
The weekend begins for me now. I'll be in Eastern Canada and Northern New York boating the Thousand Island waterways this Memorial Day holiday.




Load up the iPod and dust off the shades 'cause we're hitting the road!
Jody Watley's latest single "Borderline" is now available for download at iTunes (and virtually every other online music source) beginning today.
I sorta feel like I missed the wagon on this one.
We can pretend to get into the finer points about this weeks' man of MySpace, but c'mon. Isn't it superfluous to go through some sort of lengthy introduction when all we really want to know is in right in front of us?
The Jody Watley show at the Lilac Festival, as expected, was a blast. A small crew of us battled the dark and ominous clouds that frequent Rochester and made our way to Highland Park, one of downtowns' hidden gems.
After Jody left the outdoor stage and made her way to the makeshift “dressing room” (a camping trailer behind the stage) a gaggle of concertgoers swarmed the gated area near the trailer, cat-calling the singer and asking for autographs. Jody, decked out in dark sunglasses, was gracious enough to meet the folks, regardless of how off-kilter they seemed to be. All the while me and Evan just stood back and watched the mini-chaos ensue.
It was flattering to have the DJ and Jody’s assistant recognize me and tell me to stick around as “she had somethin’ for me.” Evan and I stayed long enough for her to wrap up a CBS interview. Soon after she CBS'd, we were escorted into said trailer for a little meet and greet and photo op. I joked with Jody about how tired she must have been after workin’ the stage and how I loved the sequencing of the set (I was nervous, what can I say!) She was so gracious for all of my support and gave me a big hug and a t-shirt from her online boutique. She was just as lovely in real life as I had imagined and I thanked her for being such an inspiration.
It’s interesting as this week came about and the conversations I had leading up to the concert. So many people had to dig deep to remember who Watley was. I don’t know why, but that seemed to bother me a bit. Internally, it must contradict everything I know. She was to me what Beyonce is to a generation younger than me today.I think my connection to Jody began when my aunt gave me Watley’s debut cassette in 1987. Being thirteen and already in touch with something inside me that seemed different, I instantly connected to the music and the artist. Perhaps it was the George Michael duet or the diva-in-training beats. Whatever it may have been, I was hooked. That connection I had back when I was thirteen has been rediscovered over the last five years or so as Jody’s music has gone in a path that I travel today. Deep house and electronic has been my passion for quite some time, so to have that teenage admiration from the past combine with my musical interests of today brings my love of Watley full-circle. It doesn't hurt that Jody and I both share a love for Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt of Everything but the Girl.
I do look forward to her upcoming projects and am going to try and make it to a few of her east coast showings…I hope my interests in Watley’s career translates on this blog strong enough to encourage other people to rediscover her past and upcoming catalog.
Goldfrapp throws around a little sexy in NYC. The duo is scheduled to appear on the Late Show with David Letterman tonight, May 17th. They'll be performing "Ooh La La"
I can't believe I haven't blogged about this before. A Rochester-based pair of photo journalists have a photoblog that captures the beauty of the region. After viewing subjects through their lens, the Chase Tower and tulips in highland park beckon for revisiting by locals.
Hey Rochester! Rain or shine, make your way to Highland Park tonight to catch grammy award winning artist Jody Watley LIVE. Jody is touring in support of her upcoming The Makeover project. The concert is free and the vibe will be flawless.
My weekend started with happy hour with the crew that turned into an all-night affair. one cosmo turned into three and four, and the laughter just kept on comin'. From Black & Blue we made our way to Fairport's small-town sports bar Donnelly's for beer and grub.
Sunday I spent the day with mom. I'm a good boy. I drove down to her lake cottage on Keuka Lake (the most beautiful of the finger lakes IMHO) and spent some quality time with my ma. The sun setting over the water was beautiful and was a great cap to a weekend. Driving the hour-long trek back to Rochester was scenic; the rolling hills of the finger lakes are just lovely.
I love it when I can feature a friend in the man of MySpace feature...Ted and I go way back. We were young and naive college students, navigating our way through gay life in Syracuse, NY. Ted's gone on to be one of NYC's hottest bartenders.
I've got an addiction I must break. In fact, I am breaking it. Tomorrow. I swear.On Monday, Jody Watley comes to town. I’m thinking I may act all Secret Service, talking into my wrist as she enters and exits a room. I do hope her show at the Lilac Festival’s ESL stage gets a good crowd. Unfortunately, people hear Watley’s name and think of all the things she’s done in the past, not so much about her current and upcoming material.
There’s some great things to come and I thank you for bringing the lounge to life with your visits. One thing I’m very excited about is sharing with readers an exclusive sneak peek at the 2007 Provincetown Theater Calendar. With imagery shot by noted photographer Brad Fowler, the calendar follows the “strategically nude” trend, capturing dancers, singers and even audience members, in the buff! Surely the calendar will be a hit and we’ll do our part to help in any way. For more information on donating to and learning more about the cape theater, pay a visit.
The Men of Myspace feature hasn’t gone away; I’ve just been distracted (doesn’t take much) but we’ve got *two* guys lined up for this weekend and I couldn’t be more excited. One is a friend from the days of self-discovery. The other is a (another) model itching for his big, ummm, break. Look for Ted and Doug very soon!
Regarding this blog, I seem to fall victim to the ebb and the flow of the web. Sometimes I’m outrageously inspired to post, other times, well, not so much. I’ve never been much of a fan of all those self-indulgent blogs and have maintained this site as such. But after doing a little critical thinking, I soon realized that that just may be the catalyst for what makes a blog *interesting* and *unique.* If you know nothing about the blogger, what’s going to keep you compelled to visit again? After all, how can I become the next media mogul if you don't pay me repeat visits! So with that in mind, I’ll begin adding a more personal touch to this site and making it a bit less sterile (like your dad.) KIDDING! About the dad part of course, unless he is sterile. In that case, I’m just being honest!
Recent Midnight Lounge interviewee Will Wikle lays claim to this weeks' cover of HX. Wikle reveals his dream radio hosting interview and how he ended up in the hills of Tennesee with a mouthful of marshmallows. (This one's for you, Dennis)
I liked the perspective of this image. Many of the quaint (read: vintage and rundown) hotels along A1A are being knocked down and being replaced by Trump-sized hotels. As Eric and I lay on the beach near Sebastian, this was our view.
Tracey Thorn, the wistful voice behind Everything but the Girl, breaks her motherhood-induced selcusion long enough to reassure fans she's alive and well and stepping back into the studio.ebtg-related at the lounge:
Flipside
Commercial License
Ebtg pays the bills
She's back
Adapt or Die
Hey Rochester. We’re getting a visit from yet *another* RnB vocalist, this time by the likes of Heather Headley. And although Fanstasia headlines the annual Rochester MusicFest the second weekend in July, I’m way more interested in seeing what Headley can do to a crowd.
Often classified as a trite dance song, Madonna's "Borderline" delivered to us a pop superstar back in 1983, but that starpower eclipsed any chance of noticing a well-written piece of pop music.