Music: Electric Light Orchestra

Electric Light Orchestra! Or, according to their US audience in the nineteen seventies, "the English guys with big fiddles". ELO were a British rock group from Birmingham, England from 1971-1986 with a brief reunion in 2001.

Sweet SixteenX2

Another birthday has come and gone, and another theme has gone down in the history book of Dallas Amante. You may remember previous birthday themes - La Grande Revue 31 and XXX: Dirty Thirty. This time, the theme was Sweet SixteenX2 to celebrate turning 32 (you get the math, right?).

2013: The Musical Yearbook

Every year as a bonus gift to all my friends for Christmas, I compile the music that was a part of my life for the year. Is it obvious yet that I love to do a mixtape? (See La Grande Revue 31 and XXX: Dirty Thirty)

Most of it is usually current, some of it is older music. It's really just music that affected me and my experiences for the year. Here's my top 21 tracks for 2013:

Music: Love Spent (Live)

If there is one thing that I am over in "Alternative" music these days, it's the use of the banjo paired with claps and shouts of "Hey!". It seems the entire industry is jumping on this sound of the moment. So to be completely honest, I was a little turned off when I heard Madonna's "Love Spent" from her twelfth studio album, MDNA.

Music: Beyoncé

 
We interrupt 2013 to bring you Beyoncé. Mrs. Carter dropped her fifth (visual) album directly to iTunes last week - a complete surprise to both her fans and the industry.
 
"I didn’t want to release my music the way I’ve done it,” she said. “I am bored with that. I feel like I am able to speak directly to my fans. There’s so much that gets between the music, the artist and the fans. I felt like I didn’t want anybody to give the message when my record is coming out. I just want this to come out when it’s ready and from me to my fans.”
 

Video: Work

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La Grande Revue 31: Birthday Burlesque

It's been a growing theme to, well...theme my birthdays each year! Last year was the big three-oh celebrated with XXX: Dirty Thirty. This year in an effort to cover all of the themes I want to eventually do, it was La Grande Revue 31. Otherwise known as Birthday Burlesque.

The theme was burlesque and as you'll soon see my friends and I put on our best Lady Marmalade attire to take to the streets of West Hollywood and make a scene at Rasputin. Stockings, garter straps, ruffles and top hats!

Music: Applause Live on GMA

Sometimes I wonder if there are subconscious messages that influence me to choose certain topics for this blog. Before Lady Gaga performed "Applause" in the theatrical style of The Wizard of Oz on Good Morning America, I was already considering a Storybook theme.

Music: White Rabbit

Continuing with my Storybook theme and my Alice's Adventures In Wonderland focus, have the White Rabbit sound the trumpets and let me present to you "White Rabbit" from Jefferson Airplane.

Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band formed in San Francisco who became pioneers of psychedelic rock. They were also the first band from the San Francisco scene who achieved mainstream success with their 1967 album Surrealistic Pillow. Psychedelic indeed.

Music: What You Waiting For?

Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock. It is one of my favorite elements in music when an artist puts out a song that is directly inspired by their own life or feelings. "What You Waiting For?" is a brilliant example of this.

Music: Tom Ford

"I don't pop molly, I rock Tom Ford" raps Jay-Z on his twelfth studio album, Magna Carta...Holy Grail.

MCHG is at the very least the best rap album of this summer and at the very most the best rap album of the year. It was certified Platinum the day of it's release! That has to be some kind of record and was accomplished in part to due to an unprecedented digital download deal with Samsung subscribers. An innovative and modern day approach to album sales by Jay-Z.

Book: Tommyland

I already know that I'm not going to sound very cultured when I say that Tommyland is one of the few books I've actually finished reading. Not that I haven't ever finished another book, but this one really kept my interest. So much so that I read The Dirt: The Life and Times of Motley Crue after finishing it.

Music: Free Fallin

Thomas Earl "Tom" Petty is a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer. Oh and an American musician, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, actor and frontman of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers who has sold over sixty million albums.

Music: Run The World (Girls)

 
This video may not be set in the jungle, well your typical jungle. There are scenes that look like they are on an African desert (actually the Mojave Desert). But, it's Wild factor is off the charts! And there are lions!

Shop It: Girl Gone Wild

Since everyone seems to enjoy my styling with music videos as inspiration, here's another post in honor of getting a little Wild, and Madonna's birthday.

Music: Girl Gone Wild

We can't go Wild without some Madonna! What better title from her extensive catalog than the one that explains it all, "Girl Gone Wild". And what better day than the Queen of Pop's 55th birthday?

Music: I'm A Slave 4 U (Live)

Welcome to the jungle...on the MTV VMA's stage! Complete with lions, snakes, and dancers outfitted to resemble all the other creatures of a Wild and sexy jungle.

Music: Boyz

I'm sure you've all heard "Paper Planes" from M.I.A.'s second studio album, Kala. The single put M.I.A. into the mainstream after a successful career "underground". But, the first single from Kala and one of the many highlights is "Boyz".

Music: Love Lockdown

 
Oh Kanye. I like to compare the persona of Kanye West to that of a crying baby. It stresses you out but you still give it attention.
 

Music: Welcome to the Jungle

Since August is one of the last months on summer (depending on how global warming has affected where you live), we are going to get wild! Shifting the focus from Romance to everything tropical with just a touch of jungle fever!

What better anthem to welcome you to this wild month than Guns N' Roses "Welcome to the Jungle"?