Juan Esteban Aristizábal Vásquez, better known as Juanes, was born August 9, 1972, in Columbia. I'll be honest, I don't know much about Juanes except that he is scorching hot, I enjoy his music, and he is str8. A new studio album is due in 2010.
Originally posted on October 2, 2009, I am reposting this as I had to slip away for a couple of days, and thought it was a good time to revisit the amazing work of Ivri Lider.
Well, it is Friday evening, and I thought perhaps it was time to have a good time, dance and forget the troubles of the week. For that, I present a video that always makes me feel so much better, Bo. The music makes me move, the song charms my heart. And, of course, I also have a long-standing crush on Ivri Lider.
In my first post about Ivri [found here], I posted the more conventional radio version of the song, sung in English. This is the long-play dance version, sung in Hebrew. And God only knows, I am trying to be patient as I wait for Ivri to release the English-language album. And to see him perform live. And maybe, just maybe, for him to realize he wants to fall in love with a man 14 years older than him. Wait, did I just go one step too far?
Ivri has already released a couple of songs in English, mostly songs from movies he has worked on. And "Jesse". I love this song very, very much. I swear it has wormed it's way into my head, and I must listen to it every so often.
So I do understand Ivri will never fall in love with me, but I still adore his music, and would just love to see him performing live. You can hear more of Ivri's music at his official website here.
This was originally posted on November 13, 2009. Since I am on the run this weekend, I thought I would try to offer up this post.
It's the weekend, time to rock! My fondness for @Collective_Soul extends beyond Twitter, as I do have most of their albums, including 7even Year Itch, the greatest hits set, covering 1994-2001. The band consists of Ed Roland, Ed Roland, Dean Roland, Joel Kosche, Will Turpin, and Cheney Brannon. The 13-song album included six #1 and two #2 singles from the US Mainstream Rock charts, as well as 2 previously unreleased songs. It has many of my favorites on it, and now seems like a time to share. I love it when the boys rock it out, like in Shine, which I blogged out earlier, both the Collective Soul version and the one by Dolly Parton. Give me a song with multiple guitars, a blaring bass and driving drums, and I am happy. One such song is Why Pt 2, a 2001 single, the first from Blender.
And there is Heavy, from the 1999 release, Dosage. Heavy had a more industrial sound, a crisp and tight sound driven by the hard edged guitars and drums.
Another of my favorites is Better Now, released in 2005 a few years after 7even Year Itch. It is a pop/rock song with a harder edge, and some fantastic guitars.
And, of course, there is the amazing vocals from Ed Roland, this brilliant rich voice never failing to use the music as an anchor, yet scale new heights. To catch up more with Collective Soul, visit their website here, or add them on Twitter here.
Back in 1987, a song hit the clubs that had everyone dancing. The song was Boom Boom (Let's Go Back To My Room) and it was impossible not to run to the dance floor. It was sung by Paul Lekakis, the stunningly handsome Nordic God. I ran out and bought the single, but had to wait to buy the CD, Tattoo It. But I did buy it first chance I got. I still listen from time to time, grooving to the sound of My House, One Step Closer, and others. From the coy You Blow Me Away to vibrantly sexy You Know You Want It, not to mention the beat-driven Are You Man Enough and Tattoo It On Me. This CD was meant to put a party in your pants - an easy feat if you took one look at the cover shots.
Paul went on to do movies - like Circuit and Sex, Politics & Cocktails - and a variety of shows in regional theater and Pride events around the world. And he still does music, having the singles Let It Out, Assume The Position and (I Need A) Vacation, all of which are in my collection. Just last year, I purchased a video collection of his songs, including a video shot to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Boom Boom. I also received a couple of signed photographs with the package, warming the cockles of, among other places, my heart.
Never particularly in the closet, Lekakis talked openly in the 90s about being HIV Positive, and continues to do work in that community. He has certainly kept himself in top shape, and looks even hotter now than he did when he first come on the scene.
This was originally posted to this website on June 18, 2009.
Andy Moore is another musician I can thank Eric Himan for an introduction. Andy is an out and fabulous lesbian whom I saw while she was touring with Eric a couple years ago at the World Cafe Live! in Philadelphia. I was thrilled that she was on the bill with Tom Goss in a show at Nellie's Sports Bar in Washington, DC, earlier this year.
Andy is a wonderful mix of the Indigo Girls, Joni Mitchell, Tracy Chapman, and Bob Dylan, with an order of soul and a dash of sarcasm sometimes added to spice things up. She has released two studio CDs, both of which I own. Dig Right In was released in 2004, and Shifting in 2001. I like 'em both, but if I had to choose one, it would be Dig Right In.
It offers 11 songs, and all are extremely good. Her voice is gorgeous and full, and so damn expressive. The song Desire is just amazing, perfectly describing the burgeoning feelings affiliated with love and, well, desire. There is also Forgiven, a song she wrote and duets with Eric Himan. I can't say about how their voices harmonize perfectly together. 'You should see, how I've forgiven me.' Wow, that is good stuff.
Slip Away is a lovely folk ballad, with Andy's crisp and clear tone never faltering. Sobering is some old school folk, and emotional gift about love and life. Long Before Goodbye opens with 'You left me long before goodbye, I could feel it in your cool green eyes.' We've all been there, haven't we? Her guitar playing certainly doesn't take a backseat to a strong voice. The girl can play, and not just strum. There is such an honesty in her voice and performances.
Unfortunately, there are not any videos available of Andy, so I have to make due with one I made myself following the Nellie's show. My pictures roll to the song Uncomplicated from Dig Right In.
I bought her stuff from CD Baby, a great resource for indie music. You can find out more information about Andy on her website.
