Carlos A Torres – Designer & Photographer

Our beloved Yann Tiersen, composer of the music used in the Amelie soundtrack is coming back to Los Angeles in January. He’s going to be performing at the Luckman Fine Arts Complex at Cal State LA. Yann is about to release his latest album, Dust Lane. I’ll make sure to pick that up and pass along a brief review. Those of you that know me and those of you who have accompanied me to his concerts before know I’m not missing this for anything. If any of you are interested in going with me, let me know. Tickets are already on sale so I’ll be getting a couple of them shortly. Get a hold of me and we’ll go enjoy the mastery, genius and magic that is Yann in person. Here’s a video of Yann live in Europe!

Yann Tiersen Official Website

I just recently got the latest release from Eminem, Recovery. I can’t stress enough how good this CD is. For a few years now, Eminem has depended entirely on his Slim Shady persona and that had watered down his music and his writing was getting monotonous and lazy but he’s come back strong and with nothing to hide as he relentlessly tells of his personal experiences with a brutal truth. This is raw stuff and one can’t ask for anything better than that, especially from such an eclectic individual as Eminem. The production, the writing, the entire work is top-notch and Eminem is clearly still on top of his game. Standouts include: Not Afraid, Love The Way You Lie, 25 To Life and No Love.

Here’s how close we were with Brian “Head” Welch and Sonny from P.O.D. in the pic!

WOW, what an epic even this was today! The start of an interesting weekend began with 8 or so hours of pure fun and mayhem. This was by far the most fun one could ever have for free. Sir Bobby and I and about 40,000 of our closest friends descended upon Pomona for the One Love For Chi benefit concert that included AllOrNothing, Secret & Whisper, The Chariot, Living Sacrifice, Brian “Head” Welch (formerly of Korn) and P.O.D. Now being at a concert with 40,000+ people around us, the last thing we were expecting was to be able to make it all the way up front and center, but there we found ourselves. I’m a bit sore from the moshing that went on all around us and from playing the waves to crowd surfers but you know it’s a heck of a time when even girls start the moshing every once in a while!

I also became an instant fan of Head’s music and will begin reading his book, which has been sitting on my shelf for a while. Incredible story of one man’s journey from stardom and from having it all with Korn to turning to God and leaving it all behind for his one true love! Much love and kudos and success to Head for seeking out what he was lacking and seeking it in the only place he could have ever found it.

The Whosoevers Official Website
Living Sacrifice Official Website
Brian “Head” Welch Official Website
P.O.D. Official Website

MoZella is an artist who has been around for a few years now and she seems to be getting better and better at her craft as time goes by. She has a couple of full albums under her wing and the sound is very familiar yet unique in that it tells very interesting stories. At first glance one might say she sounds like Duffy, Adele or any of a handful of current ingenues but the difference is clearly seen in her storytelling and what seem to be personal experiences through her songs. If you haven’t heard of MoZella and you’re interested in picking up some seriously well crafted music, go ahead and give both full-length albums, I Will and Belle Isle, a try. They each boast great songs like: You Wanted It, Going Home, More Of You, Can’t Stop, What To Say and Freezing.

Here’s Freezing for you to enjoy!

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MoZella Official Website
MoZella on Twitter

Here’s the evidence! Much gratitude to Ryan Clark, lead singer of Demon Hunter and Yogi, drummer for signing my shirt and drumstick respectively. You guys rock! I wish you the best in all you guys do everyday and I definitely can’t wait until I get the product of your upcoming studio time in my hands.

It’s definitely been a while since I’ve posted anything personal but here we go. Just wanted to post a couple of pics from the Demon Hunter concert in Pomona, California. The night….actually make that, the day was awesome! Saw a bunch of bands since the concert lasted all day long. Kudos to Living Sacrifice, they rocked as always and their new song sounds like a definite winner. Demon Hunter of course, were the dynamic group that they are once again. Much thanks to them for putting together a great show, thanks to Ryan for autographing one of my shirts and for snapping a pic with me and thanks to Yogi for signing a piece of one of his drumsticks. I will post the evidence shortly.

Demon Hunter Official Website
Living Sacrifice Official Website

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about Michael Jackson’s passing and the more time goes by and the more thought I put to it, the more I realize just what a huge loss to the entire music industry and to the world this is. There was never an artist like Michael before he came along and there will never be one like him again. Michael was an artist, a dancer, a writer, a poet, a performer, an entertainer, and an icon unlike the music world has ever had. I first heard his music growing up in Colombia and even though I didn’t even understand a word of the English language, the music itself and his videos were powerful enough to capture my imagination and my attention and that of millions around the world who didn’t even understand what he was singing. He was definitely unique in his field and even though he led such a troubled, complicated life, the celebration of his life will always be his artistry. To say that he will be missed is an understatement. His music, his videos, his moves, will always stand the test of time. I come from the generation that saw Thriller hit music shelves and I have to say that I’m very lucky and blessed to have been able to be part of the revolution he brought to music. God bless you Michael and hopefully I’ll get to meet you face to face someday.

Every once in a while I go ahead and peruse the music that’s being played in other countries just to see what’s hot overseas and to leave the insipid taste of American top 40 behind. Well last year I came across a new artist I hadn’t heard before, Gabriella Cilmi (Chill-Me). To say that I was instantly impressed doesn’t even begin to define the experience. I had to go ahead and tell all my co-workers about her right away and they were equally impressed. The video below definitely helped the cause but the pipes on this girl are just amazing. Not only is she as talented as they come for a 16 year old (17 now), but she completely blew me away with the soul in her voice and the wisdom beyond her age. To say that she has more talent in one finger than any teenager we can ever hope to carry out onto a stage over here is an understatement. I believe she hails from Australia but has begun her recording career in England and is of course hoping to make a splash over here also.  If you’re a lover of music, you definitely need to check her music out. She was recently re-packaged for American audiences and now her music is finally avaialable here. Along with Duffy, you just can’t get any more soulful than this. I’m eagerly awaiting her next release, which I’ll probably have to go find in some British website somewhere, oh well! Among the standouts from her Lessons To Be Learned album are: Sanctuary, Einstein and the tune below Sweet About Me. I just had to spread the word, do yourself a favor and at least check her out.

Enjoy Sweet About Me:

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Gabriella Cilmi Official Website

Sweet About Me Video – YouTube