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THE INDIE ROCK BLOG
The Indie Rock Blog is a collection of Sugartune Artist News and entries from our friends at the Rock and Roll Report. If sweet, sugartunes are stirring in your soul, keep your soul stirred with a subscription to our news feed. 
If you are looking for some cool indie rock and roll that you may not have heard before, click on any one of these links and have a listen to these bands. If you like what hear go ahead and buy a copy and keep indie rock and roll alive and kicking!
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Here is the Drastic Plastic Playlist for August 28, 2006 on CKUT FM which broadcasts live and on the Net every Monday night from 10:00 - 11:00 PM EST. Check out the Heavy Trash mini-set that host Doug Ford put together in the middle. Very cool stuff. I will be hosting my new monthly slot on September 4, 2006 so tune in and enjoy!
Band/Album/Song
Later.
There are still some of us who like our rock and roll with a bit of cocksure swagger. You know what I’m talking about- the cream colored Les Paul slung low down on the waste of Mick Ronson, the decadent debauchery of Exile on Main Street, the "fuck you" attitude of Iggy Pop, the rock and roll thump of AC/DC. As long as somebody continues to make amplifiers, somebody will plug their guitar into them, kick in the speaker and insist on playing fuzzed out three chord riffs while some too-skinny singer with acne and greasy hair sings in front of a stone-faced bass player and a frantically flailing drummer. It’s part of rock and roll’s DNA. Jet mined that vein to glory and The Shys are attempting to do the same with their Sire debut Astoria.
Making no apologies for their stripped-down sound, The Shys instead seem to revel in it. Never Gonna Die and Call in the Cavalry kick things off with a suitable kick in the pants but it’s the Stones meets Bolan of Waiting on the Sun that got me interested. Having it Large is great at high volume (it’s playing right now) and over all this stuff pretty much rocks from beginning to end. Good stuff and sure to be a band to see live if you get the chance as they are currently touring the country (I plan to catch them at the Osheaga Festival here in Montreal). There’s some great rock and roll meat on these bones. Take a bite…I’m sure you’ll like the taste. Check out their My Space site to listen to some of their tunes.
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As seen on the Rant Line from the Montreal Mirror:
M I’m wondering if someone knows of any bars or clubs that play UK indie rock in Montreal. The only British music I’ve heard here in months was this BLOKE, DJ Armitage Shanks, who played some brilliant shite on CKUT’s Drastic Plastic last Monday night. If you know anywhere else spinning mad UK tunes, please give the Rant Line™ a call. Cheers. [BLEEP!]
Remember to tune in to the Drastic Plastic Program every Monday night between 10:00-11:00 PM EST on CKUT FM either live over the airwaves and Net or downloaded from the CKUT archives. Either way we will rebuild rock and roll radio in Montreal one song at a time.
Later.
Montreal is pumped to host the first ever Osheaga Festival at the beautiful Parc Jean Drapeau on Labour Day weekend and what a line-up they have assembled! Here is just a selection: Ben Harper, Sonic Youth, Flaming Lips, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Dinosaur Jr, Wolf Parade, Bedouin Soundclash, Montreal’s own The Stills, Brazilian Girls, Metric, Joseph Arthur, The Shys (expect a review of their new album on the site soon), Star Sailor, The Magic Numbers and more. Over 60 bands will be playing! I plan to attend and will report back on how it went. If you are looking for an excuse to visit Montreal (like you really need one) this is the festival to check out. The full schedule and a map can be downloaded here.
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The deadline for the 2007 Independent Music Awards is extended by one week – providing procrastinating artists around the world a brief window to still submit materials to this prestigious program.
The IMAs celebrate the very best in independent music and design and this year’s crop of entries are shaping up to be the most diverse and talented in the award’s six-year history. A-list Artist judges including Peter Gabriel, Wynonna,
Ozzy Osbourne, Suzanne Vega, Cyndi Lauper, Paul Oakenfold, Afrika Bambaataa, Bill Frisell and others join influential Industry judges ranging from high profile Music Festival Artistic Directors, Record Label Executives, Film, TV & Gaming Music Supervisors and Music Journalists to determine this year’s winners.
Entries from Japan, Australia, Guam, Argentina, Cuba, Israel, Spain, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Italy, Greece, Estonia, Russia, Ireland, the UK, Canada and the United States reflect the program’s stature and reach throughout the international independent music community.
Gregg SWANN "Everybody’s Got to be Somewhere" www.greggswann.com
Pour ne rien vous cacher, je connais personnellement le bonhomme pour l’avoir reçu dans mon émission Pop Dreams et l’avoir suivi sur plusieurs dates sur le sol français. Mon amitié est indéfectible pour Gregg, être humain talentueux et sensible. Sa musique lui ressemble, humaine et donc non parfaite. Avec une discographie déjà très fournie mais une abscence de plusieurs années, vous pensez bien que c’est avec un plaisir non dissimulé que j’ai littéralement avalé les 10 titres que comporte ce joli digipack. Gregg, c’est ton meilleur album sans conteste! mélodique, chaleureux, fidèle à l’univers musical du new yorkais. Des pop songs évidentes que l’on a envie de chanter à tue tête et qui vous trotte dans la tête des journées entières. La bio cite Westerberg, Petty, je peux ajouter une pincée de early REM.(le titre "Hollywood") Très beau retour aux affaires d’un vrai auteur. A découvrir d’urgence (salut amical à Jeff son bassiste)
I have nothing to hide, I know personally the man and because of this I received his CD for play on my radio show Pop Dreams as well as getting the opportunity to see him play on French soil. My friendship and respect for Gregg knows no bounds as he is truly talented and sensitive human being. His music is human and not at all perfect. With a rich discography but an absence of a number of years you would probably not be surprised to hear that I literally devoured these 10 new tracks on this great digipack. Gregg, this is your best CD, no contest! Melodique, inviting, this album is faithful to the New York musical universe. With pop songs that you sing along to constantly in your head they are so good that they stay with you for days. Hi bio cites Westerberg, Petty and a touch of early R.E.M. (on the title “Hollywood”) as influences. A great return to form for an amazing song writer. This is an album requiring urgent discovery. Oh, and a friendly high to Gregg’s bassist Jeff!
By Gérard Girard
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OK not really, but the very well regarded Beatles tribute band 1964…The Tribute will be performing at Shea Stadium on August 23, 2006 (tonight!) on the 40th anniversary of the last Beatles concert in New York. They will be playing prior to the Mets-Cardinals game and during various innings. If you like baseball and the Beatles you will be in heaven.
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To Tour Or Not To Tour…That Is The Question!
by Sheena Metal, 
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It’s every musician’s fantasy: The tour bus rolls up to the arena (full of groupies, beer and pizza). Fans are crowded out front hoping to catch a glimpse of America’s hottest band. The group is escorted to their dressing room (full of more groupies, beer and pizza). They enjoy the various pleasures of stardom while roadies set up the stage. It’s show time. The artists take the stage. The crowd is screaming. The lights are glaring. The amps are humming. The drummer clicks off the first song and…
You wake up in the back of your PT Cruiser. Your bass player’s elbow is in your ear and the drummer’s asleep on your foot. You’ve eaten nothing for the last week but corn dogs and frozen burritos. This is not the tour you imagined. This is not your Lilith Faire. This is not your Lollapalooza. This is not your Warped Tour. This…sucks.
Every musician dreams of touring. Getting out of their same boring town. Trying their tunes out on new crowds, in new areas, for fresh faces. Bonding on road, writing new tunes in the motel room, free food, free drinks, getting paid, getting laid…living the life.
But the music biz is full of touring horror stories. Bands stuck on the road with no money to come home. Musicians not eating for days. Clubs canceling gigs the night of with no warning. Negative reactions from bar patrons and local bands. The list goes on.
So, how do you make sure that your touring experience is a positive one? What can you, as musicians do, to eliminate potentially negative experiences and create positive ones.
The following are a few tips that add success to your touring experience:
1.) Don’t Plan A Tour Because You’re Unhappy At Home—Just as an affair will not fix the problems in a marriage, a tour is not the cure for: problems within the band, problems in the band members’ lives, or a general malaise for your local scene. A tour is strain and stress and loads of work. You should be excited, and enthusiastic and positive when planning.
2.) Over Prepare Before You Leave — You can never plan too much or take too many precautions. At home is the time to rethink ever scenario and arrange accordingly. Get the van tuned up. Pack extra emergency money. Bring a list of additional clubs in the area in case your gigs fall through. Pack extra strings and sticks. Bring a backup guitar. Pack extra merchandise. Bring emergency food/water. Pack extra batteries and power cords. Bring cell phones.
3.) Be Humble And Thankful — You’re in a strange town and a new club, act like a guest. Nothing ticks off a club owner/promoter who’s taken a chance on an unknown band more than out-of-towners swaggering into a club like Paris Hilton in an episode of "The Simple Life." No matter how cool you are in your own town, this is unproven ground and your first impression is important. Ask, don’t demand. Set up quickly. Play at an appropriate volume. Clean up after yourselves. Be friendly and courteous. Say "please" and "thank you". Unless you’re booking in Jerkville USA, this positive attitude could set you well on your way to a repeat booking with better perks and more local support.
4.) Seize Every Opportunity—If you’re going to take the time away from work, family, and the buzz you’ve built in your own music community to head out into the great beyond and conquer unknown lands…you might as well come back with something other than lovely memories and an out-of-state parking ticket. You’re in a new place and the possibilities are endless. Sell CDs. Sell T-shirts. Get new names on your mailing list. Solicit local reviews, interviews, and radio. Introduce yourself to other club owners for future bookings. Find out who books local festivals. Play an impromptu house party after your gig. Make new friends that can street team for you next time. Think of something I haven’t even written here and do it!
Don’t Expect To Conquer The World In One Tour—Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will your touring empire be. Have fun. Enjoy each trip and using it as a building block to make each tour to that particular place better and more elaborate. Play your cards right, and after a few trips you may be making terrific money, have secured lodging (either new friends let you crash or a club pays for a motel), get food and drinks comped, and guaranteed press and radio coverage.
In short, touring can be the best thing that ever happened to your band if you work hard, play it smart, and follow through correctly. But no matter how much you love to tour, always remember to keep your foot in the door locally. It’s the great work that you do at home that makes other clubs excited about you bringing your show to their town.
Sheena Metal is a radio host, producer, promoter, music supervisor, consultant, columnist, journalist and musician. Her syndicated radio program, Music Highway Radio, airs on over 700 affiliates to more than 126 million listeners. Her musicians’ assistance program, Music Highway, boasts over 10,000 members. She currently promotes numerous live shows weekly in the Los Angeles Area, where she resides. For more info: http://www.sheena-metal.com.
Provided by the MusicDish Network. Copyright © MusicDish LLC 2006 - Republished with Permission
Doug Ford put out another great selection of drastic plastic on last night’s Drastic Plastic Program on CKUT FM. Always remember that you can listen to the show anytime through streaming or download from the archives section of the CKUT FM website.
This is what was played on the show:
Group/Album/Song
Later.
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Title: Stoned-The Original Rolling Stone
Rated:R
My 5-star scale rating: 3-1/2 stars (1/2 just for hair and costume work)
The theatrical release of this movie was so limited, I thought it was worth reviewing for its DVD release. It recounts the rise and eventual fall of Brian Jones (played by Ian Gregory), founder of the Rolling Stones and the driving force behind their early blues sound. In the days filled with the giant cult personalities like Lennon and Hendrix, none was bigger than Brian Jones, who could be considered the father of the modern "rock star" image. Jones died tragically at age 27 shortly after having been booted from the Stones. Like so many other precocious artists before and after Jones, the emotionally dependent, paranoid genius turned to drugs and other eccentric indulgences. The portrayals of Keith Richards (Ben Whishaw) and Mick Jagger (Luke De Woolfson) are far from the caricatures that may have become the current Richards and Jagger, but thanks in-part to great hairstyling and costumes they pull them off believably. The movie’s chronology bounces around but focuses on the last 3 months of Jones life, when a builder by the name of Frank Thorogood (Paddy Considine) was hired to work on Jones’ home having just completed work on Keith Richards home.
According to the film, Jones eventually begins to rely on Thorogood for other duties as well; cooking, chauffeuring, cricket opponent, sympathetic ear. In exchange, Frank gets ordered around by Jones at all hours of the night, made to make changes again and again on the same wall at Jones’ home, stiffed for his building wages and stiffed by Jones’ girlfriend. Perhaps because Jones had so little control over the rest of his life, he enjoyed the opportunity to control someone else’s, which ironically may have led to his death, originally ruled as "death by misadventure". In 1993 however, Thorogood supposedly made a deathbed confession. Since the only two people who really know what happened, Jones and Thorogood, are now dead, we’ll probably never know for certain. The final scene proposes an interesting encounter between the deceased Jones and Tom Keylock, the tour manager responsible for hiring Thorogood. In it, Jones thanks him for making him a martyr. Indeed, if Jones had lived longer as he was, debilitated by drug use, unable to write new music of his own, he may well have died after his star had faded out and his popularity long past its peak. Dying while still in the white-hot lights of rock stardom guaranteed his place on the tragically long list of performers who departed far too early but will live on as cult icons of theirs and future generations.
If you’re looking for a movie about the Rolling Stones, this isn’t it. This is definitely about Jones. Interestingly and noticeably absent are any Rolling Stones songs. Whether done intentionally in tribute to Jones or due to licensing issues, the soundtrack contains no actual Rolling Stones performances. It also has no songs with writing credits going to any of the Rolling Stones, neither "Nanker Phelge", the collective group name for which Jones would have received partial song writing credit, nor Richards or Jagger, the Glimmer Twins or any other Rolling Stones’ members. It does contain several covers of Robert Johnson songs, including Stop Breaking Down by the White Stripes. Parents be cautioned, it also contains a fair amount of sexual content-it is a movie about the late 1960’s music scene after all. Except for a few deleted scenes, the DVD has no bonus features.
INDIE NEWS BEAT
August 16, 2006 Edition
* MusicDish Partners With “Save Our Sounds” To Help Preserve America’s Recorded Heritage
* Miko Marks Wins Showdown Competition
* Mashed Buddha Taps MusicDish Network For Saturated Marketing Campaign
* Globally Acclaimed Dj-Producer Paul Van Dyk Will Host New Weekly Sirius Satellite Radio Show
* AirSpun To Launch Music Industry’s First Web-Based Radio Airtime Booking System
* Big Fish Media Announces New Content Acquisition Deals
* Web 2.0 Agency, ROKKAN, Breaks Through With BreakThru Radio
* Roots Music Report Announces Recipients Of Its 2006 Radio Stations Of The Year Award
MusicDish Partners With “Save Our Sounds” To Help Preserve America’s Recorded Heritage
Just imagine it… thousands of rare and one-of-a-kind recordings of American folklife from around the country… including songs, stories, poems, speeches… from coal miners to ex-slaves, from presidents to gypsies, from Blues to Native American ceremonial songs… all… slowly… deteriorating …
MusicDish, an Internet music magazine publisher and artist marketing/development firm, is pleased to announce that it is joining forces with the American Folklife Center to support the preservation of America’s wonderful musical heritage. MusicDish will feature recordings and other music-related documents, selected by the American Folklife Center, that are threatened by deterioration. The selected recordings and documents will be presented through MusicDish.com as well as its syndication network, representing the breadth of the music community, to raise awareness of their historical value and help raise funds to help preserve the featured recordings and documents.
“America’s rich musical heritage is under threat of disappearing right before our eyes, all the while that we possess the technology to save it,” noted MusicDish founder Eric de Fontenay. “As a member of the music industry, we fell it is our duty to inform and empower the broader community to safeguard this treasure for future generations of musicians and listeners.”
“We know that our readers will want to become partners with MusicDish in helping to preserve the wonderful musical heritage that we all share,” commented MusicDish Editor-in-Chief Anne Freeman. “We are very excited about this partnership!”
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Miko Marks Wins Showdown Competition
Mirrome Records recording artist, Miko Marks has won the local level of the Colgate Country Showdown in her home state of California. She goes on to compete at the state level on August 13 at the San Mateo County Fair.
This is the 25th Anniversary of the Colgate Country Showdown, which has grown into the largest country music talent search in America with over 450 local radio stations participating, 50,000 artists competing annually and over $300,000 in cash prizes awarded throughout the 4-level competition. Nearly every major country music entertainer of the past 2 decades has participated in the Showdown.
Just a few weeks later, Marks will perform 2 shows daily at the Black Family Reunion Celebration on the National Mall in Washington, DC., September 9 and 10. The celebration is a two-day cultural event that is recognized as the largest, most significant family event in the nation, attracting more than 500,000 people each year. In the late 1980’s, the black family was under attack in the media. In response to significant negative projections of a “disappearing” and “disintegrating” black family, Dorothy I. Height, Chair of the National Council of Negro Women, developed an idea for a positive culturally based event that would celebrate African Americans’ historic strengths and traditional values. The festival celebrates the enduring strengths and traditional values of the African American family.
On the heels of her debut album, Freeway Bound, Miko has appeared at CMA MusicFest, opened for Warner Records artist, Ray Scott and has toured nationally as a featured performer with the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo. With the release of her 3rd single, “Mama”, Marks has released her first music video, featuring R & B songstress, Erykah Badu, in the title role.
The video is being promoted by Visual Image Marketing of Nashville, TN and may be viewed at several online video sources including cmt.com, vh1.com, bet.com, mtv.com and on Miko’s site at www.mikomarks.com
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Mashed Buddha Taps MusicDish Network For Saturated Marketing Campaign
MusicDish, an Internet music magazine publisher and artist marketing/development firm, announced the addition of Massachussets-based electronica act Mashed Buddha to the MusicDish Network roster. A mixture of downtempo grooves, hypnotic electronica melodies, and jungle beats, Mashed Buddha’s drum&bass debut “Subdue Your Mind” (
) is an unexpected foray for creator & keyboard player John Corda who has performed jazz, funk, and rock for the last decade.
“John Corda set about to craft jungle and drum&bass beats and rhythms as the backdrop to an electrifying ambient and symphonic journey,” noted Smother.net. “The result is a compelling and inspiring joint that works its way into your head analyzing your Zen status and applying a bit of a karmic good rub on your soul.”
Mashed Buddha joins an eclectic roster of artists on MusicDish Network’s marketing/artist development program, including Jazz chanteuse Mellani Day, African American Country artist Miko Marks and Astrella Celeste, daughter of the ‘British Bob Dylan’ Donovan. MusicDish Network will conduct an extensive saturated marketing campaign in support of “Subdue Your Mind”, combining PR/brand development, syndicated marketing and online street teaming. In addition, Mashed Buddha will be aggressively pushed on social networking sites such as MySpace, YouTube and TagWorld (to name a few), while conducting a viral distribution campaign of selected tracks and videos on major file sharing networks such as eDonkey.
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Globally Acclaimed Dj-Producer Paul Van Dyk Will Host New Weekly Sirius Satellite Radio Show
One of the world’s premiere DJs and a GRAMMY nominated producer, Paul van Dyk, will launch his own weekly show on SIRIUS Satellite Radio, called Paul van Dyk’s Vonyc Sessions, on August 31. On August 25, SIRIUS will also broadcast concerts by van Dyk from New York’s Central Park.
Paul van Dyk, a native of Germany, is currently ranked the world’s No. 1 DJ by DJ Magazine. His new SIRIUS show, Paul van Dyk’s Vonyc Sessions, will launch on August 31 and will be heard each Thursday from 6 pm to 8 pm ET on SIRIUS’ commercial-free trance and progressive house music channel, Area 33 (channel 33). Each week’s program will be re-broadcast on Saturdays from 8 to 10 pm ET, and Tuesdays from 12 midnight to 2 am ET.
On August 25, SIRIUS will broadcast van Dyk’s concerts taking place August 18 and 19 in Central Park, New York City, as part of a special ten-hour broadcast on Area 33, Paul van Dyk Live at Central Park NYC. van Dyk’s Central Park shows will be special live performances using laptop computers, studio software and real-time remixing, enhanced with additional keyboards, sequencers and a drummer.
Said van Dyk, “I am thrilled to be joining SIRIUS Satellite Radio and Area 33. Broadcasting my live appearance at Central Park is the perfect way to kick off this new endeavor and I’m excited to have the SIRIUS listeners enjoy such an exciting event.”
Paul van Dyk received a GRAMMY nomination for Best Dance/Electronic Album for his 2003 original album Reflections. Top-charting singles van Dyk has produced include “Nothing But You,” “Crush,” “Connected” and “The Other Side.” Earlier this year, he won four International Dance Music Awards (IDMAs) for his latest compilation The Politics of Dancing 2 at the Winter Music Conference in Miami.
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AirSpun To Launch Music Industry’s First Web-Based Radio Airtime Booking System
AirSpun, Inc., a Silicon Valley start-up with an e-commerce approach to marketing digital music through commercial radio promotion, announced plans to launch www.airspun.com in an effort to democratize the music hitmaking process and provide independent artists with unprecedented power over their creative futures. AirSpun.com features a patent-pending online airtime booking system for affordable commercial radio exposure along with promotional opportunities that give independent recording artists a chance to sell their music directly to a global fan base. At launch, the company is offering commercial airtime in Nashville, San Jose/San Francisco, Seattle, and Austin on select Clear Channel Communications and Entercom network radio stations.
AirSpun proposes to rock the foundations of the music business by allowing every original recording artist?with or without a record deal?an affordable way to be heard on commercial radio.
“The internet has done a great job of leveling the distribution playing field for bands and artists, but so far, no one has used the power of the internet to democratize music marketing and promotion,” explains AirSpun Founder Heidi Elgaard. “AirSpun is well-positioned to fill a void for a new generation of digitally-savvy independent recording artists, as well as radio stations seeking financially viable ways to support them.”
AirSpun is currently working with its radio station affiliates to offer reasonably-priced 60-second spots for AirSpun’s Artist Showcases. Each spot features a brief announcement of the song and band/artist name, followed by about 45 seconds of the showcased song, and a required AirSpun end-tag asking listeners to visit the airspun.com site to find the featured artist and vote or provide feedback on the music.
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Big Fish Media Announces New Content Acquisition Deals
Big Fish Media, a leading digital distributor of independent music labels, today announces the acquisition of several strategic content distribution agreements. Under the terms of these agreements, Big Fish Media will distribute these labels to all major online music stores and mobile services.
Highlighting these recent deals are:
1) Laughing Hyena Records: Laughing Hyena Records is the home for dozens of great, blue-collar comedy from such great performers such as Ron White (featured in the Blue Collar Comedy tour), Larry Reeb (”Uncle Lar’”), The Unknown Comic (”The Gong Show”) and Ollie Joe Prater.
2) Valentino Production Music: In addition to being one of the leading production music and sound effects providers for hundreds of feature film and television shows, Valentino also has the entire catalog of famed, disco-era star, Walter Murphy. He is perhaps most famous for his hit song “A Fifth of Beethoven” which was featured in the eponymous film “Saturday Night Fever” is one of three albums represented by Big Fish Media.
3) Spirit Voyage Records: One of the most successful Yoga, Healing and New Age labels, Spirit Voyage has a worldwide iimpact in the Yoga community. With hundreds of albums in its catalog, Big Fish Media has just released the first group of nearly 50 CDs.
4) Hip-Hop/R&B Artist “Ahmir” - His new single, “Welcome To My Party” is climbing the charts at Billboard. BFM has this release along with two other EPs.
5) Imperativa Records’ new release “Epicon” by Globus represents a breakthrough in pop music. Currently in the top 20 of iTunes UK pop albums, “Epicon” is a ground breaking album.
6) Caravan Records: This is a new label from well-known indie rock label Hollywood Music Center/PEKO Records. Their first two releases “Essential Bellydance” and “Naked Rhythm” are critical hits and making the circuits on both the world and dance genres.
“Here at Big Fish Media, we strive to bring only the best labels and the finest music to our digital music services. We feel that these new labels are consistent with that philosophy and we are extremely proud to be associated with such top-notch content providers, ” co-founder Steven Weber says. He adds, “”we consider ourselves to be an extension of the traditional A&R function to ensure that only marketable content ends up in our catalog.”
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Web 2.0 Agency, ROKKAN, Breaks Through With BreakThru Radio
Leading independent interactive agency ROKKAN has collaborated with BreakThru Radio to create a revolutionary Web 2.0 website, using technologies such as AJAX (XHTML, CSS, XML, JavaScript, XMLHttpRequest) and Flash, that offers a feature rich and enhanced interactive experience.
The term Web 2.0 refers to the ongoing transition of the Web from a collection of Websites with static content and endless page loads to Websites with richness and responsiveness typically associated with desktop applications. Web 2.0 technologies are one of the primary factors in the recent surge of sites offering blogs, podcasts, wikis, and social networking. These sites have created a more dynamic Web that encourages flexibility for users, eliminates static content, and offers increased support of multimedia functions.
As part of the new Web 2.0 trend, ROKKAN has created a ground-breaking multimedia Website for BreakThru Radio, a company that is committed to providing an outlet for talented independent artists to be heard.
“People come to our Website for a real radio experience without repetitive playlists and for DJs who are musicologists offering independent music that they can’t get anywhere else,” says Cal Rifkin, President of BreakThru Radio, “working with ROKKAN to create a new site using Web 2.0 technologies has given us the ability to offer features to our users that can’t be found anywhere else.”
The innovative new Website, www.breakthruradio.com, allows users to watch videos, listen to music, and search the Website without missing a beat, literally. “We used AJAX technologies to develop functionality that wasn’t possible before,” says Jim Blackwelder, Director of Technology at ROKKAN. “Now, no matter where you click, the site’s most important feature - streaming media - isn’t interrupted. We are able to offer a continuous audio / video stream while users browse the site without using HTML frames or an annoying pop-up window.” Web 2.0 Rich Internet Applications and AJAX technologies allows the browser to continuously request content from the server without the traditional HTTP server request and page reload. The Website also features Yahoo! Maps Web Services and Action Script Flash API allowing users to track concerts and bands around the globe.
“It’s encouraging to see businesses and production quality sites starting to request feature rich Web 2.0 applications - and there’s no reason not to - the technology is sound, the cost is minimal, and the opportunities are abundant,” says Blackwelder.
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Roots Music Report Announces Recipients Of Its 2006 Radio Stations Of The Year Award
Roots Music Report is pleased to announce its selections for radio stations of the year. Recipients were selected by staff of RMR after carefully listening to the programming first hand and were selected based on their format and variety of music played. This year’s list of honors signifies the first acknowledgements in what is planned to be an annual event.
The award serves to recognize the stations commitment to and support of its roots based genre. “These stations seem to give all artist a chance to be heard,” says RMR owner/operator Robert Bartosh.”They are all consistent reporting stations to our charts and contribute immensely to the roots music movement.”
Designated honors for 2006 were presented to the following stations:
Bluegrass - WTCR - Huntington, West Virginia
Roots/Americana - KRVL - Kerville, Texas
Roots/Rock - XCountry - Satellite
True Country - KMCO - McAlester, Oklahoma
Western Swing - KBEC - Waxahachie, Texas
Folk - KCLC - St. Charles, Missouri
Blues - Blues Deluxe - Arlington, Texas
Jazz - WFDU - Teaneck, New Jersey
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Provided by the MusicDish Network. Copyright © MusicDish LLC 2006 - Republished with Permission
Title: GLITTER MOUTH
Artist: Abby Travis
Genre: Nope-doesn’t fit any of the traditional terms
Lable: ? This is so indie, its not printed on the cd or packaging
Available at: CD Baby, I tunes, amazon, abbytravis.com, Virgin Records-Hollywood
Abby Travis is about as indie as it gets. Never mind how to categorize her sound in the rock spectum, though I’ll entertain a brief discussion here just for the hell of it: In traditional terms, its somewhere in the glam/goth/alt rock neighborhood-OK ,enough on that. Whatever you call it, get this album and a year or so from now when everyone is talking about Abby, you can whip out your well-worn copy of GLITTER MOUTH and prove just how money your musical tastes and instincts are.
This record offers 10 full-length tracks from the songstress with an underground following. Her ultra sophisticated sound and often cerebral lyrics set Travis apart from other singing/songwriting contemporaries. Her work is as refreshingly different as rocky road ice cream in a freezer full of vanilla. Really, who else writes rock songs in 6/8 time these days? While her songwriting and vocals are the attraction for this album, her bass playing along with keyboards by Kristian Hoffman and David Bongiovanni on guitar solidify her unique sound. Other notables on the album are Donita Sparks (L7) on guitar and Monique Powell (Save Ferris) helping out with vocals on Hunger. Beastie Boy, Alfredo Ortiz plays drums on three tracks, which also happen to be three of my top picks. Coincidence? Probably not, his solid chops and versatility are noticeably evident on those songs and send them over the top in terms of the final product.
Travis and company have produced an album of soulful, sexy, melodic songs, that will take you for an emotional ride. Favorite picks: Blythe: beautifully melodic, painfully reminiscent, Hunger: high energy romp, sinfully good as Travis bass lines and Ortiz’s drumming provide the rhythm section for what might be the best song on the album. La Petite Mort: super-funky smoky-toned, caution or celebration of such consuming relationships I’m not sure, but if you’ve ever been there, you don’t really care. Past, Present, Future: this tongue-in-cheek narrative is the only song on the album not written/co-written by Travis. It’s a cover of the Shangri-La’s song, which could be called a cover of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata with lyrics added. GLITTER MOUTH trivia notes: The first run printed the titles and lyrics to songs 8 & 9 out of order and may be corrected in future runs. (That’s how early fans will be separated from the johnny-come-lately’s). There is also a track 11-which has nothing on it; and a track 12, which is 34 seconds long, and I believe when played backwards confirms “Abby is Queen, Abby is Queen”. (That’s just a joke-please don’t anyone post comments to tell me it doesn’t say that-unless you really do play it backwards and it says something else)
Abby Travis has California tour dates in October to support the release, including shows at the House of Blues-Anaheim (10/24) and HOB-San Diego (10/26) For more dates or artist information, go to www.abbytravis.com
Lisa
Title: GLITTER MOUTH
Artist: Abby Travis
Genre: Nope-doesn’t fit any of the traditional terms
Lable: ? This is so indie, its not printed on the cd or packaging
Available at: CD Baby, I tunes, amazon, abbytravis.com, Virgin Records-Hollywood
Abby Travis is about as indie rock as it gets. Never mind how to categorize her sound in the rock spectum, though I’ll entertain a brief discussion here just for the hell of it: In traditional terms, its somewhere in the glam/goth/alt rock neighborhood-OK ,enough on that. Whatever you call it, get this album and a year or so from now when everyone is talking about Abby, you can whip out your well-worn copy of GLITTER MOUTH and prove just how money your musical tastes and instincts are.
This record offers 10 full-length tracks from the songstress with an underground following. Her ultra sophisticated sound and often cerebral lyrics set Travis apart from other singing/songwriting contemporaries. Her work is as refreshingly different as rocky road ice cream in a freezer full of vanilla. Really, who else writes rock songs in 6/8 time these days? While her songwriting and vocals are the attraction for this album, her bass playing along with keyboards by Kristian Hoffman and David Bongiovanni on guitar solidify her unique sound. Other notables on the album are Donita Sparks (L7) on guitar and Monique Powell (Save Ferris) helping out with vocals on Hunger. Beastie Boy, Alfredo Ortiz plays drums on three tracks, which also happen to be three of my top picks. Coincidence? Probably not, his solid chops and versatility are noticeably evident on those songs and send them over the top in terms of the final product.
Travis and company have produced an album of soulful, sexy, melodic songs, that will take you for an emotional ride. Favorite picks: Blythe: beautifully melodic, painfully reminiscent, Hunger: high energy romp, sinfully good as Travis bass lines and Ortiz’s drumming provide the rhythm section for what might be the best song on the album. La Petite Mort: super-funky smoky-toned, caution or celebration of such consuming relationships I’m not sure, but if you’ve ever been there, you don’t really care. Past, Present, Future: this tongue-in-cheek narrative is the only song on the album not written/co-written by Travis. It’s a cover of the Shangri-La’s song, which could be called a cover of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata with lyrics added. GLITTER MOUTH trivia notes: The first run printed the titles and lyrics to songs 8 & 9 out of order and may be corrected in future runs. (That’s how early fans will be separated from the johnny-come-lately’s). There is also a track 11-which has nothing on it; and a track 12, which is 34 seconds long, and I believe when played backwards confirms "Abby is Queen, Abby is Queen". (That’s just a joke-please don’t anyone post comments to tell me it doesn’t say that-unless you really do play it backwards and it says something else)
Abby Travis has
California
tour dates in October to support the release, including shows at the House of Blues-Anaheim (10/24) and HOB-San Diego (10/26) For more dates or artist information, go to www.abbytravis.com
The L.A event wrapped up Sunday in Stanton Park, as indie rock/pop fans were treated to some of the best pop bands from around the country and locally. I attended the show Saturday night at Fitzgeralds Pub in Hungtington Beach . For a $10 cover I got to see 6 great bands all of whom should easily be getting more radio time than most of who pop radio is currently polluting our airspace with.
While all the artists that played IPO deserve honorable mentions, two immediately grabbed my attention. The Shambles (a quartet of thirty and forty-somethings that reminded me of the sound of the neo-mod movement of the late 70’s and early 80’s) and sparkle*jets u.k an eclectic mix of musicians whose sound ranged from juiced up power pop to Beatlesque. (In-depth interview with the latter forthcoming) On top of that: Swag! Everyone at the show got the 2006 IPO disk for free! 70 songs from some of the best international indie rock/pop bands around-Woohoo!
Speaking with David Bash, the event’s organizer, after the show, he mentioned it was the best L.A. IPO yet-his highlight so far was having the legendary Roger Joseph Manning, Jr. perform the previous Tuesday at Spaceland. So what is Bash’s vision for IPO ten years from now? - That this kind of music- from indie rock artist who can play solid, popular music will "seep into the hearts and minds of the public"; that merit of the music will make it popular, not how well the performers are marketed. And why not believe its possible, after all "pop" and "indie" don’t have to be mutually exclusive of each other, consider their definitions…but that’s a whole other discussion. Until such time that Nick, Ashley and Lindsay can write and perform their own stuff, there’s IPO.
Hear some of the best talent at the upcoming IPO shows in San Francisco, August 16-22; Seattle, August 24-27 and Vancouver, August 30-September 2. www.internationalpopoverthrow.com for more info
I haven’t been keeping up too much with what has been happening on iTunes lately but these 2 exclusives caught my eye.
The first is a Bob Dylan pre-order for his new album "Modern Times." One thing you have to say for Bobby is that he has consistently defied the critics by releasing some great new stuff even as he approaches retirement age. When you purchase "Modern Times" you get 4 bonus videos and a fifth just by pre-ordering. In addition you will get an exclusive pre-Sale Ticketmaster code for access to up to four tickets on Dylan’s upcoming tour. A pretty cool enticement if you like Dylan.
The second exclusive is a pre-order for the Killers new album with a free download of their new (and very different but cool) track "When You Were Young."
Anyhow, if either of these artists turns your crank, fire up the old iTunes software and check ‘em out.
Later.
The very cool Yep Roc Records has hopped onto the podcating bandwagon with their brand new monthly Yepcast. According to their announcement:
Yepcast is our new monthly podcast devoted to giving you the heads up, the downlow, the nod, the nudge, the wink - in other words, the first shot at hearing new Yep Roc music, artist news, interviews, the skinny on exclusive tracks and bonuses from the Yep Roc Web Shop - all of that. But don’t worry, it’s not a big commercial. It’s all about the music.
This month they feature an exclusive interview with Radio Birdman’s Deniz Tek, plus music from the new Yeproc releases by Radio Birdman The Sadies, Spencer Dickinson and a sneak preview of Jim Lauderdale’s two new releases. Sounds cool. Look for a new Yepcast on the first Friday of every month and look for my take on the new Yep Roc releases from said Radio Birdman, the Minus 5 and The Sadies coming up soon on The Rock and Roll Report.
Later.
The very cool Yep Roc Records has hopped onto the podcating bandwagon with their brand new monthly Yepcast. According to their announcement:
Yepcast is our new monthly podcast devoted to giving you the heads up, the downlow, the nod, the nudge, the wink - in other words, the first shot at hearing new Yep Roc music, artist news, interviews, the skinny on exclusive tracks and bonuses from the Yep Roc Web Shop - all of that. But don’t worry, it’s not a big commercial. It’s all about the music.
This month they feature an exclusive interview with Radio Birdman’s Deniz Tek, plus music from the new Yeproc releases by Radio Birdman The Sadies, Spencer Dickinson and a sneak preview of Jim Lauderdale’s two new releases. Sounds cool. Look for a new Yepcast on the first Friday of every month and look for my take on the new Yep Roc releases from said Radio Birdman, the Minus 5 and The Sadies coming up soon on The Rock and Roll Report.
Later.
Here is the playlist for the Drastic Plastic Program on CKUT FM in Montreal for August 14th, 2006 where Armitage Shanks and host Doug Ford had a look at the upcoming Mercury Music Awards in England:
Artist/Album/Song
Tune in next week!
Later.
To say that The Beatles had an impact on rock and roll is a major understatement but amongst all the bands that they had a major influence on was The Byrds. That influence then further percolated down the rock and roll food chain to bands like Big Star and R.E.M. and it has found a ready and willing receptacle amongst the members of UK band The Sails. Sounding like the long lost brother of Rubber Soul or Revolver, The Sails debut album is an amzingly coherent collection of cool power pop hooks and jangly Rikenbacker guitar. While I was immediately struck with lead-off track See Myself and the follw-up The Slow Down (click to download), the centerpiece song for me is no doubt Can You Hear Me with it’s “Rain” like bass riff and impeccable production. An absolute masterpiece and a worthy addtion to the “keep it on repeat” Hall of Fame. Head over the the Rainbow Quartz Store and pick up a copy today.
Later.
Mark
To say that The Beatles had an impact on rock and roll is a major understatement but amongst all the bands that they had a major influence on was The Byrds. That influence then further percolated down the rock and roll food chain to bands like Big Star and R.E.M. and it has found a ready and willing receptacle amongst the members of UK band The Sails. Sounding like the long lost brother of Rubber Soul or Revolver, The Sails debut album is an amzingly coherent collection of cool power pop hooks and jangly Rikenbacker guitar. While I was immediately struck with lead-off track See Myself and the follw-up The Slow Down (click to download), the centerpiece song for me is no doubt Can You Hear Me with it’s "Rain" like bass riff and impeccable production. An absolute masterpiece and a worthy addtion to the "keep it on repeat" Hall of Fame. Head over the the Rainbow Quartz Store and pick up a copy today.
Later.
(PRESS RELEASE) The world television premiere of Sleep Well, Drive Carefully: On the Road with Death Cab for Cutie kicks off Musaic on Cinema, Starz Cinema’s new monthly music series, airing Aug. 28 at 10 p.m. (ET/PT). Musaic on Cinema is an exclusive series featuring concerts, documentaries, interviews and travelogues, connecting viewers with top independent music.
The Musaic on Cinema series features all world television premiere films with the exception of Gigantic (A Tale of Two Johns). Each film in the series will air at 10 p.m. (ET/PT) on the last Monday of each month through March 2007, and will also be available in August on Vongo, SEG’s new broadband download movie service.
Sleep Well, Drive Carefully: On the Road with Death Cab for Cutie gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at life on the road as well as provides candid conversations with the band about their creative process and dedication to their work. The documentary, directed by Justin Mitchell, was shot entirely on 16mm film and features interviews with the band members in their hometown of Seattle, WA.
It is with genuine sadness that I read yesterday that The Wayback Machine, one of the best rock and roll radio shows on the air today, will be broadcasting their last show on Monday, August 28th, 2006. Kopper really knows his shit and The Wayback Machine was always a great source for the rawest nuggets of rock and roll out there and it will be missed but the good news is that he is not leaving radio. Like so many shows these days, podcasting has overtaken regular FM radio as the best way to distribute content and Kopper and his gang are still pumping out great rock and roll on their Garage Punk podcasts. As they say: "The King is dead! Long live the King!"
Later.
