The greeting I got blew me away and still gives me chills to this day, just thinking about it,” Massé continues. Not only did  Paich love the cover, but he mentioned that he shows it to people whenever they come over to his home. That’s an amazing achievement for an artist and their cover song. Toto isn’t the only band that has shared their love for Massé’s music. Sarah McLaughlin, Rush, Asia, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Boston, Dennis  DeYoung (Styx) and Third Eye Blind have all expressed their love of his cover songs and sound in general. With over 281,000 subscribers on YouTube, it’s not a surprise that he’s been so highly acclaimed by his audience. He came from a place of music from a young age. There was a piano in his home that his sisters used to take lessons. At the time, Massé was too young. Unlike his sisters, he didn’t grow out of the instrument and instead continued to let his music talent flourish throughout his childhood. This led to him getting an electric guitar at the age of 10 and then a keyboard synthesizer in Junior High and ending with an acoustic guitar in High school. However, this didn’t lead him to a musical career early on. Massé didn’t start as a musician, but instead a public defender. In an interview with Switching Styles, Massé explains that he became a lawyer for practical reasons. “I have always had a sort of innate sense of justice, or maybe injustice. sometimes I speak up even when I shouldn’t, and so I always kind of like the inherent skill of advocacy, and so I became a public defender because I really wanted to do criminal law. To me, I didn’t even really care which side of it was on. Being a public defender appealed to me way more than being a private defence attorney. You’re working with the people that society has kind of shunned or forgotten in some ways, and you’re getting them at their lowest point, and they need a friendly face. I mean, they need help. And a lot of time, it’s about damage control. You know, you’re trying to make sure that they’re treated fairly by the system.” His cover of “Africa” was the catalyst he needed to transition from part-time musician and full-time lawyer to full-time musician. The transition between a public defender and a full-time musician was rather simple and smooth. There’s quite a bit in common between lawyers and musicians. “I actually know a lot of lawyers who are musicians. I don’t know what the correlation would be, but they tend to attract the same people sometimes,” He continues. That single cover led to increasing interest from more than just fans for his audience but professionals in the music industry. Gaining interest from a manager in Nashville, he got together with musicians and recorded a CD. Massé said, “it was a CD of covers but with a full band, like with a few musicians. It was really cool, but that guy, Richard, showed me that the industry is a good fit for me at this point. Maybe there is enough interest and maybe I can make this work.” From simple beginnings, he’s gone to great and amazing heights. He’s on tour now throughout the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and Europe with concert stops in Miami, FL, Beaverton, OR, Denver, CO, New York, NY, London, UK, Liverpool, UK, Toronto, Montreal, St Luis, and Amsterdam. “I sing because I love it. The fact that other people enjoy hearing it, that’s my side benefit, but that’s not why I do it. I just sing, I just do it. And I think that helps. I know that it has helped people because they’ve told me.” Check out Mike Massé and his music here.

Violin in a New Light, Featuring Lindsey Stirling. Lindsey is successfully achieving her dream to become a household name in music. Introducing Lindsey Stirling “On stage, Stirling moves with the grace of a ballerina but works the crowd into a frenzy, “dropping the beat” like a rave fairy.” as the internet accurately describes .  Starting to learn the violin at the young age of 6, Lindsey Stirling has always had a passion for music. Growing up in Gilbert, Arizona, Lindsey pursued the dream of becoming a household name in music. But  she wanted to do it her way.  One of her first steps into Stardom was on America’s Got Talent . That didn’t go well. Even still she showed her passion and that she was different from other musicians. That’s what got her so far in the competition and her talent.The judges thought she was talented and skilled, but they didn’t know she was good enough because of the choreography and the fact that she was a soloist. There had been many obstacles in Lindsey’s life: disappointment, rejection, health issues, and mental health issues. Throughout it all, she didn’t give up. “Every time she felt like quitting, she felt like God was saying, “Nope, nope, nope, you’re almost there. You have a mission. It’s going to be okay,” said Lindsey’s sister, Jennifer. Fast forward nearly a decade later, and Lindsey did precisely what the judge’s datacenter for and became legendary as a musician and violinist. Her music career has flourished since her time at America’s Got Talent.  She’s proven the judges wrong. She is taking the world by storm as a solo artist performing modern popular music with a traditionally orchestral instrument. She has created a sound all her own by merging the worlds of classical and contemporary music—an infectious sound. Her YouTube channel has over 10 million subscribers with over 2 billion views. That’s not all; Lindsey has won 2 Billboard Music awards, with Billboard chart-topping hits and sold-out tours worldwide.  In 2012, her career took off as she released her debut album featuring one of her most popular hits, “ Crystallize .” The song has over 225 million YouTube views, while the album reached #1 on Billboard’s Dance/Electronic Chart and Classical Album Chart,  Two years later, she released her album, Shatter Me, which reached #2 on Billboard’s Top 200 album chart, selling over a quarter-million copies. The song shares the same name as the album, has over 78 million views on YouTube, and won the 2015 Billboard Music Award for “Top Dance/Electronic Album.”  Her album Brave Enough debuted at #5 on Billboard’s Top 200 Album Chart and scored the #1 spot on Billboard’s year-end Top Dance/Electronic Album list. This single album earned Stirling a 2017 Billboard Music Award for “Top Dance/Electronic Album.” O n this album alone, the collaborations included Andrew McMahon and the Wilderness, Carah Faye, Christina Perri, Raja Kumari, and Rivers Cuomo, to name a few, She’s collaborated with numerous other musicians, such as Elle King , Peter Hollens , Switchfoot , John Legend , Kurt Hugo Schneider , Tyler Ward , ZZ Ward , and many more. Here are some highlights of her collaborations. Lindsey Stirling Playlists “Hold My Heart” by Lindsey Stirling and ZZ Ward “Radioactive” by Lindsey Stirling and Pentatonix “Voices” by Lindsey Stirling and Switchfoot She has a great mixture of original and cover songs. Her magnificent style doesn’t waver between the projects. Here are a few highlights of her songs. “Shatter Me” by Lindsey Stirling and Lzzy Hale “Moon Trance” by Lindsey Stirling “Otto Knows” by Lindsey Stirling, Dying for You, and Alex Aris Her next musical endeavour is a tour across South America. previous tours have sold over 500,000 headline tickets worldwide at venues such as Red Rocks Amphitheater in Denver, Chicago Theater, New York’s Central Park Summerstage, and the Greek Theater in Los Angeles. Her most recent tour is focused on her new Album Artemis. Locations include Brazil, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay. Do you have a favourite Lindsey Stirling song? Let us know on X @StyleSwitching!

Quaalude Beats is a German music producer known for his electronic beats. Combining the sounds of electronica, hip-hop, and dubstep, he creates unique and fantastic beats perfect for any kind of trip. What inspired the name Quaalude Beats? The movie with Leonardo DiCaprio, “The Wolf of Wallstreet” from 2013, is based on the book “The Wolf on Wallstreet” by Jordan Belfort. Quaalude is the brand name of methaqualone, a sleeping pill from the 60s-70s. The funny thing about it is when you take it and resist sleeping for like 10 minutes after it acts you get a really hard trip. In the 80s they stopped producing these pills because of the abuse. What connection does Quaalude have with your music? I never thought about a deeper connection when I picked this name but there is a scope of what it could be. So this “drug” effects very explosively and hard, maybe like some of my beats? How did you get started in music? I started with music when I was 8 years old. At first, I played guitar and with 11, I started to rap. 4 years ago I started to produce hip hop beats and electronik music like dubstep, drum and bass and house. How would you describe your sound? I’m a big fan of dark and deep vibes and I think you can hear that influences in most of my beats. But I also prefer to be dynamic, so I also do sometimes stuff that is smooth and lightly like old school beats with nice jazz samples for example. Who are your musical influences? That’s really hard to say because I listen to a lot of artists in every genre. When I was younger I often listened to Linkin Park, Rammstein or Slipknot. Then I started to listen to rap and electronic stuff. When I look back I would say that I always loved, “in your face” sound but also respected quieter stuff like classic, jazz or pop. So my most influence is my love for music. Why did you start making hip hop beats? I started because I want to be independent. I don’t wanna depend on others, and so I started creating beats myself. Do you have a favourite one of your beats? In the last 4 years, I produced over 200 beats and I’m the type of producer who likes his work when it’s done and then starts to criticize it. So I like every beat for some weeks and then I start to make a better one. How do they tend to compare to the original sounds or samples? It depends on the beat. I work a lot with synthesizer and create my own sounds. Sometimes I’m using samples like in the snake jazz remix or some old school beats, where I’m using jazz samples from 1920-1970. So it’s hard to compare. Why did you start on YouTube? At first, I started on MySpace, because it was a good digital platform to promote my music, so people can hear it and give me feedback or tell me what they like about it. But then came Facebook and killed MySpace, so I used YouTube. Today I’m trying to promote my stuff threw every existing platform like Spotify, iTunes and so on. But in the end, I like it when people can hear my music and it gives them something. What is the typical process of creating a beat? I’m starting with the drums and then I compose a melody. When the melody is ready I’m starting to creating a bassline and then I work on the details like sound effects, grooves, timings and mastering. What are some of your fondest memories throughout your music career? In my beat producer career that would be the release of my first beat tape in February 2020 and that one of my beats was released on “fat cat beats” a YouTube channel with over 250.000 followers. Those are two things that I’m very proud of. What are some obstacles throughout your music career? Until this moment they don’t exist. I’m trying to have fun and doing what I want. What advice would you give to musicians just starting out on YouTube? If you want to get bigger on YouTube you have to upload regularly videos, like every second or third day (because of the YouTube algorithm). And also work on your content, make it interesting and put some creative ideas in it. Its never guaranteed that you will be a YouTube star but maybe you get someday a fan base of some hundred or a thousand people. What are some projects you have in progress right now? My last project was my beat tape vol. 1 that was released in February 2020 and now I’m producing beats for my rap project and some other people. My next Quaaludes project will be a drum and bass/house/dubstep tape, maybe it comes around August or later. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? I try not to look so for. My work goes step by step and I just plan these steps and then I see where I am.

Somewhere beyond the sea Somewhere waiting for me My lover stands on golden sands And watches the ships that go sailing Somewhere beyond the sea She’s there watching for me If I could fly like birds on high Then straight to her arms I’d go sailing ~Robbie Williams performing “Beyond the Sea”, Finding Nemo (2003) For the film, Finding Nemo,  Andrew Stanton  pitched his idea to Pixar’s head,  John Lasseter . The pitch lasted an hour, using visual aids and character voices to create the biggest impact possible. When asked what he thought of the idea, Lasseter simply replied, “You had me at ‘fish.'” Finding Nemo’s Soundtrack When I chose to write about Finding Nemo, I had no idea what song to choose. Mainly because Finding Nemo wasn’t a movie with a prominent soundtrack. What I mean is that the quotes are what you think of first not the music. This is probably because most of the soundtrack is simply musical scores, not lyrical music. In fact, there are only three lyrical songs in the whole film; “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” by Darla played by LuLu Ebeling , “Just Keep Swimming” by Dory played by Ellen DeGeneres , and finally “Beyond the Sea” performed by Robbie Williams . Despite not being used for a lot of Disney karaoke events,Thomas Newman has composed a beautiful score loved by fans. The score of the film received a nomination for the  76th Academy Awards for Best Original Score  losing against . I can’t argue with that choice as it’s a film series I eventually will be covering (Yes, pun intended).  The music we’ll look at is one of the few lyrical songs in the film; “Beyond the Sea” which is used in the ending credits. This song was originally by Jack Lawrence , with music taken from the song  “La Mer”  by  Charles Trenet . From there countless musicians have covered the original song including Django Reinhardt , James Melton , The Sandpipers , and of course Bobby Darin, who became the best-known artist for this song as his version top numerous charts in the ’60s. These include No. 6 on the   Hot 100 , No. 15 on the  US R&B Chart , and No. 8 in the  UK Singles Chart .  In 2001,  Robbie Williams  released his version of “Beyond the Sea” on his album  Swing When You’re Winning.  Two years later and this version is used in the film “Finding Nemo”. Finding Nemo Cover Songs Without further ado, here are our highlighted Disney covers for your listening entertainment. As the film itself is mostly scores that add to the film without lyrics, an instrumental cover seems fitting. Together  Kezia Karran  and her friend Felicia Janice provide a beautifully energetic cover. With an impressive amount of instruments, Riz Ramadhan  performs “Beyond the Sea” with his violin, viola, cello, and harp. Together, they blend beautifully into this instrumental cover. This cover of “Beyond the Sea” by Kina Grannis is lullaby soft and endlessly beautiful. Her vocals complement the subtle instrumental perfectly in this cover. With a Ukelele in his hands and a tune on his tongue, Josef Pitura-Riley  has produced a warm and energetic cover of “Beyond the Sea”. This swing-style ukulele cover is a fantastic tribute. Not to mention, the background shows a beautiful ocean scape. Some may even say Josef is just beyond the sea (That pun was painfully intended). Electra Music brings an electric big-band style to the Disney outro song .  Their sound is hopping, making you want to get up and dance! Let me know what you think of these Fishy Tunes. And remember Just Keep Swimming!

No! You listen! All my life, you have told me that the world is a dark, cruel place. But now I see that the only thing dark and cruel about it is people like you. Quasimodo, The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) Introducing Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame The Hunchback of Notre Dame stood out for me as a kid and as a young adult. Like many Disney movies, it has a villain, a love interest, a hero, an underdog, drama, suspense, and no shortage of Disney magic. However, it has dark undertones that I have found interesting as an undergraduate and a journalist. There are ideas of toxic religion contrasted against charitable religion, as well as the idea of misinformation used in widespread forms in specific situations. The interactions between the characters highlight issues of emotionally abusive relationships, unwanted sexual and romantic attention, unrequited love, and so much more. There are so many contrasts to show not only that the world itself is complicated but that there is a fine line between good and bad. Disney, this is really pretty dark. Disney has created dark and chilling movies that include  The Fox And the Hound , Bambi, Old Yeller, and The Black Cauldron . The Black Cauldron still makes me tear up. Regardless, The Hunchback of Notre Dame is up there on the list of dark Disney films that seem a bit more realistic than whimsical. According to IMDB , this film, “due to its dark and sexual themes, nearly became the first animated Disney film to receive a PG rating from the MPAA in the U.S. since  The Black Cauldron  (1985)”. Well, enough about the deep tangent, analyzing a children’s film for its dark and not-so-subtle undertones. The audience is here for the music. The Hunchback of Notre Dame Soundtrack Since this is a musically inclined blog, let’s discuss the soundtrack (which also has seriously dark undertones, but that’s a topic for later on). The soundtrack includes rather emotionally deep songs, including The Bells Of Notre Dame, Out There, Topsy Turvy, Humiliation, God Help The Outcasts, The Bell Tower, Heaven’s Light, Hellfire, A Guy Like You, Paris Burning, The Court Of Miracles, Sanctuary, And He Shall Smite the Wicked, Into The Sunlight, and Someday. Many of the songs within this soundtrack are rather different than those of other Disney films, mainly because of the topic and feel, but the Gregorian chanting in some of its songs stands out. These Latin chants are actually adapted from real Gregorian chants. One example is a portion of Dies Irae used during the scene where Frollo murders Quasimodo’s mother. This movie and its resulting music are dark, with some seriously real undertones. Thus, this article will focus on one of the darker songs. The song  'Hellfire'  is considered one of the darkest songs written for a Disney film, and was nearly cut from the film,” quotes the  trivia section on IMDB. Now for the list of damning HellFire Cover Songs.  HellFire Cover Songs We will start with a cover by Mariah Rose Faith , which beautifully exemplifies my previous point. Heaven’s Light and Hellfire are songs about love in one way or another for the same women but from a very different position. Cover by Jake Turner-Clarkson Cover by Joel Maroon Cover by Elsie Lovelock Acappella Cover by Peter Hollens Cover by  Julia Koep Cover by Florenza I hope these HellFire Cover Songs weren’t too dark for you. There are some additional renditions of Hellfire to somewhat cleanse your palette and give a bit of a laugh. Here’s a literal parody by Thadudette  and Gordy Driver that puts this dark song into a different context of fantastic nerdy references. I hope to have balanced out the dark with a few jokes. Let me know what you think of these HellFire covers in the comments below!!

I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream. I know you, that look in your eyes is so familiar a gleam. And I know it’s true that visions are seldom all they seem, but if I know you, I know what you’ll do. You’ll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream ~Sleeping Beauty (1959) Directed by Clyde Geronimi , Sleeping Beauty is one of Disney’s most iconic princess films. This Disney story is an adaptation of  Charles Perrault’s  fairy tale “Sleeping Beauty”, as well as the Brothers Grimm’s retelling of the story, “Little Briar Rose”. Although it was released in December 1959, it was in production for years longer than other Disney films. Altogether, the film itself took 8 years to complete. Background of Disney's Sleeping Beauty (1959) “Story work began in 1951, voices were recorded in 1952, the actual animation took place between 1953 and 1958, and the stereophonic score was recorded in 1957. The movie was finally released one to two years later, in 1959,” writes the IMDB profile of Sleeping Beauty. That long amount of work paid off in terms of awards. Sleeping Beauty won an Academy Award in 1960 for Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture. Beyond that, the film was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Soundtrack Album, Original Cast —  Motion Picture or Television (1959), Saturn Award for Best DVD Classic Film Release (2009), Satellite Awards for Best Overall Blu-Ray Disc and Best Youth DVD (2008), and Young Artist Awards for Best Musical Entertainment Featuring Youth (1980). There’s a reason all but one of the previously mentioned awards are specifically for the music in the film. The soundtrack is beautiful. It includes gorgeous songs such as “Hail to the Princess Aurora”, “One Gift”, “I Wonder”, “Once Upon a Dream”, “The Skumps Song”, “Sleeping Beauty”, “Sleeping Beauty Ballet”, “Sing a Smiling Song”, The majority of the songs had music by  George Bruns  and lyrics by Tom Adair . However, several other musicians also had a hand in the creation of the Sleeping Beauty soundtrack:  Erdman Penner ,  Winston Hibler ,  Ted Sears ,  Sammy Fain ,  Jack Lawrence , and  Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.  All together these musicians create a splendid soundtrack that harmonizes with this magical Disney film. “Tchaikovsky always fascinates me because he was dramatic, he had humour, he had these luscious melodies. He could move from mood to mood seamlessly. It was absolutely fantastic,” Explains Mary Costa. Did you know that most of the film was inspired by another love story? As a fun fact, most of the film's musical score is based on Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s ballet “Sleeping Beauty,” which has a prologue and three acts. First performed in 1890, this is the second of his three ballets. His first composition was “Swan Lake”.  Ivan Vsevolozhsky , Director of the Imperial Theatres in St. Petersburg at the time, approached Tchaikovsky to adapt Undine. Later, it was decided that Charles Perrault’s version would make a better adaptation for ballet, with the Brothers Grimm version as the inspiration for the ballet scenario. In an  interview  with Mary Costa, the voice of Sleeping Beauty, she admits that “I think if these two people, Tchaikovsky and Walt Disney, had met today, they would be great friends. Because each had such a myriad of colours in their mind in which to create.” Did you know that Aurora is the Disney princess with the fewest lines? Second only to Dumbo (who doesn’t speak at all), Aurora had the fewest lines of any Disney Movie lead. The princess spoke fewer than 20 lines in the whole film.  As the voice of Princess Aurora, Mary Costa became entwined with the character. In an interview with DvDizzy, Mary Costa explains that even though Aurora is silent during most of the movie, she shares physical mannerisms from the actress, “I think you’ll be amused by this – my mother lived to be 101. In her late nineties, I was living in Florida and I took her to a small theatre to see. It was packed and we were right in the middle. In the middle of the scene in the middle of the woods, she all of a sudden said, ‘Oh, Mary! That looks just like you!’, And I had to put my hand over her mouth. I got so tickled, but nobody knew who we were, they were all so into the scene.” She continues to explain why the mannerisms are the same, “I think that there was a lot of me in that character because Marc Davis came in every time I was recording and sketched me. Because my father always spoke with his hands, I never could sing or do a line without using my hands. So I see a lot of myself in that film. I truly do.” Regardless of the lack of lines, when the audience does hear her voice, especially for the songs she sings, it’s majestic.  Once Upon a Dream Cover Songs The iconic song of Sleeping Beauty, “Once Upon a Dream,” is the focus of our article. Enjoy these amazing covers! Evynne Hollens and her husband, Peter Hollens , provide a soft and romantic cover. The fact that it’s a married couple covering the song as a duet is even more romantic. Philip Serino ‘s cover of “Once Upon a Dream” combines his deep soothing vocals with gorgeous piano accompaniment. Portland Choir & Orchestra  and Grammy-nominated Jenny Oaks Baker bring forth a powerful orchestral cover. Jess Anderson ‘s cover of “Once Upon a Dream” is a beautiful and energetic rendition of the soft Disney song. Patrick Moon Bird ‘s Lofi Remix of “Once Upon a Dream” is perfect when you want an upbeat rendition with a great beat.

Disney has a unique way of inspiring generations with its timeless music and enchanting stories. Casey Jones Costello, a talented musician and passionate Disney enthusiast, channels this magic into his captivating performances. Costello is known for his classical crossover style. His heartfelt interpretations bring nostalgia to life through stunning covers of beloved Disney songs. In this interview with Switching Styles journalist Dylanna Fisher, we delve into Costello’s journey in music. We discuss his creative process and explore the profound connection he fosters with audiences of all ages. He began his journey with his first notes in a church choir. Now, he shares his art on digital platforms. Costello’s story resonates as a testament to the enduring power of music and dreams. Casey Costello Disney is a brand that has encapsulated nostalgia around the entire world. Because of that, it’s a topic that Switching Styles have touched on frequently. They have explored many covers. These include Aladdin’s “A Friend Like Me” , Lion King Cover Songs, A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes, Finding Nemo Soundtrack Covers, Disney Music While Cooking, The Voice Of Phil Collins, and so much more!! Read below to learn more about the Disney Covers and musical career of Casey Costello. Introducing Casey Costello Follow the movie magic with these soundtrack covers and @ caseyjcostello’s fantastic TikTok account. Costello initially appeared in Switching Styles in a piece on Disney’s “Snow White” (1937) . The article “ Disney and Dreams: Snow White Cover Songs ” included his work. In this profound and powerful duet, Casey Jones Costello and Yunjin Audrey Kim perform beautifully. They combine their gorgeous vocals with Yunjin’s stunning piano talents. Here’s a lovely cover of “Someday My Prince Will Come” that he made. Interview With Casey Costello and Dylanna Fisher of Switching Styles Photo by Pixabay on One of the artists we’ve talked about is Casey Costello . His work takes inspiration from the world of Disney. Casey Costello has a long list of Disney covers in his repertoire. He also includes other classical music. He certainly has the voice of a Disney Prince. Below is an interview with Casey Costello, a musician, and our very own journalist, Dylanna Fisher. How Did You Get Started in Music? I started singing from the time I was young and sang in the boy’s choir at my church, St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church in Rochester, NY, and I joined several choirs in high school, but I didn’t take voice lessons formally until I was 15 or 16. I took lessons through the Hochstein School of Music in Rochester, NY, and then went on to get a bachelor’s degree in Music/Business at Nazareth College in Pittsford, NY. Why Did You Decide To Be Known As Casey Costello As Opposed To A Stage Name Or Nickname? I am known by my full name, Casey Jones Costello. I include my middle name as part of my artist name. It almost sounds like it’s a stage name already since there are many cultural associations with the name “Casey Jones”. I just figured it was easier to go by my real name than by a pseudonym. How Would You Describe Your Sound? I would describe my sound as traditional pop / classical crossover. I have been inspired a lot by singers whose sound bridges the gap between classical and popular music. So, I sing in what I hope is an authentic manner that preserves the character of the songs as they were intended to be performed when they were written by the songwriters. Who Are Your Musical Influences? I have many musical influences, including Jeanette MacDonald, Nelson Eddy, Mario Lanza, Josh Groban, Judy Garland, Bing Crosby, Doris Day, Rosemary Clooney, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Johnny Mathis, Robert Goulet, Celine Dion, Barbra Streisand, Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, and so many other people. My musical inspirations span the gamut from operetta stars from the 1930s to popular singers of today. Why Did You Start on YouTube? I started on YouTube when I was maybe 14 years old just posting videos for fun, and eventually, as I started pursuing music professionally, I started using it as a platform to be able to post videos of my performances to it. How Do You Think YouTube Functions as A Platform for Musicians? YouTube can be a good promotional tool for musicians. Frankly, it hasn’t helped me that much. TikTok has been a lot more useful in building an audience of fans much more quickly. How Do You Feel About The Internet In The Music Business? The internet has both helped and hurt the music business. Streaming services like Spotify make it easier than ever to get your music distributed and heard. But it doesn’t pay very much royalties. Physical album sales like CD sales are much more significant in terms of being profitable, but very few people buy physical albums today. How Has the Internet Affected Your Music Career? The internet has allowed me to be discovered by many people who would not have otherwise probably ever heard of me, so that’s been a good thing, but again, it hasn’t helped a lot with actually selling albums. That tends to happen only when I do in-person concerts and sell CDs to people Why Do Covers in Particular? I do cover because a good song is a good song regardless of whether I wrote it or somebody else wrote it. I love the music of the Great American Songbook of the 20th century, and songs from Broadway, and Hollywood movies, and I sing what I like. Also, I want to sing songs that people know, because I do shows at senior living communities and other venues. People enjoy music better if it’s familiar. I do write songs as well. But I do not perform originals exclusively. How Do They Tend To Compare To The Originals? I try to interpret songs in a way that is authentic and respects the intentions of the songwriters who wrote the piece, so my interpretations tend to be quite faithful to the originally published arrangements of the songs. What Is The Typical Process Of Creating A Cover? When I perform covers, I try to find the original edition of the sheet music because oftentimes a piece of music will have many different arrangements that have been done over the years, but the most authentic arrangement is typically the originally published arrangement, so once I have a copy of the sheet music, it’s as simple as learning the song and rehearsing the piece with my pianist. Sometimes if I can’t find a good arrangement or if the song isn’t in a good key for me, I’ll do my own arrangement of the piece using Sibelius music notation software, which is a longer process, but I’ve done that quite a few times when I can’t find a satisfactory arrangement of the sheet music. “Some Day My Prince Will Come” Is A Gorgeous Duet Performance, What Was The Process Like For That Collaboration? “Some Day My Prince Will Come” wasn’t originally going to be a duet, since it was never intended to be a duet, but I was doing a Disney-themed concert and the pianist who was accompanying me also happened to have a lovely soprano voice, so the thought occurred to me that perhaps we could perform the song as a duet. As it so happens, there are two sets of lyrics for the song, one intended to be sung by a man and one intended to be sung by a woman. So I thought, what if we each sing the respective sets of lyrics to the piece separately, and then harmonize together at the end? It was really just a spontaneous idea and it happened to come together and work beautifully, and Yunjin Audrey Kim did a wonderful job as my duet partner and pianist for that song. I’m very proud of that recording and pleased that, years after performing it, I still get so many positive comments from people about how much they love my duet version of the song. What Do You Think About Collaboration?  I honestly have so very many themed concerts I have done over the years that I don’t think I could tell you what my favourites have been. There are so many. One of my favourites at the moment is a piece I included in a springtime-themed concert called  I’ll Remember April . The song is called “One More Walk Around the Garden,” and it is just so poignant and not particularly well-known, so I really enjoy getting to sing that for audiences. “When You Wish Upon a Star” from  Pinocchio  and “I’ll Be Seeing You” are two of my other favourite songs to sing, but there are really so many others I love to sing as well. Are There Any Specific Ones That Stick Out As Favourites? Many Of Your Performances Are Performed For A Live Audience, How Does It Compare To Performing Solely For A Camera? During 2020 and much of 2021, I wasn’t doing any live performances in front of an audience due to Covid, so I started performing in front of a camera just to record concerts without an audience much more often; it was a bit of an odd experience because, on the one hand, it is great to be able to do retakes in case I mess up or my pianist messes up, and it’s less stressful. On the other hand, I really enjoy the feedback I get from performing in front of a live audience. You simply don’t get that from performing in front of a camera without people watching; I like hearing the applause and the comments that people in the audience make to me after a concert about songs they enjoyed and getting that kind of tangible feedback that is only possible when performing in-person in front of a live audience. What Are Some Of Your Fondest Memories Throughout Your Music Career? I have many fond memories throughout my music career. And I remember the very first public concert I ever did. I sang a song called “A Perfect Day” written back in 1910 by Carrie Jacobs-Bond. an older woman in the audience came up to me afterwards and was crying, telling me that it had been her mother’s favourite song. Things like that mean so much to me. I enjoy being able to evoke happy memories, or sometimes nostalgic but still fond memories, for people. Whenever I get that kind of feedback it makes me happy. Nearly every time I perform at supportive living communities I get comments from residents telling me their memories of hearing the songs I was singing or memories that my songs evoked and how much it meant to them. And that means a lot to me. One of my other fondest memories of performing was doing an all Rodgers and Hammerstein-themed show with several girls between the ages of 9-12. It was delightful to share the stage with such talented young singers. I enjoyed singing duets and ensemble pieces with them. It was really just so much fun for me; the Disney show I did was a similarly fun experience since I also worked with several talented young girls that added such an element of fun to the show. What Are Some Obstacles Throughout Your Music Career? The obstacles in my music career have been numerous; Covid has certainly been a big one. Also, given that I perform “old-fashioned” music, it is difficult to find the right venues to perform other than at senior living communities. I don’t sing material that is going to be on Top 40 radio stations, so I have a very particular niche and finding the right audiences and venues for that niche is a challenge. Also, finding an agent who could help me book performances and help me find the right venues to perform is a challenge. And, as I mentioned previously, the shift towards streaming music over purchasing physical copies of music makes it difficult to make money from album sales, but that hasn’t deterred me from continuing to record and release new albums, regardless. What Advice Would You Give to Musicians Just Starting Out On  YouTube ? My advice to performers just starting out with YouTube would be not to put all your eggs in one basket; it’s very hard to get discovered on YouTube. It’s hard to get discovered anywhere, but you should use every outlet available to you, e.g., YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, a personal website, and if you have recorded music, make sure you’re putting it out on streaming services like Spotify, not just for streaming royalties but for the exposure. Use every social media outlet available to you and try to create content consistently that appeals to your audience; if you’re not sure what your niche is, try to figure it out and tailor your content to fit your niche and target it towards your target audience to the best of your ability. What Are Some Projects You Have In Progress Right Now? I have several projects I’m working on or have recently completed. Last month, I just released an album,  The Morning After , which is available on most streaming services such as Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, etc., and is available for sale on CD as well. I am also working on a new show for the Rochester Fringe Festival in Rochester, NY which I’m calling  A Little Night Music: Casey Jones Costello Sings Broadway and Beyond , featuring Gail Hyde on piano. The shows are scheduled to take place at the School of the Arts in Rochester, NY during the Rochester Fringe Festival in September, so my pianist and I are rehearsing for those shows right now and plan to record the songs from the new show for an album as well. Where Do You See Yourself In 10 Years? I don’t like to speculate on things too far off in the future; God only knows where I’ll be in 10 years. All I can say is that my aspiration is to be able to perform cabaret-style shows at venues across the United States, Canada, and elsewhere, and be able to make a consistent living by performing for and entertaining audiences of all ages and I hope to have an agent and that I’ll have recorded many more albums; it would be great if I could get signed by a record label, but if that never happens I hope to continue recording and releasing albums myself. It is very difficult to be successful in the music industry, but I love entertaining audiences and love it when people enjoy my music and I hope that I’ll always be able to continue singing and performing for people. Photo by Expect Best on Concluding Thoughts Casey Jones Costello’s dedication to music exemplifies the joy of sharing timeless art with the world. His passion for Disney classics combines with his deep respect for musical traditions. This creates an unforgettable listening experience that spans generations. Costello continues to inspire through live performances and digital platforms. He reminds us of the magic in storytelling. He also shows us the beauty of song. Stay tuned to Switching Styles for more artist spotlights. Join us as we celebrate the intersection of music, nostalgia, and creativity. Thank you for reading our lovely music posts. We are always updating our articles with new and exciting themes. Follow our email newsletter or social media to stay connected with our Switching styles community.

Disney brings magic to every home, and Switching Styles brings magic to you with Tarzan Cover Songs. Tarzan is a story about the meaning of family, self-discovery, and individualism. Disney released this movie in 1999 and it’s still a poignant and emotional film. The soundtrack reflects that in its lyrics and melody. Disney’s Tarzan Soundtrack Tony Goldwyn  plays the voice of Tarzan, and  Minnie Driver voices Jane. Unlike in many other Disney movies, the main characters don’t sing. With the exception of the song “Trashin’ the Camp,” most of the songs are background songs and aren’t sung by the characters. Instead, the songs are about them and their journey. The man behind the Tarzan soundtrack is Phil Collins. He was the main guy throughout the film, arranging, composing, and singing the songs. Other musicians who also contributed to the soundtrack include  Mark Mancina ,  Glenn Close ,  Rosie O’Donnell , and  Paul Bogaev . Together, they provided a gorgeous soundtrack with Phil Collins’s voice throughout. Phil Collins brings some deep and heavy emotions into the lyrics and the movie itself. The soundtrack includes the songs “Two Worlds”, “You’ll Be In My Heart”, “Son of Man”, “Trashin’ the Camp”,  and finally “Strangers like me”. All of them seem to be pretty popular as covers though, “You’ll Be In My Heart” appears to be slightly more popular. Below is a list of fantastic covers of Phil Collins’s “You’ll Be In My Heart.” There are far more available on YouTube. I urge you to check out those ones as well. Tarzan Cover Songs Dan Vasc ‘s vocal cover is gorgeous and channels the emotion and serenity of the original. Luna covers Phil Collins’ song in Italian. Her beautiful voice is full of emotion, allowing it to carry into the entire feel of the song. Kazukanda provides another awesome acoustic cover that allows his voice to be the central focus. The listener can focus on the lyrics and the emotions they portray. Sinnyw789 doesn’t change any of the song’s vocals, keeping Phil Collins’ phenomenal voice while covering it instrumentally. His drum cover is energetic and awesome. Together, it encourages listeners to tear up and dance. There’s something about Nick Pitera ‘s voice that makes me melt. His voice is simply phenomenal in this cover. Keifer Wiley ‘s voice is endlessly sweet and soft, which perfectly complements the original song’s melody. Peter Hollens  and Bryan Lanning create a fantastic a capella cover using just their gorgeous voices. Let me know in the comments if this song makes you tear up or if it's just me!!

Miche Fambro is a folk, jazz, and Latin-blend musician with a sound hard to pin down. Like a chameleon, he fuses several elements of different genres into his sound. Elements of classical, folk, jazz, pop, and soul combine in the musical styles of Miche Fambro. Let’s start with an example of his music, so you can see what I mean. Here’s his original song, “A Good Guy Waiting For A Bad Girl To Happen”. It’s an energetic song with a dynamic melody and a tapping good beat. Hybrid Jazz describes Fambro as a completely unique musician, “It’s difficult to explain because there is NO one like him!  He’s a consummate guitarist/vocalist. He’s a unique songwriter who is both whimsical and sentimental, funny and tragic, hilarious/delirious.” “The Very Beginning: I was basically a nerd. It was something to do around the house,” Fambro explained. Both Fambro and his younger brother were fascinated by music from a young age. Fambro was 13 while his younger brother was 10. His younger brother was spoiled by his grandparents. With a simple 'please,' anything he wanted, he got. At first, he got a drum set as a gift, merely because he asked. Which both of them used, From there, Fambro started as a drummer using his brother’s drum set but soon fell in love with the idea of playing guitar. Their grandparents bought his brother a drum set when he asked, so Fambro got an idea. “She wouldn’t get anything for me. I talked my brother into asking grandma for a guitar we saw in a pawn shop window. My brother soon had a guitar,” He remembered, “So I stayed with the guitar, my brother stayed with the drums.” From there, it became more than just something to do. It was a combination of a passion for music and a passion for getting even with his grandmother. The two brothers started a neighbourhood band playing (or trying, as Miche Fambro puts it) the hits of the day, including Chicago, Mandrill, Kool and the Gang, and so on. At the age of 20, Miche left to travel with a hotel band playing at Holiday Inns and the Ramada. Two years later, he found himself playing his last concert with the band in Geneseo, NY. Between 1980 and 1991, he played in several local bands that grew in popularity within the area. Unfortunately, responsibilities clashed with the band’s chances for growth. “As we were all becoming ‘responsible adults’, the band broke up, knowing we couldn’t do the things needed to further our chances, such as relocating.” He currently lives in Geneseo, NY, which is a “Quaint little college town, very different from my hometown of West Philadelphia.” Here is where his love for music took a turn, as his musical awakening started with a fiery passion. Fambro started to discover himself as an artist, as a unique musician. As a left-handed musician, he found it difficult to learn to play the guitar. Fambro tried to take guitar lessons, but they refused to teach him unless he played right-handed. Instead of conforming or worse giving up, he went home and did it his own way. Flipping the guitar around, he taught himself to play left-handed and upside down. Now he helps other left-handed musicians learn how to play without dictating how they play. “Lessons from a Leftie” fills in the gap of learning. His innovative left-hand guitar style marked him as something different from the get-go. Now his life consists of making music and travelling to perform around the globe. Recently, he played at Internationales Gitarrenfestival Deggendorf, a Guitar Festival in Germany, with countless other international classical musicians. “World-class,” He describes the festival, “it was such an honour to be there. I learned a lot.” Fambro’s music is a collective style but throughout his career, his music is consistently entertaining and soulful. Below are a few examples of his cover songs showcasing his versatility in melody and voice. You can check out his music on his Youtube channel here . “Fly Me To The Moon” “I’m a Believer” “Our House” “Kaleidoscope Eyes”

We’ve talked with Dennis James about his experiences as an organist and as a student learning to play the organ. In the interview, he told Switching Styles a humorous story about one of his first teachers, Leonard MacLain. Organist and teacher Leonard MacClain is a household name for his skill and improvisation. It all started in Philadelphia, where MacClain started and continued doing what he loved best: music. Also known as Melody Mac, he was known for his melodies, especially with decades of experience as a theatre organist. His name didn’t stay only in the States. Melody Mac’s music with Epic Records gained him international fame. Some of his prominent compositions include “Days Without You are Endless”, “Smile Darn Ya Smile” and “Where You Are Concerned”. That’s not all his works, however. There are countless more in albums such as Choice Christmas Carols (1952), Theater Organ in Hi-Fi (1956), Joy to the World (1956), Operetta for the Theatre Organ (1957), More Theater Organ in Hi-Fi (Epic LN-3655) (1960), and Theatre Organ After Dark (1960). Throughout his musical career, MacClain was a music teacher. As such, He passed on his skills and knowledge to young musicians, one of whom was Dennis James. James is well-known as an organist and a historical music preservationist. The organ is the main instrument he uses, and he mainly preserves orchestral music. Much of his success, and arguably his passion, stems from MacClain, one of his first teachers. During one of the lessons with James, MacClain told a story about a famous French cathedral organist, Louis Vierne. Vierne was a French organist and composer at the end of the 19th century. While playing during a service at Notre Dame, Vierne had a massive heart attack. His body landed on the keys with a deafening roar as all the organ’s pipes played simultaneously at full volume. Vierne died on stage. Turning to James, his mentor said, “Now, THAT’S how we organists all want to go!” The next week after MacClain shared the story, James walked into the studio for a lesson, expecting to see his teacher waiting for him. Instead, he saw MacClain slumped over the keys of the Hammond electric organ. In a rushed panic, he ran over to him. The story about Vierne’s fate was still fresh in James’s head. Fearing the absolute worst, he shook him. MacClain groggily sat up and said, in a still drowsy voice, “Oh, Uhm, sorry . . . I fell asleep.” “Such drama!” James exclaimed, remembering the incident. There were unfortunate parallels between the two organists, MacClain and Vierne. MacClain had been having heart problems. At the time, he was using a portable oxygen tank and mask. The story seemed to be more foreboding than either realized. Later, MacClain had a major heart attack that landed him in the hospital right before the Fourth of July in 1967. He was scheduled to play a major solo concert for a national convention of pipe organ enthusiasts in Detroit. Certainly, he wasn’t able to make the performance. MacClain sent his student in his place to perform at the concert. The only problem is that the young 16-year-old James had never seen a theatre organ save for one short encounter when he was nine. He had never played one. To overcome this, MacClain provided lessons from his hospital room. Luckily, he had quite the experience with organs, including the Wurlitzer theatre pipe organ that was being used for the concert. Using a little hand slide viewer, he showed James the controls and techniques for the full-scale, top-of-the-line custom four-manual Wurlitzer theatre pipe organ. He went through each of the controls and explained from his bed how each of them worked. The last piece of advice he gave was to put the crescendo pedal down (the crescendo pedal that puts on all the stops without them being set), then do the same thing with the shoe beside it (the one that opens all the chamber shutters), and finally, play a full double-hand chord on the second last row of keys (otherwise known as the Great manual). This, he explained, was the very first thing you do. “The point here was to let this 16-year-old kid know what he was getting into,” Dennis explains, “I did exactly that and nearly flipped back off the organ bench to the floor in fright. Such a sound, Such power! You talk to any adolescent boy organist, and you’ll find out it’s all about the power.” James played the first 40 minutes of the two-hour recital, leaving visiting professional New York-based organist Lee Erwin to fill in for the second half. James describes, “It all went very well — so that began my career as a performing professional organist.” And it’s all thanks to his teacher, MacClain. His lessons were priceless to his students. He died later that year. During his 68 years on earth, he inspired his audience to grow as music lovers and musicians. An obituary in Theatre Organ Bombarde Magazine reads, “His passing is a genuine loss, not only for his many personal friends but also for the theatre organ world. But ‘Melody Mac’ has left us some superb theatre organ recordings and a long history of accomplishments on behalf of the instrument and the music he knew and loved so well. That he continued his contribution up to the closing hours of his life may be seen”. Vierne went out the way all organists want to – in a dramatic performance of their art. MacClain didn’t go out exactly as Vierne did, with a powerful roar from the organ keys. Instead, passing on the love of music to his students was much subtler and sweeter.

There’s something simply classic and elegant about a piano. However, classical doesn’t mean traditional or boring, as classical or orchestral music is perceived. It’s energetic, subtle, and elegant. As an instrument, the piano emphasizes power and subtle gentleness to every note. That’s exactly what the pianist Alvaro Arizcun is known for. Online, he’s known as Rhaeide . In his arrangements, Rhaeide shows everything that the piano is and more: energetic, subtle, powerful, elegant, classical, graceful and even rocking. Alvaro Arizcun has been a pianist since a young age and continues to this day. Featuring Rhaeide Barcelona is where he got his start. Ever since the young age of 5, Rhaeide played the piano, loving every minute of it. A friend of the family-owned a musical school by the name of La Antártida. This is where he began his piano lessons and music theory classes. Music has been a strong presence in his home from a very young age. “I remember music was always playing loud at home as a kid. My mom used to have plenty of old cassettes and vinyls full of many different styles that let her sing and dance along,” He said. But it wasn’t just his mother that had a passion for music, his step-father did as well. His step-father, Xavier Manau, is the trombonist for the band, ‘ La Vella Dixieland .’ He travelled worldwide, performing in a classic old-school jazz band. Music wasn’t only a love, passion, and way of life within his home. This shaped Rhaeide not only with the mere presence of music but also with the passion for it. “I guess travelling to many of their gigs around the region shaped me somehow too, “He was immersed in a musicians’ lifestyle while he was growing up, “although up to this point, I’ve never had the drive to learn to play jazz music.” As he grew as a person and a musician, his family let him develop his talents independently with his initiative – pushing only to stop him from quitting. His family still supports him even though they aren’t expressive about it. One person is highly supportive, and he’s vocal about it. “My dad, on the other hand, has always embraced it with endless devotion, pushing me into making more videos, reacting to them passionately, promoting me and being my number one fan.” With the encouragement to continue playing, but by his ambition, he flourished. By 14 years old, he was beginning to compose and arrange for the piano and the orchestra. “As a musician, I would say my creativity started developing at 14,” he reminisces. He bought his first Yamaha keyboard for €300 ($438.19 Can) and spent hours playing music. With over 250 voices and a 6-track song recorder, he started to create his original works of music. Rhaeide continues his career on YouTube. In 2008, he started uploading his talent to YouTube, showing off his talent on his channel under the pseudonym Rhaeide. Starting the YouTube channel, however, didn’t have such a clear line of inspiration. There wasn’t a specific trigger for the first uploaded video; instead, he admits it’s more of following what was popular then. “I started only three years after YouTube’s release, it was the novelty,” He said, “I wanted to see how would it be to share my recordings with people from around the world like other artists were doing at the moment in a very fast-growing platform that YouTube was”. Alvaro Arizcun created the name Rhaeide for his musical career. The origin of the Pseudonym of Rhaeide Rhaeide is not a name that originated from this world. The musician who came up with it was a big fan of fantasy stories, which had always inspired him. He was creative with music and enjoyed creating fictional stories in his mind. Although he had thought about publishing them, he never got around to it. One of the stories he worked on for several months featured Rhaeide as one of the main characters. Rhaeide was a powerful conjurer on a mission to save a child whose fate was tied to a series of prophecies. The story’s arc was inspired by works such as Tolkien’s and Dragonlance’s, while the names were influenced by Game of Thrones’ “A Song of Ice and Fire” series. The musician chose a similar but unique name, coming up with Rhaeide. Initially, the pronunciation was considered only in a Spanish context, and many English speakers had trouble pronouncing it. “I found I didn’t know how to pronounce it in English. If it ever reached the point of having to be pronounced somewhere, I would say something similar to ‘Raid’ or ‘Raidy,'” he explains, “but for me, the Spanish pronunciation is the one I’m familiar with. Any other just sounds ‘weird.'” Cover Songs Galore Regardless of the reasoning behind it, it paid off. His YouTube channel has nearly 50K subscribers. His videos have over 16 million views. The first video he posted was a Prime Suspect Piano Solo, reaching almost 7K views at the start of 2020. The internet had a significant part to play in promoting and publishing his music and making it possible as a career. This is a channel that’s been around nearly as long as YouTube itself. Rhaeide likes YouTube as a platform without getting bored with it. “It’s true there are things that I don’t like or haven’t liked in the past, but I’m a person that always chooses to focus on the positive aspects of things when the negative isn’t in my hands to solve,” He explains, “So in the case of YouTube I’ve enjoyed it a lot, both as a consumer and artist.” The videos he uploads are covers with compositions arranged by himself. All of them, he has written by himself. Using a Canon Powershot G7X Mark II camera to shoot his performances, he gives his audience a ‘hands-on’ show. Under the genre of epic piano arrangements, he doesn’t have a specific sound for his music. He says they’re flexible and faithful, “I would describe it as ever-changing, but mainly uplifting, since the way I do create is by following my emotions, and I can only play and find inspiration if I’m in an uplifting mood.” Rhaeide Cover Songs Cover songs, in essence, change the song in one way or another, whether in the style, genre or anything the musical desires. In Rhaeide’s case, he does his best to keep the music intact, merely written for the piano. His covers are a way to give people an opportunity to revive the good memories associated with a particular song while enjoying the now. When asked about his favourite cover, it was hard for him to choose since he has multiple favourites for different reasons. A few of them have been inserted here. “Dead Silence” “My favourite arrangement to listen myself is the ‘Dead Silence Theme’ because I believe I was able to transfer the soul of the movie into my recording and I really feel the chills every time.” “The Avengers Theme” “The arrangement I’m most proud of is ‘The Avengers theme’; I still remember the amount of blood I sweated to solve the puzzle with that one.” “Baldur’s Gate 2” “On the other hand, I consider the ‘Baldur’s Gate 2 Theme’ to be the most beautiful I’ve played for the memories it personally brings. Also because it was my first ‘viral’ video and because I was able to perform it in a wonderful Steinway & Sons piano.” “Beauty and The Beast” “Finally, the one that has brought more satisfaction in terms of public response is undoubtedly the ‘Beauty and the Beast Prologue’. It’s the fan-favorite.” “Ode to Oscar” “Some other special mentions: ‘ The Goonies Theme’ for its difficulty and energy, ‘ The ‘Christmas Piano Medley ‘ because it always brings my mood up, ‘ Les Miserables’ for being the most emotional one, and of course, ‘ The Horror Medley Part 1′ since it’s the one that put me on the map of Horror music on YouTube.” But that’s not all Rhaeide does. He also has original compositions. There are some featured below. “Autumn Maze” There are several projects that he’s currently working on. As Halloween is coming up, there are ideas for the upcoming season of spookiness. Tutorials and a few collaborations are also in store for Rhaeide’s audience. In terms of the distant future, it’s up in the air. “I don’t really like to foresee the distant future, and I don’t have a specific goal that I want to achieve. Could it be composing? Or joining a band? Or performing around the world? Time will tell.” Let me know your thoughts in the comments below, or explore more articles !!

Feature Photographs taken by Manuel Jesús Rodriguez  of The Cathedral of York The Middle Ages (476 AD — 1492), is an era controlled by the church and saturated with fearful respect of the church and of the Christian God. The Church ruled with an iron fist because of their ideas of divine rights. On this note, the church was the only one recording the history of music at this time. Everything we know about music from this period was recorded by the church. Churches were the few people able to read, write and play music. Because of this, churches were the main ones producing music. Thus, nearly all music would serve the purposes of the church. And honestly, they prefer it that way. Most of this music was under the genre of Gregorian chants, (aka plainchant, plainsong). Pope Gregory the Great receiving inspiration from the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove; Carlo Saraceni, c. 1590; National Gallery of Ancient Art, Rome. Gregorian chants got their name from named after St. Gregory I, who was pope during (590 to 604). However, it was in name only. Charlemagne, king of the Franks (768–814), brought this new style to his kingdom. The use of St. Gregory I’s name is to give it some authority and authenticity. Gregorian chant is a very monophonic tune, meaning there isn’t typically musical accompaniment to the voices. Its range is narrow, thus it’s rather monotone and doesn’t have many notes within its range and has limited motion in terms of moving between note ranges. This genre is based upon public religious worship in terms of lyrics, which is called a liturgy. Liturgy is the main part of its phrasing since it’s a religious or sacred genre of music. What this means is that most of the lyrics revolve around the church and the church’s uses. Here’s an example; “In Paradisum” by an anonymous musician. It’s a ninth-century antiphon plainchant used during a funeral. Typically, it’s sung at the end of the Requiem Mass as a final blessing while the body is taken from the church to the cemetery for burial. In paradisum deducant angeliIn tuo adventu suscipiant te martyresEt perducant teIn civitatem sanctam JerusalemChorus angelorum te suscipiatEt cum Lazaro, quondam paupereAeternam habeas requiem Which translates to…. May angels lead you into paradise Martyrs receive you at your arrival And bring you To the holy city Jerusalem May the choir of angels receive you And with Lazarus, once a pauper May you have eternal rest  Sacred music (religious music) such as Gregorian chants were slowly on the decline while secular music (non-religious music) such as troubadour music and operas are on the rise. In the eras after the Middle Ages (600 and 1600), it was all but replaced. As well, we start seeing an increase in instrumental music as opposed to vocal music around 1450 and the start of the renaissance. This is said to start with the notes in the margins of religious texts called marginalia. This was a practice as monks got bored with copying the same thing over and over. Knight Duels Giant Snail; British Library, Royal MS 10 E IV Creativity within religious texts paved the way for creativity in general. It grew from there and started the separation between the church and the people. Headless Duel in the Summer volume of the Breviary of Renaud and Marguerite de Bar, Metz ca. 1302-1305 Going towards the renaissance, a revitalization of thought, art and of course music. Gregorian chants, plain chants or plain songs are a genre of the middle ages, an era long past. There are bands that continue the chant such as  Gregorian (with a name very much on the nose), The Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo De Silos , and  Adoration of the Cross. In a beautiful combination of old and new, there are Gregorian chant covers of some modern hits making something altogether different. Several cover bands are using Gregorian Chants to blend the past into the present with chilling beauty. We talked about Gregorian a bit before as a modern Gregorian chant band. Here are two of their covers. Starting with “Losing my Religion” originally by REM, this is a great meta cover. Gregorian Chants fell out of general use because of the transition from sacred to secular; thus the loss of religion.  Next from Gregorian’s album,  The Dark Side is their haunting cover of  Evanescence’s “My Immortal” . The original is hauntingly beautiful yet Gregorian adds a whole new level of haunting beauty. Rebecca  Gorzynska  has a phenomenal voice. In her Gregorian  chants , her voice shines. This is a cover of   Salve Regina  also known as Hail Holy Queen. Pop songs, folk songs, Latin songs; those all make sense to transition into a gregorian chant. There’s a logical transition from one to another. However, hip hop is a genre that you wouldn’t expect in a gregorian chant. Sam Penrhyn-Lowe has provided a Gregorian chant cover of Travis Scott’s “ Butterfly Effect “. Granted it’s a lot faster than a Gregorian chant but it’s still monotoned and absolutely gorgeous. Chants For Kids have done their own rendition of “Ava Maria” with adorable kids. This cover is beautiful and sweet in its own way. Metal and Gregorian chant is not a combination that first comes to mind about Gregorian covers. Nonetheless, it works so very well. This is a metal cover of  “Miserere mei, Deus” of Gregorio Allegri , with Gregorian vocals by the  Tenebrae Choir  and metal instrumentals by  The  Pulltabs . Follow Switching Styles for more obscure and awesome topics!!