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.

Katy Perry's Songs Are Always Better Once They've Been Boyced

Boyce Avenue released their third Katy Perry cover this week....an acoustic version of The One That Got Away.

A couple of weeks ago, I blogged about how Boyce Avenue can take a song that is just okay and turn it into something I love. Their covers of Katy Perry's songs are a perfect example of exactly what I'm talking about. I actually really like Katy's stuff. It's a lot of fun to dance to. But sometimes her lyrics are just a bit too suggestive for my tastes, and I think her overall image is a little bit inappropriate for the teenage girls who idolize her. So while I don't necessarily change the station when her songs come on the radio, I would never buy them.  I'd much rather support artists that demonstrate the notion that a song doesn't have to be raunchy or sexually explicit to be good.  Artists like Boyce Avenue, for example.

My personal opinion is that Katy Perry's songs are always better once they've been Boyced.  So I thought it would be fun to look at the three Katy Perry songs that Boyce Avenue has covered and invite you to see what I'm talking about. :)

First they did it with their cover of Teenage Dream. The original lyrics to this song suggest that getting drunk on the beach, getting a hotel room and going all the way (with no regrets) is romantic. Alejandro made this song so much better by changing the lyrics in the second verse and in the chorus, turning the message of the song into, "Let's take our time and get to know each other....there's no need to rush." I really admire and respect the choices that he made when he re-wrote the lyrics to this song. It sends a much more appropriate message to the teenage audience the song was originally targeted for.

(Sidenote: You know that "thump" I love in Dare To Believe? There's one in Teenage Dream, too....right as he hits that power note at the 3:00 mark, which also happens to be my favorite part of the song. ♥)




Then, there's Firework, a collaboration Boyce Avenue did with David Choi on the violin. This one amazes me, because even though the tempo of the song doesn't change from the original, it somehow seems more intimate, more personal, more meaningful. There's something about the softness of Alejandro's voice in this one just struck a chord with me.  I like to think he's singing it to people who are really struggling with low self-esteem, or are just in a dark place, encouraging them to remember how amazing they are, which is clearly the message intended with this song.

He also changed the lyrics in the bridge, replacing Katy's "Boom, boom, boom, even brighter than the moon, moon, moon...." with "So don't ever take your life for granted, you're the only one who needs to rule your world; when life leaves you feelin' empty-handed, light it up and show 'em what you're worth."

BOOM indeed!!  Just like that, the song is so much better.




And now, there's The One That Got Away. Like the others, the tempo doesn't change from the original, but it feels slower somehow, more meaningful. This song has heartbreaking lyrics, and Boyce Avenue's stripped down acoustic cover delivers the message of the song much more powerfully than the upbeat techno dance club feel of the original.

My favorite part of this cover is at the 3:45 mark. Alejandro gets really into the song and belts out, "The wahhhhhhhn, the wahhhhhhhn....." and it gives me goosebumps every time I hear it.




I would also like to mention that it's nice to see Fabian in this video.  somehow, seeing all three of the guys in their videos makes them feel complete to me.

So, there it is....that's why I say that Katy Perry's songs are always better once they've been Boyced. Do you agree? Disagree? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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

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. ♥

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.

Emy's Concert Recap: Chicago

Boyce Avenue Street Teamer Emy Petraityte was at the Boyce Avenue show at Chicago's Riviera Theater on Friday night.  Because Emy went out and promoted the show as part of Boyce Avenue's Street Team, she was given a private Meet & Greet after the show with the guys.

This is not the first time Emy has been Featured on the Get Boyced!! Blog....she was our Featured Fan in May, and she was also the mastermind behind the Dare to Believe Fan Project.

Below is Emy's concert review and recap from Friday night's show in Chicago.

Before the Show

Since this was my second Boyce Avenue concert, I was even more excited than I was for the first one, because I knew what was coming. We decided to leave at exactly the right time, so that we wouldn’t have to wait in line outside, but also so we wouldn’t miss the opening acts. When we drove out, however, we got stuck in traffic for quite some time. I was starting to get worried, but we made it safe and on time to the venue.

When we drove past the venue, there was a line. Let me tell you.. it was HUGE! It curled around the corner and went down about half a block or so. As we were making our way towards the venue after we parked our car, the line was already diminishing because they had opened the doors. Across the street, I saw [Boyce Avenue's] tour bus, so we walked over to take a picture. My mom kept asking me how I knew it was theirs, and we took a look at the license plates.....Florida!

Emy and the Tour Bus

After that, we went inside and found ourselves way in the back of the crowd. The venue was filled with people.  It was insanely crowded! We got a good spot, though because we were right on the stairs, so we could clearly see everything....just from far away.

Opening Acts

First, Alex Goot came out.  He only played like 5 or 6 songs. He’s amazing, and I wish he had a longer set. A lot of people seemed to know who he was and sang along.

Next, Green River Ordinance came out, and nobody had any idea who they were. Their set was a little bit fancier than Alex Goot’s. They had tons of lights and used the whole stage. They were alright. Not my favorite kind of music, but they were good. One of their last songs, they covered “Baby” by Justin Bieber. You could hear boo’s and silence in the crowd. The lead singer, Josh, asked the crowd to forget that it’s a Bieber song and just sing along to the catchy tune. Many people did sing along, and it was fun! The last song that they played, they did an “Acoustic” set right in front of the crowd. This was NOT a good idea. First of all, they asked the crowd to be quiet for this to work, but nobody paid attention, so basically for about 3 minutes, they were  jamming in the front, with a small crowd around them. The rest of us couldn’t hear ANYTHING. It was disappointing.

Boyce Avenue

When Boyce Avenue came out, the crowd went CRAZY!!! Their entrance was really cool :) They entered one by one, with an awesome lights show going on! :) The crowd was very into them! They sang along to every song and the guys kept repeating how much they loved Chicago and how crazy we were.

They played all of their originals [from "All We Have Left"] as well as many covers. It was amazing! About halfway into the show, Alejandro informed the crowd that he’d be doing some songs on the keyboard. Somebody whistled really loud and Alejandro was like, “Yessss. The sexy keyboard....” and they all chuckled. During the change between two songs, some girls were screaming really loud and one of the guys (don’t recall which one) called the crowd rowdy so we all started screaming even louder.  Everyone was dancing and singing along to all the songs! More people were singing to covers, but I was surprised to hear how many people knew their originals too! When Alejandro asked if this was anybody’s first Boyce Avenue concert, many hands went up! I went to a Boyce Avenue show last year, but this crowd and this venue was much bigger and better than last year! It was the best concert I’ve ever been to! 

After the Show

Since I had done promotion in Chicago for the Street Team, I got a private meet and greet with the guys after the show! I was told to go to the merchandise table and ask Hook to direct me to the tour manager. Towards the end of the show, we walked over to the merchandise table to make sure we knew where we were going before the show ended. Hook wasn’t there....instead some mean guy from the venue was standing there selling t-shirts. When I asked him about it, he was very rude. He kept telling me he knew nothing more than I did, with so much attitude. All I asked was if he knew what I was talking about. Anyways, I got really nervous because I had no idea where Hook was. My mom insisted we go ask security people around the venue. So we did, and only one of them knew what I was talking about. He told me to stand by the door until the concert ended.


For some reason, I was worried that I wasn’t in the right place because I never found Hook. So we stood against the wall, and watched the last two songs of the show. Suddenly, as the crowd was exiting the theatre, I spotted Hook, and I ran to him. I showed him the email I got that told me the instructions and he asked me my name. When I told him, he’s like “Yup! You’re the one.” So he walked us outside to this alley, and the first thing he asked was, “How’d you know how to find me?” I said, “I was told to find Hook!” He was like, “Yeah, but how’d you know I was Hook?” I told him I had seen pictures online, and he surprisingly asked me what pictures I had seen and I simply replied, “Hook....you’re all over facebook.” He seemed so excited!


After about five minutes, he asked us to stand by the door, until he went and told the guys I was coming. When he came back out to get us, he led us down some stairs and through a hallway. The last room on the left, was their dressing room. He asked me if I was ready, and I simply replied “I have no idea.” I was freaking out!


When I walked in, the guys suddenly stood up from the couches and Fabian was the first who approached me. He was like, “Hey! I’m Fabian! What’s your name?” and leaned in for a hug. That’s when I lost all my nervousness. They were so down to earth and easy to talk to! When Alejandro hugged me, he said, “Summerluver!” and I FREAKED out! I was like, “Oh, my goodness! You guys know who I am!” They all started laughing and Alejandro added, “Everybody knows who summerluver is!”

I gave them the scrapbook I had made for them. They flipped through a couple pages, laughing, and told me they’ll make sure to dig through it later.

Looking at Emy's scrapbook

Fabian asked me about my t-shirt, and I also told him I have a These Quiet Sounds shirt and he was like, "Do you really??"  He seemed so proud!

It was amazing. They referred to me as Summerluver the whole time, until Fabian asked me what my real name was. They are all so cool, and so surprisingly easy to talk to. I felt so at ease around them. We talked for a good five minutes, one on one....Daniel asked us about our trip to Sarasota, Florida and what we thought of it.  He asked me what the first Boyce Avenue video was that I saw.  It was awesome.

BA Silliness!!

Fabian’s phone rang and he took the call outside and didn’t come back. When I was walking out, he saw me and waved.  It was the best night of my life!

If you haven’t seen Boyce Avenue live in concert yet, you’re missing out! The most talented, sweet, and humble guys EVER!!!

Best. Night. Of.  My.  Life!!!

Thanks, Emy, for sharing your night with all of us!! Looks like you had an amazing time!!

Boyce Avenue Covers One Direction's What Makes You Beautiful

Boyce Avenue's latest cover, a softer, "Boyced" version of One Direction's What Makes you Beautiful, was released on iTunes on October 15th, and the video was uploaded to YouTube on October 16th.

I had never heard of One Direction until I saw Boyce fans on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter requesting a Boyce Avenue cover of What Makes You Beautiful. So, I decided to look them up. :)

One Direction are a British-Irish boy band, consisting of members Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson. They finished third on the seventh series of The X Factor. All five of the band's members applied as solo candidates to the competition, but failed to qualify for the "Boys" category. At the suggestion of guest judge Nicole Scherzinger, the five teens were put into a band, thus qualifying for the "Groups" category. After the elimination of the other three groups within four weeks, they became Simon Cowell's last act in the competition, and finished third behind runner-up Rebecca Ferguson and winner Matt Cardle.

Aside from the Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync, I'm not generally a fan of boy bands, and One Direction is no exception. When I heard Boyce Avenue was going to be covering their song, I went and found their video for What Makes You Beautiful on YouTube.




Not gonna lie....they're just a little too....well, boy bandish for my tastes.  Some of the lyrics, in my opinion, are uber cheesy. ("So girl, c'mon...you got it wrong...to prove I'm right I put it in a song..."or "The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed....")

If this song came on the radio, chances are very good my reaction would be, "GAH!! Sorry, boys...." and a quick change of the station.

Enter Boyce Avenue.

Because I'm a Boyce Avenue junkie, and I know what Alejandro is capable of, I'll give any song that they cover a chance.

I still think the lyrics are pretty cheesy.  But there's one line in the chorus that, when I hear Alejandro sing it, somehow becomes romantic and charming:

"You don't know you're beautiful....that's what makes you beautiful."

Suddenly, the message of the song shines through: humility is beautiful. And, just like that, over the last few days, the Boyced version of "What Makes You Beautiful" has started to grow on me, cheesy lyrics and all.

So, once again, Boyce Avenue has taken a song I would not normally care for at all, and made me like it. A lot. It just strengthens for me the theory that a lot of the mainstream music out there has potential....it's just the wrong artist singing it, or the wrong arrangement, or it just needs a few simple changes to take it from good to great. Boyce Avenue demonstrates this again and again with their take of so many songs. It's one of the things I love about them.




But wait, there's more!!

Today, I was in my happy place (listening to Boyce Avenue on headphones) and I heard an oh-so-subtle "thump" in the chorus, right when Alejandro sings, "That's what makes you beautiful." It reminded me of the "thump" in Dare To Believe, but since there's no piano in What Makes You Beautiful, I was very curious to know what it was. So, I asked him about it.

Me: Soooo....I swear I can hear a subtle percussive "thump" in What Makes You Beautiful...every time you sing, "...That's what makes you beautiful..." in the chorus. What is it? It sounds very much like the "thump" I love so much in Dare To Believe, but it's more subtle. I'm not imagining it, am I??

Alejandro: slapping the electric strings. you can see it in one of the shots in the video ;)

Sure enough, at the :54 mark, you can see exactly what he's talking about:

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love these little details....instrumental subtleties that Alejandro puts into the songs. The timing of this little "thump" really resonated with me, because with that subtle little sound, "You don't know you're beautiful....that's what makes you beautiful," becomes, "You don't know....you don't know you're beautiful....that's what makes you beautiful." Maybe it's just my interpretation of the arrangement, but I can't help but wonder if Alejandro included it to drive the point of the song home. Intentional or not, it's perfectly timed, and to be honest, it's what makes me love the song. ♥

Boyce Avenue's version of What Makes You Beautiful is available on the New Acoustic Sessions, Volume 2 Album on iTunes. Click here to preview/buy the album.

Fan Q&A With Boyce Avenue

Monday night, Andrea Smith interviewed Boyce Avenue before their Ottawa show.  As a writer for a music blog, Andrea was given the opportunity to interview the guys....and, as part of her interview, she decided to put the word out on Twitter and Facebook, asking fans to submit some questions for the guys.  Andrea has been a fan of Boyce Avenue since 2007 when she first saw them perform, but this was the first time she has had the opportunity to talk with them.

Andrea and the guys

Andrea contacted me and asked me if I wanted to feature the Fan Q&A portion of her interview on the Get Boyced!! Blog....and of course, I responded with a very enthusiastic "OMG!!  YES!!"

I have to applaud Andrea for her creativity....she placed each of the selected questions into a "Falloon" and then Fabian popped each one (a task he became famous for in their "Falloon Massacre" vlog) and read the questions.

Andrea's interview and concert review will be posted online soon, and I will post a link to it as soon as it is available. But for now, here are the fans' questions, and the guys' answers.  :)


My name is Morgan, I'm 20 and I come from Metz, France, and I would like to ask Alejandro, Fabian and Daniel if they would ever be interested in a French collaboration?

D: Absolutely!  I mean we don't....we don't speak French, but I bet we could....try....
A: (chuckles)
D: ....and if there are any French YouTubers out there, we hope to hear of them and maybe we'll make something happen.

When will you be coming to other countries? Like maybe somewhere in the Middle East? Preferably Dubai :) - Hiba Tamimi, Dubai (@BoycedFan on twitter)

A: I'd love to go to Dubai.
F: We try to hit as many countries as possible, it's just sometimes you have to be
invited, or maybe there's politics going on.

If you didn’t have a career in music at present, what job would you most probably have instead? - Aroob Mallhi, Pakistan (@BoycedScout on twitter)

A: Psychiatrist, or Therapist. I'd be Dr Phil.
F: Graphic Designer probably
D: I'd be an attorney still

I [sing] my loudest when I'm in the shower, so my question for the three of you is, excluding performances, when are you at your loudest? - David, from 2nerdstalk on tumblr

F: I like to sing the loudest in the car.
A: After the show on the bus, when we're blasting some dance music.

I was wondering when Boyce Avenue was going to expand their tour a little more, for example coming to other large but considered sub cities of states, such as Syracuse NY, Rochester NY, Buffalo NY, or Binghamton NY. Myself and friends would love to go to one of their shows to see them live but NYC and Pittsburgh (PA) is too far for me and my friends to travel to on week nights. We love their music and hope expansion of BA comes soon, not just for shows but everything in general! - Robert from Woodhull, NY

D: Good question! We're in the process of trying to book a tour for around March. We've played Philly but we haven't played Pittsburgh. Haven't played Denver or Salt Lake in a while. So we're working on getting more shows in smaller cities.
A: We definitely want to play for markets we've never played before.

What is the one craziest or most unexpected thing that's ever happened while you've been on tour? - Crystal from West Virginia

D: Probably this, to be honest!
A: Yeah, getting a bunch of Falloons w/questions in them (looks pointedly at interviewer) ....definitely crazy.

Are you afraid of the 6th November (EMAs), because this day will change your life forever? I'm so excited to see you guys on TV!! - Johanna, Austria

D: Actually, we won't be on TV. The outdoor event probably won't be broadcast, but we're just excited to be playing. All 15,000 tickets sold out in a minute.

When you record your videos, the timing of the audio from the studio recording with the video is just so dead on, and I've always wondered how you accomplish that. Can you explain the process? Do you play the audio from the studio recording while you're filming the video, and just play along and sing along with it? - Melenie in Seattle (@melenie_s on twitter)

F: There's a lot of technical cables and vibrations, and, uh...stuff going on.
(Laughs)
D: we do it in the studio, find what we're comfortable with and just work from that. Over time with our video and Audio team we’ve been able to figure out what we like.
A: Lots of cameras and rehearsals to get it right.

Alejandro, in the story behind the song video for On My Way, you said you were inspired to write the song after watching a movie, what movie was it?? - Talia, Gold Coast, Australia.

D: Let's just say inspiration comes from strange places.
A: I’m sure nobody really wants to know the answer to that one :)

What are your dream collaborations? Dead & live artists? - Jo 'aka' Skittles from Scotland, Boyce Avenue Street Team America Admin & Boyce Avenue Street Team UK & Ireland Officer (@skittles_ba on twitter)

A: Keith Urban, for sure
D: (to A) What about dead?
A: Michael Jackson

Boyce Avenue, if there's one famous song today or from the past that you wish you have written what would it be and why? -Ana from the Philippines (@anaeiram on twitter)

F: ‘Iris’, or ‘Happy Birthday’. Just for the residuals! (laughs)
A: ‘Stop This Train’ by John Mayer or ‘Say’, either one
D: I think ‘Iris’


And, just for fun, here is a little bit of vloggy goodness.....Andrea's "blooper reel" from her Fan Q&A with the guys.



A couple of thoughts:

• Alejandro's laugh is infectious.
• My question about the music video process received a very vague answer.....I will have to address this more thoroughly the next time I see the guys and get a more detailed answer.  =P

A big thanks to Andrea for asking me to host this on the Get Boyced!! blog.....it was an honor to be invited to be a part of this!! And of course a big HUGE thanks to Alejandro, Daniel and Fabian for taking the time to answer some questions from the fans!!  We love you guys!!