Happy Birthday, Skott Freedman!

Today is the birthday of the talented musician, Skott Freedman. In getting this post together, I came to realize I have been a fan of Skott's music for longer than I have realized. It all came out when I came across his cover of "Walking In Memphis", by Marc Cohn. The song appeared on his 2003 release, 'Some Company'. As I am want to do, I found the album on CD Baby, and purchased it, along with his 2001 album, 'Anything Worth Mentioning'. Once they arrived, I played them, and instantly was blown away by this man, and his amazing talent. I swear, I would be able to listen to an instrumental album of Freedman playing the piano, it was so damn good. I swear, after listening, I put the CD player on repeat, and just was bathing in his music. The piano-driven music was lush, and ranged from sweet to intense. He had me from the first bar to the last.

So today is Skott's birthday, and to celebrate the day, I thought I would post a little retrospective of his music. I will start with the title song off his second album, 'Some Company'. The song has a great energy, combining a youthful swagger to a base of raw emotion. The piano has such a high-octane pace, and yet his vocals kept up with it, carrying us on the journey that went from hurt to joy, to dreams that allow you to bargain with God and be a better person. Enjoy the song"Some Company", written and performed by Skott Freedman.

But there was also a slower, softer side to Freedman's music. When I first heard "Do You" from his album 'Anything Worth Mentioning', I was so very touched. There was such a great honesty Skott brings to the song, and a beautifully soulful quality. This is only highlighted by stunning guest vocal by Kristin Cifelli. Listen to "Do You", and hear a different side of Freedman.

Now to return to his 2003 release, there is a stunning song that offered a message that was years ahead of time. "Until That Time", off 'Some Company', is basically telling people going through a tough time that things do, indeed, get better. If you are hurting today, or if you feel lonely, and don't quite feel as though you have the strength, look to your friend to lend a shoulder for you to rest, and regain your strength. I just adore this song.

Since I was already a fan, by the time he released 'Judge A Book' in 2005, I needed to get it right away. The album was a collection of songs chosen by votes from the fans, giving Freedman the opportunity to do some great arrangements for this cover album. He also did a few duets, all quite enjoyable. I will admit that I somehow managed to miss the release of his next album, The Cottage Sessions.' It came out in the fall of 2009, and I didn't realize it for about a month. What amazed me most was that I knew it was coming, because I had purchased the first single from the album a few months before, a cover of "Zombie" by The Cranberries. This song was a perfect match for his voice, and I loved it.

In 2010, Skott recorded the title track from a compilation album for charity. "I Hear On The Streets", from the album 'I Hear On The Streets', looked to raise money to benefit New Alternatives for LGBT Homeless Youth in NYC. The song was written by Emily Nyman, Lynn Berry, and Thomas Raniszewski. The song was dedicated to Jimmy Wheeler, a young man who took his life as the result of bullying. The song is really beautiful.

'I Hear On The Streets' can be purchased from iTunes, Amazon, and CD Baby. I have long wished I could see and hear Skott performing live, and still hold on to that dream. You can learn more about Skott Freedman on his official website. You can also 'like' him on Facebook, or check out his videos on YouTube. You can also find his music on iTunes, Amazon, and CD Baby.

Visit Skott Freedman for the Holidays

Not sure if I mentioned this lately, but I am really crazy for the music of Skott Freedman. In my travels around the nooks and crannies of the internet, I came across his cover the the wonderful song Walking In Memphis, and just really became swept away by it. So I found more information about him, and ordered his albums, the lovely 199 release Swimming After Dark, the wonderful 2001 release, Anything Worth Mentioning, and 2003's Some Company, where Memphis could be found. I was really crazy about them, and tried to find more. Finally, I found that he had just released a new album, Judge A Book, in 2005. It was a collection of cover songs, many of them chosen with the assistance of fans. It included three duets, with Edie Carey, Jill Sobule, and one of my favorites, Mark Weigle.



I read more about him, and found he had traveled to college campuses, promoting promoting inclusion and acceptance of LGBTQ kids. He himself identified as a bisexual man, something he was comfortable discussing. But soon he disappeared to me, until I found him once again, in 2009, when he released a cover of the Cranberries' Zombie. Once again, I caught the bug. I found out he was in graduate school, having taken a bit of time away from the music business. He then released The Cottage Sessions, and I was in love all over again. As a matter of fact, I posted about Skott (here) on this blog in the first 3 days, excited about The Cottage Sessions.

One of my favorite songs from Some Company is In November, and I happen to find a video of it recorded live in New York in 2003. It was written by Skott, and the piano in it blows me away.



So knowing that Skott had surfaced, when I was putting this series together, I really wanted to include him. However, I had never contacted him before, so I wasn't sure if I would be able to contact him, and convince him to participate. Well, Skott blew me away from the start when he answered with "I really appreciate all your continued support of my music over the years and would be happy to answer your questions!" So, let's get to those questions, and see what Skott has to say.

The first question is, of course, "when you listen to holiday music, what is your favorite?" He replied with his two favorites, "The Weepies All That I Want; and Bebo Norman - I Will Lift My Eyes." Far be it from me to not take the opportunity to give a handsome young man what he asks for, so here is a clip of a live performance by The Weepies, singing their Christmas song, All That I Want.



Does Skott have a favorite holiday song to perform, you might be wondering? Well, he does. "Joni Mitchell's River," he says. This is interesting to me, as this is the second day in a row this has been a favorite, having been picked by Chris Dallman yesterday. However, I thought it might be nice to give Skott another of his favorites, with this clip of Bebo Norman in a live performance of the song I Will Lift My Eyes.



I love giving artists a chance to reflect a bit, and so I asked Skott about his hopes for the the coming year. "To become reacquainted with the simpler things in life," he answered, "reading a book, journaling, having friends over for board games and tea...in a sense, learning to "unplug" a bit from the internet, email-driven world that is moving too fast to truly enjoy the "present".

And there is my fascination with what people on my iPod might have on their own iPod, so I can't resist asking him what were his your favorite songs from 2010. "Ooh, tough one," Skott said. "Favorite song would have to be Begin Again by Measure, a stunningly raw song about starting over. Runner-up is Aftermath by Adam Lambert, an anti-bullying song that leaves me haunted thinking about all the beautiful gay children we lost to suicide. Favorite new music this year," he continued, "from The Rescues, William Fitzsimmons, The National, Sara Bareilles, The Weepies, and Ra Ra Riot."

I couldn't resist asking him about 2011, and what he is looking forward to musically. "Releases from Adam Lambert, Adele, and Iron & Wine. And of course the undiscovered gems that find their way to us in the most brilliant, unexpected way." Ha, I certainly can identify with that! And, he must mean it, for he just recently posted a cover version of the song Aftermath on YouTube, so I thought I would share it with the readers. Enjoy it, I certainly did.



He has finished up his studies, and returned to New York City, where he has started to perform again. I hope to be able to catch him live soon. You can check him out at his official website here, where you can find more music, and his live show schedule. You can also find him on FaceBook here, and get the latest news directly from him. You can also check him out on iTunes, where you can buy any of his music. You can check out The Cottage Sessions here.

Skott Freedman In November

To welcome in the new month, here is the exceptional Skott Freedman singing In November, from his album Some Company. This video was recorded at a show in 2003. I love his music, and am glad I could share this special video now.



Over a year ago, I posted about an exceptional cover of The Cranberries Zombie, and you can check it out here. I hope he does a video or two from his latest release, The Cottage Sessions, because I love that album - you can find it on iTunes here. You can find his music on iTunes, Amazon, eMusic, and several other music outlets. You can check out Skott's videos on YouTube here. You can find his official website here. You can find him on FaceBook here, and MySpace here.

Saturday Rocks with Skott Freedman

Several weeks ago I posted about the return of Skott Freedman, an artist I really like a heckuva lot! I have all his albums, and his singles, too. The bisexual singer/songwriter was on the West Coast getting a Masters degree, and is back in New York gainfully employed and ready to pick up with his music once again. That is good news for me, as I look forward to new music! Skott is my new YouTube friend, and I found he recently posted videos, and I was happy to watch them, and now share some with you.



I thought I would start off with the video for Until The Time, a beautiful song from his Some Company album, released in 2003. The emotive quality he has in his rich voice gets me every time, and his gorgeous piano playing puts me away. This particular video has some interesting visuals.



The first recording I heard Skott do was a cover of Walking In Memphis, and I was mighty impressed. Aside from the obvious grace his had on the keyboard, I really liked what he did with the phrasing, and his vocal choices. He has such a subtle style. It also appeared on his Some Company album, which I bought as soon as I was done listening to the song.



In 2001, he released an album named Anything Worth Mentioning, and I love that one. One of the fantastic songs on it was Dominos, a layered and textured song that is really special.



I was kinda excited to watch the next clip, recorded in 2000. It is an unreleased song, which is just rather exquisite. The song is called Letting It Go.



Over a year ago, I posted about an exceptional cover of The Cranberries Zombie, and you can check it out here. I hope he does a video or two from his latest release, The Cottage Sessions, because I love that album - you can find it on iTunes here. You can find his music on iTunes, Amazon, eMusic, and several other music outlets. You can check out Skott's videos on YouTube here. You can find his official website here. You can find him on FaceBook here, and MySpace here.

Skott Freedman Returns

After taking some time off to finish a graduate program on the West Coast, Skott Freedman has moved back to the East Coast and back to the studio. He kicks off his return with a charity single, supporting LGBT youth, New Alternatives for LGBT Homeless Youth and GSANI of GABLES, on the compilation album I Hear On The Streets, on which he performs the title track. You can buy the CD at CD-Baby here. It features Gregory Douglass, Sacha Sacket, Mara Levi, Kathy Fowler, Josh Zuckerman, Thomas Raniszewski, Emily Nyman, Eirc Himan, Namoli Brennet, Reuben Butchart and Ki Ki Hawkins.



I am a fan of Skott, his music just strong and gorgeous. From his early releases, 2001's Anything Worth Mentioning and 2003's Some Company and 2005's Judge A Book, to the latest, the 2009 album The Cottage Sessions, I am always eager to hear what he is up to. I am proud to say all those are in my collection. His talent on the keyboards is remarkable, and his voice has a nice tone and depth. Here is is on a recent YouTube clip singing a cover of Coldplay's See You Soon, a nice message to fans as he just announced his first show in a while, in New York City on August 14, 2010.



He also posted this clip of another cover, Measure's Begin Again. While I do enjoy his voice and style, I would love to hear him singing some of his original songs on YouTube, cause I really like them.



For more about Skott Freedman, check out his official website here, his FaceBook page here, and his MySpace page here.

2009 Pride In The Arts Awards

Online voting has begun for the 2009 Pride In The Arts Awards. Several artists I have featured in this blog are up for awards, and while all the artists in every category deserve support, I will feature those who have shown up on Soundtrack to my Day. The awards describe themselves like so: It is a fan driven program. Nominees are determined by public vote. Recipients are determined by count of fan votes received during the specified time period. The artists include members of the GLBTI community and artists who support our community and thus Human Equality. By participating in the PITA Awards you the voters and the artists are supporting Human Equality. That concept alone IS art!



Top: Tom Goss; bottom: Levi Kreis

In Favorite Male/Gay Favorite Musician, there are two blog favorites, Tom Goss and Levi Kreis. Both are up for two awards, this the only time they are head-to-head. Goss is also nominated for Favorite CD/Album for his magnificent Back To Love. Kreis is nominated as Musical Artist of 2009, for his combined work on the nice album Where I Belong and his star turn in the show Million Dollar Quartet, opening on Broadway soon after touring.



Top: Skott Freedman; bottom: Houston Bernard.

Skott Freedman, one of the first artists I posted about on this blog, is nominated for Favorite Bisexual Musician, noting his fantastic work on The Cottage Sessions, an album I love. Houston Bernard is also nominated in the same category. I covered his video for the sexy video I Feel Gorgeous, shot on Fire Island.



Top: Daniel J. Cartier; bottom: Robert Urban.

Daniel J. Cartier is nominated for Camp Pride Song, noting his song Married, one I am not familiar with, but hope to be soon. I am such a huge fan of Daniel, and feel sure the song is great. Robert Urban, the handsome and talented man with so much talent is nominated for Production/Producer of the Year. Robert gives so much of his time and efforts to support a myriad of musicians, as well as having some sensation music of his own. And Harvey Fierstein, whose Torch Song Trilogy was featured here, is up for a Lifetime Achievement Award for a career that has spanned the stage, television and movies. He is truly a talented and gifted man.


Harvey Fierstein

To check out the nominees you can go here. You can go to that page, and click on I am ready to vote! at the bottom of the page to start the ballot, or click here. You are allowed one vote per email address. I encourage everyone to check out the nominees and vote for their favorites, all the nominees are deserving. I know I am supporting my favorites!

New Purchase - Skott Freedman

As I was on the internet last night, I discovered that Skott Freedman has released a new CD earlier this month, and went to iTunes to download. Skott is an amazing pianist, with a lovely voice. I first came across his amazing cover of 'Walking In Memphis' a couple of years ago, and have been a fan since. He also recently released a cover of the Cranberries song, 'Zombie' that is just outstanding.



Skott is another of my indie boys, talented musicians I have been lucky enough to run across since they have no studio backing for promotion. His latest offering, The Cottage Sessions, is wonderful offering of simple production and great songs. I am particularly fond of 'Over You,' an up-tempo song that is driven by some great piano work, and 'Home,' a beautiful mid-tempo song that feels so personal, 'It's Hard to Love You,' a song about love that can take my breathe away, and 'Don't Stop,' a gorgeous pop song with a classical feel that is short but powerful.



Of course, it never hurts that Skott has these amazing eyes that just make me stare and sigh. He is from San Diego, and I have never seen him perform live, but would love to at some point. But it is a combination of some outrageous piano skills and a great voice that sells me every time.