Entertainment

Singing Policeman Went Viral in 2020 and Has Now Released Original Christmas Tune

The last two years have been a whirlwind for a Richmond, Virginia policeman, Mervin Mayo, who became a viral sensation when his church rehearsal of a Marvin Sapp song garnered over a million Facebook views in 2020.

Published

2 months ago

December 8, 2022

Daily News Staff

Mervin Mayo’s “Christmas Time is Here” music video.

RICHMOND, Va. /PRNewswire/ — The last two years have been a whirlwind for a Richmond, Virginia policeman, Mervin Mayo, who became a viral sensation when his church rehearsal of a Marvin Sapp song garnered over a million Facebook views in 2020. The surprise feat also earned him coverage on CNN’s Headline News channel and a record deal with Tyscot Records. Earlier this year, he dropped “The Best Friend” which has already amassed a million digital music streams, and now he’s heralding an original holiday song, “Christmas Time is Here” (Mervin Mayo / God’s Glory / Tyscot).

The music video for the tune features Mayo’s wife Michelle as his love interest and it’s in rotation on BET’s video channels. His robust tenor bounces off a suite of strings, piano, and a soft backing choir. Producer Jeremy James (who’s worked with artists ranging from The Clark Sisters to Mali Music) combines the perfect balance of urban condiments with the bells and whistles that usually accompany yuletide tracks. It’s a welcome addition to the urban canon of winter melodies such as Stevie Wonder’s “Someday at Christmas” and The Jackson 5’s “Give Love on Christmas Day.”

Music has always been a solace for Mayo who was raised by a hard-working mother in Richmond’s tough Creighton Court housing projects where murder and crime were everyday events. “When I look back, I grew up in the Wild Wild West, but I didn’t know it was,” he says. A now-retired police officer, Curtis Simmons, became a role model to Mayo as a teenager and inspired him to avoid street life and to become a policeman, a gig he’s held since 2005. “I said if I ever become a police officer, I want to do for others what he did for me,” he says.

Throughout his life, Mayo has sung for fun. He grew up singing in church. As an adult he sang with the regional R&B group, CHARM (Cool, Handsome, Attractive, Romantic, Men), and then later with the gospel group, CHANGED. In 2020, he was at his church singing Marvin Sapp’s “The Best in Me” and someone posted it on Facebook. In days, the video had gone viral, and the post eventually garnered a million views. A Tyscot Records exec spotted him and signed him up.

Now, Mayo has a larger platform to share his music and to combat the negative images the public has witnessed of law enforcement in recent years due to various high-profile police brutality incidents. “People want to think police are trigger happy,” he says. “The last thing a police officer wants to do is shoot somebody because if you shoot somebody, your career is done for ever. That’s not what the average policeman wants. They just want to make it home.”

Mervin Mayo in Uniform, Courtesy of Tyscot Records

Link: https://youtu.be/hQR8fnbVhGk

SOURCE Mervin Mayo

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Are You Missing the MOST Important Point of Playing Pickleball?

Published

16 hours ago

February 8, 2023

Michael J Sliwa and Rod Washington

Sometimes we overlook the most important aspects of this wonderful game.

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music and concerts

Everbloom Music Festival is Coming to Toronto

Published

2 days ago

February 7, 2023

Daily News Staff

An All-Canadian Music Festival in Celebration of Black History Month
February 25th, 2023, 3 PM EST

TORONTO /CNW/ – Waveland Canada is thrilled to announce its first in-person Everbloom music festival, a celebration of performing artists in Canada and a chance to support Black Canadians who are working to create art, music, and culture.

This year’s festival will take place in-person at the Great Hall in Toronto on February 25th 2023, with a focus on celebrating Black performing artists from a variety of backgrounds and genres. The festival has had several successful virtual editions over the past 2 years, and is ready to bring audiences together again via live music. Guests will also have the opportunity to visit a vendors market featuring artisanal products from Black-owned businesses in the GTA.

“The theme for this year’s event is #BlackInCanada, which we hope will ignite conversations about how Black people contribute to the fabric of our country’s arts & culture.” says chief executive director of Waveland Del Mahabadi. “It’s also an opportunity for us as Canadians to come together and celebrate our cultural diversity by supporting Black-owned businesses through our vendor market and enjoying performances from drag kings & queens and musicians from across Canada who are making their voices heard through their work.”

With support from the Canada Arts Presentation Fund, The Canadian Race Relations Foundation, FACTOR Canada, and the City of Toronto, the festival’s official lineup of participating Black-Canadian artists, DJs, drag queens, and drag kings has been announced.

Lineup:

Sammy Jackson
Del Hartley
AHSIA
koziithegoat
B1GJuice
Loti
WolF McFarlane
Maurice Moore
noiir
Eboni the Queen
Manny Dingo
Fafiélla
victory
Quincy Griffith
DJ Shannyn Hill
DJ TXWLL

Full details of the lineup, tickets, and other information can be found on Everbloomfestival.com

For press images, click here.

About Waveland

Waveland is a Canadian nonprofit music organization committed to celebrating and empowering the Canadian music scene. We believe that experiencing and engaging with Canadian music is a major contributing factor to sustaining social bonds among the people within our communities. Our mission is to help make Canada the incubator for musical talent and contribute towards building more vibrant, positive, and inclusive communities.

About Canada Arts Presentation Fund

The Canada Arts Presentation Fund (CAPF) – Development stream provides financial assistance to support the emergence of arts presenters and presenter-support organizations for under-served communities or artistic practices.

About FACTOR Canada

FACTOR (the Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent on Recordings) is a public/private partnership that supports the production of sound recordings by Canadian musicians and helps Canadian music companies make recordings available to a wider public. FACTOR is committed to reflecting the diversity of the Canadian population in its programs and operations. We are committed to ensuring universal access to all funds and services, including all musical expressions and talent. We will also in our work encourage these values of diversity and inclusiveness within the broader Canadian music sector.

About the Canadian Race Relations Foundation

The Canadian Race Relations Foundation was created by the Government of Canada as a Crown Corporation in 1996, as part of the Japanese Canadian Redress Agreement, to reaffirm the principles of justice and equality for all in Canada. As a signatory to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, Canada has resolved to adopt all necessary measures for speedily eliminating racial discrimination in all its forms and manifestations.

About City of Toronto’s Music Office

The City of Toronto’s Music Office (a unit of Film & Entertainment Industries, Economic Development and Culture) exists to nurture the city’s music community through policy, recommendations, and advocacy.

SOURCE Waveland

https://stmdailynews.com/category/entertainment/

Beverages

G FUEL Teams with The Vitamin Shoppe with Exclusive Lineup of Cans and Energy Formula Varieties

Published

2 days ago

February 6, 2023

Daily News Staff

PAC-MAN, Dragon Ball Z, Mega Man, Naruto Shippuden and TEKKEN Series Flavors Now Available at The Vitamin Shoppe Stores

NEW YORK /PRNewswire/ — G FUEL today announced that four flavors in 16 oz cans and five flavors in 40-serving tubs are now available at The Vitamin Shoppe stores across the U.S. The assortment features popular flavors and new varieties based on the hottest gaming and anime properties today, including a new flavor exclusive to The Vitamin Shoppe: Soda Ice Candy – inspired by Naruto Shippuden!

G FUEL is now available at The Vitamin Shoppe!

“The Vitamin Shoppe is a true pillar of the health and wellness world, so we’re excited to bring a fresh assortment of ready-to-drink cans and Energy Formula powders to their passionate retail community,” said G FUEL Founder and CEO Cliff Morgan. “We can’t wait for The Vitamin Shoppe customers to experience the Game-Changing Energy of G FUEL!”

In addition to the brand-new Soda Ice Candy flavor, The Vitamin Shoppe customers can pick up the following flavors in ready-to-drink 16 oz cans:

Kamehameha (Strawberry Lychee) – Inspired by Dragon Ball Z (140 mg of caffeine)
Power Pellet (Cherry Lollipop) – Inspired by PAC-MAN (140 mg of caffeine)
Snow Cone (300 mg of caffeine)

Each 16 oz G FUEL can has zero sugar and zero calories, along with proprietary energy and focus-enhancing complexes.

“We are thrilled to partner with G FUEL to bring this dynamic assortment of performance-driven energy drinks and formulas to the fast-growing segment of customers who are enthusiastic fans of e-sports,” said Muriel Gonzalez, Chief Merchandising and Marketing Officer of The Vitamin Shoppe. “Gaming and anime are vibrant drivers of contemporary entertainment culture, and The Vitamin Shoppe is excited to provide e-sport participants with the energy and wellness products that help them stay hydrated, support focus, and perform their best.”

The five 40-serving Energy Formula Tubs now available at The Vitamin Shoppe include:

Kamehameha (Strawberry Lychee) – Inspired by Dragon Ball Z
Power Pellet (Cherry Lollipop) – Inspired by PAC-MAN
Blue Bomber Slushee (Blue Raspberry Slush) – Inspired by Mega Man
Rage Drive (Cantaloupe) – Inspired by the TEKKEN Series
Snow Cone

Each serving of G FUEL Energy Formula has zero sugar, 15 calories, 140 mg of caffeine, and is loaded with antioxidants from 18 different fruit extracts.

From now through Feb. 28, fans can enter to win a special G FUEL x The Vitamin Shoppe prize pack, which will include a Sony PlayStation 5, a 12-pack of G FUEL cans and a $25 The Vitamin Shoppe Gift Card. All they have to do is “Like” the giveaway post on Instagram, tag a friend in the comment section and follow both @gfuelenergy and @vitaminshoppe for eligibility (U.S. only, 18+). For full rules and restrictions, click here.

Enjoy the Game-Changing Energy of G FUEL at The Vitamin Shoppe stores near you. Find The Vitamin Shoppe locations by clicking here!

About G FUEL

As The Official Energy Drink of Esports®, G FUEL provides gamers with a performance-driven alternative to standard energy drink products. With an ever-expanding, sugar-free product lineup that includes a powdered Energy Formula, ready-to-drink cans, powdered Hydration Formula and Sparkling Hydration bottles, G FUEL has firmly established itself as the market leader in the gamer energy drink industry.

With more than 300,000 5-star Shopper Approved Ratings, a shipping network that spans over 125 countries, a nationwide retail campaign, and a global social media footprint of over 1 billion followers, G FUEL maintains the industry’s largest and most passionate community of fans, customers, content creators, and partners. Content creators and partners include the likes of Ninja, MoistCr1TiKaL, Sentinels Esports, NoisyButters, PewDiePie, Mikal Bridges, Michael Dickson, Summit1G, xQc, Activision, SEGA of America, Capcom®, EA, Bethesda Game Studios, Warner Bros., VIZ Media, Rare Ltd., Disney, Lucasfilm, Sony Pictures, The Tetris Company and Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc.

Join the movement today at GFUEL.com and follow us on social media @GFuelEnergy.

About The Vitamin Shoppe

Lifelong Wellness Starts Here™. The Vitamin Shoppe®, a subsidiary of Franchise Group Inc. (NASDAQ: FRG), is a global, omnichannel specialty retailer and wellness lifestyle Company with the mission of providing customers with the most trusted products, guidance, and services to support them on their journeys of lifelong wellness. Based in Secaucus, New Jersey, the Company offers a comprehensive assortment of nutritional solutions, including vitamins, minerals, sports nutrition, specialty supplements, herbs, homeopathic remedies, green living products, and natural beauty products. In addition to carrying products from approximately 700 national brands, The Vitamin Shoppe offers products from its proprietary brands within its owned and wholesale channels, including: The Vitamin Shoppe^®, Vthrive The Vitamin Shoppe™, BodyTech^®, BodyTech^® Elite, fitfactor™, fitfactor KETO™, plnt^®, ProBioCare^®, True Athlete^®, and TrueYou™. In the U.S., the Company conducts business through over 700 company-operated retail stores under The Vitamin Shoppe and Super Supplements™ banners, and via its website, www.vitaminshoppe.com. The company is expanding its retail footprint via an innovative, omnichannel franchising model and opened its first franchise store in 2022. Globally, The Vitamin Shoppe serves customers in select Asia, South America, and Central America markets through local omnichannel partners.

SOURCE G FUEL