I feel like I am about to fall out! Seriously!!!! It's amazing what one can get done when time is of the essence, and you actually want to go to every event.
In about 72 hours I have created a Blog for Christian Artist Alycia Levels, been to a Ben Deignan performance at the Mansion on Peachtree in Atlanta and then spent the whole day at this quandry of an event called Product Camp.
Of everything that has happened, the one thing that almost did NOT happen, was Product Camp...and this Blog entry.
I mean after getting to bed at 1:20 in the morning after watching the amazing three hour set of Deignan, I was not sure if I wanted to roll out of bed when I woke up at 6:45 this morning, but I did. And I got ready in record time too! I mean I looked spiffy and everything...and then I got halfway to the GT campus where the event was being held....and realized that I had forgotten my ticket at home.....:-(.
So, why not turn around and head back home, and just not go? I mean I really had no idea how the whole thing would or could possibly work out in my favor at all...especially considering the fact that I am not in product management, product marketing or even in sales by any stretch of the imagination!!! I mean I am trying to build a business to teach teens leadership....surely I'd be out of place. I was scared out of my mind that I would be found out to be an impostor who actually had no information to help anyone.
But because I had read what the whole thing was about and what to expect, I went anyway....
And what I found was a wealth of knowledge and a plethora of people who were engaging and welcoming and willing to share what they knew with me, and took me seriously because I took myself seriously.
It's what one has to do when getting out there and stepping into the unknown...you have to believe that you are worth your own embarrassment in order to get something done. I did that and I found out more about myself than I thought humanly possible!!!
The cause of my sleepiness though, was the show from the night before...and ....wow, is all I can say!!!!! I was and am still soo buzzed from the first live performance I've been to of Ben Deignan that it is hard for me to get to sleep...even now. I'd call him "blue eyed soul" but I think that would be an insult....he's a talent and we'll leave it at that.
His voice is smooth and even with a cough that had him hacking during his sets, he managed to make it all apart of his set and it didn't ruin anything.
I actually heard of Deignan last year from a friend from college, when Ben and his band were in the Hard Rock competition to be Atlanta's Ambassador's to go to London to perform with some of Rock's Great living Legends like Sir Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder. But much to my dismay now, I was in such a depressing mood over my unemployment that I paid those invites no heed...(take heed nothing good comes out of depression...).
Then a week after winning the Atlanta end of the Ambassador's of Rock, his drummer and friend, Lance Tilton, was killed in a car crash......I've written on some of what happened next here and here....
Fast forward to Monday...and I am awakened by the sound of my cell phone at 7:20am on from a high school friend asking if I've heard anything about a fellow classmate of ours. I got on the computer and checked it all out, and FaceBook gave me the news...he's gone. It took me another hour to find out how...suicide...and my day is turned into a heart-wrenching ordeal of staying on FB to fill in anyone who asks about what I know, one person at a time.
Each time I was asked to explain what happened, my heart was torn open anew, and I ended up dehydrating myself from crying so much, I literally felt like I was reliving the Christmas break of '98 when two classmates died, one by suicide, the other by a heart-attack, all over again...I was a wreck....
The next day I saw a link on my college friend's FB page to Ben Deignan's music, and clicked on it just cause. I am not sure what I thought I was going to find, but what I got was far from bland and Immediately my sadness was channeled into the funk-tastic stylings of Money and Blue. It was like an unlocking of my heart and my soul to feel the loss of two young men, with a sense of peace that not even I can explain. To say the least, I rolled with it, though and immediately looked for opportunities to see the band live. I found three dates, including the performance at the Mansion on Friday; and changed all of my plans in order to go.
Instead of the band, it was just Ben Deignan, his acoustic guitar, a microphone...and a couple of musical guests. There's so much I want to say, but I feel like I'd end up just repeating myself...y'all would be counting how many times I use the words "awesome", "amazing" and "gorgeous" when describing his voice and musical performance...soooo I won't, you can thank me later =).
What I will tell you though, is that his three hour set included everything from Bobby Brown Tenderoni, Sade Smooth Operator, Mint Condition If It isn't Love, Ginuwine Pony and Al Green Stay Together. His easy going nature with the audience meant that he sang songs thrown at him from the audience, and going into the audience to sing with them. But my personal favorites were his own songs. From the uptempo Money and Blue, which I knew, to the one that I am repeating right now on YouTube...Sorry Doesn't Say. He actually had a fellow musician, Andrew Sapin from FL, sing the song with him, and it was....BEA-U-TI-FUL. I almost cried. I hope that they record it together. Seriously.
Ben's solo on YouTube is gorgeous as well, but their gifted voices teaming up on this song over the mellow acoustic guitar was almost unfair....almost.
In all honesty I feel very inadequate at talking about his music because
I've been told that I have bad taste in music since I tend to generally like pop music, and country. I mean I enjoy, Taylor Swift, Justin
Beiber, and Beyonce...but I also LOVE Rascal Flatts, Garth Brooks, Brad
Paisley, Jason Aldean, James Taylor, Eminem, Evanescence, Melissa
Etheridge, Elisa, Elliott Yamin, Gavin DeGraw and Jason Mraz. My
favorite voice is a tie literally between two Alycia's, Pink and Alycia
Levels. This list of course does not include the ever present Prince,
MC, Whitney, Boyz 2 Men and MJ. In any case though, the more I listen to this guy, the
more hooked I am....=)
So, I am going to leave others to speak about him and the band that lays down the funk that has me bopping my head on the train even though I have yet to upload them onto my phone for my enjoyment...but I know what I LOVE...and I am rather loyal when I find a sound I like...and I LOVE his voice and I LOVE his music.
So there you have it my weekend tied up in a hand basket....
To find out more about the next Product Camp in Atlanta...which is FREE and a great networking site click here
To download the Free Ben Deignan Dirty Laundry Mix Album...Click here
To hear more of his covers and original songs check out his YouTube channel here
And as always..but it cannot be said enough, check out Ben's work with the Lance Tilton Foundation here
Alright homies!!! Love Peace...and Courage...
Product Camp photo by Dr. Salimi
Ben Deignan photos by VNC Photography
In about 72 hours I have created a Blog for Christian Artist Alycia Levels, been to a Ben Deignan performance at the Mansion on Peachtree in Atlanta and then spent the whole day at this quandry of an event called Product Camp.
I mean after getting to bed at 1:20 in the morning after watching the amazing three hour set of Deignan, I was not sure if I wanted to roll out of bed when I woke up at 6:45 this morning, but I did. And I got ready in record time too! I mean I looked spiffy and everything...and then I got halfway to the GT campus where the event was being held....and realized that I had forgotten my ticket at home.....:-(.
So, why not turn around and head back home, and just not go? I mean I really had no idea how the whole thing would or could possibly work out in my favor at all...especially considering the fact that I am not in product management, product marketing or even in sales by any stretch of the imagination!!! I mean I am trying to build a business to teach teens leadership....surely I'd be out of place. I was scared out of my mind that I would be found out to be an impostor who actually had no information to help anyone.
But because I had read what the whole thing was about and what to expect, I went anyway....
And what I found was a wealth of knowledge and a plethora of people who were engaging and welcoming and willing to share what they knew with me, and took me seriously because I took myself seriously.
It's what one has to do when getting out there and stepping into the unknown...you have to believe that you are worth your own embarrassment in order to get something done. I did that and I found out more about myself than I thought humanly possible!!!
The cause of my sleepiness though, was the show from the night before...and ....wow, is all I can say!!!!! I was and am still soo buzzed from the first live performance I've been to of Ben Deignan that it is hard for me to get to sleep...even now. I'd call him "blue eyed soul" but I think that would be an insult....he's a talent and we'll leave it at that.
His voice is smooth and even with a cough that had him hacking during his sets, he managed to make it all apart of his set and it didn't ruin anything.
I actually heard of Deignan last year from a friend from college, when Ben and his band were in the Hard Rock competition to be Atlanta's Ambassador's to go to London to perform with some of Rock's Great living Legends like Sir Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder. But much to my dismay now, I was in such a depressing mood over my unemployment that I paid those invites no heed...(take heed nothing good comes out of depression...).
Then a week after winning the Atlanta end of the Ambassador's of Rock, his drummer and friend, Lance Tilton, was killed in a car crash......I've written on some of what happened next here and here....
Fast forward to Monday...and I am awakened by the sound of my cell phone at 7:20am on from a high school friend asking if I've heard anything about a fellow classmate of ours. I got on the computer and checked it all out, and FaceBook gave me the news...he's gone. It took me another hour to find out how...suicide...and my day is turned into a heart-wrenching ordeal of staying on FB to fill in anyone who asks about what I know, one person at a time.
Each time I was asked to explain what happened, my heart was torn open anew, and I ended up dehydrating myself from crying so much, I literally felt like I was reliving the Christmas break of '98 when two classmates died, one by suicide, the other by a heart-attack, all over again...I was a wreck....
Instead of the band, it was just Ben Deignan, his acoustic guitar, a microphone...and a couple of musical guests. There's so much I want to say, but I feel like I'd end up just repeating myself...y'all would be counting how many times I use the words "awesome", "amazing" and "gorgeous" when describing his voice and musical performance...soooo I won't, you can thank me later =).
 |
| Andrew & Ben |
Ben's solo on YouTube is gorgeous as well, but their gifted voices teaming up on this song over the mellow acoustic guitar was almost unfair....almost.
So, I am going to leave others to speak about him and the band that lays down the funk that has me bopping my head on the train even though I have yet to upload them onto my phone for my enjoyment...but I know what I LOVE...and I am rather loyal when I find a sound I like...and I LOVE his voice and I LOVE his music.
So there you have it my weekend tied up in a hand basket....
To find out more about the next Product Camp in Atlanta...which is FREE and a great networking site click here
To download the Free Ben Deignan Dirty Laundry Mix Album...Click here
To hear more of his covers and original songs check out his YouTube channel here
And as always..but it cannot be said enough, check out Ben's work with the Lance Tilton Foundation here
Alright homies!!! Love Peace...and Courage...
Product Camp photo by Dr. Salimi
Ben Deignan photos by VNC Photography
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