The Peach Kings

Meeting in 2010, Paige MacLean of Texas and Steven Trezevant of L..A., now make up The Peach Kings. Originally collaborating in San Francisco, currently they are based out of Los Angelis. From the moment I heard them, I thought they had a unique but familiar sound, thus earning them a spot light position in Musically Connected.

“Thieves and Kings” was the first video I had the pleasure of viewing. The sensuous, soulful voice of Paige quickly got my attention. Steven brings everything together with his abilities on the guitar and back ground vocals. This is not to under estimate his talent when it comes to lead vocals. After viewing “thieves”, I couldn’t wait to see other videos and I was not disappointed. The Peach Kings definitely have a new fan. To my knowledge, this team is still unsigned. If this is the case, I am sure they will get signed very soon.

The collaboration of Paige and Steven saw the birth of an EP in September, 2011. Due to local air play and the internet, Trip Wop, their EP, was well received. Currently, they are working on a new single as well as doing some performing.

I am expecting great things from The Peach Kings in the future. Whether your genre is Rock, Folk, Soul or R & B, it is a safe bet that you will love Paige and Steven. This team is a must hear and one to watch.

Saying good-bye to Whitney

The world will say good - bye to Whitney Houston tomorrow at 12 pm ET. The family obviously distraught by her death had to make many hard decisions. Conceding that the public has a void because of her death, the family decided to permit 1 camera inside Newark’s New Hope Baptist Church. The funeral will be by invitation only as the church reportedly seats just 300; however, the funeral will be streaming live on line. The funeral will be viewable at livestream.com

LL Cool J Rocks

LL Cool J is alright in my books. He took no time in demonstrating that he was the best person to MC this year’s Grammys. Starting with a heartfelt prayer, he quickly brought the audience and viewers alike into a solemn attitude. Right on cue, memorable video footage was shown of Whitney. From that moment on, little time was wasted between acts and awards. The entire evening was a time of remembering and celebrating. Not just remembering Whitney, but also remembering other artists who passed on this past year such as Etta James and Amy Winehouse.

The Grammys of 2012 is going to stand out for many years to come. This is not only because it occurred within 2 days of the death of Whitney Houston, but because of the quality of performances. In recent times, I cannot remember a time when the artists preformed so well during the Grammys. Of course there were exceptions, but generally it was a well organized and entertaining show.

Like I said, on the whole, the show was well organized. For me, there was one glaring organizational flow. I was blown out of the water with Jennifer Hudson’s performance and tribute to Whitney. This performance should have been, however, near the beginning of the show. I know that many people missed seeing her live as it was nearer to the end. In addition most of the tributes to Houston came at the beginning. Unless there is something that I am missing, I see no reason for her performance not to have been placed near the beginning and to have been more connected with the other memorials.

Although this is not an original thought, the Grammys could not have happened at a better time. So many lives were touched by Whitney’s life. Many of those in attendance, at the Grammys, either knew Whitney personally or were inspired by her. It could have been “the day the music died” all over again. The gem here is that people came together during the Grammys, supported each other and kept the music alive despite Whitney’s death. This is what Whitney would have wanted.

Whitney Houston Dies at 48

It is with sadness and disbelief that my first blog is regarding the death of Whitney Houston. A musical icon, in her own right, Houston has passed away at just 48: thus joining the eerie distinctions of Richie Valens, Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson of leaving us much too early. Houston, who gave us great songs as “I Will Always Love You” and “Greatest Love of All”, passed away February 11, 2012, from not yet determined or disclosed causes.

While it is true that Houston was living a fast and destructive life style, of late, now is not the time to focus on that. She was an incredible musician whose voice will live on. Her voice was powerful and clear Her passion was evident in every note. She lived for music. Ironically Houston was found dead in her hotel room hours before the traditional pre-Grammys dinner hosted by veteran host Clive Davis. Davis is the producer who discovered and developed Houston.

This is a dark day for music. Yet another artist dies way before their time. It may even be probable that she died due to a drug over dose. Writers, including, myself are being very careful not to speculate on the cause of death. We do not know for sure, at this point, and we should not allow these rumours to take away from the great talent that we have lost this weekend. There will be plenty of time to search for the truth. Today let’s celebrate her life as we look forward to the Grammys tonight.

Houston’s passing is going to have a dampening effect on the Grammy’s scheduled for this evening, but in true form they will continue as Houston would have wanted. Jennifer Hudson is going to do a tribute as well as other respectful additions will be included in the program. Neil Portnow, president of The Recording Academy, the organization that runs the Grammy’s said, “We will do something appropriate tomorrow, and nothing could be more appropriate than having Jennifer Hudson sing on stage for Whitney”. Although Portnow, couldn’t elaborate further, we do know that Houston’s contribution to music will be a highlight in tonight’s Grammys. The show will go on, but Whitney Houston will never be forgotten.