Boyce Avenue Ends The Year With Their Official Video For "Find Me"

For their final video of 2011, the guys have released the official video for their original song Find Me.

If someone were to ask me, "What is Boyce Avenue's best original song?" I would answer, "Find Me. Without question."  It is beautifully composed.  The lyrics are incredibly romantic.  It absolutely blows my mind that this is the first song Alejandro ever wrote.

A few months ago, I tried to explain to Boyce Avenue's Alejandro Manzano why I loved the song "Find Me" so much, and I had trouble finding the words. But somehow he got what I was trying to say. He told me, "This reaction and connection is what we strive for with every song we play."

Now, with the release of the video, I find myself searching for the right words again.

I want to write about why I love this song so much.  I want to write about how even though I'm not a musician, I love all of the instrumental complexities I hear when I listen to it....the little details and the way the instruments all blend together so perfectly.  (I actually considered breaking it down and pointing out all of the details I love about it, and where they happen in the song, but it would probably get too complex, and it would probably not make any sense to anyone but me, and maybe Alejandro.)

I want to write about how listening to this song changed the way I listen to music, and helped me appreciate music more than any other song I've ever listened to.

I want to write about how I can listen to this song on a pair of headphones and get completely lost in it.

I want to write about how the lyrics remind me of how magical and intense love can be.

The truth is, the way I feel about the song is just that....it's the way I feel about it, and sometimes you can't find the right words to describe how you feel. You either get it or you don't. So I'll just leave it at this: The song is awesome. I love the song. And I am grateful for what I feel when I listen to it.

The video is pretty cool....not at all what I expected.  The couple is absolutely gorgeous.  I love the way the colors change and flow in the background of the set the guys are in.  It kinda looks like they're inside a kaleidoscope, which goes along with the storyline.  I wonder if that was what they were going for....






Find Me is available on the album "All We Have Left"

Click here to purchase the album on iTunes.

OFFICIAL VIDEO FOR DARE TO BELIEVE

Boyce Avenue released the official video for their original song "Dare To Believe" last weekend. The song was written by Alejandro Manzano. Here's what he has to say about "Dare to Believe" and what it means to him:

If you've ever found yourself in a moment in your life where you have to make a life-altering decision, and you just feel like you've hit rock bottom, and deep inside you know something has to change, this song is about that pivotal moment where you try your best to turn it all around for the better. You might fail...you might succeed....that's irrelevant. what's important is that you dared to try."

This is easily my favorite original song by Boyce Avenue, for very personal reasons. I've kinda been going back and forth for the past week, trying to decide how much of it I want to share here on the blog. I finally decided to just sit down and write whatever comes to mind, so please forgive me if this post is a little bit disjointed.

"Dare To Believe" really resonated with me the very first time I heard it. It was a different version of the song, on Boyce Avenue's first album, All You're Meant To Be. At the time, I was married, but my marriage was not happy....in fact, it had just started to really fall apart when I first discovered the guys on YouTube. My husband and I both had people close to us, friends and family, telling us that it wasn't worth it,and that we should just call it quits and go our separate ways. It was so frustrating for me, because I still believed in us....I believed that if we could just forgive each other for all the wrongs we had done and somehow get back to why we fell in love to begin with, that we could somehow heal the wounds in our marriage.

When I heard "Dare to Believe" for the first time, the lyrics seemed to represent everything I was feeling at the time. I listened to it over and over again and held on to the hope that somehow, everything would work out.

Less than a year later, the marriage ended. I returned to Seattle, where I had spent most of my life, and started over. I felt incredibly hopeless and I was so depressed. I had fought so hard to make the marriage work, and I had failed. eight years of my life was just...gone. It was not too long after this that All We Have Left was released. The first time I heard the piano version of "Dare To Believe" I was laying in my room, and as soon as the music started, I began to cry. As I listened, this feeling of peace came over me, and I knew that even though things hadn't turned out the way I had hoped they would, everything was going to be okay.

That was 16 months ago. I am still single. I live in a small one-bedroom apartment with my dog, and I am happier than I have ever been in my life. Sure, it gets lonely, and it still makes me sad to think that the life I had hoped for didn't turn out the way I thought it would. But I knew that something had to change, and I dared to believe that I would somehow find happiness in the wake of a failed marriage. I'm grateful for the time we had together, every minute of it, because it changed me for the better. It helped me to grow into the strong, independent woman I am today. And it taught me a lot about forgiveness.

I love the words in the chorus of this song:

No more, we're gonna lose everything, if we believe all the lies....No more, this world's runnin' on empty, and there's no reason why....

There is far too much negativity, too much hostility, too much anger in the world. We are quick to anger, and slow to forgive. Why do we do that to each other? It's such a sad thing to see so much hurt in the world.

"Dare to Believe" has become a sort of anthem for my life over the last two years, and it means so much more to me than I can put into words, but my interpretation of it is pretty straightforward, and it can be summed up in two words from the second verse:

Embrace forgiveness

I really believe that this is the key to happiness. Love one another. Forgive one another. Don't give in to the anger, the hate, the negativity, the hostility....because if we do, nobody wins.

I am thrilled to share this video. It's a beautiful song, with a simple, yet powerful message.



Please feel free to share your thoughts about the video, and about what the song means to you, in the comments. ♥

Alejandro Explains The "Thump" In Dare To Believe

One of my favorite things to do is relax at the end of a long day listening to Boyce Avenue on a good pair of headphones. It's my happy place. I have spent entire evenings laying on my couch, snuggling with my dog and listening to my favorite Boyce Avenue songs. I love getting lost in their music....I listen to the songs over and over again, each time focusing on a different instrument. I especially love doing this with their acoustic stuff.

The first time I listened to the piano acoustic version of Dare To Believe on All We Have Left, I noticed a "thump" at about the :22 mark. At first I thought maybe I was hearing things, so I started the song over and listened again, and sure enough, there was a definite "thump." For some reason, I really liked it. I didn't know why, exactly, but I just thought it sounded cool. I asked my sister-in-law if it could possibly be the foot pedal on the piano (she's a piano teacher) and she said, "Hmmm....it kinda sounds like it...." I told her, "Maybe it was accidental, and he decided to leave it in the song because it sounded cool."

I decided to ask Alejandro about the thump and end the mystery.

Me: I have a most curious question....in Dare To Believe, what is the THUMP (for lack of a better description or the correct musical term) at around the :22 mark? Is it a drum? The foot pedal on the piano? Or something else entirely?

Alejandro: While recording it in the studio, I accidentally lifted the sustain pedal on the grand piano too loud and it made that sound and I really liked it! So I made sure to exaggerate it even more and make it sound like a percussive hit, but it's just the sustain pedal. ;) Good question.

Needless to say, I was really excited to know that my theory about the thump was correct. Dare To Believe is by far my favorite Boyce Avenue original song, and I especially love this version of it. And I gotta say, I love the thump. I think it gives the recording a very intimate feel....it breaks the silence, and then the music starts back up again, and the emotion of the song comes through so beautifully in the notes that follow.

"Live & Acoustic At The Fort Studios" Now Available on iTunes & Amazon

Boyce Avenue has released a new digital EP today titled "Live & Acoustic At The Fort Studios.  The album contains six original songs performed acoustically at The Fort Studios in Orlando, Florida.  The band released videos for the Live & Acoustic tracks on YouTube between May 5, 2010 and November 22, 2010, and fans have been eagerly awaiting an album.

TRACK LISTING:
1. Every Breath
2. Find Me
3. Change Your Mind
4. Broken Angel
5. Briane
6. On My Way


I love this album.  Boyce Avenue made a name for themselves by doing acoustic covers of popular songs, and to hear them take their own original music and "acoustify" it is a real treat.  Their first album, "All You're Meant To Be" contains a piano acoustic version of their song Hear Me Now, and it has always been one of my favorite tracks, so I'm so excited about the release of a Live & Acoustic album.  It showcases Boyce Avenue doing what they do best.  Each track has a very intimate and personal vibe; you can tell that the songs are special to them.  Listen to it on a good pair of headphones....it is perfection.

Check out the videos below for the Live & Acoustic versions of On My Way and Find Me. For the rest of the Live & Acoustic videos, visit www.youtube.com/boyceavenue







The album is available for purchase by clicking on the links below.

Buy on iTunes
Buy on Amazon

The Dare To Believe Fan Project

It's finally here!! After months of hard work, the Dare To Believe Fan Project is released! I'm so excited!!

Emy and Tati,

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!....for working so hard on this project and for putting this video together. I know it was a lot of work, and I think it turned out beautiful!!

I was deeply touched watching it and really impressed by the creativity of some of the photos. I'm thrilled that I got to be a part of it. I love my BA Family!!


Dear Daniel, Fabian, and Alejandro,

You guys have been one of our biggest inspirations, and we wanted to do something to show you that, and give back to you as fans. We all agreed this song meant the most to us, and it is extremely meaningful to you guys as well. Since the song is dedicated to a fan, we thought it would be nice for us to all come together and share what it means for us "to believe", with the strength you have given us through your music.

We appreciate absolutely everything you do for us.. from the covers, v-blōgs, and tours, to replying to us on facebook and twitter. You always put the fans first with everything you do and we love you for that. We truly feel that we have been involved in this music journey of yours, and we will continue to support you as long as you continue to do what you love to do.

Love,

Your Fans

Introducing vTabs from Boyce Avenue

This morning, Boyce Avenue unveiled a fantastic new idea on their Boyce Avenue Extras YouTube Channel: vTabs!!

What are vTabs?

"When I was learning to play guitar the biggest thing for me was learning new tabs. We wanted to create a different way to view them, so we came up with vTabs (video tabs). See for yourself here! We spent a lot of time on it and we really hope you all enjoy! Fabian did a great job designing the video. New tabs coming soon and some vNotes (video sheet music) coming for our piano songs!" - Alejandro Manzano

What is a guitar tab?

Guitar tabs are a form of musical notation that tell the player where to put his or her fingers on the guitar neck, rather than what note and pitch to play. Many believe that guitar tabs are a new form of writing music, but in actuality tabs have been used for centuries. Many find that guitar tabs are much easier to read than the standard form of musical notation.

Guitar tabs appear similar in some ways to other musical notation. A tab staff for guitar has six horizontal lines, each one representing a string of the instrument. The bottom line of the staff represents your lowest "E" string, the second line from the bottom represents your "A" string, etc.

The numbers located smack dab in the middle of the lines represent the fret the tab is telling you to play. For example, a three on the bottom line would indicate that the next note in the song is a G, played on the high E string.

Boyce Avenue fans are regularly asking for tabs to Boyce Avenue's covers and original music. Boyce Avenue's vTabs tutorials will be a great tool in helping those people learn to play guitar.

I love this....it's like Guitar Hero for real-life guitarists. Such an innovative idea! Boyce Avenue never fails to impress me with their ability to think outside the box.





I don't play the guitar, but I gotta say, after watching these videos, I wish I did. In fact, I've never wanted to own a guitar so badly in my life.

This is just one more example of why these guys are my favorite band. I'm so impressed with the dedication that Boyce Avenue have to their fans. Putting together this vTabs tutorial could not have been an easy task.

As one commenter said on YouTube, "Boyce Avenue is the best. They love us enough to actually take time to make this video!"

Making of the Official Video for "When The Lights Die"

Via Boyce Avenue:

Hey Everyone! Check out the making of our Official Video for "When The Lights Die" We had so much fun working with Mark Staubach and hope you all enjoy! See you all on the road :)

For more behind-the-scenes fun and overall BA silliness, check out Boyce Avenue's Extras Channel on YouTube by clicking here:

YouTube - Boyce Avenue Extras

It's Here!! The Official Video For "When The Lights Die"

The wait is over!! Here's the Official Video for Boyce Avenue's original song, When The Lights Die, from their album "All We Have Left."


Music & Lyrics by Fabian Manzano
CLICK HERE TO BUY THE SONG ON ITUNES


I'll be honest....when I first got the album, I didn't fall in love with this song right away. It took a while for it to grow on me. I'm not really sure why. But now, I love the song!! I mean, c'mon, it was bound to happen. I love everything these guys do.

I feel kinda like a broken record, but great job, guys!! The video is a work of art. Congratulations. :)

Sneak Preview For The Official Video For "When The Lights Die"

Via Boyce Avenue:

Hey Everyone! Check out our sneak preview for the Official Video for "When The Lights Die". This video will drop THIS SUNDAY June 26th!!! If you dig the song, head over to http://iTunes.com/BoyceAvenue for download. Thanks and see you Sunday :)

I can't even.....there are no words....oh. my. gosh.


This video is going to be amazing.

Boyce Avenue - Hear Me Now (Official Music Video)

"Thank you wonderful people for allowing us to live our dream everyday! Touring is truly one of the most amazing experiences because we get to share with you all! This music video is for you! See you on the road!" - Boyce Avenue



This new video makes my heart swell!! It's so cool seeing how much Boyce Avenue has grown as a band. Yet they've stayed true to who they are, and they've kept their fans at the forefront of everything they do.

Boyce Avenue, you're the epitome of class! We love you!!

Dare To Believe (Official Song & Lyrics)

"Dare to Believe" is easily my favorite Boyce Avenue original song. I loved it the first time I heard it on their debut album All You're Meant To Be, but this re-worked version of it from the album All We Have Left is absolutely beautiful in its simplicity. I get completely lost in it. :)