Thursday, October 31, 2013

Halloween Song of the Day - Time Warp - The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Happy Halloween!


It's just a jump to the left
          And then a step to the right
Put your hands on your hips
          And bring your knees in tight
And it's the pelvic thrust
          That really drives you insane

Let's do the time warp again!

My favorite of all Halloween songs comes from that classic of horror spoofs, The Rocky Horror Picture Show.  Enjoy and have a safe and happy Halloween!


Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Song of the Day - Somebody's Watching Me - Rockwell


I almost forgot that Halloween was coming...and fast!  Here's an oldie, but goodie from 1984 that made my Halloween Top 10 Song list at #9.  The artist is the son of Motown founder Berry Gordy and this was his only hit.  Part of the reason it was a big hit was most likely because of the backing vocals on the chorus.  Oh, yeah, that would be Michael Jackson's voice lending a hand!  Happy Tuesday!

Monday, October 28, 2013

Song of the Day - Losing You - Solange

Here's a recently discovered tune by a recording artist Solange, who just happens to be the big sister of none other than Beyoncé.  The ballad's got an 80's sound to it, with synthesizers giving it a melancholy feel. Check it out...

 


Sunday, October 27, 2013

A Time for Dying

There's been a chill in the air lately.  Autumn is in full swing, and another year moves quickly along towards the end of its life.  Trees are baring their leaves at a furious pace, and little by little, it's starting to feel like a sad ending.


Maybe I'm just in this state of thought because I've been reminded of our mortality this week with the passing of two people whom I did not even know...and my mom's cat.  Snickers was the first to go, on Monday. The poor thing was only twelve years old and became inexplicably sick suddenly just a few days before.  He wasn't my favorite animal in the world, he wasn't the friendliest cat, but I did feel for the poor thing who passed way too young for any animal.

Next came the deaths of two people who passed just in the last couple of days, both connected to my pal Rich.  The news brought me to contemplate the meaning of life and my place, or purpose, in it once again.  I know it's human nature to think this way when anyone dies, but the fact that my 49th birthday is coming doesn't help matters any.  Like the year 2013, I am also in the autumn of my life.

Fall is a beautiful time of year, colorful leaves, a refreshing burst of brisk, fresh air, and Halloween.  Autumn is also a sad time, too.  It is the season when the flowers no longer bloom, the trees lose their leaves, and the cool air quickly turns to cold as a stark reminder of what's to come.  

The cycle of the year correlates so well with the cycle of life,  People are born into this world, into a conscious awakening, to live, to grow, and to learn.  The spring and summer of their lives are filled with naivete, promise, and hope, and soon enough autumn makes its appearance, giving way to a knowing maturity and a wealth of memories and experiences lived. Increasingly, though, the impending winter of our lives makes its presence known in the physicality of our experience. Aging is not all a pleasant process. 

No, autumn isn't really a time for dying.  But then again, it is.  The end can come in any season, and those of us who've reached our autumn should count our blessings at the lives we've been given so far.  The key is to cherish the memories, appreciate every moment in the present, and do all that you can do to make sure your controllable, physical endurance is nurtured and plan well for what may come.  No one really knows when time runs out, so make the most of it, no matter what season you're in!
  



Song of the Day - Bottoms Up - Trey Songz, feat. Nicki Minaj


Ah, the mindless dance/rap ode to drunkenness.  We bout to tear this club up!  Really?  Anyway, I do own this song and I've been known to jam to it on occasion, even though .  It was actually my introduction to Nicki Minaj, whose part I absolutely love in this song.

Keys to the Benz
Keys to the Benz
Keys to the Benz
Ma ma ma got beez to the ten...




Anyway, today's song is dedicated to my friend Kyle. He knows why!




Saturday, October 26, 2013

Song of the Day - Tik Tok - Ke$ha


I am really loving Timber, Ke$ha's new song with Pitbull, but unfortunately it is only available on YouTube, so I am unable to post it here unfortunately.  So I find myself in a Ke$ha kind of mood today anyway and here's one that I love to dance to... Happy Saturday!



Friday, October 25, 2013

Flashback Friday Song of the Day - Sara - Fleetwood Mac

Wait a minute baby
Stay with me awhile
Said you'd give me light
But you never told me bout the fire..



There is a character in the new American Horror Story series, The Coven, who is a witch named Misty Day (played by Lily Rabe).  Misty lives in the swamp and absolutely idolizes Stevie Nicks.  Today's song was being sung by Misty in a scene from the most recent episode of the series, and the witch's resemblance to the pop star was spot on.  The show is an absolute blast!  If you're not watching The Coven, what are you waiting for?



Thursday, October 24, 2013

Song of the Day - I Like How It Feels - Enrique Iglesias, featuring Pitbull



These past few weeks have been a boon for new music in my world.  Not only have I been downloading new stuff from the likes of Katy Perry, Cher, Lorde, Avicii, and others, but I've been discovering lots of songs from the past couple of years that I had somehow missed.  Here's one by Enrique Iglesias from 2011, with a little help from rap impresario Pitbull.  Like many of his other songs, this one's got a nice feel to it, up tempo and fun.  Check it out...



Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Song of the Day - Wonder - Emeli Sandé


My pal Jeremy, who occasionally sends new music suggestions my way, recommended the song Heaven by Emeli Sandé to me the other day, and for the first time ever his suggestion was a song I already knew.  In fact, I've loved Sandé's music ever since I heard Next to Me on the Graham Norton Show over a year ago and I've featured that tune on here before, too.  I'm so happy she's making it big because she's really talented and many of her songs have that inspirational feel to them that I love so much.  She seems sweet, also, and so good for her!

Here's a third Emeli Sandé tune that I loved the first time I heard it.  Please check out Wonder...I bet you'll like it!



Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Song of the Day (And a New Album!) - Love to Love You Baby - Donna Summer


Today is the day Donna Summer fans have been long waiting for.  Love to Love You Donna is a brand new compilation album of some of the icon's best known hits been reworked and remixed by some of today's hottest mixmasters, and it's definitely on my download list for the day.  The album contains a previously unreleased track called La Dolce Vita that Donna recorded with longtime collaborator Giorgio Moroder. You can check out a stream of the tune right here.


I'm looking forward to checking this one out and I only wish I could share one of the new remixes here, but once again, YouTube....grrr!!!!  Anyway, since the album's titled Love to Love You Donna, I figured I'd throw this rare live performance of that tune for you to enjoy.  And afterwards, check out the tracklist of the album below.

  


1. Love To Love You Baby (Giorgio Moroder feat. Chris Cox Remix)
2. Dim All The Lights (Duke Dumont Remix)
3. Hot Stuff (Frankie Knuckles and Eric Kupper as Director’s Cut Signature Mix)
4. I Feel Love (Afrojack Remix)
5. Love Is In Control (Finger On The Trigger) [Chromeo & Oliver Remix]
6. Sunset People (Hot Chip Dub)
7. Working The Midnight Shift (Holy Ghost! Remix)
8. Bad Girls (Gigamesh Remix)
9. MacArthur Park (Laidback Luke Remix)
10. I Feel Love (Benga Remix)
11. On The Radio (Jacques Greene Remix)
12. Last Dance (Masters at Work Remix Short Version)
13. La Dolce Vita by Donna Summer & Giorgio Moroder (Unreleased Track)

Be sure to check out some pieces I've written on Donna for Yahoo...

Donna Summer: Reigning Disco Queen to Enduring Superstar




Monday, October 21, 2013

Song of the Day - Slow - Kylie Minogue


Since there was a reunion last night of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy (why'd they cancel that show again?), I figured I'd post a song from the show's soundtrack. Since I love Kylie and this particular video is, um, hot, here ya go....Happy Monday!



Sunday, October 20, 2013

A Weekend in the Woods, Part II


Last weekend I spent an awesome time with a whole new group of friends down in the deep woods of Damascus, Pennsylvania.  I already told you about the place...beautiful...but I wanted to spend a few moments telling you about the people I was with and the time we shared.  Here's a short video of the kind of weekend it was...

Mama Melo

 


That's Ricardo...Mama Melo as he calls himself in the video, twerking his thang with some Bisquick. Unfortunately, I missed the live version of that video because it was taken on Saturday morning before I got there, but Ricardo was one of the reasons the weekend was as fun as it was.  Now I've known Ricky for awhile, but I never really knew him that well until this weekend and I am so glad he was up there with us.

Ricardo was the music man, the breakfast maker, the photographer and all around good guy.  All weekend long Ricky was snapping photos, cracking jokes, playing with props (wigs, lol), and jamming to music.  I distinctly remember all of us working it to a freestyle mix whilst doing the breakfast dishes....classic!  What a fun guy and a talented photographer!

Seriously, though, Ricky is a great photographer.  Take a look at some of his work from the weekend...




Beautiful!

The Happy Couple


Of course, the whole weekend wouldn't have been possible without Peter and Drew. I knew Drew the least of everyone, and he's somewhat quiet and reserved, but he's a heck of a nice guy.  Peter, on the other hand, is not shy and he has his own brand of humor that this weekend took on the spirit of the Halloween season. Throughout the day and a half I was there, he consistently tried to scare one or more of us.  Most of the time it was subtle, like when he'd look behind you with wide eyes as if there was someone, or something, coming up towards you, or when he'd say he saw something in the window of the house while we were all outside. The scares were momentary and harmless, but there was that one scare...

Yikes

The biggest fright for me of the weekend happened late Saturday night.  We were all in the living area watching Hocus Pocus and towards the end of the film, everybody had fallen asleep, including me.  When I stirred, around 1 in the morning, I decided to go to bed and woke Manny to tell him.  Now I slept in a loft overlooking the living space, so I could still hear the television as I laid there. Within moments, everyone else stirred awake and got up to go to bed, too.   

Of course, by then I was wide awake.  For a few minutes, I lay there in complete darkness trying to fall back asleep when I thought I heard a voice.

Get out!  You must leave this place!

My eyes opened and I looked all around me in the darkness.  Ozzie, in the bed next to me, was still.  I figured I was just hearing things,

Get out!  You must leave this place!

Holy shit!  That second one was unmistakable.  I called over to Ozzie to ask if he heard that.  Tiredly, he answered with a "heard what?"  But then it happened again.

Get out!  You must leave this place!

"Oh my God!  What was that?"  Before you knew it, Ozzie went downstairs to check, leaving me all alone up there...in the dark.  Moments later, I heard Ozzie scream like a black lady in church, and then...silence! Just then, Peter came rushing out of his bedroom, which was next too the loft where Oz and I slept. 

"What's going on?," he asked, and before I could even answer, he was down the stairs in a shot and I suddenly I was even more scared.  There was a rustling, like two people fighting, and by then my heart was racing.  I stood at the top of the stairs, in the dark, trying to make out what the heck was going on and not knowing what to do.  I went down.

In about two minutes, I had about two heart attacks and there was plenty of laughter as everyone spooked me from a hallway down by the kitchen.  It turned out that the voice I had heard was Mr. Peter playing a recorded voice from the movie Insidious on an Apple TV down in the basement.  Good one Peter!   


Happy Times

The rest of the weekend was more of the same fun with Manny, Ozzie and David.  I was glad to have reconnected with my old pal Ozzie, who I don't really seen too much anymore.  The weekend was awesome...the seven of us laughed, we drank, we ate, we sat by the fire, we hiked, and spent the entire time enjoying this serene place, and each others' company.  Here are some more pics taken by Mama Melo...

        




 










Fabulous!


Song of the Day - Erotica - Madonna

My name is Dita
I'll be your mistress tonight...


File:Original Erotica Cover.jpg

It was 21 years ago today that Madonna's Erotica hit the shelves. To date the album is still one of my favorite Madge sets of all time, and I am sure it would have done much better than it had if there hadn't been so much backlash for the Sex book and the sexual undertones of this album.  The album came at a time when Madonna was at the top of her game musically and artistically, but it was also a turning point as many of her so called fans waned in their devotion to the singer in the years that followed, and all seemingly because of the content of the album, the book, and the record's ensuing tour, The Girlie Show.  .


Erotica is a gem of an album and though this title track was its highest charting single, it is not even close to being the best song in the set.   Some of my favorites include Bye Bye Baby, Thief of Hearts, Words, and of course, the inimitable Rain. You can read a special review of the album I did for Yahoo right here if you like, but in the meantime, check out a censored version of the highly controversial and MTV banned video for Erotica....



Saturday, October 19, 2013

Song of the Day - Put Em Up - Edun


Now that Freestyle Week has ended it's time to get back to my favorite kind of music and that's dance. Here's a song I recently discovered, even though it originally came out in 2005.  I don't know, but the groove is just so irresistible to my ears and I can't stop dancing when I hear it.  Check out Put Em Up...



Friday, October 18, 2013

Flashback Friday Song of the Day - Spring Love - Stevie B


Happy Friday!  Today we celebrate Flashback Friday and freestyle with one of the most successful freestyle artists of the entire movement.  Stevie B had a slew of hits in the 80's, beginning with Party Your Body in 1987 and several others in ensuing years, including this one, my personal favorite! Earlier this year, Pitbull even did an updated version of the song, which you can check out right here.




Thursday, October 17, 2013

A Weekend in the Woods, Part I

I've been trying to write this post for four days now...

This past weekend I spent an amazing 27-plus hours deep in the woods of Pennsylvania with some very awesome people.  The little mini-trip was courtesy of recent friends Peter and his boyfriend Drew and included my pals Manny and Ozzie and their friends David and Ricardo.  Peter had rented a log cabin in a place called Damascus, Pennsylvania to celebrate his and Drew's 1 year anniversary and he was kind enough to include me in and I am so glad I went!


The idea of the trip was first brought up to me by Manny over a month ago and until Peter asked me himself, I hadn't even planned on going.  Though I know Manny and Ozzie very well, the rest who were going I did not.  I've always been somewhat reserved and shy around people I don't know, but I guess that was the old me because I did go, and even though I was a little nervous at first, I actually had a lot of fun.

Damascus, PA

Where were we going?

That was a really good question, actually.  Until a couple of days before the trip, I only knew we were going to a secluded part of Pennsylvania, but I was still a little sketchy on exactly what that meant.  Peter sent out messages earlier in the week that gave me hints, but I wasn't sure exactly still until I arrived.  Damascus is located in the northeast corner of Pennsylvania, only a few miles from the New York border.  The area is decidedly rural, with pastures and silos, dirt roads, creeks, wooden bridges and all...and it is simply beautiful!


Wow, A Real Log Cabin!

The three-turned-five-hour trip (traffic!) to PA was well worth it.  I've never been to a log cabin before, and what I'd imagine one to be like was not this.  This place was amazing, and that's putting it mildly.  State of the art everything, eclectic decor, and plenty of space to play in.  The cabin was located on a hill among seven-plus acres of wooded bliss, with two lakes, trails, and the beautiful oranges, reds and yellows of fall foliage as a backdrop.

Take a look...outside...








Gorgeous, no?


...and inside...


  The living space

A lofty dorm area where I slept...

  The kitchen and dining area



A Panorama

The Company

I was the last one up to the cabin, having had a prior engagement here on Long Island the night before.  The other guys got there on Friday and so they were already relaxed and enjoying the cabin and its surroundings for 24 hours before I got there, but after getting a tour from Peter of that beautiful place, I was right there enjoying it with em..


.to be continued...there's so much more to tell!