Eric Himan Back On The Road

On the heels of releasing a beautiful new album, singer/songwriter Eric Himan is going back on the road to showcase some of the great new material on 'Gracefully'. Honestly, I try to catch Eric whenever he plays near me, for it is always something special. The man has such great talent, it makes me happy. The last time through, I saw Eric play a show in Washington, DC, at The Dunes, a show he played with Tom Goss. It was wonderful, and the pictures and videos in this post were from that show. The first video is Eric singing "Running", a single he had released last year. It is a wonderful song, as you can hear.

A talented multi-instrumentalist, Eric plays his acoustic guitar, his electric guitar, and the piano at his live shows. And, of course, he sings while playing, with that amazing voice. In the following clip, he sings "Symmetry", a song featured on 'Gracefully', his 2013 release. The album, dedicated to his late grandmother, blends the Folk, Rock and Soul that are the basis for his music. Enjoy this lovely acoustic version of "Symmetry".

One of the many things Eric does so well is to pick a couple of songs to cover, allowing the audience to enjoy and sing along, as well as getting a little peak into the man himself, as he explains the influence the song and/or artist has had on his career. And he generally sings the hell out of the song, as he does on "Walking On Broken Glass", a song written and performed by the great Annie Lennox. Feel free to sing along!

As you can see and hear, a live show by Eric Himan is a wonderful journey captained by a strong artist. Eric has a great rapport with the audience, and shares little stories and experiences from his own life, like the issues, both pro and con, of being an out and proud artist, or what it is like recording at Henson Recording Studios, or what it is like to run into other artists on the road, like Justin Bieber. And when he smiles and laughs, you can't help but join in.

To learn more about Eric Himan, visit his official website, where you can order his music, as well as checking out his tour schedule. I have posted his schedule in a widget below, but if you don't see a date or place near you, you might want to check his official website to be sure. To keep up-to-date on all things Eric, you can also 'follow' him on Twitter, or 'like' him on Facebook.

Free embed music player from ReverbNation.com

The Fierce Ladies of Delaware Pride

 

Top: Gracie Freebush hosting & performing. Bottom: Ms. Serena F. Walker with a fan.

Last month I did attend the Delaware Pride Afterparty, and as I am wont to do, I brought along my camera and took some pictures. Before we all had live music from Kat Solar and Derek Nicoletto, the great queen of Delaware Pride took their turn in the spotlight. The party was hosted by the wonderful Miss Red Star 2012, Gracie Freebush. She masterfully kicked off the evening with a medley of Cher songs, including "If I Could Turn Back Time". She certainly put her all into the performance, much to the delight of the crowd.

Gracie started the performance with a big and bold wrap, in the colors of the rainbow flag. But soon, she was donning her fishnets and leather jacket and working the floor like the Academy Award winner she is. Serena F. Walker made her entrance to a Taylor Swift song, I think it was "Love Story". Serena looked lovely in her tight satin dress, deep blue with some shiny embellishments.

Top: Veronica Kitten on the left, and Miss Delaware Pride 2012 Ashley Lynn on the right. Bottom, the delightful Ms. Whitley Nycole DeAire.

Veronica Kitten was beautiful as she posed her way around the dance floor, meeting and greeting her fans along the way. Miss Ashley Lynn, who earlier in the day had been named Miss Delaware Pride 2012, attacked the dance floor, making her fierce moves for all to enjoy. Whitley Nycole DeAire, Miss Reading Pride Celebration 2012, came out in a fetching pink and silver dress with the most amazing peacock feathers, performing to Annie Lennox's "Little Bird".

And, last but not least, Danielle Revlon came out to deliver sweet, sexy, and just a touch naughty. She delivered it all, and that must be way she was named Miss Unlimited At Large for 2012.

Miss Danielle Revlon

Ladies of 1995

Clockwise from top left: Everything But The Girl, Tracy Thorn and Ben Wyatt; Madonna; TLC, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas, and Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins; and Annie Lennox.

Not exactly sure why, but I while I was thinking about a post for tonight, Tracey Thorn's voice came to my mind, and I decided to go with it. In 1995, Tracey was the lead singer for the group Everything But The Girl, playing with Ben Wyatt. In 1995, they had a huge hit with a remix of their 1994 single, "Missing". I loved the song, and how it managed to have that beat yet still maintain that haunted quality in her voice.



Now, since I was mentally hanging out in 1995, I thought it a great opportunity to visit another fantastic song by Madonna. There were plenty from which to choose, but I decided to go with "Take A Bow". I picked it because it occurred to me that both "Missing" and "Take A Bow" have been covered by Matt Alber, and that made me happy. So here is "Take A Bow", written by Madonna and Babyface, off the Bedtime Stories album.



Now if I am just randomly including some of my favorite artists, I couldn't do without the magnificent Annie Lennox. Annie had been going solo since 1990, making some incredible music in her post-Eurythmics career. That included her 1995 hit, "No More I Love Yous". That was her first single off Medusa, an album of cover songs, all originally performed by men. It was written by Joseph Hughes and David Freeman and was first released by their band, The Lover Speaks, in 1986. But it was Annie's version I remember best.



1995 was a time of CrazySexyCool, at least if you were a TLC fan. The album, released at the end of 1994, was a breakthrough for Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas, and Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, starting with the first single "Creep". The song, written by Dallas Austen, zoomed up the charts, and paved the way for future hits to come, including the "Waterfalls".



Have a great Sunday night and enjoy your week!

Dark Monday • Broadway Valentine

Clockwise: Annie Lennox, Mandy Patinkin, Chaka Khan, John Barrowman, Daniel Boys, and Ella Fitzgerald.

It is the night before Valentine's Day, so I thought I would pony up to the bar with a few love songs that were from Broadway musicals. But I thought I would offer different interpretations, other than the Broadway cast. I will start out with a fairly famous song, a standard unto itself. It has been sung by many, but few quite like this version, sung by Annie Lennox on New Years Eve 2009. She sings Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man from the 1927 musical Showboat, with music by Jerome Kern and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II.



This next song is another great song, sung by some great voices in productions. It is a bit harder to sing, so it doesn't have nearly the amount of covers that the first did, but they are pretty special. This is If I Loved You from the Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II musical from 1946, Carousel. It is being performed by Mandy Patinkin in a live show. He blows me away.



The next entry is from the musical 1937 Babes in Arms, and written by the great songwriting team of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. It is truly one of the great songs in the Great American Songbook, with covers by countless singers. This is My Funny Valentine by Chaka Khan, recorded to be a part of the soundtrack to the 1995 film, Waiting To Exhale.



Then next song was written for a 1943 musical that few people have heard of, Speak Low from the 1943 musical One Touch Of Venus composed by Kurt Weill, with lyrics by Ogden Nash. This is an incredible performance by Ella Fitzgerald and Jazz guitarist Joe Pass.



The song I Know Him So Well was an incredible love song from the 1986 show Chess, music by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, formerly of ABBA, and with lyrics by Tim Rice. It was sung by the two female leads, about a man who they both loved. I love this version by John Barrowman & Daniel Boys, singing about the man they both loved.



Happy Valentine's Day!

Friday Night Party Mix

From Top: Annie Lennox, Culture Club, Seal, Stephen Gately, George Michael, Boy George.

Perhaps it is time for another British Invasion, this time via the web, and by this blog in particular. Over the course of a couple of decades, there are a few Brits who managed to be among those who's music could get me outta my chair and shakin' the hips, even if I was home alone listening. Take, for instance, the most recent song from this particular grouping, Stephen Gately's Stay from 2001. I was a big fan of Gately's, and still listen to his music.



The 80s would certainly not be the same without the music and sheer force of personality of the great Boy George and Culture Club. The gender-bending tour-de-force took the world by storm, and there were certainly tons of great music to be heard in all the clubs I went to. Here is the 1984 single, Karma Chameleon.



The 80s, the 90s, and even some of the 2000s might not have been the same if it weren't for talented singer/songwriter George Michael. The man went from a chart-topping group of WHAM! to a solo turn that is still going strong. Here he is from a 1991 show singing I'm Your Man.



At the 1995 Grammy Award ceremony, Annie Lennox & Seal offered up a tribute to the great Marvin Gaye when they did an amazing duet on one of his greatest songs, What's Going On?



In 1992, Annie Lennox had an MTV Unplugged show, back in the day what the 'M' in MTV stood for music. There used to be some really great stuff on it, like here cover of the iconic song, River Deep, Mountain High.



Be it the 80s, the 90s or 2000s, fun music that makes you wanna dance is worth buying. so check them out, and shake you groove thing, kids!

World AIDS Day - Annie Lennox

Annie Lennox has a voice so expressive, so amazing, there seems to be to be little that I can say, other than to crank up the volume and give a listen to her version of Ev'rytime We Say Goodbye.

Happy Birthday, Itay Hod!

Since I first saw this young man on CBS News On LOGO, I have been a fan. He is bright, clever and an out gay man. And it certainly doesn't hurt he has those dashing good looks. But I can be really goofy when it comes to smart men, and while I've never met him, he certainly gives me that impression when I have seen him on TV, and when he has posted online. I have seen him do many stories about a variety of things, and he always seemed to have a handle on the topic. Now that is sexy. But in case you aren't familiar with his work, check out this clip.



Itay – pronounced ‘ee-tie’ – was born in Israel, and says he owes his parents a debt of thanks for teaching him to speak English free of any accent. He has a Masters degree in journalism from Columbia University School of Journalism. He has worked on many hard-hitting news stories, as well as covering some of the more glamorous. To give you a taste of his work, I'll begin with a clip when he attended the premiere for the Sex And The City movie.



He also caught up with a young actor/dancer early on in their Broadway career. Back then, Nick Adams was a build guy in the chorus, but he has since gone on to several other shows, including a recent run with La Cage Aux Folles, and at the moment, is touring with Priscilla, Queen of the Dessert as it prepares for a Broadway run. Here is Itay's interview with Nick Adams.



And I couldn't let the interview list be complete without his interview with the amazing Annie Lennox. After all, this is a music blog, right?



Finally, I'll leave you with an interview that I find uncontrollably hot. Itay interviewed Ivri Lider for LOGO, and I remember catching it on my TV, and not being sure who I should be watching.



So, Happy Birthday, Itay Hod. For more about Itay, you can find him on FaceBook for a fanpage here, and on Twitter here.

Dark Monday - Red Hot + Blue 3

Once again, I am featuring an album I love from about twenty years ago, Red Hot + Blue. It featured the music of American musical theater legend Cole Porter and some of the top acts of the day, all to raise money and awareness for AIDS research. The album contained 20 cuts, and I found 17 videos for those cuts, and for the next several weeks, will be running them in this Monday night spot. The album was thought of as a fundraising tool, it also allowed the artists involved great freedom with their interpretation of Porter's music, making for a wide variety of styles on the album. We shall go through the album in the order that is on my CD, which I did purchase at the time.



Porter was an amazing talent, and some consider him one of the best LGBT songwriters, if not THE best. He started his Broadway career in 1915, when one of his songs appeared in a Broadway Revue. He was just 24 years old. He went on to write songs for the theater like Lets Do It, Let's Fall In Love, What Is This Thing Called Love, and Anything Goes.Despite having a whife of 35 years, most believed him to be gay, and the marriage one between two dear friends who gave one another space and freedom, while gaining both wider acceptance in the greater world at large.

Annie Lennox has a voice so expressive, so amazing, there seems to be to be little that I can say, other than to crank up the volume and give a listen to her version of Ev'rytime We Say Goodbye.



U2 were the superband of the 80s, and continue to be a force in music today. Bono & the boys were also known to take a stand, and voice their thoughts on politics and raise money for good causes. But with Night + Day, they proved to have the music under control, and record an amazing cover.



I know little about Les Negresses Vertes, but their cover of I Love Paris proved to be quite interesting, and very good. Give it a listen, and I think you will agree with me.