Wednesday, September 14th, 2011
BRAD WALSH RELEASES RIGHT NOW: His remixes have hit #1 on the Billboard Hot Dance Singles Chart and he’s had over 11 million digital downloads. On the heels of his feature on Vogue Italia, Brad’s got a new release, Right Now. Scroll down for reviews, cover art, free downloads, and more information. Please visit “Bio” for more information.
Click here to stream/preview the whole album, then Click here to buy the CD or MP3s at the web store! Also available on iTunes, Amazon, and most other digital retailers.
“His newest album, Right Now, is an 11-track tour-de-force of body-moving pop music. Walsh produces catchy, upbeat dance music reminiscent of some of pop’s greats, but he compounds his beats with honest points-of-view, bold political affirmations, and matter-of-fact statements of social life in New York City.” -Vogue Italia
“Brad Walsh has it all: a flourishing music and photography career (he’s sold over 9 million digital downloads of his tracks!) [Interview]“ -US Magazine
“Brad Walsh sets aside his passion for collaborations and takes the wheel on his new full-length album, resulting in a dark yet club-friendly disc that delves into uncharacteristically personal territory.” -The Advocate
“One of the biggest-sounding club records of the year: Right Now. Like its title, and everything Brad does, this LP is all about the here and now, an urgent, zeitgeisty adrenaline rush of hi-NRG dance monsters packed full of hits.” -NAAG
“By applying pop sensibilities and candid storytelling to reinvent club music, Walsh would seem poised to break out in a big way as a solo artist.” -Examiner
“Good things come to those who demand it… Brad takes us to darker, more intimate places, drawing on autobiographical material… the album is pure club.” -OUT Magazine
“More creatively experimental and topically explorative… This album is a conceptual art form… an album of intelligence that inspires new thoughts upon every listen.” -Electroqueer
“Brad Walsh is… on the cusp of conquering the pop world with his infectious songs.” -The Culture of Me
“True poetic justice on the dance floor. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this sort of emotion from a dance record, ever. Brad Walsh has taken on many of the issues out there in the world and given them a voice… and a beat. This is his best release to date.” -Twisted Peppermint
Other recent press includes JustJared.com, Paper Magazine, A Heart is A Spade, Send the Trend, Towleroad, and Frozen Field Media.
BRAD WALSH: RIGHT NOW
Brad Walsh released his new full-length album Right Now on June 14. It was available free for the first week here on this website as a one-click download that included all 10 tracks, plus a web-only bonus track, and all album art. The album is now available to purchase as MP3s or on CD at Brad’s web store, as well as digitally on iTunes, Amazon, and most other digital retailers. The free bonus track is still available for download below.
All professional inquiries to Stephanie Yaflig (stephanie at bradwalsh dot com).
01. Intro: Right Now
02. When the Glitter Washes Away (download)
03. Secret Eater (download)
04. Father (download)
05. Til You Memorize* (download)
06. Addicted to the Beat
07. D.F.W.M.
08. Cheetah
09. Slow A Body Down
10. Drive Into You
11. Hands On
*The song “Til You Memorize” is a free bonus track only available free on this website. It will not be available on iTunes, Amazon, or anywhere else for purchase.
Lyrics for the entire album after the jump: (more…)
Tuesday, September 13th, 2011
I’ve been in a relationship with Christian Siriano for four years this November. In that time we’ve lived together in several homes, and I’ve seen his business move from his tiny apartment to our Brooklyn loft, then to a single-room studio in midtown, then to a multi-room, and finally to where it exists today: a large, beautiful office in the garment district with his archives lining the walls. I’ve seen him earn large sums of money and wisely invest it all into his company for the future of his brand. I’ve seen him do what I could never do: say “no” to hundreds of thousands of dollars and dozens upon dozens of paid appearances because they had nothing to do with design, or with the development of his brand. I’ve seen him answer rude and uninformed questions politely, as reporters focus consistently on him being physically small, or him being gay, or his hair style, or things he said four years ago. He handles every day and every obstacle with such grace that it stuns me, because I too have a hard time believing that this professional wisdom and work ethic come from a 25-year-old with no formal training in business or media.
When I asked Christian what he thought about me writing this, he wasn’t sure. Rather frequently I become impassioned about the things described below. I said he could stop me if he wanted to. But as you’ll see, I obviously write this out of love for him and frustration that he is not always seen as I believe he deserves to be seen. He let me run with it.
Christian paid his dues at his fine arts high school, design school in London, and during grueling internships with Alexander McQueen and Vivienne Westwood. He did not come up from underneath a rock, uneducated and demanding. His own creations have been worn at the Oscars, the Golden Globes, the Emmys, the Grammys, the Tonys, the SAGs, the BAFTAs, and they have appeared in editions of the top fashion magazines around the world. He has shown every single season since he was on Project Runway, which, as anybody who knows how expensive and intricate showing a collection is can attest to, is no easy task. He’s dressed major stars of fashion, icons in their fields, women who love his work and feel privileged to wear it. Oprah called his designs simply: “works of art.” This is all made even more impressive when it’s considered that he’s done all of this in his early twenties, and without any support from the esteemed few super-elite American sources that dote relentlessly on their chosen progeny.
Last season British Vogue said Christian put on “an incredibly strong showing from a young designer who shows a lot of promise, regardless of where he initially found fame.” It’s high praise and, I think, well-deserved. But you won’t find that type of optimism in some of its American counterparts.
Is it a bias against coming to light through the medium of television? Or against guest-designing, for example, Payless shoes that many can afford? Or does his accessibility irk some who operate only in worlds of purposeful exclusivity? Or is it mostly, as I suspect, that he’s accomplished all of this without their help? The precious few were told Christian was good – they did not deem him good – which makes their objection to him almost childish: They are the boss of us. They tell us what is good.
Christian, who just this month alone has clothes in print on Sarah Jessica Parker, Taylor Swift, Krysten Ritter, Heidi Klum, and Lily Collins; as well as major stars wearing gowns to the Emmys this weekend and models wearing his designs in several September issue editorials; consistently receives dismissive reviews from a small, specific set of (rightly) respected publications that harp on “reality TV.” So here’s what I have to say to them:
Get over it.
Saks Fifth Avenue got over it. Neiman Marcus got over it. More department stores (sales in the works, so I don’t want to name them yet) got over it. Dozens and dozens of specialty stores around the planet got over it. Web stores, rental sites, Gilt Groupe, MyHabit, Boutiques.com… they all got over it.
Cathy Horyn got over it. She writes this week in the New York Times that Christian is “25 and refers to himself, wide-eyed, as ‘little me.’ But ‘little me’ has more than 40 retail accounts.” Horyn then goes on to – gasp – review the clothing and not disparagingly discuss a television show that taped in 2007.
Plenty of editors at international editions of Vogue got over it. In fact, plenty of American editors got over it, too. But not the aforementioned specific set, who pride themselves on being the authority. They are The Deciders… except when they aren’t. And when somebody slips through that they didn’t go out of their way to approve of, they ignore them until it’s too obvious to continue to do so, and then they apparently deride them as “not serious” and write articles dismissing their origins. Similarly, when Project Runway billed itself as a competition to try and “find the next great American fashion designer,” one of The Deciders replied by saying that they’re the ones in charge of doing that, and that they’re happy to keep the title, thanks.
Copycats exist, as well, in writers who have little-to-no actual fashion knowledge or critical skills, and who take the sharp opinions of the respected set and accept them as stone fact. There are writers who write for other publications and never once utter a single commentary about the clothing, they only echo verbatim what has been said by others and remark about Christian’s personal life and personality, and they go out of their way to be mocking or dismissive even if it is a remarkable stretch to do so.
This year, a reporter from a website that extensively covers fashion noticed Christian and me sitting in a private box with friends at Lincoln Center for the American Ballet Theatre’s season preview. Christian was being greeted by Carolina Herrera, with whom he has a respectful and friendly relationship, and exchanging hellos with Anna Wintour. When the reporter had her chance at intermission to speak with Christian on the record, her question was “what do you think about mustaches?” The next day, her publication printed Christian’s short and bewildered response purposely alongside an unattractive picture of him with his mouth agape, as he was answering the question. Rather than ask “how do you know Carolina Herrera” or “what did you speak to Anna about,” she asked “what do you think about mustaches?” To me, that indicates that there’s a problem, and it doesn’t lie with Christian.
Some post negative opinions – bordering on classist – about Christian showing his collections to crowds in other cities on trunk show tours, and taking on design projects that are aimed at people who like fashion, flair, and design but can’t afford other extravagant and expensive pieces with his name on them. It’s an incredibly ugly notion that anything made for the masses is dirty, and it’s exactly why so many people distrust the fashion industry. It would take a hundred years of Fashion’s Night Out to convince most people that the industry is not a collection of snobs whispering to each other about how fat and ugly everybody else is. Nicolette Mason, a friend of mine and writer for Marie Claire and Vogue Italia, reassures me in an email that “to address the market of lower and middle income individuals – who so often are left out of the fashion equation – and address that they have needs and a desire to be fashionable is not just smart, but progressive (maybe even radical). It hopefully means Christian and others like him working with more mass market brands are pioneering a shift in fashion’s exclusivity.”
Horacio Silva of T Magazine says to Christian in his “Morning T” video interview: “I personally think it’s great that you’re doing shoes for Payless and someone can get a great shoe for $40, but when I mention it to some people they sort of turn their noses up at it, and I felt like we were beyond that, but obviously not.” Christian replies “I love that I have a $10,000 dress and a $40 shoe on the same girl. That, to me, is the future. If you’re a stylish person, you’re mixing everything. That’s what normal people do.”
Eric Wilson has (albeit grudgingly) gotten over it. He admitted in the New York Times last year: “It is true that at Fashion Week, there is a bias against designers who came to fashion through unconventional means.” He mentioned Christian’s turn on Project Runway and went on to say that his Fall 2011 collection “looked great and well-made.” Tim Gunn famously branded Christian “the next great American fashion designer” and compared him to Marc Jacobs, and Elle’s creative director Joe Zee said this week that Christian is “super talented” and “unique,” exudes “earnestness,” and that he is “the next Isaac Mizrahi or Michael Kors.”
But some critics, like one particular young (though respected) fashion reviewer, just can’t seem to get over it. She, like others in her circle, harps on this stigmatic concept of “reality TV” as though it’s tattooed across Christian’s face. She says Christian needs to “shake off his reality-show roots” and is surprised by the attention given to “the hot tranny mess reality guy.” Even when Christian attracts a large show attendance, the reporter writes that the crowd “likely owed its bulk to fans and fashion tourists,” though she of course knows that neither of those groups are the people who are invited to or given seats at shows at New York Fashion Week. The shows are for editors, buyers, private clients, and other people who matter specifically to the brand’s success. As fun as fashion shows are, they are primarily showcases to sell the brand, and the invited audiences reflect that; the PR team at Paul Wilmot Communications does not fill the rows with “fans and fashion tourists.” Writers like her have repeatedly called Christian’s clothes “ridiculous” and comprised of “silliness,” brought up “silly catchphrases,” and prefaced discussions of his work and presence with demeaning caveats like “like it or not…”
This season the same writer can’t help but dig once more at Christian’s “reality-TV stardom” and says of his inspiration, Katharine Hepburn: “Certainly she could be described as fierce, but not the way he means it.” But, Miss, Christian Siriano didn’t describe Katharine Hepburn as “fierce.” You did. Christian described Hepburn as “a mix of luxurious sophistication and ease.” But I guess it’s quicker to write the word “fierce.” Again. Though truly, I haven’t heard Christian say that word since 2008. His “quest to be taken seriously continues,” as the writer puts it, because reporters like her continue to print things like this.
Christian’s presence on Project Runway did not create his talent; it gave him an enormous and unprecedented platform with which to share it. And when he shared it, everybody realized that it was a great talent, especially given his age at the time. For legitimate fashion press to still continually defer back to the show at every turn undermines what Christian has accomplished since then, which is everything.
But let me go back to that word: “fierce.” Impersonating Christian on Saturday Night Live in 2008, Amy Poehler said the word “fierce” more times in a four-minute sketch than Christian did throughout the entire season of Project Runway, and so the caricature was cemented and people recall a much more flamboyant and ridiculous Christian than exists in reality today. But then I reach a point where it hits me… wait, what difference does this make? How does having said an expressive word several times have any bearing on one’s artistic output? How does being an animated person discredit one’s talent? If anything, Christian’s portrayed personality only enforces the fact that he very clearly fits the mold of “New York Fashion Designer.” Donna Karan, Marc Jacobs, Betsey Johnson, Cynthia Rowley, Isaac Mizrahi, CFDA-Lifetime-Achievement-Award-Winner-Michael-Kors… these people are all very expressive, sometimes catty, passionate, opinionated people who say all types of things that shock and entertain. And none of it has to do with the beautiful clothing they design, beyond the fact that this brand of creative people is often the type to do both. Christian tells Horacio Silva in the video interview mentioned above: “Project Runway, unlike other reality shows, is a talent-based show. We auditioned with a portfolio. It’s not just being on the show because you’re funny… you definitely have to have something there.”
Fashion publications lament in their headlines that, for example, “Designers Face Pressure to Be Celebrities” (WWD), and so many of them look down on Christian for being a celebrity, though he doesn’t even particularly want to be one. A lot of people have a hard time believing that. He has said “no” to at least four reality series because he knows it would work against his perceived credibility in the fashion world. Or at least, he thought it would…
Then at the height of Christian’s ridicule in the fashion world for being a “reality star,” along came The Rachel Zoe Project. Andre Leon Talley joined America’s Next Top Model. Designers, critics, models, stylists… editors at plenty of major fashion magazines became recurring characters on MTV, The CW, Style, Bravo, Lifetime, Sundance. Even The September Issue, though of course a true documentary, dropped the wall between the world’s previously most guarded fashion editor and the masses. Suddenly the shroud dissipated and everybody was allowed to be on screen with an iced coffee, waving a finger at a gown… except Christian. Meanwhile, when he was on TV a few years before, 90% of his screen time was him designing and producing clothes, and taking in critique of his work from an ever-changing panel of the most qualified and respected designers and editors in the fashion industry. He competed against his peers with only his talent, and he won that competition. Every designer has had to compete for recognition against their peers, using only their talent. We just didn’t get to watch so many others do so.
Rachel Zoe is a true reality television star, yet she is lauded and slapped up on the front page of Style.com every time she takes an irregular breath. I love her, and I greatly respect her, and I am very happy that this works out for her. I think she deserves it. But her show also deals greatly with her personal life, including the struggles of becoming pregnant, fights with her husband, and arguments with her assistants Taylor Jacobson and Brad Goreski. Somehow she’s permitted to not only remain a fashion star while putting her life on television, but she’s also today become an instantly accepted and bona fide designer who is not criticized repeatedly for hawking her wares on QVC or reality TV. Is it because she started in fashion and moved into TV? But I thought the problem was reality TV in general. Is it because she’s older? Or because she’s a beautiful, stylish woman? What is the difference? Somebody explain it to me! I can’t continue to read disparaging remarks about reality TV made against Christian Siriano while Rachel Zoe and others are applauded for it and legitimate fashion publications print articles titled “Katching Up With the Kardashians” on their cover. Searching one respected fashion daily’s website for “Kardashian” yields hundreds of recent articles across 19 pages of results. Somebody clue me in.
Christian filmed Project Runway in 2007. As we creep up on 2012, it will soon be five years since what was aired on Bravo actually happened in reality. Project Runway isn’t “reality TV” in the way that Keeping Up with the Kardashians is. Or at least, it didn’t used to be. Back when it was just an hour, there was little room on the show for personal storylines. In fact, I don’t categorize Christian’s season of Project Runway into “reality TV” at all. The show, along with perhaps others like Top Chef, Platinum Hit, and Work of Art, are not reality. In reality, you are not confined to an unfamiliar studio and forced to be creative on someone else’s limited schedule of 24 consecutive hours or less, and in the sweeping genre of “reality TV,” there is no artistic talent required to become famous or to continue filming. The point here is not that everybody should stop mentioning Project Runway when they discuss Christian’s work, it’s that Project Runway is not a shameful way to have been brought into the spotlight.
This is not meant to be a diatribe against “the press” or a cry against the “cruel media.” Obviously the media has done much to celebrate and nurture Christian’s success, and professional critiques are of course necessary and welcome. But when it veers into personal territory and the biases and grudges of reporters get too much in the way of critical thinking and fair judgment, then what is there to do? I can only put my voice out there in support of the person I love and the designer I admire, and share my opinion alongside the opinions of everybody else. I don’t know if what I’m writing will have a real effect on how Christian is covered or perceived, and I suppose I’m writing it more for myself than for anybody else. I can also anticipate any number of catty, mocking, or perhaps even valid responses from the types of people I have written about. Though, I doubt most of them have the time or interest to respond to someone like me, and it’s easy enough to counter back and advise me to similarly “get over it.” Obviously I am too close to this to be objective, and I will admit that I am capable of over-reacting.
Christian’s only comment about all of this is that it’s confusing for him to know what to do next, other than continue to be himself and do what he’s good at doing. Negative press doesn’t bother him the way it bothers me, probably because he’s always busy with something else, and because it’s always harder to read something unfavorable about someone you love than it is to read it about yourself. For Christian, coming up with a strategy beyond “design beautiful clothing” is difficult because, as he succinctly put it to me, “I’m the only one in my position.”
Tuesday, December 14th, 2010
Pieces and parts from my new single “Addicted to the Beat” are now available for you to download and remix, and the best submissions will be eligible for some great prizes!
UPDATE: Winners announced! Listen to all submissions here at SoundCloud.
FIRST PLACE
Brad Walsh – Addicted to the Beat (NateBK Remix)
SECOND PLACE
Brad Walsh – Addicted to the Beat (MiiSTMAK3R Remix)
THIRD PLACE
Brad Walsh – Addicted to the Beat (Soundline Remix)
RUNNERS-UP
Brad Walsh – Addicted to the Beat (Dream Pop Remix)
Brad Walsh – Addicted to the Beat (VJM Remix)
Brad Walsh – Addicted to the Beat (J. Ikenna Agiriga Version)
Brad Walsh – Addicted to the Beat (BDSM Remix)
Brad Walsh – Addicted to the Beat (TechnoBears Redux)
Brad Walsh – Addicted to the Beat (Alignment North Remix)
Brad Walsh – Addicted to the Beat (BLINKY Remix)
Prizes:
-The Grand Prize winner (the person who submits my personal favorite remix) will receive an HP Envy laptop with Beats Audio furnished by HP, worth over $1000! Plus:
-The top two submissions will have their remixes officially released and receive a percentage of their sales, and
-The top five submissions will receive all of my albums on CD.
Hear the original track, “Addicted to the Beat” here, and download the remix parts in a zip file here. Deadline for all entries is Wednesday, December 22 and winners will be announced here on December 26. Submit MP3 entries via email (links preferred but attachments are okay) to: remix@bradwalsh.com. High quality files for top submissions will be requested after winners are announced.
Additional offer for all participants: If you don’t end up winning the contest but you have plans to buy an HP Envy for someone special this holiday season, HP has given me my own discount code: NBEV69577. It’s good for $100 off (!) any HP Envy purchased on HP.com, starting immediately! But it expires after 50 uses, so first come first serve! Scroll down for more information on the HP giveaway.
About the HP system: A year ago, HP introduced a new technology for music enthusiasts called Beats Audio. It was created in collaboration with artist and producer Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine, chairman of Interscope, Geffen and A&M Records, with the simple goal of creating the best sounding computers. Check out more of Jimmy explaining the collaboration here.
Now Beats Audio is available in all HP ENVY notebooks, including the HP ENVY 14 Beats Edition and its sibling the HP ENVY 14 that was recently named Computer of the Year by WIRED. It makes quite a package when used with the new Windows Live Essentials 2011, a set of free programs from Microsoft for photos, movies, instant messaging, email, social networking, and more. It’s advanced made easy, and it’s all available in one simple download.
Saturday, November 27th, 2010
HP sent me a limited edition Envy 14 laptop with Beats Audio and I’ve been using it (along with the sensational Beats By Dr. Dre headphones) for a about a week now. They wanted me to share my honest experiences, the good and the bad, so that’s what I’m going to do here!
From the moment I opened the box I was attracted to the computer itself, I’m very much a fan of matte black anything (this one is black but I believe they normally come in a gunmetal color), and I like the chrome side details. It’s visually appealing, so I’ll let the pictures do the talking on that point.
The point of Beats Audio is to improve the listening experience, and the listening experience on a lot of computers is not great. You hear background noise and processes in your headphones, often odd levels, and many internal sound systems or amplifiers are not optimal for the types of sounds that producers create today. So using excellent headphones on a crappy system can still mean you’re hearing crappy audio. This system really does sound different. To me, anyway. I’m a music producer and I hear all kinds of things in a song. I let a friend of mine listen to one of my songs through my laptop and the headphones, and she noticed a difference, so it’s noticeable to the untrained ear as well as to the professional.
The disk space on this is a huge pro; over 400GB which is almost half a terabyte! I can store every photo I’ve ever taken, all my mp3s, movies, files, everything, and it all fits comfortably. And let me tell you, I have a lot of music and photo files! I also love the amount of USB ports and versatility of the one on the right-hand side, and the fact that the keys light up at the touch of a button. Comes in handy under low light.
My cons are mostly physical. It’s about as heavy as a normal laptop. One that’s not billed as “lightweight,” anyway. It’s a bit heavy to carry around all the time if you have other things in your bag. The track pad is hard for me to use, so I had to plug in a USB mouse. The click buttons are sensitive to movement as well as the rest of the track pad, so at first it was hard to get accustomed to the movements and use it without annoying myself. But I like using a mouse anyway, so it wasn’t too big a deal for me. I just have to carry a mouse with the laptop now. The battery life seems to be about 3 or 4 hours, though HP tells me that an optional additional battery is available that can double the life. I assume that adds to the weight, though. Lastly, I did notice that fingers leave smudges pretty easily on the black exterior of this laptop, though maybe that’s not the case for the gunmetal version?
Loathe as I am to admit it because I resisted it at first, I am a fan of Windows 7 & Windows Live. Good stuff. I love that this laptop came with Adobe Photoshop Elements and Adobe Premiere because I love to screw around with my photos and make videos. These are great programs, so I’m glad they were included.
The folks at HP gave me a little phone demo on how to use the special features of Windows Live that are included on this laptop and I took copious notes. There are lots of cool things to be done, for example, syncing multiple computers’ files so that you can work on your home PC and automatically your laptop is ready for you to continue on the road. I mean… genius.
So long story short: I am definitely a fan of this machine, it is fast and I really like the pros. The cons are annoying but few and solvable. Retailing just over $1000 (so says Amazon) is not bad at all, I’d say! Can definitely replace a home/desktop computer if you’re looking for a laptop to do that. I think the screen and performance are just as good for a home machine.
