I was just made aware of The Wedding Dance Project on Indie-Go-Go, where gay writer/director Elliot London is trying to raise the money to make a film in February of this year. It is called The Wedding Dance, and it will touch on a theme that is near and dear to many of our hearts, marriage equality. I'll let London explain it to you.
You see, all Elliot is asking for is a donation of $10, or more if you are so inclined, to help make his dream film come to fruition. With a small donation, you can be of great help to the filmmakers, and let the call for marriage equality be heard. This is not Elliot London's first film, and if you'd like, you can give a look at 306, a short Gay film. If you are at work, you might want to take care - there is brief nudity in this 11 minute film. It is on Vimeo, and has had over 65,000 views. Impressive.
So, if you have $10 to spare, or $100, $1,000 or even more, you can become part of the project by making a pledge. If you'd like to make a pledge, or just learn some more about London's thoughts or his plans, click on the widget below. That is how you can let your voice be heard.
Just thought it was time to bring in the Reverend. So here he is, the Right Reverend Al Green, born Albert Greene in Arkansas over 65 years ago. The Reverend Al came into the public eye singing R&B in 1972, when he was singing classic songs he had written, like Let's Stay Together. Of course, that went on to be a huge hit for Tina Turner, too. After an unfortunate happening in his life in 1980, Al Green decided to make some changes in his life, including the study to become a real reverend, and to start making Gospel records. And while Take Me To The River was written before the Gospel period, it certainly fits well into the genre. It was written by Green, and later became a big hit for Syl Johnson and again for the Talking Heads.
The Reverend Al Green bcame a true pastor, and soon had his own church, and was often tending to his flock. For eight years, the Reverend recorded and performed only gospel music. Here is an incredible recording of the Reverend singing Amazing Grace and Nearer My God To Thee. Just sit back and enjoy.
Clockwise: The English Beat; The Police; Go West; Ultravox; and ABC.
For some reason, I had a desire to post about songs with the word "tear" in the title. This would be my own little twist on the recent series of Saturday night Torch Song posts. I went to iTunes, and typed in "t-e-a-r" and up popped the list. I picked out five songs, all well-loved by me. This will be my version of 80s-style Torch! Well, to be honest, my first entry was released in 1979 by The English Beat. The band was headed by Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger, and had just released their first album, Just Can't Stop It. The song was Tears of A Clown, written by the great Stevie Wonder, Hank Cosby, and the great Smokey Robinson. The Beat put the song in their own ska style, making for a great of of the song. You can find it on iTunes and Amazon.
Late in 1980, The Police released their third album, ZenyattĂ Mondatta. The album was written and recorded while they were on tour for the second album, and later, all would express disappointment with it. I think it was still a good, strong album, and I just love the song Driven To Tears. Tell me what you think.
I went absolutely crazy for the band ABC when I heard their debut album, Lexicon of Love. Of course, it began with a crush on Martin Frye, the driving creative force behind the band. The band made lush Pop songs that were a little bit Glam and a lot New Wave. In 1981, the album was released, and it had the fantastic song Tears Are Not Enough.
Another one of my crushes from the 80s was Midge Ure. I was totally into him, and his music. As part of the band Ultravox, I couldn't get enough of the music. Their dense sound had an almost orchestral sound, with electric guitars involved. Watch the wonderful video from 1984 for Dancing With Tears In My Eyes, off the Lament album.
Singer Peter Cox and musician Richard Drummie were Go West, another of my favorite bands of the 80s. I just loved the sound of Cox's voice, and thought they made great music together. From the moment I heard Don't Look Down in 1985, I knew I was hooked. And seeing the video, with the very handsome bandmates, well, it didn't hurt one bit. And in 1993, the band released the album Aces and Kings - The Best of Go West, which featured the song Tracks of My Tears, specially recorded for the collection. The song, written by Motown great William "Smokey" Robinson, Jr., Warren Moore, and Marvin Tarplin, made it to the music charts in several decades by different performers. It was a hit for The Miracles in the 1960s, Linda Ronstadt in the 1970s, a re-release by Smokey Robinson & the miracles in the 1980s, and for Go West in the 1990s. The song continues to be covered by countless artists, including by American Idol contestant Adam Lambert, who sang it on the show in his time on Idol in 2009, and by Rod Stewart that same year. But here is the video for the cover by Go West.
When I was thinking of what to post today, Nick Drake crossed my mind. I found his beautiful song Saturday Sun, and knew this was the post for me. I am not sure how many people know of him, but Drake released his first album in 1969. The title of that album was Five Leaves Left, a ten-song collection of guitar-driven folk/pop. His music is marked by his sensitivity, and an ability to communicate through his music, much like a modern day John Keats. It was as if he reformulated the description of the brooding romantic. There is no footage of him performing live, so just sit back and listen to Saturday Sun.
While still a young man, just in his early twenties, he put out several albums in a row. However, he also struggled with his own demons. He never felt comfortable in interviews, or performing live, which made promoting his music tough. Throughout his life, he struggled with both depression and insomnia. After his third album in 1972, Drake decided to retreat to his parents home in rural Warwickshire. He did this to help bolster himself from depression, but it didn't really help. This is The Day Is Done, off his first album.
In November of 1974, Drake was found dead, having overdosed on his prescribed anti-depressant. He was just 26 years old. Having little promotion for his albums, Drake had a small fan base, but had not had much by way of sales. In 1979, Fruit Tree, a selections of his collective work, was released, and gave the world a chance to reassess the music. The music was seen in a new light, and gained great respect. Drake became an inspiration to some of the more prominent musicians, like Robert Smith (of The Cure), Peter Buck (of REM), Kate Bush, Paul Weller and The Black Crowes. British band Dream Academy wrote their hit song Life In A North Town for Drake.
You can purchase Five Leaves Left on iTunes and on Amazon. You can discover more about Nick Drake with a visit to the official website of his estate here.
Clockwise: Madonna; Kristine W; Tarkan; and Bananarama.
Well, the holidays might be over, the the work week has come to an end, and it is time to party! So I decided to go back 6 years to find the music we can dance to tonight. That is right, hitting the music of 2006, and although I am not going with the top songs on the chart, I just decided to go with some of the songs/performers I really enjoyed that year. And I will start with the queen of it all, the majestic Madonna. She had hits in the 80s, and more in the 90s. But who would have thought she would be releasing hits in the 2000s, too? Get Together was a release from the hit-ridden album, Confessions On A Dance Floor. While it didn't show up on the Pop chart, it was #1 on the Billboard Dance chart. You can find it on iTunes and Amazon.
For many, Kristine W has been making some of the greatest Dance music for the last 15 years or so, since 1994. She is a great talent, with a voice that is amazing. In 2006, she had the wonderful I'll Be Your Light, from the 2004 album Fly Again. I'll Be Your Light soared to #2 on the Billboard Dance chart. Check out the cool video for the song. You can find it on iTunes and Amazon.
While many remember Bananarama to be a trio, for the last 20 years they have performed as a duo. Keren Woodward and Sara Dallin have taken the sound over, after Siobhan Fahey left in 1988, and her replacement, Jacquie O'Sullivan, bowed out in 1991. In 2006, they had a fantastic single with Move In My Direction, off the 9th studio album, Drama. The album was their first on the charts in over a decade. And this video is hot! You can find it on iTunes and Amazon.
I am such a fan of Tarkan, for he not only is gorgeous, but he is also a talented singer and a great dancer. So when he released his first (and so far only) English-language album I went online to import it. When Come Closer arrived at the door, I was excited. And am I glad I purchased it. It is a great collection, and I still listen to it now. This is the single Start The Fire, one that always gets me moving! You can find it Amazon.
When I hear the music of Earth, Wind & Fire, I immediately transport back to high school and a Social Studies teacher I had a Smyrna High, Ms. Pinkett. You see, Ms. Pinkett had a unique style, at least for this young man in the seventies. Ms. Pinkett was keeping it real, not letting the tradition role of teacher to take over her own personality. She was African American, but not the first African American I had as a teacher. But she was the first that would regularly use "Solid" in the classroom. And the first would would regularly quote 'the elements' in her class. Oh, she wasn't talking about the elements on the periodic table. No, she would quote the words of the songs of the elements, Earth, Wind & Fire. And one of the few Social Studies teachers I remember thirty-some-odd years later.
There are a couple of things I find remarkable about "the Elements." One is that they had many changes in the line up of the band so many times, yet the quality of the sound never changed. The first time I remember hearing Earth, Wind & Fire was in 1975 when they had their #1 hit, Shining Star.
In 1978, they brought another song to the Billboard Top 10, with a style only they could have. They combined Soul music with R&B with a Dance flair that was their own. They had their own take on the Beatles song Got to Get You into My Life, part of the great songbook of Lennon & McCartney. It was part of the Beatles' Revolver album released in 1966, and made it on the charts in 1976, a few years after the Beatles broke up. This version by Earth, Wind & Fire peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The next single released by the band was the iconic September. The song, written by band founder Maurice White as members Al McKay & Allee Willis, was quite popular in the clubs, as well as on Pop radio. Released around Thanksgiving, is certainly could be heard through the holiday season. It made it to #8 on the Billboard US chart, and #3 on the UK Pop chart.
In 1979, they had another string of hits, including what might be a ballad for Earth, Wind & Fire, After the Love Has Gone. The song was written by legendary songwriter/producer David Foster as well as Jay Graydon and Bill Champlin, and produced by founder Maurice White. The song did well at the Grammy Awards, as it was nominated for Record of the Year and won for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group. The song also won a Best R & B Song for Foster, Graydon and Champlin as its composers. It made it to #2 on the Billboard Hot Hot in the US, and to #4 on the UK charts.
To find out more about Earth, Wind & Fire, visit their official website here. You can find their music on iTunes here, and on Amazon here. The links will bring you to their Greatest Hits collection, and I know Ms. Pinkett will be thrilled you purchased it. And I hope she is glad I still remember her so fondly.
Clockwise: We The Ghost, Robert German, Dudley Saunders, and Chad Cavanaugh.
I think there is plenty to look forward to in the New Year, but I will only touch on a couple of those things. Four, to be exact. Yesterday, we already had the great fortune of knowing that songster Aiden James released a new album. The great thing about a new year is just that, it is new. As the ball drops in Times Square, it can act like a great eraser, clearing out some mistakes so we can start fresh. We can promise ourselves we will try to get to see more live music, and to support those artists whose music we love.And, to the best of my knowledge, I think there are some people working on new music that get me more excited than it should.
That would include a band from Tulsa, Oklahoma, that is starting afrresh, writing some music and getting ready to put on some shows. We The Ghost, which features Beau Tyler, Dain Samuelson and blog favorite Jimmy Dean Adams, have started working together to make their own music. We can start with a clip of Beau singing an acoustic version of a song they wrote, Let The Love In.
When it comes to Robert German, I am completely coo-coo for Cocoa Puffs. I love his music, and have practically worn out my version of Sirens of Brooklyn. So when I heard he is working on not one, but two new projects, I get a bit giddy. I understand they will be released separately, but it certainly means something is coming, something is in the pipeline. And I love that he sent out little teasers, videos with demos of songs, giving us a view into the creative process. In the following clip, we get a taste of Duct Tape & Super Glue, and I love it!
It has been far too long since I have had some new music from San Diego-based Chad Cavanaugh. I eat up Coffeehouse Rebellion, and adored We Got Love. The miltary veteran's pairing of classic folk with interesting rhythms keeps me wanting more. I know he was talking about going back in the studio, and certainly hope he has made it there. Until then, check out this live performance of his song Troubadour.
I know that handsome Dudley Saunders has been writing new music, and I hope he has been hitting the studio, or is making plans to do so, for I would love to have some new music from him. I enjoy the Billy White Acre Sessions, and just love The Emergency Lane, but still, I am greedy, and want more. Here is a taste of some new music, Monster. He posted it on YouTube from a live performance. I love it.
