Happy Birthday, Theo Tams!

A very happy birthday to my favorite Canadians, Theo Tyson Tams. He was born 26 years ago in Alberta, Canada. In September of 2008, he was voted the winner of Canadian Idol by the viewers. His first single, released on the night he won, was Sing, a song he performed on the finals to rave reviews from the judges. The song went to #2 on the Canadian Billboard Singles Chart.



In May 2009, his album, Give It All Away, was released. The first single, Lazy Lovers, was my introduction to Theo, and I have been a fan since. Lazy Lovers made it to #14 on the Canadian Singles Chart, and to #8 on the Hot Adult Contemporary chart.



Later in the year, Wait For You was released. Theo made a brave move with the video, as it was shot with him performing a live acoustic version of the Pop song that was on the album. And it was shot in black and white. And it was amazing. The song made it to #14 on the Adult Contemporary chart. And it solidified my admiration of the singer.



Last year, he released Manhattan Blue. I would run a the video here, except Sony Canada has not made it available to be even seen by fans in the US, let alone embed in a post. Yes, over a year later, and they are keeping a tight rein on things. LOL When I originally reviewed the album on this blog (here), I mentioned he managed to do what few other Idol contestants have done, and put out a damn good first album! He was also the first LGBT contestant in North America to win, as certainly it has not happened in the US, nor does it seem likely in the near future.



Well, I kept talking about wanting to see Tams live, and it became obvious I need to take the bull by the horns to get that job done. So, once he had a tour in place for the summer of 2010, I made my plans to visit Toronto and finally hear him playing with my own ears. In fact, I timed it so I caught three different shows, and it was an absolute pleasure. Along with my favorite from the clips above, he also played most of the songs from the album, and some covers as well. One of my favorite was a performance of the Serena Ryder's Weak In The Knees.



So, have a Happy Birthday, dear Theo. May your day be filled with love, luck and laughter! To wish him your best, you can find him on FaceBook here, and Twitter here.

Theo Tams Roadtrip

I managed to drive myself to Toronto, Ontario, Canada, because I had the opportunity to see Theo Tams performing live, and just the thought of that made me happy. Seeing/hearing him, that is, cause it certainly wasn't the almost 11 hours of a drive. However, I got to see a couple of shows that Theo did, all the better. I first discovered Theo online when I saw the video for Lazy Lovers. I had to buy the album, and was an instant fan. That was Give It All Away, a great album, and another release from it was the beautiful Wait For You.



When Theo was on Canadian Idol, which he won in 2008, he sung a song by Serena Ryder, Weak In The Knees. I think he does a beautiful job with it.

Six New Followers

Top: Sizzlyn & Kathy. Middle: Melony [with Theo Tams] & Miss Holly Housewife. Bottom: Gabrielle & Bjorn.

OK, it has been a buys couple of weeks, and I have been derelict in my duties. Since last reported, there are six new members of the Soundtrack family, and it is way past time I have welcomed them. So, Sizzlyn, Kathy, Melony, Holly, Gabrielle and Bjorn.

Sizzlyn is someone I am familiar with on Twitter and on the blog The Chris Dallman Connection, where she is a host. She is from Singapore, and from what I can tell, is very smart and sweet. Kathy and Melony are two of my Tams-manian devils, sharing my love for the music of Theo Tams. Kathy is an online buddy, as I did not get a chance to meet her on my sojourn in Toronto. Melony, on the other hand, kept me company for all three shows I went to, including the one with the unfortunate view in Oshawa.

I might be mistaken, but I don't think that picture really is Miss Holly Housewife, but I would say the picture captures her thoughts well, as she has a bit of a retro feel, a fondness for the 40s, 50s and 60s. She has two blogs, Being Bree Hodge and Through the Looking Glass... Into Never, Neverland. BBH celebrates housewifery in the style of a Desperate Housewife, while TTLGINN talks about and celebrates vintage Pop culture. Gabrielle does not have a blog of her own, but describes herself as I'm a silly, vegan, gluten free, cancer survivor, 22 year old college student that is addicted to Facebook, Twitter... oh yeah & my Blackberry! so I am sure many can identify! And, finally, there is Bjorn, a blogger in charge of Bjorn's Brutzelbude. Bjorn is German [I believe] and his blog covers anything from cute boys, pop culture, to tidbits of Bjorn's personal life. The blog is written in German, but there is a translate button just below some pictures of Bjorn, so you can read it easily.

And for the traditional greeting, I feel the need to offer a couple of videos, as I was a naughty boy who is a bit tardy, so I have figured out I would go with three videos. First up will be Theo Tams singing Weak In The Knees, because when I check in to find additional followers, I feel just that. This clip of the Serena Ryder song is from the show in Etobicoke I attended last month.



For those liking the mid-century style, I offer you Fly Me To The Moon by one of my favorite groups, Westlife. Yes, they aren't mid-century themselves, but they do a fantastic job with the song, and the Allow Me To Be Frank album is a winner for sure! I used the song in a slide show for my parents 50th anniversary.




And, finally, for those who like their music in the singer/songwriter vein, there is the amazing Christopher Dallman singing Subterranean, a glorious song . The clip is from a show in Los Angeles earlier this year. I love the song, and was going to say it is a favorite from his recent stuff, but all his songs are so good, I can't pick a favorite.



So, here is hoping everyone feels welcome and at home here at Soundtrack to my Day, and we get to know you a bit more and we get a chance to chat!