Keith Urban - Stupid Boy

Back in December of 2006, I decided that I should get some country music into my collection. Don't ask why I decided that, or where the decision came from. I wasn't, and still aren't, a fan of that country "twang". I wasn't really sure how to go about discovering what or who I should listen to to find something I would like. At one point I was looking at the country chart on Billboard, seeing if anything stood out, or if anything struck me as something I should try. And there on those pages I saw a artist named Keith Urban, and a song called Stupid Boy. Again, I'm not sure why that particular song jumped out at me, but it did. So I went about looking for a way to listen to that song. Found it on that new website called Youtube, and hello, this was country music? I remember thinking why wasn't this on Adult contemporary stations, or Pop stations? Anyway, the slow gentle beginning of the song, that beautiful acoustic guitar. The way the song slowly started to build. The pain in Keith's voice as he sang. That first guitar solo. And then... TWO MINUTES of guitar solo to end the song. Two minutes that mimic the beginning of the song. A guitar solo that starts out slow and passionate, and slowly, ever so slowly, builds before it is something you can't sit still to, and yet it still hold all the passion that it had in the beginning of it. Wow! This song is still one of my all-time favorites, regardless of what format.

Prince - 1999

Prince - 1999

Growing up, way back in 1982, our house had one radio. It wasn't like today where everyone has their own media device and can listen to whatever they want whenever they want. We had ONE radio. My parents kept the radio on Adult contemporary stations, oldies, sports games, stuff like that. We also listened to a lit of albums (yes, the actual vinyl), 45's, 8-track tapes, and cassette tapes. There was a lot of Beatles, Elvis, Wings, and Barry Mannilow playing on our radio. And I enjoyed it all. Then, for Christmas in 1982, my parents got me my own alarm clock/radio. YES! I was 14-years old at the time, just a lil kid. That night I went into my bedroom, and plugged in that clock/radio, made sure to set the time (this was een back before the digital numbers, it had those flip-numbers that flipped from one number to the next like a rolodex). After getting the time set, I turned on the radio, and I went straight for the old WLOL pop station we had in Minneapolis at the time. I was SUCH a rebel. Pop music. There was a commercial, or the DJ was talking, I can't be sure of that anymore. The one thing I CAN be sure of is the very first song that played after I turned that radio on was Prince's song 1999. I had never heard the song before. I had never even heard of Prince before (I had heard his "I Wanna Be Your Lover" song, but didn't know it was him back at that time). Oh. My. God. My jaw dropped open. I was beside myself. The synths. The guitar. That fucking amazing drum track. That song changed my world. By the time Prince's next album, Purple Rain, came out, I had already purchased all of his previous albums. I had already worn out one 1999 cassette from playing it too much. I was addicted to Prince. That one song, that first listen to 1999 did it for me. Thirty years later, I still am.

Ed Sheeran - The A Team

This is the debut single from singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran. The song is called The A Team, and it is on his EP The Slumdon Bridge. Go check it out.

Metallic Palm Trees

They have these metallic palm trees around Space Mountain at Walt Disney World in Florida. These trees are a bit odd to look at during the day, but at night, they provide some beautiful photography.

Snow White's Shadow

I was at Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World, and watching their night time show called Fantasmic. It is not a very easy show to photograph as there are lights changing color, intensity, and position constantly through the show. This particular photo was not the result of proper planning, but the result of the lights playing tricks on me. The float carrying Snow White and Prince Charming was finally approaching where I could take some photos of these two, and right as I had them lined up in my lens and was pressing the shutter button, the spotlight that was focused on these two went out. My first reaction was to utter some non-Disney quality words. My second reaction when I saw what I had captured was pure joy. It is a wonderfully unique shot, getting the shadow of two very recognizable Disney characters.

Poisoned Apple

The wicked hand of the evil queen hands an apple out. Will you take it? This artwork is part of the decor in the Villains section of the World of Disney store in Downtown Disney's Marketplace.

The Evil Queen's Eyes

While in the Villains section of the World of Disney store at Downtown Disney's Marketplace, I snapped this close-up photo of the Evil Queen from Snow White. This is a mural of the Evil Queen's face made entirely out of different colored stones.

Keith Urban - Once in a Lifetime

This is the official video for Keith Urban's song Once in a Lifetime. This was the 2nd Keith Urban song I had ever heard (the first one being Stupid Boy), and it turned me into a huge fan of his music. In fact, after Prince, Keith is the artist I listen to more than anybody else. How is that for a list of favorites? Prince, Keith Urban, Foo Fighters, Raphael Saadiq, and Sting round out my top 5.

Prince - Holy River

Prince - Holy River(Live at Rosie ODonell) by Doloresdu92 This has been my all time favorite song ever since Prince released it back in 1996 on his Emancipation album. It's not easy finding his videos, but finding this live performance of The Holy River is a good find in my book. Enjoy.

Carlson Towers in Fall

I have wanted to shoot a fall photograph of the Carlson Towers for a very long time. I finally had the opportunity to do so recently. I was very excited when I pulled into the parking lot and saw all of the color in the trees in the parking lot. Then I walked behind the buildings to where this beautiful shot was waiting for me. And lo and behold, almost all of the trees had already dumped it's leaves. It's still a beautiful shot, but I was dreaming of something more.

More Dead Disney Pirates

This is another photograph I took of the dead pirates that are in one of the entrance ways to the World of Disney store in Walt Disney Worlds Downtown Disney Marketplace.

The Original 7ven - Toast to the Party Girl

The Original 7ven is the 7 original members of the bad 'The Time', famous for their songs Jungle Love, and The Bird. They reunited last year and put together a FANTASTIC album called Condisate that sounds just like The Time with a bit of current sound thrown in. How could they not produce a fantastic album? Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis have written more hits than you can shake a stick at. Jesse Johnson is a fantastic song writer and an unparalleled drummer. Morris Day is the king of cool. And Monte Moir and Jellybean Johnson are also guys who have written hits and are fantastic musicians. They could not release the album under their old The Time moniker as Prince owns it and wouldn't give it up. Sucks, but, things go on. Anyway, they took the name The Original 7ven, and like I said, they released a truly fantastic album that went unheard as radio doesn't play anything from artists like these guys. So, listen to this little ditty called The Original Party Girl, and go get that album!

Minneapolis Fall Color

Taking a hike along the Mississippi river in Minneapolis during the fall can lead to some very beautiful sights.

See all of my Minneapolis photos!
William Drew Photography

Dead Pirate

Inside the World of Disney store in the Downtown Disney Marketplace, they have a good section of dead pirates all protecting their treasure.

Joe Rogan - Rethink Your Life

A fantastic video narrated by Joe Rogan and created by David Manukyan. This has a TON of wonderful points, and the more people take these up, the better this world will be.

America

Kid Rock and Sean Penn got together and made a movie short fighting the way this country is getting divided by the current state of our politics. Watch it, it's a great piece.

William Drew Photography Portraits

Here is another of my portrait photos taken with a toddler on a beautiful fall day in Minnesota.

Ghirardelli Chocolate

In Walt Disney World's Downtown Disney, they have a Ghirardelli Chocolate shop in their Marketplace area. This photo is a closeup of the sign on top of the store.

Mat Kearney - Ships In The Night

This is the new single from Mat Kearney called Ships In The Night from his Young Love album released in August of 2011.

The People Project

Yes, I also photograph people. This one is from a photoshoot with a friends nephew out on a beautiful fall day in Minnesota.

You can click here to see my entire People Project collection.