One Week From Tonight

Left to right: Levi Kreis, Eric Himan and Jason Antone.

In just one week from now, I will be so excited, I am sure I will be tough to be around me. I am going to drive down to Vienna, Virginia, just outside of Washington, DC, to see Levi Kreis, Eric Himan and Jason Antone performing at Jammin' Java on the next stop for the SideXSide Tour. And if luck is with me, will be attending with Tom Goss. This is the third of five stops currently planned for the tour, reuniting old friends Kreis and Himan following Levi's triumphant run on Broadway, including his winning a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of Jerry Lee Lewis in Million Dollar Quartet. Last week, the trio went international, and had a great show in Montreal. I know it was a good one, for I knew some people in the audience, and they were glad to have made the trip to see the show. Theo Tams and his manager Dom Denny went to the show, and gave some rave reviews.

Levi Kreis released his first album in 2005, and I have been a fan since. His soulful music is as strong as his musical talent, as the singer/songwriter toured around delivering great performances that got him noticed. He has released four album; One of the Ones (2005), The Gospel According To Levi (2007), Bygones (2008), and Where I Belong (2009). As someone who has all four in my collection, I would highly recommend you have as much of his music in yours as you can, as soon as you can. You can be the judge, as this is We're Okay from The Gospel According to Levi.



I have been catching Eric Himan in concert for the last several years, and each show leaves me wanting more. He certainly has more than enough material from which to choose, as he has released eight albums and one EP since the self-titled album was released in 2000. And there is also the debut EP for Eric & the Adams, which appeared last winter. Again, I can say my Eric collection is complete, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Here is a sample, There's Gotta Be Something, found both as a bonus tack from the 2008 release, Resonate, and the title cut from the 2007 EP.



I'll be honest and say I didn't know much about Jason Antone before preparing for this tour, but that speaks more about how much good music is out there than the artist himself. As much as I want to believe I know all, I am constantly proving that not to be true. Jason has been working hard for the last few years, and has had a couple of songs make it on to the Billboard charts. His first release, To The Limit, made the first waves on the LOGO charts, making it to #6. In 2009, he released the album Start To Move, a 13-song collection of dance and pop music. The lead cut off the album, Ooh Ooh Ooh, made it to #3 on the Billboard Breakout chart. Here is the video.



There are two remaining stops for the tour, and I plan to attend one of them. On December 6, the trio will be playing the Baltimore Theater Project in Baltimore, Maryland. On January 3, 2011, the boys will kick off the new year with a show at the Wold Cafe Live in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and I will be there along with some family and friends.

For more on these artists, check out their websites by clicking on their names below:

Jason Antone
Eric Himan
Levi Kreis