My new favorite artist: Florence + the Machine. I’m not actually sure if it’s a band or just a singer, but I do know that I love the album and style.
The first time I heard Florence + the Machine was from the Eclipse soundtrack. She has a song called “Heavy In Your Arms” that was featured in that movie. It’s pretty awesome–very emotional, powerful, and raw (plus great singing and pretty unique). So I figured I’d try out the album Lungs, aptly named because the lead singer Florence Welch has a nice pair that’s very apparent in her singing. As singing goes, she is amazing.
My favorite songs on the album are: #4 Howl; #2 Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up); and #7 Drumming Song. Below are links to the videos for #2 and #7. Also, if you get a chance, listen to #4 Howl in your car with the music blasting, windows rolled down, while driving really fast. It’s a great feeling
I decided that I wanted to highlight my debut album and remind everyone that I am a musician (just in case you forgot lol ).
I released my album “When We Started” in June of 2008. If you haven’t had a chance to listen to it, please hop on over to iTunes or MySpace.
All of the songs on the album are original music written by yours truly. They are also fully produced (with a full band). I was lucky to work with Jake Joyner, Jordan Kester, Paul Bates, and Ryan Lindow in the recording and arranging of the songs on the album. They are all great musicians in their own right, and it was great to work with them.
From Left: Paul Bates, Jon Pinney, Jordan Kester, Jake Joyner at Harlow's July 2008
A friend just mentioned to me that he heard this song and it reminded him of me. So of course I checked it out. I was surprised to find a song that gave me the chills it was so good. Please listen to this song. It is amazing.
P.S. I have no idea what this video is about… I haven’t watched it, only listened.
<<Update: this video was removed for terms of use violation… I have tried to find another video with the song but haven’t been able to yet…>>
Last night I went and saw Benton Paul at the Boardwalk in Sacramento (it’s actually in Orangevale or Citrus Heights…). It was an awesome show. He was playing with Brooke White and Michael Johns from American Idol Season 7.
Benton Paul Live at The Boardwalk last night
Besides being one of my good friends, he is an excellent musician and songwriter. If you’ve never heard any of his music, please take a listen to the following songs. The first is a cover of Yellow (by Coldplay) from his live show at the E Center with David Archuletta.
This second is my favorite song of his: The Devil. If you look close in this video you might be able to see me in the third row or so. This is a live video recording from his CD release show last year.
After the show I took a photo with him, and then we sat down and chatted for awhile about life.
Benton Paul and I after his show at the Boardwalk
Benton and I after his show... Here we are chatting on the Boardwalk (literally a walkway made of boards)
One of the guys I work with just walked into the office singing “Summertime” to himself–he didn’t know I was there. I said something to him, and that made me think of this performance, so I showed it to him. This is by far my favorite American Idol performance of all time. There are others that have been awesome, but this one takes it for me.
Fantasia Barrino singing “Summertime.”
If you have a favorite American Idol performance, I wanna know what it is. Leave a comment below.
A song I’ve been listening to lately that I just love is “Gravity” by Sara Bareilles. I first heard this song on the TV show “So You Think You Can Dance”. It was used in a dance choreographed by Mia Michaels between Kayla and Kupono. It was all about addiction, and I thought it was one of the most beautiful and moving pieces of art I have ever seen. I have included the video below to the dance and to the song. I hope you enjoy them both.
My new favorite artist: Florence + the Machine. I’m not actually sure if it’s a band or just a singer, but I do know that I love the album and style.
