Meet the new Freddie Mercury...

Throughout the day yesterday, my Twitter and Facebook feed EXPLODED with links and posts about my buddy Marc Martel of the band Downhere who uploaded a video to YouTube a few days ago which went viral. And by viral, I mean more than 1.5 Million views in less than 3 days! The video he submitted is a recording of himself singing a cover of the Queen song Somebody to Love as part of the Queen Extravaganza competition. Queen drummer/songwriter/singer Roger Taylor launched the competition only a few days ago in honor of the 40th Anniversary of the band Queen and offers the opportunity for winners to tour in the Queen Extravaganza Live Tour in early 2012. Music fans worldwide have suddenly discovered what we downhere-fans have known for years: that Martel's Freddie Mercury impression and likeness are beyond stellar. However it's not just an impersonation - Marc's actual singing voice lends itself not only to Mercury, but in the early days of downhere, he was often compared to the likes of Bono of U2 and even former DC Talk member Kevin Max. (I really should dig up a copy of Downhere's cover for U2's Beautiful Day; my husband and I preferred it over the U2 version, but I know that's a bit sacrilegious to say out loud.) Marc has even ventured into singing opera in the past few years, which may seem a little farfetched for a rocker, but as one commenter stated, "This guy is the Swiss Army knife of singing!"

Though it may seem like videos go viral all the time, Marc stated in an interview with WGBL that the reporter he talked to from the Wall Street Journal on Friday said it truly isn't that common. Nonetheless, views today (Saturday) have grown to more than 1.8 Million total views, and strangely enough many fans including myself have noticed the YouTube counter seems to get "stuck" on the play count for several hours before jumping up again.

I have known the members of Downhere, Marc, Jason, Jeremy and Glenn, for about 10 years now, ever since a friend at Word Records introduced me to them and asked me to edit a promotional music video for their first album release. From the moment I first heard clips of their to-be-released debut until now, they have been my absolute favorite band. I've always told them that someday I expected them to get a big break like Christian rockers Switchfoot did in 2003 when their fourth studio album suddenly sold 2.6 Million copies after being marketed to the mainstream music industry. While this is certainly not the same story, Marc's new-found fame will certainly prove to enhance the awareness of Downhere. Over the years I have heard SO many new fans discover Downhere's music and say things such as "WHY aren't you all better known? This band has so much talent!" However, I also believe that God has used their journey to keep them grounded as the most down-to-earth set of performers that I have ever encountered. Not a concert goes by where they don't spend at least 30-45 minutes after the show in the lobby greeting every single fan who wants to meet and talk with them. This deep connection to their concert goers has established a grassroots fan base for them that has grown and sustained them as a band over a decade when many Christian performers have come and gone.

FINALLY an opportunity has arisen that will shine the spotlight on these guys who spent 9 of the past 10 years touring North America in a 15 passenger van. Media coverage by outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, CNN, Huffington Post, and the CBC to name a few, has just started. Whether Marc gets a chance to perform with Queen in early 2012 or not is yet to be seen, but many fans feel it would be a travesty otherwise.

Marc's Original Audition video:

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dREKkAk628I)

Amazing "Mashup" video with Marc and Freddie Mercury singing simultaneously:

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPhkfk8EBsI

CBC interview:

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gV1-9TeMS4w&feature=share)

GREAT Radio Interview out of Chicago: http://twt.fm/491745

Celebrity Values article: http://celebrityvalues.com/marcmartel.html

CNN clip: http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/tech/2011/09/23/ctw-han-viral-videos.cnn?hpt=hp_c2

Marc Martel Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Marc-Martel/283556381655697

Why My Friends Will Not Be Voting in this Election

My friend Jeremy posted a great blog entry yesterday about what infuriates me when it comes to illegal aliens voting here in America. Jeremy and his Canadian bandmates have lived exclusively in the United States since 2000, working very hard to support themselves and their families while abiding by the restrictive rules of their work visas. Until Jeremy married an American in 2005, he was only allowed to earn money from playing music in a band - NO other side jobs like Starbucks were permitted. When they first moved to Nashville, the band squeezed 7 Canadian adults (4 band members, 2 wives, and their manager) into one house for more than a year to make ends meet. Each band member was making about $300/month for income. Not exactly what you think of when it comes to living the lifestyle of a "rockstar," eh? So here's a group of honest, college-educated, very hard-working individuals who have followed the rules, while living here for two entire presidential terms, having plenty of opinions of their own. Yet they cannot and will not vote in this election, while millions of others - so many of them uninformed - will vote illegally. What is wrong with this picture?!!? Read Jeremy's blog post here.

Posted by email from goldentwig's posterous

Ending is Beginning

Today is the 23rd of September and therefore the day that downhere's new album releases! It's called "Ending is Beginning" and I must say, is quite superb! I've been following these guys since 2001, before they even released their first album, and boy have they come a long way! Their music has progressed in quality and maturity over the years, yet still has a defining style to it. I had the honor of hosting a "listening party" for this album several months ago. This band truly cares about what their fans think... insomuch that they solicit individual feedback from fans about which songs should be selected for the final album track list!

For those who have not heard downhere's music before, the classic definition has always been: Freddie Mercury (of Queen) meets Kevin Max (of dc Talk) meets Bono (of U2). For this album I venture to throw in the name of Brit pop sensation Robbie Williams ("Millennium")... Listen to "My Last Amen" and tell me if you don't agree! "Something Heavenly" is definitely the biggest departure from their past musical styles, but the more I've listened to it, the more I really like it! My listening party's initial reaction was that it sounds "X-Files-ish," but you can judge that for yourself and let me know. "The Problem" has a slight bit more of a country twang to it than anything I've ever heard from these guys before. My early favorite was "Don't Miss Now," a nostalgic ballad about not missing the moment you're living in now. A great reminder for me as a new mom!

Check out the album and see if you agree that it's their best one yet. (Isn't that such a cliché statement about every artist's latest album?) Only you can decide for yourself if it's their best! You can find the album at iTunes, Amazon, or your local Christian bookstore (i.e. Family or Lifeway). Grab an autographed copy over at MusiChristian or directly from the band's website. There was some goof up with the distribution company going out of business and therefore the album won't be available in mainstream retailers like Wal-mart & Best Buy until January.

Also, if you're in the central North Carolina area, downhere will be in concert for FREE this coming Saturday night (9/27) in Smithfield, NC. Read more about it here and see details here.

Free Downhere music offer extended for 2 more weeks!

In case you're running behind on life (as I often am), you're in luck this time. Centricity Music has extended their offer of Downhere's CD, "Wide-Eyed and Mystified" for another two weeks. So what are you waiting for people? Go get it! And then spread the word to your friends... who wouldn't like some no-cost DRM-free mp3 files to add to their musical collection?

Also, after you listen to it, be sure to request their song "Here I Am" from your local radio station, as it is the new single that went for adds last week.

Free full album download of Downhere's CD, "Wide-Eyed and Mystified" - only 5 days left!

Okay, so I'm a little late to the game to be posting this on my blog, but something is always better than nothing... Centricity Music has partnered with MusiChristian.com to offer Downhere's most recent CD release, "Wide-Eyed and Mystified," as a completely free, no-strings-attached, mp3 download during the month of June! It's all of the songs, in their entirety, not just sample clips! Why you ask? It's in hopes that you'll become a fan of Downhere (if you aren't already) before their new album, "Ending is Beginning," releases on September 23rd, 2008. Thing is... there are only 5 full days left in June as I write this, so you better get to downloading! If you have never heard Downhere's music before and you like what you hear, leave me a comment below and let me know what you think! Click here or on the image below to download the music.