David Cook Lay Me Low

After about a year (though it feels much longer) and a move to Nashville, David Cook has finally released a new single, and his voice is in top shape!



Laying Me Low, is available from both ITunes and Amazon so go pick it up, it is well worth the dollar!

Cook will also appear on Thursday's American Idol to perform the song. 
Hopefully more to come...

Happy 30th David Cook

Some new David Cook stuff

Yesterday David Cook had one of his not often enough performances and, as part of it he did a Counting Crows cover! The day before, however, he did an interview and dropped a bomb... He has a girlfriend Okay, technically there was a rumor that he had a girlfriend but this was the first time HE confirmed it. His timing sucks but I hope David and girlfriend are happy together, I really do- if it isn't me I hope it's someone nice and I wish them luck because, trust me, with some DC fans she's going to need it

Sunday May 6th: Race For Hope 2012

For a third year in a row, I found myself speeding toward the Washington DC mall to try and meet up with the rest of David Cook's Team for a Cure early morning on the first Sunday in May.  Going along with what seemed like the theme of this particular weekend, I was running late and cursing my tardiness. I had worried about missing the bus toward Washington Saturday morning, nearly bit my friend's head off when she had to run back to the hotel room having forgotten the Night of Hope cocktail party tickets later that same day, and there I was watching time click away as traffic lights stood between me and the team pep talk.  It seemed no matter what I did, there just wasn't enough time to relax but for the third time I miraculously managed to just make my destination in the nick of time and once I was there, none of that seemed to matter anymore.


There was a light rain falling, the kind of annoying misting that is just wet enough to damper an otherwise good morning. At least a normal morning but no amount of bad weather could ever ruin the feeling of pride I felt watching the sea of survivors leading off the race festivities as they marched toward the starting line.  I don't know any of these people mind you. With the exception of David himself and a few other friends on the team, my fellow race participants and I have never shared more than a friendly smile and yet we each hold dear the desire to make brain cancer death a thing of the past and because of that bond we are like one big family.  We will never know each other's names but we've felt one another's pain, have held onto the same hope, and though we'll never say the words to each other every one of us wishes all the others the best.

At the post race ceremony the sun had begun to smile down on all of us, like the spirit of everyone we've lost wrapping everyone in a nice warm hug. During the ceremonies, one of the yearly rituals is announcing the top ten earning teams and, this year the number three earners were the team Kisses for Kayla. The team has been there for at least the three years I've participated but this year Kayla Wenger's parents accepted the honor alone as the 11 year old lost her battle in March.   Seeing them standing there alone made my heart ache.  Later in the ceremony, the Rabbi Joseph Weinburg award for courage was awarded to Zach Lederer.  This award is given to young survivors who are inspiring and the last two years I was inspired by people younger than me who never gave up and managed to beat the odds with a positive attitude.  I, being someone who wanted to die from a simple stomach flu, find that pretty impressive but they were nothing compared to Zach.  Zach beat brain cancer as a child, he was a survivor and out of the evil clutches of this horrible killer, only for the cancer to come back this past year as he entered his Freshmen year of college.  Tears streamed down my face watching this guy younger than I am talk positively about the money we raised and the good work we all do inching toward a cure.  Then he said, "I'm not going to beat this but we together are going to beat this disease."   It really puts missing a bus or subway delays into perspective, huh?

As the crowd broke up, the speakers boomed with David Cook uplifting ballad "We Believe" and I thought about the day when there wouldn't be a need for The Race for Hope and the accomplishment I would feel in knowing that thanks to the generosity of my friends and family, I could say I was a part of the end of brain cancer death.
Statistics:
*In it's first 15 years The Race for Hope raised over $15 million
*This year it has raised $2.3 million and counting
*My 2012 total is now $310- over 300% of my initial goal. Thanks to every person who donated as little as a dollar

And then there was one...

This photo was taken of David Cook and the Anthemic in November 2008 at the Album release of Cook's self titled debut.  From right to left: Andy Skib, Cook, Kyle Peek, Neal Tiemann, and Joey Clement. This was the second of three concerts I saw of the band before Bassist Clement left in favor of Monty Anderson early the next Summer.  Perhaps it was always the plan for him to leave or perhaps the rumors that RCA fired him are true but it doesn't really matter, Clement is having a successful career elsewhere and it wasn't long before Anderson found a place in my heart. 

March 2009

March 2009

The above picture was taken at This Loud Morning's release last June and, though I didn't know it at the time but it would be the last time I saw Tiemann mastering guitar alongside longtime friend Cook. This loss was a bit harder than Clement, no offense to Joey but Tiemann's whole persona was amazing- he played as well as the Rock Gods of yesteryear, yet shy and sweet the way you wouldn't think when looking at him (we talked at the Borgata in Atlantic City for probably about a half hour like we were old friends.) More than that though, he was David's longtime friend and the idea that he's leaving could've been because that ended was sad. 


I continued to believe that Devin Bronson was just a temporary replacement and couldn't have cared less about him last December.

Poor guy was so nice and was playing with Gigi that in retrospect I actually feel kind of bad but that is not the saddest part of this photo. Saturday night, David announced Kyle Peek was leaving to be a stay at home Daddy' leaving Andy Skib as the sole original Anthemic member.  My heart Sank.

There is something special about Peek, who plays like Animal from the Muppets. Maybe it's because I feel like we've grown up together.  When he joined David after he won Idol, they hadn't known each other but in the years since they (and he and the fans) have forged a close bond.  He was only 20 at the time and when he turned 21 a few months later, Peek performed a solo show which Cook and pals crashed, got Peek drunk, and turned it into a Karaoke Party broacasted live across the web!!




Peek also had a toddler at the time who has grown into a school aged, little gentleman who has even appeared on stage playing guitar with the band!   and Kyle has been kind enough to keep fans up to date on every milestone with pictures and updates galore. 


Since the first time Peek played with the band he's grown as a musician,gotten married to his beautiful wife Nichole, and became a father once more to baby Elle born last Summer. Now he's moving on to his next phase of life and, while I am happy for him, I just hope he keeps everyone in the loop of what happens next.

David Cook covers TO BE WITH YOU

He's singing to me right?

Gigi goes to a David Cook concert

At the earliest of ages, G loved music so I would play my ipod for her and naturally this included David Cook among other artists. At some point after she learned how to talk she asked his name and soon would instantly recognized his voice. By the time Cook's album was released this summer, G had renamed a book about a boy named David "David Cook no no" which he found very funny. She's a fan so I thought why not take her to meet him?

Today Lauren and I did just that and boy did we have fun! She and David danced and wave to each other while he took meet and greet breaks, she gave him coffee (because she insisted she buy him a present) and best of all G sang "reindeer" (Rudolf) with David and the band. We then went to soundtrack where he performed three songs. All G did was smile and clap. She later called this the concert which I guess it was.

After she went home Lauren and I went to the real concert and it was his best yet. He performed beatles songs and brought out special guests that included Steven Van Zant of the E street band. All and all it was a great day, we all had a blast and David and his brother Andrew (who was assisting or tour managing and G kept cuting it up for) loved her.

Sent from my Samsung smartphone on AT&T

FADE INTO ME video

David Cook has a new music video and it is , in my opinion, his best yet.

Tiny Rockstars: they grow up so fast don't they?

The first time anyone had heard of, or seen Hayden Peek- the son of David Cook and the Anthemic drummer Kyle Peek, he was nothing more than a spunky diaper-clad toddler cheering, and trying to get on stage to play with his daddy.




Though, for fans it maybe hard to believe, that was three years ago when Cook's career was just beginning and now Hayden has grown into a full-fledged mini-Rockstar!!!

Arrowhead Stadium and Davi Cook's 9/11 Pre-Game Tribute

going home with David Cook

Who told him he could make videos while I was away?!

I just found this!!

Get More: David Cook, David Cook Music Videos, Live Performances

LAST GOODBYE PICTURES

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Celebrating THIS LOUD MORINING

About 2 1/2 years ago I attended David Cook's first album release concert at the Hard Rock Cafe by being one of the first however many people to buy his album at the Virgin Mega Store in Time Square. This was accomplished by lining up as the sun rose over a crisp November NYC morning, and I did so happily. This time around, Cook was going to perform two mini album release shows rather than the one long one. The first was performed in the Paramount Hotel lobby this
morning with first access going to guests (just $400 per night, a steal!) followed by first come first serve until they hit capacity. Knowing the way Cook fans are, I planned on door number two. The nighttime Best Buy concert access would
be given to the first 200 people to buy TLM starting at midnight.


The plan was leave work last night, eat dinner, then head over to the store to line up for a few hours, then go home and sleep late. I didn't end up doing it, which was a good thing because over 200 people had already shown up by Sunday night. I would have been heart broken and ticketless. Now obviously, I wouldn't give up on seeing DC but I didn't need to buy anything because late last week (by the grace of God, with an assist by Mom) I was awarded two VIP tickets to this morning's show. This meant getting to the hotel at 7:30 am (boo) and eating complimentary breakfast in the paramount "library" cafe WHILE watching David & the Anthemic's Today Show performance. After that, came the concert, videoed below and shot a few feet to my right.











If that wasn't enough, we were even brought back stage to see the guys. After the obligatory congratulations we spent most of the time telling the band about Gigi and how, at less than two years old, she has become a big fan. It was a wonderful and odd experience to think that the last time I had spoken to any of them, Monty in September '09, Gigi didn't even know us yet!

Music Monday: This Loud Moring

It's here, It's here!!
It has been 31 months since David Cook released his self titled now platinum, first record and now his second THIS LOUD MORNING is finally here. Starting at midnight, you can purchase it through David's official website or wherever it is that you prefer to purchase your musical pleasures (just don't illegally download it!)



And, if you just can't wait, you can hear it streaming live here: http://player.radio.com/player/RadioPlayer.php?version=1.2.11740&station=32413

AOL's Exclusive From The Studio Video Series With David

THE LAST GOODBYE: OFFICIAL VIDEO

People need to stop making videos because the best has been made.

David Cook - The Last Goodbye (Official Video) from analythinker on Vimeo.

WASHINGTON DC: Comedy of errors

There are things that happen in life that make you think, “If my life were a comedy, this would make the blooper reel.” Sometimes it is the things that make you laugh and sometimes it’s the laughs that keeping you from crying. This trip was loaded with both.

1. When visiting the SHAKESPEARE LIBRARY we were surprised to find that there are no actual Shakespearian artifacts, only that of his contemporaries.

2. The way I feel about David Cook is pretty transparent. He is, among other things, my favorite singer and I have, as you know, gone to extraordinary lengths to see him. So explain to me why would I ignore him?

On Race day David was being annoyed by fans. I say annoyed because, as if it shouldn’t be common courtesy, members of David’s team are told that the day is about the Race and in the spirit of keeping everything on time, that he should not be asked for hugs, hugging pictures, or autographs but indeed there were about ten people who didn’t think they should follow the rule. Aside from everything else, I know that it is an emotional day for him so I wouldn’t bother him anyway. I had to pass him and the hounding fans to get my team bracelet and, to my surprise, as I passed he said hello and threw his arm out for a hug. It never occurred to me, until I completely brushed by him, that he was aiming for me. His brother said, “Ooh shut down,” and David laughed, “Yeah, I guess not.” I didn’t want to go back and pity-hug him so I just yelled really loudly, “I needed my bracelet.” I think there was a part of Lauren that wanted to slap me, and probably still does.

3. Saturday Night, after a great soak in the pool and hot tub, it occurred to us that our wet bathing suits would never dry so we decided to throw them in the Guest Landry Dryer. After our showers we went down to do this (in jammies) and realized there wasn’t a change machine so Lauren went to the lobby for quarters, while I was to wait in the glass laundry room that is located inside the gym. The gym had a TV and it was playing the royal wedding so went into the middle of the gym and stood there watching until I realized it would look weird just standing there so I went on a treadmill. In my pajamas- and flip flops- with a towel over my shoulders so my wet hair didn’t wet my shirt; again I did this to NOT look weird. Then Lauren came back and I realized she had her towel around her head in a hair turban and had worn it that way to the check in desk; there is always someone weirder.

4. While waiting for Sunday’s dinner to cook, I ran to the lobby bathroom, outside of which a middle aged Italian man in a suit told me I was beautiful which I am sure had nothing to do with my low cut top and asked why I was in town. I responded the Brain Cancer race and thanked him, saying I was leaving (hint leave me alone.) He told me that I was more beautiful than all the women he knew at home (Italy) and asked for my number. He creeped me out so I said sorry and that I am engaged to the chair of the race, which is why he wasn’t there, but would be meeting me at the airport. He believed me and was very apologetic but if word comes out that David Cook is engaged to a blond, sorry world that was just me.

5. Megabus going down

Going anywhere in NYC during rush hour means traffic so it wasn’t really a problem that our 9:30 am bus didn’t even arrive at our bus stop until 9:45. Whatever, it happens. However many hours later Lauren decided to plug in her iPod charger in the outlets Megabus loves to brag they have and, much like last year, the outlet was dead. Annoyed, she unplugged it and half of her charger remained in the wall.

6. Megabus coming home

Sunday night we ate an early dinner so we prepared to snack on the bus with chips and an obscene amount of bottles of water which we swiped from the race Along with this, we were filled to the brim from a day of staying hydrated but not to worry, Megabuses have bathrooms. Guess what? Right after the bus played it’s welcome video- including how the bus was thoroughly inspected before every journey- passengers were informed there was good news and bad news. Good news: we were not making a stop to pick up or drop off in Baltimore as scheduled. Bad News: the toilet wasn’t working, but we would make a rest stop at some point. An hour (and short nap later) my bladder was exploding and Lauren told me just to go and not flush. I actually responded that I wasn’t sure if I should because, “I didn’t want to get in trouble.” You know because I am a five year old and in kindergarten! I did however risk the “trouble” and went.

We stopped at the rest stop around 10 pm (or as most Americans new it the time Obama was announcing that US troops killed Osama Bin Ladden.) While wandering around deciding if we wanted snacks, I noticed CNN was on the TVs and said, “Hey look CNN, oh whatever, I don’t care, if it’s important I will hear it tomorrow.” When we entered the Lincoln Tunnel not long later, and ever lane was lined with five police cars on either side, my jaded New York self thought nothing of it, and neither of these events clicked into my head as related or anything big until my mother told me what had happened when I called her to tell her that I was taking a cab from Manhattan to the Bronx (spending triple what I would have on the train I was planning on taking home) to save time, so I could go to bed. And of course the driver was Middle Eastern, and no they are not all terrorists but some of them are, so rather than telling Lauren sitting next to me what my mom had said, I texted her, “DON’T REACT AT ALL…WE KILLED BIN LADDEN.”

Just that day, we had been in the NEWSEUM looking at 9-11 remains and trust me when I tell you, it was so hard not to cheer, but while we may be nuts, we aren’t stupid.

Washington DC: Race for Hope 2011

Much like last year, this is proving hard to start. I am still baffled by how to describe the feeling of thousands of people who, for a brief moment in time, are all one. The first rule of Journalism is show, don’t tell but even a thousand words per photo can’t adequately describe something you see with your heart and breathe in with your soul, but I’ll try.

Weather-wise, the day couldn’t be more different than it was a year ago, or for that matter the rest of the weekend. Whereas last year, it seemed to be a hundred degrees by the time the sun rose, this Sunday morning was cool and a bit overcast. It wasn’t at all unpleasant,however, possible even better for running, and the mood was just as chipper as it had been. These people are resilient, if cancer doesn’t stop them, what could a few clouds do?

After meeting up with my fellow DAVID COOK TEAM FOR A CURE members for a brief pep talk by the man himself, I decided to head over to the sidewalk next to the start of the race immediately. I’d done this last year and recommend that anyone who isn’t timed try this because it gives you an amazing view of the survivors marching towards the starting point, with their signature yellow balloons in hand. For me this is probably the best moment of the entire event because in the middle of that sea of yellow are the people who looked at the odds and defied them. It makes my heart smile just thinking about them. I do not know any of those people personally but I feel proud of every single one of them nonetheless.

Cook once again led the survivors out on this walk to the speakers aptly playing his song “HEROES.” As the crowd reached the starting line to thunderous applause, I noticed his black shirt nearing a small group of people who I quickly realized were his parents, step parents, and younger brother. Recalling the balloon the Cook men sent to the sky in tribute to Adam (Cook’s older brother who died from the disease two years ago,) I fixated my eyes on them to see if it happened again. Indeed, the father and two sons again gathered slightly to the side of everyone else holding a yellow balloon, but this time, before releasing it, they motioned over toward the rest of the family and two blond children ran over to stand in between them. The children were Adam’s daughter and son and this time they were handed the balloon, which was then released skyward as all five Cooks watched it fly.*

Seconds later, there was a moment of silence followed by the official “GO.” As if that were its cue, the sun began to shine and it seemed clear to me those who have lost this battle were smiling down we get another year closer to the end of Brain Cancer.

*You can argue that I intruded on a family’s private moment by watching but I don’t believe I did. The family could not see me, and furthermore, I only took a photograph of the balloon after it had soared far above anyone who released it. If you weren’t told, you wouldn’t know what it was; I just wanted something to remember that moment for me.