RightOutTV Music & Video Awards 2014 • Gallavin

The winners of the 2014 RightOutTV Music & Video Awards were announced recently, proving what great music is being made by LGBT artists. Well, that was obvious when I saw the list of nominees, coming from all around the world. RightOutTV was founded by Marlee Walchuk and Tully Callender, devoted to the promotion of LGBT artists and their music all across the globe. The submissions are from many genre, from Rock to Country to Electronica. Once again this year, I was proud to be asked to be a judge, hearing some more great music and discovering a few new artists. But enough with all that. It is time to showcase some very deserving artists. Today I am thrilled to feature Gallavin.

One of those is 'Most Moving Video', something so many of the LGBT artists I listen to have in common - music with heart. There were some amazing submissions, and giving us five outstanding nominees which included Kristy Apps and the Shotgun Shirleys with "Modest In its Glory", Andrew Suvalsky's "The Curtain", Ramona Montañez with "Naked", and Paul M's "Hands to Heaven". This year, the award went to Gallavin for the song, "La Chanson des Vieux Amants". The Swiss singer/songwriter released the album 'So Sad the Songs' in 2013, a wonderful collection of Jazz material. The album included "La Chanson des Vieux Amants", named 'Most Moving Video'. The song is fantastic, and has a great music video to make it even more touching. I hope you enjoy the video for "La Chanson Des Vieux Amants" by Gallavin.

You can find "La Chanson des Vieux Amants" on Gallavin's album, 'So Sad the Songs'. You can purchase 'So Sad the Songs' from iTunes, Amazon, and Bandcamp. I just got it, and can heartily endorse it. It is fantastic! To learn more about Gallavin, visit his official website. You can also 'like' him on Facebook, and 'follow' him on Twitter.

Marlee and Tully developed RightOutTV to help LGBT artists with promotion, as a way of giving back to the community. The couple are also a musical duo, making up Sugarbeach. They were kind enough to ask me to participate in the awards for the last few years as a judge. To learn more about RightOutTV, visit the RightOutTV website. You can also 'follow' them on Twitter, and 'like' them on Facebook.

2013 RightOutTV Music & Video Awards • Most Moving Video & Best Pop.Rock Video

I am pleased to showcase the recent winners of the 2013 RightOutTV Music & Video Awards, pointing a spotlight on a few of the many talented members of the LGBT community making music. This year, awards were given in 18 different categories, with 17 different acts receiving them. The awards are given by RightOutTV, a website founded by Marlee Walchuck and Tully Callender. The website promotes Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender artists, allowing a platform for their voices to be heard, and a place for those wanting to support them to visit on a regular basis. “If you watch the awards show you’ll see that we don’t just promote and award these artists because they’re gay. These are high-level, multi-talented, professionals with star quality,” says Marlee Walchuk, co-producer of the awards. “Even though most of these artists are not being heard on mainstream radio yet, they deserve every success enjoyed by their straight counterparts."

I continue this series by offering you some more great videos, the first of which is the one that claimed the title of Best Pop/RockVideo, Matt Fishel's "When Boy Meets Boy". Now I must admit I am a huge fan of Fishel's music, ever since I first saw the music video for "Football Song", which truly warmed my inner gay-boy heart. In fact, it was named Best Video So Far in the 2012 RightOutTV Music & Video Awards. Earlier this year, Matt released a new album, featuring "When Boy Meets Boy", a sweet and charming story of young love that I just love. And the video is something very special, for it is directed and animated beautifully by Joe Phillips.

"When Boy Meets Boy" can be found on the album 'Not Thinking Straight', which can be purchased from iTunes and Amazon. You can also order hard copies, both autographed and not, from Matt's online store. I love the album, and think it is a "must have" in your collection. To learn more about Matt Fishel, visit his official website, 'follow' him on Twitter, and 'like' him on Facebook.

Next up, we have a very special category,indeed. Six songs and artists were nominated, and any of them could have claimed the top prize. The award for Most Moving Video went to Doug Strahm, for his "Leaving It Behind". The song is a touching and heartfelt song, and the video takes it to a new level. It manages to take a look at the life of a man serving the country in the armed forces, putting his life and love on hold while going overseas. Both the song and video are so well done, it is easy to see why Doug Strahm's "Leaving It Behind" was named Most Moving Video.

"Leaving It Behind" can be found on the album 'Everything Has Changed', which can be purchased from iTunes, Amazon, and from Doug's online store. To learn more about Doug Strahm, visit the official website. You can also 'follow' them on Twitter, and 'like' them on Facebook.

RightOut TV Awards - Most Moving Video

RightOutTV announced their first winners in the inaugural awards to celebrate the depth and diversity of the music in the LGBT community. The results reflect an impressive array of talent in 13 different categories. Winning artists represent the United States, Israel, Australia, England and Austria, making this a truly global contest. Next I will feature the winner of the Most Moving Video category.



The award was given to Declan Bennett for his video, Freer. The video was directed by Dante Russo and was featured on this blog in May of this year. The video is bold and daring, and kinda hot.



Declan Bennett is an out and proud performer, making brilliant music since releasing his debut album, The Painter's Ball, in 2005. The album is still one of my favorites. You can find out more about the handsome Brit on his official website here. You can find the album Record: Breakup featuring the song Freer on iTunes here, and on Amazon here. I am listening to the album as I write this, and can't get enough of it. You can watch the music of RightOut TV online here.