Clay Aiken Photos Spotlight Triangle

CELEBRATION TIME - From new CD photo shoot pictures to more release party plans, May calendars of Clay Aiken fans are filling up. - Graphic by AmazingCA.

Clay Aiken Tried & True Live!

Soyez Shoot Touts Three Locales

New Clay Aiken photos from the singer's Vincent Soyez Tried & True shoot; initial promotion of the August PBS Special by International Media; and CD release party plans for Raleigh, NC, and Red Bank, NJ, are causing May to seem a lot like Christmas.

In Saturday's Examiner, Randy Hamilton unveiled the first photographs from the Tried & True shoot, representing three locations in the Raleigh-Durham triangle -- the Treyburne Country Club, the deck of the train car on the American Tobacco Campus, and the upstairs dining area of the famous Mecca Restaurant.

Readers of a previous article in this column, about the photography shoot for Clay Aiken’s next album, may be delighted to learn that the first of those photos have been released. These initial images are representative of the three locations for the day-long session.

The album cover has been available for a while, and you can view it on any number of the usual merchant sites. The album cover photograph was taken in the Mecca Restaurant in Raleigh in the upstairs dining area.

In addition, other images are approved and are now or will soon be posted on photographer's Vincent Soyez's web site. Whether or not any of these photographs (other than the cover shot) will appear in the CD package remains to be seen.

The complete article and comments can be read at the Examiner link. Below are clickables of three new photos by Vincent Soyez revealed in the column. To view them at the photographer's link, slide the rule 2/3 of the to the right -- or just wait for them to scroll by.

New T&T photos by Vincent Soyez

International Media Promos Special

Clay, you sing lie Andre Agassi plays tennis, perfection, perfection. And I would kill to write and produce your first CD. - Neil Sedaka, American Idol 2 guest judge

This memorable 2003 comment by Sedaka leads the new Clay Aiken Tried & True Live! page on the International Media site. The clickable banner below headlines the programs International Media is currently promoting.

The company that produced Clay's PBS Special has begun promotion for the August telecast of the special concert taped in Raleigh on March 12.

Tried and True, American Idol Super Star Alumni Clay Aiken’s first Public Television special, reaches back into the romantic past of the 50’s and 60’s, featuring many of the most iconic love songs ever written.

Shot at the Memorial Auditorium in Clay’s home town of Raleigh, North Carolina, Tried and True features a full orchestra and big band.

Clay is joined on stage by special guest and American Idol colleague Ruben Studdard, along with special guest Linda Eder, who is widely recognized as one of the best female vocalists of our time.

This special concert is the world premiere live performance of Clay’s forthcoming album, Tried and True, being released on Decca this Spring.

The page is filled with a wealth of information including CD and DVD premiums, meet and greet opportunities, etc.

Another famous quote about Clay appears at the bottom of the site:

I always like the idea that you can turn on the radio and say, 'Oh, that’s Clay Aiken. Oh, that’s Barbra Streisand. Oh, that’s Frank Sinatra, Oh, that’s Tony Bennett.'They’re a star if you can identify them immediately by their sound. That kid has his own sound. He’s got energy. He’s got soul. He’s got it all. That voice pours out of him. - Merv Griffin

Like most fans, I have bookmarked Clay's International Media page. Despite 80-degree weather in the Carolinas, the lyric that keeps coming to mind is ... "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!"

Raleigh Party Begins with BBQ

Fans in the Raleigh area plan to celebrate the release of Clay Aiken's Tried & True album with a "Picnic in the Woods" barbeque party and National Inclusion Project fundraiser at the Community Hall, New Community Church, 9621 Six Forks Road at 7 p.m. Monday, May 31.

Backyard Barbeque Pit of Durham will furnish the fixings, including BBQ chicken, BBQ brisket, macaroni and cheese, potato salad, collard greens, hush puppies, desserts, sweet and unsweetened tea.

The evening's activities center around music, interactive games, line dancing, raffles, silent aucitons, culminating with new TYT CD purchases at 12:30 a.m. June. 1. See the double clickable flyer for additional info:

Cost of the event is $35 per person, a portion of which will go towards a donation to the Inclusion Project. Deadline for reservations is May 23. Paypal and correspondence should be sent to specialprojects2@nc.rr.com. For more information, see the Raleigh CD Release Party website.

Pink Jackets Plan T&T Dinner

The Pink Jacket Ladies invite New Jersey Clay fans as well as those from neighboring states (New York, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania) to join them in a "spectacular Clay Aiken-Tried and True CD Release Party" on Monday, May 31.

Information about the Red Bank, NJ, event with a four-course sit-down dinner at the historic Molly Pitcher Inn, clack celebrations, fundraising activities for the National Inclusion Project, and middle-of- the-night CD purchases, is available on the double clickable flyer below.

Cost per attendee is $55. For further details, reservations, and payment arrangements, contact Betty Roy, the organization's treasurer, at betty.roy@verizon.net or 908.705.7618.

Below is a clickable of AmazingCA's opening graphic:

Have a wonderful week, Clay Nation!

Caro

Diary Details Clay Aiken Shoot

BACK IN TOWN -- Clay Aiken returned to his hometown of Raleigh, NC, for the concert taping of a PBS Special Friday, March 12. Graphic by Fountaindawg, photos by Jim R. Bounds/AP.

'Tried and True' CD

Photo Shoot Spotlights Triangle

The March 12 taping of Clay Aiken's PBS Special/Concert in Raleigh was just the beginning of a jam-packed weekend that also included the all-important photo shoot for his upcoming Decca release, "Tried and True."

Saturday Randy Hamilton, writer-photographer for the Durham Photography Examiner, filled in many details of the March 13 photo shoot with his piece, Diary of a professional photography shoot for Clay Aiken's "Tried and True".

The reprint here includes photos from several of the article's linked sites in the Raleigh-Durham area. Naturally, the lunch menu was Eastern syle North Carolina barbeque.

Local fans of Clay Aiken surely know he was in the area recently, recording a concert in Raleigh’s Memorial Auditorium that featured songs from his new album, Tried and True. The album is scheduled for release on June 1, 2010, and broadcast of the concert is set for sometime this summer on PBS.

Private train car, American Tobacco
Photo by Randy Hamilton

What fans may not know is that, while visiting his home town, Aiken searched for locations for the art for the CD package of his new album.

Driving around Raleigh and Durham, he photographed locations that fit the theme of the upcoming album, the 1950s and the Rat Pack [Peter Lawford, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and Dean Martin].

Among the locations in his pictures of Durham are a bar, a diner and several street shots. Others show parts of the American Tobacco Campus, including Bay 7 and the train car at the North end.

These Bay 7 photos will expand to a larger size.

Aiken also favored the Mecca Restaurant in Raleigh, a nearly perfect location for the images he had in mind for the package art.

Using his photographs to go by, it was necessary to scout the locations, to take additional photographs for determining their suitability and availability for the shoot.

With photographs of the interior of the train car at American Tobacco, the Mecca and others from a newly recommended site, the locations for the one-day shoot were set.

The Kenan Bar, Treyburn Country Club
Photo by Randy Hamilton


18th green at Treyburn
Photo courtesy of Treyburn Country Club

The day would begin at Treyburn Country Club in Durham, with shots in the bar and on the golf course.

Afterward, the crew would head to American Tobacco before finishing in Raleigh at the Mecca.

The Mecca - Photo by Jason Hamilton

Upon arrival at Treyburn at 7am, NY photographer Vincent Soyez began setting up for the first shot in the bar. Soyez, who uses the Norman lighting system, said, "You’ll be disappointed if you’re expecting an elaborate lighting setup. I just set up the lights where I think they should go, take some test shots and adjust the lights until I get the effect we want."

For the Aiken shoot, the desired effect derives from the dramatic light and shadow sometimes associated with celebrity photographs of the 1950s.

Following Aiken’s arrival and wardrobe preparation, the shooting began with work around settings at the bar. After a couple of hours, the crew moved out to the golf course. Luckily, the preferred location was at the 18th green, making it relatively easy to transport equipment and set up the shot.

Mt. Bethel Methodist Church in Bahama, NC

After completing the shots, Aiken bought lunch for the crew. One could easily see he was happy to be home and to introduce his NY colleagues to North Carolina barbecue, Eastern style of course. (And as it happens, his grandmother lives nearby. He described his visits to Bahama while growing up, with many Sunday mornings spent singing in Mt. Bethel Methodist Church.)

Following lunch, the crew finished with a few publicity shots, packed up and headed to American Tobacco.

Rain threatened the afternoon, but the crew managed to set up in the train car before the rain began, and by the time they had finished, the rain had stopped. They packed up again and headed to the Mecca in Raleigh, the final location of the day. The shoot wrapped up around 11pm.

While Aiken fans anxiously await the new music of his next album, photography fans might look for a copy to see how these locations, and Clay Aiken, are transformed by the work of Vincent Soyez.

In addition to providing some of the location photography, Jason Hamilton also contributed information for this article. By clicking on his link, readers can view examples of his photography.

American Tobacco Campus posted the following on Facebook Sunday:

American Tobacco Campus plays a big part in Clay Aiken's upcoming album and the photo shoot to illustrate his love of the Triangle!

You can read about the author of the diary, Randy Hamilton, here. Below is a clickable of Fountaindawg's concert graphic:

Have a wonderful week, Clay Nation! Is it June yet?

Caro

Clay Aiken Defines Verb 'To Sing'

PERFECT ACCOMPANIMENT -- AmazingCA's graphic, with March 12 concert photos by Jim R. Bounds, highlights the special PBS taping.

Voice, Heart, Humor at Center Stage

Examiner Praises PBS Concert

During my weekend of March Madness overload, accompanied by a memorable Lenten cantata rehearsal and performance, Clay Aiken's March 12 concert at Raleigh's Memorial Auditorium received a "thumbs up" review by at the Examiner.com web site.

Some of my favorite graphs are printed below, but you can read the entire critique by Shauna Moroney at Clay Aiken reveals new album in Raleigh concert.

Now Clay is preparing for the release of his fifth studio album, tentatively titled "Tried and True," a compilation of 60’s covers. As a part of the celebration of his album release, sometime this summer, PBS will be featuring a concert of Clay’s new music.

Though the show will not air until around the time of the release, the actual concert took place on the previously mentioned date. Anyone who was lucky enough to be there, whether they were from the Raleigh area or they had to travel in for the occasion, knows what an amazing evening Clay had in store for his fans.

The set list ranged from the up tempo beats of "Mack the Knife" (with such an amazingly huge, long, perfect last note that it moved the audience to a standing ovation as soon as the first number concluded), "Eso Beso," "Suspicious Minds," and "Build Me Up Buttercup" to the slower, simpler side of Clay with "Misty," "Moon River," "In My Life," and "Unchained Melody" (with a jaw dropping climax in which Clay hit a note that seemed to redefine the meaning of the verb "to sing").

There were flashy lights, lots of smoke, and chandeliers that descended from the ceiling to change the atmosphere before certain songs.

Front and center was Clay’s amazing voice, but coming in a close second was his big heart. This showed up early on in the night when, after the first five numbers, Clay came into the audience looking for Sandy Schmidt.

Ms. Schmidt had taken four buses over a 36-hour period from Nebraska, traveling all by herself just to see Clay again. After receiving word of this from her friends, Clay personally escorted Sandy to the front row.

Clay also paid tribute to many of the teachers that he had throughout his time in the Raleigh public school system. To begin with, he told a story about being a "big loser" in sixth grade, not having friends and eating lunch with non-English speaking students if he was lucky. One particular teacher helped Clay get through this rough time by allowing him to eat lunch with her in her classroom everyday.

After introducing her to everyone, he asked anyone who had ever taught him to stand. About twenty people stood up to a huge round of applause, as well as heaps of praise from Clay about what a huge difference teacher make in the lives of their students. He went on to dedicate his beautifully understated performance of "In My Life" to these important people who made such an impression on him.

One of the greatest highlights of the night was a special guest appearance that many of Clay’s fans had already guessed at. Clay spoke briefly of Neil Sedaka Night on Idol, of how he had wanted to sing a particular song, but Ruben had snatched it up before he had the chance.

Here on this stage, though, he would prove that he could sing "Breaking Up is Hard to Do" better than Ruben could. He got two lines out, walked off stage left, and Ruben Studdard himself walked on stage right. It was wonderful to see Ruben in what it turns out is his element, as well as Clay’s.

After the song, the two had some great comedic banter about how awful music today is. ("It’s crap," said Clay, "and that’s an industry term.") So, calling upon one of Clay’s amazingly talented backup singers, Quiana Parler, the three promised a medley of classic big band songs that they love.

The instrumental introduction started out with lots of big strings and horns, and Clay came in with, “I like big butts and I cannot lie!” The audience roared with laughter as other pop songs were presented in big band style, like "Poker Face," "Can’t Touch This," "Tik Tok," "Maneater," "Crazy in Love," and "Play that Funky Music White Boy."

The new record, to be released this summer, will definitely appeal to those who have stuck by the former Idol since Season 2 ended.

In a Facebook post Monday, International Media verified that Clay's PBS Special/Tried and True preview is just around the corner:

Coming Soon To PBS: CLAY AIKEN: TRIED AND TRUE! Thank you to all those who attended his recent Memorial Auditorium concert! Stay tuned for more!

Texans Rediscover Clay, Attend Special

While rewinding the calendar to the incredible March 12 PBS taping, it is only appropriate to share this special Not.Just.Us story Claymatron posted in her recap at Clayversity:

I was sitting beside a couple from Texas who had never seen Clay in concert but they'd driven 1600 miles for the show because they had found his music on YouTube. They remembered him from AI, but then lost track until a year or so ago when the woman (in her 40's) was hospitalized with a very serious medical problem and nearly died.

When she came back to her hospital room after one of her many surgeries, she looked over at her husband, who was fast asleep from exhaustion in the chair beside the bed, and said she felt overwhelmed with love for him.

She picked up her laptop and checked YouTube for Celine Dion's version of "Because You Loved Me", which was "their song," and found Clay's instead.

Her husband woke up, and the two of them sobbed in each other's arms over his beautiful rendition. They were both hooked and searched YouTube for every song he ever sang, and checked out the Internet to find out when he'd next be in concert and found the announcement for the PBS taping.

They loved the show and held hands all the way through it. It was truly a special time for them, and I know we have another couple of devoted fans.

I have no doubt that Clay will find his way into many new hearts with this album, and it will be wonderful that they will love and accept him for who he is and for his amazing talent.

It truly warmed my heart and made me realize that because we have followed this man so faithfully over the years, dissecting and analyzing his every move, riding the roller-coaster with all its highs and lows, and being there through it all that we have lost sight of the wonder and beauty of his sheer talent.

It truly made me feel we all need to get back to that. Just enjoy because that's exactly what he's doing!

Mark Your Calendar

Confirmed Cluben Tour dates, also tagged the "Clay Aiken-Ruben Studdard Summer Not a Tour," include:

• July 23, 8 p.m. EDT: Biltmore Estates, Asheville, NC. Tickets go on sale April 6 at 8 a.m. EST.

• July 31, 8 p.m. PDT: Sliver Legacy Casino, Reno, NV. Tickets now on sale through Ticketmaster.

• August 6, 8:15 p.m. EDT: Chautauqua Institution, Chautauqua, NY. See web site for ticket info.

• August 10, 8 p.m. EDT: Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom, Hampton Beach, NH. Ticket sales through Ticketmaster TBA.

• August 12, 8 p.m. EDT: Turning Stone Resort and Casino, Oneida, NY. Tickets on sale April 9 at 10 a.m. EDT.

Below is a clickable of AmazingCA's opening graphic:

Basketball tourney and this oboist's tales from cantata weekend will have to wait until next time. Meanwhile, a couple of cheers for Monday and Tuesday National Invitational Tournament games:

Go, Virginia Tech Hokies and Carolina Tar Heels!!!

Have an awesome week, Clay Nation!

Caro