by David Cohen

Lesbian folk-rock singer, writer, acoustic guitarist, advocate–all of these are qualities that Catie Curtis possesses. Curtis’ music expresses her honesty, values and personal life experiences. Revealing her own truth through her songs, the Boston-based singer has always been true to herself. “I’ve found that you have to be honest about who you are, and you must be real to your own feelings,” Curtis stated when visiting Chicago last August.

Curtis and Marshall married in 2000, and later adopted two children, Lucy and Celia. The ado ption process was challenging, and even though Curtis and Marshall were legally married in Massachusetts, Curtis had to adopt the girls by herself. “The law was different then, and it was easier to do it this way,” Curtis explains.

The inequality and difficulties of this situation where the driving forces behind Curtis becoming an advocate for gay marriage and equality. She became ordained to perform gay marriages in 2010, something she loves to do “because it’s different from everything I do every day especially singing. I love seeing two people in love commit to each other.”

Curtis strived to create music, and in 1991 her hard work paid off with the release of her debut album “From Years to Hours.” During the next twenty years she released 10 more albums and toured the United States, Canada, and Europe.

In October of 1996, the gay community honored Curtis for her music. Curtis won several awards at The Gay & Lesbian American Music Awards (GLAMAs), who named her The Best Out Recording Artist for her song “Radical,” a song about interracial gay relationships.

In 2009, Curtis performed at the HRC Equality Ball in celebration of President Barack Obama’s inauguration. Performing with her were music legends Cyndi Lauper, Melissa Etheridge, Rufus Wainwright, and Thelma Houston. In 2010, Curtis was invited to perform at the White House.

While touring, Curtis continues to write songs and win over the hearts of her audiences each time she performs live. PINK Magazine’s party “Marry Me PINK” last August at Café Yuca in Chicago was no exception. All agreed that Curtis is a winner, and one guest was overheard saying, “She sounds better live than on her CD!”

The talented singer/song writer/guitarist’s released her latest CD Stretch Limousine on Fire, in August 2011 by Stretch Limousine on Fire,Curtis delivers the essence of her own life unlike anything she has done previously. With an extraordinary range of humility and deceptively soft yet strong vocals, Curtis brings forth a compelling message of love, marriage and hope.

To promote Stretch Limousine on Fire, Curtis dedicated two songs to gay marriage and civil unions. “Gay marriages have a special meaning to me. Everyone should be able to marry their loved one regardless of their sexual orientation,” Curtis states. With the approval of same sex marriages in New York last June, Curtis dedicated her song “I Do” to gay marriage. Curtis explains, “This song is about love-straight or gay. It doesn’t matter, it’s the same.

Love is love.” “Wedding Band” to PINK readers to celebrate the legalization of gay marriage in Illinois. Curtis also attended North Halsted Market Days Street Festival in Chicago as a guest at PINK Magazine’s extravaganza “Marry Me PINK.” Curtis autographed her latest CD and posters at Pink’s booth.

Stretch Limousine on Fire marks a departure for Curtis as she pushes her own musical boundaries to explore “the difficult edges of passing events” in life, harsh realities that are tempered with moments of fleeting beauty. “There’s a lot of texture in my music that makes you feel like you’re really close to to the harsh realities” refers Curtis to her new album. Recorded at Los Angeles’ Stampede Origin Studio, Stretch Limousine on Fire harnesses the energy of Curtis’ live concerts, thanks in part to a fiercely talented band featuring drummer Jay Bellerose and bassist Jennifer Condos. “My singing was inspired by their playing,” said Curtis of her band. “Recording felt like a live performance.” The album’s spirited and unique vibe is best embodied by the album’s title track. “Stretch Limousine on Fire” which is an infectious song whose central image takes on the idea that “when bad things happen, you sometimes take comfort in realizing they happen to everybody.” said Curtis. The album also features guest vocalists Lisa Loeb and Mary Chapin Carpenter.

Driven by her true love to music, Curtis always pushed herself to explore new ways to express herself as she reveals much about herself in the songs she sings and writes. Everyone should listen to her lyrics which tell the stories of harsh realities, real people, and her own life. She shares the love and appreciation of what life and love have given us all. I highly recommend that everyone listen to her music and find the inspiration, beauty and secrets that Catie Curtis has delivered these past 20 years.

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Lady Gaga to Release Blu-Ray/DVD from The Monster Ball tour at Madison Square Garden,with Exclusive Never-Before-Seen Footage on November 21^st

Special Collector’s Edition Package will Include Born This Way 17-track and The Remix Albums as well as a Blu-Ray & DVD from The Monster Ball tour at Madison Square Garden

Multi-platinum and Grammy Award-winning artist Lady Gaga will release a Blu-Ray & DVD copy of the critically acclaimed, Emmy Award winning HBO special Lady Gaga Presents The Monster Ball Tour at Madison Square Garden that includes exclusive, never before seen footage. Also being released is the album Born This Way The Remix – a 14 track collection of remixes by some of today’s most prominent artists, DJs and producers, including Foster the People, Michael Woods and The Weekend. The new products are also available in a special package called Born This Way, The Collection, that will include the multi-platinum 17-track record Born This Way, the brand new Born This Way The Remix album and the Monster Ball Tour DVD. All items are available beginning November 21^st, the same day that the much anticipated Lady Gaga x Terry Richardson book will be released from Grand Central Publishing.

Lady Gaga’s third studio album, Born This Way, broke the iTunes record for the fastest rise to the # 1 on release day. The singles from the album, including “Born This Way,” “Judas,” “The Edge of Glory” and “Yoü and I” have sold a combined total of more than 7 million copies in the US alone. The first single from the album, the title track “Born This Way,” set a music industry record by becoming the fastest single in history to reach sales of 1,000,000 copies (five days after its February 11^th release). Only the 19^th single to ever debut at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (issue date February 26, 2011), the recording was Lady Gaga’s third #1 on the chart. On iTunes, the song debuted at the top spot in 14 countries, including the U.S., and hit #1 in all 23 iTunes stores worldwide its first week out. The singles from the album, including “Born This Way”, “Judas”, “The Edge of Glory” & “Yoü & I” have sold a combined total of more than 6 million copies in the  US  alone.

In less than three years, Lady Gaga has earned numerous achievements including five Grammy Awards amongst twelve nominations, two Guinness World Records and the estimated sale of 23 million albums and 64 million singles worldwide. Billboard named her both the “2010 Artist of the Year” and the top selling artist of 2010 ranking her as the 73rd Artist of the 2000’s decade. Gaga has been included in Time’s annual “The 2010 Time 100” list of the most influential people in the world as well as Forbes’ list of the “The World’s Most Powerful Celebrities” in the world. Forbes also placed her at number seven on their annual list of the world’s “100 Most Powerful Women.” With over 1.9 billion combined views of all her videos online, Lady Gaga is one of the biggest living people on Facebook with over 44 million ‘likes’ and is #1 on Twitter with over 14 million followers. Lady Gaga is the only artist in the digital era to top the 5 million sales mark with her first two hits.

Source: Press Release from “The Monster Ball tour”

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Source: Bridget Dixon, Communications Manager at Hollenbeck Associates

Erasure’s hot new single, “When I Start To (Break It All Down)”, is out now and available at all digital music stores. Taken from the synthpop duo’s forthcoming album, Tomorrow’s World (October 4^th), the new track brings the electronic dance pioneers back to the forefront of a genre that’s now back on top of the charts. “When I start to (break it all down)” showcases what Erasure is all about; Sing out loud anthems with a beat that just won’t quit and it’s just a taste of what the full album Tomorrow’s World is all about.  Listen to “When I start to (break it all down)” on SoundCloud. The complete 5 track single EP will go on sale September 27^th and includes remixes of “When I Start To (Break It All Down)” from Kris Menace, Little Loud and Steve Smart & Westfunk, plus a B-Side not found on the record, “Tomorrow’s World”.

The 27-date US tour begins today, August 31^st in Tampa, FL.  This is Erasure’s first US tour in five years, and will continue through September, finishing in Seattle on October 6^th. Frankmusik, who produced Tomorrow’s World and is one of the UK dance scene’s most exciting new talents (production credits include Lady Gaga, Pet Shop Boys, Ellie Goulding) will join Erasure on tour. Visit www.erasureinfo.com for complete tour details. Tickets are on sale now at Ticketmaster.

When I Start To (Break It All Down) :

1. When I Start To (Break It All Down) – Single Version
2. Tomorrow’s World
3. When I Start To (Break It All Down) – Kris Menace Remix
4. When I Start To (Break It All Down) – Little Loud Remix
5. When I Start To (Break It All Down) – Steve Smart & Westfunk Main Room Edit

September 13th and 14th in New York, NY Terminal 5 • September 16th and 17th in Chicago, IL Congress Theatre • September 18th Milwaukee, WI Pabst Theater • September 27th Denver, CO Ogden Theater •

Wed. September 28th Salt Lake City, UT Kingsbury Hall
Fri. September 30th Las Vegas, NV The Palms Concert Theater
Sat. October 1st Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Palladium
Sun. October 2nd San Diego, CA House of Blues
Tues. October 4th Oakland, CA Fox Theatre
Wed. October 5th Portland, OR Crystal Ballroom
Thurs. October 6th Seattle, WA Neptune

Source: press announcement by Erasure.

After two years spent touring across the country, including a performance at the White House, lesbian icon and folk-rock singer Catie Curtis will release her 11th album “Stretch Limousine on Fire,” on Aug. 30, 2011.

Among the new album’s 10 original songs is “I Do,” a song which speaks to the strides made in ensuring marriage equality for all. To celebrate the movement’s recent victory in New York and Chicago, Catie made the song available as a free download until August 30, 2011 at www.catiecurtis.com. Another new song, “Wedding Band,” will be available to all PINK readers as a free download mp3 when you visit http://compassrecords.com/free_mp3/catiecurtis-weddingband.

The new album pushes Curtis’ own musical boundaries to explore “the difficult edges of passing events.” It’s this portrayal of universal life experiences, wrapped in Curtis’ brand of evocative songwriting that won her the 2006 International Songwriting Competition.

Catie will be  at PINK’s booth at Market Days on Saturday, August, 13, 2011, from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Modern Love Streaming NOW on AOL Music! New single “Faster” climbing the radio charts at Hot AC and Triple A!

Multi-platinum selling artist Matt Nathanson is releasing his new album, Modern Love, next  Tuesday June 21^st on Vanguard Records. The album is streaming in its entirety now on  AOL Music here.

In honor of release week, Matt will be performing single “Faster” and the album’s title track “Modern Love” on Jimmy Kimmel Live! next Wednesday, June 22^nd. Matt will be accompanied by a full horn section for both songs. You have likely already heard first single “Faster” which is climbing the radio charts and is currently Top 5 at Triple A and Top 30 at Hot AC!  Fresh off the road from a nationwide tour with country superstars Sugarland, Matt recently announced plans to join Maroon 5 and Train on a U.S. tour later this summer. Full tour dates are below.

Modern Love comes on the heels of 2007’s break-out success Some Mad Hope, which catapulted the San Francisco-based Nathanson from darling of the touring circuit with a devoted cult following to a bonafide hit maker and one of the premiere songwriters on the music scene today. The album boasts the Top 3 single “Come On Get Higher,” which has sold over 2 million copies to date. Known for his legendary live shows that are both wildly funny and emotionally provocative, Nathanson took a year off the road to recor  Modern Love – the first break he has taken from touring in his 15 year career. The success of Some Mad Hope and “Come On Get Higher” gave Nathanson a sense of accomplishment and confidence that allowed him to take a new approach to Modern Love, taking bigger risks and diving deeper into his vast array of musical influences. The writing process started by exploring songs that were more physical and groove-based, drawing from influences such as Depeche Mode, AC/DC and Talking Heads. “That was a sexy song and it connected, people got it,” he says of “Come On Get Higher.” “So we started with the idea of keeping a groove steady the whole way through a song. I wanted things to breathe and hang off these songs in a way that defied the fact that they were written on an acoustic guitar.” By the time the eleven songs, written and produced with his longtime collaborator Mark Weinberg, were completed, Nathanson was marveling at the new territory they had covered. From the “Depeche Mode groove” in “Mercy (Less Drowning, More Land)” to the ecstatic opening track and first single “Faster,” to the soaring “Run,” which features Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush, Modern Love is a luminous and bold departure.

PINK Magazine is giving away tickets to see Lenka this coming Friday at the  Subterranean. Email your name and telephone/cell number to giveaways@pinkmag.com.

Two, the follow-up to Lenka’s self-titled debut album, which entered at No. 3 on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart in late 2008 and contained “The Show,” which became a Top 10 hit in over 10 countries.

The Australian singer-songwriter has been on the go ever since the release of her debut – hitting 21 countries in 10 months, recording in London, Atlanta and Los Angeles and recently relocating to Brooklyn. This Friday, June 17th, Lenka will perform at the  Subterranean, 2011 West North Avenue in Chicago.

Lenka recorded much of Two with producer David Kosten (Bat for Lashes), working at Ray Davies’ Konk Studios in North London. “Tourists would come by and some were shaking they were so excited to see it,” she recalls. “But, for us, it was cool because there were all The Kinks’ original instruments in there and I got to use a mellotron from the 1970s.”

Her album is distinctly more electronic than her last, from the dance-friendly  “Two,” which was produced by Eg White (Adele) to the infectious lead single “Heart Skips a Beat” is one of three tracks produced by Guy Sigsworth (Björk, Seal).

“Björk was the first artist that made me realize that it wasn’t illegal to have a computer beat in a song – that it can still be beautiful and emotional,” says Lenka, former vocalist/keyboardist for acclaimed Australian electronic/ambient band Decoder Ring.

Ages 17+.  Doors at 9pm, show at 9:30pm.

Check out the clip, which recently premiered at TeenVogue.com.

http://www.teenvogue.com/industry/blogs/music/2010/11/exclusive-watch-lenkas-new-video-roll-with-the-punches.html

Be the First One To See “LADY GAGA: Inside The Outside” on PINKmag.com

With the debut of BORN THIS WAY, the legendary LADY GAGA reveals her intimate stories from her youth and talks about her path to Stardom in her new special this coming exclusively to MTV, Thursday, May 26, at 9pm ET/PT. “LADY GAGA: Inside The Outside,” the one hour-long documentary, will be also available on-demand streaming on MTV.Com.

But who is the girl that became this pop-culture and musical icon, and what legacy does she want to leave?

Lady Gaga: Inside The Outside will compel the viewers to look beyond the outlandish outfits, spectacular live performances and the controversy.  Instead, appreciate the forces, events and the influences that shaped Stefani Germanotta’s ascension into one of pop music’s most influential and most successful artists of our times.

This intimate, stripped-down interview with Lady Gaga is honest and pure. Who recounts never-before-heard life experiences that shaped her early years and brought her to where she is today. From the moment she looked in the mirror and decided she was meant to be a star, to the “Thunder Road” challenge she accepted from her father to land her first baby grand piano, Lady Gaga shares an abundance of personal and poignant stories that includes: the inspiration behind her first song, the impact of being bullied at school, her musical and style influences, her relationship with her family, her love of late night bike rides around Brooklyn, and much more. Viewers will also learn how she juggles fame and her career, along with fans and her personal life, and the social causes that drive her.

“While we all know the artist who has matured into a major force in music, fashion and pop culture, Lady Gaga has seldom discussed in detail the young woman she was before,” said Dave Sirulnick, Executive Vice President, MTV News and Docs. “With this documentary, we’re pulling back the veil and providing a rare glimpse into the rich back story and personal life of this modern day icon.”

The first single from the album, title track “Born This Way,” set a music industry record by becoming the fastest single in history to reach sales of 1,000,000 copies five days after its February 11, 2011, released. On iTunes, the song debuted at the top spot in 14 countries, including the US, and hit #1 in all 23 iTunes stores worldwide its first week out. “Born This Way” was Gaga’s 7th single to hit #1 at Top 40.  The second single from the album, “Judas” has eclipsed 500,000 in sales and Lady Gaga’s latest two singles, “The Edge of Glory” and “Hair” are both currently in the iTunes top 10.

In less than three years, Lady Gaga has won a sleuth of high profile awards and honors, including the 2010 MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year, the 2011 MTV Music Award for Most Innovative Artist and five Grammy Awards. Her hit singles, including “Just Dance,” “Poker Face” and “Bad Romance” have sold over 50 million copies worldwide.

With over 1.3 billion combined views of all her videos online, Lady Gaga is one of the biggest living people on Facebook with over 34 million ‘likes’ and is #1 on Twitter with over 10 million followers.

For more information visit  www.mtvpress.com

The Special Edition                                                       The Standard Edition

by David Cohen publisher and owner.

The legendary Lady Gaga done it again! Her second full-length studio album  Born This Way, is available online and in stores worldwide TODAY. With one of the world’s largest fan club, Lady Gaga used the web to talk directly and openly to her community–the Little Monsters and did evrything for them, so the music will live on the web forever.

This film celebrates Lady Gaga’s special relationship with her fans, demonstration of the power of the web in its own right. On May 9th, within hours of the release of her new single “Edge of Glory”  her fans began uploading videos on YouTube, making the song their own by dancing to it, singing it and playing it on all kinds of instruments. Lady Gaga then posted a message on her website asking for more videos to be used in the film project. Fans responded within minutes and uploaded hundreds more videos. Back in the editing room, in real time as fan videos streamed in, editors were putting them into the film.  The entire project took only ten days and on May 18th it got completed in time to air Lady Gaga’s performance on the season finale of Saturday Night Live. Watch it now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDPJ-o1leAw.

PINK Magazine is happy to give-away, Lady Gaga’s Born This Way album. To enter you must ‘like us’ on Facebook and ‘Follow us’ on Tweeter.

The Special album includes a second discs with additional variation on following songs. 1. Born This Way (Country Road Version, I love this one) • 2. Judas (DJ White Shadow Remix) • 3. Marry the Night (Zedd Remix) • 4. Scheiße (DJ White Shadow Mugler) • 5. Fashion of His Love (Garibay Remix).  The special album has three additional songs, Black Jesus † Amen Fashion, Fashion of His Love and The Queen.

Avaiable at Amazon: Special, Standard, MP3 and on iTunes: Special, Standard .

New York—Pop superstar Katy Perry has announced a series of brand-new U.S. dates on her California Dreams 2011 World Tour. The new shows commence on September 7, following on the heels of the summer North American leg of the tour, which kicks off Stateside on June 7, in Atlanta and runs through August 14, with two shows in Katy’s Santa Barbara hometown. Katy just wrapped sold-out dates in the U.K. before heading to sold-out shows in Australia , New Zealand and Japan in May.  North American dates feature a rotating group of exciting openers, including Robyn, Janelle Monáe, and Marina & The Diamonds.  DJ Skeet Skeet performs on all dates.

In addition, Katy has partnered with Tickets-for-Charity to offer special access to some of the best seats in the house on the California Dreams Tour. A portion of the proceeds from each purchase will benefit three charities that Katy has selected: Generosity Water, The Humane Society of the United States , and the Children’s Health Fund. To date, her fans have raised over $100,000 in charitable donations. A limited number of premium seats benefiting these great causes are available now for select tour dates on www.ticketsforcharity.com. Katy is also inviting local Red Cross representatives to her UK shows to collect donations and is donating the proceeds from a light wand sold at the shows to the Red Cross, raising over $20,000 to benefit those affected by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan .

View the complete schedule for Katy Perry’s North American Summer 2011 California Dreams Tour here.

Source: Press release