NEW VIDEO: "Glad You Came" Acoustic Cover

This week's video from Boyce Avenue is a cover "Glad You Came" by The Wanted. I've heard this song on the radio a few times, and never really paid much attention to it, but whenever Boyce Avenue covers a song, I make a point to listen to it....they tend to cover songs that have great lyrics.  Turns out this one is really fun to sing along to.  I'm not sure which part of this song is a verse and which is the chorus....but there's one part where the last word in each line is the first word in the next.  Alejandro changes it up a little bit, but I still think it's cool.

Turn the lights out now
Now I'll take you by the hand
Hand you another drink
Drink it if you can
Can you spend a little time,
Time is slipping away,
Away from us so stay,
Stay with me I can make,
Make you glad you came

What a fun video this is!! This one features all three of the guys, and it also has a different feel to it with the split screens and the white and gray framing synchronized to the beat of the cajon. The upbeat tempo makes it virtually impossible not to tap your foot and bob your head along, at the very least. Like their covers of "Only Girl" and "Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall" this cover makes me want to get up and dance around my living room like a nutter. :)





The guitars in this cover are ah-may-zing!! I love the effect the e-bow has on the sound of Fabian's electric guitar. The way it fades in at the beginning of the song is really cool. The electric and acoustic compliment each other beautifully. It's really a genius arrangement all the way around.

I know Daniel is happily married, but holy hells, he's sexy playin' the cajon. Alejandro is doing that thing he does where he alternates between plucking the strings and strumming. The acoustic when he's plucking the strings is so pretty (you can really hear it on headphones.)

All three of the guys really seem to be enjoying themselves in this one. Fabian's bobbing his head pretty much throughout the entire song, Daniel's smile at the :58 mark is adorable, Alejandro gives a subtle little grin several times, and if you watch closely, you can even catch him slapping the strings at the 2:05 mark. It's fun to watch them get into the song like this.

So, yeah....I think it's safe to say, I love this cover, and it will get lots of plays on my ipod.  :)

"Glad You Came" and two other new covers (Gotye's "Somebody That I Used To Know" and Fun's "We Are Young") are available on Boyce Avenue's New Acoustic Sessions, Volume 3 on iTunes.  Click here to buy them.

NEW VIDEO: David Gray's "Babylon" (Acoustic Cover)

When Boyce Avenue released this video, a friend of mine posted it on her Facebook Wall with the caption, "'If you want it, come and get it, for cryin' out loud'....is that an invitation??"  Haha, I know exactly how she feels.

I really love this cover.  Like, a lot.  I've always loved this song.  The story of the different phases one goes through after making a mistake in a relationship is depicted so well in the lyrics. Alejandro singing it just makes me love it even more.  It suits his voice SO well.

I really like the mood of this video.  The low light, the fact that it's just him sitting alone, adds to the loneliness of the song.  The acoustic is beautiful. He's really feelin' this one, and the moment when he really belts out the lyrics at the 2:46 mark is just..... *sigh* ....it's perfection.




I really just don't know what else to say about this cover.  I. LOVE.  IT.  It's just so mellow and relaxing.  This is how I love Boyce Avenue the best....their acoustic stuff is my happiest of happy places, musically speaking.  It has been added to my "Boyce Avenue Lullabies" playlist.  It will get a lot of plays.  ♥

"Babylon" is available on Boyce Avenue's New Acoustic Sessions, Volume 3 on iTunes.  Click here to buy it.

I Look To You: Boyce Avenue's Tribute To Whitney Houston

Whitney Houston's death on February 11th was mourned by fans around the world and by the countless artists who had worked with her in the music and film industries.

On twitter, Alejandro and Fabian tweeted their sorrow at the news. Alejandro said she had "one of my favorite voices, always" and Fabian called her "one of the greatest female singers of all time." I assumed they would pay tribute to her with a cover of one of her songs, but I could not imagine what song it would be.

My memories of Whitney Houston were of her earlier career, and I wasn't familiar with the song they chose....if I had heard it, I didn't remember it. But their choice couldn't have been more perfect. "I Look To You" is an incredible song of hope and faith. Written by R. Kelly, it is the title track from Whitney Houston's seventh and final studio album, released in August 2009.



Alejandro sings this song beautifully, hitting the falsettos perfectly, and even including some subtle vocal runs reminiscent of Whitney Houston's style. Listening to this song for the first time, I got very emotional....it made me think of my sister, who has always been a huge source of strength and support for me. It also made me reflect on my faith and the belief that God lifts us and strengthens us through life's storms.

Click here to buy Boyce Avenue's cover of "I Look To You" on iTunes.

VIDEO: "Set Fire To The Rain"

Boyce Avenue has covered Adele's "Set Fire To The Rain" and it is, in my opinion, their best Adele cover to date.





I really love this song, and I always love it when the guys play what my friend Vikki calls "the sexy guitar." The sound the electric guitar produces when it's used with a delay and reverb is so cool....it has a haunting, ethereal quality to it that really fits the mood of the song.

The Normandy guitar Fabian is playing in this video is my favorite out of all the guitars he plays. I've heard him call it a "manly guitar" ....with a metal body, it can't be a light piece of equipment. I just love everything about it....it suits him really well.

I would be remiss if I didn't point out Alejandro's incredible vocal skills. So many people define a powerful vocal by the volume or range of a singer, but for me, Alejandro proves time and time again that sometimes less is more. He does that so well in this cover, holding those long notes flawlessly, and putting all of his heart and soul into the lyrics.

Click here to buy Boyce Avenue's cover of "Set Fire To The Rain" on iTunes.

NEW VIDEO: Acoustic Cover - "Without You" by David Guetta & Usher

I'm just gonna put this out there....I have absolutely NO IDEA how people can listen to Boyce Avenue and not fall completely in love with them. It seriously boggles my mind.

I realize I'm a bit biased, what with my unrelenting obsession and all, but it seems I always love the covers they do so much more than the originals. This is especially true when they take an upbeat, techno, dance club song that has been painfully overplayed on the radio, and they turn into something completely different, and make it sound like a whole new song. They do it often, and they do it well.

Rihanna's Only Girl and We Found Love.

Katy Perry's Teenage Dream, Firework, and The One That Got Away.

Bruno Mars' Grenade.

Their AMAZING Nothin' On You/My Love/Rocketeer mash-up.

The list goes on and on....

And now they've done it again, with David Guetta and Usher's Without You.

I really like the original version of this song a lot. It has an awesome beat, and it's virtually impossible for me to listen to it and successfully resist the urge to dance around like a nutter.

But the lyrics are vulnerable and sad, and in my opinion, they don't match the music at all. Even watching the video, I could never figure out why everyone was dancing around and happy when Usher was so full of angst.

Here's the video for the original version from David Guetta featuring Usher.



Boyce Avenue's version, on the other hand, is much more fitting for the lyrics.



I listen to so much Boyce Avenue that Alejandro's voice has become familiar to me. There are certain things about his voice when he sings that always stand out to me....the raspiness of it when he sings down in his lower register, the smooth silkiness of his falsettos, the steady control he displays when he holds the long notes, and the raw emotion when he gets really into it and just belts out the lyrics....it's all just very comfortable to me. I put on a pair of headphones, turn up he volume, close my eyes, and just curl up in it, the way you curl up in a warm blanket.

This video has all of that and more. I especially enjoyed watching Fabian in this one....you can tell he's really feelin' the music by the way he's bouncin' his head around. :) Daniel is always fun to watch on the Cajon, and I love how it's used to increase the energy of the song as it progresses. It makes it fun to listen to without distracting from the lyrics.

I love, love, LOVE the combination of acoustic and electric guitars in this cover. There's this subtle little lick in the chorus that I noticed and I just think it's so cool...the first time I heard it was at about 1:33, played by Fabian on the electric....but then, in the second chorus, you can hear it played on both the acoustic (2:30, 2:32, 2:34, 2:37, 2:39, and 2:41) and then on the electric (2:45, 2:49, 2:53, 2:55) and I just love the way it takes two instruments that sound so different and brings them together. It's a really awesome arrangement.

If you like Boyce Avenue's cover of "Without You" then show your support and Click here to buy it on iTunes.

NEW VIDEO: An Acoustic Cover of Vanessa Carlton's "A Thousand Miles"

Boyce Avenue recently teamed up with fellow YouTuber Alex Goot for the second time to record an acoustic cover of Vanessa Carlton's A Thousand Miles. The single is available on iTunes (Cover Collaborations, Volume 2) and the video was released today.



I really like this song a lot, so I was excited that Boyce Avenue decided to cover it. Their last collaboration with Alex, an amazing acoustic cover of Rihanna's Only Girl (In The World), is one of my favorite Boyce Avenue covers (easily in my Top Ten.) Alex is an incredibly talented pianist....add Alejandro on an acoustic and Daniel on the Cajon to the mix, and you just know it's gonna be awesome!!

What I love about this cover/video:

I love the sound that the piano and the acoustic create when they play the same notes in unison....I first heard it at about the 1:25 mark, and again at 2:49. you can hear it in other spots throughout the song, but those two spots are where it's most prominent...to my ear, anyhow. In Vanessa's version of the song, the notes are played on a violin, but the sound produced by the combination of the piano and the acoustic is just so different and unique...it's just cool as hell.

One of the things I love about Boyce Avenue is how much they love what they do, and that smile that Alejandro gives Alex at 2:26 is so fantastic....you can tell he's having fun. :)

What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments.

NEW VIDEO: Adele's "Someone Like You" (Acoustic Cover)

A while back, a fan named Caoimhe asked Boyce Avenue's Alejandro Manzano (on his Facebook Wall) if he would ever cover Tom Petty's "Free Falling" and she posted this video of John Mayer's incredible cover of it:




Here's what Alejandro had to say:

"LOVE this! But probably not because John Mayer crushed it! There is no room for me in this cover, haha. I always ask myself that before a cover. 'Is there any room for Boyce in here?' If the answer is no then we don't. And sadly, the answer is no, there is no room for us here. :( He did SUCH an amazing job!"

When I first saw the new video for Boyce Avenue's versionof "Someone Like You" by Adele, I immediately thought of that conversation on Alejandro's Facebook Wall.

This is one of the things I admire and respect about Alejandro....he knows his limits, and he knows that nobody is going to sing this song like Adele does. When he decided to cover Someone Like You, he recognized that he would never be able to compete with the original version. So, he did what he does best....he re-worked it to fit his style and his vocal range. It's much softer than Adele's version, but it's just as heartbreaking. The pain and vulnerability of the song's lyrics are still there, and the acoustic guitar, combined with the violin, add a very intimate feel to it.




In watching the video, I saw exactly what Alejandro was talking about when he responded to Caoimhe's question. And while I might be just a tad biased, I think it's safe to say he found room for himself in this cover.....and in his interpretation of it, he pulled it off beautifully.

New Year. New Covers. New Video. New Acoustic Sessions. BOOM.

Boyce Avenue has kicked the New Year off with a bang!! They're currently touring in Europe with One Direction, and today they released their first video of the year: an absolutely incredible acoustic cover of Bruno Mars' It Will Rain.

The Bruno Mars cover, and an acoustic cover of Adele's Someone Like You, were released earlier this week on iTunes as the first two songs on the New Acoustic Sessions, Volume 3 album....Boyce Avenue's tenth album of acoustic covers.

I actually really like this song a lot. I love the lyrics and the emotion behind them. I knew that Alejandro would put his spin on it and make it amazing. But I was not prepared for how much I was gonna love it.

My initial reaction was just

....then I remembered to breathe.

I sat listening to it over and over and over again. And I found myself thinking, "Seriously?!  How does he manage to do this with every single song he sings?!?! "

Seriously.  The guy is crazy talented.  He never ceases to amaze me.  Ever.

The guitar is so pretty with the delay and the reverb.....the lyrics are desperate and emotional, and the angst in Alejandro's voice is SO fitting for them.....wait....is that.....yep....sure enough....he's beatboxing again. So awesome. :)

And that bass note he hits at the end of the chorus with the last "whooooooooo" (listen for it at about 1:42 and again at 3:14....wow, it just moves through me and gives me goosebumps.

Then he gets all into it in the bridge, and the echo of his "Don't you say goodbye...." is a nice subtle touch.







I know, right?!?! AMAZING.  Yeah, this one is an instant favorite. No question.

This isn't the first time Boyce Avenue has taken a Bruno Mars song and Boyced it.  Let's take a look, shall we?


October 10, 2010 - Just The Way You Are

This is one of those songs that I really did not like at all until Boyce Avenue covered it. And there's so much to love about this video. Daniel on the piano? Awesome. Fabian playing with his eyes closed, totally into the music? Adorable. The way Alejandro gets really into it and belts out the lyrics at the 3-minute mark? The control he displays? Un-freaking-believable.




February 10, 2011 - Grenade

Nothing but Alejandro singing and Daniel on the violin....man, this is just epic in every way. Alejandro's intensity at the 3:05 mark gives me goosebumps. Every. Single. Time.



And then there's this one....

February 27, 2011 - Nothin' On You/My Love/Rocketeer

I could write an entire post about why I love this one so much.

-- The mash-up of these three songs is just freaking genius.

-- The video was filmed at The Vera Project here in Seattle. Great venue dedicated to artists and the community.  Extra cool points to the guys for using it for one of their videos.

-- Everything about this cover and this video is just so damn sexy....The guitar....that falsetto?  (Are you freaking kidding me?)  I get completely lost in this song every time I listen to it.

-- When Alejandro starts into Rocketeer at 3:11, I just melt....and the way he sings, "Oh, oh, let's flyyyyyy....." at 3:37....it kills me. Not gonna lie. It takes my perfectly-harmless-and-not-at-all-inappropriate crush to a whole new level.

This one is, by far, one of my favorite covers.



I know I sound like a broken record, but I love these guys so much.  They are so incredibly talented.  I have yet to meet someone who isn't impressed by them.  I am so excited to see what they have in store for us in 2012, but if this latest video is any indication of what is to come, it's going to be a very, very good year indeed.  :)


Just The Way You Are, Grenade and Nothin' On You/My Love/Rocketeer are available on New Acoustic Sessions, Volume 1.  Click here to purchase them on iTunes.


It Will Rain is available on New Acoustic Sessions, Volume 3. Click here to purchase it on iTunes.

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.

NEW VIDEO: Wherever You Will Go (Acoustic Cover)

Earlier this week, Boyce Avenue tweeted that they would be releasing a video today for a heavily requested cover....

.....and this morning they released the video for their latest cover, a flawless acoustic version of The Calling's "Wherever You Will Go."

Indeed, this is a heavily requested cover....fans have been asking the guys to Boyce this one for quite a while, and judging from the reactions I've seen on Facebook and Twitter this morning, I think it's safe to say that they definitely did not let us down!!  :)

I can say with absolute certainty that this video is going to quickly make its way into my Top 10 Favorite Boyce Avenue videos.  The song is perfect for Alejandro's voice, and everything about this video is perfect, in my opinion.  The lighting, the close-ups, the intimacy and emotion, all combine perfectly to make this one a video that will have female fans swooning and hitting the replay button over and over again (myself included.)



I spend every Sunday morning chatting with several other hardcore fans about every detail of the newest video, and this morning, our attention was focused on the way Alejandro transitions from finger plucking the guitar strings to strumming and back to finger plucking again so effortlessly.  This isn't the first time I've mentioned how impressive I find this....I blogged about it when they released their video for "Jumper" back in October. That was the first time I had actually spotted the transition in one of their videos, and today, I noticed it right away, at the 2:08 mark.

But what I find even more baffling is the moment when he slaps the guitar strings at the 1:33 mark....it must still be in his palm, so I can only assume he moves it right back into place and starts strumming again.

How does he DO that?!

Maybe for people who play guitar, and especially one who plays as well as Alejandro does, this is a simple thing to do, as automatic as breathing, something he does without even thinking about it....but I find it amazing. Every time I notice something like this, it makes me respect him even more as a musician.

So, aside from all the gushing, and the obsessing over Alejandro's musical slight of hand, I do love this video, and I am happily sharing it on Facebook and Twitter.  While playing it on repeat.  :)

What do you think of Boyce Avenue's latest video? Share your thoughts in the comments!!

RIHANNA GETS BOYCED....AGAIN.

I've never really been a huge Rihanna fan, but Boyce Avenue has always had a way of making me like her songs.

The first time it happened was shortly after I discovered them on YouTube. I came across the video for their acoustic cover of "Disturbia" while browsing their YouTube channel. Then, I found the videos for their covers of "Umbrella" and "Hate That I Love You."

Check these out....this is vintage Boyce Avenue!!

UMBRELLA



HATE THAT I LOVE YOU



DISTURBIA



There's also a mash-up that they did of Justin Timberlake's "What Goes Around" and Rihanna's "Rehab" that is pure genius:

musicality: (noun) Tastefulness and accomplishment in music

In January of this year, they released a cover of Rihanna's "Only Girl" (a collaboration with the VERY talented Alex Goot.) I have always hated that song. I wanted to like it, because it had an awesome beat, but the lyrics were so raunchy, I couldn't bring myself to like it, let alone love it.

Then it got Boyced.

Alejandro changed the lyrics and turned what I thought was an incredibly shallow song into one of the most romantic covers they've ever done.

Boyce Avenue's cover of "Only Girl" completely changed the way I viewed Alejandro as an artist. I had always been impressed with him, but my admiration and respect reached new heights with his take on "Only Girl." It is one of my favorite Boyce Avenue Covers. I love the lyrics, I love how it picks up when the cajon kicks in on the second verse....I just love everything about it.



I have come to trust that when Boyce Avenue covers a Rihanna song, I'm gonna end up liking it in spite of myself. Their new acoustic cover of "We Found Love" is no exception....with Alejandro on the piano, and Daniel rockin' the cajon, it was bound to happen.



To purchase these and other songs from Boyce Avenue, including their original album All We Have Left, click on the album titles below, or visit www.itunes.com/BoyceAvenue.

"Umbrella" and "Hate That I Love You" are available on Acoustic Sessions, Volume 1

"Disturbia" and "What Goes Around/Rehab" are available on Acoustic Sessions, Volume 3

"Only Girl (In The World)" featurning Alex Goot is available on Cover Collaborations, Volume 1

"We Found Love" is available on New Acoustic Sessions, Volume 2

NEW VIDEO: An Acoustic Cover of Third Eye Blind's "Jumper"

Boyce Avenue fans are so spoiled....a new video every week is really impressive, especially from a band who is touring as extensively as these guys are. Their latest video is a great cover of Third Eye Blind's Jumper, which was released on iTunes on October 15th.

I know I'm always talking about how awesome Alejandro is in my video reviews....his voice, his guitar playing, his overall awesomeness, and this video has all of that. I especially love the guitar from 2:34 to 2:54. He goes from strumming with a pick, to fingerpicking, and back to strumming with a pick, and makes it look effortless. At first, I was confused as to where the pick disappears to, but if you watch closely, you can actually see him tuck it away as part of the transition, and then pull it back out again. It's pretty cool....he does it with such finesse, it's easy to miss unless you're watching for it.



I also want to take a moment to express some love and appreciation to Daniel....that guy can rock a Cajon like nobody's business!! I have always thought drums in general were very cool, and I'm a big fan of the Cajon. I love how primitive it is. I love the sound it produces. The first video I ever saw from Boyce Avenue was their cover of One Republic's Apologize and I remember watching Daniel play the Cajon and thinking to myself, "What in the world is that box he's pounding on??" At the time, I thought it looked like a fairly easy instrument to play, but I'm sure it's more complicated than it looks.

These guys are just so talented, and I have so much respect for them. Because of Boyce Avenue, I have a greater love and appreciation for music in general, especially acoustic music. I've learned so much about the ways you can manipulate a guitar to produce different sounds from it. I'm always asking Alejandro about musical techniques.  He's really good about answering my questions, and he does it in a way that makes it easy to understand. It makes me appreciate music even more, and respect him even more as a musician. The fact that he takes the time to answer my questions at all is just further proof of what a cool guy he is. But I digress.

Jumper is available on iTunes on the New Acoustic Sessions, Volume 2 Album.

I'm Forever Yours.....Faithfully

Journey's "Faithfully" is easily one of my favorite songs of all time, so when Boyce Avenue decided to cover it, I wasn't really sure what to expect. I knew it would be good....everything Boyce Avenue does is incredible. But I knew that no matter how good Boyce Avenue's version of it was, it wouldn't top the original for me.

Staying true to form, Alejandro has come up with an arrangement that pays homage to the original, but at the same time, he has made it his own. I would have loved to have seen him do this one on the piano, and I think I would love it so much more if he had.



My personal opinion: Boyce Avenue's cover is not as good as the original, but I really didn't expect it to be in this case. I love these guys. I love everything they do. This cover is no exception. They have done the song justice, and I think it's safe to say that Steve Perry would be proud. ♥

The song is available on iTunes on the New Acoustic Sessions, Volume 2 album.

Check out the video for the original version by Journey below:

NEW VIDEO FEATURING TYLER WARD!!

Boyce Avenue recently collaborated with fellow YouTuber Tyler Ward, who will be opening for them on the upcoming European leg of their Fall Tour. Together, they recorded two new acoustic covers: Coldplay's Fix You and Fuel's Shimmer.

Tyler has said that Boyce Avenue is one of his biggest influences, and fans have been requesting a Boyce Avenue/Tyler Ward collab for quite some time now. (Watch the guys talk about this at the end of the video.)

Today, Boyce Avenue released the video for Shimmer.  Have a look.  And a listen.  :)



I like it.....I had never heard the original by Fuel....or if I had, I didn't remember it. So, I went and looked for it, and while I couldn't find an "official video" for the song, I found this version of it, performed live on VH1's Storytellers....10 years ago. And now I know now why I don't remember the song. It's because I never would have listened to it. It was not then, nor is it now, my kind of music.

For comparison, here's the video of Fuel performing "Shimmer" live.  Notice the title of it says it's the "best version" ...I beg to differ. I assert that the Boyce Avenue/Tyler Ward version DOMINATES Fuel's version, and is therefore, in my book at least, the "best version." But what do I know? I'm biased.  You be the judge.



Once again, Boyce Avenue has taken a song that I would never listen to and made me listen to it repeatedly. They're very good at that. :)

Side note: It just so happens that Tyler Ward & Crew kicked off their first US/Canada Tour two nights ago right here in Seattle, and I went and checked them out.  IT WAS AMAZING!! (More on that later this week in another post.)

What do you think of the new video? And for those of you in Europe, how excited are you that Tyler will be opening for Boyce Avenue in November?

Share your thoughts in the comments below!!

Fix You and Shimmer are now available on Boyce Avenue's Cover Collaborations, Vol. 2 on iTunes.

NEW VIDEO: Maroon 5's "She Will Be Loved" - Acoustic Cover featuring Tiffany Alvord

This cover was released on iTunes a few weeks ago....lots of fans asked for this one, and once again, Boyce Avenue doesn't disappoint.  This collaboration was the second with fellow YouTuber Tiffany Alvord.





Even though I bought this on iTunes the day it was available, I haven't really listened to it as much as some of their other covers, so I haven't gotten lost in the music the way I often do with these guys.  But the videos always make me "discover" something new in the song, and this time it was the guitar at 3:45.  I just love it....the sound, the melody, and of course watching Alejandro play the guitar never gets old for me.

Alejandro has always been so great about talking to fans on his Facebook Wall, and I've asked him so many questions about technique....one thing I've learned from him is that the guitar is a very versatile instrument, and I love all the amazing sounds that can come from it based on how it's being played, or what it's hooked up to.  Delay, reverb, an e-bow, harmonics....each technique produces a different sound and gives the music its personality.

I can't believe they'll be kicking off their US/Canada Fall Tour here in Seattle in less than a week!!  I'm beside myself with excitement and anticipation!!

NEW VIDEO: Taylor Swift - "Mean" (Acoustic Cover featuring Megan Nicole)

Another video was uploaded today from Boyce Avenue featuring Megan Nicole, who will be joining them on their US/Canada Fall Tour for the West Coast (September) shows.

I am not a Taylor Swift fan. AT ALL. So much so that on the rare occasion that I'm listening to the radio, and she comes on, I turn it off. I'm not really sure why....I've just never been a fan of country music. But I do think the lyrics to some of her songs are amazing, and this one has a great message to it.

I really like the way Alejandro and Megan Nicole sound together. I'd love to see them sing something together live.



And....hard as I try, I can't post about this without pointing out the smile at 2:55....

I caught Daniel smiling in the background a few times too. It makes me happy to see them enjoying themselves so much....it's so obvious these guys love what they do. It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes: "A smile is the light in the window of your face that tells people you're at home." (Author Unknown)

Share your thoughts about the video in the comments below. Thanks for visiting! :)

NEW VIDEO: Acoustic Cover of 3 Doors Down's "Here Without You"

Another new video on YouTube today!! This is one fans have been requesting for a while now: 3 Doors Down's "Here Without You"



I really like this one a lot. I've always loved this song, so hearing Alejandro sing it is....*sigh*..... :)

I was listening to it on headphones the other night, and I noticed this interesting "click click click" sound, and I figured it must be Alejandro's pick on the guitar strings. I'm always asking him about stuff like this on his Facebook Wall. So, naturally, I asked him about it.

Me: Okay, I swear when I listen to "Here Without You" on headphones, I can actually hear your pick on the guitar strings at the beginning and again in the 2nd verse....is that really what I'm hearing? 'Cuz if it is, I think it's SO cool. :)

Alejandro: MELENIE!! haha what a good ear! ;) that's EXACTLY what that is. Because I'm plucking the strings, you can't hear it when I'm strumming ;)
#HeadphonesFTW


So....I challenge all of you to listen to "Here Without You" on a pair of headphones and see if you can hear him plucking the strings. :)

Yeah, Boyce Avenue, acoustic, on a pair of headphones, is my happy place. I never get tired of it. How could I, when it sounds this amazing?!?!

NEW VIDEO: "Skyscraper" - Acoustic Cover Featuring Megan Nicole

I'll be honest. When people first started talking about Demi Levato's "Skyscraper" I went to YouTube to see what all the fuss was about, and I just wasn't feelin' it. I'm not a fan of her voice, and therefore I didn't even give the song a chance. I thought the lyrics were cheesy as hell. When Boyce Avenue hinted at a cover collaboration of the song with Megan Nicole, I thought, "Meh...." and when it became available for purchase on iTunes, I listened to the 60-second snippet and thought, "Well, there it is....the first Boyce Avenue cover I won't own."

When the video was posted on YouTube this morning, I watched it because, well, it's a Boyce Avenue video.

I absolutely fell in love with this song in spite of myself. I went to iTunes. I bought the cover. I've had it on repeat all day. And the more I listen to it, the more I love it.

A little over a year ago, I went through a divorce. It had been coming for a while, but even so, it left me feeling completely shattered. It was one of the loneliest, darkest times of my life. Rather than give in to the darkness, I fought through it. I endured it. I am a better, stronger person for having gone through it. And THAT is what this song is about.



Rihanna's "Only Girl" ....Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream" and "Firework" ....P Diddy's "Comin' Home" ....these are some of my favorite covers from Boyce Avenue. But this one trumps them all. I love everything about it.

Once again, Alejandro has taken a song and put his own spin on it, keeping it true to the original but making it his own at the same time. I'm continually impressed by his ability to do this. If I could spend a day just chilling with and talking to Alejandro, I would ask him to take me through this process in great detail. He's so creative in his use of instruments. I really love the Cajon and the tambourine in this one. They are used brilliantly.

Alejandro and Megan Nicole sound great together.

But my favorite part has got to be final chorus....Alejandro singing A capella, the Cajon coming in like a heartbeat, and then the two of them finishing the song together, is pure genius.

In retrospect, I'm not really sure what I was thinking. I should know better by now. Once a song has been Boyced, it doesn't matter how mediocre I think the original is. It doesn't matter how cheesy I think the lyrics are. Without fail, if Boyce Avenue covers it, my entire opinion of the song changes.

Okay....I think I'm done gushing about Boyce Avenue's latest masterpiece. So, what do you think of it? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

NEW VIDEO: Boyce Avenue & Tiffany Alvord cover Christina Perri's "Jar of Hearts"

Boyce Avenue recently got together with Tiffany Alvord and recorded a couple of covers: Maroon 5's She will Be Loved and Christina Perri's Jar of Hearts.

Today, they released the video for Jar of Hearts. Check it out:



I really like Tiffany's voice very much. She was one of two artists that opened for Boyce Avenue in February, and I thought she was really good. She and Alejandro sing well together; their voices compliment each other nicely.

Having said that, I gotta be honest....this is one that I don't love more than the original. I really love Christina Perri's voice, and the lyrics, in my opinion, are meant to be sung by one person, not a duet. So, this isn't a song choice I'm super excited about for a collaboration.

It's always awesome to have new stuff from Boyce Avenue to listen to, and I'm a complete junkie....so, even though it won't ever make it onto my Favorites Playlist, I bought the cover on iTunes. :)

Here's the original version from Christina Perri:



What do you think of the new cover? Do you like it more than the original? Share your thoughts in the comments.

NEW VIDEO: Foo Fighters' "Best Of You" Acoustic Cover

You know how every once in a while, you see a movie that has a powerful message, and at then end of the movie, you just kinda sit there, silent, contemplating what you have just seen, and you just know that it's gonna stay with you for awhile?

This video had that effect on me.



I've said this before, but I'll say it again now, and I'm sure I'll say it at again some point in the future.

I. LOVE. WATCHING. THIS. MAN.

This video.....man, I don't even know how to put into words the effect it has on me. Everything about it is artistic perfection. The lighting, the quiet vulnerability of it, the passion in the music and Alejandro's voice.....he puts his heart and soul into every song he sings. It's such an amazing thing to watch.

Foo Fighters' front man, Dave Grohl, had this to say about the song:

"Best of You is a song of resistance. It's about the refusal to be taken advantage of by something that's bigger than you, or someone you're in love with. It's the fight in the face of adversity."

That's pretty much exactly how I interpreted the lyrics, and honestly, this one doesn't even feel like a cover to me. It's like a different song altogether. I definitely prefer the "Boyced" version over the original, because I like Boyce Avenue's style of music better. But even so, you have to admit Alejandro's interpretation of it is pretty genius. It changes the entire feel of the song. The Foo Fighters' version is loud and angry, and the Boyce Avenue version is vulnerable and soft.

A fan posted a quote on Alejandro's Facebook Wall today, and it really sums it up better than anything I could think to say:

"He who works with his hands is a laborer. He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman. He who works with his hands, and his head, and his heart is an artist." ~St. Francis of Assisi

Alejandro Manzano is an artist in every way, to the very core.

Just for fun, here's the Foo fighters' version.



What do you think of the video? Share your thoughts in the comments below.