Showing posts with label iTunes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label iTunes. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Levi Riggs:

Hillbilly Superstar and There's Still A Place for That 

I didn't know who Levi Riggs was at the time, until I went to work  on July 18, 2013.  He was to be the first opening act for Travis Tritt at Freedom Hill Amphitheatre in Sterling Heights, MI.  Originally, the only opener was the Kentucky Headhunters but Levi Riggs was a last minute addition. 

It had been pouring rain that evening and wouldn't stop until later that evening.   There wasn't a huge crowd of people in the pavilion when he took the stage that night along with his band.  Most of the people who had arrived early for the concert that evening were treated to an awesome performance by a young talented up and comer from Indiana.  

Levi Riggs performed a total of eight songs that evening.   The crowd seemed to enjoy the music they were hearing.  I wasn't as familiar with his music as some in the crowd seemed to be.  I did enjoy myself, he has an awesome voice and an amazing band.

Three of the songs in his set list from that night came from his album Hillbilly Superstar. He sang the title track from the album along with "Easy" and "My Best Friend's A Girl."  "Down Home Boy" another song from his list comes off his album There's Still A Place For That.  The other four songs he performed that night came from his yet to be released album I'm Good which is due to be released on Aug. 20, 2013.  

Through out his entire performance Levi made it a point to introduce himself to the crowd. He definitely wanted people to get to know him a little better by telling them to join him on Facebook and Twitter.  He even said that if you follow him on Twitter that he would follow you back.  He even suggested the audience visit his website leviriggs.com for more information about him and his music.  

By the end of his set everyone knew his name and where to find him when they got home. Even though I wasn't watching the stage I heard every beautiful word he sang. 

When I got home after the show ended I went straight to my Twitter account so that I could follow Levi Riggs.  A few minutes later I had a new follower, Levi Riggs.  He was definitely true to his word.  I posted a couple tweets which got favorite by Levi Riggs.  I also logged into Spotify to see if I could listen to any of Levi's music.   Sure enough both of his albums were available on Spotify.  

I started listening to all the tracks on Hillbilly Superstar via Spotify.  I also went to Levi's website to find that I could sign up for Exclusive Access to receive seven songs of his for free.  A video and free downloadable song a day what could be better.  He even responded to some of my tweets and the message I wrote to him on Facebook.

The first downloadable song was "Hillbilly Superstar" the title track from the album of the same name.  It's a song about a guy who's entertaining his family at the backyard barbecue and he only has three strings on his dad's guitar.  He doesn't care cause he wants to rock out like Elvis.  

I never heard a song I could sing along with only after listening to it just once.  This song was amazing.  I loved the lyrics they were so easy to recall that I actually started hearing it being played in my head.  I also found that it is a great song to listen to while walking the dog or even working out.  Its also easy to dance to.

In the first video I learned that  his early influences were Garth Brooks, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan and Harry Chapin along with Alabama's harmonies.  

He got his first taste of what it might be like to be a country singer in the fifth grade musical where he sang the John Micheal Montgomery song "Sold."   He walked up into the crowd and sang the song to his teacher.  

In high school he was in four musicals, three of which he was the lead.  He starred in Bye Bye Birdie where he played the lead.  Decked out in a gold suit he rocked the stage as the girls swoon around him.  He realized this is what it might be like down the road.

He went to Purdue University after high school.  He got his degree in Agriculture Sales and Marketing.  He also was a part of the Purdue Varsity Glee Club.  When he got his conformation call that he got into the Glee Club he was working  at his family's dairy farm in the dairy parlor.

The second song "F-150" was released as a single on Feb. 6, 2010 for download from Amazon and iTunes.  Its a song about a guy having fun in his '92 F-150.  It's also a love song about a girl the guy was in love with at the time.  It has a great beat to it and the lyrics are memorable which is always a good thing for me.  I love listening to it when I take my dog for a walk.  Its another song you can sing along with and never miss a beat.  The only way to get this song is by downloading it but its definitely worth the money in my opinion.  It's one of those song you just can't get out of your head.

The song for day three was "Tailgate Time" another song released as a single and only available on download.  It was released Aug.  26, 2010.  It's a song about having a good time with friends in the parking lot of your favorite football team.  It's about being a great fan whose committed to his favorite team.  I love this song even if I'm not a big fan of football.  I love the idea of being a committed fan.  I'm a committed hockey fan whose devoted to my favorite team even when they are down.  He performed this song at the Superbowl in January 2011.  He got to meet his idol Randy Travis when he performed "Tailgate Time" at the Superbowl.

"My Best Friend's A Girl" is the number four song and track two off of Hillbilly Superstar.  The song is about a guy who's wife is always bugging him about going down to Disney World as well as having babies.  Another great song from Levi Riggs and one that is definitely worth a listen.  If you have Spotify this another song that deserves to be listened to over and over again.  Its a great song to listen to especially if your best friend's a girl.  

So far all four songs have been incredible and I love listening to them.  I even got a friend of mine to sign up for his video/song a day.  Can't go wrong with a free song that you can download and put onto your iPod or your mp3 player.  

Day five was a song entitled "Down Home Boy" which comes from his album There's Still A Place For That.  This song talks about raising your kids up with morals and values with grandma's bible and grandpa's rifle, everything that makes America strong and it all relies on agriculture.  He took everything he learned in the FFA and applied to every aspect of his life and even his music career.  

So far every song is note worthy and definitely worth purchasing.  All his songs are great to take with you on a walk with your dog.  I find myself singing along with the music as I'm walking.  I don't care who hears me because where I live its 100 times better than the crap I hear coming from cars that drive down the street.  

Day six I downloaded the song "Easy" which also appears on Levi's album Hillbilly Superstar. There isn't much to say about this song except that its awesome.  He has a great time performing on stage with his band and the fans make it "Easy."  I've never seen another artist who seems to have a great connection with his audience.  The next time he's in town I'm gonna make sure I get tickets.  His music really appeals to me.  It puts you in a good mood and it makes you smile.  

The last day of his week of free music ends with "There's Still A Place For That" which is the title track of the album with the same name.  He filmed his first music video using this song.  The song is about there still being a place for morals in this country, there's still a place for God, about respecting your parents and your elders, treating people the way you want to be treated.  These are all messages that connect with Levi.  

So far I've downloaded seven amazing songs each one unique as well as memorable.  If you've read this blog all the way through to the end then I think you need to definitely check out Levi Riggs.  I guarantee you won't be sorry, I wasn't and neither was my friend.  You can listen to his music on Spotify for free and then go to his website leviriggs.com to sign up for the Exclusive Access and get seven free songs.  Who can beat getting something for free.  My advice is take advantage of what you can get for free.  

If you like what you hear then by all means go purchase his albums either getting a hard copy or downloading them.  I can only seem to find them at either amazon.com or on iTunes.  Both albums were released in Aug. 2011 and are available for download on both Amazon or iTunes, but the only place to find a hard copy of both albums is on Amazon.  His new album I'm Good was released on Aug. 20, 2013 but is currently only available for download from iTunes and Amazon.

Here is the music video that goes with the song from day seven of the Exclusive Access.  http://youtu.be/jVLq4cZQgA4

I sure do hope you enjoy Levi Rigg's music as much as I have.  Please remember to follow him on Twitter and Facebook.  If you like his music send him a Tweet.  I'm sure you'll get a reply or even have it favorited.  Remember if you follow him on Twitter he'll follow you back.

Thanks you for taking the time to read this.

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Ryan Kelly


IN TIME

On Oct. 11, 2010, In Time the break out solo Cd for Ryan Kelly of Celtic Thunder was released to much acclaim and success.  All the information in this blog is taken from either www.ryankellymusic.com or from www.facebook.com/RyanKellyMusicOfficial.

The first time I ever saw Ryan Kelly was on Detroit Public Television on Easter Sunday in 2011 when he appeared live in studio with fellow Celtic Thunder member,  George Donaldson. There was just something about this black haired blue eyed man I couldn't quite put my finger on.  Maybe it was those piercing blue eyes or was it something else?  I wouldn't find out until I did some more reading about Ryan Kelly.

I didn't know he had already released a solo Cd given the fact that I just became aware of Celtic Thunder in 2011.  I bought the Heritage Cd in late summer of 2011 before their concert in December.  I just started to explore YouTube to see what I could find from Celtic Thunder.  I even started going to the group's website and then one day I was reading a blog post that said Ryan was leaving the group. I think my heart stopped. I bet I wasn't the only one that felt that way.  Neil Byrne who was the lead guitarist joined the other lads as a performer taking over for Ryan who left unexpectedly.  Emmet Cahill joined the group in 2010, he took Paul Byrom's spot but wouldn't go on tour with the rest of the lads until 2011.

Then before the fall 2011 tour started it was announced Ryan would be returning and that Damian was leaving to do Glee.  There were lots of changes for 2011 but everything worked out.  Ryan was back that was all that mattered.  Now I was searching for Ryan Kelly on YouTube to see what I could find that's when I came across the Official video of "Not Far Apart."  The first time I listened to the video I cried, the second time I listened to it I cried.  This song just brings back memories of my grandma.  Though she's been gone for a while its still hard because she's not there anymore especially when she loved Christmas.  Loss is a terrible thing to experience and this song really speaks to that emotion. Here is the link for the video of "Not Far Apart."  http://youtu.be/y0AfdSgK9Mc

The next song on YouTube I found  was the fan video for "Broken Things" which is another sad song. This song is about a broken heart which I can relate to 100 percent, because I have had a broken heart as do a lot of other people who've listened to this CD.  This was one of the first songs Ryan sang from In Time at the Acoustic By Candlelight show, it was the song he'd received a lot of comments about. I'm pretty sure there isn't a fan of either Celtic Thunder or Ryan Kelly that hasn't experienced heart break.  Loss of a loved one is heart breaking but loss from a breakup is just as bad.  With so many broken hearts its no wonder this song is so popular even if it is sad.  Here is the link for the fan video for "Broken Things." This is the video that was uploaded by RKMusicLTD. There is another fan video for this song but its not as good.  http://youtu.be/vaw8qI-QB0o

After "Broken Things" there was "The Village That They Call The Moy" which features photos of Ryan's beloved Moy in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.  I love this video because it gives you have a peek at the town Ryan holds so close in his heart. I know everyone that has seen that video can't wait for the chance to view The Moy for themselves.  This is one of four songs that have a uptempo beat, I could be wrong but then again I could be right.  Since it is not possible for me to put into words what this song means I'll just include the link to the YouTube video for you to enjoy.  http://youtu.be/duXXKPAJZ10

You can find just about all his music on YouTube with the exception of "Secret Bit of Right from Wrong" and "Heaven Bound."  Those seem to be two songs that fans haven't figure out how to create a video for.  I could post every link to all his songs but that would take up too much space besides I have much more to write about and I don't really want to cloud this blog with too many videos.  There seems to be only one official video for the song "Not Far Apart" and two fan videos that have been uploaded by RKMusicLTD, they are "In Too Deep" and "Broken Things."  If you want to check out any of the videos Ryan's fans have created just log into YouTube and search for the title of the song making sure to include the phrase "by Ryan Kelly" which will help narrow down the choices.

I only recently downloaded Ryan's CD In Time which I purchased from www.emusic.com which is available to members for $5.39.  At iTunes you can download In Time for $9.99.  You can purchase the actual CD from CdBaby via Amazon for $19.99 or just download it from Amazon for $8.99.  It is also available on Amazon from other suppliers in the US priced from $19.42 - 28.11 plus 2.98 shipping.  There are also 3 suppliers that ship from outside the US but be aware of import fees associated with making a purchase from them. Shop around to find the best deal especially if your just going to download it, you can still save some money.

Ryan Kelly is a gifted artist with many talents.  Lets not let his talents go to waste because with our support he can shine.  His music speaks to many of us, it comforts us in our time of need without it where would we be.  Personally I am willing to do anything to help him in his career, I'll write about him and I'll write about his music.  I'll sing his praises because he's the genuine article.  He is sincere and sweet and oh so suave.  He is the total package which is a rarity in the music business.  I've had the pleasure of meeting him twice once on Dec. 7, 2011 and once on May 11, 2012.  He is a perfect gentleman with his female fans who absolutely love him.  So please check out his Cd and the various videos on YouTube you won't be sorry.  I love In Time and wouldn't trade it for anything else.  I also have a signed copy of his Cd which I hold very close to my heart.

Please check out my other posts again you won't be sorry.

Update: In April of 2013, Ryan Kelly asked his fans to send in photos to help him create a special video for one of his songs from his debut album In Time.  Fans from all over the globe submitted their pictures helping to create a one of a kind video for the song, "Secret Bit of Right From Wrong"a video for the fan by the fans.  The following link is the end result that was posted on YouTube on May 5, 2013. http://youtu.be/9mn4SGx3EHI