John Flanagan

A Touch of Madness

admin — Tue, 29 May 2012 03:42:04 +0000

As musicians, we do what we must to make a living wage. We wait tables, fold sweaters, valet cars, and generally neglect our college degrees as much as humanly possible all to avoid a mind-sucking 9 to 5 hamster wheel existence. So when a job comes along where we can actually make money off making music, we gladly bid our Maggiano’s/Abercrombie/odd jobs farewell, and we take it.

Every once in a while – if we’re lucky – the job is totally sweet too.

I am happy to announce I have just accepted a position with Disney at the California Adventure theme park in Anaheim, CA. No, it’s not touring the country in support of an album or getting a development deal or writing a smash hit for Rihanna, but it’s a job. A great job. A job where I get to use my voice to bring music to life for huge audiences… and not just singing some theme-park-sillyness, but singing Queen, Journey, Stevie Wonder, Police, Bon Jovi, and more. And what is perhaps the icing on the cake: I do it all wearing expensive costumes and a bright orange, feathered wig. It’s basically Disney drag and I couldn’t enjoy it more.

What does this mean for my career? It means exposure, regular work, great music contacts, and a paycheck that will enable the creation of my next album, so hang tight! And if you find yourself in Southern California some summer (Wednesday) night, drop by and see me perform.

“STOPLIGHT” Featured in Free Noisetrade Sampler

admin — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 15:01:40 +0000

When I was asked to take part in a free Noistrade sampler on behalf of foryourplaylist.com, I was honored. The line-up of Nashville-based artists asked to take part told me that I’ve not been forgotten in music city. Among my friends and contemporaries in the sampler, the caliber of talent represented is immense. It’s like a collage of the Nashville indie scene, an aural yearbook of the times. Foryourplaylist did an excellent job selecting the talent for this project. While choosing artists from various musical backgrounds, they’ve achieved a certain blend in the sampler. The tracklisting is as follows:

Matthew Mayfield – Fire Escape
Jillian Edwards – Mind Made Up
Ross Cooperman – Someone to Someone
The Delta Saints – A Bird Called Angola
David Ramirez – Shoeboxes
Clemency – Boys’ Choir
Marie Hines – Perfect Kiss
John Flanagan – Stoplight
Bayland – One To Blame

If you’re not familiar with the workings of Noisetrade, basically by entering your e-mail you can download the entire EP/album/sampler. Payment is optional, and in this case all tips go towards 147millionorpans.org. But don’t hesitate! The sampler is only available for a very limited time. Download it at Noisetrade today.

New Show: Saturday, January 28, 2012, Duplex Cabaret (Hosted by Brandon Cutrell)

admin — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 22:15:44 +0000

No trip to New York would be complete without a homecoming performance at Brandon Cutrell’s Saturday night cabaret showcase. This week, I’m honored to be one of his featured guests. As always, there is no cover. The show starts around midnight, so bring a friend, grab a drink, and come down to Christopher Street for some singing, laughing, and the always-inappropriate entertainment this weekly event promises.

From New York to L.A.

admin — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 18:35:03 +0000

Alright, Kiddos! The time has come to dust the cobwebs off the John Flanagan website and let you know what’s going on in my life. Since my very busy summer of shows in Tulsa, New York City, and on Staten and Fire Islands, a lot has happened. In September, I left the familiarity and comfort of the east coast – a place I’ve called home my whole life – and I set out for California. The songwriting and performance opportunities in Los Angeles are far greater for a pop musician than in New York, but that was a lesson I had to learn the hard way. However, I’m fairly confidant that having as much fun as I did during my time in New York, I’m disqualified from using that old cliché. The friendships forged through my experiences at the Stonewall Inn, The Duplex, and in my ultra-rad, all-gay boy band Out and About will tie a piece of my heart forever to New York’s sleepless nightlife.

Though the road to California hasn’t been without its obstacles, I’ve finally discovered the place for which my soul has been searching. So much of the angst and depression I’ve felt in Nashville and New York seemed to disappear the moment my plane touched down in Los Angeles. I found a small apartment with a palm tree outside my bedroom window. I wake up to sunshine, warm temperatures, and a sense of contentment most mornings, and though I fear that in some small way this paradise is breeding complacency and idle contentment – that my signature minor falls will give way to folk progressions and hippie kumbayahs – I know myself better. The music I’ve written in California is the best of my life, and I can’t wait to share it. Though I can’t set more than a tentative release date for any new projects, I do have something exciting in the works. Stay tuned in anticipation of a project commemorating the 1-year anniversary of Pretty Lies.

“Elektrik” Launch Party

admin — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 20:55:08 +0000

Fire Island just got a little bit hotter… That’s because I’m playing two shows in two days! And not just any two days, but the two days preceding my official launch of “Elektrik!”

3pm, Sunday, July 10 – The Ice Palace at Cherry Grove

9pm, Monday, July 11 – Broadway at the Beach

I will be the featured guest of the lovely Ariel Sinclair and Brandon Cutrell (respectively), and while I’m not on mic, I plan to be on the beach, so grab your sun screen, paperback books, transistor radios, and SUNGLASSES, and I’ll see you there.

On the radio…

admin — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 17:09:04 +0000

To garner some regional support for Pretty Lies following my move back to the Northeast, I took an ad out in the Boston Phoenix. The Phoneix is a free local interest paper featuring artists, musicians, and community events much like the The Nashville Scene or The Village Voice. The Phoenix is based out of Boston, but distributes also to Portsmouth, NH; Portland, ME; and Providence, RI. Here is what the ad looked like:

The great thing about the Phoenix, though, is that they also run an independent New England radio station called WFNX based out of Lynn, MA, broadcasting throughout the region as far north as Maine, and they ran this radio ad for 2 weeks.

Click here for the FNX Radio Ad

More than perhaps anything else, this for me has been a homecoming. I left New England as a 17-year-old who had never written a song in his life or performed for a crowd bigger than 500 people. I only had a dream, and while I’m still climbing the ladder to success, it means so much to be heard by the people who helped me along the way.

“Elektrik” Available on iTunes July 12th!

admin — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 17:22:54 +0000

“Elektrik” will be available on iTunes July 12th!

For a sneak peak click here!

Out & About Performs at The Duplex for PRIDE!!!

admin — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 03:13:00 +0000

In case you were unaware, I’m in a boy band these days. We perform diva standards ranging from TLC to the Weather Girls with a little bit of 90′s soul (aka Boys II Men) thrown in the mix. Lately we’ve been rehearsing our butts off! A week before pride we were booking our studio space, brushing up on our choreography, confirming that our venues had enough microphones, and running 18 miles a day all on about 400 calories. We were ready!!!

And now it’s here!!! We’ve performed once already this week at The Ritz during Doctor Princess Lady Scoutington Esq.’s Takin Off The Ritz Burlesque Show to wild audiences amid stiff (and topless) competition!

But now, it’s time for the main event: 4pm The Duplex Cabaret this Sunday, June 26, 2011, following the parade! There are going to be new numbers, full choreo, and drinks flowing like a river. Reasons why you should come: 1. Brandon Cutrell is hosting. 2. Have you heard Matthew Hashimoto sing some soul? 3. Nicholas Park goes on a shopping spree for every show, but his shirt for this one is cray cray. 4. Arthur Wise (enough said). And there you have it. Four good reasons. You can rsvp for the event on Facebook or you can just show up in the drunken heat of the moment. Either way, I’m excited to see some familiar faces out in the audience.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Miss New York 2011

admin — Sat, 28 May 2011 19:50:02 +0000

This year Staten Island is home to The Miss New York Pageant! For the past few years I have enjoyed singing at numerous Miss USA and Miss America state pageants around the country including: Texas, Mississsippi, Georgia, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Oregon, and New York. I am always surprised by the amount of fans who show up to hear me sing and cheer on their favorite contestants.

The shows are always glitzy and glamerous and Miss New York is no exception. I have been given incedible material that I am sure will make this pageant one of the best. So “journey” to Staten Island this summer June 19 and join me at Miss New York 2011!

John Flanagan, Miss New York 2009 Alyse Zwick, and Miss New York 2010 Contestants

Miss Oklahoma 2011

admin — Sun, 22 May 2011 02:18:58 +0000

It’s almost time again for one of the most exciting shows I play each year- Miss Oklahoma. Every summer for the past two years, 50 women and I converge on the campus of Oral Roberts University to perform at the state’s Miss America sponsored state pageant.

This year is more exciting than past years for I will be singing MY music! Several songs from my latest project and my new summer single have been incorporated into this year’s soundtrack. Check out the performance schedule, and I’ll see you in Tulsa!