James Durbin: Santa Claus is Back in Town

Ho, ho, ho Durbinators & Merry Christmas!

While busy  in the studio recording his Spring of 2013 album follow-up to his hit "Memories of a Beautiful Disaster" JD was thinking of you...

Just in time for Christmas James has managed to give you guys a package to stuff your stockings, a cover of Elvis Presley's "Santa Claus is Back in Town", which happens to be the number one selling Christmas single of all time, thank you, Elvis has now left the building, bring on The Durbin!

"All the stockings were hung by the chimney's with care, in hopes that James Durbin soon would be there"...

Hey  Durbinators, have a rock-n-roll Holiday, here's Jame's package complete with a red bow on top and sealed with a kiss for all of you.

Wanna Rock This Christmas? www.durbinrock.com

Have A "Grindhouse" Thanksgiving...!

You may be scratching your head what does the brilliant Robert Rodriguez/Quentin Tarantino double bill "Planet Terror" with an on fire Rose McGowan and "Death Proof" with a disturbing Kurt Russell have to do with Turkey Day?

Well even though "Grindhouse" does not refer to what they do with turkeys to make them a leg or a thigh, although it certainly could, there is a cooler than cool horror trailer spoof  by renegade Director, Eli Roth that is shown during this awesome double feature and it is funny as Hell and sure to warm the cockles of your heart today titled appropriately enough "Thanksgiving". Pull it up on YouTube or watch it here and toast with a glass of wine.

Happy Thanksgiving! May you always suspect something is awry with your turkey and your relatives are twisted and insane "This year there will be no leftovers"...

The Perry Twins + Christina Aguilera = "Your Body"

Hey Mr. DJ's Put A Record On 

With her career ascension on "The Voice" Christina Aquilera is back with the song "Your Body". Well who better to re-mix Ms. Thang than DJ's Doug & Derek Perry, best known as The Perry Twins. 

Check out the interview I did with Doug for Chorus and Verse: 

http://www.chorusandverse.com/content.php?id=20110218A 

Anyway, to celebrate the release of their latest hot track The Twins are here with their Top 5 all time favorite re-mixes that they have done...."It's true what you heard, I'm a freak, I'm disturbed"

 1.Christina Aguilera - Your Body (Perry Twins Remix)

2. Amy Weber - Let It Rain (Perry Twins Remix)

3. Beyonce - Best Thing I Never Had (Perry Twins Remix)

4. Lolene - Rich (Fake It Til You Make It) (Perry Twins Remix)

5. Jennifer Lopez - Louboutins (Perry Twins Remix)

Give The Twins re-mix a listen

http://soundcloud.com/perrytwins/christina-aguilera-your-body

Perry Twin powers activate at: https://www.facebook.com/PerryTwins

T.G.I.F. - PTX "Carol of the Bells"

Well the PTX (Pentatonix) Christmas album "PTXmas" dropped this past Tuesday as seen here on the pages of "Entertain Me".

Of course the slick and talented PTX gang have also let loose the first video from their Holiday confection: "Carol of the Bells"

Get ready peeps, here comes Christmas...(yes, Thanksgiving is next week, but, ya know how things work)

Ring your bell at: http://www.ptxofficial.com/

She's "Just Frenchie"

Frenchie Davis, the name brings many things to mind, after stealing the national spotlight on the first season of NBC’s “The Voice” as a Top Four Finalist, as well as season two of “American Idol” her single “Love’s Got a Hold On Me” is currently a Billboard Dance Hit Smash.

She is currently working on her debut LP “Just Frenchie” a collection of original material written specifically for her. Having conquered Broadway as a cast member of “Rent” and the Grammy nominated revival of “Ain’t Misbehavin” Ms. Davis has it going on.

With a Christmas single due to drop and her recent “coming out” Frenchie is a force of nature, not to mention a vocal powerhouse to be reckoned with.

Frenchie truly desires only one thing: “I want to live my life to inspire people to be brave and courageous, to believe in themselves and never take no for an answer.”

MS: I was playing “Love's Got a Hold On Me” right before you called, when I was listening to it, not that you sound like her, but you remind me a lot of Donna Summer.

FD: Oh my gosh, that's a huge compliment, I love her!

MS: The reason for the comparison is Donna was the only Disco I could stand as vocals were the focus, not just the music and the beat.


FD: Exactly! That's what I've been wanting to do with my upcoming album and this single. Bring good strong vocals back to dance music. I grew up listening to dance music, people like Jocelyn Brown and Martha Wash, so the dance music I grew up with featured singers with big voices.

MS: Not to get too personal, but you sort of kind of, pseudo came out recently.


FD: It wasn't something that I planned on doing, because far as I was concerned everyone who needed to know, knew about my sexuality. My friends, my family, my loved ones, the person I am sleeping with. At the end of the day those are the only people whose business it is really. It's interesting when someone uses the phrase coming out when in actuality I had already been out. I do recognize the significant difference between being open and honest with your loved ones and allowing media scrutiny into your personal life. So, did I allow the media into my personal life? “Yes” I was doing a media interview and I answered a question honestly and that answer ended up being a headline: “Frenchie Davis Comes Out”.

MS: Yeah, I read about it on The Huffington Post just before you called, I think it being out there helps other people.


FD: It was important to just be honest and not give ambiguous answers in interviews to me. I like to tell it like it is.


MS: You still consider yourself bi-sexual and I know there is a lot of animosity towards that in the Gay Community.


FD: One of the things that made it so important to me to be who I am, is not only to combat Homophobia in the straight community, but to also help combat Bi phobia in the Gay Community. I have the same take on Homophobia in the Black Community that I do on Bi phobia in the Gay Community, I think it's apalling that a group of people that know what it's like to be discriminated against can justify bigotry towards another group of people. I get certain groups of people may not understand it, but unless you are screwing me, you don't need to fucking understand it.


MS: So, you really didn't come out, you got real.


FD: Exactly!


MS: Hows your album “Just Frenchie” coming along?

FD: Yes, I am “Just Frenchie” (laughs) I decided to name it that because I have been on all these reality shows and people are familiar with my voice, but they are hearing me sing other people's songs. This will be the first time I am singing songs that haven't been sung by anybody else, they are just me. It's going to be mostly dance music I definitely will throw on a few power ballads, but knowing me, there will probably be numerous dance mixes for those power ballads. It's exciting to be able to merge my love of soulful singing with my love of dance music.


MS: You are also releasing a Christmas single really soon.


FD: I want the single to be perfect, I meet people all the time that say” “My Mother loves you” we watched you on “The Voice”. So I am doing this for all the Mom's out there that love me.


She's “Just Fenchie” at: http://www.frenchiedavis.org/

Valarie Pettiford: Is A Tease (and she can sing too)!

Valarie Pettiford is that rare breed, a triple threat. From the stages of Broadway to the sound stages of Hollywood, she has charmed audiences with her performances. A Fosse-trained dancer, Pettiford was Tony nominated for her work in the musical revue, “Fosse”, which paid homage to her mentor.

As an actor, she is most recognized as Big Dee Dee Thorne on the hit sitcom, “Half and Half”, and Aunt Geneva, whose rehearsal dinner musical number in “Jumping the Broom” pretty much stole the show from her Co-Stars.

Valarie has released her second solo album, “Velvet Sky”, a collection of original lullabies.. This new album, all of which were written especially for her by two legendary writing teams – Ron Abel (music)/Chuck Steffan (lyrics) and Michael Orland (music)/Jamie Wooten (lyrics).

Here to sing you a soothing lullaby as only she can is Ms. Valarie Pettiford...!

VP: Hey, it's Valarie Pettiford.

MS: Hey, how are you?

VP: I'm awesome how are you?

MS: Great! I was giving “Velvet Sky” a listen before you called, it's very nice, did your Mom sing you lullabies when you were a kid?

VP: She did. She has a beautiful voice, it's so nice to see her now with singing to her Great Grandchildren, she has always sang, and so does my sister. Lullabies have always been a part of my life.

MS: I always wondered if people really sang lullabies to their kids. (laughs)

VP: They do, they actually do. (laughs)

MS: There was something I read that stated you thought your voice was well suited to them, I agree with that.

VP: Thank you, thank you. People always ask me: “Valarie what do you usually sing”? Of course I do Jazz and Musical Theatre, but my heart is in Rock-N-Roll. But I just don't have a Rock-N-Roll voice, so I have thought about where my vocal sensibilities lie. I think they do lie in this particular vein.

MS: Interesting, because I wouldn't know by hearing you sing that you didn't have a Rock-N-Roll voice. Because as we all know Pat Benatar was trained as an opera singer and she has a Rock-N-Roll voice...so someone listening to you would not necessarily know you didn't have that type of voice.

VP: You're right, I mean I could do it, but it's not the way I want to do it. I would want to sound like Pat Benatar or Tina Turner, but I don't.

MS: Rumor has it you pretty much stole “Jumping The Broom”.

VP: (laughs) Somebody said that, not me. My role was very delicious, it was amazing to, I was surrounded by the best cast and had the best director. It was a wonderful experience.

MS: I heard you had an off color musical number in it.

VP: I did. (laughs) The movie is about a wedding and I did a song during the rehearsal dinner, that was inappropriate but, funny as Hell.

MS: Since I haven't seen it, can you tell me what it was?

VP: Well....the movie has been out for a while so it won't spoil it for anyone. But sometimes I hate saying it, because it will spoil it for people who have not seen the movie and still want to see it.

MS: Valarie you are a tease. (laughs)

VP: It's inappropriate, but funny as Hell.

MS: Now you are going to have to make me rent it.

VP: You can find it on DVD and on On Demand.

MS:Gee, thanks a lot Valarie! (laughs)

VP: You're welcome. (laughs)

Let Valarie sing you a lullaby at: http://www.officialvalariepettiford.com/

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like: PTXmas...!

Photo: Ryan Parma

Hey Pentatonix fans, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....Yep Halloween is over and Christmas is coming.

PTX is releasing an album for the season, and as I am sure you PTX groupies out there know, everything they do either enhances the original song they cover, or makes it better, so have a PTXmas, I know I will...!

PENTATONIX SET TO RELEASE CHRISTMAS EP – PTXmas – NOV. 13, 2012

LOS ANGELES, CA - On November 13, vocal sensations and winners of season 3 of NBC’s “The Sing-Off,” Pentatonix, will release their first-ever Christmas EP – PTXmas – via Madison Gate Records (the album is available for pre-order now on the iTunes store -https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ptxmas/id572957637).

This news coincides with the band’s announcement of a second North American tour, kicking off January 24 at Los Angeles’ Henry Fonda Music Box and continuing through March, 2013.  The 2013 tour announcement comes in the middle of the band’s current sold-out tour, which will keep Pentatonix on the road through late December.   Full tour dates are listed below and are available via the band’s website here: www.ptxofficial.com/tour.  Limited VIP tickets for the 2013 tour will go on sale this Friday, November 2, with general ticketing commencing on Saturday, November 3.  

In other exciting news, Pentatonix has been chosen to perform at the “Coca-Cola Red Carpet LIVE! @ The 2012 American Music Awards” pre-show on November 18.  The show will stream live for fans worldwide starting at 5pm ET / 2pm PT. 

Viewers will be able to watch the live show on ABC.com, AMAs365.com, Cokemusic.com, Livestream, Ustream, YouTube, and through AP Live Entertainment.

PTXmas will feature 6 classic holiday songs (track listing below) and the group will debut a video for “Carol Of The Bells” on November 13, alongside the album release.  Entertainment Weekly magazine will also stream an exclusive full-length track from the EP beginning today.  Click here to listen:  http://music-mix.ew.com/2012/10/31/pentatonix-christmas-ptxmas-carol-of-the-bells

Surrounding the EP release, Pentatonix will be making various appearances including performing at the famed Hollywood Christmas Parade (set to air on the Hallmark Channel in December) and appearing in their only LA area Christmas performance as special guests of radio station  94.7 The Wave’s Christmas Concert at the Nokia Theater on Sunday, December 16.

“We all love the holiday season and are excited to share some of our favorite Christmas songs on this CD.  We hope everyone enjoys listening to them as much as we enjoyed recording them,” says Pentatonix. 

“We’re excited to bring Pentatonix fans a little extra holiday cheer this season.  With their unique arrangements and vocal stylings, Pentatonix adds a new twist to these classic holiday songs and has produced a collection of music that will brighten up anyone’s year-end festivities,” said Madison Gate Records executive, Shelly Bunge.

Full Track Listing for PTXmas

Angels We Have Heard On High

O Come, O Come Emmanuel

Carol Of The Bells

The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On an Open Fire)

O Holy Night

This Christmas

  

2012 TOUR DATES

November 2012

3                      Live at SoJam                         Raleigh, NC

7                      Mill City Nights                      Minneapolis, MN

8                      The Majestic Theatre             Madison, WI

10                    The Englert Theatre             Iowa City, IA

11                    Old Rock House                     St. Louis, MO

14                    Lincoln Hall                            Chicago, IL

15                    Blind Pig                                 Ann Arbor, MI

18                   American Music Awards

27                    Revolution                             Ft. Lauderdale, FL

28                    House of Blues                      Orlando, FL

29                    Variety Playhouse                 Atlanta, GA

December 2012

1                      Cat’s Cradle                            Carrboro, NC

2                      Jefferson Theater                  Charlottesville, VA

4                      Sound Stage                           Baltimore, MD

5                      The Howard Theatre               Washington DC

6                      Mohegan Sun-Wolf Den       Uncasville, CT

8                      Westcott Theatre                  Syracuse, NY

9                      Phoenix Concert Theatre     Toronto, ON

10                   Hollywood Christmas Parade Concert – Hallmark Channel

13                   Home & Family Show on Hallmark Channel

15                    Hard Rock Café                     Las Vegas, NV

16                    Nokia Theater                       Los Angeles, CA

18                    Aladdin Theater                    Portland, OR

19                    Showbox                                Seattle, WA

31                    Big D NYE –Victory Park      Dallas, TX

NEW 2013 TOUR DATES

January 2013

24                    Henry Fonda Theatre           Los Angeles, CA

27                    Warfield Theatre                  San Francisco, CA

28                    LJ Williams Theater              Visalia, CA

30                    House of Blues                      Anaheim, CA

31                    House of Blues                      San Diego, CA

February 2013

2                      Marquee Theatre                  Tempe, AZ

16                    Neighborhood Theatre        Charlotte, NC

17                    The National                          Richmond, VA

18                    The Fillmore                          Silver Spring, MD

20                    The Electric Factory             Philadelphia, PA

21                    Best Buy Theater                  New York, NY

23                    Calvin Theatre                       Northampton, MA

24                    House of Blues                      Boston, MA

25                    State Theater                         Ithaca, NY

27                    House of Blues                      Cleveland, OH

28                    Royal Oak Music Theatre     Royal Oak, MI

March 2013

2                      Riviera Theatre                     Chicago, IL

3                      Pabst Theater                        Milwaukee, WI

6                      Val Air Ballroom                   Des Moines, IA

7                      The Pageant                           St. Louis, MO

9                      Midland Theatre by AMC     Kansas City, MO

10                    Ogden Theatre                      Denver, CO

13                    House of Blues                      Dallas, TX

14                    House of Blues                      Houston, TX

For complete up to date info please visit:  http://www.facebook.com/Pentatonix/events

T.G.I.F! Woodson ft: Bizzy Boy "Killing Me"

T.G.I.F! Time to roll out a new video...this one is by an artist who I wrote up here on "Entertain Me" and interviewed for "Chorus & Verse" - Woodson.

Refresh yourself, so you can respect yourself, here is my previous "EM" write up:

http://mshinafelt.blogspot.com/2012/07/his-name-is-woodson.html

Woodson has a new video out for his song "Killing Me" ft: Bizzy Boy, so  kick off your weekend with some Woodson Michel!

Where's the party? Let's have some fun!

His name is Woodson: http://woodsonmusicblogs.blogspot.com/

"Make Believe" With Tom Goss

• 
  Singer/Songwriter, Tom Goss is here with his latest song "Make Believe". Tom is a well known musician who is about to get a lot more notoriety with the release of the video for "Make Believe".
  
  Check it out, I think you can guess why....
  
  MS: The video for your latest song "Make Believe" is so original what inspired you to turn your naked body into a fantasy world?

   TG: You know, I have no idea. The day I got back from my Spring tour I was exhausted. I had been on the road for 13 weeks straight and I was looking forward to not working like a maniac, just spending time at home with my husband. I laid down in my own bed for the first time in months and all the sudden this idea of manipulating time and imagery on my body with paint popped up. Well, now I couldn't sleep, all I could do was think about how cool it would be to pull off. A couple weeks later I got a hold of Scott Brooks to see if he would be into working together. I've been an admirer of his work for years and I was pretty nervous and intimidated to be honest, his work is so amazing. Luckily he was into the idea and we started talking logistics. The more we talked, the more complicated (and fun) it became. Eventually it became what you see today.

  
  
  

  

  MS: How does this relate to the actual song for you personally?

  
  

  TG: It relates a lot actually. I wrote this song thinking about how I would approach love if I wasn't me. If I was someone with no inhibitions, no insecurities. Someone who could see what they wanted and go after it. Triangle (the pursuer in the video) is pretty much like that. As soon as triangle sees circle (the pursued) appear on the island, he (or she or it) knows there is love in the air and goes after it.

  MS: Who came up with the visual concepts of the body paint and the creatures etc..?

  TG: Scott Brooks and I did together. My initial idea was in black and white and had the animation painted on me. However, it became quickly obvious that that was impossible. We brainstormed a lot of ideas, that we thought might actually be possible, and then tested them out. Usually the ideas didn't work, hahahaha. There were a lot of tricky logistics to consider. Eventually we found a story & paint scheme that worked as well and characters we could introduce that would appear to be animated. We simplified our techniques a lot, let time work for us. There are no special effects or edits in the video, so you see every second that took place during the 80 minute shoot (watch the clock). It's pretty amazing actually. I still can't believe it works.

  
  MS: Your fans are loving the view I bet! What kind of feedback have you gotten from them?

  TG: Feedback has been through the roof. The amount of likes in relation to the amount of views is fairly astounding. Of course there's plenty of clock jokes too, hahahaha. More than anything, I'm glad that folks are having fun with it. That's kind of the point.

  MS: My prediction "Make Believe" is going to get you a lot of attention....
  
  "Make Believe" with Tom at: http://tomgossmusic.net/wordpress/ 
  Or on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/tomgossmusic