Beauty Before Death just printed today at Threadless and much celebrating occurred!

Cameesa is a crowd-funded t-shirt site which means that all of us get together to support a shirt we love and want to see printed.

The beauty of it is that you don’t have to wait to see if a shirt gets enough votes or pleases The Powers That Be. If enough of us love it, we support it and get a shirt.

And, how cool is it to be supporters of wearable art? For me, as an artist and a
consumer of art, it’s where it’s at.

It used to be $20 to support, but, they have lowered the cost to $10 plus your shipping fee and you will get a shirt when it is fully supported. Now, you can take your $10 and support as many designs as you like and when one gets fully supported, your $10 goes there. Or, you may support designs separately. And, you can always get your support money back if you get cold feet or simply get tired of waiting.

So, there is really nothing to lose and lots to gain. A lot of great shirts are there just waiting for you, yes you, to lend some support. I’ve received two so far and am waiting on my third. Both are incredible.

Cameesa also sells the shirts once they are printed but it will cost you more, so get in early and be a part of bringing these designs to life.

— Illustrator’s Block by Drakxxx

I hate the AI machine with a passion, but I really love Matt Giraud’s personality, piano skillz, and his soothing soulful vocals. If you can spare a vote this week, please do. This week I believe the theme is Rat Pack vocals. I’m hoping for something in the vein of his “Georgia” performance from Hollywood week. Go Matt! If you don’t make it on this cheesy show, I wish you the best afterward.

Yanni has had an amazing career so far and now he teams up with Grammy-winning producer, Ric Wake, to showcase four new vocalists who contributed to writing the songs on this cd. They were encouraged to write for the songs that moved them most. And, for me, that would be all of them as I enjoyed this cd from start to finish.

The four talented vocalists are Nathan Pacheco, Ender Thomas, Leslie Mills and Chloe and they blend seamlessly with Yanni’s compositions.
I especially love “Omaggio”, “Amare di Nuovo”, “Orchid” and the Indian accented “Our Days”. I love the mix of Spanish, Italian and English.

This cd with its bonus dvd is calm and peaceful yet alive with feeling. It is reflective and meditative. It connects me to a deeper place within.

There is enough variation to enjoy here but overall there is a mood created.
It is reminiscent of Andrea Bocelli with hints of Enya.

When I listen, I feel I am on the back porch gazing out at a limitless blue sky. There is a Japanese garden where koi are swimming and the I’m sipping some Earl Grey tea. The moment is now and everything feels right with the world. Bravo artists!

The Yanni voices world tour began April 10, so if you like this music, head out and experience it live!

Anyone who is a fan of “Dancing with the Stars” knows Mark Ballas and Derek Hough, but, they may not know exactly how multi-talented these guys are.
Not only are they champion dancers, but, they also have loved music since they were small. This love led to playing music as well as writing.

I admire their commitment both to their music as well as to their friendship. Somehow, doing what you love with someone you are best friends with really adds to the chemistry and enhances the experience. That exuberance is pleasantly infectious.

I was given the opportunity by One2One Network to review Ballas Hough Band’s debut cd, BHB. The band features Mark and Derek on guitar and vocals, Emily Grace on keyboards/vocals, as well as Sam Marder on bass and Harry Sullivan on drums. They are a tight-knit group who have been friends and talented music mates for some time now.

What’s great is that Mark and Derek have written and collaborated on most of the songs which adds authenticity.
As Derek says, “it’s not like we looked through a catalog”.

This is the type of cd that grows on you. I am not a huge pop music fan, but the more I listen to the songs, the more I enjoy them.
The mood is very uptempo and is great for dancing. I also found it’s excellent for working out or for cleaning house. It really is high-energy and upbeat.

Their sound, for me, is like a combination of George Michael and Wham, Michael Jackson, and Prince – with a hint of Marc Anthony thrown in. It is the type of cd that I feel would definitely appeal to a young crowd, but, that doesn’t mean all ages can’t enjoy it.

It’s feel-good music.

Matt Collar from All Music Guide, in his review, says the cd “should draw favorable comparisons to such similarly inclined outfits as Maroon 5 and The Jonas Brothers”.

The cd begins with “Do You Love Me” which is very current, head bopping music.
“Devastated” is catchy, about the ups and downs of love. I really like
the harmonies in this.
I am also a fan of “Closer” and its rhythms.

There are a lot of good songs to enjoy here.
The first single, “Do It For You”, was co-written by Kara DioGuardi.

My favorite of the cd is definitely “Underwater. For me, it’s the most moving and has a slow sensual feel, almost dreamlike.

Overall, BHB is the type of cd you want to crank up and play anytime you want to jam.

BHB is like cotton candy – light, tasty, fun and leaves you smiling.

Check them out at Amazon
and at their website

Ok, so I haven’t really had a chance to go into my graphic tee love. Being an artist, it feeds my soul to find amazing wearable art.

From time to time, I may post shirts I love here that are on sale or up for voting. This one only has a few more days at Threadless, so if you like it, please vote.

Title: Beauty Before Death by Buko and Silverqe

So, I really wanted to just encourage people to check out the show Life on Mars which I am particularly fond of. In a sea of sameness, it is a life preserver. It’s been moved to after Lost and I’m really hoping it won’t be cancelled. Somehow, most of my favorite shows seem to disappear.
But, what I really want to do is post this video, because, you know how some songs just cut right through to your heart and you have no idea why? Well, this song does it for me, but, then again, to me, Bowie is, and has always been, magical and not quite of this earth. And, I mean that in the best way possible.

The Amazing Race has been terrific this season, from racers falling down hills chasing huge cheese wheels in Switzerland to them doing gymnastic routines in Romania.
It’s also a very interesting group with few obnoxious teams. Amazing!
Phil is hotter than ever with his amazing eyebrow pop and next week will find them in Siberia.
I was very sad to see Brad and Victoria leave last episode. They were such a great couple, but it looks like they had the time of their lives.
Teams I’m rooting for at the moment are mother and son, Margie and Luke, and father and son, Mel and Mike White (Mike wrote “School of Rock” and his dad is an author/clergyman). Both are wonderful!

There are also other teams that are very likeable. Yes, this truly is an amazing season. Make sure to tune in!

So many soundtracks contain one or two good songs, so it’s a real treat to find so many of my favorite artists on a soundtrack cd I can pop in the car or play any time day or night. And the songs are so listenable.

My favorite on the cd is James Morrison’s “You Make It Real”. His raspy soulful voice speaks to the heart.

Other tracks I love are Lily Allen’s “Smile”, Tristan Prettyman’s “Madly”, The Ting Tings’ “Fruit Machine”, and, Keane’s timeless “Somewhere Only We Know”. Corinne Bailey Rae’s “I’d Like To” is sensual and smooth.

To be honest, though, the only song I’m not fond of is Scarlett Johansson’s. It seems weaker than the rest and doesn’t quite fit.

I do love the mix of styles and genres here, from classics such as R.E.M. and Human League to Maroon 5 and the altrock of My Morning Jacket. The Cure always rates highly in my book, here with “Friday I’m In Love”.

I would be amiss to not list that this cd also includes great songs by: Talking Heads, The Black Crowes, Wilco, The Replacements, and Erin McCarley.

Quite a delicious mix.

This cd covers all the moods, ups and downs of love. I highly recommend it.

A fabulous melange of great musicians and songs.