Top: The Birthday Boys. Left: Rickey. Right: SIRPAUL.
Two amazing people are celebrating birthdays today. First I shall mention SIRPAUL, a singer/songwriter/producer also known as New York's King of ElectroPop. SIRPAUL just released a new single, Mistaken, off the Music & Me album. Prior to that, he had sung the theme song for the motion picture Going Down In La-La Land.
I just love SIRPAUL's music, I hear that soon, he will have another album coming out, and I can't wait! Interestingly enough, I went to see SIRPAUL in 2010, and the other birthday boy was there with me. I am speaking of my friend, Rickey of the renown Pop Culture blog, Rickey.Org. In fact, Rickey & I have been on several adventures together, from American Idol concerts to Broadway shows, and so much more. I have been able to take his photograph with some fun people, in several different states.
Top: Rickey with some New York Invaders; and with Jordin Sparks. Middle: In Connecticut for American Idol Season 5. Bottom: With Sanjaya Malakar, and at a club in NYC.
You can wish them a happy birthday on Twitter, either Rickey or SIRPAUL. Or you can stop by their websites, Rickey or SIRPAUL. You can also purchase SIRPAUL's latest single on iTunes or you can find his catalog on Amazon. And be sure to wish them a great day!
I wanted to compile a video that would prove once and for all what a lucky man I am. After all, I got to see Jason Antone, Levi Kreis, Eric Himan, Tom Goss, Nathan Leigh Jones, Garrin Benfield, Amy Regan, Shaun Hague, Jake Walden, Coyote Grace, Gareth Asher, Avi Wisnia, Jeffrey Johnson, and Namoli Brennet all perform live last year. They appeared at the World Cafe Live!, PSALM Salon, Joe's Pub, Sullivan Hall, MilkBoy Coffee, NightCat, World Cafe at the Queen, and Black Fox Lounge. Yep, I am a freakin' lucky man. Enjoy the highlights of my "show season."
Support independent musicians by attending their shows in your area, and buying their merchandise. You will not only feel better, you will undoubtedly be assured a better seat in heaven when the shows start.
John Densmore, Ray Manzarek, Robby Kreiger, and James Morrison. Together they were known as The Doors, an iconic band in Rock 'N Roll history.They are the story for the ages, the epitome of rock 'n roll for many. The Doors came together in 1965 in Los Angeles, taking the name from an Aldous Huxley book, The Doors of Perception. Oddly, the book title was a reference to a quote of William Blake, an English poet & painter almost 200 years before. And that would sum them up, for they enjoyed the intellectual side of things, almost as much as they enjoyed the earthier side of life. But not quite. Nothing quite surpassed their appreciation of the excesses of the rock 'n roll lifestyle. But that was hardly surprising coming from a couple of former UCLA film students in Morrison and Manzarek.
They quickly became known for an unpredictable stage show, mostly in the form of lead singer Jimmy Morrison. The somewhat reluctant frontman took on a personae of a lounge lizard, with a sleazy, over-sexed attitude that could lead to just about anything. In fact, he was arrested on more than one occasion, and claims the notorious claim to being the first ever rock star arrested on stage on December 9, 1967, in New Haven, Connecticut. Between the alcohol and the drugs, it was often tough to predict what Morrison would do in public. But it was not hard to predict he would be gorgeous, and the performances were charged with a raw sexuality that few could equal.
25 years ago, The Doors released their first single, recorded in 1966 and released in the first week of January in 1967. It was Light My Fire, written by the band and appearing on the album as an 11 minute song. As it was getting requests on the radio, it was soon edited to fit the 3 minute bill, and soon found it to be #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. So here are the Doors, singing Light My Fire.
Later in 1967, the band release another of the songs they had written. It was an odd song for rock groups of the day, owing more to the theatrics of a Bertolt Brecht musical than the standard rock song of the day. That didn't stop them, for People Are Strange made it to #12 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The following year, the band managed to top the chart once again. And again, it was a song credited as being written by the band, and was quickly to become iconic. In June of 1968, The Doors released Hello, I Love You. It quickly made it's way up the chart, and was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
In December of 1968, The Doors released a song written by Robby Kreiger, and much more orchestrated than anything they had done before. At the same time, it was also much sexier and raw than any, too. It became another iconic song for them. Here is Touch Me which made it to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in at the end of the year in 1968.
Pretty much from their start in 1965 until the middle of 1971, the band worked consistently, either in the studio or on the road promoting their records. It seemed to be taking a toll on all of them, but especially Morrison. It was said that Jim often performed under the influence of alcohol, or maybe a combination of alcohol and drugs, which made his behavior even more erratic. Then, on July 3, 1971, Jim Morrison was discovered dead in the bathtub of his Paris apartment. No autopsy was done, and the cause of death listed was heart failure. Many assumed it was really an overdose. The other members of the band continued to play together as a trio until they called it a day in 1973. Their reputation only grew with time, and they are considered one of the great American rock bands ever. Yet when they were still together, they only had two #1 songs, and on other in the Top 10. In fact, some of my favorite songs of theirs did not do that well on the charts. But I can talk about them sometime soon.
New York City's King of ElectroPop is back out there, ready to release his latest single. SIRPAUL, handsome and talented artist behind incredible videos for Killer, Objectified, Swinger, and Music & Me, has released Mistaken, off the Music & Me album. The single features wonderfully talented Candy Apple Blue.
The EP includes four versions of Mistaken, as well as a bonus track, a mix of Press Rewind, a fantastic track off the Music & Me album. You can purchase The White Label EP on iTunes. A MUST have for those who love to dance, or just wanna hear great music.
The oh-so-talented B.Slade™ released a new album on Christmas Day, and somehow or another I managed to miss it. Well, I have it now, and couldn't wait to share it with you. I don't know how B.Slade does it, but he puts out amazing music, with great depth and range, and it was not his only release in 2012. The music is fantastic, running the gamut from retro-R&B to something new and clean, ready to take on the world. From the title track, which certainly tips a hat to the King of Pop and that era of music, but also has a sound that escapes time, feeling fresh and now.
The twelve-song offering has a little something for all R&B lovers, and a whole lot to offer those who love music. There is the haunting and beautiful December, the last track of the album.
The entire album is, in fact, a joyous journey. You can feel the love as you listen, warming you to the core. You can listen to other tracks on the widget below.
I just have so much respect for B.Slade and his music. You can purchase Stealth on iTunes, Amazon, and BandCamp. If you love R&B, or love music, you should make this a part of your music collection.
Clockwise: Timpermanent, Patrick Wolf, Namoli Brennet, and Mister Chase.
As we are in the dawn of 2012, I thought I would take my last look at 2011, a few of the talented people I have not yet mentioned show made great music, and appeared in the posts of this blog. The remaining four are all members of the LGBT Community, and all make it a better world with their contributions.
I just discovered the music of TimPermanent a year ago, with the release of his first EP, Marker. It was a wonderful collection, and some fantastic videos followed. Next there was a heartfelt and beautiful cover of Robyn's Dancing On My Own. Then, by the end of the year, there was another EP, Resident. Again, the music was fantastic, and I even had the opportunity to interview Tim for the blog. But out of it all, I have to give a nod to his soulful cover of Dancing On My Own, seen in the following video.
You can purchase Resident on iTunes and Amazon. You can purchase Dancing On My Own on iTunes and Amazon.
For me, Patrick Wolf is a walking set of contradictions, and they all settle down into a marvelous stew of brilliance. When I look at him, I never expect to hear that full and stout voice coming from that almost frail body. Although Wolf might look like a a punky alternative boy, he makes some of the most delicious Pop music one would want to nibble on. His new album, released last summer, is as happy and filled with love as you would ever expect from Patrick, and is just wonderful to hear over and over again. If you haven't heard it, you really should. Watch his latest video for the song Together off the album Lupercalia.
I first became aware of our next performer as the handsome and sexy guy who was making sign language videos of some great Pop and Dance songs. He skillfully combined the arts of sign language with dance to make truly interesting videos. He took on Nicki Minaj, Britney Spears, and Ke$ha. But he wasn't ready to call it a day there, and soon was making his own music, as he did with the April release of Addicted. Watch Mister Chase making his own music in the video.
You can purchase the single for Addicted on iTunes and Amazon.
I had first heard of Namoli Brennet when speaking to Tom Goss. Again, when one artist heaps big praise on another, it makes me interested. It seems Namoli was working with Eric Himan on his new release, acting as producer and recording it at her home in Arizona. Namoli also toured with Eric, and I finally had the chance to see/hear her performing live, and Tom was not overstating it. Namoli is a brilliant artist, makeing some fantastic music. Watch the clip for Settle Down I taped when she performed in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. The song is from the album We Were Born To Rise.
You can purchase We Were Born To Rise from iTunes and Amazon.
Trouble With This, the new album from songster Aiden James, is available for purchase today, January 2, 2012. I be on iTunes as soon as I can. I love me some Aiden James. You can find it on iTunes and on Amazon.
The album includes 12 songs, all fantastic! Aiden has a new sound, and I am quite enjoying it. This collection has a electronic, Poppy sound that is infectious. There is a sweet retro feel, like someone was just listening to the early Euro-Pop of Depeche Mode or Yazoo. There is a frothy light touch, but the unmistakable vocals still maintain a warmth and depth few can match. Give a listen to the first single, Best Shot.
James also lays a different take on Gonna Hurt More, a little moodier, less bound by guitar, and ready to fly. The same could be said of Snapshot, a song that maintains the sweetness of the narrative, but grows on the album. There is a bounce and joy to Touch Your Heart, a song that combines the innocence of 1964 with the light touch of reggae and the warmth of new love. There is so much to be excited about, all I can say is buy it, buy it now! You wanna know what my issue is? I can't find an ounce of trouble on The Trouble With This...
And don't forget, you can still purchase Aiden's amazing cover of Lady GaGa's Edge of Glory, given an amazing cover with Aiden's gorgeous voice and a ukelele.
You can purchase Edge of Glory here. And you can buy and download The Trouble With This from iTunes or Amazon.
