Tales From The Darkside: Andrew De Leon

I'm Here to Suck Your... Andrew De Leon Former America's Got Talent Season 7 Semi-Finalist Andrew De Leon Signs with Standby Records, Releasing 3-Song EP 'Dark Tales' on August 21; Featured on Billboard.com I'm only happy when it gets dark...

Former American's Got Talent season 7 semi-finalist Andrew De Leon has signed with Standby Records and will release his upcoming 3-song EP "Dark Tales" digitally via iTunes, etc on 8/21. The release will serve as a teaser of what fans can expect from his upcoming LP, which will be released in 2016. The Kyle., TX based singer-songwriter first caught the attention of the public after his eye-raising audition aired on the NBC juggernaut 2012. Clips of his audition have been viewed more than 42 million times.

Track Listing: 1. Dark Tales 2. Sheets 3. What I've Become

More about Andrew De Leon: "My name is Andrew, and I'm going to sing." Overnight, Andrew De Leon, a 19-year-old makeup artist and theater student from Kyle, Texas, went from total obscurity to one of the most talked-about acts of the 2012 season of America's Got Talent. Previously, the shy teen in black leather and metal spikes had only sung at home for his own enjoyment. That night in Austin, he stood on stage and wowed the studio audience and judges with a powerful rendition of the soprano aria, "O Mio Babbino Caro". Since then, clips of his audition have been viewed more than 42 million times on YouTube. "You've got an amazing voice, and YOU are an individual," said judge Sharon Osbourne. "You are great” said judge Howie Mandel, adding, “Marilyn Manson does an aria." An equally strong performance during the "wild card" show and a rapidly growing fan base propelled him into the semi-finals, where he received a standing ovation. Author Ann Rice tweeted: "Andrew De Leon — what a voice. And he did it all on his own, singing in his room." Since then, Andrew has been hard at work developing his unique musical style, composing, recording, and performing across the U.S. In 2013, he released his first album, "Black Lights", an eclectic mix of pop, soft rock, goth opera, and classical tracks. His voice ranges from the silky tenor of "Counterfeit Lover" to the chilling operatic soprano of "Vampiro". Andrew performed mostly as a solo act, but after the success of his first album, he has been joined by Hunter Fisher (lead guitar, composer) and John Paul Grasso (guitar), with other musicians coming in as Andrew's signature sound continues to develop. Andrew's first live performance with his band was at the 2014 Austin Vampire Ball, and they have been invited back for 2015. "I bled onstage," said Andrew of the special effects in his 2014 performance, where he demonstrated his horror-movie makeup talents. He hopes to incorporate his love of theater and film making into his future endeavors, adding a visual element to the lyrics he writes and performs. Andrew's 2015 EP "Dark Tales" demonstrates his evolving style, which blends elements of alternative rock, metal, classical, goth, and symphonic rock. He describes the title track as heavy and dark. Other tracks range from sensual and intimate to deep sadness. Andrew sums it up with this line from "Dark Tales": "I warned you from the start it won't be the same, now that I've let you in this monster can't be tamed." Facebook Twitter Youtube

Lindsey Stirling: "The Phantom of the Opera"

YouTube sensation Lindsey Stirling is perhaps the first – and only – artist in the world to blend classical violin, modern dance, and pop into to one amazing confection.

On September 18th, Lindsey will be releasing her self-titled debut album, Lindsey Stirling, coming off the heels of an incredibly successful presence on iTunes. With 10 original tracks, the album will showcase Lindsey’s signature violin-electronic-dubstep style – opening with “Crystallize,” her most popular piece. Lindsey has already sold over 300,000 songs, several of which have hit the iTunes Top 100 as well as the top of the digital electronic charts. Lindsey also has plans for a follow-up album of covers, putting her unique twist on everything from existing video game themes to pop music.

Are you ready? Here is the incomparable Ms. Lindsey Stirling...!

MS: I am so blown away by your take on “The Phantom of the Opera” theme song!

LS: Oh neat! I was so excited about doing it!

MS: Well I for one am totally in awe your talent, I've never seen anything like it in my estimation, ask anyone, I don't gush easily.

LS: That's so awesome! Thank you so much Michael!

MS: You really took to the violin.

LS: Well I was drawn to the violin as a kid, because ever since I was little I had this center stage syndrome. (laughs) My parents took me to all the free orchestra concerts in town, and it was very obvious to see who the stars of the orchestra were. (laughs) At the beginning of the concert the violinist comes out and plays an “A” note for the orchestra and I was like: “Wow, they are the stars of the orchestra”. I started taking violin lessons when I was five, because I thought they were beautiful, fast and fun!

MS: The passion when you play the violin is so overwhelming.

LS: Generally I do it so much, so I have to love it, it has never gotten old.

MS: You utilize it in other mediums, expand on that.

LS: Well in High School there were a bunch of guys who were in a rock band. I had a crush on every single one of them. They were all older than me, but I played the violin and I offered to play with them one time –  they had me play a song at one of their concerts. So, it's like oh my gosh, a dream come true for me because all of these boys are so cute! From there I ended up becoming part of the band and we went on this little rock band tour....I was sixteen, it's a really fun memory, but looking back we were not really very good. (laughs) But it opened my eyes to how the violin could do all different types of music. They all left on missions so I was left without a band and I started writing music to my favorite radio hits, like: Hip-Hop. I explored different types of mediums because I was kind of getting burnt out on classical. Writing radio hits is what got me onto “Americas Got Talent”. Then I decided I wanted to start writing my own music, music that I like, I started looking for producers – I always want to keep a fresh style so I do everything from rock to trance music, it's fresh and always new. Even with no vocals, people seemed to be entertained the whole time.

MS: Even with no vocals, with your “The Phantom of the Opera” video I was enthralled. Very few people have ever attained that.

LS: Oh, Thank You.

Get your violin on with Lindsey at:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lindsey-Stirling/132255980139931?ref=ts

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LindseyStirling