Those Amazin' Phils

Last night, the Philadelphia Phillies defied the odds and took the first game of the World Series in New York, defeating the New York Yankees 6-1. They played exceptionally well, although most ESPN pundits have made the reigning World Champions the underdog for the series. Cliff Lee pitched a great game, and the gorgeous Chase Utley had a wonderful night, hitting 2 home runs to get the Phillies off to a 2-0 lead. Now, I tend to find baseball to be a dreadfully slow and boring sport, but do watch the playoffs. And in celebration of my shallowness, one of the reasons I watch is those baseball players can be very good looking. These Phillies certainly are. And so are some of the Yankees, but they didn't win game 1, and aren't my 'home team.'

Cliff Lee


Chase Utley


Cole Hamels


Ryan Howard


Jayson Werth


Jimmy Rollins

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New Video- Dave Patten - Won't Give Up

Dave Patten is an independent artist based out of Philadelphia, his music brimming over the the influences of the urban scene, from hip-hop and rap, to the smooth sounds of the acoustic jazz scene. Philly certainly have been the epicenter for blue-eyed soul, a phrase carved out and owned by Hall & Oates.




At first I didn't know what to make of Patten, his music seemingly scattered, but once you listen, you hear the through line, sort of an Uncle Kracker with a stronger voice and a better look. He mixes some rap, r&b, with a strong rock base. He is just as comfortable with that as he is when takes it back to the smooth and simple sound of a folk/jazz mix, a la Ben Folds or Jason Mraz. Patten has a sense of humor, often seen in the lyrics and production of the music. He has built up a following for his music with a presence on YouTube, taking advantage of his film school training to make some videos for his music.




His latest video, featuring the song Won't Give Up (performed with rapper Fese), has been nominated in a contest that awards the winner $10,000, the winner being figured by YouTube hits. Well, I think it is a pretty darned good video, and a good song, so why not see if others might think so! You know I believe that every once in a while, Str8 boys need love too.



YouTube link to the video is here. I you like it, or know someone who might, feel free to forward it on. You can learn more about Dave Patten at his website here. Be sure to check out the 'Music' section, where you'll find some free downloads. You can also find links to his other pages there.

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Live Music - Aiden James

Aiden James & me after the show.

So last night I went to see Aiden James live at the Tin Angel in Philadelphia. At first I was in a bit of a panic because I ran into some traffic in Philly, and instead of arriving at 7PM for the 7:30 show, I got there at 7:35. Thankfully, things were running a bit behind, and I missed nothing.



The first order of business was to watch his first music video for the title track of his CD, On The Run. The official debut was just a few weeks ago at QFest, the LGBT film festival in Philly. So the lights dimmed and the video started to roll on the screen set up on the stage. On stage right, Aiden's guitar was hanging on the wall, and I could sometimes see the reflection of the images in it. That was cool. Anyway, I enjoyed the video, and it was soon time to bring Aiden out.



As I have come to expect, Aiden was great, his voice sounding perfect as always. Between songs, he was funny as he was telling stories about the songs, and then realized it was tougher to tell these things to the hometown crowd, 'cause all these people he might see on the street would know his business. This, of course, didn't really stop him. He played music off On The Run, as well as several new songs. The new stuff started getting me excited about what might be coming out next. After an encore, out came a cake to celebrate Aiden's 27th birthday, and the crowd sang for him. Then it was time to go, so I caught a moment with him and then headed for the car to drive to my sister's in New Jersey in preparation for the next show, tonight in Newark, the American Idol Season 8 tour with my friend Rickey. So, gotta get ready.

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Live Music - Aiden James

Going to see Aiden James tonight in Philadelphia at the Tin Angel. It is a combo Video Release/Birthday Party for Aiden, and I am looking forward to it. Haven't seen Aiden performing live since last fall when he played with Jay Brannan. The Tin Angel is where I saw Aiden and Adrienne play last year, as well as Tom Goss, Stewart Lewis and Jake Walden on the Rock The Folk Out tour. Hopefully I will get some pictures, although the space is usually dark and not conducive to good pics.

Also, just got last minute word from my friend Rickey that we have tickets to see American Idol Season 8 live in Newark, NJ, Saturday night. He runs the Idol megasite, RickeydotOrg. So looks like it is going to be a big weekend for me!

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Live Music - Aiden James

Aiden James in performance photographed by me.

The always adorable Aiden James posted a new 'Satellite Session' while touring in San Francisco. He discusses the song On The Run from the new CD as he drives across the Golden Gate Bridge. He also performs Gonna Hurt More.

I am excited because next Friday, August 7th, I will be going to Philadelphia to see Aiden for his video release party at the Tin Angel. That is just a week from now! For more information about the show, click here.

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Aiden James - Satelite Sessions #1

I enjoy Aiden James quite a lot - hope to see him next month at a show in Philly where he will be celebrating his birthday as well as the release of a new video. The video just had a premiere viewing at the Philadelphia Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. Meanwhile, he had started a new series at the beginning of the month, singing a song just for us YouTube fans. The first installment captured him singing the song Mifflin County on July 4th. Hope you enjoy this sweet voice and great song!

For more information and to hear more music, click here!

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