Eric Himan • Under The Ink DVD

One of my favorite singer/songwriters has a new DVD coming out. Eric Himan, who totally has me under a spell, just announced he is about to release his first DVD, Under The Ink: LIVE!. The DVD was recorded at a live show in Tulsa, as well as a few songs from an Acoustic-Requests Session. It showcases Himan's storytelling, as well as that incredible voice we have all come to know. It is songs featured on his latest album, Supposed Unknown, as well as some treasured songs from his catalog, and a very special cover. To give you a taste, here is a live performance of a song on the DVD, but taped by me at a recent show at MilkBoy Coffee. This is Little Boy Blue, originally off the Resonate album.



I am so excited, I just had to get my order in right away. When I went to the Order page, I noticed there were several combinations from which to choose. The first is the opportunity to pre-order the DVD, and get a free download of a live album. The DVD and the live CD get their songs from the same places, but their is a differing line up. For just $20, you can get both by going here.



You can order the DVD, the CD, and an opportunity to have a 3 song, 15-minute performance by Eric on Skype. You get to pick the songs from Eric's catalog you like the best, and enjoy your private slice of heaven.



You can also purchase the DVD, the CD, and a live house concert. This is a 90-minute performance at your home. He will perform selections from the DVD, and maybe even a special request or two, if you ask nicely... And Eric will be glad to meet you and your guests, and autograph your copy of the DVD.



And for those die-hard fans who want the complete Eric Himan experience, you can purchase the package that includes the DVD, the live CD, a 90-minute House Concert, and give you a chance to taste his cooking, as featured in the Trial And Eric videos online. That is right, you get to have roadie Eric set up, Chef Eric cook the meal, and Rock Star Eric give a live show for you and a few friends.



I placed my order, have you placed yours? And once the order was placed, I was able to download the live CD, and it is certainly worth having. Right away, I had to listen, and when he played Patti Smith's Because The Night, I was in heaven, I tell you, up in the fluffy clouds! And there is special guest performances from Namoli Brennet and Angel Adams, among others. I hope you have placed your order, and you are getting ready to download the live CD. You won't regret it!

Jay Brannan • Rob Me Blind

The time is now, people, the time is now. The ever-so-talented Jay Brannan has a new album coming out, titled Rob Me Blind. In my own humble opinion, you can never go wrong with a purchase of Jay's music. Rob Me Blind is due out on March 27th, a date you should have marked on your calendar. I know I have. However, you can get a jump on things, and pre-order the album. And being the guy that Jay is, he has not only made it easier to do, but offers a couple of alternatives from which you can choose. But before we get to that, I am going to offer the first video from the album. Here is Jay singing the amazing Beautifully, the first single.



I love Jay's music, and have had the thrill of seeing him performing live, in Philadelphia and Annapolis. He is every bit as good live as he is recorded, something I just love. I have all his music, and just love it all. Now, Jay has made it easy to order Rob Me Blind on his website here. There are a couple of options, from pre-ordering on iTunes, to three other different packages that include various music and other Jay-related treats.





For $10, you can get the album from iTunes. For $12, you can get the new album and a specially produced live album. For $25, you can get Rob Me Blind, Live at Eddie's Attic, and a fantastic t-shirt designed and produced for this offer! And, for $40, you can all of the above, plus autographed liner notes, and a canvas poster, and, get this, a limited edition lip balm! No, really! I have placed my order, and you should, too. Wait, you need more convincing? Really? How about a sneak peak at another song on the album? Here is the song Greatest Hits.



And isn't he just so damned handsome on the covers of these records? So, you can get all of this through the website here. You can get to the iTunes per-order here. You can get the single version of Beautifully on iTunes here and on Amazon here.

Brett Gleason • Destruction Single

This first single of the soon-to-be-released The Thawing is now available on Bandcamp. Destruction, which starts with an explosion, is a layered and textured art song much in keeping with the music made by the handsome rocker. To purchase it, go to his Bandcamp page here. Here is the video of a live performance of the song.



The album is due out next month. To learn more about Brett Gleason, you can find him on Facebook here. Stop by and say hello. He won't bite, not right away at least. Join his mailing list. Then you can learn what is new with Brett, and other great tidbits.

Sunday Morning with the Davis Sisters

The Famous Davis Sisters were a Philadelphia-based gospel group founded by Ruth ("Baby Sis") Davis and featuring her sisters Thelma, Audrey and Alfreda. At a time when the gospel groups were predominantly all-male, the Davis Sisters were breaking boundaries of their own. The ladies honed their sound being raised in the Fire-Baptized Holiness Church in Philadelphia. They were signed to their first recording contract in 1947, and were making Gospel music until 1985, when they retired. Here they are singing We'll Understand It Better By And By.



In another appearance on TV Gospel Time with Brother Joe May, the ladies performed I Believe I'll Go Back Home. I managed to find the sisters credited for the composing of the song.



Have a great Sunday!

The Little Sparrow de Paris

If there was ever a queen of the torch singer, it would have to be The Little Sparrow, Edith Piaf. She was born Édith Giovanna Gassion in Paris in December of 1915. Her parents were performers; her mother was a professional singer, singing in cafés, and her father a street acrobat. Of course, much of what has been said and written about Piaf's youth has been questioned, but it is said that before her father went off to fight in World War I, he let his daughter with his own mother, the owner of a brothel. Three is also a story that Piaf was blind from the age of 3, only to have the prostitutes pool their money to pay to send her on a pilgrimage honoring Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, which the author claims resulted in a miraculous healing when she was just seven.

When she was 14, she joined her father as a traveling performer, marking her the beginning of her public singing. When she was just 17, she had her only child, a daughter who died when she was just two years old. In 1935 Piaf was discovered in Paris by nightclub owner Louis Leplée,whose club Le Gerny off the Champs-Élysées, was frequented by the most fashionable of Paris. As the story goes, he brought her in to perform, and she was so frightened she was trembling, so Leplée called her "La Môme Piaf," or The Little Sparrow. She was 4'8". It was a name that stuck with her, as she was forever known as Edith Piaf from then on. But it was from her time in the club that she rose to fame. In 1946, she sang what is arguably her most famous song, La Vie En Rose.



In 1957, Piaf recorded a song she had heard on her travels in South America. The song, La Foule, translated to The Crowd, was originally a song written in Spanish by Angel Cabral in 1936. Once it was sung by Piaf, it became a huge hit.



In 1960, Piaf released a song I know very well, Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien. The song was written by Charles Dumont and lyricist Michel Vaucaire in 1956. However, it was Edith's recording that made the song famous. The English translation of the song would be "No, I regret nothing," which was the very way Piaf liked to live her life.



And, finally, in 1962, Piaf recorded À Quoi Ça Sert L'Amour with Théo Sarapo, whom she wed that same year. Théo was some 20 years younger than Piaf, so it raised many an eyebrow. They sang together often, and this song, translated to "What good is love," was a bit hit for them.



Piaf lived a rather tumultuous life. She had a rather public affair with boxer Marcel Cerdan, until died in a plane crash in October 1949, flying to meet Piaf. In 1951, she was in a bad traffic accident along with French troubadour Charles Aznavour. The result of the accident was an ever-increasing dependence on both drugs and alcohol. In 1952, she married Jacques Pills. Her Matron of Honor was Marlene Dietrich), only to divorced him in 1956. She married Théo Sarapo in 1962, but it did not last long. Piaf died on October 11, 1963, following a rough couple of months when she went in and out of consciousness. According to lore, her last words were "Every damn fool thing you do in this life, you pay for."



Tens of thousands of people showed up to her funeral in Paris. She was buried in Père Lachaise Cemetery next to her daughter who had died years earlier. Despite sharing the cemetery with the likes of Jim Morrison of The Doors, playwright Moliére, novelist Honoré de Balzac, and actress Sarah Bernhardt, it is said Piaf still counts far more visitors than any other celebrity interred there. Piaf was 47 when she died.

2Cellos Do Sting

Standing: Stjepan Hauser and Sitting: Luka Sulic.

I have already written about the amazing music being made by the absolutely brilliant duo of Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser, better known as 2Cellos. They have made some excited interpretations of some Pop and Rock classics, by Nirvana and Michael Jackson. Watching them play their instruments with the amazing passionate and kinetic energy just keeps me entranced. But this fine Saturday morning, I will go just a little bit easier, as the handsome duo takes on Fields of Gold, written and performed by Sting.



I will also share with you a rather beautiful version of a song by the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. They add something just a little special to Michael Jackson's 1983 hit Human Nature. The song was off the colossal album Thriller.



While I am mentioning Michael Jackson, I see that the boys will be appearing of the next episode of GLEE this Tuesday, the episode devoted to Michael. They will be performing the 1988 hit, Smooth Criminal. I think it will be Santana singing it with Kurt's rival for Blaine's affection, Sebastian. Should be great, since I have been loving Santana's voice each time we hear it. But first, let me move on. And for the last song this morning, the boys tackle Californication, the song written and performed by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, from the 2000 album of the same name.



They are a brilliant combination of Classical music with a renegade twist, tossing a bit of Jazz and Pop in the mixture, along with some real Rock Star bravado as well. You can find many of the songs on the album 2Cellos, on iTunes and on Amazon. I am so glad I made my purchase, and sure you will be too.

B.Slade™ • The Children • Share Now

I have been clear in my appreciation of the great talent of B.Slade™ over the past year. As an added bonus, he has made his latest track, The Children, available on his Bandcamp page. Listen, drink in, and share it with others. I don't know who he managed to think of it, but sampling the theme of a recently defunct soap, to make a statement about LGBT Youth is brilliant. Listen...



You can get find The Children on bandcamp here. You can learn more about B.Slade by visiting his official website here. You can also follow him on Twitter and Tumblr.