I absolutely adore when Greg sings that kind of songs. His voice is so velvety, it makes me melt. His softer voice is just plain gorgeous, and his higher, more powerful register just grabs you and gives me chills. Awesome, Awesome, AWESOME!!!
I have always liked guitars. Not only do I love the sound they make when expert hand caress them, but I've always loved the way they look. Wood, shiny, they smell good.... I don't know, there's just something about a guitar that really gets me.
But I've never seen a more beautiful and sexy guitar than Lukas Rossi's red guitar. I am in love with that guitar. It's beautiful, sexy, and Lukas looks and sounds great when he plays it.
Here are some pictures taken in Tallahassee, Florida on the 22nd of July 2007, during one stop of Lukas' Lust&Love tour.
Lust & Love.... Yep, that's appropriate for the way I feel about this guitar!
'Idol' finalists rock out at Arco http://www.sacbee.com/122/story/292664.html
Exert:
All the finalists played to their vocal specialties, especially Blake Lewis, whose beat-boxing brought the crowd to its feet.
Q& with Phil Stacey http://www.tvguide.com/news/american-idol-phil/070726-01
Exert:
TV Guide: Have any of the other guys written for you? Phil: Yeah! Chris Richardson and I have been writing a lot. He's just a phenomenal writer. He may end up with tracks on Jordin's record and Blake's record. Who knows, you know? Chris Sligh has written me some songs....
Pictures
Videos:
Blake Lewis - Time of the Season (From: lisaboo3)
Blake Lewis - Beatboxing Part 1 (From: lisaboo3)
Blake Lewis - Beatboxing Part 2 & You Give Love a Bad Name (From: lisaboo3)
Blake Lewis - You Give Love a Bad Name Part 1 (From: lisaboo3)
Blake Lewis - You Give Love a Bad Name Part 2 (From: lisaboo3)
Idol Band - Hey Jude (From: lisaboo3)
Idol Band - Hey Jude Part 2 (From: lisaboo3)
Chris Richardson & Blake Lewis - Sunshine/Virtual Insanity (From: lisaboo3)
Chris Richardson & Blake Lewis - Geek in the Pink (From: lisaboo3)
Chris Richardson & Blake Lewis - Geek in the Pink (End) (From: lisaboo3)
From the small screen to SJ: American Idols Live! http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_6459055
Exert:
The next segment was one of the show's highlights, as Doolittle and LaKisha appeared in long white gowns and sang a medley of the Supremes' "Stop! In the Name of Love" and "Baby Love." The Motown mojo continued once Richardson joined the fray for a solid take on the old Marvin Gaye hit "I Heard It Through the Grapevine."
Lewis, as expected, showed off the one main thing that separates him from the crowd -- his beat-boxing skills. The first dose was impressive.
No 'ponyhawk,' but Sanjaya does mean moonwalk in 'Idol' tour stop http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/07/26/IDOL.TMP
Exert:
Second-place finisher Blake Lewis seemed to be the only one working without some kind of guide vocal, occasionally straining for a note and at one point experimenting with a looping device. Consequently, his performances were among the best, with a natural connection with the screaming masses -- and enough beat-boxing to fill a "Fat Boys" album and two "Police Academy" sequels.
Videos:
Blake Lewis - Beat boxing Intro (From: peanutbutter516) Very poor image quality, but great sound and fantastic beat boxing performance by Blake. He even throws in a line from Rehab by Amy Winehouse!
Tour Montage (From: chococarebear) - Chris Richardson / Jordin Sparks - "What Hurts the Most" - Blake Lewis - Beatboxing - Gina Glocksen - "Who Knew" - Chris Richardson / Blake Lewis - "Geek in the Pink" intro
Totally awesome article/interview on Blake Lewis, American Idol 2007 Top 2 finalist. It gives insight on the Idol experience for Lewis, what his upcoming album will sound like, and what might well be the first single.... All of this complete with pictures and videos. Awesome!
Fing it here:
http://www.disheveledmag.com/blakelewis.html
Exert:
It’s amazing what can happen with some good exposure.
After being persuaded to try out for American Idol last September, Blake Lewis's journey has lifted him from Seattle musician to a nationally recognized personality. American Idol allowed Lewis to cover songs his own way, and in turn he changed the show, represented Seattle all he could, and exposed its music scene to the world, and more importantly, to Seattle.
“I was just riding the wave, it was my time to communicate me, I guess that’s how I view it,” Lewis said while on the back deck at Seattle’s Tost. “I was just having fun, Are you kidding me? People were like, ‘Are you stressed?’ and I was like 'Dude I get to perform one song a week, one song.' Not even A song, I didn’t even get to do a full song. I'm an improv musician, I can go for 10 minutes. I'm a diva with the mic, let me go.”
Tonight was a great night! The theme was songs of the 60's. I do have my favorites, and some singers just don't do anything for me - but all in all, it was the best night of the season so far. Really good! Everyone brought it tonight, and with one or two exceptions, I feel like all the idols produced their best performance to date.
I found it interesting that when Ben introduces all the idols, Greg and Dwight got the more cheers....
The COMPLETE show can be found here:
http://www.dailymotion.com/igrecman/1
JayDee Bixby - Runaway Elvis is so alive. It's true! I saw him perform on TV tonight! But he was blond... What's up with that? *LOL* The top of the song was a bit rough, but when he does kick it into gear, it sounds great. I found his physical performance lacked a bit, but still, I love hearing him singing and watching him perform. I too wished he would hve joined the background vocalists on the "aie aie aie aie aie". :)
Tara Oram - Suspicious Minds It was a good performance. She sung the song really well. I didn't like the bridge tho. I kinda like the country arrangement of the song. Not my favorite of hers, but it was really good.
Matt Rapley - Whipping Post First - Bo Bice owned that song, and no one will ever come close to what he's accomplished when he sang that song. Now that out of the way, I thought Matt showed a very different side of him tonight, and it was really good. His gospel roots were showing, and it was great to see that from him. I thought that his physical performance was lacking, but still, it was the bset he's done so far.
Dwight D'Eon - Undone Ouch. I felt this was his worst performance so far. The end was great - and I found myself wishing he'd reach like that more often.
Carly Rae Japsen - Gorgia on my mind This was GREAT! I love Carly Rae doing songs like that. I really enjoyed the arrangement, it really suited her. Good job. My favorite of hers so far.
Brian Melo - Bold as Love WooHoo!!! This was so GREAT! I love Brian, damn he's good. Again, I think this was his best so far. Very solid!
Khalila Glenville - Natural Woman Again, I think this was her best so far. Still, there's something missing for me when Khalila sings. She sings well, she's beautiful, but there's something that is just not there.
OMG. I'm dying. This was soooooooooo freaking smooth....... So freaking beautiful..... I'll never say it enough, I love his tone, the tiny little bit of grit he's got in there, the beautiful strong voice when he reaches, the gorgeous, soothing voice he's got when he sings in his lower register.... Love, love, love everything about this performance.
Martha Joy - Love Child Hum.... Just no.
Top 2: Greg and Brian My Bottom 3: Martha, Khalila, Dwight Real Bottom 3: Khalila, Tara, Dwight
Going home: Khalila
**********EDITED**********
So B3 was Khalila, Martha and Brian. WTF? Brian? He so didn't deserve to be in there! Khalila went home - it's too bad - she's a good singer, but I don't think she was quite ready yet to go the long distance.
Idols impress in Anaheim show http://www.ocregister.com/entertainment/jordin-song-blake-1783196-idols-crowd
The stars, Jordin and the Cake boys, gave the fans what they wanted.
Chris Richardson proved to be the workhorse, appearing in nine of the first 25 numbers. What Chris lacks in outright star power, he makes up for in versatility. He gave us pop ("This Love"), soul ("Ain't No Sunshine"), country (a duet with Jordin on "What Hurts the Most"), played acoustic guitar twice and manned the drums for "Crazy" and "Hey, Jude."
Runner-up Blake Lewis got a three-song mini-set at the end of the first act. The opening "Time of the Season" fell flat and the closing "You Give Love a Bad Name" was fine.
But it was the middle song, Maroon 5's "She Will Be Loved" that provided the evening's most interesting moments. Armed with an acoustic guitar and a foot-controlled playback unit, Blake built the song layer by layer into a dense fugue, topping it off by injecting a phrase from U2's "With or Without You."
If he can write songs as well as he can rethink them, Blake will be the one member of this year's Idol crowd we'll recognize 10 years from now.The stars, Jordin and the Cake boys, gave the fans what they wanted.
Chris Richardson proved to be the workhorse, appearing in nine of the first 25 numbers. What Chris lacks in outright star power, he makes up for in versatility. He gave us pop ("This Love"), soul ("Ain't No Sunshine"), country (a duet with Jordin on "What Hurts the Most"), played acoustic guitar twice and manned the drums for "Crazy" and "Hey, Jude."
Runner-up Blake Lewis got a three-song mini-set at the end of the first act. The opening "Time of the Season" fell flat and the closing "You Give Love a Bad Name" was fine.
But it was the middle song, Maroon 5's "She Will Be Loved" that provided the evening's most interesting moments. Armed with an acoustic guitar and a foot-controlled playback unit, Blake built the song layer by layer into a dense fugue, topping it off by injecting a phrase from U2's "With or Without You."
If he can write songs as well as he can rethink them, Blake will be the one member of this year's Idol crowd we'll recognize 10 years from now.
Excellent review, with pictures:
American Idols Live! @ The Honda Center, Anaheim, CA 7/22/07 http://billboard.blogs.com/mobile_beat/2007/07/american-idols-.html#comment-77028868
Exert:
The crowd erupted as the sounds of someone beat boxing was heard and the second Blake stepped on stage everyone seemed to get out of their seats and go absolutely insane. Blake began his three song set with the Zombie’s “Time of Season.” Blake sounded great live and the more I looked up at the big screen the more I realized, not only an this boy work the crowd, but he sure as hell knows how to work the camera as well.
Videos:
Blake Lewis - You Give Love a Bad Name (From: DisneyPrincess80)
Chris Richardson / Blake Lewis - Medley (From: DisneyPrincess80)
Blake Lewis - time of the Season (From: sdshellybean)
Blake Lewis - She Will Be Loved (From: sdshellybean)
Chris Richardson & Blake Lewis - Cake Medley (From: sdshellybean)
That's right...in case you've been living under a rock, you should know that the kick-ass House Band are playing the Summer of Love Festival in Monterrey, California on Sunday July 29th - but I thought I'd tell you anyway.
Alongside the House Band - Rafael Moreira (guitars), Paul Mirkovich (keys/MD), Sasha Krivtsov (bass) and Nate Morton (drums) - is some of the best talent from both seasons of Rockstar: Jordis Unga, Marty Casey, Ty Taylor, Dilana & Storm Large.
Go see them! You won't regret it!
Official Summer Of Love Website: www.summer67.com
The House Band @ MySpace: www.myspace.com/rockstarhouseband
'AMERICAN IDOLS LIVE': Blake takes the cake http://entertainment.signonsandiego.com/street/2007/07/live_idol_top_10_in_the_619.html
"The Zombie's "Time of the Season" Sung by Blake The crowd erupts - comes to life, really - when Blake appears on stage in a full suit (something he never appeared in, either, during the season) and sings and beat boxes one of his best performances of the season. Girls scream when he waves to them.
He continues the momentum with an excellent acoustic and beat box version of Maroon 5's "She Will Be Loved." It's a loop performance (he's recording it), and he asks the audience to take out their cells phones and wave them in the darkness.
Blake finishes with his most memorable performance of the season, a beat-box version of Bon Jovi's "You Give Love a Bad Name." The duet of Blake's beat boxing and the drummer is awesome, and the other guys (Chris R., Phil, Chris S. and Sanjaya) join Blake on stage for the song before intermission."
Videos:
Blake Lewis - You Give Love a Bad Name (From: farmer2888)
(From: sdshellybean)
Blake Lewis - She Will Be Loved (From: SoILieAwake)
(From: sdshellybean)
Jordin Sparks and Chris Richardson - What Hurts the Most (From: SoILieAwake)
Idol Band - Medley (From: SoILieAwake)
Blake Lewis - Time of the Season (From: sdshellybean)
Well, here we are, top10!!! It was a very strange night, with the stronger boys and the weakest girls all mixed up together. Made for a very anticlimatic night, I found, especially considering the theme for tonight was #1 hit singles.
Dwight D'Eon - Unwell http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2kbpf_dwight-july-17 While I thought that was his best performance to date (aside from the auditions), there was still something missing. Some depth to his voice maybe? The whole "crazy unwell wearing a straight jacket and I'm busting out of it" was a bit much for me. I still liked it, but I was expecting more.
Khalila Glanville - Killing Me Softly http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2kbrf_khalila She made me long for some Bshorty magic! While I thought technically this was great, her performance bored me to tears. I wish she would have re-arranged it a bit.... Melionda Doolittle and Blake Lewis did this song on the first night of the American Idol tour (vid here:http://youtube.com/watch?v=kykXVPLr00w) - now this, THIS is much more entertaining!
Carly Rae Jepsen - Love You Inside Out http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2kbuv_carly-rae Well, I don't like the song, so it doesn't bod well. Carly Rae sang it really well, and I liked her stage presence. She seems so comfortable... But still, there was something that made me go Meh while watching this. Still, the strongest female contender.
Brian Melo - If You Could Only See http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2kbx8_brian-melo Oh that very first note was so baaaaaaaaaaaaaad!!!! But damn he recovered well. It was not perfect, but wow, that was really good. I LOVED when he was reaching on "Say you love but you won't you gimme love but you won't".... Mmmm... That's the kind of Brian I like.
Mila Miller - Signed, Sealed, Delivered http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2kbxs_mila-miller Soooooooooooo over hearing that song. Mila sounded really flat. No intonation to her voice at all tonight. Didn't like it.
Jaydee Bixby - It's Only Make Believe http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2kby9_jaydee How freaking cute is that kid? His home package was cute - loved how he said he liked singing for the elderly because they have a real appreciation of the songs he sings. *L* I can't believe how he looks, acts and sings like Elvis Presley... Really uncanny. While I thought his performance was really dated, it suited him perfectly, and he did it really well.
I desperately wanted to LOVE it... But I didn't. I liked it. Sort of. Part of it was great - when he was reaching on "I got soul but I'm not a soldier", that was amazing. But the rest of it.... Too monotone. Greg needs to sing something more melodic. And WTF with him being dressed like the The Killers singer? It was far from being the worst performance of the night, but it was not the best Greg can do. What I really wanted to hear was the rest of that concert we go to hear in his home package at the beginning! THAT sounded FREAKING AWESOME! **ADDING** Listening to the audio only, this was much better than I originally thought.I liked the intensity, and I appreciated that Greg got out of his comfort zone and did a different kind of song. But I'm with Zach - *GASP* - I dind't think the whole manic routine worked for Greg. I think it was the performance that bothered me more than the singing. Listening to the audio only proved that the vocals were there, and vocally, I liked it a lot. A whole lot - I love when Greg reaches in his higher register, as much as I love it when he sings in his soft, soft, beautiful lower register. Yeah, the more I think about it, the more I think it's the performance that bothered me a bit.
Martha Joy - The Power of Love http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2kbzn_martha *gag puke* Technically, she sang the best tonight. But that was so boring, so full of cheese, so...... *puke* Jake said it best, she was milking that song for all its worth. **ADDING** Actually, listening to the audio only, this is even worse. She hits tons of bum notes.
Tara Oram - You Win My Love http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2kc0m_tara-oram I actually enjoyed that. She's not the best singer, but good enough to pull this off. I like her energy - she's not as Carrie Underwoody as she was - and her tone. Good job.
Matt Rapley - I Heard It Through The Grapevine http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2kc21_matt-rapley Best from him since the start of the season. I enjoyed it, even tho I thought he can sing better than that.
My Top 3: Brian, Carly Rae, Tara My Bottom 3: Martha, Mila, Dwight
I think Dwight might be going home, only because he was first to sing... He was not the worst I thought. I'd rather see Martha or Mila go home.
*****EDITED*****
Not surprised Mila went home, or that Khalila was in the B3. I was, however, surprised that Carly was in there. I HATED her fake face, trying to cry and looking pathetic up there. Blech. Still was not expecting her to be in the B3 tonight.
"After Jordin, runner-up Blake got the most solo moments. He reprised his seductive take on Time of the Season from the TV show, then got the crowd on its feet with his electric You Give Love a Bad Name, a savvy mix of beatboxing and power chords. He also was one of the few performers who realized less can be more, as he rarely oversang."
"To welcome the other contestants to her hometown, Sparks' uncle made gift baskets that included T-shirts and John Deere hats. The group also went to Sparks' house for a home-cooked turkey dinner.
"Her entire family has just been so welcoming," said Idol singer Haley Scarnato."
* 'American Idol' singers get ready for performance http://www.mysanantonio.com/entertainment/music/stories/MYSA071607.en.idol.807824e2.html
Stacey is talking to labels in Nashville and hopes to have a country music album out by the end of the year. "For me, that's where I belong," Stacey said. "I'm a country artist that has roots in gospel."
You all know Jim McGorman, rhythm guitarist for the House Band on both RockStar INXS and RockStar Supernova, guitarist, keyboardist and lead singer of his band, Jamestown Ltd, and most recently guitarist and vocalist for Avril Lavigne's touring band.
Well Jim has agreed to do a Q&A exclusively for RockBandLounge.com!
If you always have wanted to know how it was to be part of the House Band, or what it was like to do a TV show every week, or even how it is to tour with Avril, what influenced Jimmy's music, etc.... Here's your chance!
This past spring, a whole new group of people got an education in 311 - American Idol fans, via the relatively adventurous musical tastes of Seattle's Blake Lewis. The band was contacted by the show's producers for permission to let Lewis sing its All Mixed Up. Mahoney says they agreed but didn't realize how much mileage they'd get.
"We didn't know (Lewis) was such a big 311 fan. He really kicked a— on All Mixed Up," he says. "After he sang the judges said they didn't know who we were, and he said 'They're my favorite band. They're great.' It was the best publicity ever."
And after that, 311, in turn, became big Blake Lewis fans - "Nick went a couple of times to the tapings of the show and hung out with (Lewis) and made friends with him," Mahoney reports, adding that the diminutive beat-boxer also covered their version of Love Song.
"That was cool too. We were rooting for him. We knew another guy, Brandon (Rogers), who used to sing for Christina Aguilera. He's such a bad-a— singer, but he got voted off early," he says. "Blake brings a little more current, modern hip-hop influence to the show. It's nice how it worked out. He didn't win, but either way, he's going to have a good career. Hopefully we can get him out to one of these shows."
*American Idol, from small screen to Houston stage http://blogs.chron.com/handstamp/archives/2007/07/american_idols_1.html
"Blake Lewis: The second-place finisher earned louder cheers than winner Sparks and proved a wellspring of inspired electricity.
Lewis recorded and looped his beatboxing live onstage, then accompanied it with vocals and guitar for Maroon 5's She Will be Loved. The tune then morphed into U2's With or Without You--and should have fallen flat. But it soared.
He also worked playful vocal tics into Bon Jovi's You Give Love a Bad Name, his definitive Idol moment. Expect his upcoming solo disc to be equally beat-conscious."
Tour must-haves: "I have two PowerBooks and a desktop. I'm obsessed with Mac. My IPod. My Leica camera. I've got, like, 16,000 pictures. I do a lot of ... '80s-style pop art. I took all the pictures for my (CD cover)."
Lewis describes his upcoming disc as "2000-'80s." He was listening to rough mixes of new tunes on his IPod and graciously offered to--gasp!--let me hear a few.
"I haven't let anybody hear this yet," he said. My hopes were high.
It was an expectedly eclectic, electro-pop mix, ranging from Kylie Minogue-esque club grooves to a quick sample of '80s hit Owner of a Lonely Heart. Killer stuff.
"I try not to be put in a box," he says. "I'm inspired by everything. I've got six tracks done. I've got a track that's very Erasure-sounding, a track that's Sting-meets-Neverending Story and a track that's very electro-poppy Depeche Mode. It's all over the map."
Videos:
Chris Richardson - Blake Lewis - Medley (From: sweetsarahhh) Blke sings Chris' part, mess up the rythm, and they just crack up!
Blake Lewis - She Will Be Loved (From: kellyidolfan)
Blake Lewis - Time of the Season (From: mejuano)
Blake Lewis - You Give Love a Bad Name (From: MyImmortal93)
Blake Lewis - You Give Love a Bad Name (From: 1Razorbackfan) - Hear the crowd ROARS!!!!! Blake also signs an autograph for a fan - so fucking smooth...
Blake Lewis - Time of the Season (From: 1Razorbackfan)
Chris Richardson/Jordin Sparks - What Hurts The Most (From: 1Razorbackfan)
Jordin Sparks/All the Idols - This is My Now (ending) (From: 1Razorbackfan)
Blake Lewis - Time of the Season (from dashery)
Blake Lewis - She Will Be Loved/With or Without You (from dashery)
Bshorty Beatboxking (from dashery)
Blake Lewis - You Give Love a Bad Name (from dashery)
Blake Lewis - She Will Be Loved/With or without You (FINALLY Blake's loop pedals are working! This is a FANTASTIC version of She Will Be Loved - Oh my, AMAZING!)
Well, tonight was another good night. I think what I like the best about the boys is that they bring new songs to the show, songs that are for the most part contemporary and new to the Idol setting.
Matt Ripley - I'll Be There http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUkARYljwy8 I enjoyed the fact he was sitting down at the piano. It gave is performance some much needed added presence, if that makes any sense. He still sings beautifully, but he's still booooooooooring.
Greg Neufeld - Daughters
The Neufeld pimping continue... They really want him in the top 10! Greg does deserve to be in the top 10. That performance was FANTASTIC. AWESOME. BEAUTIFUL. SINCERE. GOGEOUS. GENUINE. I absolutely adored him sitting on the stairs, his guitar only, just him and the audience. Beautiful soft voice, awesome stronger voice, gorgeous. LOVED IT!!!!!
Tyler Mullendore - Keep on Rockin' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmZq9H8OYsA He twiched less this week. And I gotta say, I think he's pretty funny in his interactions with the judges and with Ben. But his 70's rock guy stik is getting a bit old.
Liam Styles Chang - Over Your Head http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4_vXLOraRQ First, WTF is that outfit? Weird! *L* Oh well, he's got his own style, and that's alright. I think he sang this really well, but I didn't feel like it was a really compelling song to sing for a singing competition. It's not a singer's song, it's not really a performer's song... Well sung, but a bit blah to me.
Dwight D'Eon - Bright Lights http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPaFhjMo7MY I liked Dwight this week. It reminded me of whyI liked him in the audition stages. The beginning of the song was pretty shaky, but when he kicked into gear, it was really, really good. The part they highlighted during the recap was my fav.
JayDee Bixbie - ??? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iElX0qrLBhs Ok, I can't help it - this boy is so damn cute! He's got a great smile, the Elvis bedroom eyes, a great personality... I love the way he answers the judges. He sings well - although tonight was probably his weakest.
Brian Melo - Drive http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxqz6N-rB4o Hum. I love that song. I really like Brian. It's totally in his zone. Somehow tho, it didn't quite reach my expectations. It was not bad, it was good, actually. But not great like I was expecting it to be.
My top 2: Greg, Liam Bottom 2: Matt, Brian
Top14 - GRILS
The girls tonight were the best we've heard them. The boys are still singing/performing circles around them, but it was a much, much better show tonight than it was for the ladies last week.
Annika Odegard - Ordinary Day http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IuW2Tngz64 I liked Annika at the piano. She plays well... Puts lots of energy in it. I think this was the best we've seen her. But still, something's not working for me there.
Khalila Glanville - For You I Will http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgq1ptUA-f8 She sang this beautifully. A few bum notes but overall very good! She seems deseperate to make top10, and it showed in her singing tonight.
Carly Rae Jepsen - Waiting In Vain http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLA4JayT0fY I liked this very much. She reminds me of Lisa Loeb for some reasons. Her physical performance doesn't thrill me, but her voice was great on this. Easily the best girl.
Montana Martin Iles - Ironic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OPZK0VM4MI Montana has been flamed for her strong accent, even making Perez Hilton's blog for singing tanks for the memories, instead of thanks. Personally, I think it's crap to treat someone has if they were dumb because of their accent - like Montana or not, she shouldn't be flamed for her accent. She could and should improve it, but where she comes from, everyone has a strong french accent when speaking english. Anyway, and let this be a FIRST, I LOVED Zach's comment about this after Montana performed. I feel dirty saying this, and I might puke, but Love ya Zach! *puke* Sorry. Anyway, I thought Montana's singing was not great, but once again, her physical performance ws great. She needs to sing punk, and I don't see that happening on the show, so she might be gone real soon. But she'll make top10.
Martha Joy - That’s the Way it Is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekf3IrdCoN0 Ok, technically, this was very good. But it really didn't do anything for me. First I hate the song. Second, she needs to loose the pageanty smile. Third, she just rubs me the wrong way.
Tara Oram - When God Fearing Women Get The Blues http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxdG-iCFQxE I like Tara. I don't really like country, but I like her. Her Carrie Underwood tendencies are a bit annoying, but she sings well. Stage presence, so so. I don't know if she is distinctive enough to make it tho.
Mila Miller - Rehab http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AL7olY_nUWc I like Mila. she doesn't feel like she needs to belt out the money notes, and really, she doesn't need to. But this performance let a bit to desire... I thought the piano part was cool at first, but I wish she hoped off of it half way through. Would have added a bit of oumph to her performance.
Top2: Carly, Mila Bottom2: Annika, Montana (but I think Khalila will take her place)
**********EDITED**********
So, Annika and Montana went home for the girls, and Tyler and Liam went home for the boys.
I'm not surprised about Annika, but VERY surprised about both Tyler and Liam. I thought they hd bigger fanbases then that. It would have been cool to have the top 7 man, plus Carly, Mila and Tara for our top 10. That would have rocked!
According to USAToday Live Blog (http://blogs.usatoday.com/idolchatter/2007/07/the-idols-meet-.html), Lewis sang "I Just Died in Your Arms Tonight" at soundcheck.
"“Well, here they are, in all their glory,” says producer Sidi. Lewis goofs off at a mike, singing “soundcheck” followed by I Just Died in Your Arms Tonight."
I would personally die myself if I ever hear him sing that song. *fangirly swoon* I just love that song, and can totally hear Blake's voice on this. Wow!
I love that at each show Blake does a different beatboxing intro to YGLABN. :) Here he adds a reference to Transformers maybe? - "More than meets the eyes". *LOL*
Blake Lewis - Beatboxing Intro and You Give Love a Bad Name (from StealEverySecond)
The American Idol Tour has kicked off in Florida! Here's the set list for this show (I'm expecting it to change a bit from show to show, but then again it may not):
* Let's Get It Started - Entire Group * Baby Love, Stop In The Name Of Love - Girls * Heard It Through The Grapevine - Chris Richardson & Ladies * Proud Mary - Sanjaya Malakar & Melinda Doolittle * Blaze of Glory - Phil Stacey * Thanks For The Memories - Chris Sligh & Gina Glocksen * When God Fearing Women Get the Blues - Haley Scarnato * Thriller, The Way You Make Me Feel - Sanjaya Malakar * Typical - Chris Sligh * Lady Marmalade - Haley Scarnato, Gina Glocksen, & LaKisha Jones * What Hurts The Most - Chris Richardson & Jordin Sparks * This Will Be - Jordin Sparks & Melinda Doolittle (fighting over Chris Richardson) * Time Of The Season - Blake Lewis * She Will Be Loved - Blake Lewis * You Give Love A Bad Name - Blake Lewis
* INTERMISSION
* Crazy - Guys (with instruments) * Who Knew - Gina Glockson * Virtual Insanity, Ain't No Sunshine, Geek In The Pink - CAKE * I Will Always Love You - LaKisha Jones * Killing Me Softly - Melinda Doolittle (Blake beat boxes and Chris sings towards the end) * This Love - Chris Richardson * Another One Bites the Dust - Phil Stacey & Gina Glocksen * It's Your Love - Chris Sligh * Life Is A Highway - Chris Richardson, Sanjaya Malakar and Haley Scarnato * Natural Woman - Melinda Doolittle * Ain't No Other Man - Haley Scarnato, Gina Glocksen, LaKisha Jones, & Melinda Doolittle * I Who Have Nothing - Jordin Sparks * Heartbreaker - Jordin Sparks * You Were Meant For Me - Jordin Sparks * Broken Wing - Jordin Sparks * Living On A Prayer - Jordin Sparks * This Is My Now - Jordin Sparks
I was not there, so I am relying on other people's account of the show... But apparently there was a whole lot of Chris Rich and Blake Lewis in other people's numbers, singing/beatboxing/supporting them.
Here are some beautiful pictures from the show (I'm a Blake Lewis nd Chris Rich fan, so forgive me if it is a little bit CAKE heavy). Many more can be found here: http://www.idolstalker.com/american-idols-live-2007-tour-updates/
And now some videos!!!
Blake Lewis Beatboxing
Ain't No Sunshine/Virtual Insanity/Geek in the Pink - Blake and Chris from:LessThanLoved
Chris Rich & Jordin Sparks - What Hurts The Most from: brettizzlee (this is BEAUTIFUL).
Melinda Doolittle with Blake Lewis beatboxing - Killing Me Softly from:mmaschi
Lakisha Jones - I Will Always Love You from mmaschi
Phil Stacey - Blaze of Glory from paulasdancemoves (This sounds AMAZING!)
Killing Me Softly - Blake Lewis and Melinda Doolittle (from expatiates)
Ain't No Sunshine/Virtual Insanity/Geek in the Pink - Chris & Blake (from expatiates)
You Give Love a Bad Name - Blake Lewis (from expatiates)
Last night, I went to the Molson's Amphitheater here in Toronto to see State Of Shock, Puddle Of Mudd, Daughtry and Nickelback.
In fact I'll be honest and come right out and say that I purchased the ticket for Daughtry only. He was the one I wanted to see. The American Idol tour didn't come to Toronto for his season, and I didn't know when Daughtry would come out here with his band. So when I learned he was coming to open for Nickelback, I jumped at the occasion and got a ticket with three other friends.
I'm not going to review Nickelback - I don't know many of their songs, and frankly I'm not a huge fan. To read a really good review, go here:
But I will say this about Nickelback. They put on one hell of a show! I could have done without the explosions (my fucking ears are still bleeding!), but other than that, I thought they were a really good live band. The guitarist (Ryan I think?) is one hell of a guitar player, and he's got a really good voice, too. I love his style. The drummer (Daniel?) - SWOON! Not only is he a cutie, but damn!!! The boy can PLAY!!! He banged those drums all freaking night, and he did a killer solo - the highlight of the NB show for me. WOW! Seriously amazing. And the lead singer, Chad Kroeger... He's got a good, rock voice, and he is awesome with the crowd. Reviews are saying he was tired, but damn... If that's what he puts out when he's tired, I shutter to think of what he puts out when he is in top form. He engaged the crowd really well, played with them, and just seemed to generally have a good time with all of us. Really, it was a really good show!
Ok, so on to Daughtry...
He was so freaking awesome I cannot even begin to describe it. He looks great in person, and his band rocks harder than on the album. They did quite a few songs: in no particular order: What I Want (which fucking ROCKED!!!), Home, It's Not Over, Used To, Over You, Crashed, Breakdown (OMG that one was really powerful), Gone, There and Back Again, and I think that's it. The set flew by very quickly. Daughtry's voice cuts through the music really well, and reaches out to the audience. His stage presence is really good, he moves all over the stage, climbs speakers and addresses the audience. The music grabs us by the collar and says "Hey hear us out!". That band is TIGHT. I was very impressed. Chris tried a few times to engage the audience to sing on songs the average fan probably doesn't know... A few of us did sing, but not many. But on the really well known songs - Home and It's Not Over - the crowd roared and showed tons of love to Daughtry.
I really hope he'll come back as the headliner - I would go see him again in a heartbeat!
It's pretty safe to say that by last year, and the end of "American Idol's" fifth season, there wasn't a person in the country over the age of, say, 8 who hadn't heard of the show.
Against an incredibly fickle cultural background in which new TV programs come and go in a couple of seasons, and pop stars fall in and out of favor at an even quicker rate (remember when Britney was our prom queen instead of our punching bag?), Fox Television's musical reality competition has shown amazing endurance as the nation's favorite boob-tube staple.
So yeah, everybody's heard of it. And while not everybody's actually watched it, it's always kind of weird when you run across that odd person who claims they've never seen an episode.
It's even weirder when that person is Blake Lewis, the tattooed 25-year-old Washington state native who finished second at the end of the show's sixth and most recent season. According to Lewis, prior to auditioning for the program in Seattle at the behest of his friends and peers, he hadn't seen "American Idol."
"I'd just got done playing a gig at 10 o'clock at night, and my friend Josh called me and asked what I was doing tomorrow," he recalls. "I said, 'Nothing,' and he says, 'You should go register for 'American Idol.' "
"I'd never seen it, I didn't know what it was about. I'm a singer, but I'm not much of a competitor. But I figured if I got on TV, at least I could show people my art. The thing to me was it was live TV, I could do anything I want, they can't really stop it. I love the live art form. I've been a live musician for the past eight years, so I was very intrigued."
Keep on reading here: http://www.bradenton.com/entertainment/story/88882.html
Avril, Jim, Steve and Devon played a short acoustic set in Germany for VIVA Live!, on July 2 2007. You HAVE to check this out! The songs sound so fresh played acoustic, and of course, Jimmy totally shines in those. Really, you cannot NOT listen to those!!!
Also, check Jim's thread on Rockbandlounge.com - we've added tons of pictures, downloads of Avril's recent appearances in Europe. Check the front page for a list of all of them!
Jim McGorman: RockStar, Jamestown, Avril, Oh My! http://www.rockbandlounge.com/forum/topic.asp?topic_id=5485&whichpage=1
Very good show tonight. The guys are STRONG! There seems to have been a problem with the mike tho - I felt the mike for the contestants was not loud enough.
Liam Styles Chang - She's So High http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4_vXLOraRQ I love this song... He did a decent job on it in the low parts and the high parts, but the falsetto, while even, was not all that impressive... Pretty weak, actually. Again, really like his voice, but can't quite reconcile that this voicec is coming out of that guy.
Andrew Austin - Sunday Morning http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhGQq-qzhKA I liked this very much. He sounded great on this song, and the guitar seemed to have made him feel more comfortable on stage. Not crazy about his facial expressions, but he was good.
Dwight d'Eon - Used To Be Alright http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVbi8xwhslM LOVE the song choice, and he seemed so much more comfortable than last week. Great energy, but the vocals suffered at times.
Clifton Murray - You Give Me Something http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHyIvKUZCVQ Boooooooooooooo. Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiing. Creepy dude really doesn't do it for me.
Greg Neufeld - Geek in The Pink
Me think Greg watched AI last season. *LOL* He did do "You and I" last season and "Remedy" for his audition this season by Mraz, so I'll cut him some slack. I love this song. And while I find that Greg did a really good job on it, I really wish he had not sped it up as much. I also would love to see him reach a bit more with his voice. That being said... While the song lacked a bit of umph... I still love it. Greg's guitar playing was awesome, and his voice is beautiful.
Brian Melo - Angels http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ng1wf2_hWHw Wow. Another GREAT performance by Brian. LOVE his raspy voice. He knows what he's doing out there... Great, great, great, great!
JayDee Bixby - I Got A Woman http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iElX0qrLBhs JayDee should totally do a country album. He's good! and yes, lots of innocent charisma, if that makes sense. He made me totally LOL when Zach was like "Where are you from?" and JayDee pointed to his dad and said "From the man sitting right there". *ROTFL*
Matt Rapley - You Raise Me Up http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2spvjC9m-w Booooooooooooo. Riiiiiiiiiiiiing!!!! Matt has a beautiful, beautiful voice, but damn he's soooooooooooooo boring to watch!
Tyler Mullendore - Have A Little Faith In Me http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oznyPmqko9s Good performance, good singing. He was not as good as last week, but he still was pretty good. His lower voice is a bit whiny.
To me, the top 3 performances were:
Brian Melo Andrew Austin Greg Neufeld
The best VOCALS were Matt, Andrew and Brian
The best PERFORMANCES were Brian, Dwight and Greg
Worst two of the night for me:
Clifton and Liam.
GIRLS
Blech. the girls once again totally blew it. The guys were so much better last night. Very disappointing night for the girls.
Martha Joy - Where You Are http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9CcaIwD83I Beautifully sung. But sooooooooooo boooooooooo riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing I was in tears.
Tara Oram - Safe in the Arms of Love http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KotT5-8cgaI I like her voice, but that song really didn't do much to show off her vocals. She seems very Carrie Underwood-y to me. I too wish she had done a better physical performance.
Naomi-Joy Blackhall - Here With Me http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCSzJPY4mYg Damn, I want to puke. She started off well, nice soft vocals. But then she went way over board, and just couldn't deliver the song properly. Singing a Dido song is NOT easy, but come on. I feel this girl thinks she's the shit, and doesn't put the effort required in her vocals and performances.
Carly Ray Jepsen - Sweet Ones http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Arl5UvhWmY Ok, the competition has just started. The others we heard sing before were not really in the competition, were they? I loved the personality that Carly showed on that song. Her performance was great. Song wise, bof, but she sang well.
Scarlett Burke - Proud Mary http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cCinbjcT2A Ok, now I'm back to feeling like puking. WTF was that? I felt so bad for her - this was horrible. Sanjaya-like horrible.
Montana Martin Iles - Thanks For The Memory http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwzCGkQnFVo Competition on again? Oh sorry, I had fallen asleep. While Montana's vocals were weak, her performance more than made up for it. She does seem like a Lukas Rossi look alike - she even busted out some similar moves. But, she's still miles and miles away from the other girls (and some guys) as far as performance goes.
Mila Miller - Try A Little Tenderness http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3O1XHQ1SUxw Ok, now that's more like it. Mila did really well with this. Her vocals were good, her performance was good, she did well! I wish her vocals were a bit more powerful tho.
Annika Odegard - Super Duper Love http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kft6yyfBLYQ Puke, puke, puke. While I enjoyed the energy she put out, the singing was horrendous.
Khalila Glanville - I Can't Help Myself http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWsAUqaz6GM I thought her vocals were better than what the judges said. But... This was covered in so much cheese (and so irrevelant, thanks Zach) that I really didn't enjoy it.
Top 3: Carly, Montana, Mila Bottom 2: Annika, Scarlett
My Greg (yes, he's mine now) was put in a prime spot all through the show... Perched on a chair, so very visible.... Yum. And at the end, wow, the camera was on him all through the credits!
**********EDITED**********
RESULT SHOW
Girls
Martha Joy - SAFE! *blech*
Montana - SAFE!
Scarlet - 1st to hit the Bottom 4
Naomi - 2nd in the Bottom 4
Khalila (she looks great tonight) - 3rd in the bottom 4
Annika - SAFE!
Mila - 4th in the bottom 4 (Wow, I didn't expect that!)
Carly Rae - SAFE!
Tara - SAFE!
I think the B4 girls is more or less correct - I would have put Annika in place of Mila, but other than that...
Boys
Tyler - SAFE!
Clifton - 1st in Bottom 4
Matt - SAFE!
Liam - SAFE!
JayDee - SAFE! (Ben actually teased him, making him think he was in the B4.... JayDee showed him his fists!)
Dwight - 2nd in bottom 4
Andrew - 3rd in bottom 4
Brian - 4th in bottom 4
Greg - SAFE! (YOUPIIII!)
I so do not agree with this B4!!! Clifton, ok, yes, he should be there. Dwight, maybe, since this performance was not great. But Brian and Andrew? No fucking way! They did NOT belong in the B4!!! I would have rather seen Matt and Jaydee in there.
As we've talked before tho, I really wish they didn't need 5 guys and 5 girls for the top 10. The guys are much stronger than the girls, and it makes me sick to think some guys are going to go home instead of some girls who would deserve to go home more.
So, in the end, I do think Scarlett and Naomi deserved to go home, as did Clifton. But I don't think Andrew should have gone home.
Beautiful night for an outdoor concert. It was chilly at first, but once the crowd filled in the place, we all got cozy and the placed warmed up. It was actually quite comfortable.
Hubby and I had been invited to go to the soundcheck, so we went to talk with a security guy. The guy went inside to inquire about us being able to get in and all, and who walks out with him? Lukas! Greeted him, introduced myself (Oh, so YOU ARE Bouffe!) and chatted him up a bit. I thought it would be akward to meet him, but it really wasn't. He put me at ease right away. VERY nice, warm and welcoming guy. VERY easy going. So he told the security guy to get us in. I thanked him, hugged him (he's a good hugger) and went inside.
It was really cool to see how the place and the show get all put together. A little army of people work at getting everything ready. Pretty cool. At that point I spotted a flaming red head girl - of course it was Chrisy! She was out there helping with the merch stuff. It was great to meet her - she's a very nice woman, always smiling and laughing. :) Met her friend too, who was also really nice. So we chatted and looked around while everyone was working. Then Lukas and Lou came on stage to do the soundcheck. Lukas was in a great mood, joking around with two guys who appeared to be his buddies. Seeing him doing the soundcheck was awesome - he really is a perfectionist.
We waited for a good while before the doors opened. It was still nice to just hang out on the roof top, looking at the sunset and the lake. People started filling in the place. Hubby and I had taken a spot right in front of Lukas, but back a little. I didn't want to be right against the bar. So in comes the crowd... And I spot Pegasus, who was with a bunch of other RBLers. So I went up and chatted. It was so cool to meet some peeps! Finally putting a name to a face. So I met Peg, Zann, Zota, LukNut, Niki and Misty. Sorry if I forget someone - I met many people and have a tiny brain! *LOL* Everyone was great to chat with and we were all in a great mood. :) Also saw Christina again. :)
So on with the show!
A guy named Mani opened for Lukas. He is a friend of Lou, and he is from Toronto. He's got a beautiful voice, and his music sounded good. Great way to open the show. I finally got to meet Kendra during Mani's set. She was running around like a maniac trying to organize everything. She worked really hard to support her husband, and it was great to see. I introduced myself to her and we hugged. She's a very nice woman, and she is beautiful! I thanked her for getting me there, as I was already having a blast and Lukas had not even been on yet. *L* Kendra was lucky to have had Chrisy and her friend to help at the merch booth - it was crazy there!!!
Then after a little intermission, Lukas came in! His dad had been seated on a couch behind him, on the stage. I thought it was not only cool he was there to listen to his son, but the symbolism of him sitting behind Lukas was beautiful, too. Sort of like saying he was behind his son, supporting him. Lukas aunt was there too. Kendra, who was filming the set, sat down with them a few times, too.
So, not in order, Lukas sang Dead Flower, Same Mistake, Sunrise of a Digital Star, It's all Love, Fuse, Alleluia, Lonely Ones (beautiful!), Living on a Prayer and Headspin (encore). I think that was it. The new stuff was not well known, but very well received nonetheless. The RSSN songs were very well received as well, and most of the crowd sang along. Lukas dedicated Fuse to his wife, Kendra. He got up to sing that one, reaching out to the crowd. It was beautiful. But Headspin was definitely the highlight of the night. The crowd went totally nuts and we all sang at the top of our lungs. I fucking love that song, I really do.
Then it was all over too soon. Lukas mentioned wanting to meet everyone at the merch booth, so we all got in some sort of crazy lineup. I think at that point some more people were let in the bar, and things got really crazy. There was a very eclectic mix of people on that roof top to say the least. It was pretty cool. So the line up for the merch booth was crazy, but it was worth it. When my turn came, it was so crazy around, it was unbelievable. So much noise! So many people! I don't know how Kendra and Lukas do it. Lukas had a smile on his face, he was quite happy to be there. I thanked him for the music, told him how much I loved the show, and that it was great to see him in his hometown. I had 3 cds with me, and I didn't want to annoy him, so I asked if it was ok to sign them for my friends. So he did, very gratiously, taking the time to lean over so I could tell him who to sign the cd for. I was about to leave without my cd signed, but he grabbed it and signed it (he remembered my name, too, I just don't know how he does it, he must have met a thousand people that night). I asked if it was ok to take a pic, and he said of course! So hubby took our pic, but it didn't turn out. It's ok, I was just happy to have finally met him and that I was able to talk to him a bit.
We hung around the bar, I chatted up some more with the RBL peeps, and then it was time to go home, as it was 2:30am!!! The night flew by, I just couldn't believe it was that late. All in all it was a really good night, and I enjoyed the venue very much. I feel fortunate I had yet another chance to see Lukas play in his hometown. Those are always so special!
Hey all! Bonjour tout le monde!
Welcome to Randomly Yours, Bouffe (or RYB for short)! I love music, all kinds of music, and that is what I mostly will post about here. It's just my way of trying to promote my favorites... The music I love... The artists I admire... I'd love for this place to be a bit of a ressource place where you can get pictures, news and all the good stuff about your favorite! But I also would love if this forum was used for discussion on that same music. Feel free to leave a comment, to give your opinion (especially in the case of an album review!). It'd be great to chat with those of you who read!
See you out there!
American Idol Judge Kara DioGuardi Gets Married
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American Idol judge, Kara DioGuardi, married general contractor Mike McCuddy
yesterday in Prospect Harbor, Maine. Due to copyright laws, I can’t show
you ...
