Happy Birthday, Rickey & SIRPAUL!

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!

Happy Birthday, Rickey!

Sometimes, I am just surprised by how long I have known some people, and my friend Rickey is one of them. I started frequenting his blog about five years ago, just as Rickey.Org was starting to explode on the Pop Culture scene. Check it out here. I met several great people there, including Rickey himself. We went to see the Season 5 contestants for American Idol, and got backstage passes from Ace Young. We had a blast, and it became a yearly thing. We've been through a lot, from me taking pictures of Rickey getting lots of hugs, to being pulled aside by a contestant (I would never mention Melinda by name), to other shows, being tossed out of shows, our Clay Aiken experience, and he even visited the farm. So I thought I would celebrate his birthday with a little pictorial.












Happy Birthday, Rickey!

SIRPAUL Says Hello to You!

Saturday night, I hit the town to see SIRPAUL in concert, along with my niece Mandy, and friend and blogger Rickey Yaneza. The show was outrageously good, and I will get to that in another post very soon. But in the meanwhile, here are some pictures and video Rickey graciously took after the show.



Yes, that is you he is talking to, dear readers. I will have more on the show of this talented, sweet, and handsome man soon, I promise. Such a great night!

American Idol Season 9

This week, American Idol Season 9 debuts on Tuesday, January 12 on Fox. The show will begin with the audition rounds, this year kicking off with the Boston auditions. Like last year, my friend Rickey from Rickey.Org has asked me to write recaps of the performance shows, which normally don't start until the second week of February. I won't be recapping the auditions - I think there are way too many untalented people looking for their 15-minutes of fame, so I will start with the actual competition rounds.

Like last season, I plan to be writing them as the show is happening, giving my appraisal of the performances, and try to post them within 15-20 minutes of the completion of the show. This year, they will be posted to my blog, and Rickey will link to them on his AI Super-site as well. As Rickey posts the performances, I will try to set the links in the post as well. Hopefully, all will go smoothly.

To celebrate AI9 starting this week, I offer you Jay Brannan's song American Idol, as posted by Jay himself on YouTube in January of 2007.

Things to Look Forward To in 2010

Already there are several things I look forward to in 2010. Some are on my 'wish list' of things to do, and others are already penciled in my schedule.


Me & Tom Goss at a show in 2009

There are several friends I have to catch up with, and see in person. Only recently, I got back in touch with Brian and James, two friends I worked with in New York, and haven't really seen for 15 years. We recently caught up a bit on email, and it would be nice to see them in person. And there was the real out-of-the-blue FaceBook message from a college roommate, Bill. Good God, we haven't seen one another in almost 30 years. We almost met up at a show at the World Cafe in Philadelphia, but at the last minute he couldn't make it.



Top: Me & Aiden James; Bottom: Me & Eric Himan

Speaking of the World Cafe, there are several shows I am looking to catch some shows that are to be coming through the area. Tom Goss is coming the beginning of February, with Matt Alber, and I certainly plan to be there. Aiden James and Christopher Dallman are planning a show together in the spring, and I wanna be in the front row. I've seen Aiden many a time, and he has never disappointed, and it will be the first time seeing Christopher, so that should be great. Here is a video of Dallman performing live at a recent show.



And I think Eric & the Adams should be coming soon, at least if they want to stop asking the annoying questions anytime soon. I've seen Eric many times over the years, so seeing him with Angel and Jimmy Adams will be fantastic! And Casey Stratton has been talking about touring, another artist I have yet to see live. I am looking forward to it, Casey is an excellent musician and singer.


The book I remember, and the new edition.

I also hope I get a chance to see the movie A Single Man. Based on a brilliant book by Christopher Isherwood, I have long believed it could make a great movie. Isherwood always know how to tell a story with such abundance, both in spirit and mood. His use of language conveyed so much detail in every book of his I read, but even as a younger gay man, this story spoke to me strongly. I can only hope the movie does it justice.



I hope on at least one of the trips to NYC to catch some theater. I still haven't seen the revival of Hair, and I would love to, especially if I can see Gavin Creel. I wanted to see Finian's Rainbow with the outrageously talented and beautiful Cheyenne Jackson, but it is closing shortly, so that will be out of the picture. Perhaps he will team up with Michael Feinstein again and do the Power of Two show at Feinstein's again, and I will get tickets. On March 13, Million Dollar Quartet will be coming to Broadway, and I'd like to see that. It is the story of a jam session at Sun Records featuring Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis, and features the very talented out performer Levi Kreis, who plays Jerry Lee Lewis. I love Levi's music, and this should be a great show.



I started this post talking about some old friends with a renewed contact, and there are also some newer friends to see and enjoy. My friend Rickey recently moved to a new apartment, and I need to check that out. And Dear David, well, I think it might soon me time to visit The Urges or a similar establishment. And TrannyBeth, you better be saving up to make the trip East, that is all I can say. And Paul Bright, the wonderful director of Angora Ranch and Aaron...Albeit A Sex Hero, has promised to meet for ice cream in either NYC or DC when he makes a trip East again. If I can get to most of this stuff by June or July, I will be a very happy man.

News - Casey on iTunes,new friends, etc

Just time for an update, it has been a bit. Casey Stratton's new release, Memories and Photographs, is now available on iTunes. I purchased it when it became available in Casey's store, and have listened to it several times, really liking in muchly! You can get it from iTunes by clicking here.



Welcome Michael, the latest person to follow here at Soundtrack to my Day. I appreciate your support!



It is official, summer is gone, and autumn is here. Frankly, I like fall the best, and am kinda happy to see summer fade. I love seeing the colors of fall transform the view out my window, from a sea of green to the shades of all, the reds, orange and browns.

Also, I might as well announce it now, in case the faint of heart want to start packing now. Once the American Idol season starts up, I will be guest-blogging for my friend Rickey, the blogger with Rickey. Org, the site EW named the number one American Idol fansite the the second year running. I will have my impression of the performance and results shows within 30 minutes of their conclusion, and I will post them here and at Rickey's. I had written them for Rickey last season, and he recently asked me back for another season.



Also, have the latest CDs from Collective Soul and Mika, and hope to post some thoughts on them soon. Been a busy time, so still working on listening to both, coming up with my thoughts. Not as easy as it used to be...

Live Music - American Idols 2009 Act 2

Top: Me & Rickey; Rickey & Blake; Big effects. Bottom: The band.

In a previous post, I had recapped the first act of the American Idol Season 8 tour, leaving me to tackle the top 4 here. But for those who missed that, I went to the American Idol Season 8 tour with my friend Rickey from Rickey.Org. The first act consisted of the performers who finished 5th thru 10th on the Fox reality show, and the 2nd act were the top 4, Allison Iraheta, Danny Gokey, Adam Lambert and eventual winner, Kris Allen. Below are my thoughts on the performances, and my pictures. If you'd like to see them bigger, click on them.




Allison Iraheta is 17 years old, but sings like a soul much more mature. She covered Janis Joplin's Cry Baby, and it was exceptional! She still maintains the charm of a teenager, with a raw and at time frenetic energy. I really enjoyed her time on the stage. Could she be the next Daughtry, and ride her 4th place finish to fame and fortune? Could be.




Danny Gokey has caught much grief this season, the story of his wife's passing almost as well known as his singing. I was not a fan while he was on the show, but he did show more energy live, and a lot more charisma. I never got what the judges were saying about him, but have more of an appreciation now. That said, I really find him to be more of an anachronism, more dated than he is retro. Can't say I see a place for him in modern music, but I could be wrong. Several times he did acknowledge Rickey during his set, which was fun.




Adam Lambert is a huge talent. On stage, he has charm and charisma in abundance, and a voice that is tough to top. He opened with Whole Lotta Love, the Led Zeppelin song, and it was outstanding. It was raw and sexual, just as the song intended. The ease of his performance was great to watch, moving from covers of Led Zep to Muse to Tears For Fears to David Bowie like he was putting on some eyeliner. I am not sure where or if he will find a place for himself in the music business, but it certainly won't be for lack of ability.




Kris Allen was considered an underdog, but still managed to win the title this season but all accounts with ease. I enjoyed him this season, as he seemed to be cut from the singer/songwriter cloth I enjoy so much. That being said, I was a bit disappointed with his performance, as I didn't feel he took command of the stage or the audience the way I would hope. He seemed tethered by the intrument he was playing, either the piano or the guitar, and didn't utilize the stage. He maintained a greater connection with the song than the audience. He sang his songs well, and played nicely, I was just hoping he would invite the audience to join him in the journey, not just watch him from a distance.




Then all 10 performers to come back and do a group song, a cover the Journey's Don't Stop Believing, a song making a resurgence as of late, much due to the use for the Fox series Glee, complete with a reappearance of the dueling pianists Matt & Scott. The number was quite fun.



Another bright spot for me was during Adam's set, when he brought out Allison to breathe new life into Foghat's Slow Ride. They were right on the money, being playful and strong, feeding off one another and elevating their performances.




In a side note, there was an extreme amount of smoke used during the show, and kinda grew tired of it by the third time Adam Lambert disappeared behind it. Sometimes, you just wanna explain that a little goes a long way.