Hey out there, Hooligans! Guess who's back again? Thanks to some great pics and video from Bruno Mars News, it looks as though the recently absent Phil Lawrence is back in action and cool as ever!
Phil Lawrence
That's what I'm talkin' about! The gang's back together again; and, all's right with the world. See you Tuesday, guys! Knock 'em dead!! 😎
What up, Hooligans? Check out this newly posted video (below) of Bruno Mars' performance at The 2016 AMAs! Posted on Bruno's official YouTube Channel (Thank You, Bruno!) !
Look out! Bruno Mars and his Hooligans took to the stage Sunday Night (11-20-16) at The 2016 AMAs and delivered the most electrifying performance of "24K Magic" yet! An amazing performance that left everyone feeling like "Wait! Come back and do that again!" Bruno commented weeks ago that,
"With 24K Magic, for three minutes and thirty seconds I just gotta punish it! Punish the dance floor!"
Well Hooligans, I'm happy to report that with this particular performance, he didn't just "punish" the dance floor, he flat-out abused it! ... Right in the middle of the performance, after singing "Watch me brake it down like ...", Mars, joined by hip-hop dance crew Jabbawockeez, proceeded to literally brake it down with a downright dangerously-cool, smooth-criminal-esque performance that was straight up "drippin in finesse"!!
Bruno Mars and The Jabbawockeez Performing at The 2016 American Music Awards
Bruno Mars and The Jabbawockeez Performing at The 2016 American Music Awards
"Don't look too hard, might hurt yourself!" Seriously great performance! There's no video (That I know of) yet 😕 but, thanks to Bruno Mars News (thank you!), there are some pretty sweet pictures ...
Bruno Mars and The Hooligans at The 2016 AMAs
Bruno Mars and The Hooligans at The 2016 AMAs
Bruno Mars and The Hooligans at The 2016 AMAs
Bruno Mars and The Hooligans at The 2016 AMAs
Bruno Mars and The Hooligans at The 2016 AMAs
Bruno Mars and The Hooligans at The 2016 AMAs
Man! The live performance of "24K Magic" just keeps getting better and better! I can't wait to see what he does with it on tour! Check you later, Hooligans! 😎
Pop Music Sensation and suave, sultry Crooner, Bruno Mars’, 3rdAlbum
is set to hit stores in just a few days on November
18th, 2016!
Naturally, and as is only to be expected when concerning the
mega-Star, supreme Fans of the silky-smooth Singer – self-labeled Hooligans – have closely
followed Bruno over the past, nearly
2 years when he first announced his plans to begin writing an all new Album in
January, 2015, while on the Ellen Show.
Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson on Ellen
A tedious trek, to say the least, for most of Mars’ loyal Hooligans who have
lovingly waited out the time period while their favorite Artist had more or
less withdrawn from the Music Scene and society all together!
Still, finally, and at long last, it would seem every Hooligan's
patience is about to pay off in a VERY big way, as the HIGHLY anticipated moment that Fans have been begging for has all
but arrived!!
Dropping small but nonetheless daunting hints and teases
along the way, Bruno seems to have remained particularly careful of late to keep
the excitement hopping amongst his Wait-wearied Fans, offering some extremely
gratifying glimpses, during the last several weeks, as to what his once more elated
Fan-base can expect from his latest Recording venture … and I gotta say, it’s
totally working!
(#Credit!)
Yup, just like pretty much the rest of the whole planet, we’re
really not sure these last– albeit,very few!– days can possibly pass quickly
enough!!
… An-n-nd like most of Mars-obsessed listeners, All About Bruno has happily whittled away
its long hours scrapping together all the pieces of vital information that plainly
predict what a Funk-TASTIC event this newest release will be!
Here’s What We Know So Far:
01.This latest Album
release will mark his FIRST in 4 years.
Marking his first new Album release in nearly half a decade,
Bruno reveals his genius behind the creative writing process, and how hard he
strives for thatjust-right, Mars vibe!
“A lot of times … I turn the radio on and I’ll listen to
what’s goin' on and I’ll go the opposite way!
… It’s somethin' I wanna feel.
There’s, like, a groove, or a pocket, or a swing … that I personally
wanna feel and I try my best to come up with something.”
Bruno Mars with Kristin Klingshirn on The Bert Show
02.The Album is
entitled 24k Magic and is the FIRST
and only Album to feature a self-portrait of Bruno as part of the Album’s Cover.
24K Magic's official Album Cover
03.We ain't seen nothin' yet!
Bruno Mars, with his new album still being days away from release, has already had not one, not two, but THREE smash successes! His first new Single release was the album's title track,
“24k Magic”.
And, according to Bruno, the good times are only just beginning when it comes to this latest Record!
“I just can’t wait! …
the first Single [24k Magic] is really the appetizer … once you start setting
into Tracks 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 – that’s when the real magic begins!”
04.This latest Album by
Bruno will mark the FIRST Release to have included only 9 new Songs from the Singer
(Previous Albums, Doo-wops and Hooligans
and Unorthodox Jukebox both included
10 Tracks each, not incl. any bonus tracks.), and will feature no other
Recording Artist (As was the case for his 2nd Album, Unorthodox Jukebox).
The first – and really ONLY! – insight into his recent
Record to have received some negative feedback from Fans, Bruno explains the shortening switch-up
and how his – understandably! - Mars-hungry Hooligans needn’t feel the least bit slighted!
“A lot of people don’t understand that all the Records that
I do … that’s me playing piano on “When I Was Your Man” [Unorthodox Jukebox], that’s me playing guitar on “Locked Out of
Heaven” [Unorthodox Jukebox], drums
on “Uptown Funk” [by Mark Ronson]
… I’m in there! …It’s not going to a
Studio and working with a producer that [has already] got a bunch of Beats that
I pick from. I’m writin' and playin' and
it takes me a little while longer than I wish it would. … but … you get every piece of me in every Song. … Also, if I can’t get you with 9 Songs, I’m
not going you get you with 19!”
05. Every Track listed
on the Album – including its concluding Single, reportedly entitled, “Too Good to Say Goodbye”!! – has
distinct purpose and pre-planned, categorized levels of enjoyment.
Introducing the Mars Movie!!
Pleased about the 9 Tracks or no, Bruno discloses if you’re into film,
you’re into this Record!… And as for his first released Single, “24k Magic”? Why, that’s merely the opening credits!!
“With this Album … I wanted to make a movie, a real
movie! … I told myself , ‘We’re gonna
have a Screenplay … and were gonna work to that!’ … If you listen to Doo-wops and Hooligans or Unorthodox
Jukebox, you know [that] I'm a student of music, I love music! So, I’m gonna write whatever
the Hell I wanna write in the Studio … we got a Reggae
Song, we got a Ballad, we got “Locked Out of Heaven”, “Treasure”, [it’s] all over the place! But … if I
could tell myself, ‘I’m shooting a movie.’, then I need the ‘Opening’ to, you
know, let everybody know what time it is!
… And that [specifically] was 24k Magic –the Opening to the movie! ”
So, can we expect some more new and amazing Music Videos to
arrive in the wake of Bruno’s exciting Album Release?! Yes, we can!!
As the Artist himself enthuses,
“Oh, man!
Absolutely!”
07.... And so is a Tour!!
Funk, YEAH!! Plans
for an all-new, Mars-velous Tour are ALREADY in effect; and, I can't tell just
who is closer to losing their minds with excitement over it: Us, the fans or Bruno?!!
“This Album, I couldn’t be prouder about! - I can’t wait to
go on Tour with it, I can’t wait to do the Shows and open for the AMAs [American Music Awards] … it’s everything I wanted!”
“The Tour is coming very soon … I guarantee [that] I’ll be
touring in 2017! And when you hear this Album,
you’re gonna be like, ‘Oh, yeah! He’s
touring!’ “
-The
Bert Show
07.It’s. Bruno’s.
Best. Album. Yet!!
“Don’t look too hard, might hurt yourself!” Bruno exclaims that his latest Record is
also his GREATEST Record!!
“This Album – Can I just say it?! – This is the best Album
I’ve ever done! Out of all three of ‘em,
this is the one!”
Well, “Sh*#” !! If Bruno’s New Album is even HALF as good as its three, (TERRIFIC!) already-released Songs, I'd say that Christmas is coming early this year!!
Now THAT'S how you open a show! What a performance! Bruno Mars and The Hooligans came out and EXPLODED (Literally! Did ya'll see those in-house fireworks going on on-stage?!) as they opened up for The 2016 MTV EMA AwardsSunday Night (11-6-16)!!
Bruno Mars Performs at The 2016 EMAs!
As is usual for the crazy-cool, mega-talent that is Bruno Mars, this live performance of "24K Magic" took it up just one more notch (if that's possible) past it's previous Live performance on SNL!
Bruno Mars Performs at The 2016 EMAs!
I particularly LOVED the addition of that silky-smooth, synchronized, sped-up-then-slowed-down strut across the stage as they sang
"<Whoop!> Everywhere I go, they be like, 'Ooh! So Player!'" !!
Bruno Mars Performs at The 2016 EMAs!
Terrific job, guys! Amazing performance!! Can't wait to see you at The AMAs (This Sunday, 11-20-2016)!! See video below and watch Bruno Mars kill it at The 2016 EMA Awards, Courtesy of Bruno Mars official YouTube Channel!
Bruno Mars and the Hooligans performing "24k Magic" at BBC's Live Lounge
Hey again, Hooligans! Check out the video below to watch Bruno Marsperformance of "24K Magic" at BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge!! Then, check below that to see Bruno's cover of Adele's "All I Ask".
Bruno Mars and the Hooligans performing Adele's "All I Ask" at BBC's Live Lounge
Yes, you read that right. Bruno finally sang "All I Ask"!! IKR?! It's like a dream come true! And about funking time, I must say!! (Videos courtesy of BBC Radio 1's official YouTube Channel)
So, apparently (although I, myself, can’t find out if this
is actually happening or not), Mark
Ronson and Bruno Mars
are facing a possible lawsuit because “Uptown Funk” sounds “similar” to
the nuh-uh-we-totally-did-that-first-Collage Band’s song, “Young Girls”.
According to Pitchfork
(and other sources), the Band’s complaint states that their 1983 (I’ve never
evenheard of it before) single, “Young
Girls” sounds “strikingly similar”
to the Mega-hit “Uptown Funk”
… IF
the two songs are “played in [sic] consecutively”.
This whole thing is ridiculous. REALLY ridiculous!
And I, for one, am getting pretty funking fed up!!
<Drumming fingers impatiently> Let me put this as nicely as I possibly can …
Of course the two
songs sound “strikingly similar”!!!
No argument! (None needed!!) … It’s called a GENRE, you fame-less, envious,
nit-wit, has-beens!!!
… And this particular
genre is (Stay with me now!) called “FUNK”!!
How exactly can YOU claim
– and, better yet, PROVE -that this sound is unique and exclusive
to onlyyou and your song?!
If you don’t know the answer, I’ll tell you … You CAN’T!
Did you invent “Funk”?
Are you its origin?? Did it all begin and end with you and your
song??!
(I think we can all agree that) Thankfully, NO, it did not!!
(See “Ladies Night”
by Kool
& the Gang, from 1979 - four years beforeCollage’s song ever came out, and about 50 or more other examples from the late 70’s
and 80’s with that exact same “Funk” sound!!!)
DONE! Case closed!! The End!!!
If you need any more help, Bruno, just give a call, we’ll be
here!
Bruno Mars and The Hooligans perform "24K Magic" on SNL (10-15-16)
For those of you that caught Bruno's performance on SNL (10-15-16), you know that
he, once again, killed it! ... I mean really
killed it in that ridiculously smooth and cool way that only Bruno could!
For those of you that didn't, (dudes, why not? #KeepUp!) you seriously
missed out!
Bruno Mars and The Hooligans perform "24K Magic" on SNL (10-15-16)
And not just on his totally satisfying funk-tastic live
version of “24K Magic” but also on the no less than thrilling debut of yet another
kick-ass-smooth-vibed-groove-alicious knockout of a single, "Chunky"!
Bruno Mars debuts new song, "Chunky" on SNL (10-15-16)
I mean, we were all hoping that he would give us another new
song (I know, so spoiled
already! Don’t blame us, Bruno! Your music is so killer that we simply can’t
get enough!) and, as always Bruno, you did not
disappoint!
Hooligans, am I right about
it?
As an interesting note that, once again, points out Bruno’s seemingly never ending genius – It was actually Bruno’s idea to come from back stage.
Bruno Mars and The Hooligans perform "24K Magic" on SNL (10-15-16)
“I begged ‘em! … I understand
that SNL keeps the integrity of that
show, that’s a very iconic stage … That was my fourth time performing on SNL so
I asked them, I said, ‘You guys mind if I
try to do something and come from backstage?
I think people will get a kick out of that, seeing the way the show
works.’ And, you know, they’re the Best!
And every time I go there they show me nothin’ but love. And I just thought it
was fun! ”
Those of you that missed it (or maybe you’re just dying to
see it one more time!), don’t trip! Check
out the two videos below and see both of Bruno
Mars’ performances on SNL! Courtesy of Bruno Mars' and Dennis Oliveira's official YouTube Channels !
Hey out there, Hooligans! According to Bruno Mars Updates' AND BBC Radio 1's official Twitter pages, Bruno Mars is set to perform in The Live Lounge This Wednesday (11-02-16)!!
BOOM!! Check out this video below, courtesy of rhapsodyincolour2's official YouTube Channel, to see Bruno's previous Live Lounge performance in 2012!
Check out the video below to see the full interview and hear even more "Quirky Quotes" from Bruno Mars, courtesy of Fresh 102.7's official YouTube channel!
Hey out there, Hooligans! By now we've all heard Bruno's newest single, "24K Magic" ... So worth the (4 year) wait! ... 4 years, Bruno! 4 Years! ...just sayin'! But, as I said, so worth the wait! So funky! So cool! "So player"! Thankfully, he won't have us waiting that much longer for the rest of his album! ...
According to different sources, not the the least of which being Brunomars.com, Bruno's third studio album (titled after it's first single, "24K Magic") is set to be released November 18th! That's less than a month from now!
This "third chapter" for Bruno is already off to a great start with his first single, after having been released for only 30 minutes, drew nearly 300 thousand views on the song's official music video on YouTube and, after just one week, has already topped 300 million views!!
So, hooligans, mark your calendars for November 18th!
He’s the Robin to Bruno’s Batman, the Samwise to his Frodo, Booboo to his Yogi Bear, his “right hand man”!
Bruno Mars and Phil Lawrence
… and he doesn’t even have a Wikipedia page? … what the funk, people?!
During an interview, Phil was asked
“Give us the rundown,
Phil, who are you, man?”,
Then Bruno Mars, (who was seated next to Phil) jokingly whipped around to Phil and said
"Who the hell are
you?!"
Phil, who is just as much of a prankster as Bruno, quipped that he had met Bruno in a parking lot just a few weeks earlier and said,
"Yo, dog!I
ain't got nothin' to do for the rest of my life, can I just hang out with yous?"
A few more jokes and many more laughs later, Phil began to seriously explain ...
“To be honest, I'm one part of the production team with Bruno Mars, The
Smeezingtons.I also perform with him
onstage ..."
At this point, Bruno interrupted and said,
“He’s
being modest!Every song that you’ve
heard me sing, every song [that] they said that I produced, I produced with
Phillip Lawrence, I’ve written with Phillip Lawrence.He is my writing partner.My right hand man!”
… … Phil was born July 17th, 1980, in
Evansville, Indiana. Lawrence said the first time he was on stage was
“…around four years old.My dad was a DJ
in the 70s, so at any given time there were crates and crates of albums just
laying around the house- everything from the Isley Brothers to the Eagles, Led
Zeppelin, Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel- you name it, it was there. So we were
inundated with music and all these styles at a young age, so I think it was
inevitable what I was going to do.”
Phil went to college in Nashville, Tennessee, and studied communications and theater there for a year. But all he really wanted to do was write songs -
“… needless to say me and
school never really got along.
After a year I said to my parents, ‘I can do this
school thing if you want me to, but it’s probably going to be a waste of your
money. I kind of know what it is what [sic] I want to do- perform and sing and
pave that route for myself.’So they
said ‘Alright, set out on your journey and blaze a trail for yourself.’
Over the years I did some theater, and one of the
longest jobs I held down was [I] worked at Disney World in Florida for about
six years … ”
That’s right,
Hooligans!In his early years, Phil,
worked at “The Happiest Place on Earth! … um, can I just say, funking cool, Philip!Funking cool!! There’s even a clip on YouTube of Phil emceeing an
attraction at Disney's Hollywood Studios (then known as Disney's MGM Studios)
called Superstar Television, an
attraction that made its debut with the park in 1989.
Phil Lawrence emceeing at MGM'sSuperstar Television
Although, apparently, MGMwasn’t the only park that he worked at. ... In this clip (at 4:10) Phil, talking with
Bruno, references working at Animal Kingdom,
“this is what I would do, ...
Hellooo, Animal Kingdom!”
<Phil putting his hand to his ear to hear the
crowd then, disapprovingly, shakes his head>
<Bruno imitates the crowd going nuts!> <Phil smiles, nods and points to the imaginary crowd>
“That’s it!”
"That's it!"
“… that was kind of like my college years. I came
into my own as a performer there, and really kind of got the bug for songwriting. I left there to move to California and pursue my
dream even further. ”
Phil is a third part of the production team TheSmeezingtons
along with Bruno Mars and Ari Levine.Phil is actually the one that introduced Bruno To Ari. During an interview, Bruno said,
“Phil knew Ari, and
we [Bruno and Phil)] needed a studio, …he's [Phil is] like, ‘ I know this kid.’ So we called Ari up and we
started going there.”
The Smeezingtons
Lawrence is probably the most recognized and prominent member of Bruno’s band, The Hooligans. But, he’s not just a band member, a co-writer and co-producer, he’s also (as you probably know by now) Bruno’s best friend!
Bruno Mars and Phil Lawrence
In an
interview by American songwriter.comPhil tells the story of how he and Bruno met … “ I first got a call from a producer we were both working with in late 2006 and he said, ‘ I got this kid who’s phenomenally talented and he’s signed to Universal Records, but I think they’re going to drop him because they don’t know what to do with him. He’s great, but he needs a writer to help get his ideas out.’ At the time I was flat broke with no money, no car, and it was going to cost me everything I had to get to that studio session. ... He [the producer] said, ‘Whatever it cost you to get out here, I’ll reimburse you.’ So I said, ‘just give me five dollars back for the bus’. I get to the studio, and it was Bruno, and that session was the first time either of us had written and recorded an entire song. From that point on, we never stopped working together.”
Bruno Mars and Phil Lawrence
In this interview (at 3:30), Bruno tells his side of that
same, fateful meeting ...
“The producer that I worked with, at the time,
called Phil to write with me.And I meet
Phil, and he’s just a goofball … it was so refreshing!‘Cause … every session I would go to,
everyone was so serious and just like, you know, a little too into
themselves!And this guy was a goofball
but, had the talent to back it up.One
of the most talented guys I’ve ever met.So that was like … inspiring! … He’s believed in me, you know, when we
had nothin', no deal, no one was answering their phones, no one was calling us,
and he was still coming to the studio rocking with me.So, …”
<pausing to set his face into a dramatic stare while pointing at the camera>
“I love you, Phillip Lawrence!”
He concluded with a laugh. BTW, as an interesting note the “producer” that
Bruno “worked with at the time”the one
that called Phil, was, none other than, Keith Harris, the drummer for the Black Eyed Peas! … #whaaat?! In 2013, Phil released his debut solo album, Letters I Never Sent.
Philip Lawrence's Album, Letters I Never Sent
Phil is married to Celebrity Stylist-Designer Urbana Chappa and, together they have three kids, two girls Zaima and Zahlia, and a boy, Zadeh.
Well, Hooligans, there you have it ... Phil Lawrence in a nutshell! A very small nutshell, I grant you, but, in my defense, I didn't have much to work with! And I bet you didn't know all that stuff about Phil before, did ya? Huh?
