News
October 26, 1976 - Saturn was born
October 26, 2006 - new Saturn single "Adonis" is released on MySpace. Hear it now!
Personal note from Saturn:
MY BIRTHDAY WISH!!
December will mark the release of my new 5 - song EP, "Touch the Sky". I believe the days of the CD are numbered and to be honest, duplicating a run of CDs is very expensive 4 someone like me 2 do, so I've decided to release this new record as a digital download only ... BUT ... I'm going to press up a small very limited number of copies 4 all my friends and fans who have supported me and will continue 2 support me. These special "collectors" cds will not even be furnished to the media or radio 4 promo ... they're only 4 U. Each CD will be personalized and autographed and numbered personally by me. And once they're all gone, there will be no more ... ever! So, I fully believe that this will be a rare item sometime in the not too distant future.
So, here is an opportunity 4 U to help me get this new music released and to also be the very first ones with the CD in your hands, just in time for Christmas! To get your copy reserved, pre-order it here.
If U don't have PayPal, shoot me an email and we'll work it out.
Thank U 4 the luv and 4 making this one special!
Saturn.
09/24/06
I'M BACK!!!
In the famous words of Gloria Gaynor, I'm "back from outer space"! I know it's been a while since I've performed or had new music, but guess what??? I'll be premiering a brand new single from my 4thcoming E.P. on my birthday, October 26, on MySpace. So be sure to check it out!
If you're not already on my mailing list, make sure U sign up now … something special is coming up 4 all my subscribers and U won't want 2 miss it!
Luv,
Saturn.
10/12/05
Thanks 2 everyone at Café Ole and Rainbow Mountain for making my last two performances a blast!
What's new?
I'm working on getting my music video 'ART' onto LOGO. You can help by either emailing or calling in to request it! Their website is www.logoonline.com
I'm back in the studio working on my next project – an as yet untitled pop/rock EP. Definitely something different 4 me, but something I think you'll enjoy.
Be sure to check back for more frequent updates!
Ta!
08/18/05
I NEED YOUR HELP!! Get your very own copy of "Deviant" this month from CD Baby! They are having a contest and the top 100 sellers of August get put on a special compilation CD that they send to 5,000 customers. CD Baby is the top seller of independent music anywhere. As an incentive, for this month only, I've knocked it down to $8.99! AND the first ten buyers get an "extra special" gift as a thank you from me! So, check it out, pump it loud and tell a friend!
NEW GIGS, iTunes, and Satellite Radio!
It's been a hot summer so far, and it's only getting hotter. If you don't have my latest CD "Deviant", it's now also availalbe at iTunes! as well as CD Baby. Midwestbands.com just posted a brand new review and MSN Video is STILL airing my music video for ART! (but only for a few days more) Just go go msnvideo.com, go to Movies and Music and then click on Music: Indie and see for yourself! You can also check it out at www.outofthecloset.tv.
If you're not listening to Sirius OUTQ Radio you are missing out on some seriously hot gay music! They did a survey of the top 100 most requested songs of 2005 and my song "Saint" was voted in at number 56! Check out Sirius OUTQ and be sure to call or email and request Saturn! "Saint" is available on iTunes as well.
The "Deviant" T-shirts are almost out of stock! Once they're gone, they're gone. So, get your shirt today so everyone knows you're a deviant!
And lastly, it's been a while since I strutted my stuff at Baltimore Gay Pride, so it's time to come around with some more live shows! Check em out!
September 23 - 24 - Baltimore Music Conference
Patterson Park in Baltimore, MD
FREE!
Baltimore's first music conference is happening on Sept. 23 and Sept. 24. I'm one of the selected performers. More details forthcoming.
October 1
Rainbow Mountain Resort
210 Mount Nebo Road,
East Stroudsburg PA 18301
11:45 pm
For more info, visit www.rainbowmoutain.com
October 7 - Q-Nite
126 S. Warren St, Trenton, NJ 08601
Cost: $5 dontation
I'm the featured performer in this weekly queer music series. So come out and catch a couple of sets of me doing my thang! For more info and directions, check out the events on www.tglca.com.
04/11/05
Mark your calendars! I'll be rocking the Royal again with my band on Friday, April 29! Tickets are only $5 and the show starts at 9:30pm. So, bring all your friends to 1542 Light St. in Federal Hill and show them how the "deviants" like 2 party!
Also featuring: Evolve, Mass Transit and DJ Nemisis.
I've updated the music page for "Deviant" with a few reviews from consumers and industry. I'm going to be updating this monthly, so if U have the cd and would like 2 comment on it, please send it in! If U don't have a CD yet, you can buy it right here!
03/01/05
Hey, solar peeps. Things around the website have been kind of dormant, but I’ve been busy! If U missed the CD release show, I put a few pics up on my blog u can check out. We packed the place with nearly 200 people and, as promised, we rocked it! So, be sure you’re at the next show! “Deviant” is now available digitally! Check out the new mp3 site. You can preview songs and buy digital downloads for only eight eight cents. The video for “Art” is now online. You can check it out at Sway this Way. Be sure to sign my guestbook and tell me what you think of the video! I have “Deviant” T-shirts for sale! Pick yours up for only $10 while supplies last cuz once they’re gone, they’re gone! Robert Urban wrote an awesome piece about Gay Hip – Hop on afterelton.com and I’m one of the featured artists! Check it out. Right now, I’m working on booking more gigs, so be sure you stop back. I update my blog almost daily so there’s always something going on. Holla at me!
12/07/04
Well, it's been a while coming, but it's finally ready. Welcome 2 my new website! The new CD "Deviant" is officially released today, so be sure to listen to some tracks and buy your very own copy! Look around the website, check out some of the new features, and don't forget to sign the guestbook and tell me what you think of everything. If you haven't signed up for my mailing list yet, be sure to sign up cuz I have a lot of cool stuff in the works that I can't wait 2 share with U. This is Chapter 2. 4 those of u continuing this journey with me, thank u so much. Your support and love means everything. 4 any newbies just checking in ... introduce yourself!
09/21/04
Just returned from a fabulous music conference in Nashville (2NMC) and I am currently re-evalutating, planning, and preparing for my new cd roll-out. Get ready 4 Deviant ... cumming your way soon! If you haven't joined the mailing list yet, send an email to virginpoet@hotmail.com to be kept in the loop. U don't wanna miss the excitement!
08/27/04
A NIGHT OF STARS RETURNS!
Featuring:
Nefrit El-or
The Bootlickers
Time: 7:30 pm, Friday, August 27, 2004
Where: One West Coffeebar, located on 1 W. Biddle St. in Mt. Vernon (Baltimore). That's on Biddle St. in between Maryland and Charles St.
U don't wanna miss these performances! And it's FREE ! Can't get that anywhere else!
07/21/04
After a year of sweat, tears and robbing peter to pay paul, the new CD is JUST ABOUT finished. So, I'm inviting you, all my friends, to come share a dinner and some coffee with me (or maybe even some wine) and check it out! It will be great to get some feedback before I get a mastered and can't change anything. AND, 2 top it all off, you will get the EXCLUSIVE first look at the music video for "ART"! U definitely don't want 2 miss this! So, come on out, bring a friend or 10, chat it up, be social and most importantly be the first to experience DEVIANT!
Time : 7:30 pm, Wednesday July 28, 2004
Where : One West Coffeebar, located on 1 W. Biddle St. in Mt. Vernon (Baltimore). That's on Biddle St. in between Maryland and Charles St.
Why : CUZ IT'S GONNA ROCK!
06/17/04
So, this past weekend in New York at the Outmusic Awards was truly FABULOUS! So many incredible artists and supporters, it was ttruly inspiring. Can't wait to go again next year! For pics of the event, visit JD Doyle's Queer Music Heritage site here.
And don't forget, this Sunday, June 20, I'll be performing at Baltimore Pride in Druid Hill Park at 3:30! See U there!
06/01/04
The Making of Deviant Part Two: The Recording Process
Good news! I'm almost done with the recording of the new CD. The hardest part is now out of the way. I've laid down all the drum tracks for the songs and most of the music. I have to find a guitarist to assist me on the song "Saint" and do some touch ups, but now it's mostly down to vocals and mixing.
The recording process has been the hardest aspect for me so far. Being that I'm not really a musician, it's pure tedium to sit down and teach myself every part from the drums to the bass to the strings and everything to prepare each song to go into the studio. But after 2 cds, I'm getting better at it! Often times, a song won't end up exactly how it sounds in my head. Sometimes it comes off better; sometimes it sounds nothing like I imagined it would. Take the song "Art" for example. The main hook in the song is actually the bass line that I hummed and layered. The only reason I hummed it is because I couldn't find the right "sound" on my keyboard to SONG SAMPLE it. That turned out to be a blessing in disguise because I think (and others have agreed with me) that's the coolest part of the song! That and that haunting synth/string/choir mix that comes in halfway through. If you haven't heart Art yet you can take a listen here.
So, the process on this CD has been long! I feel a little boxed in because my keyboard isn't that great. I need to get a professional model to really get that "pro" sound I'm looking for. I have my eyes on a Triton or a Korg. They are really expensive though. I'm talking over a thousand bucks, some of them nearing two thousand. Hopefully, with your help, I'll sell enough cds to help me make the investment. I've also thought about biting the bullet and investing in some studio equipment, specifically Pro Tools and an MPC unit, but I won't need the MPC (for drums) if I get a Korg or Triton necessarily. It's just frustrating to always be inhibited by the clock when you're at the studio. I have an extremely tight budget with this record which means I don't get to try things or experiment or get really creative when I'm at the studio. I have to do what I'm there for and get out in the least amount of time possible. That's not a good way to make the record you really want to make, however, after two cds I'm getting better at this process as well. Instead of trying to record each song in one session, I break it down into bits. I'll take 2 or 3 songs at a time and break them down. One session for the drums, one session for the music, one for vocals and one for mixing. That gives me time to listen to the songs as they progress and make changes as I go. It's much better this way, though I think in the end it takes longer. I've logged many more studio hours with this CD than I did with "The Virgin Poet". Part of that, though, are the five songs I recorded last year and decided not to use. I'm sure they'll end up somewhere for you to hear eventually. :-)
So, after I finish recording the vocals and mixing the songs, the next step is getting the CD mastered and putting the artwork together. If there are any artists/graphic artists out there who want to work on a cool project like this for their portfolio, send me an email. I designed my last CD and have ideas for this one, but I'm always open for other creative input or just letting someone else handle it this time around.
I know I've been bad about updating this site every week! Other than recording, editing the video (which looks great, by the way), and putting together a release plan for this project, I've been swamped. The day job takes up a lot of time unfortunately, too. But some cool things are coming up:
*a revamped website
*the video release
*Night of Stars returns in July
* Outmusic Awards in New York next weekend
*Baltimore Pride 2004 - I'll be performing.
So, be sure to check back for all the details!
Thanks, you guys.
05/02/04
The Making of Deviant Part One: The Concept
deviant One that differs from a norm, especially a person whose behavior and attitudes differ from accepted social standards.
When I made "The Virgin Poet", one of the things that was really important 2 me was making sure that every song on the set fit together as a unit and was unified with some kind of theme rather than just a random assortment of songs. I know when I listen to cds, my favorites are always the ones where I can listen to the entire disc without skipping any tracks and it feels like a journey, like the songs were just meant to be together. Prince always does this, ColdSONG SAMPLE does it, soon-to-be-legendary Justin Tranter does it extremely well, Madonna and Janet are both pretty consistent with achieving this … and it's something that I'd like to strive 4. So, when I decided that my next project would be "Deviant" way back at the beginning of 2003, my whole idea behind this was that it would be a social and political commentary on the way homosexuality and race are perceived. I wanted 2 talk about racism, sexism, homophobia, religion, challenge social norms and the things that we are conditioned to believe. Well, as time passed and I began to construct the album, it became clear 2 me that perhaps it was premature to have an entire album devoted to this ideal. If u beat people upside the head all they're going to get is a headache. Plus I didn't want 2 preach 2 the choir, so to speak. And this is pop music after all, and pop is supposed to be fun. So, the album has sort of morphed over the past year. There's still a touch of the things I wanted to say, but overall the album is a lot more sex drenched, raw, a little dark and I think musically edgy. I know my ass ain't never gettin' SONG SAMPLEed on a radio, so that leaves me free to do and say whatever I want, which is liberating in its own right. So, over the course of the past year I've gone through about 40 songs trying to make sure that it all fit together, both musically and thematically. This is one of the hardest things for me to do because as a songwriter I'm pretty prolific in my output and whittling it down to just 10 - 12 songs is tough. Real tough. Last year I recorded rough cuts of 6 songs - 3 of which I've decided not to use because they just don't fit the tone of the album (one of them was " Fag" which u can listen to here ) 2 of which I've had to re-record because the engineer I was working with moved and I didn't like the mixes that I had, and the last one, " Art", I never really considered finished until I realized people were digging it just as it was. So, I figured why mess with a good thing ? So, that's the only song recorded in 2003 that I'm using for this project as is. Almost makes 2003 seem like a wasted year, but I think the final product is going to be a lot better for it. This final line - up of songs is a much stronger choice than the previous versions … I hope. I'm in the final stages of recording now and as recently as last week I changed the line-up again! I dropped " Pyschokinetic Vibe", which was one of my favorite tracks, so that I can put on a new song called "Vilified". This last minute switcheroo happened for The Virgin Poet too. If I hadn't followed my gut back then I would have never recorded "Angels in Flight" or "The Alley". So, hopefully this is a change for the better as well. And, hopefully, I'll put "Pyschokinetic Vibe" and all the other songs I decided against on other projects one day. If you're still reading this dip into my frenetic mind, be sure 2 check back next week for The Making of Deviant Part Two: The Recording Process.
04/20/04
Seems like it's been a while since I wrote one of these updates, but that's because I've been busy ... in a good way. I crossed a milestone last week by finally shooting my first video ! I'm talking about a zero budget video here, not an MTV video 4 all those not in the know, but still it's a HUGE deal 4 me and I would never have been able to do it had I not some truly incredible friends. So, some super Jupiter size thanx go out to The Continentals, Whorehay (aka little cuban), Mr. Meaney, Cinderella and the ever-lovely "Dawns". U guys rock my world and all my moons, too!
The video is 4 the song "Art", which I've been performing since last summer. So, chances are if you've seen me perform in the past year, you've heard this song. But it's up online now 4 your listening enjoyment/amusement/beratement here .
Seems like I've been working on this damned supposedly new CD 4 ions now, but a couple of months ago I scrapped everything I recorded (so to speak) and went back 2 the drawing board. The only recording I'm keeping from all those previous sessions is "Art" and it's largely because of the response it got from u guys, so THANKS! ALL feedback is always appreciated.
From talking with some of U it suddenly became clear that there is a lot of confusion/speculation over my music and how it's recorded. Let me just say that all my songs are originals, NONE of my beats are pre-manufactured or ripped. They are all intricately composed and SONG SAMPLEed by me, all the music is SONG SAMPLEed by me as well as all the voices. I produce myself. Do I know what I'm doing? Not really, but I'm learning. 4 anyone who is interested, I'm going to start a weekly journal on my website about how I record, the progress of the new CD, and just give some insight into what it is I'm doing and why I'm doing it. I'll try to keep it updated every Monday, so if u really want the solar scoop, just come right here once a week and it will all be here 4 u in white and red.
Next up 4 me? I'm going to New York to perform at the New York International Music Festival. It's supposed to be a tremendous networking opportunity with tons of industry people. Hmmm, I'm always skeptical but u never know. Keep your fingers crossed 4 me and I'll fill u in on the nitty gritty once I'm back in Bmore.
That's all, folks. SONG SAMPLE "Art" for all your friends. I'm really interested in knowing how complete strangers react 2 this song.
Peace & chickengrease,
Saturn.
03/13/04
I'm back in the studio working hard on my upcoming CD, so be sure to come out to the next "A Night of Stars" because I'm doing a full set and it will be the last time I perform 4 a least a couple of months. And I might be doing songs from "The Virgin Poet" that I won't sing again! Don't miss it!
A NIGHT OF STARS!
When: Thursday, March 25, 2004
7:30 pm to 9:30 pm
Where: One West Coffeebar
Located at 1 W. Biddle St., Baltimore, MD
FREE CONCERT
featuring:
Saturn
Chris Hartwell
Spice
02/17/04
There's a new song up on my mp3 page. It's called FAG and It was inspired by a true life event! Go here to hear it, read the lyrics and find out more about the song. And don't forget to come out and see all the fantastic artists performing next week at A Night of Stars! It's going to be a stellar night! Details below. Enjoy!
02/03/04
WCH Radio has named me one of the top 25 Independent Artists of 2003! They are really doing great things for the independent music scene. If you haven't visited their site yet, click here .
The next of Night of Stars is going to be on February 26 at 7:30 at One West Coffebar. I'll be performing three brand new songs so don't miss it! Also coming up is "The Colors of Life!" Yep, it's back by popular demand. A celebration with fashion, poetry, dance and music! All the details follow below!
A NIGHT OF STARS!
When: Thursday, February 26, 2004
7:30 pm to 9:30 pm
Where: One West Coffeebar
Located at 1 W. Biddle St., Baltimore, MD
FREE CONCERT
featuring:
Saturn
David Hoffman
Kamaria Sauda
IlyAimy
DON'T MISS IT!
MARCH 5, 2004
The Colors of Life
Celebration of life with fashion, poetry, dance & music!
Baltimore Museum of Art
10 Art Museum Dr.
Baltimore, MD 21218
Tickets $10 in advance $15 at the door - to purchase tickets call 443-421-5534.
01/12/04
WCH Radio, a webcast station and AMAZING resource for independent artists and fans of music, interviewed yours truly and they are hosting the interview on their website this week! Check it out at WCHradio.com!
We're at it again this month down at One West Coffeebar! The third "A Night of Stars" happens on January 29 at 7:30pm! So, if you haven't seen me perform yet (or even if you have) come check it out! A night of stellar music, great food and it's free to get in. What more could you ask for?
A NIGHT OF STARS!
When: Thursday, January 29, 2004
7:30 pm to 9:30 pm
Where: One West Coffeebar
Located at 1 W. Biddle St., Baltimore, MD
FREE CONCERT
featuring:
Saturn
Janet Griffins
T. Samms
Sarah Pinsker
12/27/03
MP3s ARE BACK ONLINE!
MP3 shut down their site this month, but now you can find my mp3s hosted on soundclick here . If you haven't heard Aaron Carl's remix of "Seventeen", you have got to LISTEN! Go to the link and it's the first song disSONG SAMPLEed.
Thanks 2 everyone who came out to "A Night of Stars" despite the weather and holiday madness. It was a successful night, so look 4 it 2 happen again in January!
Thanks to Lord Litter in Germany and John O'Day at WCH Radio (St. Louis) for spinning my songs this month!
Production on my new CD "Deviant" halted in December, but I hope to start back up again in January. I'll have some of the new material online soon. In the meantime, you can help me out by voting for my songs "The Alley" and "Seventeen" at getSONG SAMPLEed.com. You'll have to register an email address to vote, but they WILL NOT send you junk mail. It's just a way for them to insure the votes are real and not stacked. You can find my songs in the rap/r&b category here.
Wishing U all a stellar 2004! Be safe!
Saturn.