Soundtrack Welcomes New Followers & News

This week Soundtrack to my Day has two more followers, and I would like to welcome them. I truly appreciate it when people go out of their way to make sure they are aware of the posts here.



James Johnson joined up recently. If I follow the links properly, James is an aspiring Christian rocker. To find out more about James and his music, click here. However, I didn't find a picture of him, but here is a link to his profile.



Thankfully, the same cannot be said for Mauro Paim, a handsome Brazilian Gaucho, a pampas cowboy. OK, as far as I can figure, a pampas cowboy is a cowboy who works on the grasslands of Brazil, but I [and the internet] could be wrong. If so, perhaps Mauro will let us know. Mauro has the blog Realizações em/Actualizations in Porto Alegre, or Observing Reality And Its Impact On People, From Porto Alegre RS, Brazil. You can check out his blog here. He offers different views on a variety of subjects, from political to literary.

In other news, SIRPAUL has just released a new collection of mixes for his latest music here. He also sent a message that he might have a new look. Can't wait to see it! Christopher Dallman is getting ready to release a new EP, his first in a couple of years. And Westlife is going to release a new CD at the end of November, though there is rumoured to be a single release in the next 2 weeks. And Eric & the Adams are in the studio recording new music for a release by the end of the year.

So, as always, I am grateful for all who stop by and read, comment, or just look at the pictures.

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Blogiversary of Sorts - 4 Months & SIRPAUL

On June 9th, four months ago this evening, I posted my first entry to the blog, entitled Birth of a Blog. I had no idea what I was going to do with the thing, and thought I would figure it out as I went along. I guess I have, although I could see the blog continuing to evolve for some time to come. Interestingly enough, it had no pictures or videos, and was just two simple paragraphs:

So many people I know have blogs, and have been telling me to do one, too. I am still not sure that I am interesting enough to blog, but thought I would give it a shot. So what the hell am I going to say on this blog? I think I just might be finding that out as I go along, since I am, as usual, without a freakin’ clue.

What I do know is that I love music, and will most likely be focusing on the music I do like. I sit at my desk at work, sporting the ear buds and programming the soundtrack to my day on my iPod.

Amazingly, it still holds true. As I sit at my desk and pump out invoices, make sure payroll is under control, or sneak a peak at this blog or the blogs of others, I am wearing my ear buds and fiddling with my iPod Touch, picking out the next artist or album I will listen to. I am still not sure I am interesting enough to do this, but thus far the music as certainly pulled me through. And, of course, the readers.



Speaking of readers, the blog has another follower, who also left a rather sweet message. SIRPAUL, one of my favorite artists, stopped by, followed the blog and left the following comment:



I think of myself as first and foremost a fan of music. Whether it is on this blog, in a club or in an online store, I am going to support many of the artists I discuss here, like Eric Himan, Eric & the Adams, Tom Goss, Aiden James, Christopher Dallman, Shane Mack, Gregory Douglass, Casey Stratton, Angela Leo, Belkins, Derek Nicoletto, and, of course, SIRPAUL. There are many others, too. So, as a way of thanking everyone for their support, I thought I would share my favorite SIRPAUL song, one I have been holding for a very special occasion. It is Addicted, from his wonderful CD Dismantle. Hope you all enjoy it as much as I do.



And Beth, I still blame you and David.

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News - Casey on iTunes,new friends, etc

Just time for an update, it has been a bit. Casey Stratton's new release, Memories and Photographs, is now available on iTunes. I purchased it when it became available in Casey's store, and have listened to it several times, really liking in muchly! You can get it from iTunes by clicking here.



Welcome Michael, the latest person to follow here at Soundtrack to my Day. I appreciate your support!



It is official, summer is gone, and autumn is here. Frankly, I like fall the best, and am kinda happy to see summer fade. I love seeing the colors of fall transform the view out my window, from a sea of green to the shades of all, the reds, orange and browns.

Also, I might as well announce it now, in case the faint of heart want to start packing now. Once the American Idol season starts up, I will be guest-blogging for my friend Rickey, the blogger with Rickey. Org, the site EW named the number one American Idol fansite the the second year running. I will have my impression of the performance and results shows within 30 minutes of their conclusion, and I will post them here and at Rickey's. I had written them for Rickey last season, and he recently asked me back for another season.



Also, have the latest CDs from Collective Soul and Mika, and hope to post some thoughts on them soon. Been a busy time, so still working on listening to both, coming up with my thoughts. Not as easy as it used to be...

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Update - News, Michael Feinstein & Cheyenne Jackson

OK, I have been a bit MIA here on the blog as I get ready for the parents 50th Anniversary surprise party. I am working on a video/slide show I thought would be 4 or 5 minutes that has turned into a 14 minute short film - LOL. I have been working on scanning the pictures, culling through cabinets of them, picking out music that is appropriate for them, not me... The surprise party is on Saturday afternoon on the 29th, a full two weeks before the actual date, so we might really surprise them. Hopefully that will be under control soon, and I can be back to internet fun!



Meanwhile, I wanted to take the opportunity to welcome follower Steve A to the blog. Steve has his own blog called Long Haired Boy, which can be found here. I can identify with Steve when he writes that he sometimes is social, and sometimes antisocial. I tend to just say sometimes I don't like people. Stop by and see the blog, it is quite nice! Also, thanks to everyone who comes here, the blog is approaching 8,200 hits, which is just so surprising to me. I never would have thought anyone would be interested in the musings of a 50ish gay man rambling about music that didn't involve Cher, Celine or Whitney. And also several of the artists featured here have been very kind, stopping by to comment or Tweeting me some appreciation. That list includes Derek Nicoletto [of Telling On Trixie], Casey Stratton, Aiden James, Christopher Dallman, Jimmy Adams and Angel Adams. If I forgot anyone, sorry - been working on about 3-4 hours sleep a night.


Photos by Linda Lenzi/BroadwayWorld.com

In other noteworthy news, After Elton reports Cheyenne Jackson and Michael Feinstein are heading to the studio to record an album together. I was very excited to hear they worked together in NYC, playing at Feinstein's at Lowe's Regency. In June, they performed a show called The Power Of Two, and by the time I heard about it, tickets were sold out. I first saw him on Braodway in 1988 in concert, called Isn't It Romantic, and again in 1990, in Piano And Voice. Feinstein has released 23 albums, and I have 18 of them. I am a freak, I can't help it. And I find him to be very hot.





OF course, my appreciation of Cheyenne is well-documented on this blog (click here), but I will do a quick recap - he is gorgeous, tall, handsome, charismatic, and beautiful. So put the two together, and I was weeping I couldn't get a ticket. So when this album is released, I am so there!



You can find out more about Michael Feinstein at his website, and Cheyenne Jackson at his website.

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Photographs & Memories

Grandmom & Grandpop with Kathy, Billy and me, and also with Grandma and cousins.

This week I started a project that is taking me in all kinds of directions. My parents are celebrating their 50th anniversary soon, and we kids are throwing a surprise party for them. I was tasked with scanning in old photos for a video, and so I have been looking through old albums and boxes filled with pictures. It brought back plenty of memories and thoughts of family and friends.

kyleklnh, left, and Larry_Ohio, right.

I also thought about the blog, and the interesting experience it has been for me thus far. One joy has been meeting other bloggers. That said, I would like to welcome two more, kyleklnh, who runs the place at Out Left, and LarryOhio, who keeps us updated at Patently Queer. Make sure you stop by and say hello to them.

Me as a itty, bitty boy.

Also, thanks to all the people stopping by the blog, we should reach over 3,700 by the time this is posted. All I can think to say is thank you, and go figure.

Pictures of Mom & Dad before they met, and pictures I took recently.

Now, back to the pictures. I have pictures of my parents wedding, them before then, and of the family since. My parents were wed in 1959, and I was born in 1960. The journey from there to here is an odd one to see in pictures, both charming and delightful, along with bittersweet. There are friends and relatives lost, along with relationships that have faded, much like the pictures. Some of the pictures have ink stains from years of being around kids, while others are torn or folded, or nicked and stained. Indeed, the pictures are much like the subjects, captured in a simpler time, only to have come through the world a little more weary, and a little damaged.

Mom & Dad at their wedding.

Well, I have some more work to do on the pictures, and now that I have a little tease, I will have to come back to it later. But I did find pictures of me with long hair, and it was looking great!

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Update - Losing the battle

First, let me welcome a new follower for the blog, Larry. He is from Ohio, and has a blog of his own, Patently Queer. Stop by and say hello.

Well, after the fairly responsive issues of last week, today, not so much. Didn't answer my calls, nor return the message. So let me recap.

Sunday night, the computer stopped working. Totally. So Monday morning I brought it to one of the two authorized Apple repairs places in the state. Next I heard they would replace the power supply. The following day, they replaced it and it fixed nothing. So, they wanted to replace the logic board, adding on another day. Friday they tell me the new logic board must be bad, because you can turn it on, but sometimes you have video, sometimes you don't. They needed to get another board in. That would have been today. I waited for the call, got nothin'. I called, and left a message.

So, this is day 8 without the computer, and I don't know what is happening but seeing my bill go higher... To be fair, that is an assumption, since I can't get hold of them. However, I am still borrowing a PC laptop, and trying to figure it all out. Maybe by the time I get it all together, my own iMac will return.

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Great Misc - Just Some Random Thoughts

OK, just a few things I thought I would put out there.


(L to R) Tommy Kessler, Brad Small, Tom Welsch, Derek Nicoletto and Andrew Frawley.

First, visit Derek Nicoletto's blog to see Telling On Trixie's rainy sound check before playing at NYC Pride last week. I am most amused by Derek, his new parenthood showing, as he asks bandmates about pre-show potty stops. And how great is it that TOT played at pride, with out lead singer Derek [himself a hottie] and the band of hot str8 boys?


Stephen on the left, Allen on the right.

Welcome to some new followers of the blog. Welcome Stephen and Allen. Both men have blogs of their own. Steven is Post Apocalyptic Bohemian, while Allen has the appropriately named Allen's Blog. And a thanks to JR Richards for Tweeting his thanks for the post I had done on his new video. Also, thanks to Neal for sending the link for the free download of Gene Dante's CD.



I would also like to thank those that are stopping by to read the blog without commenting. Really, I appreciate it. With my fascination with the FEEDJIT Live program, I am starting to recognize familiar arrivals and am thankful for your support. Also, the never ending stream of Jay Brannan, Theo Tams and Daniel Boys fans who find their way here. Seems the blog is now coming up on 1500 hits, and I have all of you to thank.

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