We interviewed Derek Jameson a while ago in reFRESH Magazine so were more than delighted to hear from him recently with details of his new EP release. Not having spoken in a while we decided to find out what he's been up to...
Tell us about the inspiration for your new release
The first song written for this EP was Mr. Soldier Man. I was lifting in the gym with my friend Mike Manning and we were discussing our views on weakness and strength inside ourselves. It made me really start thinking about our roles as "men" and the weight and ideals we place on ourselves to be strong, to be leaders, to be providers, etc... Mr. Soldier Man was written that day and was the spark to A History of Heroes, which is an homage to the inspiration in my life; the beautiful people that I have been blessed to have for as short or long a time as they have been in it. Without those connections I would not be as strong in my self as I am today.
It's a tough career music, what words of advice would you offer to anybody considering it?
Well, it's not something you wake up one day and decide you want to do. I think I am around a lot of folks in LA that "think" they can be an ARTIST or an ACTOR. But these two titles are in your blood or they just aren't. TV shows today show some of the hard work that goes into creating, performing, and producing music on all levels. It's not something you "consider," it's something that no matter what, you have to do. The heroes are always one in million.
Working so hard all the time, what do you do to relax and chill out?
I have two dogs... I live at a canyon in Hollywood so I like to walk them up the canyon. I also love playing tourist and walking down to Hollywood Blvd to see a movie at the Chinese Theatres. For some reason, no one ever goes to them. I like going to church on Sundays and experiencing something new every week. Fitness is a huge part of my life, so I make sure I am in the gym or hiking the canyon most days of the week.
A bit of fun for you Derek, tell us the last time you...
- Lost your temper - haha... 2 days ago when a taxi cut me off to pick up a passenger on Fairfax in the middle of traffic...almost making me hit him....oooooh I said every name in the book to that guy... I happened to have my dad on the phone too..woops.
- Cried - Sunday when I watched "Real Steel" and revisited "The Notebook" for the first time since it came out.
- Laughed - Just now when I admitted I watched AND cried to The Notebook...lol..just wait for Titanic 3D....they better have that thing in D-Box Motion seating lol!
- Kissed - Oh I don't let people kiss me. I save that for special individuals...BUT I can say that some people like to steal them....and that happened this past weekend.
Finally, tell us a secret...
Awe I hate secrets...they always cause problems...so I try to lay it all out...even if it hurts. Ah! got one... I just ate girl scout cookies and milk when I am trying so hard to lean up for Vegas lol...practice what you preach.
Watch the official video for Mr Soldier Man below. Find out more about Derek Jameson on his official website, www.derekjameson.com
We've long been fans of the work of Denver based photographer Mark Stout so were pleased to receive this new shoot from him featuring Denver DJ Sean O'Grady (who's modelling BASKIT underwear).
Sean dj's at one of Denver's largest clubs, Tracks and this was his first shoot - not that you'd know from the result!
Grimsby born Singer/songwriter Dhari began recording and performing at the tender age of 11 and scored some early success with an RNB edit of his song All eyes on Me which made playlists in a number of clubs around the UK and Dubai!
Following this success Dhari headed to London where he won a scholarship to train in ballet, jazz, tap and voice. It was here that he started to discover himself as a performer. After working through some somewhat salubrious night spots attending ‘open mic’ nights he debuted at the Live Gems show at Chinawhite in 2010. His new song You Lied will be available to download in the New Year.
Meet Steven Gallavin, a gay jazz singer who's revisiting some of the most beautiful and biggest vocal jazz standards by breaking the borders between gender, sexuality and sensuality.
Many jazz authors were homosexual and in some cases their songs were actually written for their male lovers. For example Noël Coward, who wrote Mad about the Boy for his long term partner Graham Payn – a British-South African actor. But although many songs were originally written for men, they have been rarely sung by men.
Gallavin plans to change that by re-establishing the origins of these songs with his own interpretation and he's just released his first single and a music video Mad about the Boy(Radio Edit)with the team of the cabaret-bar “chez Maman” in Brussels.
You order his CD from his website www.gallavin.com or listen to the album free via streaming on Deezer
Award winning singer-songwriter John Galea will be releasing a new single next month. Do It My Way is self-released and will be available as a download on 15 August priced at 79p.
The 3:14 track builds on the success of his previous hits, Trendsetter and Frontline and is described as a 'mix of gritty electro beats with a goodtime pop feel'.
Galea has been tipped as one of Britain's most promising rising stars and has already working alongside the producers for such globals successes as Britney Spears, the Pussycat Dolls and Jay Sean.
This French-born young gay singer and songwriter is based in London and has already made quite a hit with his performances on the gay scene.
Alan has a prodigious talent for being creative producing a rich mix of sexually explorative and witty pop songs that have kept his audiences very well entertained.
Hailing from Dublin, Chris Singleton has already made some serious inroads into the music industry with his album, Lady Gasoline, described as 'an eclectic genre-bending mix of British songcraft'. The album is already a hugh hit on the Emerald Isle where it achieved excellent reviews and coverage from the Irish media and radio stations.
His album is now set for a wider UK release (through Proper/IRL) on May 23. No mean achievement for a guy who's had to overcome a rare hearing problem (hyperacusis) and handle synesthesia (a condition that causes the person to associate numbers, letters and days of the week with colours and personalities).
You can find out more about Chris via his website by clicking here
We were recently asked by one of our regular readers to run a piece on Jody Brock, a talented emerging musician who they saw perform at the Ritzy in Brixton.
Having had a quick listen to his music, we'd be pleased to. You can listen to Jody's music on his myspace and go along to support some of his live gigs.
Songs from NYC is the second studio album by the singer and songwriter Markus Riva.
There are 14 original songs on the album each inspired by influences from New York – the people, atmosphere, places, feelings, loneliness, thousands of people, money, sexuality and self-confidence being just a few. The musical material was produced by Markus himself in both New York and Riga.
For an artist who is usually quite private in his songs, this collection are very open and frank, something Riva puts down to his experiences in New York, "visiting New York turned me into a totally different person".
Songs from NYC is the first internationally issued record, it can also be bought from iTunes and amazon.com (click links below)
Enjoying a relaxing Saturday until into my inbox pops some news from reFRESH fav Carsten Andersson (who we've blogged about before). He's been busy in New York shooting with Lucas Entertainment in a brand new movie (his first adult flick since 2005) and also finding time to continue his music career as well! The shots below were taken by One IA in Germany! Enjoy them...
This cover from April/May 2006 was from our annual business issue which featured a whole range of articles promoting and supporting diversity, education and equality in the workplace.
If you'd like to get in touch with reFRESH Magazine, drop us an email at freshfields70@gmail.com
We'd love to hear from any aspiring artistes (models, musicians, photographers, writers) who we could help with some editorial on our blogsite - or any stories or products you'd like to share.
Two Men on a Cake
Two Men on a Cake is the new online gay magazine that provides the ultimate destination for gay 'grooms to be'!
Peccadillo Pictures
Peccadillo Pictures is one of the leaders in the field of LGBT films, sourcing titles from across the world. You can buy a whole host of different movies directly from their website.
Wander Aguiar
A reFRESH regular with his creative fashion editorials, his talented lens compliments the look and feel of the magazine
Dean Stockings
He's shot paint, ice and now food for the latest issue of reFRESH (which you can see inside the Design special). We're pleased to know him and loved his new book, 'Sofa So Naked'.
Zoran Trifunovic
We've long been fans of the work of Serbian photographer Zoran Trifunovic - so much so he's shot two of our front covers over the last few years (one is pictured above, featuring hot Croatian model/actor Danilo Vukevic). We're sure we'll find our paths crossing again sometime soon!
reFRESH Theatre Club
Enjoy some great deals at the theatre, courtesy of the reFRESH Theatre Club
reFRESH Friends
Pink Alert News Combining regular news on fashion, homoculture, photography and celebrity. A tasty cocktail from Jean-Noel
A cause des Garcons Ce blog très populaire attire l'intérêt du monde entier
en raison de son bon journalisme et de belles images. Although we might not understand all the words, the message comes across loud and clear.
Rockmyblog The new hot and sexy e-zine straight out of Brazil with sexy guys, top photography and hot fashion.
The Rosengart Collection Based in the heart of Lucerne, this amazing art collection features works by Picasso, Klee, Miro and Cezanne.
ASOS Great fashion, hot styles and some top prices!
Lufthansa With their new A380 airbus redefining first class travel, check out their website and take advantage of some great deals
YVY Mag One of the newest, freshest and sexiest blogs on the net at the moment! We're big fans!
Jeu de Paume One of our favourite modern art and photographer galleries in Paris
Switzerland Tourism Switzerland is one of the leading countries that actively promotes LGBT travel, working closely with all areas of the LGBT community
The National Gallery Prime location, first class exhibitions and permanent displays
The V&A Museum One of our favourite London museums with a great gift shop
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